03 March 2015 @ 12:45 pm
Sam/Dean, J2: Plot-without-(so much)-porn - ??  
Not sure how well I can describe what I'm looking for. You read many, many fanfics, S/D and J2, full of sex: first times, angry sex, makeup sex, etc. Pages and pages of blow-by-blow (pun intended), graphically detailed sex. Every plot point is followed by an extended sex scene. Sometimes I find myself just leafing thru the sex scenes, trying to pick up the plot again.

I'm not opposed to S/D and J2 sexytimes. The sexual tension and expression add depth to the boys' relationship. And I'm not saying sex scenes aren't well-written. But many of them go on too long/too frequently, and they're often too detailed for me to maintain focus on the characterization and the plot. (I don't need to follow the track of EVERY bead of sweat down Sam's back or Dean's abs. . .) So often, the sex scenes do not define the characters more closely -or- advance the plot (kind of like the songs in an old-school Broadway musical, pre-Oklahoma; the play goes on for a while and then - everyone stops and sings a song! Because hey, it's a musical!).

OK, now I'm babbling. Sorry. This is what I'm looking for: Recs for well-written S/D or J2 where the sex reveals something important about the characters or advances the story in some way. Maybe the sex is UST, or implied, or plays out through some metaphor.

I just need a break from all the detail that often doesn't seem to lead anywhere, or provide a new perspective . I'm sure I'll return to them at some point. :-P

Any help is much appreciated. I hope this makes sense.
 
 
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[identity profile] casey679.livejournal.com on March 4th, 2015 05:59 pm (UTC)
I highly recommend any of these:
* One Kiss at a Time (http://archiveofourown.org/series/152768): Jensen, Jared's newest employee at Jay's Pad, has had a hard decade. Recently released from a rehab facility, Jensen's living at a shelter and just needs some help getting his life back on track, and Jared vows to be the one to do just that. Jensen is also an amazing guy and Jared finds himself falling hard after just a week, and he's delighted to find out that Jensen feels the same way. But Jensen still has demons he's fighting and secrets he's keeping and Jared knows that a relationship is the last thing Jensen needs right now. But his heart isn't listening, and when Jared's involved in a stomach churning ordeal, it brings up things from Jensen's past that are revealed to be the causes of all his problems. And Jared doesn't know if he can fix them all.

* Beholder (http://archiveofourown.org/series/37119): Seeing is not the same as believing. Jared was passionate about the work he did with the animal shelter. Between that and living with Sandy, life was satisfactory. Until the cold night that the filthy, homeless man hidden in an oversized hoodie was dumped at the shelter and Jared couldn't just turn him out. Even if the man roared and called himself 'Beast.' Because under the hood, Jared was sure he caught a glimpse of a prince in those green eyes.

* The Food Network Presents... (http://archiveofourown.org/series/45886) verse: Jared Padalecki is a Food Network Chef. Jensen is a very famous recluse. He was a child star, a pop star, an Oscar nominee, a world renowned pianist and a single father. Jensen knows he's done with relationships but his six-year-old son, Jamie, loves the Food Network. He has debilitating food allergies and Jared is his favorite star in the world. Jensen loves his boy, so he lets Jared meet him. The rest is history.

* I'd Rather Fight With You... (http://archiveofourown.org/series/58773): Things get off to a rocky start between Jensen and the newest counselor at summer camp, Jared, and they only go downhill from there. But underneath all the anger is a desperate attraction that Jensen has no idea on how to handle - even though he's considered himself theoretically bi up to this point. The hard part will be finding a way to say two civil words to each other without fighting.

* Life On Land (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1173864): Sam Winchester is a successful lawyer in California. He no longer has a family -- the hunting lifestyle killed them off. Except... on the very weekend he planned to finally spread his brother’s ashes and let Dean go, he finds his brother in the strangest of places.

* Kings of the Night (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1029836): There was a man at the front, spearheading the little arrows-head formation that they’d fallen into; his hair was dark, shot through with the faintest glint of silver, and his eyes were dark and cold. Behind him, two younger boys stood shoulder to shoulder. There was something in the clench of their jaw, the similar way that they stood, that alerted her to the fact that they were probably the stranger’s sons; the shorter one was grinning cockily, mischievous grin and green eyes that just seemed to radiate trouble. His brother was taller by an inch at most, and his eyes were sweeping steadily over the room; when they locked with hers she was surprised by the intensity there, and the almost hypnotic way that they seemed to shift color in the dim light. They would have been beautiful as individuals. Together they were just as much intimidating as they were striking. “Holy shit,” Someone breathed. "They're the goddamned Winchesters."

And finally, if you don't mind Sam and Dean hooking up with other people besides themselves as WELL as hooking up with each other (so much angst), I absolutely adore Jassy's Regrets trilogy (http://samdean.archive.nu/series.php?seriesid=95). It's an AU where Sam goes back in time to save Dean from his deal, and everything changes. Lots of angst and Sam-whumpage, but he's also a complete BAMF in this. If you like your S/D pure, it's probably not for you.
[identity profile] onlythefireborn.livejournal.com on March 4th, 2015 08:13 pm (UTC)
RE: I highly recommend any of these:
Thank you so much for the recs. BEHOLDER is one of my absolute favorites, so I will put faith in your other recommendations, as well, and look forward to reading them.

I can tolerate S/D hooking up with others - I do love the show, after all - as long as they wind up with each other. (Again, per the show. Sad, but so right.) So I will check out the Regrets trilogy, as well.

You have really helped me with this list. Thank you again.
[identity profile] casey679.livejournal.com on March 4th, 2015 08:28 pm (UTC)
RE: I highly recommend any of these:
Glad to be of assistance! I know what you mean, re: the plot-to-porn ratio. It was fun combing over my delicious bookmarks to find a bunch that I thought might fit the bill!