Aged 4
Ste holds onto his teddy tightly as his mum drops him off. A kind lady takes him by the shoulder and steers him into this large room. There's toys and noisy kids everywhere and little Ste doesn't like this one bit. He stands in a corner and nuzzles teddy as he cries. It's all so scary! A dark haired little boy with bright blue eyes comes over and says to him.
"Whass your name?"
"I'm Ste" He said in between sniffles. His nose was running really bad and he didn't have a tissue.
"Do this" the little boy says wiping his nose on his sleeve. Ste blinks at him uncertainly, his mum would be so cross if he did that. He just blinked at him while the mysterious boy started blowing bubbles out of his nose.
"That's yucky!" Ste said
"But fun!"
"Your voice is funny" Ste pointed out
"Me Da says I wasn't born here. I was born in I…I…Our…land. Yeah I-OUR-LAND"
"Cool, so what's you're name then?"
"Oi'm Brendan" he says blowing another impressively large nose bubble.
They start playing with the toys and Ste's enjoying himself so much he forgets that he needs the toilet and has an accident whilst Brendan's getting another toy. Brendan comes back to find Ste crying again.
"It's OK, you're not alone anymore"
"It's…not that" Ste says sniffling "I…I had an accident and now I'm gonna get told off" he continues
Brendan gets up and walks to his drink. He picks up two cups and walks over to Ste. He tips his cup all over Ste's pants then does the same to himself. Ste looks on bewildered as a member of staff runs over.
"Oh Brendan, you silly boy! You've spilt juice all over poor Steven!" She says yanking Ste up by the arm and grabbing some spare clothes. "How did you get it down you too?" she says raising her eyebrows.
"Dunno but oi'm wet"
"Well of course you are you silly little boy!" She sighs, taking them both into the changing room to get changed into dry clothes. Ste sits on a chair whilst the nursery nurse gets him dressed. Brendan puts his fingers to his lip and Ste nods. Once they're both changed they carry on playing until their parents come to pick them up.
"Oh Mrs Hay" The nursery nurse says as Ste's mum grabs Ste by the hand.
"It's Miss actually"
"Just thought I'd let you know Ste's in borrowed clothes.."
"You didn't have an accident did you?" She says glaring at Ste . Ste's so terrified he just shakes his head
"Oh no, no. One of the children spilt their juice all over him."
Ste's mum nods in understanding and then drags Ste out whilst Brendan waves him off. Ste smiles and waves back at him.
Aged 8
Sitting on the wall side by side in the sun eating their packed lunches. Brendan swings his skinny little stick legs as him and Ste eat their sandwiches. Brendan's is his favourite. Honey sandwiches made by his loving Nana. Brendan peels the bread apart and feels the honey ooze onto his tongue. He waggles his sticky tongue whilst Ste laughs at him. His butty is a horrible paste and the bread is stale. He shudders as he takes another bite.
"Just bin it" Brendan says. If only it was that simple.
"I can't, then I'll be hungry and mum will know I didn't eat my sandwich"
"Have some of mine. Nana always gives me two sandwiches. Plus I have an apple, a pack of crisps and a yoghurt and two penguin bars"
"I have this sandwich and the water the school gives me" Ste says frowning.
Brendan takes the sandwich off of Ste and "accidentally" drops it onto the floor.
"Bren! Now what? I'm really hungry. I was naughty and didn't get any tea last night."
"I told you Steven, share moi lunch. I got plenty." Brendan says passing one of his honey sandwiches over to him. They share Brendan's lunch. Brendan's nan thinks that he's a growing boy with a big appetite so continues to pack him a big lunch and Ste's mum thinks he's only eating his stale sandwiches so she's none the wiser and Ste gets a full tummy.
One day when they're eating their lunch a lad in the year above called Ralph pushes Ste off of the wall so he can walk past. Ste lays on the floor sobbing and bleeding.
"Hey! That's moi Steven"
"Yeah and?" Ralph says
"So no one and I mean NO ONE hurts moi Steven!" Brendan says giving Ralph a shove. He lands in a heap on the floor and then he grabs Brendan by the leg and pulls him off the wall. Brendan hit's the floor hard and can't breathe. He's been winded badly. He knows the feeling and knows he has to hold his breath in order for it to return to normal. Once his breath is back he punches Ralph square on the chin and Ralph swings for Brendan but misses. A teacher shouts and Ralph tries to scarper off but is caught by another teacher. Brendan lays down in front of Ste and holds him close
"It's ok now Steven, he won't hurt you again" Brendan says as a teacher pulls them up. She starts having a goat Brendan but Ste interjects.
"It wasn't him miss, Ralph Randles pushed me off the wall!"
Brendan still gets scolded anyway while they're both being cleaned up. She puts a big plaster on both of Ste's torn up knees and let's them go off and play for the rest of their lunch time.
Age 12
That first day of secondary school and both the boys are nervous as they walk in hand in hand. They sit next to each other all the time and Ste helps Brendan with his science homework whilst Brendan helps Ste with his English. Some of the other lads find it weird that Ste and Brendan are so close but those who went to the same primary school as them are used to it. They settle into secondary school easily and even though they make friends with some others they know that no one will ever get in between Ste and Brendan. They knew everything about each other. Brendan knew that Ste's mum has always beaten him. This was clear when they were about 6 and Brendan found a huge black and angry looking bruise on Ste's knobbly spine.
Brendan and Ste are mates with a few other lads. One of these is called Toby. Brendan and Toby were in the middle of a silly dare game one lunch time whilst Ste sat watching silently.
"Dare you to run into the girls toilets!" Brendan dares Toby
"Easy!" He yells as he runs into the girls toilets. He runs out laughing and an older girl grabs him ad lifts him up holding onto only his ankles.
"This'll teach you ya little wotsit!" She says hanging Toby over the toilet.
"NO, NO, NO" Toby shrieks
"If I put ya down will you promise not to run into the girls toilets again!"
"Yes! Promise" She puts him the right way up and he staggers back out, red faced.
"haha you got caught by a 6th former!"
Toby dusts himself down like he doesn't care. "Right. I dare you to kiss Ste!" He says smiling
"That it?" Brendan says raising one eyebrow as he kisses Ste's cheek. He's done this plenty of times.
"No. On the lips. With tongue"
"Ew! Doesn't that mean I have to lick his tongue?"
"Just do it!"
Brendan leans into Ste with his eyes closed and his lips pursed. Their lips connect, Ste's mouth automatically opens a little bit, giving room for Brendan to slip his tongue in. It's surprisingly nice. Ste has gorgeous lips and they're both enjoying the kiss quite a bit. Brendan pulls away and nods to Toby "Done it"
The Kiss is not mentioned until Ste goes over to Brendan's after school.
"That kiss was… nice" Ste says as Brendan retells the story of his daring victory.
"Yeah it was" Brendan says stopping in his tracks. "Should we… Should we do it again?"
"Ok" Ste says as Brendan crawls over to him and kisses him again. They carry on kissing for ages until Brendan hears the heavy, staggered footsteps of his drunken father heading to Brendan's room. Brendan's dad sees them kissing and he grabs Brendan by the ear, lifts him up and punches him before walking out whilst Ste sits on the floor in shock. He makes his way over to Brendan who's understandably in tears. He holds him and rocks him and shushes him whilst downstairs all the can be heard is Brendan's dad screaming "Dirty little queer"
Aged 16
Ste and Brendan decide to move out into a flat together because both of them are sick to death of their parents. Since the incident with Brendan's dad, him and Ste have been working like mad after school so that they can afford a flat. They put all the money into Brendan's secret bank account as Ste knows that if his mother finds out about the money she'll just blow the lot on alcohol. One day Brendan comes into school with a black eye and a smile.
"Oh my god Brendan!" Ste says hugging him hard. "Did he do this to you?" Ste continues as he examines his poor Brendan's eye.
"Yeah but that's ok"
"No it's not Bren… He"
"Shhh. It's ok Ste. We're moving out. Tonight! I found us a flat and I gave them enough money to keep us there for at least a year before we even have to pay anymore"
Ste looks at him open mouthed. "Really?"
"Yeah. So as soon as school ends I want you to run home and pack your things and meet me by McDonalds in town ok? Everything's gonna be alright Steven. Oi'm gonna look after ye"
"And I'll look after you" Ste says hugging Brendan.
Once school ends Ste rushes back home to pack all of his things into a suitcase that Brendan got him for his last birthday. He's had it hidden under his bed for all this time knowing that he'd one day need it.
He hurriedly packs all of his clothes and a few precious bits including all the presents that Brendan has ever given him for birthdays and Christmases including the odd cheer up present that Brendan got him after his mum had really laid into him.
He leaves a note that simply says goodbye on it for his mum and he runs down to McDonalds. Brendan's already their with a suitcase of his own.
"Hungry?" He says
"Starving"
"Come on then. Oi'm treating you to McDonalds" Brendan says eyes gleaming.
It may not be a big deal to most 16 year olds but Brendan and Ste had never had a take away other than the local chippy with it's pale, limp and greasy chips and that was only on the rare occasion that they could scrape together a bit of money for a portion of chips between the two of them. Years ago Brendan had asked Ste were he would like to try the most and had remembered it up until this very day. He resolved that the second they had enough money to move out he'd treat Steven the way he deserved.
They walk hand in hand and grab a table. Brendan orders for the both of them and comes back with 2 big mac meals and a mcflurry each. It's a bit of work but after a good half hour both the lads have eaten everything. Their stomachs fit to burst. They rest a little bit, chatting excitedly about a new life together without their abusive parents before Brendan finally calls for a taxi to take them to their new flat.
Brendan opens the door with a flourish. The flat is breath taking and Ste can't believe it's just for him and Brendan. They dump their suitcases and lie together on the sofa watching TV. They eventually go to bed. It's a single bedroom flat already furnished with a double bed. To anyone else it might be considered weird but all those times that Brendan cuddled Ste after his mum kicked him out, it was totally normal for them to cuddle up together.
"You are happy with me aren't ya Steven?"
"I've never been happier Bren!" Ste says hugging Brendan tight. "You?"
"Yeah Oi'm happy. Just confused"
"Why you confused Bren?"
"Because I have all these feelings for you. I've had them since before we kissed but I thought nothing of it. Maybe my dad's right… Maybe I am just a dirty queer" He says with his hands behind his head
"Well if that's the case then so am I. I love ya Brendan Brady and I have done for a long time"
"So… it's ok that Oi'm gay?"
"Of course it is Brendan! I don't care whether you're gay, straight, bi or whatever. I'll always love ya" Ste says as he nuzzles into Brendan's chest.
"Oi'll always love ye too Steven, and Oi'm never gonna let anyone hurt moi boy."
"You never have let anyone Bren, you've done me so proud getting us this place."
"Oi just wanted us to be together and to be happy"
"Well I'm happy Brendan, in fact I'm more than happy. This is gonna be the start of a whole new amazing life"
"So long as Oi'm with you and you're happy then that's all I care about" Brendan says kissing the tip of Ste's nose. They fall asleep in a warm embrace, finally free to be together and happy without their abusive parents getting in the way.