Mafia AU

[misfittoys]

[ A tale of two people leading double-lives and the inevitable misunderstandings that follow ]

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[misfittoys]

[ It's wonderfully disorientating how even the smallest gesture from Mr. Zhongli causes Ajax's heart to flutter. Touches as simple as a brush of noses and a chaste kiss are like indulgent sweets, something that should make him feel guilty and yet he just can't help himself from just one more.

(And another and another).

There's a camera to their left that doesn't quite capture the left side of the room, probably because there are no displays there except for decorative posters and decals carefully designed with ancient Liyue as inspiration. The hallway camera's view is also obstructed by a larger-than-life pillar, rich browns lined in geometric gold as it reaches toward the vaulted ceiling in some metaphor of how the earth holds up the sky or something equally poetic.

Ajax leads Zhongli to that spot now, eyes flicking quickly to both cameras before he slips a hand around him again. Or rather— slips one hand under his coat so his hand can rest not-quite-casually on Zhongli's hip, the smooth texture of perfectly ironed slacks pressed against his palm. Wandering fingers slowly and repeatedly trace the hem of the nearest pocket in what one might consider daring if not for the chess game the two of them played out in the open hall a few minutes before. ]

Do you also play this game of stones, Mr. Zhongli?

[ The board and corresponding pieces are worn down from the passing of millennia, but even so it's evident how carefully crafted some of the jade pieces are. Surely in such a game they would be the most valuable pieces on the board. Ajax cants his head to one side, perhaps deliberately drawing attention to the dragon carved from the same material that hangs from his ear. A little gaudy and a clashing with his own personal style, and yet Ajax would not dare go on a date with Zhongli without it. ]

Or are you more into just collecting pretty things?

I can see the appeal in both.