As The World Falls Down

Chapter 28

"I suppose the question is how do we get ourselves out of this?"

You were sitting cross legged on the dance floor, the ballroom still silent as Jareth's grip on time held strong. He asked after you had your fill of kissing and fussing over each other's mussed appearances, now simply sitting and observing the comical nature of the forest of frozen dancers surrounding you.

"You're the one who's doing all this," you pointed out and he nodded absently, sprawled out and reclined, looking remarkably relaxed for the first time in days. Along with his coat askew, and his makeup smudged, he looked more like the king he apparently saw himself as; a man playing a part.

"That is true, isn't it?" he said in amusement, smiling stupidly. "When I went into this, I was too frenzied to think of an actual, probable ending or out. Now we're just a couple of fae fools, hm?"

"I don't mind," you chirped with a smile. "We get to be Mr. and Mrs. Fae Fool, and that's honestly all I care about."

"Always a hopeless romantic," he drawled sarcastically and shook his head.

"Oh, please, you can't make fun of me now," you retorted. "You should go look in a mirror, because you know what you'll see? A hopeless romantic. Who is literally still freezing time to preserve a romantic moment."

"I'd also see a devilishly handsome king with amazing hair," he shot back, preening.

"With a super hot fianceé," you grinned. "Don't forget that."

"You're getting cocky." He looked you up and down with a smirk. "We can't have that. We should get you home as soon as possible."

"We basically just got here," you mentioned. "Wasn't the point of this whole night to party until the wee hours of the morning? And you want to go home already?"

"Yes," Jareth affirmed, getting to his feet slowly. "Post haste. I wanted to go home since the moment we got here, if I'm being honest, love. Although, my plans for what would happen when we got home have changed rather significantly."

"You're filthy," you accused, reaching a hand up for him to help you stand. "We should say goodbye to your friends, at the very least. We can wait to tell them about our engagement until after tonight, though."

"I think it would be a far better exit to disappear without a trace," he argued, flexing his hand like an explosion. "'Where did the Goblin King and Queen go off to?' They'll never know!"

"That would make us the Goblin Queen and the Drama Queen," you laughed, head still buzzing at hearing him mention your to-be honorific so casually.

"There you go, getting cocky again," he marveled. "I'm not a fan."

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it if we're going to be wed," you grinned, laying your head on his shoulder innocently. "Because the years are going to go by and I'm just going to get even cockier."

"I can see that happening, unfortunately," Jareth lamented. "But I will do my very best to prevent that. I think a different cock may have to be removed from the equation."

"A cruel and heartless king, indeed," you laughed again, flushing. "I think you should really be focusing more on getting us out of here."

"Yes, yes, alright," he said hurriedly, taking your hand again. "Eager mouse, mm? You know any consummation tonight doesn't count."

"Shut up," you whispered and he looked at you without moving his tilted head, his eyes in your peripheral passionate when peering from under his lashes. He said nothing in response, instead guiding your arms up and around him until you were in your dancing pose again. Around you, sound started rising slowly like a record on a turntable beginning to turn, the people all across the room following suit until the ballroom's atmosphere crashed down again and you let Jareth sweep you harshly back into step. You shot him a look and he sent you one of your own "Who, me?" smiles in return. You knew that would come back and bite you someday.

Jareth guided your dance to the outskirts of the dance floor, taking off into a rushed walk with you in hand towards his friends, who were still laughing away in their semi circle.

"We're going to take off," Jareth announced, so suddenly that all of them jumped at the sound of his voice, and you sheepishly waved at them.

"So soon?" Foxglove questioned, her tone shocked and amused, no doubt putting the pieces together at seeing Jareth so hurried and you, probably red as a tomato while unsuccessfully trying to seem nonchalant.

"I'm afraid poor Y/N has come down with a bit of a sore throat," he explained, looking at you with deep sympathy as you tried not to glare a hole through his forehead, instead feigning a small, pained smile. "I think it's best that she gets some rest. Don't you, dear?"

You nodded, looking (and feeling a little) embarrassed. You mouthed Nice to meet you! to them all and grinned, and they all returned the smile with sympathetic crinkles between their brows.

"Well, it was so lovely to meet you finally, Y/N," gushed Foxglove, coming over and giving you a side hug. "Let's have dinner soon. We need a chance to really talk, without this vulture on your shoulder."

"Watch who you call a vulture, woman," Jareth sneered, but accepted her hug nonetheless, patting her on the back slightly. "I won't hesitate to come and snatch your new hatchling in a few months' time."

"Yeah, like we need a dispute between your kingdoms," Hulmot chuckled.

"It was so lovely to meet you," Amoeniel interjected, reaching to shake your hand, their palm soft and warm in yours. "I do hope to see you again."

"Oh, I'm quite sure we will," Viktor grinned, taking your hand from Amoeniel. "Feel free to come by my neck of the woods anytime. Vulture or not."

"Will you all quit it?" Jareth huffed, getting worked up again. "Don't press her while she's ill."

"I think she's going to find that very hard to avoid when she's going home with the likes of you," Hulmot mumbled, and they all giggled again as Jareth let out a sigh. You cupped a hand over your mouth, trying to hide your own smile.

"You're unbelievable," he grumbled, raising his arm in a halfhearted wave as he turned you both towards the entrance. "No matter where I take you, you're such a brat, up to the very last moment."

"Your brat," you muttered in response and he exhaled through his nose abruptly, crushing your hand in his as he visibly struggled to keep his pace steady.

"Oh, would you look at that, it seems some space has opened up in my schedule again," he replied under his breath, sounding aggravated.

"Ooh, scary," you teased in a whisper and he immediately yanked you forward, causing you to stumble in your heels and glare. "Hey!"

"You're on thin ice, love," he warned. You both breached the doors and stepped into the night air, trying to figure out if the chill running down your spine was from the breeze or his voice.

"I'm more than happy to skate that," you replied coolly, feeling as brazen as you had in the closet, further reinforced by your shiny new engagement.

"We'll see about that," Jareth mused, aggressively pulling you to his chest at the top of the stairs and forcibly jerking your chin up. You looked up at him, your eyes wide, and you could hear a faint growl in his throat before he closed the space between you with a fierce kiss. Around you, you could feel the now familiar sensation of transportation, almost comforted by it as you remembered the oddity of the time freeze.

When you opened your eyes, you were standing once again in the throne room, still locked in an embrace. After a minute of desperate kissing, Jareth pulled away, his face flushed and his eyes darting hastily over your face, your body.

"What now?" you asked with a rasp. He met your eye, his mouth slightly agape, and without responding he pushed his coat off of his shoulders and let it drop to the floor loudly. You were shocked someone as snooty as him would let a coat that expensive touch the ground, but when you saw the look in his eye as he started to unbutton his shirt, you understood why. There was a time when the most precious thing he had was all the accessories and clothing he donned, but now, it was you. He loosened the brooch around his neck, and you watched the opal catch the light as he tossed it haphazardly to the side, clattering to the ground until it was silent again. You hardly dared to breathe as he lowered his face to you again, cupping your face in his large hands.

"Now? Now I fuck you, Y/N," Jareth hissed. And just like that, you fell into his arms again, and you let him lead you as he had the whole night.