041
jj, b and the baguette

Once the group finished recapping everything that happened in the past week, they decided the only way to let loose now was to throw a party. Pogue style.

The groceries Bianca stocked up on earlier seemed to come in handy for this, as the group settled in the living room with drinks and snacks. John B and Sarah disappeared into the boy's room not too long later and the soft melody of Bob Marley drifted through the air as Kiara strummed her ukulele on the couch.

Pope and Cleo played their hand at card games and dominoes with some beers. From the kitchen, Bianca could overhear their conversation.

"So..." Cleo began. "What kinda plane is it?"

"Well, it is Ward's," Pope explained. "So, I'm guessin' it's something lit."

"That's what I'm talkin' about," She cheered. "Flying private, baby!"

Bianca, on the other hand, intended to make use of the rest of the food she bought. Considering by the time they returned from South America, most of it would've gone bad, she might as well try one of Reginald's recipes.

Bianca finally placed the whisk down on the kitchen counter, shaking the soreness out of her arm. The satisfaction as she stared at her finished cupcake batter lasted a solid eight seconds before she noticed, from the corner of her eye, that JJ had been drawing on the baking paper.

"JJ!" Bianca chastised with a narrowed glare. "I need that!"

"Oh- my bad," JJ ran a hand through his hair, the golden strands falling over his eyes.

The boy had been helpful for a while with mixing and stirring. But then, he started to get antsy and couldn't do one thing for too long. So, when he started tasting the uncooked batter, Bianca had enough and told him to just sit there and look pretty.

Even so, when JJ gave a sheepish smile, Bianca felt her resolve weaken. With a sigh, she turned to the baking paper drawing, "Which one is me?"

JJ's eyes seem to light up as he picked up the pen again and quickly added boobs to one of the stick figures. Bianca laughed, and the boy's mouth went dry. All he ever wanted to do was make her laugh. Over and over again.

"I see you've gone for anatomical accuracy," Bianca mused, leaning on her elbows beside him.

JJ pointed to some key details in the illustration, "We're on an adventure. And you've got a telescope and a map," He hummed. "I've got a sword because you're the brains of the operations and we can't afford to lose you to square-groupers."

"It looks like you've got two swords," Bianca pointed out.

"No," JJ scoffed like she was the stupid one. "The one in my left hand is a baguette. In case we get hungry."

Bianca exhaled sharply in amusement, "Of course it is," She stepped back to turn around.

"What?" JJ whined. "I'm hungry. When are you going to be done?"

"When you finish helping me with this," Bianca outstretched the spatula out to him so they could load the batter into the cupcake tray. "Come on."

JJ groaned, tipping his head back but following her instruction anyway. They got to work, greasing the pan and lining the tray with baking paper. By the time Bianca closed the oven with the uncooked cupcakes inside, JJ was just about done preparing the icing.

"This feels so..." Bianca trailed off, sidling next to the boy. "Normal."

JJ's eyes flickered down to her, throwing an arm over her shoulders, "Normal how?"

Bianca shrugged, glancing up at him through her lashes, "I don't know. It just feels like I can picture us like this but years away. Is that crazy?" She winced. "I know we're only in high school."

"It's not crazy," JJ ducked his head down so their foreheads were pressed against each other. "It's all I think about when I look at you. Except your hair's grey and your tits are all saggy."

Bianca scoffed, shoving him lightly by the chest. JJ chuckled, the deep rumble of his chest reverberating beneath the palms of her hands. He expertly maneuvered them so her back was pressed against the counter and he was towering above her.

"Yeah, well," Bianca tilted her head up to meet his teasing smirk. "In my vision, your hairline's receding, and you have trouble getting it up-" She reached to mess up his hair.

"Hey, not the hair dude- woah-" JJ swatted her hand away. Before she could protest, he dipped his thumb into the icing bowl and smeared it across her cheeks and lips.

Bianca's jaw dropped, "JJ!" She swiped a dollop of icing on her two fingers and streaked it over his nose.

It didn't seem to deter the boy like she thought it would because before she knew it, JJ was leaning down to press their lips together. The icing mixed with the sweet taste of her lipgloss drove the boy insane and instead of taking a moment to breathe, he only deepened the kiss.

"Trust me," JJ breathed out in between their clashing lips. "I don't think-" His thumb ran down the column of her neck. "I could ever-" One of his hands slid down the curve of her waist, "Not get hard- " Below her thigh. "When I see you."

"You never know," Bianca giggled, trying to pull back but JJ was insatiable and followed her lips. "Erectile dysfunction is very common amongst the aging male population-"

Bianca tipped her head back to draw away from him and couldn't help but laugh at the deadpan expression on his face. When she finally sobered up, her smile softened. Before the island, any kind of talk about the future would send JJ running for the hills. She couldn't believe that they were even dreaming about growing old together.

"You know..." Bianca hummed, her hands clasped behind the nape of his neck. "You three months ago would've been too scared to commit to that."

"Yeah, well," JJ's adam's apple bobbed, turning his gaze to the window behind her shoulder. "Me three months ago knew exactly what he wanted. He was just scared that you three months ago would finally realize she could do better and leave."

"I'm not leaving you, JJ-"

JJ's lips quirked downward at how swiftly her answer came. It was clear that his hot and cold act had taken a toll on her faith in him. She was afraid that at a moment's notice, he would pack his bags and call it quits like he'd done before.

"I know that now," JJ reassured, the dimple in his cheek reappearing. "Unfortunately, I'm stuck with you."

Bianca didn't seem to notice his joke, still wound up in her thoughts, "What about when all the treasure hunting's done? When we have no more gold to find?"

His eyebrows drew together, "What?"

Bianca's eyes flickered down to the empty space between them. She shook her head. "I just mean- what if when everything's over, you get bored and we-"

"What are you talking about?" JJ reared his head back, unable to fathom what he was hearing. In one simple movement, he slid his palms beneath her thighs and lifted her onto the counter, settling between her knees. "Princess," He ducked his head down to meet her gaze. "I want to hear about your day, about the cute dog you saw on the street, the old lady who smiled at you in the store- all of it," His thumb skimmed her lower lip, parting it. "That stuff's not boring to me. Not when it's you," He scoffed, shaking his head. "Fuck the gold, and all this El Dorito bullshit- you are the best thing that happened to me since we started this stupid treasure hunt so don't ever say that- I will never get bored of loving you. You are so easy to love."

Bianca's heart swelled and the cracks JJ created the last time they argued about their future mended itself. She had been told her whole life she was hard to love but not anymore. JJ wasn't going anywhere.

"I love you," Bianca cooed, cupping his cheek with tears stinging her eyes. "How do you even come up with stuff like that?"

"I'm not coming up with anything," JJ insisted. "It's not hard when it's the truth. I mean it, Bianca."

The girl's words got stuck in her throat, too overwhelmed to speak, "I don't know what to say-"

"Don't say anything," JJ inched forward. "Just kiss me. Please."

JJ's heart skipped the moment her lips skimmed his, engulfed in a new kind of warmth. He wished to convey just how much he meant what he said because the boy knew, he would never get tired of kissing this girl. Her skin, her scent, her touch, everything about her was intoxicating. He was a starved man and she was his only salvation.

Forced to pull away for breath, Bianca drew back with a giggle. She lifted her hand from the counter, only to realize the baking paper JJ drew on was stuck to her palm, "I like this," She hummed, shaking the sheet off. "This version of us."

JJ arched an amused eyebrow, "You like me holding the baguette?"

"No," Bianca laughed, shoving his chest lightly. "This. Us baking, our friends in the other room, kisses in the kitchen- do you think it'll ever be like this?"

JJ's eyes softened as he helped her off the counter, "I promise after we bail Big John, it's gonna be better."

Bianca gave him a sad smile, "How can you know that?" Life had never been kind to either of them.

"I don't," JJ shook his head, tucking her hair behind her ear. "But if that's what you want, I'll make sure of it."

Bianca's arms wound around his midsection, "It won't be easy."

"It never is," JJ smirked, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. "But we'll do it together. Baguette and all."

"I like the sound of that," Bianca laughed, turning her cheek so it could rest on her boyfriend's chest.

JJ wrapped his arms around her too, trying to savor this final moment of peace before their trek to South America. Every time they embarked on a new adventure like this, his mind couldn't help but drift to the thought of Bianca getting hurt. It was his greatest fear, a nightmare he couldn't shake especially the darker it became outside.

Bianca's laughter died in her throat, and a deafening silence permeated the air. JJ frowned, pulling away so he could glance down at the girl, "B?"

Bianca didn't hear. Her eyes were narrowed on the soft amber glow emanating from behind the kitchen window. It looked like a fluttering red bird had just flown by and as Bianca tried to catch another glimpse, her curiosity turned to horror.

"What is that?" She pushed off the kitchen counter. Her footsteps were careful as she treaded toward the window.

JJ followed her gaze to the flickering light, growing brighter behind the unwashed dishes piled in the sink. He hovered behind her, eyes widening, "That's a fire."

The flames licked the wooden window pane, heating the glass until an ear-splitting crack resounded over Bianca's pounding heartbeat. It was only then did she realize the extent of the situation, "Shit- JJ, the others..."

"We gotta tell them," JJ's tone increased with panic, his hand finding the small of her back and ushering her away. "Tell 'em- tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em-"

"Where's my phone?" Bianca whirled around, swiping her mobile off the kitchen counter. "I'll get Sarah and John B- you just-"

"Yeah, I know- Pope and-" He was already backing away into the living room. "Hey, fire!"

"JJ, go!" Bianca raced toward John B's bedroom, where she knew the couple disappeared earlier. "Sarah!? Guys!

Without knocking, the girl barged through the door, barely sparing a second glance at the sight of Sarah and a shirtless John B lying on the bed. They pulled back from each other like deers caught in headlights.

"Sorry- we have to go now- there's a fire-" Bianca didn't wait for their response before turning back around to meet the group in the living room. Her fingers were trembling as she punched in the digits for emergency services.

"What?" John B reacted first, reaching for his t-shirt discarded at the edge of the bed.

"Fire?" Sarah gasped, shooting forward. "Wait, what?"

"Wait, B- what are you talking about?" John B called after her, slipping his shirt on before they followed Bianca out of the room.

"Yes, hello? Hi, can you hear me?" Bianca spoke into the phone as the Pogues gathered in the middle of the house.

"Come on, get outta there!" JJ ushered Pope, Cleo, and Kiara away from the doors and windows.

"Wait, B- who are you calling!?" John B's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"The fire department, obviously!" Bianca shot back before returning to the phone. "Yes- yeah, I'm still here-" She outstretched the phone. "They want your address."

John B took the phone from her and began reciting their location. The other Pogues scrambled to figure out what to do but Bianca's eye had caught something in the distance.

"Is that..." She slowly stepped toward the front door, where a glaring flash briefly blinded her. Although, these weren't like the heat of the flames. No, these were more like headlights.

Bianca reached for the knob but the searing heat of the metal burned her skin. The girl winced as JJ pulled her backward, "B, get away from the door!"

"Guys, what do we do? What do we do?" Kiara chanted, gripping the roots of her hair. "The house is on fire!"

The flames burned deep red and amber, almost livid purple licking up in the air with the wind. The smell was next. Like a heated soldering iron or as if some wires and rubber were being charred to a crisp.

Bianca turned back to John B whose face had blanched and the phone hung limp by his side. He stared at the scene, eyes reflecting the amber hue. He stood frozen, unable to fathom his childhood home burning down in front of him, along with every memory he ever made with his father and his friends.

"John B!" Bianca snapped, snatching the phone from him and placing it back to her ear. "Yes- the fire department-" She choked on the smoke.

"Guys, there's no time!" Pope shook his head frantically, lips parted in shock. "We gotta go!"

The inferno raged mercilessly, engulfing everything in its path with no sign of stopping. The group couldn't see beyond the front porch because of how tall and blinding the flames were.

"There has to be something we can do!" Sarah pleaded but she didn't know to whom. Some part of her knew there would be nothing salvageable here within minutes.

Ashen smoke billowed across the ceiling, causing Bianca to stifle her coughs into her elbow. The air had grown thicker and wooden panels peeled away and fell.

"Guys, we can't stay here," Cleo cleared her throat, the fumes infiltrating her lungs. "If the fire doesn't kill us, the smoke will!"

"No, I- I don't know how it started!" Bianca's eyes stung, stifling another cough into her arm as she gripped the phone tighter. "Outside, yes-"

JJ's eyes fell on his girlfriend, clearly struggling to get words out between breaths, and shot into action, "Let's go," He ordered, herding his friends toward the back door. "Come on. We're getting out of here."

"John B!" Sarah tugged the boy after them but his feet turned to lead.

"John B, there's nothing we can do!" Kiara cried hoarsely. "It's already out of control- we have to go!"

The Pogues piled out into the backyard, narrowly escaping through a sliver of an opening that hadn't yet been overpowered by the flames. John B cast one last glance over his shoulder at the Chateau.

His home, in a few devastating moments, would be reduced to a pile of rubble, ash, and smoldering wood. His first steps, every blown-out birthday candle, his first beer, his first argument with his dad, his last argument with his dad— everything was here.

And now it was gone. Everything he had. Everything he was.

Gone.

author's note. hi lovely people, how are you? what did you think of this chapter? honestly i loved the moral greyness of topper's character but after this- i can neverrrr forgive him. the writers really said fuck the 2 seasons worth of character development LOL. anyways b and jj here were so domestic and cute i love writing them <3333 hope everyone has/had a great day !!! ily the mostest <3
side note, has anyone watched heartbreak high? its feels so weird seeing sydney in an actual netflix show lol i've spent so long watching american things its tripping me out and the slang IS SO ACCURATE i feel so seen :)