A Wish Come True

Rarity fumbles with her equipment for a while longer before putting her hoof down. "Maybe I'll wait a while longer...I can help Joseph, then begin my newer ideas." Rarity walks back over to the large mirror. "Yes...I can wait a while." Rarity hears the water stop. "Ah, Joseph must be done." Rarity returns to her station and undoes a roll of measuring tape. "Anyway, I'll pick his brain, see what he likes."

*In the bathroom*

Joseph opens the glass door and grabs the clean white towel Rarity had on her towel rack. He quickly dries his legs and feet, then slips on his briefs again. Joseph sits down on the toilet's seat, really noticing how low it was, and lets his head droop. "...I can't go one day...without taking a shower..." Joseph shakes his head out, trying to fling loose water from his hair. He then drapes the towel over his head and puts his hands on his knees.

Joseph waits a minute or two before bringing his hands up and rubbing the towel into his hair. "...Okay...that's the second time I've been nude in somepony's house...and I should not be talking like this." Joseph closes his eyes. "It's someone, not somepony..."

He looks up and peels the towel from his head, standing up. Joseph shakes the towel out to straighten it, then wraps it around his damp hair again. He walks towards the door, grabs the knob, and opens it.

Joseph peers outside before completely leaving the bathroom. He looks around and sees Rarity by the small tables with multiple tools floating beside her. She appears to be reading something, or looking over a past design, but regardless, she was occupied. Joseph waits a moment before exiting the bathroom. He closes the door, puts his heels together, and coughs into his fist to get her attention.

Rarity looks up at him, her curly purple mane bouncing as she does. "Ah, Joseph. You look much better."

"Thanks Rarity." Joseph walks over to Rarity's side, sitting down next to her with his knees together. "I do believe there was a reason you wanted me over here."

"Ah yes." Rarity looks over at the many rolls of fabric. "Like I have said before not even twenty minutes ago," Rarity says while giving Joseph a stern look, "I have gotten a brand new shipment of materials."

"Oh yeah..." Joseph rubs the back of his head with his right arm.

Rarity leans forward and looks Joseph over again. "...Hm...not much fur on you, is there?"

"No, only on my head," Joseph answers. He walks over to her side and takes a seat on a small stool next to her.

Rarity returns to her tools. "Anyways, if you could stand so I may take your measurements..."

Joseph rolls his eyes, partly because he had just sat down. "Of course m'lady," Joseph says, sarcasm hanging on his words like icicles. He looks at Rarity and sees the face she's giving him. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."

"Quite," Rarity agrees. "Stand, please." Joseph does as he's asked. "Arms out," Rarity instructs. Joseph complies, straightening his arms out as if he was flying. Rarity's measuring tape floats up to his shoulder and stretches out to his wrist. "When I'm done, feel free to return to your clothing, I've taken the liberty to clean the mud from your shoes as well." She makes a note of Joseph's measurement. "...So Joseph," Rarity says in a voice almost too quiet to hear. She strengthens her voice. "Joseph, sorry...May I ask where you learned about hair?"

"...Uh, sure." The measuring tape runs down his wrist, as if to measure for a cuff to a sleeve. "...When I was a bit younger, my sister would have me comb and brush her hair in the morning. She needed her hair straight for her job, or done in a bun, which she hated." Joseph lets out a ragged breath. "So...over the months she taught me how to work with hair...and later, I got into products like volumizer and junk like that."

"Interesting," Rarity say casually. "Go on."

"That's it."

"Oh."

Joseph spreads his legs a bit as Rarity moved the measuring tape down to his ankle from his hip. She gets the measurement and moves up to his inseam. "...Rarity, mind if I ask you why you're doing this for me?"

"...I don't understand the question," She replies as her magic jots down another number on a piece of paper nearby.

"I mean you don't–didn't know me until yesterday, and now you have me almost nude in your house, taking measurements so you can make me clothes. Why?"

Rarity chuckles. "Oh-ho-ho, is that all? Well, there are two reasons why. One was because I was being courteous, and two was because...well..." she shrugs, "I don't like seeing mismatching garments, and yours were...egh." She shudders. "No offense Joseph."

"None taken." Rarity moves down to his waist and takes another note. "As a guy, I don't really care about how I look. As long as I don't look girly or gay."

"Any preferences on what you'd like then?" Rarity asks.

Joseph Moves his hand to his chin, making Rarity lose her current measurement. She shrugs it off. "Um...Nothing flashy, I don't want to look royal or regal or anything like that." He closes his eyes. "Nothing poofy, nothing old-fashioned, and...Ugh, no leather."

"Leather!" Rarity flinches back like she had been struck. "You actually wear that!? That's the skin of other animals!"

"I know what leather is, and that's why I don't like it." Joseph reaches out and puts his hand on Rarity's shoulder. "It inhuman, but humans do it anyway. I don't eat meat like most of them, and I don't wear it either."

Rarity frowns. "Humans eat meat? Disgusting." She shudders.

Joseph curls the side of his mouth back, then relaxes. "Well . . . anyway, something . . . oh my gosh, I know! Can I borrow a mirror real quick?" Joseph asks quickly. Rarity nods and a blue backed hand mirror floats over to him. Joseph grabs it and smiles, running his hand through spiky hair. "Yes. Yes! That'll be perfect!"

. . .

After a large portion of time standing around the shop, nearly three hours of talking, Joseph was thrilled when Rarity told him his outfit was ready. Joseph immediately regrets his excitement; only women were supposed to get giddy over clothes, but then again, he had spent three hours, alone, in a mare's house, in nothing more than his briefs.

Joseph was in the changing room towards the back, slipping on his new threads, while Rarity was out waiting near her station, toying with a thread and needle. " . . . Joseph, I don't mean to rush, but the wait is killing me." Rarity puts down her needle. "I would love to see how that outfit looks on you."

Joseph obliges by opening the door and stepping out, flaring his wrists outward like a rapper. "What do you think?" Joseph is wearing a pair of dark blue jeans that looked like they were built for someone with overly large legs, almost twice as thick around the calves. The pant legs ended, however, in normal width, so the extra material around the legs drooped and wrapped in a mushroom-like form at the edges of his shoes. He is also wearing a black shirt with long sleeves. The sleeves have a red stripe going down the seams down to the wrist. Over that, he is wearing a yellow vest. A black headband with a dark blue-green stripe wraps itself around his forehead. He strikes a pose, one hand on his hip, the other pointing to the door.

Rarity forces a smile. "...It's...not my best work, I'll admit. It looks...better," she says, stressing her words.

"What are you talking about? It's great!" Joseph comes down from his spot and rushes over to Rarity. He throws his arms around her and lifts her up off the ground in a hug. "Thank you so much Rarity! Really, this means a lot. I look just like I always pictured myself!" He sets her back on the ground.

Rarity shakes her head and straightens out her mane. "Mm, yes, well, you're quite welcome."

Joseph smiles. "So...how much do I owe ya?"

Rarity smiles back, genuinely this time. "Call it a friendly gesture." She closes her eyes in a smug look. "I only had to use a bit of the new material for the vest, the rest was spare material around the shop."

"You are very skilled with your stitches Rarity," Joseph says. "Very...skilled indeed." Joseph put his hand to his head. "Oh geez. Rarity, I need to sit down." Rarity gains a look of slight worry, but guides Joseph over to a padded stool. "Thanks."

"Is something wrong?" Rarity asks.

"No, no. I'm fine. My head, that's all...it's swimming." He opens his eyes. "Twilight's potion." Lightheadedness, that's what came to Joseph's mind. He looks at his hand. "...At least I don't have something sharp." He flexes his fingers a few times.

Rarity sits next to him, unaided by a stool, and looks straight forward. At that moment, the door opens and Sweetie Belle walks through. She closes the door and smiles at her sister. "Hi Rarity, I'm home again. Scootaloo is home sick, and Applebloom is back helping her sister, so I came back." She switches her gaze to Joseph, still leaned forward with headband pushed up a bit and his forehead in his right palm. "New clientele?" Sweetie Belle asks.

"You could say that," Rarity replies.

"The name's Joseph King," Joseph says, his eyes still on the floor. He sticks his free hand out toward Sweetie Belle, then puts it back down. "I'm new in town." He shuffles on the small stool making his new yellow vest flare a bit.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sweetie Belle, Rarity's sister." Sweetie Belle smiles and walks over to the stairs. "Rarity, I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Alright Sweetie Belle. Thank you." She trots up the stairs, leaving Rarity and Joseph alone.

Joseph stands up and tilts his head, his neck cracking loudly. "Thank you so much Rarity, really." He fixes his headband, then takes it off and looks at it. "...I don't want to seem eager to leave, but would you mind if I got my old clothes and returned to my hobby? I was just about to fix the cooling fans in my computer."

Rarity tilts her head a bit at the last part of his sentence. "...Of course Joseph. Their over there," she says pointing near the door leading to the bathroom. They were laying neatly in a folded pile on a chair.

Joseph walks over to them, grabs them, then slips into the bathroom. A moment later, he emerges wearing his old jeans and his hoodie wrapped around his waist by the sleeves. His shirt and his new outfit are under his left arm. The lighting in the room seemed to accentuate the slight bulk of his chest. "Rarity, feel free to pop by Twilight's anytime. I'll be there until I find my own place." He smiles. "Maybe we can share some more hair-care secrets."

"That sounds lovely," she replies. Rarity opens the door for him, and he nods to her. Closing the door behind him, Rarity looks around the shop. It was relatively clean for just being used. No scraps on the floor, no pins scattered across the tables, pretty much clean. Rarity sighs. "...Now what will I do for the day?"