#ALSO 'oh they're not married' played for serious drama annoys me but it's fine here it's joaks

[llycaons]

I have been reminded I have yet to do this - recs from my readings last week

small mercies by mellowflicker

wwx stays postcanon and takes care of lwj during his tenure as cc. the intimacy is mostly unspoken but nice and very physical. no big get-togethers or confessions are needed, because they simply know. the sex scenes are rough and a little undernegotiated but honestly really well done. a nice read overall I liked it

underneath a starless sky, the wind blows towards the future by ilip13

a dystopian modern urban fantasy take on the yiling laozu. lwj approaches wwx-as-yllz for aid as the gusu lan sect needs more and more help in fending off the tide of resentful energy. matters in the city progress, their relationship develops, and things come to a head. a bit corny, and a significant decision lwj makes at the end is quite ooc and thematically inappropriate, but I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the drama in the relationship development. a solid B+ *note that this author has written rape fantasy and cnc so be safe*

Forget Me Not by Vamillepudding

not a new fic, this was published ages ago. almost purely comedic, this one, which is good because amnesia when played for angst either stresses me out or annoys me. postcanon wwx and lwj lose their memories from different parts of their lives and are told by other characters they've gotten married when in fact they haven't actualy gotten together yet. but it's completely okay. some other characters have to babysit them and it's kind of charming to see how they interact also. when I first read this many months ago I thought it wasn't worth reccing but I've come around on it. it's sweet, they make out a lot. and pretty funny too

[msmargaretmurry]

Do you have thoughts on Quinn Hughes/Matthew Tkachuk ?

oh, friend, do i!!! i feel like something not everyone knows about me On Here is that i'm a voracious multi-shipper, so obviously even though i love matthew/leon and brady/quinn a lot, i have a whole bunch of other ships for all of them that i love to rotate in my mind.

matthew/quinn is high on the list because: a) i love both of their mama's boy eldest siblingness a lot and think that would make it fun to mash them together, b) i'm such. SUCH. a sucker for a "crush on my best friend's older brother" scenario, and c) ooooh the brady of it all. feeling like they have to sneak around because it feels weirdly like they're betraying brady by hooking up but feeling equally weird about keeping it a secret from brady? oh yes. telling themselves it's fine to keep the secret because it's ~nothing serious~ and then whoops at some point it got serious? brady finding out about the secret relationship at the worst moment possible? the possibilities for family drama and friendship drama in addition to romantic drama are RICH. or, something where it starts out with quinn having some unrequited brady feelings but matthew is the one available? i have told a few people that i've always felt there was an alternate timeline version of head above water where leon doesn't come to toronto to train but matthew winds up going to boots with the hugheses anyway, and he and quinn hook up there and wind up on their own long dramatic journey to falling in love. it would have been a completely different story from HAW but i HAVE pondered it.

that all being said, i do feel a little feral about this pairing whenever i see these pictures or think about jack referring to matthew and brady collectively as "quinn's boys." i don't have a link, but that interview where quinn says that between matthew and brady he likes playing against brady better, because he loves getting to see brady and matthew is SO annoying to play against? also fuels me.

a while back i wrote this little snippet for someone on twitter — i can't remember what the prompt was, it was one of those 'give me a pairing and one word and i'll write a tiny fic' things. anyway i think it's the only matthew/quinn i have actually written, but i'm quite fond of it, so please enjoy:

"So," Quinn says, leaning against the bar next to Matthew. "Is it weird to see your little brother get married before you?"

The bartender is making Matthew yet another of the 'his' option from the themed his'n'hers cocktails, even though Brady’s drink of choice is a little too sweet and it’s starting to make Matthew’s teeth hurt. Matthew waits until he's finished, thanks him for the drink, then joins Quinn in facing outward toward the reception. It's in full swing, joyous and messy. Brady, of course, is in the center of it all, sweaty and beaming, his tie nowhere to be found.

"Nah, " he says. "We always knew he'd get hitched first. You know him, he's a fuckin' romantic."

"He’s a sap," Quinn agrees. Quinn is drinking a beer, and he’s only a little sweaty. His tie is loosened but where it’s supposed to be, his groomsman's tuxedo (sans jacket) still in good shape. Better shape than Matthew’s. Matthew does know where his tie is, it’s just not on his person. His shirt is half-unbuttoned; his waistcoat is fully unbuttoned. He is almost as drunk as he looks. Judging on the same criteria, Quinn is not nearly drunk enough.

"You look like you need to party harder," Matthew says, bumping his shoulder to Quinn's.

"Working on it." Quinn holds his beer up.

"These are stronger." Matthew counters with his cocktail.

"Those are gonna give you the worst headache tomorrow," Quinn says, but he takes the glass out of Matthew’s hand and drains half of it anyway.

Matthew grins. "Atta boy."

"Ugh."

"Yeah."

"Why are you even drinking that?"

Matthew shrugs. "I’m being supportive."

"There are better ways to show Brady you love him," Quinn says, but he says it with a laugh, so Matthew is pleased with himself. Quinn’s not an easy guy to make laugh, unless you’re Brady or one of Quinn's brothers. He offers Quinn the rest of the drink, but Quinn waves him off to go back to his beer, and they’re quiet for a moment, watching the crowd on the dance floor bounce along with an Imagine Dragons remix.

"I think it's gonna feel pretty weird," Quinn says. "When Jack and Luke get married before me."

"You’re so sure they will?" Matthew asks. Quinn gives him a look like he’s a little bit stupid.

"I’m not dealing with that while I’m still playing," he says.

"Right," Matthew says, indeed feeling a little bit stupid, because, you know, same hat. "Yeah. Yeah, I know, but I’m also like, it’s not like I have someone waiting in the wings to meet me at the altar or whatever. I’m not even close."

"Yeah, that too." Quinn finishes his beer, then looks back out at the dancing mob, his expression pinching. "I kinda wanna get out of here for a little bit. Don’t tell Brady I said that."

Outside, by moonlight and lamplight, it's easier to see the pink flush of Quinn's cheeks, the sweat staining his collar. The summer air is sticky, but it’s somehow refreshing anyway. The wedding venue is surrounded by gardens and vistas that are beautiful in the daytime but unnotable at night. They walk in silence until the thump of bass from inside fades, and Quinn clears his throat.

"I won’t," Matthew says, then, his mouth running ahead of his brain, "Yeah, come on, let's go." At Quinn’s dubious look, he sets his glass down and gestures grandly toward the door.

"I didn’t mean, like," he says, his face scrunching as he puts the innuendo into the next words. "Let’s get out of here. You know?"

"Yeah, I know," Matthew says quickly. "Me neither."

"Okay," Quinn says, and the acknowledgement somehow makes it easy not to know, a minute later, in the dark spot between lamp posts, who kisses who first. Makes it easy to recognize that the way Quinn kisses like he’s starving has nothing to do with Matthew himself, and easy for Matthew to just let himself fucking have something for ten whole minutes before they slip back onto the dance floor like they never left at all.