All Figured Out

"What the fuck Alex really?" Alex had come to see Jack to talk to him about the night he had with Zack, all while Jack was nursing his hangover. Of course, Alex fucking Gaskarth opened the door and let slam against the wall, not even bothering to knock.

"Sorry." He whispered, gently shutting the door and walking into the room to find Jack hanging off the edge of the bed with his hands holding his head.

"Can I talk to you Jack?" He asked, sitting down next to his friend.

Jack sighed, "Yeah I guess."

"I don't know what to do about this thing."

"What thing?" Jack asked him, sitting up to look at his friend.

"With Zack."

"Well what do you want to do?"

"That's the thing," he said, his voice raising slightly. "I don't know what I want to do."

"You are the most difficult human being I know."

Alex sighed, reaching his hands up to pull at his hair, "I just...I don't know." Jack looked at the older man, noticing he looked more flustered then usual. This was really beginning to get to him, and Jack was starting to wonder if Alex kissing Zack was a good idea in the first place. He'd been talking about it a lot lately, and anyone could tell Alex had some kind of feeling for the other boy, even if he hadn't exactly come out to anyone yet.

"You are gay right?" Jack asked, thinking about the possibility of Alex still being straight.

Alex looked at his best friend, his eyebrows raised, fighting with himself internally about telling him or not.
"Yes." He whispered, hoping Jack hadn't heard him at all.

Jack let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in, "Okay, just making sure."

"What, you thought I was playing with him?"

"Sort of. Fuck Alex, you honestly haven't noticed?" Jack asked him, wanting to hit the boy upside the head for being so naive.

Alex looked at his hands, embarrassed, "No, I don't know what you're talking about.", he lied, knowing deep down that he has noticed, but not wanting to say it.

"God, if Zack wont say it, then fuck, I will. He loves you Alex."

Alex stopped breathing, silently praying for his airways to open back up. He folded his hands in his lap as his breath hitched in his throat, not knowing what to say. He'd never been in a situation such as this before. How could Zack love him so easily, considering the way their night had ended? He knew Zack liked him, but he didn't know his feelings ran this deep.

"Just leave Alex." Zack had told him, obviously not wanting to do anymore then think about about the older boy. So in order to make him happy, Alex left and slept outside in the hall, not totally sure that he should go back to his own room. He didn't want to walk in on what Jack might have been doing.

"He doesn't." He whispered, still avoiding eye contact with Jack.

"For fuck sakes Alex, he does to! He told me himself the day he came out to me about being gay! He loves you. Love, Al, really fucking love, and you're too stupid to realize it." Jack wanted to punch Alex in the face, but deciding against it, fearing that if he did, All Time Low would be at an all time low.

"No h-he can't." Alex stood up in front of the bed, getting ready to leave the room.

Jack shook his head in disbelief, putting his head in his hands, "He does to Alex! Zack loves you, and you're too much of a douche bag to realize it! Stop being so fucking bipolar and get the hell over yourself!" Jack walked out of the room, slamming it behind him, leaving Alex alone to fall to the floor in a messy heap of tears.

~~~~~

"So he kissed you again. And he wants to be with you. But you told him you couldn't do that because-"

"Because you don't wanna get hurt?" Vinny finished for Rian, who were both desperately trying to understand Zack's situation.

"Yeah that's pretty much it." Zack said, pacing back and forth in the hotel room. He figured he should shower; He hadn't done so in two days, all thanks to Alex. He was even in the same clothes as two days ago, skinny jeans and a Hurley shirt that was beginning to get baggier then it was when he first put it on.

"Are you stupid?" Rian asked him, clearly not happy with where this conversation was going.

"W-what do you mean?"

"The guy you love is throwing himself at you and you're turning him down. I honestly don't know anyone who would do that." Rian threw his hands in the air to make a point.

"That's not the point Ri, I just don't want to get hurt. He told me he didn't know if he honestly liked me, and-" Zack fell to the couch and started crying. All this emotion was just too much for him lately, and it all decided on pouring out of him today.

Getting off the bed, Vinny walked toward the door, telling Rian that this wasn't exactly something he could handle particularly well.

"Zack," Rian said sympathetically, "you really gotta stop beating yourself up over this. I know that you're upset, and that's okay, but at least hes trying right?"

Zack shrugged as tears silently fell down his cheeks.

The door was flung open then, making both Rian and Zack turn and look to see an angry Jack stock into the room.
"Honestly Zack, I don't know what you see in him. He's attitude is ridiculous."

Zack's tears had slowed down now, and he trusted his voice to ask Jack what happened now.

"He likes you, but not enough yet. And he's bummed because you don't want to get hurt. He's being an arrogant, selfish jerk."

"So let me guess, he's crying in there again?" Zack asked him.

"And hoping for you to come save the day more than likely."

Zack frowned, "Well I'm not. He'll just kiss me again and I'll forget why I was mad at him in the first place."

"Awwh," Rian cooed, "Zacky, that's so cute."

"Shut the fuck up, you're such a girl."

"I'm not the gay one." Rian smirked, knowing Zack had no retaliation that was as good as that.

"This is just wonderful, really, but how about we get Zack to go somewhere with us when we get to Japan tonight?" Jack glanced at Zack, silently praying the older boy would say yes.

And just like he'd hoped, Zack smiled and nodded, excited at the thought that maybe he could forget about Alex for a little while.

~~~~~

Zack was sitting alone at a Japanese bar that Rian and Jack had dragged him to. He wasn't sure he wanted to get drunk yet, but he knew neither Rian nor Jack cared, having already hit the 'Drunk' stage, and were starting to head straight for 'Cocked'.

"I. Am soooo going to have a wicked hangover tomorrow." Jack sang, picking up another beer.

"'C'mon man. Drink." Rian shoved a beer in Zack's direction, hoping he'd drink it.

Zack stared at the bottle for a few minutes before deciding that he couldn't wish away the thoughts of Alex; He'd have to put some kind of effort into it.

"That's meh boy." Rian told him, watching as his friend took a large swig from the bottle.

Zack could just tell he was going to regret this in the morning.
That was until a familiar shaggy haired brunette walked in with Matt and Vinny, a smile covering his gorgeous features.

"You're fucking kidding." Zack said, slapping his hand to his forehead, making both other boys jump out of their seats.

"Uh.No?" Jack questioned, looking at Zack in confusion.

"Alex is here dip-shit." He told him, not looking up from his already empty beer bottle.

Rian slid him another one, knowing even in his drunk state that Zack would need it, especially now.

"Hey!" Zack looked up to Matt and Vinny strutting toward them, a now sad Alex following behind.
He continued to stand there awkwardly, not making eye contact with Zack.
Zack wasn't sure if he should be mad at the older boy, or upset with him. So he settled for both.

"You gonna sit down Alex?" Vinny asked him, gesturing toward the empty seat beside him.
He just simply shook his head, not trusting his voice to speak.

"..Kay." Matt said, getting up, Vinny in tow, to get whatever it is the bar had that was as close to Jack Daniels as they could get.

Rian glanced at Zack, giving him an apologetic smile. He gestured to the window with his head, silently asking if he wanted to leave. Zack shook his head, sighing, and looked over at Jack, who was making pictures on the table out of a paper napkin.
Then he glanced at Alex, and seeing the smile on his face as he watched his best friend be his dorky self, he knew that what he said in Jakarta could have been harder on Alex then he thought.

He asked Zack what he wanted, and Zack told him truthfully. But he never let Alex say anything back, he just simply left, leaving Alex with the thought that Zack didn't want to keep getting hurt.

For now, Zack would be without Alex, and until Alex knew that he wanted Zack completely, including his ketchup and work out obsessions, he would sit and day dream about it instead.

~~~~~

Alex couldn't take it anymore. It had only been 12 hours since he last kissed Zack and he was already going through with drawls.
He was starting to think he liked Zack more then he thought he did.
His lips were like crack was to a druggie; Addictive, and each time it made him want more.

Every time he did so much as think about the other boy his heart rate increased, and the butterflies let loose, and his lips tingled, feeling almost as if Zack had just kissed him.

Alex was starting to like it, and he certainly wasn't complaining.
He thought about taking Jack's advice and asking Zack out on a date, but after learning about how Zack truly felt he was scared.

He didn't want to hurt Zack in anyway, and now that he knew that Zack was in love with him, he was afraid of not feeling the same way.
What if they did happen to be more then friends, and their relationship was at a stage of 'I really really like you' and Zack slipped up. Alex would never be able to say it back without honestly meaning it first, and just the thought of hurting him in the future made Alex sick to his stomach.

"What're you thinking about?" Alex looked up at Jack as he sat in the hotel.
They had all gotten relatively drunk that night and after one beer Alex called it quits and he and Jack took a cab to the hotel.

"Hm? Oh, just Zack. I feel bad." He admitted, lying on his stomach on the bed.

"Good, you should feel bad. That kids head over heels for you."

Alex tried and failed at hiding his smile, and he knows Jack saw it because he smiled too.

"I think I genuinely like him Jack, but he won't listen to me."

"And if I were him I wouldn't listen to you either. Why not let him make the first move? From the sounds of it, you've been making the moves."

Jack was right, Alex decided. Maybe he should leave it to Zack to be forward with him.