Hurt/Comfort

One character is hurt (physically or emotionally) and another provides comfort and care.

920,000 works

What is Hurt/Comfort in fanfiction?

Hurt/comfort is the archive's emotional infrastructure: injury, trauma, or breakdown engineered specifically so that care can be shown rather than said. It thrives in fandoms whose canons are rich in damage and poor in aftermath — fic supplies the missing scene where someone actually processes the thing. The good stuff is honest about recovery being nonlinear; the great stuff knows the comfort changes the person giving it too.

One character is hurt (physically or emotionally) and another provides comfort and care. With over 920,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Hurt/Comfort is one of the most beloved tropes in fanfiction.

Why readers love Hurt/Comfort

The vulnerability, the tenderness, seeing characters take care of each other in their worst moments.

Examples of Hurt/Comfort

Nursing injuries, emotional breakdowns, nightmares, recovery from trauma.

Best Hurt/Comfort Fanfics

The highest-rated Hurt/Comfort stories across all fandoms on AO3.

1

you took my heart (i was sleeping)

Complete

by lameparties

It’s winter in Hawkins, and Mike and Will aren’t speaking anymore. Living in Mike’s house, Will tries to be invisible, spending most of his time in the basement. Then the power goes out — and if there’s one thing he dreads more than facing Mike, it’s the cold. or Seven nights in which Mike and Will

199,105 kudos 52,631 words ~211 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Sharing a Bed Slow Burn Hurt/Comfort
2

In Another Life

Complete

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.

98,920 kudos 22,995 words ~92 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Angst Fluff and Angst Alternate Universe - Hospital
3

Salvage

Complete

by MuffinLance

Mid-Season-One Zuko is held for ransom by Chief Hakoda. Ozai's replies to the Water Tribe's demands are A+ Parenting. Hakoda is… deeply concerned, for this son that isn't his, and who might be safer among enemies than with his own father. Podfic and translations in Dutch, German, Hungarian, Russian,

74,612 kudos 127,154 words ~509 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Hakoda just wants to talk terms Ozai just wants a convenient barbarian to off his son in a politically expedient manner they are having a MINOR DISAGREEMENT on fatherhood
4

The Way You Used To Do

Complete

by edema_ruh

"We're really sorry," his father says, in a teary-eyed, wobbly way. "But your friend, Izuku, he's... He's gone, son."Katsuki can do nothing but blink up at them for moments that feel like an eternity, eyes darting between both his parents in obvious confusion, disbelief, and, more than anything, ind

72,220 kudos 670,180 words ~2681 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Soul Bond Enemies to Friends to Lovers Slow Burn
5

tommyinnit's clinic for supervillains

Complete

by bonesandthebees (bonesandcacti)

“W-What do you- I mean can I- are you here to rob us?” The person managed to stammer out. Siren snorted. “No. I’m just here to order some food.” “Wh-What about him?” The cashier asked, glancing at Tommy. “Did you- did you kidnap him?” “I mean… yeah, let’s go with that in case this ends up on

71,596 kudos 188,572 words ~755 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers Dark Sleepy Bois Inc I mean kinda they're villains but they're actually not terrible
6

count your blessings, not your flaws

Complete

by PitViperOfDoom

Midoriya Izuku has never been asked out, confessed to, or flirted with, except as a joke.

70,831 kudos 7,457 words ~30 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Misunderstandings Bullying Angst with a Happy Ending
7

Lock All The Doors Behind You

Complete

by entanglednow

He has no idea what you're supposed to say when you find one of your...werewolf acquaintances, completely out of their mind, growling like they're about to see what your insides taste like. There's no handbook for this. Stiles is thinking that if he survives he might write one.

69,106 kudos 25,960 words ~104 min read Mature
Feral Behavior Violence Aftermath of Torture
8

The Third Option

Complete

by orphan_account

Homecoming AU.Ben and May divorced before Peter’s parents died, so when Ben is murdered Peter goes into foster care. It takes just a tiny taste of superpowers for Peter to decide he doesn’t want to put up with his horrible foster father anymore—the streets are infinitely more appealing. All he wants

63,607 kudos 220,959 words ~884 min read Mature
Hurt/Comfort Emotional Hurt/Comfort Sexual Abuse
9

Fanning the Flames

Complete

by cjr2

The Voyageurs ask Shane to join FanMail in order to foster a better connection with fans. Internet sleuths start to notice some interesting details in the background of Shane’s videos, and then the internet does...what the internet does. Or Shane and Ilya are granted an opportunity to come out on th

61,388 kudos 21,185 words ~85 min read Explicit
Coming Out Explicit Sexual Content Book 6: The Long Game (Game Changers)
10

Away Childish Things

Complete

by lettered

Harry gets de-aged. Malfoy has to help him.

60,897 kudos 153,881 words ~616 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Age Regression/De-Aging Past Child Abuse Past Malnutrition
11

The Cadence of Part-time Poets

Complete

by motswolo

“They’re… chaos,” Remus said firmly. “And chaos is—”“Rock and roll.”He looked at Sirius sharply, and for once, matched his grin. “Yeah.”“Maybe that’s my excuse then,” Sirius said. “I cause a bit of chaos now, and maybe one day, it’ll turn into rock and roll.”After losing his mother at age eleven, Re

57,737 kudos 979,792 words ~3920 min read Mature
Alternate Universe - Boarding School Alternate Universe - Rock Band Band Fic
12

Batcellanea

Complete

by envysparkler

A collection of outtakes, alternate POVs, and missing scenes from my existing work. 222-236. whumptober fills.

55,270 kudos 210,641 words ~843 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Whump Hurt/Comfort Panic Attacks
13

so come over now (and talk me down)

Complete

by kurtstiel

Ilya’s hand wraps around his bare wrist and squeezes. Shane barely stops himself from collapsing to his knees. The pressure lights up every receptor of his touch-starved nervous system, wrenching a small, pained noise from the back of his throat. Every muted sensation comes flooding back so intensel

54,151 kudos 8,769 words ~36 min read Explicit
Dom/sub Subdrop Hurt/Comfort
14

Fitting In (Tiny Spaces)

Complete

by aloneintherain

Peter's trapped beneath a collapsed building during a mission, hurt and unable to move. Luckily, his comm still works. Unluckily, the Avengers don’t realise how bad of a state Peter is in, and Peter isn’t inclined to tell them. “Spidey, they’ve got reinforcements. We’ve hit a bit of a snag here, and

51,474 kudos 3,422 words ~14 min read Teen And Up Audiences
hurt!Peter Hurt/Comfort Misunderstandings
15

The Shape of Me Will Always be You

Complete

by MissDisoriental

A post-canon Hannigram fix-it fic.Fan videos here and hereAnimations hereFanart masterpost herePodfics here, here and hereFan playlist hereTranslations in Deutsch | 中文 | Ελληνικά | Magyar | ไทย | Русский | Polski | Cymraeg | Español | Українська

50,539 kudos 279,874 words ~1120 min read Explicit
Slow Burn Slow Build Pining
16

Don't Go

Complete

by Annacharlier

They stay that way for a long time, Catra’s face tucked into Adora’s shoulder, Adora gently cradling Catra’s head. Adora is careful not to hug Catra too hard or make her feel restrained, anticipating the moment that Catra will start to pull away — but Catra doesn’t. She hangs on so tightly it hurts,

49,883 kudos 5,414 words ~22 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Hurt/Comfort Missing Scene Post-episode: S05Ep05 Save the Cat
17

something you can fix

Complete

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

48,995 kudos 26,824 words ~108 min read Mature
Outing Angst Angst with a Happy Ending
18

The Waiting Game

Complete

by Rizandace

“Lily,” Hayden says automatically. “You know about Lily?” Something flickers across Rozanov’s face. His jaw twitches. “Yes, I know about Lily.” He raises his eyebrows. Hayden feels like a complete asshole, all of a sudden. There’s just been too much going on to even think about Shane’s mystery girlf

48,802 kudos 16,005 words ~65 min read Teen And Up Audiences
outsider pov Injured Shane Hollander Mild Hurt/Comfort
19

Wolfbird

by OpalApparition

Shane Hollander is hockey’s closeted golden boy with everything to hide. Ilya Rozanov is a professional Dom with everything to lose and an expired visa. Through their arrangement at a discreet Montreal kink bar, where NDAs protect secrets and sessions are charged per hour, they discover the most dan

45,806 kudos 180,137 words ~721 min read Explicit
Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Sex Work Sex Worker Ilya Rozanov
20

I Would Bring You the Stars and the Moon

Complete

by GutterWitch

“Houston, do you copy?”Caitlyn panicked, feeling extraordinarily unprepared having been thrust into her new position without so much as even a handbook to consult. What were the formalities? What was she supposed to respond with? Where was the damn push to talk button…“Hellooo? I said Houston, do yo

44,980 kudos 94,555 words ~379 min read Explicit
Strangers to Lovers Alternate Universe Mutual Pining

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Hurt/Comfort fics are on AO3?

There are over 920,000 works tagged with Hurt/Comfort on Archive of Our Own.

What fandoms have the most Hurt/Comfort stories?

Popular fandoms for Hurt/Comfort include MCU, Supernatural, Attack on Titan.

How can I read Hurt/Comfort fanfiction on my phone?

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