𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀, jj maybank

02. BRAINS ON THE FLOOR

It happened far too often for her to care much about it anymore. Kie and Pope didn't seem to have a daring bone in their bodies in comparison, usually way more concerned with the safety precautions that neither John B, JJ, or Evie had simultaneously decided not to take each and every time. And that was exactly how she liked it because there was something so addictive about doing something she knew for a fact that no parent of hers would agree with.

JB had a beer can in one hand and the other was holding hers, lifting the drink for her to take a sip before tilting his head back to take one himself. Music playing faintly from the deck below ensured he took it as a chance for them to mess about even further, a dance coming into their step with John B, forever daring, spun his best friend on the spot, the two of them laughing as her foot slipped beneath her on the return.

"You're gonna kill me one day." Evie shook her head, fingers closing around his shirt as he held her close for just a moment, reeling from the almost fall. She held on tight and leant back, meeting his eyes. "And then one of those three will kill you." She used one of her fingers to jab his chest so as to enunciate her final word.

JJ held his hands to his lips, muffled noise replicating a walkie-talkie. "Affirmative." He said, in that easily replicable, mechanical voice of a robot. His hand fell, giving them all a clear view of his face. "Come down 'n sit with me, E." He added afterwards, holding up another, new can of beer for them to share from where he was sat on the scaffolding.

Evie glanced to Pope, who shook his head; he knew she would accept before she actually did; before her gaze landed on John B once again, who had his hands on her waist to stable her and was taking another sip of his beer. "But what if I climb down and John B falls because I'm not here to help." She questioned, head turned towards him. JJ scoffed. "Kie, what do you think?"

"I think that these people don't need another bathroom - does nobody else think about the freakin' climate crisis we're in?" Kiara's voice carried through from within the shell of a house. "The ice caps are melting, the turtles are being strangled, but no, they need to have a fifth bathroom on the second floor."

There was a pause as her grumblings continued. Evelyn shrugged. "Sure, that makes sense." She said.

"I think that's a vote for me." JJ hummed. "Come on, Ev, come join me."

"Help me down, John B?" Atlas asked, his hand still skimming above the surface of her shorts. He nodded, blindly, hand finding her's and skipping down in front of her, balancing on the tile of the roof as he helped her down to the scafolding, waiting until she had slipped into position besides JJ to return to his previous position. "That make you happy, Maybank?" She questioned.

"Oh I feel like royalty, babe." He pressed a kiss to his shoulder as Pope murmured unapprovingly below. "Like a king."

"Oh yeah?" She hummed, tapping her nails against the can of beer he was holding and grinning as she tilted her chin back and let him tip beer into her mouth. He splashed her slightly and she swallowed, laughing. "And you feel like royalty?"

She used to feel like she was surrounded by bubble wrap. Taped up all nice and tight. And then suddenly she was free from the trappings and could move however she pleased. Because she had people who cared if she was upset and uncomfortable and could guide her out of her problems like a lighthouse in the fog. She was far happier there than any moment spent within her family home. And now, she didn't have to worry about being fragile and breakable because she had people to glue her back together. It didn't happen all too often, and more often than not-

"That's what, a three-story fall to the deck?" Pope called up and both JJ and Evelyn twisted around to see John B stood on the very edge of the ridge where the two sides met. He was balancing on one foot, arms held out to the side to try and even himself out. "I give you about a... one-in-three chance of survival." He continued, as his second leg reached out and dangled over the drop.