1) Pre-series adolescent sex that didn't resume (at least not immediately) after they hit the road in S1, and those actions kind of hang over them like a black cloud and color their relationship throughout the show. Eventually though, I think in this scenario they'd reach a breaking point and start fucking again.
This is my personal canon and seems to be, IMO the most realistic of the ones where they actually end up together, though your n4 is probably the most realistic overall. I like to think that it took a while to heal old wounds and become as comfortable with each other as they were before. I'm sure they missed each other like nobody's business, but both had a serious relationship in between and it's just hard to go back to this. Though I think later it becomes apparent to them that it was inevitable. *feels shippy*
I totally stand behind your number 4 too. I rarely think that the canon Dean could stop being himself for long enough to realise what's between him and Sam. And should he ever, I think his guilt and emotions would destroy him and maybe he'd end up running away. Yes, tragic, angsty brothers do something for me.
Thanks, I too think that that one makes the most sense for 'ship purposes, so I listed it first. ^_^ There's a lot of canonical tension between them even now left over from their childhoods, so it's easy interpret at least part of that tension as sexual. Resuming a sexual relationship in this scenario is both like making up for the years in between when they weren't together and didn't have it and like making up for how flawed the adolescent relationship must have been, what with all the stress of having to basically raise themselves and with their caregiver-child roles being pretty strictly defined in a way that they aren't now. Their relationship now is more equal, so I can only imagine that their new sexual relationship would be more balanced as well. Can you tell that I've given this some thought?
I think long and hard about Wincest too. (forgive the pun) But I haven't come up with a response to this because I agree with everything you've said except that, while their relationship is definitely *more* equal now, I don't think Dean will ever lose his Jesus complex and stop being Sam's protector. Even when he was destined to go to hell and scared shitless, he was always the one protecting not being protected. IDK, at least that's how I saw it.
Oh, I definitely don't think that their relationship will ever be completely "equal", because regardless of any upbringing, I don't think siblings CAN view each other as true equals. My point is that they seem to have moved away from the extremely polarized power roles that they had at the beginning of the show.
It's interesting, Sam has been the one who has wanted to change their relationship, and he shows this at least as far back as... Salvation? I'm thinking of the scene where Dean says that their family (and by extrapolation, their relationship) could be like it was, and Sam says that he doesn't want it to be. Since then, Sam has tried to get Dean to view him as an equal, but Dean, with his years and years of being a martyr for his family, and specifically for Sam, has been consistently reluctant to change, probably because he's so afraid of what might happen to Sam if he weren't constantly on guard (Something Wicked anyone?). Even with Dean's reluctance though, he still treats Sam more like an equal now than he did at the beginning, especially in the communication department, and I think the impetus for that change was John's death and his "parting words" to Dean. That was too much for anyone to bear alone, so in a way, Dean was forced into trusting Sam more rather than always just shielding him. Sam's constant assertions in S3 that the two of them are "in this together" (as equals), and Dean's increased communication with him both point to more balance in their relationship, even if it will always be an imperfect level of equality.
TL;DR, but I think as Sam and Dean's relationship moves more towards equality, as it moves toward a relationship that allows Dean to drop his guard sometimes and allows Sam to have direct control over his life sometimes, the potential for a sexual relationship between them increases.
You've given me food for thought...about the whole equality thing. Dean thinks of himself as being in charge, because that was the job that was assigned to him and for YeaRs it's been this way. When Sam started growing (and growing and growing) I'm sure Dean still had blinders on and had a hard time letting Sam have an equal say in where they went and what they did. I think this was tempered by Sam's abiltiy to find them new jobs and to be able to think things through. Not sure that this would transfer over into any sexual relationship, although I do like the idea of Dean NEEDING to let his guard down, to let someone else be in charge, and the only person he's going to let do this is...Sam.
Have you read leondisleon's Alter Verse stories? There's only two, but it does this, it lets Sam take CHARGE and then some.
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This is my personal canon and seems to be, IMO the most realistic of the ones where they actually end up together, though your n4 is probably the most realistic overall. I like to think that it took a while to heal old wounds and become as comfortable with each other as they were before. I'm sure they missed each other like nobody's business, but both had a serious relationship in between and it's just hard to go back to this. Though I think later it becomes apparent to them that it was inevitable. *feels shippy*
I totally stand behind your number 4 too. I rarely think that the canon Dean could stop being himself for long enough to realise what's between him and Sam. And should he ever, I think his guilt and emotions would destroy him and maybe he'd end up running away. Yes, tragic, angsty brothers do something for me.
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It's interesting, Sam has been the one who has wanted to change their relationship, and he shows this at least as far back as... Salvation? I'm thinking of the scene where Dean says that their family (and by extrapolation, their relationship) could be like it was, and Sam says that he doesn't want it to be. Since then, Sam has tried to get Dean to view him as an equal, but Dean, with his years and years of being a martyr for his family, and specifically for Sam, has been consistently reluctant to change, probably because he's so afraid of what might happen to Sam if he weren't constantly on guard (Something Wicked anyone?). Even with Dean's reluctance though, he still treats Sam more like an equal now than he did at the beginning, especially in the communication department, and I think the impetus for that change was John's death and his "parting words" to Dean. That was too much for anyone to bear alone, so in a way, Dean was forced into trusting Sam more rather than always just shielding him. Sam's constant assertions in S3 that the two of them are "in this together" (as equals), and Dean's increased communication with him both point to more balance in their relationship, even if it will always be an imperfect level of equality.
TL;DR, but I think as Sam and Dean's relationship moves more towards equality, as it moves toward a relationship that allows Dean to drop his guard sometimes and allows Sam to have direct control over his life sometimes, the potential for a sexual relationship between them increases.
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Have you read leondisleon's Alter Verse stories? There's only two, but it does this, it lets Sam take CHARGE and then some.