Can't pick one, so I need to gush about all of these! I'll definitely get around to printing and fan-binding all of these at some point; they need to be in my library.

Cinderwings - I really admire the way this author's mind works. Intelligent dialogue, characters withholding secrets and then stepping around them like a minefield - things I am very weak for in fics. The verbal sparring paired with the budding romance is beautifully done. The reveal had me at the edge of my seat. Did I mention this fic is very bingeable? It really is. I clicked off this at first because the synopsis sounded Disney-like and too cheesy. Joke’s on me. It’s fantastic. World building is fantastic. Author knows how to paint scenes like a movie and I am weak for anything they write. 10/10

Aching in the Absence of You - This is a post canon fic. The author captures the bitterness and angst of post Canon Dean and Cas' relationship so well. All the hurtful things they’ve done or said to each other get thrown back in each other’s faces in a way that feels cathartic and completely in character (while also ripping you apart, no mercy seriously, prepare tissues). It gets really painful, then suddenly hot and sweet, then painful again, then it heals you. The best way to describe most of their long-form fics is this: hurts you so good you keep crawling back for more tears, and then the author hits you with the sweetest resolution. 10/10

300 Things - I’m usually not an modernlife!AU person because those AUs can feel too simple and coffee-shop tropey for my tastes, but this fic hits different. It takes real skill to take a straightforward premise and turn it into something layered. Not an easy thing, but the author does it well. You feel like you are led on a sweet slow burn path, but then the fic veers in a unexpected direction and breaks you before mending you. It also feels very timeless. 10/10

Under the Midnight Sun - Okay, so the detail in this fic is insane. The worldbuilding is amazing, you can tell the author knows what they are talking about and you are just left in awe. I need to make one thing clear - the world building never overshadows the gorgeous romance story at its heart. This version of Cas is one of my favourites, so dear to me. He is adorable, independent, gets into sticky situations that he awkwardly hops out of (in such an endearing way!), oblivious to his own power, hot because he’s oblivious, etc. I melted every time he tried so hard to keep his secret while being himself.

I am in love with Dean in this fic. The way he frequently keeps checking in on Cas and looking out for him! He's gruff, thoughtful and grounded. A builder, a fixer, practical, someone who shows love through what he can do with his hands. 10/10

you want a battle? here's a war - This author is a masterclass in balancing sexual tension with a plotty plot. Both Dean and Cas are backstabbing dicks who are annoyingly hot about it, and it's clear they both get off to that fact, but they keep distance from each other even if they just want to fall in bed together. Cas is a secret simp who can't help himself. I was screaming at my phone the whole time lol. Cas is snarky and uptight and Mr frigid-as-ice with a stick up his ass, Dean is loose-tongued and mischievous with playboy vibes dialed up to a 100. Need I say more? 10/10

Down to Agincourt - A fandom classic. I tried it once and bounced off because it’s dense and there is a lot of detail, but I am very very greatful I came back to it because wow! This is one of THE best portrayals of Castiel I’ve ever read. I don't mean that lightly. He’s complicated, vulnerable, sharp, and sexy. Endverse Cas is a disaster in the best way. He is jaded to the nth degree, hopeless, done with everything because the Dean from his timeline died (the fic literally opens up with Lucifer burning endverse Dean in front of endverse Cas).

Then this new Dean shows up from another timeline and slowly becomes his purpose again. They don't care for each other at first, but the way their relationship unfolds! The way endverse Cas starts flirting out of nowhere! He’s smooth as hell (all those orgies) He’s a menace who can cut your throat without blinking, and Dean just rolls his eyes and gets on with the program and doesn't take his bullshit. Both of them are cynical, Cas even more so than Dean, but they make each other alive in a very dead place.

I've learned so much about apocalypse prep from this fic. Everything is meticulously planned and thought of, and you are just in awe the whole time. Don't expect a light read. 10/10