Present

Daniel is the first to move. His heartbeat is still racing due to the excitement and his breathing is still quicker than normal. But Alex is much worse off. He knows he put a lot of strain on his lover. His whole body should be sluggish and hurting.

He kisses Alex on the forehead and gently strokes the hair out of his eyes. His eyes shift downwards on their bodies. During the whole intense session he didn't even manage to undress himself properly. Just his pants had been yanked down by Alex but he still wears the shirt he chose for the birthday party. Now, he is sweating under it. The sensation is stifling. He sits up and strips himself of the shirt, tossing it on the floor. Then he looks at Alex' body. It is still flushed with heat and excitement. Otherwise, it is a mess. You can't call it anything else. The lube, the wax and the semen mix on Alex' stomach and Daniel knows that his back would look only slightly better.

When Daniel stands up he notices Alex becoming restless. "Don't worry, love. I will be right back."

He walks towards the bathroom and prepares a bath, running hot water and a lot of bathing lotion. Then he comes back and picks up his sluggish lover. "Hold tight, love." Weak arms circle around his neck. He feels Alex mumbling against his lips. "You must be exhausted. Come, I will take care of everything." He gently lowers Alex into the hot water. Alex gasps and clenches his teeth. His body is still sensitive and the hot water is tormenting him only further.

"Bear with it a moment, love. It will help to relax your muscles." Daniel only sees Alex close his eyes as he leans back in the tub with an exhausted and pained expression on his face. Daniel hurries to retrieve another item he found in the gift box. Massage oil. He kneels next to the tub and warms the oil between his hands before he starts to slowly massage the arms and shoulders of his lover. At first, Alex' face twists from the pain. The massage hits all his sore spots. But after a bit of time, his muscles relax.

After loosening his lover's tense joints Daniel picks up a washcloth and starts to wipe away all those liquids that mix on his lover. He is especially careful when he cleans his lover's chest, knowing that his nipples will still be sensitive.

He works in silence and smiles when he notices that Alex starts to nod off in the heat of the tub.

When he is finally clean outwardly, Daniel reaches his hand into the water to clean his lover's insides. The sleeping Alex furrows his brows and his breathing quickens a bit. But amidst the sluggishness he doesn't wake up.

Afterwards Daniel lifts him up carefully. Alex wakes up halfway and stands by himself but his eyes remain closed. Daniel kisses him on his eyelids. "Stay asleep, love. I will guide you." With his arm around Alex' waist he guides him towards the bed only to realize his mistake.

The sheets are a mess. Daniel sighs.

"Love, where are the spare sheets? I have to change them." Alex' eyelids flutter open a tiny crack and he points an unsteady finger towards a cupboard. "Here, sit down." He guides Alex towards a chair on the side on which lie some clothes. "Wait one moment, love." And he quickly starts to change the sheets.

When he is finally done, he buries Alex under the fresh sheets and kisses him lightly. "Now I will take a quick bath. Go to sleep first."

Said and done. Five minutes later he crawls underneath the sheets. Alex is already deeply asleep but when he feels the familiar warmth next to him his arms and legs dart forth and he hugs it close. Daniel can't help but smile. He pulls Alex close and strokes his bare back under the blanket.

"Sleep well, my love."

__________________________________

The next morning Daniel is startled by his phone ringing.

"Mmmh?" He mumbles sleepily into the speaker.

"You ungrateful brat. How dare you leave your own party to play with your boyfriend?" The loud voice of his sister sends a throbbing through his head. Then he notices Alex still asleep next to him so he whispers into the phone "Sssh. Wait a minute. I will leave the room. Alex is still sleeping."

He can hear a sigh through the phone. "So you had a good night with whatever gift you got from Michael?"

"How do you know? And yes, thank you. It was a very intense evening."

"Uurgh. Too much information. Don't let Alex hear you. He will kill you if he knows you talked about your sex life."

"Haha." Daniel chuckles. He knows she is right. "So, what do I owe the pleasure of your early call?" As if to underline his words he lets out a heartfelt yawn. After everything they went to bed really late and only got a couple of hours of sleep.

"Well, since you left your party early I wanted to inform you of two things."

"Yes?"

"Firstly, as a punishment for your early departure we emptied four bottles of your favourite scotch."

Daniel's face twists in displeasure. Those bottles are really expensive. But on second thought, if he takes it as the price for the night with Alex he has to admit it was really worth it.

"And secondly?"

"Secondly, you missed the present the group and I prepared."

"Oh? What did I get?"

"A little more enthusiasm, please. You will thank me on your knees in a few seconds!"

"Oh?" Daniel repeats, knowing that it would infuriate his sister.

"For next month we booked you a private room for two in a certain restaurant with a room for two in a certain hotel. I know you wanted to take Alex there since forever. And the group members all promised to work hard to clear that weekend for you."

Daniel feels his eyes widen in surprise. He knows exactly which restaurant his sister means. And he knows she is fully aware what kind of plans he had in this restaurant. And now the whole group stands behind him, supporting him, supporting them? He feels his throat clench shut.

"Daniel? Hello? Still there?"

"Dana. You are the most wonderful, supportive sister I could have ever hoped for. Thank you so much."

Daniel can imagine the warm smile his words put on his sister's lips.

"That's more like it. But I think you should hang up now. Don't you have some preparations to do?"

Daniel's mind is already spinning. So much to do. Restlessness rushes through his body. A month to prepare for the biggest and most important surprise in his life.