BROKEN (jj maybank)

nine | calling it off

CHAPTER NINE

↪CALLING IT OFF↩

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SUNLIGHT POURED INTO JJ's room, forcing her groggy eyes open, Lyssa blinked slowly to awake herself. Her eyes slowly trailed down to the mop of blonde hair that was tickling her chest. JJ's arms were wrapped around her tightly - tighter than they have ever been, as if he was scared she would leave him and something will happen to her.

Her tan fingers began weaving through his golden locks, gently untangling it with a small smile crossing her features. A chill went up his spine when she traced the indents of his back muscles on his tanned back from working out so much. But it's not like he was any better, his arm underneath her body happened to be trailing up and down her back, catching onto her sports bra every so often and going back down to her shorts.

Both of them were awake. Both of them knew it. But neither made an effort to move, even though their limbs were stuck together and bodies glistening from the faint glimmer of sweat.

After while of neither making an effort to move, Lyssa shifted slightly. JJ groaned loudly and Lyssa chuckled lowly. "J, we should get going." she whispered, continuing to trace shapes on his back. "We should go check up on Johnny." He didn't move, just merely grunted in acknowledgement and buried his head further into the nook of her neck.

"J, come on. It's too hot for this." She grumbled lowly, receiving a low chuckle from JJ. Eventually he rolled over, allowing Lyssa to face him. "Mornin' sleepy."

"Mornin' princess." He said groggily, his morning voice sending chills through her body. In that moment, she was content and forgot everything that happened the pervious night - there was no trace of it.

She rolled her eyes, playfully at him with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "How'd you sleep?" questioned JJ, running his fingers through his hair.

"Other than having a fat hippopotamus on me, totally fine." She answered.

"Did you just body shame me?!" he gasped dramatically, placing hand to his heart. Lyssa merely shrugged, getting ready to stand up. JJ however, quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her down and curling around her, spooning her so she wouldn't escape. "John B can wait. It's not like he's dead. And if so, then Pope can poke around it for a few minutes."

Lyssa rolled her eyes, pushing the blonde away from her. "J, I'm literally dripping in the mix of our sweat. I'm too god damn hot-"

"Yes, you are."

Lyssa glared at him, her hands grabbing one of his pillows and whacking him in the face. "J, so help me god get your fatass up."

"Here, we go with the body shaming again." he muttered. "Though you're just mad that I have a fatter ass than you." he added, jokingly.

"Please, you're ass is flatter than paper. Now get up." She remarked, hitting him again with the pillow. JJ chuckled while sitting up. Lyssa eyes raked over his body, JJ doing the same. She cleared her throat, turning her head the opposite way. "I'm going to take a shower." she mumbled.

"Can I join?" questioned JJ with a smirk crossing his features.

"No."

"But we gotta save water." he argued.

"No, fuck saving water."

"Wait, until I tell Kie. You're gonna have an entire lecture." he teased.

Lyssa sighed, opening one of his draws, pulling out a shirt for her. "Alright, fine." she looked over her shoulder to see JJ smiling ear to ear.

"Wait. Really?!" he asked excitedly.

"Nah, I'm just playing." She sent him a smirk, chuckling to herself as she watched his smile dropped.

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ARRIVING AT THE Château, both Lyssa and JJ hoped off his bike, joining the rest of the group on the porch. Lyssa slumped on the chair beside Kie, opening her sketchbook, humming to the beat Kie was playing on the bongos while Pope watched them. JJ threw rocks at a tree nearby and John B leaned up against the railing, deep in thought.

"I'm calling it off. All right?" John B abruptly announced to his group of friends, everyone stopping their activities. "Peterkin said, if I stay out of the marsh, she'll help me with DCS."

"And you believed her?" questioned JJ in disbelief. "An actual cop, John B." he stressed. "You believed a cop."

"Johnny, remember ACAB." Lyssa added, agreeing with JJ. "They're always out to getcha."

"Look," John B sighed, "All I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple of days, and she'll help me out." John B argued, raising his voice while pointing at JJ. "And, it doesn't help that your ass was shooting a gun."

"Well, he saved your ass." Lyssa chimed in.

"Nah, you know what I should've done?" JJ seethed. "Just let Topper drown your ass." he said before throwing another rock at the tree.

John B scoffed. "Yeah, because Topper was gonna drown me?"

"Sure, looked like it." JJ shot back, "Have you looked in the mirror recently?"

"Johnny, you really said, I tried to scream but my head was underwater." Lyssa sang out.

"Funny," John B said, looking between the two. "Tell me some more. Come on." He started forward in the same direction as JJ. He was only stopped when Lyssa stepped in-between the two, sending them a wrathful glare neither could ignore.

"They always win, don't they, man? Kooks versus Pogues. They always, always win!" JJ yelled hitting the buoy that was tied to the roof. Lyssa slightly flinched from the sound and his raised voice. "Goddamn!"

"J, it's alright." Lyssa turned her attention to look at JJ. "It's over."

"No, it's not over! It's never gonna be over! You know that Lyssa. You know it's not alright!" He whirled around. He had too much anger built up inside him, between the Kooks and the Pogues and having to witness his favorite girl get hurt and not having the power to do anything about it. "They don't want us to go down into the marsh. That means there's something valuable down there, and you know it." he explained further before turning to direct his words at Pope. "I know you do. And I understand why you don't wanna go. Your the golden boy. You got way too much to risk. And you -" he glanced at Kie. "You're already rich as fuck anyway," JJ laughed bitterly, "Why would you bother?"

His gaze switched between Lyssa and John B, eventually landing on the latter. "But the three of us, man? We got nothing to lose. We really don't alright?" His voice raised in desperation, his eyes remaining to flicker between his two lifetime long best friends, hoping to see the plead in his eyes.

"And I know it didn't use to be that way for you, alright."

His words only made John B even more angry, the two of them bickering back and forth. Lyssa sighed heavily and threw her head back, bringing her palms to her eyes so that she can dig into them and stop the ever growing migraine. The other three couldn't hear what was being said between the boys as JJ decided to speak calmly and walked further away, but whatever JJ told John B seemed to convince John B to follow whatever plan the blonde had concocted.

Lyssa didn't bother questioning what was planned because she knew she'll follow right along with JJ - she always did. It didn't matter how stupid JJ's ideas would be, she always stuck by his side.

She was his partner in crime. Just as he was to her.