Archive of Our Own ^beta

John Winchester scoffs and snuffs and stomps around the motel like he owns the place, but Dean is just frozen. Protecting Sammy has been ingrained in him his whole life, but Sammy just said he didn’t need Dean, or this fucking family, or this fucking life, he just wants to be fucking normal.

Dean tries to step out the front door, but John spins around. “Don’t you leave me too, boy. Or you’re just like your goddamn brother.”

So Dean goes to the bathroom, and cranks the window down, gulps in fresh air, and tries not to think about the future, or the fact that Sammy just left a dust cloud behind him on his way to California.

Swallowing the bile that threatens to come up, he makes his way to his father who’s still pacing and muttering, and promises he’ll come back, he just needs a drive.

Waving his hands, John slumps into a chair, all the fight gone out of him at once. Dean takes the opportunity to grab the Impala and go in Sammy’s direction.

He finally finds him, jogging his way up the side of the road. “Hey, brother,” he says. As expected, Sammy whips around and looks at him distrustfully.

“You gonna tell me to fuck off?” he says, finally.

“Nah, just wondering if you needed a ride. I heard the walk from Illinois to California is killer.”

“I’m not walking to California, I’m walking to the airport,” he says in his proud, I-know-better-than-you little brother voice. He deflates a little. “Yeah, I’ll take a ride. My flight’s at two.”

The ride is mostly silent, what do you say to your brother who, just ten minutes ago, said he didn’t want to be in your family anymore? Eventually, they pull up to O’Hare, and Dean says, “You’re just gonna buy everything in California?”

Sam nods, and Dean feels the expected welling up in his eye.

“Well, you kick ass at Stanford, okay?” Sam nods again, and Dean pulls him in for a hug, and whispers, “I’m proud of you, Sammy.”

He feels Sam’s arms tightening around him, and eventually he pulls himself away.

“Goodbye, Dean,” Sammy says.

“Goodbye Sammy.”

Dean watches him go through the doors in the rearview mirror, and starts the car. He shudders, thinking of dealing with Dad, and all the shit that’s going to come with it, and as he’s driving down the ramp, he guns it.

He has about fifteen minutes before Dad calls him back, and he’s gonna make the most of it.

Sammy’s on his way to a new life, and Dean’s sure it’s gonna hit him in a couple weeks that he’s gone, but he can tag some rocks, or the side of a building now, and make sure someone in America will remember Sam and Dean Winchester were here.