JustAnna

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean sighed as Anya and Sam left the kitchen together, but he smirked the second his back was turned to them. It was oddly refreshing to see Sam so loose in the shoulders, and to see an echo of his brother’s old smile on his face. He would give him Hell until the end of time for everything, but in reality, Dean was happy to see Sam happy…for once. The guy needed a win. They both did.

He walked over to the coffee pot, and touched his fingers against the outside, to make sure it was still on and hot. As soon as he was happy with the temperature, he looked down at the counter, and paused, thinking about the sound Anya’s legs made against the metal. Without touching the actual counter, he made a mental note to make Sam and Anya clean the kitchen later, and reached for two mugs.

He heard Lexi’s light footsteps against the floor as he poured her coffee, and he turned to watch her walk…not to him, but to the fridge. The part of his brain that was food driven jumped to excitement, while the part of his brain that wanted to just keep a hand on her all day sunk into a bit of sadness. When she asked what he wanted for breakfast, he walked over to the counter, not far from the fridge, and placed her mug there. He took a drink of his own coffee and glanced down at her, tilting his head with pursed lips, “I’m thinking…”

And then Sam called out, and Dean sighed through his nose at the interruption, followed by Anya knocking on the table like it was a door to tell Lexi ‘yes’. That caused Dean to chuckle, and he shook his head.

“I’ll have what they’re having. Also, she might be too cute to bully. She’s quick. Competitive.” He raised his eyebrows as if he had been beaten at his own game, and took another drink of his coffee. “Sure is nice to see Sam smile, though…after the past few months. I don’t know how he’s held it together this long.”

Dean stepped away from the counter, deciding to go to the door like a watchful father and check on Sam and Anya, keeping out of their eye sight. As he watched them, he smiled softly, watching Anya doing her best to teach Sam sign language. He couldn’t lie, it was new…and it was nice, seeing her little giggles and watching Sam’s face match hers. Seeing how intent Sam seemed on furthering their communication was welcome. There was no way he was forcing this girl out of the bunker…not at this point. It seemed the hunters training had to go forward. His brother…would be happy, even if he was uncomfortable with the means.

Anya

Anya plopped down in one of the old wood chairs, glancing at the lit up table in front of her as she pretzeled her legs in the wide seat. Any other time, she would have propped her feet up on the table, but in Sam’s shirt, she was afraid she might give Dean more of a show than he would prefer. So, she grabbed the edge of the table and rolled the chair forward, and then to the side to be a bit closer to Sam.

After a bit of just sitting there, taking in the morning, Sam had asked her to teach him a few signs. So, she held her hand out for her phone and then laid it on the table top, thinking of words that would be helpful, specifically to hunting.

She typed the word “gun” and then held her hands up, signing to him with a soft smile. Then she typed a few more letters and pressed play to read “he has a gun” and did a slightly more exaggerated version of the previous sign. She then typed “he’s over there” and signed it to him, smiling as he called out to Lexi in the kitchen. When she called back and asked if Anya wanted anything, Anya found a spot on the screen of the table that would echo, and knocked twice for “yes”, hoping that Lexi could hear her.

Anya turned back to her phone with a cheeky grin, and she typed the words, “Are you okay? What hurts?” And then typed “I’m okay.”

She played the first part, and signed it slowly for Sam, looking at his eyes. There was something beautiful about watching him learn, and watching how fast he picked up on information…and the fact that he was doing this to be able to communicate better with her. She then tapped the last message and signed it, pausing at the end to reach out and tap her finger gently on his nose.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean smiled widely as Lexi played right into his teasing, which was so refreshing. He didn’t even have a chance to quip anything else at her before she leaned up and kissed him while they were walking, something that for some reason made her even more intoxicating to him. There was no way that he wanted to separate from her, even for a moment, feeling oddly clingy. Anyone else, he would have left them in bed, went on with work, and hopefully would have shooed them out of the bunker by now. He sighed, as they stepped up to her room and she pulled away from him to go grab things from her room.

“I would complain, but you definitely deserve the coffee.” Dean chuckled, shaking his head. His eyebrows perked up a bit when she mentioned breakfast, and he tilted his head to the side as if to say ‘alright then. I’m keeping her forever.’.

“What the hell have you gotten yourself into…” He whispered to himself as he turned and headed toward the kitchen to fetch Lexi a coffee.

Anya

Anya’s heart fluttered into her throat when Sam studied her hands so intently, and managed to make out what she was saying, or at least the general idea. Just hearing him say that he felt happy made her beam with happiness for him. He deserved to be happy. She could see it in his eyes, every time she looked at him, that he had been through so much. There was a light flickering behind his gaze that seemed to be faded, as if everything he had been through had sucked the life from his eyes. All she wanted to see, for someone like Sam was his dimples dipping in so deep that they could hurt his cheeks, the creases in his forehead there for a reason and not for worry, and a smile on his face…a real smile.

She was broken from studying his face by him speaking up, and she pulled away from her thought with a small flinch, watching his hand as he retrieved her phone from his pocket. She laughed, taking it from him and quickly sliding her finger across the screen to type a message.

“Thank you. This is a lot easier.” She pressed play with a dramatic eyeball and then sat her phone on the counter. He was close enough that she could reach over and take his hand, tugging him toward her. She dropped his hand once he was close, and reached up, placing her hand on the back of his neck to pull him down to her. Once his nose touched hers, she pressed a tight, simple kiss to his lips, as if reminding herself she could.

A few moments later.

Anya barely heard Dean step into the kitchen as she stared intently into Sam’s eyes, trying her best to learn every color in his specific brand of hazel. It was mushy, but she didn’t care…

Then Dean cleared his throat.

“Can I get a cup of coffee or will I um…interrupt something?” Dean teased, and Anya broke her gaze from Sam’s face, rolling her eyes as she picked up her phone. She typed, and Dean watched her, placing his hands on his hips.

“If I said you were, would you be nicer?” Anya’s phone read and Dean seemed offended, but amused.

“Nicer? I’m wonderful today, alright? I feel great. You know what…I will even say that you look lovely this morning, wearing my giant brother’s clothes and sitting on the only countertop that’s anywhere near the coffee that I would like to take back to my…to Lexi.” Dean awkwardly explained, waving his hand around. Anya smirked and with a little bit of a squeak from the stainless steel against her bare thighs, she slipped off the edge of the counter, standing flush with Sam’s chest for a moment, before pushing him back and stepping to his side.

“Calm down Dean. I was joking. But thanks for the compliment.” She typed on her phone, grabbing Sam’s hand. She shoved her phone back into the pocket of Sam’s sweats, grabbed her cup and tugged Sam toward the doorway. The War Room seemed like a much less stuffy place for the barrage of parental questions she knew was coming.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Anna

Anna whimpered as Nat’s arms wrapped around her, and her eyes went wide over Natalia’s shoulder. She would have never expected a hug, after admitting that she was there…and survived when Cason was expected to die. Nat’s words about her brothers being serial liars hit Anna little harder in the chest than she expected, and she closed her eyes tightly, clinging to Natalia. Finally, there was someone that understood why she was so angry, and betrayed, and hurt…and felt like she had been lied to. She wanted to cling to this feeling, and so she did, as long as Natalia was willing to hug her.

As Nat pulled away, Anna just nodded at her with wide teary eyes. In a world where it felt like every single problem rested on her shoulders, or Sam’s shoulders, it was nice to have someone actually look her in the eyes and tell her she wasn’t at fault for something. It wasn’t true, though. They all knew that the barn incident was because of her. She wouldn’t be able to shake that feeling no matter how hard she tried, but she wished she could take it all back, and keep Cason safe…as silly as it sounded rattling around in her head.

“Thank you.” Anna whispered, pressing her lips together and nodding. She turned to the mirror behind her and took in her appearance. Her nose was red, something she wouldn’t be able to hide from Sam, no matter how hard she tried. But she could at least dry her eyes up and wipe some of the last bits of dirt away from her streaky cheeks.

She was just wiping the last bit of tear stains away from her cheeks, trying to compose herself not to start the whole teary process all over again as the overwhelm of Nat knowing…and likely planning to confront Dean cramped her stomach. She nodded as Nat said that they needed to leave the bathroom, and she returned her sad smile, walking toward the door. She opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom, walking straight toward Sam with her eyes on the floor. Maybe if she didn’t look at him, he wouldn’t notice her red nose.

Cason

Cason’s smirk turned into a full laugh when Sam joked back with him. He knew that in the tiniest of ways, he was now friendly with Sam, which gave him a lot more protection from the others than Sam would ever give himself credit for. He followed Sam’s gaze and turned to glance at the bathroom door as Sam commented on the delay. He was a bit curious, but he figured they were just hashing out whatever it was that was bothering Anna. Anna could be talkative when she was upset.

“I could always pop in and…” Cason started to suggest, before being interrupted by the sweet waitress from earlier. He turned his eyes up to her and put on his most charming smile, shaking his head, “No ma’am. I had a bit of a long day. I think I would rather just have beer for dinner.”

The girls piled out of the bathroom, obstructed at first by a few people stepping away from the counter and walking out the door. Cason turned his eyes from Maddie to both of them, and he instantly noticed that Anna’s hair was pushed behind her ears. She had pulled her hands into his jacket sleeves and had crossed her arms…and her nose was red. They hadn’t been together a lifetime or anything, but he knew her well enough to know her body language like the back of his hand. He narrowed his eyes, burning his gaze into her eyelids as she looked at the floor, trying to get her to make eye contact with him…but she didn’t.

“Everything alright?” He asked Nat as Anna sat on the edge of Sam’s side of the booth, hugging herself a little tighter as she took a deep breath. “Anna? You okay?”

“Yep. Just a little emotional, today, I guess.” Anna deflected, never turning her eyes from her knees. Cason narrowed his eyes even more at the fact that she couldn’t make eye contact with him, and he turned to Nat.

“Mhm. Okay. Well…what about you? You good?”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean raised his eyebrows at Lexi’s teasing of Sam, expecting but also not expecting it from her. He almost felt proud that he had someone else to bounce teasing off of, as typically, Sam was quick with his remarks and could shut Dean up pretty fast. When Sam turned around and looked them both up and down, Dean looked down at his own torso awkwardly and he wiped a hand down his chest with a frown. He was about to tell Sam not to say a word, when Sam turned away from them and called back.

“Yeah well…you…” Dean awkwardly stuttered out, before waving a hand at his brother’s back, brushing off the fact that Sam was right. He would find other ways to make Sam uncomfortable, later on. Right now, he needed a shower or rather, he needed a shower…with Lexi.

Grabbing Lexi’s hand with a huff, Dean pulled her toward his room.

—

A little bit later

Dean was dressed, reluctantly, and he stepped out of his room, leaving the door cracked open for Lexi to follow him out. He could stay wrapped up in her all day, but then they wouldn’t get any work done, and it was already late…for him. He padded down the corridor, stopping at one of the turns to wait for Lexi to catch up. As she did, he reached out and placed a hand on her opposite hip, pulling her close to him while they were still out of eye sight of Sam and Anya.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to her ear with a smile, as he flirted with her, “So, I’m assuming I’ll see you after work? Massages are kinda my specialty.”

Anya

Anya was happily sipping her coffee on the counter when Sam stepped in. She raised an eyebrow at the fact that he was walking around in sweats and no shirt. It seemed very relaxed for Sam, who seemed pretty tightly wound. She didn’t even try to get his attention as he stepped in, but she did catch his eyes briefly and she gave him a sweet smile. There was no way he dodged Dean on his way in.

As he spoke up, she pressed her lips tightly together, raising her eyebrows with an exaggerated nod, taking a sip of her coffee in a way that let him know “I’ve already dealt with him this morning…trust me I know.”

She couldn’t help the smirk that graced her lips as he described the state HE had found them in. They seemed much more disheveled when she found them, and it didn’t surprise her a bit that they were headed to the showers, clearly not finished with each other. She tilted her head to the side as if she was thinking, and then gave him a wicked smirk briefly. She was excited to get her phone and tear Dean down a few pegs, if he tried to act as if she and Sam were sneaky teenagers, or something.

Her facial expression fell into a smile of admiration, as she took in how much lower his shoulders looked, and how much more relaxed and happy he seemed…less high strung. She sat her mug beside her, snapped her fingers at him to get his attention, and then signed as slow as she could, to help him understand her.

“You look pretty happy…” She signed, her hands moving slow and fluid as she watched his face with a soft smile. “It’s nice.”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean turned, watching as Lexi made her way back around the bed and perched beside him. She was right there. He was pretty sure that if he touched her, they would never leave this room. So, he restrained himself. Instead, he lazily stood when she did, a goofy smile on his face as he retrieved his boxers from the floor and pulled them on. He walked to the door, ruffling his hair again, to try and make it look a little less sweat stuck to his head, and then cracked the door open to look around.

Just as he stepped out into the hallway, to go warm up his shower, Anya showed up and Dean raised his eyebrows at her. He then narrowed his eyes, “Well good morning!”

Her sighing back to him caused him to frown again, and he hoped that it was something friendly like ‘good morning’ and not some sort of insult. As she kept walking, he glanced down her back, not able to ignore the dark purple finger prints that adorned the backs of her thighs, what little skin was showing. Dean stepped back toward the door and he hissed at Lexi with a frown, “Well, the kids are awake and the little one? Bruises…everywhere. Her thighs look like she went ten rounds with a boxer.”

He raised his eyebrows, as if he was judging them, when in reality, it wasn’t like his ‘usual’ wasn’t just as fiery…depending on the woman. Lexi’s hand in his and how calm she was about the situation caused him to sigh and he couldn’t help the turn in the corners of his lips as Lexi gave him a wicked smile that melted his chest into nothing.

“Oh…it’ll be awkward alright. I wonder what my brother looks like.” Dean teased back, pulling her into the hallway. Dean was barely finished with the sentence when they turned the small curve between the rooms, and Sam stepped out into the hallway, looking disheveled. Dean raised his eyebrows again at Sam just standing there shirtless, visible scratches and darker skin in random places. Sam never walked around the bunker shirtless…but Sam also never brought anyone home.

“Wow, Sam…” Dean called out in a judgmental tone, ignoring the fact that he was also just standing in the hallway in his underwear.

Anya

Anya stepped into the kitchen with a yawn, and instantly went for the coffee pot. She pressed the button, happy that the brothers had a coffee of refilling it the night before. She could only assume it was for Dean, who seemed like a grump when he woke up, just judging by his attitude.

She waited, her fingers tapping on the counter, as the pot filled up and she finally could grab a mug and pour herself some. She held the mug in both hands, climbing up on the counter, making sure that Sam’s shirt was covering her bare thighs from the cold metal as she swung her legs and drank her coffee, like she was at home.

Maybe she was at home. The thought of just working through the day with Sam, curling up with him at night, things getting steamy when he needed to destress, riding around in their old car, all of it…it was all lovely. It’s not like she really had a home to go to, anyway, other than the same dusty motels at every stop, on her way to look for clues about her father’s death.

She realized around that time that she didn’t have her phone. It was still in Sam’s room. She wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone, other than maybe Lexi and a tiny bit with Sam. Maybe it would make the morning less awkward. She smirked at the thought, knowing that Dean was going to thoroughly try to embarrass Sam…not that last night was anything to be embarrassed by.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean smiled sadly, at Mika’s words. Nothing was ever so simple that it just ‘went well’ for them. He knew they had both learned that over the years. Anything that went well, usually came with a price, like how easy it seemed to get Anna and Cason out of that barn…and yet, Duke died. He pushed that thought down. They weren’t losing anyone else. No one and he meant it, no matter how unlikely it seemed.

Dean unwrapped himself from Mika’s waist and sat back on his heels carefully, before standing, just enough to place a knee on the edge of the couch. He crawled over Mika, and then wrapped his arm around her, pulling her down with him. He lay down, pulling Mika close to his chest. If they were going to fix things, Dean knew that being close was always the best way, with Mika. He released her waist, bringing a hand up to card through the hair on the side of her face, drawing his own face close to hers.

“Hi…I’m Dean.” He smirked, scanning between her eyes as he spoke, toying with the top of her ear with his thumb. He then brought that hand down to her chin, using a single finger to tilt her chin up, so he could reach her lips. He carefully placed the slowest kiss of his life to her lips, like a timid teenager, sliding one of his legs lazily between hers, to make sure they were touching as much as humanly possible. After a moment of soft kisses, Dean deepened the kiss, his hand shifting to wrap itself around the base of her skull. Were they making out on the couch like teenagers? Sure. Did he mind, after all the time they lost? Not at all.

Whatever was coming down the road felt dire. He would never tell Mika, but he was worried about this next job from the angels more than he had let on. Something about it just seemed off. It seemed like the angels wanted him to do something that he might not come back from. So, for a moment…he was going to enjoy just having Mika in the present, and try to be thankful to be alive.

Anna

Anna felt another smile start to creep up on her lips, before Nat brought it all crashing down by asking her to clarify what she meant by her words. She assumed Natalia knew. She assumed that Cason would have spilled on her, and that’s why he was throwing jabs at Dean, but of course…of course she didn’t know. Dean would dance around the subject for years if it meant that he never had to deal with Natalia’s anger and upset.

Anna turned her eyes down to the floor, afraid that Nat was about to be angry with her, instead of Dean. She didn’t know how to tell her the truth, but she also couldn’t lie to her, especially if there was any hope for friendship.

“Um…we um…” Anna started, the world spinning a bit as she thought back to the barn, hearing her own scream as Cason bled out on the floor, not even able to move his legs. She brought her hands up and pulled the sides of her hair behind her ears, smelling Cason on herself from his jacket as the memories flashed through her brain painfully. “Cason was um…he got hurt. Like really hurt. So, I knew it was going to be hard to get him out of there. I mean, he couldn’t walk. The…the thing that was stabbed into his stomach had hit his spine…”

She broke her words off, glancing down at her hands. There was still a vague stain of blood around her wrists. She swallowed heavily and took a deep breath, “Dean was angry. He was really angry at…everything. He was scared. He took the opportunity to…to hurt him a little more. I thought he was just messing with him. You know how he is.”

Anna wrapped her arms around her chest, hugging herself tight as she found the courage to admit the worst to Nat, through the fresh tears that were rolling up in her eyes, quickly spilling down both cheeks, “So he released him, and he made the decision to leave him for dead. I shouldn’t be the one telling you this. I tried to get him out. I tried so hard…but I’m too small. I couldn’t carry him. Sam pulled me away and…and I assumed he was dead. There was no way he could get out of that barn. The demons were on their way back, and it’s a blur, but we ran. Sam carried me and Dean…well…Dean just lost it because you were gone.”

She softly scuffed her foot against the floor, scrunching her nose to try and force all the tears out at once so she didn’t go back to Sam crying over this again. She knew that she had just opened a dam of potential anger and fighting. She knew that Nat wasn’t going to take the news well. But Nat deserved to know…

Cason

Cason tilted his head curiously when Sam continued grilling him, asking him how he felt about Nat. He could feel what the question meant. Sam wanted him to admit he loved Natalia. Cason still wasn’t sure about that feeling, either, even if he knew in the back of his mind that’s what it was. That’s why he had told her he loved her. There was no way the burning in the back of his mind, as horrible as it was, was anything other than love. He had been obsessed before, no burn. He had been infatuated to the point of possessiveness, no burn.

Cason leaned his elbows on the table and he chewed at his lip for a brief second before answering Sam’s question, “I don’t know if demons are capable of what you’re asking me to admit to…but I’ve seen it once, in a book. Apparently it’s possible for a demon to love. So, I have to assume that the searing pain I feel when I’m around her means I love her. And I don’t know why I’m telling you this…”

Cason sighed and he thought about it for a moment, realizing that the reason he was confiding in Sam was probably because Sam was the easiest for Nat to talk down, if things went south, and he needed to keep an eye on him. He needed to know that Sam wasn’t on his way off the rails, for the sake of…well…humanity.

“And if I love her, then you know that there’s nothing I would do to hurt her. Nothing. I’m even willing to work with your brother, even after what happened. I’m willing to let it go.” Cason told Sam honestly, looking him in the eyes. He then smirked, choosing to joke with Sam, “You’re not going to water board me with holy water, are you Sam?”

Duke

Duke didn’t think he would ever tire of how responsive Esme was to him, now that they were just…them. It was like every touch meant something and every brush of his lips was magic. He could just breath it in for the rest of his life, buried deep in her eyes, now that she was his. Her little hum as he kissed her upper lip sent a slight shiver down his spine and he never lost her eyes, watching them intently, waiting for her to tell him exactly what she wanted.

His last name falling off her lips caused yet another shiver to roll down his spine, and he hummed during her pause, narrowing his eyes. But his smile never left his lips as she told him exactly what she was thinking. Neither of them had to work that hard anymore. It was another pool that he could just swim in, the honesty in her eyes. She wanted him, only him. He was putty in her hands and she knew it.

As her nose brushed his, and he felt her hands slide down every muscle of his back, he shuddered visibly with a soft groan, but a wide smile spread across his face, tugging at his lip between her teeth and he pulled her even closer to his body as she kissed him. He traced the line of her jaw with his thumb, as a brief memory of the first time he had held her face like this flashed through his brain.

It was much more forbidden, then. He knew he was crossing boundaries. He knew he was risking his entire world collapsing, and yet he had convinced himself, through what felt like a gallon of whiskey and a pep talk from Mika to make his move…to show her why she should love him . And she had turned him down, because she was in love with Dean.

His heart hammered in his chest as he took over the pace of the kiss, parting her lips with the tip of his tongue to kiss her deeply, drinking in any emotion he could feel dripping off her, just for him. The thought of hurting her crossed his mind, but he knew her well enough to know that she would tell him. She would set boundaries. She always did. He took a careful step between her legs, guiding her back and then let his own hands drop to her thighs with a slight dip, his lips only leaving hers to trail hungry kisses down her jaw and against the side of her neck. He lifted her, and ever so gently placed her on the small countertop by the door, stepping between her legs.

“I love you…you know that?” He whispered sweetly against the side of her neck, placing little kisses along the little spot below her ear that he knew would have her humming. He smiled against her ear, and tightened his grip on the back of her neck, bringing his face back to smile down at her, before he delved back in for another needy kiss.

All Roads Lead To You

Duke

Oh no…There was that feeling in Duke’s gut again.

As Esme threw her hands up and turned her back on him, Duke’s stomach dipped and it was as if he was watching himself hurt her all over again. Though, he wasn’t sure why she was so hurt by him leaving in the first place. They had shared a moment…a moment that ruined Duke’s ability to keep away from her, knowing she was just right there. He could touch her any time he wanted, but at the same time, he couldn’t. She was trouble…

“Esme wait…” Duke muttered, dropping his chin almost to his chest as she stepped away from him, clearly frustrated and finished trying to fix whatever it was she could see as broken between them. He couldn’t place it either. But when she called back to him, telling him to forget she even came outside, Duke’s shoulders fell and he dropped his bag next to the RV, stepping off from his planted place in the gravel. “Wait wait wait.”

He had broke into a run, until he heard her cry out in what he could only assume was pain. He broke into a light run, and skidded to a stop beside her, wrapping his hand around her upper arm before he even realized what he was doing. He turned her quickly to face him and caught her eyes with a worried look on his face. He realized pretty quickly that she had just stepped on something barefoot and she would live, but also that she was genuinely upset with him for leaving.

“Hey.” He started, his bright blue eyes scanning hers for a moment before he swallowed thickly and then wrapped her up in his arms. He tilted his hat back onto the back of his head. It was a mistake to hug her. He knew that. Any touch was a mistake, after the weird intense emotions he had felt last time she was in his arms. But he held her there for a while, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “I’m sorry. I’m…I’m a little nervous to be back is all. I mean it when I say that I can’t explain why I left. There’s no way you would understand in a way that wouldn’t make me look horrible.”

Duke pulled away from the hug, his hands lingering against her body a clear indicator that it took everything he had to let her go, and then he placed both hands on her upper arms, holding her in front of him so he could lean down with wide eyes and talk to her on her level, “You promise to at least let me buy you a drink and me and you will sit on that tailgate out there…and I’ll…I’ll do the best I can to explain everything. When I’m done, if you want me gone…I’m gone.”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean honestly didn’t figure they would hear from Sam and Anya for a while. They had been all over each other with their eyes…way before any of them ended up in a bedroom. Dean flinched when Lexi suddenly rolled over and her hand came to his face. Pretty quickly, a soft smile covered his face, and he watched her eyes for a moment. Then came the joke that brought memories flooding back through his body in a hot wave and he laughed with a wide smile, but the temptation to just melt back into the bed was intense. Her lips on his didn’t help that feeling…at all.

And just like that, she was wrapped in the sheet and off the bed. Dean sighed, pulling himself up to sit against the headboard as he watched her walk across the floor to prepare for a shower. He didn’t even realize that he was holding his tongue between his teeth, astounded that she had not only got out of his bed, but that she was staying close enough to touch…likely as long as he asked her to.

He needed this.

“I mean…it’s not like I couldn’t use the workout.” Dean teased back, raising an eyebrow as he raised a hand and ruffled his already bed messy hair. A thought came to his mind, and he smirked. It was a flirty smirk that usually could get him his way, no matter who he was talking to. “Or…my shower is pretty big. I’m pretty sure we could both fit in and uh…make the kids wait a little longer.”

Anya

As Sam stirred awake, Anya smiled even wider against the side of his neck, until his lips pressed against the top of her head. She pulled her head back from his neck, just enough to see him smirk. He seemed so happy and relaxed, even though she wondered if he was as sore as she was, after…that. He confirmed, teasing her about the night before and she giggled softly, allowing him to pull her as close as he wanted to. She could handle being this close to him for the entire day, if she thought that the other two would even begin to allow it.

Smiling, Anya reached a hand up, and pressed it to his forehead, using his body to sign a simple, “You’re welcome.”, with a silent giggle against his jaw. She nipped at the stubble against his jawbone, feeling oddly playful in her good mood. But she knew they would be disturbed soon. If anything, Dean would burst through the door like an animal, with lots of questions and judgement any time, now…just like last night, when Anya first gathered enough courage to kiss Sam.

She nodded at his assertion that they should get up, but even she knew that he would never leave this bed, if he wasn’t forced to. So after a few moments, she buried her fingers in his hair, trailing her nose up to the place where his jaw met his ear, and placed a soft kiss there. She then rolled out of his arms, forcing his hand, even if she didn’t want to. She stood from the bed, fluffing her hair out around her bare shoulders and looked around the floor for the t-shirt she had been wearing the night before.

After a moment, she found it, turning back toward the bed to slip it over her head with a soft smile at Sam. She then made a movement with her hands, simply gesturing that she needed a drink and stepped over to the door. She turned around and hoped he would understand her sign language, when she signed, “Hurry.”, with a smirk.

As she stepped out of the room, she had only walked a few steps, when she heard another door open down the way, echoing in the empty hall. She slowed her steps, her bare feet barely making any noise against the floor as she turned the tiny curve and Dean was standing there, coming out of Lexi’s room. His hair was wet and he sighed, a soft smile on his face. Anya matched his smile, until he turned and narrowed his eyes at her.

“Well good morning!” Dean beamed, not really getting a good look at her, other than the disheveled hair on her head, and Sam’s massive t-shirt hanging close to her knees. She signed a simple ‘morning’ at him, even though she knew he would have to assume what she said. If she was sticking around, she really needed to teach him sign language. She passed him, and as she did, she heard him turn and crack open his door, muttering something to Lexi about ‘they’re awake…bruises…thighs…’.

Anya made a mental note to check herself out in the mirror later on. If Dean was complaining, she could only assume what he had seen on her way by. She glanced down at her wrists and smirked, as there were a few clearly defined large fingerprints still shining there. Today would be interesting…and she had a feeling she and Lexi would destroy both men with their teasing.

All Roads Lead To You

Dean

Dean looked down at Esme expectantly, but not pushy as he let her collect her thoughts. He had worked on his patience, a lot. He didn’t feel the need to hold her so close to his chest anymore. They had made long strides in the past month, and he was happy about that. He couldn’t help the scoff that left his chest when she said ‘he shows back up as if nothing happened’.

“Yeah, he tends to do that. I probably should have included that in the warning label.” Dean muttered, placing his hands on his hips as he grappled with the idea of a mopey Duke all night. Maybe he could get him drunk, hook him up with some random girl, and he would be better. Duke’s problem wasn’t anything other than Dean not being exactly ready to clean his boots for him, just because he stepped back into the house. Dean was tired. He was tired of worrying about one of a very small group of people he couldn’t cut out of his life if he tried.

“He’s upset because he thinks I’m not happy to see him. He does this every other time he leaves. You don’t have to fix him, Esme. He’s a big boy. But if you will lose sleep at night, which I feel like you will…go talk to him.” Dean sighed, shaking his head, “Just…never mind. Go. If anything, it will put him in a better mood when we go out.”

As Esme kissed his cheek, he leaned into her briefly, before dropping his hand and rolling his eyes. He needed a shower, and he needed to prepare himself for Duke’s first night back…

Duke

Duke was already most of the way to the RV when Esme’s voice called his name. He frowned, but didn’t turn around at first, until she was close enough that he knew he couldn’t ignore her. He closed his eyes tightly, huffing through his nose. Of course she followed him. Of course the trouble was going to start up again and he had just walked through the door.

“Esme…” Duke warned, but as he turned to look at her, her blue eyes took him off guard and he shut his mouth, sighing as he placed his hands on his hips and scuffed his boot on the gravel below him. When she began to apologize, he shook his head, though he was lying through his teeth.

“You didn’t upset me. I’m not upset. I just…”, he started, only to press his lips together again. It’s not like he could lie to her. She could obviously read every expression on his face and he wasn’t good at hiding any of them, anyway. Poker wasn’t his game for a reason. Duke simply nodded at her words, but tilted his head when she cut herself off, genuinely curious what she was going to say. But it didn’t take long for her to say something that completely crushed him.

‘I don’t quite know how to talk to you now.’

Duke shuddered, and frowned, a sad chuckle breaking from his chest as he looked down at the ground and tightened his grip on his bag, “I’m the same person I was when I left. Little banged up. A little more muscle, but it’s still me. I don’t…”

He shook his head, bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he sighed, “This is about me leavin’ after I said I wasn’t, isn’t it? I don’t even know where to start explainin’ that in a way that won’t get me in a world of trouble. But I…I’m sorry? I didn’t know it would mean so much to you.”

Duke realized that he had just rambled to this girl. No flirtations. No winks or flashing the blue eyes. Just rambled and he instantly regretted it. So he sighed, unable to stop the frustrated growl that left his throat as he shook his head, stepping back from her a few steps.

“But hey. Dean warned ya…right?”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean was so relieved that Mika didn’t push him away when he hugged her. He felt her hand brush his hair and land on the back of his head as he spoke to her, and the action caused a quick and rough sigh to escape his lips against her chest. He was a bit embarrassed to be on his knees, and to say a word that he swore he would never use, and had only used a handful of times before ‘love’. But he meant it. He loved her. He loved her more than breathing, even if it felt like someone had to choke him to make him say it.

As he turned his head to press his chin against Mika’s chest, and her hand fell to his neck, he felt trapped, but in the best way. Luckily, for his rattled brain, Mika agreed with him. She didn’t find new reasons to get angry at him. She didn’t tell him to leave, or to get off her. She echoed his thought, and admitted that she wanted to grow old with him, a thought that he would have laughed at any other time. There was no growing old, for him. He was lucky if he survived the next few days, much less thirty to fifty years.

“If there was someone I would fight to have that with, it’s you.” He muttered, just before Mika leaned down and her nose touched his, drawing a shuddered sigh from his lips, breath washing over hers. And then came the surge of relief hit him like lightning when she kissed him. He never moved his lips, just allowing her to take what she needed from them. She wasn’t going to run, after all the hard truths were said. For once, neither of them were leaving. She confirmed that when she pulled from the kiss and told him with her own words. It made his entire body shudder with a mix of relief and overwhelm. As much as she reminded him of Duke, he was able to hold onto her this time.

There wasn’t much else he could do, but nod and rock forward on his knees, raising himself closer to eye level. He placed a hand on each of her cheeks and kissed her. The kiss was deep and passionate, the best way he knew to show her how serious he was. For all of his faults, and his ‘whoring around’ as Duke called it, Dean’s love language was and would always be body language. He began to deepen the kiss, but decided against it, in a rare moment of self control. Instead, he broke the kiss reluctantly after a few moments, and pressed his forehead to hers, brushing noses with her, “I’m here…with you. No matter what way this whole thing goes, I’ll be right there.”

Anna

Anna nearly rolled her eyes at Cason and Nat fighting, and when Nat turned to her and offered her arm, Anna reached her jacket covered hand out, taking Nat’s arm with a silent look back at Sam. She knew he was worried about leaving her alone, but he seemed pretty confident that she would be fine with Nat. So, she turned away from him and moseyed off to the bathroom with Natalia. As soon as they were safe behind the womens bathroom door, Anna turned and locked it, just to make sure they had privacy.

“So, I um…I figured they were going to be a minute and I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you much…like ever.” Anna muttered awkwardly, crossing her arms over her chest. She smirked slightly, feeling comfortable enough with Nat to at least let a bit of a smile grace her lips. She then dropped the smirk and shifted from one foot to another, “I don’t know how much Cason told you about…you know…what happened. I just wanted to say that I’m glad he got out and I’m glad he got back to you. I have no idea what their plans were for me, especially since I barely have any bumps or scratches.”

Anna shook her head and glanced toward the door for a moment, before looking back up at Nat’s face, “I think the only reason I’m here is because of him. I don’t know if Sam even realizes that, and that’s a whole other thing…me and Sam.”

She scoffed, and shook her head as another smile teased at her lips. It was awkward to talk to his sister about him, but at the same time, she was closer with him. Anna could tell. If anyone was going to be respectful to her, and maybe even a damn good ally to have…a friend, it was Nat.

“Considering the way he looked when we left him…” Anna paused, looking down at the floor with a frown as flashes of Cason, sitting against the wall, bleeding out as Sam dragged her away flooded her mind. “I’m glad…um…I’m glad he’s okay. I’m glad he’s pretty much back to normal.”

Cason

Cason rolled his eyes at Nat, bobbing his head side to side in a mocking way when she explained that technically she was eating a salad, because her burger had veggies on it. Of course she would bring that up, like potatoes being a veggie, just to shut him up. Cason was also reminded that Natalia was only alive by the skin of her teeth, and the small chance that he managed to heal enough to get to her. So, she deserved a little bit of happiness…even if it was artery clogging garbage food.

“Fine. I get to pick the food next time we’re out…” Cason conceded with a sigh, giving her a smirk as he glanced down at her. He then looked up at Anna when she asked to speak to Nat, trying to catch Anna’s eyes before they walked away. He wanted to give her a silent little ‘don’t say anything about the barn’ look before she walked away, but Anna never made eye contact. So, Cason just sighed nervously, and turned his attention toward the counter as Sam walked up and leaned against it.

Cason raised his eyebrows at the way the waitress spoke to Sam, knowing through his watching Sam over the years that Sam had been pretty terminally single his whole adult life, outside of that poor girl that burned on the ceiling of his dorm. He could see the slight flirtation that the waitress was trying to convey to Sam, even if it was her just being nice, and he was tempted to make a comment. Instead, he smirked and turned his head down, tapping his fingers on the counter. He knew Sam better than some of the others, and there was no way in Hell he would ever let him know it.

As Sam stepped away from the counter, Cason sighed and walked over to the booth with him. It felt like an interrogation was coming. But it wasn’t like the girls would be gone too long, right? He glanced out the window, waiting for the silence to break, and when it finally did, Cason shook his head.

“There was no way any of you could have, this time. That place was crawling with demons. I killed close, and I’m faster than you.” Cason spoke bluntly, but then sat back in the booth and smirked, “But I um…I appreciate the thanks.”

Then came the dad talk, and Cason felt like they should have beers in front of them with a broken down gun in front of Sam, like some high school boyfriend. It was polite enough, as Sam tended to be. He was tactful, and calm, unlike his brother. It was one of the big reasons Cason felt that Anna was safe with him, and the second that he didn’t feel that way, he would zap Anna to the moon or something to keep her away from Lilith, with or without Sam.

“I guess taken is the right word.” Cason spoke up plainly. “Look, I know I’m a…I’m not the type of guy anyone would want for her. But as long as I’m around, like I told her, there’s nothing on this planet that will touch her. I’ve promised it to her and I’ll say it to you.”

Duke

Duke laughed softly as Esme looked up at his face and pointed out that he was a bad student when it came to caring for women’s hair. He would never admit that he had mostly pretended not to understand, just so he could spend more time with her, alone. He had spent hours scouring for her favorite snacks, movies he thought she would like, the right shampoo for his messy blonde hair…all of it planned to the letter, just in an attempt to get close to her, back then.

He tilted his head, just looking down at her with more fondness than he had ever expressed before as he scanned her face, just taking in her features standing there, all wrapped up in him, all his. Then he smiled a little wider, “When have you ever known me to let a little stab wound stop me from havin’ fun?”

The idea of holding her hostage in the RV and making her rest definitely intrigued him. He lifted his head, tightened his lips and raised his eyebrows in a way to say ‘that’s not the worst idea in the world’, and then he turned his eyes back down to hers, “Well…takin’ care of you is high on my list. Bein’ clingy is on my list. Kissin’ you is on my list…”

He smiled widely, and tilted his head down, brushing his lips over hers as he closed his eyes, gently nibbling at her bottom lip. He pulled back, and brought one of his hands up to the back of her neck, bending so that he could press his forehead to hers, “I never get tired of that. Like a cool drink of water in the desert.”

Duke pressed his lips to her upper lip, and then smiled again, brushing his lips against hers as he spoke, “So, what would the lady prefer? Stayin’ in. Or goin’ out? Because either way, I’m gonna sweep you off your feet. It’s not every day you get a second chance…and I’m gonna take it.”