Rating: PG13
Type: One-shot/Short
Summary: Lucas goes to Carly with boy problems.
Feedback is Love.
--- Intro to Boys 101 ---
Carly doesn't think she has ever seen her brother this nervous and unsure. Granted their talks lately have been focused around Bobbie and what Lucas has been doing in school, so this nervous wreck of a brother is actually kind of adorably endearing.
Lucas is wringing his hands together, rubbing the back of his head, pulling at the spiked tips of his hair and wandering aimlessly around the living room under the disguise of looking at pictures.
"Lucas?"
"Yeah?" His eyes look anywhere but at Carly. She has to stifle her amusement because even though she has to practically look up at him and no matter his age, Lucas is still her kid brother, and she doesn't want to scare him away.
"Sit down. Relax. Hey, you want a drink?"
"Scotch on the rocks." Lucas quipped as he dropped down on the nearest sofa.
"Funny. How about a soda instead?"
"No, I'm good."
"So…"
"How are the boys?"
"Boys are good." Carly grinned. "But you're not really here to talk about them, so what's going on?"
Lucas sighed.
"I… uh…" Lucas cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck in a move Carly recognized unmistakably. "I kind of wanted your advice."
"My advice?"
"Well, yeah. See, uh, there's this guy…" Carly cocked a brow, interest piqued. "And we've kind of been seeing each other."
"You have a boyfriend?"
"Sort of."
"You mean you don't know?"
Lucas sighed." He doesn't really like labels."
"Right. Okay, so there's a guy…"
"Yeah. We've been seeing each other but the only other guy I've actually been with is… well, Guy."
"Ah." Carly's nose crinkled. "I love you, little brother, but please don't tell me your here for sex advice.
"What? Oh god… no! Car-ly." And Carly can't help but laugh because only Jason has ever been able to use that offended/annoyed tone with her name before.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Please continue"
Lucas threw her an irritated glare before sighing. "There's this guy that I've been seeing and I want things to be exclusive."
"Oh."
Lucas groaned, flopping back on the couch and covering his eyes. "Yeah, exactly."
"Well, alright, it can't be that bad." Carly tugged on her brother's right hand. "Lucas."
"I don't want to mess up what he and I have, Carly, but I also know the thought of him with anyone else—guy or girl—makes my stomach churn."
"Have you told him this?"
"Didn't I just say I don't want to mess things up?" Lucas grumped from underneath his arm. He flinched at the angry pinch Carly gave his hand. "Ouch!" Lucas sat up taking his hand away and noticing Carly's disapproving glare. "Sorry," he apologized softly. "I'm just… so confused right now."
"Hey, it's okay. I understand where you're coming from, but I honestly don't know the absolute best thing to say to you." Carly admitted sheepishly. "I lucked out with Jason. He's the type of guy that respects honesty. He appreciates the straightforward approach. But not everyone does. Not everyone is ready to be exclusive, so I can't tell you that is what is going to work with your guy. For all I know, cornering him with this will have him running for the hills." Lucas's face looked utterly panicked and Carly tried to backtrack. "I don't mean to scare you, Lucas, but I want you to be ready for any outcome—good or bad."
"I know that already. It's why I haven't said anything to him at this point, but…" Lucas huffed out—a short angry sound—running his fingers over the spiked tips of his hair. "Every time I see him with someone else, it kills me."
Carly wanted to punch the guy for the sheer fact that he was hurting her brother. She knew she was being irrational though. Lucas and this guy, who Carly still didn't know the name of, had gone into this eyes wide open but the nasty bitch, Emotions, had to go and rear her ugly head and now Lucas was caught up and tangled in the mess of it.
"You have two options here, you know that right?" Lucas nodded.
"So what do guys want in a relationship?"
"You should be able to answer that better than I would."
"Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I know what every other man in the world wants."
"Well, I'm a woman, so I'd know even less than you…" Carly hmm'ed in thought. "That's actually saying a lot given my track record with men. Anyway, I have learned that guys hate games. I'm guessing that works pretty much the same with boys and girls."
"I'm listening," came the grumbled and half-hearted reply from beside her.
"You could try making him jealous. That's a sure fire way to see if he's interested in being more exclusive."
"Carly, you just said guys don't like games."
"What can I say, guys are bipolar by nature. At least the ones I've dated have been."
"So no games, but jealousy is okay?"
"Well yeah, but only some times… I mean you have to be able to read the situation."
"Read the situation?"
"Yes. By the way, you're ridiculously cute when you're flustered."
"You're not helping."
"Do you want my track record? Think I'll be able to provide you with some insight… okay, let's see what I got. If you're dating some asshole like Sonny, dangerous and suave and ridiculously lethal with dimples, then try the jealousy thing… no questions asked. Guys like that absolutely hate other people moving in on their 'territory'. Be careful though… the whole possessive bit can be even more than you can handle."
"How about guys like Jason?"
"You're dating a guy like Jason?"
"Not exactly, but some qualities apply here. Like the whole cool exterior, no-nonsense business."
"No games then. I'm not saying jealousy won't work. Jason has been quite possessive in the past, it's pretty hot actually… but not guaranteed." She saw Lucas roll his eyes and pretend to gag. Some times he was less college student more kindergarten. "If he's anything like Jason, although I highly doubt anyone is like Jason, then you're going to have to bring it up to him. Jason is reasonably dense on the dating stuff."
"Great. There should be a manual for this kind of thing? Gay Dating for Dummies or something." Lucas sighed, tossing Carly a helpless look. "I didn't think hooking up with guys would be this complicated." Carly couldn't stop the unattractive snort that escaped her. Understatement.
"Hooking up is always the easy part. It's the rest you have to watch out for, little brother."
"This coming from the voice of experience?"
Carly mock-glared. "Don't get cheeky."
"God, I have no idea why I thought it would be easier!" Lucas flopped dramatically against the back of the couch once again.
"That one's simple. Spencers are delusional."
"Jones remember?"
"Still applies."
"Touché, sis." Carly's smile grew even wider. "Touché." Lucas's eyes were trained up at the ceiling and Carly watched him fondly, letting the silence pass comfortably between them. Lucas needed time to think, take a step back and gain some perspective. After awhile, Carly cleared her throat.
"So did you find what you were looking for?"
Lucas shrugged, raising his head to catch Carly's eyes. "I guess I kind of knew all along, just needed someone else to say it out loud though."
"And you chose me? That's kind of touching."
Lucas rolled his eyes.
"No really. It's so sweet. Should we hug? Is this a hugging moment? I can totally hug you right now."
Lucas shook his head, clearly trying to get annoyed but mostly coming up amused. "You suck. And I'm pretty sure people your age don't say 'totally' anymore."
"Why you little…" Carly gasped, hitting her brother with a throw pillow to the face. He quickly caught it between his hands though.
"Who are you calling little? You have to look up just to talk to me."
Carly tried to stifle the sounds of stuttered outrage and continued to laugh. She tugged the pillow away from Lucas to toy with its fringes. "Shut up, you little brat. I don't even know why I'm helping you out."
"If we're getting technical, you mostly played the part of sounding board."
"What?!"
"You get points for listening, sis. I mean a definite 'A' there… but on actual advice-giving? I'm going to have to give you a 'C'… a 'B-minus' if I'm being generous." He grinned. And that action was so Spencer-esque, Carly wanted to deck him in his pretty boy face.
"You're lucky Jason isn't here. Cause I'd be forced to ask him for his opinion."
Lucas's face lit up, turning red all the way to the tips of his ears as he grumbled under his breath.
"Sorry what was that?"
"I said you just love to see me squirm."
"As true as that is, I'm having a much better time picturing Jason's face if I were to ask him about what guys were looking for in a gay relationship or hell relationships in general."
The both of them broke into laughter at the thought, their cheeks turning red from the exertion. It was in that moment a key turned in the lock and Jason came through the door.
"Hey." He looked between the two, confused. "What did I miss?" Carly and Lucas could only burst into more laughter.
--- end ---