jj the biologist.

It was JJ's eighteenth birthday, he was officially an adult. He couldn't drink in the Untied States, but he could in most other places!

The night before Otto was sitting in the bed, on top of the sheets with Freddie in her arms. She was looking at him seriously, JJ, who was laying under the sheet, his arms behind his head comfortably.

"Tomorrow I'm doing all the Freddie work, okay?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No."

"It's your birthday, you shouldn't be cleaning up shit, piss and vomit on your birthday."

"You kind of sign up for that when you have a baby, they don't magically stop doing all that on special occasions."

"I am well aware of that, I wasn't saying that and you know it. You are a little stupid but your brain functions somewhat."

"Be careful, that baby has my DNA, by calling me stupid you are pretty much calling him stupid."

"One, smart babies can come from stupid people. And two, you're DNA is cancelled out by mine."

"I'm by no means an expert in biology, but I'm pretty sure that's not how it works."

"Do the world a favour and shut up."

"Your insults have gotten less intense since Freddie was born."

"Fine. I will put you in a bath of candiru and then let Maria remove it. After it's removed I will pour that strawberry tequila you like onto it. Once the inevitable infection sets in I'll call over Lorena Bobbitt over to finish the job."

"I've got a few quest--"

"My birthday present to you is doing all the Freddie work."

"So you didn't get me a real present?" He smirked.

"You don't see your son as a gift?"

"You're right. Freddie is enough of a present, which means doing all the Freddie work is too much icing on the cake. No one likes too much icing."

"I like icing."

"He's asleep, you can put him down now."

She hadn't even realised, Otto move and place him in his little bed before getting under the covers.

"We don't have to go to the Chateau tomorrow, we can just hang out here. I don't really mind."

She shook her head, "We probably should leave the house before we are driven to insanity."

They fell asleep, Freddie's present to his father was a relatively undisturbed sleep. Although Otto obviously needed the sleep more than JJ because she was out cold.

Her original plan didn't go quite as expected.

JJ was a little nervous to bring the baby out of the house, he was almost a month old at that point so they had waited long enough.

The usually messy house had been cleaned up slightly and a few decorations had been hung. There was even a cake, although it was a little wonky.

Everyone in the group who hadn't seen the new parents for weeks were beyond excited.

They were still careful not to overwhelm them.

That afternoon Freddie was passed around, Pope was second in line and after Freddie got a good look at him he started screaming. Before Otto and JJ could get up Sarah took Freddie.

He calmed down.

Freddie was a racist.

"That was a microaggression. No, that was a full on hate crime." Pope said with an offended look.

"A one month old baby is not able to be racist and certainly is not able to commit a hate crime. Maybe you smell bad?" Kie shrugged, holding a very calm Freddie.

Eventually JJ mumbled something about it being his birthday and that he got to hold Freddie. He sat next to Otto as the one month old slept. They were sat inside so Freddie wouldn't be cold but Otto was looking out at the water. Not taking part in the conversation that was happening around her.

She was kind of in this bubble, her life pretty much consisted of JJ and Freddie. That essentially was it.

Sure, they had the Pogue's and of course they had Laura. But the only people she was with 24/7 was her son and the weird friendship that was beginning to border on relationship she had with JJ.

Otto was thinking far too much, so she shook her head a little, trying to rid it of the overthinking that was happening.

As the day went on JJ passed on every intoxicating substance that was offered to him.

"Just take the blunt, JJ. It's your birthday. I've got Freddie, let loose." Otto encouraged, having had Freddie passed to her after he threw a hissy fit.

The rest of the group all chatted away, just about all of them having either a blunt or a beer in their hands. JJ a few months ago would have both, ulternating between the two so he could cover all bases.

"You take the blunt, you haven't had anything in almost a year. I've got Freddie, let loose."

It didn't take much convincing until Otto was getting not wasted but intoxicated enough to begin having bad ideas. She decided to only smoke, but then Kie offered her a beer and being a little - or a lot - high she took the offer.

"JJ, I wanna go skinny dipping. It'll be so fun, although Freddie can't swim so we'd have to give him to someone."

She moved to get up but JJ grabbed her arm, "Tillie, you're drunk, you can't swim."

Otto sat back down looking furious at JJ, "I didn't see that in the rule book."

Eventually she moved on from the idea, thankfully, JJ really couldn't be a single parent after Otto drowned, or got hypothermia. Sarah took Freddie and Otto shifted herself closer to JJ, her legs thrown over his lap and head resting against his shoulder.

She was completely as ease, the weight of her thoughts and feelings that sat on her shoulder and weighed her down constantly lifted. It's like she could breathe again, she didn't care about the blurred lines of the relationship she had with JJ. She just sat on top of him, listening to his heart beat.

JJ loved to see Otto relaxed, he could see the way everything that was going on in her head affected her.

By the time it was well and truly night JJ and Otto - who was now practically sober - made their exit. As she probably still had a little something in her system JJ carried Freddie to the car.

After they drove to the flat despite her insistence of putting him to bed because it was JJ's birthday he told her that it was his birthday and he made the rules.

Once he was asleep JJ saw the kitchen light was on and walked out to it.

Sitting awkwardly at the kitchen counter was Otto, "It's okay if you don't like it. I just-- you said something about having never had an icecream cake. So, I tried to buy one but turns out the Outer Banks doesn't have someone to make a fucking icecream cake so I had to make it which means it's probably disg--"

"I love it." JJ cut her off, he hadn't expected it. At all.

He said he hadn't had an icecream cake pretty much on one of the first days they went to school. It was an off handed comment that he didn't even remember saying.

"Just wait until you try it and it tastes revolting."

"It's just icecream with some cake on the bottom."

"I think had the oven to hot so the outside is a little crisp. Plus the decoration on top is surprisingly hard to do."

They both stared at the cake, "It looks like it was hard."

"I think that's code for it looks shit."

"Shit's a little harsh."

"I'm never making you a cake ever again."

"I just want to try it. I'm excited."

He cut the cake open and it didn't look as bad as Otto had feared, once they both had a slice on their plate they ate it.

Otto studied JJ's face like it was an interagation of a serial killer, watching for any sign of disgust of repulsion. She looked for indifference which probably hid his disappointment.

He probably didn't even want an icecream cake, that's why he hadn't had one because he didn't fucking want one.

Suddenly she wanted to grab the fork out of his mouth, the plate his slice sat on, the cake and throw up all out the window.

It was a stupid idea.

She was so in her own head she didn't notice the sides of JJ's lips turn up, "It's really good, Tillie."

"Stop screwing with me. I'm not disgustingly hormonal anymore, I can take a bit of honesty, J."

"You haven't even had some for yourself, you just stared at me while I ate it."

That was a good point. Looking down at her untouched slice and fork sat next to it she picked up the fork and took a bite.

She was pleasantly surprised.

"That's actually not as bad as expected."

"Just admit it tastes good. You have to give yourself some credit."

"Fine. It's pretty good."

JJ ate pretty much the entire cake, that made Otto believe he truly like it and wasn't just being kind.

After he was finished she put it in the freezer, JJ was already brushing her teeth when Otto joined him.

JJ stood there, washing his hands when Otto spat out the toothpaste and rinced it from her mouth. They both turned around and coincidentally faced eachother, instead of walking away they both stayed.

Otto didn't want to go, she didn't want to give JJ a pat on the shoulder and remind him that they were just friends.

Because they weren't just friends.

They hadn't ever been just friends.

Her eyes strayed from his, darting around his face before settling on his lips. Then she looked back up at his eyes, he was looking at her.

His heart was beating so fast in his chest he wondered if she could hear it, he noticed her eyes briefly looking at his lips before looking back up at him.

It was now or never he told himself, he, every so slowly inched his face closer to hers. She didn't move, she didn't lean in or step back. She just stood still.

He stopped an inch in front of her face, he didn't want to push anything onto her. He would hate himself if he ruined it.

As soon as he stopped she raised her hand and put it on her cheek, closing the gap between the two.

It wasn't rushed, or heated.

JJ wasn't the only one scared to ruin it, Otto was scared too. She feared if it happened to quickly she'd freak herself out. It'd remind her of the other people she'd been with and it'd ruin everything they had.

His hand had moved up to the back of her neck, touching the skin ever so lightly.

Then she pulled away, it only lasted a few seconds.

But that was enough for both of them.

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