Twylise

May 2nd, 02:28am.

The lights outside the old motel Dean and his dad were staying at flickered when he stepped out from the room they were staying in, they had caught wind of a case in a small town in California.

With Sam gone the tensions between Dean and John had only risen over the months, at the start it was bad, really bad. Now after seven months without Sam it had calmed down, at least a little.

Dean walked down the path toward a vending machine that was outside the motel, he couldn't sleep with the constant sound of Johns snoring and the pit in his stomach that wouldn't go away. It wasn't like he was nervous for the next day, it was just a regular spirit as far as they knew, all he'd have to do was talk to some people.

He pulled a few crumbled up bills from his pocket, smoothing them out before putting them into the machine. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out to check what it was, probably Bobby with some new information.

While reading over the message his eyes drifted to see the time and date, May 2nd.

"Shit.." He muttered to himself, feeling the familiar panic that he hadn't even said happy birthday to Sam yet. His fingers moved to click Sam's contact before he could even think about it, just before he hit the call button his mind caught up to him.

His thumb hovered over the button, staring at Sam's name lit up on the screen. They hadn't talked since he left, dad said he shouldn't come back if he decided to leave and Dean stuck by him. Now he was seconds away from calling his little brother just to wish him a happy birthday.

The long forgotten drink laid in the opening of the vending machine while Dean walked off, pulling the keys to the impala from his pocket and getting into the car. Shutting the door harder than he had to, putting the keys in and starting the car, the sound of whatever music he and John were listening to before filling the car.

His hands squeezed the wheel tightly, he looked out to the road in front of him. Stanford was in California wasn't it? He could go find him, call him and tell him that he's coming maybe even before John got up. To hell with what Dad said, he's still his little brother. The one that used to pout when Dean didn't wish him a happy birthday by at least 12:30, who would hug him after Dean stole whatever kind of cake or cupcake he could get, because everyone deserves a bit of cake on their birthday.

He reached back over, grabbing his phone from his pocket again. His thumb felt the cool feeling of the call button on his skin, all the had to do was press down. Why was it so difficult to just press it? He was his brother, he can wish him a happy birthday, he had done it every year for all of Sams life why should he stop now?

He put his head down against the steering wheel, crossing his arms and gripping the phone in his hand. He wondered if Sam was waiting for him to call, he could just picture him sitting up in whatever small dorm room he had with his phone in his hand like he had, the thought made his stomach sick.

He was pulled from his thoughts just as he had sat up, his thumb just almost pressing into the button but a knock at the window made him pause, turning his phone back off.

"What are you doin' out here? Its almost 4am Dean." Johns voice came from behind the glass of the car window, the dim flickered light coming from behind his tall figure, casting a shadow over dean.

Dean pulled the keys from the engine, stepping out of the car and putting his phone back into his pocket.

"Nothing just.. Couldn't sleep so I came out to listen to some music." He said his eyes just about not meeting his Dads, they both knew what day it was by now but neither would say it.

John looked Dean up and down not fully believing the lie that came from him but didn't bring it up, he only pat Dean on the back and steered him back toward the motel.

"Well come on, you'll need your sleep for tomorrow we've got lots to do and its just the two of us."

The implication was clear, he was reminding Dean that Sam had left them and chosen collage over being a hunter, over both of them.

Dean only nodded, walking back into the dark empty motel room. He took his jacket off setting it over a chair, leaving his phone in his pocket. Laying down in the creaky bed, rolling onto his side and closing his eyes. He tried to put Sam out of his mind, Dad was right he had left them, he was the one who wasn't here anymore and that's how it just had to be.