In-Air Comfort

Comfort at the Beach

"Can we just pay and get out of here already? And stop objectifying me while you're at it."

You roll your eyes and head for the checkout.

As you walk outside you slip on the knockoff Ray Bans Dean picked out for you. You stop by the Impala to drop off your clothes and boots before making your way onto the warm, golden sand. Once you find a secluded space Dean spreads out the towels on the sand. You each sit down on them as you start applying sunscreen to your face and arms. Watching you, Dean pulls out his phone and holds it up to get a sneaky photo but you turn at the last second and catch him. You smile nervously, not the biggest fan of photos, and he snaps it quickly before tossing his phone down beside him and reaching for the sunscreen and gesturing for you to turn around. He gently slides down the kimono to massage the cream into the skin on your neck and back, his fingers skiming under the straps of the bikini ensuring full coverage. As he finishes, he pecks just behind your ear and you lean back against him. He squirts on a little more cream and starts massaging it over your exposed chest and stomach. His hands linger on your stomach, his mind momentarily wandering back to the time when he was imagining it growing with your child.

Feeling his hands you know exactly where his mind's at. Not wanting to fall down that rabbit hole with him you put your hands over his and sit up. "It's your turn." You lift his shirt off his torso and start massaging the suncream into his skin, feeling him relax under your touch.

"So far this isn't so bad. You didn't emphasize how much touching came along with a beach vacation."

"There was never this much touching in any of the beach trips I went on with my family. We all just managed our own sun safety. My brother never would have wanted to touch me, nor would I want him to."

"So, you had beach days often as a kid then?"

"Every summer my parents would rent out a beach house in L.A. Except for that last one when my brother insisted we go camping instead...I complained so much, I hated it, but my mom promised me that we'd still get to go to the beach for a week after we came back from camping. Of course that never happened 'cause well, you know the rest..."

Your hands stop rubbing in the cream and he pulls you into his lap. "I'm sorry. So the beach..you feel-"

"Close to them. It's the last happy memory I have of my family. It's been years though. I'm okay."

"I lost my mom when I was four, I've had my whole life to process it, doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt. I wish I had known that's why you wanted to come, I would've brought you here sooner."

"After all your complaints it hardly seemed worth it, and then I also knew you'd just feel guilty for complaining. And I know you're probably feeling that now, but that's not why I told you. I just don't want secrets from you, not that this was ever a secret per se, it's just hard to talk about."

He holds you close to his chest and kisses your head. You take a few moments to compose yourself and accept Dean's comfort. Then you pull back slightly to look up at his face. "I'm gonna...I'm gonna go for a swim, clear my head." He nods and starts to stand up with you. "You don't have to come, it's enough you brought me this far." You lean down and kiss him as he sits back down. He watches as you descend towards the water.

You wade through the cool, salty water until it's just past your waist and then splash some water on your face. After wiping your face you glance back up the beach at Dean. You can't tell if he's watching you through his dark shades but you smile at him anyway. The water provides you a comfort you didn't know you needed. You turn around to go deeper where you can dive a little, when you come back up a little where you can stand comfortably you feel arms wrap around your waist. You scream out of shock as you quickly wipe your face and claw at the hands.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just me." Dean spins you around in his arms just keeping a light grip on your waist. Feeling a sting under the water he pulls his right hand up to inspect the scratches. "I guess I really should know better than to sneak up on a hunter."

"Sorry," you say as you bring his hand up to your lips kissing the scratch.

"You always were feisty, it's one of the things that made me attracted to you in the first place."

"I generally know your touch, it's just a little disorienting under the water, I was in my head a little."

He puts his hand back on your waist, pulls you close and kisses you softly. "I was thinking, since we just splurged on all this, whenever we catch a case near a beach we'll take an extra day, or we can just make the drive. You seem so relaxed and happy here, it's a good look on you, I wanna see it more often."

"I like the sound of that. I was also thinking...how about tonight we do something that's more typically us? Let's go to a bar, get some drinks, hustle some pool, maybe earn back some of the money we've spent?"

"You sure?"

"You gave me today, here, despite your aversions to the place. I just want to return the favour."

"I can think of other ways you can do just that...but I'll take a night at the bar with you, some darts and some pool."

You both move along with the waves closer to the shore. A cool breeze blows past you causing you to shiver. "How about we pick up some takeout, head back to the hotel, share a hot shower to clean off all this salt and sand, and then cuddle up for the rest of the afternoon?" You ask.

"That sounds perfect," he replies before kissing you and walking back up to shore with you. He shakes the sand off your towel and then wraps it around your shoulders before shaking out his own and drying himself off. Slightly drier, he pulls his t-shirt on and then holds out your kimono so you can slip it on for a little extra warmth and modesty. You walk back to the Impala together and Dean tosses all the stuff on the backseat and then joins you in the front before driving back to the hotel.

After sharing a hot shower and changing into comfortable clothes you and Dean find yourself snuggling up in bed watching some reruns of Dr. Sexy.