A/N: Hey, HeyBanana, thank you for the little date idea, but unfortunately, I don't buy the Doug and Ste thing. They are just cute little friends to me. But thank you for the suggestion! (:
"It's dead posh in here, ini'?" Ste looked around in awe, "miles better than the deli." Ste looked at what he was wearing self-consciously, a simple plain blue t-shirt and jeans, "do you think I should go and change?" He asked Brendan.
"Don't sweat about it, ye look fine and we're here now," Brendan said following the waitress to their table.
They sat down at a table near the window in the far corner, they had got there early but the place was already full of people wanting to check out the new restaurant. The décor was a simple red, orange and white set.
The waitress handed them the menu and left for them to decide.
"I could eat a horse," Brendan commented, licking his lips.
"It's well pricey in here!" Ste claimed he leaned over the table, "I'll just make us summat at Carter & Hay, eh?" He suggested.
"What, like, busman's holiday?" Brendan raised his eyebrow as Ste smiled at him shyly as they both remembered the first time he revered to that. "No, will ye just relax? Don't worry about how ye look, or how much it is. It's on me."
"Sorry," Ste went back to looking at the menu. "Just a bit nerves, me."
"What ye nerves for? It's not as if ye meeting a stranger, Stephen. It's only the only and only Brendan."
"Exactly, this could be the worst date ever! And you're nerves too," Ste grinned.
"I didn't think ye'd been on many dates?" Brendan tried to control his voice. He didn't think that Ste would have been on dates whilst they had been apart, the thought made him want to stick a knife in his chest. "I don't do nerves."
"Err, only one." Ste coughed, "from when I wa' on dating site, but he were too boring for me." Ste placed his menu down on the table having decided what he would order, "I saw ya. Out here, fussing with your moustache and chewing proper hard on ye gum…ye are nerves."
Brendan looked up, following Ste's actions with the menu, "dating sites, eh? Didn't have ye down as the type, Stephen. Didn't ye learn anything? Could be anyone behind a keyboard," He sucked in a breath, "fuck sake."
Ste tottered, "I'm not an idiot! It wa Amy's idea anyway, thought I needed summat exciting going on in my life. Plus, Doug helped me." Ste messed with the table cloth in front of him, "knew I shouldn't have come, and I knew you'd ruin it before it's even started."
"Ah, the lovely Amy and Douglas, what do they know, so come on, what was ye date like?"
"I'm going if you're going to be like this," Ste warned already putting his jacket back on.
"No, wait," Brendan sighed, "just thought ye would know better than to do that. What with Silas and Rae, I want ye safe Stephen."
Ste sighed, "Yeah well. There's no need to kick off at me."
"Stay. Please," Brendan rocked his leg up and down, "I am a bit nervous, ye right." He looked around the restaurant, "and hungry."
Ste took his jacket back off; "are ye jealous Brendan?" Ste asked, quietly confident that he was. "Cause if you are," he carried on, "there's no need. I've not been on the site for ages, and I've not been with anyone."
"Well aren't I the lucky one?"
Ste raised his chin in defiance, "yeah you are actually. I had well loads of hits, me." Ste suddenly stopped and looked at Brendan until he turned to face him, "have you been with anyone whilst we were apart?" He prepared himself for the excruciating pain he would feel if the answer was 'yes.'
"Seriously, Stephen… do we hafta talk about it here? And does it even matter?"
"I wanna know." But did he really? What would be beneficial of knowing that Brendan had been with other men? He couldn't think of one good reason why he would want to know.
Brendan sighed, "a few. Ages ago, meant nothing, ye know? They were just…there."
Ste nodded, "I don't know why I thought otherwise. Nice of you to forget about me so easily though," Ste folded his arms like a child would if they were in a mood.
"Ye wanted to know! Yeah, cause we'd be sat here now if I had forgot about ye, crack ye face Stephen."
The waitress quickly came over to take their orders and apologized for their wait.
The tension was thick in the air.
They sat in silence during their starters.
XXX
Brendan had Badshahi for his main and Ste had Garlic Curry for his.
Still, they hadn't spoken for near an hour now. The wait between meals feeling like hours, and it was making Brendan restless. This is not how he had wanted tonight to go. This was meant to be a fresh start, to prove that things had changed between them; to prove that he had changed. That any time apart they had would be made up for. And any hard feelings would be forgotten.
"How's ye meal?" Brendan asked steadily.
No reply. Stubborn twat, Brendan thought.
"Notice ye've got Garlic Curry…keep the vampires away and that," Brendan grimaced at his ridiculous words.
"Well if you stay away from me tonight, we'll know won't he?" Ste finally said something.
Hallelujah.
"What ye trying to say, Stephen?"
"Oh nothing,"
"If ye trying to imply that I am a vampire then ye are way off. Never been a fan of blood," Brendan screwed his face up in fake disgust.
"Well you've been in enough fights to get used to it."
"Can we really not go there now?" Brendan rushed his eating; he just wanted to start the whole night over.
"What? I thought it's what grown men do?" Ste took a drink of his water, "fight, pay for their mistakes and then kiss and make up."
"Ye really sticking the knife in tonight, aren't ye? Can't ye see I'm trying to make up for all that?"
Ste rubbed at his face, "yeah of course I do. I see that you're trying, I really do. But it's hard for old habits to die Bren."
Brendan wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up.
"Stand up," he said.
"I'm trying to have a conversation wi you here," Ste moaned.
"Stand. Up." Brendan repeated more slowly.
Ste got up hesitantly, "what?"
Without a word, Brendan stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Ste's waist.
"Brendan, what' you doing, gerr off!" Ste hissed, a blush rising to his cheeks.
"Men kiss and make up, ye say?" Brendan rolled the words off his tongue in a whisper, "now ye talking."
XXX
"I can't believe you did that in front of everyone!" Ste gushed as they left the restaurant.
"It was only a kiss, Stephen. No biggie," Brendan got a piece of gum out and placed in his mouth.
"No biggie? That's…that's the biggest thing you've ever done!"
"Had to stop ye moaning, didn't I?" He stroked a finger down Ste's face, "I mean it, I'm gonna change."
"This is it, ya know. No more playing your games, if you want this work then there's some things you gotta hear and stick by."
"Wake me up when ye done," Brendan pretended to snore.
Ste slapped Brendan's arm before they started walking back to the village.
"Ye still talk way too much," Brendan continued to mildly protest.
Ste laughed, "err, shur up! Rule one then, you've gotta proper listen to me when I talk to you."
"So basically like a married couple?" Brendan popped the gum in his mouth.
"Your words, not mine. And we've gotta tell each other how our days have been if you don't get to see each other for a while." Ste suddenly stopped, "we are like, together now, aren't we?"
"Yeah," Brendan breathed.
Ste carried on happily, "good!"
Ste continued to tell Brendan of the rules that would be placed in to their relationship until they reached Ste's flat.
"I take it the lovely Amy doesn't know about tonight?" Brendan asked, as he realised Ste had stopped them at his gate.
"I didn't want her going mad, you know what's she's like. Plus, I didn't know how tonight was gonna go… but I'll tell her first thing in the morning. Promise," "Just as long as ye don't keep me ye dirty little secret."
"I'm not like you, ya know! I'd happily walk arm in arm with you everywhere and anywhere," he could sense Brendan's sudden tension. "But I know it'll be one step at a time for us, I don't wanna rush things either."
"I'll get there with ye by my side young man."
"Oh hell," Ste smiled, "soppy Brady makes a return."
Brendan slapped Ste's arse, raising a loud 'argh!' from Ste. "Get ye arse inside ye little shite."
"I love you really," Ste quickly said before crushing his lips against Brendan's. Their breathing hitching that little bit faster as the pace quickened.
Brendan broke away with a devilish grin on his lips, "you too."
A/N Just one more chapter to go now! I know I keep saying it, but the reviews have really been lovely. I'm not the best writer, so I'm glad at least a few people have taken the time to read this poor tripe. : P