Dying Summer | JJ Maybank

(13)

CW- abuse

Val slept on the couch in John B's house last night, not even caring if his parents found out he snuck out, he had bigger issues. He snuck into John B's room to borrow a dark green shirt and black shorts and walked out of the back door running a hand through his hair. He left his shoes outside the night before so as he passed them on the steps he sat down and slipped them on. He walked out to Pope trying (and failing) to set up the winch for the gold heist.

Val walked over to the frustrated boy, "Need some help, Pope?" Val asks.

He looks over his shoulder, sighing in relief, "Thank god Val. Yes, please." Val laughs at his mock desperation.

Val grabs the tools from Pope and crouches on the ground to begin working on the contraption in front of him. After a couple minutes of silent working, Pope begins to ask questions,

"So, Val..." Pope starts.

Val hums in answer, still not awake enough yet for decent conversation.

"What is going on between you and JJ?" The bluntness in Pope's question makes Val jump and drop the tool, making a clunking noise on the metal.

"Umm, we–, uh, just–" Val starts but was interrupted.

"I know you guys started up again." Pope deadpans. "You don't have to tell me, JJ has told me alot, like too much–"

"What do you mean? Too much? What has he told you?" Val looks up from the mechanism and gets a little too defensive, he really doesn't like his intimate relationships broadcasted for the whole crew to know. He's beginning to care less and less about who knows, he just wants to leave it at that, he wants privacy.

Pope raises his hands in mock surrender, "Woah, tone it down man, he just told me y'all are active again, he used the term, 'very' active to be specific." Val gestures to the tools as he listens to Pope.

"Sorry, I'm just tired and honestly, he hasn't been acting like the JJ I know and lo-like." Val stutters through the last word, hoping he caught his slip-up before Pope did. Unfortunately, at the eyebrow that's raised in his direction, he wasn't swift enough. He groans as Pope hands him tools.

Pope sighs and his voice gets a little softer, "Listen, JJ has been going through a ton of shit lately, I know it's hard, but cut the dude some slack, he's trying." Val is confused at the boy's lack of frustration at his best friend.

Val looks back at the project in front of him, "I know that, but we've all got shit to deal with, you talk about it and keep chugging on with your day y'know?" Val wipes down a screw with a rag, "I mean, he knows he can talk to me right?" He cleans the screw again, "Like I know what he's going through." He points to another tool.

Pope hands it to him, "Does he though? Maybe telling him that will, like, solidify that trust or something."

Val looks back up at the boy slightly confused, "You really think so?"

Pope makes a tch noise, "I mean, I've known him since the 4th grade. He likes words of encouragement or whatever," He chuckles lightly, "It's definitely his love language."

Val keeps his eyes on the boy sitting above him, "I might take your advice, I just don't want to scare him away with deep shit again."

"Look I'm not going to lie and say he's matured a ton," he says exaggerating the last word, "But he's grown up since the last time you two had a thing."

Val makes a 'hmm' noise as an answer and gets back to working on the task at hand. With Popes added help, it makes things run way smoother. Val then watches JJ walk out of the porch and sit by the new hot tub.