Work Text:
Charles Augustus Milverton was sitting in his study and he tried to work. He was on his own; Ruskin, his secretary who usually assisted him got sick all of a sudden. It was just a cold, but Milverton still called the doctor. He didn't want to lose his right hand man, the only person whom he trusted because of some stupid illness. And cold, if remained untreated, could develop into something worse, like pneumonia.
Fortunately, the doctor also thought that Ruskin's condition was not serious. He gave a medicine to Milverton to supervise the amounts Ruskin took and ordered Ruskin to take a few days off and rest. Ruskin was against the idea. He wanted to keep assisting Milverton from a safe distance to not infect him, but Milverton didn't let him. As he was Ruskin's employer, Ruskin had no choice but to obey. He was currently in the bed, so Milverton needed to work on his projects alone. He thought that he could manage it, after all, when he was young, he worked just fine without a secretary. But he needed to realize that he missed Ruskin's presence. He was always there so it was strange to deal with his businesses without him.
"Mr. Milverton?"
Here. It seems that he started to miss his secretary so much that he was now hearing his voice. It was such a weird symptom that it made Milverton look up. His eyes widened. He didn't just imagine Ruskin's voice. The other man was standing in front of him. When their eyes met, he let out a sneeze.
"I am sorry, sir." Ruskin sniffed. "Can I help you with something?"
Milverton made a waving movement with his hand.
"No, I can manage. But what are you doing here?" He added in a scolding tone. "I told you to stay in bed and rest."
Ruskin humbly lowered his head.
"I know, sir, and apologize. But I thought that maybe..."
"No, Ruskin. No maybe." Milverton cut into his speech. "Go back to your bed and rest. This is an order."
"Yes, sir." Ruskin sounded miserable, but he ended up obeying. Milverton watched him until he left the room and let out a sigh. Poor Ruskin. He hoped that he would soon get better.
Milverton's solitude was undisturbed for a couple of hours. He even worked some - not as much as he did when Ruskin was there, but he didn't complain by the time he decided to take a break. He put back the quill pen to its place, then he raised his head to a strange sound. He rolled his eyes when he spotted the figure before his desk. It was Ruskin who kept sniffing - and who somehow, despite the clear order, came back to the study. He was so quiet that Milverton didn't even hear when he stepped in.
"Why are you here again, Ruskin?" He asked. Ruskin shyly smiled at him.
"Your tea, sir. I just thought that you would like some tea. At this time of the day, you always drink with a cup. Please, let me make it for you and I will go back to the bed immediately." He begged.
Milverton was surprised at first that even when he was sick, Ruskin still remembered that he tended to drink a tea at this hour. Then he realized that his secretary's mind was probably still unable to switch off from the work.
Yet, he didn't fulfill his request.
"No, Ruskin." He replied. "I will ask the servants to make me the tea while you go back to your room and this time, you will be obedient, understood?" He highlighted the word obedient. "After you heal, everything goes back to our normal schedule and you can assist me. And you will heal faster if you rest."
Ruskin looked disheartened by the rejection.
"I understand, Mr. Milverton." He murmured in a sad tone and walked out once again. Milverton hoped that he would not need to order him around again. He felt sorry for his secretary, but it was for his sake that he made him stay in bed.
Since Ruskin didn't come after he had lunch, Milverton thought that he learned his lesson - but soon, he was proved otherwise. It was in the middle of the afternoon when he decided to take another break from work. He picked up the newspaper to read it when he heard that the door opened. It was Ruskin who shyly peeked inside.
"Ruskin, stop getting out of the bed." Milverton grunted, but seeing the painful glance in Ruskin's eyes, he realized that he was too harsh. He stood up from the chair and with the newspaper in his hand, he walked to his secretary. "Come. I will take you back to your room - and since you can't remain there on your own, I will stay with you and read my paper there."
Ruskin smiled at him when Milverton took his arm.
"Fine, sir." He said and he was now keen to obey. They went to Ruskin's bedroom. There, Ruskin settled in the bed and Milverton sat down on a chair on his bedside. He could feel that Ruskin was watching him with his usual puppy-like gaze while he opened the newspaper to continue reading. He was sure that his secretary still had something in his mind - and he was right.
"Can I read it out for you, sir?" Ruskin asked wishfully. Milverton glanced at him.
"Ruskin, I am here because you wanted me to be around." He noted. "Would you rest now, please? I want one thing from you. To heal. I don't want your illness to have complications. I want you to stay on my side for the rest of my life." He clarified it in a serious voice. He wanted to convince his secretary to do what he ordered him to - but at the same time, he told the truth. He wanted to keep Ruskin on his side. A healthy and happy Ruskin.
He saw that Ruskin turned red from the words.
"I want to stay with you, too, Mr. Milverton." He answered gently, then he leaned back in the bed to rest. Milverton smirked before getting lost in the newspaper.
He found a way to finally make an effect on his stubborn secretary.