You don't know why you agreed to this. It was possibly the dumbest idea the Winchesters have ever had, and that is saying something. When they told you a wendigo was terrorising a small town, you were on board with the hunt. It was only when they took you to go wedding dress shopping at goodwill that you were off board. As in jump off the boat and set it on fire.
"What kind of wendigo only goes after brides anyway? Does it want to get hitched that bad?" You asked. The three of you were walking through the isles of goodwill, trying to find the dresses.
"From what we've seen so far it's a wendigo, but the wedding thing seems weird." Sam said.
"That's why we asked. You've had more than your fair share of crazy, you might have come across something like it before." Dean stated. You smirked as you remembered the time with the leprechauns. Now that was crazy.
You walked through rails of clothing, the smell of second hand very prominent. It was unsurprisingly busy for a Saturday afternoon, a general buzz of conversation and hangers clacking on the metal poles with bad pop music playing on the speakers throughout the store. You stopped dead in your tracks as a thought suddenly hit you.
"Why the hell are you both here? Don't you have anything better to do than be my bridesmaids?" They had hurried you into the Impala before really telling you anything, and the thought had only just had time to form. The boys turned around and tried to hold their laughter.
"I needed a new shirt anyway and you know how Dean is about the Impala." Dean snapped his head at Sam.
"Hey! My baby needs the best driver, not someone who crunches her gearbox." He glared accusingly at Sam and started walking again. Sam went off the find the shirts and you and Dean went over to the wedding dresses.
Rails and shelves were arranged so they made a more private section separate to the rest of the shop. An abundance of dresses, shoes and various pieces of jewellery surrounded you. There was a large standing mirror next to a cubicle of blue cloth that hung from a rail. The small blue sofa next to the mirror was a nice touch, you thought.
You were not looking forward to this. Being a hunter, marriage was something you tried to avoid even thinking about but you had very little choice at the moment. Your displeasure must have been showing as Dean gave you a nudge on the shoulder.
"Hey, it's not gonna be that bad, be thankful you're not with Sam. That guy is way too picky about what he wears." His endearing expression brought a small laugh from you and you stepped forwards to start going through the rails of white dresses.
There was a surprising amount of them. People donated them but don't want to buy them second hand. You pulled out a hideous dress with massive poufy sleeves and enough sequins to make a disco ball embarrassed. You held it up to Dean.
"Think this is flashy enough?" He took one look and very visibly cringed.
"That thing is fugly." You put it to one side. "No way are you trying that thing on." You smirked at him.
"Hell yeah I'm trying it on. I need something that screams attention." You carried on browsing, holding out a few dresses for Dean to take. When you found a feathered dress and gave it to Dean, he was starting to look a little fed up.
"Why do you need so many?" He complained, wandering around the little bridal area. "It's not like you're having an actual wedding." You stayed silent for a moment. He was right, it was just to lure out a monster. But there was another tiny voice in your head that wanted Dean to see you in a wedding dress that made you look pretty. You bashed that voice down pretty quickly and cleared your throat, glad that you had your back to Dean so he wouldn't see the blush creeping over your cheeks.
"Well, it's got to fit so if I need to run it won't fall down." He huffed a bit, but you could tell he didn't mind helping you. After living with the boys for a few months, you had them both figured out. Dean sometimes seemed annoyed or grumpy, but in reality, he didn't want to admit he enjoyed whatever it was you were doing.
You had almost got to the end of the rails, but one dress caught your eye. It had a chiffon skirt and diamantes on the bodice. It wouldn't be the most practical dress, but it sure was beautiful. You picked it up and put it straight in the changing room. Dean looked over at the noise.
"You ready (Y/N)?" His half smile gave you uncomfortable butterflies in your stomach. You heaved a big sigh and held out your arms for the dresses.
"As I'll ever be." You replied and went into the cubicle. You couldn't wait to get the disco monstrosity on. You stepped into the dress and zipped the zip. It felt way too big but you just had to see Dean's face.
"Dress number one!" You announced, walking out of the cubicle. He deadpanned, then burst out laughing. You struck a few poses. "Don't I look fabulous?" you drawled, walking over to the mirror. The dress hung off you like a sack, but the sheer volume of the sleeves and the sequins everywhere was just so freaking funny, especially compared to what you normally wore. You joined Dean in his laughter, tears threatening to roll down your face.
"Okay, okay. Next one." You went back into the cubicle and continued trying on dresses. One was way too long, and had you tripping over the skirts just walking on flat ground, let alone running. You showed Dean the next one, but this one had you holding onto the bust for dear life to make sure it wouldn't fall down. Getting more and more frustrated, you tried on the feathered dress. At first glance it looked okay, however you spied a trail of feathers from the dressing room to where you were standing.
"That one stays up fine" Dean remarked. And although it was nice, it was a big red arrow straight to you.
"But it's not practical! It's like I'm bloody Hansel and Gretel. Follow the feathers to find the chicken."
Dean gave you a half smile. "Do you have any more?" He could tell that you were getting frustrated and stood up to put a hand on your shoulder. You looked up at his sincere face. "There'll be one that fits, don't worry." You felt the evil butterflies down in your stomach again. Dean wasn't one for hugs or lots of physical contact, so this small gesture meant a lot to you. You took a breath, nodded, and went to try the last one on.
It was so beautiful, you hoped it didn't fit. There was no way you could pull off something that nice. You zipped it up at the back and, almost to mock you, it fit perfectly. The length was right, it cinched in at your waist and was very firmly staying up. You scoffed at the ridiculousness of the situation and walked out to show Dean.
"Tada. Last dress." You said, as he turned to look at you. You heard a sharp intake of breath as his eyes raked up and down, taking in the dress. "Weird right?" You tried to laugh off your awkwardness and stepped forwards to look in the mirror.
Dean surprised you by jumping up from the sofa and putting his hands over your eyes. You made an indignant noise as the world went black. "Hang on a second, I gotta do something first." He sounded hesitant, and you hoped he wasn't planning anything too evil.
"Fine. Just don't do anything stupid." He shuffled around, and you felt him put something on your head. "Do I even want to know what you're doing?" You asked. Knowing Dean, he probably put a fake bird or a stupid hat on your head. Whatever it was, it was kinda heavy.
"Hold this." He pushed something thin and wiry into your hand.
"Dean I swear to god, if this is a stuffed bird I will stuff you myself."
"It might be." You could hear the amusement in his voice and you were all but ready to tell him to stop being so ridiculous, when he told you to open your eyes.
You finally looked in the mirror, and what you saw took your breath away. Looking back at you was a bride. A beautiful white dress with a flowing skirt that fit in all the right places. You were holding a plastic flower and on your head was a net veil. You were beautiful.
You turned from side to side and watched the skirts swish around you. You were entranced by the reflection, but it brought up the many feelings you didn't want to face. Jealousy, anger, sadness and longing all swirled around in your head and it wasn't until Dean interrupted your thoughts you realised you had spaced out.
"Hey (Y/N), are you alright?" He reached towards you and brushed away a tear with his thumb. You didn't even know you were crying. You flushed bright red and hastily wiped away the wetness on your face, turning away from Dean.
"It's the dust." You said as your breath hitched. Dean put both hands on your shoulders and turned you to face him. He didn't say anything and just looked at you. His eyes looked so sad at that moment it surprised you. Another tear fell, hot on your cheek. Dean pulled you close and wrapped his arms around you. At that point, your resolve broke.
A sob tore through your body and you reached around to grab the back of Dean's shirt. He stroked your hair as you buried your face into his chest, too short to reach his shoulder.
You could feel Dean's hand stroking your hair. You tried to apologise, but he shushed you.
"I understand." Those simple words carried so much meaning for both of you. It was the curse of a hunter. You allowed yourself to enjoy his hug for a moment, then pulled away. You wiped at the stray tears on your cheeks.
"I'd better get changed" Your voice came out much quieter than you intended and you went back into the cubicle. You were just about to draw the curtain when Dean called your name.
"(Y/N)!" The dress swished around you as you turned to face him. Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "You look pretty." A dark blush stained you cheeks as you nodded your head in thanks, then pulled the curtain shut.
A/N I had a lot of fun writing this more light-hearted style! Hope you enjoyed.