Only Look at Me (Closed)

[Zachary LaRousse]

Continued from
A Thousand Lies and A Good Disguise

--> outfit?

So things didn’t quite turn out the way he would’ve wanted them to be. Is he complaining? Not one bit.


While his failure to help L.C. overcome her mild hydrophobia did make Zac at least a tiny bit frustrated (a blow to his ego, it was), the fact that he’s apparently making progress with her in other more important aspects is enough to make the boy grin like a loony for the rest of the afternoon.

The hug he gave her was not without hesitation – he was expecting her to spike him halfway through it really. The fact that she didn’t meant a whole lot to the smug teen. And let’s not forget the whole backing-up-to-sneak-a-half-hug-on-him gesture. They’re close – just a bit more of a tug here and an additional push there. Where they’re heading though, well, the Prince can’t say for certain. As unimpressive as it was, the smug teen only has a vague idea on where they’re going. What he does know for sure is that he’d be willing to give up a few of his unnecessary habits (his excessive flirting, for instance) when they get there (as cliché as that might sound).


Zac tried his hardest not to act like a five-year old girl when L.C. went back and gave him a hug (he does have his pride still after all; heaven knows how L.C. might tease him about it, should she see such a reaction from him). He struggled to keep his smile as small as possible, and took it into heart to stay behind until he’s sure she’s inside the changing rooms already. The moment the Maiden vanished from his view, Zac promptly made a fistpump, shouting “Yeah!” as he splashed wildly for a minute or two, not realizing that with all the noise he’s been making, he might as well have shown L.C. his excitement earlier.

It was only when he realized that he still have to take the Maiden out for ice cream did he stop his comedic celebration and climbed out of the pool, almost slipping on the wet tiles in a rush to get to the changing rooms. Normally it takes him anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours just to get ready, but this time, it only took him ten minutes (less than ten minutes actually, as looking for his body wash took him around two minutes or so). A quick shower, a brief scrub and he’s done. Dressed in a loose, v-neck shirt and matching white shorts and sandals, the mimic waited silently along the benches for the Maiden.

“What took you so long?” he teased, laughing as he casually slung his arms over the girl’s shoulder and led her outside.

-x-magicaltimewarpthingabajiggie-x-

The drive to the said ice cream shop was rather fast, quite possibly due to the fact that it was just a half-hour walk from the school. They unfortunately wasted three or so minutes looking for a decent parking spot, until Zac settled on one near the corner. Once they’re settled, he happily held the girl’s arm, happily dragging her like a kid to going to a candy store.

“Their chocolate-coffee explosion is amazing,” he muttered with obvious glee as they lined up, pointing to the picture near the far corner. “Coffee with chocolate syrup and strawberry slices are amazing. But hey, feel free to choose whichever one you want.”

“You’re not lactose-intolerant or anything, right?”

ooc:
I apologize for the crappiness and the lateness. Muse would not just work last night because of that 8-1 loss. D;
- Jam[/justify][/font]

[L.C. Milliner]

-outfit

L.C. had run off to change, but she had only started up the water for her after-pool shower to rinse off the chlorine when she heard Zac’s yell. She paused to step toward the corridor that contained the entrance to the locker room, peering out of the open doorway to watch him splash around like a child before she disappeared around the corner again. Stepping into the heated, non-chlorinated water the shower put off, she thought about what his outburst meant and realized, with a start, that he was reacting that way either because she agreed to go with him or because he had successfully gone the whole session without getting spiked. She didn’t even think that the hug was worth anything to him- she was certain he got plenty of them. But she still smiled at the thought of him enjoying her company, her happiness a bit less vocal than his.

She was halfway dressed when the gravity of the situation finally hit her, and she was so stunned that she had to sit down to comprehend it.

Zac actually liked her.

Well, he liked her, obviously. He enjoyed her company, however sullen and irritated she came off as. She liked spending time with him too, even though she denied it. His ego was almost as annoying as his constant flirting, but she still endured it, because honestly, she did like him a bit more than she cared to admit. But she had been telling herself all this time, in the couple of months between the Valentine’s Dance when she didn’t see him, and then in the short time she actually had been talking to him again, that she wasn’t good enough for his sophisticated, snobby rich boy persona. But what is she was? Could his flirting actually be genuine?

She must’ve sat like that for a good five minutes before reminding herself that she still had to go out and have ice cream with him. She pulled on her bra and shirt before using the hand dryers to blow her hair dry while running a brush through, cursing the length and sheer thickness of her brunette locks. She ought to just chop it all off and be done with it, but she doubted Zac would like her walking out of the locker room with her hair quite a bit shorter than it was when she had entered.

When she finally managed to get her hair dry, she opened her bag to drop her brush inside and found a good amount of bracelets lying in the bottom. Always one to accessorize, she pulled two on one wrist and three on the other before heading out, smiling weakly at Zac as she found him sitting on the bench outside. She had probably taken a good amount of time in there. She followed him as he slung his arm over her shoulder, a gesture that, coupled with her realization, caused a tingle to run down her spine. “No reason. Blow dried my hair, had a major epiphany. The usual.”

Let him figure it out on his own.

---

The ride to the ice cream shop wasn’t eventful, other than L.C. thoroughly enjoying Zac’s car. She loved leather seats, even when they were burning to the touch thanks to the sun. She reveled in it, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the opposite feelings of a warm seat and cold air conditioning. This, she liked. She was almost reluctant to get out, but Zac all but carried her to the ice cream place. She snickered at his expression and had to run a few steps at a time to keep pace with him before they entered the shop. She held onto his arm as they got in line, looking around at all the people lined up. The place was a bit kitschy, with fifties inspired walls of teal and pink, but they didn’t have waitresses on roller skates, so it wasn’t too off-putting.

“Coffee is for coffee, not ice cream.” She countered him, looking at the picture with disinterest before she turned her attention to the counter, which had the barrels of ice cream with the labels above them. She glanced at the menu above and behind the workers and glanced over it, not expecting much, at least not until she caught eye of one of their specials.

‘CIRCUS DELIGHT.’

Okay. They had caught her attention. They moved a few feet forward as another customer was served and she was able to make out the subtext.

‘Two full scoops of cotton candy ice cream served on top of a powdered sugar coated funnel cake.’

If Lyra’s eyes could pop out of her head, they would have. She tugged on Zac’s arm and looked up at him, pointing to the special like a child. “I want THAT.” She said, breaking out into a smile before bouncing up and down like a child with the jitters. L.C. loved funnel cakes more than any other food in the world. Topping it with blue and pink ice cream only made it even better. She would eat the poor dish with reckless abandon. No, worse, she would inhale it.

[[OOC: So. Very. Long. Do not feel obligated to match this AT ALL.]]

[Zachary LaRousse]

-->outfit?

While Zac was initially put off by the whole novelty fifties concept like L.C., he couldn’t deny that it was that said feel that drew him to the said shop in the first place. He was on his way back from Pete to get some supplies when he saw the rather tacky establishment, and after a minute or two of snorting and laughing, he decided to pull over and checked it out. As it was, the taste of their ice cream won him over, and over time, he has grown to tolerate (and later on enjoy) the ‘unique’ feel. Now he even wishes their waitresses are on roller skates.

“Coffee is good for everything. If I could take a bath in coffee every day, I would.” Technically he could really, but he says coffee is much too precious for him to waste it like that. And yes, if it’s not obvious yet by now, the LaRousse teen is quite the caffeine addict. Ever since he got a taste of it when he was twelve, he couldn’t get enough of it. What once was a cup every weekend turned into a cup every six hours or so. While he does drink hot chocolate, and on occasion, tea, nothing works for him better than that alkaline poison.

He wasn’t in the mood to argue however, thoughts of ice cream aside, due to the fact that he found L.C.’s arm wound against his. Not too tightly mind you, but enough to, well, tell the boy that the Maiden isn’t really opposed to them being this close. “Ok, ok. Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” chuckled Zac, surprised at L.C.’s sudden outburst. It was probably the first time he saw her so excited about something. Maybe he should bring her here more often.

The boy moved forward just slightly to see what L.C.’s been pointing at, crooning his neck and squinting a bit in the process. “Jellybean extravaganza? Eww.” Artificial strawberry flavoring is definitely not for him. And so is bubblegum and all those fruity-too-sweet-for-their-own-good flavors. It took a good second for him to figure out that she was apparently pointing to something else. “Ooh. You mean the funnel cake one? Nice choice,” he grinned, sneaking a playful noogie as the line moved forward.

After a few more minutes of waiting, they finally got their Coffee-Chocolate Explosion and Circus Extravaganza, resting on the tray Zac is currently holding in front of him, as well as a slice of Oreo cheesecake, two ice cream sandwiches and two bottles of water (just in case the sweetness was too much to bear). “Lead the way L.C.,” he said, urging the girl to move forward and find them a seat already.

“So what was that epiphany you were talking about earlier?” asked Zac once they’ve settled, a sly smirk creeping (once again) on his face, “Finally realized that I really am the hottest boy alive?”

[/font]

[L.C. Milliner]

-outfit

Well thank goodness- L.C. and Zac had one thing in common. Finally. L.C. loved coffee, but to her it was sacred- its essence was not to be marred through putting it in places that is had no business being in. Chocolate colored coffee beans, coffee ice cream, coffee chapstick, and even coffee gum were all sacrilegious items to her. Coffee was meant to be drank, not eaten or used for skin care or any multitude of things that could possibly be thought up. “Coffee is fantastic. But it shouldn’t be in ice cream.” She repeated, not wanting to get into a discussion about a coffee bath, although she would certainly enjoy one- without him. He would have to take his own coffee bath. She wasn’t sharing with him.

“Ew. No.” L.C. loved fair food and sweet things, but jellybeans in ice cream? No thank you. She’d gladly miss it. There were some things that just didn’t go into ice cream. Coffee and jellybeans were topping that list at the moment, even though after she caught a glimpse of ice cream with tangerine chunks, and she was certain that the two offending items weren’t the worst thing she could think of. “I love funnel cake.” She said, her disgust turning into delight as he mentioned it. Nothing in the world topped funnel cake. Nothing. Not even Sean’s homemade pot roast. She waved Zac’s hands away and fixed her hair, but she did it with a smile as they approached the front.

After they had gathered their heaping amounts of food, L.C. led the way across the restaurant, parking them in a booth that could have held a family of four, two people on each side. She loved to inconvenience people like that. As soon as the tray was down, she had her plate of funnel cake and a spoon, eating the cotton candy ice cream with an expression of pure bliss on her face. She closed her eyes as she popped a piece of funnel cake into her mouth, savoring the taste so much she almost forgot Zac was there. Almost.

His question made her eyes snap open and she chewed her funnel cake as she attempted to think of a good epiphany. Her eyes met her wrists and she swallowed. “You wish. I found my bracelets... in the bottom of my bag.” She said a bit hesitantly, holding her wrists up as she showed them off. It was a weak excuse. “And... I remembered I’ve had this shirt since, like, seventh grade.” Longer. It was her mother’s shirt. The thing probably was bought at a Led Zeppelin concert. In the seventies. The writing was peeling and it looked like it was on its last leg, but she loved that shirt. Always would- even if it was getting a bit short. She had to keep pulling it down until she sewed a few inches of a cut off bottom of a ruined tank top to it.

“What about you? What was all that splashing around about?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow as if she was daring him to tell her the truth, even though she had obviously just lied her way out of his question.

[Zachary LaRousse]

-->outfit?

“You really are a circus freak, aren’t you?” teased Zac as he took a spoonful off his treasured coffee-flavored ice cream, grinning widely as it melted in his mouth. While such a remark is used by the smug teen as an insult under normal circumstances, he does hope that the playful, almost sickeningly sweet tone he used just then would tell L.C. that he’s anything but snide. He actually finds it endearing, L.C. being completely under the spell of a certain food item. If he was quite the possessive and insecure guy, he would’ve said he’d be jealous of the funnel cake already. “Jellybean isn’t the worst flavor though. I’d say mint is. Like totally.” He even nodded his head in an effort to make himself look sincere, thereby making his case stronger. “I could not imagine why people would pay to be fed toothpaste. Not at all.”

As much as Zac would like to focus on his meal for once and enjoy it as it is, he just can’t, possibly because of the way L.C.’s eating devouring her funnel cake. It’s not a bad thing though, mind you. It was definitely the first time the mimic saw her sincerely enjoying something, a mood that’s a stark contrast with her earlier raging tantrum. “You know, I prefer this happy, cute, adorable L.C. over the raging and hormonal woman in the pool a while back,” he grinned, reaching across the table to give L.C.’s cheeks a light pinch. Hopefully he won’t get spiked or anything for that.

“Oh,” said Zac, obviously disappointed. Not that he was expecting anything, but L.C.’s answer was rather…bland, to say the least. Both the bracelet and the shirt. They were both, well, great successes, yes, but they (unfortunately) weren’t enough to pique Zac’s interest much. And no, it didn’t cross his mind that L.C. was lying or anything to him. Not at all. “So either that shirt was way too big for you back then, or you haven’t grown ever since? Please don’t tell me you haven’t hit puberty yet?” A shirt would never last that long in Zac’s hands. Half a year is a milestone already really. But five years, or even more? Not a chance.

He almost choked when L.C. suddenly asked him back though. “Was my splashing that loud?” God. Hopefully she didn’t hear anything. “Me? I..err,” he smiled weakly, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to think of a decent explanation, “I…slipped in the pool. Several times. It’s embarrassing really.” And incredibly weak excuse, but he just can’t think of a decent one currently. “Please don’t tell anyone?”

“Anyway,” added Zac, shifting in his seat in an effort to divert the conversation away from what could be his undoing, “Graduation’s just around the corner. Are you joining the grad class this year?”

[L.C. Milliner]

-outfit

“Not really.” L.C. muttered, pausing to give him a glare. There were only two rules when it came to L.C., both of which were set in stone. The first was to never call her Lyra– but only slightly less well known was to never talk to her about her past in the carnival while she was in earshot. She looked back down to her plate and ate a bit slower, pacing herself. The crack itself wouldn’t really bother her, but it was coming from Zac.

The hormonal crack irked her a bit more and she looked up at him from her food again, eyes staring straight at his for a moment in a silent command. ‘Quit.’ She took a spoonful of ice cream and glanced at his shirt, noting how white it was. “You know, that’s a nice shirt. I’d hate for something happen to it.” She raised a brow as she moved the spoon his was, feigning a flick that would send ice cream down his front. She ate it instead, hoping her warning would teach him. That would be a feat.

Lying to Zac was never easy, so L.C. assumed he could see through it. She toyed with her bracelets and looked down at her shirt, shrugging her shoulders as he commented on the age of it. Oh, is he only knew. “It’s a hand me down from my Moth-” The final word was so alien on her tongue that she had to stop. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. “It’s old.” She muttered, back to her ice cream as she watched him flounder over her question.

His lie was almost see-through, and she wouldn’t buy it anyway, but she played along. She didn’t want to drag anything into the open she wasn’t ready for yet. “Glad we finished that lesson then. If you dropped me in the water I would’ve sank like a rock.” She raised a brow, proof that she wasn’t buying it but wasn’t going to get into it, and ripped off a hunk of funnel cake, popping it into her mouth. The thought of possibly sharing it with Zac never crossed her mind, if only because she wouldn’t have even if it did. She liked funnel cake. And besides, she reasoned, if he wanted any he could buy his own. “I won’t. Who would I tell?” Besides Alex. Oh, he’d love it.

“Yeah, finally.” She muttered, taking a large bite of ice cream. The pink and blue swirl coated her upper lip, but she didn’t notice. The ice cream in her mouth was busy freezing her brain. She couldn’t speak for a moment, instead she shut her eyes and concentrated on keeping her brain functions in tact. She was failing. But at least she was failing in silence.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Zac stiffened slightly when he caught L.C.’s glare, his eyes quickly averting hers, darting from corner to corner in an effort to evade a second encounter with the Maiden’s burning gaze. He unconsciously turned to the right just a bit and nervously took another spoonful of his ice cream (hoping it’ll be enough to calm him down). He groaned inwardly, cursing the world for letting him know the things that tick her the hard way. First the thing the whole Lyra thing, now this. Are there any more things he should know not to say or do around her?

Lo and behold, within just moments of his inner rambling, the world has an answer already (in his eyes anyway): never call her cute. Or adorable. Or anything you might use to describe a fluffy bunny that you just can’t help but pet and cuddle. “Fine, fine. I get it. You win,” said the boy in surrender, going as far as to raise his hands to emphasize his point, “You’re not some cuddly stuffed animal and I won’t refer to you as such. You’re a fierce and untamed tiger. Rawr. Sheesh.”

Zac likes L.C., don’t get him wrong on that. He finds her spunk and attitude attractive, but there are times when he feels that it’s just too much. Her constant threats to turn him into Swiss cheese, for example. While he knows to himself that he does need to be controlled at times, he just thinks that L.C. can go overboard with the whole thing – and they’re not even together together yet. “L.C., you have got to learn to how to relax a bit,” he grinned, reaching out to give her a quick pat on the cheek, “I like you a lot, but seriously, lighten up. You’ll grow old early if you keep on being a grouch.” He pinched a piece off her funnel cake, just to taste it himself. Not too remarkable, but hey, to each his own right? “Want to play paintball this weekend? It’s a good way to channel all that inner rage of yours, so you’re not all gung-ho on beating me up all the time.” A yes, he is totally asking L.C. on a second date. Because in his book, this particular ice cream trip is already the first.

“A hand-me-down? Must be loaded with sentimental value then,” shrugged the boy, unaware of the story L.C. would prefer not telling that surrounds the said shirt. Zac’s never had any hand-me-downs before, at least in terms of clothes that is. Fickleness aside, he didn’t really have older siblings and his dad’s just a size smaller than him when he was his age. “My offer to go clothes shopping with you still stands though.”

Zac went back to devouring his own food when he caught a glimpse of the stain/smear on L.C.’s lips. A devious smirk suddenly went over the boy’s face, saying “L.C. you have-Oh never mind. Let me” before reaching over and capturing the Maiden’s lips with his own. “What? It’s not like you have tissue with you.”

Yes, Zac’s a total rip-off

[/url]. [/blockquote]
ooc:
Sorry it took so long. D;
- Jam[/justify][/font]

[L.C. Milliner]

-outfit

Yes, calling something that likened L.C. to a fluffy bunny in any way, shape, or form was a good way to get oneself spiked, or at the very least glared at. L.C. was not cute. She was short, yes, but cute, she was not. If you wanted to see L.C. when she was cute, you had to go back to when she was really little. She stopped being cute around five years old- that was when she grew into her ‘bratty annoying pickpocketing child from the seventh circle of hell’ stage. It wasn’t the ‘cute’ thing that bothered her though, not as much as her being called ‘raging and hormonal’- she was neither. She just didn’t like being poked and prodded and made fun of on such a regular basis. His apology at least made her smirk a little, and she raised one hand and curled her fingers. “Mrow.” She said, imitating a cat before returning to her food.

“I do relax.” She knitted her brows together, flinching away from his sudden movement toward her face until she realized what it was. She let him pat her, tolerating it like she did the rest of his antics and flirtations. “I know. I’ll end up getting gray hair at this rate.” She watched him pinch off a piece of her funnel cake and frowned before going back to eating it. It was almost half gone, but she was getting full, and she had a tendency to quit eating one she had her fill. The problem was that if she quit eating for a while, she ice cream would melt onto the funnel cake and make it all gooey. But if she didn’t quit eating, she’d have no room for the funnel cake after the ice cream. Decisions, decisions.

After much deliberation, she started eating again. “I’ve never been.” She swallowed her ice cream, paused, and revised that. “Paintballing, I mean. Sounds interesting.” Zac would have been better if he had started her off with laser tag or something a little less violent. In fact, anything gun based wasn’t such a good idea, considering that she was raised in a carnival where there were gun games that she had a tendency to play more often than was healthy. “And I don’t want to beat you up all the time, just most of the time.” She grinned, leaning back in her chair as she brushed her hair out of her face.

The shirt held absolutely so sentimental value at all, really. In fact, if it wasn’t for the fact that she loved AC/DC, she would have doused the thing in kerosene and lit up in flames a long time ago. She crossed her legs and her flip flop slid off her foot, making her roll her eyes and look underneath the table to get it back on. She straightened up just in time to catch his sentence. “Maybe some other time. When I have money too.” Who said he wasn’t making progress? A few months ago she would’ve clawed his eyes out at the very offer of taking her out, claiming she could take care of herself. Now, she was starting to give up on the idea of ever discouraging him. She could, however, deter him for a little while so all the money spent wouldn’t be his.

L.C. looked up from her food and caught Zac’s smirk, blinking as her eyes widened at the mere sight of it. What was he up to? She realized what he was pointing at and was about to wipe it off with her hand, but suddenly he was in her face, leaning over the table and kissing her.

It took her a moment to register it, and by the time she realized what exactly was going on, it was over. She blinked and her mouth formed an ‘o’, and she stared at him like he had suddenly grown three heads and was breathing fire. “You... You just...” All articulate response had gone out the window, and the only thing she could do was turn red, stare, and stutter at him.

[Zachary LaRousse]

~~outfiit. ^_^

“Did what?” asked Zac, trying to act indifferent and totally nonchalant as he returned to his seat, desperately trying to rein in the sly smirk that just wants to etch itself in his face. Who knew ‘accidentally’ turning to and watching those foreign soaps TV shows would be this beneficial in the long run?

While he may be the epitome of cool and suaveness at the moment, beneath such a façade however is a teenage boy just wanting to explode. He didn’t really think such a move would be successful, considering the Maiden’s been consistently turning down most of his advances (at least in his eyes anyway). So when she just sat there as if she’d been turn into stone, he could barely control himself. Despite his straight face, he was really shaking in glee, so much that it took him four tries just to sit down on his chair (he almost fell on the third try really, which would’ve meant the end of his ‘smooth’ act right there and then).

“Like I said, there wasn’t any napkin you could’ve wiped yourself with. Well, clean ones anyway,” he said, waving his hand over the table (and to the dirty ones he’s used prior) while adding a shrug as he took one of the last few spoonfuls of his dessert. Thank goodness he spilled some ice cream on his legs a few minutes earlier and had to use the last of their napkins then. “And besides, I just can’t let you wipe it with your hands right? That’s mighty unhygienic.” As if kissing someone to lick wipe it away is any different.

He casually leaned back, stretched and yawned for a bit, hoping that such actions would help take away the jitters he’s been feeling ever since. L.C.’s so unlike any other girl he’s had his eyes for before that, well, he’s practically nervous every time he makes a move. If it wasn’t for his enormous ego and, well, the obvious signs that he’s making some progress, he wouldn’t have acted on such emotions.

“Paintballing’s fun,” he said, putting both his elbows on the table as he crossed his legs and tried to divert the conversation, at least for a tiny bit, “I promise I’ll go easy on you then. I’ve never been hit all my life after all.” A blatant lie, something so transparent it’ll be a shame if L.C. could not see through it. Seems that celebratory feeling is getting in his head already, making him cockier than ever. “Saturday then. I’ll pick you up in Sean’s house at around 4?”

“Any luck on your work hunt by the way?” As much as he’d like to lean over and give her another kiss in order to seal the deal (at least in his eyes), he couldn’t. Not yet at least. If he’s learned anything the past year, it’s that he should definitely learn how to take things slowly should he want them to work.

ooc:
-bowsinapology- My brain is fried, Idk why. D;
- Jam

[L.C. Milliner]

-outfit

There was absolutely nothing going on in L.C.’s head anymore. Her internal hard drive had crashed. There was no brain activity at all. None. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zippo. Zero. Zilch. Squat. Diddly squat. Blank screen. Leave a message at the tone. Checked out. Elvis has left the building. Static. Even as Zac sat back and smirked before talking again, L.C. remained motionless, staring at him with a mixed expression of shock and horror. He just kissed her. On the mouth. In public. She wasn’t hallucinating or dreaming; she knew that. This was very real. Something in her brain obviously wasn’t making the connection here. Synapses were not firing. Something had to be amiss, because last time she checked, Zac didn’t just randomly do that to people.

Okay, he did, but that was beside the point.

Zac wasn’t supposed to like her; he was supposed to be afraid of her, right? That was their relationship. She spiked him, he screamed like a sissy girl. Everything was balanced. This didn’t just tip the scales, this blew up the damn scale. She was not some pretty conquest, she was L.C. freaking Milliner. She didn’t attract boys. She wasn’t even attractive, at least, not out of a dress without Zac’s prep team people working on her. She had potential, of course, but didn’t everyone? She wasn’t dating material. There had to be some ulterior motive to this. Did he lose a bet? Take a dare? Maybe he had finally gone crazy.

It. Didn’t. Make. Sense.

And he was acting like it had never happened, at that! She finally had tuned in to what he was saying, and he was talking about paintball again? What was this? She could only close her mouth and nod, biting her bottom lip as she attempted to sort everything out in her head. She had to play it cool. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.” L.C. could shoot well enough- she’d hit him point blank if he annoyed her. “Four sounds fine.” She didn’t comment on the ‘Sean’s house’ part- she really did need to move out eventually. She had been looking at apartments, but she couldn’t afford the rent- she might have to look for a roommate if she was intent on getting one.

“I may be getting a job at Kali’s. Alex is putting in a good word for me.” Yes, the one and only Alex. The one Zac had punched in the face, who was also in her art class. He wasn't a bad guy. She smirked expectantly, waiting for the look of disbelief to cross Zac’s face. She could play this game too, after all.

[Zachary LaRousse]

--->outfit?

As it was, Zac took the Maiden’s blank look as a sign of her finally understanding the reason why he’s doing the things that, well, he’s been doing lately. After all, the kiss had been his most forward move as of late. He hoped that whatever confusion she might have had in the past (that he’s only playing with her, just doing it for fun or for a dare) would be taken out of her system already. He did take things slowly, or at least as slow as he can get. He figured that the realization was a little too much for her to bear, hence the sudden silence. At least they’re both on the same page already, right?

Oh how wrong can the boy get.

“I’ll even give you a two minute head start. Like, you know, for two minutes I won’t shoot and all that.” Oh boy. Apparently he didn’t factor in L.C.’s whole carnival girl background (no offense). Hopefully L.C. would be nice enough to indulge the boy for a bit before showing him how wrong it is to brag about something he isn’t really good at.

His eyes did widen just slightly at the mention of the Dwarf. “Alex Alex? You serious?” Damn. Maybe he should be more polite to him then. Zac himself is a frequent patron at Kali’s (they make the best lattes in town after all, at least in his opinion) and part of his whole act whenever he’s there is to make things extra hard for the boy every time he sees him there. (And each time he has a feeling the boy did something to his drink, he’d complain like the spoiled brat that he is. How civilized really). “You sure you don’t want to work somewhere else? I can put a good word for you in almost every establishment in this town.” He does splurge a whole lot whenever he can wants. He just doesn’t want to feel like he owed Alex something. Even if he’s doing it for L.C.

Long story short, he’s already acting like a boyfriend. Even if the other party’s still confused about he whole arrangement. Don’t you just want to spike him right now?

[/font]

[L.C. Milliner]

-outfit

The problem with being subtle around L.C. was that, while she may have picked up on it at the time, the hints and nudges were promptly forgotten. One couldn’t be subtle with her- this was the girl that spiked people in order to reason with them. She was not one for indirect methods when it came to talking to people, so she had a bad habit of assuming other people were the same way. Zac’s kiss came as a surprise to her, a surprise her head was still reeling from. To be honest, she didn’t even think of it as a good kiss, considering it was over before she even registered it happening.

“Sounds like a plan.” She was trying not to miss anything Zac said even as she speculated, but her voice made it clear that she barely heard him. She was a bit too distracted to think about paintball. Usually the idea of shooting Zac with a gun full of plastic pellets would be pleasing, but right now she wasn’t on top of her game. If she was, she’d already be strategizing about how she would hide and peg him when (and where) he least expected it.

L.C. didn’t see why Zac was making such a big deal about Alex, honestly. He and Ann were over and done with (at least she hoped they were, all things considered) and she was certain the animosity was gone on the shorter boy’s end. The black eye had healed over and everything seemed fine- no loss of eyesight or scarring, at least. “I want to get a job on my own, Zac. Not by someone paying my way in. Besides, I like coffee.” She loved coffee, when she could afford it. The idea of free drinks was almost too good to be true.

She crossed her legs and started working on her food again, suddenly ravenous from all her thinking. “Besides,” She said between bites, “I think I’d make a good barista. And you can see me whenever you’re craving some caffeine.” Not that she was openly inviting him to harass her at work, but she figured that he’d know better than that. Then again, this is Zac. “And that doesn’t mean harassing me at work if I do get a job there.” There, problem solved, mostly. She tore off a piece of funnel cake and shoved it into her mouth, humming contentedly at the taste. It was really the only thing placating her right now, or else Zac would be lacking her company.

[[OOC: It's crap, and L.C.'s all over the emotional spectrum, but there is is.]]

[Zachary LaRousse]

Zac would agree that the kiss wasn’t really a good one. Granted his idea of a good kiss might be too wet and sloppy lewd and dirty that L.C. would no doubt have spiked him already if he dared do it in public at this point in time. It was rushed more than anything really. After all, surprise is his only weapon against L.C. As it was, all those times they’ve thrown jabs at each other had made the Maiden rather good at countering what Zac does if she knows it beforehand or if she’s given time to act. Hence him settling for that particular kiss. And considering the huge smirk he still as on his face as he finished the last of his ice cream, he still has no idea that instead of making a clear mark on L.C.’s mind, his kiss has made her a bit more confused than ever.

As for the whole Alex issue, well, it’s more about his ego than anything really. While he’s all good with Ann already (he’s back to simply irking her, though no such formal ‘closure’ has happened yet), Alex is probably going to be in his blacklist forever. Zac refuses to call it as his being insecure (as he claims he’s mighty confident about himself), but the fact that Alex has bested him at something has been a huge blow to his enormous self-esteem. It just won’t be forgotten easy. Even more so when it seems like he’s digging into his territory again. “I’m not losing you to Alex, am I?” he muttered unintentionally, his body quickly stiffening as he caught himself. In a rare moment, he actually hoped that L.C.’s too preoccupied with her beloved funnel cake to pay attention.

“I’m not paying them. And besides, isn’t that what Alex is doing anyway?” Only difference is that Alex is an employee and Zac isn’t, “I won’t bribe them. I’ll buy them out. Then I’ll hire you. Simple, right?” The boy grinned sheepishly, sending a knowing wink towards L.C. “Would I get free drinks then?” Now that would be something. “Fine then. But that doesn’t mean I can’t harass you after work, right?”

He was just about to say something else when his eyes accidentally saw the clock a few feet behind L.C. “Oh shoot,” Zac said, grabbing his things as he stood up, “I still have to go somewhere else. Sorry I couldn’t drive you home right now. I owe you one.” And yes, he’ll be leaving the slice of Oreo cheesecake and the two ice cream sandwiches to L.C. “I’m so sorry. See you Saturday, ok?” This time he walked over L.C.’s and gave her a proper kiss, at least by most people’s standards – not too needy but just enough to have that certain sweetness and somewhat say that he’ll be coming back for more.

And boy does L.C. have to ready herself for that.

ooc:
I feel bad that the ending feels kind of forced. I'm sorry. Hope the Feddeh doesn't mind. -puppypout-
- Jam
P.S. Your post wasn't sucky. Not. At. All. ^____^.