AN:

Is it hilarious that even though I've wanted to for more than a decade I only finally started trying to learn Guitar less than a week ago…- (Actually originally I wanted to learn Base for reasons not unlike Mio- this was years ago before K-On… {Like- still in middle or early high school ago… so- 10 years ago or so…} but once I actually started looking into it, I decided I ought to learn Guitar, since learning Base after Guitar is easier than the other way around… which is why I'm trying to learn on an Acoustic Guitar… even though in the long run I want to own an electric [using a friend's instrument at the moment]) The calluses I used to have from gymnastics help a little, but I still need to build the skin on the tips of my fingers…

I have a goal… I plan to be able to play Watashi no Koi wa Hotch Kiss… after that I'll probably try to learn more practical songs and just keep in practice…

AN2: {deleted due to out of date useless information}

AN3: Also- I've suddenly lost a lot of respect for TATU… I mean- I still suck and I can fuckin' TAP out the intro to 30 Minutes… it's that simple…

AN4: I own my own guitar now- it's an acoustic- but my roommate sold it to me for $15 bucks so- how could I resist when the only problem with it was I needed to re-string and he even had strings already for it…

End AN

"Hey, yours is a five string?"

Jack shrugged, "I was actually going to learn guitar, but in my case I bowed out for my friend, figured I'd drop to base and let him lead, and I'd have looked for a six string base, but I figured at that point I might as well have been playing a guitar anyway," he mused as he tuned his strings. "Damn new strings," he sighed, but a moment later he strummed out part of a tune that was familiar to him just to warm up. He stopped, then looked down at his fingers, "Damn, not completely gone, but I'm not sure they'll hold up."

"I didn't know you could lose your calluses," Mio asked, sitting on a swing beside Mugi as they both watched him sitting on the concrete at the edge of the swing set.

"Like I said before, four years, I stopped when I came to Japan because I found I was so far behind on the curriculum I couldn't find the time- well, I've been through quite a bit of growing since then, the skin stretched and the calluses got thinner." He started doing a stretching exercise, playing notes down one fret at a time, then back once he reached the farthest fret.

"Look, I- shouldn't actually stay long, I don't want Ritsu's imagination running off with her," she tried to pass it off as a joke, but failed from the nervousness in her voice.

"At least it would be an interesting ride for her to tell you about," Mugi said with an amused smirk.

Mio just gawked at her for a moment, then turned to Jack.

"Don't look at me, I agree," he scoffed. "Can you honestly tell me you don't sometimes fantasize about things you'd be far too embarrassed to talk about?"

"But- but- I don't want Ritsu picturing me doing funny things… She might start telling people I really am doing them…"

"Yeah but, who hasn't learned to take anything Ritsu says with a grain of salt yet? I've been in your lives all of about a week and I figured that out…"

"That's just it, how can you say what you say when you've only know us for so long, how am I not supposed to think you're collecting us?"

"If I were collecting I'd have probably gone for you first, then Mugi, then Azusa, then Yui, and let Ritsu come to me, cause you know by then she'd feel left out," Jack chuckled.

"You actually thought that out," she looked aghast.

"Not until you said it, it's not exactly hard science. Go for the hardest first, and dumbest last, well- in fairness Ritsu is a little smarter than Yui, but Ritsu's easier to manipulate. In between varies a little, Mugi next because she's open and intelligent enough to help in later so-call conquests, and Azusa would be almost as difficult as you, but a little more impressionable…"

Mio just sat there mouth open for a moment…

"I'm a guy, I'm allowed to think about these things-… as long as I don't act on them…"

"Is that really the order you'd go in," Mugi wondered aloud.

"It's the order I'd plan it in if I was going to do such a thing… but really- I don't get why anyone would want a harem… I don't get hard-core rockers who collect groupies, sleep with a different girl every night and you have to learn each of their bodies' secrets separately."

"Bodies' secrets," Mio asked with a blush.

Jack chuckled, which just made Mio blush more. "Oh yeah, the one thing I always forget about Japanese culture," he chuckled some more. "American media may suppress sexual content, but aside from the anally repressed, we don't have any trouble showing or talking about affection in public," he sighed. Then started strumming a few stray notes on his Base.

Mio sighed, "I just don't understand why you're interested in me- and why you-…" she blushed, "Why you and Mugi seem to want this- want me?"

"I'm pretty sure I covered that," Jack mused. "Maybe you lost it in Ritsu's exclamation," he chuckled. "I love Mugi- as much as I know how- I want us to love you because I think you can complete our relationship in a way we can't on our own. This isn't just a tacky guy three-some obsession- frankly I generally find the idea silly and frivolous. In this case however I believe you have the capacity to complete us better than we can alone."

"Why!" She looked around suddenly making sure she hadn't attracted additional attention.

"Love isn't science, or math, it's art. There's a balance that you happen to find in math, but that's just an echo. It's not until you get into some serious hard core math that anything looks remotely real…"

Mio sat there for a moment… quirked an eyebrow, "How does that explain anything?"

"Sometimes two variables aren't enough, like a chord, sometimes you need another string to make just the right harmony."

"And sometimes you should just tune down your strings," Mio snapped back.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle at that retort. He found himself laughing hard a moment later while Mio just stared at him. Mio turned over to Mugi to see she was laughing as well, though much more quietly.

Mio frowned. "Wasn't that funny."

Jack gave another short burst of laughter, then paused and sucked in a breath, slowly letting it out, "Maybe not, but it was a good comeback."

"But you're already working on another argument, yes?"

"Of course, since for all your shy and almost sly evasiveness, you've yet to give a definitive answer, I can tell the idea is just so overwhelming to you that you haven't even really started to let it sink in and think about it."

Mio looked down, "Okay I haven't, it's a lot to take in, it's-… Not normal…"

Jack snorted, "What's normal, wife and two kids? Go on, go catch Ritsu's imaginary kite string before she's lost forever to the dark side that is Ecchi-dom- then go home- and really think about it. Think about it in an environment that suits you- free of distractions and immediate pressures…"

Mio looked from Jack back to Mugi, who just nodded.

"And if I say no?"

"Then you probably cheated, kidding" he added quickly, "if you sincerely feel against it after honestly thinking it over- we'll tune down our strings," he smirked.

As Mio left, Jack put up his base and sat in the swing beside Mugi. They were both silent for a moment as they pushed off and started swinging- a moment later Mugi stopped and started laughing quietly, Jack stopped soon after, and laughed softly…

"Tune down our strings…" Mugi said between giggles.

Then both turned to each other and laughed a bit more, stopping almost together before Mugi started swinging again-

"Betcha I can go higher," she said teasingly.

"Oh you're on," he said playing along…