Have Faith in Me (Ianthony)

Chapter 12: You're Back!

Ian woke up the next morning smiling. The first thing he’d laid eyes on was Anthony. All snoring, drooling, sleepy Anthony — and Ian had never seen something so beautiful. Their legs had been entwined, making Ian much warmer than he was used to. Anthony was also a blanket hog, but Ian really didn’t care. All of these little things were menial compare to what had happened the night before. He and Anthony had confessed their love for one another and then they’d expressed it — two things that Ian had assumed would never happen. Much to his surprise, they’d both happened and it wasn’t a dream. 

His life, it seemed, was perfect. He had Smosh, Audrina, the cutest little girl that he could have ever asked for, and Anthony, the love of his life. And he also had the best friends in the world. Life couldn’t get much better. 

As much as he didn’t want to leave the bed that morning, he also wanted to do something special for Anthony to not only thank him for cooking the night before but to also celebrate their newfound relationship. He deduced that a breakfast from a nearby donut shop would be perfect (and not at all because he himself loved donuts). 

Ian quietly and carefully, so as to not wake Audrina and Anthony up, got dressed, brushed his teeth, and combed his fingers through his hair. He slid on his shoes and got his keys wallet and wrote Anthony a quick note. 

Anthony,

I’m going to get some breakfast. Be back in a couple hours. 

-Ian xo 

Ian added the hug and kiss because he wasn’t for certain if he should say ‘I love you’ again. It wasn’t that he was afraid to tell Anthony that he loved him, but really just because he wasn’t sure how Anthony would react or if he’d say it back. He wasn’t even sure if they were together yet so surely it was too early, even if Anthony had said that Ian was now his boyfriend (which made him squeal like a little girl) He thought later about how simple it would have been to just text Anthony about where he was going, but the note was a cute idea.

And with that idea in mind, Ian left, not yet knowing of the travesty that he’d be returning to. 

*

Anthony woke up to find Ian gone. In a way, he was glad. In others, he was disappointed. He hadn’t lied the night before when he’d told his best friend that he loved him, but he was also totally unsure of what would happen next. Ian loved him, too, but what did that mean? Were they supposed to fall into the simple, preconceived notion of family? Would they be boyfriends, possibly husbands? Anthony had called Ian his boyfriend, after all. Maybe they’d even have more kids? The idea didn’t sound too bad, but it was also a scary concept. Anthony had never been in a relationship with a man before, much less a relationship with his best friend in the world. And there was also Smosh and Audrina to think about…

He reached over to the bedside table beside him and was surprised when his fingers brushed by a slip of paper. He rubbed some of the sleep out of his eyes before grabbing the paper and reading it. Ian’s words made his face turn red. 

I’m definitely in love with him, he thought to himself. 

Anthony sighed and got out of bed, sliding on some plaid pajama pants and an old Food Battle t-shirt. People often asked why he and Ian so frequently wore their own merchandise. Many people assumed it was to promote the brand and that was a bonus, sure. But in reality, it was because they more or less received the shirts for free and hey, they were as comfortable as anything else he owned. 

He yawned, scratching his arm before leaving his bedroom and heading down the hall. He turned into Audrina’s room. 

“Good morning, Audrey,” he cooed, ambling up to her crib.