Archive of Our Own

One of Anthony’s earliest memories as a child was an art project in kindergarten. The teacher had them color and draw a picture on a worksheet they were given. He thinks… he can’t remember the details.

The teachers brought over a set of crayons for the whole class to share. Being too shy to immediately get up, Anthony waits until everyone else is done. The only crayon left is a blue one, aside from the white crayon and the busted up ones.

Anthony returns to his seat with the crayon in hand, mindlessly coloring between the lines of the paper. From the corner of his eye, he can see the teacher going around and asking the other kids about what they’re drawing and why they picked that color.

Internally, he prepares what he’s gonna say to her. He’s never been good at wording his thoughts.

“Hi, Anthony,” His teacher kneels down to meet his height. “You were the last one to get a crayon, right? You still got a nice color; do you like the color blue?”

Anthony meets her similarly brown eyes, then his eyes drift towards the white paper on the table, then the blue crayon between his fingers. “Yeah, it’s pretty.”

“Is it your favorite color?”

He looks at the uneven streaks of light and dark blue on the paper. Anthony wonders what the correct answer is supposed to be here. It’s probably yes, right?

“Yeah, I like it.” Anthony nods, and his teacher smiles back before moving onto the kid next to him. He continues coloring the page without much thought.

Once he’s done, he sets the crayon aside and takes a look at the finished page. It’s a simple picture of a car, nothing special. 

He thinks it’s a pretty color though.

Ian approaches the corner table where Anthony is currently sitting and eating lunch. “We’re still on for video games at your house, right?”

“Yup, we’re gonna have to walk there though. Just so you know.” Anthony says in between chewing.

“Pft, that’s fine. What is it? A minute walk or something? That’s nothing.”

“It’s almost thirty minutes.” “Wha-”

Anthony laughs under his breath at Ian’s expression. “It’s not that long of a walk, Ian.”

“Okay, man, I’m not a runner or something.” Ian rolls his eyes. “You have longer legs too by the way.”

“I’m one inch taller, Ian!” “It’s still not fair! You have longer legs.”

Anthony scoffs. “Fine, whatever. It won't be that bad. I don't think it will be hot later. It's a cloudy day.”

The younger squints his eyes. “If the sun's out later, dude…” He whispers in warning and points his fork at him.

“Yeah, okay, try reaching me with your short legs.” He snickers before Ian flicks a pea from his tray towards his face. Anthony has half the mind to start throwing things back, but drawing attention to himself is enough to make that thought escape from his mind.

After a long day, Anthony packs up his bag and waits for his friend to finish. Slinging his backpack on his shoulder, he walks up to Ian who’s stuffing his items in quickly. “Yeah, yeah, I know, gimme a sec.”

Ian hurriedly puts his bag on so they can leave. They run down the staircase, Ian being a bit faster than his friend. Anthony suddenly hears a drawn out, loud groan when Ian steps outside. “The sun won’t be out later, you said?” He points to the blazing sun without a cloud in its way. 

“I can’t predict the weather! I’m not a… scientist or something.” Anthony mumbles. “Let’s just get going.”

Ian follows Anthony while dragging his feet and complaining. They walk down a familiar sidewalk together, commenting on whatever passes their minds. Unfortunately, the sun was not being merciful on them right now.

“Starting to regret hanging out with you…” Ian whispers, wiping the sweat on the side of his head.

“Stop acting like it’s my fault.” Anthony glares over at his friend and swats at his general direction.

“Yeah, right… how much longer until we’re there..?” Ian asks.

“Uhhhhh…” Anthony stutters while looking around. “We’re, like, half way there-“

“Nope!” Ian walks off the path they’re going on and sits down under the shade of a nearby tree. He grabs his water bottle and chugs a quarter of it. 

“I didn’t know you were dying under the heat.” Anthony says, sitting down beside him and sipping on his own water.

Ian scoots forward from the tree trunk to lay down on the grass. “There’s only so much of my own sweat that I can take.”

The two lie on the grass together, simply enjoying the silence while cooling off from the high temperatures. Anthony opens his eyes to see the boundless blue sky above them. It is really pretty despite the sun’s unforgiving warmth on them both.

Blue’s a pretty color, he thinks.

Ian rolls onto his side to face his friend. Anthony removes his gaze and looks to his side towards Ian. “What are you thinking about?”

Anthony blinks a few times before realizing he’s been staring into space for a few moments. “Oh, sorry, I think I spaced out.”

Ian snickers, his eyes glimmering with humor. He’s clearly enjoying this. “No one knows what’s going on inside your head, not even you, huh?” His fingers start fidgeting with some of the blades of grass underneath him.

They both giggle quietly in the calm sounds over the birds chirping and the cars driving in the distance. Anthony could probably stay here forever, just hiding from the rest of the world with his best friend.

Well, he likely shouldn’t; Ian would get bored out of his mind.

“I was just thinking about how much I’m gonna win!” Anthony sits up quickly and runs off without another word. He hears Ian exclaim something and run after him. Their giggles turn loud enough that everyone nearby can hear them.

The two recover from their fit of laughter combined with the sudden sprinting. They hope this happiness will remain constant, just as the morning sky will always be blue.

“Jesus Christ, that did not need to take so long.” Ian sighs as he and Anthony leave the restaurant where the graduating students are still celebrating. “I genuinely think their toasts took twenty minutes each.”

“They just like hearing themselves talk.” Anthony says. “They won’t even notice we’re gone.”

Ian laughs under his breath. “What’re we doing now that we’re free from the dinner of social etiquette prison?”

“It’s…” The older checks his watch. “It’s already ten o’clock; shouldn’t we be heading back to our hotel?”

He hears a series of unamused sounds from Ian.” You know we don’t have school tomorrow, right? We’re in fucking Hawaii, and you’re still a loser?” That earns him a weak shove. “There’s literally a beach five minutes away from the hotel; we can’t get this back home.”

Anthony opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by Ian grabbing his wrist. “C’mon, Ant, we’ve officially graduated now! Let’s fucking live a little.”

Anthony sighs fondly; he hates that he can’t say no to Ian.

They run down to the beach, Ian still holding onto his friend’s wrist loosely. The place is surprisingly empty for tonight. Waves lap at the edge of the shore, breaking the silence for the two of them.

Ian removes his shoes in one swift motion and throws them the opposite direction of the sea. He stands on one leg and rolls his pant legs up, nearly losing his balance. Once he’s done, he bolts to the water’s edge, letting the ocean splash against his feet. Anthony laughs softly and follows in his literal footsteps.

After kicking his own shoes off, he joins Ian, who’s walking on the wet sand on the shore. Anthony leans his forearm on Ian’s shoulder and watches as Ian kicks up the damp sand and water under him.

“Is this the first time you’ve been to the beach?” Anthony asks with a smile on his face.

“Technically not. Think my family brought me to the beach when I was a kid, but I don’t really remember it.” Ian hums.

Anthony nods and silently takes in the sights. He turns his head in the direction of the ocean with its brilliant navy blues shifting into darker tones. The whole scene looks like a painting, like something you’d see in an art museum.

Speaking of, he wishes he could take a photo for reference. He hasn’t painted anything lately from all the chaos of traveling and graduation, and he would like to pick up the brush again.

Ian notices Anthony’s gaze towards his way and clears his throat. “You good, dude?”

They make eye contact, and it’s only then that Anthony registers that he’s more or less been staring at Ian. Anthony removes his arm on Ian’s shoulder and coughs into his fist.

“Sorry about that, I was thinking about how nice the beach looks. If I had a camera, I’d picture it so I could paint it back at home.” Ian grins at the mention of painting. He knows Anthony would like to practice it more if he had the time.

“I forgot how pretty it looked. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the beach too.”

“Maybe there’s a reason why people always go to the beach for vacation, huh?” Ian says with a cheeky smile before looking down and stopping in his tracks. “Um… dude?”

Anthony follows his gaze to see the bioluminescent blue hues across the waves on their feet. “How the hell did we miss this..?!”

Ian laughs breathlessly, silently agreeing with Anthony’s words. “I didn’t know this beach had those… glowing plankton stuff.”

He crouches down, uncaring for his pant legs now. Ian cups some of the water and marvels at the glowing water in near childish wonder. “Holy shit, Ant!”

Anthony crouches down as well while laughing at Ian’s fascination. His fingers drag down the waves’ surface and make the azure tones glow. The tiny specks of blue rival the stars in the sky.

“This is so fucking cool!” Ian exclaims loudly; the only person present to hear it is only Anthony. He runs out closer to the ocean until the water reaches up to his knee. His best friend joins him while muttering his name fondly under his breath.

It’s not the most comfortable location to be in by a long shot; the water is freezing, and their clothes are soaked, but seeing Ian’s awe and excitement seems to make Anthony forget all those factors for a second.

Ian smiles just as brightly as the microorganisms glow in the waves around them. They both giggle like two children finding treasure for the first time. “We’ve gotta vacation at beaches more if they’re gonna look like this.”

Anthony admires the unrestrained grin on his best friend and can’t help but agree. 

After getting their fill on the shiny water, they sit on the shore to calm themselves down before returning to their hotel. Their pants are dripping and sticking to their skin along with their long sleeves. They retrieve their shoes that were thrown off near the rocks.

“Are you sure you’re not tired already?” Anthony says before yawning. “Feel like I’m gonna pass out when we get to our hotel.”

“Of course I’m tired,” Ian brushes some of the hair that fell onto his face with a damp hand. “I barely got any sleep last night thanks to your horror movie sound effects.”

“I’m sorry; I didn’t know I would grind my teeth at night!” Anthony holds his hands up in surrender.

“You’ve probably terrified your mom more times than not.” Ian tucks his knees up to his chest. “But… I don’t want this night to end, I guess.”

Anthony glances at the other then looks forward again. “The experience doesn’t have to end; we can keep having fun every day.”

Ian’s ocean eyes hide his conflicted thoughts and feelings behind them. His quietness is making Anthony uneasy though. “What are you worried about?”

“It’s… it’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Ian breathes in the salty sea breeze. “Ah, sorry… I’m just thinking about some things. We’re, like, technically adults now. It’s weird to think about.”

“I get that,” Anthony whispers, only barely louder than the waves at the shore. “Everything is still so surreal now that we’re not students anymore.”

“You think we’re still gonna be friends?” Ian asks. Anthony feels more whiplash in that moment than he would if he was dragged under the crashing waters. “What?”

Ian scratches his neck nervously. “I shouldn’t have said that… Whatever, I’ve thought about some things is all. We met.. six years ago? Over a stupid school project no less. What if we stop being friends cause we’re not seeing each other every day at school? I mean, we’re gonna keep filming for Smosh and all, but-“

He stops himself in the middle of his spiel with a grumble. “Oh, fuck. I made everything awkward, didn’t I?”

Anthony huffs a slight laugh to lighten the mood. “I won’t deny that. You don’t have to feel bad for saying that though.”

Ian leans back on his arms, the sand sticking to his moist fingers. “Can’t help it, I suppose. We don’t talk about serious shit; it’s an unspoken rule.”

“Unspoken rule or not, I’ll listen to whatever bullshit you wanna say.” Anthony offers with a gentle smile.

His contagious smile spread onto Ian’s lips. He chuckles and lays his chin on his knees. Blue eyes crinkle at the edges, and they seem to sparkle brighter. “You’re gonna regret that very soon, dude.”

“I’m gonna regret it later at the hotel most likely.” Anthony says while standing up. He lends a hand to help Ian up, who grabs it and is pulled onto his feet.

“Give me five minutes to think of a topic so I can annoy you for the rest of the night.” Ian brushes the sand on his clothes and starts walking off.

Anthony follows Ian a few steps behind before taking one last look at the landscape. It’s too bad he doesn’t have a photographic memory; the view is gorgeous. From the deep dark indigo hues in the far ocean waters to the cyan sparkling surf on the shore, the gradient looks incredible.

He’ll just have to paint this from memory later on.

“We’ll be ready to shoot in a few minutes.” The camera crew is setting up their equipment with the rest of their staff. They just arrived at a park to film a new video. It’s quite a ways away from their neighborhood, so he and Ian drove over.

He noticed that their relationship hasn’t been the same however. Ian was driving, and Anthony sat in the passenger seat. Their usual conversations of dumb and silly thoughts were just gone; now replaced with their filming schedule and technical details for the upcoming videos to record.

Anthony looks around if anyone needs help or his input, but the professionals don’t need anything. He spots Ian talking to their director and ponders about strolling over. He takes a deep breath and decides not to. 

His legs move automatically as he scans the sights. They haven’t been able to go out much as their schedule has been packed with filming videos then writing their next sketch directly after. This is the first breath of fresh air Anthony has gotten in a few weeks.

In the corner of his eye, a splash of color draws his attention from the sea of green. Curious, he makes his way over and crouches down. A small cluster of delicate, cerulean flowers with yellow centers pop in all the monochrome colors.

“Forget-me-nots?” Anthony whispers to himself. “Didn’t know they grew here…”

He reaches out with his index finger gently to touch the velvety petals. The entire bundle of tiny flowers is weighed down by Anthony’s slight touch; the pretty bunch blossoms are holding onto a thin, fragile stem.

What an impressive feat for such a flimsy plant to be able to thrive and to be so beautiful too; he loves the vibrant hue it has as well, especially knowing how rare the color blue is in nature.

“Anthony,” His thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice. “We’re rolling in five.”

He spins around to see Ian already turning back, his half-lidded eyes latched on the script in his hands. Anthony exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding and stands up.

It’s a shame that he couldn’t admire the blue for longer.

Everything feels like a fleeting memory; their daily hang outs, their inside jokes, all of it has been dampened. Tension is immediately felt whenever Anthony enters the same room with his once best friend.

A painful, stern conversation between them later, Anthony is packing his things out of his room. His hand on the front door handle, he looks back to Ian, who has a strained expression on his features.

“Goodbye, Ian.” Not see you soon, not talk to you later, but a true farewell.

“I wish you well, Anthony.” Ian forces out after a few beats. The silence surrounding them is deafening, but not as loud as their own heartbeats in their ears.

Anthony hesitates at seeing Ian so conflicted, but he makes himself turn around and step outside the threshold. Whatever Ian’s expression is now, he doesn’t want to know; he shouldn’t know, because he has to do the right thing by him and not anyone else anymore.

His legs travel faster and faster until he reaches his car on the nearby sidewalk. Once Anthony is sat in the driver’s seat, he rests his head lightly on the wheel. The world seems to stay still for multiple minutes, even the air particles stop because Anthony’s lungs struggle to pull oxygen into itself.

Anthony finally takes a full breath as he leans back. He knows that he should be gone by now, for his own good, for Ian’s good. His body won’t move however, can’t move. He feels exhausted despite only bringing his bags down to his car.

Saying farewell to Ian was the hardest thing Anthony has done in his life.

The next few months are… nothing. He films a few videos on his own, and they do decently well, aside from the comments asking about Smosh. Anthony doesn’t feel anything when he records them however. Filming videos for Smosh was exciting, and he couldn’t get enough up until the last year.

After uploading his latest video, Anthony leans back and places his hands on his face. Bored, he turns his chair and notices the easel and canvas in the corner that he left in the rush of moving in.

With nothing better to do, Anthony sets everything up. Paintbrush in hand, it’s then that he thinks about how he hasn’t drawn anything recently. He dips his brush into some of the near empty paint he squeezed from a tube.

He allows his hand to mindlessly sweep across the canvas. Once he’s run out, Anthony opens a few more tubes of paint. His palate is full of assorted colors now, although he notices that most of the colors are some shade of blue.

Anthony barely recalls when he bought all these supplies. He remembers that he got multiple shades because it was his favorite color. Looking at his canvas now which is scattered with a cornucopia of vivid hues, Anthony doesn’t really understand why it was his favorite. 

It’s just like any other color on the wavelength spectrum; an artist shouldn’t favor any one over the other.

Anthony’s tattooed fingers grip his paintbrush loosely, making broad strokes against the canvas. Within the last few months, he’s luckily managed to make time for his art. He leans back to get a look over the entire piece, only for his back to crack slightly from his bad posture.

Standing up with a groan, he grabs his phone on the table nearby and sits on the edge of his bed. He clears out most of his notifications except one message from an unfamiliar number.

Anthony skims over the text but only reads intently once he reads Ian’s name. It’s an invite to meet up with Ian. Together with his friend as a mediator.

He reads the words on his screen over and over as if they’re about to disappear. Conflicted feelings bounce back and forth in his mind at the possible scenarios if he does go.

Anthony could go and meet his childhood friend then one of two scenarios could happen. He and Ian could have the nastiest stand off in the middle of a restaurant or he and Ian could have the most extraordinary, magical, sparkly conversation in a matter of seconds-

Okay, that’s not happening.

Anthony runs his fingers through his hair and debates his options. He gives up once he starts getting a headache from thinking too hard. Anthony falls back onto his bed, staring up at his ceiling.

A deep breath. An inhale then an exhale.

He follows his gut and types out his response. After all these years apart, Anthony can’t say no to seeing Ian.

Anthony, along with a friend, walk over to the restaurant they agreed to meet at. He glances over at his phone incessantly in case there’s a new message coming in. Everything is forgotten the very moment he’s face to face with Ian however. 

“Ian.” His name comes out breathlessly as they make eye contact.

“Anthony,” Ian says, equally in disbelief. He lets out a puff of breath and lets the tension in his shoulder release ever so slightly. “So you still remember my name?”

Anthony breaks into a smile then a small laugh. If he squints, the awkwardness in the room has dissipated. “It’d be hard to forget your name; it’s only three letters.”

They settle into their comfortable banter together with their two mediators. Though, unbeknownst to them, their friends were sharing knowing looks the entire time the boys were talking and joking.

Two hours fly by in a blink of an eye, and the sun starts setting. Outside of the establishment and out in the evening sky, they have to say farewell once more.

“See you soon, Ian.” Said man stills before relaxing and grinning. “See you soon.”

Anthony drives his friend back home while rolling his eyes at her comments. Once he himself is home, Anthony lays on his bed and begins giggling to himself when he remembers all the quips and jokes he and Ian made. 

A notification sound rings around the room with a slight vibration. Anthony moves onto his side and opens the message to a very missed contact. He can’t help the toothy grin at their texts going back and forth. 

On a clear sunny day, the duo sits at a table together at a cafe. “How’s Smosh been doing?” Anthony asks after a sip of his drink.

Ian smacks his lips after sipping at his matcha and sets it down. “Smosh has been doing fine, better than it has been in a long time.”

“That’s great; I’m glad Defy didn’t ruin everything we’d built.”

“We quite literally defied them.” Ian huffs.

“What was it like? Becoming president of an entire company on a random Tuesday?” Anthony asks.

“Well, it was fucking weird,” Ian starts. “Being a leader and all, I’m not built for that. Still don’t think I am sometimes, but I’ve grown into it.”

Anthony’s tattoos come into Ian’s view as he places his hands on the table. “You’ve done great though; it’s already been five years or so. You’ve proven that you can lead, and Smosh is proof of that.”

Ian scoffs playfully and sips on his drink again. “You should see me during meetings.”

Anthony’s hand comes up to his face to cover up the small laugh he lets out. “That must be a hell of a sight, huh?”

“Wish I could show you the camera footage; I could probably play that off as a skit on its own.” They both giggle while trying to hide it as to not disturb the otherwise quiet cafe.

“I’d pay to see that. I bet you’re a better boss than you think you are though.”

“Too bad you can’t see firsthand.” Ian empties his drink. “Where are we off to now?”

Anthony gazes outside the nearby window. "Uh, anywhere you want. You got an idea?"

Ian shrugs. "We can just.. walk around; I've been too cooped up at the office so I need the excercise anyway."

"Speaking of the office, how much are they gonna freak out about me?" Anthony admires the sunbeams illuminating Ian's face, from his already bright eyes to his beautiful brunette hair. "Some people probably don't even know me."

"Oh, you're practically a folk tale. You're like a tatted up Bigfoot." Ian snickers at Anthony's unamused expression.

"Wow, nice reunion." He comments, trying his best to keep up the unamused act, but the facade falls apart quickly.

The duo walk along the sidewalk without much thought, simply enjoying the sun on their skin, the refreshing breeze, and the even more refreshing company.

Anthony catches himself almost leaning his elbow on Ian's shoulder on more than one occasion. Maybe he has missed Ian more than he thought he did.

They come into a nearby park once they've walked a few blocks. The two sit and relax under the shade of a tree, not minding for the grass that might stain their pants. "This is nostalgic, isn't it?"

"We're probably too old to be sitting on the grass with no plans." Ian taps his fingers rhythmically against his knee. "But I'm the president of a dumbass YouTube company so who cares?"

Anthony hums, allowing the sounds of birds chirping overhead and the rustling leaves to sweep over his ears. He lands into this calm and meditative state and merely soaks this moment up.

Everything feels so surreal; he's really here with his childhood friend after all the shit they've been through together. Anthony couldn't have had dreamed of this scene.

He eventually realizes that he's been spacing out. He turns himself to face Ian who's leaning against the trunk. "Shit, sorry for spacing out."

Ian looks back up from the ground. "Don't worry about it, think I spaced out too anyway."

"I thought you'd be more annoyed at me being so silent or something." Anthony chuckles, gentle like the branches in the wind. "Did you not notice?"

"I kinda noticed but," Ian adjusts his position so he can sit straight and look at Anthony. "I dunno; I didn't mind the silence. Maybe I just.. missed your presence. I missed hanging out with you, even if we're not actively doing anything."

Anthony's eyes soften, and he lets out a sigh. "I missed this too. It's nice to stop worrying about everything and all the shit happening in the world."

"I haven't had the time to do that in a while. Especially with all the new projects we're planning at the office."

"Maybe you can change that; anything is possible. I'm kinda proof of that." Anthony says earnestly but not without a teasing lilt.

Ian sneers without any malice. "Okay, don't let your ego grow too much."

"When the hell do I, of all people, stroke my ego?"

"It's not that you yourself made your ego grow, it's everyone else. Remember everyone thinking you're the hot one?"

"That's not my fault!" Anthony exclaims. "Not my problem everyone ignored the equally handsome guy next to me in every video."

Ian gives him a sideways glance under lidded eyes. "That came out of nowhere."

"Our reunion was kinda out of the blue so… it's on brand for recent events."

The two breathe in the fresh air. They catch up on just a few things that have happened over the years apart, from the little things to the large improvements.

They take a stroll on the paved path along the fenced border of a lake. Despite them being usually so talkative, the two take in each other's company. Anthony cranes his neck off to the side. His eyes land on the patches of wildflowers blooming in brilliant color.

He recognizes the blossoms as he's painted the scene before. Somewhere at the back of his head, he remembers that the azure flowers are known as baby blue eyes and are native to the city.

Anthony looks back at Ian and can't help but giggle. Ian's ocean eyes flick towards the other in confusion. "What? What're you laughing at?"

"Nothing, I just remembered something funny." Anthony clears his throat.

"How wonderfully descriptive. I thought you were the creative artist here." Ian stares him down playfully, trying to get an answer out of him.

"I don't have to tell you shit, man." Anthony quips back.

"Is that the healthy communication your therapist taught you?" Ian raises an eyebrow.

"Hey, I reconnected with you, isn't that enough to show that therapy helped?" Anthony's dimples appear along with a cheeky smile.

Ian gasps theatrically. "So I'm the final achievement for your progress?"

Anthony's giggle returns tenfold. "You could say it like that. You're the final boss more or less. Take it as a compliment."

"Why thank you," Ian drawls out the vowels. "I've never received a higher honor before this very moment."

Their eyes meet once again, mirth sparkling behind them. As Anthony gazes into Ian's eyes, he realizes what a pretty shade they are. He can't help but wonder what the exact shade would be.

They're not pale enough to be an ice blue; they're also not rich enough to be an electric blue. His eyes sparkle in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. For how much Ian deflects compliments, it's ironic how much they stand out in a crowd. Anthony's artist eye admires the way it attracts your own vision in.

If they were created by a deity higher then them, he knows they must've loved creating the man before him.

It's been a year since they've reconnected, and Anthony couldn't have had predicted how ecstatic this entire journey would make him. Now that Smosh is under their ownership, they have the creative freedom to let their ideas run free.

Anthony doesn't know when his world changed, but he knows why.

On Anthony's birthday, he wakes up to a birthday message from Ian himself. It's still early in the morning, five o'clock to be exact, and his best friend is active.

He sends a quick thank you text and asks to hop on a call. Only a few seconds later, his phone vibrates from an incoming call.

"Good morning and happy fucking birthday." Ian says with a slight rustle of his sheets in the background. The audio isn't the best quality from his voice still being hoarse from having just woken up and the phone's mic quality, but Anthony couldn't be happier to hear his voice.

"Did you wake up just to tell me that?" Anthony's own deep voice comes through the phone.

"I woke up to go piss, then I remembered that you're getting older today." The younger mumbles in a play dismissive tone. "You're gonna have to deal with the entire office greeting you when we get there by the way."

Anthony lets out a rumble from his chest at the thought. "Why didn't I think of that… how do you deal with that?"

"You get used to it after a while; it becomes white noise eventually." He hears Ian adjust himself over the audio. "Do you want anything specific to eat so we can order it? We're already planning to get Thai food… not to spoil the surprise or anything."

Anthony hums softly. "Nothing really… but I just woke up so give me an hour to think. I guess you have a cake planned?"

"Yup, any excuse to buy more food, ya know?" Ian murmurs, clearly still sleepy. "Why are you up anyway, birthday boy?"

"I've been waking up earlier to be healthier and shit." He hears Ian snort quietly on the other line. "Is this the first time you're hearing about self-improvement or something?"

"No, I'm laughing 'cause I remembered our dumbass teenage selves. You're so much more mature now; our eighteen year old selves would've stayed up till three and wake up at ten in the morning."

"Ten in the morning is pretty generous, don't you think?" Anthony chuckles.

Ian's own laugh comes through. "True, we would've been hibernating." He sighs.

"So any plans for the big day?" Anthony ponders the question; he's been making himself busy with new projects that his birthday was the last thing on the list.

"Not really, aside from eating out maybe." He answers and is about to add on before Ian interrupts him.

"Laaaaame, you're so laaaaaame." Ian mocks while rolling over in bed. He lays his phone on his pillow and sets it on speakerphone.

"Is it a tradition for you to insult me on my birthday?" Anthony laughs quietly, only being heard by his friend over the phone.

"It's just my normal schedule agenda. My day's not complete without annoying the shit out of you. And I have to make up for all the years apart." Despite only being able to communicate through their crappy phone microphones, they can hear each other's grin.

The corner of Anthony's lips tug upwards without him knowing. "Assuming I get double the annoying from you for a birthday gift?"

"Ding ding ding. How'd you guess? That's the birthday package." Ian yawns. "I should probably go to sleep again before shooting, considering I'm not as healthy as you apparently. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Yup, I'll see you in a bit, Ian." Anthony is about to hang up before Ian says one last comment.

"Happy birthday, Ant. Thanks for being my best friend and tolerating my ass."

Anthony's inked finger stills above the end call button at the quiet words that seemed to spill out of Ian. A breath of air escapes his lips involuntarily. "Of course, who else would send me a birthday text at five AM?"

"Someone who's definitely not mentally well." Ian replies. "Okay, I actually gotta go back to sleep or I'm falling asleep at the studio later."

Anthony chuckles again. "Alright, see you at the office." His phone beeps once the call ends.

He ends the call and stares at their previous text conversations again. His bed creaks when he kicks his legs up to get into a sitting position to force himself to stay awake. Anthony can't wait to see Ian at the studio.

Ian's warning was severely correct; the office immediately greet Anthony from the mere second he steps inside the threshold. Every room, a new set of people to wish him a happy birthday.

Anthony reaches Ian's office after a long corridor and small talk to get there. Ian sees the already drained expression on Anthony's face. "I guess you got the office-mandated birthday treatment?"

"My introverted ass is not built for this much small talk in the span of half an hour." He falls back onto the chair in front of Ian's desk where he's currently working on his laptop.

"Maybe you shouldn't own and run a business then? Maybe this isn't the life for you?" Ian teases.

"Everyone doesn't snap their head towards me right after I step inside on a regular day." Anthony defends, crossing his arms.

"No, that just happens when you show up after six years of being missing." Ian closes his laptop and stands up. "Ready to go shoot? The set should be good in a few minutes."

The two head out to the games set and sit down beside each other. The crew handle everything behind the cameras while the duo lay out the game.

The following thirty minutes are full of playful looks and giggles. They nearly forget the entire point of the game from their joking and unserious comments.

"Do you guys mind actually playing the game? This is hardly a games video anymore." Their eyes flick to Spencer behind the camera.

"Boooo!" Always on the same wavelength, their response is instantaneous. "It's the man's birthday."

"Is this how people on their birthdays are usually treated here?" Anthony acts indignant and spots Ian giving even more effort into his acting.

"The man who signs your paychecks no less!" Anthony has already broken by now, but Ian is nothing if he doesn't commit to the bit. The crew on set range from small snickering to full on cackling at the scene.

After shooting a video for the channel, the two retire to Ian's office once more. "You ready to be a birthday song victim at lunch?

"Thanks for reminding me; I was just looking forward to eating." Anthony rakes through his hair and leans his elbow on Ian's shoulder. "Can't I just have the food by itself?"

"Nope," Ian pops the p. "If you don't wanna starve, you'll have to deal with the entire staff singing at you."

Anthony groans at the mental picture he conjured in his mind. "I already hate this. Who the hell approved this?"

"Oh, poor you. You're getting free lunch, just deal with it for two minutes."

Anthony retaliates with a light shove. "I hope you know that you're gonna have it worse on your birthday now because of this."

"Nice try, you've already sung me happy birthday, on camera for the whole ass Internet to see." Ian says.

"Well, I'm live streaming it this year and making it ten times worse."

"I'll look forward to it." Ian rolls his eyes before grinning again. His phone buzzes from a notification. "The crew have all the food and stuff ready. Good to go?"

"Yeah…" Anthony whines at the inevitable singing moment awaiting him. "But, uh… thanks for planning all this stuff. Just the phone call this morning was enough for me, so I appreciate all the effort."

Ian smiles fondly. "Of course, I'd lose my best friend license if I didn't annoy you on your special day. Or any other day for that matter."

"Thank you then," Anthony cautiously pulls him in for a hug. "For being such an annoying bitch every day."

He hears Ian laugh into his shoulder; it sounds angelic right next to his ear. "Of course, there's nothing I love more than pissing you off."

Ian leads Anthony down to the cafeteria where the food is lined up along with all the cast and crew. Anthony has faced big crowds before, but knowing all these people are here specifically to celebrate him is nerve wracking.

A far too slow and aggravating happy birthday song later, Anthony grabs a plate of everything at the table along with cake. Ian and a few friends sit with him while making conversation.

They talk about anything: Anthony's plans, Smosh's future plans, whatever they want. It hardly feels like a super special day. Anthony couldn't be happier just spending time with his loved ones.

The cast and crew dwindle out of the cafeteria to go back to filming, leaving Ian and Anthony on their own. "What will you be up to after we're done here?"

"I already told you that I don't have anything planned. If you can make it, we can drink for a while at my place." Anthony offers.

"You act like I'm so busy." Ian swallows the last of his food. "Like I'm too busy to spend an hour or two with you."

"I thought I'd give you a break from me, but you don't need to take it." Anthony jokes lightly. "Can't get enough of me?"

Ian's lips twitch and a breath of air escapes from them. "Sure… is that what you tell yourself at night?"

"I think I'm justified to think that, especially after your early morning message." Anthony props his head on his hands. "Didn't expect your very first thought when you wake up to be me."

"Um, my first thought was to go piss, get your facts right." Ian says flatly, but the slightest flush creeps onto his neck.

"Should I ask about the thought process from pissing to me?" Anthony barely gets his sentence out from his own giggling.

Ian snorts and accompanies him on his amusement. "You have to ask about my thought processes? Were you there when we were writing our old sketches? I thought I was known for being batshit insane."

The silent room with no one else here reminds Anthony of the very early days when they'd hang out after school and play games. He's never been happier about the separate paths that they've taken so he can appreciate Ian more.

The duo are linked to each other the rest of the day. Even as they look on the different sets from the sidelines, they whisper tiny comments in the other's ear. Anthony's smile never leaves his face with Ian by his side.

At the end of the day, both of them take the drive to Anthony's place. Not wanting their conversation to end, they hook up their call on their car's Bluetooth.

Upon arriving, Anthony grabs a few beers and sits with Ian on his balcony. They don't share spoken words, likely from them being tired or from being tipsy.

While sipping on his second bottle, Anthony's neck tilts up to the night sky. The moon hangs high in the dark sky without a cloud in sight. He wishes that there wasn't air pollution so the stars were visible.

Not that he'd be looking at them with Ian beside him.

"Was this the birthday you were expecting?" Ian whispers the question.

"I didn't even have expectations for today; it wasn't on my mind. But it was. If I did, then this exceeded them." He places the finished bottle on the nearby table. "Thank you for making this day special."

Ian's twinkling eyes soften. "It's no problem. You don't need me to make the day special. It already is, with or without me."

Anthony might be more of a lightweight than he thought because his words fall out of his lips faster than he can stop them. He shakes his head, his curly hair swaying in the evening wind. "This day wouldn't be anywhere as fun if you weren't here. It doesnt matter what we do; every time we spend time, it ends up being the most fun."

A smile sneaks up on Ian unknowingly, making him laugh through his nose. "The feeling is very mutual."

Ian stays over for the night to avoid having to drive or call an Uber. He insists on taking the couch; Anthony is glad Ian did before he made a drunken decision he'd regret in the morning.

A particularly long shoot day in rainy October, Ian and Anthony pack up their things. Most of the other staff have already headed out and driven away. Ian spins his car keys around on his finger. "Ant, good to go?"

Anthony nods and follows him to the parking lot. They huddle against the wall until they reach Ian's car. The two have recently gotten into the habit of picking and dropping each other off.

"Do you have any plans for the day off?" Anthony asks, laying back on the headrest of the passenger seat.

"Yeah, I'm planning to drive down to the coast or some other beach tomorrow." Ian says and starts the engine.

"Really? Can I ask why?"

"I got the idea after remembering our graduation trip last week. I think I've been feeling some cabin fever more or less… and I just wanna drive for a few hours so there's that."

"So you're heading out there by yourself?" Anthony combs through his unruly hair.

"Mhm, this is my cringey introspective main character moment." The engine's hum lines the back of their conversation.

Anthony hums; half of him wants to ask if he can tag along, but he doesn't want to intrude on a solo trip that Ian has probably been looking forward to.

His thought are interrupted by his friend's gentle laughter. "Do you wanna come with?"

Anthony's mouth hangs open for a split second before picking it back up. "How'd you know?"

"I can picture your thoughts running wild without looking at you." Ian's eyes are focused on the road in front of them. "Did you forget that I can read your mind?"

"I didn't want to potentially intrude on your trip, and I thought your mind-reading abilities wouldn't be active so late in the day."

"Nah, my mind-reading is always active. Besides, we've spent so much time that I know how predictable your thought are." Ian says. "And I'm inviting you to the thing; you're not intruding on anything. It'll be fun to recreate the graduation trip."

Anthony recalls their Hawaii trip and how happy they both were. "Recreating it would be hard considering that was a private beach for a good hotel compared to a random beach on the coast of California, don't you think?"

Ian rolls his eyes. "Be grateful that I'm inviting you to this. Sorry I'm not booking a five star hotel for a two hour drive that I won't even overnight in."

"Why're you doing it in the dead of October though?"

"Because I wanted to do it on my birthday, and, as much as it'd be cool to have my nipples freeze and fall off, I'd rather just do it now." Ian sighs and takes a now familiar turn on the route to Anthony's place.

"I didn't know that was one of your life-long aspirations. Maybe you should for the hell of it." Anthony jokes with a smile.

"Here I thought you were the sensible one between the two of us." Ian feels his smile spread onto his face.

They iron out the details for tomorrow. Kinda, it's sprinkled into their inside jokes.

The next day, Ian messages him the time and the rest of the relevant arrangements. Anthony gets dressed and packs a backpack with extra clothes, complete with swimming trunks this time.

A familiar car drives up to the front of his house, and the window is rolled down. "Uber for Mr. Padildo?"

"That's me," Anthony hops in the passenger seat. "Thanks for the free ride, Mr. Cocks."

Ian clicks his tongue towards him. "You know it." He removes his glasses and hooks them onto his shirt's v-neck. His sunglasses are placed in their stead.

Anthony relaxes as they return to their regular banter. Ian doesn't miss a beat to reply despite driving on the highway. Anthony can easily tell how experienced the other is.

The drive takes about two hours to get to the coast. "How did I not know that we could go to the beach in a few hours?"

"I could've made it in an hour if I broke fifteen speed limits on the way."

Once he finds a location to park, Ian checks his phone. "So, let's eat out first? Before you scare everyone with your shirtlessness or something."

"I'm not gonna kill someone from my hotness."

Ian gives him a side eye. "I know many people who would disagree, including myself."

Anthony doesn't think about his comment much, until he stops and thinks then he whips his head around. "You think I'm hot?"

"…Obviously?" Ian furrows his eyebrows. "I thought that was evident from, like, everyone online telling you."

"Yeah, but you haven't told me that."

"I thought that was a given," The younger man stretches his legs, only looking up from his phone to look at Anthony indecorously. "I'm not gonna oppose the popular opinion; that's like me standing before the Sistine Chapel and going… eh, kinda mid."

"Pfffttt-" Anthony holds his hand up to his face as he laughs at the mental image. "Hell of a way to put it into perspective."

"That's why I'm good at writing sketches, remember?" He grabs his wallet and his phone. The engine powers down, and Ian opens the door. "I found a place to go eat; I'm expecting you to pay for me considering that I drove."

"It's not your birthday yet; I didn't sign up to treat you when I agreed." They both walk out to nearby restaurant where Ian does indeed make Anthony pay the check.

During the course of their meal, a thought keeps creeping up on both of their minds. They keep shoving it down, thinking that they'll deal with it later.

Well, they are regretting it now because that thought was about seeing the other shirtless.

Ian tries to put literally anything else in his mind, and it works for… two minutes. His eyes have never moved faster from Anthony's tattoed chest to his hazel eyes. To avoid even more awkwardness, he forces out some words. "I forget how many tattoos you have sometimes."

Anthony doesn't register the nervous tone in the younger's voice because he's reeling with the very same thought. "It's not every day I get shirtless."

Thank god for that, Ian thinks.

The two try their absolute hardest to forget the fact that their very attractive childhood friend is shirtless. An outsider observing the situation could probably believe it, but to the best friends, they can tell in a heartbeat.

It's just that they're both too scared to mention anything.

"Jesus Christ, the water is freezing." Anthony steps onto the surf until it reaches his ankles.

"Huh, maybe my nipples will freeze and fall off." Ian comments, walking further and further into the water. He looks back to see Anthony firmly in place. "Are y-" "Nope."

"C'mon, you big baby. It's just cold water." Ian holds his hand out towards him while the salty seawater reaches his knees.

Anthony silently stares at the other blankly. Ian smile grows as he can practically see Anthony's resolve break down. "The shit you have me do, Ian."

Ian only cackles at Anthony's increasing scowl. Anthony clings onto him by his shoulders, already shivering slightly. Ian, ever the little shit, leads him into deeper water.

"Ian!" Anthony kicks him which feels more like a nudge. "I've never hated you more than right now!"

"Even more than the Defy era? It's just cold water!" Ian splashes the water onto his chest and chin. "You literally have tattoos all over your body, but this is too much?"

"Oh, you piece of…" Anthony murmurs with gritted teeth.

"Aw," Ian, in an impulsive decision, wraps his arms around Anthony's neck so their body heat can be shared. That's the reason he tells himself at least. "Poor baby."

Anthony recognizes the teasing quality in his voice, but it may have worked too well. Ian's close proximity and skin-to-skin contact is not helping his critical thinking or any other thinking for that matter,

The only thing that is in his brain right now is how pretty Ian looks this close up. He's admired his cerulean eyes before, but he's never seen them like this before, shimmering full of fondness and amusement.

Ian's damp fingers against the back of his neck and hair are the only thing keeping him grounded into this moment. An impulsive and stupid part of him, the part of him that can't get enough of Ian, wants to lean in. Anthony wishes he could stop thinking these thoughts because he'd rather bury himself rather than tell his best friend that his feelings have changed.

What if this causes their relationship to collapse again? This situation obviously isn't as bad as having a massive corporation slowly punch them away from each other, but, god, Anthony would rather live with unrequited love than lose Ian another time.

"Anthony," He snaps out of his trance from the gentle whisper that leaves Ian's lips. "Whatever you're thinking about, just… do it."

Ian really can read his mind…

An anxious breath comes out. Building up every bit of willpower he can possibly get, Anthony leans forward. Ian meets him halfway, and their lips touch.

They don't make a movement, neither does the rest of the world. Their lips brush against each other once then another time. Both don't dare to do more than that, content to soak this memory into their minds.

They separate only an inch, close enough that their breaths mix with each other's. The coldness of the water is completely forgotten from their minds, now only focused on the other's movements.

Anthony presses his lips against Ian's for the last time, and he lays his forehead on Ian's. With Ian's ocean eyes this close up, Anthony wouldn't mind if the rest of the world was monochrome. This is the only thing he needs anymore.

"Does…" Ian's voice comes out shaky. "Does this mean we're boyfriends?"

Anthony takes a deep breath; the air entering his lungs is the most grounding thing in this moment. Kissing Ian is better than any dream or fantasy that he could've imagined.

"We don't have to put a label on it." Anthony whispers. "We can just be… people who kiss."

"So… can I have another?"

Anthony huffs but obliges anyway. His hand travels to Ian's jawline, and he can't help the smile on his face despite them already kissing. They part once more only for air. Anthony sighs dreamily; if this is a dream, he hopes he doesn't wake up.

After a minute of enjoying the closeness, "We better continue the kissing out of the water or else my dick will be the thing freezing and falling off."

Ian laughs against Anthony's neck. "Fine, before get a frostbiten dick."

Anthony runs out of the water once he has the ability to. Ian follows closely, still laughing about his aversion to cold.

After Anthony has reached a sufficient level of warmth in Ian's car and put a shirt on, he supposes that they should probably talk about what this means. "Did, um… did that really happen?"

"I think so," Ian says, turning to face him. "Unless we're having a group hallucination."

"I don't think that's too far fetched considering how much time we spend together." Anthony comments. "If that was real… what do we do now?"

Ian blows some air out. "Well… we don't have to put a label on it as you said. So, I guess the logical next step is a first date?"

"What would we even talk about? We know everything that normal people would talk on a normal first date."

"Fair enough," Ian chuckles. "We're not normal by any means."

"I guess we're doing this. The whole… dating thing." Anthony sucks in a breath.

"Guess so." Ian fidgets with his fingers then his hair. He notices Anthony, something clearly on his mind. "What're you thinking about now?"

"Now that we're sure we aren't hallucinating, wanna kiss and see if it's the same?" Anthony says with a smug smile on his kissable lips.

Ian rolls his eyes but sits up immediately. "Yeah, yeah, just kiss me."

Anthony laughs and leans over the center console. He knows for certain that what happened a few minutes ago wasn't a fluke because this kiss is just as dreamy.

"Definitely not a hallucination anymore." Ian murmurs. "Now you expect me to drive home."

"Yup, better get going before it gets too dark." Anthony teases.

"What a bitch my boyfriend is." Ian says, analyzing the look on Anthony's face to see if he's okay with it. Judging by the smile on his annoyingly pretty lips, he's more than okay with being Ian's boyfriend.

A mere month later, Ian's birthday arrives faster than either of them thought it would. As Ian once did for him, Anthony sends him a birthday message the minute he wakes up.

He watches the sunrise while waiting for Ian to wake up. A sudden shaking emanates from his phone. Anthony accepts the call from a very sleepy and disoriented Ian.

"What the fuck, Ant." His scratchy voice comes through Anthony's speakerphone.

Anthony's affectionate smile is evident through his voice. "Morning and happy birthday."

Ian grumbles into his pillow. "Couldn't you wait, like… an hour to tell me?"

"You started this; I'm making it a tradition now." Anthony laughs at Ian's groan. "You brought this on yourself."

"Jesus Christ, dude…" Ian takes a deep breath and sits up. "I forgot I even did that."

"And now you're regretting it." Anthony can practically imagine the younger's annoyed look in his eyes. "So, you gonna tell me your confidential plans for today? What could you even have planned that needs to be a secret?"

Today's their day off as they had a dinner celebration with their friend group the day before. Whenever Ian was asked about his birthday plans, he replied with some version of 'it's a secret.'"

"Alright, fine, I'll tell you." Ian clears his throat and takes a loud inhale. "I'm doing absolutely nothing."

"…That's your big confidential project." "Uh huh."

"…Not to judge you on your birthday or anything but why?"

"I didn't wanna do anything today, and I know that if I told people that then they'd make me do something. Just don't wanna make a big deal basically." The bed audibly creaks as Ian stands up.

"And you called me lame on my birthday."

"You bet, I only keep my double standards for my bestie." Ian stretches his limbs before walking off somewhere.

"We gotta celebrate somehow though; you don't have to invite anyone else. Just the two of us." Anthony offers.

Ian audibly shows his disagreement over the shitty phone mic. "Fine, only because I bitched to you on your birthday."

"That was fast; I thought I'd need to convince you more." Anthony chuckles into his fist. "Wanna just play some games? I can drive over to your place."

"…Okay, just text me when you're gonna come over so I don't look totally like shit." Ian opens a door. "You better hang up now unless you wanna listen to my stream of piss."

"Fucking hell Ian, that's one way to get me to end the call. I didn't know we were at that stage of our relationship." All Anthony hears is the toilet lid being lifted. "Okay, fine, I'll end the call!"

Anthony scoffs playfully before breaking into a smile. Why was the most Ian move ever?

He shoots a few texts to tell the other that he's on the way. He drives down a familiar street and parks in the driveway next to Ian"s car.

Anthony opens the front door with the house key he was given. Ian is sitting on the couch, one leg up, controller in hand, and in Anthony's hoodie.

"So that's where my clothes went," Anthony comes up and pecks his lips and cheek.

"I didn't wanna put effort into looking good, so if you don't think I look good, it's your taste you're insulting."

"If I thought you didn't look good, I'd be a bad boyfriend." Anthony laughs at the look on Ian's face.

The two play a few varieties of games with varying levels of rage from losing. Every time Anthony gets the upper hand for a second, he gets a semi-rough kick from Ian.

"Hey, do you mind not winning?" Ian says. "It's my birthday, remember?"

"It"s not my fault I'm good. What do you want me to do, play with one hand?"

"That'd be great, thanks. In fact, you can use your feet instead." Ian lays back on the couch but is oriented towards Anthony.

"I'm surprised you'd allow the thought of my feet on your controller." Anthony slides closer to Ian so he can rest his head on Anthony's shoulder. "Y'know, can I ask something?" Ian gives a confirming hum.

"Why don't you wanna celebrate with a birthday party or something? I thought you'd enjoy that since you're an extrovert and everything."

"Stop over-generalizing us extroverts." Ian says. "But, uh, I've just never liked them, ever since I was little. Like, before we even met."

He sighs into Anthony's shoulder. "There's something about the thought of people celebrating my existence or something. I've gotten used to people doing that with my accomplishments, and I'm fine with that 'cause I'm proud of them. But just celebrating my… myself has always been weird to me."

Anthony's eyes soften as his fingers reach out for Ian's. "Your existence is something to celebrate. My life wouldn't be anywhere close to what it is if you weren't there in my classroom. I mean, I can't even begin to comprehend what the fuck I'd be doing right now if you didn't exist."

"You'd still be a-" Anthony shakes his head and brings Ian's hand up to his lips.

"You're half the reason I'm who I am today. I did the growing, but you set me up to do all that. I can't thank the universe enough for letting you exist." Anthony kisses his fingertips oh so gently. "My life was molded by these lovely fingertips that I get to kiss."

Ian stares dumbfounded at the speech. His gorgeous sapphire eyes bore into Anthony's. "…How am I supposed to respond to that..?"

"You don't have to." Anthony plants a kiss onto his forehead, then his nose, then his lips. "Just remember them."

Ian nods, staying silent until he whispers. "I love you, Ant."

Anthony's words leave as naturally as breathing. "I love you too."

A year later, Anthony awakes to the rays of sunlight filtering through their curtains. The warmth on his body isn't from the sun however.

Ian is currently nestled into his neck, wearing Anthony's clothes. Because old habits die hard, even a year later.

Anthony can't resist the temptation to kiss his forehead and comb through his hair. Ian stirs in his hold and opens a bleary eye.

"Good morning, fiance." Anthony says in between kisses.

Ian squints at him before getting his bearings. "Oh, right." He looks at the stunning sapphire ring on his left hand.

"How'd you forget the entire planned stunt I did last night?" Anthony asks softly.

"I haven't been awake for a whole ass minute. Forgive me, your highness." Ian rubs his eyes and adjusts himself. "And it's still surreal to think about."

Anthony holds his hand bearing the ring. The sapphire sports an oval cut, deep blue sapphire with a gold ring. He's proud of the fact that he got a good quality gem with a beautiful color.

It's nowhere near the most beautiful shade of blue that he's seen though.

Ian touches the gemstone and twists the ring on his finger. "I hope this wasn't too expensive. Hopefully, you didn't sell your kidney for this."

"No, no, don't worry, I just sold your kidney."

"Oh, okay, thanks," Ian nods, acting satisfied with the statement.

"Don't worry about the money; I promise I didn't spend too much on it or sell your kidney for that matter."

"I think a kidney could probably give me more than one singular ring." Ian admires the way the sunlight hits the center of the jewel. "It's really pretty though; guess it's your artist's eye."

Anthony intertwines his fingers with Ian's. "I can tell if something's pretty because I kiss you everyday."

Ian stares at him with a deadpan expression. "That's your once a day poetic fuckery, no more for today."

"Aww," Anthony whines. "Can I still say I love you?"

Ian contemplates the question. "…Fine, I'll allow it."

Anthony giggles at the look on Ian. "I love you."

Ian smiles and leans in to kiss him. "I love you too."

“Y’know, I never asked you why your favorite color’s blue.” Ian comments offhandedly, placing his legs on their coffee table. “You probably have a reason for it, right, Mr. Artist?”

Anthony’s smile grows wider. “I do have a reason.” He says and continues making eye contact with him.

Ian watches his husband’s amused eyes, not knowing what he could be thinking behind them. “...What’s with that look?”

Anthony chuckles under his breath, god, he could stare into his eyes till the end of time. “Do you not know?”

“No?? What the hell is it?” Ian smacks the other’s shoulder when Anthony continues laughing. 

******** Anthony hides his laughter with his hand. “I’m looking at the reason right now.”

Ian analyzes his gaze then slowly turns his head to look behind him, only to scowl when Anthony cracks up and leans forward.

“Can you just tell me the reason instead of this, Ant?!” Anthony has to actively tell himself to breathe and calm down. “Okay, okay… oh, god…”

“What color are your eyes?” He asks with the widest smile on his face.

Ian looks off to the side, seemingly unsure for a moment. “Blue?”

Anthony’s own eyes gleam with mirth at his husband’s cluelessness. “And where am I looking?”

Ian seems even more confused before it all clicks into his head. “Oh.”

Anthony bursts into laughter once again and falls back onto their couch. Ian kicks his shins, though that doesn't stop Anthony's uncontrollable cackling.

"You're such an ass, you know that?" Ian watches Anthony wheeze and try to catch his breath without a trace of amusement painted on his face.

Well, that's what he tells himself. It's hard not to smile the tiniest bit when Anthony is laughing.

"Ah, sorry for laughing, that was just one of the funniest things that has happened in my life." Anthony clears his throat after making sure he's calmed down.

Anthony scoots closer to his husband. "I adore you so much, you know that?"

"I guess…" Ian sighs, playing with the wedding band attached to a necklace that Anthony's wearing. "You need to stop with the roundabout poetic shit you keep saying."

"Why would you stop a creative from making art? I have to keep making ways to say I love you."

"I don't have to do any detective work to get the underlying message when you say I love you though."

"I love you doesn't begin to tell all my feelings, Ian." Anthony pouts while holding his waist.

"You have the rest of our lives to tell me what you feel. Let's settle for that." Ian grins and pecks his lips.

"Alright, I'll accept it." Anthony returns the kiss and pulls him impossibly closer.

He couldn't have had asked for a better life.