Danny and Pope huddled over the kitchen table coming up with plans to excavate the gold. Danny was torn between staying and figuring out a plan and celebrating with the others causing a ruckus in the yard.

"That's stupid," Danny commented.

Pope stared, aghast. "That is not stupid."

"Yes. It is," Danny said, took the pencil, and crossed out a part of the plan. "We need something stronger. A boat winch would be better to counter the weight of the gold coming up."

Pope thought it over. He reluctantly conceded, "Fine."

The screen door slammed open, and Danny jerked in his seat.

"You nerds done yet?" JJ asked. He flicked Danny's ear on the way to the fridge for a beer.

"We need to draw it out," Pope said.

"Would it kill you to enjoy yourself, Pope?" JJ complained and took another drink.

Pope rolled his eyes and grabbed a blank piece of paper.

"Seems like a one-man job," JJ said. He walked closer and hooked his finger in the collar of Danny's sweater. He tugged, and Danny obliged. "See ya, Pope!"

As they wandered further into the yard, Danny said, "I don't know whether to thank you or be pissed that you pulled me away."

"Guess I'll have to make it up to you, huh?"

Danny couldn't tear his eyes away from the sly smile tugging JJ's lips.

"Danny."

Danny watched JJ sit on the lawn chair and raise the bottle to his mouth. His lips wrapped around the opening and Danny—

"Danny!"

He blinked and looked down at Kie tugging on his wrist. He leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead, then sat in the vacant seat between her and JJ. "Hello, gorgeous."

She rolled her eyes. She leaned on the arm of her chair to sit closer to him. "Sarah's claiming she's seen you naked."

"That is not what I said at all!" Sarah protested, her eyes wide.

They sat in a circle around a small fire. Sarah and John B sat closest to the tree trunk. John B held a gold bar in his hands. His thumb kept rubbing across the surface, almost like he was making sure it was real.

Danny didn't let his surprise show on his features at Kie's words. Instead, he sank further in his chair and hummed. "Well," Danny said conspiratorially, "She's referencing that passionate, passionate night we spent together last winter. Fogged up all the windows of my Masarati."

JJ snorted. "That why there's the stain in the back seat?" he asked like it wasn't him who let his ice cream drip.

Danny chuckled and nodded.

"You are so full of shit!" Sarah yelled.

"We can go check. See if it jogs your memory." At her steadfast glare, Danny relented with a quick laugh. "Okay, okay. What are we talking about?"

"She says you have a gnarly scar," Kie answered. "We called bullshit."

"Gnarly?" he repeated in faux offense. "That's quite mean."

"I'm sorry," she said and huffed. "Would you just tell them? They don't believe me."

"Yeah, no shit," JJ said. "There's just no way you know something about him that we don't."

Danny's face drained of color, and he met Sarah's eyes over the fire. He rubbed his hand along his chin and jaw. "Uh, yeah, no, she uh, she's right."

He ignored his friends' outcries of disbelief. "How'd you know about that?" he asked Sarah.

"Labor day weekend?"

Danny shrugged.

"Late night swim?"

He shrugged again.

"Oh, my God." She threw her hands in the air. "Literally, how drunk were you? You were skinny dipping with a group of tourons. And then—" She broke off to laugh to herself. "Then when you got out and saw us, you ran down the beach."

Danny hummed while his friends laughed.

"Sounds about right," John B said.

"That does jog the memory a bit."

"Told you I'm not a liar," Sarah said, smug. She brought her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"Where is it?" Kie asked. "You're always getting naked around us."

Danny rolled his eyes. "That's a bit of an exaggeration. And none of you ever look, so shut up."

Danny relaxed in the chair and interlocked his fingers across his stomach. "It's on my upper thigh and hip bone. It is gnarly." He winked at Sarah. It was a thick rope of scar tissue, and it hurt like a bitch.

"When the hell did you get this?" JJ asked.

"Around like middle school or something." Danny plucked the bottle from JJ's grasp. He chugged the rest. He was finding it to be needed anytime he thought of his father. "Thanks, honey-bunches. Anyway, I don't really remember why we were there, but I was running around the Marina. It was getting late, and I had homework or whatever, but I wanted to watch the sunset."

And that's the partial truth, well, the part that matters anyway. His dad was at a buy, and Danny was sent away. He wasn't supposed to know about it, but he did anyway.

"Climbed up on this shithole boat and did just that. Sliced myself on a jagged metal scrap." Danny ran his hand through his hair and pursed his lips. "My dad went berserk, but then Lou was there. He patched me up enough to go to the hospital for stitches."

"That how you met Lou?" Kie asked.

Danny nodded. "Yeah. Started helping around there the next week."

It was mostly busy work at first. He swept the floors, handed the guys tools, and cleaned the boats. After a while, he grew on Lou, and Lou taught him how to fix little things and then big things when Danny caught on easily.

"You're not leaving, huh, kid?" Lou had asked.

"No, sir."

It was Danny's safe haven. He'd go there to get out of the house or to clear his head when his thoughts got too loud. He didn't have to pretend or have any manners. He could simply be. Lou accepted him as he was, rough edges and all.

The conversation moved on, but Danny couldn't tune in. His eyebrows pinched in thought, and he stared at the flames. He didn't much like to dwell on his memories with his father, but now he couldn't get it out of his head.

His father was furious when he found Danny bleeding. His anger made Danny panic more. He wasn't concerned about his son's well-being; only about how it ruined his night.

Lou, a stranger, was the one to calm Danny down and ask if he was alright. He was the one to give Danny a pat on the back and patch him up. He was the one to tell his father to take Danny to the hospital when his father was just going to take him home.

Every day, Danny's hatred for his father grew.

Danny pulled out his phone. He sent Lou a text.

Thank you, it read.

***

"Hey!"

Danny glanced up from the flames and looked around. He was alone. He rubbed his eyes and sighed.

"Yo, dipshit!"

He peered over his shoulder and saw JJ leaning against the door frame on the porch. He waved for Danny to come over.

Danny stood and made his way over because how could he refuse when JJ looked like that: hair tousled, chest bare, and with sleepy eyes.

"Yes, handsome?"

JJ rolled his eyes and turned to walk back inside. "I've left you long enough. Let's go."

"Wait, wait," Danny said. He tip-toed over to the couch on the porch where Pope slept. He motioned JJ closer. He leaned down and placed his hands on his knees. "Should we tea-bag him?"

JJ huffed in surprise. "No, let's go."

"No?" Danny whined. "Look at this asshole just sleeping. It's a sleepover. First person asleep gets tea-bagged, JJ. Those are the rules."

JJ rubbed his fingers over his brow bone. "It's past 4 a.m. Everyone's asleep."

Danny grumbled, "You're no fun." He stood and poked the tip of Pope's nose. He chuckled when Pope twitched and rolled over.

He followed JJ inside and into the spare room. After JJ turned off the lamp, he collapsed on the mattress and sprawled his arms above his head, eyes already closed.

Danny frowned to himself. He thought they were going to talk, but then he remembered not everyone is an insomniac. He pulled his sweater off and ditched his trousers.

"What's the scar look like?"

Danny paused, one knee on the bed. "Uh, ugly."

JJ peeled an eye open. "Come on," he urged.

Danny shrugged and pulled down the side of his boxers. JJ pushed up on his elbow and leaned closer. He traced his finger over all the bumps and divots for the entire four inches.

"It's a scar," Danny said somewhat self-consciously when JJ continued to stare at it.

JJ cleared his throat and hummed in agreement.

Danny settled on the bed beside JJ. He sighed and stared at the ceiling, fingers interlocked across his chest. After a beat, he forced his eyes closed to try and attempt to get some sleep.

"We should get matching tattoos," Danny spitballed one of the thoughts racing in his head.

JJ groaned. "Shut up."

Danny laughed silently. "You could have left me outside, ya know?"

JJ turned onto his stomach and tossed his arm over Danny's chest. He begrudgingly said, "I know," but it sounded like he meant to say I should have.

He placed his hand over JJ's forearm, his fingers tracing JJ's skin with a light feather touch. Because even if he couldn't, he'd make sure he could help JJ fall asleep.

"Hey," JJ said after Danny thought for sure he'd fallen asleep. "You looked good tonight."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He shifted and tugged Danny closer. "You should wear that stuff more."

Danny smiled wide. He knew a compliment from JJ was genuine.

"But don't dress like those date-rape, fratty, Vineyard Vines assholes, okay?"

Danny was honestly offended. Shoot him if he ever started to dress like Topper.

"I'm serious," JJ said. He huffed a laugh. "I'd have to stop being your friend."

"I would give you permission."

"Glad we're on the same page."

***

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, that's why I'm asking," John B deadpanned.

Danny frowned, offended. "Fuck you. I've totally got this." He looked at the gold Frankenstein mishap in his hands. It still had the wheat symbol displayed, so he had his work cut out for him. "You know, I once sold a lipstick for three-hundred bucks in Capri because I said it was from Naomi Campbell."

John B stopped the van in front of the Pawn Shop. "I literally don't care." He got out of the van.

Pope slapped Danny's back. "I think that's pretty cool."

"Thanks, Pope," Danny muttered.

They all stepped from the van and began walking to the shop.

Danny paused when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw Lou's name. "Shit," he muttered. This was the fifth time he called this morning.

"Hey, hey, hey," Danny said. They paused and turned around to look at him. "I've got to take this." He slapped the gold on JJ's chest. "Good luck, man. All you."

"Fuck you, Danny."

"Seriously?" Kie asked.

Danny smiled. "I'll be in, in a bit, all right?"

JJ rolled his eyes, and they all entered the shop with minimal complaining.

"Hello?" Danny answered.

"Jesus Christ, kid!" Lou hollered, completely exhausted. "Don't you know how to answer a phone? Don't scare me like that!"

Danny furrowed his eyebrows. "What's wrong? I'm sorry. I've been a bit busy this morning."

"You don't send 'thank you' out of the blue and refuse to pick up your phone. You think that's what I want to wake up to?"

And all at once, Danny understood. He sighed and stared at the wooden board spray painted with Closed 4 Aggie on the neighboring shop's window. "I'm sorry, Lou. That's not what I meant at all."

Lou's daughter committed suicide when she was a teen. Danny's message sounded like a final goodbye.

"I'm sorry," he repeated again to the silence on the other side. "How 'bout I make it up to you and bring in a dozen donuts from Pete's tomorrow?"

He heard Lou's gruff sigh and could tell the man wasn't angry. "Two dozen," he said.

"Two dozen."

"Glad you're okay, kid," he said. The call ended.

Danny stared at the phone in his hand. He was all at once touched and a bit disappointed in himself for being so careless and making Lou worry. He shook his head. He couldn't dwell on that now. He had a job to do.

He walked into the shop and saw Pope and JJ crowded around the front desk. Kie, John B, and Sarah were spread around the shop, looking at the random items.

Danny walked over to JJ. "How's it going? Where's the worker?" he whispered.

"Shhh!" Pope said and tugged Danny's arm, pulling him away. "She's coming out."

"So, I, uh. . ." The woman said as she walked back to the register. "I talked to my boss."

"And?"

"And, uh, this is what I can do." She set a piece of paper on the counter.

"Fifty thousand?" JJ asked, unamused. "You think I walked in here not knowin' the spot price? Ma'am, I know for a fact this is worth one-forty, at least."

"Well, sweetie, you in a pawnshop. This ain't Zurich. Do I look Swiss to you?"

"Ninety, or I walk."

"Seventy. Half price. . ." she countered. She continued quietly, "and, um. . . I don't ask questions about where you got this."

JJ glanced over to John B, who gave the seal of approval. "I'm gonna need that in large denominations, please."

"Well, here's the snag. I don't have that much denominated, not here anyway. I can write you a cashier's check."

"Cash. . . No, ma'am. I want the cold hard. That's what that sign says. Cash for gold. And that's what I expect. I'm gonna get it in cold hard."

"Well, I have to send you to the warehouse. I have the money there. Is that all right?"

Danny furrowed his eyebrows. Warehouse? He doesn't know much about running Pawn Shops, but he knew sending customers to warehouses was not exactly common practice.

"Where's this warehouse?" JJ asked.

She told him the directions.

Danny stepped forward next to JJ. He shook his wrist free from Pope's hold. "No," he said. "Either you or your boss can get it for us. You're not sending us anywhere."

He maintained eye contact with her as she stared at him. Danny ignored the shifting of his friends.

"Or I can call the police and tell them about a couple of suspicious kids with seven pounds of melted gold."

"You're not going to do that."

"No?" she asked.

"No," Danny said easily. He smiled politely, if not a bit condescendingly. He shifted the gold back and forth between his hands. "Because then you wouldn't be able to take this to the mainland and flip it for double." When she frowned, Danny knew he caught her in a snag. "Or we can take our sweet time and flip it on the mainland ourselves."

JJ placed his hand on Danny's shoulder and squeezed a warning.

"Since we're not a couple of dumb kids you can swindle," Danny offered, "You can give us the money you have here, and we'll pick up the rest at the warehouse. And I'll tell all my friends about this wonderful establishment with incredible customer service."

She sighed and thought for a moment. "Wait here," she said in resignation.

Danny dipped his chin.

They entered the van twenty-thousand dollars richer in large denominations.

"Boom," Danny said and thumbed through the stacks. "See? Told you you'd do great!" Danny said and wrapped his arm around JJ's shoulder.

JJ lifted a stack to his nose and breathed deeply. "Smells like our house in Fiji."

"Yeah, it does."

"So they keep money out here?" Pope asked skeptically as he looked out the window. They passed more and more run-down or boarded-up homes with overgrown lawns.

JJ shrugged. "That's what she said." He laughed at his words. "That's what she said."

"Stop," Pope said.

Sarah turned to lean over the side of the front seat. "I've never even heard of Resurrection Drive."

JJ spoke, "'Cause you're rich."

"You've never heard of it either," Kie defended.

"Thank you," Sarah said.

Kie added, "There's nothing but weeds back here."

JJ shrugged and tried to justify, "All right, just 'cause it's just weeds, doesn't mean it's, like. . ." He was cut off by the sirens sounding behind them.

"What the hell?" Danny questioned and peered between Pope and Kie to look out the back windshield.

"Cops? Out here?" Kie asked.

"God!" JJ exclaimed, "Are you kidding me?"

"What did we do?" Sarah asked.

"Why are we getting pulled over?" Pope wondered.

John B pulled the van to the side of the road and parked. He turned in his seat and said to JJ, "Stash that."

JJ wrapped the gold in a hand towel. Danny gathered the money and wrapped it in a spare t-shirt.

Danny stood and tugged JJ up. He lifted the seat and placed it in the compartment. JJ placed his entire backpack in as well.

"Did you bring the gun?" John B asked, alarmed.

"No. Okay? Everybody told me to leave it back at the place."

"Thank God," Kie said in relief.

Danny and JJ sat back on the bench, and Danny wiped his hands down his shirt, trying to rid the invisible wrinkles. He latched onto JJ's wrist. The last time police were involved, JJ was taken from him. That wasn't going to happen again.

He took a breath, but it caught in his throat when the cocking of a gun rang in his ears.

The supposed officer had a skull mask on and a shotgun in John B's face. "Why don't I go ahead and see them hands in the air? All y'all's hands up in the air now!"

"Fuck," Danny muttered and shared a glance with JJ. He reluctantly unlatched his hand and raised them.

"You, out of the car! Let's go!"

John B slowly opened his door and stepped from the van.

"What do we do?" Pope asked in a hushed whisper.

Danny thought they could take him. It was six against one. He rather liked those odds. But he didn't want to put them in unnecessary danger, so he replied, "Just go with it for now."

"Out of the car! Let's go! Hurry! Let them out!"

The pair slowly rounded the van. "What are you waitin' on? What are you waitin' on? Let them out!"

John B opened the side door and raised his hands again.

"All y'all! Go on! Go on! Let's get out the car! Let's go! There you go, pretty girl. Here we go! Get out the car, let's go! Hurry up!"

They all stepped from the van and stood in front of the man. Danny clenched his jaw. That old bitch crossed them.

"We're broke—" JJ said.

"Shut the hell up!" he screamed and raised the barrel to JJ's face.

Danny pulled the back of JJ's shirt, tugging him farther away. Danny wanted to take the man's gun and slam it against his nose for even thinking he could raise it at his friends.

"All right! Just relax!" JJ yelled.

"Shut the hell up! Shut up! Blow your damn head off! Lay down in the ditch! Lay down in the ditch!"

Danny stepped in front of his friends and spread his arms. Only when he glanced over his shoulder and saw them lowing to the ground did Danny follow suit.

"On your goddamn hands and knees! Down! Put your face on the ground! Stay here just like that! Put your head down! Don't let me see you look up! All right?"

The man entered the van and searched the glove compartment.

"It's a setup, guys," Kie said, her voice muffled.

JJ spat, "That old bat shanked us." He pounded his fist to the ground. "Fuck! Goddamn it!"

Danny watched the man search the back of the van. His temper grew with every passing minute. His head whipped to the side when he heard Pope whisper, "Don't be a hero, man."

John B pushed from the ground and hurried to the man's car, staying low.

"What the hell is he doing?" Danny asked.

John B entered the back seat and closed the door just as the man hopped from the van, the gold and cash in his hands. Danny cursed in his head.

The guy stopped in front of Danny. The barrel poked his shoulder harshly. "Get the fuck up."

Everything in him was aching to fight, but JJ was directly in the crossfire if the man decided to shoot. So, Danny slowly raised his head and glared. He pushed to his knees and stood. The man took a fistful of Danny's shirt, whipped him around, and slammed Danny against the side of the van. He suppressed his grimace.

"Hey!" JJ exploded. "Get off of him!"

"I will blow his head off! Get down!"

The muzzle lifted Danny's chin. Danny glared down the barrel with barely constrained rage. He knew he should be frightened, but he felt none of it. Anger took up all the room.

"I recognize you, Hollywood," the guy taunted.

Danny smiled, all venom. "Want an autograph?"

The butt of the shotgun collided with Danny's stomach. He coughed and straightened, the same cruel grin splitting his lips. "Best you've got?"

"Money. Now," he ordered. He turned the gun around and pointed it at his friends. "Or I kill all of them."

Danny conceded and pulled the money from his wallet. He tossed it at his feet.

"Good boy."

Danny watched him walk back to his car. "All right, y'all stay like that. Unless you want your brains blown out all over this road, don't move your goddamn heads, okay?"

Danny gradually inched closer to the car. Once John B made his move, Danny sprinted over and hauled the man out of the driver's seat. John B snatched the gun.

"I've got the gold!" Pope yelled.

Danny punched the man's face and kneed his stomach. He fell to the ground, and Sarah rammed the car door into him. Danny laughed.

The man leaned against his car and panted. They all crowded him as JJ pulled his mask down. "I know this piece of shit! He's a basehead!"

"Probably knows my brother," Sarah said.

"He sells coke to my dad," JJ said. Danny reckoned he sold it to his father as well.

"Listen, I couldn't hurt any single one of y'all—"

JJ took the gun and rammed it into the man's torso.

"Dude, chill, man," Pope said and tugged on JJ's shoulder.

JJ shook him off and raided the man's pockets. He pulled his wallet free and looked at the license. He shoved John B's chest and said, "We've got one last stop. Let's go see where this son of a bitch lives."

He stalked to the van, and Danny watched. The others slowly followed. John B tossed the man's car keys into the woods.

"I'm gonna remember this shit!" the guy yelled. Danny stared down at him, hands tucked in his pockets.

He lifted his leg and shoved with his foot. The man collided with the car. He kept his foot planted firmly in the middle of the guy's chest. He pressed harder and grinned as the man gasped, clawing at Danny's foot uselessly.

"I'm gonna remember this shit," Danny snarled. "If I see you around them ever again, I won't ruin your life. I'll kill you." He leaned forward and placed more weight on his leg. "And if you know me, you know I'm good on my word."

Danny savored the scene for a while longer. "Good boy," he said, then turned and left wordlessly.

***

"Welcome to Crackhead Wasteland," Sarah said when JJ pulled into the lot of land.

"I don't know about this, man," Pope muttered.

JJ parked and double-checked the license.

"Dude, why are we at Barry's?" John B asked, annoyed. He hung his hand out the passenger window and glanced back and forth between the home and JJ.

"This'll only take a second," JJ said.

"Where you going?" John B asked as JJ walked through the yard.

JJ hopped onto the porch and said, "Yo soy justicia."

Pope pulled open the side door and said, "Did you glean anything from that?"

"You know somebody should probably—" Kie trailed off and nudged Danny.

When he didn't move, John B sighed and opened his door. "Yeah, I got it." He walked into the home.

Pope stepped from the van and paced. Kie swatted at Danny's thigh. He winced and sent her a look.

"Why are you letting him do this? He's being crazy."

Danny's lips thinned.

"Yeah, Danny," Sarah added from his other side. "Barry knows who we are. We can't do this."

"Barry won't do shit."

"What did you say to him?" Kie asked accusatorily. "Huh?"

Danny smothered the smile begging to break free. "Civil conversation is all."

Sarah scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"You rather I do nothing?"

". . . I don't know."

Kie sighed and shifted uneasily in her seat as she stared at the house. "Should've known," she murmured.

"Known what?" Sarah asked.

"That it was useless to think Danny would ever stop JJ from doing anything."

Danny rolled his eyes. He couldn't say anything because she was right, so he hummed in agreement.

Kie scoffed and stepped from the van. Sarah followed.

After a while longer of Danny watching their anxious pacing, JJ emerged from the house with a small blue duffle bag. "All right, so we're looking at eight grand each for reparations for putting us through that bullshit. Sorry about that, y'all."

"So that's what we're doing now? We're robbing drug dealers?" Kie asked.

Sarah added, "This Barry guy's gonna find out. And he's gonna come after us."

"Yes, he will," Pope said. "This is not the time to start wilin' out."

"How'd you like havin' a gun pulled on you?"

"Relax," John B ordered and stepped close to JJ.

JJ raised his finger to John B's forehead. "He had it right here on you, bro."

"Look," John B said. "We've gotta go get the gold, okay? Just give me that shit." He reached for the duffle bag. "We're putting it back."

JJ grabbed a fistful of John B's shirt and shoved him against the van.

"Do you feel like a tough guy? Huh?" John B asked. "What are you gonna do when he comes for us?"

Danny stepped from the van with a drawn-out sigh. "He's not going to come for us," he said easily like he was talking about the weather. He leaned his forearm on the top edge of the sliding door.

"Oh, yeah? How do you know, huh?" John B said and pushed JJ's hold off. He stepped to Danny. "Because Danny Sarver said a few words to him, he's not gonna want to get even?"

Danny blinked. "Yes."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'll take care of him if he does."

John B stared at Danny's blank face, bare of any humor or lies. Barry threatened his friends' lives, and Danny won't allow that to happen. End of story.

"Oh, great," Pope protested. "Danny's gonna kill him. Perfect. Nice. Just another thing we have to worry about."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Look, are we getting this gold or not?" When no one made a move, Danny asked, "What?"

"We're sick of your shit!" Pope yelled.

"My shit?" Danny asked, bemused.

"Yes!" Kie yelled. "Your threatening to kill people shit, and his pulling guns on people shit."

Pope continued the tirade, "JJ acting like a maniac—"

JJ interrupted, "Okay, Pope, I took the fall for you, man! Know how much money I owe because of you?"

"I'm gonna pay you back, and I didn't ask you to do that!"

"I just did pay it back!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" John B yelled. He pulled JJ's shoulder. "You didn't pay for anything, all right? Danny did. So, just put it back, and let's go already!"

Danny's heart skipped a beat and then raced in his chest. His blood pumped white-hot rage. He had to clench his fists at his side to keep from swinging. "What the fuck?" he seethed in a violent whisper.

John B froze and avoided looking at Danny, realizing what exactly he just said.

"What?" JJ asked in complete confusion. "What did you say, John B?"

John B shook his head.

Danny could see JJ face him from his peripheral, but he kept his glare steady on John B.

"Why did he say that, Danny?" JJ asked quietly. "Did you pay part of my restitution?"

Danny swallowed and filtered his eyes in JJ's direction. He had a deceptively blank face. "Answer me," he said.

"Yes," Danny admitted quietly.

JJ nodded and clenched his jaw. He stared for a moment longer before turning on his heel and walking away.

"JJ!" Pope yelled.

Danny closed his eyes and took a breath. He ignored Kie's worried look and stalked to John B. He whispered, completely enraged, "We are going to have words, John B. Fuck. You."

Danny jogged thirty meters to catch up to JJ. This wasn't happening. This couldn't happen.

"JJ," he said, desperate. He pulled on JJ's shoulder.

He shook off Danny and continued his stride.

"Please. Can you just let me explain?"

JJ stopped abruptly and whipped around to face Danny. "You kept this from me." He laughed mirthlessly. "I should've known something was up when I only had to pay fifteen."

JJ's face was stone-sculpted fury. "So, what, the fact that we don't lie to each other is bullshit?"

"You know that's not true. And this is different, it's not a big deal—"

JJ adamantly shook his head. "It is a big deal! I. Can't. Pay. You. Back."

"I don't want you to! Why can't anyone get that!?"

"That is not the point."

"Then what is? What, do you—do you just think this relationship is transactional?"

"Yes!" he yelled. "It's not fair, Danny! It's not fucking fair. You can't just—just do this and not expect anything back."

Danny replied vehemently, "I will never expect anything back."

He stared at the ground in realization.

Danny whispered, "So, everything you've ever given me—every, every book, or Jesus fucking whatever, was just because I gave something to you? And not really because you thought of me?"

"God," JJ groaned, "No, but. . ." He ran his hands through his hair. "Eventually. Eventually, you'll expect something. Everyone always does. And then you'll end up hating me for it."

He was losing JJ, he was losing him. This wasn't happening. Danny spoke around the choking lump in his throat, "Do you think that poorly of me? I am not that type of person."

The way JJ glanced to the side and shook his head was almost self-deprecating. "And I thought you weren't the type of person to lie to me, but. . ."

"That's not fair."

"I don't want you to hate me, Danny."

"I don't! What are you—"

"And it kills me that I—I can't. . . I just want to be able to. . . it's too much and I can't. . ."

JJ took a step back and then another when Danny matched it. He waved his hand in surrender or exhaustion. Danny couldn't tell. "I just. . . just leave me alone, Danny."

He walked away, and Danny had to let him leave. He tried not to feel as if JJ took his heart with him as he left.

Danny walked back to the van with tears burning his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

*****

Dun dun duuuun. 

As always, let me know your thoughts! 

As we near the end, I want to take this time to ask what scenes you guys would want to see in season 2. 

This is going to be a hair-pulling slow burn, so if you can think of any angst, let me know lmao.

Love y'all

R