Title: Affliction
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing: Gen
Genres: AU, Samcentric, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Family
Length: Epic (45,280 words)
Warnings: Chronic disability

Author on LJ: tolakasa
Author Website: tolakasa @ AO3

Author's Summary:
AU of season 5, veering off from canon after the end of 5.04, after Sam and Dean are hunting together again. In a diner one day, Sam notices that something's missing. Something kind of important.

Review:
Reading this fic was gut-wrenching. Written from Sam's POV and often delving into his inner thoughts - and his inner self-loathing - we get a front row seat as he starts to lose his senses one by one. It's a trope I've read before, and this fic is up there with the best. The author takes her time torturing poor Sammy, though she thankfully stays out of whump/woobie territory, and the fic is as restrained as something about a happening so horrible can be.

The relationship between Sam and Dean is so touching here. With Sam unable to even feel his own body, it's a return to Dean as a mother figure, taking care of him when he can't do it himself. Even as this is obviously humiliating for Sam, it's always heart warming when the brothers actually act as close as we know they are. Dean is Sam's anchor in a dark world, and that had me sobbing. A lovely, well-paced fic that's perfect if you're in the mood for a tearjerker and brotherly hurt/comfort.

Affliction