Dead Boy Detectives Fanfiction Recommendations:
Canon-Compliant:
“For the First Time Twice” by LikeMmmCookies (35k) Charles loses his memories and becomes convinced he and Edwin are married. https://archiveofourown.org/works/56387839/chapters/143274202
“I’ll Let You Go if You Kiss Me Goodbye” by shadowquill17 (5k) Edwin pines for Charles without realizing that Charles thinks they’re dating. https://archiveofourown.org/works/56649634
“Put Those Glasses On, They’ll See Us as We Have Never Been” by slyvir (1k) A look at why Edwin’s disguise is a woman and Charles’ is a white man. https://archiveofourown.org/collections/DeadBoyWeen_2024/works/59923933
“A Blue Cap and a Red Jacket” by williamvapespeare (5k) Dealing with trauma in the wake of Edwin’s torture and Niko’s murder. https://archiveofourown.org/works/58835761
I’ve seen a lot of people recommend “Made You Look” by Baby_Spinach in which a shapeshifter wearing Edwin’s face goes around kissing people, but my favorite of their works is “Spectral Rage” (7k) which features a case gone wrong, a nasty demon, and a ghost struggling not to turn into a vengeful spirit (plus the accompanying art they drew is cool): https://archiveofourown.org/works/56717944
“I Turned Back One Last Time (Just to Prove You Were There)” by isnt_that_wizard (17k) Charles finds it difficult to let Edwin out of his sight after the events in canon. https://archiveofourown.org/works/56498968/chapters/143583085
“Unidentified Affectionate Objects” by lyres (12k) Features a curse that manifests emotions as physical objects. https://archiveofourown.org/works/59553481/chapters/151885954
Canon-Divergent:
“Ghosts and Monsters” by justafandomfollower (42k) Charles gets sacrificed and he and Edwin escape Hell together. https://archiveofourown.org/works/58001086/chapters/147659806
“I Don’t Want to Rest in Peace” by handwrittenhello (4k) Charles died alone and became a vengeful spirit and Edwin’s first case. https://archiveofourown.org/works/59001805
“Ain’t It a Gentle Sound” by intrajanelle (45k) Edwin falls through the portal to Hell on the Underground train and helps Niko escape while Crystal helps Charles figure out a way to bring him back. Also features Joanna Constantine from Sandman. https://archiveofourown.org/works/58875760/chapters/150061042
“The Savior of the Broken, the Beaten and the Damned” by laqualaurelote (9k) Niko keeps trying to save Edwin from dying tragically in alternate timelines. https://archiveofourown.org/works/56578432/chapters/143800924
“A World Without You (Isn’t Meant for Me)” by fairest (9k) Simon returns from Hell with Edwin, and Charles gets jealous. https://archiveofourown.org/works/57062191
Alternate Universes (AUs):
“Your Fangs in My Neck (Like an Anchor Like a Vow)” by shadowquill17 (7k) Vampire Edwin and immortal demigod Charles renegotiate their relationship. https://archiveofourown.org/works/57740368
“Partridge in a Pear Tree” by Vamillepudding (25k) Cinderella retelling featuring a magic shop, cursed music box, and some pretty nifty magical creatures. https://archiveofourown.org/works/59382268/chapters/151440232
“Babe, Hold My Flower” by shadowquill17 (3k) Edwin helps Charles out of a spot of trouble at school. https://archiveofourown.org/works/58074100
“Can’t Buy Me Love” by Hse11z5 (29k) It started as fake dating, but then they fell in love. https://archiveofourown.org/works/58528072/chapters/149105566
“Cause What if I was in Love?” by lola_prongs (6k) Charles worries he’s being homophobic about his roommate Edwin until he realizes he’s actually jealous. https://archiveofourown.org/works/56272156
“I’m So Aces at Babysitting” by babyseraphim (4k) The first chapter features adult Edwin babysitting a child Charles while the second chapter features adult Charles babysitting child Edwin. Also features Niko and Crystal. https://archiveofourown.org/works/58510747/chapters/149059888#workskin
I Hope You Know CPR – LeGrinch (1k) Normally I avoid soulmate AUs, but the premise for this one was too hilarious. https://archiveofourown.org/works/58204885
Unfinished:
(Look, normally I try to avoid unfinished works and don’t go around recommending them but these are just too good not to mention.)
“Leads You Here, Despite Your Destination (Under the Milky Way Tonight)” by aletterinthenameofsanity (28k so far) Time Lord Edwin and time-vortex-immortal Charles (Doctor Who AU). https://archiveofourown.org/works/56651917/chapters/144004858
“Young Blood (Never Get Chained)” by ghostinthelibrary (29k so far) College student and half-demon Charles interrupts a prank ritual that actually summoned a real demon and claims Edwin’s soul to protect him from Sa’al. https://archiveofourown.org/works/58973998/chapters/150336991
Favorite Series:
I’m absolutely obsessed with the series of pre-canon boys’ adventures chronicled in “Who? You Mean Your Teammate in the Codependency World Cup?” by RoseGanymede95 which features cameos by John Constantine and his niece Joanna as well as some awesome original characters.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
If the prospect of starting a whole series is too daunting, try the first chapter of “Professional Networking” which is a stand-alone story less than six thousand (6k) words long: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57588106/chapters/146534119
And then we have the authors whose good works are so numerous that I can’t narrow it down to just a few favorites. Start literally anywhere. These are some of the best writers in the fandom:
Asidian: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asidian
coloursflyaway: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coloursflyaway
that_trans_autistic_guy: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_trans_autistic_guy
It should be noted that this is not a properly complete list, as there are still many fics on my TBR list that I haven’t read yet, and doubtless many more out there that I haven’t discovered yet. So please, feel free to recommend your own favorites!