Work Text:
Ruskin, the secretary of the media mogul Charles Augustus Milverton, woke up that morning with a sore throat. He was barely able to move and the hope that he would feel better today immediately faded away. Ruskin got sick a few days before, but he tried to hide it from his employer, not wanting to cause inconvenience to him by taking days off. He also underestimated his illness - he thought that it was a simple cold and maybe it indeed was at the start, but since then, due to not allowing himself too much rest, it developed into something else. He could clearly feel it in his bones as he forced himself to get out of the bed.
He was dizzy and he felt feverish, but he still didn't want to pay attention to the symptoms. His job was assisting Mr. Milverton and Ruskin didn't want to leave his employer on his own. He was in the middle of an evil plan and he needed Ruskin's help.
Ruskin never let Mr. Milverton know that he was sick, but now he was sure that he couldn't continue pretending that he was alright successfully. Mr. Milverton could read him well. Ruskin didn't doubt that he would recognize that he was ill and he would send him back to the bed as soon as he saw him.
"Good morning, Mr. Milverton." He told his employer when he stepped into the study. His voice was hoarse and weak. He lowered his head to avoid the beams of Mr. Milverton's golden gaze meeting his eyes.
"Good morning, Ruskin." Mr. Milverton replied and to Ruskin's greatest surprise, he didn't make a remark. Ruskin curiously looked up. He was sure that Mr. Milverton would notice instantly that something was wrong with him - and he realized why it didn't happen. Mr. Milverton was so occupied with the documents which were lying in front of him on the desk that he didn't even peeked at Ruskin.
Ruskin was relieved by that - though, part of him was disappointed that Mr. Milverton didn't even care about him as much to raise his head for his arrival. Then he chased this thought away. He reminded himself that it was not that - just Mr. Milverton, whenever he was in the middle of one of his projects, couldn't think of anything else until he was done.
This way, he was able to remain at Mr. Milverton's side and assist him just like he did every day. Whenever his employer looked up, he made sure to look in the other direction and since Mr. Milverton's thoughts were occupied by evil, he didn't make the deduction regarding Ruskin's state, he was very much elsewhere. Ruskin did everything he could to seem natural nevertheless, but he suffered more and more with every passing second. His head was aching and his body was burning from the fever. Every word he spoke caused pain to his throat. He just wanted to lie down and rest, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't betray Mr. Milverton. So he forced himself to keep standing and worked under the pressure that if Mr. Milverton finds out his secret, he will not get away from the consequences. Being bedridden for a couple of days.
Fortunately, Mr. Milverton noticed nothing. After lunch, he told Ruskin that he would go to a sudden meeting with his patrons, the House of Lords. This was the only place where Ruskin didn't accompany him. He needed to stay in the manor and watch as his boss left with the carriage. Ruskin hated when Mr. Milverton left him behind - even in his current state. Anything bad could have happened if he was not there to protect him. This was Ruskin's greatest fear. Losing his precious employer, the man he loved more than anything in the world. He could have used this as a chance to lie down and sleep a bit, but Ruskin was determined to wait for Mr. Milverton's return with his eyes open. He couldn't sleep until he didn't make sure that he was safe and well.
He made the tea and the strawberry cake like he did every day, but his fingers started trembling while he held the tea kettle. He could barely concentrate from the fever and on top of that, he lost his sense of time. He was suddenly sure that Mr. Milverton should have gotten back already. Why was he late? Can it be that he... that something happened to him?
The fever made Ruskin think about the worst case scenarios. This was all he could visualize in front of himself, Mr. Milverton getting kidnapped, beaten up, tortured or killed, his dead body being thrown to the sewer where Ruskin will never find him. The pain and the panic made Ruskin moan. In his delirious state, no one dared to approach him while he was sitting in the hall and waited for his employer to return or not. He was about to leave the manor to find him, no matter what, when the entrance door finally opened. It was Mr. Milverton who stepped inside. There was no sign of harm on him and he looked cheerful like the negotiations were successful. But Ruskin was unable to take it anymore. He was too weak to resist the stress and the illness together. When he faintly stepped to his employer to take his coat away, his legs didn't obey and didn't keep him standing. He fell over on the floor. He could still hear that Mr. Milverton panically called his name, then he passed out.
When he got back to his senses, he was lying in his own bed. Ruskin turned his head over and spotted Mr. Milverton on his bedside. He seemed to be worried, but his expression became brighter when he saw that Ruskin woke up. He reached out and touched his secretary's hot forehead.
"You should have told me that you are unwell instead of working in this state." He scolded him lightly. "If I knew, I would have never let you do this to yourself. Something worse could have happened." He said while his hand kept caressing Ruskin's skin.
Ruskin's red face turned even redder. He felt ashamed by the turn of events. He should have not passed out and made Mr. Milverton worry.
"I am sorry, sir." He said quietly. "I..."
"You don't need to apologize." Mr. Milverton cut into his speech. "It is me who should. I should have noticed that you are sick. I know about your tendency that you keep forcing yourself even if you shouldn't. I should have stopped you in time. I apologize, Ruskin." He noted and his hand wandered down to Ruskin's hand. He gently grabbed it. "But now, I will not let you leave the bed until you are completely cured. You should rest. I already called the doctor."
Ruskin could hear the care radiating from his voice. He realized that his crazy behaviour scared Mr. Milverton more than if he told him about his illness. He now knew that he was wrong. Maybe, if he rested a day when he fell ill, they wouldn't come to this. He didn't avoid looking into Mr. Milverton's eyes anymore. He just told him obediently.
"You are right, sir. I will rest until you think that it is necessary."
"Good, good." Mr. Milverton nodded and smiled at him. "I don't want to lose my right hand... and the man I trust the most."
This put a faint smile onto Ruskin's face. He kept holding onto Mr. Milverton's hand. His employer didn't seem like he wanted to leave him on his own. Ruskin didn't know for how long he would stay, but he already felt better because of his presence.
He didn't need to pretend anymore.