March Recs: Old-School Sam/Dean [Alt. Universes]
I was just talking with a friend about the SPN AU/AR fics that I loved when I first started lurking around fandom back in 2006. So I thought I'd offer up a selection of a few Sam/Dean AUs and ARs from the early days of fandom. Enjoy!
The Sunless Land
lyra-wing | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~12,000 words
High-school AU, in which Sam and Dean don't know each other. But, of course, not everything is what it seems.
I love to see a fab use of the "raised apart or separated!boys" trope, and combine that with all the charms of a highschool!AU and you get this enjoyable fic.
Spark
beatperfume | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~24,343 words
Dean Collins is a regular Chicago firefighter. Then he meets Sam, a mysterious guy who introduces him to a world he never knew existed. You can't run from the past, even if you've forgotten what it is.
Originally posted back in '06, this is not only one of the first S/D AUs I read in fandom, but it is also the AU fic that gave me my fireman!Dean kink. A great fic with a Sam and Dean you'll fall in love with.
Hush (Don't Tell a Soul)
nymeria | Sam/Dean, Sam/Jess, Dean/Other | NC-17 | ~30,275 words
Sam has a little constellation of moles on his back, just under his right shoulder blade. When Sam was much younger, still young enough for Dean to get away with bathing him, he would touch each one gently with the pad of his forefinger and count them out loud. "One-two-three-four-stop squirming, Sammy!" And his little brother would glare at him as if to say it wasn't his fault he was ticklish. Looking back, Dean thinks he loved Sam even then.
I have epic amounts of love for this fic. But it's Dean's love for his brother in this fic that will own your soul -- heartbreaking, angsty, and beautiful.
I Got Me a Nice Little Place in the Stars
luzdeestrellas | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~25,319 words
Sam ran away from everything life as a Winchester promised, trying to find his place in the world, but when Dean showed up at his door, needing a place to stay, he realized that without Dean, no place was home.
This is one of those fics that just brings home all the things we love about Sam/Dean reconnecting. And nothing beats Sam and Dean on a ranch. Beautiful story with a great Sam POV.
Begin at the Beginning
isolde13 | Sam/Dean | R | ~52,000 words
Sam had been expecting this birthday to be one of his worst.
This is an enjoyable key!fic AU with an exciting Sam/Dean build up. It's hard to put down once you start.
Old Ghosts
gillianinoz | Sam/Dean | R | ~40,600 words
AU story where Sam and Dean were separated as children and meet as adults, not knowing they are brothers. They fall in love, but they have Dean's past and Sam's family to contend with. And then there is the biggest secret of them all...
Boy meets boy. Boy falls for boy. Boy finds out boy is his long-lost brother. The past never really stays in the past, and this is a a gorgeous fic and a classic use of the "raised apart" trope.
I Didn't Know Me Until I Met You
eboniorchid | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~30,000 words
On his first half-birthday, Sam Winchester was taken from his human family to be raised by one of the clans of the Grigori. These fallen angels, myth to most, are often called "demons" and many are hunted for their contributions to human bloodshed. Dean Winchester is one such Hunter. When these two connected souls find each other after 22 years apart, sparks will fly, but who will be burned?
This is a dark, but intriguing AU where Sam was raised by Azazel.
That Phantom World So Fair
rei-c | Sam/OFC, Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~25,700 words
Dean goes to pick Sam up from Stanford and ends up finding more than he bargained for.
This author always has a knack for taking unique premises and weaving atmospheric, magical, and complex stories. This fic is a powerful and interesting departure from canon.
Threw Away the Sun
ladyjanelly | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~11,000 words
AU. Six months after John Winchester goes missing on a hunt, Dean Goes to Palo Alto to find a psychic.
An engaging and compelling fic featuring blind!psychic!Sam.
Captured by the Game
rivkat | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~55,000 words
AU. Azazel has given his favorite son a task: worm his way into the confidence of a hunter. It sounds simple, but Dean Winchester just might be more than Sam can handle.
Oh, the wonders of Evil!Sam! And one can never really get enough fics where Sam was raised by Azazel and he later meets Dean, the hunter. This is a captivating story and a really fascinating reworking of canon.
The Sunless Land
lyra-wing | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~12,000 words
High-school AU, in which Sam and Dean don't know each other. But, of course, not everything is what it seems.
I love to see a fab use of the "raised apart or separated!boys" trope, and combine that with all the charms of a highschool!AU and you get this enjoyable fic.
Spark
beatperfume | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~24,343 words
Dean Collins is a regular Chicago firefighter. Then he meets Sam, a mysterious guy who introduces him to a world he never knew existed. You can't run from the past, even if you've forgotten what it is.
Originally posted back in '06, this is not only one of the first S/D AUs I read in fandom, but it is also the AU fic that gave me my fireman!Dean kink. A great fic with a Sam and Dean you'll fall in love with.
Hush (Don't Tell a Soul)
nymeria | Sam/Dean, Sam/Jess, Dean/Other | NC-17 | ~30,275 words
Sam has a little constellation of moles on his back, just under his right shoulder blade. When Sam was much younger, still young enough for Dean to get away with bathing him, he would touch each one gently with the pad of his forefinger and count them out loud. "One-two-three-four-stop squirming, Sammy!" And his little brother would glare at him as if to say it wasn't his fault he was ticklish. Looking back, Dean thinks he loved Sam even then.
I have epic amounts of love for this fic. But it's Dean's love for his brother in this fic that will own your soul -- heartbreaking, angsty, and beautiful.
I Got Me a Nice Little Place in the Stars
luzdeestrellas | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~25,319 words
Sam ran away from everything life as a Winchester promised, trying to find his place in the world, but when Dean showed up at his door, needing a place to stay, he realized that without Dean, no place was home.
This is one of those fics that just brings home all the things we love about Sam/Dean reconnecting. And nothing beats Sam and Dean on a ranch. Beautiful story with a great Sam POV.
Begin at the Beginning
isolde13 | Sam/Dean | R | ~52,000 words
Sam had been expecting this birthday to be one of his worst.
This is an enjoyable key!fic AU with an exciting Sam/Dean build up. It's hard to put down once you start.
Old Ghosts
gillianinoz | Sam/Dean | R | ~40,600 words
AU story where Sam and Dean were separated as children and meet as adults, not knowing they are brothers. They fall in love, but they have Dean's past and Sam's family to contend with. And then there is the biggest secret of them all...
Boy meets boy. Boy falls for boy. Boy finds out boy is his long-lost brother. The past never really stays in the past, and this is a a gorgeous fic and a classic use of the "raised apart" trope.
I Didn't Know Me Until I Met You
eboniorchid | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~30,000 words
On his first half-birthday, Sam Winchester was taken from his human family to be raised by one of the clans of the Grigori. These fallen angels, myth to most, are often called "demons" and many are hunted for their contributions to human bloodshed. Dean Winchester is one such Hunter. When these two connected souls find each other after 22 years apart, sparks will fly, but who will be burned?
This is a dark, but intriguing AU where Sam was raised by Azazel.
That Phantom World So Fair
rei-c | Sam/OFC, Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~25,700 words
Dean goes to pick Sam up from Stanford and ends up finding more than he bargained for.
This author always has a knack for taking unique premises and weaving atmospheric, magical, and complex stories. This fic is a powerful and interesting departure from canon.
Threw Away the Sun
ladyjanelly | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~11,000 words
AU. Six months after John Winchester goes missing on a hunt, Dean Goes to Palo Alto to find a psychic.
An engaging and compelling fic featuring blind!psychic!Sam.
Captured by the Game
rivkat | Sam/Dean | NC-17 | ~55,000 words
AU. Azazel has given his favorite son a task: worm his way into the confidence of a hunter. It sounds simple, but Dean Winchester just might be more than Sam can handle.
Oh, the wonders of Evil!Sam! And one can never really get enough fics where Sam was raised by Azazel and he later meets Dean, the hunter. This is a captivating story and a really fascinating reworking of canon.