James left for the theater before his mother woke up. Although it was unlikely she saw anything, he was still sufficiently embarrassed of masturbating with his mother in the room. And after the tirade the night before, he was not ready to face her.

He arrived at the theater a few hours early and expected to find the place empty, so he was surprised to find Logan performing by himself on the main stage.

The shorter brunette had moved to the area from San Francisco. According to rumors, Gustavo had hand picked him to join the troupe and paid for all his expenses to relocate. Gustavo hadn't done that for an actor in several years, so if it was true, then Logan must be extremely talented.

Logan was still a mystery to James. He couldn't quite figure him out. Most of the time, though, James didn't like him. Everything about the other boy seemed to grate on his nerves. His grin was crooked and his teeth were just too perfect.

James stood at the back of the auditorium and watched Logan perform. His eyes narrowed in anger when he realized the other boy was practicing his soliloquy. He crossed his arm over his chest and continued to watch.

"Beautiful, isn't he?"

James was startled by the voice, and turned to see Gustavo standing beside him.

"His movements are imprecise, but elegant. It's effortless. You're always too controlled."

James pursed his lips as he felt the burn of jealousy deep in his soul at the director's comments.

"I just want to be perfect," he confessed, trying to defend himself.

"And that's exactly why you aren't."

With that, Gustavo headed to his office, leaving James to watch Logan as he stewed in his resentment.

The rest of the day, James had a chip on his shoulder. He had something to prove. He had to prove that he was better than Logan. He had to prove he could be perfect. He wanted to show Gustavo that he was wrong.

They had been working on a pivotal scene (Daedalus and Icarus had just been locked in the labyrinth by King Minos) and the director was riding him pretty hard. James felt like nothing he did was good enough for the man.

"No, James! Do that line again. You're too stiff!"

With every insult thrown at him, his mind would travel back to Logan and what Gustavo had said that morning. This should have fueled James' performance, but instead he found it harder and harder to focus.

His mind became so consumed with Logan that he kept making stupid mistakes. This only caused Gustavo to yell more. It was a vicious cycle.

"James, I need to see the passion in you. Icarus is about hubris. Unleash it!"

James ran through the dialogue again, pleased that the large man had not interrupted the scene to reprimand him, but this emotion was short lived. The actor locked eyes with the director and could tell he was still unimpressed.

Gustavo let out a deep sigh that breathed nothing but disappointment. "Let's just call it a day. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow. You can go home, guys."

"Gustavo, wait!" James called as the man started to leave the area, "Can you stay and work with me? Maybe some one on one time with help."

Without even looking in James' direction, the burly man said, "No," and kept walking.

James stood there stunned.

He didn't care what Gustavo said. He was not going home. He was not giving up. If he had to stay all night working on the scene all alone, he would. Some alone time at the theater would do him good. He would be able to focus with out any interruptions, as long as he could keep his mind off of Logan. He had been trying to do that all day actually, but he could not escape him. It seemed that the shorter boy was everywhere.

During rehearsal, Logan was there watching him. When went out for some fresh air, Logan was there reading a book. When he went to the restroom, Logan was there as he left. When he went to the vending machine for some Gatorade, Logan was there getting a snack.

But he was alone now. He could focus on the scene without the other boy distracting him.

Only he couldn't. A noise off stage startled him.

"Who's there?"

"Hey," a voice called in return.

James craned his neck to get a better look at the shadowy figure approaching. He frowned when he realized it was Logan.

"Are you okay?" the shorter boy asked.

"I'm fine."

Logan wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" his voice broke, betraying his words.

Logan sat down on the stage next to where James was standing. When James didn't automatically do the same, he reached up and tugged on his arm, pulling the taller boy down next to him. Logan dug into his messenger bag and pulled out some toast. He had two slices and offered one to James.

"You're not supposed to eat in here," James said as he pushed the bread away.

"I won't tell if you won't." Logan smiled and winked at James before taking a bite.

There was a short silence between the two. It was neither awkward nor comfortable.

"So, we're getting close to the big day, huh? I can't wait. You're going to be so amazing!" Logan gushed.

"Thanks." That had been the first compliment James had received all day. He didn't realize how much it meant to him until he felt a tear roll down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away, but Logan saw it.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing. It's just been a hard day."

Logan nodded like he understood. He tried his best to comfort James. "Gustavo is… a jerk."

"He's brilliant," James countered. "He has had 29 sold out seasons. In a row."

"Yeah, sure, brilliant. But that doesn't mean he's warm and fuzzy. I know he has a temper."

"You don't know him."

"And you do?" Logan smirks with an eyebrow raised. The question was loaded with innuendo.

James stood up abruptly, his face was flushed with embarrassment. "I should go. It's getting late."

"I was just teasing, James," Logan called after him. The taller boy didn't respond as he walked away quickly. "James, wait!"

A/N: Huge apology for taking so long with this update. I did go some time without internet, but I don't have much of a good excuse for my absence besides that Tumblr and Drawception are very addicting. I appreciate all the reviews begging for an update. I only wish it they weren't anon so I could have assured you that the story had not been abandoned. Thanks for sticking with me. Expect another update with in the next week.