outerbanks imagines.

remember: no pogue on pogue macking- jj

"holy shit. what happened to you?"
y/n asked through a gasp as jj stepped on the boat,
the bruises on his face swelling by the minute.
"nothing,"
he muttered while taking a seat and popping open the can of beer.
she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and swallowed hard,
feeling sympathy pull at her heart.
y/n's eyes darted to kie,
their nonverbal way of communicating.
but she too shrugged her shoulders in the same confusion y/n was in.
y/n began to move her way towards jj to open up a beer with him.
she put it in the air,
then asked him,
"to our summer?"
jj was silent at first.
but his smile quickly grew and their cans met in the middle with a loud clink.
"to our summer,"
he repeated with a finality in his tone y/n adored.
y/n sat back in her seat and felt the summer wind fly through her hair,
felt the sun beaming down on her to warm her body,
and felt contentment settle within her.
the ocean water sprayed her face occasionally,
cooling her skin and making her shiver.
"hey,"
jj soon said at her side,
interrupting her quiet thoughts.
"yeah?"
"i like that bathing suit on you. it's definitely your color."
the compliment felt like a gentle confession;
it made y/n smile shyly.
"thank you."
she giggled and watched him place the beer can to his lips and swallow.
she watched from her peripheral as his adam's apple bobbed with the action.
y/n couldn't figure out if her rise in body temperature had increased with the heat outside or if jj had this effect on her.
"so, what you got planned after this, money bags?"
he asked,
throwing a playful grin at her.
y/n rolled her eyes as his teasing remarks came to play;
the nickname in which she had no say in being deemed was his favorite,
a play on her family's wealth.
"i guess i'm just gonna go home and relax, you know?"
"yeah."
he nodded in understanding,
now looking ahead of him.
"you?"
jj shrugged and crushed the can in his hands.
"i couldn't tell you."
"you staying at john b's tonight?"
"probably."
y/n watched the rest of the group as they took their seats at the front of the boat,
laughing amongst themselves at their own personal conversations.
"not to be...weird, or anything. but, my doors always open if you need a change in place,"
she offered with a rise in her nerves,
turning her head away from him to hide the coyness pooling in her eyes.
she heard jj's quiet chuckle.
"yeah?"
"yeah,"
she reassured.
"your doctor parents not gonna be upset?"
"they're never home, idiot,"
she said with a laugh while turning her head back to him,
being met with that handsome smile that made her knees grow weak.
his smile never wavered,
not even for a second.
"sounds good. how's tonight sound?"
"oh! t-tonight?"
y/n repeated with raised eyebrows,
surprised he was willing to come so soon.
"unless that's-"
"no, no. not at all. you can come tonight, yeah."
she nodded,
trying to feign nonchalance.
"cool."
"what's going on back here?"
john b asked as he sat in between jj and y/n,
wrapping his arms around them.
jj rolled his eyes and mumbled,
"shut up, dude."
***
when the group finally stepped off the boat,
now sunburnt and a little drunk,
they made their way to the van to end the days adventure.
but adventures with the pogues would never end so long as they remained a family.
y/n sat in the back with jj and pope,
well against her will,
and listened as they argued over the benefits and harms of marijuana use.
"shut up!"
kie finally yelled from the front seat,
having had enough of their bickering.
y/n let out a small giggle at the interaction while her eyes followed the moon in habit.
"something funny?"
jj asked with a taunting smile,
inching himself to be seated closer to her.
"hm? oh, nope,"
she said with a mocking innocence.
"mhm...hey,"
he began with a soft whisper,
"i'm excited for this sleepover. never been on the kook side of the island for fun."
"yeah, yeah. keep talking and i'll make you sleep outside."
jj threw his hands up in mock surrender.
y/n laughed into her shoulder while jj nudged her,
making both of their bodies sway.
"well, we're here,"
she announced while patting jj's leg.
y/n then opened the car door before stepping out,
waving goodnight to everyone,
"bye, guys. see you tomorrow!"
jj stepped out behind her,
making her bite her nails in anticipation.
"farewell, my good friends."
"wait, what? jj? why're you staying-"
"i said farewell!"
jj was quick to interrupt pope before he could finish his sentence.
he then grabbed y/n's hand,
threaded their fingers together,
and ran for the front door.
she giggled at his boyish actions and listened as the van drove off.
when she slid her key into the front door and opened it to her guest,
she was quick to say,
"i didn't clean much today but-"
"hey, it's fine. can't be much worse than the slum
i live in. i appreciate it, regardless."
y/n nodded and let him inside,
where his expression fell into one pure shock.
"holy hell,"
he muttered in disbelief as he examined her house.
"i knew you were rich but this? this is a next level,"
he said through airy laughter.
y/n giggled along with him,
but abruptly stopped when his eyes fell back on her,
matching the grin spreading across his lips.
she could see the jokes forming in his mind.
"oh, money bags,"
he began singing.
"ugh! you're impossible!"
y/n exclaimed playfully,
giving him a shove,
though he didn't budge much.
when their laughter finally died down,
she trailed upstairs and left him behind to follow.
"you can sleep in the guest bedroom."
"guest bedroom?"
"that's what i said, isn't it?"
"oh! smart ass."
jj said with dramatic emphasis as they entered his temporary room.
y/n noticed the moon peeking through the window and being the only source of light.
it was rather peaceful,
basking in the moonlight with her best friend.
"wow...this guest room is bigger than my entire house."
"jj?"
"yeah?"
"shut up."
she heard a soft snicker exhale from his lips as she inched closer to the bed,
sprawling out on it to bathe in this moonlight.
jj joined at her side,
his eyes glued to her as she remained in a state of pure tranquility.
the cicadas outside were their only source of noise for a moment;
both of them were too busy soaking up the company of one another.
"why do you hang with us, y/n?"
jj then asked with a low tone. 
"hm? what do you mean?"
"i mean, you're rich, like actually rich. and you're so...beautiful. you're smart, you're well put together, got a lot of self control. you've got so much ahead of you. and instead of hanging with the kooks, who would probably be better for you and your future, you waste your time with us? why?"
she swallowed hard at the question,
beginning to wring her fingers in nervous habit.
"because the kooks are entitled assholes. they're no fun."
she simply shrugged.
"plus, they can't shotgun a beer like my dear friend jj."
y/n smiled as she leaned on her side to poke at his bicep.
he chuckled at the action and nodded his head,
looking right into her;
as though his eyes could gaze upon her soul.
her heart skipped several beats
"yeah...well, when you're right, you're right,"
he said in a breath while sitting up.
"hey, by the way, thanks for letting me stay."
"of course."
"can i shower?"
y/n nodded and guided him to the bathroom,
showing him where all the necessities lied.
when she finished the tour,
he was leaning against the door frame with knitted eyebrows.
"dude. you've got it so good here."
"i'm grateful, believe me."
y/n said with a smile,
turning to look at herself in the mirror.
she noticed the influence of the sun now spread across her nose and cheeks,
her hair in a winded mess,
and dried flecks of sand and salt against her skin.
she thought she looked horrible.
but as jj ran the water across the room,
he stared at her in silent awe.
her skin was smooth and nearly flawless,
reflecting the bathroom light perfectly.
these feelings he had tried so hard to avoid were now springing up inside of him.
he had now seen a more vulnerable side to her;
she had invited him to her world.
how could he not love her when she was the epitome of ethereal living?
"you got it from here, i'm assuming?"
she asked,
piercing the silence that hung above them.
"yeah, yeah, i got it. i'm not that dumb,"
he joked his nerves off as she walked out,
leaving him with a smile.
jj stood and examined his bruises in the mirror.
he began shaking his head and mentally cursing his father for cursing him with these bruises.
hopefully,
he thought,
y/n thinks they're badass.
and with these new thoughts about the same girl,
jj got in the shower to wash away all the impurities he had in hopes he'd step out,
becoming worthy to be in y/n's presence.
in the room across the hall,
y/n laid herself on the bed and smiled at the sound of the shower running.
she wasn't left alone tonight;
for the first time in years she had someone to share her home with.
and it was jj,
nonetheless.
"no pogue on pogue macking, y/n."
she reminded herself in a harsh whisper.
and as though the words traveled to her friends themselves,
a text from kie made her phone light up.