A short and quick chapter, but don't get used to it, ok?

Thanks for your reviews, they mean a lot to me.

I would like to inform you that this fic is almost complete on my pc, in italian of course. I'm currently writing the last chapter and maybe I'll write an epilogue, so it consists of 12-13 chapters in total.

Chapter 4

Ste loved watching Brendan sleep.

He loved listening to his breath, his grunts in the silence of the room; he loved the way he curled up his lips and sighed. And also, as soon as he saw him move in the attempt of waking up, he loved to torment him, drawing abstract figures on his skin with his fingers, risking every time to be sent flying off the bed at the slightest discomfort.

As soon as he heard him moaning his name, Brendan's eyes still closed, Ste used to stick his nose in the crook of his neck, beginning to caress his skin with his own lips. Then, gradually, he did the same along his chest, followed the line of his abs, arriving to his groin. At this point, Brendan used to wake up completely, and he certainly didn't hurl him out of the bed, but stayed to admire, panting for the appreciation, Ste's movements under the sheet.

Something unexpected happened that time, though.

"JESUS CHRIST!"

Cheryl appeared unannounced in the doorway and her scream was an explosion in the dreaming quiet of that morning.

"BRENDAN" yelled his sister again, petrified by that scene.

Ste's little head popped among the purple sheet, even though Brendan was trying to restrain him.

"JESUS CHRIST! STE! "

"Hiya, Cheryl!" greeted the boy, waving his hand timidly, with a sheepish grin.

The woman gasped for a moment, not knowing whether to shoot a few poisonous words or laugh. At the end she decided on a strategic and rapid flight.

"I thought ye had locked the door, Stephen," said Brendan, in a colorless tone.

"I thought ya did," said Ste in the same tone. "So what now?" He added, looking at Brendan who began to rub his forehead thoughtfully.

"I think I'm hopelessly compromised" he replied, looking in his direction. A serious glance. "I'm afraid you'll have to marry me. "

A big smile shone on Ste's face, but soon after a pillow pecked on it.

It was the beginning of a brief struggle.

Those were the moments that Ste loved above all, those were the small joys that could completely make him forget all the terrible things he tried to leave behind.

He started to get out of bed, instantly restrained by Brendan.

"Where are ye going?" he asked, gruffly.

"I thought ..."

"Stay where ye are and resume what ye were doing!"

Ste smiled again, beaming, and hastened to carry out his duties.

Much later, at an almost indecent time, they dressed and left the room.

Brendan found a note which warned him that Declan had gone to the park. Cheryl had gone to the bar hours ago.

"We are alone" chirped Ste, twining his own arms around Brendan's shoulders, who began to stare at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"The night is over, Stephen."

The boy stiffened and, stepping back, began to stare at him with a puzzled look, soon replaced by a more bitter one in his bright eyes.

"Yeah! Last night was last night, and today is another day. I'm such an idiot! I should have remembered it. "

He spun around and headed towards the door.

Brendan reached out his arm, blocking him instantly and, without moving an inch, drew him back to himself.

"I'm too old for such games, Stephen," he began, imprisoning him in his embrace.

Then, putting his hands around Ste's head, he pulled him to a few millimeters of air from his own lips, their foreheads touching. "Go home to your children and Amy who, I am sure, will be hysteric and close at calling the Army. Meanwhile, I'm going to meet Declan and tell him about us. "

"Us?" echoed Ste, his voice almost a whisper, as the tension quickly slipped away from his shoulders.

Brendan almost erased the already inconsistent distance between them. "Would you like an 'us'?".

Suddenly he pulled away from him, pretending looked thoughtful. "You know, we'll become the scandal of the century. I can't wait".

"Shut up!" said Ste, smiling. And finally he planted a passionate kiss on his lips.

Amy had always failed to be discreet about Ste's business. Compared to her, the best Interpol detective was the worst beginner. The boy had just returned home and was already suffering from the hardest grade.

"It's noon," she declared, while she was sniffing the air around him. "You've a scent that isn't yours." Suddenly she screamed in excitement and began to excitedly clapping like a five years girl. "It's a hickey what I'm seeing?"

Ste grumbled to shut her mouth and turned to the fridge to take the juice.

"What's his name?" Amy asked him at one point, as he was showing his back and drinking from the bottle apparently satisfied.

Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and, without turning, said: "What makes you think I asked his name?"

Amy clung to his shoulders, forcing him to make a complete turn, in order to look at him straight in his eye.

"'Cause I know ya. You wouldn't have been gone all night, till now, with a random, "she said solemnly. "Last time it happened with ... Brendan. "

The girl had seemed to almost threw up the name, and pretended to suppress a retch.

Ste's intimidated look made her open her eyes wide open.

"No," she snapped suddenly. "No, no, no! Ste, tell me that's not what I'm thinking! "

Living extremely close to your best friend, who was once your partner as well, had the double disadvantage of being constantly under the examination of two different lenses: when one of them failed, the other one worked.

Ste breathed some faint groan as a response.

"I don't believe it," cried Amy, her voice shrill.

"It's different this time! 'he hastened to shield himself.

"Yeah, right!" She quipped, stiffly. "How many times I've heard that?"

"All happened so ... casually. It was beautiful, Ames. He told me he will talk to his son. " He nodded vigorously to give force to his words. "We'll be a proper couple this time."

"But Ste ,.." she moaned. "How could you forget everything he has done to you?"

Ste's look became very serious. "I've hurt him, too, though." He anchored to her shoulders, trying to reassure her with his eyes, but mainly to reassure himself. "Ames, please. I'm feeling something I haven't felt in ages. Do ya want to try to be happy ... for me? Yeah? "

"I ... I just fear that you'll suffer again, Ste "she said with a faint voice.

He shook his head vigorously. "It won't happen. I can feel it. "

The door bell rang almost simultaneously, and startled them both. Ste gave a beaming smile to Amy, before rushing to open the door.

Declan's look, unexpectedly appeared in the doorway, was a mixture of anger and disappointment. Ste's smile froze on his lips, lips that instantly turned in a puzzled frown.

"I thought you were my friend," he heard him say almost in tears.