Work Text:
They were never sure why they kept the shop open this long. Nobody ever made appointments for this late in the day, and walk-ins were rare. They could easily change the hours, given that they were the owner and the only employee…
Eh, whatever.
Axel glanced up from the pattern they were drafting, eyes falling onto the clock, clicking their tongue when they saw that it still hadn't ticked over to six. The clock never wanted to give them that last thirty minutes.
They perked up, though, when they heard faint voices approaching the door. Right when they were thinking about how no walk-ins ever came at this hour. How convenient. One of the voices was familiar. It was one of those mafia boys. Ezio, they figured, based on the tone and accent. The other, though, they didn't know. But it definitely didn't belong to one of the others that had come in before. It was deeper, gruffer. Axel figured they were a smoker. Or something to that effect. From the bits they could hear, this other person had the same accent as the other boys, albeit not as strong.
“Trust me, boss. Dey do good work, you'll like ‘em.”
Boss? Axel raised an eyebrow. Surely, the big dog at the top had other options for tailors. Maybe even a personal one. Their little shop was probably the last place someone so important would take their money.
…Then again, their little shop was good enough for the mafia in general, maybe it wasn't too out of place for the boss to at least check it out. They set their sketchbook on their desk, bracing their hands on it to stand up. She grimaced as pain shot through her knee, reaching for her cane with a groan. It had been giving her trouble all day, but man. What a time for it to really start fucking up. They settled into standing right as the door swung open. Sure enough, Ezio was right there, hand on the worn brass handle.
“Eyy, Axel! How you doin'? I brought'chu someone!” Ezio chirped before Axel could greet him first. He stepped fully inside to give the man behind him room to walk in as well. Axel’s eyes immediately shifted, taking in the stranger's appearance. He was tall and broad, sharply dressed in a black suit with a trench coat (in Summer? Insane commitment to the look) over it. Nape-length wavy black hair spilled from beneath the black fedora that cast a shadow over his eyes, and he had that beard-but-no-mustache thing going. Said beard was neatly trimmed, coming to a point at his chin. Lots of angles on this guy. It worked. Made him look pretty intimidating. Their eyes traveled downwards, taking in the black gloves, the slight glint of a watch beneath his sleeve, the well-shined dress shoes and the creases ironed into the fronts of his pant legs.
This man looked expensive. And very out of place in the chilled-out interior of their shop. It was almost funny, seeing such a serious figure standing in front of a pink wall with a trinket shelf mounted on it.
“Just someone? What a way to refer to your boss.” Axel teased, tossing a glance and a slight smirk Ezio's way before crossing the room proper. They stopped once they were in polite conversation distance. He even smelled expensive. Like good cologne and… tobacco, maybe? If it was, it was definitely the good stuff. She didn't quite feel like being a creep and sniffing for it, but she wouldn't be surprised.
Axel extended their hand for a handshake. “Axel von Nachtigall, owner and operator of this fine establishment.”
The stranger returned her handshake quite immediately. And quite firmly, too. Expected, given his status.
“Don Sonnellino.” Okay, no first-name basis yet. That's fine. “I'm sure you're familiar with the family by now. My boys have been gabbin’ about your work for months.”
“I certainly am. And it's good to know that my reputation precedes me.” Axel said, looking quite proud of themself. “I'm curious about what brings you here, though. To put it quite simply, I figured you'd have someone a little higher end doing your seamster work.”
They leaned on their cane a bit as they waited for the Don's answer, just to take a bit of weight off of their knee. They prayed that it'd at least hold up through the walk-through of their workshop. It would be embarrassing to end up confined to their swivel chair in front of a possible new client. Especially since this new client was, you know, the head of the biggest crime family in the city.
“I’m in the market for a new tailor. I need a new suit and my old tailor, ah… closed up shop.” Sonnellino clicked his tongue. “Didn't even have the courtesy to give anyone any notice, either.”
Axel's eyebrows shot up in surprise. What, a master tailor good enough for the Sonnellino kingpin and they don't even give any notice when they're closing? And Axel thought she could be considered unprofessional.
“Well, then.” They said, putting their free hand on their hip and looking smug. “You definitely won't have to worry about that with me. And if that doesn't convince you to work with me, I do have quite a few projects in my workshop, if you'd like to see my work.”
They glanced over at Ezio.
“Or more of my work, I guess.” She gestured to the jacquard vest that Ezio wore. “Your guy right there's wearing some. The dress shirt too, probably. And I know I sent one of your capos out of here a bit ago with a new suit jacket, but I dunno if you've seen it yet.” They shrugged. Those weren't the only things they'd made for the boys, but if they spent time listing everything off, it'd take up a lot of unnecessary time. And they were already creeping up on closing. Axel was a real stickler for that. Hours were as written-
“I don't think I'm gonna need any more convincing, but sure. Show me what’cha got.” Sonnellino's voice knocked them out of their thoughts.
Oh!
“Great!” Axel immediately swiveled, walking (hobbling) off toward the large doorway that led into their workshop. They started to raise their free arm, about to gesture for the two men to follow, but there were already two sets of footsteps starting behind them.
Sonnellino definitely walked heavy, from the sound of it. Long strides, too. There was a noticeable gap between his steps compared to Ezio's short, quick footfalls. They made a mental note to take that into account when they were drafting and cutting fabric. A good tailor always accounts for movement.
The workshop was, thankfully, organized today. The really busy part of Summer hadn't yet hit, leaving them with not too many orders to fulfill and thus not much mess. What few works in progress she had sat here and there, some on the workbench and some almost-finished pieces sat on dress forms on one end of the room. And her fabric storage looked great today, too. How convenient that they'd reorganized it! Each fabric type was in its own neat little gradient on the shelves. The place looked nice!
They stepped to one of the many dress forms in the room, grabbing the sleeve of the suit jacket on it and holding it up to show the Don as he walked forward for a closer look. “You'll notice that I don't skimp on my fabrics, and that my stitches are sturdy. I also sign all of my pieces.”
They dropped the sleeve, now spinning the dress form to show the back of it. They flipped the collar up, showing the small embroidered axolotl on the underside.
“I do also have a more professional signature if you don't jive with the axolotl.” They tacked on, glancing up at the Don slightly. He had leaned in a bit to look at the signature. He seemed so much taller up this close. They were gonna have to break out the stepstool when they did his measurements, weren't they? Embarrassing. They weren't even that short!! They were like… average.
They could see another detail with him up this close. One that they hadn't when they were looking over him the first time. The top button of his shirt was unbuttoned. An odd choice for someone who was otherwise so put-together visually. Stylistic, perhaps?
“Nah, nah. I'll take the axolotl. It's unique.”
That shook Axel out of her thoughts. Their face lit up, eyebrows raising and mouth splitting into a grin. Out of everything they expected, it definitely wasn't for the big, serious kingpin to agree to having a silly axolotl embroidered into his suit. But they were not going to complain! After all, you never look a gift horse in the mouth.
The rest of the workshop tour went smoothly- Axel talked through the process, expected turnaround times, pricing… the works. Axel glanced up at the clock when they exited the workshop, a small swell of pride rising in them when they realized it was right about time to close up shop. They'd pat themself on the back if there weren't people around. They reached for their desk, plucking their planner and pen from it. They leaned against their desk slightly so they could hold the items in each hand.
“Since it's closing time, we can't get your measurements done right now, but I've got lots of time over the next week to pencil you in.” Axel rambled, tapping their pen against the page. “I could even get you in tomorrow, if you've got some free time. I've only got a pickup scheduled, and it's right when I open. The rest of the day is completely free.”
The Don was quiet for a moment, thinking. Going through his itinerary, no doubt. Being a kingpin was no doubt an insanely busy job. Axel stopped tapping their pen against their planner, just in case it was messing with his concentration.
“How's about 9:30, then? I've got a big gap between then and my next… appointment.” He said with a slight nod. The pause and the tone of his voice told Axel that it definitely wasn't an appointment. At least, not a normal one. But that was a no-brainer. This was a mafia boss she was dealing with here. But they paid it exactly zero mind. She just scribbled down Sonnellino measurements next to 9:30 AM.
“Sounds good to me.” They flipped the planner shut, dropping it and the pen back onto the desk. “Pleasure doing business with you.” They took their cane back up so they could stand straight again, extending their free hand for a handshake yet again. Sonnellino returned it, just as firmly as last time.
“Likewise. I'll let you get to your closing routine. I promised the boys pizza tonight anyway.” And with that, they were off. Ezio waved excitedly to Axel before the door shut behind them.
Axel let out a long, deep sigh, collapsing against the desk for a moment. Knee brace tomorrow, definitely. That way they would hopefully be able to stay on their feet. They got back up, walked over to the door to lock it, then reached for the lightswitch. The lights flicked off with a soft click. At least all of their cleaning was done. Cleaning when they had to have the cane in one hand was… not ideal. They headed for the stairs that led to the apartment above the shop, plopping down to sit on the bottom step. It was delivery for dinner tonight, because they sure as hell weren't going to stand and cook. Damn stupid joints…
Soon enough, their food arrived. After retrieving it they ascended the stairs, delivery bag hanging from the crook of their elbow as they gripped the railing for dear life and hauled themself up on one foot. Their cane was left at the bottom step– they had enough things to brace on in the apartment for balance. They wouldn’t need it. Once they reached the top of the stairs, they hobbled straight past their dining table and to the loft that held their bed. They sighed, cursed themself for not considering their condition worsening when they decided they wanted a loft, and hobbled up on one foot again. They changed into the pajamas they’d laid out (read: tank top and no pants, because pants are stupid) and then flopped defeatedly onto their bed, sighing.
Eating and falling asleep both came and went quickly. Before they knew it, their alarm clock was blaring in their ear. They groaned, turning over to slap the off button. At least they'd slept decently. Minus the position they'd ended up in being less than optimal. One leg had ended up folded tight under them, and their wrists were bent compact under their chin. They unfurled their limbs and rolled over onto their back to stare at the ceiling. Everything felt slightly bleh. Wrists and knee already sore, a slight ache in their lower back…
Would it be rude to reschedule…?
Yes, it would definitely be rude. This was a first-time client. They sat up, electing to reach for the bottle of Tylenol on their nightstand and kick a couple back. That should take care of the back and maybe the wrists. Their knee, though, would probably be killing them all day. Even with the added cushion of acetaminophen. They'd already decided it was a brace day, so they just had to hope for the best.
They stood, taking one step down onto the stairs leading away from their loft…
And then yelled as their knee bent backwards for a moment before snapping back into place.
Mothertrucker, dude.
They collapsed onto the stair, face in their hand, eyes welling with tears. God. Jesus. Maybe even the bear. They eventually straightened up, sucking in a long, deep breath. They slid the rest of the way down the stairs, dragging themself to the closet that sat beneath the loft. They found their knee brace– the hinged one, which they hadn't planned on using, but their knee wanted to play games today- and put it on. They shook to their feet, keeping as much weight as they could off of that knee for good measure as they went about their routine. At least they woke up in time to make a proper breakfast and do the dishes after instead of throwing down a granola bar and calling that good…?
That wasn’t much, really. In fact, it made it worse. They just ended up tired. Spoons were in short supply today, it seemed, despite their full night of sleep. Fucking hell. They prayed that the hour and a half between that pickup and the Don’s measurement appointment would be peaceful. Maybe then they could recover some.
They groaned as they realized they were going to have to change. Being in your pajamas at work wasn’t exactly… professional. They let their head thump against their kitchen counter, taking in a deep sigh. After a few moments of laying there and feeling sorry for themself, they hauled themself to their feet and hobbled to their closet. They braced on the door, staring at everything. They couldn’t wear a skirt again today, because this brace wasn’t conducive to tights. They’d tried to wear it with them once, and they ended up with some nasty runs where the tights had managed to get caught in the hinges. Which they’d found odd, because it never pinched their skin in those areas when they’d worn it bare-legged.
So, pants.
“Pants are stupid…” Axel mumbled to herself, reaching into her closet and grabbing the first pair she saw. Black, thankfully. They didn’t plan to do too much styling. They snatched up a white button-up, one a client had ended up not wanting that turned out to fit Axel perfectly. Maybe a vest would make it look a little nicer? Less I-just-slapped-this-outfit-on?
…It couldn’t hurt.
They shoved a couple of shirts to the side to find one of their vests. Jeez, right when she said she wasn’t going to do much styling. They just couldn’t stop using all their energy today, could they? They settled on one of their many black vests, holding it up to the pants to make sure the shades matched. Because they were not going to embarrass themself by going out there in warm black pants and a cool black vest. No sirree.They quickly changed, thankfully managing to put their pants on without their knee brace fucking with it too badly. The legs on them were loose enough to fit over it. So she wasn’t going to look like those high school athletes who wore their braces over their pants so everyone could see how injured they were. They’d never liked those kids.
They stared at themself in the mirror set next to their closet. They looked nice, yeah, but something was missing. A tie…? Yeah, a tie. They peeked at the back of their closet door. When did they get so many ties? Whatever. The pastel pink one called to them today. They looked back in the mirror once they were done putting it on. It looked much better. They decided they weren’t going to think on this anymore, finding black socks and dress shoes to put on and call the outfit done. They ran their fingers through their short hair, detangling what few knots had managed to form in the night. Their cut was naturally shaggy enough that not brushing it properly wasn’t going to be an issue…
Nevermind, their hair being on the back of their neck was bothering them. They walked to their vanity, finding a ponytail holder and sweeping their hair into a low ponytail. They found a bow to clip above the holder and make it less gross-looking. They slapped a watch on, just because it would add to the illusion that they had their shit together, and upon checking the time on it realized that it was time to head downstairs and unlock the shop doors. They speed-waddled to the stairs, using their better leg to half-hop down them. How fucked up was that, really? One knee that gave them unimaginable trouble while the other was a perfect angel. Everything else was even with its troubles– the fingers, the hips, the shoulders. But one knee was perfect. Like it was taunting her. Look what you could have been, it said. Look how well you’d be able to move if you got the good genes.
Whatever. Their hand wrapped around the handle of their cane as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Quick hobble over to the door to unlock it, and then into the workshop to package up the garment that was getting picked up. It was one of their favorite projects as of late, a wedding dress. The client wanted the skirt train to look like butterfly wings, and by god had they delivered. She took many, many late nights figuring out how to make it lay correctly. The look on the client’s face when they’d brought her in for her opinion wasn’t one they’d soon forget. They folded the dress up neatly, packing it– and the veil they'd made as a freebie– carefully into a gown box before bringing it out into the main area. As they’d expected, the client came trotting in soon after, the bell over the door jingling cheerfully. In fact, right after they’d crossed the threshold between the workshop and the main lobby. Axel handed the box directly to her, managing to plaster a smile onto their face as she thanked them over and over. She slapped a roll of bills into their hand before she turned and headed for the door, calling over her shoulder that it was a tip.They looked down at the roll, pulling the rubber band securing it off and thumbing through it…
All ones.
They cussed under their breath, rolling the bills back up and stuffing it into one of their desk drawers. They slammed it shut before plopping angrily into their swivel chair. It rolled backwards slightly, and they slumped down in it like a sulky teenager. What a year this day had been. And it was only eight in the morning. Axel glanced into their workshop after a moment. No better time to get working than now, they supposed. They turned the chair around, using their good leg to push toward the workshop.
They zoned out quite quickly after they began working. Before they knew it, they were pulling a finished jumperskirt off of the serger. They were busy checking it over for any errors when the bell atop their door jingled. They quickly checked their watch, finding that it was 9:30. Right! Sonnellino’s measurement appointment. Thankfully, an hour of zoning out and working seemed to have actually given them some extra energy. They set the skirt down on their workbench, kicking off from the table to roll their chair back into the lobby. Sure enough, the Don was standing right there in the entrance, looking just as intimidating as the night before despite the sunlight beaming in through the big windows and the glass front door.
Would it be weird to say they were jealous of the way he took up space? There was just something inherently powerful about how he stood. This was the type of guy you’d immediately look at when he walked into a room. It was cool.
“Gooooood morning, Mr. Sonnellino!” They chirped as they crossed the threshold, grinning. Once they’d coasted to a stop, they grabbed up their cane from where they’d leaned it against the desk. They sprung to their feet– with most of their weight on their good leg, of course– and beckoned for the man to follow them. “Come with me, I’ve got a little fitting room off to the side of my workshop that I use for taking measurements.”
“Mornin’, Axel.” The Don nodded and followed Axel into the workshop. Axel found their notebook and pen. They then went into the workshop and looked around on their workbench for their measuring tape, only to find that it wasn't where they thought it was. Embarrassing. They must have moved it. They blew a little raspberry out of frustration.
“This is awkward, aha… I've misplaced my measuring tape.” She admitted, stuffing her free hand into her pocket as she looked everywhere but at Sonnellino. “The, uh, the fitting room is right behind that divider. Just head in there and get comfortable, I'll be in when I find it.” They gestured to the mentioned divider screen with their cane.
Misplacing your tools when you have a new client to impress. Fuck! What a day. God, did she forget to screw her head on this morning, too?! They watched Sonnellino nod again and disappear behind the divider before they started (very, very quietly) tearing the place apart, praying that it would show the hell up soon…
…and then they found it in their desk drawer. In the same drawer they'd shoved that stupid fucking tip into. The last place they'd looked.
Face, meet palm.
Whatever. It was fine. Everything was fine. Axel finally hobbled back into the workshop, heading for the fitting room. Oh, right. Sonnellino was tall as fuck. They were probably gonna need to break out their stepstool so they wouldn't have to reach up too high and tire out their arms doing his shoulder measurements. Ugh. In a perfect world, everyone's height would start with 5. They quickly found the stool (mercifully, it was where they remembered it being), nudging it along with their cane as they walked.
“Comin’ in.” They called, pushing the divider to the side after a moment. They turned to shut it behind them before actually looking over at the Don. They must have taken less time to find their measuring tape than they'd thought. He was still undressing.
Axel was immediately very glad that his back was turned to them. Because the moment they caught a glance of him unbuttoning his shirt in the mirror, it activated every damn neuron they had.
Hello, sailor. He was very nice to look at now that he didn't have that big ass trench coat hiding everything. He was built like one of those strongmen they'd seen clips of, with the big thick arms and a bit of a belly. God, what a man.
They averted their eyes, so as to not ogle him like some kind of pervert. They had to be professional! Except their eyes traveled back to him the split second after. But this time they noticed something. His sleeves were tight as hell around his arms. And the buttons that he hadn't gotten to yet were straining slightly. As was the stitching on the shoulders and the sides. What the fuck kind of tailor would ship something like that out? Hell, how did they convince him to take it?
Axel blinked once. Twice. Three times. No wonder he'd had the top button undone last night. Having it buttoned properly probably choked him.
“Hey, how long ago did you get the suit you're wearing now, exactly?” Or the shirt. Because it was the only part of the suit he still had on. Whatever.
“Eh, ‘bout three months ago. But the thing's startin’ to fall apart, so I figured I'd just bite the bullet and get a whole new one.” Sonnellino shrugged the shirt off of his shoulders, pulling his arms from the sleeves. Axel quickly looped their measuring tape around the back of their neck to free their hand up again. They reached forward.
“Mind handing that to me? I wanna look at something.” They took the garment from him when he handed it over, immediately sneering at the feeling of the fabric.
“Oh my god. This is straight polyester. Not even a blend, either.” She turned the shirt this way and that… horrible stitching. Horrible hemming. The buttons were sewn on loosely… it was a mess. “No wonder your other tailor closed down, people probably started calling them out on their shitty craftsmanship. I'm bumping this to the top of my priority list, I can't let you keep wearing this thing for too long. Christ, it's a wonder the sleeves haven't busted open entirely. How long have you been settling for this shit? How did they even convince you to settle for it?”
They looked back toward the Don, before realizing they'd… kind of gone off instead of focusing up. They looked to the side, coughing awkwardly.
“Sorry.” She mumbled, feeling her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Stupid emotions always welling up at the worst times… They wobbled over to where Sonnellino had set the rest of his clothes, neatly placing the shirt atop the folded pile. She glanced back toward him, almost taken aback when she noticed the slight smile on his face.
“Don't be. They- apparently- gave me somethin’ low-quality, and you're rightfully mad about it. I ain't gonna fault ya for that.” He said, shrugging. Axel nodded. They couldn't help but find themself internally shocked. The last time they'd gotten passionate like that, it… wasn't received well.
Them being passionate had never been received well, now that they thought about it. Even before they ran off to start this business.
“Right. Right. Anyway!” Time for a complete turn in mood! They grabbed their notebook and pen from where they'd tucked it under their arm. They flipped it to a new, clean page, clicking their pen open. “I'm gonna tell you now, I'm real thorough. Like, I take left and right measurements individually thorough. So I hope you're ready to stand there a while.”
They held the pen between their teeth and tucked the notebook into their waistband slightly, whipping the measuring tape off of the back of their neck. They used their cane to nudge the stool over, stepping up onto it before folding their cane and tucking it into their pocket. It poked out a little awkwardly, but it wasn't enough to get in the way. They were pleasantly surprised when the Don held his arms out at his sides without them needing to ask. How nice!
They started in the same place they always did. Arm lengths, shoulder width, upper arm and wrist circumference… it went by quite fast, actually. But it always did. Those were the easy ones. The ones that didn't involve Axel reaching around or anything. But, of course, that couldn't last forever. She had to get to the awkward part.
“Alright. These next ones are easier to do from the front, so I'm just gonna scooch around over here…” Their voice was slightly muffled by the pen between their teeth. They used their cane to nudge the stool around to the front of the Don, moving along with it. “It's all the awkward ones where I have to get all up in your bubble, too. Which means that we both get the prestigious honor of learning what each other's cologne smells like.”
They'd found that it ended up being a little less awkward for their clients if they opened with a joke. Their mileage always did vary, though… but it seemed that it landed this time, given the chuckle that came from the man in front of them. Yes!! They were gonna get a good grade in being funny! Which was both reasonable to want and possible to achieve. Totally.
They were about to step back onto the stool when they realized they actually weren't going to need it anymore. Sonnellino's chest was right at eye level. They kicked it lightly to the side to get it out of the way, using their bad leg so they could stop standing on it for a second. Even with their brace and the painkillers, there was an uncomfortable ache in their knee. Fuck, had it extending too far earlier fucked it up that bad? Maybe it had dislocated too and they just didn't notice because it fixed itself so fast. They wondered if maybe they should close the shop for the rest of the day so they could sit and let it recover.
“You're babyin’ that leg. You need a minute?”
Axel's head snapped up toward the Don, slightly startled out of their thoughts. They looked away almost nervously when they saw the somewhat concerned expression on his face.
“Nah, nah, I'm good.” She said, idly fidgeting with the tape measure. Fuck, they hated when people noticed. It felt weird to have it be acknowledged. People staring when they went out with their cane was bad enough. But having it mentioned directly made their chest feel tight. Like the other person was saying here's that attention you ordered, freak.
“You sure?”
Their eye twitched. Mercifully, it seemed like the Don didn't see it.
“Yeah, I'm fine. I'll have to kneel when I take your leg measurements anyway, so I'll get to rest it then.” They shrugged.
That seemed to satisfy him. He nodded, expression shifting back into neutrality, and Axel let their shoulders drop. They didn't even realize they'd tensed up that hard.
They were starting to get tired again.
“Okay, where were we…” Their voice trailed off as they checked their notebook. “Ah! Right, we're on chest measurement.” They chirped, putting on that peppy customer service facade again. One of these days they were gonna get their Oscar for that.
“Alright, I'm gonna need you to hold your arms out a little for me.” She ordered, leaning in once the Don did so. They had to lean in real close to properly reach around him with how wide his chest was and how short their arms were. Like, head-right-up-to-chest close. So close that they could feel him tense up when they started to reach around for the end of their tape measure. They swore they could feel his heartbeat speed up before they pulled off, too.
Weird.
Their cologne joke ended up being a little bit true. While they were this close, just breathing normally let them get a decent hit of it. It was quite nice, actually. There were definite notes of lavender in it, and… maybe leather? Suede? Whatever that other note was, it smelled expensive. But alas, they weren't able to just stand there and sniff.
“Don't tense up on me like that, it'll skew your measurements.” They said flatly, making sure their measuring tape was laying correctly as they straightened back up. They made sure to keep their weight on their good leg. “I need you to relax and take a deep breath in for me.”
That was a little trick they'd figured out themself. You measured when they were breathing in to help account for movement. Sure, they… probably weren't the first to do it, but they were proud of the fact that they figured it out themself. Small victories.
They nodded a little when Sonnellino breathed in, slightly loosening their grip on the measuring tape to let it move with him.
“There we go, good.” She mumbled, taking note of the measurement and pulling her measuring tape away. They pulled the notebook from their waistband, jotted it down, then tucked it back. They always amazed themself with how smoothly they managed to do that. Sure, yeah, this had been their job for nearly a decade, but they were still impressed by it. So too, it seemed, was the Don. Axel glanced up a bit, noticing that his eyes were trained on their hands. They couldn't help but crack a little smile at that.
Getting his waist measurement went as easily as getting his chest. Same with his hips, which mercifully didn't end in Axel having to throw him out for making an inappropriate joke. To this day, she'd always be surprised at how many people decided that the best time to be a pervert was when she was doing her job.
“Next up is inseam and outseam, so I need to know what pant length we're going for. Are we thinking full break? No break at all?” They were already reaching up to pull the pen from between their teeth in preparation to explain what a trouser break was. It was something that they'd had to do a surprising number of times-
“I go for medium most of the time. S'what looks best on me.” Sonnellino delivered the line with a casual shrug.
Bless. UP. It took all of Axel's willpower not to cheer and do a lap around the room. Or to fall to their knees in triumph. It was always so nice to have a client that they didn't have to explain shit too.
Crazy how he knew what a trouser break was but settled for the shitty suit his last tailor made him. Maybe they were really convincing? Or maybe he was in a hurry when they did the final fitting and he didn't have time to bring it up.
But whatever! Axel was gonna set his ass right. They nodded, reaching for their cane and unfolding it. She used it to brace as she got down on one knee. They found that one knee got less inappropriate jokes than both knees. Not that they expected Sonnellino to suddenly turn his politeness around, he didn't when they had their hands near his hips, but low chance didn't mean zero. They set their cane down on the floor next to them so they could grab it later.
“I'll do inseam first, and then we get to be done with the awkward part.” They said, reaching forward to measure his inseam. It was always the most awkward part, being just straight up crotch to… whatever pant length their client needed. Real weird place to have your hand in a professional setting.
But it was over about as fast as they could manage. The moment they had the measurement, they snapped their hands back to pull their notebook from their waistband and the pen from their teeth to jot it down. They were low enough to just drop the notebook and pen onto the floor from there. And no inappropriate joke! Cool. Wonderful. The outseam, they could be a little less snappy with, considering it was just the outside of his leg. Easy peasy!
“Alright, I just need to do… thigh and calf circumference, then we're done. I gotta say, this is the smoothest measurement appointment I've ever had.” Axel said, looping the measuring tape around his thigh. “Most of my clients are real fidgety and I have to keep directing them to stay still. But you've been perfect, I really appreciate it.”
“Well, it's good to know I'm one of the best.” Sonnellino chuckled. Which was way too hot of a sound for Axel to hear when this guy was in his underwear in front of them. They bit the inside of their cheek to bring themself back into reality as they jotted down the measurement they'd just taken.
“Not even one of, honestly. I think you're probably the best. You came in knowing what you wanted and knowing you wanted to work with me, and you've been very cooperative this entire session. You are, quite frankly, the perfect client. I think everyone who comes in here should be like you.” Axel suddenly realized how much they'd been yapping and clamped their lips shut tight, instead reaching to write down the calf measurement they'd just taken. Give it up for motormouth, everyone! They glanced up at the Don's face, then back down when they noticed his amused expression. Fucking hell, he had a nice face.
The thoughts they were having weren't professional at all. Nor were they in the Bible. They blinked hard, forcing their head to clear itself as they moved to measure his other leg.
“And that's the last… one…” They mumbled as they jotted down the last measurement, flipping their notepad closed right after. They reached for their cane, setting it upright to use it to pull themself up. They didn't get too far into that endeavor, though, before they caught movement at the edge of their vision. She followed it, realizing that the Don was holding a hand out to her.
“Lemme help you there.”
“You don't have to-”
“You got a bad leg and you're gettin’ up off the floor. Shuddup and let me help you.”
Well, damn.
“I mean, if you insist.” Axel mumbled, tucking their notebook and pen under their cane-holding arm as they averted their eyes. They didn't need help. They didn't even want help. Taking anyone's help made them a burden. That's what they'd been told their entire life. They reached for the Don's hand, hesitating just a bit before actually sliding their palm into his. He leaned in as he helped pull them to their feet, one arm kind of hovering near them in case they fell and needed to be caught.
What a gentleman.
As much as they didn't want the help, they had to admit having someone to pull them up made standing a lot easier. But easy felt bad to them. Easy felt like the lazy way out. And they despised being seen as lazy. Axel kept hold of Sonnellino's hand as they got stable on their feet. His palm was warm against theirs. It was… nice.
But they couldn't hold on forever, as nice as that would be. They let go once they had their cane planted firmly on the ground.
“Alright, you can put your clothes back on, we're done with the measurement part. And while you're taking care of that, we can get some of the last little details ironed out for this suit.” She said, grabbing her notepad from under her arm and flipping to a new page. They looped the elastic band on their cane handle around their wrist so it wouldn't drop when they went to write down their notes. They watched Sonnellino reach for his shirt, silently grieving the fact that they wouldn't get to see him shirtless for much longer.
Then again, the suit was sexier.
…Why the hell were they thinking about that?!?! They bit the inside of their cheek, mentally kicking themself for not locking the fuck in. They looked down at their notepad so they wouldn't ogle him any longer.
“So, first thing I need to know is if you want just a two-piece or a full three-piece. And then there's the matter of color. And I'm throwing a new dress shirt in there for free, so I'll need to know what color you want for that, too.”
The Don paused mid-buckling his belt.
“You don't gotta do all that-”
“Your current one sucks. You don't get to say no.” Axel jabbed their pen in his direction.
“Well, at least let me pay ya for it.”
“Oh please, you're already gonna be dropping thous for a full suit. Don't worry about it.” They waved their hand dismissively toward him. There was suddenly a shadow looming over them and a hand clapping onto their shoulder. Their head snapped up to look at the Don. He had his fedora back on, which cast that shadow over his eyes and made his intimidation factor tick all the way back up.
“You're makin’ the whole thing from scratch. I insist that you let me pay for it. Your work's too good to be givin’ it away for free.”
How the fuck does someone manage to be intimidating when they're being adamant about paying for shit? Axel didn't know, but it was sure as hell working on them. They sighed, their head falling forward and shoulders slumping.
“Fine, fine, alright. If you insist, it'll be an extra two hundred.”
Which was a solid discount. And he was getting a damn freebie whether he wanted one or not. They had some spare jacquard somewhere, they could throw in a tie or something. Maybe two, if they had the material. Because if your client got freebies, they'd keep ordering from you in the hopes that you'd give them freebies with that order, too. It was just good business. They usually made back the material cost in tips, anyway. Usually being the keyword there.
“But I do still need your answers to the first two questions.” They tapped their pen against the edge of their notepad, eyes following the Don as he walked back to where his gloves and watch were still waiting to be put back on. “That way I can figure out pricing.”
“Might as well do a full three-piece.” Sonnellino glanced toward Axel as he tugged one of his gloves on. “In black, of course.”
“Gotcha.” Axel nodded, jotting down what he'd said. “So, solid black is gonna take an extra two weeks, because I'm fully out of black wool suiting. But I do have plenty of black pinstripe, if you want it ASAP.”
They looked toward him as they waited for his answer, idly thumping the pen against the notepad again. He was busy redoing the clasp on his watch.
“I'll take the pinstripe. Been doin’ solid black for years now, I might as well switch it up a little.”
Axel nodded again, scribbling pinstripe down on their page. They frowned as the letters came out spotty. Of course it started going out right at the end. They shook it a little to get what little ink was left flowing again.
“Okay, ‘nother question. For the signature, do you want me to thread match it to the rest of the suit, or do you want me to use pink like I u-”
“Keep the pink, definitely.”
Fastest answer in the west, goddamn. She didn't even get to finish the question. They nodded, jotted it down, then tapped the pen against their lips in thought. Was there anything else they needed from him?
Oh, right.
“One last thing. I'm gonna need some kind of contact information, that way we can schedule your fittings. I'll take phone number, email, whatever. Just jot it down here for me.”
They held the notepad and pen out to him. Their fingers brushed as he reached to take it. They watched him write, gaze mostly focused on his hands. He had very nice hands. They took the notebook when he held it back out. Their fingers brushed yet again, and that time Axel swore their heart was going to leap from their chest.
“That's, uh… that's everything I need from you information-wise.” They tucked their notepad under their arm again. “Now all we have to worry about is payment. I always ask for half upfront, so that would be…”
They went quiet as they tried to do the math in their head. And then quickly gave up. Back to the notepad for the nth time… they mumbled along as they scribbled everything down. Base bespoke suit price, plus (discounted) dress shirt, plus tax… divide that by two and-
“It'd be… two thousand and fifteen dollars. I do both cash and card, whichever one is easiest. If you want to pay in cash but don’t have it all on you, you can just drop it off tomorrow-”
They looked up from their notepad to see that he was already holding the money out to them. Two neat bands (and a crisp twenty) just… right there. In his hand.
“Or not.” They chuckled, slowly reaching for the cash. They really should have considered that he’d come prepared. Or that he had that much money just casually on him to begin with. After all, what loser was going to shake down someone so scary-looking? Nobody, that’s who. Axel quickly thumbed through the bills, nodding when they saw that it was all there. Eat your heart out, all-ones tipper. “That’ll be it for today, then. I’ll hit you up when it’s ready for the first fitting so we can schedule it. And, of course, you can drop in any time during opening hours to check on its progress.”
She turned to pull back the divider that separated the fitting room and the workshop, stepping aside to let the Don out first. They pushed it closed again after, walking back into the lobby behind him. They stopped at their desk to drop the payment into their cash box, watching Sonnellino head for the door. He was on the phone with someone, but she couldn’t quite make out what was being said. Not that they wanted to know. It might have made them an accessory to a crime to know, or something. Before he walked fully out of the door, he looked toward them, covering the receiver with his hand.
“See you soon, Axel. Rest that leg.”
And with that, he was gone, disappearing toward the parking lot their building shared with the coffee shop next door.