#It is silly how their big ass shoulders cover an entire stripe on the flag

[madnesscombatagere]

Hi chat

Caregiver

[baby-grayson]

okay cat, ignore this if it's not your vibe (for real, I mean it haha) but I CANNOT stop thinking about a little gray and ness moment where someone on the other team sees her with gray's number on and starts talking smack on the field

Who doesn’t love a territorial Grayson? One of Vanessa’s favorite sweatshirts to bundle up in on those cold Friday nights is an extra-large hoodie with the team mascot on the front and “DOLAN” printed across the back on top of the number eleven. The sweatshirt was originally Grayson’s but after she borrowed it more than a few times, it found a new permanent home in Vanessa’s closet next to a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that were also originally Grayson’s. She held her hands tightly inside of the pouch of that sweatshirt, feeling dumb for forgetting her gloves in the car and being too stubborn to leave the bleachers to go get them. On her bottom half, she wore a pair of fleece black leggings that were covered by two blankets wrapped around her. Underneath her boots, she wore her favorite part of fuzzy blue socks with white stripes to keep her toes warm. She was a cozy little bundle topped with a bright blue knitted hat with a pompom on top.

From her seat in the stands, just to side of the second overhead light on the left, she pulled her hands out of her sweatshirt pocket to cup them and cheer before quickly shoving them back into the pocket and knitting them together to save her skin from the cold air’s bite. Her eyes were locked on Grayson as the players exited the field and joined tight huddles with their respective teams.

The other team had come from out of state, with no fans in the bleachers to cheer them on. And that particular Friday night was not a homecoming game, or a playoff game, or even a particularly highly anticipated game. The bleachers were sparsely decorated with fans: a few stray students looking for something to do on a Friday night, parents in their own huddle of gossip and discussion, and the team’s girlfriends sprinkled throughout the seats. Vanessa was easily the loudest voice in the crowd.

She cheered loud enough to get the attention of the attention bitter linebacker on the opposing team: Tommy Marvolo. Tommy had always been bigger and dumber than the other kids his age: a perfect candidate for a college football career. Being an agile oaf with cleats, his sense of self-worth was being severely assaulted by the numbers displayed on the scoreboard. His team was losing: 14-37.

He snapped of his helmet and shoved it under his arm when he looked up at the sound of a sweet voice whooping from the stands. Tommy couldn’t deny that she was pretty: even bundled to the point where only her primary facial features were showing. Grayson ducked his head into his own huddle, listening intently to instructions from his coach while Ethan slapped his ass and the smell of grass and sweat filled the air inside of his helmet. As Grayson grunted in confirmation, Tommy looked up from the field to notice the number on the arm of Vanessa’s sweatshirt.

Tommy was barely smart enough to put the dots together when he saw the number eleven printed on the back of Grayson’s jersey.

With a few whistle blows and chants, the players made their way back onto the field. Grayson and Tommy crouched down. Grayson focused on pushing his feet into the ground, trying to spread his weight through his knees: making him more nimble to push off and run into the other team’s line after the ball was thrown. Grayson perked his head up when Vanessa called out from the stands. He smiled brightly in her direction: she swore she could see his face light up when he looked at her.

“She’s yours?” Tommy gruffed while the other players got into position.

Grayson cleared his throat, not immediately realizing that he was being spoken, “Uh- yeah,” he wasn’t totally comfortable with claiming Vanessa as ‘his’, as if she was an object, but he agreed in hopes of shutting Tommy up.

It didn’t work.

“Cute,” he sniffled and watched his quarterback start to bend over, “She’s a looker.”

Grayson gritted his teeth, feeling his mouthguard push against the edges of his cheeks, “Ha” he let out a cynical sound.

“Too bad you can’t handle her…”

Grayson reached his bottom jaw upward to clamp down on his upper lip, trying his hardest to focus on the game that was about to start around him.

“You’re too busy playing with big balls..”

Grayson felt a vein on the side of his temple throb against his face.

“She’ll look good under me thou-“

Grayson smashed into him as hard as he could, the same instant the referee blew the whistle to start the play. Before the ball had left the quarterback’s hand, Tommy was on the ground and watching pretty birds and stars circle around his head from where he looked up at Grayson.

The referee blew the whistle again, “EVELEN”

Grayson snapped his head in the direction of the referee just in time to hear him call out, “Chopping!” and throw a yellow flag near Tommy’s head on the ground.

Grayson sneered and walked away, not bothering to offer a Tommy a hand to stand up.

In a dark way, Grayson felt proud when he went back to the bench to learn he had knocked Tommy with enough force to take him off the field for the entire game. The sound of his pride drowned out the sound of his coach chewing him out for giving the team a ten-yard penalty.

Grayson’s team went on the further their lead and win the game 52-20.

He grinned when he left the locker room to find Vanessa waiting on the other side. He made quick work of picking her up, so her feet dangled above the ground and planting a big, sweet kiss on her lips while he cradled her before settling her back down. She giggled and smiled up at him, “You’re so silly.”

He smiled and shrugged, reaching down to hold her hand in his and noticing how the warmth of his hand immediately started penetrating the layer of cold on her skin, “It’s a good night.”

He squeezed her hand and started walking toward the car with her, throwing his duffel bag behind one of his shoulders. From the other side of the parking lot, Tommy trailed behind the rest of his team to get on their bus. Grayson matched Tommy’s flat look with a signature Dolan side eye.

“What happened to him?” Vanessa nodded in Tommy’s direction while getting in the passenger side of Grayson’s Jeep.

Grayson settled himself in the driver’s seat and threw his duffel bag into the back, “Him? Ah he just said something he shouldn’t have.”

Vanessa knitted her brow together, “What do you mean?” She nestled her tote bag with her blankets by her feet as Grayson turned on the heat in the car.

Grayson shrugged, “Don’t worry bout it- s’nothing” He pulled out of the parking lot and started down the street, towards his apartment.

Vanessa gave him a sideways glance, unconvinced by his response, “I’ve only ever seen you get three penalties,” she started, “and one of them was tonight.”

Grayson sighed, realizing that he was not going to be able to dodge her questions. He moved his hands against the wheel in a resigned gesture, “He was saying stuff, I got mad- that’s all really,” his voice sounded honest and surrendered.

“About what”? Vanessa leaned forward and rubbed her hands together in front of the heating vent.

Grayson smacked his lips together a few times and weighed his head from side to side, trying to find words. He piqued Vanessa’s interest while saying, “About you,” he admitted, “He was saying stuff about you and I –” he sighed again and shook his head, “It didn’t belong in the game.”

Vanessa felt herself taken aback by the idea. “Was he trying to like… psyche you out?”

Grayson sighed again, “Uhh…maybe,” he decided. “I don’t know but it didn’t belong in the game.”

“Don’t you guys talk smack all the time?”

“Yeah but it’s different,” Grayson persisted, using his blinker to turn through an intersection. He drove into the new lane before saying, “Smack talk is smack talk but you don’t belong being a part of that.” He quickly glanced in her direction before turning his eyes back on the road, noticing her pensive look as she dissected each of his words, “That out there, football, football’s a game. That’s all it is, a stupid game with a bunch of stupid guys crashing into each out. You? You’re more than a game. You’re above the game and I don’t ever want to hear another guy brining you into the game like that again. You’re worth more than that Ness.”

Vanessa responded by silently laying a delicate hand on top of Grayson’s on the gear shift.

((i hope you like it lynds  🥺))