Ant and Dec One Shots

Forgotten But Found

The past month had been brutal for Dec. He had watched as Ant and Stephen, two of the people he cared most about, seemed to grow closer by the day-without him. It started innocently enough. He told himself they were just catching up, reconnecting. After all, friendships ebb and flow. But each day that passed without a call or a message, a quiet fear began to stir within him. Slowly, he felt the soft erosion of their world slipping further and further away from him.

It wasn't just the invitations that dwindled; it was the silence that grew between them. When he called, the line would ring without an answer, or occasionally, he'd catch their voices in the background, laughing together, as if the world was a brilliant, lively place without him. And each of those laughs chipped away at his heart, one by one.

As the days dragged on, Dec found himself haunted by the images they posted, bright and full of life, like snapshots from a world he no longer belonged to. There were pictures of them at dinners, arms slung around each other; videos of inside jokes that seemed to echo an intimacy he now felt painfully separated from. Their happiness was like a beacon, drawing him into a well of loneliness he couldn't escape from. It was unbearable, yet he couldn't look away, his heart aching with each update, each reminder that he was missing from their lives.

The nights grew longer, colder. Dec lay in bed, restless, his thoughts whirling in a painful loop. He missed the warmth of their laughter, the jokes that only they would get, the gentle reassurance of their presence. Each night, he promised himself he'd find a way to let go of the bitterness growing in his chest, to bury the ache of feeling forgotten. But as the days bled into each other, his heart felt hollow, gnawed by an ache he couldn't fill.

One night, his despair reached a breaking point. He realised he was only a shadow in his own life, a figure fading in a corner. The pain was too sharp, too endless, and he craved something to numb it, something to make it real so he could finally confront it. He skipped meals, convincing himself he didn't deserve to feel comforted, and then, in a moment of deeper desperation, he reached for something sharp, hoping the physical sting would somehow quiet the chaos inside his mind. It was an attempt to feel anything other than the emptiness.

As the month dragged by, he was a shell of himself, worn and hollow. He couldn't keep it inside any longer. In a haze of exhaustion and hopelessness, Dec found himself walking to Ant's house, his legs moving of their own accord. He didn't call ahead, didn't prepare any words; he only knew he couldn't go on this way. His steps felt heavy, each one like a surrender to the gravity pulling him back to them, to the only home he had ever known. He climbed the steps and knocked, the sound dull and quiet in the silence of the night.

Ant opened the door, his face lighting up for a moment before his expression changed as he took in Dec's hollow eyes, his slouched shoulders, the sheer emptiness radiating from him. Without a word, Dec stumbled forward, collapsing into Ant's arms, burying his face against his friend's neck. His body trembled as he clung to Ant, the dam inside him finally breaking.

Ant's heart plummeted, and he held Dec close, one hand resting gently on his back, as if his touch alone could soothe the anguish written all over Dec's face. "Dec... mate, what happened?" he murmured softly, his voice thick with worry as he tightened his hold, offering silent strength.

Stephen appeared in the hallway, drawn by the quiet commotion. His face softened with immediate concern when he saw Dec in Ant's arms, fragile and broken. Wordlessly, he joined them, placing a hand on Dec's back, grounding him between them. They stood together for over an hour, neither Ant nor Stephen pushing Dec to speak, letting the silence mend some of the wounds words couldn't touch.

Eventually, Dec's shaking quieted, though the pain remained. His voice was hoarse, barely a whisper as he finally spoke. "I've... felt so forgotten," he managed, gripping Ant's shirt as though fearing they might slip away again. "You two were just... always together, and I was... just left out." His voice cracked. "Every time I saw you... it was just you two, happy without me."

Ant's face fell, a wave of regret crashing over him as he exchanged a pained look with Stephen. The guilt in Stephen's eyes mirrored his own. "Dec, I'm so, so sorry. We never meant to make you feel that way," Ant whispered, his hand gently brushing through Dec's hair, an instinctive gesture of comfort. "We just... I don't know, we got carried away, but it was never to leave you behind."

Dec took a shaky breath, fighting to gather himself enough to continue. "It got so bad. I stopped eating; I just couldn't feel anything except..." His voice dropped to barely a murmur as he admitted, "I thought if I hurt myself... maybe it would hurt less than being left behind."

A silence settled over them, thick and heavy, as Ant and Stephen absorbed the full weight of Dec's pain. Stephen's eyes filled with tears, and he gently took Dec's hand in his, his thumb tracing soft circles over Dec's knuckles. "Dec, I... I can't tell you how sorry I am," Stephen's voice broke, his words carrying the depth of his remorse. "I didn't realise how much you needed us. I feel... I feel awful for making you feel like you were forgotten."

Ant pulled Dec even closer, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, letting his lips linger in a silent promise of care. "Dec, you mean the world to us. We'd be lost without you," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You're not just part of our lives. You are our life. I'm so sorry we couldn't see that you were hurting."

Dec managed a small nod, though his voice still trembled. "It just... it hurt so much, watching you together. I thought I didn't matter anymore."

Both Ant and Stephen wrapped him in an even tighter embrace, each whispering apologies and promises, trying to rebuild the bridges they'd unintentionally torn down. They stayed together like that long into the night, holding Dec close, vowing never to let him feel so alone again.

As the hours passed, Dec felt a faint warmth return to his chest, a glimmer of reassurance that he wasn't alone. He could feel the weight slowly lifting, his heart rediscovering its rhythm in the quiet strength of their embrace. And there, in the safety of their arms, he made a promise to himself: no matter how much it hurt, he would remember that they loved him, that he was never truly alone.