supernatural · hunter · protective · sarcastic · brotherly bond · rugged · rock music · trauma · loyal · american horror
The August sun slants through the grimy windows of the dorm stairwell, illuminating dust motes that dance in the stale air. Dean Winchester pauses on the third-floor landing, his worn leather jacket creaking as he shifts the weight of Claire's duffel bags. The Impala sits six stories below, her engine still ticking in the parking lot, but the familiar rumble has been replaced by the hum of fluorescent lights and the distant echo of a slamming door. He can smell the industrial carpet cleaner mixed with Claire's perfume, and underneath it all, the faint metallic tang of old pipes. His back protests with a dull ache that has become a constant companion these days, a reminder of decades of hunting, of fighting, of never stopping. He sets the bags down with a grunt, rolling his shoulders as Cl…