Smallest Bits

Performance

The crowd hushed and hummed as the curtains swept aside on the giant stage, every eye pinned to the crafted Victorian buildings that spun into place with the help of black clad stagehands. The audience was hushed into a focused silence. Older women in their groups of four out for a girls night on the town settled in their seats and men reluctantly sitting beside their wives had their attention forced to the performance.

The most out of place were the two boys seated together on the edge of the isle, dressed in their best formal wear for the play which didn't hold a dollar to the outfits worn by the rest of the audience. Theo was dressed in a black vest and white undershirt that had originally been a costume for his own drama performance he'd starred in a few months back, complete with black slacks. His hair was neatly curled and every part of him was spick and span. He just pretending that was why he'd gotten so many looks when he'd walked into the lobby holding a set of tickets for the Victorian musical, and not because of who he'd walked in with.

Theo glanced to his company, who was giving the stage the kind of focus required for deciphering a difficult chemistry equation. Mitch was wearing his only white button-up that hadn't been stained or torn, usually reserved for weddings or funerals, along with a pair of jeans that had somehow been spared of oil stains. For once he wasn't wearing his usual cap, having even brushed back his hair as it fought with his natural part to flop back into his eyes.

"Are the black guys a part of the play?" he asked, leaning in towards Theo's ear as he tried not to interrupt the booming voice of the man pronouncing his lines at the front of the auditorium.

"The people wearing black?" Theo grinned, trying not to snort as he rephrased the question. "No, they're stagehands, they help move the background for the scene."

"Oh. Thought they were like shadowy background characters or something."

Theo shook his head and brought his attention back to the stage, watching a sweeping of young gentleman suitors attempt to impress a lady in gold and white. The audience made soft gasps of awe and gentle murmurs at the sight of the woman's grand dress, frills dancing with her steps and brushing the old pavement outside a sparkling stone palace. The first song had the crowd captivated by tales of royal discourse. Everyone in the crowd except Mitch.

"Did I miss something? Why's she singing?"

Theo blinked and looked towards Mitch's furrowed expression as he stared at him for answers, or more grabbed his attention for himself.

"She's singing about how she isn't allowed to pick a husband."

"Oh right..." Mitch turned his head back to the performance at the clarification but continued, "I thought that guy putting on her shoes was her husband."

"No that was a servant, she said that."

"Got it... Just outta curiosity, how long did you say this play was?"

Theo's expression shrunk into a neutral stare, trying to just keep his eyes on the stage and hoping Mitch was doing the same. How much did he spend on these tickets?

"It's three hours with an intermission... I told you when I booked our tickets."

"I know, I know. Just forgot... How far are we into it?"

"Ten minutes."

"Yeah... Alright..."

Theo closed his eyes and let out a sigh, a pressure deflating from his chest.

"We can leave early if you want," he said, opening his eyes again and watching the dipping and prancing of the couple on stage to keep his thoughts elsewhere. "Intermission is an hour and a half in."

"No no no no no, I'm watching. I promised I'd come to your performance thingy with you, and I'm here at the thingy. I wanna watch it all."

Mitch narrowed his eyes and sat forward in his seat, propping his elbows on each armrest and folding his fingers under his nose to examine the piece infront of him. Theo watched him out of the corner of his eye, but just seeing him put so much mental effort into paying attention was making him smirk, holding back a chortle. He could almost hear the gears in his head whurling with a look like that. The dedication required from Mitch to force himself into a seat for three hours and watch musical theatre had Theo's cheeks warming, knowing that he was only doing this for him. He was definitely paying for tickets to the racetrack next weekend.

Writing Prompt

As author, create a crowd. Then pick two characters from it (or in it), show them directly, and let us know from their dialogue how differently each sees the event or experience. When you move back to the crowd, move back to the authorial voice. Make this switch several times. [25 minutes]

Authors Note

They're so gay.