brutal | grayson hawthorne

mayhaps and mishem

***
Ode To A Conversation Stuck In Your Throat by Del Water Gap
***

"Your brothers are idiots," Avery says to Xander as they wait for the 'fighting' to be over.

"It's fine," Xander assures. "It's just what brothers do," but the look Liz and Avery shared showed they both highly doubted that. But, Liz was used to their silliness, she can understand why Avery feels the need to pace back and forth right now.

Xander explains Jameson and Grayson's tactics, and just when Avery decided she'd had enough of it, the door to the building opened, Jameson coming out with a grin and no prominent injuries.

"You two are idiots," Avery mutters as they all walk back in, and Liz takes her place next to Grayson again as he shrugs his suit jacket back on.

"Be that as it may," Grayson replies. "You want my help."

"Yes, we do."

"How many times do I need to say what a bad idea this is?" his says in a way that makes Liz realize it's easier to look at the floor than up at him.

"While you and Jameson were playing WWF like eight-year-olds," Avery says, "did he happen to tell you Toby was adopted?" Liz notices Avery's swallow. "Did he tell you about my birth certificate?"

"Your what?" Xander says immediately.

Grayson stares. Him, Liz, and Xander are all just as capable as any to read between the lines. Toby was adopted. Avery mentioned her birth certificate. Everyone knew why this search was important to her now.

"Here's a picture I took," Avery just starts again, holding out her phone. "Those are the charities listed in the will your grandfather wrote shortly after Toby's disappearance."

Grayson take the phone and tries turning it away from Liz's stare as she reads over his shoulder, but she just slaps his arm so he angles the screen towards her as well.

"There are very few surprises on the list," Grayson looks up as Liz starts pressing buttons to send herself the photo. What? It's way more interesting now that Avery's bloodline is on the table. "Most of these organizations have received regular support - or, at the very least, a sizable onetime donation - from the Hawthorne Foundation."

"You said few surprises, not none," Avery points out.

"Off the top of my head, I see four organizations that I don't recognize. That doesn't mean we haven't given to them before. . ."

"But it's a start," Jameson's voice is all but buzzing with energy.

"The Allport Institute," Grayson rattles off. "Camden House. Colin's Way. And the Rockaway Watch Society."

Avery, Jameson, and Xander immediately start their brainstorming with the names as Liz pulls out her phone and googles the four in different tabs to come back to when Grayson doesn't look so annoyed. Then again, maybe that's his normal state.

Liz and Grayson leave the three to it, walking back to the room they normally work in when they aren't sneaking off together.

"Let me see your phone," Grayson puts a hand out as Liz sits down at the table.

"No," she immediately knows he'll just delete the photo and her tabs and probably factory reset her entire phone while he's at it.

"Why are you so hell-bent on being difficult?" Grayson doesn't sit, so he's towering over her as he stands next to her.

"Because it's funny," but Liz's grin falters as he just stares down at her.

"This isn't a joke-"

"God, not this again-" Liz just picks up a random folder and flicks through it, leaning back in her chair like Grayson isn't right there.

"I just don't understand what I can say to make you listen to me," Grayson puts a hand on the back of Liz's chair, the other on the desk in front of her, bent over so if she moved her head the slightest bit their lips would be on the other's.

"Nothing," Liz won't give into his soft words. "There's nothing you can say," and she lifts her head defiantly, because she's done not knowing what to do with herself around him.

He looks at her for a moment longer, and Liz feels like she should say something else so his eyes aren't on her like that, but she just holds his gaze evenly.

He blinks.

"You win," he says, taking a seat next to her.

Liz didn't realize there was a competition but isn't complaining.

"Show me the tabs," he gestures to her phone, and Liz almost smiles as she realizes he's asking to help her out, not delete them. "If I can't stop you, I might as well keep you out of trouble."

Liz pulls up the Safari app and scoots closer to him so he can realize how much it means to her that he wants to work with her on this.

"We've always made a good team," she starts using his phone for her research, already knowing his password. "About time you realized it."

He just throws an arm around her shoulders and the two continue scrolling.

Liz thinks they're making good progress. It's clear the charities themselves are meant to tell a story - one's a rehab center, one helps people with dementia, one was created in remembrance of a boy who died in the fire that Toby supposedly did too.

Liz was looking into that one at the moment. Her and Grayson hadn't moved in what must've been hours of looking up these different charities, but she hardly feels stiff as her interest piques at the sight of a video on the Colin's Way Charity page.

"This was a horrific tragedy," the man in the video speaks as he stands beside who must be his sister and two kids. "One from which our family will never recover," and he goes on and on about Colin Anders Wright and how he would've wanted to bring the joy of athletics, teamwork, and family to underprivileged children in their communities, but all Liz can think about his the man's voice and why it sounds so familiar yet so unrecognizable.

She tries scanning the other faces in the video to see if anything jumps out at her, and she almost doesn't even notice the video start to cut out and the reporters surrounding the family start yelling for his attention. "Mr. Grayson!"

"Mr. Grayson, over here!"

The Grayson beside Liz looks up at the sound of the grainy quality of the video. Liz is dazed and borderline dizzy as she feels herself and Grayson read the ticker bar running along the bottom of the screen.

The name of Colin Anders Wright's uncle: Sheffield Grayson.

a/n:
begin again - taylor alison swift