❝ dance the night away! ❞
·° 。: ✰ : ·° 。
"OKAY, JUST HEAR ME OUT," Alaska groaned, tugging at Rosalie's arm. The streets were dimly lit, but the blonde knew her sister's face was set in a grimace. The former moved sideways, sitting on the middle seat of the car as she clutched her the latter's arm.
"Come on, Ro, please?" she pouted, moving her face closer to the brunette's line of sight.
Rosalie, deciding that she had had enough, rolled her eyes. "Why do you even want me to stay by your side for the entire evening? Give me three good reasons and I'll think about it."
The younger Monet straightened up and furrowed her eyebrows, desperately racking her brain for a reason that would make the stubborn girl agree. It wasn't like she could tell her that vampires exist and an entire family of thousand-year-olds were going to be in the premises. "Don't think too hard, Al," their brother Jacob snickered from the driver seat. "You might strain yourself."
"Shut up and drive, Jacob," she snarled. It felt like her brain was pounding in her skull as the blonde tried to think under the immense amount pressure. This is Rosalie's life on the line, she worried. Come on, Alaska, think!
"Because I don't know anyone there," she blurted, eyes wide with desperation. The blonde hoped that it made her look innocent, maybe her sister would focus on that because Alaska knew that she was going to stumble over the next words she would speak.
"Didn't you say that Elena was attending?" Rosalie raised her eyebrows, glancing sideways at her.
"...it's not the same."
"Just tell me what the real problem is," the brunette huffed. "You always had fun meeting people before, so what's the big deal?"
Because some of the people aren't actually humans, Alaska snorted silently. She knew that Rosalie was a hard person to convince because she always relied on solid, scientifically proven facts. Being a law student only strengthened the stubborn nature she already possessed since childhood. So, how the hell was Alaska supposed to tell her that there were potentially murderous vampires disguised in tuxedos and ballgowns roaming the dance floor this evening? Maybe she should know the truth, especially when the original vampire-werewolf hybrid had taken a peculiar liking towards her. Rosalie would demand proof, of course; but to what extent? What proof could she possibly present that wouldn't make her run for the hills and scream bloody murder?
"Okay!" Jacob cheered, making the blonde flinch in surprise "Mission accomplished, I brought you guys here. Now, get out."
"Thank you, Jake," Rosalie laughed at their brother's impatience. "Really. Have fun with Jeremy."
Alaska followed the brunette out of the car, missing all the things her siblings bantered about. Rosalie grabbed her hand when they were both on the stone covered path of the driveway, pulling her closer to the front steps of the mansion. A few people were also exiting their vehicles, looking exquisite in tailored tuxedos and elegant gowns. She faced the blonde, gently holding her upper arms as they made eye contact.
"Hey," Rosalie softly whispered, "okay, I'll stay close, if it really means that much to you. But you have to talk to other people other than me, okay?"
The blonde smiled and surged forward, wrapping her arms around her sister. A weight was lifted from her shoulders as sweet relief coursed through her being. They were both grinning at each other when they pulled away from the embrace. Rosalie linked her arm around Alaska's, smirking deviously as they trudged into the house. "Let's show them how it's done, shall we?"
Alaska grinned back, heart warming as she was reminded of how fun a moment could be with the brunette. Somehow, she always found a way to make everything feel lighter.
The pair crossed the threshold of the building, unlinking their arms to let the staff take their blazers off. Classical music blasted from the stereos overhead, adding to the royal aesthetic the venue emitted. Rosalie felt slightly intimidated by the people in ballgowns, but just as swiftly as it appeared, a wave of calmness washed over her when those peopleㅡwho stood by the sidelines during her childhood, as well as her transition to adolescenceㅡsmiled politely at her. The brunette glanced at her sister, seeing her looking around in curiosity, but there was something disturbing in her gaze. It was like she was scared of an unknown entity.
"Hello there, darling," a voice appeared on the left as they moved closer into the compound of the Mikaelson Mansion.
There was a man with dark brown hair holding out his hand for Rosalie, so she shook it lightly, albeit being confused. Like the rest of the men in the area, he wore a black tuxedo and looked extremely handsome. A mischievous glint never seemed to leave his eyes, and Rosalie saw it grow more when he brought her hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on it.
"I'm Kol Mikaelson," he smirked, making the brunette in question share a look with her sister. Alaska had a worried expression on her features, looking as though she wanted to drag the other Monet to the nearest exit. He seemed unperturbed by this, only continuing his introduction. "You're Rosalie Monet, my sister Rebekah mentioned you."
The brunette nodded, a smile gracing her features before looking around. Fairy lights hung on the staircases and waiters walked around serving expensive looking champagne. Everything, and everyone, looked so formal and elegant.
"This is my sister Alaska," Rosalie hummed, but the blonde in question made no effort to move forward. The brunette scrunched her eyebrows at this, deciding to ignore how weird her sibling was acting tonight, and made her gaze wander through the crowd. "Where is Rebekah, by the way?"
Kol grinned wider, offering an arm, "Well, let me take you to her, M'lady."
Rosalie raised an amused eyebrow, then turned back to face Alaska, who nodded uncertainly when she was questioned if she was going to be okay.
"Lead the way, kind Sir," the eldest Monet mused, the threatening look Kol gave her sister going unnoticed.
·° 。: ✰ : ·° 。
Klaus had been craning his neck for the past hour as he tried to search for Rosalie. She will arrive, he thought anxiously. Any minute now. To anyone who paid attention, the hybrid looked like a lost puppy, looking out of place in his tux.
At another side of the room, the brunette threw her head back and laughed boisterously, ignoring every hint of being ladylike. Rosalie was thoroughly entertained by the conversation she was having with Kol and RebekahㅡElijah Mikaelson joining them after a while. The Mikaelsons seemed to be filled with humor, never running out of stories to tell. The quartet conversed vigorously, looking as though they were old friends.
So, that was why he couldn't see her. His siblings were shielding her from his eyes, and he growled lowly when Kol shot him a smug grin. The hybrid froze for a second, feeling extremely dazed and lightheaded upon seeing her smiling at Rebekah. The brunette's lips were painted in this crimson cosmetic, a devilish hue that begged him to kiss it off. Her eyes were glowing more than usual, golden irises wide with amusement. The garnet shade of her gown looked so heavenly against her skin that it diminished all the trauma he usually related to the color. The sight of her exposed shoulders nearly made him faint right then and there, the miniscule beads of onyx embroidered along the silky material reflecting the strings of yellow lights by the sidelines. The fabric clinched at her waist, hugging her body in all the right places. He couldn't help but smile when his eyes landed on the golden sun necklace around her neck. It was truly a heartwarming sight. With great difficulty, Klaus pulled himself together and started walking towards their direction whenㅡ
"If everyone could gather, please."
"Welcome," Elijah smiled, his expression a stark contrast to Klaus' murderous glare. "Thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my Mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance."
Rosalie swallowed nervously, tracing the lip of her champagne fluke, which was still undrunk. You know the steps, it's going to be okay.
"Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz. So if all of you could find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."
Kol was already offering her his hand when Klaus left the staircase. That bloody bastard! The brunet obviously wanted revenge for locking him in a coffin for nearly a century, and there wasn't a better way to do so other than keep Rosalie away.
The youngest Mikaelson led her to the dance floor, making sure that the furious hybrid saw his hand on Rosalie's waist. The Monet was completely oblivious to what was happening between the Mikaelson brothers, and tried her best to focus on the task at hand.
If looks could kill, Kol Mikaelson would've been buried six feet under a thousand times from the homicidal glares Klaus sent him. The people formed two pairs of lines, the women's hands held in a delicate twist by their partners.
BLACK BEAUTY
ーlana del rey
"You look beautiful," Kol smiled at her. Rosalie grinned back as the dancers formed two lines. "Thank you, Kol. You don't look bad yourself."
The parallel group joined as one straight form, and suddenly Klaus was right beside the brunette; but he wasn't looking at her. The hybrid was staring at his brother, and if she didn't know any better, Rosalie would say that he'd woke up on the wrong side of the bed or Kol was not going to live to see the next day. Klaus tried to remind himself that his dance partner was humanㅡthat his grip on her hand might break a few bones here and there.
The Monet furrowed her eyebrows, looking inquisitively at the angry blond. Anger seemed like a weak description for how he looked. Pure hatred, or murderous loathing might encapsulate it.
She gave up her mission to catch his eye when they had begun to spin in circles, making her admittedly dizzy. Rosalie gripped Kol's hand so tightly, she was sure that she'd cut off his circulation. If he was concerned, he didn't let it show.
"Is he always this furious?" she blurted.
The youngest Mikaelson gave her a confused look, then followed her gaze. He guffawed, shaking his head. Kol mentally gave himself a pat on the back for accomplishing his plan. It was certainly fun while it lastedㅡannoying his prat of a brotherㅡand he genuinely had a great time dancing with Rosalie. She threw funny comments about the steps, to which he snickered quietly to. The brunet decided that if he wanted to keep his arms intact to his body, he should probably get his hands off of the Monet.
And so, when Rosalie spun, she fell into the awaiting arms of Klaus Mikaelson.
She unknowingly held her breath upon seeing his lips so close to her. It was the first thing the brunette noticed of him because of her height, so she raised her gaze upward to his eyes. All the anger they held seemed to have ebbed away when they made eye contact. She couldn't bring herself to look away; they were just...so blue, even when his pupils were so dilated that it threatened to engulf his cerulean irises. Klaus was looking at her such a tender intensity that it made her throat feel like a desert.
Hairs on her arms stood up, and she knew it wasn't from the cold breeze; body warming in the close proximity of his.
"Hey," she whispered softly as they stepped in circles, the nostalgic harmonies of the music somehow making everything about the dance more intimate. "Are you feeling okay?"
Klaus gave her a confused look, eyebrows furrowing in scrutiny. The brunette took a deep breath. He pulled her closer by her waist, his hand feeling like white-hot flames through the crimson fabric of her gown.
"I'm quite all right, love. Is something wrong? Are you okay?"
"I'm okay, too," Rosalie cleared her throat, a surge of sudden embarrassment flowing through her veins. "I don't know, but you looked...er, angry. You know, earlier, when the dance began."
"I just thought that, um, you invited me and I didn't find you soonerㅡit's beautiful here, really. Your brother Kol introduced me to your family and we had the most wonderful conversation, but I'd already met Rebekah at the Grill this morningㅡshe gave me an invitation as wellㅡI didn't want to sound rude, and I didn't know what to do, Iㅡ"
Klaus chuckled, successfully cutting off her rambling. They stopped moving, seeing as the dance finished and everyone had began conversing again, scattering across the crowded room and sipping champagne from glass flutes; but they remained in the same position: his hand placed gently on her waist, the other clasped tightly in hers, and her hand lay on his shoulder.
It was as though their surroundings blurred away into blotches of colour, their chatters nothing more than distant murmurs.
He shook his head in disbelief, nose almost brushing against hers because of the little space between the pair. A smile so sweet was plastered on his lips and Rosalie was sure she had never seen something so angelic.
"I'm not angry at you, my love. I was just preoccupied with something, but you don't have to worry about that. I'm glad you've met my siblingsㅡI am certain that they find you as amazing as I do."
Patches of red appeared on Rosalie's cheeks and she tried to hide it from him by leaning sideways, her ear right above his heart. The valley of his chest rumbled with laughter, only making her feel shyer.
Her hand slipped from his shoulder, now curled beside her face as she tried to stop the reddening of her face. Klaus was still smilingㅡnot a grin of smugness or a smirk of prideㅡhis lips were raised in a genuine display of happiness and contentment.
Rosalie pulled away after a few seconds, cheeks now a soft shade of salmon pink. It was not like he mindedㅡher burying her face in his chest. It was quite comforting, actually. The incomparable sensation of holding her in his arms was like no other, and the distinctive homey scent of her was something he utterly missed. Being in her presence was that simple: the feeling of home.
"You are beautiful," he smiled. "Don't ever doubt that, love."
Rosalie raised her gaze from the ground to his eyes, an arm behind her back. He copied her actions and swung their connected hands between them. It was probably concerningㅡridiculous, even; to have so much physical contact with a stranger, to share such intimate eye contact with each other.
But he was no stranger.
Noㅡhe was familiar. She wasn't sure where she had met him, but she knew that they'd met before. Impulsiveness wasn't a trait Rosalie possessed: she loved thinking things through and the rush of control that came with it. So, for whatever reason Nik Mikaelson felt like family, she was determined to know before she spilled her secrets to himㅡan impulse that ran through her everytime he appeared.
"Are you ever going to stop being so charming?" Rosalie grinned.
"Hmm," he hummed playfully, features scrunching in a look that mocked the process of thinking. "For you? Never."
❝ be kind. ❞
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