One Direction recs
More updates behind the cut (and added to the masterpost). Behind the cut: 8 Harry/Nick, 2 Louis/Nick, 1 Liam/Louis, 1 Harry/Zayn, 1 multiship, 2 OT5ish.
Harry/Nick
And Then You Became Real and It Was Awful, by blueandbrady, 12k. Nick wants Harry, but won't agree to being in a relationship with him--even when Harry hits on him--because he thinks it will end badly. This one's interesting because most fics like this just have the other party doggedly pursue the unsure party until they're won over, but this one actually goes through some moments of discomfort and anger between them because of how Nick's behaving, which seemed, to me, more realistic. Plus, I just like stories where Nick and Harry interact a lot!
Forget Lines in the Sand, Let's Make Ourselves a Box, by celestical, 8k. Nick turned Harry down when Harry was 17, and Harry thinks that's the final word until it isn't. Cute awkward conversations and then hot sex.
untitled ficlet, by dutty, 3k. So many magazine articles have come out saying Harry's bi that he starts to wonder if he actually might be. Some funny character interactions, and a nice sex scene with inexperienced-with-blokes Harry.
words, words, words, by mrsronweasley, 6k. Super hot D/s DP-with-a-sex-toy PWP; very in character, sort of tender and affectionate in all the right ways.
nostos, by velvet_tuberose, 7k. Nick starts dating because he's lonely, and Harry wishes Nick would date him instead. Not as angsty as it sounds, though there's some pining; Harry and Nick together are cute and sweet and funny, and the ending was nice, too.
from the rooftops, by Verbyne, 5k. AU-ish, where Nick and the clique are less famous and more into a heavy party style than they really are (with lots of drug use etc), and Harry's a young thing who has a one-night stand with Henry and then sticks around. I described this in my notes as "Harry on a slow train to trouble", which is basically it--regardless of how the story itself ends, it's clear this universe won't have a happy ending for everyone. Gorgeous writing and plausible characterizations, though, and that kind of ironclad Nick and Harry sympatico stuff that's great in any universe.
nowhere better than this place, by waspabi, 29k. Nick's a fashion reporter who goes to visit an elderly relative in the country; Harry's the local farm boy who helps out sometimes. This one's kind of interesting in how it echoes the development of their real-life friendship, only in a different place and setup with different constraints on the characters (and, of course, with added hot sex). Very funny, too, and quite romantic in its own way.
use your hands and my spare time, by zeldamonkey, 5k. Super hot and very funny Nick/Harry handjobs PWP.
Louis/Nick
set the pace, by flimsy, 34k. Louis and Harry are roommates; Harry's an intern at Radio 1. He hosts a dinner for his work friends, which turns out to involve Nick, whom Louis had had a one night stand with. This is a pretty angsty one, where Louis has kind of a low opinion of himself, which isn't helped by the way he and Nick go about trying to have a relationship. But the characters feel very lived-in and very real.
Not Your Fault But Mine, by sunsetmog, 127k. University AU, in which Louis has a major depressive episode. This is really, really good, with good versions of all the characters and realistic responses from everyone. I read it when I was having a pretty major anxiety flare-up, though, and let me say that that was a really dumb idea--this story gets very into Louis's head, and it was not a good two days for me as I was reading this, even if I was moved by the emotional arcs of the characters. So if you're in a good mental place, this has some great stuff in it, and it's an interesting exploration of what depression looks like from the inside out; if you're not in a good mental place, I would probably save this for when you are. A tough read, but rewarding.
Liam/Louis
Like You Made Me Feel When We Were, by harriet_vane, 18k. Liam and Louis were best friends growing up, then Louis moved to London and cut off all contact. But then, finally, he comes home for a visit, and Liam tries to avoid him but can't. Lovely achey angst, and an interesting version of the Liam and Louis relationship that I liked quite a bit.
Harry/Zayn
If You Wanna Find Love, by cantgetnoworse, 39k. A university AU where Zayn's an art student and his friend Harry is in a bad relationship; when Zayn helps him out, Zayn and Harry start to become closer. This one talks about Zayn's religion and its importance to him more than most fics I read, though still not to a huge extent. Also deals with lots of internalized shame about queerness. The prose is pretty interesting, too, it's a little outside the norm for fanfic writing. Primary Zayn/Harry, but includes some Zayn/OFC and Harry/OMC, neither of which is, ah, an ideal relationship.
Multiple ships
untitled ficlet, by ymorton, 2k. Mostly Nick/Harry with some implied or possibly unrequited Harry/Niall; Niall overhears Harry having phone sex with Nick. Pretty hot, and it's kind of interesting being in Niall's head for this scene.
Threesomes and Moresomes
All In, by Becka, 10k. Louis is in a relationship with Niall, and admits to him that he'd like to be fucked by everyone in the band, so Niall sets it up as a birthday present. A good, hot group sex fic, but also some good emotional stuff--the relationships between the band members are individualized nicely, and all of them (especially Niall) take care of Louis emotionally as well as physically.
Fevered, by cyclogenesis, 8k. Not quite an OT5 gangbang, but something like that: exhibitionist sex between subgroups of the band, when they're all in the same room after a show. Super hot, and some extremely amusing characterizations (Harry and Louis's relationship in particular). In that nice bunch-of-weirdos characterization zone that I really like.
Harry/Nick
And Then You Became Real and It Was Awful, by blueandbrady, 12k. Nick wants Harry, but won't agree to being in a relationship with him--even when Harry hits on him--because he thinks it will end badly. This one's interesting because most fics like this just have the other party doggedly pursue the unsure party until they're won over, but this one actually goes through some moments of discomfort and anger between them because of how Nick's behaving, which seemed, to me, more realistic. Plus, I just like stories where Nick and Harry interact a lot!
Forget Lines in the Sand, Let's Make Ourselves a Box, by celestical, 8k. Nick turned Harry down when Harry was 17, and Harry thinks that's the final word until it isn't. Cute awkward conversations and then hot sex.
untitled ficlet, by dutty, 3k. So many magazine articles have come out saying Harry's bi that he starts to wonder if he actually might be. Some funny character interactions, and a nice sex scene with inexperienced-with-blokes Harry.
words, words, words, by mrsronweasley, 6k. Super hot D/s DP-with-a-sex-toy PWP; very in character, sort of tender and affectionate in all the right ways.
nostos, by velvet_tuberose, 7k. Nick starts dating because he's lonely, and Harry wishes Nick would date him instead. Not as angsty as it sounds, though there's some pining; Harry and Nick together are cute and sweet and funny, and the ending was nice, too.
from the rooftops, by Verbyne, 5k. AU-ish, where Nick and the clique are less famous and more into a heavy party style than they really are (with lots of drug use etc), and Harry's a young thing who has a one-night stand with Henry and then sticks around. I described this in my notes as "Harry on a slow train to trouble", which is basically it--regardless of how the story itself ends, it's clear this universe won't have a happy ending for everyone. Gorgeous writing and plausible characterizations, though, and that kind of ironclad Nick and Harry sympatico stuff that's great in any universe.
nowhere better than this place, by waspabi, 29k. Nick's a fashion reporter who goes to visit an elderly relative in the country; Harry's the local farm boy who helps out sometimes. This one's kind of interesting in how it echoes the development of their real-life friendship, only in a different place and setup with different constraints on the characters (and, of course, with added hot sex). Very funny, too, and quite romantic in its own way.
use your hands and my spare time, by zeldamonkey, 5k. Super hot and very funny Nick/Harry handjobs PWP.
Louis/Nick
set the pace, by flimsy, 34k. Louis and Harry are roommates; Harry's an intern at Radio 1. He hosts a dinner for his work friends, which turns out to involve Nick, whom Louis had had a one night stand with. This is a pretty angsty one, where Louis has kind of a low opinion of himself, which isn't helped by the way he and Nick go about trying to have a relationship. But the characters feel very lived-in and very real.
Not Your Fault But Mine, by sunsetmog, 127k. University AU, in which Louis has a major depressive episode. This is really, really good, with good versions of all the characters and realistic responses from everyone. I read it when I was having a pretty major anxiety flare-up, though, and let me say that that was a really dumb idea--this story gets very into Louis's head, and it was not a good two days for me as I was reading this, even if I was moved by the emotional arcs of the characters. So if you're in a good mental place, this has some great stuff in it, and it's an interesting exploration of what depression looks like from the inside out; if you're not in a good mental place, I would probably save this for when you are. A tough read, but rewarding.
Liam/Louis
Like You Made Me Feel When We Were, by harriet_vane, 18k. Liam and Louis were best friends growing up, then Louis moved to London and cut off all contact. But then, finally, he comes home for a visit, and Liam tries to avoid him but can't. Lovely achey angst, and an interesting version of the Liam and Louis relationship that I liked quite a bit.
Harry/Zayn
If You Wanna Find Love, by cantgetnoworse, 39k. A university AU where Zayn's an art student and his friend Harry is in a bad relationship; when Zayn helps him out, Zayn and Harry start to become closer. This one talks about Zayn's religion and its importance to him more than most fics I read, though still not to a huge extent. Also deals with lots of internalized shame about queerness. The prose is pretty interesting, too, it's a little outside the norm for fanfic writing. Primary Zayn/Harry, but includes some Zayn/OFC and Harry/OMC, neither of which is, ah, an ideal relationship.
Multiple ships
untitled ficlet, by ymorton, 2k. Mostly Nick/Harry with some implied or possibly unrequited Harry/Niall; Niall overhears Harry having phone sex with Nick. Pretty hot, and it's kind of interesting being in Niall's head for this scene.
Threesomes and Moresomes
All In, by Becka, 10k. Louis is in a relationship with Niall, and admits to him that he'd like to be fucked by everyone in the band, so Niall sets it up as a birthday present. A good, hot group sex fic, but also some good emotional stuff--the relationships between the band members are individualized nicely, and all of them (especially Niall) take care of Louis emotionally as well as physically.
Fevered, by cyclogenesis, 8k. Not quite an OT5 gangbang, but something like that: exhibitionist sex between subgroups of the band, when they're all in the same room after a show. Super hot, and some extremely amusing characterizations (Harry and Louis's relationship in particular). In that nice bunch-of-weirdos characterization zone that I really like.