A/N: Final chapter! This reads as more of an epilogue but I wanted a conclusion that was just them. For those who wonder about Danny, I imagined that Ste would struggle to get past all that had happened but maybe in time would find some closure. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story, it really does mean so much. Hope you all enjoy the final part :)

A lifetime gained, not in an instant, but in a series of recollections and rediscovery.

I turn over in our bed, grunting as the sunlight filters through the curtains, casting a golden light across the mattress. Steven is still sound asleep, curled up on his side, arse in my line of sight.

I move down the bed, my hand ghosting over his thigh as I press my lips against the skin of his arse, my teeth scraping along the soft flesh when he doesn't wake up. I give him a proper bite when he still doesn't stir and it makes him yelp and fidget. I move up the bed towards his face and watch as he slowly peeks his eyes open.

"Git," he says, giving me a small kick. I trap his leg between mine, grinning at him.

"Couldn't resist, could I?"

"Getting to be a bit of a habit, this. You waking me up I mean, not the biting my arse part."

I frown at him. "You don't think I bite your arse enough? Is that what you're saying?"

"Fuck off." He pushes against my chest but I take his hands easily, placing them over my heart.

"If I didn't wake you up you'd be asleep all day."

"You can talk. What time did you get in the other night? Three?"

"You know what it's like in the club business, Steven."

"They're taking advantage," he huffs, small crease forming between his eyebrows.

I sigh, we've had this talk countless times now.

"It's not forever, Steven."

"I guess." He still looks troubled. No doubt he's reflecting on what else he wants to get away from if we decide to move on. I reach out to him and brush the hair away from his face.

He softens then, stretching himself out and letting out a huge yawn. "What's the plan for today then?"

"Plan? Who needs a plan?" I move my hand towards his arse and give it a squeeze. "We've got all we need right here."

"Yeah, yeah." He rolls his eyes but he's smiling now.

"Come on, you're always going on about having a duvet day. I haven't got work."

His eyes light up and he shifts over to my side of the bed, pressing himself against me.

"What did you have in mind then?" He asks, voice low.

I brush my fingertips down his spine, feeling him shiver. Neither of us are wearing anything; the night had been warm and we'd fallen asleep straight after having sex. I remember the way his back had arched as he'd ridden me, thighs clenched around my legs. This time I want to be on him, pressing him into the mattress. He seems to sense this and shifts himself underneath me, reaching out with his arms to draw me into a kiss.

I kiss him for a long time, never satisfied, always thinking to myself what if and knowing how precious these moments are. Other times though, when I really let myself relax, I allow myself to think that this it is now. No more accidents, no more prison, no more meddling relatives. I've got him and he's got me and that's what counts. Of course there's always the kids to think about, mostly his kids, but that's a working progress where Amy's concerned. I push those thoughts out of my head for now and focus on him, focus on the slightness of his frame, the hair on his legs and stomach, rough to the touch. I hold his jaw in my hand and I kiss him harder, my tongue delving into his mouth at the same time my fingers are pressing into him.

His lips become uncoordinated now as I push into him, fingers slippery with lubricant and stretching him open. His hips buck clear off the bed, my body the only thing keeping him grounded. His fingernails scrape along my scalp, getting almost aggressive as he works himself up. I remove my fingers then, replacing them with the tip of my tongue, eyes fixed on him as he watches me, fascinated.

It's all so natural to me now, his body and what it wants. It had taken a while to get to this point; my mind was still picking up fragments of memories I'd forgotten, important things I'd learned about him and what he liked. Now it felt like second nature again, like the memories had never left me.

He likes it sometimes when I take his hands in my own above his head and push inside of him and today is no exception. The tight heat of him is almost overwhelming but I take my time, slowly withdrawing myself to the tip before filling him again completely. He's a mess underneath me, practically twitching with the sensations. His hand is wrapped clumsily around his cock and it strikes me how young he looks in these moments, hair wild, eyes bright and round, lips parted with his tongue peeping through. It reminds me of our first few times together when everything was new and I had so much to show him. Now I'm laid bare and so is he. He knows my body as well as I know his and there's nothing quite like it.

I take my hands out of his to position them either side of his head, giving myself enough grip to really build up the momentum. I watch him as his body moves under my thrusts. His hand grips my forearm tightly, the other still working himself off to my cock buried deep inside of him.

The climax is slow and drawn out, almost agonizingly so. I hang my head, finding his lips as I finish, his own grunts telling me he's catching up, come spilling over his belly within moments.

I move off of him quickly and lie beside him, breathing hard.

"Tissue?" He asks and I lean over to the bedside table, grabbing a couple and handing them to him.

"Feels dead funny when it dries on me," he says, putting the used tissues to the side.

"Take a shower then."

"I might you know. Get some clean clothes on after. Those on the floor smell rank."

"We need to start doing some washing."

He laughs, swinging his legs out of bed. "I guess we have been slacking a bit. Can't look like this when the kids come to visit."

"Exactly," I agree, following him into the bathroom.

"'Cause it's gotta be perfect, right?"

"It will be." I wrap my arms around his middle, resting my chin on his shoulder.

He turns the hot water on, slipping into the shower ahead of me while I lay some towels out for us. I shut the glass door after us, enjoying the way it steams up within minutes.

We wash each other; it's one of Steven's favourite activities, washing me. He gets suds in my eyes and I curse and he laughs and it all feels so normal that it almost takes my breath away until I realise this is how it should be. How it's supposed to be.

We finish up and step into the cold air of the bathroom, wrapping ourselves up in towels quickly.

I shave while Steven brushes his teeth and then we swap places, except it doesn't take Steven nearly as long to shave, a fact I point out to him.

"Shut up, I've got stubble you know."

"Yeah, maybe on your chest."

"I've got hairier legs than you."

"And we're all very proud."

He whips the towel off me then, exposing me to the chill. Before I can retaliate he's off back to the bedroom. I catch up with him easily, grabbing him around the middle and swinging him up into the air. He snorts as he laughs and I drop him back to the ground, giving him a look as I go to our cupboard for clothes.

"Don't give me that," he tuts, smoothing down his hair. "Anything clean in there?"

I throw him a t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms, opting for similar myself. Duvet days are meant to be comfortable after all.

We retreat to the living room soon after, Steven grabbing the remote and a blanket off the sofa to wrap us up in. I let him put one of his films on and settle myself down, him in between my legs, head against my chest.

"Who's that guy then?" I ask about ten minutes in. Steven nudges his foot against mine.

"Shut up, I'm trying to watch."

"You've seen it before."

"Yeah but I like rewatching stuff."

"Why? You already know what's coming."

He shrugs. "Safer that way, init? No surprises then."

"You don't like surprises?"

"I dunno, do I?"

"You either do or you don't."

"Maybe I don't then."

"I just wanna know, for future reference."

"Oh yeah? You planning on surprising me one day?"

I say the words quickly. "What if I wanna marry you someday, hm? Am I gonna have to tell you before I propose?"

He goes still then, silent. I wonder if I've said the wrong thing.

He shifts against me, making himself more comfortable. "Chance would be a fine thing. I can't picture it."

"What?"

"You getting down on one knee and all that."

"Come on, Steven. You know I'd get down on my knees for you…"

"Shut up, not like that and you know it."

"I'm an old-fashioned guy though, Steven."

"So you're alright marrying a bloke are you?"

"I wouldn't be saying it if I wasn't."

"What are you saying?" He turns to look at me then, and I feel a lump form in my throat.

"That I wanna marry you someday, what else?"

"Is this you asking me then?"

I think about it for a moment. "I suppose it is, yeah."

He suddenly beams at me; he's practically glowing with it. "You're a softie, I knew it."

"Let's not pass that around, yeah? I still have some semblance of a reputation to uphold."

He scoffs. "For who?"

"Everyone, anyone."

"Does it matter?" All teasing is suddenly gone and he looks at me, blue eyes soft and warm.

"I guess not," I admit, clearing my throat. "Is that it then? Can I relax now?"

"Are you feeling tense?" He laughs then but turns around regardless.

"Not every day a bloke asks his gay lover to marry him."

"Yeah but I accepted, didn't I?"

"Did you? I didn't hear a yes anywhere in that."

"Oh right. Good point. I do then."

"You do?"

"Say yes."

"Seriously?"

"No, I'm only joking," he says sarcastically. He turns himself around fully then, straddling me underneath the blanket. "I love you, Brendan. You know that. Of course I wanna marry you." He says the last part softly, like he can't quite believe what he's saying.

"I love you too." I cough, my hands tightening around his waist. "That's settled then." I kiss him lingeringly. "When do you wanna then?"

"Whenever. We gotta tell Cheryl first, and Mitzeee."

"Anne?"

"She'd never forgive us otherwise. She's probably dreamed about our big gay wedding since she caught us kissing the first time."

I snort, the memory coming easy now. "What a time that was."

"It wasn't all bad. We got there in the end."

"And look at us now."

Steven smiles and he's so achingly beautiful that it almost hurts to look at him. He settles himself in my arms once more, grabbing the remote to turn the volume up.

"Enough of that now. I wanna watch this."

I smirk, my lips moving to his ear. "Alright, Steven Brady."

"Who says I'm taking your name?"

"You've taken everything else, why not that?"

"You make it sound like you didn't want me to."

"Course I do." I smile then. "You took everything away from me, at least most of it."

"It doesn't just go away," Steven says, serious now.

"No, but I can breathe easier, knowing you're here. That I've got you."

"For this lifetime yeah."

"And the next."

"Always."