Chapter Text
Enjoy this chapter's narration by Dean himself through this link.
“The five of Cups represents disappointment, grief and negativity. But you're mourning the loss of something that existed only in your heart, not in reality.”
He couldn't even remember how it all started.
In a way, it had all been really, truly... Gradual.
He met you in a dog park, of all fucking places to have a fucking meet-cute, he never thought he would be the ‘I only have a dog to pick up girls’ guy.
Except, he didn't, and he wasn't.
Matter-fact, he wasn't even supposed to pick up girls in the dog park, he wasn't supposed to pick up girls at all, anywhere.
He had Lisa and Ben, and a mortgage... And a dog. He drove a fricking minivan, for God's sake! In any way you'd look at it, he was a taken man, he was whipped. Dean Winchester was whipped. It was a sad day for all women across America. Hell, the world! But even though he knew all that, even though he loved Lisa and his new life with her — and the kid, the mortgage, the dog, the stupid minivan... — whatever, he was getting off track.
The point was: he was a happily settled-down man, and he was done with his life on the road. Sleeping in shitty hotels, hooking up with a different girl every night, drinking nonstop, eating greasy food, and hunting down monsters. And he did all of it, with his little brother by his side. Who, you know, died after jumping into a literal hell hole to save the world from the apocalypse, which he sorta started so... Shit, forget about that, Sam was gone and that was that. He was getting off track again anyways.
The dog park, right? He met you at the dog park. Because now he had a dog, he was an official dog owner. Ben had chosen the little guy at the puppy pound, and promised and swore that he would take care of it. But, of course, he didn't. And now the responsibility to care for a speedy growing German Sheppard fell on Dean. He had to scoop its poo, give it baths, take it to the vet, and for walks.
At first, he really hated it, never being much of a pet person, most hunters never are. Their lives don't allow it, to get attached to something... Or someone, could be a dangerous thing.
But that was past him.
Because he was out, forever.
Definitely, without a doubt in his mind.
So what's the worst that could happen in letting himself find cuteness in that little ball of fur? The one that just kept growing and growing, with its big ears, long snout, and big, warm eyes, always attentive, always learning.
He was a smart dog, getting new tricks at super speed. But messy too, crazy little fella constantly wanted to jump up on Dean and lick his face. The Winchester tried to stop him and teach him some manners, but the dog was strong and playful, ready to wag his tail every time he got home and whine when he didn't let him get the leftover food or sleep by his feet in the bed. That’s how Dean chose his name, considering his personality, because “Snoopy” — the name that Ben had picked for him —, simply wouldn't do.
Thor, was what he named the German Sheppard, after the Norse God of Thunder, known for his strength and power, but also his childish sense of humor and love for food. That was Dean's dog in a nutshell.
Thor, the dog, was big now, and full of energy, needing to be walked a lot. And that's exactly what he was doing then, when he met you, trying to enjoy a peaceful Saturday morning with Thor.
He had had a fight with Lisa that morning, another one. He can’t even remember what it was all about, it seemed like their constant arguing over stupid, petty things had been going on for so long that it had all started to meld and intertwine with one another.
The truth was that he had always wanted the simple life, with a wife and a child, a white picket fence, and a steady job. There was always a part of him, from as long as he can remember, that earned for that peaceful feeling of waking up and knowing that the day to come was going to be exactly like the one before, and the one before that, and the one before that too… Well, maybe the truth also was that he had grown a little bored. Because even though there had always been a part of him that wanted to settle down, there was another part of him, a big one, that loved hunting. Loved the excitement and the thrill, loved knowing that he helped people, saved lives.
And of course, he missed his brother. He knew that Sam had gone where he couldn't follow, that Lucifer’s cage was one the most guarded places on earth, and that trying to open it again was not only incredibly dangerous as it was a waste of time, but that didn’t stop him from thinking about it all the time.
All of those persistent thoughts kept on roaming his mind, over and over, so much so that he didn’t even realize that Thor had gone off the leash until it was too late.
“Thor, no!” Dean yelled, trying and failing to catch on to the dog as it sprinted across the park, running full speed in another dog’s direction. “Stay!” But the German Shepherd couldn't care less about its owner’s command, it was on a mission.
He barked loudly as he ran across the yellowing grass, its target realizing Thor’s impeding arrival and responding in kind. The other dog’s bark was just as loud as it started running in the other’s direction also, causing the owner to give out a sharp yelp as the animal tugged on its leash.
“Oh, God, no!” Dean heard the terror in the woman’s voice as she attempted to control the big white-furred Siberian Husky, being forcefully dragged by the creature in a blur of quick motions.
The retired hunter had no idea what could happen, Thor was usually very friendly and overall calm in the presence of other dogs, but he had never been near such a big breed before, so there was this moment of panic as the canines finally got snout to snout. They both tilted their heads, examining each other for a split second, before letting out another torrent of loud barks and starting to smell each other's fur, tails wagging franticly.
“Thor, seriously?” Dean let out a small chuckle as he caught on to them, relieved to see them happily greeting each other.
The owner of the Husky was looking down, ungracefully fumbling with the leash that had wrapped itself all around her arms, trying to untangle herself.
“Wow, that was intense, huh?” She said, her hair bouncing as she looked up at him, out of breath from the ordeal.
“You can say that again.” Dean agreed, finally having time to really look at the stranger. She had an unassuming smile painted on her face, not too big or too little, simply friendly. He felt the need to repay the expression, and mirroring the easiness in her features, he was unable to not smile back at her. “You alright over there?” He asked, motioning to the leash stuck on her arms.
“Almost got it.” She had to fight with it a little more before getting rid of it, lightly biting her bottom lip in a focused state as she twisted her arms side to side till the cord draped off of them. “There, I’m free.” She chortled, showing a few white teeth as she straightened her back and looked up at Dean once more, her short stature in contrast with his tall one making her have to keep up her neck to make eye contact with him.
The Winchester’s brain short-circuited for a good minute as the light of the morning sun hit her face just right, the warm glow of it allowing him to analyze each and every aspect of her countenance. The way tiny little wrinkles formed by the side of her eyes when she smiled openly like that. The sheer layer of perspiration that had formed in the pores of her forehead due to the heat and previous strain. But what really made his mind go blank for a while was the sparkle in her eyes, a literal twinkle as the orbs stared straight at him, even the long set of eyelashes not being capable of casting so much as a shadow to block the glow in her irises.
“Huh…” She broke eye contact, shifting her weight from one foot to another as those shiny eyes looked down now, her hands playing with the leash she still held.
Dean shook his head, realizing he had made her uncomfortable by blatantly staring like that. It’s not like he had never seen a pretty girl, for God’s sake!
Maybe it was only the fact that it had been a while since he had allowed himself to really check out a woman because frankly, he just didn’t feel the need to. He had Lisa, after all. A family, after all. And that felt like more than he ever thought he deserved, so when the cute waitress and the hot bartender gave him bedroom eyes and interested smirks, he simply laughed it off. ‘Cause he had it, the ‘it’ he had always been looking for, and there was no way he would let himself compromise that over some flirty chick with tight clothes and harsh makeup.
But this wasn’t it, she wasn’t it. This girl looked soft and unpretentious. Acting nice only because it was in her nature to, not because she had any interest in him.
“I’m sorry-” He said, causing her to give him her attention once more. “if my dog scared you.”
“No!” Her smile was still there, never faltering. “No, it’s fine. I mean, it’s definitely not the first time Loki dragged me through a whole-ass park, so…”
“Son of a bitch.” Dean looked down at the dogs, they were playing with each other at this point, roughhousing like a couple of old buddies.
“What?” She asked, noticing his awed look.
The Winchester crouched down, starting to run his hands through both of the animal’s soft fur.
“Thor, meet Loki.” He said, mesmerized by the coincidence.
“Shut up, are you serious?” Her face lit up. “What are the odds?” She said, getting down to the dog's level to pet them as well. “Well, I guess he does look like a Thor.” Her fingernails scratched right behind Thor’s ear, making him produce a pleased rumble.
“Why did you name yours Loki?” The hunter truly wished to know, hands deep in the white coat of the husky, the icy blue eyes of the creature blinking softly with appreciation.
“Oh, he’s not mine. I’m just sitting for a friend.” She spoke nonchalantly while still petting the German Shepherd.
“Really?” Dean stopped what he was doing to look at her, her eyes trained on the dogs still. He thought about what she had just said, and what it entailed.
“Yeah, I wish I could say that she has a Norse mythology obsession, but it’s more of a Tom Hiddleston obsession than anything else.” She joked, and for some reason, Dean felt compelled to laugh in return, even though he didn’t catch the reference. “I'm a cat owner myself.” She continued, finally letting go of Thor's fur and getting up from her bent position. “Well, it’s more like my cat owns me, but… Semantics.”
This time Dean’s laugh was even more genuine, not necessarily because he understood the bond between a cat and its human, but simply because of the quick wittiness that he was coming to realize was a part of her.
“I guess I won’t be seeing any more of you at the park, then.” He allowed himself to say, trying to mask a weird sense of disappointment that came with that notion for some reason.
“I wouldn't be so sure, my friend is traveling so we could end up bumping into each other quite a lot.” She shrugged, lightly stretching her back from the time spent crouched down. “Plus, these two were clearly meant to meet.” She smiles at the dogs who were still playing together.
“Yeah, who are we to fight destiny, right?” Dean took advantage of the time she spent focused on the animals to get as many mental pictures of her as possible, not so much fixated on her physical appearance, but more elated by her calm, sweet presence.
“I’m Y/N, ‘bout the way.” She smiled that smile that makes dimples appear on her cheeks, and something inside of him fluttered. All of the sudden, she was longer she , she was you.
“I’m Dean, nice to meet you, Y/N.”