Okay, it's not classical but here's my musical reference link for this chapter. It's Man! I Feel Like A Woman by Shania Twain. Just go with it, it'll make sense when you read it (REMEMBER, YOU HAVE TO PUT THE DOTS IN YOURSELF): youtube com/watch?v=ZJL4UGSbeFg

Also, on my Tumblr (musicaljackrabbit) I recently reblogged a picture of human Bunnymund. Of course, I prefer regular rabbit Bunnymund but in this story he is, of course, human and so it's fun to see what he looks like.

Tally ho, jackrabbit!

Play For Me, Jack

Chapter 10

Jack drummed his fingers gently as he waited at the table he'd been taken to by the waitress in a little restaurant in Shadyside. He figured since he was inviting Bunny that he shouldn't have to make him come out too far on a Sunday and as the minutes ticked by he began to wonder why on earth he'd thought this was a good idea. He was genuinely nervous again and it wasn't the good 'he's so hot, I know I'm gonna embarrass myself' kind of nervous from before. It was the 'I hardly spoke to him on Friday and now he's gonna think something's up' kind of nervous and he really didn't want to have to deal with the initial awkwardness that was inevitably coming. Hopefully bringing Bunny to an upscale kind of place like this would earn him some kudos and help him get back to where they were. Still, his shakiness on Friday was probably going to come up and so he braced himself for the worst.

After a little while, he saw Bunny walk into the restaurant and held up a hand to show where he was. Bunny waved back and began to walk over making Jack feel all the more jumpy as he approached.

"Morning" Bunny said cheerily, "Thanks for inviting me out"

"No problem" Jack replied hoping the smile he'd put on his face looked genuine.

"Just you?"

"Yeah. Just me. Not a problem, is it?"

"No, 'course not. So what's this place all about?"

"It's pretty nice. They do good brunch"

"Brunch" said Bunny smiling, "People don't really go for brunch back home"

"No?"

"Nah. It's breakfast or nothing 'til lunch"

"Huh. Well, maybe it'll be nice to mix it up a little"

"Yeah. If there's one thing American's do well it's breakfast"

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. Fat, carbs, sugar, all of it. What more could you want first thing in the morning?"

Jack smirked, "Maybe an antacid right after?"

"Well, gotta treat yourself from time to time. Usually all I get is fruit and granola"

"I figured"

"How so?"

"Well," Jack began as he realized he'd already walked himself into a potentially awkward brain fart, "You, uh…you clearly look after yourself"

Bunny smirked, "You think so?"

Had he not become used to humiliation by now his cheeks most certainly would have been burning, "I mean, I guess. You have to work out to look like that, right?"

"Yeah, you're right" Bunny replied trying not to sound smug. If anything he found it funny that Jack was verbally squirming once again and he'd certainly learned the signs to know it when he saw it by now. "Takes time and effort but I figure the results pay for themselves"

"I bet they do"

"You bet they do?"

Jack gulped. Damn it, Jack! Shut up!" he thought to himself. "Uh, so anyway, now you've been here a while, what do you think?"

Bunny looked around. "It seems nice, I suppose"

"No, I meant Pittsburgh"

"Oh, right. Yeah, it's nice here. Can't wait for it to get warmer though. It will, right?"

"Yeah, it does but not for a while yet. We won't be here right in the middle of summer though"

"Oh yeah, tour. That'll be fun"

"I don't know where we're going yet"

"I do. Wanna know?"

"Sure"

"You'll probably be the first so you can't tell"

"I promise. Especially not Tooth who I definitely do not see pretty much everyday and tell everything to"

Bunny chuckled, "Okay, but no further than that"

"Okay"

"Right. So, there's Paris"

"As usual"

"Right. Then there's Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt"

"Sam old, same old"

"Then London and then, finally, Geneva"

"Ooh, Geneva. Never been there"

"The other are places all pretty standard, eh?"

"Yeah, although I like going there. Especially London"

"Not Paris?"

"Paris is awesome, but in London everyone speaks English"

"Yeah, London's great"

"You studied there, right?"

"Yeah. Spent two years there"

"So, it'll be like going home, I guess"

"Nah. I'm a true blue Aussie, mate. London's great but I ain't a pom. Gimme kangaroos and barbeques over red busses and crumpets any day of the week"

"Pom?"

"English person"

"Oh. What's that all about?"

"It's just an Australian word. Like, for the weather, you could say it's as dry as a pommy's towel."

"Huh?"

"'Cos they don't wash"

Jack laughed. "Come on, they must"

"Yeah, but you know. Australian slang"

"Okay, if you say so"

The two smiled at one another and then went back their menus.

"I'm in the mood for melon" Bunny eventually said.

"What happened to fat, carbs and sugar?"

Bunny lifted his shirt and patted his tummy which was not in the least bit flabby. Bunny had fantastic abs which Jack's eyes widened at the sight of. "This is what happened to 'em" Bunny said before laughing. It took Jack a second to gain control of his mind and realize that Bunny was being modest. He began to laugh along just a little too late and that was what suddenly put a damper on the situation. Without anything being said, the two of them could feel that Jack's delayed and obviously feigned laughing had brought up the recent edginess that had existed between them and slowly their smiles died away. The two sat in silence for a second before being interrupted by the waitress. They ordered quickly and were then back to trying not to catch each other's eye. It became so painful so quickly that Bunny just couldn't let it carry on.

"Okay, Jacky, what's wrong?"

Jack gritted his teeth before forcing out some words, "Nothing. Everything's fine"

"If you say everything's fine then everything is definitely not fine"

"You don't know that. This could just be the way I am"

"Well, it's not. You're too spring-loaded to be so stiff. So, come on, what's eatin' ya?"

Jack sighed and found he just couldn't bring himself to telling Bunny what had been getting at him. Still, he could at least try to break ground on it.

"Okay…Okay, here's the thing. You're hot"

Bunny humphed amusedly, "Okay…uh, thanks"

"And…the thing is. Every time I try to be friendly I get tongue-tied and say something stupid"

"Or do something stupid"

"Hey, who's telling this?"

"Sorry, go on"

"Well…that's pretty much it"

Bunny was quiet for a second, "So, what does this mean? You like me?"

"No! I mean, yeah. I really want to be your friend"

"Ah" said Bunny and sitting back with a smile. Jack knew that look. Had he actually just friend-zoned himself? Had he actually fucking done that?! "Oh, you stupid, fucking idiot, Jack!" he screamed to himself as he self-sabotaged any chance of finding a way to ask Bunny about anything more that could exist between them. Before he could retract, it seemed Bunny had already sealed the deal.

"Well, don't worry about it, mate. We are friends, aren't we? And I gotta tell ya it's nice to have a friend here. Makes it so much easier to settle in. In fact, you and Tooth have been nicer to me than I expected so I'm glad to have you both as mates"

"No! No, no no!" Jack cried on the inside as he listened to Bunny's acceptance of his misspoken attempt at clarifying his feelings. Forcing out a smile he did his best not to screw up his face and crawl into a ball. "Okay, great" he lied, "Listen, I'm just gonna run to the bathroom"

"Okay, see ya in a mo…mate" Bunny replied with a smile. As Jack scampered away he looked down at his hands on the table and sighed. Damn it. He hadn't realized Jack just wanted to be friends. Then again, that was his own fault really. He'd assumed that Jack might be interested in him without actually finding out whether he would even be open to something more. Sure, he hadn't really put much thought into what that might be but he hadn't even considered that Jack might not want a relationship. Least of all with some guy he just met. Jack was simply a nice a guy trying to be friendly to a foreign stranger and Bunny appreciated him for that. It's not everyday he'd find someone willing to go out of their way to make him feel welcome and it was asinine of him to assume Jack would want to get into his pants as soon as look at him.

In the bathroom, Jack banged his head repeatedly against the stall wall. He'd done it now. He'd ruined his chances and all because of a poorly timed verbal slip up. That was his problem though. He could never get the right words out at the right time when it came to something important and it wasn't the first time he'd sabotaged a potential relationship with a poorly timed 'friend' comment. What was wrong with him? Was he subconsciously afraid of a relationship? Was his brain somehow stopping him from finding someone by screwing up everything he said and making him act like a moron? It seemed that way. It really did by now and as he slid down onto the toilet he placed his head in his hands and slowly slid his fingers into his hair. "What an absolute fuck up…" he thought he sighed sadly. There was nothing to be done now. It was over. Actually, maybe not entirely. He'd still have to be berated by Tooth for burning his bridge to Bunny's affection.

Later on, after they had finished brunch and Jack had done a rather brilliant job of holding back both his frustration and despair, the pair stood outside on the sidewalk.

"This was nice" Bunny said as he turned to Jack, "Thanks again for the invite"

"No problem. I just thought it would be nice to show you a little more stuff in your own neighbourhood."

"Yeah. I drive past this place everyday and I wondered what it was like"

"Well, I'm glad you liked it. Maybe next time we can go somewhere downtown"

"Well, maybe for lunch this week. Perhaps Tooth would like to come"

"Oh, no doubt. She likes you a lot"

"Oh, good. Hey, Jack, thanks"

"For what?"

"For being so friendly. It's made it real easy to get going here, having someone telling you the ins and outs and showing you around"

"Don't even worry about it. I'm happy to do it, although it was Tooth who suggested we say hi in the first place"

"Well, I'll have to thank her too for being so nice"

"If there's one thing to say about Tooth it's that she's nice. In fact, that's gotta be an understatement."

"Yeah, she does seem rather exciteable"

"You should see her first thing in the morning. It's nearly unbearable"

"I guess I'll see it on tour in the summer"

"At least you've got a while to get used to the idea. No fooling, she really is a morning person"

"Okay, I'll start getting ready"

"Haha. Yeah"

So, anyway, thanks again for dragging me out"

"Again, you're welcome. What are you up to now?"

"If got some working out to do. Fancy joining me?"

"Cardio?"

"Nah. I gotta blast these guns" Bunny said as he slapped one bicep and then the other, "they're getting lazy since I came here"

"Maybe you're not conducting properly"

"Maybe. Fancy it?"

"Oh God, no. Do I look like I lift weights?"

Bunny chuckled, "Alright. I guess I'll see you tomorrow"

"Sure. Have a good work out"

"Thanks. Have a nice day"

"I'll do my best" Jack said trying not to sound as dejected as he felt, "See ya"

"Bye"

They parted ways outside the restaurant and Jack slowly made his way to the bus stop to go home. He probably could have walked it but it was cold and he really wasn't feeling like doing anything at all. He was in that mood to crawl up and moan continuously at the world and that was just what he was going to do. Still, there was no reason he had to do that at his own place and so, turning and crossing the street, he began to head towards Tooth's apartment.

Tooth lived in a fancier building than him. Being the daughter of two dentists not only meant she had been put in a nice place to live but also owned her extremely expensive violin and had no college debt whatsoever. Her home wasn't too far from his but was still in a different neighbourhood and took a good fifteen minutes to walk there from his apartment. He couldn't justify catching the bus to get there now though and so slowly made his way to hers. When he arrived, he called up to her apartment and she answered in her usual, cheery tone.

"Too-hoo-hoo-hooth!" he whined into the callbox, "I've ruined everything!"

In a second he was buzzed in and forced himself not to fall down and crawl up the stairs. Tooth was waiting for him at her door and hurried up to him as she saw him appear around the corner.

"Jack?! What's happened? Are you okay?"

Jack just groaned and fell against her pathetically, "I told him I just wanted to be friends"

"What?!" she nearly screeched as she dragged him inside.

When lunch came around, Tooth offered Jack something as he lay face down on her living room floor. He'd started on the couch but had solwly flopped his way down onto the rug that lay below and had not gotten up for about twenty minutes now.

"I'm not hungry. After screwing up I decided to let myself go and pigged out at the restaurant"

"Knowing you, I bet your pig out was rather minimal."

"I felt stuffed afterwards"

"You feel stuffed after a Junior Mint"

"Well, I better get used to eating more if I'm gonna get fat and disgusting"

"You couldn't get fat if you tried. In fact, you regularly try and it never works"

"Well, seems appropriate. I've failed so much at everything lately I may as well let failure give me what good stuff it has too"

"Jack, how long is this moping going to last?"

"I dunno. How long 'til the ground swallows me up?"

"Jack" she said as she sat down on the couch above him with a cup of noodles, "There's no use in feeling bad about this. What's done is done"

"Is this the part where I feel better?"

"Well, you won't if you don't get back on the horse"

"I was never on the horse! I went up to it, shook its hoof and asked to be friends. No horse riding for me, ever!"

"Not with that attitude"

"I don't have a horse riding attitude. I can't ride, end of story"

"You can ride! You rode plenty of times in college. You were practically a jockey!"

Jack couldn't help but chuckle at how dirty that sounded and how accurate it was. Darn Tooth for always knowing what to say to perk him up when he was in the depths of depair. "I'm trying to feel sorry for myself here"

"Not in my apartment, you're don't. If you're here, you're gonna be happy"

Jack humphed. "But how can I be happy knowing that I will never get a chance to play with Bunny's boy parts?!"

"Well, don't worry about it. You'll get to play with other peoples'"

"But I want to kiss hi-hi-him!" Jack whined as he mockingly threw a temper tantrum on the floor.

Tooth smiled sympathetically and watched him writhe around. After a few moments he calmed down and she spoke again,

"Jack, when was the last time you washed that hoodie?"

"I was gonna do it today but I figure why bother now"

"Give it to me"

"No"

"Jack, you can give it or I can take it"

"Okay, fine!" he said as he knelt up and pulled the hoodie over his head.

"In fact, just gimme everything. You're disgusting"

Jack thought about resisting but then decided it was pointless. Without hurrying himself, he pulled off the t-shirt he wore underneath his hoodie and then slipped off his pants remaining in only his underwear and sitting on the floor. Tooth smiled as she saw his pink undies and remembered his reaction after she'd created them in the washer. It had mostly been an accident, honestly.

Picking up his things, Tooth went over towards the door but stopped to fish out her iPod.

"Now, when I come back I want to see you happy, Jack. I'm gonna put something on to help you"

Jack just groaned as he slouched against the couch but couldn't help smiling as he heard Tooth dock her iPod into a speaker and put on a song that he couldn't help but dance to. It was Man! I Feel Like A Woman! by Shania Twain and even though it was old and tacky and had been even when they were in college, it was something they used to dance around to when they felt like being silly or had come back from a kegger. Tooth knew Jack couldn't resist it and sure enough, after throwing his things into the washer, she came back to see Jack jumping around in his pink jockey shorts and shaking his hips in time with the music. It was one of the few things he did that could be characterized as extremely gay and she couldn't help but burst out laughing when he paused at the last line of each chorus and sang "I feel like a woman" before dancing off again.

Pulling out her phone, she made sure to capture the hilarious sight on video and Jack, temporarily forgetting his melancholy state, pandered to the camera. Standing full profile, he spoke.

"Bunny, it's too bad you think I just wanna be friends. I guess it means you won't get a chance to play with all of this" he said as he rubbed his hands over his body. Tooth laughed from behind her phone as she watched her friend onscreen. "I bet you couldn't handle me anyway, 'cos I'm a tiger baby! Mrowl!" Tooth had trouble keeping the shot still as Jack pawed at the screen playfully.

"Tell him what he's missing, Jack" she called out

"A little of this" he said as placed his hands behind his head spread-eagled his body, "And a whole load of this" he said as he spun around and smacked both hands onto his butt. He giggled with Tooth as he cavorted around and jumped onto her coffee table. It was fun to be naughty and he liked being silly from time to time.

"Too bad for you, Bunny. I guess someone else will just have to take your place on top of that fine ass" said Tooth through her giggles.

"Oh, I don't know about that" said Jack, "I think you'd be welcome to my fine ass any old time, Bun Bun. Okay, turn it off!" he said as he jumped at Tooth and fell down with her on the couch. The two lay there laughing loudly as the song ended and then continued to giggle for a little while as the hilarity of the situation ebbed away.

"Aw, thanks, Tooth! You always know what to do to cheer me up"

"Don't mention it. Besides, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty more fish in the sea"

"Yeah, I guess. Still, it'd be nice to have a fish now. I dunno, maybe I just need someone to fill the place I made for Bunny"

"Were you really thinking about asking him out?"

"Hmm. I liked to pretend but I guess no, I wasn't gonna ask him. He would have had to ask me"

"Why?"

"I dunno. I guess I'm scared"

"Scared of asking him out or scared of asking anyone out?"

"Anyone really. I mean, I don't think I've ever asked anyone out. They've always asked me"

"Always?"

"Yeah. Ever since high school"

"Huh. Maybe you need to find your courage"

"Yeah, maybe. Still, it's a lot easier when someone else puts themselves on the line"

"No embarrassment"

"Darn tootin'. So how about you? You got your eyes on anyone?"

"No, not really. I mean, I don't really want pick up a guy in a bar, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand. Makes it feel…sleazy"

"Yeah. And you know, I can't just find a guy and jump into bed with him"

"Oh, I don't know. I can think of a few times…"

"Real life isn't college, Jack. I'm a good girl now"

"I wonder what college Tooth would say to that"

"It doesn't matter. I'd tell her to behave"

"Haha. Okay, well, I'm sure you'll find someone"

"Where?"

"Hopefully wherever I find someone"

"Well, straight men are starting to catch on to gay bars. Plenty of straight women there"

"But then it becomes a regular bar and it's no fun for the homos"

"Well, at least they can't yell at you for hitting on them when you're in there"

"Most of the time. You know, we should invite Bunny to a gay bar"

"You really wanna watch him hook up with some floozy?"

"At least I could pretend it's me"

"Oh, Jacky…"

"No. No more Jacky. I let it slide because I thought I might get something out of it, but no more. Now, I'm Jack again"

"Okay, but don't be mean to Bunny"

"Why not? He dumped me"

"You were never going out"

"Don't remind me!" he wailed as he buried his head under a cushion. Tooth just rolled her eyes and jumped on top of him.

"Stop. Being. Such. A. Baby" she taunted as she shoved him over and over, "You're still his friend, after all. Consider yourself lucky he likes you so much"

"Never!" he roared as he threw himself back at her.

The two continued to play fight for a little while until they fell on the floor. Tooth stood up straight away and decided to drag Jack with her. She then pulled him into her bedroom where she commanded him to help her put new sheets on her bed. Jack didn't do a very good job and so Tooth redid his side once he'd finished and scolded him for not being neat. Jack didn't care though and winded his way back to the coach where he turned on the TV and waited for his clothes. Pretty soon Tooth came to join him and grabbed one of his hands so she could do his nails. He made it clear to her that he did not want them the same shade of pink as hers and so she settled with simply filing and polishing them neatly. As she did it, Jack watched her and smiled calmly. She really was a good friend to him and she was just so sweet. He hoped that she got out of their relationship the same amount he did although he could easily see himself as being the winner. She was always so supportive whenever he started whining and could always pacify him no matter what his grievance. In return he supposed he kept her laughing and she looked ever so pretty when she smiled. The pair simply clicked and it was clearly a blessing that the universe had thrust them together.

Jack spent the afternoon at Tooth's. She let him play her violin and he asked if she wanted to trade. She, of course, said no and he threatened to steal it if she didn't change her mind. Eventually, when Jack's clothes were dry, he ambled home and started to get things ready for the following day. He managed to get in some practice on his own violin before doing his own laundry and managing to clean up some of his apartment. Something about being at Tooth's shamed him into doing housework and by 10PM he had everything done. Feeling a little drained, he decided to run a bubble bath – another of his homosexual tendencies for when he was stressed – and sunk into the hot, bubbly water to try and relax. As he lay there with his eyes closed, he thought about the day and tried to put some kind of stamp on it. In all, he supposed it was kind of a bad day although the afternoon had more than made up for it. He would have considered it good had it not been for the damning blow he'd dealt himself that morning and so maybe in that case it kind of balanced out. Opening his eyes and looking down at his nails he smiled as he saw how neat and nicely aligned they were. It reminded him again how lucky he was to have Tooth and figured that in the end life wasn't all that bad. Sure, he had no Bunny to make out with, but he had good friends, a good job and what seemed like a bright future. And it wasn't as if he'd lost Bunny. No, at the end of the day it all depended on how you looked at it. Bunny was still his friend and it seemed their friendship was only going to become stronger. They had a lot in common and so it would be nice to have another gay friend. He only had a few in Pittsburgh as it was and who knows, maybe Bunny would like to do gay things with him. "Well, not like that" he thought as he put connotations to that brainwave and smiled as his mind still tried to pair him up with the tall Australian.

After washing his hair and climbing out of the tub he dried off and threw on fresh pyjamas – usually he only bothered with the bottoms – before curling up on the couch and watching The Big Bang Theory on FOX before going to bed.

The next morning, he rose much in the same way as he did on any Monday and somehow managed to sluggishly get himself ready. When he got to work he didn't pay much attention to the buzz going on around him but started to perk up when people were looking at him and laughing. Looking around, he noticed there were a few groups gathered around phones and laughing whilst glancing up at him and as he got ready, he knew something was up.

When he was done he wandered over to his seat with a steely expression and placed his things down before walking through the seats.

"Hey, what's going on?" he cautiously asked a group who all looked up at him as he approached.

"You tell us, Shania" one of them said as she turned her phone around for Jack to see. Jack looked at it and then felt his heart sink as he watched himself dancing around to that song in his underwear on the screen he now took in his hands. He stood there with his mouth open and a look of disbelief on his face for a few seconds as he tried to take it in but then felt every muscle in his body clench as he heard himself speak "I think you'd be welcome to my fine ass any old time, Bun Bun. Okay, turn it off!" The video ended and Jack just held the phone where it was as he tried to process the crushing humiliation that now weighed down on top of him. Somewhere far away he could hear voices laughing at him and as he looked up they zoomed right to the mouths of the group that stood in a semi-circle in front of him. Jack meekly held out the phone for the player to take and then delicately glanced around at most of the rest of the orchestra laughing at him. He had never been so embarrassed in all his life.

Slowly and quietly he did his best to look invisible as he made for the door but trying to hide from that kind of embarrassment was practically useless. Jack wasn't a crier, in fact there were very few times in his life when he hadn't been able to hold back his emotions when everything became too much. Now though, he felt the unmistakeable burn of tears push at the back of his eyes and he had to get out of there before the orchestra saw him break down. It was the betrayal, the unbelievable, unexpected betrayal by Tooth that forced him to this and he just couldn't understand why she would do it to him.

His beeline for privacy was cut short just when he got to the door and halted in shock as he nearly charged straight into Bunny. The tall man looked happy to see him but then frowned when he saw the look starting to show on Jack's face.

"Hey, Jack. You alright?"

"I…" he began before feeling the words get stuck in his throat and then simply ran around Bunny into the hall whilst being followed by a roar of laughter and whooping coming from the orchestra signifying that they had obviously saw the two of them meet. No doubt it wouldn't be long before Bunny saw the video and a whole new wave of unpleasantness would surround their interaction. Jack didn't want that. He'd figured they might actually have a chance at becoming really good friends after yesterday's screw up but now even that could be in jeopardy and this time it wasn't even his fault. Tooth had recorded that video and she must have sent it to someone who only served to spread it around for everyone to see. How could she have done that? Had she actually thought it would be funny?

Jack fell into the bathroom and hid himself in the very last stall. Once in there he sat down and buried his face in his hands, not making a sound but slowly letting tear drops work their way through his clenched fists and run down his wrists into his sleeves. Eventually he began to sniff loudly as he lost the battle against crushing his hurt feelings back inside but then startled after a minute or two when he heard the door bang open and Tooth's voice ring out.

"Jack! Jack, are you in here?!"

He did his best to remain silent but he couldn't calm his breathing that much. That, and the frantic girl bent right down to look under the stall when she saw the last door closed. Seeing his legs, she stood back up and rapped on the door quickly.

"Jack, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! It was an accident! Really! I meant to send a picture of some shoes I saw to Katie and I sent that video by accident. I would have said something but I didn't realize and she didn't tell me I'd sent it to her and I didn't mean to and…oh gosh, Jack, I'm so, so sorry!"

Scrambling into the next stall she stood on the toilet and looked over the wall to her friend who was now sitting up. He glanced up briefly as he saw her head pop over the stall in the corner of his eye and quickly diverted his eyes when he saw her looking down. He grabbed some toilet paper to try and hide his tears.

"Oh, Jack…" she said with a clear pang of pained guilt in her voice. "I really didn't mean to. I would never do that to you, I swear"

Jack knew she was right. He'd gotten carried away with himself thinking she would do something like this for fun. That still didn't change the fact that now everyone knew he liked Bunny, and that probably included Bunny himself by now. God damn it! Why did this have to happen? Okay, it was an accident, there was no harm in that, but why did it have to be this accident? Of all the things that could possibly have happened to cause him embarrassment, why did it have to be this? It wasn't as if he hadn't embarrassed himself in front of the orchestra before. They had all seen him in his underwear when he'd been pranked on tour, but that had been good-natured and he'd laughed along with them. In fact, he loved being the centre of a joke but not like this. This really did take the cake when it came to humiliation and as he thought about it he just couldn't stop the tears from running down his face.

After a few moments he stood up and opened the stall door before stepping out and letting a teary-eyed Tooth throw herself at him. She mumbled endless apologies into his hoodie and slowly Jack began to feel his emotions subside. After a second or two he pulled away and said "It's okay" before turning to the sink and looking at himself in the mirror. Great, now he had big red rings around his eyes and anybody would be able to guess he had been crying. Perhaps before he might have been able to brush it off, maybe even manage to strip off to his underpants, run back in there and dance around to the same song just to prove he wasn't bothered. Not now though, he couldn't go in there and say he was okay when he clearly bore the signs of tears. Running the faucet, he splashed his face a few times to try and calm himself down but it didn't help much. Turning back to Tooth she hugged him again and he somehow managed to produce a smile – albeit a disingenuous one.

"You gonna be okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I just gotta calm down a little"

"You wanna get some coffee or something?"

"No, it's fine. You should go back in, you don't wanna be late"

"I don't wanna leave you alone"

"I'm fine, really. Go. It'll look better if I go back in on my own anyway"

"You sure?"

"Positive. Go on"

"Okay. And Jack, again, I'm really sorry"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it"

Tooth gently smiled at him before leaving him alone in the bathroom. Jack turned his back to the mirror and leaned against the sink as he sighed. Going back in there was going to be tough, but running away would only make things worse. He had no idea how he was going to look Bunny in the eye again and he didn't even know if the guy would talk to him after that. No doubt he'd be embarrassed too and that made Jack feel even worse.

With another sigh, he pushed himself up, looked in the mirror one more time and then went for the door. When he was about halfway it suddenly opened and in walked Pitch looking just as menacing and devious as usual. Jack stopped as he entered and remained silent as he tried to express a sense of fortitude.

"Is this where you've been?" Pitch asked with a distinctly displeased tone.

"I'm just coming"

"They are starting right now and you're not there. That's bad form for a concertmaster, Jack. You disgrace the position. Then again, I said that at the beginning"

"Oh, just piss off, Pitch! I'm not in the mood!" Jack spat as he went to barge past Pitch but had no luck in doing so as a firm hand gripped his shoulder. Jack expected to be yelled at and it seemed that's what the tall, frightening man had in mind until he looked down at Jack's face. He took in the boy's red, puffy eyes and the traces of moisture around them and then changed his expression to a softer but no less devious smile. Warm was not the word to use here, that smile was just as icy and unsettling as always.

"You've been crying" he said smugly.

"What's it to you?" said Jack as he shook him off and rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve.

"What's got you upset?"

"None of your business"

"Jack, please. While I may not care for your childish sensibilities I do care about the well-being of this orchestra. Having a distraught concertmaster falls into that category, wouldn't you say?"

"As I said, it's none of your business. And the hell with all of that. You don't care"

Pitch's expression became menacing again.

"You're right, I don't. Whatever it is though, it better not affect your playing, although I don't think it would matter since it's not nearly up to standard anyway"

"Don't worry, I won't let the orchestra down"

"As I said, you better not. Don't think I've forgotten about you Jack. It's things like this that are slowly working against you. I don't think it will be long before the axe does finally drop"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps your new position draws attention to your professional conduct. And who knows, if you're found to be…underperforming in many aspects then I wouldn't be surprised if…I don't know…your place in this orchestra were to hang in the balance"

"You're lying" said Jack feeling his hackles rise although he couldn't really tell if Pitch was indeed being false.

"I assure I'm not. You had better start producing results, Jack, or I hate to think what might happen" he said with an evil smile. Jack just stared at him and then pushed past not wanting to deal with his poison right now. What if he hadn't been lying though and he really was being evaluated. He couldn't be out of the job. Being fired would be a catastrophe as jobs in professional orchestras didn't come up all the time. Since he wasn't a renowned player yet he could be unemployed for months, if not years before finally being able to get something else. Could he really take a chance on Pitch's telling the truth? He didn't know.

What he did know was that he was now standing outside the door to the studio and trying to find the nerve to go back in. The longer he stood there, the greater impact his being late would have and he just couldn't stand to go through any more than he had to. So, with a deep breath, he reached for the handle, pulled open the door and strode into the room with his head held high.

The room was unexpectedly quiet as he entered but after a second he was met with a few wolf whistles and a couple of half-baked comments. Everybody turned their eyes to him and then waited for something to happen. Jack looked across the sea of faces and then laid eyes on Bunny who was also looking at him with a rather blank look. He didn't know what to do and so he just stood there not realizing that he was only making it worse by not sitting down.

"Morning, Jack" Bunny said expressionlessly, "You, uh…wanna sit your…what did you call it? Fine arse down so we can start?"

The orchestra erupted in roar of laughter and Jack just scrunched up his face as he tried to hide his embarrassment with annoyance. "Shut up, you guys!" he shot as he stomped to his seat and sat down making sure not to look anyone in the eye. Bunny just carried on as normal as Jack tried to die in his seat. Eventually they got to some playing and thank God he didn't have any solos come up that might draw attention to him. Hopefully they'd just be doing ensemble parts today and his embarrassing episode wouldn't come up any more than it had to.

At lunch, Jack tried to hurry out of the studio with Tooth in tow but he couldn't avoid all of the comments that came his way. It also didn't help that Bunny caught him just as he was about to leave and pulled him aside.

"Uh, listen mate. We need to get together for another rehearsal this week. I was thinking tomorrow evening if that's alright with you?"

"Uh, yeah. That's fine."

"Good. Erm. You wanna make that the regular night for rehearsals? You know, to save it jumping around week on week?"

"Okay, sure. If it's okay with you"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine."

"Okay, good"

"Good. I'll…uh…see you after lunch"

Jack watched him turn and begin to walk away and then decided he couldn't just leave it like that. "Bunny, wait!" he called hoping nobody else would hear. The tall, tanned man slowly turned back and looked at Jack with a smirk.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about…well, you know"

"No worries. It's fine"

"No, it's not. I embarrassed you"

"I think it's you who you embarrassed, mate"

"Yeah, but I never meant for you to see that and I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of the orchestra. I'm really sorry"

"It's okay, mate. Really, it is. I thought it was funny"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, really."

"Okay, well. See ya later then" Jack said as started to walk away feeling no better.

"Did you mean it?" he suddenly heard Bunny ask and started to turn back around. He stopped halfway and only just glanced his head around enough to catch the edge of Bunny's face. Trying to find the words and failing, he sighed and just carried on, hoping he could disappear from the studio without being caught again.

When he got outside, he dragged Tooth several blocks away so he wouldn't have to deal with any orchestra members through lunch. Tooth continued her endless apologies as they ate but Jack wasn't listening. He simply couldn't stop thinking about what Bunny had asked and how his response, or lack thereof, could have been interpreted. Did this mean he now had a chance with Bunny again? What's more, was Bunny really okay with the fact that Jack had pretty much admitted that he wanted to screw him?

Why could he never just get a straight answer or some closure with this guy?

Jack feels like a woman! And then cries about it! What a baby!

Thank you all so much for reading! Thank you for your reviews! Thanks for all of it! I hope this chapter didn't seem too rushed. See you in the next chapter!

P.S. Screencap of Jack crying (just for the feels) (REMEMBER TO PUT THE DOTS IN YOURSELF): musicaljackrabbit tumblr com/image/44637278343