The woman was a bit cold, but Arkady passed it off as her just being professional, confident that she had bought his act just as well as the waitress. To be fair, though, he had been playing the hard partying type for the girl, which was much more believable on him than the perfect gentleman. Not that it really mattered; he wasn’t here to win this lady over, and Tristian was wasting no time getting down to business.
Managing to keep from cringing at his options, Arkady rubbed his scruffy chin thoughtfully.
“I get the feeling any shoes I walk out of here with aren’t going to go with this look,” he gestured to his current outfit. “So might as well jump right in and go for the clothes first.”
Seemed logical enough to him. Surely most people matched their shoes to their outfits, not the other way around. Considering he only had the one pair of all purpose black boots he really had nothing else to go on but a hunch.
“Clothes it is then,” said Tristian quietly glancing at the shop assistants.
The assistants where off in a flash scurrying around the shop looking for the appropriate garments as Tristian put a hand on Arkady’s shoulder and steered him to the back of the shop where the dressing rooms were. Of course they would have their own private one, complete with a sofa that Tristian could sit on and wait for Arkady to change behind the screen. He was sure there would be an assistant wandering in soon with his usual drink and snacks. This was like theatre for him after all.
When he had closed the door behind him and it was just the two of them he turned to Arkady and smiled, “Well now you can see what a lot of money and status can get you…let’s see if we cant get you a little some of that too, shall we?”
Tristian sat down in the sofa and motioned to the screen, “Clothes. Off. Now.”
Had Arkady a penchant for wide-eyed amazement, this whole show certainly would have warranted it. As it was, he couldn’t help but look impressed as Tristian sent the show assistants off in a flurry with barely a look. Arkady may have had a way with women, but that would only get him so far in life. Tristian, though... Tristian had everything; everything that the dark haired boy wanted and everything he felt he’d been cheated out of.
Wordlessly letting the prince lead him to the back of the store, Arkady couldn’t describe what he was feeling as he mulled over the words of his companion. It was why he was here, of course, but to actually see that money and status in action was different than just the promise of it, the thought of it. In a short time that could be him, able to get people to do whatever he wanted with the snap of his fingers. Okay, so maybe the money part still eluded him, but he’d worry about that after he got the popularity bit under control. It was all almost enough to make him forget the fact that he was now shut in a dressing room with another man who would probably love to see him with his clothes off, now telling him to do just that.
Almost.
It was tempting to shoot off some smart remark, or even something defensive, but Arkady somehow managed to swallow the order with just a dark look before taking his place behind the screen. “So what are we going for here? You better not make me look like a sissy,” he said, satisfying himself that Tristan couldn’t see him through the screen by staring at it a moment and seeing nothing. Shrugging off his leather coat, one of his few prized possessions, he hung it up on the wall before tugging his shirt up over his head, messing his hair up even more. “The leather look has served me pretty well so far.” At least in certain endeavours.
“A Sissy?” said Tristian and smirked, despite the fact that Arkady couldn’t see him, “I assume you are referring to my previous nights attire? Well I can assure you that I just don’t think you could pull that look off well. It takes a certain type of person to pull that look off and you just don’t have the bone structure.”
As he thought, a shop assisstant was in the room in a flash with a tray with a teapot and two cups and saucers with an assortment of sandwiches. Tristian smiled at her as she placed it down on the table in front of him. She giggled a little before departing again quickly. He reached forwards and poured himself a cup saying, “No, the leather look is a good one for you but it cant be what you wear all the time. You at least need one suit for formal occasions, but even then we’ll be going for a slightly casual formal look. Really, we just need you to look a little more…expensive.”
He crossed over to the screen, still standing on the other side of it and said, “Would you like some tea?”
Arkady had actually been referring to the dorks that walked around in light coloured trousers and bright polo shirts, not Tristian’s moonlighting as a drag queen, and he made a face at the reminder. Luckily the prince couldn’t see him because that probably wouldn’t have gone over well at all. If the following explanation of why Arkady couldn’t pull off that look was supposed to be an insult, though, it certainly wasn’t taken that way. The last thing he wanted anywhere near his body were frilly, lacy clothing unless they were covering an attractive girl.
“You mean I’m not built like a woman? I’ll take that as a compliment,” the dark haired boy replied. The rest, though, had his interest. Expensive, yes. Of course he couldn’t actually afford to be expensive, but if Tristian could make him look that way, or was willing to foot the bill for making it a reality, then Arkady certainly wasn’t going to argue. He could do a suit; he would probably look amazing in a suit. “That’s all well and good for people who can afford it,” he made clear. The terms of this whole arrangement hadn’t actually been laid out firm, so it was best to lay all their cards on the table now.
Ditching his boots, he stepped out from behind he screen clad only in his blue jeans. “I’m more of a coffee man myself, but since I didn’t get to finish mine this morning then tea will have to do.”
It wasn’t very often he found himself being caught off guard but being presented with such a vision of handsomeness he really couldn’t be blamed. Arkady was such an attractive man, it was just a shame about the terrible personality, or that always in the way straightness. He could forget about the personality if he could just get around the sexual orientation thing. Being ever the gentleman and despite being caught off guard by Arkady’s sudden and bare chest appearance, he knew that he couldn’t give his eyes free license to roam and made sure to keep them firmly trained on Arkady’s own eyes.
The last thing he needed was the other man running out of the shop screaming, as amusing as that would be.
“If you are to receive these generous gifts I am giving you,” he said, hoping that Arkady would understand his meaning, “then in my company that word ‘Coffee’ is band. Feel free to fill your body with that atrocious sludge in your own time, but with me you drink tea.”
Tristian handed him to the cup of tea and motioned to the tray if he required anything else, before turning his back on him. It was safer that way, lest he did something that the other man would regret. “Looking expensive is easy, especially when I’m done with you, the real hard work will be making you look like you belong. The way you hold yourself, the way you greet people, the way you talk to them, all of that is important if you’re going to make this work,” he said and sat back down on the sofa, keeping his eyes firmly on the cup of tea in his own hands, “now tell me how you are proceeding with your woman. Have you got her to fall in love with you yet?”
Generous gifts. Good, that much was clear at least. Shrugging his shoulders, Arkady took the proffered cup of tea. A small sacrifice, to be sure, but he wasn’t fool enough to think that it wasn’t just one of many. Following Tristian across the room, he plucked a sandwich off the plate and took a bite, listening to the laundry list of things he was going to have to change about himself if he wanted the life he deserved. Wear different clothes, hold himself different, talk different, act different, be a different person, essentially. As much as he wanted this, even Arkady had to frown a bit as he chewed slowly.
Of course it made sense. Being rich and important wasn’t just about looking the part, or having the blood in his veins. It was about attitude, and how others perceived him. It should be easy though, right? This whole thing with Dusty was a complete fabrication, the person he was with her wasn’t who he really was... even if he did enjoy playing the part a little more than he should sometime. This should be no different, and maybe he’d grow to enjoy that role as well.
As if the thought of her had been spoken allowed, the prince suddenly asked about ‘his woman’. Swallowing the sandwich, Arkady looked to the door but nobody had arrived with his clothing yet so he had no choice but to answer. Drawing his eyes back to Tristian, he was distracted enough not to notice the prince avoiding looking at him.
“She hasn’t admitted it yet, but I think she’s close if she’s not already there.”
“Ah, so you believe her to be in love with you but she has yet to confirm your suspicions,” said Tristian mulling it over for a moment before continuing, “perhaps if she believed you too were harbouring similar feelings, but without saying as much, she would be more willing to express her own, or have you already thought of that?”
He took another sip of his tea before continuing, “And how can you be so sure that she is falling in love with you? Have you had much experience with girls falling in love with you,” said Tristian finally looking up at the boy and smirking.
Gosh he was handsome. So very handsome and so completely and utterly unavailable. Yes. Yes he probably did have a lot of experience with girls falling in love with him, with that body anyone would fall in love with him. Just at that moment the doors opened once more and the shop assistants filed in with their assortment of clothes, hanging and placing them in all the appropriate places, mainly the places that Tristian was now directing them too, thankful for the distraction from the handsome man that was standing in front of him. Once they had once more left the room, he stood up and headed towards where the clothes had been hung.
He picked up a couple of things and held them out for Arkady to take, “try that.”
Of course he had thought of that, and he had thought he had been doing just that, but maybe he was being too subtle? Hell, that couldn’t be it. He was always attentive on their dates, paid her compliments all the time, and there were definitely... moments. It was those moments that made him believe that she was already head over heals, but it was also those moments that scared him the most, and to be completely honest he’d rather avoid them if he could. Maybe that was the problem...
“Have I had much experience?” Arkady repeated with a chuckle, giving Tristian a look that clearly stated that he found the question ridiculous and that the answer was beyond obvious. “Trust me, she’s got it bad.”
Tristian wasn’t the only one grateful for the sudden interruption. Any other topic of conversation right now would have been preferable to this one... a fact that Arkady didn’t let himself think on too much. Stuffing another small sandwich in his mouth, he took a big swig of his tea before crossing the room again to survey the clothes that had been hung up to Tristian’s directions. Definitely a lot of stuff he wouldn’t have picked out for himself, but then he’d never really cared particularly what he wore. Jeans and a t-shirt or just plain trousers and a blazer, it really didn’t matter so long as the price was right.
Still chewing, Arkady wiped his hands on the front of his jeans and, taking the clothes that were held out to him, disappeared behind the screen again.
Tristian rolled his eyes when the other boy announced that the girl in question ’had it bad’. In all honesty she probably did, you just had to look at Arkady to know that, but still, could the gentleman have put it in a more uncouth manner than he jus had? He didn’t care much for this girl, he didn’t even really know who she was, but still there was a certain amount of decorum a man should have for a young girl…even if he was intending on using and breaking that young girls heart. There were exceptions to the rule and behind their backs you could be as mean and uncouth as you liked so long as you were extremely nice to their faces. There was even a further exception where you could be as mean and rude as you liked whether they heard or not. He called that exception Meredith.
He watched as Arkady wiped his hands on his jeans and grimaced. “If that is how you are going to be treating your new clothes then I will have to seriously rethink how much money we’ll be spending here today,” he said, a slight warning in his tone, “there were napkins there you could have used. In polite company we use, napkins.”
Crossing over to the chair once more he decided that Arkady probably wouldn’t be too happy with him for that little bit of patronising, but he felt the boy could learn to live with it. It was just who he was, Arkady wasn’t special he did it with everyone because everyone else, with the exception of his mother, were idiots and deserved it. He picked up a nearby magazine and mumbled, “Now I know how Professor Higgins felt.”
You know, if Eliza had abs you could use as a washboard and an accent that could make you melt.
Arkady didn’t appreciate being berated for his less than appropriate habits, and it was almost tempting to walk out from behind the screen and give his hands another wipe, just to be antagonizing, but while he was impulsive he wasn’t stupid. Tristian was footing the bill here, and if he wanted this to work he had to at least give a little.
“Right. I’ll keep that in mind,” he mumbled instead. Setting the new clothes down on the stool behind the screen, he discarded his jeans with the rest of his clothes. Pulling on the new slacks and shirt, he buttoned it up halfway, leaving the tails untucked, before stepping out from behind the screen while still working on the buttons.
“What was that?” Arkady asked. He’d heard Tristian say something but hadn’t been able to make out what it was. Leaving the top button undone, he held his arms out to the side to show off the outfit. “Well?”
“Henry Higgins, Eliza Dolittle? My Fair Lady? Oh I don't know why I'm even bothering, as if someone like you would have seen such a wonderful masterpiece,” said Tristian still looking down at the magazine, “I won't even recommend that you watch it, you just wouldn't understand-,” he looked up, “-the complexities of...such...a...”
Well now didn't the little poor boy scrub up well. He almost looked somewhat respectable in the clothes that Tristian had picked out for him, although he was sure that the other boy would disagree. It was maybe just the slightest bit more conservative than what he was used too, but he worked it well. Tristian stood up throwing the magazine on the chair and began to walk around him, looking at it from all angles, before coming to stand in front of him. He pointed to the other boys neck and said, “Tie. It needs a tie.”
Turning away from him he went over to where all the clothes were and took two ties from the rack holding them up to the light. He then brought the two of them over and held each of them up to the shirt before tossing one to the side and wrapping the other around Arkady's neck, without tying it. “Right, just tie that up and then lets see if you can go pick yourself out a jacket to match.”
Arkady bristled at the obvious inference that he was some uncultured bafoon. This was exactly why he was doing all this. He was so sick of people thinking they were better than him, that ‘someone like him’ didn’t know about beauty or refinement or whatever other bull they thought made them perfect. Just because he had grown up poor didn’t make him an idiot. He was just as good as they were, and he would prove it.
At least he could gain some satisfaction from the fact that he seemed to have struck the prince speechless. Narrowing his eyes when Tristian began circling him and inspecting him like some prize cow, Arkady lowered his arms. “You’re absolutely right. Someone like me would never have seen such a film,” he bit out, clearly insulted. “I had to settle for a stage production of Pygmalion. But I guess that would be too simple for your tastes.”
Let him chew on that, Arkady thought a bit smugly. The prince probably thought that ‘someone like him’ wouldn’t even know the source material of his beloved film. Now if only he knew how to tie a tie then his victory would be solid. Damn...
Situating the tie under the collar of his shirt, he looked down and did his best at tying it, but it did not turn out to be the kind of knot that could be adjusted. Leaving it hanging loose and pretending that had been his attention, he turned to the jackets that were hung on the wall. He went for a dark grey one first, taking it off the hanger and slipping it on. He would have preferred black, but it wasn’t bad.
Once again Tristian was stunned into silence when Arkady spoke mentioned that he had seen the stage production of Pygmalion. Perhaps, he thought, he had been a little too harsh on the boy in front of him, or more likely, he had underestimated him, which was even worse. It was just as well that Arkady turned away to tie is tie and select his jacket because really Tristian had been completely thrown off, it was such an interesting turn. Perhaps the brute could be taught after all…
The jacket he had selected looked well enough, not his first choice but for a first pick Arkady had again, done not bad. He walked over to the other boy, brushing his hand along the top of his shoulder, smoothing it out before walking around him so that he was standing in front of him. He had intended to tell Arkady that the look worked, that he had done well and that they could move on to the next one. He had inteded to say that…
“You have seen Pygmalion?” said Tristian not being able to stop the slightly impressed tone that slipped in to his voice, “I wouldn’t have taken a man’s man like you to be interested in something like that. And My Fair Lady? You have seen it? Next you’ll be telling me you’ve played Stanley in Streetcar, a role, I must say, would be most suited to you.”
Now that the look was near complete, Arkady took a deep breath and prepared for the criticism. He had picked the wrong jacket, or his tie was tied wrong, or he really needed to shave to pull off this look or cut his hair differently or tuck in the shirt or any million other nitpicky things that surely Tristian would find wrong with the look. Of course not it was dark-haired boy’s turn to be thrown for a loop when the prince seemed more interested in talking plays and movies than clothing.
“Yes,” Arkady replied a bit slowly, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Oh great, he still had shoes to look forward to. “Well, no, I haven’t seen the film, but yes, I saw Pygmalion.” Tristian didn’t need to know that it was only because the girl he’d fancied at the time had wanted to see it, though he had ended up enjoying it in the end, not that he had ever admitted that to anyone but that girl since.
“I never really thought about acting,” he admitted honestly. Actually, if he were to be completely honest he hadn’t really thought about his future at all. When he was younger he’d never really seen an escape from the hard life, and had been fully prepared to accept that, but after finding out about his true ancestry he had been consumed with finding a way to make it happen.