Lost & Found// Johnnyboy [𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕕]

Chapter 16

didn't have any time to edit but enjoy!

Status: Day 2 at the church; Morning.

Johnny's POV

I woke up against a hard floor. I yawned, blinking slowly. I sat up, took one look at my surroundings and nearly screamed.

I was still trapped in this hell of an adventure.

My eyes swept over the area, landing on the particularly pale boy sleeping on his jacket next to me. I immediately remembered my own jacket, and shrugged the denim fabric back onto my shoulders.

I smiled at the sight of Pone. He looked so peaceful.

From where I sat, anyway. When I took a closer look, I saw that he was extra pale today, with a pasty look to his skin. I quickly rested my hand on his forehead, feeling for a temperature.

I licked my lips nervously, having felt his forehead being much hotter than it needed to be. I swear it felt like someone'd ignited a fire.

Ponyboy stirred, groaning tiredly. I jerked my hand away as soon as his eyes were able to pull themselves open. My cheeks burned nearly as hot as the fire that burned on his forehead.

"Morning... morning, Johnnycake.." He muttered in his raspy morning-voice. A smile crept onto my face, but I quickly dispelled it.

"G-G'morning-" I cleared my throat, "G'morning, Pone. Don't move. You're sick."

"I'm sick?" The pasty-faced boy asked, his voice raising as he neared the end of the phrase.

I nodded. "Sick as a dog. I'm going to you get some Advil or somethin'. Think ya could sit tight 'til I get back?" I asked, twirling a strand of his auburn hair around my finger.

"...J-Johnny, I got.. I got something to-"

"Shhh- don't worry about it. You're sick, I'll be back in just a minute."

"But I-"

"Nope," I stated, starting to get up, "no buts. I'll be back in a second. Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone, okay?" I added, hesitating before tapping his nose.

Pony opened his mouth to protest, but must've known that I was determined. He just nodded, letting his eyelids once again fall over his emerald eyes.

My eyes tacked on him for an extra second before I started out of the battered building, reluctance and fright written all over my face.

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I slunk into through the doorway, pushing the door all but closed behind me. I knew no one was home, but it didn't help me feel any less jumpy.

I took my steps rather slowly. I didn't want to make a ruckus in the empty house. I wasn't really sure where the medicine cabinet was, or if we had one, but we had to. My father has -had- real bad allergies.

I rounded the counter, then opened the drawer closest to me. Just bread, peanut butter, things like that. I shook my head, going for the next cabinet. Sodium percarbonate, hydrogen peroxide, hydrochlori-

Hydrogen peroxide? That might come in handy.
I grabbed it from the cabinet, shutting it quickly. If chemicals were in that cabinet, I'd bet medicine is in the next one over. I opened the next drawer, to be met with a box of ibuprofen.

Perfect. Just as I'd been reaching for it, I heard a suspicious creaking coming from the front door. I whipped around, fear coursing through my veins.

"Johnathan?"

"Mother?"

"Oh, good! You're okay!" She made her way across the kitchen to hug me, much to my confusion. Wasn't this the woman who used to yell at me while my father beat the ever-loving shit out of me?

"I- uh..yeah," I replied, once she finally let me go.

"Why don't you sit down and we can talk?"

"I'd like to, but Ponyboy's got a fever and I really need to-"

"Oh, Ponyboy. The boy from Tulsa. Go along then, take the ibuprofen and get on your way." She ruffled my hair and grabbed the ibuprofen from the drawer, pressing it into my hands. I nodded, and started for the door.

"Wait- Mother?"

"Yes?"

"Where did you go?"

"Well- your father went out last night, and I was wondering where he'd gone," she told me, "he could go fall off that cliff if it was up to me, but-"

I nodded, swallowing thickly as terror rose back into my stomach. "Thank you," I murmured, before jogging up the small hill, the small box of temporary relief and bottle of hydrogen peroxide held tightly in my hands.

a/n: okay so I know ibuprofen didn't come out until 1974 and it's 1965 bUt I couldn't find anything else that would do that, so I took what I could get lmao. Anyway, thanks for reading and let me know if you find any mistakes!