D'awww you guys! I love waking up the next morning after posting a chapter and seeing so much love in my inbox. You are all so lovely!
More clarity on the BlackIce. I don't want to give too much away but what I've got planned is going to be brief and unsavoury. I can't tell you more than that at the moment without giving it away. Trust me, things will be okay!
WARNING: I imagine you're enticed by the idea rather than repulsed but I should mention that there is gay smexiness in this chapter. Truthfully though, why would you be here if you didn't like that.
Play For Me, Jack
Chapter 15
The next morning, Jack woke up peacefully and remained in bed for a little while not wanting to move and risk disturbing his contentedness. Last night had been utterly amazing and the high he'd obtained from Bunny's masterfully produced date had clearly carried over through his sleep and into his consciousness now. How nice it was to feel so special and as he continued to lay there, he couldn't help but smile as he remembered every little detail of his night and how warm it made him feel.
It was a strangely literal warmness actually, and pretty soon Jack began to feel the heavy impression of someone next to him. He was almost sure Bunny had refused his offer to come up when he'd asked and he puzzled as to who or what could be lying there with him in his bed. Lifting his head, he was greeted with a multi-coloured hair scrunchie over the mound of blanket that stood between him and his mystery bed partner and wondered for a second before he realised it was Tooth. He let his head flop back down onto the pillow as he suddenly remembered her having still been in his apartment when he'd gotten in and he figured she must have come to join him sometime in the night. It seemed she really had been that eager to find out how it had gone and in the end he found it sweet, not annoying, that she was so inquisitive about it. He also figured he had full mocking rights over her wearing of a scrunchie – even if it was just for in bed – and he set that aside for later teasing.
Carefully lifting himself out of bed making sure not to wake her, he ambled out into his living room and made his way to the kitchen to make coffee. While waiting, he poured himself some juice and sat at the table while he tried to wake up. The tang of orange was usually what it took to revitalise him in the morning and although he really didn't want to leave his dreamy, Bunny-infused state he knew that the sooner he got up, the sooner he'd be able to go to work and see him again.
As soon as the scent of fresh brew began to fill the room, he heard a thump come from his bedroom followed by the appearance of a sleepy looking Tooth a few seconds later.
"Good morning, sunshine" he said with a little bit of his usual cockiness.
"Morning" she said as she made her way to the table, "Sorry I'm here"
"It's okay. Is that one of my tops?"
Tooth looked down at the shirt she had found and then smiled as she looked up.
"I didn't want to wear my day clothes in bed. Do you mind?"
"Not this early, I don't"
"Cool…"
There was a pause and Jack wondered why he hadn't been jumped upon just yet. It was strange to have been interacting with her for more than ten seconds without being verbally assaulted.
"Aren't you gonna ask me how it went?"
Tooth closed her eyes and titled her head to stretch her neck.
"Coffee first"
Jack smiled and hoisted himself up to go and pour them both a cup. After a minute or two she perked up, pulled the scrunchie out of her hair and began to grill him over his date which he responded to gracefully. The more he told her, the more energetic she became and it wasn't long before she regained her regular daytime personality of bubbles and fireworks that Jack found so overwhelming and pleasing at the same time.
"So how did it end?!" she said as she bobbed up and down in her seat.
"Well, he walked me up to the door and we talked for a little while"
"And did he kiss you?"
"I kissed him"
"You hussy! What was it like? How did it happen?"
"I guess there was like…a pause and then I just did it"
"How did you do it?"
"I kinda rose up and-"
"You rose up? Like, on your tippy toes?"
"Yeah"
Tooth squealed, "That it so cute!"
"Haha. He is pretty tall. Anyway, then I put my arms around his neck and…we just kissed"
"How was it?"
"Really good. It was kinda gentle but then he took over and it was more…"
"Heavy?"
"Sure. It was kinda…" Jack sighed as he brought his cup to his mouth, "…just perfect"
Tooth swooned playfully and flopped back on her chair. "Wow…you're so lucky"
"Yes, I am" he said and they both giggled together. "So, are you going home before work or…"
"Yeah, I guess" she said as she finished up her cup and set it down. Quickly she grabbed her things and then said she'd see him later before heading out to her car. Jack was left alone in his tiny kitchen with his floaty feeling to keep him company. Pretty soon though he found that wasn't enough and skittered into his bedroom to fish out his phone. Quickly he tapped out a message, 'Last night was so great. Thank you for taking me out'
After he sent it he jumped in the shower and finished as quickly as he could so he could run back out and check. Sure enough, waiting for him was Bunny's response, 'Thanks for coming, sweetheart. Can't wait to see you later'
Jack bit his lip excitedly through a smile and then set about getting ready. Today was going to be a good day. He could feel it. Plus, he had a tickly feeling from being called 'sweetheart'.
At the concert hall…
Jack bounded in gleefully in search of Bunny. He didn't know he was behaving like he was a cheerleader looking for the quarterback but something felt so awfully juvenile about the whole situation. He hadn't really had a comparable experience in high school and so maybe that was the reason he was acting it out now. Whatever the case, he was excited to see Bunny and as soon as he jumped through the auditorium doors, he looked up to the stage where Bunny stood and smiled the brightest, shiniest smile he had smiled all week. After dropping his things on a seat, he bounded up to the stage and landed with a thud behind his man.
Bunny didn't turn straight away when he heard someone come up behind him. He knew who it was and decided to have some fun with him. Keeping himself busied in what he was doing, he let the seconds pass allowing Jack to become all the more flustered in his restraint. Pretty soon he heard Jack begin to bounce on his heels as he became impatient and then slowly turned around to relieve him before he wet himself like an excited puppy.
"Oh, hello…" he said uninterestedly before turning back around and smiling to himself. Jack just stood there surprised then whined quietly for only Bunny to hear. The taller man couldn't keep back a snigger upon hearing the adorable sound and turned his head to give Jack a wry glance before wandering off towards the wings of the stage. Jack tottered along behind him like a lapdog expecting a treat and when they were out of sight, Bunny let down his guarded, teasing façade threw his arms around Jack's waist.
"Did you really think I was gonna brush you off?" he said with a smile before leaning down to give Jack a long, slow kiss as he gently swayed him from side to side.
"You should know better" Jack replied when they broke, "You can't play with me after a date like that"
"And why not? You think I don't like you anymore?"
"Of course. You can't show me such a good time and then pretend like you're not interested. I don't wanna think I've been dumped"
"Well, don't worry. You're not dumped"
"Promise?"
"Promise" he said before kissing him again. "So, are we going public now?"
"I don't know" Jack said wistfully. "What do you think?"
"You've been here longer. How would it go down?"
"It would sure give them all something to gossip about"
"You think they're all such busybodies?"
"Oh yeah. Not sure if I should give them anymore bait just yet"
"So, we gonna stay a secret for now?"
"I guess. What do you think?"
"I'm easy" Bunny said as he tightened his grip, "but not like that. Not like you"
"Hey!" Jack chuckled, "You better watch it or I'll make sure you regret that"
"I'd like to see you try" Bunny said as he lowered his head to Jack's eye line.
"Oh, would you?" Jack said as he leaned in to bit Bunny's lip. The two remained in the shadows for a little while longer before Bunny stood back and told him to give it a few seconds before he followed. Jack agreed and leant against the wall as he watched Bunny walk back out onto the stage where many of the players were now taking their seats. He really did look good from every angle and it reminded him how amazing it was that he was involved with such a gorgeous hunk of man.
"Playing it a little dangerously, aren't you, Frost?"
"Holy sh-…!" Jack exclaimed as he spun towards where the penetrating voice came from. He turned his eyes just in time to see the ghostly figure of Pitch emerge from the shadow in the offstage back corner and took a second to catch his breath. "What the hell are you doing back there?"
"I was coming to listen to the rehearsal for a little while and decided to keep out of the way, lest I put certain people off"
"How courteous" Jack sneered as he started to leave.
"Stop, Jack! Wait…" Pitch said as he stepped closer, "I have a little task for you"
Jack felt a shudder run through his body as Pitch's words entered him and he begrudgingly turned back to face the sinister man.
"And what is that?"
"Just a little something I need done. Come to my office at lunch and I'll show you"
"You can't tell me now?"
"And rob you of the joy of anticipation? Surely not. Do you think I'm that cruel?"
Jack shot him a steely glare and then stomped off onto the stage. Pitch just smirked as he watched the boy leave and then sank back into the darkness like a serpent.
The creepy feeling he felt inside overshadowed the rest of Jack's morning. He had no idea what Pitch would want him to do but he knew it couldn't have been pleasant. He hope at least it would be nothing illegal, after all Pitch couldn't be involved in anything like that. Then again, he was a cryptic man and Jack really didn't want to speculate on what he might get up to in his spare time. Fortunately, his anxiety didn't affect his playing that much and it was nice to be able to distract himself, if only for a little while.
When lunch came around, Jack quietly slunk away from Tooth's excited harassment of Bunny and began the long trek to Pitch's office. The whole scenario just seemed sour to him and he really didn't want to find out what was waiting up there. Still, what else could he do? The sooner he got this over with, the better, and if he could get it done before the others noticed he was gone then that could only be of benefit.
He decided to skip courtesy and burst into Pitch's office without knocking. To hell with being polite to the man if he was actually going through with this torture.
"Right. I'm here. Let's get this over with" he said matter-of-factly.
Pitch just gave him an unimpressed look but decided not to berate him for his rudeness for now.
"Ah, Jack. I'm so glad you came. I do hope I haven't inconvenienced you"
"Ha ha ha" Jack grunted sarcastically. "What do you want me to do?
"Ah, where to begin? Well, don't worry. It's nothing too taxing. I wouldn't want to distract you too much from thinking about that jackaroo"
"Leave him out of this, Pitch. This is between you and me"
"You and I, Jack, you and I. At least try to speak properly"
Jack sighed, "Why am I here?"
Pitch got up from his desk and walked around to pass Jack just a little too closely. Turning around, Jack saw him open a closet door and switch on the light inside.
"Take this" he said as he stood back. Jack stretched his arms to receive an extremely heavy box with the name of one of the symphonies they'd played last season written on the side.
"Okay"
"What I want you to do is go through this box and erase all the pencil markings from the scores"
"Are you serious?" Jack said astounded, "Isn't this the entire orchestral set?"
"Yes, Jack, it is. Surely you don't have a problem with that"
"Hell yes I have a problem with that! It'll take forever!"
"I didn't ask you if you minded, Jack. I told you to get started. What was unclear about that?"
"I can't possibly do all this now!"
"Well, how fortunate for you the weekend starts tomorrow"
Jack stood there speechless. Knowing those scores they must have been covered in pencil markings from various players and he bet few of them would have bothered to do their own erasing. This was completely unreasonable but it seemed he had no choice. At least it wasn't against the law.
"Have them back first thing Monday" Pitch said as he directed Jack towards the door and before he had time to protest, he was ushered out into the hall with the door closed behind him. As he began to trudge away with the box, he gritted his teeth as he cursed the way he was being exploited. He couldn't believe he'd agreed to this. Being Pitch's personal slave seemed like no fair deal to keep having sex with Bunny under wraps. In fact, in hindsight it seemed like what they'd done really wasn't a big deal, although maybe it wasn't quite so clear-cut as that. It probably would have been fine for them to simply be a couple in front of everyone but the clandestine sex they'd had on the weekend would almost certainly be a problem should it come to light. Why couldn't they have simply done it elsewhere? Then there'd be none of this servitude, none of this unpleasantness.
Perhaps on second thought, he was getting off easy though. As Jack thought about it he pretty much figured Pitch could have him do far worse than erasing scores. Of course, he could be saving up something nasty for sometime in the future but for now he supposed he was getting off lightly. Maybe he could make this work. Scratch that, he had to make this work. For the sake of himself and Bunny he had to make sure he kept Pitch happy and perhaps he should just count his blessings that he wasn't being asked to kill a guy. Yet.
Jack sighed as he entered the break room to stash the box to be picked up later. He couldn't believe he was trying to reason with himself over this.
For the rest of the afternoon, he did his best to play for the couple of remaining hours they had left of rehearsal and eventually managed to reach 3PM when they were dismissed. Hanging back with Bunny and waiting for everyone else to leave, he put on a brave face for him and kissed him out in the open with only Tooth around to see them. Jack quickly learned they had planned to go out together and that he was specifically not invited to which he pretended to be annoyed. Still, it was nice to know they could go out together and not need him to make it work. At least then they could all remain friends.
Assuring Jack he'd call him later, Bunny parted with Tooth when they got outside and Jack made sure they disappeared before he turned back to get his box. Hauling it home along with his bag and his violin was not an easy task and he cursed Pitch repeatedly for making him do this. Still, he tried to remind himself he was getting off easy and tried not to complain too much. After all, who was there to hear it but himself?
As soon as he got in, he placed the box down and started to paw through it, slowly becoming deflated as he saw how many scores there were in there. Falling back on the couch, he rubbed his tired eyes and wondered for how long he should procrastinate before getting on with the task. He'd have to go to Burgess tomorrow for lessons and he supposed he could be back by about four-ish at a push and get on with this. Then there was Sunday which he had free so far. What about Bunny though? Surely he'd want to meet up at some point. Casting his mind back to the previous weekend, he smiled as he remembered how great it had been. Of course, the high had only lasted a day or so before Pitch decided to screw him over. In all it had been an up and down week, and as Jack stared up at the ceiling he wished he could have just one week when he could finish on a categorical high.
With a sigh, he took off his hoodie and then went to work on the scores. Pitch, of course, hadn't supplied him with erasers and he figured he'd have to go and pick up a packet at some point when the one he had wore out.
So began Jack's busy but boring weekend of going through about one hundred scores and erasing the multitude of pencil scribbled onto the pages. His fingers quickly became grey with graphite and by Sunday evening he resolved never to send a score back with markings on again. It had been tough to get through the two supposedly free days. Fitting in the lessons was its usual chore, but trying to pretend as if nothing was wrong when Bunny and Tooth had come a-texting was something else. The pair had been voracious in their communicative prowess and by the time 6PM on Sunday evening rolled around when Jack was finally finished, he felt not only tediously bored but extremely guilty at having to refuse his friends' offers of fun and lying to them when they asked why. He felt especially bad about doing so with Bunny though. They'd only just started dating and he figured now was the time they were meant to be spending every possible waking moment with one another. This was the exciting, giddy time and still he was forced to stay away.
Well, the hell with that now. Pitch couldn't complain about the work he'd done and for now the dastardly man wouldn't be able to impose on his life any more. So, stopping only to pick up wine, his violin and fresh clothes, Jack cheerily trotted off to Bunny's apartment and smiled as he knocked on the door and waited. The frustration of doing the same, repetitive task for hours on end had given him the urge to do anything else at all and as it had grown, so had his general desire served to convert into a fiery libido. Needless to say, Bunny was in for a treat. As he waited he heard some fumbling the other side and chuckled to himself as he heard Bunny curse in that unmistakeable accent of his. He genuinely looked surprised when he opened to door to find Jack and before he could say anything, Jack jumped at him.
"Well, hello, Jacky!" he managed to say when Jack set his mouth free, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Oh, you know. I've been totally blowing you off all weekend and now I figured I could come here and give that a whole different meaning" Jack said as he reached down to grab Bunny's privates. The bigger man's eyes widened at the sudden invasion and then became slick with perfect understanding as Jack watched him figure it out.
"I see" he said as he took the violin and bag out Jack's other hand, set it down, and then slipped his own hands under the waistband of the back of Jack's pants.
"I hope I haven't interrupted anything" Jack said as he reached up to nibble on Bunny's ear.
"Just a little stretching. I'd say you caught me at exactly the right time"
"I guess I'm just that good" he said as he began to lift Bunny's shirt and then pulled it over his head to get at the gorgeous, rock-hard chest underneath. With renewed fire in his loins, Jack began to explore Bunny's chest with his mouth and slowly made his way down past his pecs, over his perfect abs and then hooked his fingers into the top of his pants to gently pull them down before slowly following the light trail of hair starting at his belly button and leading downwards. Bunny's eyes closed as he felt Jack go to work when he arrived at his swelling manhood and then sprung them open again when he realized he'd forgotten something crucial.
"Shit, Jack! Move! Let me close the door!"
Later on…
"Ah! Fuck!" Bunny groaned heatedly as he hooked his hands under the knees of Jack's spread legs and thrust his hips hard against those of the quivering guy he was buried in. Jack moaned earthily as he felt Bunny finish off inside him and then felt his body spasm as the sheer intensity of his movements pushed him over the edge too. A second or two later, Bunny fell down on top of him and panted hard against his ear as his orgasm petered out. Jack placed his arms on Bunny's back and held him tight against his own chest as they both came down from their shared climax. That had been their best sex yet and Jack was amazed at how fantastic Bunny was. Just being so close to him was so hot and his mind swam with the lingering memory of the pleasure he'd been shown. Still, it could have been down to the fact that Bunny was a still firmly lodged inside his rear but that was alleviated shortly when Bunny pulled out and fell down onto his back next to him.
Jack let his legs settle down onto the bed and then rolled over to cuddle up to Bunny side-on. Bringing his hand up to rest on Bunny's chest earned him an arm scooped around his back and together they lay there in ecstasy as the endorphins surged around their exhausted bodies.
Eventually Jack managed to mumble, "You're so amazing"
Bunny smiled, "You're not so bad yourself"
Delicately, Bunny pulled the covers back and then draped them over their bodies before turning to his lover and pulling him close. "You're staying over tonight, right?"
"Of course. You got a tissue?"
"What? Oh…sure" Bunny said as he reached behind him and pulled over a box of Kleenex. Jack set about cleaning up the mess he'd transferred from his own stomach to Bunny's as they leant against one another and the two giggled as they revelled in how naughty it was.
"I can't believe I did my boss" Jack said happily.
"It's not the first time"
"No. But I still can't believe it"
"I can't believe it's been a whole week since we last did it"
"You mean you wanna do it in the week? I thought we'd keep it a weekend treat. Like ice-skating on a Saturday when you were kid."
"Sorry. We're just to good save it for the weekend. We should be doing it everyday"
"Haha. Well, not everyday. Wouldn't want you getting any ideas about me"
"Oh, I've already got a few ideas. And I bet I can prove them all true"
"What kind of boy do you think I am?"
"You're a dirty boy, Jacky. There's no use trying to deny it"
"Well…" Jack began before pushing himself up and moving his leg over to straddle Bunny's hips, "…it takes one…" he said before leaning down to kiss him again, "…to know one."
Bunny just placed his arms around him and continued to kiss him. Eventually, Jack fell back to his side and the two cuddled together while chatting peacefully in the softness of Bunny's wide, perfectly comforting bed.
A little while later, when Jack was wonderfully warm and content whilst pressed up against Bunny's skin, his big, muscled bed-mate shifted and pushed himself away from the snoozing figure next to him.
"Hey. Where you going?" Jack asked as he lamented the loss of what was essentially a giant, self-heating teddy bear.
"I think it's time we had our rehearsal, Jacky"
"Huh?" Jack said sitting up and watching Bunny open the door.
"We didn't have one this week and I'd rather not let it slide"
"Now?"
"You have your violin, don't you?"
"Yeah, but…really?"
"Why not?"
Jack thought for a second. "Okay then…"
With that, he pushed the covers aside and climbed out of bed. Looking around for his pants, he looked up at Bunny who just stood there naked whilst watching him.
"Aren't you gonna put something on?"
"Well…" he began before stepping towards Jack and pulling him up, "I think it would be far more enjoyable for us to go without. Wouldn't you say?"
Jack produced a look as if to say 'Are you kidding?' but couldn't get away due to Bunny's grasp on his arms.
"Come on, Jacky. Let me see you play absolutely starkers"
"Starkers?"
"Naked"
"No" Jack whined playfully and suddenly feeling extremely embarrassed about being naked in front of him.
"Come on. Do it for me"
"Really?"
"Yeah, it'll be fun"
Jack couldn't think of what to do. On the one hand it sounded naughty and childish but on the other it was strangely enticing. He'd never been asked to play naked before and he wasn't sure whether he liked the idea. Still, why not? After all, he had just done something far naughtier with Bunny and it wasn't as if he hadn't seen him naked before. It would, however, be as if he were on show and that was what put him off. In the end though, he couldn't help but remember what he'd said to himself earlier, "The hell with it", and decided there was no harm.
"Okay then" he said before biting his lip nervously.
"Great" Bunny replied before turning to go into the other room, "Let me just set a few things up"
"Like what?"
Jack watched as Bunny proceeded to dim the lights and then disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before bringing out a few candles. Jack giggled as he placed them around the room and lit them and went over to his case to get out his violin. By the time he was finished, he turned around to see Bunny covered in a black silk robe and sitting on his couch.
"Hey! How come you get clothes?"
"'Cos it was my idea"
"What? So I'm your harem violinist?"
"Good thinking. Yes, that's exactly what you are. Oh, hold on" he said before jumping up again and going to grab the wine Jack had brought. After coming out of the kitchen with two glasses, he sat down again and poured them before sitting back. "Okay, Jacky, play me some Swan Lake"
"Again? I've been playing it so much lately"
"Does that mean you're finished practicing?"
"No. But…"
"Then play for me, Jack"
Jack smiled as he huffed lightly and shook his head gently as he raised his violin. With a strong arm, he began to play the piece Bunny was expecting and tried to lose himself in the music as he had been told before. It was hard to do though since he could feel Bunny's eyes drifting over his body as he played. He felt strangely exposed as he stood there and played but something, maybe the candles or the dim light or all of it combined with his playing, made the situation so incredibly erotic and he couldn't help but notice his heart beginning to pound as pure sexuality seemed to flow through in his blood.
Stopping before the upbeat section began, he lowered his violin and looked to Bunny who looked thoroughly entranced with what he was looking at. After a few silent seconds, Jack felt himself beginning to blush a little and had to speak.
"So, how was it?"
Bunny simply smiled wider, "You were sublime"
Jack smiled back and felt a little bashful at his reaction. It was nice to be told he played perfectly, especially now when he had done it completely naked. Everything about the moment was just so incredibly sensual and before Bunny could tell him to play anything else, he ambled over to where he sat, placed his violin on the coffee table and found a little niche against Bunny's body. Gently he pressed their lips together and slid his hands under his robe to feel his perfect skin again. His touch made Bunny jump just a little and Jack pulled his cold hand away as he saw what effect it had. Before he could apologize, Bunny lovingly took it and placed it against his chest again before kissing him once more and intertwined the fingers on his other hand into Jack's hair. Bunny was so warm and encapsulating. Being with him was just perfect and Jack couldn't think of anywhere he'd rather be. As such, remained in his dreamy state wrapped up in Bunny's embrace for the rest of the evening before he was carried to bed.
The next morning…
Bunny and Jack didn't go to work together that morning. They still weren't sure how they were going to go public and they figured the orchestra could go one more week before being given the chance to gossip or not care in the slightest.
Making their separate ways in was most opportune for Jack since he needed to swing by his place in order to pick up the box of scores he'd been working on all weekend. Struggling with them on the bus and then getting into the building with so many things to carry, Jack marched up to Pitch's office after he'd dumped the rest of his things and dropped the box on his desk after making sure not to knock again.
Pitch looked up disinterestedly at what Jack presented him with and then reached into a draw to pull out a prepared label which he proceeded to stick to the lid. Jack saw it was the name of some high school somewhere and then stared down at it in disbelief.
"What's that?"
"The label?" Pitch began, "We're donating them to a high school somewhere in Allegheny county. A good cause, wouldn't you say?"
"So why did I have to spend my weekend erasing them?"
"Well, it's nice to put the extra effort in when it comes to supporting the arts. And we have to make use of the talents you possess that are of use to us, don't we? After all, your playing certainly isn't"
Jack closed his eyes and cracked his neck. He'd let it go this time. He had finished the job and he didn't feel like antagonizing Pitch considering what kind of sway he had over him at the moment.
"Well, goodbye then" Jack said as he turned to leave. He cringed when Pitch stopped him and called him back for his next task.
"Now, Jack. I have some reviews to do today"
"Oh good. Do I get to hear how good you think I am again?"
"It's not your review, you self-important arse."
Jack fought the urge to say Pot, Kettle, Black. "My mistake. So why should I be so excited for this?"
"I've decided I want someone to take my notes for me. I'm sure you weren't planning anything for your afternoon off"
"Oh, come on, Pitch!" Jack whined at the thought of having to spend his afternoon at work when he didn't have to.
"Don't start, Frost. And don't fret. I thought of something to make it all the more interesting for you"
Jack felt uncomfortable with the way he said that and prepared himself for what was in store. "Yes?"
"I've decided I want you to give the reviews"
"What?"
"I thought it would be a treat for you to explain to your colleagues how well you think they're playing. Of course, I'll be there to summarize"
"You want me to review my friends?" said Jack in a voice that seemed to denote the sentiment 'You can't be serious'.
"Yes. No need to thank me"
"Don't worry, I won't"
"Be here at two. Now get out"
Jack huffed and exited Pitch's office in a fluster. He couldn't believe that man. How embarrassing was it going to be for him to have to tell his colleagues, most of which had been in the job far longer than he had, how well they were playing? Who was he to dispense that kind of appraisal or critique? To actually have to tell them anything was going to make him look as if he had delusions of grandeur in front of all of them and he'd be shunned from thereon. Pitch was a dick! He was an absolute dick!
Seeing Bunny at break helped relieve some of his strife. They didn't have much private time out of sight since Tooth made sure to latch onto the pair of them as they tried to slink away. She had them laughing in no time though and it was funny to listen to her speculate as to what they had gotten up to when they told her they'd spent the night at Bunny's. The memory, still fresh in Jack's mind, made him feel much better in spite of what he had to do that afternoon and he made sure to tell Tooth once Bunny had disappeared. She felt for him and tried to cheer him up but in the end he figured he'd just have to bear it. It would be over eventually after all and hopefully his reputation wouldn't be damaged too much.
Two o'clock, and Jack was following Pitch alongside the pianist that had been there at his own review and together they trotted along in silence as Pitch cast a dark shadow in the hall. Following him into the practice room after he burst in, he smiled weakly at the man that usually sat at the next stand when he was in his usual seat and did his best to ignore the strange look he received in return. He'd have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow in regard to his presence.
As Pitch intimidated the poor guy in the middle of the room, Jack did his best to remain invisible. Eventually, Pitch commanded the man to start playing and as he began his piece, Jack tried hardest to look like he was there for nothing more than to provide assistance. It was hard though since he didn't really know where to place his eyes and as he struggled to remain nonchalant he became very uncomfortable and squirmed in his seat, if anything drawing more attention to himself. When the guy finished playing, silence hung in the room until it became rather awkward and he had to ask what to do next. Jack turned discreetly to Pitch who remained fixated – albeit uninterestedly – on the man awaiting his appraisal and he too felt the undeniable squeamishness Pitch forced everyone to feel when they were under the microscope.
After a few moments of blank staring, Pitch turned his head and spoke,
"Jack?" he said as if it were a chore to be there. "What did you think?"
Immediately, Jack felt every muscle in his body clench as all eyes turned to him. He couldn't believe he was going to have to give someone he considered higher than himself critique. It just didn't feel right and he desperately did not want to say anything that might make him look like a jerk.
"I…" he began before finding no words to follow.
"Yes…" Pitch droned.
"I thought it was good"
"Good?"
"Yeah. I can't fault it"
Looking at the guy he gave a meek smile hoping his summation might be well received. Fortunately, he received thanks but, of course, Pitch was not done. With an insidious grin, he did what he had to do to turn this all around on his slave.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes"
"What about his bowing? Are you sure you can't fault that?"
"I…um…"
"Wouldn't you agree it was a little sloppy?"
"Um…"
"Jack?" he said firmly.
"I…I guess…I don't know…maybe…"
"So there's doubt?"
"I don't know"
"Come on, Jack! Don't be a simpleton! Do you, or do you not agree that his bowing could use serious improvement?"
"I don't know about serious-"
"Jack! Yes or no?"
Pitch shot him a glare. Jack knew what he wanted him to say and he couldn't risk going against him. Begrudgingly, he turned his eyes down and answered.
"Yes"
"Yes…what?"
"Yes, I agree"
Pitch smiled wickedly and turned to the man with the violin.
"It seems Jack does indeed take issue with your bowing. I'm sure he'd also agree your articulation was deplorable and your phrasing was possibly beyond repair. Correct, Jack?"
Jack was silent and prompted another shot from his master.
"Frost?!"
"Fine, yes" Jack said, not daring to look up and face the accused. He felt so embarrassed and ashamed of himself.
Pitch revelled in the grim feeling he'd created in the room. It was simply a delight to watch Jack squirm. He didn't care about the guy he'd come to review, he was simply there to torture the poor boy behind him and he was so pleased with his results. Turning back to the violinist, he smirked and said, "Next piece then"
For the rest of the session and indeed the afternoon, Pitch made Jack feel worse and worse as three more players came and went and he forced him to agree with his vitriolic assessments. The way he managed to spin his words to make it seem as if Jack was most at fault was truly masterful and by the end of the day Jack felt dirty with the filth of Pitch's damnation. Seeing Jack look so dishevelled and excruciated was pure art to him and as Jack tried to escape, he stopped him for one final crack at cutting him down.
"It seems, perhaps, you won't be too popular in the morning, Jack"
Jack didn't look him in the eye. He couldn't bear to.
"Perhaps" he mumbled in return.
"Still, at least you'll have that jackaroo to go and cry to"
"Oh, don't worry about that. I won't be crying over you"
"Well, we'll see. Why on earth did you go for him anyway?"
"Is that really any of your business?"
"Oh, Jack" he almost cackled, "Clearly it is. After what I witnessed I rather think anything to do with you two is my business"
"Don't you think it's a little weird? You perving off us having sex?"
Pitch's expression changed to one of resentment. "Don't forget what's on the line here, Jack. One slip up and it's bye-bye Frosty. Perhaps bye-bye jackaroo as well. Do you really want that for your precious kangaroo?"
Jack sighed frustratedly and glared up at him, "Will there be anything else, Pitch?"
"As it happens, Jack, yes" he said as he beckoned Jack to follow him and then walked in silence with him up to his office. Picking up a box and handing it to him, he smiled down at the boy.
"I don't like this radio. Take it back to Best Buy for me and get a refund"
"What?! I'm not your gopher!"
"Oh, yes, you are, Jack! While I'm keeping your disgusting secret you'll do whatever I tell you to do, you filthy little faggot!"
Jack's was stunned. Faggot? Had Pitch actually used that word? He'd never heard him be homophobic before, or racist or sexist or anything of the like. It had always seemed he'd used his unearthly ability with corrosive speech to dig at people and in that way they were all equal. Still, faggot? He had never expected that. Even more so since he'd always had an inkling that Pitch himself was gay. It seemed now, he had been wrong.
Turning around silently and leaving, he later cursed himself for not berating Pitch at the time. He shouldn't have allowed him to get away with that, secret or no secret. He had never allowed anyone to get away with attacking him for being gay before and he wasn't sure whether he was more upset with Pitch for doing it or with himself for accepting it.
Fortunately, the annoyance he felt with the man for making him run his errands managed to overshadow his upset for most of the evening and he was thankfully distracted when finished her own little date with Bunny and called him to tell him all about it.
That was the way the rest of the week went. Pitch gradually loaded Jack up with more and more mundane tasks to accomplish in ever less reasonable amounts of time and it became harder for Jack to keep what he was doing from Bunny. As he tried to fit the extra work he had to do around seeing him and work, he found himself becoming more tired and found it hard to hide his irritation. Several times he had to pass on offers to do things with Bunny and it hurt him to do so. He had desperately wanted to spend time with him but Pitch's tasks became ever more demanding on his time – especially when they involved running errands. Slowly but surely, Jack became more frustrated and as anyone can tell, stretching anyone too far is a dangerous thing to do. It all came to a head on Friday evening when Jack found himself sitting at Tooth's kitchen table while she sat on the floor arranging flowers. Usually Jack liked to interfere when she was doing that and she never seemed to mind his wanting to help despite making more work to be done. On this evening, she had no such help from her friend who was busy writing some piece for a newsletter Pitch was going to take credit for and she didn't hold back in reminding him how stupid he was being in going along with it. Gradually Jack became more and more angry with things and through no intention of his own, it slowly began to direct it towards her.
"You know it's only gonna get worse, don't you?"
"I'm trying not to think about it" he said stiffly.
"There's no use in putting it off. You're gonna have to find a way around it all"
"Well, how can I? I stop doing what he wants and he gets me fired. It's not like it's something I can get through"
"There has to be some way you can stop and keep your job. What he's doing is totally unethical"
"Don't you think I've thought about it? There is literally no way out until he lets me go"
"And you think he will?"
"I have to hope so"
"You're being stupid, Jack"
"I am not being stupid. I'm just doing what I have to do"
"No. You're doing what he's making you do. If you ask me he's more likely to get fired than you are by this point"
"I'm not gonna put it to the test"
"Well, when the time comes all I'm gonna be able to say is that I told you so"
Jack sighed with frustration, "I'd rather not talk about it"
"What? So we're just gonna brush it under the rug?"
"Have you got any other suggestions?"
"Yes! Tell somebody. Get him in trouble and then maybe they'll concentrate on him and let you off with a slap on the wrist"
"Tooth, don't be ridiculous"
"I'd rather be ridiculous than stupid"
"I am not stupid"
"You are if you're doing this"
"Fine! I'm stupid! You happy now?"
"No! Think, Jack! The more Pitch sinks his claws in, the more you're gonna get screwed over. And what about Bunny?"
"Bunny doesn't know about this. You know that"
"Well, he should"
"You think he's the kinda guy that's gonna just leave it alone? He'll go and do whatever he thinks is right to Pitch and then I'll be out on my ass. He wouldn't mean to do it but it'll happen"
"And how do you think getting him to like you better is gonna be possible when you're running around after Pitch and not spending time with him?"
"I'll have to find a way"
"Be real, Jack. You really think Bunny's gonna think you're nice to be around if you're absent and dismissive when you're with him? Not to mention exhausted"
"I'll just have to put in the extra effort"
"To hell with extra effort. Fact is, Bunny's gonna start to think you're not as fun as he thought and no amount of throwing your legs over your head is gonna compensate for that"
"Hey!" Jack suddenly said indignantly. He knew she was right but he didn't take kindly to how she said it. "Just because I have to spend a little extra time keeping Pitch happy does not mean it's gonna impact the way Bunny sees me"
"You really think so? Really? All he'll see is the guy he likes and thought liked him getting more and more distant and he's either gonna think that it's something he's done wrong or that you're just not as interested as you were. You really think he'll want to keep you as his boyfriend for long when he feels guilty for not doing a good enough job at keeping you interested in him? Or when he gets bored of you?"
Jack didn't respond. The truth hurt but he didn't want to admit it. She was right in saying he risked pushing Bunny away eventually and he didn't want that. They'd only just started and he didn't want to be thrown out already. Before he could respond she carried on.
"Or have you even officially become boyfriends yet? I bet you haven't even stamped yourselves as 'going out', right? You see? You probably would have if you had spent more time with him but already you're spending less time with him than you should. I bet you haven't even seen him outside work at all this week"
She was right. She was totally right and he only just then realized it was Friday evening and he hadn't been out with him since their last date. In fact, the last time they had time alone was last Sunday evening and that more served the purpose of scratching an itch. In the nearly two weeks they had been romantically involved they hadn't even been on a second date yet and that really made Jack begin to worry. They really should have been out a second time by now and he knew that if he left it any longer he was going to start getting into dangerous territory. He had to find some time for Bunny soon and he was going to have to make sure he fit it in around everything else. Somehow he'd have to find a way whatever that meant. On top of that, he had to find a way to crush his frustration back down inside too. He hated the situation and it cut him deep.
Really though, having Tooth remind him of the reality of it all was not helping. Although she was trying to help, all Jack could hear at that moment was her scolding him for letting it happen and he didn't like tough love when it came from her. It wasn't even his fault! He'd been forced into this position and he didn't need her telling him how stupid it was of him to let it continue.
With a stiff jaw, he responded to her little speech.
"Tooth. I just have to do this if I have any chance of making me and Bunny work"
"And what happens when you and Bunny fall apart? All you'll have left is misery and Pitch dicking you around. You'll be miserable and alone. What will you do then?"
Jack found himself stuck and he didn't like that. It made him angry and, considering the week he'd had, he was getting close to snapping.
"Tooth…"
"You know what, Jack? I really expected better of you! You were never the guy to just lie down and take it when something was wrong. You always fought things that weren't right and you were always so happy. Now you're letting yourself be miserable and really you only have yourself to blame. I hope you're proud!"
There it was, the last straw.
"It's all so fucking easy for you to comment, isn't it?!" he yelled. His suddenly heated tone shocked Tooth and she cowered on the floor as she watched him rise and start to grab his things. "You think I don't know how unfair this is? You think I don't understand that Bunny's gonna think I'm being weird? You know, the reason why I'm not that worried about losing him is because I'm trying not to think about it all the time even though I know it's what's most likely going to happen! I know how he must see me and I'm trying my damned hardest to make it work with him even though there's a big chance of me fucking it up! And if that means keeping Pitch silent while I keep stupidly trying to make myself into something worth Bunny having then so fucking be it! At least then I'll have had a shot with him! And you know what? On top of all this I don't need you reminding me about it every fucking second when we're alone! You're meant to be my fucking friend! Not someone who keeps telling me what an asshole I am!"
Tooth stared up at him almost tearfully and simply managed to breath, "Jack…"
Seeing her become upset at his outburst made Jack feel terrible and he wished he hadn't shouted at her. It really wasn't her fault but he had no time for that now. He was just too angry and overloaded to clear things up and he had to get Pitch's work done.
"I'm going" he said gruffly as he stuffed his things into his bag and began to leave.
"Jack don't" she said as she timidly got up and went to go after him. Before she could say anything else though he had gone. She was left alone in her apartment feeling awful about pushing him over the edge and it was made worse by the fact that she didn't really have anyone else to go to in order to work it out. She suddenly felt very isolated and no amount of wishing or wobbly voicemails could alleviate her strife. Many tears were shed that evening and that was only the beginning of her weekend with no word from her livid best friend.
Oh, Jack. Just tell Bunny! Everything will get better, you'll see!
Thanks everyone for reading! Thanks for your reviews and follows! Keep 'em coming 'cos I love to read 'em!
Perhaps something you could answer for me if you feel the urge. Was the smexiness in this chapter too tame, too strong or just right for the narrative? Obviously it started out being more explicit but I scaled it back so as not to be gross. Did I go too far? Let me know! Cheers! xxx