Three weeks had gone by since I had knocked on Em’s door. Three weeks of denying that I was going to move in with them. Two weeks of waking up next to Ember. One week since I’d been back to my house. And that’s what it was. A house. Em and Leia had a home and it shook me that they were actually welcoming me to be a part of it.
I still struggled with self-worth, but fuck it. This was a gift and I was going to take it.
Ember and I had long, drawn-out discussions of how to explain our relationship to Leia. We went online to check resources, we bought some books and talked about it endlessly. Em even wanted to roleplay answers to questions she might ask. In the end, she just told her mother that she needed to buy more Kraft mac and cheese if I was going to be eating with them every day.
I tried to be as respectful as possible of Namjoon's relationship with Leia. If he came over, I left my acoustic out and went for a drive or a walk. I’d often come back to see him using it as they played together. He continued his lessons with her, but so did I. Namjoon was first in her heart, and I totally got that.
The day after one of their lessons, I asked Namjoon to come back to my office.
“What’s up, boss?”
“You remember the father and daughter band? Violins?”
“Sure. The Popplins. The father’s making me an acoustic. Three-quarter size. It’s a surprise for Leia.”
“No shit? He any good?”
“Seems like. I’ve seen some of his other stuff and he makes the instruments they play in the studio and onstage.”
“Well, that’s cool as fuck. Anyway, the CD’s Mike had gotten made for them, the money goes to a rehab center for vets. The father and daughter do a bunch of charity gigs and that’s one of the places they play. I wanna do something for the venue. You’re going to help. I, uh, I’m gonna rent a concert hall and we’re gonna play.”
“Dude, I ... I can’t do that. You know who I was when ... Wait. What the fuck, did you just say ‘we’? Are you playing? Is Fingers Franzetti playing out for the first time in almost 20 years?”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah. My life is ... Better. I don’t have that need to hide anymore. It feels right.”
“That’s ... Wow. I don’t know, that’s crazy. This is gonna be your comeback concert? Reintroduce you to everybody?”
It wasn’t going to be my comeback concert, but Namjoon didn’t need to know that yet.
“Yeah, sure. It’ll raise a lot of money and pack the hall. I’m gonna lean on you a bit, okay? It’s been a while.”
"Of course. Fuck. This is unbelievable. You gonna get the guys from Death Knight to play?”
I smiled. “No. This is about me.”
It was actually about him.
“Well, whatever you need. I got you, man. Whatever I can do.”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.”
When Namjoon left I began calling venues and speaking to promoters. I wanted to wring every penny possible out of this for the rehab center. I got printers to donate promo material, radio stations were eager to get on board. I popped up on guitar forums and started talking it up and got locals to play for free. The only ones that weren’t donating their time and services were the union crews, and that wasn’t their fault.
So, yeah. This was a big deal for the center. We were even thinking about livestreaming the concert and getting donations that way. But that wasn’t my only motivation. To be honest, I didn’t give a fuck if I played in front of a crowd, for a few people in the studio or just for Em and Leia. This was about something else. I helped put an end to Namjoon's career. I owed it to him to give him a new start. And he deserved the fuck out of it. He had changed so much that it was almost hard to believe.
I didn’t make my last call until almost 7:30 and didn’t get to Em’s until after 8:00. When I walked in Leia looked up and immediately grabbed the guitar she had sitting next to her.
“Mom! Jimin's home!”
There was no moving. Standing there, I just stared at her and looked around, trying not to cry. It hit me like a sack of cement. Jimin is home. This was home.
Em walked in and stopped when she saw me. “Jimin? You okay?”
“I, uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”
Wiping away the nascent tears, I walked with her into the kitchen and she put a plate of food in the microwave for me. Leia followed, grabbed my forearm in her usual weird way and started telling me about her day as I ate.
Each forkful took a while. I looked around as I ate, one part of my brain on Em and Leia and another on my surroundings. The furniture was old but comfortable. The refrigerator made an odd hissing sound and leaked water. Dinner was meatloaf with a mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas. I wiped my eyes with my forearm again. Em looked at me with concern, but I just smiled and gave her a small nod.
After 20 years, I was home.
THE END
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NO STRINGS ATTACHED #Jiminfanfic (COMPLETED)
Fanfiction[Completed] Haunted by the past, can a legend & a single mom find love? . . "I have concerns about this," he mumbled, but he didn't stop kissing me. "They don't seem too pressing," I murmured back. "Em ... Ember." I stopped what I was doing and lo...
