Anthony doesn't ship Iancorn (Ianthony story)

Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys, here's chapter 4 and I hope you like it. There's just one more chapter to go after this one which I'll hopefully be able to post in a few days. But for now enjoy chapter 4 :)

Ian lay still on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, contemplating what to do about Anthony. So he couldn't even speak to me then. Why is it so hard for him to tell me what's on his mind? As Ian started thinking this, he started hearing faint gasping coming from the other side of the wall. He can't be...crying?

Slightly worried, Ian got himself out of bed and knocked on Anthony's door. When he got no response, he opened the door to reveal Anthony with his face buried in his pillow, sobbing uncontrollably. The sight of him made Ian's heart break and he gave up trying to give Anthony the silent treatment. Not when he could see how much he was hurting.

He walked towards the bed and Anthony started tensing up, trying to pretend that he was asleep. But Ian had seen too much already, he wasn't fooled for one second. He sat down on the bed next to where Anthony was lying, and started rubbing Anthony's back in slow circular motions in attempt to soothe him. Ian's presence made him calm down slightly- he felt better knowing that Ian cared enough to comfort him. Eventually when his sobs had subsided into gentle hiccups, Anthony was able to start talking.

"I guess you wanna know why I ran out earlier," Anthony said, rolling off his front onto his back so that he could look at Ian.

"Yeah I do," Ian replied, happy that Anthony was finally going to talk to him about it. They were always open with each other and that was something that he'd always hoped would never change. Good friends were hard to find.

"I've been dealing with this for about ten years now," Anthony began shakily. I can't believe I'm really gonna tell him. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Remember when I went through my cutting phase?"

"Yeah," Ian said quietly. Please don't tell me he's started again.

"It was because I'm in love with you," Anthony said in a small voice. "And I still am to this day. I just couldn't deal with it."

Ian was stunned. Even though he and Lasercorn had talked about it, and it seemed like the likely explanation for why he ran out of Gamebang, he still couldn't take in the fact that Anthony had finally confessed it himself.

"Are you gonna say something?" Anthony asked nervously. Ian had been silent for too long and it was making him slightly uncomfortable.

"Ten years?" Ian asked, still shocked by what Anthony had just confessed. Anthony nodded, his jaw slightly clenched in anticipation for Ian's reaction.

"It's stupid right?" Anthony asked, his voice full of melancholy.

"I never said it was stupid," Ian contradicted. "I just can't believe I've been blind for so long," Anthony sat up as Ian said this, wanting a clear view of his face so that he could work out the true meaning behind those words.

"What do you mean?" Anthony asked.

"It just seems so obvious in hindsight. I wish I'd realised it earlier, I could have stopped you going through all that pain," Ian said remorsefully. He still remembered vividly the day when Anthony had fainted. The criss-cross of scars running down the length of his arms and across his wrists. It had been so painful just to look at; he could only imagine how much worse it must have been for Anthony.

"How could you have stopped me doing that to myself?" Anthony questioned him, his voice cracking as he remembered pressing the razor against his skin that caused him to bleed, over and over. As though it would have made everything so much easier to deal with.

Anthony didn't get an immediate answer but instead he suddenly felt Ian's lips pressed against his. It only lasted for a few seconds but it was what Anthony had been longing after for a decade now. As Ian pulled away, he ran his hands through Anthony's dishevelled hair lovingly before speaking.

"I could have told you I felt the same way," Ian responded softly.

"But what about your past girlfriends? If you loved me then why did you go out with all of them?!" Anthony challenged, slightly angry and confused at what he was hearing. Ian just sighed before explaining himself.

"It was my way of trying to convince myself that I was straight," Ian shook his head at himself, thinking about how Anthony must have felt every time he ditched him to go on a date. "They always broke up with me though because I could never bring myself to kiss them. I just couldn't get you out of my head."

Anthony felt relieved when he heard Ian's reason, but he couldn't help regretting all the time they'd wasted by hiding secrets from each other. They could have gone to senior prom together, gone on loads of cheesy dates and just generally have a good time. But at the same time, he was grateful that they had such a good friendship; all of his favourite memories involved Ian in some way because he had been such an amazing friend.

"From now on can we promise not to hide anything from each other?" Anthony begged. He didn't want to relive the past ten years ever again.

"Definitely," Ian agreed. "Unless it's a birthday present or something." Anthony just smiled and rolled his eyes before leaning in to kiss his best friend.