Okay you guys waited WAY too long for this and I would be surprised if any of you are still reading but if you are, thank you x10000
tags: @reblogserpent @atlas-of-a-human-soul @godlydolans @peacedolantwins @peacedolantwins2 @graydolan12 @dolansmith
(i also used to have graysonsthiccqueen tagged so if anyone knows if her @ changed or if she deactivated please let me know)
You would think that after the exhausting night Ethan had that he would have welcomed sleep in the chair of the waiting room. However, when y/n’s head doctor walked quietly into the area around 5 am, Ethan hadn’t even attempted to sleep a wink.
“She’s stable. And awake. You can come to see her now if you’d like.” Ethan jumped up like his seat had been set on fire. He walked quickly alongside the doctor. “Now, son, her recovery process will be long and slow, so be very patient.”
Ethan nodded. “Of course.”
“I had a nurse explain the situation to her. She could recall the events but we had to inform her of the Markers and how she is alive right now.” The doctor gestured at the door ahead of them, giving Ethan permission to enter. “It’s a lot of information for her to take in, so she could use someone by her side.” Ethan gave a final nod before pushing open the door to the dimly lit room.
Ethan wanted to cry at the sight of y/n, both because of how relieved he was that she was alive and how scared he was at her fragile-looking state. “Hey, E,” she croaked.
He sat down on the side of her bed and gently lowered his head to lay on her shoulder, the side furthest from her wound. “Hi, baby,” he whimpered. “Don’t strain too much, okay? You lost a lot of blood.” He lifted his head back up to look at her, tears running rivers down his cheeks. She took a tube covered hand and wiped gently at the droplets.
“Yeah, that’s what they told me. Don’t cry, E, I’m gonna be okay.” But she was almost in tears, too. “We got so lucky with the Markers. I had heard rumors but...I never thought…” She trailed off, unsure of where to go.
“I’m so sorry that he did this, y/n.” He didn’t say his name. He didn’t have to.
Y/n shook her head with as much passion as she could muster. “Do not apologize. You never could have known. We never could have known.” Y/n led Ethan’s head back to her shoulder and stroked her fingers through his hair. “Just please don’t let him come here. I ca-” She choked on her words for a moment, then pushed down a sob and continued. “I can’t see him. Not after that.”
Ethan whispered a confirmation in her ear. He knew that he had to confront Grayson at some point, talk to him about the possible brainwashing. But he sure as hell wouldn’t let him anywhere near y/n until he knew for sure she would be safe in his presence.
Y/n fell asleep not long into a cheesy, hospital-TV movie. Ethan fought against himself as he tried to decide what to do next. His eyes cast down to the love of his life, her sleeping form looking too much like she did hours ago when she was bleeding out in his arms. He had to look away; he couldn’t bear anymore thoughts of her being gone. Taken away by his brother. The thought of Grayson led him back to his internal struggle. Stay here or go find Grayson. As much as he wanted to stay forever wrapped in y/n’s arms, her chest moving against him and confirming her beating heart, he knew he would have to face Grayson. Despite everything, his heart longed for his twin brother; he wanted to make sure he was okay, he wanted to confirm that he was brainwashed and that none of this was really his fault. And he hated himself for it. His twin had just attempted the murder of the only girl he had ever truly loved and all he could think about was if Grayson was somewhere safe. Little did he know that Grayson sat just outside the hospital, barefoot and inconsolable in his car in the parking lot.
Ethan couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he had fallen asleep. All he knew is that when he woke up, his mind was clearer. More ready to take on the impossible situation that was thrown at him. He would have to talk to Grayson. With a final look at y/n, who was still sleeping peacefully, and a quick check of her pulse, he stepped out into the hallway and pulled out his phone.
Grayson jerked up, startled from his dozing state as his phone went off. He almost thought he had fallen asleep and it was all a dream when he saw the caller ID. It was Ethan.
“H-hello?” he asked with hesitation. He half expected (and knew he deserved) Ethan to curse his life and threaten him over the phone before tracking down his location and coming to suffocate him until he passed out. But a small part of him hoped desperately that his brother would take mercy on him. Truthfully, Grayson wanted to die. As soon as he saw y/n’s body go limp beneath him, he wanted to take the knife away and plunge it into his own chest. But why? I was following the law. And I chose the side of the Savage. I shouldn’t be bothered. But...it’s y/n. Y/N. How could I? How did it?
“Where are you? I need...to talk to you.” Ethan’s voice through the phone interrupted Grayson’s inner monologue.
Grayson gulped. He had always had a great relationship with Ethan, nothing ever threatened it. But right now he was truly terrified of his older brother. He had already punched him in the face. Hard. “What are you gonna do to me, E?” His voice was on the verge of shakiness but not quite there.
Ethan rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just want to talk. Where are you?” He waited, tapping his foot against the linoleum floor of the hospital hallway. Finally, he heard Grayson sigh.
“I’m outside in the hospital parking lot.”
Ethan was taken aback for a moment. “You came?”
Grayson shrugged, though he knew Ethan couldn’t see him. “Yeah.”
Ethan hung up and walked briskly out to the parking lot. He searched for Grayson’s car among the sea of vehicles and finally found it when Grayson flashed his lights at him. Ethan slid slowly into the front seat, sitting as far away from Grayson as he could in the small car.
They both sat quiet for a moment, neither knowing what exactly to say. But Ethan broke the silence with “How could you do this to me? To her?”
Grayson swallowed hard. “Is she…”
“She’s alive,” Ethan established, “no thanks to you.”
Grayson gulped in a big breath of air. She lived. “I...I don’t know what happened, I just-I just snapped. I saw her mark for the first time and I knew that I had to…” Ethan winced and Grayson knew he couldn’t (and shouldn’t) continue. “But I felt so guilty. I wanted to do it in a way that you would never know. I didn’t-I couldn’t do that to you, but at the same time I had to.” He sat silent for a minute, gathering his thoughts. Ethan stayed quiet as well. “It almost felt like I was-”
“Brainwashed?” Ethan suggested. Grayson stopped short and looked over to his twin who was looking forward out the windshield.
“Yeah...yeah, kinda like that. How did you…?”
Ethan wiped his hands over his face, like he was trying to wipe away all that he was thinking, feeling, going through. “As much as I want to hate you, maybe even kill you for what you did,” he paused as he noticed Grayson flinch. “I think there might be an explanation.”
Grayson’s eyes lit up with surprise and hope. “You do?”
Ethan took a deep breath, hoping these next moments would go according to plan. “How does this make you feel, Grayson?”
Ethan pulled up the hem of his shirt, exposing his oblique and revealing a death mark.
