We Won't Be Them

by Useless_as_ever

Summary:

What If kiara was the one who got pregnant and not sarah?
Promises are made that won't be broken.

Notes:

If you do not like it feel free to give me ideas you would like to see.

Feel free to give constructive criticism

This is for: Fastido

Enjoy <3

Chapter 1

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The waves crashed against the shore, distant and steady, a reminder that the world kept moving—even when everything in Kiara’s life felt like it had just slammed to a stop.

She sat on the steps of the Château, her hands gripping the edge of the wood so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. The test sat beside her.

Positive.

Kiara exhaled, slow and measured, like she could control the way her heart was hammering in her chest.

She had told herself she wouldn’t panic. That she wouldn’t be that girl—the one who freaked out and lost her shit the second life threw her something unexpected. But this? This was different.

She wasn’t even sure how long she had been sitting there, staring at the same patch of sand.

She only looked up when she heard the sound of footsteps.

JJ.

Of course, it was JJ.

He was always the one who found her when she was hiding from the world.

She didn’t move, didn’t say anything as he climbed up onto the porch, cracking open a beer like it was just another night. His usual cocky grin was there—until his gaze dropped to the test beside her.

He froze.

Kiara swallowed, her throat dry. “Say something.”

JJ let out a slow breath. He set his beer down, rubbing a hand over his face. “Shit.”

Kiara let out a breathless laugh, shaking her head. “Yeah.”

JJ didn’t ask if it was real. Didn’t doubt her for a second. He just sat down beside her, his arms resting on his knees, looking out at the same horizon she had been staring at for what felt like forever.

Silence stretched between them, the weight of what this meant settling in.

Eventually, JJ spoke, his voice softer than she expected. “Do you know what you wanna do?”

Kiara swallowed hard. She had been asking herself that question for hours. Maybe longer.

“I don’t know.” The words felt heavier than anything she had ever said before. “I don’t even know where to start.”

JJ nodded slowly, like he understood.

Maybe he did.

They had both been raised by parents who weren’t really there—not in the ways that mattered. JJ’s dad was an abusive drunk. Kiara’s parents loved her, but only if she fit into the box they wanted her in. Neither of them had ever really known what a stable family looked like.

Neither of them had ever thought about starting one.

JJ exhaled, shaking his head. “Okay. So, first things first, we breathe.”

Kiara shot him a look. “Seriously?”

JJ grinned, nudging her with his elbow. “Yeah, dude. Deep breaths. In and out. Let’s go.”

Kiara rolled her eyes but did it anyway.

And, somehow, it helped.

 

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The Château smelled like salt and old wood, the kind of scent that clung to everything, even the air. The night was quiet, save for the waves rolling against the shore, a steady rhythm that Kiara focused on just to keep herself grounded.

She hadn’t moved from the porch.

Not since she told JJ. Not since he sat beside her, handed her a beer she didn’t drink, and told her to breathe.

She didn’t know how long they had been sitting there, passing the same thoughts back and forth in silence, but it felt like hours. Maybe it had been.

The weight of the test still sat between them.

Kiara exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over her face. "I keep thinking my parents are gonna come out of nowhere and scream at me or something."

JJ smirked, taking a sip of his beer. "If they show up, I’ll take the heat."

Kiara huffed. "Yeah, because they love you so much already." She said sarcastically

JJ shrugged, stretching his legs out in front of him. "They’ll love me even more when they find out I got their daughter knocked up."

Kiara groaned, nudging him hard enough that he nearly tipped over. "Don’t say it like that."

JJ chuckled, shaking his head. "C’mon, Kie. If we don’t joke about this, we’ll go insane."

Kiara wanted to argue, but he wasn’t wrong.

JJ watched her, eyes more serious than his voice had been all night. Like he was waiting. Like he knew she still had more to say.

Kiara turned her head to him. “I can’t stop thinking about them.”

JJ frowned. “Who?”

She gestured vaguely at the air, at all the ghosts in their pasts that never quite let them go. “Your dad. My parents. Everything we said we’d never be.”

JJ’s jaw tightened, his grip firm around the bottle in his hand. “Yeah.”

It was the first time all night that he sounded unsure.

Kiara turned to him fully, studying his face. The bruises from his last fight with Luke had faded, but she could still see them. Even if they weren’t there anymore, she could see them.

She reached out, brushing her fingers against the side of his face. "JJ."

His eyes flickered to hers.

Kiara swallowed hard. "I can’t—I won’t do this if it means repeating what they did to us."

JJ nodded, almost too fast. Like he had already decided that for himself.

"We won’t," he said. "No fucking way."

Kiara let out a shaky breath. "How do you know?"

JJ hesitated, staring out at the water for a long time before he finally spoke again.

"Because I know what it’s like to have a dad that doesn’t care if you exist," he said, voice quieter than before. "And I know you know what it’s like to have parents who only love a version of you that fits their mold."

He turned back to her, expression firm.

"So we don’t do that. We don’t make this kid feel like a burden. We don’t make them feel like they have to prove they’re worth something."

Kiara’s throat tightened.

She didn’t know when she had started crying, but she felt the tears on her cheeks now.

JJ’s expression softened. "Hey. Don’t cry, dude."

Kiara let out a half-laugh, half-sob. "You’re an idiot."

"Yeah, but you’re stuck with me."

She believed him.

And maybe that was enough.

Kiara sniffed, wiping her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. "So what now?"

JJ leaned back on his hands, exhaling slow. "Now?" He shrugged. "Now, we go inside, finish this beer, and figure out how the hell we’re supposed to tell the Pogues."

Kiara huffed a laugh. "Pope’s gonna have an aneurysm."

JJ smirked. "Yeah, and Kie?"

She turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

JJ reached over, lacing their fingers together. "We got this."

Kiara squeezed his hand.

And for the first time since she took the test, she thought maybe—just maybe—he was right.

 

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Chapter 2

Notes:

So I deleted the last chapter and made this instead since the timeliness didn't match up.

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Kiara had faced a lot of terrifying things in her life.

Running from the cops? Easy.
Getting chased through the marsh by guys with guns? Whatever.
Stealing a boat? Been there, done that.

But telling the Pogues she was pregnant?

That was an entirely different level of scary.

She sat on the worn-out couch in the Château, bouncing her knee, JJ lounging beside her like they weren’t about to drop a bombshell on their friends.

"Stop looking like you're gonna throw up," JJ muttered, nudging her with his foot.

Kiara shot him a glare. “Stop looking like you’re excited.”

JJ smirked, but there was something softer in his eyes when he looked at her. “What? Can’t a guy be hyped about fatherhood?”

Kiara groaned, flopping back against the couch. "Oh my God."

Before JJ could say something else smart, the front door creaked open.

John B walked in first, running a towel through his wet hair, sand still sticking to his legs. Sarah followed close behind, dropping onto the armrest of his chair.

Pope and Cleo came in last, mid-argument.

“I’m just saying,” Pope was saying, hands flying in frustration, “there is zero chance you could survive a week alone in the jungle.”

Cleo smirked. “You underestimate me, pipe.”

John B groaned, tossing his towel aside. "Can we not argue about Cleo’s survival skills for once?"

Pope threw up his hands. "Tell her I’m right, then!"

JJ clapped his hands together. “Okay! Before we start taking bets on who’s surviving the next near-death experience, Kiara and I have some news.”

Kiara’s stomach flipped.

The room went dead silent.

JJ turned to Kiara, wiggling his eyebrows. "Wanna do the honors?"

Kiara sighed, rubbing her hands over her face before blurting, "I’m pregnant."

Chaos.

Pope choked on air.

Sarah’s jaw dropped.

John B actually spit out his drink.

Cleo blinked, stunned for half a second—then grinned. “Oh shit. For real?”

JJ beamed, throwing an arm over Kiara’s shoulders. “Yep. Your boy’s gonna be a dad.”

Pope genuinely looked like he might pass out. “Wait—wait, wait, wait.” He pointed between them. “You—JJ—Kiara—you’re having a baby?!”

Kiara braced herself. “Yeah.”

Pope sat down immediately. "I need a second."

JJ snorted. "You need a second? Dude, I needed a whole damn day."

Sarah, still gaping, suddenly let out a squeal and tackled Kiara in a hug.

“Oh my God, Kie!" she shrieked. "This is insane—but amazing—but insane!”

Kiara laughed, hugging her back. “I know, right?”

John B, still looking a little dazed, let out a low whistle and turned to JJ. “Damn, man. Never thought you’d be the first one to settle down.”

JJ grinned. "Me neither, but, hey—life’s full of surprises."

Pope groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "This is so much responsibility."

JJ smirked, kicking Pope’s shoe. "Relax, Pope. It’s not your kid."

Pope glared at him. “I’m gonna be the one making sure it doesn’t die, though, aren’t I?”

Cleo laughed. “Oh, 100%.”

Kiara watched her friends, the chaos, the noise, the sheer ridiculousness of it all—and for the first time, she felt okay.

More than okay.

JJ glanced at her, squeezing her hand. “Told you they wouldn’t kill us.”

Kiara rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

Because this?

This was family.

And no matter what happened next, they had each other.

And that was more than enough.

 

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Notes:

This is a mini chapter that I wrote quickly since I'm writing smth else.
Hopefully you enjoyed this and I'm sorry for the complications in the last chapter

Notes:

Feel free to give ideas I love reading them <3

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 5 of We Have Been Through Alot For Our Age