Here's the second part... hope you enjoy! Next: the confrontation.
Disclaimer on profile.
Matt did eventually decide to find out how his little brother was handling the news. He felt positively terrible for dumping something like that unexpectedly onto TK's shoulders, but it really couldn't be helped. An opportunity to grab an apartment place had popped up and Matt, after debating whether or not he should go for it, went for it. It had been time to get out of his home town; time for something brand new and hopefully, something a tad more exciting. Matt wasn't unhappy with where he was now, but he'd always craved having something else, something to call his own. There was more to the story, but when presented with that chance, it hadn't been a very difficult decision.
The hard part about it was, admittedly, leaving TK behind. The guy deserved better than some crappy note left in the mailbox, Matt knew, but he was being slightly chicken about the whole thing. It came down to the fact that he didn't know what TK would think. The part that scared him the most was that if his little brother had told him straight up that he didn't want Matt leaving, Matt would've stayed. Absolutely for sure, no questions asked. It was terrifying to have a sudden revelation, realising that someone held that much power over him. If it had been his mom or dad, he probably would've defied their wishes and gone ahead with it anyways. If Tai or Sora had expressed an interest in him keeping his feet firmly planted where they were, he might've considered it. But with TK... there would not have been any deliberation. Whatever TK sought, Matt couldn't help but want to give.
And that led him to making a semi-hasty decision. Did he want to go? Yes. Did he want to deal with a potential obstruction to his desire? No. Hence, he'd skipped town ASAP with his buddies, luggage in tow and not a clue how he would deal with everything he'd left behind.
Matt put off the problem long enough to get settled in his new home—infinite boxes and packaging as his house-warming company--before he took out his cell phone and dialled his mother's house. She answered; they chatted. He got the feeling that if he'd told her beforehand, she wouldn't have had any objections. His dad hadn't either, for that matter. It had been a simple affair of dropping by the TV station, calmly informing his father that he was moving out, and that was that. No hassle and no lingering farewell. That, for Matt, was extraordinarily ideal. If only his mother had the same habits…
When she'd finished regaling him of tales from her own youth, he asked if he could speak with TK. His mother gave a short pause, and then hurriedly told him that TK was out with a friend and oh, the pot of water was boiling so she had to go now and would talk to him later.
Matt had stared at the dial tone, brow furrowing at his mother's obvious lies. So, TK was avoiding him, was he? Well, Matt would sort that out soon enough.
The next day, and the day after that, his phone bill grew to an unhealthy size due to his incessant calling. He only ever called during times when he knew TK would be home alone--couldn't have Mom thinking he was missing home or something crazy like that--but no one answered, despite his persistency. Eventually, it grew too tiring to listen to the ringing over and over again. He just wanted to explain things to TK and get this bump in their relationship sorted out. It... hurt... knowing he was the kind of person that lacked a decent amount of courage. A lack of courage that, ultimately, hurt his brother deeply enough to warrant this kind of reaction. He hadn't thought TK was this upset. But that only showed how well he knew his brother, right?
To keep himself from running back home right then and there, Matt spent his time searching for a job--and finally getting one--just to cement his position in the new town (and to keep his bank account from being depleted). With his new place set up, and a steady job waiting for him, Matt figured it was about time he faced TK's wrath as well as facing the consequences he'd been studiously avoiding.
The drive back was relatively uneventful. He passed landmarks he'd noticed on the way in--a dead rabbit on the side of the road, some fir trees on lawns still decorated in tinsel, even though it was July already--and he thought about what he'd say to TK once he got there. "Hi, how've you been? Sorry I didn't tell you before I left, but I just didn't want to talk to you about it"? No... that most definitely would not do. He needed to use sensible logic to get through to his younger brother; anything less would only enrage TK further. Logic had been easy for Matt all his life. He liked solving problems, and logical solutions were the only ones he ever thought of. However, that didn't mean he was a whiz at it or anything. After all, he wasn't quite as obstinate as Tai, who believed that he was always right, no matter what, but he wasn't like Sora either, who assessed all situations with an objective eye and based her reactions on that. No, he fell somwhere in the middle, he supposed. And the logical answer right now was that his coming actions were going to either solve the spat between the two brothers, or it would put an even greater strain on their relationship. Their arguments so far had extended to who chose what movie they watched and how much chocolate should be put in the chocolate chip cookies. Matt's departure was their toughest hurdle yet, and it would be an utter miracle if they came out unscathed and still in a semi-working relationship.
Matt loved his brother enough to want to fix this, but did his brother love him enough to forgive him?
Reviews are appreciated. Thanks!