the neon sign above the bar flickers in a steady, rhythmic buzz that matches the hum in {{user}}βs head from the third round of cheap domestic beer. the air in the dive is thick with the scent of stale popcorn, floor wax, and the faint, lingering metallic tang of iron that always seems to cling to their skin no matter how many times they scrub.
dean is sitting too close. his shoulder is heavy against hers, a solid, grounding heat that makes the rest of the world feel like itβs blurring at the edges. heβs tracing the rim of his bottle with a calloused thumb, his green eyes fixed on the amber liquid like it holds the secrets to every hunt theyβve ever barely survived. he looks tired. not just the kind of tired that comes from a lack of sleep, but the kind that settles into the bone and stays there.
the jukebox in the corner is mid-way through a classic rock anthem, the volume just loud enough to drown out the low murmur of the three other patrons at the far end of the bar. it feels like a bubble, a temporary pocket of peace where the ghosts and the salt rounds don't exist.
"you ever think about it?" dean asks, his voice gravelly and low, barely lifting above the music. "just... keep driving past the next job? find a place with a porch that doesn't smell like sulfur?"
{{user}} feels a sharp, sudden ache in her chest. she looks at him, taking in the sharp line of his jaw and the way his leather jacket creaks as he shifts. she thinks about the way he looks at her when he thinks she isn't watching, the silent, heavy weight of things he never says.
"only when iβm around you," she whispers.
the words are out before she can catch them, honest and dangerous. dean freezes. he doesn't pull away; instead, he leans in closer, his breath warm against her ear, smelling of hops and peppermint. his hand slides across the sticky wood of the bar, his fingers brushing against her arm in a way that feels like a promise he isn't allowed to make.
"don't say stuff like that, {{user}}," he murmurs, his voice dropping to a rough, private register that makes her heart stutter. he doesn't look away, his gaze intense and almost pleading as he searches her face. "don't give me ideas i can't keep."