We Go Anywhere But to the Ground

Title: We Go Anywhere But to the Ground
Author: geordielover
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock
Warning: R, slash, suicidal (John)
Length: Medium
Status: Completed

Every second that ticks by is a reminder of the deafening quiet Sherlock has left behind. John feels his soul slip out of his fingertips, inch by inch, with every passing day.

At some point, he stops trying to hold on.

AO3

Good story. A nice post-TRF.

Soldiering on Through Friendly Fire

Title: Soldiering on Through Friendly Fire

Author: Schmiezi

Fandom: Sherlock

Characters: John, Sherlock, Moran

Warning: PG-13, violence, suicide (Moran)

Length: Medium

Status: Completed

A shadow from Sherlock's past forces the boys to reunite after the fall.
Set directly after Reichenbach. John is not as unknowing as Mycroft thought, and not as easy to break as Moran thought. Sherlock might not be as unaffected by this caring thing as he thought himself.

AO3

I've taken the liberty to grade this as a friendship fic instead of pre-slash. While there are some hints, I cannot see it as more than the deep friendship John and Sherlock share in canon, too.

It's very interesting to see Sherlock have some history with Moran. Usually, John is the one who was in the army with Moran, or who gets to know him. Somehow, I like the chemistry. Sherlock and Moran were both graspable, and I could imagine it rather well. With all of Moran's obsession.

Got My Eye on You

Title: Got My Eye on You
Author: sevenpercent
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Lestrade, Sherlock, Mycroft, John/Mary, OMC (Sam)
Warning: PG-13, suicidal (Sherlock), illness (Sherlock - autistic), injury (Sherlock)
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing

Lestrade may have only "known" Sherlock for five years when the serial suicide murders started (Study in Pink), but he met him for the first time years before, when Sherlock was only sixteen. This is the story of their journey, both before, during and after. No slash, just friendship


FF

Brilliant paternal!Lestrade fic. Mycroft's a bit on the obsessive-brother spectrum, but I can see where the author is coming from.
It's a very good portray of autism. There's Sam, and there's Sherlock. The disorder is part of the story but it doesn't take over.

Same author as:
Periodic Tales

Be Here Now

Title: Be Here Now
Author: Todesfuge
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, Irene, Mycroft, OMC (James Moriarty)
Warning: NC-17, slash, illness (Sherlock), drug abuse (Sherlock), injury (Irene, John), PTSD (John), suicidal (John), amnesia (John), locked (John)
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing


John Watson was already fighting demons when he and Sherlock met. With Sherlock's suicide, it all comes flooding back, forcing Sherlock to intervene before he's solved the persistent riddles of Jim Moriarty and his game. Together they find that something darker lurks behind Moriarty, forcing Sherlock, John, and Irene Adler into an even deadlier game with a much more dangerous foe.


AO3

Amazing series, for sure.
Todesfuge has got the ability to make the story seem really dense, no matter how long it takes for things to proceed. There are many facettes to this work that make it worthy to be read. There's revenge, love (mutual, unrequited, brotherly), anger, despair, a case of sorts, meeting old friends, saying goodbye to them, mental problems, health issues, recovery, ... and so on. Dense, as I said, but by no means overloaded.

In Between

Title: In Between
Author: Iolre
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, John/Jim, Sherlock/Jim, Mycroft
Warning: R, slash, drug abuse (Sherlock), suicidal (Sherlock)
Length: Novella
Status: Completed

Broken and battered by an old girlfriend, months after he's home from Afghanistan, John is forced to seek refuge at Asylum - a home for men with nowhere else to go. When he meets and begins to bond with his eccentric roommate (who is even more broken than he is), John realizes that maybe - just maybe - he can heal again.


AO3



There is a sequel but I decided to only rec this story. It is much stronger on the impact than the sequel. The sequel's a bit fluffier.

Same author as:
First Meeting

Composing Hallelujah

Title: Composing Hallelujah
Author: Ricechex
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, Mycroft, Irene, Jim, Victor/Sherlock
Warning: NC-17, slash, non-con/(Sherlock), drug abuse (Sherlock), suicidal (John)
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing


Sherlock Holmes is hailed as the world's greatest concert violinist who can't leave off the cocaine and is willing to trade sex and abuse to get it. John Watson is a failed surgeon who, after losing a high profile patient, drinks himself into a stupor and tries to kill himself - but only ends up shooting himself in the shoulder. What happens when they become roommates at Clouds House, a rehab center in beautiful Wiltshire? And what happens after they leave Clouds?


AO3

Consisting of three parts;
The Secret Chord
The Minor Fall
The Major Lift

In terms of an AU, a must-read. There aren't that many well-written Sherlock!musician stories out there. I especially liked the tentative approach Sherlock and John decide on. They are aware of the circumstances and value each other too much to risk their relationship. Similiar to The Baker Street Nativity, Composing Hallelujah is about tackling the obstacles between you, and having the foresight to see the ones coming.


Same author as:
I Don't Speak French

What You're Owed

Title: What You're Oweds

Author: carbonbased

Fandom: Sherlock

Characters: John/Sherlock, Mycroft

Warning: R, slash, child abuse, suicidal(Sherlock, John), drug abuse, character death(John)

Length: Medium

Status: Completed

A package arrives at 221B and the contents send John back almost three years. He never thought he'd hear that voice again.

At AO3

I believe this story has got a sibling. One where John has to find the recordings, though.

Okay, basically Sherlock left John a tape with different voice recordings. John discovers Sherlock's past and that is the truly gorgeous part. I loved how vulnerable Sherlock sounded when spilling his most private memories. I loved John's reaction, I loved how unstable he was - the end was shocking. I thought this would be one of those light-heartened, heart-warming stories. It was. But it also was one of the stories that illustrate how precious our time is, how heart-breaking life can be.

The Fabric of Life

Title: The Fabric of Life

Author: holyfant

Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, John/Mary, Lestrade

Warning: NC-17, suicidal(OC), PTSD (Sherlock)

Length: Novel

Status: Completed

The fabric of life rearranges itself around the re-emergence of Sherlock.

At AO3

This is more about John's and Sherlock's relationship in the beginning than them actually getting together. While John has his issues, especially since Sherlock hurt him with the fake death, he always held feelings for his friend and knows that this is the second chance usually not granted. His therapy group is wonderfully depicted.

Same Author as:

The Speed of Objects in Motion

The Professor

Title: The Professor
Author: Datura_Snape
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall
Warning: PG-13, suicidal, mention of het, character  death (Tobias, Eileen, Rosier), Post-war
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing


Snape's daily struggle with his life after Voldemort's fall. Back at Hogwarts, he is caught up between the students' dissatisfaction, Dumbledore's demands, lawsuits, grief and responsibility.


At AO3

This actually is part of a series, though I only am interested in "The Professor", not in the prequel. Snape's struggle after the war is often let out of fanfictions as Rowling revealed essential details quite late and even then it's up to a lot of speculation. This author managed to make his suffering quite real. While it sometimes seems like he's drowning in the issues around him, the writer succeeds to get him further. He changes, gets back to the surface. Step by step, Snape's turning into whom we know: canon!Snape. The development is very interesting to observe.

Snape: The Home Fries Nazi

Title: Snape: The Home Fries Nazi
Author: pir8fancier
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape/Harry
Warning: NC-17, slash, violence, suicidal (Harry), post-hogwarts, vacation
Length: Medium
Status: Completed



When Harry defeats Voldemort, the Death Eaters lose their magic. Snape decamps to the United States, where he becomes a fry cook in a diner. Seven years after Voldemort's defeat, Harry comes to him for advice.


At SH



I didn't read this, actually I made a wide detour whenever crossing its path. Title just... isn't my cup of tea. Nothing you make fun about. Yet I just had too much time and after getting in touch with pir8fancier's other works, I thought I'd at least give it a chance.
And here you go, a rec. Good, solid work. Nice introperspective (Harry's POV).

Danger Nights

Title: Danger Nights
Author: infinityuphigh
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John, Sherlock, Mycroft
Warning: PG-13, suicidal (Sherlock, John), drug abuse, character death (Sherlock - fall)
Length: Short
Status: Completed


"The five times that John watched over Sherlock/the one time Sherlock did likewise".



At AO3


This is mind-blowing, really. An in-depth character study, focusing on Sherlock's danger nights.
The snippets are more than well-chosen and intriguingly written.

Sins of the Children

Title: Sins of the Children
Author: Mel J1701
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape, Remus
Warning: PG-13, suicidal, injury (coma)
Length: Short
Status: Completed



'He felt dead inside. He was so tired of it all.' In 1976, the attempted suicide of a boy at Hogwarts will haunt the lives around him and the very future itself... 


At FF


I love this story. It's so full of hurt and I really am near tears, even after reading it for the third time in my life.
This belongs to the kind of stories you don't forget.

Come Apart at the Seams

Title: Come Apart at the Seams
Author: harlequindreaming
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock
Warning: R, slash, character death (Sherlock), illness (Sherlock), drug abuse, suicidal
Length: Medium
Status: Completed

Sherlock’s often considered his body and everything else as merely transport for his brain. Then the transport starts to malfunction and everything goes to pieces. Everything comes apart.


At AO3



It's tragic, and sad, and completely unfair.
Nothing to add.
Very similiar to "Alone in the Water".

Control, Alt, Delete

Title: Control, Alt, Delete
Author: MirithGriffin
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock (switch), Sherlock/OMC
Warning: NC-17, slash, suicidal, memory, BDSM
Length: Novella
Status: Completed



If you could delete everything except what was really important, would you? Sherlock and John explore the question and each other. 


At AO3


Another "character study". John's realization that Sherlock's deleting led to his child-like emotional stage, is quite deep, in a way.
The BDSM was nice and well-done, even though this certainly does not qualify as a BDSM story at all. It's one chapter that particularly stands out - and that was fanservice. Yet, this author did better than many others who write stories after stories, or even publish them (like shades).

Unlikely Meeting

Title: Unlikely Meeting
Author: chibistarlyte
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John, Sherlock
Warning: PG-13, suicidal
Length: Short
Status: Ongoing


In which Sherlock tries to step out in front of a train, with unexpected results.


At AO3


Yeah, suicidal Sherlock. In a way, kind of... realistic? In a way.
I loved the idea that John and Sherlock could have met like this. Not in hospital, not in a doctor-patient theme. It makes them... more equal. And Sherlock able to retaliate without being antagonistic.

Homophobia

Title: Homophobia
Author: achievableformofflight
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, Mycroft/Lestrade
Warning: R, slash, character death (Sherlock's fall), suicidal (John - implicitly), AU
Length: Novella
Status: Ongoing


Sherlock and John are discovering each other at a time when homophobia is spreading. John details the descent of their relationship and their attempts to survive in a world which believes them to be 'wrong.' 



At AO3


This is one of the most hard-core AUs I've read. It's dark, it feels real, it hurts to read it, makes your guts crawl in agony. Okay, the characterization is somewhat lacking in some points, e.g. Sherlock's practically a smart kitten and Mycroft a loyal yorkshire terrier.
Still, I love it. I haven't had this "god, bad things coming, bad things there, BAD" feeling since I read Hunger Games I.

Four Corners of the Western World

Title: Four Corners of the Western World
Author: pennypaperbrain
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock
Warnings: NC-17, BDSM,  slash, mental illness (bipolar!Sherlock), suicidal (John + Sherlock), murder
Length: Novella
Status: Completed


Three months after his best friend and unrequited crush apparently committed suicide in front of him, John’s life has been turned upside down again by a voicemail from Sherlock in the US, saying he is covertly tracking down the remains of Moriarty’s network, and asking John to join him.
Two days on, John is on his way to meet Sherlock in Malta. Everything seems to have changed between them: not only is Sherlock being overtly affectionate in his texts, but he quite explicitly wants sex. But there’s just one problem (apart from the small matter of the international assassins etc): Sherlock’s behaviour is getting steadily stranger, even by his standards. John starts to worry his friend may be on drugs again…


At AO3



Personally, I read the second story first and was intrigued. The first one is not necessary to understand the characters' motivations or reasons. The second one stands on its own quite beautifully. I read the first story afterwards and actually was kind of disappointed. It is nicely written but lacks the epic feeling Malta Bright incorporates.
My resumée: read Malta Bright, read it, read it. It contains wonderful done bipolar!Sherlock, medical!John, a dire situation, guns, a healthy portion slash and kink.

Sonata Form

Title: Sonata Form
Author: cj_ludd18
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock, Mycroft
Warning: PG-13, drug abuse, character death, suicidal
Length: Short
Status: Completed



Mycroft Holmes has always revolved his life around that of his little brother, whether he wishes to do so or not.


At LJ


Sherlock's life from Mycroft's view.
Stories like these always make me sympathize with poor Mycroft.

He Does Not Care for Flowers

Title: He Does Not Care for Flowers
Author: Anonymous
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock, John, Lestrade
Warning: PG-13, mental illness (dementia), suicidal
Length: Short
Status: Completed


Sherlock in a nursery home due to early on-set dementia.


At LJ


Another tearjerker.
Honestly, don't read this if you can't deal with the topic. This is written so full of pain, it just... hurts.

A Place for Warriors

Title: A Place for Warriors
Author: owlsaway
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape, Harry, Dumbledore
Warning: PG-13, child abuse, suicidal
Length: Novel
Status: Completed

5th year, Room of Requirements, Occlumency


Dumbledore locks Harry and Snape in the Room of Requirement. Harry's magic works, and Snape's doesn't. Will they kill each other?


At FF


This is not a Room of Requirements Sap Story in which Harry tells Snape that he had been abused by the Dursleys. No. Yes, there's child abuse, yes, they're locked into the Room of Requirements. But it is so much more than it's ingredients.
And do you know what's the most heart-breaking? When Snape realizes how much damage Dumbledore has caused on Harry's soul. Without spoiling too much - that happens after they leave the room.