JustAnna

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.”

All Roads Lead To You

Dean and Duke

“Nothing happened while you were gone. We’ve been…here. Things have been quiet.” Dean chimed in as Esme began to stretch and ready herself to stand. Duke looked back at Dean, narrowing his eyes and then back down at Esme who still hadn’t really acknowledged him, past a simple ‘hi’. Either they had discussed him, or she was upset with him for leaving…or her and Dean had been way way way closer the past several weeks than ever, which was going to be awkward out with the three of them.

Then Esme suggested that they go out together, and Duke smirked, turning to Dean. Finally, she acknowledged him. Dean took a drink from his coffee and turned his eyes down to the map, as he drew his final line with the marker in his hand. He dropped the marker on the table and looked up at Duke as Esme stood from the from the floor and Duke hovered his hand out, like he was waiting to help her up.

After Esme was on her feet and stretched out, she walked right past Duke, heading to get more coffee without looking at him, and Duke frowned as he watched her. His normally chatty nature was lost, as he just watched her keep the entirety of her attention on Dean.

Dean sighed and leaned back in his chair, placing both hands on the back of his head as he looked up at Esme, watching every move she made, down to the way the coffee cup touched her lips. Duke chewed at his lip, placing his hands on his hips, and tilting his head down as the need to ask about the tension he felt around him, no matter how misplaced or misjudged was. The reality was, the tension was coming from HIS shoulders. He was a little offended that neither of them seemed happy to see him. Neither of them seemed like they cared that he came back.

“I can go on my own. I just thought we might could put last month behind us and have some fun.” Duke sighed, dropping his hands. He walked over and picked his bag up from the chair he had thrown it into but Dean cleared his throat.

“Alright. We can go out.” Dean said, looking up at Esme with an unsure but willing look. He gathered all of the information from the table, and stacked it, writing a quick note for Bobby on a torn off sheet of paper. He placed the piece of paper on the top of the pile, and scooted his chair back just as Duke stepped up to the back door.

“By the way…I’m happy to see both of you. Just thought you might want to know.” Duke muttered, snapping a bit as he pushed the back door open to head out to his RV and change clothes.

“And he’s upset. He’s going to sulk all night…” Dean sighed, waving his hand at the door. He shook his head and walked his coffee mug over to the sink, turning to Esme, “Just because I don’t really trust that he’s back doesn’t mean that you can’t…talk to him or anything. We talked about that.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean was reeling from the whole conversation, his heart sinking as Mika flinched under his touch. It was all hard to hear, especially what Mika said before he had dropped the bombshell of being jealous of Duke. He hadn’t thought, in his selfishness, about how many times she could have died while he was gone. The mental images that it brought just caused his stomach to cramp painfully again, and he groaned quietly, wrapping his other hand around to grip his stomach.

As she said how much the jealousy hurt her, Dean nodded so quickly that he feared his head would fall off his shoulders, “I know. I don’t want you to. I know.”

Dean gasped lightly as Mika’s hand touched his and he scanned her face. He just let her spill the words out, ready to take any vitriol or anger, sadness, whatever she needed to get off her chest as she spoke. He listened to how bad the relationship with Ethan turned, because of him. Part of him was thankful, and felt justified in the phone calls, since they brought Mika back to him. But the other part of him knew that it hurt her so bad. It hurt her so bad…HE hurt her.

He turned his eyes down to look at their hands, absently nodding at her words. Why she came back to him, after all of that, he couldn’t place. He didn’t deserve the second…third…or hundredth chance she had given him. Her hand touching his face caused him to flinch so hard that he squeezed his eyes closed, pushing some tears over the edge and down his cheeks, off his chin. He reluctantly turned his eyes up to look at her, sniffling to try and push the tears back down.

He couldn’t help the wince that flashed across his face as she explained what she was willing to concede to Esme but was also requesting that he back off Duke’s case, to let him be happy with Esme. Their history, Duke, Esme and Dean, was something that Dean had to assume Mika had heard all about from Duke. She didn’t even seem surprised when he told her that he was pretty sure Duke had always loved Esme. He scrunched his nose and nodded, taking a deep breath.

But when she said she needed him, Dean’s heart rushed back into his chest like it was ready to explode. His ears were ringing, and suddenly, he felt the need to just touch her. He needed to let her know that he wasn’t going anywhere. He needed to let her know that the past was the past, no matter how hurtful it was. He wanted to move on, finally, and break all this tension. He pulled his hand away from her knee and slid off the side of the couch, slowly lowering himself to his knees in front of her, something he would NEVER allow anyone to see any other time. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his head tightly to her chest to hear her heartbeat.

“I’m not going anywhere. I was never going anywhere.” He almost whispered as he held onto her. “Whatever you need me to do…wherever you need me to go. I’ll do it. I don’t deserve it, but I’ll do it…”

He tightened his grip around her waist, and turned his head from her chest, resting his chin there to look up at her, “I mean it. All the lies, the hiding, the coldness…it all stops here. I didn’t tell you any of that to hurt you. I told you so that I can try to fix it. You and Esme both deserve that…I love you so much. I don’t say it enough but I’ve never felt more sure about anything in my life.”

Cason and Anna

Cason rolled his eyes at Nat’s babying of him, looking his hand over and telling him he would be okay, like he was human and had cut his hand on something. He dropped his hand with a sigh, as Nat opened the door and walked inside. He reached his hand out, her taking it, and walked in behind her. With Natalia, he was definitely not the vicious demon that so many were afraid of. He was leashed, and gentle, and part of him hated it. But for her, he would be whatever she needed him to be.

Anna raised her eyebrows at Sam, not saying a word as she looked up at him with those big blue eyes. He was being a gentleman. Maybe he needed to be around Cason more, if Cason could teach him some of his old man manners. She almost cracked another smile, but simply walked through the door, pulling him in behind her.

Anna and Cason took their menus, and Anna looked over the typical greasy spoon menu, her stomach grumbling at the idea of eating literally anything. Anna looked up and watched Nat, feeling the need to pick her brain at some point. Before Anna lost a bit of her shine, she could see herself and Nat having a lot in common. It was hard for her to want to make friends, these days though. She glanced down at her own menu awkwardly, as Nat spoke about Dean’s love for burgers. The conversation between her and Dean was looming over her head like a dark cloud, and she was going to push it away. She wasn’t ready to face him, yet.

Cason shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t eat.”

“We know, idiot.” Anna corrected him, her eyes holding a smirk as he glanced over to her, and frowned. He then smirked and glanced over at Nat’s menu.

“Is it impossible for you to eat something healthy? I mean…human food is disgusting but you and your brother are walking heart attacks.” Cason complained about Nat’s decision in food. Anna couldn’t help the giggle she forced herself to cover when Nat began to rant about the proper way to order a cheeseburger, but Sam asking her what she wanted caused her to look down at the menu, uncovering her mouth to nod.

“Yeah. I think I want the chicken Cobb salad. I’m a little worried about…eating.” Anna replied quietly, almost a whisper. Cason frowned and looked over at her with a sympathetic look on his face.

“You’ll be fine. I got your back. Eat what you want, kid…” Cason spoke softly, turning his eyes up to Sam with a quick smile, and then back down to Anna, who shrugged her shoulders.

“Fine. I’ll take a cheeseburger, then. But if I get sick, it’s on you.” She teased Cason, giving him an accusatory look. She then sat her menu down on the counter, and wrapped back up on Sam’s arm, using his warmth to help with the cool air still hitting little parts of her burning hot skin. She then decided that she did want to say at least something to Natalia, and she reached up and brushed some of her bangs away from her face, “Hey Nat. Wanna walk me to the ladies room? Might be a little awkward to drag Sam along.”

She gave her the smallest of smiles, and squeezed Sam’s arm.

Duke

Duke tilted his head, confused when Esme said she was just sore. There was no way she should even be walking on her own from the looks of it, and yet, here she was, wanting to go out to a bar. He couldn’t wrap his head around it, but apparently, she couldn’t quite figure it out either. He concentrated back on the moment, watching her lips as she kissed the backs of his fingers. A sigh left his chest, finally letting out a breath he had been holding in while in thought, and as she placed his arms around her, he splayed his fingers out across her back, just concentrating on the feeling of her skin under his fingers.

Duke watched her eyes, taking another deep breath at her words. His nickname sounded different falling off her lips, now. It rang like a welcome bell in the quiet RV and Duke softened his face. Just the thought of Esme even wanting to be around him, alone, was still new. Sure, when he had first showed back up, seeing Mika back, he knew he could at least get her alone and talk to her. But it had never occurred to him that they could get this close as a duo…not a trio.

“Fine. But I don’t like it…” Duke muttered, turning his eyes down to Esme’s chin for a brief moment. He really didn’t like it. He wanted to fix it and fix it right then. He leaned into Esme’s touch. It was as if she was reading his mind, when she spoke his exact thoughts out loud, and he furrowed his brow. He shook his head against her hand and sighed, “No. I’d probably look worse. You know me…”, he chuckled sadly. He didn’t want to look at her as if she was broken or anything. He knew she could take care of herself, better than most. But the feeling was still there that he should have been there to back her up.

Duke just wanted to whisk her away from all this. He had a bad feeling about what was coming, and that feeling got worse every single time they came back banged up, and now? Standing in front of her, that feeling was almost painful in his chest. But he couldn’t dwell on it. He knew she could feel every single thing he was feeling, and the last thing he wanted was to bring her down. So, when she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, Duke sighed through his nose, pressing his lips to the top of her head. He smiled softly into her hair as she promised not to be upset with him for protecting her, something that she would NEVER have said back in the day.

He could feel a tiny bit of calm radiating off Esme, even if she wasn’t trying to calm him down, and he didn’t complain. He just took a deep breath against her hair, and then tilted his chin up to stare over her head. He brought a hand up, brushing it through her hair, and frowned when he found the stitches, “You cracked your head pretty good, didn’t you. Actually, you know what…I won’t…I won’t go there. You um…you need help makin’ that more presentable? I think I still remember that little loose braid thing from all our slumber parties.”

Duke forced out a little chuckle, also trying to lighten the mood, although he was worried about the obviously horrible wound that she had suffered to her head. He tightened his arms around her, and trailed his hands down to her lower back, rubbing his thumbs gently against her skin.

“And if we can cover up most of that blood, I’ll take you out…sweep you off your feet, and you might actually let me kiss you this time.” He teased, shrugging a shoulder, and laughed quietly, “Or take you home…pretend we’re strangers…”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

The next morning
Dean woke with a start from a nightmare, gasping as he flinched and his eyes opened wide to stare at the ceiling. He blinked a few times, trying to blink away the images of Mika’s death from the back of his mind. The nightmares were still there, every time he closed his eyes without fail. It seemed, however, as if he had slept quite a while, because his head was groggy and his eyes were sore, as if he had been there a while.

He reached over with his free hand, and picked up his phone, frowning at the time. This was the latest he had slept in a while. It was seven in the morning. He tossed his phone back on the night stand and turned his attention to the weight on his chest. He smiled, pulling himself closer to Lexi who at some point in the night had ended up turned away from him, curled up on his arm. He rolled to press his face into her hair and breathed her in, as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against his chest.

“Good morning.” He murmured in a sleepy raspy voice, into her hair. He tilted his head up and nuzzled his nose against her ear with a soft smile, “We should probably get up before the banging on the door starts…”

Anya

Anya smiled as Sam brought her into his side, slinging her arm over his sweaty chest. She snuggled up to him and sighed, just feeling the difference in his gentle touches from the roughness of those same touches over the last hour. She was comfortable. She was safe. It was an odd feeling of safety, being so close to Sam, as if she had known him forever, and knew that he would protect her with his life.

She hummed silently at the feeling of him brushing his fingers over the skin of her arms, goosebumps forming at the light touch. And with his comment, Anya was reminded of exactly how new their connection was…and how innocent it had started. She laughed, her body shaking a bit against his side as the simplicity of the whole thing washed over her…again, like they were meant to end up…here.

“Definitely.” She signed, only able to sign half the word with her hand, using his chest as the base with another soft laugh. Moving herself up on the bed, she brought that hand to rest against his cheek, catching his eyes with her own for a second before pressing a loving and deep kiss to his lips. If this is how Sam was with someone he had barely met, her heart swelled with the thought of how he would treat someone he loved. How lucky that person would be. She broke the kiss, and a mischievous smirk crossed her face before she brought that same hand out in front of his face, signing just the number ‘2’. She raised her eyebrows, wondering if he would take the hint that she was proposing a ‘round two’ and then giggled, kissing him again.

—

The next morning

Anya barely stirred as her body alerted her that it was morning, and she had basically slept like the dead. She tensed her muscles against Sam’s side, made aware immediately that not only was she very sore, but Sam was still in bed. With a soft smile, she moved herself up on the bed with a little effort, wanting to be closer to his face. She then buried her face in the side of his neck, kissing him just behind his ear with his hair tickling her nose. She brought her hand up and buried it in his hair on the other side of his head, tempted to just watch him sleep.

There was no sound in the bunker, other than the slight rattling of the old metal upstairs, clanging and echoing through the halls. So, she had to assume that Dean and Lexi were still asleep, or if they were up, they were being very quiet. Everything echoed in the bunker. The thought brought her back to the teasing she had lobbed at Sam the night before about how ‘loud’ he seemed. Hopefully, Lexi and Dean had been too busy to notice.

The thought made her chuckle against his ear, her breath moving a bit of his hair in a way that made her smile wider. Today was going to be awkward. She just knew it. But at least the dam was broken. She would never look at Sam the same, and she was honestly…truly…okay with it.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean’s entire heart shattered when Mika wrenched her hand away from him, and then refused to look at him. It was a terror ripping through his chest that he normally only felt on hunts…when things went wrong. And then she said the words ‘you lied to me’, and Dean could have passed out from how hard he was holding his breath. He let it out in a shuddered sigh, and started to hold his hands up to defend himself…but he couldn’t.

“I know…I know…” Dean started, but as she continued, his heart fell into his stomach and he looked down. The feeling of seeing her like this all over again was so overwhelming that he could feel tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He would give anything to stop the verbal beating he was in for. He had never lied to her. It was the one thing that they had. Sure, she had lied to him but he had always been brutally honest with her. But this was something he just couldn’t bring himself to tell her about, until this moment. It killed him.

He glanced up at her face and he saw the tears falling down her cheeks as she somehow remained calm. He found his voice for a moment and shook his head, trying his best to diffuse the intense feeling in his brain that was burning like fire, “I um…I didn’t know how to tell you. I…I thought that it would just be something you didn’t have to know about, because it was in the past.”

Dean stopped trying to explain himself when Mika continued, bringing his hands up to cover his eyes as he leaned his elbows on his knees and squeezed his eyes closed. He pulled his hands away from his face when she asked if he was with Esme the day that he and Mika had run into each other, and he nodded, “Yeah…that was her.”, but she wasn’t actually asking him to confirm. She knew. Dean groaned as she called out how cold his actions were, calling Mika while he was sitting on the side of his and Esme’s bed. It’s what had brought the whole castle tumbling down in the first place. Esme knew. In a way, Mika and Esme both knew, he had to assume. His stomach cramped painfully and he covered his face again with a sigh.

And then came the hit. The words that he believed in his heart already were being said out loud. He deserved to lose them both. Esme walking away from him was definitely earned, and he definitely didn’t deserve Mika’s forgiveness after all these years. He would never have admitted to himself that he had almost strung Esme along with hopes that Mika would show back up, but that was exactly what he did. No matter how much he loved Esme, he still held that hope, and he deserved her walking away…

He almost groaned when Mika explained how she ended up in Ethan’s arms, a sore spot for him that he had fought down for years. He didn’t want to think about someone else touching her, comforting her, or even being in her life in a way that he should have been. He sat up straight, determined to give her the same time to spill that she had given him. As he looked at her, those tears spilled over, and he held no anger, just watching her face.

Then she broke through a part of his brain that seared like fire again, by laying out exactly how much Duke had saved her. Duke had been there for her when he wasn’t. Duke had diffused situations that he couldn’t, and likely took up for him with a smile on his face…protecting him while caring for Mika when Dean was shattering her heart to pieces. He lost the ability to contain his emotions when Mika looked him in the eyes, snarling his nose as a couple of tears fell, “I guess he doesn’t get enough credit for cleaning up my messes…”

Dean paused, watching her face with almost a pleading look gracing his own, “I lied to you. And for that I’m sorry. I did love her. I wanted to walk away from all of it because I couldn’t handle stumbling across you anymore, and she…she was the only reason I wasn’t crazy. I don’t blame you for trying to be happy. Not at all. And I don’t blame you for hating me. You don’t know how long I wanted you to just tell me you hated me.”

He took a deep breath, suddenly finding it hard to breathe, and reached a shaky hand out to place it on her knee, careful, as if she was going to just push him away, “I was so scared when she showed back up, because I didn’t know how to bridge that gap. I didn’t know how to be around someone I slept with…that I loved…that I never got closure with, and also look you in the eyes. So, I lied to you. I lied to everyone but most importantly you.”

As he finished what he would normally consider groveling, he sniffled and glanced toward the front door of the house, “And it was complicated even more when Duke showed up. Me and him…our falling out…a big part of it had to do with her. He’s been in love with her, well, probably since the first time she hugged him. I lost her then. And that lack of closure has brought back a jealousy that I can’t quite place.”

Dean gasped at his own words, and he tilted his head down with a groan. He just admitted to Mika, while she was pouring his heart out to him…that he was still jealous of Duke.

Cason

Cason chuckled at the thought of Natalia fighting with Sam. The size difference alone brought on a hilarious mental image. He couldn’t even decide if he would step in, if they were in a scuffle. Sam would never hurt Nat, but oh would it be funny to watch her wrestle him into submission. As Sam spoke up, Cason shook his head. Dean Winchester, the perpetual death wish with legs, of course he was a dangerous driver. Putting people in danger was kinda Dean’s thing, in Cason’s eyes.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Cason tapped his hands on his jeans, eager to get out of the car. He hated how slow the thing was, how loud the engine was, and how easy it was for humans to just get crunched in the wreckage…while he was in the car with three humans. The last thing he needed was to show up at the house as the sole survivor of a massive car crash.

He opened his door and climbed out of the car, popping the passenger door open for Anna, before walking around to Nat’s side, popping her door and reaching in to grab her hand and help her out of the car. He pulled her toward the door ahead of Sam and Anna. Reaching for the door, he gasped and pulled his hand back as it burned and turned red.

“What is it with Sioux Falls and friggin’ iron!” He hissed at Nat with frustration, gesturing for her to open the door for him, as he wasn’t wearing his jacket.

Anna

Anna rode most of the way to the restaurant with her head leaned against the window. She was still feeling a little iffy about how real her surroundings were, and honestly, as much as she wanted to try to enjoy herself, she wasn’t sure how possible that would be for a while. It sucked. She just wanted to enjoy that Sam was smiling, and Cason was okay and flirting and playing around with Nat. It was nice. The weather was nice. Everything was…nice.

But in the back of her mind, it was all too good to be true. She straightened up as they pulled into the bumpy parking lot of the restaurant. She reached for her door handle, but before she could pop the door, Cason already had and was gone. Smirking, she pushed the door open and stepped out, realizing as she looked down to flatten her shirt that her boots were still covered in blood. She sighed, tilting her head up to the sky to take a deep breath with her eyes closed, just taking in the cold air around her. After being in the panic room, there was something about the crisp air that just…felt good on her skin.

She stood for a moment, letting the others get out of the car, and then walked over to Sam, wrapping her tiny hand in his, linking their fingers as Cason attempted to open the door to the restaurant. When the door handle burned his hand, Anna brought a leather sleeve covered hand up to hide her laugh and she pulled herself closer to Sam’s side.

This was real. It had to be real.

Duke

Duke laughed, turning and flexing his arm like always as Esme slapped his arm. He shrugged, and tilted his head, “I mean, if you consider almost drownin’, you gettin’ drunk because you’re a light weight and were being a drink hoarder, and then sweepin’ you off your feet with my dancin’ skills playin’ dirty, then fine. Guilty as charged.”

He chuckled and started the walk across the yard when he noticed that she was looking at their clothes. The action caused him to look down at his own clothes, and he sighed, realizing he was still in bloody jeans and only a flannel. As he ran his fingers down his chest, he nodded, “Yeah. Let’s um…not scare the hell out of the locals. C’mon…”

He walked with her across the yard, around to the covered carport. Her arm around him was so familiar, and yet it almost felt like they were sneaking around, like Dean was going to run out that door at any minute and start ranting. Duke smirked, realizing that it wasn’t even Dean’s place anymore, and he gently put an arm around Esme’s shoulders, careful to keep his touch closer to her neck. As her words about Sarah pulled him out of his thoughts, he glanced around as if he could see Sarah and shook his head, “I ain’t gonna lie, I’ll never get used to her being around but thank you Sarah!”, he beamed with a goofy smile. He didn’t want her to even think about the barn. He didn’t want her to think about him dying, even though he knew that it was a conversation that would come out eventually.

As they reached the RV, he reached up to open the door while she was grabbing her bag, but she reached up before he could and stepped in like she owned the place. It made him smile behind her head, and he grabbed his own bag and followed her inside. He stepped over to his bed, and tossed his bag down, suddenly super relieved to just have his stuff. He unzipped his bag and pulled out a fresh pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, tossing them on the mattress beside his bag. He stepped out of his jeans quickly, and with a bit of a wince, he shrugged the bloody flannel off his shoulders before removing his hat and tossing it on the sink.

“Don’t go gettin’ dressed without me. I’ll help you out, alright?” He called over his shoulder, as he heard her hiss, just at the action of pulling off her jacket. Duke pulled his jeans on, not even getting them buttoned as he turned to check on her. Seeing that she was already working on her clothes, he frowned, “Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on, I said!”

He took one wide step across the tight space and grabbed both her hands, lowering them to her sides before bringing his hands back up to her shoulders. He gripped the collar of her flannel with both hands, gently pushing it over her shoulders and down her arms, pulling her arms back as gently as he could to whisk it away from her hands. He tossed it onto the couch and then reached for the hem of her tank top.

“Careful…” Duke whispered seriously, frowning with a soft sigh as he looked over the bruises and other injuries that were visible now that her upper body was more uncovered. He swallowed heavily, and began pulling the fabric up, slowly raising her arms above her head. He pulled the fabric over her arms, tossing it behind him, and quickly wrapping his hands around her wrists above her head to help her lower them as slowly as he could. He took another shuddered breath, “I didn’t know it was that bad. I should have come and checked on you…”

As he spoke, he turned his eyes down to the button of her jeans, and he stopped with a sigh. After a couple of seconds to collect himself, he knelt in front of her, tapping her foot to have her raise it so he could remove her boots, removing one, then tapping and removing the other. He didn’t stand, simply looking up at her as he reached up and unbuttoned her jeans, careful as he tugged at them, pulling them off her hips to pool at her feet. He tapped at each of her legs again, and shoved her jeans aside, standing back up. He stood for a moment in front of her, brushing his fingers over the bruises around her neck and chest. His fingers then found their way down her sides, over the bruises there and he sighed again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”, he asked, his voice raspy and remorseful. The fact that he wasn’t there to take care of her, so that she never got this hurt, killed him. His carelessness in the fight had got him killed…and the only thing he could think about was how he missed protecting her. He hadn’t been there, and now, here she stood in front of him, bruised and cut up, and there was nothing he could do to fix it.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean raised his eyebrows, and caught Lexi’s eyes as she looked up at him. He wasn’t sure how she was going to react to him asking if she wanted to stay, until she explained that she would love to. She would love to. He didn’t even think about Sam’s opinion of the decision in that moment. Just hearing her say it, and feeling her touch on his cheek was enough for him. He wouldn’t be able to let her leave if she tried, without practically begging her to stay. He was hooked.

“O-okay. Well, I guess it’s good that you got your own room.” Dean joked lightly, as her thumb continued stroking his cheek. It was a motion that felt almost too intimate and under normal circumstances, he would have reached up and removed her hand from his face, placing it on his chest to keep any awkward attachment from forming in his stomach. But he didn’t. He just let her, letting a smile tease at the corners of his mouth.

As she pulled herself up and kissed him, he sighed happily into the kiss, kissing her back. The temptation to hold her there and just kiss her all night crossed his mind, but he relaxed his shoulders and just tightened his arm around her as she laid back down in her original position.

“Oh yeah?” Dean asked in response to her comment about Sam bringing her home. He chuckled lightly, and smiled up at the ceiling. Then he tilted his head and sighed happily, “I think you might be right.”

Anya

Anya shuddered as the little noises Sam made echoed through her brain. As soon as her back hit the mattress, she smiled brightly as Sam instantly appeared above her. If their body language with each other was this easy, she could imagine herself becoming a bit clingy. It was something she would have to remind herself…not to do, later on. In this moment, clingy was good, and there was no way she was pulling away from him, now.

As his lips met hers again, Anya’s hands raked up his bare back, and into his hair, pressing their lips together so tightly she was afraid that she might hurt his teeth. As he pulled away, though, she was afraid he had changed his mind, only to glance down and watch as Sam quickly worked through the buckle of his belt and the button of his jeans. The quickness of it all made her chuckle softly. Experienced and eager…it made her heart flutter.

His words brought her out of her thoughts and she came back to his eyes, her hands still in his hair as he double checked to make sure they weren’t making some sort of mistake. A smile covered her lips, and she nodded, pulling roughly against the back of his head to bring his lips back to hers. As she did, she wrapped a leg around his waist, pulling his hips down.

Of course she was sure.

——-

A little while later

Anya smiled as she lay there, staring at the ceiling. One arm was raised above her head, twirling her own hair against the pillow and the other was draped over her torso as she let out a sigh through her labored breathing. As she unraveled her hair from her finger, she trailed her fingers down the side of her face, over her neck where she felt the growing bruises there and the thought just made her smile brighter with a giggle that moved her body.

She didn’t know how many bruises and scrapes they both had on their bodies at this point, as everything had kind of blurred together. She did know, however, that if there was anything visible, Dean would never shut up about it.

Either way, it was a good sore. She could handle a little teasing from Dean. She had a passing feeling that she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. Glancing over, she smiled at Sam with sleepy eyes and then brought both her hands up lazily to sign a simple: “Fire…”

All Roads Lead To You

Duke and Dean

Duke stepped away from Bobby after promising to help him with the Chevelle later on, and walked across the lot. As he entered the covered garage area, his heart began to beat a little faster. Coming face to face with Dean after a month away never went well. He slowly approached the house, reaching up to press his hat further down on his head and then opened the back door. The first person he saw was Dean, sitting at the table with a map and a sharpie. He figured Bobby had him on information duty, and sure enough, the closer he got, he could see that the case was already started. Dean was just pouring over notes.

“Mornin’.” Duke called to him, walking around the back of his chair. Dean didn’t say anything at first, as he kept drawing the line he was in the middle of, but when Duke wrapped an arm around his neck, Dean sighed and patted his arm.

“Morning. Where you coming from?” Dean asked and Duke shrugged his shoulders.

“Iowa. North Dakota. Few places. I feel worse than I look and I look better than I did when I left. So, that’s a win, right?” Duke joked, tossing his bag into one of the kitchen chairs. It was then that his eyes fell on Esme and he sighed, “Hey there beautiful. Good to see you’re still here…I guess.”

“We’ve been here the whole time. You got any broken bones?”

“No. Just a busted eye and some scrapes and bruises. Nothin’ bad.” Duke murmured back to Dean, before turning his attention back to Esme, “You look better than the last time I saw you. I should leave more often.”

“Well…no broken bones and you don’t seem on the verge of death. So, why did you come back so early?” Dean grumbled. And Duke sighed.

“Because I missed my house. I can’t miss you guys? We should go out tonight…the three of us. My treat.” Duke diffused Dean, definitely not wanting the fight he knew Dean was trying to start. He wasn’t really feeling the whole ‘where were you? What were you doing? Why do you always run? You’re a horrible son…blahblahblah’ at the moment. “We wanna go out together? What the hell happened while I was gone?”