Maple Syrup Soaked Pancakes

Somebody knocked at the door. Ian leapt up from the sofa and walked straight to it. He immediately swung open the door with a big smile.

"Anthony! Your finally back!" he shouted loudly.

Looking downward, Anthony replied in a solemn tone.

"Yeah I'm back".

He walked into the house, ignoring Ian's confused look.

"What's going on?" he said, suspiciously while he closed the door behind him.

"Mm, nothing" Anthony answered as he sat down on the sofa. He didn't raise his head and his long bangs hid his eyes.

"Right… nothing" Ian rolled his eyes as he came and sat down next to Anthony. He placed his hand on his back and tried to look at his face, but Anthony kept looking away.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did the date go bad? Did you do something embarrassing again?" he chuckled, trying to make the situation lighter but he failed. Anthony didn't respond to him, neither did he look at Ian. This concerned him even more. Anthony had never acted like this before. Sure sometimes he got upset when his relationship with his girlfriend was bad, but he was never this…silent.

"Anthony. Hey, look at me" Ian pulled Anthony's face to look at him and gasped. Anthony's eyes were red and watery. Small streams of tears trailed from his eyes to his jawline.

Ian let go, as Anthony looked straight into his eyes.

"She said he hated me and that she never wanted to see me again," another flood of tears flowed down his face.

"What? Why'd she say that?" Ian exclaimed instantly.

"…Well I asked her out for Valentines Day tomorrow and she said I should stop smothering her… and then… she left with another guy that she knew and they were really close and-" Anthony suddenly stopped as he began to desperately wipe away his tears.

Ian's heart sank as he felt sympathetic for his friend. He pulled Anthony into a hug and patted his back. Anthony tried to stop crying but he couldn't. Ian could feel his friend's body shake and held him until he began to calm down.

"Hey, tomorrow I'll go figure out what's wrong with her okay?" he said in a soft voice as he stroked Anthony's hair caringly. Anthony didn't move away from Ian. He didn't want Ian to see his face and felt like he would lose it if he let go.

"Do you want to continue our Star Wars marathon?" Ian smiled as he looked down at Anthony. Anthony nodded. Ian reached for the remote beside him while Anthony slid his arms around Ian's waist. Ian was surprised but didn't mention anything. He wrapped his free arm around Anthony and turned on the TV and dvd player. He pressed play and the movie started. Ian played with Anthony's hair, trying to cheer him up. Anthony smiled, though Ian couldn't see it. They watched the movie but both boys were lost in their own thoughts.

The sunlight flooded from the windows and down onto the sleeping pair. Anthony was the first to wake up. He rubbed his eyes as he looked up at Ian. He tensed up when he realised what happened last night.

'I can't believe I cried like that in front of him… Gah, I'm so stupid,' Anthony thought to himself. He quietly slid out of Ian's arms and moved away from the sleeping Ian.

Ian was awoken by the smell of pancakes and maple syrup. He slowly fluttered his eyes open and looked around him.

'Oh right, we fell asleep in the lounge room… wait "we"? Where's Anthony?' Ian thought to himself as he looked around the room. He heard movement in the kitchen. Once he moved, all his muscles felt stiff from sleeping. He cringed as he stood up and was stretching his arms when he walked into the kitchen. Anthony greeted him in a small apron.

"Haha, sleep well?" Anthony laughed as he walked around the kitchen, preparing pancakes. Ian was glad to see that he was back to his old self.

"Ah man, I'm sorry about last night," Anthony gave Ian a weak smile. "I guess it was just too much for me." Anthony turned off the stove and handed Ian a plate of pancakes, with his own in his hand.

"Hey it's no problem," Ian replied. "Still want me to talk to her?" the two sat down on the opposite sides of the table. Anthony thought for a moment.

"I guess I'm curious… but she's been acting like this for awhile," he took a mouthful of maple syrup soaked pancake. Ian saw that Anthony was trying not to think about it and changed the subject. They started chatting about crazy things and making jokes until they ran out of pancakes.

Anthony stood up and walked to the fridge.

"Grr, we ran out of orange juice," Anthony scowled as he looked into the fridge.

"I'll go down to the shops, don't worry," Ian said, while grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair.

"Thanks," Anthony called as Ian walked out of the door.

Ian drove under the clouded day. 'Such depressing weather for Valentine's day,' Ian thought to himself. He spotted Anthony's girlfriend's house and drove onto her driveway. He walked up to her front door and was about to ring the doorbell, but he heard voices from inside.

"…Who was that loser you were with?" a muffled male voice inquired.

"…No one… he's famous and buys me what I want." Ian recognised the other voice as Anthony's girlfriend. Ian was shocked and couldn't move away. He needed to know what was going on.

"He can't be that famous, I've never seen him before," the man said in a loud voice.

"That's 'cause your computer illiterate. Anyways, he's getting a bit annoying lately so I'm gonna lose him soon," she began laughing and then was drowned out in kissing noises.

Ian was completely disgusted. Anger flowed throughout his body. He couldn't listen them anymore. He tried to remain calm as he climbed into his car and slammed the door close. He started driving and all he could think about was Anthony. He was kind of glad Anthony didn't have to hear any of it but how was he going to tell him? How could she use him like that? It's awful…

Ian drove into the car park and parked his car. His mind was elsewhere as he walked into the shopping mall. 'How could I cheer him up?' Ian thought as he picked up some orange juice.

"Oh, it's so cute!" squealed a very loud girl. Her and a friend started giggling annoyingly as they walked past a Valentines Day display. 'Hmm… I think I know what would cheer him up,' Ian thought deviously.

Anthony laid bored on the couch. He didn't feel like doing anything and Ian still wasn't back from his orange juice quest. He looked up at the clock on the wall. It seemed like it was stuck on half-past-nine. Time just wouldn't go any faster for him. He groaned loudly. He didn't want to think about what happened last night, though his brain did. His mind began to wander. He remembered how his girlfriend basically ignored him, how Ian greeted him happily, how he stayed with him, how he held him all night and cheered him up…

Anthony smiled. 'Ian acts more like my girlfriend than my actual one,' he laughed to himself. His mind uncontrollably began to wander on the subject. As soon as Anthony realised what he was thinking about, he slapped himself.

"What's happening?" Anthony groaned as he rolled over onto his stomach. "Why aren't you back, Ian?" Anthony poked the pillow in front of him hard. His hand loosened as he rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Ian…" he mumbled.

After one short minute, Anthony heard someone unlocking the front door. He sat up eagerly as Ian walked through the door, holding something behind his back.

"Ian!" Anthony greeted with a smile. Ian saw how happy Anthony was and tried to act cheerful too.

"Hey Anthony, I got your orange juice," he said, as he placed the juice on the table. "And also…" Ian knelt down in front of Anthony. Anthony's heart began to beat quickly and he wondered why. Ian pulled out a bouquet of red and pink roses from behind him.

"Be my valentine?" he asked with a cute smile. Anthony was stunned and didn't react. 'Is it just a joke or is it…real?' he thought. He realised he shouldn't take it too seriously when he saw Ian still waiting for his response.

"Haha, yeah of course," Anthony joked and accepted the flowers. Ian bounced up and linked arms with him.

"Let's go, girlfriend!" he said in a girly voice as he pulled Anthony towards the door. 'I guess this is his way of cheering me up,' Anthony concluded as he copied Ian's happy mood.

They spent the rest of the day wandering around town together and making jokes of Anthony being the female of the relationship. After a day filled with cakes, bad jokes and fun, they wound up at the park near their house. It was night already and the park was empty. They sat up on the playground and made imaginary pictures using the stars.

"What are you talking about? That looks nothing like a horse," Anthony laughed as he looked at the constellation Ian described as a horse.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of soft, wet lips touch his cheek. It was only for an instant, but Anthony became so tense, he couldn't move. Silence flooded between them.

"Ahhh…" Anthony tried to speak but nothing came out. He looked at Ian, dumbfounded. Ian laughed weakly and looked away.

"Relax, it's only a joke. Heh, I mean your are my valentine," he tried to rationalise it to himself as well.

"Haha, yeah… umm, we should get back home. It's getting cold," Anthony stood up.

"Yeah, okay," Ian agreed, feeling a bit depressed from his almost-definite rejection. 'Why did I do that? I'm so stupid!' Ian scorned himself, while they were walking home.

'Why did Ian do that? Does he like me? ...Do I like him?' Anthony pondered obsessively to himself as he walked a bit behind Ian.

'Well I didn't dislike it I guess…'

The pair walked into their warm house. Ian stopped suddenly in front of Anthony.

"Anthony, I…" Ian turned around and looked directly at Anthony. He became silent as he stared into his warm, brown eyes. Anthony couldn't control himself and moved in closer to Ian's face. He placed his shaky hands on Ian's shoulders and leant in closer. He was unsure of what would happen or if Ian would accept him or if this was the end of their friendship.

All his thoughts became blank when he saw Ian close his eyes and lean forward. Anthony gently and nervously pushed his lips against Ian's. Ian returned the kiss eagerly. He could feel Ian trembling slightly beneath his loose grasp. Anthony slid his arms around Ian's waist. He could feel Ian's warmth on his chest and in his arms. Ian returned Anthony's embrace by wrapping his arms around his neck.

After a moment, they parted their lips but still held onto each other.

"Hey, happy Valentines Ian," Anthony whispered into Ian's ear.

"You too," Ian replied as he squeezed Anthony.