#we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Since, upon inspection of the shot itself, the game card Greta kissed and left for Carson was just the card of whatever player was closest to her.

My headcanon is that, while yes of course Carson keeps that one card on her...

One day Greta gifts her with another game card with "Carson Shaw - Rockford Peaches, Catcher" scrawled across the top.

Yes, there are some game stats on it, but Greta also lists some of the things she loves about Carson, Carson's favorite foods, books…

And, of course, a stamp of bright red lipstick in the top corner, caressing the first few letters of her name.

Carson tapes the card to the inside of her locker, where it stays through the remainder of the league.

#carson shaw #greta gill #gretson #a league of their own #these two are so soft for each other #you can't tell me this doesn't happen #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #my life has been ruined by the existence of carson shaw #9ft tall smoke show of a girlfriend #aloto

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

chapter 8 - 'cause I built a home for you, for me

They lived on a farm.

A goddamn farm.

A farm with a pasture and a smattering of apple trees and a barn and a garden and a coop with actual chickens that Greta insisted be named. Next to it, a small makeshift shed and workshop. A few pairs of mucked-up boots sat gathered at the bottom of the porch steps. A sturdy porch swing swayed in the fall breeze. Worn and loved baseball gloves hung on a peg by the back door.

And it was theirs.

//

Here it is, fruits. A hell of an epilogue, a hopefully satisfying ending to the journey.

This piece started, months ago, with a lot of telling -- which has its purpose and place -- based around the (apparently throw-away) line "Bring me home, Shaw."

But there was always more there, hiding underneath. Telling wasn't enough. I had to show. I had to show the hard parts and confusing parts and joyful parts and the mundane parts of the lives the built together in this version of the universe.

I had to show how they brought each other home.

Like most stories, this project almost never saw the light of day. The original notes for this date back to August 24th of 2022, with a few ramblings and pieces of dialogue and initial scene/vignette breakdowns. I didn't really think it would become anything (much less…*gestures* this), but when the devastating attack on our community in Colorado Springs happened last fall, it (plus being home-bound with COVID) pushed me to polish this up and start publishing.

Above all, I wanted this to be a love letter to our community, to the ones who bring us home, who we make our homes with. to show that we have always been here, we have always led own own lives, that we have always manifested our own, beautiful kind of joy.

May we all find the places and the people that we can call home. Thank you, Fruits <3

#aloto #gretson #a league of their own #carson x greta #aloto fic #a league of their own fic #i wish i could love these two a normal amount #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Next season I’m gonna need a Gretson make out scene where Greta lifts Carson up* please and THANK

*added bonus if Carson then also wraps her legs around Greta’s waist

#gretson #a league of their own #i would simply pass away #peak tol/smol #the mere THOUGHT has me chewing on the couch cushions #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #I am a gay who is Weak for A Lift

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

So won’t you please just

take

my

hand

And take my whole life, too

‘Cause I can’t help

Falling in

Love

With

You

#gretson #carson x greta #a league of their own #aloto #we are experiencing full Gretson brain rot tonight folks #Am I sorry #absolutely not #my life has been ruined by the existence of carson shaw #9ft tall smoke show of a girlfriend #I’m an absolute sucker for this song #especially the Ingrid Michaelson version

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

chapter 7 : i knew when you told me you don’t want to go home tonight

"Every year, we always wonder if these games are our last ever game. For some of us, it sometimes is." Carson let her eyes traverse through the locker room, as if to memorize something she didn't already know. "Because our season ends on Saturday, that means we get to go out and do whatever the hell we want. In the end, it won't matter if we win or lose. We can sit on our asses and use the wrong end of the bat or run the wrong way around the bases. Or we could go out and play the best fucking game of baseball that crowd has ever seen.

"So…" Carson cocked an eyebrow at her teammates. "What do you want to do?"

A/N: Many parts of this chapter have been in the works since the very beginning, when this started as a stream-of-consciousness draft of a one-shot. (And, with the news from the streaming-company-that-shall-remain nameless, there are definitely some extra feelings that came up as I wrote this.) Some lines and beats have remained unchanged since I first wrote them last fall.

This was the most fun to write and finally polish. However, I've definitely put off finishing this chapter because I don't want this to end (remember when this was supposed to be six chapters?). It's been pretty emotional to finally let these parts of the story be read by others, since they've been sitting in my drafts since last summer. I hope you love them as much as I do.

Thank you for all of the love you've shown this story over the last few months. I'm truly blown away. Let me know what your favorite parts have been!

See you for the epilogue, fruits, and there are still some surprises yet <3

#aloto #a league of their own #gretson #aloto fic #carson shaw #greta gill #leah writes things sometimes #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #final word count came in at almost 9.4k for those keeping track

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Spring, 1951. Again.

You're just going to leave your comfortable life, your husband?

Your team?

Your responsibilities?

Everything?

For me?

My answer is yes.

[read more on aO3]

#a league of their own #gretson #aloto #carson x greta #aloto fanfic #oh hey look #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #i wish i could love these two a normal amount

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

when the gusts came around to blow me down, I held on as tightly as you held on to me (32084 words) by l_grace_b Chapters: 5/7 - I wish you could take me home Fandom: A League of Their Own (TV 2022) Rating: Mature Summary: For many queer folks, home is a complicated topic. Home is something that we lose, then have to rebuild again. In a series of vignettes, here's how Carson Shaw and Greta Gill build theirs.

An unexpected trip to New York unravels things for Carson and Greta...but also brings them some clarity.

//

"You really aren't going to tell me anything?"

"Nope." Greta popped the last syllable of her response to Carson, a smug smirk pulling at her lips as it had for the entire car ride.

Their early arrival to Rockford allowed them a few extra days to settle in -- mostly for Carson's continued responsibilities as coach. This particular afternoon, however, involved sneaking out to Bev's car and actually using it for its intended purpose.

Carson drove them across town, heeding Greta's vague instructions to "turn here" or "just follow that road".

The houses thinned out to larger crops of trees and farms the longer they drove.

"Are you're sure we're still in Illinois?"

Greta playfully batted Carson's shoulder craned her neck out the window. "Just a bit further…stop here!"

Carson slammed her foot on the break, the wagon spluttering to an abrupt stop. Greta climbed out of the car, quickly running across the front of the vehicle. "This is it!" she called to Carson. Carson followed, squinting through the dust. She found Greta a few feet from the car, staring at their destination.

A two-story farmhouse stood before them, a dozen yards up a dirt pathway, sat in the middle of rolling hills of grass as green as their baseball diamond, stretching all the way back to a faint line of trees. A chicken hutch stood behind it, currently vacant of occupants. A horse neighed somewhere in the distance.

Carson held her hand up to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun. "What is this?"

"It's a house, darling."

[read more on aO3]

#gretson #aloto #a league of their own #fanfic #IT'S ALIVE #IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIVE #hold onto your butts fam #this one's a monster #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Carson doesn’t wear polish on her fingernails, but she loves it when Greta paints her toenails for her.

Carson always wears the same color Greta wears on her fingers.

It becomes their little ritual; Carson even gets really good at painting Greta’s nails. Eventually, she’s the only person (aside from herself) who she allows do to them.

#gretson #carson x greta #a league of their own #aloto #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #my life has been ruined by the existence of carson shaw #9ft tall smoke show of a girlfriend

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Leaguetober micro fics: Day 13 - ring (reposted from my Twitter)

Carson didn't know how she was supposed to feel.

She had never done this before.

She was never expected to do this.

Yet...she's never wanted to do anything more.

It also may be the dumbest thing she's ever done.

She knows she has to be careful.

But she also just wants it to be them. She knew that from the start.

Which is why she's here alone, in the early evening at the end of June, the last rays of the day turning the wispy clouds pink and bright orange in their home stadium.

It took coordinating with the bat boys and slipping them her wages as they reported back from Rockford Jewelers. And then, of course, getting her teammates to play along with a sudden "extra practice" (which, truly, they needed anyway)...

...one they wouldn't show up for.

She paces near home plate, kneading and punching her mitt, on the edge of panic spiraling. She doesn't know if she'll kneel or what exactly she'll say since there's a million ways this could start and end.

She's hoping for one ending, though.

She really should be here by now...

Their uniforms don't have pockets (though they should, as she's vehemently requested for the last five seasons), so she wears it on her middle finger, hidden inside her glove.

Finally, a voice, her favorite sound in the world, calls to her.

"Where is everybody?"

Greta emerges near the dugout, her bat bag slung across her shoulder.

Carson swallows. She takes off her mitt and drops it. "There's...no practice."

Greta's brow furrows. "Carson, we *have* to tighten things up if--"

Carson closes the distance between them and kisses her.

When they break apart, The Worry is on Greta's face, the one only Carson sees, the one ready to see the world shatter.

"Carson, what's going on?"

Carson cups her face and everything flies out of her head, and yet she knows exactly what she'll do.

"I want to make this as real as we can. And it only made sense to do it in the place that means everything to us."

Carson slips the ring off her finger. She holds it up. Simple. Golden. Greta's.

"Because...you're everything to me."

Greta's wall drops, and her face breaks out into a smile. The smile that was just for the two of them.

She reaches a hand into her bag.

"Our Peaches played us both, farm girl."

Greta pulls out a ring of her own.

#leaguetober #aloto #a league of their own #gretson #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #a league of their own series #let them write poems

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Another ‘gusts’-verse drabble! Very fluffy, this one!

#a league of their own #aloto #gretson #Moms!Gretson have an absolute chokehold on me #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #aloto fic #aloto fanfic

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Leaguetober micro fics: Day 14 - kiss (reposted from my Twitter)

Lupe, Greta, and Jess tiptoed into the house after a night out at The Bank. While the Rockford community was still regaining its joy and freedom after what happened at The Office, it was nice to have a place to gather again.

Passing the living room, Greta paused.

Carson was slouched against the side of couch, sound asleep, clutching a stack of cards. They were getting their asses handed to them on defense lately, and her anxiety had manifested in taking over the living room with her game cards.

Jess and Lupe continued upstairs as Greta approached the couch. She gingerly collected the cards and set them carefully on the table.

She draped the throw from the back of the couch over Carson. She brushed a few stray hairs from her face, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Hey."

Eyes barely open, a small smile spread across Carson's face. She untucked the hand under her head and reached out to Greta.

"Hi, darling." Greta took Carson's hand, squeezing it. "Come to bed. It's late."

Carson shook her head. "Stay here with me?"

Without hesitating, Greta climbed onto the couch, tucking herself next to Carson.

Carson reached up and pulled Greta to her, capturing her lips. The kiss was slow, but not urgent. Steady. Loving.

It felt like a promise of a future, of stability, of freedom.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

In an unsure world, It was still the surest thing they knew.

Wrapped up in each other, not for the first, or last, time, they fell asleep.

#a league of their own #aloto #leaguetober #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #gretson #a league of their own series

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Leaguetober Micro fics Day 9 - Pie (reposted from my Twitter)

"You're a shit pie-maker, Shaw."

Carson sighed, tossing the spoon onto the counter. "I know."

"So why do you still make them?"

Carson turned to face Greta. "Because it's what society told me I had to do."

"Must've missed that day in finishing school." Greta perched herself against the table, across from Carson, their feet almost touching.

"We're playing in a fucking professional baseball league, Carson. I think we're well past adhering to society's expectations of us."

"Stop letting the world decide what you what you can or can't be. Isn't that what this is all about?"

Carson shook her head. "I don't know if I can."

Greta cocked her head. "Oh, sure you can..."

Carson swallowed.

Greta pushed herself off the table. "But if you insist..."

Greta reached up into the cabinet behind Carson, nearly pressing their bodies together.

It was sensory overload, intoxicated by Greta's perfume, stifled by The Rules, building like a pressure cooker, every inch of her skin on fire.

Carson's hands ached to reach out, to hold...

Still, Greta knew exactly what she was doing. Rules had to be upheld, but the teasing, yearning drove the desire like an erratic horse jockey.

Greta slowly stepped back, eyebrow cocked, her tongue flitting across her lower lip. She held upa bottle of clear liquid.

"Vodka. Makes the crust flakier."

Carson took it, hands shaking. Greta backed away, her eyes locked with Carson's until she turned to climb the stairs.

Carson threw away the pie crust, tossed back a swig of vodka, and ran up the stairs after her.

#leaguetober #a league of their own #aloto #we are experiencing full Gretson brain rot tonight folks #gretson #a league of their own series

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Leaguetober micro fics: day 28 - pizza (reposted from my Twitter)

She planned it for weeks. It was their first real anniversary. The Italian grocer two blocks from their apartment told her the ingredients. Flour. Salt. Water. Tomatoes. Basil. Cheese.

It was going to be perfect.

When Greta returns form work that evening, she's shocked to find Carson standing before a spread of ingredients that overtook their tiny apartment kitchen.

"What's all this?"

Carson shrugs, stepping forward to take Greta's hands. "I...thought we could try to make pizza."

By 2am, though, Carson's sitting on the couch, tears streaking the flour splotched on her face. Neither of them have eaten. The burned sauce smell still lingers (and would for weeks). Greta perches next to her, her third glass of wine in her hand.

"You make pizza just as well as you make pies, Shaw."

Carson looked pleadingly at her.

Greta wrapped an arm around her, her face softening. "I'm sorry this didn't work out for you."

"I wanted to make tonight...special."

Greta pressed a kiss to her temple. "I know."

Watching Carson stumble through this year -- charming her, wooing her, making what they had feel as normal as they could -- made her fall harder every single day.

But part of her was still too scared to let herself believe that Carson wouldn't leave, that this was all real...

But here, now, in the middle of the night, her girlfriend sat next to her looking defeated and despondent and as if the world has ended... '

She knows it is real.

She vows to make today -- and every day after -- special for Carson, too.

"But now it'll be one we'll never forget."

Greta stood up, offering her hand to Carson. "C'mon. Night's still young. The deli downstairs is always open. And I'm starving. Let's leave the pizza-making to the professionals next time, yeah?"

Carson imagines them grabbing sandwiches and pastries and drinking more wine and falling asleep on the couch. And that, the normalcy of it all, in and of itself, feels as big and special as anything.

Carson smiled and took her hand.

"Yeah."

---

If you like this, catch up on all of my Leaguetober micro fics here

OR

Read my longer ALOTO fics here

:)

#a league of their own #aloto #gretson #leaguetober #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #this might be one of my faves #carson shaw human disaster #carson shaw #greta gill #9ft tall smoke show of a girlfriend #let them write poems

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

How many Gretson reunion fics/scenes am I capable of writing?

The limit, it appears, does not exist.

but also...

#a league of their own #gretson #we're up to three now #will there be more before we get season 2 renewal news? #who's to say #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #fic #leah writes things sometimes

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

I love writing Gretson

That's it.

Carry on.

#aloto fic #leah writes things sometimes #a league of their own #gretson #they've fully ruined my life and I just have to accept that #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #these two are so soft for each other #carson shaw #greta gill #aloto

[emeraldcitynerdfighter]

Leaguetober micro fics: Day 16 - Books (reposted from my Twitter)

Greta liked to read, but books were heavy and bulky. Her reading materials were what she could get for cheap, opting for mass-market paperbacks she could read once and leave on a park bench and immediately forget.

She bought "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" on a whim, knowing she would need something to occupy her time for the trip to Chicago (Joey always fell asleep immediately on trains).

She read through it three times.

She liked to read because it was an escape from all the running, the pretending, the worry.

But reading Francie's story of her life in Williamsburg, not too far from where Greta and Joey spent their own chaotic childhoods, chasing after dreams they had no right to have.

It made her feel less alone. She didn't know books were supposed to do that. It's the first book she wanted to share with someone.

And when she sees a fancy, hardbound copy of it in the parlor of the boarding house, she knows just who needs to read it, too.

It takes everything she has to keep still when Carson starts to quote the book--her favorite passage, no less--in her rally speech in the locker room. To not sweep her in her arms and kiss her. Hearing the words out loud washes away fears and doubts built up over a lifetime.

Going back to New York meant stability. Space. Her collection of books grows from one to three to ten. She gets to have favorites, to re-read, to scribble thoughts in margins. As Carson moves her books in as well, she eventually has to buy an actual bookshelf.

Years later, Carson gifts her a signed first edition for her birthday. They spend evenings reading it aloud to one another.

Their collection grows, as does their life together. They share stories...all while they write their own.

---

Hoooooooly shirtballs I've been doing this for two weeks already? I don't know if folks are loving these or not, but I'm having a blast challenging myself to write a little bit every day.

But if you've been following along since day 1, or are just jumping in...thanks :)

#leaguetober #a league of their own #aloto #I wish I could love these two a normal amount #we are experiencing full gretson brain rot tonight folks #gretson #9ft tall smoke show of a girlfriend #aloto series