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Mathias just wished this evening was over, so that he could return back home and kiss Flynn until he was out of breath to make up for abandoning him yesterday alone in the maze. Once he had brought Anduin back to the palace, Renzik had already dragged him back to work with an emergency and Mathias had come home to find Flynn already asleep. He had watched the younger man for what had felt like an eternity, only to snuggle himself against his chest and find sleep the moment he had placed his head on Flynn’s arm.
He wanted to make it up to Flynn, give him an evening just for the two of them, maybe take him out somewhere or just spend their time home, together.
But this Masquerade Ball was time dragging long and Renzik had already told him to get his mask on so that he wouldn’t scare away visitors because of his sour face.
Well, he wouldn’t.
He would continue to stare at the dancing and chattering people, occasionally scowl at the musicians and the masked artists and his guards, just to keep up his reputation as sports spoil. This ball already was going on for hours and it didn’t seem to end, instead of people going finally home, even more came in and Mathias was stuck here, overwatching the ball for danger.
“Are you a candy bowl? Because you’re looking like a snack.”
Mathias blinked and turned his head surprised at the masked stranger next to him. He was wearing a long, elegant coat and a hood with golden threads, his face hidden behind an equally golden mask. The line however, and the disability to hold his mouth, gave away the man behind the mask quickly, and Mathias crooked a smile at Flynn, who chuckled.
“Ah, there is the smile I wanted to see. For a moment I mistook you for sour candy.”
Flynn leaned forward and Mathias got lost in the beautiful ocean blue of his eyes for a single breath.
“Now you are my bewitching sweetie again.”
Before Flynn could lean forward to do something Mathias didn’t approve of in public, he turned his head away and returned to scowl over the mass of people in the hall.
“You can dress up as handsome as you want, you will never lose your… original charm.”
“Oi!” Flynn burst out laughing and poked Mathias’ arm. “You call me handsome and charming in one sentence? Must be my lucky day!”
Flynn ran his hands over the elegant fabric and Mathias couldn’t help but follow his movements. Flynn did look good in this.
“Did you really buy that just for this evening?”
“Oh, I didn’t exactly buy this.”
Mathias closed his eyes when a deep sigh left him. “Flynn…”
Flynn’s chuckle in his ears made him relax and all he wanted was to take his hand and lead him to a quiet bench to cuddle with him, but he had a reputation to uphold, so that wouldn’t be possible.
“You know, that’s not my name for tonight.”
“It isn’t?” Mathias perked a brow at him, but the corner of his lips also perked up with it.
Flynn smirked mysteriously and run his fingers over his beard. “Just call me Vampire tonight, sweetie. Because I’d love to take a bite out of you.”
The groan which left Mathias made Flynn chuckle and Mathias would never, never admit that his heart had beat faster in that moment.
“Yeah, I saw you from across the room and I was just dying to get over here. That’s when I remembered I’m already dead. As vampire.”
He sighed dramatically and Mathias opened his mouth, hesitating for only a second before he leaned over to his lover and lowered his voice. “You know, I could make your heart beat again.”
They stared into each other’s eyes and Mathias felt his heart beat getting faster. Flynn licked his lips and tilted his head with a smile but then something else turned into his eyes and he suddenly dropped on his knees. Mathias blinked, startled and surprised and also a little bit worried.
“Flynn? What’s wrong, are you-“
“Do you believe in love lasting forever? Because I’m willing to be your eternal companion.”
Mathias blinked, then froze. This never happened before – maybe once, back when he was a child, when he was standing in front of the gnoll and saw his life flashing in front of his eyes. He had frozen, just like now, unsure what to do, how to react and not understanding what was happening.
Only that Flynn was not a gnoll, he wasn’t leaping forward to try to kill him and this was a danger of a very different sort. Slowly, very slowly Mathias realised this was no joke, no pick up line, no flirt, he saw the worry and fear in Flynn’s eyes even if he tried to maintain a smile on his face and after a too long moment he saw the silver ring, placed in a small black box in front of him, waiting to be picked up.
In a blur, he looked dumbly from ring to Flynn and noticed that his jaw had dropped. Flynn swallowed after a moment, his hands quivering and Mathias realised that he probably stared at him wordlessly for longer than he had thought.
“I… I am sorry, this- this was a joke, you know me!”
Flynn got up quickly, but before he could hide the box back in his coat Mathias jumped forwards and grabbed his lover’s wrist, his heart beating up to his throat, hurting his chest and making him dizzy as if he was poisoned. Maybe he was. Poisoned by the sweetest poison the world could ever have created – love.
“I do.”
He hadn’t wanted to sound so out of breath or desperate, but he couldn’t control himself. His soul was laying bare in front of Flynn, ready to be squeezed, ready to be picked up – whatever he would do, Mathias trusted him but he was scared.
But Flynn just stared at him and then, finally, there were lips on his and arms around his shoulders and back and he never, never felt so complete as he did now. Mathias felt his knees become pudding, his skin grow cold, then hot, he felt dizzy and weak but also so very much alive.
When roaring applause rose, a twitch ran through his body and he jolted back, paling one moment, only to turn tomato-red the next.
Fuck.
The whole ball had stopped dancing and chatting, the music had stopped playing and every single eye was on him.
Fuckfuckfuck-
“This was so much better than what we had planned.”
Mathias stared into Anduin’s eyes, who grinned at them and patted Mathias’ shoulder. “Congratulations. I expect to be invited to the wedding. Consider yourself on a leave for the honeymoon, Renzik is already informed.”
“What?!”
Flynn chuckled, and he had that dumb-love-struck smile on his lips Mathias loved so much. For a second, Mathias wanted to faint, just to escape this situation.
Anduin’s eyes turned more serious and he gave Mathias a quick, but firm hug and Mathias returned it overwhelmed, before Anduin shoved him away and made a dismissing movement. “And now, I don’t want to see you anymore tonight. Everything is in control. If there is an assassination attempt, we will inform you. Flynn? Get your paranoid boyfriend back home.”
He wanted to say something about it being his job to be paranoid, but he already felt Flynn’s hand in his and he found himself not being able to speak or process anything what just happened.
“Thank you, mate. Your majesty, I mean.”
And Flynn pulled him away from his duties, from the horror of the attention in the main hall, right into the next corridor only to press his lips on Mathias’, kissing him until his knees were pudding again and whispering against his lips.
“I love you, Master Mathias Shaw, but now…” Mathias felt Flynn’s lips on his ear. “
“Want to find out what I turn into at midnight?”
Mathias put a hand firmly on Flynn’s chin to stop him from kissing and nibbling on him. He got lost in the beautiful blue of his love and then shook his head.
“I… was this real?”
“Yes. For once, I am not joking.”
Flynn looked at him seriously and there was that small smile at the corner of his lips which whenever Mathias looked at, he felt calm and relaxed, forgetting every trouble, every bad thought which was hidden in his head.
“I love you, Mathias.”
He kissed him again and Mathias just got lost in the feeling. Once he was sober tomorrow and all his love-poisonous symptoms would be gone, he would have a talk with him, as well with Anduin and try to remedy the impact this public proposal had on his reputation, but now… now he wanted to kiss him, hug him and never let go.
“I fell in blood the first time I saw you.”
Mathias had to chuckle and pressed his face into Flynn’s neck. “Stop it…”
Flynn chuckled quietly, running a hand over Mathias’ back. “Why? Just give me a sketchbook, I want to draw your blood.”
“I said stop it, it’s not getting better.”
“Well, you said yes, I think it’s working…”
Mathias chuckled and leaned back to be able to watch his lover in the eyes again, brushing gently over his cheek. “That was not because of your weird lines.”
Flynn smirked slightly. “Who says they are lines? I am serious. And now…” He kissed him again, only to bite gently into Mathias’ lip. “Now let us explore our fangs at home, alright? I think you had enough attention for today. I want you for myself.”
How could you desire to kill someone as much as to spend the rest of the life with him? Flynn made him so happy and so furious, it was frustrating.
But his hands on his body, his lips on his mouth and being pressed so tight against his chest, he felt like home.
Mathias hadn’t worn a mask tonight, but he wore a mask every day his whole life. Flynn however, did see right through that – and Mathias could be himself.
And Flynn wanted him. Just him.
Swallowing, Mathias pushed his lover gently away and shook his head. “Let’s… let’s home, yes. I… my head is feeling dizzy.”
“Must be the blood loss and I didn’t even start to-“
“Stop it.”
Flynn chuckled and when Mathias took his hand, he squeezed it hard, determined to never let it go.