`Everybody's a CRITIC {Zachie}

[Anthony Martin]

"Seriously guys... I'm not looking for trouble..."
"Shut up loser! You just walk around acting like some rich little brat..."
"That's a ridiculous claim..."
"See! Your acting like your better then everyone else, you think you can confuse people with your big vocabulary!"
"This is uncalled for, just leave me alone..."
"I'm tired of your attitude Martin!"

The three boys standing near the pond were in a scuffle. You'd think that the victim would have said something and fought back by now but if one actually knew the boy, it'd be completely different. The two bullies were just random tough guys who needed their daily victim, which just happened to be a boy named Anthony Martin. Despite his age, Anthony was a shy bookworm and had been bullied nearly all his life. He was used to this crap. He yelled once or twice, the other two boys grabbed Tony's book with deliberate anger. The books were tossed across the grass near the Koi pond, all the while Tony trying (in vain) to get the imbeciles to stop tossing his books around and getting dirt on them.

"Really!? This is stupid! Stop throwing my stuff around because you lack self-confidence and need to pick on others to feel any sort of happiness!!!" Tony always got himself into even worse disagreements with the harassers. The one bully who had his books dropped them and turned around slowly. He looked at him with a slight confusion, " what did you just say nerd?" he said, and it was apparent that Tony was digging himself a deep grave.

Tony felt his whole world shift, then he realized he was falling. He landed hard and looked up to see that the offended bully had pushed him down and was about to continue beating on him. How do I get myself into these situations? He braced for impact and closed his eyes, he knew what was coming next. Tony had experience with black eyes and bloody lips, it had been an everyday occurrence when he was young. Oh yeah, that's right, my power is stupid and lame and I'm a nerd... Apparently individuality is a social crime now... I was unaware...

* * *

words;; 370-ish
thoughts;; Yay! ^^

template by RoyaLe of Caution 2.0

[Zachary LaRousse]

While it isn’t really rare for Zac to be smiling so widely as he’s walking along the school grounds, there’s something about him right now that’s almost eerily different. To the ‘untrained eye’, it would just seem like he’s enjoying himself, ice cream cone in one hand and a flurry of shopping bags in another, almost skipping as he walked down the school grounds from the parking lot to his dorm room. But to those who’ve spent quite a few times with the jerk boy would feel something different, something odd. It’s like he’s got a whole personality shift going really.

Truth be told, Zac is indeed trying to make himself feel happy about today. He’s declared this day to be his oh-so-wonderful ‘me day’, akin to what others would call a day when they will treat themselves to the luxuries they had kept themselves from before. A time off life, if you may. True, Zac won’t really fit the whole ‘luxuries I haven’t been able to buy myself before’ as he’d been buying almost half the town each time he goes through one of his shopping sprees, but he really does need a time off. Especially after a series of mishaps concerning a certain empath’s continuous rejection. Not to mention the fact that he’s hearing rumors that she may be seeing someone already. He’s saying that he really could care less about who she ends up with and is only concerned upon him extracting revenge from her, but somewhere at the back of his head, there’s this sinking feeling that in fact, he may be hurt. (But being the Zac that he is, he insists that there’s a big may on that sentence).

He was just about to return to his care and grab the next batch of clothes he bought when he saw something near the corner of his eye. Normally he wouldn’t care about bully beatings; him being somewhat a bully himself, people would say he’s rather hypocritical. For the record though, the number of people he beat up over the past four years in Hammel can be counted by at most the two hands; he prefers verbal taunting and jabs really, seeing them as more refined and lasting than simple wounds and bruises. He would’ve simply walked away, let the kid be beaten to dust or whatever (he’s not one to have much conscience anyway), but when he saw the boy fall down, Zac knew he had to do something.

“Seriously? If you’re looking for ridiculously rich brat who thinks he’s incredibly better than anyone else, I’m right here,” his eyes fuming with irritation as he stopped the punch with the help of a gorilla’s strength. Using a cheetah’s speed, he sped up at just the right moment to stop the boy from getting creamed. He’s hungry as hell right now (his metabolism spikes up to incredible levels when he ‘changes animals’ too fast), but he can still manage it. This standoff wouldn’t last too long anyway. He simply threw the fist back, pushing the said boy down into the grass in the process. “This is your last warning Benjie. And yours too Jordan,” he said as he leaned down, smirk on his face, his fingers carefully tracing Ben’s face, “You really don’t want me to be angry.” And with one last smirk, he sent the two boys off, hopefully with a bit more common sense this time.

He flopped himself down the cold Vermont ground as the two thugs left, giving the fallen boy an unimpressed look. “What was it this time? Lunch money? Homework?” he asked, taking a quick lick off his chocolate ice cream, “This is seriously getting old T. You know if you weren’t so cute I would’ve let those brutes cream that face of yours already.”


ooc:
Sorry I suddenly poofed last night. >.<. And Zac has yet to think of a funny nickname for Tony. He'll prolly have one soon though. Hopefully. ^^.
- Jam

[Anthony Martin]

Tony thought for sure he was going to get his ass kicked, again. But just when he thought he was about to have fist-to-face contact, nothing happened. Nothing. At first Anthony thought he might have gotten punched so hard he was knocked out, or heck, maybe even killed. But when the timid boy opened his eyes all he saw was a familiar face and Benji hitting the ground like a fat lady who stood up too fast. Oh great, I'm getting saved again... Why do I always have to be the damsel in distress?

Tony only watched silently, he rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand as he sat on the cold dirt before shifting slightly. He watched the two jerkwads leave. Then he sighed deeply as Zachary sat himself down and gave him a look, the look really. Zachary had given him that look many times, "No reason... At least not a good one anyway... Just the standard jerk-offs..." Tony replied. He then reached a little ways and grabbed a book off the ground, turning it over and gently wiping dirt off the cover. He held the book and stared at it's cover as Zachie talked. " I'm glad our friendship is based on nothing more then appearances..." he said with so much sarcasm in his voice it was hard not to notice. Anthony brushed his brown bangs from his face before reaching around and collecting the other two books that were tossed upon the ground. He took great care in putting all the pages back in order and cleaning off the covers. He put the books in his bag and sat there silently. He turned to face Zachary and a serious look lingered on his face.

"I see you've been shopping again... Having lady troubles recently? Or did you just need to compensate with buying useless crap again?" He asked and a small smile turned up the corners of his lip as he held a small paperback novel about Astrology in his hands.

* * *

words;; 351
thoughts;;

template by RoyaLe of Caution 2.0

[Zachary LaRousse]

Zac couldn’t remember how many times, just this year, he’s saved Tony’s butt from ‘sure danger’ already. Has it been ten already? Twenty? A hundred? He tried counting since January but he stopped mid-March when he reached around twenty-five. And he even lost count around 12 or 13, so he started over. Really, the boy has a knack for getting pushed by others. Zac would be a great hypocrite should he say that he never had the urge to pick on Tony before. In fact, he could still remember back when he’s still new to the school that Tony was one of the first kids he teased every day. Back then, seeing the quiet, lonely and shy bookworm cry was one of his greatest pleasures. He would’ve continued really, had his dad not stopped him. And it’s not just because bullying is bad nor is it because Zac’s carrying the LaRousse name.

As it turns out, Zac’s dad (and mom) was close to the Martins’, especially Tony’s dad. Yes, they went to Hammel together. Boy was Zac so surprised by the whole turn of events. In fact, Zac’s dad told him to ‘look after’ Tony. He actually thought it was his punishment back then, as their conversations were the very definition of awkward, but as time went on, they somehow just got along. And while Zac doesn’t like Tony staying as the ‘damsel-always-in-distress’, he’s got to admit that he somehow likes having a strong, protective role.

“You seriously want me to believe that, Princess?” he said, rolling his eyes in disbelief, “If I wasn’t grounded right now, I would’ve punched him in the face right now. So I guess there’s only one option now: tell Dr. Neville.” A boisterous laugh soon erupted from the mimic. Not that he thinks bad of Dr. Neville, it’s just that telling him about all the bullying Tony’s been suffering is the least likely among his options. He just has a thing with authority, and that’s that.

“You talk about it like it’s a bad thing. We’re ‘friends with benefits’, remember?” He leaned in closer and gave Tony a light pinch on the nose. “And besides, Prince Charming, me, hasn’t received his thank-you kiss for saving you yet. Until I get that one, I’ll be sticking around for a long, long time.” He moved as if he’s going to kiss Tony, backing out when they’re only a few millimeters apart and playfully sticking his tongue out at him. “Don’t worry, I’m a patient man,” he chuckled.

He almost choked on his cone when Tony suddenly spoke. Gosh. Did he touch Tony? He didn’t right? How can he know all of these things almost immediately. “Hey. These aren’t useless crap,” he said, blushing slightly as he tried to defend himself, “They aren’t Armani or anything, but they’ll do for the moment. I mean…” He trailed off, awkwardly scratching his head, his eyes darting around the place. Seriously, why can’t he lie to this guy so easily?

[Anthony Martin]

Ok, sure, Zachie had saved Tony's rear-end multiple times, but really... For Tony is wasn;t that big of a deal. After being kicked around and made fun of for nearly eleven years of your life, you get pretty frickin' used to bullies. Sure by now a normal person would have blown up and attacked somebody but not Tony. Tony was an angel... He couldn't even hurt a fly... He only blew up emotionally and cried. By the time he was 14 he got over the crying unless it was really bad. He mostly just stopped caring whatsoever, bullies could do what they wanted, Anthony could deal. Well until Zachary... That was an awkward bucket in it's own right. Sure for the first year or so Zacharie was a now right a-hole to him, and made him cry multiple times. But soon it all changed.

Anthony had been sifting through yearbooks and photo albums after his families car wreck and noticed a familiar face, his father of course, and his uncle, and some other weirdo in most of the photos. The photo was a very nice one, it seemed really serene. Anthony has it framed and sat it on his beside table once he and Zachary had gotten to be friends. The picture was right in front the Hammel dorms and it was a picture with three older teenage guys in it. The one on the far left was Tony's dad, the man with super speed, it was easy to tell since Tony took after his father and the two looked like twins. The One on the far right was an older guy, considerably taller than the other two, who wore a thick leather jacket and look super serious and tough; defiantly Uncle Micheal and his tough-guy look is because of his super-strength powers. Uncle Micheal was his current guardian when Tony looked through the pictures so it was easy to tell. The middle guy, Tony couldn't tell who it was. But when he met Zachie it all fit, the two resembled each other, and on the back of the photo it was labeled " Flinn, Antonio, & Micheal" in his Dad's nearly illegible scrawl. So when he met Zachary he knew exactly who the middle man was, Antonio LaRousse.

Funny how things turn out. There were also pictures of the late Gabriella LaRousse and Tony's mother, Tabitha. One of the best pictures though, one Anthony himself keeps near and dear, is one of his mother and father at a Christmas party with Gabriella and Antonio, all of them dressed up and wearing little Santa hats. Of course Anthony's father is giving a thumbs-up with a bottle of Brandy clasped in his hand, but that was just Tony's dad. The man was a high-class TV producer after all. But It seemed to be destined to Zachary and Anthony to find a connection somewhere. In one of the photo albums there was a letter to Antonio and Gabriella from Flinn, there was a picture of Tony's mother in a hospital bed holding baby Tony lovingly in her arms. Finding that photo actually made him cry, the letter was pretty nostalgic too, the last line being "Haha! I told you I'd have a kid first! Take that Antonio!" No wonder Anthony bawled like a girl, since he was now an orphan.

Anthony pulled a bit at the tips of his gloves as Zachary spoke. He turned his head slowly, giving him a dark look. Zachie only called him princess cause he knew the stupid pet names annoyed the heck outta Anthony. His face changed though when Zachary said 'friends with benefits.' It was more surprised than annoyed. He scooted away when Zachary pinched his nose. He frowned deeply and shooed the other boys hand away. " Quit harassing me..." he said, but he of course didn't mean it, he never did. But as soon as Zachie busted his personal bubble, Tony's face turned an embarrassing shade of red and he quickly looked away, hiding behind his curtain of brown hair. "You are no Prince Charming..." Then he reached over and punched Zachary in the arm lightly, " No wonder you have girls troubles if your always flirting with anything that moves!.... Idiot!" he said and an actually smile appeared on his face, a very rare occurrence indeed.

No, Zachie didn't touch Tony at all, and in fact, Anthony's powers could only be used on inanimate objects anyways. Plus, Tony had gloves on... All the time. Considering his powers put him into a zombie/shock-like state were he doesn't move and looks like he's having a stroke. When he was younger he'd end up shaking madly and falling down but now that he is at Hammel the shaking has gone down, generally his hand shakes a bit but other then that and standing stock-still nothing else happens. Tony just knew when Zachie was having issues, call it a gift if you will, But Tony just see's behind peoples facades easily. " It is useless crap... If it didn't come with a high-class brand-name label... It's crap..." a sigh followed before Tony spoke again. " So... If it's not useless crap... It means you are having lady troubles... What now Zach? Somebody reject you? They didn't take your wild advances? Hm?..." Anthony smiled softly, in a sinister sort of way.

* * *

words;; 913
thoughts;; Hooray! Backstories!!

template by RoyaLe of Caution 2.0

[Zachary LaRousse]

True, Zac has, on multiple occasions, voiced his openly told Tony, face-to-face, that his extremely passive behavior is actually making him quite the target for jerks like Benjie. Much like the lion hunting the old or sick in a gazelle herd and not a healthy one, Tony’s non-aggressive view on life and the outward manifestations of such a belief make him the perfect outlet for those thugs’ innermost rage and fury. “You’re much of a sponge, you know that,” he mumbled, shaking his head and giving the boy a sympathetic smile. But despite his open disagreement with Tony’s ‘soft touch’, he doesn’t really tell him to leave it altogether. Why you ask? Because there are times (and Tony’s proven it to Zac more than once) that being such a passive guy like him may be beneficial. Zac knows that Tony’s got tons more control of himself than he’ll ever develop, and he envies his friend truly for that. He doesn’t want Tony to simply dump his passiveness really, he just wants his buddy to grow a backbone.

“Gosh, what would you do without me,” he winked, laughing loudly while messing up Tony’s hair, “I can’t believe Dad was just like you when he was young. Is shyness a side effect of those vision-inducing powers?” His dad was a precognitive; Tony has psychometry. As far as he knows, both powers manifest as visions to their bearers, his dad seeing the future of almost anything while Tony seeing the past of the object he’s touched (which explains the gloves). These are the times when he’s really thankful he’s got a physical power more than a mental one. He can’t imagine himself being all quiet and shy. Or letting people simply push him around.

His dad has the exact same picture that Tony saw before, and it was the one that he showed Zac as he was explaining the surprising history that somehow tied their fates together. He actually told him that as boys they actually met together, once when they were both under 3 and another when they were 6, just a year before Gabriella’s unfortunate accident. Antonio recalled that Zac actually cried back then because Tony won’t talk to him at first. But even with all sorts of anecdotes, Zac didn’t really warm up to Tony until after the accident happened. Zac knew how hard it is to lose a parent, and Tony lost both (his sister included). Even without Antonio’s urgings, he made a conscious effort then to make the boy feel better (though because they’re still in rough waters back then, Zac still tried to look cold and uninterested). Seems tragedy can really pull people closer together.

“It’s not harassment if you actually like it,” he teased back. While Zac fools around with almost everyone else, Tony’s really something else. He could really feel like he’s genuinely having fun when he’s with him. He gave Tony a look of mock pain when he punched his arm, rubbing it dearly like a hurt kitten. “Ow. You punch your Prince Charming so hard yet you can’t do that to Benjie? Maybe it’s actually him who you like! That’s why you can’t hurt him. I’m hurt.” Zac hopes that really isn’t the case. ‘Cause if it was, he’d probably kill himself in disbelief.

“Hey, hey, hey, since when did this talk become about my lady problems? Aren’t we talking about your vow of non-violence?” Yup. He just admitted he had them. Nice one Zac. “Pshaw. Girls should learn how to share. I’m God’s greatest gift to mankind after all,” he added as he chugged the last piece of the cone down his mouth and lay down beside Tony. But, as it seems, there’s really no getting away with Tony. Not with that look on his face. “I hate it when you do that to me Toto,” he pouted, turning to the other side, making circles on the grass with his finger, “I…I…well…err…You know Ann Hudgins?”

And here comes the rants.

[Anthony Martin]

Ok so sure, Tony was the perfect prey for bullies. He was timid and shy and everyone knew he;d never fight back or tell on any of the bullies, but really, he couldn't help it. Until Zac showed up, Tony's life was just always like that. And until Zac stopped being one of those bullies, he had to deal with it for a long time. He got used to it. But The funeral is probably what set everything off for Zac and Tony. Since Antonio found out about Flinn's death he had to attend the funeral. And of course it probably pulled heartstrings of everyone. Of course for Antonio and Micheal it was devastating, and Micheal knew that if anything happened to him or his wife, Antonio would have taken in Anthony quicker then a raccoon steals trash. The Funeral was the moment Tony and Zac got a bit closer. Both realized they were childhood friends back in the day, and then Zac, despite how he tried to act all cool and unconcerned on the outside, felt sympathy for Tony. And from there Zac and Tony's friendship grew. Odd how when some doors close, others open. And it wasn't rare for Anthony ton receive some kind of communication from Antonio every once in awhile, making sure Zac wasn't into too much crap, since Antonio could probably trust Tony more, since both act similar anyways.

" What would I do without you? I don't know... Maybe get some peace and quiet in my life-- Quit that!" Tony flapped his hands above his head and carefully brush his fingers through his hair to put it all back in place. With a deep sigh Tony looked over at Zachie with a small smile, "I don't know... I suppose that maybe if you have vision inducing powers were you see the past and the future you generally try not to act out like a lunatic. If I were to flip out every time I saw a bad vision from something I touched I'd go bonkers... Hence why you have a much cooler power than I do... Mine is frickin' useless..." Insert Anthony pity-party here, he always hated his powers and wasn't afraid to say so. He felt like they couldn't do anything. His dad had super-speed and his uncle had super-strength and all Tony got was the ability to touch objects and know stuff about them. He felt like he got the short end of the stick on that one.

" Quit whining... And who ever said I liked you making me feel uncomfortable? And if you say something about me liking Benji or any of those guys again, I'll do something mean... Like tell all the girls that your compensating for a lack of a certain something" He said and gave Zac a dark look, one that meant he was serious. generally Tony would state when Zac had crossed a line, but Zachie generally knew that himself anyways. Anthony chuckled slightly at Zachary's comments abut him being the greatest gift to mankind, and how girls should share, but when he actually mention a name Tony paid attention.

" Hate what, that look? The one I use to make you tell me the truth, cause I find it very effective..." smirk, smirk. Anthony sighed softly and flipped open his Astrology book and started to read as he spoke. "I've heard of her, But I don't know much remember, I'm the sheltered... what was it you called me that one day? Oh right, a 'sheltered and socially inept/ Women inept nerd' is what you said. But go ahead, carry on..." Oh Tony seemed to be on a role of sarcasm and pessimism today, must have been because of the bullying.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Tony’s family’s funeral had been a real eye opener for Zac. It was then that he saw, for his own eyes, and finally believed how deep his father’s relationship is with Tony’s parents really. He’d be certain that had those two men not had a fallout a few years back, he would’ve grown up treating Tony, and his sister Loise, like his own siblings (not that he doesn’t see Tony as his brother now anyway). He’s never seen his father that sad and devastated since his mother’s funeral. He also saw guilt in his father’s eyes, something he wished he’d never see again.

Antonio is a precognitive, and a powerful one at that. He can somehow affect what he’ll see, enabling him to make the best decisions when it comes to business and other choices. His power helped him manage his company properly, helping it attain the ‘throne’ it has right now. Which is why he blames himself largely for what had happened to his wife. She died without him knowing. He vowed that from that day on, he’d never let anything happen to his loved ones, not unless he can do something about it. Which explains the huge pain in him when he got notified of Flinn, Tabitha and Tammy’s death.

“Pshaw. Your life would be extremely boring without me Tony,” Zac laughed, turning to Tony and acting like he’s going to bite. While Zac can be a huge jerk around other people, around this guy, he’s just like a little kid. It’s hard to think he used to bully him before really. “You’d probably be in your room right now, reading those sappy love stories you adore so much. Provided you live this long that is.” He does love rubbing it to Tony’s face how he just saved him again. “What do you find wonderful about those crappy stories really? And don’t tell me it’s because of the cover.”

He rolled over some more and rested his chin on Tony’s lap, looking up to him with bug-eyes much like a kid. “And you’re certain you’re not bonkers yet?” he chuckled. He rolled his eyes when Tony went on to rant about how useless his powers are. While Zac does like telling people how lame they are because of their powers, Tony’s a special case (as established earlier). “Seriously? You’re not over that yet?” he sighed, shaking his head, “I know my powers’ awesome and you have every right ot be jealous.” True, Zac is actually quite proud of his powers, much like how he’s proud of his looks and wealth. “Do you want me to go and be a good friend, tell you that it’s ok, or be like the brother you never had and tease you more about being so useless?” It’s all in good faith of course. Tony’s hopefully used to it by now.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?” he asked cutely, even batting his eyelashes, “Does that mean that you like like me then? More than you like like Benjie and Jordan? Aww. I feel honored Toto!” He did recoil when Tony teased him about ‘compensating’ about something. “Hey, I resent that!” he growled, pouting as he rolled closer to Tony’s lap, his head resting on his legs, “If anyone’s got the shorter end of the stick, we both know that it’s you. You even told me that yourself, remember?” He smirked as he playfully poked Tony on the side.

“Why are you so snide today? Do you have your period already or something?” While he had seen this side of Tony before (a couple of times actually; the first time was a few years back when Tony finally stood up against Zac’s bullying, it didn’t happen again apparently) he still wasn’t used to it. Tony doesn’t really fit the whole jerk-sarcastic-conniving role. “I thought we had agreed previously that you’ll be the good kid and I’ll be the rude one? Want me to go back into bullying you?”

Hopefully Tony will figure out that all these are but an elaborate act to cover his story up. For all of Zac’s confidence, he’s at a loss on how he could tell Tony his Ann-problems without sounding like a real jerk.


ooc:
Sorry if it was late Nicky. >.<. And it's a bit crappy-ish too. Boohoo. Sowee really. D;
- Jam

[Anthony Martin]

The fact that Tony's parents died without apologizing to Zac's, that just seemed to make the funeral so much worse for both Tony's Uncle and Tony himself. Knowing that his father had died telling his best friend off and vowing to never speak to the man again... That just made Tony feel that his dad died without getting things in order. But his parents death wasn't what really hurt Anthony the most. His sister was only 2 years old, she could have had such a wonderful life, but it was stolen from her. His baby sister was his world and her death really hit him hard. But having Antonio there made him feel better, especially when the two talked while staring at Flinn, Loise, and Tabitha's coffins. It was really comforting to be able to listen to his dad's best friend talk about how great the times were 'back in the day.'

"S--shut up!! Somebody could hear you!" Anthony hissed at Zac, looking a bit ashamed and surprised. He didn't need every bully to have more ammo to beat him up. Only two people knew about his obsession with crappy romance novels, Zachie being one of them, but Tony trusted Zac not to go spreading it around. How dumb. "And I don't think telling you why I like them is any of your business... Plus, I'd just be giving you more ways to harass me. " Anthony was right, although he wasn't going to sugar-coat anything, in fact it was rare for Tony to do that, he was generally blunt and spoke his mind when he was with good company. He sighed softly when Zachie started to talk again. Sometimes Tony just wanted to shove a sock into Zac's mouth and duck-tape it so he could get some peace and quiet for once. Zachie really couldn't. stop. talking.

Anthony's face got redder then a fire-truck when Zachary replied to his threat, "Shut up! God, I never said that! You twisted my words around and have now convinced yourself I did say it! And quit batting your eyelashes at me... I--it's weird!" Anthony frowned then he took the palm of his gloved hand and smacked Zachary on the side of the head. "And I don't like like any of you egotistical, obnoxious, playboy's anyway! Not Benji, not Jordan..." he sighed and rolled his eyes, "And especially not you!!" Anthony wished he had a backbone, then he wouldn't have to deal with Zachie's daily harassment's. It wasn't really harassment, but it was really annoying sometimes. Sure he'd never have it any other way, but some days... Zac could really be a big thorn in Tony's side. Which was kinda how everyone thought of Zachie anyways. Except nobody else was Zac's best friend.

Of course Anthony could see that Zac was trying to drift away from the original topic, Ann, but he needed to get Zachie back on track. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot... You should know better by now... I always know when you're avoiding a topic by making fun of me..." he said and smiled softly. "Did she break my wittle Zachie's heart? Do I need to give wittle Zachie love-advice?" Heh, heh, Tony was just trying to start a verbal fight with Zac today. Or Zachary was starting to rub off on Tony, Anthony was being a bit snide and sarcastic.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Zac never regretted having no siblings. Maybe he did when he was younger, having no one to play with back home except Cedric and their other attendants, but as he grew up (and became much of a brat), he figured being alone is actually very beneficial. First off, all the attention is on him. He never had to compete with anyone for anything. He has no siblings to compare himself into. His dad or mom couldn’t say ‘Why can’t you be like <insertnamehere?’ because they have none. He was his own child, his own man. And of course, having no siblings meant he that when his father deems him ready, he’ll inherit his entire empire. He’ll get the whole thing, not just a chunk of it. He didn’t like sharing before, he wouldn’t like it now.

Antonio knew about this selfish side of Zac, which is why he is extremely happy that Tony came to his son’s life. He loved how, despite Zac constantly denying it in front of him, Zac is slowly warming up to others, treating Tony (and quite a handful more) like his own. It was a long process sure, but at least there’s progress. Zac may have been a bigger jerk now than he is before, but his father knows that deep inside, he still cares. His father knew that should something happen to Tony, Zac would be devastated as if he’d lost a brother.

“You know, telling me to stop with a blushing and defensive face like that only makes me want to shout it more,” Zac teased, sticking his tongue out once more while lying belly down on the ground, his legs flailing wildly behind him. He could still remember the day he suddenly walked into Tony reading one of his sappy novels. Him trying to deny the whole thing was hilarious really. Makes him want to do it again today. “You know, you’re smart. I mean, maybe not as smart as me overall, but when it comes to literature, I betcha you’re better than me. So why the hell settle for mediocre work like that?” he asked, rolling like a log over Tony’s legs and spreading on the cold grass. Thank goodness the snow last night didn’t melt yet. “Because if you told me you like them (instead of me), I’d beat you up myself. Seriously. ‘Cause I’m a jealous brat, you know that,” he teased once more, sending Tony a teasing wink. So sorry Tony, but Zac really won’t just shut up.

Zac let out a rather exaggerated sigh, looking as if he’d been so hurt by what Tony just said. “So you really don’t like me? You hate me, don’t you Toto?” He turned his head to the side, one arm over his head, his face still in a rather dramatic pose. “So it’s all been a lie Toto? I thought we had something between us? I. Am. Hurt.” Yup. Overdramatic and extremely irritating. I wonder how Tony gets by with all of Zac’s crap. Zac would hardly call it harassment though. Well, he might call it like that if you asked him what he’s been doing with Tony lately, but he never really wants to make him feel bad, at least not anymore. Truth be told, teasing and harassment is Zac’s way of telling a person he truly likes them. He just doesn’t know how to be all calm and sappy. He thinks it doesn’t fit him really. And he’s too scared that people might think he’s weak when he goes all huggy-huggy and softy-softy. He has a reputation to keep after all.

“Hey. Nobody breaks Zac’s heart. Especially not a pathetic empathy like her,” he said with a rather stern tone, “I mean, she’s been here four years and she still can’t control her powers! How pathetic is that!” Yup, here comes the rants. “She’s lucky I’ve been showering her with attention. People barely know she exist you know that! The nerve.”


ooc:
Zac says he missed the old formatting. Lol. XD. *hugs Nicky*
- Jam

[Anthony Martin]

Of course, even though Anthony didn't have a father he had two different men, very different I might add, to look up to. He of course had his Uncle, who was really not the best role-model. Anthony was deathly shy and rarely stood up for himself, while his Uncle was a beast. His Uncle was the 6 foot, 6 inch guy in school who would grab your underwear and wrap it around your head three times while they were still on; if you messed with him or his friends, pain was surely to follow. So the two didn't relate very well, most family get-togethers at the Martin Household were cheezy 'so how was your day Anthony?' moments and standard sitcom 'Brady Bunch' dinners were nothing was brought up about how Anthony was an orphan with no future given to him and little to claim as his own. Deep heart-felt conversations between his Aunt and Uncle and himself were few and far between. His cousin Kimberly on the other hand, she was old enough to understand Tony needed to talk, but too young to know how to do it without sending Tony into a depressed slum.

But his other father-figure was indeed, his best friends father. Antonio was the only male-figure he could look up to through his teens. And it seemed Antonio was ready and willing to teach Tony a few life lessons. It might be another reason why Anthony and Antonio are similar in personality, they spent a lot of time together after Tony's family's funeral. Enough to practically consider them father and son, except for the fact that Antonio wasn't biologically related to Tony. Which was okay, since if anything had happened to the rest of the Martin family before Anthony had turned 18, Antonio's legal rights as Tony's Godfather would have surely kicked in. That's what Flinn would have wanted in the first place.

"Not as smart as you? Are we really going to debate on who has the better grades again? And who cares why I read them. I just do, and as my friend you should repect that... And not tell a soul. " Anthony hissed, trying not to just punch his best friend in the face. "And we both know you wouldn't beat me up even if I told you I liked those books better than you anyways... You can't stand to see me cry... " A snide look ran across Anthony's face, "So maybe it's not me liking you. Maybe it's the other way around... Maybe you won't admit that your jealous I'd rather be in love with mediocre romance novels than you." Sometimes Anthony could be really mean, but it came with the whole 'I hate my stupid powers and my life sucks' attitude. Tony generally didn't fancy being really really nice unless he was with girls, and then he was treated better if he was nice to them. And although he isn't biased against which sex he's attracted to, he likes it when girls fawn over him like he's a lost puppy.

" Maybe if you were nicer to girls, they wouldn't reject you so harshly." Anthony had a habit of being fairly blunt. He knew that Zac didn't take rejection very well. Zac really was a spoiled brat and if things didn't come easy for Zac, the boy threw a little fit. A little, royal, fit. Of course it made Tony really angry, since Tony would have to work his ass off to achieve something great, while Zac just got it in his inheritance. " Maybe if you didn't act like a little spoiled princess they might like you more, girls I mean. Like... seriously, you're so lucky!" Well Zac pressed that button a bit to hard, Tony was going off again. Anthony loved Zac like a brother, but you only put up with your stupid bratty kid-brother for so long before you have to just break out in anger every once in awhile, this was one of those times. "Unlike you, I don't get to have everything served to me on a silver platter! I'm going to have to actually work to achieve my career! I don't get to grow up all spoiled and rich so my Daddy can pay for my new Benz and let me shop at Dolce & Gabbana till his pocketbook is only full of dust; then grow up to be head of a huge company making millions of dollars and having a blond, DD trophy-wife on my arm!" Oh man, Zachary caught Tony on one hell of a bad day. " So quit whining like a little brat on how one girl won't fall to your charms and let you sweep her away like a fairy-tale princess, when you have it a lot better than most!" Tony scooted away from Zac in the process. He let out a huff of anger as he simmered down and then lightly tossed his book at Zac in his lame excuse for a breakdown. He sighed and looked down at the ground. He shook his head for a second, his blow-up was over. Sure he may have made Zac feel like crap, but somebody has to poke holes in Zachary's ego or it might grow too big and might encompass the school grounds.



OOC: ^^ Well tell Zac that I'm too lazy. And it's ok, my post is seriously late anyways. I hope you don't mind Tony's explosion XD I figure Zac would be used to it since they have been friend for awhile.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Indeed, Zac and Anthony are on the opposite ends of the spectrum, personality-wise and all that. Though Zac has only met Anthony’s uncle, Michael, a few times – sometimes when he’s checking on his nephew through him, others when he visits Zac’s dad and Zac happens to be around – but he already grew fond of the man. Sure he was a bit intimidated at first (big and burly; Zac feels like such a dwarf around him), but soon enough, he could see why his dad got along with him so well, and is still forever confused why Tony claims there’s such a rift between them. (And while he doesn’t not like his dad and they get along perfectly, Zac knew if he could get just an ounce or two of Michael’s fun, their relationship would go even further).

As for Antonio going the extra mile to be such a figure to Tony, Zac has nothing against it really. Well, he may have something during the early days (seeing that he and Tony weren’t as close as they were before) but all of it faded as he knew more and more about Antonio’s past with Tony’s dad and uncle, as well as getting to know more about Tony himself. He first figured his dad is just trying to right the wrong he’s done to the late Mr. Martin (which, up until now, Zac has no idea what; his dad just keeps on saying it’s the past and nothing really big so no need to elaborate more) but as time passed, he saw true concern in the man’s eyes. It’s as if he’s treating Anthony like the kid he never really had. Zac would’ve been jealous had his dad not told him that he’s simply seeing himself in the kid and unlike him, the kid has no Flinn figure (which, according to his dad, helped him become more open to people) to look up to really, so he’s just trying to steer the kid to the right direction. (Which brings us back to the part where Antonio asked Zac if he could look after the kid, as he sees Flinn in his son).

Would Anthony punch Zac in the face, he’d be happy. Elated even. Well, he’d feel bad for a bit and probably punch Anthony back (reflex, that’s all), but then he’d realize that his best friend finally stood up for himself and defended himself. He’d probably rile him up some more just to see him fight and really go berserk. “Woah there cowboy, no need to get feisty,” he laughed at Tony’s explosion. Really now, he could bark at Zac but not stand up for himself? What’s wrong with this boy? “Ok fine, no contest about grades. Everyone knows I’m better than you so no need to rub it in,” he chuckled as he sat up beside Tony, nudging his side playfully with his elbow. “Fine. And besides, I never was a good friend Totoro, you know that,” said Zac, smirking at Tony, “Never am, never will be. And besides I was just asking you why, no need to get all worked up over it. You know Dad will cream me should you tell.”

Zac laughed at Tony’s conclusion. It was rather amusing that insulting really. And Zac actually liked it. “Ohgosh, you are such a genius. Did your sappy stories tell you that?” he said as he grabbed Tony into a headlock and ruffled his hair, “Oh yes Tony, I’m madly in love with you. Totally, deeply, madly in love with you.” He rubbed his nose closer to the guy’s cheek and rolled over the floor laughing as he released the other boy from his grip. “You’re priceless Toto.”

“You’re rambling again Totoro.” He rolled his eyes as Tony rambled on, Zac seeing him as more emotionally involved than he was. Is that what sappy romance novels do to a person’s mind? He made a mental note to avoid those then. While a lot of what Anthony said was true, and for the most part, Zac needed to hear him, the mimic was much too amused seeing his friend flare up like that that he was more focused on Anthony’s face than what he was saying. He only got “nice”, “Dolce&Gabbana”, “Benz”, “silver platter”, “trophy wife”. Not much, but enough to tell him it’s the same old lecture he gets from his father, from Cedric, from Stephen and virtually all the people that’s close enough to tell him to change. Which, Zac being Zac, made him shrug off Tony’s sermon. Instead of reflecting on it, a rather devious idea came to mind.

As Tony brought an end to his rambling, Zac quickly leaned forward towards him and ‘kissed’ the boy. ‘Kissed’ as their lips barely touched for more than ten seconds, but Zac knew it was longer than what he had with Ann (as the one was just a brush really). He smirked as he pulled back and sat calmly beside the other boy. “Happy now?” he winked, trying to contain all his laughter, “See, your theory was right, I really like you.” He rolled his eyes and made his voice very much sarcastic to prove that all he did was nothing really (not that he thinks Tony would have ideas, but it’s good to simply come clean with it). “So Totoro, would you teach me how to be nice so feisty empath, who apparently can’t touch people, would talk to me properly now?”


ooc:
Pshaw. Late smate. It's lovely. And his rambling just makes Tony (which Zac has decided to call Totoro) all the more adorable. Zac says he'll be ok with the loss of the old format should you be ok with his 'kiss'. XD *hugs*
- Jam

[Anthony Martin]

"I'm not quite sure when you ever became my friend. I think it was you basically forcing yourself to be nice to me. Daddy wanted you to be my friend, make sure I didn't commit suicide or something idiotic... " Anthony looked over at Zac, sure he knew that after Zachie stopped bullying him he knew Zac was only doing it cause of their family ties. But after awhile it seemed tat the two had become inseparable. Unfortunately it was more of a love-hate friendship since Zac, being his normal Zac-self, continued to aggravate Tony. Mostly just teasing and a bit of harassment over petty matters, but still, Anthony didn't take it well. "Dad would cream you if I ever told him about half the stuff you say to me... He'd probably consider some of it sexual harassment. Plus, I heard a little about why your dad and my dad were fighting, but I can only get so much out of Uncle Micheal at a time... He's like a tank... But I don't think I want to tell you. " Of course he wasn't lying when he said he found out stuff about it, he knew Zac wanted to know. But that's one way Tony knew to bend Zac to his will sometimes. Zachary was impatient and if Anthony could risk it, he liked to make Zac wait for everything, or give something in return. If Tony was remembering right, he got Zac to make him dinner once in return for some love-letter written by a girl who gave it to Tony to give to Zac.

Anthony grumbled and squirmed when Zachie put him in a headlock. As soon as he was free, Anthony ran his hands through his hair, trying to straighten it back out. Cause he couldn't walk around looking like he was growing animals in his hair. He rolled his eyes at Zac, he was mostly unphased by Zac's stupid physical actions, mostly because of Tony's temperament. Anthony was ungodly patient, hence why he could deal with Zac's antics without killing the younger boy. He really didn't care what Zac did anymore, even though he had a huge issue with people being in his personal bubble.

Of course as soon as Zachie entered Tony's personal bubble everything hit the fan. Anthony's face immediately turned red, really red. He looked utterly shocked, he kinda was, but he knew it was just Zac being himself. Zachary loved getting reactions out of Tony and Tony knew it well. When Zac backed away Anthony reached out and punched Zac in the arm, pretty hard to. "Idiot! " he yelled and put a hand over his face. " You just want to get a reaction out of me! Go back to being straight already geez! I'd rather have you chasing skirts then freaking me out!" Anthony looked away and kept his gaze toward the ground so he could calm down, last thing he needed was more teasing from Zac. He glanced over at Zachary as the stupid guy kept talking. Tony wished for one day of a silent-Zac, that'd be the day. He signed and kept a hand over his face before replying to Zac again.

"You should first quit being such an egotistical flirt and she might consider talking to you like a respectable being and some some sex-hungry dog...." Tony said softly and leaned over to retrieve the book he threw at Zachie earlier.



OOC: XD Good lord, I keep having to ask myself why Tony hasn't just killed Zac in his sleep ^^ I actually have all my finals complete so now I can reply faster! Yay!

[Zachary LaRousse]

Zac couldn’t believe his ears when his father first suggested/insisted he be called ‘Dad’ by Anthony too. He knew Anthony was a bit uncomfortable with the idea, but to him it was preposterous. Since it happened when Zac has yet to warm up to the boy, he couldn’t believe his ears really. He’s never shared anything before, may it be his toys, his clothes, his room, now he’s expected to share his father? And with the wimpy boy at school too? And why, because his dad was apparently best friends with the scrawny boy’s father? That’s simply absurd.

For a week or so, Zac couldn’t sleep well. Old feelings of insecurity began to stir inside him. All his life he’s been trying to please his father (at least when he’s not being a brat) but still, it wasn’t enough? As far as Zac knows, he’s been getting good grades, and despite his ‘occasional’ unruly behavior, his teachers have a nice opinion of him. What more does he want? During that week, he began plotting against Anthony. Forget the whole big-brother-knight-in-shining-armor idea, he’s going to make that boy’s life hell.

And well, he did. For a week or so, he tormented the poor boy, day and night. As expected, such torture reached Antonio’s ears. And boy was he angry. What made the man even more furious is that Zac seemed to feel no remorse. Only when they sat down and talked did both sides understand each other. Seems it was simply Antonio’s way of making Anthony comfortable with him. And boy did Zac feel like a total jerk during that time. Ever since that day, he swore that he won’t let that scrawny guy be pushed around again. At least not by him.

“Seems you’ve caught me. Should I stop being such a good actor and start bullying you once more?” he teased, sticking his tongue out playfully. True, he did like Anthony irritated, but only because he feels like if he goes all sappy-sappy with the boy, he’d forever be soft. While the psychometric complements his aggressive side and pulls him to the ground should he ever float up too high, he’d want to do his part and make the boy more extroverted too. And boy does he know his work’s cut out for him. “Is it my fault you’re so cute when you’re angry?” he added, going behind the boy and hugging him from behind, his chin resting on the boy’s right shoulder, “I’d simply tell him it’s my way of boosting your ego. He’d buy it, I’m sure.”

If Zac was a dog, his ears and snout would’ve perked up at the mention of the conflict. Tony knew something and he wasn’t spilling? How mean. “When did Michael tell you all this? Tell me or I’d chew your ear off.” He made a biting motion just to prove his point.

Zac laughed so hard when Anthony went red and punched him. It didn’t hurt. Like really. “You should definitely come with me and Eric whenever we work out. You need it,” he chuckled. Maybe he should kiss Anthony more often. And make it a bit more daring next time. “So if I make you wear a skirt I can molest, I mean kiss, I mean tease you more often? I can go to town right now and buy you one if you like.” He’s never going to stop. Unfortunately, unless someone sews his mouth together and puts super glue on it, he won’t ever shut up.

“That is hard, not to mention a bit vague. Mind getting a bit specific?” he said, simply rolling his eyes. It wasn’t really that hard, but he just doesn’t want to be all nice. This is again because of the whole machismo image he has going on. “Tell me, how do I make her fall for me without touching her? Like, she faints and all whenever she brushes off me. What now?” He was truly at a loss, that’s for certain.

[Anthony Martin]

While feelings of insecurity had boiled up in Zachary back then, feelings of loneliness were the ones residing in Anthony's thoughts. Anthony got no sleep because he felt like the whole world wasn't worth anything, or that his life wasn't worth much either. He felt like the world had stolen everything from him, and replaced it with something totally fake. Totally fake and stupid. And Antonio was the only thing that really kept him grounded, his Uncle was a great guy, but Antonio was his dad's best friend. Antonio knew more about his parents then even his parent's did. But Antonio's son was far from perfect, in fact, Zachary was down-right awful. Awful to Anthony that is, and Tony knew why, Zac felt like Tony was going to do what fate had done to him. Zachary didn't want to share his father, or lose him for that matter. Anthony knew what that felt like. Of course, it was odd, Tony didn't quite understand Zac back then really. There came a day when Anthony yelled at Zachary and asked Zac why he couldn't understand what Tony was going through. " I don't understand!! Why do you always target me huh?! I mean really! You more than anyone should KNOW how I feel right now!! We both know you lost your mother!! I lost EVERYONE!! " It was probably a moment that turned Zac around, of course, Tony ran off crying. But that's beside the point, it was kinda like a slap across the face, throwing Zac's mom in the equation.

"Shut up Zac... Unlike other dim-witted girls, I won't fall for your stupid antics. Call me cute all you want... You're not getting any information out about our dads. And if I went crying to your daddy, do you really think he'd spare you? I think not. " <Insertevilsmilehere> Anthony did have a point. And really, Zac wanted to know and when the excitement grew, Anthony couldn't hold it in. Even with the threat from Zac, Tony wouldn't have been able to keep it for long anyway. "I was eavesdropping... Though all I got was my dad got really drunk, really, really drunk and stole a LaRousse private car and set it on fire... Then something about a lake... It seemed really crazy and must have tarnish your families name or something. But your dad must have blown a gasket... " Anthony paused and chuckled, "My mom must have too... But I don't know why they would have gotten so angry with each other, our dads I mean.... Over something so... childish... Doesn't seem like something our dads would seriously fight about unless there was something else in the equation..."

Tony looked over at Zac like the other boy was crazy. Although nobody could deny the possibility of Zac being crazy. He was utterly shocked, would Zac really say that? Of course he would. This is Zac we're talking about. " One, I'm not wearing a skirt! Ever! I may have the occasional gay-tendencies, but under no circumstances am I a cross-dresser!! And two, I don't want you teasing me at all! I'd prefer if you'd just... Not be a lunatic for once! Good lord!" Anthony frowned and rolled his eyes when Zachie asked him for advice. He sighed and looked away from his stupid best friend.

"Just talk to her. I know that's hard for you... But maybe if you actually get to know her, and you guys talk and hang out without you being a horn-dog, she might find something in you she likes. Just... be normal for once Zac. Generally people go on dates, like lunch or coffee or something to talk, just talk before they try and get into each others pants... "