James McAvoy / Reader
- Finally! you shouted as you opened an envelope that had just been delivered by a courier service. You had bought a ticket to a charity masquerade some time ago and been waiting for the arrival of the ticket impatiently. The ticket had been rather expensive but you had figured that you never attended fancy parties and nothing that interesting ever happened to you so you had decided to just go for it this time. The money went to a good cause anyway and how your life was supposed to get any more interesting if you never went to places and met new people.
You had bought a luxurious corset and a long dress to go with it. They both had cost quite much but you thought that you wanted to do it right and you had decided to enjoy the night like there was no tomorrow… and financial bankruptcy waiting for you when in few short weeks you have to pay the credit bill. You had also gone insane and bought new shoes to go with the dress as well as a silky cloak to keep you warm during the rides to both directions; to the party as well as back home.
And then the day of the charity even came. You had arranged it free from work so you had the entire day to get ready. You slept late, took a long shower, washed yourself with an expensive shower gel and as you waited the conditioner to work its magic in your hair, you put a cleansing and relaxing facemask on your face so your skin would look exceptionally glowing.
You groaned as you were spreading the sticky thing on your face. It was getting into your lashes and you could even taste it. It tasted horrible and you decided to wash it off right away. “I am wearing a mask anyway, who gives a damn about my face?” you thought as you wiped your face with a towel. After the conditioner had been in your hair for 5 minutes, you returned to the shower and washed the remaining mask and conditioner away. It had been a perfect example of expectations versus reality.
After rinsing your hair and washing your face you put on your pajama and ate so you did not get terribly hungry in the party. You knew that they were serving small snacks, or some kind of bites, but you did not want to be munching them away like someone who had not seen food for ages. No, you wanted to be graceful and a fine lady even for one night.
Then you put your makeup on and fixed your face. You managed to smudge the liner a couple of times and almost decided not to go because you were just getting annoyed. Finally you got the liners right and decided to get dressed.
You had changed the lacing of the corset into thin elastic band so you were able to pull the strings tight and still have the capability to actually… breathe. This way you also managed to get the corset dressed by yourself. You admired your excellent posture wearing the corset and the petticoat from the mirror and you had to admit; your front looked very good as well. The thing that you liked very much was that even when you jumped, your breasts did not wobble. This you tested a couple of times in front of the mirror and then admired just how firm and “in their right places” everything was.
- Hm, I should wear a corset more often. you stated to yourself and nodded approvingly. You continued fixing your hair because your hairdo had not liked that jumping –part too much. “Let’s add some more hairspray” you thought.
- I will never wear a corset again! you groaned after an hour. It was more challenging to keep the posture than you had assumed. You had basically thought that the corset would surely do the work for you, but it was not the case. If you let your posture slip, then you were greeted with the steel bones that were sticking to your skin. through the fabric that softened the contact, sure, but you could still feel them.
After getting fully dressed in your new sleeveless dress that resembled the dresses of Victorian era, you were ready. You looked great! The entire from your makeup and hairdo to your shoes and dress matched which made you so happy. It made you actually so happy that you forgot the discomfort entirely… no, not entirely but pretty damn close. You put on your mask and gave yourself a thumbs-up as a result.
You had called a taxi and it was now waiting for you outside. You put the shoes and the cloak on, took your purse and headed out. Luckily it was a beautiful day, a warm day for autumn and if you were lucky, there would be an amazing sunset for you to admire. You knew that there was a huge garden with a maze and you had wild dreams about how wonderful it would be to be chased in a maze by someone very nice, handsome man… no, a gentleman. Today you were the lady and if you were going to allow yourself being escorted by anyone, it had to be a true gentleman. You had put too much money and time to the whole thing to settle with anything less.
The car arrived to the mansion. There were servants dressed in old-fashioned clothes opening doors and helping the ladies out from their cars. You wished you could had arrived with a horse carriage but it was beyond your budget.
You looked around when you walked up the stairs and saw plenty of candles, flowers and people dressed in breathtaking clothes. It made you hope that you looked even half as good and could wear your dress with the dignity that it deserved. You left your cloak to the cloakroom and walked forward. Single ladies were escorted to the main hall by the servants that looked more like butlers or other higher ranking employees.
There were people serving sparkling wine and you grabbed a glass immediately when a tray sailed past you because you figured that one or two glasses of wine was a good encouragement. Those glasses were very small after all so even if you had three, it was still okay. The wine was included in the ticket price so you wanted to enjoy the whole experience… also the small snack-bites.
After the first hour you still had not been speaking or dancing with anyone. You were enjoying the end of your second glass when there was someone trying to catch your attention. You turned around and saw a man with black jacket that was made of velvet and it had buttons on the both sides of the front. Under that he had a light brown vest that had golden embroideries and a white shirt with ruffles under his chin. He had dark trousers and a black mask that covered the top-part of his face. Your mask was made of black lace and did not really hide anything, it just made you look mysterious.
- May I have this dance? the man asked with a Scottish accent and bowed a little as he offered you his hand. You smiled, dropped a curtsy and then took his hand.
- I’d be delighted. you answered and tried to recall all those periodic dramas that you had seen. You wanted to both look the part and also sound the part… and act the part.
The man escorted you to the dance floor and put his hand on your waist softly after bowing again. You put your hand on his shoulder and kept your other hand gracefully on his as he held it. You stumbled with your feet a couple of times but the man pretended that he did not even notice.
- I have to say that I must be the luckiest man here tonight. he states. His tone sounded almost proud or at least very pleased about the current state of things and the company that he was with.
- And why is that, Mr…
- James. My name is James. May I hear your name? he asked and spun you around once before pulling you back into his arms.
- Sure, I mean… Certainly. My name is (Y/N). you chuckled.
- Well, (Y/N)… That is a beautiful name and it suits you well. James complimented and looked deep into your eyes. The light was shining from the right angle and made his eyes sparkle like blue sapphires.
- Thank you. you said and smiled. You were happy to talk with someone who seemed so polite and playful at the same time, not forgetting the small mischievous spark in his eyes when he suddenly bent you backwards or made you spin without a warning making your heart skip a beat or two.
- May I be so bold and ask if you came here with anyone? he asked, more like whispered into your ear.
- You may and I did not. you replied and chuckled a little.
- That is a crime! he stated and pulled you tightly against himself. You got a bit surprised and caught off guard with that kind of sudden move so you burst into laughter.
- What makes you say so, James? you chuckled and smiled widely.
- You are the most gorgeous lady here tonight. he whispered into your ear. His voice was silent and soft but you could still hear the adorable accent.
- Ha-ha! you chuckled as a reaction. You were not used to such compliments.
- What? James asked and pulled a little further away to see the look on your face.
- Oh please… you said and rolled your eyes.
- I think I need to convince you about it. Very well, I like challenges. he stated and smirked at you.
You continued dancing with the man and sharing a lively, yet very formal conversation the entire time. After many songs you had to sit down because you had not used your new shoes before and although they had felt perfect and very comfortable in the shop during the test-walk, now after dancing for 40 minutes your feet started to be done.
- May I ask you a favor? you asked with a silent voice. You did not want to draw attention to yourself and to the fact that your feet were done.
- Of course.
- Could you please escort me to the nearest chairs, please? My feet-
- New shoes? James asked.
- Yes… How did you know? you asked with surprised voice.
- Isn’t that what women do? Buy shoes that look good and feel good at the shop and then overly confidently put them to a party and before the night is even half-done, their feet are practically begging for mercy.
- Uhuh? And have you met many of those women? you asked curiously.
- Some… he answered and smirked at you mysteriously.
- So you attend this kind of galas often? you asked as you tried to figure out just what kind of person this “James” was. He was a gentleman, adorably boyish and playful… social and easygoing.
- Sometimes. he answered and smiled. He walked you to the terrace and sat next to you. What you did not know was that you were actually accompanied by James McAvoy. He had seen you when you had arrived and decided that he wanted to get to know you or at least exchange a word or two… and if there was any kind of connection, or spark, he would stay around. He however did not want to reveal his identity just yet because he had noticed that many of the women and people in general were just interested about his famous-self and not necessarily about him as a normal person so this once when it was a normal thing to wear a mask, he had decided to take full advantage of it.
The sun had just set and the sky was glowing in the pastel colors as it finally faded into the darkening blue. You kept talking with James as you stared at the skies. At some point you had abandoned the formalities and were talking to him as yourself and not as a fine lady. James however kept joking in the way he normally did and although there was something very familiar about his voice, accent and the way he talked as well as his appearance you could not point out where you had seen him before. “It’s probably nothing” you thought and chuckled a little.
James enjoyed your company very much. You were being yourself and there was a spark between you. He assumed that you had no idea who he was and if you did, you did not seem to care. He sometimes just stared into your eyes and chuckled a little mischievously how it made you stumble in your words. Yes, the attraction and the chemistry were there. There was no question about it.
Those eyes. He had the bluest eyes and since they were the only thing that you could see, hence the mask, you were almost like put under their spell when he stared deep into yours with them. You knew that he was undressing you in his mind but not from clothes. He was undressing you from all the unnecessary roles that you had in your everyday life because he wanted to see what you were like when you were in the comfort of your own company or with the dearest friends.
- Would you like to walk a bit? you asked when your feet were alive, somewhat alive, again.
- I would like that. he said, stood up and gave you his arm again. You were happy to take it. You had taken off your shoes and were walking barefoot on the soft, but slightly cold grass. It was obvious that it was autumn already; the nights were cold even though the days were warm. The trees were turning yellow as well as red and there were even some leaves falling down as a wind blew from the north.
The wind made you shiver and you rubbed your arms a little. James noticed it and took off his coat, put it on your shoulders and asked if it was better now. You were completely taken aback by such gentleman-like gesture and tried to object because you did not like the idea of making the man shiver instead of you. James however ignored your objections and even rubbed your arms as a confirmation. He offered even to carry your shoes but there you drew the line. You stated that you were more than happy to carry your own sweaty shoes. James laughed and said “fine”.
After a moment you had walked to the gate where you could enter the maze. You both stood there side by side wondering the same thing “should you or should you not?”
- Tag! you exclaimed and slapped James’ arm playfully. He gave you a little headway and then shouted
- You must know already what happens when I’ll catch you?
- You mean “if”! you said and stopped behind the first corner.
- No… When! he stated.
- What happens when you’ll catch me? you asked and touched the deep green hedge with your fingertips. It felt smooth and rough under your touch. The whole situation felt very exciting, almost like you had been developing feelings for the masked man. You could not deny it, you were deeply attracted to him and even the sound of his voice was enough to cause shivers to spread and your cheeks to blush.
- I will kiss you! James declared and waited a bit nervously for your reply. He was attracted to you and curious to know what kissing you would be like.
- Haha! So why should I run? you asked and bit your lip. Your heart was beating so fast that it was basically drumming against your ribcage as it tried to break free. You tried to breathe with deep slow breaths but the corset was not allowing you to so the lack of necessary air was making your head spin even more. James chuckled. You wanted him to kiss you, it meant that you liked him. He smiled.
- That is… if you’ll survive five minutes first! he stated. He had to make it more interesting than just walking to you and kissing you. He wanted to chase you, get your adrenaline going on and then when you had gotten yourself into a dead end, he would walk to you in a calm manner and take his mask off just before kissing you. He wanted you to know who you were about to kiss so if your behavior changed, he could still back off.
- I will count to three… James said and then slowly said “one”. You squealed and started to run. “Two” he shouted. You took a couple of turns and hear the word “three” echoing in the garden. You kept running, getting deeper and deeper into the maze. After a couple of minutes you were almost passing out from the lack of air and it was completely impossible to run anymore. You were supporting yourself to a tree trunk and basically gasping for air when James found you.
- Four minutes, darling. No ki-
He said and noticed that you were not alright. He walked to you and looked deep into your eyes that were now on the verge of closing from passing out. He noticed you taking a few shaky steps and with a couple strides he was there right in front of you. He put his arm around you and supported you.
- Hey… he spoke with soft voice as he noticed you having hard time catching your breath.
- Okay, no more running for me. you said and concentrated on calming your breath down. When you finally managed to catch your breath well, you noticed finally how close James was standing. His arm was pulling you tightly against his body as he supported you. He listened to your breathing as your mouth was about at the level of his shoulder. He lifted his hand and pressed his fingers softly on your neck. You assumed that he wanted only to check your pulse.
- Yeah-yeah, I’m alrigh-
- Shhh… he said and kept caressing your neck with his fingertips. He was barely touching you but you could still feel his fingers tracing the skin of your neck, jaw and cheek so lightly. The garden was dark and silent. The sky was clear and covered with thousands and thousands of stars. The wind played gently with James’ shirts sleeves that were quite loose and also with the hem of your dress. You could feel him shivering as his lips brushed gently your cheek. The moment went on but nothing else happened.
- You’re freezing. I think we should go inside. you said and broke the moment. You wanted to kiss that charming stranger but then again you were worried that if you did, you would end up falling with the guy. It was just the combination of everything; the music and dancing, the clothes and wine, the dark garden… the handsome stranger who somehow felt so familiar… but whose company you had enjoyed enormously not caring about who he was; he could had been the shopkeeper of the corner store nearby but it would not had made any different… or the trashman… a politician that you had seen on the news.
The moment however did not proceed and nothing happened. You had enjoyed being close to the stranger but since he was not going to kiss you after all and you had no courage to take the step either, you just stepped back. You took the jacket off your shoulders and gave it back to James, put the shoes on and smiled at the man who then smiled back at you.
- Why didn’t you kiss me? James asked with a puzzled, slightly surprised tone.
- I could ask you the same thing. you answered.
- I wanted to… I mean the setting is wonderful… you are wonderful… he described with the soft tone.
- What stopped you then? you asked. You wished you could see his face so you could read his expressions but did not dare to ask him to take it off. It was a masquerade after all and it was not midnight yet. The invitation had said that when the clock struck midnight, everyone were supposed to take off their masks and reveal their true identities, but not before.
James did not answer. He did not know if he could take off his mask, walk to you and kiss you or would he just let you walk away. You smiled and looked away. Then you turned and started to walk back to the terrace. You found your way out from the maze pretty easily. When you had reached to the garden that was illuminated beautifully with lights, you heard James running behind you.
You kept walking forward because you were shivering quite much without James’ jacket. Suddenly you felt a hand grabbing your arm gently, stopping you and then gently turning you to face him. The man was not wearing the mask anymore and you recognized him now. He waited, staring at you from the close distance, for the expression on your face to change. Instead of saying anything, you reached to open the knot of your mask and took it away as well.
- I would like to kiss you now, if that is still alright with you. he said with a soft tone and he sounded a little nervous even. You stared into the blue depths of his eyes and smiled a little. You leaned a little bit closer and closed your eyes. You got on your tippy-toes and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. Your lips felt almost burning hot against the cool skin of his cheek and the feeling made him smile. He could not point out what was the thing that made his knees weak about your gesture, but it was very sincere and told him more about your character than what you could had told him with words. He stayed close and took your hand. He tangled his fingers with yours and turned his head a bit. He pressed his forehead against yours and smiled widely.
Suddenly there were people at the terrace. They were having fun and laughing very loudly. You both knew that it was time to go inside so you put your masks back on and walked back in, hand in hand.