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Today was a particularly warm day in the land of snow. That isn’t to say that the snow has melted, just that the sun was shining a little brighter than yesterday. The frost hung heavy onto windows, painting glorious images in the cold. Children would breathe on that frost, doodling over natures art with that of their own. Greasy fingers smudged the glass, later to be washed away. To many who have grown up in the harsh winter, today might be a day where one might shed a layer of their thick jackets and bask in the warmth.
Pantalone was not one of these people.
He walked through the city, fully covered head to toe in thick furs and jackets; he barely looked like a person at this point, just a bundle of clothes. It all weighed heavy on his body, making his movements slow and sluggish. He took each step with guided purpose, trying to keep up the image of perfection and grace even beneath all the furs.
It didn’t feel any different than any other day in the snow hell hole that was his home. The air was still too sharp- Pantalone felt his lungs freeze with every breath he took in with what felt like dozens of tiny ice shards. The air stung his face, freezing the tears that threatened to fall. On days like these, he wished he were back in Liyue where he could go around wearing thin and light clothes every day - even in winter. He imagined what he would be wearing at that moment if only he were a few hundreds miles west. It made him yearn for the blazing sun that burnt his skin red.
He closed his eyes as he walked through the capital, wondering if he could request some off time to go sun bathe in Liyue for a few days. No, a few weeks. The sun overhead was still too cold, even if it made his face burn. This was not the burn he wished for. This burn was full of false promises and unrequited love, making him shiver from the harshness of not only the cold but also the thought of the Archon will that ruled over the hellish winter.
He could only imagine how silly he looked at the moment - covered up on the warmest day in the nation. He could only laugh at the thought. How could it be warm if there was snow still falling? He never expressed these thoughts, no no. He wouldn’t dare draw unneeded hate from the people he’s earned so much trust from. And so much money. They were all fools, really. Mortal desires hidden beneath the thick snow that fell year long.
His thoughts of journeying back to Liyue were cut short the moment he stepped into Her Majesty’s palace. The guards stood at the door, opened halfway for their Lord. They stared at the person who dared stop their Lord from entering the palace. There, waiting for him, was a Dottore. Which one it was didn’t cross his mind- all he could think of was how rude this segment was to not even let him take his shoes off before bothering him.
“What do you need?” Pantalone put on his best people-pleaser smile as he shed his outermost layer of furs. At that moment, he was imagining all the ways he could kill this segment. He had killed multiple in times past, and each kill had been forgiven by their creator. “Is it so important that it cannot wait until I am fully inside?”
“Not my problem,” the segment smiled wide behind the mask it wore. Pantalone always thought the masks were a bit silly, especially on the younger segments where it would cover most of their faces. “Boss said he needs you. Pronto!”
“What for?”
“I can’t say. It’s a secret, Lord Pantalone.” The segment turned on its heel and marched out, not even bothering to look behind itself to see if Pantalone was following.
Because he always followed.
The halls stretched far above the Lord and the lowly segment. He loathed how he was made to follow behind the creature, where his rightful spot was 5 steps ahead. Pantalone loathed how he obediently followed the creature who held the same face as his dearest coworker.
Though he will admit, every time Dottore calls for him, he gets a little excited. Not because he likes watching the madman show him the new child he was experimenting on… no, no… Pantalone loved seeing the doctor get on his hands and knees to beg for a bigger monthly allowance. He loved how he could make the man grovel for hours on end until his knees were red and his voice hoarse.
“I promise I’ll only use half on the children,” he would say as he licked Pantalone boots clean. “I swear.”
And he never kept his word. Pantalone never expected him too. He just loved watching the doctor realize he spent all his mora - the way his face twisted and contorted in realization made Pantalone smile just thinking about it. It excited him dearly how the doctor would always run back to his side, 5 steps behind him.
But these disgusting segments held Pantalone in a lower regard. The title they speak tastes of mockery and teasing. Lord Pantalone was just a plaything to those creatures- a plaything their creator just so happens to trust. They are ordered to treat the harbingers with respect, as they will be struck down the moment they speak against the authority that chained them to life. They were easily created and can be just as easily destroyed.
The thought of ending this specific segment excited Pantalone. He could hear the mockery in its voice; how it held no true reverence towards Pantalone, using his title as a mere formality.
The smile stayed plastered on his face as he made his way to the lab. Recruits and maids all stopped to salute or bow. He pitied the poor souls sometimes, wondering how they made it this far when he always sees fear warped into their features every time he looks at them. Such pitiful creatures, really.
But then he remembered that he controls their allowances and they most likely fear the idea of getting a short paycheck if they aren’t kind to him. Their face twisting in horror at the mere thought of getting less mora than they did last week is … pathetic. Had the economy treated the Fatui harshly? Impossible. Fatui face no hardships when it comes to discounts or mora or privileges. Turning away a Fatui soldier is seen in the same way as turning away the Queen herself - may she live a thousand years still.
Oh dear…
How hilarious.
Pantalone held back a hearty chuckle as the doors to the lab flung open. Inside, dozens of segments were at work. The children were in the corner, doodling and muttering to themselves. The teenage segments were all arguing over some ridiculous project that got messed up (Pantalone hopes he is invited to their executions), and the oldest ones are all gathered around a circular table, discussing multiple projects with themselves.
The lab itself, as always, was a mess. Piles upon piles of paperwork lay stacked on the floor, reaching up so far Pantalone would have to crane his neck to see the top. He pitied the segment who would have to fill all of that out - and he knew every piece of paper was either a complaint or a bill yet to be paid.
The tile floors, once white, were stained blue and red. It reeked of iron and bleach, making Pantalones nose sting. He wished he could go back outside; he preferred the sting of cold over the sting of chemicals.
All the segments turned to Pantalones direction as he slammed the door shut. The children segments all stood up and ran his way, clinging to his cloak with desperate little hands.
“Lord Pantalone, welcome back!” One of the children squealed.
“I missed you!” Another cheered as it climbed up Pantalones cloak and settled onto his shoulders.
“Can I have my allowance, Mr. Pantalone?” A third reached its chubby hands out and gave the man puppy dog eyes.
He will admit he is weak to the children. He wasn’t fond of children, but he can tolerate the segments. He would often tease the older segments about how they would look cuter if their cheeks were still swollen with baby fat and their ears too big for their heads. They all loathed the teasing, but they wouldn’t harm their younger segments. How hypocritical.
“Yes, yes, here,” Pantalone reached into his pocket and pulled out five mora, dropping the coins into the begging segments hands. “Spend it wisely, child.”
“I will! Thank you!”
The segment ran off, followed by the rest of the children- all upset that it got mora.
Pantalone hummed in delight as he made his way over to the older segments, who have made room for him to join them at the table.
“Lord Pantalone.”
He looked up - ah, there’s the original. His grin was wide and his mask was discarded; the gnarly scar that ran across his face clear to see. He looked disheveled today - though, he looked like that everyday - as his hair was tied back into a lazy bun and his clothes obviously thrown on as an afterthought. He reached down to grab his coffee, chugging the rest as he knew with the arrival of Pantalone, his segments would become a bit more restless.
“Dottore,” his foxy smile widened at the sight of the man. “A pleasure to be here. It would be even more pleasurable if you were to tell me why I was summoned.”
“All in due time,” Dottore waved his hand in dismissal. He looked utterly uninterested in what Pantalone had to say. The segments murmured around to themselves, saying something about how passive their boss becomes under the thumb of the Bank Teller. “First, we are to discuss.”
“Of?”
“All in due time.” He merely repeated himself.
Pantalones smile faltered slightly. Dottore almost never hides plans from him in fear of losing his allowance for that month. Pantalone doesn’t enjoy secrets, especially not from the doctor.
What was so important that Dottore couldn’t tell him quite yet? Oh, how strange.
The table broke out into soft murmurs, none of the conversation loud enough for Pantalone to make out. It frustrated him to no end.
“First,” Dottore cleared his throat. “The Childe requested a duel with one of you. I was oh so kind to accept his offer. You-“ He pointed to a particularly disheveled looking segment. “You broke a specimens of iodine-131. Shameful.”
“Sir, I-“
“You will be the one to duel with The Childe. I will ask for him to be particularly rough with you. If you survive, I sure hope that thyroid cancer eats away at you.”
“Yes… yes sir.”
The segment bowed its head. Pantalone could see the fear in its eyes - it’s pupils blown wide and it’s fists trembling. Well, punishment should fix that cowardice. He couldn’t imagine what that… Iodine-131 stuff is, but Dottore seemed particularly upset about it. Pantalone will take it out if his paycheck.
“Next,” Dottore glanced over at Pantalone for a moment. “The plan. We are to hold a vote for a yae or nae. Of course, majority vote wins. Raise hand for yae.”
Dottore almost never held a vote. He held his own word in such high regard that he dismissed every other segment who dared go against him- even going as far as shooting them between the eyes if the segment were to even glance at him the wrong way after he made a ruling.
Every segment at the table raised its hand. Pantalone wondered what was so important that every single segment was agreeing on something - he hasn’t seen that happen… ever.
“Very well then,” Dottore nodded, wholly satisfied with the answer. “Lord Pantalone, follow me please. You, you, and you as well. Bring vial 27-B along as well.”
He pointed to three segments and walked off.
“Wait a moment, Dottore,” Pantalone grumbled under his breath as he was taken into a secluded room. The air was dry and had no signs of life other than the dull furniture. A single bed stood in the middle of the room. It was messily done and stood away from the other furniture, which consisted of a cabinet and a set of drawers. “What’s going on here?”
“Sit down and I will explain.”
Dottore gestured to the bed in the center of the room, a wide grin spreading across his face.
“I refuse to follow your orders until you tell me what’s going on.”
“You refuse?” Dottores smile faltered for a moment. “Oh dear.”
With a wave of his hand, the three segments that followed them were grabbing at Pantalones body. Two at his arms and the other grabbing at his legs until he was lifted up.
“Hey-!” Pantalone squirmed around in their grip, kicking and thrashing as they carried him over to the bed. “Let go of me, you assholes!”
“What colorful language, Lord Pantalone!” Dottore sat himself down at the end of the bed, watching as Pantalone was held down by the segments. “How rude. You should be thanking me for what I will be doing.”
“And what’re you going to do?!”
“Calm down and I’ll tell you,” Dottore stood back up and made his way over to the cabinet, pulling out red rope and a few other items that made Pantalones stomach twist. “Undress him.”
At the command, the segments began to tear his clothes off. They cared not for how expensive the garments were- they tore and tore until nothing was left. Pantalone laid there, a startled and confused mess. In the matter of seconds, he was left with no clothes… and soon enough, no dignity. He shivered at the cold that ate away at his skin; how it hardened his nipples and covered his body in goosebumps.
“How beautiful,” Dottore leaned over Pantalone, coming face to face with the man. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel like I want to tear you apart,” Pantalone didn’t meet Dottores gaze, instead focusing on how exposed and vulnerable he felt. He’s a Fatui Harbinger, damn it! He should not be treated like this.
“Bold words! You’ll enjoy this soon enough. Ein, 27-B, please.”
The segment - Ein - reached into its pocket to pull out a small bottle. It was plain white in design and that’s what scared Pantalone. He feared what was inside.
“Thank you,” Dottore plucked the bottle from Eins hands and popped it open, dumping a handful of pills into his gloved hand. “Take these for me, Lord Pantalone. Don’t make he give them to you like you’re a mutt.”
“Over my dead body.”
Pantalone spat in Dottores face. Satisfaction filled his gut as he watched Dottore wipe the glob off of his cheek, disgust clear on his face.
“Fine then; over your dead body. Duex, open his mouth.”
Another segment, Duex, grabbed Pantalones face. The feeling burnt deep into Pantalones skin, melting his features into a look of pure anger. He clenched his jaw shut, but a quick punch in the gut had him gasping for air — and that one mistake earned him with a mouth full of pills. Ein and Duex worked together to get him to swallow the mound of pills: one holding his mouth closed and the other coaxing his throat to swallow. Ein rubbed at his throat, massaging his tonsils and around his adams apple until he finally downed the pills. It burned in his throat, causing him to erupt in a fit of coughs.
“There we go,” Dottores gravely voice sounded from his left. “You didn’t have to be so difficult. Do you like being treated like a mutt?”
“What did you — ghhk— give to me?” Pantalone gasped as he looked over at Dottore, eyes creased in anger.
“Just a bit of aphrodisiac.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal. “I can’t have you not enjoying this either, can I?”
“W— what?” Pantalone could feel his throat close up, dread sitting low in his stomach… or was that the effect of the drugs?
“Don’t act like you didn’t hear me. I won’t repeat myself.” Dottores eyes landed on Pantalones hardening cock — tip wet with humiliation. “Don’t bother struggling either. It’ll only hurt you.”
Pantalone didn’t even notice the tight ropes that held him in place: his hands held above his head and tied to the bed frame and his legs spread and tied just like his arms. Becoming aware of the ropes made then burn into his skin — why was he so hot? He felt his whole body heating up, shaking with adrenaline. The ropes dug deep into his skin and he was sure that there would be marks left on his perfect skin for days. He felt like he had walked into the middle of the Sumeru desert; his whole body felt heavy and warm. The warmed pooled at his stomach and down further, making his cock twitch.
“Dottore—“
“Save the begging for later.” Dottore held a hand over Pantalones mouth, silencing his whines for a moment before removing it. Ein, Duex, and the third segment all stood to the side. Pantalone groaned in disgust as he watched the tents in their pants grow.
“Ein, Duex, San, come here,” Dottore waved them over, grin wide across his face. “Help him out a little bit.”
Pantalone groaned at the thought of those three even touching him — and his groan only got louder as he felt a hand caress his thigh. He felt his leg twitch away from the hand, his body overly sensitive to every touch it received. The flinch only seemed to anger the segment - San - as it gripped Pantalones leg with such force that he was sure there would be a nasty bruise there.
“Don’t run,” San growled deep in its throat, its hand trailing up to grab onto Pantalones balls, rubbing them between the palm of his hand. It stared at Pantalones proud jewels, licking its lips in anticipation. Pantalone shivered in disgust at the thought of those sharp teeth on his skin… or was that disgust really just lust? “I promise I’ll be gentle.”
“Bullshit!” Pantalone could feel the heat getting more intense— and it got even worse as he felt Duex and Ein rubbing at his chest. “Get your filthy hands off of me!”
“Filthy?” Ein paused for a moment before it pinched Pantalones nipple between its finger, pulling harshly.
“Ghh-! Stop that!”
“But you look so excited!” Pantalone could see the pout San held on his face. It made the warmth he felt turn to a boiling hot, making his whole body red and sweaty. He could only imagine how pathetic he looked; tied up with his cock dripping wet with desperation, his face twisted in pleasure, disgust, and rage.
“I order you to — nnh— stop!” Pantalone couldn’t help the soft gasp he let out as he felt San trail its hand up his cock, placing its thumb over the slit and rubbing it in circles. Pantalone hated how nice it felt — hated how he rutted into the hand and silently begged for more.
“What a slut.” Dottore muttered from where he stood. Pantalone felt the man’s eyes burning deep into him, watching every twitch of his cock. San had no intention of truly being gentle— his teasing grip on Pantalones too quickly tightening and twisting.
“Haahn-“ Pantalone squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus more on the feeling of burning alive rather than the pressure on his manhood.
“Look at me.” Ein ordered from above. His hand moved from toying with Pantalones chest to gripping his cheeks, squishing them together with the harshness of his grasp. He could feel the segments breath on his face, adding to the already overwhelming heat he was feeling. “Open your eyes.”
Pantalone kept his eyes shut tight, along with his mouth. He would not give the segments to satisfaction of hearing his pathetic moans, even as he felt a knot building up in his gut. He couldn’t help the crease of his eyebrows as he came undone, though, and the panting that came with the heat.
“Don’t resist it,” Dottore voice was hot against his ear. “You’ll feel better if you give in. Let us collect the data.”
“What— d… data?” Pantalone kept his voice low, not daring raise it and letting any moans slip out.
“I plan on releasing this to our forces as a political advantage device. They will be made into a more liquid form, so the pills won’t have to dissolve.” Pantalone felt Dottore lean back, allowing Deux to lean into his space to bite his neck. It stung badly, but Pantalone didn’t dare protest. “I just need to strengthen the dose, based on your reactions. I just wished to see how you reacted to the current dosage: someone who hasn’t been exposed to it before. I wish for the drug to incapacitate the victim— for it to hurt and for them to be willing to do anything for it to stop. Of course I’m not cruel enough to just leave you writhing in pain, so here we are: helping out out! Aren’t we just so charitable?”
“You’re — ahhn — a total piece of shit.”
“There’s your voice! Do keep your mouth open for us, Lord Pantalone.”
Deux bit down hard on the side of Pantalones neck just as Ein pinched down on his nipple. In that moment, the warmth became entirely overwhelming. It spread through his whole being, burning his from the inside out. He felt the pleasure spreading through his body collapse — making him come undone with a shout. His legs shook with the effort to hold it back, but he felt the white streaks shoot from his cock.
“There you go, dear.” San retracted its hand from the twitching cock, wiping its hand on the sheets.
“Let me go now…” Pantalone panted, chest heaving with the effort of merely breathing.
“For now.” Dottore sighed. “I expect you back in my office tomorrow, or you might get a little surprise visit.”
Pantalone didn’t give him a response, letting his eyes close and drift off into his thoughts.
Maybe visiting Dottore again wouldn’t be so bad.