Who | Clint, Lexi, Adrian, & Marcus When | Monday Afternoon Where | Puceys: Proprietors and Antiquities, Main Office. What | Making up ... but probably arguing anyway. Rating | Low, Language Status | Complete. Partial Log.
She hadn't been lying when she'd told Katie she had needed a change in her life. It seemed like the only thing she could do. Her old life was crumbling around her, so why not? It couldn't make things any worse. They'd been looking at a variety of houses of the grid and she'd finally found one that was absolutely perfect. Isolated and gorgeous. The money she'd been given from her Father's accounts had never been touched, but if some good was going to come from all the negative her Father had created in her life, this was it. The process of buying, however, was still in the works and it would be for at least a couple more weeks yet. After that, she'd spoken with Adrian and quite her job at Gringotts to start working for him. It meant more interaction with Clients, but more freedom when it came to her actual work. More importantly, it didn't have her running all over the world. The downside, however, was that Gringott's hadn't cared about her wardrobe so long as she brought home the goods. Adrian, however, insisted that she dress professional ... at least when she was in the office ... which happened to be that day.
It was a well known fact that Lexi did not own business casual. She had a few dresses the boys had thought were entertaining, but that was about it. Her closet contained, jeans, sweaters, and leather. She'd had to go and borrow some clothing from her sister. The black pencil skirt and white blouse was the most irritating thing she'd ever had to wear. She was sure of it. The skirt hugged her curves and made her take smaller strides and the blouse ... don't even get her started. The only thing she did like were the shoes and that was only because it gave her a little more height and that was never a bad thing.
She'd been half way through the preliminary work for a cursed necklace out of Germany when a memo collided with her temple. Frowning at the stupid thing, she unfolded it and glanced it over with a sigh. She was never going to get anything done if Adrian didn't stop asking for her to go upstairs. This was the third time in two days he'd called her upstairs and the last time had been nothing more than to parade her around in front of a possible new client. He'd earned himself an earful for that little stunt. She hadn't signed up to be a door prize. He'd apologized but his amusement was quite evident. Regardless, the creepy buyer had agreed to give them the account so she'd stopped harping at him over it.
Collecting the file, she headed toward the elevator, her eyes still scanning the information in front of her. Hitting the button, she waited for a moment until she heard the small "bing" of it's arrival. Distracted, she stepped in, only looking up once she was inside and spotting a very familiar figure directly in front of her. One she had been doing well to ignore. "I'll take the next one," she muttered, turning around in an attempt to leave only to have the door slide shut just in front of her nose. "Or not," she sighed, glancing over to the panel to see that he was, naturally, heading to the same place she was .... six floors up. Today was just not her day.
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Clint's week had gone from bad to worse. The last few days had really drained the life out of him. His fight with Lexi had made him lose concentration during National's tryouts. He got cut. His Uncle died. His cousin was running off to Merlin knows where and to top it off, he couldn't bloody stay hard. That, was almost the worst of all of them. Groaning, Clint headed to Ade's. He'd gotten a summons to be there for something and while he didn't normally have anything to do with Pucey's, he found out Marcus was supposed to come to. Which meant it was personal. More than likely, they were about to be apprised of whatever Ade had learned at the will reading. Clint wasn't so sure he even wanted to know.
Of course, Lexi's timely arrival had him raising a brow and cursing the fate's. He didn't really know what to say to her. Not even a little. She'd run off, as usual, and they hadn't spoken since the morning at bloody Katie Bell's house. He blamed Bell for this. He wasn't sure why but she seemed like a good enough scapegoat.
He wasn't at all surprised she wanted to take the next one but it saddened him that it'd come to this. His eyes couldn't help raking her over as he noticed the tight skirt and button down blouse. It was... not Lexi. She looked like her sister and that kind of freaked him out a bit.
"Ade summon you?" he asked, attempting to make polite conversation. The fact that he couldn't talk to her was just bloody sad as fuck. Pathetic, really.
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It bothered her probably more than she was showing and she was showing quite a lot. She didn't enjoy the separation, but what else could she do? They had found themselves at very different places of their lives and it was painful to try and mesh it only to have them separate further. It was hard not to go looking for him, but it was harder to be around him.
She felt awkward around him and she hated that. Things had been said to leave her emotions out in the open and there was nothing she could do to take it back. It didn't help that she was dressed in this getup. Shifting, she tucked her hands behind her and used the folder to block the view of her arse. Merlin, she hated this skirt.
"He's taken a habit of doing so," she sighed, making a mental note to tear him a new one about not warning her when he wanted a group meeting, particularly after the journal entry. She'd been worried something was wrong, but she need not have worried as he seemed to have a familiar floo waiting for him to jump into.
She was content to let the conversation end there when the elevator shuddered and came to a quick stop with a loud groan, causing her to stumble on her heels. "Shit," she groaned, righting herself and hitting the button for the door with little success. Sitting in an elevator 10 stories up was not where she wanted to be right now.
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The tension in the air was... hard to bear. It wasn't something he was used to with her. Ever. There had always been an easy camraderie between them and that had shifted into something he couldn't abide. It was hard to be around her and not want to throw his arm over her shoulder or teas her about the skirt and heels. Instead, Clint remained quiet, unsure what to do. That, in itself, was completely out of character and while Penny had helped him muddle through some of his issues... he still wasn't there. He couldn't be what she wanted. In fact, he'd probably never be able to be that and he'd end up failing her. That was unacceptable. He was pretty sure it was best for her if he stayed out of her life or was only there in a platonic way.
Nodding, Clint stared at the numbers, willing them to move faster. "I'm sure he'll do that," he said, thinking of the new commitment his cousin had taken on. "Must be big..." he said, glancing her way. "Is he doing okay? He's been unreachable after office hours. Not like him."
The slight jerk caught him off guard but years of Quidditch had him righted in no time. Instinct and all that caused him to reach out for Lexi, making sure she didn't end up on the floor. His fingers banded around her elbow before lowering when she was stable. He glanced at the numbers and groaned. "Great," he muttered, reaching around her to push the speaker button.
"Hey. We're stuck. Elevator two. In between the 9th and tenth floor," he said, grouchily.
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Lexi missed him something terrible, but she was far too stubborn to simply forget what he'd said or everything she'd been feeling and resign herself to whatever it was her life had become. Eventually it had to get better, she was sure. Sooner or later she'd stop wanting more from him. She just had to make it that long ... which was exceedingly difficult with him so close to her. She could still feel the heat from his hand where it had rested on her arm, let alone the warmth at her back as he reached around her to push the intercom button. As he spoke to whoever was on the other end, she closed her eyes and willed herself to be unbothered by his close proximity.
"Should have taken the stairs," she muttered, leaning her forehead against the metal door as a male voice told them that there was someone looking into correcting the issue. She was going to bloody murder Adrian. What Pureblood wizard had a bloody elevator with anti-apparition wards on every floor. Oh right, his psychotic and paranoid father. Christ. There were better ways to protect valuable items than making them unreachable. You could be sure she was going to have words with him over this. It wasn't a secret that Lexi didn't particularly enjoy heights. Sometimes they were a hazard of her job, but she dealt with it. In those situations, she was in control. This? This was not control. This was standing in a metal box, dangling stories above the grounds, waiting to plummet to her death. That's what this was.
The elevator shuddered once again, dropping what had to be roughly two inches, but Lexi was already on the intercom button. "Open this fucking door, right now!" she snapped. She didn't care if she was stuck between floors. She'd bloody climb out. She couldn't apparate but there was no wards against levitation spells. She wasn't panicking. She was being perfectly logical.
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He knew exactly how much this was bothering her and he wanted, more than anything, to just take her in his arms and hold her. However, he hesitated, only momentarily before reaching out letting his hand settle at the small of her back. The slight drop startled him but not as much as her. Clint did the only thing he could think of to calm her down. Though, it'd probably backfire but he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist and just held her. Her fear of heights wasn't anything that any one of them didn't understand but he wasn't going to let her freak out.
"Hey," he said, voice low and soothing. "It'll be fine. Just relax. We'll be out of her in no time." He leaned back, searching her eyes, his own a mixture of emotion. Confusion, longing and many more things. "I promise."
Honestly, he didn't even know if she'd think anything of his promise and he half expected her to shove him away and call him some sort of derogatory name. Either way, he wasn't going to let her feel alone while she was bloody terrified of falling to her death. He knew what she was thinking and the awful scenarios she'd let flash in her head.
"Lashing out isn't going to get this fixed faster," he murmured, idly rubbing soothing circles on her back.
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The moment his hand had settled on her back, she'd stiffened, instantly heating up. She was distracted from the desire to immediately put distance between them by the drop. Once that elevator had shifted, all thoughts of keeping her distance had been replaced with thoughts of getting the hell out of there. Even as his arm wrapped around her waist, her hand was reaching out to hit that button again, missing only because he had drawn her back to him.
She knew that voice. She'd heard it a thousand times before and it was just as successful right then as it always had. It was distracting and smooth and she couldn't help calming enough at least, to focus on the sound of it ... even if the words didn't always register. There were so many things she was feeling right then. Fear, anger, sadness. She wanted to punch him straight in the face, but the part of her that had been longing for his presence was relieved. His promise really shouldn't mean anything to her. He'd hurt her. She shouldn't find anything about him comforting.
Of course, she'd never been good at doing what she should do. Nodding, she gave in just a little, leaning her forehead against his chest, her hands holding onto the front of his shirt as she carefully pushed her panic away. As the panic receded, however, some of her awareness returned, quick to inform her that she was taking comfort in the arms of the man who had all but told her she hadn't been worth the risk. Shaking, her head, she released him and moved back out of his arms. No, she wasn't going to slide back. Once they were out of this elevator, he'd just go back to whoever had caught his interest and she'd be right back to where she had been before with a fresh new reminder of what she couldn't have.
"I'm fine," she sighed, moving to the opposite corner from his. Stepping out of her shoes, she carefully lowered herself to the floor, reaching for her folder before settling it back. She knew she wasn't likely able to read anything from the folder, but at least holding it would keep her hands occupied for the duration of the time she was stuck in this death trap. Her attempt to focus on something else had her recalling his earlier question. "He disappears sometimes, for an hour or two, but he always seems a bit happier when he comes back."
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Clint was pleasantly surprised when she took comfort in what it was he offered but was acutely disappointed when she moved away. He wasn't surprised. Sighing, he let his hands fall to his side and slid down the wall, stretching his long legs out in front of him, head tilted back as he closed his eyes. He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know what to do about this. He'd lost part of himself when he lost her but the sheer terror of failing her kept him away. It was best. For both of them. He couldn't imagine hurting her anymore than he already had.
His internal struggle was interrupted by her words and he opened his eyes, raising a brow. "He disappears?" he said, frowning, wondering what on earth Adrian was up to. "In the middle of the day?" That... was so unlike his cousin. Frowning, Clint's mind began to work, trying to identify any patterns... anything that had changed. He hadn't been interested in anyone in the last week. Not that they could blame him. The bloke's dad died but he figured he'd have at least taken what the women at Bletchley's had been offering. He'd shot that down.
"Strange..." he muttered, brow furrowed. "I went to stop by his place the other night and he wasn't home. And he wasn't at the manor. Just like Sunday." He glanced at Lexi and studied her delicate features. Merlin, she was bloody beautiful. Clearing his throat, he looked away. "What do you make of it?"
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Gradually, she was calming. Her fear was retreating and she'd managed to smother the emotions Clint had unwittingly created in her with his close proximity ... at least to the point where her heart wasn't racing anymore. She wasn't physically able to smother them completely. She had never been able to. She nodded at his question, offering a slight shrug as she tucked her legs underneath of her. Seating positions were limited in a bloody skirt. "Not all the time," she explained, "but yeah. I didn't bother asking. He's more like himself when he comes back." She was curious, naturally, but she didn't want to cause him to stop. One of them, at least, should be happy. Marcus didn't count as he rarely let the world get to him.
The awkwardness in the room had decreased slightly, but it certainly hadn't left and she hated it. She could feel his presence in the room as though he was sitting right beside her rather than on the other side of the elevator. Her eyes flickered every now and again in his direction, but she fought the urge to let them linger too long. She didn't have to fight very long, as the lights flickered twice before going out completely and plunging them into complete darkness. The silence that followed was broken only by an exasperated "Really?" spoken with a certain distaste for the entire universe. Her life was getting more and more ridiculous by the minute. If she was going to bloody die in this thing, at least no one got to see the stupid look on her face.
Digging out her wand, she pulled the hair tie from the end of her braid and transfigured it into a small ball before charming it to go softly. She wasn't about to sit there for god knows how long with her wand in the air. Casting a levitation charm on the ball, she moved it to hover over them, casting a soft light. It wasn't much but she could at least see her hand in front of her face and it wasn't as harsh as using a direct light charm.
"I don't know what to make of it," she sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. "If I didn't know better I'd say he was seeing someone."
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He sighed when the lights went out and stared blindly into the dark, unsurprised when Lexi came up with a solution. This whole situation was absurd. He didn't need this. she didn't need this. He just wanted to go back to the way it was and have his bloody friend back. Letting his head rest against the wall, Clint couldn't even stomach the bloody tension between them. It was unnatural and unsettling. He wasn't surprised that they were talking about anything other than what was between them. Focusing on Ade was easier than dealing with the shite they had building up.
Clint's brow furrowed as he thought about it. "Seeing someone..." he said, trying to think of who on earth he could possibly be seeing. "Maybe Juliette's back in town... She was at the funeral. Maybe she stuck around?" That was really the only plausible solution. Adrian's relationships were probably the most extensive of the three. He'd been engaged to the french bird at one point. Of course, that had ended but they'd remained close.
"Gotta be her," he said, nodding. There really wasn't another option. Of course, now he was curious as to what they were all being summoned for. "I'm pretty sure that whatever he's about to break on us is going to be huge..." His eyes grew wide, slightly startled. "You don't think he's decided to marry Juliette for the business, do you?"
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That was just the problem. Lexi couldn't go back to how it was before. She didn't know how to. There was too much in the way now. It didn't matter that it would likely be the easiest thing for her. She could just go back to being close to him without the added weight of her emotions, but she'd let them go too far and now she was caught up in them and unable to push them away with any sort of success. Sitting in that bloody elevator had proven that much. Perhaps in time, they'd be able to get back to that, but that wasn't going to be today or tomorrow or even next week. For Lexi, at least, there was a lot to work through and she hadn't even scratched the surface.
She was content to discus Adrian, if they had to discuss anything. She didn't feel the need to talk about them. They'd had that conversation and it had resulted in this distance and awkwardness. Whether intentional or not, he'd hurt her with his response and she wasn't ready to just come back from that only to be told the same thing all over again. Sometimes you had to risk something to gain something better. That something better just had to be worth the risk.
She shook her head at the mention of Juliette. "I don't think so," she muttered, knowing that Adrian hadn't mentioned the French woman in a long time. The two had once had a meaningful relationship, but it had fallen apart as they'd matured. More importantly, she'd seen him after his little disappearances. "He seems ... happier when he comes back. The sort of happy that you get when you're with someone you truly enjoy being with." She couldn't begin to fathom what might be creating that sort of thing for Adrian so shortly after his Father's death, but perhaps, in this instance, it was a good thing.
Still, the unexplained reason for summoning them was confusing.
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It was easy to talk about something else and while he was concerned about Adrian and slightly freaked out that his cousin had suddenly decided to go off and have a secret relationship, he couldn't help but think about him and Lexi. If he wasn't such a bloody fucking coward... Sighing, he nodded, going back to Adrian. "Happy, huh?" he said, brow furrowed. That was... interesting. Disappearing during the day and oddly absent from the Manor and his place. "Sounds like he's involved..." Course, why wouldn't he tell them? That seemed odd. "A little strange... him not mentioning it. Unless he's ashamed of us." He gave Lexi a smile. "Maybe Marcus and I anyway."
He eyed her, an idea forming. "So," he said, moving to sit next to her. "What if we followed him?" he asked, brows raised. "He's hiding something and I don't think whatever this little announcement is is it." He waggled his brows, feeling a bit more like them. Maybe it was wishful thinking but he wanted something from her... even if he couldn't name it. Clint knew how he felt. He was just... afraid to confront it. Which, yeah, made him a bloody coward but it was Lexi. How would he recover if she crushed his heart?
"Course... I guess we have to get out of this fucking elevator," he muttered, glancing around. He did have a family dinner to get to at some point. His father was leaving tomorrow, thank Merlin, and heading to China. Clint couldn't say he was all that fussed. His mother was staying with Elizabeth and both Tori and Lyssy were out of school. "Maybe Pucey Sr. disinherited him..."
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Having a secret relationship wasn't so weird. She could understand not wanting your life to interfere with something you'd found a semblance of balance in. God. Her life tended to ruin everything. Still, Adrian having a secret relationship was rather odd, she had to admit. He wasn't exactly the sort of bloke who cared about what most thought of him or his actions. She couldn't see him really being ashamed of anything that he'd done. He just wasn't that sort of person. Clint's comment, however, earned him a dry look and equally dry comment. "That's a possibility.You don't exactly create help sell the idea of being faithful." One's friends often said a lot about your own personality. She didn't even want to know what that said about her.
She hadn't really expected the conversation to take a different turn and she certainly hadn't expected him to move closer. She hated the way her heartbeat sped up the closer he got to her. Absolutely hated how weak it made her feel. She should at least be able to control her own bloody heart. Already sitting in the corner, she couldn't inch back away from him. There was no where to go short of standing and moving and that was easier said then done.
Watching him out the corner of her eye, she raised an eyebrow. "You want to follow him?" she asked, turning her head a bit more to eye him warily. It was a very bad idea on many levels, but the most obvious being that she didn't trust him not to draw her back in. "And what if he apparates?" They couldn't just follow after him without knowing where he was going. "Besides, a tracking charm would be all you need. if you could even manage to get one on him." She had to admit, however, that she was curious about where he was going all the time.
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Clint couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You imply that I can't be monogamous," he said, raising a brow at her. "I've been monogamous. But the women I'm involved with know exactly where I stand." He shook his head, letting it rest against the wall. "I bloody well make sure of that." That didn't mean the occasional bird didn't expect more but Clint wasn't ready to settle down. He didn't really have the time for a relationship and there was only one person he'd want that with. And she was sitting next to him. He had to admit, that the longer they were in here, the more he wanted to spill his guts to her. Managing to avoid that, however, her next question had him shooting her mischievous grin.
"We could track him," he said, nodding. "Easy enough. He's been wearing his father's signet ring. We could use that." Course, they had to get the ring in order to use it. Might be easier to throw it on one of his coats. "He's hiding something and I intend to find out what."
He grinned, amusement shining through. "It could be fun," he said, trying to think of all the clandestine places Adrian could be wandering off too. "Maybe he's involved with a Gryffindor." He looked at Lexi, eyes widening. "Oh shite. It's Alicia Spinnet and that's his love child..." clint could get a little dramatic with his speculations.
"I'm to young to be a second cousin/uncle," he said, sighing. "Maybe, whoever it is, is married?"
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She did imply that he couldn't be monogamous. She also didn't believe him when he said he had been. Sleeping with a woman twice and you both realizing that you were gone the moment something better came along was not monogamy. Under any stretch of the imagination. "Yeah, I know," she responded, flatly. She was also well aware of the fact that he made it quite clear what he was expecting. Quite clear, indeed. It would have been an easy thing to open the conversation further, but she just didn't have any fight left in her right then. Arguing about it further wasn't going to change anything. All it was going to do was tell her things she already knew. Stuck in an elevator, that didn't really seem productive.
With her hair tie being used as a light, she worked her hair free of the braid to kill some time and keep her attention from focusing back on Clint. It, sadly, didn't last very long and she was left with returning to the folder on her lap. She certainly wasn't going to attempt to read it in the low light. The last thing she needed was a headache. Clint did well enough to give her one.
She wasn't entirely sure either one of them should be plotting to follow Adrian. He was a responsible adult, surely he wasn't getting himself into too much trouble. This was Adrian, after all. If it had been Marcus or Clint, then sure. She'd be worried. As she'd thought about the possibility of a tracking charm, her fingers idly played with the simply silver chain she was never seen without. Glancing down at it, she blinked. "My necklace," she muttered. It had a tracking charm weaved into it, alongside a wide variety of other protection spells. She'd spent six months working on it after a nasty run-in with a fire based curse. "It has a tracking charm on it."
She wasn't entirely comfortable with dropping it into Adrian's pocket, but she knew that once he discovered it there she'd get it back. The problem would simply be taking it off. She knew she'd feel strange without it's familiar weight around her neck. More importantly, she'd miss the knowledge of knowing that nothing would sneak up on her. She'd seen the side affects of the curse Katie had dealt with and she really didn't want to find herself in the same boat ... hence the necklace. Still, this wasn't the war and it was only for a day or two.
At his outlandish exclamation, Lexi dared a glance his way with a raised eyebrow. "The kids is what? Five?" She highly doubted that Adrian had a five year old bastard child with Alicia Spinnet and it had taken this long for it to get back to him. She sighed and went back to fiddling with her necklace. "Or maybe he just wants a little peace and quiet."
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Clint wasn't exactly known for his relationships. But he'd had a couple. She'd been out of the country for both of them and it wasn't like he'd gone around and introduced the women to his friends. Marcus and Ade had met them but he'd never bothered to introduce Lexi. Of course, said relationships had lasted a little over four months so it wasn't exactly a record. But he still felt like it counted. Still, he didn't mention it, after all, she wasn't going to believe him and the skepticism that radiated off of her was fairly obvious.
His thoughts drifted as she quieted, wondering what was on her mind. Of course, it was probably something to do with how much she hated being forced into this elevator with him. He let out a slightly frustrated sigh, idly banging his head against the wall. She was driving him nuts and he was certain the feeling was mutual.
He had to admit he was relieved when the light came back on a voice came over the intercom. Of course, it wasn't that reassuring. Another ten minutes. Honestly, he wasn't ceratain he could bear the awkwardness that much longer. "Great," he muttered, leaning against the wall.
"I guess we could just let him have his little secret," he said, though, he was really curious. "Or maybe we could just ask." Still, tracking him sounded like a fun idea... But, if his cousin wanted them to know.. he'd tell them and Adrian deserved his privacy. Kind of.
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There were plenty of things on her mind, but none of which he'd be interested in hearing. It never used to be like this. They'd never had a problem sharing anything and everything. She supposed that was the problem with letting yourself care more than you should ... or not enough, depending on which side you were standing. Didn't really matter, in the end, both had the same outcome. There was a distance between them now that kept them silent. It was heartbreaking, really. Of the three boys, she'd always favored Clint, even before her feelings for him had deepened. It was hard to reconcile how they were now with how they had been previously and perhaps that, too, was part of the reason she currently felt uncomfortable in his presence.
Ten more minutes seemed like a very long time just then and sigh let out a small sigh, leaning slightly to the left to let her head rest against the wall beside her, having chosen to sit in the corner. The silence in the wake of that announcement was louder than anything they'd experienced before. She should never have said anything to him. She should have just accepted the fact that nothing was going to stem from her ridiculous need to be close to him and moved on. He would never have known and there wouldn't be anything left out in the open between them. Hindsight, she supposed, was twenty-twenty.
"Maybe he'll just tell us on his own," she responded, quietly, her eyes focused on the wall ahead of her rather than Clint's familiar form. She couldn't really blame Adrian for keeping this separate. Hell, she hadn't told any of them that she'd bought a house and, with the exception of Adrian, she hadn't mentioned that she'd quit her job either. How could she be irritated by Adrian's mysteriousness when she hadn't exactly been up front with them either.
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As lovely as this awkward lift ride was, Clint had to admit he was glad when the elevator jolted and they moved up, the doors opening. He stood, letting Lexi exit first, hoping that they'd get past this but not putting much money on it. He might as well admit how he feels. If shite didn't work out, it probably wouldn't be any worse than that. As he headed off the lift, their conversation came to a halt. It was sort of sad they had nothing left to say to each other. Fuck. He bloody wished he'd declined this little friendly meeting. Bloody hell. The whole thing pissed him off and if he wasn't about to hear some sort of news from Ade, he'd probably be yelling at this point.
Holding the door open for her, he ushered her inside, raising a brow. "Fucking get your lifts fixed," he said, annoyed. Course, taking his irritation out on Ade was probably not the best thing to do and even Marcus gave him a look. He shrugged. "If you made it here before us... you know there was a problem."
Glancing at Lexi, he sighed and moved to sit in a chair. He hated today. He hated this week. He hated this month. Everything about it fucking blew. Clint wasn't sure what he wanted to do about any of this but he had to come up with some solution and soon. Course, she'd probably just be pissed at this point, if he told her that he cared and maybe wanted to attempt a relationship. He let out a huge sigh, briefly meeting her gaze before looking expectantly at his cousin.
"So what's this about?" he asked, leaning back. "And am I going to need a drink?"
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When they entered the office, Ade was standing behind his desk, flipping through some file in his hand. Marcus, as per usual, was sitting in one of the chairs, feet kicked up rudely on Adrian's desk. Clint's abrupt comment earned a raised eyebrow, but he was distracted when he spotted Lexi and let out a bark of laughter. "What's the other Montgomery doing here?" he asked, amused as all hell at the sight of her in something so feminine. He sometimes forgot that Lexi was a twin. He rarely saw the two girls together, but it was hard to deny it when she was dressed just like Demi.
"Hilarious," she snapped, shooting him a glare and shoving his feet off Adrian's desk. Bloody heathen, he was. Moving around to the same side of the desk as Adrian, she leaned back against the edge of the desk, her back to the other boys, and simply glared up at him. She didn't need to say anything. He'd know exactly why she was glaring at him. True to form, Adrian didn't look up from his file, but she didn't miss the way the corner of his mouth twitched up into an amused smile. "It's not funny, Adrian."
At that he finally did look up, closing the file and setting it back down on the desk. "It's a little funny," he admitted, brushing a friendly kiss to her forehead by way of apology and took the new file from her. Opening it briefly to scan the case number before handing it back to her, with a smile. It was clear he'd taken an extended lunch again. He was in a relatively good mood. Rolling her eyes, she took the case file back. "I take it you approve?" she asked, referring to the assignment in her hands. Getting his nod, she pushed away from the desk and moved to lower herself into one of the free chairs, distant from Marcus and Clint.
Adrian wasn't really bothered by Clint's gruff command to fix the lifts. The problem had been solved with little damage save a few minutes out of their lives. "It may likely require a drink," he responded, nodding toward the liquor cabinet behind their current seats. "It would seem that my Father was, in fact, capable of error," he continued, returning to his seat, "It would seem that Bell and I share more than just a Quidditch position."
Lexi blinked, glancing between Ade and the others. She needn't say anything as Marcus pretty much spoke for her. "You're fucking kidding me?"
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Clint watched Lexi and Adrian interact with something akin to annoyed disgust. He glanced down, trying not to roll his eyes. Glancing back up, unable to keep from looking away, he studied his cousin. He looked... happy. It was so bloody strange. He was smiling. He was relaxed. He didn't look like a man who'd just lost his father. Ade was teasing, he was smiling... Clint shook his head. Whatever was going on with his cousin... well, he hoped it stayed that way. It seemed to be working. Leaning back, he listened warily before Ade dropped his bomb. Clint stared, completely stunned to the core. He slowly stood up and moved to the bar, pouring a drink and handing it to Marcus before taking one for himself.
"What?" he asked, after he'd downed the drink and poured a second. "You're not serious..." Of course he was. It wasn't like Adrian was going to lie or joke about something this... profound. "You have an upstart, Gryffindor, bastard half-sister?" Clint was never one to beat around the bush and this was just... holy fucking hell. His uncle had a bastard kid. Christ. "Your poor mother. Please tell me this isn't what they announced for all to hear at the will-reading?" Course, he knew it was.
Merlin's cock and balls. Bloody fucking hell. Katie Bell. He stared at his cousin, suddenly, all the similarities between the two pushing their way forward. The height, the hair, the coloring, the eyes, the bloody love for chocolate... their need to exercise. Hell, the fucking played the same Quidditch position. "Holy..." he said, shaking his head. "How did we not see this before? And have you told her? Does she know? What are you going to do?"
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Lexi blinked, letting the boys have their outward reactions, while hers went inward. She was surprised, right down to the bone. Katie hadn't mentioned anything, though she had not been home the last few days. It hadn't really rang any warning bells for Lexi as she had been pretty busy with her own schedule, not to mention the fact that Katie liked to do odd things like go running for five hours. It was funny how life worked. She wasn't one to branch out to other groups and the one time she had, she'd found the one person who actually was in their group. She was either incredibly lucky or she was just as snobby subconsciously as she was when conscious. Clint's comment, however, drew her from her musing and she shot him a glare. Really. Katie wasn't that bad.
Adrian nodded, confirming that this news was what had been announced during the will reading and why he had been absolutely livid after the fact. In a sense, it also explained why he'd bottled it up afterward. Letting his anger have free reigned was never a good thing, particularly when it came to him. Family was important and he most certainly didn't like the fact that his Mother, of all people, had been the one to be hurt over it. He might carry the appearance of the Pucey line but his heart was Chevalier and one did not simply overlook that.
Marcus accepted the drink from Clint, still stunned by the news. He was having a hard time picturing Bell and her ridiculous sports bras as a member of the Pucey family. She'd look absolutely ridiculous standing in her sweats next to Tori and Elizabeth; high society at it's finest. So bloody strange. "I've had your sister naked in my bed," he muttered, making a face. "That ... isn't as hot as it probably should be." Leave it to Marcus to relate everything back to his sex life. Of course, he was likely the only person on earth that could actually relate most things to his sex life.
"Yes, well," Adrian responded, dryly, "be that as it may, she's related and, for whatever reason, he thought it important to include her in the will." It wasn't anything major and it would hardly make a dent in their finances, but he couldn't help but wonder why the man had bothered to include her when it was clear that he had never been very interested in her while he had been alive. Adrian had tore apart his Father's office, combing over everything, but he had not found a single mention of her anywhere other than the will and the documents contained with it.
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Clint really had no idea how to process any of that. It didn't make much sense. Of course, Marcus's comment had him snorting whiskey through his nose which, in turn, caused him to start coughing and choking. Once he'd managed to calm himself down, Clint shook his head, unsure what to say. "I wonder why he bothered to acknowledge her in his will?" he asked, mind turning. It wasn't often that bastards were acknowledged and there had to be some sort of reason. It wasn't as though his uncle was a sentimental sort. "Maybe he'd planned on acknowledging her before... well, his untimely passing." That would make sense, maybe. But the real question was why?
Why was Katie Bell suddenly his daughter when, for twenty-five years, she hadn't been. It didn't make much sense. Strange, though. How this happened and she'd been naturally drawn to their little circle over the past few years. "I don't guess you have a reason as to why he thought you should know you have another sister?" It was so hard to picture Katie Bell pulling off society. He was pretty sure he hadn't seen her in anything other than sweats since he'd met her. Maybe at a charity event...
"Does she even get out of her sports bras and sweats?" he asked, running a hand down his face. Did she expect to be a part of society? Somehow, he really doubted that. "I can't imagine her attending tea with Tori and your mother... i'm not even sure it's feasible..."