Chapter Text
Mel Medarda was a vision in gold. You always thought so. But seeing her now, years later, you understood. Gold was made for her, not the other way around.
She sipped her champagne with a knowing elegance, stationed at the quiet balcony. The harp’s melodies faded to a whisper. At least, that’s what it felt like as her presence overwhelmed your senses. A golden open-backed gown hugged her slender figure. You steeled yourself, adjusting your elegant navy mask and perching on the railing beside her. She quirks an eyebrow, before training her nonchalant gaze back on the horizon. What a goddess.
“Miss Medarda, is it?” you start.
Of course, this was far from the first time she’d been flirted with at a gala, but you hoped to set yourself apart. You were on a mission, after all. She eyed your simple blues and silvers, before taking in your half-obscured face. Your expression betrayed no sign of nerves, although you hoped desperately this would work in your favor.
“It is,” she stated simply. Typically, such a brief response would be interpreted as a shutdown, but you were determined.
“You’re bored,” you stated a matter-of-factly. You smirked. A glint in her eye showed intrigue. You understood it to be interest, though, she was experiencing something closer to familiarity. You continued, “Miss Medarda, you haven’t danced this whole night”.
She hummed to herself, looking back at the horizon. “Am I to assume you intend to change that?” her eyelid flickered.
“Quite the opposite,” you begun. “The music is drab and the night is young, and I just so happen to know an excellent route through the gardens and a lovely place to watch the stars. No expectations, no strings attached. I want to exceed your expectations,” you concluded.
“And what do I get out of this?”, she smirked, turning to face you for the first time. “You expect me to allow a nameless stranger to whisk me away with no incentive?” she asked knowingly. “Why should I entertain you?”.
“You’re intrigued, you just don’t trust me,” you surmised. Your brash confidence made her want to dismantle it. And hell, if you were less than you promised, she certainly would.
“You’ve given me no reason to trust you,” she pointed out.
You hummed to yourself before an idea came to you. From your pocket, you drew your keys, offering them out to her.
“What if I trust you with something of mine? My keys for your time?” you mused. For the first time in years, you had the privilege of hearing her laugh. You missed that laugh.
“Anything worthwhile should involve ample risk,” she took your keys. “You whisk me away for a night of entertainment. Should I find my time wasted, you’ll find your keys in a rosebush. If you’ll take such a gamble, I’ll allow you my time”.
Wasting no time, you hop off the railing to stand, holding out a gloved hand for her to take. “Alright. My keys for your time,” you smirk. She places her well-manicured hand in yours.
So, you whisk her away. The two of you stroll the hidden paths of the gardens, and you make her laugh. There’s something so familiar about you to her. Hours go by and she’s lost track of time. By the end of the night, you find yourselves standing in a clearing, your blue blazer resting on her shoulders. You both look up at the night sky. A clear view of the stars, just as promised.
“You kept your word,” she stated, still gazing at the stars. “I’m impressed”.
You looked back at the powerful woman. Your smirk faded to a fond smile. “I’m glad,” you mumbled.
Her goldish green eyes glanced at you. “I’m changing the terms of our arrangement,” she began. “Your keys for your name”.
“Well, that’s just not fair, changing your terms so late into the night-”
She cut off your playful argument. “Your keys for your name!”, she reaffirmed, jingling your keys in the air. You sigh playfully, with a smile.
“May I negotiate?”.
“You have the floor,” she smirked.
“If you only want me for the night, I’ll leave a stranger. But only if you want to see me again, I’ll tell you my name”.
There was a paused before she spoke again. “Alright, you have earned my intrigue. Your keys, your name, my time”. She places your keys back in your gloved palm, her touch lingering for a moment.
You pushed your mask up to your forehead. “It’s Y/N,” you smirked. She gasped.
“Oh my gods- you twit!”. In her shock and excitement, she smacked your arm playfully. “You- you- why on earth didn’t you tell me? Where have you been, Y/N?!”. It had been years too long. You had been close friends as teenagers, but time and circumstance took you away from each other.
“Well I can always count on Mel for a warm welcome-”, she cut you off by throwing her arms around you in a quick, nostalgic embrace. You reciprocated enthusiastically.
“Why didn’t you just tell me it was you?”, she looked up at you with those striking emerald eyes.
“I didn’t want to win you over with nostalgia… I wanted to do it fairly,” you mumbled, growing shy for the first time that night. She supposed the mask supplemented your confidence, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Nostalgia? It’s not nostalgia, I never stopped caring about you,” she had a light grip on your dress shirt.
You were speechless for a moment. She had that effect about her. Your plan- your hope was to win her over again. You had no idea what your step two was supposed to be. You gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment.
“Mel, I want to do this again. Er- I… I want to see you again,” you spoke sheepishly. She placed her hand on your hip. God, she’d be the death of you.
“I won’t have you drift away again,” she affirmed. “Not again,” she whispered. Her free hand found itself wrapped around your tie. Your face felt hot.
“I suppose you should… keep a firm hold on me, then,” you mumbled, completely losing your words as her glossed lips traveled inches away from yours. Your gaze flicked from her lips to her eyes, over and over, until she spoke, pulling away suddenly.
“I’m changing the terms of our agreement. Again,” she asserted. “I’ll give you your keys, should you take me to the door they belong to”. You sputtered, before gathering yourself.
“You’re such a finicky negotiator!”.
“Take it or leave it”.
“Okay,” you relented, without much resistance. “I’ll take you there. My name, your time, my keys, my place”.