[#008] Check, Please! Fanfic Recs!!
SO. A bunch of people on my Twitter feed have started reading (and caught up on) Check, Please! and thus, obviously the next step is to read all the fic which I most definitely have done my fair share of. I've been dying to make a rec post anyway, so here are the top choices I pulled from my bookmarks, with a couple extra since I noticed some glaring omissions.
1) Title: maybe i'm waking up
Author: idrilka
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Past Kent Parson/Jack Zimmermann
Rating: Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 157,904 words
Summary: It’s almost funny. All he ever wanted was to play hockey, to play in the NHL, to win the Cup. This-Samwell, the team, the Haus-was supposed to be just a detour, but now it feels more like a destination he failed to realize he’s already reached.
(Or: Jack signs with the Falconers, graduates, and leaves. It's the hardest thing he's ever done. What comes after is even harder.)
Why This Must Be Read: I had to put this outside of the cut, because not only is this my top favorite fic in Check, Please!, it is also one of my favorite fics of all time, in any fandom ever. I don't know if I can properly express how amazing this is, how encompassing it is, what range it covers in both the world of C!P, and how it manages to paint this picture of Jack and how he handles his world after graduation, and as a professional NHL player. You get all these amazing characters, the use of media and fandom to further this world, and just. EVERYTHING. If it doesn't make you cry at least once in this 100k, you have no soul. (Okay, you probably do, but I can tell you that I will never not cry at Bad Bob's article. Like, I have read this fic at least 3 times now, and I will ALWAYS TEAR UP. Always.) AND I HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED HOW MUCH I LOVE JACK IN THIS. SOB.
2) Title: Exeunt, Pursued By Heteronormativity
Author: psocoptera
Pairing: Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight, Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Shitty Knight & Jack Zimmermann, Eric Bittle & Shitty Knight
Rating: Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 35,786 words
Summary: Shitty Knight takes a post-graduation road trip. Four friends, six thousand miles, two tents, several embarrassing photos, a giant rabbit, three cops, and a bear.
Why This Must Be Read: Okay, if the above fic was my number 1, this is definitely my number 2. I read this pretty early on when I got into the comic, and it stuck with me for ages after I read it. One of my favorite tropes is road trip, AND this is solely in Shitty's point of view which kind of adds up to absolute magic. ALSO, I didn't read the additional tags for this fic, and was completely surprised when it wasn't the traditional two pair, but actually an OT4. And they make it work and make sense. I really want to write more, but all I can say is just read it. ♥
3) Title: now commence to kick each brick apart
Author: misandrywitch
Pairing: Shitty Knight & Jack Zimmermann, Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Rating: Not Rated
Word Count/WIP?: 6,753 words
Summary: “I want to go into the backyard, smoke a joint with you and burn that fucking poster,” Jack says.
Why This Must Be Read: I need to say how much I love Shitty/Jack's relationship (friendship and probably previous hook-up Freshman year aside), and this fic completely encompasses how great they are together. How Shitty can push but never to far. How Jack knows he can trust Shitty. And let's talk about Jack/Lardo and how their conversation can be so simple but it holds so much. This fic centers around a poster in Jack's room that you can so easily miss (it's slightly in the Ransom and Holster hockey shit comic about butts), and how he comes to a realization of sorts about it.
4) Title: ripped at every edge, but still a masterpiece series
Author: ofherlionheart
Pairing: Kent Parson/Original Male Character(s), Past Kent Parson/Jack Zimmermann, Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Rating: Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 36,058 words of 2 stories (1 - 22,775 words | 2 - 13,283 words)
Summary: (For part 1) “I think I loved him,” Louisa is saying, and god, does Kent want to find this asshole and punch him a few times. Roger is bigger than him, but Kent could do it. Kent has a few months worth of rage tucked away, festering inside him until the right moment comes.
“I know, Lou-Lou,” their mother says, “and I know it hurts. But sometimes, people just aren’t ready for love. They love too much, or they don’t love enough, or they don’t love each other at the same time.”
----------
Fives times Kent was not ready for love, plus the one time he is.
Why This Must Be Read: I don't know what it is, but the potential of Kent Parson as a character fascinates me. Which might be why I have two separate series that I would recommend that centers him and his story. We're probably going to get more of his backstory with this upcoming year, since Jack will invariably interact with him again, at least on the ice, and I, for one, cannot wait to learn more about their history. In this story in particular, we get a rough idea of their past and how that's shaped Kent through his upcoming relationships. I love seeing the growth he goes through in this, and how he realizes at the end that he's finally, finally ready for something solid. And then how in the second part, we see that even though he does want to open himself up for something real, it still takes work, because that's really the human thing to do. Even if you know you want it, and it's there within reach, it's still fucking terrifying to take those next steps. And God, it's great because the ultimate pairing kind of smacks you in the face in the end. You realize, oh fuck, it's been there from the start, just simmering there. And that's damn lovely.
5) Title: Bad Boy Boogie
Author: lanyon
Pairing: Eventually Kent Parson/Original Male Character
Rating: Primarily Not Rated; Part 14 is Explicit
Word Count/WIP?: 42,275 words with 16 parts
Summary: (For part 1) In which a rookie is unexpectedly called up and is in danger of becoming indispensable.
Why This Must Be Read: So yes, another Kent Parson fic. And while the above, you get some of the Aces that Kent plays with. This one is largely centered around the players. Especially because Kent's ultimate pairing is one of them. You get to see the progression of their relationship, from them just being distant players, to friends to best of friends, to ultimate partners. It's beautifully progressed and you really grow to care about all the characters. AND as I mentioned before, I love all types of media inserts into fic, so any fucking mention of twitter or articles will always elevate a fic for me. And this has it. I just wish we could've genuinely seen Charbo's photoshoot (although I do imagine it like Tyler Seguin's photoshoot here which yes, even I saw even though I'm nowhere NEAR THE HOCKEY FANDOM. But beautiful people always translate haha.) Anyway, there's a sort of continuation in this series: I gave you hell through all the years.
6) Title: Au pays qui te ressemble
Author: tropes
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Rating: Explicit
Word Count/WIP?: 15,584 words
Summary: Jack waits.
Why This Must Be Read: Okay, so I fucking love this story, because it has Jack being patient and biding his time. He knows he has feelings for Bitty, and he is pretty damn positive that it's reciprocated, but, he realizes that it'll happen when it should happen. I love how Jack works in the background for a lot of this, he's keeping his relationships, he's holding fast, he's living and it's beautiful.
7) Title: the messes of men series
Author: jackzimmermann
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight, Jamie Benn/Tyler Seguin, Jack Zimmermann & Kent Parson, OMC/OMC
Rating: Highest rating of all four parts is Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 57,661 words for four parts (4th part is WIP)
Summary: (For part 1) Jack wants it to be easier, doesn’t want to be cutting crescents into his palm with his fingernails.
Why This Must Be Read: It's funny I have this recced right after the above, because the first part of this is largely Jack trying so hard to enjoy life. Like above, there's a definite realization that their feelings are reciprocated, but it's different. Here, Jack decides that he can't have this relationship, because it'd be much too difficult. Jack's anxiety is front and center in this, and it's all-encompassing, which is so true to real life. I love that we get all these different sides to Jack, and how he's trying so hard to be happy, but it's not entirely working out for him. Hockey is supposed to be the cure-all, or so he's led himself to believe, and it's not that at all. I love the relationships in this: Jack with his teammates, Jack with the Samwell crew (even if we don't get entirely that much of that), Jack with his parents, and JACK WITH HIS DOG. Okay, not so much the last, but it is still cute to imagine. The second part of the series is entirely new characters that are part of Jack's team, but it's lovely to see how Jack's actions prompt them to act as well.
8) Title: pulling yourself up by the whip
Author: misandrywitch
Pairing: Larissa "Lardo" Duan/OFC, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Rating: Not Rated
Word Count/WIP?: 8,074 words
Summary: Lardo used to worry about fitting into boxes.
Why This Must Be Read: When I gave out the above fic in my Twitter, I noticed a distinct lack of Lardo. And Lardo/Shitty. And I knew when I wrote up this post, that definitely had to be amended. And thus! I couldn't decide between two fic, and realized, omg, this is my own fucking post. WHO THE HELL WOULD MIND PUTTING BOTH ON AND BEING HAPPY WITH IT. Right? Anyway, this fic is lovely, basically a day in the life of Larissa Duan, and how she manages to build a balance between two what should be distinctly different worlds. We see her interactions with the team, and then interactions with other people--because the team isn't her whole life, but they do take up a very noticeable presence, and she's okay with that.
9) Title: i'll be your candle, i'll be your statuette
Author: misandrywitch
Pairing: Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Rating: Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 11,717 words
Summary: “Bros don’t let bros get set up by their fathers,” Lardo says casually, ignoring the fact that her heart rate has jumped and her hands feel clammy around the beer can.
(aka the Lardo and Shitty fake dating competitive makeout fic you didn't know you needed til now).
Why This Must Be Read: Okay. I didn't realized I was reccing works from the same author regarding Lardo, but fuck that. I couldn't not rec this because it's so wholly Shitty/Lardo and I needed, and I mean needed, to make sure they are properly included in this rec post because all I want in canon is for more of them. ALL OF THEM. (hence the use of them in the icon, okay?) Not to mention, I am a huge fan of any fake relationship in fanfic and this even goes fucking beyond that by making it a competitive one. We also get to see Shitty's shitty family and well. That brings its own set of laughs. And then horror, because god, there are genuinely people like this out there. o.o
10) Title: The Left Hand of Godlessness
Author: tourdefierce
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Shitty Knight & Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight, Past Kent Parson/Jack Zimmermann
Rating: Explicit
Word Count/WIP?: 38,044 words
Summary: If Jack’s learned anything from Shitty, it’s that Jack deserves nice things now. There is not a timetable on happiness. And Shitty is certain a future means “fucking fuck all” if Jack’s “a miserable, broken robot”. And regardless of any promises, Jack is certain no one could protect him from Eric Bittle because even the armor of Jack’s recovery had done nothing in the face of southern hospitality and unconditional, unapologetic love.
Between Shitty and Bitty, Jack is spoiled with the now.
Why This Must Be Read: This really should've been one of the first few fics I recced up top, because it's definitely gotta be in my top favorite five C!P fic. I don't know if it's been established enough yet, but I have all the feels when it comes to Jack and this fic completely brings it all to the forefront. Where his issues are, how he's dealing--both the good and the bad, his relationships and how they help (and maybe hinder) him. It's beautifully drawn out, and you get so many moments throughout this and it's not a cure-all, Jack will always have the struggle, but he's living and that's where it counts. I love the moments been Jack & Shitty, because YAY FRIENDSHIP! Although, I did like the line where if Shitty had to choose between being Jack's friend or his sponsor, he'd choose being his sponsor without a blink. That was beautiful to me.
11) Title: Positive Image
Author: twentysomething
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Rating: Explicit
Word Count/WIP?: 10,436 words
Summary: When Bittle first showed up at a meeting with management, sitting next to Sara with wide, scared eyes, Jack didn't think he had a chance in hell. Sara hired new assistants all the time, most of whom barely made it through a season.
Why This Must Be Read: I realized a lot of the fic I recced above is strongly held in the canon. This is the only straight AU that I have here where Bitty doesn't meet Jack at Samwell. They meet because Bittle starts working for the Falconers. We're thrown into a friendship that's been working and meshing for over a year, and then we see as Jack is tipped over to the point where he realizes he's attracted to Bitty and it is beautiful. There's also some great Jack & Shitty moments, but the beauty is definitely in all of Bitty/Jack's moments: the progression from friends to something more.
12) Title: Coach Z
Author: thistidalwave
Pairing: Jack Zimmerman & Kent Parson
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count/WIP? 94,065 words
Summary: Just before the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, top prospect Jack Zimmermann overdoses on his anxiety medication and is admitted to rehab. His future turns from a clear-cut road to the top into an uncertain path filled with therapy appointments, ignored text messages, a group of boys who aren't there to teach him a lesson about himself, and, of course, hockey.
Why This Must Be Read: This was a surprising new addition, but after I finally read it yesterday, I couldn't not add it. (Thank God I'd still been working on this post, haha.) I had been holding off on reading it because fuck, it's almost 100k words and it takes time to read a fic this long. Also, I knew I'd catch feels, and yes, I did. This takes place right after Jack gets out of rehab, so he's still raw in this, still recovering, still unsure. He's hurt and he's lost all sense of confidence, and reading as Jack navigates through living some sort of life and therapy, and trying to repair the two most important relationships in his life (his parents and Kent) is fucking great. I love the new characters introduced as well, from the coach to Cyrille to all the kids. You can't help but get sucked into this fic, and hope so hard that Jack can be happy again. I love that we even get a hint of Samwell in this!
1) Title: maybe i'm waking up
Author: idrilka
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Past Kent Parson/Jack Zimmermann
Rating: Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 157,904 words
Summary: It’s almost funny. All he ever wanted was to play hockey, to play in the NHL, to win the Cup. This-Samwell, the team, the Haus-was supposed to be just a detour, but now it feels more like a destination he failed to realize he’s already reached.
(Or: Jack signs with the Falconers, graduates, and leaves. It's the hardest thing he's ever done. What comes after is even harder.)
Why This Must Be Read: I had to put this outside of the cut, because not only is this my top favorite fic in Check, Please!, it is also one of my favorite fics of all time, in any fandom ever. I don't know if I can properly express how amazing this is, how encompassing it is, what range it covers in both the world of C!P, and how it manages to paint this picture of Jack and how he handles his world after graduation, and as a professional NHL player. You get all these amazing characters, the use of media and fandom to further this world, and just. EVERYTHING. If it doesn't make you cry at least once in this 100k, you have no soul. (Okay, you probably do, but I can tell you that I will never not cry at Bad Bob's article. Like, I have read this fic at least 3 times now, and I will ALWAYS TEAR UP. Always.) AND I HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED HOW MUCH I LOVE JACK IN THIS. SOB.
2) Title: Exeunt, Pursued By Heteronormativity
Author: psocoptera
Pairing: Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight, Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Shitty Knight & Jack Zimmermann, Eric Bittle & Shitty Knight
Rating: Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 35,786 words
Summary: Shitty Knight takes a post-graduation road trip. Four friends, six thousand miles, two tents, several embarrassing photos, a giant rabbit, three cops, and a bear.
Why This Must Be Read: Okay, if the above fic was my number 1, this is definitely my number 2. I read this pretty early on when I got into the comic, and it stuck with me for ages after I read it. One of my favorite tropes is road trip, AND this is solely in Shitty's point of view which kind of adds up to absolute magic. ALSO, I didn't read the additional tags for this fic, and was completely surprised when it wasn't the traditional two pair, but actually an OT4. And they make it work and make sense. I really want to write more, but all I can say is just read it. ♥
3) Title: now commence to kick each brick apart
Author: misandrywitch
Pairing: Shitty Knight & Jack Zimmermann, Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Rating: Not Rated
Word Count/WIP?: 6,753 words
Summary: “I want to go into the backyard, smoke a joint with you and burn that fucking poster,” Jack says.
Why This Must Be Read: I need to say how much I love Shitty/Jack's relationship (friendship and probably previous hook-up Freshman year aside), and this fic completely encompasses how great they are together. How Shitty can push but never to far. How Jack knows he can trust Shitty. And let's talk about Jack/Lardo and how their conversation can be so simple but it holds so much. This fic centers around a poster in Jack's room that you can so easily miss (it's slightly in the Ransom and Holster hockey shit comic about butts), and how he comes to a realization of sorts about it.
4) Title: ripped at every edge, but still a masterpiece series
Author: ofherlionheart
Pairing: Kent Parson/Original Male Character(s), Past Kent Parson/Jack Zimmermann, Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Rating: Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 36,058 words of 2 stories (1 - 22,775 words | 2 - 13,283 words)
Summary: (For part 1) “I think I loved him,” Louisa is saying, and god, does Kent want to find this asshole and punch him a few times. Roger is bigger than him, but Kent could do it. Kent has a few months worth of rage tucked away, festering inside him until the right moment comes.
“I know, Lou-Lou,” their mother says, “and I know it hurts. But sometimes, people just aren’t ready for love. They love too much, or they don’t love enough, or they don’t love each other at the same time.”
----------
Fives times Kent was not ready for love, plus the one time he is.
Why This Must Be Read: I don't know what it is, but the potential of Kent Parson as a character fascinates me. Which might be why I have two separate series that I would recommend that centers him and his story. We're probably going to get more of his backstory with this upcoming year, since Jack will invariably interact with him again, at least on the ice, and I, for one, cannot wait to learn more about their history. In this story in particular, we get a rough idea of their past and how that's shaped Kent through his upcoming relationships. I love seeing the growth he goes through in this, and how he realizes at the end that he's finally, finally ready for something solid. And then how in the second part, we see that even though he does want to open himself up for something real, it still takes work, because that's really the human thing to do. Even if you know you want it, and it's there within reach, it's still fucking terrifying to take those next steps. And God, it's great because the ultimate pairing kind of smacks you in the face in the end. You realize, oh fuck, it's been there from the start, just simmering there. And that's damn lovely.
5) Title: Bad Boy Boogie
Author: lanyon
Pairing: Eventually Kent Parson/Original Male Character
Rating: Primarily Not Rated; Part 14 is Explicit
Word Count/WIP?: 42,275 words with 16 parts
Summary: (For part 1) In which a rookie is unexpectedly called up and is in danger of becoming indispensable.
Why This Must Be Read: So yes, another Kent Parson fic. And while the above, you get some of the Aces that Kent plays with. This one is largely centered around the players. Especially because Kent's ultimate pairing is one of them. You get to see the progression of their relationship, from them just being distant players, to friends to best of friends, to ultimate partners. It's beautifully progressed and you really grow to care about all the characters. AND as I mentioned before, I love all types of media inserts into fic, so any fucking mention of twitter or articles will always elevate a fic for me. And this has it. I just wish we could've genuinely seen Charbo's photoshoot (although I do imagine it like Tyler Seguin's photoshoot here which yes, even I saw even though I'm nowhere NEAR THE HOCKEY FANDOM. But beautiful people always translate haha.) Anyway, there's a sort of continuation in this series: I gave you hell through all the years.
6) Title: Au pays qui te ressemble
Author: tropes
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Rating: Explicit
Word Count/WIP?: 15,584 words
Summary: Jack waits.
Why This Must Be Read: Okay, so I fucking love this story, because it has Jack being patient and biding his time. He knows he has feelings for Bitty, and he is pretty damn positive that it's reciprocated, but, he realizes that it'll happen when it should happen. I love how Jack works in the background for a lot of this, he's keeping his relationships, he's holding fast, he's living and it's beautiful.
7) Title: the messes of men series
Author: jackzimmermann
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight, Jamie Benn/Tyler Seguin, Jack Zimmermann & Kent Parson, OMC/OMC
Rating: Highest rating of all four parts is Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 57,661 words for four parts (4th part is WIP)
Summary: (For part 1) Jack wants it to be easier, doesn’t want to be cutting crescents into his palm with his fingernails.
Why This Must Be Read: It's funny I have this recced right after the above, because the first part of this is largely Jack trying so hard to enjoy life. Like above, there's a definite realization that their feelings are reciprocated, but it's different. Here, Jack decides that he can't have this relationship, because it'd be much too difficult. Jack's anxiety is front and center in this, and it's all-encompassing, which is so true to real life. I love that we get all these different sides to Jack, and how he's trying so hard to be happy, but it's not entirely working out for him. Hockey is supposed to be the cure-all, or so he's led himself to believe, and it's not that at all. I love the relationships in this: Jack with his teammates, Jack with the Samwell crew (even if we don't get entirely that much of that), Jack with his parents, and JACK WITH HIS DOG. Okay, not so much the last, but it is still cute to imagine. The second part of the series is entirely new characters that are part of Jack's team, but it's lovely to see how Jack's actions prompt them to act as well.
8) Title: pulling yourself up by the whip
Author: misandrywitch
Pairing: Larissa "Lardo" Duan/OFC, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Rating: Not Rated
Word Count/WIP?: 8,074 words
Summary: Lardo used to worry about fitting into boxes.
Why This Must Be Read: When I gave out the above fic in my Twitter, I noticed a distinct lack of Lardo. And Lardo/Shitty. And I knew when I wrote up this post, that definitely had to be amended. And thus! I couldn't decide between two fic, and realized, omg, this is my own fucking post. WHO THE HELL WOULD MIND PUTTING BOTH ON AND BEING HAPPY WITH IT. Right? Anyway, this fic is lovely, basically a day in the life of Larissa Duan, and how she manages to build a balance between two what should be distinctly different worlds. We see her interactions with the team, and then interactions with other people--because the team isn't her whole life, but they do take up a very noticeable presence, and she's okay with that.
9) Title: i'll be your candle, i'll be your statuette
Author: misandrywitch
Pairing: Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Rating: Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 11,717 words
Summary: “Bros don’t let bros get set up by their fathers,” Lardo says casually, ignoring the fact that her heart rate has jumped and her hands feel clammy around the beer can.
(aka the Lardo and Shitty fake dating competitive makeout fic you didn't know you needed til now).
Why This Must Be Read: Okay. I didn't realized I was reccing works from the same author regarding Lardo, but fuck that. I couldn't not rec this because it's so wholly Shitty/Lardo and I needed, and I mean needed, to make sure they are properly included in this rec post because all I want in canon is for more of them. ALL OF THEM. (hence the use of them in the icon, okay?) Not to mention, I am a huge fan of any fake relationship in fanfic and this even goes fucking beyond that by making it a competitive one. We also get to see Shitty's shitty family and well. That brings its own set of laughs. And then horror, because god, there are genuinely people like this out there. o.o
10) Title: The Left Hand of Godlessness
Author: tourdefierce
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Shitty Knight & Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight, Past Kent Parson/Jack Zimmermann
Rating: Explicit
Word Count/WIP?: 38,044 words
Summary: If Jack’s learned anything from Shitty, it’s that Jack deserves nice things now. There is not a timetable on happiness. And Shitty is certain a future means “fucking fuck all” if Jack’s “a miserable, broken robot”. And regardless of any promises, Jack is certain no one could protect him from Eric Bittle because even the armor of Jack’s recovery had done nothing in the face of southern hospitality and unconditional, unapologetic love.
Between Shitty and Bitty, Jack is spoiled with the now.
Why This Must Be Read: This really should've been one of the first few fics I recced up top, because it's definitely gotta be in my top favorite five C!P fic. I don't know if it's been established enough yet, but I have all the feels when it comes to Jack and this fic completely brings it all to the forefront. Where his issues are, how he's dealing--both the good and the bad, his relationships and how they help (and maybe hinder) him. It's beautifully drawn out, and you get so many moments throughout this and it's not a cure-all, Jack will always have the struggle, but he's living and that's where it counts. I love the moments been Jack & Shitty, because YAY FRIENDSHIP! Although, I did like the line where if Shitty had to choose between being Jack's friend or his sponsor, he'd choose being his sponsor without a blink. That was beautiful to me.
11) Title: Positive Image
Author: twentysomething
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Rating: Explicit
Word Count/WIP?: 10,436 words
Summary: When Bittle first showed up at a meeting with management, sitting next to Sara with wide, scared eyes, Jack didn't think he had a chance in hell. Sara hired new assistants all the time, most of whom barely made it through a season.
Why This Must Be Read: I realized a lot of the fic I recced above is strongly held in the canon. This is the only straight AU that I have here where Bitty doesn't meet Jack at Samwell. They meet because Bittle starts working for the Falconers. We're thrown into a friendship that's been working and meshing for over a year, and then we see as Jack is tipped over to the point where he realizes he's attracted to Bitty and it is beautiful. There's also some great Jack & Shitty moments, but the beauty is definitely in all of Bitty/Jack's moments: the progression from friends to something more.
12) Title: Coach Z
Author: thistidalwave
Pairing: Jack Zimmerman & Kent Parson
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count/WIP? 94,065 words
Summary: Just before the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, top prospect Jack Zimmermann overdoses on his anxiety medication and is admitted to rehab. His future turns from a clear-cut road to the top into an uncertain path filled with therapy appointments, ignored text messages, a group of boys who aren't there to teach him a lesson about himself, and, of course, hockey.
Why This Must Be Read: This was a surprising new addition, but after I finally read it yesterday, I couldn't not add it. (Thank God I'd still been working on this post, haha.) I had been holding off on reading it because fuck, it's almost 100k words and it takes time to read a fic this long. Also, I knew I'd catch feels, and yes, I did. This takes place right after Jack gets out of rehab, so he's still raw in this, still recovering, still unsure. He's hurt and he's lost all sense of confidence, and reading as Jack navigates through living some sort of life and therapy, and trying to repair the two most important relationships in his life (his parents and Kent) is fucking great. I love the new characters introduced as well, from the coach to Cyrille to all the kids. You can't help but get sucked into this fic, and hope so hard that Jack can be happy again. I love that we even get a hint of Samwell in this!