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He always saw the Chateau as his home, spending as much time over there as he could to avoid going to his house, it was not like his dad cared about where he was or what he was doing anyway. Then his brother died at sea taking his dad’s beloved boat with him so he was forced to move in as soon as the police cleared it up, he felt bad but it was that or being homeless because if he went to his house he knew he would die.
Before, he had a claimed room: John B stayed at his dad’s room and his original one became JJ’s but now he can’t bring himself to get into any of those so he stays at the pullout, never entering both rooms for more than the 2 minutes it takes to pick up some clothes. The house is now cleaner than it has ever been, with 4 kids wreaking it in every free moment and Big John always looking for adventure no one really bothered to clean it up, but his first night alone there he cleaned, the sight of their house being wreaked by the smugglers and the police was too much for him. It has his brother and step-in father’s home the least he could do for them was clean it up after everything they have done for him so he cleaned and scrubbed.
When Kiara and Pope found him, he was scrubbing the bathroom, hands raw after having scrubbed every inch of surface he saw, but the rooms were locked shut. That night they planned a memorial for their friend and slept together in the pullout like little kids trying to ignore how they weren’t so squeezed together.
Even when his father got arrested he never managed to go back to his house, only getting the few belongings he had. If anyone asked it would be so CPS wouldn’t find him straight away but it hasn’t been home ever since his mom left, it was better to hurt and be home than live in the haunted house.
When they received the message about John B and Sarah being alive everything became as good as it could get for him, he could even have his room back now without feeling hurt by all the memories.
For a whole night it’s almost like they are kids again feeling like big boys having a sleepover alone, the biggest difference is that John B shares a bed with Sarah instead of sharing the pullout bed with him but he’s so happy that things are somewhat okay that he doesn’t even care.
He spends a few nights alone again but then they actually get a new roommate.
She got kicked out of her house. She knew her family didn’t always see eye to eye in most things but she always knew they loved her, it was something she always counted on.Well apparently they reached their breaking point.
And that’s how she found herself calling the Chateau her home, it has always felt like a second home with all the time she spend there over the years, where her best memories lived. She got her first period there, her first sip of beer, first time she ever smoked and even her first kiss and first time all happened at the Chateau. Hell she always bought her favorite hair care or skin care to leave there as well. But being kicked out of home hurt.
So now she became part of the “nothing to lose” club, not that she is happy with that but it’s nice to live with the guys. They got into a little routine right from the beginning, with how much time they already spend there it was a given already but living together had its hardships. They were MESSY and a little dirty so she had to “mom” them and make them clean after themselves which she hated but it was needed sometimes, she guesses that between them growing up with dads and have raised themselves for the most part it made sense they didn’t have the best sense of cleanness.
John B was like an old lady and would always be the first to crash- especially now that he was dealing with his break up with Sarah, so she would always find herself having late night conversations with JJ. The late night conversations have always been her favorite part of any sleepover and since he was the only one of her friends who could stay awake long enough to talk, it pretty much became their thing over the years, something that happened every night now they were roommates, they would talk about anything and everything or sometimes she would go on her rants and he would just listen, it was the only time JJ Maybank would shut up and be as close to still he could get. Tonight they were sharing a blunt and a blanket in the hammock, laying on opposite sides and moving to pass the joint back and forth.
“How are feeling, Kie?’ he asked after a few moments in silence having reached his limit in being quiet.
“Slightly worried that every night we only go to sleep after having Ricky’s stuff but buzzed enough for not caring” she knew that wasn’t what he was asking but deny deny deny.
“You know that’s not what I mean” JJ has always been more observant that he ever got credit for, has always been too good at reading her, it was a good trait most of the time but on times like this she hated. “You just went through a break up and got kicked out of your house, I don’t know about the first but I know it sucks feeling like you can’t go home”
“I feel good about the break up. We shouldn’t have tried it in the first place, it wasn’t right-you know I’m just glad we didn’t let it get too far” She really liked Pope but not like how he wanted to, she felt bad for leading him on.”I don’t want to talk about my parents right now”
“Okay .But they love you, they will get their sense back” he knocked his legs with hers
“I really don’t think they will. I messed up bad this time,J” she couldn’t look at him, she hated how it sounded like she was swimming in self pity even if she knew it was the truth.
“At least now you get the most handsome roommate ever and no curfew” he was giving her an out
“You mean the most annoying right?” she was thankful for him
“Keep denying all you want Kiara, I know you love waking up to this every morning” he gestured to his face, mock flirting on display
“I thought I was used to you boys being nasty but man living with you two this past days managed to surprise me and not in a good way” she pulled a disgust face. she have been friends with the boys since they were kids, spent a good part of her time at the Chateau so she knew but she was pretty sure she saw JJ and JB wearing the same boxers days apart and never saw they doing laundry
“Like you’re the cleanest most organized person” he has been inside her room he knows she is just as messy as them
“At least I smell good” Aside from after work he smelled really good- she would never admit it to his face but she liked how he smelled however he was always the first to tell her she smelled bad after work so she had to tease him back.
“It’s John B! You know how I cleaned the house!”Full offence coming off him, painting his voice and face.
“You have to clean the house like every week JJ. And do laundry-not pick clothes of the floor smelling to see the one less dirty” it was almost cute how he believed that’s how it works.
“Okay mama I’ll do my chores “she could tell he wasn’t teasing her even if he used her most hated nickname “I haven’t lived with a woman in years” he almost snorted “It’s weird”
“You never talk about your mom” she was taken back by this comment
“Yeah because there’s nothing to talk about, she left me when I was 6” he didn’t like talking about her, years later and it was still a sore subject
“You don’t look too much like Luke so this means you look like her?” of course Kie would be pressing into this
“Actually yeah-same eyes same crazy hair “he had taken too many beatings to know he looked too much like her “you always say that my hair is wild but I remember hers was crazier”
“You trying to fool me that this rats nest you call hair is genetic instead of the fact it has never seen a brush?” she said messing with his hair, making it even more messy “or the fact you only wash it once a week?” she tried to lessen the blow by making it lighter
“If you can’t be this good looking you don’t need to be salty, Kie” that’s how they worked, teasing and bickering all day everyday
“I’m not even going to answer you” she felt better now than in a good while, an affect that light late night conversations, a good high going on and JJ Maybank had on her.
“She was the one who taught me how to surf actually” he said after a moment in silence, eyes cast on the marsh and mind a few years back
“How old were you?” she always listened when he said something about his life, never one to share.
“I don’t remember really” he had a bad memory probably from too many hits to the head “I think I have been swimming before I could walk. Like literally, I’m the kid of two crack heads so it was probably even before that but I held onto her board as a toddler” He tried hard to remember “I think I was in kindergarten when she first bought me a board”
“YOU LEARNED HOW TO SURF AT FIVE??” she was a little shocked about how dangerous was all of this “WOW” at five she could barely swim let alone stand on a board
“Probably yeah it was before she left so yeah” he tried hard to remember that day, all his memories with his mom mixed together now “My board was so much bigger than me I remember I couldn’t even carry it” he remembers his first board, he actually used it until it broke in a storm when he was 14
“Men I wish I could see tiny JJ with a big board trying to surf” she couldn’t hold her giggle at the image her mind provided
“Us Maybanks we are born into the sea literally” he made a gesture in his hand she had no idea what it was supposed to say “I’m like Aquaman Kie” even in the dark his eyes were shining
JJ looked lighter now, having John B back and being safe from his dad helped, when comparing to mere months ago it was day and night different. He wasn’t in the verge of a panic attack every passing moment even with this whole cross shebang.
This late night conversations he had with Kie probably helped, it became a part of his routine he anticipated now, the two of them never had too many moments alone but they could always lit up a J and enjoy the silence or hear each other’s rants about the environment or mechanics, or sometimes they would have conversations like today. He never told even John B half of the stuff he told her on their late nights and he knew he was the only one who knew what really happened in her Kook year.
“Sometimes I miss when Sarah wasn’t around” that took her out of her thoughts “It’s not that I don’t like her, I do, I just miss having John B around” he was quick to affirm, afraid it came out wrong
“Yeah I know, it makes sense” she knew how it hurt to feel you’ve been replaced “It must have been hard for you having me and Pope together huh”
“I want you to be happy, both of you but third wheeling is weird not gonna lie” she could only imagine how hard it was for him to have this open heart conversation, always one to run from feelings
“At least we weren’t clingy like Sarah and John B” they weren’t even in the same level of relationship than they were but no one could ever be like the couple
“I would have died, Kie, not joking” he pretended to vomit “They really were made for each other they are the only two people who can put up with their clinginess and whippedness” that was a statement.
“That’s not even a word JJ but I agree” she couldn’t help but wonder “Do you ever see yourself dating someone?”
“I don’t think I was made for it. I’m a Maybank we’re only loyal to ourselves” he was visibly uncomfortable with this, he had thought about it but who he really wanted wasn’t interest and deserved so much better
“That’s not true Jage” she wanted to fight the whole world who ever made him feel like that “You’re the most loyal person I have ever met like dog level loyalty” she could tell her message didn’t get through him so she moved until she was practically stranding his leg (something only buzzed Kiara would do) to make him look at her “I’m seriously J whoever is the girl who ends up with you will be the luckiest girl in the planet. We are so so lucky that you chose us to be your family” she hoped to make it get into his thick skull.
If only he knew how special he is, she has known him for all this years and every once in a while she will wonder what she ever did to deserve this guy in her life.
JJ nodded at her words, but didn’t seem too convinced.
“You’re tired c’mon lets go to bed” he hit his personal conversation limit for today, eyes too glassy to be just the weed but he could tell she was tired “I’m being nice and will even let you have my bed while I have the pullout” he tried to move but she didn’t let him.
“Nah I’m comfy here” she snuggled into his side, nose pressing into his neck, blanket tucked into her chin. Or she tried to be if only he would stop moving so she could properly settle “JJ stop fidgeting”
“Get off my neck then” he was ticklish alright, every time someone would get near his neck he would almost fold.
“Only if you let me stay here” she scooted down and laid in his shoulder anyways not waiting for an answer. Eyes already closing enjoying the smell of the marsh mixed with JJ.
“Only for a little, it’s chilly in here” he was a sucker for Kie’s sleepy voice but was too cold to stay the whole night without getting a cold or something.
When John B woke up the next morning the pullout was empty and so was JJ’s room, he started freaking out worried someone broke into his house and kidnapped his friends - with all that has happened lately it wouldn’t be the craziest thing to happen. But when he looked outside he realized there wasn’t a need to worry, his friends were safe and sound fast asleep in the hammock curled together. It was still strange in a way, JJ would cuddle anything within arms reach but Kiara felt trapped in physical touch yet she was almost on top of him looking very content.
But it all felt right in a way.