Lilo & Stitch

Take My Name

JJ stared down at the little ring and laughed, pure joy bubbling up through his chest as he fought back sniffles. John B patted him on the shoulder and leaned over to look at the engraving on the ring–JJ's mother's ring, one of the few things he'd taken from that old empty house before he left to live with his best friend for good. It was simple, and JJ had gone back and forth about whether this clear statement of a Pogue's life was good enough for the woman of his dreams. But all that flew from his mind after talking to John B last week; this ring had sentimental value to him, and now to you, with those little Hawaiian words etched into the silver.

"That's really sweet, man," John B praised. "ʻOhana mākou, what's it mean again?"

"We are family," JJ replied, tucking the ring box in his pocket and heading out of the jeweler's with his friend. "I didn't want it to be exactly the Lilo & Stitch quote, but I wanted it to be something special for us. She'd been talking about getting a tattoo of this with our anniversary date already."

John B laughed. "Sounds like her. She's definitely the girl for you."

"Yes, she is," the blonde giggled. And so now, JJ Maybank was planning to propose.

It took a long time to make his plans, months of working through possibilities and worries with John B, and eventually with Sarah too. After a lot of back and forth, he finally decided he did want to talk to Y/n's parents first, at the very least to show some level of respect and make an attempt at burying the hatchet. John B agreed to drive him, and though they never said it aloud both knew it was mostly so that when it went south, JJ had someone there to support him and take him away from the situation.

So that's how he suddenly found himself standing on the front porch of Y/n's house, dressed in what would've been his Sunday best and shaking like a leaf. John B gave him one last thumbs-up from the Twinkie's driver window and JJ stabilized his breath.

"JJ?" her mom answered the door. Behind her, Y/n's dad was glaring at him from the hall. "What's the matter? Is something wrong with Y/n?"

"No, ah, no Mrs. L/n. I actually came here while she was working on purpose. I want to talk to you both about something."

With confused and suspicious looks, the two beckoned him inside and he sank rigidly into a chair across from their sofa.

"If this is what I think it is–"

"Now dear, this young man has been very polite to us and to Y/n. Give him some credit."

JJ smiled gratefully at Mrs. L/n's defense of him, though he knew she didn't really like him. She was his ticket in though, her tolerance of him loving their daughter–which had been slowly cultivated over many years–being his golden ticket to maybe winning them over. Maybe.

JJ took a deep breath. "I know we haven't had the best working relationship–"

Her dad scoffed, rolling his eyes. Normally he'd get mad and loud, but this time JJ let it slide and continued.

"–But I want to change that, if I can, for Y/n. We've been together almost three years now, and I know I can't see myself with anyone else. I love your daughter. Honestly, deeply love your daughter."

JJ paused, fiddling with his thumbs a second before he made eye contact with her dad and leveled his voice to show his sincerity. "I want to marry her. And I want her to have her family be together peacefully, all of us."

"Us?"

The tone in Mr. L/n's scoff was enough to let JJ know this was over, but he didn't give up yet, even while the older man stood and pointed at him accusingly.