Parenting Your Gifted Child (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4619135/1/Parenting-Your-Gifted-Child) by bhoney
When Sam and Dean re-visit their dad's storage container, Sam makes an unexpected discovery. Set early season 3.

Riding A Bike (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3048661) by swanseajill
Season 1. Sam watches Dean patiently teaching a kid how to ride a bike, and gradually comes to realize how large a role Dean played in his childhood, despite Dean having no father figure himself.

Clairvoyance (http://braveinnewworld.livejournal.com/4895.html) braveinnewworld
When Sam's dreams take a different turn, he realizes that he has taken Dean for granted for way too long.

I've also got some general fics where Sam does nice things for Dean and is protective of him but I wasn't sure if that was what you wanted as they don't feature Sam explicitly acknowledging the things that Dean has done for him.

Thank you for the recs and yes.....I'd like the other recs too, please. Can never have enough Winchesters! Thank you again.

Alrighty, expect like, a ton of schmoop. Sam doing nice things for Dean and acting protective is a favourite trope of mine that I tag like whoa.


Shelter (http://mad-server.livejournal.com/56533.html?thread=2358997#t2358997) by shangrilada
Season 7 Dean finds a little kitten. Sam is mad allergic to it and it's driving him crazy but he doesn't say anything because IT. MAKES. DEAN. SO. HAPPY. TO. BE. WITH. IT. and holy cow! Is Dean sleeping nightmare-free with the little fella? And is Dean seriously teasing it with the Impala's keys and making baby noises at it? And Dean is smiling that genuine smile at the damn thing? They take it to the pound (because seriously, they can't keep it) and maybe Dean has allergies, too, because his eyes are watering kinda, and Sam's all like, OH DEAN.

down by the seaside (http://eighth-horizon.livejournal.com/54014.html) by eighth horizon
It’s Dean’s birthday, and Sam has outdone himself.

Deanie-weenies (https://archiveofourown.org/works/753805)by RavenGrey
Dean is injured on a hunt and Sam makes him a special lunch.

Role Model (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4501395/1/Role-Model) by K Hanna Korossy
They both look up to their brother. [The one where the cops find Dean in a suspicious situation with an injured young woman (possessed, actually), and assume the worst. Sam finds Dean and goes all snarly BAMF-protective.]

Untitled (http://redemptionday.livejournal.com/38496.html) by slartibartfast
It was beautiful. Dean had had Christmases with Sammy before, when they were kids and a couple of times since then. None of it was anything like this. This... was amazing. Sam must have spent weeks planning this.

Gift (http://kellifer-fic.livejournal.com/214778.html) by kellifer_fic
Sometimes Dean forgets, he loves Sam, has always loved him, but sometimes he forgets that he genuinely likes him, too.

Nobody Loves A Moron (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6435117/1/Nobody_Loves_A_Moron) by clair beaubien
Dean interrupts a hold up and is taken hostage. The bad guy doesn't believe him when he says his little brother is going to save him.

Rest Your Weary Head (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4516632/1/Rest-Your-Weary-Head) by K Hanna Korossy
He'd thought older brothers were supposed to be the protective ones. Outsider POV.

Looking For What You Knew (http://brynnmck.livejournal.com/72037.html#cutid1) by brynnmck
S2. Sam's not a hundred percent sure what the protocol is when Dean is crying, but he's pretty sure it means he doesn't get to cry, so he just sits there, feels the warmth of the engine and the sun on his shoulders like blasphemy while Dean stares off into the distance.

Edited 2015-09-07 05:48 pm (UTC)

Wow! Thank you so much for these. They were perfect for reading today. I had forgotten about "Rest Your Weary Head", I love that one. That goes great with my request since Sam knows how much Dean looks out for others and doesn't after himself. It shows a caring Sam and not the usual selfish Sam. Thanks again, I enjoyed these.

I have all of these bookmarked and tagged with "Dean Appreciation" (it's totally my kink!) for some reason or another. All of them are gen (or pre-slash bordering on gen) and all but one are complete. It's been awhile since I went through all these links, but hopefully they still work!

From me to you (http://archiveofourown.org/works/988433) by EternalSheWolf
When they are in pain, most children regress to an infantile state and instinctively, blindly, call out to their mother. Sometimes to their father. Dean doesn't. He calls for Sam.

This Is (http://lazy-daze.livejournal.com/571809.html#cutid1) by lazy-daze
He didn't know love, didn't know its knives, until Dean was gone.

Untitled (http://thehighwaywoman.livejournal.com/135416.html?thread=3590392#t3590392) by lucy_08
Dean’s talking to him. Sam can hear him now.

Fix You (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4678413/1/Fix_You) by gaelicspirit
The SUV approaching from the side road toward Highway 56 slammed into the front right quarter panel of the old truck, shoving the side mirror into the interior of the cab, propelling the truck sideways across the road and tipping it onto the driver's side into a ditch.
In the five seconds it took Dean to travel from anger to oblivion, he had one thought: Save Sam.

Grains of Sand (http://mimblexwimble.livejournal.com/84099.html) by mimblexwimble
Everything Sam can’t live without is slipping through his fingers.

Every Day Like a Treasure (http://community.livejournal.com/spn_summergen/9448.html) by missyjack
Sam takes extraordinary measures in order to spend more time with Dean.

The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (http://innie-darling.livejournal.com/100505.html) by innie_darling
Sam's fingers are shaky, and he can't quite get the needle threaded. If anyone busts in and finds him doing this, squatting in a sweaty heap in a stall in the first floor boys' bathroom, well . . . he might have to ask Dad to pick up stakes and move them right away.

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3613530/1/Snips_and_Snails_and_Puppy_Dog_Tails) by Emrys
Sam doesn’t understand this philosophy that his brother lives by; the one that puts Sam before all others. (Sequel/companion piece to What Little Boys Are Made Of (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3583710/1/What_Little_Boys_Are_Made_Of)).

Lazarus Came Forth (http://oselle.livejournal.com/370868.html) by Oselle
Dean returns from hell and finds himself alive and alone in the stark landscape of an America that has gone terribly wrong. Adrift in hostile territory and pursued by hell's bounty hunters, he sets out on a desperate hunt to find Sam.

Senses (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5085814/1/Senses) by Mirrordance
Sam's a virus-magnet who catches everything. Unfortunately, whatever Sam catches, Dean ultimately gets.

In Shadow (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5057112/1/In_Shadow) by UnholyMuse
In 1988 John Winchester is arrested. The boys are put in separate foster homes and grow up in very different lifestyles. (WIP that will probably never be finished, but I'm including it because it's one of my favorites!)

Stay (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4949778/1/Stay) by gaelicspirit
The boys fight a haunted...elevator. The battle burns through both as they realize the only thing they want from the other is that they stay.

Desolation Angels (http://gaelicspirit.livejournal.com/51008.html) by gaelicspirit
While Dean struggles to keep his head in the game after being healed, Sam works to come to grips with John's purposeful distance. The last thing they need is to run sideways of two brothers hunting for buried pirate treasure...

In Reverse (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2787883/1/In_Reverse) by sodakey
After Faith, a job has the boys looking for missing hikers in Wyoming. While Sam worries it’s connected to what happened to Dean ten years ago, Dean wonders if Sam would be better off back in the world of normal.

Reveal (http://veronamay.livejournal.com/387427.html) by veronamay
A random hotel room somewhere in Nebraska. Sam is worried. Dean isn't talking. A connection must be made.

Small Conspiracies (http://luzdeestrellas.livejournal.com/114672.html) by luzdeestrellas
For a second, everything they need is right there, in curled fingers and tiny brushes of skin.

Can't Make Tarnished Silver Shine (http://kimonkey7.livejournal.com/71168.html) by kimonkey
The blood there’s not Sam's blood, and Sam knows that. The blood there - soaked through three layers and tacky against his skin - is Dean’s. He figures Dean must have dragged him to the car, hugged up against his chest, walking backwards almost half a mile.

All But Risen (http://gekizetsu.net/sn/risen.html) by gekizetsu
"Don't think I don't love you," Sam said.

100,000 Airplanes (http://musesfool.livejournal.com/1504555.html) by musesfool
One day, Miss Inoue tells them a story about a little girl who tried to fold a thousand paper cranes, because if she did, her wish would come true.

Towards Dean (http://wine-into-water.livejournal.com/7547.html) by wine_into_water
His first steps in life were towards Dean and away from his father.

Goodwill (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3800486/1/Goodwill) by Mummyluvr
The boys head to a small town in Iowa where they spent two years of their lives, and Sam discovers a hidden piece of his brother's past, one that effects the present in more ways than one.

My Brother's Keeper (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3049987/1/My_Brothers_Keeper) by Wolf Maid
“You’re gonna pay for every smart-ass comment out of that mouth, son.”

In a Desperate Land (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3577231/1/In_a_Desperate_Land) by Kansas 42
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Dean makes a decision with a little help from Jim Morrison.

In His Shoes (http://lily48.livejournal.com/8208.html#cutid1) by lily48
Sam thinks about his brother. Stanford era.

Red (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2946476/1/) by Anna Wolfe
Perhaps for the first time in his life, Sam Winchester saw red.

Playing Normal (http://braveinnewworld.livejournal.com/6736.html) by braveinnewworld
“So, how does it happen?” Dean asks. “How do I die?”

It Mattered (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3342914/1/) by Emma15
They got arrested all the time. They got driven out of town all the time. They got threatened by sheriffs and police officers all the time—so this… it mattered somehow.

Living Out Loud (http://albeitslowly.livejournal.com/165682.html) by H.T. Marie
Dean's sick, and the only thing standing between him and Death is his life.

Beach Blanket Poltergeist (http://hansbekhart.livejournal.com/203871.html) by hansbekhart
He doesn’t mind so much when the hellmouth finally spins thought and awareness and life away from him. He just wishes he didn’t have to be alone.

Things He Never Told Him (http://legoline.livejournal.com/436001.html) by legoline
Sam and John have an argument.

Veritas Vos Liberabit (http://tigers-prowl.livejournal.com/54883.html) by dea_liberty
He doesn't want to come across as being ungrateful. Never again.

Heroes and Zeros (http://damerel.livejournal.com/33473.html) by damerel
Sam's perspective on Dean changes over the years.

In the Absence of Miracles (http://community.livejournal.com/nixa_jane/63320.html) by laytoncolt
"You don't need me, Sammy," Dean says, quietly, and it hurts to hear it out loud, but it doesn't make it less true. "Never have."
Sam just looks away, and it's not like him to back down from a fight. After a moment, he says, "I used to lie to myself about that, too."

The Strength of Ten Men (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2925019/1/) by Ridley C. James
“My strength is as the strength of ten men, Because my heart is pure.”

Strangers and Angels (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2748108/1/) by reading
Worn out, the boys stop at a remote motel to get shelter from a storm.

Apples and Oranges (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2739032/1/) by Aegroto Dum Anima
You were kinda like the blonde chick on the “The Munsters.”

Things Sam Has Not Missed About This Life (http://cupiscent.livejournal.com/366730.html) by cupiscent
Like it says - ten things Sam hasn't missed about this life, and one thing he has.

Gifts from Above (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2777982/1/) by Cheryl W
Sam's a sobbing mess on the bathroom floor.

Happy reading!

Wow! Happy,happy,joy,joy! Thank you so much for all the recs! There are a lot that I've never seen before. Thank you again. Now, if we could only have an episode where Sam tells Dean he appreciates all the sacrifices he's made! 😃