“That’s all I can ask for, at this point…”, he whispered against her cheek as she leaned back against him and mentioned being a better person. To anyone else, confirming that they had been a bad person would have set them off, believing he was insulting their personality. But he knew Mika was sorry. If anything he could feel it radiating through the tension in her body.

“I feel like this water is going to turn to ice and freeze us both, but then again…”, he adjusted his body a bit and smiled, “You’re like a blanket.”

He giggled at himself, which took him off guard, even with himself. It almost felt like a dream. All the searching; All the breadcrumbs and long nights of drinking himself to sleep to fight the nightmares, were not in vain. He was angry with Bobby, but also understood protecting your family. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to make sure Sam was okay, even after what had happened on that bridge earlier in the night.

He gave a painful sigh, feeling like a crybaby as a pain hit his chest, worrying about Sam for a brief moment. The pain caused his eyes to water. He cleared his throat and brushed his cheek against hers.

“I don’t know that I’m gonna go back to Dad for a bit. That fight between he and Sam…I thought they were going to throttle each other. And honestly? I think I need a break from Dad, anyway.”, he muttered, sighing at the thought of John realizing he wasn’t coming back for a minute. John used him as a heavy, and not having him…he could be reckless.

She knew she wasn't perfect by any means, but Mika also knew neither was Dean. It's just who they were as a duo. They made each other mad then knew exactly how to cheer each other up or calm one another down if they were pent up. She was glad that he wasn't expecting her to just change straight away and that slher saying she would try her hardest to change for the both of them was enough. She trusted that he knew she was truly sorry for her actions, and if she ever said she would try to do something for him, she really would. It honestly reminded her of that day her father picked her up from school and told her she couldn't see Dean anymore, but out of sheer defiance, she wrote on a piece of paper out of one of her school books the message 'I'll come back for you', placing it on the window for him to see, knowing it to be a promise she never intended to break and it seemed, after all these years, she finally managed to keep that promise to him.

At his mention about the water and then calling her a blanket she had to softly giggle herself, not only because it was amusing but because he made himself giggle at his remark which was a delight to her to hear. "maybe we should get out of the bath then" she suggested, the smile on he rlios evident in her tone as she whispered back to him. She lifted her head ever so slightly so she could turn and actually look at him, kissing his cheek after she heard the painful sigh leave him. She listened to him saying about not gou g back to his dad for a while and she completely couldn't blame him for needing to be away from that quite frankly, toxic man.

"you know Bobby will let you stay here for as long as you need to. And I won't complain baout having you here either."she told him, lifting her hand up and stroking the side of his face. It may be risky leaving his dad alone but she also knew John Winchester was capable of looking after himself when it was needed. It wouldn't be the first time John had done any jobs on his own, so not having his boys next to him wouldn't be so bad in her eyes. She also couldn't help but think it would give her and Dean time to rekindle themselves without his dad barging in and calling her poison... Again. "so whaddya say we get out of this bath, dry off and go back to my room?" she suggested to him.

Dean knew Bobby would allow him to stay as long as he needed. Hell, Bobby would fake Dean’s death if he needed him to. He was a father to him, coming to bat for him his entire life. The only person Bobby seemed to love more than Dean was Mika, which made sense, both because she was his actual blood and because she was a saint, in Dean’s eyes…compared to himself.

He continued running his fingers up and down her arms, until she suggested that they get out of the tub. He nodded lightly, “Yeah. Let’s do that…”

Pushing her forward gently, he pushed himself out of the water with the sides of the tub, and stepped out, wanting to get to a towel before she could. As soon as he found the towels, he wrapped one around himself, tying it loosely around his waist like a skirt after drying off a bit. He then grabbed one more, turning back to her and holding it out to her like a child, almost.

“My lady…”, he quipped, with his signature smile attached. As rough as tonight had been, he couldn’t help but smile through it. He was thankful, through the short bout of pain. He kept reminding himself of that as he sighed gently and wiggled the towel back and forth.

Mika felt far from a saint and never fully understood why Dean held her in such a high regard compared to himself as to her it was never warranted. She also knew just as well as the brothers did how much Bobby cared for them and how much he would do to keep them all safe. It's what she admired about Bobby so much, that despite everything and anything that came his way, he still cared about all three of them. He was also the only other person in her life who didn't try and break herself and Dean apart, he accepted that they were childhood friends and two people who had grown up feeling more than that for each other.

With the way he was running his hands up and down her arms, she felt she could have easily stayed in the bath for ages feeling his touch calm her immensely, but she also knew if they stayed in any longer and let the water get cold it wouldn't be particularly great. So suggesting they left the bath was the best scenario. She gladly moved forward so he could actually stand up and get out where she waited to make sure he was far enough away from the bath that neither of them would clumsily hurt the other as she needed to get out as well. She was about to direct him where she kept her towels when he found them himself and wrapped one round himself, and she very much enjoyed the view. Stepping out of the bath as he held out one for her, she couldn't help but giggle at his behaviour. "Thank you good sir" she joked back, taking the towel and wrapping it around herself, tucking in the end so it would stay up without her having to hold it.

She then leaned over the bath to pull the plug out as well ring out her hair so it didn't drip everywhere before leaning up and grabbing the crocodile clip she always kept on the wall shelf under the shower lead, next to her shower gel. From there she simply put the clip in her mouth as she used both hands to twist her hair and fold it up, where she took the clip and used it to keep her hair up. A few shorter strands at the front of her head, remaining loose and framing her face. Turning back to face Dean, she lead him back to her room. "Make yourself comfortable" she told him. "I've still got one of your old shirts in the top drawer somewhere if you want it" she admitted to him.

As Dean watched her get out of the tub, he ridiculously tried to divert his eyes, but ended up scoffing at the idea. It wasn’t as if he had never seen a naked woman before, particularly Mika. He smirked and raised his eyebrows as he reached out and grabbed her arm to help her out. He then brushed both hands down the top of his hair, flattening it down into a comfort area for him. He seriously needed a haircut.

Smiling brightly, he watched her pull the plug and pull her hair on, realizing for another flash that he had missed this, so much. He couldn’t help but stare.

As they walked out into her bedroom, he narrowed his eyes at his bag sitting next to the door. Bobby had apparently brought it up, from him leaving it on the floor of the living room. He gestured to it, and then smiled, “Looks like Bobby is way ahead of you…so, it’s all yours.”

He then laughed at the thought that came into his mind, as he bent down to grab the army bag full of clothes, “You know how sexy you look in my clothes…”

Mika had missed this whole situation so much with him. Knowing that now she didn't have to dry off and shove a t-shirt on in the bathroom before coming back into his view was a great relief. She found it a tedious thing to do to make sure he never saw her scarred tattooed back as she knew he would ask questions or recognise the kind of scratches as wendigo ones. Yet now she didn't have to worry about him seeing them as she showed him earlier. It made the whole environment feel so much lighter in energy to her, something she couldn't fully explain but welcomed nonetheless.

When she first walked into the room she didn't even notice that Bobby had brought up Dean's bag and just instinctively brought it to her room, until Dean pointed it out that is which made her look down and over her shoulder smiling. "seems he knows us better than we do" she remarked, before grabbing her hairdryer as she always hated sleeping with wet hair. At his next remark she couldn't help but laugh, "oh is that so? Pretty sure last time I properly wore one of your shirts you called me... Cute. All because it nearly drowned me" she smirked back, unclipping her hair letting unravel and drop down her back. Reminiscing like so made her remember one time in her old family home she borrowed one of his shirts to sit around in in her room whilst they watched movies on her TV. His shirt almost reached her knees because she was so tiny in frame back then, more so than now and the sleeves went right over her hands, her then red hair looking slightly messy as she had it down.

For so long she always wondered if she should have thrown his t-shirt out but her longing to have him properly back in her life stopped her every single time. So it remained in her draw and came out when she was feeling particularly bad during rough nights and fell asleep either wearing it or hugging it close to her.

Dean pulled a t-shirt and a pair of sweats from the bag as he laid it on the bed, “You were cute. I mean…it honestly made me feel for once like I was a big strong man, knowing that my clothes were massive on you.”

He spoke over his shoulder at her, dropping his towel. He stood by the bed for a few minutes with his back turned to her, trying to untangle the arms of his shirt, and then swung it over the top of his head and down his torso. His mind kept flashing to the many times they had done this in the mornings, during the lying period. Backs turned. Not looking at each other, while getting dressed.

Shaking the thought, he decided to break the cycle, as part of them starting fresh. He turned around, and leaned against the end of the bed to step into his sweats, watching her intently.

“I guess Bobby knew I would be staying the night, after our conversation…or how long we were up here. I’m shocked he came in, considering.”, he muttered, pulling his sweats up to his hips, and reaching for his toothbrush.

At his words, Mika couldn't help but smile and chuckle softly at how he defended his reasons for calling her cute in his shirts. She couldn't fully deny it as it did make her look almost smaller than she was which just added to the cute factor of her appearance. "okay.. You got a valid point there" she conceded.

The fact they were doing what they did during the lying period didn't go amiss on Mika either. She knew these kinds of old ingrained habits would need to be broken and changed but it would also take a few attempts to do but it was one she was more than willing to break. As he turned round however, she noticed in the mirror that he was now dressed and watching her intently as she turned on her hairdryer and started to quickly dry her hair, at least enough that wouldn't end up soaking her pillows or being damp and horrible for Dean either.

She listened as he expressed his surprise that Bobby even risked coming in with his bag, she couldn't help but smirk slightly. "he's well trained to knock on my door first. That and he probably heard us talking in the bathroom" she smiled. It wasn't a lie either, he had walked in uninvited a few times when she first moved in out of concern for her well being and usually got a mouthful of abuse thrown at him for it because she was too stricken with grief for her parents and upset about her appearance. So he quickly learned to knock first and make sure she was okay with seeing even him.

Due to the length of her hair (it was bordering on reaching her lower back) it took a good ten nearly fifteen minutes to get it remotely close to being dry, which she then turned the hairdryer off and put it back in her drawer of her vanity. Then she got up and went to her chest of drawers and pulled out his old t-shirt she mentioned earlier, pulling it on then pulled out some lounge short shorts and pulled them on before taking the wet towel and draping it over her heater before going to her bed and climbing onto it.

Dean laughed a bit at the fact that someone had managed to ‘train’ Bobby Singer. But if anyone could do it, it was Mika. Bobby had a pure heart under all the rage and alcoholism. He had learned that through the years, with Bobby defying requests from John, just to make sure Dean had a good weekend here and there that didn’t involve hunting, or preparing to hunt.

Stepping into the bathroom, Dean stepped over to the sink and turned it on, before wiping his hand across the still steamy mirror. Staring into his own tired eyes, he pressed a little toothpaste onto the brush and tossed it in his mouth, scrubbing roughly at his teeth like he was at a girls for the first time. It made him smirk, how nervous he was around Mika, now that he knew who she was. He was never nervous around any girl, much less a girl he was familiar with. But this was different.

“It’s been a while since we both tried to cram into a bed that size to sleep…”, he quipped from the bathroom, after spitting into the sink, and placing his toothbrush on the edge. He turned and exited the bathroom, almost smiling at the fact that she was on the bed, still within his reach.

He stepped over to the bed as well, climbing slowly over the foot of it, before coming face to face with her, still on his hands and knees with a sheepish smile. He then placed a gentle kiss on her lips, smiling against them as he joked, “…just don’t hog the covers…”

Mika didn't always successfully get Bobby to do things, but when it came to her room and her space, she succeeded and she still to this day feels incredibly proud that she won over on this instance. She also wasn't surprised that Dean would find it amusing she managed to 'train' Bobby of all people to not just walk in without permission unless it was an absolute emergency or warranted. In the case of Dean's bag, she considered it warranted and so didn't mind in the slightest, as she watched him then head back to the bathroom to clean his teeth.

Due to how close the bathroom was to her room, she could hear everything Deanw as saying about her bed and had to chuckle to at his quip. It was true after all, and she was pretty sure the last time they had to cram into a bed this small they were much younger. It made her wonder if he was going to be around a lot more now if she should look into getting a bigger bed that will fit the both of them more comfortably. "I'm sure we'll make it work somehow" she quipped back.

She looked up when she heard him walk back inside her room smiling that she was still very much there and done a runner. She watched him intently as he climbed up the bed on his hands and knees, coming face to face to her before kissing her, which she gladly returned. The kiss felt so different to any other he had ever given her as it was happening with her being her true self and not someone else. "oh please, you're the one who steals pillows in the night" she quipped back at him, smiling before stealing another kiss, but this time making it less quick and sweet, but lingering and passionate.

Dean laughed softly at her quip, kissing her back and leaning forward, hovering over her as he brushed her hair out of her face. Breaking away, he sat up on his knees, pulling his shirt off over his head and tossing it, before grabbing the blanket behind him and throwing it over them both. He leaned down and kissed her again.

—-



Dean squinted, the sun coming through a small crack and seemingly attempting to burn his eyes through his eyelids. He drew what he thought was Mika’s body closer to him, as he flexed his arm and groaned. However, when he pulled the figure closer, he realized he was hugging a pillow.

“Mika?”, he whispered, his eyes still closed. When she didn’t answer him, he opened his eyes a bit, and peered over to her side of the bed. A loud sigh left his throat as he realized she wasn’t in bed with him, “Dammit…”

A bit of panic hit his chest as he sat up carefully with another groan, looking around the room. He was still in her room. He was still at Bobby’s. As far as he could tell, everything from the night before was real, and not a dream. He sighed in relief, raising up the covers to look down at himself and then smirked.

“Where are you?”, he asked in a whisper. He scooted himself out of bed, stepping into the bathroom before finding his sweats on the floor of the bedroom on his way to the door. Dancing into his sweats, he opened the door and stepped out. If she was gone, he knew he would panic and potentially lose his cool on her. That was something he had to prepare for, considering how much she ran.

He stepped down the stairs carefully, coming into the living room while rubbing his head, not even realizing he hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt.

When morning came round, Mika had surprisingly woken up early instead of laying in and unlike some days, she woke up feeling fully refreshed and wide awake. She wanted to lay in bed next to Dean and relax but she soon got restless so getting up was the only option for her. She did for once leave a note to say she was just downstairs and not to panic but it seemed as Dean woke or in his sleep had knocked the note off the bed and under it, meaning he wouldn't have noticed it when he woke up.

When he came downstairs Bobby was in the living room reading the paper, Dean's footsteps making him look over the top of said paper and smirked, "someone had a good night" he remarked at him before nudging his head toward the kitchen as if to say 'she's in the there kiddo'.

From the kitchen the smells of cooking going on could be smelled as Mika decided to make some breakfast sandwiches for everyone as she a) craved them herself and b) figured it would be a bit of olive branch to Bobby and Dean for being the cause of last night's emotional roller-coaster for everyone. She was back in Dean's old shirt and shorts as she was over the cooker, in her own little world, bopping her head to some tune in her mind and rocking her hips side to side as she did so. She was completely oblivious to the fact that Dean was awake and downstairs, let alone the fact Bobby spoke to him and told him of her location.

Dean scratched the back of his head absentmindedly as he stepped into the living room. As Bobby spoke to him, he raised his eyebrows sleepily, barely remembering he was in the house. He gave a small chuckle at Bobby chiming in about the night before, shrugging his shoulders.

“I guess you could say that…”, he spoke vaguely, not wanting to go into details with Bobby of all people. But he also knew Bobby wouldn’t keep his mouth shut about it all. He stepped into the kitchen, stopping at the doorway as he saw Mika dancing a hit while cooking breakfast. He smiled softly and gave a sigh he didn’t know was waiting in his chest.

She was still there. Not only was she still there, but in rare form. He leaned his bare back against the door frame and cleared his throat loudly to call her out of her dancing. But he admiringly watched for a few minutes before deciding to say anything.

“Mornin’ sunshine! I thought you bolted on me…again…”, he muttered brightly, eyeing the coffee pot as he spoke.

Bobby smirked more when Dean retorted with his own little quip before going back to his paper. He was both reading it to see what was going on in the world that wasn't hunter territory, but also incase there was a hint of any kind of case. He figured if he found anything, it might give him an idea of where John could have possibly gone to to warn the two of them to stay away if they didn't want to deal with John or to go if John was possibly nowhere near the case in question. It wouldn't be difficult to find out from the man where he was heading to for the sake of keeping Dean and Mika safe and away from the man. He was still annoyed that he treated his sons in such a manner, to make the two of them leave him alone in the middle of the road and having to hitchhike their way to either this place or to wherever Sam was planning on going to. Which reminded him, he must try and contact the boy at some point to make sure he was safe wherever he was.

Dean's leaning against the doorframe and watching Mika be in her element didn't go amiss on him either, just deciding to leave the two to it. When Dean did finally cough loudly and speak up, Mika jumped slightly, almost dropping the spactula in the process. "Bloody hell!" she cursed, before looking over her shoulder, "Morning yourself. Sorry, I did leave a note in my room but must have fallen off the bed." she told him. "As you're staring at it so longingly, it is fresh coffee in there, so help yourself. Breakfast sandwiches are almost done for everyone as well" she explained as she wanted to make sure the bacon was fully done before putting the items all together. "I'm not bolting on you ever again Dean, I swear to you" she added.

Dean held his hands up in defense when she jumped and he laughed, tongue between his teeth. He had not meant to scare her necessarily, but the fact that he did was amusing. He continued watching her walk around the kitchen, wanting to take a photo or a video to keep this moment, considering all that he had thought he lost. He waved his hand about the note, “don’t worry about it. I woke up drooling on your pillow…”

He then raised his eyebrows at the prospect of fresh coffee. He was dying for some. He stepped over to the counter and grabbed a mug, beginning to pour coffee as she explained she wouldn’t be leaving again. He closed his eyes as another wave of anxiety hit him from the feelings he has pushed down the day before. With a shaky hand, he finished pouring the coffee and turned to her, smiling again.

“I’m starving! And you’re perfect…”, he said sweetly, brushing his stress off as he stepped up to her and pecked her on the nose.

Mika was glad that Dean seemed to feel okay about the fact the letter disappeared before he woke up but grimaced when he said he woke up drooling on her pillow. "lovely" she said sarcastically but there was a fond smile on her face at the same time.

She let him get himself some coffee whilst knowing full well he was happy watching her going back and forth in Bobby's small kitchen finishing up breakfast for all three of them, deciding to listen to him as he spoke eventually. She was glad that he was feeling calmer knowing that she hadn't just run off and was still around. Though she did make a mental note to not just get up before him too much in these early days of regaining trust, so he could see she meant what she said and really wasn't going to be going anywhere.

She smirked at his declaration of being starving, "you're always starving" she pointed out cheekily but a little pink flush appeared on her cheeks when he also declared she was perfect, especially when he stepped up and kissed her nose. She was just glad that she could remember how to cook certain things from her mother's teachings and from finding her Aunt's old recipe books with Bobby's permission to use them. Everything got finished up and she put the sandwiches together and onto three plates, bringing them over to the table. "Bobby! Breakfast is up!" she called out, knowing she didn't need to tell Dean as he could see for himself it was done.

Dean savored her blushing as he pulled back from her with a smile. He then looked toward the living room, “And no Irish coffee! Come get you some protein.”

He was calling out to Bobby, who he knew would simply tell him to go to hell. He wanted to make sure Bobby was taking care of himself, now that Dean was around for a bit. The man barely slept, and he could only imagine how he had treated himself with the secrets and everything. Taking a long drink from his coffee, he reached carefully over Mika’s shoulder and grabbed a plate, walking it back over to the bar he had been standing at.

Bobby’s tables were practically unusable and dinner often had to be eaten either in a window or on a kitchen counter. Dean was used to this, and honestly was relieved to be allowed to eat in peace at all. He hoisted himself onto the counter, and grabbed his sandwich, taking a huge bite of it and smiling over at Mika.

“Mm…This is delicious…”, he murmured with a full mouth, his eyes completely lit up with relief. He chewed long enough to be able to speak clearly, and then spoke up again, “So, Bobby, have you found any cases lately, or are you on some kind of extended vacation? What needs to be done around here, if we ain’t working?”

Mika smiled at him back before chuckling at how he told Bobby that he was to not put alcohol in his coffee and actually eat something proper. It amused her because he wasn't the only one always on his back, she too always moaned at Bobby to look after himself better as she didn't want to lose the last member of her blood family. So if it meant nagging Bobby to eat properly and drink properly then she would put up with his complaints about her nagging him. "he's right Bobby!" she called over. "yeah yeah ya idjits! Quit nagging me will ya? If you two are gonna tag team on the nagging then you both can find your own place to live" Bobby replied, even though he knew it was just out of love for him, and he wouldn't really make them move, or more to the point, make Mika move.

He walked over and grabbed his plate before patting Mika's hand at the same time as he made it to the kitchen after Dean took his plate. "thanks kiddo and I'm proud of ya, ya know that right?" he told his niece to which Mika smiled and nodded. "I know" she told him back, picking up her own plate after she sat down on one of the chairs that were actually capable of staying put when sat on, angling it so she could face both Dean and Bobby. At Dean's reaction to the bacon and egg sandwich she smiled, glad that he liked it even if it was something simple. "thanks" she said, half chuckling at the fact he said with his mouth full. "boy where are ya manners?" Bobby said before hearing him out after he finished his first mouthful.

"that's what I was checking in the papers. Nothing was coming up so far and there's always housework needed doing round here, things to be fixed up or things and cars to be fixed in the yard. The grocery shop needs doing as well." he replied, listing off some things. "I can nip to the shop for you, I don't mind" Mika offered, knowing if she didn't go, all that would be brought back was unhealthy food and alcohol.

Dean held up a hand like it was a puppet and mocked Bobby as he complained about his manners and the fact that he and Mika were nagging him about his health. He then smirked, “Ah. Shut up Bobby. If you didn’t have Mika, you’d probably be dead of something natural, which would be a damn shame…”

He raised an eyebrow, as if considering the idea of he and Mika finding their own place, but shook it off and took another bite of his sandwich listening to Bobby name off the tasks that needed to be done around the house. He thought about each individually, ticking off the ones he didn’t want to do in his head. That would leave…none of them.

When Mika mentioned going shopping, his head perked up. He stared at her from the corner of his eyes, taking the final bite of his sandwich. Wiping his hands on his sweats, he took a long and final drink of his coffee before hopping down from the counter.

“You don’t have to go by yourself. Bobby, make a list. We can get dressed and hit the market.”, he muttered, the pit in his stomach hitting a fever pitch again that threatened to cause a panic attack. Mika going out alone. The thought of watching her drive away caused his worthlessness to creep into his head, and his chest. Clearing his throat, he tried to push it away, turning to the counter to blink the random cloud of panic attack tears from his eyes, “Knife. Cannister. Coffee Mug. Cabinet. Window.”

He whispered the words to himself, while breathing deeply, trying to ground himself and prove to himself that their current situation was real.

At Dean backing her up, Mika couldn't stop the shit eating grin from appearing on her face as she smugly looked at Bobby over it. She found it highly amusing that Dean was mimicking and mocking Bobby as well over it and dare she say it, felt like it was a normal family moment. She was feeding her uncle, teasing him like a typical niece and she had the one guy she truly loved back in her life properly siding with her. At the quip about herself and Dean getting their own place, she too had to pause as the very notion went through her mind and wondering if it really would ever be a thing. Shaking the notion out of her mind, she continued to eat her breakfast whilst clearly noting how Dean was weighing up the list of chores needing to be done. She was convinced that Bobby was just listing a bunch of stuff just to attempt getting them both out of his hair but said nothing until she offered to do the grocery shop.

Mika was more than capable on doing the shop on her own, having done it before several times. She was about to say to Dean that he didn't have to come with but the momrnt she saw how he was reacting and looking away from the two of them, she knew instantly asking him to stay behind was a terrible idea. "Dean? You okay? We can go together, it's okay" she told him, finishing her sandwich, getting up and walking over to him placing a delicate hand on his back. "hey.. Its okay. You can come with me" she told him softly even though she didn't want to particularly watched 24/7, she knew Dean probably needed it for himself than her.

Bobby raised an eyebrow when Dean's demeanor seemed to just switch like a light switch after insisting that he would go with Mika. He wanted to tell him that he could do with the help at home but seeing how Mika just stepped up to try and help Dean, he felt like he couldn't say anything, even though part of him felt Dean needed to be used to Mika going somewhere alone and coming back. "you sure? Not much needs getting, it could be a one person job" he spoke up, deciding to word his concerns in a diplomatic manner instead.