#matz

‘Clink, clink’. Tea cups? Pressed together, in festivity or warning? Laughter that bordered manic, elicited deep from the throats of invisible inhabitants. Out of her view. Too far. Yet with each stride forward, they drew dangerously close. Tripping through a hole in the mossy grass of her world, dropped her straight into a peculiar place. One she could only describe as sensory overload without logic.

She’d been walking for a few minutes. Yet each step felt like a trudge through viscous syrup. Time stretched, yet reality stated only moments had passed. The stroll that led to nowhere. Until it came into view. A fence, in the distance. Caging a group of people. All of them dressed eccentrically lavish, perched around a wide table. A multitude of teapots, with steam billowing from each one. It created a fog that settled over the guests’ faces. Yet they animatedly moved, speaking amongst each other. Decorated pastries and finger-foods adorning any empty places on the table amidst the tea-sets. 

She froze before the fence’s gate. Staring at the odd display. Faces hidden in the thick steam. Conversations that were sliced short. One figure moved abruptly. With no intention of slowing down, his chair scraped against gravel. He wasn’t much taller, yet his aura towered over her own. Chaos personified. A mad grin plastered onto his lips. 

Fashioned in a trenchcoat splattered in paint. A vest hidden beneath it, tucked over a dress shirt. Buttons undone at his collar with flowy trousers. Abstract chic? A fleeting thought that distracted her from the inevitable. He marched forward. Bridging the gap between them in an instant. His hands darting out and grabbing hers, clad in fingerless-gloves. Shaking her hand aggressively, a giggle slipped his lips. 

“You’re late my dear” He remarked, tilting his head. His gaze shamelessly trailed over her. A predator sizing up prey. “We’ve been waiting” Who were they? Why was she awaited? They knew she’d be here? She opened her mouth to speak, only to be dragged alongside him. “I’m sorry I don’t think I know you” she replied warily, yet followed him to an empty seat. The table was silent. Faces of guests that warped if one stared too long. It sent a shiver down her spine. She forced her gaze back onto the man that dragged her here, who now ‘tsked’ at her.

“Oh but you do my dear! Everyone in Wonderland knows I, The Mad Hatter” He tipped his outrageous hat, holding it over his chest in greeting. A disapproving sigh interrupted his display. The Mad Hatter was apparently no longer alone. That only unsettled her further. Another one? She whipped her head around. To her dismay, finding no owner to the disruption. “Hongjoong” The voice drawled, too close.

A man stood nearby her now. Floppy, sandy-brown hare ears protruding between thick, wavy locks of hair. His gaze was unimpressed, boring into who she now knew as Hongjoong, The Mad Hatter. “We haven’t even seated her yet” The man’s hand rose to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, humming contently. He was draped in a pristine dress shirt. Waist-coat fitted to perfection, his outfit impeccable.

“Right on cue” Hongjoong beamed, an arm folded over his chest, the other at his chin. Index finger swiping below his lower lip. Assessing. “Parties need order” Hongjoong hummed, the other man’s hand falling from her hair to her lower back. Guiding. “Seonghwa, better known as the March Hare” Hongjoong introduced, a grin that knew too much painted onto his face.

“As for you my dear…you’re trouble” Hongjoong let out a pleased laugh, a crazed glint in his eyes. “This way, the tea’s just right” Seonghwa murmured gently, ushering her into a seat. Strategic. In between who she now knew as the March Hare and Mad Hatter. “You…you two were waiting for me?” Seonghwa nodded without turning his attention from her. Hongjoong’s fingers thrummed at the table, impatient. “Of course my dear, the party couldn’t start without the guest of honor!” He crooned, hat slipping a fraction as he whirred his head to face her.

“You’re scaring our guest” Seonghwa observed, shaking his head as he tipped the teapot over the cup in front of her. “Poor thing is trembling, have some tea” Hongjoong chuckled heartily at his counterpart’s proclamation, leaning forward. His face propped in his hand. “Are you scared my dear?” In between them, there was no time to think. Their contrast alone silenced her thoughts. “I…I’m not sure” she whispered earnestly, the pair smiling in reply.

Yet her body itself was afraid. Aware of something she couldn’t decipher. She eyed the tea with a narrowed glance. Piping hot. Carefully lifting the cup to her nose, she inspected its scent. Lavender, with hints of fruits. Blended into a tea? She’d never smelled anything like it. Let alone taste. At the first sip, it soothed her frayed nerves. Mellow. Numbing her sensations. Then it tasted of fruit, nostalgic punch from juice boxes. For the final kick, rose. Aromatic, with a honeyed flavor. It shouldn’t have worked so well. Making her aware of how close their seats were. Sandwiched between them.

“This…is delicious” Silence encapsulated the party. Some teacups frozen in guests’ hands. The teapot’s steady stream of tea, floating in mid-air. A laugh, unfamiliar, slipped in. Loud, it didn’t belong there. Yet it didn’t come from the pair of men on either side of her. One woman three seats away from her lifted her cup into the air. Halting, only to set it down. Then repeating herself a beat later, in the exact same motion.

The steamy fog never cleared from the other guests’ faces. Voices came seconds too early, or too late. Except them. “We knew you’d enjoy it” Hongjoong stirred at his tea-cup mindlessly, eyes intent as they stared back at her. Knowledgeable. As secretive as they were hypnotic. “It’s…tailored,” Seonghwa added, his word choice deliberate. His gaze was sharp. Yet soft at the edges, he didn’t flaunt what he knew. Atleast, not outright.

“Oh!” Hongjoong’s lips were pulled into a sly simper, a hand drawn to his lips in apparent shock. Staged shock, to which Seonghwa shook his head. “What?” She mustered the courage to interrupt the odd display, Hongjoong merely clasping his hands together. Beaming, his staple expression. An unshakeable hint of madness. The signature of Wonderland it seemed. “We almost forgot” He mused, while Seonghwa thrummed his fingers at the table.

A smile pulled over his expression, never reaching his eyes. “The most important part, of course” His voice was smooth, gaze eerily calm despite the Mad Hatter’s theatrics. “Your unbirthday!” Hongjoong chuckled, taking off his hat and dropping it onto the table. The world around them paused, leaning in along with her. Questions raced in her mind, yet only one managed to halfway tumble from her lips. “Why did you-”

The question answered itself. Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa reached to lift up the hat off the table. A puff of smoke erupted, eliciting a gasp from her. It dissipated to reveal an extravagant five tier-cake. Decorated with whimsical piping, a bright pink frosting coating its entirety. Candles littered the surface in disarray. She had to force her mouth shut after it fell open in shock.

“A very merry unbirthday to our guest” Hongjoong spoke in a sing-song voice, hand gesturing towards the cake. “Blow out the candles dear” Seonghwa continued, a hand meant to be comforting resting on her shoulder. Yet it was more persuasive than anything. Just as quickly as she’d sucked in a big breath, she huffed it out with an ‘O’ of her lips. The candles extinguished, as Seonghwa cleared his throat at Hongjoong. His finger guiltily and unabashedly swiped at a tuft of frosting, holding it before her lips. “Fancy a taste of your cake?”

It felt imprudent to simply take it off his finger. She’d been taught better. Yet, neither of the men seemed remotely offended. In fact, Hongjoong’s gaze was…measuring. A slight glance towards Seonghwa, and the intrigue in his eyes was hard to miss. Compelling. The term fits them both. She felt…implicated to lean forward. Her tongue darted out, tasting the airy cream off of Hongjoong’s finger.

His grin widened, downright smug as he brought the finger to his own mouth. Inspecting the sheen of her saliva over the pad of his digit. “Oh you pretty thing” His voice was so sweetly mocking, Seonghwa tutting in reprimand. Yet his gaze held a gleam of uncertainty, unspoken satisfaction to what he’d witnessed.  Butterflies rapidly fluttered in the pits of her tummy, a flush drawn over her cheeks. “I’m sorry that was-”. “You have nothing to apologize for, sweet girl” Seonghwa murmured, brow raised at the tremble in her voice.

“Trembling already? We haven’t even gotten to your presents dear” Hongjoong leered, a predator drawing closer. “I don’t need presents?” Her voice wavered, unsure. They’d prepared presents for a guest they didn’t know would come. Yet the logical stream of thoughts was interrupted by Seonghwa shaking his head beside her. “One mustn’t say no to thoughtfulness” His point made sense, yet her breath faltered in their even beats.

She looked at either of them, nothing in their hands. Perhaps somewhere else on the table…? The fog overhead of other guests grew imperceptibly thicker. Till all she could see was the two men at both of her sides. They exchanged glances she couldn’t decipher. The chairs creaked as they settled the tiniest bit closer. The armrests touching her own chair’s.

“Now, now my dear” Hongjoong interrupted the illusion of silence. Taking over her personal space, lips grazing the shell of her ear tauntingly. “You wouldn’t want to ruin your own party would you?” His voice dropped to a whisper, teasingly low and deliberately rebuking. “I don’t…see any presents” She replied, lower lip tucked between her teeth when he let out a patronising laugh. Seonghwa trailed the back of his finger at her cheek, the ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips.

“You misunderstand, sweet thing” Hongjoong lilted, his index finger tipping her chin just enough to face him. A hair's breadth away, his nose brushed over hers. “It isn’t something you receive,” Seonghwa added, breath warming her ear down to the side of her neck. His finger drew along the side of her arm, trailing shapes into the skin. 

“It’s something to partake in” Hongjoong finished, lips tattooed into an inviting grin. “I..I don’t get it” Seonghwa’s motions halted, Hongjoong tilted his head to the side with a sliver of pity. His gaze went past hers, meeting Seonghwa’s. She turned between them, an unreadable conversation happening before her eyes. Silence enveloped the clearing, distant warbling of birds cut short.

Seonghwa’s hand was cool against her feverish skin. He dragged it along the side of her neck deliberately, gently taking her chin between his fingers. He tilted her face to meet Hongjoong’s eyes once more. His chin resting at her shoulder, voice sending shivers down her spine. “Don’t fret,” He hummed, Hongjoong’s smirk sharpening. “You’ll understand soon enough dear” Hongjoong gravitated an inch closer, eyes relishing in the unconscious way her face fell towards him.

His lips captured hers, exemplifying his point. Pressed against hers firmly, lingering. It was enough to steal her every thought. Warmth rushing over her entire being rapidly. A huff against her ear provoked her to shift backward. For a fleeting breath, Hongjoong gazed at her with something akin to manic glee. She opened her mouth to speak, yet let out a gasp instead. Seonghwa’s lips skimmed the side of her neck leisurely, yet Hongjoong grabbed hold of her tilting face.

“There she is” He mused, fervently moulding his lips against her. Her lower lip jutted out in a pout, his tongue ghosting over it. A pout she hadn’t registered. He spoke between their shared breaths, her eyes widened before they fell shut. “I’ll have my chance with you, pretty thing” Seonghwa’s voice softened into a saccharine coo. The contrast to his tone and the words he’d uttered knocked the breath out of her.

A hand from each of them rested on either of her jittery thighs. Hongjoong caressed the skin tauntingly, skimming his fingers at the hem of her dress. He grinned against her lips, catching the shaky exhale that left her a moment later. Seonghwa’s fingers kneaded at the flesh, deliberately gentle. Grounding her to feel how they now pulled away, chair shrieking as Hongjoong shifted.

He pet his lap, languidly gesturing for her to settle atop. She didn’t have time to consider, not when the Hare’s patience was strung thin. She all but stumbled onto Hongjoong, a meek yelp snatched from her throat when his hand grasped at her face. Pressing her cheeks together, nose grazing the thoroughly-kissed side of her neck. He had her on display for Seonghwa. Whose lips found hers with thinly veiled restraint, the chuckle from Hongjoong doing nothing to cut through the moment.

His Hare ears stood still upward, almost cartoon-like while Hongjoong nipped at her skin. Fresh marks, magenta blossoming into her skin. All the while her whines were devoured by the hungry lips that danced with hers. Something she seemingly didn’t expect, even if Hongjoong’s remarks suggested otherwise. Thinking no longer seemed possible, her brain trained on deciding what to process…both simultaneously sent her into an overdrive.

The Hatter’s chuckle felt like a lost memory but she giggled along with him anyway. One of his hands, warm around her neck. Not pressing, never a demand. The Hare himself couldn’t bite back the beam tugging at his lips. A brow curved upward, his fingers tip-toeing closer upward. The moon, unnaturally bright and higher in the deep sky. Like a toothy smirk, ravenously illuminating.

What was she laughing at? When did fingers begin reverently ghosting at her now aching slit? The questions were background noise. “Look at you” Hongjoong mused, forcing her face to observe Seonghwa. “You don’t remember” The Hare stated simply, a finger curled inside her, brows furrowed. “Remember–” the words were stopped in her throat, a strangled whimper crawling out in their place.

Lidded eyes followed along the table, constantly fluttering shut each time Seonghwa’s slender fingers coaxed themselves in and out of her sopping insides. The cake had downsized, an entire tier missing. Guests were missing, long gone. Two lonesome figures at the far end of the table. Unaware, whether that was by intention or distance. 

Her legs were uncooperative, arousal and its remnants dribbling down her thighs. The Hare’s fingers long replaced by the Hatter’s relentless member. “That’s more like it” He rasped, tongue swiping along the shell of her flushed ear. She felt her muscles trembling with each movement upward, body slumping forward involuntarily. A hand flush against her midsection keeping her upright.

The Hatter and Hare didn’t so much as blink when a teacup slipped from a guest’s hand. It momentarily dragged her gaze to the table’s end. Another teacup in a woman’s hand. Seconds later, her head jerked to the view…and the porcelain fell from her hand all over again. “They’re enjoying themselves,” Seonghwa commented plainly. His hand paid homage to her cheek, residing there. Thumb stroking across her jutted lower lip.

“You should be enjoying yourself my dear” Hongjoong’s thrusts quickened, harsh. Cock sheathed in her gummy walls, her eyes forcing themselves shut as she nodded. Seonghwa’s finger drawing  Pliant? Obedient? She wanted to question it further. Question what? She couldn’t recall. 

She couldn’t remember when the knot in her stomach came undone like a cycle coming to its end. Only when it coiled up furiously again, this time she faced Hongjoong. Brandished in a manic smirk, massaging at her quaking thighs. The familiar feeling of fullness, being pulled in and out of her cunt. The Hare’s head resting in the crook of her neck, hands of steel occupying her hips. Familiar was his strokes, slower and growing erratic each time she clenched around him. Has this happened before?

“There she goes again” The Hatter was observant. Privy to each time her brows furrowed. Thoughtful, closer yet farther than before. Seonghwa’s teeth bit at the supple flesh at the junction between her neck and collar, knocking the nth whine out of her. “Always trying to make sense” He exhaled sharply when her inside squeezed tightly, her body falling limp. A lifeless doll devoid of coherency when euphoria coursed through her.

“She’ll tire herself out” Hongjoong brought her legs to rest in his lap. One of the Hare’s arms now wound around her jittery figure. The other poured from a new teapot into a teacup in Hongjoong’s outstretched hand. Steam curling from the cup. The moon glowed with the intensity of the sun. Daylight? So soon?

When she’d captured the teacup from the Hatter’s hand. Steam no longer flew upward. A sip? Ice. As if it’d been left out for hours. “The…the rabbit?” she whispered, glancing between two men who were unbothered by her. “The rabbit stops by” Hongjoong’s eyes glinted with crazed amusement, watching her scramble out of Seonghwa’s lap.

“I must find him” Seonghwa shrugged at her statement, gesturing towards the fence door. “In due time” he remarked, the Hatter shaking his head. With each of her steps forward, the sounds of the party grew. As if guests had returned by the time her hand grabbed at the fence handle. “My dear?” Hongjoong called out from his seat, yet his voice murmured in her ear.

“The party can’t go on” Seonghwa continued, pouring tea for a faceless guest, his calm tone dancing in her other ear. “Parties die without their guest of honor” Hongjoong’s voice was an invitation. Just as it had been…just as it had always been. Never hours ago. Forever it seemed. 

She tilted her head back, a sheepish smile curved onto her expression. What had she been questioning? Where did the time go…no it seemed as if she’d always meant to be at the party. Sandwiched between the Hatter and Hare’s seats, cutting a slice of her unbirthday cake for another guest. Laughing at the repetitive chatter of the woman sat across from her.