:::

Of every bad idea JJ had ever had, the one he was currently laying out didn't seem like the worst he had come up with. It was a fail proof plan to get June back, to put all of the shit behind them, and to finally get back to normal. The plan had struck him in the middle of the night, the boy waking from a dream with a cold sweat and the idea instantly smacking him in the face. Midsummers was swiftly approaching, and JJ knew that while it was far from a school dance or prom, he could ask her to Midsummers as a date , make her feel special. The first step to all of this... that was going to be the hardest.

"Where are you off to dressed so....fancy?" John B was standing in the doorway, JJ pulling shoes into his feet. He tied the laces of his black shoes and gave the Routledge boy a nervous smile, dropping a crucial piece of information.

"Junes house." John B was quite sure June wasn't there, when he had been on the phone with her she had been leaving, so he made sure to tell JJ this.

"Yeah I don't think she's home man." John B said, shrugging his shoulders as he leaned against the door frame. JJ finished tying his other shoe and then stood, walking towards John and slapping a hand on his shoulder.

"That's perfect. Because I'm not going there to talk to her." The blonde walked by him fast, John B seemingly comprehending what he was saying a little too late. Because when he turned around to ask him what he meant by that, the door was already closing. He struggled with what to do but ultimately he followed after the blonde, wanting to know just how he was about to fuck things up more.

"Wait who are you going to talk to?" JJ was getting on his bike, ready to take off. He looked at John B before he took off, a nervous look on his face as he answered.

"Her dad." JJ took off and John B felt a pit fall in his stomach, wondering why he even tried for this stuff. He could mend their relationship a million times and JJ would always find some way to fuck it up. John B decided he wouldn't intervene this time...maybe whatever his crazy plan was would work. Or it wouldn't, and everyone else would suffer the damage control.

JJ rode off across the island, his stomach in knots as he thought of what he was going to say. It had been a day since he had seen June, and his heart had been calling for her since she had left so angrily. He knew it was wrong to kiss her, unfortunately for him he really couldn't help himself. He missed her so desperately, he was grasping at nothing for hope they might finally reconcile. He missed sleeping next to her, breathing her in, feeling loved by her and her tenderness, her playfulness and charm, how mesmerizing she could be without even speaking. And he was well aware it was all his fault he had lost it, lost her....but he had worked tirelessly to try and earn her back. The mutilated relationship with her dad was one of the last things he knew he could mend. This was a last ditch effort.

He pulled into the driveway of the March house and counted the cars, see conveniently that Junes car was not there. He parked his bike on the concrete and got off, running a few hands through his hair to make himself look presentable again. He used the mirror of the bike to make sure he looked alright and then he gave himself a pep talk, his chest burning with hatred towards the man he was aiming to speak to. He had reason to hate this man, he was terrible, awful. He had been in cohorts with Ward at the beginning of all of this and quite frankly he had been a big obstacle in June and JJs relationship. But that would all be out to rest now...JJ was going to fight for his place in the March family.

His hand hovered above the door and he felt nerves biting at him, his stomach feeling queasy from just how anxious he was. He knew he had to be his smartest, most kookiest version of himself...so he cleared his throat, made sure his shirt was tucked in and he knocked on the door. Here goes nothing.

The second he dropped his hand he felt pure terror, every bit of himself feeling like this was wrong, but with the purest of intentions he knew he needed to do this. Maybe this could finally be enough to put him back in her good graces. Maybe this could be enough to earn her love back.

JJ felt the fear again as the footsteps approached the door, the handle turned, and the door opened...revealing Jason March himself. The older man's eyes dropped over the blonde and a look of disdain covered his face. Jason was confused by the professional appearance of JJ Maybank, the blonde Pogue dressed in his Sunday best. He was wearing a blue button up shirt and black dress pants, his hair pushed back and dress shoes on his feet. Jason March immediately thought something was up.

"Can I help you?" JJ faltered on his attempt to speak, his mouth opening but no words coming out when he felt pure fear. "June isn't here. And even if she was...I don't think she wants to see you."

"You're correct sir. But I'm not here for June, I'm actually here for uh...for you." Jason's face went slack and he opened the door a little wider, his eyebrows furrowing now as he looked at the joy who made his blood boil. There was too much history between this family and this boy. JJ let out the line he had rehearsed religiously on the way over, knowing that he needed to make eye contact. "I'm here to uh...to talk our differences out like men and to prove to you that I have changed for the better and that I am working on being good enough for your daughter."

Jason March stared at the Maybank boy for what felt like years, decades, before finally he stepped out of the way, inviting the boy into the home. He walked past the boy and to the dining table, gesturing towards a chair for him to sit while JJ tried desperately not to have a heart attack. He ran over his key points in his head and realized he needed to calm down. The two of them sat down and JJ was now face to face with the man who really, really did not like him.

"So you want to talk out our differences like men." JJ readjusted himself in his seat, feeling inferior under Jason Marchs hardened gaze. He cleared his throat and then nodded, leaning forwards on the table a little bit.

"Yes sir. And I'll start with apologizing for hitting you. Violence is never the answer and I—" JJ was cut off by a hand and words, his lips closing immediately as the man spoke.

"I respect you for apologizing. And I'm glad you think that but in all honestly kid, I was being a dick. And I probably deserved it. Here's the thing about talking man to man, you gotta be able to admit when you were wrong. I was rough on you and her and on the rest of those kids and I'll apologize for it. It's a hard thing seeing your kids struggle, you'll understand one day I'm sure but I respect that you even showed up here son. It was a brave thing to do."

"Thank you sir." JJ was stunned by how easy this was seeming, his nervousness melting away when he realized how easy going the man actually seemed. Plus it had been a long time since their tiff, he had surely gotten over it by now. "And I am sorry for making your daughter suffer. It was never my intention for all of that to happen. I swear it all started out as harmless fun. Before any of us knew it our feet were out from under us and the whole thing had went ass up. I'll never forgive myself for what happened to her, and I'll never forgive myself for hurting her."

"I've noticed you two aren't together. June doesn't really tell us much anymore...my fault of course. Well both of us...me and Heather. We made a bad decision, and hell, that girl can hold a grudge." JJ distinctly remembered something she had said about her parents and what they had done, but he didn't know she was still not talking to them. He knew she could hold a grudge well.

"Yes, she can, but I'm willing to fight for her." He said in all honesty, Junes dad nodding his head at his words. He leaned forwards slightly and JJ tried not to back down, not wanting the man to think he was afraid of him.

"And that's what I like to see in a man. Let me tell you a story...years ago when I first met Heather, she was way out of my league, she was this rich, beautiful girl and I was this lowly loser. We broke up probably six or seven times before I finally came to my senses and fought hard for her. We've been together ever since...never have I strayed from her. Junes a lot like her mother you know, she's hard headed, stubborn...but she's soft on the inside. She always comes around. And I see a lot of myself in you, I really do." JJ got a few different morsels of information in that small story but the most surprising one was that Jason March seemed to have admitted he had possibly been a Pogue. He tucked that information away and  nodded, hoping to get back on track with what he was aiming to accomplish here.

"I came here...sir, because I wanted to ask you if I could ask her to Midsummers. I know you don't think much of me but I'm really trying." Jason stared at JJ for a moment, his hardened gaze softening as he let out a sigh. The older man ran a hand over her face and leaned back in his chair, no longer looking tense and  superior. He just looked normal.

"Let me ask you, what are your intentions with my daughter? And don't bother lying, I'm a good lawyer." JJ thought about his question for a moment, but he already knew the answer. He had been ready to marry her on the island, he had been sure he could do it. He had even proposed. When he had received one of Junes letters from school he had told John B about a dream he had had where the two do them had a future together, the thing he didn't want John B to tell June. He had dreamt of a home where the tow do them lived and in the dream he had heard the pitter patter of  small feet, but had awoken before he could see who it was.

"I want...I intend, sir, on marrying her one day. If she'll have me back. I've seen what it's like to be without her and and I know that it's somewhere I don't wanna be. I'm hoping your permission to take her to this event will be a step towards finally earning her trust back. And if it's any consolation to you, I don't think I have it in me to hurt her again. Not like that." He was honest, because he knew hurting her had been the biggest mistake he had ever made.

"I liked you when you first showed up JJ, I'll be honest...but you and your friends abilities to always somehow find yourself in trouble is a hard thing to see through. My daughter hates me right now, but I want her safe. All I want is her to be safe. I want her here. I don't want her missing or captured or kidnapped or whatever. If I give you my blessing, I need to know that you're gonna at least try a bit harder to keep her out of trouble. She's fragile as it is..."

"I will. I swear I will. I don't want her to ever have to go through what she did again." JJ was honest and genuine, and Jason respected that more than anything he had said before. He was being honest, and that was something he valued, even if he wasn't that great at it himself. There was silence and the older man's eyebrows furrowed, like he was genuinely contemplating something serious. JJ felt nervous again as he realized he was a making a decision, blessing or no blessing. Yes or no. He can or he can't. The man looked back up at him and stood, JJ standing with him as he waited for him to boot him out of the house.

In a surprising move he dropped his hand onto the blondes shoulder, nodding slightly as an approving smile covered his lips. JJ felt something rip through his body and he realized it was relief, acceptance. Her father had accepted him. This had gone amazingly, and he had actually managed to pull it off. He was genuinely shocked.

"You have my blessing, son." JJ faltered at the nickname, his face going slack for a moment as he realized to the full extent what had just happened. He soon felt elated once again, the shock fading and the fact that he really honestly had succeeded making him feel like he was on top of the world. "You like basketball?"

"Uh...yeah. I watch sometimes."

"They've got a game on right now, it's on in the other room if you wanna watch." JJs mouth dropped open at the invitation and  he couldn't help but nod, feeling like he had just accomplished something unachievable.

"Yes sir."

:::

June March walked up the driveway of her home, a frown on her lips as she approached the door. She was disappointed in the fact that she had tried to get to the safe but had been steered away, and now she knew she had to come up with a way to get back in there. And it all was going to come together because of this dress.

She pushed open her front door, the girl texting while she entered the home. She closed the door behind her and was hit with the aroma of whatever her mother had cooked for dinner. She hadn't eaten and it smelled amazing, and she was in such a strange mood, she thought just maybe she could greet her parents, maybe she could breathe kindness back into her home.

She could hear the silverware clinking in the dining room and she started towards it, lively conversation coming from the table. Before she could see inside she heard the voices, the girl stopping in her tracks as she approached.

"So then I told the guy if he wanted the boat painted pink then he'd have to pay the money for the paint, or do it himself!" The voice was one she'd recognize anywhere, her small smile instantly dropping when she heard it. She was devastatingly confused for a moment and she felt a chill go down her spine when she heard her mothers laugh, conjoined with her fathers. She pushed herself to enter the dining room and when she did it was like a culmination of one of her worst nightmares, her stomach dropping into a pit.

JJ Maybank sat at her dining room table, tucking into the alfredo  pasta her mother had made and making her parents laugh. It was like something out of a horror movie to see him dressed in something that looked a lot like what her dad would wear, the older man wearing basically the same thing with a light purple shirt. Her mother had her hand on JJs shoulder and was still actively laughing, before any of them even noticed she was there. And worst of all her father had a smile on his own face, the air in the room holding comfort and no tension. Like he was one of them.

"What the fuck?" Junes voice spilled into the room and cut through all of the conversation, her eyes wide and her stomach upset as she observed the scene before her. Adam was nowhere to be seen, and he was lucky to not be there because she was sure this would've scared him too.

"Watch your language June...it's rude to—"

"Honey, JJ came over for dinner and we talked out our—"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" June said, her eyes only set on JJ. He was confused and suddenly the happiness of creating a positive relationship with her parents melted away and he felt like he had done something wrong. Her parents started to talk over each other but she rushed out of the room and JJ shook the table by how fast he stood up, chasing after her.

"June wait!"