(please click on the flowchart for better quality.)
A compilation of my favourite mattdrai fics in the world. The ones that I would take with me on my Kindle if there was ever an apocalypse.
They are all complete, archive-locked, and do not contain any archive warnings (though please still check the tags).
If you don't want to use the flowchart to pick a fic, I've also split them into categories below. Happy ready!
It's about the angsty hate fucking
Mending Fences by puckingtrash (imafriendlydalek) @puckingtrash 🔒
62k, (E), Cowboy AU
The past ten or so years, the Missouri Ranchers' Association Heritage Classic Cup, awarded to the overall winner of the three main events of team penning, tie down roping and cutting, has gone to either Silent T Ranch or Three Sides Ranch. It’s become a bit of a spectacle over the past few years, the hype around which team might take the Cup this year growing to the point that it’s even been featured in the local papers. They’re calling it “The Battle of Alberta County,” which is a bit ridiculous if you ask Matthew. There was an article just the week before, in fact, in which the reporter had asked Leon what he would do if the ranch teams were mixed and he had to ride with Matthew or Brady, and he’d replied, “I’d probably get off my horse.”
Ouch.
***
OR the MattDrai Cowboy AU absolutely no one asked for
Sport? In my sports rpf? Less likely than you'd think. This one's for when you want the exact same mattdrai dynamic, but without the hockey. OR, you (like me) fell victim to the Matthew in a cowboy hat propaganda. But for real, this is a GORGEOUS fic. It's been like a year since I've read it and I could still direct a movie from the images I have of it rotating around in my mind on a daily basis.
Preference by Daisysusan @hopetorun 🔒
37k, (E), Winners Room AU
Tapping someone for the winner's room once is just hockey. Twice, that's just a coincidence. But this thing with Draisaitl might be turning into a pattern for Matthew.
Winner's room is not for everyone but if it's for you and you haven't read this then WHAT are you waiting for?? It has the best tension ever with Matthew riling Leon up on and off the ice. AND Daisysusan somehow managed to make the winner's room trope... really soft? and full of feelings?? And hot, of course.
Oil to a Flame by Vivienne_Grey 🔒
45k, (E)
A simple wager between two rivals was all it was meant to be.
Matthew should have known from the beginning that nothing would ever be simple when it came to him and Leon Draisaitl.
This ones for the people that want rivals with benefits to lovers. That sweet sweet 'missionary so we can continue our argument from earlier' energy.
Sooo much angsty hate fucking but then it turns into such a beautiful story about learning to accept yourself and overcome internalised homophobia.
A/B/O
Sea Change by andthreequarts @three-quarts 🔒
33k, (E), A/B/O
“Wait, is that what’s happening here?” Matthew pushes forward, gets close. “Is that why you were being weird?”
“Shut up,” Draisaitl growls, backing up.
“Oh no,” Matthew laughs. “This is the funniest thing I’ve heard all week. Leon Draisaitl, an alpha’s alpha. Who would have guessed it, you’re into an omega with barely any scent?”
This one has that classic mattdrai feel. That snarky banter, little bit of hate fucking, flirty chirps on the ice, teammates asking who they're seeing, secretly watching each other's highlight reels type beat but add in some deliciously good A/B/O. And let me tell you, the chemistry??? *chef's kiss*
This one's for my pathetically down bad Leon enjoyers. You know who you are.
Odour by CoffeeHound91 @coffeehound91 🔒
32k, E, A/B/O
Matthew is a Null.
He thinks that makes him nothing.
Leon disagrees.
Non-traditional abo my beloved! This one has Matthew being traded to the Oilers and slowly realising his self-worth. A little angsty but it just makes the ending so much more satisfying. Idk what it is about Mattdrai writers and their scholarship on overcoming insecurity but I thank them all for the collective therapy. Also, i will read literally anything Coffeehound91 writes no questions asked.
whatever promises I made by puckthisshift @puckthisshift 🔒
359k, E, A/B/O, Arranged Hockey Marriage
Matthew Tkachuk meets his fiance for the very first time the day after their engagement is officially announced. Having to get married as some kind of twisted favor so Matthew will get drafted to the Oilers… It’s not a great start to the marriage. But is that really the only reason? Who’s doing who a favor here?
You read that correctly, it is in fact 359k, and i know you're about to keep scrolling but HEAR ME OUT. This is hands down my favourite fic ever. I have it downloaded on like 6 different devices in case of an apocalypse. I've read it like 7 times (i swear it's good enough you won't even notice how long it is). It is the slowest of slow burns, with the best miscommunication literally ever. A MASTERCLASS on unreliable narrators. Matthew's self-worth issues make him interpret everything so interestingly and it's not until you read from Leon's pov that you're like??? Oh and the smut is GOODDDDDDDDD. Just trust me on this one, guys.
So is the longing by dogjuice 🔒
44k, (E), A/B/O
After being forced to take suppressants for a year, Matthew's body is a mess. He has an excruciatingly painful heat every two weeks, and there's no medication to help him.
To make matters worse, he's been traded to the Edmonton Oilers. Now, not only does he have to deal with his collapsing body, he also has to contend with Draisaitl, who has made it pretty clear he hates Matthew's scent.
If the universe could give him a fucking break, that'd be great.
Another down bad Leon fic. Can y'all tell it's i'm a fan? Actually, they're both down bad but the miscommunication is SO SO good that the slow burn is *chefs kiss*. And just the perfect amount of jealousy thrown in there too.
The dialogue in this fic is so amazing too. Like, Matthew's witty banter?? God tier, actually. Anyway, immaculate fic that i will reread a million times!
German or Germany should be listed as a main character
slip under the tongue into translation by lighthousetowers @blankvcrs 🔒
32k, (M)
Later, Brady will say it starts as a joke.
And later, Matthew will tell him that in German, that would probably be something like es sollte nur ein Scherz sein. Or maybe, nur ein Spaß. He’d have to ask to make sure that’s right.
But where’s the fun in that?
Sometimes you just need to learn an entire language to piss off (flirt with and get the attention of) your rival (crush). But it's okay, because you're doing it ironically, for rat purposes, not bc you're obsessed or anything.
But fr this is such a fun fic! Absolutely nails the character voices and the sibling relationships too.
Saving the Best for Last by puckingtrash (imafriendlydalek) @puckingtrash 🔒
100k, (E), Future AU
Falling in love in your twenties is easy. Letting yourself fall in love in your forties is a lot harder. Especially when you find it in unexpected places.
Leon Draisaitl is not expecting to find love again at forty-three. His playing career is long over, he’s divorced, he’s got a bum hip, his only real asset is about half of a floundering German hockey team. Hell, even his hair isn’t what it used to be.
And then Matthew Tkachuk swaggers back into his life...
puckingtrash (imafriendlydalek) is going in my will for this one. And for all of their other fics but this one in particular. Like GM Leon and coach Matthew of a flopping (affectionately) hockey team?? Sign me UP.
I read this 2 years ago and I am still emotionally invested in a random German hockey team because of this fic. That's how good this fic is. It's just 2 men slowly falling in love in their 40's, not realising they're dating, and raising a hockey team together about it. It's IMMACULATE.
Fluffy Established Relationship
Pieces of You Became Pieces of Me by HollowMachines 🔒
11k, (M), Established Relationship
It's a bad time to remember you have an interview while you're fucking your boyfriend.
It's worse when the world doesn't even know you have a boyfriend.
They're making it work. Sort of.
I bookmarked this as "for when I just want to smile at my phone for a bit" and I think that perfectly sums it up. Pure fluff! AND I could write an entire essay about how Leon's house is the physical representation of their relationship in this. I won't, but just know that I could, bc this is SO SO GOOD. If you're having a bad day, look no further, my dudes.
Forced proximity
Makes you long to be magnificently cursed by puckthisshift @puckthisshift 🔒
65k, (E), Proximity Curse
The NHL may pretend that magic doesn’t exist, but Leon is German enough to know better. He definitely knows better than to piss off a witch - unlike Matthew fucking Tkachuk. Looks like he’ll be spending the off-season getting to know his on-ice nemesis off the ice.
PROXIMITY CURSE, MY BELOVED
Have you ever wanted to lock Leon and Matthew in a cabin in the woods together and just... see what happens? This one's for you!
Need I say more? It's perfect! It's got tension-filled arguing, snarky banter, and so much pining.
Christmas with the Tkachuks by puckingtrash (imafriendlydalek) @puckingtrash 🔒
25k, (E), Fake Dating
His mother would never forgive him if she found out that he let someone spend Christmas alone and he's had a few to drink, so it seems like a really good idea: Matthew invites Leon to join him for Christmas in St. Louis. What he's not expecting is for Leon to say yes. And he's definitely not expecting his family to see them arrive together and come to the conclusion that they must be dating. Or for Leon to just roll with it.
This one has all the classics. Forced proximity, fake relationship, there was only one bed, coming home for Christmas and pet names! It's fluffy and funny but still has a little drama to keep things interesting. In conclusion, if I wanted a mattdrai hallmark movie script, I would know exactly who to go to! Amazing!
Most importantly!! Remember to leave comments and kudos on everyone's fics!!
And if you're a writer mentioned in this list and you want to be removed or untagged, just message me. No questions asked. (My tumblr is not viewable to non-logged-in members dw )
with the ao3 downtime approaching, now is a good time to remind everyone to write down your comments in your notes app if you are planning to read offline!!
I feel like chatgpt came around and everyone immediately forgot what they were doing to get stuff done before. like writing centers, extensions, extra help, templates, office hours, beta readers, random generators, and art and writing prompts have all existed for ages. even if you were cheating there's always been sparknotes, photomath, copying, paying someone else to do it, faking that your grandma died, and whatever. all of that stuff is more reliable and doesn't fuck over the planet. and you might actually learn something
One of my favorite thing I’ve learned about animals studies is that you should avoid using colorful leg bands when you’re banding birds because you can accidentally completely skew the data because female birds prefer males with colorful bands
Apparently if you put a red band on a male red wing blackbird his harem size can double
So like you can completely frick up the natural reproduction of a group of birds by giving a guy a bracelet so stylish that females CANNOT resist him
I remember reading a study where researchers realized that female birds of a certain species preferred males with a darker breast. So they created what they literally called a “Super-Sexy Male” by catching a male and coloring his chest with a marker. They then ran dna tests on the eggs in the area.
Previously when the researchers had run these tests, they found a certain amount of infidelity was common for these birds. Somewhere around 10% of eggs were fathered by males who were not the primary mates of females.
After the advent of the Super Sexy Male, however, stuff got crazy in bird world. Infidelity skyrocketed, with upwards of 25% of ALL EGGS in the area being fathered by this specific male. Furthermore, his mate’s eggs were 100% his.
This is just insane to me. Just imagine you’re living your bird life when suddenly somebody scribbles on Dave’s chest and the ladies can’t stop throwing themselves at them. It’s stupid that we theoretically can wreck this kind of havoc on an ecosystem.
the human mind is prone to catastrophizing when left unoccupied. And that’s why it’s important to always have a little Blorbo to rotate in your head. It acts as a protective charm of sorts to redirect your imagination away from harmful spirals
thoughts without Blorbo: oh my god I was so cringe in seventh grade why did I do that
thoughts with Blorbo: I haven’t considered the interactions with bleebus; I must rectify this immediately
Rugby Osc! I asked on twitter for drawing ideas of Oscar and was asked for an AFL Osc but I did rugby instead because I played girls rugby back in HS. This is the boys rugby alt uniform 😼
all hobbies are consumerist commercial slop that lead to the accumulation of excess items and waste except for rpf. rpf is the single most ethical hobby you can have. every real person you imagine fucking their coworker saves a tree and clears five tons of carbon emissions from the global output
I WILL elaborate in the tags @kissingwalls - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
