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A masquerade ball was what could only be called as the highlight of the season for many. A most splendid affair, wrapped in the allure of the anonymity that the masks provided. It was an occasion to be taken seriously, with some wearing outfits that caused gasps and whispers, only for the murmurs to disappear at the end of the night.
It was a time for laughter, a time for fun, and a time for intrigue.
And tonight, it was Bonde's job to utilise that mysteriousness to conduct an investigation on a nobleman by the name of Lord Ivan Thomas who had been up to no good.
It was rare that he dressed up more femininely these days. Irene Adler's untimely demise had provided him with the perfect opportunity to rise from the ashes as a man, and the cases he worked on often favoured men as opposed to women.
Seduction was pumping in the veins of the evening however, so there he was, dressed head to toe in the most elaborate outfit that the government could provide, integrated with enough of Von Herder's technology to deal with any…unfortunate complications that could possibly arise.
He'd collaborated with the engineer to create a number of accessories that seemed ordinary, but were in fact highly functional. A pearl necklace that doubled as a series of smoke bombs. Small communication devices woven into the long, luxurious earrings he wore. Perfectly cut crystals expertly stitched onto his emerald green dress that could easily be broken off to reveal a pocket knife, sleeping powder, or any myriad of other inventions.
Bonde swiped a glass of champagne from a passing waiter as he watched the crowd. Von Herder's voice crackled in his ear. "Bonde. No blockages at the door, I presume?"
Bonde began to walk towards the center of the ballroom. Some said that it was better to observe from the fringes of the room, but Bonde had always found that he was able to get acquainted with a situation much faster when he was in the thick of it.
"No, no issues," he murmured as he moved to the center of the floor, casting his eyes around the room. He could see Moneypenny and Fred across the room, acting as servers for the evening, bringing around various hors d'oeuvres and drinks respectively. Moran was acting as security, seeing who was coming in and out the entire evening.
William and Sherlock were at 221B Baker street, working on examining the case further. Louis was somewhere in the room, but was out of sight for now.
Bonde weaved through the crowd skillfully, sipping on champagne as he went. It was almost comedic in a way, that the British government was the one paying for him to get all done up for the evening. Even his lipstick and blush had been paid for out of the MI6 budget.
"The target's in sight," Bonde whispered into the receiver as he approached. The nobleman was standing amidst a large crowd of people, many of whom seemed to be hanging onto his every word - one woman even was clinging onto his arm.
The sound of the wealthy's laughter grated on Bonde's nerves as he slid gracefully into the congregation. The long blonde hair of the wig he wore brushed against his neck as he (politely, in a socially acceptable manner) jockeyed for a position to hear the man speak.
"-and then I said to him, wouldn't it be wonderful if we all had beetroots for lunch!" The crows laughed uproariously, some doubling over. Bonde laughed as well, looking around to see who exactly was particularly close to the man.
The woman on his arm was looking at the man like he was the sun on Earth. Vapid, though. Airheaded. A laugh with no substance behind it. Not colluding with the man, then. A couple of other men in the crowd, though. Yes, yes, they could be. They had that glint in their eyes that only can be seen with men that have everything that they want, and yet hunger for more.
As Bonde's eyes scanned the group though, he made eye contact with the lord. The man smirked, undressing Bonde with his eyes, raising a hand to crook a finger towards himself. "Come," the gesture said.
Bonde stepped forward, the group near falling silent as he approached. The dress swished softly around him, people parting as he neared like Moses parting the red sea.
The man thrust the woman clinging onto him off his arm with a disgusted look, looking to Bonde with a predatory look on his face. He took Bonde's hand as he approached, gently bending down to kiss it.
"My goodness. A most alluring lady of such caliber I have never seen. May I inquire as to…what brings you here this evening?" Bonde could tell that the man had been going to ask what his name was, but due to the conventions of a masquerade, he was unable to do so. Bonde had to bite back a smile. Louis had chosen the point to strike very well.
"Ah, the good company and conversation that such an evening like this provides would give anyone the desire to come. Why, good sir, did you have…other ideas in mind?" The crowd chuckled at the comment, but one firm look from the lord silenced any sort of noise.
"No, no, just curious, good lady. How about we…take a promenade around the room?" Bonde smiled and took the man's proffered arm. They left the crowd behind them as they started to meander around the room.
Bonde briefly locked eyes with Fred, who was serving drinks to an older couple. With one hand Fred mimed turning off the radio on his ear. Bonde quickly reached up and did just that, not wanting the target to hear Von Herder's voice.
"It is a wonderful occasion, is it not?" Bonde said, turning to look at the man. He nodded with one arched brow. "You seemed curious in me, back in the mob." "Mob?" Bonde asked, ignoring the first part of the comment. "Yes, mob. Oh, come now. I see you. You're a woman with a brain. Many men wouldn't like that, but I do." He leant in close to whisper that last comment into Bonde's ear, so close that Bonde was able to properly smell that man's cologne.
As they continued to walk, Bonde's head turned slightly to survey the room. The crowd that had been surrounding the man had dispersed into the nooks and crannies. He caught a glimpse of blond hair and a blue mask covering where glasses where normally be talking with a young brunette who was looking up at him adoringly.
A strange twinge of jealousy burrowed its way into Bonde's heart. The brunette girl was an associate with the man that Bonde was currently promenading with, making it a logical outcome that Louis would want to talk to her and see if he could find out any sort of information.
Still though.
The way that Louis leaned down slightly to whisper something in her ear, only for the woman to let out a shocked laugh, quickly covering her mouth in surprise before dissolving into giggles as Louis leaned back annoyed Bonde.
Hmm. Perhaps he'd have to see if he could get some time alone with Louis before they headed back to debrief on the mission.
Lord Thomas was seemingly observing this brief lapse in concentration on Bonde's part from whatever the Lord had been talking about. "A scorned lover?" he asked with a grin. Bonde's attention was quickly brought back to the task at hand. "Ah, not at all!" he said, smoothing down the skirt of the dress with his free hand. "Just…looking out at the beautiful scene, is all. Young love is such a wonderful thing."
Lord Thomas hummed." Speaking of young love. My dear…would you care to dance?" he said with a smile. Bonde froze. A dance proposal so suddenly was unconventional, nigh impolite. What the man really wanted was not a spin around the dance floor. It was to get Bonde alone, unable to get away. At least when they'd been promenading Bonde had been able to slip away if he'd desired.
On the dance floor however, regardless of whether he was masked or not, it was a significant social faux pas. The mission would fail, especially since he was dressed as a woman.
Bonde opened his mouth, the world seeming to move in slow motion as he started to nod his head.
"Ah! There you are," a familiar voice called out. Both Bonde's and Thomas' heads spun around. Louis was approaching them with that familiar gait of his that Bonde so knew and so loved.
Lord Thomas scowled slightly before smoothing his face into a polite smile. "Good fellow, forgive me, I am unable to recognise your face under the mask." Louis waved him off with a laugh.
Louis didn't volunteer his name for Lord Thomas, much to the man's chagrin. "I'm so sorry to interrupt," Louis continued. "But I was wondering if I could steal away this lovely lady for a spell." Lord Thomas stammered and blustered, clearly unaccustomed to being told the state of affairs.
Louis offered his arm to Bonde, the latter twisting his arm out of Lord Thomas' and into Louis'.
The two of them swept away, leaving the sputtering Lord in the dust. "Thank you," Bonde whispered as they approached the center of the room. Louis' hand shifted slightly to gently thumb over Bonde's arm. "No problem."
The orchestra in the near center of the room struck up a jaunty tune, catching them both off guard. Couples started to flock from all over the room to the dance floor, taking their positions.
Bonde looked back towards where Lord Thomas was standing, fuming, where they'd left him. He leaned in again to Louis. "While the rescue was…needed, doesn't this ruin the mission? We can't get any more information out of him." Louis shook his head. "No. The young lady I was conversing with earlier gave me more than enough information for us to later investigate."
Louis blinked, a little surprised, and then nodded. "Good. Alright then." Louis chuckled as the two of them looked at where couples were beginning to dance. "What's so funny?" Bonde asked.
"You knew exactly which woman I was talking about. You didn't inquire as to who she was." Louis nudged Bonde slightly with his hip. Bonde huffed. "I was keeping an eye out to ensure that the head of-" he lowered his voice and looked around before continuing. "-MI6 wasn't in any danger of being…compromised."
Louis snorted. "As if I would allow myself to be influenced by such a person. Besides, I don't find myself partial to brunettes." Bonde fully turned to look at him. "Oh? Blondes more your thing?" he teased.
Louis slowly removed his arm from Bonde's and gently rested his hand on Bonde's nape. "I do find myself more partial to those, yes. Though I must admit, I do prefer more…authenticity, in regards to hair, as opposed to things such as this." He leaned in a little closer. "When we get back to headquarters, maybe allow me to see you, hmm?"
Bonde was speechless. Louis? Quiet Louis? To be fair, he had gotten a little bolder. His heart fluttered as he stood there, gaping slightly.
His mouth only managed to shut itself when Fred approached them. "We've got everything we need," the boy quietly said. Louis nodded, his flirtiness slipping away and authority replacing it. "Then let's move. Have the carriages been called?" Fred nodded. "Yes. The more elaborate one for you and…" he gestured at Bonde. "And one for everyone else who is acting as a servant this evening." Louis removed his arm from Bonde's. "Great. Time for the final stage of the plan."
— — —
The final stage of the plan involved each of the different members of MI6 slipping out of the masquerade ball. Bonde was the first to go, reaching the carriage for him and Louis safely. He sat there for ten minutes, contemplating everything that had transpired.
Louis liked him. That much was obvious. No matter what the man said, he had put the mission at risk in his interruption of Lord Thomas' proposal to dance.
The sound of the carriage door opening snapped Bonde out of his thoughts. Louis knocked against the roof of the carriage and they were off with a trot.
Louis sat opposite Bonde in the carriage, running a hand through his hair to sweep it back from his face.
Neither of them said anything as the carriage trundled on. It was only as the carriage began to slow, finally arriving at the lodgings that had been arranged for them to spend the night at before returning to the headquarters the next day (in order to throw off any potential stalkers - an unlikely risk, but better to be safe rather than sorry) that Louis said anything.
"I hope that I didn't make you uncomfortable back there," he said softly. Bonde immediately shook his head. "No, no, I wasn't uncomfortable at all. Please don't feel bad." Louis nodded, shuffling his feet on the floor of the carriage as it ground to a stop. "Well, I suppose I'll be heading in then."
Bonde looked at him for a long moment and sighed, standing up as much as he could in the limited space that the carriage provided and sat down next to Louis. Louis looked away shyly, only for Bonde to gently cup his face and bring it back to look at him.
"Where's that bravado gone, hm?" Bonde asked with a smile. Louis rolled his eyes, a faint blush appearing across his cheeks.
"Can I kiss you?" Bonde asked.
The question was sudden, but not unexpected. Despite that, Louis' eyes grew wide and he nodded with a small squeak.
Bonde let out a gentle laugh and brought their faces together. The kiss wasn't electrifying, or world shattering, or anything of the sort. It didn't set either of their hearts ablaze. But it was warm, soft. Bonde thought, distantly, in the back of his mind, that Louis' lips were softer than every other man's that he'd ever kissed.
Louis gained a little more confidence as they kissed - Bonde could tell, because the man stopped kissing like Bonde was made of glass and instead started kissing like he was a grown adult man.
Louis slowly slipped a hand into Bonde's hair, tugging at it slightly, before breaking the kiss off with a frown. Bonde cocked his head. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I want to be able to see you. Not the outfit." Louis said. Bonde grinned. "Shall we go inside then?"
Louis' blush deepened even more, but he nodded. He scrambled to get out of the carriage and hold the door open for Bonde.
The latter exited with a laugh as he stepped out of the carriage, pressing a chaste kiss to Louis' lips.