Top 20 Short Angst Fanfics
Ranked by AO3 kudos. Each fic is tagged with angst and falls in the 10,000–50,000 words range.
In Another Life
by LittleLuxray
Sleeping didn't come as easy as it used to. Bokuto knew this, and now Akaashi did, too.The hospital AU that no body asked for, but that I took upon myself to write.
The Standard You Walk Past
by bafflinghaze
On returning to Hogwarts for their Eighth Year, Headmistress McGonagall decided to room Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter together. She may have hoped for a leading example of house unity; the other students fully expected insults and fights. But nothing happened.That was, until Harry sleepwalked into D
you've got the antidote for me
by Kandakicksass
When Harry Potter unintentionally severs their soulbond before it can fully form, Draco Malfoy resigns himself to a slow death and decides not to burden Harry with a soulmate he's made it very clear he doesn't want.He's never been selfless before, but for Harry, he can try.
I'm Reading Your Lips (You're Speaking My Language)
by some1_around
Rozanov cocked his head. “You speak Russian? Or just the curse words?” “Yes, I speak Russian,” he snapped, defensive and angry. He knew that it had been a mistake to even try to be friendly with Rozanov. “Why? Do I not look Russian to you?” He scoffed. “No, not really,” Rozanov said. Some of his tea
that’s the art of getting by
by sarewolf
“What do you want me to do?” Remus says, tiredly. All he wants is to curl up on his bed. Smoke a pack of cigarettes. Get drunk. He can’t stop looking at Harry. “Remus...” Dumbledore is gentle. Remus hates when he has that tone. Hates that he knows it will hurt. “There is no one else left.” A bitter
something you can fix
by some1_around
Maybe if the video ended there, Shane thought, it would be okay. Okayish. Still incriminating. Still a fucking disaster. Still embarrassing, to have his breakup with this beautiful actress filmed and disseminated on Reddit of all fucking places, but not a nail in his coffin, burying him alive. But t
The Family You Choose
by TunaFishChris
Some people are born with soulmarks. Zuko has them, but his grandfather burned them off because they "make you weak." Team Avatar has a few things to say about that.
a leaf falls on loneliness
by iimpossible_things
Buck doesn’t think that if he were to say, “I’m in a bad place”, that anyone would turn him away. Really, he doesn’t. The 118 has too many good, kind people for that. But every time he wants to open his mouth, to say something, to reach out to Eddie or Bobby or Hen or Chim, he hears Eddie yelling, “
Second Lap Around The Block
by teaandtumblr
“No.” It’s a fair response. “And you found him because…?” An even better response. Hawks isn’t in the mood to answer it though. “I heard a cry; I was first on scene.” Naomasa nods and everyone else buys the tale. They’re all looking at one thing only. Specifically, the A-Rank villain known a
Are You Flagging?
by soidade
“Look, I’m just asking, okay? Not– I don't mean anything by it. But, uh.” His eyes darted back and forth, then he leaned in close to Steve. Steve had gotten used to that, kind of. The guy had no concept of personal space. “Are you flagging?” Eddie finally finished. Steve shook his head slowly, eyes
By Any Other Name
by entanglednow
He doesn't know his name, he doesn't know who he is, and neither does the werewolf he's on the run with. But he's pretty sure they hunt monsters, because they seem to be really good at it.
through the looking-glass
by unluckyolive
Kim Dokja slaps his hands over Yoo Joonghyuk’s mouth without really thinking.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says frantically.He feels Yoo Joonghyuk’s lips curve into a frown under his palm, ticklish and hot against that sensitive skin. He ekes out an odd sound and jerks back, yelping a
Fool Me Once
by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle
Arthur could see his father glaring down - face red and eyes narrowed as he looked at Merlin with clear distaste."Once this over, sorcerer...I’ll burn you.""You’ve already tried that," Merlin’s voice answered and Arthur had to bite his fist to keep from making any noise. “You need to accept you can’
sleeping dogs lie
by favspacetwink
After his shower, Atsumu walks into the bedroom to find Sakusa laying a drop cloth over what looks like some kind of plastic sheet. The faint crinkle of plastic reminds Atsumu of the way Sakusa set things up the time they played with temperature; it made sense then, because between all the water, ic
Living with Thorns Crushing My Heart
by writerllofllworlds
He was not an idiot, and soon enough, he noticed it too. When Mina broke up with Kiri, Katsuki was the first one at his side. He stayed in the redhead’s room for hours, consoling him and giving him a shoulder to cry on. He canceled training with Izuku to get Kirishima back on his feet. He pushed bac
home is nowhere, therefore you
by Ark
"Right, well," Jaskier says, when he halts before Geralt. Up close, he looks much more nervous. There is sweat on his brow and his collar is damp with it, and his teeth keep catching on his lower lip. "True love's kiss. There's—ah—there's nothing to it." And he bends, the utter imbecile, and kisses
Tunes Without Words
by foxy_mulder
The plan is this: He will note all the things that annoy Geralt, and he will stop doing them, and then Geralt will want him around. It will work. It has to work, because Jaskier cannot be left behind.
Empathy
by Blind_Author
John is an empath. Which isn't nearly as much fun as it sounds. Most of the time, it’s not even useful.
The Guiding of Death
by RayShippouUchiha
“Hades and Persephone reborn huh,” Fury states then more than asks, “no need to ask which is which.”Toni’s brows furrow even as dread begins to squirm to life inside of her.But before she can say anything, before she can open her mouth and set the record straight, she hears it.A murmur as loud as a
Truth and Consequences
by KouriArashi
“The place you give the Bite has meaning," Derek says. "Biting someone on the side is to make them your beta. It makes them your subordinate, but it also invites them into the pack with the full protection of the alpha. Biting someone on the legs indicates that you’re turning them to an omega. And b
More Short Angst Fics on AO3
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About Angst
Stories focused on emotional pain, drama, and intense feelings.
Sometimes you want to feel deeply - angst delivers emotional catharsis and meaningful character exploration.
Common scenarios: Unrequited love, misunderstandings, tragic backstories, emotional confrontations.
About This List
This list of 20short Angst fanfics spans 559,396 total words. Kudos range from 18,689 on the newest entries to 98,920 on the most established. Nearly all (85%) are complete, so you can start any of them without WIP anxiety. The most common rating is Teen And Up Audiences (7 of 20 fics).
Recurring tags across this list: Angst · Fluff and Angst · Angst with a Happy Ending · Hurt/Comfort · Friends to Lovers.
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