It was the 1900s... okay, it wasn't. But it sure felt like it, thanks to Jeremy's masquerade party. It was some sort of celebration of their job, or something like that. Maybe it was just a celebration of not dying. At least, that's what Scott had been told. But there were a lot more people here than worked at the restaurant. It was likely Jeremy had just dragged them to one of his nerd things.
Nevertheless, Scott had gotten a bit dolled up for the occasion. He wore a black suit, a white dress shirt, and a shiny gold tie. He also had a sparkly golden mask to match the tie, secured to his face by a strap around the back of his head. Two eyeholes provided him with sight around the room, and his gaze fixated on a man in the far corner.
The man held his mask up to his face with a stick. The mask was purple, with silver glitter lining the sides and the eyeholes in an ornate and intricate design. His suit was silver also, with a purple tie. He looked... strange. But at the same time, so intriguing. And handsome...
Scott felt his feet propelling him over before his mind knew what he was doing. He adjusted his mask and took a deep breath, nervously tapping the man on the shoulder. He didn't have to say anything, the purple-masked man raised an eyebrow from beneath the decoration, smirking. "Oh, why hello there." He got a bit closer, that grin still plastered across his face. "What's your name~?"
Now, it was Scott who was getting flustered, though he had approached in the first place. "Uh... i-isn't this a masquerade? So, s-shouldn't we keep our identities secret?"
"Hmm... I suppose we should." The purple-clad man put his free arm around Scott, fingers dangling lazily over the man's shoulder. "But, would you at least humor me with some time out on the balcony? It's far too warm and far too nice out to just be cooped up in here."
Scott nodded without second thought. He exhaled softly as the man began leading him up the stairs to the top floor. This will go fine, he told himself. And if it doesn't, my face will be covered anyways.
Scott found this man to be... quite entertaining, to say the least. He actually did work at the pizzeria, though he didn't say what job he worked, and was better at holding a conversation than Scott could ever dream to be. And, he was quite a flirt. The blush refused to fade from Scott's face for the whole conversation. Suddenly, though, the man turned towards the clock in the corner. "... it's almost midnight."
Scott chuckled. "What, are you going to run away from me, Cinderella?"
"No, but... I guess not. It's just that... at midnight, we're supposed to take off our masks."
A sudden pang of fear went through Scott's body. Take off the mask? But... what if this man didn't like the way he looked? Or recognized him, but hated him? So many bad thoughts ran through his mind, but he reached out a shaky hand to hold the other's free one.
"... we'll do this together. And, i-it shouldn't matter what we look like... it's who we are that counts, isn't it?"
The man gave him a silent nod and a smile, and looked to the clock, counting down the few remaining seconds.
"Five..."
Scott loosened the strap.
"Four..."
The man squeezed Scott's hand, anxious.
"Three..."
Scott squeezed back.
"Two..."
They both got ready.
"One."
And they took off their masks.