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"Your invitations, please."
"Sure!" Yuri chirped, casually giving one of the guards a red envelope. Inside it was a fake invitation to the Tops party that Sora had forged.
The guard glanced over it, glanced back up at Yuri and Serena, and nodded. "This way," he said, and both guards pushed the grand doors open.
Yuri glanced over at Serena, nodding towards her arm. She held it out towards him with a small sigh, not wanting to make a scene in front of the guards, and Yuri gracefully rested his hand on it with a giggle.
Together, they walked through the entryway. It was overly extravagant, with chandeliers lining the ceiling and towering windows flanking both sides of the hall. The quartz flooring was kept in perfect condition, not a single pebble or speck of dust marring it.
Serena turned her head and looked Yuri over. "Sora and Dennis had a lot of trouble forcing you into that dress, yet now you're acting like a peacock."
Yuri gave her a snarky smirk, holding his head high and puffing his chest out. Serena eyed the firm bra fillers he was wearing under the sweetheart neckline of his dress with annoyance. Her eyes travelled down the rose pink expanse of his frilly ball gown to the white heels that he was walking flawlessly in. "At first I was annoyed, yes. I really do hate showing this much skin."
"It's not even that much," she commented. "It's only your neck, part of your chest, and your shoulders. And you have arm gloves on."
"Exactly. That's too much."
"Well don't complain. The Professor would have put me in it instead, but he can't trust you not to pull any funny business. Rightfully so."
"I'm not complaining anymore, don't worry. After all, when life gives you lemons, you make do with them by poisoning them and squeezing them into everyone's eyes," Yuri smiled.
Serena shook her head and sighed. If she didn't know any better, like the Tops they were about to spy on, she would have assumed he was a beautiful, innocent, pure of heart princess that could do no wrong with the way he was dolled up.
His hair was curled and dangling elegantly around his face, rose colored eyeshadow colored his eyelids, light pink blush was brushed on his cheeks, and lip gloss was applied onto his already cherry red lips. The red shade of his ball gown contrasted directly with his alabaster, unblemished skin.
Serena was glad she didn't have to fake herself up like him. All she had to wear was a simple black tuxedo with a midnight blue button-down underneath, a yellow tie, and a black bowtie. Really, the only change to her was the binder she was wearing and her slicked back hair, currently tied up in a bun.
“Sora and Dennis really outdid themselves with you, but just remember what we have to do,” Serena warned. “We need results for the Professor. Keep your eye out on our targets because there’s too many people here to start fucking around.”
Yuri pouted, before catching sight of the ballroom waiting ahead. “You’re always so serious, Serena. Your name should be ‘Serenous.’”
“I’m being responsible and mature, unlike you.”
Yuri chuckled. “But when you’re deployed on missions all the time like me, it gets really boring. That’s why entertaining yourself is the most important part. The job does get done, eventually.”
Serena decided to ignore him as they entered the room. Her first thought was that it was unnecessarily huge; she couldn’t even see the back of the room, but far in the distance there was a balcony and what seemed to be multiple doors; probably private rooms for the rich people who wanted favors.
She and Yuri must have been one of the last ones to arrive, because the ballroom was filled with people. However, it was so big that there was still enough space to move around.
Yuri, still holding on to Serena's arm, was the first to step forward. He kept a saccharine expression as heads turned to look at them.
While her partner was enjoying the attention, Serena scanned her eyes across the vast expanse of the room, searching for either a particularly short lad with a lollipop or a coral haired guy with a tacky orange tux.
She groaned in annoyance when she couldn't find them and Yuri nudged her. "Come on, let's go," he said eagerly.
"... Fine."
Instantly, people started parting to let them through, and Yuri silently reveled in the way the rich men and women eyed him. Some carried curious glints, others were admiring, while the majority of the men did nothing to hide their lustful gazes.
Good, he thought. This will be fun.
Yuri waved to particularly shameless Tops as he sauntered near the center of the room with Serena. There, the music was more audible, and Yuri recognized it to be an orchestra in the distance playing an allegro concerto. Countless pairs of Tops utilized the space in the middle of the room to dance.
"Hey Serena, we should dance!" Yuri suggested excitedly once the orchestra finished the piece.
"Actually, may I take this one instead?"
Alerted, Serena and Yuri turned around to face the owner of the voice. They were sporting a ponytail, but Serena could recognize that squiggly hair anywhere.
"Dennis, thank god," Serena sighed in relief. "I couldn't find you."
"I've been looking out for you two, not to worry," Dennis replied. "By the way, Sora's at the food stands if you want to go to him, Serena. One of our targets is nearby, so I'll stay here with our lovely lady," he gestured to Yuri, who peered at Serena with eager eyes.
Serena held back a grimace at the look. She didn't have a choice but to trust Dennis with him and find Sora so she could obtain more information. "Alright." She narrowed her eyes at Yuri, who leered at her, before walking away.
They watched Serena's retreating figure until she was lost in the expanse of the crowds. "Wonderful! Now, shall we?" Dennis asked, holding his hand out to Yuri.
"Of course. Lead the way."
Grinning, Dennis lead Yuri's hand to rest on his shoulder. He held his other one up and interlaced their gloved fingers, while placing his free hand on Yuri's back.
The music began. This time, it was a slower rondo. When the other couples started to dance, Dennis began leading Yuri, moving them closer to the center of the area.
As they danced, Dennis had to hold back his laughter; Yuri kept stepping on his feet every few seconds, and with each time Yuri clutched onto his shoulder harder.
"Don't laugh at me," he growled in a low voice. "I was never taught how to do dance unlike you and Serena. This plan for me and her to swap places was too short notice for me to learn."
When Dennis looked down at his face, he found Yuri sporting an annoyed expression, eyes gazing off to the side and narrowed in frustration. "I wasn't laughing. Merely appreciating your beauty, that's all." It wasn't really what he was holding his laughter from, but it was still true; he couldn't help but admire his and Sora's work. "Our target will notice you in no time."
"Oh?" Yuri sounded with a grin. "Think I'll dance with him next?"
"Definitely," Dennis assured. "You're quite undeniable like this."
"I know, I had them all swooning over me when we first walked in. Exactly how I want it."
The music was coming to an end, Dennis noticed. He swiftly spun Yuri, much to his surprise, before bringing him close.
"To your right. White tux, blonde hair, green eyes," Dennis whispered quickly before pulling away, letting go of Yuri. "Good luck, but I'm positive someone like you won't be needing that." Dennis winked at him, moving to retreat into the crowd of people.
Left alone and in the middle of the area, Yuri smirked. His target was walking right towards him, eyes wide with wonder. Yuri put on an innocent expression, smiling at the tall man sweetly.
Of course I won't need luck, he thought.
Across the room, Serena finally found Sora lounging near a table of cookies. She was annoyed at how long it had taken to squeeze past all the Tops, but only one song had been played so far; they still had plenty of time.
"Sora!" Serena called, grabbing his attention.
The boy looked up, smiling in recognition. "Hey Serena! How's it going?" he asked through a mouthful of cookies.
"Fine, I guess. Dennis let me leave Yuri with him, so I don't have to worry too much. He's being supervised."
Sora nodded. "Mhm, I saw them. Yuri looks really nice, don't you think?"
Serena resisted the urge to scowl. "On the outside, sure. He's doing a great job of tricking everybody," she scoffed.
"Hey, you can actually see him from here," Sora said, pointing through a small gap in the crowd.
There in the distance was Yuri, gloved hands raised to his face with big eyes as he was being approached by a snobby, overly self-confident Tops. Even though Serena could barely see him, she knew he was trying to hide his amusement.
She shook her head. "I can't leave him by himself. I'm going over-"
"Wait!" Sora exclaimed. "You have the perfect chance to go to the other target right now. Don't worry about him," he whispered sharply, nodding to the right with his head.
When she looked to where he was gesturing, there was a blonde woman in a crimson red dress, seemingly looking for a potential partner as new music began to start. "But I can't trust him-"
"Just hurry!" Sora shooed her away. "Don't worry so much. Dennis will know if he goes too far."
"That's much easier said than done and you know it, Sora."
He shrugged, grabbing more cookies. "Well, either way it's really not my problem, so."
Serena glared at him before quickly pacing to the blonde woman. She squared her shoulders and cleared her voice, preparing to make it drop in pitch.
"Excuse me!"
The woman turned to Serena, who kept a collected expression. She smiled. "Oh, hello! How are you this evening?"
Serena kept a calm expression. The woman sounded sweet, but Serena knew better. Leo had told her she was affiliated with some enemies of Academia, and she held valuable information. Serena would have to ease it out of her kind persona.
"May I have this dance?" Serena asked, holding out her hand.
Meters away, Yuri was faced with the same question. "Oh, what a charming gentleman. Of course I would accept this dance," he exclaimed sweetly.
The man grinned, holding Yuri's outstretched hand in his and placing a kiss on it. Then he interlaced their fingers together, and Yuri placed his other on the man's shoulder. He had to reach up quite a bit because of the height distance, his head only going up to the man's chest.
Eagerly, the man placed his hand on Yuri's waist, and Yuri feigned surprise. The man was bold, but incredibly foolish.
The music set a steady tempo of a waltz, and the man started leading. Yuri accidentally stepped on his foot ten seconds after.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized, giving a small laugh. "I'm not quite good with dancing."
"No matter, dear," the man assured. His voice was deep and rich, boasting masculinity. "My name is Vincent Bernard. And who might you be?"
Yuri knew he could give him his real name since it could be considered feminine, but opted not to. He didn't want any future trouble. "My name is… Haru," he answered with a giggle.
"A lovely name for a lovely woman," Vincent grinned. "Although, you seem quite young."
"Oh, stop!" Yuri laughed saccharinely, making sure to add a hint of breathiness to it. "You are much too kind, sir. And yes, I am actually only sixteen," he lied.
"Are your parents here, perhaps? Or have you come with a chaperone?"
"Neither, actually," Yuri answered, watching surprise flicker across Vincent's eyes. "I have a knight with me."
"A knight?"
"Indeed! He's right over there," he gestured to Serena, who was a slight distance away. "You see, back in Standard, I'm a princess."
"A princess from Standard?" Vincent exclaimed. "Please, forgive my causality. I had no idea."
Yuri giggled. "No worries, Mr. Vincent. You have been nothing but a dashing prince for me."
Yuri felt Vincent's hold on his waist strengthen, and he emitted a small gasp, peering up at him. Frankly, he didn't know what to feel by the action, and a bit of heat rose up to his already pink cheeks.
Glancing around, he saw Serena locked in a waltz with who he presumed to be their other target. Her expression was stern and unrevealing as engaged in conversation. From what it looked like, the blonde woman was revealing plenty.
How boring.
Holding back a viscous smile, Yuri feigned a stumble on his high heels, causing Vincent to pull him close. He smashed himself right against the older man's chest.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, which caught the attention of a few couples. Yuri peeked at Serena. He saw her glare at him from the corner of her eye and held back a chuckle.
"How embarrassing! Thank you for catching me," Yuri sighed, batting his eyelashes at him.
He felt the deep, rumbling laugh that Vincent gave. "No worries, my dear."
Yuri smiled up at him. "So, I'm curious. What does a dashing man like you do for a living?"
"I'm not sure it would be something a princess such as yourself would approve of, but I'm in charge of making weapons. A private business, you see."
The waltz ended, but Vincent kept his hold on Yuri. He looked to Serena who bowed at the blonde woman. She gave Yuri a pointed look, and he winked.
Giving up, Serena retreated back to Sora.
"Weapons? I see," Yuri murmured as another piece started. "For what purpose, if I may ask?"
"Enemies in Fusion."
Serena stalked back to her previous location, scowling. She paid Sora no mind as she spotted a table with glasses full of water and swigged one down.
"So, how did it go?" Sora asked, grinning.
"I got the information I needed. She fell right for my charms," she answered.
"Nice! I bet Yuri's having a fun time. But I can't see him from here anymore," Sora pouted.
"He's over there acting like a trollop if you're wondering," Serena snarled. "I knew this would happen."
"Man, I wish I could see that! But that is Yuri for ya. He'll take any chance to entertain himself, even if it's with a thirty-five year-old man."
Serena shook her head.
"The crowd looks like it's growing. Think everybody's watching him?" he asked.
"Let him get the attention. I'll give him a piece of my mind later."
The crowd started oohing and awing. In the midst of it was Yuri and Vincent, who had just dipped the former.
Yuri let his dress and petticoat ride up just a little more than necessary, revealing a lacy garter on his thigh. He peered at Vincent with big eyes, lips parted seductively as he watched Vincent's eyes travel downward.
Vincent pulled him back up, hand dangerously close to Yuri's lower back. His pupils were large with lust, making Yuri smirk. Older men, they always became disgusting when with an underage girl, he thought amusedly.
Yuri pulled away from Vincent, who bowed. "Thank you for this wonderful dance, Mr. Vincent," he beamed. "I had a fabulous time with you."
"The pleasure was all mine, Princess."
Yuri gave him a saccharine smile and laughed. "By the way, Mr. Vincent, would you like to see my knight? He's right over… there!" he pointed to the left, grinning when he saw the crowd part for him.
At the end of the path stood Serena, eyes burning.
"Yuri…" she muttered dangerously.
Sora laughed. "Oh man, I gotta see this!"
Fine, she would indulge him for now. Serena stepped forward through the gap that the crowd left, approaching an eagerly awaiting Yuri.
"Everyone's watching," he whispered. "Kiss my hand."
Serena glared at him, but did as he asked. There were too many people watching for her to make a scene. Slowly, she grabbed Yuri's hand and placed an almost nonexistent kiss on it, to which he smiled.
As the orchestra started up again, they assumed the dancing position and began to move. It soon turned into a fierce staring contest between the two, Serena unrelenting in her annoyed gaze.
"What have you found," she deadpanned.
"Lots, don't worry. One of which being the fact that older men are quite the nasty beasts," Yuri chuckled. "You wouldn't believe how much he ogled me."
"Mhm. I saw you," Serena answered, looking at him disapprovingly. "Acting like an overeager, horny teenager."
"He believed me when I told him I was sixteen!" Yuri cackled. "And at least I'm making it interesting, Serenous. You looked so stiff."
"I was trying to get the job done!" Serena protested. "I'm not interested in biking around with corrupt, deranged Tops."
In time with the music, she spun Yuri. "Well, I'm trusting you've found something as well?"
"I did. And like you, I also found that you're enjoying this way too much," she scoffed.
"It was fun and you can't blame me for that. And look, I'm not stepping on your feet!" Yuri gestured down. "Aren't you proud of me? I'm learning!"
Serena ignored him. "Why are we even doing this? What did you tell that man we were?"
Yuri sneered. "A princess. And you're my loyal knight."
If she could, Serena would have face palmed. "...Of course you did. After this dance, we're leaving."
"Boo. You're always no fun."
Serena decided not to indulge him any further and just continued to dance. She had no doubt that somewhere in the crowd, Sora and Dennis were watching them and sniggering like fools. Whatever.
"Go on, my knight, dip me," Yuri challenged, snapping Serena back to attention. Groaning, she forcefully led him down, making the crowd cheer as the song ended. Yuri peered at her amusedly, grinning at her expression as she brought him back up. Oh man, if she could slap that look off his face.
Serena gave a very brief bow before snatching Yuri's hand and pulling him away, making the crowd slightly confused. However, Yuri waved at them all, giving a wink to Vincent in particular.
Soon Dennis and Sora were following after them as Serena and Yuri neared the exit.
"Well, mission accomplished you two."
"Indeed, but my feet are hurting from walking in such high heels. I don't suppose someone could carry me?" Yuri suggested softly, staring right at Serena.
"Well, we don't want our poor Yuri to suffer," Sora chimed.
"Sure. Carry him, Dennis."
"No can do, Serena. I'm a magician, not a knight," he reminded her.
"Please Serena?" Yuri begged pleadingly, gazing at her with puppy eyes. "I'm in so much pain."
"No."
"Until we get to the limo?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"I'll tell the Professor that you were flirting with our targets."
Serena's anger flared. He wouldn't dare.
"Fine! For fuck's sake!" Not so gently, she threw Yuri over her shoulder, slapping her hand onto his back. Yuri yelped in surprise before sniggering violently.
"This isn't a very nice way to hold a princess, Serena! But thanks for getting me off my feet. It's much better."
"Shut up. When we get home, I'm ripping that damn dress right off you."
No one said a word.
Yuri was muffling his laughter and Serena was confused. It was the truth; she was literally going to rip it right off him-
Oh.
Serena slapped his back hard, making him cry out. "Horny ass."