We'll Carry On

Rays of sunlight trickled through the window, illuminating the room with a warm golden colour. Alex woke up with a soft quiet yawn, taking in the not-so interesting scenery. It's nice to finally see something other than bright white in this room for once. He tried to move, but a pair of arms wrapped around his waist prevented him from doing so. A content smile spread across his face as he recalled the memories of yesterday, and falling asleep cuddled up against Jack.

"Wake up you nerd!" Alex poked Jack's arm to wake him up.

"Mmpf, 5 minutes" the dark haired boy yawned, swatting Alex's hand away.

"JACK, MARK HOPPUS JUST WALKED IN"

"WHAT, WHERE??" And with that, Jack leaped out of bed immediately, frantically looking around for the blink-182 bassist. Meanwhile, his boyfriend was still tangled up in the sheets, laughing hysterically.

"Oh fuck you!" He cursed.

"Maybe later" Alex winked seductively whilst biting his lip jokingly, earning a blush from the other boy. It didn't help that his hair was ruffled sexily and his voice was still husky and rough due to only waking up mere minutes ago.

"W-wow...um, uhh" Jack stuttered nervously, all his words caught up in his throat.

"I was only joking, calm down dude," the brown haired boy finally decided to sit up and stretch "Anyways, where's the cool place you guys were gonna take me today?"

'Shit' Jack had completely forgotten about that.

"It's a surprise, therefore I can't tell you!" He improvised, while secretly grabbing his phone and proceeding to text Jenna, in the hopes that she'd think of something.

"You're no fun" Alex pouted. Jack just shrugged and sat back down beside him, placing a small kiss on his cheek.

-x-

'Hey Jen, so so sorry but pleeease can you find something fun for us to do today with Alex? I'll love you forever if you do x' - Jack :p

Jenna let out a long, loud groan of annoyance. Why do people always get her to fix their problems? Don't they know that she also has her own life with her own issues?

Then again, Alex has been in a coma for quite a while; it's only fair to do something nice for him. Meh, she'll do it later on, right now she's tired and hungry.

Reluctantly rolling out of bed, Jenna attempted to tame her wild blonde hair into something remotely presentable. She was getting bored of blonde; green might be more interesting. She quickly made her bed (because she's one of the only people who actually do that). Throwing on a discarded jumper, Jenna

began to slump her way downstairs, fatigue still clouding her movements.

"Hey Jenna!" she heard a familiar voice call. It's not unusual for Tay to just turn up at Jenna's house anytime she wanted. It's gotten to the point where no one in Jenna's family really cared anymore; they just consider Tay as another daughter.

As the blonde girl entered the kitchen, she was met with the sight of her best friend sat on the kitchen counter (in oversized pyjamas) eating a huge bowl of Lucky Charms. Tay's long chocolate coloured hair was tied up in a messy bun, with a few strands falling out here and there. Jenna envied the fact that Tay could pull off the "I just woke up" look without looking like a hobo.

Jenna seized a bowl from the top cupboard and filled it with Fruit Loops, before joining her best friend on the kitchen counter.

"Why didn't you put milk?" Tay inquired, very confused by her actions.

"I've become a vegan" Jenna beamed proudly.

"Really? Since when?"

"Like two seconds ago"

"Ah, makes sense then"

"What?"

"Nothing" The girls continued eating their breakfast in silence, the only sound being the loud crunching of cereal. There wasn't much to talk about; Tay and the others had already been informed of the whole Alex situation and spent the entirety of yesterday discussing it. After they'd finished, they placed their bowls in the sink and ran up to Jenna's room. Tay immediately leaped onto her bed, ruining all of Jenna's earlier attempts of tidying it.

"I just made my bed, you asshole!" she kicked Tay playfully before falling down beside her.

"Whatever Jen! Anyways, what do you want to do today?"

"Well, we've gotta find something for us to do with Alex and Jack today, but I'm completely stumped for ideas"

"What about a concert? Paramore are in town tonight, maybe we can get tickets?" Tay suggested, looking to the blonde for approval.

"Yeah, Alex loves Paramore! Tay you're a fucking genius!" Jenna squealed, hugging her friend excitedly "I'll text Jack right now!"

-x-

'Does a pmore concert tonight sound good? Btw don't tell Lex where we're going, keep it a surprise. When you guys get out of the hospital, come to my house yeah?

I s2g if you tell him I'll rip your dick off and make you eat it :) x' ~ Jen

Jack shuddered at the thought of his penis being teared from his body by his close friend. Only Jenna would use such a threat.

'I'd rather you didn't do that jen...anyways thank you for the concert! can't wait for tonight! x' he quickly typed in reply.

The doctor had arrived earlier and went through a few checks with Alex, before reassuring that he was safe to go home now. He was currently in the bathroom, freshening up quickly before they left.

Jack looked at the white washed walls for the final time, relieved that he wouldn't be spending another night here sobbing by Alex's bed, not knowing if he'd ever wake up again.

Words couldn't express how thankful he was that the boy he loved was still alive, despite the fact he wanted to die. How could Alex even think he deserves the slits on his wrists? Jack was determined to convince Alex how wonderful he is, that he is loved, that he's the most beautiful person alive.

A gentle kiss on his cheek brought him back from his thoughts.

"Let's go Jack!" Alex said, pulling at his boyfriend's sleeve.

"Okay, I'm coming!" The boys held hands and walked out with smiles on their faces. Alex missed the feeling of the fresh air dancing through his caramel hair, the warm sunlight shining down. Usually he despised being outside but he was only just realising how great it actually was. It felt even better with the person he loved right beside him. They had agreed that they'd collect his things from his house, then chill at Jenna's for the remainder of the afternoon.

Speaking of his house, it had only just occurred to him that his parents had never visited him once during his time in hospital. He didn't really like his parents in all honesty, but his heart still sank at the fact that his own parents don't fucking care that their child tried killing himself. At least he had a loving boyfriend and amazing friends who gave a shit about his existence. A small smile grew on his face at the realisation that he's no longer alone.

Putting all that emotion stuff behind him, Alex was still itching to know where exactly they were going later on. He half hoped that Jack hadn't chosen tonight's events; he'd probably choose to run around the streets naked singing 'What's My Age Again' until God knows what time as his idea of 'fun'. For a party, that might be okay, for someone who just got out of a coma, not so okay.

"Jaaaaaaaack, can you please tell me what the surprise is?"

"Aleeeeeeeeeex, no I can't. Jenna said she'll rip my dick off if I tell you, and I'd much rather keep my dick"

Alex cringed at the mere idea of Jenna going anywhere near his crotch with intentions to wrench his penis off. And the worst part is Jenna would actually do that. If he didn't have a dick then he can't have sex with Jack, which is a pretty depressing thought.

Woah, slow down. They've only just got together and he's already thinking of sex?

"Chill" Alex said to himself. He turned to look at his dark haired boyfriend and wondered how he got so lucky. Jack was beautiful, funny, kind, caring and is so passionate about the things he does. He has the most wonderful hazel eyes and bright smile, accompanied by an amazing personality and the greatest music taste ever. Jack could've dated any person in the whole world, but Alex was glad that he decided to date him instead.

-x-

The boys had taken a slight detour to Hot Topic after going to Alex's house, making them arrive at Jenna's a couple hours later than expected. Alex was confused as to why Jack had desperately wanted to go there, but in a way he understood; Hot Topic was basically emo heaven, who wouldn't want to go?

"Come on Lex!" Jack was pulling the smaller boy by his sleeve to the Paramore section. Alex subtly nodded his head to 'Killing In The Name Of', which was playing in the store. He didn't take much notice in whatever Jack was doing, he was too engrossed in figuring out tonight's plans. Jack won't tell him, and there's no possible way that Jenna would either. He could maybe persuade Tay or Zack to confess, but it'll take a lot of work. Maybe he should actually just be patient for once and wait.

"Let's go pay!" once again he was being dragged along. Alex decided to look at what his boyfriend had bought. Two 'Daydreaming' wristbands and a shirt, nice. He still didn't understand why band merch was so vital for today. Jack had told Alex to take his Paramore shirt with him without any good reason.

"Hello!" the girl at the checkout smiled, before proceeding to scan Jack's items and bagging them. She had the most amazing electric blue hair.

"Ah, I see you're a Paramore fan, great music taste by the way" she continued to talk, handing Jack the bag in exchange for the $20 note he gave her.

"Thanks...Ashley!" Alex read her name tag.

"Call me Halsey, and you're very welcome. Hope to see you guys here again soon!"

"We're here pretty much all the time," Jack laughed "See you around Halsey!"

"Bye!" and with that Alex and Jack began to run to Jenna's house in an attempt not to be extremely late.

-x-

When they arrived, the whole squad was already there, sat in their cars which were parked on Jenna's driveway. Rian had seen them first, and motioned to them to get into his car. Without hesitation, they did so.

"You guys are really late" Zack stated the obvious from the passenger seat.

"Whatever, at least you're here now," Rian leaned closer towards Jack and handed him two slips of paper - concert tickets.

"The show was almost sold out so we're not all together okay? We decided to let you and Alex have the standing tickets" he whispered, loud enough for Jack to hear, but not Alex.

"Okay, thanks Ri" Rian wasted no time in starting the ignition and driving off down the road, with Tay, Austin, Jenna and Alan in the car behind them. During the drive, Jack removed his shirt and went through his Hot Topic bag.

"Stop being a nudist" Alex joked, but was secretly enjoying the view.

"I can be nude if I wish to be nude, I'm the king of nudity!" Jack dramatically threw his arms up, causing everyone in the car to crack up.

"No but seriously dude, put on a shirt, I can see your boobs in the side mirror" Zack pointed out.

"My boobs are great, you're just jealous" Regardless of this, he pulled out his Paramore shirt and put it on with ease. Now that he came to think of it, Alex realised that Zack and Rian were also wearing Paramore merch. What is going on?

They began to drive further into the city centre, the day now fading into night. Loud chattering and screaming could be heard, growing in volume with every second.

"Alex, we're gonna need you to wear this" Zack handed him a black blindfold.

"What, why?"

"Just do it!" Rian sighed. Rolling his eyes, Alex tied it on, all of his vision now taken away. Eventually the car came to a stop, and he could hear the sound of the other climbing out of the car. Jack helped him out of course, and took his hand in his. The sound was now unbelievably loud, and he couldn't see what the source of it was. He could hear his friends yelling over the noise, but couldn't make out what they were saying.

"We're going inside now" He heard Jack's gentle voice in his ears, before being guided forward. Alex couldn't see what was going on, but he felt the increase in temperature and the lack of personal space immediately.

"We have to run to the front, okay?"

"Run? Jack I can't see, what if I trip over?" Not having time to argue, Jack swept Alex off of his feet, taking the brown haired boy by surprise and sprinted as fast as he possibly could, desperate to get to the very front.

"JACK, WHAT IS GOING ON?" Alex screamed, clutching onto his boyfriend's shirt for dear life. He was completely blinded, and all he could hear were screams. Whether they were screams of joy or of fear, he didn't know.

"IT'S GONNA BE FINE, TRUST ME!"

"JACK, PLEASE STOP—oh thank God" he let out a sigh of relief when Jack finally put him down. Reaching out in front of him, he grasped onto what felt like a metal barrier. The screams grew louder as a familiar song began to play. Alex recognised it immediately, gasping as the drums and guitars started. Excitedly he ripped off the blindfold, and the widest smile grew upon his face. Just mere metres away, his favourite band stood on the stage, jumping and headbanging. He turned to face Jack. Seizing his boyfriend's face, he kissed him passionately before looking back towards the stage.

"Well no sir!" Hayley Williams herself sang out, pointing the mic at the audience for them to continue the line. Alex was in complete awe of the orange haired woman in front of him. This band was everything to him, and the fact that his friends knew that and took him to see them meant the world.

"It's your turn to take a seat,

We're settling the final score!

And why do we like to hurt so much?

I can't decide, you have made it harder just to go on,

And why? All the possibilities, well I was wrong!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU LET YOUR HEART WIN, WOAAAAAAH!" Jack and Alex, along with the multitudes of other fans, sang the lyrics back to them. The majority of the night was spent like this; Paramore playing each song flawlessly and the crowds going wild.

Alex was having the time of his life - the other only concert he's ever been to was to see Rage Against The Machine with his older brother Tom, but he was 8 and couldn't remember most of it. Tom was supposed to be babysitting but decided to sneak out with his friends instead, and had to drag Alex along too. All he could remember was being surrounded by screaming sweaty adults and accidentally falling into some girl's cleavage whilst in the moshpit. Fun times.

"Alright guys, we're onto our last song now, thanks so much for rocking out with us tonight!" Hayley yelled into her mic. The unmistakable tune of Brick By Boring Brick exploded through the speakers as Taylor and Jeremy shredded away on their guitars, accompanied by Aaron's drumming. They executed it perfectly, earning a satisfied cheer from the fans.

"WE LOVE YOU HAYLEY!" Alex and Jack yelled, getting caught up in the moment. It's not like she'd hear him over the thousands of other people.

"I LOVE YOU TOO, DUDES WITH THE COOL HAIR!" She responded, blowing a kiss to them both. Both of them squealed in excitement. Hayley fucking Williams actually heard their voices, and then replied to them. How lucky are they?

"THANK YOU BALTIMORE!" The front woman finished off, before the whole band came forward and bowed gratefully.

-x-

"That was fucking awesome! Honestly, it's probably been the best night of my life!" Alex chattered excitedly on the way back, speaking at a million words a minute. The other three people in the car, on the other hand, were exhausted from all the jumping and headbanging and yelling the words to every song. They had fun of course, but nowhere near the amount of fun Alex had.

"We're glad you enjoyed yourself" Jack smiled breathlessly, resting his head on his boyfriend's chest. Zack and Rian murmered in agreement.

The drive back home felt significantly shorter than the drive there. Within minutes the car had rolled up outside Alex's house. He felt anxious at the sight of his home. Of course Alex had to go home eventually; he just wasn't in any mood to see his parents today. Or anyday. Why would he want to see the people who didn't give a fuck about him?

"Lex, is everything alright?" Jack sat up and looked his boyfriend in the eye. He could see the worry and discomfort swimming in his hazel irises.

"I don't want to go home, I'm too afraid" he replied in a small voice, fixing his stare to his not very interesting feet.

"Hey, it's gonna be fine. It's late anyways, your parents are probably asleep. You'll be fine, love" Alex's heart skipped a beat at the nickname 'love'. He couldn't hold back the rosy pink blush spreading across his cheeks. Jack found it adorable.

"Alright then. Bye guys!" Alex quickly kissed him and climbed out of the car. Taking the spare key from under the mat, he quietly opened the door and snuck inside. All the lights were off, except for the living room light.

'Ah, they must be watching TV'

Stealthily Alex crept up the stairs, careful not to make a single noise. Successfully keeping quiet, he darted into his room, shut the door silently and fell onto the bed. Now that the adrenaline from the concert had died down, drowsiness fell upon him. Falling asleep almost instantly, Alex smiled into his pillow, thoughts of his wonderful boyfriend and Paramore filling his dreams.