One Saturday Levi changed into a ragged pair of jeans and a holey tshirt. Erwin stared. Levi was very particular about his clothes. He had a simple wardrobe but it was always neat and clean. "What in the world?"

Levi grabbed his coat. "C'mon. I want to show you something."

Erwin hurried to get his coat.

The apartment building had a basement that had long ago been an underground garage. The owner had erected floor-to-ceiling chain-link cages, each with a door that had a chain welded on it. These were for the tenants, one for each, where they could put their extra stuff, bicycles, and other things that didn't go into their apartments and lock them up. Levi walked down the row to the one for him and took out the key for the lock that he'd put on the chain.

Erwin's jaw dropped.

All the other spaces were crammed with boxes and junk and Levi's held one item. A bright red motorcycle. Levi pulled the gate wide open.

"Come on."

The bike, resting on its kickstand, had another heavy chain threaded through one wheel and the frame. Levi bent to unlock it.

"Levi! It's amazing! So beautiful!"

Levi's face colored in pleasure. Tossing the chain aside, he straightened and pulled the bike upright. "This is it. My baby. The Indian."

Erwin was afraid to touch it.

Levi walked it outside the cage and up the old brick ramp into the sunshine.

The motorcycle was even more beautiful in the sun. It gleamed warmly.

Levi slung one leg over the seat, having to lean the bike at a precipitous angle to do so because of his height. It was clearly a heavy machine but Levi handled it easily.

Erwin's lips parted. Levi looked like a dark god on that bike.

"Get on."

"Wha-what?"

"Get on. Let's go for a ride."

"I've never ridden before!"

"Ahh, you'll be OK, you baby.' He suddenly jumped up and came down hard on the kick-starter and the Indian roared to life. Erwin marveled at the loud throaty noise. "Get on." Levi hollered over the roar.

Erwin hesitated, then he gripped Levi's leather-clad shoulder and awkwardly slung one long leg over the seat. He settled behind Levi, shifting around to get comfortable.

Levi handed him back a gleaming black helmet and donned an old fashioned one that looked like a black WW2 military helmet.

"You on? Hold onto me."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I don't want to have to come back and pick your big ass up off the pavement."

Erwin tentatively wrapped his arms around Levi's slender waist.

"OK. I'm not joking. Hold on."

Levi engaged the clutch and moved off smoothly.

Erwin was thrilled. It was a strange, freeing sensation to be on a bike. Levi paused at the mouth of the alley, touching his foot to the ground then merged easily into the road.

It was exhilarating to be on the motorcycle. Slipping in and out of traffic (and once through an alleyway.) Speeding along too fast on the motorway. Arcing over bridges with a perfect view all around you. The best was sitting at stoplights. People stared, stared at the bike, stared at Levi. Erwin watched them through the one-way finish on his helmet visor and wondered what they thought. Did they think him odd? Did they think Levi was a thug because of the motorcycle and the tattoos? Did people think they were boyfriends?

The scamandered around and eventually ended up back home.

Erwin pulled off his helmet, rearranging his damp, flattened hair. "That was great!"

Levi was clearly pleased. He dismounted, pulled off his helmet and grabbed a rag. "I was hoping you'd like it. Now piss off. I gotta clean her up and tinker awhile."

Erwin went back upstairs with a spring in his walk and a big smile on his face.

"You're getting better, you know," Erwin said one day out of the blue.

"Better?" They were eating and Levi paused, a spoonful of chili halfway to his mouth.

"Yeah. You've gotten more relaxed."

"Huh." The spoon went back onto his bowl.

Levi realized that he was right. Not only was he cleaning less, but his hand washing was down to a minimum.

"Your hands look good."

Levi inspected his hands critically. It was true. His hands were still sort of red but there were no cracks, no chafing.

"You even let me touch you now."

"No …"

"You do. I held onto you when we were on the bike. I touched your arm just a minute ago and I leaned over your lap yesterday while we were watching TV."

"You were getting Rose's cat toy."

"Yep, and I leaned right over you."

"Huh!"

"Watch. Give me your hand."

Levi hesitated. "What?"

"Try it. Give me your hand."

Erwin extended his hand and Levi regarded it gravely. "I … I need to get my gloves."

"Nope."

"Erwin …"

"Just try. If you don't make it, you don't make it. Nothing changes."

Levi tentatively extended his hand. His fingers brushed Erwin's palm. It was big, and warm. He stared at the man in wonder. "I did it."

Erwin grinned. "You did! Can I try?"

Levi nodded.

"Just lay your hand on the table. Palm up."

Levi did and Erwin dragged a finger slowly down his palm. Levi shuddered and drew his hand back. "Tickles!"

Erwin looked down at Rose who sat patiently by him, used to his messy eating and waiting for fallen food. "Papa did it, Rose!"

Rose kneaded the air and purred in approval.

"Levi …"

Levi awoke with a start and stared up at the dark ceiling. He could've sworn that someone had said his name. Had he been dreaming? He turned his head. 4:29 gleamed out of the darkness from his bedside clock.

What the hell? It must have been a dream.

He turned his head the other way. Because of the extreme limitations of the single room, his bed and the couch were only a few feet from each other so that when the couch was folded out for Erwin to sleep, his bed and Levi's were just an arm span away from each other and in the opposite orientation, the foot of Levi's bed next to the head of Erwin's.

He could clearly see the bulk of Erwin under his covers, facing away from him.

"Oh, Levi …"

It was a soft, throaty murmur and Levi froze, staring. Was Erwin having a dream? About him?

There was a movement, under the covers, in Erwin's bed. Rhythmic.

Levi went red to the tips of his ears. Was Erwin … jerking off?

Levi was immediately consumed with revulsion—Erwin was rubbing one out in his fold-out bed—and ...what? Embarrassment? Pleasure? The man had to masturbate sometime. And he was thinking about him?

Levi's toes curled. It was mortifying and extremely flattering at the same time.

"Oh, god … Levi!"

The vocalizations were very low, very quiet but Levi could hear every one of them. Oh, fuck, he was getting hard. He squirmed without meaning to and Erwin went still. Levi froze. After a while, there was a sigh and more movement, more urgent this time.

Levi lay, still as a rock, keeping his hand off of his dick and listening to Erwin jerk off in the darkness.

"Levi … oh, Levi!" There was a grunt and a sigh and Levi, face burning, cock painfully hard, willed himself back to sleep.

He was definitely washing those sheets when Erwin left for work.

Levi thought a lot about—and tried not to think about—what had happened.

Erwin had jerked off thinking of him! Levi couldn't get over it. He was pleased, mortified, and terrified all rolled into one. He would never ever admit to anyone that he'd jerked off himself, standing next to the fold-out bed, and come, gasping, knees buckling, onto the bundle of sheets that he'd just stripped off.

When Levi got home early Sunday morning, Erwin was still up. "I got a 12-pack of beer!" he said, waving an almost empty bottle. He'd clearly had a few already.

"What's the occasion? You could've come by the bar." Levi hung his coat up by the door and bent to unlace his Doc Martens.

"I've got news!"

"Yeah? You find a boyfriend?"

Erwin frowned and Levi immediately regretted saying it. It'd just been a knee-jerk reaction, his smart mouth running away on instinct.

"Sorry. Just yanking your chain. What's the news?"

Erwin perked back up. "I'm getting a raise!"

"Hey. That's fucking awesome. Congrats."

For a brief moment, Levi had an uneasy feeling. A raise? At the high-end hotel? Would it be enough so that Erwin could move out? Levi swallowed. He didn't want Erwin to move out. They were good. Cozy.

He pulled off his boots and just stood by the door, unsure.

"I gotta go to some training thing, but then I'm golden." Erwin grinned.

Nothing about moving out. Levi let out a breath. He walked into the kitchenette and stripped off his gloves, washed his hands briefly, and snagged a beer. "So when do you go?"

Erwin left on Monday and Levi took him to the bus depot, Erwin's suitcase sandwiched between them on the bike. They stood in the cold, sipping crappy coffee (tea for Levi and it was also crappy) out of paper cups. Neither man seemed to know what to say.

Levi did not want Erwin to leave and he suspected—hoped—that Erwin felt the same. Erwin would be gone four days. They could get through four days, right?

Erwin gulped at his bitter coffee, so hot that it burnt his tongue, and morosely waited for his bus to show up. He wished he could hold Levi's hand. Levi had his nitrile gloves on plus his leather gloves over them. That might be OK, wouldn't it? His fingers itched to reach out.

Levi was fantasizing about what it would be like to give Erwin a kiss goodby. Nothing extreme, just a peck on the cheek … or on the lips. Levi let his mind explore the thought, how it made him feel, how it would feel. Could he make himself do it? How would Erwin react?

Erwin's bus showed up and he tossed his coffee in the trash and picked up his suitcase.

"You ready?" Levi asked.

"As I'll ever be." He gave his case to the driver to put in the cargo area and stepped up into the bus. He turned to Levi.

"Take care. I'll be back before you know it."

Levi nodded. "Yeah. Safe trip."