Johnny Ghost approached his apartment, his keys jingling in his hands as he went to unlock the door. It was 3 AM, and he had just finished up his long shift as a fast food manager. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping, he never does, but he was still looking forward to getting to lay in his bed in cozy pajamas for a while. His best friend, and business partner, Johnny Toast had flown out from England to stay with him for a few months, because he had been working on a particularly difficult case and needed a second perspective.
As the door opened, he was hit with the strong smell of whiskey. He knows Toast has a problem, but he had been doing a lot better as of recently, so this was definitely unexpected.
"Johnny?" He said as he walked into the apartment, and directly to the living room. When he turned on the light, he could see Toast laying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. He looked to be sleeping and, besides the smell, everything seemed normal. Ghost was going to flip the switch back off, when Toast opened his eyes, squinting and putting his hand up slightly to block the light. He looked at Ghost for a second, before turning over to face the back of the couch.
"Sorry, I was just making sure everything was alright." But the only response Ghost got was a tired groan. He sighed, making his way to the couch and sitting on the arm.
"Are you okay?" A small nod.
"...Did something happen?" A headshake no.
Talking to him was going nowhere. Ghost was going to get up and leave, but Toast turned away from the back of the couch again to look at him.
"Did work go well, sir?" He spoke very quietly, and sounded exhausted. "Well, I mean, it sucks," Ghost responded with a little goofy smile stretching over his face, "but it was as good as it could've been, yeah." Toast smiled back at him a bit, closing his eyes again.
But Ghost kept studying him. His hair was ruffled by the pillow as he moved, a stark contrast from his usual well-groomed appearance, though it still looked as soft and shiny as ever. He cared a lot about his appearance, and that stayed reflected in how kept his facial hair was. His skin has almost a glow to it, and was full of life despite the dark bags hanging under his eyes. Ghost couldn't help his feelings. Even when faced with Toast at his worst, he was in love with him.
He was broken out of thought, however, when he felt a shift in the rooms mood, and Toasts face dropped to a slight frown. "You know you're my best friend, right?" He said, his eyes opening to glance at Ghost again.
"I'd hope so by now, we've known each other forever." Ghost responded, nudging Toast lightly to try to get the original relaxed energy of the conversation back.
It didn't work.
Toast readjusted to a sitting position, his gaze suddenly intense, filling Ghost with flurries of anxiety. What was left of his smile faded as they kept eye contact.
"...Sometimes I think that's all that matters."
"Johnny-" Ghost tried to interrupt.
"Sometimes I think you're all that matters."
The two of them sat in silence, looking at each other. Any lightheartedness was gone from the conversation, and the air felt heavy. Ghost couldn't tell if Toast was wanting him to respond, if he was thinking to himself now, or if he was just analyzing his face. Either way, he didn't know what to do.
He eventually broke the silence, standing up, "You're drunk, Johnny."
Toast kept his eyes on him as he moved, his intense expression softening to one more sorrowful, clearly hurt that Ghost would think he was anything but genuine, "...I don't think I could ever trust anyone else with my life like you."
Ghost hesitated before responding "...I think you just need to sleep, you'll feel better in the morning." Ghost went and got a water bottle and aspirin from the kitchen, setting it on the end table next to the couch, then went and stood by the light switch. He looked back at his friend, who was still sitting on the couch, and still watching him. There was a particular sadness in his eyes, one that Ghost couldn't quite describe even if he wanted to. Nonetheless, Ghost flicked the light back off.
"...Goodnight Johnny."
