Sam raised his eyebrows at John’s choice of words. It was entirely likely that it had been dropped into conversation completely innocently but the mere mention of the word always set Sam on edge. He paled a little and his jaw tensed for a second before he recovered himself and he offered a tight smile and a humourless laugh in response. “Don’t even joke about that, man.” He said, taking a slightly more reserved drink from his glass.
Sam had briefly spoken to John about his trouble grasping what was real when he’d first arrived, he knew the other man empathised to a degree so he felt able to offer at least a little truth about what had driven him here tonight. “It’s nothing, really, just a bad reality day.” Another sip. “What about you?” He asked.