Chapter Text
I Won't Dance
by ange
The dance floor thrived with creatures that radiated youth and darkness, every movement speaking enchantment and sensuality. The colors swirling in a sea of white, silver and varying degrees of blues that mirrored the winter season. In Harry's opinion it was all a hell bent, boring mess.
Harry sat on the sidelines, watching the aristocratic high born of the winter court dance around the villa ballroom like ethereal things were meant to do. Though he wished there was something else he could be doing right now.
He was part of this event by fluke. The host happened to be his most recent client, Kellar Hapkins, an elven courtier who recently had a precious item stolen by some greedy human. Harry did his job, finding the little bastard and returning the item as promised.
The winter court's form of payment for such a service? Inviting Harry to their Winter Solstice Masked Ball.....yeah.
Instead of getting cash in return for a job well done, Harry was forced into a rented tux and a suffocating jester's mask that didn't hide his annoyed frown. It just wasn't making Harry feel all that repaid.
But Harry wasn't immune to the beauty of the ball, he was human after all. It wasn't often you saw so many otherworldly beings in one place, the amount of magic in the air made his hair stand on end. But he wasn't stupid enough to join them.
Under no circumstances was he going to join in the actual dancing, drinking or eating. All three had a high risk factor of getting him trapped in the land of the fay. Beautiful, enchanted and immortal, the fay had an infamous mischievous streak that more often then not turned cruel to stave off their immortal boredom. One of their favorite past times was trapping mortals by enchantment. Leaving little for Harry to do without having to fear for his own safety.
So Harry was keeping himself as scarce as possible, counting how many hours still had to pass before he could head home and complain to Bob about never wanting to work for the winter court again.
"Cheer up, Mr. Dresden." A silky voice purred near Harry's ear. The wizard turned to find the party's host standing beside him in a resplendent white tailcoat with turquoise dyed bird feathers trailing down the back, a blue feathered mask covering his fay features. The long black ponytail and fake grin gave the man away as Harry's recent employer. " We went to a lot of trouble to repay you for your services. The least you can do is enjoy it."
Harry snorted, not putting on any false airs for the fay's benefit. He was tired and cranky. " Sorry Kellar, I'm not the kind of guy that dances. Afraid you went to all the trouble for nothing."
Harry saw a perfect black eyebrow rise above the blue feathers. "Oh? How unfortunate." Kellar said, Harry not liking the amused lilt to the fay's voice. "Let's see if we can fix that, shall we?"
Kellar made a come hither motion with his hand. Harry watched wearily as the gesture appeared to be a silent command to a dancing couple who bowed and parted ways almost immediately. The woman in a set of wings that were no doubt a great parody to her true ones was quickly swept away by another dancer while the man obediently came towards Kellar and his wizard guest.
Harry had to admit that in most cases, attractive men created the same reaction in him that an attractive woman did. He also found out early on that it was a lot easier to get the attractive woman into bed then the man, so he rarely pursued the same sex anymore. He wasn't even sure Bob knew about his indifference to gender when it came to attraction.
Harry let his eyes rake over the man as he came closer, trying to keep his gaze neutral. He had a fluid way of walking like every other courtier that had graced the dance floor, with a decent height, though not enough to tower over Harry. The wizard could tell that even from this distance. Still, something offset the figure from the others.
This man was dressed in decidedly darker colors then the rest of the courts theme of light blues and whites. His tailcoat was a tailored sheath of indigo blue, like dark moonlight on snow. Thick silver embroidery ran along the lapels and around the cuffs in some undistinguishable form of writing. Harry didn't take his time to evaluate the rest of the man's outfit, because the mask he was wearing begged for attention. It was more elaborate then either Harry or Kellar's and not as colorful. It depicted the the green man, the face made entirely of silver metal leaves that covered all the mans face except for his eyes and chin. It looked heavy and uncomfortable to Harry, especially since the silver work went all the way to the back of the head and only stopped at the nape of the wearers neck. But he wore the mask like it were an honored headdress to the silver rendered deity.
"Mr. Dresden, may I introduce you to a humble admirer of your work." Kellar said by way of breaking the silence that had fallen.
Harry blinked and almost took an involuntary step back when he realized the man he'd been evaluating was now right in front of him. The corners of the man's lower lip that were not hidden by the mask turned up and disappeared into it, forming an unseen smile. Harry's eyes flicked up to the ones surrounded by sharp, piercing silver and found eyes that matched the ethereal color and sharpness. So this creature was fay too.
Harry did his best to smile casually, though his heart was hammering in his chest at the scare. "Secret admirer? I thought most everyone hated me while the rest just tolerated me." He joked.
The silver masked fay's eyes crinkled at the sides in a way that shot a teasing warmth through Harry. Causing something to tug at the edge of his subconscious.
"Our friend here has been asking about you, Mr. Dresden. Would you care to retract your insistence to dance with no one tonight?" Kellar said, interrupting Harry's thoughts.
Harry didn't do tact very well. Which was why sarcasm and thinly veiled questions always worked in his favor. " Depends, is our friend going to remain nameless?" Real smooth, Harry.
The silver fay gave a small nod, his shoulder slightly following the movement like an abridged bow.
Harry glanced from the ridiculously dressed Kellar to the silver eyed stranger who waited as silently as he'd arrived for Harry to decide. And on some degree Harry felt the strange fay wanted his name left a secret for a good long while. The wizard's brow furrowed. Bob had given him strict instructions to dance with no one, repeat, no one! Now matter how beautiful, charming or sexually promising. Bob's words, not Harry's. It was easier to fight enchantment if you didn't get too close to the temptation.
But Harry had a faint inkling that not even the mighty Hrothbert of Bainbridge could say no to that silver gaze. Besides, Bob had pretty much meant the female population with the dancing thing, right? What the hell was a male fay going to offer him that was worth getting trapped in the eternal world for?
After a few minutes of silent debate on Harry's part, that both fay watched with amused patience, he finally came out of his daze and fixed the strange fay with a determined stare that left no room for arguments. " One dance."
The fay grinned and dipped into a small bow. Giving Harry no more clue to his features beneath the mask except for the pale eyelashes that swept down as his eyes closed for a moment.
"Ah, wonderful. Enjoy the ball then!" Kellar said enthusiastically. Thankfully for him, Harry was too focused on the masked fay across from him to shoot his client a snide remark in return.
Harry took the gloved hand that was offered and found himself pulled onto the dance floor. The crowd was obliging to their entrance and parted for them, making Harry nervous as they reached the floor's center. He didn't miss the glances tossed their way by the other dancers, stares that said they knew more then Harry. For all Harry knew, his dance partner could be some highly ranked courtier that drew attention no matter who he danced with. There was no need for his constant paranoia, yet.
A strangely strong arm encircled Harry's waist, a gloved hand coming to rest at his lower back. His gaze snapped back to silver orbs dancing with amusement and something unmistakably darker. Harry wasn't sure how eyes that bright could display such darkness. He was so caught up in trying to read those eyes that he didn't feel as his hands were carefully positioned. One on his partners shoulder, the other grasped in a gloved hand.
A shiver ran down Harry's back as their hands were quickly repositioned so they threaded together, fitting in a warm, intimate lock of fingers. And the dance began.
end part 1
To be continued.....