The first day, Dean doesn't get out of bed except for the two times he had to use the bathroom. He doesn't eat, he doesn't drink, he doesn't talk to Bobby.
The second day, he wakes up to find a plate of toast and jam on the night table with a glass of water. A scrap of paper peeking out from under the plate says Don't punish yourself, Dean. It's not what he would want. ~Bobby. Dean almost retches when he reads it. He drinks the water and takes a bite of toast before giving up on eating for the day. Food tastes like ashes to him. Sam is probably choking on real ashes. Dean turns over on his bed and buries his face in the pillow, but he doesn't cry. He thinks he might not know how.
By the third day the need for caffeine drives him downstairs to the kitchen, huddled in sweats and clutching his arms around himself tightly as if to physically hold in his pain. Bobby doesn't say anything, just hands Dean the coffee and guides him to the couch and flicks on their favorite Spanish soap opera. He doesn't say anything, and neither does Dean, but they both know how wrecked they are.
The fourth day is the day that Bobby pushes Dean to take a shower. When he comes out, his skin is pink. Bobby is pretty sure it's from the heat of the water, but a niggling voice says Dean may have scrubbed himself a little extra hard. He doesn't say anything, and they spend a second day with the soap operas.
The sixth day has Dean feeling well enough to help with the dishes. Bobby leaves him to it.
Bobby wakes up early on the seventh day and finds Dean already outside, working on one of the cars. He grabs a couple beers, and they talk about the virtues of different models and years and parts.
Dean is about to go downstairs to finish up that car when he realizes it's been a full week. He doubles over in the doorway when it hits him, and he crawls back into bed for the rest of the day. It's not until Bobby walks in and sees him crying silently with a pillow over his head that he recognizes just how much time has passed, and he goes to pour himself a drink.
The next two weeks follow the same pattern, with both men working on cars and researching leads for the few hunters that call, but taking Thursdays to remember. On the third Thursday, Bobby opens them a bottle of whiskey.
On Monday, Rufus walks in and asks for Bobby's help with a rugaru. Dean remembers his last rugaru hunt, and how Sam was so convinced he could keep the guy from becoming a monster. How devastated he was when he turned out to be wrong. Dean sees Bobby's hesitance to take the job, and realizes that it's really reluctance to leave him alone.
"Go with him, Bobby. You could probably use a hunt."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," he gives them the closest thing to a smile he can manage, "I was actually thinking I would take off soon. I've been in your hair long enough, right?"
Bobby looks at Rufus, then at Dean again. "Where d'ya plan on headin?"
"I – " Dean clears his throat to keep his voice from breaking. "I'm gonna go to Lisa's. I made a promise."
By the end of the day, all of them are packed. Dean and Bobby hug goodbye, and Dean promises to keep in touch. In the end, though, he doesn't keep it.
Time just marches on, and Dean lets himself flow along with it. It's easier than thinking.
After almost a year, Dean has stopped taking Thursdays to remember.
A week later, he's attacked by a Djinn.
AN: I'm sorry! I was working on all the other things, I swear! I have no idea how this happened!