Lest was distracted. Again.

After having Vishnal at his house, he wondered if he could take it further. Not too much further, just the thought of hanging out after hours purely for enjoyment. How would he even go about asking something like that, and how would he be able to make it seem innocent? He was so lost in thought that he hardly noticed the other present party.

Leon, being the ever diligent prankster he was, gently nudged his boss in an attempt to snap him back to reality. Only then did Lest acknowledge that someone else was present.

"Spaced out again boss?"

"Yeah, well, you know. I've been thinking about, well, you know, stuff."

"Vishnal right?"

Lest sighed. Against his better judgement, he decided to open up. "I feel a little trapped you know? If he didn't work for me I could just ask him out. But I'm his boss, and it wouldn't be appropriate."

"Is that really what's holding you up?" Leon questioned lamely. "When have you been beholden to proper professional conduct?"

"Yeah, that's true." He took another breath as he prepared to explain himself. "It's just that, I might have said something to him, but, I don't know. He'll probably date me if I ask, but only because he's so eager to please me. I kind of feel like he'd do it out of obligation…"

Leon was already painfully aware of that fact. His expression twisted into a smile as his mind raced through the possibilities this situation could bring. In his defense, Lest really should have known better by now, so he would not be spared. "I'd say your situation is perfect. You can get him to do anything you want and just say it's part of the job. Such a naïve guy like him will obey your every command without question and with a smile."

"That's exactly the problem. I fear that he'll accept my advances whether or not he feels the same."

"So what's the problem?"

"What's the problem?!" Lest felt his throat go dry as he thought of how to articulate his objections. "That is most certainly not the way to foster a healthy relationship."

"Who needs that when you can have a love slave? And one already trained and obedient at that."

Lest fell silent, but it was unclear if he was contemplating Leon's words or not. A sudden knock on his door jolted him out of his musings and had no effect whatsoever on Leon. Lest cleared his throat and said simply, "come in."

Vishnal entered the room casually, as per usual, and noticed the two. "Good morning. I was just talking with a client, and I have some news and questions for you sir. Are you busy right now?"

Leon's grin marginally broadened as he took the lead and answered first, "We're not busy." His tone remained neutral, as if he were describing the weather. "We were just discussing Lest's sex life."

The colour drained from Vishnal's face and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I see. I'll um, come back later, I guess." At that he backed out slowly. The door was slowly closed, and then the sound of frantic footsteps rapidly moving away. Lest rubbed his temples and shot a glare at Leon.

He sighed and spoke, "Look, you scared him away. You knew this would happen, don't tease him like that."

"I was just stating facts. It's not my fault he doesn't like them." His grin broadened then, and he continued, "I'll bet money that you like how innocent he is."

Lest pursed his lips and tried not to react to Leon's taunting. "Regardless of what I find appealing, you can't just go around creating an uncomfortable work environment. Someone might complain about sexual harassment. Think of the lawsuits…"

"I'll bet you'll love corrupting him too, molesting him until he begs for…"

"OKAY, that's enough. Get back to whatever it was you were doing and have a nice day." He said, shooing Leon away. Although Leon wasn't moved at all by Lest's embarrassment, he did show some mercy by leaving. Lest sighed and rubbed his temples, why did he keep asking Leon for advice? Maybe in his general loneliness, he was willing to seek aid from anyone, even his sarcastic employee.

It was about ten minutes before Vishnal appeared again, only his body language suggested he was uneasy. "Um, good day sir. Did you finish your discussion from earlier?"

Lest used all of his will power to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Don't mind Leon, he was just messing with you. But yeah, either way, we're all done with that."

A curious expression formed on Vishnal's face then. "It's really none of my concern sir, you can discuss any topic you want."

"Yeah, well, here is really not the time or place to be discussing my sex life. I may not be the most professional guy on the planet, but even I have standards."

"Right, well, I still think it is none of my concern. But if you say you weren't talking about that, I'll believe you."

Lest just shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed himself. "Well, I guess we were kind of talking about relationships, but you know, not that far in depth…"

"I see, are you seeing anyone right now sir?"

Although Lest was taken aback by the sudden question, he was a little elated and hopeful that something good could actually come of this discussion. "I'm not seeing anyone right now."

Vishnal's cheeks were lightly dusted with pink after that, and he had a look about him that implied he wanted to ask something else. No further questions came though, and he just cleared his throat and continued, "ah, very good. Anyway, about today…"

Perhaps that reaction was just a fabrication of Lest's mind, but he was almost certain that Vishnal pleased with the knowledge of Lest not seeing anyone. It could very well be wishful thinking, but for now he'd allow himself to indulge in those thoughts.

Upon finishing his report and cluing up his questions, Vishnal hesitated for a moment. "So, um, are you still willing to give me a cooking lesson after this?" His voice was low, shy, nervous almost. It made Lest feel warm.

"Of course. Look forward to it."

"…I will sir, thank you." He took his leave then, though Lest could swear he looked conflicted. While he wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not, he'd still proceed as normal.