Stronger Together

Only Love

A/N - This was a tough story to write - I really had to work at it, so I hope it's okay! Many, many thanks go to Kashariak for the amazing prompt for this story. She really does have the most fantastic ideas, and if you've never checked out her stories, I urge you to go there now (or just as soon as you've finished reading this!). So thank you, and I hope I did your idea justice! ❤ 

'5...[A nervous gulp]...4...[Twitching fingers]...3...[Uneasy shifting from foot to foot]...2...[A visible shiver down his spine]...1...[A full-body flinch]...Roll the titles!' Standing backstage together, Ant and Dec listened tensely to the countdown to the first live semi-final of Britain's Got Talent 2019. Or rather, Ant listened while Dec observed him, his mind completely zoning out of the countdown as he noted his friend's obvious anxiety. They had nearly two minutes left before they went live to the nation together for the first time in over a year, and both boys were understandably very nervous, especially as the show opener was hardly a walk in the park for them. But Dec was more concerned about Ant at the moment than the fact that they had to perform an intricate song and dance routine starting in about a minute and a half. Ant was now chewing on his lip, his right foot tapping out an irregular staccato beat on the floor. "Ant, look at me," Dec nudged Ant's elbow, jostling him out of his panicked train of thought. As Ant's worried, slightly frantic eyes met his own, Dec let out a little sigh and squeezed Ant's arm before pulling him in for a hug. Their cheeks pressed up against each other, Dec took the opportunity to whisper into Ant's ear, for only him to hear, "I believe in you, and so does everyone else. We all want you back, and you know it. And if you need me, I'll be right there beside you. It's going to be great; I can't wait to be back up there with you!" Pep talk finished, Dec gave Ant one final reassuring pat on the back, reclaiming his place on Ant's left side while their countdown to going live began.

An appreciative smile lighting his eyes, Ant took a deep breath as he and Dec stepped up to their mark in perfect sync. Maybe this was going to be all right, Ant thought to himself, glancing again at Dec who had now switched into professional mode....He seemed different somehow to how he used to be before a show. They both always went quiet in the minutes before a live show started, but Dec would always still be up for cracking a joke, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. Now he looked frighteningly serious, a moment of extreme vulnerability showing on his face before a flinty mask of stoic resilience covered it, almost like he was gearing up for battle. Was this what Declan Donnelly, the solo performer, looked like? Ant ran out of time to ponder this sudden change in his friend as the music to their routine blared through their headsets. Feeling an arm wrap around his lower back for a brief moment, Ant turned his head to see Dec giving him a tight, but encouraging, grin. They were now mere seconds away from going live, and the butterflies in both men's stomachs were going wild as they cleared their throats one last time before their microphones switched on. Minds now fully focused on the task at hand, the boys began the routine, striding briskly 'round the corner, Dec slightly in front of Ant: 'All on one show, ready to go, live on BGT!'

Entering the theatre to rapturous applause from the audience, Ant and Dec were officially back, interacting with the crowd as they made their way down towards the stage. Dec wore a broad smile, a light in his eyes that hadn't been seen on live telly since March 2018, while Ant looked more nervous, his intense concentration on remembering the song's lyrics and choreography evidenced in his tense features. Ant was beginning to enjoy himself, however – man, had he missed doing live telly – and was soaking it all in, savoring the buzz that came with their job. It was all going really well he thought, until they got to the bit with the judges. He and Dec were each supposed to pull a pair of ladies' knickers out from behind each of the female judges, pretending to steal Alesha and Amanda's underwear before tossing the undergarments behind them. It all went a bit pear-shaped for Ant at this point, as his nerves had increased his clumsiness substantially, resulting in him completely missing the pair of underwear draped over the back of Alesha's chair and pulling up nothing but air in his closed fist. His heart stopping for a moment, Ant raised his gaze to the camera – had everyone watching at home seen his blunder, were they now laughing at him, making jokes about him being uncoordinated because he was a "druggie drink driver" (a cruelly unfair description of himself that he had seen so many times on social media that it was now deeply ingrained in his mind)? 'Stop it!' Ant scolded himself, realizing that his moment of tortured panic had cost him a second of time as he was now slightly out of sync with Dec. Recovering quickly, Ant cleared his mind of anything but the task at hand as he and Dec leapt off of the judge's platform and skipped over to the stairs leading to the Hammersmith Apollo's stage. Despite a judge's buzzer ringing out unexpectedly, neither man flinched, carrying on with the routine as if nothing had happened. Ah, here came their favorite bit of the piece – 'It's...Good...Ti-...ming!' Now back in perfect sync, the boys jogged onto the stage and up onto the set where the backing choir were standing.