Chris called it an early evening after shaking Dean's hand and wishing both men a good night. After he left, Derek and Dean looked at each other and wondered what to do now. Dean was tired and still wanted to consider what to do about their friendship. His dad would kill him if he stayed friends with a werewolf but his dad wasn't here and Dean didn't know when he would see him again. So, bottom line, it was up to Dean. His dad never needed to know.
"Where are you staying?" Derek asked inquisitively.
"A motel down the street," Dean answered vaguely.
"How about we get your bags and cancel your room? Save you some money. You can stay at my loft." He held up his hand when he saw Dean start to object. "Yes, I know. You're not gay. I'm talking about a good hot shower and a decent couch that is probably much cleaner than the beds in that motel. You can ask me questions the whole time or just think."
Dean eyed him speculatively then questioned curiously, "Why?"
Derek gave a small smile and answered honestly, "Because I still believe we can be friends and I would love for that to happen. I'm hoping that you will come to believe that as well. Either way, you deserve a good hot shower."
Dean arched an eyebrow and prodded, "Are you telling me I stink?"
"Now would I do a thing like that, pretty boy?" Derek taunted lightly.
"Hell, yeah, you would. Be man enough to admit it, bitch," Dean replied lightly.
"You be man enough to make a decision already, beautiful," Derek challenged back. "Are you in or are you out?"
"I like you better when we're playing pool, Bingo," Dean admitted sharply then sighed. "I'm probably going to regret this but let's go."
Derek smiled widely which caused Dean to roll his eyes. Derek laughed at the exasperation on the hunter's face. Dean would never admit it outloud but he really liked the wolf's smile and laughter. The fact that Dean caused it made it even better.
They paid their bar tab and left. They picked up Dean's stuff and cancelled his room then headed out to Derek's loft. It didn't look like much on the outside but the insides were really nice. Dean dropped his stuff by the couch then followed Derek to the bathroom.
After Derek showed him where all the necessities were, Derek left, closing the door behind him. Dean turned on the hot water and took a moment to stare into the mirror while the water warmed up. Once again he wondered what the hell he was doing. For some reason, he felt a pull to be with Derek, even though he knew he shouldn't. After all, everyone leaves him eventually. But the wolf had been there for him more than his family and actually seemed to care about Dean and his well being, more so than his family, especially in recent years.
He sighed and shook off the feeling then checked the water. It was the right temperature so he quickly got undressed and got into the shower. He quickly washed out of habit, used to the hot water not lasting. When he finished and realized there was still some hot water left, he relaxed under it for a few more minutes. He let it relax his sore tired muscles but didn't want to take all the hot water in case Derek needed a shower too.
He got out of the shower, feeling better than he had in a while. At least he didn't get injured during this hunt which was a big change. Hunting alone was more dangerous and he was lucky he hadn't died yet. That wasn't the case for most other lone hunters. He exited the room and walked toward the couch where Derek was putting pillows and blankets for him.
"Thanks, man," he told him.
"No problem. There's a bottle of water on the coffee table by the couch. I figured you could probably use it," Derek informed him. "Did you leave me any hot water?"
"No," Dean teased lightly.
"Figures. I knew you needed it to keep yourself so beautiful," Derek joked back then added, "Let me know if you need anything else. I'll be upstairs. Have a good night, pretty boy."
"You, too, handsome," Dean snapped back.
Derek laughed lightly then headed up the circular stairs in the corner of the room. Dean watched him then noticed that the upstairs didn't extend all the way across the lower room. It was about half of the space. He heard Derek moving around, opening and closing what sounded like dresser drawers, then finally the closing of a door and water being turned on.
He fixed the blankets and pillow on the couch then sat down on them. He drank a bit of the water. Finally he pulled out his phone and made his nightly call. As expected, it went to voicemail. He almost growled in disappointment and anger. Instead, he gave a resigned sigh.
"Dad, it's me, checking in," he recorded in a business-like manner. "I just finished another hunt and wanted to know if you had a hunt lined up that you needed me for. I haven't heard from you for two months. Please at least call me to let me know that you're still alive." He barely stopped sounding pathetic and needy, like he felt. He sighed regretfully and wished that Derek had left him beer instead of water. He ignored the wetness and heat coming from eyes. He was not that kind of guy.
He wiped a hand over his face and cleared his mind while mentally shutting down his emotions like he had been doing since he was four. He rolled his neck then laid down to try and get some sleep or try to decide what to do about Derek. But he already knew he would keep the friendship going until Derek left or gave him a reason to leave. He knew that he could never kill Derek at this point and hoped that the wolf would never give him a reason. He was asleep before Derek exited the shower.
Unknowing to Dean, Derek heard the entire conversation even though he was in the shower, wolf hearing and all that. He heard the emotions that Dean was trying to hide and once again felt tremendous anger toward Dean's family and their treatment of the hurting hunter. He sighed heavily in resignation knowing there was nothing he could do about them that wouldn't hurt the hunter as well. He resolved to continue to be a friend to Dean whether he liked it or not.
After he finished his shower and got dressed in his boxers, he exited the room and listened carefully. He could hear Dean's soft snores and relaxed knowing Dean had been able to sleep after his phone call. He climbed into bed and got settled. He fell asleep not long after.
He was woken up in the middle of the night by Dean yelling the names of his family again. He quickly got up and jumped off the loft. He landed lightly and hurried over to the hunter who was in the grips of another nightmare. He squatted down next to him and grabbed the hunter's nearest free hand, knowing from experience that Dean sometimes fought in his nightmares. He lightly stroked through his hair and called out to him softly, repeating his name over and over.
He leaned over the hunter carefully and let his scent waft in the direction of Dean's nose. He sent out calming vibes through his scent and hoped that it would calm the hunter's wrecked mind. He was relieved as the hunter slowly calmed and fell back into a much calmer sleep. He sighed in relief but worried that the hunter's nightmare would return so he settled himself as comfortable as he could. He might not sleep well tonight. It will be worth it if it holds Dean's fears at bay.
Dean gradually surfaced from a surprisingly good dream. He sighed deeply, feeling refreshed for a change. He ran a hand over his face and took stock of his surroundings. He frowned as he felt something very warm against his chest and something holding his other hand. He slowly opened his eyes to see what's what.
His eyes flew open as he observed Derek sitting on the floor next to him, holding his hand. He frowned in confusion then remembered he was having a nightmare that slowly faded away. He realized that it was driven away because of Derek's presence. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
He felt the wolf stir sluggishly. Derek slowly lifted up his head from Dean's chest and rolled it, trying to relieve the crick in it. Derek turned carefully, not letting go of Dean's hand, as he checked on the hunter. He saw that Dean was up and quickly let go of his hand but Dean gripped it so he couldn't let go.
"Why do you care so much?" Dean questioned hoarsely. It was laced with a lot of confusion.
Derek sighed and shrugged because he honestly didn't know. He maneuvered to sit on the coffee table so that he was more comfortable with the conversation. He answered verbally, "I don't know. I just have from the beginning."
Dean immediately noticed that the wolf was only in his boxers. He swallowed hard as he couldn't help but notice that the wolf was really built. Derek had the six-pack abs and was toned everywhere it seemed. He was definitely attractive and he couldn't avoid noticing it even though he wasn't gay. It didn't make him gay to admit that. It just made him honest.
"Is it a problem?" Derek prodded confused over the hunter's silence. He also wondered why it looked like the hunter was checking him out. Maybe he was just surprised at Derek's state of undress but that didn't explain the slight arousal.
Dean's eyes snapped back up to look into Derek's and he answered distractedly. "No. Maybe. I don't know. It's just not what I'm used to. Never really had a friend, honestly."
Derek looked at him quizzically but, importantly, there wasn't pity. The wolf easily surmised, "Because of all the hunting. Following the hunt and knowing about all the supernatural made it impossible to keep friends so why bother."
"Yatzhee," Dean confirmed, very happy that the wolf understood perfectly.
"Well," Derek responded firmly, "Now you don't have to worry about that anymore because I know about both and we have each other's phone number so we can keep in touch while you hunt. And I will be calling you because I know you won't think to call me."
"You never know," Dean argued lightly but he knew Derek was right and from the looks of Derek's eyes the wolf knew it as well.
"So where are you off to next?" Derek inquired curiously.
"Not sure yet. Have to find another hunt."
Derek nodded in understanding as Dean sat up, letting go of Derek's hand now that he had some answers. Derek offered, "Breakfast?"
"Eating out or here?"
"Here. Eggs and bacon?" Derek expounded.
"No toast?" Dean wondered.
"Not really a bread eater and I'm out." Derek got up and headed to the kitchen while Dean watched and noticed the tattoo on Derek's back.
"What's with the tat?" Dean wondered, not recognizing it. He got up to follow the wolf.
"It's a reminder," Derek started as he got ready to cook. Dean so didn't admire the movement of the wolf's muscles as he did it or the natural grace as the wolf worked. "It shows that an omega can rise to a beta and even an alpha while an alpha can fall to either of those two."
"I like it and it's meaning," Dean admitted, then began helping the wolf so that they could get done faster. Even though they had never cooked together before, they quickly learned how to work around each other. In no time they were sitting down to eat.
As they ate, Derek asked Dean, "Since you don't have anywhere to be yet, you are welcome to hang out here while you look for your next hunt. I need to go to practice with Liam and his team for a while this afternoon but other than that I'm free."
Dean frowned, remembering, "It's Monday. Don't you have a job or something to go to?"
"I'm privately employed. I make my own schedule and I'm taking a small vacation to be with a friend," Derek explained patiently.
"Really?" Dean asked in amazement. "Who?"
"You, wise ass," Derek snarked back.
Dean smirked then inquired, "What is this practice you're doing later? Football?"
Derek smiled and shook his head. "Football isn't anything in this neck of the woods. We play lacrosse."
"Lacrosse," Dean checked, making sure that he heard right. "How is that played?"
"Come to practice with me and you'll see.
Dean thought for a moment then agreed with interest, "Sounds like a plan to me."
They finished up breakfast and cleaned up then Dean pulled out his laptop to search for a new hunt. Derek sat in a comfy chair next to the couch where Dean was researching and pulled out the current book he was reading. They both were quiet as they got involved in their separate tasks.
After a few hours, Dean exclaimed, "Yahtzee!"
"What did you find?" Derek asked curiously.
"It's about six hours from here. Based on what I'm seeing, it's probably a witch. Man, are they skeevy!"
"How do you protect yourself against witches? You don't cast spells, do you?" Derek wondered.
"No, but there are protections that I carry and if I can get to her before she casts, I can keep her mouth closed so she can't do it," Dean explained patiently.
"That sounds really risky," Derek observed with concern.
"Most hunts are really risky but I'm still here," Dean returned nonchalantly.
"So when are you leaving?" Derek pried, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice.
"When is this practice again?" Dean inquired to verify.
"In a couple of hours. Why?"
"That will give me time to pack and get as many details as I can about the hunt," Dean calculated. Derek tried to keep the disappointment off of his face. He really wanted Dean to see some lacrosse. Then the hunter continued, "I can follow you to the practice. Watch it for an hour or so then head out from there."
Derek smiled brightly at that causing Dean to smile in return. With a sigh of relief, Derek went back to his book while Dean worked. At 2:30 they both left the loft and climbed into the Impala. Once they were inside the Impala, a thought crossed Dean's mind.
"Wait. How are you going to get home from the practice?" Dean questioned with concern.
"Liam will drop me off after practice," Derek responded easily.
Dean nodded and started up his baby. He made it to the school practice field easily with Derek navigating. They climbed out and Dean was introduced to Liam and his team friends. Dean climbed up on the nearby bleachers and watched a very interesting game of lacrosse. He enjoyed watching Derek play and was sorry to see the time go but the hour was up. He caught Derek's eye the next chance he got and waved goodbye. Derek returned the wave and Dean headed out to his next case.
