Real person fiction (RPF) is the black sheep of the fanfiction family. Yet if you read Destiel fanfic, then at one time or another you’ve likely come across Cockles, the pairing of Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles. One of our mods stumbled onto Cockles through fics based on The French Mistake, Supernatural’s own entry into RPF. The main relationship was Dean and Misha, but Cockles was simmering right under the surface. The purpose of this post is to shine light on the different types of Cockles fics and point you to a few of our favorites.
Cockles fics fall into the broad categories of Canon(ish) and Alternate Universe (AU). In canon fics, Jensen and Misha are actors that work on a show called Supernatural. Everything else is up for grabs (wives, family, etc). These fics often focus on the behind the scenes relationship of these two characters, with the backdrop of known events such as conventions or filming Supernatural. In AUs, the characters look and act like the public personas of Jensen and Misha, but everything else is up for grabs. AUs often go far afield in terms of circumstances, lifestyles, settings and professions. As a result, the stigmas generally associated with RPF tend to fall by the wayside.
Below the cut are some introductory Cockles fics and a few of our favorite canon and AU fics. Like our other recs, most are longer fics over 10K. We focused on more recent fics, yet included a few classics as well. Ultimately, this is a Destiel blog. So if you become hooked on Cockles, be sure to check out the external resources listed at the end or ask Kyrie - she has a bit of an obsession.
Below the cut:
Fic Recs
Cockles for Beginners
Canon
Alternate Universe
Authors
External Resources
Banner: [x,x]
This is Cockles, no manips required.
Fic Recs:
Cockles for Beginners
We have selected a mix of shorter fics that are T or M rated to serve as a gentle entry to Cockles. Check them out and see if the chemistry of this pairing is for you.
Conflicts of Interests [T, 5,900 word count]
(au, pining!jensen, pining!misha, kid!fic)
Jensen’s new nanny is cute and weird and taken. He tries not to pine and fails miserably.
Flaws Upon Your Sleeves [T, 11,000 word count (WIP but ends at a good spot)]
(au, photographer!jensen, aspiring actor!misha, slow building romance, spn ensemble cast)
Misha is at drama school in London and it’s shaping up to be the most miserable experience of his life. In a foreign city with (he suspects) no talent and just one friend, if home wasn’t so awful that’s where he’d want to go. Until he meets a very straightforward photographer, Jensen, and his world starts blooming into wonderful colour.
Just Breathe [T, 14,200 word count]
(canon, angst, hurt comfort, no wives, post 7x02)
Misha is sick – fucking miserable, but refuses to go home and rest instead of finishing up the last scene for the day. His own obstinacy is going to come right back and bite him in the ass and leave him in a much worse shape than he first thought. Luckily, a certain Jensen Ackles comes to his rescue.
Reality, What Reality [T, 18,100 word count]
(canon, the french mistake, hurt comfort, motherhen!jensen, established relationship, Balthazar)
Based around the story in The French Mistake, where Raphael isn’t quite sure which alternative universe Sam and Dean have been sent to. He has to cover his bets and sends assassins to a number of possible alternative realities. And because Raphael is a bit of a vindictive sod, nothing bodes well for anyone who looks like Castiel’s vessel, including one Misha Collins.
Things Unsaid [M, 4,100 word count]
(canon, no wives, jensen!pov)
Jensen loses a bet and ends up accompanying Misha on a monastic retreat in Thailand.
Canon
Ad-Libbed [NC-17, 7,000 word count]
(canon, angst, season 6, on the set, jensen POV, no wives)
The thing about Misha? Misha ad-libs.
Reconciling Hollywood [NC-17, 32,000 word count]
(canon, angst, no wives, misha pov, slow building romance, sex then love, pining!misha, pining!jensen)
Misha has always prided himself on his mastery of the first impression - both giving and receiving. After all, people are easy enough to read if examined through the appropriate lens. For the last two years he’s stuck to his guns and his assumption that Jensen is just a good guy who made a dick mistake back when he thought Misha was disposable. Pushed him up against a trailer door and took because he could. But now, with Jared overseas with his new bride, Jensen around more than ever, and a decision weighing heavy on his conscience, Misha realizes that truly knowing Jensen might be nearly as impossible as knowing himself.
The Weight of Things Not Seen [NC-17, 15,800 word count]
(canon, angst, wives, hurt comfort, coming out, pining!misha, amnesia)
After an accident on set, Jensen is hospitalised and in a coma for 2 days. To everyone’s relief, when he wakes up he appears fine, but it soon becomes clear that Jensen’s memory has been affected. How much can he remember, not just about who he is, but about the people in his life, and what he feels for them?
When I Was Your Man [M, 30,000 word count]
(canon, angst, porn, no wives, sex then love, !dcbb)
After eight seasons of Supernatural, the writers finally decide to openly have Dean and Castiel fall in love. The only problem? Jensen and Misha fell apart when Misha left for most of season 7, and they had a hard time fixing their friendship ever since. Now it’s not only having to deal with character bleed – because Jensen starts to understand where Dean is coming from – but also with the fallout of their failed friends with benefits arrangement.
Alternate Universe
A Broken Man and the Dawn [NC-17, 45,000 word count]
(au, domestic, kid!fic, angst, hurt comfort, neighbors, slow building romance, best friends, jealous!misha)
After his brother dies in a car accident, Jensen is left to take care of his newborn nephew - and he’s in over his head. Also, he has the feeling that the guy who just moved into the apartment next door hates him because of the crying baby that keeps him up all night. As it turns out, Misha not only has that set of mesmerizing blue eyes, but also a lot of intuition when it comes to fussing, cranky babies.
Angel Slayer [NC-17, 139,000 word count]
(au, law enforcement, dark, angst, sex then love, secret affair, jensen pov, pining!jensen, reserved!misha)
FBI Special Agent Jensen Ackles tracked a serial killer dubbed the Angel Slayer for six months in Washington, DC—the murderer was vicious, depraved, carved the names of angels into the victims’ chests…and eluded capture. Over eight years later, a murder in small Elton, NH has too many similarities for Jensen to ignore. Paired with a green agent, Jared Padalecki, Jensen travels to Elton to solve the case that has been haunting him for nearly a decade. In the course of the investigation the agents come across a local police officer named Misha Collins—who may have a deadly connection to the Angel Slayer.
Dovetail [hard M/light NC-17, 9,500 word count]
(au, artist!misha, pining!misha, pining!jensen, snarky!misha)
Misha Collins is a master craftsman with a corner on the sustainable furnishings market. Jensen Ackles is an ambitious interior designer with an even more ambitious clientele. All he’s after at first is Misha’s signature on an impossible contract. What he gets is so much more.
Of Love and Other Political Affairs [NC-17, 39,000 word count]
(au, angst, hurt comfort, co-workers, sex then love, homophobia, in the closet, bottom!jensen, pining!misha, pining!jensen, spn ensemble cast)
U.S. Senator Misha Collins is knee deep in campaigning to be the next President of the United States when he gets a new personal assistant named Jensen Ackles, who quickly turns the entire campaign on its head.
Authors
Want more Cockles fics? Check out these authors. Not all are currently writing Cockles, but they have some lovely fics!
annundriel: [lj]
ebwebb17: [ao3]
kadielkrieger (kriari): [ao3], [lj]
n_nami: [ao3]
qthelights: [ao3], [lj]
External Resources
Fic Archives: [ao3] [ff.net]
Livejournal
reccing: [rocksalt-recs] [sawed-off recs] [spnstoryfinders]
posting: [jensen-misha]
news: [spnnewsletter; delicious] [spn-weirdnews]
kink memes: [deancaskink] [spn-blindfold] [spnkink-meme]
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JensenMisha fanfiction
destielfanfic
multishippingrocks
cockles-week
personal blogs with cockles rec lists