Falling for a Hunter (Female Reader x Dean Winchester)

Chapter 2: Cleaning

Any and all material taken from Supernatural used in this chapter is adapted for entertainment purposes and is not intended for monetization.

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The next morning, your body naturally stirs awake around 5 AM, a reluctant groan escaping your lips as you try to resist the pull of consciousness. Still nestled in the warmth of your bed, you attempt to lean over in a feeble bid to steal a few more moments of precious sleep. However, the determined rays of the early morning sun filter through your curtains, casting a soft glow in the room, and it becomes clear that sleep is an elusive luxury you won't be indulging in any longer.

With a resigned sigh, you accept defeat and push yourself upright, the soft creak of the mattress accompanying your movements. The world outside is hushed, the pre-dawn stillness enveloping your surroundings. As you stretch and yawn, you can almost feel the day awakening alongside you. The room is adorned with subtle shadows, and the air carries the promise of a new day.

Slipping into the bathroom you quietly brush your teeth and wash your face. Typically you would have left without a second look, but remembering that Sam and Dean are staying with you and your father, you decide to examine yourself more closely. You sigh at the reflection in the mirror and proceed to throw on some makeup.

The creaking steps down to the living room are the only noise that fills the whole house. The wood floors are cold beneath your feet, and the familiar clutter that fills the halls makes you feel safe and right at home. As you step into the kitchen a faint snore perks your ears. You turn to see Dean fast asleep on a makeshift bed in your father's office.

Looking at him sleeping flashes you back to all the times he slept in that exact spot so many years ago. You wonder if he is still his flirtatious charismatic self, and hope that the hunting world hasn't taken the best parts of him. You notice the blankets he is lying on and assume they haven't been washed in years, so you make a mental note to do some laundry today.

The kitchen is cold and dirty as you make your way over to the coffee pot. You expect nothing has been cleaned since the day you last left and can't help but audibly groan at your father's messy nature. When you were little the mess didn't bother you all that much, hell it was actually a benefit when you, Sam, and Dean would play hide and seek, or hunters and ghouls (it's just cops and robbers but Dean insisted on calling it hunters and ghouls — for dramatic effect).

After the coffee grounds are filled in the pot you begin scavenging under the sink for any sign of cleaning supplies. Another mental note to go into town fills the imaginary checklist in your brain as you realize the bottles of various cleaners under the sink were dumbed out. Their labels were scratched and a new handmade label was replaced in your father's handwriting.

Dead man's blood.

Holy water

Ooze from that one monster

You chuckle at the last one, remembering vividly the monster in question. You retrieved the "ooze" (blood) from an Ōkami during your second semester at college, when you had studied abroad in Japan. You could tell your father was extremely excited to see the blood saved, but the disappointment on his face knowing it was you who got the job done was heartbreaking for you.

"You were meant to be studying!" Bobby had shouted at you.

"I was studying!" You retorted.

"Studying your languages, not studying what monsters to kill!" Your father scorned, his eyes wide with anger that you still remember clearly today.

"Why can't I do both?" You asked.

"When you pay for your next trip, you can do both. But if it is on my dime!"