#fivedayslater

I started 2025 with: Eye in the Firestorm by Yukihanna

Fics I kept coming back to in 2025

January

And They Lived Happily Ever After by @ginger-floor-goblin

Critical Role (Vox Machina), rated M. Completed 2024-10-25.

DEFINITELY SPOILERS FOR C1/LoVM! Proceed with caution! He looked into her eyes, the eyes he knew so well, and saw fear there. But he also saw the anticipation, the excitement, the joy. They sparkled, as they always did. She was studying his face carefully, her arms wrapped around his neck, anticipating a response. She smelled of flowers, of fresh air. She was warm and there and gods, he was so incredibly in love with her. Especially now. “That is the best news I’ve ever heard,” he said softly before kissing her. Keyleth and Vax get their happily ever after, because I said so. So there. Take that, Mercer. Apparently, this is the 1,000 Vaxleth fic on this site, so yay!

February

Pieces Still Stuck In Your Teeth by @howlsmovinglibrary

Baldur's Gate 3, rated M. Completed 2024-05-23.

“I mean it,” she said. “Don’t kill anyone, Astarion. You’ve gotten what you wanted. Seven thousand lives was enough.” “I don’t take orders from you anymore. You just said so, yourself.” “The moment you kill someone,” Rose replied, “is the moment I'll know that my next task is to stop you.” “Darling,” Astarion grinned, “I would sincerely like to see you try.” -- The Vampire Ascendent has crossed a line. Eleven years after making the biggest mistake of her life and losing the man she loved, tiefling wizard (now Archmage) Rosalie decides it’s time to put this Astarion in the ground for good. Hopefully, both her head and her heart are strong enough to see this awful task through to its end. (A lovers-to-enemies, ‘we’re divorced and going to make it everyone else’s problem’, Vampire-Ascendent-aesthetic-but-make- it “I can STILL fix him’ fic)

March

Exposure to Sunlight by LibbyLune

One Piece, rated T. Completed 2021-01-10.

Sanji never escapes from the Vinsmokes as a child, and Zoro finds himself in the path of Germa 66 after the disaster at Sabaody.

April

From a Swell in the Ocean by @goose-smoothie

Critical Role (Vox Machina), rated M. Last updated 2025-01-23.

“Hello there,” Vex greeted as she waltzed into the cell, “I’m Captain Vex’ahlia of the Vox Machina, and we’ve just seized this vessel here for stolen property belonging to the crown of Emon. Now, seeing as we’ve found you as a prisoner on this ship, I suppose that makes you the enemy of my enemy. So I’m going to ask this once; to us, are you friend or foe?”

May

Utilities Included by @strawhattery

One Piece, rated E. Completed 2024-04-19.

Mold in the shower, burns on the carpet, and nothing but hot sauce and pickles in the kitchen. Sanji doesn't know it yet, but the apartment he's moving into—and the alpha he's sharing it with—will change his life.

June

Burning Man by @neonglaceon-main

One Piece, rated M. Completed 2023-01-22.

“You’re lucky, Zoro,” she had spat, eyes turned up towards the sky, like she was trying to hold in tears. He'd never seen Kuina cry before. He’d never seen any expression on her face other than her teeth gritted in determination or her grinning in victory. “I want to be the greatest swordsman too. But girls grow up, and their bodies become weaker than men's. I’m never going to be the greatest.” Kuina tells him this, and Zoro can barely comprehend the words she’s saying. He thinks of the countless hours he’s spent training by the river bed, the green locks of his hair left on the floor after Koushirou helped him shear it all off, of the people he thought of as family a lifetime ago calling him by a name he despised. Zoro puts a hand to his chest, where he’d hastily wrapped bandages earlier that day, remembering how his body had begun changing and he didn’t understand why- “You’re lucky to have been born a man, Zoro,” Kuina finishes lamely. Zoro sees red.

July

One Time Thing by @naromoreau & @summerofspock

One Piece, rated E. Last updated 2025-10-26.

Sharing heats and ruts is nothing but convenience for Zoro and Sanji. Two times a year they fuck like animals and then go their separate ways. Even if separate ways is just down the hall. It works for them. That's what they tell themselves anyway. Then a poorly timed heat makes a mess of everything.

August

Mask by Hailfire_73

Marvel Cinematic Universe, rated T. Completed 2018-11-14.

The Avengers find an orphaned Peter Parker at an Osborn research facility, and after they help each other escape, Tony thinks it's probably a good idea to take him home and have him go undercover as his son to expose Norman and link him to his crimes.

September

drop them bones by @foggynitefic

One Piece (Live Action), rated T. Last updated 2025-09-05.

To get to the Grand Line and leave the East Blue, they have to pass through Loguetown. But that means they have to get to Loguetown first. Or, Sanji starts finding his place with his new crew.

October

Wait, What?! by @chaoticdumbassrogue

Star Wars Rebels, rated G. Completed 2022-06-18.

Kanan was dead, then he wasn’t. Hera was dying, then she woke up. Zeb went to bed while visiting his grandkids, and woke up alone. Sabine had an accident in Wild Space, now she’s home. Ezra was lost in Wild Space, now he’s back with his parents. So how did they wake up in the Clone Wars?

November

Baby Mine by @freshie-owo

One Piece, rated T. Last updated 2025-11-17.

In the dead of night, a teenage boy and a baby show up at the Baratie.

I'm finishing the year with

I Care About You - Invisimech drabbles ( + larger overarching narrative) by cargonomics

sharpen and turn by StarryCleric

Here with me by ArbuscularMycorrhizal

Champion Bound (series) by EchoingArias

Fics saved in 2025 (my notes in bookmarks)

The Arrangement by @goddessofroyalty - The one where Sanji and Zoro might as well use each other to solve their urges.

remedy and relaxation by @ivelostmyspectacles - The one where Orym helps Ashton with period pain.

Something in the Water by pieces_of_ate - The one where Zoro and Sanji have a really bad day involving a fall into some cave water and also an old man with a fictional grudge.

The Fourth Ring by @vamillepudding - The one where Astarion escapes Cazador and meets Gale's mum. And then Gale. And then Gale and Astarion fix each other.

Toska by @bigrhet - The one where Astarion and Cassius (Warlock!Tav) go through the motions of BG3… and also Cassius' own horrid history motions back.

The World You've Grown by Nightwinging_It - The one where Tim's kidnapped/rescued by the BL2 team, and he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

To Ashes by Nightwinging_it - The one where Tim and Gaige hate having to tell people they're trying to kick Aurelia's ass.

The Courage or the Fall by @rowyndodendron - The one where Caleb would rather freeze than show his scars. Molly convinces him not to freeze instead.

Husband and Wife Reunion by MorganNerdzKvM - The one where Liu Kang and Kitana don't quite have the happily ever after, but it's pretty damn close.

How to Save a Life by anthea_tesdinic - The one where Sanji and Zoro are cold. And they know how to fix that.

Learning to Listen by @fivedayslater - The one where Sanji's time on the rock may have made Zoro assume his soul-mate was dead.

First Breath of Air by @hazel-athena - The one where Sanji is rescued from Germa as an adult.

To You, Formerly Me by @trixree - The one where Sanji has to forgive himself.

Bite the Hand by @blasphemlm - The one where Sanji recovers from torture and discovers there's some missing memories.

Retrograde by @hazel-athena - The one where Sanji has amnesia and Zoro suffers a bit.

moonlighters by evils - The one where Sanji joins Zoro's two years.

The New Avengers: Are They Real People? by BB Urich by hellsbells1109 - The one where the New Avengers are on a group chat.

Just Do The Thing by @sugarskies - The one where Bob does the dishes.

A Marriage of Convenience by @conceptstage - The one where Caleb goes to "marry" Beau all for a book, but Beau uses this circumstance to escape from her abusive parents.

Deep in the Lungs by gremlinbehaviour - The one where Azune has a plant growing in his lungs, Teor is restless, and Hal is a dad.

Experimental Trial 1C: Stimulation of Blood Flow via Alternative Method by decayed - The one where Occtis determines just how impactful not having blood flow is.

To The Victor Belongs the Spoils by @ironicveghead - The one where Sanji is a prize to be won in a tournament of strength. Zoro wins.

---

I end 2025 having experienced incredible lows and upcoming amazing highs. I finished my Masters degree, I start teaching high schoolers English next year(!!) and finally feel like life is on track. These stories? Each of these stories, and the ones that haven't been mentioned, have kept me going.

My first fic of 2024: dismantle the sun by StarryCleric

Summary:

Beau shudders and holds Caleb's hand, which he squeezes back tentatively. She can feel how it shakes in her grip. She does her best to steady him, despite the fact that she wants to shake apart herself and completely fall to pieces. “I am going to hazard a guess here,” Caleb says softly, “that we may have been drugged.” --- Tonight was supposed to be a fun night off. Unfortunately for Beau and Caleb, the universe has other plans.

2024 fics I kept returning to

January

Winter Song by @proantagonista

Yuri!!! on Ice, rated E. Completed 2018-03-25.

The set of Yuuri’s mouth softened into a private smile as Victor squeezed his knee beneath the table. His hands were bare, free from the gloves he so often wore when they were together on the rink, and the heat of his palm burned straight through the denim of Yuuri’s jeans. He slipped his own hand beneath the table and found Victor’s. Hidden from sight, their fingers began to flirt and play. A secret conversation all their own that needed no words. Yuuri was aware that at some point—a moment in time he couldn’t quite place—Victor had become his boyfriend. There wasn’t a single instant when it happened. It was a slow awareness, as if Victor had silently been asking the question for months now, and Yuuri had been giving him the answer a little more with each passing day.

February

blink by @frockbot

Persona 5, rated M. Completed 2020-11-13.

Summary:

Do you want kids? Ren asked Akechi two years ago, the night they decided to get married. Yes. He did. They do. So when they’re given the chance to adopt a pair of sisters, ten-year-old Maya and two-year-old Sai, they take it. They’re prepared for a rough transition: for arguments, and upset, and struggle. That, they can handle, or find ways to handle. They are not prepared for the resurgence of an old and familiar evil that threatens to destroy the tenuous family they’ve built. They probably should have expected it, though. After all, this always happens to them. [Takes place 17 years post-game and 16 years post-Doomsday. You don't have to have read my other fics to start here, but maybe you should?]

March

In Calm Waters by @dracosollicitus

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, rated E. Completed 2024-03-04.

Summary:

Rey Smith, an Omega who presented late, meets Poe Dameron, an Alpha unlike anyone she's ever met. Sparks fly, they fall in love — and fight against societal expectations. The two work together to build a relationship built on mutual trust and respect in a world that claims they should be nothing more than their biologies.

April

Investigation Check by @percivalium

Critical Role (Vox Machina), rated E. Completed 2022-10-09.

Summary:

She’s hot. She’s not usually hot. Blankets can be kicked off, but not this time. She’s also sore. She’s not usually sore, either. Muscles can be tender after battle, but not this time. Vex prys one bleary eye open, attempting to take in her surroundings. It’s her bed: check. Her room: check. Her blanket: check. A warm body next to her: check? A heavy arm draped over her belly: check?! Both eyes open now (literally and figuratively), she slowly rotates her head on the pillow to look at the foreign body next to her, smiling when she sees a floof of light-colored hair tucked carefully next to her shoulder. She can’t help herself and sighs contently, making some strands of his unruly tufts wave and ruffle. Her Percy: BIG check with a heart drawn around it.

May

Nightmares by @roninreverie

Star Wars Rebels, rated G. Completed 2016-01-01.

Summary:

After the events of the planet Gorse, Kanan and Hera adapt to living together as a crew, but things get off to a bumpy start.

June

three years, three rules by @akihmorn

Persona 5, rated E. Completed 2020-11-18.

“The truth is, I hate all alphas,” he stares at Akira coldly. “And that includes you.” Three years after getting married, Akira and Goro face an unexpected challenge. shuake week day 3: comfort

July

The Mind and The Maladay by @saltytothecore

Critical Role (The Mighty Nein), rated T. Completed 2022-04-06.

Of all the ways Essek thought he might find himself staring down mortality, his magic making a cancer of his lonely heart never even entered his consideration. But then, his calculus has never been able to account for the Mighty Nein. There is a remedy for his illness, of course. There is always a way to unwind magic, but there is always a price. The cost of Essek’s life, now that he’s contracted Hanahaki’s disease, can be paid two ways—one is higher than Essek can bear and the other, well. The other can only be paid by someone else. And if Essek could ask that, then he wouldn’t be sick at all, would he?

August

Witch Ways by @aliquistis

Baldur's Gate, rated M. Last Updated 2024-02-16.

Echo has lived her life tucked away in the forests of Tethir, learning magic through the pulse of nature and the songs of creation. She's good with magic, but not people, which isn't really a problem until she's scooped up by mind flayers and has to get along with six strangers lest they all share a tentacle-y doom. And she manages to get along with most of them -- but then there's Gale of Waterdeep. Despite a terrible first impression, she finds he is actually much kinder than all the mansplaining would suggest. This is a series of relationship scenes about my weird little mushroom hermit, a wizard who shows compassion and arrogance really can coexist, and how academic rivalry is like first base for wizards. Spoilers up to Act 2 for main plot and Gale's romance.

(image source)

September

Pacts and Bargains at Night by @feynwiddershins

Critical Role (Vox Machina), rated E. Completed 2023-03-04.

What passes while the sun is set is often the most revealing.

October

Filling the Hourglass by makkachincrossing

Critical Role (Mighty Nein), rated E. Last Updated 2021-10-27.

Every 25 years, omega Drows enter their period of fertility. The time is rapidly approaching for Essek as summer only grows hotter, and his husband grows older with no way to stop it. But he hopes Caleb can leave a piece of himself behind.

November

Learning to Listen by @fivedayslater

One Piece, rated T. Completed 2018-08-14.

For as long as Zoro's felt his soulmate echoes he's hated them. He doesn't know why Sanji, or the rest of his crew mates, care so damn much.

I'm finishing the year with

and on toward the edge of night by @j-plash

Critical Role (Bells Hells), rated E. Last Updated 2024-11-26.

Ashton would love every fucking alpha in Jrusar to take a long walk off a fucking cliff. Orym just knows it's not right that Dorian has to be so careful walking down the street at night. ("There you go, sweetheart, keep breathing for me.” Ashton doesn’t think he could stop breathing that in if he tried.)

Bookmarks (and notes) of 2024

These are the fics I've bookmarked (saved), and the summaries I add for my own understanding of what each one is, so I can come back it it faster.

even darkness must pass by dare_to_do_our_duty

The one where Caleb has a fever and Caduceus is tired.

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart) by @notaficwriter

The one where Vex and Percy don't start of as soulmates.

come morning light (you and i'll be safe and sound) by @chaseyesterdays

The one where Percy is a dad. Good wholesome cure for depression.

the mist upon the hill by BucketofWater

The one where Mollymauk's blood hunter skills are actively harming his soulmate, but Caleb is too frightened to admit it to him.

The Courage Or The Fall by Rowyndodendron

The one where Caleb should huddle with Mollymauk for warmth.

feverish, burning up inside by @ivelostmyspectacles

The one where Caleb goes into heat in the back of their wagon and Mollymauk assists.

burning out, helpless by @ivelostmyspectacles

The one where Mollymauk is forced into a heat and Caleb does his best to assist.

Ship to Wreck by Snailsnol

The one where Gale courts a prickly Drow.

The Wonderful Life of Caleb de Rolo by @historia-gloria

The one where Percy and Vex adopt the kid tortured with Whitestone residuum.

Strong Enough to Bend by @catgirlthecrazy

The one where Essek doesn't really have the drive for sex he expects himself to.

Blackbird by @okadiah

The one where Kanan's weapon possesses him in an AU where he's not exactly a Jedi.

Exit Wounds by @seti-fan

The one where Percy has bullets left over under the skin.

Feathers and Smoke by @feynwiddershins

The one where it's a canon character study of Percy and Vex and it's fucking amazing how detailed it is.

From a Swell in the Ocean by @goose-smoothie

The one where Vox Machina is a pirate ship and Percy was rescued by "privateer" Captain Vex'ahlia.

In Bloom, With You by @nekosd43

The one where Caduceus has a season and Fjord offers to assist.

Perceived Impressions by @acinonyx1

The one where Astarion shares a cell with a bear and angst happens.

As I end 2024, thank you again to the writers who've provided me with much comfort in a ridiculously tumultuous year.