Regret (Ianthony)

Four Months, Three Weeks Prior

Eyes lazily scanning the road as his hands steered the steering wheel, Ian tiredly drove onwards. It was about one in the morning, which meant that while there were very few cars on the streets, Ian was also steadily growing more exhausted. But, he forged onwards because he knew the payoff of getting to Universal in Orlando, Florida and getting to sleep in the fucking Hard Rock Hotel was completely worth it. Why didn't they just go to the Universal in California? There was no Wizarding World of Harry Potter there, and that completely depleted the worth of the entire trip in both of their minds.

They were already in northern Louisiana. It would only be about five or six more hours... After driving all yesterday and today, Ian had learned to consider any amount of time shorter than ten hours was not long at all. It still didn't help that he found himself leaning back against his headrest, an inch away from nodding off. The hum of the engine was the only noise that hung in the night, and to him, it was a lullaby. His eyelids began to droop, and he widened them to prevent a disaster.

To distract himself, he glanced towards Anthony and faced the road once more. Anthony wasn't doing much better; although he was considerate enough to stay up along with Ian to make sure the two didn't get in a car wreck, he sure wasn't attempting to entertain Ian. He had given up on conversation hours ago. Now, he was playing on his phone (the latest iPhone) and his eyes kept flickering as though he was about to drop unconscious in seconds. Ian found it funny that his eyes did that when he was tired; it was almost like they were vibrating. He had never seen someone with eyes that did that other than Anthony.

Ian could feel his awareness slipping away, but he was almost too tired to care. Almost. Ian drunkenly swerved back into into his lane (he had been edging into the left lane, which was luckily devoid of travelers) and decided to talk to Anthony, to at least stay awake long enough to pull over in a parking lot to sleep.

He lightly nudged his companion on the arm, and Anthony sat down his phone, eyes focusing and effectively stopping the flickering. "What?" he asked, voice full of exasperation. Ian couldn't make himself blame him; he knew he didn't sound any better.

"Wanna talk so we don't get in an accident?" Ian suggested. It sounded lame, but, then again, so was wearing a neck brace.

"Nah. I couldn't carry a conversation right now to save my life." Then, Anthony offered, "But we could listen to some music."

Nodding curtly, Ian said, "Just as long as it won't put me to sleep."

"Oh, it won't," Anthony promised. Ian watched to road carefully as Anthony plugged his phone into the jack that was connected to Ian's car. Then, he turned on the speaker system and tuned it to the button that read "AUX". After entering the password into his phone, he began scrolling through his songs. Then, a small smile present on his sleepy face, he tapped one and shut off his phone's screen, preparing to listen.

The introduction began to play, which consisted of a few repetitive guitar chords. Ian had never heard the song before, but Anthony showed his knowledge of the song by singing the lyrics as the singer began singing.

"Hey there, I know it's hard to feel like I don't care at all. Where you are and how you feel, with these lights off as these wheels keep rolling on and on." Anthony continued, voice perfectly matching that of the singer. Ian could feel himself get lost in the song that was apparently some type of rock as he continued to drive.

"Slow things down or speed them up, not enough or way too much. How are you when I'm gone?" The words echoed off the night sky, and Ian could feel the pine trees surrounding the road tighten up.

Anthony busted into screaming as he sang the chorus, "And I can't make it on my own, because my heart is in Ohio... So cut my wrists and black my eyes, so I can fall asleep tonight or die! Because you kill me." Ian could feel Anthony's eyes on him, and it took the utmost concentration to not meet his gaze.

"You know you do, you kill me well. You like it too, and I can tell. You never stop until my final breath is gone." The song faded back into the bridge, and Anthony sang the song, screaming the chorus until it was over. Ian found that the lack of music unnerved him, and he had actually been getting into the particular piece that Anthony had played.

He dared, "Uh... So what song was that?"

"Ohio is for Lovers by Hawthorne Heights," Anthony answered. He sounded amused, but what could Ian say? He had really enjoyed hearing him sing.

"Is there any reason that you like that song enough to know it all?" Ian asked, feeling the embarrassment leave his body and possess Anthony's. It was almost like he could feel him blushing in the passenger seat.

Pondering the question thoughtfully, Anthony replied, "Well, I used to kind of think it was about you and me. I thought you'd kill me if I stayed away from you long enough." Then, he laughed. "Wow, that sounds really stupid out loud."

"No, I think it's true. Since when have you listened to it?" The question rang through the air, and Anthony swallowed before answering.

"Just since about a couple weeks before Kalel dumped me..." Anthony wasn't exactly ashamed of it, but it was still dumb for him to relate a screamo song to Ian. As far as he knew, Ian didn't like "emo" music, or even associate himself with any modern rock.

Shrugging, Ian responded, "That makes sense." Then, looking quickly from the road to Anthony and back again, Ian tentatively asked, "Will you play it again?"

Anthony didn't need to be asked twice.