sword fight scene
Benvolio never expected it to turn out this way. He couldn't begin to fathom the scene playing out in front of him, the clash of swords and painful grunts on a desolate starry night. Fate had never been his friend nor his foe, but Benvolio had started to rethink his presumptions as he watched his lover and one-night stand battle each other in the crowded square of Verona.
Tybalt Capulet was a dashing man with looks and strength that helped him soar above Verona's eligible bachelor's. Next to Romeo, he was one of the most sought after men in Verona, and Benvolio had fallen right into his trap the night of the Capulet party, completed infatuated with the tender man. He gave Tybalt permission to do as he pleased with his body in his room at the Capulet mansion, and although it didn't end in the love Benvolio always longed for, he felt no ill feelings towards the man, respecting his decision to choose his family over a forbidden love (unlike Romeo, who Benvolio swears is as brainless as a log).
Mercutio fought with valor, sword slicing the air as he swung it with the skill of an experienced dueler. But Tybalt hadn't earned his nickname 'King of Cats' for nothing, and it was blatantly obvious in his gentle yet powerful moves, his graceful leaps, and deadly blows, that he earned it from his fighting style. Benvolio had seen plenty of fights in his day, but one so evenly matched frightened him, and the uneasy feeling in his stomach told him he had to do something.
It was irrational, completely absurd, and demonstrating as much stupidity as Mercutio when he first drew his sword, for Benvolio to run between two hot-headed men fighting with dangerous weapons, but he did so with ease. His lean body helped him weave between the eager crowd, stopping just before Tybalt could deliver a blow that would have most definitely been Mercutio's downfall.
"Stop, please," Benvolio begged, glancing between the duo who both had guilt evident on their faces.
"Benvolio, despite what you may believe, I do care for you," Tybalt spoke uncertainly, his stance never wavering but the deadly gaze in his eyes softening, "but if you do not move, you will meet the tip of my blade with as much fury as your dear friend, whether I care for you or not."
"Then do it," Benvolio challenged, reaching for the hilt of his sword. Tybalt tensed, clearly having been expecting Benvolio to run before he lunged with the spirit of an infuriated lion. A pair of calloused hands wrapped themselves around Benvolio's slim waist, pulling him close to its muscular body.
"You're so stupid," Mercutio whispered, lips lingering against Benvolio's cheek.
"That's not very nice." Benvolio smiled teasingly, receiving a small grin from Mercutio in return. It was almost instantaneous the blood that poured thick and red down his lovers chin. The grin was still on Mercutio's face as he collapsed to the ground, taking Benvolio with him.
"Mercutio! What, wha-" Benvolio frantically pressed a hand against the gaping wound in his side, blood pouring through his fingers like a leaky dam and staining the cobblestone. Even under the darkness of the night, Benvolio could see the mocking red, matching the fury in Tybalt's eyes. Mercutio's hand weakly gripped his own, pulling it towards his scarlet face with all the strength he could muster.
"I love you," Mercutio panted between pained breaths, feeling the warmth radiating off of Benvolio.
"Don't say that like you're going to die. Fate will be kind, Mercutio, you will not die," Benvolio tried to reassure but he knew he was trying to convince himself more than anyone. He knew he was trying to beg Fate to give him back his love, begging the stars to take mercy on him, but his fate was sealed.
"Benvolio," Mercutio whispered, "it's only a flesh wound, nothing serious."
Benvolio chuckled through a sob, the tears not matching the smile on his face.
"Shut up, dammit," he cursed, gently smacking Mercutio's exposed stomach.
He won't die.
I'm dying.
We just need to wait for help.
It's too late to get help.
He'll come back to me.
I'll never see him again.
"I love you, too."
"That's good," Mercutio mumbled, removing his hand from Benvolio's and letting it slip to the stone ground. He had heard the words he had been waiting for, and he could no longer hang on to the thread of life that wasn't pouring out of him in the form of blood. The stars beckoned him, the moon guiding him with Benvolio at his back, waving with teary eyes and his beautiful pained smile. Mercutio's eyes fluttered shut with the gentle caress of Benvolio's lips on his own.
"thus with a kiss I die”
