outerbanks imagines.

sounds like a plan-pope

"to pope!"
everyone in the group cheered in unison while meeting their cups in the middle to celebrate.
their laughs could be heard echoing throughout the night while hovered over a warm fire,
happy and excited for the dreams pope was so close to achieving.
y/n swallowed the last of her drink,
despite popes chosen sobriety,
then wrapped her arms around his torso.
they always agreed to drink or stay sober with one another to whichever party they attended.
but y/n didn't think she could manage through this night without a few drinks;
the sobs had been building in her chest for weeks now.
pope kissed y/n's forehead then said,
"i'm gonna miss you so much."
that was all it took to begin the tears.
y/n looked up to him with flooded eyes,
the alcohol through her bloodstream heightening her emotions.
pope smiled at this,
trying to blink away his own rising tears.
"i'm gonna miss you so much more."
pope laid a finger to her chin then pulled her in for a kiss meant to turn all the fear inside of them into the usual fervor they harbored.
"ugh, get a room!"
jj then loudly groaned in dramatics.
"shut up! this is their last night together,"
kie protested in a small whisper,
but y/n and pope had already pulled apart to laugh as best they could together.
pope and y/n then laid in the sand,
protected by the beach towel beneath them,
and allowed themselves to enjoy the presence of one another before it was gone.
y/n turned her head towards him to burn his image in this moment,
then felt the entwining of their fingers begin.
pope placed their connected hands to his chest where y/n was left to feel the steady beat of his heart.
"i'm so in love with you,"
y/n whispered.
she hurried wipe away the fallen tear with the back of her hand.
pope faced her then chuckled softly.
"you're so drunk."
"maybe a little...but still."
pope pulled y/n closer to his chest,
where she burrowed herself into the crook of his neck and reveled in his scent.
she would miss this more than anything she'd ever known to miss;
the feeling of his embrace,
the ring of his laugh,
the gentle caress of his hands,
his soft kisses.
"i'm in love with you, too, y/n. believe me."
***
"promise me you'll be here when i get back?"
pope mumbled with a twinge of sadness to his voice. he extended his pinky out,
waiting for y/n to meet him with hers.
the both of them laughed through their tears at this.
"i promise i'll be here,"
y/n returned as she intertwined her pinky with his,
kissing their promise to seal it shut.
the intercom came on in the airport to announce pope's flight was boarding.
her heart sank to the lowest point of her being.
it was all becoming so real,
and this past week of crying together hadn't been nearly enough time;
hell,
these past few years together weren't enough time.
but y/n knew if he should stay,
he would never leave.
and she couldn't ask him to shoulder that decision.
so instead,
she took in a deep breath and hugged the lover before her as tightly as she could.
"i'll call you every chance i get,"
pope promised as he pressed a lingering kiss to her lips.
"i'll be waiting,"
she said with a smile,
though her throat was closing from the cries begging to spill.
pope sniffed as discreetly as he could then wiped away the tears on y/n's cheeks.
"don't cry. i'll be back before you know it."
"i know. you've got to go though, okay? bye, my love. be safe and have fun for me, okay?"
"okay. i love you. i love you so much."
pope wrapped his arms around y/n's waist and nearly lifted her off the ground.
she held him just as close.
this departure was going to be harder than either of them assumed.
but with the love they built,
they could manage through this and anything else thrown their way.
"i love you too,"
y/n said with her lips brushing his ear.
the chills corrupted pope's skin beneath her.
pope then turned to walk towards his boarding plane,
leaving y/n behind with a sad smile.
she was happy and more proud than ever of pope for getting into the coroner's school hosted in the west coast,
but neither of them knew when his return would be.
she was going to miss pope and the little things about him;
like the way he talked in his sleep,
the way he unintentionally grazed her skin with his fingertips,
the way he held onto her as he sang her songs,
his tangents that could last for hours but never failed to entertain her.
she could go on for hours about him.
considering how deeply she felt for him,
it wouldn't have been hard.
and she might have allowed herself to stand there for days and think of all the ways she loved her pope if kie hadn't wrapped an arm around her and said,
"you're strong, y/n. you've got this. let's go."
"thank you,"
y/n whispered as she took kie into a hug.
when they were done crying for their departed friend,
the pogues, minus one, began to make their way to the wreck where the food would come as some comfort.
"feels weird without him,"
john b said when they sat with an empty chair beside them.
"yeah, it does,"
y/n agreed with a sigh.
her heart already ached without the boy.
tonight would be the first night in years she'd be asleep without pope's company.
"can..can i stay at your house tonight?"
she then asked john b,
knowing she couldn't bare the smell of him in her bed so soon.
"yeah, definitely. doors always open."
john b gave her a reassuring smile.
y/n and the pogues continued their eating in a silence that was rather awkward.
nobody knew how to speak without the missing piece of their friend group.

"i miss you already pretty girl."

y/n's heart leaped at the message,
making her fingers quick to reply:

"i miss you too.
i didn't think it would be this hard."

"i know.
but i'll be back soon and it'll be like nothing
ever changed.
okay?"

"okay <3
i love you."

"i love you more.
always."

***
the next few weeks went by slower than y/n had ever known time to go in the obx.
she stayed at john b's almost every night and drank with them to pass the hours.
on the off days where she avoided drinking,
she spent time in the ocean trying to leave behind the pining she felt.
at least pope made good on his promise and called her every chance possible.
she was so grateful for it.
y/n thought about him the entire time as she waded into the ocean,
seeking comfort.
then when she returned to the chateau for the night,
salty ocean water clinging to her person and a heavy heart,
she was surprised to see the majority of the pogues resting on the floor with mixed drinks in their hands.
"hey, guys, i wasn't expecting a get together,"
she said with a happy smile.
y/n enjoyed the company of her friends all the time,
but especially during these last few weeks.
kie draped an arm around y/n when she sat down.
"we all needed it."
"how've you been holding up?"
jj asked as he handed her a drink of her own.
y/n shrugged.
"i'm okay. can't complain too much."
"yeah? missing your little boyfriend?"
he began teasing with a childish snicker.
everyone laughed at his mannerisms.
"yes, i do. i miss him a lot,"
she said with an eye roll to the taunts she knew were coming up.
but instead,
john b stood up and said,
"well, you're in luck."
y/n watched in a fixed horror as everyone's faces turned into ones of anticipation and excitement.
"you can come out now!"
pope suddenly turned from around the corner of the house,
fixing his hat in a chilled manner;
he was feigning nonchalance at his homecoming.
y/n stared in disbelief while the breath got caught in her lungs.
she could see the same excitement in his eyes that were now in hers.
y/n jumped to her feet and ran quickly to the boy,
joining him into a hug that took her off the ground.
"pope!"
she exclaimed,
burying her face in his shoulder.
"it's me, beautiful."
y/n held his face to make sure it was truly him,
then began planting kisses all over him.
pope exhaled a loud laugh and that's when she knew:
this was her pope.
no one else could own such a beautiful laugh.
"what are you doing here?"
she then asked as she grounded herself to floor,
though she never let her hands depart from him.
they were clinging to his forearms in this moment.
pope smiled then kissed her cheek.
"decided to come back and explore my options elsewhere. i hated it."
"what? it's only been, like, four weeks."
"the most boring four weeks of my life."
y/n snickered then let her hands caress his face for a moments worth of daze.
pope melted into her grasp then swiftly pulled her in for a longing kiss.
he soon smiled against her lips,
which made her grin in return.
things were suddenly back to normal.
y/n couldn't believe it,
but she felt on top of the world.
"next time i leave, i'm packing you up in my suitcase. okay?"
pope said with a laugh,
his hand falling to the small of her back where it fit perfectly.
y/n giggled and nodded.
"sounds like a plan."
"okay, okay we get it! you're in love. now, can we please pull out the good beer?"
jj asked as he walked to the fridge.
as he passed,
he gave y/n a teasing smile then clapped pope's shoulder.
"actually let's stay here forever, yeah?"
pope asked in a whisper with his eyes locking to hers.
she nodded as eagerly as possible and said,
"i can't think of anything better."