[Fic recs] John knows (part two)
There are so many excellent fics addressing the theme of John finding out about Sam and Dean's sexual relationship that I had to break it into two posts. Part one is here. Happy reading!
Credit in the Straight World by ninhursag (NC-17, Sam/Dean, John, Jess, OMC, OFC 29580 words)
Sam has always had his brother, when he wanted him and when he didn't. But that was before he was the lucky recipient of a gift from faerie that Dean can't remember and John can't forget. It leaves Sam to find his own way to navigate between the 'real' world and the Winchester world and deal with guilt he can't shake, no matter how hard he tries. And trying? Is going to involve plenty of sex, rebellion (and maybe some of Dean's rock and roll. But not much).
Reccer's note: Even though John separates the boys in this story, he is a relatively sympathetic character. He sees his sons together and interprets a faerie gift as a curse, and acts in an understandable manner, given what he believes to be true. We spend a lot of time in Sam's head here, and it's not a very comfortable place. Even more disturbing than the poor substitutes Sam finds to replace Dean is his awareness of how different he is, how much he's only playing at normal. The dinner scene with Jess's parents is heartbreaking. Our hearts are mended in the end, when true love finally prevails.
Three Blind Men and an Elephant by Dwarf Ankylosaur (PG-13, Sam/Dean, John, Ellen, Bobby. <1000 words)
John and Ellen and Bobby find out.
Reccer's note: John, Ellen, and Bobby all come to some realization about the boys' relationship, but each comes away with a different understanding of it. Very subtly written, with an impressive ability to pull off three different points of view and keep each completely in character.
Family by James. (PG-13, Sam/Dean, John, mentions of Pastor Jim, 2700 words)
John knows what his sons do.
Reccer's note: This piece successfully navigates the tricky territory where John knows and doesn't act on what he knows. John never actually catches his boys doing anything beyond one innocent kiss when they were quite young; there are no lingering glances or brushes of fingers -- he just sees in Dean's eyes the same thing he felt for Mary, and lets them be. Beautiful writing from John's POV really make this story special.
Sheltered by Creed by stir_of_echoes (Jules) (PG-13, Sam/Dean, John, brief Pastor Jim, 2,565 words)
“They’re your boys John; you can’t possibly expect me to believe that you don’t know, can’t see…”
Reccer's note: After Pastor Jim tries to get John to see the nature of his sons' relationship, John thinks back on how Sam and Dean have always been connected. This is essentially a collection of moments reflecting how deeply the brothers belong to one another, and to no one else. There are no sexually explicit situations, but the description of how the teenaged boys sleep together is delicious. John can admit to himself that his boys are romantically attached, and he resigns himself to it.
Credit in the Straight World by ninhursag (NC-17, Sam/Dean, John, Jess, OMC, OFC 29580 words)
Sam has always had his brother, when he wanted him and when he didn't. But that was before he was the lucky recipient of a gift from faerie that Dean can't remember and John can't forget. It leaves Sam to find his own way to navigate between the 'real' world and the Winchester world and deal with guilt he can't shake, no matter how hard he tries. And trying? Is going to involve plenty of sex, rebellion (and maybe some of Dean's rock and roll. But not much).
Reccer's note: Even though John separates the boys in this story, he is a relatively sympathetic character. He sees his sons together and interprets a faerie gift as a curse, and acts in an understandable manner, given what he believes to be true. We spend a lot of time in Sam's head here, and it's not a very comfortable place. Even more disturbing than the poor substitutes Sam finds to replace Dean is his awareness of how different he is, how much he's only playing at normal. The dinner scene with Jess's parents is heartbreaking. Our hearts are mended in the end, when true love finally prevails.
Three Blind Men and an Elephant by Dwarf Ankylosaur (PG-13, Sam/Dean, John, Ellen, Bobby. <1000 words)
John and Ellen and Bobby find out.
Reccer's note: John, Ellen, and Bobby all come to some realization about the boys' relationship, but each comes away with a different understanding of it. Very subtly written, with an impressive ability to pull off three different points of view and keep each completely in character.
Family by James. (PG-13, Sam/Dean, John, mentions of Pastor Jim, 2700 words)
John knows what his sons do.
Reccer's note: This piece successfully navigates the tricky territory where John knows and doesn't act on what he knows. John never actually catches his boys doing anything beyond one innocent kiss when they were quite young; there are no lingering glances or brushes of fingers -- he just sees in Dean's eyes the same thing he felt for Mary, and lets them be. Beautiful writing from John's POV really make this story special.
Sheltered by Creed by stir_of_echoes (Jules) (PG-13, Sam/Dean, John, brief Pastor Jim, 2,565 words)
“They’re your boys John; you can’t possibly expect me to believe that you don’t know, can’t see…”
Reccer's note: After Pastor Jim tries to get John to see the nature of his sons' relationship, John thinks back on how Sam and Dean have always been connected. This is essentially a collection of moments reflecting how deeply the brothers belong to one another, and to no one else. There are no sexually explicit situations, but the description of how the teenaged boys sleep together is delicious. John can admit to himself that his boys are romantically attached, and he resigns himself to it.