home on the highway

Rose finished getting ready to leave for the case the group had picked up on, but she sat on the bed, watching Dean as she waited for him to get ready as well. She felt dizzy and unwell, and she knew it was probably a bad idea to go on a case while she felt like this, but she didn’t want to worry Dean, so she didn’t complain. She and Dean had been together for a few years now, and she knew how riled up he could get when he thought something was wrong. Breathing out, she peered over towards Dean and offered a small smile as she took him in. “Looking forward to working a case?” she asked, arching a brow as she watched him, “Things have been way too quiet lately.”

Sam worked on tying his tie as he got ready for the case they’d be working, though he peered over at Ruby with mild concern. While he knew that she was a hunter that could rival any other - she’d kicked his ass more times than he could count even, - he couldn’t help but worry about her on cases like this, where they didn’t have much information to go with. And, he was pretty sure that something seemed off about her lately, which had his concern for her growing, though he tried not to be too obvious about it, certain it would just result in Ruby kicking his ass again to prove that she was fine and that he had nothing to worry about. It never stopped him from worrying, though; she was everything to him, and he didn’t want to face a life without her, he didn’t want to lose her, ever. “Ready for this?” he asked, offering a weak, concerned smile, “Promise to be careful out there?”

Dean watched Rose carefully, studying each move she made with the urge to decipher her body language, wanting to catch anything he might of missed the first time. Tying his tie, Dean exhaled, approaching Rose with a softened gaze as he grabbed his blazer. "You sure you wanna do this?" Dean asked quietly, eyebrows raising as he spoke. "You can sit this out if you want to." Dean lifted his hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, knowing just how stubborn his lover could be - it was one of the many things he admired about her. They'd been together for a few years, and Dean could admit that they'd been the best years he'd ever had. "I'm not looking forward knowing that you're not feeling good." Dean murmured, leaning to press a kiss to Rose's forehead, the scent of her perfume easing his anxious heart. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Dean held Rose to him, burying his face into her hair. "Talk to me, Rose."

Ruby blinked as she heard Sam speaking to her, and she smiled softly, bringing herself out of her racing thoughts. "I'll always be ready." Ruby promised, stepping forward to take Sam's hands within her own, offering a reassuring squeeze as she gazed up at him with adoration. "As for being careful? I can't promise, but I'll try." She teased, although she could tell her little joke fell flat from the moment the words left her lips. Exhaling, Ruby smiled softly as she lifted a hand to cup Sam's face, her thumb running across the apple of his cheek. "I love you." Ruby promised, voice soft, mind still lost in thought. "You gotta promise to be careful out there too." And although Sam was a skilled hunter, Ruby knew that a life without Sam was a life not worth living.

Rose shook her head slightly, offering a smile as she watched Dean, though her stomach felt like it would pour out its contents at any moment, and she felt unsteady. “I don’t want to, Dean,” she promised quietly. The last thing she wanted was to cause Dean any concern or distress, but this was their job - they had to save people, and she didn’t want to risk failing in that and letting more people die. She breathed out, her eyes closing over when he kissed her forehead, and she buried her face into his neck when he pulled her close, her own arms wrapping around him, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. “I’m okay, really. I’m not gonna be knocked out by some bug, promise.”

Sam watched Ruby with concern, though he leaned into her touch easily, taking comfort in her presence. “I need you to be careful,” he murmured quietly, “No throwing yourself on the line or putting yourself in intentional danger just to catch the bad guy, okay?” He pressed his forehead to hers, wanting any contact he could get for as long as he could get it. “I need you alive, here, with me - I wouldn’t be able to survive without you, you keep me in line.” He smiled slightly, shifting to rest his hands on her hips, giving them a gentle squeeze. “I love you, too. And I’ll be careful.” Sliding his arms around her, he held her closer to himself, just relishing in having her there, where he knew she was safe and okay, where no harm could get to her. “I just hate that you’re not feeling well and there’s nothing I can do about it… And that plus you going on a hunt, it worries me…”

Dean watched Rose closely, trying to look for anything out of place, any excuse to try to get her to sit this case out. Dean knew he couldn't tell Rose what to do, she was far too brilliant to be controlled by any fool who dared try, but the fact she hadn't been feeling well, could barely stand on her feet without swaying, made Dean worry. She was an agile hunter, a fighter that he feared sometimes, but damn it, they couldn't afford to let their guard down once - he'd lost too many people that way, and Rose was someone he never wanted to lose. Gripping to Rose a little tighter with that thought, Dean buried his face into her hair as she buried her face into his neck, the embrace meaning so much more than he could verbally express. "I love you so much," Dean murmured into her hair. "You gotta tell me if you feel like you want out, okay? I always have your back, Ro, I'll never let any asshole get their hands on you." And that was a promise. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, Dean sighed heavily. "Faster we get this done, faster we can get you better."

Ruby smiled softly as Sam leaned into her touch, and as their foreheads connected, Ruby couldn't help but to commit the moment to memory, because he was the one thing that was able to reign Ruby in. She'd been reckless before she met Sam, selfish, and yet, her little family was a good enough reason to ground herself. Running her fingers through Sam's hair with the thought, Ruby buried her face into Sam's neck, wrapping her arms around his middle. "You better be careful, okay? I need you, Sam..." And if her instincts were right on why she was feeling so awful, it might not of been just her that needed him. Taking in the sweet scent of his aftershave, Ruby exhaled her worry, pulling away as Sam spoke, and she rolled her eyes playfully. "It's just a stomach bug, baby." Ruby promised. "I think after all of this, we deserve a date night, what do you say?"

Rose relaxed in Dean’s hold, breathing in his scent and breathing out her anxieties quietly, just focusing on the way it felt to be in his arms for now. “I love you, too,” she promised quietly, desperately needing him to know, because Dean had always been all she wanted in life. Her fingers curled into his shirt, and she nodded slightly as she listened to him. “Of course. You’ll be the first to know if I feel like I should back out.” But, right now, she felt okay enough that she could handle this, and she hoped Dean trusted that. Still, she peered up at him, offering a small smile. “Right, let’s get going.

Sam let out a sigh, taking in everything he could about Ruby, the feeling of her presence, every wonderful thing about her, and he held her close, relaxing with knowing that she was that close to him, with knowing that, in this moment, he could protect her from anything, because they were close enough together that he could and would protect her with his life. “I’m always careful,” he promised - and, for as long as he’d been with Ruby, he had been, except when she or his brother were in the worst dangers. In those moments, caution was thrown to the wind, and all that mattered was them. “I need you to be careful, though, okay?” He reached, taking her face in his hands gently. “Especially with you not feeling well… God, I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you…” He chewed on his lip nervously, watching her, but he smiled and nodded. “Sure, a date night it is. What should we do?”

Dean felt Rose’s fingers curl into the material of his shirt, and he smiled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head, the smell of her shampoo enough to bring comfort to him he hadn’t felt before he’d met her. Rose truly had been the one to make Dean see that there was so much more to life than throwing yourself in the way of danger - because she loved him; and dammit, he loved her more. “Let’s get going.” Dean grinned then, pressing a sweet kiss to Rose’s lips.

Ruby watched as Sam signed and she smiled softly, knowing her man was a stubborn one. When he took her face into his large, warm hands though, Ruby forgot all about that. “Sam, I promise.” Ruby gently took Sam’s hands into her own, offering a gentle squeeze. “I’m going to be okay.” Ruby pressed a kiss to the back of his hands in turn. “If anything, just make sure you don’t do anything silly, Winchester.” She winked. “Also, I vote movie night. Now c’mon.”