The rustling of paper filled the quiet as Nikolai turned the page of the newspaper he was currently reading. He was aware he was fulfilling the ‘old man' role as you'd put it, but Nikolai liked reading the morning paper. Better for his eyes, too, instead of reading off his phone or computer screen.

You were nearby, doing your own thing. Glancing up, Nikolai observed you for a few minutes, fondness warming his chest at the sight of his partner simply living in the same home as him, doing their own thing. Domestic. He quite liked it.

As he continued to read, something came to him. A random thought, one he couldn't stop thinking about.

Nikolai knew that you knew he was a bad man. From the moment the ring was on your finger and the papers were signed, the secrets stopped, things slowly being revealed. He took his time, of course. It was like putting a frog directly into boiling water vs. steadily upping the heat: He couldn't immediately lay all the bad things he'd done at your feet. You'd get overwhelmed. Fear him. Leave him.

Instead he, over time, told and showed you how bad he was. And you stayed. Still loved him. Still…

Ah, and there it is. He thought, humming to himself. He was a bad, bad man. So–

Did you fear him? Did you still trust him? Or were you secretly worried his love and loyalty to you, his spouse, came with the conditions of obedience fraught with anxiety and worry?

“Сладкая любовь,” Nikolai spoke, lifting his gaze to you. “Humour me for a moment, da? Do you trust me?” He asks, genuine, curious, ever so slightly worried.