#my comfort fic list

[crybaby-bkg]

I loveee the concept of reincarnation bc it’s just so comforting!!!

oh to be reincarnated lovers with Bakugou where you find each other every life time and leave a memory of the other to find in the next lifetime. You see each other in a new lifetime, drawn to each other, swearing familiarity even though your minds disagree. But it’s something deeper within you that knows each other, misses the others embrace, and you can’t figure out why.

There’s a famous painting of someone who looks suspiciously like you made in the 1600s by some tortured artist, the muse a lover he had lost years before. There’s a statue that looks just like Bakugou from the 1800s, who everyone thought to be created after Apollo, but you beg to differ. There are letters found between two lovers, one gone off to war and the other at home, their exchange of love something poets discuss in contemporary times. Theres even skeletons found embracing each other, with one’s head tucked into the others neck.

And for some reason, every time, these figments of love appeal to you deeper than anyone else around you. They’re so familiar, and you think you might be going crazy when flashes of memories start to plague you.

Sitting in a darkly lit room, a slate of white marble in front of you, a point chisel in hand. There’s a blond man sitting behind the marble, with a sly grin, as your hands raise to start chipping away at its flawless perfection.

Sitting at home, writing away with a quilled pen to a lover you miss. Kissing the edge of the paper and pulling away to find it stained with red from your lips.

Laying in the soft grass, your face hidden in a strong neck as heavy winds start to take over you. Your arms entangled in another’s, tilting your face up to kiss a blond, stubbled jaw.

When Bakugou tells you he remembers the same things, you wonder if you’re both just on a bad trip from a drug you don’t remember taking. But you carve your names in tree trunks and wonder if you’ll find find it again hundreds of years later, if you’ll see him again, if you’ll create another piece of your unyielding love on every crevice of the earth.

[flowercrowngods]

It's unreal. The light is streaming in through the windows, the curtains still drawn to block out the midday heat, tinging their living room in golden hues that match so well with the light grey fabric of their new sofa.

Eddie should probably snap out of it and head over to the windows, open the curtains and let the light in, and with it the warmth and fresh air of a surprisingly wonderful day.

It's March, he hears the echoes of Steve's giddy voice a week or two ago. Everything's better in March.

Eddie didn't agree then, and he's not sure he agrees now, but he must admit there is something magical about this moment.

Still he remains rooted to the spot, leather jacket heavy on his shoulders, his hands hidden in the sleeves of it, just in case this really is a dream. Just in case someone will come in and snap him out of it, take away their couch and leave an eviction notice.

It's dumb. But Eddie doesn't deal well with things that are unreal. Things that he knows aren't meant for him. Things that he knows he only gets in this one play-through of his life, while millions of other Eddie Munsons are out there in parallel universes who never get to even lay eyes upon a couch this nice. Let alone buy it. From their own real adult money.

It's a corner sofa, the fabric light grey, and he remembers it being harder than it looks. Solid. Just perfect for both their fucked up backs, scar tissue pulling if they sit wrong for too long, phantom pain and muscle aches coming in hot when all they want is to just relax and enjoy a lazy evening.

Eddie bites his lip, trailing his eyes along the pristine fabric, the pillows lining the back of it, the flawless stitches keeping everything in shape.

They have a couch now. A sofa.

It's so fucking unreal.

He drops to the floor right then and there, sitting with his back against the wall, and never once taking his eyes off their sofa. It feels important to look at it for a while. It feels important to wait for Steve. It feels... It feels like maybe he'll ruin everything if he goes and sits on it now.

And it feels really fucking big.

At some point he hears the front door opening, their lock going so smoothly now that Steve fixed it with some graphite, and the sound makes Eddie smile. That's another thing that's unreal. The key barely making any noise, the lock not rattling, the door not creaking and cracking. Eddie pulls a strand of hair between his lips, the smile feeling too silly for this room, for this home, for everything he gets to have now.

For all the tiny things that matter now. All the tiny things he gets to have, turning the key's smooth slide into an allegory of everything he ever wanted but never dared to hope for.

The slide of curtains, the click-click-click of the window handle being turned to let the air in. The breeze of fresh spring air dancing around his nose.

It's all a little much. It's so fucking addicting.

And then Steve. Socked feet coming to a stop beside him, a hand landing in his hair, a voice that's so endlessly warm and fond and maybe a little worried sounding from above him, "Hi, angel."

"Hi," Eddie says, tearing his eyes away from their couch to meet Steve's. The sunlight from the windows hugs him, making him glow. Eddie smiles. He smiles and smiles and never wants to stop.

Steve hums as he leans down to press a kiss to his forehead, and Eddie weaves his arm through Steve's legs, holding onto his knee.

Everything feels a little less silly now. Like every time Steve doesn't question his little moments of sitting on the floor and just staring at things.

"We have a couch now," Eddie says, because it feels important to point out. Because Steve isn't looking at it.

"We do," he hums. "I got the call earlier. Thanks for helping with that, baby."

Eddie nods again, leaning his cheek against Steve's knee and trailing the couch again with his eyes. It looks brighter now that the curtains don't turn the room into something out of a sepia-type movie anymore.

Steve's hands comb through his hair, massaging his scalp a little with his nails. It's nice. It's warm. It's pretty.

And it's so unreal.

"I'm twenty-four," Eddie says then, and some part of him wants to carve that into the fabric. He won't. But maybe he should carve it somewhere else. "And I own a couch. It's a little crazy."

Steve comes to sit down beside him, their shoulders pressed together and he links their hands, resting them in his lap after a brushes a kiss to Eddie's knuckles.

"Why's it crazy, angel?"

He shrugs, resting his head on Steve's shoulders and curling into his warmth some more.

"Most of my life I never thought either of those would happen, y'know."

Another hum, followed by another kiss to the crown of his head. Another smile.

"But you did it," Steve whispers. "You made it. And we've got a couch now."

"We've got a couch now."

Saying it out loud doesn't make it feel any realer. It only makes his heart race and his eyes prick.

"I love you," he says, finally looking away from pretty grey fabric to meet prettier hazel eyes. "I love you so much."

Steve leans in, kissing the tip of his nose. "I love you. Thank you for buying a couch with me."

And it occurs to Eddie then that Steve understands him. Sitting there on the floor with him, hearing his words and listening to those unsaid, understanding Eddie on such a fundamental level that it should be scary. And it is, sometimes.

But he's not scared now. Because they have a couch. And they have pretty curtains that keep the light outside and still turn the room into something magical. And they have a lock that only needed a bit of graphite to let the keys glide smoothly.

And they have each other.

They stay on the floor until Steve's stomach growls, and they eat dinner with their backs against the couch and Eddie's feet in Steve's lap. They hold each other close after dinner, just breathing each other in as the breeze blows around them.

In the end, Eddie is the first to sit on the couch, with Steve standing between his legs and giving him a scalp massage in silence. In the end, Eddie buries his face in Steve's stomach to hide the tears, and Steve lets him.

Because this is real. And he gets to have this. They both do.

🤍 permanent tag list gang: @skiddit @inklessletter @aringofsalt @hellion-child @stobin-cryptid@hotluncheddie @gutterflower77@auroraplume@steddieonbigboy @n0-1-important@stevesjockstrap @brainvines @puppy-steve @izzy2210 @itsall-taken @mangoinacan13 @madigoround@pukner@i-amthepizzaman @swimmingbirdrunningrock @hammity-hammer @stevesbipanic@bitchysunflower @estrellami-1 @finntheehumaneater @goodolefashionedloverboi @awkwardgravity1 (lmk if you want on or off, for this story or permanently)

[parmahamlarrie]

Welcome back to another post for the directory of fic recs on my blog! If you would like a specific theme or trope, let me know! As always, these are all fics I have read and loved, not all the fics out there. You can find more Fluffy fics here! **This post will be updated as I have more fics in this theme to recommend!**

Of Mates and Men || @bananaheathen || 630.4k Weddings, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff

knock, knock, I love you || beautlouis || 86k College AU, Virgin Harry, Fluff

With My Body and Soul, I Want You More Than You’ll Ever Know || BoosBabycakes || 58.8k   Strangers to Lovers, Mpreg Lou, So Fluffy

Homegrown || casuallyhl || 51.4k  Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Gardening, Fluff!

The Boys of Summer || @afirethatcannotdie || 45.2k Summer Camp AU, Secret Relationship, Fluff

Nothing Else But Us Right Here || supernope || 35.3k   Kid Fic, Single Dad Louis, Teacher Harry, Fluff

With A Little Kindness || @jacaranda-bloom || 33k KidFic, Mpreg Harry, Single Parent Harry, Rich Louis, Valentine’s Day, Fluff Frankincense-ational || @londonfoginacup || 31.5k Christmas, Librarian Harry, Firefighter Louis, Fluff and Humor

Has the Ocean Lost Its Way || @kingsofeverything || 28.3k Surfer Louis, Photographer Harry, Fluff, Slow Burn, Australia

daydream about me || louistomlinsons || 21.5k  Girl Direction, Famous/Famous, Fluff, Coming Out (sorta), Idiots to Lover

pink like the paradise found || @disgruntledkittenface || 18.4k  Girl Direction, Fluff/Smut

Everywhere and Nowhere || @2tiedships2 || 16.5k   Omegaverse, Neighbors AU, Courting, Fluff, Strangers to Lovers

balance between you and me || @beckydoesthings || 15.4k Omegaverse, Fluff and Humor, Courting Rituals, Demisexual Louis

The Sorority AU Series || louistomlinsons || 14.7k  Girl Direction, Sorority AU, Fluff and Humor

a picture of love, that’s this house || theprincessd || 13.5k KidFic, Domestic Fluff, Canon

Soup? || trackfive || 13.3k Canon, SickFic, Fluff

Mistletoe, Memories, and Mayhem || @jacaranda-bloom || 12.6k Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor

The Checkout || @silverstuff50 || 12.2k Omegaverse, Alpha Louis, Omega Harry, Awkward Flirting, Fluff

Bambi Legs || @disgruntledkittenface || 11.5k Girl Direction, Fluff, Coming Out, First date

Stumbling Into Your Arms ABO verse || @sunshineandthemoonlight || 11.3k - 2 parts Omegaverse, College AU, Train AU, Fluff

Faith and Trust and Pixie Dust || kotabear24 || 10.5k KidFic, Fluff, Meet Cute, Strangers to Lovers

Like a Picture Print by Currier & Ives || armadillosunset || 10k Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, Knitting

Just the Start || @littleroverlouis || 9.6k Older Harry and Louis, Hair Stylist Harry, Fluff and Humor, First Dates

Find Me in the Kitchen || @neondiamond || 9.2k Omegaverse, Cooking Lessons, Fluff

Here We Come A-Wassailing || @lululawrence || 8.2k  Childhood Friends to Lovers, Christmas Fic, Fluff, Pining

Sun-Kissed Hurricane, Perfect Storm || iwillpaintasongforlou || 7.6k Nerdy Harry, ADHD Louis, Badboy Louis, Pining and Fluff

The Coach Tommo Universe || @enchantedlandcoffee || 6.8k Omegaverse, Kid Fic, Fluff and Smut, Bakery Owner Harry

I’m sticking to you like glue || peanutbutterapple || 6.2k  College AU, Sick Fic, Halloween, Fluff

I’ll Keep You Warm || @parmahamlarrie || 5.9k Neighbour AU, Winter Storm, Fluff

Won’t You Please Come Around || @allwaswell16 || 5.8k Meet Cute, Fluff, Strangers to Lovers

Everybody Wants You (And I Don’t Mind the Gold Rush) || @sunflouwerhabit || 5.3k Ice Skating, Fluff, Flirting, Meet-Cute

Love Mail || @neondiamond || 5k Neighbours AU, Fluff, Stress Baking

Stealing Flowers || @lululawrence || 4.8k   Strangers to Lovers, Meet Cute, Fluff and Humor

touch my neck and I’ll touch yours || gravitycentered, wigglesjoon || 4.5k Friends to Lovers, Roommates, Fluff, Intimacy

All I Need || @tommokat || 4.1k KidFic, Single Parent Harry, Therapy, Fluff

Somersault || @sun-lt || 4k Established Relationship, Comfort, Fluff

Wordplay 2023: there his charming nest doth lay || @bottomhaztoplou || 3.8k Omegaverse, Established Relationship, Nesting, Domestic Fluff

The Wrath of Gucci || louisunflower6 || 3.7k   Canon, Just fluffy, Some domestic bliss

Just a little taste || @lunarheslwt || 3.6k Vampire Harry, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff

I’ve Been Running with the Wolves || RealityBetterThanFiction || 3.3k Werewolf/Shifter Harry, Human Louis, Established Relationship, Kidfic, Fluff

Just for you || @gaycousinlarry || 3.1k Canon, Fluff, Comfort

All The Way Home I’ll Be Warm || @justanothershadeofblue || 2.9k Friends to Lovers, Holiday Cards, Fluff and Humor

living love in slow motion || ashavahishta || 2.7k Canon, Fluff, Domesticity If Wishes Were Dishes || @londonfoginacup || 2.6k Domestic Fluff

Thesis Management || LadyLondonderry || 2.6k Werewolf Louis, Established Relationship, Fluff, Crack Fic

‘cause I built a home for you || angelsueavenue || 2.3k Omegaverse, Mpreg, Fluff, Nesting

Crowd Work || @littleroverlouis || 2.1k Stand Up Comedy, Banter, Fluff and Humor

Bless You! || @neondiamond || 2k Established Relationship, Kidfic, Fluff

The Wolf Wash || @haztobegood || 1.8k  Werewolves, Kid Fic, Fluff

Goodnight, Moon || @andtheywerebandmates || 1.6k Kid Fic, Established Relationship, Fluff

Wrap Your Legs Around Me || @evilovesyou || >1k Canon, Fluff, 2 Week Rule

[blossoms-phan]

will never pass up the opportunity, so! i am asking. what are your phanfic recommendations?

ask (honoured!) and you shall receive bestie! quick preface: i returned to the wonderful world of reading phanfic around the start of this year and have admittedly missed out on years of incredible work i am now catching up on! also in terms of what i read i generally lean towards current-era fics, canon compliant/fluff/smut- although i'm always taking recs from lovely moots/whoever, you may find this isn't the largest range (no aus/long chapter fics or whatever) but this is just a selection of what i've discovered/loved in the past few months and i hope to make more of these as i discover more writings!

shoutout to everyone on here for their recs, all the incredible fanfic writers and the peeps at @phanfictioncatalogue for their work and accessibility and being the reason i discovered so many new fics/tropes i now love <3 ok lets get into ittttttttt

"you look at my face a lot" by natigail: i credit this fic for getting me into reading phanfic again in 2024 <3 one of the first ones i read post-hiatus and i've returned to it countless times! it makes my heart jump, just so sweet and so them. the slittening(s) were such an iconic moment i can't believe it's been 6+ months since them but i love the little moments like dan describing phil's hair colour to a sephora worker, always wanting to know more about each other and the soft intimacy.

"the angel in the marble" by ivylakes: OHH MY GOODNESS this one is artttt. this one is my fave of the post-phlondeing fics i can just see and feel everything that happens, the loving, lazy intimacy, and following this week's t-shirt events it absolutely cements my HC that angel is a nickname for our philly. introspection, hair-kissing, body worship- i eat it up (im having a thing for mirrors in fics rn so there's also that)

"slumber party" by possumdnp: if i wasn't already clear reality-based fics really just do it for me and i love this one!! slumber party is one of my favourite recent-ish gaming vids and i just love the cozy comfort vibes of having a sleepover and getting a little flirty with your best friend/crush going on 15 years <3

"after the birthday stream" by trashcanfromgallifrey: the birthday stream ignited something in all of us but this is just such a perfect depiction of (possible) events after hehe. feels so them, just love the loving intimacy and shower activities and fluffy endings with cake <3 (shoutout hannah ily!!)

"lovers, keep on the road you're on" by possumdnp: another personal fave. japhan 2019 is EVERYTHING to me, this is so lovely and well-researched and i just go in between reading this and watching the stories from it when i want to cry and book a flight to tokyo

"welcome home! (never leave that long again)" by natigail: this one is just soooooo soft and sweet and fluffy. so heartwarming and one of the many wad reunion fics that has my heart <3

ok i'm going to end up including all 40+ of my bookmarks (not a lot. but working on it hehe) if i don't stop myself so as much as i could write paragraphs about all of these just know that my PPA test is positive and i was probably sweating/giggling/kicking my feet at all of these so here's a speedrun list of pure smut (sorry it's a lot of what i read lmao):

"juxtaposition", "slow down", "sensitive", "some kind of mood" and literally everything written by the force that is intoapuddle

"come light me up" by JudeAraya (perhap not pure smut but I loveeee the teasing and characterization in this so so dan ugh)

"appreciation" by Scuddleduck

"a little vitamin D" by Spring_Haze

"good for you, good for you" and "under my thumb" by dvp_95

"lucky" by iihappydaysii

i could keep going but for now i'm going to stop here! i'm sorry if this is messy i have no idea what i'm doing with linking and stuff but i hope this introduces at least one person to a new fic they end up loving! i lurked/read sooo many fics before finally creating an a03 account only a little over a month ago so i def might be missing some i've forgotten to go back and bookmark! shoutout to all of these writers (i could include multiple works from them all u ppl are amazing)- again i'm soo open to discovering more phanfic and want to expand my horizons, i've started to read some chaptered fics i didn't include on here but will reblog more current reads where i can! also if we're moots pls shamelessly promote your works i'd love to check them out! need to start commenting more too but ok ok wrapping it up

[optiwashere]

I realized I hadn't written anything about Shadowheart's physical scars in the Asheeraverse. Let's weave them into Shadowheart's more internal scars, why don't we? How about quite soon after the Gauntlet, too. Girl's straight up not having a good time.

What if I said if the angst had some emotional hurt/comfort to go along with it? We love exploring characters' emotional vulnerability in this household.

No Archive Warnings Apply.

Rating: M for themes and a fade to black

Category: F/F

Ship: Shadowheart/Trans Fem Tav

Tags and AO3 Summary beneath the break!

Tags: Romance, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Religious Guilt, Loneliness, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Bathing/Washing, Scars, Trans Female Character, Trans Tav (Baldur's Gate), Half-Orc Tav

Summary:

One night, with Baldur's Gate waiting for them just on the horizon, Shadowheart sits by herself and fears about what may come when she confronts the Sharrans that once called her sister as well as her former Mother Superior. She thinks herself alone, lost. With Asheera at her side, she cannot be truly alone. Together, they explore Shadowheart's scars.

[fandom-hoarder]

A Bibro's

Sastiel Rec List

-for the canon-adjacent connoisseur-

1. Pagan by posingasme

Gen | Rating: Mature | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 17, 782 | Chapters: 8/8

Tags: Blasphemy, Idol Worship, Fallen Castiel, Priest Sam, Hunterverse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Canon-Typical Violence

Summary: Castiel has fallen, too soon. Madness and desperation plague him, but, as always, his heart is still in the right place...with Sam Winchester.

🔆

2. Run Right; or Lie by orphan_account

Gen, M/M | Rating: Teen+ | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 5,197 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: AU, Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence, Pre-Slash

Summary: AU in which Dean died during Faith, the first seal was broken in season one, and Sam met Castiel when his faith was as strong as ever.

🔆

3. Kneel Before the Lord Our Maker by EnInkahootz

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 3,000 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Supernatural Kink Bingo 2021, Porn, Smut, Blasphemy, Angels, Angel Kink, Religion, Religion Kink, Angel Wings, Wings, Flying, Clouds, Cock Worship, Dom/sub, Sub Sam Winchester, Dom Castiel, Dom Castiel/Sub Sam Winchester, Dreams, Blow Jobs, Post-Episode: s04e07 It's the Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester

Summary: After first meeting Castiel and being disappointed in It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester (Season 4, Episode 7), Sam has a dream about Castiel being the classic sort of angel he had expected to meet. Sam dreams of using his mouth to worship Castiel's holy cock, which Sam sees as an extension of god.

🔆

4. What This Is About by MissMisdemeanor

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 3,147 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, Top Castiel/Bottom Sam Winchester, Riding, Sweat, Hook-Up, Secret Relationship, Canon Compliant, canon adjacent?, Making Out, Early season 5 Supernatural

Summary: “This is something you’ve wanted before today,” Cas states, and it’s true. He’s not sure if Cas even had to read his soul to get at that.

Sam’s breath stops. He freezes momentarily. “Yeah,” he admits. “Shit, Cas, yeah. I’d have done this the day we met.”

🔆

5. A First Grasp by Fae-and-night (goodgirlgonegeek16)

M/M | Rating: Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,034 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Season 5 angst, Episode: s05e03 Free to Be You and Me, or at least the sastiel alternate ending to that episode.

Summary: Sastiel-flavored coda for “Free to be You and Me” with some early seasons bamf!castiel.

🔆

6. My Sastiel Valentine by rosworms

M/M | Rating: Mature | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 3,371 | Chapters: 3/3

Tags: Episode: s05e14 My Bloody Valentine, Slash, NSFW, Sastiel - Freeform, Sam/Cas - Freeform

Summary: A very slight AU of the episode 'My Bloody Valentine' where Sam is affected by famine in a different way.

🔆 55 more fics, in relatively chronological order, below the cut 🔆

7. Boy in the White Suit by posingasme

Gen, M/M | Mature | Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Words: 13,460 | Chapters: 7/7

Tags: Boy King of Hell Sam Winchester, Post-Apocalypse, Dark Sam Winchester, Insanity, Alice in Wonderland References, Blasphemy, Self-Destruction, Madness

Summary: Sam said no. Dean said yes. Sam lost his mind. Castiel lost his friends. That’s the road so far.

🔆

8. A More Profound Bond by confxsed

Gen, M/M | Rating: Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 5,824 | Chapters: 5/5

Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Dean Winchester, Protective Castiel, Hurt Sam Winchester, Emotionally Hurt Sam Winchester, Angst, Season/Series 05, Sam Winchester Has Self-Worth Issues, Mentions of Suicide, Pre-Slash

Summary: Five little moments where Dean notices the relationship between Sam and Castiel growing.

🔆

9. some space underneath my skin by hellsreluctantheir

Part 1 of touch -- The soulless Sam and Cas were fucking verse.

M/M | Rating: Mature | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 23,607 | Chapters: 8/8

Tags: Soulless!Sam, Season/Series 06

Summary: Humans liked to touch each other in ways that baffled Castiel. Not just in the manner they slyly referred to as biblically. He watched them clap hands onto shoulders and backs, lean into each other in exhaustion, sleep sitting up with feet resting against each other on the floor. A constant, reverberating, nonverbal hymn. I am here. You are here. We are here, and we are alive. Angels did not need that kind of reassurance. Castiel could hear his siblings' songs no matter how near he was to them physically. Prayers and psalms in the back of his mind. It saddened him, somewhat, to think that humanity would never know that.

🔆

10. The Unexpected by muzivitch

M/M | Rating: Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,253 Chapters: 1/1

Summary: Sam and Castiel discuss his missing year. Also, Sam has a crush that would be obvious to anyone but Castiel (except it might even be obvious to him, after all). Takes place after 6.12 "Like A Virgin."

🔆

11. Doing Just Fine by masterlynovak

M/M, Multi | Rating: Explicit | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 1,069 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: idk it's a threesome but not really?, Dean is just watching Sam and Cas have sex, voyerism

Summary: Dean wakes up in a room with a naked Sam spread out on the bed.

🔆

12. Wings by Rowan203

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 1,415 Chapters: 1/1

Summary: AU after season 6. Sam comes back from the cage broken and changed. Dean and Castiel deal with it in different ways.

🔆

13. Between the Shadow and the Soul by Vee (Vera_DragonMuse)

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 6,456 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Poetry, hell is the absence of love, take shelter in me, castiel thinks sam is the wolf, sam thinks castiel is in another story, really they're both just lost in the fog

Summary: What if Sam was the one that went to Purgatory with Castiel?

🔆

14. The Sun Pale as Milk by Icanseenow

M/M | Rating: Mature | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 39,879 Chapters: 21/21

Tags: POV Sam Winchester, Season/Series 08, Purgatory, Post-Purgatory, Slow Burn, Nearly Human Castiel, Post-Season/Series 07

Summary: Instead of Dean, Castiel is the one to return from Purgatory first. He finds Sam, and together they spend a year. Looking for Dean and not looking for Dean.

🔆

15. a body of proof by lordofsoup

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Words: 21,525 | Chapters: 5/5

Tags: Angelic Possession, Consensual Possession, basically possession (romantic), Trials of Hell, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Trauma From Lucifer's Cage, Sam Winchester Has an Eating Disorder, a minor point but i wanted to mention it, references to honey!cas, Developing Relationship, Romantic Fluff, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Body, includes art!! [complete tags on Ao3]

Summary: Sam's sickness worsens after the second trial, resulting in him being rushed to the hospital, the extensive damage has left Sam drained of his fight. To continue with the trials Sam must allow Castiel to heal him, by possessing him. While having an alien home under his skin is nothing new for Sam, Castiel's constant presence unwittingly unburies a host of issues. Two people desperate for forgiveness in the same body should get crowded at times but between the nightmares, the sickness, and the blood; there are some cookies, a quiet beach on the coast of Oregon, and a chance at something new between them.

🔆

16. ficlet - sastiel, a/b/o dynamics by wrenseroticlibrary_archivist

[also on tumblr]

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 580 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Post-Season/Series 08, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Fallen Angel Castiel, Mating Cycles/In Heat, First Time, Porn, Ficlet, Alpha Castiel, Omega Sam Winchester

Summary: When Castiel had Fallen, he’d clearly become an alpha.

🔆

17. Stay in Touch by Cuda (Scylla)

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 6,310 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Post-Episode: s09e06 Heaven Can't Wait, Missing Scene, Human Castiel, Newly Human Castiel, Love Confessions, Not Actually Unrequited Love, First Kiss, First Time, Masturbation, Sexually Inexperienced Castiel, Castiel and Sam Winchester in Love, Sastiel - Freeform

Summary: Concerned about newly-human Castiel's decision to leave the Bunker on his own, Sam sets out for Idaho to find his best friend - and get some answers for himself.

🔆

18. Angels and Answers by klove0511

Part 1 of Milestones 'verse

M/M | Rating: Explicit | Rape/Non-Con | Words: 15,190 Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Possessed Sam Winchester, Memory Alteration, Human Castiel, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, First Time Blow Jobs, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence, Sam Winchester Has Self-Esteem Issues, Castiel Has Self-Esteem Issues, Alternate Season/Series 09, Winchester communication skills

Summary: Cas has discovered his sexuality as a human when the Winchesters bring him to the bunker, and he and Sam fall into bed together. When Gadreel forces Dean to drive Cas away, the two must find their way back to each other, freeing Sam from Gadreel in the process.

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19. So polite by bloodandcream

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,174 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Season 9, Angst, Sam topping from the bottom, Erectile Dysfunction

Summary: “Please,” was whispered into his mouth. So polite. Sam was in control here.

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20. Had Worse by posingasme

Gen, M/M | Rating: Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 3,687 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Bunker Fic, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Sam has a very high threshold for pain, and an iron will. So this current hunting injury, even with its weird attack on his view of reality, is nothing compared to what he has been through in the past. He’s had worse. But that does nothing to reassure those who love him.

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21. I'm always dragging that horse around by Trojie

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 5,499 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Unrequited Wincest, Unrequited Destiel, Enochian, Phobias, Hell Trauma, Season/Series 09, Episode: s09e11 First Born, Angel Healing, Implied Wincestiel, Hopeful Ending

Summary: Sam has a horror of angels and Cas has a compulsion to heal. It doesn't help that they speak the same languages, or that Dean is elsewhere - somehow he's always between them, and somehow they still have to meet in the middle.

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22. The Best Medicine by sarasaurusrex

Multi | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,247 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Comfort, Fluff, Depressed Sam Winchester, Season/Series 09, Misunderstandings, Castiel Takes Care of Sam Winchester, Established Castiel/Sam Winchester, Domestic Fluff

Summary: Castiel confuses Sam’s symptoms of depression with symptoms of the flu and tries to help. Set mid season 9.

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23. anything you need, that's what i'll be by starlightswait

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,092 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Dissociation, Bodily Autonomy, Season/Series 09, Aftermath of Possession, Post-Episode: s09e11 First Born, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Self-Harm, Food Issues

Summary: There is a strange discomfort in healing Sam in the days that follow Dean’s departure.

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24. muscle memory by hellsreluctantheir

Part 2 of touch - Sam's POV s7 - s9

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 5,830 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Season/Series 07, Season/Series 09

Summary: Sam lost his soul, slept with an angel, got his soul back, lost his memory, and then lost his mind before they could have a conversation about it. It's fine. The Hell trauma is gone, and he's coping. Even when Castiel comes back, he'll continue to cope.

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25. Divine by Matthew1972

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 8,120 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: POV Sam Winchester, Protective Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Kissing, First Time, Porn with Feelings, Anal Sex, Bottom Sam Winchester, Top Castiel, Bottoming from the Top, Angelic Grace Play, Angel Wings, Morning Sex, Oral Sex

Summary: Coda/AU scene to episode S09E11, First Born. "But nothing is worth losing you", Castiel shows that what he said was something he meant. Held safe in his arms and wings Sam learns the stunning truth about 'his' angel. How he heals the pain inside of him with something more than trust, care and touch.

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26. Even If We Can't Find Heaven by ellerkay

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 8,044 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Having Faith, Loss of Faith, First Kiss, First Time Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Pining

Summary: Sam finds his faith and loses it and finds it again, albeit in a very different form. A Sastiel love story and exploration of Sam’s faith and spirituality. [Note: prayer during sex🙏]

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27. Table For Two by the_diving_fox

M/M | Rating: Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,775 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: somewhere in s9, Human Castiel, valentine's day fic, POV Outsider

Summary: A tired waitress at Ann's Diner happens to serve Sam and Castiel amidst all the other obnoxious Valentine's Day couples. Sam and Castiel manage to surprise her, though.

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28. Two Beat Up Humans by PacJazz

M/M, Multi | Rating: Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 3,863 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Fluff and Angst, Pre-Slash, PTSD, Post-Gadreel, Human!Castiel, Hurt Sam Winchester, Post-trials with no angel healing hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Season/Series 09, Nightmares, Domestic Fluff, Hair Brushing, Insomnia, No Smut, Enochian-Speaking Sam Winchester, Sleepiness, Literal Sleeping Together [complete tags on Ao3]

Summary: Both broken, yet eager to help the other heal.... Sam and Cas are living in the bunker now, sans-dean after the gadreel betrayal. Cas is newly Human now, and while he needs some help learning the intricacies of that, Sam needs some help healing. They both share things, and think through what they've lost. *In slight AU where post-gadreel Sam is living in the bunker with newly human Castiel*

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29. A Crucifixion Without A Christ by angelshotgun

M/M | Rating: Explicit | Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con | Words: 18,501 | Chapters: 10/10

Tags: Angelic Possession, Castiel's Angelic Grace, Major Character Injury, Hurt Sam Winchester, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hell Trauma, Sam Winchester is Loved, Hurt Castiel, Guilty Castiel, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sam Winchester Needs a Hug, voicemail fixit, Post-Gadreel, Trust Issues, Sam Winchester Has a Crush on Castiel, Happy Ending, Schmoop, Hunter Retirement [complete tags on Ao3]

Summary: When Sam Winchester is badly injured on a hunt, Cas has to possess him to keep him alive and help him heal. And though Sam agreed to let him in, Cas is acutely aware of how many times Sam has had his bodily autonomy taken away from him, and how much Cas himself has contributed to Sam's pain. And now that he's inside Sam's head? Well, he tries to be as unobtrusive as possible, but Sam is just... traumatized. And hurting. Maybe, he thinks, maybe this is his chance to put aside his own feelings for Sam to help heal the hurts he had a hand in creating?

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30. Moments of Madness by orphan_account

M/M | Rating: Mature | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,140 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Season/Series 10, ish, Canon Compliant, Enochian-Speaking Sam Winchester, Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Trauma From Lucifer's Cage, Protective Dean Winchester, Castiel Loves Sam Winchester, Kissing, Fluff

Summary: It just happens, the first time. Dean's a Demon, and Sam's so alone. The next times?

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31. Blankets by mako_lies (wingeddserpent)

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,212 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Episode: s10e01 Black, Hurt Sam Winchester, Hurt Castiel

Summary: Sam and Cas try to take care of one another.

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32. Situational Failure (The Chicken Soup Remix) by StripySock

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 2,540 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Season/Series 10, Remix, Hurt Sam Winchester, Hurt Castiel, Sickfic, Frottage

Summary: There is a fear in Cas that if he lets Sam make himself at home in all of the places that Dean had declined to fill, he will lose the ability to ever refuse it again.  Or: Sam is sick, Cas is failing, and Dean is nowhere to be found. [implied unrequited destiel]

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33. Feathers Falling by posingasme

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 13,144 | Chapters: 6/6

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angel Wings, Castiel in the Bunker, Permanent Injury, Protective Sam Winchester, Hurt Castiel, Fever, Delirium, Castiel & Charlie Bradbury Friendship, Alternate Canon, Season/Series 10, Angst [complete tags on Ao3]

Summary: Castiel has been hurt, but he won't reveal how bad it is. Sam distracts him from the pain by reading him classic love stories, and Cas just doesn’t think any of them depict a love as strong as theirs.

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34. Since When Does Sam Have PLANS? by Fae-and-night (goodgirlgonegeek16)

Gen | Rating: Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 343 | Chapters: 1/1

Summary: "Dean’s POV on Sastiel, late seasons Sastiel, the ‘mistaken for a couple’ trope.

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35. Keep You from the Gallows Pole by Fallynleaf

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 7,337 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Alternate Season/Series 10 Finale, Mark of Cain Cure, Charlie Lives, Implied Unrequited Destiel, Implied Unrequited Wincest, Implied Wincestiel, Asexual Relationship [complete tags on Ao3]

Summary: Season 10, if it were the love story of Sam and Cas.

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36. Episode 199.5 by posingasme

Part 1 of Before 200...

Gen, M/M | Rating: Teen+ | Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Words: 56,473 | Chapters: 20/20

Tags: Mark of Cain, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Stolen Grace, Protective Dean Winchester, Demon Blood, BAMF Castiel, Sam Winchester on Demon Blood, Alternate Angel Lore, Canon-Typical Violence, Torture, Dean Winchester Bears the Mark of Cain, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Guilt

Summary: Dean is dealing with guilt, and fear of losing control to the Mark again. Castiel has new Grace, but eventually, it will burn out just as before. Sam just wants a fresh start all around. Life in the bunker is getting a bit...crowded. Memories and tempers are boiling over, along with something that has been heating up for a long time. Things get nasty when an old foe comes for Sam, and it's all hands on deck.

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37. Wingman by posingasme

Part 2 of Before 200...

Gen, M/M | Rating: Teen+ | Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Words: 65,222 | Chapters: 21/21

Tags: Spoilers, Mark of Cain, Dreams and Nightmares, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Psychological Torture, Canon-Typical Violence, Dean Winchester Bears the Mark of Cain, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Self-Destructive Dean Winchester

Summary: Now that Sam and Castiel have been honest with one another, and Dean has given his blessing, the two are forced into the awkward stage of figuring out where to go from here. Dean is still battling against the Mark, and his anxiety manifests in various ways, some of which are healthier than others.

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38. Sentimental Iterations by fabella

M/M | Rating: Explicit | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 33,370 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Future Fic, Season/Series 11, Season/Series 10, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Betrayal, Deception, Winchester Style Death (Not Typical Death), Semi Curtain Fic, Resolved Sexual Tension, Anal Sex, Rimming, Bottom Sam, Oral Sex, Sam is a big damn hero, Castiel-centric, Human Castiel, Big Brother Dean, Angst, Hurt Sam Winchester, Mental Instability, Sacrifice, Brother Feels, Grief/Mourning [complete tags on Ao3]

Summary: Castiel learned everything he knows about devotion from the Winchesters. In this peaceful future built on the back of Sam Winchester’s most recent sacrifice, Castiel discovers that death itself can be overcome. If he’s willing to pay the price. [Notes: Set after season 10. An entirely different take on season 11.]

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39. Sam's Room by NobleHouseOfBlack

M/M | Rating: Not Rated | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,864 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: No Dialogue, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed, Platonic Cuddling, Feel-good

Summary: Sam's room in the bunker didn't seem like his room. He slept there occasionally but there was nothing that would indicate he lived there.

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40. The Devil’s Gonna Let On That You’re In The Details by sahwen

M/M | Rating: Not Rated | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 3,055 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Lucifer Possessing Castiel, Post-Episode: s11e10 The Devil in the Details, Episode: s11e14 The Vessel, Post-Episode: s11e14 The Vessel, Season/Series 12, this fic spans across a lot of time, Hook-Up, Sam Winchester Has Mental Health Issues, Trauma, Protective Dean Winchester, Supportive Dean, Post-Possession

Summary: Sam and Cas have been hooking up casually for a while when something feels off to Sam. He’s sure it’s just his mind playing tricks on him.

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41. Loved by the Devil, loved by an angel by N_13

Part 1 of Of this damned reality

M/M | Rating: Mature | Rape/Non-Con | Words: 3,076 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Rape/Non-con Elements, Abusive Relationships, Angst, Dubious Consent Due To Identity Issues, everybody needs a hug, and therapy, Hurt/very little comfort, Unhealthy Relationships, No really every relationship in this is fucked up on some level, Hurt Sam Winchester, Season/Series 11, Lucifer Possessing Castiel, Enochian-Speaking Sam Winchester

Summary: Cas has loved Sam for quite some time. Then he said yes to Lucifer and everything went to hell.

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42. Heartbreak is Savvy and Love is a Bitch by Cuda (Scylla)

M/M | Rating: Mature | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 2,405 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Lapdance, Light Dom/sub, Dom Castiel, Sub Sam Winchester, Sensation Play, Post-Episode: s11e14 The Vessel, Implied/Referenced Torture, Sam Winchester Deserves to be Happy, Safewords, Sam Winchester is Bad at Feelings, Sam Winchester is Bad at Self Care, Castiel's not the most experienced dom, Established Relationship, Light Angst [complete tags on Ao3]

Summary: Castiel and Sam work on some fractures in their relationship. A gentle attempt at sensory play goes awry, leaving them scrambling to ratchet things back up to normal. Part of the 2020 Supernatural Kink Bingo.

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43. Thirty Years too Late by hyperbolicfae

Gen, M/M, Other | Rating: Teen+ | Rape/Non-Con | Words: 2,770 | Chapters: 2/2

Tags: Hurt Sam Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Protective Castiel, Aftermath of Torture, Implied Mind Rape, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Protective Mary Winchester

Summary: Mary Winchester has rescued her son. She’s just thirty years too late. Or: The aftermath of Sam’s rescue from the British Men of Letters

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44. whore of babylon by angelszn (artbabe)

M/M | Rating: Mature | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 2,465 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Infidelity, Movie Night, Sam Winchester Has Self-Worth Issues, Dean Winchester is Bad at Feelings, Floor Sex, Non-Penetrative Sex, Drinking, Dubious Consent, Past Rape/Non-con, Guilt, Gift Exchange [contains background destiel]

Summary: “Dean is a good man, and I love him. But sometimes, I…” Cas licks his lips. “Sam, I’m afraid.” Sam should leave. He should walk away. He should run. But his body is heavy and wine-drunk, his head spins at what Cas might be hinting at. “What are you afraid of?”

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45. The One You're With by gracerene

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 5,397 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Unrequited Wincest, Unrequited Sastiel, Platonic Sex, Friendship, Sexually Inexperienced Castiel, Fuck Or Die, Curses, Frottage, POV Sam Winchester, Season/Series 12, Hung Sam Winchester, Present Tense

Summary: Sam knows better than to touch anything in the bunker that looks even the slightest bit suspicious. And yet…

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46. Wins & Losses by Threshie

M/M, Multi | Rating: Teen+ | Major Character Death | Words: 17,384 | Chapters: 8/8

Tags: Temporarily Dead Castiel, Heartbroken Sam Winchester, Comforting Dean Winchester, Sharing a Bed, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Sastiel, Wincest, Wincestiel, Poly Vee With Sam Pivot, Cuddling & Snuggling, Men of Letters Bunker, Angst with a Happy Ending, Touchy-Feely, Grieving Sam Winchester, Idiots in Love [complete tags on Ao3]

Summary: A few months after Sam and Castiel start dating, the angel is killed. Still reeling from the loss of his best friend, Dean can’t just sit and watch Sam’s heartbreak slowly pull him away, too.

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47. Now I am here by Matthew1972

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 13,728 | Chapters: 5/5

Tags: Friends to Lovers, Asexual Relationship, Literal Sleeping Together, Sharing a Bed, Feelings Realization, Hugs, Boys Kissing, Case Fic, Monster Hunters, Crime Scenes, Angst, Blood, Hurt, Pagan Gods, Magic

Summary: Castiel and Sam have come to another nameless town to free it from the claws of a dark and ancient power. As they work the case their friendship grows stronger, changing into something more or does it? This, here, now… brings the confirmation they each needed.

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48. Something Good by posingasme

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 5,876 | Chapters: 4/4

Tags: Food Issues, showtunes, Sleep Deprivation, Hurt Sam Winchester, Sick Sam Winchester

Summary: Everyone deals with their losses in their own way, and Sam prefers to work things out on his own. But his angel friend can’t stand on the sidelines as the hunter wastes away in pain. Sam may have had a complex past, but an angel’s love is proof that he must have done something good.

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49. Something to Talk About by Fae-and-night (goodgirlgonegeek16)

Gen, M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 777 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: mentions Castiel but he's not actually here, Bunker Era, Dean being a big brother, telltale hickies, Love Bites

Summary: To be honest, Sam thought it took Dean way longer than he would’ve expected to figure he and Castiel were together.

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50. Lois by posingasme

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 4,195 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Superman References (DCU), Awkward Crush, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings

Summary: Jack discovers the joy of comic books, and reminds Castiel of a time when Bobby Singer called him Superman. And Dean had an opinion about who his Lois Lane was.

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51. Happy Ain't a Two-Story Victorian, But it Might Be This by Cuda (Scylla)

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 3,382 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Episode: s14e15 Peace of Mind, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fake Marriage, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Dean Winchester Tries, Family Issues, Jack Kline & Dean Winchester Bonding

Summary: Sam and Castiel have been on a mission to an Arkansas hamlet, and they haven't checked in. When Dean and Jack trail them to a quiet street in Charming Acres, what they find is nothing like either of them expected. To be honest, cleaning out a nest of vampires might be easier than this, but Dean's going to give it the old college try. Whatever that means.

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52. Milestones and Misunderstandings by klove0511

Part 2 of Milestones 'verse

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 2,711 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: mildly homophobic!Mary, inappropriate anniversary gifts, protective!Dean, Sam Winchester Has Self-Worth Issues, Season/Series 14, Fluff, Tumblr Prompt, Oblivious!Dean

Summary: There is something different about Sam and Cass. The lingering stares, the intimate touches. The careful whispers and secret smiles. Dean knew it. He was going to get to the bottom of it, one way or another.

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53. Stricta Dormire by klove0511

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | Major Character Death | Words: 3,583 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Temporary Character Death, Fairy Tale Type Death, Established Relationship, Hurt Sam Winchester, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hell Trauma, Season/Series 14 Spoilers, Sad Dean Winchester, Sad Castiel, Grief/Mourning, True Love's Kiss

Summary: When Sam is hit by a spell, Cass is the only one that can save him. Meanwhile, Dean is grieving his brother, unaware of the struggle going on within Sam’s mind.

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54. Roadhouse Rough by posingasme

Gen, M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 12,738 | Chapters: 10/10

Tags: Curtain Fic, Alcohol, Hurt Sam Winchester, Retired Hunter Sam Winchester, Bartender Sam Winchester, Permanent Injury

Summary: The last tangle with the last archangel ended with an act of spite, from which Sam will never recover. Lucifer’s bitter parting gift to his wayward vessel means Sam’s forced retirement. He runs the hub from his very own Roadhouse, and watches over a powered-down nephilim, while a weakened but recovering Castiel hunts at Dean’s side. It’s a rough life, but someone’s got to do it.

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55. Familiar Spirits by Cuda (Scylla)

M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 6,619 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Wisconsin - Freeform, The Beast of Bray Road, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Season/Series 15, Monster of the Week, Case Fic, Sastiel Secret Santa Exchange, Sastiel - Freeform, Sastiel Secret Santa 2019

Summary: Fills in a little gap of time between 15-7 and 15-8. Sam's on the hunt for Eileen, and winds up on a case in the middle of Wisconsin in December. What seems like a straightforward case of werewolves gets out of hand, when the werewolves turn out to be something Sam's never encountered before. It's Castiel to the rescue, but in the middle of the night in a refrigerator of a forest, one wrong move could be the last one they ever make.

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56. a rock with a hole in it by De_Nugis

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 11,052 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: faerie - Freeform, possibly in some way a Canadian shack fic, except Faerie, Consent Issues, animal death (hunting), Unrequited Destiel, Soulless Sam Winchester, POV Castiel

Summary: Castiel walks back into Faerie with Sam's soul in a jar in his pocket.

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57. Right Now by spideybegins

Gen, M/M | Rating: Teen+ | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 1,512 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Hurt Sam Winchester, Comforting Castiel, samcas, Sastiel - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Season/Series 15, Angst, Crying Sam Winchester, Don’t Look at These Messy Tags, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, no beta we die like men

Summary: The one where Cas hears Sam crying and realizes he’s been avoiding the youngest Winchester for much too long. Set somewhere in season 15.

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58. It’s Good to Be Here Again, With You by raisinghellonstarbug

M/M | Rating: Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 2,240 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Canon Compliant, Reunions, Mentioned Dean Winchester, Fluff and Angst, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Sharing a Bed, Season/Series 15, Episode: s15e07 Last Call

Summary: Sam is missing Castiel and doesn't understand why he left. He knows Dean has something to do with it. But then he shows back up just in time before Sam's in real trouble.

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59. wishing too hard for them to stay by angelfishofthelord

Gen | Rating: Not Rated | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 1,727 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: Episode s15e17 coda, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, One Shot, Season/Series 15, Season/Series 15 Speculation, POV First Person, POV Sam Winchester [complete tags on Ao3]

Summary: You tell me you’re doing to die, and I don’t yell at you. Instead I say, “Let’s go for a walk.”

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⚠️ Unfinished Fic - last updated in 2013

60. Of Blood And Water by lovedsammy

M/M, Gen | Rating: Mature | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Words: 20,081 Chapters: 7/?

Tags: 8x23, Fallen Angels, Post Season/Series 08, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Romance, Angst, fallen!cas, Hurt!Sam, Hurt!Cas, Slash, stigmata!sam, Stigmata, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, AU, Season/Series 9 canon divergent, Friendship

Summary: Now AU to season 9! Post-8x23, "Sacrifice". Both of them were wounded, broken, in need of repair; both of them had done things in the name of the greater good and had ultimately failed and caused something or another to bend and break and destroy upon itself. They'd both wrecked themselves to achieve an end, and in turn wrecked others. But they couldn't have been more than two opposites on the end of the spectrum that somehow aligned at the middle-point, and now there was no going back.

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💜💀🖤 Self Rec 💜💀🖤

(because this is a list of my favs, and I wrote it for me)

61. grief and husbands on the interstate by ladygizarme

M/M | Rating: Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | Words: 2,787 | Chapters: 1/1

Tags: background wincest, background wincestiel - Freeform, they're a polycule but they're sam-centered, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Rimming, Bottom Sam Winchester, Spit As Lube, Wound Tending, Episode: s14e01 Stranger in a Strange Land, part coda, Part fix-it, Polyamory, Anal Sex

Summary: En route from Detroit back to the bunker, Cas makes them stop at a motel. Sam is exhausted, and so is everybody else. But right now, Castiel's priority is Sam, and he knows just what he needs. Part coda, part fix-it to 14x01.

[ace-lost-in-motherfucking-space]

truly i am a huge fan of characters who need to crash out more often

[hemali-smh]

things i will absolutely never tire of in aziracrow (ineffable husbands - good omens) fics, a list:

crowley being so very down bad

'angel'

'my dear boy'

casual corporation changes (fem crowley/azi have my HEART)

kissing with 'reverence' ✨✨

aziraphale speaking in the most endearing olde english

crowley cursing satan internally over aziraphale's everything

both of these idiots knowing their corporations don't need to breathe but feeling like they can't because of something the other has done

crowley snaking out

crowley slurring his words together like 'lemme' and 's'okay' and 'ma'demon'

the bentley playing music that gets in crowley's feels and not stopping even when he asks her to

'shuddup'

crowley wanting to be absolutely enveloped in aziraphale like the cold-blooded serpent he is (azi is his cozy sun warmed rock actually)

freddy mercury

aziraphales 'perfectly manicured hands'

azi absolutely drowning in crowleys amber yellow eyes

all of crowleys glorious fits

'angelic thighs'

crowley napping on aziraphale

wings

'nkg' but not in ways that rip my heart out

[milf-murdock]

Guess who has strep FUCKING throat ☠️☠️☠️

[danses-with-dogmeat]

Dialogue Prompts

Here is my ~specially~ curated list of dialogue prompts that can be anything from angsty to fluffy to a lil more saucy. But mostly, they're just ones that really spoke to me (haha) and got my mind working on the possibilities. Some of them I found around tumblr, some were ones I came up with, some might have been off of pinterest? Idk, but this is the result!

This is also the list I'm using in the 2k event that I'm starting! Which is actually why I put this together in the first place 😅

But anyway, absolutely feel free to use it for whatever you please, but if you do, it'd be super awesome if you credited/tagged me/my blog 😊 if only so I can check out what people have put together with them!

I hope you enjoy! <3

"Wait. Don't go, please."

"Is this okay?" -- ("It's more than okay.")

"Promise me you'll still be here when I wake up."

"I never should've left you alone."

"I'm sorry, I just... Don't think I'm ready."

"Don't make me say it. I-I can't say the words."

"It's you. It's always been you."

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to help?"

"Are you sure about this?"

"We don't have to talk. Not if you don't want to."

"I never knew I could feel this loved."

"What are we doing?"

"What am I doing wrong?"

"You're not okay. You're shaking."

"Don't stop."

"I can't lose you, too."

"I thought I could trust you."

"I should've done this ages ago."

"I didn't know how much I wanted this until now."

"I don't care if someone sees."

"I can take care of you."

"Don't ever say anything like that again."

"Remind me when I said I needed your help?"

"Can you just hold me for a moment?"

"I don't care about anything else."

"Just... Be careful, okay?"

"Can we at least talk about this?"

"Where the hell were you?"

"You wanted to be left alone, right?"

"I've got you."

[inconsistentracoon]

Going to give one of these masterpost things a try for my writing 👀 I currently write Merlin and Kingdom Hearts H/C, angst, and fluff. Also I have a ko-fi if you're interested ♥️

--- Merlin --- 🔮 A Servant of No Master (75k, pre-Merthur)

🧪 Aftermath of Poison (3k, Merlin & Arthur, pre-Merthur if you squint)

🛡️ Misdirected Rage (23k, Merthur, friendship with knights)

--- Kingdom Hearts --- Kintsugi (190k, SoRiku, Destiny Trio centric) ⭐️ Part One: Brought Back ❤️‍🩹 Part Two: Learn to Live Again 🌗 Part Three: The Shadow Within ❄️ If Only There Was Someone Out There Who Loved You (20k, SoRiku) 🗝 The Cost Of Resurrecting The Guardians (2k, Gen)

🤕 A Misplaced Half-Pint (5k, Trinity Trio)

🩶 Burnout (13k, Destiny Trio, SoRiku, post Kintsugi)

🏴‍☠️ Stranded (14k, SoRiku, post Kintsugi) 😴 A Badly Timed Headache (2k, SoRiku, post Kintsugi) 🏥 Just A Cold (18k, SoRiku, post Kintsugi)

🚑 I've got soul but I'm no soldier (6k, Gen)

⛰️ Breathless (7k, Destiny trio, SoRiku, post Kintsugi)

--- Other fandoms ---

Dragon Age Inquisition: You Said My Name (2k, pre Lavellan/Cullen)

[autism-corner]

Ayo look at this loser seeking comfort in fictional demons (its me im the loser)

another re-post (OG on ao3)

just some of the brothers comforting you&me <3

ft. Leviathan, Belphegor, Asmodeus & Beelzebub (200-300 words each)

Leviathan

Once you arrived at his door he could immediately tell something was wrong. It wasn't anything you had said, it's just that you were… a lot more quiet than usual. You were hesitant, and not at all like the human he had grown used to. 

Once the door was opened, you crashed into his arms. You both lay down somewhere, whether that is in his tub or on some splayed out beanbags. You lay curled up to his side, one of his arms over your shoulders. Your face is pressed into his neck, his hand is softly petting and calming you, while soothing words are being spoken by his soft voice. 

Once you've calmed down a bit he’ll ask you what you need, and do those things to the best of his abilities. If it's just him that you need, he will let you lay on his chest, and together you’ll read some fluffy manga. At the end of the night you’ll fall asleep in his arms, and before he also falls asleep he’ll give you some forehead kisses. 

If you approach him about it the next morning he’ll stutter something along the lines: ‘I- I- I mean,,, you would have done the same for me right? I- I- I can some- somewhat understand how you feel… please come to me next time too…’

--------------------------------

Belphegor

Finally having made it up the stairs of the attic, you open the door to see Belphegor already sleeping on the big bed. You get into the bed, as close to him as possible, and let it all out. Halfway through your rant/emotional breakdown/whatever he’ll likely be awake, but he won't let you notice since you don't really need him to talk right now. He will get closer to you once he realizes the situation, and wrap his arms around you so you’ll be nice, safe and cozy. 

Once you've calmed down and Belphie’s ‘woken up’, you’ll both likely stay in bed for a while. If you're up for it he will get a blanket and a lot of pillows, and lay those out in the observatory for a second cuddle session. Depending on your needs, he’ll let you talk, or he’ll let it be quiet, but it's most likely you’ll just lay together while belphie points at stars and tells their stories.

If you approach him about it later, he’ll likely dismiss it as ‘not that big of a deal’, and ‘you can come to me anytime, life is hard sometimes’ and ‘while I do enjoy cuddling with you, your safety and wellbeing comes first’. Secretly, he's very happy because HE is the one you went to for comfort, and that truly means a lot to him. He is very thankful you can be open to him. 

--------------------------------

Asmo

Asmo was just doing whatever in his room when he heard you knock. You were the only one that really knocked in this house, so excitedly he skipped over to the door. Upon seeing the state you are currently in, he’ll drag you inside and place you upon his bed, locking the door. This moment will be for the two of you. He’ll lay down next to you and place your head on his chest. While you let out everything you need to let out, he’ll pet your hair and respond to your emotions with quick nods and soothing noises. If the situation you're dealing with contains self-deprecation, he’ll take your head in his hands, and tell you all the things he loves about you. He himself is also way too familiar with those habits, so he's the best at trying to stop yours. 

Once you've calmed down he’ll ask if you want to do a spa day with just him, to help the both of you catch up and relax. You won't have to do anything, asmo says ‘Now, you just sit there and look pretty’, accompanied with a wink. No matter how hard the situation is, asmo will always lift up the mood. Depending on your needs, asmo could either talk your ears off, or will listen carefully to you, but most likely you’ll both be gossiping with eachother, distracting both of you from the reason(s) you’ve come here. 

If you approach him about it later, he’ll cheerfully respond ‘No problem sweetheart, anytime of course!’. You know that you can trust him, and he knows that you trust him. Maybe next time he’s having problems, you’ll help him in turn. In any case, he’ll look forward to hanging out with you again, no matter the circumstances. 

--------------------------------

Beelzebub

It's not often that you find Beel alone in his room, but you're happy he is this time. He’ll be doing whatever, laying on his bed and as soon as you walk in his protective mode will activate. He doesn't yet know how to handle these situations, but he’s trying his best. He’ll be sat upright with his arms open and inviting, allowing you to take place on his lap. His arms close around you and you can comfortably bury your head in his shoulder or chest to let it all out.  

Once you've calmed down you’ll both lay down, you still curled up by his side, and he’ll listen to you, or continue with whatever he was doing before, leaving you to rest. If his hunger comes up, he’ll carefully nudge you and ask if you’ll come with him to the kitchen. If not, he’ll ask Belphie to bring him some food, but if you're comfortable with it he’ll let you cling to him. On your way to the kitchen one of his brothers might pop up, and he’ll give them a look that could only mean ‘Leave us alone’ , causing you to have some time with Beel alone. While eating with one hand might be hard, he’ll manage if it means it’ll comfort you more. 

If you bring it up to him later, he’ll say ‘It wasn't a problem at all. Do please be careful. I won't mind helping next time, but stay safe, okay?’ He’ll give you a big grin and maybe ruffle your hair a bit. He really cares about you, even if it's hard for him to show it. 

[crybaby-bkg]

I had a dream last night that I was in the omegaverse and was nesting for my heat and this random alpha tried to push up on me and Bakugou laid his ass out??? and the next day, bc Bakugou was courting me, he gave me his favorite jacket that he wore almost everyday for me to use in my nest and and :(((

[paperstorm]

I'm such a sucker for them comforting each other over nightmares, and I can certainly inagine Carlos having them after the kidnapping. I love the idea that that's how they know Carlos can be soothed to sleep with gentle back rubs from TK

Me too 🥺 with everything that's happened to both of them they would have more than enough nightmares and I would love to see the comfort after.

[dreamerinthemoonlight]

The Value of a Partner

Summary: Cyno goes on a mission. Alhaitham has a bad feeling and insists on coming with.

CW: Violence, poison, injuries, death (not of a major character), angst, hurt/comfort, brief suggestiveness at the end

Word Count: 2896 or so

AN: I will be forgoing my post on Friday in favor of this, so look forward to "Favorite part of you" parts one and two next week

“So you intend on going alone?”

Alhaitham sits on Cyno’s bed watching the white-haired man pack for a mission.

“Is that an issue?

“It wouldn’t be, but I have a bad feeling about your mission.”

The admission is enough to make Cyno pause and look over his shoulder. “A hunch?”

“Intuition is the mind piecing together information at a subconscious level. Is that so odd?”

“Yes. It is.”

“I’ve heard a bit about Hazm and Amir, the two you’re after and I’ve heard rumors about why you’re hunting them.”

“It’s no different than my usual mission.”

The two men lock eyes.

After a moment Cyno sighs. In his time dating Alhaitham, he’s found that while the scribe really doesn’t often assert the full force of his will, when he does even Cyno is hard-pressed to hold his ground.

“You want me to take a partner?”

“Not a partner. Take me. I’m smarter than half the matra put together and I know you, better than anyone else. There’s no one more suited to watch your back.

Trust, ‘Haitham to be so arrogant, and not wrong. There’s no one I’d trust more to have my back. And if Scribe Alhaitham of all people is citing intuition, I should probably listen.

“Fine. Go pack and meet me in Caravan Ribat in two days.”

Alhaitham stands and presses a kiss to Cyno’s forehead. “Thank you for taking me.”

“For the record, I hope your hunch is wrong.”

“You’ve never hung a mission on a hope. I’ll see you in a couple days.”

“See you in a couple days.”

Two days later the noon sun pounds down on Caravan Ribat.

Alhaitham tucks himself into the shadows of the Wall of Samiel. Despite still being on the forest side, he can already taste the sand on his tongue and feel the sun leeching moisture from his skin. Just a  hint of the misery to come no doubt.

Alhaitham doesn’t have to wait long however.

The sun has barely budged from its exalted place in the sky when a familiar, jackal-hooded head appears.

The scribe throws his bag over his shoulder and falls in behind Cyno. 

Neither speak, instead Cyno motions for Alhaitham to follow him out of the border city.

Once they’re well out of Caravan Ribat, they leave the path and take shelter under a large rock.

“Where are they supposed to be hiding?” Alhaitham asks.

“In the ruins under the Hypostyle Desert. They’ve a small group of Eremites as guards.”

“Typical.”

Cyno pulls a couple of maps out of his bag and lays them on the ground side by side.

“This is the floor plan of King Deshrets’ Mausoleum,” Cyno says, tapping one with a finger. “Based on the information provided in the paper written by the Vahumana scholar, Tirzad.”

“Tirzad’s an idiot, but the traveler was involved, so the information should be accurate enough.”

Cyno raises an eyebrow. “You really don’t like him.”

“I don’t like anyone who spends their lives mindlessly chasing thesis ideas. You know this.”

“We’ll stop for the night at Sobek Oasis, here,” the matra points to another spot, “before entering the mausoleum tomorrow.”

“I’ll just follow you.”

Around sunset, Cyno and Alhaitham are skirting the cliffs of the Upper Setekh, not far from Sobek Oasis, when the wind picks up.

Cyno eyes the horizon before grabbing Alhaitham’s hand and dragging him into a sheltered nook in the stone.

Alhaitham’s vision flares and a wall of greenery separates them from rising wind.

Cyno graces his lover with a small, tense smile and thanks the Dendro Archon for a sensible partner with a useful vision.

After a few minutes, despite the sandstorm that keeps gaining strength outside, the two men relax enough for their shelter to feel uncomfortably small.

They shift around, communicating through gentle touches.

Eventually they find a relatively comfortable position.

Cyno curls up in Alhaitham’s lap, with his hoodless head tucked under the larger man’s chin.

The scribe wraps his arms around Cyno, pulling him close to his chest. “So, I was right.”

Cyno can feel his lover’s smirk against his hair.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Cyno scolds, relaxing into the warm embrace.

“Who me? I would never.”

As the sandstorm continues to howl, Alhaitham brushes his fingers through white hair. “You should get some rest, little jackal. You don’t often get much on a mission like this.”

Cyno’s face heats at the pet names, at the softness that most others in the Akademiya would think their scribe is incapable of, but soon finds himself drifting off to sleep.

Alhaitham listens as the General Mahamatra’s breathing slows and the last of the tension melts from his shoulders.

As much as he loves his work, and as harsh as the desert is, he wouldn’t trade this extra time with Cyno for all the knowledge in the world.

“Sleep, Little Jackal,” he murmurs. “We can continue when you wake up.”

Eventually the sandstorm subsides.

Alhaitham rests a hand on Cyno’s shoulder. “Wake up. The sandstorm is over.

Cyno wakes, immediately alert, and Althaitham takes down the dendro barrier.

They tumble out of their shelter, hitting the sand with an undignified crunch.

Above them, stars stretch across the sky in distant rivers, a celestial map for the people so far below them.

Cyno looks up and for a brief second a small smile pulls at his lips. He stands, shaking the sand out of his hood and placing it on his head, before pulling the rest of their things from the hole. “We should keep moving. We can stop at the Khemenu Temple next.”

At dawn, Alhaitham and Cyno arrive at Khemenu Temple.

There Cyno pulls his partner into the shadow of a wall and sinks to the ground.

He splits some trail rations between them. “Eat. We didn’t have much of a chance last night.”

“Yes, General Mahamatra. Whatever you say, General Mahamatra. I’m not an idiot, Cyno.”

“Sorry. I’m not used to traveling with people who are truly capable of handling themselves in the desert.”

“You’re not used to traveling with people in general. Trust me to take care of myself at least.”

“If you couldn’t, I’d send you back to deal with Kaveh.”

“Cyno!”

Cyno grins and takes a bite of his rations. “Luckily for you, you’re more capable than most non-matra.”

“You flatter me.”

They eat quickly, trading barbs and quick smiles, before making their way into the ruins that dominate the landscape.

Alhaitham can’t deny that being inside the ruins is a relief. The last day has left the exposed skin on his face and upper arms an angry pink.

Inside the mausoleum--though he’d seen something similar during his time with the Traveler--is breathtaking.

What, to the idiot Tirzad, was something to guess at and sneer at, speaks volumes to Alhaitham.

“Alhaitham.”

Cyno stops and glares at his partner.

“Sorry. I didn’t have the time to really study the walls when we were with the traveler. Not as much as I wanted to, anyway.”

“Hurry up.”

“I’m coming.”

Alhaitham tears himself away from the symbols on the walls and follows Cyno deeper into the mausoleum. 

Soon the General Mahamatra leads them into a red-walled cavern outside the giant building’s subterranean floors.

“Where do we go from here?”

“Just follow me.”

Cyno’s pole-arm appears in his hand crackling with violet energy.

Not for the first time, Alhaitham is struck by just how dangerous his boyfriend is and why the scholars of the Akademiya fear him. Not for the first time, he’s glad Cyno’s target isn’t him.

The pair of hunters continue into the underground complex. Their quarry's trail eventually leads them back to the mausoleum, this time to its lowest levels.

“Be careful,” Cyno warns. “This is a good area for traps.”

Alhaitham nods and draws his own blade. “It goes without saying, but I have your back.”

Together they press forward.

The hair on the back of Alhaithaim’s neck rises and he tightens his grip on his sword. The unease that started when he heard about Cyno’s mission, which had abated after the sandstorm, returns threefold.

“”Haitham?”

“I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I.”

Moments later, everything goes wrong.

Alhaitham and Cyno enter a room, only to have its only exit slam shut behind them.

A sickly green smoke boils from a device in the center of the small room.

Alhaitham brings a hand to his mouth, filling it with purifying dendro-power, and reaches for Cyno with the other.

Before Alhaitham can use the same spell on Cyno, though, the smoke has filled the room, engulfing the Matra completely.

Alhaitham catches Cyno before he can fall. “Cyno!”

The scribe takes a gamble, that smoke likely developed by the rogue Amurta scholars could be nullified with his vision, and lets out a flash of green energy.

Luck is with him. The smoke vanishes at the touch of dendro energy, leaving the room’s air clean.

Alhaitham moves Cyno to a corner, gritting his teeth at the glazed-over look in his partner’s scarlet eyes, before turning to face the door.

It opens and two scholars--Hazm and Amir no doubt-- stand in the doorway, flanked by four Eremites.

“They were supposed to be out, Amir!” The taller of the two says.

“You didn’t tell me the General Mahamatra was bringing someone with a dendro-vision!”

Alhaitham clears his throat. “Are you serious ?”

Hazm and Amir share a look as blood drains from their faces.

Alhaitham launches himself into combat.

Two Eremites go down quickly, unable to recover from the sudden attack.

The second two aren’t as easy. Several times, Eremite blades find their way through his guard to leave shallow gashes on his skin.

Never-the-less, it isn’t long before the second pair join the first on the floor.

Alhaitham looks to the researchers, only to find that they’ve escaped during the fight.

“I’ll be back.”

The scribe hurries through the ruins, making use of the little tricks Cyno has taught him and soon he has the two men cornered.

A flick of his fingers has vines wrapping around them.

Alhaitham touches the tip of his sword to Amir’s throat. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing.”

“Try again. What was in the smoke?”

Amir gulps. “It was an herbal extract. In low concentrations it dazes the person breathing. In large concentrations it paralyzes the subject.”

“How long till it wears off?”

“Six hours to…”

“To never.” Hazm finishes. “There’s no point in trying to hide it from the scribe. If Amir mixed it wrong, or if the Grand Mahamatra breathed in too much, it could kill him.”

“Where’s the antidote?”

“We were working on one when our project was shut down by the sages after things went wrong with some subjects. We’re very so--”

Alhaitham knocks them both out. “If he dies, you’ll wish he was the one judging you.

Alhaitham returns to Cyno’s side. He touches two fingers to the smaller man’s pulse. 

Strong enough. That’s good.

The gray-haired scholar gathers Cyno into his arms. Without an audience, the arrogance and level-headedness he’s so known for fades.

“Cyno. I need to wake up. Please. Please. Little jackal. Wake up for me.”

Alhaitham continues to spend the next several hours cradling his lover, trying to wake Cyno up. Eventually he stops trying and starts praying.

Cyno wakes to unfamiliar walls and the press of stone against his back.

“Jackal, it’s been long enough. You need to wake up.”

Cyno groans, forcing his eyes open. “”Hthymm…”

He tries to call out for his lover, but can’t seem to make his tongue work.

Alhaitham’s face appears in his field of vision. His two-toned eyes are wide with worry. “Cyno, you’re awake. Thank the Archons.”

“‘Haitham,” Cyno tries again, this time speaking clearly.

“I’m here.”

“Wha…happened.”

“My hunch, as you would put it, was right. The scholars decided to use the fruits of their research to get rid of anyone coming after them. They almost succeeded.”

“Oh.”

“I confronted them, but they’re alive. For now. I’m half of a mind to get rid of them so that I can bring you to Tighnari. I have the device they used, so he’ll be able to find a remedy.”

Cyno huffs a breath. “How long?”

“Have you been out? I don’t know. I’ve had to eat twice. No more than a day.”

“We should… bring them alive if possible, but…” Cyno takes a breath, hissing when his muscles lock on him.

“Are you in pain?”

He nods.

“Where.”

“Muscles keep locking up.”

Alhaitham narrows his eyes. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but the General Mahamatra has the power to pass judgment in dire situations, doesn’t he?”

“Mhmm. I don’t like to. The Akademiya should be the one to pass final judgment But I have before.”

“I can’t carry you back and watch them.”

“I know. There’s not much of an option. Will you be the arm of the General Mahamatra? I can pass judgment, but I can’t execute it.”

“Cyno, the only reason they’re alive is because as long as you’re alive, you have the responsibility to pass judgment. I wasn’t going to interfere by killing them before you could.”

“Prop me against a wall and then bring them here.”

A few minutes later, the rogue scholars are kneeling in front of the General Mahamatra, still tied after their encounter with Alhaitham the day before.

“We’re sorry,” Hazm says. “Please spare us.”

Alhaitham raises an eyebrow. “You nearly killed him and you want him to spare you?”

“We didn’t intend---”

“Enough,” Cyno says, his voice quiet but harsh. “For the crime of attempted murder and the use of banned research, I sentence Amir and Hazm of the Amurta Darshan to death. Alhaitham, if you will.”

Alhaitham’s sword falls and the heads of the Amurta scholars roll. He cleans the blade on Hazm’s shirt and frowns at the exhaustion on Cyno’s face. “Rest while I dispose of these two.”

“Thank you.”

Alhaitham returns, half an hour later, to find Cyno gasping for air. He rushes over and kneels next to the matra.

“Cyno! Breathe. Just take a deep breath. In, one, two, three. Out, one, two three.”

Slowly, Cyno’s breathing regulates and he collapses into Alhaitham.

“What’s wrong, love?”

“It’s different this time,��� Cyno whispers.

“What is?”

“This. Nearly dying. Executing necessary judgment.”

Cyno falls silent, his eyes narrowing in thought. “It hit me just how lucky I was that you were here. Hazm and Amir would have left me for dead. Which isn’t unexpected in this profession. But I almost got you killed too. I couldn’t live with myself if I let you get killed supporting me.”

“Almost got me killed? Last I saw, Cyno, I’m still moving. Last I saw, it was me who almost lost you. I know you half expect to be knifed by a target, but I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Al---”

Alhaitham rearranges them to mimic their position in the sandstorm. “No. let me talk. Cyno, love, you’re amazing. Strong, proud, principled, even though your jokes really aren’t very funny. Sometimes you’re too principled. I came with you knowing that something might go wrong. I came with you because something might go wrong. If it’s OK for you to risk yourself for your duty, then I’m allowed to risk myself to make sure you come back. Don’t beat yourself up for almost killing me, because that clearly didn’t happen.”

“I was scared,” Cyno admits, after thinking over what Alhaitham said. “Afraid that I was going to lose you, but for the first time, afraid that I was going to leave you behind. I thought I would be able to accept death and not fear it, not if it meant doing my duty. But I was scared.”

“That’s not a bad thing, Cyno. It makes you human just like the rest of us.”

“I don’t like being scared.”

“Neither do I. But I was. Losing you terrifies me. And looking at your face, I still might if you don’t rest. We should sleep and when we wake up, we’ll get out of here. Alright?”

When Alhaitham looks down, Cyno is already asleep.

Four days later, Cyno and Alhaitham approach Caravan Ribat. Cyno leans heavily on the taller man.

One of the Guards calls out to them. “General Mahamatra? Scribe Alhaitham?”

“You. Take this--” Alhaitham shoves the smoke device into the guard’s hand, ”--and send it to Tighnari at Gandharva Ville.. Tell him the General Mahamatra has been poisoned and that I’ll be taking Cyno back to Sumeru City.”

“The--Yes, sir! The guard runs off and Alhaitham guides Cyno through the town.

On the forest side, Cyno forces Alhaitham to stop. “Alhaitham.”

“Yes? We’re home. Thank you for bringing us home.”

“No, love. Thank you for letting me be your partner.”

The two look at each other and smile.

“Let me get you to Tighnari. As soon as you’re better, you can thank me as much as you want.”

Cyno snorts at the suggestive look in Alhaitham’s eyes. “Are you sure you don’t just want to traumatize Kaveh so he leaves?”

“Yes. Together.”

“That would be a bonus, but I can see no better way to prove that you’re healthy again. First, let’s get you home.”

“Us. Get us home. Together.”

What neither would have expected, leaving Caravan Ribat a mere week before, is just how precious that one word could become.

[nancywheeeler]

ao3 history is between you and your gods and i respect that but also i am so noisy and thirsty and would love to know what you think your most reread fic(s) of the year would be