Golden Kisses by vamm_goda (R)

[betzz.livejournal.com]

Fandom: HOCKEY RPF
Pairing: Matt Duchene/Semyon Varlamov
Length: ~ 5,900
Author on LJ:vamm_goda (friends locked personal LJ),
Author Website: elimatethepages or on AO3

Why this must be read: “Those flowers? You say they are flowers?” Scenes I found so touching: admiring the same players growing up, being lost in the street and being found, the dandelion motive  (that scrappy little flower that just won't die <3).... also there is a reason for the R-rating and that reason is hot. 

Bonus: Extensive primer for the Colorado Avalanche

There is something very lyrical about this fic. The story itself is fantastic: grief and survivor's guilt after the Lokomotiv plane crash tragedy, a new team and a connection that is hard to explain. But what struck me the most - and what has haunted me to the point of reworking my whole posting schedule around it - is the use of language. There are a lot of stories that feature players who aren't English native speakers - the Russians, the Finns, the French-Canadians - but this story is about understanding beyond the spoken word, about making yourself understood, about being welcomed and fitting in.
It was written for the amazing hockeyrarepairs community challenge (attention: most of the content is locked for members, so you better join right away) that turned out enough great fic to keep me busy for a month or so.

Golden Kisses (on LJ) or  Golden Kisses (on A3)