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Chapter Text

Jake's idea for his latest video was simple and Johnnie would have to go along with it. 'STRANDED IN THE WOODS WITH JOHNNIE FOR 7 DAYS' or something along those lines, he isn't really sure.

It's not like he's scared of bears or wolves or any of that shit but it's super cold and the sun sets early this late into winter.

Why couldn't they have done this video in the summer - or even fall?

"Jaaake, how long are we gonna have to keep walking before we get to the campground." He throws his head back in an exaggerated motion for the camera - Jakes iPhone; they're going completely off the grid for some reason -and the taller man just waves him off, walking slightly ahead.

"Stop bitching, we're almost there." Jake retorts in a nonchalant but still lighthearted manner. Johnnie rolls his eyes, wrapping his arms around himself to maintain any warmth possible, he side eyes the camera in a 'you seeing this shit?' gesture.

"I told you exactly what we were gonna be doing and you couldn't have dressed any worse for this." Jake gestures at his heeled black boots and leather jacket, both very inappropriate for hiking. Johnnie looks at the other man's jacket solemnly, it looks comfy.

He rolls his eyes for the camera nonetheless, "Stop trying to take away my emo-ness, I know you're just trying to make me less cool so you look better compar-it-bly" Jake huffs a laugh "-compare-" Johnnie's too focused on the other's laughter to say the word properly as Jake's now hunched over, trying to contain more laughs "-You know what I mean- and it's not even funny asshole!!"

The taller man hums a dubious agreement and mouths something to the camera, smirking. "Also you do not need any help looking less cool, I think it's impossible actually." Jake says - lips pursed - in that smug tone and Johnnie huffs, stomping away in the direction that he hopes is towards the campsite.

"Uhh Johnnie.." There's still so much humor in the other's voice. "Goddamnit!" The blue eyed man responds, shuffling in the other direction.

-

When they finally get to the site, Johnnie is sure that his lips are blue from the frigid conditions. During a quiet spell between filming, he asks, "Jake did you check the weather before setting this up?" and picks up a rock from their failed attempt at a campfire, studying it out of boredom.

"Uhh no, why would I do that?"

"My balls are gonna freeze off dude."

"Why didn't you check the weather then?"

Johnnie gently tosses the rock at the other man and responds with, "It's not my video asshat!" With only a little bit of humor in his tremoring voice.

He finally opens the weather app after bitching about it for a solid five minutes to find that the temperature is supposed to drop even further during the night.

"DUDE!? It's supposed to get down to like thirty-five tonight?"

"So? That's not even freezing.."

"I thought I was the one who dropped outta high school - you can get hypothermia at like - fuckin fifty degrees.."

"Well I'm sorry for not being a weatherman Johnnie." The taller man is now putting on one of his humorous voices and the shorter rolls his eyes.

"Can we go home now? You've got enough footage for today right? I think I might actually die."

"Yeah, yeah - lemme just call..."

Johnnie looks through his contacts to see if he's able to call anyone when his phone goes black.

"Fuck"

Jake looks at him, concern bleeding through his features. Johnnie explains - "The cold made my fucking phone die - fuck." He says the last word with added emphasis and drops his head between his crossed arms in a curled up position.

"Johnnie..." Jake sounds a little worried now and it unnerves the shorter man.

"What?" His voice is muffled by the fabric covering his arms.

"...my phone just died."

"Fuck man." His voice has a rasp characteristic of stress now, maybe he was lying earlier - he's definitely scared of bears.

"What if we get eaten by bears or wolves or fuckin.. coyotes..?!"

"Johnnie... you really couldn't take a coyote?"

"Shut the fuck up" The blue eyed man huffs a small laugh and the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Or racoons - or vultures?"

"What if a vulture thinks I'm dead and tries to eat me?!" He tries to keep some humor in his voice, "What if I freeze and a vulture eats my corpse??"

"You're not gonna freeze Johnnie."

"Easy for you to say!" He peeks his eyes out from over his arm to glare at the other's jacket.

Chapter Text

"C'mon man I'm coldd" Johnnie whines - actually whines and Jake rolls his eyes, tired of telling the other that he should have brought more layers. Theyre now lounging in the cheap tent that Jake had brought.

"I'm not cuddling you dude."

"Huh? That'd be gay, I just want your jacket." The shorter squints at his friend through thick black eyeshadow with an amused smirk.

"Like that'd be less gay?"

"Fuck off asshole, just gimme!" Johnnie has definitely given up on the prospect of getting the other man's jacket but he's somewhat persistent.

"Then I'd be cold.?"

"Well you brought this on us."

"I'm pretty sure it's 'upon us'"

Johnnie groans and shoves his face in the pillow in exasperation. "You're such a dick" Jake laughs and throws a blanket at the other, "you can have the extra blanket, dude"

Johnnie grumbles something between a 'thanks' and cold defeat at not getting the taller man's fur jacket. Jake smiles and turns away from his wallowing friend to think about how they're supposed to get back to civilization. There's no way they'll survive the cold for another seven days not to mention the fact that they'll probably die of boredom.

Luckily, he brought a portable camera so they aren't here for no reason - this'll probably get mad views.

At the thought of the video, he turns on the camera with a dull 'click'.

"Hey guys soo, me and Johnnie might be stuck out here cuz our phones died and..." He goes on a spiel about how they got to this point and what the 'game plan' is - basically nothing, they're gonna survive off of the junk food they brought and maybe film themselves doing a piss poor job at trying to 'hunt'. While rambling to the camera in a hushed tone, he can feel Jonnie's eyes on him - presumably glaring.

"Some of us are tryna sleep over here." The shorter man grumbles into his pillow between chattering teeth and Jake chuckles, shrugging at the camera before turning in for the night.

Jake resolutely ignores the small smile on his lips at his friend's blanket-cocooned figure. It's cute.

-

Jake wakes up to a solid weight on his chest and he blinks his eyes open at the feeling of dark hair tickling his neck. There's a feint orange glow shining through the tent and he's just so tired that he nuzzles his face closer into the soft black hair.

The person on top of him grumbles at the movement and he brings his arms around their waist, securing his weighted blanket then falls back asleep.

-

Johnnie's eyes shoot open at the feeling of his pillow moving and he looks down at the red shirt that the person he's laying on is wearing. Fuck. He grumbles in discontent before he can stop himself and Jake mutters something incoherent and hugs him tighter in response.

Johnnie curls up closer into the warmth of the taller man's chest - he tells himself that it's because he doesn't want Jake to wake up and realize they're cuddling - he can feel the other's heartbeat and it's almost making him drift back alseep. It's been a long while since he's actually slept through a whole night.

Johnnie looks over to see that embarrassingly - he's the one who moved positions in his sleep and sighs in resignation. He's gotta escape before the other wakes up and teases him for initiating cuddles. Though Jake is the one essentially trapping him with his arms secured around his waist - which is very gay by the way.

So with Johnnie having established that it's both of their faults, he goes to pull away which finally wakes the other man,

"mmm five more minutes" The taller man groans and pulls Johnnie almost all the way on top of him.

"Let me go you fucker!" The blue eyed man huffs in mock aggression.

The brunette squints his eyes open and Johnnie finally jumps away (ignoring how he immediately misses the warmth).

"Ughh what time is it"

"Dude - I don't fuckin' know" They're both in a semi-hunched sitting position, and their previous predicament is made very obvious because Johnnie quite literally has all of the blankets.

Jake rolls his eyes and looks at all the blankets covering the other's small frame and quirks an eyebrow with a shit eating grin.

"I thought cuddling was too gay for you?" He actually giggles at his own sort of pun and Johnnie chucks a blanket at him.

"You know damn well-"

Chapter Text

Johnnie's face is still burning from the cuddling debacle - knowing that Jake knows he was the one that gravitated in his sleep is deeply humiliating but the other man was just so cozy... His chest was so warm and firm under his head.. Damnit - those are some very, very un-straight thoughts.

Jake's back to filming (ie; rambling and ranting) now and Johnnie's off to his side with what he assumes is a far off look in his eyes.

He finally tunes in to hear, "This sneaky lil bitch got a little too close for comfort last night" Jake winks at him and Johnnie huffs and yells back a "Hey man, I wasn't the one with my hands down your pants." with a stupid smirk knowing that the viewers won't know how truthful the first comment really was.

Fuck Jake and his mean streak in teasing Johnnie about that right now.

The taller man just shrugs with a parody of a perverse smirk across his face as the shorter flips him off.

"So, what's the plan?"

"You seriously weren't listening to my monologue?"

"Of course I wasn't dickhead, when have I ever listened to you?" He's met with an exaggerated hurt expression and chuckles.

The plan was to walk to the road and hitchhike.

"That's so stupid."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Okay - hear me out; we get a flare gun and signal our location."

"Oh my god you're so fucking stupid Johnnie - where would we get a flare gun??" Jake grabs him by the nape of his neck to shake him in faux exasperation for the camera and the shorter has to fight back a shiver because he's fucking touch starved alright?

"I dunno but I don't wanna get kidnapped off the side of the road"

"You really think you're sexy enough for someone to kidnap you?"

"My uncle certainly does" Johnnie responds with a stupid grin.

"Oh yeah - for sure" Jake huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes, "And you're hardly a 'kid'"

"Hey now buddy.." He chastises the brunette - "I don't kink shame." Jake sputters at this, the various conmotations are endless.

They're now walking in what is hopefully the right direction, Johnnie is painfully aware of how long the semi-off road car ride was.

-

"Jake, It's like really cold."

"I know Johnnie, you've told me every five minutes for the last hour.."

"Hey, you have no idea how long it's been, our phones are dead!" He sounds more proud of himself  then he probably should for refuting the other's statement

Jake rolls his eyes for the hundreth time and smiles softly at the shorter's antics, Johnnie turns away with a smile of his own - he's so tired of this one sided homoromantic tension. He's not gay - Jake's not gay either, why does he feel like this?!

-

Jake can actually hear the other man's teeth chattering while their walking and is kinda concerned the the video-audio is picking it up and he's gonna get in trouble for friend abuse.

"Are you gonna die on me dude?" In response, the shorter looks at him with slight distress,

"You told me I wasn't gonna die man, you're supposed to be the calm and collected one here!" He knows that Johnnie is going for an exaggerated freak-out but he's beginning to think there's some truth behind it.

"No, I'm pretty sure you're the calm one?!"

"Nuh uh"

"...Okay, neither of us are the calm one, what do we do now?" Jake cuts the clip after that, they're officially in the middle of the woods and he wishes that he had taken that stupid nature advice they tell you when you're a kid to record landmarks so you don't get stranded further in the cacophony of trees.

Johnnie is physically trembling by now, his leather jacket is slightly cropped showing off the tiniest sliver of porcelain white skin and his skinny jeans probably aren't helping contain any warmth.

"Do you need a hug or something?" It's a last resort, Jake doesn't really know of anything else he can do. Johnnie side eyes him - searching for any humour behind the question and when he doesn't find any he still shakes his head anyways, likely deciding that the admission isn't worth it.

They've never been very 'vulnerable' friends so it kinda checks out - it still hurts a little bit though and Jake's sick of seeing his friend suffer.

The thought of hugging brings him back to their impromptu cuddle sesh, it's pretty funny to think back on. The other man was so vividly against the idea then but was the one who initiated it in his sleep. Now that's comedy. Jake consequently ignores how pretty the other man was in his sleep - he seemed so at peace with his features relaxed and no tension or stress in his face.

Who doesn't find their best friend pretty though? Or the weight of him on their chest comforting? That's just a normal reaction. Yeah...

Chapter Text

They're walking through the barren trees when Johnnie suddenly picks up on a sound that's comparatively loud to the silence of the woods.

He whispers a hushed, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear wh-" Johnnie quickly cuts Jake off out of fear for both of their lives "-SHHH"

Okay, maybe the shusing sound was a bit too loud but it was urgent, okay? Jake just looks at him with that amused expression on his face and the sound has stopped.

"There was a rustling sound, something's here with us.." He whispers basically in the taller man's ear.

"Well yeah, it's the middle of the woods, of course there's gonna be animals and shit.." At least he's also taken on the whisper even though he doesn't seem to be taking the situation seriously. Johnnie squints at him,

"What if it's a bear?" Now, one might wonder what it is with Johnnie and bears, he just has a healthy fear. Nothing strange about that.

"Dude, you're not gonna get eaten by any animals." The shorter man looks at him dubiously as if to say 'how do you know that?' and Jake rolls his eyes playfully "-I'll protect you from the vultures."

"Jake, are you saying you're gonna let me die before protecting me."

"Uhh..."

"And hey! I can fend for myself just fine!" His whisper is slightly louder now - indignant. Jake only scoff-laughs in reply.

"Yeah, sureee" He's doing one of his comedic voices now and Johnnie is unamused.

The rustling picks up again after a short lapse in conversation. Johnnie scurries slightly behind the taller man.

"Are you really sacrificing me to this random animal right now, Johnnie?" At this point, the camera's back out - the shorter man assumes that Jake is ready to film him getting mauled and flips him off, not risking speaking.

They're both staring into the vast expanse of trees, waiting for the mystery creature and Johnnie is so thankful that the sun's still out cuz this would be creepy as hell if it wasn't.

The trees are bare, they should easily be able to spot the animal but nooo. Jake steps further in front of his friend slightly and the smaller man tries to shove down the warm and fuzzy feelings created by the gesture.

Jake has always been the one who's more adventurous on camera but this isn't really one of their 'haunted site' videos - they could actually be in danger.

Finally, a doe sprints through the trees followed shortly by a buck and Johnnie lets out the breath that he definitely knew he was holding and sinks down further towards the ground in relief.

Jake bursts out laughing, hunching down to the same level as the other and he can't help but join in a little bit. That was a little ridiculous and now that the adrenaline is finally wearing off, the shorter man feels light, it's freeing.

"Oh my god dude, you were totally about to piss your pants!" Jake wheezes.

"I think I did a little bit ." He jokes. "Clean up on aisle four"

"Seriously dude, you couldn't beat up those deer?"

"Fuck off, I thought it was a bear or something-"

"Yeah suree"

"Hey man, what are you talkin about I'm strong asfuck" He's putting on a voice now, flexing for the camera and Jake laughs, poking his arm which is fully covered by the leather jacket.

Johnnie knows that he can throw a good punch despite his friend's frankly rude comments so he just rolls his eyes and chuckles as they continue walking.

-

"It feels like we're walking in circles." This time it's Jake complaining, finally. Johnnie was starting to feel like a lil bitch for being the only one whining.

"Well maybe you-"

"Don't you dare say anything about this being my idea or god help you-"

"...It was your idea." He shrugs with a smug smirk knowing that Jake probably isn't as agile as him while carrying their tent.

The taller man sprints towards him camera in hand and Johnnie yells and runs further into the woods.

Suddenly, he hears a distant sound... almost like a horn blaring..

When Jake catches up he quickly shushes him again and the other rolls his eyes

"Nope- not after the deer incident"

"No seriously dude, shut up-."

The younger huffs and crosses his arms, going silent and side eyeing the black haired man. Then another, louder honk can be heard and a smile spreads across Johnnies face as he looks at his friend who grins back.

They start booking it towards the road and Johnnie kinda wishes he had tagged along with Jake to the gym all those times he'd been asked. He's fuckin freezing okay? That's a valid reason to be out of breath.

Chapter Text

They finally get to the road and Johnnie's wheezing at this point with the combined exertion of having eaten nothing of substance the day before (Jake really should've planned out this video better) and the fact that he's been violently shivering since being (embarrassingly) torn from the taller man's body heat all those hours ago.

-

Jake has been watching his friend intently since the bear/deer incident, Johnnie seems to be really off his game. Maybe it's hunger or anxiety. Though, why would he be anxious when it's just the two of them?

The older man must sense that Jake has been staring at him because he looks over and fixes him with an accusing look that has no real heat behind it.

"Hey- why didn't you bring a portable charger or anything?"

Jake looks back at his friend, they're now walking alongside the road (Johnnie finally caved to his hitchhiking idea). He rubs the back of his neck in an outwardly guilty gesture,

"Uhhh, I miight've forgot it on the kitchen table..." He drags out the 'i' in might've to further portray his guilt.

"DUDE-" The shorter's tone is indignant, rightfully so since he has been turning into an icicle of his former self over the course of the trip.

"HEY- I didn't realize until our phones died then it was too late." He averts his eyes and kicks a pinecone regretfully. It hits the back of Johnnie's heel miraculously and Jake winces.

"Rude." The shorter definitely knows it wasn't on purpose but the brunette still feels a little bad.

Jake has his gaze locked on his friend's thin frame again when a particularly violent shiver wracks the other's body and he rolls his eyes, finally taking off his warm jacket and covering the man's skinny shoulders.

Johnnie looks up in surprise, a tinge of rose color dotting his cheeks and Jake tells himself it's just the cold creating the illusion of blush. It contrasts nicely with the piercing blue of his eyes. Fuck - Jake really needs to stop inwardly calling his friend pretty before it slips out.

Johnnie bites his lip ring nervously and Jake's gaze follows the action, thankfully the shorter is looking away at this point so he has time to rip his eyes from their fixated position before the other can notice.

"Thanks", it's quiet, almost bashful and Jake chuckles, "What was that?" He teases and Johnnie's face breaks out into what he knows is supposed to be a sardonic grin but it just comes across as genuine.

"I said thanks, you ass." The blue eyed man says as he shoves Jake's shoulder playfully. The brunette laughs - because what else was he supposed to do? - and they keep walking. He's glad that Johnnie's stopped shivering.

-

Cars pass by them in a whir, every time they do the univeral hitchhiking sign and every time they're rejected.

Jake starts going off about how a lot of serial killers pick out victims who are hitchhikers because they're less likely to be reported missing.

"A lot of the people Jeffery Dahmer killed were actually doing the same thing as we are right now."

"Oh my god Jake, I'm gonna go back into the woods if you keep trying to freak me out." the taller man smirks at the camera. "Don't worry man, they can't take both of us"

"Especially with your 'huge' muscles-" Jake says this with a country accent and Johnnie is feeling a little attacked at the implacation so with mock indignation he responds, "Hey, do ya wanna go?" with his fists up in a fighting stance.

"Hey man, calm down" The brunette raises the hand not holding his camera in an exaggerated placating gesture. "Good doggy." the country accent is back and his hands waving around a little as if to calm a wild animal.

Johnnie's now wearing a goofy smile and goes in to punch the other man's chest playfully. Jake blocks the jab and they bounce around 'sparring' for the camera.

As their 'fight' breaks out a car honks at them and comes to a stop.

"Fuckin' hell man, weird timing" Johnnie mutters under his breath after having thoroughly defeated his friend.

"Yeah, the one time we're not signaling"

"Do you think they're Dahmer reincarnated?" The shorter man's smirking even though he's slightly worried about being murdered.

"Bears and serial killers, huh?" Jake smiles at his friend.

"Hey! You brought the serial killer thing up - I don't wanna hear it."

The woman who picks them up is surprisingly nice and they don't film her or throw any jokes her way - greatful that she probably isn't a murderer.

Once they get out of her car after being dropped off at a local gas station, Johnnie points this out and Jake responds with a

"Hey, women can be violent criminals too!" In a 'southern mom' accent and side eyes the camera. Johnnie starts to believe that they're secretly in 'The Office' a tiny bit more every time he does this.

"Oh my god, shut up you silly goose." Johnnie mocks the other man with a sardonic tone of voice - scrunching his nose up in an attempt to be insolent. Jake can't help but think that the expression is disgustingly cute especially paired with the fact that Johnnie is still wearing his oversized jacket which is so repulsively endearing - he thinks he might puke in his mouth at having such sappy thoughts towards his friend. His very PLATONIC friend.

Capital P-L-A-T-O-N-I-C.

They finally get access to a phone while theirs are charging and Jake tries to set Johnnie up with the cute gas station worker (in an attempt to quell his own comcerning feelings).

His friend laughs it off and calls Scuff, grumbling about being 'fucking freezing' and 'dying' and 'please don't leave me with this dickwad' (which; rude).

"Soo.. he's at a funeral right now."

"Fuck me in the ass." Johnnie gives him a weird look somewhere between amused and faux-weirded out, okay yes, he does feel bad that his friend is attending a funeral but he might be going stir crazy because of ✨nature✨.

The shorter man makes a couple more calls, becoming increasingly more frantic because apparently fuckin'-everyone has an emergency right now which means they can't pick up their poor nature-abused friends.

The pretty girl behind the counter with heavy eyeliner chimes in to tell them there's a motel a couple miles away.

Johnnie looks at Jake - from his expression, the taller can tell he's inwardly groaning - and thanks the cashier before they leave in a rush, concerned about walking on the side of the road after dark.

"If I get pinkeye or some shit I will haunt you."

"You really think you're gonna die of pinkeye??"

"You never know these days, Jake.. You never know." The blue eyed man tries to put on a voice for comedic effect but his makeup is wearing off as the hours go by and Jake can see the bags growing under his eyes from their uncertain circumstances.

He guesses that the video is gonna have to be a two parter - and out of the kindness in his heart he'll let Johnnie decide who gets what half.

Chapter Text

They arrive to the run down motel after a couple grueling hours of walking. Johnnie is positive that his heels are bleeding from the stupid fucking heavy boots he chose to wear. He can feel the warmth seeping through his too-thin socks.

He's also all too aware that his foundation has worn off and now any flush that spreads across his face will be painfully obvious.

The white walls of the building are peeling to reveal a grimey brown interior. Johnnie had been joking about the pinkeye thing earlier but at the moment he almost feels the need to reiterate the statement.

The 'Middle of Nowhere Motel' is an oddly on-the-nose name for the place, and it has an eerie feel that he isn't sure is entirely due to its surroundings.

As they're at the checkout, he leans in close to Jake's ear and asks if the other thinks anyone's died here. The taller man just chuckles which Johnnie takes as a resounding 'yes'.

The man at the counter tells them that there's only one room because the place is strangely busy today which shouldn't really be an issue, they're roomates and have definitely slept near eachother before.

That is, until they get to the room.

"Johnnie.. there's only one bed."

The shorter can't help but think that must be a line from some shitty fanfiction, there is no way this is real life. Is the world out to humiliate them? Who in their right mind is booking out all the rooms in 'The Middle of Nowhere Motel'?

"Fucking hell man, why can't we catch a break?" He pinches the bridge of his nose to portray his extreme dissatisfaction and Jake actually fake winces. "Don't worry man, I won't smother you in your sleep." His mouth forms that tight-lipped smirk and Johnnie knows that the other man is just as uncomfortable.

There's a quick silence in which the shorter man is sure something unspoken about Johnnie laying on his friend's chest goes through both of their minds.

There is talk about creating a pillow barrier - a huge cliché move that either screams 'I'm desperately begging you to believe that I'm straight' or something that could be made into some kind of joke about how they won't spontaneously have gay sex in their sleep just from sleeping in the same room together.

But they don't mention either of these things and they don't build the pillow barrier (mostly because they don't have enough pillows - not because they're just that comfortable in their sexuality).

"Why do they have the fuckin' AC on, I'm gonna freeze in my sleep-"

"You're such a lil bitch, Johnnie" Admittedly, the blue eyed man's voice is extremely whiny at the moment - on purpose, to bother his mildly disgruntled friend who is still jacket-less - the remark is still uncalled for though.

"I'm your little bitch though." It's obviously a fucking joke, they both make these kinds of jokes all the time - why are the shorter man's cheeks heating up through his smarmy expression.

"Hey man, are you coming down with somethin?" Jake asks, seeming genuinely concerned which just makes the ordeal so much worse for the black haired man, "I thought you were cold?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm good - just... cold."

"...says the one with my jacket.."

Johnnie just looks at the taller man dubiously - he is not planning on telling the other that he's got next to no fat on his body and therefore gets cold really fucking easily or that he's blushing because his friend showed the slightest amount of concern for him. Jake seems to understand the first part though, they really know eachother too well.

"Maybe you've gotta start bulking, bro." He makes the comment with a goofy smile and all Johnnie can do is scoff while grinning.

"Do you wanna go again cuz I'll beat yer ass." The shorter man is now using some miscellaneous accent and the brunette rolls his eyes at his friend's antics.

-

"C'mon Johnnie, its time to get all cuddled up!" Jake says the words in a vaguely southern accent with his lips pursed and the shorter man knows that there'll be comments on how cherry red he is.

"Alright, pucker up!" Johnnie matches the taller man's energy and ducks towards him just enough to get the point across while smirking. After getting in the bed - shoulder to shoulder because there is seriously no room - it's Johnnie's turn to explain their circumstances through chattering teeth to the camera.

After playing the footage back, he might notice the concerned look that Jake's giving him throughout the clip but who's to say?

-

There are no blinds and the moonlight is reflecting off of Jake's skin so nicely, he looks so attractive and it makes Johnnie genuinely want to throw up. The taller man is looking at the ceiling, lost in thought as the moon paints shadows over the planes of his face and the black haired man can't pull his eyes away.

Hey, at least it's less creepy than watching him while he's asleep? Johnnie is no Edward Cullen. He wonders what the other is thinking about - probably serial killers or girls or something?

"Hey Johnnie..." The younger man disturbs the silence and looks over, dark eyes meeting blue while giggling slightly. "Who do you think would get murdered first in-" So he was thinking about the first option - Johnnie should be a psychic.

"Oh my fuck - would you stop with the murder talk? I know you're just trying to freak me out and it's fuckin' working."

Jake's outwardly smiling now, white teeth flashing in the annoyingly bright room.

"No but serious-" The shorter cuts him off,

"I will smother you in your sleep."

"Yeah, no. I know you will." Did Jake just fucking wink? - or was that Johnnie's eyes playing tricks on him?!

"Your days are so numbered.." He's joking - really he is - because truthfully his own days are gonna be numbered if Jake keeps bringing up the fucking cuddling incident. He might have a heart attack - or more likely a panic attack - and die from the existential torment.

They finally drift off to sleep after a couple more minutes of tired banter.

-

Jake is jostled awake a few hours later to a comfortable warmth against his side, he smiles softly, vaguely aware of who it is in his sleep-addled haze and finding the other's need for warmth kind of cute dispite his better judgement. He curls one arm under the smaller man and pulls him closer against his chest.

Chapter Text

Johnnie is nudged awake by his pillow moving (again), this time there's only one arm around him and he feels so damn comfortable. This is definitely the best sleep of his life, he's living it up. That's when alarm bells start going off in his head. His pillow is moving and he hasn't dated anyone in years.

His elbows must be digging into the person uncomfortablly or something because he hears a grumble - a very distinctly Jake noise.

"God damnit" It's just below a whisper but as he looks up, Jake peeks an eye open groggily and the blue eyed man cusses again.

"Hmm?" The taller mumbles, questioningly and Johnnie can't help himself.

"Can we just..." Fuck, this is awkward. "Stay like this for a little bit?" His voice cracks at the end of the sentance, heavy with sleep and he pleads with his eyes to not be torn away from the cuddling - probably not using his best judgement.

Jake smiles softly - and Johnnie can no longer tell if this is real life or not - then turns towards the smaller man, snuggling closer. Johnnie could die right here.

"We're never living this down" is whispered into his hair and in this moment he doesn't care about the psychological repercussions this will have on their friendship. They've done this once already, what's another notch in the cuddling bedpost? What does it matter that now they are fully aware of who they're cuddling?

Jake's fingertips move up and down his spine soothingly and his eyes are too heavy to stay awake or continue thinking about what'll happen when they have to get up.

-

Someone's banging at the door. Ugh. Jake flips himself over (admittedly pretty violently) to see what's going on and hears a loud thud and groan from the floor.

"Fuck man, you coulda just asked me to move - didn't haveta throw me." Johnnie slurs holding his head.

"Fuck!! Sorry!" Jake's hands hover around his friends crumpled form until he finally settles on cupping his face and checking him for injuries.

The shorter man looks like a deer in headlights at being touched so suddenly so the brunette quickly lets go, not wanting to make the other uncomfortable.

"I'm good. Just bruised, you ass." His voice is scratchy with sleep and he winces while cupping the back of his head then leans back into the floor. Jake grimaces in sympathy (and from the fact that the floor is really gross).

The knocking at the door picks back up,

"WHAT?" Jake didn't really mean to yell that loud but bygones..

"You only have the room 'till eleven."

"SHIT, thanks!" The taller replies while his very emo friend collects his bearings.

"What time is it?"

"I dunno dude." Johnnie squints, and locates a cheap electronic clock under the complimentary TV that they didn't use (after deciding it might be haunted despite previously saying they don't believe in ghosts).

It's 10:52.

"Shit, usually I wake up at eight without an alarm or anything.." Jake's schedule is thoroughly fucked which has been part of what has made him less jovial then usual for most of this ordeal.

"Yeah no, this is pretty early for me." Johnnie smiles at his own joke - Jake hopes it's a joke but be knows it probably isn't from the fact that the other often doesn't leave his room until well past noon.

"Your depression schedule doesn't count, Johnnie."

"Hey! That's my normal schedule." The smaller man smiles sardonically.

"Case and point." They both laugh, Jake runs his hand through his own hair anxiously. He never truly knows how the other is doing until he stumbles across a breakdown that the black haired man desperately tries to cover up.

He helps Johnnie get up which the other seems very surprised about (to the point where there's a bright flush highlighting his cheekbones). Then they do your average morning routine stuff, all of which is cut pretty short due to their unfortunate luck lately.

"Soo..." He gestures at the bed. "How'd you sleep last night?" He smirks towards the camera, taking a huge amount of glee in the fact that the audience has no idea how close they actually were through the 'sharing a bed' incident once again.

Johnnie wiggles his eyebrows at him and makes some joke about having sex that he plays along with. They're back to normal and he can't tell if he's relieved or somewhat dissapointed... maybe both but who's to say?

-

At this point, both of their phones have recharged fully and they can officially call an uber to get them home. It's been decided that Jake is gonna have to pay in full for getting them into this mess in the first place. He doesn't complain.

As they leave the foreboding building, cold rain is pelting their already shivering forms - thoroughly soaking through every clothing article and makng the bone-deep chill of the previous nights worse. Johnnie is hit the worst as his body was already probably at a dangerously low temperature.

The drive might've been pretty peaceful if the uber driver wasn't literally interviewing them.

"What happened to you guys?" Johnnie just gives him a deadpan look and Jake wonders if he should check him for a concussion more thoroughly.

"Uhh we kinda got stuck in the woods..."

"Huh, how did that happen?"

Jake tells a shortened version of the story and the grey-haired man driving their car nods and 'hmm's along as if it's the most interesting thing he's heard in a while - maybe it is.

"Not the laid-back date you two were expecting, huh?" Jake turns to his friend for a reaction and notices that he's more pale then usual and his breathing seems to have sped up.

"Sir, what do you mean.?"

"You two are a couple, yeah?"

"No, we aren't.. why..?"

"Oh well, on the account that he's wearing two jackets.. I assumed one was yours.."

"Oh, well yeah. That's mine but- we're just friends and he was cold.."

"Do you often share jackets with just 'friends'?"

"Uhh yeah?." He looks at Johnnie with an expression that he hopes says something along the lines of 'backup please?' but the other doesn't meet his eyes. He actually looks like he's about to pass out.

"Earth to Johnnie??" He rests the back of his hand on the shorter mans forehead to check if he's burning up and the other man is frigid. He cups his face again and his friend's eyes focus on him this time but he doesn't really seem to register anything.

"Johnnie, you're really starting to scare me man.."

He looks with a terrified expression to the driver who is watching them through the rearview mirror,

"He was fine like five minutes ago?!"

"It looks like he might be going into shock kid.."

“Fuck.. fuck… fuck." He mutters with increased intensity as he does what he’s beginning to pinpoint as a nervous motion and hovers his hands over his friends prone body, desperately wishing to be able to help more.

Chapter Text

"PULL OVER, OR DRIVE TO THE HOSPITAL, OR CALL 911.. DO SOMETHING? OH GOD WHAT SHOULD I DO.. I SHOULD'VE PAID ATTENTION TO FIRST AID IN SCHOOL.." Jake is rambling uncontrollably and loudly but he has no sense of mind through the panic to lower his volume, "FUCK!!"

"Calm down kid, there's a hospital ten minutes from here. He's probably just hypothermic; it should be fine." Jake looks at the old man in a panic,

"What should I do?" His hands are held up in the air above Johnnie and he hesitates before tugging the smaller man towards himself and rubbing up and down his back.

"Don't touch him too much, could trigger cardiac arrest." The older man's eyes flick from the anxious mess that is Jake back to the road quickly, seeming fairly unmoved.

The younger man doesn't even have half a mind to question the uber driver, the guy has probably had expirience with stuff like this before, who knows. 

"Oh fuck.!" He jumps back from Johnnie.

"Do you have a knife or scissors?" 

"What?!" Jake chokes on his own spit, his brain is going a million miles a minute "Why?"

"Taking off the wet clothes will help."

"Ohhh, uh" He knows that Johnnie has a knife in his boot so he reaches in then cuts his shirt off with shaking hands after taking off the two jackets. The shorter man doesn't even flinch at the contact and Jake wishes he knew what that means for the physical state of his friend. 

He starts mumbling reassurances to his shivering friend (if he were in a more stable mentality, Jake would realize that his friend is so far gone that he isn’t shivering) almost certain that the blue eyed man can't hear him and unsure who he's trying to comfort more.  Though from the driver's pitying glance, the answer may be clear to unlookers.

-

They arrive at the hospital and Johnnie is taken away on a stretcher, Jake looks on in horror as his friend's thin frame is hooked up to tubes and wires. He should never have dragged the smaller man out into the middle of the woods in the dead of winter. 

The temperature must have dropped in the last night to well around freezing and Jake feels a deep gnawing guilt. All those times he had brushed off Johnnie's complaints. The smaller man is often whining amd moaning about the latest insignificant issue in his life (never the important shit, to Jake's dismay) so he had severely misjudged how much he'd put the other through as a result. 

Fucking damnit, fuck.. How could he have made such a big mistake? He should've just given Johnnie his jacket that first night, his lips were fucking BLUE. 

What if Johnnie dies and Jake is stuck sitting in the sterile white lined walls of the waiting room with the damn nurses not letting him see his friend because he's not 'family'.

Johnnie doesn't have any fucking family to visit him, who the fuck came up with that shitty ass rule?

If Johnnie dies alone and it's all his fault he won't be able to live with himself. If Johnnie dies he won’t be able to live with himself. It sounds stupid, he knows, because surely this isn't a serious case if the driver guy didn't seem bothered. He seemed to know what he was doing, right? 

Johnnie can't die here. Cold and sick and lonely and shivering and NOT shivering because his organs are fucking shutting down because he's so fucking cold and Jake is so damned stupid. 

He's spiraling, it can't be helped. Logically, Jake knows that a twenty-six year old in decent health probably isn't gonna die of hypothermia but really, how healthy was - is Johnnie. Jake has to remind himself that Johnnie isn't gone. 

Gone.

The thought makes Jake sick. He doesn't know why he's spiraling so badly, he's just afraid of his friend dying. This is normal, he isn't unhealthily attached. Right?

A nurse passes by and must see how terrified and exhausted he is because she asks who he's waiting for and if she can help at all. That's when he comes up with a genius idea. 

He is Johnnie's boyfriend. They have to let him see his 'boyfriend', it's foolproof. 

-

He's led into the room to see a now fully unconscious Johnnie decked out in a baby blue hospital gown that looks so disheveled - so distincly him.

He watches in horror for a few seconds as the white noise of the repetitive ‘beep’ ‘beep’ ‘beep’ plays like a dramatic backdrop to some cheesy hospital show in the forefront of his mind. Johnnie’s chest rises and falls in tandem with the sound and he can feel bile rising in the back of his throat and a static whirring sound in his mind. 

Pale skin is exposed and Jake can't help but think that there seems to be next to no bloodflow going through the smaller man's body, he has no color and the taller man is choking with fear. 

"Is.. is he-" he stops himself from saying 'dead', afraid that somehow he'll manifest the word into reality. "okay, is he gonna be okay?" 

"Yes, well.. his body temperature reached 89 degrees which is the point at which organs start shutting down." Jake already knew that last part, he just wants to know if the other man will survive. Why does this feel like a game show dragging out the announcement for next contestant eliminated? "We will have to keep him here for at least the next twenty four hours."

Jake exhales the breath he was holding, none of his anxiety relieved. Johnnie's gonna have to spend another twenty four plus hours in extreme discomfort and Jake doesn't even know if he's gonna be okay... 

"You're welcome to go home. We'll have to call his emergency contact when he needs to get picked up. He should not drive home from the hospital." Jake does not point out that the other man can't drive. He usually finds humor in that fact but doesn't today for obvious reasons. 

"Uhh who's his emergency contact?"

"It's listed on his phone as one 'Jake Webber'" That kind of makes the brunette wants to cry.

Chapter Text

The fairly unfamiliar warmth of emotions wells up behind his eyes but they don't escape, of course they don't. He doesn't deserve to shed tears, this is all his fault.

"Yeah, well. I'm gonna stay with him."

"Sir, visiting hours end at 7pm and you should get some rest you look.." she trails off and he can't tell if she was gonna say 'tired' or some iteration of 'disgusting' he doesn't care either way.

"Sorry lady but I'm not leaving him." The 'I'm the reason he got into this mess' is left unspoken but Jake is sure that the nurse can interpret that, she seems smart enough.

She doesn't seem to be budging on the subject and Jake feels like there must be some laws allowing him to stay with his alledged boyfriend. A quick google search tells him that (if requested) hospitals have to let a family member to stay over to help with anxiety of the patient that could interfere with care. He should have said they're husbands.. fuck it.

He holds his phone up with the search results to the nurse like a proud toddler showing their mom a drawing,

"He has anxiety, it's diagnosed. Look at his medical records or something."

Yes, old people like to tell you to 'not believe everything you see on the internet' but Jake doesn't give a fuck about the disinformation he could be spewing right now. All that matters is that he harasses the poor nurse into letting him make sure Johnnie doesn't wake up alone and scared.

She eventually gives in (likely deciding that fighting a distraught 20 something year old man isn't worth it) and Jake falls asleep sprawled across the the stiff bedside chair to the sound of Johnnie's grating heartbeat monitor. At least it lets him know that the other man is alive though now that they're in the hospital, that shouldn't be too much of a concern.

The room is cold and his sleep is dreamless and shallow. He can't help but think that this is some sort of karma.

-

Johnnie wakes up feeling like he's been hit by a fucking train. Seriously, what the fuck.. He's cold, still so cold and briefly wonders if he's dead and in some sort of purgatory...

He looks over to see Jake sprawled across the seats next to his bed in the most uncomfortable position that Johnnie could have possibly pictured and decides that no, this is definitely not purgatory. His body feels slightly warmer but not at the thought of his best friend staying with him... right? Hey, either way it's normal to feel all warm and fuzzy about being loved platonically, Johnnie reasons with himself.

The beeping of his heart moniter finally registers - he's in a hospital. Damn, he hates hospitals. He guesses that beggars can't be choosers but still. The smell of antiseptic is worsening his headache. Why is he here?

Oh... he must've passed out cuz of the rain.. Fuckin' rain of all things?! seriously? Why is the world out to make him feel like a pussy.

The subtle change in the heart moniter must disturb Jake because he jolts awake.

-

When Johnnie comes to, Jake can't help but hold his face in the palms of his hands, inspecting him like some kind of fine china that he's afraid of breaking - he's memorizing the others' face, his expression, taking in what he had thought was lost just a few minutes - (hours?) ago. Terrified of the storm of emotions brewing in his chest. He realizes belatedly that his hand placement is the same as that day all those months ago when they had drunkenly kissed and draws himself away from the smaller man reluctantly.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA DIE JOHNNIE, WHAT THE FUCK" Maybe he should be more delicate with the other man but..

Johnnie winces, "dude, headache." His voice sounds utterly wrecked from disuse and Jake winces with sympathy.

"Sorry, sorry. I thought you were dead man!!"

Johnnie squeezes his eyes shut as the taller man continues, frantic with relief,

"Like dead, dead." His eyes widen marginally to emphasize the sentiment. "I already had your funeral playlist planned." He throws in a half hearted joke to lighten the mood even though the thought of a funeral and Johnnie in the same sentence makes him kind of want to vomit after this whole ordeal.

"The fuck man?" Johnnie chuckles a bit, the small laughter turning into a coughing fit. "I get it, you thought I was 'dead dead'." He uses air quotes to mock Jake's statement,

"Ugh I kinda wish I was, it hurts like a bitch."

Jake decidedly ignores the first comment, "What hurts?"

"Me." It sounds super, super emo, but it's probably true.

"Sorry man," Jake winces, even though he says it in a way that you would when you're apologizing for someone's situation that's unrelated to you, he hopes Johnnie knows that he means he's sorry that he -specifically- did this to the other man.

"Seriousy though, I'm sorry for," he gestures wildly at the current state of his friend, "all of this.."

"Dude.." Johnnie looks at him like he just grew an extra head, "It's not your fault that I'm so fuckin weak-"

Okay, that makes Jake a little frusterated, "Johnnie oh my fuck - this is not the time to be self depricating, you almost fucking died..."

The shorter man scoffs, "Exactly.." then looks down at the IV in his arm with distain.

Jake brings a hand up to his own forehead in frusteration and starts pacing around the depressing ass room, why can't his friend just accept that this isn't his fucking fault at all.

"Johnnie." He continues to refrain from calling his friend an insult like he's so used to. "Just.. I'm happy you're okay.." His voice trails off, he was so fucking scared. "You scared the shit out of me."

Johnnie looks up at him, almost seeming confused or.. surprised? The fuck.. they're like best friends, of course he's gonna be fucking devastated at the thought of his friend dying?!

The smaller man quickly schools his expression to something lighthearted,

"Jesus man, you're so sappy." He's got a reserved version of the goofy smile that Jake both loves and hates (loves?? fuck..) plastered across his lips and the taller man resists the urge to roll his eyes. The little asswipe can't take anything seriously - Jake doesn't blame him, really, but still.

Johnnies heart monitor speeds up after calling him sappy and Jake side eyes it before raising an eyebrow at the other who just shrugs with a hint of blush tinging his cheeks.

Johnnie's sudden almost shy demeanor is concerning to Jake.. just yesterday he was yelling at the taller man about how cold he was and 'how could Jake drag him out into the woods for a video'..

Is he really that ashamed of himself for getting hurt of all things..?

"Ugh, whatever dude. Can I hug you now?" Jake responds after an almost uncomfortable silence, receiving a questioning gaze before the older man finally laments after judging that Jake is being genuine.

Jake can almost feel his friend roll his eyes into the hug and he smiles at the fact that at least that is normal behavior. Johnnie also shudders into the hug and Jake has to bite back a comment on that as he tightens his arms around the emo man's waist and buries his face against his shoulder, he doesn't think Johnnie would appreciate any more concern right about now..

Nurses come rushing in and they split apart reluctantly.

Chapter Text

"Alright, you and your boyfriend should be good to go in a couple minutes, we just need to have you fill out the paperwork." A nurse expectantly hands a wide eyed Johnnie Guilbert a stack of papers. The shorter man just stands there with his hand half extended and looks from Jake to the nurse and back again.

"I-" His voice cracks at the end of the vowel and he looks at his friend again, Jake gives him a meaningful look which he takes to mean 'just go with it' so he does - albeit begrudgingly.

"Yeah, my uh.." He coughs, not sure whether it's disguising a laugh or awkwardness - probably both, "Boyfriend..." His cheeks are heating up - maybe this is why he wears so much concealer. Fuckin' hell. He can tell that his friend notices by the way his brown eyes are glued to his face.

At least Jake is blushing too. It's barely noticeable but there nonetheless.

Jake metaphorically hovers over his shoulder while he's filling out paperwork. The shorter man gives him a 'do you mind?!' look that has no real malice to it.

Johnnie feels so weak and a little disoriented. They barely kept him in the hospital for twenty four hours - it couldn't have been that serious, and he worried his closest friend for nothing...

They take an uber home with Scuff having moved out and no one else available still.

"We have some fake friends, huh?" Johnnie jokes as Jake helps him out of the hospital since his muscles are so weak from the strain of the cold (seriously, embarrassing).

Jake smiles and makes an offhand comment about how 'if any of them get stuck in a creepy ass motel, we aren't gonna be their savior'.

After a few moments, Johnnie can't help but break the silence, "Soo.. we're boyfriends now, yeah?"

Jake chuckles at that and rubs the back of his neck, nervous.

"Yeah.." He laughs that uncomfortable laugh, "I really needed them to let me stay overnight with you.."

"Fuck man.. that's actually really wholesome.." Johnnie pretends to be indignant when in reality, he's kinda melting internally at how sappy that is, "What the fuck?" His voice cracks again - stupid emotions - and Jake laughs, he actually laughs; Johnnie thinks his crush might be getting out of hand because he feels a flutter in his chest at the action. The fuck?

Eventually they get home and Johnnie basically falls down onto the couch, melting into the soft fabric in the oversized hospital clothes that were given to him seeing as all his actual clothes are still damp.

He drifts off to sleep in the living room with the oddly comforting feeling of being watched in the back of his mind, kind of like floating on a pillowy cloud. After a couple minutes or maybe even an hour, there's a soft blanket draped over him before he hears the dull click of Jake's door closing.

-

Jake looks at Johnnie's sleeping form, still soaking in the fact that his friend is alive - he didn't murder (technically manslaughter?) him. Johnnie looks so peaceful all cuddled up in the couch with his oversized hospital clothes, he just wants to wrap the other man up in a cacoon of blankets until he makes up for all the warmth he was deprived of.

But Jake can't do that, so he settles for draping a blanket over the sleeping man. He notes how a small smile forms on the other's relaxed face and he smiles back ever so slightly before retreating to his room, feeling kinda like a creep for staring so long.

-

Weeks go by and everything is fine, truly, it is. Though Jake begins to notice that Johnnie really hates rain when he didn't before 'the incident'... from there it's pretty easy to connect the dots. He has quite literally traumatized his friend (inadvertently - but still...).

He has stopped asking Johnnie to take part in his more serious videos lately for fear that they'll go wrong somehow and desperately hopes that the shorter man hasn't noticed.

"Johnnie, I'm gonna be out for a few days!" he calls through his ajar door from across the hallway while pulling on socks, already late to meet up with Tara for his latest video.

"Yeah, yeah, be safe - don't die." Johnnie mutters, clearly distracted while editing his own video. He then looks up and sees that Jake's bags are packed, the fact that Jake is actually going somewhere finally hitting him.

"What're you going out for?"

"Just filming a video with Tara 'surviving a haunted hotel with my ex for 48 hours' or some shit." He doesn't add any commentary, afraid that after doing the last few 'big' videos without Johnnie, the other man might start to feel left out with the amount that they had been producing before..

Johnnie just nods with an unreadable expression flashing across his face, is that hurt?

"Ahh, have fun dude" Jake can tell that Johnnie is forcing a more jovial tone than he really feels from the inflection in his voice. He decides that maybe he can break the mould he's created lately.

"Uhh, would you wanna do the second half of the video with me? It's gonna be a long one." Johnnie's face lights up ever so slightly, it's almost unnoticeable.

"Hm, where's it at?"

"Playing hard to get, huh?" Jake leans in towards his friend, a heady tone to his voice and Johnnie rolls his eyes in return, smiling - seeming almost relieved.

"It's gonna be a 'haunted Airbnb'." He finally replies after the joke has taken its course.

"Oh fuck, that's some real shit." Damn, too late to second guess bringing Johnnie to some rando's creepy ass house now that he's already asked.

"Do you background check these people?" It's a rhetorical question and the blue eyed man smiles at Jake, expecting an answer anyway.

"Fuck nah bro, we're MEN around here." He laughs at the way Johnnie's eyes widen jokingly at the comment, clearly a little perturbed at the idea.

"You just want a reason to be a dickwad to me for being scared of axe-murderers again.." The shorter man side-eyes Jake who just smirks brightly.

"Hey man, it's no pressure if you don't wanna - no problem." Jake narrowly avoids jokingly calling Johnnie a pussy or chicken-shit, he's a new man. The emo man rolls his eyes and agrees to go nonetheless.

-

The first half of the video featuring Tara goes without a hitch, Jake just knows that his fanbase is gonna fawn over him standing protectively in front of his ex girlfriend when they walk into creepy rooms. It'll inevitably hurt to see comments saying that they need to get back together but spending time with her is always worth it; of course.

The hotel is really fuckin' freaky but nothing really happens, as expected. Every now and then they both feel a strange chill in certain rooms but nothing else..

He's just in time getting back to the house to come face to face with Johnnie sitting cross legged at their counter eating a bowl of mac n' cheese and humming the tune to some (definitely emo) song with his headphones in.

"Honey, I'm homee~" He sing-songs to his spaced out friend, interrupting what is almost definitely 'Taking Back Sunday' from the melody that Johnnie is humming.

Ughhh his friend's made him memorize the tune to emo music - is he becoming emo too?! No, there's no way.

"Johnnie.. Is 'emo' contagious..?" His friend gives him a blank stare, lips curling into an incredulous smile dispite himself.

"Dude.. you're such an idiot." Jake grabs at his own chest above where his heart is in mock hurt.

"Fuck man.. I'm just concerned for my sike." Jake pulls a face and corrects himself, "Psyche.."

"You're just digging yourself a bigger hole man.." Johnnie responds through an amused smile at the mistake even though he probably would have done the same.

"Hey, fuck you too!" Jake whisper-yells in reliation and they both share a look, somehow miraculously not making the gay joke they were both thinking about at the comment.

This is gonna be an interesting video for the both of them...

Chapter Text

Jake is driving them to the creepy ass Airbnb in his stupid Tesla, Johnnie is starting to wonder if them staying in random freaky locations is going to become a trend and he isn't sure how to feel about the idea.

"Jake," He starts, with an overtly sincere tone of voice, "I just want you to know that just 'cuz I'm emo does not mean that I'm currently suicidal.." Jake takes his eyes off the road to give him a sideways glance, smiling slightly.

"Check back in a few days for updates though.." Johnnie's smirk widens at his own joke and Jake rolls his eyes.

"Hey man, I'm just tryna keep your emo-ness rollin'.." Jake replies and Johnnie can tell that his friend narrowly avoids singing the Limp Bizkit song - he can picture the other yelling ROLLIN' ROLLIN' ROLLIN' ROLLIN', WHAT? so vividly and hates how fond he is of that fact. 

"... your attitude's been a little too positive lately." Jake continues and the shorter man rolls his eyes dramatically, hoping that his friend catches the action. 

Jake definitely saw the eye roll - "WHAT? It's your brand, you need the emo - I'm just helpin ya out here." 

"Shut up, fuckface - you're just tryna get me killed so you can take my place." Okay, maybe that wasn't the best comment to make after recent events... ehh - what can you do?

"Hey!! I'd never let my dearest boyfriend die on my watch." Why does Jake always say the weirdest shit - and why does Johnnie wish it were true?

-

If only Johnnie knew the honesty behind that statement, how it's almost crushing Jake internally - like some kind of slow killing disease. He doesn't really think that Johnnie would appreciate being compared to a tapeworm but it is a poetic and accurate comparison. 

"This ass is too hard for anyone to tame." Johnnie's putting on that stupid voice then does a little exaggerated hairflip (cute) and Jake rolls his eyes slightly, getting mildly concerned that they'll get stuck there if he keeps it up - even though he knows that's a myth.

"That's because no one wants you.." He deadpans, teasing, and his friend makes a little offended noise. Fuck, he wishes that wasn't so damn far from the truth. 

-

"... You better have brought an extra jacket for me this time.." 

Jake resists making a joke along the lines of  'get over it dude' -  because he knows reference to the jacket debacle will lead to the hypothermia debacle and the hospital and fuck-

"Johnniee, if you wanna cuddle again just say so" he smirks, gives the other man doe eyes then jerks his chin towards the back where he actually did bring an extra coat - even though it definitely won't be that cold. Johnnie isn't the only one with new fears, okay?

"Awwww you actually do care about me!" Johnnie's voice is sickly sweet like thick molasses and the disingenuous nature - the fact that he knows the other man doesn't fully believe it despite everything - makes Jake almost feel ill.

"Don't get your hopes too high now.." He chastises, waggling his finger in a goofy manner and Johnnie just squints at in a faux-glare.

-

They get to the Airbnb and no one's there - obviously - but there is an eerie vibe. It's genuinely in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by vast woodlands in front of a massive lake.

It's noontime and Jake can't help but notice the way that fog rolls off the body of water in waves, he isn't a superstitious man by any means but for some reason it brings up a memory. He rambles to Johnnie about this as the make their way to the front door. 

In high school, he had to read some cryptic book about a failed marraige or something and the house where the family was falling apart was surrounded by a thick fog. His teacher had gone on some rant that he only vaguely paid attention to about how it symbolized the family being trapped and dazed in a myriad of conflicting emotions. 

When he tells Johnnie that he doesn't understand why he's thinking about this or why he feels weirdly unnerved, the other man is no help. 

"Fuck dude, why'd you have to go all poetic on me?" The emo man starts, "If anything happens to me, expect my ghost to haunt you." Jake laughs it off, he's not sure what he's talking about anyways, it'll be fine - surely.

Johnnie keeps on going with the ghost thing, "and you seriously don't want me watching you all the time.." He says in an extreme attempt at a seductive voice then laughs with a grin but the mood just doesn't seem the same as it usually does with the feeling of the woods watching them in the forefront of Jake's mind.

"Fuckin' perv.." He chuckles at his friend and Johnnie seems to notice that the taller man isn't really in the moment because his smile drops ever so slightly - definitely feeling freaked out because Jake is freaking out. 

-

They turn on the camera and walk into the building, the walls are a dim grey-brown lined with industrial almost victorian era pillars. It's really off-putting for a lake house. 

"Okay man, we are not sleeping here.." Johnnie chimes in towards the camera. 

"What do you plan to do instead?" Jake jokes, he doesn't really plan on getting any shut-eye either to be entirely honest...

"We could go for a late night swim." The shorter man bites his lip ring seductively and winks (the fucker) and Jake says something about how Johnnie 'has to stop this' even though he's pretty sure that he's even worse when it comes to 'not helping with the gay rumors'...

"Plus, have you literally never read a Stephen King book?"

"Fuck no man, I dropped out of high school, do you really think I read?" Jake giggles at that, "Oh right.." He looks back at the viewers and reiterates , "Guys.. for all of you that don't know.. Johnnie dropped out of high school, so he's basically mentally an eigth grader." He knows that everyone is aware of that at this point but he loves teasing the other man about it. 

"Hey, I resent that!" Johnnie whisper yells - something about this place makes it feel almost sacrilege to talk too loudly - as they approach a massive fireplace that dominates the living room. 

There are huge floor to ceiling windows lining the room and they both come to an agreement that maybe it isn't a good idea to stay in this specific room.

"My stalkers would have a feild day." Jake is a little concerned with the sincere fear hidden behind that statement - at being freaked out about the windows, hopefully not necessarily about stalkers cuz... they share the same house and Jake doesn't really want any freaky mail on his doorstep - despite he fact that he knows it's a joke. 

"Dude, stop kidding yourself - you know you aren't hot enough for that." He scoffs at the camera, "Get a load of this guy", he says it in a corny country accent and jerks his thumb back in the direction of his friend.

"Tell that to Bryan Stars." Johnnie deadpans under his breath with a sardonic smile and Jake winces, his friend's lore is really fuckin' insane and sometimes he just wants to hug the other man so tight to sheild him from every fucking asshole that's ever hurt him. 

He knows it's clingy and probably weird but hey, no one ever needs to know. He can have these private thoughts without feeling like a creep - okay, on second thought... that's a little creepy.. a lot creepy.. uhh, fuck.. it is not time to have a crisis.

-

They look around the house for a while and discover that grandiose windows line the entire building and the least creepy room is probably the stalker's paradise of a living room. 

Sitting down together on the couch, they decide to just watch movies all night to try  and avoid the ever lurking sense of disquiet whirring through both of their veins. 

Chapter Text

The TV is stuck on some odd channel because neither Jake nor Johnnie feel like changing it, maybe it's Hallmark? Jake isn't sure but an old timey show with cheesy music and grainy production is playing. 'Murder She Wrote' is the name of it and he genuinely could not care less about plot right now.

Usually he's out cold during any kind of show or movie especially this late, but he cant birng himself to sleep. Johnnie's eyes are drooping ever so slightly and hes been inching a little closer to Jake with every half hour or so that passes - or maybe Jake's scooting closer to him subconsciously - who knows? Life is full of mysteries.

The fog is no longer simply looming above the lake in an ominous but logically harmless way, now its surrounding the house - just outside the massive windows. They're both on edge even through their exhaustion. By this point, the blankets that they each individually had have merged into one - layered on top of one another because of their proximity, so close that Jake can feel the rise and fall of his friend's chest from where they're pressed shoulder to shoulder.

The fog is thick and the trees cast lines of grey blue shadows everywhere - enveloping the house in shades of muted sapphire.

-

Minutes go by and Jake feels soft hair tickle his neck, fuckin' Johnnie falling asleep to a show before he does? This is sick and twisted. His friend's head finally rests fully against his shoulder and he's wide awake now, taking in the gentle breaths against his collarbone with a fervor that would rival a cat watching a mouse.

His eyelashes flutter, what could he be dreaming about? Johnnie's brows shoot together and Jake brings a hand up to run through the emo boy's hair as a reflex - he genuinely couldn't help it if he tried.

Blue hues reflect off Johnnie's pale skin, he's so beautiful and Jake is so fuckin' creepy for watching him like this right now. The shorter man's fringe falls across his forehead and his brows twitch, Jake goes to brush the hair away when he hears an erratic tapping.

Fuck, he's scared.

This was a shit idea, why couldn't they have done another musty ass hotel? Johnnie feels the hand in his hair pause and it must wake him up because his eyes shoot open, Jake moves his hand so it's hovering just behind his friend's head with an expression on his face that definitely spells out guilt as he looks out into the woods.

Johnnie's eyes flick from searching Jake's face to out the window where the knocking continues.

The shorter man finally breaks the silence and Jake would be embarrassed to admit that it startles him.

"Dude, saying 'this isn't helping the gay rumors' is really running it's course.." He smiles nervously, eyes flitting towards the window, clearly also concerned about the noise as he backs away from Jake ever so slightly.

Jake stops himself from saying 'then stop' at the very last second. Now that would be really, really, fucking gay. Like, new levels, he might even win a gay competition.

Instead, he redirects the conversation entirely. "Wanna check out that noise?" He whispers hoarsely and Johnnie sends him a hilariously offended look.

"Fuck no." The other man replies with his eyebrows drawn together despite the fact that he's almost a hundred percent sure that Jake is joking. "Do you?"

Jake laughs and replies with some iteration of 'no'. He pauses for a few seconds, "I kinda just wanted to bother you."

Johnnie huffs in pretend agitation, he could tell. Jake really likes trying to break tension with attempts at 'bothering' the other man despite the fact that the shorter has a hard time staying mad or even 'bothered' when it comes to the him. Hopefully Jake never realizes this, he'd abuse the power.

Trees sway - dancing in the wind and casting shadows that seem a hell of a lot like human onlookers,  they begin to discern that the heating of the house makes an odd rythmic clicking noise which is freaky, they tell themselves the heating is what was making the tapping noise. Both of them know this is untrue, they're just afraid that admitting such a thing will make it even more real somehow.

There's finally another noise that breaks the mould of the clicking pattern, a thump coming from upstairs. Jake once again asks if Johnnie wants to see what the noise came from. Nervous tension is overwhelming the two, Johnnie just wants this damn night to be over.

"Are you genuinely a horror movie protagonist 'cuz you're scaring me.. we all know the hot ones die first.." The shorter man's voice cracks at the end of the sentance through his attempt to stay at a whisper.

"Awww you called me hot." Jake coos at the statement.

"I was talking about myself."

Johnnie jolts at the dull 'click' of Jake's camera starting. Once again, his friend is planning on filming him getting mauled. Typical.

"Dude, this isn't fucking Scooby Doo.. whoever's out there probably isn't some harmless guy in a mask."

"Bro. Not all Scooby Doo villains are harmless, remember that beach crab episode?"

"Jesus, that's not the point Jake."

After a few more seconds of nothing, Jake breaks the silence again, "This place definitely has hella ghosts."

"I think a chainsaw massacre is more likely right about now."

"Be honest with me Johnnie, do you have a serial killer fetish?"

"Fuck you."

"Fuck me yourself, you coward." Jake smirks, so proud of himself for delivering such an overused line. Johnnie rolls his eyes and groans quietly, so done with this situation - why does he always feel on the brink of getting murdered as of late? He's at least seventy percent sure it's not his fault.

A thump.

Johnnie jolts impossibly closer to Jake - this time Jake knows he didn't do the inching because he's very frozen in place, much like a deer in headlights.

Another.

Johnnie grabs Jake's forearm and for once the taller is glad that he's so focused on the noises because otherwise he'd have a hard time hiding a shit-eating grin at his friend seeking contact with him for stability.

Blunt nails dig into his arm, Johnnie has an impressive amount of grip strength. Maybe they should take up rock climbing.

-

They're up all night.

All. Night.

Nothing comes of the noises though they keep sounding closer and closer with every hour that passes.

Johnnie thought about running many times until Jake pointed out that the outside of the house is somehow even freakier than inside.

They become very aquatinted with the characters of 'Murder She Wrote' because the TV genuinely has no other channels aside from Hallmark and Jake once again forgot to bring any phone chargers because he's a sick bastard that gets off on torturing Johnnie.

"Johnnie will you ever forgive me??" The shorter man has been complaining about the lack of phone chargers (for the second collaboration video in a row!) since Jake broke the news at approximately 5.27 AM. It's been over three hours.

"Sorry Jake, some things just can't be forgiven.." He makes an overly solemn face for the camera.

"...Sugar Daddy video part two.." Oh so Jake's trying to bribe him with money now... Hmm

"... you have to buy lunch.."

"Deal." They handshake and Jake brings up the idea of night two featuring an Ouija board.

"Jake, are you actually insane? Genuine question."

Chapter Text

"I'm not insane - Swear!" Jake puts on a voice for the camera and Johnnie just shoots a look to said camera that says he doesn't believe him at all. It's almost the same look that he has when the taller man burps during food rating videos..

"I just-" Jake starts then pauses, probably trying to find the correct words. "we don't really have enough footage.." After thinking about it for more than a few seconds, the taller man has enough clarity to realize that it probably isn't the best idea to try and convince his friend to do something else that he isn't really comfortable with after last time... fuck. 

-

"Dude.." Johnnie is using that over exasperated voice. The emo man vaguely thinks about how he might do literally anything for the other man, it's actually really bad at this point. He'll fucking do it, he really doesn't want to but he'll do it. He'll watch the taller try and summon ghosts that neither of them believe in. He'll freeze his ass off in the pouring rain. He'll go to a shitty ass 'haunted' Airbnb just because he wants to be with the other. Doesn't mean he's not pissed at the other but he'll fucking do it.

It's sick and twisted - pathetic even - and Johnnie has enough self respect - or maybe it's shame - to be angry about it. This feeling simmers just below his skin, he's not sure if he's just a little salty at his friend or at himself.

 A look flashes across Jake's face that the shorter man can't quite place, it looks almost like regret. 

"Alright, we can head back.." Fuck, he's definitely thinking back to that night months ago when they were stuck in that damned motel. Johnnie wonders when his life started to center around that one single turning point that's made his best friend see him in such a different light - as so fragile - he wonders when it will end.

He watches Jake's back as he leaves to go futz with his douchey electric car, he's so broad and Johnnie briefly wonders if he's jealous of the other man or if this feeling is something else.. something so much worse. Okay, he knows the answer to that - it just frusterates him beyond belief. 

The smaller man takes this time to try and calm himself, everything's gonna be fine. They'll make it out of this creepy ass shit show unscathed. 

He watches Jake turn on the car to start the A/C as he collects their stuff, from out the obnoxiously large window he watches as the taller man throws his hands up in frusteration.

Fuck. He knows exactly what that means. Something's gone wrong somehow.

Jake stomps back up the stairs and yells,

"Car won't start." 

"...Did you not charge it before we left?"

"...."

"Are you fucking serious Jake?" 

"I'm sorry man, I didn't know it was low.."

"Dude. This is like the fifth time." Johnnie genuinely cannot believe that this is a coincidence anymore, what the fuck is going on? How many times can Jake forgetting to charge something get them in deep shit before someone fucking dies courtesy of an insane Airbnb host?

Okay, yeah, that's a huge exaggeration but Johnnie's pretty pissed. 

"I think it's like the second time.." Johnnie glares at Jake for taking the phrase literally.

Jake starts stuttering a little under the scrutinizing look, "It's fine I, I'll just call Triple A, I'm sure they'll know what to do.."

Johnnie puts his hands over his own face for a couple seconds, stressed. 

"Remember last time we had to call them?" They ran out of gass in a Starbucks parking lot - somewhere very accessible to roads and shit - and it took Triple A six hours to get to them, six hours.

Fuck.

Jake goes to call, and they both seem to realize something at the same time. 

Their phones are dead and the trend of the taller man forgetting chargers is really kicking their asses right now.

-

There's a landline and its accompanying phone book only has a few numbers, thankfully one of them is the police. The sound that the piece of technology emits is really freaky, it's grainy and distorted and sends shivers down Jake's back. 

He decides not to complain to his friend who is currently very disgruntled and makes the embarrassing call to the police who finally get Triple A on the line. They're gonna show up tomorrow morning. Fuck, Johnnie might murder him. The stupid house is too 'remote' for them to get here in any semblance of a timely manner.

-

Hours pass by fairly quickly as they check out the lake - deciding that it really would be a waste to not go to it when the it was originally basically the whole selling point of the house. 

A thick blanket of silence falls over the two as they walk down the muddy bank. 

"You know.." Jake pauses for suspense and Johnnie brings a hand up to his temple in exasperation before looking at the other and slipping on a mucky cleft of the lakeshore. 

"fUCK-" His voice cracks on the last syllable. 

Jake catches him and hoists him up without any sign of strain while laughing at Johnnie's distress and the emo momentarily forgets that he's supposed to be a little angry with the other. The taller's hands basically cover both of his biceps - fuck - begone gay thoughts. 

"As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted," Jake grins while Johnnie flips him off.

"A kid drowned here a few years back." The smiles drop from both of their faces.

"Fuuuck dude.." The shorter is so done with creepy shit right now but he can't resist asking a question. 

"Like, he couldn't swim or..?"

"I dunno, I think it was his moms ex.."

Johnnie raises an eyebrow in a 'go on' gesture despite his better judgement cuz he doesn't really wanna know, he just figures that his friend's gonna tell him anyway.

"She broke up with him so he got back at her by killing her kid." Johnnie hadn't even noticed that the camera was out until this point but it kinda makes more sense. Jake isn't just trying to be a dick, he's just telling the viewers to get that extra spook factor in. 

-

Eventually, morning bleeds into afternoon and the two are sitting on the lakes bank in a fairly comfortable silence despite the fact that tensions are simmering because both are sleep deprived and Johnnie is feeling increasingly antsy at the situation.

The silence is broken by Johnnie,

"Hey Jake?" The other turns his head away from the rippling surface of the body of water in rapt attention,

"Yeah?" He looks so earnest that the shorter almost doesn't want to ask his question,

"D'ya think we'll ever make it outta here?"

Jake gives him a confused look, one full of concern and Johnnie briefly thinks that maybe the sleep deprivation is finally getting to him.

"Huh?" A small smile graces Jake's lips as he continues, "Johnnie, you aren't planning on killing me right now, right?" 

"No, I meant like.." Johnnie looks up at the grey sky, "what will we do after all this...?" He's leaning back against the grass now and gives the taller (who looks increasingly concerned) a sidelong look. "Like, will we ever make it out of our apartment? What's left for us?" 

Jake sighs, "Fuck man, you're scaring me.." He lays back on the vaguely yellow toned grass facing the other, "We're in this together though, you've got me in your corner."

Johnnie smiles, figuring that Jake is starting to think he's spiraling - having a mild depressive episode - he doesn't tell him otherwise. 

"Same. I'm just... it's fucking stupid.." Jake looks at him strangely and Johnnie starts to feel a little guilty for dropping this on the other. He's just so tired. So, so tired. It's making him loopy and he kinda hates it. 

"It's not stupid." Jake replies firmly and the shorter shoots him a dubious look.

"You don't even know what I was gonna say.."

"Then tell me. You say plenty of stupid stuff but I'm sure this isn't." 

"... I'm scared.."

Jake gives him a reassuring look, Johnnie knows that it means something along the lines of 'go on' and he's not sure that he wants to. Who would want to admit to being afraid of losing someone to the capacity that he is. He's so scared of being alone but he can't just admit that. 

"Nothing, I just.. I'm not sure what's left for me after this.."

"Johnnie, there'll always be something left for you. After YouTube.. I don't have anything really - plans wise - but we'll make it. I don't know how but I know that we'll make it."

He finds comfort in the use of  'we' implying that they are together in this game of life. Even if it's not in the way either of them really want. 

"Plus, that's like years away dude! We might become rich before that." He chuckles at the end of the sentence and Johnnie knows the taller man is well off (money-wise), he's not doing too bad himself. He just gets these existential thoughts. Jake is doing pretty well for himself, does that mean he won't need a roomate soon? Fuck, it sounds so desperate. 

-

Once they get back to the house, Jake finally talks Johnnie into pulling out the Ouija board. The shorter isn't sure what really gets him to agree to this, he feels almost as if it's asking for something bad to happen. Not to say that the 'bad' thing will be involing ghosts.. Just.. Something. 

(Like an axe murderer..)

Jake unceremoniously places the board in the center of the living room,

"Good thing I read up on this before our phones died.." Johnnie gives him a look in reponse that very clearly tells him that he does not think that it's a good thing at all. 

The shorter also read up on this extensively just out of morbid curiosity when he was in like middle school. He does not tell Jake this because he doesn't want to be talked into leading the whole ordeal. It's been so long, his recollection surrounding it is foggy anyway. 

Jake puts his hands on the planchette and speaks into the dim air,

"Hello." Great, now the metaphorical portal into the other world is open.. 

"Is there anyone here that would like to speak with us?" Jake's eyes widen and look towards the camera through the dim lighting as the planchette moves to spell out 'yes'.

Maybe this wasn't the best idea, he's sure that Jake is moving the thing on his own even through the mild panic of his expression. 

"...At least it didn't say 'no'.."

"...Jake.. if it said 'no' then this would be over.." 

"Oh..." Jake seems to think for a moment before continuing,

"Uhh.. how did you die?" Jake asks in that 'ghost hunting YouTuber voice' that's so common and filled with faux suspense, Johnnie whacks him gently across the chest, 

"Rude, the fuck?" The shorter exclaims, "Buy them a drink first.." He looks to the camera, proud of his joke despite the fact that he's a little terrified of this house and what's in it.

"Okay.. then, show yourself?"

A loud clang erupts through the house, the sound of glass shattering is deafening and both of the men bring their hands up to protect their eyes as glass slices through their exposed skin. 

"Dude! Has anyone ever told you to not ask ghosts to show themselves?" Johnnie's eyes are wide open as he looks at the other man, "You're also not supposed to lift your hands off of the planchette.." 

They're both bleeding ever so slightly, crimson drops fall from Johnnie's hands onto the board and he cusses, that must be some bad karma or something..

"When did you become the Ouija Board Master?" 

"This is kinda common sense.." Jake gives him an indignant look at that, clearly disagreeing before they both look to the window that just exploded in front of them.

"...maybe it was the changing temperature or something.." Jake suggests,

"Uh huh...." 

"Let's hope that was an axe murderer and not some 'vengeful spirit'."Jake enunciates the last two words with that fake-spooky, halloween voice and starts walking towards the busted window with the forgotten Ouija board framed by broken glass.   

The shorter grabs his friend's arm and drags him away from the ruins,

"Nope, no no no." 

"C'mon, what was that?" Jake pauses for dramatic effect, clearly not afraid of whatever caused the explosion of what is essentially shrapnel, maybe the lack of sleep has finally made him lose it? 

Johnnie has noticed that ever since the incident at the hospital, he's found his friend sitting on their shared couch at odd hours of the night.

"Let's check it out." What the fuck? The shorter briefly wonders if the other has been possessed then quickly decides to plead insanity for his friend instead. 

He's kinda freaking out. He’s definitely freaking out. 

"You like.. you invited spirits here or some shit, dude - you have to say 'Goodbye', close the fucking portal or something.." 

"You really believe this stuff?" 

Johnnie sputters slightly before replying, he thinks that he's rightfully scared to be honest but defends himself anyway,

"No - but you're telling me you aren't freaked the fuck out?!?" 

"I mean-" Jake starts and Johnnie interupts him,

"The window fucking EXPLODED."

"Yeah but, that had to be a coincidence or something.." Jake looks around but (oddly enough) never focuses on the new lack of window.

"Do you want us - me -  to die?" Johnnie is really, really scared. He had told Jake that he didn't want to fucking stay another night. He didn’t want to use the damned Ouija board, even if he doesn't necessarily believe in the supernatural - it still feels like he'd be basically asking to get murdered..

Jake feels like it's been explicitly obvious that he does not want his best friend to die, especially in light of - or despite - recent events. He's kinda miffed. He doesn't understand what's going on, there's a dull throbbing pain in his head and blood dripping from his forehead. Everything's happening in a blur. 

What did he do? Why is Johnnie so scared? What was that noise? 

The - the window exploded?

"I mean-" He starts, and it is a joke.. The edge in his voice just makes it kinda not sound like one. And he's so fucked. Johnnie looks hurt - genuinely hurt - and he's fucked up big time. 

Johnnie stands up from his crouched position abruptly in a blur of black hair and disassociated eyes, the fear finally getting the best of him and manifesting into something sad, something scared for an entirely different reason. 

He really meant it as a joke, at this point he thinks that one of the worst things that could happen to him would be the other man's death, as sappy as that sounds. 

He doesn't find the words to say that though. Of course he doesn't, he's sitting there with an arm out as if to grab the other man, to snatch his wrist and pull him back onto the couch in the center of this stupid godforsaken house.. but he doesn't.

Johnnie stomps upstairs in a manner that Jake would usually find comedic because he does stomp in a very literal sense, combat boots clacking against the old oak of the steps. There's no humor in this though, his friend is going upstairs to where the sounds had come from last night. 

What if someone's squatting there? The smaller man could actually get murdered as ridiculous as that sounds. 

Wait. 

The fucking window exploded?

The fog has rolled back in, a thick haze envolops the area just outside the house that has been further exposed by the busted window and as the chill of the air bites at Jake, he vaguely wonders how he got here. 

Chapter Text

Johnnie paces around the upstairs of the weirdly ancient seeming building, the whole area is regal in a way that feels almost intrusive. He feels lightheaded. maybe he lost too much blood?

It's an odd thought because he's pretty sure that the glass shards just barely grazed him and he's definitely not squeamish around blood but who knows... 

He stumbles around the area, leaning heavily against cold mahogany furniture and feeling oddly out of place in a way that's even more intense then just feeling like you don't belong in someone else's house. He feels like he's being watched. 

He hopes desperately that it's just the sleep deprivation.

Eventually, he finds himself against a wall looking across the barren room to a mirror. Out of the corner of his eye he barely makes out movement. 

He doesn't scream or yell, what good would come of that? He's a deer in headlights and this house is the semi-truck about to metaphorically hit him.

A rocking chair swings back and forth gently to his left. What the fuck?

Maybe it's the darkness creeping in and he's about to pass out? In the back of his mind, he registers that he kinda wants to pass out at this point. To be consumed by darkness. He's just so fuckin' tired, he can't take it. Maybe this is a fever dream?

He's so done, so afraid and just wants this to be over. 

Is someone else here?

Maybe a random person decided to pull a weird ass prank on them by shooting the window and making it combust? It doesn't make any sense but there are stranger people out there.

He doesn't have the energy to scramble away from the movement, it was probably just a rat anyway. Which, gross, but whatever.

Suddenly, he hears something that breaks the uncomfortable silence.

A dull thud reverberates up the stairs and Johnnie barely resists the urge to roll his eyes through the terror, what now? 

-

Jake is passed out right next to their abandoned Ouija board. 

Johnnie walks down the paneled steps to find his friend sprawled across the glass covered floor and to say that he freaks out is a gross understatement.

At first, he thinks that he can't find a pulse and then he realizes that he was definitely feeling the wrong side of his wrist and mentally slaps himself. 

Jake's heartbeat is sluggish at best and Johnnie can feel the blood drain from his own face as he hits his friend's face repeatedly (definitely more gently than reccomended) to check for a pain response and he gets nothing. 

What's he supposed to do? Give CPR? No. Jake probably just lost a lot of blood. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why does this keep happening to them? 

He runs to the landline frantically, wasting no time in calling the police. 

Seriously, why didn't they do that when the fucking window exploded? Like... in the moment, he forgot that phones aside from their cellphones exist, but still..

"Hello?" The phone is freaky at best with the static background sounding straight out of a b-grade horror film but Johnnie honestly could not care less right now.

"911, what's your emergency?" 

"My friend just passed out, I think he lost too much blood or hit his head or something?"  He's talking too quickly, everything sounds slurred in his head and he hopes that he's coherent.

"And the window exploded? Glass is everywhere.." He says it like an afterthought and the person on the other end of the line assures him that that ambulance is on its way. 

"When.. how long?" Johnnie seriously doesn't want to be in this house any longer - he especially doesn't want Jake to be in the house any longer - and the dispatcher assures him that it will be less than fifteen minutes.

So much for 'too far off the grid', fuckin' Triple A... 

He hangs up on the dispatcher, not really caring if that's bad etiquette, and goes back to Jake's sprawled form. 

He thinks he might have a panic attack and die. He told the younger to not fuck with Ouija boards.. or it was implied at least..

Now they're gonna be double - medical traumatized (he's making it his mission to ensure neither of them ever have to step foot in an emergency room again after this) and Jake might have permanent brain damage? Johnnie isn't really sure how blood loss effects the brain but he's positive that it's not good either way. 

"Jake.." He murmurs to the other's concerningly cold body, "C'mon, you can't die on me man, I couldn't take it."

He watches the taller man's eyebrows scrunch together in what is presumably discomfort and all his previous frusteration with the other bleeds away. 

"Please..?" He cradles Jake's head in his lap to get it away from the hard floor and comes to the terrifying realization that the back of his head is damp and tacky. He swipes away the halo of glass surrounding them with more frustration than strictly necessary, fear bleeding into the forefront of his mind against his will. 

Johnnie can't help it, he vomits on the cold floor behind him, though the only thing that really comes up is bile, the nausea and panic are finally fully setting in. 

He doesn't even register the dull thrum of pain that stabs through his hand. 

"Jake.. you're really scaring me, yaknow?" He mutters, just above a whisper and he moves his friend's fringe away from his closed eyes. 

He laughs gently, a bitter sound,

"I almost thought you were possessed or some shit for a minute, you asshole." The words are teary, he can't believe his friend got so hurt over something so stupid. A fucking séance, really?

He hates himself for leaving Jake alone when he was so clearly disoriented, he honestly had thought the other man was just being an ass. 

He thinks, not for the first time tonight, that maybe something's wrong with him, half of his vision is blurred with red and he's so dizzy..

He looks into the fog just outside the foreboding shattered window and sees the slightest hint of movement through the cerulean shadows cast against the trees. 

Into the darkness, he whispers the faintest, 

"Goodbye.."

Knowing that Jake already screwed it all up, he's pretty sure that the other man is the one who has to say it but whatever. Johnnie tells himself that he doesn't believe in the paranormal.. but deep down, the fear crawls in the back of his mind. Plus, him saying it is better than nothing as Jake's blood seeps through his pants and he hears the droning sounds of sirens in the distance. 

It's about time. 

-

Johnnie passes out, with Jake's head cradled protectively in his lap, sprawled out in the back of the ambulance with nothing but the faint beeping of the heart monitor to keep them company. 

Jesus, how he hates heart monitors. 

Chapter Text

Jake wakes up with a splitting headache, feeling almost as if he just experienced multiple deaths. A combination of stinging and throbbing pain from what must have been glass shards and the subsequent head trauma are at the forefront of his mind.

His heart monitor picks up as he's reminded of the last time they were in the hospital.. He should've fucking listened to his friend and not used that Ouija board. Something was very wrong with that house.. He doesn't even know what to do with the footage that was running during that whole ordeal.. how is he supposed to edit that? 

He isn't even sure where their stuff is but he knows for a fact that they aren't going back there.

Where's Johnnie..? Nurses arrive quickly, letting him know that he has a 'Grade 3' or 'high grade' concussion. Just fuckin' great, he doesn't really need brain damage but that's an amazing bonus isn't it? Fucking great. This is definitely some sort of karma.

After the nurse leaves, stating that he's gonna have to stay in the vicinity for a while for them to monitor his vitals, he swings the plastic divider open to look out at the room.

Johnnie's slumped across a shitty hospital chair, fried and blackened hair on end from recent struggles pertaining to a certain haunted house. His frame looks so small on the white plastic, Jake wants to hold him.

Okay, that's a very gay thought.

The roles are reversed from their last hospitalization and an odd sense of inverse deja vu washes over the taller man, is that even a thing? It should be. If not he just invented it.

Johnnie grumbles and curles up so that his face is towards the wall to hide from harsh sterile lights in a position that looks amazingly uncomfortable, Jake is almost impressed. 

He laughs quietly as the smaller man continues to twist and turn on the small furniture (the chair can barely be considered such but bygones).. and Johnnie eventually opens his eyes, moaning about the uncomfortable lighting situation. His rubs his face with a very bandaged hand.

"Did you try to punch a ghost.." He gestures to the injury and Johnnie just looks at hin for a second, confused. 

"Oh! Yeah, I fought glass.."  It's a lame joke but Jake doesn't say that, maybe he's gone soft.

"That didn't happen when the.. yaknow." He's talking about the very recent explosion that they endured - not wanting to directly mention it for some unexplainable reason - and the other man seems to get it. He would absolutely remember if something had happened to his friend's hand. Especially something that needed so much medical attention.

"Hey, waitwaitwait, we aren't not gonna acknowledge this!!" Johnnie starts using the most roundabout phrasing possible accidentally, "I thought you were gonna die, you fucker!" 

The emo man practically yells the sentance and Jake chuckles because what else is he supposed to do, 

"Sorry about that.." 

"Sorry??"

"Yeah, the whole Ouija thing was kinda a dick move."

Johnnie looks suprised at the apology but his expression softens quickly ever so slightly,

"It's fine, dumbass. Sorry for leaving you down there by the way.. I didn't know anything was wrong, I was just so.." He's sitting beside Jake on the hospital bed by now, so close as he trails off. Jake finds it kinda funny that they can't get through a serious conversation without calling eachother insults (they're more 'pet names' than anything at this point...).

He actually finds it endearing and that thought isn't buried as deeply as it should be..

Memories fly through his mind unwarranted, the smaller's misty disassociated expression, the fear that came with him leaving. The darkness. Fuck, this is heavy.

"Don't apologize for that. Seriously though, the hell happened to your hand?" He isn't gonna let Johnnie deflect the question away, it's his fault that his friend got hurt once again and he thinks the guilt might start eating him alive..

"It's nothing, really. Just a stupid lil cut." Jake doesn't understand why his friend is embarrassed by this and raises an eyebrow.

"Uh huh.?" He gestures for the other to go on.

"I thought you were gonna die..." Johnnie leans on him slightly and he basks in the contact. What's that supposed to mean..? The smallers eyes lose focus just a little bit, probably mentally going back to the other night.

"... You were laying on the glass and I was just so scared." His voice wavers a little and Jake knows that Johnnie hates himself a little for the display of emotion, he hates that his friend feels like natural emotions are a weakness. The other man doesn't deserve the anguish.

"And yeah.." Johnnie trails off, "I moved it. Naturally." He tries to make the same motion as he had that night and winces almost indiscernibly. Jake gently grabs his wrist in a silent request to stop him from flexing his fingers any more, he isn't sure what to say about the admission and Johnnie gives him that deer in headlights look. He's never quite sure if the overtly surprised expression is a joke or not..

He rubs soothing motions against the smallers' wrist with his thumb while lowering it to the bed and the emo shoots him a confused look but doesn't protest. 

"Shit.. I'm sorry Johnnie."

Johnnie rolls his eyes jokingly, clearly not knowing how or just not wanting to respond.

"Enough of this sappy shit, have you tried your jello yet? It's been sitting there for hours and is probably lukewarm by now." Interesting way to break the silence but Jake'll take it.

-

"Mmm jello shots, my favorite." Jake slugs the whole thing and one gulp and proceeds to make happy noises, telling Johnnie that he's gotta try it, 

"I'd slap that on a bitches ass for sure." He continues, proud of his statement as always - giving it the highest endorsement he could possibly give a food item.

The shorter man takes a few bites (Jake judges him harshly for biting the jello and Johnnie responds defensively that it's a very normal thing to do) then gags violently, 

"Fuck, that's literally just sugar."He wheezes and Jake gives him an 'are you dumb' look,

"Yeah, that's kinda the point.." He's got that stupid inflection that he uses in videos when bullying Johnnie and the shorter man's happy to finally be back to some semblance of normal. 

Johnnie makes some more retching sounds and Jake whacks his shoulder, complaining about how he just wasted a perfectly good jello cup on a 'dumb bitch'.

"Okay, now you've gotta get me more hospital jello."

"The fuck, I don't" Johnnie replies, mildly offended.

"Yaknow, when I was little, I used to try to fake getting hurt for the jello.." Jake sounds very proud of the fact, 

"...It never really worked."

"Yeah, I kinda figured."

"Hey, fuck off!"  

-

Over the course of the next few hours, Jake routinely sneaks out of his bed to hoard hospital jello while Johnnie watches - laughing at the ridiculousness of watching a grown man with a hospital gown shuffle down the hallways to raid empty rooms. 

"You know.. hospital jello's for people who can't eat normal foods, right..?"

"I'M A GROWING MAN JOHNNIE" It's a slightly random statement and the shorter just chuckles, giving in to the chaos.

Eventually they run out of empty rooms and at this point, it's the only thing that Jake's been eating so Johnnie finally gives in to helping the cause. 

"Okay, I'll help but you've gotta be the one to manipulate the nurse." 

"Fuck yeah!!" 

They guilt trip a poor student nurse into handing over a whole stash of the sugary foods (only around five cups but it's a win in their eyes) and talk about stupid shit until Jake is discharged from the hospital with an extensive list of how to treat his concussion. 

-

In the Uber home, Johnnie just can't help but ask the question that's been eating away at him for hours,

"..So why didn't you ever just tell your mom to get jello at the grocery store when you were younger..?"

He's leaning on Jake's shoulder, watching TikToks because the distance back to their apartment is surprisingly long.

".....It's not the same.." Jake replies in a way that tells the smaller man that his friend knows he's gonna get bullied for the statement. He laughs against him incredulously. 

"It comes from a box, it's literally the same thing!" 

"No, I'm sure they put minerals or some shit in the good stuff." Johnnie's wheezing slightly into his shoulder - that's so stupid.

"You're such a dumbass."

"Hey, no you are, you dickface!" 

-

They're laying on the couch, basking in the comfort of their own home with microwave chicken nuggets. Jake is trying to sleep through the movie they're currently watching and Johnnie's letting him - they're both afraid to admit that they're scared to sleep in their respective rooms because of recent events. 

They give in to the tempation to sleep next to eachother - to maintain that one comfort - for just this night.

Johnnie breaks the comfortable silence before his friend can fully fall asleep, 

"You still owe me that Sugar Daddy video." It's whispered as he doesn't want to distrub the peaceful atmosphere of the night air. 

"Sure thing, boobear" Johnnie cringes at the nickname being used outside of a video and flicks Jake but doesn't say anything.

He munches on an over-microwaved chicken nugget (usually he has the microwave time down to a science but other things have been on his mind lately) and tries not to think of the connotations of the taller man falling asleep against him again. 

It's getting harder to ignore.

Chapter Text

The following week, they head out to the bustling LA streets in broad daylight (finally, a video concept that Johnnie can get behind), hopping from store to store and running through traffic in between 'scenes'. 

Nothing has really caught either of their eyes and as they pass through another lane of cars, Johnnie kind of feels on top of the world running next to his best friend despite the looming ache in his bones from days passed. 

Concentrated light refractions blind them in what almost feels like a 'buzz' off of the majorly red, black and white cars. Some fucker honks at the shorter man and he turns to flip the man sitting behind a wheel off then promptly trips over a fire hydrant straight into a sign.

He curses aggressively while Jake laughs - the fucker.. He flips off his friend,

"I hope you're getting blinded by the lights, fucker." He grumbles at the other man - addressing the taller's concussion - while holding his head and leaning against the offending sign. 

"Awwhh is that your way of telling me I'm a star?" Jake coos as his eyes absentmindedly trace the other’s body for signs of actual pain while patting Johnnies shoulder apologetically.

"How did you get that idea from that?!" the smaller gripes while gesturing aggressively for the camera and regretfully pushing away the comforting hand. 

"The Weeknd, duh." Johnnie just rolls his eyes and laughs and the stupid pun. 

"That really was an accident though, fuck why was there a sign there." He mutters loud enough to he heard as he kicks the fire hydrant and passes the other offending obsticle in favor of walking towards a jewelry store. 

"Dunno man, the world works in mysterious ways." Comes a reply that devolves into that stupid southern accent from over his shoulder. 

Johnnie grumbles some more about spending away the pain via Jake's credit card and they both know that he isn't all that into material possessions but plan to save that whole spiel for later. 

The camera might pick up on a faint dusting of blush across Jake's cheeks and shoulders when Johnnie circles back and grabs his wrist to drag him through the store entrance but he'll edit that out anyway in the final cut. No one needs to know. 

-

Johnnie is standing under those strangely sterile looking jewelry store lights in front of an oval mirror placed atop one of the massive jewelry display cases. His face is illuminated by the light, making him look almost hypoxemic.

 When he turns around, Jake is vaguely reminded of those old animes where the main character gets a nose bleed whenever they crush on some pretty girl..

Johnnie's wearing a choker and it shouldn't affect him so much but fuck, it really does. 

Technically it's choker adjacent - massive sterling silver flat chain links perfectly fit to rest high on the neck with deep red spinel pseudo spikes and fuck - that's gotta cost a pretty penny. 

Neither of them know anything about jewelry and when the dude at the front desk reads off the price, Johnnie immediately puts the thing down (gently) on the table with jarring clinking noises that make them both wince. 

To be perfectly honest - Jake.. Jake really wants to see that on the other man again. He sees Johnnie eyeing the piece of jewelry and immediately resigns himself to how much of a simp he truly is - he buys the damn thing. 

For four hundred dollars.

Now, later on he’d think about the fact that he could have just gotten his friend an average choker and it would’ve had the same nosebleed effect. Well.. okay, maybe he’s just stupid. Or maybe it was partially because he just wanted to see his friend happy.

Maybe he sustained more brain damage than originally anticipated but the glistening stones bring out the dark reds of Johnnie's eye makeup which all contrasts with his eyes and fuck. 

It also looks like a collar which... yeah. Hot. 

Wait what the fuck. That's so.. objectifying.. 

Jake can't take it back though, he already handed over his credit card to the bored looking salesman, Johnnie's eyes have already lit up with that oh so subtle joy that he gets which undertones the fake 'video' reaction that's kinda become the norm. It shines through the apathetic front he puts on when trying to convince people that he's not at all into material possessions. 

Not that Johnnie's super into material shit but sometimes - as Jake always likes to say - it's nice to spend money on people. 

The rest of the day follows in the same vein, ever since everything that's happened to the both of them lately, Jake hasn't really gotten the chance to wind down, to unpack the attraction that he feels for the other man which has clung to his mind like some sort of parasite. A parasite that's been growing with every passing day, that's begun taking over the forefront of his mind.

Sometimes he thinks Johnnie feels the same, he leans into his touches, his expression softens when he sees Jake sometimes in a way that's barely perceptible and sometimes his eyes linger.. 

"Bro.. this costs like a hundred happy meals."

"Bro, a hundred happy meals are nothing for you boobear." 

Johnnie snaps out of his short reverie to reprimand Jake for the corny nickname that he knows is only used because it bothers him but he does it with a cheesy smile on his face that Jake knows Johnnie will cringe at when watching this video back. 

At this point though, Johnnie isn't even sure if it bothers him anymore, he'll give his friend the reaction he wants though. It's definitely cringy as fuck... but honestly kinda wholesome..? At the very least, it's a reminder that things are normal... Or as normal as they can be..

"Plus, you can make it up to me later..", he says it with that annoying country twang and a wink that must be bad for his concussion. Johnnie rolls his eyes and smirks seductively (Jake briefly wonders if he's imagining that look behind his friend's eyes but his hesitation is really dwindling). 

-

Running through the street again laughing, Jake feels like a fucking teenager but he loves it. 

A traffic jam backs up the whole section and they both almost run into multiple cars because for some reason drivers are pissed that people outside of vehicles are moving faster than them, some assholes jerk their cars forward just a bit to hinder the two. 

Jake thinks it's hilarious, dragging Johnnie away from a pissy Honda Civic with his fucking four hundred dollar necklace shining in the direct sunlight is an amazing feeling. 

Johnnie's wearing that almost bashful smile that says he isn't sure that he's supposed to feel as much humor in this specific scenerio as he does but can't stop himself. Jake can't escape the emotions rolling inside him and it's damn near criminal. 

-

They run back into the store Jake bought the cheetah print (probably women's) jacket so long ago (which was really only a few months..) that Johnnie looks so hot in. Their heads are thrown back, laughing at the resounding noise of horns blaring. 

There's only one person in the store, some kid working at the front desk with hair covering the entirety of their face who is completely ignoring them, it's a massive relief. 

Johnnie's been in the dim changing room for well over ten minutes now and Jake's starting to wonder if he's been kidnapped or fell and hit his head against a wall when the emo appears abruptly, swinging open the door with flair. 

Tight dark red pants with chains that leave virtually nothing to the imagination - they're practically painted on... Jake really wants to grab him by the hips and push him against a wall and oh fuck those are very unholy thoughts.

He really needs to stop being a perv. 

Instead of acting on anything or acknowledging his questionable creativity, he just repeats his compliment from the last video, 

"You look like a million bucks!" with fingerguns.. Johnnie just chuckles and makes a weird face that Jake isn't sure why he doesn't cringe at. Oddly enough, he almost never cringes at his friend's antics anymore despite the other man being impressively peculiar sometimes.

-

He ends up buying the pants along with an impressive amount of band t-shirts. Oh the things he does for these videos. 

They end up at a breakfast place at 1pm.. there’s no one in the store and the indirect early spring afternoon light glints off of tile floor and curtains to bathe them in soft colors. 

“Ugh, man. Being a sugar baby is hard work..” Johnnie’s practically laying across the table with his head resting on his forearms in from of Jake who raises an eyebrow in amusement.

“What else do you want me to do, carry you?” The smaller man huffs a laugh at the idea,

“Yeah. My delicate ankles are getting tired.” His expression stretches into a toothy smirk as he lifts up a combat boot to show off how truly ‘dainty’ he is. Jake giggles, 

“Put your dogs down before you scare the employees.” 

“Nuh uh, people pay good money for this shit.” Jake laughs indignatly,

“You started a FeetFinder and didn’t tell me??” His hands are raised with exasperation, “You know I’ve been waiting for this moment.” 

They spend the rest of their impromptu ‘date’ - laughing about random shit as the sun gets lower in the sky, shining direct light into their eyes while Johnnie nibbles on his waffles ‘we literally have Eggo waffles at home, why not get something bougie??’ ‘stop comparing me to a toddler, I like what I like..’. 

-

While they walk the few blocks back to the apartment, Johnnie is leaning heavily on Jake (in what’s probably an attempt to annoy him) he’s sure his face is turning a shade of red but who knows? 

They get back to the apartment and Jake has the brilliant idea that they should go clubbing - in what is most definitely not an excuse to try and drink away any confusing lingering feelings -. 

As much as he loves it, he doesn’t know if he can spend another night cuddling with Johnnie on the couch… It feels almost sleazy when he knows the other man doesn’t like him in that way.. Like he’s taking advantage of the smaller man’s trust. 

Chapter Text

Some obnoxious dubsteb beat was blaring through the venue.

'I'm feelin' nauseous from the freefall..' 

It was like the lyrics were taunting him as red, pink and turquoise lights illuminated Johnnie, a backlight shining through his hair and casting his visible form in dark shadow. 

'I'm seeing three of everything, can't shuffle my feet.' 

Jake usually isn't really a 'lyrics' man per se but the irony still is not lost on him, he's had at least three too many shots and his inhibitions are loosening with every moment. The candy lights are making him sick with the desire to touch his friend. This desire would usually make him feel worse but his senses are drowned out. 

Some dude is talking to Johnnie not even two feet away but he can't hear over the beat drops, Johnnie keeps looking back at him with an odd smile, he feels taunted. He probably shouldn't. 

Jake really wants to touch Johnnie. 

Memories of the other man falling asleep on him in that stupid fucking tent, in that stupid motel... Fuck... he can't help but feel like he's laid some claim on the other.

The dude talking to him has green eyes that shine in a sinister manner from the now neon pink club lights. The other guy's eyes have been lingering a little too long on the emo man's neck and Jake is fucking pissed. The guy hasn't done anything but he's pissed. 

Jake is the one who's spent countless hours in the hospital with the other man, he's the one that almost fucking died in the same stupid haunted house with Johnnie - okay, maybe that's an overreaction but he's drunk alright?

He's the one that's spent endless nights cuddled up on the couch with his friend. He's the one that's been fantasizing about him for the past few days (for the last year). 

What right does this asshole have to hit on Johnnie? 

"C'mon Johnnie." He interrupts the two after getting another sidelong glance from the emo man - still unsure of what it means - and grabs the smaller's cold tattooed wrist to drag him up the steps. 

“Huh?" Johnnie questions but goes along with it anyways, they're both too drunk to really care about the location of their intoxicated state. 

"Wassup?" The smaller tries again in the darkness of the room, the whites of his eyes stand out in the low light - outlined by stark eyeshadow. Jake wonders if it's weird to notice that.

"Nothin', it looked like bro was bothering you." There's an edge to jus voice that he can't quite get rid of. 

"I mean... he kept looking at my tits." Johnnie has such a straight face while saying the phrase and the taller man bursts out laughing, he can't help it. 

"I-" There's a lot of wheezing involved, "Dude, he's looking at your neck." 

Johnnie brings a hand up to the massive choker adorning him at the same time that Jake brings a hand up over the expensive chunk of metal. The emo surprisingly leans into the touch.

"Ahh.." He seems to be pondering the idea, "Still weird." 

"Yeah, he was real fuckin' weird." Johnnie laughs in between drunken hiccups at the comment, Jake's tone is amusing okay? He sounds angry with the other guy in a weird distorted way. 

Jake can tell that his friend is about to shrug the hand off or change the subject but he really doesn't want to let go of the physical contact. 

Shadows are bathed in a sapphire hue, some odd sense of deja vu threatens his senses but he doesn't let it take over, he doesn't give a fuck about that freaky ass house or the damn motel. He cares about here and now,

and he's up for finally making some terrible mistakes tonight.

-

"We should make out." Jake's hand is loosely tangled in Johnnie's hair now, he's getting lost in the illuminated blue eyes in front of him. 

"I hate to say this again since it's been a while- *hic*" Johnnie covers his mouth and fucking giggles - it's adorable. "but that's really not gonna help with the rumors." 

Jake huffs a laugh that quickly devolves into hysterics, 

"Fuck the rumors." He smiles at the smaller man, proud of the statement then asks again,

"Can I kiss you?" He's sure that he's wearing a dumb grin drowning in the depths of intoxication and continues, "There are no cameras..." 

"That kinda makes it more.. scary." Any other time, Jake might have thought the word choice funny, it sounds so.. juvenile. They're both drunk off their asses though so it doesn't matter. 

"Ugh, whatever." Johnnie rescinds, his smile is a little lopsided, the taller man thinks it's really fucking cute. 

His hand buries itself deeper in the dead dyed black hair and their lips crash in a drunken haze. Jake pushes him back against the bed in this random empty room eagerly and they fall intertwined atop the sheets. 

It's their first kiss not captured by a lense, it feels like their first kiss in general and Jake's got a weird pang in his gut at the thought of their first tangible 'make out sesh' being while both of them are almost blackout. 

Johnnie's lips are so soft against his own that the thought quickly sinks to the back of his mind as his eyes trace the outline of the slim body bathed in moonlight. 

When did Johnnie lose his shirt? When did he take off his own shirt? He's nipping at the tattoo clad man's collar bone, just above the tantalizing 'I'm Not Perfect' script. The sounds coming from him are breathy and intoxicating - probably more so than the actual alcohol. They sink into his bloodstream with a vice grip.

Pale skin is contrasted with the cool hues of silver, purple undertoned garnet and black ink. Johnnie is a work of art. 

Jake's head is swimming. 

Lines of ink are trailing together, he can't differentiate any of Johnnie's tattoos, everything's too hazy. 

The amount that he's passed out over the last few months should be pretty concerning. This blackout feels almost comforting though despite the fact that he really no longer knows where he is. 

-

Jake wakes up to the sounds of traffic and sirens, this section of LA is seriously the worst for sleeping. He really must've been blackout if the noise actually didn't disturb him at all.

He turns on his other side to come face to face with Johnnie. He'll never get tired of how relaxed and innocent the other man look when resting. The smaller's hair is all mussed up and his makeup is smeared in a way that insinuates debauchery. 

The first thing that comes to mind is how peaceful this moment is, the second is that he has really fucked up.

Johnnie's shoulders and collarbones are mottled with purpling hickeys and Jake can still taste lingering alcohol in his mouth, a combination of the liquor that they both individually drank. 

He remembers skin on skin, the taste of the other's fucking sweat enhanced with vodka. 

His insides are roiling with anxiety, did they seriously fuck on a stranger's bed??

Is Johnnie even gay? Bisexual? Oh fuck, fucking hell - did Jake  just assault his best friend? 

The smaller man must sense his panic because cerulean blue eyes open to bare into his soul and Jake can feel the color drain from his face. He isn't sure what to say, Johnnie seems indifferent but he can't help himself from rushing to make an attempt at 'fixing' the situation. 

"Uh, are you okay?!" He murmers hastily, fuck that was a stupid question.. At this point, he's seated against the headboard and his hands are gesticulating wildly - a nervous habit that he just can't seem to drop - as he tries to gather his bearings.

"I'm so sorry - I shouldn't have... We shouldn't have.." 

Johnnie winces and flinches away from him minutely, Jake feels terrible - he is briefly stuck on the idea that he's the worst person on Earth. 

He took advantage of the man closest to him, someone who he's already caused so much harm to. Someone who's already been through so much. 

"Yeah... yeah, we shouldn't have.." Jake had never been able to picture it when people's eyes 'change' in literature but the image of Johnnie's expression literally dulling in front of him will be burned into his memory for a long while.

He looks so defeated - devastated even and Jake's emotions are crushing him. 

"I'm so sorry.." Johnnie doesn't say anything, he just looks so upset. All Jake wants is to take it back, to take everything back.

How could he let it get to this point? He remembers asking,

'Can I kiss you?' Had Johnnie taken it the wrong way? Did he think that it would be a peck? How had it spiraled? 

(Jake knows how and why it had gotten to such a point - he's been lusting after his friend for an insane amount of time. Maybe he had started to believe that the other liked him too..)

Johnnie is still next to him, motionless, he's looking right through Jake. 

-

The Uber ride home is painfully awkward,  so much so that neither of them can bare to hum the pop song permeating through the car. 

When they get back to the apartment, both immediately retreat to seperate rooms. 

Jake is sure that his friend wouldn't want to be followed even if he desperately wants to check up on him. The sick feeling in his stomach is growing exponentially, should he move out? Pay for Johnnie's therapy? The uncertainty is ripping him apart. 

- 

Neither get any sleep - too afraid of the consequences from the past night, Jake can hear Johnnie's record player through the thin walls. He thinks to himself that their track record of insomnia is almost impressive.