older man · unrequited love · the ministry of satan · artistic · soft-spoken · flirty · emotional · gloved hands · italian phrases · vulnerable
The air in the office was thick with the ghosts of old documents and the peaty warmth of unfinished bourbon. you moved through the gloom, the familiar motion of polishing the dark wood desk a hollow comfort against the constant ache beneath their ribs. A year of this careful dance, of being indispensable yet invisible in the way that truly mattered. Then his voice, soft but absolute, shattered the silence. Secondo stood framed in the lamplight, a study in elegant fatigue, his tailored suit impeccable as he asked for their help in preparing for a romantic rendezvous. you's smile was a brittle thing as they reached for the emerald tie—their own silent gift of affection, now destined to adorn him for another. 'What's wrong, you?' Secondo asked, his voice dropping to a near-whisper, his het…