࿔･ﾟ*࿐ ˏˋ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈 ˎˊ 

────017, second chance miracles. 

CLEO BENNETT WAS ONE TO BELIEVE IN MIRACLES.

She had always been a whimsical child, looking out to the world in rose-coloured hues and a kaleidoscope view, trained by her patient mother and her graceful grandmother that the love you give out into the world will surely find its way back to you, no matter what. Before her accident, she had believed such words with every fibre of her being, though a little naive and innocent as she thought it simply meant stepping over an ant on the ground, or picking wildflowers instead of the flowers in her mother's garden to braid into the copper tresses of her hair, or befriending those that others overlooked. After her accident, Cleo could not go anywhere without her and her brother being called "miracles" in the same breath as being called "tragedies" and she wondered how the two could ever possibly coincide.

Because what was a miracle if she had lost the only woman she ever truly loved? What was a miracle if she was alone in an unforgiving world? But what was so tragic about getting to live to see another day? What was so tragic about a second chance?

For months and months, she slept with the guilt of these two warring sides brawling within her until, one day, she woke up and realized that she would have no choice but to continue to live on if not for herself, then for her mother. Because while, yes, it was a terrible tragedy that happened to the Bennett family, it was undeniably a stroke of luck from fate and a kiss of a miracle. And if it meant Cleo would make a promise to herself from then on to forever see the love and light in the world to better appreciate her second chance, and to hope for never risking it again, then she would do just that, spending her days away from Kildare and up until now and forevermore into the proceeding future with the same airy magic she had perceived the world in when she was younger.

Which is why she likes to think that perhaps this was another stroke of luck, another miracle so close to having been a tragedy.

John B is okay.

Somehow, impossibly, remarkably, he's okay.

It had been a blurring of events and a riptide of emotions, from the Hawk's Nest to the arrival of the ambulance to JJ driving the entire group towards St. Olive's Hospital amongst Figure Eight where they were all forced to await news on the boy. The single hour that they wait seems to stretch on for eternity, until the doctor that took John B lets them know that he's being treated for a concussion and a broken wrist━━a fate much less severe than anticipated, and a lucky one at that━━at which point Cleo and her friends' parents begin to arrive. Lorelei and Wesley are one of the first to hurry into the hospital, both still adorned magnificently in their attire from Midsummers, and both terrified that the call they had received from the hospital had been about Cleo. She was also one of the first from her friends to be pulled away from the hospital and from John B, instead ushered home by a cautious Lorelei who didn't truly know what to say to comfort her granddaughter as Wesley returned to his home on the Mariposa.

So, that was where Cleo had found herself now, stuck in her room miles away from John B, sickened as she could not stop fretting over his wellbeing as the hours of the night waned on and on to early morning and yet she couldn't bring herself to sleep. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her dress from Midsummers, instead ripping the fragile crown of flowers and laurels from her hair and untangling her locks from the bun it had been in, messy tresses now spilling down her shoulders in a pool of amber, and scrubbing off her makeup with only remnants of mauve and black mascara tinting her lips and lashes as a ghostly reminder of the night. She had been gazing up at the twinkling lights above her bed for the majority of the night, faint music playing from her phone if only in an unavailing attempt to distract herself, a soft melancholic drawl of a mixture of The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons that does little to nothing but act as static white noise for her.

Still, she almost doesn't hear the noise at first, a muffled thud that blends into the thrum of music, her own consciousness swimming in and out of reality as she focuses on her thoughts or nothing at all as it nears four in the morning. She hears it the third time though, sitting upward on her bed as a jolt shakes her heart. It takes her a moment to discover the source of the sound, disoriented eyes surveying the darkness of her room only illuminated by the soft glow of the lights above her bed, when she turns to her window just as a small, round object ricochets upward from somewhere down below, hits the glass pane of her window with another dull thud! before bouncing off of it and falling back downward.

It nearly causes Cleo a heart attack, her palm flying upward to press against her chest as she scrambles off her bed and towards the window with extra caution. She's both relieved and momentarily irked (if only for the sudden scare) to see JJ's familiar presence on the front lawn of her home, just under the elm tree beside her room. He had just been in the process of whisking another pebble off the lawn when he glances up one more time and spots the girl by the window. Almost instantly, his face softens as an amicable grin dances upon his lips.

Cleo hastens to throw open the window, poking her head outside to gawk down at the boy incredulously. When she calls out to him, her voice is a low, rushed whisper, loud enough for him to hear but wary so as not to disrupt her slumbering grandmother a few doors away from her own bedroom. "JJ, you scared me! What are you doing here?"

"Can I come up?" JJ asks instead, though it's a hopeful promise that he'll explain his surprising arrival to her once he's by her side.

"Yeah, but━━"

But JJ is already making his way towards the ancient tree next to her window, expertly jumping up to grab the lowest hanging branch on the tree and heaving himself up off the ground. There's a flickering memory of a thought that Cleo recalls fondly as she watches in silent reverie and awe, a small admiring laugh bubbling at her lips, countless nights in which she's watched JJ do the same very thing before her eyes whether it was just to see her despite her curfew splitting them apart or for more unfortunate reasons. Either way, the tricky ascent of the tree is one that JJ has memorized, effortlessly climbing from the twisting limbs of the tree, branch to branch in a pathway he remembers like the back of his hand, his figure momentarily obscured by the lush leaves of the tree, before he emerges once more closer to the top, and this time now dangling just a foot away from her window. He's clinging to the offshoot above him with one hand, steadying himself below on one of the thicker branches from the tree.

"Is this where I call you insane again?" Cleo comments tensely, her own stomach churning at the sight of him so far off the ground. This part has always been the worst for her to watch, the fateful leap from the tree to her window that he somehow always manages to make look so easy. "If you fall, JJ, I swear to god I will kill you━━"

"Ah, wonderful!" JJ laughs mischievously as he balances his way towards the window in slow, steady motions, still holding onto the branch above. "Always can count on you, C, to be my best supporter. And killing me will help me how, exactly, if I don't break my neck from the fall first?"

"We almost lost John B tonight," Cleo scoffs, flinching at the memory. "I don't want to risk losing you too."

"You won't lose me, Cleo," JJ says confidently. "I'm an expert at this. Hold on━━"

He reaches the edge of the branch he's been trapiesing on, now reaching out with his free hand to grab at the window. Carefully, he places one of his shoes against the windowsill and then leaps forward, wedging himself through the window and into her room. Cleo reaches for him at the last moment, hands fumbling to tug him into her room out of fear he may slip from his perch; then, staggering into her room a little uncouthly from his rush to land his jump and from her added weight, he nearly stumbles into her. Cleo trips backward from the motion, pressing up against the wall next to the window as JJ fumbles to steady the both of them, his own hands flying out to grab at her waist. Fortunately, it works, even though JJ comes crashing against her front, their faces mere inches apart now. They have to brace themselves against one another before their own heads can come knocking together, Cleo's hands fluttering against his chest to stop him.

In the ensuing scuffle, Cleo and JJ seem oblivious to their smushed and uncomfortable position, instead gawking at one another in hushed silence as Cleo frantically whispers, "Wait, wait! Shh!"

JJ does as he's told, his mouth clamping shit, as he watches Cleo intently, her own eyes darting towards her door prudently, and the both of them straining their ears to listen for any sudden movements from Lorelei's room. They are only met with a still quiet, aside from the chirping of crickets outside her window and the music that continues to play on Cleo's phone. Then, with a punctuated sigh, Cleo can be heard whispering, "Expert, huh?"

JJ looks down at her, their noses nearly colliding with one another. He lets out a breathless chuckle, his breath warm as it fans against her neck, quiet enough for only her to hear. He bows his head in shame and backs away from her, biting at his lower lip to hide his sheepish smirk; still, he's relieved to hear the girl snicker along with him, even as he admits, "Okay, so maybe I'm a little rusty."

"A little?" Cleo retorts.

"Kinda like old times though, isn't it?" JJ asks cheekily. He pulls his hat off his head and flings it onto her vanity, then shrugs off his backpack, settling it on the ground. "Thanks for, uh, letting me in by the way."

"You know I always will," Cleo points out earnestly. "What are you even doing here anyway? It's four in the morning."

Usually, she doesn't have to ask when she finds him at her window or doorstep━━a myriad of reasons that she already knows of and doesn't mention. She knows that tonight must be the same, that he'd rather spend the night scouring the streets than return to his home with his father. Typically, when nights aren't too bad or he's feeling a little embarrassed to disrupt Cleo again, he'll sometimes venture off to the Chateau to spend the night there with John B; even with John B still in the hospital, she wouldn't be surprised if JJ had passed by his home anyway earlier.

"I just━━" JJ shrugs, now avoiding her eyes as his own stare gravitates around her room. "I just really didn't wanna go home."

As he turns to look back at her, she catches sight of the bruises that still tarnish his pretty face. It's a stark contrast, a shameful pity, the way in which the luminous silver wisps of the moon outside and the twinkling lights above her bed illuminate his face as if tenderly kissed by starlight. Even now, despite it all, he still looks beautiful. He plops onto the edge of her bed and she joins him, sinking onto her knees beside him. She doesn't need him to explain himself any further to already know what he means; so, instead, she asks carefully, "Where have you been since the hospital?"

"Around," JJ says dismissively. "Dropped off the Twinkie. Stayed at John B's place for a bit before... I don't know. I just wanted to see you again."

The sweet sentiment isn't lost on Cleo, though it seems to make JJ scramble to correct himself.

"I mean, especially after what happened," he adds. "You were really shaken up at the hospital. Are you okay? Did I wake you?"

Cleo's heart aches in pain as she shakes her head.

"I'm okay. I couldn't sleep anyway." She trails off somberly. To sate her anxious thoughts, and to preoccupy herself, she pulls her feet out from underneath her, and sinking further onto the bed, nestles her chin atop JJ's shoulder, propping her head up with her knuckles as she rests her arm against his back. His own arm subtly slithers around the back of her waist, resting upon the small of her back as she lets out a shaking exhalation of air. "I'm glad you're here. I really didn't want to be alone tonight."

"Good thing we're both basketcases then, huh?" JJ quips lightly. "We have each other. Kinda poetic. Like the books you read about or something."

Cleo smiles sadly, though the weakened fragment fades under a look of distraction. "I can't stop thinking about tonight. Just... everything, really."

"At least we know John B is gonna be okay." He pulls back from her only slightly enough to look down at her, concern creasing his brow. "What else is on your mind?"

"It's nothing..." Cleo trails off, surely not at all convincing JJ. He shoots her a dubious look, waiting expectantly for her to go on and she realizes she has no chance hiding her emotions from the boy. He can read her like a book, knows every feature on her face and in her mind like the printed words on pages. "Well... There's the whole thing about the gold and if we're going to actually find it this time. And then there's Midsummers and Rafe━━ What he did to you━━or was going to do━━"

"Don't remind me," JJ's jaw clenches at this, the nerves fluttering beneath his skin. He looks bitter now, shaking his head. "Rafe's pure scum. The crap he said about you? I swear to god I would have decked him if it wasn't for that security guard."

"I'm fine, JJ. I tune Rafe out most of the time anyway," Cleo insists, earning a small snort from JJ. "But are you? I'm sorry I put you in that position. I should have known better that inviting you probably wasn't the smartest idea━━not because of you, but because of them."

"Hey, don't worry about it," JJ twists in his spot to look at her fully now, sorrowful eyes fluttering across hers. "It was my decision to come. I'm just sorry I ruined Midsummers for you."

"You didn't," Cleo whispers bashfully. She snickers to herself then, frail and light. "You definitely made it better after you terrified all those Kooks."

"And your grandma." JJ buries his face in his hands, groaning into his palms. "I bet Nana L hates me after what I did. Wouldn't be surprised if she fires me from my job."

He digs the heels of his palms into his eyes, then runs his hands upward into his hair, ruffling it into a chaotic mess. When he's straightened up again, an idea seems to pop into his mind as he springs to his feet and turns to face the girl, extending his arm to her and offering his hand outward, perhaps spurred on by the dulcet chime of the music in the background.

"Dance with me?" he asks promptly, a bewitching air of confidence captivating Cleo despite the peculiar question.

Suddenly, she turns flustered under his vigilant eager eyes, taken aback by his spontaneity. But it wasn't really all that spontaneous if Cleo thought about it, JJ's personality always a wildly unexpected entertainment to her life. "Wha━━ Why?"

"So I can make it up to you. Y'know, for being a shitty not-really-a-date date to Midsummers," JJ says as if this were an obvious reason. "I mean, you got all dressed up. Would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"JJ..." Cleo trails off, her uncertain voice treading into timid laughter. "Dancing with me isn't gonna make Nana L suddenly impressed."

"This isn't about Nana L," JJ insists with mirth. "This is about you. So━━" He drags the 'o' in the single word into a long, airy hum, bowing partway jokingly as he feigns a pretentious sort of accent, wriggling his brows, "may I have this dance?"

Cleo shakes her head at him, though not to answer his question. She takes a moment to respond, gazing upward at the boy; then, without a moment's hesitation, she slides her palm into his. His hand is calloused and rough against hers, though soft in nature, holding her delicately as he pulls her to her feet with a dreamy smile on his face. With their hands still clasped together, he raises them in the air above her head and gives her a small spin, catching her off guard. Her feet chase to keep up, an unabashed giggle bubbling at her lips from the abrupt sweeping motion that leaves him grinning. As she stumbles into his chest, he wraps his free arm around her lower back, enveloping her in the warmth of his body, so strong and secure against hers, as their clasped hands remain half-heartedly in the air between them. Cleo's own free hand rests upon his shoulder to steady herself as they begin to sway gingerly to the music still playing from Cleo's phone on her bedside table. For a moment, she lets herself get carried away, JJ's simple presence beside her enough to soothe all her worldly worries and concerns.

"We must look crazy," she hums bemusedly. And maybe they do━━two troubled star-crossed kids━━but she doesn't mind. "Especially me. I'm a mess right now."

"I don't think so," JJ admits timidly. "I like you best now. Just being yourself. Genuinely you, despite it all, y'know? I mean, I like you all the time, but especially now━━ Does that make any sense?" His voice splinters off then, his innocent rambling entertaining to Cleo while clearly a frustration to him, his own face warming under Cleo's stare. "Uh━━ I'm just gonna...stop talking now."

But Cleo thinks she understands what he means, her own heart melding in her chest into a pool of fluttering emotions that is both normal and yet entirely foreign to her. Has she always felt this way around JJ? She can't remember. She leans her cheek against his shoulder if only to hide her own meekness, staring inward at their folded hands; faintly, like a zephyr chime of a spring's breeze, he can hear her whisper, "Thanks, JJ."

A comforting silence settles between the pair as they continue to sway about Cleo's room, JJ nestling his chin against the side of her head and amongst her frizzy hair. She doesn't know how much time passes, the safety of the walls that make up her room an atmosphere of young doting warmth untouchable from the rest of the world now frozen in time the longer they continue to dance, her eyes still fixated on their hands long after he's first grabbed hold of hers as JJ runs his thumb absentmindedly along her knuckles in a tender fashion. At some point, a sudden thought that has been troubling her for a handful of days now pops into her head and she can't help but voice it aloud in an apprehensive question.

"Do you remember what you said to me at the lighthouse?"

"Erm... Yeah..." JJ winces at the abrupt harsh reminder. His head shifts, as if to look down at her, though she's yet to move from her spot. "Cleo, you do know I'm sorry for all of that, right? Everything I said to you━━ And at the boneyard when I said you're always in your head..."

"Well, you weren't wrong," Cleo says humorously. "I can be kind of ditsy sometimes."

"But you're not," JJ protests. "I didn't mean it. God━━" He groans out of frustration with himself, "I really am a fucking idiot."

"At least you can admit it," Cleo jokes lightheartedly. She shakes her head then, clinging onto the material of his shirt on his shoulder tightly, as if afraid he'll drift too far away from her. "It's okay, JJ. I know you didn't mean it. Besides, I'm the one that's sorry. I shouldn't have left. Or, at least I should have made a better effort at keeping in touch when I was gone. I just━━ At the lighthouse, you said that you thought it was all your fault━━me leaving. That if you said the right thing, maybe things would be different. Did you mean that?"

"Look, we don't have to talk about it, Cleo," JJ says weakly. "I wasn't thinking straight in the moment. I was upset."

"But did you mean it?" She persists as gently as she can, innocent curiosity getting the best of her.

JJ hesitates before responding, his lips pulled taut in a thin line. His stare droops as if ashamed by the answer dancing on the tip of his tongue or wary he'll let her down. He nuzzles his face further into Cleo's hair, mumbling soberly against her temple, "Yeah."

Cleo sucks in a sharp breath of air. As JJ continues to sway with her to the wistful music, he seems at war with himself, wandering thoughts troubling his soul.

"I just━━ I hated seeing you in so much pain, and not being able to do anything," JJ says. "I had never felt so useless before. And then you left, and all I could think about was all the things I could've said to make you feel better, or make you stay. I let you down."

"It wasn't your fault, JJ." Now, Cleo cranes her neck to look up at the boy. When a dubious expression begins to contort his face, she continues. "It wasn't. I didn't leave because of you. I would have stayed for you, and I should have. I shouldn't have left you alone with your Dad━━" JJ opens his mouth at this point, as if prepared to protest this, but Cleo shakes her head as if to stop him. "It wasn't fair."

"Don't say that," JJ scolds softly. "We all have to fight our own battles sometimes."

"But I couldn't," Cleo points out wretchedly. "I wasn't brave enough. And I'm sorry, JJ. You were right. Maybe I thought running away would magically make me feel better like they say it does in all my books but... I was just a coward."

"Are you kidding me, Cleo?" JJ asks incredulously. "You're the bravest person I know. Don't apologize for wanting to get better. I know you miss your Mom. And if I could have made it better for you at the time, I would've done anything. I still will, just so you know." He locks gazes with hers in a steady melancholic lingering, before lowering his head to her level and poking his fingers at her sides. He wriggles his brows as he smiles broadly, positively. "Besides, screw the books you read about. We'll be more than them. You already are. And, one day, when we're older, living on a beach in Yucatan or a town in France, you can write about us. All of us, and the Merchant; and everything you went through━━all that pain and happiness━━is gonna inspire some little kid one day like you're inspired now."

Cleo chews on her lower lip in an attempt to hide the shy smile that now threatens to dance upon her mouth. The tremor that had plagued her heart pales under the soothing comfort of his words, and she lets out a pensive sigh. "How do you do it, JJ?"

"Do what?" JJ asks smugly. "Constantly amaze you? I know it's hard to believe. I'm a dumb ass most of the time."

Cleo giggles. "No. Make me feel important when I'm not."

JJ's face softens at this. He can't help himself; he reaches out with his hand that had been resting upon the small of her back and smooths a stray lock of hair from the side of her face. "It's because you are, Cleo."

And when JJ says it, Cleo believes him. Not in a self-righteous way, but in a reassuring way; that everything between them will be okay, that the emptiness she still feels when she thinks of her mother will one day leave her, that she will learn to be happy again, purely unadulteratedly happy, not tainted by the harsh forces of the outside world. JJ had said that he didn't think he deserved Cleo's presence, but she was certain it was the other way around. But maybe that's what makes them rely on each other so much, and gravitate towards each other so well━━because maybe they are all the other needs to feel better, in their own little way. JJ, with stars in his eyes and the glimmering prospect of freedom and valor; and Cleo, with flowers in her hair and the radiant offer of hope and love.

"What're you thinking of now?" JJ asks, bursting through Cleo's reverie.

She hadn't realized she was still gazing up at him until then, lips pursed in thought. In the next second, with a head full of clouds, she leans forward on the tip of her toes and kisses JJ's cheek.

He seems frazzled when she settles back down, quirking one curious brow. She doesn't know it then but his face burns at the ghost of her touch and his heart flutters, his figure a melting tangible mess beneath her every touch.

"What was━━" he clears his throat before continuing, frightened that if he didn't do so in the first place, his voice would sound like a prepubescent tween, "What was that for?"

"For everything," Cleo whispers. "For being you."

"Is that a good thing?" JJ asks.

"What do you think?"

Her teasing mock doesn't register with JJ right away, his mind too lost in his own daydream, until he snaps out of his daze with a brilliant grin stretching across his face; then, as if to retort against her lighthearted taunt, he catches her off guard once again by lifting their clasped hands above her head and giving her another flourishing spin. The startled yelp that nearly tumbles from Cleo's lips dissolves into an array of stifled snickers beyond her fingers that press against her mouth in an attempt to silence herself. Truthfully, it sounds like heavenly chords to his ears as he pulls her into his chest and as he too bursts out into muffled chortles with her, both realizing abashedly that they must be a little louder than necessary so late at night. It's a miracle Lorelei hasn't woken yet.

It's all that JJ needs, a sweet gentle daydream of one another that stays with the both of them well into the night. Eventually, they'll stop dancing and curl up on the surface of Cleo's bed with one another like they usually do whenever JJ sneaks into her room (but not before he offers to take the floor as per usual, if only out of respect, even despite the fact that he already knows her answer will insist he can stay on the bed and that she doesn't mind); but for now, it is just her and him in their own sacred little bubble of the world. Her and him against the world.

And, with stars in his eyes and flowers in her hair, everything will be okay.

✧˖*°࿐

CLEO AWAKENS IN THE MORNING TO HER GRANDMOTHER'S VOICE beckoning her from outside her door, the faint sound of knuckles rapping against the wood pane.

It takes her a moment to pull herself from her dreams, groggy and disoriented as she shifts in her spot on her bed, hair tossed messily into her eyes. She slowly begins to come to, registering her surroundings in her mind despite her eyes still being shut. Warm golden sunlight pours in from her window and dusts across the surface of her bed and the bridge of her nose and tops of her cheekbones, the faint chirping of birdsong from somewhere in the elm tree outside her window a sweet and peaceful lull.

"Cleo? Are you awake?"

Cleo stretches absentmindedly, arms unfurling outwards at her sides, half expecting to smooth over the soft material of her comforter only to come colliding with━━

JJ.

Almost immediately, Cleo heaves herself up with such sudden velocity that her head goes spinning, twisting in her spot to look down at the peacefully slumbering JJ beside her, sprawled out on his stomach, one side of his face burrowed into her pillow. Blonde hair splays outward in every which direction, lips parted in a soft gap, and the side of his face pressed against the pillow endearingly smushed. She had been curled up on her side, facing the boy, both in similar positions that they had been in once they had first fallen asleep. They're both still adorned in their clothes from the day before, the beautiful yellow dress now a crumpled dishevelled mess, stiffened to her body. The events of the night before come flooding back into her mind, from John B's devastating fall to JJ sneaking in through her window.

Crap, that's all she needs. Her grandmother to walk in on JJ not only in her room, but sleeping upon her bed. Cleo's almost certain she'd never see the light of day again, maybe even shipped off back to Charlotte to rejoin her father. She's dead, dead, dead.

The girl frantically reaches over to nudge JJ awake as she gaps at the door, hand patting over JJ's face and pressing against his mouth and nose, hissing under her breath, "JJ!"

His brows knit together unconsciously as he stirs, grumbling into the pillow. His voice is a husky whine, low and rumbling as he's roughly pulled from his sleep. "What are you doing, Cleo━━?"

She clamps her hand over his mouth before he can finish voicing his sleepy question. Outside her door, Lorelei knocks on the frame once more, calling out sweetly and naively, "Cleo? Sweetheart?"

At once, JJ's propped himself up on his elbows, gawking up at Cleo with horrified eyes still glazed over from his slumber, once the realization has dawned on him. In his scramble to get up, he loses his balance and comes teetering close to the edge of the bed; before he can steady himself or Cleo can reach out to help him, he comes rolling off the bed with a prominent thud, punctuated by the muffled sound of him grunting aloud, "Shit━━!"

"What was that?" Now, her grandmother's made aware of the scuffling sound within the room and the fact that her granddaughter is awake. "Cleo, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, Nana! I'm fine! Just━━" JJ pokes his head off the side of the bed, looking around helplessly from Cleo to the door. As she speaks to her grandmother, Cleo gestures wildly to her closet, motioning for him to hide. "You scared me awake and I hit my knee against my bed getting up."

"Oh, well... Is it all right if I come in for a moment?" Lorelei asks.

"Your closet?" JJ mouths, dumbfounded, voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, you idiot!" Cleo retorts, reaching down to flick the side of his head lightly. Aloud to her grandmother, Cleo stammers, "Um━━ Yeah, one second━━"

Despite the fact that this makes JJ snicker to himself, he still clambers to his feet, tiptoeing towards the closet across the room. He flinches when the door creaks open as he turns the knob, and again when he shuts it behind him, effectively disappearing from sight. In her last scrambling efforts to make herself seem as very little suspicious as possible, she grabs the floral satin robe dangling off one of the posters of her bed and wraps it around herself. Then, she sinks back down onto her bed and scurries to cover her legs with her duvet, just as her bedroom pries open. Lorelei stands on the opposite side, oblivious to Cleo's frazzled appearance or the way in which her heart hammers wildly against her chest. Her grandmother is already dressed for the day, flowing paisley pants and a similar drapey ivory white shirt the perfect addition to the melodious chime of the bangle bracelets adorning her wrists.

"What time is it?" Cleo asks, feigning a yawn.

"Almost ten o'clock," Lorelei says. "I'm making pancakes. Do you want me to save you some?"

"Um... Sure. Thank you, Nana."

But Lorelei hesitates, instead pushing herself off the frame of the door to waltz into her room. "Sheriff Peterkin called. Wanted to let me know that your friend, John B, was released from the hospital this morning, safe and sound."

Despite the chaos of the morning, this newfound information was enough to send a wave of relief washing over the girl. Cleo nods meekly. "That's good."

"Are you feeling okay, honey?" Lorelei asks softly. "I can only imagine what that must have been like, seeing the poor boy in trouble. If there's anything he needs, you know you can come to me for help, right, Cleo? I said the same thing about JJ, and it's still true. I'd like to think he knows that, too."

"I know," Cleo nods once more. She feels sheepish accepting her grandmother's kindness, as if undeserving of it after fleeing from Midsummers the night before. She wonders if Lorelei only mentions JJ's name now after having seen him at the party last night, perhaps equating the marks on his face no doubt from his father or some other scuffle as the reasoning for his sudden outburst at the party. It's not as if Lorelei doesn't know about his father, certainly made more aware of it after Cleo's year away. "Thanks, Nana."

Lorelei offers her a cordial smile, before making her way back towards the door. "Right. Well, I'll be downstairs. Come down whenever you're ready."

Cleo is left unmoving, still perched on the edge of her bed, even long after Lorelei has left her room and shut the door behind her. She lets out a breath of air, contented with the fact that both she and JJ have left their whole ordeal miraculously unscathed. As soon as he hears Lorelei leave, JJ slowly pushes open the closet door, cautiously peering around the edge of it to survey Cleo's vacant room.

"Coast clear?" he asks.

"Yeah, thankfully," Cleo gasps as JJ wanders out from the closet and towards the bed. "That was a close one. Think she noticed?"

"Hard to say," JJ admits. He runs a hand through his dishevelled locks with a tired yawn, plopping himself back down onto the edge of the bed and watching as Cleo stands up from it to rummage through her dresser's drawers for a fresh change of clothes. "I've always thought Lorelei has some weird third eye or something."

The playful quip is enough to earn stifled laughter from Cleo as she finally pulls out a few articles of clothing, making her way towards the bathroom now. He does have a point, after all, Lorelei's intuitive senses are much more adept than she or JJ typically give her credit for.

"One day she's gonna catch you in here," Cleo points out from beyond the bathroom door. "And we'll both be royally screwed. Except, I'm positive she'd rather kick me out for sneaking you in here instead of the other way around. You're definitely her favourite."

"I highly doubt that," JJ snorts. A brief pause settles between them as Cleo finishes readying herself, in which time JJ glances around her room and finds himself fixated on a polaroid picture of the two of them from her thirteenth birthday plastered to the mirror of her vanity. "Anyway, I guess that's my cue to go."

"You don't have to," Cleo points out swiftly. She emerges from the bathroom only seconds later, now dressed in a pair of distressed denim shorts and an all too familiar shirt a little oversized and baggy in some areas, now made a little more suitable for her stature as she had gathered the material and twisted it into a knot in the front, efficiently turning it into a cropped top of sorts, exposing a sliver of skin on her midriff. When she meets JJ's curious stare, she hurries to add, "You can stay for breakfast."

"I'm sure I'm the last person Lorelei wants to see."

"And I'm sure that's not true," Cleo refutes. "You heard her just now. Besides━━" she flashes the boy a lopsided, sleepy grin, taunting in manner. "Now's your chance to impress her."

"Something gives me the hunch your Nan's a hard one to impress," JJ hums under his breath. A small smile stretches across his face, gratification glimmering in his eyes at Cleo's sudden offer for breakfast. "But, sure. I'd like that."

"Perfect," Cleo beams. "Think you can make another one of your expert climbs out of the window and meet me downstairs in about five minutes?"

JJ feigns a mock salute, his smile now evolving into a wolfish smirk at the reminder of his clumsy entrance the night before.

"I think that's doable. Wait a sec━━" But JJ pauses on his way off the bed to gather his backpack, his eyes fluttering over Cleo's attire as she busies herself by her vanity, combing through her tangled hair with a brush left on top of her desk. It's only then that he fully registers the shirt she's wearing: a gray t-shirt, a little frayed and imperfect and worn out in certain areas like the collar and sleeves, with a dark navy blue emblem on the left side of the shirt in the shape of a circle and the silhouette of a bird within it, the words PELICAN MARINA written above it and KILDARE ISLAND below it. A similar print is brandished on the back of the shirt, a bit larger in size as it takes up the majority of the shirt's surface. Of course he would recognize it, having worn it the day before in the morning when he had first stumbled upon Cleo's doorstep before she had given him a change of clothes, though he had forgotten all about it since then. "Is that my shirt?"

Cleo looks down at her own outfit, as if only just now realizing the shirt, though the demure look on her face tells him otherwise. She shrugs sheepishly. "Erm... Yeah. I washed it for you yesterday and forgot to give it back. I'll change if you want me to━━"

"Nah, it's okay," JJ says, stopping her in her tracks as she pushes herself over to her dresser. "I don't mind."

Like many other things, it wasn't uncommon for Cleo to snag articles of clothing belonging to JJ if only to wear it for herself, most favourably his sweatshirts when she was feeling cold on chilly outings at night with her and her friends. There was something comforting about it, even now when she can still smell the faint notes of a musky cologne that still linger on JJ's shirt despite the fact that she had washed it. She had reached for the shirt out of pure instinct, not at all considering the fact that it has still been a year since they've been separated, unaware of where her boundaries now lay. Though, really, she thinks there to be no boundaries anymore after the shower fiasco in which Cleo frantically jumped in with him.

"Oh." Cleo nods, nervously fidgeting with the ends of her hair. "Okay. Cool."

"Cool."

"I'll, um━━ I'll see you downstairs?"

"Yes, ma'am."

As Cleo saunters to the door, she pauses just one last time to look over at the boy, her eyes twinkling magnificently. "Promise?"

"Cross my heart, C," JJ responds. "Besides, I'll need your help if I'm gonna deal with Lorelei's wrath."

Another array of fluid snickers meet his ears. He watches as she lingers by the door a second longer before nodding to herself. When she slips out the door and shuts it behind her, JJ doesn't move for quite some time, instead smiling to himself, blissfully oblivious to the fact until he realizes he needs to hurry to meet the girl downstairs. It's only after he's decided to change into a fresh change of clothes he had brought with him in his backpack and begins his descent from Cleo's room with the aid of the tree that he realizes he's missing something.

It takes him a brief second to spot his hat still resting on Cleo's vanity, forgotten from the night before, and as he shoves it into the depths of his bag, the realization dawns on him that Lorelei must have spotted it the moment she walked into Cleo's room. He wouldn't be surprised anyway if that were the case, truly believing himself in Lorelei's seemingly omnipotent powers.

Or maybe she just simply had a knack for these things in which her granddaughter was concerned.

✧˖*°࿐

CLEO WAITS FIVE MINUTES EXACTLY, COUNTING DOWN THE SECONDS on the ticking clock in the living room connected to the kitchen. She's perched on a seat at the kitchen table, chewing on her nails as she eagerly awaits the arrival (once again) of JJ while she watches Lorelei flutter about the kitchen in her process of making pancakes, humming a jovial tune to herself. They haven't talked since then, though it leaves Cleo wondering if her grandmother is truly upset about her sudden disappearance from Midsummers and JJ's haphazard outburst.

Then, the doorbell rings, echoing about the home in a jolting start that hardly bothers Lorelei. Cleo springs up from her seat, already half-way out the kitchen when she calls out over her shoulder, "I'll get it!"

She's swinging open the front door seconds later, a maniacal grin on her face at the sight of JJ standing at her doorstep. He presses a finger to his lips, as if to mime a hushing motion, a knowing look twinkling in his eyes.

"Oh, JJ!" Cleo announces, her voice a little louder than necessary in the hopes of alerting Lorelei. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, you know," JJ shrugs, a similar smirk brightening his face. "Just in the area."

"Well, you're just in time for breakfast. Pancakes. Yum!"

Growing impatient with their dragging game of charades, she reaches down to grab at his hand and tugs him into her home with one last exhilarated glance over her shoulder at the boy. As she guides him into the kitchen, Cleo makes certain to grab Lorelei's attention before then, calling out to her with, "Nana? JJ's here. You don't mind if he stays for breakfast, right?"

"JJ━━?" Lorelei hums aloud, distracted by the stove as she flips a new batch of pancakes onto the plate on the counter beside her. She turns then to face her granddaughter, admittedly still startled to see the boy standing next to her despite Cleo's warning. She straightens up just as quickly, eyes narrowing into a surveying blank stare that neither Cleo nor JJ can quite make out as she stares the boy once over. She folds her arms over her chest, leaning against the quartz edge of the counter. "Ah. JJ. Certainly is a pleasure to see you here after last night. Should I prepare myself for another riot in my kitchen this time?"

JJ musters a sheepish smile if only to mask his embarrassment, shuffling his feet beneath him. He shoves his fists into the pockets of his shorts. "About that, Nana L... Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know how much Midsummers means to you, and I was a total jerk for acting the way I did."

Lorelei's lips purse the longer she listens. She doesn't say anything at first, instead her intimidating gaze fluttering over JJ's appearance to Cleo's and then back again. Just when both Cleo and JJ think her silence has become too unnerving, Lorelei pushes herself off the counter and erupts into a fit of stifled, insouciant laughter. She has to press her fingers to her lips in an attempt to stop herself, shaking her head at the pair.

"Oh, I don't mind, JJ," Lorelei affirms. "It's not like you burned the place down. A little spontaneous fun never hurt anyone. Besides, if I was truly upset, I'd have to fire you from your job, and━━" Lorelei scrunches her face in disdain, waving her hand dismissively, "I trust you too much to do that. Heaven knows you're my best worker there!"

Her odd reaction is enough to shock both JJ and Cleo, though, really, it should have been expected. Still, they're left gawking at her.

"You're not mad?" Cleo asks.

"Mad? What kind of stiff monster do you think I am, sweetheart?" Lorelei says. "You know, Cleo, your father was exactly like JJ."

At this, JJ quirks a curious brow, intrigued by this newfound information. The Kellan that he knew had always been a little standoffish and haughty at the best of times, even before the passing of Lucy, made stricter over the years by the heavy title of sheriff during his life spent at Kildare. It was a surprise even to Cleo, despite knowing little details of her father's past from anecdotes Lucy or Lorelei told in passing. "Bennett?"

"I know. Surprising, isn't it, JJ?" Lorelei hums amusedly. "Kellan Bennett. Oh, he had a way with the world. Some called him a troublemaker, but he always claimed he was merely having fun. You know, that's how they met. Kellan and Lucy━━around your age too, and in a similar manner. Kellan snuck into the Island Club at the time during Midsummers one year, wreaked absolute havoc, and whisked my daughter right off her feet. I'm almost positive he pushed Ward Cameron into one of the club's fancy little fountain ponds on his way out but my old age makes some memories a little foggy at times."

At this, Cleo's grandmother splinters off into unabashed laughter once more, though she quickly stifles it by clearing her throat.

"No. No, I'm not mad," Lorelei says, nodding. "I wasted too many years scolding Lucy and Kellan when they were younger. I won't do the same now. It's a wasted effort anyway on you young ones. Only listen to whatever your heart tells you."

She turns back around then, busying herself by pouring two precise spoonfuls of pancake batter onto the frying pan. As she does so, Cleo chances a glance in JJ's direction, her own heart warming at Lorelei's agreeable words. Even JJ looks pleased, relieved to hear Lorelei's easy compliance despite the ruckus he had caused at Midsummers the night before.

"And, JJ, you're free to stay for breakfast, if you'd like," Lorelei adds sweetly. "I seem to have made extra batter anyway, and Cleo and I surely can't eat all of this by ourselves."

"I'd be more than glad to offer my services there," JJ says.

"I'm sure you would, Maybank," Lorelei hums. "Go on then, you two. Grab a plate. You know, JJ━━" Lorelei pauses shortly, looking over her shoulder at the boy. "It's nice to see you without that hat of yours on always."

JJ can only muster a small grin, awkwardly ruffling his hair with his hand as he follows Cleo further into the kitchen. Lorelei's lingering words are a little too peculiar for his liking, though he decides not to bother wracking his brain over it. As he settles into a spot at the table, he concludes longingly that he's missed this. He's missed the easy, mundane mornings spent at the Bennett's home with Cleo by his side; the simple routine and comfort in knowing that he always has a place to belong with her.

Above all else, he's reminded just that much more as to why Cleo Bennett truly is his silver lining everything.

✧˖*°࿐

AUTHOR'S NOTE ,

me writing this chapter having fully planned the future of jj/cleo's relationship anyway: now kiss 👁️👄👁️

finally, a decently "normal" sized chapter asldkjakl as always, i hope you all enjoyed it💛 the little kiss on the cheek that cleo gave jj is my favourite thing ever because it was so sweet and innocent and everything cleo represents to jj (which i think is exactly what he needs, considering his rough up-bringing) and i hope it suffices for you guys for now! also, lorelei stays winning being the badass all-knowing granny that she is hahaha