#bentine

"Benvolio." Valentine leaned against the doorframe of the study, staring at the crumpled form in the chair. "It's late, what are you doing up?" He carefully approached, setting his candle next to the one already sitting on Benvolio's desk. He paused when he saw the paper under Benvolio's arm, only the first line visible. "To James and Lydia Montague,". Benvolio's parents. He sets a hand on Benvolio's back, gently, so gently.

"It's..it's the aniversary…." Benvolio sniffled. "I could-I couldn't do it.."

Valentine sighed affectionately. "Do what, dove?" His hand absentmindedly stroked circles into Benvolio's shirt.

Benvolio slowly sat up, not lifting his head. The paper was blank. "I couldn't bring myself to tell them…even their graves…" Oh. That Benvolio was….Valentine crouches to take the other man's face in his hands.

"That you're a man?" Benvolio nodded numbly, finally meeting Valentine's green eyes with dull, blue ones. Valentine felt like he'd been stabbed. He sat fully on the floor, pulling Benvolio into his lap. Benvolio instinctively clung to Valentine's shirt. "Ben, precious, love of my life, they loved you. I love you. Nobody cares what's under your shirt, okay? You're perfect. You'll always be perfect to me, dove. Always."

Benvolio stared at Valentine for a long time. "…I'm not perfect, though…I'm awkward, and I say the wrong things, and I'm—I'm not worth all of the trouble you put yourself through to be with me, Val." Of course Benvolio would think that. He thought his diamond to be glass, his dove a pigeon, his brilliant blue a dull grey.

Valentine could never see those awful things.

"Ben, do you remember the first time I said I loved you? Back there, in the tavern?"

Benvolio nods at the memory, a hand moving up to trace his face as if he could still feel the kiss Valentine had given him. "Yeah. You told me I was…that I was like a painting, too ethereal to be real." Valentine nods in approval, stroking those honey-blond locks of hair.

"Yes, good job, dove, just keep breathing...Do you remember when you told me your secret? That you were trans? At the party?"

"mhm…." Valentine smiles when Benvolio answers. "You were so kind…"

"Exactly. I don't care how imperfect you think you are. You're perfect to me. Are you feeling better? We need to get to bed.." Benvolio nods, curling into Valentine's lap. He looked..small. Smaller than usual. Valentine gently lifted him into his arms, carrying him into the bedroom.

Benvolio and Valentine love escape rooms.

There's really not one who's better than the other. Valentine, having grown up with a brother who learned far too many dirty jokes at far too young an age, is incredible with word puzzles and unscrambling things. He recalls one puzzle where there were letters around the room and you had to place corresponding items on pedestals to crack the code. The instructor said it usually took groups five minutes. Valentine solved it in five seconds.

Benvolio's better with the weird physical puzzles. Turning locks just the right way, reaching into puzzle boxes to grab the keys to the next room… he can do it all. He's also got the quick math skills to count various objects for various lockboxes, or to figure out any mathematical logic issues. His favorite puzzle was a maze where you had to drag a key through it with a magnet. Or maybe the one where he had to throw a beanbag perfectly on a big red button to open a door. That was cool.

They regularly make it onto escape room leaderboards, their team name being the Philosophy Majors. Mercutio always said it was too literal, but it's to-the-point and they like it. Valentine likes standing on tiptoes and kissing Benvolio's cheek in their victory pictures. Their record time beating an hour-long room is 11 minutes and 42 seconds.

Valentine and Benvolio are gifted at least four escape room board games a year. So much so, that there's a dedicated shelf for puzzle games gifted from friends and family. So far they've racked up twenty four. On days where it's too cold or hot to take a walk inside, they'll be playing some sort of mystery or puzzle game, maybe timing each other to see who can solve what's going on first. Benvolio loves Clue. He has an original version of the game passed down from his grandmother. Valentine loved whatever was going on with Box One. That one was weird.

Loving escape rooms and peculiar puzzles isn't just for games, though. Being good at picking up on things and finding (oftentimes strange) clues means nothing ever gets lost around the house. And getting locked out is just another opportunity to try and puzzle solve to get back in. They're incredibly fast at holiday gathering scavenger hunts, too. And have impeccable Wordle streaks.