[Synopsis: Autophobia-the crippling fear of being alone. Especially for extended periods of time. It came as a surprise to TheGentleman that MrCheese just so happens to carry such a burden...And in a very startling manner.]

[Location: TheGentleman's house(does MrCheese also live there now? Maybe, idk.)]

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"Busy this afternoon, aren't you, MrCheese?"

"Oh, heck yeah, TheGentleman" the orange-clad crewmate replied chipperly. "I've already cleaned up all the floors, dusted the knickknacks, decluttered the spice cabinet and fixed the broken sink! And now I'm whippin' us up some mac 'n' cheese casserole!"

"Good gracious. Well, I must say, you've certainly outdone yourself in terms of tidying up the place today; I'm quite impressed."

"Aw, thank you, that's really nice of you to say~!"

He stepped away from the kitchen counter for a moment to wrap TheGentleman into a hug. The receiver flinched for a moment, but was quick to relax and respond to the gesture, giving him a light pat on the head.

"Yes, yes, you're welcome, MrCheese. *ahem* ...Anyways, I was about to tell you that it has come to my attention that we're fresh out of laundry detergent, and down to the last bit of toothpaste. Among a few other minor things..."

"Yeah, we're gonna have to restock prob'ly tomorrow."

"Well, that's my point. I was thinking I do that today instead! In fact...I was thinking I do that right now. I fear we may not have enough toothpaste for both of us tonight!"

"I'm getting the dinner ready, though, TheGentleman. I can't just put everything down when it's out of the package; it'll be all stale and dry by the time we get back!"

"'We?' Oh, no, MrCheese, you don't have to come with me; you can stay here and prepare your entrée while I go fetch what we need! And by the time I get back, I would think your casserole should be nearly, if not completely finished, so we'll be able to dine then."

The warm, happy smile on MrCheese's face seemed to vanish in a split second, and the sparkle in his visor dwindled, being replaced with a flat look of dread.

"Uh...Y-you're going to the store by yourself?"

"I was planning to. Is that an issue, beanie boy?"

"Um, heh heh, n-no, it's not," MrCheese told him, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. "I guess it just kinda came outta nowhere, y'know?"

"Yes, I wasn't expecting to have to go today either," the black crewmate replied. "I'm sorry it's such short notice, MrCheese, but I shouldn't be too long. Anything else you can think of we might need?"

"Um no! We don't need anything else that'll take more time to get, so go ahead and hurry back!"

"Well...Alright, then. I won't be long."

TheGentleman found his associate's behavior a bit odd, but he decided to just head out. He slipped his trench coat on, grabbed his big black umbrella and headed out into the rain and made his way to his black and silver sedan, starting it up and driving off...MrCheese watched him disappear down the road from inside, staring out the window.

...The house seemed to grow eerily quiet without anyone there but himself, putting the orange crewmate on edge. The only noise he could make out was the sound of the vents humming as they circulated warm air throughout the house.

MrCheese looked at the time on his phone; 5:45 p.m., it read. He slowly walked back to the kitchen, pouring the extra layer of shredded Italian four-cheese mix on top of the macaroni. He hummed to himself to try and take his mind off his solitude, but even with the noise he was making, it didn't hide the fact that he was there alone.

...By himself. With no one else to turn to.

"Runf?"

He heard a concerned huff coming from his feet, and looked down to see Cheddar sitting there, tilting his head off to the side.

"I-I'm okay, Cheddar," he assured his dog, patting his head a few times. "J-just a lil' nervous about how the dinner's gonna come out is all."

The dog nodded lightly, letting out a long yawn as he stretched himself out.

"Oh...A-are ya tired, bud?"

Cheddar seemed to nod again...He always tended to get sleepy on rainy days.

"Oh. W-well...Think you could maybe help me clean up in here before you go take a nap?"

His dog shrugged and agreed, and together the two of them tidied up the mess on the kitchen counter that'd been made while MrCheese was preparing the casserole, putting everything away and wiping it clean...Cheddar was always a great help, whether they were working at their restaurant or just making dinner at home, and MrCheese was glad that he was around, at least.

With both of them working, it didn't take long to get everything cleaned up. And once the mess was gone, MrCheese stuck his casserole in the oven to bake.

"Okay...Good job, Cheddar. Thanks for the hand," the orange crewmate told him. Cheddar nodded in response, letting out another strained yawn.

"...Tired, huh? W-well...I guess you can go take a nap now. G'night, Cheddar."

With that, MrCheese's dog turned tail and scurried off to the bedroom to take a long nap...MrCheese was alone again.

"So that's it," he said to himself, sighing as he tried to maintain his composure. "D-don't panic, MrCheese. TheGentleman won't be gone forever. He just went to grab a few things from the store, a-and then he'll be right back!"

...His self reassurance seemed to make things worse more than it did help them.

"It sure it rainy out there...Th-the roads are more slippery than they normally are, a-and you can't see the road quite as well when you're driving...What if he gets into an accident? I, ah...Psh...No. Come on. We've driven in the rain before; Th-theGentleman's careful when he's on the road. 'Specially in the rain! Nothing bad'll happen...u-unless it's someone else doing the bad driving, and..."

He trailed off, then shook his head in a vain attempt to shake the bad thoughts out of it.

"If we got into a wreck, he'd...H-he'd be all alone. What if he can't call for help? What if the crash is so bad, he...A-and we'd both be alone. And I wouldn't know anything until it was too late."

He noticed that his breathing had started to quicken, his chest on the verge of spasming as his heartrate quickened. MrCheese placed a hand over his heart to try and slow it down, and he looked around again...Nobody else was in the room but himself.

"C-calm down, MrCheese," he said to himself. "J-just make yourself a cup of tea in the kitchen and sit down for a while...M-maybe I could call some friends! Yeah! That'll help!"

He went into the kitchen to brew himself some chamomile tea, humming again to add some noise to the overly quiet house. While it steeped, he pulled his phone out, opened the Discord app and gave MrEgg a call...To his delight, the marigold bean picked up.

"MrCheese?"

"Hey, egg head! What's up, how you doin'?"

"Quite good. Ria and I are having a movie night tonight after dinner."

"Ooooh, sounds juicy! What movie you guys watchin'?"

"Twilight."

...MrCheese's smile fell so hard, he could FEEL his frown sagging on his face.

"I'm just kidding," MrEgg assured him. "We're watching The Grand Budapest Hotel."

"Oh, oh phew...Had me for a sec there," the darker orange crewmate replied, his grin returning. "So when you gonna watch it? Like, a few hours from now?"

"Yes, around seven, I believe we planned. We're going to eat dinner first; I made leek and potato soup with a side of baked carrots."

"Oh man, sounds good. I-I just put dinner in the oven not long ago myself; macaroni casserole."

"Ooh, sounds indulgent, that does," MrEgg replied, sounding slightly impressed. "Hey, um, sorry I have to cut this short, MrCheese, but if you want to chat, how about I call you back in another hour or so? Ria and I just sat down."

"Oh...Oh, y-you're eating right now?"

"Yes, MrCheese, I am. I'll get back to you when we're done, though."

"Oh...okay..."

"Is everything alright, MrCheese?"

"Huh? O-oh, everything's great! I, uh...I guess I was just kinda bummed out, I guess. Sowwy."

"Think nothing of it, sir. Gives you something to look forward to, doesn't it?"

"Well, yeah," MrCheese nodded. "...I won't interrupt you anymore right now, then. Enjoy your dinner, MrEgg."

"We will, thank you."

"And tell Ria I said hi."

"I will. Talk to you later, MrCheese!"

"Later, egg boy."

Click...

...That hadn't gone as planned.

"Maybe I could call TheGentleman?" he figured. "And make sure he's doin' okay?"

He selected him in his contacts and waited for an answer...And that was when he started to hear the sound of TheGentleman's phone ringing from somewhere in the living room.

MrCheese peered over at the coffee table and saw the black device light up, moving a bit as it vibrated along with its ring...TheGentleman had forgotten to take his phone with him.

That hadn't gone as planned either.

At least my tea's done, the orange crewmate realized, taking the tea bag out of his cup and stirring in a small dollop of honey into the hot drink. He took it into the living room with him and set it down on the coffee table for a moment to cool a bit more, retreating up to the bedroom for a moment.

...I hope he doesn't get mad if I do this.

He grabbed TheGentleman's night robe off its hanger and put it on, wrapping himself in the dense, silky soft material; it gave him a sense of security and warmth, almost like it was hugging him, and it carried its owner's scent on it, which made him feel a bit less alone.

MrCheese headed back downstairs to fetch his tea once he was done putting it on, then sat down in one of the arm chairs, folding his knees close to his body in a defensive manner as he sipped his tea...He wished he could enjoy it more, but his mind was still trained on the silence in the house.

...I wish TheGentleman was still here, he said to himself, looking down at his reflection in his tea. I'd have made him a cup of tea, too, a-and we'd be talking and stuff right now...But he'll come back soon, right? He wouldn't leave me forever. He's just going to the store!

Doubt seemed to shroud him again. It seemed that whenever he tried to convince himself that everything was fine, his brain thought of another excuse to combat his self reassurance.

He checked the time again; 6:13. TheGentleman had been gone for pushing half an hour.

"It doesn't take this long just to pick up some toothpaste and detergent, does it?" he asked himself, nearly choking on his tea after sipping it again due to how stressed he was. "I-it only takes seven minutes to get there and seven to come back. What if something did happen to him out there? Or what if...wh-what if...?"

He didn't want to imagine it, but his brain just kept going with the train of thought.

"...What if he just doesn't want to come back? What if he left me here to go do something else? D-did I do something wrong? Did I say my name too many times again? I-if he was upset, he could have at least told me why, he didn't..."

He felt his teacup rattling in his shaking hand as he held it, and his breathing hitched again...The silence in the house seemed to close in on him, unending and unrelenting, tormenting him without any sign of stopping. Would it ever end? Would he ever see TheGentleman again, or hear his voice? Did he find someone else to be his associate? Did he ditch him again like he had during their rough patch such a long time ago?

...Would he be alone like this forever?

MrCheese suddenly felt the urge to stand up, putting his now empty teacup on the coffee table and rushing over to the window, hoping desperately that he would see TheGentleman's sedan pulling back into the driveway and that he was coming back...But he saw no such thing.

He looked down at the time again; 6:17. No sign of him. Just the heavy rain cascading down the window and the soft rumble of thunder above...Usually, he enjoyed thunderstorms, but being so alone now, the darkness, wetness and deep rumbling made him feel all the more terrified, and all the more isolated in the mansion.

As soon as MrCheese felt his heart sink, his body was soon to follow. His knees buckled as he tried to make his way back to the chair, his breathing heavier and quicker than ever, and he found himself lying on the cold wood floor, facing away from the door.

"N-no, no, calm down, MrCheese," he told himself. "Breathe. J-just breathe. Wh-why are you thinking these things? You know thay aren't true!"

...But do I really?

"Stop it...Stop it, get out of my head! I don't want to believe any of it! Stop scaring me so much...!"

His voice broke as he reprimanded himself, and he let out a scared whine each time he breathed out as he lay there hyperventilating, both of his hands curled up over his heart...Time seemed to go by so slowly. How long had he been lying there? A minute? An hour? His head was so scrambled that he didn't even know how much time had passe anymore.

What's wrong with me? he asked himself, his breathing so loud that it drowned out the sound of the door. Why am I like this? Why can't I just be by myself for a while and be normal like everyone else!?

"MrCheese!?"

He suddenly froze at the sound of the familiar voice, then pulled himself upright and stared at the doorway...TheGentleman dropped his wet umbrella and ran over to where he was lying down, staring at him with concern etched all over his face.

"Beany boy, why are you on the floor?" he asked him, coming over to where he was sitting. "A-are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

"You..." the orange figure huffed, a tiny smile inching across his face. "...Y-you came back."

"Of course I came back, MrCheese," he replied, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Why ever would I not?"

"I...I-I-I missed you, TheGentleman," the orange crewmate whimpered. "...I thought you might not make it back..."

"What...? MrCheese, why...Wh-why would you think that?"

The charcoal-clad figure knelt down and gave his associate a gentle hug, to which the shorter crewmate returned the favor tenfold.

"Is that the only thing bothering you?" he asked. "You seem awfully upset to have just been lonely."

"N-no, it's okay, TheGentleman...*sob*...It's okay now that you're here again...!"

He looked into MrCheese's eyes, and he watched a small tear escape the corner of his visor and slowly slide down his cheek. He sighed deeply, brushing it away with his thumb.

"...You can tell me anything," TheGentleman told him, his voice quiet and tender. "You know that, right?"

MrCheese nodded lightly.

"No need to cry."

He let the smaller orange figure lean against him as he sat down next to him, gently stroking the top of his head to calm him down...MrCheese sniffled lightly, then looked up at his associate.

"Do you want to talk about it?" TheGentleman asked him.

"...O-okay," he nodded, taking in a deep, slightly shuddering breath before turning to face the taller of the two.

"I...I-I have autophobia."

"Erm...you have what?"

"A-autophobia. It means I'm scared of being all by myself. I-I know it s-sounds really dumb, and I know it is too, but...I just can't help it, TheGentleman. Wh-whenever I find myself all alone, I just...I get scared. R-really really scared. I feel like if no one else is around, s-something bad is going to happen, o-or I shouldn't be there and I should be with you...I mean yeah, I do miss people when they're not around, but I know what I'm going through is a lot more extreme, and...I-I try to tell myself everything is going to be fine, but it a-almost never works. I don't know what I'm going to do about it if there's ever a time you're gone without me for really long. I don't know how to fix myself, TheGentleman..."

He sniffled again, louder than before, and buried his face into his side. TheGentleman shushed him quietly and rubbed his back in small circles as he tried to comfort him.

"...Is there any reason you didn't tell me this before? I...I could have saved you a lot of stress if I'd known."

"I..." MrCheese sniffled. "I-I didn't want you to worry, o-or think there was something wrong with me and drive you away."

"Beany boy..."

"I'm sowwy...But please, d-don't ever leave me..."

TheGentleman held the orange bean even tighter, swaying him back and forth very lightly. He wasn't the best at conveying his feelings in words, so he often opted to demonstrate them physically...It was the best he could do. And he knew that, right now, it was helping a little.

"I am worried," he told him. "But this is nothing that will be able to drive me away from you. I don't think you're broken, MrCheese. You...you just need a little help."

MrCheese wiped away some of the tears streaming down his face and tilted his head to look his associate in the eyes.

"...What kinda help did you have in mind?" he asked him tenatively.

"Well...well, um...To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure yet. But we'll think of something. Both of us will."

"We will...?"

"Most certainly, beany boy...For now, let's just focus on getting you calmed down."

"Okay...Th-thank you, TheGentleman."

"It's no trouble..."

MrCheese loosened his hold on the darker crewmate, letting himself relax a bit more and enjoy the affection now that he was back home again...Things already seemed to be getting better.

"...Any reason in particular you're wearing my night robe?"

"Oh. I-I just...it made me feel a little less lonely, since it's so warm and...it kinda smells like you," he replied sheepishly. "I can take it off now if you want-"

"No, no, that's alright, you can keep it on if it makes you feel better," TheGentleman interrupted him lightly. "...Honestly, one of the reasons I took longer than usual is because I did a spot of browsing in the clothing isle; I've been considering getting a new one, and I saw a nice robe with a darker mottled pattern that I was interested in."

"Oh...really?"

"Yes, yes. If I end up getting it, I wouldn't mind handing the one you're wearing down to you."

"You wouldn't?"

"Not at all. Especially now that I see you like it so much."

"Y-yeah...it's cozy," MrCheese mumbled. "...Maybe I can get you that new one for Christmas?"

"You'd do that?"

"Sure, heh heh...I wanna see you happy, too."

"...That's very thoughtful of you," TheGentleman smiled. "Thank you, MrCheese."

"You're welcome..."

They sat there for another few minutes enjoying each other's company and comfort...And they would have stayed like that for perhaps the rest of the night had they not heard the oven begin to beep.

"Is that the casserole?" TheGentleman asked, perking his head up.

"Oh, yup, it is. Din-din's ready," the orange crewmate replied, both of them standing up. "You got an appetite worked up, TheGentleman?"

"Absolutely," he nodded. "Let's eat!"