Inception (Ateez Ot8 x Reader)

Mingi's Coronation

These events were always stifling. Any occasion with the royal families were. Normally, I wouldn't even entertain the idea of attending the party happening around me, but unfortunately, this was one I couldn't miss. The noise, not to mention the smells around me were overwhelming. Especially the copious amounts of perfume the female guests seemingly bathed themselves in. Masking my disgust, I stepped further into the shadowy corners of the ballroom. With any luck, it would keep me from prying eyes long enough for this night to end. I scanned the room in boredom, hating that Mingi had chosen to host a masquerade ball of all things. It was bad enough the things people would do in plain sight, hiding behind a mask only made it easier for people to commit atrocious acts against one another.

Some were easily recognizable; others were faces I was not familiar with even had they not been obscured. Across the room, I could make out the looming figure of Mingi and Yunho locked in conversation. Probably about the wave of new recruits they'd be training this coming season. Wooyoung reclined in one of the many sofas, surrounded by women and luxury which I suppose wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary considering where he hailed from. If I looked hard enough I could find most of the others. Jongho was curiously absent, though out of the other royals, he probably detested these kinds of gatherings more than I did. The weight of my own mask over my face was beginning to make me sweat. Figuring a look around outside wouldn't be a bad idea, I quietly made my exit, skirting around the perimeter of the room.

I itched to remove this ridiculous get up and return home. It was bad enough the number of trips I was having to make back and forth for political relations, I didn't need to add social ones to the mix. My irritation made my dragon restless, the anxiousness slithering beneath my skin as he begged to be let out. I ignored it, pressing on through the empty hallway to the back gardens. The air out here drowned out the thick miasma of artificial smells inside, my nose only picking up hints of the sickly-sweet fog between the much preferable scents of grass and soil. Though, it didn't hold a candle to the pine and petrichor I was accustomed to back home. I took another several steps out onto the terrace, separating myself further from the festivities. The courtyard was strangely empty, the last lingering couple heading back inside, leaving me alone on the veranda. Where I would usually find peace in the solitude, the lingering agitation under my skin had me on edge.

My dragon wasn't settling. Oddly enough, it was almost like it got worse the further I strayed from the castle interior. My brows furrowed under my mask, my confusion only deepening as I was urged back towards the doors. I turned to go back, if only to ease the anxiety I was assaulted with. I hadn't made it more than a handful of steps when another body rounded the corner in a hurry. I froze, barely keeping from running into them. A soft gasp was my first indication that it was a woman, her heels clicking against the marble as she stumbled to keep from barreling into me. She righted herself just at the same moment I reached out to help, her wide eyes evident even behind the mask she wore. Despite how dark it was, the beadery in it caught the bright moonlight above, glittering as she lifted her face to mine. It was a gentle emerald, made to match her dress that offset her complexion beautifully. A color that I couldn't help but think matched my own. I took in her delicate features that the feathered mask didn't cover, her lips a deep shade of rose, cheeks flushed pink from the strawberry champagne she had been no doubt drinking as the subtle scent wrapped around her.

Flower.

She took a good couple of steps back, manners demanding she dip into a curtesy, ripping her attention from me.

"I'm sorry sir, please excuse me." She apologized softly before moving around me to wherever she was headed prior to encountering me.

I watched her, only a couple of seconds passing before my feet unconsciously followed her. Had I been more aware of anything besides her, I would have noticed the sudden absence of my dragon's previous restless behavior. Now it laid silent, as if the flower in front of me cast her spell upon him as much as I. She darted through the grounds like she'd lived here all her life, her slight intoxication not hindering her in the slightest as she ventured deeper through the gardens. Her haste kept her from noticing me, though I took extra precaution to make sure she didn't. I would have found her behavior suspicious if I wasn't so enraptured by her.

The garden looked to welcome her among it, her emerald gown appearing darker as it fluttered behind her and the array of flowers she continued to pass reached out for her as if begging her to take them with her. I had half a thought to stop her, ask where she was headed and if I could escort her wherever it might be just so I could be as close as I had been when we nearly ran into one another. The question weighed heavily on my tongue, my lips parting to let them slip just as she stopped. Quickly, I stepped behind one of the rose bushes, my hand reaching up to pull off the ridiculous mask I wore, lest it reveal my hiding spot. Almost like an invitation, her sweet strawberry layered aroma assaulted my sense now that I didn't have the mask to block it. The smell surrounded me, and I licked my lips wondering if I could taste it. It was potent enough I felt like I almost could. No more than a hint, but enough to tempt me into finding its source so I could drink from it.

I peered around the foliage, barely catching her as she slipped into the stables. She pulled the bit of her gown that remained in the door's threshold, gathering it in her arms before closing the door behind her. My curiosity led me closer to the building, but I couldn't very well walk inside after her. Carefully, I approached the side of the outbuilding, a small, open window giving me the vantage point I needed only to regret it. Her haste made sense now at the sight of the man inside who had very obviously been waiting for her. He kissed her with the passion I had imagined myself doing, fingers gliding up her pink cheeks to slip her mask off her face. It dropped to the floor without a care, loosening several strands of hair from her updo with it though neither of them noticed. They pulled away from their kiss, the ache in my heart intensifying at the sight of her red lipstick staining his lips. I clenched the mask I carried tightly; the carefully crafted piece made just for me snapping under my strength as I helplessly watched him lay her down in a nearby stall filled with hay.

The agitation I felt earlier returned full force, whether my own or my dragon's, I couldn't tell while I watched her pull him to her again for another kiss I wished I stood in his place for. My eyes squeezed shut as she moaned his name softly and before I could make a fool of myself, I wrenched my body away from the window. Forcing myself to leave the two of them, I turned to head back the way I had followed her, not caring this time whether they could hear me or not. I continued back up the path, hating the way the flora around me that I had found so enchanting moments ago paled in their comparison to her. I growled, throwing my mask against the ground where it shattered into dozens of unmendable pieces. I stared at it, scoffing at the irony as the sight of it uncannily resembled the way I felt inside. Unable to bear it, I left it where it laid broken, feet carrying my form further from the stable where I unfortunately knew what was occurring inside it. The walk back didn't simmer any of my ire, though the view of the castle and the figure lurking on the veranda had me quickly masking it in case the man began questioning me about it. I took my first step onto the stairs leading up to it, the sound catching the newcomer's attention. He turned towards me, a small grin forming on his lips when he caught sight of me.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find you out here avoiding everyone." Hongjoong teased, bringing a glass to his lips.

His blue mask lined in silver turned a subtle shade of rose gold where the lights from inside caught the alcohol in his glass and cast its reflection upon him as he drank. The color similar to the pink blush of a certain woman and the smell of his strawberry champagne making my heart throb painfully. I looked away, forcing my feelings to remain hidden while I ignored him. Without a word, I headed for the doors that would lead me back to the party within the walls in front of me. Seeking solace in the smog of perfumed partygoers in the hopes it would clog my senses enough that I wouldn't be able to smell the scent of strawberries anymore. In my absentmindedness, I hadn't noticed the way Hongjoong turned to look out at the garden as I passed him.