Big Blue Sky | JJ Maybank x Male OC

•9•

I leaned against the counter as JJ scooped peanut butter onto two slices of bread. I grimaced at the old bread.
"That bread had mold on it three days ago," Pope said as he walked by.
"I'll just pull off the bad parts," JJ replied, causing me to gag. "Plus, mold is good for you. It's just a...natural...organism."
"You're gonna spit it up," I said.
"I'll be fine."
"JJ, Sky," Kie called as John B sat down with the package.
We hurried over.
We watched as John B ripped the top open. I glanced over to JJ as he took a bite of his sandwich, then immediately gagged and spit it out.
I gave him a knowing look, but he pretended not to notice.
John B pulled out a map of the Banks, with diagrams and notes written all over.
"Holy shit," John B said.
"X marks the spot," Pope said, pointing to the x.
"Longitude, Latitude," John B listed. "Wait, there's something else in here."
He reached into the package again.
He pulled out an old tape recorder, causing him to cock his head at it.
"What's that?" JJ said.
I sighed and ran a hand down my face.
"I'm dating an idiot."
"It's a tape recorder," Kie said. "Dumbass."
John B played the message.
"Dear Bird," the voice said.
"Who's Bird?" JJ asked.
"That's what my dad called me," John B said.
"I hate to say I told you so, but...I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight. But, don't kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn't expect to find the merchant either."
We all shared shocked glances at his words. I intertwined my fingers with JJ's.
"You were probably right to call me out," he continued. "I wasn't exactly father of the decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully, we're listening to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica, living off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you find this for less than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the merchant. If something happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it..."
There was a long pause.
"See you on the other side."
The recording ended there. My mind reeled over what just happened. John B stood up from the table and walked away.
"Holy shit, he did it," JJ said. "Big John-he-he found the Merchant! He-"
"JJ," Kie and I said simultaneously.
He quieted down as we grabbed his attention.
"Sorry," he said quickly as John B's cries filled our ears.
Kie went over to console him as JJ, Pope, and I shared thoughtful glances.
A half an hour later we all lounged about the dock as Kie strummed the ukulele. I sat next to JJ.
"How much was it again?" he asked.
"Four hundred mil," Pope said.
"All right, let's talk the split," JJ said. "Now before we say evenly, may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us. Protection? Not cheap."
I sighed and looked away as he held the gun up.
"You haven't trained," Pope said. "You've done zero training."
"YouTube, bro," JJ said. "That's at least a five percent bump right there. Any objections? I didn't think so."
"Yeah," Pope said.
"I don't hear any, so..."
"What are you gonna do with your eighty mil, Pope?" Kie asked.
"Pay for college in advance. And also, textbooks. Those are expensive."
"What about you, Kie?" JJ said.
"Yeah, what does a socialist do when she's rich?" Pope said.
"Just wanna make a double album. About OBX, the Pogues. You know, the way Catch a Fire is about Kingston. Record at Marley Studio, Peter Tosh producing."
"Peter Tosh is dead," Pope said.
"Peter Tosh is dead, I know," Kie said. "Spirit of Peter Tosh will never die."
"I know what I'll do," JJ said. "I'm gonna get a big ass house on Figure Eight and go full Kook."
I chuckled a bit at that. The thought of JJ being a Kook.
"You're gonna go full Kook?" Pope said.
"Yep," JJ said. "Gonna get a marble statue of myself, and then I'm gonna get a koi pond. Put a bunch of those fish-"
"I'm never visiting," Kie said.
"That's okay, I'll have Sky to keep me company. He'll have his own room there too."
"You act like he'd use it when you're around," Pope said.
I blushed a little and hid my face.
"What about you, Sky?"
"I was gonna say get outta the house, but I guess JJ has already moved me in with him, so... I don't know," I said. "Maybe buy a new skateboard?"
"That better be one helluva skateboard," JJ said.
Kie and I laughed.
"What are you gonna do, JB?" Pope said.
He remained silent for a long while.
"To going full Kook," he said with a halfhearted smile.
"To going full Kook," we all cheered.