DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to Skins.

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thanks for reading! Not going to say anything else other than: I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4

Most of the rest of the day was spent dozing on the armchair waiting for Tony to wake up again.

"Maxxie?" I was jerked out of my hazy attempt to catch up on the sleep I had lost during the night by Tony shaking my shoulder.

"Huh?" I blinked sleepily while my eyes brought Tony's face into focus, "Tone?"

"Maxxie, I can't get the shower to work." He gave me another shake to bring out of my sleepy state more quickly.

"No wonder, it never works. It's broken. Why didn't you just run a bath instead?" I rubbed my eyes and moved towards the bathroom, Tony following.

"I didn't think…" he mumbled, looking embarrassed that he couldn't run himself a bath.

I turned on the taps in the bath, "You didn't flush the toilet either, Tone." I pointed out as I noticed the upturned toilet seat and the unflushed loo and went to flush it for Tony, since he had obviously forgotten or whatever. He also had a bit of a problem with his aim.

"I'm sorry Max, I'll do that." He moved forward to take the toilet paper from my hand and cleaned up the mess, "You probably think I'm a fucking moron who can't even piss properly."

Stepping back to watch him throw the dirty toilet paper into the loo and then avoid my eyes as he stood up, I definitely wasn't thinking that he was moron. I felt sorry for him. Not pity, no one could pity Tony. But just sad because this was who Tony was now. It wasn't his fault, he was just…more helpless now. I almost hugged him but knew he'd think that I was pitying him and he'd hate it.

Instead, I changed the subject, "Bath's ready. I'll get you a towel and some of Anwar's clothes since he's the closest to your height." And I left the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

When I returned to the bathroom I made sure to knock on the door before entering, "Can I come in?"

"Sure." He called to me. Thinking he'd still have his clothes on, I happily barged into the room.

"Woah! Sorry, I thought you'd still be dressed!" I lifted the towel and clothes to cover my eyes when I saw him standing, about to climb into the bath, completely naked.

"Don't be a baby, Maxxie. You were bound to see me naked eventually." He said, taking the towel and clothes out of my hands, "Besides, I saw your cock that time I gave you head remember?"

Giving a sigh and reminding myself that I was an adult who shouldn't find it too embarrassing, I reluctantly opened my eyes.

He smirked when he noticed my eyes inevitably glance down to his cock and I shot a glare at him and looked pointedly away. He gave a chuckle and climbed into the bath, testing the water's temperature gingerly before sinking below the water, "Don't act like you haven't always wondered whether it was as big as I pretended it was."

I blushed and changed the subject, fixing my eyes on a spot of the wall next to his face so that I wouldn't have to see his amused expression, "You've got everything you need? There's a spare toothbrush in the cupboard below the sink and I brought you a towel and a change of clothes."

I made for the door but stopped when Tony said, "Don't leave me."

I met his eye with a confused expression, "Why not? This is kind of awkward isn't it?"

"You're just shy. I want some company. Please?" he said, grabbing the sponge and soap from the soap dish.

I rubbed the back of my neck and turned to sit on the closed lid of the toilet. "Fine." Before realising it would extra awkward if I just sat there and stared at him. "So… do you have any plans as to what you're going to do while you're in London?"

Tony frowned, "I'm sick of talking about me. What about you, Maxxie? What've you been doing in London?"

"Uh, lots I guess. It's been pretty wonderful actually. Me and James are at the same dance school and still auditioning for musicals. He's got an audition this afternoon in fact-"

"I don't want to talk about James, Max. I just want to know about you." He said in a matter of fact kind of way. I wasn't sure if I should be offended for James or take it as a compliment that he was interested in me, "I'm getting there. I've made a couple of really cool friends. There's a lot of interesting people here in London. A lot more gays of course. I've got James though, but it's nice to have friends who are like me. Miss my parents and home though sometimes. Mum keeps trying to get me to come home. Somehow she doesn't want to believe that I can only come home during the holidays."

"But you're happy here, right?" Tony asked, almost attentively while soaping up his chest.

"Yeah, 'course. It's great here."

"You ever hear from the others?" he asked, clearly meaning our old friends: Jal, Michelle, Sid and Cassie.

"Not directly but you hear the occasional news from the parents. I hear Sid went to New York to get Cassie!"

Tony grinned slightly, "Yeah, finally convinced him to go find her."

"And," I began hesitantly, "I heard you and Michelle broke up."

"Michelle?" he smiled slightly at the sound of her name and continued scrubbing his arms, "Yeah, we ended it before I left for Cardiff. We wouldn't have worked in the long-run."

"So no new girl then?" I asked the obvious question that followed.

"I don't need girls, Maxxie." He looked up at me with those blue eyes of his, "I just need you."

Ugh, why did he do that!? Say something like that when he was supposed to be a sociopath with whom it was just a bad idea to get involved. He was not supposed to say things that gave me shivers and made my heart clench. Remember what happened after Russia, Maxxie! Remember the shit you got yourself in because of it!

"Tone…"

"Yes, Max?" he asked innocently, gaze still fixed to mine.

"Nothing…" I didn't even know where to start. My mind was too confused to even form a sentence, let alone talk to Tony when he was being so…frustratingly indiscernible.

"Max, I'm home!"

Both Tony and I were startled out of our thoughts and looked up at the door and the general direction of James' voice.

"Hi babe!" I called back and ignored Tony's quiet, "Maxxie…" while I hurried out of the bathroom and away from Tony and the confusing thoughts he sparked in me to go and greet James.

"Hi, Maxxie." James greeted me with a small kiss after I gave him a quick hug.

"How was the audition?" I immediately put on the kettle while he dropped his bag on the kitchen table and sank into an armchair.

"Alright, better than the last one."

"That's good, think you'll get it?" I pulled out three mugs and popped teabags into them.
He rubbed his eyes tiredly and gave a grin, "I don't want to speak too soon but…yeah, I think I might have."

"I'm so happy for you, babe."

"Thanks… How's Tony?"

"Alright. More himself, which is good." I came to sit on the couch, "He's just in the bath now."

"So when's he leaving?"

"James!" I chastised, hoping Tony didn't hear, "He said he doesn't want to back to university and I have yet to convince him to go back to his parents at least."

"Well he can't stay here forever."

"I know that, but obviously something's happened and he's my friend. He isn't a hundred percent okay." I was practically whispering now but James didn't seem to get the message.

"Yeah, I get it. Just as long as if he doesn't keep us from living our lives. Especially if I get that part, I don't some mental patient distracting me."

I stared at James' rude bluntness and was amazed at how I had never noticed what an arsehole he could be sometimes.

The realisation made me sick to my stomach.

A/N: I know that some of you might not like it if James is horrible, but for the purpose of this story he kind of needs to have some flaws, I don't want to say anything more now because I don't want to spoil the ending (which I have written) so I'll explain in more detail at the end of the last chapter. I hope you liked this chapter and would really appreciate a review:) -Cloey