Four More Days

Jack wiped away the few tears that had forced there way out of his eyes and pulled up the calendar on his phone, counting the days until the only event he had marked. Alex would be home from tour in four days, it was Wednesday now, he just had to wait for Sunday. It wasn't that long he tried to convince himself but it felt like a decade and he didn't want to be alone anymore.

As if his boyfriend could read his mind his phone lit up with a picture of the two of them. Alex called at the same time every night but still tonight it was the perfect time.

"Are you coming home?" He breathed the question before he even greeted the other boy, asked the stupid question despite just looking at the calendar. The smallest part of him knew the answer but the larger part wanted to believe that he was getting this call to be notified that shows had been cancelled and Alex was at the door at that very moment.

"Sunday angel, I come home Sunday," Alex reminded him with a tired sounding voice. Jack knew he'd had a long day, playing a local morning show on tv, doing another radio show, a meet and greet and then finally playing his show. Jack had texts and pictures of every single event, messages he spent the whole day waiting for. "I gotta go to bed soon or my manager will kill me but I wanted to call my favorite guy first and see how he's doing. Did you have a good day darling?"

Jack thought about lying for a moment and then took another moment to listen to Alex breathe, missing him even more. Tours sucked he decided long ago and he thought again about how he could convince his boyfriend to just film himself playing in their living room with pictures of different cities behind him. That would be a perfect tour.

"I missed you a lot," he replied honestly after maybe a minute of silence. "I want you to come home. I don't want you to leave anymore."

"I'm gonna be home at the end of the week angel and it'll be like no time has passed at all but for right now lay down and rest those beautiful eyes."

Jack bit his lip, more tears making his eyes sting a little. He wanted to go to sleep but more importantly he wanted to keep hearing Alex's voice.

"C'mon Jack, I'm going to bed too. I won't hang up until I hear you fall asleep," Alex promised. "Tomorrow there'll only be three days till I come home to you."

"What city do you play?"

"San Francisco, what do you want pictures of?"

Jack smiled and settled down in his lonely bed, sinking back against the pillows and pulling the covers up around him. Even though he really wanted to hear Alex's voice all night this was his favorite part of the phone call.

"The bridge thingy and the pyramid building and you, lots of pictures of you."

Alex laughed, a deep chuckle crackling through the receiver and filling Jack's ear, it was a great sound. It helped him calm down more and he yawned in response, turning onto his side and snuggling deeper into his pillow. The phone lay carelessly next to him and he turned it on speaker and put the volume down low so he could hear it but it wouldn't be too loud.

"You going to sleep now angel?"

"Yeah, keep talking to me," he said with just a hint of panic in his voice like maybe if Alex hung up he'd never sleep again in his whole life. Actually, that probably wasn't too far from the truth, he thought, but he didn't have to worry about that tonight.

"I always do, I love you Jack."

"Love you too," Jack smiled, letting his eyes slip closed.

"Today was pretty good the fans were really sweet, a couple of them asked about you. Oh, one of them brought me muffins that was cool, they weren't as good as yours obviously but they were close. The weather was terrible." Alex continued to ramble pointless stories about his day until the quiet laughter from Jack turned to quiet snoring, talking him to sleep just like his boyfriend liked. At first Alex thought it was strange that he didn't request to be sung to sleep like most people would but Jack said anyone in the world could be sung to sleep by him, all they had to do was turn on their headphones but not everyone could talk to him for as long as they wanted. It made him happy so that's what Alex did every night of tour. "I love you Jack, sleep well. I'll be home soon."

Jack woke up a few hours later to his phone dying and the dial tone filling his room and he was sad only for a second. There was a message from Alex and a picture of him on stage with the caption "My second greatest love's never as beautiful as my first." Jack read it over and over grinning wider each time until his phone died in his hand and he fell back asleep.

The next day was long and boring and lonely as usual. Without Alex around there was nothing fun to do. Jack ran a few errands to pass the time got groceries, went to the bank, did the laundry but after all that it was only just past mid-day. Time moved slow when he was alone. Curling up on the couch he scrolled through the few messages he'd received so far looking at the golden gate bridge and a picture of Alex eating breakfast.

It was early on the west coast, that's why he didn't have many messages. Blushing even though he was in his own house he pulled up YouTube on his laptop and typed in his boyfriend's name watching old interviews and sets for a few hours. It wasn't something he ever shared with the older boy because he felt like it made him sound even more needy but it was something he did a lot. He deleted his browsing history after every time so no one would know but when Alex was so far away it kept him from crying all day.

The day crept by slowly until he was drying his hair and putting on his pajamas, laying down in bed earlier than usual as if that would make Alex call faster. He watched tv while he waited and made a point not to cry like last night, there was only two more days he could hold it together. What seemed like months later his phone lit up and he picked up on the very first ring.

"You're coming home in two days?" He asked, denying Alex a proper greeting for the second night in a row. There were more important things than a simple hello, there were urgent matters like when he would get to see his boyfriend in person. What if things changed? What if Alex had to play additional dates? He needed to know these things.

"Hello to you too," Alex chuckled. "Yes Jack, two days, I'm coming home in two days. Have I ever lied to you about when I'm coming home?"

"No," Jack blushed in the privacy of his own house again because he'd maybe over reacted just a bit. "I just really miss you, I want to see you again."

"Soon darling, very, very soon I'll be laying right next to you."

"Okay," Jack sighed, soon was never soon enough.

"Don't be sad Jack, I don't like when you're sad."

Jack bit his lip and tried to steady his breathing that became a bit erratic with the tears that had spilled over the edges of his eyes. Two more days, only two more days, he could take two more days.

"Don't cry angel, I'm almost home." Alex sounded sadder now and Jack knew that was his fault. "Rian's out of town too, why don't you go bother Zack tomorrow or if you want I'll have him come bother you." Jack didn't reply but whimpered slightly into the phone which Alex apparently took as an agreement. "I'll call him as soon as I get off the phone with you and you guys can sit quietly on opposite sides of the living room all day tomorrow."

Jack laughed at that, a pathetic rough sounding laugh that came between sobs but a laugh all the same. "We're not that quiet, we just don't have to always be talking like you and Rian."

Alex laughed too, waiting for Jack's crying to stop before he spoke again. "I really am gonna call Zack for you, I don't like you being all by yourself for so long."

"Okay." Jack held back the "then why don't you just come home," comment he wanted to make because he knew that wasn't a fair thing to say. This was Alex's dream, he couldn't hold him back from that.

"Go to sleep now darling, you're getting too sad, I don't want to make you more sad. I'll be home as soon as I can you know that but until then get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay, what city tomorrow?"

"Santa Cruz, I'll send you pictures of the beach all day."

"And pictures of you?"

"And pictures of me. Can you go to sleep for me now?"

Jack sighed and laid down, setting his phone on the pillow case next to him and putting it on speaker like he did every night. He didn't say anything and just waited for Alex to speak closing his eyes once he heard his voice.

"I love you Jack."

"Love you too," Jack said in a tone that evidently wasn't convincing enough.

"Don't be like that Jack." Alex sighed, letting the line fall silent again. "I love you Jack," he tried once more.

"I love you too," Jack finally admitted in a sincere voice. "I love you so much and I miss you and I can't wait till you come home Sunday."

"There's my guy."

Jack smiled at that and let his eyes fall closed again drifting to sleep slowly while Alex kept talking.

"The kids here were really cool. I think we should take a vacation here someday. The weather was cold and it was foggy all day but it was still beautiful sort of like you on your grumpy days. I had to take a cab all the way across town to get that shot of the bridge because the venue was nowhere close to it." Alex wrapped up his stories with a quiet I love you listening to Jack snore for just a moment longer before hanging up.

Jack woke up to the dial tone again and checked his messages to see what his boyfriend sent him this time. He smiled as he looked at a picture of the pyramid building that he'd asked for last night, the caption a simple, "You ask for the cutest things probably because you ARE the cutest thing! Love you see you soon." Plugging his phone in before it could die he fell back asleep dreaming of the boy he wanted with all his heart to cone back home.

As promised Zack showed up at noon the next day just a little while after Jack woke up. Normally he got up early but he figured the longer he slept the more time he didn't have to be awake without Alex. He felt a little better when he saw Zack's hair all messed up like he'd just woke up too.

"Did you bring your pajamas with you?" He asked, pointing to the bundle of clothing tucked under Zack's arm.

"Yeah," Zack blushed with a small smile. "Rian wakes up too early, I like to sleep in when he's gone."

"Because it makes him come home faster?"

"Yeah," Zack blushed more but Jack just grinned.

"Me too."

Jack invited him in and Zack quickly went to the bathroom to change, walking back out and sitting on the couch next to Jack. With his arm wrapped around Zack, snuggled together under a warm quilt, Jack felt better than he had in a while. They slept on and off and watched episodes of Pawn Stars, rarely talking just like Alex had guessed.

"Do you call Rian every night when he's gone?"

"Yeah," Zack yawned stretching out and then settling against Jack again. "Sometimes I call him when he's home, it's just easier to talk to him that way."

"It is," Jack agreed relieved to hear he wasn't as needy as he thought or at least wasn't alone in being super needy. "They can't make you as nervous when you're on the phone."

"Mhmm." Zack closed his eyes and spoke softly. "But I like it better when Ri's home."

Jack sighed and flipped the tv off, closing his own eyes, "me too."

Zack stayed all day, helping Jack make dinner and not leaving until he'd helped wash the dishes afterwards too. It was a good day, especially for a day without Alex, but then it took a bad turn. He was just climbing into bed when his phone lit up but only with a message and not a phone call. Alex was on vocal rest, he read, his eyes filling with tears like they did every night. Quickly his phone lit up again and he checked the new message. Apparently Alex was under strict orders to go to sleep right away so he couldn't even text Jack but he told him to check YouTube promising it would make him feel better.

Crying softly Jack shuffled out to the living room and grabbed his laptop hauling it back to he bedroom. He pulled up Alex's channel and watched a few of his favorite interviews, laughing at the same jokes he'd heard a hundred times, before clicking the link for the newest video.

"Did you guys enjoy the show tonight?" Jack frowned at the strain in Alex's voice wishing he was there to make him a cup of tea. The crowd of course clapped and screamed, he heard a few shouts about how much they loved Alex and felt slightly jealous because Alex was after all his. "That's good but if you'll let me I liked to play one last song." More cheering. "This song goes out to anyone that's in love but mostly it goes out to my beautiful boyfriend who's been waiting for me to come home all tour. I'm not gonna be able to talk to you tonight Jack but I want you to know I love you and I'll be home just as soon as I can. Sleep tight angel."

Jack grinned letting his tears roll slowly down his face and watching Alex play his favorite song. When he first watched the video it had a 1,000 views by the time he fell asleep his laptop had died and the video had 1,250 views. Even without the dial tone to wake him up he woke up just a few hours later and checked his phone. "One of the fans told me I was cheesy but I think it was all worth it ;) love you Jack. One more day!!!!" There was no picture but he knew soon enough he'd have the real thing and he fell back asleep easily.

The last day was always the worst day. He slept for as long as possible, forcing himself to keep his eyes closed until well after noon. When he finally did get up he scrolled through his messages looking at all the pictures and saving his favorites, which may or may not have been all of them. Once that was done he got up and forced himself to eat breakfast knowing he had a bad habit of not eating when he was excited.

Hours dragged by and he watched every interview with Alex he could find and visited a few fan sites just to look at him some more. He called Zack and they watched A Cinderella Story on the phone together, him on his couch and Zack in his and Rian's bed. Rian got back the next day too and they talked about how much business meetings and tours sucked and definitely didn't cry when Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray ended up together.

"I'd date him," Zack said matter of factly. "If Rian left me, I'd totally date him."

"Me too," Jack laughed. "And I'd force everyone to call me by three names."

"Zachary Steven Murray, it sounds kind of nice."

"It really does."

"But I bet he's gone a lot to shoot movies," Zack sighed. "We're the only guys in the world that don't leave."

"Maybe we should start," Jack suggested.

"Maybe. Are you gonna cry if Alex doesnt call you tonight?"

"Maybe."

"I'm probably gonna stay up all night to wait for Rian," Zack confessed and Jack could almost hear him blushing. "You can call me if you want."

"Thanks Zack. Just one more day, right?"

"Half a day really."

"Think we'll make it?"

"Just barely."

Jack laughed and Zack laughed too, both boys grinning in their empty houses. Being alone felt better when there was someone to keep you company.

"I'll call you later if Alex doesnt call," Jack said before he hung up.

He took an early shower and forced down another meal before he crawled into bed and waited. A long hour passed before his phone lit up with a much needed call.

"Do you feel better?"

"Do you ever say hello?"

"No, do you feel better?"

"Nah-uh I'm sick Jack, really sick."

Jack sat up in bed, immediately concerned for his poor little Alex who was all the way across the country and sick. "What's wrong? Do you have a fever? Did you tell someone? Are they helping you?"

"Yeah," Alex was interrupted by a long coughing fit. When he was through he groaned into the phone making Jack feel worse. "I can't talk for long darling, I just wanted to tell you I'll be home tomorrow and I can't wait to see your beautiful face."

"Come home fast Alex, I hate when you're sick. I love you."

Jack waited for Alex to finish coughing again and croak out an I love you too before he hung up and cried into his pillow. He wanted Alex to be home now so he could take care of him. He felt so useless laying in their bed when he should be making soup and getting tissues for his sick boyfriend. With no other real option he called Zack again and asked if he would come over feeling slightly better when Zack said he was on his way.

When the doorbell rang twenty minutes later he opened the door with tears still running down his face. He was crying so hard in fact that it took him a second to realize it wasn't Zack standing there.

"Don't cry angel." Long calloused fingers wiped tears off his face, a set of thumbs drying his eyes gently and then the most perfect set of lips pressed against his softly. "I'm home now, you don't need to cry ever again."