Sorry! I repainted my living room and kitchen...plus kept a promise to my nephew and niece and took them into the city for the day. Christ things are expensive nowadays. And today is one of my nephew's birthday. I wrote this in between cooking and setting up for the cookout. He's 12. I feel old. :( I remember being the only one who could put him asleep when he was a baby. *sad sigh*
I will try to post the next update to MoD before the weekend. I have tribal and family obligations all weekend long. Plus, friends of the family are coming here all the way from Oklahoma. They're cool but I don't like their kids. Guess who got volunteered to be their guide? You'd think after coming here for the past three years for this event...they'd know where to go and how to act. Apparently not.
Anyhoo, cheers, and enjoy!
Oh yeah, Happy early Birthday alyssianagrace! Kept part of my promise. *laughs*
Dean debated about turning the truck around and exploring the island a bit before facing the firing squad. He honestly thought they would all be resting for tomorrow's hunt. Of course not. These people like making plans and back-up plans. Going in blind is not something they like to do without good reason. Son of a bitch. A quick glance at the mirror told him he looks presentable. Maybe he could pass off him being gone by saying he went to gather his stuff and got lost on his way back. Not totally a lie. A nod to himself had Dean pulling into the driveway.
He grabbed his bags and hopped out. He closed the truck door and turned to walk into the house when he stopped suddenly, Steve is standing right in front of him, not looking happy in the slightest.
Damage control time. Sell the lie, Winchester.
"Hey, Steve!" Dean greeted with a smile. "How was your nap? You get all rested?" Silence. Uh-oh. "What's up?"
"Where were you? I woke up and you were gone."
"I went to go get my stuff and check out of my hotel." A look at Steve told him he wasn't pacified, so he added rather hesitantly, "Should I not have done that? Check out of my room, that is. Should I go get another room?"
Steve's faced morphed from angry and distrustful to panic, and quickly rushed to comfort and reassure him. "No! I mean, no. Don't get another room. I want you to stay with me. I really do, but what took you so long?"
Dean assumed a sheepish expression. "Got lost," he mumbled. A quick glance had him adding, "I got distracted and got off on the wrong exit. Was a real bitch finding my way back. And the GPS in your truck is a joke! Fucker kept trying to make me go to Diamondhead for some godforsaken reason. What the fuck is Diamondhead? Why would that be your default setting? What do you do there? Oh, god, is that where you take your bed partners for some frisky, risque time? You kinky son of a bitch. I didn't know you were into exhibitionism," Dean finished with a rakish wink and a butt slap. He sent up a mental prayer of thanks to Joss Whedon, for without him, he wouldn't know how to ramble like a master, and get himself out of trouble.
The ass slap jolted Steve out of the stupor he found himself in while Dean rambled. Didn't his White Knight need to breathe to get all of that out? Not even Danny would have been able to say all that in one breath, and he's the king of rants!
Steve gave himself a mental shake and answered Dean's many, many questions. "When I first got the truck, I wanted to test it out, so I put in the coordinates for Diamondhead, it's my favorite trail to run when I need to work out some aggression. It's basically a straight incline; hard enough for me to get in a real work out, and to clear my head. The coordinates stuck. I haven't been able to change it." A beat then, "And I haven't had the time to do so either. I just left it."
"Oh," Dean said simply. "Too bad. I would have been up for exhibitionism." Another wink had Steve flushing bright red.
Dean threw his duffle at Steve to carry inside. He gestured for Steve to precede him, he didn't want another round of interrogation, and Steve going first will preempt it, hopefully.
No sooner did Dean walk over the threshold, he got bombarded with questions as to where he's been and did anything happen. He made himself blush again and retold his story, with Steve chipping in, and they all relaxed and even looked a little sheepish after he was done.
"Now that my whereabouts have been thoroughly accounted for, can I dump my bags off at Steve's room now?" Dean asked them, putting on a pitiful expression.
They laughed and allowed him to take off upstairs. Once Dean knew he was alone, he let out an explosive sigh. Oh, boy. That was insanely close. Dean really didn't want to think what would have happened if they hadn't have believed him.
He'll be staying at Steve's house for two weeks, that's new. He's never stayed at a significant other's place before. Well, longer than a night or two. Lisa, Dean thought with a grin, was a three-day weekend he never wanted to end. A super bendy three-day weekend. He stretched out muscles he never knew he had and had tantric sex for the first time. He's not sure he can do that again but damn.
This is also the longest relationship he's ever had, with a guy or girl. Now that's a scary thought.
"Dean, you coming down?" Steve yelled from the living room.
He shoved his bags into Steve's closet and made his way downstairs. The sight that greeted him had Dean grinning. They're piled around the coffee table, maps of the graveyard littered it, and Steve seems to have his patented 'I'm the C.O.' look. Dean let him think that...for now.
"What'cha guys doing?" Dean asked as he flopped down on the couch, putting him close to Cath and Chin. He played with the hairs at the nape of Chin's neck, smiling when the older man wasn't fazed. He likes Chin.
He's had a couple hours to think why Steve had been acting so weird and he narrowed it down to him being friendly with Catherine, which Dean thought was stupid but he vowed to keep his distance from her. He won't flirt with her, that is. Staying away from her is not an option, especially when these dumbasses insist on accompanying him on a hunt. He let them go on their own and look what happened? Steve got himself captured, prolly fretting over his and Catherine's buddy-buddy relationship, and the shapeshifter got the drop on him. Most likely the shifter caught Steve before their tumble and used it as a smokescreen so Danny wouldn't notice anything off with him/it.
Dean closed their eyes and allowed their voices to wash over him. He must have fallen asleep because he's jolted awake when the front door slams shut. At the sudden noise, Dean's hand instinctively goes for the silver knife hidden in his sleeve and he's wide awake, body tense and ready for any attack.
He calms down when he realizes there's no danger. He puts the knife away and goes in search of Steve, finding the older man sitting on his porch, oh, sorry, he was sitting on his lanai. Steve's eyes lifted to his and he grinned, gesturing for Dean to take a seat. Dean gingerly lowered himself onto the chair, his head still pounding from his encounter with Maria Nanos.
They sat there, watching the sunset, and basked in the serenity the island offers when she's in the mood. Dean shuts his eyes, soaking up the relaxing atmosphere, grinning slightly when he feels Steve grab his hand and run his fingers over Dean's knuckles. His hand is lifted to Steve's lips and the SEAL kisses his palm, letting his lips linger on his pulse point before giving it a gentle bite.
Dean let out a chuckle and Steve laughed along with him. Steve laced their fingers together and continued watching the sky change from twilight to nighttime. When the stars came out, Steve found himself telling Dean about the last time he stargazed. He was with his dad, he had just gotten a coveted telescope, and he and his dad stayed up all night looking at constellations and tried to find any planets that were inhabiting the sky. A couple of months later, his mother's "death" happened and Steve and his sister, Mary, got shipped off to the mainland with nary an explanation why.
Steve hadn't bothered looking at the stars with any wonder or excitement since. The only time his eyes drifted heavenward was to find his bearings, finding the evening star and plotting his course home.
Dean listened to Steve talk, knowing the other man needed to, and squeezed the other's hand when he faltered. Steve shot Dean a grin of thanks and talked about meeting Freddie, who had a fascination with astonomy. He re-awoke Steve's own innate curiosity and they bonded over it. He had been devastated when Freddie died. He kept his promise and watched over his family.
After Steve trailed off, Dean bit the bullet and did some sharing of his own. He told Steve about the time him and Sam bought some fireworks and took off for an empty field to light them off. He smiled as he recalled Sam's joyful expression as he watched the multi-colored light show. They had fun that night, despite burning down the neighboring field, and the resulting punishment John Winchester doled out for them; PT for a month, but neither he nor Sam regretted their actions.
He made Sam happy and that's all that mattered to Dean.
Dean also told the story of his dad building them a fully functioning cannon while they were staying in Point Pleasant. Sam and Dean had been bored out of their minds there and John, in a rare moment of fatherly impulsiveness, decided they should blow some shit out of the water and spent the next couple of weeks building them a cannon in secret. The look on his and Sam's faces had their dad doubled over in laughter when he showed them the project he had been working on. He even shelled out for cannon balls and that weekend was the most fun they ever had in a long, long time.
Dean and Sam knew their dad was handy but they never knew or even thought building a cannon from scratch was one of his skills. They had been sad when their dad took the cannon apart. A year later, John built them their own personal trebuchets as a belated Christmas present. It helped pacify Sam's anger and hurt at their dad's absence at Christmas. Dean had been flabbergasted their dad actually got them something for Christmas, belated as it was. Dean still has his, and he knows Sam does too.
Steve laughed when Dean described firing the cannon and the contest the three Winchesters had on who had the most accuracy, John, and who made the biggest explosion, Dean. Sam pouted at them but had a smile on his face all the same.
"My dad could have never built a cannon from scratch," Steve told Dean, a smile still dotting his face.
"I'm surprised we weren't thrown in jail," Dean laughed in fond remembrance. "Dad had an escape route planned in case the cops did show up."
Steve chuckled. "And I'm guessing he had a back-up to the back-up plan."
"Yep."
"Contingency plans up the wahzoo, I'm guessing too."
"Oh yeah."
"Rendezvous points all across the state."
"From Point Pleasant all the way to Sioux Falls."
"Safe houses every 100 miles to, huh?"
"Fully stocked safe houses every 100 miles."
They stared at each other, totally serious, then they busted out laughing. Dean grinned widely as he listened to Steve try to stifle his laughter but failing horribly.
"That's my dad for you. He was a Marine," Dean told him with a proud look.
Steve grinned at the sight, his chest tightening with an unidentifiable emotion. "Hoorah," he joked.
Dean snorted and punched him in the shoulder, causing the older man to laugh and feign hurt, pouting his lips and puppy dog eyes for an added affect. Danny told him how powerful his puppy-eyes were and he's not above using everything in his arsenal.
Instead of caving to Steve's pouty expression, Dean leaned close and booped him on the nose, saying, "Ah, that's cute. You really think I'll cave to your pretty blue eyes and pouty lips. How about instead of pouting those pretty lips, why don't you use them in a more fun way," Dean leered.
Steve actually blushed at the innuendo. It's been a long time since he last had, let alone gave a blowjob. He licked his suddenly dry lips and ducked his head, face flaming even more, he's sure Dean could feel the heat radiating from him. Dean's hand twitched in his grip and pulled him closer. Steve allowed himself to be dragged over to Dean's chair and straddled his White Knight. He took a few minutes to find a comfortable position for both him and Dean, finding it by placing his hands on Dean's shoulders, and settled atop Dean.
Steve wished he could purr, especially when Dean ran his hands under his shirt and caressed his back, kneading the tense and sore muscles. His abduction with the shapeshifter earlier left him with sore and over-stretched muscles as well as bruises galore. Damn thing packed quite a punch and took Steve out with little to no trouble.
A groan escaped and he arched his back when Dean worked out a particular knot right under his shoulder blades. The movement caused him to push his hips forward, essentially grinding against Dean but the hunter gave no notice, too intent on working out the various kinks in Steve's back. He did, however, notice when Steve leaned forward and panted in his ear, and his hips picking up a rhythm that made Dean realize their position.
"Uh, Steve, as much as I would like to but, sweetheart, I don't really think you're up for it." Dean moved his hands from Steve's back to his hips, placing a gentle yet firm grip on the older man.
Steve let out a whine when Dean halted his movements before he realized what he was doing then promptly blushed bright red.
"Sorry," he mumbled into Dean's neck. "I wasn't - I," he trailed off incredibly embarrassed at his instinctual reaction.
Dean waved away Steve's apology. "It's all right. We're good."
Steve still couldn't face Dean, face buried into the crook of the hunter's neck, too mortified at his actions. He knew neither of them were up for anything strenuous but Dean working on all his sore and knotted muscles felt incredibly good, and he lost himself for a second. A shiver of unease slithered up his spine. Steve actually lost control, not something he gives easily or willingly -just ask Danny- and for Dean he allowed himself to feel safe and let his guard down without hesitation or thought, trusting the hunter to keep him from harm. It took Danny months for him to truly trust the blond with his secrets and well-being.
Here he is with Dean automatically, instinctively, trusting the man who he's barely known longer than a week. He doesn't like it. In fact he's terrified. There's a reason it took Danny months for Steve to let him in; he has enough baggage to fill the Marianas Trench and the Grand Canyon.
Dean has his own shit. He doesn't needs own brand of insanity piled on top of his already weighted shoulders.
But losing Dean, giving up what feels like something special, doesn't sit right with him. Years of closing himself off from any attachments have been negated by Danny and his team, and Steve finds that he wants to open up with Dean, to lay all his fears and insecurities at his feet, and maybe be trusted back with just as much vulnerability. He wants that. With a hunter of all things. A hunter who said he has every intention of going back to his "normal" life once he's done keeping the island safe. Can Steve pick 'em or what?
Snorting, Steve buried his head deeper into Dean's neck and relaxed completely on top of his hunter, knowing the other man can bear the weight with ease. Tomorrow he'll carry some of Dean's weight, let the younger man relax and be a care-free tourist he's supposed to be.
Take out the ghost, take a day to recuperate, and then Steve is taking Dean around the islands, showing his favorite spots to fish, dive, hike, camp, climb, and spelunk. Maybe Dean'll like spelunking. Personally, Steve loves it. Then they'll go try every luau recommended by Kamekona. He wants Dean to have a real vacation. He'll ask Chin if he could borrow his uncle's boat again and let Dean, like Danny, catch his first tuna fish. Hopefully this time around they won't be boat jacked and left out in the ocean with a sinking raft. Steve will never get laid again.
Maybe Steve will be able to get Dean to try out surfing, though like Danny, he seems opposed to bobbing on a slim board in the ocean...with sharks, jellyfish, and other dangerous sea creatures.
Steve had a sudden thought: were mermaids real? Sirens? Leviathans? Selkies?
Could that be why Dean's so against going anywhere near the ocean for an extended period of time?
Great, now Steve's worried about getting eaten alive by a mermaid the next time he goes swimming or surfing. Hell, fishing too. How does Dean do it? Knowing what he knows, how does he handle living a world that is filled with monsters who are hell-bent on killing you?
He honestly has no idea how Dean goes on living his life like it's all just a big party. Maybe to him, he's living it like every day could be his last, and it just might be. Steve's chest tightened at the thought of Dean dying and he wrapped his arms tighter around Dean's neck.
Dean automatically soothed him by running his hands up and down Steve's back, not saying anything, just letting Steve know he's there. It helped. Quite a bit actually. Steve relaxed again and placed a kiss on carotid artery, his fingers gently playing with the soft hair at the nape of Dean's neck.
"What's on your mind?" Dean rumbled beneath him.
Steve liked feeling Dean's heartbeat against his chest, it's soothing. He turned his head and spoke, "Oh, just death, destruction, fear, and the apocalypse."
Dean barked out a laugh, causing Steve to move up and down from the force of Dean's amusement. Hiding a grin, Steve kissed Dean on the jaw before going back to his previous position of snuggling into Dean's neck.
"Oh, is that all?" Dean teased, laughter still in his voice.
Steve nodded, his lips gently caressing Dean's neck with the movement. Dean moved one of his hands out from underneath Steve's shirt and started carding his fingers through his hair. Steve really wished he could purr. It felt so good.
A calm, peaceful atmosphere settled over them. The crashing of the waves, the light breeze ruffling their hair, and a serenity that neither of them has never experienced culminated into a tranquility that sent both of them into a meditative state. Their minds were blissfully blank, something they both needed after these past couple of months. Doris' return to Steve's life and Sam's leaving of Dean, sent the two men into an emotional tailspin they hadn't acknowledged until now.
Their minds difted aimlessly while still being grounded by the other, an anchor to keep them from staying adrift.
Steve never wanted this night to end, and Dean wished he could stay here, just like this with no obligations to the world. This is what a vacation is supposed to be. Dean can't wait for his actual vacation to begin and experience for the next couple of weeks. Or less. Though his dad gave him two weeks off, Dean's not banking on getting the whole two weeks. They're life... anything can happen and his dad or friends might need him sooner than expected.
A light snoring has Dean shifting slightly to see a sleeping Steve, no drool thankfully. A fond grin blossomed and Dean stayed there well into the night, allowing the SEAL to sleep on him. The sky started to lighten, a sign of dawn to come, and Dean gently coaxed Steve off of him and led the older man to his room. Steve was of no help as Dean wrestled his clothes off of the dozing SEAL, but Dean got it, and even wrangled him under the covers.
Dean got undressed and laid down right next to Steve. Within seconds Dean was out like a light and didn't wake up until he heard familiar voices coming from downstairs. A look at the clock Steve kept by his bed had Dean groaning, five hours of sleep. He's operated on less.
A quick shower and shave and Dean feels more human and awake. The smell of bacon called Dean like a siren song -those are not fun- and he dresses in record time before sneaking down to the kitchen where Steve is cheffing up a storm and Danny's making french toast. Spying orange juice, Dean darted in and got a cup before the SEAL or detective even noticed his presence. A moan of pleasure escapes before Dean could stop it, catching the attention of the two older men. Danny greeted Dean with a grin and turned back to his french toast, not wanting them to burn.
Steve gave Dean a shy and bashful smile, his eyes soft. Dean blushed at the sight but returned the grin ten-fold. The calmness from last night seem to still be in effect with Steve. His movements no longer sharp, and his body is truly relaxed, no tenses that said he's ready for anything, just looseness. The smile he's sporting is easy and genuine. Danny shot Dean a look of pure gratitude as he piled Dean's plate high with french toast, hashbrowns, bacon, and eggs.
Dean licked his lips. The food looks amazing. He was about to dig in when Danny started chopping up a banana and some strawberries, that he deposited on top of Dean's french toast, he then grabbed some powdered sugar, gave Dean a healthy dose, and drenched it with maple syrup. Dean beamed at the blond and dug into his delicious breakfast...his delicious homemade breakfast.
A glass of milk appeared in front of him and Dean grunted thanks, not stopping from inhaling his food to indulge in some basic courtesy and manners.
Steve and Danny helped themselves to the food and watched Dean with the same expression of amusement, sadness, and fondness. Who knows how long it's been since Dean's had a homemade meal. Steve ate oatmeal and a grapefruit, forever eating healthy and keeping his body in shape but for once he didn't make any comment towards Danny for eating unhealthy food.
Another reason to thank Dean, Danny thought with a grin.
Once Dean finished his french toast, he downed his glass of milk in one go, smacking his lips when he was done. He took a minute to settle his stomach a bit before digging into his hashbrowns, bacon, and eggs with gusto.
Dean finished first. He thanked them for breakfast and deposited his dishes in the sink before walking upstairs to grab his duffle, it contained rock salt rounds, a shotgun (don't ask), and iron. Walking back downstairs, he heard Danny tease Steve for acting like a lovesick sap. Dean's ears heated and he knew he was blushing like mad. He really liked Steve. He's glad it's not one-sided.
Dean settled his stuff on the coffee table and started cleaning his newly required shotgun. His dad drilled into his head to always clean your gun before using it, and test fire before taking it out into the field. He's seen people who hadn't taken proper care of their guns, die from backfire. Dean's not going out that way. If he's going to die, he's going to die by going in a blaze of defiance and glory, taking the bastard that mortally wounded him with him. He and his dad made a pact to never go down without a fight.
So lost in thought, Dean didn't notice Steve and Danny sit down and watch him with an unreadable expression on their faces. They observed how Dean intuitively knew what went where without hesitating or fumbling. Even Steve sometimes has a hard time putting his guns back together, Danny too, but Dean's movements were precise and focused, even if his mind wasn't completely there.
Dean finished cleaning the gun and started loading it. Steve watched as Dean handled the gun with such competency that spoke volumes of years and years of training, and considering Dean's age...Steve felt a pang in his chest. A glance to Danny showed that his partner is feeling the same emotion.
"When are we going after the ghost?" Danny asked, pulling Dean from his own little world.
"Tonight. Can't take out a ghost with witnesses around." A beat then Dean added, "Well, as long as the ghost isn't killing anybody. So far, that ghost has been pretty chill. Just scaring people."
Steve and Danny absorbed the new information.
Danny shared a look with Steve, who nodded at him, and asked in a nonchalant tone, "Did you know someone dug up Maria Nanos' grave and burned the body? The police are baffled, at least the non-traditional Hawaiians are. The ones who follow the old ways know what's going on and they're actually keeping everything under wraps for now."
Dean grunted as he put the gun away. "Wanna go practice shooting the shotgun?" he asked them, not bothered from what they told him.
"Do we need practice?" Steve countered.
Dean's eyes darkened slightly and spoke in a low voice, "You always need practice." He watched someone he called a friend die by being sloppy. He's not taking them anywhere until he knows that they can handle shooting a gun at a ghost.
"We'll call them and have them meet us at the shooting range," Danny said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He sent the text and waited for the responses. "They said they'll be there. Head out now?"
Dean nodded his head.
The entire afternoon was Dean basically drilling them until he was content with their progress. Even Steve fell short under Dean's level of expertise. Only Kono kept up with him in shooting. Chin easily handled the shotgun, and Steve excelled in hand to hand combat, not that anyone was surprised. Danny and Catherine weren't as good as them but they kept up and that's all that mattered.
Danny's frustrated with himself, and he knows Cath is too. They knows they can do better than this but Dean calmed them easily but saying he and Catherine will be the ones making sure to back up Chin and Kono.
"They'll get tossed on their ass and you two will be there to make sure the ghost doesn't get to me and Steve."
Pacified, Danny and Catherine sat back and watched as Steve asked Dean for another round of fighting. They had all been surprised as Dean easily blocked every salvo Steve threw, and their jaws dropped when Dean, tired of playing around, took Steve out in a blink of an eye. The SEAL lay on his back, staring up at Dean in shock.
Smirking, Dean told Steve that he may have been trained by the best of the best, he has only ever gone up against human competitors, whereas Dean constantly fought monsters who were stronger and faster than him. Steve's training paled in comparison to Dean's.
Dean looked at the time and told them to meet up at Steve's at midnight.
"Rest up and stretch. Don't over think anything, okay?" They nodded their heads and left.
Steve helped Dean gather up his things and carried his duffle to Danny's car. Dean shook his head. Instead of taking Steve's truck, with Danny following them, they all piled into Danny's car. It was a tight fit.
He saw Steve reach for the keys but Dean shot ahead and grabbed them. "I'm not sitting in the back of that hobbit car," he told them and they laughed. Danny gracefully, with minimal complaining, sat in the back.
Danny took back his keys when they got to Steve's and headed back to his place for some shut eye. Dean and Steve waved goodbye and walked into Steve's house. Steve collapsed on the couch and promptly fell asleep. Dean gave a small laugh at that.
Making sure Steve really was asleep, Dean grabbed his truck keys, his duffle and made his way outside. Dean had intentionally pushed them hard. He wanted them exhausted so he could sneak out and take out the ghost without them getting in the way. On the ride over to the shooting range, Dean realized he's being an idiot for letting civilians go on a hunt with him. They could get hurt, or worse, expelled. Dean snorted before sobering. He's not going to let them get hurt on his watch. They may think they could handle it but Dean knew better. Shapeshifter is one thing, a ghost is another.
They may be pissed with him later on but at least they'll be safe and unharmed. Especially Steve.
Sooo...whatcha guys think?
Kind of short I know but I needed to update before the weekend. I'm going to be super busy until next Monday. MoD will be updated before the weekend, I promise. Almost done!
