Excuse the cheesiness of this chapter. I initially didn't intend that and it's totally not my style but I was feeling very emotional whilst writing it. Please see the end of the chapter for the winner of the contest!
"No, it's fine, Audri. Just...Just go get a towel. It'll be okay, I promise."
"O-okay, Daddy."
Anthony put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "What happened this time?"
Ian sighed, bending down and picking up the pieces of glass on their tiled floor. "It's nothing...Audrina and I were playing tag and she knocked this vase over. It's broken, but we can fix it."
Having picked up all of the glass and flowers, Ian stood up and tossed the glass into the trash can beside a counter in the kitchen. He placed the flowers on the counter. Looking up, he noticed Audrina running back, her light blue dress flying around her as she sprinted. "I'm sorry!" she huffed, settling the white bathroom towel over the spilled water.
"It's okay," Anthony said quietly, kneeling down beside her.
Audrina jumped into his arms and he hugged her close to him, standing up and walking over to where Ian stood.
"He's right," Ian replied, pressing a kiss onto Audrina's forehead. "We can always get a new vase. That one only costed a dollar, sweetheart. Your papa is frugal." He gave Anthony a playful look.
She giggled. "What's frugal?"
Ian shook his head, tickling his daughter. He opened his mouth to reply, but out of nowhere, there was a gust of strong wind and Audrina gripped onto him tightly. Before he could even fathom what was happening, the front door to their house swung open and in stepped Kara.
Except...it wasn't Kara.
Her hair was long, wild and flying madly in the wind. She stepped inside and instantly, the floor started to shake. Audrina cried out and as much as Ian tried to hold her and keep them both steady, he lost his balance and they both plummeted to the floor beneath them. To his relief, he saw Anthony, concerned, lean down and pick Audrina up. But to his horror, Anthony, as if in a trance, marched right over to Kara and handed their daughter to her. As much as he tried to scream and stand up, he was completely paralyzed to his spot on the floor.
Kara raised the little girl over her head and cackled manically as Anthony only stood in the middle of the living room, completely stoic and staring at her. Audrina was completely blank, as well, save for the desperate pleading in her eyes.
With one last laugh, Kara was gone and so was Audrina.
Ian started awake, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. "It was a dream," he said out loud, "just..a dream."
Heart hammering in his chest, he threw his legs off of the bed and shakily placed his feet on the ground. Like a sleepwalker, he ambled off to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. He collected a small amount of cold water into cupped palms and splashed it onto his face. After taking one of the white hand towels from the rack, he studied his reflection in the mirror. He absolutely despised what he saw.
His blue eyes were red and bloodshot from lack of sleep and constant crying. His face was pale and he was startled to see that his cheekbones were obnoxiously more prominent, probably due to the fact that he'd lost a good amount of weight quickly. With the constant worry for Audrina, he oftentimes forgot to eat. Other times, he simply didn't feel like it. His hair was growing insanely long and his beard was messy, thick, and unkempt. The loss of Audrina and Anthony had taken a toll on him greater than anything than he'd ever experienced.
Ian sighed, coughing and exiting the bathroom to make some tea. But before he could make his way over to the hotel room's coffee pot and basket of coffee and tea, there was a knock at his door.
Confused, he slid a t-shirt over his head and sauntered over to the door. Against his better judgement, he grasped the doorknob and yanked it open. He wasn't surprised to see Mari standing behind it.
His bubbly friend was beaming brightly and had her hands folded together in front of her. "Ian!" she exclaimed.
He sighed, opening the door wider. "Hey, Mari. What's up?"
Without warning, she grabbed his hand and jerked him out of the doorway. "Come on! There's something you've just got to see!" She began to run and Ian had to jog to keep up with her, so as not to fall, and his hotel room door swung shut. Too bad he'd left his room key in the actual room.
"Mari!" he yelped, running after her, down the hallway, "wh-what's going on?"
She did not reply, sidestepping an elderly couple that could do nothing but look on, completely puzzled. Instead, she stopped at the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. Mari and Ian stepped into the elevator and with that, she let go of his sweaty hand and leaned against the wall.
"Where are we going?!" he demanded, glaring at her.
Mari looked up at him, still grinning maniacally. "You'll see."
Ian sighed. "Mari, I swear if this is another one of your stupid ploys to get Anthony and I back together, I'll-"
Before he could finish, the elevator dinged, signaling that they had reached their destination.
"Hold that thought," she instructed, grabbing his hand yet again. With that, she took off running.
Instead of protesting, Ian ran along with her, ignoring the fact that this odd situation was akin to a broken record.
Straight through the lobby they went, garnering looks from both the workers and the other guests. They then sprinted straight through the automatic glass double doors and outside to the parking lot.
Immediately, Ian noticed Anthony's car. He wasn't stupid and after living with Anthony for so long, he would clearly recognize the vehicle he'd often ridden in. Even more so, Anthony was staying at the same hotel that Ian was. "Nice try, Mari," he muttered, "but this isn't much of a surprise."
She snorted. "Right. Well, my job ends here. Have fun." Without so much as a wave or goodbye, she turned around and began walking in the opposite direction of the parking lot.
Ian sighed. He didn't have a lot of options here. For one, he'd left his room key in his hotel room and would therefore have to go through the struggles of the front desk if he wanted back in. For another, he also knew how very stubborn Anthony could be and if Ian didn't speak to him now, he wouldn't go away until he did. Hence, he took a deep breath, moved his hair out of his face, and trudged forward.
It took a moment for Ian to spot Anthony, as the car was parked away from Ian and Anthony was perched on the hood.
"Anthony," Ian called out, slowing his steps.
Slowly, Anthony hopped off of the hood of the car.
The shorter man began to grow impatient. "What do you want?" he asked, "why is it that you made Mari come and get me?"
Anthony just stood there, his back to Ian and his arms crossed in front of him. "I knew you'd never see me if it was me asking."
Ian frowned as Anthony turned around, a huge grin on his face. And when Ian saw what Anthony had his arms crossed over, he began to smile, too.
Because there she was. His baby girl, his entire world. Audrina Iris Hecox-Padilla. She was back.
Before he could even think twice, he was running over to them, tears immediately filling his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but he found that he could not; he was too overcome with emotion.
Still smiling softly, Anthony pressed a quick kiss to Audrina's hair before putting her down on the asphalt below them. She looked up at Ian curiously and promptly began to toddle over to him. After only a few steps she fell, but she did not cry. Instead, Ian picked her up and held her tightly against him.
"S-since when c-can she walk?" he stuttered, still crying softly.
Anthony shook his head in disbelief, clearly stunned. "I-I don't know. I assumed she'd crawl to you. She hasn't taken steps since I got her back." Then he chuckled, smiling at Ian. "I guess she just really missed her daddy."
Ian didn't have to express how much her daddy had missed her.
"H-how?" Ian asked, "when? Wh-what happened?"
Anthony chuckled. "Yesterday. Mari found Kara's apartment for me and I just showed up and demanded her back."
Ian squeezed Audrina tighter, running a hand through her hair. "Just like that? She gave her back just because you told her to?"
The taller man paused before shaking his head. "Apparently our baby mama has a boyfriend and actually, he's a pretty cool guy." Ian snorted. "Really now?"
"Yeah," Anthony replied. "And she doesn't want him to know that she pawned her baby off on us for so long. More so, she wants to have children with him. Not us."
Ian gritted his teeth. "So just because Audri's not her new boyfriend's child, she doesn't want her?"
Anthony nodded.
"Lucky us," Ian muttered, kissing Audrina's forehead. "So how do we know she's not gonna come back and try to take her away again?"
Nodding his head, Anthony turned to the driver's side of the car and opened the door. Ian watched him as he kneeled over and rummaged around for a moment. He was still angry with him, but he was also still in love with him and could not ignore how good his backside looked in dark wash skinny jeans.
Anthony stood up and shut the door, a document of some sort in his right hand. He held it up for Ian to see.
"Assuming I know what that is...?" Ian asked, trailing off.
Anthony grinned. "This is a rushed document stating that Kara has signed over all parental rights to me, per the request of your friend Valerie."
Ian raised his eyebrows. "Valerie?" Then he smiled. He'd have to call and thank her later. But then, another thought crossed his mind.
"So she's yours?" he asked sheepishly, squeezing her to him.
"Yes," Anthony replied, "but I talked to Valerie again this morning. Adoption is very, very easy when a) there is a single parent and b) when the other parent has signed off all parental rights. Which, in this situation, is the case of both."
Ian's breath caught in his throat. "So...?"
Anthony gave him a hard look. "So she can be yours, too. If you want her to be."
Ian chuckled. "Of course I want her to be."
"You know that's going to involve...," he trailed off, "that's going to involve us living together and probably-"
"Being a couple," Ian finished. "Right."
Biting his lip, Anthony stepped forward. "Ian, I am so, so sorry for what happened. I'm sorry that I let Audrina go, I'm sorry that I was such an idiot, and I'm sorry that I made you leave. I'm sorry that I made you feel so awful. I'm sorry that Audrina had to be away from us. I promise that if you'll just give me one more chance, you won't regret. I swear that I'll never, ever hurt you or Audrina again. I love you both so, so much. Just. Please...Come home to me."
Ian felt tears spring to his eyes once again. He felt as though his head was spinning. He'd woken up this morning without Anthony and Audrina with the belief that it was hopeless to even think about getting them back and now here they were. Back with him. He wanted nothing more than to be with them forever, but the real problem was that he wasn't sure if he could trust Anthony. He'd trusted him before and it had cost him everything. However, Anthony had clearly worked hard the past few days to fix things and the words that he spoke seemed to truly come sincerely from his heart. What it boiled down to though, was what was best for Audrina.
"O-okay," Ian agreed, "I will. But you've got to keep those promises. Forever. And you've got to remember that this is a huge responsibility. We have to feed, clothe, and care for her for eighteen years or more than likely even longer. She's got to come before Smosh and everything and everyone else because she belongs to us and has no one else. She's going to have school in a few years and then we'll have PTA and parent/teacher conferences and we'll have to get involved with whatever it is she likes: sports, dance, art, music, doesn't matter. So there will be times when Smosh will have to be put on the back burner just because Audrina is our baby now."
"I know," Anthony said, grinning. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Ian took a deep breath, adjusting Audrina into a more comfortable position. "And if you and I are going to be together, we're going to be together. We're going to be out to our parents, extended family, friends, and most importantly, our fans. We're not going to hide behind fake dates or girlfriends and it's nowhere near an open relationship. It's going to be normal, monogamous, and real. You got that?"
Anthony nodding, smiling more. "Yes, I do. And like I said, I wouldn't have it any other way at all. Now, I've actually been thinking about that." Again, he opened his car door, placing the paper from before back in and from what Ian could tell, he was taking something else out. He shut the door and swung his arm behind his back so that Ian couldn't see what he held.
"You have?" Ian asked. "How so?"
Anthony gave Ian a toothy grin. "Well, Valerie said that even though it is highly likely that the court will give you adoption of Audrina, there's one thing that will make it smoother and faster, too."
Ian frowned. "So...What is that?"
"If the parent looking to adopt is married to the biological parent," Anthony said with a smile.
Ian was astonished. "Wh-what? Anthony, I'm...We're-"
Anthony chuckled, removing his hand from his back. "So I guess that means we'll have to get married."
The shorter man watched, completely dazed, seeing the small black box in Anthony's hands. "I...Anthony? What are you-"
To his utter amazement, Anthony then dropped down to one knee and opened the box.
And then there it was. A silver ring with a thin line of small diamonds running across the time. It was a diamond engagement ring, but even still, it was masculine enough for Ian.
Ian gasped as Anthony began to speak nervously. "Ian, you've been my best friend for over fifteen years. You know me better than anyone else in the world and I love you. I love you so much and I love Audrina, too. You're the best father I could ask for her and the best partner for me, too. I want us to be together and I want us to be a family. I'm sorry this is so corny and quick, but I don't want to wait anymore. So Ian...Will you marry me?"
Ian laughed, shaking his head.
Anthony's face fell. "O-oh. I understand. I'm sorry that I-"
"No!" Ian exclaimed, "I'm not saying no. I'm just laughing because I can't believe it. Anthony, of course I'll marry you," he covered Audrina's ears with one arm, "you dumbass. I love you, too."
Anthony grinned as Ian dropped his left arm. With a shaking hand, Anthony slipped the ring on Ian's ring finger.
"Good thing they just legalized gay marriage everywhere," Anthony said, getting to his feet.
Ian snorted. "It's been legal in California for a while now, dude." With that, he pulled Anthony to him and hugged him tightly. Audrina was slightly in the way, but Ian knew that he could handle it.
"I love you so much," Anthony whispered.
"I love you, too," Ian replied, leaning in to kiss him softly. They only kissed for a moment, as Audrina was between them. However, when they pulled away, they were greeted with something wonderful.
Because when they looked down Audrina wasn't just smiling.
She was laughing.
Okay, so now onto the contest results! Now, let me just say that I was completely shocked that so many people wanted to enter and they were all so wonderful. It made me so very happy that you guys wanted to create your own stories based on something I just threw together lol. Anyway, I feel as though it is only fair that I go through and say a little something about each fic. Once that is over, I will announce the winner and runner up. I may give a prize to the runner up, though I have no idea what it would be. Any ideas? Please go find each and every one of these fics and give them some love. They really deserve it! The contestants were:
-Kateiplier (Wattpad & Archive of Our Own) with One Happy Family. I loved this one due to how truly domestic it was. I felt like I was just peeking into an afternoon with Hecox-Padillas and it was fantastic! Their banter was so real and I could really imagine the real life Ian and Anthony behaving the exact way. Also, Anthony playing with Audrina was so cute!
-Sunny-Smile (Wattpad) with Finally in Place. This one was about Ian and Anthony's wedding and omg am I a sucker for weddings! The fact that this one just happened to have my OTP getting hitched just made it all the better. I loved Josh's character and I also thought that making Mari and Sohinki's daughter the flower girl was a very nice touch.
-j-dizzle20114 (Wattpad) with Have Faith in Me One Shot Contest Entry. This one had a much darker background and I welcomed that gladly! Angst just happens to be my favorite genre and this was written wonderfully. I was very afraid of what was going to happen to my poor little Ian, but luckily everything wrapped up nicely with Audrina and Anthony. The way Anthony came back was so emotional! I cried a lot reading this and I'd say that that is a compliment.
-4Ash_Ash4 (Wattpad) with Baby Steps. This one was so cute! I thought that Ian having a journal was very original and it helped advance the plot. I also loved how Mari was so involved with Audrina. Her birthday party was honestly so adorable and I was smiling the whole time reading it. I thought that them teaching her to walk was such a sweet and real milestone and that it made for an excellent and entertaining one shot!
-forever_unanonymous (Wattpad) with Thanks for the Memories. The beginning of this story reminded me of the WORST PARENTS EVER Smosh video. I thought that it was cute how Anthony gave Audrina back to Ian and that their relationship progressed slowly and realistically. Also, the title and some of the elements of the story are from a Fall Out Boy song (which you should all already know and I happen to loooooove Fall Out Boy!), and that was fantastic. I loved how Anthony really left things up to Ian!
-EmmySmosher713 (Archive or Our Own & Fanfiction) with Measuring Cups. This one really had a focus on Audrina and I really, really liked that. It had a great inner dialogue and I loved how she wanted more than anything to have a good Father's Day gift for her dads. I thought that it was very realistic that she would think of her Kindergarten class and her classmates. Also, Ian and Anthony were just adorable at the end!
-LittleMissFanGirl14 (Fanfiction) with Sweet Poison. This one was also very focused on Audrina, but it was much darker, which I loved! It was real, raw, and very emotional. I don't think that anyone else even thought to write about Audrina as a teenager, much less as one in an abusive relationship. The ending was also very real, but I am also glad that it ended the way that it did. I loved that even though Ian and Anthony were overprotective, even they did not know of her abuse. That was so true that it hurt.
Please don't be upset if you don't win. Remember, there could only be one winner and that was a VERY hard decision because there were so many good ones. However, I have made a decision!
The runner up is Sweet Poison.
The winner is Measuring Cups!
Congrats to both of you! Thank you to everyone that entered the contest. I very much appreciate it and they were all so wonderful!