( that's what it was all about, wasn't it? the unrelenting hunt. there was always bad shit out there in the world, there was before the winchesters and there sure as hell would be when someone finally ganked the both of them. sometimes it's easier than others to believe they're making a difference, but it's those other times, mostly when sleep doesn't come at all and they're fresh off a hunt that he wonders what the point of it all is.
he admires her tenacity. he's never been one to underestimate another based on their sex, and while she may not call herself a hunter, she's certainly earned his respect as one. he has to reel himself back to the present, that article and the girls that'd suffered coming back to the forefront of his mind that'd previously been inhabited by the warmth emanating from her skin.
a beat and those doe-like eyes are on him again, grateful and soft. ) Look, uh.
Don't feel like you have to rush. ( he knows better than anyone the restlessness that comes with unfamiliar grounds, but for once there's a company other than his brothers that he doesn't seem to mind, and that's... well, something different, that's for damn sure. ) We got plenty of grub, beer, warm water—whatever you need til you're good on your feet.
Somethin' tells me that won't take long for you, though.
An eyebrow arched and a bit of her humor--sad, battered thing that it currently was--curved her lips in amusement. "I do appreciate the offer, Mr. Winchester, but..." What but? The refusal was sheer reflex; she'd always scorned favors whenever they'd been offered.
Trust. She'd been taught that there was no such thing, that 'trust' was just another word for 'betrayal', and that letting anyone--anyone at all--inside was tantamount to suicide. Trust no one, her instructors had drilled into them, and you never be betrayed.
And she'd held to that maxim ever since.
Natasha nibbled lightly at her lower lip, wondering why she was even entertaining the notion. She couldn't stay here. --could she? This place was certainly a fortress; she'd spied damn few structural weaknesses in her brief examination after her shower. And she was savvy enough to guess there were more than a few unseen traps lying in wait for whatever nasty smart enough to make it inside, as well.
And, God, but she was so damned tired... She never wanted for work; she'd checked her voicemail just an hour ago and had five new messages, all of them contracts for her skills and services. A little time off to rest and recuperate might be just the thing, particularly if she didn't have to constantly keep watch over her shoulder...
These thoughts and others scrolled through her mind as she worried her lower lip with her teeth, weighing pros and cons, automatically calculating. Finally, Natasha lifted her eyes and met Dean's gaze again, pursing her lips in a small crooked smile before giving a soft nod. "...well...how about we just play it by ear, hm? Take things one day at a time." Her mouth crooked a little more. "I could use a little vacation, actually."
( yeah, he'll just try to focus on everything other than the sight of those pearled teeth tugging and playing at the plush of her lower lip. impossibly plush and impossibly pink and—shit, it's been too long. he's got no right taking out those sort of neglected manners on her, though, especially not after the hits she'd taken for him in response to those he'd taken for her. they were on even grounds, and while he couldn't call the case a win, they'd landed a pretty solid resource out of it all.
he can only chuckle at the word: ) Vacation. ( it huffs from his lips as if a mirage he's fantasized one too many times. there were no breaks from 'the life', no vacations. taking a few days off meant there was a chance there were innocent people out there dying, lives that could've been saved if they weren't shacked up with their feet on the table cracking open beers. )
Yeah, as close as we can get, huh? ( hand lifts to scratch at the scruff shadowed along his jaw, tracing that uneven split of her mouth. )
Hope the room's comfortable enough for you. We ah, don't usually have guests. ( or not any that stay, anyway. )
She had the sense that these brothers weren't part of any organized clan of hunters, not like the Syndicate for which she worked. But then, those sorts of clans kept well below most radars; no one found one unless the organization wanted to be found. She wasn't sure just how many Syndicates operated on American soil; perhaps only one.
Either way, killing paranormal entities for a living did get a little...wearing, and she'd learned to compartmentalize both monsters and victims in order to complete her contracts without going absolutely insane from the horror of it all. Yes, she knew what lurked on the other side of the shadows, and perhaps she wasn't wired correctly not to be afraid of it.
But then, she hadn't needed a monster in the closet to witness the ultimate horror. Humans were quite adept at that, after all.
Now, however, Natasha found herself watching--without meaning to--Dean's fingers scritching along that sharp jawline, and felt slow warmth beginning to seep into her blood. Horrible timing, that. And for the love of God, she had no intention of getting involved further with these two...no matter how this Dean Winchester just somehow fit the type of man that checked each and every one of her preference boxes.
Bloody fucking hell. Mind yourself, Natalia Alianova.
So she pulled her gaze away briefly, giving it back to respond with, "Mm? Oh, yes, thank you. It's fine." A sincere smile curved her lips, backed by a soft chuckle. "I'm not the sort to expect satin sheets and a gilded headboard, Mr. Winchester."
( he catches the way she looks at him, but he can't help but to wonder if it's just his own selfish inclination to want her to pay attention to him that way. it's not the norm that he's this strung up, that he hasn't found someone to indulge whether it be a bar or one of those friggin' dating apps, but when cases came up one after the other, they were priority, and it was only when they'd settle back at the bunker or one of those rundown hotel beds that he'd feel it hungering within him.
her chuckle warms him, finding his thoughts wandering off far too much for comfort. still, she manages to bring him back. a smirk of his own meets hers in response, perhaps a little coyer. it's all unintentional.
of course. ) This place is a hell of an upgrade from bunking at motel rooms, the bedrooms though seems to be where they paid the littlest attention. ( given the grand library, the tech that still went beyond him at times. but ask him and he's perfectly happy with his room, merely for the fact that it's his. concrete walls and a plain old bed and all. )
"They would, indeed." She'd indulged in a set, back at her own flat a few states over. One of her very few guilty pleasures, that. But she could rough it when necessary, and never minded doing so, as it was usually far easier and cheaper, God knew.
"But seedy motels just fit the image, don't they?" The teasing query preceded a little giggle, though the sound was more tired than amused. "This place, though..." Natasha gazed around with an approving eye. "It's really amazing. A real safehouse." She gave him a lifted eyebrow once again. "I imagine it'd take an army or two to penetrate it."
Before she'd even realized she'd planned to do it, Natasha took a simple step forward, placed a hand against Dean's rough cheek and rose on her tiptoes to press her lips to the other, his skin warm against hers. "Thank you again," she murmured against the edge of his jaw, "for bringing me here."
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he admires her tenacity. he's never been one to underestimate another based on their sex, and while she may not call herself a hunter, she's certainly earned his respect as one. he has to reel himself back to the present, that article and the girls that'd suffered coming back to the forefront of his mind that'd previously been inhabited by the warmth emanating from her skin.
a beat and those doe-like eyes are on him again, grateful and soft. ) Look, uh.
Don't feel like you have to rush. ( he knows better than anyone the restlessness that comes with unfamiliar grounds, but for once there's a company other than his brothers that he doesn't seem to mind, and that's... well, something different, that's for damn sure. ) We got plenty of grub, beer, warm water—whatever you need til you're good on your feet.
Somethin' tells me that won't take long for you, though.
no subject
Trust. She'd been taught that there was no such thing, that 'trust' was just another word for 'betrayal', and that letting anyone--anyone at all--inside was tantamount to suicide. Trust no one, her instructors had drilled into them, and you never be betrayed.
And she'd held to that maxim ever since.
Natasha nibbled lightly at her lower lip, wondering why she was even entertaining the notion. She couldn't stay here. --could she? This place was certainly a fortress; she'd spied damn few structural weaknesses in her brief examination after her shower. And she was savvy enough to guess there were more than a few unseen traps lying in wait for whatever nasty smart enough to make it inside, as well.
And, God, but she was so damned tired... She never wanted for work; she'd checked her voicemail just an hour ago and had five new messages, all of them contracts for her skills and services. A little time off to rest and recuperate might be just the thing, particularly if she didn't have to constantly keep watch over her shoulder...
These thoughts and others scrolled through her mind as she worried her lower lip with her teeth, weighing pros and cons, automatically calculating. Finally, Natasha lifted her eyes and met Dean's gaze again, pursing her lips in a small crooked smile before giving a soft nod. "...well...how about we just play it by ear, hm? Take things one day at a time." Her mouth crooked a little more. "I could use a little vacation, actually."
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he can only chuckle at the word: ) Vacation. ( it huffs from his lips as if a mirage he's fantasized one too many times. there were no breaks from 'the life', no vacations. taking a few days off meant there was a chance there were innocent people out there dying, lives that could've been saved if they weren't shacked up with their feet on the table cracking open beers. )
Yeah, as close as we can get, huh? ( hand lifts to scratch at the scruff shadowed along his jaw, tracing that uneven split of her mouth. )
Hope the room's comfortable enough for you. We ah, don't usually have guests. ( or not any that stay, anyway. )
no subject
Either way, killing paranormal entities for a living did get a little...wearing, and she'd learned to compartmentalize both monsters and victims in order to complete her contracts without going absolutely insane from the horror of it all. Yes, she knew what lurked on the other side of the shadows, and perhaps she wasn't wired correctly not to be afraid of it.
But then, she hadn't needed a monster in the closet to witness the ultimate horror. Humans were quite adept at that, after all.
Now, however, Natasha found herself watching--without meaning to--Dean's fingers scritching along that sharp jawline, and felt slow warmth beginning to seep into her blood. Horrible timing, that. And for the love of God, she had no intention of getting involved further with these two...no matter how this Dean Winchester just somehow fit the type of man that checked each and every one of her preference boxes.
Bloody fucking hell. Mind yourself, Natalia Alianova.
So she pulled her gaze away briefly, giving it back to respond with, "Mm? Oh, yes, thank you. It's fine." A sincere smile curved her lips, backed by a soft chuckle. "I'm not the sort to expect satin sheets and a gilded headboard, Mr. Winchester."
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her chuckle warms him, finding his thoughts wandering off far too much for comfort. still, she manages to bring him back. a smirk of his own meets hers in response, perhaps a little coyer. it's all unintentional.
of course. ) This place is a hell of an upgrade from bunking at motel rooms, the bedrooms though seems to be where they paid the littlest attention. ( given the grand library, the tech that still went beyond him at times. but ask him and he's perfectly happy with his room, merely for the fact that it's his. concrete walls and a plain old bed and all. )
Satin sheets would be damn nice though, huh?
no subject
"But seedy motels just fit the image, don't they?" The teasing query preceded a little giggle, though the sound was more tired than amused. "This place, though..." Natasha gazed around with an approving eye. "It's really amazing. A real safehouse." She gave him a lifted eyebrow once again. "I imagine it'd take an army or two to penetrate it."
Before she'd even realized she'd planned to do it, Natasha took a simple step forward, placed a hand against Dean's rough cheek and rose on her tiptoes to press her lips to the other, his skin warm against hers. "Thank you again," she murmured against the edge of his jaw, "for bringing me here."