Archive of Our Own

Sam Winchester had never wanted his life to be entangled with the supernatural; he was happy to leave that aspect of his family legacy to his mother and elder brother. But when a nameless liaison at a party becomes a passionate love affair with a man whose face he is never allowed to see, Sam is hard pressed to ignore the instinct to mistrust that which dwells in shadow. Instinct wins out, and Sam loses his lover in the bargain.

Now, with his brother by his side, Sam will use everything they have ever learned, journey east of the sun and west of the moon, and do whatever he must to get back the love he pushed away.

 

Disclaimer: If I owned Supernatural, certain events would NEVER have happened and there would be unabashed pr0n. I own little more than a tabby that gets destructive when he feels ignored and am only playing with these worlds for my own amusement and the free entertainment of others.

Acknowledgements: This fic would not exist without these extraordinary persons.

Guardian angel to my creativity, secondplatypus, who has been alpha, beta and cheerleader all rolled into one since this idea first popped into my head almost a decade ago. This fic wouldn’t be what it is without her brainstorming, enthusiasm, intimate knowledge of angel lore as well as both of the source myths, and general unflinching awesomeness.

Pimmy, who jumped in with both feet after severe illness laid secondplatypus low at the eleventh hour, and who provided absolutely invaluable assistance, also as alpha, beta and cheerleader. This fic wouldn’t have gotten across the finish line if it wasn’t for you, darling.

And peanutbutterthenjelly, who created artwork for this story that is, in two words, abso-fucking-lutely gorgeous. Please go check out her art post!

Author’s Note: So… this is my brain on fairy tales. Specifically the myth of Cupid and Psyche and its variant, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Be afraid. Be very afraid. This series currently consists of three fics, though there is an open option to continue beyond the third depending on popular demand.

Because this is an AU, I've elected to ignore all the canon discrepancies around this subject and have based my timeline around Sam graduating from undergrad in 2005 at the age of 22. Also, I’ve never even visited to Stanford University and am basing any description of its dormitories off of information gleaned from their website. For anyone who actually has been there, please forgive any discrepancies.

Complete Series Playlist:

Your Body is a Wonderland – John Mayer
Tainted Love – Marilyn Manson
Temple of Love – Sisters of Mercy
The Sweetest Taboo – Sade
Desert Rose – Sting
Breath of Life – Florence and the Machine
Falling Inside the Black – Skillet
Broken – Seether with Amy Lee
Without You – Breaking Benjamin
All Around Me – Flyleaf
The Light – Disturbed
Shape the Invisible – Martin Page