It had been a few days since Sammy left for college, a few days since his baby brother offered for Dean to come with him to California and to leave the hunting life behind, a few days since Dean said no. The young hunter still remembers the dejected, hurt look his brother had when he left but Dean wasn't brave enough to leave with him then.
The last few days have been stressful for him and his Dad, as both had to deal with the loss of a family member, but while John decided to never speak to Sam again, as he had betrayed their family in Johns eyes, Dean wanted quite the opposite.
So after a long but uneventful day the younger hunter told his father what he thought about for the last few days. "I want to go to Sam." He spoke fast and quiet but John heard him loud and clear. "What?", The older hunter sounded collected and unbothered but Dean could practically feel the anger and disbelief building up in his Dad.
"I want to go to Sam. To California." Dean spoke louder this time, his voice was firmer and he turned to face his Dad. "What do you want in California? You can't do anything there." John's tone was mocking and the anger was now more noticable. The two man stared at each other for a moment in silence before Dean spoke up again.
"I don't know yet, I could get a degree after taking online courses to finish highschool or something." Dean sounded a little hopefull as he spoke and even let a small smile grace his lips but John destroyed it with his next sentence. "I like you how you are now, you're a good hunter already so there's no need for courses or something. They won't help you kill Monsters.", John sounded condescending and so sure of himself, it made Dean so angry that he spoke his next words without thinking.
"You like the hunter that I am now, the soldier that does whatever you tell him to but I don't want to be that anymore. I want to do something else.", The Hunter stood there slightly shaking, while looking at his father with pleading eyes. He just wanted to stop the hunting, have a normal life with his little brother but his father wasn't the biggest fan of that apparently.
"Dean that's bullshit, you know that. Just because Sam doesn't want to be part of the family doesn't mean you can't be. You're a hunter like you should be so don't start with this nonsense." John sounded angry and exhasperated. The Winchester Monarch took a step towards his oldest but stopped when Dean took a step back.
"You're not even listening to me! Why does everything I do have to revolve around Sammy? Why can't you just once see that this is what I want, not because Sam does but because I do." Dean started to sound a little breathless at the end and stared at his father with an angry expression.
Mad John answered, "It's different with Sam, you know that Dean. Don't start with this now, we both know you can't do anything else." The younger of the two stared at his father in surprise before he said with a mix of anger and sadness, "So why does Sammy get to have a new life? You like him more than me or something? I don't get it."
"Dean that's not true and you know that. I like you both the same so get it together." John sounded mad now but there was a worried undertone in his voice now, undermining the hard demeanor he presented himself with. Dean scoffed at that and carded a hand through his short hair. With his other hand he wiped away a small tear that made it's way down his cheek.
"If you liked us both the same way then why did Sammy get away with almost everything? I would have gotten punished for all the stunts he pulled but you didn't punish him, you sometimes didn't even acknowledge that he did something wrong!" His voice got louder with every word until he was almost shouting at his father who now looked shocked. Dean had never shown this kind of behavior, Sam yes, but never his first born.
After a deep breath Dean continued, "Sam got to disagree with you, he got to be a brat and to be disrespectful but he was still your favorite. I had to be the perfect Kid, the perfect hunter while he got to really go to school. I had to be a distraction or get beaten up by monsters while he got to stay at the hotel and do his own thing. Even now after he left for college you talk about how great he his, don't get me wrong I am proud of my kid but why do you never say the same about me?"
Tears were now freely streaming down Dean's face and his voice trembled slighty when he spoke next, "You never told me you were proud or that I did good. Not after my first solo hunt, not after I saved your ass and not after I raised the kid so good he got into college!" This sentence seemed to anger his father who took another step forward and yelled, "I raised Sam not you and it's not my fault the things you did were mediocre at best." John was seething with anger but still realized that he said something wrong when he saw Dean's expression change.
"I raised Sammy and I raised him good even tho I shouldn't have had to raise him at all. The funny thing is, I really thought we could have a normal talk about all of this, but apparently not." With that Dean started gathering his things, throwing them into his duffle bag while looking at the floor with a somewhat broken but still determined expression.
"What do you think you're doing?" John sounded confused but still angry when he spoke but Dean didn't answer, he didn't even look at him while he continued to pack his stuff. John let out an angry groan and grabbed Deans arm before repeating himself in a more urgent tone.
The younger Winchester shook him off and looked him in the eyes before saying, "I'm leaving what does it look like." Even tho he tried to sound angry it was still noticeable how sad he was, which made John falter a little. "What do you mean leaving? You can't just leave."
Dean scoffed at that and closed his duffle before throwing it over his shoulder. Shortly after he grabbed the keys of the Impala and walked towards the hotel door. "I tried to tell you that I wanted out like Sammy but you didn't want to listen so I'm leaving. For good." His voice was firm and held no room for argument, making his father realize how bad he fucked up.
"Dean, really think about this. You have no real education, you're a hunter not some manager, you were made for this life." John began to sound slightly desperate which pleased Dean somewhat but the younger hunter had made up his mind.
"Sammy will think of something, the kid is smart." After that he opened the motel door and walked out leaving his father behind in the now quiet room. With quick steps Dean walked towards the Impala and threw his duffel inside before getting into the drivers seat. With one last glance at his father, who now stood outside, the young man started the car and drove towards California.
While he drove he thought about the things his father said and about what Sam might think when he opens the door to see his older brother standing there. Thoughts of his baby brother slamming the door in his face ghosted through his mind but he didn't turn around, he didn't even stop unless it was to take a leak. The young man just wanted to be with bis baby brother. John called Dean a few times but the older man seemingly gave up after a few unanswered calls.
When Dean finally stood in front of Sam's door, he began to panic. What if his brother really didn't want him around? What if Sammy was glad he wouldn't have to see his family again? These and similar thoughts raced through Dean's mind as he stood in front of Sam's dorm room.
Right as Dean decided to leave and go back to his father the door opened, revealing his baby brother. Sam looked shocked to see him while Dean was just hoping for a gentle rejection. All his fears however were destroyed when Sammy let out a happy, "Dean!", before he gathered Dean into a tight hug.
The older Winchester decided in this moment that it had been worth it to leave his dad behind and he knew he would be happy, leading a normal life alongside his brother.