l8 o' clock

Guests of One Another's Senses by Renquise - RED Spy/Scout's Ma/BLU Spy - Rated M

The first time Spy tries to fulfill his assignment, they’re long gone before he can glimpse them, let alone take photos.

Actually very literally my favorite tf2 fic of all time. I remember this being published shortly after Meet the Spy came out, so this fic really cemented in my brain how BLU Spy got those pictures of RED Spy/Scout's ma. It's a lovely, quiet type of fic. The tone is so good and thoughtful in nature, much like how BLU Spy approaches his mission of tailing RED Spy and Scout's Ma, both of whom are absolutely downright charming together. It's really clever how the fic's scenes are strung together like the polaroids he takes. It really gives off that vibe! Not to mention how Renquise seamlessly blends the ridiculousness of the tf2 world into the story that makes you buy into it, even when the tone is serious. ough!! It's great. The voyeuristic nature of Spy's mission is a delight to read but the details he notes are so carefully romantic and playful, phrased just right that oh my god—this is romance, to me. He's falling in love with both of them. :))))))) I don't know how she does it, but each ending line to a scene makes my heart twinge in a good way. Please, please, please. Read this fic. And if not, renquise also has a beautiful stock of other tf2 fics that everyone should check out.

Speaking of…

Asymptote by Renquise - BLU Spy/BLU Engineer - Rated E

There’s a part of Engineer that gets almost anxious when Spy fades from sight, invisible and untouchable. It’s almost enough to make a man question his own senses, really—there’s just something off-putting about reaching out to touch something that you know can’t be touched, only to see it disappear in front of your eyes, too.

Gorgeously written, really yearning and intimate. Really tangible words for a fic centering itself about being touchless. I don't know if I have anything more to say on that. It's just that good, man.

Scope 'n' Cope by djsoliloquy - RED sniper/BLU sniper - Rated T

Turns out fitting into the bed space is the easy part. Sniper climbs up first then watches as Blue pulls himself onto the mattress in sections, hands then knees, hunched over to not hit his head on the ceiling. He doesn’t look like he needs assistance but Sniper reaches out and puts his hand over Blue’s hip anyway, a steadying motion, and he smirks to himself at the expression of preoccupied absorption on his counterpart’s face as they get situated around each other. Blue doesn’t mention the touch but does catch him staring. “What?” “You don’t even concentrate that hard when you’re looking down your scope,” says Sniper. “And I should know.”

The snipers share a bed after a romp. Then it gets intimate. What more can I say, other than I love how Sniper is presented in the face of his counterpart. I love the in-between nature of enemies-with-benefits and enemies-to-lovers, ahaha.

Burns and Bees by anonymous - Samefraction Pyro/Spy - Rated E

Short and sweet breathplay. It's just been in my ao3 bookmarks forever. I've never been so delighted by a pyro-pov fic.

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These next couple ones are straight up Sniper/Spy recs.

Qui Vivra, Verra by Hannah - RED Spy/RED Sniper - Rated E

I don't usually read long fics, and I wouldn't say this one is extremely long, but let me tell you—after I finished reading this I promptly went back to reread it again. This is a wonderfully Spy-centric story that just so happens to have him in a coworkers-with-benefits situationship with Sniper, but even those parts are written so naturally within the flow of the fic. But more than that, this is a story that's told in long years over the course of very stark scenes. The fic's summary "my own take on who you are, and who you can be" really makes me weepy in hindsight. Such a good story that makes me love Spy and everything he does, even when it's not quite right, and Hannah does such a good job shaping his character (and Sniper's!), emphasizing on his identity and work and the natural push and pull of life passing by, how the years can just… creep up and suddenly you're a different person than who you started out to be. And by god, there's yearning in ways that are so wistful and... it's about love, but not about love at the same time. Well, a kind of love that isn't necessarily directed at a single person. It's such a grounded fic while still maintaining TF2's wacky world. You believe in it wholeheartedly. Also, okay, I make this fic sound so serious but there are some parts that have genuinely made me laugh out loud. Please read this.

(Side note, as a person from California—the descriptions of San Francisco and the Napa Valley are so lovingly done I just can't help but smile. Those bits were some of my favorite parts.)

in floods and in waves by byacolate - RED Sniper/RED Spy - Rated M

I'm a sucker for fill-in-the-blank fics, and this one takes place during Expiration Date. Sniper copes with the fact that maybe he does have a dying wish, and that dying wish might involve Spy. It really isn't all that melancholy but there is a real groundedness to the narrative that I love.

In the Corner Dunce by dirtchewer - rated M

Such a lovely fic with a undercurrent of loneliness that expresses itself so well through Sniper's pov. This one really takes the time to get into his headspace and the basis of a misunderstanding—having different expectations from a certain person and not really wanting to address it until it's too much. Sniper is so methodical and thoughtful here, and I don't think it's ever deserving of a "oooh he's so stupid" moment—something I pretty picky about when it a story based off a miscommunication (or, really, deliberately vague communication). You always understand where he's coming from.

Date Night by Izaaza - rated M

Spy and Sniper are in a friends-with-benefits situation but Spy decides to make it into a game. Surely there is no way this backfires? Who could say. I might have read this fic 50 times. The humor is so on brand for TF2, and this type of silliness is, like, I adore these types of stories, okay? Two characters being stupid for each other. Absolutely low stakes to everyone but themselves.

So Soon - by Lightspeed - rated E

In 2024 I was re-entering tf2 fandom, just hoping to get a quick pwp hit then leave quietly but I came across this fic and was like. Okay, hot damn. What a start. I love how playful this fic is. It's short and to the point, and just super fun. I love bottom Sniper. I love super indulgent Spy. Thank you.

Best Before by pinapin - RED Sniper/BLU Spy, RED Spy/Scout's Ma - Rated T

FICS THAT TAKE PLACE DURING EXPIRATION DATE!! I will never tire of it. This was one of the early fics that I read after my 14 year gap away from tf2. This one is so fucking fun and funny. I love a story that features a main ship, but it's told from a third party observing them—who happens to be RED Spy who is too clever, too stupid for his own good. Absolute gem. RED Sniper is great here, as is BLU Spy, of course. Of course!

The Myth of Sisyphus by yay_for_absurdism - Rated E

This is a newer fic that knocked me on my ass when I read it. It's absolutely beautiful and brutal and, honestly, wildly fun. I feel like this author really put Sniper under a magnifying glass to both study and fry him in sunlight, which I can only have the highest respect for. The way Sniper's POV is written is so intoxicatingly vivid, in both physical descriptions and his thoughts. It's got gory consensual torture that doesn't linger too much on the actual act (in fact, it's quite straight forward without being gratuitous) but Sniper's reactions to all of it is what really makes it shine. There's intimacy in violence, the romance of nihilism, and maybe a guy to be your counterpart and kinda kick your ass into wanting to live again. Spy is also written in a way that I flat out adore—practicing sadism but still human, not overly cartoonish and evil about it. I would kill for a continuation of their relationship in this way but this works so well as a oneshot. I understand. (tears in my eyes)

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And that's it for now! I have a couple of others that I would like to mention later but perhaps when I'm not so sleepy. :')