The waves had been relentless all day, crashing like thunder against the shore. JJ had brushed it off, grinning wide as he told you that only real surfers rode waves like these. And you, always up for a challenge, had paddled right out with him. He hadn’t expected to see you crash into the rocks so hard, hadn’t expected to feel his heart stop as you disappeared under the water.

Now, he was kneeling in the sand beside you, his hands shaking as he pressed a towel to the deep scrape along your side, trying to stem the blood that was seeping through. He could feel the harsh, uneven rise and fall of your chest under his hand, feel the warmth leaving you as the ocean breeze cut through.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re gonna be fine,” he muttered, his voice trembling despite his efforts to sound calm. He forced a grin, a shadow of his usual cocky smirk, and tried to meet your gaze. But every time your eyes started to slip shut, his stomach twisted, and his voice got a little sharper, a little more desperate. “No, come on, stay with me. You’re not ditching me here, alright? Don’t think I can do this without you.”