Hurt No Comfort
The first half of hurt/comfort with the second half deliberately withheld: characters suffer and the narrative offers no rescue, no soft landing, no fixing. The tag is a promise to readers that the pain will not be cushioned.
What is Hurt No Comfort in fanfiction?
The first half of hurt/comfort with the second half deliberately withheld: characters suffer and the narrative offers no rescue, no soft landing, no fixing. The tag is a promise to readers that the pain will not be cushioned. With over 50,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Hurt No Comfort is one of the most beloved tropes in fanfiction.
Why readers love Hurt No Comfort
Sometimes catharsis requires a story that doesn't flinch or console, and readers seeking that full-weight ache use this tag to find authors who will follow through.
Examples of Hurt No Comfort
A character dying alone with the apology they never got to make, or a betrayal fic that ends on the discovery with no reconciliation chapter coming.
Best Hurt No Comfort Fanfics
The highest-rated Hurt No Comfort stories across all fandoms on AO3.
Another Version of Subaru
by orphan_account
A one-shot version of Subaru where his life goes different before going to the Re:Zero world.
Living with Thorns Crushing My Heart
Completeby 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
Searching For You In The Background
Completeby s_the_queen
*READ THE TAGS*---They'd made progress but Izuku still knew that Katsuki would hate his birthday photos if he were in them.In the end, Katsuki has to settle for searching for Izuku in the background.
Evermore
Completeby rabiddog
Prince Theseus, a child of blonde and blue, a child of isolation and a crave for touch. He's the youngest in the Royal Family, and somehow the most forgotten. The most neglected. The most alone. Tucked away in his tower, the young prince watches the world move on without him, watches his family welc
There’s Blood in your Web, Theseus (wipe it out)
Completeby spookyserpent
Spiders are both overlooked and feared. They spin their webs, catch their kills and move on. Some hunt, finding their prey and stalking until the kill. Tommy’s not a Huntsman Spider anymore, though. He made sure of that when the skies bled black with smoke and the horizon was stained with orange and
every line you crossed (every place i could never return from)
Completeby artofflorescence
Izuku's image of heroes is shattered. He's disillusioned. But instead of getting bitter, he's just...tired.He'd just like to stop thinking about it. Maybe it's better, to lock himself away where he is safe from the biting teeth of the outside world.There's a strange boy he keeps meeting on rooftops.
Playlist for When Your Boyfriend Stops Breathing
Completeby SunsetPlums
He pictures the funeral sometimes.He pictures someone he doesn’t know saying Viktor’s name wrong. He pictures screaming in public. He pictures stealing the ashes and keeping them in a protein powder container because it’s the only vessel big enough. He pictures lying in those ashes like a widow bird
So Close
Completeby Baybee00
A devastating on-ice collision changes everything for Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, and everyone who loves them.
Drown In My Ocean of Black Box Dye
Completeby brigreenie
He clicked the pen his therapist had given him, opening the first page. In big letters, he wrote, “Reasons To Live: 1-100.”Then, he flipped to the middle of the journal. He paused, felt-tip inches from the page. This was gonna be another mistake to add to his long-running list, wasn’t it?Caving, he
between all these undefinable, impossible odds
Completeby artofflorescence
There is a green-haired boy with a blindfold. He’s got a pistol in his hand.(He’s got a pistol to his head).Six chambers. One bullet. No will to live, no reason to stay.There’s a crowd watching the stage he stands on. He hears them, the whisper of fabric, the low murmur and brushing of hands. Money
Let me sit down for dinner with my dead lover again, For this is the last dream I ever want to have
Completeby a_bird_who_is_like_no_other
"So we could all do our duty! We could all be strong. Be together!”Rumi is begging.Rumi is begging and Mira had wanted to be just that, be together, up until five minutes ago – her and Zoey had talked about it in detail, how both of their heart were beating for two people, how easy it had been to fa
Sunshowers
by IzzyMRDB
Percy has a rather bad habit of being able to see the future. The old lady down the street is going to lose her cat, Mom is going to make pasta for dinner, Zeus' Master Bolt is going to be stolen by Luke, he's going to get a C+ in Maths.As you can tell, this causes problems. Especially since he was
Trust is Nothing
Completeby maverickk
Percy Jackson had been left, alone, in Tartarus. His trust in his best friend was shattered. His loyalty was owed to no one. His energy went into keeping himself alive, and if he had to delve into darker and more deadly powers, so be it. But now he's out, and he has work to do.In which Percy Jackson
Windikouk
by Cloud_Gazer
He was born as the son of Zen'in Ougi by a woman not of the clan, gifted with an ability they had searched years for. But when he finally summons his first Shikigami there is no rejoicing, only fear."It's alright, I won't let anyone hurt you again." *Currently editing and under revision, because som
one half of a whole
Completeby interstellarisms
Eva feels like the breath is knocked out of her lungs when the man walks in. Dirty blond hair. Blue eyes. Sort of like… if Ryland Grace was hit by a car several times. It was undeniably him. “So you’re Eva Stratt,” The man says gruffly, slamming both hands on her desk. He looked exactly like Ryland,
No Love Zone
Completeby tigerbuns
Jeongguk is on his way home after killing someone.Taehyung is trying to escape his abusive owner.A businessman who paints the city red with blood to sate his lust for money meets a tiger hybrid who longs to be cherished. Either love blooms or tragedy begins.
[Access]
by Teobot
Izuku blinks up at Shigaraki Tomura. Shimura Tenko. A host of other names he’s heard from Dabi. Sensei’s- All for One’s protégé.He’s not much older than Izuku is.-Caught unaware by the recent turn of events, Izuku must make a decision: stay and help, knowing that it will hurt his family and friends,
How are you here?
Completeby Worlds_we_Idolize
Mantis can feel others' emotions. What happens when she finally feels Tony's? orThe original team all survive the snap, including Mantis. One way or another everyone ends up back in Wakanda and eventually back at the tower. The team soon learns of Mantis' unique abilities and wonder when they'll see
The Future that Never Was
by spookyserpent
This is the day everything changed.Izuku is fourteen again.That means he needs to plan. He needs to find a way to fix the mistakes of the future and stop his friends from dying. He refuses to fail this time.He'll be the Hero he couldn't be. Or, Midoriya Izuku was Quirkless, was gifted a Quirk from A
hero and villain duet
Completeby fuglychan
Tommy is an aspiring hero in a city full of the most powerful heroes. He's not well liked by the civilians and other heroes - more importantly, the police force, who is after him any chance they get. Despite the constant criticism, he tries his best to help. After a battle with the Pyromanic Sapnap
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general audience-rated content suitable for all ages
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many Hurt No Comfort fics are on AO3?
There are over 50,000 works tagged with Hurt No Comfort on Archive of Our Own.
What fandoms have the most Hurt No Comfort stories?
Popular fandoms for Hurt No Comfort include Supernatural, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul.
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