On The Bright Side (Chap. One)
Title: On The Bright Side (Chapter One)
Rating: PG13
Summary: Ian feels that Anthony is acting weird, but he can't figure out why. He begins to worry. Meanwhile, they set up a schedule to meet up with some foster home children to cheer them up. Ian feels drawn to one specific girl, feeling that she needs help the most. Later, Anthony does something Ian never saw coming. (This story was inspired by the song "On The Bright Side" by Never Shout Never. It comes up later in the story.)
Disclaimer: If you think I own Smosh, you're insane!
A/N: This is my very first Fanfiction. Thank you all for making me feel welcome in the community so quickly. Please feel free to give me tons of constructive criticism, because I hope to only get better from here! Oh, and when the video the opening scene is based on came out, I almost exploded of excitement when Ian read part of Littlejacki's slash! Just saying ;) PS, thanks so much to Ashley Marie for helping me get started!
Warning: I apologize, but this chapter has barely any fluff and romance, but it has a lot of background info to the rest of the story. It helps give it a good start. Don't worry, cute scenes and heavy slash will come! Thanks for putting up with the normal part first (:
Chapter One
Ian laughed, filming Anthony as he held up a fan's note with condoms taped to it. They were almost done going through the bulk of mail they were tackling for that week's Ian Is Bored. Putting the camera down, he took the note. His eyes widened as he read it.
Filming himself, he said to Anthony, "By the way, Anthony, did you happen to read what was on this note?" He saw the confused look on his friend's face and continued. "It appears to be some sort of erotic Fanfiction," he said in an awkward tone. He began reading it out loud. "'Guess you got me, then,' Anthony sighed, rolling his hips up to grind against Ian's-"
"AWHH!" Anthony shouted in a disgusted tone. Ian joined him as he read the sentence.
"Gahhhhhhh!" He shouted. His face reddened and he felt it burning. "I ca-han't, I can't," he tried to say through heavy laughter. His face was flushed deep red now. "I'm not reading this," he said, still subsiding from the laughter. Adding the humor he was famous for, he said, "Thanks for the condoms, though! I'll use those," He and Anthony laughed it off and went back to their mail.
A few hours after filming, Ian decided to upload the footage to their computer to get a head start on editing. Walking over to Anthony's room to ask him where the camera was, he didn't notice his friend leaving the room as he tried to enter. The two collided, chests bumping against each other. Anthony's strong body sent Ian's stumbling back. Anthony caught his arms and pulled him up before he fumbled onto the floor.
"Uh, s-sorry," Anthony mumbled. Ian raised an eyebrow.
"It's cool, man. So, where's the camera? I was gunna' get some early editing done," he said.
A red faced Anthony replied, "Oh, yeah. Uh, I think it's on my dresser," Ian nodded and headed into the bedroom as Anthony stalked away. What was that about? Ian thought, looking through a pile on junk on Anthony's dresser. He eventually found it and went back to his room, plopping down in front of the computer. While the footage uploaded from the cam, he decided to check their YouTube messages. Scrolling down the inbox list, he tried to pick out the emails that weren't just fans gushing over how much they loved Smosh. He loved their fans, but sometimes he and Anthony were showered with a little too much love. Ian stopped at a message labeled "Children Deserve Happiness. Please Help" He thought it was important, so he clicked on it to read.
Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla,
Hello from the SpreadASmile Organization. We try very hard to bring happiness to children that have suffered greatly in their lives, and are now in foster homes. YouTube has been kind enough as to let us invite the most popular YouTube stars to their local foster homes to bring joy to the residing kids. We would be absolutely thrilled if you would be so generous as to consider one of the foster homes listed near you. If you're interested, please reply and we'll schedule a plan for you to visit the nearest home. We will understand if your schedule is too busy for you to participate, but we would be forever grateful if you did.
Thank You,
SpreadASmile Org.
Ian thought it would be a great idea to help out some kids, so he saved the email to get back to later. He knew he'd have to talk to Anthony about it before replying, but he was pretty sure his friend would be just as willing to meet up with some kids and cheer them up. He wondered if any of the kids they would meet were fans of their's. He closed out of YouTube, noticing the camera had finished uploading their footage. Ian did some basic editing for about an hour, then realized it was getting dark outside. He stood up from the computer chair and stretched, glancing at the time; 7:20PM. He left his room to look for Anthony, to see if he was up for dinner. He found his friend sprawled out on the couch asleep, a reality show muted on the TV. Ian smiled, looking at his friend, whose face was smooshed against the leather couch. Anthony was also snoring; loudly. He rolled his eyes as he walked over to the couch. He nudged his friend lightly.
"Hey, Ant," hey said quietly. When he continued to snore, Ian poked a his face, harder than before, knowing he was a deep sleeper. "Anthony? Wake up, man," Finally, Anthony's eyes fluttered open, and he smacked Ian's hand away.
"Hm? What?" he muttered, still half alsleep. He squinted up at Ian, blinking away the haze from his sleep.
"It's getting late. I thought we should get some food. We're all out of stuff here, so we'll have to go grab something," Anthony just nodded, pulling himself upright. His hair stuck up messily, and Ian chuckled, smoothing down a lock of dark brown. Anthony blushed slightly as he quickly stood up and turned toward the hallway.
"Yeah, uh, I'll be in the, the sh-shower," he stuttered, hurrying down the hall. Ian watched his friend, wondering what was up with his odd behavior. He shrugged it off and went into his room, plopping back down in front of the computer. He researched the nearest foster home to check out the kids they might be meeting. There were seven listed children, all under 15. The youngest was Jake, four, and the oldest was Nicole, 14. Ian skimmed over the kids' profiles briefly, but stopped at Nicole's. Something about her picture made him stare. She was a normal young girl, with long, straight, honey brown hair, about the same shade as his own, pulled back neatly. She was very pretty and looked totally normal for a girl her age, but her eyes were what drew Ian's attention. Her big, hazel-brown eyes were warm liquid at the surface, but deep below, Ian saw more; swimming in the depths of her eyes were dark, disturbing secrets. Drowning deep within the swirled mahogany was pain. Guilt. Loneliness.
There were secrets hidden beneath the murky surface of those eyes, and Ian wanted to dive in and catch them. He knew nothing about this girl, but he knew she was hiding her pain. He knew she'd suffered greatly. He knew she needed help. Ian suddenly wanted to go to the home more than anything.
"Hey, where do you wanna go?" Ian flinched as Anthony appeared at his doorway, startling him.
"Oh, uh, I don't know," he said, exiting out of the foster home's website. "Anything but fast food, I guess. We've had way too much lately. If i have to look at one more burger," he said, grimacing, drawing laughter from Anthony.
"Yeah, I guess we should try some place a little healthier than usual. Any ideas?
Ian shrugged. There's that diner place down the street?"
"Cool, that sounds good," his friend replied, drying his hair with a towel.
"Okay, just give me a few to get ready,"
20 minutes later, they were sitting in a booth in an old fashioned diner. The waitress walked away with their orders, after expressing how much of a fan she was. Ian thought now would be a good time to mention the SpreadASmile email they'd gotten.
"So, I was checking our YouTube inbox earlier, and I found this email from some organization that helps out kids in foster care. I guess they wanna know if we'll visit the home closest to us to hang out with the kids and cheer them up," He explained. Anthony looked up with interest. "I thought it'd be pretty fun to do, or at least nice," Anthony nodded.
"Yeah, we should do that. It sounds cool," he replied, grinning.
"Sweet. I was hoping you'd be up for it," Ian said and added with a shrug, "I guess I'm just excited to help out the kids," He tried hiding his anxiety to go, especially to meet that girl. The waitress placed their food on the table; Spaghetti and garlic bread for Anthony, Chicken Parmesan for Ian. As they ate, they talked about usual topics-YouTube, friends, movies, video ideas- and upcoming events- Vidcon, upcoming videos, the foster home visit.
Once they got home, around eight, Ian got on the computer right after stuffing his leftovers into the fridge. He reopened the email and replied.
SpreadASmile Organization,
Thanks so much for inviting us to be a part of this! Both of us are excited to meet some kids and get their minds off things. All we need to know is when to go and where. Can't wait to hear your reply soon and come visit the Sacramento home! (Yes, I researched the nearest foster home :P)
Thanks,
Ian H.+Anthony P.
Ian sent the email and went back to editing for a few hours, since there was nothing else to do. At 10:30, he decided to turn in for the night. It was early for him, but he'd woken up a bit earlier than usual, so he was pretty tired. he yelled down the hall to Anthony, saying good night, and plopped down to sleep. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, until sleep claimed him. He tossed and turned most of the night, worrying about Anthony and wondering about the foster care visit. He had several dreams in the short time he found sleep, but no blissful, dreamless slumber. In his first dream, he was somewhere underwater. The water around him was a murky, warm mix of greens and browns. He felt himself sinking, and he was losing his breath fast. His burning lungs eventually let loose, but he realized he could breathe. Ian allowed himself to sink further into the peaceful, calm liquid hazel. Slowly, the water became darker and colder. Ian began to feel uncomfortable as the light almost totally disappeared, and he was trying to see in the dark, chilling water. Creatures darted around him, frightening him. Huge silhouettes swam around and circled him, causing his heart to race. Then, he saw a human figure somewhere in the distance. He desperately swam towards it. On the way, the creatures stung and bit at him. He finally reached the other shadowy person, noting they were much smaller than him. Whoever they were, they grabbed Ian and began pulling him up, back toward the surface. As they neared the surface, the creepy creatures crawled back into the depths. Light, warm coloring returned, and Ian looked up at the girl. He couldn't see her face, but her long brown hair floated around her gently. Ian saw the surface far above them, but they were still a bit in the darkness. The girl pulled him up, sending him shooting toward the top. When he stopped, he was right below the calm surface. Ian looked down, seeing for the first time who had been with him. It was the girl from the foster home; Nicole. He reached for her, to pull her out along with him, so they could both escape. She reached to him as well, and their fingers brushed just before her eyes widened with fear. Dark tentacles wrapped around her feet and she was pulled back into the darkness. Ian shook his head, trying to go back to her, but it was too late. He was floating to the surface, away from Nicole, forced to leave her trapped.
In the second dream, which followed shortly after the first, he stood alone in a huge, open white abyss, like he was standing in nothingness. When he squinted into the far distance, He saw Anthony. He started running to his friend, calling out his name.
"Anthony? Anthony!" He called, running toward the distant figure. As he slowly came closer, he saw his friend, standing toward Ian. He squinted and realized his friend's face was coated in tears, his warm brown eyes now rimmed red. Ian slowed, still quickly approaching but more cautious now. "A...Anthony? What's wrong?" Ian held a hand out to his friend, about 15 feet away, who then took a step back. Ian furrowed his brow, and came closer. but his friend closed his eyes and took another step back. Slowly, the space between them grew. It was like rock climbing and looking down, having the distance to the ground appear to grow. They seemed to be being pulled in opposite directions. "No, Anthony! Come back!" Ian said, beckoning to his friend. His eyes met Anthony's as he slowly slipped away into white fog filling the air around them, and he saw the same confusing look he saw before. "Please, come back..." He begged as his friend became more and more distant.
Ian sat up in bed gasping, sweat coating his forehead. He threw off his blanket and got up, knowing he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep after that. He looked at the clock, but his vision was to blury to see. He wiped his eyes, noticing the tears building up. Once his vision, cleared, he saw that it was barely past four in the morning. He groaned as he stumbled to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror, seeing his hair stuck to his sweaty forehead and his eyes red and wet. He splashed water on his face and dried off, trying to calm down. The dreams seemed so real, so frighteningly real. At the moment he was so shaken up that he tiptoed down to Anthony's room to make sure he was okay. His door was open a crack, so Ian quietly pushed it open a bit more and stuck his head into the room.
Anthony lay sprawled across his bed, the covers scrunched up at the foot of the bed. His shirt was off, too. Ian could see why, as the heat was up rather high i their house that February morning. He smiled at his friend, relaxing a bit no that he saw him sleeping soundly. He couldn't help himself from stealing a glance at his perfect body- his toned muscles on lightly tanned skin, the way his chest rose and fell with each steady breath. Ian shook his head, feeling weird that he was admiring his friend's body. He crept back to his own room to attempt at getting more sleep. Mostly, he just tossed and turned. As night faded into dawn, Ian finally found rest, his eyes slowly closing, forcing him away from the beautiful sunrise out the window.
He woke up from the short, finally peaceful dreamless sleep at 10. He got out of bed stretching and immediately hopped on the computer. He saw that they'd already gotten a reply from the SpreadASmile Org.
Ian and Anthony,
Thank you both so much for participating! Also, it's great that you studied up on the Sacramento foster care home, so you know what to expect when you go there! We've prepared a schedule for you. If any changes are necessary, please inform us as soon as possible. We set up a plan so that you two go to the home every Wednesday of this month, starting tomorrow. Again, if this is inconvenient, please inform us and we'll do the best we can to change the dates. You can stop by any time between noon and seven PM. The kids know you're coming and are thrilled! Most of them are big fans of Smosh, and they can't wait to spend time with you. Again, thank you so much for your generosity and willingness to help out these kids. They deserve so much, and you're both giving them just a taste of what great things can happen to them if they keep their hopes up. Have fun! We'd love to hear how it goes.
Thanks,
SpreadASmile Org.
Ian smiled, excited to see the kids tomorrow. The rest of the day went by quickly, filled with anticipation and preparations. Him and Anthony thought about what they'd do while with the kids, and Ian couldn't keep his mind off Nicole, and what she would be like. The only moments all day that made him uneasy were hen he thought of his disturbing dreams(nightmares). That, and repetitively thinking that Anthony was hiding something. He kept having the urge to confront him, but didn't. Other than that, it was a great day to relax at home and await the next day.
Wednesday at noon, Ian climbed into the passenger seat of Anthony's car. He couldn't wait to meet the foster kids. "Excited as I am, Ant?" he asked his friend, not hiding the huge grin on his face.
Anthony chuckled and said, "Hell yeah! I hope you don't come up to me with an arm full of kids, though," He did his best(which wasn't very good) impression of Ian, "Can we keep them, Ant? Please?? I'll change their newspaper and everything!" They both laughed and joked more the rest of the way there. A tight knot tied up Ian's stomach as they arrived. They got out of the car and approached the home. Suddenly, Ian was worried. What if the kids weren't really looking forward to seeing them? What if they couldn't even make them laugh? What if the whole scene just made Ian want to cry? He took a deep breath, ringing the doorbell. All worries melted away as a boy, no older than 10, stared up at them in shock, a huge open-mouthed smile on his face.
"GUYS! THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE REALLY HERE!" He yelled in an adorable voice. The boy ran from the door, leaving Ian and Anthony laughing on the porch. A woman came to the door, a welcoming smile on her face.
"Hello you two! Don't be shy, please, come on in!" The friends walked into the large home, hearing giggles and shrieks of surprise and joy somewhere in another room. The kind woman motioned for them to sit down on a big, old looking couch. She sat across from them in an equally as beaten up recliner.
"It's great to meet you..." Anthony began, gesturing for her name.
"Oh, I'm Charlotte," she said, the smile still warm on her face. Charlotte looked around 35, still fit, with a kind, young face.
"It's a pleasure, Charlotte. I'm Anthony and this is-"
"Ian, yes, I know. I love watching your videos, and so do a lot of the kids. I don't encourage it in the young ones but they find their ways," she cut in, chuckling. Ian and Anthony both blushed modestly. "It's a pleasure to meet you two, as well. I can't say how grateful I am that you came today!" They were about to return the compliment when the tiny tyke Ian remembered as Jake came barreling into the room, right onto Ian's lap, wrapping his tiny arms around him.
"It's you! It's you! I wuv Smoshy! I wike Box man!" He giggled, tightly gripping Ian to him. The three adults all laughed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Jake, get off poor Ian!" said Charlotte, still laughing.
"Nah, it's cool," Ian said, lifting the giggling boy up and gently placing him down in front of him. "What's up, man? Do I get a high five?" He said, getting an excited squeal from the toddler. They smacked hands, huge against tiny. "Alright! That's what I'm talking about!" Everyone laughed, and Jake switched over to Anthony as more kids came in the room. Everyone was introduced to Ian and Anthony. After Jake, the boy who answered the door came up. His name was Donald, age nine. He loved Milky Milkshake. Becky, age 12, struggled with severe diabetes, but laughed and forgot all her problems whenever she watched a Smosh video. Twins Josh and Tyler, age seven, liked to check out what the older kids watched online, and recognized them from multiple videos. Adam, age 13, was subscribed to all their channels, and loved Charlie the Drunk Guinea Pig. They had fun talking to all of them, getting to know them. Ian excused himself to use the bathroom, but instead went on a search. Him and Anthony had met a lot of great kids, but only six of the seven. He knew exactly which one was left.
Nicole.
He quietly peeked into each of the cutely decorated rooms, looking for her. The girl from the picture, from the dream. Finally, on the second floor, he found a large open family room, with a girl sitting on a window seat. It was her; staring out at the cloudy sky, a closed journal on her lap. Ian quietly approached. Suddenly, the twins bolted up the stairs and into the room.
"Ian! Ian!"
"What are you doing, Ian?" They yelled out simultaneously. Ian smiled at them, and saw Nicole tun his way in the corner of his eye. "Why are you up here, Ian?" Tyler asked Ian, gleaming blue eyes staring curiously into his own.
"I just wanted to take a look around the place," he said, messing up Tyler's long blonde hair. He laughed and whacked away his had.
His brother Josh asked, "Why didn't you tell us you were comin' up here?"
Ian thought for a moment, then said, "Oh, well you didn't ask!" The boys both giggled. "I'll be back down in a minute, guys," he said, sending them back downstairs. Ian turned around and walked over to Nicole, who made room for him to sit. For a moment, he just looked at her, and they held each other's gaze. It seemed to Ian that they were both looking right into the other's eyes, trying to something within them. Ian saw what he'd seen before, and then some. It was even more vivid , the pain and sadness hidden within her, than it had been in the picture. He wondered what she was seeing. After a moment, he spoke up. "Saw you on the foster home's website, Nicole. Wondered why you weren't downstairs. Are we so ugly you don't even want to come say hi?" She smiled and looked down at her lap, shaking her head. She didn't say anything. "Ah, well I guess you're just shy," Ian said, tapping her nose. She nodded slightly. Ian sighed, still seeing the look in her down tilted eyes. "Nicole..." She looked up at him, meeting his eyes again. "Nicole, when I look at you, I can see through your mask. I know you try to put on a smile and try to make others think that you're okay, but I'm different. I know you're not. When I look into your eyes, I see the pain, guilt, sadness, and dark memories," He paused, noting he usually wasn't this serious, but continued, "I know there's probably not much I can do to help you, Nicole, but I want to try. I hope you'll let me into your life,"
Nicole's bright hazel eyes watered as she stared silently at him. Her eyebrows were tilted up as if she was sad, but a smile pulled at the corners of her lips. Suddenly, she thrust herself on Ian, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. She cried into his shirt, and he hugged her back. After a few minutes, she finally pulled away, drying her tears. Still, she didn't say a word. She simply mouthed with a small smile on her face, "Thank you," Ian nodded and patted her shoulder. She got up from the window seat, motioning with her hand that she'd be back. Ian sat, looking out the large window, thinking. He knew she accepted him, and was glad she had someone that somewhat understood what was going on in her head. He wondered why she wasn't talking. Was she shy? Did she have problems talking? Maybe she was a mute altogether.
She came back, holding a picture against her chest. Sitting back down, she slowly gave the picture to Ian, her eyes staring into his the whole time. Ian looked at the picture once he had it. There were four people in the shot, all very happy at a beach; A woman and man, probably married, an adorable little boy, and a younger Nicole. Nicole's arm was around the boy's, most likely her brother, and the man's hands rested on the kids' heads. A perfect family, Ian thought.
"This is your family?" Ian asked, looking back up at her. She slowly nodded, tears building in her eyes, memories and shadows surfacing in them. She then reached for the journal, opening to a specific page and tearing it out. She sighed and met Ian's gaze again, looking like she was deciding whether or not she could trust him. Ian stared back at her, trying to have a soft, friendly, open look in his eyes. After a long moment, she slowly outstretched her arm, handing him the folding paper. Just before Ian took it, Anthony appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Hey man, they still have to eat lunch. We gotta' leave early," he said, coming into the room. Ian smiled at Nicole, taking the note and standing up.
"Alright, I'll meet you at the car," Ian replied. Anthony nodded and went back downstairs, and Ian turned to Nicole. "I'll see you next week, Nicole. And thanks for opening up with me. I hope we can get to know each other," a small smile spread on Nicole's face, and she smiled. As Ian turned to leave, she put her hands up in the shape of a heart. Ian smiled and did it back, then left the room to meet Anthony.
The rest of the week went by as usual. It was filled with filming, editing, hanging out, and thinking. Ian thought and thought about Anthony; how he often stared into space or at Ian, or looked at him with that odd look in his eye, or acted distant and kept to himself. Ian wondered why he kept his thoughts from Ian, why he wouldn't tell him what was going on. Since that mail time with Smosh they'd filmed, he'd been acting so different, so troubled. He also thought about Nicole, and especially the journal entry she'd given him.
Dear journal,
I feel alone. Scared. Guilty. I can't believe what happened. One minute, we were all together, happy, and the next...they were all gone. Why did I have to stay home? Why did I have to send them off worrying about me? The last memory they have of me is my slamming the door in their face, yelling that I didn't want to go to that stupid state fair. If they weren't worried about me, if I had just gone with them...maybe my dad would've paid more attention to the road. Maybe he would see that car. Maybe they wouldn't have crashed.
Maybe I would still have a family.
Now, I'm alone, sitting here in a foster home. Waiting for someone who wants me to come along. People ask if I'm okay. They assure me that everything's fine. But it's not. My parents and brother are all dead and it's my fault. No one understands. No one knows how I feel inside, and they never will. So there's no point in trying to explain. I just put on a mask and say I'm fine.
If only there were a way to make that true.
Signed,
Nicole
Ian thought about the note all week, impatient for the next Wednesday to come. When it finally did, he could hardly wait for Anthony to get in and out of the shower.
"I'll be quick, okay? Jeez, I don't know why you've been so anxious to go there. You must really like hanging out with them,' Anthony said, heading to the bathroom. As he passed Ian, he paused. "Hey, you've got an eyelash on your face," he said, coming up and brushing it away. Anthony stopped, his fingers still resting on Ian's cheek. Their faces were close, their noses almost touching. Ian raised an eye brow as he looked up into his friend's eyes, staring back into his own. Anthony's breath was warm on his face.
"Anthony?" he said, confused. Suddenly, Anthony's lips were pressed against his, his palm flattening against Ian's cheek. They slowly closed their eyes, but reality came crashing down on Ian. He was kissing his friend; his friend was kissing him.
He pulled away, pushing Anthony's chest with both hands. Ian stumbled back, staring red faced and wide eyed at his friend. He opened his mouth, trying to talk, getting nothing out. Anthony took a step closer to him.
"Ian...I..." but Ian stumbled back another step, bumping against the wall.
"I, I need...s-some air," he stuttered, and turned to hurry out the front door. He could hear Anthony right behind him. As he walked through the door, Anthony tried talking again.
"Ian, wait," he said, and Ian slammed the door in his face. He heard Anthony slowly walking away. He sat on the porch, pulling his legs against his chest. His breath came in short, uneven breaths. He looked up at the sky, his blue eyes filling with tears from confusion and mixed emotions.
"W...what...?" he whispered, unable to comprehend what had just happened between him and his best friend.
Tell me what you thought in the comments below, and PLEASE feel free to give any suggestions on how to improve this for the next chapters! And again, I promise there's way more fluff and romance from this point on. Love you all (: <3