Title: Contact
Author: scy
Feedback: scynneh@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine
Fandom: Skins
Pairing: Tony/Maxxie
Rating: PG
Spoilers: up through season 2
Summary: Staying in touch
Author's Notes: Pairing requested by sarkastic.
May 2008

Even when they weren't hanging out, they made a point to keep in touch.

"Were you asleep?" Maxxie asked.

"No." Tony breathed softly into the phone and Maxxie waited to see if he was going to say anything. When he didn't, Maxxie continued.

"My show is tomorrow night, you're coming, right?"

"I don't know."

"You've been to all the practices, it seems a shame to miss out on the real thing."

"You'll have to come around and pick me up," Tony said.

"Like always," Maxxie said and then they talked about other stuff.

Tony was in the audience at every show, but first he hung out with Maxxie backstage.

"Does your Mum worry, with you being out late and all?" Maxxie asked.

"She's been sleeping a lot," Tony said, watching as Maxxie ran his fingers through his hair. He was trying to achieve a balance between mussed and shaggy.

"Okay," Maxxie said and frowned.

In the mirror behind him, Tony smiled, and shook his head. He pushed off the counter and came up beside Maxxie. "You're thinking too hard, forget about Anwar and that freaky girl."

"He's my friend," Maxxie said, and frowned at Tony. "How are you and Sid doing? Did you at least talk to him?"

"Don't change the subject," Tony warned, and narrowed his eyes. "You look like you fell in a dishwasher."

"What?"

"I mean sofa," Tony hissed. "Dryer."

"Okay." Maxxie didn't dwell on Tony's trouble with words. If he let him work it out, Tony would find what he wanted to say would let go of it too. "That's not the look I was going for."

Tony ducked his head, still frustrated, and Maxxie nudged him in the arm.

"Could you fix it for me?"

"Your hair?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, my hair."

"Why me?" Tony asked, not suspicious the way he used to be when he when he could tell that somebody was trying to pull one over on him, but confused, wondering what he should say.

"Come on, Tone, you always look good, and I'm just a little nervous."

"You don't get scared," Tony said, but stepped closer, stared at Maxxie for a couple seconds and then took Maxxie's comb and began combing it out.

"Will Anwar be there?" Tony asked.

"Dunno, I don't see why."

"Maybe he wants to see how you're doing."

"Not likely. He's got a girlfriend now."

"So he doesn't need friends?" Tony asked, chewing on his lower lip.

Maxxie shrugged. "Guess not."

Tony slapped Maxxie lightly upside the head. "I'm brain damaged, and I know that's stupid. Here, take a look." He spun Maxxie around to face the mirror.

Maxxie gazed at his reflection and reached up only to get his hand pushed back down.

"Stop that, just leave it be, Maxxie." Before his accident, Tony would have said something cutting, now he just glanced down at the comb in his hand and passed it over.

"You're all ready."

"Thanks." Maxxie put a hand on Tony's elbow, hanging on, and guiding him to the doorway, where Jal was standing, waiting to walk with Tony to their seats.

"Am I going home with you?" Tony asked.

"I don't know, are you?" Maxxie asked.

Jal glanced between them. "Just say yes," she said, "it's almost time to start."

Tony stared at Maxxie. "I've got homework to finish."

"Penmanship?" Maxxie asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll come find you after the show."

Sweet was a new way to describe Tony's smile, but it fit often, lately, and so Maxxie kept on using the word and returned it.

Maxxie's mother brought food up to his room when they got home, patting Maxxie on the back as he followed Tony up the stairs.

"Did you bring your books?" Maxxie asked.

Tony rolled his eyes and pointed to the bed. "I left them here."

"Great," Maxxie said and found his own homework. He lay back on the bed. leaving Tony with a seat at the desk.

He looked up when he heard Tony curse, and watched as Tony flexed his hands and dropped his pencil on the desk.

Maxxie reached over and took Tony's hand in his and began pressing his thumbs into Tony's palm.

Tony wouldn't say anything, but Maxxie knew that these days it was sort of an effort to write things out. He did better with a keyboard, but several professors insisted on Tony relearning cursive, and gave him assignments to make up for the time he supposedly saved otherwise.

Maxxie used to do his homework in his own bedroom, but since Sketch inserted herself into the group, he shut his curtains and got out of the house as often as he could.

Tony's kitchen was a good refuge, and his parents didn't worry when they knew where he was.

When Maxxie felt the cramp ease out of Tony's hand, he let it go and Tony's offered the others without a word, and they let the homework wait for a little while.

-end