4*TOWN

☆ Alone

Early in the morning, Aaron T wakes up in Z's bed. It's like many mornings, and it's so customary to him. What's different about today is the absence of Z himself. Before his eyes even open, T reaches around, trying to grab hold of his lover, but he's not there. His eyes fly open, and he sits up.

"Z?"

T rubs his eyes tiredly, looking around the room. He sees the room much tidier than it was the night before, missing all of the clothes strewn across the floor. It's also missing Z. T crawls out of bed, making his way into the kitchen. Tae Young and Jesse are there, as usual.

"Wow, you're up early."

Jesse laughs, but T doesn't respond, instead opening the fridge, straight-faced. He pulls out a carton of orange juice, drinking right out of it. Jesse sighs.

"T, don't drink straight from the carton, how many times do I have to tell you..."

T rolls his eyes and screws the cap on, putting the juice back into the fridge. He trudges over to the couch, plopping down with a loud huff. Tae and Jesse look at each other.

"What's up with him?"

"Don't know."

They shrug it off, continuing their conversation. T sits on the couch, staring at the floor. The day has barely started and he's already in a bad mood.

Where did Z even go? Why did he leave without telling anyone? Without telling me?

T groans and leans back, his head hitting the back of the couch. His day is literally ruined, he thinks. As he's moping, Tae walks up to him, standing in front of the couch.

"Are you okay, T?"

T just makes a noise of annoyance, covering his face. Tae frowns, realizing he won't be getting a response. He goes back over to Jesse, leaving T alone. T grumpily makes his way to his own room, almost slamming the door behind him.

He finds his phone under his pillow, and immediately texts Z.

T: where are u babe???
T: z!!!
T: :(

T waits for a response, and when he doesn't get one after a few minutes, he throws his phone somewhere on the bed. He falls onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He's only been without Z for around thirty minutes, but it already feels like it's been hours. T can't remember the last time that he and Z were apart even for a day.

With nothing to do, T falls asleep. Even if it's uncomfortable and lonely and he just woke up less than an hour ago.

He doesn't know how much time went by, but he awakes again. Still frustrated, T stomps out of his room and into the living room once more. He sees Tae on the couch, sitting close to Robaire who has his arm around him. T frowns at the sight, being reminded of his disappeared boyfriend.

"Hey T! You wanna watch with us?"

Tae gestures to the TV, which is playing a movie that T doesn't even recognize. He shakes his head.

"Have you seen Z today?"

T asks quietly.

"Not since he left this morning."

Tae answers. T sighs and leaves again, this time going to Z's room. He stays in there for hours, not really doing anything in particular. After a while, he hears the door open.

Z walks in, carrying bags in both hands. He quirks an eyebrow at T, who's looking at him with a pout.

"Hey."

"Why did you leave me? Where did you go?"

T whines and gets up from where he was. He heads over to Z, wrapping his arms around him and laying his head on his chest. Z sets down whatever he was holding to lift T up with hands under his thighs.

Z sets him back down on the bed, kissing him gently on the lips. T is no longer frowning, but still sadness can be seen in his features.

"What's wrong?"

"You left."

"I'm here now."

T feels a sudden wave of sadness wash over him, and tears prickle at his eyes. They fall when he blinks, and Z's face fills with concern.

"Hey, what's wrong? Really."

"Y- you left, and you didn't tell me, and you didn't answer my texts or my calls, and I don't know where you w- were..."

T stammers. Z kisses his forehead, wiping tears from his face.

"I'm sorry. I left a note on my dresser right there."

T looks at the dresser, seeing the yellow sticky note for the first time.

"And uh... I lost my phone a few days ago."

"Oh..."

T sniffles, his face getting warm from embarrassment. Z kisses him again before getting up.

"I got something for you."

Z looks around in one of the bags he brought in, pulling out blink- 182's album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket on CD. T's eyes widen, and he takes it with a smile.

"Wow! Thank you!"

T momentarily forgets any sadness he had, his arms flying around Z's neck as he pulls him into a hug.

"Anytime."

Z kisses T's cheek before he pulls away. T wipes the remaining tears from his face, smiling sadly.

"You okay?"

Z asks.

"Yeah... I don't know why I was being so dramatic, you were only gone for a few hours, I'm just being clingy and annoying..."

"I don't think you're annoying. You're cute."

"Hm."

"Why don't we listen to that album?"

Z says, giving this suggestion as he knows his boyfriend is still upset and it may lighten his mood. T nods, quickly getting up to put the disc into Z's CD player.

When Anthem Part Two starts playing, T cracks a smile- a genuine smile. He cranks the music to full volume and throws himself backward onto the bed, looking up at Z with a grin.

"Feeling better already?"

"Yeah! I've been meaning to get this album."

"I know. Come here."

T is pulled into Z's arms, the two of them just holding each other as the music plays. Even with the loud, fast-paced pop punk blaring through the speaker, T finds himself starting to slip away into sleep. After about a minute of T fighting to keep his eyes open, Z kisses his forehead softly. With that, T finally drifts off, a smile stuck on his face. Z stays up for a while longer, listening to the remainder of the album, watching T sleep peacefully. Never mind that the music is absolutely not his taste, all that matters to him is that it made T happy.