Erich's knees and ankles pressed against the hard wooden floor of his bedroom as he knelt stiffly upright. His sore hip ached, the muscles vibrating with the tension of holding himself rigid. His hands were behind his back, one locked around the wrist of the other.

"You want to do this? You are comfortable doing this?"

Bigglesworth crouching before him, hazel eyes soft and warm on his.

"I do," Erich said. Kneeling naked in front of Bigglesworth, he raised his head a little. "After all ..." He rolled his shoulders to demonstrate. "I am not tied. If there is any problem, I can stand up easily." He didn't speak aloud the rest of it: I like the opportunity to demonstrate that I'm yours, even when you are not here.

"Then ... stay like this until I return." Bigglesworth kissed him gently, ran his tongue across Erich's lips, and it took all of Erich's discipline to stay still. Bigglesworth stood and looked down at him fondly, one hand resting on Erich's shoulder. There was something wildly erotic, to Erich, about having Bigglesworth standing over him fully clothed, while he himself was naked. "I'm only going to run down to the corner phone box, call in to let the office know I won't be back today -- you are sure --?"

Erich tilted his head back slightly so he could look up at him without moving too much. "Yes, you know that I like it. I'll like it even more when you return. And so will you."

The warm hand trailed across his shoulder, accompanied by an equally warm smile. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

It had been a lot more than ten minutes. Erich half closed his eyes, keeping his breathing steady and disciplined, trying not to focus on the pins-and-needles in his feet and the trembling of the stressed muscles in his hip. Sweat prickled his skin in the chilly room. Every muscle ached.

Something might have gone wrong, he thought. A right fool he'd look if he had stayed like this, mind blank, stark naked in a mocking pose of a tied-up prisoner waiting for Bigglesworth's return, while the man in question was being bundled into the boot of a car downstairs -- and some use he'd be, too, after keeping every muscle locked rigid for the better part of the last hour.

Then there was the rattle of a key in the door. Erich jerked, started to unknot his hands from behind himself, and nearly lost the rigid pose he'd held since Bigglesworth had left out of sheer instinctive reaction. It felt as if knives had been driven through the muscles of his hips and back, and he gasped in pain and then forced himself back into position when he recognized the light step coming through the door. There was a quick click of the door closing and Erich found himself listening for the locks being reengaged, and smiled a little to himself when it was done.

Bigglesworth was coming into the bedroom now, ripping off his jacket and tossing it aside.

"Your blasted neighbour, she buttonholed me in the hall, I tried to get away but I couldn't exactly tell her why I needed to get back --"

Erich tried to lock his jaw against a smile, but it broke out anyway, curving both corners of his mouth. "Mrs Helms. Yes, she's quite the talker."

"I nearly did a judo chop on her at the end." Bigglesworth was kneeling in front of him now, running a hand over Erich's slightly trembling neck and shoulder. "You're absolutely freezing, I swear you need to get your heat looked at -- now why aren't you -- oh, blast it, you can move now, you do know that?"

It was not quite an order but it was the best he was going to get. Erich gasped in reaction as he unknotted his left hand from the wrist of his right. He wobbled, nearly losing his balance. Released from their long hold, his muscles were quivering in reaction, aching and sore, refusing to respond as they should. Bigglesworth, still kneeling in front of him, caught him and then held him, wrapping both arms around him. A warm hand stroked down his bare, sweat-damp back to the top of his buttocks.

"You are mental," Bigglesworth said into his sweat-damp hair.

"I've been ... told." Erich was gasping now, as if he'd run a marathon; he had been holding his breath under tight control too, in and out. Although Bigglesworth's hands were hot on his chilled skin, he felt almost overheated himself, panting a little as he was helped up and onto the bed. Every part of him seemed intensely sensitive; even the pain itself was almost pleasant, helping to turn every touch into more than it would otherwise be. When a naked Bigglesworth slid into bed beside him after hastily undressing, Erich turned and half rolled onto him despite the stiffness and pain, greeting him with eager kisses and fingers caressing through Bigglesworth's fine hair.

After receiving and returning his eager attention for a moment, Bigglesworth pushed him back onto the bed. "We did this your way, and now you are going to lie down and let me take care of you."

It was a half-laughing order, warm with affection and concern, but it nevertheless took all the fight out of him. He sagged back into the bed, and after some thorough kissing, warm, small, strong hands began a typically thorough exploration of his body, massaging his sore muscles as he gasped and relaxed and began to melt under the touch. When Bigglesworth's soft lips and agile tongue joined in, Erich melted completely.