latibule [jj maybank]

0.32

chapter 32

"dad, i need your keys to the phantom" 

the boy stares at his father, watching him sleep on the couch like it was just another normal day; like he hadn't beaten his son only two days ago. 

"dad?" he calls again, trying to get a response as he walks closer. he looks at the table in front of him, picking up a half-empty bottle of pills. 

he puts them down after a moment, his chin shaking slightly as he turns to look at his father again, looking at his neck. 

the keys laid there, on a necklace. jj looks around the house, trying to find a way to get them off his father. after a few moments, he grabs a pair of tweezers from the table. 

turning back to his father, he takes in a breath before leaning in. he bites his lip as he takes one of the tweezers and raises the necklace. 

jj's father opens his eyes. the boy stops in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat as he makes eye contact. 

"i didn't expect to see you" luke tells him, his voice hoarse. "you're back" 

jj pulls back, standing up as if he wasn't just trying to take the keys. "yeah, no, i just--" 

"huh?" luke huffs out as he sits up on the couch and takes a sip of the beer in the table. 

"i was just checking in" jj continues, a fake tone on his voice. 

"school out already?" his father asks distractedly, looking around the house. 

"what?" 

"did you ditch?" he asks, again, looking up at his son. 

jj looks at him in confusion, his eyes slightly red. 

luke chuckles. "it's alright, you can tell me" 

jj blinks back the tears, smiling slightly. "yeah. i hit the brake, you know" he jokes lowly. 

his father giggles, shaking his head. "i hated school too, my boy!" he stands up. 

"what have you been up to?" he asks, walking up to jj. "you got a girlfriend? i always knew you were going to be a ladies man" he jokes. 

jj forces out a chuckle, nodding. "yeah- um, i have a girlfriend" 

"oh yeah?" his father asks, his head leaning to the side in surprise "what's her name?" 

"her name's india. she's new to town" he explains. 

luke pats his shoulder. "she pretty?" 

"yeah, she's- she's really pretty, and she's really nice to me" 

"as she should." there's a pause. "you love her, don't you?" his father asks, scanning the boy's face. 

jj chuckles, "i mean- yeah. i do. she's the best, dad" he tells him. 

luke laughs, "well, someday bring her around, and we'll all have a family dinner or somethin'. i'll clean out this mess" he motions around to the living room. 

jj nods, chuckling as his father turns back to him. 

"hey, look, i know i'm hard on you sometimes. but sometimes, i see- i see your mother in you, and it gets me a little tweaked, you know?" he laughs. 

suddenly jj regretted telling him about india. his smile fades slightly, but he forced out a chuckle. 

"you're a good boy." luke continues, patting his shoulder. 

"mh-hm" jj hums, avoiding eye contact. 

"and i love you, son" he smiles, pulling him in for a hug "come here. i love you" 

jj tenses at the hug of his father. 

he was getting the appreciation and love that he had wanted for so many years, and yet he couldn't help but notice that compared to how india's hugs made him feel, this one made him feel like shit. 

he blinks through the tears, not saying anything as his father hugs him tightly. he didn't want to hug him back. not after everything that he had done. not after the way that he had treated him for so many years. 

 the boy sniffles, holding back tears. 

"i'm sorry" he mutters, his voice breaking. 

"ain't got nothin' to be sorry for" luke whispers as he starts passing out in jj's arms. 

jj puts him down on the couch, luke facing up at him. 

"you're a good boy" he whispers as he looks up at his son. 

jj takes in a shaky breath, a silent tear trekking down his cheek as he finally grabs the keys from his father's neck and pulls them off. 

from outside, india watches with worry as jj exits the house. his head is down, and his face looking serious. 

instead of going to the passenger's seat like before, he finds himself slipping into the back seat with india. 

without a word he envelops his arms around her, burrowing his head on the nook on her neck. 

india is surprised for a moment, taken back by his actions. she looks up at kiara, her eyebrows high on her head. kiara shrugs, looking at jj with a worried look as well. 

jj hugs india tighter, trying to get the feeling of his father's hug out of his system. there was nothing better to him than india's hugs. 

after a moment he pulls back, his hand moving so that it's on her thigh. he smiles at her, exhaling a breath. 

"everything alright?" india asks softly, looking up at her boyfriend. 

"everything's perfect now that i'm here with you" he tells her, trying to forget about what happened with his dad as he winks at the girl. 

india rolls her eyes. "yeah, right" she dismisses his comments, turning to face the front of the car. 

what she didn't know was that jj was 100% serious. only being in her presence made jj feel better. it made him calm down. it made him feel safe. 

she was his latibule.  

a/n sorry for the short chapter!!