Another stand alone ficlet written for the 30 snapshots challenge community on LJ. This is #4 of 30 and the prompt was 'Listen'. Waiting on my request to be approved so I'll keep sharing them here in the meantime. Have to say that I really like the way this one turned out.

The usual disclaimer applies: I don't own the car, the boys or anything to do with the Supernatural show. Just taking them for a little joyride through my imagination.

Hope you enjoy the read!


The Subtlety of Sound

It's the gurgle-drip-drip of the coffee percolating across the room that wakes him first thing in the morning; the soothing white-noise rush of the water on the other side of the door when the shower is going. The clickety-clack of pencil thin stiletto heels when she dresses herself up like a tartlet, ostensibly for a night out to raise a little hell but really only just for him. The throaty laughter that touches him somewhere deep in his core, whenever they are truly happy.

There's that incredible guttural war cry just before the hushed sound of the blades being pulled from tall leather boots always quickly followed by the pounding in his own ears when adrenaline kicks in. That satisfied huff of breath the moment the job is truly done and they can relax because life is no longer an unsure thing, at least for the time being. The rasp of a wheeze as she fights to catch her breath the only tell-tale sign that any effort is needed to finish a fight.

Sometimes, when things get tough and it's hard to see any kind of light in the darkness, he lives for the sound of her voice. Searches for that soft gasp, less a sound than a taste on her lips when he catches her off guard. The only cure to melancholy a whisper of cloth gliding over skin, the rustle of sheets as they are parted.

A hunter is meant to be observant, to catch the subtle nuances and really listen rather than just hear what's going on. Often the most subtle of sounds can save a life. What he'd learned recently was that sometimes the most subtle of sounds can hold the power to make a life worth living too.