{A/N: This chapter was what inspired me to do this Mystreet rewrite all those years ago, so I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Fair warning, though, this one is the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm talking 10k words. Also, to make this more accessible to readers, only the first and last lines of past scenes will be italicized instead of the whole scene.}
"Oh, Irene. Oh, Irene. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to handle this?" Katelyn babbled to herself as she gripped her hair for dear life. Her chest had begun to heave as she tried desperately to take deep breaths amidst the chaos. Yanking her sleeve away from her wrist, she checked the time.
Five minutes till intermission was over.
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she looked up at her cast and crew. Two weeks of practice and team bonding all came down to this weekend. The weekend where Katelyn could do what her heart had been set on from when she was just a little girl with a dream, but this? This was the nightmare Katelyn hoped would never come true.
"I'm sorry, Aaron, please!" Aphmau cried as she tried to grab onto the sleeve of his costume.
Aaron ripped his arm away as he took another step back, his eyes brimming with tears as he shook his head slowly.
"It doesn't matter how many times you apologize or say that you want to be with me because I am done! I love you, Aph, but unlike you, my words actually hold some truth behind them!" he swore.
"Please, don't leave me...," she whimpered, her hands clasped against her chest. "You're my best friend!"
Katelyn wretched her head away, unable to watch her friends argue like this. She had to find a way to fix this, but how do you fix someone's relationship problems in time for them to kiss and die together on stage?
She spotted Kawaii~Chan silently crying in the corner as she watched the fight go down.
"My ship," she sputtered to herself. "My ship is sinking."
The backdoor swung open as Garroth stormed inside, Laurance following close behind.
"Garroth, please, believe me on this!" Laurance tried to reason as he grabbed Garroth's arm. Garroth swung around to face him, unable to find it in himself to make Laurance let go.
"Believe what? That you aren't embarrassed to be with me. That you're not afraid to tell your friends, to tell your family? I know for a fact that you and our friends and family are accepting of the community, but for you to turn around and act like this?! It's not that you don't accept yourself, but you don't accept being with me!" Garroth challenged as his heart broke at what he assumed to be the truth.
Laurance loosened his grip on Garroth's arm, unwillingly allowing his partner to slip out of his grasp. His eyes grew wide and glossy at Garroth's perspective on him.
"No! It isn't that at all. I swear..."
Katelyn's mind went blank, overstimulated by the noise and crushed by the problems she needed to face in such a short amount of time. She couldn't do this. There wasn't even enough energy in her to lash out. Stepping back till she hit the wall, she slid down and sat with her knees held against her chest.
Starting this project meant wearing her heart on her sleeve, something she wasn't used to doing for a very long time. Now, her hard work, everyone's hard work, was ruined right as they were about to reach the end.
Despite knowing that everyone could see her, she cried. She was supposed to be the director, the leader, and instead, she became another person adding fuel to the flame of her destruction.
"I worked so hard" she sobbed, wiping her tears on the heart of her sleeve. "Why did this have to happen?"
===
"Garroth, Laurance, are you two finished fixing the curtains?" Katelyn questioned as she made her way up on the stage. The boys looked at her with sewing needles in hand.
"We're about halfway done with this side, so we should be done in around thirty minutes," Laurance responded, wanting to reassure their semi-stressed director. It did not assure her.
"Thirty minutes?" Katelyn asked exasperated, her eyes widening. "We don't have all day, we only have two hours left before people start to arrive, and I still want us to go through the play one more time before it's showtime. Why is it taking you guys so long to sew? It's one fluid motion-"
Katelyn had been in a mood since yesterday. Her nerves were constantly teetering over the edge but the only way people would know was due to her constant rambling whenever things didn't go exactly as planned. A perfect example would be when two boys who had little to no experience sewing were tasked to fix the length of a curtain in under thirty minutes and failed.
Usually, someone would go get Travis, Jeffory, or Nicole to calm her down, but they were too busy trying not to mess up their own tasks that Katelyn gave them.
Thankfully, someone else was able to change her mood.
The auditorium door swung open, and the sound of clicking heels quickly followed suit. Ginger hair swung smoothly along with the steps of the mischievous witch.
"Katelyn, don't tell me you're scaring people away from your play? The audience hasn't even arrived yet," Lucinda teased with a smirk as she carried a box underneath her arm. Flustered at her sudden appearance, Katelyn could only blush in anger.
"You're late!" Katelyn scolded, crossing her arms as she watched Lucinda make her way onto the stage.
Garroth and Laurance shared a look with one another, their jaws dropping.
"Lucinda!" the boys exclaimed, forgetting about the curtain as they stood up to meet her.
"What are you doing here?" Garroth asked.
Lucinda turned to them with a smile.
"Well, I came back from my trip a couple of days ago, and Katelyn asked me to help with some last-minute preparations," she explained before her eyes narrowed deviously. "Anyways, I heard the news about the cast list. I hope you guys aren't too devastated that Aaron is going to get that kiss from Aphmau instead of you two. I can't imagine how you guys must feel." The synthetic sympathy rolled off her tongue with ease.
Garroth rolled his eyes at her blatant jab.
"I'm not sure where you're getting your news from, but Laurance and I—"
"—Still have plenty of time before that kiss happens!" Laurance quickly interrupted his partner with a nervous laugh.
As the words left his mouth, time slowed to a halt. Cold air seeped into Laurance's body and drained the color on his face. Turning his head slowly to meet eyes with his partner. The partner whose annoyed expression at an old friend shifted when Laurance insinuated that they were still two cats chasing the same mouse. While Laurance didn't hesitate to finish Garroth's sentence, the idea of correcting himself wedged in his throat along with all the curses he was going to say for making such a stupid mistake. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! If he had actually decided to think before he spoke, maybe he would have finished Garroth's sentence the way it was supposed to. Instead, old habits die hard, so hard that maybe something else might die along with it.
"Ha! Of course, you two never change," Lucinda winked, oblivious to the look Garroth was giving Laurance. "In that case, I actually might have a little something that could help you two out. Although you would have to fight for it-" Lucinda reached into her box to grab a vial filled with a strange orange liquid- "this little potion will have you switch places with someone as long as you throw it at them."
Katelyn coughed, reminding everyone that she was still in the room.
"Lucinda, are you seriously trying to sabotage my play right in front of me? Garroth and Laurance aren't going to fall for that, and I swear if I see you try to even lift a finger out of line—"
"Katelyn!" Travis called from backstage.
Katelyn's shoulders sagged as she groaned at the interruption.
"What?" she yelled back.
"I hear a lot of yelling over there. Are you okay?"
She huffed and sighed, taking a breath before responding.
"Yeah, I'm good," Katelyn rolled her eyes, when Travis offered to keep her accountable on her path with emotional control she didn't expect him to take his job so diligently. No matter how much she would complain about it, Travis acted in her best interest. "Thank you, Travis."
"No problem!"
The rest of the group was silent as they watched Katelyn carefully, curious to see how she would act now. Katelyn turned back to Lucinda with her eyes narrowed.
"Lucinda," Katelyn began with gritted teeth, "please do not do anything to mess this play up."
The witch in question straightened her spine and responded most courteously,
"I promise. I'll just go help the other's backstage."
As she turned her back toward Katelyn, she turned her head slightly to send a wink to Garroth and Laurance. The offer was still on the table.
Garroth stayed silent. He didn't speak when Katelyn said she'd go check on their booth out front. He didn't speak when Laurance tried to awkwardly go back to work. He didn't speak when Laurance finally apologized without explaining why.
Instead, Garroth's mind wandered down memory lane, mulling over every little action Laurance made these past few weeks. If Garroth could yank his hair out, he would. After pouring their hearts out to one another on New Year's, everything else should have clicked into place. His hands interlocked with Laurance's so easily. The feeling of his partner's thumb rubbing circles into the back of his hand had become second nature, yet when Garroth brought their intertwined hands up his lips Laurance would let go. On particularly cold nights, Laurance wouldn't hesitate to lean into his side as they watched some cheesy chick flick, but when Garroth mustered up the courage to plant a kiss on his head Laurance would freeze. He couldn't blame him if he was nervous to go a little farther in their relationship, but their conversation with Lucinda shined a different light onto Laurance.
Could it be that Laurance was embarrassed to be with him?
Garroth spared his partner a glance from across the stage. Laurance's back was turned as he worked diligently on the task at hand.
While they weren't shouting from the rooftops that they were together, they weren't trying to hide it in the shadows either. The boys had been in a handful of relationships before being together, but nothing could compare to the way they made each other feel. To hide something this good from the rest of the world would be a sin in the eyes of Irene. Before this, their petty arguments were linked back to a lack of honesty about their feelings, too nervous to tell their best friend that their feelings had grown. Now, with their hearts on their sleeves, all Garroth wanted to do was pull at Laurance's sleeve and kiss it a thousand times over. To have dinner with their parents as a couple instead of best friends, yet Laurance still looked Lucinda in the eye and denied everything! Why was it so important for Laurance to have people believe that they were still pining over Aphmau? Why did Laurance lean away every time he tried to kiss him?
Garroth tried to stop this spiral of doubt and insecurity, but as every positive twisted into a negative, it was hard to stop listening to the fear in his brain.
He loved Laurance, yet if this was how their relationship was going to be then it would have been much better off if they had stayed as friends with their lips sealed shut.
===
Aphmau peeked out from behind the curtain. Her heart pounded harder with every moment she scanned the enormous crowd. While only around three-fourths of the seats were filled, the large turnout brought to question why people were spending their Friday night watching a couple of amateurs put on a play. It was expected that the cast and crew's friends and family would show, but many more were faces of people she had never met before. The play didn't have an admission fee, though they were accepting donations, so everyone here tonight came out of their own free will hoping that this play would be worth spending their time to see. She was just a newbie who got a lead role, there was no way that she would live up to these people's expectations. The auditorium began to sway, or maybe it was just her, either way, she wrapped her knuckles around the curtain until you could see the white of her bones.
"Careful, you'd give Katelyn a heart attack if you passed out right before the show," a deep, yet comforting voice warned as they snapped Aphmau out of her anxieties. She took a step back from the curtain, eager to turn around and see the man she'd been head over heels for since her youth.
Despite Aaron's crossed arms and stoic face, his eyes held the same pained love he always held for her. For Katelyn's sake, he silently agreed not to confront Aphmau about Katelyn's comment until after opening weekend, yet Aphmau was eager to hear all the thoughts he had bottled up inside his head. His dismissive attitude toward her was enough to raise alarms to his social butterfly. Every time he kept their conversations brief only made the knot in her stomach tighter, but if they spoke any longer their hearts would take the lead.
"Sorry." Aphmau murmured, the floor beneath Aaron's feet somehow attracting her attention. "I guess I'm just a little-"
"Nervous?" Aaron finished, still familiar with the way she ticked despite the ever-growing feeling of unfamiliarity growing between them. "I saw your mom in the fifth row closest to the center. Just try and focus on her whenever you have to look toward the audience."
She breathed a laugh as she looked up at him.
"Thanks, you know me so well," she smiled, yet the crow's feet in the corners of her eyes were nowhere to be seen.
Aaron shared her look, but his upturned smile quickly faltered. Oh, how he wished that were true. As soon as his heart began to yearn for more, he turned to leave. The play would start soon after all.
"Are you nervous?" Aphmau called out quickly, her heart aching as she watched him start walking away. Her words sent a chill down Aaron's spine. It mixed with his gut in a way that it was difficult to tell if he was excited or scared, but he at least knew that he wasn't rude.
"Kind of," he admitted as he turned back to face her, uncrossing his arms to rub a hand at the nape of his neck. He didn't take his eyes off her as she took a step toward him.
"Why?" Her volume lowered as he walked closer to her, but her gaze in his eyes was unwavering.
Aaron didn't speak, his heart attached securely to his sleeve as vulnerability glazed his eyes. He told himself he would wait, that he respected Katelyn's play more than his crumbling love life. It may have been selfish, but he swallowed back the lump in his throat and cupped Aphmau's cheek.
"I'm afraid to kiss you."
The pounding in Aphmau's chest was the only background noise she could hear aside from Aaron's words. Against her better judgment, she leaned into his touch, so close to his heart she could almost kiss it. This wasn't right, she was supposed to keep her distance till she figured herself out, but the distance between their lips seemed to think differently.
"Me too."
"Why are you nervous?" He leaned closer, softening his voice to match hers. His touch, his comfort, it was everything Aphmau wanted but would ruin if she ever had. She didn't just promise herself, she promised her friends, she promised him. After Aaron's audition, she had her suspicions about what had been clouding his mind, and if she was right, then the guilt that she felt avoiding him was nothing compared to how she was making him feel.
Aphmau grasped the hand holding her cheek and brought it down between them, squeezing his hand tightly.
"Because I think doing so is going to hurt you more than it'll hurt me."
Aaron's eyes widened, unconsciously gripping Aphmau's hand tighter as his jaw clenched. Shit. They weren't supposed to talk about this now. This had to wait. They can't go into this play distracted with their own emotions.
"And why is that?" He asked, his voice strained in a whisper as he blinked back the vulnerability that threatened to fall down his cheeks.
For a moment, the two stood there in silence bracing for the incoming pain. The confirmation that the two needed to let go and grow from each other's mistakes.
Aphmau fought the urge to look away, but doing so would be a disgrace to her best friend. Keeping her voice as steady as possible, she finally spoke,
"Because it isn't real, and I know you really want it to be, but I'm not ready to commit to us in the way you want." Aphmau gave Aaron's hand one last squeeze before letting him go, taking a piece of his heart with her. "I'm so sorry, Aaron. You deserved to know much sooner than this."
Aaron didn't say anything. He looked up, nodding his head lightly as he blinked away his tears. His voice would betray him if he spoke, he was sure of it. Besides, now wasn't a time to process what Aphmau had finally confirmed to him.
"Quickly, everyone!" Jeffory yelled from farther backstage. "Get in position! The show is about to begin!"
===
"We are now in intermission," Katelyn announced over the speakers as the lights gradually illuminated the auditorium. Practically skipping back to her friends backstage, she let her smile grow freely. Rather than have her play go in intermission halfway through, it was set right before the fatal kiss between the two star-crossed lovers.
"Katelyn!" Travis exclaimed as he ran up to her alongside Jeffory. Giddy, Katelyn ran up to meet them. "How are we doing so far?"
"You guys are amazing! The audience is eating this right up! I even heard people talking about how much they're liking the play while I was coming back here," Katelyn gushed as her smile began to hurt her cheeks.
Taking in her sparkling eyes and pearly whites, Travis's eyes softened. His heart grew warm with admiration.
"Really? I could have sworn you were freaking out about this play just an hour ago," Jeffory teased, lightly punching her shoulder.
Katelyn rolled her eyes but her smile remained the same.
"Well maybe if someone didn't misspell Romeo and Juliet on all the playbills I would have been a bit more calm," she retorted, her brow raised.
"Don't forget he completely left out Zane from the cast list," Travis chimed in as he sided with Katelyn, matching her stance and raised brow. Jeffory put his hands up.
"It was just a simple mistake!"
Travis and Katelyn laughed.
"In all seriousness, though, please be nicer to Zane. I know you won't believe it, but he's not as much of a nuisance as he was back in high school," Katelyn urged, her heart having warmed up to Zane over the past couple of months.
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"He auditioned for my play, he's friends with Kawaii~Chan, and he hasn't done anything to sabotage this night."
"The night's not over yet."
"Jeffory-"
"Katelyn~Sama!" KC squealed as she ran up to her with Zane in tow, quickly grabbing the attention of the others. "This play is going so well! How do you feel?"
"Thanks, KC," Katelyn responded, putting a mental pin in her and Jeffory's conversation, "I'm feeling fantastic, but I want to check in and see how everyone else is doing. Do you know where Aphmau and Aaron are?"
"I saw Aphmau and Aaron head into the dressing room over there," Zane answered for Kawaii~Chan as he pointed to a room on the other side of the space. "I'm not sure what they're doing in there, but I think it's better to wait until they're done."
"Well, they better be done in the next ten minutes before intermission is over," Katelyn warned as she pulled back her sleeve and checked her watch.
"In that case, I'm gonna head to the bathroom. I've been holding this in for about an hour!" Travis told the group as he slowly walked backward, pointing both his thumbs behind him. "Be back in a flash!"
"I'm also going to head out for a bit. I need to go check on Abby in the audience," Jeffory explained before he turned around to leave.
Katelyn looked around backstage. Aside from Kawaii~Chan, Zane, and a couple of other cast and crew, none of her friends were in sight. Everyone had ten minutes to freshen up. It was plenty of time so of course no one was going to stay cooped up backstage, but the thought of everything going terribly wrong began to boil in her stomach. Anxiety could be a bitch if you let it be. Eager to calm herself down, she grabbed a water bottle and walked back over to Zane and KC who were now sitting in the chairs against the wall.
"So~" Katelyn dragged, not entirely sure what to say but desperate for a distraction, "how are you guys feeling?"
Kawaii~Chan and Zane shared a look with each other with a small smile on their faces. Katelyn's rocking feet and darting eyes killed the cool demeanor she was wanting to maintain.
After years of dreaming what she thought was impossible, here she was, directing her first play. Romeo and Juliet was a classic she never wanted to die out, and she was proud to help it live on, but Irene knows how emotionally draining this could be. Despite working on keeping her emotions in check, she had been grinding her teeth, pulling out her hair, and smiling till her face hurt. Now, so close to the end of the play, she was holding back the nausea spiraling in her nervous stomach.
"I'm doing fine. Since my character was killed off, I've just been watching everyone else on stage," Zane admitted, leaning back against the chair.
"Good. Good. You nailed your death by the way," Katelyn complimented as she took a shaky sip of her water. She stretched her hand out in an attempt to calm the nerves in her hand.
It didn't work.
A bundle of nerves bubbled in her gut as she looked around with her brows furrowed.
"O-Oh! Thank you, I actually changed my Facebook status during that scene," Zane stuttered before gushing about his little impromptu. Katelyn smiled faintly.
A light shout echoed through the space.
Katelyn darted her head and listened for a moment, but didn't hear the sound again. Her plastic water bottle crunched against her fingertips as her knuckles slowly turned white.
"Yeah," Kawaii~Chan giggled,""Ah! I'm dead! Must...update...Facebook status...bleh!"" She mimicked Zane's acting as she put her heart and soul into the little performance.
The group laughed, but Katelyn couldn't help but force it. As the group quieted down, she heard another faint shout. This time the higher pitch told her it was the voice of a woman, and that these shouts were very much not in her imagination.
"Oh! Kawaii~Chan loved-" KC stopped talking as the sound of two people shouting cut through the air. Everyone backstage turned their heads to the source: the dressing room.
Katelyn's breath caught in her throat. Her pupils shrunk till all that was left was the small black dot of her pupil and the icy blues of her iris. As icy as the chill that ran through her veins when the door to the dressing room practically burst open. Every muffled yell turned into clear sentences being shot by an angry gun. Their verbal bullets echoed throughout the space where one might wonder if it ricocheted into the auditorium, but now wasn't a time to worry about that.
Aaron stormed out of the room, his brows pinched and eyes glistening as Aphmau followed closely behind. Her tears raced each other down the wet tracks on her cheeks.
"Aaron," Aphmau sputtered through her sobs, "I know. I know and I'm so sorry, but please don't—"
"Stop! Please, Aphmau I can't do this! I waited for you because you told me to. I waited for years, don't make me wait anymore," Aaron begged, still refusing to stop in his pursuit out of the room.
"I'm sorry, Aaron, please!" Aphmau cried as she tried to grab onto the sleeve of his costume, trying to turn him back around so they could talk somewhere less vulnerable and public.
Aaron ripped his arm away as he turned around, taking a step back to keep the distance. His eyes brimmed with tears as he shook his head slowly.
"It doesn't matter how many times you apologize or say that you want to be with me because I am done! I love you, Aph, but unlike you, my words actually hold some truth behind them!" he swore.
"Please, don't leave me...," she whimpered, her hands clasped against her chest. "You're my best friend!"
Katelyn couldn't move, much less blink. The fear that had been gnawing at her stomach ripped its way out and shined the spotlight on the unscripted part of her play. A sniffle could be heard behind her. Willing herself to look away, she turned her head to Kawaii~Chan who had her hands clasped against her mouth.
"My ship," she sputtered to herself through her muffled hands. "My ship is sinking."
Zane, with what limited social skills he had, would have tried to help his friend. He would have tried to break up the fight happening in front of him, but the bystander effect was strong and all he could do was stare.
Katelyn turned back to Aphmau and Aaron, and a deep breath filled her lungs. She had to do something, but she couldn't take one step toward them before another door slammed open.
The backstage entrance opened with such force that its doors slammed painfully against the wall. Garroth stormed in with his eyes wet with anger. Laurance followed in a few steps behind.
"Garroth, please, believe me on this!" Laurance tried to reason as he grabbed Garroth's arm. Garroth swung around to face him, unable to find it in himself to make Laurance let go.
"Believe what? That you aren't embarrassed to be with me. That you're not afraid to tell your friends, to tell your family? I know for a fact that you and our friends and family are accepting of the community, but for you to turn around and act like this?! It's not that you don't accept yourself, but you don't accept being with me!" Garroth challenged as his heart broke at what he assumed to be the truth.
Laurance loosened his grip on Garroth's arm, unwillingly allowing his partner to slip out of his grasp. His eyes grew wide and glossy at Garroth's perspective on him.
"No! It isn't that at all. I swear..."
The breath Katelyn had taken in left all too quickly, leaving her deflated to deal with any of the problems left before her. The fear in her stomach crept back in. It slowly made its way up with the fuel from Katelyn's spiraling thoughts until it all spilled out of her mouth in a wretched sob. She backed into the wall behind her, slid down, and sobbed. She cried away all the anger she had left to yell at her friends for ruining everything she worked so hard for. She cried away the strength she had to whip everyone into shape. Her chin could only be held high for so long.
"I worked so hard" she sobbed, wiping her tears on the heart of her sleeve. "Why did this have to happen?"
The other cast and crew members couldn't figure out what to do. Dante had been casually scrolling on his phone until the screaming match began. Now, he couldn't help but watch as Garroth and Laurance, two of his best friends, tear each other apart because of Irene knows what. The escalating voices and cries of the deteriorating couples sparked a fear inside his heart, and Katelyn sobbing in the corner only added to the confusion.
With only seven minutes left until the final act, no one could get their head on straight enough to deal with the situation.
The backstage door opened once again, grabbing the attention of Dante and a few crew members. The knob of the door was turned gently with a firm push against the wood. A calm action amidst the chaos.
Jeffory and Travis made their way in cautiously as they heard the commotion the closer they got to the door. Scanning their eyes from their crying director to the heated arguments, their jaws dropped.
This was an active fireball of chaos and destruction, two things that were very on theme for a certain individual.
Jeffory snapped his head over toward Zane who was already looking at him the moment he walked in. With his brows furrowed and eyes blazed, Jeffory stomped over to his victim.
"You!" Jeffory spat, pointing a menacing finger at him.
Zane looked to the left, then to the right before locking his eyes back on Jeffory.
"Me?" Zane questioned, taken aback by the sudden hostility as he slowly began to back away.
"I knew you were bad news from the start! You always cause trouble no matter where you go and you never change. Fuck you and your Mr. Nice Guy act! Now, what the hell did you do?" Jeffory practically screamed at Zane who he had now cornered against the wall, but his hostility was not met unmatched. Zane didn't hold his hands up and cower. Despite his recent change of heart, allowing someone to stand up and insult him was not going to slide.
"I didn't do anything! If you want to be the first to blame someone, you better blame the right person," Zane defended himself leaning forward to try and get Jeffory to back away.
"That's bullshit!" Enraged, Jeffory shoved Zane against the wall, his dislike morphing into downright hatred fueled by the shouts and tears around him. "Kawaii~Chan and the others might be too naive to see it, but you never fucking wanted to be their friends—"
Zane shoved Jeffory back as hard as he could, finally able to breathe from his anger but unable to calm down from his own. He shoved his finger into Jeffory's chest.
"I wanted to be their friend, so don't make me not want to be yours!" Zane threatened through gritted teeth, poking at Jeffory to emphasize his words.
Both of the men had clenched their fists till their knuckles turned white, ready to face the impact on the other's face.
Dante, who had turned his attention to them, felt a jolt shoot up his spine as he caught the look in their eyes. It was enough to get him up on his feet and bolting toward the two who were teetering over the edge of violence.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Dante cut in as he shoved both the boys away from one another. Angered eyes now glared at the blue-haired boy. "This is not something we need to fight over! Zane didn't do anything. It was all them!" Dante motioned his hands to the two arguing couples.
Jeffory stared at Aphmau and co. before taking a large breath, lowering his head to pinch his brows between his fingers.
Zane took a step away from Dante's touch and crossed his arms, unable to look at anyone or say anything. There was no witty comeback or an "I told you so." Despite not causing the current issues, the daggers Jeffory threw cut deep.
===
Unlike Jeffory, Travis didn't immediately run at Zane's throat. Instead, he caught sight of the sobbing woman and felt his heart crack. A woman who he had always known to be headstrong and confident had broken under the pressure put upon her. The goal of this play was to light a spark in Katelyn's life to pursue happiness even when their careers said otherwise.
As soon as Jeffory bolted toward Zane, Travis made his way swiftly to Katelyn. He crouched to her level. While he had talked to her over the phone when she was like this, being face-to-face was an entirely different experience.
Should he let her be?
Should he speak to her?
Should he touch her?
As soon as Katelyn let out another choked sob he decided on all three. He reached out with both of his hands and grabbed the ones covering Katelyn's face.
"Hey," Travis soothed, moving Katelyn's hands away but still holding on tight, "I got you. It's going to be okay."
"Travis, no," Katelyn cried, shaking her head. "It's over. It's ruined. Please, don't look at me like this."
"No, it's not— Travis let go of one of her hands to place his own on her cheek—"Everything is going to be just fine. Let me handle it, okay?"
Katelyn sniffed and nodded her head.
"Okay," she whispered in defeat. A defeat not only in herself but in the work she had spent countless nights trying to make into something she'd be proud of.
"Okay," he repeated. It was silent between them despite multiple people now arguing around them, but they couldn't look away from each other, both finding an anchor in the other's eyes. "Do you need a hug? Can...Can I hug you?"
Katelyn blinked a couple of times before looking at all the people around them. She bit the inside of her mouth, and her cheeks heated at the realization of how vulnerable she was to everyone. Gazing back at Travis, she shook her head.
The corner of Travis's mouth quirked into a smile, typical Katelyn.
"Okay, then," he said as he stood back up, extending a hand down to Katelyn. "Let's save your play."
Katelyn would smile if she could, but her energy had been spent crying her eyes out. Instead, she grabbed his hand and allowed him to lift her back up to her feet.
Hands intertwined, they turned back to the chaos.
"Hey!" Travis shouted, but no one paid attention to him. He tried again, but still no reaction. Everyone was too lost in their own arguments, or staring at said arguments, to pay any attention to him. He sighed as looked back at Katelyn. Defeat was written all over her glossy eyes, but seeing her so dejected on such an important day only sparked anger in his own. He had to channel her anger, feel it course through his body and shoot out through his mouth. A quick glance at the time only fed the fire. Five minutes remaining.
Snapping his head back, he took in a sharp breath.
"Aaron! Aphmau! Garroth! Laurance! All of you need to get over here, right now!" Travis practically screamed as his voice bounced against the walls.
It was as if someone had shot a single bullet into the ground, and in a way Travis did. He left his mark and warned everyone not to make him pull the trigger again. Every pair of eyes were on him as the fighting came to an abrupt stop.
Katelyn gave Travis's hand a firm squeeze before letting go, uncomfortable at having people see her showing any affection.
Travis paid no mind to it as he stared the crowd down. His anger was unexpected, the normally laid-back man was now ridged with anger and disappointment at anyone who caught his gaze.
"We have five minutes left till we're back on and for the past five minutes you four—" Travis pointed at his friends—"decided to unpack all your relationship drama right now," he scolded. "How do you think I feel having to listen to this? Having to deal with this? How do you think Dante feels? Kawaii~Chan? Zane? Katelyn?!"
Aaron shoved his hands in his pockets and spared a glance at Aphmau who was smudging her makeup trying to wipe away her tears. His eyes trailed the room as he took in the frantic and scared atmosphere they'd created. This argument wasn't finished, but it was taken too far.
"Travis, Katelyn, we're sorry. This was inappropriate and I'll admit that, but I can't go back on stage with Aphmau," Aaron confessed. He heard Aphmau shift next to him. Most likely turning to look up at him, but he couldn't will himself to look at her anymore.
Travis chucked, but the lack of humor was evident.
"Yeah, no shit," Travis agreed. He turned to Garroth who stared at him with his arms crossed. "Garroth, you're going to sub in for Aaron."
Zane cleared his throat. Travis quirked his brow at him.
"The audience is going to know that Romeo switched actors," Zane pointed out.
"It'll break their immersion," Katelyn muttered, adding to Zane's point. Travis tapped his fingers against his thigh as he hummed in thought.
"Romeo ended his last scene holding a helmet, right? Garroth can wear that instead, it's exposed enough so Aphmau doesn't need to move it for the kiss scene," Travis explained as he turned back to Aaron. "Go get the helmet and change costumes with Garroth right now."
In absolutely no position to argue, the two awkwardly shuffled back toward the same dressing room that Aphmau and Aaron came out of.
Travis eyed Aphmau up and down. Her bloodshot eyes and smudged makeup were in definite need of a touch up.
"Hey KC," Travis called out as he turned over to the girl in the corner, "could you go get Lucinda and have her come fix Aphmau's makeup?"
Kawaii~Chan simply wiped her eyes and nodded before running off to the auditorium.
Travis let out an audible sigh as he forced a smile on his face. From here on out, they were all going to have to fake it till they made it.
"All right everyone, clean yourselves up. It's almost showtime!"
===
Lucinda put some finishing touches on Aphmau's makeup before giving her a once-over. Laurance was still delicately retying the bow in Aphmau's hair. When he finished, he moved toward Lucinda to check his work.
Lucinda hummed for a moment before she grinned, "Welp, you're as good as new. Go break a leg, Aphmau!"
"Thanks, Lucinda," Aphmau replied dryly, before she stood up and left the dressing room.
"Well, she looks ecstatic. In fact, every person I've seen backstage just looks so thrilled to be here." Lucinda rolled her eyes. She cocked her head toward Laurance who raised a brow at her. "You wanna tell me what happened?"
"Frankly, no. Everything's fine," Laurance deadpanned, crossing his arms.
"Oh, sorry, you're right... so that conversation you and Garroth had in the lobby was just friendly conversation."
Laurance's eyes twitched at her comment. Lucinda had a lot of charms. One of them being her ability to get on others nerves, but despite her snarky comments...
"Laurance," Lucinda soothed as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "what happened?"
...she cared.
===
It was Laurance's fault. At least, it was if you asked him who's to blame.
After the cast and crew list was released several weeks ago, Vlyad had let it slip to Zianna that all three of her sons were working together in a play. Of course, with Zianna being the overly loving mother, cleared her schedule for tonight to come and record the whole play with her camcorder like it was her son's first recital.
Garroth's eyes lit up when he spotted her in the crowd. He couldn't help but giggle at her camera. Despite Garroth and Vlyad not performing on stage, Zane voluntarily being in the spotlight was reason enough for their mother to save every moment of this.
With the excitement running through his veins, he didn't hesitate at the thought of saying hi to her during intermission. It was the type of excitement that pushed worries away and made people's problems nonexistent for just a few moments.
As soon as the curtains closed and the lights grew bright, Garroth swiftly made his way out from backstage and into the lobby. He tried waiting patiently, but the rapid tapping of his foot matched the gleeful pumping of his heart.
Laurance, unaware of Zianna's presence, couldn't have cared less about who was in the audience. Too many things between him and his boyfriend were left unsaid. No matter how much water he drank, his stomach continued to feel uneasy. His body couldn't feel okay until he and Garroth were okay. The only rest he had from the constant streamlining of thoughts was when he was onstage. Too bad his character had to be killed off.
While it may have been a better idea to talk after the play was over, Laurance wasn't thinking with his head when he searched for Garroth. As soon as he heard that he was in the lobby, Laurance made a beeline for him.
There was no way anyone could miss the curly golden locks atop his tall frame and Laurance didn't let him leave his sight. That was until he noticed the familiar figure standing next to him. Surprised but unwavered, Laurance's legs didn't stop moving.
"And did you see the way Zane– Laurance!" Zianna gasped, interrupting the conversation with her son to give Laurance a tight hug. The camcorder continued to flash red in her hand. "Oh, Laurance! You did wonderful! It's so lovely that all of you got together to do this for the community. I wish everyone could have come to see this moment, but luckily this mama came prepared."
Zianna held the camera out triumphantly as she pointed it at the two boys.
Garroth gave his boyfriend a toothy grin.
"You did amazing, Laurance," Garroth complimented.
Laurance was stunned for a moment. His mind was set on one task for so long that he wasn't ready to switch to friendly chit-chat so soon. Garroth's smile only made it difficult to tell how he was truly feeling. After Laurance's slip-up before the play, Garroth's gloomy attitude didn't falter. Now, he was acting like a jolly kid on Christmas morning.
"Thank you— both of you!" Laurance sputtered.
"It's too bad neither of you got the role of Romeo. I know it might be tough watching Aphmau get smooched by another, but stay strong for me. Okay, boys?" Zianna sighed, her pitiful eyes moving between Garroth and Laurance.
Laurance's heart dropped to his stomach. They had been here before only a few hours ago. Fuck. What was he supposed to say now?
Garroth laughed, throwing his head back like one would during a good joke.
"Mummy, we don't care about the kiss!" Garroth admitted, butterflies bundled in his chest. All the love he had for his mother and Laurance had bloomed up his throat as he smiled wide.
Zianna leaned back slightly as her eyes widened.
"What?! No way! Don't tell me you two moved on after all these years!"
"You could say that," Garroth confirmed as he looked over at Laurance with a twinkle in his eye. It was nothing like the dead stare his boyfriend was giving him, but it went unnoticed in his few moments of pure happiness. "Mom. Laurance and I are..."
Laurance's breath caught in his throat. Fuck it was happening again. The color drained from his face as he took a quick glance back at Zianna and the camcorder still recording.
He wasn't ready just yet. He wasn't ready to announce to his boyfriend's mother, someone who treated him like her own son since grade school, that they were dating right here in the lobby.
Garroth didn't say anything about this! He could have at least warned him that he was going to tell her! Oh Irene. This was completely out of the blue. He was still in costume! He couldn't just--
"Garroth!" Laurance practically shouted, blood rushing to his ears till all he could hear was the pounding of his heart. Several curious eyes from the audience darted their eyes at the tone of his voice. No matter where they were, there always seemed to be an audience. People who already had their image of Garroth and Laurance set in their eyes as friends rather than lovers. There was no difference if it was public or private because Laurance wasn't ready to go off script no matter how much it enticed him.
Garroth snapped his head at Laurance wide-eyed as he saw the momentary bliss crumble. His mouth was still parted, the words he was aching to spill to his mother had turned too sour to swallow. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Oh Irene, how could he forget? How could he forget that his boyfriend refused to say he was his, let alone act like it in private? How could he forget that he'd rather pretend to chase the girl than the guy? A relationship so private that not even they knew what was going on.
As the pounding of Laurance's heart died down, so did the chatter of the lobby. He blinked once, then twice. Then, three times for good measure. Leaning back, Zianna and a few bystander's stunned expressions came into view, but Garroth was at the center of it all.
The two boys matched the same look of shock as Laurance shouted Garroth's name, yet Garroth furrowed his brow, and his eyes grew a light shimmer of gloss.
Laurance cleared his throat as he looked around at anything by the Ro'Meave's.
"Sorry, I um... Katelyn just texted saying that she... she needed us back ASAP. We should get going," Laurance muttered, never having even looked at his phone since he had gotten out into the lobby.
Garroth's lips drew into a fine line, eyes looking between his mother and his partner. He drew a hand over his face as he nodded and stormed back to the stage without a word.
The camcorder that displayed the couple's face so proudly was now downcast on the tiled floor. The only thing that could be heard were Laurance's feet scampering to meet Garroth's.
===
Laurance clenched his jaw at Lucinda's touch. They shouldn't be here right now. If only Laurance hadn't been so cautious— or if Garroth hadn't been so careless— they'd probably be sitting together watching the final scene. Instead, Garroth was getting the kiss the two had been fighting for since they were in high school, and all Laurance could think about was how it should have been him kissing...
Blood rushed up his body. A shiver of determination bolted through his spine. Love filled his heart.
"Lucinda—" Laurance placed his hand over the one on his shoulder— "can I ask you a favor?"
"Hmm?" Lucinda hummed, furrowing her brows.
"Help me fix things with my boyfriend and hand me that potion."
===
There wasn't enough time to tell anyone what he was going to do. With what little time he had left, he prayed to Irene that Katelyn would forgive him.
Hidden from the audience behind the hand-fixed curtains, Laurance scanned the crowd searching for the woman he may one day call his mother-in-law. A small red light caught his eye. Despite all that the camcorder had seen today, it still came back for the finale.
Nerves bundled up in his stomach, but he forced them back down.
He had to do this...Well, he didn't have to, but he wanted to.
Footsteps quickly approached behind him. Laurance snapped his head back as he took in a sharp breath.
"Laurance~Kun? What are you doing over here?" Kawaii~Chan asked, peeking over at the object in his hands. "And what are you holding? Is that a potion?"
His fingers gripped the bottle tighter, but he turned his body to face her. KC's eyes widened, her eyes having never left the potion. Lucinda wasn't the only witch in their friend group.
"What are you doing with that?" Kawaii~Chan pointed at the potion. "Are you gonna—"
"Yup." Laurance was quick to finish, clutching the bottle closer to his chest as his gut told him to dump the potion and run away. Run away back to his life before he and Garroth decided to act on their feelings. Was it selfish to wish for those times when the two would fight over a girl if it meant that things between them were good at the end of the day? He hadn't even done anything, yet his face flushed like it was under the hot stage lights.
Kawaii~Chan took a step back before clasping her arms behind her back. There had been too much trouble today for her to be involved in something else.
"Laurance," Kawaii~Chan called out, her voice just an octave above a whisper. "Who are you trying to kiss?"
Laurance turned his back toward her. His eyes were sharp as he took a deep breath in and held it, drowning his nerves inside before exhaling. When Garroth was learning his lines as Aaron's understudy, Laurance was there to help him every step of the way. This play had become his second language. In the short time he had, he planned everything out in his head to prove to himself, to prove to him, that this relationship was much more than just puppy love.
Aphmau's voice amplified as she recited her line.
"What's here? A cup closed in my true love's hand? Poison. I see, hath been his timeless end. —O churl, drink all, and left no friendly drop. I will kiss thy lips. Happy some poison yet doth hang on them," she cried, placing her hand gently on the side of Garroth's helmet.
[She kisses him]
Laurance cocked his arm back.
Aphmau leaned down.
[He kisses him]
The potion went airborne.
Within a soft shimmer of light, exactly where Aphmau had once stood, Laurance appeared still dressed in the garments of Mercutio. Romeo's best friend. With his hand now caressing the helmet, and his body already leaning down, he didn't waste a single second changing the ending of the play.
If only he could have looked into Garroth's eyes as he leaned down and captured his lips, using his free hand to glide his thumb over his jawline. The gasp from the audience didn't fall deaf on his ears and only pushed him to stay as he was just a second longer. As he stood back up, his hand trailed from Garroth's face down over his heart.
The rapid beating of the Ro'Meave's heart didn't go unnoticed. Neither did the light shade of red that peaked from under the helmet. The audience wasn't aware of that, of course, not even when Garroth kissed back despite his initial shock.
"Oh Romeo," Laurance sighed, looking down upon the still body of his boyfriend. "It was only in death that I gained the courage to act on my feelings. It weighed heavy on my soul. For thy fear of a Montague loving a Capulet seemed minuscule for the fear of my love toward you. My Montague. Rest well with your Capulet who may love you dearer than I."
His eyes darted toward the audience and back at Garroth. That was as far ahead as he had planned out. Maybe if he walked away Aphmau could come and finish her piece? There was still another scene after this, but he should act now if he wanted to salvage—
A single person began to clap in the audience.
Not wanting to break character, Laurance turned his head slightly and gasped as Zianna stood up from her chair. Her camera was still held tightly as she tapped the bottom of her palm. Quickly, the people around her began to clap too! One by one, the whole audience got up to give a standing ovation.
Vlyad may have been scratching his head during the whole scene up in the tech booth, but he got the hint as soon as his mother started clapping and motioned for everyone else to start closing the curtains and dimming the lights.
Garroth and Laurance stayed in their position until the curtain fully closed in front of them. As soon as it did, Garroth quickly sat up and took his helmet off. His eyes were round as his lips remained slightly parted from the kiss they just shared. He opened his mouth wider, ready to say something, but not sure what. Fortunately, Laurance had this part planned out.
"I'm sorry," Laurance finally apologized. He opened his mouth again, but the sound of feet rapidly coming onto the stage stopped him.
All the cast members were scrambling to get into position, grabbing onto each other's hands to form a straight line.
"Alright, everyone, hurry up!" Travis commanded standing in front of everyone as he guided people into their correct spots. "Aaron, Aphmau, I know you two aren't good right now, but I need you both to suck it up and hold hands."
Without looking at one another, the two stood front and center. Their hands were loosely intertwined.
Garroth rushed off stage since he wasn't supposed to be a part of the final bow, leaving Laurance to quickly hop into his spot. The curtains opened as soon as he grabbed onto Kawaii~Chan's hand.
The claps and cheers from the stellar ending of the play enlightened as the actors and actresses bowed in sync.
The first person Laurance looked for as he stood back up was Zianna. Her full-toothed smile captured his attention as he spotted the small red dot of the camcorder that recorded every single moment of this disastrously amazing play. His breath caught in his throat as he took in all the love held within her smile. No disgust. No hatred. Pure love.
There was nothing to be afraid of.
As the curtains closed for the final time, the cast members made their way backstage, ready to grab their belongings and do this all over again for the next two nights. Instead of following the crowd, Laurance made a beeline straight to Katelyn who came back in after watching the performance in the booth with Vlyad. Her monotone expression was enough to spark fear in anyone's heart, but his was too overfilled with love to hold fear.
"Katelyn, I'm sorry. I know I should have asked you before doing something like that, and I completely understand if you're upset with me. This was supposed to be your day, and we took it away from you," Laurance apologized, taking the blame for the problems that were caused tonight. It was selfish of him to go behind the director's back to change the ending, but he'd do it again if it meant making things up to his boyfriend.
"I'm glad you're apologizing, but of course I'm upset! You and Garroth start fighting in the middle of intermission and leave everyone else trying to clean up after you two. Then, you decide to use the potion I explicitly told you not to use and change the ending of my play!" Katelyn berated, her tone firm. "I should be pissed off!"
Laurance straightened his posture and took it. He deserved it and made the mental promise not to do it again for the rest of the shows. It was a dangerous game to play with Katelyn's wrath.
"I should be pissed off," Katelyn repeated, her arms still crossed as a smile bloomed on her face, "but the audience loved it!" Her arms relaxed as she practically screamed the good news.
Laurance's jaw went slack as he stared at her. It only made Katelyn grin harder.
"I know right?" Katelyn continued. "People really loved the twist with Mercutio's character and your lines were just— ah!— they were perfect!" She brought her closed hands below her face as her eyes sparkled. If people didn't know any better, they would have thought this was some high school girl with a crush on an up-and-coming actor. "We have to do that for the next two shows!"
A small smile grew on Laurance's face. Well, that was an idea he definitely wasn't opposed to.
"Consider it a deal, and I promise not to ruin intermission with my relationship problems," he bargained, still considerately apologetic about the whole incident. Katelyn gave him a warm smile.
"I appreciate that."
Jeffory came through the back doors with Abby, his daughter. Her much smaller hand wrapped around her father's.
"Everyone," Jeffory announced, catching the attention of the cast and crew, "that was a lovely performance. We are so proud of every one of you for doing your part to make this dream a reality. As promised, Olive Garden is on me, so pack your stuff up and let's go!"
"There's unlimited pasta!" Abby shouted with glee, jumping up and down. A few people laughed at her shenanigans before heading out of the room. Unlimited pasta was enough to get anyone to go to Olive Garden.
Laurance scanned the room, looking for his certain blond someone. When the mop of blond curls wasn't in sight, he walked over to Jeffory who still stood with Abby near the doors.
"Hey, have you seen Garroth?" He asked, noticing that a majority of people had already left the area.
"Last I saw, he was on stage with his brothers. Their mum was taking a couple photos of them," Jeffory explained, pointing his free hand toward their general direction. "Are you coming to Olive Garden?"
"Yeah...Yeah, I just need a sec. Don't wait up! Thanks!" He responded as he started heading to the stage. Jeffory hummed as he turned off the lights backstage and headed outside, leaving only two people behind.
===
Garroth turned his head as soon as he heard footsteps approaching. The general lights in the auditorium were the only things illuminating the area. His feet dangled off the side of the stage as he sat facing the front. As soon as he made eye contact with Laurance, he stopped in his tracks. Garroth smiled at him.
"Hey," Laurance spoke, his hands in his pockets, still dressed as Mercutio.
"Hi," Garroth greeted, still dressed as Romeo. Once he spoke, Laurance continued his way over, sitting himself down next to him as he let his own feet dangle alongside his.
"Where are your brothers?" Laurance danced around the topic.
"Jeffory told them about Olive Garden, so they grabbed their stuff and left."
"...and your mom?"
Garroth hummed with delight, looking down at his feet.
"She went home already. You should have seen her, though. She was so excited when I finally told her we were together," Garroth admitted, shifting his hand and locking his pinkie with Laurance.
Laurance's eyes widened for a moment, calming his initial shock from people knowing about his relationship.
"You still told her?"
"Of course! How could I not? She's my mom! I mean she's known I liked you since... Well, I don't know how long. It's not like I told her though. I guess it was just her motherly intuition."
The guilt from intermission washed over Laurance, remembering how he reacted when Garroth tried to tell Zianna the first time. He bit his lip as he covered Garroth's whole hand with his own.
"Garroth, I'm sorry." Laurance's eyes glossed over. "It wasn't— I didn't mean to—"
"Hey," Garroth cooed, moving his body so he sat cross-legged in front of Laurance. "Why are you crying?"
Laurance let out a small laugh, sniffling as he copied Garroth.
Garroth reached out and grabbed his hands with both of his own.
"I was scared."
"Why?"
"I thought that... everything was going to change if we really started acting like a couple, like we were official."
Garroth cocked his brow.
"But we already are official."
"I know, but cuddling and holding hands were all things we did before we were even dating, but kissing you, my best friend, felt different. I was so nervous that people weren't going to believe it, that I might do something stupid and awkward—" Laurance groaned, rolling his eyes. "I was so scared that someone or something might ruin what we have that I ended up being the one to fuck everything over."
Garroth rubbed his thumb over the back of Laurance's hands, his eyes glued to the comforting motion as he took in what he said. No matter what was said, Garroth's heart still ached at all the blatant denials of their relationship in public.
"Garroth." Laurance took his hand to grab Garroth's chin, making sure green eyes met blue. "Our friendship, our relationship, is something I never want to lose. Garroth, I love you. When I tried to protect it, I hurt you by pushing you away, and I'm so sorry."
It was Garroth's turn to get teary-eyed, the small part of his heart that had been hurt over and over again finally getting the kiss it needed to feel better. It would be a lie to say that he hadn't thought of the worst-case scenarios. That Laurance discovered this was all just a phase. That he decided Aphmau was the one he truly wanted. Could you blame him for thinking that way? Don't you doubt something that's too good to be true?
A tear slipped down Garroth's face, but Laurance was quick to wipe it away.
"So, all those times you pretended we were still wanting Aphmau?"
"Old habits die hard. I was so used to talking to people about having Aphmau that I didn't even think about it, but I need to put more thought into it because all I want to think about is you. I get that you're ready to tell everyone that we're dating, but my mind wasn't in the right place to tell anyone about us."
"Not even my mom?"
"Especially not her! It was like reintroducing myself all over again. I just wish you would have given me some sort of heads up before you tried to tell her or anyone, really. Also, I was still in costume!"
Garroth laughed, his eyes crinkling as he wiped away tears that threatened to slip away.
"I'll admit," Garroth said, "I should have told you that I was going to tell my mom before I did. I just— I was so excited that you were mine and all I wanted to do was tell everyone about it, but I didn't think about if you were ready for that. So, I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to push you past your limits."
Laurance hummed with a smile.
"I think we should start setting boundaries on our relationship, ya' know? Be transparent and all."
"Ah yes, the key to every relationship-"
"-Communication," they both said together as they giggled, grabbing ahold of each other's hands again.
Garroth cleared his throat, sitting up straight.
"Okay, so, who can I tell about us?"
Laurance thought for a moment, rubbing Garroth's hand absentmindedly.
"Mutual friends for sure," he started, "but we have to tell our parents together." Garroth nodded in agreement. "What PDA are you comfortable with?"
"I'm fine with everything as long as it's in moderation."
"Okay, can we hold back on kissing, though? I don't feel comfortable doing a whole lot of that in public," Laurance asked. Garroth cocked his brow, the corner of his lip lifting into a cocky little smile.
"So then who kissed me on stage in front of the audience again?"
"Hey! That was different!" Laurance contested, pointing a finger at Garroth as he laughed.
"I know. I know." Garroth's laughter died down as he gazed at Laurance with the same loving eyes he'd always had for him. "Then where is it okay for me to kiss you."
Blood flushed to Laurance's face. His frazzled expression not going unnoticed by Garroth whose cheeks were dusted in pink. Laurance's eyes darted around the auditorium, as he tugged on his collar. A warm feeling heated his chest to an overwhelming point. Garroth grabbed both of his hands and brought them up to his face, pressing a light kiss on each of them.
"Was that okay?" Garroth asked, his breath hitting the backs of Laurance's hands.
The jitteriness overwhelming Laurance came to an abrupt stop. Not trusting his voice, all he could do was nod. It was enough for Garroth to keep going, pressing a kiss to his palms and wrists. It gave Laurance enough time to take a deep breath and accept what was being given to him. To accept that this was his new, exciting normal. To become comfortable receiving love from the one that matters most. He leaned up and placed a kiss on Garroth's forehead.
"Was that okay?" Laurance asked, his voice shaking slightly. Garroth only smiled and nodded, his light blush blooming to the tips of his ears. Laurance kissed those too. "What about that?"
Garroth responded by kissing the tip of his nose.
Laurance responded with a kiss on both cheeks.
Garroth trailed little kisses along his jawline, his eyelashes tickling his face. As he hovered over Laurance's lips he tried to lock eyes with him but he kept looking down at his final target.
"Is this okay?" Laurance murmured, his eyes drifting down to his lips.
"Mm-hmm," Garroth hummed, as he closed his eyes and left a sweet tender kiss on Laurance's lips. When he tried to lean away, could you blame Laurance for going back in for another? Or another? How could he stop doing something that felt so right, so natural? If he had known that a kiss from Garroth would make him feel whole, he would have called off his chase on Aphmau years ago, but now wasn't a time to dwell on the past. He had a whole future together with him.
Laurance stopped, leaving a final peck on Garroth's lips before leaning back to catch his breath. He understood now why Garroth was ready to scream from the rooftops that they were together because now he wanted to do it too. Who wouldn't tell everyone they had the most perfect, most kind, most handsome, most loving partner in the world?
"Laurance?" Garroth spoke, having caught his breath.
"Yes?"
Mercutio's green eyes met Romeo's blue ones.
"I love you too."
{A/N: And that's it! The play arc has come to an end. This chapter is by far the longest I have written, and I am so proud that I can share it with such loving fans like yourselves. This chapter was definitely different from what I had in mind when I first started this fic, but it turned out so much better than I imagined. Thank you all so much for your patience with me. I'm no longer going to commit to a set time when these chapters will come out. It's rude for me to keep edging you guys on like I did with this one, but I hope this chapter made up for it. I can't wait for you guys to read what I have in store for our beloved group of dorks. Please be sure to leave a kudos (or star for you Wattpad readers) if you enjoyed it. See you later, and have a happy holiday!}