MARLBORO NIGHTS [JJ MAYBANK]

the twinkie and cheryl

"I'VE HAD MORE BLACK EYES IN THE LAST MONTH THAN I'VE EVER HAD," Pope told them all where they sat around the fire. 

Karolina sat probably too close to the fire, leaning back between JJ's legs with the intense heat rolling from the flames making her skin burn just slightly. 

"That was building up for years," JJ said, balancing his plate of s'mores on top of Karolina's head. "Rumble in the jungle." 

He flinched when the hot marshmallow burnt his fingers, quickly licking away the sugar, making Karolina giggle slightly. She was feeling much better, surrounded by her friends and boyfriend, unconcerned for once about school or Ward Cameron or gold or whatever the hell else. 

"Hey, did you really stick up for Sarah?" John B asked Kie quietly after a moment. 

With her mouth full of melted marshmallow, Kie shrugged. "Of course I did. She's not a real Kook." 

Pope raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, tell that to Topper..." 

Karolina sighed quietly the fifth time JJ almost knocked the plate off her head as he tried to eat the s'more too soon, burning his fingertips. "JJ, just let it cool..." she said, taking the plate from him and holding it away from his prying fingers for a moment. 

"I just want one bite," John B said, stealing Kie's s'more and stuffing it into his mouth. 

"Hey— no, stop!" she protested, but it was too late. 

JJ stole his plate back from Karolina. "You're not getting any of mine," he said, before John B got any ideas. 

That only prompted John B to stand up and go hunt for whatever piece of s'more Kie had dropped. "I thought you were gonna share!"

Kie glared half-heartedly at him, though they all secretly agreed it was nice to have John B back to his normal self for a minute. "I spent my money on that." She leaned forward and took a marshmallow from Pope's plate. "I'm stealing your marshmallow." 

"Sixteen years in most federal prisons," Pope chimed at that. 

JJ wiggled his fingers at his s'more, still held captive by Karolina. "Is it cool yet?" 

"Mmm..." Karolina lifted his well-made s'more off the plate, taking a bite to test the temperature. "I don't think so," she said, even though it was the perfect temperature and she continued to take another bite. "I think it needs to cool down a little more—" 

"Hey, you're just eating it!" he cried, betrayed. 

Karolina giggled as he tried to steal it back, and she held it away from him for a moment, just to tease, before he stood and chased after her hand with his mouth. Laughing, she fed it to him, getting chocolate all over her fingers and his mouth. He was doing it all for show, just to make her laugh, and it was working until— 

"Hey, hey!" John B hissed, gesturing for them all to be quiet. He looked back at the treeline. "Somebody's here." 

Confused they stared at him, until they heard it too— quiet rustling in the trees and bushes. 

JJ's immediate thought was Topper, but Karolina feared it was someone much worse... 

They stood, abandoning their s'mores and their fun, the air becoming grave and serious within moments. Kie glanced at JJ. "Do you have your gun?" 

"Oh, now she wants the gun—" 

"Oh, now you don't have the gun?" 

"No!"