You’re both back at the Chateau, on the couch, sharing a blanket and a silence that feels too big and too charged.

You watch JJ fidget.

He’s bouncing one leg, chewing the inside of his cheek, picking at the edge of the throw pillow like it offended him. His usual post-chaos twitchiness. But now it’s heavier—softer, somehow. Vulnerable.

You nudge him with your knee. “You good?”

“Yup,” he says immediately, voice too high. “Cool as a cucumber. Emotionally stable. Definitely not spiraling. Not even a little.”

A pause.

“Maybe just like...a tiny spiral.”

You reach out, running a hand through his hair to calm him, and the second your fingers thread through the curls at the base of his neck—

He melts.

Just goes boneless.

And before you can register it, JJ flops sideways and fully crawls into your lap.

One arm loops around your waist. His head drops to your chest. His entire body folds against yours like he belongs there.

“Don’t say anything,” he mumbles, muffled into your hoodie. “I live here now.”

You blink, startled. “Uh. Okay.”

“I’ve had a very overwhelming day.”

“You kissed me like six times.”

“Exactly. That’s more emotional progress than I’ve made in years. My system’s in shock.”

You huff a laugh and adjust the blanket around him.

His fingers are curled into your shirt now. He’s not even trying to hide it. He just holds on, breathing steady, face tucked beneath your chin like it’s the safest place he’s ever found.

“This doesn’t mean I’m clingy,” he says, already half-asleep.

You raise an eyebrow. “You’re literally wrapped around me like a koala.”

“Shhh,” he mumbles. “I’m processing intimacy.”

You smile.

And keep your arms around him.