Oneshots and Other Things

Keeping You Close

Happy New Year! I nearly wrote something quite angsty and then decided to be nice instead :p

This is a follow-up to Holding Onto You with the same setup - Ant/Dec/Stephen with 5 random little physical, fluffy prompts. I hope you enjoy :)

(*~*)

Lifting them up...

Like a lot of things, it starts with a bet.

Ever since Stephen complained about having to carry a suitcase up the stairs that morning, Ant has been delighting in calling him weak, pushing his buttons in the effective way that only he and Dec have mastered.

Dec has been waiting patiently for Stephen's temper to boil over as vocal complaints have turned into prods and pushes. And then, as they start to get lunch ready, the inevitable happens.

"I'll prove it," he's saying as Dec walks into the kitchen, treated to Ant's wide grin and Stephen's tight-lipped show of frustration. They all know this is the outcome Ant has been looking for since he started his teasing.

"Alright then," he replies, nodding at Dec. "Pick him up."

Dec raises his eyebrows almost in sync with Stephen who looks him up and down as if weighing up if he can do that rather than seeing if Dec is happy with this particular proposition.

"What does that prove?" he asks eventually, "Dec's small."

"Alright," Dec cuts that off before the two of them put aside their differences and spend the day making height-related jokes. "Do I get a say in this?"

"I don't think you can do it," Ant tells Stephen with a casual shrug that is sure to wind him up.

"Well, we'll see about that," Stephen starts walking over to Dec, neither of them answering his question. "I just don't think it proves anything."

"Do it then," Ant replies teasingly.

With a pointed sigh, Dec shuffles forward dutifully, deciding he's not really drawn the short straw after all. He makes a show of holding his arms out and smiles sweetly at Stephen. They all know he's able to lift Dec, if not with a little difficulty even despite their height difference. Ant is better at it – something that they all know as well – but the bet has been started now.

Dec drapes his arms over Stephen's shoulders as he feels the other man's wrap around him lower down. There is a short huff of air and then he is off the ground, lifting his feet helpfully to make the height Stephen has achieved slightly more impressive. A few seconds later, he is back on the floor and Stephen is back to arguing with Ant.

"See," he says indicatively, making Ant laugh amusedly again.

"Well done, nonsense," he replies sarcastically, wandering over to Dec as if he's owed some attention and settling behind him, hands snaking around his waist and chin dipped onto his shoulder. Dec closes his eyes blissfully and tilts his head to one side to give Ant more space to rest his head.

"Is this your attempt?" Stephen asks after a moment, pulling a groan of complaint from Ant. Dec feels his hands shift and grip tighten, losing contact with the floor a few seconds later. He scrabbles his feet momentarily, taken by surprise, but is soon returned with little effort on Ant's part.

They carry on bickering because Ant argues that lifting someone from behind is harder. Dec blocks it out with ease, feeling his mouth twitch at Ant's unnecessarily defensive tone of voice. The other man doesn't want to be one-upped, far too competitive to let Stephen win a meaningless argument.