Random thought from Sandrone's note book. She wrote that Dottore's approval is 10x faster. So in my Headcanon that because he's being nosy with Pantalone and Yelan relationship hahaha (hence the matching bracelets from Yelan's character story)
🚫Do not use, edit, reupload my arts, thx!!
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Bonus:
Their wives waiting in my teapot since forever..hahaha 😭
remembered the existence of pantalan / dottolone, so now the two are fighting for dominance in my brain.
toxic enemies to lovers, casino lights, and smoke and rainy streets. games of cat and mouse. dancing with our hands tied by taylor swift.
OR!!
toxic government yaoi, business partners, crow feathers, glasses of wine, black ink, gloves, and white snow. not friends but potentially something else entirely. andrew in drag by the magnetic fields.
Summary: The days before the big ball was approaching mercilessly fast, and Pantalone felt desperate when he approached his ex-fiancée with the proposal. But Yelan, to the banker's surprise, wasn't that opposed to the idea.
Modern AU
The end of the month was always incredibly stressful. Papers with all sorts of settlements and bills were piled up on the table. To make matters worse, not everyone brought their expense list on time.
Pantalone spent most of his time in the office or archive, organizing documents with settlements and expenses for the past month. He leaned against the desk and put the papers with bills into the appropriate file.
He looked at the rest of the documents piled up on the desk. After sitting at the desk for a few hours, his spine began to hurt. A moment of rest wouldn't hurt him, would it? After a moment of thought, he left the room, remembering to lock the door. He didn't want some recruit to mess with his documents in the archive.
"Did you know that coming with a companion is mandatory?" he heard Dottore's voice as he entered the kitchen.
Their boss, Pierro, decided that a banquet was a good idea to celebrate recent investments and business meetings. At least that's how it looks from a third-party perspective. However, in reality, the ceremony was intended to exchange confidential information with other allied organizations.
Pantalone just sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. This day was extremely nervous and he didn't want to worry too much about the banquet that was to take place in exactly a week.
"Dottore, can you stop reminding me about this now? I have too many things on my mind," he leaned against the table. "Columbina is behind on payments, and Arlecchino still hasn't provided me with my orphanage papers for last month."
"Can't you go with your fiancée?"
Pantalone froze in place and dug his nails into the table. He completely forgot to mention that he broke up with her... When exactly? He was so absorbed in work that every day seemed to blend into one. When did Yelan take her things and move out of the house? Two weeks ago, maybe three?
"We broke off the engagement," he replied after a short thought. "Difference of interests."
Dottore rolled his eyes. Of course, the banker won't tell him directly what it was about, he'll just give a random excuse.
"Well, what can I say, it's a real shame, but that's no excuse," he finished his coffee before putting the mug in the sink. "Anyway, I'm going with an old friend of mine from when I was studying at the Akademiya."
Pantalone remembered that Dottore had once talked a little about his youth at the best academy. He mentioned one brunette particularly often, with whom he had done a few projects before he was fired.
“We recently reconnected,” Dottore continued. "So I figured I'd take advantage of the opportunity. Anyway, I'm sure you'll find someone else for this evening. Women are crazy about people like you," he snorted under his breath, then left the kitchen.
There was dead silence in the room. Pantalone crossed his arms over his chest, looking out the window. The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, painting the sky blood red. Suddenly an idea occurred to him. Although the plan looked a bit desperate, he saw no other option.
***
He felt desperate. Last night he wrote to Yelan asking to meet at a café they used to frequent. At first, he thought she had blocked his number, but to his surprise, she replied quite quickly.
There was still some time left until the appointed hour, but he began to be tormented by obsessive thoughts about whether she would come. He tried to calm down by drinking his favourite coffee. Suddenly, the door to the cafe opened and a woman with dark blue hair and green eyes like emeralds walked in. She looked around the place for a moment, then approached the table.
"Did you think I wouldn't come?" she smiled gently under her breath, sliding the coat off her shoulders. His coat, which she brazenly took when they parted. "I was curious what you wanted."
"I know how this sounds, but could you pretend to be my partner again?" he felt like a complete desperate, but he had no other choice. He didn't want to listen to Pierro complaining that the operation failed because of him. "I have an important evening meeting at work in a few days and coming with an accompanying person is mandatory."
"That's why you wrote to me yesterday... Well, yes, I could have guessed" She started tapping her nails gently on the table. "Hmm, let's think..."
Yelan smiled softly to herself. She knew that every second of silence made him look desperate. And she could use it to her advantage by making him beg her for it. But was she that heartless towards her ex-fiancé?
"Okay," she smiled to herself as a hint of relief crossed his face. "But everything has its price, a banker like you should know that."
Of course, he was aware of it. In the world of big fish, nothing comes for free, especially if you want to ingratiate yourself with Yelan. He happened to have an ace up his sleeve.
"There will be only important figures at this banquet, not only our allies but also those who are not in our favour. From what I know, you are still working for Ningguang and trying to track down the remnants of an organization stealing valuable treasures, this would be an opportunity for you."
Yelan considered the offer, her fingernails beating a louder rhythm. They both had hooks on them, which they used at every possible opportunity. The arrangement looked good, they would get what they expected, and Yelan wouldn't let go of one more little tease with her ex-fiancé.
"Okay, send me the time and place of the banquet," she gathered her coat from the chair, then gently brushed his arm as she left.
***
The day of the banquet came sooner than he expected. He left work early and spent the entire afternoon getting ready. In terms of clothing, he chose a black suit with gold elements.
He felt excited and impatient inside, almost like a teenage puppy getting ready for a date for the first time. He should calm down. He was not a scared youth, but a serious banker. Yelan was no stranger to him either. After all, they once lived together and even shared a bed. Until they started getting in each other's way.
Yelan was breaking up Fatui's smaller branches, and this was slowly depleting the company's money. In their case, it was difficult to separate private and professional life. They saw no better solution than to break off the engagement and go their separate ways.
Before leaving, he checked several times to make sure he had sent her the address. Even though he knew he had done it a few days ago, this feeling made him open their conversation again. He felt like a teenager in love and he was slowly fed up with this feeling.
***
The hotel where the banquet was held was located on the outskirts of the city and was a big fish centre. From politicians to the heads of underground organizations, these walls heard and saw everything, from immoral acts to simple drunkenness where someone spilt important information.
However, the employees, given the appropriate amount, did not react at all to what was happening inside. They acted as if corruption and illegal dealings did not exist at all.
Pantalone arrived early but judging by the parking lot filled with cars, others arrived even faster. They probably wanted to taste the goods prepared by the hotel before the boring and false conversations began in earnest.
He didn't have to wait long, because Yelan got out of the next car. He had to admit she looked stunning. The dress was long to the ground, with an open back and a blue colour that highlighted her hair.
Once he recovered from his first step, he slowly walked over to her and gently took her hand. Yelan moved closer, feeling the other guests' eyes on her.
"Remember that we are supposed to pretend to be engaged," she whispered, glancing at who had arrived this time.
Pantalone, to keep up appearances in front of the others, smiled slightly, as if she had told him an interesting anecdote.
"I realize that it's just one deal, one evening, and then we go back to our own business."
So as not to arouse further suspicion, he took Yelan's arm and they started towards the entrance. They passed a couple of couples at the reception desk but didn't even pay much attention to them. They headed to the elevator, which took them to the top floor with a terrace offering an amazing view of the night city.
Already at the entrance, he noticed Dottore leaning against the wall and talking to a woman whose purple dress revealed a lot. It was probably his school friend whom he told him about recently.
***
The hours slowly passed and the crowd around them became thinner and thinner. Most went to their rooms, minding their own business, or were dragged along by more sober companions.
Pantalone had to admit that he was having fun with Yelan, even if they were there for completely different reasons. Maybe he was behaving like a puppy in love and his old feelings were still there.
They went out to the balcony, wanting to breathe some fresh air and get rid of the strong smells of expensive perfumes and cigarettes. The view was amazing. In the distance, you could see the city sparkling with colours, and the stars in the sky were more visible than usual.
Yelan leaned against the railing, looking beyond. Pantalone stopped next to her, but his eyes were more focused on her than on the panorama.
"I must admit, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Yelan looked up and their eyes met.
"Maybe there is a chance to renew old contacts?" he smiled slightly to himself as she stood up and moved closer.
"Who knows... Maybe one day..." She ran her nails along his shirt, stopping her hand on his chest. However, she slowly moved away and started to walk towards the exit, but before the door, she looked at him for a moment. She smiled to herself, which was a discreet invitation to follow her.
Before anyone could sober up and notice someone was missing, the two were long gone and enjoying their time alone.
