Scott, Lil, and Alex, Backdated 28/05/13

[om_havok]

When the students are given permission to leave campus again, Scott tries to take Lil out for burgers. Unfortunately, Alex latches on like a little blond remora.

Scott really wasn't sure how this had happened. They were finally allowed out of the house again, he'd agreed to take Lil out to dinner, and now he was at a table with her and Alex (who'd been wandering the halls). Two people who, from what he could tell, had apparently never spoken to each other. Which meant it was up to him to somehow make this less socially awkward.

Which really meant this was destined for disaster.

He grabbed his glass of iced tea and took a large sip, hoping that the weight of awkward silence would eventually force one of them to crack. Rude, maybe, but he'd never been great at small talk.

His girlfriend wasn't much better at it either, unfortunately.

"Burgers are pretty good here," she murmured between bites of her first sandwich (there were two others on her tray along with a large order of fries and soda). She didn't know if it was true, however, not being able to actually taste the things but it felt like the right words to try. What she'd hoped would have been an easy, relaxing night with Scott turned into an impromptu family dinner and while she didn't mind Alex being around, it was goddamn awkward just sitting there, saying nothing.

In contrast, Alex was usually pretty good at chatter--at least, in the sense that he'd usually talk, whether it was a good idea (or the crap that came out of his face was worth saying in the first place) or not. But now, all he managed was a halfhearted, "Yup," as he dragged a fry through the glob of ketchup at one end of the wax paper-lined basket on his tray.

This totally wasn't his fault, though. Scott was sitting there, all stone-faced and inscrutable, contributing about as much as a brick. And Lil, hell, he barely knew her, except that she was his brother's girlfriend and, like, ninety-seven feet tall. Since the outing had started, all he could add to that meager biography was that she also apparently ate like a starving infantry regiment. Which, given Alex's own appetite, was actually kind of impressive to him.

"Sooooo ..." he drawled uncertainly, once he was done chewing. It really didn't help that, in the time since they'd found him meandering aimlessly through the school, he'd had time to realize he'd basically invited himself along on their date. Totally uncool, kid brother. "You guys come here a lot, then?"

There. That was harmless enough.

Scott smirked, not at the question, but at the way that his brother was eyeing Lil's plate with something resembling awe. "I don't make a habit of going out in public," he said dryly. "It would interfere with my boring, jackass, eighty-year old image. Can't have that."

Lil rolled her eyes slightly at that but couldn't help but smile. She knew the other side of him, the sweet, fun, non-jackass one that was definitely not eighty years old. Of course, being with Alex, even she knew that it wasn't a good idea to mention how she got to see that side most often. "And the cafeteria food ain't too bad. Plus, it's free."

"Still," said Alex, around a mouthful of burger, "'s nice to get out, you know? Not that the school's stuffy or anything--swear, the place is bigger than the town I grew up in!--but the change of scenery's good. Plus, there's nobody to bitch at me about wearing that stupid suit."

He eyed Scott mischievously. "Seriously, dude, you hold onto stuff just like an old man. Embrace your inner-octogenuvian ... -generi-- ... fossil-ness." There. That probably wasn't a word, but it was better than fucking up that big one some more. "I'll even get you some suspenders and a pair of pants you can hitch up all the way to your chest. You can yell at me and Vance to stay off the lawn and tell boring stories about the big rutabaga scare of aught-six. Grow some chest hair, finally. It'll be great, for real."

"What the fuck is a rutabaga?" Scott asked, looking amused. "And, if I'm the old one, why do you know about it?"

"You can't live in Nebraska and not learn a thing or two about produce," Alex retorted. "Unless," he added a bit smugly, "you're just that thick."

Lil coughed a little as she swallowed down her soda and tried not to choke. Wow. Inappropriate brain. It was a good thing the kid wasn't a telepath. "I dunno, Scott," she finally said. "I think you'd look pretty cute in suspenders," his girlfriend teased.

Scott snorted and rolled his eyes. "You've got some weird taste, DG. Though not as weird as the vegetable memorizing boy over here."

"It's not something you memorize Scott. You just pick it up over time. Like osmosis, or some shit." He blinked, and looked between Lil and his brother a few times. "'DG'? You didn't seem like the type for nicknames. It's cute, though. In a 'look what my socially retarded sibling can do' kinda way."

"Your brother got it in his head to call me something I didn't like so I made him choose something else," Lil explained, wiping her mouth with her napkin while trying not to glare (playfully) at Scott. Really? He just had to bring up the nickname thing. Not that she minded it - when they were alone, but Alex was partly right in saying neither of them were really much for them.

Scott shrugged off Lil's feigned anger. "I'm from Nebraska. I did not osmosis shit about rutabaga. Who's the social retard now?"

"Still you," Alex insisted. "For real, Scott, how many of your friends think you're a normal guy? They like you in spite of your horrible personality. Which is pretty awesome of them, and I don't think you give them nearly enough credit for it. It's like you think your social retardation is something other people can overlook. Believe me, Big Brother, they can't. And you have friends, anyway. So suck it up, you loser." He punctuated his observation with a conspicuously loud slurp of soda.

Across from them, the Canadian watched the exchange with barely veiled amusement. "Your kid brother always give you this much shit, Summers?" she teased Scott when Alex had gone back to his drink.

"I don't remember him being this obnoxious when he was little," Scott replied. Of course, what he didn't say was that there were serious gaps in his recollections before the accident. Some of it seemed clear as day, and some of it was just gone, so he didn't necessarily trust the memories. "The continual insults are new, I'm pretty sure."

"'S good for you," said Alex, taking another bite of burger. "You don't pay any attention to the shit you get from most people, so it's up to family--and girlfriends--to remind you of all the room for improvement you've got. Repeatedly. Maybe 'til you hit those of us that are related to you." But it was okay, because he probably deserved it.

"You guys up to fielding a bratty hick kid's relationship questions, or would that be too weird?" the blond teen asked suddenly, hiding his face behind another long swallow of soda.

Lil's smirk dropped almost immediately when panicked eyes looks for reassurance in Scott's face. "Um... I guess... I mean, as long as they don't get, like, too awkward..." Because, really? She soooo didn't want Alex asking about how often they had sex or anything like that.

Scott wasn't sure which part confused him more -- the borderling panic on Lil's face or the fact Alex had just asked if he could ask them questions. "Only if you stop calling us," he gestured between Alex and him, "hicks."

The younger Summers straightened. "Nothing wrong with being a hick, as long as you own it. And I don't know that there's anything else a kid from Nebraska can be." He went back to fiddling with the bottom of his cup. "So ... there's this girl at school. And she's really cool and, for some reason, wants to spend more time with me." Probably because she'd manage to make herself deaf, somehow, to half the shit he said, but okay.

"Like, what do people do on dates? Do I just take her to a movie, or a restaurant or something? Or am I supposed to try something more ... I don't know, outside the box?"

His question caused Lil to blink. He wasn't asking about their relationship but more relationships in general. Okay. Okay, she could do this. "Well, Scott and I went ice skating on our first real date. I grew up where it was real cold and he knew it'd be something I'd like. So, my advice would be find out what this girl likes and do something related to that."

"If you think I have any idea how to plan dates, you're out of luck," Scott said, sounding almost apologetic. He looked at Alex thoughtfully. "Dane?"

Alex glowered at Scott as best he could around his blush, completely overlooking Lil's good advice in his moment of acute self-consciousness. "Shut up," he said sullenly. Then, after a moment, he added, "Yes."

Lorna. Pietro's little sister. Scott's little brother liked Pietro's little sister. Wow. Biting back her grin, Lil picked at a few more fries. "We don't really go out on a lot of dates. But we play pool together and watch tv and you know, eat together." Like tonight was supposed to be. "You could take the horses out at the school and go riding since the weather is nice?"

"Or, just for a change, you could try leaving your clothes on in front of her," Scott said, not at all helpfully.

That got a french fry thrown at him. "Shut up times a million," retorted Alex, though he was fighting back a grin. "The next one will have ketchup on it."

He looked over to Lil, who had at least been trying. That bit about them eating together hadn't been totally lost on him, since it had already been on Alex's mind, and it sucked, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it now. He'd have to make a point of staying out of their way for the next week or two to make up for it. "Horses? Really? Girls ... like that kind of thing?" His expression was thoughtful as he shoveled more food into his mouth. "Never really been big on transportation with a mind of its own--seems like a bad idea. But maybe it's worth a try."

"I dunno if 'girls' like that kinda thing but I do. I told you, find out what she's interested in and if worst comes to worst, hop on a bus and go into the city and be tourists. But, you know, be safe," Lil added. "Especially if you're gonna be taking off any clothes, though you should wait until you're somewhere private for that."

"Don't encourage him," Scott told her, shaking his head. "We're all better off if he stays dressed."

He picked up the french fry Alex had chucked his way, and popped it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing while he thought. "Figure out what she likes to do - watch movies, fly around scaring people, being green - and find a way to make it a two person thing. Then invite her to do that." Scott glanced at Lil before adding, "Unless it's something that's likely to get your ass kicked. I'd avoid that kind of stuff."

"Kids my age don't usually need much encouragement to make dumb decisions," Alex retorted, though he was blushing furiously. Even implied Lorna nudity was enough to turn him into a total spaz, it looked like. He dragged the tip of a fry around the bottom of the basket idly. "She does like flying; I guess I could let her drag me around through the air, sometime." Wasn't a thought he relished, exactly, but it still seemed like it'd be worth it. "Maybe see a show in town. Like, a play or something cultural like that. I could probably use it."

His nose wrinkled. "Anyway, not sure there's anything I can do to avoid an ass kicking at some point. Her brother seems a little," not psychotic, exactly, "you know, involved. Like, more than typical." Which wasn't a bad thing, of course. It was just not something he was used to or knew how to deal with, exactly.

"Pietro?" Lil gave a little wave of her hand then reached for her second burger. "He's a ball of energy and fluff and glitter. I mean, I'm sure he could hurt you if you did something wrong to his sister but he's a good guy really. If you want, I could put in a good word for you with him."

Alex thought about that. "I dunno. I mean, he probably knows you're dating my brother," something as weird as Scott spending time willingly with another human being couldn't have gone totally unnoticed, after all. "I wouldn't want him to think you'd, you know, been put up to anything. That would just make him think I'm an even bigger lame-wad. Thanks, though."

Scott chewed thoughtfully on a bite of his burger for a moment before swallowing and shrugging. "Like his impression of you can get much worse? He already saw the stripping-in-public discussion."

"Pietro ain't gonna think I'm only saying it 'cause I'm dating Scott." She may be saying it because she was dating Scott but not only due to that. Alex seemed like a sweet kid... "He's onna my good friends. At the very least, I can tell him not to kill you on sight for wanting to shove you tongue down his baby sister's throat."

The younger Summers almost choked on his soda. Sputtering, he asked, "If you do talk to Pietro, could you possibly not phrase it that way, exactly?"

Scott looked at Alex consideringly. "How fast can you run?"

"Scott, leave him alone," Lil shook her head at him, smiling gently before looking back at his younger brother. "I won't say it that way. Promise. I won't tell him you're out to take her virginity, either."

By then, Alex was practically glowing scarlet, and he suddenly attacked his burger with extreme prejudice, as if he intended to finish it off in as few bites as he could manage without choking. "Can we just forget I even brought it up? Jeez, this is a conversation I never wanted to have with Scott anywhere within five states."

Scott shook his head for a second and then gave Alex a more serious look. "Here's the thing: you have all the tools you need. You know what kind of stuff she likes to do, and you're smart enough to find a way for two people to do at least a few of those things. That's it. That's all you have to do to plan a date."

"He's right," the Canadian chimed in. "And I was totally kidding about telling Pietro that. I ain't that mean, I swear. I ain't got siblings and just watching the two of you rib each other..." She lifted her shoulder then let it fall in a casual shrug. "Just wanted to try it out. But seriously, you don't got anything to worry about. Just have fun."

"Fun. Right." Of course, Alex felt like a complete tool-bag, by then; of course neither of them had meant anything by it. It was just hard not to hear all that stuff about Lorna and him and not, well, imagine it. And that made him feel awkward and uncomfortable in ways he couldn't even begin to articulate. "I know how to do fun. I'll figure something out. Thanks, guys. And, y'know. Sorry. For being a giant loser just now."

Scott smirked. "Just now?"

His girlfriend bumped his shin under the table with her foot but spoke to Alex. "Don't worry about it." Lil had taken another bite of her second burger and nearly had it polished off already. "Dating's hard. It makes you go all kindsa weird in the head and stomach. Parta growing up. You got any other questions?"

Alex gave the couple a wry look. "Not that you haven't been helpful, and all," even Scott, in that weird, sort of grudging way he had, "but I don't think I've ever been less curious ever before in my life. I may never ask anybody another question again." Seriously, too much more of this and he probably would burst into fire. Not even metaphorically; literal, hot, plasma-y fire. Scott and Lil could probably take it, but this was too good a burger joint to risk exploding out of pure embarrassment.

Scott's skeptical look was softened by its teasing quality. "A buck says you don't make it a week."

"Even if you do and come up with something you need to get a girl's view on, you can always come find me," Lil offered, giving the younger Summers boy a smile before finishing off the burger and reaching for the final one.

"Show me the buck first," Alex countered with a loud harrumph. The two of them were practically dead broke, and they both knew it; neither of them had the spare cash for impulse wagers. Even if it was probably a sure thing.

"And thanks, Lil," he told the giant girl earnestly, before looking back to his brother. "I don't know how you tricked her into dating you, but I hope she doesn't come to her senses anytime soon. She's pretty cool."
'
"You and me both, man," Scott agreed.

"I'm totally only in this relationship for the bike," Lil said with a devilish smirk.

Alex nodded. "Now, see, that I could totally buy."

"Geez, friends and a girl like this, who needs enemies?" Scott said, shaking his head. "They only like me for my ride."

"Okay, maybe not only," Lil said with a roll of her eyes and a nudge of his foot with her own under the table. "Answers for my homework score you major points, too."

"I'm not sure why I like you," Alex piped up, "except we're family, and I guess I'm kind of obliged. But that goes both ways, right? We're stuck with each other."

"I'm moved, Alex. I am." His voice was dry, but secretly Scott meant it. They were family. With obligations to each other, and all that shit. He'd come to Scott, and Lil, for help. It enough to make Scott's chest ache a little. In a good way.

Didn't mean he had to show it, though.

"God," Lil said, dipping a few fries into ketchup. "I don't know if you two make me sad I don't have siblings - or glad."

"Glad," piped up Alex with a decisive nod. "You should definitely be feeling glad. It keeps you from having to have weird conversations about feelings and shit when you're trying to eat."

Scott shrugged awkwardly. "It's not so bad."

Lil smirked at the pair of them, shaking her head before finishing off the last of her burgers. Brothers were interesting creatures, that was for sure. Especially the Summers Brothers.