Costume Ideas
Characters: Zach and Kyle Setting: Cafeteria, afternoon
Zach had found himself talked into going to this ball, deciding it would be informative, at least to watch and maybe he could get closer to Ru. Or someone else. Either way, it was something to do and if the crowd got to be too much, he could always leave. He’d headed to the cafeteria to investigate the costumes. He’d found one that fit him, something suit-like, but old fashioned, like something out of one of his Dickens novels but on his way to find a hat to go with it, he’d been stopped by something else: a set of black wings, menacing, but well made. For some reason it appealed to him, fingers grazing over the feathers.
Once Kyle was happy that the decorations, if not finished, were pretty damn good and enough that he could leave them to the actual person working on entertainment, he made his excuses and headed toward the cafeteria. After all, this was a masquerade and he still had no idea what he was going to go as. He was confident he would find something though.
The artist’s eyes lit up as he saw the racks of costumes available. This was going to be more fun than he had anticipated. Starting in along one rack, he ghosted his fingers along the clothing. “Some of these are beautiful,” he said, mostly to himself, but loud enough to be overheard.
Zach looked up at the familiar voice, quickly like a jerk, fingers snatched away from the wings like he’d been caught. Despite recognizing the voice, it still took a long moment before his eyes properly focused on Kyle and let the concern of threat drop. “They are well done,” he answered, though it was hesitant, not sure if he was being spoken to or not.
Kyle looked up, noticing Zach standing there. “Oh, hey,” he said with a smile. He headed over. “Looking for a costume?” he asked, easily, not having picked up on the moment of discomfort from the other man. He noticed the wings and stopped, staring a little. “Wow, these are... Fabulous,” he breathed, reaching out to stroke them in awe.
“I am,” Zach confirmed with a nod, holding out the suit he’d found, but his eyes went right where Kyle’s were. “Not the word I would have used, but yes. They are.” He found himself biting his lip, wondering why he was so drawn to them.
Kyle glanced up. “No? What word would you use?” Kyle asked, interested. He thought they were fabulous from a purely creative perspective. The work and artistry that had to have gone into making them was something he could only imagine. It made his fingers itch to pick them up. To try them on. Or to try them on Zach, so he could really see how they looked on someone else. He hesitated to suggest that though, whilst he didn’t know the other man’s opinion on them.
“Intricate,” Zach said, fingers tracing the feathers with a subtle awe that was in his motions rather than his look. “Detailed. And...appealing.” He looked up at Kyle, slight bit of curiosity in his eyes, wondering if that satisfied Kyle’s question.
Kyle was still looking at Zach, watching his expression as he spoke, catching what was there. “Put them on,” he said, his voice quiet, but with a subtle air of command - the tone of someone used to getting exactly what they wanted, though Kyle hadn’t used that particular tone in quite some time now. There had been a time, once, when that had been his world. When everything he wanted came his way. He had walked away from it entirely, yet here and now, the voice came back. “Please,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
Kyle was doing better with the command. Zach’s eye cut up at Kyle, something there, something shocked. He wanted to ask why, why the order that seemed so outside of the Kyle he saw, but he reached for the wings instead, just taking the order and pulling the wings off the rack, stepping back as he studied them and how to get into them.
“Here, let me help,” Kyle said, stepping forward. He bounced slightly on the balls of his feet, his tone turning a giddy kind of excited, the moment of controlled command entirely gone now that he was clearly getting his own way without complaint. He took hold of the wings and held them up so Zach could strap them onto his torso.
Zach wasn’t expecting help but he took it, slipping into the straps and fixing them so they settle around his shoulders. They were heavier than expected, but they were well made. That was the point wasn’t it? If they’d been lighter they’d been cheaper made, which they weren’t. Once he had them on, Zach turned back to Kyle, waiting.
Kyle stood back, his mouth slightly open, awed as he slowly paced around Zach. “They’re... Wow. I never expected there to be anything like this here,” he said. He stopped in front of Zach, having traveled full circle. “Will you wear them?” he asked, with an edge of the subtle confidence he had exhibited earlier. As though he expected an answer in the affirmative, simply because he’d asked.
That look surprised Zach. Yes, Kyle was likely looking at the artistry of the wings, but it was still directed at Zach and no one looked at him like that. Not even Ru. There was an obvious hesitation in his voice when he spoke, as if he didn’t want to go against what Kyle was saying, that edge of an order. “I don’t think they’re very me...” he said, feeling like he didn’t do them justice. Though at the same time, the wings had him thinking of the angel of death, which was what he was in a way.
“They could be,” Kyle breathed. “With the right outfit. Your hair... Back, off your face,” he said, reaching out without hesitation to card his fingers through the other man’s locks, pushing it back and upwards, making it messy in a totally different way. He felt comfortable with the touches, that was clear - he felt comfortable with Zach now. Kyle felt he knew him well enough to find him entirely non-threatening. “Maybe a black shirt, or...” Kyle considered it, thinking about the costume more than the man. “How do you feel about body paint?” he asked, thoughtfully. It would be bold, and he knew that that kind of thing wasn’t for everyone. Yet, in his artist’s eye, he knew it would be stunning.
Zach managed not to flinch at the touch, but it did set him on guard, at least until Kyle finished and it wound up being harmless. Not that Kyle was threatening, but Zach wasn't accustomed to touch. "I'm not sure I understand the question," he said, finding his mouth drying out under Kyle's scrutiny.
Kyle threw him a puzzled look. “What’s not to understand?” he asked, then belatedly realised that not everyone was him. “Oh, right. I mean - you could go with something really different. Black pants, black wings... Then just, well - paint the rest of you black. It would do for a mask as well. Face. Chest. Back. Arms. Hands... Painted. Makeup.” He grinned. “It would definitely make a statement. An awesome one.”
Kyle was right. That would make a statement. The logistics around it though weren’t lining up. “Even if I could...I don’t have such paint. And I can’t reach all the spots.” Which made it less of an option to Zach, not because it didn’t sound like something impressive, but more because he wasn’t sure it was something he could manage on his own.
Kyle looked around them. "I almost guarantee there'll be some round here," he said. "People often wear black makeup round their eyes under a mask. They've given us everything else. There'll be some somewhere," he added, confidently. "As for the application, I could put it on for you," he offered.
Zach wasn’t sure he’d agreed to that. Or even to dressing up in the wings. “You?” It came out surprised, more emotion than he usually let on to anyone, but he couldn’t figure out why Kyle was so invested.
"Yes, me. I mean, I don't exactly wear a whole lot of makeup, but I paint a lot. I figure I can handle it, if you're looking for someone to help you out. Or... not. I Just think they're too cool to pass up. But It's your costume, not mine. My colouring too light for black like that. Now, if there's a pair of them around in white and I could find some silver paint, or glitter or something then I'd be all over it."
For a long moment Zach just stared at Kyle, mouth slightly open, not sure what to say. “I...I didn’t have a plan for what to wear.” He was left feeling confused, sure that being in just paint would feel exposed, but Kyle seemed to think it would work. “I’m not usually one for being noticed. I don’t know if I’d live up to expectations.”
"If you're not comfortable with it... I'll live," Kyle said, quirking a smile.
Zach sighed softly, looking at the wings on his shoulders. The suit just seemed to lack any appeal now that he’d seen them. “But I like the wings,” he admitted, making a small face.
"It's the paint you have a problem with,' Kyle concluded. "Then maybe we find you, say, a black silk shirt instead," he suggested.
Zach shook his head. “It’s being noticed.” Paint wasn’t much of an issue. Who cared really, but the being exposed part was harder to grasp. “And the necessary physical contact,” he added, knowing that was itching at him as well.
"Physical contact? With me? I... I'm sorry, I - do I make you uncomfortable?" Some people were like that, he knew, especially given his orientation. He hadn't got that vibe off Zach before, but then again he hadn't been offering to have his hands all over him before either.
“Everyone makes me uncomfortable,” Zach clarified, not feeling a need to blame Kyle in particular. Kyle made him less uncomfortable than most strangers, though it wasn’t a giant change. “I’m not used to it. And trying to learn more about it, but prior to my arrival here, I had a hard time finding the need for it, let alone the opportunity.”
"What do you want to do?" the artist asked, leaving it up to Zach.
Zach wanted to go back to his room and not come out for two days, but he guessed that was the wrong answer. Internally his mind warred against his senses, but eventually his mind won out. Ru had suggested he try and this would be enough trying for a week in his book. “I’m willing to experiment with your idea.”
"Just think of it this way - everyone else will be dressed up, in things they wouldn't normally wear. And a whole lot of people won't even recognise you. You can really be someone else for a night," Kyle said.
“I don’t think people would recognize me in general.” Zach worked himself out of the wings, but held them gently. “Is that your goal for the night? To be someone else?”
"My goal for tonight is to relax and have a good time. I don't know about being someone else. Maybe that's an optional extra." He had to come up with a costume first.
Zach frowned ever so slightly. “Are you not normally relaxed?”
Kyle laughed loudly at that. "Not generally, no," he admitted. He may seem like it to others, but Kyle kept himself on a very short leash indeed.
“You seemed relaxed the first time we met,” Zach said. “Though the second time you were worried about your friend. I imagine he’ll be here tonight? Maybe that will help with relaxing.”
"I'm a good actor," Kyle said. "I watch myself. What I say. What I do. How I act. It means never truly letting go. So, yeah, maybe I could do with a night of being someone else. Though... what makes you say Adam would help with that?" he asked, without any real tone to his voice.
“Because from what I understand and remember that’s what friends do yes?” Zach asked, drifting back towards Kyle. “Or am I incorrect in either assuming he’s your friend or that he acts as one?”
Kyle smiled, tightly. "No, you're not incorrect. You're right on both counts. I'm just not sure... Maybe. I guess. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help me relax," Kyle finished, eventually. Unfortunately, that was potentially part of the problem.
“I’m under the impression that I’m missing something,” Zach said, raising one eyebrow as he watched Kyle and waited for more. The man might be good at keeping some of his emotions in check as he said, but some, like that forced smile and hesitation in his voice, were far more obvious.
Kyle shrugged a shoulder. "He'd like to be more than friends." He moved off, starting to look through the racks for a costume of his own.
Zach hesitated for a moment then followed after Kyle. “Which is not what you want?” he guessed based off of the evident signs.
"I think things are complicated enough right now," Kyle murmured, rejecting a couple of options. Seeing those wings had massively raised the bar. He wanted something truly exceptional. Unlike Zach, Kyle had no qualms about being the centre of attention.
Zach just barely heard Kyle. “I don’t think that answers the question. Though I’m not usually well versed with that sort of thing.” But he was curious now, if only for the way things might fall out in the end.
Kyle stopped and turned back to Zach. “You’re right. It doesn’t answer the question. No - I don’t want anything more right now. He’s my best friend and I’d like to keep it that way. Want to help me find a costume? I have even less idea of what I want than you seem to have, and I want something impressive. Feels like I have a reputation to fill.” Which he probably didn’t. Most people here no doubt hadn’t the first clue who he was, after all. Yet, he was the artist. He was the creative one. He couldn’t just turn up in a suit and a standard mask.
That was interesting, the way Kyle reacted. It seemed close to defensive, but Zach didn’t comment, he just made a note to ask Ru about the situation later. At the question, he hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I would like to try,” he said quirking a ghost of a smile. He moved a few steps away from Kyle, towards the selections of masks. “Though it seems my costume came together from picking a single piece. Maybe start there?”
“Seems sensible,” Kyle agreed, moving to the masks and starting to look through them. He hated that he didn’t automatically know what he wanted here. He felt like he should know. He was a damn artist. His whole life revolved around independent inspiration. And yet when it came to himself, he was blanking.
Zach set the wings aside, then focused on the masks, looking through them until he found something white with silver like Kyle had said he would wear if he found white wings. The older man turned it over in his hands twice before handing it to Kyle.
“Found something?” Kyle asked, taking the mask from Zach and looking it over. It was a delicate piece, though still definitely masculine. Finely wrought, it looked like filigree, with the finest white silk backing it, almost translucent. There were no ties or fastenings to it, and Kyle fitted it carefully to his face. He realised that it was meant to be moulded to the contours of his cheeks and temples, then held in place with adhesive. The artist turned, looking for a mirror, and found a small one on the table. “I like it,” he said, taking in his appearance. He had always had an innocent look to him - a youthful face and wide blue eyes. The mask seemed to bring out that even more, giving him an almost ethereal look of purity and grace. “What do you think?” he asked, turning his face towards Zach, holding the mask in place at the edge with the tip of a finger, so as not to spoil the effect.
When Kyle turned back to look at Zach, the ghost of the smile was back on Zach’s face. “Haunting,” he said with a nod. It was almost eerie the way it seemed to fit Kyle so well. And while Zach wasn’t the type to care about others, he did appreciate the effect. “I like it as well.”
Kyle smiled and brought the mask down from his face. “Haunting could be good. I can work with haunting,” he agreed. It set the mood at least, and with it, Kyle’s mind working. “Now, let’s see what we can find to go with it,” he said, turning back to the costumes without letting go of the mask. There were certainly enough to choose from.
“I assumed as much,” Zach said about Kyle being to work with it. Zach didn’t doubt that for an instant. He found himself trailing after Kyle, studying him as he studied the costumes, trying to learn more about him without asking questions.
Kyle searched through the costumes efficiently, his mind half set on what he wanted. He had a goal now, ideas. He didn’t know exactly what he was after, but he knew enough to be able to reject most out of hand. Occasionally he would pull something out, give it a closer look. At one point he handed Zach a silver-embroidered frock coat absently, at another, a silk shirt, another coat - white this time, and shorter - and a charcoal grey pair of trousers, assuming from the way the other man was following him that he wouldn’t mind acting as a lackey for now.
Being handed things to hold reminded Zach of when he’d had friends. Not that his friends had treated him like a pack mule, but they’d always considered him the quiet one, fine with the fact that he’d trailed behind them, carrying things or just listening as they went. So he did the same with Kyle, following after, inspecting what Kyle inspected, taking things that were handed and trying to sort out what Kyle thought made them different.
It was as they moved onto the next rack that Kyle stopped and turned. Reaching in, he gasped and pulled out what he had doubted he would find, under the circumstances. Another set of wings. These were different to the one which Zach had chosen. For a start they were pale - mostly white, with some lighter silvery grey feathers along the edges, a touch which made them feel real rather than the tacky costume ones you saw women wearing on a night out. “These,” he said, almost under his breath as he pulled them out carefully. “I could have these.” He paused, glancing over at Zach. “If that... I don’t want to be treading on your territory,” he offered. He wouldn’t be that guy, not anymore. He wouldn’t do something that would or could hurt someone else.
Zach shifted what he had in his hands to get closer and study the wings. They were similar, and yet different from what he’d set aside for himself. “How is it treading when mine look more like raven’s wings?” he asked, shaking his head.
“Is that what you want to be?” Kyle asked. “I can make you a raven. Or a crow. I guess I was thinking more... dark angel. Angel of death or something. Which would make me in this, I suppose, like, a counterpart. Unless you’re after a raven. Then, it doesn’t matter.” Because, Kyle was definitely thinking ‘angel’ rather than ‘swan’.
“I think that if you look a literature, the raven is often associated with death, the dark angel even. It’s fitting that there’s parallels,” Zach explained. He considered the offer for a moment, then shook his head. “No, angel came to mind first. It’s more fitting.” Considering he’d brought death upon the earth around him.
Kyle paused at that, his mouth slightly open. There was a moment, and then he remembered to breathe again, and moved on without asking anything about why angel of death was more fitting for the other man. He didn’t want to know. He knew it was just hiding his head in the sand, but things were easier to deal with when he simply didn’t know quite how dangerous the people around him possibly were. “Well then, angel it is. Would you be able to help me try these on?” he asked, offering the white wings up to Zach and turning round. The fastenings on these wings were different to the darker ones, strapping mainly to the back and chest and less around the arms, designed to look like they were growing out of the back of the wearer from the shoulder blades.
Setting down what he’d been handed earlier, Zach took the wings, studying the fastenings more before moving closer to Kyle and holding the wings in place. There was a clear hesitation before his fingers grazed across Kyle, handing the straps that connected around his front for Kyle to attach and working to close those in the back. Zach didn’t initiate contact typically, not unless necessary and he’d found that it wasn’t entirely necessary, which had him making quick work of what he’d been asked to do, stepping back too far when it was done.
Kyle rolled his shoulders, shifting his posture to compensate for the added weight on his back. Looking down at his chest, he ran a finger over the straps, considering ways to either hide, or lose them. “Yeah,” he said, looking at Zach, not thinking anything of the sudden distance, other than he was now wearing a damn great pair of wings, and anyone not wanting to accidentally get hit in the face with them would be sensible to keep their distance. “Yeah, these are great. Now, I’m gonna need a cream or very light grey pair of pants and... Yeah, that’ll do,” he said, already unbuckling the wings and taking them off. His fingers moved swiftly, his expression entirely focused now. The idea had solidified and he would move heaven and earth until he got exactly what he wanted. He also knew that there wouldn’t be a moment free for the rest of the day, not if he wanted to get everything done and still have time to help Zach with his costume.
Zach looked through what Kyle had already handed him and shook his head before holding out the charcoal gray pants. Those weren’t the right color but it was the closest they’d had so far.
“No - those can all be dumped. None of them are right,” Kyle declared, rejecting them out of hand with a dismissive flick of his wrist. He set the wings down and stalked a short distance away, rifling through the racks now until he found exactly what he was looking for. He brought the pants out with a short laugh. “You know, Mazie told me earlier that I should have a costume with tight pants,” he said to Zach. Low-slung, these half fit the idea - fitted at the top, then straight legged, so they would be looser around his calves and ankles.
Zach had been working to put the things that Kyle had rejected away, glancing back at him to see the pants when he found them. “Why would she suggest tight pants?” he asked instead, not feeling qualified enough to weigh in on if they would work for his costume.
“And that’s pretty much what I said to her as well,” Kyle replied. “If you really want to know, you’ll have to ask her yourself - she didn’t explain it to me.” Though Kyle could make some highly educated guesses. They just weren’t ones he felt like sharing.
Zach found himself nodding slowly. “I might do that.” If he could figure out which one Mazie was of course. They hadn’t met in person yet, which made it harder to suss out who she was.
Kyle looped the pants over his arm, picked up the wings again and headed off, once again simply assuming that Zach would follow him. He moved with purpose and he didn’t stop until he found what he was looking for - a box of body paints. “I knew there would be some here somewhere!” he crowed, riffling through them with his free hand. “See, there’s black and charcoal, purples, blues - for you. And silvers and whites for me. Everything we need!”
Zach did follow, but he had to hurry to grab his things, snagging a pair of black pants without really looking at them first and holding the wings as well. Once he caught up to Kyle he made a face at the list of colors for himself, confusion etched on an otherwise emotionless brow.
“Just black will look weird,” Kyle explained. “Nothing is ever ‘just black’. The night isn’t actually black. Black is rarely actually just black. So, I’ll use black, then shade with the other colours to add a more organic feel to the costume and make it less like you fell into a tarpit and came out with wings. Trust me. What time do you want to come over so I can paint you up?” he asked, no longer questioning whether Zach wanted to back out of the idea.
Again with the art theory lessons that explained more of even his own world around him to Zach. Though this time he understood. He’d spent a significant amount of time locked in a dark room by himself. He knew the shades of darkness, but hadn’t thought to incorporate them into the costume. “Whenever works for you.” He didn’t see a way in backing out of the idea either, but the direction worked for him. It was better than being left floundering on his own.
“Come round at 6:30. Showered and shaved. Bring everything with you. I’ll make sure I’m pretty much ready before then, we’ll put you together and then we’ll just step out the door. I’m in room seven,” Kyle reminded him as he collected the colours of paint he wanted, and added a couple of small pots of glitter as well.
For a long moment Zach found himself staring at Kyle again, not entirely sure what to make of him. “I didn’t forget which room,” he said finally. He couldn’t even if he tried. “6:30. I will be there.”
“Great. Perfect. I have to go - god, I’ve got a lot to do before then. See you later!” the artist called, already heading off, juggling his various finds. He was in another world by the time he’d taken two paces, completely focused on his outfit, on what he needed to do. So little time to do it in. He’d need to work fast.
Zach was left holding his things, looking after the retreating Kyle until the man was gone. Left alone, he studied the cafeteria for a moment before heading towards the elevator and his own room. This should be interesting provided he muddled through it without really losing himself.