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There's one thing Marvin has yet to understand about the 80s and it's the fad known as 'crop tops'. For women -- not that he really pays attention to what's showing or covered on the female form -- they make sense. It's not kosher for a woman to wander about, breasts flowing freely. So for them to be able to show skin in the hot summer months without going around in a bikini or a bra is logical. Some of them are even cute... if you're into that sort of thing.
On a man, however, they don't make any sense whatsoever.
First of all, they look tacky.
Second of all, why cover up half a man's chest? If he's going to enjoy oogling a man's body, he wants to see pecs and abs, not just abs. Plus the crop tops hide the shoulders which is, honestly, his favorite part of the male form.
Third of all, well, there is no third but Marvin believes all lists should have three points.
Not to mention the crop tops most men wear fall under the category of 'tacky'. They belong on the guys who don't care who they fuck and who don't give a damn about their image.
So the first time he catches Whizzer wearing one he laughs. And laughs. And laughs a bit more for good measure.
Whizzer isn't amused. At all.
Rather than catching the obvious clue that his lover is pissed off, Marvin instead couples the laughter with a snide comment or five because that's what their relationship has always been about. It's always been a fight here and there (but mostly all the time) followed by phenomenal make-up sex. It's probably still as much of a toxic relationship as it was before but this time, when they got back together, they try their best to show they appreciate one another. Marvin doesn't push Whizzer into the feminine role and Whizzer retaliates by giving in to monogamy. They murmur 'I love you' in the dead of night and share soft smiles and heated glances across a room.
And occasionally Marvin even lets Whizzer win at chess -- without kicking him out of the house.
It's personal growth they're both proud of. No longer lacking in maturity, they march to the beat of their own drum. Consequently, for the past nine (or ten, depending on who you ask) months they've lived in a state of almost blissful harmony.
Until the crop top.
Until the laughter and the snide comments. What happened to your devotion to style? Marvin asks, tugging on the hem of the top. All he succeeds in doing is stretching the neckline and getting glitter on his fingers. The fabric even feels cheap, some kind of flashy disco ball-like material that doesn't even belong in a gay bar. Next to you I look like I'm wearing Calvin Klein.
Just because Marvin has learned to accept the fact that he's gay doesn't mean he's finally comfortable with being out and proud. Not like Whizzer. And for fuck's sake, why does Whizzer have to broadcast it like a goddamned beacon? Is he out trolling for more men in his life?
Am I no longer enough?
He pushes the doubts and the fears aside and regresses to childish insults instead of dealing with the situation like the adult he is. What about cufflinks? You used to mock me about wash and wear -- so what do you call this?
Whizzer snarls and glares but doesn't storm out of the house. At least one of them still possesses some semblance of maturity. He does, however, ignore Marvin for the rest of the night. When they fall into bed in less than companionable silence, Marvin thinks he may have gone too far. When Whizzer doesn't even roll over and smile or kiss Marvin's neck before he falls asleep, Marvin knows he crossed a line. When Whizzer doesn't curl against his body in the middle of the night, Marvin worries.
In the morning, Marvin is gone before Whizzer wakes.
Not for good but to understand this fashion statement that is the male 'crop top'. Because there's a part of him that doesn't understand why Whizzer would wear this when he's always dressed to the nines. When a leather jacket and pants and that gorgeous green shirt were (and still are) enough to drive him wild. How a man who can wear any sort of clothing with grace, chooses something like this. Because it doesn't make any damn sense.
If he actually still had a psychiatrist he may have been able to delve deeper into his real feelings on the matter: his worry that Whizzer is getting ready to leave him.
Shopping from store and seeing the number of crop tops made for both men and women... Marvin starts to realize the problem doesn't lie with Whizzer but himself. Projecting his fears. Trying to insert Whizzer into one of those stupid roles his lover has never fit into easily. Wanting him to be the straight-looking man no one expects would fuck other men behind closed doors. Marvin may still struggle with being out and proud, but Whizzer has never apologized for who he is. It's what drew him to Whizzer in the first place.
It's what Marvin is still working on accepting. At the end of the day, he's certain of one fact: he loves the man and the heel and the boy and the friend -- no matter what he wears. Crop tops included.
When he returns home much later that afternoon, he finds Whizzer lounging on their couch, the crop top nowhere to be found. If anything, that sparkle in Whizzer's eye has faded and Marvin hates that he's the one to dim his light. Marvin says nothing, simply places the wrapped box on Whizzer's chest and drops a brief kiss to his lips. With a quirked smile, Marvin retreats to his study, leaving Whizzer to wonder at the gift.
It isn't long before Marvin hears the sound of his lover's footsteps on the hardwood floors. His shoulders relax from the vicinity of his ears. He spins his chair around to see jeans slung low on Whizzer's hips, the pink crop top with the red top exposing most of his stomach. Marvin's gaze takes in everything from slight dusting of hair barely visible beneath the hem of the shirt down to the well-toned abs. The trail of hair leading from Whizzer's navel and disappearing beneath the waistband of his jeans. It's enough to make his mouth water.
Marvin's breath catches as he finally meets Whizzer's eyes. He sees the sparkle and the light and wonders how he ever could have said those stupid things yesterday.
Maybe crop tops aren't so bad after all.