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Felix’s footsteps echoed throughout the room, the reverberation off the walls of his bedroom revealing the frustration and anguish that were currently tormenting his mind. He had thought that by now all his doubts would have been resolved and would have vanished forever; yet there he was, wondering once again whether it was really worth staying in that job.
Felix knew how strange Mymo could be from the moment he had the pleasure of speaking with him in person. The way he expressed himself seemed like part of an act, but at the same time, it also gave the impression that he was just that strange. Even so, Felix had suspected that there was much more beyond that facade. Something that, while it might not affect him personally, required him to be very careful.
By that point, however, all his suspicions had vanished, replaced by a feeling of rejection, not toward Mymo, but toward himself. He wondered exactly what his own ethics were and how important the circumstances of others were compared to his own well-being.
It had all started when Mymo had offered to give him a tour of the facilities where he would now be working, taking care, as always, of his boss’s safety. He had started with the bedroom where he now found himself, explaining that from now on he would sleep there until they finished the project they were working on.
After that, Mymo led him through other hallways and rooms until they finally began descending to the lower floors of the building. Where the parking garages were located.
“Felix,” Felix’s face was reflected in Mymo’s glasses as he turned to look at him, walking beside him. “I have complete confidence in you. You know that, don’t you?”
Felix nodded with some enthusiasm, proud.
His boss gave him a slightly crooked smile while fidgeting with his hands behind his back, as if releasing some kind of tension.
“You’ve never let me down, and you’ve shown me your loyalty without fail, so, in a way, I feel I must show you my trust now.”
Mymo’s voice echoed through the large corridor, and Felix could do little more than nod silently, smiling with a certain shyness. For him, it was a great honor that Mymo was addressing him with those words, even without fully grasping the horrible truth they carried.
“Everything you’ve seen so far, my lord, is just a small sample of my performance in this job,” he leaned slightly toward Mymo, in an unconscious attempt to catch his attention again and have those precious eyes on him. “You don’t owe me anything, really.”
“Oh, I’m fully aware that you give your all at work, Felix,” he replied in a low voice, and the other man felt a shiver run down his spine, leaving him breathless.
To this day, he still didn’t grasp the magnitude of Mymo’s words on his being. He didn’t understand how simple sounds escaping from his mouth could make him melt right there, helpless, unable to answer him. He had seen Mymo’s magic work on other people; however, unlike with him, his boss seemed to use a microphone to dazzle his audience, employing in the process certain knowledge whose origin Felix still didn’t know.
Despite this, Felix trusted Mymo. Or, at least, that was what he told himself, in his head.
“I’ll say it as many times as it takes,” Mymo stopped walking suddenly, and his arm brushed gently against Felix’s, who quickly took a step back to keep his distance. “Your trust and devotion allow me to want to return the favor and offer you a part of my… intimacy as well.”
Felix’s eyebrows furrowed immediately, not quite understanding what Mymo meant by that.
“My lord, truly, it’s not necessary for you to—”
His words were cut off when, without warning, Mymo’s hand intertwined with his.
Felix’s eyes drifted to where his fingers were tenderly clasping Mymo’s, then he gazed, mouth slightly agape, at the other man’s face, which was smiling at him.
“Felix, I owe you my trust,” a sigh escaped his lips, tired of repeating himself, and Felix had to force himself to take his attention off his mouth. Mymo’s thumb caressed the back of his hand, and for a few seconds, the oxygen vanished from his lungs. “It’s something I want to do, for you and for me. There’s no reason for you to object.”
After a few seconds of silence in which Felix tried to comprehend what was happening, his head moved almost on its own to nod slowly. Mymo’s smile widened, and his hand let go of Felix’s with a certain disdain, before continuing to walk in a very specific direction.
“Follow me.”
Felix simply obeyed his words, descending the stairs leading to the garage in complete silence. The only sound accompanying them was the echo produced by the soles of his shoes striking the metal steps.
For some reason, as his feet descended more and more steps, part of his body tensed almost automatically, while his windpipe seemed to constrict, preventing air from flowing naturally into his lungs. At the same time, Mymo seemed to maintain that carefree attitude that characterized him, humming a song under his breath.
Finally, both men reached the garage of the facility, and without saying a word yet, Mymo kept walking in a specific direction, disappearing among the cars scattered around the place, and Felix simply followed him, without uttering a word.
It was when Mymo finally stopped that, unconsciously, a sigh escaped Felix’s lips. He simply drew in a breath through his nose and then exhaled through his mouth.
A truck. Quite tall. But with nothing to indicate what it contained inside.
“I want to show you a key factor in achieving my goal,” Mymo walked over to the truck’s rear door and opened it gently. “Someone kind enough to help me every day in meeting each and every one of my goals.”
Felix’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and right after Mymo stepped inside the truck, Felix followed hesitantly.
The nervousness and slight anxiety that had been threatening his anaemic state in the last few minutes skyrocketed when his eyes fell on a white-haired man, tied to a chair.
“Meet Gountess,” Mymo walked over to stand beside him, leaning forward with his hands behind his back. “He helps me know everything about everyone.”
He turned to look at Gountess, without letting the smile fade from his lips.
“That way, I can manipulate anyone I please or need,” he said, looking at Felix again, who had his eyes fixed on Gountess. “And thus ensure that peace reigns in this world, with no one able to rebel against me.”
Gountess’s condition could be described as ‘deplorable’. His white hair hid part of his eyes, which showed not a shred of life, as if he had surrendered to his captor’s hands. His back was hunched, weary from always sitting, and, judging by the state of his feet, his legs didn’t look like they’d respond if the man managed to escape from that place.
“Felix,” Mymo’s voice calling his name caught his attention, and as soon as he turned, Felix found himself looking into those eyes he treasured so much. He immediately searched for the glasses Mymo usually wore, only to find them in one of the man’s hands. “Without Gountess, none of this would be possible.”
Mymo took a step toward him, closing the distance between them.
“Without him, we couldn’t achieve world peace.”
One more step.
Part of Felix wanted to step back. To get as far away from Mymo as possible and flee from the horrors that smile hid, using pretty words and promises that seemed to become real with each passing day. However, his eyes hypnotized him, and with that, his feet wouldn’t respond to his brain’s signals, leaving him glued to the floor.
“Without him, we wouldn’t be able to detect trash storms before anyone else.”
Mymo stood in front of him, and Felix had to lower his gaze to look at him.
“Without him,” Mymo’s hand enclosed his again, and the glue holding Felix’s feet to the ground sealed completely, “you and I would never have met.”
His words hit him like a bucket of cold water, and Felix nodded slowly, unable to take his eyes off Mymo for even a single second.
Gountess watched the scene with sorrow, then closed his eyes in pain upon hearing Felix’s response.
“All right, my lord,” he said and, as the words left his lips, his throat burned with pain, wondering since when he had been capable of letting things like this slide, looking out only for his own good. “I understand.”
Mymo’s fingers squeezed Felix’s hand with a certain tenderness and emotion, and the man nodded happily.
“Good!” He grabbed the lapels of Felix’s coat to force him down to his height and, with grace, brought his mouth close to the other man’s ear. “I knew I could trust you.”
…
All of that was wrong. Mymo was wrong. He was wrong. In the truck, he’d agreed to accept Gountess’s deplorable state and turn a blind eye, all to satisfy Mymo’s desires. Yet now, in his room, with all his worries flooding his mind, Felix couldn’t help but wonder if it was really worth it.
He didn’t really know Mymo. He was just a strangely overly kind man who seemed willing to do anything to make him happy and, in doing so, get Felix to agree to stay by his side. Unconditionally.
But Felix wasn’t like that.
Felix wasn’t a selfish jerk who only thought of himself, ignoring the people around him. That kind of cruel mindset wasn’t his style. And that was exactly why Felix planned to get out of there, find Mymo, and—
“Felix.”
Mymo’s voice came from behind his bedroom door, and Felix jumped to his feet immediately, staring at the doorway with a hint of fear.
“Felix, are you there?”
The way Mymo spoke to him was sweeter than usual, and Felix had to steel himself for half a minute before he deigned to walk over to the door and open it.
As he expected, Mymo was there, standing, looking at him with that smile so characteristic of him and which, in a way, Felix had already begun to grow fond of. His heart sank in his chest when he met those damned red lenses that hid his eyes, and Mymo rejoiced inwardly.
“May I come in?”
It took Felix a few seconds to respond, still lost in his own thoughts, before he simply nodded and stepped aside from the doorway, clearing the way for Mymo.
Mymo simply walked into the room, humming softly to himself, and sat down on Felix’s bed, looking at him again. With a gesture of his hand, he motioned for him to take a seat beside him, and Felix, for the tenth time that day, obeyed without a second thought.
“I understand it’s hard to accept,” Mymo’s glasses rested on the side of the bed as well, and Felix’s heart leapt with joy. “But you have to understand there’s no other way.”
Mymo began speaking almost to himself, giving his reasons and points of view on why the deplorable state Gountess was necessary for the good of humanity.
“There will be no more wars, Felix,” Mymo took his hand once more, and Felix wrapped his fingers tightly around Mymo’s. “You have to understand, I’m doing this for everyone’s sake.”
Mymo’s other hand moved to rest on one of his cheeks, and Felix’s breathing grew slower and slower, his eyes never leaving Mymo’s, which seemed to glow, even though they were nothing but a black abyss.
The dark abyss he loved so much.
Mymo’s body slid across the mattress, drawing closer to Felix’s, who finally had to hold his breath. He braced his free hand so his body wouldn’t give in to the nerves that were taking hold of him at that moment, as Mymo’s face drew closer and closer to his own.
A few seconds later (which felt like an eternity from Felix’s perspective), the other man’s lips were just a few centimeters from his own, and Felix swallowed, helpless.
“I hope you’ll forgive me, Felix,” Mymo’s eyes moved from his to his mouth, speaking in a rather low tone. “I don’t want to involve you in something that might hurt you, however—”
Mymo’s words cut off somewhat dramatically, just as the man looked away, as if he didn’t dare voice his thoughts aloud. Felix simply watched him in silence, blinking rapidly and trying to breathe normally.
Finally, Mymo deigned to look at him again and, with a certain amount of courage, parted his lips to speak once more.
“I need you.”
Felix closed his eyes tightly, locking those words inside him.
Without a second thought, he pulled away from Mymo’s grip and cupped his face to press a kiss to his lips. The other man simply let himself be carried away by the moment, resting his hands on Felix’s shoulders and leaning in closer.
The kiss gradually deepened, and Mymo was the first to slip his tongue into Felix’s mouth. As the seconds passed, Felix felt as though oxygen was impossible to come by, not just because of anxiety, but because he felt he could suffocate in Mymo’s mouth just to taste his lips a little longer.
Mymo leaned back while wrapping his arms around Felix’s neck to pull him closer. His head rested on the pillow, and a smile spread across his face as he heard the small gasp of surprise Felix let out, only to ignore it and continue kissing him without thinking of anything else.
Finally, they pulled apart, and Felix lay beside him, trying to catch his breath. His lungs burned with pain from the lack of air, but the butterflies fluttering in his stomach made him ignore it.
“Thank you” Mymo’s words caught his attention, and Felix turned to look at him.
Mymo was smiling at him in a somewhat strange way. It didn’t express affection, love, or tenderness. The man seemed to be delighted with himself, with his actions, and, above all, with the outcome of everything that had happened.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
Still, who was Felix to deny himself a little happiness?
A few small tears rolled down his cheeks, dampening the pillow in the process. He didn't know if he was crying out of sadness or happiness, or at least he pretended not to know, since the ache in his chest suggested that all of that only made things much worse.
“You’re welcome, my lord,” he missed the sound of his wife’s voice in his head. “You’re welcome.”