My fic sweet spots for this trope/AU: protective or reserved Dean/Jensen + vulnerable or open-hearted Sam/Jared. Also them just bein ' bamfs together
My fic recs are updated regularly on DW and only quarterly on Tumblr. With that in mind, link to this possibly outdated reclist on Tumblr here
Last updated 1/1/2022. Let 's get started! 🤗 ❤️

Category: Jared/Jensen RPS
The Extraordinary Experiences of an Unusual Sidekick In the City by truelyesoteric. Rated NC-17, Jared/Jensen, 44k words. Summary: Jared Padalecki, Class Two Superhero, has lived his entire life in his small town. Another disappointing Superboyfriend is the kick that he needs to get out. He arrives in the City, expecting to be overwhelmed, instead it seems that he finds everything that he has always been looking for.
ao3.org/works/855969
my thoughts: I remember talking to friends about this story and especially its charming and totally-unique-for-superhero-tropes premise. Sometimes it really blows my mind how in mainstream tv & film, love is always thrown in to apocalypse & superhero action like an afterthought when the story could be so much better if the creators could shamelessly acknowledge the action and adventure 's to showcase love. I could go on forever about this but this fic in particular really had me thinking about this. That is to say I read this story and thought it was easily better than most mainstream action superhero stories on film & tv.

Superheroes Suck, or, The Unfortunately Extraordinary Life of Jensen Ackles by cleflink. NC-17, Jared/Jensen, 33k words. Summary: Jensen hates superheroes. Having grown up with not one, but two of them in the family, he 's more than aware of just how much having a spandex-clad alter ego can cock up the rest of your life. Luckily, his own powers tend towards the more passive, hippie florist side of things which - while embarrassing - means that all that superhero crap is someone else 's problem. Or it would, if not for the frequent interference of superhero-obsessed friends, hostage situations, hotshot new superheroes and irritating relatives. Not to mention a boyfriend who has the uncanny ability to go missing whenever bad things are going down somewhere else in the city. Sometimes, Jensen 's life is kind of bullshit.
ao3.org/works/468711
my thoughts: Such a fun and brilliant read. Cleflink never fails, honestly. They've got just such a fantastic imagination.

Hecate's Children by paleogymnast. Rated R, Jensen/Jared, 50k words. Summary: In the early 2020s, in a world already filled with turmoil and uncertainty, Homo sapiens variens emerged on the scene. Denoted by their distinctive markings, these telepaths, telekinetics, truthsayers, timewinders and other mutants exhibited powers that seemed straight out of comic books, and had the potential to do both great and terrible things. Unfortunately, they became a universal target for fear and hatred. Fifty years later, mutants are hunted, persecuted across a fractured, post-apocalyptic landscape. A decade ago, the last mutant safe haven in North America was wiped out by the Variant Affairs Commission. Now Jared Padalecki, newly promoted VAC agent, and Jensen Ackles, former mutant freedom fighter, must work together to unravel the mystery of what happened to Haven before VAC exercises a final strike to end mutants for good.
ao3.org/works/24931969
my thoughts: This story was so exciting. The world-build and scope absolutely tremendous. In the beginning, I adored all the undercover work and subterfuge. I ate up all that revealed-identities drama, oh boy. I also adored the imagery of the mutants ' true selves. The mystery about Haven unfolded with such fantastic pace that proved so relevant to the rest of the story. The connection that developed between Jared and Jensen was great. Man, what a suspenseful, action-packed story!

Into the Light of the Dark Black Night by dugindeep (hotsauce). Rated NC-17, Jared/Jensen, 31k words. Summary : In the twenty-second century, Chicago still stands as the Second City, but much of it has crumbled under the weight of a changed world. Failed industries and a changing climate have led to ruin, and half the city—and Earth—is not what was once promised: a strong, sustainable future. Jared has been consumed with knowing all he could about the Black Falcon for years, and is fascinated by the winged creature that once stood as the city 's saving grace. On a stormy night, Jared is spared from death by who he swears is the Black Falcon, and is spurred to track him down. There 's more to the Falcon 's story, and Jared finds himself in greater trouble than a tragic car wreck. Jared 's modern fairytale unravels on a dark and dirty backdrop, but there 's still a damsel in distress and a (super)hero who will need saving.
ao3.org/works/1914321
my thoughts: This story kept reeling me in. I loved the dark tone and the mutual and equal need for each other in different ways that develops between the characters.

The Frozen Ocean by kelleigh (girlfromcarolina) (AO3). Rated NC-17, Jared/Jensen, 50k. Summary: Three years ago, the world lost one of its heroes. Jensen Ackles, known to most as ‘Reactor, ' gave his life to save thousands, perhaps even to save our way of life. Jared Padalecki was there that day, amidst the ruin and rubble of battle, holding Jensen in his arms as he died. In the aftermath, as society mourned the loss of their superhero, Jared buried his husband on a quiet Texas hillside. Now, Jared 's living as a shadow of his former self, unable to move beyond his loss, when the arrival of a strange object from deep in outer space sets in motion a series of events that challenges everything Jared thought he knew about Jensen 's past and hoped for their future. From old friends showing up at his door in Vancouver to a secret military base in the middle of Texas, Jared will go and risk everything, including his own sanity, to get Jensen back. But is Jensen still the same man he loved for so long, or will Jared lose him all over again? This time, the battle isn 't about saving the world - it 's about saving what they had. Featuring art by Quickreaver. Written for the 2018 Round of SPN J2 Big Bang.
ao3.org/works/15282537
my thoughts: This fic has so much fic in it! Oh my gosh, the suspense to get a reunion scene is unbeatable and then the sex scenes are soooo expertly written. I don 't even like most sex scenes - often I skip them - but these ones are so loving and yet hot at the same time. A+++

The Last Light I See by pennydrdful. Rated R, Jared/Jensen, 26k words. Summary: When Jensen wakes up in the hospital, he wakes up confused and alone. There's no family or friends worrying over his bedside, no cards or flowers. The doctor quietly informs him of three things: his name, that he was beaten and mugged, and that he's tested positive for Super. On the long road of recovery from a brutal attack, Jensen slowly starts to piece together what kind of man he was, the kind he wants to be, and why the tall, ridiculously gorgeous gardener seems to hate his guts.
ao3.org/works/5007877
my thoughts: The summary alone is so eye-catching, right? Amnesiac super with an angry gardener?! What?! Well newsflash: it 's 100% worth finding out.

The Gifted by morrezela (AO3). Rated R, Jared/Jensen, 17k words. Summary: Jensen is one of the ‘gifted. ' Most of the world doesn 't know that his kind exists because the government hunts them down and takes them to a training facility. He 's treated well, but even a gilded cage is still a cage. Just ask the feral murderer that lives at the edge of the compound.
ao3.org/works/1173909
my thoughts: I distinctly remember feeling for poor "feral" Jared, lol. This was a great story, definitely worth a read!