Mafia AU

[misfittoys]

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

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[misfittoys]

[ There is a tremor in Ajax's grip that is unbecoming of Her Majesty's Vanguard as he reads over the reply. His phone has not left his hands since he sent his own message, stomach churning as the three nondescript dots blink back at him indicating that Zhongli was typing.

He didn't have time for this. Not for how this dalliance left him distracted from work just as everything was tilting toward the crescendo. And especially not for adding one more mask to juggle on top of the double life he was already leading. Ah, but Zhongli made things so easy — wanted nothing more than his time and companionship and even indulged in how Ajax chased after him. It was easy to spoil someone who appreciated it so genuinely. Really, he was too good to be true.

"I have a prior engagement this Friday."

And that's why it couldn't be.

The phone hits his desk with a dull but no less poignant thump before Ajax even realizes he's lost his grip on it. How predictable and utterly pathetic. In the end, the only thing he has (and should have) faith in is his truly awful luck. How he is always the butt end of some cosmic joke. The sharp choked laugh that bubbles from his throat can only be described as hysterical since it lacked an ounce of mirth in it.

Zhongli is Rex Lapis's lover, which means Tartaglia is courting the enemy.

Tartaglia's first instinct is to mull over how he can use this to his advantage. While on principal he found the concept of using someone's loved ones against them as the coward's way out, there was no denying how useful Mister Zhongli could be in more subtle ways. Even something as innocuous as knowing his schedule might help the Fatui more accurately predict Rex Lapis's locations. Or going further, if he could find what qualities about Zhongli caught Rex Lapis's interest (of which the Vanguard must admit is in good taste) perhaps they could launch a honeypot trap of their own to try and catch the lord of Liyue. It opened up an entire new world of opportunities knowing that the previously untouchable mafia boss had a soft spot or a vice (did it really matter which?) and an exploitable one at that.

And perhaps, Ajax would have buried himself in those schemes to distract from the heartache if not for the rest of Zhongli's text.

"You tempt me with gentler things than I deserve."

For a moment, Tartaglia had a flutter of hope that Mister Zhongli might secretly be a beast underneath that prim and proper exterior and subtle looks. One that he could tussle with as physically as they challenged each other with their chess games that were more metaphors and double speak than anything else. But alas— Zhongli's poor showing in the kitchen during the meeting between the Fatui and the Syndicate dashed any such budding fantasies. The man practically tripped over himself in his escape, and Tartaglia doesn't think he can entirely blame the ice.

So then what did that mean...? Gentleness that Zhongli did not deserve. Did he feel guilty for his relationship with Morax, considering the man's ruthless reputation? Or was there something else at work here? Something that made him believe he was not worthy of the softer things in life.

The fact that this information was falling into Fatui hands when previously not a word of Rex Lapis's private life was known feels extremely important somehow. But trying to parse the how and why would just run him in circles.

Best to deal with the more immediate problem. Furrowing his brow at the subtle crack in his screen protector as he types: ]

awwwwwwww 🥺
Mister Zhongli has other obligations. I get it I get it.
Though I better not find out you spent Friday night with a dead body instead of me 😤
Lunch sounds great! Just tell me when!

[ His eyes flick up to the gala information spread messily across his desk.

Looks like it would be Tartaglia that had a date with Mister Zhongli instead of Ajax. ]