#mcgryz

Hello again! The theme for this week was ✨ a fic that broke your heart ✨ Below are our recs:

rec lists so far: || week 4 || week 3 || week 2 || week 1 ||

A (Little) Slice of Heaven by Anonymous || willypasta || 11,541 words || reccer's notes: this fic rewired my brain. I read it months and months and months ago and I have yet to recover. 11/10 I come back to it way more than I probably should

(and i’ve got a plane to catch) you drove me all the way back by @fvcking-damage || mcgryz || 2,862 words || reccer's notes: this is some self-indulgent mcgryz angst i wrote a couple of years ago, idk what i was writing out with this one but. yeah

and turns to dust by adjacently || Jordan Eberle/Taylor Hall || 2,130 words || reccer's notes: i can eat taylor hall angst for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

between your love and mine by @blindbatalex || willypasta || 6,360 words || reccer's notes: This is a story about trying to reconcile two sides of your identity that are at irreconcilable conflict with one another, and what having your wings clipped like that at a young age does to a person.  I certainly broke my own heart while writing it.

dancing by @rasksmoustache || marcheron || 1,111 words || reccer's notes: This fic is so vivid and visceral and sad, it permanently altered my brain chemistry.  Unrequited (but is it really?) marcheron which gets the feeling of loving someone and being just a little too late so so well

Done & Undone by @ghostgeno || marcheron || 14,428 words || reccer's notes: 2023 Game 7, the aftermath. Fair warning: I don’t reread this very often because of how effectively it puts you in Brad’s headspace immediately after the game, in brutal, excruciating detail. And yet. And yet. If you feel like being taken apart and then put back together, if you want to feel all the loss and tenderness and love that remains despite the loss, read this fic.

good at secrets by @fridgefishwrites || prefix boys; mcgryz || 4,017 words || reccer's notes: this fic meant (and means) so much to me because it just gets what trying to live your life and build something beautiful while faced with unrelenting homophobia is like.  I love the non-linear narrative and the prefix boys but it was always Matt who stole the show for me in this story

like a stranger by blindbatalex || marcheron || 13,142 words || reccer's notes: not a fic alex hasn't read before (sorry bud) but i'm Obsessed with fics where the characters talk past each other and the angst compounds and this fic is a perfect example of that, amongst other things!!!

make no apologies by @sphesphe || marcheron || 3,757 words || reccer's notes: Brad gets himself suspended before the Winter Classic and Patrice takes it harder than he thinks he should.  He plays it off as fine, things happen, just be better Marchy but it isn't true. He's angry. After the game, Brad stops by, they have a talk and lo and behold, feelings emerge! (And much more!)

Sixth Borough by bookhousegirl || Jimmy Hayes/Frank Vatrano || 3,067 words || reccer's notes: The third in a trilogy of fics featuring this pairing. This is a very quiet little vignette featuring two former Bruins who were not stars and did not end up experiencing great success in their time here. It exists entirely in the gray of adult complications and disappointments, and refuses any easy catharsis, and is beautiful for those reasons. For those of us who cared about the Bruins in the (relatively) dismal era between 2015-17 it may come across as a tiny time capsule; for everyone else, I hope the delicate way it honors the hopes and dreams of those who don’t become hometown heroes, who don’t get the happily everafter ending, stays with you.

Westward Expansion by bookhousegirl || Jimmy Hayes/Frank Vatrano || 3,625 words || reccer's notes: Jimmy stares out vacantly at the coaster climbing the track. “Just because we’re from the same place doesn’t mean we’re from the same place.” When Frank takes Jimmy to Six Flags, he expects it to be a fun day, showing Jimmy all the rides he used to love growing up. Jimmy is distracted though, melancholy because Frank has so much promise and Jimmy took so long to get to where he is.

Fucking. Okay

Beech’s hair always tickles Potsy’s chin when they cuddle and it always makes Potsy laugh and Beech moves his head to make sure he feels it and so he can hear Potsy’s laugh

Lindy likes to press his hand right into Pasta’s lower stomach when Pasta’s little spoon and kiss along the crook of his neck for a while and then blow a raspberry

Jeremy will just. Flop. On top of Linus regardless of its convenient or not and Ully just accepts that he has a Sway on him now and continues with whatever he was doing one handed while the other firmly lands itself in Sway’s hair

Brad tends to jump at Bergy fully knowing he’ll catch him and it usually ends up with Brad wrapped around him like a koala and Patrice sitting on whatever the closest surface is

Pavel doesn’t like to ask for cuddles but Riemsy always seems to know when he needs one and silently drags him to the bed or couch or whatever and Pavs just melts against him

Gryz isn’t very touchy but Charlie is and Charlie will wait to cuddle until the very last moment when he needs to be in contact with Matt and gingerly curl up into his side and Matt always drops his “don’t touch me” for Charlie

Might I present:

Nowhere to Run In All of This Madness

Rating: Mature Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence Relationships: Matt Grzelyck/Charlie McAvoy, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Patrice Bergeron/Brad Marchand Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Secret Agents, Blood and Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Major Character Injury, Guns, Explosions, Implied Torture, Full warning inside, Kidnapping

Summary:

Marchand's eyes burn with a fury more powerful that Charlie’s ever seen. He's always been told not to underestimate Brad, but he’s never- in all the times he’s seen Marchy angry he’s never- he’s never felt this afraid. “I will burn this fucking city to the ground to find him,” Brad snarls. “I will kill everyone you’ve ever loved, in every way I know you fear!” The man pined under Marchand whimpers pathetically. “Tell me!” He roars. “Tell me where you took my partner.” Charlie’s blood runs cold. They have Bergeron. . (the full fledged spy!AU, four years in the making)

A part of the Hockey Big Bang 2023!!