Sukha

Sukha

Pairing: Baileywick x Reader

Author’s Note: Okay, Okay, Okay, off topic, but does Baileywick give anyone else Capricorn/Gemini vibes??? I swear, earth and air signs just be acting a certain way 😔 I could spot a fellow earth sign just by their slightest mannerisms I swearrr Lmao. 

Being real though, this has been sitting in my drafts for so long :( so sorry.

Also, I did not do as thorough a proof-read job as I wanted to on this, so sorry for any errors you may find! On a different note, this one is for @ucantseemaowo34​ !!! Thank you for this ask! Baileywick doesn’t get enough love fr, so this felt fantastic to write :) 

While growing up, you had always desired one thing: 

To work at the Enchancia castle. 

Come to think of it, there wasn’t a time that you hadn’t wanted to work at the most prestigious castle in all the land. That is, the most prestigious castle to you. With its stunning architecture, fantastic workers of all creeds, and, of course, the welcoming royals, the castle had seemed like a paradise for someone like you. But there was one thing that drew you to the castle the most. And that was your dear friend Baileywick. 

After moving to Enchancia in your twenties to pursue your dream, you had run into Baileywick while at a local market. It was one of his rare days off, and he had chosen to go purchase some gifts and some items he had forgotten to purchase days previous. And while walking towards the aisle with the whittled figurines at one of the shops, he ran into you. 

Not recognising you from his years of living in Enchancia, he immediately sparked a conversation and offered to tour you around what he said was the best kingdom in all the lands. 

At the time you only slightly agreed with his opinion, given you didn’t know everything about it, but overtime you grew to love the land as much as him; with its cheerful population and bustling city, you knew that it wouldn’t be hard to join their little community. 

The only problem had been finding a job...With little work experience, you weren’t sure what place would fit you best. Your father had taught you the skills of carpentry as a young child, but it wasn’t something that you thought would be easy to find a job for. As Baileywick pointed out in his tour early on, the city already had a fine group of carpenters that didn’t need apprentices. So it didn’t seem as though they, or the castle staff, needed another one to add to the mix.

When Baileywick brought up the topic of careers, he immediately noticed your dread. When you explained the source of that dread though, he promptly eased your worries with one small statement: That the head carpenter at the castle was looking for a partner to aid in his work. And, as it turns out, the man was a friend of your father.

All in all, it seemed as though your dreams were in closer reach than you thought.

Flash forward two years later, and you were thriving in your field. Similar to Baileywick, you had dedicated almost all of your time to your trade. The only difference was that you both began to take more days off in order to spend it with each other.

So much so, that you both set aside one to two days a week to spend together doing whatever it was that caught you guys’ interest that week.

For that last couple of weeks though, Baileywick had noticed that you had been cancelling on him more and more frequently. This was something that flashed immediate red flags in his head. Something had to be wrong; the only thing he had to do was figure out exact what it was that was bothering you.

...

Walking out to the shed you and your fellow carpenters worked in, Baileywick hesitantly knocked on the intricately designed door. He had hoped that you would be the one to open the door and invite him in, but his wishes were sadly not met.

“Hello Baileywick! Haven’t seen you around these parts in a while, is there something you need?,” Reginald, the head carpenter said.

“Well...There is actually. Is (y/n) here?”

Looking behind him, Reginald snapped his finger and opened the door wider.

“Actually, they are! They should be at their station in the back.”

With a pat to the shoulder Baileywick thanked him and manoeuvred his way over to you.

Which was easier said than done.

By the time he got close to your work station, he realised that most of the space was taken up by a large wooden object. This, upon closer inspection, turned out to be an impressively designed wooden statue; something he remembered the king commissioning not too long ago. Come to think of it, it was commissioned around the same time you started flaking on your meet ups...

...

“(Y/n)?”

 Uh-oh, you thought, he finally came looking for me..

Letting out a nervous laugh, you turned around to sheepishly look at Baileywick.

“Heyyyy Baileywick..long time no see huh?”

Not finding the humour in your words, Baileywick gave you a scolding look. This only made your nerves worse but was ultimately anticipated. You had been working so hard that you hadn’t realised just how long it had been since you had last seen him properly. Unlike him, you were disheveled and looked as if you hadn’t slept in weeks. Which wasn’t far from the truth....Something you knew he was aware of.

“Ha Ha (y/n), very funny. Is this what you’ve been doing these last two weeks? You look like you haven’t taken a break since you started!”

Hearing it from him made the reality really sink in. You spent so long trying to finish this project as fast as you could that you forgot to focus on your own health and close friends. The guilt pooled in your chest at the thought and you finally gave him a dejected look.

“Well, I mean, yeah. The king wants this project done as soon as possible, so I thought if I pulled a couple all-nighters I might get it done faster and have some more down time. Didn’t realise how much that would backfire though...”

Oh (y/n), he thought, always putting work before yourself..

“Well, if that’s the case, it seems as though a well deserved break is in order. A walk in the woods might do you some good (y/n); you could clear your head and finally explore the kingdom’s landscape in more detail like you’ve always wanted.”

This idea did interest you, but there was only one thing keeping you from following through with that plan: you had been isolated so long and had no one to go with.

Sensing your anxiety and reluctance, he decided to try and ease your discomfort.

“Do you not like that suggestion? You can always do whatever else you want, I just thought some fresh air and movement would do you some good.”

Responding quickly, you let out a, “No! No, that idea is fantastic Bailey! I just....I’d rather have someone to....y’know, go with me and do it....”

Oh, he thought. 

“Would you like...me to go with you....?”

With a confident grin, you said the first thing that came to mind: 

“Of course!, Who else would make better company than you?”

That statement was what gave him the confidence to confidently say yes and join you. The fact that you were so adamant on wanting to spend time with him despite how bad you felt made him feel those familiar butterflies in his chest. And, for a moment, he felt as though he finally had a chance. A chance to admit how he felt about you. 

After preparing the supplies needed for a hike in the woods and getting into the proper attire, Bailey met you at the gates of the castle.

“You all ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be!,” you quipped.

With a fond smile Baileywick offered you his arm and guided you two to the gate.

....

The first twenty minutes of your walk was done with excited chatter, but stopped when the beauty of the flora around you began to blossom and capture you guys’ attention; making you both decide to take a break in order to admire it and harvest what you could.

With that in mind, you pulled your basket in front of you.

Seeing that you were focusing on the fauna surrounding you both, Baileywick decided to scavenge for any edible vegetation. The first being the regions more notable mushrooms.

Picking up the nearest mushroom to him and twirling it between his fingers, Baileywick thought back to the first time he started having feelings for you.

His first glance at you in the market square had him gazing in awe- that he can confess to. But beauty often hides the truth, so more time was needed to know if your beauty was deceiving.

And, as he soon found out, the women inside matched the beauty outside. To him, the longer you worked together the more your personality shone. And goodness was it bright.

Every little action you made was perfect in your own little way; even if you would claim otherwise. You constantly changed his perspective on the way he viewed life and he knew that, although you didn't conform to his way of living, he wanted to conform to yours. Even at the expense of his perfectionism.

And though that might be the influence of Sofia talking, he did acknowledge the change that you brought out in him; and he appreciated it. Instead of trying to perfect everything down to the last inch, he let things flow naturally. Instead of getting irritated when things weren’t done the way he wanted, he let people have their own creative liberty with how they went about things. And instead of being happy by himself, Baileywick now realised he wanted companionship. More specifically, companionship with you. 

All in all, Baileywick thought it was only appropriate that you knew these feelings, otherwise it would be awkward on both of your parts. He felt as though you should know how he felt and, in the back of his brain, he hoped that you would reciprocate those feelings. 

So when you both reached what seemed to be the most beautiful lake he could find in Enchancia to rest at, Baileywick instantly felt that it was best he confessed to you here. Because who else than you deserved absolute perfection?

Gazing over to you, Baileywick felt a fond smile creep onto his face. Despite his workaholic nature, he would give up all of his life’s work just to live in this moment with you forever. Your face reflected the purple and orange hues just perfectly and he swore you looked angelic.

Inching closer to you, he took a strand of your hair and began to twirl it around his finger. You raised your shocked eyes in response, which only let your blush become even more evident to him. 

“Bailey?,” you asked, watching him observe your features lovingly.

Pressing his forehead against yours, your breath intertwining and a content affection being built, Baileywick responded with a smooth:

“Sometimes I feel sick…so anxious and sick- as if my heart is trying to beat its way out of my chest. At first I thought I caught a cold from the children, but when it got worse around you I knew it wasn’t just a biological mistake. You were what made my heart race. You were what made me feel like a lovesick teenager again. Looking at you just now, I knew that I had to tell you...” 

Pulling you into a hug, his chin resting on your shoulder, he finally admitted it: “(y/n), I love you. I’ve loved you for years. I just thought you should know because you’ve made such an impact in my boring stiff life. Whether that’s the Sofia in me taking I don’t know, but it remains true just the same.....”

...

Not hearing a response, Baileywick began to pull away from you. That is, until he felt you latch onto him tighter. Staying still, he felt you shaking a bit- as if you were laughing. And for a moment, he felt a bit upset. He had poured his heart out and that was how you respond?

Recoiling, he let out a brief, “Hey! Now what’s th-”

And then he saw it: you had tears in your eyes! That definitely wasn’t the reaction he was expecting; he wanted to make you happy, not make you cry! Showing his concern, he quickly said: “Oh dear! Are you alright?”

Looking up at him, you let out a giggle through a toothy grin.

“Of course I’m alright you old fool, I love you too! You just don’t know how relieving it is to hear you say that. I was worried that I would have to hear Miranda tease me about my crush on you for the rest of my life!”

Hearing that, Baileywick let out a hearty laugh of his own.

“She teased you as well?? I swear I haven’t been able to get Roland off my back for an eternity! That man does not give up easily, I’ll tell you that..”

Smiling fondly at him, you could only think one thing: God bless the King and Queen of Enchancia for their childish teasing. 

A laugh broke out between you and, in that moment, everything was right in the world. Everything was how it should be and the two lovers were finally able to live out their dream life: the one where their person loved them back.