Hi Steph! First I just want to say: I'm newly "back" to tumblr and fandom after a few years, and I am simply DELIGHTED that you are still here and active! I remember you from before, so it's amazing to "see" you again.
While I'm still re-finding my footing, I was hoping you could give me a few shorter fic recs? (up to ~20k ish)
I know most Johnlock fics include an element of this, but I like fics that explore their mutual obliviousness and insecurity regarding each other's sexualities -- specifically, things like [John thinking Sherlock isn't interested in anyone], [John thinking Sherlock IS interested in someone], [Sherlock dealing with 'not gay' Watson], and/or [Sherlock finding out that John has indeed had experiences with/feelings for men in the past]. I'm demisexual, so I also have a weakness for [demi-Sherlock], too!
Thank you, and I hope you're having a wonderful day when this finds you :)
Ahhh! Welcome back!! I hope you are enjoying your time back in the fandom, and I'm happy to be contributing to your integration back into the fandom!! <3 I love seeing my old Lovelies coming directly here first to see that I'm still around, LOL
Pfffff okay so BECAUSE I need a list for this weekend, I saw the words "demisexual" and latched onto it like a leach, so you're the lucky recipient of being an ask with a list attached, no matter how off topic it is 🙃 So I DO apologize for that. BUT since you want short fics of specific topics, you can check the following lists for them; if you're unaware, I list all my fics in word-count order, so you can just pick the fics up until the word count gets too high for your liking LOL.
So here are some short-fic lists you can check out unrelated to today's list topic:
E-Rated Johnlock for Newcomers Pt 1 (Short Fics under 20K)
G,T, & M-Rated Johnlock for Newcomers Pt. 1 (Under 5K)
G,T, & M-Rated Johnlock for Newcomers Pt. 2 (5K-20K)
Heartwarming Stories Under 10K
Ten Fave Short Johnlock Fics (Easy Reads April 2018)
25 Fave Johnlock One Shots (April 2018)
Anxious / Worried Sherlock Pt 1 (Under 20K w.)
Parentlock Pt. 4A (MFLs 0-25K w.)
Medium Burn Fics (Slow Burn Under 25K) (Oct 2023)
Novella Length Fics: 20 to 25K (Oct 2020)
And here's the main Sexuality list! I hope you enjoy these, and as usual, friends, add yours if you have them! <3
Asexual Sherlock (updated Aug 22/22)
Ace Sherlock Pt. 1.5 (MFL)
Queerplatonic / Ace Relationships (Updated Jun 2023)
Achieving the Together-Coloured Instant by teahigh (E, 20,776 w., 1 Ch. || Established Relationship, PTSD, Codependency, Fluff & Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Smut, Demisexual Sherlock, Experiments) – John wonders if this is how it’s going to be: A life speaking in code, because they’re both too stupid to figure out how to say, “I love you.”
Rupert Street by WritingOutLoud (M, 27,262 w., 9 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting || Case Fic, Sexuality, Demisexual Sherlock, Drugging, Smart John, Sherlock Has Internalized Biphobia, Fluff, Angst with Happy Ending, Gay Bar, Flirting, John Manipulates Sherlock to Eat, John Deduces, Arguments, Kidnapping/Torture, Hospitalization, John Whump) – Discharged from the war with nothing but the clothes on his back and a realisation of his bisexuality, John Watson has to learn who he’s become. He can’t afford London on an army pension, but the city is the only friend he has. In an effort to understand his newfound queer identity, he heads to a bar one night, where he stumbles across a mysterious stranger who turns his life upside down. ‘I dug around inside myself, and I'm not quite sure what I found, but it was beautiful and terrifying all at the same time.’
One Little Change by jadztone (E, 58,312 w., 12 Ch. || ASiB Divergence, Fake Relationship, Bed Sharing, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss / Time, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bi John / Gay Demisexual Sherlock, Switchlock, Alternating POV, Jealousy, Misunderstandings, Case Fic, Angst with Happy Ending, Emotional Love Making, Butt Plugs, Cuddles) – Our story begins right after John and Sherlock's first meeting with Irene Adler in September. It splits off into an AU that imagines them taking a case where they act as bait to hook a killer targeting closeted gays in secret relationships. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, many things happen that have our boys wondering if maybe they have a chance with each other. Then Irene fakes her death on Christmas Eve, and things get a lot more complicated - especially since they still have a killer to catch.
Swallow the Night by ArwaMachine (E, 87,873 w., 15 Ch. || TSo3/Stag Night Fix It, TAB/S4 Divergence, Toplock, Mutual Pining, PWP, Drunk / Public Sex, Anal Fingering/Sex, Alcohol-Induced Amnesia, Everyone Knows Except Them, Emotional Love Confession, Demisexual Sherlock, Internalized Homophobia [John], Parentlock with Rosie, First Kiss, Drug Relapse, Infidelity, Texting, Masturbation, Oblivious John, Emotional Love Making, Angst with Happy Ending, Dreams and Nightmares) – “Do you know how long,” John panted, his cheek scraping against the wall, looking back at Sherlock through half-closed eyes, “I’ve wanted this?” Sherlock pressed himself against John’s back, biting at John’s ear. “Not nearly as long as I have,” he whispered.
The Lost Special: Family Matters (As Do Relationships) by ShirleyCarlton (M, 144,688 w., 40 Ch. || S4 Fix It Fic / Meta Fic, Unreliable Narrator, John’s Mind Bungalow, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Demisexual Sherlock, Holmes Family, John Whump, Gay Mycroft, Misunderstandings, Drug Addiction, Parenting, TFP is a Nightmare, Virgin Sherlock, Slow Burn, Minor Character Death, Switchlock, John’s Past, Sherlock’s Past, Eurus, Love Confessions) –Sherrinford is not really the name of some high security prison. That was just a figment of John’s frantic coma dream. And Eurus is not actually Sherlock’s sister. That’s just something random she said to John before shooting him. Sherlock and John were never actually estranged. That was just their act to cover up what really happened to Mary – or Rosamund Moran, as her real name has turned out to be. Sherlock does have a secret sibling, though, and his name is Sherrinford. After finally eliminating Moran – though in a rather dramatically different way than they had envisioned – and exposing the truth about Eurus, John encourages Sherlock to delve into his past and to find out whether the reasons to keep Sherrinford away from Sherlock were the right ones, and to discover what really happened in 1981. Along the way, Sherlock and John gradually, finally, stop keeping each other at a distance, and eventually become a proper family of their own.
The Sexual Liberation of John H. Watson by Enterthetadpole & WritingOutLoud (E, 5,468 w., 1 Ch. || Bisexual John, POV Sherlock, Slutty John, Pining, Fluff and Smut, Blow Jobs, Rimming, Anal, Demisexual Sherlock, Frustrated Sherlock) – John has recently discovered that he is bisexual. To make up for lost time, he embarks on a gay fuelled sexscapade, much to Sherlock's horror. It's not that he's unhappy with his friend, it's just that Sherlock would much rather John be bedding someone else... Part 3 of the Enterthetadpole and WritingOutLoud Pridelocked 2021 series
The Unexpected Exchange by testosterone_tea (E, 5,703 w., 1 Ch. || Christmas, Secret Santa, Vibrators, Masturbation, Love Confessions, Intercrural Sex, Bisexual John, Demisexual Sherlock, Fluff) – When Sherlock is made to participate in the Yard's Secret Santa exchange, he knew it would be a disaster. But even he didn't expect how much of a disaster it would be.
Holding Hands by loveanddeathandartandtaxes (E, 9,494 w., 7 Ch. || Escort Service, Inexperienced Sherlock, Voyeurism, Oral / Anal, Rimming, Demisexual Sherlock, Repressed Bisexual John, Friends with Benefits to Lovers, Sherlock/OMC) – "I'm not actually gay." Peter shrugged. "It's all just skin and orgasms, in the end." "I... suppose so. But - we're not like that. We're friends; we don't have sex." "You're about to watch him have sex," Peter pointed out.
Putting up Shelves by khorazir (M, 11,382 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S3, Quarantine/Lockdown, Friends to Lovers, Miscommunication, Jealous John, Inexperienced Sherlock, Banter, Bisexual John, Demisexual Sherlock, IKEA Furniture, Fluff, Misunderstandings) – Sherlock claims to be an expert at putting up shelves. John gets the totally wrong idea. DIY, awkwardness and some soul-searching ensue. And some shelves are put up ...
Assistance Required by Soft_Light (E, 12,162 w., 4 Ch. || PWP, Viagra, Sleepy Sherlock, Sleepy Cuddle, Doctor John, Hurt Sherlock, Developing Relationship, Bisexual John, Demisexual Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Hair Playing, What Boundaries, It’s an Experiment) – Sherlock takes Viagra for an experiment. You can probably guess a lot of what happens next.
Hot Water Bottle by khorazir (T, 18,436 w., 1 Ch. || Post TLD / TFP Doesn’t Exist, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Communication, Demisexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, Autumn, Bed Sharing, Developing Relationship, First Kiss) – A case in one of the remotest corners of the Lake District, a storm, an inn, a broken boiler, a room with two beds but only one hot water bottle, and two men who have a lot to sort out between them – all of this makes for a night to remember.
A Thing With Peas by khorazir (M, 39,5537 w., 3 Ch. || Post-S3/Post-TLD/TFP Doesn't Exist, Fluff and Angst, Communication, Demisexual Sherlock, Asexuality, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Idiots in Love, Friends to Lovers, Developing Relationship, Implied / Referenced Drug Use, Parentlock, First Kiss) – Sherlock does the laundry. John cooks a thing with peas. They talk. Finally.
White Tulip by withoutawish (E, 40,624 w., 1 Ch. || TSo3, Copper Beeches / Solitary Cyclist Rewrite, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Drug Addiction (Sherlock), Angst, Suicide Attempt, Self-Harm, Mental Health Issues, Demisexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, PTSD, Pining, Metaphors, String Theory, Graphic Depictions of Violence) – Sherlock is in love with John Watson. John Watson is in love with Mary Morstan. Sherlock likes Mary Morstan just fine. Sherlock likes drugs more. And most importantly, Sherlock doesn’t like Sherlock. String theory dictates the laws of the universe. But their story isn’t one that can be boxed up neatly, tied in a heartstring bow. "After all, the axioms of homeostasis dictate that an infinity sign of negative feedback can only loop back in on itself.”
Rewind by khorazir (M, 47,553 w., 5 Ch. || Time Travel AU || Post-S4 / TFP Doesn’t Exist, Victor Trevor, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Drug Use/Addiction, Attempted Sexual Assault, Friends to Lovers, Magical Realism, First Kiss, Demisexual Sherlock, Big Brother Mycroft, Kid Sherlock, Bullying, Inexperienced Sherlock) – When Sherlock is six years old, he finds out that strange things happen when the mole on his neck is touched under certain circumstances: it switches him back in time. Over the years, he discovers both the advantages and disadvantages of being thus granted a way to relive certain events, to reconsider decisions and remedy mistakes – until an accidental touch sends him back to Barts morgue on 29th January 2010, thus undoing eight years of acquaintance with John Watson. Is this a most unfortunate incident, a curse, even? Or is it indeed a second chance to finally shape his relationship with John the way it should have been from the beginning?
Crimson Hymns by brilliantlyburning (E, 48,982 w., 9 Ch. || Post-S3/TAB, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Drug Addiction, Unhealthy Coping Methods, Demisexual Sherlock, Boxing, Pining, Sensory Processing Issues, Drug Use, First Kiss / Time, BDSM, Mary is Not Good, Parentlock, Proposal, Happy Ending, Beekeeping, Violence, References to Addiction, Poetry) – He laid his head over John’s heart, eyes level with his silver-rough scar, and listened to the crimson hymns beating beneath the surface. He imagined flowers blooming in his own chest: veins weaving intricate patterns on petals of thin muscle engorged with blood, sinew for stems and tendons for roots—the flowers would be poppies, maybe (addictive) or foxglove (deadly yet useful)—twining gleaming blood-red around the porcelain bone of his ribs. In his mind’s eye the gruesome bouquet all tied together on the left side of his chest, the stems bound together in heartstrings and the flowers fed by the rhythmic contraction of ventricles. It’s yours, he imagined saying to John—from the vena cava to the mitral valve to the arteries it is yours.— Or, the Love Song of W. Sherlock S. Holmes.
Communication by ohlooktheresabee (E, 60,835 w., 7 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Miscommunication, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with Happy Ending, Vulnerable Sherlock, Undernegotiated Kink, Demisexuality, Asexual Relationship, First Kiss, Consent Issues, Panic Attacks, Anxiety, Aftercare, No Aftercare, Implied / Referenced Drug Addiction, Relationship Issues, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Dom / Sub undertones, Sexual Inexperience, Vanilla Kink, John is a Bit Not Good, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Heavy Angst, Eventual Fluff, Therapy, Love) – Sherlock and John finally make the leap from friends to lovers, but skip the discussion beforehand. That’s what makes it fun and sexy, right? WRONG. Both eager to please the other, but both making too many assumptions, Sherlock and John make a few missteps before they finally manage to reach an understanding. Or: An exploration of navigating relationships and intimacy when you're asexual, but don't know what that means... YET.
Lost In A Good Book by khorazir (M, 68,552 w., 6 Ch. || Magical Realism / Discworld Elements || Post TLD, Miscommunication, L-Space, Developing Relationship, Parentlock, Demisexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Bookshop) – After chasing a criminal into a poky second-hand bookshop, John and Sherlock find themselves not only stuck in the building, but in L-space itself. With things still raw and unsettled between them after the events surrounding the Culverton Smith case, this adds another dimension to their predicament, which not only constitutes of finding a way out of the shop (while avoiding getting murdered by the criminal), but also to finally address the issues between them.
To Be Human by ohlooktheresabee (NR, 78,437 w., 13 Ch. || Post-THoB, Graphic Violence, Synesthesia, Case Fic, Serial Killers, Kidnapping, BAMF John, Sherlock is a Mess, Asexuality/Demisexuality, Torture, Protective John, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Medical Procedures, Queerplatonic Relationships, Asperger Syndrome, Thriller, Insecure Sherlock, Touching, Caring John, Affection, Hurt Sherlock, Touch Starvation) – There is a serial killer on the loose with a penchant for collecting the brains of his victims. Sherlock, John and Scotland Yard are on the case, but something about the chosen victims has Sherlock on edge. While they piece together the clues that will lead to the killer, John begins to realize that the way his best friend thinks may sometimes be more a hindrance than a help...
This Land We Have Chosen by redscudery (E, 86,309+ w., 16/19 Ch. || WiP || Victorian Canadian Farm AU || Farmer John, Prostate Milking/Massage, Mutual Pining, Colonialism, Demisexual Sherlock, Complicated Relationships, Slow Burns, UST, Awkwardness, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Virgin Sherlock, Canadian Politics, Angst with Happy Ending) – It’s 1866. John Watson is a former army doctor who served in India. He left the service after a mysterious traumatic incident and has been farming in the backwoods of Canada. Sherlock Holmes is an avid botanist and possible hysteric who is a very loud thorn in his brother Mycroft’s side. Since Mycroft wishes to run for Parliament during the first Canadian election, he knows he needs his troublesome younger brother out of their hometown of Carleton before he can precipitate any scandal—and what better place for a botanist than a backwoods farm? Especially when it’s run by someone who just might be able to treat Sherlock’s hysteria? Part 2 of the The Backwoods of Canada series
Unrequited but Not Much Longer by Rini2012 & SHwithDefectiveTransport (M, 126,423 w., 14 Ch. || S4 Rewrite, Past Mary/John, John's In a Coma, Therapy, Homophobia, First Time, Rosie Growing Up, Mary is Good, Adoption, Slow Burn, PTSD, John's Blog, Pets, Developing Relationship, Bisexual John, Demisexual Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock) – John Watson has woken up from a coma only to find out that everything that happened in The Final Problem was part of a coma dream. Not only that, but Sherlock has child-proofed the flat and had been taking care of Rosie during the 2 month period John was unconscious. For years the two were willing to die for each other, but for both of them, it runs much deeper than friendship. Will they finally tell each other how they feel? Can they find the woman who posed as John's therapist? How will Sherlock and John raise a baby in 221B with their lifestyle?
Sherlock Holmes Live by emilycare (E, 488,496 w., 73 Ch. || Theatre AU || Immersive Theatre, Romance, Slow Burn, Fake / Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Bisexual John, Demisexual Gay Sherlock, Alternating POV, Falling in Love, Eventual Case Fic, Soft Sherlock, Panic Attacks, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with Happy Ending, Pining John) – Down on his luck John Watson answers an advert for a paid role in an experimental play. Enter William Scott with a most unusual proposition: help him test run a two person immersive experience, oh and by the way there is sex and romance involved.
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