Hi, all! Thank you so much for the reviews left on the last chapter, I really appreciated them a lot. I didn't mean to go quite this long before the next update, but it's here now, so hopefully it's all good. Without further ado, please enjoy!
"So, what exactly was the misunderstanding?" Phoebe asked sternly, arms crossed over her chest.
The entire family, save for Amelia, Ana and River, were all in one of the communal living areas of the ship.
Naturally, Grey had known that his newly bruised jaw would attract some attention. Questions and such. He also knew that, if nothing else, he could expect that the air between him and Teddy was going to be a little chilly, maybe between Teddy and River, too. He'd woken with a pretty decent mark on his face, one that certainly wasn't going to go unnoticed by anyone with a half decent pair of eyes. Now, it wasn't anything even half as bad as River's nose had been after her arrest, but it was still pretty clear what it was that had hit him. No hiding anything.
What he hadn't expected, was for Teddy to be loudly arguing with their father when he'd woken. His brother was still angry, all but yelling about how Greyson had tried to assault River and that, had he not shown up, they had no way of knowing what would have happened.
Sighing from his seat, Grey looked up at his sister. She was, understandably, looking disgusted with him. "I was drunk and I tried to kiss River." He stated, voice low and defeated, just as it had been the last time he'd said it. "I thought she wanted to kiss me, so I kissed her. I was wrong-"
"So, you didn't ask?" Phoebe snapped.
From beside her, Grey could see the confusion swirling in Jen's eyes. Jen, who knew the truth of what he and River were to one another, or a version of it at the very least. He knew why. She was wondering if Teddy had misunderstood what he'd seen, or if Grey really had tried to drunkenly kiss River as he'd trapped her against the balcony railing. His father was clearly wondering the same, arms crossed stiffly over his chest; it was undoubtedly where his sister had gotten the gesture from.
"I-" Grey started, thinking, but he stopped short, raking a hand over his face. "I wouldn't ever hurt River, you guys know that. It was a stupid moment, okay? I... fuck. I was drunk, I wanted to kiss her and I thought that the feeling was mutual. Obviously I was wrong."
He didn't know what to say. Didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to prove his innocence to his family while still upkeeping his promises to River that he would keep their secret safe. How many holes did he have to dig in order to bury this?
Touching her fiancée's arm softly, patiently, Jen looked sadly across at Grey. "Why don't we all step back and breathe, hm?" She spoke directly to Phoebe, but the words were clearly for Teddy too as he continued to loom nearby.
Scoffing, Phoebe shrugged the hand off, looking utterly appalled by the idea. "Are you really doing that?" She barked, horrified. "Are you, the lawyer, telling me to step back and to breathe when a fucking witness says that my brother was caught assaulting someone- no, not someone. River. He admitted it, Jen!"
With a harsh sigh, their dad stepped forward, placing a hand on his eldest daughter's shoulder. "Your mother's gone to speak with River." He stated, his voice holding authority. Would it work on Phoebe? Would she take the hint and back off, giving in to what the patriarch of their family unit wanted? "Let's wait to hear from her and see what River says-"
"Right, because she's really going to tell us, his fucking family, that he, a rich man, assaulted her, a poor woman." Teddy snarled. "Really great suggestion, Dad."
When he'd first come into the room, Grey had been shocked. When everything had kicked off, Amelia had gone running to her room. As badly as it sucked, Grey was glad for it. He didn't want for her to hear more of this than she needed to, so the fact that she'd left as soon as Teddy began to raise his voice at questions of what had lead him to hit his brother. It had been barely a few minutes later before their mother had walked off, saying that she was going to check on Amelia and then wake and check on River.
As Ana had left the room, Grey had seen the upset in her eyes. Did she not know what to believe? Worse, did she believe Teddy's angry version of events? It wasn't even as if he could have blamed her if she had.
There, as his family argued around him, he felt sick. Both his dad and Jen clearly wanted so badly to believe him, even to put stock into what they knew of what he and River were, to hope that everything was simply a silly issue that had gotten way out of hand. It was just that, well, he could see that they didn't quite know what to believe. They could hear as he tried to tell the least offensive lie that he could, but they weren't sure which of the tiny truths to pick out of it.
Almost worse than what they were all clearly thinking of him, he fucking hated seeing this come between them. Between his dad and his siblings. Between Phoebe and her fiancée. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair, but he didn't freaking know what to do.
Against his every wish, he could feel hot, fat tears beginning to form in his eyes.
He sniffed hard, swiping at his face under his family's scrutiny. For a brief, horrible moment, he wondered if his parents regretted ever finding him.
"Hey, no." His brother's fingers snapped dangerously close to his face, startling him harshly. "You don't get to fucking cry about this."
He could feel his heart sinking, dragging down everything inside of him.
"Son, why don't you go to your room." Their father suggested, hand on Teddy's shoulder. "Please. You too, girls. Your mother and I will handle this-"
"We're not children. We're not Amelia. You can't just send us to our rooms." Phoebe held a note of distain as she spoke to their father.
Grey wanted to be swallowed up as the first tear spilled down onto his cheek. This was all his fault. If he'd just waited to kiss River until they were safely back in one of their rooms, none of this would have been happening. He and Teddy wouldn't have fought. His family wouldn't be fighting. Phoebe and Jen wouldn't be at odds. His parents wouldn't have to wonder for even a second whether or not he'd done what Teddy was so sure he had.
Only, just when he thought that things were at their worst, the gods above smiled upon him.
Bursting through the doors, none other than River herself. She looked frantic, tears strewn down her face, hair messed up and falling out of the messy, barely-there bun that she must have slept with it in. Wearing nothing but a sports bra and some shorts, she didn't seem to give a single damn about her scars or anything else, not when her eyes zeroed in on the scene before her.
Greyson, trying to stop his crying on an armchair, surrounded by furious family members. His father trying to keep some kind of peace. All of them looking confused and upset.
"Grey," The first word out of her mouth, almost a sob, tore his heart in two.
Immediately, he stood, shoving Teddy out of the way to get to her. As he did though, in walked his mother, standing right beside River. There were tears on her face too, staining her red cheeks. She looked up at him with love, but also with heartache.
As quickly as he'd stilled, Teddy had grabbed him, pushing him quickly to the side, standing yet again between him and River.
"Hey!" River snapped out loudly, seemingly shocking everyone. There was a second of silence, one in which the two lovers truly took one another in, then there was only River's fury. "You hit him?"
Beside her, the eldest Grey brother was confused beyond belief. "Hit him? After what he did, he's lucky I-"
"Teddy, you fucking hit him?" She, shocking everyone, cursed loudly, not even trying to hide her utter disgust in that moment. "Are you serious?" She made to round Teddy, made to get to Grey, but the eldest brother didn't budge, not right away.
Heart racing, Grey swiped the fallen tear from below his eye as it trickled out and began to race down.
He stepped back toward them all, toward Teddy, but was quickly stopped. "Riv, it's okay-"
"Don't fucking touch her," Teddy surged forward angrily, reaching around River and forcefully placing an unmoving hand on Greyson's chest. A threat. "Remember what I fucking said!"
As if he could have possibly forgotten.
I'll break your fucking jaw, Greyson.
I'll beat the shit out of you if I have to.
He figured those would stick with him for... well, forever.
Unlike him though, River wasn't scared of his brother. "Whoa, hey, back off." She quickly swatted away the hand of Teddy's that was on Grey's chest, earning cautious and curious looks. She didn't seem to care though, not about any of them. She only gave a damn about him, about keeping him safe and protecting him from the current threat.
Phoebe spoke up next, but her words went ignored and interrupted. "River, just come over here-"
Ignoring her, River stepped toward Grey only to have Teddy's arm shoot out protectively. "Teddy-"
"River, stop-"
"Teddy, move!"
"River, just-"
"Teddy-"
"River-"
They barely even had chance to share a glance amidst the chaos before, with determination on her face, River stormed through Teddy's barred arm. With her eyes firmly on Greyson and no one else in the room, she opened her mouth.
"Greyson and I are sleeping together!"
She'd said it. No, she'd shouted it. Seriously. With her while freaking chest.
"Wh..." A sputter came from Phoebe first. Could she really not believe what she'd just heard? "What?"
River raked in a breath, a deep one, taking Grey's hand in her own for some kind of moral support. "We're... we're sleeping together." She spoke clearly, turning away from him to face his family. She faced them for him, ready to bare her teeth for him and snarl whatever vicious words of protection she could form if she needed to. "I didn't want anyone to know, so I pulled away a little when he tried to kiss me. I was scared someone would see. He didn't... there wasn't any kind of assault, okay? I swear to god, it was all just a huge mistake that you- Teddy, you saw what you saw, I get that, but there wasn't anything nonconsensual going on. It was just an awkward misstep, one that we were going to talk about, but then you-"
"You're fucking my little brother?" Teddy, admittedly, sounded relieved and disgusted all at once as he cut her off.
"Yes. I am." River stated after a moment of just breathing. Grey wanted to help, to help her, but he was still sniffling, drying his tears and taking comfort in her hand being in his. "I was the one that wanted to keep it from you all, not Grey. This whole mess, it's all on me." She sounded utterly broken as she said that last part. He didn't agree that it was her fault.
Running a thumb over her hand, he shook his head. "Riv-"
"Why would you hide it?" Phoebe asked, cutting him off without a thought. She, it seemed, couldn't wrap her head around the information that she'd just been given. "River, we don't care if you're together. No one does."
"We're not, that's the thing. It's casual. We're friends, just friends." If nothing else, Grey was glad that she didn't drop his hand. He couldn't have taken that, not as she so clearly stated that they were just friends. Coming to terms with his feelings was beginning to fucking hurt. "I didn't want any of you to think badly of me or differently of me. I knew that things would change if you all knew and I didn't want that. I didn't want to give any of you the wrong idea about what's going on. I mean, we really are just friends."
Friends.
Just friends.
Platonic.
"Friends... who fuck." Teddy sounded almost uncomfortable with the idea. "Fuck, Greyson... I mean, why didn't you tell me last night?" The look in his brother's eyes was oddly disarming, Grey thought. For someone who had so recently been willing to throw him around, Teddy was now looking mournful and genuinely upset.
"When?" He scoffed, eyes stinging. "Before or after you shoved me over the couch? Right before you punched me, or what, after you said you'd break my jaw and beat the shit outta me?"
As much as there may have been anger and upset coursing through him, he also couldn't help but feel joy. It was so fucking peculiar, but knowing that Teddy would have gone to those lengths to protect River? Well, it elicited some joy, or some happiness at the very least. It just would have been nice if his jaw hadn't taken the brunt of things.
His words, he knew, weren't entirely fair. Teddy had been, in those moments, protecting River from a perceived threat. So, to hold those things against him? Well, it felt wrong, but that didn't change the fact that the words had hurt, nor did it change the fact that Grey knew that those words would be stuck inside him for a long time. Worst of all, it wouldn't change the silhouette of his birth father that he'd seen flashes of when Teddy had sent him scurrying off to bed. Those would stay too, he was certain of that.
No one seemed to know what exactly to say or to do after that, not really. There were long moments of silence, long pauses in which each of them took a moment to look around the room at one another, each surveying the harm that a simple misunderstanding had caused.
During one of his scans, Grey noticed something. Phoebe. She hadn't once looked away from Jen, tears welling in her eyes as an angry blush consumed her cheeks. She still had her arms crossed over her chest.
"You both knew." She eventually said.
Her tone, much like her face, left little to the imagination. She was pissed off as she eyed both her father and her fiancée.
Jen glanced briefly around before taking a breath and nodding. "I knew." She said nothing about Christian, nothing to implicate him one way or another. "I-"
"You let me stand here," Phoebe began to grow louder, a single tear streaking downward. "And accuse my brother of trying to assault River, all while you knew the truth." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. A disgusted one at that.
Immediately, Grey felt like they were intruding on a moment that wasn't meant for more than just the two women.
River made to say something, opening her mouth, but Phoebe was quick to hold out a hand, stopping her before she could say a word.
It was clear that Jen was uncomfortable to just about anyone with eyes. Her body was tense as she looked only at her lover. She didn't want to argue, not here. "I had to consider that Teddy was right." She said, keeping her voice level. She spoke slowly, trying to appeal to some rational part of the other woman. "I didn't have enough evidence one way or another. A drunk witness. A preexisting knowledge of their relationship. A story from Greyson that didn't quite add up-"
"Why did you know?" Phoebe didn't want reason. She wanted answers.
With an anxious glance toward River, Jen cleared her throat. "I'm not sure that I can-"
"I asked her not to tell anyone." River blurted out quickly. "Your dad, too, and Carri- uh, your grandpa."
It was Teddy who spoke next, brow still furrowed. He was standing close by, looking as though he wanted to hug them both. "Why?"
All eyes on River, she spoke before anyone else could. "Grey was my alibi, that night that my gear went walking into the gym. He... uh, footage of the two of us going into his apartment. That's what the cops saw, it's why they had to let me go; it showed that I was with Grey all night and it was pretty obvious what we'd been doing."
There was another silence, one in which everyone around them seemed to take a moment to digest what she was saying.
Some of them, he knew, were trying to figure out how long they'd been sleeping together.
River continued. "Your dad pulled the footage up. Jen and your grandpa saw it with the cops while I was being interrogated." She spoke with a little reluctance, as if she didn't want to be saying a word of it, least of all to them. "I had to give them a pretty detailed rundown of everything, times and stuff. So, yeah... they knew, but in an official capacity. I asked them to keep it quiet, so, Pheebs... if you need to be mad, be mad at me."
Mad at her?
Grey couldn't wrap his head around such a ridiculous notion. Who the hell could have ever been mad at her?
"I am." Phoebe admitted, sounding more saddened than angry for just a moment. "I am angry with you."
Somehow understanding, River nodded. She pulled her hand gently from Grey's, stepping around Teddy and toward the other woman. She offered Jen a small, sad smile. "That's okay." She said simply. "Be mad with me, not with Jen. She was only doing what I'd asked her to."
As quickly as Phoebe's anger had melted though, it was back again, growing resolute behind her eyes. "If you hadn't kept this a secret, then this wouldn't have-"
"Phoebe." Teddy cut his sister off, voice stern. He shook his head firmly. She scoffed at him, making to open her mouth, but he moved closer, shaking his head again. "I wouldn't have listened last night even if she'd told me the truth."
"If you'd already known, though-"
"If I'd already known?" Teddy laughed softly. "Pheebs, how long were you and Jen dating before you told anyone? Secret relationships or whatever this is, it's kind of a Grey sibling thing, don't you think?"
His sister balked at that, stilling and shutting her mouth. Grey was curious. He'd known that they'd been friends before dating, but they'd been more than that for longer than he knew? That was news to him at the very least.
"I really am sorry," River turned, glancing back to Grey. He smiled at her, ignoring the pain in his jaw. "To all of you. This shouldn't have ever happened."
There wasn't really all that much said by anyone else, not for a long time. Phoebe, in spite of her anger, was quick to hug River.
Angry and confused tears were shed by a few of them, though they were all visibly more relaxed with everything out in the open.
Eventually, it was Grey's parents who left the room first. With vocal assurances that no one else was going to start fighting, they headed off in search of their youngest, assuring River that everything was fine and they would explain things to Amelia in the simplest, most age appropriate way that they could. She, naturally, apologized to them for the situation once more, something that they were both glad to simply wave off, happy in the knowledge that their son hadn't tried to assault her that past night.
Phoebe and Jen were next out of the room. They weren't quite so relaxed or looking any kind of pleased, not really.
As the two of them left, Grey heard Jen saying that the two of them should go to their room and talk before breakfast. He didn't hear Phoebe's response, but he hoped that she heard Jen out.
Finally though, just as it had been for a moment the night before, it was just them. The three of them. Him, River and Teddy.
They stood somewhat equidistant apart, none of them speaking right away but none of them looking to bolt from the room.
For some reason, as Grey saw Teddy's mouth open, he spoke over his older brother instead. "You looked like him." He stated awkwardly, registering the shock on his brother's face. Had he not expected him to speak? Then, beside the shock, he saw confusion. "Him. Richard Anderson. My birth father. Standing over me like that, telling me you were going to beat the shit out of me. I could see him in your shadow, in how you were standing... in how you hit me."
Beside him, River's arms uncrossed. Her entirely body softened. She reached out, placing a hand on his side. It was nice and it was warm, he was thankful for her touch, but he simply couldn't look away from Teddy.
Standing there, those couple of feet away, tears finally found the face of the eldest son. It was just one at first, a single streak that he was quick to wipe away. Then, as the gravity of Greyson's words set in, more followed. He raked in a breath, seemingly looking to steady himself, then came a single sob. It ripped through him quickly.
Just as quickly, he surged forward. There was barely so much as a single second for Grey to panic before Teddy's arms were slung around him.
Holding one another, the brothers cried. River made to leave at one point, to give them some space, but one of the two of them stopped her, grabbing her wrist. In all honesty, Grey wasn't even sure which of the two of them it had been, but he was infinitely grateful to still have her beside him.
As the three of them stood there, Grey realised something. He and Teddy, in spite of being brothers, didn't really hug all that much. Sure, they clapped one another on the back or whatever, but they didn't hug. Why? Well, because they were both young men and that wasn't always seen as the norm or whatever. He scoffed internally. He hugged his dad all the time but not his brother. He swore to change that.
When they eventually pulled apart, Teddy grabbed his face, holding him as they both looked at one another. "You remember what I told you?" He asked, his voice cracking as he sniffled.
"About beating my ass?" Grey had to admit, he was feeling a little confused.
Snickering, Teddy shook his head and laughed softly. "You're my brother, Greyson," He started simply. "I love you more than life, okay?"
There was an intensity in his brother's eyes, something deep and pained. Grey remembered quickly. Teddy had said almost exactly that when they'd been in the tailor's shop together, when they'd been talking about how he needed to learn to take what he wanted.
With Teddy's hands still holding his tear stained face, Grey nodded. He nodded and sniffed hard, trying to get a handle on his damn emotions. "Yeah, I love you, too, man." He muttered, forcefully pulling his brother back in for another hug.
For as scared as he'd been, seeing flashes of the man who had beaten him in the darkness of Teddy's shadow last night, he knew better. He knew who Teddy was, through and through. Of course, it had still scared him and it had still hurt, but he could work through that. He would work through that. He couldn't hold the punch against Teddy, not really, nor the words that had been spat at him in anger, so he'd try to let them go. For the sake of their relationship, he'd do his best to let it go.
Pulling apart once more, they released one another.
This time, Teddy's attentions turned to River. She was smiling at the brothers, seemingly very moved by their display of love for one another. "You," Teddy started, shaking his head lightly. "Have terrible taste in men." He stated with a laugh.
Rolling her eyes, River grinned. "Come here." She said simply, opening her arms.
Teddy was in them in an instant. With River's arms over his shoulders, he'd bent to hug around her waist.
Watching two of the most important people in his life sharing a hug, Grey's heart ached just a little.
"Hey," River muttered non too quietly. She didn't released Teddy, arms wrapped tightly, but she'd gotten his attention. "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." Her voice cracked harshly as she spoke.
Grey wanted to reach out, to touch or to comfort her, but he didn't. This was a moment for her and Teddy, not for him. So, he kept his hands to himself.
Clearing his throat a little awkwardly, Teddy shrugged. "Well, you know," He hugged her a little tighter, releasing a shaky breath. "I couldn't just... I was wrong, I know that, but I really did think you were there against your will." Grey could hear the resolve in his brother's voice. He could hear how firmly he'd believed that River had been in some kind of danger.
Pulling away, River chuckled. She sniffled, too, reaching up to wipe a pesky tear away before stepped back and toward Grey. "Teddy," She smiled. "You won't ever understand what it means to me, what you did. You were willing to... fuck, you fought your own brother to protect me. That means more than I can express." She was crying now, openly crying as she was speaking.
Quickly, Grey's arm was around her. She turned into his chest easily, hands coming up to hide the tears on her face. He, in turn cradled her.
With her hidden away in his chest, he and Teddy shared a look. He wasn't all too sure what it was, but it left his brother with a content smile on his face.
"River," Holy shit... had Teddy just used her real name? Not Ringer, Ranger or any of the other nicknames he'd used for her all these years. River. "You're practically my third, far more annoying sister. It's weird that you're fucking my brother now that I've said that, but it's true. You're one of us. I will always protect my family." He lay a heavy hand on her shoulder as he spoke, so very careful to avoid her scars as they spanned up and through the sports bra that she was wearing. "You're family, kid. Like it or not, you're one of us, now and forever."
Standing there, arms around River, Grey found himself looking into his brothers face. For everything he had always been so sure that he knew about the man before him, he still found himself somewhat shocked. He didn't know why. Hell, Teddy was the same guy who danced for paparazzi to steer them away from other family members, he'd offered to fight kids for Grey when they were younger, he even prepared to have physical altercations with the rest of the family on Phoebe and Jen's behalf when they came out as a couple, seemingly the first openly queer among them.
Teddy, Grey realized, had always been protecting the family. Every single one of them. Silently, he vowed to himself that he would do his utmost to return that sentiment. After all, while Teddy was looking out for all of them, who was looking out for him?
For just a moment, Greyson was curious once more about Melody, Teddy's ex fiancée. He wasn't sure why, he couldn't put any kind of finger on it, but wanted so desperately to know what had happened behind closed doors between the previously perfect looking couple. What the hell had managed to come between them?
He would get no answers, not now at least. He knew that. Right now though, it was enough to receive a soft, somewhat apologetic smile from his brother over River's shoulder, then a nod to the door. He was going to leave the two of them alone with the silent assurance that things were okay between them.
So, with a single nod from Greyson, Teddy was gone, leaving the two youngsters alone in one of the communal living areas.
As seemed to be a theme for the morning, they had a moment of silence. A moment for River to regain her composure in the safety that Grey's chest provided.
Arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, he laid his head down atop hers and closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry." He grumbled down at her eventually. "I fucked all of this up real bad."
In his arms, in spite of her tears, she laughed. Then, shocking him, she shook her head. "It's not on you, Grey." She told him simply. She pulled her head off of his chest, glancing around somewhat anxiously before laying her chin back on one of his pecs, looking up at him with a soft sigh. She'd been anxious that someone could have walked past and seen her looking up at him like that, only then it had clearly dawned on her that it actually didn't really matter, not now that their secret was out. "I should have talked to you about what Matt said. We should have talked about... I don't know, rules, I guess? An understanding, at the very least."
He let a soft sigh out of his nose as he looked down at her, smiling shyly. "I shouldn't have assumed that it would be okay."
Her smile was so very soft, but it was there. It hadn't been chased away so easily. "You tried to surprise me with something that you'd been assured I would like," She mused after a moment, shrugging. "You didn't do anything wrong, Grey, I just should have been more clear. We'll talk more about things from now on, okay? The first rule of indulging in any kind of kink or fantasy is communication. We should have talked about it and that's on me. Everything's okay, okay?"
Everything's okay.
He didn't know how true that could be now that their secret was out, but River seemed sure of herself if nothing else. He took comfort in that. Comfort in her certainty.
"Come on," She stepped slowly out of his embrace, taking his hand in her own and tugging toward the door. "Let's get some ice for your face before breakfast. See if we can't get that bruise down."
He wanted her back, back in his arms, but he followed her all the same.
Come to think of it, his face? it fucking ached. Teddy had landed a really fucking solid hit on him, even drunk and practically swaying.
Naturally, he found himself finally chuckling when River inevitably tried to lead him the wrong way with a snicker of "it's your freaking boat, dude," as her only defense.
No one bothered the pair as they made their way toward yet another communal living area. It was decked out with couches, what looked like a cross between a full sized kitchen and an entertaining bar, access to the outdoor deck and other things. Most importantly, this one had drinks, cold drinks, meaning that ice was nearby.
Grey wasn't all too sure where everyone else was, not really, but it was nice to have a moment away from everything and to just be able to breathe in River's presence. Sure, he could have figured out where they were based on what each of them had said when they'd left the room, but he didn't care to.
There, in the kitchen/bar hybrid room, River lead him by the hand and shoved him down onto one of the couches
He didn't want to let go of her hand, not when she made to walk away, but he did. he let go, watching as she headed over to the kitchenette and began searching for ice.
Huh, he should have known where the ice was, right? That was a testament to what a stupid freaking purchase this vessel had been; he didn't even know which of those many black cabinets was actually a freezer.
Luckily, River was fast. She opened a few doors before getting lucky, landing finally on the one she was after.
As she grabbed a handful of ice and a small towel, he watched her. He watched as she moved around, seeming entirely unconcerned about the entire situation. See, that was the thing though. She'd fought hard to keep them a secret, so he knew there was no way that she was actually feeling as cool as she was acting. Was he supposed to bring that up to her? Was he supposed to wait to let her process everything first? Fuck, he didn't know.
All he did know, was that he was glad that she didn't have anywhere to run off to. Not until they reached land at least.
It was barely a half a minute later before she returned to him, freezing bundle in one hand as she grasped the small towel closed around the chunks of ice.
"Chin up, Grey." She told him as she neared.
Obediently, he did as she told him. He'd have done anything to keep her close, anything at all.
With her knees, she softly nudged his legs apart, stepping between them. She was close enough now that he could have rested his head against her stomach if not for the bundle between them. Speaking of, she grasped his chin in one hand, holding him lovingly as she brought her other hand up, laying the towel and its contents so very carefully against his bruised cheek.
It hurt and it was cold. Two things he should have expected, really. Two things though that simply didn't fucking matter. Only she mattered.
Looking up at her, at her face, he found himself figuring out the mask that she was wearing. What did she have behind there that was worth hiding from him?
Only, as he was looking up at her, she was looking right back down at him. Whether she could tell what he was thinking or not, he watched for a moment as the features on her face relaxed. She lost the fake, carefree smile. She put aside the unphased softness of her brow. She even let another small wave of tears form in those beautiful brown eyes that he could have lost himself in.
As much as he hated seeing her upset, he felt privileged to be someone she trusted to see her cry.
The dropping of her mask felt telling. He could wait for her to open up, sure, or he could prove his willingness to listen and ask her how she was.
Mouth opening, though, she stopped him. "I'm scared." She told him simply, sniffling lightly. She didn't let her tears fall, blinking them away, but she didn't try to act as though they didn't exist either.
"Of what?" He asked simply. He reached his hands up and placed them on her sides, holding her.
She took a steadying breath, followed by an uncertain chuckle. He felt the movements through where his hands were. She glanced down at them just once, but said nothing about them being there, nor a thing about what such a tender hold could have implied to anyone else aboard the ship.
Finally, after a long moment, she spoke up. "Everything." The word was small, almost silent, but when her eyes went back to his, he knew he'd heard it right. His heart cracked in his chest. "It's okay though. It is. I just... I don't know."
"Riv-"
"I don't want them to think differently of me, which is so stupid," She blinked hard, willing her tears away. He wanted to reach up and to wipe them off, but he held off. She hadn't even let them fall yet. "Your family means a lot to me, Grey. I never wanted them to think that I hung out with your because of your money, you know? Now though, now they must think... what, that I'm fucking you and bringing my friends on your yacht? I'm the asshole who got you hit by your own brother. It's my fault that Jen and Pheebs are arguing right now, and for what? So that I didn't have to admit that you and I are-
"River!" Greyson managed to stop her panicked rambling just as shed begun to speed up and fist the towel hard against his face.
Immediately, she made to stop back and withdraw from his hold. He didn't allow it, wrapping his arms around her. Hopefully Teddy wasn't around to see him holding her any kind of way, he didn't want another punch.
A deep breath raked in through her nose, jaw clenched, River sighed. "My demand for secrecy got you hurt, Grey." She told him lowly. He could hear the pain in her tone, it sat right alongside the self loathing. "I got you hurt."
I got you hurt.
He didn't believe that, not for a second, but if he flipped the situation, he could see how he would have found himself feeling like crap if something had hurt her. He could see where she was coming from, just like he knew she wouldn't have let him do that to himself.
Smiling softly up at her, he shook his head. "I knew what we were doing, what I was getting myself into." He told her sternly. He needed for her to hear him. "Riv, I didn't mind them not knowing. Now they do, though. They know and I need to know that you're okay. I need to know that you understand that this, this isn't your fault." He gestured with a kind of nod to his own jaw, hoping that she understood.
It was funny really, seeing the ways in which they both blamed themselves. Maybe they were both to blame, or maybe no one was to blame.
Realistically, at the end of the day, Greyson figured that it didn't matter all that much. It didn't, right? All that mattered was moving forward and controlling what they could.
Whether River was convinced or not, he couldn't quite tell. She nodded and sighed all the same though, something that he was thankful for. Only, just there, in her eyes, he could see that she was holding onto something. Luckily, after another moment of silently icing his jaw, she spoke up.
"I know that we need to talk about... everything." She stated at first. He saw it immediately. It was that same fear that he'd spied in there the day before as she'd all but tried to bait him into confessing his love for her. She knew. She did. He was sure of it now. "Can we just wait until after the wedding though?"
His blood was bubbling, though not with anger. He was hot, roasting alive in the knowledge that she freaking knew. She knew that, what, he loved her? If he had to guess, yeah, that was it. What the hell was he supposed to do with that knowledge now that he'd been asked to sit on it until after the wedding?
Side by side with the terror though, he felt hope. It was peculiar, squirming around in his gut, living among his fears and anxieties.
All the same, he nodded slowly. "We can wait." His voice was small, scared like a small child.
Sighing, the fear in River's eyes began to subside, giving way to something of a sadness. "I promise we'll talk, okay?" Her other hand came to cup his left cheek, holding his face in such a way that she could stroke him lovingly. It was loving, right? It felt it, but the worries and feelings of hope were at war inside him. "Once we're off this ship, we'll talk. Anything you want, we'll get out there. No running. No hiding. I swear it, Grey."
There was such clear resolution in her words, it made his heart thump hard against his ribs.
Again, uselessly, he nodded.
No running. No hiding. All he knew how to take from that was that, whatever she had to say, it made her want to run and hide. Or, whatever she expected him to say.
Fuck.
A soft sigh fell from her nose as her spare hand crept up and combed through his hair. As he watched her face, she'd looked away to watch her own fingers move before they flitted back to the bruise that she was covering for him. Two acts, so very tender and adoring.
Little more than a second later, her eyes were back down to his own. He could feel an intensity between them, but what was it? He was unsure.
So many words unsaid. So many feelings, moving and growing, shaping themselves as silence clung on the air.
"I love you, Greyson." She said, her voice so soft as she drew in a deep, settling breath.
I love you, Greyson.
His mind hadn't conjured that up, right? It hadn't. It couldn't have.
Sure, she'd said that before now, but... fuck, this felt different. The circumstances, the mood, the freaking proximity. All of it. Everything felt different.
There it was again, that hopeful spark inside him. For the first time, it felt like it may have been winning for a moment, batting the anxiety away.
"I lo-"
He opened his mouth to say it back to her, to put one final truth into the air before they stuffed everything back inside themselves until his family was gone from the ship.
He really freaking tried.
She stopped him though. Her lips on his, soft and full of emotion, silenced him.
There was no real force to the kiss, no urgency or worries in spite of them being in one of the ships largest communal areas. For the first time, there she was, kissing him in the open. SO why the hell was his heart breaking?
As soon as they pulled away, he knew. She'd kissed him because those words, the very ones that she'd just said to him, would have been too much for her.
He couldn't help but feel, in that moment, as though that hadn't been at all fair. She was allowed to say something like that, but he wasn't? For a single second, it even felt cruel.
There was pleading in her eyes though, pleading for him to understand, pleading for him to let her simply have this vulnerable moment and end it exactly where she needed to. So, completely and utterly in love with her, he caved.
With a soft, adoring smile and a nod, he stroked her side and hoped that she understood. He would give her anything, anything, whatever it was that she could possibly ever need or what for. He would wrangle the heavens for her if he needed to, or even simply if she wanted him to. That was what love was, right? It was the blind willingness to defy all logic and do the impossible for the person who meant more than anything else ever could.
He, Greyson Eugene Grey, was head over heels with her, River Anne Nivalis.
So, if she needed his silence, then he would shut his damn mouth.
.
.
.
.
.
Breakfast had been a quiet affair, served a little over an hour after Greyson had come to his conclusion that, not only was he in love with River, but that she freaking knew.
I love you, Greyson.
Her words had been a constant loop in his head since the moment she'd said them, as had the kiss that she'd used to stop him from saying it back.
See, he was just stuck on one point now. I love you, Greyson. That wasn't the same as saying that she was in love with him, was it? For as badly as his heart cried out that it was, his head wasn't so easily convinced. He knew her well enough to know that she chose her words carefully when she spoke, but did she really have to do that with him? He hadn't ever thought so, but now he couldn't stop thinking.
Naturally, there had been innumerable glances around the breakfast table from... well, from everyone. Those who had known and those who hadn't. They were all curious, especially now that it was out in the open among their family unit.
Worst of all had been Amelia. While Greyson was more than happy to see that her tears had long since dried, he could only imagine that the young girl's grin and stare would have been making River uncomfortable. Only, for everything that he had assumed would have made her uncomfortable, she actually seemed okay. In fact, since their conversation where they'd agreed to talk about things after this first trip, she seemed to have almost relaxed into the situation.
Sadly, not everyone seemed as thrilled as his younger sister. Namely, his older sister.
Phoebe was mad. No, worse, she was disappointed.
When she and Jen had entered and sat beside one another at the table, no one had missed the fact that Phoebe's eyes were red and puffy, as were Jen's. They'd been crying, arguing with one another. Grey hoped that they'd worked things out, but it became evident each time anyone tried to start any kind of conversation that they, in fact, hadn't.
Both he and River felt terrible about having caused any kind of strife between the engaged couple, but his sister didn't seem to want anything other than to eat her breakfast and occasionally spare a moment to glare as anyone who looked her way.
Needless to say, he found himself glad when the meal was over. So, it seemed, did everyone.
It wasn't too much later that they were looking to get ready to dock at their destination. River had taken it upon herself to talk to Phoebe, something that Grey assured her she didn't have to do. All the same, she'd left him with a smile and a fond squeeze of his arm before she went and knocked on the door of the lion's den, having specifically asked that he not follow her.
As badly as he wanted to help out, he understood. She wanted to talk to his sister while he wasn't there, to give her a possibly tailored version of events, maybe to even talk about things that he just didn't know. On top of that, he respected her wish for privacy, even when he wished she wouldn't have asked for it, so he let her go with a smile on his face.
Outside, on one of the decks, he found Teddy. The same deck they'd scuffled on last night, in fact.
With a bottle in one hand and a glass in the other, the eldest Grey son was sitting in the hot tub looking some kind of miserable.
"Hey," Grey called out as he neared, getting his brother's attention. "Room for another one in there?" He asked, nodding to the tub.
At his voice, Teddy picked his head up. Immediately, there was a smile on his face. It was fake, Grey knew, perfected over the years that he'd acted as the fun brother. "Greyson. Hey, man," He greeted loudly, bottle and glass both thrust into the air. "Come on in, the water's fucking awesome."
Grey wasn't wearing swimming trunks like his brother was, but he was wearing a pair of black boxer shorts and he figured that'd do. It wasn't as if there was far for him to walk back to his room, so he kicked off his pants, then his shirt and slid right on in.
Okay, so Teddy hadn't been lying. The water was fucking awesome. It was just the perfect temperature to combat the light chill that the ship moving caused on the decks, hot enough to relax in while still not being any kind of uncomfortably warm. So, sinking in, Grey figured that he and Teddy were due this. They were due another moment alone together, one in which he could be vulnerable and tell his brother the truth. That was what brothers were for.
Sighing softly, he lay his head back against the wall of the tub. Teddy offered him a drink, one that he declined with a shake of his head.
Looking up at the sky, he took a moment to just feel small in the world. It was comforting.
"I wanted to tell you." He said after a moment, clearly talking about the events that had lead to all of this. "I didn't tell River that. I knew she wanted to keep it between the two of us, you know? So I didn't say anything, but I wanted to talk to you about it all, I guess."
When he picked his head back up, there was curiosity on his brother's features. "You could have, you know." He said easily. "Talked to me about it."
He knew what the implication was there. He could have told Teddy and been safe in the knowledge that the eldest brother wouldn't have let it slip to anyone. The thing was, he hadn't been certain of that though, just like he'd been so unsure about whether or not Phoebe knew.
Still, his lips turned upward a little and he nodded. "I didn't know where to draw the line, I guess." He admitted. It was easier than saying that he truly hadn't been sure that Teddy wouldn't have slipped up. Did that make him a bad brother? He didn't think so, but he wasn't sure on that either. "When it started, we agreed that we'd just be friends and that no one would find out. It wasn't... God, it sounds shit, but it wasn't personal or anything."
They sat in silence for a few minutes after that. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Grey could practically hear the cogs turning in Teddy's head. He was, no doubt, thinking up questions.
He expected questions. He expected for the people who knew to want to know more in some respects. In a way, it was actually kind of nice that it was out. At least now he could talk to his brother, just how he'd wished he could have done.
For the longest moment, Teddy said nothing. He simply sipped at his champagne before groaning, glaring at the glass and pouring the contents directly back into the bottle. It was a little gross, but no one else was going to have any from that specific bottle, so Grey figured it was fine. So long as Teddy didn't mind his own backwash.
"So, how long have you and Ranger been bumping uglies?"
Huh, back to Ranger. That felt like a good sign, like things weren't so serious anymore.
Snickering lightly, Grey groaned. "Since just after Heather broke up with me." He admitted a moment later. Then, like a flash, Teddy was splashing a tiny wave directly at him. "Hey!" He barked out, making to guard himself, but to no avail.
"Dude," Teddy splashed him again, both of them laughing. "That's months!"
"I know, but-"
"You've been having sex for months, you little asshole, and you didn't think to clue your big brother in?" With each word, another splash, then Teddy thudded closer, playfully punching Greyson's shoulders.
The younger brother laughed, simply glad to feel as though they were back to some kind of normal. He could only hope that River was having similar luck a few rooms away with Phoebe.
Greyson and Teddy hung out in the tub a little while longer, almost the entirety of the time before the ship was prepared to dock. When they both got out, it was with a tight, brotherly hug. Grey was glad for it, wondering if Teddy had had the same moment as he had earlier and realised how little they hugged.
"Well," Teddy started as they both headed down the outside of the ship, headed toward the doors that would lead each of them to their rooms. "I guess we all know what you two'll be doing when the rest of us fuck off of the boat and let you sail back off to sea together." He chuckled as he spoke, the two men reaching his room.
See, this, this way of talking was exactly what he'd needed. He'd needed for Teddy to know about something that was such a huge part of his life, even if that seemed kind of stupid.
"That's not all we'll be doing." He muttered in defense of both himself and River, though the idea of that didn't sound even half bad.
In his own doorway, Teddy stilled. Greyson carried on walking, only stopping for his brother's voice. "Wait, aren't her friends coming? Little Mattie Thorne and that blond chick?"
Spinning to face him, Greyson continued to walk backward, seeing the look of something akin to awe on Teddy's face. At that, he simply winked and barked out a laugh.
"Oh, shit!" Teddy practically yelled, cackling after his younger brother. "Fucking get it, Greyson!"
Laughing, Grey returned to his room in his wet boxers, holding his dry clothes in front of his junk. Sitting in the hot tub had been fine, but he was well aware that wet cotton stuck to skin like a bitch. Once he was finally in his room, he shed his sodden boxers, leaving them to dry in the bathroom, then changed quickly into new underwear and a comfy, casual outfit of jeans, a sweatshirt and sneakers before grabbing the pre-packed bag with everything he needed. His suit was already in a protective carry bag in one of the cars, just like everyone else's wedding outfits, so, bag in hand, he headed on down to the lower floors where the cars and River's bike had been loaded on.
Down there, his parents, Amelia and Phoebe were already waiting just beside the vehicles. His mom and dad were talking with the security aboard, specifically Miroslav, Mason and Taylor, confirming who would be in each car, the routes they would take and all other such stuff. Grey gave each of the guys a smile and a wave. Sure, Taylor was practically ceremonial at this point, but he was part of the family too, so when he asked to continue to work events, Christian had gladly accepted, boosting the intermittent pay package that the older man received. Even in his age, Taylor looked like he could have beaten the crap out of the freaking Hulk.
Amelia all but squealed with glee when Grey approached, literally jumping up and down before throwing her arms around him.
He chuckled softly as he hugged her back. She wasn't at all deterred though, babbling about how cute it was that River was his date to the wedding, how excited she was to watch them dance, truly just anything and everything until he ended up prying her from him, reminding her firmly that he and River weren't dating. Apparently his folks had explained to her that they were friends and that, while drunk, they had kissed. She knew about Teddy punching him, of course, but that had been explained away with the truth, the fact that he'd thought Greyson was pinning River against the railing against her will.
Naturally, the teen found the entire thing exciting and sweet, saying a number of times that it was like all of the romantic movies that she so adored.
"Come on, kid," Phoebe took pity on her little brother, grabbing their sister by the shoulders and all but swinging her into an open car. "Why don't you wait in here, hm?"
The teen got no say, all but bundled in by her older sister, then the door slammed shut in her face. Phoebe then stood in front of it, ensuring it wouldn't be opened.
Barely two feet from her, Greyson smiled. It was tight and a little anxious, not knowing what kind of mood she was in, but it was there all the same.
Huffing, Phoebe rolled her eyes before lightly, almost playfully, punching him in the gut. It hadn't hurt, not at all. "Go on, you too." She told him, nodding toward the other door of the same car.
It wasn't often that Grey let his siblings hold any real authority over him, but he was willing to bow to Phoebe today. "We're okay?" He asked first, motioning between the two of them.
She was quick to nod, pulling him in for a one-armed hug. "We're good." She muttered into his jumper, releasing him abruptly before he could even really appreciate the embrace. Another person he needed to hug more.
"And River?" He was backing off, placing his bags in the trunk, but he waited for her response before obediently getting into the car with Amelia.
There was a single second where he truly wasn't sure what she was going to say. He face gave nothing away, tired and almost sad looking, but she eventually nodded, releasing the tension from within him. "We're good, Greyson. Jen, too. All of us, okay?" She waved firmly to the car, clearly intent to play the older sister card.
Feeling lighter by the second, he nodded with a real smile on his face, clambering in to annoy their younger sister with prods and pokes to pass the time.
Sure, the start to the day may not have been any kind of ideal, but it was barely noon and things were already looking so much better.
Knowing that things were okay between him and his siblings, River and his siblings, plus Jen and Pheebs, well, it was settling the anxiety in his stomach an awful lot. Those cold, harsh feelings were ebbing away, being fought off by the warm love and certainty. He just hoped that he still felt that way once he and River had their talk. He tried not to think about it, instead telling himself that there was a wedding and a vacation to enjoy first, both of which he planned to have a blast with.
It wasn't too much longer before River, Teddy and Jen each came down. Jen and Phoebe rode with him and Amelia, leaving Teddy and River to get into the other car with his parents. Amelia, menace that she was, had loudly wondered how River and Greyson were going to far being apart for a whole car ride, something that had Teddy cackling while River socked him in the shoulder, blushing lightly. Had it been anyone else, she'd have cussed and maybe made some crude joke about fucking their mom, but, well, she couldn't do that to Amelia. Plus, she was already fucking the kid's brother, so maybe mom jokes were off the table.
In a weird way, Grey was glad that they weren't in the same car. He didn't want for anyone to have spent the entire ride staring at them.
If nothing else, the best part of the ride? Easy, that was when Phoebe rested her head on Jen's shoulder, muttered that she loved her, then promptly fell asleep with her fiancée stroking her hair adoringly. Grey was curious what had been said between the two of them and River behind closed doors, but he didn't pry. Instead, he simply exchanged smiles with Jen as the car moved, receiving equally warm and loving ones back. He was just glad that she wasn't holding anything against him.
When the cars eventually pulled up inside a gated community of villas, all of which they were renting, he almost couldn't believe his eyes. Sure, he'd been to a lot of beautiful places, but this place took the freaking cake. It was incredible. Man, he was freaking excited for this wedding.
Call me weak, but I couldn't leave anyone fighting after all of that. Hopefully it was all alright and things made sense. I'm hoping it wasn't too dialogue heavy, I know that can be an issue sometimes but I tried to level it out where I could. Anyway, onto weddings and whatnot next, then a second boat trip! I know things seem a little up in the air about River and Greyson right now, namely River's feelings and what they might be, so rest assured that I plan to touch on that in the next few chapters at the very least.
I try to update on the weekends or, like today, on Fridays just because it gives me a nice little goal to work towards, so I'll do my best to upload again as soon as I can. I'll be getting to writing as soon as this is posted, so hopefully things don't move too slowly. Either way, I appreciate the support/the fact that anyone's reading, so thank you. Fingers crossed I'll see you next time, have an awesome day!