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Entering the house feeling extremely tired, Yuri reached out to close the slightly opened door. He let out a breath, took off his heavy, dusty shoes and placed them neatly in a corner next to the door. He raised his head and looked at the entire house with dark circles under his eyes after many sleepless nights because he had to mobilize a large number of troops to do missions in the suburbs and had to process many important documents at the same time to deliver to his superiors.
Cold, lonely and gloomy are the three most suitable words to describe it.
The wall clock in the living room showed exactly seven o'clock in the morning, neither too much nor too little. Yuri felt his throat was a bit dry, he needed to drink water. He slowly walked into the kitchen, took a cup from the cupboard and placed it under the faucet of the water purifier to catch the cool, pure water inside. Today is Sunday, the day that people desire and yearn for the most after six days of dedicating themselves to their work and personal life, taking place in a non stop loop.
But for soldiers, it is probably something too distant for them to reach, especially for high ranking military officers like Yuri, it is even more distant. That short and peaceful time was completely encroached by the deadly time set by the god of death in fierce battles, full of bullets and explosives. Even though they tried their best to pray and wish for it, the truth in return was only pain and loss from war.
Take the filled cup of water out of the tap. Yuri brought it to her mouth, silently swallowing each sip of water. The extremely refreshing wet and cold feeling violently hitting his larynx made him gradually feel much more comfortable.
At the same time, the phone in Yuri's pocket suddenly rang while he was engrossed in drinking water. Seeing this, the Russian colonel immediately put down the glass cup in his hand and took out the mobile device that was constantly vibrating. A call came to his phone. Yuri looked at the phone number displayed on the screen and immediately recognized who was calling him.
He slid the button to accept the call and put the phone to his ear and answered:
"Graves..."
"Oh...Hello, Russian Colonel. I thought you forgot me?" The other end of the phone responded with a happy voice mixed with pride that the other man still remembered him.
"It's only been two weeks, boy. How could I forget you, even when you hid all my underwear in my desk drawer and made me look for them for a week when we were third year college students?"
"Hahahaha..." The man named "Graves" burst into laughter at Yuri's accusations about him. A few seconds after calming down, Graves continued to say: "Okay, I'm sorry. Put that silly memory aside for now. I have good news for you, Yuri."
"What's the good news?" Yuri was a bit nervous and looking forward. "What you asked me to help you with last week was successful. But the problem is that you have to pay me some money to compensate for the loss, boy"
"ебать...How much do you want?"
"I'll text you later, right now I have something urgent to take care of. Remember to pay attention to the time, he'll be here soon. Good luck, my friend."
"Wait Graves-..."
Before Yuri could say goodbye to his old friend, he took the initiative to turn off the phone, ended the short conversation in less than five minutes. He sighed softly, walked out of the cold kitchen and into the living room. Sit down on the expensive sofa, grab the TV remote on the table, turn it on and watch military news to forget this boring time.
Graves and he used to be close friends, but after graduating from college and returning from military service, they both separated to follow their own career paths. Yuri followed the military path to protect the country, while Graves followed the business path and became the owner of two quite famous restaurants in America.
However, recently, the business has been facing a bit of difficulty, not very favorable for him, so he was forced to let go of some restaurant employees, even the chef, because he didn't have enough money to pay them on time.
Most notably, a male butler of Graves first row of restaurants, the person who made him feel the most pain and regret was named Vladimir Makarov - older than Yuri and Graves. As a high ranking officer in the army, the nature of his work is extremely heavy and stressful, closely tied to the battlefield and guns, so he does not have time to go home, and he also has to go on business trips to Urzikstan to perform tasks assigned by superiors.
Therefore, asking to hire a maid or a housekeeper during this time is completely correct. Yuri loves independence, loves freedom, he can do simple tasks by himself such as cleaning the house, washing dishes and cooking without the help of a second person, so when someone appears of a stranger in her house makes Yuri a bit uncomfortable because who knows that person will take advantage of Yuri's absence and have bad intentions of stealing valuable property or quitting work midway?
Even though he didn't want to, in this damn situation he still had to reluctantly do it. Between potential benefits and risks, Yuri prioritizes benefits first and temporarily puts the other aside.
The information about the mysterious butler that Graves provided to Yuri was not much. Except for name, age, gender, appearance, nationality and previous job, there is nothing else. Yuri was curious to know more about Makarov and asked Graves to provide him with more information about the man, but he immediately rejected Yuri's offer.
Getting to know someone is like watching a movie or reading a book. If know in advance the content and ending of that movie or book, it will be very boring and lose the initial excitement. Instead, Graves advised Yuri that experiencing it himself would be much better than sitting somewhere and listening to the cumbersome information he brought. It will definitely be interesting and won't disappoint.
*King koong...King koong...*
Yuri was still engrossed in his thoughts when a loud but equally familiar sound rang out, startling him and making him pay attention to it. The sound turned out to be his doorbell. Yuri stood up from the sofa, grabbed the remote, turned off the TV, and walked to the front door.
Looking at the rigid wooden panel that covered the entire scene behind it, he was initially a bit hesitant about opening it, but then he suddenly remembered the reminder Graves had given him earlier.
Yuri speculated that it was very likely that the person ringing the bell standing in front of the house was Vladimir Makarov - His new butler and Graves’s old butler. Grabbing the doorknob, turning around and pulling him inside, he was both nervous and curious to know what that man looked like.
Yuri always kept his sights forward, not leaving it for even a short second. The door is fully opened. Yuri was extremely surprised to see the image of a tall, elderly man in a neat black suit with a shawl draped over his shoulders, plus a handsome, angular face with a few faint wrinkles on his forehead and the beard around his chin highlight his masculine and charming appearance. What attracted Yuuri the most was that his eyes were two different colors: blue and green. It's unclear if that eye color is a natural color or if he is suffering from a disease called "Iris Pigmentation Disorder", but it cannot be denied that those eyes are the most beautiful eyes Yuri has ever seen in his life.
Those eyes were like two precious gems, meticulously and carefully polished by God's skillful hands. Yuri can imagine on one side the vast, deep ocean with cool water flowing across her skin and the gentle sound of waves lapping against the clear blue shore, on the other side is the forest mixed with the sound of the wind. and the breath of majestic, wild nature challenges people to venture and explore the mysterious green surroundings.
He kept staring at the man opposite, or more accurately, looking into his beautiful eyes until a deep voice woke him up:
"Sorry to bother you. May I ask if this is Colonel Yury Volkov's home address?"
Yuri looked confused at the man standing in front of him. He coughed lightly, quickly regained his composure and replied:
"Yes, it's me. You're Vladimir Makarov, right?"
The other person didn't say anything, just silently nodded in confirmation.
Through introduction, Yuri learned that Makarov was the butler he was looking for, so he opened the door a little wider to let him in.
Makarov walked into the living room of the house. He looked around the large house of Yuri - his new boss, observing each table and chair position and the closest positions his eyes could see while sitting on the high-class sofa.
The main color tone is black and white, everything is neatly arranged, the decoration is not too fussy or complicated but still retains its natural beauty. Truly a man who loves simplicity. A moment later, Yuuri walked inside. Makarov immediately expressed his interest when praising the Russian colonel's observational ability and extremely delicate aesthetic eye, making him a bit embarrassed.
"Oh...It's nothing, it's just an odd job in my free time."
Yuri then started walking to the sofa opposite the sofa Makarov was sitting on and sat down as well. The two men sat facing each other, the Russian Colonel was the first to speak:
"I heard that your previous job was as a housekeeper in a luxury restaurant chain in America, but because you encountered some problems at work, you were forced to quit, right?"
At this point, a slight sadness crossed Makarov's handsome face. He pursed his lips and replied to Yuri:
"It's true what you said. But everything has a reason and I don't blame my boss. It's not his fault."
"Um...I see. It was indeed an unfortunate incident and should not have happened."
Yuri continued to say: "How long have you been doing this job?
"...Only about eigth years"
"Eight years?" Yuri frowned, both a bit surprised and skeptical about the authenticity of Makarov's answer. This man has only been a butler in a luxury restaurant for eight years? Is that too little for a service job that requires a spirit of steel and to endure pressure from many sides?
"Have you ever done any job before? I see that you are probably more like a director or a successful businessman than a butler with an elegant black suit, wearing a scarf on his white hand and walking around all day to see guests off."
"Really?" Makarov laughed in amusement at Yuri's guess for him. "Do you really think the previous job was like that?"
"Not really. It's just my speculation."
"Actually...I used to be a soldier. I served in the army for a long time and was discharged because my injury was too serious. Luckily, this new job is also very interesting, not too bad and makes me happier every day"
Yuri smiled softly and looked at Makarov: "Sounds great. May I know what soldier you are, what military force you belong to?"
"Okay," Makarov continued, " I'm a special forces soldier from the Spetsnaz force."
The Russian colonel's eyes widened, he let out an "oh" sound to express his surprise for Makarov. This man is similar to you, both are soldiers serving in the army with the purpose of protecting and preserving peace for beautiful Russia.
But for now, Yuri remains in the army and is a high-ranking military officer; And Makarov has left that dark world full of danger and violence, all his past can be summed up in the two words "demobilization", becoming a normal Russian citizen, living normal life like any other citizen.
Sat on the sofa for a while to explain the family rules, Yuri's work schedule and some other small things like personal preferences and things he didn't like. The Russian colonel then asked Makarov to stand up and tour the mansion with him from the first to second floors; location of rooms such as kitchen, bathroom, library, office, gym, etc...Especially rooms containing weapons and ammunition, including guns of large and small sizes various, daggers and other weapons. Because Makarov is a former special forces soldier, Yuri agreed to allow him to use these weapons for the two purposes of training and self-defense, and strictly forbade him to use them as entertainment toys, otherwise don't blame him.
At the same time, Makarov is also allowed to call him by any name he wants, without needing to express the respect of subordinates to superiors; It can be a nickname or a real name, but not a silly or offensive name. After all, the other man was older than Yuri, so it was nothing serious, so there was no need to follow its standard rules.
****
It was now past 12 o'clock at night. Yuri sat in the still-lit office, poring over a pile of documents and a series of different papers placed on the table, glanced back and forth for a while, then gathered them up. Make a stack of paper and put it in a corner of the table. After a long period of tiring work, Yuri can finally rest completely. He gently rubbed his blue gray, lifeless eyes, stood up from the desk and tried not to make too much noise as he pulled it away and then pulled it back to its original position because Makarov - his butler was sleep in the next room and this room has no soundproofing.
Reach out to the light switch and press it firmly. The strong light emanating from the light bulb mounted on the wall immediately disappeared, replaced by the darkness of the gloomy night that covered the entire room. Yuri lay back on his beloved bed, sleepiness combined with the cold October weather caused the Russian colonel to quickly fall asleep less than a minute later.
The sound of steady breathing and the sound of the wind rustling against tree branches outside the window were the only two sounds coming from inside and outside the room, but it didn't last long when another, louder sound appeared and tore through the room. they come into pieces and echo much more than they do.
It was Yuri's scream, he sat up from his lying position, his face was pale and there was a lot of cold sweat on his forehead. It seems like him encountered something terrible while him were sleeping? At the same time, Makarov ran into the room from outside with an extremely confused and worried face, his clothes a bit disheveled due to vigorous exercise. At first when he discovered Yuri's scream, he thought something terrible had happened to the Russian colonel, but fortunately the image of a large man with countless strong muscles remained. Sit on the bed, his body heal without any injuries, then him calm down.
Trying to adjust his breathing to suit his mood, Makarov asked:
“Is everything okay Yura? Your scream startled me."
But the more he try to hide it, the easier it becomes to reveal it. Makarov had carefully observed every action and gesture from Yuri, and in his heart had concluded that this man must have encountered something bad even though he did not know exactly what it was. Maybe the big bed slightly sank due to the weight on it, yes, Makarov sat down right next to Yuri while he was still looking down.
He then walked over to the bed where Yuri was sitting, the gentle touch and gentle warmth of Makarov's palm spreading across the skin of the Russian Colonel's shoulder caught his attention. Through the familiar deep voice, he quickly realized that the person communicating with him was the elderly man sleeping in the next room. Yuri raised his head, his expression was a bit confused and embarrassed, he sadly lowered his head, not daring to look directly into those two-colored eyes as if he was trying to hide something.
But the more you try to hide it, the easier it becomes to reveal it. Makarov had carefully observed every action and gesture from Yuri, and in his heart had concluded that this man must have encountered something bad even though he did not know exactly what it was. Maybe having nightmares while sleeping?
The large bed slightly sank due to the weight on it. That's right, Makarov sat down right next to Yuri while he was still looking down, in a silent state without saying a word and twitching. shrank his body and avoided Makarov. It looks like an adorable little dog is scared and trying to protect its body by curling up in a soft cotton blanket. A few chuckles escaped Makarov's mouth, he moved closer to Yuri, carefully removing his arm to take a closer look at Yuri's face. A handsome face but faded by fatigue and confusion, with a bit of cold sweat clinging to his forehead.
"You don't look very well. Do you feel any discomfort or pain anywhere in your body?"
Yuri shook his head denying what the man next to him said and answered him in a whisper: "No, I'm fine, absolutely no pain or discomfort anywhere. It's just... "
"Hmm?"
"I just had a nightmare." Yuri's voice became smaller and smaller, it seemed like two seconds ago he was still pursing his lips and locking his teeth, preventing any sound from coming from her. throat transmitted. Makarov smiled gently at the Russian colonel. He knew the reason why the other man had such a panicked expression along with the horrifying scream that tore through the cold, quiet night.
"A glass of warm water might make you feel better, Yuri. I'll go get it if you want to drink it." Not a bad suggestion at all, Yuri nodded in agreement and had no reason to refuse. Makarov had come out of his bedroom to fulfill his desired request for a glass of warm water. There's only you left, only you alone. In a vast cube, covered by loneliness and endless darkness. The feeling of fear once again entered Yuri's subconscious, that nightmare was the most terrifying nightmare he had ever had in his life. It appeared suddenly, disturbed Yuri's sleep and made him extremely haunted every time he remembered it. That damn nightmare, it gathered all of Yuri's past physical and mental pain into a giant ball, exploding in her mind. He wanted to eliminate them all, wanted to sink them into the deep water of oblivion, wanted to destroy it with just a big gun or a sledgehammer in his hand but it was impossible. They were deeply embedded in Yuri's brain, causing him to suffer and torment himself every day because of it.
Yuri glanced around through eyes with dilated pupils due to the sharp increase in adrenaline. He was extremely scared, constantly cursing, he didn't want to see that strange thing again, witness his painful past. With trembling hands clutching the cotton blanket, Yuri didn't want to sleep alone, he wanted someone to lie next to him and willingly give him body warmth, listen to all the secret thoughts in his heart, Make you feel as safe as possible. At that moment, the bedroom door in front of Yuri opened, Makarov walked from outside, holding a glass of warm water in one hand and a towel in the other, went inside and sat down on the bed, next to the Colonel Russia. Seeing that he was still scared and cowering under the thick blanket, Makarov just sighed softly and helplessly, slowly giving the other person a cup of warm water as he originally wanted.
Yuri realized that the person sitting next to him was a gentle and considerate butler, so his anxiety eased a bit. He took the cup of warm water from Makarov's hand, his expression changed from fear to sadness, he tightened his grip on the rim of the cup, his eyes staring at the surface of the water gently rippling inside the cup.
"Volodya, I'm sorry..."
"Hmm? About what?"
Makarov asked Yuri curiously, holding the dry towel in his palm over him and carefully wiping away the sweat that was still stuck there, trying to adjust the force so as not to hurt the man next to him. feeling uncomfortable. His voice is like an invisible magnet, attracting Yuri's soul inside it. Besides that, there are two other things that also lead Yuri to the path of astray, which is was the gentle warmth from Makarov's slightly calloused hands and the deep concern for him from the bottom of his heart.
Yuri seemed to ignore everything around her just to watch Makarov unconsciously. He focused all his vision and feelings on the elderly butler, on his handsome face, those beautiful two-colored eyes and those large, strong but gentle hands. His chest vibrated slightly, the hormones of happiness were constantly spreading and penetrating his muscles.
An indescribable feeling crept into his subconscious; It's unclear whether they're confused, aroused, and a little amused, or even all three. The miniature image of Makarov occupying Yuri's blue-gray eyes was so beautiful, so gentle. Passion is gradually expressed through each emotional look of Yuri. He wanted to hold this man for himself, wanted to touch him, didn't want him to leave him and wanted to be hugged. Hug that strong shoulder into your arms so you can comfortably enjoy the warmth of Makarov's body heat.
"Yura..."
"Huh?! What's wrong Vova?" Makarov's call startled Yury out of the silent thoughts he was paying so much attention to. He felt a bit cold on his forehead. He raised his hand to touch it and realized the other person had taken the towel back. The Russian colonel was a bit embarrassed and turned away to avoid Makarov's eyes, making him even more worried:
"Are you feeling unwell? I called you the third time before you answered. Do you need me to take you to the hospital to get checked?"
"No" Yuri shook her head: "I'm completely fine. I was just a little absent-minded."
"....Really?"
"...It's true."
With a half-hearted answer that wasn't clear whether it was right or wrong, Makarov became even more suspicious when he saw a red streak stretching from Yuuri's ears to both cheeks. I don't know if it's due to fever or not? Although he was very worried about Yury, Makarov didn't really know what to do other than give the Russian Colonel familiar instructions. Sighing softly and helplessly, Makarov stood up from Yuri's bed, took the towel to wipe off his sweat from earlier and the empty glass cup with no water left in it. He was about to leave when suddenly someone hugged him tightly. The big man behind him grabbed his wrist, preventing him from continuing. The grip was not too strong, just enough to hold the butler back.
"Yura..." Makarov turned his head to look at Yuri confused, wondering if there was anything else he needed that he wanted to bring himself? But before he could think of a suitable solution to answer his question, the Russian colonel spoke first, still with a red face and hesitant voice:
"Volodya...can...please not go?"
Makarov saw Yuri's timid and timid expression and immediately understood why he was like that. Maybe it was the terrible nightmare he had while sleeping that made him scared, not wanting to sleep alone and wanting someone to sleep with?
It may or may not be true. Those were just speculations that Makarov thought were convincing enough for his own question. As for the real answer, only Yuuri can give it. Makarov didn't feel disgusted or uncomfortable when someone slept with him, he just felt strange and a bit strange because he had completely given up on this a long time ago. Sleeping with relatives and friends is no longer a strange thing for everyone. But that will probably be a little more special for soldiers when space is limited, there is not enough room to lie down or simply the position is not comfortable enough for them to rest after a long day of training on the battlefield or perform tasks at a certain location.
He sat down on the bed again like ten minutes ago, trying to soothe the Russian colonel's uneasiness with a few pats on his shoulder and gently patting his head like an exemplary father comforting his son. But it seemed that this was not effective when Yury was just engrossed in enjoying the warm feeling on his skin from Makarov's hand and listening to the voice of the man communicating with him.
“My Yura, tell me what you need and what you want? I will definitely do it for you right now” After a while, Makarov didn't seem to figure out why Yuri wanted him to stay with him, so he chose to ask a question for Yuri to answer.
“I will, but promise me you won't leave me in the middle.”
“Okay, I promise” Makarov looked at the man in front of him with extremely determined eyes. Yuri bit his lip a bit, he hesitantly told the older butler what he wanted:
“I want…want you to sleep with me tonight…Is that okay?”
“Oh my god…” Makarov burst out laughing, his thoughts were correct that Yuri wanted him to sleep with him. Gently patting Yuri's shoulder again, Makarov continued: "I thought you were planning on telling me something difficult, this is simple. I agree."
“Don't you think it's weird for two men to sleep together?”
"Of course not. I used to be a soldier just like you are now. We all went through rigorous training sessions and ran and jumped on land strewn with landmines everywhere. I'm also used to sleeping with twenty men in the same tent or safe house. Besides, you're my boss, it's my responsibility to help you feel more comfortable. So I will agree to anything you ask.”
“Volodya…Thank you” Yuri was so touched by Makarov's sincerity towards him that he was speechless. Makarov's gentleness and kindness, always putting his own comfort and his own feelings first, once again made Yuri's heart beat loudly in his chest.
“Hmm…” Makarov's face turned from happy to thoughtful, slightly frowned, his eyes looked around Yuri's bed, he thought for a moment and then said: “There's a bit of an obstacle here, it's your bed. there's only one pillow. But it's okay, I have a way to handle it. I'll go to my room to get the other pillow, it'll be quick. Please wait for me a moment.”
“No, Volodya.” As soon as Vladimir the butler stood up from the bed, Yuri once again held his wrist tightly. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if this man left him alone. That terrible nightmare will return once again, bringing the most suffering in his life to torment his mind. Yuri didn't want that at all, he had never felt as scared as he did today. Things that seemed so familiar to him now make him wary like darkness and loneliness.
“I will go with you, don't leave me alone. I'm very scared…"
"Okay. Let's go together"
Makarov smiled gently, his hand constantly rubbing Yuri's head to comfort Yuri like a child. The two then went out of the dark room behind them and walked down the cold hallway. Yuri reached out and grabbed Makarov's hand, not wanting to be left behind, and the other man did not refuse him at all, but took the initiative to intertwine their fingers together, slowly leading him walk with himself. Makarov is like an angel given to Yuri by God. Giving him an unprecedented sense of safety and peace, providing solid support whenever he needed it, and being the only one who cared for him like family. Those beautiful two-colored eyes; Those gentle, warm hands holding his, that seductive voice... He loves it, loves it so much, wants to take it as his own. That butler is his, forever his. And Yuri…He's fallen in love with Makarov.
---The End---