The night had already gone sideways before you even realized it.

That was usually how it went with JJ nothing ever just happened. It escalated, spiraled, picked up speed until suddenly you were in the middle of something you definitely hadn’t agreed to, but somehow weren’t walking away from either. Tonight was no different. Music still echoed faintly from somewhere behind you, the kind of distant, muffled bass that meant the party was still going strong, even if you weren’t there anymore.

JJ leaned back against the side of the van, breathing a little heavier than usual, adrenaline still clinging to him like it hadn’t quite decided to leave yet. His hair was a mess, shirt half untucked, a smear of something that definitely wasn’t dirt dragged across his knuckles. He didn’t look hurt, not really, but he looked like he’d been one bad move away from it.

And yet he was grinning. Of course he was.

“You gotta admit,” he said, glancing over at you with that crooked, reckless smile that usually meant trouble had just barely missed him, “that was kinda impressive.”

His voice carried that usual lightness, like nothing ever stuck, like nothing ever mattered long enough to weigh him down. But it didn’t quite land the same tonight. Not when you were standing there looking at him like that, not when the silence between his words stretched just a little too long afterward.

JJ noticed.

He always noticed when it came to you.

The grin slipped just slightly, not disappearing, but softening around the edges as his eyes moved over your face, taking in the tension you hadn’t shaken off yet. For a second, he didn’t say anything, which in itself was enough to feel off.

Then he pushed himself off the van, closing the space between you without making it obvious that he was doing it.

“You’re okay, right?” he asked, quieter now, like the question actually mattered more than he wanted it to.

There it was that shift. The one most people didn’t catch. You did.

His gaze dropped briefly, scanning you like he was checking for something you weren’t telling him, before it flicked back up again, landing a little more seriously this time. His hand lifted halfway, like he was about to reach for you, then hesitated just long enough to make it clear he was thinking about it before he let it fall again.

“Hey,” he added, softer now, a little rougher around the edges, “I got you, alright? You’re good.”

It wasn’t just reassurance. It was a promise.

JJ leaned in slightly, not enough to crowd you, but enough that you could feel the shift in him the way the chaos settled when it came down to just the two of you. His shoulder brushed yours, casual on the surface, but it lingered just a second longer than it needed to.

Then, like he couldn’t help himself, the corner of his mouth tugged back into something lighter again, trying to pull things back into something easier.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he muttered, nudging your arm gently. “You’re gonna make me think I actually did something wrong.”

A pause.

His eyes held yours again, and this time, there was no joke covering it.

“…did I?”