44 TOP-RATED JOHNLOCK FICS
When I started posting Sherlock fanfics with over 5,000 kudos on AO3, I came up with 19 fics. Since then, we’ve moved up to 44! I get soooo excited to see new additions. (However, I am STILL not gonna read “Alone on the Water” and you can’t make me ;) Feb. 2017.
1. The Progress of Sherlock Holmes by ivyblossom, 62 K words, explicit. “I had,” he said, “come to an entirely erroneous conclusion, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data.”
2. Saving Sherlock Holmes by earlgreytea68, 139 k words, mature. Sherlock Holmes, schoolboy. Yeah, that basically sums it up.
3. The Great Sex Olympics of 221b by XistentialAngst, 58 k words, explicit. John Watson thinks Sherlock Holmes should admit that he, Watson, is more of an expert on sex than Sherlock is. But Sherlock refuses to concede the point. He comes up with an experiment plan that will resolve the issue. The results will determine who wins the prize. But sometimes even the best thought-out scientific study has unexpected consequences.
4. The Quiet Man by ivyblossom, 157 k words, explicit . “Do you just carry on talking when I’m away?“ John has endured Sherlock’s supposed death, and finally settled down with a girlfriend, Mary Morstan, when Sherlock swans back into his life.
5. Shadows on the Wall by AraSigym, 18 k words, teen. John came back from Afghanistan psychic. This is a fascinating look at series one John and Sherlock from John’s POV – really rather meta. John’s ESP supplies endless possibilities of what might happen at each key point in his life, and it’s his choice to make – which way to send the future spiraling. Fascinating stuff!!
6. Off on the Wrong Foot by Unloyal_Olio, 31 k words, explicit. John and Sherlock aren’t flatmates. Instead, John gets a job in Bart’s morgue, and Sherlock attempts to abscond with body parts … which is just not on.
7. Performance In a Leading Role by Mad_Lori, 156 k words, explicit . Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world?
8. 26 Pieces by Lanning, 28 k words, explicit . Mycroft gives Sherlock the apparently simple task of solving a puzzle box containing a stolen microchip. It isn’t simple. This fic has some torture scenes, but some adorable stuck in a car boot together, and some of the sweetest Sherlock thinking “I didn’t know sex could be this nice” Johnlock moments EVER! Three-continents Watson bowls Sherlock over like a tank.
9. Alone On the Water by Mad_Lori, 7 k words, gen. Sherlock Holmes never expected to live a long life, but he never imagined that it would end like this. Sherlock is ill. He asks John to help. John has to live with the consequences.
10. The Real Meaning of Idioms by feverishsea, 21 k words, teen. After two weeks away, John finally texts Sherlock. He doesn’t expect Sherlock to respond. He doesn’t expect Sherlock to keep texting him. And he really doesn’t expect things to spiral out of control so rapidly.
11. Once More, With Feeling by cellard00rs, 21 k words, teen. To put off his meddlesome, matchmaking mother, John convinces Sherlock to play the role of his significant other. Unparalleled awkwardness ensues.
12. A Study in Intimacy by doodle, 5 k words, teen. People don’t touch Sherlock Holmes, not like they touch other people. Then he meets John Watson.
13. and stand there at the edge of my affection by coloredink, 2 k words, gen. “You’ve written love letters,” Sherlock asserted. Sherlock asks John advice on how to write a love letter. John tries to puzzle out who it is FOR.
14. What Meets the Eye by worldaccordingtofangirls, 8 k words, mature. Amnesia is just another case to solve. Piece together unfamiliar faces, reconstruct the old identity, the lost reality. A challenge that Sherlock could even enjoy. He can read people like books. The man with the silver hair is his boss. The tottering old woman, his landlady. The girl with the worried look in her eyes…infatuated. And as for John Watson? His husband. Obviously.
15. The Gilded Cage by BeautifulFiction, 326 k words, explicit. In a world where Omegas are the property of the elite Alphas, locked away and treasured by those wealthy enough to buy them, John never questioned his flatmate’s secondary gender. Sherlock Holmes was an Alpha through-and through. Wasn’t he? A chance discovery turns the world on its head, and John is left grappling to come to terms with Sherlock’s past as events conspire to threaten their future.
16. Hitting the Water at Sixty Miles an Hour by what_alchemy, 30 k words, explicit. John agrees to pose as Sherlock’s date on a week-long birthday trip for Mummy Holmes with Mycroft in tow for comic relief. They explore the Hebrides islands of Scotland, touring ruins and bird-watching. Amid the beautiful, haunting scenery, John finally admits how he feels about Sherlock.
17. The Internet Is Not Just For Porn by cyerus, 2 k words, gen. John is Sherlock’s internet boyfriend - from CANADA. No one thinks he’s real.
18. Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68, 203 k words, mature. The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.
19. A Cure For Boredom by emmagrant01, 81 k words, explicit . They’d never talked about sex in the year they’d known each other. Well, that wasn’t quite correct: Sherlock had never said a word about sex; John had bemoaned his personal dearth of it on many occasions. This is the John and Sherlock visit a sex club fic!
20. Dilaudid by Lintilla, 62 k, explicit . In a world where omegas are coveted by the most exclusive alphas, John Watson chooses to live undercover. With the help of medication, John lives as a beta letting no one know his true nature. After moving in with Sherlock Holmes, the most amazing alpha he’s ever met, he wonders how long he can keep his secret.
21. The Whore of Babylon Was a Perfectly Nice Girl by out_there, 32 k words explicit Sherlock walks into a room and takes all the space right out of it. He does the same inside John’s head
22. State of Flux by Atiki, 24 k words, explicit. John’s marriage is over and he is finally back home (i.e. at Baker Street, where he belongs). Sherlock is awfully insecure and John is awfully hesitant, and they’re both awkward idiots, of course, but they figure it out. Many First Times happen.
23. Dear John by wendymarlowe, 23 k words, explicit . With Sherlock dead, John eventually (under duress) makes a profile on an online dating site. And falls into a long-distance relationship with an enigmatic partner named William who reminds him of Sherlock in all the right ways. (Hint: it turns out to be Sherlock.)
24. The Detective and the Demon by oreganotea, 2 k words, gen. Sherlock, dabbling in magic, working on his own, manages to summon a demon. He’s never seen one that likes to wear ugly jumpers before. Somehow, it just fits.
25. The Loss of Flesh and Soul by deuxexmycroft, 69 k words, mature. Five years after John Watson puts the murderous Sherlock Holmes behind bars, a vicious copycat killer emerges. A reluctant John is pulled out of retirement to seek the expertise of the only man who can help, a man who has developed an unsettling obsession with John himself. Crossover with Red Dragon/Silence of the Lambs
26. I’m Not Actually A Pervert by dorothydonne, 7 k words, explicit. John is between relationships. He stops in at a porn shop video booth for a quick wank, and is surprised by an offer from long fingers through a hole in the wall. A one-time thing becomes an odd, very hot, anonymous weekly meetup with the stranger with the deep voice, and glorious lush lips
27. The heart on your sleeve by flawedamythyst, 5 k words, teen. Sherlock stared at the imperfect circle on his left wrist in horror, then sat down on his bed with a bit of a thump. After over thirty years, his heartmark was finally showing activity. This was not good.
28. Two Two One Bravo Baker by abundantlyqueer, 114 k words, explicit . Captain John Watson of 40 Commando, the Royal Marines, is assigned to protect and assist Sherlock Holmes as he investigates what appears to be a simple war atrocity in Afghanistan. An intense attraction ignites between the two men as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens everything they’ve ever known, but Sherlock is as much hunted as hunter, and everyone close to him is in deadly danger. Can he solve the case in time to save himself and John?
29. A Quiet Murmuration by cathedral_carver, 4 k words, teen. Just pay me back with one thousand kisses.
30. Electric Pink Hand Grenade by BeautifulFiction, 67 k words, explicit. “If Sherlock’s brain is a hard drive, then these attacks are an electro-magnetic pulse.” Sherlock Holmes does not do anything by half, not even a migraine. It falls to John to witness one of the greatest minds he has ever known tear itself apart, and he must do his best to help Sherlock pick up the pieces.
31. echoes through time by chellefic, 21 k words, explicit. Mummy sends a trunk from the Holmes cottage in Sussex to 221B. Its contents alter the way John and Sherlock see themselves and one another.
32. The Sum of Us (Mostly Calculated by Everybody Else) by Linpatootie, 9 k words, teen. John decides to come out. More or less. Not that he’s gay or anything. He’s just bumming his flatmate.
33. All The Best and Brightest Creatures by wordstrings, 188 k, explicit. Sherlock sent Jim Moriarty to prison for killing Carl Powers at age ten. This is the story of the consequences.
34. Curious Case by Cleo2010, 44 k, explicit. After burning his hands, Sherlock’s unable to release his ‘tension’ in the usual manner. Who should he turn to? His totally, completely straight friend and flatmate who’s totally not into Sherlock or his boy parts at all. Definitely.
35. Left by lifeonmars, 45 k, mature. Magical AU. John Watson is left-handed. He’s tried not to let it affect his life, but as any Lefty knows, that’s almost impossible.
36. Applied Linguistics by what_alchemy, 4 k, mature. “He wants to shake John by the shoulders, wants to open his mouth and swallow John whole. Wants to marry him.” Sherlock searches for the right words.
37. Amenable by Resonant, 6 k, explicit. You certainly never forgot who you were kissing with Sherlock.
38. Lifetime Achievement by Mad_Lori, 47 k, explicit. John Watson has just won an Oscar and gotten engaged in the same day. Now what? (Sequel to “Performance in a Leading Role”)
39. Let You Kiss Me (So Sweet and So Soft) by out_there, 8 k, gen. The first time Sherlock kisses him, John keeps his eyes open, and so does Sherlock, and mostly, he wonders what Sherlock could possibly be up to. There’ll be some logic to this. Some ridiculous experiment about body warmth or respiratory rates or testing a new way of picking pockets. Sherlock does the unimaginable for bizarre reasons, but behind it, there’s always logic and curiosity. Sometimes, it just takes him a while to explain it to John.
40. Learning Curve by allfinehere, 41 k, mature. John is a Kindergarten teacher. One of his students, a boy named Henry Holmes, refuses to speak in school. John is determined to get to the bottom of it, and that is how he meets Sherlock Holmes.
41. Acceptable Behaviour by bbcatemysoul, 3k, mature. Sherlock isn’t really sure why John wants to shag him, but he’s certain that if he’s careful to behave properly about it, John can be persuaded to keep doing it. In other news, John is a good boyfriend and Sherlock is an idiot.
42. Seven Moons by ladyflowdi, 66 k, explicit. Omegaverse. “This is happiness?” John asks, utterly heartsick, holding up his wrists and rattling the chains. “You’ve sold me for six gold mines and protection along the northern border.”
43. Working on the Edges by earlgreytea68, 56 k, mature. No matter where you put Sherlock and John, they click. Including the Winter Olympics.
44. you are a paradigm by 1electricpirate, 10 k, mature. Potterlock. Sometimes, only sometimes, when Sherlock is very far away and absolutely guaranteed not to return for at least three hours, John sits on the sofa and lets the tea make itself. In which John is (reluctantly) a wizard, Mycroft is (apparently) omniscient, and Sherlock is (surprisingly) oblivious.
