SPN Big Bang Rec

Redemption by ancastar; J2; Adult
This is one of my favorite J2s from this year's Big Bang. The basic premise is that Jared and Jensen live in a futuristic society in which it is legal for people to rent themselves for varying lengths of time (a night, a month, a matter of years) to perform varying services (nanny, gardener, sexual companion). It's very lucrative, but potentially dangerous; while there are laws to protect the bonded, they occupy a nebulous social space that while doesn't always lead to them being abused, can certainly be disconcerting and demeaning for them. As you all know very well by now, I am a huge huge huge fan of the slavery trope, accidental or otherwise, and for me this is a refreshing take on that trope. Now don't get me wrong. I love a fic where Koyla buys Rodney at the market and breaks him and beats him (all while forcing him to endure the utter humiliation of the best orgasms of his life) just as much as anybody else. (Possibly more. *sigh) In other words, I really dig those slave fics in which the slave is expected to obliterate self and live as an extension of the master's will, mostly because they are just so darn angsty and tense. What I really love about ancastar's story, though, is that hir version of the slavery fic seems so plausible, like it's one possible future in which we've all decided to extend the terms of the legalization of prostitution that already exists in some places or to extend the terms of employment in other arenas. There's enough angst, enough discomfort with the role of owned and owner from both Jared and Jensen to keep the story riveting, but not so much that Jared is scrubbing Jensen's toilet with his toothbrush in penance for forgetting to call him master when Jensen was flogging him. LOL The worldbuilding is stellar, the secondary characters are all nicely fleshed out, and description is lush and evocative without running into Dickens territory. I think y'all should go read this. It's a great story.