brutal | grayson hawthorne

ugh

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Electric Love by BØRNS
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Liz was planning on ditching school the next day, but when she stopped by Hawthorne House to grab a chocolate croissant and saw Mr. Laughlin re-bricking Toby's wing after the closing had clearly been knocked down, she knew she was way behind everything and needed to turn to Xander if she wanted to make progress with this mystery.

It's not that she's blatantly ignoring Grayson's warnings about getting caught up in this, but rather that she just doesn't have much else to do with her time. There are only so many line graphs she can look at before her brain explodes.

"The fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine is a legal rule that says evidence obtained illegally is inadmissible in court," Xander says during his, Thea, Rebecca, and Liz's debriefing session in the computer lab.

The grouping couldn't be worse, but Liz being the only senior in their specific group of sophomores is what she had coming for losing interest in the hunt yesterday.

As exciting as the game is, Liz has to admit that she starts to get bored when she actually has to figure out the serious parts - and making out with Grayson was much more fun anyway.

Xander had finished explaining everything he, Avery, and Jameson had found in Toby's wing, and now the group was brainstorming what the poem and clock and cipher sheet could all mean.

There wasn't too much progress made, but Liz couldn't dwell on it for long when she was meant to meet Grayson at the foundation again later today.

She assumes he's only asking to spend so much time with her so she doesn't get even more caught up in finding Toby, but she's fine with pretending it's because he just really likes seeing her.

It's also easy to pretend that's the case when he has her pushed up against a wall at the back of the building, suit jacket discarded long ago as his hands get tangled in her hair and hers run along his abdomen as she messily struggles with the buttons on his shirt.

They haven't really discussed what they are - boyfriend and girlfriend? Friends with benefits? Fuck buddies who haven't fucked? Just two people in the same room at the same time? - but no matter the case, Liz is fine with this sneaking off to a hallway with no cameras so she can tousle Grayson's hair and he can untuck her school blouse so his hands rest on her waist.

"GRAYSON!" an all too familiar voice shouts from the main room of the foundation, and Grayson sighs as he presses his forehead to Liz's, needing a moment before he has to endure whatever Jameson is calling him for.

Liz laughs at his distraught state, easily moving to help him collect his appearance before he goes out there.

She doesn't say anything about Toby around him anymore, because she knows the way his jaw stiffens when she tries bringing it up, so it's hard to miss the way whatever moment they were just having vanish from his mind as he reels through all the possible reasons Jameson would be here.

"Maybe he just wants to hang out with his brother," Liz tries lightening his mood as she hands him his dark gray jacket, the color matching his eyes with the stormy look that's overcome his features.

He notices the effort, and runs his hands through Liz's hair ever so gently to clear out the mess he made of it.

"Let's just get this over with," is all Grayson says, letting his arm fall and stalking out to the front, Liz having speed walk to keep up with his long strides. "To what do I owe the honor, Jamie? Xan?" Liz rolls her eyes at the way Grayson ignores Avery's existence.

"I invoke the ancient rite of On Spake," Jameson says before Xander can start his sentence.

Grayson looks even more annoyed if that's possible, and Liz has to snort back a laugh.

"The what?" Avery is the only one to not have an immediate reaction.

"Anagram it," Liz offers helpfully.

It takes Avery less than three seconds, "no speak."

"Exactly," Jameson nods. "Once I begin telling him what I have to say, my dearest, darling old brother here can't say a single word until I finish."

"At which point, if I choose, I can invoke the sacred rite of Taeb Nwod," Grayson dusts an imaginary speck off the cuff of his suit. Even after throwing it on the ground when he was with Liz, he still made sure it was in the best condition.

"Beatdown?" Avery is not as amused as Liz is. "You've got to be kidding me."

"It's a friendly beatdown," Xander assures her. "A brotherly beatdown."

"More or less," Liz offers quietly.

"Well?" Jameson stares at Grayson.

Grayson shrugs off his suit jacket, preparing for the second part of their interaction as he lays it neatly on a nearby chair. "Whatever you have to tell me, Jamie, I'm all ears."

"We went to see the will the old man wrote right after Toby 'died,'" Jameson took his time with his words because he could. "Yes, I know you think asking to see the will was a bad idea. No, I don't have any particular objection to bad ideas. Long story short, we found a list of charities. We need you to look through them and see what, if anything, you notice."

Grayson stays staring.

"He can't talk until I cease On Spake," Jameson explains to Avery. "Let's cherish the sound of silence for another moment." Both Liz and Avery stare unamused, and Jameson just blows out a long breath. "Cease On Spake."

Grayson begins cuffing the sleeves of his shirt.

"You two aren't actually going to fight are you?" Avery looks weary as Liz moves to she's closer to the door. "They're not actually going to fight are they?" Avery notices her movement.

"Hard to tell," Liz replies airily.

"Who can say?" Xander says similarly in a merry way, moving so both him and Liz are at the door, waiting for Avery to come through, who eventually does in a reluctant way.

a/n:
i'm only me when i'm with you by taylor swift