Hurt!Sherlock Rec List: Gen and Other Pairings

[shadowfireflame]

More hurt!Sherlock recs! This list has Gen and Other Pairings recs. For John/Sherlock recs, go here: part 1 and part 2. And please feel free to rec me your favorites, as always.



[ Gen], [ Other Pairings]
::: Gen :::

• All in a Day (2,885 words) by chappysmom
  Gen. For once, Sherlock gets kidnapped in order to pressure John to do something unrelated to a case. I really super enjoyed this story. I have such a kink for a Sherlock-in-distress and the bamf!John who comes to his rescue, and this was great (and unusual, to have Sherlock be kidnapped in order to pressure John to do something! I love it!). Also, I liked that Sherlock’s first instinct being to try to protect John even when John was in no danger; Sherlock was the one who was in trouble!


• And It Just Got Worse… (6,654 words) by velvet-mace
  Gen. This is a very dark story in which Donovan and Sherlock are held captive together and tortured. Told from Sally’s perspective, this was so tense and scary, but filled with these lovely moments of characterization.


• The Bauble (13,947 words) by Mistress Scribbles
  Gen. A modernized take on the ACD story “The Blue Carbuncle” + Sherlock having trouble completely adjusting post-Reichenbach. There were also some great details like Molly’s texting (priceless), Sherlock being afraid of mimes, and Sherlock and John watching Die Hard. I must admit I’m concerned about Sherlock’s mental state, though. I’d love to see a sequel to this story.


• Bitten (1,045 words) by Spinesless
  Gen. Sherlock is shot on a case and remembers another time when he was extremely cold. Ah, one of my favorite scenarios, and I really adore how Mycroft, John, Lestrade, and Sally all have their parts to play in each scene to try to help Sherlock survive. I especially admire how the author connected the two scenes via the cold Sherlock was feeling. Lovely.


• Cabin Fever (6,013 words) by awanderingbard
  Gen. This is a delightful, perfectly characterized, and perfectly believable domestic story of the Cluedo board with John, Sherlock, and Mrs. Hudson. I love how John and Mrs. Hudson fondly bond over how ridiculous Sherlock is. I also love how Sherlock mimics John silently and is jealous of John’s blog. Such a child, such an adorable, infuriating child. And “The Drawer of Banned Things”! This feels incredibly canon and explains everything in Hounds. Laughing so hard.


• Call and Answer (3,630 words) by veronamay
  Gen, could be pre-slash John/Sherlock. Here’s one for the hurt/comfort junkies like me. After the explosion at the pool, Sherlock has a bad case of pneumonia and proves to be the absolute worst patient ever. John makes tea. This story has lighter moments that are pretty funny, then we delve into deeper territory that explores how the pool has affected John and changed the nature of his relationship with Sherlock. Finding out what Sherlock really wants from John was such a sweet moment that my heart may have actually exploded.


• The Carpe Diem series (38,108 words) by whitchry9
  Gen. Sherlock brings home a special dog one day without explanation, and John slowly figures out why. This story, which has superb hurt/comfort elements, totally riveted me from the start while being rather sweet and gentle. The dog, Gladstone, is totally adorable, as is her relationship with Sherlock and John. There’s also a crossover story with Cabin Pressure (yay!). I really enjoyed it.


• Cold Blood (1,673 words) by awanderingbard
  Gen. Sherlock is shot, and John and Mycroft have to keep him alive until help comes. Full disclosure, awanderingbard was gracious enough to write this story from a prompt I left, and oh my God, is it fantastic. Hitting all my kinks, even ones I didn’t ask for, including the very touching relationship between Mycroft and Sherlock. This author does showing-not-telling like nobody’s business. I was shaking after reading this, it was so good.


• Concussion (1,213 words) by messageredacted
  Gen. Sherlock gets a concussion in a fight. Thank God John’s there. This story is simple but effective hurt/comfort with a BAMF!John-exactly what I love.


• Defragmenting (1,900 words) by misswinterhill
  Gen, hinting towards pre-slash John/Sherlock. Sherlock gets awful migraines, and the only cure is for someone to pet his hair. Mummy, Mycroft, a hairdresser, and John help him. A tender, moving exploration of massive headaches (something I can easily see Sherlock getting) and how Sherlock deals with them. I love the descriptions of color and sparking especially. The only thing is that is leaves me really wanting more situations in which this happens, maybe with Molly or Lestrade helping with it, too. :)


• The Dying Detective Remix (6,204 words) by SailorChibi
  Gen. When Sherlock actually gets very sick, nobody believes him because they think he’s just faking. A really cool twist on canon where Holmes tricks his friends into thinking he’s dying when he’s actually not; here the tables are turned. Sherlock’s relationship with paternal!Lestrade is super cute, as is Lestrade/John/Mycroft working together to take care of Sherlock.


• Florentine (1,675 words) by shinychimera and yeomanrand
  Gen. An absolutely fascinating and heartrending AU in which Sherlock and John first meet when Sherlock is gravely injured during a rooftop chase. Everything about Sherlock here is perfectly, almost shockingly in character: the things he chooses to text Lestrade, the questions he chooses to ask John, being unable to accept what’s happening because he’s so hopped up on adrenaline. This story moved me a lot. The ending could kind of be left to interpretation…well, I’m choosing to, anyway, but check the warnings just in case.


• A Hairy Situation (2,646 words) by daleksanddetectives
  Gen. Author’s summary: Sherlock is hit on the head and John has to clean him up, finding out something new about his flatmate in the process. Very sweet moment between them, and I love the little secret John discovers.


• In Arduis Fidelis and its sequel Fallout by tukumbe (formerly salr323)
  Gen. Sherlock is shot outside 221B, and when doctoring him, John has flashbacks to his army days. This story-ouch. John is such a BAMF here, taking charge of the situation immediately and efficiently, but also haunted by his past failures and terrified that Sherlock will be another one. And then in the second story, Sherlock has PTSD from the shooting. Two of the most memorable stories ever for me; I’ve read them again and again. Brilliantly characterized.


• It’s a Long Way Until Morning (3,715 words) by beesandbrews
  Gen, could be pre-slash. Authors’ summary: Sherlock’s missing. It’s a barbarous night to be out in the cold. Fortunately for Sherlock, John goes searching anyway. Mmm, yes, a hypothermia story with snuggling for warmth in a cabin during a snowstorm. Delicious and with great attention to medical details.


• Lapse (2,600 words) by frith-in-thorns
  Gen. An exhausted John accidentally leaves an exhausted Sherlock in a cold bath for hours. This is so them, with Sherlock making ridiculous choices and John feeling guilty about them.


• Locked Room Mystery (2,754 words) by 221b-hound
  Gen. Author’s summary: Someone has sent NSY a video of a young boy being held prisoner in a locked room. Sherlock Holmes does not seem very interested in solving the case. Everyone’s about to learn something important, and Donovan's going to have an epiphany she won’t enjoy. What an absolutely fascinating premise, and so, so well done. I totally buy this headcanon about Sherlock’s parents and Donovan, and how this story forces everyone to confront preconceived notions. And finally, I’m beyond delighted at John’s role in this story.


• Lost and Found (2,433 words) by Anonymous Eli
  Gen. Author’s summary: A badly injured Sherlock waits for help to arrive. Naturally, he's more concerned with the whereabouts of his scarf. A brilliant bit of hurt/comfort with some lovely Mycroft-and-Sherlock backstory when Sherlock is forced to call Mycroft after being seriously injured. The disconnect between what Sherlock thinks is happening vs. the reality is particularly moving.


• Lost for Words (57,092 words) by awanderingbard
  Gen. After an assault, Sherlock is left with a traumatic brain injury which affects the right side of his body and his speech patterns. His friends and family all band together to help him make progress toward recovery. Talk about a hurt-comfort epic: this is a very moving and unique story. It’s clear the author put a ton of research into the subject to show Sherlock’s initial issues and the slow progress he makes and the setbacks he faces. Each person’s response to him (Molly, Mrs. Hudson, Mummy, Mycroft, Lestrade, the doctors, his speech therapist, and of course John) is fascinating to read about.


• Major Pieces (31,858 words) by lindentreeisle (Captainblue)
  Gen; reads like canon. Author’s summary: Sherlock knew that he could thoroughly rely upon John Watson’s moral sense. And that’s why he knew that Lestrade was wrong, wrong, wrong. An intricately and lovingly plotted story with chess metaphors and superb characterizations in which John is wrongfully arrested for being a serial killer and Sherlock has to go to extraordinary lengths to solve the case on his own. I just want to quote this whole story back at the author. I’m so amazed that this was written well before Reichenbach aired: I get the same sense of overwhelming frustration and intrigue from this as I did from that episode-we know, and John knows, and Sherlock knows, that John is innocent, but how to prove it when it seems like all of Scotland Yard is against them? And they still have that “100%?” conversation, just in reverse. I love it; do not miss this one.


• The Many Near Misses of Sherlock Holmes (13,530 words) by StoneWingedAngel/bamboo-door
  Gen. Author’s summary: Four times someone said Sherlock would be the death of them, and one time they didn’t. Some lovely hurt/comfort scenarios (my personal favorite was Chapter 4) with John, Greg, and of course Sherlock being hurt and how those around him work to protect him.


• A Measure of Sanity (2,419 words) by antietamfalls
  Gen, pre-John/Sherlock. Sherlock gets shot and doesn’t notice. Thank God John comes home shortly. Have I mentioned how much I adore Sherlock being hurt and doctor!John treating him? Loved this.


• Mozart (3,820 words) by holyfant
  Gen. Author’s summary: John doesn’t want to be, but he’s worried. And he’s worried about Sherlock’s history with drugs, that Sherlock might be using again. This story is beautifully understated and very firmly in-character for both John and especially Sherlock. And lovely cameos from Molly and Mrs. Hudson as well.


• No Incentive So Great (11,981 words) by thisprettywren
  Gen. Sherlock is kidnapped and hurt, and after the ordeal, John helps him begin to recover. And let’s not forget that John is, in fact, one hardcore BAMF. This story was so much fun for a hurt/comfort junkie like myself. And I have such a kink for BAMF!John and John doctoring Sherlock and just everything here. Hugely enjoyable (er, I feel I should apologize to Sherlock for enjoying seeing him put through the wringer. But he just suffers so prettily!)


• Nosce Te Ipsum (4,266 words) by DreamBrother
  Gen. John and Sherlock are kidnapped and forced to play the cabbie’s pill game-against each other. What an idea! Intense and beautiful. Sherlock is brilliantly himself here, and you come to realize that the pill game really is chess. My only issue is that now I desperately need to see this onscreen.


• Not Even Half Time (3,000 words) by lantean-drift
  Gen, possibly pre-John/Sherlock. One possible way the post-Great Game explosion could go, with some superb hurt/comfort when John helps Sherlock recover his breath. Memorable, amusing, dramatic, and moving story.


• Of Secrets and Sherlock (3,787 words) by akisura12
  Gen. Sherlock has a mysterious medical condition that he challenges John to deduce. Oh my goodness, this was so great! It was like John’s own little mystery, trying to find out what’s wrong with Sherlock. Great characterizations, and I ADORE John taking care of an ill Sherlock, so this hit allll my kinks.


• The Qi of Hate and Love (22,502 words) by SailOnSilvergirl
  Gen. Author’s summary: When an ex-con is intent on killing the three witnesses who testified against him, will Sherlock and John (and Mycroft and Lestrade) be able to stop him? The stakes are high - one of the witnesses is a Major Character. This story has a really creepy acupuncture case with mysterious ties to John and Sherlock, with tons of hurt/comfort elements and BAMF!John coming to Sherlock’s rescue. Also, Molly is great here-the author has her awkward dialogue down perfectly. I also love the relationship between the Holmes brothers and the metal detector scene. Quote: Almost in unison, Sherlock and John said to Lestrade, "He needs an ambulance."


• recreational aphasia (827 words) by SarahT (saraht on dreamwidth)
  Gen. John and Sherlock are in the cab back to 221B after three (for John)/four (for Sherlock) days’ sleep deprivation. They’re on the edge of collapse. Such beautiful writing.


• A Relaxing Pasttime (1,127 words) by cyparissus
  Gen. John fulfills every fangirl’s desire to run their hands repeatedly through Sherlock’s curls. Sherlock gets his hair petted and falls asleep in John’s lap. Lovely and fluffy and perfect little story.


• Rescued (2,067 words) by moonblossom
  Gen. Author’s summary: Sherlock sets out to rescue John. But in the end it’s John who rescues Sherlock. YES. Oh my God, this is so perfect. That summary is one of the best!! My heart went out to them both. But my favorite part is how Sherlock's body is more aware of how much he missed John and was worrying about him than his mind had been. And John, the “boulder in the eye of a hurricane.” Perfect.


• Shatter (6,480 words) by StoneWingedAngel (bamboo-door)
  Gen. John punches Sherlock and ends up seriously hurting him. This leads to lots of guilt-ridden angst, hurt/comfort, and protective!Mycroft. Possibly triggering for domestic violence.


• A Significant Man (9,298 words) by thisprettywren
  Moriarty captures John and waits for Sherlock to show up, then spends days torturing a sensory-deprived Sherlock in front of John. Massive warnings for very graphic torture; one of the darker things on this list. My God, this story put me through the wringer. My mouth was mimicking John’s in dryness by the end here, I was so impressed and so haunted. Marvelous writing and characterizations.


• Sherlock vs. the Boat (511 words) by daleksanddetectives
  Gen. A short little piece where Sherlock gets seasick and John takes care of him. Very adorable.


• Stay (1,200 words) by frith-in-thorns
  Gen. Summary: Sherlock is in a bad car accident. Here’s the thing: this author writes some of the best gen hurt/comfort I’ve read in any fandom, and that is up my alley like whoa. I religiously followed her stories in other fandoms and was ever so pleased that she’d turned her skills to Sherlock. She really gets the out-of-body feeling one experiences after suffering pain or trauma and hits the characterizations spot-on at how worried others are for the injured person. Her stories convey so much in such a short space; I’m totally in awe.


• Strong Swimmer (2,180 words) by chappysmom
  Gen, in which Lestrade muses about John rescuing an unconscious Sherlock from the sewers. This kind of stuff is what makes John so fascinating to me, because he hides how much of a badass he is. I adore how protective he is of Sherlock. Delicious.


• System Restart (9,019 words) by Radon65 (also on FF.net)
  Gen. Sally’s perspective on John and Sherlock’s peculiar relationship when Sherlock is unconscious and John’s doing CPR. I really love reading outsider perspectives on John and Sherlock, and I looove hurt/comfort, and this lovely story blends both of those elements to make a very moving story with an interesting case resolution at the same time. Superb characterizations.


• Triage (1,929 words) by morganstuart
  Gen. Sherlock and Lestrade are bleeding to death in an alley when John and Donovan find them. John treats Lestrade and Sally tries to staunch the bleeding from Sherlock’s wound. I loved this story to pieces; it’s what hurt/comfort is all about. My heart was clenching the whole time with worry and love for everyone. Really, really well done, and I was interested in the fact that it’s Sally who’s treating Sherlock, and not John for once.


• A Week in the Country (20,316 words) by chainsaw-poet
  Gen. Sherlock’s sick, and Mycroft sends him with John on a trip to the country to convalesce. Unfortunately, they aren’t quite alone there. This story hit all my trope kinks: sick Sherlock, awesome doctor!John, worried!Mycroft, an interesting case, fun plotting, and lovely characterizations. Really enjoyable story.


• What Friends Do by mariole
  Gen. Directly after the explosion at the pool, John and Sherlock are buried together in the rubble and gravely injured. Lestrade helps dig them out to find that Sherlock has an odd request. I can’t tell you how much I actually wanted there to be an explosion at the end of The Great Game and for Sherlock to be all heroic and try to protect John the only way he could. Plus I’m a hurt/comfort junkie like none other, so this was perfect. The author totally nails the perspectives of John, Sherlock, and Lestrade here.


• When Your Belly’s In the Trench (4,743 words) by morganstuart
  Gen. Author’s summary, can’t beat it: The next time that door opens, John Watson will kill the person on the other side. Holy crap, this story is amazing and terrifying and heartbreaking all at once. The tension! I was literally hooked from the first sentence; I couldn’t stop reading, all breathless. Fascinating premise and fantastic characterization of John, Lestrade, and Mycroft with some fantastic implied hurt/comfort elements. That relationship between John and Sherlock comes shining through like a beacon even though Sherlock doesn’t say a word.


• The Witch’s Heart (54,596 words) by magicbunni
  Gen. A Sherlock-in-university backstory that is just as fabulous, if not more, than the Baker Street series (recced below). What a case. I’m just…breathless with how good this was, how much loving detail and thought the author has put in. How perfectly this backstory fits everything that we know and love about Sherlock and even fills in blanks I didn’t know needed filling-the details about Sherlock’s family life and burgeoning sexuality, the taunts and bullying and also unexpected but deep friendships he forms at school. But at the same time Sherlock’s inherent mystery and fascination are kept alive, raising more questions even as others are answered. And all the while this author’s pacing and hurt/comfort elements are some of the best I’ve ever read. So, so exciting and moving. The fencing match, my God, was just dazzling! And again there are awesome characterizations of everybody, but particularly the female characters. (Also there is more gorgeous art!)


• World Enough, and Time (14,434 words) by StoneWingedAngel (bamboo-door)
  Gen. John and Sherlock are caught in an eternal groundhog day scenario that always ends with them dead. Sherlock has to race against time to solve the case and keep both of them alive. This was such a surprising, exciting, and traumatic story that kept me on the edge of my seat. Seeing all of Sherlock’s emotions from John’s perspective was so heartbreaking. That escalating tension was great. Warning for graphic descriptions of injuries.


• ‘You give me…’ (1,303 words) by ariadnes-string
  Gen. A delightful story in which Sherlock spikes a fever, and John finds himself feeling unexpectedly tender. Hit all my kinks like whoa, why don’t you?! Just perfect hurt/comfort.


• You’re Not Alone (3,362 words) by Lastew/laurtew
  Gen. Sherlock is shot on a case, and Donovan is the one who finds him. Really excellent hurt/comfort between these two, which is great to see. I’m in love with the moment when Sherlock doesn’t realize how badly he’s hurt yet; he still thinks he can sit up and get on with things. I’m so touched that when he finally realizes that he could die, the first thing he thinks of is John and how John would react and how Sherlock must fight to stay alive for John. There’s also lovely accompanying art by khorazir.

::: Other Pairings :::

• The Baker Street Series (199,523 words) by magicbunni
  John/Sarah + Sherlock. A series of breathlessly exciting, astoundingly well-plotted novels (!!) with a very canon take on the relationship between Sherlock and John. It’s a non-slash series, but the author seems to have left those slashy hints intact, which makes this a very interesting read. In terms of adherence to the show’s canon, I particularly enjoy how the author writes the Sherlock actors’ mannerisms and body language and physicality into this-Sherlock clicking his “k,” John rubbing his face, Sherlock holding cellphones under his chin-it makes these stories feel just like an extension of the show, and I appreciate the great attention to detail. I also love the hurt/comfort elements, especially in the first novel, in which Sherlock is shot but refuses to go to the hospital until he solves the mystery and enlists a grudging John and Sarah to help him stay upright. The only thing I don’t like so much is the author’s interchangeable use of the surnames “Holmes” and “Watson” along with “Sherlock” and “John” in the narration, but after getting over that, the series was very enjoyable-and delightfully long with gorgeous artwork! And the characterizations are lovely, of everybody (Sherlock here is to die for) but it’s especially nice to see Sarah and Donovan and other female characters being taken so seriously and developed so well. In the second novel, there’s a female genius named Reese who is fantastic. I can’t tell you how hot it was when she and Sherlock had a hostile battle of deductions, trying to get to the root of each other’s insecurities.


• Can’t Rewind Now We’ve Gone Too Far (111,348 words) by Basser (basserist on tumblr)
  Sherlock/OMC, Sherlock/Victor Trevor. Author’s summary: At age nineteen, Sherlock Holmes dropped out of university to become a drug addict. I just have to talk about this stunning and epic story because it’s absolutely headcanon-defining for Sherlock’s childhood and young adulthood, especially his time doing cocaine. The best depiction of Sherlock and Mycroft’s relationship I’ve read (and there’s one part-the reason Mycroft cannot ever be fully corrupted by power-that made me gasp aloud because it’s so perfect and makes so much sense). But every detail seemed to fit into molding Sherlock to be who he is in canon-plus lots of delicious hurt/comfort-and had perfect descriptions of why Sherlock got into drugs in the first place and how it spiraled out of control. And the OCs are wonderful, especially Eric the pothead. Loved it. Serious warnings for a lot of stuff, including rape, violence, a ton of drug abuse, and implied child abuse. Also cockney accents. I’m actually recommending the entire verse here, found at this link: Can’t Rewind Verse.


• Gloria Scott, or Why Alone Protects Me (4,509 words) by song-lin
  Victor/Sherlock, John/Sherlock. A story about Victor Trevor and how he changed Sherlock’s life (generally not for the better). I’m desperate for clues about Sherlock’s life history-especially ones in which he’s taken advantage of by people he trusts because I’m a sadist like that-so this story filled a huge need of mine with a riveting and rather dark characterization of Victor. Warnings for drug use, unhealthy relationships.


• If You Can’t Move Heaven, Raise Hell (83,084 words) by splix
  John/Sherlock, Ian Adler/Sherlock, John/Ian Adler. This epic story has hot-like-burning genderswap in the form of Victoria Trevor and Ian Adler (played by the lovely Tom Hiddleston in this gif). Sherlock and John go to solve a complex crime in an Italian abbey, complete with monks, Ian Adler, and the Golem. Really, really hot bondage and hurt/comfort ensues. Love this story. Warnings for dubious consent.


• It’s Complicated (17,371 words) by Mistress Scribbles
  Victor Trevor/Sherlock (past), Sarah/John (offscreen). Author’s summary: A case leads Sherlock & John to a Holmes family friend’s mansion, and to an event in Sherlock’s past that he would rather not revisit. But thankfully John and Mycroft were there for Sherlock when he needed them. I loved learning more about Sherlock’s complicated past and seeing how enthusiastically John went along with Sherlock’s plans and supported him. There’s also dancing and playing fake boyfriends, complete with a staged sex scene that I swear is just as hot and loving as a real one. *dies* Warnings for attempted rape, homophobia.


• Naked (6,915 words) by Mistress Scribbles
  John/Sarah, Sherlock/OC. Mmm, several instances of lighthearted Sherlock hurt/comfort all tied up nicely with a funny theme. We get nakedness and fevers and nosebleeds and fights and fainting and delirium and bath-sharing, and it’s all well done and makes me squee. Plus a great characterization of Sarah.

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