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ruh--roh-raggy · 2 days

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Masquerade (Part 1) (William Afton x F! Reader)

~Happy birthday to a fellow member of the William Afton Husband Club, awesome writer and a generally wonderful friend @ruh--roh-raggy . Happy birthday, you wonderful person! I hope your drywall survives in your flimsy American house haha~

Credit to; saradika-graphics for the page dividers.

CW: Meet-cute! William in a suit, sunshine dad energy Henry, William is older than reader, kissing a stranger(?), flirty banter, light mention of murder, soft!dom Will, predator/prey metaphors

The thick paper in your hands felt heavy when it arrived through your door. The kind of paper where the smooth yet textured surface made you think of it's quality and how expensive it probably was as the black marbled pattern embossed with golden ink in hard-to-read cursive stared back at you.

At first, you had thought it was a mistake. Some mix-up in the post that meant you had received this special thing, but your name was clearly printed on it, as was your address in golden ichor and sealed with a golden wax stamp. Did people even use wax stamps anymore? You wondered. Clearly they must do. The wax was cured in the shape of an elegant flower and eventually, you managed to prize it off with a butter-knife an keep it intact so that you could still read the letter within.

So you sat in your kitchen in your ratty pj's and eating from a bowl of cereal that you had had to sniff the milk for and you weren't even sure you had checked the date on the cereal, holding the thick paper in one hand and reading elegantly printed white ink against the black background. Almost choking as you read the contents.

'We cordially invite you to attend the charity Summer Equinox ball, you have been selected by random draw to attend due to your noted goodwill within your community and charity work.' You raised an eyebrow at that, sure you donated a couple of dollars when you could afford it here and there but it was never ground-breaking amounts of money. You continued scanning the words on the page with your curiosity growing.

'This year, the charity of choice is St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and we have gathered many like minded people from across multiple sectors. Whilst we encourage socialisation, it is reminded that the ball is a masquerade and one cardinal rule must be followed; that you must never reveal who you are whilst on the property.'

Now you were especially curious. A masquerade ball at a mysterious property that you were not supposed to know who was attending? It sounded almost like the plot to some cheesy horror movie you once saw, or perhaps the beginning of some silly romance novel you started reading on Wattpad that never got finished. But as you shovelled the last bites of cereal into your mouth you were more focused on the dress code and the thrill of excitement that ran through you at the opportunity.

'Participants will be given a mask on arrival. Please find attached a gift card to purchase appropriate attire in the black-tie range.'

Even if it resulted with somebody's hands deep in your guts for some absurd sacrifice, you decided that you were going because you weren't sure you would ever get the opportunity to do this again and honestly the chance to participate in something that sounded straight out of novel sounded right up your alley.

The dress had been purchased and you had found another letter at your door the day after it's purchase. The same white ink on black paper, sealed in golden wax. This time it was instructions for the ball instead, instructing that you must keep the dress in the box it had been neatly placed in and that you were to bring it with you when you were picked up as you would be allowed to change at the venue.

"It's almost like they don't trust me with the expensive stuff." You chuckled to the empty house when you read it, wincing at the receipt on the box and shaking your head.

But the night had arrived sooner than anticipated and the butterflies in your stomach were undeniable as you watched the limo pull up outside and climbed inside, clutching the invitation and your dress to your chest firmly as the driver nodded silently to you and began the drive. Soft music playing in the background as you were glad you had charged your phone for the journey, unsure how long it would take. You were almost surprised to look up at one point and recognise the town you were driving through, the ancient red-brick and domed roof of the library that had been acquisitioned by the university after a fire wiped most of the original features from the building sitting proudly in the approaching skyline. Face practically pressed to the cool glass as you watched the lights inside dazzling against the still pale summer sky and several people in formal looking suits stood on the white stone steps.

The limo pulled up outside of it, and you yelped as the door was pulled open to who you assumed was staff, their face partially obscured by the presence of a simple black eye-mask. Feeling your cheeks heating up as they extended a silent hand and allowed you to pick up the box before exiting the vehicle and guiding you up the steps towards the looming building. Wondering how late it would have to get before the sky turned dark and the place lit up.

"Welcome! You must be the guest we were told about." One of the staff greeted, a younger woman in an elegant black cocktail dress and a golden pin on her chest, also in a black mask as you nodded slightly dumbly. Her red curls were pinned to perfection, and you were envious that she looked so put together and well practised in heels as she tapped a clipboard and gestured for you to follow. "Come with me please, we have much preparation to do."

The marble floors clicked beneath her heels as you struggled to keep up with her long strides, feeling your heart pounding as you looked around as quickly as your guide would allow. Scanning the glass cases filled with some of the original library books, the plaques dedicated to the university to the painstaking restoration done by staff and students to try and preserve the history. If there was a place to pick to host a ball near to you, this was it.

You almost bumped into the woman as she suddenly stopped, turning on her heels and peering through the mask before gesturing to the heavy oak door in front of her.

"This is where you'll be getting ready tonight. Me and my team will assist you." Her voice was cool and clipped, professional as your brow furrowed in confusion.

"Team?"

"Yes, we're going to help you put on the dress and do your make-up and hair for you this evening."

"But...it's a masquerade? Nobody will see my face." Your confused tone clearly amused her as the professional neutrality broke for a moment with a small smirk before she cleared her throat and placed a thin hand on your back, guiding you inside.

"Whilst...technically yes, you are correct, people will still see your mouth and eyes. It helps with any guests who might have issues with hearing to communicate." She explained, letting you into the cool, dark room before your eyes adjusted to the change in light and revealed a well furnished, old fashioned study. The walls panelled in some heavy, dark wood and the smell of old books cloying with sweet incense and perfumes that you didn't recognise.

Inside, there were several woman gathered around a small table and a vanity that had been set up, all looking up as you entered and giving a polite smile under the same masks and similar dresses that you figured was the dress-code for the staff for the evening as you were guided to the chair in front of the vanity and your dress box was taken from you so that a cape could be tied around your shoulders.

"Now, miss, you are going to know the joy of creation." The red head smiled over your shoulder in the mirror, and you blinked as you tried to figure out where you had heard those words before.

"Sorry?"

"We're going to make you so beautiful, you'll be our own little Cinderella." One of the others giggled, brandishing a bottle of facial cleanser and some cotton pads as they approached.

"Now, sit still and let us work!"

"Yeah, just call us your fairy-godmothers for tonight!"

Whatever the staff had done to you had worked wonders by the time you could hear extra guests arrive in the hallway outside. Who knew that portable salon basins were a thing?

"Your hair always looks the best when you've just come from a salon trip you feel slightly guilty for spending the money on!" One of the ladies had explained to you, and as you looked at your hair neatly pinned up and framing your features perfectly, the right amount of shine and lustre to it, you couldn't argue with their logic.

The dress was a deep green, tight to your body and made of silk with a slit running up the leg to expose it. The bodice wrapped in small ivy-like lace that gave you a sort of 'goddess of the forest' vibes as you had been handed your mask, a silver filigree bunny that covered the top half of your face. Eyes lightly coated in a green eyeshadow and a deep red lipstick that somehow made your lips look even more plump. You felt like a million bucks. You felt like you could spend a million bucks too with what a good job they had done.

But you were soon stood at the main door to the hall. Heart fluttering in your chest nervously as your hand rested on the cold iron knocker and you swallowed. You were unsure if you were really ready to embark on such a daring adventure.

It would be a shame to put the dress to waste though.

As the door pushed open, your senses were assaulted with the sounds of people talking a laughing in the grand hall. Bathed in warm light under the dome skylight that revealed the slowly deepening summer sky. It did look like something out of a fairy-tale as you looked at the large, wooden bookshelves around the walls of the room filled with leather-bound tomes and carefully draped with bouquets of off-white roses and green ivy. Flashes of green, gold, silvers and coppers mixing with black and white. A band of neatly dressed and pressed musicians forming an orchestra towards the back as you descended the stairs.

Unlike Cinderella however, you were grateful that there were only a few eyes that turned towards you curiously. Trying to keep your balance in your small heels and navigate with a sense of grace and your posture elegant but not drawing too much attention to yourself as you navigated towards the bar that had been set up in a little alcove of the grand library.

There were already two men stood at the worn down wood, chatting amicably with each other. The shorter of the two with a gold bear mask, his arm wrapped around a woman in a deep red dress that matched his suit that you assumed must be a husband and wife..or perhaps just very well co-ordinated dates. But the taller of them caught your eye for a moment, his silver eyes widening behind his mask as they flickered over you so quickly you weren't entirely sure that you had even seen it.

"Are you ready for the performance tonight?" The woman asked as you stood to one side and glanced at the menu, wincing at some of the prices despite the sign that stated some of the profits went to charity from the bar. The taller one carefully adjusted the black leather gloves as he spoke, like he was considering something.

"Of course we are, darling! It's going to be spectacular and it's going to be magical!" The one with dark curls laughed, adjusting his bear mask and leaning onto the woman and planting a kiss on her semi-exposed cheek. Earning him a light smack on the arm as the taller one chuckled lowly. A sound that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and stomach twist in nervous knots.

"Yes, I've done all the safety checks three times over. There is nothing that could go wrong unless some idiot spills their drink on us." His voice was deep and gravelly, with an accent you couldn't place, that voice was something you were sure you would love to hear again as you tried to focus on the drinks options and wondering if you should just ask what you could get for less than three dollars.

"Well, we have more people to go 'meet', why don't you have some fun?" The one in red laughed, gesturing to the wider hall and whisking away the woman with him. Feeling some of the tension you didn't know you were holding in your body leaving before you let your attention fully return to the task in hand.

After a few moments however, your brow furrowed as you felt eyes linger on you. Turning your head to see the taller man left behind and watching you. His golden mask catching the light as he leaned against the bar and his serious expression quirked into a small smile before he shoved away from it and made what seemed like small steps towards you. Towering over your smaller frame before he settled back against the bar again, forcing you to look up at him.

"May I have your name, sweetheart?" The taller man asked, your eyes wandering over the golden rabbit mask over the top half of his face, still able to make out his greying salt and pepper hair and beard. Those intense grey eyes that had a slight squint to them like he was without glasses that he needed.

"Ah ah, the whole point of a masquerade is that we don't know who that person is." You wagged your fingers disapprovingly, unsure of where the confidence had come from, and the man laughed, his broad chest straining through his tight black shirt, the matching black waistcoat tailored to his body as he rolled his sleeves up to reveal his thick forearms, covered in thin silvery scars and thick coarse hair. You couldn't help but think that they were the kind of forearms that you knew would hug you right, but the thought disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Those black gloves tightening over his large hands and hearing the faint sound of leather creaking as he held onto his elbows.

"You're very right, and so I shall have to name you 'Miss Bunny' for tonight...given your mask and all." Gesturing to your own mask that you had been given for the night. A silvery copy of his own.

"Then you shall be Mr. Rabbit." The older man smiled, making your heart flutter slightly in your chest as he chuckled deeply. "Hmm..I like it. Well, Miss Bunny, may I get you something to drink?"

"Oh no I couldn't-"

"I insist. And plus, you've been staring at that rather short menu for the past five minutes like you're contemplating every penny in that purse...although I have to say I can't tell where you would even keep money in that stunning dress."

Your cheeks were heating up at he called the dress stunning, feeling his eyes raking over you again before you giggled and shook your head, deciding to be a little bolder than you might have been had you not had the mask to hide behind.

"Mr.Rabbit! It's rude to ask about a lady's finances...unless you're proposing a dowry?" The man blinked for a moment before he let out a deep laugh, doubling over slightly and making your cheeks heat up as a few heads snapped your way at the sudden sound. Turning himself towards the bartender and gesturing them over before giving you a wolfish grin.

"Feisty little bunny, I like that. A scotch on the rocks for me, and...a bourbon cherry for the little lady here." He pulled a wallet from his slacks pocket and his thick fingers nimbly pulled out a few notes to lay on the bar. Unable to stop yourself from watching his hands as he moved them. "So, you look terrified little bunny. Do you need some company to keep you from the wolves?" That damn smile flashing again as you tutted.

"Wolves? You're quite mistaken Mr. Rabbit, what if I'm a wolf in disguise?" You asked, raising an eyebrow and making the older man chuckle as he leaned it, the drinks arriving on the bar as he came close enough that you could smell the spicy, earthy cologne that he wore. And something faintly like motor oil beneath it.

"I know predators when I see one, Miss. Bunny, and you are far from one. They're the go-getters, the ones who'll seize life by the throat and tear out their own opportunities should they not be offered up."

"Maybe it's you who's in disguise then." Your voice soft as you picked up the cocktail glass with the thin red liquid inside and a cherry run through on a stick, picking it up to bite the fruit before a leathered hand wrapped around your wrist and made you gasp, heart pounding loudly in your ears as his large hand easily held onto you and he leaned it.

Those silver eyes focused on you and flashed with mischief and something dark as he opened his mouth and wrapped his long tongue around the cherry before closing his lips around it and pulling it free from the stick. Leaving you dumbfounded as he leaned in so close you swore you could smell the sweet tartness of the fruit on his breath, setting your knees weak and making your chest tighten as he whispered softly.

"Perhaps.... But I think I'll enjoy seeing you again tonight, Miss. Bunny. Unfortunately, I have a performance to get ready for." Standing up slowly and releasing your wrist slowly, his finger stroking along the delicate skin inside your wrist and leaving you breathless, swallowing softly as he adjusted his gloves and black waistcoat. Giving you a wink and lopsided grin before running one hand through his salt and pepper hair and moving back into the crowd with his own drink.

The room suddenly felt hot as you felt your cheek with your free hand, taking a shaky sip of your drink and finding some comfort for your racing heart-beat in the tart and smoky flavours. Staring after the golden rabbit with the hope that you would find him again before the night was over.

#RAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #WIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLL #HES SO FUCKING SUAVE #AND HOT #AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #I NEED HIM I NEED HIM I NEED HIM I NEED HIM I NEED HIM I NEED HIM I NEED HIM #*rolling on the floor sobbing over him*#THIS IS GREAT #I NEED MORE #RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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