Alois took great care to keep his wardrobe hidden from the bluenette, even enlisting the butler's help and warning his beau to stay out of a specific guest room for a while. His requests were understood by the bluenette, as he knew the importance of the gesture. Ciel also knew that it would be his turn to go on a similar mission.
Ciel hated shopping for clothes, and had even less of a clue than the blonde did, but he had to pick out the right outfit to impress his future spouse with. The man had gone on countless missions in which he took down some of Britain's greatest villains, but this actually had him nervous. While he had the assistance of both his cousin and his fashion-savvy friend Kristopherson, the Watchdog was still concerned. He was never comfortable in such fashionable stores, and was only felt at ease in a handful of more specific stores.
The moment he stepped into that store, he was uneasy, hanging back behind the others while he maintained his usual calm façade. He strode in with his hands in his pockets before the Hellsing woman fell back and looped her arm in his. She could tell that he was uneasy, so she tried her best to reassure him.
"Don't worry, Ciel. We've already got ideas for what we want to do, here." Elizabeth said. "All you have to do is tell us whether or not you like it."
"Fine…" the bluenette grumbled, trying to calm his nerves. He didn't like his surroundings, and the pressure of choosing something that wouldn't embarrass his beau was quite a large task for him. "I can't tell you how much good my opinion will do, however."
"Well, you know what Alois likes, don't you?" asked his cousin. "That's pretty important to all of this."
"Yes, but I'm not exactly the most fashionable of people, you know."
"Yeah, usually you either look like a mobster, or a rich fuck." Kristopherson butted in, only to have his shoulder swatted at by Elizabeth. "What? I was playing."
"Be nice." Elizabeth scolded. "Don't make people who are already nervous even worse." Looking to her cousin as they continued walking, she rolled her eyes. "Honestly, his mother should really have a word with him." Kristopherson simply stared at them as they walked by.
"He's nervous?" he asked, moving again to keep up to him. "How can you even tell?"
"I pay attention, dearie. That's how you notice all sorts of things, now come along." Elizabeth gestured for the man to follow, much to Kristopherson's annoyance.
"Just like my mother…" he muttered as he followed along.
They eventually started working again, getting along much better in the process. All Ciel could do was stand there and take it, standing up straight when the others held up clothes to him, and slipping on jackets to make sure they were his size and slipping them off again. For the most part, he simply stood there awkwardly and seemed confused. Occasionally, he would give his input, but not often. He felt as though he was being much too laid back and thoughtless about this, but in all honesty, he wasn't sure what he should be doing.
"Ciel, do you have any preferences?" Elizabeth questioned, holding up a vest. "Surely you've got some ideas for what you want to wear. Oh yes, what about your eyepatch? Do we need a new one? What about earrings?"
"Uh… well… I was thinking that I could wear my lion earrings." The bluenette replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not sure how that would fit in with your ideas, though…"
"No, no, no! That's wonderful!" the woman said. "What colour are they?"
"Gold?"
"That's perfect." Kristopherson chimed in. "If they were silver, that might be a problem, but they should go with our colour scheme."
"And that would be?" asked the bluenette.
"Black and gold." The human answered. "Or yellow, really. This vest. Take it and the stuff we've picked out and go try them on so we can see if our plan is a flop."
"The dressing rooms are over there, Ciel. If you need anything, just tell us." Elizabeth added, gesturing while Ciel draped the garments carefully over his forearm.
He was cautious in crossing the store, despite the fact that people moved out of his path with one look of his face. Had it been an ordinary day, he wouldn't have noticed, but his currently self-conscious mind took it a bit personally. Ciel knew that he could be a tad intimidating, but he never wanted to be while working for Alois. As he closed the door of the cubicle, he sighed and carefully set down the clothes before straightening his back again. The bluenette stopped in order to look in the mirror for a moment, inspecting his face.
"Jesus, would it kill you to smile?" he muttered to himself, flexing his brow as he tried to rid himself of his scowl. Then he tried to add a grin, holding it for a few moments before letting it fall.
"Great, now you're the bloody Joker…" he snidely mumbled, scowling worse than before. Shaking his head, he started disrobing and trying on the outfit that the others put together.
His suit was black, unknowingly contrasting with his spouses' white, causing the yellow vest to stand out with his white cravat tucked in. It was just flashy enough to keep up with Alois' wardrobe, but not enough to overshadow Ciel's own personality. True, the bluenette felt that he looked decent enough in it, but did he really look like "husband" material?
Ciel was excited to finally be marrying the menace. He really did love the man with all of his heart, and it took him ages to finally convince himself that this would be a good step for the both of them. Alois was worth it, and deserved a "proper" ceremony. The Watchdog couldn't help but feel his heart fluttering when he thought about becoming the blonde's spouse. He loved seeing Alois being so happy and excited, so he wanted everything to be nice for his beau. Despite his earlier thoughts of self-doubt, remembering just how happy the blonde had been acting over the past few weeks made a genuine smile form on his face. It sat so naturally on his visage, and was a massive improvement from the forced one from before.
"Ciel? Are you almost done?" asked Elizabeth from outside, capturing the bluenette's attention.
"Jesus, do these two have trouble dressing themselves or something?" questioned Kristopherson, immediately shutting his mouth upon seeing Ciel exit the dressing room.
"I assure you, I have no problems on that front, Kristopherson." He said, carrying himself in his usual dignified manner. "I was merely making sure that I look halfway decent."
Before the Miles gentleman could defend himself, the bluenette was attacked by his cousin as he was lifted off of the ground in a crushing hug. Kristopherson's eyes widened as Ciel simply allowed himself to be held up as though he had experienced it countless times before. Elizabeth spun them both around before Ciel's feet finally touched the ground again, continuing to squeeze him as she spoke.
"You look so adorable, Ciel!" she practically squealed. "Alois is going to love it!" Pulling back, she cupped the man's cheeks and grinned. "I am so, so, so happy for you! Look at you~! So handsome! I can't wait for Alois do see it!"
The Phantomhive was blushing at this point, bashfully trying to maintain his air of dignity. He took a moment to straighten his clothes and cleared his throat before running a hand through his hair in an effort to calm himself. Elizabeth's excitement was almost infectious, as he only grew more and more eager for the ceremony.
"Do you really think he'll like it?" he asked, his voice much calmer than his face.
"Of course! We'll fix your hair before the ceremony and get you all ready—"
"Please don't tell me you're going to do my hair like Aunt Francis…"
"No, never. That would just be mean." Elizabeth stated. "I meant like the way you used to for formal events."
"Oh. I haven't done that in ages…"
"All the better reason to show Alois." The woman said. "Come on, go put your clothes back on and we'll get you all ready for your big day."
