Work Text:
You slowly crept up the stairs and poked your head around the corner. The coast was clear. Snaking your way down the hall, back to the wall, you kept alert for any sound, any hint of movement. This was your second sweep of the residence; you were pretty sure it was all clear. Three vamps had been living here, and three vamps were dead. Still, you could never be too careful. You, Dean, and Sam were doing a final check of the house before lugging the bodies out back and burning them.
It had been a long time since you'd seen the Winchesters. They weren't in your area a lot; unlike most hunters, you held down a job, had a home, and had a few other reasons why you needed roots, mainly including needing health insurance. You didn't globe trot like they did. When they'd called you up last week, asking for a sofa to crash on and assistance acing some vampires, you'd happily obliged. You'd met as kids, when their dad had passed through and your parents had all hunted together from time to time. As you'd grown, you'd taken up the mantle. But the years had gone by, and you'd seen less and less of them. You knew about their exploits, and you'd get random texts from strange new numbers that you knew were definitely Dean texts; the flirting, the sometimes witty and sometimes blatant vulgarity that would put a smile on your face and remind you of happier times. You realized now that that's what you were to each other; a reminder of happier times. Dean was your happy place, and you were his.
You rounded the corner into the last bedroom. “Coast is clear on level two!” You turned on your heel and shouted down the hall and down the stairs to the brothers. Then you started to feel weird. Oh no, not another one. Not now. Not with them.
You started to crouch down, get onto the floor, but the lights were going out. I usually have more warning than this, you thought, as the last bit of reality left you.
* * *
“Coast is clear on level two!” Dean heard Y/N shout down to him.
He smiled and shook his head. He yelled down to Sam in the basement. “All clear up here, and Y/N still talks like she's in a spy movie. Good to know some things never cha-” he stopped suddenly as he heard a loud crash from up above. “Y/N?” He shouted up the stairs. “Y/N?” His shouts got more frantic as he tore for the stairs. Maybe they'd missed a vampire, maybe one had been hiding? He raced across the landing, up the second flight, and began searching the rooms. He saw her feet sticking out of the last doorway on the right.
“Oh God no... anyone but her.” He turned into the room, expecting a horror scene and a vampire to kill, but found... nothing. Y/N was lying on the floor. She was alone. Her machete was a few feet away, as though she had simply dropped it. Her head was cockd to the side, eyes staring lifelessly at the wall. Dean dropped to his knees beside her. “Sam! Get up here quick!” He gently took her face in his hands. She wasn't breathing She wasn't doing anything. Sam ran in the door, slightly out of breath.
“What happened? What's wrong with Y/N?” He asked, dropping his machete to his side. He had been prepared for a fight.
“I don't know. I heard a crash. She isn't breathing.” Dean shook his head. “Fuck, man, I don't know!”
Sam dropped to the ground beside Dean, pushing him out of the way. “Move. We need to start CPR. Get out of the wa-”
You suddenly took in a huge breath, your eyes began to dart around, and they slowly focused on Dean, travelled to Sam, and went back to Dean. Both brothers looked concerned; Dean looked devastated. You closed your eyes for a minute and took a few deep breaths. Your eyes were closed for about two seconds before you felt strong arms yank you up off of the ground and pull you close into a bear hug.
“Dean, Jesus, put her down. Find out what happened.” Sam told his brother. “She might be hurt. Y/N, are you hurt?”
Dean sighed and let go of you reluctantly. You let out a deep breath. You felt around for bruises or bumps. Other than feeling a bit disoriented, you felt all right. You were coming out of this one really quickly.
“What just happened? I thought you were dead.” Dean ran a hand down the back of his neck. “That was not a good feeling.”
“I, well...” You paused. You'd never told them this particular part of your life before, because it had never come up, and because you'd been concerned they wouldn't take you seriously as a hunter anymore if you did tell them. They looked at you expectantly. “I had a seizure.” You mumbled.
“Come again?” Dean raised his eyebrows. Sam looked surprised.
“I had a seizure, okay?” You got up, picked up your machete, strapped it back to your leg, and went to leave the room. “It's not a big deal. They don't happen often. I haven't had one in years. Let's just bury the bodies and get out of here.”
The brothers were silent. You weren't sure what they were thinking, and you frankly didn't want to know. You were still feeling out of it, so you waited in the car, laying out in the back seat, while they dug a hole and lit up the bodies. They came back, covered in dirt, and you all drove back to your apartment a few towns away. Sam and Dean had decided to stay the night and head out in the morning.
* * *
“I can't believe she didn't tell us, Sam.” Dean paced the guest room of Y/N's house, agitated.
“It's really none of our business, Dean.”
“How is it none of our business if we're hunting with her?” Dean turned to him. “How, exactly? What if she went down during a fight?”
“She said it hasn't happened in years. I'm assuming she manages it with medication.” Sam sighed. “I'm also assuming that Y/N is our friend and she isn't stupid. If she says she can manage epilepsy and hunt, then we should trust her.”
“Did you see what I just saw, today? Does that seem like managing it very well to you?” Dean was visibly upset, and Sam knew why, even though he knew Dean thought no one knew. Dean had always had a soft spot for Y/N. He was overprotective.
“Yeah, Dean, I did. I saw her, and I saw you panic.” Sam closed his laptop. “I'm going on a beer run. And you know what I think you should do?”
“What?” Dean asked him. “Humor me.”
“Go talk to her about this.” Sam got up, took Dean's keys from the nightstand, and walked out the door.
“Oh, what, you're Obi Wan Kenobi now, and stealing my car too?” Dean called after him. Sam responded by simply leaving, shutting the front door behind him. Dean kicked at the nightstand, then stalked down the hallway to Y/N's room.
* * *
You heard a knocking on your bedroom door. “Come in.” You'd been staring at the ceiling for a while. You were feeling better, but you were wondering where you were going to come up with the money to refill your prescription.
You sat up as Dean opened the door and stuck his head in. “Mind if I come in? I... I have a few things to talk to you about.”
You shook your head. You'd been expecting a lecture since you got home. He approached, sitting next to you on your bed. “Listen, Y/N, you really freaked me out today. I thought you were dead.”
You nodded. You knew what happened when you had an atonic seizure. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No breathing, no eye movement. Nothing.
“How... why do you think it's a good idea to hunt with this condition?” He continued. Your hackles went up a bit, but you let him continue. “This could have gone a whole lot worse. What if you went down during a fight? During a search? Looking for a werewolf? You were safe tonight, the house was clear, but ten minutes before, and you could have been killed.”
You sat for a moment. “I'll admit that coming out tonight wasn't the best idea.” You paused, considering how to continue. “Up until tonight, I hadn't had a seizure in years. I take medication. It's controlled. I'm legally allowed to drive. I feel that I manage it well enough to still hunt.”
“But-”
“I'm not done.” You continued. “I lost my job a few months ago. My company folded. I have no health insurance. Which means no medication. I happen to live in one of the states that doesn't have any state help. I have no way to pay for it.” You looked at him. “I can barely keep my place while I'm looking for a job, Dean. I can't get my meds. I'd hustle pool, but you know how bad I am at pool. Same with cards. I literally have no options but to wait until I find another job and have insurance, and hope I don't have another one before then.”
Dean smirked. “You are bad at pool.”
“Why are you so freaked about this anyway?” You curled your knees to your chest. “I can take care of myself.”
Dean shrugged. “You know I have a soft spot for you, lady. Always have. When I saw you laying there tonight- I've lost so many people in the last few years, I couldn't take another one. It couldn't be you.”
You weren't sure what to say to that. These were desparate times for everyone. A tear escaped your left eye and crept down your cheek. It didn't go unnoticed. Dean reached over and wrapped his arms around you. “Don't cry.” His breath ruffled your hair. “I'll figure this out for you.”
“I don't need anyone's help, Dean.”
“Everyone needs some help every once in a while.” He replied, kissing your forehead, pulling you closer. You snaked your arms around his waist. “That's better.” You could feel him smile into your hair.
“You were really scared to lose me.”
“I was really scared to lose you.”
“I've known that for a long time.” You finally told him.
“You have?”
You nodded into his chest.
“How?”
“I just had a feeling.”
“My poker face is shit.” Dean stated drily.
“It really is.” You giggled.
“Listen, Sam went out to get groceries... he suggested I come talk to you because I was less than thrilled about your decision to actively pursue hunting while suffering from epilepsy.” Dean pulled back and looked you in the eyes.
“And?”
“And my point is, Sam's not here.”
“Listen, Dean, if you're propositioning me, any other night I'd say yes, but I'm pretty wiped out from tonight. It takes a while to recover from these things and-”
“God, Y/N, I'm not a sex maniac!” Dean smiled in mock insult. “I was merely going to suggest that maybe I could stay with you tonight. This whole 'having my arms around you' thing is kind of nice. I've been waiting a long time for it.”
“Oh.” You nodded. “Yeah. I'd like that.”
Dean smiled. “I'm going to go get pajamas. I'll be right back.”
He was gone for a few minutes, then came back in, climbed into bed beside you, and the two of you spooned for most of the night. He kissed your neck, and you giggled and chatted and didn't sleep a whole lot, but the night was magical.
* * *
The next day the Winchesters left for parts unknown, but Dean left with a promise to be back as soon as he could, and it was a promise you believed. He kissed you while Sam waited in the car. Once they'd driven off, you got a text just as you were entering your living room.
Hey sexy. Next time I stay over, it's clothing optional. Oh, by the way, look in the hallway bookshelf in th Gideon Bible.
Puzzled, you pulled the old book out, and an envelope dropped to the floor. You opened it, and found a large amount of cash in it, along with a folded up note.
Y/N,
Turns out Sam's really good at hustling pool. Hope this covers the meds you need. I'll be back around soon. Happy Hunting.
-Dean
You smiled, and went to call your doctor.
Carry on my Wayward Son