Did You Order Flowers? (Ianthony AU)

Chapter Four

Ian woke up early the next morning, drawn into consciousness by the continuous buzzing of his phone. He blindly reach for it with his eyes still closed, sliding his thumb along the screen to answer. "Hello?" He asks, voice husky and hoarse from sleep. 

But the voice on the other end sounds wide awake. "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere with me today?" Anthony asked, sounding as if he'd been awake for hours (despite the fact it was only seven in the morning).

It took a few seconds for Ian's groggy brain to process what was being asked, but he got it eventually. "Where is it I'd be going? For all I know, you could be an ax murderer."

He heard Anthony trying not to laugh. "Nowhere that a serial killer would frequent. A market. I go every week, and I'd appreciate some good company."

Ian barely thought before agreeing, much too excited to spend any amount of time with Anthony. "Sure. I'll meet you there, just text me the details."

He could hear Anthony's muffled sigh of relief through the phone. "Great! Bye Ian." 

"Bye Anthony." The phone beeped, alerting him to the fact that Anthony had hung up. Ian got up properly from bed, stretching his arms above his head with a crack of his bones. He winced at the noise, knowing it came from his consistent amount of time spent leaning over to make flower arrangements or do paperwork. His small house was silent, save for Daisy's snoring, as he made himself a cup of coffee to wake him up properly. 

He couldn't believe he'd agreed to go to a market. Melanie had been trying for years to get him to go with her, but he always shot the idea down for the simple reason that he thought it'd be boring. But when Anthony asked him, he said yes faster than the drop of a dime. Not that he particularly thought Melanie would be mad, more like it would just bring out her inner fangirl (the small part of her that wanted to scream in joy when Ian told her of anything romantic related).

It's Ian's day off, and what's he decided he's gonna do? Go to a market with the tattoo artist he barely knows. 

His phone buzzes once, the alert of a text. He unlocks it as he sips his coffee, seeing the details Anthony had sent him. He spit his drink out, seeing the time. He only had half-an-hour. He dumped the rest of his drink down the sink, rushing to his bathroom. 

He rushed through showering and brushing his teeth, doing both in record time. He grabbed a pair of black jeans- one of his nicer pairs- and a grey t-shirt. He fell over trying to get into his jeans quickly, face-planting on the carpet of his bedroom floor. He struggled into them the rest of the way, pulling on his shirt and rushing to find a matching pair of socks. 

Anthony better appreciate the effort. 

~

Ian was only a few minutes late when he met Anthony at the designated spot. The market didn't seem too crowded, which was good. Anthony greeted him with a warm smile. "Hey, glad you could make it. Although," he took a disapproving look at Ian's hair, "you should have dried your hair. No need for you to get sick."

Ian snorted, doing a dismissive hand motion. "It's fall in California, I'll be fine. But thanks for the concern, Mom," he teases. 

Anthony just rolls his eyes, a sudden blush covering his already pink-tinted cheeks. "You- uh- you look nice, by the way." 

Ian fiddled with the hem of his shirt, thinking he really didn't look all that outstanding. "Thanks. You look even better." And he was being honest, Anthony looked great. In his baggy red sweater, black skinny jeans, black converse, and with a beanie over his hair, he looked- to put it simply- fantastic.