Work Text:
"My dear you have truly outdone yourself this evening...."
The room is warm, heated by the hearth built into the centre of the back most wall. It's low light illuminating the otherwise dark office and creating harsh shadows with their fine lines elegantly decorating the ornate, hand carved furniture placed in a way so particular one wouldn't dare wish to move anything. Silk curtains were open to their fullest extent, held in place by silver holdbacks mounted onto either side of the wall, which are coated in a deep matte purple and accented by glittering silver.
However, the curtains position did not give way to much light as the sky remains dark, darker than usual, more oppressive than before and from the darkness a faint crimson had already found its way inside, formulating a bloody hue across the room splashing over the fine hardwood and staining the polished floor. It stretches wide and claws onto any accessible surface like a starved beast. Including pale skin, gloved hands, working rapidly with pen against paper and the content face looming just above with evidence of the intrusion being most notable across one of his finely shaped brows.
The aforementioned hands slowly come to a pause ink having ran dry and the squat pen no longer suitable for its one use. Gently, fingers wrap around both the tip and end, the metallic casing is old in comparison to the rooms temperature and it seeps through the fabric of the gloves sending a brief tingle up sensitive forearms.
Snap. The noise echoes throughout the quiet office as those nimble fingers destroy the solid barrel, remnants of congealed ink splatter onto the deep sandbearer wood of the desk, an expensive and rare find it had been those years ago. An antique made of a common wood, though deeper than regular shades, and harvested from the peaks of treacherous mountains paired with the fine engravings depicting legends familiar to locals, created by artisans of a bygone era, making it a costly piece.
Any normal man would have paled at the price and turned to flee, any collector would have let it go with gritted teeth and a false smile. But money was not a problem this harbinger could face, unlike those fragile boys of the harbour who scrounged for any measly penny, begged for the riches scraps and prayed to God's that did not care to answer their powerless voices.
And so the possibility of an ink stain ruining the craftsmanship was nothing more than an inconvenience for the ninth, he is no weak child.
Quickly, the pen is discarded into the wire bin placed just out of sight below the desk and it creates a jarring clatter as it falls against numerous metallic husks piling up in their coffin, itching to spill out and litter the ground beneath his feet.
Pantalone pushes his glasses back up the ridge of his nose as they had begun to slip after countless hours of staring down at official documents that were to be read and promptly signed which would allow more greedy nobles to get their blackened hands on his money. 'His money' that thought alone was more delectable than any of the pastries he had delivered from Fontaine each week.
He turns his leather back chair to face the night sky, it creaks with age as he leans backwards to rest his head flush against the padding to relieve his sore neck. The crimson hue lunges forwards and engulfs his entire face rather than just his right side as he sets his gaze upon the disjointed horizon.
Stars seem to hang lower than normal, as if their threads were torn, the navy blue was now corrupted by the inky black reality that lie above and a ubiquitous array of red flecks had completely besieged the fake sky pulling it limb from limb. Below the ground trembles, perhaps the planet had realised its insignificant nature or perhaps the shakes which rattle Pantalone's window were from a separate entity entirely, one he knows too well.
Nod Krai is quite far from the heart of Snezhnaya, where Pantalone is currently residing, and the long expanse of ocean paired with jagged mountains covering the nations expanse made it impossible to witness from where he is sat.
Though, he can see the way in which the common folk, or what is left of them, rush around on the dimly lit streets below, confused and scared. He can hear a few yells of fretful children and wails of a cluster of individuals singing hymns of the final days. The panic has even spread to the interior of the building as his keen ears also momentarily pick up on the hurried boots across tiled flooring and soldiers whispering to each other, wondering if they will be mobilising at her majesty's order any time soon.
A smile slowly spreads across Pantalone's face as he let out a light sigh, any external thoughts he may have had dissipate and burn away in the hearths flame.
The others have no idea what is happening, not a single of them does and to that extent Pantalone could understand their dissent into panicked chaos, but that is where his understanding both begins and ends. This moment is so utterly peaceful, the silence when he tunes out his surroundings, the warmth of the fire thawing at his icy skin and the captivating sight of the sky itself shattering.
Shattering at the whim of one singular man.
Perhaps that is why Pantalone is not significantly impacted by the chaos, because he knows all too well who ordained the charming scene. Or perhaps he is just comforted by the knowledge of there being no real danger to him, not now and not ever.
However, the longer he basks in the red glow the more he can feel his heart tug on itself, forming knots before brutally snapping them at a growing pace. He knows this feeling all too well, jealousy is a feeling he used to consider ugly, but in recent years he couldn't help but relish in its beauty as it overtakes his mind. The mere thought of others seeing the Doctor in whatever his current state may be angers him to no end. Of course he is no fool, he knows that the one those insects are currently, certainly, being crushed by is not his Zandik but instead a segment. Though, that was hardly any reassurance as each segment is just as important to him as the real Dottore, so it was still infuriating that anyone else were permitted to witness something so special, while he is stuck here in Snezhnaya.
Suddenly, as if one had heard his inner turmoil, the door handle of his office rattles as it's twisted and is then pushed open by a gentle, yet stern hand.
"Are you quite finished with all this banker nonsense?" His voice is rough as if his vocal cords hadn't been used in some time, but to Pantalone it was like a tide lapping at his bare skin.
Once again, his chair creaks as he turns it back to face the desk. Unlike before his eyes do not fall upon the piles of paper, nor the dark splatter on the surface, instead violet meets crimson and Pantalone instantly relaxes.
"Now my dearest what brings you here this evening?" He watches with a keen eye as Dottore makes quick work of smothering the hearth, putting it out as though it were just a spark.
"I am not in the mood to play games tonight banker." It seems the man to want to portray a sense of annoyance but when he turns back from the fire place and their gazes naturally meet again, the smirk on his lips ruins the façade.
"Oh?" He rests his hand against his cheek momentarily, "And here I was thinking tonight more than any would put you high spirits." His tone ebbs into something sorrowful. It was an intentional attempt at earning a reaction.
"Do not get me mistaken Regrator, I am in a very good mood indeed..." He inclines his head in the direction of the window, his smirk deepening as he witnesses the effects his work is having across a whole nation and likely the rest of the continental nations, "I am yielding the exact results I predicted and more."
"I am glad." Finally, Pantalone leaves his chair behind, it lets out one last creak as hr stands up and then all that can be heard is footsteps making their way around the desk and to the others side.
"I suppose you have come to collect me then dear?" He wraps an arm around Dottore's waist and leans his head down to rest against his shoulder, the position being somewhat awkward due to their height difference but no mind is paid to the way Pantalone bends his knees slightly to accommodate as both of their focus is too fixated on the view beyond the glass.
Red grew deeper in hue and coated the two of them, rushing through pores with a feral itch to reach their core, Pantalone is certain he can see stars raining downwards and the main fracture created by Dottore now seems to be visible even this far out which pleases the Doctor further as he let's out a content hum.
"Indeed I have." Neither of them look away from the sky as he brings his own arm around Pantalone's waist, crossing their arms over each other as if to suggest they are locked together. It had become a common occurrence for the man to make subtle movements as a way to hint at their permanent entanglement and Pantalone found it charming.
"Then take me, I am not too sure how much longer I can bare being cooped up in here. Especially with the wailing from outside."
"Hm? I for one quite enjoy hearing others views on my experiment." His arm seemed to snake further around Pantalone's waist.
"Others views?" Pantalone lifts his head to glare at the man, "Don't make me laugh I know you cannot stand the ruckus nor care for ordinary people's opinions." He pinches Dottore's hip as though to affirm his statement.
Dottore concedes, eventually tearing his attention from the window and moving it towards the door behind them. He pivots, turning Pantalone with him, beginning to head towards the door without a word and it's obvious he has reached his limit with listening to the outside world, now he intends to hole them both up away from it all.
They walk in silence through the halls of the Fatui building and eventually make it the the back most corridor of the building where the Doctors lab exists, or one of them at least.
Pantalone listens to the hisses as it closes itself behind them and he takes in the sterile scent of the lab. Bleach certainly having been used considering the way the metal counter tops shine and a hint of something floral which makes Pantalone smile. The labs current state of cleanliness was not a usual sight and the smell was often a mix of experimental chemicals and metallic scents, that he could probably guess the origin of but never felt it were necessary, on his most recent visit to discuss the laboratory's money usage Pantalone had made sure to complain about the condition Dottore works in. At the time the other had brushed it off as an unimportant concern, however it is clear he took some of what was said to heart.
Before he could get himself too carried away in the scents floating around the glistening laboratory, Dottore ushered him into a room of to the side. His bedroom to be more specific.
The room is more than anything, a perfect reflection of it's inhabitants mind. Shelves lined with jars full to the brim of items collected over the years, none of them ordered in a way that would make sense to anyone other than himself. Furniture wise there is a desk pushed against the side wall just beneath a window with the curtain drawn completely, plunging the room into darkness. There is a faint light coming from the edges of the ceiling, low strip lights to provide enough light to see, but not too much as to properly illuminate anything.
Pantalone slips off his dress shoes and heads towards the bed, taking a seat on the edge. Meanwhile, Dottore slips off his coat and gloves, revealing rough skin underneath which makes Pantalone's eyes wander and he then moves to join him on the bed.
"You don't need to look so stiff I will not bite." Dottore tuts as he brings a hand down to nudge at Pantalone's shoulder, forcibly convincing him to shuffle backwards until he reaches the headboard.
"Well I never know with you." He smothers his chuckle by bringing his hand to his mouth, pretending to fix a non-existent smudge just below his lip.
The joke doesn't amuse the other much as he is caught subtly rolling his head to indicate that under the mask an eye roll is taking place. Pantalone watches the movement and shakes his head grinning when Dottore then makes his way onto the bed to join him.
However, a long leg reaches out first and a slender foot greets his shoulder, stopping him from moving any further, "Ah, ah, ah you know my rules about sharing a bed together."
"Of course..."
It would be hard to forget the Regrator's rules even though this one were quite simple he stubbornly enforces it every time they were in bed together, which is most nights at this point unless one is to busy without fail. The rule is that the mask had to be removed and the reasoning for such a rule? Unsurprisingly, it comes from a selfish place something Dottore knows is so painfully Pantalone.
To the ninth this time they shared locked away together in the safety of silken sheets, he insisted Dottore invest in, was a thing so sacred and intimate that they had to be their full selves, no masks, no protection, no hiding. Pantalone also craves to see the mans face as often as possible because it was all his after all, who knows the last time another had the chance to gaze upon the Doctors beauty. He intended to keep it this way for the rest of this lifetime because who else other than he could deserve such a thing?
Slipping the mask off and placing it on the bedside table, Dottore climbs the rest of his way onto the bed now without a foot impeding him, settling down against the pillow on the left he immediately wrapped an arm around Pantalone and pulled him in, simultaneously entangling their legs together.
For a moment it was quiet and they enjoyed it, neither breaking the silence but instead taking in the sound of their shared breaths, beating hearts that were in near synchronisation and joint warmth. Until Pantalone felt the hands against his hip twitching and digging the tips of their fingers into his flesh.
"Tell me about it my love." He slips his glasses off and places them off to the side, exhaling gently against the others throat before leaning in and pressing chaste kisses against the skin.
"The likelihood of the sky closing itself back up is about sixty four percent." He breathes, "The likelihood of a permanent fracture is one hundred percent. And the chance of disturbing the heaven's is undetermined."
"Mmm" Pantalone nods, "What do you think because I for one highly doubt something like this will go ignored."
"Well." He mumbles to himself about probabilities and possibilities that Pantalone knows aren't too important, but he then gives an answer, "It will depend on whether or not they are in a present state. It is hard to understand why they slumber and I do hope this experiment will yield promising results in that area as well as its intended purpose."
"Perhaps they aren't around anymore..." Pantalone rests his head on Dottore's collar bone, tracing the faint scars across the exposed skin with his index finger, though his eyes are paying more attention to the glistening object wrapped around his ring finger.
The sliver band seems to sparkle under the low light, made of the finest ore that could be found on Teyvat and in the centre rests a beautiful rock unlike any other, it emitted a faint blue hue as well as a low hum of energy. It was cool but the size meant it was an inconsequential feeling unless it was truly given attention. The ring was a perfect fit and a gorgeous sight around his slender finger, sitting on the outside of black gloves.
The Doctor did this often, when segments would return from being dispatched across the continent for various peculiar and secretive missions they would always come bearing gifts, well a single gift mostly. And that gift would come in the form of some kind of jewel or precious ore, immediately catching Pantalone's keen eye, he remembers one time the other man had said he were like a crow, snatching up expensive things and stashing them away.
Of course this observation wasn't entirely inaccurate the ninth loved anything remotely expensive and tasteful that he could get his hand onto, especially if it glistened. However, that is where the comparison ends as Pantalone did not like to stash his gifts as he instead preferred to flaunt them, immediately having them turned into jewellery that could decorate his body in ways which made Dottore's mind cloud with possessiveness.
It was better for both of them that he wore such things on show due to it preventing any... unwanted mishaps with eager strangers.
The ring he currently had on is the most recent addition to his collection. It has been a few weeks since Zandik returned from Nod Krai at the Tsaritsa's orders, he was never one to go against her nor the Jesters direct orders, leaving the segment that is currently causing chaos behind and with him came a gift.
Pantalone had been delighted when he first saw it. The glimmer had caught his eye and before the other could even get through the doorway he had pounced, admiring it like there was no tomorrow with his eyes blown wide and flourishing compliments spilling past his glossed lips without a pause in between.
That night, Dottore had wanted to release some of his frustration at having been called back to Snezhnaya, but unfortunately Pantalone had other plans, ones he should have anticipated, and so they spent the entire night creating the ring together. At the time he attempted to force him to split the rock again in order for it to be turned into two so that they could both have one, however he was told that the separation process was tedious and the piece he syphoned for his gift was far too small to be split again without crumbling in on itself. Pantalone had reluctantly accepted the reason and informed the other that next time he would need to bring something back to be made into pieces for the two of them.
Out of all his gifts from Zandik, this is the one he would cherish the most and it was likely the one that was worth the most, after all how many could say that their jewellery was made from the moon?
A violent tremble of the building snapped him out of his admiration for the ring and makes him tense for a second. He looks up towards the other to check for any sign of concern and when he sees nothing but satisfaction, he relaxes once more.
"I have wondered that a few times as well." It seems as though Dottore had spent the last few minutes mulling over the possibility, "But there is no reason for them to leave their position and the shades are very much still active... well besides one of them."
"One of them is missing?" He raises a brow.
"I am quite sure yes, they are always watching, always lurking which means if one watches in return they will certainly see them too. However, I have not been able to confirm the presence of Space. I think." He throws the last part on the end rather awkwardly as if he were originally not going to say it.
"You think?" He pushes for a clearer answer.
Dottore hums before he answers, "I have discussed it with the Jester a few times and he has agreed that Space is not visible anymore. I have a few theories that I have toyed with, but none are incredibly promising so I shall keep them to myself for now."
With a nod Pantalone lets it go knowing that Dottore dislikes discussing things he is uncertain about due to the amount his brain likes to jump from topic to topic, if he was to dwell on every little thing then he'd never finish a thought. So for now, the question of Spaces' location will remain irrelevant to him.
"How much longer will this last? I doubt I will be getting much sleep with all this ruckus." He taps his finger against the others chest absentmindedly, changing the subject.
"If you are worried about sleeping I would suggest not going in to work tomorrow."
He grit his teeth and provides a displeased smile, sitting up so the other could catch the expression, "Well how inconvenient because I have an important meeting to attend tomorrow dear Doctor."
"Unfortunate, but it can't be helped." Even with the mask on Dottore's smirk can be seen from miles away, with it off the expression is significantly more noticeable and in this moment, significantly more irritating.
"I hope you do not expect me to extend my sympathy when all of our lovely co-workers come after you in what I suppose will be, two days from now?" He wrapped his hand around his wrist and squeezed, the metal band digging into pale skin.
"I do not." His eyes flick to Pantalone's chest for a split second, "But you will."
"Oh how I despise you my dear." He leans in, their breaths mingling.
Dottore chuckles, "I love you too." He closes the gap, pressing their lips together and the touch is feather light for the moment that they first meet.
But Pantalone wastes no time drawing in further, pulling at the Doctors bottom lip with his teeth, slipping his tongue in like first nature and Dottore allowed it to happen as he always does feeling himself being carried away by the intense heat that washes over him. To Zandik, every kiss was their first whether Pantalone was kissing himself or a segment of his being, to Zandik it was all proof that he is still alive, still present.
A part of him wishes more than anything that there were a way to burn these moments into time itself, eternalising them and he will happily confess that more than a few times amidst moments of their naked bodies entangling amongst silk sheets and being overwhelmed by intense passion, he had considered the possibility of carving something into irminsul.
He knew it were possible, there are two instances he had documented of others directly interacting with irminsul for their own benefit, but what he wanted was a peculiarity and there is no telling what doing something so reckless would cause. Though for a mind like his own the idea of trying something never done is both exciting and intriguing.
"You are wandering Doctor." Pantalone grips his chin, pinching the skin and drawing his attention back to the present.
Another rumble sounds from outside and they both huff out a chuckle.
"My apologies." He distracts himself from his mind by helping Pantalone out of his coat.
"It's quite alright dear, I'll just have to work overtime to keep you present tonight." He knew this would be no easy feat tonight of all nights and it is highly likely that it'll be impossible to keep him entirely in the moment, but he wasn't too bothered, "Now then, shall I take the the lead?"
"Be my guest..." Dottore tilts his head to face the closed window and Pantalone's gaze followed.
He gets up with out a moments hesitation and glides towards the window, red eyes trace his retreating figure as he does so. With one swift yank the curtains come apart and reveal the trembling sky, red floods the room coating everything in a fractured haze. Yet even still, when Pantalone turns around all he can see is the glow of his lovers irises, and cannot help but think about how he wishes to melt into them.
Returning to the bedside takes no more than half a second and as soon as he's near enough, Dottore grasps his wrist and pulls him down, "You didn't have to."
"I know you wanted it so don't be silly." He presses their lips together and as before, he doesn't wait to get his tongue past those enticing lips.
Outside the continent trembles as the sky crumbles, challenging the heaven's authority and destroying the principles illusions whilst a small collective fight to reverse what has been done as they lie in the hands of a singular man. A man who was currently far off in his own world and tangled in silken sheets with his one anchor to a reality that only the two of them shared. Even if the sky were fake, even if the world itself was fake, the two men knew that they existed together.