Peter woke up early, sitting up with his back against the headboard. He stared at Neal, smiling eagerly. Today was his lover's birthday. He couldn't wait for him to get up. Nicky came out of his room, rubbing his eyes, and Peter glanced over at him. "Is daddy still sleeping?" Peter nodded and Nicky retreated into his room for a moment, coming out with the gift he'd picked out for Neal with Peter. He padded over to the bedroom and set the present down on the nightstand beside Neal. Peter chuckled, knowing Neal was exhausted. They'd fallen asleep on the wrong sides of the bed last night. That's how exhausted they were. "Should we wake him up?" Michael was beginning to stir on the couch, stretching out.
"I don't know. It's still pretty early. Think daddy wants to wake up at eight?" Nicky shrugged, walking over to the couch to sit in front of Michael's stomach. Peter sighed, smiling at his lover. He started rubbing Neal's back slowly, his fingertips gliding over the warm skin with feather-light touches. Neal's shoulders shifted and he let out a moan, followed by Peter's name. Peter chuckled. "I'm not sure if you're awake or dreaming, sweetheart."
Neal smiled, his eyes still closed. "Both," he said quietly. He scooted closer to Peter, kissing the older man's chest, his hand tracing over the muscles of Peter's abdomen. When Neal's fingers slowly moved south, Peter cleared his throat. Neal's eyes slowly opened and he looked up at Peter sleepily.
Peter was smiling sweetly at him. "Happy birthday, Neal." He leaned down as Neal pushed himself up and they met each other for a sweet, brief kiss. He glanced over Peter's shoulder and saw his brother and son sitting on the couch, smiling at him. "I'll distract. You get dressed," Peter said teasingly, kissing Neal's nose. Neal smirked when Peter slid out of the warm bed. "Come on, you two. Give him a few minutes to wake up." Michael chuckled and Nicky nodded, following Peter over to the kitchen area.
Michael waggled his eyebrows at Neal, who mock-glared at him. "You, too, kid," he said, tilting his chin towards Peter, telling Michael to get going. Michael only shook his head, getting up to go to the sink. Neal, with the blanket still covering him, leaned over the side of the bed to search for his boxers. "Damn it, Peter," he muttered. He finally found them and glanced behind him before getting out of bed to pull them on. He quickly grabbed his sleeping pants and decided that was as dressed as he needed to be on a Sunday morning.
He saw the gift on the nightstand and smiled. The wrapping paper was a sign that it was from Nicky almost immediately. He'd open it in a little bit, after they all had breakfast. Michael stepped closer to him once Neal started heading towards the rest of them, and pulled his older brother into a hug. "Happy birthday, big brother." Neal hugged him tightly, grinning when they separated.
Peter was making them all scrambled eggs, which Neal didn't mind. He would've liked waffles or pancakes, but eggs were just as good. Besides, Peter was making it for him and that meant more. Nicky hugged Neal next, instead lingering close to him to hold his hand afterwards. Peter glanced over his shoulder at one point and found himself staring at a lovebite he'd left on Neal's chest. When Neal realized that, he blushed. They'd been a bit rough at Neal's insistence, but still had to be as quiet as possible with Michael not all that far away.
Peter dished the eggs out for everybody and was carrying them to the table, setting them down. Neal grabbed the last two plates after Nicky darted over to the table to grab his plate. Peter met Neal halfway and kissed the younger man passionately. If Michael and Peter both hadn't grabbed one plate from his hands, he definitely would have dropped them because he threw his arms around Peter's neck. Neal's lips opened and Peter took advantage of that. They were both so wrapped up in each other and that hadn't been Peter's first intention with Michael and Nicky right there. His free arm was circled around Neal, holding Neal against him.
He was hesitating to pull away from Neal. He really didn't want to stop kissing him, but they needed to calm down before Neal started ripping their clothes off in front of the family. That wasn't exactly polite. Peter stepped back, gently pushing Neal's shoulders to keep him back. "Hey, tiger," he said breathlessly, smiling at how bruised and delightfully pink Neal's lips looked and how flushed he was. He could see the lust in his eyes and it was even more obvious if one were to look at the tent forming in the front of his pants. "Save me some of that for later," he whispered with a wink.
Neal slowly released Peter, smiling at him. "I'm expecting something spectacular," he said quietly in response. Peter's next answer was simply Peter's hands slipping around Neal's waist and then sliding down to grab his ass. He had to stifle a moan and Peter winked again.
They sat down to eat breakfast and it was all really nice. Nicky was asking Peter if he'd gotten tickets to the Yankees game coming up and if Peter still planned on taking him out to a field to play baseball sometime soon. Neal wasn't into that kind of thing and assumed Nicky wasn't either, but he was happy to let Peter take over that part. "Daddy, are you going to play with us, too?"
"Of course. Peter has to teach me how to play though. Daddy sucks at sports." They all chuckled and Peter slid his hand across the table until Neal took it in his.
Neal helped Peter clean up all of the dishes after breakfast, humming quietly beside his lover as they hand washed and dried the plates. Just as Neal finished drying the last plate, someone knocked on the door. He dried his hands and went to open it. "Happy birthday!" two women said sweetly once it was open. Elizabeth and Diana were standing there, grinning at him.
He chuckled. "Come in, both of you," he said, gesturing for them to come inside. He hugged them both individually and Elizabeth pecked his cheek.
"Having a good birthday so far, sweetie?" she asked, taking his hand in hers. She glanced over at Peter, raising an eyebrow. "I hope he didn't burn breakfast for you," she teased. Peter blushed and walked away, which made El and Neal giggle.
"Peter made some great scrambled eggs for us. Nobody's got food poisoning yet." Peter scowled at him and Neal gave him one of his most innocent smiles. Michael was looking the two women up and down, trying to gauge how much Neal trusted them. "Oh, ladies, I never had the chance to introduce you." He motioned for Michael to come closer. "This is my brother, Michael. Michael, this is Peter's ex-wife, Elizabeth, and her girlfriend, Diana."
Michael's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Wow. You've got quite the extended family," Michael said quietly, hugging both women. "It's a pleasure to meet you two. I've heard plenty about you both." At their inquisitive looks, Michael added, "All good things. I promise."
All of the adults chatted while Nicky sat in one of the chairs in the sitting area, playing on his DS. They eventually went to sit over there with him so he wasn't all by himself. El and Diana brought Neal a gift and he set it down on the bed, promising to get to opening everything soon. He finally pulled a shirt on, figuring he should dress appropriately now that he had actual guests rather than family—though they were all starting to feel like family more and more each day. The two ladies pulled up chairs and sat close together while Peter sat on the couch, holding his arms out for Neal. Neal sat on his lap, smiling when Peter wrapped his arms around his waist, and Michael sat beside them. "No Mozzie?"
"Not for a little while, no. He got himself into trouble. Until that mess is all sorted out, he's either in prison or gone to ground."
El nodded slowly. "I haven't had a chance to see either of you lately. Premiere Events has taken off very well in the last couple of weeks." She took Diana's hand, smiling. "We were thinking about having a double date with you two sometime soon?"
Peter looked up at Neal, who shrugged. "I don't see why that would be a problem. Peter owes me a date."
"Oh, do I?" Peter asked, an eyebrow rising as he kept watching his lover.
Neal smirked down at him. "Yes, you do. You blew me off for the van for an entire night." Realization dawned on Peter then. They'd been together for six months as of February twenty-eighth and he had blown Neal off for it, even though he told him an hour in advance. He promised he'd make up for it at some point. In exactly a week, they'd be celebrating seven months together. That seemed like a great opportunity for a double date. After all, it was El who'd released him and encouraged his relationship with Neal. The least he could do was wine and dine them both—plus Diana. "I need to find a babysitter, assuming Moz will be unavail—"
"I could do it." Everyone glanced at Michael. Neal took a moment to think about it, then nodded. "You trust me to take care of my nephew?" he asked quietly, sounding hurt.
"You're my brother," is how Neal responded. Of course he trusted Michael. He never looked at Nicky strangely or tried to get Nicky alone. Nicky was comfortable around him and Neal, quite frankly, was as well. Michael gave him a small smile, which Neal returned. "Next week okay?" Peter startled, stunned that he and Neal were thinking the same thing. He supposed that with all the time they spent together, they should be on the same wavelength.
Michael nodded. "Sounds fine. I'll have him in bed by the time you set since it'll be a school night."
Neal chuckled. "Thanks, Michael."
The younger man bit his lip for a moment, looking away from Neal. When he looked at his brother again, he said, "Neal, just call me Mike. Michael sounds too formal—especially for family." His gaze shifted to Peter and he nodded at him, telling him he had the same permission. Both men nodded, giving him a small smile.
Nicky set his DS down and turned to his father. "Presents now, daddy?"
"Sure, kiddo." He was about to get up to grab them from the bedroom, but Nicky was faster. He brought El and Diana's gift as well as his own back to Neal. He knew he'd get his gift from Peter later. Michael got up and leaned over Neal to grab the gift he'd gotten, putting it between the two—three of them, since Neal's on Peter's lap.
"Open mine first!" Nicky pleaded. Neal smiled and grabbed Nicky's, unwrapping it.
"Awe, Nick," he said sweetly, looking over at his son. A picture of him, Nicky, and Peter was inside the frame, which was hand-decorated. He grinned at the little boy. "Thanks, baby. I love it." He leaned forward to set it down on the coffee table and squeezed Peter's knee when he leaned back. That was his silent way of thanking Peter because he knew Peter helped Nicky. He grabbed El and Diana's gift next and he paled once it was open. Peter laughed his ass off when he saw it.
El and Diana had gotten him a huge pack of condoms, with a small note that said 'protection for off-duty surveillance.' "What do you think, sweetie?" El asked with a wink.
Neal gave her a wry smile. "They certainly won't go to waste," he answered, rubbing Peter's knee. Michael was chuckling off to the side and Diana was giving them her best smartass smile. He moved it out of Nicky's line of sight. Michael's gift to him was a membership to the Guggenheim, which thrilled him. He already had a membership at the Met and a conversation with Michael had him admitting he'd been meaning to get one with the Guggenheim, but things always came up when he thought about it. He slid off of Peter's lap, pulling his brother into a hug, murmuring a thank you to him. He crossed the sitting area and picked Nicky up, kissing his forehead. Nicky giggled when Neal said the picture was going to go in a very special place for him to always see. He was surprised by El and Diana's simultaneous hug. He managed to hold them both, but they teased him by grabbing his ass. He yelped, his face going bright red. Both women and Peter laughed. "No cake for you three," he muttered, taking everything into the bedroom. He set the picture down on his nightstand after shifting his clock and book around.
Peter's eyes widened as he shared a look with El and Diana. "I didn't get his cake," he hissed. "Fuck."
"You did at least order it, right?" El asked exasperatedly.
"Of course. I just…just didn't pick it up." He watched Neal and muttered, "Fuck," again, balling his hands up into fists.
"I'll take care of it, honey." When Neal turned around, he relaxed. El said something about distracting him for a little bit so she could grab it, but Peter was still frustrated by the fact that he'd forgotten to pick up his lover's birthday cake. He'd forgotten their dry cleaning on multiple occasions as well and Neal didn't comment on it, taking over his duty to pick it up like it was nothing. Elizabeth hugged Neal and pecked his cheek, telling him she had to run out for something, then she'd come right back.
Everyone was quiet after El left. Neal was in the kitchen, rummaging around the cupboards for something. Nicky and Michael were playing Just Dance again, Diana sitting there as a spectator who eagerly wanted to join in. Neal finally stood up, grinning like he was proud of himself. Peter, cocking an eyebrow, got off of the couch and headed over to him. "What's my birthday boy doing?" he asked teasingly.
Neal shrugged, smiling at him. "It's still early in the day. I figured I could get started on the cake since I didn't want to do it last night." Peter's lips parted and Neal's smile faltered. "Why do you look like I just slapped you?"
"Sweetheart, you don't have to make your own cake. It's your birthday," he muttered, pulling Neal closer to him and away from the countertop. "We're supposed to be spoiling you, not watching you bake for us."
The younger man chuckled. "I know, but I always make my own cake. Hell, I'll do it for your birthday this year, too." He kissed Peter's jaw and tried to move out of Peter's tight hold on him. Raising an eyebrow, he looked up at his lover. "What are you doing, Peter?"
He thought about telling Neal that El went to get the cake since he's an idiot, but figured Neal might actually think he's an idiot, so he chose to go with something else. "I want you." Neal smirked, pressing himself flush against Peter's body. He hadn't expected Neal to react like that so quickly. It was only meant to serve as a distraction. They couldn't use their bedroom with the others right there.
"Do we still have a condom in the bathroom?" Neal asked huskily, kissing Peter's chest.
Peter shivered. "I think so." The bathroom became an alternative lovemaking spot since Michael seemed to have officially moved in on the couch, so they'd started storing condoms in the towel cabinet. "Neal, we—"
"Nobody's going to miss us for a few minutes," Neal said persuasively, tugging Peter along with him as he made a subtle dash for the bathroom. It didn't go unnoticed by Diana and Michael, who both laughed. Neal backed himself into the bathroom, still pulling Peter. "Close and lock the door."
Peter did as he asked, briefly turning away from Neal to do so. As soon as he turned around again, Neal was almost naked, his pants pooling at his ankles and his shirt starting to come over his head. Well, he had suggested this and Neal seemed more than eager to comply. He started stripping his own clothes, watching Neal's eagerness spread to his cock.
Neal opened the towel cabinet and shifted a few towels until he finally found the condom, then he started his search for their lube bottle. Peter watched him, chuckling. "You'd think I'd starved you of sex for months," he said, shaking his head.
"It's my birthday," he murmured, still looking for it. He swore they'd stashed it in the towel cabinet as well, but it wasn't there. "I want you to fuck me until we can't fuck anymore."
Peter shuddered, pleasantly turned on by Neal's dominant side. He hardly ever got to see it in action. Neal preferred to submit and Peter wondered if he would have liked to have the upper hand once in a while. It wasn't something Peter really thought about a lot and he wasn't sure if he wanted Neal doing to him what he does to Neal. It seemed unpleasant and made him feel guilty when Neal would cry, which happened when he was particularly rough for a few moments or if Neal was overly emotional, which was the reason more often than not. He figured Neal would make for the perfect woman, but chose not to be sexist. After all, El was pretty damn strong. She and Neal could both be emotional, but El reined it in a lot more than Neal did at times. Neal was starting to get better at calming down before breaking down now though and he figured Adler's arrest had done that for him. "You're so sexy," he mumbled.
"Not going to be very sexy if I can't find the lube," he muttered. He groaned, then sighed. Peter was about to suggest that they just wait until later, but Neal seemed to have gotten an idea. He started opening the condom and turned towards Peter.
"I'm not willing to hurt—" Neal shook his head, getting down on his knees in front of Peter. "Thought I was supposed to be pleasuring you," he added.
Neal flashed a brilliant smile up at him before focusing on rolling the condom onto Peter's cock. "You will. Couldn't find the bottle, so going with the alternative—the theme of the bathroom."
Peter gasped when Neal took him into his mouth. He closed his eyes and his fingers gently weaved through Neal's hair, tugging just as gently. He opened his eyes and was awed by how fantastic Neal looked on his knees, with his cock down Neal's throat. He was wondering if he should be thrusting into Neal's hot mouth when a sudden knock hit the door behind him. He startled and Neal stilled, Peter's cock still in his mouth. "Fairly certain I know what you boys are doing, but El's back," Diana said.
Peter looked down at Neal and his breath hitched. Neal was looking up at him through his lashes, making him look erotic enough for Peter to consider it illegal to look that hot. Sudden thoughts of handcuffing Neal crossed his mind. "To be continued?" he whispered, panting.
Neal pulled back, releasing Peter with an audible slurping sound before nodding. "Add this to your list of things you owe me," he said, chuckling. Peter helped him up, resting his hand on Neal's hip. His thumb caressed the bullet scar he'd left there. "Add that to your list of things to forget."
"That list keeps on growing," he muttered. At Neal's perplexed expression, he shook his head. "Let's just say I'm an idiot in advance."
He stroked the scar on Neal's hip a moment longer before they both dressed themselves. Peter fixed Neal's hair, trying to make it look as though Peter hadn't been combing his fingers through that soft darkness. "So you don't want me to make a cake," Neal prompted as Peter took his hand and opened the bathroom door, leading him down the hallway. "Can I ask why?"
Peter sighed. "I tried to do something nice for you and spectacularly failed, so El had to clean the mess up for me." Neal planted his feet and tugged on Peter's hand, waiting for the older man to turn. "I ordered a cake," he admitted, "and didn't pick it up. It's just like the dry cleaning and the takeout you ask me to bring you on my way home."
"You've got other things on your mind. It's not like I'm mad at you." He gave Peter a soft smile. "So you forget things on occasion—"
"—which happens to be every single one—"
"—I forget things, too. Peter, relax. I'm not going to tell you I want you out of the apartment or that I don't love you anymore just because you didn't get our suits." He grinned. "They're just suits. You come home to me and that's more important. Having you here is more important than the presence of any suit." Peter gave him a grateful smile, kissing Neal to express his gratitude. "Don't tell Moz I said that," he muttered. "He'll finally think he's got a reason to buy me multiple pairs of jeans and sweatpants and rid me of my 'monkey suits.'"
Peter sighed, leaning forward to kiss Neal. "You're always so understanding," he mumbled, his forehead pressed against Neal's.
Neal kissed Peter again. "Because you're so accepting," he replied. He stepped back and smiled at Peter. "Love you. Let's get out there before they come looking for us again."
"I promise you fantastic sex tonight," he whispered before Neal pulled him back into the living area, quietly telling Peter that he would hold him to that declaration.