JJ Maybank never thought before doing something. Ever. And sometimes, that was a good thing—he’d give you his last dollar without blinking, he’d throw a punch in a heartbeat if it meant defending the people he loved, and he’d step in front of a damn train if it meant saving someone he cared about.

But other times? It was exhausting. Especially being his girlfriend.

He’d start fights for no reason, just because someone looked at him the wrong way. He’d steal dumb things for the thrill of it. He was reckless in every sense of the word—and half the time, he didn’t even realize how dangerous it was. Not just for him… but for you. That fear—that one day he’d go too far and you’d lose him—sat in your stomach like a rock. Every time your phone rang and it was the Kildare County Police Station, or he showed up at the Chateau with a black eye… that fear dug deeper.

You’d never said anything before. You didn’t want to be that girlfriend—the nagging one. You wanted to be supportive. But it was hard living in constant fear of what stupid thing he’d do next. So when you got the call again—a fight with some kook, second time this week—something inside you snapped.

As always, you grabbed your keys and drove to pick him up. But tonight, you weren’t fueled by worry. Tonight, it was frustration—boiling hot in your chest… and underneath it all, fear.

He was on the bench outside the station when you pulled up, a bandaid slapped on his cheek. The sight only made your grip on the wheel tighten.

JJ looked up and grinned, that annoyingly cocky smirk on his face as he approached.

“Do you ever think before doing shit? Or do you just not care what happens to you?” you snapped, slamming the car door, voice sharper than your glare.

“Woah,” he blinked, smile not fading. “Hello to you too, baby.”

You crossed your arms. “I’m serious, JJ. This isn’t okay anymore.”

That cocky glint in his eyes faltered. His brows furrowed. “Chill, alright? It’s not that deep.”

But that was the thing—it wasn’t deep for him.

For you? It was everything.