"My dear..." Alfred never uses endearments like that. Not like Solin did. The mark on the back of his calf, the way he just called him my dear like Solin used to, and it tugs at Herbert's heart in a painful way.

He sighs and blinks hard, trying to ignore the comparison between his past lover and his current one. It's not fair to Alfred. "I don't know if I'm allowed to untie you, yet. But I can loosen the ropes a little if they're hurting you at all."