Father's Bonding

[By Bi Blitz]

vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

Jin's day started like any other: wake up early, get a small workout in, get ready for the day, make some smiley face pancakes for breakfast, wake up "Princess" Aiko, pack her lunch while Aiko demands to wear her princess dress for the third day in a row, and then take the "princess" on a car ride to her preschool. Only when Jin had made it halfway to his office did his day start to change like the flip of a switch. Jin had been stopped in line at a red light when the car behind him suddenly slammed into the back of his Nissan Altima, pushing him into the car ahead of him. After his head had hit the back of the driver's seat hard and his heart rate spiked, Jin took a moment to compose himself and catch his breath before he stepped out of the car, checking on the driver ahead of him and behind him. Everyone seemed to be alright, but the back bumper, front bumper, and hood of Jin's previous car were in shambles. After some calls were made to the police and insurance companies, Jin and his car were picked up and brought to an auto and body shop. While the tow truck driver and what looked to be the owner or a worker at the shop talked, Jin took the chance to call his office and tell them he was going to need to take a day off. Jin then called Sarah, one of the other mom's from the daycare, asking if she'd be able to pick up Aiko later this evening and keep her at her place until Jin got everything figured out. After fleshing everything out, Jin took a heavy breath, still feeling his heartbeat heavy in his chest and finally noticing the trembling of his hands. It took him a minute to snap out of his adrenaline panic but he quickly responded after finding out the tow truck driver had called his name three times to introduce him to the auto shop worker. After walking up to the men, he extended his hand offering a gentlemanly handshake. "My name is Jin. Jin Yano," he introduced himself formally, bowing his head slightly. "Thanks for taking my car on such short notice. Hopefully the damage isn't as bad as it looks," he said, his concerned expression showing that he cared for his car, even if it wasn't anything obviously special.

 

[By Bi Blitz]

For Alexander his day had started out quite the same as it usually did. He hadn't gotten a particularly restful sleep but it was par for the course at this point for the man. Nonetheless he had gotten up and checked on Ann and Ace whom were still sound asleep in their room and the sight of his two children caused a warm smile to form on his face. No matter how poor of a day he had, his kids always managed to put a smile on his face even when they were just asleep. So Alexander would go about his morning routine making himself a strong cup of coffee before then starting to make the kids breakfast. Ann was more of an eggs and toast kind of girl while Ace was a sweet fanatic, having two fussy eaters when it came to breakfast was always a bit tiring but nothing was too much for his babies. Alex would first begin mixing some water into a pre-made waffle batter and stirred it all together until it was nicely mixed. He would then set it aside to get some bread in the toaster before then beginning to make sunny side up eggs, just the way she liked it. By the time everything was cooked Alexander would be slicing some strawberries for Ace's waffles just as the soft pitter patter of feet on the wooden floor could be heard. Of course the Father pretended not to hear anything until he suddenly felt two weights crash into his legs as he laughed a bit and smiled down at his kids who were beaming up at him "The smell of breakfast wake you up?" the twins would let out a combined 'yes' as he went about setting the food out for the two kids while Alexander took his seat with some toast and a bowl of fruit along with his coffee and newspaper. Once the morning routine was done he made sure his kids were cleaned and dressed before driving them to school for the day.

Finally once they said their goodbyes Alexander made his way to his shop where he opened up and got down to work. So far it had been a slow day with little action besides some oil changes which was fine for him, Alexander didn't particularly mind these kinds of days. Eventually though he had received a call about a small accident that occurred and once everything was talked over he would step out of his office to wait for the tow truck while his workers busied themselves with other things that needed to get done. Once the driver arrived the two would discuss the damages and a few other things before things were finally sorted out. He would then proceed to watch as the obviously shaken man was called upon several times which caused him to give a slightly sympathetic smile. This kind of thing always sucked. Finally though he seemed to snap out of it and approach them and the tow truck driver would take his leave as his job here was done. Once the other man introduced himself he would give the other a firm handshake and a friendly smile "Alexander Valentine, pleasure to meet you" he spoke before shaking his head a bit and waving his hand dismissively "No worries, it's what we're here for" finally Alex would motion for Jin to follow him to where the others car was currently being looked over "Cosmetically these can be fixed relatively easily..but.." he gave the other a sympathetic smile "I'm afraid there are damages to some of the parts under the hood, nothing we can't repair within today but you may be stuck here for awhile sadly..." he explained to the other before then proceeding to show the pieces under the hood that need repairs "We have these parts in house thankfully enough but I'm afraid the costs will be a bit extra" he explained before smiling a bit as one of his mechanics began work on fixing up the car "I can offer you a seat in my office if you'd like, it's air conditioned and..." the sudden sound of power tools being used would cut him off which caused him to chuckle a bit "...less noisy" he concluded his thought with an amused look on his face, of course Jin was more than welcome to sit in the waiting area off to the side of where the mechanics worked.

(OOC: Real quick, how old is Aiko btw?)

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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

As Jin shook hands with the man, he couldn't help but compliment the professional firmness of the shake, recognizing that this man, Alexander, was likely the head manager or owner of the shop. After their brief introduction, Jin was directed to follow the man over to his vehicle which had already been brought in and inspected. Jin listened diligently to Alexander, giving an obvious sigh of relief when he heard that the cosmetics could be fixed easily. When he heard that there was some damage under the hood, Jin clenched his jaw, swallowing hard. The car honestly wasn't any special make or model, but Jin considered the car to be something special. The car itself had been his first large purchase, solely for himself, after his wife had formally left him.

"Luckily time isn't a concern today," Jin commented with a small, breathy laugh. "After everything that's happened today, I fortunately have the day off and a friend picking up my daughter so I've got all the time in the world."

When it came to talking about the cost, Jin was lucky that although his free-time was usually few and far between, that he had abundant funds from having been a workaholic, loving his job as an architect for a private company working on urban development. "Whatever the cost may be will be fine, I'm just happy my car is salvageable and that I was able to walk away uninjured from all of this," he sighed, still just appreciating the fact that he was still going to have plenty of time to spend with his precious daughter.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd really appreciate it," Jin responded to the offer of resting in the office. Honestly, Jin's heartbeat was still pounding in his head and the noise of the power tools were pushing him into sensory overload as the adrenaline was still kind of wearing off.

((OOC: Aiko is 5 years old. She isn't in kindergarten quite yet.))

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander chuckled a little bit when the other man commented about how time wasn't going to be a worry today. He would then smile when Jin informed him that a friend of his would be able to pick up his daughter "Well that's good news, I'd offer my car to you otherwise. I know the feeling of being unable to pick up your kids too well" he chuckled a bit. There were a few times poor Ann and Ace had to wait longer at school since he was all but trapped at his work for the most part. Some things just couldn't be avoided and as the owner orders needed to be filled out and paychecks needed to be signed off on if everything was going to go out on time. As Jin spoke once again he smiled a bit when the other man seemed unperturbed by the extra costs that the repairs would entail. While the parts weren't completely destroyed they made the vehicle very unsafe to drive which was the only reason he wanted them repaired, the last thing he wanted was to stick someone behind the wheel of a car that was deemed unsafe. Once the offer was made and readily accepted Alexander would smile before motioning for the other man to follow him through the doors to the owners private office. In there one would see the office decorated by various children's drawings as well of photos of Alexander's twins. Another noticeable thing about the office was the abundance of toys scattered around the area as well as a TV with a game console tucked away in the corner "Sorry for the mess, my kids usually spend some time here with me after school so I need to keep them entertained" he laughed a bit as he would then motion to the small couch that was in front of the TV "Make yourself comfortable Jin" Alexander would then proceed to sit down at his desk before turning to the other man "You said you have a daughter? Does she attend any of the local schools? She may be friends with my little Ann and Ace!" he asked with a pleasant smile on his face.

(OOC: )

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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

Jin, looking at how well put together Alexander seemed, was honestly somewhat surprised when he heard that he had twins. Jin personally was slammed just taking care of Aiko and doing his work so he couldn't imagine having another kid, at least by himself. Jin, a bit curious, wanted to ask if Alexander had a partner or whether he, like himself, was a single father. The pains of his failed marriage, however, reminded him that it necessarily wasn't always a good idea to ask people about their relationships because everything wasn't always "peachy" or "picture perfect" for some. Not wanting to overstep, Jin hesitated in asking, instead just following Alexander to his office.

Despite hearing Alexander had twins, Jin was a bit surprised to see the office: clad in children's toys, art, and pictures.Jin absentmindedly approached some of the art hung on the wall, looking it over with a soft smile on his face. Jin works in a highly professional setting and his personal office had but one regular wall and one curved wall of floor to ceiling windows. Jin would kill for the opportunity to hang his daughter's art up on display like this but he sadlly was forced to settle for just one photo of his daughter on his desk. Jin was also somewhat jealous of Alexander's ability to bring his kids to work, which was understandable, however, as Alexander seemed to own the place. Jin's company only allowed kids on "bring your kid to work day", otherwise the office was strictly for professional grade business. Due to this, whenever Jin needed to pull extra hours, he often had to call on another mom from the pre-school, Sarah, who was the mother of one of Aiko's best friends. If Sarah wasn't available, then Jin would have to bring his work home and work on it late into the night once Aiko went to bed. Jin's job situation wasn't necessarily perfect for being a single-father but he loved what he did and the company simply was too good in terms of benefits for him to consider leaving.

"This isn't a mess at all," Jin smiled, taking a seat on the coach. At being asked about his daughter, his nerves finally began to calm and he began to beam just a bit. "Ah, yes! I've got my daughter, Aiko, or as she's recently wanted to be called, Princess Aiko," Jin responded, finishing with a soft laugh. "She's not in school quite yet but she attends Stepping Stone Preschool here in town. She'll start kindergarten at Jefferson Elementary School this upcoming fall though," he responded, opening his wallet and taking out the one picture he had in there. "This is my daughter," he commented passing the small photo to Alexander.

The picture was her preschool picture; simple but still cute. Aiko sat on prop white steps with a simple blue background. Aiko had long black hair, similar to the color of Jin's, which had been neatly brushed and put into two low, pigtailed braids. Looking closely, it was obvious her eyes were her mother's though, as Aiko's eyes were bright blue like the sky on a sunny, cloudless day, unlike Jin's amber eyes. Aiko also had porcelain skin, lighter than Jin's which revealed some of his Asian heritage. Aiko, in the picture, was clad in a navy sailor dress, with two white lines on the hem of the skirt and on the collar, and a big white bow on the front. The dress matched the little hat on her head: navy with two white lines and a big white bow. It was a bit obvious that Jin had dressed his daughter to impress that day, but Jin, if he had his way, would always have his daughter dressed in these cute, well put together outfits. Sadly, Jin rarely got the say anymore, especially when it came to the infamous purple princess dress, which was a children's replica of Disney's Rapunzel dress.

"Now if today or any of the last two days were picture day, you'd see her in her favorite princess dress," Jin laughed. "I swear, it's impossible to get her out of that dress except for her fairy pajamas," Jin explained, taking the photo back from Alexander.

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Having twins to raise was certainly a handful at times for Alexander, however to him each moment spent with them made it all worthwhile to him. Every game of playing the evil dragon monster, every scraped knee that he had to comfort them through, everything was all worth it. There were times where Alexander felt overwhelmed, he was only human but one look at their smiling faces always managed to brighten his day up no matter what. He would admit that anytime someone besides himself entered his office he'd always feel a twinge of embarrassment at the mess that his kids often left thanks to all the toys. He would pause however when he saw the other taking a moment to look at some of his kids art that they'd given to him as a gift, Alexander kept every single gift they ever gave to him, no matter how small it may be. Most of which were on display in his office. Once the other spoke though Alexander would laugh a bit when the tried to dismiss his concern "Thank you, at least I know I'm not alone thinking that!" pretty much all the guys in his garage were convinced that Alex needed to clean out his office a bit of some of the toys and only have a small amount for the twins. However he just couldn't do that to them, sometimes they had stay longer than normal and he needed them to be as entertained as possible.

Once Alexander inquired about the others daughter he would see the others face light up a bit as he proudly spoke of his daughter which caused the fellow Father to smile and chuckle "Oh no, she's hit the 'Princess' phase" his little Ann was still in the throes of the 'Princess' phase and didn't show any signs of stopping anytime soon. Thankfully though Ace at least is able to convince her to play other games more often than not. He would then listen to Jin explain that she was currently attending preschool and Alexander's face lit up a bit "My kids are currently in enrolled in kindergarten there, they just turned six about two weeks ago!" admittingly Alexander had kept them back from school a bit longer than was probably fair to them but he just couldn't stand the thought of his kids going off and beginning their journey through school.

Alex would happily take the picture from the other man and saw the cutest little girl he'd ever seen as a bright smile crossed his face. It was clear that the other man had dressed his little girl up all nice for her photo and Alex couldn't resist looking up at the other man "She's positively adorable!" he complimented the other man's daughter before handing the photo back to him. He would then smile a bit before chuckling at the other man's comment "I know the feeling too well, my boy tried sneaking into his favorite ninja costume for his preschool photo" he laughed a bit at the memory of receiving a call from the school informing him that Ace had snuck his costume in his backpack along with all the plastic weapons that went with it. Oh that was a funny day indeed.

The fellow Father then reached over to the side of his desk and grabbed a framed photo of himself and his kids "These are mine, Ann and Ace!" he would happily hand the picture over to the other man. The photo seemed to be taken at a lake with Alexander in between his twin with a hand on top of each of their heads. The first noticeable thing about his kids was their lightly tanned skin, showing their Hispanic heritage on their Mothers side compared to Alexander's Caucasian self. However besides the skin tone the twins definitely resembled their Father quite a bit with both having his black hair and steel grey eyes. Ann had her hair pulled back into a a ponytail with a large red ribbon holding it in place while also wearing a pink sundress with a pair of sandals. Meanwhile Ace had his hair cut shorter than his sister at above neck length and in the photo it was clear that he had just recently gotten it wet, probably from the lake. He on the other hand was wearing a bright blue tank top and tan cargo shorts, both children obviously dressed for the warm weather. However one thing about the photo was that it was noticeably bent and didn't completely fill the frame as it should have. And if one were to look closer at the photo they'd see a portion of a hand resting on Alexander's back but nothing else could be seen.

Alexander would take the photo back and smiled a bit at the other man as he leaned back where he was seated "So Jin what do you do for a living?" it was just basic conversation but Alexander was already more than happy to have another Father to connect with on some level. All the young guys who worked in his shop were still either single or just dating with no thoughts of kids on their minds at all and as such he didn't really have anyone to discuss Fatherly things with. He wanted Dad friends too after all!

(OOC: )

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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

Jin was excited to hear that Alexander's kids, Ann and Ace, were currently attending Jackson Elementary School. Jin had honestly little to no idea which elementary school to send his daughter to but had opted for Jackson, despite the fact that it's out of his way from work, because most of Aiko's preschool friends were going to be attending Jackson and Jin figured the transition would be easier this way. At this point, although they were still strangers, Jin made a mental note that it may be beneficial to get Alexander's number later as it would be nice to connect with another father and as Jin would have the opportunity to connect with another parent who had kids, close to his daughter's age, who would be attending the same school.

At this point in time, Jin had gotten the picture back into his wallet and was accepting a photo frame from Alexander. He looked at the happy family, taking note that he should bring Aiko to a lake over the summer as he hadn't done that with her yet. As Jin looked at the picture of Alexander and his kids, he noticed just how similar the two looked to their father. Aiko definitely took more after her biological mother physically, but when it came to personality, she was definitely Jin's little girl. "Oh, I'm sure you have your hands full with these two," Jin gave another light laugh. As he was handing the photo back, he noticed the hand resting on Alexander's back, assuming from the tanned skin, that it was likely the hand of Ann and Ace's mother. Curiously, Jin's eyes moved from the element of the photo to look at Alexander's hand, which was receiving the picture, looking to see if Alexander was wearing a wedding ring. Jin personally had stopped wearing his wedding band the day that he grew suspicious of his wife cheating on him, even before they had the time to talk about the divorce papers. His wife's subtle signs of infidelity before they had followed through with formally getting divorced had been the final push Jin needed to recognize that the love they had had was no more, at least for his wife, and that led him to sign the divorce papers. Despite the fact that he had completely separated from his ex-wife now and held no regrets about their divorce, he had kept his ring as a memory of the good and bad times they had shared. Jin, however, had taken down any and all pictures of his wife that had remained in his home. Now that a few years had passed since his divorce, he regretted having destroyed some of the pictures, as he lost a lot of the material reminders of Aiko's first year, as Jin's ex-wife was in many of the photos.

"Ah, I'm an architect for a local urban development company. I'm actually the one who has been working on designing the new sustainable and eco-friendly suburb that will be built just outside of town next year." Jin had a long wrap sheet of notable pieces that he had worked on in town and in other nearby cities, including the designing of multiple college buildings, apartment buildings, a city hall, and a courthouse. Jin's specialty in the field wasn't necessarily that he was an out of this world architect but that he had great sustainable and eco-friendly ideas that were looking towards the future, rather than just in the present. "It's not always an easy job, especially as I work in a really professional setting but it's the job I love. As a single father though, I could definitely go for less overtime and more vacation time," Jin lightly joked. Jin loved his job, undoubtedly, but there were definitely days in which he was exhausted from working 40 hours a week in the office, an extra 20 hours at home after Aiko went to bed, and with being a single parent. Jin loved being a father though and wouldn't change that for the world. In fact, if he had to, Jin would give up anything for his daughter. Jin, however, definitely wished his work was a little more lenient with kids and a little more forgiving with single parents, especially single fathers who were a clear minority.

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander couldn't help but laugh a bit at the other man's observation and he'd run a hand through his hair for a moment as a small grin grew on his face "Oh yeah, those two can be a handful sometimes" he chuckled a little bit at a recent memory "A couple days ago I noticed they were playing especially quietly which was a bit odd for them" he began to the story, shaking his head a bit with a wistful smile "So I went into their play room to check on them and what do I see? Ann had somehow managed to duct tape Ace high onto the wall" he laughed a bit at the memory, shaking his head a little bit at the ridiculousness of it all. How on earth had she even managed it? He hadn't seem them sneak any chairs off or anything, he supposed that kids just had their own mysterious ways of doing things right under their parents nose. As the other man was handed the family photo Alexander would sit back, grinning like a proud parent as the other gazed at the picture. It had been a family photo from a year and a half ago, they'd taken a trip to the lake since it would be the first time his kids would have seen one and Ace of course tried diving into the water right away. He had been rambunctious that entire day, but his wife had a way of reigning him in even when Alexander was busy trying to keep Ann from trying to run after every wild animal she saw. It really was happier times. However Alexander wouldn't let himself be dragged down by the memories and instead would do what he did best, shove it down into a bottle and hide it. Alexander had stopped wearing his wedding ring but he still had it with him in his wallet, he could never get rid of it. To get rid of it would feel like he was getting rid of his wife, his Helena. He'd even folded the photo however simply because it hurt too much to even see her happy face smiling in the photo with the kids.

Once the other man posed his question to the other he would listen with rapt attention as he blinked a bit and smiled at the other "Wow, that's amazing!" he commented with an impressed look on his face "So you're responsible for the place that I'd been hearing good things about!" he'd picked up talk about a new suburb being built but to hear about what it was supposed to be able to be from a direct source was impressive to say the least. Alexander would then listen to Jin speak about his job and the fellow male would nod his head with a grin on his face "I'm sure a lot of parents probably think that" he laughed good naturedly a little bit "Since I'm the owner of this garage I really don't ever get time off, even when I'm home I have calls to make, bills to pay, and parts to order" he shook his head with a small smirk "It's a vicious cycle, I haven't even been able to get hands on with a car in close to a year!" being stuck in an office was not how he envisioned owning his own auto repair shop would be but he would definitely say that he still loved his own job very much. Sure the work could get pretty boring but some of the people he's met through this garage were probably some of the nicest he'd met. Of course there were the bad apples who went out of their way to make them as miserable as possible but they were few and far between at worst "Want a drink?" he would move over to behind his desk and knelt down for a moment to open a small mini fridge "I have some soda, juice boxes, water...oh right I forgot! I also have a couple beers if it's not too early in the day for you" he'd offer the other man, looking up with a friendly smile on his face.





(OOC: )

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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

Jin felt reassured by Alexander, knowing that he wasn't the only one wishing for a bit more job leniency in order to have more time to spend relaxing and with the kids. Jin also felt empathetic towards Alexander, understanding the difficulties of having work follow you from the office back to your home. Jin always tried to separate himself from his work while he was with his daughter though, often pushing himself to work on his projects after Aiko went to bed, even if it meant staying up late and getting up early the next day just to complete it.

Jin was surprised to be offered a drink of any kind, especially an alcoholic beverage as it was still earlier in the day but after thinking about it, Jin thought it couldn't hurt. "Usually I'm a bourbon or whiskey guy but, after the day I've had, I could definitely go for a beer," Jin laughed wholeheartedly this time, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top button of his dress shirt. Jin had personally decided that it couldn't hurt to relax a little: Aiko was accounted for for the next few hours and Jin had the day off from work in order to settle things with his car. Jin happily accepted the beer, cracking it open, giving the other a cheers to being single fathers.

"I must say, it's nice to drink in the company of another. Usually, I'm just drinking straight bourbon on the rocks by myself at the kitchen table after a long week," Jin laughed, taking another sip from the beer. "Being really honest though, I can't even remember the last time I drank at a bar for pleasure rather than for business." Jin rarely talked about work plans over drinks with business partners and connections, but it had honestly been since before Aiko was born that Jin had gone to a bar simply to relax and have a drink. In some ways, it wasn't all that surprising to Jin though, as he only really had one person in town he was close with and that was Sarah, a married mother of two, one of which was Aiko's best friend from preschool; Nathan. As Jin and Sarah were both parents who often watched each other's kids to give the other some free time, it wasn't like they really had the spare time or the resources to be able to go out for drinks together, let alone the fact that Sarah was married and often spent her free time going on date nights with her husband. Thinking about it just reminded Jin that if he ever got the free time, he had to look at getting to know more people, specifically people that weren't watching his kid and that he had the potential to go out for a drink with.

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander would begin to chuckle a little bit when the other man mentioned his own preference of drink but agreed to a beer anyway. So Alexander would hand the other a nice cold beer and grinned a little bit as he opened up his own "I know the feeling, beer is only good when there's nothing else" personally Alexander didn't do much day drinking unless he was very stressed out but thankfully he had a high alcohol tolerance so even two or so beers wouldn't effect him none so he was usually pretty much in the clear. He would then watch the other get more comfortable and grinned, raising the can for a toast "To early day drinking" he laughed a bit at his own joke before Alexander listened to Jin speak and explain about how he drank his liquor "Not a bad choice at all Jin, I myself like a neat scotch with a glass of spring water" the water cleansed the palate after each drink and made each subsequent sip as good as the first. He would then sigh a bit and nodded in agreement with Jin when he explained about how he hadn't drank at a bar for fun in a long while. Ouch, it seemed they had more in common than he thought "The life of working men with kids" Alexander had taken note that the other man wasn't wearing a wedding ring much like himself, so they were both single Fathers on top of everything else. At least he assumed that was the case, the guy could just have a girlfriend whom he hasn't proposed to yet which was completely valid but still Alexander wouldn't comment on it. It just seemed rude.

Suddenly though an idea struck him and Alexander would look around his desk before grabbing a TV remote and turned on the television chuckled a bit as some children's show began playing. After a moment of channel surfing he'd find the station he wanted and grinned at the baseball game that was on and would move himself next to Jin on the couch "Not the best conditions but hey, it's close, right?" sports on the TV, beer in hand, and company to share it with. It seemed like this was about as close as the two working men were going to get to being at a bar. However it was then that a thought occurred to him "You like baseball? I can change the channel if you like" admittingly enough Alexander did kind of assume the other man would even be interested in baseball or even just sports in general. Alexander was a baseball man himself but he was able to appreciate other sports as well, even if it was to a lesser extent.





(OOC: )

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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

Jin had taken a few sips of the cold beer before he noticed a spark in Alexander who immediately reached for the television remote. Alexander had turned on his office t.v. switching from a network for children to a sports channel with baseball on it. Alexander then joined Jin on the couch, the two sipping on their beers, kicking back, and watching baseball together.

Jin personally wasn't a huge sports fan but he still enjoyed watching them if they were on. Jin was the type who wouldn't personally seek out a game unless it was something like poker, pool, or darts, but if a game was on he'd happily sit down and watch it. Personally though, if Jin had to choose, his favorite sport had to be soccer. He specifically enjoyed watching the world cups and was a fan of players like Messi, Ronaldo, and Beckham. Oddly, Jin was more interested in watching his favorite players over watching and cheering for any specific team.

"Baseball will be just fine," Jin said between sips of beer. "I'm honestly just happy getting to relax a little," he explained, taking a deep breath and letting himself relax further into the couch. "So, if you don't mind, while we watch I'd love to get to know you a little bit better," Jin honestly expressed, once again hoping to establish a relationship, even just an acquaintanceship, as he wasn't very well connected despite having lived in the city for a little over four years now. Both of Jin's parents had passed away in a car accident shortly after Aiko was born and the only real person he was well connected to at that time was his wife, Kim, and their daughter. Once Kim had left, Jin had nothing left keeping him in San Francisco, so he had moved out here, hoping for a more settled back city experience that wasn't so in your face. After the move, Jin was so busy getting himself and Aiko settled and going through their daily routine that Jin had just never gotten the chance to really know anyone in town unless he crossed paths with them frequently. So, now that Jin actually had a minute to breathe and socialize, he decided it was worth it to make a connection, especially since they had a few things in common as fathers.

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander would grin a bit when the other Father confirmed that Baseball was fine to watch. He would then chuckle a little bit when the other explained that he was just happy to be able to relax a little bit and he'd nod his head "Sad it just took your car getting into an accident though" in fact it had luckily lined up with Alexander's schedule and he'd had a light load of work today, very few parts needed ordering, no planned calls, and unless there was another accident he needed to answer for then he was blessedly free for now. As Alexander relaxed into the sofa with his new acquaintance he'd sip his beer a bit, pleased to just be able to truly kick back and feel like he was having a guys day, even if they'd just met only ten several minutes ago. Eventually the auto shop owner would turn his head and blink for a moment when Jin expressed that he'd like to get to know him better. It took a moment before a wide grin grew on his face, ******** was he actually going to be making a guy friend? Most of the people he spoke to on a daily basis were Mom's who wanted to set up play dates for Ann and Ace since they had a lot of school friends they enjoyed spending time with. As such he knew and had a casual acquaintanceship with the Mothers, however very rarely did he interact with their Fathers and Alexander had pretty much no guy friends at all.

Even the guys in the garage were just his employees and he was their boss, he just didn't fit in with them at all. While they wanted to talk about parties, their latest exploits, and just shooting the s**t about whatever stupid topic they were on, Alexander just could not relate to them no matter what he tried. So having someone closer to his age range who could sympathize and speak to him on a much more adult level was exciting to him "Well where to begin?" he spoke, rubbing the side of his neck a bit in thought "Ain't much to say honestly, my life pretty much just revolves around my work and my kids, my social life is pretty much nonexistent" he'd confess a bit before turning back to the screen "But I do enjoy making a nice cocktail, it's one of my hobbies" there was just something so satisfying about making a really nice cocktail. He would then turn to the other male and smiled a bit "What about you Jin? Any hobbies?" Alexander would question curiously about the other man, wondering what he did for fun.





(OOC: )

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vampireglub

 

[vampireglub]

"Well, I can't say my situation is any different," Jin laughed lightly. "My life solely revolves around Aiko and my job right now, especially because I'm all Aiko has," Jin explained, his smile fading a bit. "I personally don't have any family left since my parent's passed away a few years ago and I'm all Aiko has left since her mom walked out on us," Jin expressed the situation, his jaw tightening when talking about his ex-wife. "So," he began talking quickly after the remark, attempting to lighten the mood a bit, "I don't really have much of a social life either." The raven-haired man put a soft but fake smile back on his face. "For hobbies, I really enjoy playing billiards and darts. Old fashioned, I know, but I actually used to be a member of a local billiard's club back when I was in college... which is also probably the last time I actually got to play a round of pool," Jin laughed lightly again, realizing just how long it had been.

"I'm also a huge fan of playing cards, but never for money, just for fun." Jin had grown up in a very strict household and hadn't really gotten the chance to develop hobbies or his own personality until he had left home for college. It took him quite some time to make friends in college, as he was always seen as the boring know-it-all. It wasn't until he met his ex-wife at college before he began to make friends and try out new things. Kim had always been an adventurous free-spirit who didn't like to be tied down, which is probably why being a wife and a mother had felt so suffocating to her, but Jin had to admit that she had gotten Jin to break down some of the walls he had built up from living in such an authoritarian household.

"I guess the one hobby I've kept up with throughout everything though would be my love for music," he explained. "My parents had me pick up the violin and piano at a young age and, since then, I've also learned to play the acoustic guitar. I'm not all that great at it but every once and awhile I'll play a song for Aiko or teach her a duet on the piano. Her favorite right now, which she's still working on learning, is Heart and Soul by Hoagy Carmichael," Jin explained. "Do you and your kids like music?" Jin asked.

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Alexander listened to the other man explain about how it seemed like the two's situations seemed to be almost exact parallels to each other in many ways. Both men were hard working Fathers whose entire life revolved around their work and their kids, not an awful life but most certainly a boring one at times. However he would blink a bit when the other confessed that his wife had walked out them and and instantly Alexander reached his hand out and placed it on the others shoulder "I'm sorry to hear that, it's not easy being a single Father sometimes..." he could share that sentiment wholeheartedly, hell at least his wife was taken from him against her will. This woman had willingly ditched her own child. However it seemed like Jin was good at hiding the pain much like Alexander did with a well placed smile, a skill men in situations like them had to pick up. He didn't push it any further however, knowing that the two of them weren't close enough for him to pry a little bit and maybe help him talk it out.

Instead Alexander just let the topic shift naturally to the next topic and he would listen to the other explain how he liked playing pool and darts and he quickly shook his head "Nothing wrong with that, both are pretty fun" he stated before listening to Jin explain that the last time he played billiards was in college and he'd let out a low whistle, he could assume that was a while ago "Goodness, the last time I played pool when when I was high school!" he wasn't particularly good at it either, the last time he'd played the school had brought a pool table for a field day. It had been good fun until he accidentally launched the eight ball directly into a teachers face, he'd been barred from playing billiards the rest of field day.

Alexander would then nod his head a bit when the other also admitted that he enjoyed cards casually but not for money which caused him to chuckle a little bit "Not much of a gambling man?" he smiled a bit and nodded his head "Don't worry, I'm the same way. Gambling just saps the fun out of games" he didn't mind it when pennies and nickles were put up for bets as it was insignificant money at best, however it was when exorbitant amounts of money was thrown around that bothered him.

Alexander would then listen with interest when the other man also explained how he had a love for music and the instruments he played which just made Alexander seem like a total slouch in comparison "Wow that's amazing, talk about talent" however once he went on to explain how he was teaching his daughter to play piano he couldn't help but smile a bit at the thought, that was sweet to teach his daughter the piano along with such a beginner friendly song. However once Jin inquired about the his and his kids musical interests he couldn't help but chuckle a little bit and nodded "Oh we do, but it's gotten to the point where I only listen to what my kids like..." he would grin a bit and rubbed the back of his neck "..heh...and right now my kids are addicted to Love Makes the World go Round from one of their cartoons" he laughed a bit before then thinking for a moment "Although myself personally I like a little bit of everything, although I prefer soft rock and country personally" he would then get a bit red in the neck though and grinned "Don't laugh but honestly my favorite artist right now though is Luke Bryan, the guys songs sound really nice..." he was a singer that definitely had a larger female audience but he really did enjoy the guys music.





(OOC: )

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