Chapter Text
* Beep* *Beep* Dean groaned, turning over, pressing snooze on his alarm clock. … *Beep* *Bee-*
“Gaah!” Dean shouted as he sat up and turned off his alarm.
Rubbing his eyes he looked at the time. 7:10, he was supposed to be up 10 minutes ago. Dean swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stepped out. Begrudgingly, Dean got dressed and headed downstairs.
Dean was greeted at the bottom of the stairs by his Doberman Collie.
“Hey Benny, morning to you too.” he greeted, petting Bennys neck.
Dean walked to the kitchen, getting Benny some food and checking to make sure the doggy door was unlocked. Grabbing his keys he made his way to the front door.
“Don't get into too much trouble Benny!” Dean called as he put on his shoes.
He stood up fully and grabbed his coat; doing a quick pat down check before leaving.
“Breakfast on the way again.” Dean muttered to himself as he trotted down the porch stairs and got into his car.
He backed out of the driveway and turned on his music; Highway to hell started playing. Dean smiled and sang along loudly.
This was the usual routine. Wake up late, feed Benny, drive to work listening to some type of music, and arrive at work on time. Dean's schedule never really changed; the only variation being actually grabbing something to eat on the way to work. He worked as a mechanic at his own shop. His younger brother, Sam, was at Stanford and studying to be a lawyer. He also had a youngest half brother named Adam, a result of an affair his dad had. Adam was distant from the rest of the family, Mary having refused to talk to him and John being a deadbeat to him as well.
Dean talked with Adam more after he moved out. The one with the most communication to Adam however, was Sam. Dean wasn't sure why they bonded so well but he was glad Sam had someone in the family he could relate to. Dean pulled into the parking lot, cut the engine, and got out. ‘Winchester Repairs’ the shop read.
Dean made his way inside to start up his day. Business was normally slow but so was Dean before his morning coffee, so it worked out. Dean turned on the light in the back office and started brewing some coffee, leaning against the counter as he waited. His head chirped up when he heard the bell above the door jingle. Sighing, Dean braced himself to learn what kind of day he was gonna have. Walking out he saw a man, he had very short brown hair, gray looking eyes, and he radiated uncomfortable energy.
“Can I help you?” Dean asked, sounding polite.
“Are you Dean Winchester?” he asked.
“Yes, resident owner of Winchester repairs at your service.” he said, plastering on a smile.
”Good, your father said you'd be here.” the man said.
Dean's smile turned into a look of confusion before the man grabbed his neck and pulled him over the counter. Dean groaned as he landed on the floor, his front and back aching. He rolled over and looked at the man, his eyes were now yellow.
“You're in quite the predicament here Dean. You see, your father made a deal but on his contract he signed your name. My incompetent worker didn't seem to notice till it was too late.”
“Who are you?” Dean asked through strained breath.
The man leaned down on one knee and roughly grabbed Dean's hair, pulling his head up “My name is Azazel, one of the princes of hell. Your father made a deal with your name; and you, Dean Winchester, now owe me your soul.” Azazel responded.
“How is that fair?!?!! That dead beat cops out on a deal and I get punished?” Dean yelled. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew his dad fucked up his life again.
Azazel let his head go “You do have a small point.” he said quietly. “I'll make you a deal Dean Winchester, you do some work for me and I'll take your fathers soul; do enough work for me and you'll even get to keep yours.” he offered.
“Soul?” Dean asked, confused.
Azazel sighed and grabbed Dean by the collar of his shirt and pulled him onto his feet. “Do we have a deal or not boy?” he asked, still holding Dean's shirt.
Dean bit his lip and thought about the deal. He didn't know what this guy meant by a 'soul’ or what kind of work he needed to do but he did know if he didnt go along he was getting fucked.
“Fine, you have a deal.” Dean finally said.
“Perfect.” Azazel replied darkly.
He pulled Dean into a kiss before disappearing. Dean stuck out his tongue and gagged, brushing it on his sleeve in disgust.
“What the fuck?!?!” he shouted, looking around.
He just disappeared. Dean's breathing calmed down as he continued glancing around the shop; it was quiet. Dean huffed and walked back into the back room, his coffee was finished. He took a big sip and tried to collect his thoughts. What had he just agreed to? The man's name sounded familiar.
“Azazel, where have I heard that name before?” he muttered as he went to his computer.
Typing in the name, Dean scanned the results “A demon. He's a fucking Demon?” he asked, looking at more results.
Dean groaned and rested his face in his hands, he couldn't make sense of most of this. His head pricked up; Sammy. Sam, though studying law, had taken a demonology class his freshman year at college. Dean quickly picked up his phone and dialed his brother; maybe he could give some answers. He beamed as he heard his younger brother's voice pick up the phone.
“Dean? Why are you calling? Did something happen?” Sam asked.
“No, no, just wanted to ask you something.” Dean brushed off, trying to sound casual.
“Okay, what did you want to ask?” Sam asked him
“He needs something?” Dean heard in the background; Adam.
“Yeah, give me a sec.” Sammy said.
“Adam's with you?” Dean asked him.
“Yeah, he came for a quick visit, unlike some people.” Sam said, mocking tone in his voice.
Dean smiled and shook his head. He was usually too busy to be able to visit Sammy but he tried to see him as much as possible.
“Now what did you need?” Sam continued.
“You took demonology freshman year, right? How much do you remember?” Dean started.
“Yeah, I did. I remember most of it, kept up with a few interesting topics. Why do you ask?”
“I wanna know about a specific demon. His name is Azazel.” Dean told his brother.
“Well, look at Mr. Demons aren't real so that class doesn't matter now.” Sammy mocked.
“Sam, just tell me about the damn demon.” Dean grumbled, annoyed.
Sam went quiet for a few seconds. “...Fine. From what I remember he's said to be a powerful demon. Demons themselves have lots of different abilities but they range in power. Said to be a follower of Lucifer, a high ranking one at that. He was feared and to be respected. Known for causing a shit ton of disasters when anyone crossed his path.” Sam explained.
Dean was holding his breath, that wasn't good news for him.
“Anything else you want to know?” Sam asked him.
“Um, yeah, did you ever learn anything about people supposedly making deals with demons?” Dean asked, holding the phone between his head and shoulder as he grabbed a pen and notepad.
“Oh…Well, yes. People supposedly made deals with demons to get something they desired. Back then it was a good harvest, happy family, able to win a war. Now I'd guess it would be money, promotion. Normal stuff people ask for all the time.”
“And how would people get this stuff? Demons just give it for free out of the kindness of their hearts?” Dean asked, sounding joking.
“Heh, no. From what I read they'd ask for stuff precious to you. A child, occasionally a favor, and I found one book that said they'd ask for people's souls in return. They'd collect what they wanted and in return give you what you asked for. Kinda interesting to think about the lengths people would go to to get what they wanted.” Sam told him.
“Thanks Sammy, you're the best. Talk to you later.” Dean said, keeping a chipper tone.
“No problem. Why'd you want to know all this stuff anyway?” Sam asked.
“Just saw something about a demon named Azazel on the cover of a book. Was to lazy to read it myself.” Dean lied, Sammy would believe it; he always complained about Dean not reading enough.
He knew he was right when he heard Sam groan on the other end of the phone.
“Of course. Bye Dean.”
“Bye Sammy.”
Dean hung up before groaning loudly into his hands, he rubbed his face and took a deep breath. Dropping his hands he decided to move on with his day. He could deal with this later. Dean finished his coffee and started another cup. He went out front and waited.
Dean was hoping for a lot of foot traffic, to help take his mind off of his morning. Unfortunately it was an extra slow day, he had plenty of time to think about his decision, about what he'd been told, what Sam had told him; it wasn't a good day.
Dean sighed thankfully as he closed up shop. On the drive home he picked up some dinner for him and Benny. Dean pulled into his driveway and looked happily at his home. It was a two story house with beige walls and a black roof; it was decently big and in a good neighborhood. He had moved here 5 years back, after Winchetser auto started taking off. He wanted a good life for himself, like the one he gave Sammy.
He had cut himself off from his father as much as he could and tried to work through the trauma of his family. Dean walked in with the takeout bags and kicked the door shut behind him.
“Benny, boys night in!” he yelled.
Dean had gotten Benny 3 years ago. He was 7 when Dean had gotten him, raised in the shelter most of his puppy life. Whenever Dean wanted some action but failed he would grab takeout for him and Benny and call it a boys night in; ever since, Benny hand came running to him for dinner at the phrase.
As expected Benny came bounding down the stairs, barking happily at him.
“Don't worry, I got you your burger too.” Dean told him, walking into the living room; Benny on his heels.
Dean sat on the couch and put the bags on his coffee table.
“Alright, we got small fry and a puppy safe cheeseburger for the world's best boy.” Dean said, taking the food out of the bag and setting it on the table.
Benny barked happily and started eating. Dean grabbed the remote and turned on Dr. Sexy MD before starting eating.
Nights like these Dean quickly fell asleep and Benny curled up near him. Dean snored loudly, sprawled out on his couch, Benny laying on the floor beside him. Everything was quiet, the TV having turned off hours ago. A strange wind blew through the living room, slowly soaking Dean. He groaned as he squinted his eyes open, it was still bright with all the lights on and it was giving him a headache.
Dean looked around the room, confused on why he'd woken up. He shrugged it off and got up, carefully stepping over Benny. He turned the lights off and walked upstairs, he knew Benny would find him later so he kept his door ajar. Dean changed into some pajamas and turned off his light. His eyes drifted to the corner of his room, where a dark figure stood. Dean jumped and quickly turned his light back on. No one was there.
He took a deep breath, there was no one there, he was fine. Dean turned off his light and laid down. He fell asleep quickly but 2 hours later was awoken by a presence in his room. Dean rubbed his eyes as he sat up and looked around. He flinched back when he saw someone sitting at the end of his bed.
“Good, you're awake.” Azazel turned his head to look at Dean, eyes glowing.
“How did you get into my house?” Dean asked, subtly scooting backwards on his bed.
“You have no protection on nor in your house, nothing keeping me out. Now, I have your first assignment. Get up.” with that, Azazel stood and walked out of the room.
Dean watched him leave and stayed in bed staring at the doorway. He groaned and fell back onto his bed. He got up shortly after and quickly got dressed before heading downstairs. Benny was growling at the bottom of the stairs, staring into the living room. Dean walks all the way down the stairs and sees Azazel standing in the living room; he was looking at a book he had picked up.
“Seriously dude? It’s creepy just standing here in the dark.” Dean told him as he turned the lights on.
Azazel looked over to him “Took you long enough. Now, come here so I can tell you your first assignment.” he said to Dean, dropping the book on the coffee table.
Dean instead walked to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. When he walked in he saw a cup of hot coffee already sitting on the counter.
Dean just shrugged and took it to the living room and sat down on the couch.
“Alright. What’s the first thing I need to do?” Dean asked, looking up at the demon.
“You’re going to hunt down a pack of werewolves that have been causing me trouble. They’ve been killing good potential souls. We’re losing business because of those idiots.” Azazel told him.
Dean stared at him wide eyed. Fucking werewolves ? Those weren’t real. But, he thought demons weren’t real either.
“Werewolves? Seriously? I barely believe demons exist.” Dean told him.
Azazel chuckled “There are many things you don’t know about Dean Winchester. Just get this done.”
With that, Azazel disappeared in a puff of smoke. Dean stared at where he once was. What the actual fuck. He decided to finish his coffee before figuring anything out.
Dean groaned as he stepped outside and closed the front door. He slid into his Impala and started the engine. Dean saw something out of the corner of his eye, it was a folded piece of paper. He picked it up
-Some things I thought you might need:
Silver Knives
Silver bullets
Luck
Take out the pack-
Dean thought for a moment before heading back inside to grab his gun and a few knives.
Dean crouched behind a patch of bushes near the looming building. His breath was getting rapid as the situation dawned on him more and more. This was insane. He was about to try and kill werewolves for a fucking demon . And if he didn’t, Dean lost his soul and was dragged to Hell. Yeah, fuck his dad for that one.
Dean took a deep breath and pulled his gun out of his inner coat pocket. It was now or never. Dean thought to himself. He stood and quietly made his way to and inside the building. Dean was informed that during the night most of the pack would be out. Making things a little easier to start.
------------------------
Azazel walked through the halls of Hell with a swift pace. With his time cleared not having to deal with those pesky werewolves he could make a full report to the King. Though he didn’t let it show he was nervous. He still hasn’t retrieved John Winchester's soul; the idiot having somehow learned to shield himself from demons.
Lucky, having the younger Winchester running errands would free up his time to get more things done. Any demon in Azazel path quickly moved out of the way. Before entering through the large doors Azazel took a deep breath discreetly.
“My Lord.” Azazel spoke as he entered.
“Oh, you aren’t dead? When you didn’t report yesterday I thought you’d finally kicked it.” Lucifer said dismissively.
Crowley kicked Lucifer shin.
“Hey, the fuck.” he growled.
“You wanted to start reports, you need to pay attention.” Crowley told him.
One might wonder how a lowly crossroads demon had gotten the authority to stand next to the King of Hell and bicker with him. Azazel never fully knew. The only one besides the King himself and the crossroads demon was Lilith. None of them ever told anyone what had happened.
All Azazel knew was that Crowley was there when Lucifer was seen out of his prison. He quickly became co-runner of Hell. After a small silence Lucifer went back to reading the paper on his lap, Crowley read over his shoulder.
“Report.” Lucifer commanded.
Azazel cleared his throat “I retrieved three souls yesterday.”
Both beings looked up to him, staring.
“You were supposed to retrieve four souls yesterday.” Lucifer said.
Both the demon and demon king were in small shock.
“You’ve never missed one. What the fuck?” Lucifer growled.
“There was a small complication with the fourth soul. I wasn’t present when he signed the contract and he signed away someone else's soul.” Azazel informed them.
“Who’s soul?” Crowley asked.
“The man who signed the contract was John Winchester. He signed over his son, Dean Winchester's, soul.”
“Then just take both.” Lucifer told him.
He knew this was going to happen; he still wasn’t prepared for it however.
“No.” Azazel said curtly.
Lucifer's head snapped back up. Crowley stared wide eyed at the prince of hell; he hadn’t expected the one prince of hell to follow Lucifer's orders to a T to tell him no to a command.
“Excuse me?” Lucifer said darkly.
The room grew colder as the archangel’s power rose to the surface. His eyes started to glow a bright red.
“I have already decided the fate of the younger Winchester. He is doing work for hell in order to keep his soul. I have ensured he won’t die during his errands. As for the father, I am already looking for him as he has shielded himself from demons. I will retrieve his soul with some hounds.” Azazel explained.
Though he sounded confident Azazel was concerned for himself. The last prince to cross Lucifer hasn’t been seen since he’d walked into the throne room. There was a still silence in the throne room. Lucifer finally calmed down. His eyes returned to the icy blue of his vessels and the room started to heat up. Lucifer hummed.
“Go keep an eye on the boy.” he told Azazel.
Azazel stared dumbfounded for a second. “But sire, the father-”
Lucifer interrupted him with a whistle. Lucifer's Hell Hound ran into the room soon after. Stopping next to the throne. Lucifer smiled and stood, scratching her behind the ear. She was large, even for a Hell Hound, when standing her head was an inch taller than Lucifer's making her stand at 6’2. Normal Hell Hounds when not in their demon form, that form being for hunting purposes, rested at his waist; around 4 feet.
When in their demon form hounds were around 6 feet. When Lucifer’s Hound was in demon form she stood at 10 feet. Azazel had only seen it once, and honestly didn’t wish to see it again.
“I’ll find John Winchester.” Lucifer said. “Now go.”
Azazel nodded and quickly left the room.
“Go keep an eye on this Dean Winchester as well.” Lucifer said, looking at Crowley.
“And what are you going to be doing?” Crowley questioned.
Lucifer chuckled “As I said, finding John Winchester. We need to get some fresh air.”
Crowley gave him a suspicious look, he didn’t think Lucifer was referring to himself or the Hound. He was hiding something.
“And who will run Hell?”
“Tell Lilith she’s in charge before you leave.”
With that, Lucifer and his Hound disappeared.
---------------------
Dean shot the werewolf that charged straight for him, killing it. One to his right that he didn’t see knocking the gun from his hands. Dean swiftly turned and pulled a knife from his pocket, lunging at the creature and stabbing it. There had been five werewolves in the compound when he had first entered. They themselves were hard enough to take out. When the rest of the pack came home things got more difficult.
There were fifteen more werewolves. That all returned home at once. Just his luck. He had somehow managed to take out ten but the last five were getting more vicious. Two down. Three to go. One grabbed him from behind, throwing him across the room. Another lunged. Dean quickly rolled and stabbed. Two more. The final two ganged up on him, both grabbing one of his arms. Dean jumped and swung one of his legs, successfully surprising both werewolves and kicking one as well.
He was dropped and he dove for his gun. Shooting the wolf he had kicked. He tried to shoot again, and he was out of bullets.
“Son of a bitch.” Dean muttered.
He looked around and spotted his knife. Next to the werewolf he needed to kill. He jumped to his feet and tackled the wolf, quickly reaching back and grabbing his knife while they were stunned. He stabbed down, effectively killing the last werewolf.
Dean got off of them and sat on the ground, breath ragged. So many near misses. He had lost two knives and now needed more bullets. Fantastic. Dean stood slowly and quietly left the carnage. He needed to go home. Thankfully he was only a few towns over. Dean sighed as he slid into the Impala. He rested his head against the backrest and closed his eyes. His breathing steadied. Dean Winchester, very quickly, fell asleep.
Dean groaned as he awoke. He was laying in the back of the Impala, which he didn’t remember doing. Dean jolted as he remembered having to get home. He looked out the windows. He was in his driveway. How did he get here? Why was he lying in the backseat? He had so many questions, and at the same time, wanted answers to none of them. After last night he really didn’t care; he was just thankful to be home.
Dean stepped out of his car and dragged his feet to the front door, still groggy from just waking. His attention pricked up however when he grabbed the door handle and found the door was unlocked. He remembers locking his door. Dean quietly stepped inside, not fully shutting the door in case he needed a quick escape.
After what he just went through, Dean was on high alert even from small things. He peeked into the living room, there was a man, about 5’9 in a black three piece suit; he was petting Benny. The stranger's eyes snapped to him.
“Hello Dean,” he said.
“How the hell do you know my name?” Dean asked as he stepped further into the house.
I was informed of your peculiar little situation last night and wanted to meet you for myself. Azazel doesn’t just keep random people alive for no reason.”
“Who are you?”
“Name's Crowley, crossroads demon.” Crowley introduced himself, flashing his red eyes before returning them to normal.
“There are different types of demons?” Dean questioned.
“Course there are. Lowest ranking are just regular Demons. Crossroad demons like myself are next; we usually deal in deal making with humans. You have the torturers, The head torturer along with them. Knights, then Princes, the first demon to be turned or whatever her thing is. And the King of Hell himself.” Crowley listed, sounding uninterested as he did so.
Dean nodded, not fully comprehending most of that. He paused.
“Wait, King of Hell?” he questioned.
“Oh yes, Lucifer. The name should sound familiar.” Crowley said dismissively.
Dean just stared.
“Right, humans tend to not take that news the way demons do.” Crowley said to himself. “Look, don’t tell anyone but he doesn’t do much anyway. Mostly just sits in Hell and scares the lower ranking demons.”
Dean nodded, not 100% believing that but moved on. He moved to the kitchen to get a drink, probably a beer, before going to lay down again. He’ll work tomorrow. Right now he needs more sleep. He assumed Crowley would just leave so he ignored him. Dean couldn’t find anything so he headed up to his room and fell into bed. Out like a light.
Dean jolted awake to his cell phone ringing. He groaned and rubbed some of the sleep from his eyes before reaching onto his nightstand to grab his phone. It wasn’t there. He took a second to process before realizing his phone was in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered.
“Hello?” he asked, voice gravely from sleep.
“Dean? Um…It’s about dad.” Sam said on the other end of the line.
Dean sat up, more attentively, “What about him?” he asked.
“He was found mauled in a motel room in Canada.” Sam told him.
Dean was silent. This had to be because of the demons. Had to be. He sold his soul and that’s what happened.
“Oh,” he said shakily “I- jeez man. What the fuck was he doing in Canada?” ‘Running from his problems’
“I don’t know. Apparently he had been running around all over the place. State to state. Seemed like he was running but the authorities can’t figure out what. But Dean, he was torn apart, all over the room torn apart.”
Dean stayed silent.
“How do you wanna handle this?” Sam finally asked.
“I don’t know. I think he was a piece of shit father and wanted nothing to do with him. Yours and Adam's choices as well.” Dean told his brother.
“Adam wants to do a funeral.”
“Then I’ll be there.”
They talked a little while longer before hanging up.
Dean sat in silence for a moment.
“Why was he mauled?” he asked out loud.
“Hell Hound. His running made it worse for himself though.”
Dean whipped around, Azazel was standing in his doorway.
“Dude, that’s fucking creepy.” Dean told him, letting out a breath.
Azazel shrugged. “I have your next assignment,” he told Dean.
Dean groaned and hung his head, he had just gotten home and he needed to leave again.
“I still have a day job, you know. Need to pay the bills and keep my dog alive. I can’t just constantly run to your beck and call.” Dean told the demon, standing.
He still wanted his life. Dean liked his job, he had worked hard to get where he wasn’t gonna let anyone tear his life apart. Azazel glared him down.
“You do remember your working to keep your soul correct? My beck and call is what’s keeping you alive.”
The two were at a standoff.
Azazel straightened “Very well.” he said.
Azazel disappeared. Dean shook inwardly, that couldn’t have been good. He took a breath to steady himself. He had to get to work, and feed Benny, and get something to eat, and-; there was a lot to do, he should just get going.
Dean worked under the hood of a car he was fixing, the engine had sounded off.
“Hello Dean.”
Dean jolted up and banged his head on the hood. He rubbed the back of his head as he slowly moved away from the car and looked at the speaker. It was crowley.
“What the fuck do you want? Here to tell me that you’re here to collect my soul or something?” Dean asked bitterly.
“Yes, I heard about your little spat with Azazel. Unfortunately for him I see your point and his boss happened to as well; along with having taken great interest in you. We’ve come up with a plan.” Crowley told him.
Dean looked confused. He was sure that he was gonna be forced to kick the bucket. Somehow, instead, he had been given another chance. The part about the Devil taking an interest in him was concerning but that was for another time.
“What’s the plan?” he asked.
Crowley took out a book from inside his suit, a journal to be specific. Brown and leather bound.
“This is supposed to help me or something?” Dean asked. He flipped through the pages “Dude, these are all blank.”
“You’re supposed to write in it. Keep knowledge in it about the different types of creatures you can find. Along with logs of your thrilling adventures. What will help you is the notebook in your house that will list the different tasks you need to fulfill, and their importance. It’ll say how long you have to complete the assignment.”
Dean stared at Crowley.
“The journal was my touch. I’ve heard hunters keep them. And that’s more or less what most of your work is going to be. Azazel doesn’t like to deal with monsters, nor do most demons for that matter.”
Dean nodded. Okay, so there were monster hunters in the world. Cool. Dean looked at the journal in his hands.
“Hey, why did you-” when he looked up, Crowley was gone. "Never mind then."
Dean tossed the journal onto a nearby tool shelf and went back to work.
Dean walked into his house, grocery bags in arms. He kicked the door shut and stumbled into the kitchen, dropping the eight bags onto the counter. He sighed and dropped his keys on the counter as well, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
He walked into his living room for his phone charger. However, he found the notebook Crowley had mentioned sitting on the coffee table. He carefully picked it up and looked at the first few pages. It had a list of different tasks for him to do; and how long he had to do them.
There was a “Jinn Hunt” that he had 5 days to complete. It seemed to be the shortest time frame out of everything, so that was next Dean supposed. On the page the Jinn hunt was listed it had a few paragraphs explaining the situation and some weaknesses, helpful. It also said what a Jinn was and what they could do. More helpful. The biggest problem Dean could see was that it was two states over.
“Great, so now I also have to travel around the country. Fantastic.”
Dean huffed and tossed the book back on the coffee table then headed back into the kitchen. He started putting stuff away, leaving out what he needed for dinner. It was slow, normal, something Dean was glad to have. After everything, normal was all Dean wanted. Benny entered the kitchen happily, his tail wagging as he looked up at Dean.
“Hey Benny,” Dean said as he patted the dog on the head “good to see you too.”
Dean finished organizing and started pulling out a large pot for spaghetti. Simple dinner that didn’t take too long. While the water was boiling Dean took a moment to plan out the Jinn hunt he was supposed to do. He’ll take a day to drive then use the next to catch the thing, then another day to drive home. That’s three of the five days he has. Dean nodded, agreeing to his own plan. He could pack tonight and get as much as he could in the next two days.
Dean went to put the pasta in the pot but nearly tripped over Benny.
“Hey! Benny move-”
Dean went to move Benny out of the way but stopped when he saw he was growling. Not at Dean, but at a corner of the kitchen. Dean stared at where Benny was looking. There was nothing there.
Dean looked back at Benny “Okay, out you go. Don’t need you psyching me out when I already have demon problems.” he said, pulling Benny out of the kitchen by his collar. Benny walked off and Dean tended to his dinner.
Dean sat down on his bed, Benny quickly joining him. During dinner he had mapped out the roads and after he packed. Now was the matter of Benny. Dean didn’t really have any friends that could drop everything and come watch his dog. He thought for a moment. He did, however, have a brother. Adam still lived with his mom, having just finished high school two years ago and not fully having decided what he wanted to pursue.
His mom didn’t mind though, nor did she mind when Sam and Dean came for visits. She treated them like her own kids. It was appreciated by both brothers, though Sammy accepted it more than Dean did. Dean remembered his mom, not a lot but enough. Besides, Dean was 4 years older than Sam and 10 years older than Adam so he never really spent time with Kate or Adam like Sam did. When Dean left to start his own shop he left Sammy with Kate; John had disappeared at the time.
Adam constantly visited Sam for company, and he had offered Dean the same but Dean always said he was busy. Though not under great circumstances he would be happy to invite Adam over. He had actually been meaning to but never found the chance. Nor a good excuse. Due to John’s horrible parenting Dean had issues with feelings. He knew this, everyone knew, but he just couldn’t get over it. And refused to go to therapy. Now however, he had an excuse.
Dean picked up his phone and dialed Adam’s number.
“Hello?” Adam asked, sounding confused.
“Hey Adam. I wanted to know if you could come over for a visit this week.” Dean said, chipper.
“Um, why?”
Dean shifted, he knew he was gonna have to tell Adam he was leaving for three days and he needed him to watch Benny no matter what but that didn’t make it easier.
“I’ve been meaning to invite you over,” he paused, Adam waited “And I need someone to watch Benny while I go on a small trip.” Dean finished.
“Of course.” Adam muttered bitterly.
There was a small reason for his hostility. When Adam first met Sam and Dean he was so happy to have siblings. He really wanted to get to know them, Dean especially. He saw how close Sam was with Dean and how happy he was and he wanted the same. Unfortunately, Dean wasn’t thrilled about having to extend his family at the time. He had his brother and that was all he needed.
Adam grew bitter towards Dean over the years and Dean didn’t blame him. He tries now but miserably fails.
“I know. Look, you’re the only person I could think of. I have two days till I need to go and I thought we could actually visit before that.” Dean explained.
Adam was silent for a while.
He finally sighed, “I can only do this one time.”
“Why?” Dean asked.
“I’m gonna start studying pre-med.” Adam told him.
“Wow, that’s awesome!” Dean told his half brother.
He was genuinely happy for Adam. Adam was silent for a moment.
“Thanks.” The surprise was evident in his tone. “Yeah, I’ll fly out tomorrow.” he moved on.
“Thank’s Adam. I’ll pick you up.”
The brothers ended their call. Dean laid down, finally he could get some sleep.
Dean gasped as he ducked behind a stack of crates. The Djinn was hiding in a warehouse and had kidnapped four separate people. They tied them up and hung them by their arms, draining their blood. Dean had tried to get at least one person down but had quickly been caught by the Jinn; who had hid upon Dean’s entry. They had quickly knocked the weapon from his hands and tried to subdue him.
Now, Dean was hiding, with no weapons, and no clue what he needed to do. A loud gunshot rang out. Dean stood stock still. There was scuttering and loud clashes. Shouting and grunting. Very quickly it all went quiet. Dean stayed in his hiding place for a while longer; waiting. When he was sure the coast was clear he crept out and back to the victims of the Djinn. He carefully as he could, took everyone down and woke them up.
There wasn’t much talking; because Dean wouldn’t talk. He didn’t know what to say to these people. Most of the questions they were asking he had as well.
“Just, don’t tell people about this. Lie your asses off.” he told them.
Everyone understood and Dean led them out of the warehouse. He watched as they walked down the road back to town. As much as he wanted to leave himself, there was still the matter of finding the dead Djinn. Or, presumed dead.
He walked through the quiet warehouse, looking for any sign of the monster. Dean found the Djinn dead on the ground in the middle of a room. Whoever had gotten the thing didn't go after the victims, so he didn't know if they were friendly or not. It didn't matter right now, Dean needed to get out of here and as far away as possible, just in case. As he turned Dean saw a tall black figure at the far end of the room. He swiftly turned and aimed his gun; it was gone. He wasn't sure if he was going crazy or what. This was the second incident.
Dean steadied himself and left. He'd look into it when he got home.
Dean entered the house as quietly as he could; it was 1 in the morning. His attempts to stay quiet were cut short by Benny rushing down the stairs loudly and barking.
"Shhhhh, Benny it's me." Dean shushed his dog.
Though Benny quickly quieted down on notice Dean had returned he started barking again, running around him. Dean sighed and looked up as he heard Adam coming down the stairs as well.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." He apologized.
"You didn't. I've been up, studying."
"Oh, how's that going?" Dean tried making conversation.
He really was interested in spending time with Adam. He supposed he could talk how he did with Sammy when he was going off to college.
"It's… Fine…" Adam responded.
The conversation turned into awkward silence. Dean cringed inwardly. They hadn't had much good conversation when Adam arrived either. The plan to get to know his half brother wasn't going well.
"How was your trip?" Adam asked as he turned and started towards the kitchen.
Dean followed him. "Good." he replied simply.
Adam grabbed a glass, "Do you want some water?" he asked and looked back at Dean.
"Sure."Dean shrugged.
Adam grabbed another glass.
"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Dean asked to fill the silence.
"Has Sam called you yet?" Adam asked him.
"No?"
"Then no."
Dean stared quizzically at Adam but he said nothing further. After Adam handed Dean his glass he stared back quietly. He burst out laughing after a few seconds.
"The fuck does Sammy have to tell me?" Dean asked.
Adam shrugged "Nothing."
Dean glared but Adam said nothing else.
"Alright. I've got some more work to do. I'll see you later in the morning. Don't stay up too late." Dean says as he turns and walks away.
"More? Dean, you need to sleep. You're gonna start having problems if you don't!"
"Like what?"
"Hallucinations, lack of motor skills, bad hand eye coordination," Adam started listing.
"Okay, I'll sleep!" Dean yelled, halfway up the stairs.
Dean walks into his room, Benny entering right behind him. He shut his door and sighed. He wanted to sleep, but he needed to know what he was seeing. Maybe he was just hallucinating from lack of sleep, but he was well rested and wide awake when fighting the Djinn. He climbed onto his bed and pulled his laptop onto his lap. Dean spent 3 more hours awake, looking into seeing pitch black figures following people.
Most of what he found was myths and conspiracy theories. The most common myth being that the figure people are seeing is a reaper, and it was a sign you were going to die. That… Didn't bode well in Dean's mind. He closed his laptop and yawned. Dean fell back into his bed, the laptop sliding off and onto the bed. He was out cold in seconds.
As the afternoon sun showed through the window of the second story bedroom, the sleeping form on the bed slightly rose and fell as it breathed peacefully. It could be processed as dead if not for the occasional loud snoring. The sound disrupting the serene quiet of the room. The being hiding away tilted his head as he watched the mortal sleep soundly. Peculiar, considering the sudden disruption of the supernatural in its life.
The new hunter stirred in his bed, awaking the canine that was sleeping next to him. The dog lifted its head and yawned, stretching. It's eyes quickly landed on the being hiding away in the corner. To the mortal eye it wasn't there, but every once and a while an animal will spot the supernatural creature. The dog stood on the bed, its ears perked and started growling; bearing its teeth as a warning.
The mortal lifted its head at the noise and looked to his pet.
"Benny? What the hell man?" he asked.
The mortal looked to the corner the dog was growling at. Of course, he saw nothing.
"Benny, there's nothing there. It's an empty corner." the hunter reassured his dog, petting it.
The mortal stared at the corner for a while. He was clearly thinking. The being hiding away stared back.
Dean shivered as a bad feeling slid down his spine. He had woken to Benny growling at nothing, but that wasn't like him. He stared at where Benny was growling after trying to calm him down. He just knew something was wrong.
"Hey buddy, let's get breakfast." he said to Benny, patting his head.
Dean swiftly got up from his bed and left the room. After a few moments Benny followed after him. While starting to make breakfast Dean's thoughts wandered.
He had to find something that could explain what was happening; not just theories on the internet. He had seen a forum last night, talking about the supernatural. From what he could see it wasn't wrong, so he'd go look at it again later. When Dean came out of his thoughts he had finished cooking. He dished up the eggs and bacon for himself and left some for Adam.
As he sat down, Benny sat next to him on the floor, looking up expectantly.
"Oh, alright." Dean sighed.
He handed a piece of bacon to Benny. Benny took it happily and walked away. Dean quickly ate and put his plate in the sink. As he was walking back upstairs he met Adam, who was going down.
"There's some bacon and eggs in the kitchen if you want some." Dean said.
"Oh, Thanks." Adam replied.
They headed their separate directions after that.
Dean grabbed his laptop and sat at the desk in his room. His desk sat in front of the window of his room, giving him a view of the front yard, street, and his driveway. Dean opened his laptop and found the bookmark for the forum he found last night. You could message the creator of the site, it had their info in the about page. Dean was skeptical but emailed them anyway.
'Hey,
I know this is out of nowhere but I need help figuring out what the fuck is following me. I've tried looking on my own but can't find anything concrete.'
Dean decided against signing his name, in case this person was just crazy or something. He expected to have to wait a while for an answer but to his surprise he got a response almost instantly.
'If you're serious I have a friend you can call. I've been out of the business for a while.
- - -,- - -,- - - - tell him Stevie told you to call.'
"Well, that was quick." Dean muttered. He wrote down the number he was given and grabbed his phone. "Let's hope this is real." he muttered as the phone rang.
"Yes?" a gruff voice answered.
"Hi, um… Stevie told me to call you." Dean said un-surely.
There was a bit of a pause before the next response.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Dean Winchester and I've got a bit of a supernatural problem."
"Winchester? That name sounds familiar from somewhere." Dean heard quietly from the other end of the phone. "Kid, I don't have time for your side story goose chase right now."
Dean got a little angry at that. He's dealt with demons, a whole pack of werewolves, a Djinn, and now whatever the fuck was following him.
"Yeah, okay, I get it. Having just dealt with a whole pack of werewolves and a handful of demons myself I shouldn't be calling some old geezer. You might pull something." a little white lying wouldn't hurt.
There was a very long pause from the older hunter.
"You've-"
Dean interrupted him "Dealt with demons and a whole pack of werewolves by myself? Yeah, wasn't that hard."
"Who the hell are you?" Dean was asked.
"I already told you, Dean Winchester."
"Well, Dean, I want to meet you in person. Get a pen and paper."
Dean did as he was told and grabbed a pen from on his desk and got a paper ready. He wrote down the address he was given.
"Do I get to know your name or…" Dean asked.
"When you get here."
With that he hung up. Dean sat stunned for a moment.
"Well, guess I have another trip to make."