Lol I feel like I write a lot of gang aus with Michael
Not that I'm complaining
800 follower celebration request!
Hope ya like it :) (I wasn't sure what to do with "mysterious" so I chose masked masquerade mystery lover)
Michael
It wasn't often that you got called to Michael's "home office". In fact, you were usually encouraged to stay away from the room. The last time you'd entered had been when Michael had told you he was pulling you out of school for security reasons and your entire universe contracted severely until it was only as big as his estate.
It was hard to complain about living in a mansion with a brother who loved you, but sometimes it felt more like a gilded cage. Nothing ever changed and you wondered if your whole life would be spent like how it had been thus far, safe but secluded. Nobody to talk to but the staff, Michael, his fiancé Crystal, his right hand man Luke and Luke's live-in girlfriend Sierra. Most of the time they were busy anyway with "work" and modeling and music and you were left to read or watch Netflix or sleep. It was just so dull.
So this clear change in your regularly scheduled program made you irrationally excited. You tore down the halls, probably frightening Andy, Michael's personal assistant who had been sent to get you, half to death. You made it to the office in record time and burst through the doors without anyone trying to stop you.
Michael looked up from his seat and Luke pushed himself off of the wall he had been leaning on.
"A new record," Luke nodded, looking rather impressed as he glanced at his watch.
"Not like you were interrupting anything, had nothing better to do than rush," you walked forward, slightly out of breath, and collapsed into one of the chairs across from the massive wooden desk.
Michael pursed his lips and nodded, he was painfully aware of how limited you were due to circumstances out of your control. He knew it wasn't fair to you, and he wanted to do something to make it up to you as well as he could.
Luke crossed the room and rested his hand on his friend's shoulder. The two of them had been best friends as long as he could remember and you were practically his sister as well. He knew how guilty Michael felt and it had been his idea.
"About that," Luke smiled broadly and looked down at his friend.
"You're eighteenth birthday is in a few weeks and we were thinking that since it's been a while since you've had a proper birthday party-" he glanced up at Luke to let him finish.
You were on the edge of your seat not even bothering to try to hide your overwhelming excitement. No matter what Luke was about to say you were sure to be overjoyed.
"-we thought that this year we would let you do whatever you want, we want you to have the best eighteenth that you possibly can," Luke finished.
Your jaw dropped. You had not been expecting that at all. Immediately your mind began to soar with all of the infinite possibilities of what you could have because finally it was happening. "I want a masquerade," you quickly decided.
There was something so mysterious and enthralling about masks and gowns and anonymity. You could imagine it already, soft lighting and light music, a room full of masked faces slowly drifting, dancing around with each other. You in the middle, the center of attention in a silver mask shaped like butterfly wings that would cover the top half of your face and a shimmery dress and sparkling heels so you could look Luke in the eyes. You'd dance the night away with whoever was nearby, moving from person to person, chatting, laughing. Everything you haven't been able to do for the last year that you've been stuck up in the mansion alone.
Michael paled slightly at your choice but nodded, "masks. That will make security... interesting."
"I think it sounds like fun," Luke genuinely smiled, "Andy should be able to help you plan it, along with Crystal and Sierra since we all know how much they love to party."
"Are we having it here?" You asked, immediately thinking about how the ballroom could be done up to fit your image of the perfect birthday. Honestly, the estate was beautiful and it would not upset you at all to be able to have your party at home, especially if it put Michael at ease.
Your brother let out a deep breath, "you don't have to if you don't want to, but if everyone's going to be wearing masks I would certainly prefer to have it somewhere I know I can protect you and monitor appropriately."
"Of course Mikey, I'd love to have it here and I'm sure that'll make Luke happy as well. I want you to have fun though, that's got to be your present to me, to have fun and not spend the whole night worrying." You got up and walked around the desk to give both of the men tight hugs, "thank you both so much! This is exactly what I wanted you're the best brothers a girl could ask for!"
"We just want it to be special for you Y/N," Luke hugged you back fiercely.
"You've grown into a young woman and we can't keep treating you like a child," Michael sighed, "it seems like just yesterday you were showing me the pictures you colored in school."
"I still color pictures you know, now they're just more academic, like cells n' stuff. Nothing worth hanging on the refrigerator," you shrugged and tackled your brother into a hug. "Stop acting like you're so old, you've only got five years on me you know."
He chuckled and caught you, "five years is an awful lot when you're not even eighteen."
"If you say so," you agreed and pulled back. "If you both would excuse me, I have a party to begin planning."
"You're excused," they both quickly said.
With that, you went running down the halls, pulling out your phone along the way. You only had seven numbers in your phone, Michael, Andy, Luke, Crystal, Sierra, your parent's and your best friend from when you still went to high school, Ashton. Michael had locked it so it wouldn't work with anyone else, and you were strictly not allowed to have any sort of social media accounts all in the name of security. You were alright with it since it meant you could have a phone and talk to whoever you really needed whenever you needed to. In this case, you had four people in mind.
To: Andy📸, Sierra💕, Crystal💖, Ashton🤟🏻
Guess who's getting a birthday party this year?! 🤔🤔🤔
Their responses were immediate
Crystal💖
Yes!!! I knew they would do it
Sierra💕
Let the party planning commence
Andy📸
Why are you texting me I'm 20 feet away from you?
Ashton🤟🏻
I better be invited 😤
Y/N
No dumbass, I'm telling you about a party you can't attend
Crystal💖
Sierra and I will be there in five minutes, get ready!
Less than five minutes later Crystal and Sierra burst through the front doors, smiling when they saw you and running forward to greet you.
"Y/N you can't believe how excited we are! You deserve to let loose and enjoy your eighteenth," Crystal hugged you tightly.
Sierra nodded, "we're going to make sure everything is absolutely perfect!"
"I thought I heard your voice babe, why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Your brother called from down the main hall. You all turned to look and saw both him and Luke standing there, looking slightly confused.
"Sorry babe, came over to help Y/N party plan," Crystal smiled and shrugged.
Michael just rolled his eyes dramatically, "don't tell me you like her more than me?"
"Sisters before misters I always say," Sierra agreed.
Your brother scoffed, "she's only going to be your sister because I'm her mister ya know."
"Shhhhh."
...
You spent the next three weeks planning your party down to the smallest detail. You watched as slowly, but surely, the banquet hall of the mansion was changed to fit your wants. Soft drapery hanging from the lights that seemed to make the room glow, your favorite party snacks catered and huge tables set up along part of the back wall to accommodate all the food. The doors to the backyard were to be opened and the gardens would be strung with twinkling lights that would give it a soft and charming atmosphere. A band was chosen to come in and play music, the dance floor was polished and made shiny. Most importantly though, you got to design your dress and mask and have them made for you.
They arrived the morning of your party and you couldn't be more excited. They were both silver, but when the mask caught the light it reflected back purple and green like an iridescent butterfly would. The wings stretched up past your face and the thorax covered your nose with the head on your forehead. Two jewel-tipped antenna curled out of the top of the head of the butterfly giving you the impression of a crown and the wings made it seem like it was just ready to take flight. Your dress was also a soft silver and flowed around softly pooling at your feet. The fabric was silver but not shiny, and when you moved it showed it's purple undertones. Even your shoes fit your outfit, not so tall as to restrict your movement but enough to give you a little boost and make you feel more impressive. You couldn't be more excited for your big day. All of your former friends were invited and you told Michael to invite as many people as he liked as well, you wanted a big party and you didn't have as many social connections as you used to.
You were just unboxing them when Sierra and Crystal came in, their own outfits had arrived. Sierra had the mask of a cat and Crystal was a rabbit.
"Oh Y/N," Crystal had helped you design your mask and dress but she hadn't seen it in person until then either. Her jaw dropped and she gently reached out to touch it, "it's beautiful."
"You're going to look amazing," Sierra agreed, "let's get you ready!"
...
Four hours later guests started arriving, and an hour after that it was your turn to make your entrance. You carefully walked down the stairs from your room to the ground level, and was surprised when you saw someone standing there to walk you in.
"Y/N? Whoa." You clearly recognized Ashton's voice behind the hawk mask and pulled him into a hug.
"Ashton!" You said happily. You hadn't seen your best friend in too long.
"You look, wow, beautiful," he complimented you, and you knew it was sincere.
"Thanks Ash, you clean up pretty well yourself," you giggled and took his arm, "have you been working out?!" You marveled and squeezed his bicep.
"Y/NNNN," he sounded embarrassed.
"Okay okay, let's go," the two of you walked forward to the doors of the ballroom. You could already hear the music and soft chatter of the guests and it made your heart soar in a way you didn't know was possible.
Security standing outside the doors nodded at you and opened them, welcoming you into the most exciting night of your life so far.
"Everyone please turn your attention to the entrance where the birthday girl Y/N Clifford has just arrived," the front man of the band introduced you.
Over a hundred masked faces turned your way and began to clap politely. You were glad they couldn't see you blush as you let Ashton lead you in and you waved to everyone you could. The two of you walked to the edge of the dance floor where Michael was standing, covered face covered by a gold plated wolf mask. Luke was as always next to him, in a matching silver one. Crystal and Sierra were on their arms and they both clapped louder when they saw you.
"Y/N, you look beautiful," Michael sounded rather choked up.
"You're all grown up!" Luke echoed.
"Thank you both," you let go of Ashton to hug them again, "for everything."
"You deserve it Y/N," Michael whispered in your ear.
"Now go enjoy it," Luke ushered you into the mass of dancing bodies and you were immediately carried away into the crowd.
Ashton found his way to your side and the two of you danced until your feet were so sore you had to abandon your shoes.
"Ashton," You tugged on his jacket sleeve to get his attention. His eyes had been glued to a mouse masked girl for the last five minutes. You didn't really mind, you wanted some fresh air anyway.
"Hm?" He gave you his attention right away.
"I'm going to go take my shoes off and get some fresh air," you let go of him and stepped back, "you go talk to her," you pointed at the girl he'd been oogling.
"Yes ma'am," he saluted.
You rolled your eyes and picked your way out of the dance floor. You quickly stepped out of your shoes and picked them up. Looking back out into the mass of people you could see Michael and Crystal slow dancing, completely lost in each other, and Sierra and Luke laughing so hard you were worried they'd fall over. It seemed like everyone was having a good time. You stashed your shoes under the dessert table and grabbed a piece of cake to take with you outside.
There weren't very many people out that you could see, the lighting was low since the sun went down and most people preferred to be inside where the party was. There were only a few stragglers and while a few nodded at you in recognition nobody bothered you as you relaxed your feet in the cool grass. The moon was full and the air was crisp but not too cold, making you smile as you picked your way further back toward the roses. The rose garden had your favorite comfortable bench that would be the perfect place to sit and enjoy your snack and rest your feet before going back inside.
Only, much to your surprise, there was already someone on your bench when you reached it. It seemed to be a man with a lion's mask on. You hovered unsurely. He wasn't anyone you recognized in the black suit with the caramel hands and dark curly hair. This must've been one of the people Michael invited.
"Don't let me stop you, come take a seat there's plenty of room," he spoke so suddenly you couldn't help but flinch. But his voice was inviting and he scooted over to give you more room, so you smiled and moved to sit down next to him.
"I'm sorry, this is just my favorite spot," you apologized as you took a seat.
"I can see why, it's beautiful, roses are my favorite flower," he looked at you as he spoke and you could see his warm brown eyes through the holes of his mask. You were mildly surprised to see that unlike what you'd assumed, his mask was not of a snarling lion but of one with a calm face, and almost regal features. It seemed to make him exude power and confidence and you were intrigued.
"Mine too. I'm Y/N, I'm not sure we've met," you laughed lightly. It was hard to tell given his whole face was covered except for his eyes.
"I know who you are, and no, we haven't met," he relaxed back into the bench and let his arm rest behind your shoulders, bringing him closer to you.
You were unafraid, he seemed kind and nothing bad could happen with the amount of security at the party, "You're one of Michael's friends then?"
It was his turn to laugh, "something like that yes."
His eyes were drawn to the edges of your mask and his other hand came up to gently trace them, barely edging against your skin, "so why aren't you enjoying your own party my beautiful butterfly?"
Your voice seemed to be caught in your throat as he got closer, "I- I am. I just, wanted some fresh air."
"And cake?" He pulled back and gestured down to the plate in your lap.
You flushed, "well yeah, who doesn't like birthday cake."
The stranger who was yet to tell you his name laughed loudly, "you have me there." He reached down and took the plate, "allow me." He cut off a piece with the fork and then held it up to your lips. You were completely dumbfounded by the man's desire to feed you, but gave in and opened your mouth, allowing him to guide the fork in before closing your lips back around it and eating the bite.
You couldn't help but groan. It was your favorite flavor and tasted better than you remembered.
"That good eh?" He laughed.
You nodded, "you should try some," you urged.
"Mmm," he considered it briefly, "maybe later."
Before you could insist he was feeding you again and well, you couldn't refuse cake, so you just let him feed you the whole piece, bite by bite. By the end, you'd scooted so close to him you were practically on his lap and the arm that had been draped behind your shoulders was wrapped around your waist.
"Let's dance, yeah?" He asked, setting the plate on the ground and pulling you up to your feet as he stood.
You felt like you were on cloud nine, spending time with the handsome stranger. Dancing couldn't have sounded better. "Yeah."
So he guided you back inside and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, tucking your face as well as you could into the crook of his neck as both of his arms encircled your waist. The two of you swayed together for the next few songs and you'd never quite felt that way before. He smelled amazing, was warm and kept whispering jokes in your ear to make you laugh and tickling your sides to make you squirm in his soft hold. He clearly knew how to dance and was dressed impeccably. The only thing you were missing was his name.
By the end of the third song, you were just plucking up the courage to disturb the happy moment and ask him when-
"Y/N!" Michael screamed from across the room.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Luke screamed and the whole room dissolved into chaos. Your handsome stranger was gone in an instant, faster than he had arrived and the dance floor erupted into chaos as security went charging in to get you. Ashton was suddenly there, supporting you when you felt like falling and quickly passing you over to your bodyguards who immediately surrounded you. The room was drained of all but Luke, Ashton, Michael, Sierra, Crystal and security in less than five minutes and you were so frightened you just stood there shaking and hugging yourself as suddenly everything felt cold. Michael was first past the guards to you and had already shed his mask, pulling you to his chest and just holding you there. He was breathing hard and you knew he was frightened.
"M-M-Michael?" You quietly pleaded. What was happening? What was wrong?
"It's alright. You're alright," he said firmly, making himself believe it.
You could hear Luke barking orders to the guards, making them close all the doors and secure the grounds.
"Who was he?" You asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Crystal was there next, calming both you and Michael as she untied your mask and let it gently fall to the floor, pulling some of the pins out of your hair. "He's-"
"No." Michael said firmly, "Y/N I don't know what he told you but he was lying. He was not invited and if you ever see him again tell your guards because he is not your friend."
"He seemed-" you protested weakly.
"He was lying." Michael snarled and pulled you closer, "that's what he does."
"Sir," another security guard came jogging in, "we've secured the estate but we found this in the rose garden." He held up the lion mask that the stranger had been wearing.
Luke frowned and took it, throwing it to the ground and kicking it away. "Any sign of him?" He asked gruffly.
"No sir, no sign of him anywhere on the estate," the guard said solemnly.
"How the hell did he get here in the first place?" Michael demanded, beginning to shake.
"Babe," Crystal touched his arm gently and then looked down at you.
Michael let go, finally allowing you to suck in a deep breath but it didn't make you feel any better. You hadn't realized it but you'd been silently crying, your makeup was probably smeared all over your face and your breathing was ragged and uneven.
Your brother's expression softened slightly, but Crystal just shook her head and wound one of your arms over her shoulders to support you. She kicked off her heels as Sierra quickly came over and did the same to the other side. They calmed you by gently murmuring soothing words in your ears, quieting your cries as they took you back to your room. When you were there Sierra went to draw you a bath as Crystal took the rest of the pins from your hair and a makeup wipe to your face.
"It'll be okay Y/N, the boys were just scared but he's gone now," she said comfortingly.
"Who was he?" Your voice cracked as you looked up at her and you could see her fighting herself internally over what to tell you.
"His name's Calum," she finally admitted, "don't tell Michael I told you, they used to be friends but they had a bad falling out. He's dangerous, you should stay away from him and do as your brother asks."
Calum. Calum. His name just seemed to fit everything about him. You were unsure how to feel. The almost primal hatred of your brother made you uneasy, especially when the man had been so kind to you, gentle and sweet. He was just charming. Your handsome, mysterious stranger. You knew it was no accident he left his mask in the rose garden. You wonder what his face looked like underneath it.
"Tub's full," Sierra stepped back inside your room.
"Are you alright to be by yourself?" Crystal asked, gently touching your arm.
You just nodded, "I'll be alright."
The two older girls nodded and silently exited, leaving you alone again. You stripped off your dress and grabbed your phone so you could listen to music while relaxing in the bath, Lord knew you needed it.
As you slowly sunk down into the warm water, you unlocked your phone. Surprised, you saw you had a new text, but you just assumed it was Ashton telling you he got home safe and making sure you were okay.
You opened it, and it most definitely wasn't.
Unknown Number
We will meet again my beautiful butterfly 🦋
Thanks for reading, commenting, and voting!
This is long as shit
Again, sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes :/
I know I said I'd write 3 today but nooot happening I'll do the other one tomorrow these were longer than I anticipated 😂
Thanks for 800 y'all! Love each and every one of you 😘🥰❤️