Heated Lies (Jiara)

Intensity

"Wait, don't-"

It was instinct to try and stop her, not that it did any good. She still saw the cuts, the bruises, and the scars. His face crumbled the second she saw it. It was the sound she made, somewhere between a gasp and a whimper that made him yank his shirt back down. They still looked ugly to him.

She was silent for several seconds. There wasn't a whole lot she could say. The realization wouldn't sink in until she processed the evidence. The fact that it was his father is what took her by surprise. She couldn't picture her own father, despite how much of a pushover he was, doing such a thing.

Then there was JJ, still in the moment. Still trying to stifle the sobs. Still trying to hide. She had to snap herself back.

"C-Can I hug you?" She swallowed hard, "Please?"

He didn't answer, not verbally. He did, however, lean forward just the slightest. She took that as a yes and pulled him back into her arms.

"Is this okay?" She whispered after a moment. His sharp breaths made it hard to make out what she was saying, but he figured it out.

She was afraid of hurting him further. There were old and new injuries decorating his entire front, from his chest to his lower abdomen.

"It's not your fault, Kie." He said after finally catching his breath. "Don't blame yourself."

She didn't want to add to his pain either physically or mentally, so she nodded against him, bringing her hand up to cup his head on her shoulder.

Deep down, though, she did feel guilty. She'd known, hadn't she? She should've done more to prevent it. She should've noticed sooner. Of course everyone's standard reply would be that she couldn't have known.

But this was JJ; her best friend since the beginning of time. Now her potential boyfriend! She couldn't help but feel a responsibility.

Her eyes were lost in thought, and he could see this when she released him from her arms. You'd think the pain would be the worst part, but it was the wanting for JJ.

Wanting his dad to be normal. Wanting Kiara not to worry. Wanting to be able to handle things himself.

Then his lips were on hers again, with a sense of desperation linked. It was like he was craving it, craving her, craving the emotional and physical support only she could give him.

She had the same energy, fitting perfectly close to him. They would only stop to catch their breath, JJ ignoring the pain in his sides that almost started to feel good. That was something he didn't understand.

Even as they were impossibly close, even when she could feel his tears on her cheeks, she was still utterly attracted to him. This was arguably his worst moment... and she still loved him.

They spent another hour on the bathroom floor, Kiara trying her best to keep him calm. She distracted him with other subjects while she cleaned his cuts and redid the bandages he'd poorly wrapped.

By the end of this, the only sound was the occasional sniffle. That was about as good as it would get that night. She brought him back to her room, easing him into the covers after her.

She'd previously leaned on him during their slumber, but it didn't seem like the greatest idea anymore. It didn't go unnoticed.

So even when he'd flinch, just a little, she would move a little farther away. Not enough to leave him alone, but enough to make sure she wouldn't cause him any more harm.

"Thank you."

It was low and foggy in her mind, but his grip around her waist was tight, and the moment became a warm memory.

***

The next morning, Kiara called the boys. She'd promised JJ she'd leave his dad out of it, and she did, but it was hard explaining around it.

"Can we come over?"

"How is he?"

There were questions after questions that pressed both he and Kiara now. While it wasn't ideal, sharing the load did make
him feel better.

"Kie..." He said when she finally hung up. "Did you tell them yet?"

"No." She quickly replied. "I thought you said-"

"I mean about boarding school."

She set her phone down, leaving Pope, John B, and Sarah in the dark. She'd nearly forgotten.

"No... they don't know." She wouldn't look at him. "I don't want them to know. I-I don't want to even think about it."

JJ nodded. "When do they leave?"

"Next week..." She mumbled reluctantly. "I don't want to go. I never want to leave you guys. But the more I see you, the more likely I am to go..."

She sighed, suddenly shaking her head. "I can't believe I'm even dwelling on this when we have bigger issues. I'm sorry-"

"Oh no, Kie, come on." His look of concern kept her silent. "My problems don't make yours any less real. You're just as entitled to be upset as I am."

He marveled in his ability to keep her speechless. It was never really new, but putting a label on it made seeing each in this new light so invigorating.

He broke the silence with a spark of his older, more innocent self. "Would you let me call you my girlfriend?"

She could feel her eyes practically shimmering. "Hell, yes, J."

***

Kiara didn't bring Sarah up again. Not after their first kiss. It was, however, something that played on repeat in her boyfriend's mind. It was sort of like John B's mirror, though it was more of an emotional debt than physical.

So he called her.

"I wanted to tell you this in person. Can I come to your house?"

He hated the Cameron house, but he figured he owed it to them to deal with it for a little while.

"Yeah." Sarah's voice was confused, half by the fact that it was JJ calling her, half by the fact that his voice was so gruff in comparison to what she was used to.

If you'd asked him, he'd suppose Kiara just had that affect on him. Nonetheless, he let her drive him over and stepped out of the vehicle.

"Don't be nervous, I don't think she's mad. Just tell her how you really feel."

Kiara could usually tell when someone was nervous, but this time it was only because she could feel his clammy hand as he held on the entire ride there.

"Alright." He took a deep breath. "I fucking got this."

Author- So I know I always say I'm never gonna write smut but this chapter really has me thinking 💀💀💀