Chapter Text
Nicky didn’t tell Mark exactly what Shane said in the first place that had him so riled up, only said that things were okay now. That he would probably be alright. That Mark didn’t need to worry. But when he looked up and saw the hesitation in Mark’s blue eyes, Nicky couldn’t tell if his friend believed him at all.
“If you say so, Nico,” Mark had said in the end, in a voice that made Nicky slightly uneasy, and never brought up the topic again.
If Nicky was being honest, things between him and Shane didn’t change drastically after the talk. Nicky still couldn’t bring himself to touch Shane, hands hidden in his pockets awkwardly when they were standing too close. He did stop trying to flinch away when Shane occasionally touched him. A palm on his back when Shane had to squeeze past him in a tight space. A tap on the arm when Shane tried to get his attention. Light and innocent. Polite, even, testing boundaries in a way they never had to before, even from the very beginning.
But Shane didn’t lean on Nicky like he used to, with an arm propped on Nicky’s shoulder as they waited in line for a late night snack. Didn’t sit close to him and whisper near unintelligible jokes when everything else got too loud. Didn’t look into his eyes and laugh at whatever Nicky had said, nudging his thigh and leaving a hand there a second too long.
They made enough effort to at least keep Kian pleased about the situation, Nicky reckoned. Because the blonde stopped looking between them like he was trying to figure out what’s wrong every few hours.
They were back to normal. Even Nicky himself almost believed it. The ‘fake it till you make it’ mentality was helping. Probably.
Nicky didn’t know how long he could keep the act up, but thankfully they were down to their very last song to record. After tomorrow he would get to sit at his house in Dublin, two hundred kilometers away from the person he desperately needed to get over.
The harmonies and main vocals had all been done already, and only Mark needed to redo one bit they had recorded on the first day. Other than that, they would all get to hear the mixings of some tracks they had finished, so all things considered, tomorrow would be a rather light last day.
Everyone enthusiastically agreed to having some fun down at the bar, just the four of them before a bigger party tomorrow night with the rest of the crew. Nicky had gone back to the room for a shower just to freshen up. He put on a nice shirt he hadn’t gotten a chance to wear since they got here, which was crazy considering he actually didn’t bring that many to change into.
When he came down to the hotel bar, his three bandmates were tucked away nicely into a corner booth, close enough to see the live band performing but just far enough for their conversations not to be completely drowned out by the music.
Kian and Shane sat on one side; Mark had left the aisle seat open for him, patting the cushion when Nicky walked over to them.
“Nice top,” Kian commented as he laid his eyes on Nicky, eyebrows raised appraisingly.
“Someone is looking good tonight.” Mark whistled and grinned at Nicky.
Nicky snorted indignantly. “What are you talking about! I look good all the time!”
“Well, except for that morning at five am when you…” But before Mark could complete the sentence, Nicky lunged over to cover his mouth.
“Alright, enough about that, Feehily!” Nicky let go of Mark after he was sure that he wasn’t going to keep talking. They looked at each other and grinned. It was just a few nights ago when Nicky had to get up to use the toilet early in the morning. But he was still hungover at the time and tripped over his jeans on the floor in the dark, effectively waking Mark from sleep and earning himself a very bruised knee.
Nicky supposed sharing a room with someone came with the risk of them seeing you half naked on the floor with your arse in the air, groaning and cursing from insufferable pain, trying really hard not to burst into tears.
Shane took a long sip from his glass before putting it back down. The bottom hit the table a little too loudly, but he didn’t seem to notice. Kian, on the other hand, eyed them with curiosity and looked like he was about to ask Mark for more details.
“What are we all drinking?” Nicky abruptly changed the topic before Kian could open his mouth. That had successfully distracted them, and each man shared his drink. “I’ll get us the next round,” he offered.
“I’ll walk over with ya, gonna hit the loo,” Mark said, patting Nicky’s shoulder.
They both got up and Nicky placed their drinks at the bar. He waited around until the drinks were ready, but Mark still hadn’t returned yet, so he asked for a tray and started walking back.
The music segued into a slower track around the time Nicky got near their booth. Shane and Kian were deep in conversation, but with their backs facing him, they didn’t notice Nicky approaching at all.
“...know how you’re still so miserable the moment he’s out of your sight?”
Shane let out a sound between a laugh and a huff. Nicky stopped in his tracks, listening, despite a voice in his head saying that maybe he shouldn’t be hearing this conversation. “Is it that bad?”
“I’d have to be blind to not see it. Shane, what the hell is going on?”
The acoustic guitar filled the momentary silence, and then:
“I fucked up, Kian,” Shane answered, defeated, voice muffled and should have been too quiet for Nicky to hear. And yet each word, like an unmistakable drum beat, echoed in Nicky’s head over and over.
He couldn’t stand there any longer without looking suspicious or blocking someone’s way. Nicky gripped the tray a little too hard, and the liquid in the glasses started to tremble. He took a deep breath in and started to walk again, stepped close enough to alert them of his presence.
Kian instantly stopped talking and turned his head to look at Nicky. “Hey, you’re back,” he said too quickly, a false liveliness in his voice.
Nicky pretended to not notice and smiled back, setting down the tray before settling back into the booth. They each thanked him for the drinks, and Nicky finally took a good long gulp of his Guinness. He’s gonna need a lot more than this.
“So, what’re we talking about?” Nicky broke the silence, fingers wiping the condensation on his glass mindlessly.
“Oh, nothing,” Kian said with feigned casualness, “Just chatting to Shane about plans when we go home, you know. Can’t wait to see Jodi again and spend some time together in London…”
Nicky sneaked a glance at Shane while Kian kept on babbling about holiday plans. The brunette was half listening to Kian with a forced smile. Nicky was used to Shane being the life of the party after he’d had a few drinks, not sitting in a corner looking gloomy and distracted.
What did he mean by that? He fucked up? Nicky had thought maybe he was reading too much into Shane’s unusual mood, but now he knew he wasn’t. Things weren’t better between them. Not at all.
Maybe it wasn’t fixable. Maybe he was failing to be the friend Shane wanted him to be, and he didn’t know if he ever would again.
The thought became too unbearable in Nicky’s mind, so as soon as he saw Mark coming back, Nicky immediately held onto him like a drowning man clutching at a straw.
“What took you so long!” Nicky complained half-heartedly and shook Mark a little, “Come on, dance with me!”
Mark laughed at Nicky’s reaction upon his return and grabbed his hands in an attempt to calm Nicky. “I literally just sat down! Ask Kian!”
Kian shook his head immediately. “No way man, I wanna finish my drink first.”
Nicky rolled his eyes at Kian. “Danced with this one enough times last tour.” All four of them grinned at the memory of Nicky and Kian dancing on stage. “Please, Mark! I love this song! Just this one song, I swear!” He turned to Mark and pleaded again.
Mark looked at him with a fondly exasperated expression. “How would you even know the song? It’s not in a language you speak at all.”
“Well, just because this is the first time I’m hearing it doesn’t mean I can’t love it already! Let’s go!”
Mark sighed and finally caved, but if the smile on his face was any indication, he wasn’t half as reluctant as he claimed to be. They both stood up to leave the booth again, but Nicky put a hand on Mark to stop him.
“Wait!” Nicky held up his glass and chugged all of its content in one go. “Okay, now I’m ready.”
Afraid that Mark would suddenly regret his decision to humor Nicky, he quickly grabbed one of Mark’s wrists and led him toward the live band. There wasn’t really a designated dance floor in the bar, but a small gathering of guests still swayed and grooved in front of the band, just enough people for them not to feel self-conscious about being there.
Nicky purposefully faced away from their booth because he didn’t need to be seeing Shane’s face when he was trying to forget it altogether. If Mark had somehow sensed Nicky’s mood, he was kind enough not to ask. But they stayed after that one song. And the next.
It wasn’t long before Nicky felt the full effect of that drink kicking in. Mark showed off his infamous Sligo rave dance moves again, which had Nicky doubling over laughing. At the end of it, Mark held Nicky’s hand and gave him a spin. Nicky followed and ended up falling into Mark’s arms and giggled, head reeling.
“Remember the time I challenged Justin Timberlake to a dance-off?” Mark asked, grinning.
“Yeah, that was a fun night,” Nicky answered, still smiling like mad.
When another slow-tempo song came on, they kept on dancing gracelessly, stepping on each other’s feet half of the time, but Nicky didn’t give a fuck at all. Mark gave him another spin, and by the end of it Nicky was practically hanging off of Mark, who was laughing and struggling to hold him up.
And then Mark suddenly looked away from Nicky to something behind him. Someone was walking up to them.
“Hey, Shane,” Mark greeted, gently holding on to Nicky’s shoulders. Nicky stilled in his arms for a moment, and then slowly turned to face the brunette without really looking at him.
Shane nodded at Mark and mumbled an absentminded “hey” before looking straight at Nicky. He looked restless.
“Nicky, can I talk to you?” Shane asked.
Nicky licked his lips nervously. “Yeah, shoot.”
“Not here.”
Mark and Nicky exchanged a look. “Can’t it wait?” He asked with feigned lightheartedness, not wanting to face Shane alone.
That gave Shane pause. He glanced between the two of them and then shook his head. “No. Has to be now,” he said slowly, determined.
Nicky sighed inwardly as Mark patted his arm. “Go, I’ll catch you later,” Mark encouraged, offering Nicky a comforting smile.
Nicky gave him one last look and then finally nodded, following Shane out apprehensively.
Shane led them into the staircase next to the lifts and started going up. Nicky trudged behind him in silence, sobering up as they walked the familiar path to Shane’s room.
They didn’t talk at all the whole way, and the eerie quietness was wearing on Nicky. He kept wondering what was so important for Shane to have to say to him now, of all time, but his mind drew a blank.
He watched Shane open the door and walk in, holding the door for Nicky. With the memory of their last conversation here dredged up uncontrollably, Nicky took a deep breath before stepping through the threshold. It had been a while since he had been in this room.
The door clicked shut behind Nicky, but Shane remained where he was, not moving any further into the room.
Nicky leaned back on the door uneasily. They stood too close for any conversation to be comfortable. All of a sudden, he was having deja vu from all the times they returned to their room just like this and made out against the door, too pent up, too eager to wait a second longer to taste each other on their lips.
Something too much like pain twisted in his stomach.
“Shane, what is it?” Nicky asked warily, “What do you want?”
Shane’s eyes darkened. He took another step toward Nicky, toes of his shoes almost touching Nicky’s.
“I…I want you, Nicky,” he rasped, gaze dropping to Nicky’s lips for a moment before catching his eyes again, “I miss being with you.”
And Nicky knew that look intimately. He witnessed it almost every day, when they still shared the same room. The intention was unmistakable.
Nicky grated his teeth and gave Shane a cold hard stare. No way Shane thought he could do this again. No way he still thought he had Nicky at his beck and call.
“Look, if you’re just horny, go find someone else to fuck. I’m sure hundreds of people will be lining up for that, but I’m not gonna be one of them,” he spat out harshly, fueled by the anger now rising up his chest.
“I…I don’t want that!” Shane turned red and looked startled at Nicky’s testy response.
“Then I’m sorry, I can’t fucking help you there can I?” Nicky growled. He turned to leave, trembling and fuming from Shane thinking that he could do whatever he wanted with Nicky.
And that he almost wanted to let him.
“Nicky, please! Wait!” Shane pleaded and grabbed Nicky’s arm, trying to stop him from opening the door. Nicky glared back, and Shane painfully looked down. He let go of Nicky, slowly.
“I’m a coward, I know,” he said, voice hoarse, “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to tell you last time we talked.”
That somehow stopped Nicky. He frowned in confusion and turned towards Shane again. “Tell me what?”
Shane rubbed his forehead with one hand, visibly frustrated. “This is probably, no, definitely stupid,” he started to say, words tripping over each other clumsily, “I don’t know if there’s something going on between you and Mark right now, but seeing you with him I…”
“You what? Are you just jealous that he’s a better friend? That he gets the attention you think you deserved?” Nicky cut in impatiently with a frown.
“No! No…Yes, I’m jealous, but not like that!” Shane blurted out, rushing to explain himself. Nicky snorted and crossed his arms before his chest.
Shane took a deep breath and looked at Nicky again, eyes glistening in the pale doorway light. “I’m jealous,” he repeated, slower this time, “Because he’s braver than I am. You both are. Embracing what you feel while I tried to push it down.”
He was shaking now. Almost imperceptible, but Nicky could see it in his shoulders.
“I didn’t know what to do, because when you told me you loved me, I came so hard with my heart jumping out of my chest. I forgot how to breathe.” He croaked out, breath shuddering, “I’m sorry I panicked. I just never thought I would be…into a man like that.”
Nicky blinked at him, stunned by the desperate honesty and longing in his voice, heartbeats suddenly loud and fast in his ears.
“What exactly are you saying, Shane?” He asked carefully, trying hard to not get his hopes up.
“I know myself. If I could get away with never confronting the truth and staying that way with you I probably would. But you keep me honest, Nicky, and a part of me thinks that’s why…that’s why I love you,” Shane finished off softly, hazel-green eyes raw with emotions, open and vulnerable.
Astonished and flustered, Nicky felt his face heat up at Shane’s confession. Perhaps he was still very drunk after all.
“Okay, maybe you should lead with that next time,” he joked weakly after a moment. Shane gave him a half-hearted smile. Nicky bit his lower lip, still incredulous. “How…how did you figure? That you don’t love me just as a friend?”
“Because if that’s the case, I shouldn’t want to hold your hand whenever you’re walking next to me and not let go. Because I shouldn’t wake up wanting to kiss you and wrap my arms around you every day. Because,” Shane answered with an unabashed certainty in his voice, “Watching you walk out of this room shouldn’t have hurt like my heart was breaking into a million pieces.”
Nicky felt wetness starting to well up in his eyes. He looked away and blinked rapidly, trying to force back the tears.
“You love me,” Nicky said. Not as a question, but a realization. An understanding.
For weeks he wanted to hear nothing but that Shane loved him back, but for the longest time he thought he’d never get a chance.
Shane nodded. “I do. Hard not to,” he admitted, “This has been all I could think about, and even if it might be too late, I needed to tell you…I had to tell you.”
“What made you think it might be too late?”
Shane visibly hesitated, his brow furrowing. “Because I don’t know if you…if you still want me,” he said haltingly, like putting the words together physically hurt him, “Don’t know if you’re falling for someone else.”
Nicky huffed, sagging a little against the door, and he suddenly understood the way Shane had been staring at him and Mark. Scared, bitter, and jealous.
‘There is no one else,’ Nicky wanted to say. Wanted to reach out and hug him. Wanted to reassure Shane in all the ways Nicky knew how. But not just yet, not before he knew they were on the same page about this. Not this time.
“Took you long enough, but I’m just that irresistible, I guess,” Nicky ended up saying instead, as lightly as he could muster with an insolent shrug, but his voice was on the verge of breaking, “So, what now?”
“Uhm, to be honest I wasn’t sure I would get this far,” Shane answered with a grimace, a little embarrassed, “But if you’re interested…I’d…I’d like to take you out some time.”
The apparent nervousness almost made Nicky smile. It was endearing, really. Shane had never been much shy about sex with Nicky, and yet the suave, confident singer suddenly seemed like a young boy again, stammering and blushing just at the thought of taking Nicky out on a date.
“What about the band?” Nicky asked.
“Well, it’s survived worse, and I’ve a feeling we won’t fuck it up,” Shane said, smiling up at Nicky, “Not more than we already have anyways. It’ll be alright.”
Nicky chuckled at that. He could keep tormenting Shane just a little bit, but he couldn’t help but take mercy on him.
“Dinner. Tomorrow,” Nicky announced—Shane widened his eyes in sheer joy and excitement. “But just so you know, I don’t put out on the first date,” he then added cheekily.
Shane broke into a laugh, hazel-green eyes lit up brightly as he beamed at Nicky, who drank up every second of that smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Nicky.”
Nicky grinned back at him. He was beyond ecstatic, but for some reason Nicky still couldn’t bring himself to jump happily into Shane’s arms and kiss him senseless. Shane had to ask for it if he wanted it, he decided.
”Is that all then?” Nicky asked after a beat of them looking at each other.
Shane nodded hesitantly, looking uncertain at his own response.
”Alright, guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning then? I fancy myself some sleep about now,” Nicky said teasingly, curious to see Shane’s reaction.
“I…I guess yeah.”
“Good night, Shane.” He smiled sweetly at the brunette.
“Good night…” Shane murmured, confused, like he wasn’t sure how it all ended so quickly.
Nicky turned around and had one hand on the door handle again. Shane rushed to grip his wrist before he could push it down.
Nicky looked at Shane with an eyebrow raised, amused. “Are you not gonna let me go?”
Shane looked down at where their hands touched. “I really don’t want to,” he confessed as he stepped closer, crowding into Nicky’s space.
They were far too close now. Nicky swallowed in anticipation, heart racing out of control…but Shane only hugged him, hands clutching at Nicky’s shirt. Tight. Like he never wanted to let go.
“Stay,” Shane urged, breath warm against Nicky’s ear, but then quickly pulled back a little, eyes searching Nicky’s face worriedly, “We…we don’t have to do anything of course! I just miss having you here.”
Nicky smiled at Shane.
In the end he didn’t know how he agreed to it, but Shane could pull off some really good puppy eyes, and Nicky always had a hard time denying Shane of anything.
In fact, he didn’t even get to go back to he and Mark’s room to get a change of clothes, because when he brought that up, Shane simply said “wear mine,” as if he was afraid that Nicky would run away and never come back. Nicky considered it for a second and shrugged. He didn’t wear a shirt to bed anyways.
And that was how Nicky ended up in the bed next to Shane’s, nearly naked and wrapped in sheets with only his head peeking out.
The water was running in the shower, and the indistinct singing brought a small smile to Nicky’s face. Despite what Shane said earlier, he couldn’t help but wonder if Shane was serious about not doing anything while he was here.
He supposed it was a weird situation neither of them had any experience with. When should you have sex again when you go from fuck buddies to not quite friends and then to actually, um, dating?
It had been a while since he allowed himself to think about Shane that way, but knowing that Shane was currently in the shower, wet and naked, was making Nicky grow a little hot.
He wondered if it was too late to regret not wearing a shirt.
When the shower stopped and the bathroom door clicked open, Nicky quickly shut his eyes and pretended to be deep asleep for no good reason. He listened to Shane padding over and letting out a small chuckle when he reached Nicky’s bed. Nicky didn’t dare move an inch, afraid that Shane would find out he wasn’t asleep at all.
Shane moved closer and lowered his body, drowning Nicky’s face in shadows.
“Good night, Nicky,” he whispered. And then, a pair of soft lips touched Nicky’s forehead. Careful. Gentle. Like he was kissing something precious.
Nicky stopped breathing altogether. The knot that had long formed in his stomach finally came undone, unraveling itself into something tender and warm.
Nicky’s eyes fluttered open, finding Shane looking right back at him, eyes wide. He grabbed the collar of Shane’s bathrobe and dragged him down for a kiss.
Their lips collided hard, almost painful, muffling Shane’s surprised yelp. Nicky opened his mouth and licked into Shane’s lips, enveloping himself in the familiar scent. Shane braced his arm next to Nicky’s head and kissed him back in equal desperation and fervor.
“I’ve been dying to kiss you again,” Shane panted against Nicky’s lips as he drew back a little just to look at Nicky.
“Come here,” Nicky urged, removing the cover to pull Shane into his lap.
Shane straddled Nicky as they kissed again, and it soon became very obvious that he wasn’t wearing anything else underneath that bathrobe with his growing hardness pressed into Nicky’s bare thigh.
Nicky sneaked a hand between them and gave Shane a firm stroke, earning him an earnest whine.
“I won’t be able to hold back if you keep doing that,” Shane warned, clearly straining to hold back from thrusting into Nicky’s hand again.
“Then don’t.” Nicky grinned and swiped his thumb over the head of Shane’s cock. It was already wet.
Shane raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought you don’t put out on your first date,” he teased.
“Given this is before our first date, I don’t see a problem, do you?”
Shane grinned back and leaned down again, pecking on Nicky’s lips one more time before peppering kisses down his jaw. He nibbled and licked his way to Nicky’s collarbones, hands touching him everywhere as if making up for lost time.
“Wanted you,” Shane murmured, adorning Nicky’s chest with kisses and bites, “Want you so much it hurts, Nicky.”
Nicky responded by untying Shane’s bathrobe and throwing it out of the bed.
Now entirely naked, Shane slid down and kneeled between Nicky’s legs. Wearing only his boxer briefs, there was no hiding that throbbing erection Nicky was sporting. Nicky bit back a moan when Shane nuzzled against him and then peeled down the cloth to let it spring free. Nicky’s cock was shamelessly hard, looking downright obscene rubbing against Shane’s cheek.
Shane gazed up at Nicky, eyes dark with undisguised lust. Nicky shivered as Shane licked up his length and then kissed the tip. Despite all the times they had slept together, Shane sucking him off hadn’t really been a common occurrence.
Nicky couldn’t hold back his voice when Shane finally wrapped his lips around his erection and sucked. He dug his fingers into Shane’s still damp hair and tried not to push into Shane’s mouth too hard.
Shane worked his way down Nicky’s cock, eyes turning glassy as he choked a little, taking Nicky too deep, too eager. Nicky couldn’t help but wonder what Shane would sound like afterwards.
“This alright?” Shane pulled himself back and looked up like a puppy eager for praises, his lips glistening and red. Nicky slid his hand down to cup Shane’s face, skin warm on his palm.
“Of course, with the most fanciable male sucking my cock and all,” Nicky said cheekily with a smirk, “I could get used to this.”
Shane grinned back and rolled his eyes at him. “Oh, could you now?” He retorted and then sank down again before Nicky had a chance to say anything else, swallowing him deep.
Intense pleasure shot through Nicky’s body as the tip of his cock hit the back of Shane’s throat. Nicky let out a yelp and had to try hard not to come right then and there.
“Wait,” Nicky gasped out, “Come up here, Shay.” Shane let Nicky’s erection slide out of his mouth, tortuously slow, absolutely making a show out of it. He climbed up obediently, slotting his body against Nicky’s.
“Want to make you feel good, Nick,” Shane uttered, voice hoarse, “Tell me what you need.”
Nicky leaned in to catch Shane’s lips, kissing the slick off of them. “Fuck me,” he whispered and felt Shane shiver at his words, ears turning red, “Need to come on your cock, Shane.”
Shane didn’t need to be asked twice. He pushed Nicky back down on the pillow and gave him a hungry kiss before pulling the bedside drawer open, fishing out the bottle of lube that Nicky had gotten for them not that long ago.
Shane crooked up Nicky’s knees, and Nicky felt his own cock twitch in anticipation. But Shane didn’t move immediately, his eyes fixated on Nicky’s right knee. Nicky looked down too, a dark bruise was blooming right on top of it.
“What happened with your knee?” Shane asked with a frown.
Nicky groaned and covered his face with an arm. “Argh, not right now, Shane.”
“Okay, now I’m really curious…”
Nicky groaned again in frustration, louder this time. “Really? You’re about to fuck my arse and this is what you want to talk about?”
Shane chuckled and stroked his hand down Nicky’s calf in an attempt to appease him. “Alright, if you really don’t want to tell me…” he conceded, eyes still lingering on Nicky’s knee.
Nicky could tell Shane was distracted, which he found both funny and annoying at the same time. “Fine…!” Nicky finally gave in. He was really going to regret this in a second. “Remember the story Mark was about to tell earlier and I didn’t let him?”
Shane arched an eyebrow, apparently not pleased about hearing another man’s name in bed. Well, he did ask for it, Nicky thought to himself. “Yeah?”
“Well, simply put, there was a time I tripped on my jeans and fell on the floor. Voila! Bruised knee. I couldn’t even move for a whole minute.”
Shane’s eyes widened at the story, and he burst out laughing, chest heaving hard. Nicky muttered a few swear words under his breath and felt himself go red. He watched Shane exasperatedly, but Shane’s laughter was infectious in a way that he couldn’t help but grin back too.
Shane hid his face in Nicky’s chest, his whole body still trembling from giggles. “I’m sorry babe, I didn’t mean to laugh at you,”—Nicky didn’t believe that for a second—“but you are mad cute when you’re embarrassed!”
Nicky scowled at him.
“Does it still hurt?” Shane asked when he was more in control of himself.
“Not really. I think my ego suffered a worse fate though.”
Shane grinned and comforted an annoyed Nicky by putting a kiss on his pouting lips. Nicky reached up to pinch Shane’s cheek in retaliation. “Do you still want me or not, Filan?”
“More than anything,” Shane affirmed eagerly.
“Then get on with it!” Nicky demanded, making Shane laugh again.
Shane complied right away and leaned down to give Nicky a much longer kiss, getting them both back on track again.
Shane ended up spending a lot of time prepping him thoroughly, licking and sucking on Nicky’s nipples while he fingered Nicky gently, working him open. While Nicky had never been a patient man himself, he appreciated the long prep. It had been a while since they’d done this after all.
Nicky’s voice hitched in his throat every time Shane’s fingers massaged his spot inside. His body writhed and pushed back against Shane’s movement, fucking himself hard.
“Love hearing you pant like that,” Shane murmured as Nicky gasped, arching his back. He finally pulled out his fingers to roll on a condom, lining his hardness up against Nicky’s entrance.
A moment later, he felt the head of Shane’s cock enter him slowly and forced himself to relax. Nicky loved watching Shane’s brow furrowed in deep concentration and pleasure as he pushed deeper.
“Fuck, you’re so tight, Nick,” Shane swore and put a hand on Nicky’s trembling thigh. He bent down to press a kiss on Nicky’s knee, right on top of that fading bruise.
Inch by inch, Nicky felt himself getting filled up on the inside, stretched open by something much thicker than Shane’s fingers. When Shane was finally all the way in, both of them stilled for a moment to get their bearings back.
“You okay?” Shane whispered, face hot and already sweaty. Nicky nodded and hissed out a “yes”, his own sweat rolling down into his hair.
Shane moved his hips tentatively, and Nicky let out a whine he wasn’t expecting himself. The brunette grinned at Nicky’s reaction and moved again, pulling out just a little before thrusting back in.
Nicky tipped his head back and moaned as Shane picked up the pace, hardness grinding into that sensitive spot again and again.
“You feel so good, Shay,” he gasped out, overwhelmed by the pleasure he hadn’t felt in a while. He reached down and started to stroke himself in sync to Shane’s pace, precum leaking into his hand.
Shane was breathing heavily with sweat beads sliding down his throat. He lifted Nicky’s hip up for a better angle and slammed into him hard, just the way Nicky liked it. Nicky moaned incoherently, mind hazy and clouded from being so close—
“Shay, I’m gonna—” Nicky rocked up against Shane.
“Yeah, baby,” Shane rasped, “Come for me.”
And with that, Nicky cried out Shane’s name as he came, cum dirtying his hand and chest.
“Nick…” Shane called out and kept his gaze on Nicky’s face intently, and Nicky knew he was coming too. He buried his cock deep inside Nicky and tensed before groaning out his orgasm, shuddering hard.
Nicky whined softly when Shane finally slid out of him, going lax and flopping down right next to Nicky in bed. Shane pressed a quick kiss on Nicky’s shoulder.
“How’re you feeling?” Shane asked.
“Good. Sore,” Nicky replied succinctly, rolling to his side to face Shane, smiling.
Shane wiped away a drop of sweat from Nicky’s brow before it could fall into his eye. “Wait here.”
Shane slipped out of bed and came back with a towel from the bathroom, wiping clean the drying cum on Nicky’s body. He threw it out of bed to where his bathrobe was when he finished, and then lay back down again to spoon Nicky from behind.
Nicky felt an arm wrapped around him and a heartbeat fast against his back. Fast from the exertion, he reckoned, and maybe something else too.
“I love you.” He heard Shane say, voice quiet but solemn, unquavering. Nicky blinked once, twice, and then felt his eyes prickled with tears, so he closed them hard and tried to swallow down the knot in his throat.
He put his hand over Shane’s and squeezed, fingers entwining. “I love you too,” he told Shane, for the hundredth time, for the second time ever, and knew that there would be countless more to come.
They drifted off to sleep like that, snuggled up close to each other despite all the sweat, and Nicky wanted to stay this way forever.
Someone was knocking on the door.
Nicky blinked open his eyes and frowned against the morning light streaming in the uncurtained window. Shane was still fast asleep next to him, sheets tangled around his naked legs. He’d much rather spend an hour watching Shane sleep than getting the door, but the person at the door seemed insistent.
Shane grumbled something intelligible when Nicky sneaked out of bed to answer the door. He cracked it open to reveal a rather familiar blonde standing impatiently outside.
It was Kian.
“Oh good! Mark said you didn’t come back last night, so we thought you might be here…” Kian stopped as his gaze dropped down to Nicky’s bare chest.
Nicky looked down too and then noticed the red marks marring all across his skin.
“Uhh…” Nicky stammered, a little terrified to look back at Kian’s face again. He was going to say “it’s not what you think”—but unfortunately, it was probably exactly what Kian thought.
Worse still, Nicky heard Shane padding over from behind and then leaning his forehead against Nicky’s neck. “Mornin’ love, what’s going on?”
“Uhm,” Nicky tried again, wincing. Kian’s eyes went wide as he glanced between them incredulously. If the situation weren’t so awkward, Nicky would probably find Kian’s face extremely hilarious.
“Oh,” Shane said, just noticing who was standing by the door, “Hey Kian, you wanna come in?”
Kian’s face went red. “Uh, no, I best go tell Mark that I’ve found you,” he mumbled and, without sparing them another look, scrambled away, disappearing down the hall as fast anyone humanly could.
Nicky closed the door wordlessly and turned to look at Shane.
“You think he figured it out?” Nicky deadpanned, and Shane burst into a fit of giggles, eyes bright and unbelievably happy.