A/N: The cuties are being cute!

Enjoy!

"Yes! Hole in one!"

The exuberant cry came from the other end of the putting green, over the little hill and beyond the miniature Dutch windmill that adorned the course. Will had thrust his hands in the sky with triumph, his face lit up with joy as JJ and Mackenzie laughed from the opposite end.

They were out for a casual date night, which had quickly turned into a group outing. Mackenzie had come back to Pittsburgh for the weekend to see her family and had quickly reached out to JJ and Will to see if they had wanted to catch up. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity to see the only friend who remained even remotely close to Pittsburgh, they had agreed.

Mackenzie, always one of the quieter ones (but, JJ supposed, anyone was considered quiet when they were around Lani), was someone who had always interested JJ. Born in Pretoria, South Africa, she and her family had moved to the United States when she was just three years old. With her parents not being very tall, Mackenzie herself was only a few inches taller than JJ, and her South African heritage shone through with radiant beauty. Yet, she was one of the most humble people JJ had ever met. Her humbleness had led to her studying philosophy at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, about 45 minutes away in Ohio, with the goal of working as a humanitarian aid worker in the future.

Also with them was Will's closest friend other than JJ, Matthew Blenham. JJ liked to joke they were joined at the hip, for the two of them were in the same course at the same university, and if Will wasn't with JJ or studying, he could usually be found with Matt.

"So you and Will must be going good," Mackenzie said with a smile, tossing her long brown hair over her shoulder. "You both look really happy"

"What, we didn't look happy before?" JJ replied with a grin.

Mackenzie shrugged. "Well... Will was practically suffocating under how much he liked you... and you were always so stressed about making the Olympics. You both just look... relaxed. Like everything has fallen into place"

JJ turned back to the boys, who were still too busy goofing off to let the girls resume the game. They were talking animatedly, Will's hands gesturing along as he spoke, Matt hanging off his every word. He was so bright... Mackenzie was right. She hadn't noticed it before, but now that someone had said it, she did.

"It has," she said softly. "Part of me was so scared to commit to having a relationship, and also just to tell people we were dating. I think I was afraid of the teasing-"

Mackenzie giggled.

"-but he's made it worth it," JJ finished happily, smiling as the two boys finally walked back up to them.

"Did you see that? I am the mini-golf king," Will said dramatically, lifting his arms and flexing his biceps. The girls laughed as Matt rolled his eyes.

"Just because you fluked it in the hole," JJ teased, earning a light jab to the side with the end of Will's club. Will chuckled, looping an arm around JJ's waist and leaning down to press a quick kiss to her lips. Matt let out a wolf whistle, making JJ's cheeks flush as she broke away from Will. Her eyes met Mackenzie's, earning a cheeky grin from the other girl, before Matt interrupted.

"Your turn," he said, pointing his club towards Mackenzie. Mackenzie smirked, flipping her hair again as she sashayed towards the starting point.

They continued on, teasing each other good naturedly as they went. By the end, Will had scraped up another hole in one to take the win, with Mackenzie right on his heels. Laughing and relaxed, they had made their way up to the golf course's restaurant for dinner.

After a delicious meal and many more laughs, JJ and Will were back at JJ's, gratefully getting ready for bed.

JJ couldn't help but feel a little nervous. This was the first time Will would be staying the night since their parents had agreed to it. But even though they had, she couldn't help but feel like someone was going to get upset about it.

They were coming out of the bathroom, having just finished brushing her teeth, when her dad passed them on his way to the master bedroom. They all stopped, staring at each other for a moment, no-one quite sure what to say. Until JJ spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

"Night Dad," she said softly, giving him a quick squeeze around the middle before she took Will's hand and gently tugged him towards her room. Michael watched, slightly bewildered by the whole situation as they disappeared into the darkness of her bedroom, Will's eyes meeting his for just a moment before the door closed behind them.

Frowning, he continued on his way to his own bedroom, finding Sandy already under the covers with a book in hand. Sinking down onto the bed beside her, he furrowed his brow in deep thought.

"I don't know if I like this," he muttered.

Sandy sighed. "Michael…"

"No, I mean, I know it's just Will, but at the same time, it's also a grown man in our daughter's bed"

"Michael," Sandy said again, setting her book down and reaching out to take her husband's hand.

"Am I supposed to like it? Because I really don't think I do," Michael cut in. His face hardened and he started to get up. "I'm putting him in Jason's room"

"Michael, stop it," Sandy said sharply, tugging hard on his hand to pull him back down. "You're being unreasonable. I know you want to protect her, I get it. But she's eighteen, and her maturity is well beyond her years. For once in her life, she has something normal going for her"

Michael let out a sigh, his eyes fixating on his wife's.

"She's growing up, Michael. I know it sucks, we wish they could stay little forever, but she's growing up. Lucky for us, she's grown into a wonderful person who is more than capable of making her own decisions and taking responsibility for her actions. I think we owe it to her to give her this freedom. God knows she's got years of catching up to do on normal teenage things"

Michael let out a chuckle, nodding slowly in agreement.

"And really… it's Will. Possibly the sweetest teenage boy to have ever existed. He's not going to pressure her into anything, or take advantage of our trust," she said with a smile. "They'll be ok"

Michael heaved a sigh, his shoulders slumping as he relented and got into bed.

"I guess you're right," he said softly.

"Let them enjoy it. Young love is sweet," she replied with a smile, stretching over to peck his cheek. "God knows ours was"

Michael broke into a smile, turning at the last moment to catch his wife's lips with his own. She laughed against his lips, making him smile even more.

"Still is," he murmured, shifting an arm to drape it around her shoulders as they settled in for a good night's sleep.

Back in JJ's room, Will chuckled nervously as he walked around to the other side of JJ's bed. "Your dad didn't look too impressed"

JJ let out a heavy breath, giving him a weak grin over her shoulder. "I'm sure he'll survive"

Will nodded once, before bringing a hand to the hem of his T-shirt. "Do you mind if I sleep without a shirt?"

Freezing as she pushed the covers down, she looked up at him with what she was sure read as wide eyed innocence. After a short pause, she shook her head. "No… that's ok"

He said nothing, simply pulling the shirt up and over his head before tossing it in the corner with his bag. JJ couldn't keep her eyes away from his body, visually tracing the contours of his chest and abs as he pulled back his side of the covers and slid into bed beside her.

Shaking her head slightly, she shuffled in properly, right as her phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Hey lovely, I know it's late, but I just wanted to send you these photos… sorry in advance, by the way, but you guys just looked so cute together at dinner that I couldn't resist snapping a few pics while you weren't looking. I thought you might like them, since you probably don't have many photos that aren't selfies. It was so good seeing you, I'll definitely hit you up when I'm back in PA next so we can catch up! - Mackenzie

Accompanying the message were a few candid snaps of JJ and Will, taken across the table from where they were sitting. One of them immediately stuck out to JJ. She was sitting close to Will, his arm around her shoulders as he pressed a kiss to her temple. She was looking down at the table just in front of him, but the smile on her face told the whole story.

Her heart swelled with warmth. She looked so happy. So comfortable, and so safe in Will's arms. Not only that, but there was a hint of confidence shining in her eyes. Like she had found new ground for herself to stand on.

It was a candid picture. A perfect memory.

"Hey Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you… would you have any objections to me posting something on Instagram? Something… about us?"

She rolled onto her back to look at him properly, and found him smiling widely back at her.

"I'd love that," he said gently, reaching over to squeeze her free hand. She smiled back at him, before lifting her phone back up so she could see it. He shuffled over, cuddling right up beside her and resting his head just above her shoulder so he could see what she was typing.

jenniferjareau

I've never felt this way about a person before, but I'm really glad that I feel this way about him. He's pretty special to me, and I can't wait to see what this year holds for us.

Sending it off, she put her phone back on the nightstand before turning back to look at Will. He immediately brought his lips to hers, capturing her in a deep kiss. She felt her heart racing in her chest, clamouring to get closer to him.

"I've… always felt this way about you," Will said softly as he pulled away. "For as long as I can remember"

She smiled at him through the darkness, cupping his cheek and pressing another quick kiss to his lips. "Well… we're here now, aren't we?"

He chuckled in agreement. Warm and relaxed, JJ turned onto her side, getting comfortable as she settled off to sleep. When he was sure she'd found the right spot, Will carefully cuddled up behind her, one of his arms wrapped over her side to hold her a little closer.

As his weight settled behind her, a memory came rushing back to JJ, one that had taken place at Lani's birthday, not long after Will's the previous year.

Uncomfortable warmth seemed to have wrapped its way around her as she opened her eyes to the darkness of the bedroom. Grimacing as the stifling heat registered completely in her brain, she began to move, trying to fight off some of the blankets. As she did so, she realised something was pinning her down, stopping her from getting completely disentangled.

It took her a moment to realise the reason she was so hot was because Will's arm was draped over her side, and the warm weight of his body was pressed up behind her.

Her heart started to race a little. Will had always been a bit of a cuddly sleeper, but this was closer than he had ever gotten. Part of her felt slightly panicky. Will was her friend. They'd always been friends. Were friends supposed to be so… close?

But the other part of her spoke to reason. He was her best friend, and he'd never failed to protect her if he could. It seemed like he was subconsciously doing it even in his sleep. And if she was completely honest… it felt kind of nice. Kind of like how she imagined it would be to spend the night with a boyfriend.

Shuffling around until the covers had moved enough to cool her down, she got comfortable again on her side, her mind still focused on the comforting weight of Will's body against hers.

Ever so slowly, she lifted her hand, gently placing it on the back of Will's and settling her arm against his.

Protecting her. Always.

tkatchevmeifyoucan - ummm, guys, I think JJ has a BOYFRIEND

jareaumanar - is that a surprise? She's gorgeous.

fliplikealy - look! Look at this photo she posted on Instagram! They're sooo cute together, I'm gonna die!

ponorizbasa - omg he's hot! Yasss girl, get it!

tkatchevmeifyoucan - I wanna know where she found him. And if he has brothers. And if I can have one.

jareaumanar - lmao you guys are crazy