It had been six months since he'd moved into the Hyperion with Angel and Spike was restless. He was being driven crazy by the fact that he still wasn't allowed to leave the hotel. There was only so many rooms he could explore. He already knew the entire layout of the hotel like the back of his hand. There had been a couple times he'd considered asking Angel to lift that restriction from him and let him leave, but he didn't want to risk making his Sire angry. Generally, if Angel set a rule, he expected it to be obeyed without complaint or protestation. And after the punishment he'd endured for leaving to get the materials to handle the situation with Gunn, Spike had no desire to upset him.

Even though he and Angel were now enjoying a sexual relationship, Spike knew better than to risk it. Because for vampires, there was no such thing as equality. One owned, the other was owned. And he liked it that way, though times like this made it seem like more trouble than it was worth. There was a time, when he was a much more inexperienced vampire, where he would have come up with a million schemes to manipulate Angel into giving him what he wanted. But experience-earned at the end of his Sire's whip-had taught him that Angel did not respond to manipulation.

He sighed and leaned back into the couch, staring at the ceiling as he listened to a rerun of Passions. He'd seen this episode so many times he could mouth the words along with the actors and did so as he counted the tiny specks of dust on the ceiling panels. Television was the only relief from boredom that he had aside from listening to Angel and his friends discuss each new case they brought in. But doing that was more painful than anything, because each case they talked about just brought home to him how much was denied him.

And he hated it. He loathed the fact that the humans could walk around aside, slaying demons and enjoying the fighting, while he was stuck at the hotel like a dog left behind at the house while the family went out on vacation. But his anger at being forbidden access to the outside world wasn't directed at Angel. No, if anything, he was angry at himself. He was the one who had disobeyed his Sire, despite knowing that Angel would never overlook such an infraction. He was the one responsible for his own imprisonment.

Of course, it didn't help that he had no one to talk to about it. Before, there had been Drusilla, who had been there for him at every turn before she'd disappeared. She would understand what he was going through. None of the humans here would. In all probability, they would have no understanding or respect for the fact that Angel in essence owned him. Most humans despised slavery of any type, and that is how they would look at him and Angel if they knew how the dynamic between Sire and Childe actually worked. And add to that the fact Angel had forbidden him to leave the hotel and they would start looking for Angelus in the souled vampire. That was a problem that Spike knew Angel didn't want to deal with and if he caused it...well, he had a feeling the punishment for leaving would pale drastically in comparison to what Angel would do to him then.

So he sat on the couch, waiting for everyone to get back from their hunt. All he could do was be patient and wait for Angel to decide that he had learned his lesson. Still, there were times he found himself near tears due to frustration. The only thing he was grateful for was being near his Sire and back in his bed. That was worth all of it. He reminded himself of that so often it was starting to sound hollow, except that he truly did believe that. There was no part of him that wanted to go back to the way life had been in Sunnydale or the way it had been without his Sire.

Spike heard the door to the Hyperion click open and he moved to the foyer, catching a whiff of Cordelia's perfume as he went to greet them. He really was like a dog, eager to spend time with anyone who could even momentarily relieve his boredom.

"-nearly took your head off!" Gunn was shouting, but the hard words were softened with a laugh.

"Yes, well, next time, you should aim for the correct heart rather than-

"We're all alive, the evil's slain. Talk battle tactics later," Cordelia interjected.

Spike raised an eyebrow at the assembled crew. Angel was hanging at the back, as usual, while Cordelia was railroading Gunn and Wesley for getting her clothes dirty. "Good night?" he asked softly, directing the question to his Sire.

Angel flashed a fanged smile at him. "Very."

Spike swallowed, the room suddenly much too hot. "Hard hunt?"

Angel smirked a little, taking advantage of the fact that all the humans were preoccupied. "The best kinds always are."

Spike lowered his voice to subhuman range. "You up for another?" He hoped to hear yes, because that would mean going outside. But making the offer was as far as he was willing to go when it came to Angel's order for him to stay indoors.

The heat that sparked in Angel's eyes nearly made Spike whimper out loud. "Soon. If you're lucky. Tonight I'd rather have you at my mercy." The words, like Spike's had been, were also at subhuman range.

Spike closed his eyes, struggling to control himself. Angel always affected him like this when he was in the mood for sex. The man was...amazing was too weak a word. He'd just been told that bondage was the night's agenda, once everything had been taken care of and the humans were tucked into bed. Angel knew how much of a turn-on that was for him. Well, two could play that game. Still at subhuman range, he replied, "I am always at your mercy, Sire."

Angel's eyes flashed with intensity and he gave a slow, feral grin as he made a slow scan of Spike's body with his eyes, undressing him mentally. "You're right," he said. "You are." And with that, he turned on his heel and went to join the rest of his team.

Spike cursed his Sire in all the languages he knew as he attempted to gain some semblance of control over himself. There were hours to go before the humans would be in bed and he did not want to spend that entire time going crazy with lust. That was probably Angel's intention though, and his Sire had always been an expert at getting what he wanted. With a frustrated sigh, he gave up trying to cool himself off... all he could think about was how Angel was going to tie him up. He slipped into the den where everyone had gathered and took a seat in one of the chairs, grateful that the jacket he always wore would hide his problem from the humans. Angel, of course, would be able to smell the pheromones, but that wasn't embarrassing because he was Spike's Sire...not to mention the fact the man was putting off pheromones of his own, making it even more difficult for Spike to maintain control.