Fanfic Recommendations


Please read: if you haven't realised already - most of these recommendations are for slash stories - if you are under the age of majority where you are, disapprove of the concept of male/male sexual relationships or just clicked the wrong link, then maybe you'd like to go back to the contents page?


Page 1
Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel
Due South
The Eagle / Eagle of the Ninth
Page 2
Harry Potter
(gen)
Harry Potter
(Snape/Harry)
Page 3
Harry Potter
(Snape/Weasley)
Harry Potter
(Snape/Other)
Harry Potter
(Snape/Lupin)
Harry Potter
(multiple & other pairings)
Page 4
Invisible Man L.A. Confidential
Man from UNCLE Master and Commander
Page 5
Marvel (all universes)
Page 6
Miscellaneous Fandoms Nero Wolfe
Once a Thief Original Fiction
Page 7
Sherlock Holmes
(various incarnations)
Page 8
Person of Interest Real Ghostbusters
Southland Star Wars
Suits White Collar
Without a Trace X Files


MARVEL (ALL UNIVERSES)

AlchemyAlice:

'Closing the Circuit' - a nicely-written version of what could happen after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Iron Man 3, which will probably get Jossed to hell but who cares? Gen.

antistar_e:

'Hollow and Honeycomb' - Several years before Sam was born, a Supreme Court ruling decided that those who carried and visibly expressed a hereditary winged trait could not be mutilated, amputated, or otherwise altered without their consent, nor could they be discriminated against for housing, employment, etc. based on their possession of wings. Gen.

aubkae:

'many names in history, none of them are ours' - The Avengers live in a world that both glorifies and fears them, but they know each other now behind the scenes. Steve/Tony.

beardsley:

'to hide the wolves of sleep' - an AU in which it's SHIELD rather than the Russians who make the Winter Soldier a reality and Steve finds himself looking for a man he connected with, only for his fellow agents to deny the man even exists. Steve/Bucky.

BlackEyedGirl:

'The Time to Find a Place to Land' - Coulson isn't dead and the Avengers aren't a team, though the latter is about to change if Phil Coulson has anything to say about it. Clint/Phil.

boombangbing:

A nifty trilogy that starts with 'Magnetic' (links to all three stories here) - in which Tony is in a relationship with Pepper but that doesn't stop him looking, and who could blame him? Tony/Pepper, Tony/Pepper/Steve, Tony/Steve

Copperbadge:

'Extremely Hot and Currently Female' - Tony knows he shouldn't sleep with Loki, it's just sometimes he's drunk and she's female and he forgets why. Tony/Loki.

'Homefront' - Steve isn't making the transition from his own time to the 21st century quite as smoothly as everyone thinks, in fact he's not coping with everything at all. Steve/Tony.

'Film Studies, or, Four Films About Captain America and One By Him' - "I don't think I'd be happy watching a movie about my own life," Steve said. "That seems kinda self-involved." Gen.

'Robot Trip' - Tony is driving from Malibu to Manhattan with a robot in the back seat and Captain America riding escort at Pepper's behest. What could possibly go wrong? Gen.

DevilDoll:

'Semaphore' - There’s no crush, no hero worship at all now, just aggravation and a sincere hope that Steve never finds out how much Tony idolized Captain America as a kid, dreamt of meeting him. Because Steve Rogers is nothing like Captain America. Steve/Tony, Tony/Pepper etc. (see fic)

'Love Among the Hydrothermal Vents' - on an Avengers diplomatic mission to Atlantis, Steve discovers that Namor seems to expect they're going to get married and fakes an engagement with Tony to escape getting hitched. And then they just carry on being engaged until past the point where Steve forgets why this relationship was a Really Bad Idea. Steve/Tony.

Dira Sudis:

'On Your Way Up to the Light' - In order to be Bucky, he had to learn who Bucky was. His first instinct was to gather intel via surveillance, but that would mean observing himself, which would only be holding a mirror up to an empty mirror. Bucky wasn't supposed to be emptiness all the way down--Bucky had a name and a friend--so he would have to fill in the information some other way. Steve/Sam, Bucky/Sam.

New!'Just Stay Alive' - a series of three stories, as the Winter Soldier tries to become more like he thinks Bucky was, also exercising what the author calls 'love through surveillance'. Steve/Bucky, Sam/Bucky, Sam/Steve, Sam/Steve/Bucky.

emilyenrose:

'Memory' - I think it'd be fair to say that since Captain America: Winter Soldier came out, I have read a fair few Steve/Bucky fics. I particularly liked this one, where Steve is negotiating his relationship with a man who is, who cannot ever be by reason of the things he has experienced, the man he used to know. Steve/Bucky.

enigma731:

'Burning Bridges' - She gets to her feet stiffly, but doesn't move far enough to let him actually sit. There's irritation threatening to break through her usual façade, and he wonders for a moment what she will do if she actually loses her temper. "So, not sex. What do you want, then, Agent Barton? Money? Some kind of favor?" Clint/Natasha.

entanglednow:

'Falling to Earth' - Steve's just waiting for him to do something with all these broken pieces, before the cold kills everything - and he means everything. The guy doesn't know any better, starting every day like he's never been disappointed in his life. Also, having metal in your chest, not a fucking plan when it's thirty below. Tony can feel it when he breathes, which he keeps trying to tell himself is a good thing, that nasty, widening stab of cold, because once he can't feel it any more he's going to freeze to death from the inside out. Steve/Tony.

Fahye:

'Love is for children and other lies' - There's a story about a girl made of snow who seeks out companionship, not knowing that to create love in her heart will warm her even unto death. Natalia thinks of the snegurochka as she bares her skin to friction and touch, as she finds the fire in the man's eyes and mirrors it back at him. It's an inside-out version of the myth. She does what she's asked and she plays at heated desire, and she's cool in the centre, unmelting. Clint/Natasha.

freshbakedlady:

'Parallel Constructions' - Sam comes into his own home with deliberately loud steps, and smooth, slow movements, and forced cheer. “If we’re having a slumber party, I'm gonna need to stock up on pizza and beer.” He shoots Steve a look that says he would prefer it to be tequila and more tequila. Steve/Bucky.

New!'Exchange Rate' - because what he remembers most about Sam Wilson during the fight on the helicarriers is effectively ripping his wings off, a recovering Bucky is convinced he's done to Sam what was done to Bucky by Hydra. So the best thing he can do to make amends is give Sam the chance of revenge, right? Sam/Bucky.

galaxysoup:

'Amateur Theatrics' - I'm not much of one for kidfic as a whole but I really liked this story, in which Thor takes a hands-on approach to the latest of Loki's schemes and it backfires in a way they couldn't have expected, turning Loki into a child with no memory of his adult life. Gen.

gyzym:

Another rec for a series rather than an individual fic, this time the 'Ready Fire Aim' series - It turns out that, while Steve doesn't like Tony, Captain America gets on great with Iron Man. Tony should probably have seen that one coming; one of the problems with having a second identity, regardless of said identity's utter lack of secrecy, is that it makes it easy for people to draw a dividing line. Nick Fury had done it--"Iron Man yes, Tony Stark not recommended," god, that was never going to stop rubbing him the wrong way--and Steve is clearly, visibly, doing it too. Steve/Tony.

hollimichelle:

'ghosts in the machine' - Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. Peggy learned the truth of that a long, long time ago. She’s been left with a lot of secrets to keep, down the years. Like: Peggy Carter doesn’t age, not like a normal woman. Peggy Carter faked her death, with a little help from Howard Stark. Peggy Carter found out there was a cancer at the heart of SHIELD, and she’s been trying to stop the rot for a long, long time. Steve/Bucky, Steve/Peggy Carter/Bucky, Bucky/Peggy Carter.

'persistence of memory' - It’s a nondescript sort of a Wednesday morning when the Winter Soldier walks into SHIELD headquarters, bold as brass, and announces his intention to surrender. As he drops to his knees, hands behind his head, and is swarmed by heavily armed agents, he does consider for a moment whether this was the best idea he’s ever had. Not Cap2 compliant. Steve/Bucky, Natasha/Bucky, Steve/Natasha/Bucky, Steve/Natasha.

IamShadow21:

'I Walked A Thousand Miles Just To Slip This Skin' - a really nicely written genderswap story, with Tony getting changed and discovering all sorts of things about his new self he could never have expected. Steve/Tony.

'Lucky Pennies' - A day after they get back to the States, Phil finds a sheet of copier paper folded into an envelope in his in-tray. Inside, there's a well-travelled penny, dull and smooth with time. Gen.

ifitwasribald:

'What We Pretend To Be' - when three of the team get dosed with the Super Soldier Serum, there are tough choices to be made. Bruce/Tony.

ignipes:

'The Dawn of That Last Great Day' - in which the Winter Soldier has just one mission objective, to kill Captain America. Steve/Bucky.

impertinence:

'And The Reasons We Were Singing' - In the end, they don’t find Bucky. They’re in Phoenix, chasing a lead Natasha sent them on a guy seen lurking around a senator, when Bucky finds them. Just shows up in the room they’re renting one day, like it’s normal for a guy in a coat too heavy for a Phoenix summer to break into a Holiday Inn room. Steve/Sam.

indigostohelit:

'The Man with the Clockwork Heart' - I loved this story when it was being posted as a WIP on avengerkink, so there was no way I wouldn't be reccing it now it's done. In an AU where clockwork is the thing, Steve finds himself on the way to the heart of the Empire, hearing all sorts of things about a man who made a deal with devils and ended up with a clockwork heart in place of his own. Steve/Tony.

inmyriadbits:

'Dungeons and Hawkeyes' - Clint startled and turned as she stepped forward into the light. His bow was drawn and ready, eyes sharp and guarded — and if anyone knew how dangerous that look could be, it was her. Then he grinned, and relaxed. "Hi, Katie," he said. "I'm here to rescue you!" Clint/Phil.

isawet:

'the soles of your shoes are all worn down' - an AU where Loki is a crime lord and Clint is a teenager the Avengers find when raiding one of his strongholds, who knows just enough to give evidence against Loki and more than enough to put his life at significant risk. Gen.

'paradoxical scar tissue' - Tony travels back in time to pre-serum Steve, where they spend time together and Steve becomes attached--until Tony disappears. Fast forward and Steve is reunited with Tony--who doesn't remember him at all. Steve/Tony.

jamesina:

''Rain and Darkness Too' - another great fic about Bucky making the transition from being the Winter Soldier to whatever-he-is-now. Steve/Bucky.

Jay Tryfanstone:

'Kapitan Amerika and the Iron Man' - Steve Rogers is a man out of time, waking up in a Russia he doesn't recognise peopled by individuals like Tony Stark, who he just can't understand. Steve/Tony.

jibrailis:

'Mr July' - naturally, there was always going to be a fundraising calendar and Steve was always going to be in it, as soon as the people involved mentioned it was for charity... Steve/Tony

'The Last Love Song of Anthony E Stark'. I love amnesia stories, so how could I possibly not love this? Tony contracts an Asgardian virus which slowly destroys his memories. Steve/Tony.

jukeboxhound:

'Dreaming Electric' - in the wake of the Chitauri attack on New York, a new menace arrives in the shape of a survivor of human experimentation with Extremis, turning him into an adversary with which even the Avengers struggle to deal. Steve/Tony.

jumpfall:

'babel, babel, look at me now' - a beautifully-written look at the aftermath of Iron Man 3 and Extremis, in which Tony seems more than happy to be dating a superhero. Tony/Pepper.

'Tapdancing on Tightropes' - He doesn't want to revert to those ways, values his work improving lives rather than risking them, but he can't afford to get attached to the Avengers. Relationships are easy to fuck up – people's reactions aren't consistent, their feelings aren't predictable, and their wounds aren't correctible. He needs something fulfilling to last him for when this phase ends, too. Gen.

kellifer:

'i stole the keys to this guy' - in an effort to make the Avengers 'easier to relate to', Nick Fury comes up with an idea he is always going to regret. Steve/Tony.

kepteinen:

'A Fire to be Kindled' - It makes perfect sense, of course. The serum gave Steve the perfect body, so why wouldn’t it also give him the perfect mind? In the quietness of his own mind, Tony can admit he’s a little stung Steve didn’t tell him, but he’s not really surprised. Steve/Tony.

Ladyblahblah:

'Why Then Oh Why Can't I? - “Well, I'm glad to provide you with some amusement,” Steve says wryly, lifting his beer in a self-deprecating salute. “I didn't even know places like that existed. That is.” His cheeks are heating up again, and he silently curses his fair skin. “I knew there were men who . . . I mean, there always were, even back . . . then. But now there are places like that, and everybody knows about them, even.” He takes a drink. “And you say the world hasn't changed that much.” Steve/Bucky.

Lavvyan:

'Catch Your Voice' - after building himself a reputation among SHIELD's handlers, Clint gets more than a little obsessed by one Phil Coulson, even though he has no idea what the other man even looks like... Clint/Phil.

legete:

'the sirens and the thunder' - fantastically well-written AU story where Bucky is a selkie. Steve/Bucky.

LithiumDoll:

'Culture and Other Balls of Twine' - in the aftermath of the attack on New York, Tony really doesn't want Bruce Banner anywhere but with him and decides the best thing for both of them will be a roadtrip. Gen.

LtLJ:

'Night Run' - Bruce Banner is abducted and Tony is forced to work far more closely with Nick Fury than he could ever want in order to get him back... Gen.

magdaliny:

'through smoke, solid ground' - I've been reading a lot of Steve/Bucky since Captain America: Winter Soldier aired, so anything that I rec has to be above the common herd. And this is even more so, since I don't really go for stories told in the second person, but this is exceptionally good. Steve/Bucky.

millerrette:

'as the crooked smiles fade' - in which we follow Sam, Steve and Bucky on their murder trip around Europe in the wake of Captain America: Winter Soldier. Steve/Bucky.

misachan:

'Contingencies' - Clint knows it's only a matter of time. He can feel in in the back of his mind, lurking there like a cancer doctors couldn't quite get all of, a tiny pinprick of ice that he knows any moment can metastasize and overwhelm. He can't risk letting himself be compromised again. Gen.

mrasaki:

'Half a Minute and Thirty Seconds' - a nicely-written crossover (if you can have such a thing) between the movie universe and the storyline of Matt Fraction's Hawkeye comic, tying together the storylines of both very neatly. Clint/Phil.

Neery:

'Trust' - The Council wants the Hulk monitored 24/7. Fury can't tell them to go fuck themselves, but he can assign the one man the Council trusts even less than Bruce Banner. Bruce/Clint.

New!Winter's Children' - I'm not a big fan of kidfic, because most of it I find unrealistic in terms of child development or a calculated attempt to use a plot moppet for emotional purposes. This story subverts my usual attitude, as the Winter Soldier finds out that Hydra have been trying to recreate the super soldier formula by starting with the same raw material and moving onwards. Steve/Bucky.

nerdwegian:

'I've Seen You Here Before' - "It's not a thing. It's not. Us. Me and him. It was only like--once. But at least this way..." He trails off and can't finish the sentence. "Look, like Tony said, it's about the least traumatizing option, right?" Phil/Clint.

'Never Sold a Lie' - "The Life Model Decoys are designed with a self-sustaining Artificial Intelligence, with the project goal being for them to be able to pass as their Target Model in any given situation." Clint/Phil.

neveralarch:

'Travelogue' - when their paths cross unexpectedly in Sevastopol, Bruce Banner is certain SHIELD is tracking him, but Clint just happened to be there. And then they, with the addition of Natasha, just keep meeting again and again till it's obvious something is throwing them together. Which turns out to be good news for Bruce, in the end, though it's going to take him a while to figure that out... Bruce/Clint, Natasha/Clint, Bruce/Natasha, Bruce/Natasha/Clint.

'Life of Crime' - It's really hard to run through Boston when you're carrying a quiver on your back, a bow in one hand, and a huge bag of money in the other. Still, Clint's doing fine—he's had a ton of practice, after all. He's never going to win any Olympic medals (for, okay, lots of reasons), but he's fast enough for a guy on foot. Various, m/m and m/f (see notes).

northatlantic:

'It Will Probably Accelerate' - Steve Rogers, coming to terms with the future that is now his present, in a variety of ways. Various pairings, past and present, see fic for details.

Odsbodkins:

'This Might Just Work' - Bucky Barnes is unwillingly dragged along when Nick Fury goes to talk to Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative, as a little demonstration of the bigger universe Tony's just joined. Tony/Bucky, Steve/Tony, Bucky/Steve, Steve/Tony/Bucky.

'Full of Grace' - in which it's Steve who fell from a train and ended up the Winter Soldier and Bucky who flew a plane into the Arctic. Steve/Bucky.

panickyintheuk:

'Bizarre Love Triangle' - in which Steve Rogers gets completely the wrong end of the stick about who and what Tony Stark is. Steve/Tony.

Pookaseraph:

'If We Never Got This Second Chance' by Pookaseraph - when Tony and Steve’s son from the future, Jake Jensen, arrives at Avenger’s Tower, the two of them are forced to confront some hard truths: Tony that he might not actually become a horrible father, and Steve that he might not be able to set aside his discomfort with sharing a child with another man. Steve/Tony. Crossover with The Losers.

Potboy:

'A Kindness Repaid' - see, it's not all hot Steve/Tony action, there's also gen out there in Avengers etc land... In this case, Steve acts exactly how you'd expect when he discovers that a captive Loki is being abused and finds himself in the unexpected position of having a debt owed to him by a deity. Gen.

psikeval:

'fire pit and the forge' - an Iron Man movie AU where Tony first meets Captain Steve Rogers on the tarmac of Bagram Airfield and then again in the caves where he is being held hostage by the Ten Rings. Steve/Tony.

Red Fiona:

'Walking In These Shoes' by Red Fiona - I've been working my way through a bunch of these transgender fic recs (although my options are a little more limited in terms of the fandoms I actually know) and was very much taken by this story where Pepper Potts is much more than immediately meets the eye. Pepper/Tony.

renne:

'this city bleeds its aching heart' - Steve and Bucky are undercover, pretending to be a couple, except that neither of them are really pretending... Steve/Bucky.

s_alt:

'Decisions' - not easy reading, by any means, but a very interesting and well-written look at a possible relationship between these two, warts and all. Steve/Phil.

scifigrl47:

'The Act of Creation Will Be Your Salvation' - I'm completely loving scifigrl47's take on the whole Avengers ensemble, so I was bound to love this. Starting when Tony Stark is 17 and very much alone, with the building of Dummy as his first successful foray into Artificial Intelligence, it's all about things moving on for him and the unlikely role played by one particular troublesome bot. Tony/Steve

'In Which Tony Stark Builds Himself Some Friends (But His Family Was Assigned by Nick Fury)' - I should think that this series is not to everyone's taste, and I have to be in the right frame of mind myself, but for me there's something quite charming about this take on the Avengers universe. If you like your Avengers fic a bit quirky, with significant supporting appearances by various Tony-created devices, then this is probably something you'll enjoy. Tony/Steve (eventually), Clint/Phil.

sinope:

'Leaving Doubt to Fate' - it shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone that SHIELD has contingencies for when their operatives are too badly wounded to survive but the agency wants to keep the skills they've worked so hard to achieve. A fix-it fic, of a kind. Clint/Phil.

Siria:

'These Three Things Remain' - They don’t bicker when they’re on the job, but during meetings it sometimes gets so bad that Steve’s guiltily aware the others tune them out. While they argue, Natasha silently, ostentatiously, cleans her nails with a knife so large he has no idea where she keeps it in that costume of hers. Steve tries to apologise to her afterwards, aware that Tony’s suggestion that they melt down his shield in order to invent a “better” version may have pressed a button or two of his, but Natasha just rolls her eyes and says, cryptically, “Pigtail pulling,” before walking out on cat-quiet feet. Steve/Tony.

starrika:

'The Nine Lives of Natasha Romanoff' - Natasha has many histories, some of them even hers, in this well-written story of how she came to be and how she ended up with SHIELD despite everything. Gen, though it's tagged as Clint/Natasha.

TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel:

The 'Electric Feels' series - two stories to date, chronicling the developing friendship/relationship between Phil Coulson and JARVIS, with considerations of just exactly how autonomous JARVIS is and what that really means for him. Phil/JARVIS.

This Girl Is:

'Our Broken Parts (Smashed on the Floor) - Steve goes undercover to draw out a noted Russian assassin, only to discover that the man he's been sent in search of is someone he knows better than anyone else. Steve/Bucky.

Torakowalski:

'Learn How to Tell You Goodbye' - in the aftermath of the attack on the helicarrier, and his own apparent death, Coulson is sent on a mission to Russia and encounters another man out of time. Clint/Phil, Steve/Bucky.

'Break the Sound and Change the Season' - “Coulson,” he admits and then, because it’s important, “I’m not going to sleep with him.” Apparently that isn’t reassuring enough, because she goes tense and smacks him. “Ow. What happened to me feeling no pain?” “That was before I knew just how stupid you were being. You can’t date Coulson.” She smacks him again. It still hurts. “I know.” Clint does know. That doesn’t stop him feeling kind of miserable about it. “I’m trying not to. It just kind of keeps happening.” Clint/Phil.

Traincat:

'leave the gun on the table' - Clint stared at him when he thought Bucky wasn’t looking and sometimes when he knew he was. His touches, after-battle claps on the shoulder or a hand locked around his wrist, lingered. Bucky’s lingered too. Bucky/Clint.

triedunture:

New! 'AKA the Greater New York Area PTSD Support Group' - recovering the Winter Soldier was the easy part, now to try and get back Bucky Barnes. Steve/Bucky, Sam/Steve, Sam/Steve/Bucky.

truthiness_aura:

'Hostile Takeovers' - Steve might have once thought that Tony Stark was nothing without the suit, but he's about to be proven wrong. Steve/Tony.

Valtyr:

'Team Building Activities' - another great fic by this author and another of the many fantastic stories in the Avengers movieverse where Steve Rogers is trying to get his head around modern technology and the Avengers as a whole are just trying to figure out how to work together. Steve/Tony.

victoria_p:

The 'In From the Cold' series - "Wait just a second here." Steve slams his hand down on the table, causing the pile of photographs to slip and slide haphazardly. "Someone tell me why this Winter Soldier fella looks just like Bucky." Steve/Bucky.

New!'we travel without seatbelts on' - instead of joining the FBI, Veronica Mars is recruited by SHIELD and ends up going back to Neptune after the truth is revealed about HYDRA. She's not the only one who ends up there. Gen, crossover with Veronica Mars.

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This page was last changed 18/9/2015.