Oh man. OHHH MAN. Dude. I wrote out this whole post before I remembered this fic, and it fits PERFECTLY. It's so amazingly good that I had to make a new category in my fic recs above Favorites. It's fics like this that make me remember why I decided to be an artist.

The Monster (http://spn-summergen.livejournal.com/191463.html) by Kalliel
9,700 words
Dean believes in justice, even when he's on its sharp end. Sam believes in soulmates.

For rainylemons, who asked for post-canon demon!Dean, glasses-wearing!Sam, comfort for old hurt, Heavenly decay, the sensate aesthetic of terror, and white noise behind the stars.


... So! Does the whole soul thing have to be literal? I'm really fond of dark!Dean, so my recs list (http://electric-sympathy.tumblr.com/spnficrecs) has several more of them, but I'm not sure it's what you're looking for. You can USUALLY find them with the keywords "dark!Dean", "evil!Dean", "torturer!Dean", and "demon!Dean"... I really need to get more consistent with this shit, lol. There are some miscellaneous fics where Dean deals with his darker half under "Post-Hell Issues", too.

Most notable fics:

Shiver (http://archiveofourown.org/works/118236) by PhoenixDragon
1,477 words
He needed it, the oblivion of liquor and all the dank, empty promises that it held. Of rest, of respite, of forgiveness - because he had a bad feeling that there was none to be had.

Notes: Dean struggles not to acknowledge the darker impulses gleaned from Hell.


Remember, Remember (http://ncc1701a.livejournal.com/20083.html) by ncc1701a
804 words
Dean remembers how he broke.


Defining Normal (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5172291/1/Defining-Normal) Baroqy
55,231 words
Bobby's plan to give Sam and Dean a simple, probably-not-a-possession job turns ugly. Takes place near the end of season 4. Angst and whumping and humor. So it's a mixed bag.

Notes: Bobby has an ulterior motive with this job-- Namely, Dean needs to deal with his shit instead of tamping it down... So the boys stay with one of the most well-written OCs I've ever seen. I haven't put this in my recs list yet, FYI.


Proverbs of Hell & The Heart's Bleed Longest by sparrow-lately, White Rabbit by indiachick, and Some Things You Have to Live Through by rainylemons (all linked in the recs) might fit this too, but I don't have the time to reread them for you today. I gotta leave in less than an hour and I haven't even started packing yet, hahahaha

Yeah, the soul thing is kinda literal. Imagine the "Shadow" concept of Jungian Psychology. But wow, thank you, you went through all that trouble for reccing, I hope you caught up.