(Prompt) Cham-Pain

Honey gazed down into the glass of champagne held loosely in his gloved hand, a wide smile drawing over his lips as he made out his reflection within the pool of honey-colored champagne. “Have you tried any of the champagne yet, Harley? Look—you can do the fancy thing that wine aficionados do where you swish it around and sniff! Try it, it actually smells really nice!”

He glanced upward to offer his glass up to his boyfriend, but Harlowe was in the midst of distractedly messing around with his waistcoat in the bathroom mirror. His smile widened, and he strode up behind him, setting the champagne glass down on the counter before wrapping his arms around Harlowe’s waist and leaning over his shoulder to press a kiss to his cheek. “It’s not crooked, Harles,” he said softly. “Your shirt’s just a little untucked, babes.”

Harlowe jolted slightly at the sudden touch snapping him out of his focused state, his eyes widening. “I—oh!” His cheeks flushed a pale shade of pink, and he bit his lip, turning to face Honey fully as he moved to tuck a portion of his shirt further into his dress pants. “Are you sure it looks fine? Because I don’t know, it feels a little off to me,” he said, then paused, hesitating. “You were saying something just now, right? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you, I was in my head a bit.”

Honey chuckled softly, reaching up to adjust the waistcoat himself. “No, no, you didn’t ignore me,” he reassured him in a gentle tone, his hands brushing lightly over Harlowe’s waist to help smooth down his shirt. “I just thought it would be fun to try the fancy thing with the champagne! It smells amazing, I think you’d really like it.”

His fingers traced the edges of the waistcoat, smoothing it down before stepping back and giving his boyfriend a knowing look. “Your clothes look perfect, Harlowe. You look very adorable.” He gestured to the glass he had left on the counter, picking it up and taking a sip before offering it to Harlowe again. “Now how about we go back out to the party and make some more memories?”

Harlowe tentatively peeked down at the champagne glass, then back up at Honey and lifted it into his hand, giving it a little swirl. “Is it… supposed to do something when you swish it?”

Honey’s eyes sparkled with amusement, his voice gentle and encouraging. “Oh, not really, it’s mostly just a way to appreciate the scent. But if you want to give it a try, I’m sure it’ll be wonderful!” He tapped the rim of the glass, watching Harlowe with unending adoration. “You’ve had wine before, right?” he asked, linking their arms and leading Harlowe towards the bathroom door to get back to the evening’s main event.

“Mm, definitely wine, but not champagne, I don’t think,” Harlowe answered, tilting his head and squinting a little. “I’ve had wine maybe once? I think the book club occasionally has a little with the bread and cheese, but they’re only ever those little bitty cups.” He held up his index finger and thumb and held them a short distance apart. “It was red though, not like this one. And definitely not all fizzy.”

Honey chuckled softly, guiding Harlowe back into the bustling crowd, careful to keep to the edges of the ballroom to have a decent chance at avoiding the groups of guests who were dancing rather than mingling. “Well, this is a special occasion, so let’s make it a learning experience for both of us,” he suggested with a teasing grin. “Let’s find a quiet spot to sit and sip it together, how does that sound?”

“Are you sure?” Harlowe asked, a little surprised at the offer. “Didn’t you want to go and dance?”

“Well, I know how you sort of like to observe the scene before getting yourself into it, so we can watch everyone else and see how you feel about dancing here in a bit!” Honey squeezed Harlowe’s hand, his eyes never leaving his boyfriend’s face. “It’s all about enjoying ourselves tonight, and I want to make sure you have a good time.”

Harlowe’s face brightened, his blush darkening a little in color. “Thank you,” he said quietly, sounding incredibly bashful as he spoke, then, deciding to finally accept Honey’s offer of champagne, he gave it a little swirl. Harlowe brought it to his nose, blinking in surprise at the rich, fruity, almost floral scent it held. “Ooh, that’d be great as a candle, don’t you think?” he asked eagerly, and took a cautious, yet curious sip. “Oh! This is sort of like that sparkling cider we get from the store for game night!”

“See? I knew you’d like it!” Honey exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with delight. “The cider’s definitely more on the fruity side though, and a lot sweeter than champagne for sure,” he added, patting Harlowe’s hand encouragingly.

He took a moment to scan the room, searching for a suitable quiet spot for the two of them to relax together, when he spotted a table decently far from the main hustle and bustle of the room and brightened, squeezing Harlowe’s hand.

“Hm?” Harlowe glanced up, in the middle of taking another sip from Honey’s champagne. “What is it?”

“Over there, see that small one kind of next to the hors d’oeuvres tables? Let’s start heading over, and we can sit down and find you your own glass of champagne to drink,” Honey suggested, giving Harlowe’s sleeve a gentle tug and leading him towards the desired spot in question with his boyfriend following contently after him as he went.

When Harlowe reached the table, he pulled out Honey’s chair for him, waiting until he was seated to round the table and sit in the chair opposite. “Um—thank you for managing to get me an invitation, by the way,” he said softly, scooting his chair a little further inward towards the table and offering his boyfriend a sheepish smile as he went to rest his arms on the tabletop.

“Why? You don’t have to thank me, Harley, it was the least I could do!”

“W-well, but you really didn’t have to, you know? But you did, and it means a lot to me that you did.” Harlowe felt his cheeks flush further, his face warming. “You look amazing tonight and I’m glad I got to come with you, even if I’m not much for parties. Or, well… galas.” He shrugged. “Social stuff in general.”

Honey’s cheeks flushed a rosy pink at the compliment, his eyes meeting Harlowe’s gratefully. “You’re plenty social enough for me. Besides, I couldn’t imagine going anywhere without my favorite person,” he tittered, his fingers brushing against Harlowe’s as he reached across the table to squeeze one of his hands. “It’s true, I didn’t have to bring you—but I wanted to! I wouldn’t have wanted to go with anyone else. I have friends here, sure, but I love to share all these moments with you specifically.” He paused to reach up to pinch and mess with Harlowe’s cheek. “Even if you are a little reclusive.”

Harlowe was about to open his mouth for a teasing protest, when a member of the gala’s staff glided into view, a round, golden tray balancing atop one of their hands with a collection of champagne glasses arranged neatly on top.

“Hi, hi! Can I interest you two in any champagne?” he asked, offering them a wide smile, when his gaze fell on Honey’s champagne glass, and he chuckled amiably. “Well… any more champagne? It’s pretty popular tonight.”

Honey grinned brightly, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he raised his nearly empty glass. “We’d love another round, thank you so much!” he said cheerily, then winked at Harlowe, holding up his glass for the server to take as two fresh glasses were placed before them. “Gotta make sure my boo gets a decent glass of his own,” he said, winking at Harlowe as the waiter turned to hurry off and continue his rounds of wine offerings to the other partygoers.

Harlowe took his glass with interest, tapping his fingertips along the side as he watched the bubbles. “This is all complimentary, right?” he asked, just to be certain. “It’s cool to have a few of these without, um, being charged?”

Honey nodded, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Absolutely, everything here is included in the invitations—so we can enjoy ourselves without worrying about a thing! It’s pretty sweet, right?” he said, raising his glass to clink it against Harlowe’s before taking a sip of the bubbly beverage. “Just remember to pace yourself with the champagne though, okay?” He playfully nudged Harlowe’s knee under the table. “You can’t chug it like you do with sparkling cider, babe.”

The latter gave a mock scowl, taking a sip from his drink. “I don’t chug sparkling cider,” he said pointedly, then took another sip and turned up his nose. “I inhale it. There’s a difference,” he sniffed.

Honey burst into laughter, shaking his head in disbelief at his boyfriend. “Inhaling would imply you’d be breathing, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you slam a bottle of cider in one go without a breath,” he chuckled, covering his mouth as he tried to compose himself. “But seriously, I’m just happy to be here with you, whether we’re at a fancy, exclusive place or sharing a bottle of cider at home.” He took a sip of his own champagne, then motioned to the guests around them. “So, what do you think of the masquerade so far?” he mused, gesturing with his free hand to indicate the elegant surroundings. “I know it’s not your scene, but how are you liking it?”

Harlowe followed Honey’s gaze, still finding that he felt the familiar sensation of unease in his gut at the thought of getting up and—he shuddered—mingling. It wasn’t that he didn’t like people, he did like the people he knew personally, but if he were dragged out into the social fray, he’d be mortified at the idea of making a fool of himself in front of so many other people, either by dancing or committing an accidental formal event faux-pas.

“Um…” Harlowe took a bigger sip from his glass, clearing his throat a little. “It’s definitely masquerade-y.”

“That’s okay, sweetie,” Honey reassured with a light laugh, giving Harlowe’s hand a comforting squeeze. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. We can stay here and watch the night go by, it’s okay! I just want to spend time with you, so I don’t care what we’re doing! I promise.” He took another sip of his champagne, then glanced back around the room. “It is quite a spectacle though, isn’t it? I mean, Angora really went all out planning the decor, not to mention the food.”

Harlowe continued to sip slowly at his champagne, listening along to Honey as he spoke, and felt a smile beginning to spread over his lips. “I think you’re a better spectacle,” he murmured softly.

Honey’s cheeks flamed bright red, his eyes widening in delight as he looked down at his lap momentarily. “Oh, Harley you tease,” he scolded, his voice barely above a whisper. “You’re always so sweet to me.” He reached back out, his hand tightening around Harlowe’s own, and stole a glance up at his boyfriend, when he spotted Harlowe’s champagne glass and paused, his eyebrows rising. “And now your champagne’s gone.”

“What? N-no, it’s—oh.” Harley looked down in the middle of raising the glass to his lips to find that it was, in fact, empty. His smile widened, and he reached out towards Harley’s glass that one of the staff had brought and dragged it slowly to his own side of the table. “Oops?” He flashed his smile at Honey, an oddly warm, unfamiliar fuzzy feeling settling in his head and chest. “I think it’s just my nerves. Y’know, my brain being on autopilot. I didn’t even realize I’d drank that much.”

Honey laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement and he shook his head. “See, that’s two times now that I’ve been right tonight, you really did chug it,” he teased, raising an eyebrow playfully at Harlowe. “But hey, if you want to finish mine, I won’t stop you! Complimentary drinks and food, remember? I can always get another one.” He pushed his glass closer to Harlowe with a nod of encouragement. “It’s a celebration, after all, we should enjoy ourselves! Have some fun!”

“Alright, alright,” Harlowe tittered quietly behind Honey’s glass as he raised it for a sip, a bit surprised when the waiter from before breezed by their table once more upon noticing the first empty glass, leaving two new ones in its place. He glanced up at Honey, one eyebrow raised. “This isn’t going to end well for me if he keeps bringing us more champagne, is it?”

Honey chuckled, shaking his head in agreement and taking another sip of his new glass. “Don’t worry, he’a just doing his job. I’ll try my best to make sure we don’t overdo it,” he promised, giving Harlowe’s hand a reassuring pat. “But seriously, enjoy the night, Harlowe. We’re here to have a good time and celebrate!” He gestured to the crowd with a grin. “Besides, if you drink too fast, you’ll get drunk. Champagne is carbonated, so it’ll get you drunk faster than regular wine would.”

Harlowe coughed mid-drink, his eyes widening a little. “It’ll—it’ll what? Really?”

Honey chuckled, nodding. “Yep, the bubbles help it go straight to your head!” he tittered. “But hey, you have me here to look after you. Just drink it slowly, and we’ll have a great time!” He took another sip, then set his glass down and leaned back in his chair with a content sigh. “And if you ever feel too tipsy, you just let me know, okay?”

The latter smiled nervously. “To be honest, I’m not really sure I’ve had the opportunity to find out what ‘too tipsy’ feels like.”

“Well, if you start giggling uncontrollably or your words slur, that might be a sign. That’s how it is for me,” Honey joked gently, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “But seriously, it’s different for everyone. Just listen to your body and let me know if you need a break.” He glanced around, then leaned over the table to get closer to Harlowe, then pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You Just focus on having fun and enjoying yourself, and I’ll take care of the rest if you get a little too tipsy. Okay?”

Harlowe took a much longer sip from his champagne, raising an eyebrow at Honey, who stared at him with a look of mild confusion as Harlowe began to steadily drain the glass.

“Harles—”

“If I drink enough of these,” Harlowe interrupted him, pointing at the glass. “Maybe I’ll be tempted to dance.”

Honey shut his mouth in an instant, sitting back in his chair and holding up his hands. “Nevermind! Don’t let me stop you!”

The latter beamed over at him. “That’s what I thought.”