Howdy, y'all! Me again with a hot, steaming chapter for you. And when I say hot and steaming I mean left overnight to marinate for me to edit the following afternoon and make sure I haven't made a complete hash of it.

Now, before you get going I just want to apologise to any American musicians who may be reading this story and wondering what on earth I'm talking about when it comes to musical terms. Here, in Europe, we use a completely different set of words for things, e.g. a quarter note is called a crochet, an eight note is called a quaver, etc. Knowing this, I have tried my best to use American terms for this story but there are most likely a few I don't know are different 'cross the pond and will probably cause confusion. Just wanna say sorry if that's the case!

Anyway, enjoy!

Play For Me, Jack

Chapter 3

Arriving at the concert hall, Jack did his best to remain as unnoticeable as possible. He slunk in the back way and made his way through the hallways dotted with administration and practice rooms used by the orchestra on either side and made his way towards the studio where they'd be practicing that day. The main auditorium wasn't theirs to be used as and when they wanted and another company was setting something up this morning. The studio where they'd be today was far brighter and neutral, almost to the point of being clinical but with mirrors on the walls so it could also be used for dance. Because of this, it meant every little detail was far more visible, or to phrase it more appropriately, exposed. As Jack quietly pushed open the door to the room he instantly felt as if he were under a microscope as various pairs of eyes landed on him to see whom it was coming in. They lingered perhaps a little longer than would usually be expected and Jack made sure to grab a hold of and restrain the glow in his cheeks that threatened to appear. He put it down to his colleagues collective memory and silent recognition of his accident the day before.

So, instead of his regular, confident stride in he meekly made his way across to his seat and sat down trying his best not to garner too much attention along the way. A couple of people made good natured cracks at him as he went but instead of bouncing them back mischievously as usual he simply replied with a half smile and sat down feeling like an idiot again. He sorely remembered his extra verbal malfeasance in the coffee house the previous evening and was waiting for the moment when somebody would call him on it. Thankfully Tooth, it seemed, hadn't spread it as much as he'd expected and breathed a sigh of relief when five whole minutes went by without him hearing anything about it.

Eventually, the still turquoise-clad girl flittered down to her seat on his left after a few moments more and greeted him in her usual cheery way. Strangely enough she didn't call him on it either and cautiously he started to feel okay again. Perhaps today wouldn't be as bad as he had expected and maybe, just maybe, he could get away with not looking totally boneheaded to the entire orchestra. That is if he could also manage a fresh start with Bunny, or at least find some kind of neutral ground.

As if on cue, the handsome Australian came in wearing the same blue-grey jacket as yesterday and was carrying a huge stack of music. Undoubtedly it was an additional piece from this season's repertoire they'd need to practice and as he started to hand it out, Jack made sure to bend down and pretend to fumble in his case so as not to come face to face with him. He couldn't manage it just yet. He didn't feel like dying of embarrassment this early.

Soon he heard the music placed down on the stand in front of him but instead of the man holding it moving on he decided to say a friendly hello to Tooth who responded in kind. Jack groaned silently as he kept his head down wondering how long he could get away with pretending to look for something and began to feel his time running out when Bunny just would not go. In fairness it wasn't the best thought out plan in the world to avoid him and so, not wanting to worsen his already bruised reputation, he stiffly sat up and looked up at the guy standing over him.

"Mornin', Jacky" he said friendlily, "No gum today, I hope"

"No" Jack said quietly without so much as a glimmer of a reflection of Bunny's kind-heartedness. He didn't like being called Jacky. He wasn't a kid. He let that go for now though. Hopefully it wouldn't happen again.

"Hope you're ready for hell today, mate. We got a lot to get through"

"Always ready", said Jack hoping he could start to build a proper name for himself with him. "Hit me with your best shot"

Bunny raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Oh, I see. You fancy a challenge, eh?"

"If you really think you've got the chops for it." It seemed banter was the way to go with this guy and Jack, being a master of mischief, wasn't going to wait to try and find another way in.

"Heheh! Right then, Jacky. Impress me!" he said before moving along the line. Jack thought about stopping him to nip the 'Jacky' thing in the bud before it became a problem but he didn't want to ruin the little back and forth they'd had just now. Even though it was only a few seconds it had gone well and it seemed that maybe their working relationship wasn't ruined before it had even started.

With a small smile he looked away from Bunny as he walked away and refocused on Tooth who was beaming at him.

"See? Everything's cool"

Jack snorted silently through his nose, "Yeah, I guess you were right"

"Of course I was!"

Jack's smile widened. Perhaps he'd made a friend in Bunny already, in some abstract, unconventional way. It would be nice to get to know him better and the potential to spend time with him was extremely attractive. Today was going to be good for sure. Oh yes, after a day like yesterday, the universe owed it to him to be kind today.

Unfortunately, that was where he was wrong. As he turned his eyes to see what they would be playing his smile turned to an exasperated expression of disbelief and suddenly he was back to hating the world again.

"Are you kidding me?!" he exclaimed loudly as he read the words 'Tristan und Isolde' inscribed above the name Wagner. To Jack, this must have been one of the most tedious pieces ever written and was the musical equivalent of watching paint dry. After a second or two of silent discontent, Jack flopped back on his chair in a huff and groaned loudly not caring who heard his perturbation. At least Swan Lake dripped beauty from every note, even if it was easy for him. This had to be the least technical, most repetitive, strung out junk he'd ever heard. No wonder half the audience always seemed to fall asleep.

"What's the matter?" Tooth asked already knowing what he was going to say. She remembered from college Jack's famous rant when faced with this piece before and she decided not to try and pacify him. It would be no use.

"I hate this opera! It suuuuuuuucks!"

"Problem, Jacky?" came Bunny's voice across from the woodwinds. Jack turned his head to look at him and he would have been more civil in his reply had it not been for that 'Jacky' comment again. He'd already found his regular confidence and was now going to put it to use.

"It's Jack", he said firmly.

Bunny blinked.

"Problem?"

"Tristan and Isolde. Really?"

"What's wrong with Tristan and Isolde. Wagner's great"

"Yes, Wagner IS great. But this was his rare piece of garbage"

Bunny looked a little surprised at that. How dare this little pipsqueak call something by Wagner garbage.

"What do you mean?" he said narrowing his eyes.

"It's dissonant, it's pretentious and it never goes anywhere. It's just…crappy"

"What the hell are you on about?" Bunny said as he returned to handing out the music, this time a little agitated, "It's a triumph from every angle."

"Well, I've tried looking at it from a few angles and the only one I ever seem to see it from is its ass" said Jack eliciting a few laughs from around him.

"You don't know what you're talking about. This piece is pure poetry."

"You like poetry?" Jack said with a smirk, "Here's one. Roses are red, violets are blue, this piece sucks and Bunny wouldn't know beautiful music if it kicked him in the nuts"

"Jack! Tooth hissed shooting him a harsh glare, or as harsh as she could manage with her natural sweetness. She certainly did not approve of him being rude to their new conductor barely before they'd begun their second day.

Jack held his expression and looked back to Bunny who had his trademarked smirk on. It had a 'step up to the plate' kind of bravado to it and he seemed ready to bounce Jack's comments right back at him. Bunny wasn't without his doubts though. What was really going on here? He didn't know Jack that well but to hear the little shit bash Wagner like that made him wonder how to proceed. On the one hand, he could bounce back and forth with him and keep it good-natured. On the other hand, though, he didn't know whether or not Jack was being serious in his condemnation of the piece and was genuinely angry about having to play it. Giving the boyish violinist the benefit of the doubt he decided to rise above it.

"Okay then, smart guy. What would you have us play?"

Jack thought for a second and then said, "I dunno. The Magic Flute?"

Bunny snorted at him, "You hate pretention and you come up with that as an alternative. At least the Tristan and Isolde pushes the boundaries a little"

"If by boundaries you mean the desire to kill yourself"

"Oh come on, Jacky"

"It's Jack!"

"I don't care if it's Sweet Fanny Adams. This has been planned for months. If you didn't like it then you should have complained when it was first lined up which was…what?...last September?"

"He didn't pay attention" chimed in Tooth cheerily.

"Shut up!" Jack hissed at her.

"He never does!" she carried on.

"Is that so, Jack?" Bunny said putting emphasis on the 'Jack' making sure he made a point of getting it right.

"No" the white-haired guy said in a huff and sitting back down.

"Just play it, it'll grow on ya"

"The hell it will!"

"Calm down. You might choke yourself"

A roar of laughter erupted from the orchestra forcing Jack to shut up and turn pink again. Bunny just turned away and got on with handing out the music whilst maintaining his smirk. Jack sat stewing. Not angrily but certainly peeved at losing their bantering and having his accident highlighted once more in front of everyone. Tooth was burning a hole in the side of his head and he refused to look at her as she kept on staring even though it was painfully obvious she was doing so. He was too busy thinking about what he was going to do now, and he didn't mean the music. Clearly he wasn't shy of talking to Bunny anymore. That had gone out the window the minute he'd been called Jacky. He did, however, feel strangely drawn to that to-ing and fro-ing that had just gone down between them. It felt good in kind of a messed up way and even though he was embarrassed right now, he had to admit bunny was growing on him. Having said that, he could also see paths away from where they were now that could lead him to hatred. Overall it seemed as if he had found his match for mischief and that was what made the Australian so magnetic. He wanted to tick him off some more, even if that was a strange desire, and couldn't wait until his turn to win their sparring. After all, it had to come sooner or later.

Begrudgingly he picked up his violin when Bunny stepped up to his stand and talked them through the piece. It wasn't long before they got into the overture and Jack started wishing someone would kill him. The long, drawn out phrases* were not pleasing to his ear and he quickly found his arm getting heavy from the long, dreary chords with no hint of anything animated. He liked pieces that were busy and fast moving. They were fun and made him happy. Swan Lake certainly had it's share of fast, choppy scales and runs of notes with some complicated fingering that made him smile and presented him with that little bit of a challenge he so desperately craved. Perhaps he had been too hard on the piece to begin with and compared to the junk he was being forced to play now, it was a godsend.

As the piece went on his mind began to wander and his concentration on Bunny's conducting allowed his mind taking a few liberties. Bunny was surprisingly graceful in his movements as he motioned his arms masterfully through the air in front of him. Jack had expected him to be a little rougher or more violent with his strokes but it seemed as if he had judged this book by its cover. Bunny was hot, there was no question of that, but he wasn't 'pretty' hot. He was tough, and strong and had an air of power about him that wasn't mirrored in this clear, creative prowess he now displayed.

Conducting is like painting. Anyone can pick up a brush and scrawl something that looks half-decent on canvas. Similarly, anyone with a sense of rhythm can conduct musicians. Like painting though, it takes years of instruction, practice and sweat to truly master the art and as Jack watched the tall, dark man in front of him, he started to marvel at the sheer level of skill being displayed before his very eyes. That, and his big, muscled arms that rippled as he waved them weren't anything to be sniffed at. Bunny had grace, power streamed from him and he had a keen sense of the orchestra's heartbeat which took most new conductors a good few weeks to become fully acquainted with. Bunny just seemed to click with them as a group and knew how to easily shape and mould their playing as if he'd been doing it all his life. That was talent, and Jack couldn't deny he was a tiny bit in awe.

It took a few more seconds for Jack to realise he had completely gone off track during a long rest* and had completely missed the next entry. Looking like a baby deer trying to walk, he flailed around for a moment trying to simultaneously put his violin back under his chin and find his place on the page and succeeding in neither. Even after he'd gotten his violin in place he couldn't find the right bar* and it took Tooth to stop playing and point to where they were so Jack could join in. Jack just knew Bunny must have been watching him with that smirk on his face and sure enough, after a few seconds, he looked up and there they were. Those deep, breathtaking green eyes were watching him along with that slacked, 'know it all' smirk and both were making him feel like a kid. Ever since Bunny had arrived it seemed that every time he needed to look professional, Jack had inadvertently sabotaged himself and looked like a complete boob. Even now when they were playing, the thing Jack was actually really good at, he made himself look like he was completely incompetent and since this was his profession it stung just that little bit more when Bunny gave him that look. That damned look. That smirking, full of himself, 'clearly you're an idiot' look. That sexy, charming, handsome and all out gorgeous look.

"Oh God…" thought Jack as he fought with his feelings. Why was he so screwed up all of a sudden? They'd had good-looking conductors before and he hadn't behaved like an idiot. Something about Bunny just sent him into a whirl both on the inside and the outside and it pissed him off. He was just a guy. A guy like many others he'd worked with before. He could walk into any orchestral rehearsal in the country and find someone just like him. Or could he? To be honest, how often was it that he found a conductor this young, this attractive and this skilful all in one package. It wasn't often at all. In fact, Bunny was pretty much the only one he'd ever met and as Jack realised that and messed up another line in the process, he soon realised he wasn't going to be able to brush this conundrum off and forget about it. He really wanted to like Bunny and in many ways he already did. The problem was he also wanted to hate him which, in that messed up way, he already did too.

As Bunny stopped them and spoke to the brass about something, Jack stared at the ground and sighed. He really needed to get his mind off of this. How was it that they were only twenty-five minutes into the rehearsal?

Later at lunch…

Tooth startled as Jack fell down into his seat on the opposite side of the table and buried his head in his arms again. Taking a second to let the dust settle, she finished her mouthful and cleared her throat.

"Bad morning?"

"You were there", said Jack muffled by the sleeves of his favourite blue hoodie.

"It's not that bad a piece"

"It's hell"

"Well…maybe. It doesn't matter though. This afternoon we'll be on Swan Lake again"

"Meh…" said Jack shuffling slightly.

Tooth just smiled and shook her head. He was really just a big kid on the inside and he didn't like it when he was forced to do something he didn't want to. He'd never really changed from being like that ever since she'd first met him. She found it quite sweet really and it was easy to see why he clicked so well with the kids he taught. Perhaps it was why he clicked with her so well too although on the whole it had to be because he made her laugh. Jack was a clown at heart and it was a shame to see him looking so downbeat today.

"You want some sushi?" she asked pushing the Tupperware box she'd brought towards him.

"You made sushi?" Jack asked raising his head with an inquisitive look.

"Uh huh" she replied proudly. "I learned"

"I'm not sure I'd have the patience for anything like that"

"It's a marvel how you ever learned to play then"

"Hey!" he shot back with a smile and reaching forward to take a piece. He had a beautiful smile and the perfect, white gleam that shone from his mouth was the first thing that caught Bunny's eye as he entered the break room down the hall from where he'd been conducting that morning. It made him pause for just a moment and he managed to look away again just before he was caught. He'd been stealing glances at Jack all morning and from his place in front of the orchestra he had a perfect view of the cutie.

"Cutie?" he thought to himself as he wondered why on earth his brain had coughed that word up when he thought of Jack. Perhaps he was just hungry and a little dazed from the low blood sugar. Conducting was a surprisingly hard workout when it got vigorous and he did feel tired after the morning they'd just had. Wagner was famous for his big, triumphant scores and it seemed he'd had little compassion for conductors when he'd written the piece. Bunny's whole arm ached as he crossed the room dotted with a few tables and made his way towards the exit on the other side. He'd been invited to a lunch meeting with the other conductors at a café nearby and although Pitch Black creeped him out a little he didn't mind going to get to know the others a little better.

Just as he was about to leave he stopped and smirked briefly as he wondered whether or not a certain somebody was looking at him as he walked away. Quickly, but not obviously, he turned his head to look back and sure enough, there were Jack's bright blue eyes watching him, suddenly turning to surprise and then darting away embarrassedly. Bunny chuckled and went out the door with a renewed sense of victory. He was going to have a lot of fun with this guy, that was for damn sure.

"Ugh! He's such an ass!" Jack pouted as he placed his chin on his folded arms and stared down at the table. Tooth had watched the whole thing and sat there quietly for a few moments as she let the reality of the situation marinate in the air. She had a coy smile on her face and as she placed the lid back on her lunchbox she spoke knowingly.

"You're crushing on him…"

"What?!" Jack said as he sat up abruptly, "You're crazy!"

"Ha ha! I've seen this before. Jacky's got a crush on Bunny!"

"I do not! Shut up!"

"From the moment you first saw him you've been drooling over him"

"Would you shut up?!" Jack hissed as he hesitantly looked around. He didn't want people to hear her outrageous accusations. They weren't even true. Not really. Right?

"Hee! Oh, I can't wait to see how this one turns out! You gonna ask him out?"

"What?! No! I don't even-… What are you trying to-… Gah!" Jack blabbered before jumping up and storming out. He stewed as he stomped away to the sound of Tooth's laughing behind him and as he went he tried to force himself to think of anything other than those words. They weren't true. Even if Bunny was incredibly hot. Everyone must have thought so and he couldn't be alone in thinking that. It didn't mean he liked Bunny like that. "It just means I want to make out with him a little bit".

The sound of Jack's frustrated shout permeated through the closed door of the break room and only served to make Tooth feel even more pleased with herself that she'd managed to call Jack on something that she thought was just so adorable.

Glossary:

Bar: A division in written music containing the notes for a certain number of beats.

Phrase: In music, a phrase is a series of notes that sound complete when played on their own. Comparable to a sentence within a paragraph.

Rest: An interval of silence within a piece. It can be for as little as one beat or less, or as long as almost the entire piece.

Hee! Jack likes Bunny! Lol. Well, I couldn't write a JackRabbit fic without throwing that in there at some point. That'd be one lousy ship!

Anyway, I hope you liked it. Thank you so much once again for all your lovely reviews. I'm terrified that at some point I'm going to slip up and do something that turns you all off of it. In any case, I appreciate your taking the time to read this. It means a lot to me to know you all like it so much. Sorry it took a few days to get out. I wrote out a basic framework last Friday but needed to embellish the sections to make them stand up better. I even wrote in my notes while I was writing 'FLESH OUT INTRODUCTION. LEAD UP TO JACK'S SASSINESS'. I just hope I fleshed enough.

Thanks again, people! Your reviews are golden!