day six - wearing each other's clothes
This is sort of a cheat. I had a bunch of this written already (via request from pearl_o, but whatever. Also, only one person is wearing the other's clothes. pearl_o send me this picture about a million years ago and this was my response.
***
wearing each other's clothes (~1000)
***
There's an almost comical silence in the long seconds that follow the sounds of breaking glass. Charles' jaw drops. Moira's eyes are wide. There's nothing to be done about the red wine slowly seeping into Charles' shirt and slacks.
"That was impressive," Moira finally notes. And if Charles had been watching this on YouTube, it certainly would have been--Charles losing his grip on the glass, fumbling for and catching it without spilling a drop, and then tripping over a discarded shoe, spilling the wine all over himself and smashing the glass on the ground. It was an astounding series of events. He only wishes it hadn't left him soaking in pinot noir.
"Oh god," he says faintly.
"Well, take it off," Moira says. "Um...milk, I think? Or warm salt water. Get your phone, google it."
"Oh god," Charles repeats.
"Seriously, Charles, you have a date in like, half an hour, right? Soak your clothes and jump in the shower already," Moira says. "Otherwise you'll smell like a vineyard."
"No," Charles says, staring down at himself. "I can't--I'm out of clothes! I have no clothes left!"
"What are you talking about?" Moira asks. "I've seen the piles of laundry you can accumulate. I know it all LOOKS the same, but you do have multiple--"
"No, no, no," Charles says, and panic is starting to set in because--half an hour. That's not enough time to buy a new outfit AND get to dinner, nor is it enough time to wash and dry an outfit AND get to dinner, if he could even get to the laundry room--he heard the washer going when they walked in. "I mean this is it! This is all I have--had--clean!"
Moira actually smacks her forehead, which Charles thinks is a little much.
"Seriously?" she asks. "Seriously? Charles, you're not eighteen anymore!"
"Yes!" Charles snaps, "Which means I have even less time for things like doing laundry!"
"Then send it out," she says. "It's not like you can't afford it!"
"I am perfectly capable of doing it myself!" Charles says. "I don't want to be one of those, you know. Those sort of affluent people. Who can't do anything themselves."
"So instead you're going to be the type of rich person who smells like BO," Moira says. "Charles, come on!"
"Well, this isn't exactly the time to get into it!" Charles says. He glances at his watch. "I'm meeting Erik in town in twenty-five minutes and now I have nothing to wear! I timed out my laundry exactly so I'd have enough to wear for this date before I ran out of clothes!"
Moira sighs and pushes past him. It takes Charles a moment to figure out where she's headed, and then he's racing after her, trying to stop her before--
He's not quick enough and she pulls open the door to his bedroom, revealing...well, every piece of clothing he owns on the floor.
"Charles."
"If I lived in a flat with in-unit laundry, I'd be able to get it done when it was convenient!" Charles insists. "It's not my fault that when I do have time and energy, the machines are always in use!"
Moira picks across Charles' laundry-littered floor and starts pulling open the drawers of his dresser.
"There's nothing in there!" Charles tells her.
"There has to be something," she says. "Some sweater your grandmother gave you that you don't like, some t-shirt that's two sizes too small...."
"Nothing," Charles says. "I wore all those earlier this week. This was my last nice outfit and I was saving it for today. I can't--"
Moira holds up a button down shirt and a blazer.
"What about these?" she asks.
"Those are Erik's," Charles says. "He left them here a few weeks ago and--"
"Problem solved," Moira says. "Go take a shower, we'll soak your clothes and you can wear these."
"I can't wear Erik's clothes on a date with Erik!" Charles says.
"Why not?" Moira asks. "He might think it's hot."
"You're insane!" Charles says.
Moira throws Erik's things at him and Charles only barely manages to catch them before they join his own clothes, strewn across the floor.
"Put them on," Moira says. "Would you rather wear Erik's clean clothes or an oxford caked in whatever this is?"
She grabs a shirt from the floor, one that's stained with coffee after an unfortunate incident in his favorite coffeeshop. He lowered himself to wearing it again under a cardigan on Monday.
He's doomed.
"Fuck," he says. "Just...fuck!"
"Shower!" Moira says. "Go."
***
When Erik sees Charles outside the restaurant, the first look that crosses his face is the slightly goofy, overly fond smile that always flashes for just a moment before he shoves it behind his cool exterior.
The second is amused incredulity.
"Should I comment?" he asks.
"Oh, shut up," Charles says. His hair has dried terribly, Erik's clothes are far too big, and he looks harried and exhausted. He should have just cancelled and spent the evening at a laundromat. "It's a long story. Be glad I'm here and clothed at all."
"I'm glad you're here," Erik says, leaning over to kiss his check. "I'm rarely glad you're clothed."
"I'm going to kill Moira," Charles mutters to himself.
"I promise I feel very self-satisfied and proprietary," Erik says, but before Charles can perk up too much, he adds, "Not that it will keep me from making fun of you."
"You're an awful boyfriend," Charles says.
"I don't know," Erik says. "You might change your mind when I take you home to reclaim my clothes. I might even let you have the clothes of yours that have wormed their way into my dresser."
"Did I say awful?" Charles says. He loops his arm through Erik's and leads him towards the door.
"And I even have in-unit laundry," Erik says.
It's only been two months, but Charles might be in love.
Or maybe that's relief, it's hard to tell.
"Tell me more," Charles says, as if he's not already calculating how best to bring four loads of laundry across Cambridge on the T.
*
the rest of the days:
1. Holding hands
2. Cuddling somewhere
3. Gaming/watching a movie
4. On a date
5. Kissing
6. Wearing each others’ clothes
7. Shopping
8. Hanging out with friends
9. Making out
10. Eating icecream
11. In a different clothing style
12. During their morning ritual(s)
13. Spooning
14. Doing something together
15. In formal wear
16. Dancing
17. Cooking/baking
18. In battle, side-by-side
19. Arguing
20. Making up afterwards
21. Getting married
22. On one of their birthdays
23. Doing something ridiculous
24. Doing something sweet
25. Doing something hot
***
wearing each other's clothes (~1000)
***
There's an almost comical silence in the long seconds that follow the sounds of breaking glass. Charles' jaw drops. Moira's eyes are wide. There's nothing to be done about the red wine slowly seeping into Charles' shirt and slacks.
"That was impressive," Moira finally notes. And if Charles had been watching this on YouTube, it certainly would have been--Charles losing his grip on the glass, fumbling for and catching it without spilling a drop, and then tripping over a discarded shoe, spilling the wine all over himself and smashing the glass on the ground. It was an astounding series of events. He only wishes it hadn't left him soaking in pinot noir.
"Oh god," he says faintly.
"Well, take it off," Moira says. "Um...milk, I think? Or warm salt water. Get your phone, google it."
"Oh god," Charles repeats.
"Seriously, Charles, you have a date in like, half an hour, right? Soak your clothes and jump in the shower already," Moira says. "Otherwise you'll smell like a vineyard."
"No," Charles says, staring down at himself. "I can't--I'm out of clothes! I have no clothes left!"
"What are you talking about?" Moira asks. "I've seen the piles of laundry you can accumulate. I know it all LOOKS the same, but you do have multiple--"
"No, no, no," Charles says, and panic is starting to set in because--half an hour. That's not enough time to buy a new outfit AND get to dinner, nor is it enough time to wash and dry an outfit AND get to dinner, if he could even get to the laundry room--he heard the washer going when they walked in. "I mean this is it! This is all I have--had--clean!"
Moira actually smacks her forehead, which Charles thinks is a little much.
"Seriously?" she asks. "Seriously? Charles, you're not eighteen anymore!"
"Yes!" Charles snaps, "Which means I have even less time for things like doing laundry!"
"Then send it out," she says. "It's not like you can't afford it!"
"I am perfectly capable of doing it myself!" Charles says. "I don't want to be one of those, you know. Those sort of affluent people. Who can't do anything themselves."
"So instead you're going to be the type of rich person who smells like BO," Moira says. "Charles, come on!"
"Well, this isn't exactly the time to get into it!" Charles says. He glances at his watch. "I'm meeting Erik in town in twenty-five minutes and now I have nothing to wear! I timed out my laundry exactly so I'd have enough to wear for this date before I ran out of clothes!"
Moira sighs and pushes past him. It takes Charles a moment to figure out where she's headed, and then he's racing after her, trying to stop her before--
He's not quick enough and she pulls open the door to his bedroom, revealing...well, every piece of clothing he owns on the floor.
"Charles."
"If I lived in a flat with in-unit laundry, I'd be able to get it done when it was convenient!" Charles insists. "It's not my fault that when I do have time and energy, the machines are always in use!"
Moira picks across Charles' laundry-littered floor and starts pulling open the drawers of his dresser.
"There's nothing in there!" Charles tells her.
"There has to be something," she says. "Some sweater your grandmother gave you that you don't like, some t-shirt that's two sizes too small...."
"Nothing," Charles says. "I wore all those earlier this week. This was my last nice outfit and I was saving it for today. I can't--"
Moira holds up a button down shirt and a blazer.
"What about these?" she asks.
"Those are Erik's," Charles says. "He left them here a few weeks ago and--"
"Problem solved," Moira says. "Go take a shower, we'll soak your clothes and you can wear these."
"I can't wear Erik's clothes on a date with Erik!" Charles says.
"Why not?" Moira asks. "He might think it's hot."
"You're insane!" Charles says.
Moira throws Erik's things at him and Charles only barely manages to catch them before they join his own clothes, strewn across the floor.
"Put them on," Moira says. "Would you rather wear Erik's clean clothes or an oxford caked in whatever this is?"
She grabs a shirt from the floor, one that's stained with coffee after an unfortunate incident in his favorite coffeeshop. He lowered himself to wearing it again under a cardigan on Monday.
He's doomed.
"Fuck," he says. "Just...fuck!"
"Shower!" Moira says. "Go."
***
When Erik sees Charles outside the restaurant, the first look that crosses his face is the slightly goofy, overly fond smile that always flashes for just a moment before he shoves it behind his cool exterior.
The second is amused incredulity.
"Should I comment?" he asks.
"Oh, shut up," Charles says. His hair has dried terribly, Erik's clothes are far too big, and he looks harried and exhausted. He should have just cancelled and spent the evening at a laundromat. "It's a long story. Be glad I'm here and clothed at all."
"I'm glad you're here," Erik says, leaning over to kiss his check. "I'm rarely glad you're clothed."
"I'm going to kill Moira," Charles mutters to himself.
"I promise I feel very self-satisfied and proprietary," Erik says, but before Charles can perk up too much, he adds, "Not that it will keep me from making fun of you."
"You're an awful boyfriend," Charles says.
"I don't know," Erik says. "You might change your mind when I take you home to reclaim my clothes. I might even let you have the clothes of yours that have wormed their way into my dresser."
"Did I say awful?" Charles says. He loops his arm through Erik's and leads him towards the door.
"And I even have in-unit laundry," Erik says.
It's only been two months, but Charles might be in love.
Or maybe that's relief, it's hard to tell.
"Tell me more," Charles says, as if he's not already calculating how best to bring four loads of laundry across Cambridge on the T.
*
the rest of the days:
1. Holding hands
2. Cuddling somewhere
3. Gaming/watching a movie
4. On a date
5. Kissing
6. Wearing each others’ clothes
7. Shopping
8. Hanging out with friends
9. Making out
10. Eating icecream
11. In a different clothing style
12. During their morning ritual(s)
13. Spooning
14. Doing something together
15. In formal wear
16. Dancing
17. Cooking/baking
18. In battle, side-by-side
19. Arguing
20. Making up afterwards
21. Getting married
22. On one of their birthdays
23. Doing something ridiculous
24. Doing something sweet
25. Doing something hot