The Strays ⎈John B Routledge⎈

Missed Opportunities

Chapter 3: Missed Opportunities

I made da gif :) 

~SiriusCatBennett

John B woke up to the familiar feeling of water droplets hitting his face. Luckily, it was a small leak, but it made the boy groan, reaching his hand up to wipe the liquid off. In doing so, he realized there was a pressure on his chest and glanced down.

There, CJ was resting peacefully, her features completely softened. John B could barely see her face, but she looked beautiful. Hair strung out around her, leg thrown over his thighs, arm wrapped around his waist, was one of his favorite moments. Even in her sleep, she never moved away from him and clung to him like a koala. Not to mention, he liked it when she slept soundly. There were too many nights he had to wake her from nightmares.

Pulled from his reverie by another droplet slapping him in the face, he groaned and moved too quickly to wipe it away. The movement caused CJ to stir and he felt a bit guilty for waking the girl.

"Mm, what time is it?" She questioned groggily, her head lifting for a split second to look around before it fell back to his chest. He smiled lovingly at the action and began stroking her arm softly.

"Dunno. Just woke up."

CJ hummed in acknowledgment, curling into him for a moment before sighing. Lifting herself up, Johnny's hand fell from her arm as she stretched out. The boy grabbed his phone to keep from staring at her.

"No service?"

"Shit, storm must've knocked out the towers." CJ mumbled, crawling over JB to get up. The first thing she did was try and flip the light switch. "Yep, no power either."

"What a surprise." CJ sent the boy an amused glare for his sarcasm before taking the few steps to the old dresser in the room. Pulling open the drawer the twins kept their clothes in, she pulled out new shorts and then jacked one of John B's button-ups. She made sure to grab a new swimsuit too as she'd been sweating all night in the one she was still wearing. "Can you go wake up JJ?"

"Yeah, I got it." Pushing his sweaty hair back, the boy bounced up from the bed and made his way through the crowded sitting room. JJ was still laying on the pull-out mattress, now face down. "Yo, JJ, you been outside?"

"I have polio, bro. I can't walk."

Shaking his head at his best friend's antics, John B ventured outside. From the porch, he could already see how bad it was out there. He thanked the heavens for CJ insisting they do storm prep or everything might be destroyed.

"Oh, man." He yawned, pushing through the patio door. One of the big trees in the yard was completely uprooted, luckily having fallen away from the house. "That's no good. That is not good."

"I don't know about that. It didn't hit anything. It'll make for good firewood." CJ, having changed rather quickly, appeared behind him, the door swinging shut behind her. The boy turned in time to see her shrug.

"Can't argue with that."

Taking a moment to appreciate her ensemble, John B had the vague thought that he would never get over her stealing his clothes. Or the fact that the blue bandana she'd stolen from him two years ago matched the bikini top she wore. As if she'd heard his thoughts, the girl raised her right wrist, using their favorite bandana to wipe the sweat from her brow.

After that, the two walked around, surveying the damage. Two random boats had somehow been washed ashore, coming close to the house. They both seemed old and abandoned and CJ wondered if they could get them up and running while John B messed with a branch thrown over one of them. There were other branches and leaves everywhere; one of them resting against a porch screen. They weren't sure if the tarp saved it or if the branch put another hole through it. Looking around, CJ could spot all the places and things that would've been utterly fucked if they hadn't moved everything. Luckily, the clucking of the chickens could be heard, ensuring they made it out okay.