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Post by Jack King on Aug 17, 2013 19:59:16 GMT -5
One great thing about working as a teacher was the nigh unlimited access to the facilities after the last bell rang. Jack's fingers danced along the keys of the piano, grateful that his class was an elective and thus required so much less paperwork. So much less work in general. Some of the kids showed some real talent, too, and he loved helping them grow. Though, he had found most (even those WITH talent) didn't really put in much effort.
There were a few diamonds in the rough, though, he mused as he moved to a new melody. Seamlessly letting the notes transition and transcend as they wished as he thought.
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Post by Hotaru King on Aug 17, 2013 20:13:01 GMT -5
Yutaka entered the fine arts hall, judging by the sound of the piano playing not too far off he knew he was close to the music room. He was the new assistant for the music teacher here, and he was rather excited for it too. The principal had told him that this Jack King was younger, but they should get along pretty well.
He was glad he was finally getting a decent job again, now that he had been nearly a year sober everything was starting to look up for him again. He turned to walk into the music room, seeing only the back of the guy's head since he was playing the piano. Not really knowing what else to do, he knocked on the wall to get his attention.
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Post by Jack King on Aug 17, 2013 20:40:26 GMT -5
The notes broke off somewhat abruptly as the peace was shattered, fingers fumbling as the quiet was pierced by the small knock. Jack winced at the mistake that had come from his usually so talented fingers before he glanced over to the intruder-
"Matsuda..?" The name fell from his mouth almost like a prayer, a hope beyond all hope that either it would be real or that he'd wake up from the dream now. It took him a moment to remember to breathe.
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Post by Hotaru King on Aug 17, 2013 20:48:59 GMT -5
Yutaka's eyes widen at the name, and it took him nearly everything he had to shake information out if him for who he knew that name in the first place. Another part of the shock was that he knew this guy, he knew he knew him, but he couldn't exactly remember from what. It was on the tip of his tongue though...
The older man had to clear his throat and get his head together. "No... but that's-" he paused. "That was my son's name. I'm Yutaka, you're new assistant." He furrowed his brows a little in a curious manner. "...Have we met before?" It was bugging him now, he KNEW he knew this guy.
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Post by Jack King on Aug 17, 2013 21:06:22 GMT -5
It took all of Jack's willpower to not jump, in one direction to get away or in another to strangle this man, and only get up from his seat to face Yutaka Megumi. "Once." He said, tersely, the soul crushing ache of Matsuda's death freshened from the arrival of the man's father.
"My fiance and I kicked the shit out of you." He added, not quite glaring, though his look was by no means friendly.
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Post by Hotaru King on Aug 17, 2013 21:16:59 GMT -5
Memories of what happened hit Yutaka like a ton of bricks. This was the boy that was with Hotaru that day, the same day he had seen his son before he died. "Oh..." was about all he could think to say in reply. He said his fiance, so they were getting married? That would make this kid his son-in-law, and he was practically his boss...
"That, umm... that was a while back..." he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Well, this wasn't what he expected.
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Post by Jack King on Aug 17, 2013 21:54:37 GMT -5
Not long enough in Jack's opinion. He tucked his hands into his pockets to keep himself from digging his nails into his palms out of tension. "Does the school know you're an alcoholic with a history of spousal and child abuse?" Because he might just have to let it slip... Jack wasn't a spiteful person, really, but there was a lot of lingering hatred over the man that had driven the woman he loved most in the world out onto the streets when she was a child.
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Post by Hotaru King on Aug 17, 2013 22:11:00 GMT -5
Yutaka sighed, expecting the question once he fully recognized the brunette. "Well, that's the wonders of rehab I guess." He started out with. "Somehow I got some strings pulled, and the deal is I get one chance and one chance only." If he screwed up once, even the smallest bit of rage or alcohol, he was done for.
"Look, if you give me a chance I can explain everything." He figured he might as well get everything out in the open right then. Maybe, just maybe, if he could earn Jack's trust, he could help him get through to Hotaru. He was already on the way to getting Akane back, hopefully he could get his daughter back too(though he wouldn't hold his breath, he really didn't blame her for what he had done).
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Post by Jack King on Aug 17, 2013 22:24:08 GMT -5
Jack hemmed and hawed for a few more moments, inner desire to send the man packing warring with his knowledge that second chances often yielded positive results (just look at Aiden). He ground out a sigh and nodded to signal for the other man to start talking.
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Post by Hotaru King on Aug 17, 2013 22:50:14 GMT -5
The blonde ran a hand through his hair as he tried to get his words right. "When... When I heard about Matsuda, I was devastated, and I know that's hard to believe." He kept moving his hand anxiously, it was nerve racking explaining to someone who might not believe him. "I knew I wouldn't be welcomed at the funeral, so I waited until everyone left..."
He looked away from Jack, trying to hide the fact that his eyes were watering, he didn't deserve to cry after what he put his family through. "He.. he was my little boy, and hurt him so much," his voice was cracking a little. "I went back home and I got to thinking about everything." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I ruined my life, everything was gone because of me. I tried to kill myself, really, but for some reason nothing seemed to do the trick." Jammed guns, no stable ropes, for some reason the world didn't want a monster like him dead.
"So I figured if I couldn't do a world a favor like that, then I should at least try and get my life together and try to make up for what I've done." Matsuda would have wanted that, the more he got to thinking. "So I checked myself into a rehabilitation center, and yeah. Been clean almost a year." He looked at Jack with the most sincere expression he could muster. "I do love my family, and I want them back. If they don't want me, then I'll respect that. I just want one chance to make things right." It was all he could do, even if it wasn't much.
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Post by Jack King on Aug 17, 2013 23:45:36 GMT -5
Jack thought long and hard on Yutaka's words; turning them over in his head as he analyzed the sincerity, weighed the meaning... And eventually found his memories, second-hand in some cases, first in others, socking him in the gut.
Because Hotaru's father was trying to FIX what he had broken. He was trying to make things right and pick up the pieces, and that felt like a stab of betrayal to Jack. How DARE this man do something so right after all he had done wrong... How dare he make it harder to hate him...
How dare he manage to somehow wind up becoming a better father than Jack's own. How dare he wake up and actually see what damage he had caused to the people around him when Mr King had only ignored it. How dare he visit his son and mourn, instead of staring coldly at the body before deciding that it wasn't worth the effort anymore. How dare he make contact with people who might have missed him, instead of leaving with nothing more than a typed note, impersonal and cold as the last remaining ties were clipped like dead branches from the family tree.
How dare he apologize and take responsibility instead of shifting the blame. How dare he respect the feelings of those he hurt, taking them into consideration instead of tossing them aside as inconveniences. How dare he see his family crashing down around his ears and do something to try and help heal what he had hurt instead of driving a wedge even deeper.
HOW DARE HE.[/i]
And Jack was shaking a bit, trembling with the weight of betrayal and hope as they mixed and shifted and settled into a poison that hurt so badly but was inextricably part of his soul.
His hands, which had come free from their cloth pocketed prison, we're clenched into fists with his arms tight across his torso. He let out a breath of air, an irritated sigh that contained more frustration and irony than he cared to admit.
There was a long moment of silence.
"..........Fine."
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Post by Hotaru King on Aug 18, 2013 0:30:59 GMT -5
Yutaka nodded as Jack came to his decision. "Thank you." He wasn't sure what Jack would say, and the trembling and long silence from the brunette wasn't helping his anxiety, but somehow he found it in him to give him a chance. He wouldn't be sorry, he'd make sure of it!
So, where did they go from here? Should he ask how Hotaru was doing, or would that be too much for the moment? Show him around the music room, but what if not asking about his daughter right off the bat seem wrong after all he'd just said? Son of a bitch, why was this so hard?
He looked over Jack's shoulder to the piano, maybe getting on his good side would help, then he could ease in on the topic of Hotaru. "You're good." He started, trying to get out of the uncomfortable silence. "I play too... mind me giving it a whirl?" He had been playing since he was a boy(his parents had INSISTED he played not one but two instruments), and even though he had that rough patch with the alcohol thing, he had been able to pick piano and guitar back up like it was nothing. His singing was still good too, so that was another plus.
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Post by Jack King on Aug 20, 2013 13:25:29 GMT -5
Jack nodded his thanks and stepped to the side to let Yutaka have a clear path to the piano. "Go ahead, gotta see how good you are before classes pick back up." It was a Friday afternoon, so he had the weekend to figure out how to work Yutaka into the class schedule. And he'd have to text Hotaru and let her know he'd be back a little later than usual today and might be out a bit over the weekend...
This was going to be a fun topic to discuss over dinner.
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Post by Hotaru King on Aug 20, 2013 13:44:18 GMT -5
Yutaka nodded, taking a seat on the piano bench and placing his hands on the keys. Well, if he was wanting to see how good he was, why not sing a little something too? He WAS the one that taught Matsuda so many years ago, surely Jack had heard him at some point.
Still thinking about his son, he figured something Skillet would do just fine as he started to play. He'd realize later that maybe the words were relating somewhat to him at the moment, but he just chose it for now because he always loved the piano in it.
"Turned on the tv yesterday,
So much pain bleeding through, I had to look away.
But inside me the picture's just the same,
And everytime I open up my eyes, nothing seems to change,"
((I can't link it here, but the song's called Hard To Find by Skillet of course :3))
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Post by Jack King on Aug 20, 2013 15:25:10 GMT -5
Jack leaned back against a wall of the music room as Yutaka played and sang... He had a good voice, Jack noted, and it was easy to see where Matsu had gotten his talent from...
It was still too soon to think about Matsu, Jack realized as a quick stab of pain hit him. He could only imagine how Yutaka was faring.
He was very good though, definitely good enough for the position (better than he really needed to be, but Jack wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "You're not bad yourself." He said as the song came to an end.
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