otto is awkward for the first time.

JJ wanted to run, as fast as he could, drive as fast as the car would let him and run around the back of the Chateau like someone was chasing him.

But he didn't.

He had priorities.

He let Otto lead the way, she chose the pace. It was obvious she was going as fast as she could, which honestly wasn't all that fast. JJ wasn't impatient, or annoyed at her speed, in fact he wanted tell he she could slow down.

Once they got in the car JJ only drove a little over the limit, his heart was pounding.

It didn't feel real, he wondered if it was an fucked up way to get back to him after how shitty he acted toward Otto a few months ago.

They arrived at the iconic house that held so many memories, "Go. Run, I'll catch up." Otto smiled, JJ could tell she was genuine so he opened the door and ran.

It wasn't karma for how he acted a few months ago, they were right there.

Alive. And from outter appearances, well.

He hadn't seen them in almost two years, he truly didn't think he'd ever see them again. Then there was the letter, and then another letter and now they were right there.

John B turned around and they saw each other, they both began running and practically jumped at one another. Gravity wasn't friendly and they both hit the ground, not that they cared.

"Holy shit! I thought you were dead, dude." JJ laughed.

John B slapped his back, "That was kind of the point, dude."

They got back up and JJ saw Sarah who was looking at the two with a happy smile, "It's good to see you." She smiled.

"Good to see you too," he walked over and gave her a quick hug. He really had missed her, more than he thought he would.

Looking at the two it felt surreal. A dream. Way too good to be real.

He looked behind him, even with her slow walking Otto should've made it by now. But she wasn't there.

"What're you looking for?" John B asked.

"More like who." Kie smirked, she was excited to see the reaction of the couple.

JJ looked back at Pope and Kie, he was hoping they would've told them, he really didn't want to. He knew the looks he'd get and the comments that would come out of his friend's mouths.

"Otto, you coming?" JJ shouted, a minute later he was about to go and find her when she walked around the corner.

She looked awkward, and she never looked awkward. She was always so sure of herself. But this was awkward, it felt like she was intruding on a personal reunion, she would've stayed behind if they weren't at her/their spot. The walk back from there in her current situation would have taken an embarrassing amount of time.

So she decided she'd just stay in the car, even if she was sitting there for hours it felt like a better option then gatecrashing the coming home celebration of people she had never met before.

When she heard JJ call her she knew she didn't really have a choice anymore. It'd be weirder if she just stayed in the car, ignoring him.

The two people Otto had yet to meet watched her as she walked around the corner.

Their eyes didn't stay on her face for long.

Sarah and John B were somehow not surprised at all, and very surprised at the same time.

No one had spoken so Otto broke the silence, "It's nice to meet you." She had no clue what to say, and the words kind of tumbled out.

Meeting the pair she had heard so much about was strange, she hadn't actually seen any photos of them so it was almost like they were fictional characters. And now those fictional characters were standing right in front of her.

Sarah smiled and walked the small distance between the both and wrapped her up in a hug, "It's so nice to meet you."

John B looked at JJ with a smirk, JJ knew he'd do that. John B was endlessly amused.

They all conrgrated to the porch, all taking their usual place. In addition to Sarah and John B sitting in a sofa to the left of Otto.

"How did this happen?" John B asked - not in a judgemental way, more confused, amused and slightly shocked way, - as he gestured between JJ and Otto.

Otto let JJ take the lead, he tried to soften what happened to were he didn'took like an arse, but Kie and Pope didnt let that happen. When he left something out they were quick to add it back in. Each time they did Otto smirked. This was some karma if she ever saw it.

After a few questions about the who's, the what's and the when's they moved on to the runaway teens.

They did ask about where, for obvious reasons.

They explained how they were followed for months, each time they were found they'd move and in a matter of days the people would be back.

It was like a never ending game of cat and mouse.

They knew they had to leave the Caribbean, it was only a matter of time until their original attempt of capturing the pair would be successful. The plan took some time, eventually they took a boat to Mexico, and another from Mexica to Texas. From there they took buses - all paid for in cash - until they arrived at the very place they escaped from all those months ago

John B and Sarah hadn't been found since getting to Mexico, but they were constantly paranoid and vigilant.

Everyone was both enthralled by the story and scared at what it meant, by the sounds of it, it was only a matter of time until they would be tracked down.

And they still knew nothing about the stalkers/kidnappers/probable murderers, all the information they had to work off what a shittily drawn picture of the emblem.

The fact someone actively wanted his friends dead meant he was worried for them, but he was more worried about Otto and what that meant for his family. What had he roped them into?

They all dissolved into their own conversations, Kie talked with John B, JJ talked to Pope and that left Otto talking to Sarah.

Right from the start she knew she liked the girl, she was gorgeous which helped, but beyond that she could tell she was kind, caring and a little nosey. They mainly talked about the baby no matter how hard Otto tried to shift the conversation to something else.

If she was being honest Sarah was in shock that JJ Maybank was going to be a father.

And she was even more shocked that he seemed happy about it.

Kie and Pope made sure they both knew that be wasn't always happy about it, quite the opposite actually.

Otto sat with her back to JJ, he was no longer pushing the hammock and Sarah sat in the seat he usually occupied. The girl had no clue that every few minutes JJ would look over, just to make sure she was okay.

It made Sarah smile.

After a while Kie made her way over to the girls, Otto watched them catch up and she zoned out.

Otto hated thinking about her feelings, it was overwhelming, and quite frankly annoying. Sure, she could deal with the surface level stuff like when her favourite TV's shows get cancelled or when her mum judged her parking skills, but anything deeper than that she couldn't deal with.

But sitting there, she began to think about them.

She liked JJ.

Otto knew that from the get go, she didn't really remember anything from that night beyond them at their/her spot. She drank his tequila and he offered her drugs. Past that was a blank slate. From the little she had to go off she liked him. Even when he was unequivocally awful to her, she still liked him. It was annoying, really, she just couldn't shake her feelings for the blonde. There was a cycle, he was nice to her, he was awful to her, she forgave him and it'd all repeat. But he seemed to have broken that cycle.

He was rectifying his mistakes and trying his best to sort his shit out.

She liked him, plain and simple.

Then her dad died. After his death she didn't really think about anything for a while, she just turned that off. But when she began thinking again she realised how much she trusted him. She trusted him to be there during the worst day of her life.

Otto thought that once she got herself back on her feet she'd push him away, that they'd go back to the way they were before. Friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

She had pushed him away for so long, now that he was right in front of her, she didn't want to push him away. She couldn't push him away.

Sitting in front of old friends catching up, she examined her feelings.

Otto hated what she saw.

So she pushed them right to the back of her head, right where they belonged.

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