#favefics2017

[louisfeatharry]

the end of 2017 is nearing, and while one direction may have gone on hiatus two years ago, fandom participation has stayed strong, particularly in fanfiction! for those of you who are following me, you’ll know that i’ve read a lot this year, and i love rec-ing fics whenever i can. so i thought i’d share my list of my favorite fics from this past year. 

and thus! here is part one of my list of my favorite fics from 2017!

note: all fics listed have been completed in 2017, although some may have started in previous years.

in alphabetical order:

Atlas At Last by louisandthealien

Be Still by thisonegoes

Black with Autumn Rain by whimsicule

Cold Little Heart by seducedbycurls

cupid’s defence by harbb

Deuxsphere by sweetlullabies

Emperor’s New Clothes by sunsetmog

got the sunshine on my shoulders by hattalove

Homegrown by casuallyhl

It Comes and Goes in Waves/It Always Does by roaroftheninth

keep the light on by renlyne

Life Was a Song, You Came Along by rainbowninja167

like a boomerang by youwilll

Like an Endless Summer by objectlesson

Looking Through You by allwaswell16

all information on the fics is under the cut.

Atlas At Last by louisandthealien [@louisandthealien] (83k) Harry/Louis, 1970s AU, road trip, ot5 friendship, strangers to friends to lovers

He doesn’t know what he had been expecting out of the road trip itself besides burping contests and too much shitty gas station food with Oli and Stan, but in the brief moment before Harry ambles up his driveway, Louis idly wonders if this is about to become some sort of Gay Coming of Age story.

Maine to California in ten days. In which Zayn’s an open-shirt hippie they meet somewhere in Ohio, Liam’s the pastor’s son running away from home, and Niall’s the number they call on the bathroom wall.

It’s 1978. Harry and Louis are just trying to get to San Fran in time for the Queen concert.

⇨  read on ao3

Be Still by thisonegoes [@this-onegoes] (150k) Zayn/Harry, murder mystery, detective AU, hurt/comfort

Zayn hears the telltale sound of stretcher wheels bouncing up over a weather strip. A tech backs out of the door first, as both Zayn and Harry turn to watch. They wheel the black body bag out and lift it down the stairs, to take her away. She's officially cleared for transport, no longer a resident of the household. She's now just a corpse wrapped in plastic.

When they finally turn back to one another, Harry blinks and then shatters into pieces.

Detective Zayn AU.

⇨  read on ao3

Black with Autumn Rain by whimsicule [@whimsicule] (93k) Harry/Louis, magical realism, thriller

“Thank you,” Geoff says, taking a sip of his tea. “What did you tell him?”

Louis has a sip as well, lets the tea burn down his throat too quickly, too hot, and he feels it all the way down to his stomach. “The truth. Essentially,” he replies after a moment, licking his lips, relishing the slightly bitter taste of the brew that’s never quite strong enough for Louis’ liking. At least it’s not decaf. “That my dog scented it. That I didn’t touch the body. That I came here first thing.”

Geoff nods pensively. “Did he believe you?”

“Probably not. There’s only so many people who can drown on dry land before it gets fishy.”

or: Harry is a journalist, Louis has lots of secrets and the moors aren't exactly the ideal place to rekindle a lost romance.

⇨  read on ao3

Cold Little Heart by seducedbycurls [@seduced-by-curls] (194k) Harry/Louis, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, werewolves, hurt/comfort

Louis is a soft omega with an abusive past and an alpha child.

A few months after getting a divorce, Louis meets Harry, an ex-military alpha wolf that offers him something -odd.

In exchange for teaching him how to cook, Harry will babysit his son, Abraham.

Louis really could use the help.

⇨  read on ao3

cupid’s defence by harbb (116k) Harry/Louis, Cupid AU, lawyer AU, fantasy & supernatural

In which Harry is Cupid, Louis and Liam own a law firm, and they're all getting sued.

⇨  read on ao3

Deuxsphere by sweetlullabies (156k) Harry/Louis, college/university AU, soulmates/soulmate-identifying marks AU, enemies to friends to lovers

The way the vines of the rose curled around the sharp straightness of the dagger was an image that was going to be forever embedded into his mind. The longer Harry craned his neck to look at it in the mirror, the more he realized—it was fucking creepy. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out why it was there, or why humans decided to make it mean something.

Harry's first year at uni is guaranteed to be a breeze as long as he stays focused, steers clear of flying footballs, and completely avoids boys who are in bands.

⇨  read on ao3

* as a note, this is my favorite fic of 2017.

Emperor’s New Clothes by sunsetmog [@magicalrocketships] (92k) Harry/Louis, famous/nonfamous AU, exes to lovers, secret relationship

The fact that Louis’s most precious belonging was a cat with a face like thunder and an uncanny ability to cover every single inch of Louis’s clothing with cat hair was something that Louis chose not to think about too much.

or: Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship.

⇨  read on ao3

got the sunshine on my shoulders by hattalove [@hattalove] (124k) Harry/Louis, famous/nonfamous AU, exes to lovers, Sweet Home Alabama AU

five years ago, harry styles left his tiny home town to make it big as a recording artist. he didn't have much regard for what he left behind - a life, a family, and a husband, who woke up one morning to find him gone.

now, harry has everything he could possibly want: he's rich, famous, and adored by everyone he meets, including his boyfriend. but when said boyfriend proposes to him, he's forced to face the uncomfortable facts of his past - and louis, who's spent the last five years returning every set of divorce papers harry sent him.

(or, an au based on the movie sweet home alabama.)

⇨  read on ao3

Homegrown by casuallyhl [@casuallyhl] (51k) Harry/Louis, gardens & gardening, strangers to friends to lovers

“It wasn’t an easy decision, if I’m honest,” Harry admits, shoulders sagging in on himself. “Moving is really difficult. My whole life was in Manchester. But Manchester didn’t want me. Leeds did.”

“Well, Leeds is happy to have you,” Louis says, giving Harry a kind smile.

Harry brightens a bit at that, undeniably pleased. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Louis replies, expression soft and lips curved.

Or, a gardening AU where Harry is new to town and the newest volunteer at the local gardening club, Louis is the attractive grandson of one of the members, and the nosy volunteers hatch a plan to get them together.

⇨  read on ao3

It Comes and Goes in Waves/It Always Does by roaroftheninth [@almost-a-class-act] (50k) Harry/Louis, World War II AU, post-war AU

“He says that he’s grateful for that ending, because he always wanted to imagine it like that and you were always a better storyteller than he was. But that’s not the ending that should be published, because it’s not the truth.”

Summary: It is 1953; Louis makes that nine years since they won the war (eight if you count the Americans, which he never does). His first novel, a best-seller set during wartime, is due for a sequel - but Louis doesn't want to face the ending.

⇨  read on ao3

keep the light on by renlyne [@daretomarvel] (43k) Harry/Nick Grimshaw, canon compliant, future fic, friends to lovers

but·ter·fly ef·fect noun 1. (with reference to chaos theory) the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. 2. a cumulatively large effect that a very small or seemingly insignificant natural force may produce over a period of time.

In which Harry Styles tears up over glitter, and Nick Grimshaw’s life becomes immeasurably more complicated.

Or: it’s 2020, and really, better late than never.

⇨  read on ao3

Life Was a Song, You Came Along by rainbowninja167 [@rainbowninja] (37k) Harry/Louis, Singin’ in the Rain AU, famous/nonfamous AU

It's embarrassing how long it takes Louis to recognize his own song. Niall had sung it as a bright, hopeful love song, and that’s honestly how Louis had always assumed it should sound. But this new voice, slow and rough, stripped of any backing instrument, has infused the lyrics with just the tumultuous mix of fear and defiance that Louis can remember so clearly from the night he wrote them. It’s not a comfortable thing, to feel like someone is singing all your secrets back to you.

Louis is a songwriter trapped in a lie that could ruin his best friend's career. Harry owns a record store, distrusts everyone in the music industry on principle, but loves Niall Horan's newest album. A modern retelling of Singin' in the Rain.

⇨  read on ao3

like a boomerang by youwilll (51k) Harry/Louis, college/university AU, Groundhog Day AU, pining

AU in which Harry gets trapped in a lift, Louis gets stuck in a Wednesday, and it's always February 2nd. Until it isn't.

⇨  read on ao3

Like an Endless Summer by objectlesson (87k) Harry/Louis, summer camp AU, friends to lovers

“You just wanna go fawn over Styles as soon as possible,” Zayn grumbles.

“I do not. Plus, he probably got ugly this year. Eighteen is an awkward time...I bet he’s got acne and one of those terrible fuckboy haircuts all the hipsters are getting these days, with the shaved sides? Just watch, the first year we’re gonna get any time together is gonna be the first year I don’t have a stupid crush on him.”

---

Or, Louis is a riding instructor at a summer camp, and Harry is a fellow counselor who he’s been successfully managing his crush on for the last two summers. That is, until Harry shows up this year leveled up and lethal, and all Louis’s formerly perfected veneer of nonchalance melts like a popsicle in the sun.

⇨  read on ao3

Looking Through You by allwaswell16 [@allwaswell16] (41k) Harry/Louis, famous/nonfamous AU, roommates, friends to lovers

Just as Louis and Liam were starting out in the music industry, writing and producing for up and coming artists, a fateful meeting with new pop singer Harry Styles changes everything. Four years later, just as Harry is set to embark on his next world tour, a drunken confession causes a rift between once inseparable friends. As Harry tries to make sense of his feelings for Louis, he begins writing his next album to express them as it may be the only way to break through the walls that Louis has built between them.

⇨  read on ao3

and that’s it for part one! part two will be coming out soon! x

credits for resources in banner: saturnthms (gradient), resourcescollection (galaxy texture), & kaeveeoh-art (speech bubble animation)

[louisfeatharry]

today’s new year’s eve, and i’ve already given 15 of my favorite fics from this year! you can see that list here. 

and thus! here is part two of my list of my favorite fics from 2017!

note: all fics listed have been completed in 2017, although some may have started in previous years.

in alphabetical order:

Paint Me In A Million Dreams by green_feelings

Perfect Storm by cherrystreet

pray for some sweet simplicity by delsicle

rivers ‘til i reach you by embodied

Runaway Land by daggerinrose

Say Hallelujah, Say Goodnight by alivingfire

some velvet morning, years too late by tintedglasses

start me over by camiii

Tainted Spirits for Three by sweetlullabies

Tell Me How To Feel About You Now by justyrae

The End Should Be A Good One by bananasandboots

the wonderlands by stylinsoncity

Through Eerie Chaos by MediaWhore

Walk That Mile by purpledaisy

You’re A Universe by Jiksa

all information on the fics is under the cut.

Paint Me In A Million Dreams by green_feelings [@greenfeelings​] (110k) Harry/Louis, fake relationship, enemies to friends to lovers

Harry's one of Hollywood's biggest actors, has made a name for himself in prestigious films and lives the life of a superstar. There's just one thing missing to make it picture-perfect, but the one Harry's in love with is completely out of reach for him. Enter Louis, one of Hollywood's biggest actors himself, who just came out of the closet and taps new genres in the industry. When Louis sacks the role Harry auditioned for in Scorsese's next big film, their irrational feud starts. Who could have guessed it would get even worse when for promo season, their teams decide to present them as a couple for publicity?

In short, Harry's in love with someone and doesn't care about dating anyone else, Louis never felt home in L.A., Liam writes love songs for someone he shouldn't write love songs to, and Niall makes everything better with good food.

⇨  read on ao3

Perfect Storm by cherrystreet [@cherrystreet​] (80k) Harry/Louis, fake relationship, exes to lovers

What do you do when your best friend asks you and your (now) ex to be the best men at his destination wedding? You can either tell him the truth, tell him you’re not together anymore, and deal with the consequences, or you can pretend you’re still together and roll with it, just pray you don’t spiral. Fake it ‘til you make it. You know, for the sake of the wedding.

Harry and Louis choose the latter.

⇨  read on ao3

pray for some sweet simplicity by delsicle [@emperorstyles​] (237k) Harry/Louis, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, sports, enemies to lovers, secret relationship

Louis is the only omega to ever make it in the cut-throat world of competitive motorcycle racing—that is, he would be if anyone actually knew about his identity. Now, his sights are set towards competing in—and winning—the European Grand Prix, the biggest and most difficult race of the entire year, so he can disappear underground for good. He’s close enough, too, until an alpha sports journalist is assigned to follow Louis’s every move as he prepares for the event of his career.

Or, an AU where motorcycle racing is the biggest sport in a heavily divided world, Louis is trying to take control of his own destiny, and Harry is in for more than he bargained for.

⇨  read on ao3

rivers ‘til i reach you by embodied [@crossnecklace​] (29k) Harry/Louis, friends to lovers, friends with benefits

Louis can’t begin to understand how he’s always this close and still can’t manage to make Harry his. He stands up and gets another beer. 

AU. Louis studies astronomy; Harry studies Louis. They spend their summers on the water and it shouldn't be complicated (spoiler: it is).

⇨  read on ao3

Runaway Land by daggerinrose [@thetommmo​] (103k) Harry/Louis, modern Greek mythology AU, enemies to friends to lovers, slow burn

Louis is sure he’s stumbled upon a secret, underground nightclub, though that is far from the truth. He’s also pretty sure he’s stumbled upon Apollo, which… isn’t very far from the truth, actually.

Modern Greek mythology AU.

⇨  read on ao3

Say Hallelujah, Say Goodnight by alivingfire [@alivingfire​] (110k) Harry/Louis, angels & demons AU, fantasy & supernatural, historical AU

Louis is an angel who is just a little too bad to be good, Harry is a demon who is just a little too good to be bad, and they're both a little too in love to be impartial when angels and demons go to war. 

Louis has been alive since life was a mere concept; he watched the summoning of Man into existence, he was there when Eve took the apple. He’s seen seas break the world into separate pieces, he’s watched empires crumble into dust. He’s seen wildfire consume cities, he’s seen the world painted white with snow. He has known the most beautiful humans to walk the planet, he has watched the most powerful mortals gather their riches and influence around them and then die just like the poorest, weakest humans do. He’s met humans whose motives defy explanation, people who use their lives as battering rams, as tools, as weapons, as chess pieces.

None of that stopped Louis in his tracks.

But Harry did.

⇨  read on ao3

some velvet morning, years too late by tintedglasses [@tintedglasses​] (35k) Louis/Nick Grimshaw, famous/non-famous, secret marriage, exes to lovers

A better adult probably would have changed their emergency contact information once they had convinced said contact that they wanted nothing to do with them, but Louis had never been very good at proper adult things. Besides, it’s not like he thought he’d ever need it.

Or: Louis wakes up in the hospital with unfinished business at his bedside. Turns out Nick has some unfinished business, too.

⇨  read on ao3

start me over by camiii [ @camiii​ ] (44k) Louis/Nick Grimshaw, travel rep AU, enemies to lovers

"Nick’s funny when he’s not being a knob, and has good taste in music and Louis really likes his hands. Not to mention that he’s tall, tall enough to have made Louis spend a minute or two imagining what it would be like to have Nick pin him to a flat surface and snog him senseless. The only thing keeping him from a full grown crush at this point is sheer will and the threat of humiliation. 

So, Nick’s a dickhead but unfortunately Louis is kind of into that."

⇨  read on ao3

Tainted Spirits for Three by sweetlullabies (80k) Harry/Louis, Louis/Zayn, high school AU, love triangles

Louis was walking alongside the bleachers when an orange flying object nearly took his head off. Well, it missed, but it was still pretty close, and it hit the bleachers and bounced around before rolling to a stop. Louis turned in the direction the ball came from, in order to see who this was that had decided to kill him.

“Sorry,” Harry said, scratching at his curls. “I just, uh…lost control.”

or the au where Harry loves Louis, and Zayn does too, which results in confusion that tests Louis' relationships with both.

⇨  read on ao3

Tell Me How To Feel About You Now by justyrae [@imlouisaf​] (38k) Harry/Louis, college/university AU, famous/nonfamous, friends to lovers

Louis thought it would feel different once he got to LA. He knew it was best for him; a fresh start as far away as he could get. But when the plane touched down and he stepped out into the hot air around LAX, Louis felt exactly the same.

There's still a hole in his chest where his heart used to be; ripped away even after trying for so many years to keep it from happening. He knows it's not all his fault, not by a mile, but it doesn't stop him from blaming himself for it all going wrong.

If he'd just stayed strong, if he'd said no when he said yes, maybe everything would be different.

Or, Harry has been trying to convince Louis to date him for years, but Louis has always been wary of Harry’s fairly obvious commitment issues. Louis eventually gives him a chance, opening his heart up to the one thing he fears.

⇨  read on ao3

The End Should Be A Good One by bananasandboots [@anylessreal​] (43k) Harry/Louis, exes to lovers

It doesn't feel like falling in love, the way it had felt the first time around, easy, simple, almost like floating, wrapped up in a whirlwind of touches and kisses, late nights spent laughing breathlessly into each other's skin. This feels broken, complicated, like every move carries the weight of their past. Like the floorboards beneath them could collapse at any moment. This doesn't feel good.

Or, the one where Harry loses the love of his life on New Years Eve and finds him again, six months later, ready to open some poorly-stitched wounds.

⇨  read on ao3

the wonderlands by stylinsoncity [@aliensingucci​] (150k) Harry/Louis, famous/nonfamous, music industry AU

"Somewhere between chaos and control — these are the wonderlands."

Harry's daughter, Andy, is signed to Louis' girl band. Her path to success is marked by competition, chaos, and for Harry, a love affair.

⇨  read on ao3

Through Eerie Chaos by MediaWhore [@mediawhorefics​] (102k) Harry/Louis, ghost hunters AU, fantasy & supernatural, historical AU

For as long as anyone can remember, Old Hillsbridge Manor has always been believed to be haunted. Everyone in the village agrees and keeps a respectful, fearful, distance. New in town after a bad breakup and an internship that led to disappointment rather than a permanent job, Harry Styles figures taking pictures of the decrepit building could be a great new creative project. Or at least a much-needed distraction while he searches for a job and crashes at his parents’ new house. No one warned him about the apparitions though; about the music, the laughter, the people who flicker and vanish when you call after them, the echoes of a past that should be long gone… Harry has never believed in spirits but even he can admit that there’s something weird going on. What starts as mere curiosity evolves into a full-blown investigation and soon enough, Harry finds himself making friends with an aristocrat from the 1920s and struggling with finding the best way to tell him that he’s dead.

The Ghost Hunter AU where Niall lives to prove ghosts are real, Zayn is a skeptical librarian and Harry gets caught up in a century-old mystery and catches feeling in the process.

⇨  read on ao3

Walk That Mile by purpledaisy [@daisyharry​] (149k) Harry/Louis, road trip AU, college/university AU, strangers to enemies to friends to lovers

Harry stares at him, the line of his jaw standing out scarily. “I wanted to get the most out of this trip so I planned it carefully.” His voice is low and steady and somehow that’s worse than when he was yelling. “So far, you’ve put your sticky fingers on everything I’ve tried to do.”

“Sticky fingers?” Louis repeats, offended. “Are you saying it’s my fault you got stung by a bee? Had you been alone you would have gotten halfway to the Dotty Diner and ran the car off the road because of an allergic reaction, so don’t go blaming me.”

“Polk-A-Dot Drive In,” Harry spits before getting out of the car. He slams the door shut with a deafening reverb and Louis rolls his eyes.

-

A Route 66 AU where falling in love was never part of the plan.

⇨  read on ao3

You’re A Universe by Jiksa [@jiksax​] (15k) Harry/Louis, established relationship, angst

Harry doesn’t ever mean to hurt him; Louis doesn’t know how to tell him that it’s the only thing he ever does anymore.

Or, Louis’s a stay-at-home dad in London and Harry’s a business expat in Qatar. Louis doesn’t know how much longer their marriage can survive the distance.

⇨  read on ao3

and that’s it for 2017! here’s to more amazing fics in 2018!

credits for resources in banner: saturnthms (gradient), resourcescollection (galaxy texture), & kaeveeoh-art (speech bubble animation)