Dec's entire demeanour had changed as soon as Ali spoke. Ant was quick to sweep in and take over, cataloguing every scrap of evidence he could see that pointed to Dec being instantly overwhelmed.
They didn't even know what it was yet and his shoulders had already rounded defensively, his hands were clasped and his eyes ducked to the ground. He looked like a caged animal, uncomfortable under scrutiny.
"What's happened, Al?" Ant asked tentatively, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa, careful to hover close enough for Dec to feel his presence but far enough away that he didn't feel stifled.
Ali leant against the table opposite them, her phone in hand and an uncharacteristic look of uncertainty on her face. She prevaricated for long enough that Dec lifted his gaze, frowning uncomprehendingly at her hesitance.
"I've just been sent something," she said slowly, talking solely to Dec, "A draft of a news article. It could be – sensitive." She looked pointedly in Ant's direction.
Ant glanced at Dec, almost relieved when the flicker of a wry smile crossed his face. It didn't last, the reality setting in quickly as he looked back at Ali. But when he spoke, he was sure enough of himself. "Ant knows."
"All of it?" Ali asked, still being cryptic.
Dec frowned for a moment, almost as if he was trying to think of anything Ant wasn't aware of but he eventually nodded.
Ali looked surprised for a second, something that Ant found strange given their reputation for being in each other's pockets. He tried to imagine not knowing about Dec, finding out through whatever news source Ali was clearly about to show them.
And then he had the same wave of realisation as Dec seemed to have gone through. There was a news story – a ticking bomb waiting to go off the next morning. Ant felt a swirling sickness overtake any other feeling in his body, replacing everything else with an unshakeable numbness. Dec was going to be outed to the entire country.
"It's from The Sun," Ali recovered her usual professionalism in a single beat and shook herself, trying to be concise. "It – well, it basically says you've been in a relationship with Stephen for over a year."
The bluntness hit Ant square in the chest and he watched Dec flinch bodily and then freeze. The silence in the room was stifling and Ant felt himself reeling all over again. Not just Dec, but Stephen as well. Both of them – one news story. It seemed crazy that one page of a single newspaper was about to have such far-reaching repercussions in two people's lives.
"So, it's believable enough to convince you?" Dec eventually said, his eyes closed tightly as his head hung towards the ground.
"I wasn't sure to start with," Ali said cautiously, "But, with the photo..."
"Photo?" Ant repeated sharply, his gaze swinging from Dec's hunched figure and over to her in an instant. "What photo?"
She passed him the phone. The article was loaded up but he ignored everything, not even reading the headline before he saw the picture. The quality wasn't great; they could get away with claiming it wasn't them.
"How bad?" Dec muffled the question behind his hands, covering his face as if not being able to see would make it all go away. Ant hesitated too long, drawing him out of his shell. "Ant. Be honest with me."
"It's two guys," Ant said a little helplessly, "If I saw it without the article and if I didn't know the truth, I might not think of you two. But with everything else..."
"Where's it from?" Dec asked Ali, looking completely confused.
"The caption says New Year," she replied, "The management party. 'Some distance away' from the venue – whatever that's supposed to mean."
YOU ARE READING
As we fall apart
Fanfiction"Maybe it would be best if..." "What's that supposed to mean?" "I don't think I can do this anymore." It felt like it came out of nowhere. They'd had a lot to contend with for a long time but still, after it all, they'd had each other. Until they di...
