One Direction recs
More updates behind the cut (and added to the masterpost). 8 Harry/Nick, 1 Louis/Nick, 1 Liam/Louis, 1 Harry/Zayn, 1 Niall/Bressie, 1 multiship, 1 threesome, 1 gen.
Harry/Nick
feel the daylight, by aideomai, 2k. Sleepy Harry/Nick morning sex, super hot, extremely funny, very sweet.
Goat Husbandry, by annemari, 21k. Harry buys a farm. Nick comes up on vacation to help him set it up. This sounds like it should be crackfic, but it isn't; instead it's an exploration of what both of them (but especially Harry) want out of life, versus what they're able to make work with the careers they have. It's also got lots of nice Harry/Nick bonding time alone together without outside distractions, which is often hard to make realistic in other fics.
Manchester Tarts Have a Cherry in the Center, by cyclogenesis, 6k. Pre-X-Factor, Nick happens to stop by the bakery where Harry works, and Harry half-accidentally convinces him to have sex. Very hot, like very hot, though note that Harry's 15 years old in this fic.
Instalments, by junkshopdisco, 50k. Another fandom classic, a Pretty Woman AU where Harry's a down-on-his-luck rentboy and Nick's the rich businessman who picks him up on a whim. There are some writing style choices early in this fic that I didn't quite like, though they're explained later in the fic and I appreciate them now even if they're still not quite my style. But the rest of it is excellent: Harry's life is not as romanticized as a lot of similar AUs do. But the way Nick and Harry fall for each other very much is romantic, and I liked the way the fic focused on the things they can do for each other, the ways they can support and please each other, which doesn't necessarily get a lot of time in some other fics because we have canon to provide a lot of that for us. Also has Annie Mac as a supporting character, which I'm always a fan of.
Winter Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, by LittleMousling, 2k. Harry/Nick. A combination of a sweet tentative romance with some marking/bruising kink; I particularly loved the characterization of Nick in this one.
Turning Something Inside Out, by matchsticks_p, 5k. Nick has regular anxiety attacks, and Harry helps him deal with them. As someone who also has anxiety issues, a lot of this felt very realistic. It's also sweet and funny--it's not a solemn exploration of the issues, but more a "two bumbling idiots figure it out" sort of coping relationship, without making fun of it.
Like a Black and White Film, by mrsronweasley, 9k. Harry comes home from tour, and he and Nick reconnect. Good romance and funny banter and stuff, but what I especially appreciated about this fic was that it took seriously the way Harry has grown and changed in the years Nick has known him--he's still the same guy, but he looks different and he holds himself differently and I liked that Nick's reaction to those changes was explored here.
Hold My Head Up to the Midnight Sun, by pukeandcry, 19k. AU where Nick is a rich trust fund baby/dilettante, and Harry is broke, and they meet and eventually go on a long trip around Europe. A nice slow build romance. It's not necessarily happy fun times vacationing, especially at the beginning, as Nick and Harry are both a bit damaged in certain ways, but they work well together anyway. Even months after reading this there are still specific scenes I can picture really clearly.
Louis/Nick
I Had Rather Hear My Dog Bark at a Crow, by sunsetmog, 123k. Louis/Nick, where Louis is deeply closeted but can't seem to help wanting Nick, and Nick finds he wants Louis too even though it's hard. This one is nearly all angst but it's such GOOD angst; and while it's mostly from one source (Louis not wanting to reveal to absolutely anybody that he isn't straight) it has lots of echoes and repercussions in lots of different directions for both parties. Really great characterizations, and some good sex scenes (even if they have some kinks that I don't share--which I mention in case you take a look at the tags and think you wouldn't like it). I find I'm having a really hard time describing why I love this fic so much. I think, basically, that you can really feel throughout the fic how confused Nick is but how hard he's trying anyway, and how deeply conflicted and pained Louis is even when Nick isn't seeing it, so you spend the whole fic desperately hoping they'll make it work but unsure how or if they'll be able to.
Liam/Louis
Enough to Go By, by oliviacirce, 59k. Long Liam/Louis futurefic, which does all the tasty futurefic stuff that I love: showing the characters in different but still-fulfilling circumstances, touching on how their relationships have changed and grown over the years, delving into some really good angst about the way things worked out. This one also has a kind of fun structure of flashbacks, which give you more detail on the buildup over the years but also are unpredictable in certain ways. And also some getting-older angst that I really identified with, what with being about the same age as the characters are in the future portion of the fic! Plus, fun stuff with the other 1D boys, still in each others' orbits in certain ways, ten years on.
Harry/Zayn
Heart Skips a Beat, by harriet_vane, 28k. University AU where Louis and Liam meet in a club, then Harry (who's Louis's roommate) meets Liam's friend Zayn and falls for him. Cue lots of pining, plus an observer's view of Liam/Louis. What makes this fic really interesting for me is the way Harry's portrayed, especially in terms of his relationships with Louis and Zayn. It's less indulgent towards Harry than a lot of fics would be, steering hard into his kind of possessiveness about the people he likes and what kinds of problems that would cause, but it's sympathetic towards him at the same time. This is the kind of story I want to go back and read just so I can turn those character choices over in my head again and look at them from lots of different angles.
Niall/Bressie
Tie Me To You, by rivers_bend, 8k. Extremely hot Niall/Bressie omegaverse fic. They're very affectionate with each other and supportive of each other, which I like, but also lots of sex (which I also like). Manages to smoothly weave in some things about how their lives are hard (with tour scheduling and such), without distracting from the main thrust of the plot--it just feels like a very lived-in relationship.
Multiple ships
Like We Stood a Chance, by becka, 35k. Harry/Taylor Swift, Harry/Nick, Karlie Kloss/Taylor Swift. A canon-compliant fic, weaving together the way Harry and Taylor feel about each other and how they work in a relationship with the way Harry and Taylor also react to the people around them. Beautifully written in a way that is very hard (I know, 'cause I try it and hardly ever make it work): the scenes sort of skim across the face of the story, giving you exactly the amount of information/emotion you need and not a bit more. The style gives it a kind of dreamlike ...disconnection isn't really the right word; it's held at one remove, but still very immediate emotionally. There's a decent amount of discussion of bisexuality in here, too, which I enjoyed. A pretty perfect ending as well.
Threesomes and moresomes
Rhythm of Their Voices, by liralen, 2k. The other really hot "Zayn and Louis DP Liam" fic, with a side order of overstimulation kink.
Gen
untitled ficlet by ymorton, 2k. A girl asks Niall to take a dick pic for her, and Niall isn't sure how, so he asks Harry for help. Screamingly funny, and also a nice entry in the Harry Styles: Enthusiastic Sex Pervert genre, which I do always enjoy. (This has some Niall/OFC, Harry/Nick, and maybe Harry/Niall in it, but they're all sort of incidental ships.)
Harry/Nick
feel the daylight, by aideomai, 2k. Sleepy Harry/Nick morning sex, super hot, extremely funny, very sweet.
Goat Husbandry, by annemari, 21k. Harry buys a farm. Nick comes up on vacation to help him set it up. This sounds like it should be crackfic, but it isn't; instead it's an exploration of what both of them (but especially Harry) want out of life, versus what they're able to make work with the careers they have. It's also got lots of nice Harry/Nick bonding time alone together without outside distractions, which is often hard to make realistic in other fics.
Manchester Tarts Have a Cherry in the Center, by cyclogenesis, 6k. Pre-X-Factor, Nick happens to stop by the bakery where Harry works, and Harry half-accidentally convinces him to have sex. Very hot, like very hot, though note that Harry's 15 years old in this fic.
Instalments, by junkshopdisco, 50k. Another fandom classic, a Pretty Woman AU where Harry's a down-on-his-luck rentboy and Nick's the rich businessman who picks him up on a whim. There are some writing style choices early in this fic that I didn't quite like, though they're explained later in the fic and I appreciate them now even if they're still not quite my style. But the rest of it is excellent: Harry's life is not as romanticized as a lot of similar AUs do. But the way Nick and Harry fall for each other very much is romantic, and I liked the way the fic focused on the things they can do for each other, the ways they can support and please each other, which doesn't necessarily get a lot of time in some other fics because we have canon to provide a lot of that for us. Also has Annie Mac as a supporting character, which I'm always a fan of.
Winter Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, by LittleMousling, 2k. Harry/Nick. A combination of a sweet tentative romance with some marking/bruising kink; I particularly loved the characterization of Nick in this one.
Turning Something Inside Out, by matchsticks_p, 5k. Nick has regular anxiety attacks, and Harry helps him deal with them. As someone who also has anxiety issues, a lot of this felt very realistic. It's also sweet and funny--it's not a solemn exploration of the issues, but more a "two bumbling idiots figure it out" sort of coping relationship, without making fun of it.
Like a Black and White Film, by mrsronweasley, 9k. Harry comes home from tour, and he and Nick reconnect. Good romance and funny banter and stuff, but what I especially appreciated about this fic was that it took seriously the way Harry has grown and changed in the years Nick has known him--he's still the same guy, but he looks different and he holds himself differently and I liked that Nick's reaction to those changes was explored here.
Hold My Head Up to the Midnight Sun, by pukeandcry, 19k. AU where Nick is a rich trust fund baby/dilettante, and Harry is broke, and they meet and eventually go on a long trip around Europe. A nice slow build romance. It's not necessarily happy fun times vacationing, especially at the beginning, as Nick and Harry are both a bit damaged in certain ways, but they work well together anyway. Even months after reading this there are still specific scenes I can picture really clearly.
Louis/Nick
I Had Rather Hear My Dog Bark at a Crow, by sunsetmog, 123k. Louis/Nick, where Louis is deeply closeted but can't seem to help wanting Nick, and Nick finds he wants Louis too even though it's hard. This one is nearly all angst but it's such GOOD angst; and while it's mostly from one source (Louis not wanting to reveal to absolutely anybody that he isn't straight) it has lots of echoes and repercussions in lots of different directions for both parties. Really great characterizations, and some good sex scenes (even if they have some kinks that I don't share--which I mention in case you take a look at the tags and think you wouldn't like it). I find I'm having a really hard time describing why I love this fic so much. I think, basically, that you can really feel throughout the fic how confused Nick is but how hard he's trying anyway, and how deeply conflicted and pained Louis is even when Nick isn't seeing it, so you spend the whole fic desperately hoping they'll make it work but unsure how or if they'll be able to.
Liam/Louis
Enough to Go By, by oliviacirce, 59k. Long Liam/Louis futurefic, which does all the tasty futurefic stuff that I love: showing the characters in different but still-fulfilling circumstances, touching on how their relationships have changed and grown over the years, delving into some really good angst about the way things worked out. This one also has a kind of fun structure of flashbacks, which give you more detail on the buildup over the years but also are unpredictable in certain ways. And also some getting-older angst that I really identified with, what with being about the same age as the characters are in the future portion of the fic! Plus, fun stuff with the other 1D boys, still in each others' orbits in certain ways, ten years on.
Harry/Zayn
Heart Skips a Beat, by harriet_vane, 28k. University AU where Louis and Liam meet in a club, then Harry (who's Louis's roommate) meets Liam's friend Zayn and falls for him. Cue lots of pining, plus an observer's view of Liam/Louis. What makes this fic really interesting for me is the way Harry's portrayed, especially in terms of his relationships with Louis and Zayn. It's less indulgent towards Harry than a lot of fics would be, steering hard into his kind of possessiveness about the people he likes and what kinds of problems that would cause, but it's sympathetic towards him at the same time. This is the kind of story I want to go back and read just so I can turn those character choices over in my head again and look at them from lots of different angles.
Niall/Bressie
Tie Me To You, by rivers_bend, 8k. Extremely hot Niall/Bressie omegaverse fic. They're very affectionate with each other and supportive of each other, which I like, but also lots of sex (which I also like). Manages to smoothly weave in some things about how their lives are hard (with tour scheduling and such), without distracting from the main thrust of the plot--it just feels like a very lived-in relationship.
Multiple ships
Like We Stood a Chance, by becka, 35k. Harry/Taylor Swift, Harry/Nick, Karlie Kloss/Taylor Swift. A canon-compliant fic, weaving together the way Harry and Taylor feel about each other and how they work in a relationship with the way Harry and Taylor also react to the people around them. Beautifully written in a way that is very hard (I know, 'cause I try it and hardly ever make it work): the scenes sort of skim across the face of the story, giving you exactly the amount of information/emotion you need and not a bit more. The style gives it a kind of dreamlike ...disconnection isn't really the right word; it's held at one remove, but still very immediate emotionally. There's a decent amount of discussion of bisexuality in here, too, which I enjoyed. A pretty perfect ending as well.
Threesomes and moresomes
Rhythm of Their Voices, by liralen, 2k. The other really hot "Zayn and Louis DP Liam" fic, with a side order of overstimulation kink.
Gen
untitled ficlet by ymorton, 2k. A girl asks Niall to take a dick pic for her, and Niall isn't sure how, so he asks Harry for help. Screamingly funny, and also a nice entry in the Harry Styles: Enthusiastic Sex Pervert genre, which I do always enjoy. (This has some Niall/OFC, Harry/Nick, and maybe Harry/Niall in it, but they're all sort of incidental ships.)