This is the prize of the Have Faith in Me One Shot Contest. It is for EmmySmosher713, who wanted a fluffy coming out story. Also, this is is so late, I am so sorry. It did take a bit of an angsty turn but I honestly cannot fully write fluff. Omg, I'm sorry about that, too. But I promise that it definitely has a happy, good, fluffy ending.
Ian knocked hesitantly at Anthony's apartment door. He was very nervous and kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His palms were clammy, his hands were shaking, and he kept blinking. Thankfully, it was around ninety-nine degrees in Los Angeles, therefore, Anthony would not question the beads of sweat that were spilling down his forehead.
"Just a sec!" he heard from the other side of the door.
The twenty-seven year-old bit his lip before pushing strands of his bowl hair out of his eyes, sighing. This day was going to either make or break him and he wasn't looking forward to it.
Suddenly, the door swung open and there stood Ian's best friend, Anthony Padilla, in all of his glory. Anthony's hair was wet and pushed back, as if he'd just gotten out of the shower. He was clad in light gray skinny jeans, a black T-shirt, and a short-sleeved black button up shirt, which he had left unbuttoned. Hanging from his neck was his typical necklace and he even wore a bracelet on his wrist. Ian had always loved Anthony's style, but today, he just looked too good.
"Hey, dude!" Anthony exclaimed, running a hand through his wet hair. "Didn't know you were coming over or I would've bothered to dry my hair." Then he laughed. "Nah, we both know that isn't true." He opened the door wider, letting Ian inside.
"Sorry to come over with such short notice," Ian apologized, "I just-"
Anthony chuckled, shutting the door. "No, it's fine, Ian. You know you can come over whenever. You did take your medicine, though, didn't you?" He was referring to Ian's allergy medicine. Pip loved Ian and Ian was pretty fond of Pip, too, but he was also allergic to cats. If he took his medicine, he was okay, but if he didn't, he was a stuffy mess.
Ian rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mom."
Anthony smiled again, gesturing over to his white sofa. "Good. You got something on your mind, man?"
The shorter man paused before sitting down, panicking a little. "N-no! Why? Why would you ask that?"
Anthony snorted. "You just answered that question by yourself, didn't you?"
Sighing, Ian sat down. "I'm sorry, Anthony. I just…," he trailed off, searching for something to say. "I just need to talk to you about something and I'm not sure how to bring it up.
Anthony gave him an encouraging smile. "Ian, dude, it's me. I'm your best friend. I'm sure I can handle whatever it is you throw at me."
Ian hesitated, looking away and thinking hard about what he was going to say. Finally, he looked back up at Anthony. "I hope so."
Furrowing his brow, Anthony sat down beside him. "What is is, man? Are you…It's not about Smosh or anything, is it?"
Briskly, Ian shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Absolutely not. I just…It's more about me and well, my personal life."
Anthony placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not about Melanie, is it?"
"No," Ian snorted, "she's actually been a big help to me lately."
Anthony sighed, removing his hand. "Well, what is it? Are you depressed?"
Ian took a deep breath, shaking her head. "No, Anthony. Look, I'm gay. And I have been for a while." He felt a deep sense of relief and he breathed out, feeling a huge weight topple off of his chest. Finally, he looked up at Anthony.
Anthony face was unreadable, but it was also clear that he was not upset or angry, which also made Ian feel much better. "R-really?" Anthony asked, "I-That's great, Ian! I'm glad you told me. How long have you known?"
"A while," Ian said, looking away for a moment. "I'm sorry I took so long to tell you, but I guess I was just afraid. But if it makes you feel any better, you're the only one that knows besides Melanie."
Anthony nodded. "I'm not upset, Ian. I just…I want you to know that you can tell me anything anytime and I'll be okay. I'm your best friend, like I said. You shouldn't feel like you have to hide things from me."
Anthony's little speech made Ian's heart clench a little for a couple reasons. For one, that was incredibly nice and sweet and he was very thankful to have a friend such as Anthony in his life. And for two, he felt extremely guilty because there was yet another secret that he'd been keeping from Anthony.
That he was in love with him.
But surely he couldn't tell Anthony about that. Wouldn't that make all bets off? Wouldn't that put a wrench in everything? And best case scenario, Anthony was okay with it. What then? He'd be perpetually afraid of making Anthony uncomfortable or of saying the wrong thing. It was best that he just keep it to himself, harboring it forever, and trying to move on.
"Is everything okay?" Anthony asked, awaking Ian from his thoughts.
Too quickly, Ian nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just fine."
Anthony chuckled, leaning over and ruffling Ian's hair, something that he'd always loved to do. Unintentionally, Ian flinched away and regretted it, looking up and seeing the obvious hurt expression on Anthony's face.
"I-I'm sorry," Ian said, placing a hand on Anthony's knee.
Anthony stood up, shaking his head. "N-no, it's fine. I should have…I should have known you had a boyfriend or something."
Ian frowned, perplexed. "Anthony, why would you think-" He stopped when Anthony turned back to him and there were tears running furiously down his cheeks. He felt a pang in his chest as his legs lifted his body upward and he instantly wrapped his arms around his best friend. "What's the matter?" he asked, resting his chin on Anthony's shoulder.
The taller man gulped, shutting his eyes. "It's obvious you'd have a boyfriend. I've got to…I've got to know my boundaries, Ian. I'm so sorry." With that, he pulled away and began to brush away his tears furiously.
Furrowing his brow, Ian trailed Anthony with his eyes. "I don't have a boyfriend, dude. If I did, I'd tell you. And what do you mean boundaries?"
Anthony chuckled. "You're not the only one with secrets, Ian."
Realization hit Ian and he grimaced, remaining silent. "Anthony…," he trailed off, completely unsure of what to say.
His best friend shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I'm not gay, but I'm not straight, either. I don't…I don't really know what I am, Ian." He bit his lip, hesitating. Then he sighed. "But I do know that I have feelings for you. Strong ones."
At that, Ian smiled. He couldn't help it, couldn't help how ridiculously happy that it made him.
"No need to laugh and make fun of me," Anthony murmured, melting into his sofa. "I get it. You like guys, but you don't like me."
Ian shook his head. "That's not it at all!" He then sat down beside Anthony and placed his hand on his knee yet again. Anthony flinched a little, but did not jerk away. "Look at me," he demanded.
It took Anthony a moment to shift his gaze to Ian, but he finally did and Ian sighed when brown eyes met blue.
"I've been in love with you for a long time," Ian admitted. "Since sometime after Smosh started."
Anthony frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Ian gave Anthony a hard look. "Why didn't you tell me?"
It was silent between them for a moment, one that seemed like it lasted for centuries.
"Because I didn't want to fuck anything up," Anthony confessed. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. You and Smosh are my whole life, the best things that ever happened to me. I didn't…I can't lose you."
Using every ounce of courage in his soul, Ian scooted forward and gathered Anthony's chin in his hand, tilting it slightly. Anthony's eyes were dark and looked terrified, but they closed the moment that Ian's lips touched his own. Ian slowly licked into Anthony's mouth, tasting every essence of the man in front of him as possible. Soon, his arms flew around Anthony's neck and Anthony's hands came to rest on the
small of Ian's back.
Whilst they were kissing, Pip hopped onto Ian's lap and rubbed against his side. Ian giggled and pulled away, touching his forehead to Anthony's.
Anthony chuckled, scooping Pip up. "Not right now, Pip." Ian petted the Savannah cat's back and he meowed in gratitude. Anthony sat him down on the carpet underneath them.
"I didn't tell you for the same reasons," Ian whispered, still breathless. "You mean more to me than anything else in the entire world."
Anthony smiled softly, taking Ian's hand in his own. "Well, as long as we feel the same way, we might as well try this out." He brought Ian's hand to his lips, pressing a kiss there.
Ian shivered, blushing. "S-sure. And if it doesn't work?"
"It will," Anthony replied, "but suppose it does. We'll just work it out. First and foremost, we're best friends and have been forever. Nothing will ever change that. And Smosh is our income, therefore, it can't change, either."
Beaming, Ian surged forward and wrapped Anthony in a huge embrace. "I love you," he whispered impulsively in Anthony's ear.
Anthony chuckled, pressing a kiss to Ian's bowl hair. He then whispered the sweetest words Ian had ever heard in his entire life. "I love you, too. More than you could ever know."