𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐄 ¹- jj maybank

𝟎𝟐𝟔; 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥

SEASON 1
EPISODE 5

"We're back in the g-game, baby."

»»-----　　-----««

VICTORIA RAN UP TO JJ, her heart racing with joy, and launched herself into a tight hug. She squeezed his neck, holding him as if afraid to let go, as if this moment was too precious to slip away. The world felt as if it had come to a standstill, and in his embrace, she found a fleeting sense of peace. Her arms wrapped around him, feeling the familiar warmth of his presence after so long apart. The scent of him, a mixture of weed and cheap perfume, wrapped around her like a comfort she had been missing.

"Okay, V, you're gonna suffocate me," JJ laughed, his voice muffled as he patted her back. His chuckle was light, but there was something in his tone that made Victoria pull away reluctantly, still lingering in the closeness of his arms, not wanting to break the moment.

Victoria let out a soft breath, her smile not faltering. "You're out, J. I'm so happy." Her voice cracked slightly, emotions thick in her chest, her heart brimming with relief and joy. It felt like a lifetime of worry had just lifted, and seeing him standing there, safe, made everything seem right again.

"I am out, indeed." JJ chuckled, his smile warm, though the exhaustion in his eyes spoke volumes. He glanced at her dress, his gaze lingering a bit longer than usual, and then returned to meet her eyes. "You— you look beautiful." The compliment slipped out with sincerity, his words wrapped in a softness that made Victoria's heart flutter unexpectedly.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and for a moment, she found herself at a loss for words. She hadn't expected him to notice, not with everything that had been going on, but his words melted something inside her, leaving her feeling more vulnerable than she cared to admit. "Thank you, J." Her smile deepened, and she couldn't help but notice the way his eyes seemed to soften when they locked on hers. There was a moment of quiet, of something unspoken passing between them—a tension, perhaps, or just a fleeting connection, but it left her breathless.

For a second, neither of them spoke. The air between them was thick with emotions that neither of them fully understood, but they both felt. The silence stretched on, not awkward, but comforting in its own way. JJ's gaze softened, as though he was searching for something to say, something to break the tension, but instead, he masked whatever was there with a playful grin.

But then her gaze shifted, and she looked at him more closely, the sudden shift in her expression making his smile falter. Her eyes locked onto the bruising around his jaw, and her smile dropped.

"The antibiotics didn't seem to work, you're face isn't—" she began, her voice tinged with concern.

Before she could finish, JJ quickly waved her off, trying to brush it aside with a forced chuckle. "It's just my dad, you know. He has that right jab." He attempted to make light of it, his voice dripping with a bitterness that didn't go unnoticed. "Can really snap it off at times."

Victoria's eyes narrowed, the weight of his words hitting her like a punch in the gut. She reached out instinctively, her fingers brushing a strand of hair from his forehead, her touch gentle but filled with concern. JJ flinched slightly, but he didn't pull away, as if he were too tired to hide the pain this time.

"That looks like more than a jab, J," she said quietly, her voice trembling with sorrow, her gaze softening. Her fingers lingered on his skin, as though she could somehow erase the pain with a simple touch. But she knew it wasn't that simple.

JJ sighed, his face hardening slightly as he took a deep breath. "Nothing that hasn't happened before," he muttered, his words heavy with years of unspoken history.