#platonic jolink

[jobrookekarev]

Pour Me a Drink (or Not)

Chapter: One/One

Words: 1,803

Summary: Link goes to the loft after Amelia dumps him and talks to Jo while she waits for Alex to call her. 

Takes place directly after ‘A Diagnosis’ (16x14)

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Atticus Lincoln & Jo Wilson, Amelia Shepherd/Atticus Lincoln, and Alex Karev/Jo Wilson

Characters: Atticus Lincoln, Jo Wilson, Alex Karev, and Amelia Shepherd.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences General Audiences.

Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Family, Drabble, One Shot, A little Fluff, Food, Canon Compliant.

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

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“We’re over”

Amelia's words rang through Link’s ears as he walked out of the house. Link was on autopilot as he got in his car and drove away. The street signs became a blur as he was on autopilot. He just followed the cars that were in front of him until he finally snapped out of it. He realized he was somewhere in the SoDo district by the Old Rainier Brewery and just a few blocks away from Jo and Alex’s loft. 

He knew Jo wouldn't mind him stopping over unannounced as he had done a couple of weeks since Alex left to take care of his family. Jo was always grateful for his company and he needed her. He locked his car and input the code for the apartment building, before running up the stairs to the loft. 

“Jo,” Link yelled as he knocked on her door.

“Just a second,” Jo frantically yelled as he heard her moving things around in the loft.

Jo unlocked the door and pulled it open. The second she laid eyes on him, her lips parted as she took in his hopeless look. 

“Amelia dumped me.”

“Oh Link,” Jo said, tilting her head as her shoulders slumped and she held open the door for him. 

Link walked in and went straight for the freezer where he knew she kept the vodka, pulling it out along with two cups for them. He knew that with Jo they could just drink and be measurable together as Jo was worried about Alex.

“None for me, thanks,” Jo said, walking over to him with her arms crossed in front of her, but looked away and Link followed her eyes to the cell phone on her coffee table. He knew she wasn’t on call, for the hospital at least. 

“It's okay, you don't have to drink with me and I promise I'll shut up when Alex calls,” Link said, pouring himself a drink and putting the other glass back.

“You can drink and I'll eat and we can both cry over the people we love,” Jo said, giving him a sad smile as she let out a heavy breath. Jo walked over to the kitchen and pulled out the leftover mac and cheese from her fridge, dishing him up a plate as well. “So did she give you a reason why?”

“She said she wanted someone who would love her regardless of her baby's paternity,” Link said, as he stole a bite of the mac and cheese before she put it in the microwave. “I mean, I love her, I do, but I want to know. Is that wrong, was I wrong to ask her for a paternity test?”

“No, you wanted to know and you asked her. That's your right as the potential father,” Jo said, turning back to look at him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Amelia's just scared that someone who doesn't love her is going to get hurt because of it and that the person who does love her will stop loving her because of it. So instead she chose the easy way out, hurting you before you hurt her.” 

“Therapy has made you really wise,” Link said, tilting his head at her and giving her a small smile as he patted her arm.

“Well once you start to understand your own complex emotions it's easy to understand others as well,” Jo said as the microwave dinged and she traded out the first plate for the second one.

“Does any of that understanding extend to Alex?” Link asked as he walked towards the couch.

“You're not here to talk about Alex,” Jo reminded him, grabbing the second plate out of the microwave.

“Well if you want I could go to Iowa and give him a little bit of brotherly advice,” Link said as Jo let out a laugh and he stepped on something by the coffee table, hearing the plastic break under his boot. He sat his drink and plate on the couch, sitting down before reaching to pick it up. 

“Well I don't know about that, Alex and I... I don't know at this point. not after...” Jo trailed off, with a shake of her brown curls.

Link picked up the piece of plastic, the blue tip had cracked under his foot, but he instantly recognized what it was and turned it over to see the positive results displayed on the little screen.

“Jo,” Link whispered, standing up and turning around to stare at her. 

Jo froze, holding her plate of mac and cheese and staring at the pregnancy test in his hands. He clearly wasn't meant to see it and she had probably tried to hide it when he knocked on her door. She had that look again, with her lips parted and her eyes wide; helpless. 

“Would you mind taking care of another pregnant woman?” Jo finally managed to say, her words just above a whisper. “Because I truly think my husband has left me.”

Link dropped the tests on the table and ran to take the plates of food from Jo’s hands. He put them on the table before he wrapped his arms around Jo. Holding her and rocking back and forth just a little. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Jo said, fighting his arms as she squirmed and pushed against him. “This is supposed to be about you and Amelia. I should be comforting you not..”

“It’s okay Jo, and listen, Alex Karev is a lot of things, but he loves you. He has to come back for you and your baby.” Link tried to reassure her. He’d make sure that Alex came back to her, even if he had to go to Iowa and drag him back to Seattle himself.

“He's not!” Jo said in a mixture of anger and sadness. “I sent him a text and a picture of the test and I left him a voicemail hours ago and he still hasn't called me back. He’s not coming back.” 

“Jo, he will come back! And in the meantime, I'll take care of two pregnant women, just like you said.” Link said, as Jo finally stopped fighting and clung to him. “I'm here for you, okay. I'll be Uncle Link and you can have some of my baby stuff. You'll love it. There’s this adorable little Seahawks jersey and matching booties.”

Jo nodded and tried to calm down as she let out a deep breath, before pulling back and wiping away her tears. “Okay, I've had my cry, your turn.”

Link laughed as he put an arm around her shoulder and they both grabbed their mac and cheese before going to sit on the couch. Jo turned on the TV to some late night medical drama that they loved to laugh at and they pointed out the inaccuracies while laughing at the insane amount of drama. 

Yet, Link’s thoughts drifted back to Amelia. “I think I would have married her.”

Jo nodded, choosing not to make a joke about how he swore off married life after his parent’s divorce. She grabbed his empty plate and set it on the coffee table before he laid his head on her lap. 

“We had love and the baby and I don't know, before she told me about the paternity I just thought, maybe we could do it. Maybe we could have the whole thing, partnership, a house, and a family.”

“Would you change your mind if the baby wasn't yours?” Jo asked as she ran her fingers through his hair, before grabbing a few strands and beginning to braid it. 

“I don’t know. I guess I'm still waiting for the results.”

Jo hummed as her finger stilled. “Okay don't be mad, because it was 100% a hormonal thing, but I may or may not have talked to Owen.”

“What?” Link shot up and stared at her.

“I didn't say anything, at least nothing that wasn't hypothetical.” Jo rushed to explain it to him. “But he said that he and Teddy are in a really good place right now, and honestly I don't think he'd leave Teddy for Amelia.”

Link just sank back down as he nodded, turning his attention back to the TV again. “You can't just blame the stuff you said on your hormones.”

“Shut up,” Jo said lightly, hitting his arm. “Yes, I can.”

Things lapsed into silence again as they just watched the show. Jo’s fingers stilled in his hair as she moved to lay back against the arm of the couch. She culled up her legs as he moved his head to lay on her thigh. 

“You should think about what would happen in both scenarios whether you can realistically co-parent or if you can work it out if the baby is yours. Regardless, don't give me the baby stuff, give it to Amelia, even the Seahawks onesie and you can buy me a second one because that sounds absolutely adorable.”

“It’s so cute,” Link added, looking up at her.

“Yeah?” Jo asked as she smiled down at him and he nodded.

Link pulled up a picture of the onesie for her and they cooed over it as Jo put a hand on her belly. Link looked at the way her shirt hugged her stomach and he could see the small outline of a little bump under her hand. He wasn't surprised that she was already showing, more so that it had taken her so long to realize it, as Alex had left two months ago. 

“Are you going to co-parent with Alex if he…” Link trails off not even wanting to say it. The smile that Jo had as she looked at the onesie faded into a frown and Link instantly regretted asking her.

Jo took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “I don't know, I guess that depends on if he calls me back.”

Link nodded, pulling up another onesie to show her and watching her face light up as she saw it. 

“Amelia’s lucky to have you and if she doesn't see that, then honestly she's blind and you're better off with someone who sees the love you have to have to offer.”

“Thanks, Jo,” Link said, smiling up at her.

“No problem,” Jo said, ruffling up his perfect hair as he complained and tried to fix it but Jo only laughed.

They watch the rest of the medical drama and the beginning of the next show. Soon enough they both grew tired. Jo didn't want to sleep alone and Link neverminded sharing a bed with her. They slept like little kids together as Link had one arm around her waist and Jo curled up against him. They left the TV on, but before they knew it they both fell asleep.

[aspecbuddie]

Wait it happens that early???? (Thanks for looking it up 😅)

Wdym luna isn't still a newborn and is actually nearly 3?!

Oh yeah buddie is superior, but the parallels are paralleling 😅😅

literally just woke up in the middle of the night with this realisation:

haven't jolink also had the 'if I die will you take my kid?' conversation?

unless I'm misremembering things because it's 3am and I just woke up 😅

(about luna at least - I know the scout side of things is different because of amelia)

I went to check, 18x05, they do have the conversation Jo is freaking out AND Link offers it like it's a given. Complete why are you even asking, of course I'm taking her. The jolink parallels are very real, but no one is quite doing that one like buddie lol

[bi-lullaby]

I loved jolex but am starting to ship jolink too and am hoping you can write another one of your expert metas on why jolink could be a great couple, how they’re similar in ways that matter but different enough to balance each other out!

I think the thing about Jo and Link possibly working out well is that neither of them needs the other in any way? They could be beneficial and good (yes almost synonyms but not quite) to have as romantic partners in each of their lives but it isn’t something that’s lacking in either of them.

They have a nice shared story, seem to admire each other greatly, they’ve been great at becoming support systems for each other and adore each other’s kids, they seem to hold similar things close to heart and they value each other a lot, all good signs for a relationship. Jo’s much more no-nonsense than him so that would be a nice balance, and I feel like the whole “dark and light” dynamic would still apply in some ways although I feel like it’d be more in Link’s benefit because Jo, while deeply traumatized and shaped by her trauma, has a handle on it in a different way than, say, Amelia did and would appreciate his sunshine-ness without necessarily having to incorporate it into her life? While he could learn with her the whole “I have zero complaints bc the mere idea of negativity brings me down so much that I refuse to engage with any of it at all” isn’t maintainable or necessary for him to still be okay.

And I know this is somewhat subjective but they have such great chemistry imo? Like Link showed up out of the blue and I could immediately believe like “yes this is her best friend they clearly like each other so much” and there’s absolutely space for that to remain platonic but it could also become romantic besides their brief fwb stint and would be a good addition to both of their lives.

[lover-of-mine]

For a show with some AMAZING platonic relationships they really seem incapable (at least recently) of keeping platonic relationships platonic 😅😅

Jolink annoy me partly because they both told alex there was absolutely nothing romantic there, only for it to be revealed years later they both had crushes on each other years ago?????

Oh yeah I'm not saying the 19x20 scene would work perfectly for buddie, but it's all I can think about when I watch that scene 😅😅

Oooooh I agree! That Jolex arc would work so well for buddie!! (also Jolex deserved better)

That is the upside of greys having so many 'best friends to lovers' couples, is that so many of them feel buddiecoded. There are Towen scenes in the earlier seasons (s6 or 7) that I've rewatched and immediately wanted to write a buddie fic using 😅😅

Honestly, lately they really said no platonic relationships allowed, which is a shame considering they have Mer and Alex and I'm legit obsessed with how close they made them and the way that even tho both Alex and Meredith sleep around, they never considered each other a possibility and we need more of that in media.

I have many feelings about jolink, the way they pushed Amelia and Link just to have it end like that, the way they insisted they were just friends all the time, the way they had such a nice friendship that didn't have to become romantic to stay interesting (also i hate what they did to Link overall, the cute orthopedic surgeon who cut his hair with surgical scissors for a kid on the peds floor is not whoever he is now)

And I totally feel you, that scene needs very little adjustments to work for buddie, it would be epic to get something like that for suuure, I will need to get my hands on some exasperated love confession in the rain fics lol

That jolex arc could be so good, and I agree, they have so many best friends to lovers, it's hard not to watch it and get ideas. I feel like with the amount of season you have a little bit of everything in there, so there's so much inspiration hiding there.

(i dont like talking about how jolex deserved better because i never thought i would see the day i would be mad greys didn't kill a character and i pretend Alex died so i wont have to think about what happened, but they deserved so so so so much better)

[lover-of-mine]

I spent the entire episode unintentionally comparing all of jolink's interactions to buddie, which appears to be how I'm dealing with jolink being romantic now xD

There was definitely one part of a scene with them that had really good buddie vibes but it's midnight here and I cannot remember which bit that was (but I do remember briefly thinking something like 'ooh more jolink/buddie comparisons to talk to anna about' 😅😅😅😅)

also!! I loved all the amelia and owen stuff so much!!

but right at the end of the episode I suddenly thought 'greys really dislike platonic relationships at the moment - what if they're using amelia and owen being friends(?) to throw a wrench in owen's marriage'

(My thoughts were more coherent but it's midnight, so enjoy these tired ramblings 😅😅😅💚)

Oh, I also spent the entire episode comparing jolink with buddie lol they were talking and i was legit nodding along and wondering how i could make that about buddie. Them talking on the couch at the end there really got me all "huh established buddie could look like this" lol

And honestly, I'm obsessed with the way Amelia manages to defuse Owen, I love the way they work now after the divorce and everything that went wrong with them. I hadn't thought about the way greys hate platonic relationships tho, lets hope they don't ruin what they have going now, because it's a very interesting dynamic considering they are literally divorced lol

Please send more ramblings once you're coherent tho, I wanna hear the thoughts.

[bi-lullaby]

Sorry, more Grey's questions because I really love connecting with people who love the show despite its many flaws: 1. Your seven favorite GA characters? 2. Your 4-5 favorite romantic ships? 3. Your 4-5 favorite platonic ships? 4. Your three favorite seasons?

Answering tumblr asks is one of my favorite things in the world. It brings me a ridiculous amount of joy, don’t apologize!

Also love that!

1 - Meredith, Maggie, Amy, Andrew, Jo, Bailey, Arizona (roughly in order, Alex is a tir, honestly but his ending *killed me* so he’s off).

2 - Merluca - Amelink - Benley - Calzona (again roughly in order although Calzona fluctuates depending on how analytical I’m being that particular day).

3 - Merlex - Ladychief trifecta (and each individual pair within those, specially Maggie x Amy - MerJo - JoLink (there’s so much more omg I love the friendships in this show, even some between characters I don’t care for).

4 - Seasons 5, 8 and 16 (it’s been a while since I’ve watched and my internal timeline resembles Jeremy Bearimy so this might be not exactly factual).