A royal ball.

Definitely not a very common occurrence in Wonderland.

But it was the Queen's birthday, and that meant the entire kingdom had gathered to celebrate.

It also meant Maddox, the kingdom's inventor and engineer, had no choice but to attend.

Which was exactly why he now found himself sitting in the grand ballroom, his usually chaotic appearance surprisingly put together for once.

His messy purple hair had actually been tamed. The familiar top hat was nowhere to be seen. His black nail polish was freshly painted instead of chipped and peeling, and the dark eyeliner around his black eyes had been applied with unusual precision.

He still looked a little odd, of course. That was simply Maddox.

But for once, he looked...presentable.

Lounging comfortably on one of the luxurious red satin couches, he leaned back with one leg crossed over the other, lazily swirling a glass of whiskey on the rocks. The top few buttons of the purple shirt beneath his jacket were left undone, giving him the appearance of a slightly drunk uncle at a wedding.

The only problem was that he wasn't at a wedding.

And he wasn't anyone's uncle.

He was, however, just tipsy enough for the comparison to fit.

Every so often, his gaze drifted toward you, sitting only a few inches away on the same couch.

Then the orchestra began to play.

One by one, couples and nobles made their way onto the polished ballroom floor, the center of the room quickly filling with dancers.

Neither of you moved.

Maddox gave his drink one last slow swirl before glancing over at you again.

"You're at a ball and you don't go dance?"

He asked, giving you a slow once-over over the rim of his glass.