Chapter Two

Brendan woke up to the smell of bacon. Sitting up quickly he swung his legs out of bed and padded towards the kitchen, rubbing at his eyes which were still partially closed.

Brendan opened his eyes fully and saw Stephen in the kitchen frying bacon on the cooker. Brendan's mouth watered at the lingering scent in the air and walked towards Stephen, placing his arms around his waist and leaning his chin on his shoulder.

"Something smells good" he drawled, moving his lips to press on Stephen's neck. Stephen shivered a little in his embrace but continued to cook.

"I thought I'd make us bacon sandwiches for breakfast"

"Sounds….tasty" Brendan practically purred.

"Well go and sit at the table and I'll get it ready for you"

Brendan turned towards the kitchen table which was located in the small space separating the kitchen and living room. It wasn't a large flat; just the one bedroom, bathroom, living area and kitchen, but Brendan liked it; especially because it was theirs. He sat at the table where Stephen had laid out orange juice for the both of them as well as the morning paper. Brendan picked it up and began reading while he waited for breakfast to be ready.

Stephen paused with a plate in each hand, cocking his head to the side in wonderment at Brendan.

"What?" Brendan asked suspiciously, putting the newspaper to the side.

"This is just so weird, I can't get used to it"

"What is? Cooking me breakfast?"

"No! Us, living together, acting like any other couple"

"Oh I think we're more interesting than any other couple" Brendan replied, raising his eyebrows.

Stephen smiled, putting the plates down. "I guess that's true. I won't be doing this every morning by the way, I ain't no housewife" He chuckled, taking his seat opposite Brendan.

"Of course" Brendan said, smearing his bacon sandwich with brown sauce and taking a large bite.

Stephen smirked at him, watching him eat. "You are disgusting" he said with amusement.

"Ye better believe it, baby" Brendan said, mouth full of food.

Stephen chuckled and took a small bite out of his own sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. "I don't know what to do with myself today"

"Ye could always come to work" Brendan suggested, licking the brown sauce off of his fingers.

"Fuck off! It's my day off" Stephen said, laughing. "I'll go see the kids obviously but after that…" he paused, lost in thought. "You still okay to have them round here tomorrow?" he asked.

"Ye, sure. Better tidy the place up a bit first"

Stephen glanced around at the various items of clothing strewn across the floor.

"Hm, yeah. We didn't even make it to the bedroom last night"

"Ye say that like it's a bad thing" Brendan raised his eyebrows suggestively. "I won't be too late home, by the way. Maybe around seven"

"Oh really? Not taking the night shift tonight then?"

"Nah, Foxy can do it. The more he's away from my sister, the better"

"That reminds me, we should invite Cheryl round soon, kinda like a housewarming"

"Hm ye" Brendan said distractingly.

"I'd say we could have a proper party but it isn't as though we have many friends between us…and you aren't exactly…" Stephen trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"I'm not exactly what?" Brendan gave Stephen a stern look.

"You know…" Stephen began, fidgeting uncomfortably. "Friendly"

"Excuse me? I am a very friendly person, ye told me so last night"

"Brendan I said: 'oh Brendan, you're amazing, you make me feel so good…' besides it wasn't a fair time to be looking for kind words, you had me against the wall"

"It's as good a time as any" Brendan mumbled. "Alright then, Stephen. This weekend lets invite some people round" Brendan looked determined, he did not like to be proven wrong.

"Bren…"

"No arguments. It's about time we had some…friends" Brendan's lip curled at the thought.

"I guess, but-"

"But nothing. Your butt by the way, last night…" Brendan gazed into the distance wistfully.

"Brendan!" Stephen said, snapping him out of his fantasy. "Who on earth would we invite?"

"Well, it could be an open invite. I'm sure the McQueen girls would be up for a party… Cheryl would come, Amy"

"And Warren?"

"I guess Foxy can come if he wants"

"Anyone else?"

Brendan smirked suddenly, gleefully. "Let's invite Neil"

"You mean Noah?"

"Ye, him"

"Why?" Stephen asked suspiciously.

"Might be…fun"

"Just so you can rub us in his face" Stephen rolled his eyes, taking their plates over to the sink.

"Well ye, I don't want him thinking he can swoop back in and try and steal yer"

Stephen laughed. "Steal me? I do have my own mind you know"

"Hmm" Brendan waved a hand at him. "Still…"

Stephen stood in front of Brendan, one of his arms on his hip. "You really want to do this? The party I mean"

"Ye sound surprised"

"Well you've never been…sociable"

"I work in a club"

"Yeah but you don't exactly interact with people"

"What's yer point?"

Stephen sighed. "Oh nothing. You better go get ready, you'll be late"

Brendan grabbed Stephen's wrist and pulled him onto his lap.

"That's not exactly a friendly goodbye" he whispered into Stephen's ear.

"Fine" Stephen replied and then resumed in giving Brendan a very thorough and moist kiss, leaving them both breathless. "Better?"

"Oh ye…" Brendan smirked, letting Stephen stand up before patting him on the bum.

"Let's go take that shower"

XXX

Brendan put on his best leather before leaving the flat. He walked the short distance towards the village with a spring in his step. If he had known coming out was going to be this good he would have done it sooner. Well, he probably wouldn't have actually.

He arrived at the club ready to get on with his day quickly so he could get home to Stephen. The universe didn't seem to want that for him however…He walked in to find Cheryl crying softly sitting on one of the chairs by the bar. Rushing forwards, Brendan put his arms around her.

"Hey, what's the matter? What's happened?" He asked gently. Cheryl clung to him, burying her face in his chest.

"It's Warren" She said, still sobbing.

Brendan rolled his eyes. "What's he done?"

"He's, he's fallen in love with someone else!" Cheryl sniffled.

Brendan looked towards the ceiling, not needing to ask who but doing so for appearances sake. "Who?"

"Theresa McQueen! I mean, she's only eighteen! How could he possibly be interested in her?" Cheryl started to cry again.

Brendan rubbed her back soothingly. "Blokes like him, Sis, like to have women they can control, women they can take care of. Ye on the other hand are way too strong and confident to need that, that's all it is. Yer well shot of him"

Cheryl's sobs started to reside. "You think so?"

"I know so"

"Thanks, Bren" Cheryl said, wiping her eyes. "Sorry you had to come in and see me like this"

"No need to apologise" Brendan said, moving behind the bar to get Cheryl an orange drink to calm her down a bit. "Do ye need to go home?"

"No, it's okay. Warren won't be in till later anyway and we're both off tonight aren't we? Have you and Ste got anything special planned?" She asked, smiling for the first time since Brendan had came in.

"Nothing special, no. We're planning a party for the weekend though"

Cheryl raised her eyebrows. "A party? You?" She asked suspiciously.

"Ye, why is that such a shock to everyone? It's a flat-warming party, they're a necessity"

"Hardly" Cheryl sighed though, smiling again. "Might be fun though, might take my mind off of Warren… he isn't coming is he?"

"Nah, was only going to invite him because of ye. Truth be told, Sis, I think he's a bit of a dick"

"So do I" Cheryl agreed, laughing.

"I'm glad ye have seen the light"

"Oh, me too. Gonna be weird being single again though…"

"Yer be alright" Brendan said reassuringly. "And me and Stephen are always around, if yer need to come over"

"Thanks, Hun" Cheryl smiled more widely. "I'll just go to the loo, sort my make up out" She leaped off the stool, kissing Brendan's cheek as she passed.

"What's that for?" Brendan asked.

"Just for being the best big brother a girl can ask for" Cheryl flashed him another smile before she left the room.

Warren ascended the stairs cautiously when she had left. Brendan strode over to him, crossing his arms and staring him down.

"So, ye hurt my sister, did ya?" He said threateningly. Partner or not, Warren needed a bit of roughing up.

"Before you start, hear me out" Warren put his hands up in a submissive gesture.

Brendan sighed, letting him pass by. "Explain then, Foxy" he said threateningly.

Warren turned to face him. "You know how I feel about…"

"Theresa" Brendan supplied.

"Yeah, I'd do anything for her"

"Okay, why keep my sister hanging on all this time then?"

"I don't know… why didn't you tell her the truth?"

"Because I never believed Theresa would go for ye, bit young for ye ain't she?"

"I could say the same to you about Ste"

Brendan's face darkened. "I don't like to see my sister upset, it makes me upset, and ye know better than anyone that it's a bad idea to upset me…" Brendan took a step forward menacingly.

"Alright, mate. I know it's bad. But this is a good thing for you, and for her. You never wanted us together in the first place, right?"

Brendan paused, considering this. "I guess that's true…"

"Well let's just shake hands and move on from it then, yeah?" Warren held out a hand. Brendan took it, smiling scarily all the while. He gripped Warren's hand tightly, making Warren wince.

"If ye mess with her again though, Foxy, ye will have me to deal with, got it?"

"Yeah, got it, mate"

"I ain't yer mate" Brendan spat, pulling his hand out of Warren's. "Now get lost, ye? She'll be back in a minute"

"Alright" Warren said, turning to leave. "Say hello to ratboy for me"

Brendan's fists tightened. "One more word, Foxy and I swear…"

"I'm going!" Warren descended the stairs, laughing. Brendan uncurled his fists. He was trying to keep his anger in check for Cheryl's sake but Foxy wasn't making it easy…

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Brendan told a few people about the party; Jacqui and Rhys to name a few. He told them to pass the word along. They looked at him a bit strangely.

"You don't seem like the party type" Jacqui commented dryly, wiping down the bar.

"There are a lot of things people don't know about me" Brendan replied, smiling arrogantly.

"You can say that again" Rhys muttered.

"What's that?" Brendan asked, glaring at Rhys.

"Nothing, we'll be there"

"I'll be there" Jacqui corrected him. "Whether you're going or not makes no difference to me" She swept past, Rhys' face was a picture of desolation. Brendan patted him on the shoulder a bit roughly.

"Tough break" he said, not sounding in the least bit apologetic. Rhys narrowed his eyes at him but said nothing.

At quarter to seven, Brendan was starting to get a bit antsy. Cheryl glanced at him and took pity on him, telling him he could go home now.

"Thanks, Sis!" He called behind himself, already moving towards the stairs. He paused though for a moment. "Ye be okay?" he asked, turning round.

"Yeah, I'll go in a minute. I've got to face him sometime"

"Yer sure? I can stay until he comes…"

"No, that's okay. I need to do this" Cheryl sat up straighter, taking a deep breath.

"I'm proud of yer" Brendan said. Cheryl smiled at him and waved him along to leave.

"Say Hi to Ste for me!" She called after him.

Brendan hurried home, hands in his pockets from the cold air. He took out his key eagerly and let himself into the flat. He paused by the light switch, seeing the darkness of the room. Next moment however his eyes took in the sight of several candles located in different parts of the room creating a luminous glow. Stephen was standing in the kitchen, dressed smartly with two dinners laid out neatly and a bottle of wine on the table.

Brendan was speechless for a moment. No one had ever done something like this for him before; he never believed it was even possible. He strode forward and immediately took Stephen in his arms, kissing him all over.

"Oh I love you" he said huskily, still kissing him.

"Like I said, don't expect this every day" Stephen replied, smiling. "Now sit down, dinners ready"

Brendan complied, sitting opposite Stephen. He fingered the wine, raising his eyebrows questionably.

"Well we can't exactly have whiskey can we?" Stephen teased.

Brendan smirked. "Guess not" he said, pouring them both a glass.

"How was your day, honey?" Stephen asked ironically, stifling a giggle.

Brendan gave him a pointed look. "It was fine, darling. Cheryl was a bit upset though…"

"Oh why?" Stephen asked, concerned.

"Warren broke up with her"

Stephen snorted. "She's better off then"

"My thoughts exactly" Brendan replied, shovelling a mouthful of Shepherd's Pie into his mouth. "This is great, by the way"

"Good" Stephen said, smiling and taking a sip of his wine. He looked even more stunning in this lighting.

"Ye will get a reward for this later" Brendan promised.

Stephen's eyes sparkled. "I didn't do it for the reward"

"No?"

"No. I did it to make you smile" Stephen cocked his head to the side, thoughtful. "It's rare to see you smile like that"

"Well clearly ye bring it out in me"

"I bring out a lot in you…" Stephen teased. Brendan nearly choked on his dinner.

"Later, Stephen. Food first"

"Alright" Stephen said, picking up his fork.

Brendan hesitated for a moment, uncertain. He glanced from the dinner to Stephen who was still smirking unashamedly at him.

"Fuck it" he finally said. "It'll re-heat"

He rose swiftly from his chair and grabbed Stephen's hand, pulling him towards the bedroom. Stephen went along gladly and smiled smugly when Brendan pushed him against the wall, kissing his neck.

"Ah you just can't resist me" he teased.

"Shut up and take yer clothes off" Brendan growled, aroused already.

Stephen did so gladly, pulling at Brendan's trousers when he was fully naked. Brendan assisted him in discarding himself of his clothes and then pushed Stephen back onto the bed, bending down to take him in his mouth.

"This is…some thank you" Stephen stuttered breathlessly.

Brendan smiled with Stephen wrapped around his mouth. He continued to lick and move his mouth along Stephen's member, relishing the taste. Stephen was close to breaking point several times but Brendan slowed down to prevent him climaxing just yet.

"Brendan…." Stephen groaned.

"Patience, Stephen" Brendan said, lubricating himself and slipping him into Stephen. "Don't want ye to come before I'm finished with ye"

Stephen smiled, pulling Brendan's head down so he could kiss him. Brendan kept his hand between Stephen's legs whilst he thrust into him, bringing him to climax at the same time as his own.

Panting and lying on top of him, Brendan slid off carefully and lay beside Stephen, laughing.

"I ruined our nice dinner" he said, not sorry at all.

"Nah, I guessed this would happen. Like you said, we can re-heat" Stephen turned his head to the side, grinning. "I love this, I love you" he said happily, grasping Brendan's hand beside him.

"Come here" Brendan said, pulling Stephen towards him for a kiss. "If every day is like this with ye, I'm gonna die a very happy man"

Stephen smiled at him. "You won't die. You're immortal, right?"

Brendan laughed, wrapping his arms around Stephen's torso. "Oh if only, Stephen, if only…"