A/N Hey people, sorry this is up later than expected, my Wifi went down so couldn't upload earlier. Hope you enjoy!
23rd February 2034
"ALEX, LILY!" Joe shouted from the bottom of the stairs as he impatiently tapped the face of his watch. "COME ON GUYS WE NEED TO GET GOING!"
Joe watched as Dianne walked out of the kitchen with a smug smile on her face. "What?" He questioned, somewhat irritated by her smugness and the smell of the steaming mug of coffee she held in her hands, that he was so desperately craving.
"Nothing." She said coyly. "I suppose it's just nice to see you getting the payback you deserve."
"What payback?" Joe questioned confused.
"These two being late for school is just payback for all the times that I had to wait for you when we used to train."
"Yeah because you're never bloody late to anything are you... Says the woman who was 25 minutes late on our wedding day." Joe retorted as he rolled his eyes at the memory of having to stand awkwardly at the end of the isle whilst his family stared at him wondering if his wife-to-be had stood him up.
"That was not my fault!" The red head said defensively.
"Yeah... Sure it wasn't." He said with a sarcastic stare.
Before Dianne could come up with a reasonable comeback to his suggestive glance, the rumbling sound of several feet rushing down the stairs snapped them back into reality.
"FINALLY!" Joe said whilst throwing his arms up in the air in celebration.
"Have you two got everything?" Dianne questioned, knowing that without fail at least one of them would have forgotten something that they would need for the day.
"Yeah!" The two of them replied in unison.
"Lily, did you pick up your geography text book from the kitchen worktop?"
Lily stopped dead in her tracks before she looked inside of her bag to find the glaring gap in it where that very book should be. "Shit." She mumbled under her breath.
"Language!" Both Joe and Dianne scolded her at the same time as she made her way into the kitchen, grabbing the hefty book off of the worktop and into her bag.
"Right, let's go then." Joe said as he opened the front door, a cold blast of air rushing into the house, making the dog instantly retreat back into the safety of the lounge.
"By guys!" Dianne said as the three of them headed towards the car.
"BY MUM!"
Once they got into the car, the usual early morning conversations about what the two of them had that day at school out of the way, Joe noticed the unusual silence in the car. As ever, Lily was heavily invested by something on her phone, remaining silent apart from the odd sigh or gentle laugh. However today there was a distinct lack of noise coming from his Son. No gentle humming of a catchy song or theme tune. No random remarks. And no unnecessary questions such as 'Daddy, why does that dog have such big ears?'
"You alright Monkey?" He asked as he looked into the rear view mirror to see Alex looking pointedly at the moving traffic out of the window.
"Yeah..." He said softly with a gentle nod of his head.
"Are you sure?" Joe reiterated, feeling unconvinced by his sons previous answer.
"I was just thinking about something."
"Which is..." Joe began, hoping to further his sons thought process.
"You know that yesterday Mummy was telling me about the pictures... In... In the book." Alex began, his gaze now turned onto the front of the car.
"Yeah?"
"Well, Mummy said that you kept it a secret... So how did everyone find out?" He questioned tentatively, almost fearful about the answer he would receive.
"It was in an Instagram post." Lily said somewhat bluntly from her position in the front seat.
"Wait how do you know that?" Joe questioned in surprise that her daughter actually knew about that photo which was put on the internet 4 years before she was even born.
"Ellie's mum used to be a fan of you and Mum so once she found out who I was, Ellie said that her mum basically told her all about what you two used to do and your YouTube and stuff. Then of course Ellie told me to ask if it was all true." She said with a look on her face that told Joe she thought it would be obvious.
"Oh, okay..." Joe said slowly, slightly freaked out about the fact that her daughters friends seemed to know more about his relationship with Dianne than his own children did. "I bet you that you don't know the full story to that photo though do you?"
Looking over to his daughter next to him with a gentle smile across his face, Joe watched as Lily shrugged her shoulders a little, clearly not bothering with the story he was about to tell.
"What happened Daddy?" Alex asked with an adventurous air of excitement from his leaned forward position on the back seat.
"Well, It was the Final of Strictly Come Dancing 2018, and despite all the odds, Mummy and I had made it..."
15th December 2018
Joe stood in his dressing room, looking at himself in the mirror as he pulled on the black and gold matador jacket he would begin the show wearing - the music to Bastille's Pompeii going through his head like a broken record.
"Last show Joe... You've got this mate." He whispered to himself as he smoothed down the black shirt he wore and ran a hand through his red hair. Letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding, Joe felt his attention get diverted by the sound of two gentle knocks on his dressing room door.
"Come in!" He said to the entrant. Turning his head towards the door, Joe felt his nerves instantly calm and a smile widen across his face, as the sight of the sprightly red head he had started this journey with walked through the door.
"Hey you." He said with a soft smile as he enveloped the red head into a gentle hug, the trail end of her hair extensions brushing against the back of his palm as his hands found their usual spot in the small of her back.
"Hey you." She replied softly, revoking the little tradition they had started of addressing each other in the same way every time they saw one another. As she pulled her head out of his chest, Dianne lent up slightly and gently pressed her lips onto his. Something that they didn't usually do before a show, but tonight was a little different.
Noting the smile that grew across her lips as she looked up at him, Joe furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Lipstick?"He questioned as he pointed towards his lips. Shaking her head in return, Dianne looked deeply into the crystal orbs of his irises. "Nope." She began - "Just you."
The two shared a soft silence for a moment before turning back to Joe's original position in front of the mirror. "I still love the way you look in that jacket ya know." Dianne said with a soft smile as she watched his chest rise and fall with the heavy breaths he was taking.
"Thanks." He said with an underlying chuckle in his breath. "I don't know if I can keep it though." He said with a sad smile, as he felt the clamminess of his hands increase as the clock turned closer and closer to the hour.
"How are you feeling then?" She asked, noting the way his foot began to tap nervously on the carpeted floor.
Letting out yet another deep breath, running his hand through his hair once more, Joe looked into the deep hazel stare of the woman who had been the very essence of this journey he had been on. "I'm okay... I think I am anyway. I'm not really nervous for the show anymore, I mean we've done the hard work and this is like our celebration I guess. I'm just... I don't..."
"Go on... Say it." She urged on.
"I'm just nervous for what's going to happen afterwards." Joe said quickly, as if he was ripping off the plaster to his own mind.
"In what way Joseph... Come on talk to me." Di said, her own nerves beginning to creep up knowing that Joe wasn't 100 percent happy in that moment.
"I think a part of me is worried about what's going to happen between you and me now that we've finished. Like what if you don't like me in the same way now that we aren't dancing together... Or what if people are upset we're together... Or what if your parents don't want you to be with some stupid English guy from off the internet... Or - or...."
"Joe stop." Dianne said firmly, stopping his incoherent rambles. "You need to calm down for me Joe... All that stuff, you don't need to worry about okay. Whether my parents or your viewers aren't happy doesn't matter okay. Just as long as we're happy with each other than all those other people don't matter. Besides my Mum already knows that we're dating and she thinks all your videos are hilarious anyway so she's no problem."
"And you?" Joe questioned, a hint of worry still in his voice.
"I'm not going anywhere." She replied simply.
Instantly feeling himself relax a little Joe let out two deep breaths before allowing a smile to spread across his features once again.
"So... One more show huh." He said softly.
"One more show Suggy... One more, and then we can tell people."
Joe nodded in understanding. He and Dianne had been official since week 7. And after being with one another for the past 6 weeks, he was beyond excited to start a proper relationship with the girl who had been his rock for the past 13 weeks. No more secrets. No more lies. No more hidden visits to one another's apartments. No more having to check for cast and crew alike every time they shared a hug, out of fear of being caught out. No more hiding. They could finally be together, and see where this crazy wave would take them.
"Joe, um... Sit down for a second."Dianne said as she gestured to the black leather sofa behind them.
Doing as he was told, Joe silently sat down on the end of it, Dianne sitting so close to him that she was basically sat on half of his right leg. "I know that this partnership has been more than either you or I could have ever expected it to become. But I just want to take this time as your teacher to thank you for these past few weeks. You have been determined, hardworking, competitive, a right laugh and most of all you have been a true gentleman throughout all of this. You would be surprised by the amount of students I have taught which try and take advantage of the close proximity which comes with dancing, and even though you almost have a free pass to that because of the way I feel about you and what we are, you have been nothing but respectful and I can't thank you enough for that. You have made me smile every day without fail. You have changed my outlook on things, and most importantly, you've made me remember why I love my job. I'm so proud of you Joseph Sugg. Never forget that." As Dianne finished her little speech, she lent over to Joe and pressed a gentle kiss onto his cheek.
Before he had a chance to reply, another knock on the door broke the two of them apart, before the formidable smiling features of Stacey Dooley peaked around the gap in the door she had made.
"You two ready for this?" She questioned with a smile.
"Ready as I'll ever be." Joe said as he stood up and took Dianne's hand in his own. Ready to take her onto that dance floor for the last time.
...
Joe found himself being woken up that following morning by a stream of light coming through the pair of curtains he had carelessly left open that night. His hotel room being bathed in a golden light that had become an unwelcome visitor to his pounding head.
"Morning you." Joe looked across to the other side of the room to where the chirpy voice had come from.
"How can you be so happy this early in the morning?" Joe questioned as he watched Dianne walk out of the bathroom. A white towel wrapped around her body - her tanned shoulders glistening slightly as the water droplets from her shower reflected the strong beam of light.
"Because unlike someone I know, I didn't drink half my body weight in alcohol at the after party last night." She said sarcastically as she picked up a glass of water and two paracetamol tablets from her bed side table and passed them across to Joe, who had now just about managed to sit himself upright in bed.
"Was I really that bad?"
"I had to ask Gorka and AJ to help get you up here. They basically carried you all the way up before leaving you to wallow in self pity for a bit." Dianne said as she settled on the side of the bed. Her hand resting on Joe's knee under the covers.
"Shit." He said guiltily as he ran a hand through his hair, before pulling out what seemed to be half a cocktail umbrella which had been stuck in the birds nest on top of his head. "Ugh." He said gently in disgust before chucking the item across the room, causing Dianne to laugh a little.
"Wait, did AJ and Gorka realise you had stayed in here with me?" He asked, panic shooting through his veins at the realisation.
"No I went back to my own room for about an hour so they wouldn't suspect anything. Then I thought that if you were going to throw up or something I should probably be a good girlfriend and help you, or whatever it is i'm supposed to say." She replied with a sarcastic smile.
"Aww. Well thank you for coming back." Joe said with a smile before leaning in towards her for a kiss, however stopping when Dianne abruptly pulled away from him.
"I'm sorry Joe, but not until you've brushed your teeth. You fucking stink babe."
Joe pouted slightly as he watched her stand up and head back into the bathroom, before turning to the side and cupping a hand over his mouth and nose. Breathing out slightly, Joe caught a whiff of his breath - the smell of catering and alcohol from the night before still heavily lingering.
"Yeah... Don't blame her for that one." Joe said with a sigh before getting out of bed and slowly finding his feet, ready for the day.
Once they had made it downstairs for breakfast, Joe and Dianne found themselves chatting away with the cast who had stayed the night at the hotel. And after some gentle apologies for his drunken actions last night to Gorka and AJ, and a conversation with Kevin in which he found out Stacey was responsible for the cocktail umbrella in his hair, he finally made his way out of the hotel, and back to the comfort of his own home.
"Joseph Sugg!" A thick South African accent greeted him as he made his way through the door. The familiar sight of his roommate sat with his bare feet up on the sofa, a large smile across his face, and the echoing sound of gentle music playing through the speaker system.
"Byrooon!" Joe replied in the way he always did whenever he saw him. "How are you mate?"
"Yeah, good thanks bro. And congrats on last night, honestly you where incredible. Speaking of, where's your girl?" Byron questioned with a sarcastic smirk as he watched Joe walk over to the sofa. Joe rolled his eyes slightly, at his remark. Secretly feeling a blush rise up his neck at the thought of that gorgeous woman being 'his'.
"Oh she's at home. She said that she wanted some time to catch up with her roommate who she hadn't seen in what felt like a year, and to get ready for tomorrow."
"Ooh, what's happening tomorrow. Off on a romantic get away are we?" Byron questioned sarcastically, laughing slightly at his own joke.
"Well... Sort of." Joe admitted with a guilty look of pride in his eyes. "Zoe messaged me the other day and asked the two of us if we wanted to head to this like spa and retreat place in these massive tree houses in the forest."
"Ooh, very romantic."
"Well, not that romantic..." Joe began, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he spoke. "My sisters going to be there the entire time." He said with a soft smile, causing Byron to laugh gently.
The two of them chatted for what felt like hours. Catching up on each others lives - the past three months having been such a whirl wind with Joe's time on Strictly and Byron's naturally crazy life taking him wherever it wished. There was an undying love between the two of them. Not in the same way which they both had for their girlfriends, but in the sense that both Byron and Joe couldn't imagine their own life without the other. He was his right hand man, his best mate, and they would always be more than just roommates to one another, no matter where life would take them.
"I'm proud of you Joe... You do know that right." Byron said softly, breaking a brief silence they had shared.
"What?" Joe questioned, almost starstruck by what his usually relaxed friend was saying in such a serious way.
"I'm proud of you... Not just because of Strictly, or because of what you've achieved, but I'm proud of who you are. You are undoubtedly kind, you're funny, and you're your own person which is something hard to come by. And despite what you have, and the fact that you are 'ThatcherJoe'" Byron said, using his fingers as air quotes, "You never lose sight of Joe Sugg. And I love you for that brother. I'm always proud to call you a friend."
Joe couldn't help but smile. The simplicity of Byron's words would usually have been returned by some sarcastic comment about how much he had supposedly been drinking - but something about this occasion told Joe that now was not the time to make a snide comment or remark. Yet instead, now was the time to simply appreciate the man before him, and everything that he'd done.
"Thank you." Joe replied softly.
Byron nodded slightly, before standing up from his position on the sofa. "I'm heading out now Joe... Emily just got back from a shoot in Rome, so I'm going to go pick her up form the airport." He said with a gentle smile as he placed a jacket over his shoulders.
Joe nodded in understanding and allowed his mind to wonder for a brief moment. Ever since he had met Byron, Joe was aware of how much of a ladies man he was. His single life had been filled with casual hook ups and girls of all walks of life throwing themselves at his obviously gorgeous physique, and his handsome features. But with all that attention, all the little petty things which up until a few months ago Joe was sure was the greatest thing a young man living in London could get, Byron was an incredibly humble and lovely man. Especially to the girl that he had recently devoted his life to. And it got Joe thinking... How do you change from wanting everyone and to knowing the signs of whether someone likes you in a dark club somewhere - to settling down and devoting all your time and all your feelings to just one person.
"Byron wait!" Joe said abruptly, stopping Byron from making his way out of the front door. "How do you do it?" Joe questioned almost pleadingly.
"How do you do what?" Byron returned in confusion.
"How do you do this whole boyfriend thing... Because I know that I can make her laugh - and make her smile - but how do I let her know that she's mine.... that - that all I can think about is her, and all I want to think about is her too. How do you do it?"
Byron smiled softly, knowing all to well that it was only a matter of time before Joe came running to him on relationship advice. Shutting the door behind him, Byron walked back towards where Joe was sat on the sofa.
"Are you worried about you and Dianne.... Now that the competitions over?"
Joe looked to the floor, almost embarrassed of his emotions. "Sort of yeah." He said almost inaudibly. "I'm worried that now we won't be stuck in a training room together for 12 hours or so a day, we won't get on and that she'll realise she doesn't have to work with me anymore and will leave.... B-but I don't want her to go... So how do I get her to stay?"
Byron placed a gentle hand on Joe's shoulder, a wide smile strewn across his face as if he had just been asked the easiest question on the planet. "Joe, I'm going to ask you one question... If last night someone told you that you could either win the show and take home glitter ball, or you could chose her, take her home... What would you have picked?"
Joe paused for a moment... His eye line directly in line with Byron's as he looked at him in confusion. The unexpected easiness to his question seeming to throw him of course.
"Well, that's easy...I'd pick her... Obviously I would love to take them both home, but she's a million times more special to me than any trophy is... So yeah, I'd pick Dianne."
Byron couldn't help but smile further, his own heart rate beating with pride at how perfect Joe was for that girl, and in turn how perfect she was for him.
"Why do you ask?" Joe questioned, still confused.
"Because that mentality right there is how you get her to stay... Knowing that she is worth more than something you have dedicated months of tireless work towards... Knowing that she's all you care about... Knowing that she's a million times more special than any reward... Knowing she's yours... That's how you get her to stay."
Without another word said between them, Byron stood up and finally made his way out the door - closing it softly behind him as he did so.
As Joe watched the bolt click shut, he got out his phone, brought up Instagram, and began to type out a message which would change his life forever.
...
23rd February 2034
"And so, on the 16th of December 2018 at just gone six o'clock in the evening, I posted that photo and the whole world found out what Byron said to me that day... But of course not everyone knew that... Not even your Mum knew that at the time."
Joe finished his story as he parked the car in the last remaining spot at his children's school. Turning his eyes off the road to look at the 2 pairs of eyes that were glued onto him.
"So..." He began as he un-clipped his seat belt. "Next time you guys see your Uncle Byron, make sure to give him a hug. Because if it wasn't for him... Well, you kids might never have been born."
The three of them sat in silence for a brief moment. The auspicious moment having struck them all in a way that they didn't quite anticipate.
"But for now have a good day both of you. I love you both so much."
"I love you to Dad." Lily said softly from her place next to him before she made her way out of the car. Helping Alex out of his seat also, before taking a hold of his hand, and walking him away from the car and towards his classroom.
Joe watched them for a moment. Watched as two out of the three people he loved more than anything in the world walked away from him. Smiles on their faces - shoes on their feet - a future right ahead of them.
And in that very moment, Joe was so thankful of the past. More specifically that one lesson he was taught on that cold December evening nearly 16 years ago. A lesson that he carried with him every single day of his life.
"Every day...Till the day I die" Joe whispered to himself gently as he started up the engine, and began to make his way home.