Benvolio pushed the coffee shop's door open with ease. The scent of nutmeg and coffee beans floated through the air, and Mercutio smiled.

"It's filled with nerds," he commented.

"It's perfect for you, Ben."

"Oh shut up, you're a nerd too!" Benvolio protested, eyebrows raised.

"Mmm, yes, technically I am. But I'm a different variety of nerd. I am theatrical and find joy in bursting into song in public. You're in the band and you write shitty poetry."

"Poetry that these strangers don't need to know about," Ben retorted.

Before Mercutio could respond, Benvolio waltzed up to the counter and smiled at the guy at the register.

"One small spiced milk chai tea, please, Brendon."

"Sure, anything else?" The employee asked. Mercutio thought that the workers at this shop were unusually chipper, especially for a Wednesday afternoon.

"Uh, yeah," Mercutio glanced at the drinks list again.

"I'll have whatever he's having, I guess." He said after a moment.

"Sure thing." The employee, Brendon, apparently, said, spinning around towards the drink station.

"Ben, this place is pretty much perfect. It's no wonder you find it so appealing," Mercutio commented. Ben smiled, adjusting his glasses.

"It's amazing. Everyone here is some sort of nerd. It's just so me, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Mercutio smiled, lacing their fingers together. Even after all these months together, this simple action made Benvolio blush profusely.

"Ben. You're blushing again," Mercutio said, grinning.

"What? No! I'm totally not!" Benvolio reaches up to feel his cheeks and then groaned.

"Mer, how do you manage to do this every time we're together?"

"I told you, I'm just so charming! You just don't believe me," Mercutio said, kissing Benvolio's nose. This, if it were at all possible, seemed to make Ben's face redder.

"Babe, no!" Benvolio complained, ducking his head to hide his flaming cheeks.

Someone cleared their throat behind the boys, and Benvolio's head shot up.

"Ben, these are yours!" The barista had returned, laden with two steaming paper cups.

"Brendon, I love you." Benvolio gushed. He grabbed his tea and waltzed off to find some sugar. All with his head down, which Mercutio assumes was to hide the blush.

Mercutio turned towards Brendon, smiling.

"He's adorable," he said absently. Brendon snorted.

"So," Mercutio attempted to change the subject. "Ben tells me he frequents this place. I can sort of see why."

"He comes here a lot, to study, if I'm not mistaken. He's always alone, though. I was surprised he brought you along," Brendon said thoughtfully.

"We're kind of a matched set. Wherever he goes, I go."

Brendon smiled knowingly.

"You're Mercutio, then?"

"What?" Mercutio was taken aback. Sure, it wasn't a huge town, but it wasn't as if he was well known.

"Ben never stops talking about you. Honestly, we thought you'd turn up way sooner," Brendon explained.

"I'm glad that we met, at any rate," Brendon continued. He stuck out his free hand, and Mercutio shook it.

"Likewise."

"Well, I'll let you two get along," Brendon said, handing Mercutio his tea with a wink.

Mercutio smiled to himself. Of course Benvolio would be the one to find the most adorably-perfect coffee shop in the entire country.

"Mer!"

Think of the devil...

"Have you seen the back deck yet?" Benvolio questioned. His cheeks had returned to their normal shade, a fact which Mercutio was eager to change.

"No, I've been here."

"Oh, duh. Well, come on! It's amazing!" Benvolio was jazzed. From the caffeine or from something else, Mercutio did not know. Perhaps it was just the aura of this place.

Before he could ponder it much longer, Benvolio was pulling him outside.

"Come on, you have to see it!"

"Look at the view!" Benvolio gushed, pulling his boyfriend towards the railing and gesturing towards the deck that was teeming with wooden stools and fairy lights.

"It's quaint," Mercutio said, leaning over the railing and gazing over the river that rushed below them.

"My boyfriend, a man of many words," Benvolio joked, smiling.

"Shut it, would you? I'm done wordsmithing for today. This is unfiltered Mercutio."

"A rare sight indeed, then," Benvolio mused, laying his head on Mercutio's shoulder.

"Only for you." Mercutio kisses Ben's cheek, grinning.

"Aww, that's sweet."

"I try, Ben. Like, embarrassingly hard," Mercutio said earnestly.

"You don't have to, you know that? I'd love you regardless," Benvolio replied.

"Yeah, but you'll eventually grow tired of my antics, it always happens."

"Wait, what?" Benvolio asked quizzically, removing his gaze from the river and affixing it to his boyfriend.

"I wouldn't do that!"

"You say that now, but you'll change your tune later. I promise," Mercutio said. His gaze was even, his voice steady, but Ben knew it was all an act. The one thing he wasn't sure about was how to fix it.

"Mercutio, look at me."

Ben grabbed his boyfriend's shoulders, trying to ignore the shaking of his own hands.

"I promise, with every fiber of my being, that I won't grow tired of you. I love you too much for that. Everything about you is too good for me, and I wake up every morning wondering how on earth you managed to find a way to like me, let alone date me. I know that everything is so fucking cliche with us, but that just makes it better."

Benvolio seemed to realize he'd been rambling and caught himself.

"Uh, point is, I love you, and I won't ever grow tired of being around you. Okay?"

Mercutio smiled slightly, and it was a genuine smile this time.

"Okay."

*************************************

Hey guys...
I know it's been way too long. I'm sorry.
I won't give y'all an excuse, because there isn't really one. But, I might post more often. Depends on whether or not I find the time.

Thanks for your patience.
Love y'all.

Peace.