Dean smiled a bit brighter, rolling to the side and leaning up on an elbow as he stared at her. Love was a literal four letter word for him, usually. He had trouble saying it to even Sam, or his dad. It always felt like a word that came with weakness. But he couldn’t help express it, if not only through the grateful feeling of her being back with him, bringing it to the top of his throat.

He pulled the blanket up over them and stayed in place, running a finger up and down the contour of her jaw as he stared at her. He knew his gaze was fixed, but he had to just soak in the peacefulness.

“I’ll never let you out of my sight again. I hope you know that.”, he whispered, cringing in his own head at his words, “I mean never. I’d go crazy if you went on a hunt without me, now. It’s not even something I want to think about. Dad or not…”

He said the last words to make sure that she knew that regardless of what John had to say about their relationship, she was with him now. John could screw off and stay on his own. Dean would help him with his hunts, if not just to keep him alive, but this was the one part of his life John wouldn’t control anymore.

Usually someone staring at her would always begin to make Mika unnerved as she wasn't sure what was going to happen next, and that was even if she stayed long for them to even think about just gazing at her. Yet with Dean she didn't mind in the slightest because it made sense why he would be like this with her. It felt like it had context and reasons behind it rather than just the whole cliche 'i'm in love with this person i've only just met' creepy way.

As he pulled her blanket over them both whilst remaining firmly in his position, she continued to look at him back apart from when he ran his figner round her jaw which made her close her eyes for a moment, the smile never leaving her lips as she took in his soft touch of her then opened her eyes again to see this really was reality and he was still there with her. She listened to his words, nodding to confirmt hat yes, she did indeed know he wouldn't let her leave his sight ever again. Even if he did mentally cringe at his own words, she had always been half expecting those words at some point when he found out who she was the entire time.

She let him finish what he had to say and knowing that he wouldn't let his father stop them being together in any manner was important to her. It told her just how serious he really was about them. There was a real sense of reassurance and comfort in his words that no matter what he would defend her against his dad. WHich also in some ways brought a bit of sadness to her that it had come to this with her and the Winchesters. "I know you won't and I don't want you to. We're a team no matter what. If we weren't meant to be back together in any sense I probably would have died in that attack or on a hunt years ago. Even if your dad thinks I'm poison, I'm not going anywhere" she told him.

Dean smiled at her expression, continuing the movement of his finger against her jaw. He loved the little faces she made, and the way she closed her eyes when her cheeks were touched. He even loved the way she looked cross eyed when he kissed her nose or got too close to her face without warning. It all made him smile.

He cleared his throat, rolling onto his stomach so that he could get a better view of her eyes, and brushed more hair from in front of her face, “Dad thinks Esme is poison. And he thinks your memory is poison. He’ll understand once I tell him everything…well…as much as I can.”

He whispered the words with the softest voice he could muster, “You’re the only constant thing, other than Sammy, I have ever had. And now, it’s just you. Sammy’s gone, and for how long…I don’t know.”

She followed his movement with her eyes, before turning her head toward him which caused some of her hair to fall infront of her face,even though they moved so they could look at each other still whilst both being in comfortable positions. Feeling him move her hair that had fallen onto her face, she reveled in the touch, always feeling such an overwhelming sense of calm when he did that. It also made her feel like she truly was somebody to him.

Deep down her rational mind would tell her exactly what he was telling her, that it was Kenzi John found to be poison and how Dean was so adamant on trying to prove that Kenzi knew she was alive and not dead like everyone wanted to desperately tell him she was. Yet because for a few years she was Kenzi, she still couldn't help but feel like John found her to be the poisonous one. How could she not think that? She had either overheard it or been told it enough time that surely in some way or another, it had to be true.....right? No, she couldn't let herself think that anymore, she was back to being herself and being truthful. That was surely a cause for redemption, not persecution.

"I hope you're right Dean, I really do, and I'll gladly fill in any gaps...if he'd listen to me." she replied to him, "As for Sam we'll figure it out. He may have gone off on his own path, but I think deep down you always knew he would as he's been trying to for just over a year now. He's as stubborn as you are, even if he would deny it. But if it makes you feel better, we can always have Bobby locate him somehow and we can always check in on him every now and then in secret. he won't know but we'll know he's safe" she suggested.

Dean smiled briefly at the absurdity of someone trying to get through to his dad, if he had his mind made up. In times like that, Dean could sometimes say his opinion, but most everyone else was just a mental casualty of John Winchester’s temper and chip on his shoulder.

He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw at the thought of Sam being in some upscale school on the West Coast. He probably wasn’t even working cases. Hell, he probably didn’t even have a gun with him. Opening his eyes and looking at her, he quickly diverted his eyes to the bed, “I don’t know. Sam’s really smart. And if he finds out I’m spying on him, or anything…he’d freak out so bad.”

He looked back up at her and sighed, “But, eventually he’ll figure it out. He was meant to be a hunter…it’s just…how it is. As much as I would love to settle down, drink my whiskey by a fire place and go to bed with a beautiful woman in my bed every night…I already know that’s not how my story ends.”

He gave a sad smirk, and bit his lip.

Mika knew Sam was a smart kid. Hell's, he figured out who she was before Dean did and used it to stop Dean dead in his tracks so he could get away because he knew it would actually stop Dean running after him. There was no doubting the boy's intelligence, that much was for sure. She always knew Sam was in some ways destined for greater things than just hunting but there was no way she would ever tell Dean that. Even from a very young age, she could tell Sam had an incredibly high IQ and if he wasn't being driven around with his brother and father hunting, he could achieve such an incredible life.

"yeah, you're probably right but surely just once even from afar wouldn't hurt if it really came to it" she suggested. She just wanted to do everything she could to do right by Dean and Sam. She felt like she owed them (especially Dean) so much for what she put him through, that she figured if she could help him be a bit more reassured about Sam's safety then she would do it.

Yet it was what Dean said next that made her smile fade from her face ever so slightly as it honestly made her sad to hear him think so low of his life. "Dean listen to me.." she said, placing her hand on his cheek, rubbing it with her thumb. "it may seem like that now but we can't say for sure what holds for us in the future. As much as I know the level of difficulty for getting out of this life, I have to believe there is a way somehow. That there's a path where we could just get out... Together. But even if we can't ever get out, I will always be your side. And if that means having that whiskey in a hotel room or here at Bobby's before going to sleep with you by my side? I'll take it." she told him.

"because I fully plan on sticking around forever this time. I will have to be literally killed to be separated from you" she added.

Dean nearly flinched when she touched his cheek, leaning into her palm with his eyes closed. He listened to her explain away both the one thing he knew for certain in life, but also his one biggest fear: dying violently as a hunter…alone. As she spoke, his heart fluttered. He had never had anyone in his corner. He was the rock. He was the foundation that Sammy’s personality was built on, and from the day he turned four years old, he was on his own. His emotions were his own. His reactions were his own. Having someone to shoulder some of that weight was completely foreign.

Opening his eyes, he continued nuzzling into her hand as he sighed, “Chances are, for someone like me, I die bloody. And then what does that leave you? My car? I mean, what would you do if I died?”

As he asked the question, he held now ill will in the tears that were starting to form in his eyes, as a lot of the weight from the past few days crept into them. Maybe it was because he was relaxed, but he felt the need to get some things off his chest.

“Because I can tell you what I would do. I would do exactly what I have done for the past few years. I would go insane…I would chase ghosts, and I would not rest until I could get you back here.”, he muttered, his lip quivering, “And that’s not something I’m prepared to do again, honestly. When I think about settling down, I think about the fact that no matter where I am, or who I’m with…I’m the poison. I’m the bad luck.”

Mika meant every single word she spoke to him. There was no 'say it because he needs to hear it' this time round. She wanted him to know that she did have his back, she would always have his back. No matter what he didn't have to continue fighting alone no matter whether it was an actual hunt or what was going on his mind. She would be there. He never gave up on her and she sure as hell would never give up on him. Her eyes never left his face as she let him nuzzle into her hand before opening his eyes once and managed to find words to say once more.

At his question, she got a tight lump in her throat as she never want to imagine him dead and gone. She saw the tears threatening to spill out over his eyelids as he continued to speak and explain how he knew what would happen if anything happened to her again. A reaction she would have expected to hear. She saw how he grieved her fake death, and as much as she turned her heart cold to not be overwhelmed in seeing him grieve for years, she remembered vividly those nights she was alone and did let her feel his pain for her. It was overwhelming and claustrophobic to deal with.

Eventually she managed to find her words herself, "Dean listen to me. I'm not gonna lie to you and say I'll cope if you die. Because I won't cope. I will do exactly what you have these last few years for me. I will do whatever I could to get you back and if I couldn't get you I will no doubt be overcome with my grief because you and Bobby? You're all I have left. My last link to anything good in my life. There's no me if there's no you. Kenzi proved that. But knoe this, you are not in any circumstance poison or bad luck." she told him.

"if anything I'm the poison out the two of us for doing what I did these last few years. But you are not bad luck or anything similar. You are my one good thing and hope. So please... Please don't think you're anything less." she continued, practically pleading in her last few words. "I will always be there for you, we're a team you and I. Equals who always pull each other out of dangerous situations. I will always be there to pull you back, just like you've always been there to pull me back." she said one more time, before placing a soft kiss on his lips, then pulling away.

Dean sniffled and stared at her eyes as she spoke about what she would do if he died. The thought of her getting into a mess trying to bring him back hurt his chest a bit. But the thought of her going insane like he himself had gone through hurt even worse.

Hearing the words “there’s no me if there’s no you” raised his eyebrows as a small smile threatened the corners of his lips. He couldn’t help the fact that he felt like bad luck. It seemed like anyone who got anywhere near he and his dad ended up dead. If they didn’t die, their life got turned upside down and they became hunters. Mika was already halfway down that road. He couldn’t help but think that he was pulling her down a road to die…right along side him.

“Hey don’t say that…”, he whispered when she called herself poison, like his dad had when she was Kenzi. He brushed her hair from her face as she plead with him to be kinder to himself, which was something he honestly didn’t even know how to do. He only knew work, and pain…and work.

He kissed her back as she finished, closing his eyes tightly as he savored the timing of the kiss, “I’m sorry to lay this on you, especially now…We’re rekindling afterall.”

He smiled a bit brighter, and leaned forward, kissing her lips again, a bit deeper. He then pulled back and stared at her with smiley eyes, “Not to be a broken record, but I’ll never let you out of my sight again. You’re right…There’s no me if there ain’t no you. Everything else, we’ll figure it out. That’s a normal thing, right?”

He gave a small laugh at the idea of them trying to be normal.

In Mika's eyes she would have ended up in the hunting world with or without Dean. The fact her uncle was in the business to a certain extent and it was him who took her in and brought her up, she knew with her love of reading she would have found out about the world more either way after surviving a wendigo attack. There was no path in which she would have avoided the hunter life. Even if she was answering phones or doing the research side of things at Bobby's 24/7, inbetween him teaching her how to look after her own car and teaching her to drive, she would have been in the life. So in her eyes, Dean was not to blame for dragging her into this life. If anything it was the Wendigo's fault by leaving her alive, even if it thought her dead. Which brought her other thought that never left her... What WAS it that saved her?

She closed her eyes as he swept her hair back once more, always savouring in her mind whenever he did such a simple action, but one that really meant something to her. Deep down she probably knew he would never stop being hard on himself but she had to try and keep reminding him not to be. She knew he wouldn't like her calling herself poison but how could she not not think that? She'd been described it enough times after all.

She smiled back at him as he apologised for dumping it all on her and she shook her head gently, "don't be sorry, ever. If you ever need to talk I'm always here to listen" she replied to him, kissing him back again deeply before he pulled away and repeated himself. She smiled brightly back and gave a single firm nod. "right. It's normal for us and that's all I could ask for" she told him, before half chuckling with him then pulling him over her and wrapping herself around him. "now...about that 'rekindling'..." she smirked.

Dean matched her smile, letting go of his body weight to roll over top of her, his nose touching hers, “You’re so bossy…”

With a soft giggle, he kissed her deeply, before trailing kisses down her neck and biting her collar bone gently, his hand reaching behind him to pull the covers back over his head.

—-

The next morning, after they had basically stayed in bed all evening and night, Dean opened his eyes to the sun shining directly into his eyelids. He squinted and rolled onto his back with a groan, and a slight smile at how sore he was.

He was pleasantly surprised when he felt a weight against his side, and Mika was still there. Smirking, he slid an arm under her neck, pulling her head onto his chest as carefully as he could. He was tempted to let her sleep, but he also knew that by now, Bobby was probably thoroughly ready for them to get out and do something…other than make noise in his house.

He brushed some hair from her face, and kissed the top of her head before whispering a simple, “Hey…”

With him calling her bossy Mika couldn't help but chuckle softly with him then continuing to kiss him back just as deeply. As he kissed down her neck and collarbone, she tilted her head back to expose her neck more for him, knowing this was going to be one hell of a night that she'd have to no doubt apologise to Bobby for.....

---------

When Dean first woke up, Mika was still very much asleep, her back to him showing just how comfortable she truly was with him. One hand hugging her pillow and one gripping the duvet edge before he rolled her over, gently stirring her awake in the process with his whisper and kiss on the top of her head. She groaned and cuddled him, nuzzling in defiance that it was indeed morning yet again. "five more minutes" she grumbled, an all familiar comment she would have grumbled when they were kids and it was a school day.

She honestly didn't care that she was acting like an utter child in this moment. She was I credibly comfortable, with the man she loved with all her heart in her bed. The morning couldn't be any better for her. "I'm not ready to face Bobby yet" she smirked sleepily, knowing that her uncle would go with one of two possible options if she knew him as well as she thought she did. 1) have a go at them at being noisy in his house and threaten to sou d proof her whole room or 2) tease the living shit out of the both of them until one or both of them couldn't withstand it anymore. She was partially leaning toward the latter.

Dean chuckled as she snuggled into his chest. He couldn’t help but think this was nice, almost domestic. He tightened his arm around her and hugged her tightly to him, running his fingers up and down her arm as he sighed, “You know that we eventually have to face him…and everything he’s going to yell at us…”

He laughed again at the idea of Bobby being so frustrated with them that he might kick them out, now that they were back together. It wouldn’t be the worst idea. After so long of being officially apart, there was bound to be long nights, exactly like last night. With Bobby not sleeping much as it was, those nights would undoubtedly be miserable for him.

He stared at the ceiling, flexing his ab muscles a bit with a smirk, “…but then again. I’m sore. I might not be able to take the stairs…”

Mika enjoyed him tightening the hold on her and cuddling her more before nodding with a grumble when he said about facing Bobby. "I know...even though we're consenting adults he'll still have a go at us like we're kids which is equal amounts of cringe and hilarious." she replied to him, adjusting her head ever so slightly as she looked up at him with a soft smile.

At the sound of Dean's laughter it seemed he also had the same sort of thought as she did, reminding her that they really were two peas in a pod sometimes. She also had the same thought about them being like this together often and how Bobby would have to just deal with it, even if he didn't really like the idea of his precious niece being a grown woman and sleeping around with her boyfriend in his house. She smirked at him saying about being sore, which she was too in some regard, but it was a soreness she welcomed.

"Same here but I ain't complaining after last night" she said back to him, circling her fingertips round his collarbone in a figure of eight movement. She was feeling perfectly content until a good ten minutes onward and there was a knock on her door, "Ya horny idjits! downstairs in five or ya ain't getting fed!" Bobby called through the door, then turned on his heels and headed back downstairs.

At them being called horny idjits, Mika grimaced but then burst out laughing after hearing Bobby's footsteps head back dwon the stairs. "I think we're busted" she giggled to Dean.

Dean shuddered a bit, biting his lip at her finger circling his collarbone. It tickled, and made the hair on his arms and chest to stand. He smirked at her being sore as well, the thought bringing back lovely flashbacks from the night before.

Bobby’s yelling shocked him out of his thoughts. He grinned brightly as he yelled, and then looked down at Mika before busting out laughing, “Holy crap…I would say so. But I am hungry.”

He continued laughing as Bobby stomped down the stairs, “He’s going to kill us…”

Mika couldn't stop laughing for a good minute or two, nodding in agreement at Dean's reply about being hungry. "Guess we should get up and head downstairs" she told him, sighing as she made herself stop laughing from Bobby's reaction and yell at the two of them. Peeling herself off of Dean, she sat up, swung her legs out the side of her bed and paused for a couple of seconds before getting the motivation to push herself off the bed and heading to her drawer to grab some clothes so she wasdecent when going downstairs.

Pulling out some underwear and a baggy vest and leggings, she made herself get dressed then ran a brush quickly through her hair after she walked to her vanity to see the sorry state of her hair. It was surprisingly not too bad all things considered, feeling surprised it wasn't a complete matted mess as she went to bed with wet hair, rumbled in the sheets with Dean for a while and then fell asleep.

It took her approximately three and a half minutes to be decently dressed, looking at her phone she smirked to herself. "We got one and a half minutes left before he chucks our breakfast" she remarked, not putting it passed Bobby to actually do it out of pettiness for having to hear them all night long.

Dean also stood from the bed after she moved from him. It felt like a chore to get up, as he did so, and he searched around for his bag. He got a chuckle, as he looked down and remembered he was nude, while Bobby was downstairs ranting about the night before.

He found his bag, bending over to grab fresh underwear and a t-shirt. Throwing them on, he turned back to his bag and pulled out his only other pair of sweatpants, stepping into them with a groan.

As she spoke about the text message, he giggled softly, pulling the drawstrings of his sweats and leaned forward for a quick kiss, before yelling on his way out the door, “I’m coming, Bobby! I’m sorry…don’t starve me!”

He took the steps two at a time on his way down, his feet squeaking to a stop at the entrance of the kitchen.

Mika couldn't resist but every few moments sneaking a glance at Dean as he got dressed, wondering how on earth she got so lucky to be this close to him and have him in her life, even if he thought he was bad luck, she most definitely thought the opposite. She focused on her own getting ready until he came to her after she mentioned about the message and timing they were being put under.

She kissed him back sweetly and quickly before smirking and sniggering at him calling down the stairs toward Bobby. To her it was such a typical response to give and if Dean didn't give it, she most certainly would have done. She was sure she probably had done it a few times when he'd try and coax her out of her room if she slept in too long. She also realised this would be the first time Bobby would see her hair and knew that not only was this was going to be interesting morning because of her and Dean's 'activities', it probably will because of her hair too.

Letting Dean head downstairs first, she followed him down going down the stairs normally, smiling to herself seeing what a good mood Dean was clearly in this morning. Reaching the kitchen she saw that Bobby had indeed made breakfast with the food she bought yesterday. "morning Bobby" she greeted to him as she stood beside Dean. "the coffee freshly done?" she asked, hoping that if she tried asking normal questions it would delay the inevitable lecture toward her and Dean. It probably wouldn't work, but she could try...right?

Dean stared around the kitchen, looking at all the food as if it was sent by heaven. He smiled widely, stepping in slowly and carefully, in case Bobby was in a throwing mood. It wasn't uncommon for Bobby to throw things at him when he was frustrated, especially if he had been drinking. On that thought, he glanced over at Bobby's coffee cup sitting on the counter and winced at the fact that it was probably Irish.

He picked up a piece of bacon from a plate nearby, and quickly made his way back to Mika for protection while shoving it in his mouth. Wrapping his arm around her waist he smiled brightly at Bobby again, his tongue between his teeth and decided to speak, "Good morning...Bobby. The bacon is um...it's good!"

He glanced toward Mika with a small shrug, his mouth full of bacon as he spoke.

Mika watched as Dean practically crept into the kitchen like it was some kind of stealth mission he was on, stole some bacon then crept his way back and hid behind her like she would be able to save his ass. She smirked at his actions before giving him the playful look of 'seriously? you're hiding behind me?' but welcomed the arm round her waist nonetheless, then looked back at Bobby trying to guage how he was going to react by his body language but it seemed Bobby was doing his best at being utterly unreadable. "Bobby?" she asked, trying to see if he was deliberately giving them the silent treatment or just didn't hear them, but it quickly became evident that he did indeed hear them and judging by his big intake of breath and outward sigh from the way his shoulders went up, paused then went back down again they were about to get a right earful. "You two...sit...now" he spoke, slowly turning to them both, giving them a stern look to show he wasn't joking around.

Glancing at Dean for a split second first, Mika shrugged at him before walking over cautiously and sitting down on her usual chair nearest to the threshold that lead to the little living room. She and Bobby both then waited for Dean to sit down with Bobby going to his own chair, but he didn't sit down. Instead he placed his hands firmly on the back of it and leaned over it staring at them both. "I'm glad you're both back together...it's about bloody time all this dodging around the truth crap ended but for christ's sake! If you're gonna be in my bloody house keep the noise down!! I am not gonna live in this house just to hear you two at it like bloody rabbits!! Sure you're both adults now and you know to do whatever it is that you're both enjoy safely but if there's one thing I don't wanna be hearing is you Dean WInchester making my niece scream you're bloody name! Do I make myself clear!? Or you're both out!" he lectured them both and Mika coulda sworn Bobby was about to burst a blood vessel.

At the mention of her screaming Dean's name and being at it like rabbits, Mika found it incredibly difficult to not snigger and laugh, knowing if she did Bobby would absolutely lose his shit. "I'm sorry uncle....we'll be quieter" she apologised.