I'll be your Fairy Godmother (Arkady)

[Tristian]

That woman was staring at him again.
 
He was almost certain it was the same one from the night before, in the supermarket…when he bumped into a few familiar faces… The woman was proving to be just as annoying the next morning as she had been the previous night. She probably hadn’t made the connection yet that he was the same person but right now she was glaring at him for an entirely new reason.
 
He took another sip of his tea.
 
The little café based in the outdoor square of the mall was one of his favourite places to grab a decent cup of tea, and the young couple that ran it were more than happy to have his custom. He kept them in business. They were also willing to waver a little rule that no customers were allowed to smoke, despite being outside, as it bothered the other customers. However one morning he had remarked, quite innocently, that they made the most delicious cup of tea in the morning that could only be made more brilliant by the drag of a cigarette. Since then, so long as he was there early in the morning, they let the rule go, just for as long as it took Tristian to finish his tea. Because of this extreme generosity he was on his best behaviour and instead of leaning forward and blowing the smoke out in the direction of the woman he simply smiled and returned to the magazine he had been browsing.
 
He kept glancing up at the front entrance to the mall every few minutes or whenever someone new arrived.
 
After the disaster of last night he was sure that Arkady wouldn’t turn up, he would be surprised if he did but in no mood to pander to his fragile sensitivities. He wasn’t turning up. He was definitely not turning up. He looked at his watch. He wasn’t coming. So this is what being stood up was like, this was new, this was a feeling he had never experienced before, he came to the quick conclusion he didn’t like it at all.
 
“Excuse me, do you mind-” the woman began in a very indignant tone.
 
“Oh I’m terribly sorry,” said Tristian turning to face her and reaching into his pocket holding out the packet, “would you like one?”
 
The woman looked at the packet and then back at him, if possible, her glare intensifying. Tristian continued to smirk as the two café owners tried to make their giggling sound more like coughing. The woman sat back and shook her head turning an extremely cold shoulder on him. Tristian leaned back in his own chair and turned to the café owners who he winked at, causing them to burst into fresh fits of giggles, and thought that was one problem dealt with.
 
And as he looked over at the entrance, saw the other problem heading in.

[Deleted]

This was ridiculous. This was insane and stupid and why the hell was he here? After how things had ended last night, did he really think that Tristian would still show up? He was probably still sacked out with that drunk lout somewhere, figuring Arkady didn’t have the balls to even attempt to destroy him. He wasn’t going to be here, so why was Arkady still trudging into the mall in the morning after working a night shift and only getting about three hours sleep?

It was possible that his brother had been inconsiderately loud this morning which prevented him from sleeping in. It could be that he was just curious or even hopeful that this meeting was still on.

But no, there was one reason above all others why he was here today, and that reason was an adorable little brunette with a drawl thicker than molasses.

Arkady was having second thoughts about everything. The more time he spent with her the more confused he became and the more he doubted his whole plan. When he was with her, there were times when he actually forgot that none of it was real, that it was all just a game; there were times he even forgot what he was doing all this for. That was why he was here, to remind himself. He needed a little reminder of the life he was trying to gain from this charade, of all the advantages he would have in life, all the pros. He needed to remember before he did something stupid.

So here he was, wandering into the mall about quarter after ten, looking like he had just rolled out of bed. Actually, that wasn’t too far from the truth, though he had stopped long enough between doing so and getting here to pull on some clothes: blue jeans, black t-shirt and leather jacket. He still had yesterday’s five o’clock shadow and his hair certainly hadn’t seen a brush since at least then either. Overall he looked scruffy and sleep deprived, yet he could still make the girls swoon with a lazy, lopsided smile.

If he had to thank his parents for something, it was definitely good genes.

Stopping just inside the little café, Arkady took a quick glance around and was surprised almost awake to see Tristian sitting there, nonchalantly sipping his tea and smoking a cigarette. The Prince was the picture of relaxation, not to mention being perfectly put together, not a hair out of place, and with his complexion and light hair, the two of them couldn’t look more opposite as Arkady joined him at the table.

“Morning,” was all he said, a bit wary but hiding it well.

[Tristian]

He was beginning to really hate people that could do that.

Why was it when he got up in the morning he had to spend hours getting himself to look the very epitome of perfection, and yet some idiot like Arkady rolls out of bed and looks like that. It wasn’t so painful to admit that Arkady, even before Tristian’s wonderful transformation, looked hot. As much as he didn’t like some people he was man enough to admit when someone else looked good. It meant that the next time they met he would attempt to do one better, sort of like setting a goal for himself whilst also getting his own little private revenge as well.

Not today however and not with this one. Arkady was to be his new project and he would be damned if anyone else was going to look as good as the little Russian Parisian or whatever the hell he was. Smiling and flicking the ash off his cigarette into the saucer beside him he said calmly, “Arkady, it’s so good to see you, I didn’t know if you were going to show up or I was going to have to make good on my threat and drag you out.”

The waitress began to make her way towards the table to get the order of the new arrival as Tristian said, “you can tell me what her name was later, we have things to do today. Ah, Melissa, this is my friend Arkady,” the waitress smiled, “I’m afraid he’s feeling just as rough as I am this morning, but then that’s what happens when you’re the life and soul of the party.”

Tristian was very aware that Arkady had spent his previous night working a late shift at the supermarket with no party in sight. He was very, very aware of that because he had been there. However, each place had a centre of gossip and here in the little café he had picked up and spread so much gossip that he had come to the conclusion that this was clearly a hot spot for it. Melissa, the waitress who worked all day and spoke to loads of customers would hand over the coffee with a little extra on the side. He could almost hear it now.

he‘s called Arkady. Absolutely stunning, real party animal apparently.

Ooh think we should get in touch? Invite him?

Yeah, we‘ll ask Tristian.

It was too easy.

“Well we have all sorts of remedies for that here,” she said winking at Arkady, “What can I get you sweetheart?”

[Deleted]

Arkady relaxed a bit when it became clear that Tristian wasn’t going make a scene right here in the café; if he was lucky, maybe last night could all just be water under the bridge and they could move on. Settling into the other chair, he rubbed his eyes then his stubbly face, letting out a chuckle that sounded a bit gruff with sleep still.

“I’m sure my brother would have loved that,” he said with a lazy grin. He could just imagine Nikolay’s confused expression if the prince were suddenly to burst into their room and drag Arkady from the bed, forcing him into some clothes before dragging him out the door. It was all the more amusing if he imagined it all taking place in relative silence, not an explanation in site. Their parents would probably get a letter that very day describing the whole event. It was a beautiful thought.

Still half asleep, Tristian’s next words didn’t quite register yet, but Arkady was wise enough not to question them. It took a moment for his brain to catch up and figure out what was going on. The plan was already in motion, and it didn’t stop at finding him a new wardrobe. If he was going to be popular, the clothes could only do part of the job; the more important part was the company he kept, and the reputation he built, and Tristian obviously already had it all figured out.

Running one hand back through his hair on one side, he propped his elbow on the table and turned his head to the side, resting it in his hand, and smiled lopsidedly at the waitress, looking at her through half lidded eyes. “I think I’ll just start with a coffee, black, but I’m open to suggestions...”

[Tristian]

The waitress smirked a little and said, “Oh I’m sure you are sweetheart. For now I’ll get your coffee, then we can discuss my other suggestions.”

The waitress walked back to the little coffee stand swinging her hips a little more than usual and looking back just a little to see if Arkady was watching. Tristian rolled his eyes in an affectionate manner, being on good terms with them and knowing given the opportunity he would be doing the same. Taking out his phone he pressed a few of the buttons and said, “You better drink that fast we have a lot of work to do today and not enough hours to do it in. their closing the shop for us, so we wont be bothered, and my personal hairdresser is coming to the shop at 3. Then we need to be out of there by 5 because you are coming to dinner with me and a couple of…important people from Grayle Corp.”

He looked up at Arkady as if something had just occurred to him and smiled, “you have a brother?”

[Deleted]

Arkady obligingly watched the waitress walk away, grinning lazily at her when she inevitably looked back to make sure that the extra wiggle hadn’t been wasted. That done, he turned back to Tristian to fine that the prince was all business. Yawning, he was only half paying attention until the words started to sink in. Closing the shop for them? Personal hairdresser? Dinner with important people?

“Whoa, wait a minute. What’s all this?” he asked, suddenly shaken completely awake. He had thought he would get a few new outfits and be seen in public with Tristian for the benefit of the student body. He didn’t remember agreeing to a full makeover and meeting some important corporate types.

And what did his brother have to do with any of this?

“Yes, a younger brother. He just arrived recently,” Arkady replied cautiously. He suddenly had a bad feeling about all of this.

[Tristian]

Tristian looked up at him with a confused expression and blinked a couple of times, “I’m doing what you wanted.”

The expression dropped and said, “Look, I think it is utterly adorable that all you think it takes to get a little recognition is to take down some unknown girl, spread a few rumours and hang around with yours truly. Really, it’s very flattering but that’s only part of it, it’ll only get you so far. Now you can trust me, and we can make this very easy, or you can argue with me at every turn and then I will win anyway. Ok sugarplum?”

Tristian looked back down at his list and said, “now, back to your brother, is he as good looking as you or like most siblings completely opposite to whatever you are and intentionally attempt to make your life a living hell? Not that it’s really a problem, I have two rather disappointing siblings but they don’t really affect my popularity.”

[Deleted]

Folding his arms on the table, Arkady let his head drop forward onto them with a low groan. This was beginning to sound like a nightmare, and not in the least because Tristian seemed to enjoy calling him things like ‘adorable’ and ‘sugarplum’. Honestly, it was like he could feel his testosterone dropping just being around this guy, but he couldn’t exactly back out now.

“Fine,” he said, although ‘trust’ had very little to do with it. His voice was muffled a bit by his arms. Raising his head slightly, he rested his chin on them instead, “but you put me in anything too... frilly then I’m out of here, got it?”

Ah, so that’s what this was about: he wanted to know about Nikolay to see if he was going to have an affect on his image. Understandable.

“My brother is pretty much a non-entity,” Arkady replied. “He’s quiet, reserved, and pretty much just tries to stay out of everyone’s way, including his own. That’s not to say he wouldn’t love to try to ruin me, but he would probably just insult me in private rather than anything public.”

Turning his head to the side, the lazy grin reemerged as the waitress returned with his coffee.

[Tristian]

“Frilly?” said Tristian wrinkling his nose in disgust, “if I put you in something frilly then I would be out of here myself, probably throwing myself in a lake because clearly sense of style had departed me. Frilly. What do you take me for? I [am/i] good at this you know and I have already mapped out exactly how we’re going to do this.”
 
Tristian looked at him and leaning back in his chair said, “You have much the same complexion and demeanour as one of my acquaintances, and I managed to make him look halfway decent. Mordred LeFey, heard of him, or is that a stupid question?”
Good, the brother wouldn’t prove to be any kind of problem which was good. Being completely unnoticeable was much better than his two younger siblings. Gaston Jr. who couldn’t keep his mouth shut long enough to stop people beating him up, and Meredith who was almost as bad, only she was the one dishing out the beatings. Jenny was the only sibling he could really be proud of, apart from her sleeping in a different room every night, that he didn’t like for her safety and health, but she knew how to work her popularity.
 
The waitress smiled as she placed the coffee down in front of him, “Here you go honey. So where you boys heading?”

[Deleted]

Well, that was a relief, but could anyone really blame him for asking? What was he supposed to suspect from a makeover by a man who enjoyed moonlighting in women’s clothing? Frilly, shiny, tight... none of these things would have surprised Arkady coming from someone line Tristian.

“Oh, good. Having it mapped out exactly makes me feel completely at ease with it all,” Arkady muttered with obvious sarcasm. He actually would be relieved, though, if he had any inkling of how they were going to do this himself. And now he was being compared to someone, which he tended to hate, and it was apparently someone important that he was expected to know. Maybe he would if he bothered to pay attention to anyone else at the school. Shrugging his shoulders in reply, he turned his full attention to the waitress instead.

“Oh, off to cause all sorts of trouble, I’m sure,” he replied to her with a wink. Glancing quickly at Tristian, he smiled up at the girl again. “My friend here thinks the ‘scruffy’ look is out,” Arkady continued, dragging a hand back through his already disheveled hair which only caused it to stick up more. “What do you think?”

[Tristian]

Tristian just chuckled a little at Arkady’s reaction. It wasn’t the normal kind of chuckle, the kind that was warm and in it’s own way a little bit comforting, it had a cold sinister edge to it. It was a cultivated chuckle that he had been working on for a while, enough to show he was amused but with a warning that he will only accept so much cheekiness or insolence on the other person’s part. He too the shrug to mean that he hadn’t heard and didn’t care which was a great faux pas according to Tristian. One of the most important lessons Arkady could learn today is taking note of who was talked about and who wasn’t, how else was he supposed to play the social climbing ladder?

They would get to that lesson later though, he was sure laying it all on the young man at once wasn’t going to work, he was going to have to exert his patience to the utmost. This one couldn’t be told, despite needing the help, he had to be persuaded and persuasion was one of his greatest talents. Taking another sip of his tea the waitress giggled and said, “I think you look just fine honey.”

Before Tristian could interject however she continued, “However if his Highness says it’s out it must be true. No one knows style like him.”

Smiling a little smugly he said, “Oh I’m keeping him scruffy, if something works one should try not and change it too much. I’m simply encouraging him to be a more…refined scruffy. Not an easy look to achieve, but we’ll manage.”

The waitress laughed as Tristian looked at his watch, finishing off the last of his tea and standing up, “Time to go.”

“Well listen, you come back anytime,” she said looking at Arkady and placing a napkin down in front of him, “His highness knows he’s always welcome here but…we sure would like to see you again.”

Written across the napkin was a series of numbers.

[Deleted]

At the waitress’s comment that he looked fine, Arkady barely had time to throw a smug grin in Tristian’s direction before she was amending her statement to stroke the prince’s ego, not that he needed it. Arkady barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Tristian’s following statement was a bit reassuring, even if he didn’t appreciate being talked about as if he wasn’t there or, worse, like some pet. It has already been established how much he just loves being belittled. To keep himself from commenting and just cause more unnecessary trouble, he took to drinking his coffee, not that he got more than a few mouthfuls before his companion was rising and claiming it was time for them to leave.

Well, this was already turning out to be annoying and unpleasant.

“I guess I should have gotten this to go,” he said, throwing a look that almost appeared disappointed in her direction.

Apparently she didn’t need the added encouragement, though. Glancing at the napkin she placed so carefully in front of him, it took Arkady looked at the numbers in confusion for a moment before smiling back up at her. Back home they hadn’t had a telephone, it had been an unnecessary luxury, and when girls passed him napkins with anything written on them it was usually an address where he could meet them. But even the numbers he had seen back them didn’t look like this one. He remembered there being a lot less digits. Maybe he should have looked into getting a phone now that he was at Tintagel, but it had hardly been at the top of his priority list. “Well, then, I’ll be sure to come back sometime when I can stay longer.”

Tucking the napkin into his coat, he took one last large sip of his coffee, scalding his tongue slightly, before getting to his feet as well. “After you,” he gestured to Tristian.

[Tristian]

Smirking, quite happily so, he walked past Arkady, rolling his eyes as he pocketed the number he was probably never going to call. He really couldn’t blame him, he would have done the same in the situation. Coffee girls were alright for flirting with but definitely not the kind of girls you take home, even if it is just for the night. And of course Akrady was still keeping up his little relationship with the nobody, so nothing could be allowed to jeopardise that. A little flirting never hurt anyone though…well it did, but so long as you did it when the stupid girlfriend or idiotic boyfriend was out of the room, then it could really, really hurt. One too many slaps on the face.

He headed towards one of the larger shops in the mall that did a variety of clothing, shoes and accessories, and were well aware that he would be visiting today. He had called ahead after all, and he could see by the display, the clean non streaked windows and large group of shop assistants that were already surrounding the doors, which were already open for him naturally, that they were more than happy to have his custom.

Making sure Akrady was following him he smirked a little more as the manager came out to greet him. She was an older woman, with greying hair, dressed smartly in a clean black suit that fit her well. She curtsied a little as she shook hands with him and said, “Your highness.”

“Mademoiselle Marshon,” he said kissing her hand, “A delight to see you again.”

“And you sire,” she said smiling and blushing a little, “it’s a pleasure, as always.”

Tristian let go of her hand and took a step to the side, motioning to Arkady, “This is my dear friend Arkady, Arkady, this is Mademoiselle Marshon, the Manager and daughter of the original Madam Marshon.”

[Deleted]

With on last charming smile at the coffee girl, Arkady followed Tristian from the cafe and into the main mall. The prince walked with an air of confidence, importance and purpose while Arkady trailed after him looking like he didn’t have a care in the world and didn’t give a flying fig about anything or anyone. In truth, he was actively dreading everything that was about to transpire. Given the choice between a makeover and torture... well, he wasn’t sure there was much of a distinction between the two. This apprehension only increased when he caught sight of the store full of employees eagerly awaiting them. Barely keeping from rolling his eyes as the woman greeted ‘his highness’, Arkady plastered a smile on his face as the introductions were made.

Stepping forward, he too took the lady’s hand and, bowing slightly, kissed it. “Enchanté, Mademoiselle. And may I convey my sincerest gratitude for being so kind as to help me today.”

The prince wasn’t the only one who could play at being a polite, intelligent gentleman. It probably just came easier to him, much more practice.

[Tristian]

“Charmed I’m sure,” said the woman smiling graciously, allowing him to kiss her hand before removing it and dropping it to her side.

The smile seemed genuine enough but Tristian knew the look she was now giving Arkady. It was that kind of practiced ‘you are a customer and I will be as polite as I can be considering what I really think of you’ look. It was one he had seen gracing her face many times before and he had to stop himself from smirking at the sight of it. Generally, Madamoiselle Marshon was an expert at seeing right through people and could tell a lot just from the way a person looked. And what she saw in Arkady was ‘New Money’, to her, the worst kind of person. They didn’t have the class or the standing that the customers with old money had, customers with new money rarely held on to it which wasn’t a custom they wanted, they wanted repeat customers, they wanted customers they could rely on, they wanted to make sure they were going to get paid.

He was half tempted to try and change her mind, to see if he could fool her but he  knew that the truth would be far more intriguing to her, and since it was him that was telling her, she wouldn’t mind the serf in their midst.

“I don’t imagine I’ll need much help, although you are more than welcome to join us madam,” said Tristian nodding to her, “now Arkady where would you like to begin? Clothes or Shoes?”