You wake up feeling warm, safe, content. And you notice immediately there's an arm wrapped around your waist. The night before comes crashing back to you, so you don't have to open your eyes to know it's JB's arm. You had such a great night with your friends, the Pogues, which you were officially a part of now. You and John B were the last ones awake, just sitting next to each other, watching the stars, talking about nothing important but loving the time alone together all the same. By the time you decided to go to sleep, you realized all the couches, hammocks, and chairs were taken, so John B offered you his room, offering to sleep on the ground. You took him up on the place to sleep but told him you were both grown enough to sleep in the same bed without it being awkward or inappropriate.

Two hours later, you two lay there, facing each other in the dark, still talking, until you literally couldn't keep your eyes open anymore. You fell asleep facing each other on your sides, arms reached out halfway across the bed, holding each other's hand. So, to wake up spooning, feeling every part of him pressed up against your back, was a little disorientating. You couldn't deny that you liked it, liked him. Even if you decided it'd be best to keep your distance from him, it was getting harder and harder to do it. Really, all you wanted to do was turn around in the bed and kiss him, staying there with him all day and night. You stop yourself, though.

Just then, you remember your phone, your temporary home, and the family that lives in it. Fuck! You were supposed to go back home and pick Sarah up to 'go diving.' Fuck, you didn't tell anyone you weren't coming home, and you don't remember the last time you bothered to look at your phone because everyone you wanted to talk to was with you. You saw from the window that it was early, the sun was barely rising, maybe 5 am. You knew you had to leave and get home, do whatever damage control you could because you knew that the treasure hunt was going to continue today, and you wanted to be there for John B more than anything, and that wouldn't happen if your aunt tried to ground you. You knew logically, she couldn't ground you, she wasn't your mom or even your guardian, but you loved her and didn't want to ruffle any feathers, so if she wanted you to stay home, unless it was an emergency, you'd do it.

So, reluctantly, you sat up or tried to anyway, as you sat up, John B's arm tightened around you and pulled you back against him. He mumbled into your neck in a way that sent shivers down your spine, "Mmmhmm, too early, peaches, go back to sleep."

You turned around in his arms so you were facing him and slowly brought your hand up to his face, using your fingers to gently trace the outline of his face, his forehead, cheek, and jaw. A small smile quirked his lips, and he cracked one eye open, "Too early, remember?"

"I have to leave," You reluctantly said. "I kinda just didn't show up at home last night."

"You're coming back, right? We have our mission to continue."

"You can just admit you want to spend time with me; you don't have to make up a whole treasure hunt to entice me," you joked cheekily.

"Oh damn it, you caught me." He laughed, "So you'll be here, right?"

"Go back to sleep, John B, you're barely able to keep your eyes open." You laughed and swooned a little at how cute he was when sleepy, "I'll be back before you even wake up, so you won't be able to miss me too much."

"Good," he said, already half asleep again.

Before you had a chance to think better of it, instinctually, you leaned in and kissed him once slowly, softly on the lips, his lips responding immediately. You pulled back a moment later and looked at him with a small smile on your face, the same smile mirrored back at you. "Bye, John B."

You were learning your way around the town more now, especially the route from John B's to Tannyhill, so you made it home easily. You quietly opened the front door, hopeful that no one would be awake yet since it was barely 6 am. Your phone was dead, so you had no idea what you were walking into, you weren't even sure if they knew you didn't come home last night, for all you know, Sarah texted you to tell you that she was staying with Topper for the day, so you didn't ditch her. God, you hoped that was the case, you loved Sarah, and really didn't want her to be mad at you, but she'd have every right to be because you completely ditched her yesterday.

You closed the door as quietly as possible, barely making a squeak, it was quiet enough to make you think that everyone was still sleeping if not for the fact that the smell of fresh coffee was in the air. Reluctantly, you made your way to the kitchen, ready to take whatever punishment you had coming to you. You were surprised to see that Rafe was the one in the kitchen, cooking breakfast and making coffee. You stopped in your tracks, hopeful that he hadn't noticed you because you avoided him if at all possible, but no such luck.

"Hungry?" He asked, and something about his tone made you stop and take a better look at him. It was calm, kind. You see that he looks more relaxed, more like the Rafe you met all those years ago when Rose married Ward. He used to be so nice, funny, fun; he was one of the first people you ever had a crush on, actually. (Before your aunt married his dad, and it became weird) But then he got into drugs, started drinking more, and he changed into the dark, scary, mean guy you know today.

Seeing him seem more like the person you used to know made you decide to take a chance and sit down. "Sure, whatcha cooking?"

He looked up to you and smiled, "Come on now, Daisy, I know you've had pancakes enough before to know what they look like."

Daisy, he hadn't called you that in years, when you were crushing on him, you used to beg him to hang out with him outside where you'd sit and pick flowers; daisies were your favorite, and he always made sure you got at least one. It didn't take long for him to give you the nickname.

You rolled your eyes and sarcastically said, "Sorry for making conversation."

He smirked, "Coffee is ready, get me a cup, too, will ya?"

You got up and grabbed two mugs, pouring coffee and some creamer in. As innocently as you could, you asked, "So, uh, did anyone ask about me?"

He chuckled, "Did anyone notice that you didn't come home last night, you mean."

You shrug as if it didn't matter to you either way, "Well, yeah."

"You should be safe. Sarah was wondering where you were, but she won't tell Dad or Rose."

"Damn it, I completely flaked on her yesterday. Did she seem mad?" You both sat down and started eating, half of your attention on the conversation and the other half pondering what was so different about Rafe today. Whatever it was, you hoped it was permanent, you missed your friend.

"I don't know; she was with Topper most of the day, she only asked if I saw you later at night."

You sigh, and your shoulders slump in relief, "Oh, good."

"So," he asked, a few minutes of comfortable silence later, "Where have you been spending all your time? I barely see you around here. When I first heard you were coming to stay with us, I was actually excited. I thought we were going to hang out all summer."

"Oh stop, you've only ever thought of me as Rose's younger annoying niece. Plus, you've been seeming to keep yourself occupied well enough. You're always with Kelse and Topper."

"Yeah, sure, but it'd be more fun with you there. You should come out with us today; we're going to the beach."

"Oh, I can't," You said apologetically and actually felt regretful, thinking you'd enjoy catching up. Well, as long as it was this Rafe and not the one that you'd been seeing around lately. "I already have plans, but I'm free tomorrow if you're interested."

His smile turned into a sneer, "Hanging out with those Pogues again?" The disgust was clear in his tone.

"Ugh, not more of that Pogue, Kook bullshit, it's so stupid, so contrived. Yes, I have plans with John B today, but like I said, I'm free tomorrow as long as you promise not to be a classist ass. If you remember, I'm as broke as they are, so if you're going to hate poor people, you might as well hate me, too."

"You're not the same; you're one of us now."

"So, is that a yes or a no to tomorrow?" You said, realizing fighting him on the point was useless.

He put his fork down and looked at you, a second longer than you were comfortable with before nodding, "Okay, tomorrow, me and my friends will show you the fun you can actually have on this island. I bet by the end of the day, you'll forget all about those dirty Pogues."

You scoffed, which actually sounded more like a laugh. You didn't like him talking about your friends, but they talked shit about him all the time, and you liked seeing the old Rafe, so you didn't want to do anything to bring the new one back. "Deal."

You shared a smile before going back to eating; you barely swallowed another bite before Ward made his way downstairs. "Oh, Rafe, Peach! Good morning. How lovely it is to see the family eating together in the morning." You were confused when you saw Rafe cringe at his father's words, but the confusion quickly slipped away when Ward kept speaking, "Is there any left for your old man? What time did you get home last night, Sweetheart? It had to be late. I didn't go to bed until almost 11." Ward said, looking at you after taking a long swig of the coffee he poured.

"Oh, yeah, I got lost watching the waves last night, they're so beautiful here. I didn't get home until like 12:45. I hope that's okay." You lied.

"Sure, sure, that's fine. Well, until school starts anyhow. Oh, and should this happen again, just be sure to send Rose or myself a text so we don't worry."

"Oh, sorry. I'll be sure to do that. My mom isn't what you call hands-on, so she never really wondered where I was or where I laid my head."

"Well, that's just criminal."

"I'll make sure to keep you updated in the future. Speaking of, I have to get going soon; I promised my new friends I'd help them clean up around town from the hurricane today." You lied again, surprised how easily the lie came to you. Rafe quirked his eyebrow at you, seeing the lie for what it was.

"Community service? How nice. You should take Sarah with you; she loves helping the community."

"Oh—uh— yeah, I'll be sure to ask her."

"Ask me what?" Sarah asked, making her way into the kitchen. Fuck, well, if that wasn't terrible timing, you weren't sure what was.

"Daisy here is doing some community service today and wanted to invite you," Rafe said with a huge smile on his face, enjoying your unease. You shoot him the most menacing look you can muster without anyone else noticing.

"Oh, what are you doing?" Sarah asked excitedly.

"Cleaning up the town after the hurricane," you repeated your original lie.

"I'm in!" Sarah said.

"Great," You said, holding the vowels, trying to make it sound as sincere as possible. Flipping Rafe off as soon as the other two looked away, ignoring his laugh.

A half-hour later, you and Sarah exited the estate; you took a deep breath, preparing to tell her the truth, when she interrupted you, "So what are you really planning on doing today?" She started to walk to her car and called out to you when you stood there surprised that she already saw the lie for what it was, "What are you waiting for? Come on, before my dad sees us."

Well, you couldn't fight with that logic, so you reluctantly got in. As soon as the door was closed, you sighed, "Look, Sarah, I can't tell you. So, could you maybe drop me off down the street and do your own thing today?"

"Uh, no. I'm not leaving you to get into trouble by yourself." She said, already driving through town. The turns and roads were a little different than when you walked, but you were pretty sure she was making her way to the Cut, to John B's. You weren't sure how she knew where you were planning to go.

"Sarah, really. I can't tell you what we're doing; you can't come."

"Hey, we're family now, I'm not leaving you to get into trouble by yourself." She said as if she didn't hear your protests.

You sighed as you rested your elbow on the door and your head on your hand as you looked out the window. You didn't know how to fix this, how to get her to leave, you knew your friends wouldn't be happy hanging out with Sarah on the best of days, let alone when you were on some super secret Pogue mission that absolutely no Kook could know about. They just accepted you as one of them; you didn't want to think of the fit Kie would throw if you brought Sarah along.

You took out your phone and shot out a group text to the three whose numbers you had, Pope, JJ, and JB.: On my way! back to the Chateau. Sarah is with me and refuses to leave, prepare for the Kook invasion.

JJ: The fuck, Peach? You've been one of us for hours, and you're already trying to take over, and you're bringing in reinforcements?

Pope: IDK, Sarah isn't too bad.

JB: Whatever, just hurry up and get here so we can get started, we'll figure out what to do with her later.

JJ: Haha, if it was anyone other than Peach, John B would be telling you to stay home if it meant a Cameron coming. I think someone has a crush.

JB: Fuck you, JJ

JJ: Love you too, man.

You couldn't help but laugh at the exchange, causing Sarah to look at you questioningly. You just shook your head, and thankfully, she didn't push. It was only a few minutes later that you pulled up to John B's house, and seeing it, your heart fluttered. You really had no idea how to act, keeping your distance, physically and emotionally, obviously wasn't working how you wanted.

You saw all of your friends sitting outside around the few embers left from the fire the night before, JJ already had a beer in his hand, John B lazing on the hammock half asleep, Pope was sitting opposite JJ, and Kie was nowhere to be seen.

"Heyy! The life of the party is here!" JJ said, making you blush. Sure, you got a little rambunctious after that 6th beer the night before, but the life of the party? You didn't think so.

"Hey, JJ. Did ya miss me?"

"Always." He said as he got up to give you a hug. You still weren't sure if he gave hugs to everyone like he said that first day you met or if he was being a creep towards you like John B said that same day. You decided you didn't really care, he didn't make you uncomfortable, and he was a good hugger.

"Uh, guys, I'm sure you already know, but this is my cousin, Sarah. Sarah, this is everyone."

John B sat up when you first got out of the car and hadn't been able to take his eyes off of you since. He gave Sarah a dismissive wave of his hand, a smirk coming over his lips when you finally made eye contact with him. He stood up and started making his way over to you. His words were mischievous as he spoke, "Peaches, long time no see. Next time, don't stay away so long."

You rolled your eyes; it'd been like four hours since you were asleep in his arms. Dryly, you said, "I'll have to work on that."

When he made it over to you, you saw that for a second, he leaned in to kiss or hug you. You weren't sure which, but he decided against it, respecting you when you said you needed your space. You smiled, "My cousin wanted to hang out with us today."

JB stood taller as he crossed his arms, trying to look intimidating as he looked over Sarah, but you just thought it was cute, and Sarah didn't seem intimidated in the least, copying his stance, "Sarah Cameron."

"John B Routledge."

You looked back and forth between the two; you couldn't tell if it was genuine hatred or fake hatred covering something else. Before you could go further down that line of thought, JB kept talking, "Had the urge to slum it over here on this side of the island today?"

"No. But my cousin did, and I love her, so I gotta watch her back, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. I hear there's a lotta trouble you can get into over here. Why she'd want to hang out with a bunch of gun-toting fools is anyone's guess, but I got her back."

You sighed, "Sarah, we've talked about this, if I had some sort of weapon, I'd have used it too, your friend clearly doesn't have a problem with murder."

"He's not my friend!" Sarah said, forgetting about the rest of them and turning her full attention on you, you doing the same thing to her. You've had this argument with her numerous times, and it never ended any different, so you didn't know why you were trying to convince her again.

"He sure seemed like your friend when you vouched for him and kept telling me how nice he was and how cute we'd be together."

"Yeah, well, I already told you he seemed alright every time I was with him and Topper."

"Yeah, and I already told you I got that, but that you can't get mad if I don't take your opinions on guys too seriously anymore after getting to know how great Topper and Garret are." You say sarcastically.

You feel John B walk up beside you and rest his hand on your lower back, supporting and calming you. You can't help but lean into his touch, and you don't really want to stop anymore anyway. John B tried to defuse the situation, "Alright, alright, how about we take it down a notch here? You're in the Cut now; there's no yelling about Kook problems here, this is a Kook-free zone."

The rest of your friends had, at some point, made their way around you and Sarah, and they all nodded at John B's words. JJ spoke up next, "Fuck yeah, it is. So I don't want to hear any more of this boring Kook bullshit."

You looked at Sarah for another long moment before turning to JJ and nodding. You didn't want to have this fight anyway, hell, you didn't even want Sarah to be there, but she was your cousin, your friend, and you didn't want to hurt her either. So you gave her a small smile before turning to John B and changing the conversation. "Hey, can I talk to you real quick?"

He smiled, "Always."

"Always," JJ mocked in a fake swooning voice. Without planning on it, you and John B flipped him off simultaneously.

The night before had been rough on John B. After finding the compass from his father, he cried, and you tried to be there for him while the party with your friends was going on in the background. You spent almost an hour with him in silence on the dock, him leaning his head on your shoulder and your arm wrapped around him, looking off into the water, just trying to be there for him. So, even though he seemed fine today, you just wanted to check on him alone to make sure. You started walking back over to the dock, knowing he was right behind you without having to look. Your thoughts were proved right when you felt him tentatively wrap his arm around your shoulders as you walked. He was tense, unsure how you'd react, but he relaxed when you ever so slightly leaned into him. He sat down, swinging his legs off the end of the dock, and waited for you to join him before speaking.

"So what's up, Sunshine?"

You looked at him and smiled, still feeling your stomach flip at the nickname. "I just wanted to see how you're doing after last night."

He looked a little uncomfortable, probably remembering crying on your shoulder. You gave him a warm smile, trying to let him know without words that you didn't judge him for his show of emotion. You actually liked it, liked it when a guy was in touch with his emotions and wasn't afraid to show them. When he saw no judgment in your eyes, a small smile came over his face as he shrugged, "I'm okay. I know he left that for me to find, I know it. You believe me, right? You don't think I'm going crazy like the rest of them do."

You reached over and rested your hand on his thigh comfortingly, "Of course, you're not going crazy." You paused and sighed, looking out over the marsh, "I never met your dad, John B, so I don't know what he's like or how he acts. I don't know if this is the type of thing he'd do. But I do know you and trust you, your instincts, so if you say he left this for you, I believe you. I already told you I'm all in with the treasure hunt, I got your back no matter what."

Something in his eyes changed at your words; they softened, and you saw an emotion in them that you had never seen from him before, but you weren't ready to figure out what it was yet. He slowly leaned into you, his eyes flicking from yours to your lips. You didn't mean to, but you started to lean in, too, you closed your eyes, ready for whatever was about to happen.

"Yo! Where'd you two go, John B!? We've got shit to do!" You both quickly pulled away from each other at JJ's yell. You were actually kind of grateful for the timely interruption, even if the rest of you was disappointed. John B smirked and shrugged in a way that said, 'What are we going to do with him?'

You chuckled and stood up, JB following you, "We're over here!"

You both quickly made your way back to the group, noticing that Kie was there now, and she was pissed, not taking her eyes off of Sarah. Fuck. You knew the two didn't like each other. "What is she doing here?"

"She came with me today." You said simply. You didn't actually have a chance to work out your problems with the Kook who loved to pretend she was a Pogue last night, so you know that being the answer didn't make it any better.

"Well, isn't that just great! You let one Kook in, and they start to multiply."

"Uh, aren't you a Kook yourself? I've never had money in my life, so you're barking up the wrong tree here, Kiara." You said, really getting tired of her bulllshit. Sure, you wanted to be friends with her because, most of the time, she seemed like a really cool person, but she was also one of the most judgemental people you've ever met in your life, and you were not cool with that at all. You had a feeling it was actually her rich upbringing that made her grow to be so judgmental, she had the luxury to be able to judge people growing up. She'd hate if you made her realize that truth, though, and you weren't trying to start any problems with her. Not yet, anyway, if she kept it up, it'd be another story. You were a pretty patient person and liked to think you were kind, not one to jump to anger, but even you had your limits.

"She's gotta point, Kie." JJ agreed but then took a big step back when her angry eyes shot to him, and he held his hands up in surrender.

"Don't lump me in with those selfish, classist, ecocidal assholes!"

"Alright, listen!" You said, your voice raised, "I know it wasn't the plan to have Sarah here today, and we have shit to do, but I won't let you make my cousin feel like shit just because you don't like her. What the hell happened between you two anyway?"

You noticed that Sarah flinched, and that made it pretty clear it was mostly her fault. Kie was on a roll, though, so she didn't stop, "Because she's just like the rest of them! And if you don't watch yourself, you'll fall into all that rich cloak and daggers bullshit, too."

"You know what, I'm just going to go."

"No, you don't have to do that, Sarah!" You yelled, looking around for someone to back you up.

With a sigh, John B did, "Yeah, you should stay, maybe you two can work your shit out." While we worked on the treasure, he didn't add.

She smiled gratefully, "Thanks, guys, but I think I'll go. Call me when you need a ride home, okay? I'll go see what Topper's up to, I guess." She didn't sound too excited.

Feeling terrible, you followed her as she started walking to her car, "Okay, I'll go with you."

"She stopped when you both made it to the car and looked at your friends, who were well out of earshot now. "You don't have to do that, cuz. I appreciate it, though."

"No, it wasn't right how she talked to you."

"It wasn't completely unwarranted." She admitted.

"What happened with you two anyway?"

Back around the now-nonexistent fire, your friends watched as you started to leave. JJ scoffed, "Good going, Kie."

"Let her go; we don't need her anyway."

"She's our friend. It was literally 12 hours ago when she was initiated into the group; she's one of us now. You should care." Pope said calmly, always the levelheaded one.

"Yeah, she's part of the team, we need her here."

"Oh, you're just saying that because you have some sort of crush on her, John B!" Kie yelled, maybe a little jealous, but she'd never admit it.

"W-what?" He asked, stuttering a little

"She's right, you know. I don't know why you won't at least try it with her; she clearly likes you. She's like, Oh, John B." JJ said in a high-pitched tone, mimicking a girl moaning.

"Oh, is that what she does?" John B asked sarcastically.

Pope laughed and nodded while Kie crossed her arms, looking a little annoyed. JJ kept talking, "She's sketching about you outside the hotel room, begging you to be safe and cuddling up to you every chance she gets. I've woken up to you sleeping together at least twice, bro. And I'm pretty sure I interrupted something between you two on the deck just now."

"She just needed some comfort; it's not like we were making out." Well, other than that one time, but she shot me down right after, he thought. He knew his best friend was right, and he had all intentions of trying again with you, he meant what he said on the HMS Pogue; he had no problem waiting, and he wasn't going to give up, but he wasn't about to admit that to everyone. He never really had anyone he actually liked before, not someone who he thought about more than he was proud to admit, someone he wanted to be with for more than just one night, someone he felt protective and possessive over, someone he wanted to make his girlfriend, and he was still trying to decide how to handle that realization on his own before he let his friends in on it, especially with everything going on with his dad and the treasure hunt now. Not to mention that you were part of the group now, so his friends were yours.

"Low-hanging fruit, Bro. Don't pretend that you don't notice." JJ said a little exasperatedly, "I see it in your eyes, you're like, 'I kinda like that,' and then you start blushing and shit."

"I blush?"

"Yeah."

"Sure do." Pope laughed. And Kie couldn't help but break into a smile as she nodded her agreement.

"Like that!" JJ laughed, pointing at JB's face, who was indeed blushing again at the thought.

"Fuck all of you." He laughed, turning his head away so they couldn't see his cheeks.

At this point, you were making your way back to the group, and Sarah was driving away, she gave you a quick watered-down version of what happened between her and Kiara, leaving you conflicted. You understood why Kie didn't like or trust her, but she was still your cousin, and she wasn't like that anymore, so you weren't willing to just sit there while someone talked shit about her. Hopefully, the topic of Sarah wouldn't come up with your friends for a while, and you could finally have that heart-to-heart with Kie so all the drama could end.

John B took out his father's compass and started idly playing with it, which had started to become a habit with him when he was feeling awkward, anxious, or uncomfortable or just needed something to fiddle with. His face brightened when he saw you were making your way back to the group, which made you smile.

When you were close enough to hear them, John B was still looking at you, smiling, and JJ was pointing at him, laughing after noticing you, "See, that's what I'm saying! It works both ways, I guess. They're all smiles."

"Shut up, JJ!" He groaned, not nearly as annoyed as he was making himself out to be.

JJ snatched the compass from John B's hand, JB quickly tried to get it back, but JJ was faster, "Hey, what the fuck?"

"I'm just looking at it. I gotta admit, your father's compass on Scooter's boat. That's freaky."

"Yeah, and that's why we're going to Ms. Lana— that's her name, right?" You paused until John B nodded his head, "Ms. Lana's house today to figure this whole thing out."

JJ rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure she'd just love to talk to us. It's not like her husband just drowned or anything."

You paused for a moment because, for once, JJ was making a good point, the poor woman was probably in the middle of mourning. You looked around at everyone else, clearly thinking the same thing you were. Pope was the first to break the silence, "Well, as much as I'd love to interrogate a grieving wife, my Pops needs me to work today."

"Yeah, I gotta head over to The Wreck for a shift too."

John B looked disappointed for a second before perking up, "You know what? That's probably for the best. We don't all need to go there and overwhelm her. You guys will come back tonight?"

"Yup." Pope nodded.

"Of course." Kie agreed.

"Then it looks like it's just us," John B said, standing in between you and JJ, wrapping an arm around each of you and turning you towards The Twinkie, "Come on, we're burning daylight."

You laughed and leaned into him ever so slightly, your head barely resting on his shoulder. Ignoring the laughs from the two left behind when you did.