Author's Notes: I had a ten-minute conversation with a couple of my friends deciding that he's a Shakespeare fanboy and it's Halloween soooo
She almost wished she never had the bright idea to ask what he wanted to do for the costume party that was going to be held. Sure, they had to do something, since they were going undercover to try to find someone who was planning to do God-knows-what—she didn't know, but she hoped Lubbock had been paying attention so they didn't end up either getting killed or getting in trouble. She could have chosen the outfits on her own, but no, apparently it had been, at any point in time at all, the best choice to leave the decision up to him.
But somehow, it was worth it in a way, to watch him clutch a copy of Romeo and Juliet as he enthusiastically explained the plot of the play with an excited smile and bright eyes, though occasionally he would choke up just a bit. It had become clear, in the past two and a half hours of going over the play, that he was completely and thoroughly infatuated with Shakespeare and his works.
"...And then both families came to agree that the suicides of Romeo and Juliet were a curse to them for feuding, especially since the reason for the feud had been long forgotten."
"That's a bit tragic for something like this, don't you think?"
He shook his head, the heavy emotion darkening his eyes completely disappearing. His original excitement returned in an instant. "No. Well, yeah, it's tragic, but I think it's really nice, to have that kind of loyalty and devotion to someone you love..."
Surely that was what Lubbock enjoyed most about the play, Leone decided. She knew the boy well enough to understand that, in fact, no one knew how loyal he was nor how much he valued that trait in others, because the extent of his loyalty and the value he placed upon it exceeded anyone else's level of comprehension. It somehow made her happy, knowing she was the only one who truly grasped that.
And since this play made him so happy and he was so passionate about it, she had no other choice then to give into his wishes without a single complaint or objection. When talking about something that made him this excited, there was something about his expression or the sparkle in his eyes—or perhaps both—that made it impossible to say no.
Even upon figuring out it meant wearing far more clothing then Leone would have ever been able to be comfortable in, she still didn't retract her agreement to it. That would have been especially hard, most likely, considering that the costumes would mean Lubbock had to wear clothes far more elaborate than the fancy outfits he wore as a child and had come to dislike.
That was what brought them to a point where they were both improvising a far more positive and lighthearted version of Romeo and Juliet for the others at the party. It was slightly clunky, since both were a bit tipsy, but it had turned out that no one who was attending was any kind of threat to anyone, and nor was the host, so there was really no reason for them not to enjoy themselves while they were there.
"But our families, Romeo—Will they not disapprove?" Leone questioned, assuming the role of Juliet. The play proved that she had a more poetic side, and she could hardly keep up with what she was saying. It sounded somewhat clumsy and unnatural, since she was unused to speaking in such a way, but no one seemed bothered by it.
Lubbock, on the other hand, spoke as if it was the only way he ever did. It was to be expected, though, with his love of old plays and poetry, and his earlier childhood.
"I shall allow neither the feuding of our families nor the opinions of anyone stand in the way of our love. I love you more than I could ever love life itself, and I desire you more than I can ever recall desiring anything else before. It's nearly as if I require you to continue living. No! I have made a blunder—I most certainly do require you continue living. You are my everything, dearest Juliet."
"But again, I say! This love will be frowned upon, and we will surely lose each other more tragically than if we break apart now!"
She found the words coming from her mouth more truth than part of a fictional improvisation of a fictional play. It wasn't a conscious, intentional choice. Instead, it seemed she was just spilling everything she didn't know she felt without straying from the character she was assigned to.
"And once more, I repeat myself, dearest Juliet! It matters not the opinion of anyone else nor the consequences we will inevitably face. It only matters that we remain together until we are separated. My unfailing love for you does not allow me to let anything but death cause us to part." He got down on one knee, gently taking Leone's gloved hand and bringing it to his lips to place a soft kiss on her knuckles. "I have not a symbol of my love to give you as I make this request—but my beloved Juliet, may I have your hand in marriage?"
"Oh, Romeo! I believe you know my answer already! Yes, most certainly!"
Lubbock got back to his feet, wrung his fingers together behind Leone's head, and pushed his lips against hers. A nice way to give their act a happy ending, she assumed, so she didn't resist. It almost felt selfish, allowing herself to put meaning behind the kiss. But who was he to decide to push her into anything at all intimate without so much as a warning beforehand if they weren't a couple?!
Especially since it hurt like this... He was a talented enough actor to make it as if he meant it.
She shoved him back and sprinted to the exit as quickly as her dress and shoes would allow her to, hearing Lubbock chuckling and saying, "Looks like she got a bit of stage fright at the last moment."
Why was her heart beating so fast? Why could she feel so much emotion welling up in her chest? Where did it all come from and how hadn't she noticed it sooner?
"Okay, so I guess I should apologize."
Leone gave him no response in hopes he would leave her alone.
"You never really seemed to be a shy person to me, so I didn't really think twice about it. Besides, it was only an act anyway."
"I meant it."
"You...what? Listen, I'll be honest with you—it's kind of a good thing this material is so thick. That sorta...made my blood rush down...a-and not just because I'm a hormonal teenager."
Did Lubbock even have the capacity to genuinely be as embarrassed as he sounded? Did he even have the capacity to be embarrassed at all in the first place? Apparently he did, because it wasn't as if he would lie about something like that.
"So, um, just go ahead and forget what I just said, and we can go back inside or something..."
Leone dropped from the tree branch she was sitting on, wincing slightly as her ankle twisted,—those stupid shoes were horrid!—and grinned. "My dear Romeo," she said in voice that entirely lacked any type of seriousness and instead mocked the elegant type of speech, "my dear horny teenage boy, I'd love to return to the party and share a dance or two with you."
Author's Note: It's nearly midnight. I should be shoveling candy into my mouth and watching something like Another, but instead I'm shoveling candy into my mouth and writing crappy fanfiction.
On a side note, I hope you all had a lovely Halloween~!