Author's Note: Sorry there hasn't been that much Lumi in the last few chapters. Jan, Nicole and Brady are all trying to make themselves the center of attention again. I hate it when they do that. I'll try and have more Lumi in the upcoming chapters.
Nicole shifted impatiently on the couch, watching Brady examine his fingernails, "So, are you going to tell us what this is about any time soon?" she asked finally. Brady looked up to meet her eyes nervously.
"I don't see why Jan has to be here." he responded. Jan crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the couch petulantly. Brady had been waiting for a chance to get Nicole alone so he could talk to her for almost the entire morning. But Jan hadn't left Nicole's side. Clearly, even if Jan and Nicole weren't in love with each other, they were inseparable enough to be.
"Look, Jan and I are very close." Nicole told him, "And there is nothing you can say to me that my girlfriend cannot hear too."
Brady sighed and shook his head, "Fine, I guess it doesn't matter if she stays. But I really need to talk to you because I need some advice. I have a... serious problem." he finished, frowning when Jan burst into helpless laughter.
"Okay, I'm sorry. But you said 'problem' and it sounded so funny." Jan managed to say.
"Don't worry about her, she laughs at the stupidest things." Nicole brushed Jan's laughter aside and focused all of her attention on Brady for a second time, "What's the problem? Jan, shut up." Nicole added sharply when Jan began laughing even harder. Jan clamped one hand over her mouth to quiet down and waited for Brady to answer.
"It's about Lucas. I kind of have a crush on him." by the time Brady reached the end of the last sentence, he was mumbling and his cheeks had colored a deep shade of red. Nicole crossed her legs and threw Brady an amused smile.
"Oh, yes." Nicole's voice mocked him, "I already know all about your crush on Lucas. You've made it very clear how you feel about him. Why did you decide to come to me for help now instead of before?"
Brady scowled, "Nicole, quit making a joke out of this. I know the truth about you and Jan. Lucas told me you two are pretending and then I decided to get you back by pretending to be in love with Lucas. But after I kissed him, I realized that I actually did like it. Kissing him, I mean."
"Haha." Nicole returned sarcastically, "I seriously doubt that."
"It's true." Brady confessed, "It was... nice."
"But you're not gay." Nicole sputtered, "This can't be happening. You don't really feel anything for Lucas, you're still trying to annoy me, right?"
"I wish I was just trying to annoy you." Brady replied with complete sincerity, watching as Nicole's face crumpled in disgust.
"I heard that when you go through traumatic or shocking experiences, it can make you gay sometimes." Jan broke in, "And I think that finding out your girlfriend is bonking your grandfather counts as both shocking and traumatic."
"You know about that too? How did you find out?" Brady demanded.
"None of your business." Jan said arrogantly, "And I think you only have yourself to blame for this. After dating Chloe for so long, it's no wonder you have been converted into a guy-lover. Chloe could turn anyone gay. It's your fault for dating her. I bet before long, your grandfather will be off chasing other old men like himself too."
"All right, that's a really creepy thought." Nicole choked out, turning her attention back to Brady, "Brady, I think you're very confused right now. Don't jump to any conclusions, maybe you just made a mistake."
"I don't think I'm making a mistake." Brady replied, hanging his head with shame, "Before Lucas, I have never thought about a guy this way. But when I saw Lucas shirtless... it was a million times more amazing than seeing Chloe naked ever had been."
"Was it a million times better than seeing me naked?" Nicole asked indignantly. "It was probably closer to a billion times better." Jan muttered.
"I'm not sure. That's one question I don't know how to answer." Brady returned, not wanting to infuriate Nicole any more than he already had.
"Fine. I get it. You have a thing for Lucas." Nicole said flatly, still horrified that her current love interest didn't seem to know what team he was batting for, "But why did you think it was important to tell me this? Couldn't you have kept it to yourself?"
"I told you because I wanted you to help me." Brady answered seriously, "I don't know what to do and I just want to stop feeling like this."
Jan took pity on Brady after hearing the desperate sound of his voice, "I know what you're going through. It's really hard to be infatuated with someone who is completely unattainable. It's the same for me and my feelings for James."
"James?" Nicole repeated, "I've never heard you talk about him before."
Jan sighed, "I try not to think about him but sometimes, it's so hard to forget. He's so beautiful but I know I can never have him. Just like you can never have Lucas, Brady."
"Where is this James person from?" Nicole asked curiously.
Jan averted her eyes to the ground, "He's from Pokemon."
"Excuse me? You mean that show made for kids still in elementary school? You have to be kidding."
Jan's eyes blazed, "I'm not joking. James is so sweet and caring and his voice sounds really sexy and blue hair is the best!"
"His hair is purple." Nicole shot back.
"It's blue!" Jan screamed angrily, "And how would you know? It's not like you watch the show!"
"Jan, he is a cartoon character." Nicole tried to reason with her, "You can't be in love with a cartoon character."
"Stop telling me what to do!" Jan cried hysterically, covering her eyes with her hands, "Do you know what's it's like? It took me forever to find a Team Rocket costume that actually fit me and I can only see James once a day, for only half an hour! And the whole time, Jessie is banging pots and pans over his head and treating him horribly. I could be good to him but I'll never have the chance." Jan broke down into sobs while Brady and Nicole stared at her in confusion.
"I can't decide which one of you is more insane." Nicole finally announced to Brady, "I mean, Jan might like a cartoon character but at least she doesn't like a female. And Lucas might be a real person but he's the same gender as you. Not to mention he's going to marry you step-sister."
Jan sniffled, "I know it's hard, Brady. You want Lucas like I want James and it can't happen. I can't take James away from Jessie, even if she's horrible to him and you can't take Lucas away from Sami. Because they are all in love and we're always going to be alone."
"What about Shawn?" Nicole reminded Jan, who immediately brightened at the mention of Shawn's name.
"As for him, that's a different story. I can take him away from Belle because, unlike Jessie who is kind of cool, Belle is a whiny, selfish bi- person." she corrected herself when she saw the way Brady was looking at her, "And Nicole doesn't have anyone, so she could always substitute for Lucas for you, Brady." Jan suggested.
"I don't have a penis." Nicole responded in a dull voice, "And I don't want to be a substitute for anyone."
"Well..." Jan's voice trailed off and she seemed to think about it for a minute, "In that case, there's only one thing for you to do."
"What?" Brady asked.
"You make a cage and lock Lucas in it." Jan informed him gleefully, "Then you can make him forgot all about Sami by-"
The door to Nicole's room flew open and Sami marched inside, "Don't you dare!"
Jan, Nicole and Brady jumped in surprise at Sami's sudden appearance, "Oh, God. How long were you listening to our conversation?" Brady asked, a sickening feeling of dread washing over him.
"I heard everything." Sami's voice was pure ice, "And I could care less how you feel about Lucas. Just stay away from him or I will make you pay."
"I thought you said you didn't mind sharing him with his male lovers." Brady protested.
Sami glared at him, "First off, you are not Lucas' male lover, no matter what you might tell yourself. And secondly, I was joking. But I'm not joking right now, if you make any plays for Lucas, you will be very, very sorry."
"I wasn't planning on it. I learned my lesson the last time." Brady reached up to touch the bruise on the side of his face, "I mean, if I tried to kiss him again, he might give me a black eye or, God forbid, break my nose."
"I'd break a lot more than your nose if you tried that again." Lucas declared, stepping inside the room. It was clear from Lucas' expression that he was not yet aware of Brady's true feelings for him. It was obvious that he still believed Brady was pretending.
"And I'd help." Sami added, giving Brady a pointed look as she stepped towards Lucas, "Because no one is going to come between me and my fiancé." her fingernails grazed Lucas' shirt, reveling in the warmth underneath the soft material. Her eyes fluttered closed and she found his lips, pulling him into her arms to make her point more clear to Brady. She kissed him without hesitation, her mouth open, her tongue rolling across his. Lucas responded eagerly, pushing his hands against the small of her back and applying more pressure to her lips.
"You guys, stop it." Jan whined, "Go do that somewhere else."
"Fine." Sami said in a breathless voice, pulling away from Lucas. Taking his hand, she led him out the door to Nicole's room.
"What was that about? You looked about ready to kill Brady when I walked in." Lucas observed as the two of them made their way back to their own hotel room.
"It's no big deal." Sami replied, "I was going to talk to Nicole about the publicity campaign but then I overheard Brady saying some things about-" Sami cut herself off. She wasn't sure if there was any way to tell Lucas that, not only would he continue to have to deal with Jan's crush on him but he would also have to deal with Brady's crush as well.
"About what?" Lucas prompted her.
Sami shuddered slightly, "You seriously don't want to know. Just promise me you won't go along with Brady if he tries to get you to help him pretend to be gay. Because that could end up being very... dangerous."
Brady looked at the door sadly, "You know, for my own personal reasons, I'm really starting to hate Sami."
Nicole ignored Brady and pinched Jan's arm, "This is all your fault." she hissed, "You made Brady gay!"
Jan snorted, "Wouldn't Lucas be more to blame than me? Or even Chloe could take the blame but I didn't do anything."
"Yes, you did." Nicole retorted coldly, "It was your idea to pretend to be in love with each other. If we hadn't pretended to be lesbians, Brady wouldn't have pretended to be gay. If he hadn't been pretending to be gay, then he wouldn't have kissed Lucas and decided he liked kissing Lucas."
Jan raised her eyebrows, "If you say so, Nicole. It's not like I really care what you say."
"Oh, but you will. Because I am going to get you back for this." Nicole promised.
"How?"
Nicole smiled evilly, "I think I'll go find Shawn so I can-" she added air quotes for emphasis, "Talk to him."
It took a few seconds for it to sink in for Jan but as soon as it did, she sprang to life. Jumping off of the couch, she tore after Nicole, who was striding towards the door of the hotel room.
"You wouldn't, Nicole! You bitch, Shawn is mine!" Jan screeched, following Nicole out of the room, leaving Brady alone to wallow in his self-pity.