1. Count

It wasn't something he'd done before. Though having said that, most of the times they'd been here before were only quickies, behind closed doors, never longer than necessary unless Brendan could really help it (and very often, he couldn't, but he still hadn't allowed himself the luxury nonetheless). But it was different now, and as Ste lay sleeping, butt-naked and tangled in the sheets of his bed and snoring loudly, Brendan propped himself up on one elbow beside him. Meticulously he counted every blemish, scar and mole covering Steven's back; imperfect flicks of paint on a perfect golden canvas, illuminated by the early morning sun, burning the image and the exact number in his mind. He hadn't slept a wink.

2. Ride

It was a favourite position of theirs, cowboy. Reverse or forward-facing, it was divine. The first push in, hard and heady and deep and spine-shatteringly good. The slow, drawn out pull as his body released the older man's cock and slid back down again, forcing it into himself and letting out an obscene groan of satisfaction. He carried on like that, completely unaware of the effect he had on Brendan- like he always was. It was probably a confidence thing.

Brendan gripped his hips and stroked his hand up his back, pushing the younger man forward to lay down on him so they were chest-to-chest. The same hand stroked upwards and buried itself in Steven's dark blond hair, groaning into his neck as he thrust upwards, Ste's own moans muffling into the pillow near his head as they climaxed.

3. Seven

Seven years. He still couldn't believe it to this day. But as he looked down at the silly little cake Steven had made for the occasion, he didn't have the heart not to celebrate. He wasn't really one for anniversaries, really; when he was married to Eileen he had to be reminded more or less every year. But with Steven he always remembered. Of course, the fact that their anniversary was at Christmas helped somewhat.

"Go on then, blow it out," Steven said with a wide grin, making the lines that had started to appear around his eyes a little deeper. Brendan looked pointedly at the blue candle in the shape of a number seven and then wiped at some of the flour that had got stuck to his face affectionately.

"Shouldn't we really do it together?" He asked. "It's not my birthday. It's sort of ours."

His eyes glittered with affection at that. "Alright then." He replied after a minute. "Don't forget to make a wish."

Rolling his eyes, they blew the candle out at the same time.

Seven more.

4. Poke

Poke

What the hell was that? On your right thigh, jabbing against your leg.

Poke

"That better not be what I think it is."

A muffled giggle from the same direction, then a rather loud belch. He'd been out with Amy whilst she was on one of her occasional visits to Hollyoaks.

Right. Brendan sat up suddenly, surprising the younger man who let out a startled yelp as he was suddenly tackled onto the mattress. Brendan covered him with kisses and Ste laughed that ridiculous donkey laugh he'd come to be oddly dependent on to put him in a good mood.

"Brendan!" Ste called out drunkenly from beneath him, trying to stifle his giggles as the older man nibbled and licked his neck. "That tickles!"

"Ye call that a poke?" He asked as Ste squirmed beneath him wildly. "I'll show you what it's like to be fuckin' poked, boy." Ste cackled in response, and Brendan laughed back at him perversely.

It was a very good night.

5. Operation

Ste sat on the uncomfortable waiting room chair, fidgeting nervously. His knees were bouncing constantly and his hands gripped them like vices as he waited for news on his lover's condition. He hated waiting rooms. They were always filled with those gigantic chairs you had in primary school, upholstered with that scratchy, worn fabric. Biting his lip, he glanced up at the clock for what must've been the twelfth time that hour.

"Ste, love, relax. It's a three hour operation, he's been in there for an hour and a half, will you just calm down a bit?" Cheryl said from beside him.

"I can't," he replied, shaking his head and sighing. "What if it were the other way round, eh? What if he's not okay? What if he doesn't-"

"There's no use thinking like that, Ste. He'll be fine. The doctor said he's an ideal candidate for this."

"But-"

"But nothing. It'll be fine."

Turned out, it was. But Brendan sure did milk having Ste has his personal servant as he recovered. Ste was happy to look after him but he drew the line at the request to wear nothing but an apron when serving him food and smacked the older man upside the head for even considering it.

6. Sun

They were in Florida.

It was odd how things had turned out. It was the place they'd agreed to visit all those years ago now, when things weren't as good as they were now. It had been the holiday that never was; when Brendan had taken Ste's ultimatum and shattered his heart with it. They'd parted for the longest time ever after that. It'd felt like an eternity to both men.

But now, here they were, with both of their kids, and just them, at Disneyland. Oddly, it'd felt like a dream come true; a dream he hadn't even realised he'd had. Walking through the park with Brendan's hand clasped in his as Declan and Paddy walked ahead, holding hands with Leah and Lucas between them, the warm Florida sun beating down on their backs.

It was better than Ste could've imagined.

7. Excursion

Brendan wasn't sure how it happened exactly, but they'd gone into Chester to get his car put through it's MOT and do some shopping and somehow they had ended up in a dodgy B&B in Scarborough with a giant stuffed animal, an obscene amount of junk food, several cheap cans of lager and more silver coins than anyone would ever want.

It was a mystery. There had been the fleeting glance of an unpleasantly familiar face from years ago, then a lot of swearing, and a lot of arguing, and then a lot of unbelievably passionate sex on the creaky, ancient bed that squawked like an elderly, prudish relative who'd caught them in the act every time Brendan thrust into the younger man. But that didn't stop them. Steven's legs had locked themselves around his back and his moans and screams of pleasure had escalated until the landlady was banging on their door. They were asked to leave, unsurprisingly, and their mischievous, boyish grins plastered on their faces on their way out were met with an unimpressed glare.

Brendan was fairly certain that nobody was going to follow them after that commotion.

8. Old

Brendan stared at himself in the mirror, taking his glasses off and then putting them back on again. When he didn't wear his glasses, he could ignore the dark creases around his eyes, the slightly sparser hair atop his head and the grey at his temples. He could pretend, with his worsening eye sight, that he was still King-Ding-A-Ling, able to seduce any bloke he wanted into his bed with nowt more than a wink and a smile. Truth be told, he probably still could. But that wasn't his game anymore. Now, there was only one bloke he wanted in his bed and he slept there every night.

Steven walked up behind him, his hair still thick and blond (with only a slightly receding hairline), his eyes dotted with little crow's feet and deepened laughter lines. His skin was still golden though, and his smile and his eyes with their Bambi lashes made him look youthful as ever. But it was hard to believe sometimes that he was that same scrawny little waif who'd worked in his club.

"Hey," he whispered, his arms locking around the older man's shoulders. "You look gorgeous."

He sighed and looked at him affectionately. "It's a bit hard to remember that when you're around," he replied, and leaned back to kiss his laughing mouth deeply.

Brendan reasoned that it just meant that they'd been together a long time, and that felt infinitely better than looking young.

9. Halcyon

Ste's mind wasn't really registering much. There was the gentle hum of the fan in the corner of their bedroom, the soft breeze coming in through the window and rustling the curtain. It was a hot June day, and he was covered in a thin sheen of sweat on his naked body that he'd built up on his walk to the kitchen and back a little while ago. They said it was a heat wave on the news. The kind where you couldn't even bear to be outside. They weren't fucking joking.

Brendan was laying next to him on his stomach, naked, a book cradled in his hands against the pillows. Ste turned to face him and opened his eyes, looking over at his face. Bringing one hand up, he stroked the side of his face with one finger languidly. Brendan kissed it as it neared his mouth, not taking his eyes off his book but smiling, and Ste smiled back peacefully. Today was a perfect day. It was a Bank Holiday so they'd not been in work. There were no kids around, as they'd since gone back to Amy's upon her return from Namibia. They were in their own place, at last. It was perfect. No worries. No stress.

Bliss.

10. Mouse

Brendan almost died of laughter at the scene which welcomed him home. Steven was stood on a chair in the middle of the kitchen, broomstick in hand, looking as though he was about to be sent into battle with it. He was looking around the floor a bit wildly, not even registering his lover's return.

"Hello?" Brendan called again.

"Hiyer," Ste replied, but didn't take his eyes off the floor. "There's a mouse in here."

Brendan stifled a laugh. He was reminded of a scene in a 1950s cartoon of a housewife doing just the same thing. "Where did it go?"

"Under that unit there," Ste replied, nodding towards the one he was pointing the broom at.

"Let me," Brendan said. After a few minutes, Brendan didn't need to catch the animal, as behind the unit was an old mousetrap which looked like it had been there for some time, but had only very recently been activated, so to speak. He then dumped it unceremoniously outside the back door and into the rubbish collection.

After some bickering over the cruelty of the whole affair, Brendan lost patience and simply lifted the other man, bridal-style, off of the kitchen chair and carried him into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. It had been a long day, and despite the younger man's outraged flailing, Brendan was determined to bring it to a pleasurable end.