Title: Chapter 6 – Questions

Warning: R, light smut, masturbation

A/N: Hanging with friends at the pool. Waiting for Ian. Anthony's POV. I am freaking out, guys. My muse is strangely absent most of the time. T_T I hope I can update the next chapter really soon (plan is tomorrow evening). Thank you all for reading this crappy piece of whatever this is. o.o This is kind of a filler chapter. It will get better. I promise. For now, I hope you will enjoy this part.

When he is finally at home, unlocking the front door and entering a very silent house, Anthony lets out the biggest sigh in history.

Ian.

He is alive. And talking. And seemingly healthy, though maybe a bit upset and nervous. But at least he is alive. And not dead. Lying in a casket six feet under the ground. With a tombstone on top of it in the shape of fucking weeping angel.

He walks into the kitchen, opens the freezer and pulls out a bottle of Tequila. Normally, he doesn't drink, or at least not much. He's not the type of guy to hang out at bars and get wasted at college parties. He is the kind of guy who has a dream and who works toward it. But today…oh, today is different. Today he needs a drink.

Looking around he notices that the doors to his parents' and Jo's bedrooms are closed. They must have gone to bed already. He passes Jo's room and hears slight noises, then a laugh. So, Jo is still awake after all. Maybe watching TV. He should tell someone that he is home. And what he has found. Or rather who.

He knocks gently on her door.

"Come in!", she says and Anthony cracks the door open, sticking his head inside her room. "Hey, you're home!"

"Yes, I am." Anthony smiles when Jo gestures for him to come inside.

"So, where did you go?", she asks curiously.

"A bar near Woodland. It belongs to a friend of Laser and Sohinki.", he answers, plopping down beside her on the bed. She mutes the TV and is sitting cross-legged next to him now.

"Ah, okay." She pauses, narrowing her eyes. "Did you drink?"

"No, I did not, MOM. Sohinki and Laser had a light beer. That's all."

"Oh, okay." She smiles softly. "What did you talk about?"

"Well, at first Laser was going on and on about how gorgeous you are and the way your bangs fall into your eyes when you're angry – he, like, finds it totally adorbs – and the way you smiled at him the last time you met- OUCH!"

That has been Jo punching him hard in his upper arm.

"Liar!", she exclaims. "What are you trying to do here? You know I like another guy!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Anthony smirks. "But seriously now, we mainly talked about old times. How often we used to hang out, our nightly trips around the neighborhood. And our new lives. And also about Ian."

Jo jumps at that name.

"And? What did they say? Do you have more information on his whereabouts?"

"I sure as hell do.", he answers. "Well, they said they didn't believe it either. The whole death-thing. They thought he ran away. They couldn't tell me why, though."

"See? We are not the only ones thinking that there's something wrong."

"Jo."

"What?"

"I met him."

"Who?" Sounding confused.

"Ian. I met him after the trip to the bar."

Jo's eyes widen in shock and her jaw drops open.

"Yes. Exactly.", Anthony answers, getting up again and pacing around her room. He needs movement. And alcohol. He opens the Tequila bottle and takes a gulp out of it. Fuck, that burns! And it tastes awful! He grimaces his face in disgust.

"Where is he now?", Jo asks into the silence that has filled her room.

"I don't know. We talked for like ten seconds before he walked away again."

"What… How…", she starts but is not able to complete her questions.

"Yes. Exactly." One more gulp out of the Tequila bottle.

"But, is he alright? Healthy? How did he look?"

Anthony's head is already buzzing, not from the alcohol but rather from exhaustion and the events of the day. And he didn't expect so many questions. He himself has a lot of them, too. And they will stay unanswered until tomorrow evening.

"Jo, stop… I just came by to tell you that Ian is alive. We don't need to worry anymore." Anthony walks over to the door. "You can ask me all the question you want to tomorrow, okay?", he adds, his voice softer now.

"Okay.", Jo says, looking a bit disappointed. "Night."

"Night."

He leaves her room, closing the door behind him, and heads for his own one. Finally. Alone. His hand still tightly wrapped around the Tequila bottle he slumps down on his bed and takes another gulp. And another one. And another. Next time he checks the content of it, it's half empty. Or half full. Not really sure.

Anthony places the bottle on his nightstand. He should take a shower. He reeks somehow. There's a certain unpleasant smell in the air and he guesses it's coming from his clothes. While taking off his pants and shirt, he trips and almost hits his head on his desk. No. No shower today. Way too dangerous. Way too drunk.

He throws a new shirt over his head and dives into his bed. When his body hits the soft mattress, he immediately closes his eyes. Everything is swirling. He feels dizzy, but not really sick. He is just drunk and in a very strange and funny state of mind right now. He rolls onto his back, eyes still closed.

Ian.

Standing in front of him. Worn down clothes. Ocean blue eyes. Reflecting the lights of the dim lit parking lot. Looking lost. Him wrapped around in Anthony's arms. His small, thin body pressing against Anthony's. His hair messy, brushing against Anthony's jaw and neck.

He glides a hand down his chest, slipping it under his briefs. Somehow the thought of Ian so close to him made him hard almost instantly. He can't be that horny. And he should be thinking about Simon, his actual, real boyfriend. However, Ian has occupied his mind. His soft hands. Anthony touched them briefly when they stopped hugging. They appeared so slim and fragile.

He imagines Ian lying next to him right, his hand around Anthony's cock. Caressing him. Jerking him off. His panting increases. His hand moving faster. Eyes shut tightly. Brows furrowed. His other hand caressing his chest, twisting a nipple. Arching his back.

Ian. Beautiful, lost Ian. His face so close. His lips inches away. His eyes big, and curious.

Anthony comes long and hard into his briefs. Fuck. Now he really needs new ones. He gets up, tosses his cum filled briefs into a corner and puts on clean ones. Sleep. Rest. Now. He crouches back into bed, covers himself loosely with his blanket and falls asleep right away.

Ian.

"Anthony, what do you want on those sandwiches?", Jo yells over to the living room.

"Anything is fine. I'm the only vegan. Sohinki and Laser eat everything.", he shouts back.

He is kneeling in front of the huge drawer in the living room, going through his games collection. Although, he can't really focus right now. Ian is still on his mind. Apparently, he is never going to leave. Well, at least not until later this evening. He has so many questions he needs to ask Ian, although he is uncertain whether Ian will answer all of them.

What was that car? Who did it belong to? Why was Ian in it? Why did he look so worn down? He was really thin. Anthony could feel his fragile and slimmed down body through the fabric of his hoodie. He looked exhausted. Tired. Sad even. But he has the feeling that Ian was also quite happy and relieved to see him.

"I need to call up Mom and ask her about that one dip recipe." Jo's voice is somewhere nearby, though it doesn't really reach him. His parents have left early for a trip to visit some friends. It's just him and Jo now, preparing food and hooking up his consoles for later. Sohinki and Laser will arrive soon, there is not much time left.

"Anthony?"

Jo's suddenly very close voice startles him, bringing him back to reality. He looks up at her, realizing now that he has been holding like five games in his hands and has not moved an inch since then.

"Are you okay?"

Anthony drops the games to the ground, maybe a bit too forceful, looking down.

"No, not really.", he says quietly. "Ian is coming by later, have I told you that?"

"No, you haven't. You haven't told me anything yet." Jo straightens up again and turns on the TV, checking the correct channel for the console. "Are you going to tell me anything eventually?"

Anthony recognizes Jo's hurt voice immediately.

"Yes, I'm sorry. What do you wanna know?"

"Well, everything! How did you meet him? And when? And why?"

"It was a pure coincidence.", Anthony begins and gives her a rather short summary of last night. "Laser, Sohinki and I were going home. We were at the parking lot in front of the bar when a car showed up. Ian got out and it drove away. That's when I saw him."

"How did he look? How is he? Did you talk to him?" Jo seems to have an endless amount of questions prepared.

"He looked…." Broken. That's what he looked like. Damaged. Destroyed. Fragile. Helpless. "…not well."

"What did he say? Did he mention where he's been all this time?"

Anthony's headache is back. It's been an incoming and outgoing thing all morning. Maybe because of the Tequila. Maybe because he himself has a ton of questions.

"Jo, can you please stop pestering me with all of these questions!", he shouts, a bit louder and stands up. He walks over to the kitchen and pours himself a glass of ice cold water. It's getting hotter by the minute. Sacramento is heating up fast today.

"Well, where was he?", Jo asks more forcefully now, having followed him.

"I don't know! He didn't tell me!", Anthony answers, annoyed. He chucks the water.

"Does his mother know he's back and alive?"

"Jo! Stop it now!", he shouts, clenching his fist.

"What are you yelling at me for?", she shouts back, shooting him an angry and hurt look.

"I don't know, okay?" Still shouting, still angry, he throws the empty glass into the sink. It bursts into pieces.

"Anthony, what the fuck?", Jo shouts, taking his hand into hers and checking for bruises.

She has always been like that. Always worrying about him, although this supposed to be his job. After all, he is the big brother. Anthony lets out a deep sigh, frustrated and angry with himself.

"I'm sorry. It's just… He was right there in front of me. I didn't ask a single thing. I just… hugged him. And then he was gone." He pauses, his voice breaking. No. He is not going to cry. He swallows the lump in his throat. "I shouldn't have left, Jo. I should have stayed here, in California."

"What? No! That's bullshit, Anthony! You were following your heart! You love swimming, you had a dream, still have, and you are trying to make it come true. There is nothing wrong with that."

"But if I had stayed, maybe we would still be best friends. Maybe he wouldn't have run away."

"How do you know he ran away because of you, huh?", Jo asks, and she has a point. "Don't make this about you. We don't know anything yet. Right?"

"Right."

"See? When he comes by later, you can ask him. Talk. And for fuck's sake, make up. I am still not over your fight."

"How do you know about it?", Anthony asks, but doesn't get an answer because at that moment the door bell rings. Sohinki and Laser have arrived.

"And there was nothing else?", Laser asks after Anthony has told them how his meeting with Ian has went once again.

All four of them are sitting by the pool, enjoying their pizzas and talking. Nobody actually wants to play video games right now. The number one topic is Ian's mysterious return.

"No, noting else. He just appeared, and then he vanished again. We couldn't really talk. He seemed to be nervous and was headed somewhere."

"Did you see that car?", Sohinki mentions. "That's like… a billionaire's car."

"How expensive are we talking?", Laser wants to know.

"I don't know the exact price, but damn expensive. I'm not sure they make cars like these for us normal human beings."

Anthony slides into the pool for what feels like the 100th time today. He needs movement. This is the only way he is able to think clearly. To make up his mind about the whole situation. He can still hear Laser, Sohinki and Jo talking on, though.

"So, why was he in that car?", Jo asks. "Do you think he was… you know?"

Anthony stops mid-swim and looks over his shoulder.

"I hope not. For Ian's sake.", Laser answers, taking his water blaster and filling its tank with water. "Okay, that's enough worries for one day. Anthony is going to find out what has been going on the last three years and then we'll know. End of story."

Sohinki and Jo nod in unison.

"Okay. Now that that's settled -" Laser pauses and stands up, blaster in hand. "IT'S ON BITCHES!"

And then Anthony hears nothing else but Jo squeaking as Laser is spraying her with water with his water blaster. They run around the pool, Sohinki joining Jo's team eventually, so they both are chasing Laser now. Anthony smiles. A little bit of distraction is not such a bad idea. He is glad Laser and Sohinki are here right now.

Sohinki is the first to get thrown into the pool by Laser. Now it's only him and Jo.

"Run, Jo! Get the blaster!", Sohinki shouts, pointing to a spot on the lawn.

Anthony smirks and swims to the edge of the pool. He lifts himself out of the pool by his arms, grabs the blaster and points it at Laser who has gotten a hold of Jo, an arm wrapped around her waist, and is jokingly hiding behind her now, keeping her hostage.

"Stop right there, Dolphinman!", he shouts, pointing his own water blaster at Anthony. "One more step and she is going down!"

Anthony put down his blaster on the floor, very carefully and slowly.

"Laser-Fish, think this over. You don't have to do this. Nobody has to go down. Not me, not Jo, and not even you.", he says calmly, approaching Laser gradually.

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't move. One more step…", Laser warns him, stepping closer to the edge of the pool.

"Laser-Fish, I think you're forgetting something.", Jo suddenly says, smirking.

"What?"

"I am Jo Padilla, yes, but only by day. By night I am Aquagirl." She reaches out for his arm, gripping it tightly, pressing hard against his chest. "I am immune to water."

And with that she throw herself and Laser into the pool. Water splashes everywhere as Laser and Jo struggle around, and finally Jo can swim over to join Sohinki who bursts out laughing and Anthony, seeing this, joins in.

"Damn it! I knew it! Aquagirl! My sworn enemy!", Laser shouts out as he is pretending to drown.

Anthony is watching the cheerful scene play out in front of him and can't help but think of Ian again. He doubts that Ian had an innocent and carefree childhood, filled with laughter and smiles. He shakes his head, beads of water flying everywhere. Don't thing about. You don't know anything yet.

Their fun time goes on for quite a while before Sohinki and Laser eventually leave. They have returned from the bathroom, dressed in their clothes again, backpacks over their shoulders, and walk over to Anthony who is waiting for them in the hallway.

"This was awesome, Anthony. We should do it again some time.", Sohinki says and hugs his friend goodbye. "I'm glad we ran into each other."

"Yeah, me too.", Anthony says. "Actually, a friend of mine is going to visit me next week. Maybe you two got time and could come again."

"Sounds like a plan.", Laser answers and the two friends bump their fists against each other. "See you soon, then!"

"Wait up!" Jo runs over to them from the kitchen, carrying two plastic containers. "Here. Sandwiches. Take them with you." She holds them out to Laser who accepts them, smiling friendly at her.

"Awesome. My Mom was going to make mackerel tomorrow, and I am not really a fan of that." He beams at her before taking her into a bear hug. "You are saving my life. Thanks, Jo."

Jo's cheeks somehow turn red when Laser lets go of her. Anthony nudges Sohinki against his arm, and he nudges back knowingly.

The four of them step outside and Laser and Sohinki get into Laser's car. It's a small jeep, a little run down, but still kind of cool looking.

"Text me about the exact date.", Sohinki yells over to Anthony from the car.

"Will do!", he shouts back, waving at his friends, watching them drive away.

"Well, this was nice.", Jo says as they walk back inside the house.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself.", Anthony says, helping her stacking the plates into the dishwasher. "And don't tell me that you don't like Laser. Even Sohinki has noticed by now."

Jo doesn't answer but stays quiet, however, Anthony can see a small smile on her lips. He lets out a small sigh. This will do her good, having someone who is actually interested in her. And he likes Laser. He would totally sign off this marriage.

"Do you know when Ian will show up?", Jo asks him when they plop down on the couch in the living room, playing a quick game of Mario Kart on Anthony's old N64.

"Nope. He said evening. It's… what… like 7 pm? He should be here soon."

Not even half an hour after this comment, the door bell rings for the second time today.

Anthony paces over to the door. He runs a hand through his hair, clears his throat and opens the door.

"Ian, hi!"

"Hi, Anthony."