Hey Ally! Iām wondering if you have any recommendations for angsty gatty fics/authors? (Iāve personally coined you the queen of that very specific sub genre haha) and in general, did you have a favorite fic you read (regardless of fandom) in 2023?
Hi! Yes! There are many talented Gatty writers in this fandom and I am so grateful to get to share the same space as them!
Some of my favorites are:
Literally anything and everything that @lookedlikethebins who can be found on AO3 as andfacedown has written - everything hurts SO GOOD
I've also been really enjoying @sundrownsthehouse who can be found on AO3 under the same name.
It's Only Green Where You Water by an anonymous user has absolutely broken me in the best way and I am still obsessed with it even though it hasn't been updated since April - I hope the mystery author is okay! (They have a few other fics listed in the author's notes as well that are also incredible!!)
@0ceanxey3s is another author I really enjoy - and can be found on AO3 as 0ceanxeyes it's more of a general / friendship dynamic between Fictional!Matty and Fictional!George compared to a romantic one but wow do they manage to hurt me in the best way!
@betweenthings2 that can be found on AO3 with the same name has also written some lovely angsty fics!
As always, my all time favorite fic i read in 2023 was Poses by @vinylandcoffeecollection - this is literally my favorite fic in the entire Gatty tag and I have reread it way too many times.
There are SO MANY lovely talented writers in this fandom and this tag and I am sure that I've forgotten some as I just did a quick scroll through my bookmarks tag on AO3! I hope that you enjoy some of these if you haven't read them already! In addition to Gatty I read a lot of Hockey RPF - particularly Leon Draisaitl / Matthew Tkachuk - if that's something you're interested in let me know I can send you SO MANY recs lol Thank you for your kind words about MY writing and for your continued support! I'm so honored and grateful that you've been enjoying my little sub genre of pain and suffering š I hope you have a great rest of your week and thank you again for reading!!
somehow iām just seeing this, but thank you sm for the shout out!! honored to see my name mentioned with so many amazing writers!! i seriously love the works by all of these individuals- great reccomendationsā¤ļøā¤ļø
hi friends!! happy new year!! just wanted to say thank you for all the love this year, as a new writer i so appreciate itš«¶š¼ SBH&B update is coming!! your girl has been plagued by the flu all week post-christmas, so it might be just a little bit longerš but hopefully it will be worth the wait!!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Surrounded by Heads and Bodies chapter 11 is out now!
hoping to complete the final 1-2 chapters before the end of the year so i can finally get to some of your amazing requests! and i can write some of the epilogue one shots i have in mind for this SBH&B!verse.
thank you always for the love youāve shared with me and this story so farš«¶š¼
another christmas75 fic! their first christmas as a couple and they can't get the train up north because of the weather. extremely flirty. enjoy! <3
āuh-huh, yep, yeah, i'll phone you tomorrow,ā you hold your mobile between your ear and shoulder while you open and pour a carton of milk, wincing when a larger-than-intended splodge falls into your mug. āi love you, too, mum - pass on my love to everyone, yeah? alright. take care. bye!ā
there's a noise at the front door when you lay your phone down. taking a long drink of your too-milky tea, you pad out of the kitchen - mug still in hand - and make a beeline for the hall, to find a pink-cheeked matty lifting loads of full bags for life across the threshold into the flat.
you rush to help him, popping your mug down on the console table and moving the bags already in the hall enough so that your boyfriend can actually get in. āhi. how did you get all this stuff home, baby?ā
āwell,ā mattyās face - the bit you can see between his hair and scarf and hood and winter coat, that is - contorts into a manic grin. āin addition to buying the essentials, plus some treats, i got this.ā
he steps back out into the stairway and returns a second later with a long piece of grey plastic in hand, curved upwards and string attached at one end. you blink, then laugh as you realise what matty means. āyou pulled it all home on a sled? amazing.ā
āi thought so too! the stairs were a challenge, yeah, but knowing my beautiful girlfriend was waiting for me at the top of them was enough to get me through it,ā matty leans the sled against the wall, kicks the front door closed, and turns to kiss you.
it doesn't last long, though - out of habit, he brings his hands up to hold your face, and you jump away in shock at their coldness as soon as they make contact with your skin. āoh, jesus christ! matty! you did that on purpose, you shit.ā
āno i didn't!ā your boyfriend protests through giggles. ām'sorry, sweetheart. just force of habit. and it might not be snowing right now, but it's really fucking cold out there, you know.ā
āi know, baby,ā you loop your arms around his neck - covered by your scarf, you notice - and kiss his cold nose. matty hums happily when you do. āthank you for braving it. means we can just stay in until the snow clears, now,ā you unbutton his coat. āand they're saying on the news that it might be days before that happens.ā
matty kisses you again, while he shrugs his coat off and blindly flails behind him to hang it on the back of the door. āi mean, i hate that it's happening over christmas - did you speak to your mum, by the way?ā he murmurs against your lips.
āyeah. and yours.ā
āgood, good. but missing christmas at home aside,ā he kisses you again to punctuate the sentence. āi've had dreams about the two of us spending days alone together, no interruptions, no real obligations. can't fucking wait, to be honest, darlinā.ā
āoh, you've had dreams, have you?ā you tease.
āyeah,ā your boyfriend squeezes your bum. āwant me to show you what we were doing in them?ā
āhmmmā¦ nah, we should really get this shopping away,ā you kiss mattyās forehead and wriggle out of his grasp, smirking.
he pouts. ābut it would warm me up, sweetheart.ā
āwell, there's a brew on the console table you can have for that,ā you nod towards it, picking up several shopping bags in each hand and beginning the walk to the kitchen. a thought pops into your head, and you turn back to matty (already drinking the tea) with a grin. āand if you're still chilly after we've put the shopping away, we can have a shower, if you'd like?ā
matty picks up the last of the shopping with his free hand, wandering over to you and softly kissing you. āi would like that a lot, darlinā. thank you.ā
ās'alright,ā you step into the kitchen and dump the bags on the counter. āand, while we're here, we should probably figure out what we're going to do for dinner tomorrow. it's christmas, after all.ā
āwell, look in here,ā he tugs you close to him by the waist, resting his head on your shoulder while you peer inside the bag he just laid down.
an excited giggle leaves your lips, and you turn to kiss matty on the cheek. ām&s christmas dinner stuff? baby, you're spoiling me.ā
matty laughs, pulling the turkey joint and gravy out and putting them in the fridge. āif you think this is you being spoilt, my love, youāre going to freak the fuck out tomorrow.ā
your eyes widen, and you turn to look at him. āyou better not have gone overboard, matthew. but,ā you wrap your arms around his neck again. āi'm quite excited for us to exchange presents. first christmas as boyfriend and girlfriend, and all.ā
āso am i, sweetheart,ā matty smiles, leaning in to quickly kiss you. his face falls, though, as he absentmindedly tucks a stray bit of your hair behind your ear. āfeel a bit weird about the fact we're not going back to see our families, though.ā
ābaby, the weather, there aren't any trains running.ā
āi know, i know,ā your boyfriend sighs - he smiles a little bit when you run your fingers through his hair, though. ās'justā¦ i've never had a christmas down south. and louis hasn't had one without me there, ever. can't believe i won't get to see him this year.ā
āoh, my love,ā you hug him as tightly as you can, gently massaging little circles into his scalp the way you know calms him down. matty hugs you back just as tightly, burrowing his head into your neck. āwe'll facetime everyone tomorrow, yeah? and as soon as the trains are running, we'll go home and force our mothers to make us christmas dinners. it'll be banginā.ā
matty giggles into your skin. āis your mum still going round to my mum's for dinner tomorrow?ā
āyeah. they're both looking forward to it. s'the first thing your mum said to me actually, when i told her we weren't going to make it.ā
āreally?ā
āreally.ā
your boyfriend smiles. āi feel like i should be offended that she's more concerned about your mum than she is about us, but it's actually really cute.ā
āi know,ā you kiss his nose. āthey love each other.ā
āyeah. and i love you,ā matty pecks your lips. āso as much as it's shite we can't go home and see everyone, tomorrow will be a good day.ā
āexactly. i love you too,ā you kiss him back, before catching sight of a pack of bailey's-filled profiteroles in one of the bags and grabbing them in delight. āeven more so because you bought us these.ā
āwhat can i say?ā matty kisses the back of your neck when you turn to put the profiteroles in the fridge. āi know my girl.ā
āi love it when you call me that.ā
āyeah?ā you can hear the smirk in your boyfriend's voice, and then you feel it against the crook of your neck as his lips meet it, over and over in between his soft murmurs. āmy girl, my girl, my girl.ā
āfuck,ā you tilt your head even further to give him more access, desperate to keep him kissing you. ābabe, baby - is everything perishable away?ā
without breaking his kisses for too long, matty scans the bags. āyeah. why?ā
you turn, moving his hands to rest on your waist - deliberately hooking his thumbs into the bands of both your leggings and your underwear - and leaning up to kiss him passionately. ājust quite in the mood for a shower, s'all.ā
matty's face breaks into a shit-eating grin. āwhy? cos you're so dirty?ā
āi was thinking more along the lines of ābecause i want you to unwrap me like an early christmas giftā, but,ā you take his bottom lip between your teeth and release it, slow as dripping honey. āif you want me to be dirty, baby, i can do that.ā
āchrist,ā matty whines, breath shaky, then beams. āchristmas really has come early for me.ā
you giggle breathily. āwill you make me do the same?ā
āācourse. season of giving, remember?ā matty beams, kissing you again; when he pulls away, his eyes are tender. ābut, being serious for a second - i really think we're gonna have a good day tomorrow.ā
āof course we will,ā you smile back at him. āi've got you, several really good bottles of wine, home alone 1 & 2 on dvd, and a stack of bailey's profiteroles - how could it not be a good day?ā
your boyfriend laughs, that joyous cackle you're so enamoured with. āi really, really love you.ā
āit's reciprocated,ā you kiss him, yet again, then smile your best fuck me smile. ānow - grab a towel, baby, and we can start celebrations early.ā
content warnings; bad writing, mentions of weed, swearing and intense yearning lol
a/n; we're just gonna pretend that days 7 & 8 are posted already and move onto day 9 lol. reallllly not sure how i feel about this one... i think i like the idea but not my writing... idk. anyway, shut up ace, here it is!
āOkay okayā¦ paperwork? Yes. homework from last week? Yup. next week's lesson planā¦ā you mumble to yourself as you gather the papers from your desk in an attempt to be prepared for the few days at home you were sure to come.
You heard rapid knocking at your classroom door and nearly jumped out of your skin at the noise. Who was here? The headmaster had sent out an email cancelling school today, so you assumed it would just be you.
You swung open the door and were met with two hunched-over figures buried in layers upon layers of coats, but you would have recognised the curls sticking out from the hat anywhere.
āAnnie? Matty? What are you doing here?ā You usher them in and quickly shut the door behind them. Snow fell off their shivering bodies as they shuffled in.Ā
Annie looked up at her dad with a scrunched face. Matty's voice wavered as he said, āSchool?ā with a tilt of his head.
āThe headmaster sent out an email. It was cancelled today. Didn't you get it?ā you say bending down and wrapping Annie up in a hug as she shivers in her spot. Your hands rub up and down her covered arms to try and warm her as you look up at Matty with soft eyes.Ā
āWhat!ā he said incredulously, furiously pulling his phone out of his pocket. Matty took off his hat and shook the remaining snowflakes from his curls as he checked his emails with wide eyes.Ā
āFuck.ā Matty sighs and drops his arm to his side, throwing his chin up to the air and taking a deep breath.Ā
āDaddy! You're not allowed to swear at school!ā Annie scolded her dad and moved from beneath your arms to look up at him, her hands on her hips.Ā
You saw Matty fight a smile before apologising to his daughter, āYou're right, munchkin, im sorry.ā he pulled her into his side and gave her a quick squeeze.Ā
Matty cleared his throat and stood up fully. He looked you over properly for the first time and couldn't help but feel his heart warm at your outfit.
You, on the other hand, were mortified.Ā
You were not in your usual professional clothes, instead opting for an oversized snoopy Christmas jumper that looked as if it was from 1985 and some black leggings. Along with a pair of trainers that had your fluffy socks sticking out the top of them. A red flush was on your nose and cheeks from the cold, or the embarrassment. You weren't really sure.Ā
After dragging his eyes away from you, Matty looked down at Annie, who was clearly stifling a yawn. Her blinks were heavy, and Matty could tell she was fighting sleep.Ā
āOkay then, I guess we should get home, sweetheart. we can have some hot chocolate and go back to bed, hmm? How does that sound?ā Matty squeezed his daughter's hand as he grabbed it.Ā
A sleepy nod is all he got in response, Annie rubbed at her eyes before giving you a small wave and walking away with Matty.Ā
The soft Christmas music playing in the background was interrupted by a loud click, the noise of the radio made the three of you spin your heads around confused.
āEmergency weather report; extreme snowfall is expected within the next hour and all roads in the area are closed until further notice. Please stay where you are until further instruction. Thank you.ā
The low hum of Christmas music began again after the warning, Matty began pulling his gloves off and bending to unzip Annie's coat. āwell I guess we're staying here for a little bit then, aren't we?ā he smiled up at you, almost as if he's asking your permission
A nervous nod was all he needed to start looking for a place for Annie to lay down.
//////
20 minutes and 2 attempted beds later, Annie was sprawled over both your laps as you sat on the floor.Ā
Matty had tried rolling up his coat as a pillow and letting her rest on the carpet, but the only time she began to drift off was when she was sitting in his lap. Matty shyly asked you if she could lay across the two of you, and you giggled in the way Matty loves and nodded.Ā
So here you were, Annie snoring across the two of you with her dad's coat draped over her as a slightly awkward silence filled the air. An odd wave of confidence rushed over you, and you decided to try and make conversation with Matty.Ā
After all, it had been a whole 5 minutes since you heard his voice, so you were pining for it.
āWhat was your first Christmas with Annie like? She can't have been very old?ā you ask quietly, watching Matty as he stared down at his sleeping daughter, smoothing her curls with his hand.Ā
A sincere smile makes its way across his face before Matty speaks, āNo she was only a couple of months old, but it's still my favourite Christmas ever. I was fucking drowning as a new dad. It was just me and her that year too, I was way too scared to load her into the car and drive her up to Manchester." Matty shook his head wistfully at the memory.
"I was at that point in new parenthood where you think everything will hurt them. I think I'd baby-proofed every corner of my house, and if you knew what my house looked like; you'd understand how mammoth of a task that isā Matty lightly laughs to himself thinking back to how extreme he was those first few months.
You think to yourself that you want to know what his house looks like. You want to see all the pretentious art he has hanging and the piles of books you've never heard of. You especially want to see it this time of year. See how he decorates. You don't think he is a perfectionist. You can see him and the boys haphazardly decorating the tree with Annie. Holding her up to place the star on and cheering as she does. Taking group pictures with the tree and all saying ācheese!ā
Briefly, you envision what it would be like if you were there. Would he take some of the art down and put photos of the three of you? Would he make room in his wardrobe for your crazy jumper collection? Would the shelves currently full of awards be filled with your knicknacks and candles? You imagine him making a special space on his bookcase for the copy of The Little Prince he got you.Ā
The book sat in the air between you, neither of you has addressed but both know you want to.Ā
You yearn to explore his space and see how his brain works. You envision Christmas morning waking up in his arms. Perhaps heād wake you up softly and slowly, pressing lingering kisses to your neck until you stir. Or maybe Annie would come bounding into your room and leap onto the bed, shocking you both awake.Ā
You like to think youād go downstairs and make hot chocolates for you all, Matty would kiss you as you made the drinks, and Annie would be trying to drag him away to the tree. The gift youād get him would be perfect. You don't know what it would be, but you know just how he would react. If you close your eyes, you can envision the soft smile on his face and the adoration in his eyes. You can almost feel his arms wrapping you in a hug and thanking you.
Soon Mattyās voice pulls you out of your thoughts as he recounts his first Christmas with Annie, āshe hated the cold when she was really small, so she always looked like a ball of blankets. all you could see was her pink nose stcking out." matty remembers annie sobbing anytime she felt a cold breeze, so he did the only rational thing he could think of whilst painfully sleep deprived - wrap her in 20 layers to keep her happy.
"The day started nice, and all of Annie's uncles and aunts dropped by. George got her a mini drum kit that she wouldn't be able to use for ages, but he would have bought her a real drum kit if I'd let him. Hann, being the only parent, got me an actually good present, a killer baby monitor.ā You laugh at Matty's clear enthusiasm with the baby monitor, and he looks at you with his jaw dropped and a smile on his lips.
āHey! That's a great present, okay? The year before heād got me some really good weed, so it was a bit of a jump, but I loved it. Ross got her some really cute 75 baby grows, I had no idea there were so many, but he had got her all the old merch made into little onesies.ā Matty starts to feel his eyes fogging up at the memory.
He couldn't connect the girl on his lap now with that baby. It felt like no time had passed, but here she was, a proper little person.Ā
He continued to speak with a wet voice, the emotions clear in each word he said, āBut they all had their own things to do so soon enough it was just us. We just laid on the sofa together. She was on my chest and looked up at me with wide eyes and smiled. For the first time ever. All I could see was the reflection of the fairy lights in her eyes and the massive grin on her face. I smiled back and obviously cried. Every time my smile got bigger, hers did too. That was the first time i knew I could do it. I knew she was always going to be the most important thing in my life. I had kind of known that since she was born, but that's when it really hit me.ā Your hand slid over Mattyās, he gave your hand a quick squeeze in appreciation and looked into your eyes. You simply nodded at him.Ā
āThat sounds perfectā you whisper, leaning in ever so slightly. Subconsciously, Matty mirrored your actions. He felt an innate understanding of the way you moved and didn't think before following your every motion.
āIt wasā he said, resting his head on the wall behind him, and just like Matty had done to you moments before; you copied him.
Silence again washed over the two of you, as it always seemed to do when you were together. But it was a warm silence. It felt like silence between two people who had always known each other. Normally, whenever there was a lull, Matty was fighting to fill the empty air, but with you, he felt no need.Ā
He was happy enough sitting in comfort with you, studying your face trying to find some new aspect he hadn't seen before.Ā
This time, he noticed a small freckle at the base of your jaw by your ear. He felt his hand twitch with the urge to stroke your jaw and trace it with his thumb. Despite having only thought of your face for months, he still sees something new each time, something for him to think about when he has to go a few days without you.
Unlike Matty, you couldn't drag your stare away from his eyes. You watched them flicker around your face and analyse it, but it didn't faze you. You thought it was nothing more than avoiding eye contact. But Matty's eyes drew you in each time. You tried to think of ways to describe them. Calling them āchocolateā or āchestnutā fell short. It wasn't the colour that caught you. It was some inexplicable force.
Matty couldn't help it anymore, and as if his hand was separate from his body, he saw it moving from beneath yours to your jaw. He watched his thumb trace the side of your face.Ā His touch was featherlight, and you shivered at the contact but stayed unmoving.
Your skin was soft and smooth, just like he imagined, and Matty felt his heart skip a beat at the feeling of you leaning into his hands. He watched your eyes flutter closed but soon snap open again, as if you had to fight to keep them open.Ā
His calloused thumb sliding over your cheek was very unexpected, but you couldn't help but immediately settle into the feeling. You wanted to watch his face and try and catch each micro-reaction he had. You needed to see if he was feeling something, too. Anything.Ā
But his face was almost blank, aside from the very corner of his mouth ticking up just once. Just when your eyes began to shut on their own, lulled into security by his soft touch.Ā
You felt goosebumps erupt all over your body when his eyes finally met yours. His thumb stopped its motion on your cheek. Your own hand moved up and covered the hand on your face with your own, just as you had done earlier.Ā
Both of you softly smiled at the contact, a silent understanding that there was something there, but it couldn't happen. There was some ethereal force drawing you in, but you both knew it needed to be ignored.
Right person, wrong time and certainly wrong place. But you could look, and you did.
Staring. Looking. Gazing. It was all you both felt capable of.Ā
The radio buzzed to life and made you both jump, Annie grumbled and sat up from your laps, rubbing her eyes tiredly.Ā
āThe official met office advice is to get home and prepare for a cold couple of days. Most major roads have been ploughed and are now safe to drive on. Please ensure you go slow and only travel if absolutely necessary. In other news-ā
You blanked out the rest of the broadcast but looked back at Matty with a sad smile. He smiled back and gave your cheek a gentle squeeze before removing his hand.Ā
Your skin burned in his wake. Scorched by his touch.
chocolate: rebellious attitude, staying out late, evening laughter, canāt live without their friends, tired eyes, silver necklaces, adventurous, good at sports, perfect eyebrows, sleek hair, smiles a lot
somebody else: nostalgia, old films, collects vinyls, sad eyes, glossy lips, curled lashes, keeps a diary under the pillow, neon lights, diners, midnight drives, denim jackets, likes thunderstorms, talks to the moon, fake-happy
love me: self-confident, radio in the background, tousled hair, long fluttery eyelashes, self destructive, drinks too much coffee, contagious smile, resting bitch face, spontaneous, stays up late with their best friends, sheer red tinted shades
Cannot wait for the ending of SBHAB, thank you so much for all the work youāve put into it! Would love to see more hurt/comfort fics from you in the future if youāre down for it
