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john b couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so comfortable, so at peace, before this moment. he was lying in the hammock that he and jj had strung up not too long ago, a cheap thing that jj had actually bought for once, like he did with all the presents that he’d bought for the pogues. jj didn’t mind shelling out what little money he had for his friends over himself, he never had.
the sun was just starting to set and he had a perfect view of it dropping below the horizon, the way it lit the sky up golden, how it turned the marsh into an emerald green bay. john b had always been a sunset person, preferring the warmth of them over the cooler sunrises.
the sound of a plastic bag rustling caught his attention and john b turned to look behind himself, a smile instantly adorning his face when he saw jj walking up. he was carrying a few bags that john b guessed must be snacks and beer. ellen, down at the save-a-lot had stopped trying to card jj years ago, happy that at least she knew where jj was getting his alcohol supply from.
“hey dude,” jj started as he kicked off his boots and removed his socks. the still warm grass under his bare feet tickled just a little as he walked closer to the hammock, bags still in hand. as he got closer, john b could make out the six pack and some bags of chips and what looked like a tupperware container in one of them.
“you’ll never guess what laura’s been up to.” jj continued.
john b sat up in the hammock and schooched over so that jj could lie down with him after he set the bags down. john b shifted some more as he wrapped one arm around jj’s waist. jj flipped onto his side and propped up his chin on john b’s shoulder as he continued to tell john b about laura - ellen’s daughter - and how she’d just moved into a new apartment in new york city with her girlfriend christy and how she’d adopted a kitten that ellen now referred to as her only grandchild.
the two of them continued to speak about anything and everything as the sun went down in front of them, eventually taking out the tupperware filled with miss alice’s - ellen’s mother - brownies and cookies, feeding each other bites before washing it down with the still cold beer that jj had brought.
after a while, jj was fast asleep, his face tucked into john b’s neck and an arm slung over his chest. the sky above them sparkled navy blue and black, the stars lit up for the night and the air around them had turned cool. john b grabbed the blanket that rested by their feet and pulled it over the two of them, letting the soft rise and fall of jj’s chest against his side lull him to sleep.