Luke loved Carson’s closet, almost as much as he loved his own. It was colorful and filled to the brim without outfits from different times. Walking through there was like going on an adventure filled with discovery and awe and like a kid in a candy store. He was wild with excitement when he was in there.
“Lulu, please tell me that you are done playing dress up in there,” Lulu, who was decked out in a puffy white shirt, tight black pants, a scarlet red coat, bulky black boots, and sparkly jeweled rings, stopped in the midst of his searching for a pirate hat to complete his costume. He glanced over his shoulder at the copper haired man who was leaning against the door of the walk in closet door like he owned it, which he did, and smiled.
“I am not playing dress-up!” Luke insisted and Carson rolled his eyes jadedly.
“Sure you’re not.” Carson stood up straight and stood in front of Luke after taking two long strides across the white carpeted floor. He smiled at the man and then reached up to the shelf next to his head that was just out of Luke’s reached.
Luke’s grey eyes crossed when Carson held the large black hat out to him. “Hey, what’s that?” The smaller man exclaimed.
“A hat,” Carson scoffed. “Put it on.”
“No.”
Carson laid the hat flat on top of Luke’s golden brown head. “I wasn’t asking,” He said flatly.
Luke pouted for a moment and then his storm colored eyes widen when the Pirate captain’s hat devoured half his head, “Hey!”
“Is for horses.”
“You’re so mean.”
Carson chuckled at the pout on Luke’s face and kissed the chestnut haired man’s cheek. “You’re look adorable,” He told him.
“That may be,” Luke informed Carson. He put both of his hands on Carson’s broad shoulders and leaned up to get as close as he could while standing on his tip toes. Then he whispered urgently, “But, I can’t see!”
“Lulu Baby, seeing is for people who aren’t beautiful. Look, I’ll get you a dog and you will be fine!”
“I don’t think that my hamster would like that too much,” Luke chortled.
Carson soon joined in, “Maybe not, but he’ll live.”
“That is if he doesn’t die from a heart attack caused by fear first. Can I try on the Renaissance outfits now?”
Carson clicked his tongue against his teeth. “They’re getting dry cleaned now, but,” Carson’s look turned devious all of a sudden, “I have got plenty of leather in here.”
“No,” Luke said sternly not even bothering to look at the taller man as he attempted to fix the over sized Captain’s hat only to have it fall over his eyes again.
Carson hit the man with his very best kicked puppy look, “Pleather?”
“No, I’m not wearing anything close to that material.” Luke tried fixing the hat again, but when it fell back over his eyes he gave up and took it off before giving it back Carson. “You put that back up. I’m going to go look for something else to try on,” with that he turned on the balls of his feet and disappeared deeper into the closet.
Carson frowned at the hat in his hand as if blaming him for the fact that Luke had turned down the offer to wear leather or pleather, again. He then reached above his head, putting the hat back in its rightful place between all the other sea related headwear he had including a Navel Officer’s hat, and a Fisherman’s cap.
Carson buried his hands deep into his the pockets of his pants alongside an empty package of gum and lent. “What exactly are you looking for?” He asked his companion.
Luke sighed. “Why are you asking Carson? You don’t care you just want to get me out of here as quickly as possible.”
“Exactly,” Carson admitted eyes clear and guiltless.
“Jerk,” Luke scoffs.
“Love you too,” Carson told him blowing a kiss innocently.
Luke rolled his eyes at Carson then rolled them up the back wall of the extra large closet with a large smile spread across his face. “This is it!” He exclaimed.
The midnight blue eyes of Carson followed Luke’s gaze to the rather small collection of Western clothing that Carson had forgotten he owned. “You’re kidding me right?”
“No!” Luke squeaked, outraged that Carson would even think that he was joking about clothing. “I’ve always wanted to be a Cowboy for Halloween,” He explained, “But my Da always thought that it was too normal and never made me anything that was too average.”
“He still does,” Carson sang.
“Don’t be that way,” Luke pouted childishly reaching behind him and grasping at the sleeve of Carson’s scarlet button down shirt.
Carson’s face churned into confusion, “What?”
“Get it for me Carson, please? I want the chaps and everything!”
“Luke they have to be hemmed first to fit you, my clothing is way too big for you at the moment.”
“I don’t want to wait. I want to wear them now,” Luke pleaded to him.
Carson laughed at Luke and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, but you don’t really have a choice, but come with me Lulu. I’ve got a lot of other stuff you might like to try own. Do you feel like being a hippie? Or maybe you’d want to put on a Roman Toga? It’s not as stupid as they make it look on television. I’ve also got some stuff from the Disco Era in here. Are you feeling funky Lulu?” Carson looked over his shoulder to Luke and away from the hangers of clothing. “Okay, this may be a stretch, but I’m going to take that glower as a no.”
“How did you ever know?”
Carson went back to going down the list of clothing he had from different decades stopping at the grey and purple stripped suit from the Roaring 20s. He pulled it off the rod and held it at arm’s length, observing it from a distance. “How about this one Luke? Wait, Luke what are you doing?”
Luke, who in the course of Carson looking for something for him to wear had found something that tickled his fancy, batted his eyelashes innocently in Carson’s general direction. “Why what does it look like my dear Carson?” He said in his best southern drawl, “I’m changing!”
“I can, um see that Luke,” Carson gave a long dry swallow finding it hard to speak all of a sudden, “But those are for girls. They’re, um… not mine.”
“That much is obvious from the design of the shirt. The question is whose shirt is it?” Luke snapped waving the female made Indian shirt in Carson’s face and fixing Carson with a look that said that he wanted the answer right then and there.
Carson did not miss the hostile and accusing sound of Luke’s words and felt that he had to defend himself. “Luke, no it’s not like that!” Carson held up his hands in surrender hoping that the smaller man would take pity on him and drop the subject.
But Luke was having none of that, “Then tell me, what is it like Carson?” He was steaming, with his fist clenched at his side and a fierce look on his face, that looked more pouty than angry to Carson, but Carson thought it better not to comment on that. Not that it was his fault, Luke was just way to cute for his own good.
“Luke its Summer’s costume. She was Tiger Lilly in our school’s production of Peter Pan,” He shrugged before explaining any further. “I was thinking that I could use the fabric for something I could wear.”
Carson watched Luke closely for a reaction mentally sighing in relief when he saw all traces of what could only be described as jealously, envy, and maybe a bit of insecurity, though Luke would never ever admit that he was insecurity about anything, melt away. That’s good, Carson reflected.
“I’m sorry Carson,” Luke apologized.
Carson smiled sweetly at the blushing man knowing how hard it is for his spoiled rotten boyfriend to apologize for anything. “There’s no apology needed Luke.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“Maybe,” Carson shrugged putting both of his hands on Luke’s waist then, using them as leverage to tug the smaller into his space. “So, are you done in here because we have to be at that Café in a few minutes and I am starving?”
“Yeah, whatever,” Luke shrugged giving the surrounding garments, tools for another adventure, one last longing look.
Carson grinned. He held a hand out for Luke to take and lace his own with, which he did and Carson tugged Luke out of his closet and into his room where Luke could redress in his own clothing. Luke followed contently, because as much as he loved being in Carson’s closet, he loved being with Carson even more.