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“I hate this.”
“I know you do.”
“I hate this a lot.”
“I heard you the first time, dear.”
“You’re torturing me.”
“Obviously.”
“I ha… Ow! You stabbed me!”
Baileywick stepped back and gave Cedric a look over his glasses. The royal steward had a tape measure in his hands and a pin cushion tied to his wrist filled with pins to keep his mouth and hands free. He took one of these pins and resumed pinning the fabric to Cedric’s body, careful about pricking him this time. “Maybe you’ll stop moving so much,” he hummed, not sounding the least bit sorry. “Perhaps I am growing senile in my old age.”
Cedric pouted but kept still, grumbling under his breath. The sorcerer had been dragged into the tailoring room. Baileywick insisted that he needed to try and wear something else and Cedric discovered that the older man had a very strong grip when he wanted to. “You’re wicked,” he said.
“Very wicked,” Baileywick dryly agreed. He measured Cedric’s legs and inseam, eyeing the numbers closely to keep everything accurate.
“I don’t even know what I’m going to wear this for!”
“There’s to be a ball in two weeks.”
“What?!”
“Stop moving or you’re going to get poked again. I may even draw blood this time.”
Cedric growled but did his best to hold still. “I was not told about this!” he said.
“Probably because you’re the sorcerer and not the steward,” the older man said. He stepped back when he was finished, tilting his head as he made some mental calculations. He nodded in approval and made a few notes on a pad of paper before he started to remove the pins. “I’ve got the measurements now,” he said.
“You could have just taken some of my other clothes and measured those,” Cedric pointed out.
He snorted at that suggestion. “Perhaps if I was an amateur and didn’t care about proper fit and presentation…”
“Well what are you planning on making for me to wear?” Cedric asked, finally moving once he was freed from his pin prison.
“It shall be a surprise.”
“...why does that make me worry?” Cedric asked.
“Because worrying is your natural state of being. That and being incredibly sarcastic.” He smiled when he saw the offended look on Cedric’s face. He kissed the end of the other’s nose to pacify him. “You will look incredible,” he promised.
Cedric could only blush from the kiss, nodding his head before kissing the corner of Baileywick’s mouth. “Thank you,” he murmured.
“You don’t have to look like I’m sending you to the bronze bull!” Baileywick laughed. He reached out and suddenly began to tickle Cedric’s sides, making the sorcerer shout out in laughter as he tried to escape. “Show me a smile!”
“Haha! No! Don’t you da… Hahaha! I’m going to turn you into a… Hahahaha!”
***
He purposely waited until the last minute to give Cedric the outfit he had made for him. He waited until the sorcerer was out of the bath, dressed only in a bathrobe. This way the sorcerer would have no choice but to wear it and would have no time to change anything. He smiled as he set the box down on their shared bed, giving the other a bow before heading for the door.
“I must make sure things are ready. I shall see you shortly, Cedric.”
The younger man huffed, looking at the closed box. “It would serve you right if I wore my old clothes!”
“What old clothes?” Baileywick asked. He smiled knowingly as Cedric went to look in their closet and found that everything save for Baileywick’s suits were gone. “I suppose you have no choice but to wear them,” he hummed.
“You!” Cedric turned and pointed an accusing finger at Baileywick. “You are a conniving, sneaky son of a…”
“I shall see you shortly, Cedric.” Baileywick left their bedroom with a smile, knowing he had won this battle with Cedric. He headed down to where the ball would be taking place, overseeing the last of the glass decorations being put up. “They’re gorgeous, Greylock.”
The royal glassmaker carefully placed the last of the glass orbs onto a pillar. He snapped his fingers and a light started to shine from inside of it. “So how angry was Seasick when he saw you hid all of his clothes?” the scarred man asked, turning to Baileywick.
“Absolutely fuming.”
He laughed, clapping his hands together in pure delight. “Oh but of course! He’s always so stubborn and set in his ways! He would have come out in his pajamas if you left those behind.”
He shook his head at the very thought of Cedric coming out in an old shirt and boxers. “He would just to spite my attempts to have him wear something else,” he agreed.
“I’m sure he’ll look fantastic in what you made him. He just has to get used to having someone who can make actually presentable outfits as his boyfriend!”
***
Enchancia’s royal sorcerer swore to himself that he would not like the clothes his love had made for himself. He was fully prepared and ready to hate every little piece of it! He would hate it and he would complain to anyone who would listen to him about it.
It was incredibly annoying when he realized how much he loved it. Baileywick had taken into consideration the clothes he was comfortable wearing and the colors he most enjoyed. It was an incredibly thoughtful outfit, made out of love. Cedric grumbled all the way to the ballroom, his arms crossed in annoyance at how well he looked. “Blasted Baileywick and his blasted skills!” he hissed.
He slipped into the ballroom, staying mostly hidden in the shadows for now. He looked around and blushed when he saw that his clothes were on par with what some of the Royals were wearing. “Hypnos’ Hollyhock!” he hissed.
“Well well well! Look who's going to be turning heads tonight!” Cedric turned around and found Greylock standing just behind him. The scarred man was wearing a fancier set of clothes but his wide brimmed hat that covered his face remained. It was more for protection than a fashion statement at this point. It would sour the mood if a guest realized Greylock the Grand had escaped his execution.
He made a show of looking Cedric over, giggling. “You clean up rather well when you’re forced to,” he said. He took off his monocle and polished it on his sleeve before slipping it back into place. “Very nice, Kendrick!”
“I should have known you had a hand in this,” he grumbled.
“Don’t be upset,” Greylock said, placing his hands on Cedric’s shoulders. “You look very nice. Why don’t you show everyone else how nice you look!” He shoved Cedric forward at the last word.
“Merlin’s Mushrooms!” Cedric flailed his arms, struggling to keep his balance to avoid hitting the ground. He whirled around to shoot Greylock an angry look but was stopped when several pairs of eyes turned to look at him. “Ah...hello…” he murmured. When he looked back Greylock was gone, blending into the crowd.
Taking into account that Cedric would not be wearing his robe; Baileywick made the forest green sleeves of the shirt under his armless doublet elongated to give the same impression. The sorcerer could still hide things up the sleeves if he wished and they still gave a satisfying swoosh whenever he moved his arms. The doublet itself was a rich purple color, accented with black floral designs traced with silver thread. The yellow ribbon tied around his neck remained the same, in honor of it being a gift from the late queen. His breeches were black with a stripe of purple running up the sides. His stockings were bright white, newly made and washed. Even his kitten heels had been polished, showing off his ankles and calves without the robe covering his legs.
“Someone looks incredibly handsome tonight.” Baileywick smiled when Cedric turned to look at him and he offered his hand to the sorcerer. “Will you honor me with a dance, royal sorcerer?”
Cedric sniffed, crossing his arms. He made a show of considering the offer, turning away from Baileywick. “...I do like the sleeves the best,” he murmured.
“I know how much you like swishy sleeves.”
“And my shoes do look much better…”
“Leather needs to be taken care of, Cedric.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t make the heels longer.”
“There’s a reason you only wear kitten heels and not proper high heels. Watching you fall everywhere would not be nearly as entertaining as one would think.”
The younger man pursed his lips and finally relented, turning to face Baileywick as he took his hands. “It’s a beautiful outfit,” he said as Baileywick led him into the dance. “Thank you, Baileywick.”
“I would never make you wear something that didn’t have at least something you liked in it,” the steward promised. The couple adjusted their hand placement and Baileywick took the lead in the dance, holding Cedric close to his chest as they moved with the other dancing couples.
“Baileywick?”
“Hm?”
“You didn’t throw away my regular clothes, did you?” He had a brief moment of panic when the other did not immediately answer but he sighed in relief when the older man just chuckled, shaking his head. “This is a nice outfit but I like my old clothes for everyday wear too.”
“I’ll take them out of hiding once the night is over,” he promised.
“Thank you.”
“Except the pajamas. I actually did throw those out.”
“What?!”
He laughed at the wide eyed look Cedric gave him. “I made you a proper pair of pajamas, dear. Something you can actually walk around in should you require. Walking around in a ratty shirt and boxers is not proper for a member of castle staff.” He kissed Cedric’s pouting lips, humming as they pressed their foreheads together. They weaved through the other couples seamlessly, turning in several tight circles.
“You’re wicked,” Cedric whispered with a smile, brushing his nose over Baileywick’s.
“The wickedest,” Baileywick agreed. He twirled Cedric around once, pulling him back for a deep kiss as the song came to an end.