Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to Hollyoaks!

Summary: Brendan and Ste literally get trapped together.

Trapped

Ste often wondered to himself how he got into these strange situations. Right now he was half dressed and sweating in a lift, wearing only one sock. What was even stranger was the man beside him, arm slung easily over his shoulder. It was affectionate and possessive all at once. Ste was well and truly trapped. With Brendan Brady.

It had all began innocently enough. Chez Chez had decided to renovate and add in a disabled lift. Brendan had been testing it out when Ste had shown up, frown etched onto his face. Things hadn't exactly been easy with them lately but they had formed a mutual respect of each other. Brendan was distant, indifferent but not unkind. Ste was overly friendly as if to compensate but for the most part his enthusiasm died on his lips.

"Hiya" he greeted, his tone a little high. "How are ya?"

"Alright" Brendan replied coolly, fiddling with something in the lift. "What are ye doing here?"

"Cheryl wanted a catch up" Ste glanced around the club. "Am I too late?"

Brendan looked up. "She's not here today"

"Oh" Ste said, frowning. "Why would she ask to meet me if she's not even here?"

"Who knows" Brendan sighed, throwing a screwdriver across the room.

Ste gritted his teeth, his hands behind his back. "Need some help?"

Brendan looked him over. "From the Chef? No thanks"

Ste tutted, moving closer. "I'm quite the handyman at home, you know. With kids, things break all the time, you learn fast"

"I remember" Brendan muttered, walking over to pick up the screwdriver before handing it to Ste. "Think ye can handle it?"

Ste ignored the tingle creeping up his spine as their hands met. "Course" he said brightly.

Ste really had no clue on electronics but he gave it ago. It was all just wires and sparks anyway. Ste's tongue poked out as he worked. He was surprised to find Brendan watching him intently.

"This is nice of you" Ste commented. "Shame Pete's not around to benefit it"

Brendan snorted. "Yeah, right"

"You miss him?" Ste asked, throwing a glance over his shoulder.

Brendan shrugged. "Not really"

"Do you miss anything?" Ste asked, laughing. The silence that followed was stifling. Ste turned to look at him carefully. Brendan's eyes bored into Ste's own. Ste coughed, laughing again a little uneasily.

"I think I've made this worse" he said, his throat contracting around the words.

Brendan rolled his eyes, his intense look replaced with his usual scowl. "What did I tell ye? Give it here" Brendan pushed him inside the lift, not forcefully.

"At least I tried without throwing things across the room" Ste pouted, crossing his arms.

"Good for you" Brendan replied dryly, fiddling again. "Agh!" he suddenly yelped, shaking his fingers.

"What?" Ste grabbed his hand impulsively. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Just a shock" Brendan said, a little breathlessly. Ste didn't let go of his hand.

"There's electricity all right" Ste murmured to himself.

"Excuse me?" Brendan asked, amused.

Ste opened his mouth to reply but was distracted when the doors closed on them, effectively trapping them inside.

"Shit" Ste breathed, trying out all the buttons. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Brendan replied defensively. "Move out the way"

Ste did so obediently, but then he felt anger flaring up inside of him. "Don't be rude, Bren"

Brendan turned to him, looking incredulous. "Ye wanna pick a fight now?"

"No" Ste said sullenly. "But it looks like we're gonna be stuck in here for a while, at least until Cheryl comes back"

"What can she do?" Brendan asked, his tone a little softer.

"She might be able to open from the outside with the button" Ste said. "So I suggest we just sit tight"

Brendan didn't look pleased at this suggestion.

"What is it? Unbearable to be in the same space as me?" Ste rolled his eyes, sliding to the floor and wrapping his arms around his drawn in legs.

"I didn't say that" Brendan retorted. He seemed twitchy, uncomfortable.

"Then what?"

Brendan sighed, finding his own place to sit. "Just forget it" he mumbled.

Ste knew he should drop it but he couldn't help himself. "No tell me" he shuffled closer to him, knocking knees in the process. Brendan jerked away, startled.

"Stop touching me!"

Ste drew back, hurt. Brendan looked immediately apologetic.

"I didn't mean-"

"No, it's alright" Ste stupidly felt tears in his eyes. "I won't touch you"

"No" Brendan growled, grabbing his wrist. He sighed as though giving in to something.

"Don't"

That was when Ste really saw what was going on. Brendan looked at him desperately, his grip on Ste's wrist tight and unyielding. It all began to slot into place. Brendan's distant behaviour and yet how often he sought out Ste's company. The physical distance between them, unusual to someone as affectionate as Ste. He had been surprised when Brendan had approached him a few months ago and began talking to him like nothing had happened. Ste had been defensive at first, naturally, but once he realised Brendan just wanted to talk, he began to soften. Now they were at a weird stage of not quite friends but not quite enemies either. Ste began to wonder about Brendan's intentions. He gave him a sharp look and was secretely delighted when Brendan wilted fractionally.

"What's really going on, Brendan?"

"Who says something's going on?"

Ste shuffled close again, pressing his knee against Brendan's. It looked odd; Ste's faded jeans alongside Brendan's suit trousers. He watched Brendan's face carefully for his reaction. His jaw tightened and twitched noticeably. Feeling triumphant, Ste slid his hand onto Brendan's arm, his fingers curling around the muscle there. Brendan closed his eyes, apparently having an inner debate with himself.

"Ye think it's been easy, Stephen?"

"What?" Ste asked, taking his hand away.

Brendan breathed evenly through his nose. "Seeing ye everyday, not being able to touch ye"

Ste bowed his head, blushing. "What did you expect? After everything you've done?"

"I know" Brendan murmured, rubbing his temple. "I guess I thought..."

"Thought what?"

"That ye would come back" Brendan laughed bitterly.

"I would have if you hadn't pushed me so far away"

"And yet here ye sit" Brendan raised his eyebrows, a small smile on his lips. "Why?"

Ste blinked several times. "Why what?"

"Why do ye talk to me like I'm yer favourite person? Why do ye always touch me? Why do ye..." Brendan trailed off, reaching out to trail Ste's lips with his fingers. "Why do ye smile so bright when ye see me?"

Ste didn't really have an answer. When Brendan took his fingers away, Ste felt his lips itch with his lack of presence. He decided to amend that by pressing his lips against Brendan's. It began soft, as most kisses do, but Brendan's need and Ste's desire overrode all that. It wasn't long before Brendan had Ste pinned on the floor, kisses hungry and desperate.

Ste suddenly realised how enclosed they were and the thought made his breath hitch. Brendan pulled away, concerned.

"What is it?"

"I don't know if this is right..." Ste looked around them. He felt so large in such a small space, and yet so small in Brendan's arms.

"Stephen" Brendan's voice came out gravelly. "I've got ye in a small room, locked in, no one else. What do ye think I'm gonna do?"

Ste's eyes sparkled beneath Brendan's gaze. "I can only imagine"

"Just relax" Brendan nuzzled against Ste's neck, planting small, sucking kisses there.

"But-"

"Don't think about after. Think about now" Brendan's hand drifted to Ste's crotch. He rubbed at the fabric, his breath hot on Ste's neck. Ste didn't need any more persuasion.

Brendan undid some buttons, enough to slide his hand inside and past Ste's boxers. He fondled his balls first before moving to stroke along his shaft. Ste opened his legs in response, all misgivings leaving him as they often did when Brendan had him in his hands. Brendan pulled his trousers over his hips, kissing and nuzzling against his pubic hair and biting a little at his hip bone.

Ste wasn't prepared for the moment when Brendan took him into his mouth. He thought that he was going to tease him first so the sudden intimacy disarmed him. Brendan swallowed him whole and Ste was gone. He bucked his hips as Brendan withdrew before delving back in again, deep.

Brendan spat on his fingers, sliding them towards Ste's entry as he continued to hold him in his mouth. Even though it had been a while, Ste found himself opening to Brendan's brief touch, allowing his fingers to slide expertly inside.

What followed next was pure oblivion. Ste gave himself to Brendan completely, willingly. A little too easily, he would tell himself later, but right now he didn't care. When Brendan eventually pulled him into his lap, allowing him to push himself inside, Ste was so far gone he would have given Brendan anything. He rocked against him, his arms around his neck, his face buried in his hair.

He didn't know half of what he was saying. He spread his legs wide, rocking without restraint. Brendan clung to him, his fingers digging into his flesh. His teeth found their way to his neck, nibbling at the exposed flesh.

"Fuck. Brendan. Oh god" Ste's eyes rolled back. "Fuck, just have me. You can have me. Just don't let go"

"No chance" Brendan muttered, keeping up his pace. "Ye are mine now, got it? Ye aren't going anywhere" he mumbled into his skin, Ste frantically nodding along with him, hardly caring what he was promising.

The climax came unexpectantly. Ste jerked his hips upwards, catching hold of Brendan's bottom lip in his teeth. He shuddered against him, warmth spread between their bodies. Brendan groaned and pressed his face against Ste's chest as he came, his hands tangling in his hair and pulling out some of the strands.

They panted against each other, their lips finding each other again. Brendan's tongue pushed into Ste's mouth, deep, possesively catching his tongue with his own. Ste pushed them down onto the floor, climbing on top of Brendan and rubbing himself against him, needing the remainder of his orgasm to peak.

Afterwards he collapsed onto Brendan's chest, Brendan's hand holding him by the back of his head.

Ste's jeans lay tangled on the floor, one of his escaped socks with them. He laughed a little and Brendan laughed too. It felt so easy, being together, laughing together. Ste rolled off of him but Brendan didn't let him out of his sight, or touch. He slung an arm around Ste's shoulder, his grip tight and unrelenting. Ste blushed a little when he realised he'd basically promised himself to Brendan again. It wouldn't be the first time, Ste often got carried away in the moment. No wonder Brendan was so territorial.

"Alright?" Brendan asked, his voice rough.

"Yeah" Ste replied, a little breathlessly. "I think I am, now"

"Funny how this happened" Brendan laughed. "First Cheryl stands ye up, then the lift breaks..." Brendan began to frown. "Hang on"

As if on cue, the lift doors opened. Brendan baulked and Ste hid behind him. Cheryl was standing there, out of breath and clearly flustered. Luckily they had their boxers on now.

"I just got here" she breathed and Brendan instantly relaxed. "I only meant to leave you for a little while..."

"You did this?" Ste asked incredulously.

"Um, well, you know" Cheryl blushed. "The lift was already broken when I was here, and then you called me about meeting up and Brendan came storming through the door, like he does, and I just thought... well, you'd been getting on so well and yet you were both so miserable... I just thought a little nudge..." Cheryl wilted a little under Brendan's hard gaze. "I'm sorry, okay! I only meant to leave you an hour. Oops" Cheryl suddenly took in their half dressed state. "I should leave you to it" she backed away slowly. "It worked though didn't it? Ha... ha"

"We'll speak later, Chez" Brendan warned, but there was a warm twist to his mouth. Cheryl smiled, relieved.

"Yeah, later" She bustled out the door, Ste laughed in her wake.

"Only Cheryl could come up with something like this" Ste chuckled to himself. "Missing me, were you?"

"Hey she said ye were miserable too" Brendan pointed out, prodding Ste in his belly. "Don't put it all on me"

"Well alright" Ste sighed, resting his head against Brendan's shoulder. "How did she know we wouldn't just kill each other?"

Brendan shrugged. "Brady instincts"

"Yeah because they always work" Ste replied sarcastically but he was so relaxed there was no real malice in it.

"Not gonna fall asleep are ye?"

"Why?" Ste asked, staring at Brendan curiously.

Brendan reached up for the doors to close on them again. "No reason" he grinned, his eyes raking over Ste's body.

Ste grinned back, and kissed him again.