Hi, all! Thank you massively again for the reviews and generally kind reactions for the last chapter! This one was a little rushed when I got the energy to write, so hopefully it's okay! Also, the rest of this author note might seem like a bit of a spoiler, but I just wanted to manage expectations with River and Greyson's dynamic. I don't intend for them to immediately fall into place together, I really plan to explore their friendship and the implications of friends with benefits a little before anything falls into place romantically. I just wanted to make it clear that it wasn't going to be plain sailing for them, so hopefully that's okay too.

Thank you again, please enjoy!

He couldn't help but smile as he watched River. She and his father had been combing through the contract that his parents had sent to her, stopping every few points when she had objections.

Her first concern? Well, the pay. She was worried that they'd added an extra zero. You know, accidentally. Her face had been priceless when Christian has simply explained to her that he'd put the exact amount that they'd have paid anyone in the role. She had doubted that, but a brief database search from Grey's laptop had settled her queries.

To be frank, she was never going to have to worry about losing her shitty apartment again, not for as long as she was working for the Greys. Hell, she could have gotten a far nicer one in a better part of town and still found herself with enough money each month to live ridiculously comfortably. She'd be able to buy name brand food. She wouldn't have to buy cheap beer. Hell, she'd be able to get a new bike almost immediately if she wanted to. Whatever she wanted, she could get.

Another concern for her was the hours. There were so few of them, yet the pay was still so huge. She wasn't sure what she could possibly be doing to warrant so much money.

Still, for every part of the contract that she queried, one of the two Grey men in the room talked her through it and explained what she was missing.

The one thing she had them both stumped on though, somewhat ironically, wasn't in the contract.

She, for one reason or another, said that she would no longer accept pay for babysitting Amelia. She was happy to do it, excited even, but she wanted it to be included as an overall part of the huge pay packet. Grey found it funny that she was seemingly unwilling to rinse the rich for all they had, but he knew she felt like that was already what she was doing. So, after some time of deliberation, his dad agreed.

There were a few things River wanted to change as far as equipment went in the home gym, some additions to it and some subtractions. For the most part though, she was happy with a lot of it.

Finally, they came to talk of the summer house. While River had immediately and politely turned down the idea of having a room in the Grey house, she seemed far less put off by the idea of having a key to the summer house and having general blanket permission to stay there when she wanted. She was somewhat put off by the idea of Christian's that they'd have it renovated into a livable chalet of sorts, something that amused Grey greatly as she stated that it was already more livable that her apartment, but it was agreed upon that, while she wouldn't live there, it would act as her base of operations and would become more or less hers for as long as she worked for them. That last part had taken some convincing, but apparently only she and Grey still held any interest for it, so she finally gave in with a nod.

By the time the meeting was over, River was signing on the dotted line and passing the contract over to Christian Grey: her new employer.

Christian was the first to leave the meeting room after a brief chat about all of River's legal issues. While they still had no concrete evidence against her former boss or his wife, the cops also had nothing concrete against her, so since she hadn't committed any crimes, she and the Greys were actually relatively calm about the whole thing. She got the occasional call from the detectives on the case and her apartment was still getting a few photographers posted outside, but things were definitely dying down for the most part.

With his dad out of the room, leaving him and River alone, Grey released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"So," He started, lounging comfortably in his seat across from River, looking at her across the table. "How're you feeling, employed lady?"

She looked good. Seriously, she looked really good. There was barely so much as a hint of a bruise left on her face, the swelling was way down and the cut on her nose where it had looked badly broken was little more than a scratch now. His grandma, upon looking her over and reporting back, said that it was likely that she'd have an incredibly small scar, but one that would likely fade into relative nothingness quickly enough.

Smiling one of those infections smiles, River spun her chair for a second before stopping and nodding. "Really fucking good." She admitted.

Her glee was contagious. Grey was grinning before he knew it. "You deserve it, you know that, right?" He told her, watching her roll her eyes. He knew why. The compliment had made her uncomfortable, but it was true.

Before long, as work called out to him, it was time for River to be leaving. With an agreed upon start date of a week's time, giving her time enough to prepare for her new role, Grey simply hoped he'd see her before then. They hadn't set anything up yet, not since the other night at his folks' place, but he didn't want to push.

Outside the meeting room, he walked her over toward reception where she collected her bike gear. Or, well, the gear of Elliot's that she'd borrowed with the bike. Her bike gear was still with the cops.

As she took the helmet over the counter from Phia, Grey couldn't help but notice how the receptionist was eyeing her. Huh. He hadn't ever thought about Phia's sexuality before, but if that look was anything to go by, she certainly had eyes for River. Or, at the very least, the gear she was taking with a smile. He understood, of course. River was objectively attractive with a warm smile and a husky voice. He could certainly see how Phia could have found herself a little flustered just from their brief encounter. It was sweet and amusing, he decided, even more so because River seemed so unaware.

Saying goodbye to her in such an open setting felt odd, but he wasn't going to follow her down to the parking garage just to get a little privacy.

"Hey, you'll ride safe, right?" He asked her as she pulled the pants and jacket combo on over her clothes. Jeez, how did she even look good doing that?

As she snorted, clearly amused by his concern, she reached out and took her gloves from him. He held them tighter for a second, watching something playful dance in her eyes at the idea of some kind of challenge from him. "Yes, Dad, I'll ride safe." She yanked the gloves, giving him a triumphant smile as she tucked them into the zipper of the half-zipped torso. "I'll see you soon, Grey." She then said, a promise if ever he'd heard one.

They both leaned in for a hug, though it was brief, squeezing one another before parting. "Right. See you soon." He agreed, feeling the prying eyes of those waiting in the reception area watching them.

Just like that, she was gone. Mason was there with her, walking her to the elevator and down to her bike just as Christian had ordered.

As he walked back to his own office, silently wondering when he would next see River, his cell chimed. She hadn't messaged him so soon had she? If she had, it had been from atop Elliot's bike.

He waited to get into his office and close the door safely behind himself before he checked his cell. Sure enough, there it was. A text from none other than River Nivalis.

River. 12:33:

"Sky and Matt are coming by my place later if you wanna hang? Or I can do another day. Up to you"

Matt and Skylar. Huh. He wanted to see River, sure, but the other two? Dumb as it sounded, he wanted her alone. He wanted her all to himself where he could kiss her and hold her.

While Skylar had been nice enough and he'd started getting over his stupid feelings of jealousy towards Matt, he wasn't all too sure that he wanted to see them. Again, they were fine enough people, but he wanted to see her, not them. Only, as he thought about it in the safety of his office, seeing them both with River would probably seem polite. It would make his feelings toward her, a friend, seem far more platonic, right?

So, with a huff, he replied.

Grey. 12:35:

"Tonight sounds awesome! Want me to bring anything?"

Huh... had that been too enthusiastic? Not that there was anything he could change now that it was sent.

Expecting that she was driving, he stuffed his cell back into his pocket only to get a near immediate response. Had she been waiting? He expected not, but hey, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility.

River. 12:35:

"Only you"

Only you.

God, even the smallest of things got to him these days. Seriously, that one text had lit that same freaking fire in his gut that he was beginning to fear he'd lose control of.

Needless to say, the rest of his work day was much of a muchness. He was struggling to do anything other than think about seeing River later on. Thankfully, he hadn't had any meetings set, so he'd just been staying caught up on general work, but he still made a mental note to buckle down and actually keep his head in his work.

By the time the day was done and he was back home, he and River had texted some more about a time and whatnot.

Eager to make some kind of a good impression, he took a shower and got dressed. While his mind yelled at him to pick out a nice suit, he chose not to. A nice enough button-down that he swore to himself that he wouldn't button all the way, a pair of sneakers that Teddy had threatened to kill him over if he ever took them out of the box, and a pair of ripped/tattered jeans that Aunt Mia had sent him when launching a new line. Save for the button up, the rest of the outfit was new to him and was mostly a foreign style, but he figured it was nice and casual. Of course, he added a nice belt, some cologne and chose what he considered to be somewhat lucky underwear, all in a bid to be a little more comfortable.

While he would have loved for River to have had the chance to lightly tease him for wearing a suit, he frankly didn't want to wear something fancy that set him apart from the others. He had to blend in, right?

When he finally left, heading down to the parking garage and getting into his car, he was a little shocked at the flashing of a camera as he pulled out of the complex, but it wasn't any concern. Hell, River had warned him that her place was still bosting a few committed lurkers, so he felt lucky to have only seen a single guy outside his own place.

The drive to River's apartment block was easy enough. It was a busier part of town, far more bustling with activity and more people packed into a single building. Where his building had barely four large, luxurious apartments to each floor, each separated into different elevator segments or even floors of their own, River's building easily had at least ten apartments per floor even in the most narrow parts of the building. She was lucky to have been able to get an apartment by both the stairs and the elevator, not in the maze of winding hallways. Hell, some of the floors in her building had thirty plus rooms, each with families in them.

He spotted Elliot's bike easily enough, chained to a lamp post beneath a security camera for a neighboring store. A chain on each wheel and a handlebar lock, plus what looked like some sort of clamp on one of the wheels. River was taking the bike's security pretty seriously, it seemed.

Naturally, he spotted the cameras before they spotted him. While they were watching the doors to the building, he was watching them. Only, his car stuck out. He was in a poorer part of town, one which didn't usually see cars so expensive. The link, he knew, wasn't all that difficult to make, least of all when he was parking outside the apartment block of the very person they were all there to watch.

Unluckily for him, River's building had none of the security that his own did. Hell, he just had to hope that they didn't hop into the elevator with him.

He could do this. With a brief glance at his cell, he hopped out, having parked just behind River's bike. The flashing of the cameras was immediate, as was the barrage of questions shouted at him. The photographers, it seemed, were ravenous. They wanted answers to questions that he hadn't even realized were being asked.

What's your relationship with River Nivalis?

Is River's mother in rehab right now?

Have any Greys ever been to rehab?

Is your brother still single?

Did River steal this bike?

The lunacy went on as he headed inside. It carried on even as he eyed the elevator. Only, he didn't want to get trapped in there with them, not to go up so many freaking floors.

Fuck. The stairs? There were so many of them, but they were the safer option. Plus, if someone was willing to chase him up all those flights? Well, then they could have whatever answers they wanted.

Before they could anticipate his next move, he bolted. Right up the stairs. He took them three at a time to begin with, only slowing a few flights up when he couldn't hear them following behind him.

It was tiring work getting up there, but by the time he found himself at River's door, chest heaving, he'd done it. He'd fucking done it. Now all that stood between him and River was that door. That door that, frankly, he figured a strong wind would tear it off its hinges.

Now that he was there, now that all that stood between them was that door... why the hell couldn't he bring his hand up and knock? He knew why. Deep down, if he thought about it, he knew. He was letting himself in for an evening with River's inner circle. An evening where they couldn't act with one another how they usually did. He was worried, he figured, about how their dynamic would play out around both Matt and Skylar.

It took him a second to catch his breath, but once he had, he pounded the door. Three sharp, hard knocks. He'd done it.

On the other side of the door, a flurry of feet and the flow of conversation was loud. Only, when the door swung open, he wasn't met with River. Instead, taking up almost the entire doorway, there stood Matt. He was wearing some joggers and an oversized t-shirt with thick socks and a pair of slippers that looked a few sizes too small for his feet. River's or Skylar's, Grey figured. If he really had to guess, they were Skylar's; he didn't imagine River owned anything so pink.

Before he could so much as open his mouth to greet the other man, there was an arm around his shoulder, guiding him in. "Hey, man!" Matt's voice, deep and loud, was booming in his ear as he was first pulling in for a quick hug. "Hey, look who's here!" He then hollered as they parted, swinging the door shut and stepping into River's apartment with his arm slung over Grey's shoulders.

It was a friendly enough touch, not at all threatening or anything, but Grey couldn't help but feel small and somewhat pathetic under the huge man's arm. It was stupid, he knew, but when he caught sight of River and Skylar, he didn't want to look small and weak or whatever.

At the sight of the two men, River's face softened. Whatever heated discussion she'd been having with Skylar was put on hold as she hopped up from the couch.

"Go get 'er, tiger." Matt chuckled in his ear, releasing him and heading in the direction of Skylar, but not before loudly slapping Grey's ass, making him jump.

Jesus, that had actually kind of hurt a little. The guy had freaking shovels for hands.

As he and River passed one another, she grabbed a nearby jacket and playfully swung it at him. "Leave his butt alone, pervert." She chuckled easily as he caught the jacket and threw it back where it came from.

There, in the kitchenette that backed onto the small, cramped living area, they were as alone as possible.

Fuck, was he meant to hug her? Or maybe they were meant to go for some kind of nod? He didn't know. He also didn't know how the hell to figure out.

Only, as ever, she knew. River always knew. So, as she neared, he let her take the lead and simply followed as she pulled him easily in for a hug. "Hey." She greeted warmly into his ear as he wrapped his arms around her. Her body was warm and firm in his embrace, powerful and inviting. He immediately wanted more, so very aware of how she'd arched her back slightly to hold him as close as possible. "Mm, you smell good." She then mused, practically a purr.

That was when it hit him. She was tipsy.

When they pulled apart, he looked her in the eyes and saw it. The flush on her cheeks. The dilated pupils. The sleepy grin. She was on her way to being drunk.

"Quit sniffing me, nerd." He decided to tease lightly in some effort to diffuse the sexually charged tension that he was already feeling, glad to hear her laugh almost immediately.

Hey, he wasn't going to get laid tonight, but he could at least try to be good company. They were friends, after all. Just platonic. God, that word felt like it was haunting him lately.

With a light snort, she turned away and pulled the fridge door open. He tried not to look inside, tried not to do some kind of impromptu wellness check to make sure that she had enough food and everything, but the insides of the fridge were actually far better than he expected. His folks, it seemed, had paid her early. That or Matt and Skylar had brought some stuff with them.

"Not my fault you smell good." She muttered after a second, chuckling to herself under her breath. "Come on, you want a drink?" She pulled him in close by the belt loop of his jeans, bumping their hips together before looking up at him through clouded eyes.

There, looking down at her, it was like he could see her thoughts floating around. She wanted to freaking eat him alive. "A drink." He muttered uselessly, nodding. Fuck, had his mouth always been so dry? "Yeah, sure. I'll take one." As he spoke, she was looking up at him with eyes filled with adoration. He could have fooled himself into thinking that she saw him as more than a friend if he looked just long enough, so he looked away.

He placed a hand on the refrigerator, holding himself steady. The other, against every ounce of rational thinking, he put around River's shoulders, placing his hand itself on the open fridge door. Making things both better and worse, she immediately leaned into his side and hummed contently.

He made a mental note to try to sit beside Matt if he wanted to avoid any kind of difficult situation. You know, of the hard variety.

When he and River finally left the kitchen, each with a beer in hand, he was both elated and somewhat disgruntled to see that the only seats left were right beside one another on a small couch. To make matters worse, it was a freaking love seat. Single cushion, just enough room for two. God, it was perfect. It would have been equally perfect for other things too, but he did his best to keep his mind firmly off that.

River's apartment was small, especially compared to his own. The living area that they were sitting in was cramped, even without the TV he'd have sworn blind was there last time. With a single love seat and a small two-seat couch, it was still cramped. The couches were angled beside one another, both pointing into the middle of the room, on neighboring sides of a tiny coffee table that looked like it would just about comfortably hold four glasses and maybe a dish of peanuts like you'd get at a bar. It was small.

The only two rooms he hadn't seen, he realized, were the bathroom and her bedroom. He only planned to see one of those two tonight and it sure wasn't her bedroom.

He sat first, pushing himself as deep into one side of the love seat as he could, desperately trying to leave as much room as possible for River to sit.

Unlike him, River seemed to have no such issue with thoughts of their proximity. While he'd tucked himself into the furthest possible corner, she did the exact opposite. She threw herself down with all the grace of a falling teapot, placing her butt directly against the side of his leg, allowing her to lounge back against the opposite arm with her legs draped over his own and her right arm laid casually against his shoulder. Mindlessly, she immediately let her fingertips touch the hairs at the nape of his neck.

He felt awkward. It wasn't that he didn't like her touch, of course, but around them? Well, he didn't know them, not really. It was that whole thing again where he didn't know how to act with her around them.

"Maybe you can help settle this." Skylar said, pulling him from his thoughts. Both she and Matt were looking directly at him, but he didn't dare glance at River, knowing that her eyes were well and truly glued to him. He could feel them burning into the side of his face. Worse than that, when they travelled downward, scorching along his jawline and to the side of his throat. Further, even.

In his throat, he made a light, curious sound. It urged her to continue.

From where the beautiful blond was comfortably sprawled out on her spot on the couch, she went on. "Matt and I say River should sue Jerry and Karen when all this is through." She stated, though Grey had expected more. That was it? That was what she and River had been so deep in conversation over when he'd arrived?

Clearing his throat lightly, he finally glanced to the woman beside him. For a second, he feared his heart had stopped. God, she was looking at him with those fuck me eyes again. "What, y-you're not going to?" He asked her, ignoring the way his voice croaked, thankful that no one pointed it out.

Sighing dramatically, River flopped her torso backward over the arm of the love seat. She huffed a couple of times before sitting upright again. Grey couldn't keep the smile off his face. For all the ways he'd seen River before, he hadn't ever seen this.

"I just want it to be over with." She grumbled, voice petulant.

Fuck. He could understand that. After all, she'd been through so much already, he figured no one else really got a say if she wanted to be done with it all. Only, as much as he believed that, he also firmly believed that she deserved compensation for the damn nightmare that she was still living through.

"It's not like I'll need the money anymore." She added, almost as if she'd read his mind. Only, as he listened, she didn't exactly sound super excited over it all.

He was going to say something, going to ask if she was okay maybe, but Matt spoke first. "Not like Jerry or Karen are gonna need money in jail." He grumbled, chuckling humorlessly to himself directly into the neck of a beer bottle. "God, the nerve of that fucking guy."

River groaned loudly, letting her head loll back against the couch's surface once again. "New rule: no more Jerry or Karen talk tonight. I wanna have fun, not sit here getting fucking depressed over... over all that shit." She sighed deeply, breaking Grey's heart just a little. She still sounded so fucking tired. He could only hope that she was feeling a little more hopeful about things and was going to enjoy working for his folks.

So, hastily, the three of them obeyed River's one and only rule.

They drank together well into the night, getting more and more rowdy with each new round of drinks. The beers were gone quickly, as would be expected when splitting a six-pack between four people. Next up came the cocktails, drinks that actually tasted good to Grey and not like he was sucking sweat out of a slice of old bread.

It was amusing, Grey decided, as the night went on. Specifically, as the drinks started to go down far too easily and he found himself watching the three people in the room with him.

River had long since flipped on the love seat, tucking herself comfortably and firmly under his left arm, then laying down entirely in his lap with her legs off the other end. She held one of his hands on her chest in both of her own, seemingly enjoying toying mindlessly with his fingers as the conversation flowed.

Matt and Skylar had adopted a similar position, though Skylar was sitting upright with Matt curled up like River was. Speaking of Matt, he and River seemed to be texting one another, giggling incessantly about one thing or another. As much as he expected to feel some kind of intimidated by it, he wasn't. Or, at least, drunk Greyson wasn't. Maybe sober Greyson would overthink it for a few days to come, but the cocktails were doing a stellar job of shielding his ego for the time being.

The dynamics that he'd been so very worried about, it seemed, were harmless. He should have known that, of course, but he hadn't. He also should have just spoken to River about his worries, he knew that too.

"So, what is this?" Skylar was eventually the one to ask through a fit of giggles as she and Matt had been talking, an accusing finger swaying between River and Grey.

Even drunk, Grey stilled. "Uh," He started, though the rest of whatever thoughts he had were lost.

"We're friends." River supplied easily. She slurred her words a little, seeming as far past merry as he was.

Nodding, the blonde's smile grew to a devilish grin. "Friends." She repeated back to River. "Friends, as in..." Her voice trailed off suggestively.

From in Grey's lap, River grabbed a forgotten bottle cap and threw it at the blonde, missing by a few feet. "As in it's none of your damn business, nosy." Though the words should have sounded like a warning, they came out in amused chirps of laughter.

Drunk River, Grey decided, was adorable.

While he blushed, Matt and Skylar both laughed. "So you are fucking." Matt stated, words directed toward Grey. He had a brow cocked teasingly, though there was no malice there. "You know, Riv, I couldn't get a fucking answer outta this one. You trained him well."

Riv? Huh, why did that suddenly rub him the wrong way? He knew why. It was petty and stupid, but he'd been under some weird impression that maybe he was the only one who called her that. It was stupid, he knew, he'd already heard Skylar say it in the gym, yet there he was, feeling a little hot under the hood.

Snorting in his lap, non the wiser, River rolled her eyes. "Okay, look, I know what you guys want." Huh? Greyson's interest was piqued at that. What did they want?

"We don't want anything." Matt said, though he wasn't so good at lying, at least not to her.

Groaning lightly, River looked pointedly up at Greyson, really looking over his features, before looking back to Matt and Skylar. "I'm too drunk for this." She stated simply.

That, it seemed, was all it took for Matt and Skylar to nod and back off. Only, Greyson still had questions. He wanted to ask, but the conversation was so quickly dropped.

What the hell had they wanted? Why had River looked at him like that?
As badly as he wanted to know, his alcohol addled mind moved on before long as a game was suggested. A game? Huh, he hadn't ever been all that fond of drinking games before. Only, looking down at River, he figured maybe it had been the company. After all, Heather had never wanted to drink, she sure as hell wouldn't have played spin the bottle or anything else. The thought of playing with River though? Well, he couldn't think about that for too long, not if he wanted to avoid a tenting situation.

River shot down the idea of a game quickly. "I know what kind of games you horny freaks like to play." She snorted, earning laughs from both of them.

"The same ones as you." Skylar shot back.

Okay, he was feeling more and more certain now that he knew what their relationships had each been before he and River had slept together. Was that why Skylar, in the gym, had made a point of saying that they didn't hang out as much anymore? She and Matt, he figured, may have been annoyed with him for... for what? For sleeping with River? No, he didn't get that vibe. They weren't annoyed, they were hungry.

Glancing at them both, he was amused to see that Matt's head was hanging off the back of the couch. The huge man snickered to himself quietly, mumbling incoherently. He'd clearly been hit by the booze almost all at once.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three sharp, solid knocks at the door sorted that right out. All four of them jolted, eyeing one another cautiously. Skylar was first to check her cell. "It's gone midnight." She stated, possibly as reason to ignore the knock.

River groaned. "It could be important." She made to stand, but Grey was quick to grab her hand.

"It could be cameras." He offered back pointedly. "Let me get it."

Before she could protest, he stood. The three of them watched as he stumbled over to the door, each of the four of them laughing heartily as he bumped right into the counter in the kitchen. It hurt his hip like a fucker but he continued on, heart racing.

Who the hell was it at this time of night?

As he grabbed the door handle, he was quick to check that the chain was in place. It was.

When he finally pulled the door ajar, he didn't recognize the angry face that was staring back at him.

"Who the fuck are you?" The short, plump man asked.

Now, Grey wasn't one to judge anyone based on their appearance. Truly, he wasn't. It was just... this guy. Somehow, Grey immediately knew who he was and why he was there. "Who the fuck are you?" He scoffed back, certain that this was River's building manager.

Not the smartest move, maybe, but seriously, who the fuck did that guy think he was?

Tiny eyes on the man's otherwise frog like features narrowed angrily. "I'm Stuard." He snapped, the corner of his mouth turning up. Did... did he think that was some kind of win? "I'm your friend's building manager," Bingo! "And she should come to the door right now. She knows the rules about guests at night."

Brow cocked, Greyson remained unmoving. "Steward?" He repeated back down at the small, repulsive man. "What, like a fucking guard? Like... like the steward of a ship or something?" He couldn't help but giggle drunkenly at the man who seemed to be growing redder in the cheeks by the second.

"Stuard." He growled back, furious. "Stuart with a d."

Huh. "That's worse." Apparently Drunk Greyson was a little bit of an asshole. Who knew.

"Get River!" Stuart with a d barked.

Nose turning up, Greyson didn't move. "Yeah, I don't think I'll do that." Seriously, this little guy was an asshole. "I gotta ask though, what's with you controlling who she has up here? I mean, what's it to you?"

Behind him, back in the living area, he could hear Matt and Skylar snickering, but not River. "Grey, I'm coming." She muttered, sounding unimpressed. Uh-oh, had he fucked up?

Luckily, as she made to pass the other couch, Matt stood up and playfully shoved her down onto Skylar, waving them both off. Instead, he came over.

Unlike Grey, he simply pushed the door shut.

Oh. He could have done that all along?

As the two men looked at one another, then at the door, they erupted into a fit of laughter. That was, of course, until the knocks.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Huh," Greyson laughed, reaching out and grabbing Matt's shoulder to steady the swaying man. "I wonder who it is." He mused, pleased to have earning a booming laugh from the other man.

As Matt hunched over, held up by Greyson, he threw an arm around the millionaire's waist. "O-Open it." He cackled, pointing to the door.

They laughed together, stifling their giggles as they swung the door open, this time without the chair. "Oh my god, it's Stewart!" Greyson exclaimed.

"No fucking way!" Matt boomed.

Together, like a pair of drunk kids, the laughed until they were red in the cheeks as Stuard, even pointing at him.

Matt grew heavy, forcing Grey to adjust his grip. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Pulling money out with one hand, he stuffed the bills outward. "Here, Stewart, have a couple hundreds and fuck off, okay?"

He'd never been this specific kind of asshole before. The drunk kind that waved money about, but there he was. With Matt's arm slung over his shoulder, holding the other man up by his waist, he wafted the bills around until Stewie or whatever eventually grabbed them with a huff. "Good boy!" Matt barked out in a fit of giggles. "Now, off you fucking go, buddy. We're busy."

Behind Stuard, just coming around the corner from the stairs, was a man with a camera. He didn't see the money, nor anything specifically untoward, but he did point his camera directly at where Matt and Grey were hanging off of one another. Shocking them both, Stuard actually wobbled off, muttering under his breath as he stuff something under a thousand bucks into his pocket.

"Mm, not tonight, pal." Grey held out a hand and wagged his finger at the guy with the camera, not that it stopped him from snapping an image.

Fuck. He knew that Tomorrow Grey could care about this, but in that moment? Well, in the moment, he actually found it kind of amusing. So did Matt, it seemed, as the larger man blew the camera an exaggerated kiss.

"Is River in there?" The camera guy asked, nodding to the apartment. He was hoping to be the only person getting drunk pictures tonight, sure, but he seemed to want to complete his set.

Drunk as they both were, Grey and Matt shook their heads at the same time. "It's just us." Matt burped out, clapping Grey's stomach in a dude-bro kind of way, the arm over his shoulder pulling a little tighter. "Just a couple of dudes."

"Doing dude things." Grey piped up, laughing. "Drinking cocktails."

"We're gonna suck each other off later, too."

"Sipping cocktails and sucking dick." Greyson confirmed loudly, both of them laughing boisterously. Huh. Maybe he really had misjudged Matt. "Just dude stuff."

Then, Matt was leaning down, whispering something in his ear. Something funny. Something stupid. Something temping. "We should kiss."

Okay, look, maybe he was getting too drunk. Maybe. But, like... well, he had nothing. He just knew that, in that moment, it sounded like a really good, really funny idea.

With a snicker, he nodded. Then, Matt was turning and he was too. Their lips met briefly, hot and heavy, drunk and tasting sweet like the fruity drinks they'd both been sipping at for far too long.

"Jesus Christ." River's voice carried, sounding actually kind of annoyed. Oops.

When they broke apart, cackling, Matt all but fell away in the direction of the couches. River was already hissing something at him, but it didn't matter. He promptly fell face down on the floor, missing the couch entirely. Immediately, he was snoring.

Laughing heartily, Grey reached out for the photographer, beckoning him closer. Hungry for more, for his scoop, he approached. There, Grey clapped the guy on the shoulder and heavily smooched his camera lens. "I got-" He burped. "I... I got a quote for you and your little magazine." He stated, keeping the guy's attention in spite of his not smudged lens. "Come on, get your little... get your little recorder thing out."

As soon as the excited man pulled out his cell and nodded, Grey spoke.

"Okay. Hello, world. My name's Greyson Grey. Grey Grey. I'm Grey Grey... Grey." Huh, where the hell was he going with this? "I just wanted to say, fuck Hot Fame Magazine for not being able to leave me the fuck alone. Fuck whoever decided to frame my friend. Oh, and fuck Boof. Boof, buddy, if you're seeing this, remember what I fucking told you, alright?"

With that, he kissed the camera once more before stumbling inside and swinging the door shut.

There, immediately inside, hidden around the corner so that the camera hadn't been able to see, was a wide-eyed River. Had he messed up? His stomach turned.

"I'm 'onna throw up." He told her easily.

She was quick to lead him directly to the bathroom. In there, as Skylar tended to Matt in the living room, River helped him carefully out of his clothes. They were too much. He was too warm, burning up as he slumped over the toilet.

Okay, so maybe he'd drank too much. It wasn't the end of the world, right? "I'm sorry." He grumbled at River. She was working silently to pull his pants off his feet.

Stilling for a second, she looked at him. There was a light, soft smile on her face. "You're okay, baby." She told him, her voice still thick with booze. He shuddered visible. "You cold now?"

He shook his head quickly. "I like when you call me that." He admitted easily. "I'm sorry I kissed Matt."

She seemed to still again, though he wasn't sure at which part of that. "I like calling you that. So long as it doesn't mean too much." She admitted, but her words didn't come as easily as his. "And Matt? He's a very affectionate drunk." She waved that off as if it was nothing, seemingly truly unbothered. Only, she had seemed bothered when she'd been hissing something at the huge man. Huh.

"I want you so bad." Was all he could manage to get out, finding himself drawn to looking her over. She looked beautiful, as always. "I want you so bad, but I'm so fucking drunk. No sex for drunk... while drunk." He nodded his understanding as he spoke, getting a small smile from her. She was drunk, too, but he seemed to be a little freaking lightweight in comparison.

Shocking him, she crawled over his legs and planted a heavy kiss on the side of his head. Whining, he made to turn and catch her lips, but she pulled back with a laugh. "Sober up, then I'll fuck you." She told him simply. "And keep that booze breath between you and Matt." She then added, standing over him and offering out both her hands.

He wasn't going to throw up, he could tell now, so he took her hands and let her help him up. He was only wearing his boxers and socks, but that didn't seem important as River guided him from the bathroom.

In the living room, Skylar had managed to get Matt sitting on the couch with a bottle of water. He was refusing the drink it though, turning his head away like a baby with vegetables as she huffed.

River, however, shocked him again as she pulled him into her bedroom. She gave him a swift shove, throwing him effortlessly onto his bed. "Stay." She ordered. "I'm gonna go help with Matt, then I'll be back in, okay? We're gonna go to sleep, Grey."

The night hadn't seemed like it had been ending, not before the knocks at the door, but standing up and getting hit by all the booze at once had clearly sped things along for all of them. It was honestly probably for the best that they hadn't drank more, especially while he and Matt had... oh, God, while he and Matt had kissed for the freaking camera. Only, he still found that hilarious. Hopefully he still did in the morning when the pictures went to print.

There, in River's bed, he fell fast asleep long before she came back.

He woke briefly when she slipped into bed with him, groaning unashamedly at her nude body under the scratchy covers.

Her bed wasn't as soft or as large as his, but nothing like that mattered when he was in her arms. All that mattered was holding her close, nothing as small or insignificant as how comfy the bed was.

Aided with alcohol, they both slept well into the next morning, snoring contently in one another's arms. In the living room, in spite of Skylar falling asleep on the love chair to give Matt the lengthier couch, the enormous man slept flat on the floor, face down in the itchy rug.

The end of another chapter, hopefully not a bad one. I didn't really plan for this exact ending, but I found myself really amused by the idea of Greyson and Matt just being dumb, funny (I hope) guys together. Fingers crossed it was all okay. As far as overall story and whatnot, I'm trying to make sure I don't just fall into the trap of being like "So, they fucked a bunch and everything just worked out fine around them" because I have a bad feeling that I could fall into that far too easily.

Please feel free to let me know about any thoughts and/or feelings about this whole thing, I absolutely adore it! I'm really loving writing this, so hopefully I won't take too long with the next chapter. Either way, see you next time if you're enjoying! Have a good day!