Thankyou to everyone who read, followed, favourited and most of all reviewed Chapter 1! It really does encourage me to write faster!
With that in mind, this chapter is dedicated lovingly to: shoppinglegends, franceGLfan, Mondo91, MaryArtenis, DarkRaiser91 ! Thankyou all!
"So who is he?" Kyle wanted to know, bouncing infectiously by Ste's unresponsive side. Ste looked at him blankly - who was this guy again?
"The guy that Cheryl and Walker and yourself are freaking out over?" Kyle prompted, the smile fading slightly as he took another glance in Brendan's direction. That nearly shattered his heart – Kyle, his brilliant, untainted boyfriend, looking at Brendan.
Ste shrugged, hoping that Kyle would just drop it. He didn't think he could stand for Kyle, too, to be associated forever with Brendan in his mind.
Ste had missed thinking his name...
No, he hadn't! That was a stupid thought and he didn't know why he'd had it! He'd been over Brendan for years, well before he met Kyle. And he loved Kyle.
"Why's he here?" Cheryl appeared by their side, her eyes wide and Walker not far behind, his plans of escorting her out of sight apparently dashed.
Ste shrugged again, he didn't trust himself to talk.
"Joel will have invited him," Walker said calmly. Apparently being an undercover police agent gave you some perspective in these situations.
"Why?" Cheryl barked, glaring at the groom – chatting away happily to Brendan without any knowledge of the havoc he had wreaked in their corner. Stupid, Scottish boy.
"God, he's hot," Kyle remarked, craning around Walker to check out Brendan's arse. "I definitely would!" He was trying to make the situation lighter, Ste knew, but he just wanted to hit him.
Calming himself, Ste took Kyle's elbow and lead him into the shadows of the tree before he could do more damage.
"That's Brendan."
Kyle didn't understand – Ste had never told him about Brendan, and he wasn't close enough to Cheryl or Walker for them to have said. But for some reason, his strong face morphed into knowing, and Ste was left as confused as he had been before.
"Amy told me," Kyle murmured, dropping his gaze ashamedly to Ste's feet, "right at the beginning."
Ste felt like he'd been punched. Kyle had known, and pretended he didn't? He'd never even given a hint.
"Everything?" He asked, heart in throat. If he knew...
But Kyle shook his head daintily, "No details. She just said you'd had a rough time of it."
Thank God. If he was telling the truth.
"Are you going to talk to him?" Kyle asked, and his voice was frightened bravado.
Ste smiled reassuringly – this, at least, he knew for certain. "Never." Kyle's smile was relieved and infectious, and Ste kissed his boyfriend softly to remind him that Ste was his, for as long as he'd have him.
"I can't believe you came!" Joel said, for what must be the fifth time. He wouldn't stop smiling, and it soothed Brendan's still aching heart.
"Couldn't miss your wedding, could I?" Brendan teased, giving Joel an obvious once over.
He had meant it as a reminder of Joel still in his tux, still a newly wed, but Theresa, the daft bird, took it the wrong way, and immediately shrieked with joking indignation about keeping his 'tache off her husband. Joel grinned at husband, and Brendan laughed too.
"No worries about that, Mrs Fox," he joked, "the boy's like a son to me."
A flash of his father, quickly quelled.
Joel beamed, and Theresa smiled as she cuddled into his side.
But Brendan could feel his eyes on his back.
"I need a drink," he commented abruptly, shooting the couple a smile as he backed away, "You get back to dancing."
"Will you still be here when we stop?" Joel called after his retreating figure. Brendan just put up one hand to show he'd heard. It wasn't like they'd dance for very long...
His fingers brushed the rim of a champagne glass tenderly – he ached to reach down and slip his hand around the stem. He drew away, shaking slightly. Just, no. Instead he took a bruschetta.
God, that was good.
Steven's work.
Shit he wasn't meant to be thinking about him...
Brendan's eyes roamed to find him, despite his brain's half-hearted attempts to stop it. A second later, he wished he hadn't looked: Steven was kissing some bastard under a tree.
Dead romantic, in full view, tenderly – just how Steven always liked it. Fuck.
Fuck the boy, fuck Brendan, fuck Steven for Christ's sake. Fuck this. Fuck Brendan's stupid heart.
"Brendan?" Brendan nearly kissed Darren Osbourne as he called him away from watching Steven and the bastard.
"Hey, Darren." He greeted dully, trying and failing to summon up a smile, choosing instead to stare sullenly over Darren's shoulder.
Darren chuckled nervously, "Didn't inspect to see you here, mate. Long time no see." He laughed again.
Some people were such bad actors.
Brendan stared at him, "It's Joel." He pointed out, like it was obvious. And, amazingly, Darren smiled genuinely.
"Yeah, it's great isn't it?" He smiled again, looking at the couple.
Brendan looked, too, at his boy and his boy's wife. Wife.God, that sounded old.
"Yeah." He agreed, and himself and Darren shared a look of pride. Joel had done good.
"Cheryl and Walker next." Darren said softly, glancing at Brendan shyly; he didn't know he would react.
Brendan didn't know how he'd react, until he heard that.
He wanted his sister to be happy, forever, and he would put aside his hatred of Walker if it made her happy; but he still hated him; he was still angry.
He doubted he'd be invited to that wedding.
Declan could tell him about it, afterwards.
"Do you want to get out of here?" Kyle asked, and Ste nodded without thinking. He didn't really want to be out of here, if he was honest. He wanted to know what the hell was going on. But Kyle wanted to get out of here, and Ste was happy to oblige.
"I'll go and say goodbye to Joel," Ste kissed Kyle's cheek, and vanished before his boyfriend could object.
Ste was not going to the marquis.
Ste was not going to the marquis.
Ste was not going-
Ste was in the marquis.
"Why are you here?" He barked, startling Darren Osbourne out of whatever stupid remark he had been about to make. He sent that one packing with a look.
Brendan's back was towards him – his sold, sturdy expanse of back that Ste knew by heart. It looked bigger. He looked bigger. Maybebecause the last time Ste had seen him...
"For Joel," Brendan didn't turn to face him.
Thank God.
"I don't want you here." Ste told him, straight off. Best to just make sure everyone was on the same page.
"I don't want me here." Brendan grumbled quietly, and then louder, "I won't stay long."
Ste didn't say anything else – he turned on his heel and left, forgetting to say goodbye to Joel, to wish him well, to kiss Theresa on the cheek and tell her she looked beautiful. He picked up Kyle on the way out. He was silent the whole ride home.
He couldn't tell if he was thankful he hadn't seen Brendan's face.
Brendan knew Steven didn't want him there. He wasn't stupid.
"How long are you here for?" Joel appeared beside him, offering him champagne which Brendan shook his head to.
At Joel's surprised look, "I have to drive." True, but not the reason.
"Not long," he replied in return to Joel's earlier question.
Joel nodded, his dark little head bobbing thoughtfully, "Did you bring me a present?" Brendan laughed loudly.
Cheeky bugger.
"Ferry presents weren't up to scratch," he replied, "didn't think you'd appreciate a teddy bear that sings Jedward." Joel laughed along, but there was something triumphant in his eyes.
"Well, I know what you can give me then." He smirked.
All at once, Brendan was afraid.
"Cover at the club while I'm on my honeymoon." The younger man ordered.
Brendan opened his mouth to outright refuse – why would he do that? – but no sound came out, and Joel took the opportunity to remind him: "My honeymoon, because I got married today."
And he looked at Brendan with those childish eyes like a fist around his heart.
God damn him.
"How long are you gone for?" Brendan asked; subdued. Surely only a week at most?
"Three weeks." Joel replied, all chirp again.
"I'll have to check with work..." Brendan tried to wriggle his way out of it.
Disapproving, Joel reminded him that he owned the club in Dublin. Brendan could take however much holiday whenever he wanted.
Brendan sniffed, "Not much of a holiday, is it? Leaving my own club to go and look after yours."
A busman's holiday.
Brendan wished he hadn't thought of that.
"Fine, whatever." He grumbled
His stupid mouth, saying things he didn't mean.
"So, what happened with Brendan?" Kyle wanted to know as they walked through the door.
Ste shot him a silencing look, but he wasn't to be deterred. He sensed gossip and he was taken, hook line and sinker.
But Ste, too, knew how to play Kyle: he turned and pushed him against the wall, using surprise against his lover to edge him back towards Ste's bedroom. His hands found Kyle's belt.
"I want you," he lied in a whisper. And they silenced each other with their mouths and fingers and bodies.
Kyle pushed him onto the bed gently, tenderly; but Ste wasn't in the mood for love-making, he wanted to be overwhelmed – he flipped onto his front, a clear message to the person behind him.
Kyle grunted in amusement, trailing his lips down Ste's spine, "God, you're hot."
Ste sighed into his boyfriend's ministrations. This was exactly what he needed – to have his body sing so loudly that it overshadowed his screaming heart. His moaning mouth found Kyle's and he took his tongue into his own; his fingers gripped the bed; and Kyle rolled on a condom.
"I love you," he heard Kyle whisper, as he lay a kiss gently on the small of Ste's back, and then he pushed in. Ste groaned, long and hard, bucking backwards to increase the pace: Kyle obliged.
It was hurried and frenzied, lacking any style or finesse, but it was good. Kyle was good.
If, at the end, blue eyes shattered into Ste's eyes as he came, that wasn't Kyle's fault. If, to feel the harshness of it against his cheeks, Ste pushed into Kyle's stubble-covered face, that wasn't Kyle's fault.
Chapter 2 out in what must be record time! Reviews, please! Hope you enjoyed it!