Shane sighed as the doorbell rang. It seemed it had rung hot that day – he wondered if Kian and Mark were as popular a target for carolling as he was. He supposed they were. An excuse for all the little children in Sligo to meet the stars of the town, he guessed.

He opened the door, expecting to be met by another round of Christmas carols, sung out of tune by little girls and boys who were hopelessly overexcited. Instead he saw… nothing.

Until a slight movement at his feet made him look down. A little, or rather quite large, bundle was wrapped in a blanket at the top of the steps, but he couldn’t make out what it was. He supposed it was an animal or something – he had read about the trend of leaving unwanted animals on somebody’s doorstep for Christmas. A chill ran up his spine. What if it wasn’t an animal at all? Maybe it was an unwanted baby? He shrugged the idea away and carefully lifted a corner of the blanket to look underneath it.

The basket underneath was big, and the blanket fell off to remove the contents. A huge smile spread on Shane’s face.

It was a puppy. Big blue eyes stared at him, pleading with him, and a sign around it’s neck had "Please Adopt Me" scribbled in childish writing. It was the most adorable creature Shane could ever remember setting his eyes upon.

He stared at it for a while, considering his options. He could leave this little creature on his doorstep, which wasn’t a good option at all. He could dismiss it; let it wander the cold streets all-alone. He could give it away. Or… he could keep it. Welcome it into his warm home.

As the puppy shivered slightly and whimpered, putting its head to the side with a pleading look, it was the last option that settled in Shane’s mind. He opened the door a bit more, "Come on then." The puppy jumped out of the basket and crawled over the doorstep, through the hall and into the living room to find refuge on the comfy rug in front of the blazing fire.

Shane brought the basket in and then closed the door, locking it before making his way to the living room. He sat down on the rug, rewarded as his newly adopted pet placed it head in his lap as it lay down.

Kian lay on his back and locked his gaze with Shane’s. It was hard to believe how fantastic his plan was working out – Shane was playing his part so well. He felt Shane’s excitement rise against the back of his head, aching to do something about it, while still wanting to retain his role as the loyal and perfect pet.

Shane smiled lopsidedly as he reached out his hand to trace the beautiful face of his friend and lover – currently hidden by generous amounts of face paint. He couldn’t believe Kian had done this. An overwhelming feeling filled him as he realised how much the man in his lap actually loved him.

"Kian?" Shane asked finally, hoping that the current game could be forgotten.

Kian cocked his head slightly, but said nothing. Instead he let the tip of his tongue moisten his lips.

Shane sighed. "You know what I’d like you to use that tongue for?"

Kian wrinkled his brow and blinked a few times, still remaining silent.

Shane was starting to wonder what Kian was actually thinking. He pranced in there, and then just proceeded to tease Shane like this. Shane felt a sudden urge to throw him right back out on the doorstep.

"Shane." One word from Kian and that thought was out of his mind. The low, seductive, tone could not be mistaken and he forgave him in an instant as expectation flowed through his body. Whatever Kian had planned, he knew he would have to play his part without protest.

Kian rose into a sitting positing and started to unbutton his own shirt. He peeled it off painfully slow, revealing his smooth chest. Shane noticed how he had a slight tan even though it was late December.

Shane sat mesmerised and watched as the light from the fire reflected in tiny drops of sweats on Kian’s body, giving it an almost angelic glow. If it wasn’t for the ridiculous face paint Kian would be a picture of perfection right then – even considering the piece of mistletoe tangled in his hair.

Kian let the shirt fall and then proceeded to his trousers with the same slow movements that tortured Shane. Then his boxers. He was now completely naked and just sat there, looking at Shane, deep blue eyes penetrating the older man’s soul.

Shane felt himself shiver as Kian crawled over as in slow motion, every movement torturing Shane’s senses. Kian stopped centimetres away from Shane, their noses almost touching, Kian’s heavy breath falling on Shane’s face. He carefully slid his tongue out and the tip lightly touched the tip of Shane’s nose, adding to the torture.

Then Kian unexpectedly lounged forward, pushing Shane backward and crawling on top of him, launching an onslaught on Shane’s face and neck with his lips and tongue.

Shane wriggled helplessly under Kian’s weight. He was well and truly stuck though, with Kian continuing as if he was oblivious to his lovers struggle.

Kian continued downwards, nibbling at Shane’s hardening nipple through the thin fabric of his shirt.

"Bad dog…" Shane hissed, even though his hard breathing meant he did not sound convincing. Kian let out a low murmur and continued what he was doing, ignoring Shane.

Without any warning, Kian suddenly caught Shane’s shirt between his teeth and pulled, causing the buttons to rip open and reveal the hairy goodness underneath. Kian’s eyes twinkled as he bent down and caught some hair between his teeth, pulling gently to cause groans from Shane, who writhed against his body.

"Shhhh…" Kian ran his hand soothingly over Shane’s chest in a bid to calm his shivering lover. Shane pressed against his friend, tears – of pleasure - escaping his beautiful eyes.

Kian continued downwards, nibbling, licking, biting… tasting. Shane tasted salty and sweet all in one – mixed with a distinctive taste that was just… Shane. He descended slowly; wanting to taste every little piece of the beautiful body he treasured so much.

He briefly dipped his tongue into Shane’s bellybutton, causing a joyful gasp from Shane. He continued his onslaught, teasingly pulling at the sensitive hairs just below Shane’s belly button, then sitting up to undo his belt.

Shane gasped and hurriedly thrust against Kian in a bid for him to stop the teasing. Kian just grinned and continued his task, painfully slow. Shane felt like screaming in frustration but all he managed was a sigh of pleasure as the leather trousers finally slipped over his hips, causing friction as they dragged against sweaty skin.

Kian smiled at the obvious excitement that met him; now only hid by the light white fabric of Shane’s boxers. The wetness at the front had caused them to go slightly see-through, and Kian just sat there, taking in the perfect sight, for a brief moment.

Then he reached out and touched the package with his fingertips. "This my Christmas present?" Kian’s voice was annoyingly steady and nonchalant at this stage.

Shane moaned and wriggled slightly, but Kian was sat firmly on his legs and hindered much movement. Shane almost cried in despair there and then, would Kian ever get to the part he needed?

Kian smiled… "You know, technically I really can’t open my present until tomorrow morning."

Shane hissed and did his best to look angry, but failed drastically. Kian laughed, a hearty laugh that made Shane’s senses tingle with delight.

Kian pulled Shane’s boxers off and then allowed himself to lie down on his legs. Shane braced himself and just wished that Kian would hurry up a little… or a lot, rather.

Kian took in the familiar musky scent, feeling how it further awoke his own senses but ignoring it at the same time. He reached his tongue out and let tip touch tip, causing a whimper from Shane.

"Kian, just-" He was cut short as Kian’s expert mouth closed around him and he frantically tried to find something his hands could grasp, not finding enough support in the short hairs of the rug.

Kian reached his hand up and Shane found it, holding onto it as if his life depended on it. His other hand reached down and tangled its fingers in Kian’s blonde locks.

It didn’t take long for Shane to reach the edge, stumbling over it with an explosive force. Kian hungrily accepted his present, then crawled upwards again, watching Shane’s face as he came back down from the heights of pleasure, their heartbeats mixing together and becoming one.

Once Shane had caught his breath he opened his eyes, a bit dazed, and studied his friend’s face. He then produced the mistletoe that he had untangled from Kian’s hair and held it over them, blinking a few times.

Kian smiled and lowered his head, capturing Shane’s lips with his own. Shane probed with his tongue, eager to taste his lover. He tasted sweet, a bit salty, a bit like Shane, a lot like Kian and… Shane pulled away.

"Errr…. Ki?"

There was amusement in Kian’s blue eyes. "Yeah?"

"Would you, you know, wash that off?" Shane referred to the paint that tasted rather horrid.

Kian laughed, then calmed down again and nodded. He got up and left for the bathroom. When he came back again, Shane had got the quilt from the sofa and invited him under it.

They lay tangled together in front of the fire, sharing lazy kisses and sweet nothings until their eyes grew heavy and they fell asleep as the fire slowly died beside them…