What You Are in the Dark
Swan lay in his bed at Juliet's place, his mind tossing and turning as much as his body. His mind was split by nightmarish visions. After seeing Juliet dead in 400 different ways, and him broken and defeated, he woke up with a scream.
And Juliet rushed into his room, dressed in white lingerie, hastily pulling on a silk robe. She blushed a bit.
"Swan...baby, are you ok?"
Swan felt his tears running down his face...
"It's always the same, Juliet. The same nightmares, the same tortured sleep..."
He tried to continue but her lips wrapped around his. Slowly, hesitantly, he embraced her. She was warm to the touch, and even his cold dead body felt warm inside. This had to be Heaven. He'd dreamed of moments like this for as long as he could remember.
"Poor baby." Juliet said, running her fingers through Swan's hair. With his makeup off, he looked a lot more vulnerable. How did he put up with it for so long? It was a question she'd often pondered.
Her warm touch was soothing, and it still induced euphoria in him. Swan was unaccustomed to a girl's gentle touch, and now, feeling Juliet's soft fingers trace through his hair was the best damn feeling in the world.
"I used to have nightmares about school bullies, death, and humiliation...those have largely fallen by the wayside. The bullies are either dead or have changed, I've already died, and well...humiliation is bad, sure...but not as bad as what I have nightmares about now."
"And what nightmares do you have now?"
"Nightmares about losing you. Nightmares where one moment I let my guard down and something terrible happens to you. Or nightmares where I kill you. I guess...I'm terrified of either losing you...or becoming what people always said I was."
Juliet let out a little squeak of pity. She climbed over him and kissed him.
"Oh, Swan...you'll never become that. I saw that look in Mercutio's eyes after you spoke to him...I saw the look in your eyes...no look that gentle or caring belongs to a monster."
Swan smiled, his breathing becoming less labored. Strictly speaking, he had no need to breathe...but he did it more or less out of habit.
"Juliet...thank you."
She climbed into the bed beside Swan, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
The morning soon came, and Juliet woke up with a relaxed sigh.
Swan woke up not long after, rising up like The Undertaker during a Wrestlemania match.
"Good morning, cutie." Juliet smiled, her long hair falling across her shoulders.
"You know, I've never seen you with your hair down before."
"Ugh, it is like, totally such a pain to deal with!"
"It's pretty."
Juliet giggled.
"So what do you want to do today?" Swan asked.
"Well...I could totally go for another movie. But I suppose we'd better check on those lame-o Dark Purveyors."
Swan sighed. She was right. Leave people like Zed alone too long and bad things happened.
Juliet tossed her silk robe over Swan's head.
"Hey!"
"Sorry, sweetie! But I'm going for a shower. No peeking!"
