âI have this dream of being whole. Of not going to sleep each night, wanting. But still sometimes, when the wind is warm or the crickets sing... I dream of a love that even time will lie down and be still for.â - Practical Magic Kayla. 28. 95% iced coffee. Kansas. USA. Master List
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working on a new theory that dean winchester himself is behind the cw since all their shows are apparently just crossovers of his loved ones and hobbies/interests. scooby-doo self-insert fanfic about his parents, cowboy fanfic about his brother, batman fanfic about his boyfriend.
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đ â¨đâĄâif you're receiving this, you make someone happyđđâĄđâ¨âgo send this to 10 people who make you happy or who you think need cheering up.đâ¨đâ¨ââIf you get it back then the betterđđđâĄâ¨
@deansraspberrypie You're too sweet! Thank you!!!!!
@b3autyfuldisast3r @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone @westerneyedwinchester @charred-angelwings @impala-dreamer @leigh70 @deans-baby-momma @waynes-multiverse @smol-and-grumpy @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior @princessmisery666 and so many more that I can't remember everyone off the top of my head đđĽ°đ
I currently work with digital and could use the practice in between Tumblr challenges. I'm not charging right now, so if you have something you'd like to see, send it my way!
I'm a huge DnD nerd and love any story connected to a character, whether it's a PC or NPC, baddie or goodie, anything! I'm also down for any other interesting idea you'd like to see come to life or done in a different style.
Here's some things I've done:
If you'd like to see what I can do for you, shoot me a message and we'll go from there!
(I'll be adding some other fun things soon as well, so keep an eye out for those!)
Chapter 9 of Breathe was GLORIOUS! ARGHHH!!!! It really is beautiful to see someone take ownership of what they want to do in life and pursue it! Plus that line of being ravished had me losing all common sense đĽľ
Thank you for your kind words!! Iâm so glad that you loved it. Iâve been building up so long to this moment it was great finally making it happen!
do you have a schedule for posting chapters like a specific day or something?
Hi Anon,
Ideally I would love to have a schedule, but at this time I donât have enough free time to write on a regular basis. When I do have free time I write as much as I can, though. Currently life is very busy with teaching and coaching. I have about a month left of school, and things should slow down significantly.
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I am currently working on the next chapter for Painted, and then Breathe will come right after that! Thank you for checking in. This month is really busy with my main job (teaching) and coaching after school and on the weekends. I havenât had any time to write since my last posting.
After the biggest meeting of her career, Y/N went for a drink and met him. Dean Winchester, the handsome bartender at The Shop, who managed to say all of the right things to soften her hard shell. Was it possible that Y/N was wrong all of this time? Had she spent the better part of 2 decades focusing on her career when there was one man in a city of 18 million that could make her feel more alive than any job ever could? Will she be able to slow down long enough to let herself fall in love with a man that was never a part of the plan? After years of holding her breath, will she finally let herself breathe again?
This story is written for my beautiful and talented friend and beta @dean-winchesters-baconâ, thanks for always inspiring me and supporting my whims. Love you always.
Banner by the talented @talesmaniac89
Chapter Nine
Dean
When Dean found out his dad was having another son he was furious. It felt like a replacement. John Winchester had already left Mary and Dean alone and found another woman to create a life with, and now Dean was being replaced, too. A new wife, a new apartment, a new son, a new life. A new life without Dean. He imagined what his little brother would be like, and all he could see at the time was a nightmare creature with sharp teeth thatâs entire goal was to rip apart his family.
He wouldnât participate in the baby shower, he didnât care to help pick out a name, and since Mary's feelings were hurt so were Deanâs. She tried to hide it, of course, but he heard her crying at night.
It wasnât until his dad took him to the hospital to meet Sammy that his demeanor changed completely. The squishy, pink skinned baby looked up at him with squinty eyes. Heâd been screaming a moment before, but when he locked eyes with Dean he made a cooing noise and reached out a tiny, dimpled hand. There were no teeth, just gums and little purple lips that opened and closed as if he wanted to say something. Dean's heart melted as Sammyâs tiny fist wrapped around his finger, squeezing with Thor's strength.
He was a big brother, and Dean knew the moment Sam looked up at him with sleepy eyes that he would protect him until his last breath.
Thirty some years later he stared at that same kid affectionately on the roof of his law firm in downtown New York City.
âIâll give you this, Dean, you are a hell of a cook,â Sam said, chewing.
âGlad I can impress.â
âIt's a long way from Winchester Surprise.â
âHey! You liked macaroni and cheese with marshmallows. I never once heard you complain,â Dean said dismissively.
Sam shrugged and smiled softly. âYou did your best with what you had.â
âI tried.â Dean looked out to the city. It was getting cooler as autumn crept into view. âHowâre things going, Sammy?â he asked, his eyes flickering back to his brother. âYou got an asshole for a partner on this case? He leavinâ you to do all the work?â
âIâm not sure whatâs going on with her,â Sam said pointedly.
Dean nodded knowingly. âSorry for assuming. Is she an asshole, then?â He grinned widely at his brother.
âNo. SheâsâŚâ Sam sighed and Dean's eyebrows shot up in response. Furrowed brows, sad lips, and pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew that damn look.
âYou like her.â
âWhat?â
âIâve seen that look before, Sam. The only time you get this bent out of shape is when youâre in deep.â
âIâm notâŚâ Sam began, but when he locked eyes with his brother, his resolve dissipated. His face fell into his hands and he let out an exacerbated groan. âI am in deep. Iâm in love with her, Dean, and I really donât know what to do about it.â
Looking at his brother made Dean soften significantly. âAh, man. Have you told her? You should probably tell her how you feel.â
âShe doesnât want to hear it.â
âSure she does! Youâre a goddamn catch!â
âI donât know, Dean. Itâs always been so physical with her. Sheâs so⌠focused on anything else but us. Plus, sheâs pissed at me.â
âWhat did you do? Can you fix it?â
Sam shrugged half-heartedly. âI⌠Iâm trying to fix it. Sheâs mad that I was chosen as primary on this case. They picked me over her, and I insisted that she should work with me on it. Isnât that worth something?â
Dean thought about Y/N then, and her devastation over losing her own role in her job to a man. Normally, Dean wouldâve been completely on his brother's side, but after meeting her his perspective had changed significantly. âHave you considered her side of things? I donât know, man, sometimes I donât think we realize how easy weâve got it. Not that your job is easy⌠I just mean that our gender doesnât make it harder.â
âI guess,â Sam said, squirming in his seat a bit. âI work really hard, and I hate that she discounts it. I also see why sheâs pissed, though. Itâs so complicated.â He groaned and ran his fingers through his hair.
His baby brother was going through something, but if Dean learned anything from Y/N itâs that this is worth learning. âBe honest with her, consider her feelings and think about the fact that she has to work twice as hard to be considered in a room that you and I can just walk into. The world isnât fair, Sammy. I know that much at least.â
âWhere is this all coming from?â
He could feel his cheeks heat. âI may have met someone, too.â
âOh?â
âDonât look at me like that,â Dean said dismissively.
âLike what?â Sam asked, feigning innocence.
âLike youâre expecting me to start braiding your hair and gossiping about a crush.â
âYouâre blushing, Dean. Iâve never seen you like that, not even with Lisa. Iâm just saying⌠Iâm happy for you. Whoever she is, I hope she makes you happy. I hope she isnât as complicated as what Iâm going through. You deserve a happy ending, man.â
âIt hasnât been long enough to even begin to think about an ending, happy or otherwise.â But he secretly hoped she was his happy ending, too.
âYou should tell her how you feel, too,â Sam said, nodding to his brother. âYou do it, and I will, too.â
âIt always has to be a competition with you,â Dean said, raising an eyebrow.
âSome things never change.â He grinned widely.
âFine. Iâll tell her.â He wouldâve told her anyway. It was never a secret.
Her
Y/N walked around New York. She had a lot to think about, and it was taking over her mind; she was drowning in it all. The idea of quitting, leaving it all behind had crawled into her mind and made a home there. It burrowed in deeply and dug its claws in. She couldnât shake the feeling that she had to make a change. When she walked Lisa back to her studio she saw all of the women gearing up for their yoga class. The image now lived in her mind rent free.
She watched them, knowing who they were, but not daring to make any assumptions. They were survivors. Each one of them had survived some kind of violence, an attack by someone they didnât know and sometimes, someone they knew far too well. Y/N knew from her womenâs study classes in college that one in four women were assaulted in their lifetime and despite the fact that less than two percent of reports are false, only six in approximately one-thousand rapes resulted in incarceration. When she heard the numbers for the first time she wrote them down in her notebook and taped the page to her dorm room wall. She wouldnât end up one of those numbers, and she didnât. Her friends did, though - more than one.
Watching the women stretch and laugh and heal in front of her, everything clicked together. That's what she wanted to do. She wanted to help the women who were hurt. She wanted to be a shining light in the darkness because anyone who wanted to share their story deserved to do so without being terrified. It would be hard, but she could do it. She knew she could.
She couldnât wait to tell Dean all about it.
Y/N rushed home to change her clothes before she went to find him. It was late in the day now, so he was either leaving work or headed there. She assumed that she didnât have a lot of time to change clothes and get her head wrapped around her decision. She was so in her thoughts that she almost ran over the man sitting on her stoop.
âOh my gosh Iâm soâŚâ Her voice caught in her throat as a pair of green eyes flickered up to her under full eyelashes.
Dean.
She mustâve exhaled out his name because he grinned widely up at her, his eyes crinkling at the edges. âY/N,â he said, her name was rough and quiet on his lips, and she felt her knees weaken.
âI was just coming to see you,â she admitted.
âYouâre going the wrong way.â
She rolled her eyes. God, he was annoying. God, he was beautiful.
âI was going to change first.â She lifted her arms and gestured to her abnormally lax outfit.
âWhy?â he asked, standing up. Since he was on a step above her he looked even taller than normal, and she honestly hadnât thought that was possible. âYou look great the way you are.â
âIâmâŚâ She almost said she wasnât comfortable like this, but that wasnât true. She was comfortable, but the idea of comfort in fashion had been ripped from her bleeding fingers at such a young age sheâd never even considered that the two words could live together in harmony. âThank you.â
âWhy were you looking for me?â His finger brushed a hair behind her ear, sending chills up her neck.
âI wanted to tell you something.â
Deanâs thumb moved from her earlobe down her jaw. âMmm. Whatâs that?â
They were unintentionally scooting closer, and she hadn't realized it until their chests brushed. âIâŚâ Her head was spinning. She couldn't focus with him that close to her. He smelled like heâd been cooking, and it made her want to curl in even closer to him. He was intoxicating.
âYouâŚâ He prompted with a wry grin.
Focus, Y/N. âIâm going to quit my job.â The words spilled out of her lips quickly and unplanned.
âYouâre going to⌠what?â He moved to back away from her, his pupils wide in shock.
She stopped him by resting her hands on his hips. âIâm not being impulsive,â she promised. âIâm not an impulsive person. I just⌠Iâm not happy. This isnât what I want.â Her eyes stung as she thought about all sheâd worked for. She climbed and crawled her way up, and she hated every second of it.
His expression softened, and his thumb traced her bottom lip. âWhatâre you going to do then?â
âI think Iâm going to start a nonprofit practice to help survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Survivors donât always want to come forward, but I think if there are lawyers who focus on that side of the law that maybe theyâll feel more comfortable. I just⌠I want to make a difference. I donât want to give up on my dreams, but what Iâve been doing isnât my dream.â
She didnât realize she hadnât been looking at him until her eyes flickered up. He was grinning widely, his white teeth shining down at her. âThat suits you.â
âHow would you know?â She asked, sarcasm weak in her voice. It did suit her, after all.
âBecause Iâm always right. Itâll be way easier for you if you learn that now.â
âOh?â
He nodded quickly. âYup.â
âSo, why are you on my steps, Dean?â
âOh, are these your steps?â he asked, feigning sheepish confusion.
Y/N met him with an unimpressed glare, and he laughed in response.
âIâm here for this,â he whispered huskily before pulling her chin up to his and pressing a hot, urgent kiss on her lips. âIâm proud of you,â he breathed the words into her mouth, pushing life back into her.
She didnât need him to be proud of her, because she was proud of herself. She threw her arms around his shoulders and stood on her tiptoes to ease the bend of his neck and kissed him back feverishly. She murmured his name into the kiss, and his arms tightened around her.
The world around them melted away in an instant. He came to kiss her, and he was the first person that she wanted to tell about her decision. There was something happening between them, something far beyond their control, something cosmic. His hands traveled down her back and deepened the kiss, his tongue running along her bottom lip.
A whine escaped her lips, one that would normally embarrass her endlessly, but in that moment she couldnât care less. She opened her mouth to taste him and god he tasted amazing. His tongue was warm and soft, and she pressed fully flush against him. She wanted to be as close to him as humanly possible.
He groaned into her mouth and cupped her ass in his hands, squeezing it gently. Her skin prickled under her leggings under his touch, the space between her legs throbbing with want. She nipped at his bottom lip, causing him to squeeze her tighter, more insistently.
The sky rumbled with a new round of thunder, but they ignored it.
âGet a room!â Someone shouted at them as they walked by, causing them to pull apart briefly, laughing to each other breathlessly.
âSorry,â Dean grunted, waving at the passerby apologetically. His freckled cheeks were flushed and his lips were swollen. She grinned at the sight.
âI have a room,â she said quickly.
His eyebrows shot up, and his lips tugged into a grin. âLead the way.â
She pushed past him, but he kept his hands on her possessively as she fiddled with the keys. He leaned down and pressed his lips to the back of her neck. âDean,â she warned. âI canât focus with you doing that.â
âDoing what?â he asked innocently, his voice rumbling against her. He nipped at her skin tenderly and she groaned, feebly attempting to wiggle out of his grip.
The lock clicked, and she swung the door open immediately. They needed to get upstairs now. The door shut behind them, and Dean pulled her back into his arms, spinning her and planting a needy kiss on her mouth. His mouth was hot and urgent. She sighed against him and melted within his arms. She wasnât strong enough to resist him, to resist this. Plus, sheâd decided to keep doing the things that made her happy, and this made her the happiest sheâd felt in awhile.
He toyed with the bottom of her sweatshirt with deft fingers, making her stomach flip. His hands slid up the back of the sweatshirt, his fingers trailing her spine before settling between her shoulder blades. A small gasp escaped his lips, and she felt him smile into the kiss. Before she even had a chance to question the exchange, she remembered that she wasnât wearing a bra.
She tugged him toward the elevator, blindly feeling for the button to take them up to her floor before she was topless in the lobby. The elevator dinged, and the sound rang like a bell in her mind, bouncing off of her skull. She placed her hands on his chest and walked them backwards into the open elevator. âDeanâŚâ She said his name weakly before peeling them apart long enough to turn and press the button to her floor.
Instead of releasing her, he moved one hand to the front of her, running his calluses over the soft skin of her breast. Her nipple perked up immediately, and she whimpered. If someone had told her three months prior that a man would make her whimper she wouldâve laughed in their faces, but there she was, making whiny, weak noises. She came completely undone as his fingers tweaked her already-hard nipple. He spun her around and pressed her back to the wall with a low growl, reaching with a free hand for the big, red emergency stop button to halt the elevator.
Deanâs hands were back on her in a second, working her sweatshirt over her head and tossing it away. He looked at her hungrily, his bottom lip trembled. âFuck,â he mumbled.
âWhat?â she asked breathlessly, suddenly nervous under his gaze.
âYouâre so fucking beautiful.â His mouth was back on hers before she could consider objecting. He kissed her lips, her jaw, down her neck, between her breasts, and took her nipple between his lips, sucking eagerly. Her back arched automatically in response. She closed her eyes, completely taken over by the heat of his mouth on her, and his tongue flicking against the sensitive skin.
His eyes flickered open, and he looked up at her through his eyelashes, her breast still in his mouth. She thought she was going to pass out from the sight of his eyes heavy with desire, staring up at her. She wanted to pull his mouth back up to her, but when she tugged at his shoulders he released her and grinned. He flicked his tongue against her nipple again eliciting a groan from her, and trailed his tongue between her breast and down her stomach, leaving tantalizing kisses along the exposed skin at the waistband of her leggings.
Y/N looked down at him with wide eyes. He wouldnât, not in the public elevator. Regardless of whether or not it was stopped and no one could come in, he surprised her again by curling his fingers around the waist of her leggings and kissing the newly bare skin as he rolled them down her hips, exposing her thong.
Oh god, Iâm in trouble.
Her face was hot as she stood before him practically naked, and he looked at her hungrily. âDean,â she said his name again weakly, and he looked up at her. The sight of him kneeling in front of her was almost too much to handle.
âThis okay?â
Is it?
In reality, she didnât see why not. There wasnât a camera in the elevator of the old building, she knew that much. She wanted his mouth on her so badly that she could barely think. Why would she say no?
He pressed a gentle kiss to her hip bone. âI need you to say yes to keep going. Iâm not going to ravish you in an elevator without hearing the word come out of your lips, sweetheart.â
Ravish you.
Oh god, she was going to pass out.
She nodded quickly, giving in to her desires for once in her goddamned life.
âI need to hear it,â he said with a quiet growl. âSay the word, and Iâm at your mercy.â
âYes, damn it!â She heard herself say, her voice strained with desire, a wetness pooling between her legs that would normally embarrass her.
âThank fucking god,â he purred before placing a hot kiss right at her core through the lace, and her knees immediately went weak. She had no idea how she was going to keep herself upright, so she grabbed blindly for the handrails.
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âEvery portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.â - Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Y/N has moved on, her scars are barely noticeable anymore, and sheâs finally stable. Or at least she was. 10 years after the worst day of her life, Y/N found herself staring face to face with an unimaginable horror. In the wake of her worst nightmare come to life, she finds herself reunited with the man that saved her all those years ago - Agent Dean Winchester who had left her a decade before broken and wanting. Dean Winchester has spent the last 10 years trying desperately to forget Y/N and the tragedy that he pulled her out of, but when she called asking for his help he dropped everything to come to her aid as he knew he always would. Can Y/N and Dean solve the mystery that has resurfaced after all this time? Will they be able to resist the pull between them? Or will this be the final brush strokes on a canvas, sealing their fate for good?
Pairing: Dean/Reader Tags: Dark!Fic, Agent!Dean, Serial Killer Fic, Smut etc. Thank you for always supporting my whims. Beta'd by the lovely@dean-winchesters-bacon
Chapter Seven
10 years ago
Her heart was racing as she scrambled back. A woman laid there on her back, an expression of horror frozen in her bluing lips and milky, dead eyes. Y/N was going to throw up. Her skin was almost translucent as Y/Nâs eyes settled on the gaping gashes in her wrists. The worst part, as if there could be anything worse than what was already staring at her, the woman looked just like her.
Oh god. She didnât know what to think, what to feel other than the paralyzing horror that was encompassing her entire being. She whimpered and covered her mouth, unable to look away. Did Lucifer know? Did he do this?
Pain and nausea twisted at her gut like a knife in her stomach. She had to do something, but her legs were boneless beneath her.
There was no other explanation for what she was seeing. The naked woman sprawled out in front of her certainly wasnât a homeless person who crawled in here to die of natural causes. It wasnât an accident. The only option that could absolve Lucifer of his guilt was the slim possibility that she stripped down and slit her wrists to die here in his studio as some kind of stilted lover.
The only thing that kept her from holding onto hope was the lack of pooled blood underneath her pale arms. She didnât die in the spot she was laying, which meant that someone moved her. Only one person had a key to the studio as far as she was aware.
She was going to be sick.
The room spun, tilting on its axis almost immediately as a rumbling voice came from behind her. His voice used to excite her, make her hair stand on end, and her legs weak. But now? When she heard the deep timbre of Luciferâs voice her mouth went dry.
âI really wish you hadn't done this, Y/N.â
So did she.
Present
The hot water came down on Y/Nâs face, and it hurt. The heat burned her skin, but she couldnât bring herself to turn the temperature down. What did she do to deserve all of the bullshit that was going on in her life? Did she not do enough good? Or did God just really not care? The ache in her chest was unbearable, and she gasped out for air, realizing then that salty tears mixed with the hot water from the shower-head.
She pressed both of her hands to the steam-covered tile wall. It was almost too damn much to handle. Lucifer was a monster that she understood, but to see another creature with the same sharp teeth and a fucking paint brush was just too much. She yearned for stability, for a strength that she truly didnât think she possessed on her own. She needed so much more than what she had. She swallowed hard.
She had moved past it. Or so she thought.
In another life, she wouldâve been excited to see Dean Winchester show up at her home. She wouldâve wrapped her arms around him and kissed him to show her how much she missed him after all of the time they spent apart. He wouldâve been in the shower with her, running his protective hands over her skin.
But it was this life, and in this life she was broken. In this life she spent so much time fighting to grow beyond her fears and concerns, but all of that was unraveled in a matter of days. In a matter of moments, seconds. The second she saw the fingernails stuck in the painting she lost a piece of herself. It wasnât a piece that she could replace with Dean, but she wanted to try. The strength of his hands and warmth of his heart could fill the empty cracks within her soul.
She wanted him to fill them, but how could she possibly ask him to give up a part of himself to her when she knew there was hardly anything left for her to give? She thought she was okay. She thought she was past the trauma.
Apparently not so much.
Y/N leaned against the door, gasping for breath. She was losing it. The scars she tried so hard to hide seemed pinker and puffier than ever. The image of the first body sheâd seen flashed in her mind, burned into her eyelids like she was staring too hard at the sun. Closing her eyes didnât help.
She couldâve easily been that girl if Dean hadnât shown up, and now he was back again. She always imagined what it would be like when he arrived, and what they could be. Her knees were weak as she realized they never could. Sheâd never have a normal life, a normal relationship. Even if they caught who was terrorizing her, with every girl who dies because of her she loses another piece of herself. How could anyone love her after that? How could she let them?
His voice floated past the roar of water against porcelain, against skin. Her name on his lips asking if she was okay. She couldnât respond, not with words, just with a sob and a cracking pain that was so overwhelming that she honestly wasnât sure if she could breathe.
âHow can I help?â His voice was full of pain, too.
*
She was crying, and it may be far more than Dean Winchester could handle. She pressed her palm to the frosted glass of the shower, and he pressed his against it, too, their fingers brushing through the glass.
He wouldnât have gone into the bathroom while she showered normally, but the shower had been running for a long time, and he was starting to worry that something happened to her. Turns out something had, just not something that he could see. The shape of her body through the glass told a story. Her shoulders were hunched over, and her hands braced herself. They appeared to be the only thing keeping her upright. He wanted to yank open the glass and pull her into his arms, but he knew it would cross a line. He needed her to ask. He needed her to say yes.
But he knew she wouldnât. After all of this time he knew that much at least.
âTell me how I can help you,â he pleaded quietly, curling his fingers against the glass.
âYou canât,â she whispered, but there was something else in her voice⌠something that felt like change, like a glimmer of something else.
âI can if youâll let me,â he said softly, falling to his knees at the same time she did.
âHow? How can I let you? How can I trust that youâll stay?â Her voice was barely audible, trembling.
âLeaving you was the worst thing Iâve ever done,â he admitted, his voice filled with pain that heâd worked so damn hard to hide. But he couldnât lie to her anymore. He didnât have it in him. âI donât want to ever leave you again.â
Her eyes flickered up then, he could tell by the color change behind the glass. It was all that he needed to see. He slid open the door slowly, giving her the opportunity to change her mind, but she didnât say anything to stop him or back away. He reached up and plucked a towel from the rack near the shower and placed it on his thighs.
She was curled in a ball with her knees pulled to her chest. Her wet hair was matted to her head. He reached around her, through the hot water and turned it off. Then he took the towel and wrapped it around her. âIâm sorry I wasnât there,â he told her.
Her eyes flickered to him, but she didnât speak. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, cracking his chest further. He wrapped the white towel around her shoulders, covering her damp skin. He lowered himself to her eye level, and he asked her, âCan you stand?â
Her mouth opened slightly like she was going to speak, but no words came out.
âIâm going to pick you up, okay?â
She gave a quick nod, a minuscule movement with her chin. It was all the consent he needed to slide his hand under her knee, his other pressed against her back as he lifted her. He cradled her against his chest protectively, and as he lifted her, she sucked her breath in.
Dean walked them into the bedroom and sat her down on the edge of the bed, toweling off her damn skin. Her eyes seemed to lock on him then, and even though she was the one naked in front of him, he felt extremely exposed under her gaze. He ran the towel along her arms, tenderly patting the tattoos dry, remembering all too vividly where the scars beneath them were from.
*
Y/N was watching him. Maybe what they were doing wasnât appropriate, but she couldnât look away. She hadnât realized she was breaking until she was in a thousand pieces on the floor of the bathtub. The air was cold, but she didnât feel it because Deanâs breath was on her skin. He worked to dry her off, but the pressure of his fingers with only the towel between them set her skin on fire. Maybe she was looking for a distraction from her pain and grief, or maybe she was just desperate to feel something good, something that wasnât painful.
âDean,â she exhaled a breath, and his eyes shot up to hers.
âAre you okay?â He asked quickly, nervously.
She wanted to kiss him, to be kissed by him.
She also wanted to cry, and it bubbled in her chest threateningly.
He let go of the towel and his hands shot to her face, his thumbs tracing her cheekbones. âSweetheart donât cry,â he pleaded quietly. âYouâre safe here. Iâll protect you.â
Without thinking too deeply about it, her arms flew around his shoulders, and she pulled him into a tight hug. She nuzzled into his neck. âI want that to be true,â she murmured against his skin.
Dean hesitated for just a moment before wrapping her in a hug. He settled between her legs, and in any other circumstance she wouldâve been embarrassed by the fact that she was practically exposed to him. But he wasnât focused on that. He just held her, his own face buried in her wet hair. He murmured comforting statements against her scalp.
She let him comfort her for what seemed like an eternity, until she was finally able to calm her breathing, to match the rise and fall of his chest and the steady beat of his pulse pressed firmly against her temple.
When they finally peeled themselves apart she only let him move back enough to fully look at her. âWe should get you dressed,â he said quietly, his face examining hers. Her eyes flickered to his shirt at the end of the bed where she left it and nodded quickly, releasing him from her grip.
He grabbed the shirt, and when she didnât immediately reach for it he opted to slowly slip it over her head. She slid her arms in and the scent of him hit her like a wave of familiarity. She wanted to bottle the smell and drown herself in it. It smelled safe. The shirt was huge on her, and it pooled on her lap, making the towel a little pointless. She crawled back, leaving the damp towel behind and crawled into the sheets.
Maybe he didnât plan on her sleeping in his bed, but if she was honest, she was way too exhausted to move again. Plus, his scent enveloped her here, and she definitely wasnât ready to let it go. Once she was settled in she glanced at him. He was gripping the towel in his fist, white knuckled, and staring at her with wide eyes.
âShould IâŚâ
She shook her head and scooted over. âStay.â
It was a simple request, a quiet demand. She didnât know what she would do if he said no.
But she didnât have to find out because he didnât. He draped the towel over his dresser. She threw the comforter back, making space for him. She wanted him near her. She needed to feel his warmth in the same proximity as her. He clicked off the light and walked to her slowly. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of his shape coming closer, and then the shift in the mattress as he crawled into bed next to her.
Dean laid on his side facing her. They were nose to nose, only a few inches apart. She reached out her foot to brush the cloth on his shin. âI didnât want to be falling apart when I saw you again,â she admitted. âI donât want you to think this is my default state.â
âI donât,â he assured her.
Something worried her, though. She was always concerned that her falling apart was what he liked about her. She worried that he liked being the hero and that's why he left last time. He left when she was getting better. She wanted to ask him, but she didn't have the strength to take an answer that wasnât the one she wanted. So she didnât ask him.
âDidnât think when you finally saw me naked thatâs what itâd be like.â
âI didnât see anything, Y/N.â
She was surprised by that. âReally?â
âWas too busy lookinâ at your face to see anything else.â
âHmm.â She wasnât sure how to take his words, so she opted to take them at face value.
âWhat?â He was whispering, and she supposed she was, too. It felt a little like they were breaking the rules.
âI was just thinking about how things wouldâve been different if weâd met at a bar or a coffee shop.â
âHow do you think?â he asked, sounding genuinely curious.
âMaybe weâd still be in bed together, but I wouldnât be the only one half dressed.â Her cheeks immediately heated up from her statement, but in the darkness it felt easy to be bold. Plus, what else did she have to lose when her life was already falling through her fingers?
âWould you⌠want that?â
His breath tickled her lips as she asked, and she found herself nodding, which she wasnât even sure he could see in the dark.
But he must have because he rolled onto his back and she heard the sound of fabric being pulled down and discarded.
Holy shit. That would definitely be a good distraction.
She reached her toes forward again and pressed them to his bare skin. âShit, your toes are freezing.â
âWarm me up then,â she whispered.
He grunted and slid an arm underneath her, pulling her against him and tangling her legs in with his. âWe canât sleep together,â he warned quietly.
âYou donât want to?â Her voice came out embarrassingly small.
âIt wouldnât be right,â he whispered, twisting his fingers in her hair. âNot right now.â
She pressed her cheek on his chest and nodded. She knew he was right, even if it broke her heart to hear it. âWhat if the time is never right?â
Deanâs arms tightened around her in response to her question. âLetâs not worry about that right now, okay? Weâre safe and together. Thatâs all that matters.â
Y/N propped herself on her elbows and looked down at him, her hair creating a curtain around them. She opened her mouth to object to his statement, and tell him that there was a hell of a lot more that mattered, but looking down at him in the darkness told her that she was a fool. He was right. Dean Winchester was beneath her, and his skin was on hers; yes the world was a dark and horrible place, but he was there. That meant something.