Top 20 Short Case Fic Fanfics
Ranked by AO3 kudos. Each fic is tagged with case fic and falls in the 10,000–50,000 words range.
Professional Couple Only
by saltyfeathers
There's a haunted apartment building in Vermont, and the ad says "Professional couple only". Dean and Cas rise to the occasion.
Linger in the Sun
by etymologyplayground
"Tell Lan Zhan that I'm weeping uncontrollably," Wei Wuxian says to the juniors. "Tell him I'm truly pitiful and he needs to do everything I say until I'm well again."Lan Congyi is in the middle of carefully holding his eyelids open to check his pupils, but he still obeys, bless him. "Hanguang-Jun,
Put up your Dukes
by saltyfeathers
Dean can't sleep. Cas offers to tire him out.
Fuck pride (pride only hurts, it never helps)
by ImogenGotDrunk
After the android uprising, Connor becomes a permanent fixture in the DPD. That’s fine. Gavin can accept that. The dipshit’s more human than he used to be, and a decent detective to boot. Gavin can deal with him being around.What Gavin cannot deal with is Connor’s replica; prissy, cold-eyed, and wit
the capillaries in my eyes are bursting
by Scarlet_Ribbons
Bruce grunts, standing up. “Jenkins said the same. What about what you weren’t told?” And without dissembling, Jason says, “I think they fucked that kid up, B.” [Jack and Janet die. As things get weirder and weirder, it feels like Tim might be at the center of the unfolding conspiracy.]
open my lungs to let you in
by ghostybreads
Shen Qingqiu had a secret. So, naturally, it was only a matter of time before he was hit by a truth serum wife plot.//“How are you?”“Horny. Kind of want Binghe to rail me, I guess. But it’s manageable.”Liu Qingge’s hand on his forehead froze, and he was close enough that Shen Qingqiu could hear his
The Tunnel of Love
by xylodemon
"We might," Cas starts slowly, pausing like he's choosing his words. "We might have to kiss."Dean just stares at him.
a safe pair of hands
by occultings (microcomets)
Lan Wangji gets hit with a touch-starving curse. Wei Wuxian helps.
The Guests of Cloud Recesses
by cafecliche
“We’re in this together, you know,” Wei Wuxian says. “You’re dead. I used to be dead. We're both tolerated and incredibly unwelcome here. We both annoy the same people, as far as I can tell. I’ve built relationships on less. Let’s work this out.”But again, there’s no response.(Or: there's a ghost in
The Adventure of the Doctor's Heart
by mistyzeo
Holmes has observed much of Watson's habits and tastes over time, which is why it surprises him when his friend objects strangely to a folk song sung at the conclusion of a case. Disturbed by the Doctor's unexpected display of emotion, Holmes becomes determined to lift his spirits by any means neces
Lending a Hand
by mistyzeo
Chemical experiments go awry at Baker Street, leaving Holmes incapacitated and Watson charged with being his hands. Against Watson's advice Holmes takes on a case of burglary and murder, all the while totally dependent on his companion. This new level of intimacy brings with it a slew of suppresse
Witness and Testimony
by Violsva
Men of certain dispositions should not take up residence with consulting detectives. Having done so anyway, Watson is finally forced to face the consequences. Not quite the consequences he expected, however.
The Truth of the Musgrave Ritual
by mydwynter
It is my custom, you may have noticed, to save those little cases which we have solved until such time as danger to those involved has passed, or until Holmes otherwise suggests I may write about them. The happenings at Hurlstone Hall, however, received a very different treatment indeed.
Test of Faith
by elf_on_the_shelf
Vimes has to deal with getting back to the present day.He also has to deal with the realities of being a new father and with some certain happenings that took place on a dark and rainy night. Even if he thinks that maybe those should not be mentioned. Or thought about in too much depth. Or at all, c
The Sky Ends Here
by Major
Neal and Peter get a new case. A weird one. It's not too surprising that all roads lead to Mozzie.
The Bends
by addieme
Red Robin really does value open, honest communication and straightforwardness when it comes to work. But ultimately he’s still a bat. On this week's episode: Jason Todd talks to Red Robin on rooftops, gives into nightmares, and wakes up just on time to watch the sunrise reveal the obvious.
That Night in the Mirror
by resm
No amount of empty reassurances were going to undo the unholy hell that Sebastien Raine had unleashed on them. But, they were connected by their pain and by their fear. Six months on, David and Patrick return to NYC for Sebastien’s rape trial.
Once Upon a Timepiece
by dracox_serdriel
Just outside New Orleans, a small town becomes home to fairy-tale miracles, drawing the attention of the supernatural world. The Winchesters investigate, but they could be dealing with something they've never dealt with before: a powerful curse on fairy tale characters.
Sinister Affinities
by GreenQuilll
When Sam and Dean are asked by Lady Toni Bevell to protect her psychic son from the British Men of Letters, they have no idea what lies in store for them. In fact, the boy’s visions point to a Victorian ghost haunting the area. Reluctantly, the Winchesters take on the case. But what initially sounds
Nie rozdziobią nas kruki
by kanarek_bez_glowy
Sherlock Holmes zostaje zaangażowany przez Donalda Tuska do wybadania przeszłości Karola Nawrockiego podczas kampanii prezydenckiej 2025.
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About Case Fic
A story structured around solving a case — a murder, a haunting, a heist gone wrong — with the plot doing as much work as the relationships. Beloved in procedural and detective fandoms, where writers craft original mysteries worthy of the source material.
Case fic offers the rare double satisfaction of a genuine plot to chew on and characters revealed through how they work, deduce, and depend on each other under pressure.
Common scenarios: Sherlock and John taking an original locked-room mystery from Baker Street to the solution, or the Winchesters working a salt-and-burn that turns out to be something much older.
About This List
This list of 20short Case Fic fanfics spans 436,145 total words. Kudos range from 4 on the newest entries to 19,752 on the most established. 55% are marked complete — check the status flag before committing to a longfic. The most common rating is Explicit (7 of 20 fics).
Recurring tags across this list: Case Fic · First Time · Fluff · Post-Canon · Romance.
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