#c:raleigh

[vintagedolan]

another raleigh concept but it might be kinda angsty? what if gray and y/n were to get into a fight and y/n leaves. how would raleigh react?

Could you maybe do really throwing a tantrum because yn isn’t here and she wants her and is refusing to come near grayson.

He was dwelling. He hated dwelling, but alas, thats exactly what he was doing, and had been doing for the last three hours since you’d walked out the door for work without a hug or kiss goodbye. 

The fight hadn’t been super monumental, but it was far from pleasant. You were already stressed out with work, and even though Grayson got back from his walk a few minutes late, that was a few minutes too late.

“There you are, what the hell Gray?” You threw your hands up in the kitchen, work bag already over your shoulder.

“I... what? What’s wrong?”

“You’re late, that’s what’s wrong! I should have left 5 minutes ago, but I can’t exactly leave a sleeping 4 year old alone in the house now can I?” You huffed, already moving towards the door to get your shoes on.

“Babe I thought your shift didn’t start until 8, you’ve still got plenty of time to get there.” He glanced down at his watch to double check, make sure that he didn’t have it wrong in his head.

“I have a meeting this morning, at 7:45. That I told you about. Multiple times.”

As soon as she said it he remembered her mentioning it the night before - he may or may not have been too distracted by the fact that she was getting in the shower when she said it. 

“I’m sor-”

“I don’t have time for this right now, I’ve gotta go I’m already late,” you shook your head, grabbing your keys and heading out the door. You almost slammed it behind you but caught yourself at the last second, closing it gently so you didn’t wake Raleigh up.

It seemed like all the women in his life were mad at him that day.

“No.”

“Ra.”

“No.” She crossed her little arms over her chest - something she’d picked up from her Uncle Ethan - and shook her head.

“Believe it or not, it’s not really optional bub. If you wanna go outside, you have to put shoes on. End of story.” He held up the little nike again, which looked like a doll shoe in his large hand. 

“You don’t wear shoeses,” she countered, quirking an eyebrow up. Another Ethan habit. He was gonna have to talk to him about that.

“Remember when you stepped on that bee? And you couldn’t walk for a few days, and daddy had to carry you everywhere? We wear shoes so things like that don’t happen again.” He tried to reason with her, but she wasn’t budging. 

Damn if he hadn’t passed on his own stubbornness. 

She went to run past him again towards the back door and he caught her on instinct. As soon as he had her torso in his hands he knew what was coming. 

A meltdown. 

Sure enough, she started screaming at the top of her lungs, tears streaming as he pulled her to his chest, tried to hold her steady, wait for her to cry it out. But she pushed against him, grunting with the force of trying to move him, something she’d never done before.

So startled, he let her go, trying to ignore the tear of his heart when he realized she didn’t want him.

“Ra, baby hey, it’s okay.”

“NO! I want Y/N!” She screamed, running over to the couch and throwing herself face down onto it. Her little body shook with her cries, but he was frozen to his spot on the carpet.

She’d never asked for anyone but him before. 

There was a fleeting moment of jealousy, but it was immediately washed over by the concern he felt. No matter how much he said he was going to be the strong parent who stuck to his guns, when she cried like that he’d do anything to pacify her.

And he’d watched the only thing she wanted rush out the door that morning, obviously not very happy with him. He ran his hands through his hair, a bit overwhelmed and exhausted at the prospect of trying to calm Raleigh down. 

He took the easy route and pulled up Moana, moving over to the couch to rest his hand on her back, tracing patterns that he knew would calm her down until her tears turned to whimpers and then to deep breaths. She’d cried herself to sleep. He let out a sigh of relief, rubbing a hand over his eyes and laying his head against the couch close to her, hoping she would be a bit calmer with a nap under her belt.

An hour later, she woke up on the wrong side of the couch. Every little thing was a battle, from eating lunch to just sitting in the living room. Nothing was satisfying to her, nothing could soothe her, and all she wanted was you. Everything was just going to hell in a hand basket - he hadn’t remembered a day when things had been this bad since she was teething. It had him on the verge of tears by 6pm, so he did the only thing he knew to do these days. 

hey. I know this morning wasn’t great, and I’m really sorry about making you late. It totally slipped my mind, but thats just an excuse. I’m not sure if you were planning on coming back over tonight or going to your place, but Raleigh has been a lowkey holy terror today and she won’t stop asking for you. You don’t have to come obviously, and I hope this doesn’t come off like a guilt trip, I’m just kinda out of options. And of course I’d love to see you, you know that, but it’s up to you. I love you

Little did he know that you were punching in the gate code and coming up the driveway as he typed. You read it with a frown as you parked - the drive to work had been stressful, but you’d made it to the meeting with 1 minute to spare and the rest of the day had actually gone pretty well. Your annoyance had faded throughout the day and all you wanted was to have a nice night in with your boyfriend and Ra. You’d seen Raleigh on a bad day before, but from the sounds of it she was in rare form. So you braced yourself, threw your bag over your shoulder and headed for the door.

Two identical sets of brown eyes turned to see you, both just as surprised to see you in the doorway.

“Y/N!!!!” Raleigh squealed, jumping up off the couch and running towards you. You scooped her up like usual, giving her a squeeze before you leaned back to look at her.

“Can we do nails now?” She asked, eyes bright and excited. You’d told her that if she was good all week that you would have a little homemade manicure night with her, a chance for Grayson to get some work done, though you knew he’d come in and let her paint his nails if she asked.

“Well miss Raleigh, do you remember our deal? What did we have to do to earn nail night?” 

Her eyes went wide - she obviously thought you had no idea what had gone down all day.

“Um...”

“I don’t think you were very nice to your daddy today. What do you think?” 

She tucked her chin, toying with the fabric of your shirt. “No. I’s not very nice today.” 

“Well then, I think we might need to fix that before we have nail night. Here,” you leaned in to her ear so you could whisper. “Why don’t you go say sorry to daddy and then ask if he wants to do nails.” 

She nodded quickly, wiggling until you put her down. She beelined for where he was sitting on the carpet, throwing her arms around his neck. He caught her automatically, holding her to him, but his eyes were on you. 

“I’s sorry daddy,” she murmured into his neck.

“It’s okay baby. Thank you for saying sorry,” he sighed, pressing a kiss to her temple. You could tell he’d had a long day just from looking at him.

“You wanna do nails wif us?” 

“Nails? You wanna do nails? Only if you promise to paint mine, you do them the best,” he smiled, putting on his best show of enthusiasm. 

An hour and a half later, he was in bed with 9 lime green fingernails (she’d gotten bored and left his pinky blank), watching you get ready for the night. You moved over to him, climbing in bed next to him. You’d barely settled before he was practically on top of you, head buried in your chest and arms wrapped around you, asking to be held. 

You obliged, wrapping him up as best you could, pressing kisses to his hair and running your finger over his bare skin.

“Rough day?”

“Roughest,” he mumbled, kissing your arm when it got close enough to his face. “As usual you saved the day though. I wasn’t sure if you were gonna come back tonight.” 

“I haven’t stayed at my place in two weeks Gray,” you mumbled, nuzzling into his hair before he turned to look at you. “Sorry for being snippy this morning, I was just stressed out.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for, it was my fault. Thank you for coming over.”

“I couldn’t miss nail night,” you teased, leaning down to kiss his nose. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment before he looked at you seriously.

“Is that why you came back?”

“No. I’m not mad. Honestly once I made it to my meeting on time I was fine. But if you’re asking if I would have come back for nail night even if you’d royally pissed me off, then yes, I would have.”

He moved then, pushing himself up with an arm.

“Really? Why?”

“Cause Raleigh has nothing to do with what’s going on with us. If I promise that little girl something I’m gonna follow through every time that I possibly can. Gotta show her that I mean what I say, you know?” 

It felt like common sense when you said it, but you would never fully be able to understand how much that sentiment meant to Grayson. The fact that he’d found someone who cared so much about his daughter was the only thing he could have ever asked for, and you gave him so much more.

A bit overwhelmed, he couldn’t find the right words. Instead he ducked down to kiss you, lips rough and demanding against yours. It made you laugh a bit as you pulled him down on top of you.

“Oh that’s what does it for you huh? Good to know,” you teased as he moved to kiss your neck.

“Good parenting principles? Fuck yeah it does.”

[roniwentzell]

@raleighxmonroe

Veronica was nothing less than surprised when she received an agreement to meet from Raleigh. The text had been sent late in the night, a time when she found herself often reminiscing about the life she could have had. Most of the time, those she reached out too never responded. A social embargo due to her father’s actions, sometimes she’d count herself lucky that Harlow still gave her the time of day. But the plea to Raleigh had been to catch up; any connection she could grasp. The warmth of a mug met her lips just as she caught his figure turning the corner. The years between them had kept distant even when Veronica was in the gang’s good graces, but this meeting, appearing insignificant to most, was a chance. “Hey!” Her voice far more chipper than her usual tone. “Uh, how are you?”

[vintagedolan]

okay but raleigh calling y/n mama for the first time? I'm screaming

Grayson would have called himself adventurous growing up. He couldn’t count the times he and Ethan had done some stupid shit, got themselves in trouble. They were the kings of the world - or the backyard anyways, conquering the new jersey wilderness without a single worry.

But all that energy disappeared when he went to school. The snide looks from the parents, the mean kids, even back in preschool. And that was in Jersey, where the neighbors wave at you and let you go first at a four way stop just cause. 

Needless to say, he had never been more nervous for anything in Raleigh’s life than he first day of preschool in LA. It even topped the first night he’d spent alone with her after her mom had gone. His little girl looked so innocent, so small in her carseat in the back of the porsche, her little marine animal lunchbox clutched in her hands, so excited to go on a new adventure. She was going to be home before lunch anyways - preschool was just from 8am to noon - but he’d packed her enough snacks to feed the whole class.

“If you freak out she’s gonna freak out,” you cautioned, keeping your voice low and your tone light in the passenger seat. You could see the panic rising with every turn of the car wheels, his eye flitting helplessly to the rear view mirror over and over.

“4 year olds can be absolute dickwads, and she has such a big heart. I don’t want them to walk all over her, she cares so much about everybody.” 

You held your tongue - it was his daughter. Not your place, even if you’d been in her life for almost two years now. But you’d also been in his life two years now, and he knew when you were holding back.

“I’m projecting again aren’t I.”

“I didn’t say that,” you teased.

“Just because preschool was shit for me doesn’t mean it’s gonna be shit for her,” he mumbled to himself, repeating the words you’d said to him last week when you’d had this exact conversation.

“And if things do go shitty, then you can always pull her out, remember? It’s not like with your parents where they had to be at work. We could teach her at home if we really need to,” you reminded him. That seemed to take a bit of the stress out of his shoulders, helped him breathe just a hair better. 

It only hitched up again when he parked the porsche in front of the school. He took a deep breath, put on his biggest smile before he turned around to his daughter.

“Alright Ra, we’re here. You remember what we talked about?” 

She nodded at him, unfazed, kicking her little converse clad feet against her seat as she rattled it off. “Be nice to the teacher, be smart, take no stuff.” 

You quirked an eyebrow at the last one. He’d later explain it was his 4 year old friendly adaptation of take no shit. 

It warmed your heart, watching him climb out of the car, help her out of her car seat, sit her down on her feet and help her put her backpack on. 

“You ready?” 

She nodded, excitedly reaching a hand up to grab onto two of his fingers. It surprised you a bit when Grayson reached his other hand out for yours, silently asking for you to go with him. You held on, squeezing tightly to try and reassure him as the three of you walked into the school. 

The rest of it was a bit of a blur - little voices, tiny backpacks, lots of worried parents. Gray led her to her seat, got her all settled. His heart practically burst when she turned to the little girl beside her, introduced herself the way he had taught her, got a smile in return. 

It took all the strength he had in him to walk out of that room, turning around every few steps to wave at his baby, heart tugging a bit when on the fifth time she wasn’t looking at him because she was talking to her new friend. 

The four hours that she was in the building, Grayson might as well have been in there with her. 

You tried to get his mind off of it, took him to Monty’s, drove to a nice overlook that wasn’t too far away. One hand of fingers tapped along any surface he could find - the table, the wheel, the ground when you sat in the grass.

“Baby I’m sure she’s doing great. You’re gonna give yourself a stress knot in your back.”

“Only one more hour. Maybe we should start heading back, so we can make sure we’re there when she gets done?”

There was no consoling him. The only reassurance he would get would be having her back in his arms, like she always had been. 

He got it exactly 62 minutes later - the two of you waited on the sidewalk, watching the teacher open the doors and the babies come running out. Raleigh came barreling towards him, as fast as her little legs could take her.

“There’s my girl!” He exclaimed, scooping her up and peppering kisses to her face.

“How was your first day Ra?” 

The only person you met that talked more than her was her father. Her lips didn’t stop moving from that spot on the sidewalk all the way to her getting to the house and sitting her backpack down. 

“Look daddy, look what I made!”

She scrambled up into a chair at the kitchen table, digging through her backpack and pulling out a piece of paper. 

“Lemme see, what’d you draw.” 

“Us! That’s me, that’s you, and that’s momma.” She pointed out each of the little stick figures, and Grayson’s throat felt like it was closing up. 

He hadn’t thought to tell her teacher, to try and shield her realizing that the typical family was two parents, not just one. You watched the gears turning in his head, trying to find the words to explain.

“Your momma has some cool hair,” you stepped in, trying to diffuse it, give Grayson more time to find his voice. “Purple huh?”

“They didn’t have a crayon like your hair, so I gave you purple.” She said it casually, already moving on to pull out something else she’d drawn in her bag.

Now it was your turn to freeze. Your hair she’d said. That meant...

“You drew all three of us huh? Me you and momma? Wow,” Grayson mused, the widest grin on his face as he looked at you. 

You’d had this conversation before, decided you didn’t want to push it. If she wanted to call you mom she could, but you weren’t gonna force it. 

“I think we should put the new family portrait on the fridge, hmm?”

“Yeah!” Raleigh lit up, taking her paper when Grayson picked her up and helped her hang it front and center, where it would stay for 6 months, and then eventually get moved into a keepsake album that you made later on in her life, always remembering the first day that she called you momma. 

[vintagedolan]

Have you seen those tik toks of parents telling their kids that they feel sad to see what they say? (like just being honest with them?) They're so cute and I was wondering if you'd write something about that with gray and raleigh 🥺

oh my GOD this has me SOFT

-----

Raleigh had always been a cuddler - she loved curling up against anyone - Lisa, E, her mom before she left - but her favorite was always Grayson. She’d been making grabby hands at him since she knew how to, constantly wanting to be held, snuggled, carried. To be close to her dad was her top priority. Why? He liked to think it was because he was her rock, her protector, the most important person in her little world. And even if those were true, he knew there was something else too.

Back rubs. She ate them up, always asked for him to ‘draw’ on her back, trace his fingers over her soft skin. It would have her asleep in minutes, so soothed by him. If he forgot she’d drag his hand back onto her back, asking for more.

So Grayson knew exactly what happened when he felt her hands push against his chest, her back lifting from where his hands had been resting on top of it. She sat up from where she’d been laying on him, her curls wildly framing her face.

“You stopped drawin’.” 

He sat up further in his bed, leaning against the headboard so she was sitting in his lap, her dinosaur pajamas riding up over her tummy. 

“I’m sorry baby, I just got distracted,” he sighed, offering her a soft smile of apology as he fixed her shirt.

Her little inquisitive eyes looked him up and down, confused.

“What’s wrong daddy?” 

There was no hiding from her. He’d remembered reading once that helping kids label their emotions was important, and he’d always tried to encourage her to do it. He saw it as a learning opportunity for her, a moment where he could be a good dad who taught her something important.

“You know how you get sad sometimes?” She nodded, intent on every word. “Well, Daddy is just sad tonight, that’s all.” 

He never could have expected what she did next.

“Oh! Otay,” she said as if he’d answered every question she’d ever had. “I help you feel better daddy.”

Grayson didn’t move, just watched her climb off of him with some effort and move up his bed. He couldn’t help but laugh a bit as she moved to his head, wrapping her arms around it and then practically laying on top of it, her cheek pressed to his hair.

“What’re you doin Ra?” 

“What you do daddy.”

It took him a minute to realize what she meant by that - when she would cry, the best way to soothe her was for him to press her to his chest and rest his cheek on top of her head, encompassing her entirely. 

She was trying to do the same for him - just the thought brought tears to his eyes. 

“C’mere bug,” he blinked them away, reaching up to bring her back down to his chest. 

“All better?” She asked, eyes hopeful.

“Yeah baby. All better.” 

[vintagedolan]

heyyy, how about if you’re going on dates w grayson and he tells you he’s a single dad and has a daughter! and introducing you to her 🥺

big oof this one GOT ME and I got carried away, enjoy!!!

You weren’t bored, but it was seeming more and more like he was. Fidgeting with the hem of your dress under the table, you watched him type furiously on his phone, attention devoted entirely to whatever was so consuming. It was your fifth date with Grayson, and he’d always had his phone close by, but never like this.

“Am I boring you?” You asked, a bit more sass in your tone than you really intended. 

“What? No! No, no not at all, it’s- um... well,” he mumbled, obviously unsure of what to say. “I just have a... situation, that I need to figure out.”

“You wanna elaborate on that?” You asked, confused. You watched him battle with himself for a moment, debating on saying what he was about to say.

“My daughter’s sick. She’s with the babysitter, and apparently she’s running a fever. I need to get home, I’m really sorry.” 

Only one real word of that registered.

“Daughter? You have a daughter?” 

“This wasn’t how I wanted to tell you. Shit. I’m sorry, I’ll pay for your uber and everything, this isn’t at all how I wanted this to go, I swear I was gonna tell you, tonight actually-”

“Gray, Grayson, slow down. It’s alright, I get it. But an uber is gonna cost you a fortune from here, why don’t we just go back to your place and I can get a ride from there.” You tried to calm him down a bit, already rising from your seat. 

“I... uh...”

“I don’t have to go inside, I totally understand if you don’t wanna tell her you were on a date. But it’ll save you about $50 bucks.” You knew that the money didn’t really matter to him, but in all honesty you just wanted to spend a little more time with him if you could. 

“Okay. Yeah, okay. Let’s go.” He casually dropped a hundred bucks on the table and reached for your hand, leading you out of the restaurant, down the stairs and to the car. Glancing in the backseat as he backed out of the parking space, you couldn’t help but notice that it was entirely empty. 

“No carseat?” You asked. Even in the dim glow of the dashboard lights, you could see his blush.

“Wasn’t sure it would be the best wingman on a date. It’s in my garage at home,” he admitted.

“I bet the base is a bitch to take in and out of here,” you mused. 

“Oh god, it’s actually awful. Wait... you don’t... do you?”

“No, I don’t have kids. Just been around them a lot. What’s your daughter’s name?”

“Raleigh. She’s two and a half, and spoiled rotten,” he added, shaking his head a bit as he started down the road. 

“Oh, I bet you had nothing to do with that,” you teased, rolling your eyes. Based off how he’d treated you thus far on your dates, you knew he gave his daughter the world and more.

“I blame her uncle Ethan, or her grandma. Girl has more outfits than I have space for in my house,” he chuckled. There was a happiness in his voice you hadn’t heard yet, a pride he got from talking about her. 

“Is her mom still in the picture?” 

“No. She left when she was about 6 months, said it was too much. We rushed into things, I was too excited to be a parent I think, and she just wasn’t ready. I got full custody pretty soon after that, so she’s all mine now. It’s hard, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

“Well, she sounds like the luckiest girl in the world,” you smiled. Pictures were running through your head now of Grayson as a dad, holding a little curly haired girl in his arms, rocking her, playing with her down on the floor. It was the most flattering light you could see him in.

“I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just - I really, really like you, and I didn’t want to scare you off,” he mumbled, nerves back in his voice.

“I get it Gray. But hey, I don’t scare that easy. Kids are cool,” you shrugged. Sure, you weren’t expecting this at all, but it wasn’t going to do any good to freak out over it now - that would only hurt Grayson. You’d at least give it a shot, see how you felt. So when he reached over to take your hand you let him, squeezing back in reassurance that you weren’t going anywhere just yet. 

When you got back to the house, he parked beside an unfamiliar car - the babysitter’s, you realized - and came around to help you out. 

Just as you were about to offer to wait outside, he spoke up.

“Would you wanna come in? If she’s feeling any better she’ll probably go right to sleep, and we could still hang out. It’s totally okay if you don’t want to, I would understand, but-”

“I’d love to meet her,” you smiled, taking his hand and letting him lead you to the house. Your heels clicked on the concrete as you approached the front door, waiting for him to unlock it. 

You stepped inside when he held the door open, immediately comforted by the homey vibe of the house. It was mostly minimalist - white walls and dark wood broken up by the arrangement of toys scattered around. 

It wasn’t until the babysitter came around the corner that the attention shifted. 

“Molly, hey, sorry about all this, she was totally fine all day. Must be a stomach bug,” he was saying, but you were just looking at the little girl in her arms. Raleigh was smaller than you’d expected her to be, her little frame wrapped up in footie pajamas adorned with little rainbows. She was a spitting image of Grayson, her features just a bit softer than his - dark hair curling around her ears and her neck. 

You watched as he quickly got the cash out to pay her, passing it to her and then immediately reaching for his daughter, as if he couldn’t wait another minute to have her in his arms. 

“Hey pumpkin. I missed you. Yeah, you don’t feel so good, hmm? You’re burnin’ up,” he was cooing, immediately slipping into dad mode, your heart melting into a puddle at the sight. She curled up into his neck, hugging onto him as she sucked on her pacifier - but her eyes were trained on you, even as Molly waved goodbye and left. You waved at her softly, not wanting to scare her.

“Raleigh this is Y/N, she’s daddy’s friend. Can you say hi?” 

She lifted a tiny hand to wave at you, and then she pointed, mumbling something behind her pacifier.

“Blue? Yeah, her dress is blue, you’re right,” Grayson praised, somehow understanding her.

You weren’t sure who was more surprised - you or Grayson - when Raleigh reached out for you with both arms, asking you to hold her. 

You didn’t hesitate, scooping her up and placing her on your hip. She started to run her little hands over the fabric of your dress, occasionally squeezing it in her fist.

“She never goes that easily to people, it took her a month to even look at Molly without crying,” Grayson said.

“Well, I guess I’ve got the magic touch,” you said, somehow immediately summoning karma down on top of you for your tiny little ego boost.

There was only a retching sound of warning, and then you could feel hot liquid going down your chest.

“She just puked on me didn’t she.” It wasn’t a question - you didn’t even have to look to know exactly what happened.

“Holy fuck. Holy fuck I’m so sorry,” Grayson was more than flustered, but he hadn’t moved in the slightest. It wasn’t until Raleigh started wailing that either of you moved. 

“Hey, hey it’s okay, it’s alright,” you murmured, trying to comfort her, all your attention moved to her. When you looked, she was covered in her own puke, face red as she screamed. You turned, heading down the hallway, checking doors until you found a bathroom. It was all instinct and babysitting experience after that.

You calmed her down as best you could, stripping her out of her soiled pjs and getting a washcloth, running it under warm water and starting to clean her up. You sang a little tune you remembered from when you used to babysit, and it soothed her enough, her sobs turning into sniffles.

“There, see, look! All better! All cleaned up,” you smiled, tickling her little belly. “Let’s get you some medicine and find where your daddy went, yeah?” 

The two of you found him in the living room, headed towards you armed with baby wipes, a towel, a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. He seemed shocked that his daughter wasn’t crying, and he sat everything down on the couch, reaching out for her.

“Y/N I’m so sorry, this whole night is a disaster,” he groaned, putting the back of his hand to Raleigh’s forehead. 

“Believe it or not, I’ve had worse dates,” you laughed at the absurdity of the whole situation.

“I brought you a change of clothes. I’m sorry about your dress, I’ll buy you a new one,” he offered, sheepish smile spreading across his face. Raleigh was already started to doze off - you could tell by her face that she felt better already.

“Eh, it was on clearance anyways, no biggie. But I will take the sweatpants offer,” you grinned, going over to get the clothes and taking the baby wipes with you for good measure. 

You headed back to the same bathroom, stripping down and changing out of your dress and into the much more comfortable joggers and t shirt he gave you, making sure to wipe your chest down just in case before you got dressed. You tried to get your dress clean, but it was futile - you’d have to put it in the wash or just call it a loss and toss it. 

So, you went back out towards the front door, sitting the crumpled up fabric on the floor before heading back out in search of Gray. To your surprise, he was in the kitchen, already cooking away with the baby monitor in close proximity.

“How do I look?” You grinned, making a show of the outfit, being sure to point out your heels. He laughed, a belly laugh that you hadn’t heard before.

“Honestly? Sexiest I’ve ever seen you, truly,” he smiled, reaching back to get a few more things from the cabinets.

“Raleigh already down?”

“Oh yeah, she’s always been a great sleeper. Thank you, for taking such good care of her. I think she just needed to puke and get it over with, she already seemed a bit better when I put her down. So, it looks like we still have the night to ourselves after all.”

And that night ended up looking like the two of you cuddled up on the couch with vegan mac and cheese - your dinner had been cut short after all - with a movie on the screen, baby monitor on the table beside you. With each minute that passed your doubts started to fade away - maybe this was what you really wanted after all. 

[vintagedolan]

If you’re not too busy. I was wondering if you could write about Raleighs first Halloween plz. I miss that little girl or if not Raleigh then maybe dad!gray and his kid’s first Halloween.

omg I can do a quick little one for that cutie, I miss her too!  

---

This was not, at all, how he had envisioned his daughter’s first halloween. Sure, he knew deep down that it wouldn’t be exactly like he’d always pictured it in his head. But this? He never would have imagined that at 4 pm on halloween he would be standing by the kitchen counter trying to fight back tears with Ethan leaned up against him in a show of support.

“She’s not even going to remember it. It’s okay.”

“Every kid has pictures of their first halloween, and we had this whole thing planned and now... it’s a three part costume and she’s just fucking gone. What the fuck am I supposed to do?”

He ran his hand over the top of Raleigh’s hair to calm himself down, tucking his chin so he could kiss the top of her head as she sat in the little carrier he was wearing.

The costume had been her idea after all - Jessica’s. Raleigh’s mother. They’d been planning since the beginning of the month to go as the sun (Grayson), a rain cloud (Jess) and a little rainbow (Raleigh). 

But it’s a little hard to pull off a trio costume when one party decides to leave the family and never come back. And in the midst of a custody battle, Grayson hadn’t thought of the fact that he needed to make a new costume for his daughter until it was far too late. 

“Okay. I can find something, we can make it work. We got this, just... here, c’mon.”

Ethan practically dragged his brother into the nursery, pausing for a moment.

“I need purple pants, a pink shirt and white shoes.”

Grayson went along with it, opening familiar drawers and pulling out a few options of different things. His daughter didn’t own a lot of pink, but he managed to find everything his twin had asked for, down to the white converse that were still a bit too big for her. 

“Okay, put her in that, and I’ll be back in 10, I gotta run to my place.” 

In all their years together, Grayson had just learned that sometimes, it was better to let Ethan do whatever he wanted to. So, he did as he asked, unhooking the carrier and gently guiding Raleigh’s little legs out. 

She was a happy baby - laid back since the first day of her almost 7 months on earth, and today was no different. Though, Grayson liked to think that she knew how he was feeling sometimes. 

It made him feel less alone in the world.

“You excited for Halloween bubs? Hmmm? Looks like we might get to go trick or treating after all, even though daddy sucks, uncle E might just save the day. Let’s get you changed, yeah? Yeah?” 

And the way she smiled up at him made him feel like he was right - because it was one of the few sights that could brighten his mood no matter what. He changed her diaper and got her dressed quickly, thankful that the abnormally warm new jersey temperatures meant she could still wear a short sleeve onesie. 

He was just starting to piece it together when Ethan made it back, a wad of blue and purple fluff in his arms. 

“I know you don’t like reusing costumes, but I think it’s warranted this year, yeah?”

“Yeah.” His brother’s thoughtfulness almost made him cry again - he hated feeling so out of control of his emotions, but Ethan had been so supportive since Jess had left, and he had the sudden realization that he didn’t thank him enough for it. 

He pulled the Sully costume on quickly, opting out of the shoe covers for practical reasons, scooping up Raleigh and carrying her into the bathroom to look in the mirror. 

Even he had to admit, they were adorable. Raleigh grabbed onto a tuft of the blue fluff and giggled up at her dad. 

“Okay, c’mon, c’mon we’ve gotta get some pictures before it gets too dark out!”

Grayson obliged, spirits a bit lifted as he carried her on his hip out to the backyard. Ethan directed them through an obscene amount of photos, a few of him holding her in front of him with her legs dangling, even a few with her on his shoulders. No one could make Raleigh laugh like Ethan could, and even without looking Grayson knew the pictures would be adorable. He made a note to actually get them printed and put into her baby album. 

And so, last minute halloween was a success thanks to uncle Ethan’s determination to make it so. The new, or original per say, trio made their rounds in the neighborhood, graciously accepting the compliments on their costumes. 

Grayson found a kid who was trailing behind his friend group on the sidewalk to give away the non-vegan candy to, wishing him a happy halloween as they headed back home at dusk. 

Raleigh seemed too cozy against the warm fur for him to think about taking it off, and he rocked her to sleep in her rocking chair as Sully minus the paws, running his finger over her nose to get her to close her eyes and give in for the night.

Once she was down he headed back into the kitchen, sitting down to see all the photos that Ethan had airdropped to him. He couldn’t keep a smile off his face as he picked out his favorites, most of them being captures of an adorable laugh from his baby girl. 

He selected the ones he wanted, a few of just her sitting in the grass and a few more of the two of them together, putting them up on instagram and typing a quick caption.

Got upgraded to sully this year with the cutest boo that ever was. Promise to take better care of you than the real sully did tho. Forever us two baby girl, can’t wait to see what costume you pick next year!

[vintagedolan]

Could I request maybe some angst to fluff with Raleigh. Maybe gray yells at her and she starts crying and then he feels bad so he makes if for it with a lot of cuddles.

Could we get some more Raleigh plzzzzz

ya’ll really got me soft for that baby girl huh 🥺 (all the raleigh things if you wanna read/catch up :) )

-----

He couldn’t have looked away for more than 30 seconds, he was sure. He was just checking the time, seeing when they should leave the park to avoid the traffic. 

30 seconds too long. 

When he looks up, he doesn’t see her. Doesn’t see her little black running shorts he put her in this morning, her tiny little nikes. He put her in a bright green shirt just to make it easier to keep track of her, but he doesn’t see that either.

“Raleigh? Raleigh!?” There’s a blind panic in his voice, one that only a parent can truly understand. Some of the mom’s turn in concern at his calls.

She couldn’t have been out of his sight for more than a few seconds, the slide blocking his view of her. But she was on a mission, off the mulch of the playground and heading up the grassy hill that stretched behind it. She’s following a man, obviously trying to keep up with his long strides and Grayson’s stomach plummets to his feet. What was he doing? Did he tell her to follow him? Oh god.

He lets out a “Ra!” and then he’s running, dodging 5 year olds and moving as fast as he can around the playground equipment, ducking under the slide and running up the hill until he’s right there, scooping her up, his little 4 year old back in his arms. 

She’s beaming when he lifts her up, just happy to have her dad there with her, thinking he wants to come play.

“Raleigh Jo! What did I say about going off the mulch, about wandering off away from me?” He scolded, voice a bit too loud, a bit too harsh. “You have to listen, you could have gotten hurt!” 

Her face says it all. Her lip juts out, her eyes that match her dad’s go wide in shock. He immediately wishes he could grab his words back out of the air, back out of her ears, say it differently, say it nicer. 

The worst part? She doesn’t cry yet. She puts on her ‘brave face’, the one her Uncle Ethan taught her, and all she says is “wanna go home.” If hearts could crack, his would have right there.

It’s the worst car ride of Grayson’s life. He’s only half watching the road, eyes constantly flickering to the backseat where Raleigh is sitting in her carseat, watching out the window. She’s not singing along like she usually does, not asking Grayson if he saw the cows or horses or goats that they pass. The guilt is eating him alive, and it’s only punctuated when she undoes her carseat herself and doesn’t take his hand when she gets out of the car. 

Raleigh is sensitive, just like he was at her age. And he remembers enough about himself at 4 to know that she’s gonna talk about it when she’s ready and not a minute before. 

He tries anyways. After ten minutes of her quietly playing in the floor with her toys in the living room, he sits down criss-cross on the rug and takes a deep breath.

“Raleigh.” She freezes, but she doesn’t look at him. “I’m sorry that daddy yelled at you. I didn’t mean to.” 

She turns to him then, and theres tears in her eyes before she speaks. “You did it on accident?” She asked, c’s sounding like s’s in a way that made him turn to mush.

“Yeah baby, I was just scared. I couldn’t see you, and then you weren’t where you were supposed to be and I got scared. But I shouldn’t have yelled, and I’m sorry.” 

She pondered it for a minute, and he lets out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding when she comes over to him, the tears still flowing.

“I sorry too.” 

Now he’s got tears prickling in his eyes too, unsure of how he could have ever been a part of bringing something so impossibly precious into the world.

“C’mere sweet girl.” 

She climbs into his lap, settles in and rests her cheek against his chest the way she used to when she was smaller, her left hand coming up to grab onto his shirt. 

“Can we watch clubhouse?” 

Grayson doesn’t like her watching too much TV, but he gives in, picking her up and turning it on before laying down on the couch with her on his chest. It used to be the only way she would nap, and it’s still natural for her, even if she takes up his whole torso now. Ten minutes later the exhaustion of the park takes over and she’s asleep, hand still wrapped up in his shirt to keep him next to her even in her dreams while he plays with her curls and keeps a hand on her back. 

By the time you get home from work they’re both asleep in the same position, the ills of the day forgotten in their dreams, the peace of forgiveness in the air.  

[vintagedolan]

ok but I’m living for single dad gray and his sweet daughter. could we get another lil blurb maybe? if you’re not busy, but if you are don’t worry about it bb!!!

graysons baby girl saying “dada” for the first time? 🥺

making this a part of the raleigh series!! check the tag below to read the rest :)

----

“Yeah? Oh really? No she didn’t.” Ethan made himself as animated as he could, looking over at Raleigh in her highchair. 

She just kept babbling away, not making any sense, just mimicking the tone she’d heard before, no real words forming. 

“No way,” Ethan grinned, putty in her tiny hands as he pretended to have the imaginary conversation with his niece, only pausing to take bites of his dinner. He tried his best to come over at least twice a week to help Gray out. Raleigh started smacking the tray of her highchair, high pitched squeals piercing the air.

“I know baby girl, I know, I’m comin.” Grayson knew that sound, knew she was hungry. He was making her plate as quickly as he could, cutting up everything into tiny pieces that she could manage with her two teeth. 

“Here you go,” he sat down the plate with mixed sliced berries and little pieces of bread with peanut butter on it. It wasn’t gourmet by any means, but she’d only been eating solid foods for a few months now, and he was still terrified to give her anything she might choke on. 

She went after it immediately, pinching the strawberries first between her fingers and bringing them to her mouth, fingers stained red. After her first bite, she picked up a blueberry, reaching out to Ethan, offering it to him. 

“Why thank you,” he grinned, letting her drop it in his palm before he threw it and caught it in his mouth. She giggled and clapped, moving to get another one, handing it to Grayson.

“Nah you eat it baby. It’s yours, you eat it,” he encouraged, handing it back to her. 

She shook her head back and forth, frowning.

“Abdsea,” she babbled, holding her hand out with the berry again.

“Raleigh eat it,” he instructed, shaking his head. Her little brows furrowed, obviously frustrated. She paused for a minute, and she squished the berry between her fingers as she reached her hand out again. 

Raleigh looked right at her dad, determined. “Dada.” 

Grayson froze, letting her drop the berry in his palm. She was satisfied enough then, so she went back to eating as if nothing had happened.

“Did she just... did she just say dada? Has she said that before?” Ethan was just as shocked, staring at his twin.

Grayson just shook his head, eyes wide. And then, he was on his feet, and he was yelling.

‘Holy fuck she just said dada. Holy fuck!” 

“Don’t yell, you’ll scare her!” Ethan warned, but Grayson couldn’t help it. 

“AHHHHH!” He ran around the house, not sure how to process the fact that his baby girl had finally said the word he’d been waiting to hear from her for so long. Raleigh was just giggling, eating her dinner and watching her dad run around. 

“You’re so smart! You’re the smartest, I love you so much, oh my god.”

He was in the best mood for the rest of the night, trying to get her to say it again every chance he got. But she just babbled away, enjoying playing with Ethan and crawling around.

But it wasn’t until that night, when the house was quiet again and Ethan had gone home that it really sunk in for Grayson. He held his baby in his arms, rocking her in her nursery while she drank down the rest of her bottle, eyelids starting to droop. He wasn’t sure how she could look so big yet so small at the same time.

But she seemed to sense his energy, something she’d always been good at, ever since she was born and even more so since her mom left. When she finished the milk, she reached her tiny hand up, putting it on his cheek. 

“Dada.” She said it again, clear as day. He couldn’t help the tears that sparked that time - she’d said it just for him.

“Yeah baby. I’m dada. Always will be.”

[vintagedolan]

Merry Christmas lynds. Hope you had a great day. I’m just here thinking about Raleighs first Christmas and how specials it is with gray and e

Grayson made sure her first christmas was as memorable as it could be for an almost 9 month old :’) they spoiled the CRAP out of her, bought her so many light up toys that would make her smile and dance, lots of books (grayson reads to her every night). Ethan got a little neon sign for her nursery with her name in purple script, and a teddy bear with his voice in it that sounded when she squeezed the paw. 

But her first christmas with Y/N (heads up, probably gonna make this an OC once I get to it after mixtape hehe) was even better 🥺 one, because she was older, more expressive and almost 3 at the time, so excited about every single gift she got :’) and two because Grayson was less worried about her as you all sat there in your matching PJs on the floor of his house watching her open her gifts (she gave each person a hug after each one that she opened as a thank you cause grayson was teaching her her manners at the time 🥺🥺🥺)

[vintagedolan]

raleigh concept? maybe? ignore this if ur not feelin it haha but maybe g having to go outta town and y/n watching her or somethin overnight

(read everything raleigh here)

“And I laid out her pajamas, the dinosaur ones. She likes those, might help her sleep. Um, she’s been asking me to read Magic Treehouse every night, so she’ll probably be asking for that tonight, and if she gets fussy over food you can just give her those vegan chicken nuggets, she’ll always eat those. And then if-”

You took his face in your hands, waiting for him to take a breath and settle himself, stop rambling.

“Grayson. We’re gonna be fine. I can handle her, I promise.” You moved your hands down to his shoulders, squeezing, trying to get his muscles to relax even a fraction. Usually if he was going out of town Lisa would come in to watch Raleigh, or he’d just take her with him. But this time both those options had fallen through. It had been second nature to offer to watch her at the house for him. 

“I know you can, I just get nervous. Don’t like being away from her,” he mumbled, chewing on the inside of his cheek like he always did when he was anxious. You knew there was nothing you could do to settle his mind, especially not with only five minutes before he had to leave. “Wish I could take you both with me.”

“I know, but you’ll be back before you even realize you’re gone. I’ll get your bag, go get some last minute cuddles in,” you leaned up on your tiptoes to kiss him, letting go and heading to his room to grab is orange Louis bag. 

When you made it back into the living room he was on the floor, Raleigh handing him a plate of ‘food’, which from what you could see consisted of a plastic knife, banana and piece of watermelon from her toy kitchen. 

“Ra, remember how Daddy told you that he was gonna have to take a little trip with Uncle E?”

She nodded at him, sensing the change in his tone.

“Well, it’s time for me to go now, but Y/N is gonna stay with you while I’m gone, okay?”

She didn’t like that answer.

“I come too. I be good on the plane,” she offered, and even your heart tightened a bit. It was true that Raleigh was an experienced traveler - she’d been on planes out to see Lisa since she was tiny. But Grayson was leaving for Wakeheart business out in Arizona, and there was no way he could keep her with him and get everything he needed to done.

“Not this time bubba. But I’ll be back tomorrow. Just one sleep.”

A car horn beeped outside, signaling Ethan’s arrival. Grayson didn’t care - he was too focused on the tears welling up in his baby girl’s eyes. 

Knowing the tears were coming, you reached over and scooped Raleigh up, putting her on your hip.

“Okay, time for daddy to go! Group hug!” You kept your tone light in a bid to avoid a meltdown, and it seemed to work as Grayson wrapped his arms around both of you, kissing you first and then Raleigh before letting go and grabbing his bag. Ethan honked again, pushing him along.

“Wave bye, say ‘bye daddy!’“ You said, waving your hand so Raleigh would copy you. “Love you!”

“Love you all more, see you tomorrow!” 

And with that he disappeared out the door, Raleigh’s little hand still waving. 

Once he was gone, you opted for your typical meltdown avoidance tactic - keep them busy. So you launched into everything you had planned, from playing with her toys to finger painting, running around the backyard, even setting up the sprinkler for her to play in. 

She was such a bubbly kid, always so excited to adventure and play that you were having just as much fun as she was, taking videos to send to Grayson of her squealing in the water or painting rocks, knowing it would ease his mind. There was never a lull, never a dull moment for the whole afternoon into the evening.

Dinner went without incident - you made the ‘chicken’ nuggets anyways just cause you wanted them too and she ate them happily, dancing around in her chair to the music you were playing. The only hiccup came around bed time, when she was curled up in her pajamas, post story, a pout on her face as she looked up at you.

“I want daddy.” 

“I know, I miss him too. He’ll be here tomorrow though, and you can have all the snuggles. Does that sound good?” 

She wasn’t very excited about the ‘tomorrow’ part of that, but it was enough to keep her from crying.  

“We watch daddy’s videos? With grandma, and the garden?” 

“Um... hang on just a second.” You pulled out your phone, hoping Grayson was where he could answer. 

hey, Ra wanted to watch the video of you all surprising your mom with the garden, are you cool with that?

He was very particular about what he let her watch, and even though she was much too young to understand any of the dirty jokes or bleeps, you didn’t wanna overstep. The dots popped up almost immediately after it delivered.

yeah thats chill

"Okay, let’s go to daddy’s room so we can put it on the TV in there.” You helped her climb off the bed, following her down the hall to Grayson’s room, picking her up and putting her up by the pillows. It took a minute to pull it up, but as soon as Ethan appeared on the screen she lit up, so excited to see her uncle. You pulled out your phone again, seeing the message you’d missed from Gray.

wait did she ask to watch it?

yeah! she misses you big time, you typed, pulling up your camera so you could get a video of her. You watched on the screen as Ethan moved through Lisa’s house, into the laundry room to find Grayson.

“Daddy! Dats daddy!” She squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement. “I miss him,” she sighed at the end, eyes still intent on the screen. You stopped the video, sending it to Grayson. He responded a few minutes later.

oh my GOD

I’m actually mush right now that was the cutest shit i’ve ever fucking seen

I miss you guys so much

You laughed, curling up against the pillows and relaxing so you could watch the video. Raleigh’s reactions made it so much better, her imitating her dad imitating the rabid animal in the bushes being the highlight. 

By the end she was curled up against you, eyelids dropping at the sound of her dad’s voice on the screen. You didn’t have the heart to move her, so you ended up having a little sleepover in Grayson’s room instead, perfectly content. 

Grayson had scheduled the first flight he could the following day, which meant he could make it back to his girls around 8am. He couldn’t get the door open fast enough.

“Hellooooo,” he called out, waiting.

“DADDY!” Raleigh yelled, jumping out of her chair and heading straight for his voice. He dropped his bags and crouched down, arms open and smile blinding. You knew he was strong enough to not budge an inch when she barreled into him, but he let himself fall backwards anyways, her giggling away as she landed on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. 

“Hi baby girl, I missed you so much. Did you have fun?” 

“Yeah!” 

Grayson looked up, eyes searching for you, softening when he saw you leaned up against the wall watching the two of them. He sat up, put Raleigh on her feet and headed over to you, pulling you in by the hips so he could kiss you. Even in just the 24 hours you’d missed his touch so much that you melted into him, sighing, glad to have him back with you. 

“How’s my other baby, hmm?”

“So good, especially cause you’re back. We missed you.”

“I missed you guys too. Have you eaten yet?”

“Okay, don’t get mad, but I might have promised her french toast this morning, and you know I burn it every time.” You offered him a sheepish smile that had him kissing you again before he headed into the kitchen, more than happy to cook for his girls. 

[vintagedolan]

imma need more of single dad grayson!!

yes ma’am here u are

“Ra. We’ve talked about this. You can’t pull daddy’s hair.” You tried not to laugh at his tone - he really talked to his daughter like she was a full grown adult. 

“Sowwy,” she mumbled, releasing the fistfuls of hair she’d been holding onto, settling back down into her little carrier backpack. Grayson had wanted to take a hike, but knew Raleigh’s little legs wouldn’t last very long. So instead she was nestled on his back in a hiking backpack, content as ever as her dad drug the two of them up the hill and back. It was nice for you actually - you were able to keep pace with him for once. 

“Jesus it’s hot, how are you not dying right now with her on your back?” You said, just glad you were on the second end of the hike, heading downhill. 

“Oh believe me, it’s not pretty,” he laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I sweat this much.” 

“Your hair wet,” Raleigh said with a giggle.

“Wow. You’re one incredible wing woman back there, don’t know why I don’t bring you on every date,” Grayson sighed, but he was smiling. 

“She just tells it how it is,” you laughed, reaching out for his hand. He took it, as he always did, and you strolled down the trail peacefully, enjoying the views and the time you had together. 

“I hold,” Raleigh said after a few minutes, leaning over and grabbing onto Grayson’s shoulder, reaching down his arm. 

“What pumpkin?”

“I hold daddy’s hand,” she explained, reaching further. Grayson just shook his head a little bit, reaching his right hand up so she could get to it. Her little hand wrapped around two of his fingers. 

“You’re spoiled, you know that?” he said, and though he made a little show of it, he was grinning from ear to ear. “My arm’s gonna fall off by the time we get back to the car.”

“Hey, you’re gonna miss all this when she’s a teenager hiding out in her room,” you teased, nudging him. 

“Oh god, don’t remind me that I’m gonna have to do that one day.”

“Hold you too,” Raleigh asked, reaching out her other hand towards you. She was so sweet that you couldn’t resist, and you switched hands, moving to hold Grayson’s with your left and reaching up with your right so she could grab it.

And though it was awkward, you couldn’t help but think about how sweet it was that she wanted to hold your hand too, and that got you to the car even in your uncomfortable formation. 

When you got back, you helped disassemble the backpack, pulling Raleigh out as Gray unbuckled it. You sat her down for a second so you could lean in and start up the porsche, air blasting so it could cool down. 

Grayson came back around from the trunk, shirtless, with waters in hand from the cooler he’d packed, and a sippy cup. 

“My shirt was literally drenched,” he explained, scooping Ra up and placing her on his hip as he passed you a water. 

“You know I’m not complaining,” you grinned, just to see the blush rush across his cheeks. 

“Alright you, into the carseat,” he said, heading over to the right side of the car to strap Raleigh in. You got in the passenger seat, catching the end of his instructions to her.

“-and you need to drink all of your water, okay? And what are we not gonna do?”

“Twow it,” she said, holding onto her sippy cup with both hands. 

“Good girl,” he smiled, kissing her forehead before closing the door, grabbing his water off the roof and climbing into the driver’s seat. You basked in the AC, finally cooling off as he drove down the road, shuffling his music for the trip. 

You couldn’t help but laugh when you looked back and saw Raleigh wiggling in her seat, kicking her little nike-clad feet against her carseat when Cudi came on.

“She likes Cudi?”

He looked over at you like you’d offended him. “She’s my kid, of course she does. We start em’ young in the Dolan household. We’ll catch you up, no worries.”