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Zack Wesley ([info]onlywesley) wrote in [info]salemacademy,
@ 2009-06-08 03:50:00


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Entry tags:!complete, zachary wesley

Characters: Zack & Jace
Setting: Monday night out on the Quodpot field
Content: Mostly Safe for work
Summary: Quodpot practice and chatting

Jace had offered to help him practice for the Quodpot tryouts the next day, and Zack was grateful for that. He wasn't the best Quodpot player, and he was one of the few who didn't actually care about competition, but when it came down to it, Zack loved to fly and he had a passion for Quodpot. He was going to give it his all on the tryout. If he didn't make captain, then... oh well. Not that big of a loss. Not for Zack anyways.

They'd been practicing for nearly an hour, and feeling tired, Zack signaled a time-out to Jace and flew down onto the ground. "Man," he said with a laugh as Jace landed as well. "I hope I'm ready for tomorrow." Charlotte's words still rang in his mind.


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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-08 12:59 pm UTC (link)
Jace slid off his broom in a graceful landing. He was tired, but somehow happy. It was difficult to be upset around Zack, really. No matter that Jace had a good reason to. He and Harper still weren't really talking yet. He cringed inwardly at the thought.

Practicing with Zack was the perfect thing to get his mind off what was bothering him.

Smiling at Zack's obvious exhaustion (no matter that Jace was exhausted too), he taunted his friend, "You're out of shape, pal." Not really. Zack was nearly as fast as Jace on the broom, and Zack had a talent for it too. He could execute the maneuvres that Jace demonstrated only once with minimal cock-ups. That was a brilliant feat in itself.

He patted Zack on the back. "Good thing you have me to fix you up alright," Jace said in a smug tone. He led them both to a clear space near the edge of the field to catch their breath.

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-08 01:17 pm UTC (link)
Zack shot Jace a Look. "Oh Jace," he exclaimed dramatically. "I'm so tired I feel ready to faint. It's a good thing I've got a big, strong man around to help me."

As they got to the clear space, Zack laid himself down on the ground and stretched. This was nice, this time spent with Jace. "Oh yeah," he said, as a thought occurred to him. "How was going to that bar with River?" He raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look at Jace. That was just about the most surprising outing ever.

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-08 01:24 pm UTC (link)
Jace laughed at Zack's antics. "Do you say that to all the guys around you?" Jace asked. "Well, do you? Because I can see why River would start propositioning you if you talk like that to him." Jace was past the point of being upset at River. The older boy was decent, really.

And of course, Zack had to talk about the outing to the pub. "Um," Jace said with a slight frown. "Actually, I don't remember that much of it. I remember getting really drunk. And there was some guy who groped my ass. And I remember whining to River about how my life sucked. That's pretty much all of it." Jace had had a bit too much to drink the night before. And he'd neglected to mention the reason why to Zack.

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-08 01:29 pm UTC (link)
"Only to the ones with large egos and nothing to actually back them up," Zack shot back with a grin. "You know, so you don't have to wake up one day and suddenly realize that you're not as wonderful as you think you are. 'Cause then you'd just come whining to me, and that'd be annoying."

When Jace described his outing with River, Zack had to raise an eyebrow. He didn't personally drink at all, but he figured that if you drank enough to actually not remember most of the night, it must've been a lot. "And why does your life suck?"

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-08 01:35 pm UTC (link)
"Excuse me?" Jace said in an indignant tone as he cuffed Zack on the back of his head. "I'll have you know I am fabulous in bed. Not that you're ever going to get a chance to find that out." Jace fought the childish urge to stick his tongue out at Zack. And failed. He totally did just that. God, what was it about Zack that reduced him to a five-year-old?

Trust Zack to pick up those things that Jace really wanted to avoid. This was why it sometimes really sucked to have a best friend who knew you that well. Couldn't really hide anything from them. "Harper," Jace said in a tiny voice. There was no point stalling when Zack asked him a point-blank question like that. And Jace was incapable of lying. "She's mad at me," he said morosely.

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-08 01:48 pm UTC (link)
"Already?" The question slipped out before Zack could help it, and as soon as it did, he felt bad. He sat up and crossed his legs in front of him. "What the hell did you do?" Okay, so that didn't particularly help matters.

He sighed. Jace did really look upset at this, but still. What the hell could he have done to have made Harper - of all people - mad at him already?

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-08 01:51 pm UTC (link)
Jace cringed at Zack's tone. He was looking distinctly sour now. Why was it such a big deal? And why did his best friend automatically assume it was his fault?

Fighting the urge to pout and sulk, Jace settled for crossing his arms instead. "I told River not to corrupt her," he said in a deadpan.

"In my defense, he was telling her to watch porn!" Jace returned hotly. "How can any boyfriend just sit by and let another guy tell his girlfriend to watch porn?!"

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-08 02:21 pm UTC (link)
Zack sent Jace a glare at the mention of 'corruption'. "Yeah, you should stop telling River to corrupt people..." but that wasn't really helpful either. His expression softened and he gave Jace a pat on the back. "Um, I think it'll be fine. I'm not mad at you - for the most part - anymore, and River ended up hitting on me..." He didn't actually mean to bring that up, it just kind of happened.

"And really, is it all that bad to watch porn?"

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-08 02:28 pm UTC (link)
Jace hung his head at the mention of his trying to pre-empt River and failing somewhat spectacularly. "Thank Merlin for small favours," Jace replied blandly. Why did it seem like the world was ending when Harper was upset at him? "And I'm sorry," he told Zack. "About River, I mean. But you were TOTALLY ENCOURAGING HIM." Jace shot Zack a meaningful look at that. The boy's comments on River's journal really weren't all that innocent. It took two hands to clap.

Coming from Zack? Jace startled a little and thought about it. "Well, obviously for guys, but..." Jace looked up at Zack. "Do you watch porn?"

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-08 02:35 pm UTC (link)
"I wasn't encouraging him!" Zack paused, and then gave Jace a look of horror. "Ohmigod! I WAS ENCOURAGING HIM!" It hadn't actually occurred to Zack that he was while he was doing it. Mainly because flirting came as a defense mechanism sometimes. It was just something Zack tended to do when he was nervous. And River had made him pretty nervous...

Jace looked surprised at Zack's remark towards porn. Zack stared at Jace for a moment, realizing that he'd somehow managed to dig himself a large hole. "Uhh..." He didn't really want to answer the question, but there really wasn't much turning back now. "I mean, I did once. But it wasn't that interesting... so I haven't since..." He neglected to mention that he'd watched porn with someone and that was the only reason he'd been watching it in the first place. He didn't really see anything wrong in watching it, it just didn't interest him. Then again, Zack didn't particularly have a sex drive either.

And that was the topic he'd been mulling over for the past few days. Zack turned slightly pink at the thought, and turned his head the other way, pretending to look off into the Quodpot field at something. "Still, I don't get the double standard. Why can guys watch porn and girls can't?"

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-08 02:46 pm UTC (link)
Jace's eyes widened as his friend started a full out panic mode. He recognised the signs. He placed a firm hand on Zack's shoulder, still a bit startled at the sudden change. "Dude, breathe. Relax," Jace ordered. "Yeah, you were. But you're brainless like that. River should know better. Anyway, I talked to him," Jace said matter-of-factly.

That was exactly the point. "You see? Girls don't like watching porn! And they shouldn't have to," Jace said with a hint of smugness. And then he realised he'd just told Zack in his face that he was like a girl. Uh-oh. "I mean, you're you, so you don't really count," Jace said lamely. "You're like, asexual or something."

Jace bit his lip as he thought for a moment. "Guys have a higher sex drive?" he tried. "I mean, honestly, how many girls do you know watch porn?"

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-08 02:55 pm UTC (link)
Jace talked to River? Zack shuddered a little to think about what exactly that conversation was like. Even still, Jace's words calmed Zack down a bit.

Despite him trying to hide his blush, Zack's head snapped back to look at Jace at the 'girls don't watch porn' comment. Jace was already trying to patch that up, but Zack sent Jace a joking glare anyways. He didn't really mind being called a girl. Not by Jace anyways... maybe. There was nothing wrong with being girly, right? "I'm not asexual! I do like boys." He liked Bai, didn't he?

"And it's not like I go up to girls and ask them whether or not they watch porn... maybe guys are just more vocal about it." He blinked, and stared at Jace. "I mean, would it really be that bad if she had a higher sex drive?" Wait... he didn't really want to ask that. Zack tried to reconcile that comment but couldn't find a way to. "Did she even say she was going to watch porn or did she just tell you that River told her to watch porn?"

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-08 03:03 pm UTC (link)
Jace took the glare in stride, returning a shit-eating grin of his own to Zack. Which usually resulted in an exasperated eyeroll.

At Zack's 'I do like boys', Jace raised an eyebrow. "Sure you do, you're Bai-sexual. And that's like..." Jace sighed. He didn't want to get into another argument with Zack about Bai again. "He practically seduced you into all of it." Well, it wasn't hard to, considering what a pretty face the boy had. But still... Jace hated that Bai just up and left like that.

Jace considered Zack's point. And he had to admit it was valid. "Okay, so maybe there are girls who do watch porn. But I'm betting a whole lot less than guys who do," Jace returned. Although the next bit about Harper having a higher sex drive did cause Jace to perk up. But then he thought of another point that made him frown. "But if she does feel like she wants sex, I want it to be because of me, not some stud on a screen." Jace sighed at the last question. "River told her that I told him to not corrupt my girlfriend."

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-08 03:14 pm UTC (link)
At Jace's comment of him being Bai-sexual, Zack cringed slightly. He was about to argue back that Bai hadn't seduced him. Well, okay, maybe he had just a bit, but not the type of seduction that Jace was bitching about anyways. But he let the comment slide, thinking that if he got into an argument with Jace about it, he'd have to eventually have to talk to Jace about his encounter with Bai and the thoughts that had been going through his mind. And while Zack knew it was going to happen eventually, he wanted to avoid that conversation for as long as possible.

So instead, he focused on the topic of girls and porn. Not that that was any better. "Maybe you should just stop telling people to stop corrupting people you know?" he suggested. "And I don't particularly see Harper as the type who'd have sex with you because of some stud on a screen. And it's not even like people can do that. I mean when I-" Wait, no. Steering clear of that one. "You know how blunt River can be sometimes."

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 12:08 am UTC (link)
Jace turned to fix Zack with one of his cool stares, the sort designed to make Zack squirm. Because Jace had the distinct feeling that he was missing something here. "When you what?" he asked, aiming for a casual tone.

Jace sighed. Yes, he did know that River could be blunt. But that was precisely why he couldn't blame the guy. "She's mad at me now, so what I should have done is a moot point," Jace said sulkily.

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-09 04:36 am UTC (link)
The stare worked; Zack was squirming. "What?" He asked, feigning innocence badly.

Zack sighed. Really, how did Jace manage to get himself into a relationship in the first place? "Tell her you're sorry and that you're a big ass and you're not going to keep telling people to corrupt her." He paused. "And don't mention the porn." He gave Jace a serious look. "It'll only make things worse."

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 05:04 am UTC (link)
Jace knew that guilty look. He didn't let up with the stare. "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Jace asked bluntly.

What Zack said made sense. It really did. Jace sighed, shoulders drooping. "I messed up, didn't I?" he asked rheotorically. "I guess I will," he said. "Talk to her, I mean." Jace missed talking to Harper already.

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-09 05:11 am UTC (link)
"I'm not hiding anything!" His response came out in squeaks that made Zack turn a little pink. Well, shit... he could never hide anything from Jace.

"And yes, you did mess things up. But don't worry, not horribly. I'm surprised it took you this long to do it too." Zack couldn't help but take a jab at Jace. He knew Jace would be good natured enough to take it as a joke. Mostly, anyways.

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 05:15 am UTC (link)
Jace raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to Zack, squinting at him. "This is me, Wes. Your best friend Jace, remember? You're pants at lying to me," Jace said in a low voice.

Jace knew Zack was kidding. The both of them were always horsing around. And the best thing was that they were both comfortable in the knowledge that they never really meant any of the insults. They were just jokes. "I think I might be crazy," Jace said softly. He really, really liked Harper. He'd never felt like this before.

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-09 05:24 am UTC (link)
Zack grinned at his friend. He was happy to hear Jace say he thought he was crazy. It was cute, in a weird and morbid sort of way. "I love how you always sound so angsty when you talk about how much you like her," he said.

He winced a little afterwards, however, knowing full well that he couldn't avoid the topic of Bai with Jace any longer. "Weeelll..." he started. "I've just, you know... been thinking." Zack took a deep breath and let his next sentence out all at once. "Iwaswonderingifcasualsexwasreallythatbad..."

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 05:28 am UTC (link)
Jace looked at Zack like he was crazy. "Hace I also mentioned recently that you're cazy?" Jace said with a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

It took a long while for what Zack said to settle in. And once it did, Jace was instantly alert. "You didn't," he said in a low voice. "Tell me you didn't sleep with Bai! Again!" Jace didn't get why his friend kept pushing himself to get hurt.

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-09 05:31 am UTC (link)
"Well I-" Yeah, there was a reason why Zack didn't want to tell Jace. "N-no... not exactly." He hadn't slept with Bai, but he'd gotten a rush of emotions similar to if he had slept with Bai. And he was... almost tempted to take Bai up on his offer. Zack wasn't sure why though.

"And you're the one who keeps telling me I need to go out and get laid or something."

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 05:42 am UTC (link)
Jace frowned. "Zack," Jace said seriously. "I want you to hang out with other guys." He placed both hands on each side of Zack's shoulders and forced the boy to look at him. "Sleeping with them is besides the point. You could, if you wanted to. But Bai? You really like him. And don't even TRY telling me you don't." Jace warned, looking severe. "I'm worried about you getting hurt again. Because I don't think Bai's ready to settle down with you. Or for you."

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-09 05:59 am UTC (link)
That was what Bai had said. "I didn't say I wanted to settle down with him..." Zack was aware that he was whining a bit now. But it was an awkward topic, and it was taking him a lot of effort to spit out what he had to say.

"It's just so... nice being around him." Zack found a spot on his shoes to focus on so he wouldn't have to look at Jace. "You know? Back then. It was kind of like being around you, but... with... stuff." Well, not really like being around Jace. Zack loved Jace, and he really liked Bai. But it was as close as anyone else was going to get to being like Jace to him, and Zack didn't really know how to describe it any other way.

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 06:04 am UTC (link)
Jace didn't know how to put his reservations across to Zack. How could he? Zack wasn't like the rest of them. Zack felt way more than he'd known any other person was capable of.

"You don't have to say it," Jace said. "You just feel it. And what will you do if he sleeps with you and then up and left a second time? I had to put you back the first time he did that. I don't fancy doing it a second time." Jace knew Zack was upset, more so than he'd even let on to Jace. And that was why Jace was so adamant that Zack never go near Bai again. Zack would be holding his heart out on a platter to Bai. And Bai just didn't have the decency not to abuse it.

"And dude, did you just compare me to that asian sod?" he asked Zack. "Really?" Jace frowned again. "You're not telling me that the reason you're with him is because he reminds you of me?"

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-09 06:14 am UTC (link)
"No... if I were to be with someone because they reminded me of you, I think I'd choose River and not Bai." Zack gave Jace a blank stare.

He really didn't get it. He liked Bai, yes. But, would having sex with someone else he liked feel the same way? What about having sex with someone he didn't know? Zack wasn't sure. And he wasn't quite sure he wanted to test that out. The only reason he'd had sex with Bai in the first place, however, was because the other boy wanted to experiment and Zack had agreed. So... it wasn't like there was some sort of great lust between them.

He blinked, and glanced at Jace. "Would..." no, that was a really awkward question. He wasn't going to- "would you have sex with me?" oh, he just did. Zack didn't actually want to have sex with Jace, he was just wondering.

He wanted to know what it was about people like Jace, River, and Bai who could have - or think about having - unconditional, casual sex - or even just physical contact - without it being such a big deal.

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 06:23 am UTC (link)
That actually kind of stung. A bit. Jace put a hand to his heart, and pretended to look hurt. "Ouch," he said, in a light joking tone, of course.

The next question stopped Jace short. He had to backtrack and stare at Zack for a good few minutes to wait for that to sink in. "...you're not serious, are you?" he asked haltingly.

Jace forced himself to think about it. "You are," Jace breathed. "You're..." God, Jace tried to calm himself down. Breathe. "Zack? Tell me something first. Would you... go all weird on me if we did?" Because Jace wouldn't be able to stand it if he lost Zack because of stupid experimentation.

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-09 06:29 am UTC (link)
Wait. That wasn't the response Zack had expected. He cocked his head to one side, staring at Jace, and thinking. He'd always thought sex with Jace would've been just a bit strange, but sex with anyone was weird to Zack. He had to admit, however, that Jace was the one person he felt 100% comfortable flirting with. And that was saying something, because Zack had a tendency of flirting with pretty much everyone.

"Um... yes?" He raised an eyebrow. "But only because you have a girlfriend?"

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 06:41 am UTC (link)
Jace blinked. Again. God, was he still having that hangover? He thought he'd drunk the correct does of hangover potions. But now he wasn't even making sense. Still, Jace wasn't exactly convinced that Zack wouldn't get weird on him. Even if he didn't have a girlfriend.

A girlfriend who was still mad at him. Jace sighed inwardly.

"If you were really asking me, I'd say yes. I'd have sex with you." Jace wondered how on earth he'd actually managed to say that. "But somehow I'm not convinced that you'd be able to separate feelings from sex. Even between the both of us." Jace thought about it, biting his lip. "I'm not even sure I could." Jace looked up and said, softer still, "You're my best friend, Zack. And I don't think it's a good idea to screw that up because we want to experiment."

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-09 06:51 am UTC (link)
"Is sex supposed to be emotionless then?" Zack asked, completely unfazed by Jace's response. Had he done something wrong then, when having sex with Bai?

"Not that I was saying we should do it," it had come late, but the reassuring was coming nonetheless. "I was just curious. I mean, you're the closest person to me. And-" he was babbling now, trying to make sure Jace was okay, and trying to right anything he might have knocked out of whack with his questions. "I love you. I really do."

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 07:00 am UTC (link)
How could he explain this to Zack? It just wasn't possible. "No, it's not, not all sex at least," he told Zack. "If you find someone whom you're comfortable with, and whom you trust not to hurt you, well, of course it's understandable that you'll have feelings mixed with the sex. Cliched as it sounds, it's called lovemaking for a reason," Jace said, scrunching his nose up at the thought. He'd always hated that word.

"But Bai doesn't do relationships, Zack," Jace tried to put it gently to his friend. "You tried that before with him, remember? It didn't work out." Jace really didn't want Zack to get hurt again.

Whoa. The 'L' word. Jace knew Zack didn't expect to hear it back, but he never got why others could use that word so easily. Jace settled for slinging an arm around Zack's neck instead. "I know, Mikey, I know," Jace said softly. "We're still cool, okay?" Jace knew better than to take Zack seriously. The poor boy was just confused.

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[info]onlywesley
2009-06-09 07:09 am UTC (link)
What Jace said made sense. It explained a lot, and answered a lot. It also gave Zack more to think about, but this time not in a bad way.

When Jace put his arm around Zack's neck, he raised an eyebrow. He'd never actually used the 'L' word before, and he really did mean it when he'd said that he loved Jace. It figured, though, that Jace would be one to get uncomfortable when the word was used. Zack didn't throw that word around carelessly, but he wasn't afraid to use it. He couldn't help but grin at Jace. "You're a moron, you know that?"

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[info]burnthenight
2009-06-09 07:14 am UTC (link)
"Yeah, yeah," Jace returned, catching Zack's head in a tight grip in his arm, horsing around with his best friend. It was times like this that Jace was really glad he had Zack around. The one person he could rely on forever. Who would be there with him regardless of how badly he screwed up.

"I'm a moron, but I'm your moron," Jace said playfully.

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