Glee Rec List
So. I’m a Kurtsie through and through - I don’t get involved in ship wars and I won’t. This is a list of some of my favourite fics in the Glee fandom - they all centre around Kurt. I’ve found it progressively more difficult to find Kurt-centric fics, so I figured going through and making this list would make me feel better. :)
Glee Recommendations
I must also include a general warning: I love whump and angst -- if you have triggers it would be prudent to read the warnings in the fics because I don't know if I will remember to warn for all in this post.
One Quick Look (As Each of Them Leaves You) by niblettk (20,042)
Summary: Kurt realizes very suddenly that he's lost the closest thing to a best friend he's ever had. As if that wasn't enough to send him spiralling into depression, the bullying increases on every front. Kurt finds it more difficult to deal every day, slowly losing his grip on the tiny glimmer of happiness he'd managed to attain.
This fic is wonderful. I’ve written about depression before, and this fic really highlights the desperation involved.
There is a companion piece to One Quick Look:
Guilt by niblettk (1,334)
Summary: Burt comes home to find Kurt in a position no parent wants to think about and immediately thinks of a boy he used to know.
Selfish by lifeluver (3,629)
Summary: Because the only think more selfish than grief is the way people react to it.
Kurt/Artie friendship fic - this really is an adorable and lovely coda to Grilled Cheesus.
Oh What a Circus by merkintosh (1,068)
Summary: Kurt decides to go to a gay bar. Things happen.
This lovely little gem is based on this image.
What You Don’t Know Can’t Hurt You by lkgator19 (Short)
Excerpt: “Kurt’s had the gun since he was thirteen. It was the year they started getting the threatening phone calls, the bricks through the windows, and the detailed letters in their mailbox.”
Must warn again for suicidal themes. A game of truth-or-dare shifts in mood very quickly and the Warblers get more than they had anticipated.
Hanging By a Moment by vccv (6,200)
Summary: It’s not always just yesterday’s gravy and banana peels.
This one is chock-full of whump and angst. Has some wonderful Puck moments, too.
Sugar Spell It Out by notfar (43,143)
Summary: this prompt at the glee_angst_meme.
So. much. angst. But it’s beautiful. Includes Kurt and Brittany in a very bad situation - watch out for non-con, violence and torture.
Light My Fire by fabfemmeboy (3,000)
Summary: Finn's first time seeing Kurt get drive-by water-ballooned. He's just not sure why the balloons smell funny. Or why the dude also threw a box of matches.
Just - ouch. Such a horrifying thing to have happen, and Finn’s reactions are very well written - Kurt’s are too, but they are heartbreaking to the nth.
What You Been Feeling Deep Inside by nielrian (10,500)
Summary: Blaine is a happy drunk, Kurt is a teenage boy, Dave feels like he’s in a horror movie, and Kurt ends up in Dave’s bed, but not in the way that you think.
Drunk Kurt and an encounter (that doesn’t go downhill) with Dave Karofsky. Very nicely done.
Take Me Away and Take Me Farther by lls_mutant (8,200)
Summary: Going to a club in New York during Nationals seemed like a great idea at the time… until it turned into a nightmare for Kurt.
This is really terrifying, and the prompt was filled wonderfully by the author. You can almost feel the crowd around you and the helplessness of Blaine.
You're Left Only On Your Own by miggy (20,100)
Summary: At a late practice one night, Rachel and Kurt are almost killed. Things get worse from there.
This is wonderful - this fic is more than just whump (even though I love that, too… hehe) - it is filled with character interaction and intrigue.
Pick Up Right Where We Left by lookninjas (3,474)
Summary: Sooner or later, someone's gonna stop him.
raokhshna summed this up perfectly, so I’m going to use that :P “Wonderful fic from Karofsky's point of view, when he's going to Dalton to... he doesn't exactly knows why, but he goes. A bit angsty, but no whump, non-con, or anything of the sort. Just a bit of angst.”
Unfair by miggy (11,000)
Summary: He hadn't meant to put Hummel in a coma, he hadn't meant to become a poster boy for bullying, and he definitely hadn't meant to wind up on the national news
Heh - yet again I’m, going to let raokhshna do the talking: “GREAT fic. I cannot rec it enough.”
I Don’t Know How This Started, So I Won’t Know When It’s Done by niniblack (18,000)
Summary: Kurt can’t remember where he’s been for the last three weeks. There’s probably a good reason for that.
As raokhshna said, a “great, great read!” Look out for non-con and violence, though :)
Images of Broken Lights by miggy (45,000)
Summary: Finn and Kurt are kidnapped and put into a room studded with cameras. They begin to learn what it means to no longer be in control of their own lives.
This is a beautiful story that spans their capture, imprisonment and eventual rescue. I followed this on the angst meme as it was posted and loved every single word.
Of Break-Ins and Survival by scribblethis1 (~12,000)
Summary: Burt and Kurt are working late at the garage. Enter: Criminal with a gun.
I’m also going to direct ya’ll to the picspam scribblethis1 did - it’s a beautiful thing, indeed! You can find it HERE.
Pretty Woman by triddlegrl (Long)
Summary: Dear reader, you know that story about the prostitute who gets saved by the pretty boy who can't help but love her? This isn't that story, but it's mine. Signed, anonymous.
This is a really quite wonderful read - plenty of angst to go around and engaging. Warning for prostitution and non-con.
The Weight of the World and sequel Weightless by bellinaball (12,764 + 167,017)
Summary: Blaine's parents have given him a present. No matter what Kurt tells him, Blaine knows that his gift isn't a person.
I read The Weight of the World on the angst meme when it was first posted and loved it - the sequel definitely lives up to the high standard set. I wouldn’t recommend starting to read this at night; I didn’t sleep once I started (it actually reminded me of reading the Sacrifices series by Lightning on the Wave in the Harry Potter fandom - lots of sleepless nights there, too). Too much awesome to comprehend here, although I must warn for heaps of angst and non-con.
Just a little further to your town (+sequels) by rikke_leonhart (~23,000)
Summary: Kurt doesn't wait until February to tell Blaine he's in love with him. AU after 2x08. Angst galore.
This is beautiful. The amount of angst, how it rips at your heart, is out of this world.
For Which I Have to Howl by emilianadarling (48,500+)
Summary: Werewolf AU. Tension is rising in the pack, and having the very-human Kurt Hummel come to visit his brother and boyfriend is putting a strain on everyone. Having Blaine and Kurt mate should help the problem, but the process proves to be more complicated - both physically and emotionally - than either of them could have imagined.
Just read it. I cannot express my love for this story in words. Watch out for dub-con.
A Standard Affair by greenglowsgold (2,305)
Summary: Finn and the guys hear a disturbing message left on the answering machine. They can’t understand why Kurt isn’t taking it seriously.
I absolutely adore how this isn’t over-done. The reactions are lovely.
WIPs
If you like crossovers and you don’t mind following works in progress, these stories by koinaka are wonderful. Just give them a try!
Life or Something Like It
Summary: When Kurt and Blaine set out from Lima on a cross-country road trip with the intention of gaining some valuable life experiences, Kurt had no idea that he would be gaining a whole new life.
The Transiency of Love
Summary: Kurt was trying to get through the summer. Sam was trying to forget. Neither of them expected to fall in love.
Bleeding Heart, Vanishing Soul
Summary: A year after Kurt's husband vanished without a trace, he returns bringing with him demons, angels, and the impending Apocalypse.
Of Fathers and Sons
Summary: Kurt always knew that his dad was keeping a secret from him. When his dad goes missing, he'll discover just how big that secret was.
The Coming of the End
Summary: As the battle between heaven and hell begins, the Winchesters gain an unexpected ally.
A big thank-you to raokhshna and kitkat1327 for the input!