Gilded: All That Glitters (LMM x Reader)

Gilded: All That Glitters

2022 - New York City

The first Monday in May.

You hadn't exactly expected that to mean anything more than an ordinary date on your ever-expanding calendar, but now there you were, unable to believe your eyes as you sat in a gleaming suite at The Mark. Surrounded by a dizzying flurry of people wafting in and out of the room, you still struggled to come to terms with your newfound celebrity status.

Truly, everything had seemed surreal since the release of your debut movie late last year.

You'd gotten a silver-screen debut people only ever dreamt of: after years of fruitless West End auditions, you had been catapulted straight from community theatre to a Hollywood starring role, and though your film hadn't been predicted to score, it carved its own path as a runaway success. With that came critical acclaim and mass popularity alike, and overnight you went from your survival job as a checkout clerk to walking red carpets with Hollywood's A-List across the pond.

All that glittered certainly couldn't be gold, but there was no denying it: with great success came its fair share of gilded glamour. Speaking of which, tonight you were invited to the Met Gala. You knew the stakes were high - the coveted event would be the fashion spectacle of the year, everyone who was anyone would be in attendance, and as a debutant you hoped to turn heads without causing an off-theme uproar. You knew the fashion critics and their online community were nothing if not harsh, ripping apart every gala attendee whilst they sat behind screens in their pyjamas; being new to the spotlight, hate and negative comments online took their toll on you when you read them, and you tended to avoid them as much as you could. But there was no escaping the attention tonight.

Thankfully, you had a strong team behind you that absolutely came through. They had hooked you up with a dream designer and getting ready was a total whirlwind. Thanks to the wonders that were your publicists, stylists and your glam team, before you knew it you were red carpet ready in a striking black and gold ball gown with a long train, sweet and sexy but just rough enough around the edges in keeping with the theme. It was perfect, and though your pre-appearance nerves were killing you, you felt like a real-life Disney princess.

You stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath to prepare yourself for the walk. As you emerged, clamour broke out amongst the photographers and the flashes nearly blinded you as you swept your gaze over the sea of cameras, remembering everything you'd been taught about high profile red carpet etiquette: shoulders back, get your angles right, let them only see your good side, pretend someone has just told you the world's funniest joke and give them the most genuine big smile you can muster...

Four more steps and one dramatic hair flip later, a couple of assistants were on hand to help with the train of your dress as you made your way towards the legendary Met Steps. All the way up, you continued to flash the cameras what you hoped was a showstopping smile, but really, all you did was pray you would make it up the steps without falling over. If you were honest, your 'gala prep' had included running up and down the stairs to your third-floor walk-up flat in the highest heels you owned - and clearly it had helped, because now you were up there and everything was going perfectly.

(Or so you convinced yourself, anyway.)

The Vogue team immediately pulled you aside for a couple of interviews on your way in, and you found yourself making every effort not to seem too starstruck as you explained the detailing of your dress to Vanessa Hudgens (holy High School Musical hell?!) before making your way into the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

You had always wondered what actually happened at this Gala, forever imagined it to be just a huge high-profile celebrity fashion fest. Now you'd been told the evening would entail a tour of the new exhibition, a musical performance, some speeches and a dinner, but that really was all you knew so far.