SKYFALL, Johnny Kavanagh

Teas and talks

Maeve's Point of View

"Are you trying to rob me, Sunshine?" Johnny asked, coming into view.

He stood in the doorway, shirtless, his sweatpants hanging low on his hips, his hair sticking up at odd angles.
He squinted at me, rubbing a hand over his face like he was still half-asleep.

I stared.

"Yeah." I spoke in a hushed whisper. "I'm trying to steal a cup of tea."

"We have an electric kettle." He spoke, pointing at it before taking the pot from my hands and putting in back in its place.

"Thanks." I reached for the kettle. "Go back to bed, Boy Wonder."

Johnny ignored me, took the kettle before I could, and I watched as he filled it with water. "You know, I'm perfectly capable of using an electric kettle."

"I know." He replied as we waited for the water to boil and when it did, Johnny took out two cups, poured the water and added a tea filter. "Sugar or milk?"

"Both." I yawned.

When he was finished, he handed me one cup and sat on one of the stools. "You couldn't sleep?"

"Something like that." I admitted. "I think I'll go outside and get some air."

I could fell the hesitation rolling off him before he spoke. "You want some company?"

I debated it for a moment.
I would be easier to tell Johnny that I wanted to be alone.
But I didn't.

"Are you going to put a hoodie on?" I asked pointing as his annoyingly sculpted chest.

Johnny smirked. "Why? Distracted, Sunshine?"

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my tea. "Just wondering if you plan on freezing to death."

"I'll survive." He said, but he grabbed a hoodie off the back of a chair and put it on anyway. "Come on, then."

Johnny led the way to the porch, pushing open the door as the cold air hit us.
I inhaled sharply at the sudden change in temperature, but it felt good – like something real to anchor me to the present.

Johnny sat on the steps, stretching his legs out in front of him, and I sat beside him.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.

"I wish I had my cigarettes with me." I said, breaking the quiet. "They're good for taking the edge off."

Johnny made a noise at the back of his throat, somewhere between a scoff and a groan. "You do know those things are poisoning you, right?"

I smirked, taking another sip of my tea. "Yeah, yeah. I'm aware. But so is alcohol, and you don't seem to have a problem with that."

Johnny shot me a flat look. "You saw me drink one beer all night."

"Two." I corrected. "And spare me the lecture about the effects of smoking on my heath. I don't even drink."
But I take fentanyl I mentally added. Oh well, one can't have it all.
And I doubted I was going to live long enough for it to do any real damage, anyway.
Teddy was going to get me long before whatever I smoked or ingested ever did.

"I'm letting it go, for tonight." He stretched his arms over his head. "You don't drink?"

I mentally kicked myself for letting that particular piece of information slip. "No. Never have and never will."

He looked deep in thought for a moment, like he was trying to put together a puzzle that had a lot of missing pieces. "Is that what bothered you tonight? You ran for the hills right after a lad passed by you with a shot."