An unexpected love || Ant x Stephen

Meeting The Parents - Chapter Fifteen

The Friday morning air was crisp, the kind of mid-March chill that promised spring but hadn't quite delivered it yet. For the first time in their relationship, the usual dynamic between Ant and Stephen had completely flipped. Usually, Stephen was the one vibrating with nervous energy, his mind spinning through "what-if" scenarios, but today, he was strangely composed. Excited, even.

Ant, on the other hand, was a mess.

He was currently vibrating at a frequency that could probably be picked up by radar. He had spent the last hour darting around his house, packing things they definitely didn't need—an extra umbrella, three different types of phone chargers, and a literal stack of DVDs "just in case the Wi-Fi is patchy at Mam's."

"Ant," Stephen said, leaning casually against the doorframe, watching his partner try to fit a third pair of sneakers into an already bulging bag.

"Nearly ready, just—did I pack the spare toothpaste? I think I forgot the spare toothpaste," Ant muttered, spinning in a circle.

"Keys," Stephen said bluntly.

Ant stopped dead. He looked at his empty hands, then at the kitchen counter, then back at Stephen. "Oh, shit. Yeah. Keys."

Stephen let out a short, melodic laugh. "You've spent the last sixty minutes hunting for things we'll never use, but you almost forgot the one thing you actually need to drive us there."

Ant rolled his eyes, a faint blush creeping up his neck. He snatched the keys from the counter and mouthed 'shut up' as he walked past, but Stephen only grinned and followed him out to the car.

As they hit the motorway, Ant gripped the steering wheel with a focus that suggested he was navigating a Formula 1 track rather than the A1. Stephen, sensing the lingering tension in Ant's shoulders, decided it was his moral duty as a boyfriend to provide some "relaxing" music.

"I made a special playlist for the trip," Stephen announced, tapping his phone with a devious glint in his eye.

"Oh, nice. Some jazz? A bit of Bowie?" Ant asked hopefully.

Then, the opening synth-brass of 'Let's Get Ready to Rhumble' blared through the speakers.

Ant's head practically hit the headrest. "Seriously?! Stephen, no."

"I don't know what you mean," Stephen said, looking out the window with a look of pure, feigned innocence. "It's a classic. A masterpiece of the nineties."

"We are not listening to me and Dec for three hours," Ant groaned, though the corner of his mouth was twitching.

"Obviously we are! It's the PJ & Duncan Homecoming Tour!" Stephen cheered, turning the volume up just a notch. Every time a particularly cheesy rap verse came on, Stephen would look over at Ant and wink, enjoying the way Ant winced at his younger self's vocal choices.

By the time they pulled into the familiar driveway in Newcastle, the music had done its job—Ant was more irritated than anxious, which was an improvement. But as the engine cut and the silence of the street settled in, the roles reversed.

Stephen looked at the modest, welcoming front door of Christine's house, and his leg began a rapid, rhythmic bounce. The reality of the situation hit him: this wasn't just a "colleague's" mum anymore. This was the woman who raised the man he loved.

Ant noticed immediately. He reached over, placing a steady, warm hand on Stephen's thigh to stop the bouncing. He waited until Stephen looked him in the eye.

"It's going to be fine," Ant promised, his voice low and sincere. "She already likes you. Now she just gets to see why I do."

Stephen nodded, taking a shaky breath. As they stepped out and walked to the door, Ant did something he rarely did in public. He reached down and slid his fingers into Stephen's, interlocking them tightly. He gave Stephen's hand a reassuring squeeze and mouthed a single word: 'Breathe.'