Name and presentation? 10. Taste? A 2, on a good day. Nonetheless, you felt quite put together with your Manhattan in your hand, newly manicured nails tinkling against the rim of the glass while you sipped at it, careful not to spill any down your dress. The wedding was crowded - the Dolan’s were a large clan after all, but close enough that everyone knew everyone enough to at least make conversation.
You’d never heard of Lorenzo Dolan, or his new wife Destiny, until the save the date had appeared at the twins mailbox in LA almost 6 months ago.
“He’s our second cousin on dad’s side, we used to fuck shit up at the family reunions in Long Beach all the time,” Grayson had explained. It didn’t surprise you, and you could picture a much younger Ethan and Grayson running down the beach alongside another dark haired boy.
The surprise came two months later, when Ethan and Grayson were debating on whether it was too much of a ‘flex’ to wear Louis Vuitton to a family wedding. Ethan turned to you, a pair of dress pants in his hands.
“Well, what are you gonna wear?”
“Huh?” You looked up from where you were lounging on Ethan’s bed.
“Do you have a dress for the wedding?”
“I wasn’t aware I was going to the wedding,” you laughed, sitting your phone down on the comforter.
“What do you mean? You’re always my plus one.”
You hated the way that it made your stomach tighten, the way your blood moved faster in your veins. He wasn’t wrong. You’d been his plus one to plenty of things: Wakeheart launch parties, influencer parties, Juanpa parties. But you’d never done anything family related with him.
“Well yeah, but this is a whole ass wedding.”
“Yeah. So you need a nice dress.” He said it so casually that you couldn’t get a read on him to save your life, though you tried.
And that was the last it was spoken of until November, when the flights to New Jersey were booked and the suitcases were packed. Which was how you ended up at a very fancy bar at the wedding with a bitter drink in your hand, with your eyes on Ethan, who was having a hushed conversation with his twin.
“Bro. Did you leave your balls in LA or what? You said you were finally gonna tell her!”
“I fucking will bro, I just gotta find the right moment,” Ethan huffed, toying with the top of the letters on his Vuitton belt.
“Well, Patrick has been eyeing her all night, so if you’re gonna do it you better do it soon.”
Ethan’s head whipped over to the table where another one of his cousins sat. Sure enough, his head was turned towards the bar. He followed his gaze, blood pressure rising when he realized that Patrick really was looking at you, standing there in your dark green dress, with your heels and your curls and your smile and your drink. He suddenly wished the two of you were still on the plane you’d been on the night before, where his heart had soared when you settled into your middle seat and fell asleep against his shoulder instead of Graysons. He’d been the only one allowed to look at you then, and he preferred it that way.
It took until Patrick stood up at the sound of the first slow song for Ethan to finally go over to you. You swallowed the rest of the bitter liquid and tried not to sputter, chasing it down with some water as he walked over.
He didn’t say a word - all he did was take your hand and lead you through the arrangement of tables and chairs until your heels clicked against the dance floor.
“Oh, so we’re dancing now are we?” You teased him in an attempt to distract him from the blush that was spreading across your cheeks with a reckless abandon as his hands landed on your hips.
“We’re gonna try,” Ethan laughed, and he seemed a bit breathless, eyes darting around, moving to the left over your shoulder every few seconds.
“What are you looking at?” You moved to look over your shoulder, but Ethan caught your chin gently, keeping you looking at him.
“My cousin Patrick keeps looking at you.”
“Oh.”
“He’s creepy.”
“Gotcha. Is that why we’re dancing? You protecting me or something?”
“Yeah.” Your heart sunk as you looked up at him, but you watched the way his brows furrowed, the way they always did when he was debating with himself.
“And because I wanted to dance with you.”
You both swayed in silence for a moment, letting the fact that he’d actually said those words out loud.
“As... as friends?” You asked quietly. If you hadn’t moved closer to him in the silence, he probably wouldn’t have heard it.
He paused for a moment, that little smirk that you’d seen so many times, and it spread into a wider smile that literally sparkled under the lights before he spoke.
“We’re not just friends and you fucking know it.”
You sucked in a breath, and then you were smiling too, at the way he was right there in front of you, and the way he pressed on your hips to bring you just a tiny bit closer. The way his shoulders seemed to relax as the weight of getting it off his chest began to settle in.
You laced your fingers behind his neck, thankful that your heels put you closer to his level, close enough for him to hear you whisper.
“Prove it.”
Ethan Dolan never backed down from a challenge, but you still didn’t expect his next move, which was to turn and dip you, kissing you softly in front of everyone, with the muffled sound of Grayson cheering him on somewhere else in the reception crowd.
I asked Ang this but it seems fun so what ONE song JUST ONE would u attribute to each of ur characters
(And maybe u can include Koa hehe)
you live to torture me don’t you oh my god this is gonna be so HARD
Indy: Angels by Khalid - This seems like a sad one for Indy but in reality I see it in two ways. One, she is surrounded by angels in her life. Nicole, Sean, Beks, the patients she ends up caring for that she isn’t always able to save (she always takes the hard cases to make sure they go peacefully). But its also about looking for the light in every situation, which is one of her strengths, my lil forever optimist
Grayson: raincoat by THE WLDLFE - Grayson is a protector, a lover, a fighter. He wants to cover everyone and keep them safe, none more so than Indy. This song just wraps them up so well as a couple too tbh its so good
Eden: From Eden by Hozier - no this is not where I got her name but it just makes sense. Eden just has this allure that makes everyone love her instantly.
Ethan: Just What I Am by Kid Cudi - This song will never not be ethan’s song. It just is. I can’t escape it haha
Bekah: listen before i go by billie eilish - This is very much what I imagined to go through Bekah’s head a lot of the time, in regards to her illness when she knew it would take her. She just wanted to be remembered, and through Indy and Gray and little Beks, she is, every day.
Charlie: Hurricane by Fleurie - Charlie doesn’t let very many people in, but she’s growing (indy taught her that). This song applies more to her years before she met Devin and knew she found the person she could trust forever
Devin: Rose Golden by Kid Cudi and WILLOW - Devin has always done things his way, made things happen for himself and stayed true to himself throughout it all. I love him. That is all.
Koa: Un(Lost) by The Maine - Koa has big plans and big dreams, and she’s always looking at the bigger picture. But she’s also a carefree spirit in a lot of ways and she wants to just get out there and experience life and where it takes her! This song fits her so well
I’ll add some for some more characters from hiraeth as I go, including Kahua, Harlow, Nahele and Amosa :’)
(I don’t have songs for the lil mixtape babies yet haha we gotta see how they turn out)
