A/N: Apparently once I got started I couldn't stop. Another drabble. Unedited. Beware. Feed me reviews. That is all.
Even after living together for weeks, Anwar was still a little uncomfortable around James, and he thought the feeling was mutual. They just didn't seem to have much in common, except for Maxxie, of course. When Maxxie was there, James and Anwar could joke and laugh together, and they even occasionally ganged up on Maxxie and teased him relentlessly. However, when Maxxie wasn't there, awkwardness ensued. Still, Maxxie had asked them to be at his opening night performance and they couldn't say no.
Maxxie had managed to obtain a small part in a musical. All he was doing was dancing in a few songs but he was content with that. The money wasn't great and, quite frankly, neither was the play, but at least it was some experience and hopefully that would lead to him getting bigger and better roles. Maxxie was talented and he would go far. Both James and Anwar agreed on that.
"This queue is stupidly long," Anwar complained.
James nodded.
"Oo," Anwar continued, looking over the shoulder of the tall man in front of him, "look, it is moving."
"Yup," James replied, rubbing the back of his head. "So you've got the tickets, yeah?"
"Nah, man, you have them," Anwar said, continuing to peer over the shoulder of the man in front.
They both froze and stared at each other.
"What!" Anwar said. "I thought you had them?"
James looked liked he'd swallowed a slug. "Why would I have them?" he demanded. "I gave them to you because they would get all creased in my pockets! You always have giant pockets."
Oh, yeah, Anwar did recall that. Oh crap. He threw his arms in the air.
"You can't trust me with this kind of responsibility!" he cried. "I'm useless!"
"Apparently!" James sniped. He took a deep breath. "Maxxie is going to kill us."
"Uhuh."
"His first performance.
"Yep."
"We're dead."
"Definitely."
James took another breath. "Look, maybe we can buy tickets on the door."
"Yeah, yeah," Anwar said, nodding. "Great plan. So, you've got money, right?"
"No. About fifty pence. You?"
"Why would I have money?!" Anwar demanded. "I went and got the shopping yesterday!"
That had been a disaster. Anwar hadn't checked half the use-by-dates (he had picked up all the stuff on sale) so they had been forced to consume most of it in one day, which had led to James turning rather green and Anwar puking most of it out down the toilet.
"So if you don't have money and I don't have money and we have no tickets," James said resignedly.
"Dead," Anwar repeated. "We are both dead."
"Look, maybe," James said, looking around shiftily. "Maybe we could sneak in."
Anwar looked at James in shock. He had always seemed like such a nice, law-abiding boy. Apart from the drugs. But he hadn't even done those very much. In fact, he had even told Maxxie off once for having too much spliff. Anwar had been fascinated by Maxxie's reaction by this, since Maxxie usually didn't like being told what to do. For James, however, it seemed he would do pretty much anything. That gave Anwar creepy little feelings. He didn't like it.
"I remember the seat numbers," James said, "so we can just find them and sit down. We won't be asked to move because no one else will have those seats so… what could go wrong? I mean, we did pay for the tickets so it is sort of legal."
It really, really wasn't, but it was better than facing Maxxie's disappointment. Anwar shrugged.
"Eh," Anwar said, "what the hell. Come on."
They slipped out of the queue and around the side of the building. It was an old, rubbish venue, and it didn't take long for them to find a good entry point. They scrambled up the side of the building and into an open window. They emerged in some toilets.
"Wow, that was easy," Anwar said.
They heard footsteps and, abruptly, James pushed Anwar into the nearest cubicle and locked the door.
"Hey! What the hell, man! Why–"
James clapped a hand over Anwar's mouth and he was left to mumble incoherently. James pinched him to try and make him stop and Anwar yelped. They waited as someone used the toilet next to them and then washed their hands. Finally, they heard the door opening again as the person presumably exited.
"This is a girl's toilet," James whispered. "Note the lack of urinals."
"Oh yeaah," Anwar said slowly. James had saved them then. He grinned and nodded. "Nice one, James."
They opened the door and came face to face with an old woman, who was looking at them with shock and disapproval.
"Youth these days!" she said. "Copulating in toilets."
"Eh?" Anwar said, in shock. "No, no, no, not me and James…"
James pinched Anwar. Anwar yelped again.
"So sorry ma'am… I just… couldn't keep my hands off him."
He grabbed Anwar's hand. Anwar looked down in shock. Then James pulled Anwar from the toilets and, as soon as they were out of the woman's sight, they leapt apart.
"Gross," Anwar said. "Can't believe she thought that we were… Eew."
"I'm not jumping for joy either," James said through gritted teeth, "but we've got more important things to do. Come on, let's find our seats."
They got to their seats just as the curtain rose and the play began. Anwar watched in amazement as he saw Maxxie come onto the stage and dance. Then Maxxie disappeared for a while and Anwar got bored. He closed his eyes. He'd open them in a few minutes when Maxxie was back on…
"OW!" he yelped.
James had pinched him again. Several people around them glared and tutted disapprovingly at the interruption. Anwar turned his glare on James.
"Pay attention," James ordered.
Anwar sulked.
The play was incredibly dull, but Anwar didn't dare tell Maxxie this afterwards. Maxxie had been good but he hadn't been in it very much. Still, Maxxie was elated and beamed when Anwar and James both complimented him. He accepted a long kiss from James and, when Anwar tried to look at anything apart from that, he thought he spotted the old woman from the toilets staring with wide eyes. She glared at him. Anwar gave her a two fingered salute in response. Dirty old voyeur.
"I'm glad you like it," Maxxie said enthusiastically. "Thanks for coming!"
James and Anwar glanced at each other. In an unspoken agreement they decided that Maxxie would never find out how close they had been to missing the performance. Only when they were alone did they verbalise their relief.
"We were so lucky," James said.
"Yup. Alive." Anwar said. He paused. "Though that play was boring." He winced and hoped James wouldn't be offended. "I mean, Maxxie was great, but seriously…"
"Yeah, I know, it sucked," James said.
Anwar stared in disbelief.
James shifted awkwardly. "And you did not hear me say that."
Anwar nodded. Right.