Sunny Side Up - JJ Maybank

15

I was grateful Flora was at Rafe's tonight so JJ and I would have some privacy to sort things out. I made us some coffee and grabbed the first-aid kit from the cupboard to clean his battered body. No words were exchanged as I cleaned and dressed his wounds; the only sounds were his ragged breathing and occasional cries of pain which hurt my heart.

"God I just want someone to fix me," he sobbed.

I cupped his cheek in my hand to make him look at me and I saw how sad he really was.

"You're not broken, sweetheart. You don't need fixing," I reassured, placing a kiss on his forehead but he surprised me by nestling his head in the crook of my neck. I kept kissing and stroking the back of his head while he cried into me, muttering kind things to him but I'm not sure if he heard.

"I need you, Sunny. Fuck - I need you more than anything in this world," he admitted, bunching up my shirt in his balled fists as he clung to me.

"I need you too, J."

Once he was all bandaged up, I went to put the first-aid kit away, and when I returned he had a guilty look on his face.

"Are you mad at me?"

"I waited for you, JJ - we both did. Not knowing when you'd return; and now you're back like nothing's changed," I whispered, breaking the silence.

"Nothing has changed," he said bitterly, as if he didn't confess his love for me the last time we spoke.

"Everything has, stop being naïve!" I yelled, fed up of his hostility when I'd done nothing wrong.

"Oh you're one to talk," he scoffed, and I glared at him in disbelief.

"Is that so?"

Before either of us could say another word, he had me pinned to the wall by my hips, his lips attacking my own roughly. I stood frozen for a moment trying to process what was happening but as he went to pull away, I grabbed his collar and kissed him back, being careful not to touch any of his injuries. We made out for a moment longer before he pulled away properly this time; both of us panting with flushed cheeks.

"I-uh," I trailed off, not knowing how to put into words what I was trying to say, not even knowing what I wanted to say really. How do I respond to that?

"I'm sorry, Sunny; I shouldn't have burst out at you like that, I know you're just trying to do what's best for Flora. I care about you a lot, and I care about Flora - I'd hate for either of you to be disappointed. But I'm sorry," JJ said finally. It may have taken a heated make-out for him to apologise but it had come eventually.

"I understand JJ, you're as much a part of her life as I am and I didn't think about how this would affect you. Rafe and I have sorted things out so he has scheduled visits once a week but that doesn't make you any less of her father; she thinks he's her uncle and he has no problem with it."

"I-I meant what I said, Sunny, the other week. I really love you, like more than a friend," he started nervously; I knew we'd have to have this conversation at some point, but it didn't make me dread it any less.

"You made that pretty clear," I joked, swiping my thumb across my lips and he gave a guilty smile.

"I love you too JJ, you know I do. But I'm not sure if I'm ready for anything serious. I don't want to ruin our friendship and there's too much at risk with Flora. Give me some time, yeah - to sort things out? I don't wanna mess things up with you," I told him honestly, knowing it's for the best.

"We have all the time in the world, sunshine," he smiled.

We slept in the same bed that night; JJ was the little spoon and I held him all night, praying that his pain would go away and he could see how much he was loved.