Well seen as Dublin is only two weeks away, Yes two weeks! I still remember my squeals when we found the pictures, I thought I'd make another Dublin fic. All set after Brendan has taken Ste back to his flat and shagged the living daylights out of him, this is the morning after ;)' xx

ETA: There is no punch and no JP in this story I promise :)

[Special thanks to all of you on the Brendan Brady/Emmett Scanlan Appreciation Thread On Digitalspy for keeping me sane these past few weeks. I love you guys :)]

'For Keeps'

I still had my eyes closed, unable to prize them apart incase the whole of yesterday was a complete and utter dream. The perfect dream infact, the best dream I could ever have, but obviously so badly wanted to be real. I had Steven again, me and Steven we made love, in the town I like to call home, in my bed, in my flat. I hard ever say the words 'made love.' I never used to make love with anybody, just fuck them senseless. But it was different with Steven, it was tender, sensual even. I didn't want to hurt him, I knew he'd been through alot in the past few weeks and I wanted to take care of him and just, well just be there with him. Forever.

I remember on the bridge a few hours previous when I turned round to notice Steven stood right behind me, giving me the cheesiest, but most beautiful smile you can imagine. 'I've come to tell you something Bren.' Everything ran through my head at that moment, something good? Something bad? Cheryl? The club? It had to be something important for Steven to fly all the way here to tell me in person. 'What?' I replied. 'I want you Brendan...'

I don't remember much after that. I was full of emotion - the best emotion I'd ever felt in my life. He'd come to me! He'd dropped everything at the drop of a hat, just to be here with me. Me of all people, the person who constantly let him down, ruined his life and made him feel like complete and utter shit. I just took him in my embrace, right there, infront of everybody. I didn't even care if people from my childhood were around and noticed me snogging a man's face off. I just wanted to taste him again, feel him. I didn't even reply to him before I'd kissed him, literally hadn't muttered one single word. I was pretty sure my actions did the talking anyway but I felt I owed it to him. 'I love ye Steven, like really, really, really love ye. Thank ye.' 'I love you too Brendan Brady. Now were's this flat of yours?'

I'd held Steven's hand all the way home. That was a first as well actually, I'd never held Steven's hand in public before and I could only count on one hand the amount of times I'd done it in private aswell. That was new, but it somehow felt right. I wanted a public relationship with Steven, I wanted a public love with Steven, I wanted this, what we had to be complete public knowledge and I didn't care what people thought.

So here I was 10AM on a Thursday morning, manoeuvring my hand to the right side of the bed, feeling around the mattress for a warm body, hairless but fucking perfect. I opened my eyes then, in a rush and darted them to the mattress. Nothing was there. Steven wasn't there?! I ran out of bed and towards the door that led onto the kitchen, not even putting any clothes on, as naked as the day I was born. It was my flat though, not like I had any unexpected visitors hanging around. That's when I spotted him leaning over the sink, filling his glass up with water. I strolled over, wrapping my arms around his waist and placing my head tenderly on his shoulder, chin sinking into it. He turned his head to try to face me mumbling 'Morning sleepyhead.'

'Steven we need to talk.'

'Brendan..I meant...'

'No Steven, we need to work out what we both want, how it's gonna work. I'm just gonna make myself look a little more decent..'

I'm pretty sure I heard Steven mumble something along the lines of 'Already do.' Didn't quite catch the full sentence, but god he sure gets my blood pumping...

I sat next to him on the sofa, leaving hardly any gap between us and took his hand in mine.

Steven glanced down at it. 'Oh. Brendan I thought you was gonna throw me out.'

'Why would I do that Steven? I just wanted to talk. We never talk do we? I just wanna like, I dunno, sort stuff out with ye?'

'Like what?'

'Why did ye come... here Steven? Like, I'm obviously...glad you did.. But like...How.. comes?

How the fuck was I not getting these words out. This is how Steven makes me. Vulnerable. I love him with all my heart and he makes me stutter. God I feel so weak when I'm around him, but so powerful at the same time.

'Something was missing from my life, something important, something I don't think I can function without. I missed that something, so thought I'd come and get that something back'

'Steven stop referring to me as a 'something'

'Oh no, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about that watch I gave you all those years ago...'

I grinned then. He's so clever, his comebacks so witty. You wouldn't think he did so bad at school, I suppose it's just his general knowledge that he lacks in, everything else his so good at. 'Oh really? Really Steven?'

'Mhm' Steven nodded and then looked down at our hands. 'Why did you go away Brendan? Why did you leave me'

'I didn't want to Steven.' I took his chin in my hand and moved it so I met his gaze. 'Trust me I really didn't want to leave ye. But I had to. Ye had someone else didn't ye? I couldn't meddle anymore. If I stayed I would have fucked it up for ye. I knew ye were happy with him, ye don't need to deny that..'

'I wasn't Brendan, I wasn't..'

'Well it looked like ye was, anyway ye that's why. I did it for your sake I suppose. I just wanted ye to be happy, that's all I've ever wanted in life.'

'Well I guess you've succeeded in your life then Brendan cos I'm dead happy me. Is this forever now Brendan? Like are we proper together cos I don't think I could handle it if we went back and nothing had changed, I want everybody to know about us, how we're together and everything yeah?'

'Woah slow down there Steven...'

'Are you serious? Brendan I'm not gonna be your dirty little secret anymore! I've left Doug for you!'

Steven stood up then, grabbing his bag.

'No No Steven! Steven! I stood up myself and grabbed his shoulder turning him to face me. 'I meant ye speaking... I meant breathe boy.'

He gets so worked up when he's so passionate about something, that's one thing I love about him. He's dedicated, set in his ways. When he wants something he doesn't fuck around and wait for it to come around, he goes and grabs it.

'What? You mean...'

'Yes Steven. I agree with every single thing ye just said. I want everybody to know ye my boyfriend.'

'Boyfriend?'

'I can call ye my boyfriend right?'

'Course you fucking can! Do you know how long I've waited for you to call me that?'

He jumped up, wrapping his legs around me. Something told me I wasn't going to be gentle anymore like I was last night...

I managed to pull myself away from his kiss for just a moment.. 'This is for keeps Steven'

'I love you Brendan Brady, now please don't just make love to me now... I want to feel you...'

'That can be arranged Steven, that can be arranged' I said as I practically ran to the bedroom with my sexy, young boyfriend.

Hope you enjoyed. I included a few things in there that I want HO to include in the Stendan Story.

1. Ste to wrap his legs around Brendan before they shag :)

2. Brendan to call Ste his boyfriend

3. Mutual I love you's

4. Hand holding [Check!]

5. No John Paul included in the Stendan story please, much love.

Review please :) xx

:D x