The nights I'm left alone - (johnnie guilbert x jake webber) (DISCONTINUED)

6

By the time Johnnie left the bathroom there was a mug of hot chocolate sitting on the table waiting for him beside a plate of toast that was slowly getting cold already. Johnnie eyed the food, not sure whether he really wanted to eat it or not but he didn't want to seem rude, so with a heavy sigh he plopped down on the couch and took it, taking a small bite and chewing it slowly. Almost instantly, he could feel the nausea rise up to his throat and course through his entire body as he swallowed the toast forcefully. He put the toast back down and picked up the mug instead, hoping it would go down easier and wouldn't make his skin crawl.

Jake eyed him carefully the whole time, not staring too obviously but he was definitely looking and Johnnie could feel it. Johnnie wished today didn't happen, he wished Jake would just look away and go to bed and forget about it. But he knew that unfortunately, it would not be that easy.

The clock on the wall read 5:25. It was early, Johnnie was exhausted and guessed Jake probably was too. He felt bad for keeping him up all night, this was his fault after all. He shouldn't have run away, it was a childish move and now he regretted it.

"You gonna sleep after?" Jake asks suddenly, breaking the tense silence that had been lingering ever since Johnnie came out of that shower.

Johnnie nodded, slowly, sighing and scrubbing his face with his hands. He couldn't wait to finally settle into his own bed and sleep. His bed was definitely more comfortable that some old wooden treehouse in the woods. "Yeah."
He put down his half empty mug and looked at Jake, finally. "You?" It felt awkward.

"Depends. Will you run away again if I do?" Jake inquired almost humorously, but with a hint of seriousness to the question. Johnnie has to force himself not to roll his eyes, since it wouldn't really be surprising that Jake would expect him to leave again.

"No."

"Okay."

Okay? That's it? Johnnie stared at Jake for a few more seconds as if expecting a lecture or something more than just 'okay, but it never came to his relief. He was too tired to argue or talk about this any further.

He just wanted to go to bed.

Johnnie finished off the rest of his hot chocolate reluctantly, he felt like he was drinking a mug of calories he didn't need. Johnnie didn't finish the toast, he felt bad but he couldn't get himself to do it. So he pushed himself up off the couch, head feeling fuzzy from the hunger he couldn't feel, and he binned the toast with a guilty feeling in his chest as he felt Jake watch. He put his dishes away and went back to the living room.

"So um...thanks for the hot chocolate. I'm gonna go to bed now." Johnnie states awkwardly, avoiding Jake's eyes at all costs.

"Okay. Goodnight." Jake replies simply. Too simply.

Is he mad at me? Johnnie wonders, but doesn't stick around to ask. He's caused enough trouble for one night he decided as he sinks down into his soft mattress. It felt like a luxury compared to the hard wood from earlier. He didn't have to wait long before he fell asleep.

*

The next day came quickly and Johnnie found that he woke up fairly late, 3pm. Though that didn't really come as a surprise considering how late we went to sleep. Still, he didn't feel like getting up. And he didn't have to either, Jake probably wouldn't think anything of it today. He could get away with it, no questions asked, probably. Other than maybe a plate of food shoved in front of his face at some point throughout the day with a lecture about he "needs to eat to live". Wouldn't be the first time he's heard it.

Johnnie rolled over in bed, facing the dimly lit wall by the soft orange glow that broke out from behind his closed blinds slightly. He sighed, pulling the bed sheets further up and to his chin, he could feel his body shivering from the cold. Or maybe from tiredness. He couldn't tell. But he really hoped he wasn't sick. He hated being sick.