Johnny

On his ride home Johnny keeps asking himself if it was okay to refuse Cia's invitation.

Okay, he knows why he did it - because after Mr. Moon walked in on them making out in the dressing room, it just didn't feel right any longer. And the smirks Mike sent their way every once in a while didn't help either.

All the way to Cia's apartment, he waited for the feeling to come back - but it didn't. Not when she asked if he wanted to come up, not when she teased him - which he actually liked a lot -, not when they finally kissed.

And it was no lie. He would have loved to come up with her - if the feeling had been right.

Which it wasn't.

Unfortunately.

And all the ride home he keeps waiting for the right feeling to come back because he could still turn around, he could call her, he could tell her that he's changed his mind.

But it doesn't come back.

With a sigh he parks his truck and climbs out.

Even on his way up the stairs he keeps waiting.

And still, nothing.

He doesn't get it.

Back in that dressing room, it had felt right, so very right!

And then it was gone within the blink of an eye.

Okay, it has been no lie either that he wants to get up early tomorrow to work at the garage before rehearsals. Because he still wants to open the youth center before Rosita and Gunter start their tour.

But he wouldn't have cared. If the feeling had been right, he wouldn't have cared, that is.

He's still thinking about it when he goes to bed.

Something tells him that sleep wouldn't come his way anytime soon.


The next days pass rather quickly. There's the work at the garage and rehearsals and more work at the garage.

And then it's Friday, the day Rosita asked him and Cia to redeem their voucher for babysitting because she and Norman want to go on their candlelight-dinner-date.

When he picks up Cia she has her secret babysitting-weapon with her, her bag of wonders where the piglets can reach in for little presents when they do the tasks right.

It's not a surprise - Cia has used it before for babysitting the piglets -, but Johnny is still relieved.

Cia climbs into the truck, greets him with a quick kiss and they are on their way to Rosita.


"If something comes up, call me," Rosita says for the felt hundredth time. "And I put all the numbers you might need on the fridge, poison control…"

"Children's ward and so on," Johnny cuts in. "Rosita, we know."

The female pig sighs. "You sure you can handle this?"

"We did before," Johnny replies. Okay, actually, it was just him at first, and he failed miserably until he called Cia for help.

Rosita looks from him to Cia and Cia holds up her little bag of wonders and shakes it a little.

Rosita giggles.

"Okay," she finally says. "We might be out a little longer, so if you get tired, you can convert the couch into a bed and sleep here. Breakfast is on us tomorrow!"

"Yes, Rosita," Johnny says, mentally rolling his eyes. "You told us twice already."

Rosita sighs. "And if anything happens…"

"We'll call you," Johnny finishes her sentence. "Really, Rosita, we're going to be fine."

"Okay," Rosita says, but she still doesn't move.

"He, Norman!" Cia calls out. "Think you can catch her if I throw her out of the apartment? Literally, I mean."

And she leans forward pretending to grab Rosita.

"No, no, I'm going, I'm going!" Rosita says quickly and catches up with Norman at the door.

And then - finally! - the door shuts closed behind them.


Johnny has to admit, it's so much better to have Cia's help from the start instead of spending hours close to a mental breakdown while keeping the piglets from hurting themselves.

With Cia's help, no almost-accidents happen, he isn't close to a mental breakdown one minute, and it's just nice.

He's still glad when the piglets have gone to sleep and he and Cia can settle down on the couch.

He turns on the TV, but doesn't really care what's on.

The last days, he and Cia didn't have much time together, so he can't wait to kiss her.

And he does as soon as she sits down next to him. Almost.

Because in the last moment he remembers something. He really liked it when Cia teased him back in the truck after Rosita's birthday party. It's just a idea, but he wants to try it the other way round.

So just before their lips touch, he stops and when Cia tries to bridge the gap between them, he leans back.

Cia tries again, but he leans back a little more, and she chuckles.

"Now I regret giving you ideas," she says.

"No need for that," he replies before he finally pulls her into a gentle kiss.

Before he can deepen the kiss, Cia breaks it.

"Not here," she whispers. "Not when the piglets could see us."

Johnny thinks about it for a moment. He doesn't like it, but Cia has a point.

"Agreed," he says. "It was hard enough to have to listen to them singing the k-i-s-s-i-n-g-song every ten minutes."

"You have to thank the little bag of wonders that they finally stopped," Cia replies with a smile.

"And the one who came up with this bag of wonders," he adds, his voice a little low. "Thank you!"

And he pulls her into another gentle kiss.

He so wants to deepen it, but no, Cia is right. It's better to be careful around here.

They spend hours on the couch watching TV, cuddling, and sharing gentle kisses every now and then.

Around midnight, Cia looks at him.

"Think we should settle in for the night? I don't think they're coming back anytime soon," she asks.

Johnny just nods and gets up.

Together, they convert the couch into a bed, using the blankets and pillows Rosita has laid out ready.

Cia goes to the bathroom first.

It gives Johnny time to think. And doesn't know if he likes it. Because now he realizes that staying overnight means that Cia and he are going to share a bed for the very first time.

Sure, Rosita has told them about this option when she asked them to babysit because - so Johnny guesses - she really wanted to spend the night alone with Norman.

And yes, he agreed, and he and Cia brought everything they need to stay the night.

But now that it's actually happening, he isn't so sure if he likes it.

Having Cia this close to him for a whole night, is that a good a idea?

No, it's not, he decides, especially because nothing can happen between them.

And it's going to be even more difficult, he realizes, when Cia comes back wearing a nightshirt. At least it's loose and not tight which would make things even more difficult. And yes, it could be even worse, like, it could be even more revealing.

He quickly gets to the bathroom to take a shower and change into his pajamas.

When he comes back, Cia is watching TV.

Johnny climbs into bed next to her. He feels a bit uneasy, but he can handle this.

Cia looks at him.

"Sleep time?" she asks.

"Yes," he replies with a shrug.

She still looks at him.

"What?" he asks.

"Well, could you turn off the TV then?" she asks. "You were in charge of the remote control and I have no idea where you put it."

"Oh, yes, sure!" he quickly says, finding the remote control on his side of the bed, and turns the TV off.

"Thanks!" Cia says, and although his eyes haven't adjusted to the dark yet, he knows she's smiling.

Then she lies down, keeping a distance between them.

It makes Johnny frown.

"Something wrong?" he asks.

"No, why?" Cia replies.

"Because you're lying down over there."

Cia lifts her head. "Well, I might kick. Or snore. Or both."

Johnny rolls his eyes as he lies down and holds out his arm.

"Don't mind," he says.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Actually, he isn't sure if it's a good idea, but he wants to have her closer to him. About that, he's sure at least.

Cia shifts closer and her head comes to rest on his chest. He wraps his arm around her.

"Good night, Johnny!" Cia says.

"Good night, Cia!"

And now comes the time when Johnny realizes that having Cia this close to him is not such a good idea at all. It's one thing to cuddle when they're both completely dressed, but wearing so little? This sure complicates things.

Cia's calm breathing shows him that she must have fallen asleep.

Johnny, however, isn't sure if he's going to find any sleep tonight.

He listens to her breathing, feels her warmth, smells her scent, and he likes it.

Actually, it feels right.

He places a kiss on her forehead before he closes his eyes, trying to find some sleep.

He's still awake when Norman and Rosita finally come home.

He pretends to be asleep, though.

Johnny doesn't know when, but at some point, he finally drifts off to sleep.