𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐔𝐏! [𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊]

eighteen

LIGHTS UP
eighteen | ❝they're gone.❞

               WES HAS never liked cops. Never trusted them. For good reason, too. He had known they weren't going to believe John B, the boy's word never stood stood a chance against a rich asshole like Ward Cameron.

The wind is picking up when they arrive at the scene. The weather matching the dreariness of the atmosphere, especially when the thunder started rumbling loudly. There's various tents set up, cops and feds scattered all around. Even a couple news vans.

"Right to your left here," Shoupe tells them, guiding him and the others into one of the tents and gesturing to some chairs, "sit down. Don't move."

Wes goes to go sit down next to JJ, the boy having been glued to his side since they'd gotten out of the separate police cars, but he stops himself as Shoupe places a hand on his arm.

"Not you, Wes."

Wes looks up at the man and furrows his brows in confusion, but he doesn't even get a word out.

"What? Why not?" JJ is quick to question. He stands up from his seat, glaring at Shoupe demandingly as he unconsciously, or maybe protectively, grabs onto Wes' bicep, almost trying to pull him back. "Where's he going?"

"Relax, kid. You're the one that keeps yappin' about how he's hurt- there's paramedics on standby, 'cause of the storm. They'll clean him up and he'll be right back. We still have a lot to talk about."

Wes looks at JJ and he can tell that the boy wants to protest, or maybe say that he wants to go too, but Wes is quick to speak before JJ gets a chance to.

"It's okay, JJ. I'll be right back," he turns to look at him, trying to lighten the mood by mocking the cops words, but apart from the small, although granted, humorless, puff of air that leaves JJ's lips, it does little to ease the look on his face.

Wes quietly watches him for a second, which is admittedly all the time he has right now with Shoupe breathing down his neck, before he gently brushes his hand against JJ's, as subtly as possible, "don't worry, dude. I'll be fine."

Wes sees the way JJ tries, and fails, to suppress an eye-roll when he calls him "'dude", and he almost laughs at his reaction- but he can also see how visibly distressed JJ is still feeling with the entire situation, so he just gives him a smile in attempts to reassure him.

He hears JJ sigh passively after that, reluctantly sitting down once more.

"Come on, kid," Shoupe tugs him along, and Wes feels JJ's eyes on him until he's out of the tent.