"I must say Tailor, when Vanity recommended you for your skills I didn't expect them to be so, ah, what do you creatures call it? Smurfy?"

Tailor sat back on his haunches, looking proudly at the work he had done on Princess Periwinkle's dress.

"It was my pleasure, Princess – sewing is my business after all and the hem wasn't too badly damaged, a little snip and stitch here and there and it looked good as new!"

"Mm, indeed" the pixie smiled, admiring the silken work in the mirror. "And you can hardly see the thread, without magic too, how wonderful" Periwinkle twirled around once, admiring her garment from all angles.

"Well, if that's all Princess, I guess I better get back to the village. Plenty of work to be done there too"

"Ah yes, you Smurfs have no use for gold, correct? Well my father's being trying to teach me something about generosity. Let's see" She paused for a few moments, wondering what she could offer the Smurf that wasn't gold. "I know! My royal ball, I know the pixies would love someone with such a refined taste as your own" She grinned, summoning two tickets from thin air. "And you're welcome to bring a guest, as a bonus"

"That's very kind of you" Tailor smiled gratefully, slipping the tickets into his pocket. "I'll patch a new suit up right away"

"Excellent, my Pixie's look forwards to seeing you there. The Ball will be held on the 28th of this month – full moon ball and all that"

"A fae tradition" the Smurf nodded appreciatively. "I will see you then, and thank you again, Princess" and with that, he packed up his supplies, and headed back to the village.

Now, although Smurfs were not usually invited to such events, full moon balls were notorious amongst forest creatures alike for their connection to magic. Full moons often meant a magical creature's power was enhanced and so it made sense to hold large occasions when the fae would be feeling especially invigorated. For Smurfs, full moons were not as special as blue moons, which were a special type of moon that enhanced their magic. Never the less, Tailor knew it was a special honour to have been offered a place, and he tapped his pocket thoughtfully as he thought about his plus one.

His immediate thoughts jumped to Papa Smurf of course – as the village leader and mentor, it seemed only fair to invite him to such an occasion. But when asked, the elder already had an experiment planned for the full moon, and wasn't able to attend. Tailor also considered Vanity, as Vanity was Periwinkle's friend after all – but the thought of attending an event with someone Tailor considered so haughty wasn't going to make for a fun night, and he rejected the idea immediately. He considered Smurfette too, because she liked to dance. But then again, Smurfette always had a hundred offers to join other Smurfs for activities and Tailor was not romantically interested in her as many others were, so he didn't want to seem as though he was making a move. Hm, this might prove harder than he thought.

"Afternoon, Tailor"

The textile worker looked up to see his friend Farmer entering the shop, carrying a set of his emerald overalls in his arms.

"Got uh, got a little rip in the um, seams here" the field hand blushed, pointing at a rip that started at the tail hole and went downwards in a vertical line across the backside. "I uh, think I might have outgrown these ones"

Tailor chuckled, motioning to an empty spot on his desk where the farmer could put the spare clothes. Farmer did so, looking embarrassed.

"So I uh, heard you were congratulated by the pixie princess ey?" Farmer coughed, trying to break the silence.

"Oh, yes!" Tailor beamed, feeling proud. Then an idea struck him. "I also got two tickets to her full moon ball – say, would you like to be my plus one?"

"M-me?" Farmer stammered, looking a little surprised. "I-I'm not sure it's the right uh, crowd for me, Tailor. They're probably looking for sophisticated Smurfs, I'm just a country bumpkin"

"Oh shush you" Tailor frowned; he didn't like it when his friend degraded himself. "You're a Smurf as much as anyone and you work harder than all of us; you deserve the break. Besides, I want you to come" he smiled, trying to show he was genuine.

"Mm well, I don't know Tailor, you should probably ask Smurfette instead, it'd impress her"

"She'll probably have a million offers anyway and besides, I'm not interested in that"

"You- you aren't?" Farmer was a little surprised. He had just assumed most of the others were, he himself had been once but those feelings were merely platonic now.

"Oh Farmer, you've known me a while now, when have I ever given that impression?" Tailor sounded rather bemused.

It was true, he and Farmer had been closer recently. At first he'd been rather annoyed by Farmer's presence in the shop – treading mud all over his nice clean floors and fabrics once. But Farmer had made up for it by getting up early to do all of Tailor's laundry work for him, and he'd been touched by the gesture and decided to get to know him better. The cultivator was a hard worker, which he respected, and he found quite enjoyed his company too. Farmer was passionate about things Tailor had never even considered, and he was humble, not like certain Smurfs who demanded a new suit every other week and only talked about themselves.

"Oh well I um, just assumed"

"Heh, I'm not even interested in-"Tailor had been about to say 'girls' but he stopped short, sucking in his breath "Well, are you sure you don't want to come?"

"I- if you want me to, then yes I will"

"Great!" the textile worker beamed, wagging his tail slightly. "Oh, of course it is a black tie event, so you'll need a new suit"

"Ah right, suit"

"Well whilst you're here I can take your measurements" Tailor smiled, getting up off his chair and approaching his friend.

"Oh uh, don't you have mine already? You wrote them down last time"

"Yes but that was a couple of years ago and only for your overalls. Besides, you've gotten uhh" the fabric worker's cheeks pinked as he gestured towards the other's physique. "Well, s-stronger, since last time. That field work's been paying off, heh"

"U-uh I guess so" the cultivator rubbed the back of his neck. "New measurements it is then"

Tailor took the tape measure off of his shoulders and sighed. Farmer was a fair bit taller than he was, he always forgot about that. In fact he even had a little stool for the taller clients (Tailor himself was a rather short Smurf) which he fetched to give himself better access to his customer. Sleeve and leg lengths, that was easy enough. Then the more intimate measurements, hips, back and chest. Both Smurfs were blushing during these ones, just slightly. There was an unspoken chemistry between them, it had been there for a while; but neither wanted to make assumptions. Or the first move for that matter.

Tailor was a fairly reserved Smurf, he kept to himself most of the time and enjoyed spending his days and evenings busy with sewing or creating new cottons and silks. He was a rather blunt character, however he didn't do well with romantic feelings as such, and at any rate didn't like to make judgements about how other's perceived him, so he was happy to keep a professional face. He thought Farmer was … handsome to say the least. He wasn't as perfectly shaped as Vanity or as strong as Hefty, but he had a rugged, natural charm to him even so. And his freckles, my Smurf. Tailor didn't say anything but he'd long had a secret admiration for the field hand's dark blue dots. There were just … so many. Even now as he was measuring his chest, he could tell the markings went below the overalls, and he wondered just how many his friend had, but thought it highly inappropriate to ask.

On the other hand, Farmer was actually a rather shy Smurf in his own little way, and a bit insecure. He didn't feel particularly clever or skilled like the craftsman of the village. He couldn't write poems or build inventions or sew, not to the level of skill his companions could anyway. He knew how to grow vegetables, and he did it well, but that was all. He'd long admired Tailor's work. And he had to admit to himself that Tailor was rather cute, he'd thought so for a while. But what on earth would such a talented tailor want with a simple country Smurf like himself? Tailor was serving Princesses for Smurf sake, he deserved better than Farmer could offer, even if it broke his heart to think so.

Farmer returned straight back to his hut once the measurements were done, the feeling of the tape measure still lingering on his chest like a ghostly sensation. He lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling as though deep in thought, although he was only replaying the encounter in his head. Had he really agreed to go to a fancy ball with Tailor? What was he thinking? He groaned, planting his hands into his face.

"What's wrong, master?" A voice sounded from nearby, making the cultivator jump in surprise.

"Gourdy, how many times do I have to tell you not to materialise like that? It scares the Smurf out of me"

"Sorry master …" The genie gulped, settling onto the floor. "It's just that you looked so sad, is there anything I can do to help? Any wishes I could grant?"

"No wishes, Gourdy, I've had enough of those for a lifetime" Farmer sighed, placing his hands on his chest, as though to calm his heartbeat which had sped up rapidly when his friend scared him.

"Then is there anything I can do?"

Farmer didn't respond for a while, so Gourdy was about to ask again when his owner spoke.

"No uh, it's fine. It's just that I've been invited to join Tailor to a Pixie's ball next week and well … I don't know the first thing about balls or sophistication … he'll think I'm a loser"

"Of course he won't, master!" The genie smiled reassuringly "He invited you didn't he? And you want to impress him right? I mean you like him-"

"G-Gourdy! Who told you that?!" The cultivator sat up suddenly, his freckled cheeks crimson with embarrassment.

"I um … mighthavereadyourdiaryonceortwicemaster" The genie coughed under his breath, then continued quickly to avoid being yelled at by his irate friend. "B-but have no fear! Gourdy is here at your service for all of your royal pixie ball needs!"

"That doesn't fill me with confidence" the field hand muttered under his breath. But he was almost grateful for his genie's offer; perhaps there could be a way to impress Tailor after all. "W-what exactly can you do, Gourdy?"

"Well, if you take me along, master, then I could uh, fix things if anything went askew. Y'know, a little magic here and there, nothing much"

"Hm well, I don't be knowing Gourdy-"

"Oh please oh please oh please" The genie threw himself at Farmer's feet "I want to be a good genie-"

"Oh stop grovelling" Farmer sighed, but he secretly wondered if taking Gourdy would at least be a backup plan. Of course this was on Tailor's terms, so asking for a third ticket wasn't an option.

"Here's what we'll do, I'll hide your gourd under my hat, then I can sneak you into the ball and if – and ONLY if, I need your help, you may do what you need too"

"Oh thank you, my generous master!" Gourdy beamed, trying to plant a kiss of gratitude on Farmer's hand, but the Smurf waved him off firmly.

A few days later, Tailor called his friend back to his shop, as he had something special that he wanted to show him.

"I finished your suit!" the shorter Smurf ran ahead a little, pulling out an item from the back of his shop "I worked overtime a little but I wanted to make sure it'd fit before we attended. Go on, I wanna see how it looks!"

"Oh uh, wow-" Farmer looked at the suit with interest.

It was so … different to his normal attire of slightly ragged overalls. It was neat and primed and pressed, made of a soft grey cotton with a black bowtie as per the invite's request. Tailor was still looking at him eagerly, so he took the mannequin behind the screen to get changed in privacy, whilst Tailor returned to his work bench to finish up on his repair's to Painter's jacket. A small cough caught his attention and he looked up to see his friend step out from behind the screen, looking surprisingly shy.

Tailor's heart fluttered slightly in his chest, but he ignored it, giving a positive smile and a small clap of approval. He bounced over to re-check the measurements, but was pleased with the result. He'd really outdone himself this time he thought, the soft grey tone of the jacket was a nice earthy colour on the field hand, not too sharp or strong but still formal enough for a ball. The cut he had chosen was rather dashing too, not as stylised as his own suit he was working on, but easy for Farmer to get into and still look good in.

"It uh, sure looks different to me overalls" Farmer commented, looking anywhere but at his friend, not wanting to meet his eyes "Feels different too. I uh, doubt I'll ever wear anything so fancy again though"

"Not till you get married at least" Tailor chuckled, adjusting some of the buttons on the other's shirt. He didn't notice the blush on Farmer's cheeks.

"W-well that's mighty big assumption, Tailor" the field hand gulped, pinning his ears back.

"Oh I wasn't assum- oh I just meant generally" Tailor looked up, noticing his friend's expression at last. He reached up, lifting Farmer's ears back into place. "You just seem like a romantic at heart. Heh, perhaps your country charm will impress one of the upper crusts" He smiled, stepping back to admire his work. "Well, I think the suit looks just fine, you can take it if you want, just don't mistake it for work clothes"

"I won't" The farmer promised.

On the night of the full moon, Farmer made his way to the edge of the village, where he was meeting his friend before they went to the ball. He'd taken good care to keep his new suit tidy and felt rather proud of the fact. He was also concealing his magic gourd under his hat, just in case.

"Ready to go?"

He turned to see Tailor walking up to him, dressed in his own suit. The full moon light enhanced the outline of his friend, as well as his clothes. It was a dark blue jacket with grey trousers, a slightly different design to Farmer's but still fancy and stylish. Actually, he looked rather dashing, although the country Smurf would only admit it to himself.

"Y-yeah, I'm ready" he chuckled, straightening up. "You know the way"

"Uh huh, it's not far but we have some time to kill, why not go the scenic route?" Tailor smiled, holding onto his companion's arm. Farmer obliged.

The scenic route added a few minutes onto their journey but in a nice way, it was pleasant being able to talk to Tailor properly for once. Not just about the ball but about anything and everything that came to mind. It took some weight off of the cultivator's shoulders, and he found that he didn't have to watch his demeanour so much. As they approached the pixie palace, a trail of delicate flowers caught their eye, and Farmer leant down to examine one in particular.

"My Smurfness, that's a moonbeam orchid!"

"A moonbeam orchid?"

The taller male stroked one of the silvery petals delicately,

"Aye, they're very rare to find growing in the wild and near impossible to cultivate, I tried once" he sighed "fussy things, they prefer magical essence, probably why it grows this close to the pixie's place. Heh, always nice to see one though"

"You're sure talented Farmer, I would have just thought it was pretty flower and walked past"

"O-oh uh, thank you Tailor, though I wouldn't call myself talented as such" He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck "I just like me flowers. You know, those humans think these flowers appear when a lucky event is about to occur"

"Sounds like it's just our night then" Tailor joked, gently touching his friend's elbow. "But let's not keep our hosts waiting"

The other nodded, and they headed towards the doors. A pixie maid greeted them, albeit a little suspiciously at first, but the tickets were genuine and so she waved them through. The two friends found themselves standing in a large ballroom, lit with soft purple lights. Upper class pixies and aristocratic fae were mingling about the dance floor and sides, whilst waiters flew by every so often with cheese platters and glasses of sparkling drinks.

"For you sirs" A waiter proclaimed as he sped past, ushering two glasses of wine into the Smurf's hands.

"Hm, not as earthy as Smurfberry wine" Tailor whispered, taking a sip. "But it has its appeal"

"I'd rather go for a lemonade" Farmer chuckled, sipping his drink to be polite.

"I suppose we oughta mingle with the masses" The fabric worker nodded towards the crowds "I'll introduce you to the princess if we can find her"

"Aye"

The two mixed into the crowds of pixies and did their best to make an effort in talking to them. Well, Farmer let Tailor do most of the talking, he didn't exactly know how to. Tailor seemed to have a knack for it, discussing fine cloths and clothes which impressed the snooty aristocrats. Farmer stayed silent for most of it, only answering a couple of questions when asked, although they seemed to laugh about his accent amongst themselves, which made him want to talk even less. Oh what he wouldn't give to be at home right now with a nice mug of mulled smurfberries and a romance novel. That would be far more enjoyable.

Something tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to see an attractive young pixie woman with a head of bright violet hair.

"Excuse me sir, I was wondering if you might join me and my sisters for a moment"

The cultivator turned to his friend for support, but Tailor just winked. Farmer groaned internally, knowing his friend was encouraging him. But he went with the lady anyway, casting a glance back towards his friend, who had already turned back to the guests. When the pixie stopped, Farmer found himself in the middle of a small gaggle of other fae, who all looked very interested by him.

"We didn't mean to be rude, sir, but you didn't seem to get a word in edgeways with your friend over there and we were quite curious – we've never seen a creature like you before"

"Oh well uh, I'm a Smurf" Farmer kept his eyes on the ground "We both are, Tailor got the tickets from the princess, I'm just his plus one"

The pixie sisters giggled and began to whisper to each other. The one who had approached Farmer glared at them before turning back to the Smurf.

"Forgive them, it's just that you sound a little funny"

"Aye, I'm uh, a country Smurf, m'am"

This made the sister's giggle even more and so the violet haired one shush them again.

"Call me Viola. You seem a little uncomfortable here, country Smurf. Care to dance?"

Farmer glanced around the room, looking dubious. He'd lost sight of his friend in the crowds, so he was on his own. He nodded nervously, straightening himself up.

"S-sure, Miss Viola"

The pixie led him out onto the dance floor as the pianist began a gentle tune on his instrument. The lines of dancers positioned themselves in empty spaces, and began a dance they all seemed to know the steps to. Farmer did not. Try as he might, he seemed step out of time with the music, and although she was patient, he could tell Viola was disappointed in his lack of dance knowledge. His face felt red with shame, but he was trapped in the middle of the dance floor, unsure of what was happening. He was even more surprised when the lines formed two columns, and suddenly he was no longer holding onto Viola but another random Pixie lady that had swapped places. This one was older, and arguably less kind, making no effort to hide her distaste for his poor waltzing skills by stepping on his foot whenever he went out of time. By the third swap, Farmer resigned himself to looking only at his feet, and not his partner as to avoid the shame he was sure would follow.

"Hey, you ok?"

The country Smurf looked up with a sigh of relief to realise that his third partner was none other than Tailor. He relaxed a little, and the columns disbanded, going back to their original places.

"To tell you the truth, Tailor, I'm feeling a might embarrassed by all this dancing" he sighed, looking away "It's really not my thing at all"

"Heh, it's easy once you get the hang of it, look, step 1-2-3-4, see? That's all it is"

"Mm, I don't know. That last pixie stepped on my poor foot an awful lot"

"Ah, the old hag" The shorter Smurf chuckled "Don't worry, I'll try hard not to do that, here-" He took his friend's hands and guided them to the correct position on his waist, making Farmer blush as this was quite a bit closer than the two had ever gotten before. "Now just step in time"

Farmer still wasn't exactly an expert at it, but he appreciated that Tailor was patient with him even so, and began to relax a little about the whole dancing thing.

"I just wish I could dance a bit better" He sighed, concentrating on his feet so that he didn't step on Tailor's.

"Wish? Was that a wish, master?" He heard a voice in his ear, which almost made him jump; he'd forgotten about his smuggled genie.

"Not now" Farmer hissed under his breath, trying to avoid Tailor hearing Gourdy.

"It's no problem master, I'll do it right away - cadoda casaba!"

Farmer felt a tendril of magic seep down his body, and he cursed internally, knowing this would end badly. He felt himself lose control of his legs as Gourdy's magic took over, but there was nothing he could do without drawing attention to the gourd he had hidden under his hat or the occupant.

"Say Farmer, I think you're getting the hang of it" Tailor smiled, as Farmer's stance had suddenly become more relaxed, and he was sweeping through the dance floor with ease.

"Y-yeah I guess so" Farmer grimaced, hoping the genie would end the spell soon.

All of a sudden, his body jerked to the side, away from Tailor's as it attempted to recreate some slightly funkier dance moves. This drew the attention of the ballroom, as everyone turned to stare at the strange Smurf who was cutting shapes on the dance floor.

"Gourdy, stop this" He hissed, but the genie didn't respond.

Farmer could see the mixed reaction of the crowd as he continued to flail wildly around the room, losing more control and becoming faster by the second. Confusion, disgust and amusement was plastered onto almost everyone's faces. And Tailor? Tailor just looked shocked. The field hand closed his eyes, praying the nightmare would end soon. He spun around quickly again, and felt his hand make contact with a large silver jug that had been sitting on the buffet table. The jug flew across the room and hit the ground with a large thunk, spilling the red wine contents onto the dress of a newcomer that had begun walking down the stairs. There was a collective gasp, and a piercing shriek split the air.

"Casaba cadoda" Farmer heard his genie whisper at last, and he felt his autonomy return to him, causing him to slump to the floor in exhaustion.

"WHO DID THAT?" The Pixie yelled, advancing quickly towards the slumped cultivator.

Tailor ran forwards from the crowd, blocking her path.

"Princess wait, I'm sure there's an explanation for this, Farmer would have never done such a thing on purpose-"

"Is this your plus one, Tailor Smurf?"

The textile worker hung his head.

"Y-yes, Princess. But this is very out of sorts I assure you. Please, let me fix your dress-"

"Very well, Tailor, you proved to be a good seamsmurf. But your … companion" Periwinkle pointed at Farmer "Must go"

"Y-yes, Princess" Tailor avoided Farmer's gaze, and the field hand felt his heart shatter.

With the hundreds of eyes burning into the back of his neck, Farmer gathered himself up, and left through the front doors.

Once he got back to his hut, he slammed the door, and extracted the gourd angrily from its hiding place, summoning his genie.

"Gourdy! You made me look like an idiot back there!"

"I-I' sorry master" the genie gulped, tears welling up in his eyes "I didn't mean to-"

"Well you DID" Farmer frowned "A-and now Tailor probably won't ever talk to me again"

Gourdy blinked silently, feeling guilty for having hurt his friend so badly. Farmer placed the gourd onto his side table and sank onto his bed, sobbing silently into his pillow. So much for that silly moonbeam orchid and it's good luck legend. Gourdy considered trying to comfort him, but thought it best to leave his master alone for the time being, disappearing back into his hold.

Farmer's tears had almost dried when he heard a knock on his front door. He tried to ignore it, until the knocker spoke.

"Farmer I can see your light is on"

The cultivator sighed deeply, opening the door a fraction.

"If you've come to tell me off they'll be no need Tailor, I know what I did"

"That's not why I'm here at all. Can I come in? Please?"

Farmer sighed, but allowed his friend in, slumping back onto the bed as he did so. Tailor sat down next to him, silent for a couple of moments.

"Everyone at the ball was mad at me, huh?"

"Yep"

"The princess probably doesn't want to see me ever again, huh?"

"Most likely"

"And you hate me too for ruining your night, right?"

Farmer waited for his friend to agree, but was surprised when he heard the fashion worker laugh.

"Oh Farmer, that was the funniest thing I've ever seen! You don't honestly think I LIKED hanging around with upper-class pixies do you? I was just being polite"

"Y-you were? You seemed to do it so naturally"

Tailor shrugged.

"I just have know how about fabrics, that's all. I would have been bored out of my mind without you and Gourdy there"

Farmer blushed.

"You … know I took him?"

"Oh please, no offense but those weren't all your dance moves" Tailor laughed kindly "but I get it, dancing wasn't your thing"

"Still" Farmer sighed "I wanted to impress you … and now I might have ruined your chance for a good business deal or" He gestured vaguely "A date or something"

The smaller Smurf smiled kindly, scooching a little closer to his freckled friend.

"I don't really care about any of that" He smiled "T-to tell you the truth, Farmer I- well that is there's something I've wanted to say for a while but-"

Farmer looked at him curiously, waiting for Tailor to finish his sentence. But instead of speaking, the smaller male gently cupped Farmer's face in his hands, and leant forwards to kiss him.

Farmer had heard others describe a kiss feeling like fireworks, but he hadn't truly understood it until that moment. They were right though, it really felt like a thousand fireworks going off in his mind. He was surprised, of course, he hadn't expected Tailor to feel this way about him but he could hardly pretend to be upset about it. Actually, he rather enjoyed it. Farmer wrapped his arms around Tailor, gently pulling the other Smurf closer as he returned the kiss, sinking back into his pillows as he wagged his tail happily.

The two pulled away panting after a while, catching their breath. Both party's cheeks were considerably flushed, but they giggled about it.

"I-is that what you were trying to say, Tailor?"

"Might have been~" The other smirked, gently leaning on his friend's chest "In less words"

"I-I didn't expect you'd like a simple country bumpkin like me-"

"Oh you're anything but simple, Farmer" Tailor cut him off, placing a finger on his lip to silence him. "Why do you think I wanted you to come to the ball with me in the first place?"

"I don't know" The taller male blushed, his heart still beating rapidly under his shirt at Tailor's proximity. "Perhaps you felt sorry for me?"

"Don't be silly" Tailor chuckled, planting another soft kiss on Farmer's lips. "I've been trying to get closer – so to speak"

"I-I see" Farmer beamed, unable to hide his smile which stretched from ear to ear – Tailor liked him after all, perhaps that moonbeam orchid had been more right than he thought.

"Heh, if anything I'm just glad you felt the same way" Tailor smiled, snuggling up the other and gazing at him affectionately.

"O-of course" Farmer wrapped his arms around the shorter Smurf, breathing in the soft cotton scent. "I just wish I'd said something sooner"

There was a flash of bright purple which startled the two, almost causing Tailor to fall off of the bed.

"Did you say 'wish' master?"

"GOURDY!"