daydreamer

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/52641640.

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandom: Outer Banks (TV)
Relationship: Kiara "Kie" Carrera/JJ Maybank
Characters: Kiara "Kie" Carrera, JJ Maybank, Pope Heyward, John B. Routledge,
Sarah Cameron, Cleo (Outer Banks)
Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-12-29 Updated: 2024-02-09 Words: 4,189 Chapters: 3/?
 daydreamer
by MSV04

Summary

just some scenes I would love to see of JJ and Kie post season 3

Notes

the song that inspired this fic is daydreamer by adele, hence the title
 Chapter 1

The ride back to Kildare was silent, save for the constant clanging of the engine of
Barracuda Mike’s plane. Sarah and John B were tangled up in one another in the corner, both
sporting grim faces. Pope and Cleo occasionally whispered to each other, caught in some
quiet back-and-forth as they sat shoulder to shoulder.

Kiara watched JJ get up several times. He would go over and sit next to John B for a bit,
rubbing the boy’s shoulders with a far off look on his face. Then, he would get up, offer her a
bottle of water or head over to Pope and Cleo to join their hushed discussion. She knew JJ
had a hard time keeping still in normal circumstances, but the tense silence was killing him.

JJ always had this instinct in him to help. He’d crack a joke when the conversation got too
stale, or offer his silent support when words failed him. Right now he looked lost, not
knowing what everyone needed and suspecting he couldn’t be the one to mend it all.

Kiara was worried about him. John B and Sarah shared this unique life experience, it tethered
them to each other, weighed them in their spot. JJ, however, was hovering, and without an
anchor she was worried he may float away.

“Jay,” she called very softly, since no one had spoken aloud the entire hour.

JJ immediately stopped pacing and his attention snapped to her. His expression was almost
relieved, as if he was finally finding some way to be useful.

“Yeah?”

She patted the hard ground next to her. The back of a cargo plane wasn’t meant to be a
comfortable ride for six teenagers.

“Please sit,”

He frowned, but slowly made his way over to her. She glanced over at the other four Pogues
to find most of them in various states of exhaustion. Pope was fully passed out, leaning his
head back against the wall at an exaggerated angle. JJ lowered himself down next to her
cautiously.

“What’s up?”

She smiled softly at him. “All your pacing was making me antsy,”

“Sorry,” he looked between his knees sheepishly.

“No, I get it.” She murmured.

Looking over at JJ, she could see how exhausted he was too. His shoulders were slumped, his
eyes dim and red rimmed. There was a spot of dirt on the side of his neck that she was itching
to swipe her thumb over. If she could heal him with a touch, she would. Instead, she balled
her hands into fists at her side.

Her voice broke the silence first. “What are you thinking about?”

JJ ran a hand over his face. “Thinkin’ about how those arrows are gonna be comin’ in hot
right about now,”

The phrase made her heart ache, remembering how energetic JJ had been on the catamaran
ride after she had run away from Singh’s. She had seen genuine relief on his face when he
saw her on the dock, and his excitement afterwards had been infectious. She wasn’t able to
hide the adoration in her eyes then, and she sure as hell wasn’t hiding it now. She had to dig
her nails into her palms to stop from reaching out to him as she looked at his defeated face.

“We’ll figure it out, we always do,” She sounded a lot more sure than she felt.

In truth, Kiara had no idea how to feel. Twenty four hours ago, she would have felt nothing
but anger and betrayal towards her parents for giving up on her, having her restrained in her
own front yard. But now, after witnessing Sarah and John B lose their fathers, she wanted
nothing more than to feel her own father kiss her on the cheek.

She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling the coldness of the plane wall on the back of her
neck. She was dirty, sweaty, and bone tired. “I could really use a shower right about how,”

JJ let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah Kie, you smell like it,”

Even though he was joking, his tone fell a little flat. She glanced over him once again and
could see him picking at his cuticles, trying to scratch the dried blood out of them. She
remembered JJ leaning over Big John, helping John B to put pressure on his wounds.

This time, she didn’t hesitate to put her hand over his. “Stop that,” she whispered.

His hands were rough and shaking slightly.

“M’sorry,”

“Don’t say sorry, just-“ she sighed, placing both hands on top of his.

“Maybe we should try to sleep”

JJ nodded and glanced over at where the rest of the Pogues were sleeping. “Want me to take
first watch?”

“You don’t have to. We’re safe,”

She was speaking in a low, coaxing voice. She didn’t know how to make JJ’s hands stop
shaking, so she gripped them firmly.

“We can sleep together. At the same time,”

JJ’s eyes had widened at the first sentence. She flushed, feeling foolish at her reckless choice
of words. They still hadn’t had time to talk about Kitty Hawk or this mountain of feelings
between them. Right now, all she wanted to do was to make him feel safe, but she couldn’t
help but feel like she was failing.

“Is that okay? I can sleep here-“ she pointed vertically to a spot next to them on the floor.
“And you can sleep this way. That way I know you have my back,”

She knew she would get him then, by framing it as if he needed to protect her. JJ in a bad
state meant he refused to accept help from anyone. He nodded cautiously, using his backpack
as a pillow to prop his head and neck back.

“This good?”

She nodded and smiled at him.

“Mhmm, very relaxing,”

They shared a quiet laugh. Kiara used her own backpack to lay her head on. She was faced
toward the wall, curled up in a fetal position. She could feel the heat radiating off of JJ
behind her. That boy is a human furnace. She tried to quiet her mind by focusing on his
breathing next to her. After a few minutes of lying in awkward silence she knew JJ was still
awake because he was staying deadly still. She whispered his name as she turned toward him.
When she rolled over his eyes were already on her.

“Remember what I told you on the boat? Whatever happens…”

“Yeah I know Kie,”

“Okay. I just… I know it’s gonna suck at first. Without the Chateau. And I don’t know what
will happen with my parents. I just want you to know that-“

“Kie shhh. I know. Go to sleep and stop worrying,”

He always had this kind and understanding look in his eyes when he looked at her. Right now
it spread a warmth through her that allowed her eyes to start drooping.

“I just don’t want anything to change, Jay. I’m so done with stupid change,”

As her eyes fluttered shut, she could see a small smile form on the face across from hers,
exposing a dimple on the side of his cheek. She only heard a small portion of what he was
saying to her before she closed her eyes completely.

“No matter what happens- together,”

 Chapter 2

JJ was jolted awake by the feeling of someone trying to stick their finger in his ear.

His eyes shot open as he frantically swatted around, seeing the retreating figure of Cleo
laughing. Letting his eyes adjust, he took in the sight of five tired Pogues in the back of a
rickety plane.

“Rise and shine, rude boy!” Cleo gave him a grin as he flipped her off.

Sarah and John B were sitting across from him. He gave them a small smile that wasn’t
returned. Looking slightly to his left, he saw Pope squatting as he fiddled nervously with a
large sack that only they knew was filled with gold.

“I let her wake you up because Barracuda Mike told us we were landing,”

The voice came from his right. He turned to find Kiara sitting up against the wall at his feet.
Her hair was slightly rumpled from sleeping and she gave him a sheepish look. Taking her in,
he couldn’t help his face from heating up.

“Right…well. That’s good,”

“We were just talking about where the hell we were gonna go when we land,”

John B’s voice sounded solemn. JJ let his eyes scan over his bestfriend, noting the tick of his
jaw and tightness in which his hand held Sarah’s arm. He was still covered in dirt and blood.
His father’s blood. He suppressed a shiver.

“I think my place is a no-go,” Kiara said softly.

“Same. Rafe is probably still at Tannyhill,” Sarah sighed.

“You know you’re always welcome at mine guys, it’s just-“

John B interrupted Pope. “No way man, your parents can’t take in four strays,”

JJ pursed his lips. He thought about his own childhood home, well besides the Chateau,
which was barely livable for one person.

“The shack has probably been foreclosed by now,”

Beside him, Kiara puts her head between her knees. He can sense that his whole friend group
is defeated. Besides Pope and Cleo, everyone is essentially homeless.

“I’m really missin’ the Chateau right about now,” is all he can say.

“Well…”

Everyone turns to Sarah, who is chewing on her lip. Her voice has pitched up an octave as
her eyes dart nervously around.

“I may have a place,”

JJ inwardly groans. No offense to Sarah, but after the week he’s had, the last place he wants
to end up is Kooklandia.
Sarah explains that Ward had given her the keys to a condo on figure eight back when they
were fighting. He can tell Sarah is a bit emotional about the whole thing by the way she
refuses to make eye contact. After a beat of silence, Kie claps her hands together, startling the
boys.

“Well Sar, that may be our only option so..thank you,”

Sarah gives Kie a small smile. They all silently agree to take whatever they can get.

………..

The landing is everything but smooth. JJ’s pretty sure his neck has whiplash. When they
finally stumble out, the sun is setting. He helps Kiara with her bags, seeing as her knees are
still a bit wobbly.

Pope and Cleo walk with them halfway, branching off just when the Cut starts leading off
into figure eight. They each give the two Pogues a tight hug.

After that, it’s just Sarah leading the way and Kiara walking next to her while JJ lingers next
to John B in the back. His best friend is eerily silent.

“How you doin’ man?”

John B frowns. “Honestly..think I need to give myself a minute. I just-“ his gaze flickers to
the blonde girl walking in front of them “I wanna be there for Sarah right now,”

JJ knows not to push, especially since both John B and his girlfriend had now experienced
their father’s deaths twice in a lifetime. Sarah seemed to be taking it worse, but that could
have to do with their current destination.
Up ahead, he hears Kiara say “Do you know if…we’d have to pass by my house?” The
anxiety in her voice is evident.

“It’s just up here. It’s closer to the Cut than yours or mine,” Sarah assures her.

Sarah stops them outside of a condo that looks identical to every other one on the street. The
siding is stark white, the shutters a pale blue. The lawn is freshly mown and the air around
them is still as they slowly make their way up the steps. Sarah fiddles with the keys a
moment and, taking a deep breath, pushes open the door.

JJ is the last to enter. The inside looks like a Kook’s wet dream. There is limited furnishing,
but all of it is modern and the same clean white as the outside. It looks and feels lifeless.

John B sets the sack of gold down in the entrance and grabs Sarah’s hand. They slowly take
in the house together, faces grim.

“I forgot to mention that there’s only two bedrooms. Kie, do you want to share one or..?”

“It’s fine, Sar. You should be with John B right now,” Kiara came up next to her friend and
put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Kiara had this soothing energy that JJ had always envied. She always knew what to say, what
affection to give. He remembered her coming up behind John B and hugging him when he
cried over his dad’s message on the tape recorder. Another memory that constantly haunted
him was when she found him in that hot tub and held him, whispering in his ear. She could
make anyone melt to her will, even an emotional brick wall like him.

As he watched her face, she glanced back at him and smiled. “Guess we’re bunking together,
Jay,”

That nickname never failed to make the back of his neck blush, but only when it came out of
her mouth. “Sounds like a plan,”
He took their bags and opened the door to the bedroom on the left, since the other two had
claimed the master bedroom for their own. His and Kie’s bedroom had a pale, beachy themed
bedspread and framed paintings of dolphins on the wall.

He was well aware of her presence in the doorway behind him, so he said “I think this room
fits you, Kie,”

He heard her scoff. “Yeah sure, I just love a cold, uninviting atmosphere,”

He turned around to grin at her, finding her leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed.
She was giving him that look- the look she gave when she was trying not to smile and
indulge in his teasing. Her lips were pursed but her amber eyes lit up in amusement.

It was gonna be the biggest challenge sharing this little of a space with her.

She shoved off of the wall to join him in the middle of the room. “Do you wanna shower
first? Actually, I think you should,” she wrinkled her nose at him.

“Nah, it’s cool. You should go. Your hair is gonna get tangled and all that,”

She gave him a look of poorly concealed surprise. “…okay. You’re probably right. But don’t
touch anything, you’re filthy,”

He wasn’t planning on touching anything anyway. The walls and carpets were so pale that he
would stain them immediately, just with his Pogue-like presence.

“Yes ma’am,” he gave her a mock solute, his gaze lingering on her retreating figure.
Her hips swayed as she walked, her hair thrown over her shoulder as she suddenly turned and
made eye contact with him.

“..and JJ?” He swallowed slowly at her tone. “Be useful and find me some clothes,”

“Sure, Kie,”
 Chapter 3
Chapter Notes

this chapter is dual perspective just because about halfway through I decided I wanted it
to be from Kiara’s perspective.

Enjoy :)

The most he could find in the drawers were two pairs of men’s sweatpants. He had no idea
where they could have come from, maybe Ward, but he knew they would look giant on Kiara.
Since he couldn’t find her a top, he dug through his own book bag until he found his only
clean shirt left.

When she was done with her shower, she peeked just her head out from behind the door and
called for him. Her damp curls hung over her shoulder and her face looked flushed.

“Did you find something?”

“Uh, yeah. Take this,” he thrust the pile of clothes into her hands awkwardly.

“Thanks!” She ducked back behind the door.

He felt awkward just standing there to the sounds of her getting dressed on the other side of
the door, so he decided to scope the place out a bit.

From the entrance you could see the kitchen, which included the kookiest white marble
counters and an island instead of a dining room table. The living room had a couch and
loveseat that failed the bounce test - he tried to sit down on them and it felt like running into a
brick wall. Then there were two bedrooms with connecting bathrooms, giving the two duos
the privacy they needed.
He supposed he and Kie were a duo now.

The house made him feel every bit as out of place as his old house did, only this one had no
signs of being lived in. No worn out pullout like the Chateau, or crumpled sheets or worn
down pictures taped to the walls. The condo felt cold. Sterile. Empty.

His wandering thoughts were cut off by Kiara appearing in the bedroom doorway.

The sweatpants made her look about two feet tall, and his shirt fit her more like a nightgown.
Her damp hair left dark imprints on her shoulders.

“Does this shirt look familiar, or is that just me?”

She beamed at him, which gave him a little ache in his chest. “Lookin’ mighty fine to me.
This might just be your new look Kie,”

She rolled her eyes and took a step closer to him, laying her hands flat against his chest. He
was sure she could feel his heart beating steadily against her palms.

“Your turn,” she looked pointedly towards the bathroom.

“Uh, yeah. Right. Lemme just-“

He awkwardly sidestepped her to get to the bathroom. He wasn’t sure why this whole thing
made him nervous. He and Kie had shared a living space almost all of their childhood, sitting
in the hammock together or sharing the pullout after a drunk night at the Chateau.

This felt different to him. More domestic and shit.

He closed the door and stripped off his dirty clothes, stepping under a steaming hot spray of
water. He scrubbed hard at his skin, watching the dirt swirl down the drain between his feet.

He wanted to feel more than just clean. Reborn. Ever since they had left Poguelandia it felt
like bugs had made their way under his skin, leaving him feeling restless and feverish.

Scrubbing through his hair he felt the bump of a white scar that went across his temple and
grit his teeth.

Stepping out of the shower, he still felt dirty.

Pulling on sweatpants that weren’t his felt wrong. All of it felt wrong. Leaning his head
against the closed door, he could hear Kie humming to herself on the other side.

Sometimes, he swore he could still feel water in his lungs, like whatever happened that day
on the Coastal Venture had engrained itself into his system. He would start to feel like he was
choking, being squeezed from the inside out.

Then he would hear her. It was like a distant memory almost, hearing her cry out in his ear
desperately. A few shouts of his name, a clear “I’m sorry,” coming through his hazy thoughts.

They had never talked about it after that.

……

She can hear him on the other side of the bathroom door and it’s driving her insane.

She’s pretty sure she has smoothed over the edges of the sheets about forty times, taken full
laps around the condo, trying to find an excuse to stay awake.
Sarah and John B were exhausted, they’d basically closed their bedroom door and closed the
world out for the night. Not that she could blame them.

She’s sitting perched at the edge of the bed, picking at a loose thread in the sheets when she
hears him step out.

“Hey, so, I figured we should probably head to bed now. Didn’t know if you preferred left or
right so I’ve just been-“

She looked up at him and quickly noticed a lack of clothing on the upper half of his body.
Not that she hadn’t seen him shirtless before- she had, plenty of times- you know,
platonically.

Now, his hair was darker and ruffled. He had a towel slung over his shoulders and Ward’s
sweatpants rode low on his hips. When she looked back at his face he was sporting a familiar
smirk.

“Yeah?”

“Uhhh- where’s your-“ she gestured toward his chest.

“Yeah…so.” He winced. “You’re kinda wearing it,”

She couldn’t help but let out a short laugh. “Okay…I guess we’ll just..share?”

He laughed too and then squeezed his eyes shut. “No no, you can keep it. You need it more
than I do,”
After their nervous laughter subsided, they both fell into a quick silence. She kept picking at
the thread in the sheets, biting the inside of her lip.

“So..left or right?”

“Right, yeah. I mean not right, like right. You know. Uhh left,”

She scrunched her nose. “So…left?”

“Yeah, yeah. Left is good. Left it is!” He gave her some dorky (but adorable) finger guns.

She couldn’t help but giggle as she settled onto the right side of the bed, reaching for the
lamp on her side. When she turned, JJ was still standing halfway in the bathroom, watching
her.

“Are you gonna-“

“Uh-huh,” he nodded jerkily and then bounced onto the bed, almost sending her flying.

“Jay-“

“Sorry!”

She buried her face into her pillow to stop herself from cracking up. JJ was acting super
weird. Nervous but also antsy, like something was bothering him.

After the past few days of dramatic confessions, she didn’t want to push him too far. She
knew him, just like she knew if something was really bothering him he would let her know
eventually.
She let her body relax into the sheets. It felt nothing like the uneven sands of Pougelandia,
although oddly enough she had felt safer stranded on a deserted island then she did right now.

Beside her, she could hear JJ trying to form even breaths, shifting slightly ever so often on
their shared mattress.

After a while of patiently waiting, she heard a small sigh, followed by a dip closer to her in
the mattress, and finally a small “Kie?”

“Mhmm?” She turned to see blue eyes shining in the dark next to her.

He had moved to the corner of his pillow, his body leaning forward on one arm.

“You okay?”

Even though he couldn’t fully see it, she made a face at him in the dark. “Why wouldn’t I
be?”

“You’re not asleep,”

Kiara could see his eyes darting around almost frantically, like he was still searching for
some unknown big bad that was going to snatch them up. She understood the feeling.

“Hey,” she reached her arm out, squeezing his bicep. “We’re all good here. This is kinda like
our safe house. No one knows we’re here,”

“It just-“ he blew out a breath in frustration. “It feels weird. Like, not good weird.”
“Like bad weird?” She couldn’t help but smile. “We’re not in Pougelandia anymore, Jay,”

It was silent for a moment, and she could see him slowly close his eyes. “Yeah, I know,”

“Mm. Can you come closer?”

She doesn’t know what makes her say it. It feels like some kind of final piece of the puzzle,
an end to this game of back and forth they’ve been playing. She just wants to make him relax,
wants his happiness right now more than her own. He deserves to just relax .

She can hear a sharp intake of breath, sense his hesitation. JJ never hesitates about anything,
he dives in headfirst. She’s never seen him unsure like this, like now, staring back at her.

Maybe it should deter her, but it doesn’t. She can feel in every tense muscle and quick breath
that he wants to reach out to her. He’s not used to his physicality being reciprocated, even by
her.

“Hey, you don’t have to-“

She gets cut short by an arm snaking around her torso, his face buried against her collarbone.
Even though she initiated, it still sends a shock through her system, feeling the warmth and
weight of him. It reminds her of being back in Cabin 6, feeling his hands gripping her hips
and his lips ghosting hers.

“Kie,”

It’s pleading, whispered in the dark. Her hands are shaky when she brings them to cradle his
head and neck.

“Yeah?”
“You remember that night on the island, where we were awake at like the ass crack of dawn
and we saw that little baby turtle family?”

She both smiles and cringes at the memory. On one hand, it was unlike anything she had ever
experienced, clinging to JJ in excitement after seeing the first small figure emerge from the
unsuspecting hole that had been dug near their makeshift beds.

On the other hand.. the whole reason JJ had been awoken in the first place was as a result of
her frequent nightmares- which had always made her bolt upright and grab onto him.

On those nights where he stayed up with her, he never complained. He never even asked what
was plaguing her, just sat shoulder to shoulder with her a small ways from their sleeping
grounds and talked her ear off until her eyes felt heavy.

“Yeah…I remember,”

“Mm,” she can feel his voice vibrating against her collarbone.

“That was the best night of my life,”

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