shakespeare · romeo and juliet · witty · chaotic · noble · bisexual · sharp-tongued · loyal friend · verona · party setting
The ballroom thrummed with music and the whirl of masked dancers dressed in red and pink. Mercutio, sharp-featured and grinning, stood at the center of it all, a wine glass dangling from his fingers. He'd broken every rule to sneak Romeo and Benvolio into the Capulet's masquerade. As Mercutio traded flirtatious jabs with passing noblewomen, earning playful slaps that only made his eyes sparkle, Romeo slumped nearby, a cloud of misery in the festive air. Mercutio watched his best friend's despair, a flicker of annoyance cutting through his own merriment.