Shane sat on the couch in Mark's living room, anxiously checking his watch then his phone every few seconds. His heart was racing with nervous excitement and his foot didn't seem to want to stop shaking.
"What if something happened to him?" Shane asked for about the fourth time.
"It was a long drive" Kian assured him. "We're all sure he'll be here soon enough"
"You don't have to be so nervous" Mark added as he came into the room sipping a glass of wine.
"How can you be so relaxed?" Shane demanded. Mark simply shrugged.
"Would it help to go over the plan again?" Kian asked his nervous friend.
The older lad stood up and began to pace back and forth around the room. Mark smiled to himself as he sank down into the armchair.
"What if something goes wrong?" Shane asked as he glanced at his phone.
"It won't" Kian replied as he took the glass of wine from Mark's hand and stole a quick sip.
"And if it does" Mark added. "Then it's not the end of the world"
"But..." Shane averted his gaze as he shifted from foot to foot. "I don't want to disappoint him"
"Shane," Kian crossed the room and placed his hand upon his friend's arm. "Seriously, you got this... It's just sex... You can't really do it wrong and considering how many times you and Nicky have already-"
"That's not the point... I don't want to hurt him"
"Unless he wants you to" Mark quipped.
"Just remember" Kian started. "The first thing you'll have to do is convince Nicky to take a shower"
"Right" he agreed. "Because that won't sound weird or anything"
He wasn't overly worried as Nicky usually wanted a quick shower after driving from Dublin to Sligo but he had to take into account that the blonde was coming straight to Mark's house.
"You've got a backup, right?" Kian asked.
"Not exactly" Shane confessed.
"Just tell him the truth" Mark offered helpfully.
"The truth?"
"That you want him all clean so you can thoroughly fuck him when you get home"
Shane's jaw dropped at Mark's suggestion.
"I can't tell him that" Shane replied somewhat indignantly. "Not while you two are here anyway"
"Why? You think Nicky won't want us to know what you two will be doing later?"
"I don't want to tip him off"
"Well, once he's all clean" Kian continued. "We'll have cake and bring out his present"
"But before he opens it, Mark's phone will ring with his family emergency and both of you will leave" Shane finished. "Leaving me and Nicky alone in the house"
"And I'll be sure to insist you both make yourselves at home" Mark added. "Which means, as soon as we're gone, Nicky will want to go upstairs and sneak a peek in our playroom"
"What makes you so sure he'll-"
"Trust me, it's Nicky, he'll even beg you to go with him"
"Distract him with his gift from us" Kian stated. "Once he opens it, he'll definitely want to go upstairs and try some of it out"
"What exactly did you give him?" Shane asked out of curiosity.
"It's as much a surprise for you as it is for him" Mark replied with a twinkle in his eye. "But trust me... he can handle everything in there"
Shane frowned. A part of him wanted to ask how Mark knew that but he was afraid of hearing the answer. His phone beeped in his pocket and he pulled it out.
"Text from Nicky" Shane stated. His nerves began to build up again. "He's about ten minutes away"
Both Kian and Mark exchanged a smile. It was quite sweet watching Shane get himself so worked up about making everything perfect for Nicky.
The minutes ticked by until they all heard Nicky's car at the same time. Shane instantly went into panic mode but Kian was quick to reassure him. Shane ambled from the room and went to greet his lover at the front door. Nicky hadn't even had the chance to knock before the brunette threw the door open in greeting.
The older boy hurried inside and scooped Shane up into his arms. They spent the next few minutes on a non-verbal hello while Kian and Mark waited in the Living room.
"How was the drive?" Shane asked once they finally parted.
"Long" Nicky replied. He took hold of his lover's hand and followed Shane from the main hall. "Hey lads!"
"About time you got here" Kian jabbed.
"Happy birthday, Nicky" Mark added.
"Traffic was crazy plus it took me forever to get away from my mam" he told them. "I couldn't think of a polite way to excuse myself but I didn't want to get here too late and too tired to... well..."
