Dean stepped out of the shower, water droplets still clinging to his skin as he reached for the towel hanging on the rack. He wrapped it around his waist, letting the fabric hang loosely around his hips, exposing the taut muscles of his abs. The hot water had eased some of the tension in his body, but there was no escaping the pressure building up in his mind. Living under Thalia's roof was messing with his focus more than he expected.
He ran a hand through his wet hair, staring at his reflection in the mirror. The mission was still his priority, but something about Thalia... it was hard to ignore the pull. He could feel the tension whenever she was near, like an electric current in the air, and he knew it wasn't just him.
The sound of a door creaking open broke his thoughts.
"Didn't knock, huh?" Dean muttered under his breath, turning around slowly.
Thalia stood in the doorway, her gaze locking onto him with an intensity that made his pulse spike. She didn't say a word, just stood there for a long moment, her blue eyes scanning him up and down with an unreadable expression. The room felt smaller all of a sudden, the air between them thick with something more than just tension.
Dean's heart beat a little faster, and he instinctively reached for the edge of the towel, holding it tighter around his waist.
Thalia smirked, her lips curling into something that was almost a challenge. "Didn't expect to find you like this," she said, her voice low, teasing.
He shifted slightly, feeling the weight of her gaze like a physical thing. She was standing just a little too close, as if she had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
Dean couldn't help the way his body reacted to her, the proximity making everything feel more charged, more dangerous. He cleared his throat, trying to focus, but she wasn't making it easy.
"Thalia," he said, his voice slightly strained, "I didn't expect you to just barge in."
Her lips twitched, the glint in her eyes never leaving. "I'm not known for asking for permission." She took a small step forward, her eyes fixed on his chest, lingering for a moment on the muscles of his torso, before meeting his gaze again.
Dean's breath hitched at the intensity of her stare. She wasn't playing around, not this time. He could feel the heat between them, an undeniable pull, and for a moment, it felt like everything else had faded away. All that mattered was the space they shared.
Thalia's voice broke through the silence again, quieter this time, but full of an undeniable authority. "You know, I like how you're... adaptable."
Dean's mind raced. He could feel the boundaries shifting between them, and he didn't know if that was a good thing or not. But what he did know was that Thalia wasn't going to make things easy for him, and he wasn't sure how long he could keep pretending to be just "Daniel Ross."