SPN reclist: Curtain fics!
Remember everyone if the series finale sucks we can just imagine the series ended ages ago into one of these tremendous curtain fics (don 't think I won 't have an exhaustive list of series finale fixits tho haha).
Sweet spots include cuddly bros aging & healing & building their home, hobbies, jobs, and friendships with neighbors.
For my archive of epubs of fic rec'd from livejournal or dreamwidth, here.
Let's get started!

Gen

Wyoming series by aceofhearts61. (AO3). Rated PG-13, queerplatonic Sam+Dean, 78k. Summary: Sam, Dean, and Castiel have retired from hunting and live together in Wyoming. They're happy.
ao3.org/series/27777
my thoughts: This fic is in my all time favorite spn fics reclist . It is like the curtain fic to end all curtain fics for me... and I've read and loved a ton of curtain fics. I genuinely want to get married or have a home in Wyoming now because of this damn series, lol. Just a head's up that aceofhearts61 goes by Ivory Novelist on FFnet. This fic was listed in my love letter to location fic recs post as well as my they get pets reclist .

Fusion 'verse (series) by ratherastory. Rated PG-13, Gen, 112k. Summary: Part of the Fusion 'verse. Sam walks out of hell and finds his way home. From a prompt at the First Time comment-fic meme by the lovely and talented de_nugis: The first time Sam gets that Dean does unreservedly trust him again, coupled with the first time Dean gets that Sam really does want nothing more than he wants to be with Dean.
ao3.org/series/8645
my thoughts: this fic series is just like one of the most precious depictions of Sam & Dean dealing & healing from, like, everything with each other, their brotherly love finally given the space to knit their wounds. Features permanent disability - Dean 's knee is fused (and gets a service dog !). Also features a traumatized-from-hell Sammy. And they 're both aging into a softer existence, living easier, dropping any self-consciousness to be more affectionate, accepting themselves and each other better. AHHH this fic. I should go reread this fic now...

The Way Back by Rainylemons. Rated PG-13, Gen, 35k words. Summary: AU in which Dean gets between Lucifer and Cas, preventing Castiel 's death and eventual return to full-blooded angelhood. In the following months, a mostly human Cas gets a job at Taco Bell, Dean recovers from wounds given to him by Lucifer, and a silent, shell-shocked Sam wanders in from the cold.
ao3.org/works/488010
my thoughts: I loved Cas working at Taco Bell 😂 The soft support and love between Cas, Dean, and then hell-traumatized Sam who wanders in from the cold is just... perfection. There 's a super emotional breakthrough at the ending of this fic. It 's gonna make you tear up (with happiness)

The Space Around Him by Rainylemons. Rated R, Gen, 29k. Summary: Written for the spn_gen_bigbang. Two years ago Sam Winchester went blind after an opportunistic infection ruined his optic nerve. He and Dean have since settled down, but Sam's still struggling to learn the difference between adapting and coping. Fortunately, he has an awesome brother, a therapist, a few exotic dancers, and a canary named Phil to help him out.
ao3.org/works/489026
my thoughts: for some reason whenever I think of pet fics , I think of "that awesome one where they have a bird" haha. It 's just such a unique pet compared to the plethora of pet cat and dog fics that it stands out. It also stands out because this is an awesome fic with sweet+desperate comfort from Dean at the end. Fantastic fic.

Getting A Life by Debbie L, genfic, 5k, Teen. Summary: Sam takes one too many hits to the head… compared to what they've been through, what costs they've already paid, this is chump change. They will have to give up hunting, give up the life. It is every bit as simple and staggering as that. Spoilers up to 7X02
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10142440
My thoughts: brain damaged!Sam, season 7. Really sweet curtain fic finding Dean as a Starbucks barista supporting Sam & all his meds and therapy

Wincest

Like a Fish Out of Water by nyxocity. Rated NC-17, Dean/Sam, 59k words. Summary: AU after Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie. During the final battle with the Leviathans, God finally makes an appearance and deigns to intervene. After granting Sam and Dean a few final requests, he 'packs his bags' and takes everything supernatural in existence with him. Left with nothing to hunt, Sam talks a reluctant Dean into settling down in a small town outside of Sioux Falls. Sam seems to want them live a normal kind of life, but between the ridiculous estate sale Sam bought to furnish the house, the arrival of a very human Castiel who's overwhelmed by human emotions, and their quirky, invasive neighbors, it's anything but. Dean's having a difficult time adjusting, convinced everything couldn't be more abnormal until Sam reveals exactly what kind of life he wants to have with Dean. Dean can't deny the part of him that wants it--but can he accept it?
ao3.org/works/425939
my thoughts: I remember this story had a great sense of humor to it in addition to the engaging developments that just kept unfolding. Like even though it was just Sam+Dean acclimating to small town life and retirement, I was still riveted! Also I really loved Sam 's lowkey eagerness in everything; it was so endearing.

Where Do We Begin (The Rubble or Our Sins?) by dimeliora. NC-17, Sam/Dean, 40k. Summary: AU post season one. He wakes in a hospital, missing a limb and all of his memories. They tell him he is Dean Hunt. That his sister died in the accident that claimed his leg. From there he rebuilds with the help of his quirky lesbian neighbors and a homeless drifter named Sam.
ao3.org/works/1025195
my thoughts: Amnesia curtain fic yaaaaas! I love this pushy idea of the unique ensemble of real-feeling characters that surround Sam & Dean as they settle into the curtain fic they 're in. It 's just precious, y 'all.

The King and the Lionheart by waywardelle (AO3). NC-17, Dean/Sam, 53k words. Summary: After the disastrous but effective removal of the Mark, Sam and Dean Winchester suddenly face a life without allies or a reason to keep hunting, so they leave their old life behind them in flames. They re-emerge from the ashes as Sam and Dean Wesson, residents of Misty Luna, Maine– a town with a personality all its own. As they settle into civilian life, they gain careers, a home, good friendships and the kind of fulfillment they never thought possible. But with nothing left to fight, the underbelly of their particular kind of love is thrown into sharp relief, especially considering the whole town thinks they 're married, anyway. After dancing around their feelings for the past twenty years, Sam and Dean find a peace they never knew existed, and through it all, they find each other again. And maybe, just maybe, forever. Curtain!fic. Canon divergence after 10x21, "Dark Dynasty."
ao3.org/works/7421695
my thoughts: This was such a pleasant, relaxing curtain fic to read before bed. I loved the slow affection that built between Sam and Dean as they settled and grew more independent yet more loving. This was a wonderful read