Undercover Werewolf

New Clothes

"If I may continue please?" Rosa asked them. "Thank you for telling me, Palmer. This does change a few things." She opened a drawer in her desk, rummaging through it before producing a small plastic card. "The press conference doesn't start for an hour or so. Can you take him to Yedina and help pick out some nicer clothes for him? He'll need at least five new outfits."

Palmer reached over to take the card, arching one eyebrow. "The company credit card? You must really want him to look good."

"Appearances matter in our line of work, Palmer, you know this. But don't go overboard."

"Who, me?"

Rosa eyed him. "I'm trusting you, Palmer. Use your best judgement."

"Yes, Mom." Palmer reached over to grab Baileys' hand. "Come on, Bay, let's get out of here before she changes her mind."

Bailey glanced at Rosa, seeing a smile on her lips. That was all he saw before he was tugged out of his seat. "Alright, alright, I'm coming. And stop calling me Bay."

"Why? Is it that bad of a nickname?" Palmer asked as they both walked out into the hallway.

"Well, no..."

"Then what's the issue?"

Bailey considered it as they walked to the staircase to walk down to the first level. "Well, no one's ever given me a nickname before." He admitted as they reached the second floor.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. Well, other than Bailey the Barbie Doll."

"Don't worry, I won't ever call you that."

"I didn't think you would."

"Good." Palmer hesitated, looking back at Bailey when they reached the first floor. "So..."

"So?"

"What's the verdict? Can I still call you that?"

He considered it. Bay really wasn't a bad nickname, he supposed. And it felt different when Palmer called him that. "Yes, you can call me Bay."

A wide smile appeared on Palmer's face as he started to walk again, leading Bailey out of the stairwell and through the lobby. "Good."

"Good? That's all you're going to say?" Bailey asked, feeling confused as he followed Palmer out of the building.

"Yeah."

"Why do you like that nickname so much?"

"Because."

"Are you going to give me an answer that isn't 'because'?" Bailey asked. feeling exasperated.

Palmer looked back at him before stopping as they reached his car. "You really want to know?"

"Yes, I do."

"Why? Why is it important to know that reason why?"

"Because... because I don't understand why you want to give me a nickname when my name is just fine."

"'Just fine'?" Palmer repeated, stepping closer to him. "Bailey, I love your name."

"You do?" Bailey rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his face flush.

"Yeah, I do. But, to me, Bailey is the name of that scrawny twelve-year-old who was unfairly targeted by bullies. You aren't that kid anymore, Bay. You're different."

"Different how?"

Palmer chuckled. "Well, for one, back when you were younger, you would've punched me if I teased you."

"I would not have."

"Yeah, you would have. You were an angry twelve-year-old and you had every right to be-"

"No, Palmer, I wouldn't have punched you." Bailey knew saying that was a mistake when he saw awareness in Palmer's eyes but couldn't do anything about it.

"Are you saying what I think you are saying?"

"That depends." Bailey licked his lips reflexively, seeing Palmer's eyes following the movement. "What do you think I was saying?"

"Oh, I think you're saying that I was special back then. Did you have a crush on me, Bay?"

"Uh, nope. You were special because you were the only jock who didn't pick on me."

Palmer frowned at that. "I prefer the version where you have a crush on me."

"Why?" Bailey asked, looking up at him.

"Because you're cute and handsome. Because I want to get to know you. And, eventually, win you over."

Bailey wanted to look away from Palmer, but the intensity of his gaze locked him in place. "Win me over? I'm not some prize you need to win. Besides, I don't do one night stands."

"I never said you were a prize, silly." Palmer cupped his cheek as he talked, his thumb rubbing along Bailey's jaw. "And I don't do one night stands either."

"The Star frequently posts articles about your one night stands."

"Haven't you figured out that the Star is trash yet?"

"Perhaps I have." Bailey pulled away from Palmer. "We need to go..."

"Right..." Palmer looked like he wanted to touch him again though after a few seconds, he let his hand drop again. "Let's go then." He walked to the drivers side of his car, unlocking the doors.

Bailey opened the passenger door to get in, buckling his seatbelt. "I should've just rode my motorcycle." He grumbled.

"I don't think you'd have been able to keep up." Palmer got in the car, fastening his seatbelt before looking over at Bailey. "Are you that eager to get away from me?"

The vulnerability in his eyes was enough to pause whatever response he could come up with. All he could do was stare at Palmer for a minute. "Uh, n-no, I'm not." He stammered before pulling his gaze away. Why was he being like this? Palmer's flirting didn't affect him like this, just the brief, serious moments they had with each other.

"Then what? Talk to me, Bailey."

"About what?"

"About what? About us."

It's my first day on the job. There's no us yet, Palmer."

"...I see. Alright, that's fair. I'll just be your client then."

"Palmer..."

"No, it's okay. You're right, we should keep things professional between us." Palmer turned to face the front as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

The drive to Yedina was awkward to say the least, with Palmer being unusually quiet while Bailey fidgeted in his seat, neither being willing to try and break the silence.

Finally, Palmer pulled into the parking lot of a large store, finding a parking space to park the car.

Bailey immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, looking at the building. "The Suit Shop?"

"Yeah. It's a good place to find suits. They even tailor them to fit you."

"That's good."

"Yeah, it is."

They both walked inside the building, stealing glances at each other as they walked before they got distracted by an attendant.

"How can I help you today?"

Palmer stepped forward, his demeanor changing as he straightened his back, his shoulders going back. "Yes. My friend here needs five suits." He glanced back at Bailey, his gaze sliding over his body. "One dark blue, one brown, one white, one red and one emerald green, please. All sized medium."

The man nodded. "If you'll sit down, I'll bring the suits to you." He replied, nodding at a waiting area behind them.

"Why can't we just pick them out ourselves?" Bailey grumbled as he walked over to the waiting area. "And how do you know my measurements?"

"That's not how it works here." Palmer explained patiently. "And I know your measurements because you had to provide them when you applied."

"Right." Bailey looked down at the chair, biting his lip before looking over at Palmer.

"I'm sorry." They both blurted out at the same time before blinking at each other.

"You can't apologize! I was going to apologize." Palmer exclaimed.

"Well, you aren't the only one who needs to apologize."

"Yeah, I am. You wouldn't have reacted like that if I hadn't kept flirting and pushing you into that reaction."

Bailey growled under his breath.

"Did you just growl?"

"What? No! But give me some credit, Palmer. I'm thirty-one years old; I could've said something to you before about the flirting. Besides, I..."

"You...?"

"I-I... I didn't mind the flirting. Just stop being so pushy with me."

"Alright." Palmer held his hand out to him. "Are we friends again then?"

Bailey reached forward to clasp his hand. "Yeah. Friends."

Bailey looked into the mirror in front of him, adjusting the tie he wore around his throat as he tried not to make a face.

Palmer had given him the green suit to try on, though when he looked at it, the suit looked more like a light shade of yellow, which didn't look good on him.

"Well?" A knock sounded on the door. "Does it fit?"

Bailey jumped, looking over his shoulder at the door as he started to change out of the suit. "Yeah, it fits. They all do. Do me a favor, will you?"

"What?"

"Write the color of the suits on the labels so I know what colors are what."

"Even on the ones you know?"

"Yeah. It's best to stay consistent with my clothes. I learned that the hard way." Bailey replied as he changed into his regular clothes, making a face.

"The hard way? Oh, do tell, Bay. You can't just leave me hanging like that."

Bailey huffed, opening the door when he was fully clothed. "Saffi arranged a blind date for me once. I thought I knew what color clothes I had and wore a neon green tshirt with red pants."

Palmers' eyes widened as he bit his lip, looking like he was trying to hold back a laugh. "Um... what happened?"

"...He took one look at me and ran. After that, I started buying clothes in shades of white, grey and black."

Palmer dissolved into - thankfully quiet - giggles, bracing his hands on his knees before he regained control of himself. "And what about the green jacket you were wearing before?"

"A gift from Sylvia. It was the only thing I let her buy me, though I made sure to get it confirmed that it was actually green."

"Let me guess, Sylvia has a habit of pranking you?"

"Oh, yeah. Ever since I was tested and found to be colorblind."

Palmer shook his head. "Wow. Don't hit me or anything but I can't really blame her. I'd have found it hard not to prank you as well. I was a bit of a prankster when I was young."

"I'm glad we weren't friends as children."

"Hey!"

"What?" Bailey asked innocently as he gathered the suits. "Come on, let's pay for these. We're running out of time."

Palmer hurried over to him to take the suits. "I got them. I have to pay for them after all. So, how'd you get it? I researched color blindness and it seems to be mostly genetic."

"My grandfather has it, though he has it worse." Bailey replied, letting him take them.

"How so?" Palmer asked curiously, leading him to the checkout desk.

"He has monochromacy. Can't see any colors."

"None? That would suck."

"Perhaps. For us, it's the only thing we've known though. Color blindness runs in we- my family."

Palmer looked at him, eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"You were about to say something completely different."

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were." Palmer produced the credit card, giving it to the man behind the counter to pay for the suits after they were placed in garment bags.

"I was not. I just slipped up as I was talking." Bailey avoided his gaze, tapping his fingers against the counter unwittingly.

"Alright... I'll drop it for now. But something is..." Palmer shook his head, taking the garment bags. "Come on. Let's get back or Rosa will have our heads."

"Would she really?" Bailey asked as he followed him out to the car.

"Well... Maybe not. But she might if we're late to the press conference. And you still have to change into a suit. You should wear the brown one; it looks great on you."

"Well, perhaps I will. Did you write the colors down?"

"When did I have a chance to do that? I'll do it when we get back."

"And you won't mess up the labels?"

"No, I won't." Palmer unlocked the car, getting in the drivers' side.

"Alright. I'm trusting you."

"I feel like I'm wearing a grain sack." Bailey complained, tugging at the hem of his suit jacket.

"Stop that." Palmer slapped his hands away from the cloth. "You look amazing."

"I do not. If anyone looks amazing, it's you." He looked over at Palmer who was wearing a matching suit, only his was a vivid shade of blue that he'd called cerulean. The color complemented his eyes, making them look almost hazel.

"You both look amazing." Rosa told them from behind them. "We should go. The conference is about to start." She stepped between them, grabbing their hands.

"Wow, you look beautiful, Rosy."

"Thanks, Palmer."

Palmer leaned around her to look at Bailey. "The dress she's wearing is red; vermillion, I think."

"Why do you know all these different shades of colors?" Bailey asked him.

The other male shrugged, a smile forming on his lips.

"He played an interior decorator in one of his movies. Palmer likes to... educate himself on the roles he plays, which includes learning about the different shades of various colors." Rosa explained, walking forward and towing them out of the building with her.

Bailey blinked as he stepped outside, his vision adjusting to the outdoor lights as he heard cameras going off.

"Miss Cervantes, who is this young man?"

"Palmer, hey, Palmer! Is he your new lover?"

"New guy, look over here!"

Rosa stepped up to a podium with Palmer beside her; Bailey stepped back as her grip relaxed, biting his lip a little as he looked out at the reporters. There were fewer than he thought, recognizing three of them from the Star.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I would like you to meet Palmer's new bodyguard, Bailey Hunt." Rosa spoke into the microphone.

"New bodyguard?" A woman with long blond hair held a microphone out to Rosa. "Why does Palmer need a new bodyguard?"

"I'm sure you know that Mr. Yan decided to retire."

Bailey frowned, remembering what had happened. Yan Hanying had been Palmer's bodyguard for a while, until he'd taken a bullet meant for Palmer. It had left him paralyzed and unable to continue working in the business. He'd gone back to China, with a healthy severance pay; enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

"Bailey Hunt...?" A man with close-cropped brown curls looked at him. "Are you the same Bailey Hunt who worked for Mason Piper? You helped save his daughter."

Rosa motioned him forward and Bailey stepped up to the podium. "I did work for Mr. Piper but I thought that story was kept quiet."

The man laughed. "Well, it's not that quiet. I'm Mark Piper, Maci's uncle. I never got a chance to thank you, Mr. Hunt."

"I was just doing my job, Mr. Piper."

"Your job wasn't to hunt down a kidnap victim. For that, I thank you."

Bailey simply nodded his head before stepping back to let Palmer answer some questions, hanging back to observe as some people walking by stopped to watch them.