The Odd Couple

Mercutio stood in front of the mirror, smiling at his feathery cloak, the tattered fabric nearly gracing the floor as he straightened his shirt beneath the brocaded waist cincher, tight leggings and calf-high boots, admiring his reflection when Escalus stepped in.

“You should have seen Atl’s face when he saw the outfit... I think I should have gotten a photo of that and framed it on my wall...”

Mercutio frowned, looking at his friend in the reflection of the full-length mirror. “Don’t look at me,” he said, crossing his arms as he shifted his weight to his other foot. “If you’ll remember, at that meeting, I didn’t vote for that outfit, that was done by you and Benvolio.”

Escalus sighed as he rolled his eyes, coming up behind his friend to help him straighten the shirt under the cincher. “Ah, yes... I remember...”

Mercutio smiled at his friend, the faint lines around his mouth and corners of his eyes accented by the paleness of his face as he stood there before his friend. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he gave him a firm squeeze, mismatched eyes shining a little before Escalus sighed again.

“Your suggestion would not have made him the least bit happier...”

The laugh that echoed around the room made Escalus feel more at home, sighing as he settled down.

“Yeah, well, personally, I’d’ve liked to see if he would have gone for it... The courts need a good scandal to talk about...”

Escalus smiled wryly, turning to leave the room, Mercutio following with a grin.

“But... why naked?” he asked as they closed the door behind them, Mercutio giving another laugh, this one distinctly more like a cackle.

(Author's Note:  This was originally much longer, but it was more of a filler at this point anyways.)