Disclaimer: See first chapter.
A/N: Hello everyone! Hope you're all well. Thank God, its midterm! I hope you're all enjoying it so far. I love Halloween. It's a great tradition over here. Speaking of Halloween, I'll have a one-shot (it could be longer) coming up soon with the working title Why is it "Happy" Halloween? Also, I hope to have Runaways up this week as well. I have a good lot of it written, so keep your eye out for both of them. Anyways, the part which you all came for, here is the second instalment to The Merchant of Venice. I have changed the Shakespearean/Elizabethan English to 70s English, except for the main and most famous quotes from the play and I have added and taken away from it so enjoy!
Chapter 1: A New Quest
Hyde exhaled gloomily as he paced slowly up and down beside the dining table, "In sooth, I know not why I am so sad," he announced to his company, Leo and Theo, who both looked up from their breakfast slightly fazed that Hyde was talking about his feelings. "It wearies me; you say it wearies you; but how I caught it, found it, or came by it, what stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born, I am to learn."
He was in his villa that was, like most houses, beside the Venetian river. He and his friends, where in the multifunctional room, which was where he usually ate or was entertained. Leo and Theo were over for breakfast as they had noticed Hyde's weariness in the last two days and they wanted to know what was going on.
Hyde looked out the window to see many gondolas passing by, but not the one he was waiting on. He glanced over his shoulder as he continued with his speech, "And such a sappy fool sadness makes me that I have much ado to know myself."
"Your mind is on the ocean, man," Leo spoke, referring to Hyde's ships that were at sea.
Theo swallowed his ale for replying, "Hyde, if I had such a risk, my mind would be with my hopes abroad."
"I'd be sick, man, when I thought about the sea," Leo admitted as he nodded his head and buttered his bread roll, unaware of the eye roll he received from his cousin, Theo.
Hyde shook his head before looking out the simple glass window once again, "Nope, my ventures are not all in one place, I'm not Kelso," he replied before the corner of his lips slightly curled upwards when he saw his three friends in a gondola. The three of them were standing up, Eric in the front while Fez and Kelso were in the back, which was not a good idea. Hyde could see Eric's lips moving as if he was instructing them but the curly haired man knew the other two weren't paying attention as they were too preoccupied with shaking each other.
"Why, then you are in love," Theo teased smugly before he and Leo roared out in laughter.
Hyde quickly tore his gaze from the window and too his friends that were holding their sides and nearly in tears with laughter, "Fie, fie!" He then went back to looking at the window to see that Eric was now intercepting the fight between the two best friends. A small chuckled escaped his lips as Theo walked over beside him to see what was funny.
"Not in love either?" he asked with a perked eyebrow. "Then let us say you are sad, because you are not merry," he added as he placed his hat in his head and turned to face Leo. "Here comes Eric, your kinsman, Kelso and Fez," Theo took another swig of his ale to finish it as Leo placed his hat on his head. "Fare ye well."
Eric and Fez hopped out of the gondola before helping their clumsy friend out of the boat so he wouldn't fall into the cold water, which he had done one too many times before. They jogged over to Hyde's villa, Eric leading, and entered through the columns before running up the stairs that lead to Hyde's living quarters. They entered the grand hall to see Hyde sitting at the top of the table with his head back, his brows furrowed slightly and new dark circles underneath his eyes. When he noticed them, he gave them a nod of acknowledgement.
"Eric, since you have found Hyde, we'll leave but at dinner-time, I pray you, have in mind where we must meet," Fez told him, his tone genuine and slightly rehearsed but then his brown eyes narrowed and irritation was laced in his voice, "Last time you were late and I couldn't order my sweet, Rhenish wine-"
"I won't fail you," he reassured him so he wouldn't make a long-winded speech about his thirst for all things alcohol and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Fez nodded before smiling and tapping Kelso on his broad shoulder, "Come along, Kelso," he said before turning on his heel and walking towards the staircase.
"You don't look well, Hyde; you have too much respect upon the world," Kelso announced, his voice bold and loud. Fez cringed when he heard his friend speak while Eric glared at the dim-witted boy. He needed to keep Hyde in a good mood. "You've changed, man."
Eric swiped his glove of his left hand and aimed it at the back at Kelso's head, to his surprise he hit his target dead on. Kelso glanced over his shoulder to see Eric glaring daggers at him and shrugged before going back to Hyde, who was looking slightly amused.
"I hold the world but as the world, Kelso; a stage where every man must play a part, and mine a sad one," he retorted genuinely, his eyes were gazing at a bread roll before they looked up, sparkling with mischief. "You're part is the fool."
Kelso looked at Hyde sourly before walking towards the exit, patting Fez's back as he passed him, "Come, good Fez," he said before looking over his shoulder with a small smile. "Fare ye well awhile, I'll end my speech after dinner."
"Farewell," Hyde called half-heartedly before sitting upright in his sight and looked at Eric, who was sitting two seats down from him and didn't look amused. "Is that anything now?" he asked smirking.
"Kelso speaks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice," the scrawny man explained bluntly.
Hyde nodded in agreement, his smirk still in place and shot Eric a knowing look, "Well," he said and watched as Eric's bright hazel eyes become downfallen. He stood up and headed to his room, gesturing for Eric to follow him, which he did. Hyde grabbed his masque from the nightstand beside his four poster bed and played with the string on the back of it as he sat down on the edge of his bed. "So which broad you have fallen in love with?"
Eric looked down at the floor, his eyes hiding his shame. He couldn't believe it had come to this once again. But what else could he do? He was going to lose her. He walked over to the dresser across the room, dragging his feet along as he felt Hyde's eyes on him. "You, out of all people, know how much I have disabled my estate," he whispered quietly before slowly glancing over his shoulder. "To you, Hyde, I owe the most in money . . . and in friendship," he turned around and walked towards the bed. "And from your friendship, I have a warranty to unburden all my plots and purposes how to get clear of the debts I owe."
"God, you're whipped already," Hyde remarked causing Eric to chuckle slightly and helped erase some of the butterflies from his stomach. He coughed into his hand and avoided Eric's eye contact. "You know my money is unlocked to you, you're like my brother," he whispered and shot a glare at Eric when he heard cooing leaving his lips. "And before you get mushy, who is she?"
Eric smirked before kneeling up on the bed beside Hyde, "In Belmont is a lady richly left and she is fair, and, fairer than that word," he said with love laced in his gentle tone as an image of her formed in his head from last time he saw her. He remembered her long, red hair that framed her delicate, pale face and her dainty. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were dainty and pink. Her eyes were blue-green and could drown him anytime they wanted. "Of wondrous virtues: sometimes from her eyes I did receive fair speechless messages. Her name is Donna, nothing undervalued, to Cato's daughter, Brutus' Portia, nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth, for the four winds blow in from every coast renowned suitors, oh if I had but the means to hold a rival place with one of them," he sighed softly.
Hyde slowly got up from the bed, his hands wrong together as he walked towards his stationary desk, "You know that all my fortunes are at sea," he said as Eric turned around in the bed and threw his legs over the side, watching Hyde with a frown present on his lips. "Neither have I money nor commodity to raise a present sum," he added causing Eric to feel like someone had just knifed him in the stomach and rested his head against one of the posters. Hyde's tone suddenly became upbeat in his own way and grabbed a pen before scribbling something down on a scroll of paper, "So go out and try what my credit can in Venice do," he said and waved the paper in attempt for the ink to dry as Eric walked over to him with wide eyes. "That shall be racked, even to the uttermost, to furnish thee to Belmont, to fair Donna."
He handed Eric the sheet and he took hold of it careful as if it was the most precious object in the whole world. He looked at Hyde grateful before pulling him into a big hug. Hyde's breath left his body from the shock of the sudden embrace but he slowly returned it, patting Eric on his back.
Eric was very grateful, even though the word grateful was an understatement. No words were good enough to describe his thanks to Hyde. Because of him, he could try to sway Donna.
A/N: First, I want to apologize for all OCC-ness :/ *cringes* and for all the cheap jokes. I hope they weren't. I just wanted to keep them all in character, which is kinda hard today when it's a story based on Shakespeare's play, but nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed it and will check out my upcoming stories. :) Have a great Halloween! And please review, they are much appreciated, and tell me what you thought of this chapter.
Also, if you're in the mood for a good laugh check out The Beatles preforming a Shakespeare skit :') It is hilarious! I mean "where else can you see John dressed as a woman and playing Paul's love interest" (I quoted the account who posted it on YouTube)
Happy Halloween ✌~ Mystery Girl 911