#bean things

The time was around 2 AM in the bunker and all was quiet as could be… Until Briar nearly squeals with excitement in her room and potentially wakes the Winchester brothers up. Her phone was bright and buzzed with messages between her and Charlie. The resident geek queen had found a case of a shapeshifter murdering people and this shapeshifter also attended anime conventions. A shapeshifter at an anime convention where people cosplay as different characters for the day; what could possibly go wrong? 

Quietly, Briar tiptoes out of her room and down the chilly hall to Dean’s. She knows that Sam wouldn’t be interested in this type of case but is 100 percent certain that the eldest Winchester will be on board. The door to Dean’s room cracks open as gently as Briar can, before slipping in without a sound. Once the door is shut, she walks over to a sleeping Winchester and places a hand on his shoulder. 

“Dean.” She shakes his shoulder, voice hushed. “Dean!” a bit louder this time and her shaking more rough. 

There is a sharp inhale from Dean followed by a groan as Briar manages to rouse him. 

“Bri… It’s 2 in the morning.” 

“Yeah and? Charlie just texted me and said she found a case in Chicago.” The bed dips a little as Briar takes a seat. 

Another groan rips from Dean as he turns, his back facing her. “Can’t this wait until I’m awake?” 

“No.” A grin spreads across Briar’s lips and she leans closer to Dean. “It’s at an anime convention.” 

The sheets rustle as Dean turns to face the young woman, more awake and intrigued. “Go on.” 

She knew he would be down for this kind of thing. Sam may have been more of a book, lore, and law nerd, but Dean was like Briar and Charlie; an absolute geek. Briar nearly choked the first time she ever heard him make some obscure reference to an anime while just casually investigating a mundane case. This didn’t help her massive crush on him whatsoever. 

“Ok, so, I absolutely know that Sam won’t wanna take the case because he’s a different kind of nerd. But,” Briar pulls her phone up and scrolls for a second, pulling up the tickets on her screen. “Charlie hooked us up with con tickets.” 

“Alright! Sweet! Wait.” Dean's expression falls a little and his brows knit together. “I don’t have a cosplay to wear. The Jason Todd one I ordered isn’t due to show up for another month. I paid good money for that!” His frown grows. 

The grin on Briar’s face only widens. “Lucky for you, Charlie has a few connections and already has a cosplay set for you-” 

“No. We aren’t taking this case.” A very tired and grumpy Sam interjects. 

Dean and Briar look at each other then back to Sam who is standing in the doorway to Dean’s room. “I thought you were asleep.” The elder Winchester raises a brow at his brother. 

“Nope. Couldn’t sleep. Had too much caffeine earlier and you two are louder than you think.” He runs a large hand over his face. “Anyway, this isn’t a priority and I don’t want to be dragged to some nerd convention.” 

“Says you, nerd.” Dean mutters and snorts to himself. 

“Whatever, Dean. We aren’t-” 

Briar stands up from the bed and holds a slender finger up. “We are. First off, Charlie paid good money for all four of us to go. Second, she also prepared a cosplay for you. Third, it’s a shapeshifter that has already taken out at least 10 people based on the reports she found. Come on, Sam. Think about it.” 

Sam’s chest rose up and a defeated sigh escaped his nostrils. There wasn’t any way he was getting out of this one. “I, uh, I guess. I mean, if it's killed that many already then it’s a problem.” 

“An even bigger problem because it’s a shapeshifter. At a con. You know, where people cosplay?” Dean adds. “We haven’t done a good old shapeshifter case in ages! Come on, Sammy! You’ll have your con cherry popped.” 

The younger Winchester closes his eyes tightly, face scrunched. “I get it. Alright. When do we leave?” 

In unison, Briar and Dean let out a loud “YES!” and high-five each other. Sam can’t help but smile a little at the two and shakes his head. He was in for a long, nerdy weekend with inevitable bloodshed. 

—

“You still haven’t told us what we’re cosplaying as.” Dean reaches back, holding his hand out to Briar for a handful of her snack as he drives. 

“We?” Sam turns around to look at Briar with a slightly horrified expression. 

“Yeah, Sammy. We. Us. This includes you. Charlie wasn’t gonna let you be friggin’ boring.” Dean chuckles and shakes his hand at Briar. “Hey. Snack. Now.” 

Coyly, Briar puts her hand in Dean’s. Her cheeks are a dusty pink and heart races a little. There wasn’t any harm in flirting. They did it all the time despite her doubts that Dean would ever feel that way about her. 

“I mean… You’re not wrong.” His famous smirk makes its way on his handsome face. “You are definitely a good snack, sweetheart but I need some of them pretzels you got there. The Dean tax.” 

The heat in Briar’s cheeks died down at his dismissal. Reluctantly, she puts a generous handful of pretzels into his hand. 

Sam didn’t miss the disappointed glint in the young woman’s eyes and gave her a quick, sympathetic smile. He knows about her devastating crush on Dean and has told her to just say something and quit being so stubborn. It was more than likely his older brother felt the same as Briar but the two of them were blockheads. Outside of their flirting and close knit bond, the duo got into a lot of arguments when on cases. It was mostly out of concern for each other's safety and being reckless. 

“When has there ever been a ‘Dean tax’? You just made that shit up.” Sam scoffs, changing the tone in an attempt to distract Briar. 

“Always has been, Sam. Even before Bri joined our merry band wagon of misfit toys.” Dean crunches on the pretzels, keeping his eyes on the road. “Someone has snacks while in the car, they gotta pay the Dean tax. You included.” 

“You’re ridiculous.” Sam rolls his eyes. 

“Seconded.” Briar chimes in. 

Dean’s green gaze flicks to the rearview mirror to Briar for a quick moment. He pretends to be hurt and pushes his lower lip out in a pout. “You don’t gotta agree. I thought you were on my side.” 

“Sometimes. Sam is right though, you’re soooo ridiculous.” Briar grins to herself and sinks in the backseat, now immersed in the game she was playing on her 3DS. 

The elder Winchester takes another glance at Briar in the mirror before focusing on the road ahead. He can’t help but think about her sly flirt earlier and it brings a small smile to his face. She was too good for him. Dean didn’t think he deserved someone like her and he sure as hell didn’t want anything to happen to her. It’s why he kept her at arms length and only allowed himself to indulge in playful banter and an occasional touch here and there. Not to mention, she was 10 years younger than he was, but that still didn’t deter the ache in his chest. Shaking his head, Dean turns on the radio to get his mind off her and focus on the task at hand. 

–

Once in the hotel room, Briar squeals with joy and hugs Charlie tightly. The two women sway as they are locked in their embrace and chatter excitedly about the con.

“I really don’t think that I need to dress up.” Sam mutters, looking over at the suitcase that Charlie had brought in. 

“Yes you do! It’s part of the fun!” Charlie pipes up, finally pulling away from Briar. 

“What she said.” Dean nods, nudging Sam. 

“I really hate to be the Debbie downer, but this is still a case, guys. People have been murdered and the monster is still out there. Do we even have any intel on what its habits are? The M.O? Victim patterns?” Sam sets his duffelbag down on one of the beds. He had a point and his words did bring some of the initial excitement down. 

Charlie folded her arms over her chest, an inquisitive expression on her face. “Well, I did find out that this shapeshifter typically takes the form of a common neckbeard basement dweller,” she pauses for a moment to see the disgusted look on Briar’s face, “I know, gross. Why that form? I’m not sure and at this point, I don’t think I want to know. Anyways, the victims have all been connected by a dating forum. It’s both men and women, they don’t discriminate.” She walks over to the suitcase near Sam and picks it up. “I also learned that they go by the name Wade… As in Wade Wilson. They love Marvel, which is why…” 

The sound of the zipper on the suitcase breaks the silent pause in the room. Charlie pulls out Captain America’s shield and grins, “We’re gonna be the Avengers!!” 

Dean’s eyes light up and he reaches for the shield, a growing smile on his face. “Hell yeah! This is freakin’ awesome!! Wait, do I get to be Cap?” He looks at Charlie, his eyes almost sparkling. 

“Yep! You’re Mr. Steve Rogers himself! Briar is gonna be Black Widow,” The red head winks at Briar and hands her the body suit and short red wig. “I am gonna be Maria Hill and Sam-” 

The look of dread upon Sam’s face is laughable. He clearly doesn’t want to be here and absolutely doesn’t want to dress up. 

“Will be Bucky. Trust me, people are gonna go wild when they see you, Plus, with how long your hair is, you don’t need a wig! No wig headache for you or Dean!! Sorry, Bri. We’re probably gonna be the ones to suffer.” Charlie hands a well done, yet imperfectly crafted “metal” arm to Sam. 

“Who the hell is Bucky?” Sam looks down at the arm then back to Charlie. 

At that moment, Sam is met with big smiles from the other three in the room. He shakes his head, confused. 

“Atta boy. See? You’re already killin’ it!” Dean gives a big pat to Sam’s back and laughs, dancing his way over to get the rest of the Captain America cosplay. 

“Oh, um…” Briar clears her throat, a concerned expression on her face. “Before we discuss the plan, there’s something you should know about. Sam. Dean.” 

The brothers turn to her with full attention. 

“Be careful of fangirls. They um… They ship ‘Stucky’. Which means they like Steve and Bucky as a pairing and some may want you to kiss if you get caught up in photo ops.” Briar grimaces.

Charlie nods in agreement, a prominent look of worry also on her face. “You guys all know I’m for that gay shit, but-” 

“W-We get it.” Sam nods, his eyes shut and disgust all over his face. 

Dean gives a wry, yet pained smile and sucks in air through his teeth. “Alrighty. So no pictures. Definitely not.” 

“Oh, we will be taking pictures! Just not, uh, that.” Charlie shoots a quick smile before rushing to the bathroom to help Briar get into the tight fitting suit. “Damn, girl!!” The red head bites her lip a little as she examines how well the suit hugs Briar's curves. 

With a slight blush on her cheeks, Briar turns around and folds her arms over her ample bust. It didn't help that she already had a larger chest. “I don't look ridiculous, do I? I'm used to more loose fitting cosplays. Are you sure this is my size? It fits a bit snug.” 

Unable to help herself, Charlie continues to admire the way the brunette woman looks. “Just wait until he sees you.” She winks, knowing about how Briar feels about Dean. It was as if everyone, but Dean, knew how Briar felt about him. “But, if he doesn't want you, I certainly do!” She nudges the other woman and grins. 

Briar shakes her head a little, smiling at Charlie. “Well, we'd better hurry this quick.” She nods toward the make up already set out on the counter of the bathroom. She appreciated Charlie being her hype-woman and didn't mind the flirting either. Briar's thoughts are swirling with what Dean would possibly think. With a quick sigh, she focuses back on the task ahead. 

“Hehehehe. You look like a drowned rat.” Dean giggles as he helps Sam apply the black make up around his eyes. 

Sam exhales loudly, a slight whistle laced in his sigh. “Don't make this more humiliating than it already is, Dean. I look like a military KISS band member.” 

Stepping back, Dean inspects his handiwork and grins. “Well then you're the coolest looking military KISS band member I've ever seen.” He gives him a pat on his non-armored arm. “Dude, chicks are gonna flock to you. They love the dark broody type.” 

“Whatever you say, Dean. You're the expert.” Sam shrugs, watching the elder Winchester part his hair and put a plop of gel into it. 

Once Dean is satisfied with how his hair looks, attempting a Chris Evans look from memory, he nods at himself in the mirror. He looked brave and dashing in his costume, but with the shield, he embodied Captain America’s aura. “I understood that reference.” He mimics a line from the first Avengers movie. 

“Lookin’ good, Cap!” Charlie steps out of the bathroom in her Maria Hill cosplay. She gives Sam a big smile as she turns her attention to the younger Winchester. “You look awesome. Oh, I am so excited.” 

“Thanks, Agent Hill. You know, it's strange seeing you as a bru-” Dean stops mid sentence, his expression falling into one of awe as Briar walks out. He just about damn near had an aneurism seeing her in that body suit and dolled up. Sam was even stunned and admiring how good she looked. 

Dean swallows thickly and coughs, trying not to let the blood from his brain flow further south. That black suit hugged her curves in all the right ways, shaped her hips and ass nicely, and breasts pushed together while sitting pretty. He coughs again and has to mentally smack himself from saying something stupid or leading her on. Briar didn't deserve that. She deserved someone better than him. “Sweet. We're all ready. Uh… What's the plan?” 

To say it stung a little that Dean didn't say anything was an understatement. Briar knows that she shouldn't be so upset about it, but she looks good. Damn good. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she turns her attention to the conversation being held. 

Since the group would be there for the entire duration of the con, Charlie suggested that they spread out and check the specific areas she thinks the shifter could be at. The game room, artists / vendors alley, Magic the Gathering tournament, and the atrium where photoshoots were being held. Thankfully, she had gotten there a day before so she snagged a schedule of what shoots were when. She reminded them that they were looking for someone who wasn’t cosplaying, took the appearance of a heavier set balding man that stood around 6’0”, a thick neckbeard, and wore a Deadpool shirt that appeared like it hadn’t been washed in months. 

The plan was once they found him, each of them would slowly meet up with the person who found the target and crowd him to a quieter area. The group wanted as little bloodshed as possible. 

Excitement buzzes in the air as the four enter the convention center. Dean’s eyes light up as he sees a group of people in Batman costumes. Charlie becomes enamored by a Princess Leia cosplay. Briar just about turns into a pile of unintelligible goo as she sees someone cosplaying Itachi from Naruto. 

Sam? His palms are sweaty but knees are not quite weak and his arms are definitely not spaghetti. Internally, he is screaming as the overstimulation is a nightmare. There is so much going on and so many people walking around and not even caring where they go. “Let’s get this over with so I don’t die of anxiety and heat exhaustion.” He mutters. Just as he is about to tell the group he is going off to one of the aforementioned areas, his eyes catch a familiar face. “Hey, August!” a small smile breaks across his face as he makes his way over to his friend. 

Charlie is suddenly over by the Starwars group and clearly trying to make a move on the woman cosplaying Leia. 

“So much for getting this over with.” Briar scoffs and stands next to Dean, people watching. 

“I mean, we’re gonna be here for two more days. Might as well have a little fun while on the job.” He flashes a dazzling grin down at Briar. Dean’s eyes linger a little longer on her form than normal. Had her eyes always been so pretty? They were a cool grey-blue shade. It reminded him of when clouds begin to roll in before the inevitable storm. He didn’t even want to get himself started on those luscious, full lips of hers. Dean runs his tongue over his lips for a moment as he imagines what it would feel like to kiss her, how their tongues would tangle, or how her lips would look wrapped around his- 

Dean’s thoughts are interrupted by the sound of heavy, rough breathing and the disgusting stench of body odor. He looks to his right and sees a heavier set man, adult acne littering his face, a shirt stained under the pits with a rather lewd image of an anime girl he can’t recognize but is certain she’s underage. 

“Can I help you?” The elder Winchester’s brows knit together as he stands confused while this odd specimen invades his personal space. 

“You’re not canonically accurate.” The con-goer speaks, nasally and wimpy. 

“Excuse me? What?” Dean is dumbfounded. 

“Steve Rogers doesn’t have green eyes. He has blue. Your cosplay is decent, but sub par if you’re trying to capture Chris Evans MCU adaptation. That Bucky Barnes you were with? Too tall. Also not canonically accurate and in the comics, he has brown eyes. Sebastian Stan has blue eyes in the MCU adaptation of Winter Soldier.” The man pushes his glasses up his nose and snorts a wad of snot into the back of his throat before coughing. 

“Buddy, what the hell are you even talking about? Cons are for everyone to enjoy the last I saw. Who cares if your cosplay is accurate-” 

“It does matter.” The man cuts Dean off and stares blankly at him. “Because if you’re going to show up in cosplay as a man, you either embody the Alpha male energy or be a pathetic Beta cuck. Captain America is an Alpha male. You are not. Have you ever seen the Matrix? The red pill and blue pill? Probably not. You don’t seem to have that intellectual thought process. In fact, you’re probably just a Chad looking to pick up femoids.” 

The look on Dean’s face is one of pure confusion and disbelief. Every word this man was saying was out of his own vocabulary, and Dean thought he was pretty well informed on current slang. “Have you ever gone outside? Like aside from today? Do you know what grass is? You need to touch it.” 

Unphased by his words, the man continues to stare at Dean and breathe through his mouth. “I will admit though. The Black Widow you have? She’s hot. She is accurate. Her tits are a bit big, but I can work with that. Big tits aren’t a bad thing. Actually, if she’s not with you, I’ll see if she can be enticed by my Alpha male pheromones and become my mate.”  

Dean’s eye twitches upon the filth spewed from this degenerates mouth about Briar. In a matter of seconds, his hand grabs the front of this vile homunculous’ shirt. “Say one more thing about her and it will be the last fucking thing you ever do.” His voice is low but venomous. The thought of another man’s hands on Briar drove Dean up a wall. He didn’t think he deserved her, thought she would be better off with someone else, but then he had opposing thoughts like this. 

“Let him go! It’s not worth it!” Briar’s voice breaks through the anger induced haze Dean is stuck in. With one last warning look, Dean releases the man and watches as he pathetically scampers away. 

“What the hell was that about? You don’t just grab people like that, Dean.” She shakes her head, folding her arms over her chest. 

“I know that, Briar, but you don’t need to scold me. Plus, you’d have the same reaction, if not worse, if you heard what the fuck he was talking about.” Dean’s jaw clenches a little. 

“And that was?”

Breathing in deeply, Dean shakes his head and gently grabs Briar by the arm. “Forget it. Let’s just get this thing over with.” 

It was better off that Briar didn’t question what had happened since Dean was in a foul mood now, but that was something that drove her crazy. He was so hot and cold with her at times and would shut himself away. It kind of hurt her in a way as she had felt they had a pretty strong bond outside of her hidden feelings. Briar’s lips part for a moment to speak, to finally press him on what that man said but she goes against the idea. 

At around 3 PM, the group meets up for a check in. Before that, Briar and Dean had yet another argument concerning looks she was given by other men and how he shamelessly flirted with other women. Both of them had split up after that. Once regrouped, Briar stands near Charlie and refuses to even look at Dean. 

“Seriously? Here? Can you two go one time without getting into a fight? I thought I was the one that would be miserable.” Sam groans. 

“I can see that you're not with all those prints and signed autograph of Elijah Wood.” Charlie raises her brows, nodding at the mass of art prints Sam is holding. 

Timidly, the younger Winchester shifts his haul behind him and clears his throat. “I was not aware how much art Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings had at these things.” He mutters. 

“Ha! Nerd!” Dean grins at Sam. “At least you're not stuck with princess over here. What? Suit crawling up your ass?” His grin fades as he looks at Briar. 

“Maybe the shield you keep swinging around is compensating for your puny dick size!!” Briar snaps, lip curling slightly. “Or could it be that you're so enamored with seeing half naked women that you can't think properly!! That's the only reason you go to these things, pig!!”

“Keep running your fucking mouth-” Dean takes a hefty step toward her but feels Sam’s hand slap his chest and push him back. 

“Or what, Dean? Or what!? Going to tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about and how I'm just flaunting myself for male validation? I was excited to go to a con with you for once!” Briar huffs, hurt in her gaze. 

“This isn't a time for fun. This is an active monster ganking people and you're acting like some teenage girl stuck in dreamland!!” The elder Winchester shoves past his brother and looks down at the Black Widow. 

“You were excited about this case, too!! That's why I went to YOU!! Because I thought of you!!” Briar grabs Charlie by the arm and quickly turns on her heel, walking away fast. 

With a small growl, Dean tries to catch up but feels Sam’s grip. 

“Don't. You both need to cool off.” Sam shakes his head. “Besides, I have a lead.” 

The brothers take off in the opposite direction, making haste with their long strides to where Sam possibly found a clue. Leaning against the wall was a woman with short dark hair, an eyebrow piercing and sharp amber eyes. Upon recognition, Dean grins at Sam. “Son of a bitch, it's August Crawford. What the hell are you doin’ here?” 

“I was in town and discovered we are all investigating the same case… Though, I opted out of dressing up.” August shoves herself off the wall and takes a place next to Sam. The faint blush on his cheeks does not go unnoticed. 

“Alright then. Here I thought you and Sammy were hooking up.” Dean winks at the two of them, a sly grin on his face. 

August's cheeks become warm and she clears her throat. “That's not important. What's important is what I found.” She nods her head, signaling for the two of them to follow her. 

“The last I saw of the shifter, it was wearing some pink wig in pigtails with a cutesy dress on.” The short haired woman notes as she walks. 

“Madoka Magica.” Dean says, brows knitting together. 

Sam almost stops in his tracks and looks at Dean with a hint of concern. “How in the hell do you know that based on such a vague description?” 

“I thought it was gonna be a cute slice of life anime, but boy was I fucking wrong. That shit is DARK.” He doesn't even answer Sam properly as he continues to go on about cute magical girls and how messed up the show is. 

After another long walk, the trio enters an empty conference room, or what was an empty conference room…

“Charlie?!” Dean’s eyes widen and he strides over to the red head who is currently groaning softly and slumped against the wall. He looks her over, shoulders relaxing a little once he realizes that she doesn't have any serious injuries. 

“Son of a bitch.” Her eyes are squeezed shut as she rubs her head carefully. “Fucker snuck up on me outta no where! Totally wasn't expecting that. I'm ok for the most part, though.” Charlie opens one eye, looking around, a bit confused. “Where's Bri?”

Sam looks at August then to Dean, alarm glazed in his eyes. “Oh shit.” 

–

“Hey Charlie, where are we going? I don't think this is the con grounds. In fact, this is underground.” Briar looks around the dark corridor, voice echoing down the long stretch of walls. On top of being confused, Briar picks up a rather pungent scent that makes her nose scrunch in disgust.

“Oh uh, yeah it is. I found a nice spot to do some shoots.” Charlie flashes a smile at the other woman. 

The smile makes Briar stop in her tracks. Her grey-blue eyes lock in on Charlie's teeth. They were crooked and had a layer of plaque on them. Her gums looked severely inflamed, too. In a matter of seconds, Briar has the shifter pinned down. 

The shifter panics, turning back into its preferred grotesque form of a “neckbeard” and starts to cry. “PLEASE!! I DIDN'T MEAN TO KILL ALL THOSE PEOPLE!! IT WASN'T MY CHOICE!!” 

Briar pulls out a silver knife and holds it under the fat of the shifter's neck, pressing it hard against its skin. “Talk.” She orders. 

“Okay… Okay. Look, I um, this is my actual form, ok? My name isn't actually Wade Wilson but Deadpool is my favorite! Can I just say how arousing it is to have such a hot lady cosplaying Black Widow pinning me-” 

Briar groans and presses the blade harder into its skin as a warning. “I am giving you a chance to explain yourself on why you killed those people. My friends wouldn't be so nice. Now talk.” 

“Friends? That one guy doesn't seem like your friend. He's kind of a jerk. Are you two a couple?” The shifter raises its non-existent eyebrows before shrieking at the growl Briar gives it. “OKAY! OKAY! I-I kind of owe a debt and was scouting for more victims. Um, I just wasn't expecting hunters to show up…” 

“Debt? What debt?” 

“The one he owes me.” A voice echoes out from the dark. 

Stepping into the dim light, a man dressed in a neatly pressed suit gives a smile to Briar that sends chills down her spine. 

“Oh shit- PLEASE!! PLEASE I DIDN'T KNOW, SIR!! I DIDN'T KNOW THAT HUNTERS WOULD BE HERE!!” The shifter squeals, thrashing under Briar’s grip. 

The man tuts softly, walking slowly toward the two, heels clicking against the concrete. “Of course you didn't. How could you have known five hunters, two of them being Winchesters, were here?” The man nearly hisses through clenched teeth when speaking about the brothers. “The deal is up. You didn't get me enough souls.” 

Briar turns to look at the shifter almost dumbfounded. “What the fuck did you make a deal for!?” 

“Um… A girlfriend?” 

A loud snap echoes down the corridor as the shifter's neck is snapped. When Briar looks up, the man's eyes are completely black. “Christopher. Nice to meet you or not so nice. You did ruin an active deal I had going on.” 

“A really shitty one it looks like.” Briar straightens herself up, cracking her neck. “Too bad you won’t be making anymore.” 

The glint of her silver blade flashes as Briar charges at the Demon head on. The two swap hit after hit but not actually making any dents. Christopher’s fist lands what would have been a rough blow against the wall, concrete cracking under his bloodied flesh. Briar manages to strike him in his jaw before kicking him down onto the cold floor. She pulls out a small vial, her teeth sinking into the cork as she yanks it out with a pop. 

“Holy water? Really? You hunters are so predictable.” Christopher laughs, breathlessly with Briar’s foot placed firmly on his chest. Taking the opportunity, the Demon wraps his hand around her ankle and pulls her down. Before Briar can have a chance to get back up, she’s sent flying into the wall where she almost was hit previously. The slam of her body adds another crack into the concrete. 

“Oh I am not going to be the fucking damsel in distress.” Briar coughs, getting up and glaring at Christopher. She's almost certain that one of her ribs is fractured by the pain radiating in her side, but brushes that off. She had work to do. 

The Demon sees Briar charge again and engages in hand to hand combat. “Did you learn all this just to embody the fictional character you're dressed as?” He taunts, sliding to the side and feeling a faint gust from her fist. 

The Black Widow cosplayer doesn't answer and swings her leg up, kicking him in the side of the head. Taking this opportunity, Briar grabs Christopher and puts him in a choke hold. “No. I took lessons when I was younger!” She grunts as she struggles with the Demons SUPERNATURAL strength. “Come on you bitch! Stay fuckin put!!” Briar growls, now in a wrestling match with him. 

“My, my. What a mouth on you! Ladies shouldn't speak like th-” 

“Hey! Dick bag!” A familiar voice echoes through the hall. 

Briar looks up and shoots a grin at Dean. “About time you got here!” 

The Elder Winchester returns the grin and holds up the shield proudly as Sam groans in the back. He knows what his brother is about to do. 

“AVENGERS!! … Assemble.” Dean commands, throwing the shield as hard as he can at the demon. With sheer, dumb comical luck, the prop hits Christopher in the head giving Briar a chance to overpower him. 

“ENOUGH!!” Christopher screams, sending Briar flying through the air again. His eyes turn completely black and he cracks his neck. 

August looks at the Demon then at the Winchester brothers. “That explains the dead body.” She mutters and pulls out a flask, tossing it to Sam. 

Sam catches the small flask while charging at Christopher with Dean. He quickly opens the lid and splashes the holy water on the Demon who cries out in pain. Out from the dark hallway, Briar leaps onto the Demon and pins him to the ground. The glint of the demon blade shines in the dim light for a second before plunging into his back. An eruption of black smoke bursts from the body, its eyes glowing orange for a moment before finally fading. 

“So… I guess this wasn't just a shapeshifter case?” Charlie breaks the silence, shrugging. 

“No.” Briar replies, hissing as she gets up and holds her midsection. “The shapeshifter wanted a girlfriend and made a deal with Mr. Dead Demon here. So he had to get a certain number of souls for that.” She pauses for a moment and nods “He told me.” 

“All that and your wig never came off.” Dean comments under his breath, actually impressed. 

– 

Once the crime scene was cleared and Briar looked over, the group returned to the convention. “Alright. I'll see you guys back at the hotel. I think I've had enough for one day… But..” Sam clicks his tongue and sighs “I had fun. I didn't think I would, but I did.” 

“HA!! I TOLD YOU!!” Dean grins proudly. 

“We still need to get a picture of you guys!” Charlie nods, holding her phone up. 

With a few grumbles, Sam and Dean take a couple pictures just to humor Charlie. The younger Winchester waves to them with his con purchases in hand as he walks back to their hotel with August. 

Naturally, Dean wiggles his eyebrows and chuckles. “That's my boy- Ow!” He frowns as he feels an elbow to his ribs. 

“Don't be gross.” Briar folds her arms over her chest, a scowl on her face.

“You're still mad at me? I saved your ass!” 

“You showed up just in time! You didn't ‘save my ass’ , you just threw your shield and quoted Steve Rogers from the first Avengers movie!!” 

“It was cool though! When was I going to get another opportunity to say the line and tag team while dressed like this? Huh? Huh?” Dean holds his arms out and raises his eyebrows at Briar. 

Grumbling, the huntress agrees under her breath that it was “kinda cool” with a faint blush on her cheeks. 

“Told ya.” Dean grins again and chuckles softly to himself. He takes her form in, eyes lingering on her pouting lip and distant gaze. “Bri, look.” His tone changes as he knows she is still upset about earlier. “For what it's worth, I was worried about you. After what that nasty, smelly son of a bitch said about you earlier…” He shakes his head, not wanting to even think about what could have happened if that situation came about. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that.” 

Briar’s lips part, wanting to tell him that she is a big girl and can handle herself but she is interrupted by someone grabbing her. 

“COME ON YOU TWO!! PHOTOSHOOT TIME AND IT'S ROMANOGERS!!” An overly excited fangirl beams, tugging at Briar’s arm. The fangirl was lucky that she didn't get a firm fist to her face. 

Charlie grins, nodding at them and holding her phone up. “Go on you guys.” 

“What's a Romanogers?” Dean raises his brows as he follows Briar and the fangirl to the huge crowd of Avengers cosplayers. The majority being focused on at the moment are all Captain America and Black Widow cosplays. 

Briar and Dean are shoved in the center. “It's a pairing.” Briar says, looking at Dean with a wry smile. “We don't have to do anything crazy. We can just pose or-” 

“-TWO, ONE!! PICTURES!!” 

Being mindful of her ribs, Dean takes the opportunity to swoop Briar down and plant a kiss to her lips as flashes from phones and cameras blind them all. A small smile creeps on his lips as he feels Briar’s arms wrap around his neck. His heart raced a little faster as he decided to deepen their kiss, liking the way her lips slot with his. 

“NEXT!! STUCKY!!” 

Briar is the first to pull away, looking at him through her long lashes. The setting sun illuminates her features and has her eyes sparkle. 

Clearing his throat, Dean releases Briar and looks away. His ears are red and cheeks a little pink. He rubs the back of his neck and walks back over to Charlie with her. 

That kiss was enough for her as she knew she wouldn't get any admittance out of him anytime soon. A whistle catches Briar’s attention as Charlie wiggles her brows and holds her phone up. Looking down, Briar checks her own phone and sees that Charlie took pictures of their kiss. At least she could hold onto that moment for the rest of her life.