Ok I feel INSANE. So years ago I read a NurseyDex fic and I think I even made a post on here looking for it, never found it though. Fast forward to now and I’ve fallen deeply into gay hockey books (thank you Hudson and Connor) and I’m reading this series. At first I’m like huh this really reminds me of a specific Patater fic but like I don’t remember the details of the fic enough so maybe I’m just imagining things. I finish the first two “patater” books and move onto the third with a new set of characters,
at first I’m like huh super freckled Irish kid from Maine, who’s poor and works on his uncles lobster boat and has tattoos his cousin gave him. Oh but he’s going to a private highschool(Andover?!?!)where another boy who is black from a rich family in New York and his parents haven’t been around for birthdays or holidays. They absolutely hate eachother because they don’t understand their own individual privileges but then they spend Christmas in New York, there’s a comfort stuffed lobster. Also the black boy is a poet and there’s also a dude on the team who’s naked a lot(Shitty)and a little southern guy(Bitty) who’s also poor and bonds with freckled boy over it. And their captain is the son of an NHL legend(Jack)And omigod this is literally a Check Please! fanfiction that I’ve been looking for for years but it’s an actually published novel! It’s fine guys I’m not freaking out or anythinggggg
Like literally there’s a little shack that Dex lived in when he was unhoused, and there’s a whole scene where they cry together in it and this entire thing also happens in the book. And the New York City Christmas I can’t remember if the pollock painting plotline in the book happened in the fic but part of me feels like it’s REALLY familiar same with Rome’s abusive father and the scene about him finally fighting back where he smashes the bottle over his head and the sister calls 911 cuz she thought he killed him literally I swear almost word for word have read in a NurseyDex fic AND THE GREEN SWEATER
The book I’m talking about is called All Hail The Underdogs
Btw it’s called the Breakaway Series by E.L. Massey and it’s really good, the author literally dedicated the first book to fanfic writers and thanked a shitload of people by using their AO3 names in the acknowledgements so I’m not crazy ok.
E.L. babe if you see this I NEED to pick your brain cuz ur making me cry over here, I’m so proud of you dude these books are beautiful 😭
Correction I don’t think it’s the fic I’ve been searching for but it’s def one I remember but haven’t stumbled across since of a combo of a few different fics
