mare--noctis

[mare--noctis]

21!

Please enjoy a good old fashioned shovel talk, courtesy of Brady:

“This is a big deal for him,” Brady continues, “You’re clearly a big deal for him. So like—don’t fuck it up, okay? I don’t want to be the asshole who publicly drops gloves with his brother-in-law. Because I would, for him.”

@mare--noctis

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

Chapter 40??

FUCK, this chapter. I really, really want to share the entire scene that I plucked this line out of, because it's so fucking good. But you're just going to have to be patient...

Another classic @mare--noctis line:

Leon swears under his breath, running a hand down his face like it might banish the heat crawling up his spine. “I hate you,” he mutters—except he doesn’t, not even a little bit.

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

17 or 18, your choice!!! Been loving all these snippets too 🥰

Ahhh thank you!! It's been so fun going back to re-read everything we've done so far!

17 and 18 go really nicely together, so here's a tiny bit of both!

So instead, he snorts softly. Not amused, but dry. “Can you imagine what they’d say if my own husband needs permission to cuddle in bed?”

And:

He wants to stop overthinking and planning his every move, every step calculated for the cameras, the reporters, the league, the team. He just wants to rest. 

@mare--noctis

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

50!

This chapter is literally a @mare--noctis MASTERPIECE. So naturally, I'm choosing to share the most unserious part of it:

For the second time this year, Matthew wakes up early with a game plan. 1. Move all the shit in the guest room to the basement 2. Strip the bed (and remake with new sheets) 3. Go out and buy shit for the rookie 4. Get Leon naked again 5. ???? 6. Win the Stanley Cup Final

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

hi can you do 20 pls thank u. cant wait to read it all already

There is SOOOO much in Chapter 20, omg. Sorry this part doesn't give too much away, but I promise it'll be worth the wait ♥️

Matthew’s breath catches in his throat. He stands stock-still, waiting for Leon to move. To say something.  Leon undoes the top button, then the second one, his hands lingering for just a moment, a knuckle barely brushing against his adam's apple.

@mare--noctis

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

23 please

Literally one of my favorite lines from this entire fic, @mare--noctis really cooked with this one:

"He loves hard," Chantal says simply. "Fights harder. But when it goes wrong—" She hesitates, pressing her lips together for a moment. "It wrecks him. Quiet. Slow. Where you don’t see it until it’s too late."

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

If ur still playing the game chapter 36 please!

Oh GOD. This chapter fucking hurts. I don't want to give away too much, because I want it to really hit when it's read all together, but have this:

And he watches as Leon’s face—so open with emotion, too drunk to mask it—absolutely crumples.  “I messed it up,” he chokes out. “It was supposed to be good.”

hey, @mare--noctis, they're gonna be totally normal about this one, right?

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

49!

You, @mare--noctis (absolute menace) and someone else all asked for this, so you'll get a couple of spicy quotes from this monster of a chapter. It's like you knew this one was good, or something.

Probably the last one till later, folks, but keep 'em coming!

Matthew simply looks smug as fuck. Leave it to him to try to make the Oilers’ lives hell, even as he’s trying to charm his way into their hearts.

and:

“Be good,” Leon murmurs, his voice low in his ear, and the moan he receives in response is something that he’s filing away to revisit later.

and:

“I hope nobody left anything behind. Can you imagine what would happen if they walked through the door and just saw you, bent over and desperate for me?”

Do with those what you will, haha

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

Omg 6 please

Oh man, this chapter is a doozy. Here you go:

 Leon glances at him, and for a moment, he catches a glimpse of Matthew Tkachuk, the son, not Matthew Tkachuk the hockey player (or menace, or mutual friend, or future fake husband).

Such a short one, but we can't give too much away...

cc: @mare--noctis

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

48 pleeease

This chapter is so sweet and warm and soft, it was so hard to choose a favorite excerpt! You can thank @mare--noctis for this wonderful visual.

He’s just settling back when Matthew appears, swim trunks slung low on his hips and that crooked smirk on his face. “Miss me?” he asks, before sliding in and unceremoniously claiming Leon’s lap like it’s his goddamn throne.

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

Chapter 9 👀

For you, we're doing this whole bit of ridiculous dialogue. Also oh my god, there was only one bed!

“Don’t make it weird.” “You don’t make it weird,” Matthew shoots back, “I’m fine.” “Right,” Leon retorts, a smirk pulling on his lips, like he doesn’t quite believe it.  “I’ll have you know that I’ve shared a bed with plenty of men.” Matthew regrets the words the second they leave his mouth, especially when Leon snorts out a surprised laugh.  “Good for you?”  “Fuck off, you know what I mean,” Matthew bites, feeling his face flush, even as he rounds the bed, pulling back the duvet to climb in, wearing nothing a pair of shorts.  “Do I?” the smirk is a full-fledged shit-eating grin, now, and god, why did Matthew decide to marry this ungrateful asshole? 

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

Matty’s two rules:

1. Commit to the bit

2. Fuck it, we ball

And somehow that explains like 50% of this setup

4 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Oh god, this chapter has SO MANY good parts. Here's just one of them:

He had been hoping to break the tension with the joke, but it doesn’t land with Draisaitl, who simply glares at him in response. So with a sigh, Matthew shrugs. “I mean, it’s kinda funny, right? Marrying your professional rival just so they don’t get traded to a different division? Wouldn’t be the Battle of Alberta without you, Drat.”

cc: @mare--noctis

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

*rubs my little writer’s hands together*

Just saw a post here that finally put into words something i was thinking but didn’t knew how to say it, omg i love tumblr so much

So, after this Stanley Cup Finals, i really need a perspective change in new mattdrai fanfics to come. Turn Leon in the narrative punching bag, project all types of issues on him, the fear of failure, of never being enough for the people you love, panic attacks, self worth issues, depression, you choose.

I need to see him broken and then being put back together by the same man who stole his dream twice.

[mare--noctis]

@thefangirlingdead oh would you look at that, it’s our fic

matthew fell first, leon fell harder. god.

[mare--noctis]

i can't wait for till death do us part. i hope you are having a good time writing it. the hockey gods really blessed us with mattdrai

when I tell you we are having the BEST time writing it, I am not kidding in the slightest.

These last few months have been some of the best times I've ever had, and that is all down to how amazing @thefangirlingdead is.

[mare--noctis]

🫶🫶🫶

19 pleaseeee

Last one for tonight! (Maybe, idk, I have no self control, hence the 300k fic that's barely halfway done)

This chapter is an interesting one, so I'll leave you with something vague, sorry not sorry. @mare--noctis

Matthew lets out a deep breath that he didn’t know he was holding. “I guess there’s a lot we didn’t talk about, before we sort of jumped into this whole thing.”

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter

[mare--noctis]

Ohhhhh this chapter 🥺

What about Chapter 29?

A couple people asked for 29! (I see what you're doing 👀)

So here are two little snippets, because this chapter is a good one (@mare--noctis):

Matthew hadn’t expected that. He’d thought “fake‑husband” would be a role, a bit. Instead it became late‑night walks with Bowie, “one more beer” on the dock, occasional gym sessions where Leon waited after sprints to toss him a bottle of water. Easy. Comfortable.

And a second one:

Leon gets the polished version. The calm. The wit. The easy charm that hides the sharp edges. The part of Matthew that’s learned how to wear the mask so well, even he believes it, sometimes.

Send me a number from 1-50 and I'll share something from that chapter