I would start a riot

Introduction ~ January 2015

New Year came and went with the usual corporate events. It was always strangely anticlimactic, given the number of work commitments they had to deal with, a supposed celebration becoming more of a chore.

In the quiet moments, Stephen appreciated their new freedom to be open with each other. He remembered the way they had snuck away last year, standing out in the cold, from the dry warmth of the management party. He continued to search his memory of that day for any glimpse he could have got of the photographer responsible for the pictures that ended up in every tabloid. But mostly he was grateful for the brief periods of peace where it was just him and Dec and a distinct lack of problems.

A week later brought rain and an unwelcome return to work. Stephen stood under an umbrella, chasing after each of the judges for an interview as their cars pulled up at the London theatre they were based at. He wondered frequently why they hadn't just waited inside the venue.

Another reason to want to be inside was the crowd. He still hadn't quite shaken the uneasiness over the first time he and Dec would be seen in public together, working, since everything had calmed down. And the shouting, however much of it was indecipherable excitement for entirely different reasons, set his nerves on edge.

A familiar car eventually pulled up at the kerb, Ant and Dec comically fitting themselves under a single umbrella and starting to wander over in his direction. Dec smiled brightly even from a distance, either comfortable with the number of eyes on them or trying to put on a confident front. Often, it was quite hard to tell.

Halfway through greeting some of the crowd, Ant's name got called by someone behind them and he turned back. Dec, looking a little impatient, made a show of glancing out from beneath the umbrella and then ran at full pelt to shelter with Stephen instead.

"Hello," he grinned sheepishly, seemingly unaware of the laugh this had pulled from the crowd and shuffling around as Stephen adjusted his grip on the handle.

"Getting bored already?"

"We're running late," Dec replied, "I thought at least one of us should get inside."

"It's not like Simon's here yet," Stephen said, glancing over his shoulder and hoping to catch a glimpse of another car, "We've been out here for ages." At that, Dec seemed to realise where they were and he glanced around at the amused BGMT crew, waving at them awkwardly.

"You wouldn't mind getting me to the door, would you?" He looked back at Stephen imploringly. "I seem to have lost Ant completely and wardrobe'll kill me if I get myself wet." Stephen lifted himself up onto his toes, spotting another umbrella still back over at the car and resigning himself to becoming a chauffeur.

Their producer tilted his head towards the building as if silently giving his permission. Stephen didn't miss the teasing smirk on his face but it felt different with the crew. He'd known he was safe with the lot of them since they'd worked so hard at the live shows last year to make things easy for both him and Dec.

"Come on then," he said, only hesitating as they left the relative safety of the production team surrounding them. Dec made an effort not to huddle too closely but their arms were still brushing as he kept himself dry. Even though he'd be as close to Ant in the same situation, Stephen knew people would point it out because it was the two of them. "So much for being subtle, eh?"

Dec smiled apologetically, shrugging one shoulder. "If they know bits and pieces, they might as well see it's here to stay."

Stephen nodded, unable to keep a small smile from crossing his face as Dec looked out at the rain with a distinctly unimpressed expression. They reached the door to the venue without being harassed and Stephen held the door open, tilting his head in a mocking bow. "Is that everything, sir?"

"Yep," Dec replied, grinning. Stephen thought it was worth it, the stress, just to see Dec look at him like that when nothing went wrong. It made him want to be close to him, as close as they could get when people weren't watching. Dec's expression took on a knowing sympathy and he made things easier for both of them. "I'll see you later, Stevie."

"See you," Stephen smiled, tapping his nose, "Got a great game for you two."

"I doubt that," Dec retorted with a laugh, jogging off in the direction of his own crew who were stood waiting. Even if they did live together now, Stephen kept his BGMT segments firmly under wraps, not wanting to ruin the underwhelming surprises.

When he got close to where the team had set up, he saw Ant talking to everyone and then look up with a smirk on his face. "Stevie! How's my second favourite lovebird?"

"Second favourite?!" Stephen repeated incredulously in favour of addressing the little nickname.

He tolerated Ant awkwardly trying to hug him between the two head-butting umbrellas, getting used to that little proud spark in the older man's eyes. After everything, Ant had stood by them unwaveringly and it was people like him who made the rest of it bearable for Stephen. When he was so far into his own head he couldn't even tell he was overthinking, knowing Ant had his back (and Dec's, always) let him breathe a little easier.

It would have been easy, in character even, for him to stress about the crowd and the crew and what every single pair of eyes on them meant. But Ant's arms were firmly wrapped around him and Dec's smile had imprinted itself at the front of his mind.

And, after all, he was long overdue a holiday from overthinking.