Kindred Spirits

The Next Day.

Jim woke up when his phone rang, he yawned and quickly answered the call, "Hello?" He rubbed his eyes and yawned again.

"Hey, it's Mick. Sorry I woke you. I thought it would be a good time to call since it's almost lunch time."

"I was awake," Jim laughed and sat up, "I must have dozed back off, usually I'm wide awake by now. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you were busy today."

"Nah, I'm free," Jim shuffled out of bed and pulled his glasses on, "You want me to come and take a look at your car?"

"Yeah if you don't mind."

"No, of course not," Jim grinned to himself, "I'd love to anyway. Gimme a sec, I'll just find a pen and paper so I can write your address down."

"Alright."

Jim put his phone down and stood up, he searched through his night stand and got a pen and some paper out; he picked his phone up with his right hand and smiled more, "Right, so where do you live?"

= = = = =

Mick answered the door when he heard knocking, his breath caught in his throat when he saw Jim there clad in leather with a toolbox in-hand; he had heard a motorbike but hadn't expected it to be Jim, "Hey!" Jim smiled and Mick found the will to move, he hinted for Jim to come in and the man happily did, "When I got your address, I was a little surprised that you don't live too far from me."

"Really?" Mick shut the door and lead the man through to the kitchen.

"Nah, about ten minutes on the bike. Gave me an excuse to ride it anyway. Car in the garage?"

"Yup, I'll just go grab the keys, make yourself comfortable. You can grab a drink if you want."

"Thanks. Do you mind if I leave these in here? I don't want them to get too dirty." Jim put his tool-box on the worktop.

"Go ahead." Mick smiled then left the room; Jim took his gloves off, put them down on the table then got his jacket off, he folded it up and laid it on one of the dining chairs, he took his boots off then his leather pants, he folded the pants over and laid them on top of his jacket.

He just had on a black wife-beater and a old pair of knee-length shorts; they were a little tattered up and already caked in grease from past jobs he had, he pulled his boots back on and turned around when he heard little footsteps.

Mick entered the kitchen just behind his cat, he laid the keys on the worktop and picked Moose up, "She finally came out of hiding."

"Hiding?"

"Yup, she ran when you knocked on the door," Mick laughed and walked over, "This is Moose."

"She's gorgeous," Jim gently petted the black cat and she meowed softly, "And cute."

"I know," Mick grinned then put Moose down, she rubbed against Jim's leg then Mick's and skittered off again, "And there she goes," Mick picked up his keys, "Shall we?"

"Sure," Jim grinned and grabbed his tool-box, "I just left my clothes there, that's okay, right?"

"Yeah sure." Mick smiled and lead Jim over to the door; he opened it up and the two headed inside.

"Oh wow..." Jim had a look around the man's garage, he had another car...Well, this one was a silver jeep and a pitch black motorbike, "Sure beats mine."

"I doubt it," Mick shook his head, "Doesn't work anymore," He ran a hand over the framework, "I've been meaning to get it fixed or...Just buy a new one."

"I'll take a look at it," Jim offered, "I've just got a new one, but when I buy them, I kinda get the older makes, they're better to fiddle with," He laughed softly, "What do you listen to?" He hinted to the CD player on the side.

"Rock and metal. Think I got Slayer in right now, there's some Maiden, Priest and Sabbath there. What do you like?"

"Same really, but I don't mind stuff like The Beatles, The Who, y'know? Just them kinda bands."

"Awesome, I'll stick some on while you're working away. If you want."

"Yeah, I'd love that," Jim smiled; he then remembered their conversation in the cafe yesterday, "Shit, if I remembered I would have drove here and brought my guitar!"

"I'd offer you one of mine but..."

"Might be too uncomfortable for me. I doubt I'll be able to do much work on your bike today so I could pop around tomorrow, if you're not busy."

"I don't mind that," Mick smiled and headed over to his car, he unlocked it then got in and popped the hood for Jim, "I'll put that player on. You want a drink?"

"Water will do, thanks." Jim headed over to the car and put his tool-box down.

"Right-o. You don't need to thank me, think of it as me thanking you for doing this." Mick shrugged to himself and headed back towards the kitchen; he stuck the CD player on before going back inside.

Jim smiled to himself and opened up his box; he had a good look at the car then tied his hair up. He knew he'd have to cut his hair sometime since it was starting to irritate him by getting in his face and in his way; he wondered how Mick felt since the man had much longer hair than himself, he ignored his thoughts and set to doing some work on the car, completely content with listening to the music Mick had put on.

= = = =

Mick sighed as he checked through his fridge, he found a few bottles of water and decided that Jim could have them; he didn't think it would be a good idea to drink so early when someone was around the house, he usually didn't care but he didn't know what Jim would think of it.

He rolled his eyes, realizing that he shouldn't act differently just because there was some other guy around; he grabbed a beer for himself then picked up one of the water bottles for Jim, he knew he could always come back inside if the man needed more.

Mick checked himself over then went into the garage again; his breath caught in his throat when he saw Jim bent over, looking under the hood of the car as he clearly worked away, it wasn't really the reason that Mick froze up. It was the fact that Jim was 'dancing' to the music and he was sure he could hear the man singing; it was one of the most amazing noises Mick heard and he had to take a deep breath to clear his mind of any unwanted thoughts.

He walked down the small set of steps then over to Jim, "Hey Jim." He spoke loudly to catch the man's attention but still not too much since he didn't want to frighten him.

Jim paused and slowly retracted from the car and looked up to Mick, "Oh thanks," He smiled, having noticed the water in Mick's hand, "Just put it there near my tool-box," He then slipped back under the hood, "Y'know it's filthy in here."

"Uh...Yeah, I bet," Mick put the bottle down then opened his can and took a sip, "I guess I'll leave you to it, I got some work to finish up. There's a few more bottles on the kitchen counter if you need another one."

"Thanks Mick. I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Alright." Mick then headed back into the kitchen; he walked straight into his living room and took a seat, he opened up his laptop and flicked the T.v on, making sure to switch the channel straight over to his favorite crime one.

= = = =

Jim sighed as he finally got Mick's car done, he shut the hood and drank the last of his water; he picked up his tool box then headed over to Mick's bike, he just had a quick eye-scan since he was too tired from the work he did on the man's car, he figured that there wasn't much to do and headed back into the man's house after turning the music off.

He put his tool box on the table and headed through to the living room, "Hey, I'm done."

Mick paused what he was doing and turned to Jim, "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"There was a lot more than I expected and I just took a little look at your bike, I'll come over tomorrow and do it, if you want."

"If it's no bother to you."

"Nah, I'll be free."

"I wish I was, I'd love to have helped, just got a shit ton of paper work to clear up."

"It's fine," Jim smiled, "I know how it is."

"Are you sure you don't want anything for doing that?"

"Nah, it's okay really. What time do you want me over tomorrow?"

"Uh...Maybe the same time as today?"

"Alright, I won't be late," Jim grinned, "I guess I should get going now. I'm teaching this afternoon and I need to scrub this off..."

"Yeah...Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep." Jim grinned then headed back to the kitchen; Mick rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, he tried to stop his mind from straying by looking at his laptop, he was almost done and he was sure he would be able to get it finished before he had to leave for work.

Mick set to typing and smiled when he felt Moose rubbing against his legs, she meowed softly and he looked down at her, "You need feeding?" He picked her up and checked the time, "Me too," He gave her a soft rub then headed through to the kitchen; he walked in just as Jim finished pulling his leather pants over his ass, Mick swallowed at how amazing the man looked, he quickly ignored his thoughts and headed over to Moose's bowl.

Jim looked when he heard Mick walking through the kitchen, he watched at the man placed his cat down; he smiled to himself and pulled his jacket on, he zipped it up then pulled his boots back onto his feet, he pulled his gloves on and glanced back at Mick.

Mick filled up Moose's bowl and quickly pulled away as she dug in, "Patience woman." He shook his head then put the food away and closed the cupboard. He headed to his fridge and put the remaining water bottle away; he looked over the food he had and tried to decide on something.

"I'll see you tomorrow Mick."

"Yeah...Bye, drive safe." Jim smiled to himself, he picked up his tool-box then left without another word to Mick; the larger man heard the door shut and held in a sigh.

= = = (The Next Day) = = =

Jim smiled when he reached Mick's front door, he knocked on the door with his free hand and waited for Mick to answer. The door opened up a little while after Jim knocked and Mick smiled at the taller man, "Hey come on in." Mick moved back and opened the door more.

The tall man smiled more and headed indoors; he turned to watch Mick shutting his door again and gulped at the sight of the man half-naked, "Uh...Mick?"

Mick turned and rose an eyebrow, "Oh, sorry I was in the shower. Make yourself comfortable, I'll just go finish getting dressed." He smiled softly then went upstairs.

Jim nodded to himself and headed into the kitchen, he put his tool-box down then took his jacket off and laid it on the back of one of the chairs, he decided to sit in that one; he was definitely surprised to see Mick in only a pair of boxers but then again, it was the man's home and he had explained himself.

The taller man shook off his thoughts and tapped his hands on the table, just trying to distract himself while he waited he waited for Mick to return; five minutes passed and Mick wandered into the kitchen with his cat in hand, "Sorry for the wait, she was being a nuisance."

"It's alright," Jim stopped tapping his hands, "I uh, couldn't carry everything in here, but I guess you could open the garage door, so I can get the last of the stuff from my car. I'll definitely have that bike like it's new!"

Mick chuckled and put Moose down; she pattered over to Jim and rubbed herself against his legs, purring softly from the contact, "She likes you. I don't mind doing that. Thanks again, for this."

"It's alright! I'm glad...I've never really thought about having a cat," Jim reached down and carefully petted Moose, she just purred more then licked his hand, "They're cute though." He smiled then pulled away, stood up and grabbed his tool-box.

"I guess you just wanna get straight to it," Mick smiled, he then led Jim through to the garage, "I've got plenty of drinks in the fridge, if you want anything."

"Thanks," Jim put his tool-box beside Mick's bike; the bigger man opened up the garage door with the simple push of a button, Jim slipped out once it was open enough, he opened up the back of his car and took some things out, "Can you just grab a few?"

"Sure."

"Oh, I brought my guitar too, if you wanna play together when I'm finished." Jim smiled and headed back over to Mick's bike.

Mick went over to the man's car and grabbed a few of the things Jim needed, "Sounds good." He headed to Jim and put them down on the floor, "You should lock that back up. I'll get some refreshments out." He smiled then went indoors.

Jim grinned, he went back out, locked his car up then headed straight into the garage, he closed the door and put his keys down on the side; he switched the CD player on and studied Mick's bike. He had a good look then sat down and felt the framework, he was really impressed with it and decided just to get on with some work.

= = = =

Mick had joined Jim and they got things finished up quicker; they settled everything into the boot of Jim's car then Mick got on his bike and revved it up, loving the clear sound he got from it, "It sounds fucking amazing." He grinned to Jim.

"Well, we worked hard on it."

"You did way more than what I did! You're really good at this, how come you don't do this as a job?"

"I had one, before teaching but, I just have so much passion for music. I do love this too but more of my heart goes into music."

"I get you. I'd love to just rely on teaching kids again, but," Mick got off his bike and put the keys on the side, "Sometimes a different job is a better financial choice."

"Yeah...I understand that," Jim nodded and smiled softly, "Should I grab my guitar then? We'll head back indoors I guess."

"Sounds awesome," Mick smiled; Jim headed back over to his car and got his guitar out of the back-seat, he closed everything up and made sure to lock it securely. He walked over to Mick again and smiled more, "Maybe we can also learn more about each other." He hit the switch to close the garage door, then they went back inside and straight through to Mick's instrument room.

"That sounds nice, I'd love to to know more," Jim nodded to himself; he was a little blown away when they got to Mick's instrument room, "I see why you need better finances..."

"Yup," Mick shut the door, "I can't help myself."

"Ibanez too, fuck man. These are awesome!"

"I bet you have a good collection! I'd love to see sometime." Mick shrugged; he headed over to his favorite guitar and picked it off the wall.

"It's like a fucking music shop in here though. Mine isn't like this, believe me!" Jim laughed, he put his case down, opened it up and took his guitar out, "You're free to come and have a look. I said, we don't actually live too far away! I'd say an hour tops, if you were walking."

"Oh cool," Mick grinned, "I don't think this is like a music shop though, I just have guitars and amps. If you play other instruments then yours probably looks more like a shop than this."

"Maybe a guitar shop then," Jim chuckled, "Mine really isn't bad! I play guitar more than anything, the others just happened by accident. Drums helps me get any anger out, I'm quite a timid person and I won't engage in a fight, I'll just let all my problems build up and...Drum them out."

"Oh? I'm sure you'll come out of your shell around me. I'm not overly violent but if people push me, I will snap."

"Well, I'll make sure not to piss you off," Jim nodded, "Maybe...We'll see." He stuck his tongue out.

"I'll cut that off if you're not careful," Mick playfully glared and chuckled when Jim put his tongue away, "Right, let's get a seat and plug in."

"Okay," Jim smiled, the two then plugged their guitars up to an amp and then sat down, "Anything you wanna play?"

Mick shook his head, "Do you have any ideas?"

"Um. Something we both know. Metallica?"

"I love them! What song?"

"One, I love that song."

"Good choice!" Mick smiled again, "You wanna start?"

"Sure." Jiim nodded and grinned; he started up the song and was soon joined by Mick. He found himself watching Mick play, he missed a note and looked back at his own playing, mentally cursing himself for being so stupid.

They finished the song and Mick smiled to Jim, he blinked when he noticed the man looking at his hands, "You okay?"

Jim looked up and smiled softly, "Yeah. Sorry I fucked up."

"You did?"

"I missed a note."

"Oh," Mick rose an eyebrow, "Whatever. It sounded perfect to me."

"Okay..." Jim looked down at his hands again, he was annoyed because he would never have messed up on a normal day, he didn't really learn songs and he may end up getting a few notes wrong or out of place but it would still sound like the original, he never missed a note though; all this was because he ended up staring at Mick playing...He hated that.

Mick furrowed his eyebrows, he stood up, unplugged his guitar then took it off and hung it back up; he headed over to Jim, "Hey," He placed a hand on the man's shoulder, "Don't worry. We all mess up at some point."

Jim looked up and Mick's breath caught in his throat as Jim's brown-eyes shimmered in the light, "Yeah...I just never miss a note and I'm annoyed with myself," He sighed and stood up, Mick moved back a little and dropped his arm, "I haven't really learned much about the theory yet and I don't really 'learn' songs as such, even if I write something, I keep it on my brain so if I re-play it, it will sound different everytime I do it, some notes will be a little wrong out out of place but I've never missed one." He unplugged his guitar.

"Like I said, it sounded perfect," Mick smiled, "You sounded perfect, don't worry."

Jim shook his head and bit the inside of his lip, "Thank you. I should get going now," He took his guitar off, "Thanks for having me over and playing a song with me."

"It's okay! Thanks for fixing my bike and car."

"That's alright," Jim headed over to his guitar case and put his guitar away, "See you whenever."

"Yeah," Mick smiled sadly, "Bye." Jim grabbed his guitar case then left without another word to Mick; the bigger man grumbled to himself, already missing Jim's presence, he was just going insane.