Cold Water

The Accident

Slightly quicker than expected! I'm really glad you all liked the first chapter so I edited this one today to say thank you!!

This schedule definitely won't be continuing XD

(*~*)

There had been nothing exciting about the act since the moment Stephen had reluctantly emerged from his side of the stage. Any ounce of intrigue Ant had clung to as he watched his friend uncomfortably get into position had evaporated the moment the water started to flow.

In an ideal world, he tried to tell himself, there would be the usual jeopardy and then Mark would get to the key just as the water got close to Stephen's mouth. In an ideal world, the tank door would open, the water would spill out and Stephen would be fine, if a little cold, wet and shaken up.

They'd take him off the stage in their direction, he decided as the water reached the first knife. They'd leave Mark to his comments and applause and whatever else and make sure Stephen got a towel, a change of clothes, whatever he needed. Hell, Ant might even hug him before the towel appeared, not caring how drenched the younger man was bound to be.

Stephen would probably tease both of them for getting worried and claim that he'd known what was going on with the trick the entire time – maybe he did and Ant would be forced to get annoyed at him for acting scared just to frighten the two of them. Or maybe Ant would pretend he hadn't been that bothered, all the while not caring in the slightest that the panic was written all over his face. Stephen could have that small victory. He could have whatever he wanted for at least the next 24 hours. Maybe even until the next time Dec was forced to take part in something pointlessly dangerous. You know, until Ant's worrying got pulled in another unwanted direction.

Speaking of Dec, Ant could feel his hand getting tighter and tighter around his own arm, the unrelenting grip almost painful. Dec was worse at detaching himself from situations – worse at imagining an ideal future, rather than the one that was starting to form in front of them.

Ant didn't want to watch Mark struggle with the chains anymore. He didn't want to think about the key being unattainable if they needed to get to it quickly. He didn't want to spend any more time trying to silently persuade Stephen to look over at them, pointlessly annoyed with the other man for focusing wholly on Mark's escape efforts.

It took the final knife to get a blink in their direction, Stephen looking scared enough that the entire, ideal future exploded in Ant's face. Ant watched him pull on the handcuffs, not lightly enough for it to be a joke, and finally sacrificed whatever pride he'd been hanging onto. Stephen could win this one, if he really was just playing along.

"Can we stop this if we need to?" he asked seriously, looking to the team behind them. The concerned looks he was met with didn't fill him with confidence and it seemed slightly mental that even at this stage in the act, he knew he didn't have the authority to do anything himself.

"He's actually going to hold his breath," Dec mumbled tensely, dragging Ant's attention back to Stephen who had tilted his head as far away from the water as possible. He looked surprisingly calm, almost in control of himself, taking a final steadying breath and then tipping forwards to meet the rising water level.

"How long can he even do that for?" Ant asked under his breath. Dec gave no response except for a tense shrug. Ant widened his focus to the rest of the room, distracted by the uneasiness expressed by the audience but unable to convince himself to turn around and look at them.

"Why does the water look red?" Alesha's question was a little muffled, almost as if she'd turned enough to try and get away from her microphone to ask. Ant focused again, pulling his eyes from Stephen's face; pale, unmoving, hair floating out limply in all directions; and down to his side. There was a slight tint to some of the water, one that filled his stomach with dread. The knives had got close but surely not that close.