Romeo and Juliet
Act Un: All the Impossibilities
Never live for someone else
Do you like the way your feel
Nothing hurts when no one's
real
She wants to shake this scene
Yeah she wants to shake with
me
She's not looking for the holes
in all the lies
I wanna bulletproof your soul
Would you like to lose
control
I won't let you fall until
you tell me so
-- "Bullet Proof" by the Goo Goo Dolls
His name was Romeo. Romeo
Montague. He should have been happy, because he lived in a big house with a
happy, rich family and two parents who loved him. He should have been happy
because he was allowed to do almost anything with almost anyone he wanted.
Romeo should have been happy, but he was not.
Not really, at least. There were times he was happy, but those were few and far apart. Really Romeo thought he might be happier was he a poor peasent living on the streets. He thought that, at least.
It came
to pass one fateful day that Romeo and his friend Mercutio (who was not quite
in Romeo's parents' favor just then) were lounging on the lovely beach near the
Montague house.
Mercutio
was looking very bored with the cavorting girls (both slaves and freewomen) and
his purple eyes were not very lively at all just then.
"Mercutio,"
Romeo said, cocking his head to the side so that some of his unruly blonde hair
fell into his face, "what's wrong?"
"I am
very bored," declared the other young man, lifting one finger. "I have nothing
to do; therefore, I am quite bored indeed."
Romeo suppressed
a snicker. "What would you suggest we do, then?" he asked, shifting his legs in
the sand.
"Personally?"
"Yes,
personally."
"I
think we should go crash a Capulet party tonight." Mercutio announced, standing
up suddenly.
"And
how are we going to get in to this Capulet party, being Montagues, or at least
associated with them?"
Mercutio
brushed his red hair out of his eyes and produced two slips of paper from his
pocket.
Romeo
examined them. They were emblazoned with red and gold, the Capulet colors, and
said on the front in elaborate letters, "Honored Reddrake and Friends." He
laughed. "Ah," he said.
Mercutio
bowed comically. "And I am the Honored Reddrake. Are you my friend, Romeo?"
Romeo
laughed again and nodded vigorously. "I am!" he stood up beside Mercutio and
then paused. "Say, it's a masquerade, isn't it?"
Mercutio
produced a mask from his pocket and tossed it at Romeo. "Of course!"
"What
are you going as?"
"A
lovely butterfly."
"You're
not!"
"I am!"
Mercutio insisted as the two began walking down the stretch of beach towards
the mansion looming in the distance. "You?"
Romeo's
mouth curled up. "Devil."
Mercutio
mock-applauded. "Nice choice, O master of evilness."
"Is
that a word? Evilness?"
*****
Mercutio
grabbed Romeo's arm and led him into a room of glittering lights. "Come on, O
Friend of Reddrake!"
Romeo
laughed and followed Mercutio (who was, indeed, dressed as a glittering
butterfly) into the party. Mercutio flashed his "invitation" at the doorguard
and batted his eyelashes.
Immediately
Romeo's gaze focused on several of the females in the room and then flitted
away from them again. There was not anything
interesting to him here.
Mercutio
was lost in a crowd already; he was surrounded by men and women a like and was
conversing rapidly. He was like that; people seemed to be drawn to him.
Romeo
sighed and tried to examine everyone in the room closely before picking one of
the more suitable females and walking over. He smiled charmingly. "I don't
believe I'be made your acquaintance, miss."
She
dimpled. "I'm Rosalie, good sir. By what name may I address you?"
"You
can call me Remeo." He took her hand and kissed it gently.
They
danced a few times; the music was excellent. Romeo was bored. He said good-bye politely
and went to find Mercutio to ask him if they could go (or if, at least,
Mercutio had found something to do.)
Glancing
through the crowd, said butterfly-dressed man was not apparant. Romeo sighed
and readjusted his horns and tail, tugging on his shirtsleeves. His mask was
annoying him but he did not dare take it off. Instead, he began shoving his way
through the crowd.
Someone
ran smack into him; obviously someone in a hurry.
To go somewhere.
"Oh
God!I'm sorry!" that person exclaimed, whirling to face Romeo.
Romeo
saw an angel.
After a
few moments, that initial impression wore off into a very pretty young man in
an angel costume, but he still looked unearthly to Romeo.
"I'm
Romeo," he muttered, taking the boy's hand and kissing it.
The boy
turned an uncomfortable shade of pink. "Why did you kiss my hand?! I'm a guy!"
"I felt
like you deserved it."
The boy
looked up and locked eyes with Romeo. His eyes were an ethereal shade of cobalt
blue and his hair (which was long, and in a ponytail) was absolutely ebony
black and in the glittering lights its highlights were blue. He was tall, a
little shorter than Romeo, though, and very slender. His white shirt was
falling open; its violet laces were undone and sagging loosely.
Romeo's
mask fell off his face but he did not care. He had not let go of the boy's hand
either. Neither of them said anything.
Finally
the boy whispered, "My name is Juliet..."
The
crowd was still milling around them and Juliet tugged at Romeo's hand, pulling Romeo
out into a garden.
They
were silent again.
Romeo
asked, "May I kiss you?"
Juliet
blushed.
"Well
may I?"
He did
not wait for an answer; simply bent slightly and touched his lips to Juliet's.
Gently at first, and then as Juliet's hands came around his neck, harder. He
felt warm breath against his cheek and pressed his lips against the ethereal
boy's even harder, running his tongue over Juliet's lips.
Juliet's
mouth opened, warm velvet heat, inviting Romeo. He took the invitation and
plunged his tongue into Juliet's mouth, exploring the ridged roof of the other
boy's mouth, the smooth teeth, sparring with his velvety tongue.
Romeo
pulled away and breathed and then plunged back in, wrapping his arms around
Juliet's slender waist and pressing the length of Juliet's body up against him.
Heat rushed through his body, obliterating any coherent thoughts at all. He
continued to kiss Juliet until the boy was trembling and practically ready to
collapse in his arms, and then pulled away slowly, looking into the hypnotic
blue eyes.
Juliet
panted heavily, and there was no sound in the garden but his breathing and the
chirping of crickets. It was dark and the stars were just unveiling themselves.
"My God...Romeo..."
"Yes,
indeed, Juliet. My Juliet." Romeo whispered, nuzzling against Juliet and
catching his lips again shortly.
"Yours,"
Juliet confirmed against Romeo's mouth, giving himself over to another deep
kiss.
Romeo's
world consisted of nothing but the lovely Juliet; nothing but the boy in front
of him deserved any attention. Suddenly, though, someone began to scream,
"JULIET! JULIET!" and said boy pulled away, wide-eyed.
"Oh
Romeo…I…need to go…"
"You'll
see me—I'll see you again!"
"Yes!"
Juliet pulled out of Romeo's grasp and started to run, his stuck-on wings at an
odd angle.
"Juliet!"
screamed Romeo, desperate at the thought of not saying a real goodbye to his
angel and finding out when, in concrete numbers, he would be allowed to see
Juliet again.
Juliet
whirled, his ebony hair spinning out behind him.
"When?"
"I
don't know—tomorrow! As soon as you can! I'll be here!"
And
then Juliet was gone.
Romeo
left in a sort of pleasant haze, found Mercutio waiting for him.
"What's
with you, man? Romeo? Speak to me, come on."
"I met
someone."
"Who?!"
the ever-curious redhead demanded, poking Romeo hard in the stomach.
"Describe!"
"Black
hair."
Mercutio
narrowed down his suspects to the ones with black hair.
"Blue
eyes."
Another
narrowing-down of the selection. But he needed more. "More!" he demanded,
jerking Romeo's sleeve.
Romeo
tugged it back away. "Tall, thin."
There
were still a few of them left. A few, but a selection worthy of Romeo Montague.
"Costume?"
"Angel."
Mercutio
jerked away. "You idiot! He's not a girl! He's a boy! And a Capulet at that!"
Romeo
appeared not to hear his friend. "All the possibilities," he murmured. "Being
in love…all the possibilities."
Little
did he know. Oh, little did he know, indeed.
