Double Trouble Disco Dance

6

"You want me to what?" Childe nearly spat out his drink. 

"At the next meeting, you must announce your decision to declare war on Mondstadt," Scaramouche repeated. 

"What has Mondstadt done? Why do we need to go to war?" 

"Your job is not to think," Scaramouche pointed at Childe and scoffed. "You must repeat His Majesty's decisions as if you were him." 

"You know going to war without reason is simply a waste of resources. Why do you insist on following an emperor that has done nothing but harm?" Childe frowned. 

"Do not speak of such things!" Scaramouche snapped, slamming his hand down on the desk. "Do you wish to die that badly?" 

"Let me ask you this then," Childe placed the cup down. "Do you wish to watch Fatui fall to ruins? A lot of immigrants come to us from Mondstadt. Do you wish to see them scorned and killed simply because your so-called emperor told you to?" 

"You speak boldly for someone with no education," Scaramouche gritted his teeth. 

"He is not here!" Childe stood up so quickly his chair fell behind him. "I am here! It is not my job to think, you are correct," he placed his hand over his chest and then immediately pointed to Scaramouche. "It is your job to think and advise me! So start advising for the sake of the empire and not because you fear a man who has no intentions of serving you or his people!" 

"You wish to guide me into treason?" Scaramouche glared daggers into Childe's skin. 

"It's only treason if you're caught," Childe pressed his finger up against Scaramouche's chest and pushed him backward just a tad. "If I am here long enough people will soon forget the other man acted as he did at all." 

"Hold your tongue!" Scaramouche turned to leave. "I will not hear another word of this!" 

Defeated, Childe moved to sit down, forgetting his chair had fallen. He fell onto the ground and groaned. 

"Oh for fuck's sake! Why am I such an idiot?" he rubbed his ass. 

...

Tartaglia walked the trail in the woods to a cottage. "Ah, finally, some quiet." He breathed in the cold air and opened the door. Over the years, he'd retreated to this place and built it himself as a hideaway. He was not expecting someone to have found it. Nor was he expecting that person to be a child. 

"Brother!" the kid ran toward him and clung to him tightly. 

"Teucer!-" A man with an eyepatch followed him. 

Tartaglia picked this so-called Teucer up by the back of his shirt and stared at him carefully. "I am only going to ask you this once so answer wisely. Why is a band of clowns in my cottage?" he snapped, glaring at the eye-patched man. "Wait..." Tartaglia dropped Teucer and walked toward the eyepatched man. 

"You," he pointed, "you look very familiar. Who are you?" 

"My name is Kaeya," he muttered. 

"Brother...you don't remember us?" Teucer asked and Kaeya gave him a look. He shook his head slightly, motioning for Teucer to run away. 

"That name..." Tartaglia held his head. "Ah, yes, I remember now!" He grabbed the knife hiding in his sleeve and stepped toward Kaeya, placing it at his neck and wrapping his arm around his waist to push his body close to his. "You're that runaway prince from the Abyss Order." 

...

Childe was lost in his own thoughts as he walked. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going but ultimately he always ended up in the same spot. In this garden. Where he met Zhongli. 

Childe stared up at the night sky and reached out to grab the moon. 

"May I ask what you would do with it?" Zhongli's voice spoke from behind him. Childe, convinced he was imagining things again, humored the voice he thought was from his own mind. 

"If I caught the moon, I'd take its riches and give it to the people. I'd obliterate the corrupt politicians lurking in my court and change the Empire of Fatui entirely." 

"You need not the riches of the moon to make such a wish come true." 

"Oh but I do, because I'm-" Childe turned to see Zhongli standing there. Confused as to why Zhongli was really there, he took a step to the side, hiding his face behind his arm. "Highness!" His face flushed and he tried to regain his composure. 

Zhongli stood in his nightly garments with his hair untied, waving slightly in the wind of the night. His head tilted just a tad but his eyes appeared to be glimmering with amusement. "Do you make it a habit to walk at night? Shouldn't you be resting? You were sick not too long ago, Your Majesty, perhaps these nightly walks are bad for your health." 

"Heavens no!" Childe lowered his arm and regained his posture. "You are the only thing rejuvenating my health, Highness, so naturally I would take my chances just to see you for a second." 

"I appreciate the sentiment," Zhongli spoke. Not wanting to hear him refuse his comments, Childe interrupted the rest of his sentence. 

"What brings you here?" Childe asked. 

Zhongli glanced over to the small bridge over a pond. He shook his head. "I am simply here to enjoy the night sky, as anyone would." 

Childe, noticing his glance, walked toward the bridge. "Don't allow me to interfere with your intended purpose." 

"No, Your Majesty," Zhongli followed behind, "it's nothing of importance, I assure you!" His voice wavered in its usual calmness which entertained Childe. 

"Ah, is that what you came here for?" Childe pointed to the wish bucket floating in the pond. "I've seen some court ladies attempt to get rocks in. Were you going to try when no one could see you?" 

Zhongli glanced away, his ears turning slightly pink. "I have a reputation to maintain, Your Majesty, of course I would not be attempting to do something so foolish." 

"Is that so, then forgive me," Childe reached down to pick up a pebble, "for attempting something so foolish," he threw it toward the bucket and smiled at Zhongli when it was a perfect throw. "Did you make your wish?" 

Zhongli stared, too startled by the contrast in personality. He didn't hear Childe's question. 

"Well, I suppose you may keep your wish a secret for now," Childe laughed. "But I will tell you mine, I wished to see you with a radiant smile on your face before I die," he grabbed the railing of the bridge and leaned up against it. He stared at the bucket, not knowing how quickly Tartaglia would put an end to him. 

"You confuse me, Your Majesty," Zhongli covered half of his face with his hand, sighing. "Sometimes you look at me with such kind eyes and other times you stare at me with such scorn."

"Highness," Childe leaned down to pick up another pebble. He placed it in Zhongli's hand and held it in his for a moment. "We all have secret wishes and things we must never share. I hope that when your desire is strong enough you will not wait to throw the rock and cast your wish. There are things I cannot tell you. Things you must figure out on your own. But, please do not doubt the kind eyes when you see them because even if they turn to scorn...emotions are never false in the moment they live in." Childe's heart nearly broke in two as he walked away, unable to tell Zhongli the truth.

Zhongli stared down at the pebble and lifted it up to gaze at it next to the moon. It was just an ordinary rock but Zhongli felt himself becoming attached to it. "I know all too well there are things you cannot say," he clutched the rock tightly in his palm and knelt down, leaning his head against the side of the bridge. "How hypocritical of me to keep my secrets and expect him to share his."