Chapter Ten

Ste left Brendan's flat slowly, shaking a little as he went down the steps. He had just managed to compose himself before entering his own flat when Sam opened the door to him.

"Dad!" Ste said in surprise, heart hammering in his chest.

"Steven." Sam smiled at him. "I was worried about you, are you alright?" He enveloped him in an embrace.

"Course. I was just at Mitzeee's weren't I?" Ste said, glad that Sam couldn't see his face.

Sam pulled away, holding him at arm's length and surveying him carefully. "How's your head?"

"Much better." Ste said, pleased he didn't have to lie this time.

"That's good." Sam said, nodding. He was frowning though.

"What is it?" Ste asked warily.

"You seem… different." Sam answered wonderingly.

"Same old Ste, me!" Ste responded, a little too cheerful. "I'll just get a shower and walk you to the club." He did this most days; it was nice to spend a little time together before Sam went to work.

"Aren't you working today as well?" Sam asked.

Ste stopped in his tracks. He'd almost forgotten about working at the club. "Oh yeah! Course. Even more reason for a shower." He grinned and Sam smiled back, appeased for now.

They walked to the club in near silence. Ste was feeling decidedly twitchy, pulling his black hoodie closer around him. He had so much history with the club; it felt weird going back there to work. Yesterday had been bad enough. Had it really only been a day? So much had changed already.

"You okay, son?" Sam asked, worried edge to his voice.

"Yeah, just second day nerves." Ste said, smiling sheepishly.

"You don't need to be nervous, I'm here." Sam said, laying a protective hand on Ste's shoulder.

"I know." Ste said softly, feeling the warmth of Sam's affection flow through him. It was different to how Brendan made him feel, naturally. Brendan put him on edge, frayed and worked up, energy pulsing through him when they were together. But his presence was also comforting, warm and familiar. Ste loved his dad, he really did, but he didn't know him that well still, even after the few years they'd spent together. He knew everything about Brendan, darkness and all. It was oddly comforting, to know what to expect from an unpredictable person. Ste didn't know what he would say to him tonight but he found himself buzzing at the thought of seeing him again.

"We're here." Sam said, shaking him from his thoughts. He stared at him curiously but his smile was still friendly. "No cash and carry today."

Ste laughed, anything but at ease.

"You can stock the cellar if you like." Sam said, opening the door. "But don't lift anything too heavy."

"Got it." Ste nodded, going straight down there once they got inside.

"Oh and Steven?" Sam called after him.

"Yeah?" Ste turned back, wary.

"There's some kind of stain down there, maybe take the mop and bucket?"

Ste flushed red, knowing exactly what that stain was. "Sure thing, dad." He said cheerily, disappearing down the steps.

"Bren?" Ste called down the steps. It was late and Brendan was meant to be walking him home.

"Down here, Steven." Brendan replied, closer than Ste realised.

"What you doing down here?" Ste asked, closing the door behind him.

"What do ye think?" Brendan grabbed a crate and moved it next to several others.

"Well you're supposed to be meeting me, you idiot."

"Shit." Brendan looked at him apologetically. "Well, ye are here now."

"I am." Ste said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Brendan gave him a suspicious look, rightfully suspecting that Ste was up to something.

"What?" He asked, wary.

"What?" Ste repeated, unable to disguise the click in the door as he turned the key.

"Did ye just lock the door?" Brendan asked incredulously, beginning to smile.

"I might have." Ste said, sauntering towards him. "What of it?"

"Ye are naughty, Mr Hay."

Ste shrugged, placing his hands on Brendan's waist. "And you're not going anywhere."

Brendan raised his eyebrows, amused and clearly aroused.

"Is that so?"

"Mmm." Ste leaned up on his tiptoes to kiss Brendan hungrily, arms clinging around his neck.

Brendan smiled into the kiss, pushing his body against Ste's. They found themselves against the same place they had first truly found each other. Ste pulled away to stare up at him, eyelashes fluttering desirably.

"Look at this, I've got you now."

It was true; Brendan was the one with his back against the wall, Ste invading his personal space. His leg was between Brendan's, close enough to graze his thigh. His breath was warm on Brendan's face, stroking a line down his jaw.

"Don't think I'm always gonna let ye take charge." Brendan murmured, eyes dark with desire.

"Just once is enough." Ste kissed him, curling his fingers into Brendan's dark hair and tugging hard.

They became animalistic in their movements. Their positions shifted after a while and Ste grinned into Brendan's mouth.

"That lasted long." He muttered, tugging on Brendan's bottom lip.

"That's me, Steven." Brendan growled, hoisting Steven further up the wall and pulling his trousers down. "I wanted to do this the first time we were down here."

"The first time, eh?" Ste raised his eyebrows, helping Brendan shimmy his trousers off. "Even before we kissed?"

"Shut up." Brendan growled, kissing him fiercely.

Ste laughed into his mouth. "You wanted me from day one, admit it."

"I wanted to teach ye a lesson, giving me cheek like that. Wish I'd kissed ye instead though."

Ste's eyes softened. "In the past now." He ran his hand along the back of Brendan's neck. "You gonna fuck me or not?"

Brendan laughed throatily, sticking three of his fingers into Ste's willing mouth. He coated them with spit, making the most obscene noises in the process. He could feel Brendan's hardness against him, anticipation coiling through him at the thought of it inside him.

Brendan nuzzled against his neck as he entered one hot, slick finger inside. Ste's muscles swallowed it instinctively, tightening and contracting. Brendan pushed in and out to the sounds of Ste's moans.

"Louder, Steven. No one can hear ye scream down here."

Ste shivered, not from fear but arousal. He threw his head back as Brendan inserted another finger. He was a mess already, as usual. By the third he was making soft, keening noises, begging Brendan to remove his fingers and replace them with his cock.

"But it's so fun watching ye squirm." Brendan whispered against his ear, stroking delectably against Ste's now stretched out hole.

"Come on, Bren. Please." Ste bucked against him, almost unbalancing him.

Brendan laughed, the pressure leaving Ste's hole. "I like it when ye beg."

Ste closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of Brendan slicking his cock up and pumping it before pushing it gently against his entrance.

"Look at me." Brendan said softly.

Ste felt compelled to obey. There was something desperate in Brendan's voice now.

Brendan stared at him levelly. "I love ye." He breathed and pushed all the way inside, finding his target with ease.

"Steven!" Sam bellowed down the stairs. "What are you up to down there?"

Ste was in a hot sweat, leaning against the wall for support. He stared down at the stain on the floor, remembering how at the moment of climax he'd kicked out and knocked a few crates over, the liquid pooling and staining the floor. It had been red wine and Ste remembered thinking that it looked almost like blood, and how Brendan had flinched for some reason. That was before Ste had known about Seamus.

"Steven?"

"I'm fine!" Ste called back.

"Alright, I have to close up early tonight by the way."

"Okay!" Ste called back. He shook his head to clear it, cheeks still flushed red with the memory.

Xxx

Sam was worried about Steven. He was jumpy and distracted. He dropped three glasses throughout his shift. Sam almost sent him home but decided it would be better to keep an eye on him. It was only when Mitzeee came up the stairs that he relaxed. Something about her made Sam feel calm. She gave him a bright smile before turning to Ste.

"You okay, love?" She asked, touching his arm gently. "How's your head?"

Before Steven could answer Sam jumped in. "You only saw him a few hours ago!" He said, laughing.

"Oh yes, of course." Mitzeee said quickly, colour rising in her face.

"Where's our Phoenix?" Steven asked eagerly, looking past Mitzeee.

"Nancy's got him. He's having a play date with little Oscar."

"Bit young for that, aren't they?" Steven quipped.

"Ste!" Mitzeee hit him on the arm. "You know perfectly well what I meant."

Steven grinned cheekily. It was the most relaxed Sam had seen him all day.

"I have to pick him up soon actually but I thought I'd drop by first." Mitzeee glanced at Sam carefully. She was smiling but her mouth was twitching a little as though she had something private she wanted to share with Steven.

"I'm just going to…" Sam trailed off, pointing away. He didn't have anywhere he particularly needed to be but Steven and Mitzeee looked like they needed a conversation.

Once he was round the corner he stopped, listening.

"Ste, what happened?" Mitzeee asked eagerly.

"Not here, Mitz. We'll talk later." Steven said so quietly that Sam almost couldn't hear him.

"Yeah but you have to give me something! What did he do when you found him?"

Sam peered around the corner then, intrigued. "We kissed." He blushed. "And he held me like he used to."

"Oh, love." Mitzeee grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly. "You're seeing him later?"

"Yeah, course. We have so much more to say to each other." Steven said softly.

"You have to tell me all about it." Mitzeee winked.

"Dirty mare!" Steven laughed, teeth flashing.

"Sex on the brain already, calm yourself." Mitzeee laughed, jumping off her stool. "I have to go pick Phoenix up. Maybe I'll stop by Brendan's."

"Yeah?" Steven looked eager, too eager. "Don't tell him I told you anything, there's still a lot to talk about."

Mitzeee pressed her lips together firmly. "Not a word. When do you finish up here?"

"Not until later." Steven said, a little disgruntled.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Mitzeee said knowingly.

"Yeah, I think we've had enough absence thanks!" Steven smiled but his eyes were sad.

Once Mitzeee had left, Sam leaned heavily against the wall, thinking hard. He had heard a great deal about Brendan Brady, from villagers, from newspapers. He'd never told Steven this of course. After he had first found out that his son was gay he had accepted it immediately. Steven told him all about Doug and the marriage and how things hadn't worked out. He'd mentioned Brendan in passing but never by name; it seemed almost painful for him to talk about so Sam never pushed it. The trouble with living in such a small village however meant that gossip was rife and the people around here had plenty to say about Brendan Brady, most of it decidedly not good.

Sam was naturally cautious, as any father would be. He'd had no idea that Brendan was out of prison and seemingly Steven hadn't either. He remembered the man who had helped Steven at the scene of his accident and recognition struck him. He remembered seeing that face in pictures surrounding Mitzeee's flat. So that had been the famous Brendan Brady, huh? Sam had to find out more. He needed to speak to the man before Steven did but that wouldn't be easy.

Sam didn't decide on what to do until much later. The club closed just past midnight that night, much earlier than normal. He and Steven were the only ones left once the place had been cleaned up. Sam went down to the cellar, collecting what he needed before he met Steven again at the bar. Steven was putting his coat on, missing the hole for his arm several times. He appeared to be shaking. Sam frowned in concern, helping him get into his coat.

"If there was anything wrong, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?" He asked.

"Of course, dad." Steven smiled at him. He was still so young, so vulnerable. It steeled Sam's determination to do the right thing.

"Before you go can you just fetch me another crate of cider from the cellar? Saves me doing it in the morning."

"Okay." Steven said slowly, amused by the strange request.

Sam followed him to the top of the stairs. "Be careful of the door, it tends to get stuck now."

"Okay!" Steven called back.

Once Sam was satisfied that he was out of sight, he went down and gave the door a gentle nudge, closing it so it wouldn't make too much of a sound. He hastily pulled the keys out of his pocket and locked the door, hands shaking as he did so.

"Dad?" Steven called. "This crate is too heavy for me with my back, can you help?"

Sam closed his eyes, keeping his mouth firmly shut.

"Dad?" He heard Steven's footsteps approach the door. He tried the handle but it was stuck. "Dad? The door's shut on me! I can't open it!" He tried with much more ferocity than Sam knew he possessed, even threw himself against it a few times. "DAD!" He screamed, scared now.

Sam bit his knuckles, hands itching to unlock the door. He couldn't though, it was for the best. He tore himself away, making his way to Brendan's.

Xxx

"Samuel. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Brendan was gracious but Sam could sense the tension in him.

"You know who I am then?" Sam replied, stepping inside.

"I could say the same to ye." Brendan said, closing the door after him.

"You're Irish." Sam said, momentarily surprised.

"I am." Brendan said. His voice was deep with a slight lilt to it. He wasn't what Sam had expected. He was a lot more…civilised than he'd anticipated. "I'm guessing this isn't a social call?" Brendan asked, straight to the point. "Where's Steven?" His face took on a new expression then, softer, calmer. The transformation fascinated Sam.

"He's at the club."

"Is he alright?" Brendan asked suspiciously.

"Do you mean to ask why he isn't here?" Sam asked pleasantly, taking a seat. "He'll be by later no doubt."

"And ye thought ye would get here first?" Brendan asked, remaining standing.

"I have some questions I'd like to ask you." Sam said mildly, bringing his hands together. "Please sit down."

"Don't tell me what to do in my own place." Brendan retorted. Ah, that was more like the Brendan he had heard about.

"Apologies." Sam spread his palms flat. "I meant no offence. I'd just like our conversation to be as comfortable as possible."

"I feel more comfortable standing." Brendan said, calm again but still with the edge to his voice.

"Fair enough." Sam said, considering his next words carefully. "What do you want with my son?"

"What do ye want with my Steven?" Brendan countered. He wasn't playing the game, that was for sure.

Sam laughed dryly. "You're quite the character."

"I'm sure ye have heard all about me."

"You think so?" Sam said in some surprise.

"I don't doubt what the people around here say about me."

"You think I've actively sought out information about you?"

Brendan shrugged, moving around the room now. "Possibly. It's not as though Steven's told ye anything."

"He said that?"

"He did."

"You've seen him then."

"Ye already knew that."

Sam laughed again. "You're a clever man, Brendan."

"So is Steven." Brendan said. "I hope ye realise that."

"Of course I do, he's my son."

"He told me where ye have been all this time."

Sam nodded, unsurprised. "So you've been snooping into me as well then?"

"Can't help it if the boy wants to talk about ye." Brendan said carefully.

"I'm sure you asked though." Sam said, raising his eyebrows pointedly. "Warned him off me?"

"I'm naturally suspicious." Brendan said coldly. "Especially when it comes to fathers."

"Is that right?" Sam asked, intrigued even more now.

"I met Steven's step dad inside."

Sam froze then, his calm demeanour shattered. "You saw Terry?"

Brendan's expression changed at his reaction. "Yeah, piece of shit. I took care of him, don't ye worry."

"He's dead?" Sam asked grimly.

"No!" Brendan said, clearly affronted. "What do ye take me for?"

Sam gave him a look. Brendan stared back at him, then he smiled.

"Fair enough. But no, I just… gave him a scare is all. Not personally of course."

"It's no more than I would have done." Sam said calmly.

"Yeah?" For the first time Brendan didn't look antagonistic towards him.

"He kept my boy away from me for years, I don't care what happens to him."

"Hmm." Brendan said thoughtfully.

They were silent for several moments.

"I'm not sure I feel comfortable having this conversation without Steven knowing." Brendan eventually said, wary now.

"Really?" Sam stood up then to even the playing field. "You think it would upset him?"

"I know it would, and I won't do that again."

"Again, of course."

Brendan narrowed his eyes at him. "If ye have something to say, I'd rather ye dropped the nice guy routine and just said it."

Sam stared at him, expression fixed. "As you wish." He took a breath and stepped closer. "I love my son very much. Always have done, ever since the first time I saw him. Oh yes, I saw him once. Pauline allowed me to hold him a few days after he was born, only for a few minutes before Terry came back." Sam sighed sadly. "Happiest moment of my life, that was."

"He has that effect on people." Brendan said quietly.

"I don't know you, Brendan." Sam continued, a little taken aback by the softness of Brendan's words. "You could be everything Steven needs for all I know, but I don't. What I do know is my son is extremely vulnerable right now, and that's partly thanks to you." He looked at him levelly then. "I can't stop you seeing him, I see that, even more so now I've actually met you. But I will be keeping a close eye on you, both of you."

"The feeling is entirely mutual." Brendan said, eyes not leaving his face.

"Then we have an understanding?" Sam said, holding out his hand.

Brendan hesitated before taking the offered hand. The grip was tight and they let go almost immediately.

Sam turned towards the door but before he could leave Brendan spoke up again.

"Just so ye know, I love yer son too and I'm not going anywhere."

"Noted." Sam said with a stiff nod. And with that, he went through the door without so much as a glance behind him.

Xxx

"Dad!" Ste pounded on the door, growing frightened now. He hated being stuck in here; here of all places with it's memories in every corner. His knuckles were hurting from where he'd been pounding on the door for a good fifteen minutes. When he heard footsteps on the stairs he pounded even louder. "Hello?" He shouted. "Who's there?"

"Ste?" Mitzeee pushed open the door, astounded when Ste flung himself into her arms.

"Thank god you're here." He breathed, burying his face into her long hair.

"I came in to check on the place, someone left the front door open." Mitzeee pulled back to look at him, touching his face gently. "What happened? How did you get stuck in here?"

"The door must have slammed shut, it's been doing that."

"Has it?"

"That's what dad said. He was here, something must have came up. He couldn't have known I was down here still."

"Of course." Mitzeee said uncertainly. "Come on, let's get you home." She said anxiously.

"I need to go to Brendan's still." Ste said, allowing Mitzeee to steer him up the stairs.

"Oh of course, I'll take you there then."

"Mitz you don't have to-"

"Phoenix is with Maxine, it's fine." Mitzeee said airily.

"I don't want you walking home alone though."

"I'm sure Brendan will walk me back." Mitzeee said dismissively. "I need to speak to him anyway."

"You do?" Ste asked, curious now. "About what?"

"Doesn't matter." Mitzeee said, waving her hand dismissively. "Come on, cuddle close. It's a cold night."

Ste did as he was told, finding comfort in the softness and warmth of Mitzeee's body.

"What were you doing out so late anyway?" Ste asked curiously.

"I couldn't sleep." Mitzeee answered, high heels clicking on the ground. "Thought I'd take a walk to clear my head."

"You been having the nightmares again?" Ste asked quietly, holding her closer.

"Yeah." Mitzeee said sadly. "Have you?"

"Not last night, first time in ages." Ste smiled wistfully. "I need to see him, Mitz. I need to know what this all means."

"Well how do you feel?"

Ste felt the wind hitting his face as he stared ahead. "I don't know. He still makes me feel like he always did. I promised him I'd never feel any differently about him and I don't. Even after all this time."

"Always." Mitzeee said softly, smiling a little.

"What?"

"Harry Potter reference, Phoenix is a fan."

"Oh." Ste frowned. "I haven't read that one."

Mitzeee's face took on a new expression. "You can read it with us, we haven't got far."

"Thanks, Mitz." Ste said, kissing her on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

"Just for being a mate, it means a lot."

"Oh, Ste you soft old thing."

"Old? You're my age you know."

"Well I age better of course." Mitzeee said, smiling and flicking her hair.

"Yeah you wish. You're lucky you still have that nice arse of yours."

"Ste!" Mitzeee chastised.

They laughed and joked all the way up to the block of flats. Ste quietened when they arrived.

"You ready?"

Ste nodded, holding out his hand. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." Mitzeee smiled, taking his hand tightly. "Let's go see the wizard."

"Huh?"

Mitzeee shook her head, laughing. "I'll tell you later."