Chapter Text
Tybalt was surprised by how much he was enjoying this. The cafeteria wasn’t as gross of a trysting place as he had expected. It didn’t take long for the smell of Baloney Casserole Surprise to fade into the background. It was warm, they were alone, and the table didn’t break when Tybalt rolled on top of Benvolio, pinning him to a red stain on the plastic.
Tybalt had thought about kissing before, but he’d never realized that teeth were both smooth and bumpy, or that saliva could taste so satisfying. When they pulled apart for a moment and rested in each other’s arms, the thought that he knew what another person’s tongue felt like made him shiver. It was so strange, and so wonderful. Benvolio snuggled into his chest, and he stroked the other boy’s hair. The other boy. Tybalt reminded himself that this was just practice. It didn’t count.
He was lifting Benvolio’s face for one more sweet kiss when he heard footsteps outside the cafeteria. They both froze, waiting for whoever it was to pass and continue on their way to the bathroom. The footsteps stopped.
“Tybalt?” Juliet glanced into the cafeteria. She hadn’t seen them yet, but she would soon. Tybalt remembered that he was supposed to ride home with her and her mom right about now. He let out an involuntary hiss of frustration at himself for having lost track of time. Shit.
He tried to freeze again, but it was too late. She saw them. Tybalt pushed Benvolio away and arranged himself to look as if he was just sitting on the edge of the table, having a casual conversation. Juliet started laughing.
“You are such a fucking hypocrite!” She seemed to be having trouble breathing. “Guess you can’t call Romeo a fag now.”
“What? We were just talking. I know it looked strange, ha ha. We’re doing a science project together. On hair follicles. There’s a theory. We needed to check. You know. No homo or anything.” Tybalt glanced to Benvolio for confirmation, but it seemed that he was much better at getting out of difficult situations than Tybalt was.
Juliet chuckled. “Sure, lover boy. You might want to smooth down your hair before Mom gets here.”
Tybalt patted at his hair as he hopped off the table. “You won’t tell anyone, will you? Mom can’t find out. I’ll do anything.”
“I’ll take an I.O.U.”