Chapter 2

Brendan bustled through the door, arms full of carrier bags brimming with nappies, baby wipes, and milk formula. He looked like he'd worked up a sweat.

"Bloody Saturday shoppers!" He grumbled.

Ste laughed at his mood and went to help him with the bags.

"Busy?" He asked, still grinning as he kissed his boyfriend on the forehead, taking one of the bags out of his hand.

"Steven I feel so outta practice with all this." Brendan held up his bag laden arms in mock defeat.

"Well it's been a while for me an all, but it comes back to ya." Ste reassured. "Like ridin a bike or summin innit?"

Stendan started crying on queue, Brendan rolled his eyes as Leah came running out of the makeshift nursery (a cot in the corner of Ste and Brendan's bedroom.)

"He's crying!"

Leah always did like to state the obvious.

"That's the second time she's woken him up today!" Brendan groaned, eyes looking heavy with lack of sleep. Ste didn't look much better.

"I DIDN'T!" Leah panicked, lip starting to wobble as she thought she was going to get told off.

"No it's ok." Ste reassured as he stroked her hair, "He's probably hungry."

"Will ya make up some milk ready Bren?"

Brendan exhaustedly dumped the carrier bags down on the floor and started to rummage for the tins of milk powder. Who'd have thought, that ten years down the line he'd be back at the baby stage again. Paddy was meant to be the last, but then again, Brendan was coping with Leah and Lucas wasn't he? Grew fond of them as though they were his own. And he never thought he would have met someone like Steven, someone who would make him whole again, change his whole world around and show him what life was all about. He wanted this family with Steven, because this was where he was home.

Ste was now sat on the sofa, Stendan cradled in his arms sucking contentedly from his milk bottle, Leah squashed in to his side watching, as though this was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. To her, baby Stendan was like a real life doll.

Brendan stood watching them for a moment, a scene like this made all of his previous complaints seem irrelevant now. This family picture was the reward at the end of the struggle.

A knock at the door soon pulled him out of his reverie.

"That'll be Amy." Ste turned to Brendan.

"MUMMY!" Leah jumped up.

"SSSH!" Brendan and Ste both scolded. Stendan had started to drift off to sleep whilst having his milk, the last thing they wanted was a crying sleepy baby.

"Hiya" Amy greeted as Brendan opened the door, Leah squeezing her tight before she'd even had chance to do anything else.

Lucas snuck out from behind where Amy was standing to give Brendan a bashful smile. The little boy went from coy one minute, to hyperactive the next, he was an impossible character to judge.

Brendan gave Amy an awkward smile, still unaware of where they stood with each other sometimes. Brendan had certainly proved himself to her, but that was the thing, he was always under her scrutiny, and knew he probably always would be. He didn't really care what she thought, but he made an effort for Ste's sake, knew that the slightest little slip up would have Ste missing his kids again, and he really couldn't bear to see him go through so much pain again.

"So where is he then?" Amy cooed as Brendan let her through the door.

Ste shuffled from his seat on the sofa, carefully trying to stand up with the baby in his arms, without waking him up.

"He fell asleep while I was feedin him." Ste whispered, "But have a hold, I'm sure if we're careful he won't stir."

Amy took the tiny bundle in her arms, and from the smile on her face, you'd think she was the gushing mother.

Ste scooped up Lucas, swinging him around and smothering him with kisses. Leah had gotten a lot of attention over the last couple of days, so now it was Lucas' turn. Ste always was very attentive at treating them equally.

"Oh Ste he's gorgeous!" Amy gushed.

"Of course he is!" Ste grinned, "Just look at his parents."

"How is Brendan doin?" She asked, voice now slightly lowered. Brendan had disappeared, so she hoped he was enough out of ear shot not to hear their conversation.

"I can't really imagine him with a newborn baby, hardly the gentle type is he?"

"Err speak for yourself!"

Ste would always be defensive of Brendan.

"I told ya Ames, you'll never know him like I do. He can be proper gentle when he wants to be….when we're on our own." A sentimental smile formed on his lips.

"Urgh alright Ste!" Amy winced. "I don't need the gory details! That isn't really what I meant."

The conversation soon died when the bathroom door handle went and Brendan came walking out.

"Everythin alright?" He cocked his eyebrow when he realised that Ste and Amy were both just watching him as though he'd interrupted something.

"Was just sayin how much he looks like ya both." Amy forced a smile.

"D'ya want me to put him down now?" Brendan asked, conveniently ignoring Amy.

Ste looked awkward.

"Err yeah, ok, if ya don't mind."

Brendan slipped an arm under the baby's head, sliding him out of Amy's arms and walked off to the bedroom.

"Cuppa?" Ste asked.

"Love one." Said Amy as she went over to inspect Leah and Lucas cross legged in their bedroom, colouring on the floor.

As Ste was stirring in the sugars, Brendan sneaked up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him in to his front. He'd noticed Amy wasn't in the room, so took this as his queue to be able to catch a quick bit of intimacy. He nuzzled his facial hair in to his neck.

"Bren you'll make me spill the tea." Ste giggled.

"Try and keep the kids outta our room now will ya?" Brendan asked, breath tickling down Ste's neck. "Stendan's out like a light, so I don't want him bein disturbed."

"Yeah it's alright, they're colourin in their room at the moment, and Ames will probably be headin off with em once she's drank her tea anyway."

Ste felt Brendan's smile form across his skin.

"What?" He asked, trying not to laugh as he knew what was about to come out of Brendan's mouth.

"Baby asleep, kids going soon…looks like we might finally get some quiet time."

"You know I can't be quiet though." Ste flirtatiously smiled as he turned around to face Brendan.

"Now that's true." Brendan raised his eyebrow in that cocky flirtatious way that will always make Ste go weak at the knees…..and hard in other areas.

"Especially after what I have in store for ye."

Ste reached up on his tiptoes, leaning in for a kiss. Brendan did him the honours, relishing in the feel of their lips together. Things were about to get heated until Amy walked back in, startling them back in to reality. Brendan couldn't work out if she looked embarrassed or annoyed, he didn't bother to hide his own look of annoyance anyhow. Ste instantly reddened, looking like a school boy who'd been caught snogging behind the bike sheds, not a twenty seven year old who was innocently sharing a kiss with his long term partner.

Ste was still blushing when he handed Amy her mug of tea, she tried to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"So has Leah been behavin herself?"

"Oh yeah she's been a gem." Answered Ste, grateful for the distraction.

"Like a little mother herself." Brendan added, taking a sip of his tea, always more casual than Ste. He hadn't batted an eyelid towards Amy. Funny how he was so insecure all those years ago at the start of their relationship (if you could call it that), but now, he really couldn't care less who saw how much he loved Steven. One of the many reasons why Ste had known that Brendan really had changed this time.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Exclaimed Amy as she hurried over towards the front door where she'd left a gift bag on the carpet. "Just a little something." She smiled.

Ste pulled out a tiny blue baby grow.

"Oh Ames it's lovely, thank you." He pulled her in to a hug.

Brendan took it from Ste, inspecting. He couldn't remember seeing anything so small, even when his boys were born. He found it worrying sometimes how little he could remember from their childhood. He tried to push the instant feeling of regret to the back of his mind, folded the baby grow back up, and placed it back in to the bag attempting to give Amy his most gracious smile.

"Kids are ya ready to go?" Amy called.

They instantly both came rushing through.

"We don't wanna go!"

Ste felt bad that Lucas hadn't been able to see much of Stendan because he'd been asleep, but Lucas was still only little himself, probably found it difficult to take it all in anyway.

"You'll be back at the weekend." Ste reassured, giving both a kiss goodbye. "We'll do somethin fun yeah? Go out for the day. So think about what you wanna do, and mummy can let me know." He then kissed Amy on the cheek. "Thanks again for the pressie."

"Oh no problem Ste, he's such a little cutie…bye Brendan."

Brendan mustered a "See ya" as he hugged Leah and Lucas goodbye.

Finally everyone had bustled out the door and Ste and Brendan were actually left with some peace and quiet. Stendan still asleep.

Both looked exhausted, but too eager to pick up from where they'd left off.

A grin spread over Ste's lips as Brendan moved towards him and opened his arms for an embrace. Ste slotted in to his arms perfectly and rested his head on his shoulder, eyes briefly closing in contended bliss. Relaxing, a low purring sound emanated from his lips.

Brendan kissed the top of his head, and then brought a finger under his chin to tilt his head up, enabling him to reach his lips. A small peck then turned in to a deeper kiss, tongues starting to entwine as Ste wrapped his arms around Brendan's waist never wanting to let go.

Brendan could never have enough of Ste, even has he plunged everything he had in to their kiss, it would still never be enough, could never fully display how Steven was his everything. And now Steven was also the father of his child, their child that they had together, the product of their love.

He slipped his hands down to rest on Steven's backside, resulting in Ste pushing his groin in to Brendan's making them both release a guttural groan.

Ste started fumbling to undo the few buttons on Brendan's top as Brendan slipped his hands under the waistline of Ste's tracksuit bottoms. This made Ste produce another groaning type sound, one full of lust and urgency.

Ste pushed Brendan's top up over his head, Brendan having to remove his hands briefly from Steven's skin to free his arms of his clothing. Ste always admired Brendan's muscled torso and let his hands smooth up and down his biceps, relishing in the feel.

Brendan instantly placed his hands back on Ste's buttocks, now gradually pushing his trackies further down, along with his boxers, baring skin.

Ste planted kisses across Brendan's torso, tickling his nose in the chest hair and every so often feeling the cold metal of the cross he wore around his neck. He started to move lower with his kisses, spurred on by Brendan's frantic groping of his arse, he could feel them both getting significantly harder.

Brendan slid his right hand from Ste's bum, around to his now rock hard penis. His tracksuit bottoms and boxers were now pooled around his ankles giving Brendan easy access. He fondled with his balls, loving the way that it made Ste squirm, his breathing had increased and sounded harsher, and his kisses over Brendan's chest were now turning sloppier and more frantic. Ste was starting to lose control.

Brendan started moving his hand from base to tip, increasing his actions until Ste could no longer comprehend anything and slumped his weight in to Brendan, he was going dizzy, dizzy from Brendan, and he couldn't get enough.

Ste was now making the filthiest noises right in the middle of their living room.

"Lucky we have net curtains up at that kitchen window" Brendan thought to himself "otherwise anyone walking by might get a shock."

He couldn't deny though that the thought of anyone seeing them both like this really turned him on, the thought made him pump Steven's cock harder and faster.

Brendan started unbuckling himself, desperate to feel Steven on his own erect penis.

As if on queue, Stendan started wailing. It took a moment for both men to comprehend what was happening through their lust filled daze. They both looked at each other in a state of frustrated disbelief. Brendan's chest was sweaty and red from Steven's kisses, and Ste's hair was ruffled, face flushed and penis painfully erect, he let out a small cry of annoyance.

Brendan zipped himself back up and gave Ste a quick kiss.

"I'll go….why don't ye go run a bath. Ye look a bit of a state." He winked.

Ste sighed and started to pull his trousers back up.

"I'll come join ye in a bit." Brendan called over his shoulder as he headed for the bedroom. "Sort ye out myself."