As we fall apart

A Second Opinion ~ April 2014

If there was one place no one wanted to be on a warm springtime evening, it was some ITV event littered with eagle-eyed executives and management companies. Ant certainly didn't want to be there. Having exhausted his capacity to socialise temporarily, he'd retreated to a wall, nursing a drink so he didn't have to wade through the sea of people to get another one.

His quest for a bit of peace and quiet had been interrupted, not unpleasantly, by the appearance of Emma who took one look at him and started up a stream of very one-sided casual conversation. He'd smiled lopsidedly at her attempts to make them look engrossed enough to keep other people out of the way, giving him an opportunity to keep an eye on two particular people as they reluctantly worked the room.

"I'm surprised we haven't bumped into each other yet," Emma said eventually. Ant raised his eyebrows questioningly, pulling his gaze from Dec's back to follow hers over to Stephen. "You two are normally the first people Stephen goes after at something like this. He's always looking forward to getting on your nerves. We've been together all night and he hasn't suggested talking to you once."

Ant was close to swearing under his breath. Emma could be frustratingly perceptive at times and also couldn't be easily misled. By her logic, he should probably know what Stephen's problem was. Especially since Dec and Stephen got together, the three of them had been together far more at similar events, which only made people think Ant and Stephen were closer as well. And naturally, they were, a trust existing between them that was difficult to break.

"He's probably realised people who know him less well are more likely to fall for his magic tricks," he joked eventually, meeting Emma's challenging gaze with a convincing one of his own and a false smile. She smirked reluctantly, no doubt imagining how insufferable Stephen would be if he were the sort of person who treated what was essentially a party as an opportunity to play the magician.

What their increased proximity had taught Ant was that the younger man reluctantly kept a deck of cards in his back pocket at an event like this, just in case any of the executives really did ask. What he didn't admit was that Dec frequently got bored and a good trick seemed to cut off his childish complaints. What he definitely would never admit was that he enjoyed showing off for Dec.

"Come on, he's not as bad as that," Emma said, annoyingly persistent. Ant could see her concern though. He forgot how close she and Stephen were, always amazed that Stephen hadn't told her anything yet before remembering how long it had taken Dec to come out to him. "They both seem a bit down, don't they?"

Dec was stuck in a circle of executives, no doubt making excuses for Ant whilst he put up with their relentless conversation. Stephen, meanwhile, had done the sensible thing, sequestering himself away with a small portion of the BGMT team in an attempt to actually enjoy his evening.

"He's alright," Ant said, clearly talking about Dec.

"And Stephen?"

He'd really tried with the younger man. He'd checked in, asked questions, kept an eye on him. There was a very low chance Stephen had done something to intentionally hurt Dec, no matter how irate the older man continued to be whenever the subject was brought up. So he'd tried to remind Stephen he was still there for the both of them, waiting for them to get their act together and make up.

"He's not talking to you either?" Emma said, after he'd used up his allotted time to answer watching the man in question hide his surreptitious glances towards Dec.

"Not exactly," Ant said vaguely, although from the triumphant expression on Emma's face, he'd just allowed himself to be pulled into having a proper conversation about what was going on. In all honesty he didn't mind that too much; it was difficult seeing everything from both sides, trying not to take on Dec's determined anger as his own and turn it on Stephen.