Chapter Text
Tuesday September 11, 2001 3:00 am
Dean woke up before dawn on a Tuesday morning. His back was still sore from sleeping on the couch and his voice, still hoarse from last night's fight with Sam. It was unusually hot for September and his thin white t-shirt clung to his chest in the humidity.
A film of sweat covered his face and neck and continued on, all the way down to his belly button. He groaned as he swung his legs over the side of the couch to stand up, his muscles aching in response to the sudden movement.
The still silence of the apartment was interrupted when he stumbled clumsily over his own feet, knocking a lamp off the small table in front of the couch, wincing as it fell to the ground with a shattering crash.
Angry and in pain, he cursed and kicked the broken pieces of the lamp to the side and continued on his pursuit to the bathroom.
"Babe are you okay out there?!" his wife Jo, called out from their bedroom, woken suddenly from the sound of breaking glass coming from the living room.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just go back to bed" he replied grumpily, grimacing at the shooting pains in his pinky toe.
For a man who risked his life and saved people from burning buildings for a living, it was shocking how much damage a tiny stubbed toe could do.
This was all Sam's fault.
If he wasn't so damn selfish they wouldn't have fought and Dean wouldn't have had to get so wasted at the bar last night. He could've been sound asleep in his own damn bed right now. But instead, he was sleeping on the stiff living room couch and stubbing his toes on hard wooden tables.
It was all freaking Sam's fault.
Dean pouted, and normally he would've been embarrassed about how childish he looked, but he was still grumbling angrily to himself about how selfish Sam had been.
Jo appeared hastily, leaning against their bedroom door frame and squinting, the light in the bathroom blaringly bright compared to the dark shadow of their room.
"What the hell happened out here, what was that loud crash?" she asked, eyeing Dean nervously.
"I just tripped and knocked over the lamp in the living room and it broke" he answered blandly, walking straight past her and into the bathroom, not even bothering to close the door behind him.
She followed him persistently, this time her approach more aggressive.
"What's gotten into you?"
She had her arms folded over her chest in the way she usually did when she was upset. It would be almost cute, if Dean wasn't so hung-over and angry. All he wanted was to pee in peace without her searing glare boring into his back.
"I'll fix it tomorrow after work okay?"
"That's not what I'm talking about" she stated, her face in an uncompromising expression.
Dean stood there, rolling his eyes at her and ignoring her question as he washed his hands.
"Because I try so hard to work things out with you, I'm always here for you. I just want you to talk to me and you never do. You just-"
She stopped, taking a moment to take a deep breath.
"You just come home at all hours of the night and you won't talk to me! Is there someone else?" Her voice was shaking now and Dean didn't have to turn around to know that she was going to cry any minute now.
"Babe look, I'm sorry."
He placed his hands, large and calloused from work, on her cheeks, smooth and bright with a tinge of pink. She jerked her head back, away from his touch.
"I heard you come in, it was like 4 am! Why did you sleep on the couch instead of coming to bed with me?" she asked accusingly, her sadness turning quickly into rage.
Dean just stared back at her in disbelief. After all they've been through, he thought she'd give him more credit than that.
Jo was always weary of letting people in, and it took a lot to gain her trust, something Dean was still working on even after their two years of marriage. This sure as hell wasn't helping anything.
"Sam and I got into a really bad fight last night about our dad. I came home drunk and an angry mess and I didn't want to bring you into the middle of it yet again so I slept on the couch so I wouldn't disturb you. I'm so sorry baby. Please don't be mad at me."
His hands took their place back on her cheeks and he stroked the soft skin with his thumb, grazing over her lips and jaw line, and this time she let his hands roam, closing her eyes and accepting his comforts.
"There is absolutely no one else. I love you Joanna Beth Harvelle, and no one else. Okay?"
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, something she must have learned from her mother because—god—she looked just like her.
Dean couldn't help but chuckle at how cute she looked when she was mad, her arms folded so tightly over her chest, eyebrows furrowed and her lips pouted.
She was fighting to keep a straight face but eventually gave in to Dean's cheeky grin, turning away to hide her smile.
Not only were they husband and wife, but they were best friends. No matter what her insecurities were and what trust issues she had, or even how complicated Dean's family life might get, they would make it through anything.
"I love you Jo-bear" he said following close behind her as she tried to walk away from him. He finally caught hold of her waist in his strong arms and turned her around to face him.
"I love you too Deany-poo" she cooed, kissing his lips playfully.
"Yeah, these nicknames have gotten out of hand now. I think you may have just stole my manhood with that one" he joked, looking down at her as she smiled up at him.
Something familiar and warm fluttered in his chest for a brief moment as time seemed to just stop, suspended in the air as they looked into each other's eyes.
"Whatever you say sugar muffin" she teased and broke free of his grip, sashaying back to where the couple slept and patted his side of the bed.
"Come to bed" she said and he more than happily complied, wrapping his arms tightly around her once again and pulling her in against his body once they were settled underneath the covers.
The warmth of her skin against his and the way her hair smelled of coconuts was blissful and he was whisked away into a deep sleep before he knew it. As if time played a cruel joke, he was awoken by the incessant groan of the alarm clock going off, seemingly, only mere seconds after he had just fallen asleep. Dean groaned and turned to look at the clock on the bed-side table, the bright red numbers blinking.
7:15.
"Good morning babe" he whispered. Jo smiled at him wearily and kissed his forehead.
"Good morning."
He knew this look all too well. Jo hated getting up for work. Ever since she and met as teenagers, more than anything, she'd wanted to be an elementary school teacher. She loved kids, and for a time she enjoyed her teaching job very much, but this year they switched her from the kindergarteners who worshipped her, to the disrespectful fourth graders.
It had only been a week since school started and she already hated going in everyday and Dean hated seeing her so down, those bratty ass kids taking away her happy smile and bright eyes.
"I know it's hard baby, but don't worry things will be fine. It will get better you just have to give it time" he comforted, scooting closer to her and gathering her in an embrace. There was nothing more he wanted to do but to grab her by the waist, pull her back into bed and cuddle all day.
But they were adults with jobs and responsibilities and the bills wouldn't get paid if one of them just decided to not go into work.
"I guess so" she said, smiling sadly and breaking free from his arms.
"I'll see you later okay?"
She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss before grabbing her purse and heading towards the door of their small apartment.
He walked up to the doorway of the bedroom, where she stood last night, watching as she scrambled around the living room impatiently, tossing couch pillows around.
Dean cleared his throat, "looking for these?" In his hands, he held up a pair of black sunglasses between his fingers.
A look of relief and gratitude swept over Jo's face as she walked over to retrieve them, rewarding her husband with a chaste kiss.
He smacked her butt playfully to lighten the mood as she tried to walk away, earning him a slap on the chest and another kiss, this one long and dragged out.
"I love you!" he yelled after her as she ran out the door.
"I love you too, and stay safe!"
Stay safe.
There were many times when Jo wasn't sure if Dean would make it back home to her, but he always did, every night. He was strong. He'd promised her every single day since they started dating that he'd be careful and everyday he came back home to her loving smile, and golden blonde hair that seemed to glow in the sunlight.
There was never a day he thought that he wouldn't be able to come home and see his beautiful wife, but he never took it for granted, always being extra careful on a job.
Sure he'd been burnt a few times here and there, and got little scratches, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He considered himself lucky for those tiny injuries.
They had nothing to worry about.
He was always safe.