Fic: Start Spreading the News (GH, Matt/Lucy, Gia, Lanaverse)
Title: Start Spreading the News
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 99 - Writers Choice
Pairing/Character(s): Gia, Matt/Lucy
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Actually, all these characters are mine. But the series GH on which they're based does not.
Word Count: 1798
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the Lanaverse.
Summary:
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus
Matt leaned against Gia’s locker and grinned.
Gia arched one of her finely plucked eyebrows at her cousin. “What are you so happy about?”
“I have a date tonight,” he said, eyes twinkling.
She refused to give him what he wanted and ask for details. “You have a date every night,” she said in a bored voice.
He nodded solemnly. “It’s really a shame that we were cursed with such good looks and charm, you and I.”
She couldn’t quite contain the laugh as she shut her locker. “It’s true,” she acknowledged. She started down the hall to class, Matt falling into step next to her.
“So aren’t you going to ask me who the date’s with?” Matt nagged, smiling and nodding at friends and admirers as they walked.
“I’m not interested,” she sniffed.
“Liar,” he accused. “You’re always interested in gossip.”
“Sweetie, when you get a date, it’s not gossip, it’s a rite of passage. But if you’re that anxious to tell me, I suppose I’ll let you. What smitten, wide-eyed freshman did you talk into it this time?”
He chuckled. “You’re going to eat those words,” he warned.
She rolled her eyes and stopped outside her classroom. “I highly doubt that.”
“Well if you’re sure…” he drawled with a smirk.
“Spit it out, I’m going to be late,” she ordered.
He grinned. “Lucy.” He spun on his heel and joined the crowd walking down the hall, leaving Gia staring after him agape.
“Lucy?” she mouthed silently to herself. Surely her best friend had more sense than that.
The bell ringing jolted her back to alertness, and she scurried inside the classroom, throwing herself into her chair. She immediately turned to the girl sitting next to her and hissed, “You have a lot of explaining to do!”
Lucy looked at her with a puzzled expression, but before she could speak, their teacher, Mr. O’Keefe walked into the classroom.
“Later,” Lucy mouthed, turning her attention to the front of the room.
Not so easily deterred, Gia pulled out a notebook and flipped to a clean page.
Lucy glanced back at her in confusion, watching as Gia wrote swiftly, with sharp pen strokes, almost tearing through the paper in her haste.
Gia tore the page from her notebook, and with practiced ease, folded it into a triangle. She looked towards the front of the room, checking to see if they were in any danger of being caught. Confident they weren’t, she flipped the note onto Lucy’s desk.
Lucy frowned at her, taking her own peek in Mr. O’Keefe’s direction. She unfolded the paper.
She read the words with trepidation.
The note read simply: Matt? What the hell are you thinking?
Lucy looked apprehensively at Gia, who was staring back at her, expression making it clear that she wanted answers and that she wanted them now.
Lucy sighed and began to scribble a response. She refolded the noted and waited for Mr. O’Keefe to be distracted again.
Gia unfolded the note, and read the words with shock.
It’s not like that, Lucy wrote. He likes me. He’s not playing games like normal.
Gia shook her head in disbelief. Lucy was supposed to be the sensible one. The one that wasn’t stupid enough to fall for charm and a pretty face. Matt might be her cousin, and she might love him dearly, though she’d suffer death before admitting it, but that didn’t mean that she was blind to his faults.
Matt was a flirt. Maybe the king of the flirts, and Gia felt comfortable thinking that, because she was undeniably the queen. He almost never went out with the same girl more than once, but he was so charming that none of them held it against him, mostly because they were all hoping against hope that he’d ask them out again.
She’d heard her mom and Robin discussing his parade of girls on more than one occasion, with Robin’s comments of “He’s just like his father!” growing more and more anxious each time.
And now Lucy. Lucy who’d seen it all, who’d snickered about his conquests with her, was setting herself up to be one?
Hell no.
She had to save her friend from herself.
Gia fully understood the lure of a pretty face, but Matt wasn’t that pretty.
She was fairly certain she’d feel that way even if he weren’t her cousin.
She shook her head. Now clearly was not the time for wool-gathering. Not when there was a best friend to save.
She rapidly wrote her response, and flipped the note back to Lucy.
Lucy sighed as she unfolded it. Gia was taking this about as well as she’d expected, and she’d have to remember to kill Matt later, because dumping this entirely on her was so not fair.
Carrie Wentworth thought Matt liked her too, Gia’d scribbled. And we both know how that turned out. Why set yourself up like this? Why? He can’t be that good a kisser.
Lucy sighed again. What Gia’d written was absolutely true, and she knew her friends concerns were legitimate. She had them too. It was why it had taken Matt so long to convince her to take their relationship public.
But that didn’t mean she liked the reminders.
And it made telling Gia what she’d have to tell her next all the harder. Because when Gia found out that she and Matt had already been dating for a month?
Well, it wouldn’t be pretty.
Lucy bit down on the end of her pen as she considered what to write. Finally, she wrote a reply and passed the note back off to Gia.
“About time,” Gia muttered under her breath, tearing into the folded paper. She smoothed it out, and read what Lucy had wrote.
Do you really think Carrie knows Matt half as well as I do? Look, I’ll explain the rest after class, okay? It’s better that way, believe me.
Gia frowned and turned to Lucy.
Lucy met her gaze and Gia saw quickly that she meant it when she said the subject was closed till after class. She sighed.
“Something the matter, Miss Spencer?” Mr. O’Keefe inquired mildly as he passed by their desks.
“No sir,” she said contritely, tucking the note further out of sight.
“Well then perhaps you’d like to actually open your book,” he suggested. “Since you’re supposed to be reading chapter 12.”
Gia blushed and opened her book. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” He moved on.
Gia gritted her teeth. The rest of this class was going to take forever.
*
As soon as the bell rang, Gia was up like a shot, practically dragging Lucy out of the classroom behind her.
She pulled her into the closest bathroom, and checked to see if anyone else was there. Satisfied they were alone she turned to Lucy.
“So what haven’t you told me?” Gia demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
Lucy gulped. “Well, the reason that I know Matt’s not going to treat me like everyone else,” she began slowly.
“Yes?” Gia said impatiently.
Lucy closed her eyes and hoped for the best. All on one breath, she rushed out, “Because we’ve sort of been seeing each other for a month already, and I didn’t want anyone to know because of this.” She paused, eyeing Gia warily. “We should have told you.”
Gia blinked. That she had not been expecting.
“Gia?” Lucy pressed, growing more anxious with each second that she didn’t say anyting.
“I can’t quite believe I heard you correctly,” Gia said finally. “You and Matt have been secretly dating for a month, and neither of you let it slip to me?”
Lucy nodded. “Are you mad?”
Gia shook her head. “I feel like I should be, but what I am is impressed. I don’t think either of you has ever been able to keep a secret from me for that long.”
Lucy nodded again. “I know. It wasn’t easy, believe me.”
“I wouldn’t think so, no.” Gia studied Lucy for a moment, and then asked, “But Matt? Really?”
Lucy sighed. “I’ve always liked him, Gia, you know that.”
Gia nodded. “I do, but it’s Matt. My cousin is many things, but boyfriend material is not one of them.”
“That’s what I thought,” Lucy said. “But he’s been so different with me, Gia, honestly he has. I was the one that insisted on not telling anyone, and he went along with it. He’s gone along with everything I want.”
Gia’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t sleeping with him, are you?”
Lucy blushed and yelped, “Gia!”
“Just checking.” She studied Lucy again. “Well, if he steps one toe out of line, tell him that I’m going to make him pay, cousin or not.”
Lucy laughed. “Isn’t that what my twin brother is supposed to be for?”
Gia smirked. “Ah, but it’s Matt. I have far more devious means at my disposal than Sean does.” She softened. “I am happy for you, you know. There’s nobody I’d rather have for either of you than each other.”
“I know,” Lucy said with a smile. “Now, can we get out of here?”
Gia laughed. “I suppose,” she said dramatically.
She pulled the door open and the girls stepped out into the hall.
Matt was waiting for them.
Gia halted in her tracks, causing Lucy to bump into her from behind.
“What are you doing here?” she asked suspiciously.
Matt smirked. “You’re nothing if not predictable.”
Gia frowned. “Take that back.”
“No.” He tilted his head to see around Gia. “You okay back there, Luce?”
“Yes,” Lucy said, stepping out from behind Gia. “You know, you’re awfully bony.”
Gia narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Like you have any room to talk.” She shot a look at Matt. “And don’t you even think about saying anything.”
He held up his hands, as if to say ‘who me?’. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He looked back and forth between the girls. “So we’re all squared away, right?”
Lucy nodded.
“Good.” He grinned, tugging her to him. “Because I have been wanting to do this for weeks,” he murmured as he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her exuberantly.
Lucy’d stiffened as he pulled her into his arms, but she happily moved into the kiss, winding the arm that wasn’t clutching her books around his neck.
Gia rolled her eyes at him. “I’m going to class,” she said loudly. “I hope everyone enjoys the show!”
And whether or not they knew it, they were putting on a show. From the curious looks of passersby, to the outright gawking, Gia had no doubt that the news of this latest coupling would be all over school before the next period even started.
She walked away, leaving them to their crowd of onlookers.
They didn’t notice.
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 99 - Writers Choice
Pairing/Character(s): Gia, Matt/Lucy
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Actually, all these characters are mine. But the series GH on which they're based does not.
Word Count: 1798
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the Lanaverse.
Summary:
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus
Matt leaned against Gia’s locker and grinned.
Gia arched one of her finely plucked eyebrows at her cousin. “What are you so happy about?”
“I have a date tonight,” he said, eyes twinkling.
She refused to give him what he wanted and ask for details. “You have a date every night,” she said in a bored voice.
He nodded solemnly. “It’s really a shame that we were cursed with such good looks and charm, you and I.”
She couldn’t quite contain the laugh as she shut her locker. “It’s true,” she acknowledged. She started down the hall to class, Matt falling into step next to her.
“So aren’t you going to ask me who the date’s with?” Matt nagged, smiling and nodding at friends and admirers as they walked.
“I’m not interested,” she sniffed.
“Liar,” he accused. “You’re always interested in gossip.”
“Sweetie, when you get a date, it’s not gossip, it’s a rite of passage. But if you’re that anxious to tell me, I suppose I’ll let you. What smitten, wide-eyed freshman did you talk into it this time?”
He chuckled. “You’re going to eat those words,” he warned.
She rolled her eyes and stopped outside her classroom. “I highly doubt that.”
“Well if you’re sure…” he drawled with a smirk.
“Spit it out, I’m going to be late,” she ordered.
He grinned. “Lucy.” He spun on his heel and joined the crowd walking down the hall, leaving Gia staring after him agape.
“Lucy?” she mouthed silently to herself. Surely her best friend had more sense than that.
The bell ringing jolted her back to alertness, and she scurried inside the classroom, throwing herself into her chair. She immediately turned to the girl sitting next to her and hissed, “You have a lot of explaining to do!”
Lucy looked at her with a puzzled expression, but before she could speak, their teacher, Mr. O’Keefe walked into the classroom.
“Later,” Lucy mouthed, turning her attention to the front of the room.
Not so easily deterred, Gia pulled out a notebook and flipped to a clean page.
Lucy glanced back at her in confusion, watching as Gia wrote swiftly, with sharp pen strokes, almost tearing through the paper in her haste.
Gia tore the page from her notebook, and with practiced ease, folded it into a triangle. She looked towards the front of the room, checking to see if they were in any danger of being caught. Confident they weren’t, she flipped the note onto Lucy’s desk.
Lucy frowned at her, taking her own peek in Mr. O’Keefe’s direction. She unfolded the paper.
She read the words with trepidation.
The note read simply: Matt? What the hell are you thinking?
Lucy looked apprehensively at Gia, who was staring back at her, expression making it clear that she wanted answers and that she wanted them now.
Lucy sighed and began to scribble a response. She refolded the noted and waited for Mr. O’Keefe to be distracted again.
Gia unfolded the note, and read the words with shock.
It’s not like that, Lucy wrote. He likes me. He’s not playing games like normal.
Gia shook her head in disbelief. Lucy was supposed to be the sensible one. The one that wasn’t stupid enough to fall for charm and a pretty face. Matt might be her cousin, and she might love him dearly, though she’d suffer death before admitting it, but that didn’t mean that she was blind to his faults.
Matt was a flirt. Maybe the king of the flirts, and Gia felt comfortable thinking that, because she was undeniably the queen. He almost never went out with the same girl more than once, but he was so charming that none of them held it against him, mostly because they were all hoping against hope that he’d ask them out again.
She’d heard her mom and Robin discussing his parade of girls on more than one occasion, with Robin’s comments of “He’s just like his father!” growing more and more anxious each time.
And now Lucy. Lucy who’d seen it all, who’d snickered about his conquests with her, was setting herself up to be one?
Hell no.
She had to save her friend from herself.
Gia fully understood the lure of a pretty face, but Matt wasn’t that pretty.
She was fairly certain she’d feel that way even if he weren’t her cousin.
She shook her head. Now clearly was not the time for wool-gathering. Not when there was a best friend to save.
She rapidly wrote her response, and flipped the note back to Lucy.
Lucy sighed as she unfolded it. Gia was taking this about as well as she’d expected, and she’d have to remember to kill Matt later, because dumping this entirely on her was so not fair.
Carrie Wentworth thought Matt liked her too, Gia’d scribbled. And we both know how that turned out. Why set yourself up like this? Why? He can’t be that good a kisser.
Lucy sighed again. What Gia’d written was absolutely true, and she knew her friends concerns were legitimate. She had them too. It was why it had taken Matt so long to convince her to take their relationship public.
But that didn’t mean she liked the reminders.
And it made telling Gia what she’d have to tell her next all the harder. Because when Gia found out that she and Matt had already been dating for a month?
Well, it wouldn’t be pretty.
Lucy bit down on the end of her pen as she considered what to write. Finally, she wrote a reply and passed the note back off to Gia.
“About time,” Gia muttered under her breath, tearing into the folded paper. She smoothed it out, and read what Lucy had wrote.
Do you really think Carrie knows Matt half as well as I do? Look, I’ll explain the rest after class, okay? It’s better that way, believe me.
Gia frowned and turned to Lucy.
Lucy met her gaze and Gia saw quickly that she meant it when she said the subject was closed till after class. She sighed.
“Something the matter, Miss Spencer?” Mr. O’Keefe inquired mildly as he passed by their desks.
“No sir,” she said contritely, tucking the note further out of sight.
“Well then perhaps you’d like to actually open your book,” he suggested. “Since you’re supposed to be reading chapter 12.”
Gia blushed and opened her book. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” He moved on.
Gia gritted her teeth. The rest of this class was going to take forever.
*
As soon as the bell rang, Gia was up like a shot, practically dragging Lucy out of the classroom behind her.
She pulled her into the closest bathroom, and checked to see if anyone else was there. Satisfied they were alone she turned to Lucy.
“So what haven’t you told me?” Gia demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
Lucy gulped. “Well, the reason that I know Matt’s not going to treat me like everyone else,” she began slowly.
“Yes?” Gia said impatiently.
Lucy closed her eyes and hoped for the best. All on one breath, she rushed out, “Because we’ve sort of been seeing each other for a month already, and I didn’t want anyone to know because of this.” She paused, eyeing Gia warily. “We should have told you.”
Gia blinked. That she had not been expecting.
“Gia?” Lucy pressed, growing more anxious with each second that she didn’t say anyting.
“I can’t quite believe I heard you correctly,” Gia said finally. “You and Matt have been secretly dating for a month, and neither of you let it slip to me?”
Lucy nodded. “Are you mad?”
Gia shook her head. “I feel like I should be, but what I am is impressed. I don’t think either of you has ever been able to keep a secret from me for that long.”
Lucy nodded again. “I know. It wasn’t easy, believe me.”
“I wouldn’t think so, no.” Gia studied Lucy for a moment, and then asked, “But Matt? Really?”
Lucy sighed. “I’ve always liked him, Gia, you know that.”
Gia nodded. “I do, but it’s Matt. My cousin is many things, but boyfriend material is not one of them.”
“That’s what I thought,” Lucy said. “But he’s been so different with me, Gia, honestly he has. I was the one that insisted on not telling anyone, and he went along with it. He’s gone along with everything I want.”
Gia’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t sleeping with him, are you?”
Lucy blushed and yelped, “Gia!”
“Just checking.” She studied Lucy again. “Well, if he steps one toe out of line, tell him that I’m going to make him pay, cousin or not.”
Lucy laughed. “Isn’t that what my twin brother is supposed to be for?”
Gia smirked. “Ah, but it’s Matt. I have far more devious means at my disposal than Sean does.” She softened. “I am happy for you, you know. There’s nobody I’d rather have for either of you than each other.”
“I know,” Lucy said with a smile. “Now, can we get out of here?”
Gia laughed. “I suppose,” she said dramatically.
She pulled the door open and the girls stepped out into the hall.
Matt was waiting for them.
Gia halted in her tracks, causing Lucy to bump into her from behind.
“What are you doing here?” she asked suspiciously.
Matt smirked. “You’re nothing if not predictable.”
Gia frowned. “Take that back.”
“No.” He tilted his head to see around Gia. “You okay back there, Luce?”
“Yes,” Lucy said, stepping out from behind Gia. “You know, you’re awfully bony.”
Gia narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Like you have any room to talk.” She shot a look at Matt. “And don’t you even think about saying anything.”
He held up his hands, as if to say ‘who me?’. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He looked back and forth between the girls. “So we’re all squared away, right?”
Lucy nodded.
“Good.” He grinned, tugging her to him. “Because I have been wanting to do this for weeks,” he murmured as he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her exuberantly.
Lucy’d stiffened as he pulled her into his arms, but she happily moved into the kiss, winding the arm that wasn’t clutching her books around his neck.
Gia rolled her eyes at him. “I’m going to class,” she said loudly. “I hope everyone enjoys the show!”
And whether or not they knew it, they were putting on a show. From the curious looks of passersby, to the outright gawking, Gia had no doubt that the news of this latest coupling would be all over school before the next period even started.
She walked away, leaving them to their crowd of onlookers.
They didn’t notice.