Ben/Leslie Fic Recommendations

While I didn’t do a whole master list, I did make this list of my favorite Ben/Leslie fan fics. Each one is seriously quality; I’ve read some of these so many times that I’ve lost track. Some are ficlets and some are longer, but they’re all Ben/Leslie-centric.

NOTE: This is not a master list, but a list of personal favorites.

If you’re interested in more, you can find my own fic here.

* signifies seriously required reading.
» means brand new addition
> means fairly new addition

The 4th Of July PG13 ;  polished_luck
The Fourth of July has always been Leslie’s favorite holiday. It’s the combination of summer, and friends, and American-ness and freedom and all that good stuff she loves and believes in. Some of Leslie’s July Fourths are better than others.

» Accepting the Unexpected R ; swayinisdancin *
“Before you say that, I need to tell you…that’s not really the scandal I’m worried about.”

All Roads Lead to You PG13 ; cypanache  *
When Benjamin Wyatt is six he plays George Washington in the School President’s Day play. // When Leslie Knope is seven she protests the lack of female representation in the town Fourth of July Pageant.

And I Might Never Leave Again PG13 ; twsomething *
“Is the water working in the rest of the house?” he asks, his padfolio slipping off his lap onto the couch. Leslie frowns.

The Art of Looking for Trouble NC17 ; tearupthesky & annakovsky  *
This chart comes in handy so much, she doesn’t know why everyone complains about it all the time.

> Awake My Soul PG13 ; cmdr_jade *
So he calls his mother on that first two-hour drive and doesn’t realize until much, much later that it has become sort of a ritual for him.

The Backroom Shenanigans of the Rank and File PG ; scullyseviltwin
“Don’t say sorry,” she whispers, screwing her face up in pain, a deep hurt. “Anything but sorry.”

Beautiful Mess PG13 ; cypanache *
It’s night when Ben finally gets back to Indianapolis. He’d spun the final hours out too fine, lingered too long, waiting for something, anything … doesn’t know what exactly.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Ben PG ; scullyseviltwin
He’s sly, he’s slick; he only manages to walk into a wall once trying to be both sly and slick while walking and talking with her. Overall, he’d call that a success.

Bleeding Sunshine G ; lavillerespire
When he first steps out of his car at the City Hall building in Pawnee, Indiana, Ben Wyatt is thinking two things: one, this town is too damn sunny, and two, time to ruin some people’s lives.

The Boy With a Heart of Ice PG ; cypanache
There is a structure to fairytales. An order. A comforting certainty that the prince (or knight or gentle youngest son) will rescue the fair maiden and the land will rejoice and all will be well. This is not that story. PART 2

Breaking Up is Hard to Do PG13 ;akadoor
We want him to take one look at you and forget that the City of Pawnee even has a governing body. After weeks of quietly non-dating, Leslie notices that Ben’s acting distant. PART 2

Candy Sprinkles, Twirly Slides, and a Side of Optimism, Please G ; heartoutofstone
He felt a small jab in his left arm and spun around to see her standing behind him with a smile that seemed to drip sunshine.

Coming Home PG13 ; cmdr_jade
Ben questions his decisions. (Follow up to Worth Waiting For)

The Crap on the Crayfish PG13 ; ijemanja
“Uh-oh.” Crap crap crap. He was such a good kisser. Crap. She took a deep breath as she continued to stare up at him and swear a lot in her head.

Crash and Burn PG13 ; menzjj815
As much as he wanted to stay, as happy as he was in this crazy yet wonderful town called Pawnee with Leslie and even his friends like Tom, he couldn’t just throw his whole life away. Could he?

Credit Where Credit is Due PG13 ; scullyseviltwin
Pretty much everything is awesome, because his head is a little swimmy, and once you get past the initial gag-factor, the Snake Juice isn’t so bad.

> Cufflinks PG13 ; scullyseviltwin
In her defense, he really hadn’t hidden it well…

The Day the Apples Fell PG ; cmdr_jade *
He didn’t want to say it, because he had convinced himself that if he didn’t talk about leaving, maybe he wouldn’t have to.

Decision Time PG13/R ; jncar *
Leslie thought she’d made her mind up about Ben—twice—but really she’s still not sure; and now, (stupid, stupid, stupid!) she’s only given herself one more hour to make her decision. She really needs to call Ann.

The Dictionary According to Ben Wyatt PG ; swayinisdancin
He is not prepared for the hurricane of optimism that is Leslie Knope.

E (Is for Everything I Could Have Been) PG13 ; roulettedarling
Name calling and building personification excepted, his first meeting with Leslie Knope goes just as any other with the director of a soon to be gutted department.

Essential PG ;  just_progress
Fixing other people’s problems responsibly was essential in order to one day get a second chance. Then, that summer, Leslie Knope suddenly became essential.

» Exposure PG ; scullyseviltwin
So, yeah, the photobooth had been a total no brainer.

The Feel Before the Fall PG13 ; ipyngo
It was blind, optimistic, unyielding, hope that Ben would later be certain could never survive anywhere outside the foolish, naive dreams of an 18 year old boy mayor. Until, of course, he met Leslie Knope.

» First Impressions PG13 ; kyrieanne
First impressions can be deceiving - for Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope that is a hard earned lesson. PART 2 PART 3

> Five Times Ben Gets Jealous PG13 ; swayinisdancin & scullyseviltwin
He’s… considerably taller. That’s the first observation that works at his dander; he’s got a good five inches on Ben. Broad shoulders too, and yes, it occurs to Ben, somewhere in the dusty recesses of his mind that he is checking out a man, but it’s not just any man.

Getting There PG ; rikyl
Four short scenes: Leslie’s idea of sexy, Ben’s romantic past, plaid shirts, and the Wyatts.

The Gleam In Your Eyes PG ; swayinisdancin
Leslie never cared much for princesses. 

> Home PG13 ; swayinisdancin & scullyseviltwin *
“Listen, Leslie, the bubble, it’s burst and… you know what? I want you to meet my parents and I wasn’t kidding. Partridge is nice this time of year.” PART 2

How Ben Wyatt Finally Gets the Girl R ; cmdr_jade *
The first time Ben kissed Leslie was on his birthday, which was also the day he was supposed to go back to Indianapolis.

» I Could Have Kissed You Under the Cherry Blossoms PG13 ; americnxidiot
By this point, Ben Wyatt was pretty sure he was going to kiss Leslie Knope by the end of the week. At least 95% sure, Ben figured, give or take.

Ice Dreams PG ; rikyl
When the first real snowfall arrived in the second week of December, dropping five slushy inches on Pawnee, Ben had been dating Leslie for four weeks.

Innocuous PG ; cmdr_jade *
For some reason, the innocent way Leslie asks this question sends a shooting pain deep through his gut.

Intriguing Possibilities PG ; herosquad *
How Ben Wyatt became the Rahm Emanuel of Pawnee, only with all of his fingers intact, and a slightly sunnier disposition.

It’s All Your Fault PG13 ; cypanache *
Forty eight hours later, someone’s uploaded the video of his on-air breakdown to YouTube™ and because that’s just how his life works … it goes viral.

It’s Just The Laws That Make Us Bad PG13 ;  irishmizzy *
He honestly thought the Freddy Spaghetti concert would be the last time he saw her.

It’s Still the Same Old Story R ; swayinisdancin *
I never went back to Partridge, and no one came looking for me. I never went back to Pawnee either. The difference? Pawnee came looking, even if it was by accident. Five years later, it found me. PART 2 PART 3

James Bond Has Nothing On Us PG13 ; synecdoche *
“We could, you know, keep it secret,” Ben says, and Leslie presses the phone against her ear so it squishes against her head.

The Legend of Stiffy Green PG13 ; laughingduchess *
Leslie realizes that Ben hasn’t seen the scariest landmark in all of Pawnee.

» Leslie Knope and What I Did Over My Summer Government Shutdown PG ; scullyseviltwin
…they’re not friends. Because he’s, you know, out to get everyone she enjoys.

Leslie Knope’s Late Fees G ; myrifique
Five times the library and the Parks departments fight, and one time they don’t.

Like a Secret Wing Pouring PG ;  cashewdani
“My ex, Bradley’s in town. For our reunion. And he’s a lobbyist in D.C., and I’ve been looking at pictures from high school, and it’s crazy, I’m being crazy, I don’t even know.”

A Long, Long Journey to the Capital City R ; cereal *
If he doesn’t get sucked into Leslie’s tornado of enthusiasm, if he keeps his head down, they can fix things and leave.

May, She Will Stay PG13 ; ijemanja
Really, she was just happy on Pawnee’s behalf… After escaping from Orin, the party continues.

» Mistakes You Can Live With PG13 ; jncar
As Leslie gets caught up in the excitement of planning a political campaign, the people who care about her the most worry that she’s letting William Barnes and his clique change her for the worse. PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5a PART 5b

My, How You’ve Grown PG ; laughingduchess
Leslie needs a date to her high school reunion and Ben happens to be available.

New Years PG13 ; alywins
Leslie contemplates the consequences of kissing Ben on New Years.

» Next Stop, The World PG13 ; synecdoche
Okay, there’s the slim chance that this is a dumb idea, but if running for office in Pawnee means she could do good for this city, then Lot 48 basically sums up what she stands for. Leslie decides to run for office, antics ensue. (an 11+ part story, linking to subsequent chapters at the end of each)

Ninety Miles G ; lavillerespire
Richmond, Indiana is 73.1 miles from Indianapolis. (And 90.1 miles from Pawnee.)

No One’s Got What We’ve Got Going PG13 ; swayinisdancin
“You’re dating Ben? Where have I been?” “I am not dating Ben. That’s ridiculous. He’s just giving me a ride to Andy and April’s party.”

(Not So) Trivial Pursuits PG ; cmdr_jade
Ben doesn’t think much of it; he’s been to trivia games with Chris and the man is insufferable.

Party Down R ; scullyseviltwin *
Not that his new group of friends really needs an excuse to throw a party because they celebrate things all the time; Earth Day, Jerry’s birthday (kind of), end of hunting registration week. But this feels like it’s going to be a blow out.

> Patchwork Heart R ; cypanache *
When Ben Wyatt is a junior in high-school his father gets remarried to a woman who wields a day-planner like a weapon.  And the next thing he knows he lives down the hall from a girl who believes she can change the world with a letter-jacket, a tiara and a can-do attitude.  And he kind of thinks she might be right.  And he kind of thinks he might be in love with her.  And he’s pretty sure this is a problem.  But whatever, no one seems to care what he thinks anyway. PART 2 PART 3

» A Pawnee Christmas PG13 ; cmdr_jade
“Dammit, Ben, pick one. I’ve been waiting to start this because I thought you should pick first. Y’know, since it’ll be your first Christmas here.”

On the Day PG13 ; cmdr_jade
Snippets of the Harvest Festival, through the eyes of the Parks Department.

Rev Up the Crowd, Rewrite the Rule Book PG13 ; swayinisdancin
It rains the day of their trip. What starts as a morning drizzle turns into a steady shower by the afternoon.

» Running R ; swayinisdancin & scullyseviltwin *
For all he knows about Leslie, there are some things he doesn’t. How she handles personal conflict like this, whether she eases into it or rips off the Band Aid or needs a push. PART 2 PART 3 PART 4

Sick Days PG ; cmdr_jade
Her first clue that something is wrong with Ben is the fact that it is an unseasonably warm day for late fall in Pawnee and he still has his jacket on inside.

Snapshots R ; polished_luck
“How long have you been here?” His voice comes from behind her, and she turns around to greet him with a smile that’s content, and something else he can’t quite place.

» Snapshots Left on the Negative PG13 ; cypanache **
Simple version? Five conversations Leslie and Ben have in formal wear. (But of course life is always more complicated than that). PART 2 PART 3 PART 4a PART 4b PART 4c PART 4d PART 4e PART 5a PART 5b

Spun Sugar PG13 ; kyrieanne
It wasn’t something he planned and Ben planned everything in his life. PART 2

> Solving the Leslie Problem R ; jncar *
Ben is a problem solver by nature—he likes to take charge and make the tough decisions. So why can’t he seem to find a solution to the Leslie problem? A companion piece to Decision Time.

So Much Easier PG ;  michellek
Leslie wants to take him on a tour of Pawnee’s parks.

» The Storm NC17 ; stillscape
Leslie has spent all her time since then alone in her tent, shouting at herself and reading and re-reading her dream journal.

The Sweetness of Escape PG13 ; bayloriffic
When Ben finds out there’s a National Parks and Recreation Department conference in D.C. the last weekend in June, he registers for two before he remembers he should probably ask Leslie if she wants to go with him.

Take a Ch-Ch-Ch-Chance PG13 ; fujiidom
Leslie throws Ben a birthday party. He’s not the only one surprised.

That’s The Ticket PG ; lavillerespire
Leslie’s priorities are such that becoming the first female president was always more important than finding her First Man. What if she doesn’t?

Things We’re Not Doing NC17 ; cypanache *
Ben doesn’t kiss Leslie in his office and instead calls to say they really shouldn’t let anything happen, but it backfires when the conversation about what they can and can’t do gets a little too explicit.

» Three Weeks and Three Days to Change Your Life PG13 ; jncar
On the first day of the Harvest Festival, an unexpected conversation about her relationship with Ben causes Leslie to start thinking of him in a whole new way.

Ticket Stubs and Memories G ;  heartoutofstone
The smell of spiced apple cider and cotton candy filled the air and she just wanted to bottle it up and keep it on her night stand forever to remind her of how incredibly perfect this day was.

Twenty Two Hours R ; scullyseviltwin *
Leslie Knope discovers a lot of things about Ben Wyatt over the course of a day…

Untitled PG13 ; crackers4jenn
Leslie gets to the point where she starts thinking of Ben in new and disturbing roles. More disturbing, even, than auditor — which, if you think about it, is almost like a librarian in terms of jobs as performed by Hell’s minions.

The Wallflowers PG ; scullyseviltwin *
It hurts her face, the way her cheeks stretch to accommodate the smile that he causes to blossom on her lips. The best kind of pain, she thinks.

Wall Flowers and Hamburgers PG ; cmdr_jade
Five conversations Ben and Leslie have at the mural.

The Weekend After PG13 ; cacklecats *
It’s Saturday and she’s got this amazing guy in her bed and Jeez Louise, can’t she just revel in it for a minute?

We Used to Wait G ;heathicorn *
Post-Harvest Festival, a few days prior to Ben’s departure, and a birthday on the horizon. PART 2 | PART 3

When the Dance is Through (It’s Me and You) PG ; cmdr_jade
A chance to mingle with the mayor’s buddies? Who wouldn’t want to go?

The Whole Sky Fell R ; ohmyohpioneer *
His father dies the day before the Harvest Festival.

The Woo’s of Spinning Slides and Jelly Donuts PG13 ;  quick_ly
Ben understands it’s wrong to show favoritism, and if Leslie wasn’t smiling at him the way she is, he might regret it. But she is, so he doesn’t.

This Means War! PG  ; cmdr_jade *
Come here, use back window. Please hurry. This is the text Leslie receives at approximately 9:00 PM on a Saturday night from Ben Wyatt.

> While You’re Busy Making Other Plans R ; swayinisdancin *
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought and maybe this is whole no-dating thing is so hard because we don’t know what it’s like. We never even got a chance to try and now we’ve blown it all out of proportion. We’re feeding off of the drama and that’s not healthy. For either of us.”

Worth Waiting For PG13 ; cmdr_jade *
After Pawnee Today, Ben could use a stiff drink…

You Left Me in the Dark PG13 ; cmdr_jade *
The first time Leslie notices the way Ben looks at her is the night of the Harvest Festival.

Again, you can find my Ben/Leslie fics here.

And not to be missed is the fun over at nbckink, where the prompts/fills are largely Ben/Leslie related. (Almost entirely NC17)