A/N Just a little disclaimer that may be obvious but still. I do not own Glee, I do not know personally anyone mentioned. This is purely a fiction exercise. Also because English is not my native language you may have to excuse some mistakes I may write. That being said I hope you enjoy it. :)
Family dinner in the Gustin household. Everybody is in silence looking strangely at each other's faces.
You're holding a photograph Grant's mother showed you. A photo that's about twenty years old. You, Tyler and Grant are there. Some cute toddlers.
You look at his mother with an enquiring expression. "How? Why?" You don't even know very well what to say. Grant takes the photograph away from your hands. He scowls confused. "What's this? Who are..." He then looks quickly at you and then at the picture. "Oh shit. Babe..."
His mother shows you another picture. On this one there are a quite some people around a table. It's a birthday party. The blond birthday boy is blowing the candles. It's his 4th birthday, as the candles in the cake tell you. The boy is Grant. There's Tyler on his left side and you on his right, and you are both helping him to blow to candles and laughing. You can also see your parents and his parents. Both yours and Grant's mother are clearly pregnant, your sister and Gracie were still unborn fetuses at this point.
Without avoiding being a little emotional, you feel a tear coming out of your eyes.
His mother speaks. "That was the last time I saw either you or your parents. I still tried to contact them several times but never succeeded and eventually we lost contact."
You take your hands to you head. "Oh jeez..." You feel your head spinning.
Grant is looking at this second picture. "What the hell? It's you! Again!"
His mother sighs. "Seriously, after this initial shock, I'm now just relieved. At the time I seriously thought something had happened to you and your family."
"Well..." You try to think hard. "If I remember correctly, I think we might have moved around this time, you know, bigger house for the new baby coming, but it was in the same city..."
"Oh, house moving, that probably didn't help when I tried to reach your family... But I just don't know why your parents, your mother, never contacted me afterwards..."
You shrug without knowing what to say. You don't remember any of these events of the pictures but of course, you were still a small kid.
When the pictures reach Tyler he exclaims shocked, "You're the pigtails kid! Oh my god." Then he adds, "I do remember I loved to annoy this girl... well... you... because of your pigtails. I was always messing up with your hair. And you were always doing your pigtails perfectly again. I also remember you had a... how to say... a little 'crush' on my brother. You were always playing with him, giving him attention. And I got all jealous and grumpy, like, 'why does she prefer to play with him? He's just a baby.' I guess Grant didn't annoy you back then." Tyler giggles.
Grant is still stunned. But he chuckles at his brother's words. "A crush on me, uh? So young and flirting with me already..." He kisses your cheek.
"Oh Grant..." You blush. "This is so... I'm dumb. It's crazy."
Grant's mother speaks again. "Me and your mother were roommates during college and best friends too. I went to her wedding, she came to mine. I know you since you were born. You were such a lovely and beautiful baby. Such a sweet, adorable little girl. Well, you still are. I remember when I was pregnant with Gracie I wished hard it would be a girl. Because of you. And of course, because I already had two lovely but also crazy boys." She smiles tenderly at Tyler, Grant and Gracie.
Gracie just shrugs. "What about Facebook?"
You let out a nervous laugh. "As if my parents have any of that."
Their mother laughs. "This was nearly twenty years ago. No facebook or anything like that back then. And over the years I eventually let it go. Sad, but true."
"What about trying to contact their workplace?" Tyler suggests.
"Her mother wasn't working at that time because of the advanced state of the pregnancy and when I tried her father's he had already left. He had finished his neurosurgery residency and they couldn't tell me where his new job was."
"Bummer." Gracie comments.
"Why would your parents stop calling?" Grant asks bemused.
"I have no idea. I was asking myself the same question..." You shrug.
At this point Grant's mom hands you the photo album. You find pictures of her and your mother in college. They looked really close to each other. Then the wedding. Not only Grant's parents wedding but also a picture of them in your parents wedding. Then the kids started to show up. When see you a picture of yourself with four years old happily hugging, almost choking, a smaller but also happy Grant, in the beach, you can't help it and you shed some tears. They're not sad or happy tears. They're just tears because of all the emotions it brings on you. "Oh dear." You quickly get rid of the album, giving it to Grant, wiping off your tears. "This is an evil tearjerker, this album." You try to joke, a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, I understand. Even though we lived in different states we'd always meet up two or three times a year." His mother explains.
"Well, I don't know what to say..." You shrug with shy smile.
"I think it's so sweet that you kids found each other again after all these years..." Grant's grandmother, who's on his left, squeezes Grant's cheek tenderly.
"And on the other side of the country... Destiny, I'm telling you, grandson. You should not let her go." His grandfather speaks matter-a-factually.
Grant grins while holding your hand over the table. "Worry not, guys, I do not intend to."
For the rest of dinner you all keep talking about how odd the whole situation is and Grant's mother asking you how your parents have been doing over the years. You consider calling your parents but she prefers to leave it for another day, so she could recover from this shock.
You have been helping with the cleaning in the kitchen when you hear Grant talking to Tyler. "Sure, I guess. Let me just ask her." He turns around and sees you walking in the living room. "There you are, babe. Do you wanna go to the beach tomorrow? We'll do a picnic and spend the day there."
You smile wrapping your arms around him. "Seems wonderful."
Gracie jumps in. "Me too!"
Tyler laughs. "But don't bring any of those crazy friends of yours. You don't wanna creep the two lovers out."
Gracie pouts. "They are not crazy. But yeah, I won't. I know they want some peace." She smiles at you and Grant.
After a while his grandparents leave and it's eventually time for bed.
After saying goodnight Gracie and Tyler have already gone to their bedrooms when Grant's mother approaches you and Grant. "I'm assuming you two will stay in Grant's bedroom but I can arrange something else if you want..." She looks at you with a smile.
"Oh." You blush.
Grant immediately speaks. "Sure, we will." He nods grinning.
His mother looks at you again. "Are you sure, my dear?"
You nod shyly and Grant just comes to your help. "She's just shy mom. We'll be fine. We are already used to sleep in the same bed," you flush strongly at these words and Grant continues, "she just thinks you wouldn't approve it." He giggles.
"Well, you're adults. I'm not naive to think you wouldn't want to be together. It's fine, really." She kisses yours and Grant's cheek. "Well, good night then, sweethearts. Enjoy your beach day tomorrow. I leave early for work, we'll see each other by the end of the day, ok?"
Finally you're with alone with Grant in his bedroom.
"So, interesting night, uh?" He smiles, starting to undress.
"It's nuts. Insane." You kick off your shoes and take off your dress, still not believing in what you learned today.
"I agree. Finding out that I know you since I was born... I had last seen those photographs many years ago, I couldn't possibly imagine it was you..." He comes hugging you, already shirtless.
"Well, I do have a vague notion of that last time, your 4th birthday, but not the other times. I remember your brother annoying me and I liked you better because you were sweeter and cuter, I think I pretended you were my little brother, because I was an only child at the time and I wanted a to have a brother or sister."
"Your little brother, uh?" He giggles.
"Well, not that you were much littler... You're certainly bigger than me now..." You laugh.
"I knew there was something when I first laid my eyes on you two months ago... Something familiar, something special, something that attracted me to you but I couldn't obviously figure it out. I think my grandfather was right. Do you still have doubts that I'm the one and only?" He kisses your lips softly.
"I never had doubts." You smile caressing the back of his head.
"I love you so much." After a passionate kiss he carries you in his arms to the bed.
"Oh oh, Grant." You giggle as he drops you on the bed and quickly crawls on top of you. "Your sister's bedroom is next door. I don't think we can..."
He silences you with a kiss. "No? What if..." he keeps giving little kisses on your face and neck, "we get under the sheets..." his hand goes up your thigh, "and we get to be really quiet...?" He looks at you smiling. "Think you can do that?" With a cheeky grin, his hand stops right on your crotch.
You sigh. "You're evil."
"Am I?" He bites his lower lip and then grins naughtily, his hand now moving inside your underwear.
"Damn, Grant." You whisper desperately. You can't really resist him. "Undress and get in." You command. "And remember, no sounds, moans, or anything." You whisper in his ear when he's already in the bed with you.
Next day you and Grant and his siblings are getting everything ready for the picnic at the beach. Their mother has already left for work.
When you are about to leave you hear some car's horn outside.
"That would be my boy!" Gracie exclaims happily.
Grant opens his eyes. "What?! Your boy?! Excuse me?"
She giggles embarrassed. "My boyfriend. I'm going with him, we'll meet you guys at the beach. The usual spot?"
Tyler chuckles. "Yeah, the usual. See you. Tell Adam to drive safely or I'll kick his butt."
Grant is baffled. "Adam? What the hell is going on here? You have a boyfriend I know nothing about? Someone I haven't even met or approved? What kind of immorality is this, Gracie Gustin?"
Gracie laughs. "You have no right of saying such things, sweet brother. Or have you forgotten you haven't told me about your girlfriend either?"
Grant giggles. "Yeah, right." Then he turns to Tyler. "Have you met this Adam? Is he good enough for our sister?"
Tyler laughs. "I have met him. He's a kid from her class. He's ok. But don't worry, I have already given him the big brother talk. He knows he can't screw up or he'll be in trouble."
"You're lucky you don't have a big brother." Gracie says to you rolling her eyes. "Imagine having two. It's a nightmare!" She jokes. "Anyway, I'll meet you there! Bye!" She leaves the house running happily.
Grant peeks through the window. "Adam, uh? I'll have my talk with that boy later."
You can't help but laugh at the whole situation. "Poor Gracie. It really must be pain in the ass to have you guys as older brothers."
Grant pretends to be offended. "Humpf. We need to look after her. She's just a child. Who knows if this Adam guy doesn't want to just take advantage of her?"
You laugh again and Tyler clears his throat. "Uh, guys... On our way we'll pick up Liz, ok?"
"Liz? Oh, of course! The special girl... Finally I'm meeting the girl who totally stole your heart." Grant laughs.
"Behave, ok?" Tyler seems almost embarrassed.
Grant grins, "Always my friend. Ok, it sounds like we'll have a great time."
After getting everything ready you all finally leave to go to the beach. You stop at Liz's place to pick her up.
Tyler's girlfriend is a college colleague of his. She has graduated already like he has. She's a bit shy, a bit like yourself, but she's lovely and nice and you like her instantly. You notice she's just a little self-conscious about herself. She's not the typical stunning, gorgeous girl and maybe that's why she's not very confident. However, the bond between her and Tyler is clearly evident and it's obvious they are head over heels with each other.
Already at the beach you learn that Tyler and her want to move to LA and search for a job there. You're talking about their hopes and dreams when Gracie and Adam finally join you. Grant plays the big brother role with Adam which provides a somewhat hilarious scene to watch. The face of the boy is priceless.
"Hey, bro, brought Coop and Pepper for the usual Twitter update?" Gracie jokes.
Since your vacations started Grant has updated his Twitter with photos of Coop and Pepper. Usually only the toys would show up, in various locations, but in a couple of tweets he would mention you, saying he was having the best of his time with you. This, of course, had provoked some replies from your friends, notoriously, Kevin and Dianna. Not to mention the fans.
Grant is uploading a picture of the birds in the sand when he asks you surprised, "babe, have you set your profile private?"
You sigh rolling your eyes. You wondered how much time it would take him to realize it.