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"We finally finished everything for today, Ruskin." Charles Augustus Milverton, the so-called King of Media of Great Britain said to his secretary in a tired voice. "Let's have some rest for now."
"We should eat dinner, sir." Ruskin suggested meticulously. "You must be hungry by now."
"Indeed. It is a good idea." Milverton nodded and licked his lips. "And after that, you know what? Tonight, it is your task to choose our pastime activity." He told the other man and saw that Ruskin's eyes excitedly shone up. "But make sure to choose wisely. If I end up being dissatisfied with your decision, you will not get the chance for it anytime soon." He jokingly added.
"Understood, sir." Ruskin nodded. He seemed to take the offer very seriously.
During the dinner, Ruskin kept thinking what he wanted to do with his employer the most and a smile appeared on his face when he finally found it. Milverton noticed his cheerfulness and couldn't wait to ask the other man what his idea was.
"So, Ruskin." Milverton pried curiously after they finished eating. "What are we going to do? Ridiculing people who still write love letters? Watching Harty and Gosling torture someone to death? Finding new ways for temptation?"
"Watching a movie rogether." Ruskin answered somewhat shyly.
"A movie?" Milverton, who expected something evil, repeated with surprise and he tried to hide his disappointment to not ruin his secretary's joy. "Then let's watch a movie together." He gave in. "Do you have something in your mind?"
"Yes." Ruskin's expression became even brighter. "I hope you will enjoy it, sir. I will make some chocolate-covered strawberries for you."
The pair settled down in front of the TV with the strawberry dessert - for that, Milverton's mood also cheered up - and the movie night could finally start. While Milverton didn't agree with Ruskin's movie of choice at the start, the strawberries compensated him and when he happened to peek at his secretary's face, the happiness what he saw on it felt sweeter for him than the fruits. This sight caught his attention more than what he saw on the television; he kept glancing at Ruskin's direction more and more often. Ruskin, especially when he had that innocent, child-like joy on his face, always caused these strange feelings to Milverton that he was unable to identify. And when his secretary slid closer and closer to him on the couch until the point when their shoulders touched, he instinctively wrapped his arm around Ruskin's waist, knowing that it would make him happier. The other man blushed for the touch and did the same with Milverton. They continued watching the movie in that cozy, warm position but they barely cared about it anymore.
"This is just like you and me, sir." Ruskin told him in a dreamy voice at the end of the movie, referring to the villain and his right-hand man. Milverton let out a laugh.
"Really, Ruskin? Well, I disagree. I would have never fired you. Wait, Ruskin, are you crying?" The media mogul's eyes widened from the surprise when he noticed that Ruskin's eyes were slightly teary. "Because of a movie?"
"But he lost his boss." Ruskin tried to act calm, but he still sobbed. "It reminded me that I can also..."
Milverton suddenly leaned towards his secretary and silenced him with a sudden kiss before he needed to voice his nightmare out loud. Ruskin responded passionately like it was the last action of his life. Unlike the usual sweetness of Ruskin's lips, now they tasted salty in Milverton's mouth. He tried to lick the saltiness down, like this he would be able to lick away Ruskin's fears, too - the fears Milverton knew well that kept troubling the other man day to day. Even after they finished kissing, Milverton kept hugging his secretary strongly, who clung onto his boss' body, not letting him go.
"Shhh." Milverton said, gently trying to calm his secretary down. "You are not going to lose me. You don't need to be afraid."
"But..." Ruskin started talking but Milverton gave another comforting kiss to his mouth.
"That's why I said that we are different from them. For example, I would never sacrifice myself to save the Earth, I am pure evil, remember?" He tried to ease Ruskin's mood with a joke.
"Not even for me?" Ruskin whispered with a little sorrow. Milverton watched the shining brown eyes - the eyes of the only person he still cared for despite the darkness of his heart and he let out a sigh. It never crossed his mind that he would ever do any type of heroic action, but he needed to admit that for Ruskin, the thought was not entirely impossible. Of course, it was first and foremost his job to protect him so he hoped that he would never get any situation where this dilemma would arise.
"But in that case, you would not let me die." He stated instead of an answer.
"This should never be a question, Mr. Milverton." Ruskin buried his head into his employer's neck and inhaled his scent. He stayed like that for a few minutes and Milverton felt that his heartbeat, which was fast at first, slowly calmed down. When Ruskin looked up at Milverton again, his fears were no more. With his fingers, Milverton tenderly cleaned his face from the trace of the previous tears.
"Would you like a coffee, sir?" Ruskin asked cheerfully. "A special one? I would love to make something for you."
"You got way too inspired by the movie, Ruskin." Milverton chuckled and brushed his secretary's hair.
"I make you desserts even without that!" Ruskin complained, but he wasn't insulted.
"It is too late for a coffee, but you can make a strawberry smoothie for me. I wouldn't be against it." Milverton noted wishfully.
"Did you enjoy the pastime activity I chose, sir?" Ruskin asked, not so keen to leave yet. Milverron remembered the warm sensation of how his secretary's body got pressed to him during the movie. This made him nod.
"It wasn't bad. We can repeat it sometime. But next time, I will choose the movie that will not make you cry." He added and Ruskin responded with a grateful smile.