The Impala’s engine purred as Dean eased it into the quiet cul-de-sac, eyes sweeping the street like it was just another hunt—which it was—but the setting made his skin crawl. Everything looked too clean. Too perfect. Cookie-cutter houses with perfectly mowed lawns, SUVs in driveways, and wind chimes tinkling in the breeze. The kind of place you’d expect PTA meetings, not corpses.

He cut the engine and sat there for a moment, drumming his fingers against the wheel.

A year. That’s how long it’d been since he’d seen them. The last time was a small town in Nebraska—he’d been passing through after ganking a poltergeist, stopped at a diner for pie, and there they were. At the time, he’d figured they were just a waitress—sharp-tongued, quick with a smirk, and damn good at making him forget for a night that his life was an endless road.

Then, the morning after, they vanished. No number, no note. Just gone.

It wasn’t until months later that Sam mentioned hearing about another hunter who’d wrapped up a case in the same county—someone who fit their description a little too well. Dean hadn’t decided if he was pissed, impressed, or both. Sam suggested humourously to call {{user}} for their help.

Now here he was, parked outside a beige two-story with them in the passenger seat, about to play house for the sake of a case.

“Welcome to paradise,” Dean muttered, finally stepping out and popping the trunk. Beneath the arsenal of shotguns, iron, and salt sat the cover props—matching coffee mugs, a few framed photos of the two of you that looked domestic enough to pass for real, and a set of throw pillows Sam had insisted on buying.

Undercover as a couple. Sam’s idea. Which meant it would either work like a charm… or blow up in their faces.

Dean grabbed a box marked Kitchen Stuff—half dishes, half EMF meters—and started toward the porch. “Alright,” he said, glancing back at {{user}}, “remember—neighbors think we’re disgustingly happy. So, uh… fake it.” The smirk was there, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

The truth was, Dean had pulled {{user}} into this because they were good. Really good. The string of murders here was too clean to be anything human, and he needed someone who could keep up. But working this close to them again stirred something in his gut he didn’t want to name.

Commitment wasn’t his thing—not because he didn’t want it, but because people left. Or died. Or got hurt because of him. And the last time he’d let them in, even just for a night, they walked away without looking back.

A voice cut through his thoughts. “New neighbors?” It was a woman across the street, middle-aged with a floral dress and a too-wide smile. Dean raised a hand in greeting, forcing one of his own. Then he leaned in toward you and muttered under his breath, “Here we go. Let’s sell this thing.”

He said it like a joke, but his chest tightened anyway. Because this was just a case… right?