Work Text:
Why he does not reveal himself to his favourite mortal, the-one-who-has-many-Names-but-who's-favourite-is-Frumpkin does not know.
But then, despite his being halfway to Titled, the-little-Lord is still Courtbound, and the Courtbound are a strange folk.
And so, instead of admitting he has adopted a form-shape for the joy and the safety of ice-blood-sharp-smile, the-little-Lord subjects himself to the indignities that ice-blood-sharp-smile puts his form-shape through.
He-whose-Name-has-often-been-Cheshire allows himself a wider grin than he usually allows this form-shape to take as his-Caleb uses his form-shape as a scarf, even as the-little-Lord is being subjected to the indignity of his ice-blood-sharp-smile shoving his form-shape into her hair to keep him out of the way as she darts after his-Caleb's cursed-form-shape-kin.
Ho-nest-ly.
If the fool of a Lord just built himself a form-shape-calling with his favourite mortal like everybody else, instead of subjecting himself to this objectively hilarious, subjectively demeaning, well meaning attempts at caring for his form-shape by ice-blood-sharp-smile.
See, this is why he-whose-Name-has-often-been-Cheshire sticks with his fellow Titled when in the Wilds. The Courtbound are so.... weirdly prideful about just bullying their way in on their favourite mortal's form-shape-calling-ritual, or simply inviting themselves along.
That's what he-who-was-then-Named-Cheshire and he-who-is-still-Named-Hatter did with their-Alice, after all!