“adore me, hold me, and explore me , mark your territory!”

the night is thick with heat, clinging to your skin. the pogues are scattered across the chateau sarah curled up against john b, kie and pope somewhere. but you and jj? down at the dock.it’s just you and him, the water lapping against the wood beneath you, the air charged with something unspoken. it’s always been like this between you , something lingering beneath the surface, something neither of you have dared to name. but tonight, the tension stretches like a live wire, ready to snap.

jj leans back on his palms, eyes toward the sky, exhaling slow. “it’s so damn quiet out here,” he mutters, more to himself than you. but his eyes flick over, catching yours in the dim moonlight. something teasing, something knowing. “yeah? that a bad thing?” you ask, tilting your head. his smirk is slow, but with an edge. “depends.” silence stretches, thick. your knee brushes against his, and he doesn’t move. just watches you, like he’s waiting for something.

“have you ever tried this one?” your voice barely above a whisper, but he hears it. you know he does by the way his fingers flex against the dock, by the way his jaw tightens just slightly. he laughs, shaking his head. his voice is lower now, rough around the edges, like he’s keeping something in check. and maybe he is. maybe you both are. but then he’s reaching out, fingertips ghosting over your wrist, tracing absent patterns.

“adore me,” you whisper, half teasing, half something real. his fingers tighten slightly “always do,” he says, so quiet. there’s a shift. you don’t know who moves first, but suddenly you’re closer, close enough that his breath is against your cheek, close enough that you can see something wild in his eyes.

“lock me down tonight,” you whisper, not knowing what you’re asking for, only knowing it’s him. it’s always been him. jj’s lips twitch, like he wants to smirk, but he doesn’t. instead, he exhales, leans in just a fraction more. “careful what you ask for,” he murmurs...