#everylastline

[megaphonemonday]

bawson 20!! How cuteeeee. Gosh I miss them and your work. Hope you’re well!

Thank you!! I am doing okay, mostly gnashing my teeth at writer’s block. I hope the same for you (and anyone else who happens to read this)! Anyway, I also got an anonymous prompt for 20 with 22 and then 22 on its own, so I’ll combine those here if that’s okay?

Kissing in a stairwell, giving them an artificial height difference. + A kiss that is leading to more, but is interrupted by a third party.

It’s become something of a tradition. The trade deadline comes, and, without fail, Ginny Baker can be found running the stairs. 

Each step flows away beneath Ginny’s feet, the concrete more unforgiving on her knees and ankles than the stadium stairs outside, but she’ll take the ache over the scrutiny any day. Her lungs burn, and have been since her fourth climb of the morning, but that’s not enough for her to stop. 

Logically, she knows she’s not going anywhere. She might not be the Padres’ ace, but she’s putting up good, competitive numbers, and it’s not like the front office is going to trade away a player with another year of options left and, Ginny’s not naive enough to omit, a healthy impact on ticket sales. Still, logic only goes so far with all the rumors swirling and Oscar refusing to look any of the players in the eye. This year isn’t any easier than it was last year or the year before. 

So, the stairs it is.

Not that they’ve really helped much. She hasn’t descended into that clear, focused rush of adrenaline that sometimes gets her through her hardest runs; there’s too much clouding her head, and the echo of her every step, her every harsh breath, only makes matters worse. It’s not panic setting in, but it feels far too close for her comfort nonetheless.

Ginny shakes herself, trying to jolt that heavy, slick fear out of her as she reaches the top of the emergency stairs. She’s just a door and a few short steps away from the press box, and if it weren’t for the fact that every Padres beat reporter is chasing down confirmation on a potential middle infielder coming in from the Braves, she wouldn’t be caught dead so close. As it is, she takes a minute to breathe before turning right back around and clattering down the stairs to start her sixth climb of the day. 

She only makes it down a flight or two before her solitude is interrupted.  

Neither she nor Lawson are surprised to see one another. He tips his chin up at her in acknowledgment as he slips onto the landing outside the front office’s managerial suite. Ginny returns the nod and continues down, her pulse already coming down and the knot in her stomach loosening, but leaves one step between them. It makes him tip his head back to look her in the eye, baring his jaw and throat, which isn’t something Ginny should take such delight in.

Not here, anyway.

“What’re you on?” he asks, glancing up the stairs behind her. 

“Five,” she admits, electing not to tell him she was planning on a few more climbs when his mouth twists. She’ll get to them when he leaves. 

Except, Mike has no intention of leaving; not without her, at least. 

He shakes his head and reaches out for her loose shirt, giving it a tug. “C’mon. Deadline’s still an hour and a half away. You can’t run stairs the whole time.”

Ginny just shakes her head. The prospect of going back to stew in the collective anxiety of her teammates makes running the Empire State Building sound like an appealing plan. She lays her hands on Mike’s shoulders, looking him dead in the eye. “If you try and make me go back in there, Lawson, I’m gonna have to drop you.” 

“Who said I wanted to take you back to the clubhouse?” Mike’s grin is downright filthy, his grip on her shirt transferring to her hip and down to her thighs as he leans up. 

“What’ve you got in mind?” Ginny’s own palms curl around his neck, even as she is absolutely sure they should not be doing this here. They’d agreed when they first started this thing to leave it off the field and out of the park. 

But, well, she’s only human.

“Oscar’s gonna be holed up in the scouting offices ‘til one,” he points out, hands on the move. Even with the height advantage of the stairs, Ginny rolls up onto her toes when he cups her ass, giving each cheek a firm squeeze. 

“You can do better than that,” she breathes, her lips brushing softly, tantalizingly against his. 

Mike groans. “There’s a whole hallway of empty offices, Gin. Just take your pick.”

His other demand, Kiss me, god damn it, remains unsaid, but Ginny obliges him anyway. 

She’s only got an inch or two on him, now, but Ginny has no problem using it to her advantage, tipping Mike’s face where she wants him to go, devouring him as effectively as he’s done to her a hundred times before. He groans again, rumbling and low. The thrill it sends through her, white-hot and electric is almost as good as the press of his body, hitting her in places just differently enough to be novel. His hips are right at the juncture of her thighs, and it doesn’t take long for him to start showing that he likes the change as much as she does.

It’s as Ginny hitches a thigh around his hip, grinding against him, that she seriously considers forgoing a nice office suite altogether. Well, maybe not altogether, her hazy mind manages to supply as Mike’s tongue sweeps into her mouth. Between Mike’s creativity, her mounting need, and their combined work ethic, this interlude won’t take long; they can always go borrow an office once they’ve finished here.

Which, of course, is when the echoing clank of a door opening several flights below reaches them.

“Ginny?” Eliot’s voice warps with the way it bounces off the concrete walls, but there isn’t any embarrassment. He hasn’t caught them, though when his footsteps begin to sound, it’s clear that danger hasn’t yet passed.

Without speaking, Mike and Ginny disentangle themselves, her fingers smoothing down his beard and his resettling the drape of her shirt. They’re still rumpled by the end of their adjustments, but it’s certainly better than the alternative.

Although, given the way Eliot’s eyes go wide when he finally reaches them and gets a good look at Mike and GInny oh-so casually—really, nothing to see here!—hanging out in the stairwell, maybe they would’ve been better off just letting him catch them going at it like teenagers. At least then there wouldn’t be about a million questions ready and waiting to burst off Eliot’s tongue. Heat creeping up her neck and cheeks, Ginny immediately resolves to give him a raise if he can keep his mouth shut. 

Even as his gaze flicks between Mike and Ginny like he’s trying to confirm he’s not hallucinating, Eliot succeeds. (That could have more to do with the way Mike’s glowering.) When he does manage to find his voice, he simply says, “Is now a good time to go over this week’s posting schedule?”

It’s a miracle that Mike doesn’t bite out an immediate, “No,” considering he’s standing close enough that Ginny can feel the tension swamp his body. 

She lays a hand on his back as she smiles at Eliot. “Give me twenty minutes?”

He bobs his head in agreement and can’t beat a hasty enough retreat.

Once she’s sure she and Mike are once again alone, she turns back to him. Grinning and pushing her fingers into his hair, she says, “Now, what could we possibly do in the next twenty minutes?”

“Oh, I’ve got some ideas,” he promises, eyes glinting. Then, without any warning, he sweeps her off her feet and towards the door. 

Ginny’s delighted laugh kept ringing through the stairwell, echoing long after they’d disappeared.

[theodoredimas]

Hi!!!!! Messaging you so we can be bffs who cry about Pitch being gone together 😭😭😭😭😢😢😢😢💔💔💔💔 honestly tho I thjnk this show will haunt me until I die. They need to take it OFF Hulu bc I’ve rewatched it like twice this month and then I just spiral and get depressed and start looking up gifs and fic and get sad all over again. 😫

YES LETS CRY TOGETHER!!!!!!! OMG THIS IS THE SHOW THAT WILL HAUNT ME FOR THE REST KF MY LIFE!!!! It was taken from us way too soon and we had NO closure whatsoever. Is Ginny okay?!?!!!! Is she going to be playing next season?!!!!!! And what about Blip and Evelyn?!!!! Those two need to still be together. And MY SAD SON MIKE LAWSON!!!!!! WILL HE EVER GET HIS RING?!???????? I’m just so sad on all accounts and then I get pissed all over because this show had so many things everyone is looking for today. A cast that was mainly POC and a beautiful friendship between two STRONG women. Men standing up for a woman and her rights (even if at first they were asses but they wised up!!!). Talking about mental health. Talking about men needing to change their mentality about women and not women needing to change for the sake of man. Most importantly a STRONG AF WOC being the lead and breaking all standards and making it in an all-boys-club world. I will never forgive FOX for taking this show away from me and I will never forget how all of the fans voices (ESPECIALLY ALL THE YOUNG GIRLS) were ignored by not only that trash network but also by other networks. THIS GOT AWAY FROM ME BUT I AM VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS SHOW AND THE TRUE BEAUTY THAT WAS STOLEN FROM US.

[megaphonemonday]

I forgot to check my activity page for a while and therefore did not realize that I’d missed quite a few replies. So, I’m sticking my replies in one post and putting it behind the cut. Sorry for getting to them so late!

@osmarinamo replied to your post “omg these snippets are killing me! how about almost kiss + aroused by...”

OMG! If you dont give us a part 2 to this story, I'll I'll...cry... 😢😢😢

I hadn’t thought about it, but maybe I could cook something up...

@ladyinredfics replied to your post “54 and 91 for mike and Ginny with maybe a little”

I probably shouldn’t have read this sitting at a table with my in-laws, LOL.

Hah! Maybe not, but I respect your poker face if that worked out for you 😏

“I wish I could explain to you how much I appreciate your writing and...”

Still reading, still trying to write here I’ve just been blocked in general. I put the show on my kindle to rewatch on vacation for inspiration.

Oh, I totally get that. That’s what these trope ficlets have been for me, trying to brute force something out of my brain. Maybe I should sit down to a rewatch soon, too. Fingers crossed something gets knocked loose for you because I do love your fics!

“Mike's bobblehead dressed up as Han Solo is everythingggggggg. I'm...”

Seriously, Star Wars Night is Mike’s favorite. Post retirement he dresses up in costume and goes to the stadium to be part of it. He doesn’t advertise it, and usually wears a costume with a mask so he isn’t recognized, but he doesn’t deny it if someone does figure it out.

For sure! He must’ve been so excited when MLB started doing them, though I’m sure he also tried to play it cool; he probably thought he had to protect his rep or something. And that idea is adorable! He misses dressing up for the ad spots he always talked his way into doing, and getting to be in the crowd is a very different from experiencing Star Wars Night on the field. 

“If you were the one writing pitch and it’s hadn’t been canceled (��)...”

I’ve thought that business might bring them in touch again, with both of them owning auto dealerships.

Oh, that’s so good! I hadn’t thought about that as a possibility, but now it might be all I think about? I’d considered Mike maybe getting into the business because of Dave—he had a family and kids and his own car dealerships, maybe that’s how I get it, too?—but spinning that out into the future opens up all kinds of opportunities for angst.

@hermiginnyharvelle replied to your post “@perfectblue: 12 + 60! (Bawson, obviously!)  roommate au + poorly...”

KEYBOARD SMASH

Thank you!!

@masterclassinprocrastination replied to your post “62 and 70 for bawson!”

A full fic dedicated to Evelyn’s match making shenanigans is a gap that deserves to be filled! I love this!!

Unfortunately, it’s not all about Evelyn’s matchmaking abilities themselves. More like the consequences of them? But they still definitely come up!

@lerayon replied to your post “That gif of Mike is too damn sad. He looked so guilty about leaving....”

I can't read or reblog this because I can't open up the Mike Lawson Feels Floodgates. But I support you. 💙

I can definitely respect that, especially since I’m still trying to close those floodgates 😭

@everylastline replied to your post “I wish I could explain to you how much I appreciate your writing and...”

I second this. If you knew how much I refreshed your page you’d file a restraining order. We ADORE YOU! You keep writing we’ll be reading and rooting you on! 💓💓

Aww, thank you!! And I probably wouldn’t, haha. That’s pretty much exactly what a writer wants to hear!

@cheremary replied to your post “That gif of Mike is too damn sad. He looked so guilty about leaving....”

So much yes to all of this, but especially SF and the Break. His struggles with his body breaking down, yearning for love (with Ginny, Rachel, his parents)...some truly heartbreaking moments in there, but it makes me love the man even more

Those two episodes are peak sad Mike Lawson. He so clearly wants to keep playing, and will lie to everyone he can if it means getting to do it. You’re very right, though. The heartbreak is what makes us love him so. 

[percyfraser]

@everylastline replied to your post:

I’ve spent the past few days rewatching Young and...

I’m waiting for the last season to go on netflix this month btu I hear they did a cliffhanger??? Booooo. It’s such a cute show, hope they didn’t ruin it :(

Yeah, 5b goes to Netflix on the 24th. The thing is, based on what Jonathan Sadowski has said, they filmed the back half of season five with the intent of coming back for a season six. At that time, they had no renewal or cancellation news, so they didn’t think to film an ending, and they couldn’t go back and film a proper ending after getting the cancellation news because the writers were already doing other shows, etc etc. They want to do the movie or have been in talks of making one, but it’s not set in stone or anything, so it’s kind of up in the air.

[ttiva]

top 10 female characters tag

i was tagged by @ktnseverdeens, thank you love!

rules: write your 10 favourite female characters from 10 different fandoms and tag 10 people!

ziva david - ncis

arizona robbins - grey’s anatomy

diana prince/wonder woman - wonder woman

jillian holtzmann - ghostbusters 

kate beckett - castle

spencer hastings - pretty little liars

addison montgomery - private practice/grey’s anatomy

charlotte king - private practice

nicky nichols - orange is the new black

leigh anne tuohy - the blind side (i know she’s technically a character based off of a real person but still)

i’m tagging: @sassenachwaffles, @smashheralexander, @jxreaus, @wanna-be-bold, @everylastline, @youaresoooloved, @katebeckett, @mcgeekle, @aksannyi, @natasharomanovs

[ttiva]

@buckiles replied to your post: Ok, but when are we going to get that unaired TIVA...

Oh the feels and it’s only 6:56am!!

mood

skys-dropping-jupiter replied to your post: Ok, but when are we going to get that unaired TIVA...

I’m upset that I don’t know about this unaired kiss.

lol yep! michael tweeted about it after 11x02 (if i remember correctly? it might have been after 13x24 though?) then we were all truly #shook. the unaired kiss took place in 10x24 when they’re outside the cabin. then it was meant to air in 13x24 and it didn’t. [script credit to alice!]

everylastline replied to your post: Ok, but when are we going to get that unaired TIVA...

Too many questions, not enough answers or footage like scenes lol

and girl that is the TEA

[ttiva]

@everylastline replied to your photo: hair can’t look messy if you strategically place...

omg is that what you look like???!?!!? you are gorgeoussssssssss. also that makeup. pls come with me to this wedding i have to go to in 2 weeks and do my makeup bc i still can’t put on eyeliner to save my life lol help

hahahaha yes! this is me! hello! thank you so much :) hahaha will do, is the wedding somewhere sunny? consider me your plus one

[thief-puppy21]

I love love LOVE your bawson stuff. I just rewatched the show on Hulu and it aches knowing well never see them again :( thank goodness for amazing writers like you! Don’t know if still taking prompts but I’d love an established relationship bawson one where the topic comes up and she admits she heard him call her a gimmick in the Pilot. Would love to see how that convo would play out :) and established relationship bc duh I just want them together foreverrrr :D

I hope you enjoy it. x

no scar for happiness

Mike yanked angrily at his tie, once again pulling the length of fabric from around his neck, and tossing it aside.

“Do I have to wear a tie?” he asked as he fixed the collar on his shirt.

“For your goddaughter’s christening? Yes, Mike, you do, or Evelyn will kill you.” Ginny responded. She walked up behind him and smoothed her hand down the back of his crisp blue buttoned-down shirt before she moved around to stand in front of him. She picked up the discarded tie and looped it around his neck. With dexterous fingers she worked to get the loops of his tie just right, smoothing her hand down the length once she finished.

She took a step back and smiled. “I guess you'll do.”

Mike chuckled and pulled her into his chest. He tipped her chin back and kissed her slowly, happy to get lost in the feel of her lush lips, and the hint of spearmint from the gum she regularly stole from him.

He dragged his thumb down the slope of her neck until it rested in the divot of her decolletage. It teased there while they drank from one another—content and unhurried.

Read on AO3

He drew back with a smile on his face. “I'm glad you approve. I dress for you, you know.”

Ginny rolled her eyes but smirked anyway. “I approve of you, old man. Now, we have to go before we’re late and lectured by Evie, who has no problem using her child to guilt you.”

“Guilt me?”

“Mhmm,” she began. She turned to the full-length mirror and checked her reflection one final time. “Ellie already has you wrapped around her little finger. I'm immune.”

“Liar!” Mike spit out with a chuckle. “Do you think I missed the five pair of baby Nikes you sent to her?”

Ginny shrugged and threw a wink at him over her shoulder. “Well, she's my goddaughter, too, even though I'm not in the running for her favorite.”

Mike reached for her, but she sidestepped his grasp. She laughed and grabbed his jacket to pull him towards her.

He went willingly.

“Just think, you don't have to wait for grandkids for the shot to tell the story about the girl baseball player. She's already a captive audience for you.” Ginny ran a hand over the lapel of his jacket one last time before she turned and left their bedroom.

Mike frowned and moved to catch up with her. He touched her wrist and halted her movement down the stairs. “Why would you say that?”

Ginny tilted her head. “What? You love telling Ellie stories.”

He nodded and followed behind her, as ever, but something niggled at the back of his mind. Something he couldn't shake. Like he'd heard those words before…

He pushed those thoughts to one side as he got into the car and headed towards the church. He reached across the console and laced their fingers together. He kissed the back of her hand and let their linked fingers fall back on the center console.

“You're frowning,” she said as Mike parked the car outside of the church. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” he replied and squeezed her hand. “Just thinking.”

Ginny lifted a perfect eyebrow and waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she tugged at his beard and opened the car door. “Cheer up. Ellie's going to be thrilled to see you.”

Ginny stepped out of the car and closed the door gently. Mike sat for a moment as some distant memory tugged at his brain. He’d heard those words before, but couldn't quite place them.

He shook his head and got out of the truck, rounding the front to catch up with Ginny. He took her hand in his and ascended the steps of the church.

Evelyn stood at the top, impeccably dressed, one perfect brow arched. “You're almost late,” she said her arms outstretched for a hug.

Ginny laughed and happily walked into the circle of her arms. “Blame it on Mike's tie.”

Evelyn released Ginny and presented her cheek for a kiss from Mike, which he happily obliged.

“Yeah, yeah. I'm easy to blame,” he said with no heat in his voice. “We're here now, so just point me in the direction of my goddaughter. I'm in need of total adoration.”

Evelyn motioned behind her to where Blip stood with a dozing Ellie in his arms.

As Mike walked towards them, he heard Ginny sigh and Evelyn declare, “yeah girl, I get it.”

He chuckled even as he nodded to Blip. Mike didn't even ask before Blip carefully placed his daughter in his former captain's arms.

Mike took in Ellie’s gentle pout and fluttering eyelashes and tried to ignore the bone-deep desire that this was he and Ginny’s daughter's christening. Ginny was still young and carving out her path in the MLB, he wouldn't rush her. Especially after she promised in front of all their friends and family to love and cherish him as long as they both lived.

He genuinely wasn't in a hurry, but holding Ellie made him want so much.

He looked up at Blip who smirked back at him. “Yeah, I know. Can't explain it either, man. Don't worry, it'll be you and Ginny soon enough.”

“Not too soon,” Mike replied. He smoothed a thumb across Ellie’s cheek as she sighed in his arms. “But yeah, I can't wait.”

“Uh huh,” Blip crooned. “I just want to take this opportunity to remind you, yet again, that you weren't even completely sold on Ginny being on the team until I made you be.”

“Not exactly how I remember it, but—”

“You even said all that stupid stuff to the team before her first start. About her being like the dwarf who played baseball and just being a story to tell your grandkids.”

Mike drew in a sharp breath as the memory finally coalesced into something his mind could grasp. The day of her first start, the words he'd said that Ginny parroted back to him so easily. But how could she…

“Did you tell her that?” Mike asked sharply. Ellie whimpered in his arms so Mike shifted from side to side to quiet her.

Blip shook his head. “No, I'm not crazy.”

Mike started to ask more but stopped as Ginny and Evelyn drew closer to him. He racked his brain for how Ginny could've said those exact words to him and how, how he could make it up to her.

He couldn't continue that train of thought when Ginny wrapped an arm around his waist and tucked her head against his shoulder. She stared down at their goddaughter and picked up one of her little hands and wrapped Ellie’s tiny fingers around hers.

Mike swallowed hard at the sight that so perfectly matched what lived in his mind.

“You two ready?” Evelyn asked with a knowing smile.

Mike nodded and leaned down to brush a kiss across Ginny's temple.

“Ready.”

——-

Mike sat in the corner near Ellie's bassinet as friends and family gathered at the Sanders’ home. He shook his head as he watched Ginny run around the yard with the twins, heedless of her dress or the mild heat of the day.

He needed to find a way to apologize for what he'd said about her then. To find out how he could make amends. He was so much in his head that he almost missed Evelyn coming to sit beside him.

“You know you don't have to keep watch over her,” she said as she handed him a tall glass of sparkling water. “My mom’s feeling a little shorted on time with her only granddaughter.”

“I don't mind,” he shrugged. “Besides. It's this, or try and keep up with the twins, which we both know Ginny is way better at. Or worse, talk to the most adults.”

“Hmm,” Evelyn hummed. “What's the real reason you're over here?”

Mike looked down into Ellie's bassinet and rearranged the blanket around her.

“I'm just thinking about something Ginny said earlier and something Blip reminded me of. I think...You know how sometimes the things people say linger with you for a long time? Even if they've proven they don't mean it?”

“Of course,” Evelyn replied. “That's life. It's unfortunate that there aren't scars for the happiness the way there are for pain.

“Instead of beating yourself up about it, you should talk to Ginny. Clear the air. And stop using my daughter as a way to avoid it.”

Mike leaned over and pressed a quick kiss against Evelyn’s cheek before he handed her his glass and made his way across the backyard.

He smiled as Ginny caught his eye and the twins ran past him. Her hair was piled atop her head in a messy bun, sweat above her brow, and her dress was a little wrinkled.

Mike thought she'd never looked prettier.

“I'm surprised you're off baby-guarding duty.” She smiled up at him and popped on her toes to give him a quick kiss. “You having a good time?”

Mike nodded and took her hand. He pushed a curl behind her ear and brushed his lips across her cheek. “I am having a good time, but something’s been bothering me all day.”

“What's that?”

“You said something earlier about being a story to tell my grandkids, and I couldn't place it until Blip reminded me of it. Gin, I'm so sorry.”

“Mike—”

“No, please,” he interrupted. “I don't know who told you, or how you found our, or why you never said anything about it before, but obviously it made an impression. A bad one. And I'm sorry. I don't think that about you. I haven't thought that about you in a very long time. You work so hard, and the thought that—”

“Please stop,” Ginny said and placed her fingers on his lips. “I know you don't still think those things. And yes, they hurt a lot when you said them to me then. My childhood hero and the reason I wanted to be a pitcher thought I was a fraud. But it did something really important, too, it made you human.

“Not just some distant figure I loved whose poster lived over my bed. You became Mike Lawson, a total mess. Who then became my friend. And later turned into the man I loved. I didn't get lost in the hero worship.

“So yeah, I would've loved to not have you say those things about me. I don't still think about it, or at least I didn't think so. It truly doesn't hurt the way it did then. Especially because I know you, but I appreciate the apology anyway.”

She smiled and laid her free hand over his cheek. “Is that what you've been grumpy about all day?”

“I haven't been grumpy,” he refuted. “Just anxious to make sure you know how much I adore you.”

Ginny laughed. “Whatever you say, old man. Are we good?”

Mike leaned down and kissed her soundly, breathing in every bit of her light and warmth that radiated from her being until he had to pull away to breathe. “I love you, Gin. More than anything in the world.”

“Oh yeah?” Ginny asked with slightly dazed eyes.

“Yeah.”

“Good, you can prove it to me later when we get home. Put that mouth to an even better use by way of apology.”

She smirked and walked back towards the house. She threw a quick wink over her shoulder and found the twins once more to resume their game.

Mike laughed and followed her lead.

FIN