Vagabonds by amarillogrande
Word Count: 89,523
Summary: Dean is a sheriff in a tiny town in Colorado, restless and unsatisfied with his life. It's not like what he's read about in the dime novels since he was little, capturing dangerous outlaws and being the last word of the law. More like tossing the town drunk in a cell to sober up when they get a little too rowdy.
But Dean's chance comes when a thief rolls through their town. He pursues the thief, which puts him right into the path of Emmanuel, a notorious outlaw. When he is captured by the outlaw and his gang to be held for ransom, Dean starts off on a journey he could have never envisioned, and learns that perhaps there's more to Emmanuel than meets the eye.
Comments: 9/10. I love the western genre, so naturally I really love this fic. Emmanuel is not who everyone believes him to be, and Dean finds himself becoming more and more intrigued by the outlaw who kidnapped him. At the same time, Sam is frantically pursuing his brother, meeting and accepting the help of some unsavory people on the way. I love how the perspective switches between the characters, not just between Dean and Cas but to other characters as well. It’s extremely slow burn, as in they don’t get together until the last two chapters. There’s sexual tension but it’s not very explicit, as in they don’t fantasize about each other and stuff like that. There’s also only one smut scene, which I’m slightly disappointed about. But overall I love this fic, especially how immersive and persuasive it is.
