Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to Hollyoaks!
Summary: Brendan takes Ste away suddenly on holiday. A request fulfilled for Mishkar Andre :)
A Little Thing Called Jealousy
"Stephen, pack a bag" Brendan was all business, pushing gently past Ste into the flat.
"What? Why?" Ste asked, bewildered. He shouldn't have been surprised really; Brendan often took advantage of his sudden fancies.
"We're going on holiday" Brendan said brusquely, already making his way to Ste's bedroom to fling open his wardrobe, throwing clothes onto the bed.
"When?" Ste asked stupidly. Brendan was sniffing in distaste at some of his outfits. He was already lifting Ste's suitcase from above the wardrobe where it had been since Disney.
"Now" Brendan said abruptly, already packing Ste's clothes.
"Will you stop a minute?" Ste said, exasperated. He grabbed Brendan's wrists. "What's going on?"
"We have to…go away for a while" Brendan said cagily. It was only now that Ste realised he was sweating. There was a slight tremor to his hands which alarmed Ste profoundly.
"Bren…" Ste said, softer. "Has something happened?"
Brendan paused, turning his head to Ste as though acknowledging him for the first time. He reached out to place his hand against Ste's cheek.
"I just want to make things up to ye, please?" Brendan's blue eyes were gentle and pleading. Ste opened his mouth to ask more but Brendan swallowed his reply with an urgent kiss. As often occurred with Brendan's kisses, Ste lost his willpower.
"Alright" he agreed, pulling away. "I'll pack; you go do whatever you need to do…"
Brendan grinned, kissing Ste once more lightly on the lips before departing swiftly through the door. "Ye won't regret this!" He called out from behind him.
"I hope not" Ste murmured.
xxx
Hours later they were riding on the Eurostar to Paris. Brendan was twitchy and silent, making Ste feel extremely ill at ease. He rose from his seat in a bid to take a walk but Brendan immediately grabbed his hand.
"Where are ye going?"
"Just wanted to stretch my legs…" Ste said, astonished by the pressure Brendan was placing on his hand.
"I'll come with ye" Brendan said, rising swiftly from his seat and half carrying Ste down the corridor.
Ste, deciding it was best not to argue when Brendan was in this mood, complied with Brendan's odd behaviour.
They arrived in Paris without further incident. Brendan had hired them a car, driving with ease through the streets of Paris and making Ste think he had been here before. With another lover perhaps? The thought made his stomach churn uncomfortably.
They ate dinner at the restaurant; both of them opting for burgers with a cider. Ste chewed thoughtfully, every now and then glancing up at Brendan, waiting for him to explain what this was all about. Brendan smiled at him, sipping his drink.
"Everything okay, Stephen?"
Ste nodded slowly, smiling awkwardly at Brendan. "Why are we here? How did we both get time off so quickly? How did you convince Amy I should go?" All of Ste's burning questions shot out of him unceremoniously. "Is something wrong? Are you in trouble? Should I be worried?"
Brendan leaned across the table, placing his finger against Ste's lips. "Shh, it's nothing. Just some, ah, bad business. Plus I figured ye needed a break, which is what I told Cheryl to get time off and what I told Amy as well. Nothing to worry about, alright?"
"Okay" Ste said throatily, managing a small smile.
Brendan resumed his ordinary position. "What would ye like to do tonight? Go out somewhere? I know of a good club just down the road. We can see our competition" Brendan grinned, making Ste feel more at ease.
"I'd like that" he said, his voice impossibly small.
"What else?" Brendan asked pointedly, raising his eyebrows. Ste looked up at him in surprise.
"How do you know there's something else?"
"I can just tell, Stephen. Spit it out"
Ste sighed, fingering his glass in front of him. "Have you been here before? With other men?"
Brendan's expression tightened. "Of course not" he said blankly. "Strictly business. Why would ye ask that?"
Ste shrugged, feeling self conscious. "I dunno. I just wonder sometimes about you and other blokes…"
"Why?" Brendan asked sharply. "I don't like to think of… there hasn't been anyone else who…" Brendan ran his hand through his hair as he was wont to do when he was tense or nervous.
"You get jealous of me and other blokes" Ste pointed out. "So why can't I?"
Brendan lifted his eyebrows, almost looking amused. "I get jealous? Me?" He gestured to himself.
"You do" Ste said, smiling once more. "Noah, for example"
"Oh that-"
"Bren"
"Sorry. That's different though. He's in the past; ye are mine, aren't ya?" Brendan almost sounded unsure of himself, startling Ste.
"Of course I am. And you're mine, yeah?"
Brendan nodded, reaching across the table to pat Ste's hand. "Always" he said gruffly.
"Forget I said anything" Ste said, shaking his head. "I was being stupid"
"Ye weren't" Brendan said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "But no, I haven't taken any other men away with me. I don't do that with just anyone ye know"
Ste smirked a little. "Glad to hear it"
Brendan nodded, satisfied. "Ready to go?"
"Sure"
Brendan led Ste out of the restaurant, his hand at the small of his back in an almost possessive gesture. Although in Brendan's case, there was no question.
After a quickie in the hotel room, they were out for the evening. The club itself was only a short walk from the hotel. They walked in silence; Brendan's dark suit silhouetted against the night sky. Ste felt oddly important walking beside this strong, assertive man.
Brendan got them inside straight away; he seemed to know the bouncer, a surly looking man who gave Ste an appreciative look which made Ste's blood run cold. Brendan wrapped an arm around his waist, marking his property. The bouncer's smile faded.
"Go straight in, Brady"
Brendan nodded respectfully, leading Ste inside. The club was nothing special and it certainly wasn't a gay club. Ste wasn't too disappointed; any night out in public with Brendan was cherished. It was getting easier, this relationship business. Brendan was getting better. He just wanted to make Ste happy and Ste suspected he was tired of hiding his true self from the world.
Brendan ordered them drinks from the bar, finding them a quiet corner in which to sit. Again Ste wasn't disappointed. He knew that Brendan liked his privacy and the added bonus was that Brendan was happy to kiss and embrace him in the confines of their own space, almost as though he decided to block everyone else out of the room from his mind.
Ste curled himself around Brendan's body, nipping gently at his neck. Brendan's hand raked down Ste's spine, making him shiver. It was all the more exciting knowing that they were in public, albeit unseen. Brendan held Ste close to him, his nose nuzzling against Ste's neck and then bringing their faces close together as they kissed tenderly, their noses brushing each others. Breaking away, Ste glanced to a point behind Brendan. There was a young man leaning casually against the bar. Dark haired, around Ste's age, cock of the walk. Ste vaguely recognised him. Brendan kissed along his neck, attempting to bring his attention back to himself. Ste tried to look away but found himself unable to. There was something niggling at him, a truth that needed to be uncovered.
Sighing in exasperation, Brendan looked Ste squarely in the eyes.
"Who the fuck are ye staring at?" He glanced around swiftly, locking eyes with the man in question. "Who the fuck is that? Why is he looking at ye?"
"I know him" Ste said slowly, realisation dawning on him.
"Who?" Brendan asked bluntly.
"Callum" Ste said in wonderment.
It took Brendan a moment to realise who Callum was. "Yer mate from inside?" Brendan's back stiffened. "Let's go"
"What? Why? He's coming over here"
"Stephen" Brendan said, almost desperate. "Let's go"
But it was too late. Callum came over to their table, his grin wide and infectious. Ste found himself standing, Brendan's hand gripped in his own.
"Callum…what are you doing here?" Ste asked, tilting his head to the side to get a proper look at him. He looked good; mature and attractive. His dark hair hung loosely to his chin, his blue eyes were as bright and sparkling as Ste remembered. Brendan's hand gripped his tighter.
"I live here" Callum said, gesturing to the space around him.
"I didn't know people could live in clubs" Brendan said dryly. Callum gave him an odd look.
"This is Brendan" Ste said by way of introduction. He faltered, gathering his courage. "My boyfriend"
Brendan's back straightened proudly. Callum's eyes widened, glancing between the two of them.
"I see" he simply said. "Couldn't have worked that out sooner?"
There was an odd tone to Callum's voice that Ste didn't like. And neither did Brendan apparently.
"Meaning?" Brendan asked tensely.
"Oh, nothing" Callum said offhandedly. "Can I buy you a drink? It's really nice seeing you again" Callum's smile was firmly back in place.
"Sure" Ste said. "You too, Bren?"
Brendan looked between the two of them, apparently deliberating something. "I'll wait here, ye can go"
Ste looked at him in confusion but Callum was already pulling him away. "Your boyfriend is kind of intense, isn't he?"
"He's…protective" Ste finished lamely.
"How did you even end up with someone like that?" Callum asked, ordering them some drinks. He didn't take his eyes off of Ste.
Ste shrugged. "Long story. Well, it isn't really. I work for him"
Callum's eyes sparkled. "Ah it's like that, is it?"
"Like what?" Ste asked, frowning.
"Youknow" Callum said, raising his eyebrows. "Didn't take you to be a sub, Ste"
"Excuse me?" Ste was flustered and undoubtedly bright red. Callum was laughing, his hand on Ste's arm.
"I'm kidding! Well, kind of. Listen as long as you're happy"
"I am" Ste said confidently. "I love him"
Callum's eyebrows rose even higher. "You do? Right, that's serious then"
Ste nodded, sipping his drink. "He loves me too"
"I should hope so!" Callum said, some of his sparkle ceasing. "Hey, do you wanna dance?"
"Sure" Ste said, downing his drink in one. He promised Brendan that he wouldn't get too drunk tonight but seeing Callum again and being in another country was making Ste feel particularly giddy.
Callum led him to the dance floor. Ste glanced over at his table with Brendan, unable to see him in the darkness of the club. Just one dance and he would return. He didn't want Brendan to be in a mood with him over this.
"Hey, where's your head at?" Callum shouted above the music, placing his hands at Ste's hips in a bid to make him dance. Ste recoiled instantly. Callum's expression darkened. "You aren't scared of him, are you?"
"No" Ste said stubbornly.
"Good" Callum grinned again. Ste remembered how his moods could shift at the drop of a hat. It was one of the reasons he had been put inside for GBH, after all.
They danced for a while, the club becoming steadily packed. Bodies were pressing in on every side, pushing them inevitably closer together. Ste felt very uncomfortable. He could feel someone watching him and he was in no doubt who it was. A few men approached him, their eyes raking his skinny form with his skinny jeans and blue shirt; one that Brendan had picked out for him.
"Goes with yer eyes, Stephen" he had said, half-amused.
Ste turned his back to them however and often Callum would wrap a reassuring arm around his shoulder. Ste wasn't sure he liked that. It reminded him too much of Brendan. He really ought to get back to him…
"Ste" Callum said, suddenly serious. "Can I speak to you in private a minute?"
Ste glanced around nervously. "Um"
"Only take a minute, promise" Callum flashed him that grin again, taking Ste by the wrist to a quieter corner.
"What is it?" Ste asked in a hushed voice.
"You never got in contact" Callum said bluntly. "You said you'd write when you were released and come visit me. Why didn't you?"
Ste felt intensely uncomfortable. "I, well, remember Amy?"
Callum nodded, his expression dark.
"It would have sounded weird… me going back to the prison all the time and writing to someone. I didn't want her to ask awkward questions"
"But we were friends, Ste! Surely Amy would have understood that?"
Ste shrugged. "Just didn't feel right" he murmured.
Callum sighed, gripping his shoulders. "And it feels right with this Brendan bloke? Really?" Callum sounded sceptical.
Ste looked at him indignantly. "I told you, I love him!"
Callum rolled his eyes. "Is that enough?"
"Yes!" Ste said, becoming annoyed. "It's none of your business anyway!"
"Alright, sorry" Callum said, relenting. "But listen, I thought about you all the time when you left… even to this day-"
"Well I don't" Ste said a little too harshly. "Sorry" he added.
"It's okay; I don't expect you to…" Callum looked down.
"I have thought of you…" Ste admitted. "When me and Brendan first, well…"
"He knows about me" Callum said, nodding to himself.
"Yeah"
"He doesn't mind you going off with me now?"
"No…" Ste said uncertainly.
Callum smiled. "Sure"
Ste rolled his eyes, grinning in exasperation. "Can you blame him though?"
Callum shrugged. "If he trusts you…"
"He does" Ste said confidently.
"Okay" Callum sounded put out. "How long are you here for? We could meet up again maybe…"
"Oh, I don't know, Callum…"
"Why not?"
"I'm here with Bren"
"And do you do everything he says?"
"What? No!"
"You get so jumpy" Callum sighed. "I suppose I should let you go back to him…"
"Yeah" Ste agreed.
Ste should have anticipated what was about to happen. Callum got that look on his face, that familiar look that Brendan got whenever he looked at Ste, as though he wanted to devour him whole, wrap himself around him irrevocably. Before Ste knew what was happening, Callum kissed him.
Ste immediately pushed him away. "What are you doing? I'm taken!"
Callum rolled his eyes. "Can't blame a guy for trying" he moved in again but Ste backed away.
"Fuck off!" Ste shoved past him, Callum calling his name. He went back to their table, his hands shaking in anger. Brendan wasn't there. Ste placed his hands on the table, wincing as a piece of glass almost cut him. His eyes widened at the sight of the shattered glass on the table once before containing whiskey. Ste shot outside as quickly as possible.
"Bren!" He called out desperately. "It's not what you think! He kissed me, I pushed him away"
Suddenly a pair of arms grabbed him around the waist, pulling him into an alley. He gasped, about to cry out until he felt Brendan's moustache tickling his ear.
"Stephen" he breathed. Ste could practically taste the alcohol on his breath.
"Did you hear me? I didn't do anything, I swear"
"I know, its okay" Brendan was shaking. Ste threw himself fully into his arms, clutching him tightly.
"I didn't want him to kiss me. I only want you to kiss me"
Brendan chuckled, holding Ste closer. "I can comply with that"
He pulled away, claiming Ste's lips with such a gentle grace that Ste was almost overwhelmed. He immediately felt aroused, pushing his body against Brendan's eagerly. Brendan smirked, tugging at Ste's trousers as well as his own.
"Eager aren't we?"
Ste nodded. "I just want you to be inside me" he breathed. Brendan looked at him, astonished. He grabbed Ste suddenly, kissing him ferociously. Ste kissed him back just as keenly, fumbling to prepare himself in the process.
It wasn't long before Brendan had Ste pushed up against the wall, buried deep inside of him. Their groans were muffled by the kisses they shared. Ste's hands wrapped around Brendan's neck, clinging for dear life and loving the idea that Brendan was his one lifeline.
They climaxed together, their breaths shared in one ghostly wisp of air, their fingers tightened around each other desperately. Ste rested his forehead against Brendan's, breathing hard.
"Incredible" he said breathlessly.
"I know I am" Brendan agreed sardonically.
"I love you" Ste whispered. Callum couldn't be further from his mind if he tried.
"Love ye too" Brendan murmured, almost shyly. "Can we go back now?"
"Of course" Ste agreed.
They re-arranged their clothes and began walking back towards the hotel. Brendan had his arm around Ste's shoulder, pulling him towards him for a kiss. They walked along in companionable silence for some time until Brendan broke it.
"I was scared" he said so quietly Ste almost didn't hear him.
"Of Callum?" Ste asked.
"No, not him" Brendan's tone was dark. "Foxy's been…saying things"
Ste listened quietly.
"He doesn't normally rattle me so much but ever since I got out of prison he's been so fucking cocky"
Ste gripped Brendan's arm sympathetically. "And?"
"And he's desperate to keep the club to himself, he'll say anything…"
Ste nodded in understanding. "You don't need to say any more, I can imagine what he said…"
Brendan looked to the sky. "How many people out there are going to try and take ye away from me? Can I stop all of them?"
"Don't say that" Ste said sharply. "I'm not leaving your side, alright? I can get just as attached as you can"
Brendan laughed low in his throat. "Impossible" he murmured.
"It really isn't. We're in this together, alright? Your problems are my problems"
Brendan looked at Ste, his lips arching into an easy smile. "What did I do to deserve ye, hm?"
Ste shrugged, wrapping his arms around Brendan's waist. "Whatever it was I'm not complaining"
"Too right" Brendan replied quietly, allowing Ste to hold him in the only way he knew how; unrestrained and full of devotion and contentment.
