Work Text:
“-And don’t you dare step foot in here again!”
Scaramouche wanted so badly to electrocute the shoddy man where he stood after having shoved him out the door, but instead he held his tongue and glared at him as the door was slammed in his face. Taking in a few breaths, he finally turned around and started making his way further into the Red Lights district.
That was now the fourth place that rejected him, the others rejected him either due to already having enough, not accepting males, or due to him not reaching their standards. Between one of those three reasons, he has been turned away when he offered himself to work for them. It was starting to get on his nerves.
On the way to Fontaine, he had been pondering over what a good job would be. A job akin to what Childe chose was too conspicuous from someone like him, working in a place away from the eyes of most regular people was easier, not to mention, with the information he wanted, blackmail would work best as a means to get what he wanted.
The only place that really met those standards was a place like the Red Lights district, or a black market, but for the black market he needed connections, that- and if he was caught, it would hamper any further plans in Fontaine.
In the end, the Red Lights district was the place that met most of his requirements and it was truly the only one that seemed possible for him. He’s seen the way his subordinates look at him, he’s seen the way Childe looks at him, he doesn’t care too much for his appearance but he knows it’s favorable to most. Being crafted in the visage of an Archon did have its perks every now and then, but these brothels didn’t care for it.
“Too greedy.”
“Will scare away customers-”
“Not enough.”
“Creepy.”
“Fake.”
“Like a doll.”
He looked up at the new brothel in front of him, eyes hooded. He may as well try his luck here instead. It seemed fairly popular judging by the amount of people going in and those coming out looking like they’ve just been blessed by an archon. Scaramouche inhaled and exhaled, ignoring the stench of cigars, alcohol, dirt and sex as much as he could. If this one rejects him he’ll try a different district tomorrow, he still has time.
The slap sounded loudly in the now quiet room. Cold eyes looked down at him as he cradled his cheek, glaring daggers up at the shop owner. The lady tisked, her brow wrinkling as she looked down at him, and inhaled the smoke through her pipe before crouching down to blow it in his face. The smell of rancid smoke mixed with the stench of sex and blood hit him and he held back his recoil out of pure spite.
“You won’t last here.”
“You don’t know that.”
The lady sighed and set her pipe down before roughly grabbing his hair, yanking his head back. “Kuni… was it? Your name.”
Bile rose in his throat, “Yes.” No.
She slowly turned his face, looking him over slowly as if examining a piece of resold merchandise, old and used, and it made his blood boil. “Yeah, with a face like this…” She let go of him before picking her pipe back up and taking a long drag, “You won’t last here for one day, you’ll break.” She exhaled away from him this time, “Why do you want to do this job anyways? A quick buck? Quick fuck?” She lifted an eyebrow at him, “You don't look like the people we usually hire, they come here desperate, almost broken or already so, none of them chose this job of their own free will.”
Scaramouche laughed at this, “Trust me…Madame,” he added at the sharp look she sent him, “Free will plays no part in this, this job is simply a means to an end.” He bit his tongue and moved so that he was in a proper bow, his head lowered onto the ground, “Please!” He had to forcibly swallow the anger that threatened to rise in his throat at his own actions, “Please, let me work here!”
The shop owner remained silent as Scaramouche prostrated himself on the creaky wooden floor. Moments passed of nothing but silence, a silence so deafening that he desperately wanted it gone. He heard an exhale and another plume of smoke entered his vision before he heard the ruffling of clothes and the creaky floors giving way to movement, the shop owner had stood up, he finally lifted his head from the floor to look at her. She was turned away from him, removing the excess dust on her pipe into a tray before moving to take another inhale but stopping midway and clicking her tongue.
“Follow me.”
She gave no further instruction before walking and pushing past the door she had been in front of. Scaramouche wasted no time and hastily followed, closing the door behind him and looking around the new area they just stepped into. It was a room full of clothing racks and makeup, women were preparing themselves, powdering their faces with rouge, making sure their clothing fit in salacious ways, and some were taking naps.
“Ah! Madame, what brings you here?” A lady that had been applying makeup to her face spoke up, she looked fairly young; he also quickly noticed the ring on her finger. “Who’s that? A new face?” She asked, walking over to them, capturing the attention of more women in the room, hushed whispers filled his ears.
The shop owner put a hand on Scaramouche’s shoulder and he desperately wanted to cut it off, “He’ll start working here from hereon, the name is Kuni, be sure to make him look presentable.” She gave his shoulder a hard squeeze and his eyebrow twitched, “I’ll put him in your care for now, Hina, since you’re partially Inazuman as well, kindred spirits and whatnot.” Madame took an inhale of her pipe before exhaling and taking her leave, Scaramouche watched as she walked away, “Call back to me once he looks presentable, it’s going to be a busy night so I’m sure there’ll be someone who wants to test him out.” The door closed shut after her last word leaving the room in silence. It was only after the sound of Madame’s footsteps faded away, the air finally felt breathable once more.
“She said your name was Kuni?”
Scaramouche turned around at the name, “Right.” He finally took in the person addressing him, “If I recall correctly, Madame said your name was…Hina, correct?”
The newly introduced ‘Hina’ smiled at this, “Yep!” She turned at pointed to some of the other women lying around the room, “That one there is Liylia,” A blonde haired woman lazily waved at him, “That one over there by the mirror is Chateau-”
“Yo!”
“-And that’s Natrav, Polleene, and Heine as well as…”
Scaramouche looked around as Hina introduced those in the room to him, Madame said she was partially Inazuman but other than the name, she resembled someone from Mondstat or Fontaine more than anything, the brown hair and violet eyes weren’t particularly often seen in Inazuma.
He shifted his attention to the women in the room, he knew from the start that he’d likely be the only man in the building, it was rare to find a popular shop that had male prostitutes and even moreso to find a popular shop that accepted them. He had finally gotten lucky after a few tries but even then, getting in required him to throw away his pride. Though he could accept it for now, simply thinking back on it made him feel prickles of static on the tips of his fingers.
“-And that’s about all of them so far!” Hina concluded, “Don’t worry if you flub the names for now, you’ll get them with time.” The smile didn’t quite reach her eyes with that line but Scaramouche ignored it, “But anyways, Madame told us to make you look presentable so that’s what we should do!” She made her way to the racks of clothes, “Hey Chateau, you’re the most fashionable of us, won’t you help me?”
Chateau finished putting the last pin in her hair before walking over with a bounce in her step, “Hmm..” She looked Scaramouche up and down, the feeling was immensely different from when the store owner did it, “If we’re going with an Inazuman theme… How about a kimono?”
Hina rolled her eyes, “Do we even have something like that here?”
“We actually do!” Another girl spoke up, Scaramouche wracked his brain for her name and came up short.
“Do we really?” Chateau asked, making her way over to the girl excitedly.
“Yeah we do, remember the one Hina brought in-”
“You didn’t even know if we had one Chateau!” Hina said before pausing, registering the other girl's words, “Ah… that.”
“Is it okay if he uses it?” Another person spoke up, Natrav, if Scaramouche remembers right.
Hina looked at Scaramouche, an indescribable expression in her eyes before smiling, “Yeah, it’s sure, no point in keeping it when I never use it.”
“I don’t mind if you don't want me to.” Scaramouche said he had to maintain good relations with the people he will now be calling his coworkers, “It’s not that important to me whether I wear a kimono or not.”
“No, it’s fine.” Hina said, “It’s only going to collect dust the longer I keep it.” She huffed and smiled, “Madame wants you presentable, that lady has unbearably high standards and for an exception like yourself, an even higher standard will be placed no doubt.”
Natrav chuckled, “You say that is if you weren’t the one who started the high standard.”
Chateau and the other lady nodded at this, “That’s true.” Chateau said.
“Agreed.” Said the other lady.
“Giselle! Chateau!” Hina huffed and walked towards the door, “I’m going to go get the kimono, I’ll have you guys start his makeup!” She left with a final wave and the others lazily waved back to her, the door closed with a quiet creak.
The now named Giselle got up and moved him towards the mirror with makeup on the desk, “Well, you heard her!” She sat him down and started sorting through what they had, he noticed some of the other girls moving closer in the mirror, faces full of curiosity. “Aha!” Giselle announced, pulling out a brush, “I knew I lost this here!”
Natrav moved to the other side of him and he couldn’t help but slightly lean away, “He’s already pretty good looking, his face is soft and almost feminine…” Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked towards a cabinet, “I have an idea, you continue here, I need to search for something.”
Giselle nodded and got the brush wet by dipping it in a small cup of water before drying it out with a towel, “I was going to continue either way.”
“Oh shut it.”
“Make me.”
Chateau cut in, “Focus you two, you can hash it out later after we please Madame!”
In response she only got an indifferent, “Got it!” and “Uh-huh!” Scaramouche heard her sigh as other girls laughed before getting back to what they were doing beforehand. His face was suddenly cradled and his head was turned so that he was looking straight into ruby eyes, he flinched back at the contact.
“Oh, sorry!” Giselle said with genuine surprise in her voice, “I shoulda warned ya.”
Scaramouche forced his face back into a neutral expression, “It’s fine, I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”
“Geez so formal,” Giselle muttered, “Close your eyes, gotta add some more makeup.”
“Okay.” He closed his eyes without hesitation and soon, he felt the sensation of a damp brush across his eyes. It didn’t last too long, likely due to lots of previous experience with others, he felt a finger lightly press on his eyelids, smearing something, before he was told to open his eyes once more.
“Wow…” Chateau breathed out, “Looks like a painting.
Giselle beamed, “Glad you like it.”
Scaramouche looked at himself, Giselle had extended the red eyeliner he typically wore and had some rouge applied to the edges of it and under his eyes. His cheeks were lightly dusted with the red powder as well and he saw her holding a flat brush with red paste to paint his lips. It didn’t take long to finish applying everything when they did, that’s when Natrav finally retrieved what she needed.
“Found it!”
Scaramouche used a finger to carefully remove some smeared lipstick before turning around to look at what Natrav retrieved. It was a long wig that was closely colored to his own hair, just as he was digesting what he was looking at, Hina finally re-entered the room with the kimono in hand.
“I’m back- wow!” She walked over to Scaramouche, “You guys did a good job.” She said as she set down the kimono, “Let’s hurry and finish the rest of this before Mademe gets impatient, it won’t do if it takes too long to get ready every time.”
A chorus of agreements sounded from the women in the room as many of them started finishing their own outfits and makeup, Giselle and Hina saw to him as the room exploded into movement.
“It looks so good on him.”
“...Looks like a doll.”
“So pretty…”
The girls ogled him as he walked over to the door slowly, getting used to the feeling of heavy kimono layers and his now long hair.
After helping him put on the kimono and some last minute accessories to his hair, Hina had left to go fetch Madame, how the customers felt about him would determine whether he would really be able to continue working there. Many of the other girls had to leave as patrons were starting to flood in for the day so he was left with simply Natrav who was booked later that night for a rich patron and a few others.
“Nervous?” Natrav inquired.
Scaramouche scoffed, “Nothing of the sort.”
“Good.” She said, eyes tinged with something akin to sadness but not quite, “If so, then you wouldn't last the night.”
At this, his hand paused on the doorknob before he continued to turn it, “I don't break so easily.”
He only barely heard her whisper, “I hope so…” before he closed the door behind him. He wouldn’t break. He couldn’t break here, that’s why he was modified by the Fatui, so that he wasn’t as weak and fragile , so that he wasn’t to be cast away by the hands of yet another Archon.
He wouldn’t allow it.
.
.
.
“Passable.”
The sharp feeling of relief encompassed his hollow chest, he barely registered Hina pumping her fist in celebration next to him but he did notice when she slung an arm over his shoulder and pulled him close, careful to not mess up any makeup, “You did it Kuni! Madame’s got a sharp eye, so if she says you passed that means she regards you highly!”
Scaramouche wasted no time escaping her arms, “I got it, I got it!”
“Don’t celebrate too early, boy.” Madame cut in, his eyes refocused onto the lady as she tipped the dust in her pipe into a bowl, “Looking like this, I may just advertise you as another woman.”
Both he and Hina froze at this before she backed away and took a good look at Scaramouche, “Madame…,” she started, furrowing her brows, “While I see where you may be coming from, wouldn’t that be a bit…hard?” She looked away from Scaramouche, “Many of the customers are very touchy, it wouldn’t be long before they realize that he isn’t a girl.”
Madame sighed at this, inhaling her pipe, “I can always add a no touch rule, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done it.”
“They don’t always work, plus, not all customers like it when that rule is in place.”
“Then we can test it out today, amongst other things as well.”
“What do you-”
“Would you look at that,” Madame pointed to a patron who just entered the reception area, “A perfect starting point.” She grasped Scaramouche’s shoulder, her grip tight and cold unlike Hina’s warm grip and moved him towards the man who walked in, “Welcome! Welcome! It’s been a while hasn’t it Mr. Junelle!”
The now named patron, Mr. Junelle, looked up in surprise, “Oh, Madame, it most definitely has been a while!” His eyes then turned to Hina who followed them out, “Hina, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other too!”
Hina smiled easily, sauntering up to him with swaying hips, “You didn’t miss me too much, did you?”
His hand found her waist with practiced ease and pulled her close, “You know you’re my favorite person here.”
Her hand rested on his chest , “Mr. Junelle I-”
“Hina, that's enough.” Madame stated, “Don’t try to distract him away here, I’ve known you long enough that it won’t work.”
The woman in question huffed and walked away from the patron but not before blowing him a kiss with exaggerated movements, “Maybe next time Mr. Junelle.”
Mr. Junelle finally noticed Scaramouche in Madame’s grasp, “Is that a new girl? That’s rare, for you to get more, you’re known to be a pretty strict housemaster.”
Madame inhaled her pipe before blowing it out next to him, “Right now is his trial period.”
That seemed to take Mr. Junelle by surprise, “H-his?”
Madame’s grip on his shoulder tightened, “Surprising right, we didn’t have to do much to make him look like this, already a natural beau isn’t he?”
The man nodded, “Very much so, you said it’s his trial period correct?”
“Oh? Interested?” She pushed Scaramouche in front of her, causing him to stumble forwards, still unused to the heavy clothing. “Right now he’ll be half the price in lieu of it being a trial period-”
“Deal!”
Madame raised her hand for him to shake a smile plastered onto her face, “As always, it’s great doing business with you, Mr. Junelle.”
He smiled and shook her hand, “And you as well.”
Madame turned to Hina, eyes sharp, “Take him to a room,” She then leaned in to her and put a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t push your luck.” It was quiet enough that Mr. Junelle couldn’t hear but Scaramouche could hear it clearly. He also saw the way Hina's fists clenched and unclenched before she bowed her head slightly, saying nothing in responde. Madame turned to Mr. Junelle, a smile back on her wrinkled face, “So about the payment method…” She started, walking him down to the shower rooms.
“C’mon Kuni, let’s go to your room, there are some things to go over before Mr. Junelle returns.” Hina said, ushering him down the hallway with a smile.
Scaramouche nodded and followed her down the hall, choosing not to mention anything about what just happened. He understands the sentiments behind Hina’s action towards the patron but pity wont get him anywhere, in the end, she was simply trying to delay the inevitable.
They made it to the room and when the door closed behind him, it seemed to start setting in, just what type of job he had signed up for. It hadn’t set in back when he entered the district, not when he saw women on display like cheap trinkets, not even when he was getting all dolled up for what he would be doing.
It was only now, that he was in the small room, did the moans and sounds of the other guests in the building reach his ears, that the smell of sex suddenly felt stronger and more potent. His eyes blurred as they locked on the mattress while Hina started talking about the rules. Nothing she said registered in his mind, he couldn’t hear anything past the sounds of blood rushing in his ears and his own shallow breathing.
Shallow breathing?
Oh.
He barely registered the bead of sweat that fell from his forehead as a ringing sound grew in his ears and the world started to blur in the corner of his eyes.
He was panicking.
There was a faint tremble in his hands that he knew wasn’t there before and he felt his shoulders moving up and down as the breaths he took got deeper, quicker. If he had been hiding it before, he knew there was no hiding it now, but he couldn’t allow himself to break down now. Not now when this was only the beginning. For the Tsaritsa. For Snezhnaya. To spite the god that threw him away. To prove he wasn’t weak. To prove he was more than just a discarded puppet.
Blackmail, coercion, duress, connections, information, special privileges. He started going over the reasons he chose this job in his head in an attempt to calm his breathing. It wasn’t working well, he could still feel his hands trembling, why wasn’t it working? It should be working! He felt a warm hand encompass his own and he looked up in surprise, static sparking on his skin.
Hina didn’t flinch, “Follow my directions,” she said slowly, grasping his hands with her own, “Take a deep breath.” He did, it was shaky and weak but he did it. “Exhale slowly.” He did. “One more time,” she said with a small smile. After a minute of calming his breathing she backed away and Scaramouche had to force himself to not chase after the warmth, “Are you sure you want to do this? I’m sure I can make Madame hold off for another day before you do anything with a patron.” She asked, eyes full of worry.
Scaramouche shook his head, “I’m fine,” he took a deep breath, trying not to choke, “I don’t know what got over me, but I’m fine now.”
Hina didn’t look convinced but she didn’t try asking again, he gave her a thankful look, “I’m not sure if you caught what I said earlier, but honestly many rules don’t need heeding since they’re old,” She started, “The most important rule for us is that we heed what the patron says. But of course, things like saying ‘no’ are taken very seriously now that Madame makes it known that consent is a serious matter to the patrons. This means that we don’t have to worry about them doing something unsavory towards us or against our will.”
Scaramouche looked at her, “So if I told him no…”
Hina nodded, “Then he should stop, nobody will blame you for it, but since this is your first time here and your trial period, Madame may be a bit prickly if you say it too many times.” She crossed her arms and huffed, “Luckily, I know Mr. Junelle is really good with boundaries and the likes so you shouldn’t have a problem with him, I don’t know about any later patrons though and I won’t be able to stick by your side for the rest of the day.”
He nodded, already knowing that, “But basically, if I need to I can, just use it sparingly.”
“Exactly.” Hina said, brushing her hair behind her ear. Her ring was gone.
He couldn’t help his curiosity this time, “Your ring…”
She startled at this before looking away, “Ah, that-”
“He’s here, Hina, you can leave now.” Madame’s stern voice sounded from the door and light flooded in from the hallway when it was opened.
“I can tell you later!” Hina quickly said to him before getting up, instead of immediately walking away, she quickly mouthed something to him before turning to leave. He sat there in a daze as Mr. Junelle walked in, closing the door behind him, he was truly alone now.
He smiled at the man, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Junelle.”
The man smiled, “Likewise, Kuni. I’ll be gentle with you, so don't worry too much.” He watched as the man slowly made his way towards the bed he was seated upon before sitting next to him. Hina’s last hurried words rang in his mind as his face was caressed in the man's rough hands, layers of his kimono slowly being taken off.
“Good luck.” Was mouthed to him in Inazuman before she had left.
He felt a hand on his bare chest as the other creeped towards his thighs. He let out a soft exhale and looked towards the ceiling in a daze.
Ah, he hasn’t missed his homeland in a long time.
.
.
.
Lukewarm water ran down his skin and traces of what just happened fell off his body with it. Through the small window near the ceiling, the sun was shining bright signaling noon, the day felt so long yet barely half of it had passed yet. He turned the shower off as he stepped away, drying his hair with the towel before putting on his kimono once more. Since it hadn’t gotten stained Madame wanted him to wear it once more for his next customer.
Mr. Junelle had left him good reviews which meant he wasn’t going to be kicked out soon at the very least. But that also meant he had more customers soon. He was ordered to quickly shower and reapply his makeup before meeting up in the reception room.
Scaramouche made his way to the makeup room, nobody there spared him a glance, they were all too busy applying their own makeup and dressing up to notice another person entering. He saw the rouge brush and powder that Giselle had used on him earlier and grabbed it before finding a mirror to redo his makeup.
It didn’t take too long, he made sure to add extra powder under his eyes as well like Giselle had done, lastly he applied his lipstick before putting the wig back on and gently brushing it. Once it looked good, he carefully applied the pins that Natrav had helped him with earlier before getting up and leaving with some other girls who had finished touching up as well.
By the time he made it back to the reception area it was flooded with patrons and girls alike, it was only midday yet business was in full swing now. Madame’s eyes locked on him once he entered the room, but her eyes weren’t the only ones.
“Took you long enough Kuni, try to not take so long next time.” She immediately scolded once he was close enough.
“Is she free right now?”
“Has anyone already booked her?”
A whistle, “A real beau, can I have a go?”
Madame was quick to plaster a smile on her face at the offers, “Now now, one at a time, this one is under her trial period right now, she’s a pretty new face here.” She said, gripping Scaramouche’s shoulders once more. “But she does have a no touch rule, so keep that in mind.” At that, some of the men's faces fell and they backed away.
“Ah too bad.”
“What a shame.”
Scaramouche lowered his head at this, clenching his fist. Madame spoke once more, “But for those who don’t mind that, right now, due to it being her trial period, she’s only half the cost of our regular girls!” Now that got the attention of more people.
“No touch but half price huh.”
“Seems fair enough.”
“She really is pretty though.”
“It really is a shame, the no touch rule.”
“Pretty exotic too, she looks Inazuman.”
“No wonder, that land is said to be full of beau’s.”
“I’ll take her!” A man said, stepping up to Madame while pulling cash out of his breast pocket. “She’s a real beauty and I don’t mind the no touch rule. A new face is always exciting to see with you since you don't accept them easily.”
Madame nodded, “Mr. Triam, nice to see you here,” She pushed him forwards once more, this time he didn’t stumble, “This one’s name is Kuni, she hails all the way from Inazuma.”
Mr. Triam nodded at this, handing the money over to Madame’s awaiting hands, “Not too often you see Inazumans with how their borders are closed and all, this’ll be a rare treat.” He looked Scaramouche up and down.
Madame nodded along as she walked Mr. Triam in the hallway leading to the showers, “Go to the room Kuni, he’ll meet you there soon.” Scaramouche could do nothing but nod and start walking to his room. As he closed the door behind him and waited in silence, he started to think of Childe. He wondered what he was getting up to, he had mentioned wanting to bartend earlier that morning before he left after they recalled the Fatui celebration party.
That party…Maybe that’s when he had started to see his fellow harbinger in a different light. As a human, rather than simply a creature of the abyss that was fueled by bloodshed and fights. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if Childe even viewed himself as anything other than that at some points.
Maybe by now Childe had already found a proper job and was settling in, for someone who never seemed to properly plan things out, he had a way of making most of his plans succeed through pure dumb luck.
His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened slowly behind him, he hadn’t even realized he had been thinking for that long. Even without his presence, Childe still managed to waste his time with fruitless thoughts. The patron sat next to him and his thoughts started to peter out into nothing.
Nothing, as he was made to get on his knees.
Nothing as the patron started unbuckling his belt.
Nothing.
.
.
.
Lukewarm water ran down his skin as all traces of what had just happened fell off his body with it. He cleaned himself up and redid his makeup. Making his way towards the reception lounge, it wasn’t long until another man chose him, this time as a man. He waited in the room until they were ready, the patron arrived, and soon, lukewarm water was hitting his skin once again. Rouge applied once more. Clothes discarded once more. Skin scrubbed raw once more.Wash, rinse, and repeat.
Throughout the course of the day, he was advertised more and more as a woman instead of a man and more and more patrons wanted his company. The sun was starting to lower in the sky, it still wasn’t quite evening yet Scaramouche felt as though it should be.
After taking a shower for the umpteenth time, he returned to the lobby. Madame took one look at him before taking a slow drag of her pipe and exhaling, “Go home.”
The floor felt as if it broke open below him, “...What?”
Madame lifted an eyebrow at this, “What? Are you deaf now? Go home is what I said.”
Scaramouche stuttered despite himself, “I.. I did everything correctly though! Right?”
“You-”
“I did everything you told me to!” Scaramouche said, his voice raising slightly, “And now you’re deciding to get rid of me!?”
The pipe made an audible clicking noise as Madame dumped the ashes into the tray, her eyes narrowed, “I’m telling you to go home, not that you’re fired.”
Suddenly, the floor wasn’t swallowing him up anymore, “Ah…” He looked down at his hands, eyes blurry and slowly took in deep breaths like he did with Hina earlier that day, “I see, I’ll see myself out then.”
Before he was able to retreat back into the makeup room a hand on his shoulder stopped him, from the tight grip and the smell of smoke, it wasn’t hard to guess whose it was, “Question my orders again and you’re fired.” And just like that, the grip was gone and she was smiling at the patrons once more.
Scaramouche didn’t linger there any longer, he made his way to the makeup lounge to change back into the clothes he came there with. Only a few girls were there, as it neared night, it got busier and busier. He was grateful for the quietness.
He wasted no time in taking off the kimono and carefully folding it before putting it away. He took off the wig as well and put it back where Natrav found it, after that, he used a damp towel to wipe off his lipstick and washed it before setting it out to dry.
He gave himself a once over before leaving through a back exit, wanting to get out of the Red Lights district as soon as possible. He paid for a carriage ride towards the main city, it was about thirty minutes long yet for once, the time seemed to pass by in seconds. Without realizing it, he soon found himself in front of the door to the townhouse.
He opened the door and closed it behind him in a daze and he slowly made his way up the stairs. Somewhere in his mind, he registered the fact that he was home alone, and with that realization, everything he’d been holding in all day suddenly rushed forth. Literally.
He ran to the restroom as bile quickly rushed up his throat, barely making it to the sink, he heaved into the bowl, his stomach contracting painfully at the action, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He felt pathetic, he hated it with all his being.
She was right, they were right.
“Too weak…too fragile…”
Her words echoed in his ears over and over like an alarm even though he swore to not think of it too often. As Scaramouche slowly made his way to his room, he could feel sparks of electricity on his skin, popping and fizzing with every movement. One spark caught on the end of his sleeve, burning it. He slowly turned his head and lifted his hand, looking at the burned sleeve.
Ah… His shirt…
His eyes blurred as he slowly fell to his knees, tears falling freely from his eyes. His fists curled in anger as memories throughout the day rushed back at him, from his multiple rejections to Madame’s demeaning words, to the patrons, the touches. His fist hit the wall in anger before he did it again, then once more.
That’s when the sound of his door opening caught his ears, he looked up in surprise, watching as Childe’s surprise mirrored his own, his name cut off by a quiet gasp at the sight. Scaramouche knew that he looked like a mess right now, he wasn’t supposed to see him like this. He couldn't be seen like this.
This part of him should’ve been fixed when he was modified by the Fatui and yet for him to have lost such control. His eyes narrowed at his fellow harbinger, all of his anger was surfacing right now and seeing Childe right now only further fumed the flames.
“Leave.”
Childe did not move, he seemed frozen in place. Scaramouche felt his hair starting to stand on its end from the static growing in the room, he heard some sparking at his fingertips and knew that if Child did not leave right now, he would have no more patience to spare. The man's gaze, while frozen, was heated in a way he was entirely familiar with now and he wanted nothing more than to disassociate Chile’s gaze from those of his customers but right now he couldn’t. Not while his head was still spinning and he could feel the heat of tears in his eyes.
“Did you not hear me? Get out of my sight!”
At this, Childe finally fumbled out an apology and slammed the door shut. Scaramouche sighed as he heard footsteps rushing down the stairs, he got up and went to the restroom, washing off the remains of his makeup before going to his bed and face planting into the pillow letting his thoughts fade away into nothing.
He heard the noise of Childe moving around in the kitchen, he was clumsy, sometimes dropping in stuff and accidentally slamming cabinets closed. Scaramouche felt his eyes flutter shut as he listened to his fellow Harbinger’s struggling, a smile forming on his lips without his notice.
He doesn’t know how much time had passed but when he opened his eyes again, it was dark outside his window, he got up and walked towards the door. It was only then he noticed the shadow from the bottom of the door, Childe was there, right outside his door. His hand paused at the doorknob as he thought back towards the man’s reaction when he saw him.
His eyes were full of want, the same want he had seen on the many customers he had been with today, lust. Mr. Triam, Mr. Junelle, Sir Xetine, Mr. Siprone, and the many more he had seen today, he didn’t want Childe’s face to become one that was lost amongst the many he would soon be seeing. He wanted more, he wanted Childe to be different, he wanted so, so badly.
He opened his door as Childe started to close his. Reaching out, he stopped the door from closing just in time.
“Scara-”
Scaramouche didn’t let him finish, his fingers fisted into Childe’s shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. He felt Childe tense up at this, Scaramouche’s grip on his shirt tightened and he deepened their kiss, but caught off guard, Childe was surprised and unresponsive. Scaramouche finally relented and walked past Childe into the bedroom, pulling his sleeve, at the movement, he finally spoke up.
“Scaramouche what are you-”
Scaramouche shoved him onto the bed and stood above him. It was different than at the brothel. He was doing this on his own terms, he was doing this because he wanted it. It wasn’t the same, not at all.
“Why are you so surprised?” Scaramouche asked, as he leaned towards Childe, “You wanted this right? Even earlier when you saw me…” Instead of looking at Childe, he focused on unbuttoning his shirt, his eyes zeroed in on his fumbling fingers and suddenly he wasn’t on top of Childe anymore, he was opening the buttons for Mr. Triam, Sir Xetine, Mr. Siprone…
“Scaramouche…”
That wasn’t his name, his name was Kuni, they shouldn’t know that name.
“Scara!” His wrist was grabbed and suddenly Childe was back in front of him, his hand twitched in the Harbinger’s grasp and his eyes narrowed at him. “Why are you suddenly-”
Scaramouche cut him off with another kiss partially to shut him up and partially simply because he wanted to, his hands trailed up Childe’s now exposed chest and he relished in the shiver he felt. He moved so that his leg was planted between Childe’s, thigh inches away from his erection. Warm hands grasped Scaramouche's waist and pulled him in, Childe was very warm, or maybe he was warm right now.
It felt very different from when he was with his customers yet he couldn’t figure out what the difference was, he wanted so desperately to figure out why it was different, yet when Childe squeezed his waist, he saw a flash of a nameless customer behind his eyes. He backed away from Childe’s lips and exhaled a shaky breath.
“I want to forget…” He said slowly and quietly. He didn’t want to think about the nameless customers while in Childe’s arms, not while he was in the arms of someone who showed genuine worry and care. Childe suddenly moves, sitting up, Scaramuche slightly fumbled, readjusting to the new position. The eleventh harbinger smiled at him, and Scaramouche felt his throat go dry.
Oh.
He could feel his heart speed up, but not out of nervousness or anger, it was something else entirely, something so unfamiliar yet so comforting.
“If you wanted something you could always just say it ya know?” Childe said, mimicking his words from the previous night at the inn. Scaramouche glared at him knowing full well that there was no real anger behind it.
“Say that one more time and I will have your head.” His heart stuttered in his chest at Childe’s grin.
“That’s more like it.” He said before bringing their lips together once more, Scaramouche willingly let himself fall deep into his arms.
Scaramouche could think of nothing but Childe as hands gently roamed his skin, moans were pulled from his mouth like a hymn and kisses were laid upon his skin relentlessly. Wave after wave of pleasure fell over him as Childe worked him to completion before pulling him in and whispering a request full of want into his ear.
Scaramouche had complied and almost regretted it when Childe was being too gentle, his hands were too light, his words were too soothing and it almost brought him to tears as the faint memory of nameless customers entered his mind.
“Just get on with it…please.” He said quietly, scared that his voice would crack and give away what emotions he truly felt in that moment. Childe complied and soon, all memories of the brothel were wiped as his head tilted back in pleasure, more moans falling from his mouth. Soon, Childe was in him, the heat was almost unbearable, but his thoughts faded away as his lips were captured in a kiss so gentle that it was more like a simple brush of their lips.
He knew what emotion Childe was trying to convey, but he wanted to reject it, reject it so violently that he wouldn’t dare try to bring it up ever again. But of course, instead of coming to the same conclusion, Childe had pulled away, his mouth opening and closing as if he was having a hard time saying something.
“I…” his throat felt like closing, “I love-”
Scaramouche felt his eyes water and he pulled Childe into a kiss so that he wouldn’t see his expression, he was sure that it was such an ugly expression of sadness. Sadness full of longing, an emotion so human that it didn’t belong on the face of a puppet like him.
“Don't say it… don't you dare say it.” He said as Childe pulled back, he couldn't help the tear that had fallen down his face. It was repulsive how many times he had let his emotions best him today. He pulled Childe back into a kiss, biting at his lips, unrelenting. Don’t you dare say it. He cried in his heart, Not while I’m unable to.
Soon they were laying on the bed, spent and warm in eachothers arms. He couldn’t remember that last time he’d been so comfortable next to someone, it may have to do with both the mental and physical exhaustion from the day. As his eyes closed, he shifted closer to Childe, warm and content.
He left in the morning before Childe woke up, he didn’t need to leave for work for at least another hour and a half so he decided to go shopping for more furniture instead. Childe had bought some in the previous evening so he might as well get some too.
Time flew as he went from shop to shop, admiring the sets and designs and all too soon, the sun was high in the sky and he was walking back home with multiple bags in hand. As he opened the door, he let out a sigh at the fact that Childe had left already, he quickly busied himself with putting away what he had gotten. After half an hour, he finally left for work.
The carriage ride flew by and soon he was outside the brothel. When he entered the reception area he was greeted by Hina who was laying on a couch eating a sandwich. She looked up at him with wide eyes.
“You’re back…”
Scaramouche’s brows furrowed at this, “Should I not be?”
At this Hina just chuckled and jumped off the couch, “Not at all, I’m just a bit surprised, that was a rough first day after all.”
“It was nothing much.” Scaramouche declined, “I’m sure you regulars go through a lot more in a day.”
Hina finished the rest of her sandwich before walking towards the back room, “I guess… Hey, I can do your hair for you, follow me.”
“... Sure.”
When she turned around, that’s when Scaramouche noticed the hydro vision glowing on her hip, she definitely didn’t have that yesterday, he would’ve noticed. Was it something she just received? A bigger deal likely would’ve been made if that were the case, especially since it would essentially be something akin to a blessing from her nation's archon.
“I can practically hear your questions from here,” Hina said, turning to look at him, “I don’t mind telling you, it’s just a pretty basic story.”
Scaramouche shook his head as he followed her into the makeup room, only some girls were there and many were either napping or snacking, “I don’t mind.”
She sat Scaramouche down at a chair in front of the mirror and brought out the wig he had discarded with haste yesterday, helping him put it on. Slowly, she got a comb and gently brushed it, detangling any knots that may have formed. Scaramouche noticed the light reflected off the ring on her finger, it was back. Hina, noticing his glance, smiled.
“I’m actually engaged right now.” She started, Scaramouche kept his face carefully blank, “My fiancée knows of this job of course, there’s no way I could have kept it hidden in the first place.” She said, voice fading a bit, “But for certain reasons I started working here years ago and honestly, I could have left quite a while ago.” Her hand brushed though his hair absentmindedly as she talked, “But the girls here grew attached to me, and I’m one of the only people who can keep Madame in check at times if she gets too greedy.”
Scaramouche nodded, though he couldn’t understand why she would purposely keep working here just for the sake of other people. It just proves how compassionate of a soul Hina was, something he’d never be. Something he never wanted to be.
“I’m these girl’s only hope if they ever want to leave this place since it's well known that Madame doesn't take lightly to someone quitting.” Hina continued, starting to braid his hair, the resemblance made him sick to his stomach, “And while my fiancée understands, she still doesn’t like what I’m doing, understandable of course, but it’s a bit frustrating at times.”
“So if you could leave this place you would?” Scaramouche asked.
Hina gave a short laugh, “Anyone would.” She got some hair pins, “I have to take off my ring whenever I’m with customers though, not everyone likes seeing that their favorite prostitute is already taken.” She said securing the pins in place, “Same could be said for my vision, people like the image of dainty and fragile, having a vision would ruin it so I’m told to take it off when with customers.”
Scaramouche looked at himself in the mirror as Hina secured the last pins in place, thinking back to the many girls he saw when he first entered, “The way it’s going, you’ll never leave this place you know.”
A nervous chuckle left Hina, “I know.”
“And yet you chose to stay, to help strangers that you barely know?”
Hina’s mood dampened at this, “You’re starting to sound like her.”
“Your fiancée?”
She nodded, “It’s something she brought up once, but in order to help others, sacrifices must be made…”
“Do they really need saving though?”
Hina paused at this, “What do you mean?”
“Have you ever stopped to ask whether these girls here really need saving?”
“I know they do.” Hina said, picking up a makeup brush.
Scaramouche turned to look at her, “Why do you think so? They seem pretty confident in their skills.” He said looking around the room, “I've seen places full of people that need saving, this place isn't one of them.”
“I'm glad it seems that way to you,” Hina said with a smile, “That means I've been doing my job correctly.” She looked at the makeup brush in her hand before setting it down on the table, “You can finish the makeup right? It's not hard after all.”
Scaramouche nodded and with that, she turned and walked away, leaving the room in silence.
“Oh boy, you made her mad.” A girl said from behind him, Scaramouche turned around and glared at her, “Calm down…Kuni- was it, names aren't my forté.” She said, shrugging her shoulders, “My name’s Rinette!” She plopped herself down next to the chair Scaramouche sat in, “But anyways, it’s rare to see her get mad like that, she must’ve had another fight with her fiancée last night, she came here earlier than usual this morning.”
“Do they get into fights often?” Scaramouche asked, picking up the makeup brush.
Rinette hummed in thought before shaking her head, “Not too often from what I hear, but at the same time, I’ve never seen her fiancée so I don’t know what she’s like.” She leaned back and sighed, “But that’s besides the point, you said that we don’t seem to need saving but honestly, the reason it’s like that is because of Hina’s hard work.” Her brows furrowed as she recalled the memories, “I haven’t been here as long as some girls like Natrav and Giselle but I’ve heard a lot regarding how Madame used to be.”
Scaramouche busied himself with applying his eyeliner, “Is that so.”
Rinette nodded, “To be frank, she was a tyrant, she worked girls so the bone, uncaring of how worn down or hurt they were from previous customers,” She said, disgust lacing her every word, “There were no safety rules in place so the patrons could do whatever they wanted with no repercussions as long as Madame got money out of it in the end.”
Scaramouche’s hand paused for a second before he sighed and started working on the other eye, “Guards? Anything? Did nobody care?”
“We’re prostitutes for archons sake.” She said with a shaky laugh, “They don’t give a damn if one of us goes missing or not, but that’s where Hina came in. She really did save us all by starting to work here, and while nobody knows why she decided to help us, we can’t imagine being here without her…that’s why…”
“I get it now.” Scaramouche said, setting down the brush and standing up, he couldn’t bear to hear any more of what the girl had to say. He undid his braided hair as quickly as he could, he was sick of looking in the mirror, “Cowards, the lot of you.”
Rinette just looked down with a resigned smile, “You’re right.”
Scaramouche scoffed, bitterness rising in the back of his throat as he left the room, not bothering to say anything else to her. He could feel the eyes of the other girls in the room as he left, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t here for any selfless mission like Hina was, nor was he here to sort out the drama happening behind the scenes of the brothel.
He had his mission to deal with and his mission alone, any information was valuable but that’s as far as his personal feeling would go towards the information he learned today. It wasn’t his problem.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, the bitter feeling he left the room with only intensified as he went through a bunch of nameless patrons throughout the day. His hands felt dirty, his mouth felt dirty, he simply felt dirty despite the showers and wet cloth he had used to clean himself throughout the day.
He wiped his lipstick off with ease and spared no glance back to the brothel after he was dismissed for the day. The carriage ride back seemed to drag on for some time unlike this morning and the moon was high in the sky when he finally stepped into the townhouse.
He was tired. He didn’t bother to lighten his footsteps as he trudged his way up to his room and he only spared a quick glance at Childe’s closed door before slamming his own shut. He wanted to sleep off the feeling that had grown in his chest.
Rinette’s words from earlier echoed in his mind, and he let out a sharp laugh, “Savior?” He whispered to himself, “More like martyr.” He closed his eyes and cleared his mind of what he learned today.
His name was starting to grow famous in the Red lights district, more and more patrons came in with his service in mind specifically. For a ‘No Touch’ prostitute to earn such fame wasn’t unheard of but it was pretty rare, he was busier than ever and it was only his third day at the brothel.
Thankfully, none of the girls had brought up the small argument he had with Hina and Rinette the previous day so he could keep focused on the task at hand. Or at least, he had thought so until he was backed into a corner by Giselle before he left.
He glared up at her, “What do you want?”
She looked down at him with cold eyes, “What did you say to Hina yesterday?”
“What are you, her bodyguard?” He scoffed and tried to walk away but his path was blocked, static frizzled on his skin. He sighed before looking up at her, “I told her that you lot aren’t in need of saving.” He said calmly, “You are just cowards hiding behind someone with a little bit of power to protect yourselves from facing your problems.”
She grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against a wall, his fist clenched, he couldn’t kill her, he couldn’t kill her. The thought repeated in his head like a mantra, “You said all of that without knowing about what Hina had done for us all! You know nothing and yet you.. You!”
“I what?” Scaramouche inquired with a smirk, “I told her the truth that she’s undoubtedly heard already? That I, as an outsider hearing it for the first time, was already able to see past the pretense and straight towards the main issue?” He was simply fanning the flames and he knew it but even he was getting irritated at this point.
Her fist tightened in his collar, “Watch your mouth Kuni-”
Scaramouche grabbed her fist, pulling it away with minimal effort, “No, you watch yours , you lot make me sick with how you’re feeding into her self-sacrificing bullshit- but honestly, it’s not my problem, I’ll leave the issue alone if you leave me alone.”
Giselle paused at this, “Self-sacrificing? What are you talking about?”
A cold laugh ripped out of his throat, “You’re telling me you don't realize what she’s doing?”
“What do you-”
“What’s going on here?”
The hallway silenced as Giselle and Scaramouche looked at the person with equal surprise on their faces. Scaramouche had been too caught up in the heat of the moment to realize someone else had stumbled upon them.
“...Hina.” Giselle whispered out.
He watched as Giselle’s gaze switched from his collar bundled in her fist to Hina who looked at them with worry. She quickly let go of his shirt and separated herself from him, quickly walking past Hina and further down the hallway without so much as glancing back.
Hina walked towards him slowly, “Are you okay Kuni?” She asked with a sad smile, “Sorry about that, Giselle has always been rather protective of me.”
Scaramouche just sighed and straightened out his collar, “Well can you get her off my case, the last thing I need is an overprotective guard dog at my neck.”
Hina flinched at that before nodding, “I’ll talk to her.”
He didn’t give her a response, he simply walked past her towards the exit. However they sorted that out was their problem, he didn't want to involve himself with anymore of the drama that happened between them and Hina, it was becoming a risk to his stable job position.
The carriage ride home was long, the moon was low in the sky and a lot less people milled about on the roads once they left the Red Lights district and entered the main city.
He quietly opened the door to the house and let himself in, Childe wasn’t back yet. He quickly showered and then made himself dinner before retreating to his room. He opened a journal and started writing down any useful information he gathered today; from patrons who seemed like good resources to information he’s heard from people milling about in the reception area.
Even busying himself with tedious work didn’t completely help the bad mood he found himself in. Around thirty minutes later he heard the front door open, Childe was back.
Scaramouche continued to write as he heard Childe walk from his room to the bathroom, his pen finally stopped after he had returned to his room. He sighed and laid his head on the desk, he couldn’t think of anything else that would be useful. Standing up, he folded the paper and hid it in a corner of his closet, while the information wasn’t very incriminating, it was better to be overly cautious.
He was tired, his limbs felt heavy, yet he didn’t feel like he could sleep right now if he tried. Looking at his door, a thought quickly passed his mind and he had half the mind to dismiss it but for some reason he didn’t. It was a dumb idea, he really had no reason to see it through, and yet before realizing it, he was already standing in front of Childe’s door, the back of his fist knocking on the polished wood.
He heard the sounds of fumbling footsteps rushing to the door and soon the door opened to Childe’s confused face, “Y-Yes?” Scaramouche looked at him pensively before walking past Childe into the room, his apprehension catching up to him, Childe looked even more confused at his lack of explanation, “Did you need something?”
Scaramouche sighed at this, it was almost fond. Disgusting. “Come over here, you blubbering fool.”
Childe startled at this, “Ah, got’cha, on my way.” Soon, an arm was wrapped around his shoulder. Scaramouche tensed up at the sudden contact but soon the warmth seeped into him and he could feel himself relaxing and leaning in towards Childe unconsciously. His thumb drew circles into Scaramouche’s shoulder and the sixth harbinger practically melted into the touch, “Wanna stay here tonight, Scara?”
“Don’t call me that.” Scaramouche retorted with no real bite, his exhaustion catching up to him. He slowly nodded though and Childe readjusted their position so that they were laying down and comfortably situated in his blanket, arms now wrapped around him.
He felt Childe plant a kiss onto his forehead and he let out an incomprehensible grumble before smacking his chest in protest. He refused to think about how his face warmed at the gesture and quickly he fell into a deep slumber.
.
.
.
He was warm and comfortable and he didn’t want to move but sunlight was hitting his eyelids and it was getting annoying. Realizing that he’d have to wake up for work anyways he let out a sigh before opening his eyes. Blue eyes met his own and he froze before memories of the previous night flooded his sleep-riddled mind.
“Sleep well comrade?”
Scaramouche gave his fellow harbinger an unimpressed look before moving to get out of bed, his mind barely registering Childe’s panicked voice before he felt his leg rub against something hard in between Childe’s legs.
Another unimpressed look, “This early in the morning?”
“I can’t help this one!” Childe cried out as he got up and moved back, covering the tent in his pants, “And I had told you to wait!”
Scaramouche just looked at him for a moment before sighing and thinking back to the last few days. Childe had been surprisingly good to him these last few days, from when he had come home angry beyond words a few nights ago to when he wordlessly held him close and comforted him in silence. Repaying that was honestly the least he could do, he hated being in debt. “As repayment for last night… and the other night..” He said slowly, not looking at Childe, “I can help you just this once.”
.
.
.
The next two days pass in a blur, between Giselle’s abmant avoidance of him, Hina’s meaningful glances between them and the growing amount of customers he sees in a day, it’s been busy. It isn’t until the morning of the third day that Madame pulls him aside and tells him important news.
A high ranking minister bought him for the night so he was on advertisement duty during the day. Advertisement duty was basically standing outside and looking pretty for passing potential guests and leading any who looked interested to the brothel.
He would be advertising with Rinette, at first he had thought that due to the conversation the other day, it may be awkward but she hadn’t taken what he said as an insult so working with her wasn’t horrible.
Thankfully it wasn’t very hot out but he could still feel himself sweating under the kimono layers and long hair, so when evening fell and he was finally called inside to start getting ready, he couldn’t have been more thankful.
He took a much needed shower before putting on another kimono that he bought from a foreign store a few nights ago while buying furniture. It was a lavish royal blue with black crane and lily imprints, golden clouds threaded underneath it. While he loathed to admit it, he has a soft spot for the kimono Hina gave him, but this one was just as beautiful and fitting.
After making sure his kimono was put on correctly he entered the makeup lounge, Hina was there fiddling with her ring. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Hi Kuni, I heard you brought in a big fish today.” She said leaning on the couch.
Scaramouche nodded at her, “He’ll be no different from the many others I’ve seen,” He said combing out his wig, “They’re all here for one thing.” Hina said nothing as she walked up where he was now sitting in front of the mirror.
“I can help you with your hair.” She offered.
Scaramouche couldn’t find it in him to deny her request and handed her the comb, “Just don’t braid it this time.”
“Oh,” She started brushing his hair out, “Was it too messy? I’ve been told my braiding isn’t the best.”
Scaramouche paused before answering, “I just don’t think the hairstyle fits me well.”
Hina hummed in thought, not saying anything as she carefully brushed out any knots in his hair. They remained in silence as Hina slowly combed out the rest of his hair, a million questions ran through his head wanting to be asked. Wanting to be freed, but he said nothing. Likewise, Hina said nothing about the other night as she gathered half of his hair into a lavish bun decorated with pins and clips.
“Done!” Hina exclaimed backing up, “This hairstyle fits you!”
Scaramouche looked in the mirror, turning his head to look at her handiwork, it was pretty, Hina had outdone herself this time. His hair was pulled into a half bun, small braided strands mixed into the bunch, a dendrobium flower pin artfully sticking out the side along with a pin of hanging crystals that sparkled whenever the light hit it. He turned towards Hina, a thanks on the tip of his tongue when suddenly a pair of arms embraced him.
He tensed up, eyes widening at the sudden contract, his hands hovered around her tense, without knowing how to react. “You-”
“Sorry Kuni,” Hina said, voice thick with raw emotions, “I didn’t mean for you to get involved in this mess.” Her arms tightened around him before finally letting go, he didn’t know why he wanted to chase after the warmth, instead he clenched his fists. She put her hands on his shoulders, “I swear I’ll fix this so don’t worry.” He watched as a flame of determination lit up in her eyes, so very unlike the vision she was granted as she walked through the door.
He watched her retreating back without uttering a word before he looked back to his reflection in the mirror and let out a sigh as he suddenly recalled Hina’s parting words from the previous argument.
“I'm glad it seems that way to you,” Hina said with a smile, “That means I've been doing my job correctly.”
He finished doing his face makeup in silence and he took one more look at himself in the mirror before turning around and leaving the room. He would think over that later, he had a minister to please.
Madame instructed him to wait in his room before the minister arrived, he looked at the moving lights and silhouettes behind the curtains of his room. The red lights illuminated the room and with the sound of footsteps coming closer to his door he took in a deep breath before exhaling, clearing his mind like he always does.
It works as per usual and soon he’s in a daze as he waits for the telling creek of his door, he remembers Natrav jokingly suggesting getting them oiled once to Madame who only glared at her before grumbling about budget.
He heard the faint sound of people talking in the hallway as the door creaked open before closing with a gentle click. A soft inhale, it wouldn’t be the first time people have gasped at his appearance, he would need to be kinder to Hina, she styled his hair perfectly for the occasion after all. He could see soft reflections of light on the wall from the hairpiece, having the flower be a dendrobium flower as well, it reminded him of the small island roads of Inazuma. He turned around with a smile to greet his customer-
Blue .
A shade of blue that he’d recognize anywhere looked back into his eyes with equal surprise. He froze in place, as he took in who was in front of him. Why was he here? Why? Why!?
“...Scaramouche?”
His breath caught in his throat and could only hear the rushing of blood in his ears as he looked at the person who just addressed him. He felt his hands fist into his kimono to steady him, to ground him. Why was Childe here? Why! Why!?
Through his constricted throat and spinning head, the question repeated itself in his head until it finally spilled from his lips to Celestia above in the form of the weak plea of, “Why…?”