This is a sequel to The Unravelling, and I'm planning on making it a multi-chapter story. Please read that first if you haven't already. Let me know what you think. Thank you x

To Live Again

"Seriously, ye live here?"

Ste looked at Brendan's incredulous face as they walked up the steps to the older man's former home, and gave him a tentative smile. When he smiled back, Ste nudged him playfully.

"Yeah," he replied, keeping his voice quiet as they trailed behind Leela. "Try not to think about the time you got lucky on the living room floor. You know, when you walk in there."

Brendan pondered this and seemed to be considering their chances of a repeat performance. But before he could suggest it, Ste's sister was letting them all into the house.

Sam and Danny were on the sofa waiting for them, and their presence distracted the Irishman from his surroundings.

"You two alright?" Sam asked kindly, a contrast to the tense look on her husband's face.

Ste was beaming. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this happy. He was sure it wasn't healthy, pinning all his future happiness onto Brendan's shoulders; on the promise that this man would stay in his life for good now. But he'd tried to live fully in the time he'd been without him and had found it impossible.

He looked over at Brendan, who had apparently been chatting casually with Sam while Ste savoured how newly uncomplicated his life was.

"Am I really the only one that's going to say something about this?" Danny blurted out, and with the remark Ste briefly mourned the loss of a civil atmosphere. His dad continued in the wake of everyone else's silence. "With all due respect, Brendan – that's if you're even due any – we don't even know you."

"Well I do," Ste replied. His voice was cold now, his face like thunder.

"I'm sorry Ste, but that's not enough of a reason for me to let him live in my house."

"How about remembering that Brendan is actually in the room, Danny?" Sam announced. "And there's the fact that it's not just your house."

Danny sighed in frustration. "Look, I know you want to help him, and I couldn't have a say before but it's different now. He's under our roof. The same roof as our girls."

Ste was about to cut in on their debate himself, but to his surprise Brendan beat him to it. "What are ye implying here, Daniel? That I'm dangerous and some kind of threat to your family? It's a bit late to start playing father of the year, surely."

The older man didn't speak, but neither did he back down. His arms were folded as he stood his ground, and the Irishman merely nodded as if to accept that his perception of the situation was correct.

"If I thought for one moment that Brendan was a risk to anyone I would never have involved myself in his case," Sam retorted firmly. "You should know that, Danny."

"It's alright, Samantha. I'm not sticking around. But thank ye, for everything. I should have said it much sooner." Turning back to the woman's husband, Brendan smiled. "It's not often that I bother to explain myself to people, Daniel, but I'll make an exception for ye because there are some things ye need to know. I love Steven and I would never do anything to harm the people he loves, or anyone else, just for the record."

Leela's mouth hung open, and Sam was smiling as though she'd just watched a scene straight out of a film. Danny remained unmoved, and as Brendan headed for the front door Ste followed, leaving barely an inch of space between their retreating bodies.

As they left the house and reached the bottom of the steps, Ste made a grab for the other man's arm and held him in place. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I-"

"No, I'm not having it, Brendan. It hasn't even been an hour! You've only just promised me you won't leave me again, and now after one bust up with my dad, suddenly you're 'not sticking around'."

He took a few deep breaths, and in the next second felt Brendan's steady hands cradling his face. His touch was gentle and Ste closed his eyes against it, taking it in.

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant in the house, Steven. I'm not staying there, that's all I meant. After everything that's happened, did ye really think I could walk out of your life again? It wasn't easy the first time and a second time would kill me just as much as it would ye. I'm not capable of being without ye, okay? I don't work without ye. So just...calm down, will ye?"

Ste was laughing now, and Brendan pulled back, stunned. "What?"

"I think you're the one who needs to calm down," the younger man replied, catching his breath as his amusement died down. "But it's the same for me. I don't work without you either. I haven't been...I haven't been happy, you know. I tried, but there is no happy ever after without you."

For a moment he was stuck in a memory of the past, of everything that had happened in his life before today. Ste's face was suddenly white and troubled, and Brendan caught the change. He hadn't even looked this concerning when he'd thought he was being abandoned minutes earlier; had been too fired up with anger.

"Steven? What is it, what happened to ye while I was in prison? Did someone hurt ye?"

Ste thought about his mum, about Doug and the countless times he'd had to say goodbye to his kids for lengthy amounts of time. He thought about the fact that Trevor, who had put him in hospital the year before, was living nearby. Then he put it all from his mind and reached out for Brendan's hand.

"I do have stuff I need to tell you, but not today. Just let me have the rest of this day with you, and then I'll tell you everything. Please, Brendan, I just want today to be about us."

Nodding, Brendan let go of his hand so he could pull Ste close for a kiss. Bus as he did so, something stopped him. "You're shaking. Are ye sure everything's alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just..."

"What?"

"It's just that I never thought this day would come and now it's here..." Ste's voice broke as he trailed off, then he glanced up at the Lomax house, aware that his judgemental father was only a few feet away. "Can we not do this here?"

"Where did ye have in mind?" Brendan asked, swinging his bag over his shoulder as they began to walk through the village. "I'd book us a hotel for the night but I've no access to the money from the club yet. All I've got is the bit of cash they give ye when ye leave prison."

"That's not what I meant," Ste said hurriedly, stopping when they reached the entrance to College Coffee. "Here'll do."

"People will stare at ye, ye know. Being here with me."

"I couldn't care less even if Cheryl Cole was in here judging me," he said absently. "Oh wait, she's changed her name now, got remarried, didn't she. French bloke, don't know how to say his last name." He realised he was babbling, but Brendan was grinning at him as they sat down on the sofas. The place was unusually quiet for the time of day.

"I'm honoured ye put me above her, Steven. I'll go and get us some coffee." He was up and over at the counter before Ste could mention what he even wanted to drink. Minutes later, Brendan returned with two cups and as he sat back in his seat, the younger man wasted no time in taking a sip.

"That's exactly how I make mine at home," he announced, surprised.

"Ye thought I'd forgotten?"

Ste gulped back a sentimental sob before it could surface. He put his cup down and shook his head. "I don't know. This is weird. I feel like I'm dreaming. Again..."

But as he thought back to that morning in Dublin a few years ago, he knew that what he was feeling right now was far more surreal. He had pictured being with this man again so many times over the last year, but nothing his head had come up with even remotely matched the situation they were in now. He supposed if things had been different, and Brendan hadn't just been acquitted of murder, they might have aimed for something a bit more memorable than a strained introduction with Ste's new family and a memorised coffee order.

He smirked then, looking at Brendan's own cup. "I bet there's three sugars in that, isn't there?"

The Irishman drained his coffee and wiped the remnants of it from his moustache. "Naturally. So come on, talk to me. How are ye feeling?"

And he looked so worried at the end of that sentence that Ste simply couldn't help himself anymore. He moved his coffee out of the way, leaned right over the table and kissed Brendan senseless. When they finally broke apart, he could taste the sugar from his coffee in his mouth.

"Alive," Ste replied, ignoring the fact that the few customers who sat around them were gawping at them both. "I feel alive."