#genuinely have no words for this except to say thank you for dropping this astonishingly beautiful thing into my life | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bionic-buckyb · 6 years

Text

When It Rains: Part 2

A Thor x Reader / Soulmate Series

Master List

⚡ You’ve been dreaming of the same voice, the same man, for as long as you can remember. You never thought that he could be real, let alone that he was the God of Thunder, your soulmate, and the key to unlocking a mysterious power within you; a power that could be used to save Thor’s homeland of Asgard, or, in the wrong hands, to destroy it.

A/N: I had SO MUCH FUN writing part one and even more fun writing this! It’s so freeing to write for other characters, especially Thor, and to explore the marvel universe more. I just hope you guys are liking it! This whole series is based (loosely) off the song Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. Thank you to @howlingbarnes, my beautiful bestie, for reading this over for me. Your asks, likes, reblogs, and replies are always appreciated (although if you could reblog to get it out there, i’d appreciate it the most)! I’d love to hear if you wish for me to continue [:

Word Count: 1,765

Warnings: - language. - very mild violence.

Tags: (at the end)

*gif is not mine. (credit: here)

Your heart felt like it stopped in your chest, as Thor’s astonishingly clear, blue eyes pierced your very soul. You couldn’t believe it. The person you’d been dreaming about for literal years, was standing right in front of you. But how? How was this possible? Your brain worked in overdrive over every explanation, but the overpowering fuzz of uncertainty claimed the most space. Shaking your head, you tried to clear your mind and think rationally. Thor’s brow was furrowed in apparent concern, sweet wrinkles appearing by his eyes as he concentrated.

“Is everything alright?” he asked, reaching out a very large hand, and placing it on your shoulder in a genuinely concerned manner. Only five minutes in this being’s presence, and you had already deemed him perfection.

“I---yeah…” you replied, fidgeting at the spot. “I just… feel like I know you.”

“I must say, I do feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. Have we ever met?”

“Uh… no,” you said, with a shake of your head. “I don’t think we have.”

“Shame. Maybe you’ve seen me on the television? I’m quite popular here on Earth.”

The smile that followed this statement warmed your fragile heart this time; the delicious warmth creeping over every bone in your body like a comforting blanket. But there was the word again. Earth. The only word you’d ever heard him say. How would you possibly explain this to someone so… godlike? Your anxiety began to creep up on you, like a insatiable thirst, sucking you dry. You couldn’t tell him about your dreams. How stupid would you look?

“Yeah,” you finally retorted, smoothing out your apron, picking off every fuzz and crumb; anything to not have to face him. “That’s probably it.”

Thor looked out the window, before looking back at you. You could feel those eyes scanning over you, assessing you, and your entire body was on fire. You didn’t want to let him go, but how would you make him stay? You were just… you. And he was just… out of your entire fucking league.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice quieter than before, more intimate. “I have to be going now. I’m needed by my good friend, Tony Stark.”

You choked on your own spit, coughing violently.

“I’m sorry, did you just say you’re friends with Tony Stark?”

“Indeed. Do you know of him?”

“Well, he’s only one of the richest men on the entire planet---”

You stopped speaking mid sentence, and that’s when it all finally clicked. Suddenly, you felt so stupid that you wanted to literally kick yourself as hard as possible, or vomit, or both. Tony Stark was the founder of the Avengers and, after taking another glance at Thor, realized that he too was obviously a part of them. You didn’t know much about the Avengers, or their members; just that they saved the world and the government gave them shit for it.

“Wait�� you’re an Avenger, aren’t you?” you asked bravely.

“I am or… was. Not really sure where they stand anymore. Which is where I was going, to find out.”

“Ah, okay, yeah. Please, don’t let me stop you,” you replied, your heart crying out not to let him leave, but your brain knowing you had to. “It was very nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” he stated with a nod of his head, before turning out of the coffee shop door. You watched as he walked in the middle of the street with purpose. A bolt of electric blue lightning that matched his eyes came from the sky. It zapped around him like a force field and you gasped, as the same lightning emitted from his fingertips. Thor turned once more to look at you through, his eyes glowing the whitest blue you’d ever seen. His clothes had now changed, and he was wearing leather armor, which hugged every part of him perfectly. To your surprise, he winked before quickly disappearing straight up into the sky. You ran out into the street and looked up, hoping for one more glimpse of the man of your dreams, but he was gone. The only thing that greeted you was a rumble of thunder, followed by drops of rain on your face.

Walking quickly back into the coffee shop to avoid getting wet, you did a quick Google search on your phone.

Thor.

Many things came up, including lots of Norse mythology. Myths, about the son of Odin. Your head was spinning, as if your body was on the fastest teacup ride at Disneyland. Specifying the search, you tried:

Thor, Avengers.

What came up made you gasp, and feel even more stupid than you already felt, even though deep down you always knew.

Thor, son of Odin, is the god of Thunder. He is the most important and famous god in Norse mythology and, after coming to Earth to reveal himself, along with teaming up with Mr Tony Stark, has become a crucial part of the Avengers team. After the historical incident in Sokovia, his location is unknown. It is possible that he currently resides on his own planet, Asgard.

So Thor was an actual god after all; an otherworldly being. You set your phone down and inhaled quickly, before releasing all of your pent up air in one long breath. All this time, you had been seeing what you assumed were Thor’s memories. The actual god of Thunder. But why? Why you? And why did he come to you now, in a measly coffee shop on Earth when, clearly, he was on the run? Crazy questions ran through your brain, with no answers to sedate them.

“Fuck…” you breathed, trying everything not to cry. You didn’t know what to do, where to turn, or what any of this meant.

After what felt like an eternity, you were finally relieved from your position by a coworker, and began your walk to the parking garage a few blocks down the street from the coffee shop to retrieve your car. All you wanted to do was curl into a ball in bed and cry, knowing that you’d let Thor just leave without an explanation for the dreams that tortured you for so long. He was, after all, an actual god. Maybe he knew what was happening to you.

Not realizing where you were going, you slammed into a stranger who was standing directly in front of you. He leaned in and whispered in your ear, so as not to draw attention, sending chills down your spine.

“Gimme your purse, and no one gets hurt.”

“What?” you asked, absolutely flabbergasted. “Absolutely fucking not.”

The man’s fingers were wrapped around the strap now, yanking it toward him. A mean glare was in his eyes. You were playing tug of war now. All of your money was in this bag, your entire life. There was no way you were letting it go.

“Let go!” you screamed, hoping to get someone’s attention, but the street was empty. “Now, asshole!”

You saw the stranger reach into his pocket with his free hand, and you froze. You knew he was going for a knife, a gun; anything to kill you with. This was it. This was the end.

Except you were very wrong.

A loud crack of lightning struck just behind the stranger, making him let go of your purse and yelp in surprise.

“Jesus Christ!” he screamed, jumping away from you. “Oh fuck…”

When he spoke, he was almost looking through you, as if someone was behind you. You furrowed your brow, as you watched the stranger tremble with fear, before running the other way.

“I was only gone like... an hour,” the sweet, deep, soothing voice said behind you. The only voice to ever make you weak in the knees. “You’re a trouble maker, aren’t you?”

You turned around in what felt like slow motion, as you took in Thor for the first time since you found out who and what he actually was. Butterflies fluttered inside your stomach, the sudden urge to vomit from emotion apparent. He was the most beautiful creature you’d ever laid eyes on, and that was a fact now.

“Thank you…” you managed to breathe, holding your stomach. “You saved my life.”

“Nonsense,” he said with a wave of his hand. “But I have to tell you I haven’t been very honest with you.”

His statement took you by surprise, and your hand instinctively clutched your heart.

“Neither have I,” you finally replied, not taking your eyes off of him for fear he’d vanish again.

“That’s what I feared. Will you come with me, to a safe place that we can talk? I’d like to get you looked at by a friend, to be sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine, I—-“

“Non-negotiable I’m afraid,” he interrupted, and you didn’t argue. “Please, come with me?”

He asked as a question, although you knew it wasn’t one.

You looked at his hand as he extended it to you, your face clearly reading that of the biggest skeptic. Your heart was screaming “Go!” but your brain was screaming “Don’t!”

“I promise, I won’t hurt you,” he assured you. “I would never dream of hurting you, Y/N.”

You placed your hand in his, your eyes never leaving the smile he wore just for you. As your fingers wrapped into his own, your world lurched forward, as he flew you to your new destination.

It felt like a few minutes, but might have been much longer. Thor’s free hand was used to wrap around your waist, pulling you as close to him as possible to keep you safe.

The eventual landing was rough, and your world spun for a while as you clutched the floor on all fours. To your surprise, you felt the same fingers that were wrapped in yours moments before, rubbing your back in a comforting manner.

“Good God, Thor,” another soft voice said somewhere around you. “Why did you fly her here? You could’ve just had Tony’s guys pick her up?”

“She had been through enough with strangers, Banner,” Thor said quietly. “I wanted her to be with me. I almost lost her today.”

“Okay, okay,” Banner said, shaking his head. “Lets help her up at least, huh?” Two strong hands looped under each of your arms and pulled you up. You were dizzy.

“Are you okay?” Thor asked you, taking your face in his hands. You nodded, unable to form words. Banner was snapping his fingers in your face, his own covered in worry. “Can I get you anything?”

Suddenly, another man appeared behind Thor and you immediately spaced out on his all too familiar face.

“Hello, Y/N?” he extended a hand between you and Thor. “My name is Tony Stark. I wanted to personally welcome you to Stark Tower.”

You didn’t take his hand, and instead saw Thor’s intense face of concern, as you passed out in his arms.

@captainrogerss @theashhole @captain-rogers-beard @avengerofyourheart @stormin-thru-glitter @katalina-from-hellbound @captainradicalpassion @edenmcgarden @thefallenbibliophilequote @batman-out @writingthingsisdifficult @h-jpeg @radrouda @liama-korn @randbrie @elleatrixlestrange @ican-do-this-all-day @volvoxrain @princess-yuna @aikibriarrose @peterman-parker @bless-my-demons @xtina21917 @my-blackbird-universe @vgurl18 @the-geeky-engineer @apeshit7x @xxdragonqueenxx @me-a-hopeless-romantic @thehuntress26 @marauder--harder @sexyvixen7U @tchallaholla @the-evil-pumpkin @two-feet-of-topsoil @waywardpumpkin @kaffeehauser @amabellau @buckyofthemyscira@thefriendlymushroom @2ka-tja2 @queen-maximoff @potterhaven @daylight-saver @alexislsanchez @infinityblogger @bolo4hagatha @alexiamiky2003 @lilith-snappinnecks-demon @talinalani @lavieenlex @http-ilse @systemfailuresunshine @emergenciesstory @brittanymcsharry @smoothdogsgirl @callme-barnes @tinyfistwarrior@feelmyroarrrr @willieshakesqueer @jumpingmanatee @missinstantgratification @alwayshave-faith @metalarmlover

*all urls striked out could not be tagged and will be removed from my tag list. i’m sorry!

Tags are closed! I’m sorry!

Part 3

1K notes · View notes

ninjadurtles · 6 years

Text

“It’s Not What It Looks Like” Grayson Dolan Imagine

Requested?- “30? With Grayson plllsssssss, I love how you write btw that’s why I’m asking twince lol” - @dolanfivsosxox So this is Number 30 from the prompt list. Thank you so much for the sweet request! I hope you enjoy it and I’m so sorry it’s this late!

Word Count- 7.4k.

Warnings- Language.

Author’s Note- Holy shit, it’s been a while! Sorry, I’ve been super super busy and this surprisingly enough took a long while to write. This is the longest thing I’ve written and it was a test of my patience. Hats off to every writer who’s ever written more than 1000 words coz damn, it’s hard! Anyway, I will be replying to all my lovely asks soon- thank you to everyone who’s sent an ask in, I really really appreciate it! Lots and lots of love to you all xx

Masterlist

"It's not what it looks like!"

Your best friend raised her eyebrow at you as she waved your phone at you. You knew there was a good reason you'd given her full access to your phone but you couldn't remember what it was for the life of you as she grinned like a cheshire cat, your phone held tightly in your hand.

"Really? Coz it looks like you're getting it on with the guy you've had a crush on since forever."

You huffed as you stalked towards where she was perched on the sofa, ready to snatch your phone from her but she was ready, leaning out of your reach and holding you back with a sock clad foot.

"No one's getting anything on," you protested as you tried to bat away her legs, doing your best to reach- unsuccessfully- for your phone.

"Not what it looks like," Maya singsonged gleefully as she read the messages on the screen. She let out a squeal, twisting away as you lunged for her, ending up half on top off her. "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

"Give it- ooft!" You groaned as you landed on your back on the floor, the breath well and truly knocked out of you. Taking in a deep breath, you pushed yourself up so you were sitting on your carpet and glared at your so called best friend. "I really hate you."

She waved a hand at you dismissively. "Yeah, I love you too. But seriously, when did you start flirting with Grayson Dolan?"

You shrugged with faux nonchalance, your fingers twisting together.

Dating apps weren't really your thing so when Maya had all but forced you to download Bumble, the last thing you'd expected was to come across Grayson's profile as you'd halfheartedly swiped through an endless myriad of photos. You'd remembered stopping in surprise, your finger ready to continue its spree of rejecting every option, when you'd recognised the chiselled face in the photos as your good friend who you may or may not have had a thing for for the last few years.

Then, before you could second guess yourself, you'd swiped right because what was the harm, right? If he came across your profile and didn't swipe back, he'd be none the wiser. He could go on with his life, blissfully ignorant about the way he made your heart skip a beat every time his eyes crinkled when he smiled and Maya could stop harassing you about never trying. Win-win situation.

You just hadn't been expecting to be told it was a match. And you knew he'd probably matched back because he'd thought it'd be a funny joke between friends. 'Remember that time we both matched on Bumble?' 'Yeah, hilarious.' By then you'd obviously had to message him because not messaging him would have definitely made things awkward. So you'd sent a casual message to him, laughing about the situation and the joint embarrassment of discovering each other's dating profiles and somehow, you'd both kept chatting.

"A few days ago, I guess," you finally conceded when the weight of her expectant gaze proved too much.

"And you didn't tell me? I'm hurt." She pouted at you in mock offence before patting the sofa cushion next to her. "Come on, get up here so I can psychoanalyse these messages properly."

Sighing in resignation, you pushed yourself off of the floor and flopped down onto the sofa, crossing your arms as you watched her scroll through the conversation.

"Holy shit, you guys are hardcore flirting!"

You felt your cheeks warm at her exclamation even as you tried to keep your face neutral. "It's not like that."

"Are you kidding me? 'Can't believe we matched haha.' 'How could I turn down the chance to talk to a pretty girl?' 'You're not so bad yourself.' Are you seriously trying to tell me you're not flirting?" She cast you an exasperated glance before gluing her eyes back to the screen. You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, gnawing anxiously as you let her finish her investigating in silence. The minutes dragged on but you let out a sigh of relief when she tossed your phone back to you, fumbling to catch it and pull it close to your chest.

You looked back to Maya who was staring at you with a finely arched eyebrow and far too much amusement.

"What?""You're genuinely going to tell me you're not flirting? To my face?"

"We're just messing around. We found each other on a dating app and we're just playing along. It's ironic flirting," you explained with as much casualness you could summon.

"Uh huh," she drawled out, unconvinced. "No, what's ironic is that I signed you up to this dating app for the express purpose of helping you move on from Grayson and you've somehow managed to completely negate that."

You pouted at her. "I thought you signed me up because you thought it was time I met a 'nice boy' so I could stop third wheeling you and Josh."

A roll of her eyes. "Yeah, a nice boy who wasn't Grayson. Gotta give you props for that. When you want something, you don't quit."

She yelled out when the cushion you'd been leaning on made contact with her smug face.

"Shut up. I didn't exactly plan for this. Plus, like I've told you a hundred times now, it's not like that." You sighed when she fixed you with a sceptical look, dropping your head back onto the couch cushion. "I'm not just saying that to be cute or coy or whatever. I genuinely do think he's just trying to be funny. Plus, he kind of has that casual thing going with Emily so I doubt he's looking for anything serious."

"Er, yeah, no, he doesn't." You lifted your head, confused as you took in the sight of your best friend who at least had the decency to look a little apologetic. "Liam told me their thing ended a good while ago."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"'Cause you would've gone straight back to pining for him from a distance, never having the guts to do anything because you didn't think there was a chance. And, I love you, babe, but to be completely honest, I didn't think there was much of a chance either. Except now, you're both flirting with each other so I'm telling you to go for it!"

"There's nothing to go for!" you exclaimed, trying to burrow yourself further into the sofa.

"So what's your 'plan'? Just continue to flirt with him 'ironically' forever?" You narrowed your eyes at her hands making air quotes.

"No," you said pointedly, rolling your eyes. "I'm just going to wait until I see him at Liam's this weekend and then we can laugh over it in person and move on."

The sound of a notification cut off whatever she was about to say next and you grinned in victory at the sight of her mouth snapping shut. Your relief was short lived as you read the words on your phone screen, your stomach twisting into nervous knots.

"Change of plans," you managed to get out, scanning over the words again just to make sure you'd read them right the first time. "He, erm, wants to meet for dinner tomorrow."

…..

"Oh my god," you hissed into your phone, ducking your head low as you stepped past a middle aged couple dressed to the nines. "This place is ridiculous. I can't do this."

"What? Ridiculous how?" Maya asked. You mumbled an apology as you narrowly avoided ploughing into a pretty girl in a dress that definitely cost more than your salary this month.

"You know I'm a feminist and a strong supporter of splitting the bill but, holy shit, Grayson better offer to pay or at least have an amazing discount code because I'm pretty sure I cannot afford a starter from this place, let alone a whole meal."

"Oh. That kind of ridiculous."

"Yeah. I'm not built for places like this. I completely panicked like an idiot when the valet guy offered to park my shitty little car and said no so I had to park like 10 minutes away. And now my feet are swollen from these stupid heels." You huffed, digging a finger into the neckline of your dress and tugging at it to try and alleviate the tightness in your chest. "And this stupid dress is way too tight."

"Shut up!" You froze, taken aback by your best friend yelling down the phone at you. "Stop with the rambling and the overanalysing and the panicking. Actually, just stop with the thinking. Turn your dense brain off for two minutes and listen to me. I know you think you look overdressed and like you're trying too hard for a fake date but you look stunning. If it is a fake date, he's going to wish it was real. And I know you're nervous and you feel awkward but I also know it's going to go great. Worst case scenario, you spend some time with your friend who you really get along with and eat some good food. So stop stressing. It is going to be fine. Okay?"

You took in a deep breath, letting her reassurances slowly but surely calm you down.

"Okay?" she repeated.

"Okay."

She hummed in satisfaction. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," you admitted with a small smile.

"Good. Now go and enjoy your ironic date," she teased and, just like that, she'd hung up on you. You rolled your eyes and stuffed your phone into the astonishingly small handbag she'd insisted you wear.

In the time you'd been talking to Maya, you'd crossed the car park, managing to avoid an embarrassing encounter with the valet guy who you'd turned down and you were now stood a few steps from the large glass doors that marked the entrance. You ran your hands over your hair, your stomach rolling with nerves as you tucked away any stray strands.

"All you have to do is be chill and enjoy. Enjoy your ironic date," you muttered to yourself, echoing Maya's words. Straightening your back, you walked through the doors.

"Good evening, madame." You'd barely stepped inside before a server was at your side, smiling politely at you. "Do you have a reservation?"

You offered a nervous smile, resisting the urge to fix your hair. "I think so. Grayson Dolan?"

"Ah, yes, Mr Dolan is waiting for you. If you'd like to follow me, madame."

"Madame," you found yourself mouthing as soon as the she had turned her back, testing out the foreign word before you could stop yourself as you trailed after her.

Your breath hitched as you turned the corner, your eyes landing on Grayson sitting at the table, his fingers playing with the napkin. His button up was snug, showing off his broad shoulders and well-built arms in a way that had your mouth go a little dry. He'd changed up his usual floppy hair, gelling it back and it bought even more attention to his chiselled face.

He looked like a model, you realised. It wasn’t a startling revelation. Grayson always looked beautiful, the perfect mix of sharp and soft, but in that moment, he looked like he would’ve belonged better on the cover of a magazine.

He glanced up towards the entrance and his eyes landed on you and, God, if there was anything you loved more than Grayson unintentionally smouldering, it was Grayson smiling. You felt your heart skip a beat as he pushed himself to his feet, napkin forgotten, his full attention on you as his eyes raked down your form. He was a breathing work of art. Michaelangelo would’ve never glanced twice at David if he’d laid eyes on Grayson.

It all just cemented the fact that this was definitely not a real date because how could Maya ever think that someone like him would go for someone like you?

You took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself as you came to a stop in front of him, the waiter offering you a final polite smile before she walked away.

“Hi," you managed to get out before he was taking your hand and bringing it up to his lips, keeping his eyes locked with yours. You felt heat dance across your cheeks, unable to look away.

"Hi," he echoed, his warm touch lingering for a few beats before he let go of your hand. "You look stunning."

"Thank you," you said softly. God, you'd have to resign to dealing with the discomfort of a burning face for the entirety of this evening if he kept this up. "You look pretty good."

"Pretty good, huh? I'll take it," he teased, eyes sparkling with his usual humour before he nodded towards the table. "Shall we?"

You nodded, stepping towards your chair before he abruptly moved towards you, pulling it out for you. You offered him a shy smile in thanks as you let him push your chair in. He'd clearly decided to fully commit to this thing, ticking off every date cliché you could think of.

"Sorry, I didn't come to pick you up," he said once he was seated. "Ethan and I had a thing across the city and I totally forgot until this morning."

You waved him off, trying to settle in your chair which was definitely more pretty than it was practical. "Don't worry about it. We could've rescheduled if you had a long day today."

He shook his head fondly. "Best way to end a long day is with a beautiful girl."

You ducked your head, the contents of your empty plate suddenly demanding your attention.

"Shall we order?" you prompted, reaching for a menu desperately. "I'm starving."

"When are you not?" he chuckled as he pulled his own menu towards him. He stopped abruptly, looking up at you. "You really do look beautiful."

The more he flashed that crooked smile at you, the more you realised that Maya was wrong. The worst case scenario wasn't an enjoyable evening with your friend. It was said friend realising that you liked him a lot more than you should. It was easy to flirt over text. He couldn't see the way his words affected you over text. He couldn't hear that your compliments were more genuine than a light joke. Sitting in front of him as he smiled at you and pinned you down with dark eyes, it was impossible to play this game with him without him realising exactly how you felt and it was so unfair that he seemed to be so at ease with this all, the perfect epitome of cool confidence- a stark contrast to the puddle of nerves you felt like.

"Thanks, Gray," you managed to get out, your eyes glued to the menu. It took a few seconds for your brain to clear enough for you to realise that the menu you were reading was essentially gibberish. You frowned, scanning the list for a single item you could recognise.

Starters, you could deal with, you decided as you identified garlic bread before miserably remembering that you definitely couldn't afford both a main and a starter from a place like this. The mains, however, were a different story.

You glanced up at Grayson, who was poring over his own menu.

"What are you getting?" you asked him, hoping he'd be able to offer some insight.

"Still looking. You?"

"Same here," you said dejectedly, sinking a little further into your seat. You eyed your tiny bag resting on the table before making your decision and trying to extract your phone from it as discretely as possible. Placing it in your lap, obscured from Grayson's view, you began the tedious task of searching your options.

"Are you ready to order?" Your head jerked up at the sudden appearance of the waiter at your table. You looked up at Grayson who raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I think so. I'll have, uh, that." You pointed to the potato based dish you'd decided seemed like a safe option before Grayson was telling the waiter his choice.

"Any starters?"

"I'm good." You smiled politely.

"We'll have some garlic bread," Grayson said, sending you a knowing smile.

You both handed over your menus to the waiter, thanking her.

"How was your day?" Grayson asked after he'd filled both of your glasses with water.

"Huh?" you managed in response, your brain operating at suboptimal speed thanks to your nerves.

"How was your day?"

You groaned, forcing yourself to sound normal when you answered. "Long. Boring."

"Wanna talk about it?" he offered sympathetically but you shook him off.

"Not really much to talk about. I just need to find a job that's not so dull it makes me wanna peel my eyelids off," you said casually. Grayson let out a surprised laugh at your declaration. "Sorry, I'm being whiny. It's not a bad job. Just dull. Really, really dull."

"No, it's fine. Complain away. It just surprises me sometimes." You looked at him curiously and he shrugged. "E and I obviously complain sometimes about what we do too. But the one thing I can never complain about is it being dull."

"Lucky you guys," you said with a joking pout and he chuckled. "Speaking of, what did you guys get up to today?"

You reclined into your seat as he launched into an account of his and Ethan's day, his eyes bright and hands moving animatedly. To your pleasant surprise, you felt yourself start to relax as his deep, steady voice worked wonders on your nerves. You could feel your pounding heart start to slow, the tight band around your chest loosening, as you listened to him.

"That sounds amazing," you admitted, going to take a sip from your glass and frowning when you realised it was empty.

"Yeah, I'm so pumped. We're going to wait until we've almost finished though before announcing it," he said as you reached for the jug of water. You weren't sure exactly how you did it but the next thing you knew, the jug was tipping over.

"Shit!" you exclaimed as Grayson jumped in his seat, taken aback by the sudden onslaught of cold water. "Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

You pulled your napkin from your plate, paying no attention to one of your many forks clattering to the ground as you leant across the table and tried to dab at every wet spot you could see.

"It's fine," he said once the shock had worn off.

"I'm so sorry," you apologised again, wiping uselessly as a result of the table being a major barrier to your ability to reach him.

"Y/N."

"Fuck, I'm sorry."

"Y/N." You stilled when his hand wrapped around yours. "It's okay. Accidents happen. Plus, it was water. No harm, no foul. Okay?"

You offered him a small smile as he gently pried the napkin from your hands.

That was it. Any tiny semblance of composure that you'd had up until then disappeared. Grayson continued to be an absolute gentleman about it like always but you cringed internally every time you caught him squirming and subtly adjusting his clothes. He tried to engage you in conversation but it was like your brain had decided this was more than it could deal with and simply shortcircuited.

The upside to being in an expensive restaurant was that your food arrived fairly quickly and you welcomed it as an excuse to not talk as you busied yourself with chewing. The downside was the judgey side eye the woman sitting on the table next to you sent as you picked up one of the three knives in front of you. Hastily, you'd swapped it for another one, slumping in relief when she'd sniffed, seemingly appeased, and turned back to her own meal.

"We could get a dessert to split if you want?" he offered once the table was cleared of your plates, already scanning the dessert menu.

"No!" you blurted, dismissing his suggestion immediately. He looked up at you in confusion at your outburst, dark eyebrows furrowed. "I'm really full."

"You're never full," he pointed out. He turned the menu half towards you, trying to change your mind by appealing to your sweet tooth. "They have a brownie with caramel ice cream."

You shook your head and his face fell.

"Sorry, Grayson," you apologised sincerely, shifting in your seat. "I'm just stuffed."

"It's no biggie," he dismissed with a smile. You felt horrible as he tried to hide his disappointment, feeling sorry for him for having to put up with your bizarre behaviour tonight without even dessert as consolation, but you were itching to get away from him so you could finally breathe properly again. Sharing dessert like a couple from a romcom was more than you were equipped to handle.

The minutes seemed to drag on as you both waited for the bill to arrive. Grayson, being Grayson, tried his best to engage you in conversation just like he had been doing the whole night, realised you were struggling, and resigned to telling you a ridiculous story about him and Ethan, allowing you to just nod and hum at the right moments.

Finally, the silver tray was placed on the middle of your table

"Don't be ridiculous," he said, pulling the bill towards him. You opened your mouth to protest but he'd cut you off, anticipating your argument. "You can just pay for my next McDonald's."

"Thanks, Grayson."

You had never appreciated the cold before but you were grateful for the sudden change in temperature as you stepped out of the restaurant, the cool air clearing your mind.

"I had a really nice time," you began your usual post-date spiel as he surveyed the car park, itching to say bye to him.

"Me too," he said, flashing you a smile before going back to scanning the car park.

"Gray-"

"I don't see your car?"

You cringed, reminded of your encounter with the valet person. "Yeah, I parked outside."

"Oh, okay. Come on, let's go," he declared and you frowned in confusion.

"Do you need a ride?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "No, I'm just walking you to your car."

"You don't have to. It's really far," you tried to wave him off but he'd already fallen into step beside you, waiting patiently for you to lead the way.

You never thought that there'd be a day when you could not wait to get rid of Grayson but here you were, moving as fast as you could without it being defined as jogging so that you could shorten the journey as much as possible.

"Ta da!" You gestured towards your car after ten minutes, keys already in your hand. "Here we are."

"Here we are," he echoed with a small smile.

"So, yeah... I had a really good time," you said.

"Me too."

"I'm really sorry about your shirt," you added, glancing at the now-dry button down.

"It was just water," he brushed off your apology.

"Well, I still felt bad. Like I said, I had a good time so thank you." You gestured towards your car. "And thanks for walking with me. I will see you around."

He stared at you for a few beats and his heavy gaze made your stomach twist.

"See you around," he said finally and then he was stepping towards you.

Before you could think about it, you'd stuck your hand out rigidly, stopping him in his tracks when your fingers overshot and poked his chest. He glanced down in confusion at where your hand jutted out clumsily between you.

Oh my God, what is wrong with you? You hug Grayson all of the time.

And because the universe hated you, instead of opening up a hole beneath your feet like you desperately wanted, you had to endure the awkward moments that stretched between you too before he finally wrapped his hand around yours, with a chuckle.

"Yeah, goodnight, then, I guess," he repeated, a bemused half smile dancing across his lips.

You opened your mouth to say something to alleviate the tension, decided the situation was unsalvageable and snapped it shut again. Giving him a final jerky wave, you flung yourself into your car and pulled off into the road. You watched as his figure grew smaller in your rear view mirror before disappearing from sight. You sagged with relief, thankful to have back the ability to breathe.

You glanced up at your drained reflection in the mirror, shaking your head despondently. "I am a fucking idiot."

…..

"ARGHHH!" you screamed into the cushion in frustration. You felt Maya's hand on your lower back, a comforting weight as she rubbed slow circles. "I suck."

She chuckled, the sound barely audible over your groaning.

"It was awful," you whined, finally pulling your face away and sitting up. You kept your eyes on your lap, trying to discretely wipe away the little puddle of drool that must have escaped your mouth from the cushion before she noticed.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

You glared at her futile attempt to make you feel better. "You weren't there. It really was. He looked insanely beautiful and my brain shortcircuited and I panicked because I was convinced I'd make it really obvious that I thought he was insanely beautiful. So I shut down. I literally shut down, Maya. I couldn't hold a single decent conversation. I spilled water on him! I was just a major fucking idiot. It sucked, sucked, sucked!"

She sighed, offering you a corner of the blanket she had over herself. "Breathe and then, tell me all about it."

Groaning, you buried yourself into the soft material and began to narrate your disaster of an evening.

"And then he went in to hug me and I stuck out my hand and then I jumped into my car and sped away," you finished with a wince, burying your face into your hands.

Maya's silence was all the confirmation you needed that you hadn't been exaggerating.

"I told you it was bad."

"It doesn't sound great," she admitted eventually, each word carefully spoken as she tried not to freak you out further. "But it's not the end of the world."

"No, just the end of my ability to ever look Grayson in the eyes again,"

"He thinks I'm a fucking weirdo."

She rolled her eyes. "Everyone you've ever interacted with for more than 30 minutes knows you're a fucking weirdo."

You let out a very questionable sound of frustration. "You don't get it. It's not that. Now, he thinks I'm some weirdo who's so in love with him that I can't function like a normal human being."

"That's all true though," she pointed out.

"You don't- He- It's embarrassing," you settled on finally. "He's probably gone home to laugh with Ethan about the fact that someone like me could ever think they had a chance with someone like him. I just- I feel so stupid and embarrassed."

"Hey, hey, come here," Maya cooed softly, surprised by the sudden sight of your glossy eyes. She pulled you in against her shoulder as you blinked rapidly, trying to banish your tears. "It's okay."

You took in a deep breath, trying to compose yourself before you sat up. "Sorry."

"You don't need to say sorry, you silly billy. But you do need to listen to me. It's not a big deal." You opened your mouth to contest that but she shut you up with a glare. "Listen, okay? It's not a big deal. So what if Grayson thinks you like him? He'll be flattered that someone as lovely and kind and intelligent as you thinks that someone like him is attractive. I'd be over the moon if I thought someone half as amazing as you felt like that about me. Plus, Grayson is a good guy. He's going to be nice about it. So, I know it seems like a big deal right now but I promise you it isn't and you should trust me because I'm one of the wisest people I know."

"Shut up," you mumbled but even now, you could feel the knot in your stomach start to subside. Maya always knew how to make you feel better. "But, also, thank you."

"Anytime." She grinned at you before slumping into you, remote in hand as she loaded up netflix on the television. "So does this mean you'll come to Liam's?"

Absolutely no way.

"We'll see, " you said to tide her over for now.

"Hmm. What do you wanna watch?"

…..

"I'm gonna go home," you announced for the tenth time, pulling your arm free from Maya's as she stepped out of the elevator, unable to force yourself to follow her.

She sighed, turning around to face you, head cocked in her best impression of a mother who was . "No, you're not."

"I can't do it. It's way too soon and too awkward," you protested, arms crossed over your chest.

"No, what's awkward is you not turning up to Liam's after your and Grayson's dinner. It'll just make him think that you think it was a bigger deal than it was and it'll be even worse when you have to see him next time," she parroted the very reasonable explanation she'd been saying to you for the last few days.

"What if I just never see him again?"

"Sure." She shrugged. "If you want to find a whole new group of friends just coz you're a little bitch."

She remained nonplussed as you glared at her.

"Come on now. Yank on those big girl panties I know you have somewhere and let's go." With that, she spun around and headed to Liam's apartment door. Sending her a final glare, you followed, knowing that she was speaking sense, as always.

You felt a soft hand wrap around yours, giving it a light squeeze.

"You've got this," she whispered and you were filled with love for your best friend who managed to always be there for you with the perfect balance of tough love and soft encouragement. You just about had time to squeeze her hand back before the door swung open.

"Hey!" You were enveloped in a hug from Liam before he was ushering you inside. "Come in!"

"Hey, Liam! We bought drinks." Maya held up the bag in her hand. "Where do you want them?"

"That's great. Kitchen would probably be good?"

"Sounds good. I'll be back."

You didn’t even have time to think to protest before she was disappearing in the direction of the kitchen. Sighing, you took the opportunity to survey the room. You weren't sure if you had some internal Grayson radar but your eyes immediately landed on him as he talked to two people you didn't really know that well. He looked beautiful as always, eyes crinkling as he laughed at something.

Before you could decide whether you wanted to go talk to him now or give yourself some time to build up some courage, his eyes landed on you and he beamed, jumping off his place on the sofa.

"There you are!"

As big of a treat it had been seeing Grayson dressed up, you felt your heart fill with affection at the sight of him in a normal t-shirt, silky hair bouncing as he took two long strides towards you, pulling you into his warm side. You relaxed against him, wrapping an arm around his back to return the gesture, his shirt soft against your cheek. He squeezed your shoulder gently and you felt the knot in your stomach dissolve as he grinned down at you.

Of course, Grayson wasn't going to be a dick about your situation.

"Hi," you said shyly, the corners of your own mouth tugging up before you could help it, any attempt to play it cool forgotten.

"Hi," he echoed, giving you a final, gentle squeeze before releasing you and you immediately missed his warmth. "Late as usual, I see."

"I'm guessing you were one of the first to arrive? Up and dressed at 7am," you teased and he snorted.

"I wish. Ethan was being annoying as usual with his clothes. He likes to spend an hour looking through his wardrobe like he's actually going to wear something different for once."

You shook your head fondly. "Typical, Ethan."

"You had a chance to grab some snacks yet?" You shook your head and Grayson nodded towards the kitchen. "Let's go, then.”

Before you could move off, there was a yell from behind you.

"Hey, Y/N!" You turned at the sight of your name, barely having time to recognise the tall brunette before Ethan was crashing into you.

"Hi, E," you laughed, your words muffled by his shoulder in your mouth.

"Brave of you to show up after breaking poor Grayson's heart."

You squirmed uncomfortably at Ethan's words, glancing sideways at Grayson to try and gauge just how much he'd told his brother about your disastrous night but he was avoiding your eyes. Enough apparently for Ethan to make fun of you. You couldn't quite decide if you were mortified or grateful that it apparently was a casual enough deal for Ethan to feel comfortable poking fun at you.

"He's been a mess, Y/N," Ethan continued, glancing at his brother with mock sympathy. "Really let himself go. I mean, look at this scruff."

Grayson jerked back, batting away Ethan's hand as he tried to stroke Grayson's stubbled cheeks.

"Cut it out! Ignore my idiot brother," he addressed you now with an apologetic smile. "I'll get over it. Don't let him bully you into feeling bad."

You blinked in confusion, feeling as though you were missing some pivotal part of the conversation. "Feel bad about what?"

Ethan choked on a laugh, looking between the two of you with wide eyes. "Savage, dude. So unremarkable- she doesn't even remember rejecting you."

"Seriously, fuck off." Grayson shoved his brother's shoulder now but you didn't miss the red that had started to bloom across his cheeks.

"Grayson, you sure you went on a date with Y/N? Sure you weren't just dreaming again?"

"We did go on a date," you jumped in to Grayson's defence. "Well, kind of."Ethan raised his eyebrows, a silent invitation for you to continue.

"It wasn't a real date," you explained, shifting your weight between your feet.

"Grayson probably told you how we matched on Bumble and we just played along a little."

"Oh wow." Grayson's eyes were wide in disbelief as stared at you. "Are you serious?"

Your fingers pulled on the tab of the can, twisting it uneasily as you nodded hesitantly, feeling sure Grayson was going to call you out on your pathetic attempts to hide your feelings that evening, pointing out that you had definitely treated it like a real date with your constant heart eyes at him. You wished for a second time that the universe would open up a you-sized hole, or at least provide a good distraction if the whole hole appearing in the middle of Liam's apartment was scientifically implausible.

"You have Bumble?" That was apparently the part that Ethan chose to focus on as he smirked at his brother. "Knew you couldn't find girls without any help."

"Ethan! Shut! Up! Y/N, did you-"

Maybe the universe didn't hate you. Maybe it just had a bit of a delayed response, you thought, as Liam chose that moment to run up and sling his arms around the boys' necks, demanding that they 'bring some of that twin power over to the beer pong table.'

Grayson opened his mouth, looking like he might say something but then Liam was calling his name again and he let himself be dragged away with a final apologetic glance over his shoulder.

You exhaled slowly, taking a large gulp of your coke.

That was fun.

…..

You laughed, throwing your head back as Maya's boyfriend Josh told you about another one of Maya's failed attempt to cook dinner for the both of them as Maya hit him playfully.

"It wasn't that bad!"

"You can't replace the sugar with salt and then say it wasn't that bad," he pointed out, pulling her in to settle under his arm.

"In my defence, I'd had a really long day. I was half delirious when I made those pancakes."

"Sure." She swatted at him half-heartedly."It's your fault," she grumbled. "I could cook just fine at uni and now, you've spoiled me with all your cooking and I'm out of practice."

Josh turned to you for validation of Maya's claim and you shrugged. "If you consider instant noodles a meal, then, yeah, sure."

Maya's shriek of indignation had you laughing as you ducked to dodge the popcorn kernel she'd thrown at you. "It wasn't just instant noodles! I made pasta sometimes!"

"Like five times in three years," you pointed out, jerking back as she tried to push you off of where you were perched on the armchair of the sofa. "You know I'm not exaggerating."

"Yeah, yeah. I just love it when my boyfriend and best friend gang up on me. It's so fun..." she trailed off, her eyes fixed over your shoulder. You turned around on instinct to see Grayson approaching you, shirt speckled with what you assumed were droplet stains from the beer.

"Hey, can we talk?"

He motioned his head towards the little terrace and you nodded, shrugging on your hoodie before following him, heart thudding in your chest. It was surprisingly empty as you stepped out, devoid of the constant line of smokers you'd seen out here the whole night and you wondered for a moment if he'd asked them to vacate the area so he could talk to you alone.

"How'd beer pong go?" you asked as you settled with your back against the balcony railing.

"Liam and I crushed Ethan and Jake," he said proudly, coming to a stop in front of you.

"Always knew you were the better twin," you joked and he chuckled.

"Good."

The two of you fell quiet, the only sound being the buzz of chatter and music coming from the apartment.

"You wanted to talk?" you prompted.

"Yeah, I just wanted to clear the air I guess," he said hesitantly.

"I didn't think that there was any air to clear."

"Yeah, I didn't either. I just thought you didn't feel the same, which was fair enough, and I thought we could just keep being friends. But then Ethan started being a dick and you said some kinda strange things so I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page," he trailed off before tipping his head back and groaning. "God, I sound so lame."

You'd spent the last few days anxiously going over how tonight was going to go and you thought you'd imagined almost every scenario, most of them including Grayson and his friends laughing at you from a corner as he told them what a lovesick idiot you'd been your whole date. You hadn't once imagined your evening going like this. "What do you mean you thought I didn't feel the same?"

"I've been rejected before," he said matter of factly but even in the dim light you could see the blush on his cheeks. "It's no big deal. It's not your fault if you don't feel it."

"You thought I was rejecting you?" you asked, completely taken aback by Grayson's interpretation of the evening.

He shrugged helplessly. "Well, yeah. You shut down any of my attempts to talk and you looked like you couldn't wait to get away."

"I thought I'd weird you out if I flirted with you or anything like that," you admitted.

"Why would I be weirded out by you flirting with me on a date I asked you to go on?"

"I thought it was an ironic date," you muttered by way of explanation.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and you cleared your throat, feeling more stupid by the second. "Huh?"

"I thought you matched with me to be funny. And then I thought you were flirting as a little joke. No big deal, right? We matched, might as well . And then you suggested dinner and I just thought you didn't mean anything by it. Like an 'I'm your friend and I found you on a dating website so it'd be funny if we played along to be ironic' thing."

"Played along by asking you on a date?" he clarified, dark eyebrows arched.

"An ironic date," you repeated lamely.

"You have a weird sense of humour," he said finally. "Or you seem to think I have a weird sense of humour."

You let out a short laugh, tugging on your hoodie string as you twirled it around the tip of your finger. "Mix of both probably."

"Did you want it to be an ironic date?"

Your head jerked up, your hoodie strings no longer capturing your attention. "Huh?"

"Did you want it to be an ironic date?" he repeated, his voice strangely even, each word spoken with care.

"I wouldn't have been able to handle the pressure of being dressed up and eating at a place like that if I'd thought it was a real date."

He chuckled softly, pushing the hair flopping over his brow back.

"Yeah, it wasn't really my scene either. I had no idea what I ordered for my main until it came," he admitted.

"I googled the options under the table," you reassured and it was enough to coax a genuine laugh from him, the sound loud and wonderful in the quiet night.

"Of course, you did." He shook his head fondly. "I just didn't want you to think I was half-assing it."

"I definitely did not think that. It just wasn't very… us." He hummed in agreement, accepting your assessment with a nod.

It was silent for a few beats.

"I say we just get pizza and watch one of those crime documentaries you're always going on about on our next date," he suggested finally as a solution.

"Next date?" you asked levelly, the corners of your lips twitching upwards despite your attempt to keep your face neutral.

"Yeah. If you want." He shrugged, dragging a hand across his stubble, and there was something so endearing about him trying to act nonchalant about the fact he wanted another date and that he knew what you liked to watch that all the willpower in the world wasn't enough to hold back your smile.

"Can't wait," you told him sweetly and his shoulders sagged in relief- almost imperceptible, and you may not have even noticed if he hadn't been the guy you'd been a little bit in love with for years.

"Cool."

"Pizza's on me," you reminded him and he chuckled, conceding.

"This is a real date, by the way," he chimed, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he grinned down easily at you. "In case it wasn't clear enough this time around either."

"I know!"

"Ironic date, my ass," he huffed good-naturedly as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry!" you exclaimed, giggling as you pulled lightly on the strings of your hoodie, feeling at home in his familiar presence.

The sound of laughter died away and you felt giddy as you stared at each other with matching grins.

"Now that that's sorted, if I try to kiss you again, are you going to jab me in the ribs again?" he asked teasingly, cocking his head.

You felt your cheeks burn as you tried to defend yourself. "I didn't jab, I elegantly offered-."

You cut yourself off as Grayson leaned in abruptly, blinking in surprise as your vision was flooded with his handsome face. You froze when his hand wrapped around yours, letting him gently tug it to rest on the side of his torso, in the same spot that it'd been that evening.

"Last chance to poke," he warned, warm brown eyes watching you intently.

"I'm good," you said with a breathy laugh, your fingers curling into his shirt.

"Good."

The tip of his nose bumped yours gently before his lips were pressing against yours, warmth spreading all the way down to your toes.

Okay, so maybe Maya was right, and it had been exactly what it had looked like. But- you thought, giggling as Grayson playfully pulled you closer by your hoodie strings- you didn't mind being wrong this time.

Thanks a bunch for reading!

Click here to see the prompt list and here if you’d like to check out my masterlist for some reason!

#my writing #grayson dolan imagine #dolan twins imagine #grayson dolan #dolan twins #ethan dolan #grayson dolan one shot #dolan twins one shot

335 notes · View notes