𝟎𝟔𝟒.  𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞, 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞

beneath your beautiful     ────      labrinth

( my couple :') )

☀︎ 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

𝖶𝖤 𝖠𝖱𝖱𝖨𝖵𝖤𝖣 𝖡𝖠𝖢𝖪 𝖨𝖭 𝖮𝖡𝖷 𝖶𝖧𝖤𝖱𝖤 𝖶𝖤 𝖥𝖤𝖫𝖫 𝖠𝖲𝖫𝖤𝖤𝖯 𝖮𝖭𝖫𝖸 𝖳𝖮 𝖡𝖤 𝖶𝖮𝖪𝖤𝖭 𝖧𝖮𝖴𝖱𝖲 𝖫𝖠𝖳𝖤𝖱 𝖡𝖸 𝖲𝖠𝖱𝖠𝖧．She and the rest of our friends had arrived on the island, so after watching my father and sister-in-law meet in this capacity, I decided to head out to find JJ who I assumed would be at his own house as everybody else had retreated back to theirs to see their families again.

JJ, however, would be alone as Luke wasn't here nor would Luke notice his disappearance anyway. It's okay, JJ won't be alone for much longer.

I told John B and Dad that I'd be back soon, so I hope they won't do anything wild while I'm gone. Last night, before we fell asleep, Dad mentioned the diary and how that would help us find this "city of gold" or whatever, and we told him we had a copy in the Twinkie that was in the police impound lot, so how we're going to get that back, I'm not sure, but I promised I'd help Dad and John B whenever they need.

I just hope they don't do anything stupid until I get back to them. I don't need my brother arrested or nearly killed all over again, thank you.

Anyway, if they choose to do something stupid, I can't stop them because I'm going to see JJ. I really want to see JJ right now. He'll make me feel better. His existence is a big help in making me feel better.

I reach his house, desperate to see him, but before I even have the chance to go inside, I come to a crashing halt. An eviction notice is taped to the door, demanding that all residents need to be out of the house in thirty days. Yellow eviction tape has been pulled off the door, likely by JJ.

Well, this is not good.

I find the door to be slightly open, so with a gentle nudge, I step into the house, unsure on what I'm going to see, but I suspect he's here at least. "JJ?" I push on the door harder, letting myself fall into a house I've never really enjoyed being in. "Hey, JJ, it's..." I turn my head, finding him to be sitting on the sofa with a beer in hand.

He glances up at me, his lips tilting into a smile as our eyes meet. "Hey, Sunny." He sighs, leaning his head back against the sofa. "You're back."

I think he sounds happy but I'm unsure.

I rush over to him, dropping to sit beside him. "Are you okay?" I place one hand on his cheek while using my other hand to take the beer from him so I can place it on the table. He doesn't fight me, he just lets me take it from him, his hand dropping to my thigh. "Hey, JJ."

He hums, his smile slanted and wide. "Hey, Sunshine. You're back." He huffs out a laugh, fingers squeezing at my thigh gently. "I'm so sorry we left. I-I didn't want to."

I shake my head, so not bothered about that. "No, it's fine, J. W-What..." My hand drags down his cheek, falling against his chest. "Talk to me."

"You..." He lifts his hand off my thigh, finger pointing at me. "You talk to me, Sunny."

I sigh. I should've known he wouldn't want to discuss whatever is going on with him right now. "What about?" I ask, pressing my leg into his.

"Did you find him?"

Ah, him── my father. Did I find him? Yes.

I press my lips together, nodding. "He's alive, JJ."

He's surprised, I knew he would be. We all thought he was dead, so naturally hearing that he's just alive after all this time is shocking. I was certainly shocked but I wasn't shocked to find that Dad hasn't changed. A break away from his son and daughter obviously didn't alter him or make him a better person. He's the exact same, perhaps even worse given that he's so aggressive is his need to find the bigger treasure.

Sure, talking and laughing with him and John B felt nice and a weight certainly lifted from within me, but then he mentioned the diary and needing to find it and that fleeting moment of happiness cracked as quickly as it appeared.

"Wow." JJ chuckles, dropping his hand and letting it fall against my leg again. "Wow. That..." He doesn't finish his sentence, instead distracted by my lack of sentences. "You not happy about it?"

I scoff, dropping my head to stare at his hand on my leg. "It's been months, JJ, and he's not dead, and that's great..." I swallow, nodding slowly. "John B is so happy, you know, and I'm glad."

"I didn't ask about John B, I asked about you."

I know he asked about me, I'm just afraid to answer even though I know he and I can be honest with each other. We've seen each other at our worst, so I know I can put my trust in JJ but I just... can't, not about my father, not when I don't know how I feel right now. Part of me is overwhelmed with joy that he's back with us, but another part of me knows that joy will be replaced in a matters of seconds.

With Dad, it's very hit and miss. Sometimes, he's the best dad in the world, and other times he's... well, not the best dad in the world.

I lean my head against the back of the sofa. "I don't wanna talk about my dad," I say, hoping he drops it.

He squeezes my knee softly, and I let myself pull my legs up, letting them fall over JJ's lap. My head tilts to one side, forehead resting against his shoulder. I could fall asleep comfortably with his hand dragging up and down my leg soothingly. I wish I had stayed by him the entire time instead of rushing off with John B and Dad. I missed him.

"Your legs are really smooth," he says, crushing the moment, but I'm grateful that he dropped the topic of my father. I force my head off his shoulder, exhaling a laugh as I watch him drag his hand back and forth along my leg in great fascination. "They're, like, really smooth."

"I waxed them," I tell him, delicately placing my arm over his shoulders.

He snaps his head over to me. "What? When?"

"At Singh's. He, uh..." I shake my head, not entirely sure why I had to wax them. "Well, I had to wear the red dress, and I guess I needed to look... smooth."

He grimaces, brushing his knuckles along my kneecap. "Fucking creep. I wanna kill him."

I pout, pressing my finger against his cheek affectionately. "You wanna kill him?" I chuckle. "That's sweet, J, but I can handle myself."

"Singh got to see you with that dress on. Rafe got to see you with that dress on," he grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest like a frustrated child who can't have any candy. He's adorable, but if I called him that to his face, he'd storm off and have a very cute tantrum.

I lean into him, reaching for his hand and forcing him to uncross his arms as I miss his hands on me. "Do you want me to put it on?"

He shakes his head, not putting up much of a fight as I drag both his hands back down to rest upon my legs. "Think you should save it for our first official date."

Blush creeps up my neck, brightening my cheeks. "Oh, our official date with the caviar and champagne?"

"And the dessert that explodes when you pour chocolate on it," he adds, remembering all the silly little things I wish to have when we get to go and have our first official date in public at one of those ridiculously fancy restaurants.

"If I wear the red dress, I want you in a suit."

Hand-in-hand, JJ and I can walk into a fancy restaurant without being judged by those who think we don't belong. We can sit at the best table, wear expensive outfits, eat extravagant food, and give the servers the largest tip in the world just for the hell of it.

His head bobs. "I'll get a suit, Sunny."

I inhale softly, moving my knuckles up and down against the skin of his jaw. I think of him in a suit, looking unbelievably desirable. "I wish we could have our date now," I admit, gently pressing my fingertips against his jaw.

"We have no money." If I could magic up some money, I would in a heartbeat. God, I'd do just about anything for us to have just enough money to have the date we so want to have.

"Hey," I mutter, feeling my entire body tingle as his hands move from underneath my knee to my thigh. "We'll get our date one day, money or not."

"We could just go into a restaurant, eat and then bolt before we have to pay." Honestly, if everybody didn't know our faces in town, I'd be jumping at the opportunity to do it right now. Hmm, maybe we could go out of town and try that. But then we'd have to find money to get out of town. It's a tricky situation.

In all honesty, I don't care where we have a date. We had a lot of late nights and long mornings together when we were on that island, and I never thought I'd miss it as much as I do now, but I long to be back there, tucked away from the troubles. Since leaving the safety of that island, new troubles have unravelled. For one, my dad is alive and that's now opened a whole new can of worms that I just want to crush but I can't. Also, there's the matter of this new treasure that is supposedly bigger than anything else we've attempted to conquer. Everything is... stressful. It sucks.

I'm afraid of losing again. I don't want us to lose, but with Dad back, I'm even more afraid of it than before. Letting him down is the last thing I want to do given that he doesn't react too well to things not going his way.

We can't afford to lose again.

All feels messy right now, but the one thing I can always count on is the boy sitting before me.

"Are you okay?" I ask, alluding to the eviction notice that hangs on his front door just outside.

"I don't care," he responds, shrugging his shoulders like he really doesn't care but I know him. "I hated it here. I just..." His eyes scan the space, and I can practically see all those painful memories flashing before his eyes, but regardless of all that's happened under this roof, I know he doesn't really want to say goodbye. "It's no big deal. I've spent more nights at the Chateau than I ever did here, you know that."

"Yeah." My smile is small, sympathetic. "Still, it's okay if you feel a little... I don't know, upset about being evicted."

"It's not my home, Sunny, it never has been, so how can I be upset about it?"

"Because this was technically the place you grew up── the place you depended on until you met me and John B." While I speak, I move my fingers through his hair to try and keep him levelled as he seems a little ticked off. "This might not be your home, but this house was a big part of your life at some point."

A home and a house aren't the same thing. A home is filled with all the memories, both painful and loving. A home has the right people in it, and it's the one place you always, always want to go to after a long day. It gives you all the right feelings── that's what a home is. A house, on the other hand, is simply just a place, a building that, at some point, meant something to you but no longer does so it just remains there, standing insignificantly.

To me, the Chateau is my home, but to JJ, this place is just a house── something that can be easily disposed── and the Chateau is more of his home.

"Well, I'm being evicted so..." He presses his lips together, nodding. "No big deal, right?"

He's very good at avoiding the conversations that involve delving a little deep into his feelings. "JJ──"

"Brooke, I didn't push you to talk about your dad, so can we please not talk about this because I really, really don't care right now, okay?" I nod, knowing it's unfair to expect things from him when I'm struggling to admit what it's like to have Dad back. 

My hand drops, resting against the side of his neck. "Do you wanna go see him? He should still be at the Chateau. We can──"

"I wanna stay with you," he interrupts, his voice stern and controlled. My face softens, my heart beating a mile a minute as I gaze at him with such contempt. "Is that okay?"

My lips upturn slowly. "Definitely."

"Hide away with me, Sunshine."

His head falls to one side, burying into the crook of my neck. His hand then slides up my leg until it digs into my hipbone. I jerk forward at the touch, my arms instinctively closing around his neck so I can be closer── so I can hide within him.

If he wants me to hide away with him, I'll hide away with him. Hell, I think he could ask me to do literally anything and I'd do it without asking a single question. So, because he asks me to hide away, I hide away with him, letting him encircle his arms around my body in a much-needed embrace.

He might need to hide away with me but he has no idea just how much I need to hide away── hide away from the world and the fact that my dad is very much alive. I'm using this time to hide too, bury myself in the comfort that only JJ can offer me.

I don't know how long we stay like this── wrapped in each other's arms, but we do move to sit in a more comfortable position. We lay back against the sofa, my head pressed against his chest while he moves his fingers through my hair much like I did with him earlier. My leg is thrown over his, my arm tucked around his torso.

My hair has remained down since my hairband snapped on the island and since JJ told me he liked to see me with my hair down. It's definitely been freeing to have my hair down rather than constricted in a hairband. JJ definitely seems to be enjoying the luxury of me not having my hair tied as he's twirling strand after strand of hair around his fingers, attempting to make his own waves.

I like this── being in his arms. It feels so right, so simple and affectionate. Here we are, hiding in his house because we aren't quite ready to face the problems that are outside the door.

"You know, one day when I've done the travelling and I've opened my own gallery, I think I want to live abroad," I tell him, and I find that my throat aches from the lack of speaking we've done in however long we've been laying here.

He leans his chin upon my head. "Where?"

"Well, while I'm travelling, I'll decide which country I want to live in the most. Maybe it'll be Italy or Spain or France or Belgium. Ooh, maybe it'll be Australia, I've always wanted to meet a kangaroo."

He exhales a laugh. "You really wanna be away, huh?"

"I just wanna be... there." That isn't a specific location, I realise that, but he understands, I know he does. "I don't care where there is, I just wanna be there. All I know is that it's not here, in OBX because, let's face it, there's something so much better than this."

I love where I live, don't get me wrong, but when I truly think about what I want, I know that I want to be as far away as possible from here, so far that I have a different clock to my family who are back here. I've just always had a need to get away, JJ knows that, I've talked about it many times.

"You better have room for me, Sunny." I hide my creeping smile against his shirt, and his body shakes as he laughs, obviously knowing I'm smiling. "I'm following you across all the oceans, all the countries, and all the timezones, okay? I'm meeting those kangaroo with you."

I lift my head, my hand flat against his chest. "Okay, JJ."

"Wherever you wanna live── Italy, Spain..." He scrunches his face up. "Yemen." A surprising laugh crawls out of me.

"Yemen? What?"

"I remember hearing about it in class. Isn't it like the smallest country in the world?"

My eyebrows furrow. "No, JJ, Vatican City is the smallest country in the world," I tell but he doesn't look convinced.

He looks confused. Bless. "That's a country?"

I nod. "Yes."

"Huh."

I grin at him, proud to call this guy mine. "You're cute, you know that?"

His eyes narrow. "Never call me cute again."

I pout. "But you are."

He is cute regardless if he wants to admit it or not.

I let my head fall back against his chest, and I bring myself just a little bit closer. His hand keeps moving through my hair, gliding aimlessly while I use my index finger to draw circles against him.

I've missed drawing. I should've brought my sketchbook but I was too eager to see JJ so I'm dragging patterns across his chest with the tip of my finger to satisfy the urge to draw.

"Hey, JJ." My voice is soft, much softer than before.

"Hey, Sunshine."

I love those two words more than anything else in the world.

"Whether we have money or not, I still want us to get away, okay? One way or another," I speak, dragging my fingertips up and down the middle of his chest. "We'll find a way, I know we will, so can we just promise each other that?"

He lifts his pinkie finger, pressing it against my hand, and I breathe out a laugh as I realise what he's asking. I use my own pinkie, wrapping mine around his firmly and we hold our fingers together there for some time, sealing that promise to, one way or another, get out of this town.

"We're doing it together, right?"

I nod, bringing our joined fingers to my lips. "Definitely. Surf trip, all over the freaking world."

"You don't surf, Sunshine."

"Well, I guess you'll have to teach me, Maybank."

"I'll teach you whatever you want."

"Good," I breathe out, unravelling our fingers and going back to dragging my hand up and down his chest gently. He breathes softly, his heartbeat evident under my ear. I could fall asleep to the sound of that.

"You really think we can do it? Just get out and travel the world?"

"Yup," I say rather cockily. "Like I said, one way or another, you and I are getting out of here. We can hide away together."

He presses his lips against the crown of my head. "Whatever you say, Sunshine."

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✩ 𝐣𝐣'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

𝖨 𝖫𝖤𝖠𝖭 𝖠𝖦𝖠𝖨𝖭𝖲𝖳 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖣𝖮𝖮𝖱𝖥𝖱𝖠𝖬𝖤，𝖶𝖠𝖳𝖢𝖧𝖨𝖭𝖦 𝖠𝖲 𝖡𝖱𝖮𝖮𝖪𝖤 𝖡𝖱𝖴𝖲𝖧𝖤𝖲 𝖧𝖤𝖱 𝖳𝖤𝖤𝖳𝖧．I don't know where she found toothpaste in this house given that my father isn't the most hygienic person in the world, but here she is, brushing her damn teeth.

We fell asleep earlier, her head against my chest while I dragged my hand through her hair. We didn't sleep long, but Brooke seemed tired when she arrived so I'm relieved she had a couple hours. Now she's full of energy and won't let me kiss her until she's brushed her teeth with toothpaste that has probably expired.

Does toothpaste expire?

Anyway, I keep watching her as she stands with a toothbrush in her mouth, smiling as she can see me through the mirror in front of her.

This feels right── like I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life watching her brush her teeth in the mirror. I don't know why I'm standing here when I could wait for her on the sofa, but I think I'm so caught up in her that I want to follow her whenever she goes even when she leaves to complete the simplest of tasks.

God, if old me could see me right now, he'd laugh. Here I am, so infatuated by a girl that I'm just watching her brush her teeth like it's the most interesting thing in the world.

She leans forward, spitting into the sink, her hair falling forward, and every part of me wants to rush forward and pull it away from her face but she has it handled. She's been wearing her hair down a lot more, and while I love to see her hair in that ponytail, I can't deny that she looks fucking ethereal with her hair running down her back.

Brooke snatches the nearest towel that looks clean, and wipes her mouth before turning to me with a hand on her hip. She's doing her best to hide her smile but I can see right through her. She's always giddy whenever she's near me, and I'm the exact same way.

God, I really, really like this girl, more than I ever thought I could like somebody.

We've been friends for nine years, but having her in this capacity as my girlfriend is just unlike anything I ever thought possible. I get the privilege of being with my best friend, and that is singlehandedly the greatest thing in the world. I never thought it could be like this, but I'm damn lucky she said yes.

She steps up to me, sliding her arms around my middle. I stare down at her, feeling my heart rocket as she looks up at me with a gaze I'm very familiar with.

I reach my hand up, slotting it under her jaw, and I bring her face up. Smiling, I place my mouth over hers, feeling her small intake of breath as her lips cushion mine perfectly. I swear, for as long as I've known her, she and I were meant to slot together like this. She was always supposed to be more than my best friend, I just never acted on it until she crossed the line.

Everyday, I'm lucky she stepped over that line. Now we can no longer see that line, running ahead and forgetting all about it as I refuse to let go of one of the only good things I've got in my otherwise pitiful life.

Her hands reach out, grasping my shirt as our lips move in tandem, fighting against all the barriers that are there to stop us going too far. I grip her face in my hands, needing her in the same way a person needs oxygen to breathe. Gripping my shirt, she manoeuvres us and I find myself being pressed against the doorframe I was leaning against earlier to stare at her.

I breathe out a laugh, loving the energy she now has after waking up. I move my hands away from her face, instead moving them down her neck, over her shoulders before ultimately flattening them against her ribs and forcing her closer.

Her lips move against mine harshly, so harshly that our teeth clash, and it takes me a second to regain some composure. I applaud her fast pace, but she's insane if she thinks I'm rushing this. No, I'm taking my time, drawing out the noises and drowning myself in the sweet liquor of her lips.

Her hand dips under my shirt, catching me off guard, but I don't stop kissing her── I can't. Her fingertips drag across my stomach in a tentative way, like she's unsure how to proceed. I hold her hip gently, rubbing soft circles against the slither of bare skin between her shirt and shorts, reassuring her that she can do just about anything to me and I'd just watch in awe.

I'm all hers, when is she gonna realise that?

We've been teetering on the edge for some time, even before we made it official. Stuck on an island for thirty days with your girlfriend who looks ridiculously beautiful whatever the weather is not for the weak. I wanted her every minute of everyday, and I think she wanted me too, but we couldn't jump down that cliff, not when stuck on the island.

But now we're not on that island. No, we're now alone, in a house that we both hate. Regardless of where we are, we're on the edge of the cliff, about ready to pull each other down.

Bending down, my lips still attached to hers, I hook my arms under her thighs, deciding to lift her up and into my arms. She gasps, a little surprised, but her legs close around my hips, her arms wrapped around my neck tightly as I move us away from the bathroom. I stumble. We fall. We crash. But we keep a hold on each other as her back presses against the next wall.

I continue to kiss her like my life depends on it, and in a way, it does. She is the oxygen, and I'm gonna keep breathing her in to keep myself alive.

She separates her mouth from mine, choosing to move her mouth down. Her lips drag against my chin, peppering along my jaw, and descending down the length of my neck. I press one hand against the wall next to her head while my other hand pushes against her hip so she remains against the wall.

My eyes blink open, my head hazy as I let her do whatever the hell she wants. Leaning into her, I try to stop my eyes from skimming the room and the length of the hallway we're in, but I can't help but look at the state at which this house is in. I cannot be with her in this way, not in the house I've hated my entire life. This isn't right.

I want to be with her, in whatever way she'll allow me, but not here── not in a house that's filled, top to bottom, with harsh memories. Just around this corner is the sofa where I laid with Brooke and where my father lay while I had a gun pointed at his head.

This house is riddled with too many painful memories. I cannot, in good conscience, have a life-changing moment with Brooke in a house I hate. It's supposed to be more special than this── more careful and sweet and longing. It's not supposed to be in a house that still reeks of my father. His presence is everywhere in this house even when he's not physically here.

Brooke senses my hesitation as her head pulls away from my neck. "JJ?" Her voice is breathy, sounding so far away as my eyes hone in on the garbage that remains on the floor, the giant load of dishes that remain in the sink, and the faint smell of beer and weed remains in the air.

Brooke clears her throat, fingers grazing my jaw. "Hey, JJ." She grips my face a little harder, forcing my head to turn away from the mess of my house. "Hey."

I exhale a sigh, my head falling forward and hitting her forehead. With her hands holding my face, we breathe together steadily and slowly. "Where'd you go, pretty boy?" I squeeze my eyes shut, my lips upturning as she speaks so gently.

I like this girl. I like that she can take my mind off anything and everything just with the simpleness of her voice.

Her thumb delicately touches my lip. "Hey," she whispers. "What's wrong?"

"It's this house," I say, keeping my forehead against hers. "I-I can't do..." I swallow, my throat feeling sore. "It's not fair to you, Brooke. This shouldn't happen in this house."

"So it should happen in my house where my father and brother live?"

I shake my head. "No, I..." I chuckle softly. "This house is just full of... bad, I guess, I don't know." I'm rambling, sounding like a complete and utter idiot. Here is a girl who's wrapped around me, staring at me with those big brown eyes that I love, and I'm pulling away.

I should kick my own ass.

"I wanna take it all away," she utters, brushing her knuckles under my chin. "I wanna take all that bad and turn it into good, JJ. You..." Her hand falls, tracing down my neck and falling against my chest. "I wanna take all that pain and bad associated with this house, hide it away, and replace it with something good."

I breathe her in, never wanting to let go of her. "How do you know that you can?"

"I don't know if I can," she tells. "But I wanna try." Her hand rests over the steady beating of my heart. "We don't have to, obviously, but before this house gets taken from you, I want you to have at least one good memory from being here, you deserve that much."

I push my mouth against hers briefly, body starting to relax. "One good memory, huh? You think a lot of yourself, don't you, Sunny?"

A laugh ripples out of her, and God, that is my favourite sound in the entire world. "I think a lot of myself, yes, but I think the world of you, JJ."

She's got my heart in the palm of her hand, and I hope she never lets it go.

"Pretend we aren't here," she continues, fingers mindlessly moving up and down the centre of my chest. "Pretend we're abroad. We're in..." She hums, thinking of a place. "Pretend we're in Paris," she exhales, laughing. "We're underneath the Eiffel Tower. It's the dead of night. It's just the two of us, hiding away from the entire world."

My eyebrow raises. "Paris?"

"Yep. We're in Paris, baby, get used to it."

I nod, choosing to go along with that idea. "We're in Paris," I chorus. "We're in Paris. It's just us. In the dead of night."

"It's just us── just you and me, alright? I've got you."

I am really, really lucky to have this girl. I am very proud to call her mine.

I inhale softly. "You've got me."

"Have you got me?" she asks, and the uncertainty in her voice hits me like a train. How could she not know the answer to that?

My thumb moves against the skin of her hip. "I've always got you, Sunshine."

"Then lay us down under the Eiffel Tower, JJ."

Seconds later, I'm laying her down against my bed and she's pulling me on top of her eagerly. The lights of the Eiffel Tower shine in our heads, keeping me grounded as I begin to create the only good memory in this house with her── the sunshine in this Paris equation.

One day I hope we really get to be in Paris, wrapped in each other like we are right now.

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❀ soph speaks

uh . . . did y'all want me to continue writing??

was tempted to write a lil more spice but then i got lazy but i could write it in future chapters (if y'all want hehe)

ah when in paris . . . will they ever get to go, that is the real question??

thankyou for reading :)!