#2x3x2 rec list

[claraxbarton]

Daily Boost!

Today’s Daily Boost is...

A 2x3x2 Rec List!

@chronicwhimsy put together an AMAZING 2x5x2 rec list a while back and has been curating it ever since (seriously, go check out all of the awesome).

Anyway, I figured, hey, I should put together a rec list for my favorite 2x3x2 fics. This won’t be all the fics ever, but it’s some favorites of mine. And it’s going to be long, so I’ll drop it under the cut. 

Have any to add? Reblog and tag! I will keep this updated/post it again with that name at some point.

I want to start off with the Foundational Three, as I think of them. These are the three fics I first remember reading and falling in love with and cementing 2x3x2 as my OTP:

Code of Silence by @tbll57 This is dark, post-canon, and full of wonderfully complex and painful relationships for all of the pilots. There are more fics as part of the series now too, all worth a read.

Rattlesnakes by @trixiedragon Another dark, post-canon fic. Duo and Trowa work through a lot of personal issues in this, and it’s wonderful to see their growth. A warning, this fic is NOT Heero friendly.

Shinigami Sleeps by The Manwell. This was my first true love with 2x3 fics. The author is currently doing a rewrite that is also quite wonderful. Yet another dark, post-canon fic.

Okay, so in my mind, those are the BIG three - and in addition to being heavy they are lengthy, so set aside some time to enjoy. 

Below are more of my favorites. I’m going to try to follow @chronicwhimsy format a little and break them up into length sections.

SETTLE IN FOR THE LONG HAUL (30k+):

Firsts by waterlilylf. ANOTHER post-canon fic. This one doesn’t have the level of angst that some of my other favorites have, and that’s a good thing. If you want sassy dialogue, lovely relationship building and really stunning prose - give this a read. Gentle warning that Heero and Quatre are NOT going to be your favorite people ever, but neither are they heartless villains.

Appearances by Avarice This isn’t, strictly speaking, a 2x3x2 fic. It is VERY hardcore bromance and this entire series is my absolute favorite portrayal of Duo and Trowa as friends. It’s set - get ready - post-canon. Great dialogue, great emotional punches in your guy and humor. Each chapter is it’s own fic, so you’re going to have to check the profile for all of the rest. It’s worth it. I promise.

Two Out of Three by The Manwell. ANOTHER post-canon! If you like action, if you like great, snappy dialogue and smitten Trowa, this is a MUST for you. Manny has also created some lateral works in the series to flesh out background action and characters so definitely give those a read too!

Tomb Raiders by The Manwell. Aside from the original Shinigami Sleeps, this is my favorite fic from Manny. It is NOT post-canon. It is, in fact, an AU and it is GLORIOUS. Lots of excitement, young love and some heart-wrenching thrown in for good measure.

Knife in Hand by @amberlyinviolet. ANOTHER AU! See, I do read them. This is PHENOMENAL and some of the best world-building of any fic I’ve read. It’s dark and gritty and has lovely dialogue and will rip your HEART out.

Mid-Length (10k-30k):

Flicker Fade by @miss-m-muses. Yet another post-canon fic. Despite being set before/during/after a funeral, this fic is hopeful and lovely and just absolutely perfect.

Copilot by en passant(Corinthian). You guessed it, another post-canon fic. This one is DARK and a lovely look into what it would be like to be trapped in a hopeless situation. 

Only You by @amberlyinviolet. A collection of drabbles that build a wonderful relationship.

Body Talk by @greeneyes-softsighs / @makoto-is-a-good-boy This is a delightful series, full of smut.

Zombies by @amberlyinviolet. Who doesn’t love a zombie apocalypse fic? Really great world building in this.

The Last Romanov by The Manwell. Okay but the title should be clickbait. It’s post-canon, and AMAZING. Perfect smut and a wonderful drunk Trowa.

Pinter Pause by en passant (Corinthian). So this fic... is so close to my heart. Especially after having been an adjunct for a few years while looking for full time work. Really wonderful AU that builds some great relationships and has a wonderful Wufei and Quatre.

Short and Sweet (under 10k):

White Rabbits and Sealing Tape by @crown-of-winterthorne. This is a LOVELY AU featuring some delicious, like seriously WOW, 2x3 and 1x4.

The Neighbor’s Dog by @trixiedragon. Fun and awesome AU featuring, how did you know? A dog.

Wicked Game by @miss-m-muses. A little dark, a lot amazing.

Message Received by luvsanime02. Technically a 1x5, the background 2x3 is awesome and the entire fic is great and hilarious.

Blessing by en passant (Corinthian). Full disclosure, it was a gift-fic for me. It’s sort of historical, sort of fantasy, all kinds of wonderful.

Faith & Guns by en passant (Corinthian). This is a four part series of WONDERFUL post-canon fics that present a really incisive view of Trowa.

Obscure Holiday Sexcapades by @kangofu-cb. Okay this is WONDERFUL smut and amazing dialogue and these two fics are SO good. 

Strange Love by @kangofu-cb Part of the Halsey drabble fest, this is an AMAZING short fic - and the only one of the series that is 2x3 but honestly, read them ALL.

Spark by @chronicwhimsy . Mission op sexy times and bird watching - you probably didn’t know this was your favorite thing ever, now you will.

My Own Fics:

So I’ve written a few 2x3x2 fics over the years, and I just want to drop in a few of those as recs. I used an outside source for this, @kangofu-cb graciously saved me from being TOO self-aware and chose four fics for me (thank you):

Laundry Day. It’s just smut. Nothing deep here, well... not unless we’re making puns.

Faux Pas. I’ve always liked writing fics set in Vegas. This is one of my favs.

What May Come. A finished long fic! From ME! Post-canon, Trowa and Duo meet again and slowly learn how to move on together.

The Road Not Taken. Currently only on ff.net but I will migrate it to AO3. AU, featuring scenic designer Trowa and grad student Duo. ALSO IT’S COMPLETE!

(okay but also, this is the fic of my that I might be most proud of, despite having never finished it)

Sideshow. Post-canon, kinky smut with a side of politics.

To Be Read List:

It turns out that I HAVEN’T read every 2x3x2 fic out there. So here’s my reading list:

Down in Africa by @h-lovely

The Altar of Shinigami by @tj-dragonblade

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