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“Look, I’m just saying, Romeo and Juliet is overrated.”
“Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest plays of all time. Just because you hated your eighth-grade English teacher doesn’t mean it’s bad.”
“They’re absolute idiots. Who falls in love in a single night? Who pretends they’re dead without making sure the other person knows it’s all fake? Death is a stupid solution.”
“Okay, I don’t get it either, but-”
“Not to mention it’s literally a love story between two children in which they meet, fall in ‘love’, and then get married in the span of three days. Tell me that sounds like a healthy relationship.”
Fitz sighs, pushing open the auditorium doors as he glares at his sister. “It’s not supposed to be a healthy relationship. It’s supposed to show the folly of falling in love too fast and how there needs to be a delicate balance between love and hate.”
Biana arches an eyebrow at him. “Did you really just use the word folly unironically? In the twenty-first century?”
Fitz picks up his pace, walking faster down towards the stage. “Shut up.”
“No, no! Tell me more about the follies in Shakespeare’s writings!” Biana calls behind him, smirk evident in her voice. Giving a small groan- she’s never letting him live this one down- Fitz turns to move up the stairs on either side of the stage and runs straight into someone.
“Oh, sorry,” he says, stumbling back. “I didn’t see you-”
It’s Dex Dizznee. Of course it’s Dex Dizznee. Fitz should have known he’d be in the theater today; he’s been halfway stalking the guy for a month.
( “Just ask him out already,” Biana had said, chewing on her milkshake straw. “You’re, like, the most popular person in school.”
“I can’t do that!” Fitz protested. Biana frowned.
“What’s stopping you?”
Fitz laid his head on the cold metal of the ice cream shop table. “He’s too pretty,” he said mournfully. Biana rolled her eyes and kicked him.
“You’re a coward.”
“Correct,” Fitz responded. His sister fixed him with a determined look.
“You’re a coward, but you’re also my brother and I want you to be happy.” She leaned forward, sucking the dregs of her milkshake with a loud slurp. “So we’re gonna get you a date with that boy. Come hell or high water.”)
Now that he thinks about it, Biana probably orchestrated this. He wouldn’t put it past her.
“Sorry,” Fitz says again. Dex grins, waving a hand in the air.
“Not a problem,” he responds. “I was probably in the way, actually. We’re trying to get these new speakers set up,” he gestures to the huge speaker at his feet, tangled in a pile of electrical wires, “and it’s… harder than it looks.”
“I’ll bet.” Fitz nods, pretending he knows anything about technology or what it takes to install a speaker. “Well, we’ll get out of your way. I’m just here to grab an extra script-”
“Actually,” Biana says, appearing next to him. “I think now would be a great time for you to try on that tunic I restitched last week. We need to make sure it fits.” She smiles at him. Fitz glares back.
“Sure,” he says through gritted teeth, moving up the stage stairs. Dex smiles, touching Fitz’s shoulder lightly as he passes.
“See you later.”
“Uh.” Fitz says. “Yeah, you too, Deck.”
He staggers backstage and falls face-first onto a prop couch. Biana makes a noise of agreement.
“Deck?” Fitz says, his voice muffled by the couch cushions. “ Deck? ”
“I’m sure he didn’t notice,” Biana pats his head. “You do need to try on the tunic, though. We have like ten more costumes to get through and the show’s in a week and a half.”
“That sounds like bad planning on your part,” Fitz observes, taking the offered shirt and pulling it on. “How does it look?”
Biana considers him, head tilted to one side. She smiles. “You’re going to be the best-dressed Romeo on this side of Eternalia. Sophie’ll love it.”
“Sophie is gay,” Fitz points out, “and has a girlfriend. You should know that- you got them together in the first place.”
“Mmm,” Biana agrees, “The great Sopherella Caper. Those were the days.”
“ Those days were last month.”
Biana waves a hand in the air. “Irrelevant. Okay, take the tunic off and I’ll make the final adjustments.”
“Great.” Fitz pulls his script out of his bag and flips to a random scene. He’s got all his lines memorized by now, but it’s comforting to have the pages in hand. “‘But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon.’”
Biana hums around the pin in her mouth. “He’s hitting on a fourteen year old, but at least it’s poetic. What’s the line after that? The one about the birds.”
“‘Her eye in heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing and think it were not night.’ That’s one of my favorites.”
“Of course it is. You’re such a romantic.” Biana snorts, smoothing the fabric down and starting up the sewing machine. Over its whirrrrr, she asks “So what’re you going to do about Dex?”
Fitz blinks. “Um. Nothing, preferably.”
“Boring. How about a huge declaration of love in the gym?”
“The gym is disgusting. Plus, you saw me out there- I called him Deck. I’d rather not embarrass myself again, thank you.”
“You’re going to do that no matter what. I’m just trying to help.”
“I know.” Fitz sighs and scoops his bag up off of the floor as Biana stops the machine. She tugs it onto a hanger on the costume rack and picks up her own coat. On their way out, Dex holds up a hand in a little half-wave.
“Have a good day, Ditz.” he calls. Biana cackles.
“This is going to be wonderful. ”
This is going to be a disaster.
“You know, I think this is good, actually.” Biana says the next day. The five of them- Fitz, Biana, Linh, Tam and Keefe- are crammed into a booth at the ice cream shop, sipping milkshakes. It’s far too early in the day for ice cream, but Fitz isn’t going to argue. The mint chocolate chip ones here are to die for.
“Explain,” Fitz responds. He doesn’t see how any of this- the fiasco with Dex, being brought to the ice cream shop in what he’s pretty sure is some sort of intervention, the fact that his milkshake has notably less mint in it than usual- is good. Biana shrugs.
“Well, to be honest, it sounded more like he was teasing you than actually being mean. And teasing is good. It’s very close to flirting.”
“And if he was flirting with you,” Linh adds, “then that’s great! ”
“And if he wasn’t?” Fitz asks, because he’s pessimistic like that. Tam raises an eyebrow, setting his milkshake on the table with a thunk.
“Then you’ve completely embarrassed yourself and you can never talk to him again,” he deadpans. Fitz nods slowly.
“I’m sure that won’t happen, though,” Linh says hurriedly, shooting her twin an annoyed look. Tam gives her an angelic smile.
“Seriously, dude,” Keefe says, turning to Fitz. “You’re the only one here who’s still single. I wanna go couple’s bowling!”
Fitz holds up two fingers, ticking them off as he speaks. “One, ‘couple’s bowling’? Not a thing. Two, aren’t you single?”
Keefe stares at him. “What?”
“You do realize we’ve been dating for four months now,” Tam says. Fitz blinks.
“I… did not realize that, no.”
“Wait, really?” Biana interjects, giving Fitz a puzzled look. “You were there when Keefe did his promposal.”
“I thought it was a joke! Who orders goats for an actual promposal? ”
Keefe frowns, looking vaguely insulted. “ I do. Anyone who wants to do a promposal right orders goats.”
“Forget about the goats,” Linh interrupts, “forget about Keefe and Tam. We’re here to help you. ”
All four heads turn towards him in eerie unison. Fitz swallows and Biana smiles sharply, pulling out her planner and flipping to May 13th.
“Okay. We don’t know when Dex will be in the theater- he keeps really weird hours. What we do know, though, is that he’ll be here next Friday. Opening night.”
“So after the show, we shove Fitz in the soundbooth until he asks Dex out,” Keefe says, nodding. Linh shakes her head.
“Let’s call that a Plan B. Fitz would actually murder us.”
“True.”
“You guys do realize I’m sitting here, right?” Fitz asks. “Why don’t we come up with a plan to, you know, help me?”
“Hmm.” Biana twirls her straw around in her empty glass. “Well, you might want to start by talking to him. Preferably without being painfully awkward.”
“Wow, I think I was just miraculously cured of any and all awkwardness. Thank you.”
“Don’t be sarcastic. It’s not a good look on you. Keefe-” Biana points at him- “pickup lines Fitz can use. Go.”
“Um.” Keefe blinks. “Are… you a lightbulb?”
“Why.” Tam deadpans.
“Because you’re… pretty?”
No one says anything. Tam hides a smile behind his hand. Linh slurps her milkshake.
“All right,” Biana finally says, nodding slowly. “So that’s, like, Plan F. Any other ideas? Preferably good ones?”
“Look,” Keefe says, waving a hand in the air. “I can’t be charming on command, okay? It’s early.”
“You can’t be charming off command either.” Tam says. Linh giggles.
“Don’t worry, it’s not like Fitz is much better,” Biana teases. Fitz takes a deep breath and resists the urge to stand up and leave.
Is this Romeo & Juliet? Because I’m really feeling like faking my own death right now.
The theater is packed, people whispering and chatting in the dim light. Fitz should be backstage, getting the last parts of his costume on, but instead he’s in the near-empty hall alongside the auditorium.
He always does this before a show- takes a moment to catch his breath, lean against the cold blue tile of the wall. A moment of peace before the craziness that is a Foxfire High theater production.
Or, relative peace. There’s a banging coming from somewhere behind him- one of the doors that line the hallway. Fitz is pretty sure the one the noise is emitting from is a janitor’s closet.
He approaches the door, wary of whatever’s inside. Once, a junior found a raccoon in her locker. Fitz really doesn’t want a repeat of that.
Instead of a raccoon, though, Sophie Elizabeth Foster appears out when he opens the door. Fitz stares as she stumbles, almost falling, before getting her balance.
“Why were you locked in the janitor’s closet?” Fitz asks. Sophie rolls her eyes as they head towards the backstage entrance. She’s in costume already, thank goodness.
“Ask Keefe and Linh,” she grumbles. “They’re the ones who stuck me in there.”
Fitz steps through the door, almost running into Dex for the second time in as many weeks. The taller boy has a confused expression on his face.
“Do you know why Biana was just trying to convince me I was the Juliet understudy?” He inquires. “I told her I can’t act, but she didn’t appear to want to listen.”
Fitz sighs, aware of the flush creeping up his cheeks. “I might have some idea,” he admits. “I’ll talk to you after the show?”
“Sure. I need to get to the sound booth anyway.” Dex gives him a thumbs up and moves away. “See you, Fitz.”
He knows my name.
Sophie has a dangerous smirk on her face when Fitz turns back in her direction, and he immediately glares at her.
“Don’t.”
“I’m not doing anything,” she hums. “Just… I’m glad you’re happy, ‘kay?”
Fitz lets out a tiny laugh. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.” Sophie punches his arm lightly. “Now come on, Romeo. We’ve got a show to steal.”
The curtain has just closed, and everyone is screaming.
To be fair, the show did go well- no one messed up their lines, and the kiss scene (which was, in rehearsal, simply nicknamed Awkward™) actually didn’t crash and burn.
So Fitz supposes he can’t blame them for screaming, despite the damage it’s doing to his eardrums. (Someone is also playing Let It Go at an obscene volume. Fitz will never understand the theater kid obsession with Let It Go. )
Biana and Linh come up behind him, hugging him from both sides as they shout. Fitz can’t quite hear them, but he hugs back.
“I’m going to go talk to Dex,” he shouts, pointing towards the soundbooth. Biana and Linh give him matching grins and Linh yells something that might be go get it! and might be turn away and slam the door. Fitz can’t tell.
He makes his way through the crowds and up the steps to the back of the theater, keeping his head down so no one will recognize him. The attention can be nice, but he doesn’t exactly fancy getting stuck signing autographs right now.
“Hey!” Dex says as Fitz moves into the sound booth, leaning against the door. They’re the only two still here; whoever was operating the lighting board must have gone home. Now is probably the perfect time to talk to him.
Fitz opens his mouth to say something- even he’s not sure what- when he hears an ominous clicking noise in the door behind him. He spins, trying the handle. Locked.
Sophie’s words echo in his head. Ask Keefe and Linh. They’re the ones who stuck me in there.
“Did someone… lock the door from the outside?” Dex asks, coming over and crouching down next to the lock. “That’s weird.”
Fitz sighs, shaking his head. “Not for my friends.”
“Your friends did this? Why?”
Studiously, Fitz stares at the floor. Then the ceiling. Then the soundboard. Anything but Dex, really.
“Um,” he says. Dex tilts his head to the side, watching him with curious eyes. When Fitz doesn’t say anything more, he shrugs, turning away.
“Well, we can just go out the other way,” Dex says, heading for another exit on the opposite end of the sound booth. The door opens onto a hallway near the back of the building, one Fitz has only been through once or twice; it’s mostly counselor’s offices and storage rooms. Dex locks the door behind them and turns to Fitz. “Are you heading towards Cinna’s? I’ll walk with you.”
Distantly, Fitz understands that his friends locking only one of the exits in an attempt to shut him inside the sound booth is funny. Right now, however, his head is all dimples and red hair and knuckles brushing his as they walk down the hall.
It’s cold when they step outside, the sort of spring night that seems to hang between all the seasons at once. The sidewalk is almost deserted- most of the audience has left through the school entrance a block away. The moon is high in the sky.
“You were amazing,” Dex says after a moment. “In the play. You were fantastic.”
“Thank you,” Fitz runs a hand through his hair. “I was nervous, but I think it went well. You did a great job too.”
Dex snorts. “Heh. It’s not much, but.”
They walk in silence for another few minutes, towards the brightly-lit shop windows Fitz can see in the distance. Finally, Dex lets out a long breath.
“So, is there any reason why your friends tried to lock us in the booth?”
Fitz mirrors his sigh. He stops walking in front of a streetlight- Dex pauses a step ahead, just inside the circle of light on the pavement.
Just get it over with.
“They were trying to get me to ask you out. I’ve kind of been avoiding it for a while- that’s why I called you Deck that one time, I get anxious around you, and- yeah. That’s about it, really.”
“Oh.” Dex is quiet for a moment. The fluorescent streetlights make his hair glow. “So- they thought shutting us in a room together would make you ask me on a date?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh,” Dex says again. Fitz wishes he could fall through the floor and disappear. “Well, if you had… asked me out. If you had, I would’ve said yes.”
Fitz snaps his head up. “What?”
Dex smiles. His face is bright, eyes shining and blue. The light on his freckles is warm. But soft, Fitz thinks, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and he is the sun.
“I would’ve said yes,” Dex repeats. His hand reaches out and holds Fitz’s, pulling him into the light. “I still would, actually.”
“Do you want to go on a date?” Fitz manages. Dex’s grin is answer enough.
They stay there for a while, in the glow of a streetlight, savoring whatever this moment is. Something Biana had said a few weeks before floats into Fitz’s head.
“Who falls in love in a single night? How do you do that?”
Like this, Fitz thinks. Like this.
He’s not in love, not yet, but Fitz still feels closer to Romeo and Juliet than he ever has before.