Tempest and Gin ✘JJ Maybank✘

Lion's Den

"You smell good."

"JJ, shut up. I'm trying to sleep."

He was quiet for a few moments and you shifted, shutting your eyes tighter. JJ also shifted, letting out a heavy sigh. You felt yourself slipping into sleep again when JJ rolled over with another breath. You popped open an eye, glaring behind you. With a breath of your own, you rolled over to face him.

JJ was lying on his back, his hands behind his neck, and staring up at the ceiling. His eyes were wide open. When you rolled over, he glanced down at you.

"Can't sleep?" He asked you, voice at a whisper..

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hard to sleep when the bed keeps moving," you told him.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said, turning onto his side to face you. You wiggled closer to him until you were just a few inches apart. "You do smell good though."

"Thanks." It was a simple compliment, but you still felt your cheeks grow warm. "You smell good, too."

JJ let out a laugh.

"No, I don't."

"No, you don't."

JJ rolled his eyes. He lifted his hand and brushed a bit of hair out of your face. Tingles ran up your spine at his touch.

"You're doing okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm doing okay," you told him. "You doing okay?"

"I'm okay as long as you're okay."

"You're so full of cheese, Maybank."

You couldn't help but smile. The room was dark, but through the small window by the bed, the very shreds of the new moon was peaking through. The soft moon light illuminated the gentle features of JJ's face and your heart skipped a beat in your chest.

"Aww, c'mon, Ellie," JJ whined, rolling his head away from you.

"What?" you laughed.

"You can't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

He paused and looked back at you, the blues of his irises shaded. Your stomach rolled.

"Nothing. Go to sleep."

"Are you gonna let me sleep?"

JJ pressed a quick kiss against your forehead and rolled over so his back was facing you. You couldn't help but roll your eyes.

"You suck," you huffed, tapping his calf with your foot.

"Night, night," he called to you.

"Night."

***

JJ came with you, Kid, and Lana to meet Brandon that next day. Part of you knew that JJ was coming out of jealousy and protectiveness, not wanting you to be alone with a man that he didn't trust, but it was easy enough to pretend that he came to hold your hand and make this entire thing a little bit easier.

But you knew that things weren't going to be easier when he walked into the police station and half of the department turned to look at him, eyes hard. In his usual JJ style, he waved, tipped an imaginary hat, even winked at a few officers. He walked behind you and Kid with a saunter in his step.

Shoupe guided the four of you to the interrogation room where you had met Brandon the day before. Just like then, you refused to allow yourself to hesitate, knowing you would want nothing more than to run away and drown yourself in the ocean. Before Shoupe could even say anything to encourage you, you pushed the door open and walked inside. Kid and Lana followed after you. Shoupe, however, stopped JJ before he walked inside.