Swimming 101 (JD)

[Zachary LaRousse]

“Goooood mooooorniiiiing DeeeeDeeeee!”

The rather disrupting and extremely obnoxious voice that reverberated across one of the private rooms in the dorm suite was accompanied by a relatively loud thud, as Zac, in all his maturity, ran inside his favorite speedster’s room and playfully jumped on the bed (and thus, he hopes, jumping on top of JD as well). With his knees firmly placed on each side of the blanket-covered bump and his palms flat near the top of it for support, he began bouncing up and down, giggling with childish delight at such a feat. To add further insult upon the injury, a couple of giggles and bouncing later, Zac began chanting “Wake up DeeDee, wake up DeeDee” over and over again. What a way to start the first morning of spring break, isn’t it?

As it was, ever since Zac discovered JD’s apparent fear of the water (and consequently, his inability to swim), the boy took it upon himself to rid his best friend of such irrational thoughts. And he believes the best way to do that is to coerce the big lug into taking some swimming lessons. Lucky for them both (or at least for Zac anyway), Zac’s a member of the swim team, so he believes he’s perfectly fit to teach JD the ropes. The only problem now lies in actually getting the boy to take a dip.

Zac’s been bugging JD about it ever since the idea popped in his head (which was a night or two after the lake incident), but somehow the speedster’s much more crafty than he though. A project here, a quiz there, always too busy to spare at least an hour in the pool. Zac was actually losing hope until he realized that spring break’s just around the corner.

Thus explaining his presence in the boy’s room so early in the morning. He knew how JD was very much concerned about people finding out about his phobia, so Zac thought early morning was a good way to start. No one would be sane enough to wake up at such a time anyway, not when you can sleep your ass off the whole day. “Come ooon Deee! Wake up! I even brought you your own Speedo, in case you haven’t got one!” he whined as he waved a bright red swimwear above his head. “Why aren’t you getting up? You haven’t been watching porn ‘till 3 in the morning, are you?” he asked as he gave the lump a wary pat.

Please be the real JD and not just a delicate arrangement of pillows under the blanket.

[JD Paerson]

After the unfortunate incident at the lake, JD had taken extra care to not allow Zac to bring up the subject in front of other people. He'd even thought about hiring someone to brainwash the guy, but ultimately thought better of it. Who knew what kind of stuff could go wrong when you messed with someone's brain? Instead he resorted to his usual tactics and hit Zac over the head with a newspaper any time he opened his mouth.

Still, this didn't prevent the kid from trying to cajole JD into a swimming lesson. The speedster was firm in his response, though. "No, I'm not getting in that pool, no, I don't need you to teach me anything, I don't appreciate your concern as I suspect you just want to see me floundering in the water, thank you and have as good a day as can be expected."

As usual, Zac hadn't listened. The past few days, though, it had seemed like he had given up on the topic, as he hadn't asked to give a swimming lesson or joked about pushing JD into the pond. Part of him wanted to believe his friend the kid had actually forgotten or given up on the whole venture. The other part of him was rational enough to know that the billionaire was too stubborn to ever give up something this juicy.

When spring break finally rolled around, JD was incredibly tempted to lay in bed until noon. He'd been working hard to study for the tests just before break and had stayed up two nights in a row writing papers. The fact that he finally had a few days off was incredibly tempting, but he also knew that mornings were the best time in the world for people to launch sneak attacks or set up pranks. So, in spite of the fact that he wanted to sleep in, he set his alarm for 7 o'clock in the morning with plans to get up and go for a run.

It was spring break. No one would get up before 7, not even someone as insane as Zac. Right?

At 6:53, someone launched themselves at the bed and started crying out in a loud and obnoxious voice. JD, still curled beneath his covers, was startled awake. For the first few moments, he didn't know how to react, so he held perfectly still while he assessed the situation. It was early in the morning, before his alarm had gone off, and there was a loud creature bouncing up and down on top of him. Clearly, there was only one thing to do.

He played dead. Rather, he played non-existant. If Zac thought he wasn't there, he'd leave, and go to try to find him somewhere else. He kept completely still under the covers and fervently wished that he had a superpower that would allow him to go through the bed, to turn invisible, to become an inanimate object--anything that would get him out of here.

This charade continued for several minutes, but unfortunately, JD couldn't hide forever. At 7:00, right on schedule, his alarm went off. He stifled a groan. Now Zac would realize that JD was still there, since he obviously wouldn't get up before the alarm. In one swift action, he jerked upward, flinging the blankets back and running his fist into the object in front of him. As he leapt out of bed, he ran directly over to the desk, where his newspaper was sitting. He snatched some jeans up off the floor and quickly yanked them on so he was no longer in just his boxers, then grabbed the newspaper and stood in an attack position.

"No, Zac," he said, trying to stay calm. "I'm not going to go to the pool, and I am most definitely not going to wear the speedo. I am going to go back to bed, and you are going to go to your room and wait until a reasonable hour of the day. And then you will go swimming alone, because I have a homework assignment due." This was a blatant lie--none of the teachers had assigned anything to be due for another three weeks, probably because they knew nobody would be studying over the break.

He was doing very well keeping up his stern face until his pants started slipping--he hadn't had time to button them, let alone put on a belt. It was difficult to maintain a serious demeanor when your pants were falling off, revealing Superman boxers. Eventually he sighed and set the newspaper down, then properly put on his jeans and a t-shirt.

"Really, Zac, I'm fine. I don't need to learn to swim. I've gotten this far without it, haven't I?"

[Zachary LaRousse]

Lucky for JD, Zac never really had any intentions of telling people about his shortcomings. In the first place, he never really knew if the big lug had any tormentors aside from him. JD may be a bit of a smartass and a huge jerk, but he was never around Zac’s level (or at least in his eyes) – the fact that their initial aggression back during their early days in Hammel never turned into anything big or lasted until now was clear proof of that. Zac has a secret love for all things stuffed and furry, and for him, JD’s the cuddliest teddy bear ever (though the boy’s neither stuffed nor hairy). If anything, he’d just use the said information to blackmail tease him from time to time, but never to inflict any serious harm on the guy.

The Asian teen was so intent on what he’s doing (bouncing on top of the lump, that is) that when JD’s alarm suddenly rang, he almost jumped off the once-sleeping boy. His eyes widened as he instinctively clutched on his chest with his left hand, feeling the sudden increase in his heartbeat. “Fuck JD,” he laughed after he felt his heartbeat slowly return to normal, “Are you trying to kill me of heart attack or something?” And yes, he knew JD was there below him. He realized, just a few seconds after he started bouncing wildly on top of the bed, that he can tap into a bloodhound’s sense of smell to check if his friend’s the boy’s below him. One sniff was all it took for him to confirm that indeed, the boy’s below him.

His heart had just gone back down and he was about to start pounding on the boy once more when he felt himself suddenly being flipped. Before he could even blink, the lump below him suddenly vanished, along with the irritating ringing alarm clock. He found himself thrown aside, the blanket messily wrapping around him. He got himself out of the mess just in time to see his beloved speedster across the room, trusty newspaper in hand and speaking in his usual no-nonsense tone. As if that would work.

He doesn’t really know what prompted him to insist himself (and his services) upon the boy. Or at least he hasn’t clarified it with himself yet. While he’s telling himself that it’s just because he wants to help JD get over his fear of water inability to swim, it’s a bit deeper than that really. Through the years that he’s known JD, he’s always been – aside from being the one prankster he can never really outdo – the calm and sensible one. It was his no-nonsense, smartass-because-I’m-always-right-and-on-top-of-things attitude that drew him to the boy in the first place (albeit in a not-so-positive manner). So seeing his friend the speedster shivering like a frightened cat at such a simple thing somehow shook his reality. JD has always been – and in his mind, forever be – the one he can trust to get him out of any trouble he might – and will – get himself in (and give him a good whacking of his trusty newspaper afterwards). And if he can be stopped by something as basic as water, then what now? Inwardly, he hopes to restore the balance to his reality by helping the big lug conquer his fear. Hopefully.

He let out a loud snort when JD’s pants began to fall. “You almost got me there Dee,” he said, laughing out loud as he playfully rolled on top of the boy’s bed. “And seriously, we have most of our classes together, or at least the same teacher. And for those that we don’t have together, I’ve checked. I’m your stalker remember.” He grabbed a pillow and threw it towards the boy as he grabbed a shirt and fastened his jeans. “Seriously dude, no one will see you flail like a loser. Well, no one except me, but I’ve already seen you fail so many times before so it’s nothing new. Also, if you won’t come, well,” he said the last part slowly, smirking as he went, “I’ll be forced to tell Josef about the wild parties you’ve been in lately and I’m sure he’ll spare nothing at telling your parents about it within the weekend.” Not to say that JD’s as wild as he is (or even if he goes along with Zac whenever he lets loose), but hey, he would hit below the belt if he needs to.

He promptly stood up and slung his arms around the boy’s neck as he jumped on his back. “DeeDee, seriously, you’ve got nothing to offer me. And don’t even suggest that thing beneath your boxers because I’ve already seen it and it’s not impressive,” chuckled the boy as he ruffled JD’s hair, “I’m not leaving until you agree to wear this Speedo. We do have all day dude. Just remember that the longer you stall, the higher the chance of people waking up and deciding that a dip in the pool would be the perfect way to start their spring break.”

[/font][/blockquote]

ooc:
I may have GM-ed a bit about the JD-partying part, so for that I am sorry, your Prude-ness. You're free to make that one just part of Zac's teasing if ever. ^_^
Sorry 'bout that Penny. D;.
-apologetic hug and lick-
- Jam

[JD Paerson]

"Would you quit rolling around on my bed?" JD said with a sigh as he picked up a few clothes and threw them into the laundry bin. Cleaning his room was yet another excuse he could try to use here, and he hoped to make himself look busy. "I just changed the sheets last week, and I don't want to have to do laundry again."

He did glance at Zac and raise an eyebrow. "You have been informed that stalking is illegal, right? Also, I'm fairly certain it's bad for your health." He caught the pillow Zac tossed at him and threw it back onto the bed. If it happened to hit the guy, that was just bonus points.

When Josef was mentioned though, JD paused and looked over at Zac.

"Since when are you on speaking terms with my brother? I thought he knew better than to talk to the likes of you." Inwardly, though, he was a little upset. He'd rather not get his family involved with anything, and while he didn't think that Josef would actually go tell their parents about any of the parties that he'd been to, he might start asking why this Asian kid was causing problems. The last thing he needed was for his dad to have anything else to nag about, and being even somewhat tied to a lay-about billionaire was not going to put him in the good books.

He purposely ignored the comment about his manhood and continued to shake his head. He shuffled around the room with Zac still hanging off him like a leech. "I'm not wearing that thing, and I don't need to get in the pool. Really." After ten minutes of cleaning his room, though, there really wasn't much more to do.

JD sighed. "All right, Zac. We'll go to the pool. Let me get my swimming trunks, because I am not putting on the speedo." He dug around in the back of his underwear/socks drawer and pulled out an old pair of swim trunks with the tag still on them. "Present from an aunt," he mumbled. "She apparently had no idea what else to get me and thought Vermont had good beaches."

As they left the room and headed down toward the pool room, JD was struck by the emptiness of the hallways. "I guess most people went home, huh?" he said quietly. Then he glanced at Zac out of the corner of his eye. "Race you to the pool," he said with a grin. Two seconds later and he was off, careening at about half-speed so he wouldn't crash into any walls.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Ever the obedient child, Zac rolled even more when JD told him not to. In fact, he tried his best to mess up the whole bed even further, just to rile JD up some more. Then again, such behavior isn’t so new when it comes to dealing with the self-proclaimed Hammel royalty, so the speedster might not be as irritated as he hopes he’ll be. So sad really. “Quit stalling Dee,” he chuckled, “We both know that you cleaning up isn’t as natural to you as me wearing, well, say a skirt in public. Even though I have the legs for it.” He promptly rolled over to his back and did some exaggerated pedaling with his feet, tilting his head down while sticking his tongue out in an effort to aggravate his friend the boy even further.

His was forced to retract his tongue however, when a pillow flew right through his face. Darn that boy and his aim. “This is the first time I’ve heard of it DeeDee,” said the boy as he made a couple more faces, finally settling with his interpretation of a puppy’s pout, “You wouldn’t send me to jail, will you DeeDee?” Don’t tempt him Zac, just don’t.

“Oh, hasn’t he mentioned anything about me before? We’re pretty tight, like this,” he stated proudly, raising his hand as he made the ‘we’re-close’ gesture with his fingers. That doesn’t surprise him though. After all, he did tell Josef not to tell his big brother that Zac’s been corrupting him they’re in speaking terms. “I met him last year. June or July I think, I forgot. Didn’t see the resemblance at first,” he teased, “Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother anyway? I’m hurt Dee, I really am.” For once, his words did have a string of truth in them. He was mildly irritated that JD would not tell him something like that, but then again, if he had a younger sibling and a friend like himself, he’d probably do the same thing.

It’s really amazing how the speedster can still do with his tasks properly with the Asian teen clinging firmly behind him. That’s probably one of the reasons why Zac continues with such a childish act; seeing JD proceeding as if nothing’s changed apparently amuses him. A mischievous grin spread through his face when finally, JD complied. “I still think you’d look better in Speedos though.” He promptly got down from the poor boy’s back, grabbed his bag on their way out and followed the speedster across the halls.

“I know. I would’ve been in the sunshine-y beaches of Australia right now, but since I loved you so much, I stayed. (Though Dad grounding me because of that incident at the dance may have something to do with it too).” He thought he sensed something in JD’s tone, but he dared not implore. For one thing, he might not be able to digest what he might learn. Or there may be nothing in there at all.

“Hey! Why?! Wait! I-” Zac didn’t even have the chance to complete his thought, as JD was nearly out of his sight the moment those words left him. Darn that kid and his speed. He knows Zac can’t win against him in that aspect (even with his powers) and he just loves rubbing it in. Shaking his head, he promptly tapped into a cheetah and made a dash for it, though he has a strong feeling that JD’s already near the pool, sitting with a smug grin on his face.

“You are such a cheater you know that!”

[JD Paerson]

"Funny, I thought you had worn a skirt in public. Or was that not you in town the other day?" JD remarked half-heartedly. Picking on the guy was habit more than anything else by this point.

"I may be forced to send you to jail, as I suspect you wouldn't follow a restraining order." Not that he had grounds to get a restraining order, nor would he anyway. At least Zac didn't awkwardly shuffle away or find excuses to leave the conversation any time JD came by. Finding a lab partner for Chem had been incredibly difficult this year, and in the end he just kind of got shuffled around with whoever else's partner was absent. At least they always got the right answer, even if the other kid left the room in a huff.

"I didn't tell you about my brother because it never came up. As they say, 'You never asked.' Besides, it's not like it's something I particularly want you to know. I have to deal with you, why should he have to as well? Though if you've known him for that long, he's doing a good job of suffering in silence." It was an interesting note that Josef had never talked about Zac before, at least not that JD could remember, but then there were lots of things he didn't know about his little brother. If he was like JD, he probably didn't want to admit to having any sort of contact with the guy.

JD continued to ignore the comment about Speedos. Sometimes you just had to acknowledge that any response will only get you to stick your foot deep into a place where it did not belong.

He also hadn't been at the dance--stupid activity filled with stupid people who had nothing more important to do with their lives (plus no one had been willing to go with him)--so he couldn't comment exactly on Zac's actions there. He also didn't tend to listen to the rumors that floated around, so while he'd vaguely heard that it had gotten violent and there was punching, he wasn't aware of why this all had happened. Once again, he decided to pass on commenting.

As for his own comment, there was a bit of wistfulness tied into the opinion. JD didn't go home much anymore, since he'd rather not have to deal with his family. His father, in particular. Being at a year-round school was a nice excuse for not having to face his dad's anger. Still, it didn't mean he didn't wish he could do something. It was almost his last year here at Hammel. It would have been nice to be able to go on a trip for spring break, but then you needed friends to do that, and he was a bit short on those. None of this was important enough to mention or comment about to Zac, who probably wouldn't care anyway. Besides, that was girly talk, anyway.

JD relished the few minutes of freedom he had as he raced toward the pool. He'd heard Zac's brief outcry behind him and chuckled quietly to himself, then kicked it up half a notch. He had time to change into his trunks quickly before the other guy walked into the pool room.

"It's not cheating, it's called playing to your strengths. If you had x-ray vision you know you'd be using it on any poor girl who didn't wear lead-lined underwear." He had just walked out of the changing area and now looked at the pool warily.

"So," he said slowly, "we start slow, right? 3-foot section? Or are you going to force me off the high dive right away?" While he was scared about this, there was a part of him--another one of those bits he didn't like to acknowledge--that felt safe, since he knew Zac would never let him drown. Plus, it was high time to get over this mild hydrophobia.

[Zachary LaRousse]

“Hey!” exclaimed Zac in mock offense, “Ask Josef if I ever gave him a hard time. You’d be surprised at how good I am to him. I think I may even be a better big brother than you are to him.” While he definitely enjoys the perks of being an only child, Zac does catch himself thinking from time to time on how his life might be different should his parents opted for another child (or at least had one before him). He was certain that the attention given to him by his father wouldn’t be the same, but would he still be the same self-centered lad, or would he be more sensitive towards the plight of others? Would he still be so self-assured, or would he be insecure of his (theoretical) siblings’ achievements and strengths? He promptly gave his head a scratch in an effort to get his mind off his ‘philosophical’ debate; all the what-ifs and would-bes are already giving him a massive headache. “You mind if I steal Josef from you?” he added just to tease the speedster more.

Zac would’ve been extremely happy about JD’s decision to simply stay mum had he known the emotional baggage attached to what seemed like a rather harmless statement. JD was right, it was girly talk anyway. While he adores the speedster to death (and he’s been pretty much vocal about it over the past few years, though in a rather joking and often teasing manner), he’s not sure if he’s ready to go all touchy-feely with him. He’s never done so with anyone (or at least those within his age) and though JD’s been the closest he’s got to a brother, he probably wouldn’t tell him anything that intimate too until, say, five or so more years, give or take.

Unfortunately for JD, Zac was no mind reader and, well, decided to pry the boy further for an answer. “Why weren’t you in the dance last time anyway? You got rejected by someone you asked or something?” The Asian teen’s eyes became a little shiftier with that question, his grin becoming more playful and teasing. “Who did you ask to the dance anyway? Come on Dee, you can tell me. Was it that Alice girl Eric’s girlfriend Autie is best friends with?” And apparently he thinks nudging JD with his elbow would make the boy want to share his story more.

It took a while for Zac to finally arrive at the gym’s pool, and when he did (panting as he entered the door), a huge frown quickly washed over his face as he saw that JD’s already in his swimming gear. “What? Who told you that you can change without me? I was supposed to be the one changing you Dee,” he protested, throwing his arms around as if he’s having a tantrum. “X-ray vision’s cheap. I’d rather have mind control, empathy or pheromone manipulation. Why settle with being able to see when you have the option of messing with people’s minds and getting laid in the process?” stated the mimic in a matter-of-factly tone, “Sorry Dee, but I’m no peeping Tom like you.” After stealing a playful pat at JD’s bum (which caused a rather loud ‘thwack’ to echo across the gym), he decided that it’s best to get into the changing room and finally get this whole thing started, lest JD get any wise ideas and run off all of a sudden.

Zac walked out of the locker rooms wearing a rather snug yet still conservative (it reaches to his knees) swim jammers. If his plan went well, he would’ve been laughing at JD right now for wearing that atrocious Speedo while he’s perfectly fine in his. He should’ve planned harder really. “I was actually going to go with a couple of leg stretches and all that, but since you’ve decided that a race was in order earlier, I think you’ve warmed up enough. So yeah, I guess it’s time to jump into the pool.” He sent a wink towards JD and dived towards the deeper end of the pool (the one around seven feet or so), rising up a few seconds later. “The water’s fine dude,” he said as he brushed his wary hair away from his face, “Don’t make me come up and push you down Dee.”

-random celebratory dance- Post #500! Hoozah! ^_^
- Jam

[JD Paerson]

"No you can't steal my brother. Go adopt some other kid." Years of having only JD and Josef as they travelled from place to place left the older brother with some residual strands of protectiveness. Plus, Josef was the one person he'd always been able to count on over the years. JD wasn't sure he liked the idea of sharing. "Isn't there some homeless waif you can take in?

JD winced when confronted about the dance. It didn't bring up happy memories. "No, I don't even know who Alice is, how could I ask her to the dance? Unless..." He had vague memories of someone he was in Band with, a blond who had a strange stare. "Does she play an instrument?" But that was evading the question, really. "I didn't ask anyone. I just didn't want to go." He was actually telling the truth, at least partially. The first two times he'd gone to a dance it hadn't ended well, then the next three times he had been turned down by everyone he asked. After that he just stopped asking. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, though. Sounds like I missed one great show." Bringing up Zac's own humiliation would hopefully stop the guy from asking any more embarrassing questions of JD.

In the pool room, JD frowned at Zac's description of powers. "Glad to see you've thought this through. I guess your own mimicry doesn't go over so well with the ladies?"

He put up with the gropes and slaps the only way he knew how--he pretended to be a statue. If you ignored it, it would go away. He'd been telling himself for the past few years. One of these days he'd think of a new technique. He could always just run away every time he saw the Asian boy coming, but that felt too much like giving in. Besides, where were you left if you ran away from the only guy who bothered to talk to you?

"Dude, you wanted me to wear a Speedo, but you are just wearing regular swim gear? One of these days I'm going to start thinking you are serious every time you pull stuff like this, and then where will you be?" That said, JD looked with trepidation at the water. There were more serious things on his mind than Speedos and groping.

"How about we go back to the leg stretches?" he asked nervously as he looked at Zac floating in the water. It wasn't that deep--7 feet still meant he could stand on the bottom and still have his hands in the air--but it was deep enough for the water to go over his head. At the other boy's prompts, the speedster took a few deep breaths, a few steps to the side, and eased himself into the water somewhere between the five-foot and the six-foot marks.

"Sheisse," he hissed. "That's cold!" In truth, the water was not so cold, but the shock of actually being in the water had set off goosebumps. "I'm going to kill you for this, Zac. I'm going to tie your around a pole and attach it to a sled and send you careening down a mountain toward a cliff, then set off an avalanche on top of you, then piss on the snow."

What he was trying to cover up with this sudden burst of anger was a strange realization and the understanding that Zac would get immense satisfaction from this new turn of events.

JD was actually almost enjoying himself.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Stubborn as always, Zac simply gave JD a defiant pout. Sure he had other ‘wards’ under his ‘care’ (Eric and Levi, to name a few), but Josef has always been special, even before he knew the boy’s connection with his favorite speedster. His tales have always been fascinating to the mimic, and though he found out the truth later on, he still doesn’t blame the kid. “When you can spin lies that creatively and with such realism, dang, you have skill!” he was caught saying once. What he’d do to be able to bluff that effectively really. All on all, Josef’s relationship with JD was just an icing on the cake really. “Dude, it’s hard to find a kid that could tell me all the nasty secrets you hide. You do know that he’s the one who ruined your ‘all-perfect-and-good’ image on me, right?” he said as he grinned rather widely, “Like the time when he walked into you and he saw you–Ooops. Did I say anything? I forgot I promised the boy I wouldn’t tell you.” Not that Josef sells his brother on a regular basis though. If anything, it takes considerable effort in Zac’s part to coerce the kid to tell him anything about his big brother, much less give him dirt about Zac’s human teddy bear.

“Oooh. So you do know her!” Zac beamed, mischievousness evident in his eyes, “I heard she’s got some strange fascination for you. What she sees in you, I really don’t know.” Zac could actually name more than ten good qualities of the boy without even blinking, but he doesn’t want to risk JD thinking that he actually idolizes the guy to some extent. “I could set you two up you know. Just say the word.” And yes, he’s not above pimping his buddy JD out if he’s sure it’ll give him a few laughs in return.

Unfortunately for JD, Zac’s rather proud of what he did, scandalous as it is. In his eyes, it sent a message to the student body – don’t steal from him. It was rather obscure, yes, and it did cost him half of his weekly allowance among other things, but it’s worth it. He thinks. “You did. Though if you want, I can do an encore and give you a shiner too. Like this.” He threw a punch towards JD’s face, though it stopped a few millimeters from the boy’s face and changed into a pinch to his nose instead. “Gotcha.”

Sorry to tell you JD, but something tells me that nothing you might do could discourage the self-absorbed boy from inappropriately touching you every now and then. Zac says that it’s his way of showing JD that the boy’s special in his eyes. Though he gropes most everyone frequently, he makes it a point to give the JD some extra so he won’t be jealous. Or so he says. “Dude, I don’t get you. Not one bit. Just go into the water will you?”

And finally the boy got down into the pool. At least it didn’t take more than an hour of convincing on his part. He promptly swam towards where the JD is and laughed at his random rambling. “And they call me kinky,” he chuckled as he dragged the boy towards the deeper end of the pool. Not too deep that his feet can’t touch the tiles anymore, but just enough so that he (and JD) won’t need to bend themselves too much to get their heads submerged. “Now let’s start with ‘bubbles’. Helps you relax and be at ease in the water. Just inhale with your mouth, submerge yourself then slowly blow the air out with your nose.” He grabbed hold on the bars on the pool’s side and showed JD how to do it. “Keep your back straight. Bend your knees and all that. And if you don’t submerge yourself enough, I’ll push you down myself.”

ooc:
Sorry it was late Penny. >.<
- Jam

[JD Paerson]

JD glared at Zac for a moment when he made a big deal about almost spilling a big secret, then thought. "I don't believe you," he said. "Josef wouldn't tell you anything that bad about me. And if he did, what do you want to bet he was pulling your leg? Don't trust everything you hear." Even JD had problems discerning when his younger brother was lying and when he was telling the truth sometimes, and that was after a good ten years of living in the same house.

"No, Zac, don't set me up. With anyone. Ever. Please. And for your information, I don't know why she'd like me, either. I wasn't really aware that she liked anyone, she always just seemed a bit...out there, to me." He shrugged. "If I wanted to date someone, I'd rather be with someone who actually knew my name and that I wasn't green, or whatever her head does." And hopefully there wouldn't be any awkward meetings in the hallway that the billionaire had managed to choreograph. Because that would be weird. And would require some sort of payback, which JD wasn't sure he wanted to take the time to organize.

He did flinch back when Zac threw the punch, though he was ready to catch the hand should it actually land. Then there would be real damage done. As it was, he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "You stink," he said. "You been tapping into skunk or something?" Then he reached out and punched the guy on the shoulder before walking on.

When they were in the water and JD had been successfully hauled to a deeper level of the pool, he stood shivering in the water. "Bubbles?" he murmured, raising an eyebrow. "Since when are bubbles comforting?" Still, he figured he'd better try.

He grabbed onto the bars, bent his knees, and the water came up to his chin. Taking a deep breath, he submerged enough for his nose to just go under, then squeezed his eyes shut and dunked his whole head. He didn't want to risk Zac jumping on his shoulders to shove him under. He blew out for his nose until he was out of air, then stayed under water. He counted to ten, then twenty, as he held his breath while keeping himself under. Finally, he launched toward the surface.

He wiped the dripping hair back from his face. "How long am I supposed to stay under?" he asked after taking in a few deep breaths of air. "Or are you just planning to let me stay down there and drown? Besides, I don't see what bubbles are actually doing to help me. I know how to breathe."

[Zachary LaRousse]

So he kinda saw that happening. For a moment there he thought he got JD, but then again, anything that Josef dishes out is questionable at best. He simply stuck his tongue out at JD, unwilling to admit (at least out loud) that his bluff has been found out and he’s got nothing to snap back with in return.

His grin came back though when he heard JD begging him not to have bright ideas about setting the boy up with most anyone. Though he should’ve known that the more he begs Zac not to do something, the more he’s driven to do so. And the fact that it’s coming from JD’s mouth just made the boy’s determination to drag those two together even stronger. “Don’t worry Dee, I won’t,” his voice ringing with reassurance in an effort to hide his scheming mind. Hammel has its fair share of oddballs, but even then, Zac thinks that the Alice girl (no offense to her) still sticks out from the said group. “But don’t you think that that’s a rather tall order?” he teased when he heard JD ramble about his ‘dating qualifications’, “I mean, knowing your name is hard enough, but seeing that you’re not green? That’s tough.” He even added a slight nod just to show his concern. “As I see it, I’m the only one qualified. And no way am I falling for you. Tsk tsk. You don’t want to grow old alone, don’t you Dee?”

“Oww! Calm down big guy,” protested the boy as he acted like the punch hurt a lot. It did sting a bit, but years of enduring the harder, firmer and a whole lot stronger newspaper roll thwack has made him a bit more tolerating to pain. He should probably thank JD for that. “And don’t blame me if the mouth’s just tad too close to the nose.” Morning breath for the win?

When JD began doing the exercises he told him, he couldn’t help but laugh rather loudly. As it seems, he forgot to tell the big lug when to rise up. After the stream of bubbles stopped, he debated whether he should tap the boy to tell him it’s ok to get up now or not. In the end, he told himself it’s no biggie; JD isn’t panicking as he was during the lake anyway, he’d still have the common sense to get out of the water if he can’t take it anymore.

Thank goodness his theory way right. He would’ve killed himself if anything bad happened to the boy. “It seems I forgot to tell you the part where you slowly rise up as you release the air from your nose,” he said sheepishly, smug grin plastered on his face. “I was planning on letting you repeat that one properly now, but since you’re so grouchy and grumpy, fine, we’ll move on to flutter kicks now.”

The boy promptly turned towards the side, grabbed the bars and took a more streamlined position as he floated on the surface of the water. After a while he started moving his legs up and down, the gym slowly being filled with splashing sounds. He continued his demonstration for a while before finally standing upright again and looking back at JD. “Think you can do that now? Just relax and you’d float up. Or do you need me to hold you up like this?” He stretched his arms out, palms out and all, and made pinching gestures with his arms, telling JD he’d be up to no good should JD insist he help.

[JD Paerson]

"Don't worry, I won't.

Yeah right, JD thought, considering Zac's reassuring tone. He made a mental note to avoid contact with all girls until further notice.

"Yes, I know, it's so impossible for people to remember the two letters. I get all sorts of people calling me BZ, or FH, and I just don't know how to cope with it anymore. But you're no help. You don't think I'm green, but you see me as some sort of tree or scratching post which is only here for your entertainment, and that's really no better. I guess I am doomed to grow old alone, but there is a small consolation in that." He grinned as he looked at Zac. "If I'm going to grow old alone, then you, sir, are doomed."

He did make a point of surreptitiously checking his breath when the other guy wasn't around. It was fine, or at least nothing too bad. Though maybe he should've taken time to gargle. Oh well, too late now.

"You did conveniently forget to mention the whole 'coming out of the water' bit," he growled as he stood in the pool. "Try to avoid doing that again."

When he watched Zac easily start floating and kicking, he looked with dismay. "Just relax," he told himself. "Just relax." Then he looked sharply at Zac. "No, I don't need your help. Paws off, Beast Boy." He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, then tried to let his legs rise up.

Once his feet were off solid ground, he panicked and grabbed onto the side bar of the pool. "No, no, no," he said, over and over, though he couldn't say for sure what he was denying. When he suspected Zac was coming over to help, he forced himself to try again. Legs up, head up, and everything else should follow. Right?

He felt himself falling into the water and frantically tried to pull himself up again, but he only managed to drag himself under. His head went under and he spluttered to the surface again. Unfortunately, he had been pulled a little further into the deep end, and his feet couldn't find solid support. As his feet kicked under him and his arms splashed frantically in the water, he began to panic. His head went under a few more times before his hand managed to catch on to something and he could pull himself up again.

[Zachary LaRousse]

Had Zac known that his still-in-the-works prank is making JD all the more reclusive, he would’ve felt bad. In his eyes, the boy’s actually more likeable than him – cuddlier and more huggable at that – once you get past his smartass and often standoffish exterior that is. Why else would he have stuck with the boy in the first place anyway?

But as it was, such thoughts escaped him, and instead his attention was captured by the speedster’s random ramblings. “Hey! I am offended JD. If that is how you think I see you, then we should stop being, err, constant pain-in-the-asses,” he said, trying to sound all melodramatic. He even added a few exaggerated hand gestures to enhance the effect. Though labeling their partnership was rather hard in his opinion. “I don’t see you as my own private tree or my scratching pole. If I wanted one, I could’ve asked cute little Eric to give me his wood or something.” That didn’t sound right, but then again, when does anything that comes out of his mouth do? “You are my beloved teddy bear. The one I can cuddle and hug and smother with all my love whenever I want to. And grope whenever I feel bad about myself.” He promptly wrapped his arms around JD’s chest and rubbed his nose on his back like a kid does to his toy. Though I seriously think his logic isn’t helping JD feel better about himself. Not one bit.

He did get confused about JD’s last statement though. “Doomed? What do you mean ‘doomed’?” Did JD know something about Zac that he didn’t?

Like a little kid, he pouted like crazy at JD’s accusation. “I didn’t intend on forgetting that part,” he muttered, trying his best to imitate Moe’s bambi eyes; though he knows no matter how ‘cute’ he can get his face to turn, it wouldn’t affect JD one bit. Darn familiarity really. “PMS-ing are we?”

And just when he thought JD’s mood swing is already done, he got shot down with a rather sharp stare. “Fine Clark Kent. Suit yourself,” he grumbled, crossing his arms and frowning like crazy. He was just trying to make it fun and less stressful, no need to get all worked up over it, right?

A bit irritated on how JD was acting, he didn’t even bother reminding the boy that he should hold on to the railings (they were just practicing flutter kicks after all, not real strokes yet). Deciding it won’t do him any good if he still stood there watching (JD doesn’t want his help after all), he swam across the width of the pool for a bit, easily finishing three laps when he finally realized that JD wasn’t by his side anymore.

At first he wasn’t too worried about it, but when he heard the rapid splashing near the deep end of the pool, his eyes suddenly bulged out. “Fuck,” he muttered as he swam as fast as he can, grabbing the boy and swimming back to the shallower parts as quick as he can. Which is no easy feat really, considering the boy’s bigger than him and is flailing like crazy. “Don’t need my help anymore, ain’t that right CK?” he said with a bit smirk on his face.

ooc:
A bit sucky. I am sorry. D;.
- Jam

[JD Paerson]

"I'm your teddy bear?" JD was aghast. "Really? I couldn't even be something inanimate, I had to be something plush and inanimate. You sure know how to make a guy feel loved, you know that?" He frowned. "Why don't you just go get yourself a girlfriend or something?"

He managed to laugh at Zac's offended expression. "Yeah, dude, doomed. It's that whole last-man-in-the-world thing. So long as I'm around, who in their right mind would pick you? And if no one's picking me, well, there goes your chances flying out the window."

Admittedly, JD was mostly feeling nervous in the pool, which accounted for some of his harsh commentary to the mimic. But honestly, could he be expected to accept an invitation like that? He might need help with this whole thing, but that didn't mean he had to submit himself to the teasing that went with it. He did frown a bit about the "Clark Kent" comment. If there was anything he wasn't, it was the boy scout Superman, but it was a little late to respond to that now.

When JD regained his footing after his previous scare, he glanced up at Zac. The guy was smirking, but the speedster thought he might actually be scared, despite that.

He took a few minutes to stop gasping and let his heart slow, then looked at Zac. "Thanks," he said. He thought for a moment more. "CK? Does that mean it's okay if I start calling you BB?" Secretly, his mind was trying to come up with ways to douse his friend--yeah, he supposed he had to give Zac that title after he had saved him both in the lake and in the pool--with green paint so he could make him more officially like Beast Boy.

"All right," he said, going over to the edge of the pool. "Floating. And kicks. I think I can do that. But seriously, how is it so easy for you? I keep trying to float on the water, but it never works." He laid back in the water again, putting his head and his feet up and trying to straighten out, but once again his low belly sucked him under. "Are you sure you aren't tapping into some kind of animal power to swim without knowing it, and that's why it's so easy for you?"

[Zachary LaRousse]

Zac merely laughed out loud at JD’s reaction. Truly it was priceless. Now he regrets not telling JD about his teddy bear image sooner. And not bringing a camera at that. “Hey, teddy bears are awesome you know. They don’t have those pesky ears like stuffed rabbits, or that annoying trunk like elephants. And they’re pretty much universal,” he said, sounding pretty much like a stuffed animal connoisseur. Careful Zac, you just might reveal to JD that secret stuffed animal stash you’re hiding in your room. Heaven knows how the boy might use that against you.

He did sigh a little when JD mentioned something about getting a girlfriend. “Meh. Girls suck,” he mumbled, “Ever since Twilight came to be, they all want to have this perfect sparkly vampire boyfriend. It’s sickening.” Not really his point, but then again he doesn’t know how to tell JD his recent love woes. While things aren’t really looking all that bleak with L.C. as it is with Ann before, he still can’t help but feel like he’s missing something. How come he can easily get those he doesn’t want, but can’t nab those he does? “Can’t I just woo you instead?” he added, trying to remove the glum that has suddenly washed over him.

Thank goodness JD knew how to turn the conversation around really. “Oh dude, you are so not going there,” he smirked as he heard the whole last-man-on-earth thing, “You really want a show of cards now dude? Though I’d totally discourage you on that. I don’t want to see you so crushed and destroyed you know.”


It’s a good thing JD was tall, as Zac didn’t know how far more he could actually haul the flailing boy without using his powers. Yes, he’s trying so much not to tap into his powers right now, just so he can totally tell the boy that one doesn’t need powers to learn how to swim. “If only I can wear that dorky yet sexy red-and-green leotard costume thing.” Forgive Zac, it’s been long since he brushed up on anything remotely DC-based. Or comic-based, for that matter.

“Dude, relax. You’ve got so much going on here –” pointing towards his forehead “–that’s why. You won’t drown, not when I’m around.” If you ask me, Zac is actually enjoying this whole savior-thing he’s got going with JD. It apparently makes him feel like he’s really worth something, not just an annoying clinging pest on the speedster’s shoulder. “Here, let me help.” Once again he extended his arms out and bent his knees a bit so that his arms are submerged. “No groping this time, I promise. Just relax and do it as you will. You’ll be surprised that you’re doing it on your own in a bit.”