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Tarim Vasquez (halfpinthero) wrote in avalonis,
@ 2010-07-18 20:00:00

Entry tags:

marco vasquez, tarim vasquez

Lazy Sunday
Who: Marco and Tarim Vasquez
When: Sunday Evening
Where: The Vasquez apartment, South-East Quarter
What: Brothers bonding over video games
Rating: PG for safety, will update if content changes unexpectedly
Status: In Progress

The Vasquez brothers weren't very sentimental, but like any family, they had their traditions. Two years ago, Tarim had bought an old Super Nintendo from a kid at a garage sale, including several games. Ever since, the brothers had held Sunday evening as a holy night: Marco had several hours off of work, and Tarim was usually finished with all his homework. So, for nearly two years now, the boys had a weekly video game brawl to top of their week.

For Tarim, he was grateful for an excuse to take a night off from his "job" in Downtown. He had lost his focus the night before, and earned a nasty cut along his right arm for his efforts. Luckily, Marco had been off at a job all day, so he could clean and bandage it properly. Now that Marco's shift is nearly over, he wears a long-sleeved shirt; he might be sweating, but it's better than having to lie to Marco about yet another beating.

It's a little after seven, around the time Marco is due home. After a day of homework, first aid and cooking, Tarim places a bowl of chips and dip on the coffee table, before taking a seat. Holding a controller loosely in his hands, Tarim watches as Mario and Luigi bounce along the screen until he hears the door open. "Marco!" He shouts, grinning to himself as he holds up another controller. "It's game time!"

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halfpinthero
2010-07-20 04:19 am UTC (link)

Tarim groans loudly as Marco's eye twitches, before his brother can cover it. Somehow, even when trying to avoid it, he still twitches that damned eye. "I'm sorry you were scared, but look! I'm back, I'm living with you, and I'm not a freak anymore." He proclaims, his voice raising a few octaves. "I know you hate it, but it's the best thing that ever happened to me! You shouldn't be so mad!"

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	aboutaverage 2010-07-20 04:36 am UTC (link)
	"Don't call yourself a freak." Marco rolled his eyes, despite the twitching. He paused the game, since Tarim was yelling, and he honestly wasn't sure why. "I'm just having trouble understanding how you have no memory of any of it, and there was no evidence at all! You were gone for weeks, it makes no sense!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

halfpinthero
2010-07-20 04:40 am UTC (link)

"I... I don't know!" Tarim exclaims, finally dropping the controller. Realizing that he's shouting, he takes a deep breath, sinking into the couch... then winces, grabbing at his arm. "It weirds me out, a lot, yeah. I wish I could remember, but I don't. At least not anything useful." Tarim has a feeling that, if he let Marco do it, Marco would drag him around to a bunch of detectives or whatever. As curious as Tarim is, he'd just as soon forget the whole thing and embrace his new life. "I mean, I'm not happy Mom didn't do anything about it, but that's Mom's fault, not... whoever did this."

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aboutaverage
2010-07-20 04:58 am UTC (link)

"Did you hurt your arm again?" Marco's change of subject was very sudden, but it was hard not to catch Tarim's wincing. Before Tarim could object, Marco was up off the couch again, then almost as quickly as he was gone, he was back with an ice pack. Better yet, as soon as he was back, he was practically assaulting him with it. "I swear, I really really don't understand how you get this injured playing soccer."

Marco was pretty sure this argument would be easier than the one about who was more at fault: the kidnappers or their mother.

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halfpinthero
2010-07-20 05:02 am UTC (link)

Tarim sighs, though it's clearly a good natured sigh. "You try getting soccer balls kicked in your face all day and not get hurt." He says defensively. Granted, there's no way to explain away a cut playing soccer, but Marco always seems to panic a bit too much to think about that. "At least I'm not playing football. One of the seniors broke his leg last year in practice. Couldn't even walk for graduation." Tarim shakes his head and makes a tittering sound. "Poor jock."

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	aboutaverage 2010-07-20 05:15 am UTC (link)
	Marco shook his head. "Yeah, I'm glad you chose soccer and not football. Though I'm not sure you could actually be on the football team. But... Couldn't you wear wrist guards or something? I don't want you to get hurt. More." He paused, not wanting to sound too sappy. "Our, uh, insurance only covers so much. Broken bones are expensive." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	halfpinthero 2010-07-20 05:17 am UTC (link)
	"Yeah, I'll be more careful." Tarim swears, holding up a pair of fingers: Scout's honor. "But what happens if... well, you get shot? We're covered for stuff like that, right?" So far, Tarim had encountered very few bludgeons, and he could shield those well. Pistols packed a punch though, and he could only block a few bullets before those became a problem. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aboutaverage
2010-07-20 05:43 am UTC (link)

The question had kind of surprised Marco, and he attempted to play it off like it hadn't phased him. "I just won't get shot." He smirked as he moved back to his original place on the couch, grabbing the controller to get an edge, but stopped with the game still paused, the controller held loose in his hands.

"Umm... If, um, something should happen to me, though.. In my locker, at work, I have a piece of tape attached to the bottom of one of the shelves... It's hanging on to the key to our safety deposit box. There's not much in there, but there's enough to take care of a month or two of rent." Marco couldn't really look at Tarim, feeling very uncomfortable talking about the idea of something happening.

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halfpinthero
2010-07-20 05:49 am UTC (link)

"Okay." Tarim responds, feeling a bit numb. He always knew, even when he was a 'freak', that Marco might not come back home one of these days. The APD had a rather respectable mortality rate, which went even higher for those who worked the Downtown as frequently as Marco. It always freaked Tarim out to think of what would happen if Marco died... he might get away with living in the apartment for a month or two, but either he'd run out of money or someone would realize a minor was living alone. Then what? Live on the street? Foster care? Back with mom? All of these fill Tarim with dread.

...and then there was another question. Superheroes rarely die, usually because their powers don't let them. Tarim isn't 'super' though, and while his powers make him pretty hard to kill, he'd been having more and more accidents. What if Tarim is the one to not come home? "...and if anything happens to me, you can have the Super Nintendo. And my computer." Tarim responds, just as awkwardly. It's not as though Tarim has a lot to will. "And I know you don't want to, but you'd tell mom, right? She should know." He adds hesitantly.

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aboutaverage
2010-07-20 06:00 am UTC (link)

Marco laughed a bit at Tarim's verbal will, not really sure why the kid would need one. Soccer really wasn't as dangerous as the boy obviously thought it was, but Marco just went along with it. He attempted not to snort at Tarim's request for their mother to know. "I'll let her know." He assured her. "But if something happens to me, anything that's left after... whatever, don't let Anita get any of it. Okay? I mean it."

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	halfpinthero 2010-07-20 06:06 am UTC (link)
	Tarim grins, despite his rather grim demeanor. "Promise. I'll use all my powers to keep her away from our two months of rent and two weeks of groceries. And the Super Nintendo." He adds significantly. "...seriously, just promise me you'll never die, okay? I really can't go back with mom." There's a slight whimper to his voice as he finishes off the chips. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aboutaverage
2010-07-20 06:17 am UTC (link)

Marco grinned. "I'll do my best." He assured him. "I will do everything in my power to keep from dying, and-or having you sent back to Anita." Marco looked down at the controller to the nintendo again, not really in the mod to start the game up again, not yet. "Though, you are going to have to wait until then before we get any more Nutella in this place. Don't kill me off for the Nutella, please?"

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halfpinthero
2010-07-20 06:21 am UTC (link)

"I'll try not to. You're really not making it easy for me, though." Tarim says in a mock-serious tone, setting the game controller down. Luigi can take a break. "I mean, this is how super-villians start, Marco. First I kill you for Nutella. Then I get a girlfriend, and kill her for a pink snowball. Then, ten years later, I'm using my powers to stop semi's of Twinkies! It's a slippery slope!"

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	aboutaverage 2010-07-20 06:27 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, I know it. The prisons are just full of people who kill for snack foods." Marco paused for a moment, then, shaking his head, "There's a joke here that's just too corny, and I don't want to say it... Oh hell. We'll just say the punch line is 'Cereal Killers'." He groaned at his own joke. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	halfpinthero 2010-07-20 06:31 am UTC (link)
	Tarim groans, laying his face in his hands and shaking back and forth. "Marco, Marco... you're truly the worst villain I have ever met." He proclaims. As snarky as Marco is, he can tell a joke... or at least a horrible, horrible pun. "If I had school tomorrow, I think I'd have to skip just to recover from the terrible delivery. That was awful!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aboutaverage 2010-07-20 06:39 am UTC (link)
	"You'll survive." Marco smirked as he reached for a chip, only now realizing that they were all gone. He tried not to let on how that surprised and amused him. It was a good thing Tarim was active, Marco was convinced the kids eating habits sometimes would make him chunky. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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