John B fought to keep his grin in check, but it was nearly impossible. That one word felt like the first real step toward something he hadn’t even dared hope for: making a friend who needed one just as badly as he did.
They need each other so badly😭
JJ started waiting for him after school. He started elbowing him in the ribs during class when something was funny. He started talking. Rambling, even. About bikes and waves and the best kind of knots, about comic books and how he was definitely gonna own a boat one day. Not some fancy yacht. Just something sturdy. Something that wouldn’t let him down.
Not even five minutes in, my heart has melted
It felt like discovering a secret. Like finding a whole other world hidden behind someone’s eyes and realizing you were the only one who got to see it.
Poetry.
Pope looked up from the acorn he was trying to crack open. “Like… you wanna marry him?” “No,” John B said quickly, then frowned. “I mean… I don’t know. Not like that. Just… sometimes I feel weird around him. Like my stomach flips. And I wanna… I dunno… be around him all the time.” Pope scrunched his nose. “Do you wanna kiss him?” John B made a face. “Ew, no. That’s gross.” “Hold his hand?” John B thought for a second. “Maybe. I guess. But it’s not like that. He’s just…” He trailed off, picking at a scab on his knee.
AHHH BABIES😭😭
Finally, John B said, “He’s just really sunny. Like, everything feels better when he’s around. But he doesn’t get a lot of… good stuff. Not like we do. And I think he needs someone to love him. I just… I love him. A lot.”
I'm so done with you making me all emotional right after waking up😭
Eventually, no one came to pick John B up at all. He got used to waiting on the curb by himself, backpack clutched in his lap, pretending to be busy digging for snacks or tying his shoelaces so it didn’t look so obvious. Most days, JJ walked home with him or waited with him in the grass, flicking pebbles at cars and pretending not to notice when John B’s voice got small.
Nooo, poor baby😭
Then, JJ slung an arm around John B’s shoulder and tugged him close, steering him away. “C’mon,” he said, tugging him close with a sideways grin. “No one messes with my boy.”
Clutches pillow to my chest and cries
JJ started wearing his hair longer, letting his blond bangs fall into his eyes in a way that made half the girls in their grade stare. He rotated between the same two beat-up hoodies, always smelling like surf wax, engine oil, and that sharp, minty gum. He got detentions for back talking teachers, for skipping class, for fighting. He grinned like nothing could touch him.
Yeah, JJ was definitely the crush of every single girl in his grade.
“Let’s run away,” he said, flopping face-first down beside him with a grunt, cheek against the pillow. “Seriously. You and me. We’ll steal a boat, sleep on the sand, disappear. No one would find us. No one’d even look.”
Please do.
None of it was true. JJ was impulsive, yeah, but he was also the one who’d give you the last bite of his sandwich. The one who’d carry your bike home if the chain broke. The one who never forgot when you were having a bad day.
Sweet boy😭😭
John B blinked. “What if it’s like…a hurricane? What if you just want to always be near them and it makes you crazy when they’re sad and you’d do anything to fix it?”
I think that's a soulmate, John B😭
It didn’t need a label. But if he had to name it, deep down, he already knew: It was love.
Girl, what are you doing to me.
And that killed John B a little—because JJ loved better than anyone he knew. He showed up. Every time. Whether it was a dumb inside joke when John B was spiraling, or slipping his hoodie over John B’s shoulders without a word when it got cold—then pulling him close, pressing a soft smile against the top of his head—JJ had a way of making you feel like you mattered, like you were worth everything. That kind of love only comes once in a lifetime, and John B knows he’s the luckiest guy alive. Anyone who got that—who got him—should feel lucky as hell. And John B vowed he’d spend his whole life trying to show JJ even a fraction of that love back.
Yeah, I’m gonna have to take a break to cry
“Honestly? Look at him. He’s gotta be so good in bed,” Lexie said, not realizing—or not caring—that John B could hear every word.
Fuck her.
Lexie flipped her hair back with a careless flick, eyes cold as ice. “What can I say? I’m not here for a boyfriend—especially not a screw-up like JJ. Just a good time.”
Fuck her times two.
Then, barely audible—so faint John B almost missed it—came a stifled, bitten-off sob. John B's lips trembled at the sound, and tears sprung unbidden, because when JJ hurt, it wasn’t just JJ’s pain—it was theirs.
My heart can't take this😭💔💔
“I just stood there,” JJ said. “Had the damn movie tickets in my pocket. Like a fucking idiot.” His voice cracked again, thinner now. “I never felt good enough for her. I thought... maybe if I treated her to something she liked... maybe she’d love me more. Or just… love me at all.”
I'm gonna take away your writing rights.
JJ swallowed hard. “But I guess I wasn’t enough… I never am. I should’ve known better than to think otherwise.” John B shook his head softly. “You’re more than enough, bub.” he whispered.
Oh JJ, you're more than enough😭😭
Then, in a trembling whisper, JJ broke the silence. “What am I supposed to do? What do I have to be… for someone to just… love me?”
You just have to be you😭😭
“I think I’m just… unlovable, Bree.”
NO.
“I love you,” he murmured into the strands, barely louder than a breath. “You’re loved, JJ. So much.” Another kiss. Another breath. And as the room grew still, John B’s voice grew softer, slower—fading into a sleepy murmur. “I love you… I love you…” Until at last his lips rested softly in JJ’s hair, and sleep claimed him too.
I'm not gonna recover from this. Oh John B😭
He started by unsubscribing her from the cheer team mailing list. Then, without much ceremony, he swapped out her profile picture for a blurry photo of a moldy sandwich he pulled off Google—something sad and green and oozing at the edges. It felt fitting.
John B, you absolute legend😂
“You’re—no, you are my favorite person. Not just now, not just ever, but, like, ever ever. If there was a ranking for favorite people, you’d be at the top. No contest.”
Ahhh, sweethearts😭I bet John B is JJ's favorite person too
JJ tapped his cheek again, then let his fingers drift down to poke his jaw. “Well—same goes. You’re mine too.”
Like I said😂
“Hey.” His voice came quiet. “You're loved by me too, Bree.”
Thank you for your sweet comments, I love them so much every time!💚
FINALLY. yayyy. I was so excited for this😂
Me too, finally got it posted!😂 your excitement for this was everything hahah!
They need each other so badly😭
They did! And once they found each other, that was that! For life!
Not even five minutes in, my heart has melted
Aaahh YESSS, biggest compliment, that's the goal! The sappiness is real!
It felt like discovering a secret. Like finding a whole other world hidden behind someone’s eyes and realizing you were the only one who got to see it.
Poetry.
Actually THATS the biggest compliment, thank you😭
I'm so done with you making me all emotional right after waking up😭
I'm so not done with it😈😈😈 I love itttt
Nooo, poor baby😭
Yeah, John B's trauma and neglect is so overlooked in canon, it feels important to mention😭 and JJ clearly must have been there for JB, just like the other way around!
Clutches pillow to my chest and cries
😈😈😈
Yeah, JJ was definitely the crush of every single girl in his grade.
Oooh yeah, without a doubt! Then again, just like we see later on, I can imagine a lot of people not being there for JJ's heart, and not seeing JJ at all, just seeing the possible thrill to be with a 'bad pogue' for a bit😩 But JB, and the Pogues, see JJ, and love him for who he really is!
I think that's a soulmate, John B😭
Oh yeahhh, he's found his very very close, platonic other half😭
Yeah, I’m gonna have to take a break to cry
Oh no, you poor thing 😈 Jk jk, but I'm so glad I could make you feel all these emotions with this story🥺
Fuck her.
Oh yeah! Big fuck you to her!
Fuck her times two.
Times three even!
I'm gonna take away your writing rights.
😂😂😂 NEVER!
Oh JJ, you're more than enough😭😭
He doesn't realise how much of a beautiful person he is, he's so much more than enough 😩
You just have to be you😭😭
EXACTLY😭
“I think I’m just… unlovable, Bree.”
NO.
NO indeed!
I'm not gonna recover from this. Oh John B😭
He just loves him SO MUCH, and he needs JJ to know😭
Ahhh, sweethearts😭I bet John B is JJ's favorite person too
😭😭😭 no doubt about that!
“Hey.” His voice came quiet. “You're loved by me too, Bree.”
You undid me completly😭😭😭
I loved this so much, I don't even have words.
Your stories and your mind are everything!!💚💚💚
All your kind words mean the world 😭😭😭 truly, thank you so much for all the support💚💚
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Tpwk1321 Tue 08 Jul 2025 09:57AM UTC
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