Top 20 Short Slow Burn Fanfics
Ranked by AO3 kudos. Each fic is tagged with slow burn and falls in the 10,000–50,000 words range.
Not So Bad
by outofmygourd
Vecna is dead. It's the summer after the party's freshman year. Steve Harrington spends it in the Family Video Store, and Eddie Munson is spending post-graduate life bothering him. And maybe Steve isn't as bothered as he used to be.
landscape after cruelty
by ohwickedsoul
“Bakugo, you need to update your costume.” Kirishima said, “There’s this one dude in the support class- he’s got a literal waiting list, that’s how good he is- but he did my new upgrade."“Yeah,” Bakugo sighs and leans back on his hands, staring at the bracer. “I know. I’ll go,” his mouth twists a li
How Kuroo Found Kenma
by SuggestiveScribe
"Oh my God," Kuroo said, eyes growing wide. He slowly turned to fully face Oikawa, "I'm in love with Kenma."Oikawa brought his tea to his mouth. "Yeah," he said, smiling through the steam rising in front of his face, "I know."
a light hidden and singing
by occultings (microcomets)
Since he was a child, since Lan Wangji had first become aware of his own alienating effect on others, he has long resigned himself to a loveless marriage. Perhaps even a companionate one, so long as his partner was agreeable and unbothersome and let him have his own space.He could not have even begu
you took my heart (i was sleeping..well not really)
by monachopsis_22
It’s winter in Hawkins, and Mike and Will aren’t speaking anymore, despite living under the same roof. Will is avoidant and spends most days in the basement, and Mike has never felt so alone. Then the power goes out, and Mike desperately wants to understand what went wrong, and to know what that dam
97.6 FM
by jamjars
Izuku can’t stop listening to the radio host with the deep voice who sounds like he’s stuck in 2010. It’s a harmless crush. That is until he starts calling into the show under the pseudonym Deku.Or Radio Host! Baugou x Listener! Midoriya
Sigh No More
by dhampir72
Bond wants nothing more than for someone, just once, to be waiting for him at the airport when he returns home.
Gravity
by bitsori
“Do you know he calls you his soulmate?”Minho almost spits his drink out when Changbin asks this. “Uh, yeah, he wrote this for a broadcast letter, once.”“No, I mean— he’s actually said it. Out loud. To me,” Changbin says, looking directly at Minho as if he’s trying to gauge the older’s reaction, bef
The Curse of Saturdays
by indifferentyoongi
His dad's girlfriend was sweet for wanting to help Minho find a boyfriend, going as far as roping her own daughter into bringing over a friend for him to connect with. She meant well, she did. So maybe that’s why he said it. It was true that he didn’t have time for dating with graduation so soon, bu
a complete guide to falling in love
by ThousandSunny
Sanji was trained in the Bridal Arts; this does not go unnoticed by the rest of his crew.
How to Manage
by SuggestiveScribe
When Sugawara had walked in the office this morning, Daichi couldn't help but feel a little guilty for hiring him. Not because he wasn't the best candidate or because he didn't deserve the job; he definitely was and he definitely did, but...But Daichi couldn't help but feel the smallest pang of guil
Bittersweet
by dr_girlfriend
The first time Bond flirted with Q, it was purely out of self-defense.The second time Bond flirted with Q was largely manipulation.The third time Bond flirted with Q, he just wanted to feel something.The fourth time Bond flirted with Q was out of sheer boredom.Somehow, flirting with Q became somethi
fake it, make it
by zadderlee
"Because Kageyama is already dating someone!""Really? Who?"“Me!” Hinata shouts suddenly, grabbing Kageyama’s hand as an afterthought and grinning triumphantly, like he’s somehow missed the implications of what he’s just done.Kageyama is going to kill him.
Call to Motion
by mangochi
“Hey.”Charles looks up, squinting against the sun, and focuses on the figure looming above him. It’s a bright day on the mountain, and all this damned snow is doing nobody any favors. “Arthur,” he says. “Good morning.”“Huh? Yeah, mornin’.” Arthur tilts his head, scratches at his jaw, and tucks his c
Gold Rush
by Verian_the_Chaos_Entity
All Din wanted to do was help Luke explore an abandoned jedi temple. Now they're 30 years in the past and Din accidentally convinced some jedi into thinking they've traveled forward in time rather than backwards. No-one asks Luke about this.Basically Din ends up in the clone wars but through his lac
peaches and cream
by carryouterspace
Jisung truly doesn't mean to spend his Friday night holding someone else's sopping clothes in the laundry room of the dorm building while said someone else stares at him with an expression that's a mix of amusement, confusion, and pity. But here he is, standing in the laundry room of the dorm buildi
As a Sea Shell
by bathilda bagshot (wellthengameover)
He would say he doesn’t miss Merlin, not even a little bit, but that would be a lie. When Arthur discovers Merlin’s magic, he banishes him from Camelot. But Merlin is destined to serve Arthur until the day he dies.
The Monticello Furlough
by Michelle_A_Emerlind
Washington demands Hamilton take a vacation, so what else would Hamilton do with his free time but drive to Monticello and bug the shit out of Jefferson? Sounds logical to him.
Inspire in Me, the Desire in Me
by ElloPoppet
It’s the right day, but the year is all wrong, and Dream suspects that there’s something else not quite right even before he finds himself standing in front of the shuttered remains of the White Horse Tavern. Still, he’s chilled in a way he’s not accustomed to feeling, reminiscent of the hopeless, f
be like a woman to me
by artthounasty
Max and Lucas can't keep their hands off each other.They kiss and grope and call each other sickeningly sweet names like "baby" and "sweetie-pie" and "hot-stuff". Mike finds it nauseating.Mike and Will decide to do something about it. or Mike and Will fake-makeout in an effort to stop their friends
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About Slow Burn
A romance that develops gradually over time, with tension building across chapters or the entire story.
Readers love the anticipation, the meaningful character development, and the eventual payoff of a well-earned romance.
Common scenarios: Characters who are oblivious to their feelings, lots of almost-moments, friends realizing their feelings over time.
About This List
This list of 20short Slow Burn fanfics spans 639,280 total words. Kudos range from 5,016 on the newest entries to 45,385 on the most established. 70% are marked complete — check the status flag before committing to a longfic. The most common rating is Teen And Up Audiences (9 of 20 fics).
Recurring tags across this list: Slow Burn · Fluff · Hurt/Comfort · Friends to Lovers · Alternate Universe.
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