Sam was used to constantly leaving, a fact that was the only real constant in his life besides his brother. Ever since he could remember his life was always in motel rooms, him and Dean against the world, only staying with Bobby when they were much too young to stay alone in the motels by themselves. The moment each brother hit the age to be able to shoot a gun without getting knocked over by the recoil, was when they officially became hunters. You can't particularly say that was much of a childhood.
The highlight of most of Sam's life was when he's able to go to school and pretend like he had a normal life. Do homework and interact with kids his age, regardless of how horrible most of them are. Some schools had that one kid that always stood out. Someone who caught Sam's attention, or wouldn't let him be a loner. Along with the occasional girl that would catch his attention once in a blue moon. Those people were what made his life feel a little less chaotic.
Then there was Amity Park. A small town that Sam really didn't expect much different then the last twenty small towns, but it was. All because of one teen, someone he just happened upon. If those bullies hadn't shoved Danny in those lockers when they did, it was a wonder if they would have ever met in the first place. He was glad they did in a way, making sure that he could befriend Danny, even if it was going to hurt when he had to leave. He always leaves, but it's not something you ever truly get used to.
"Hey, dad's coming home in a few hours." Dean emerged from his side of the room, waving the small phone. Sam felt the weight press down on his chest, he knew what Dean meant. He was expecting it, but it didn't mean it wouldn't hurt. "He said we'll be leaving Wednesday early morning." Dean explained, patting his brother on the shoulder.
"Okay Dean." Sam nodded, finished up lacing his shoes. Grabbing his bag and making sure his assignment he created with Danny was packed safely in there. Dean watched Sam moved with a watchful eye.
"Make sure to talk to Danny." Dean prompted, watching his brother moving around the small room to gather the necessary things for school. Sam nodded, slipping his wallet into his pocket. He never carried much, but it was always safe to have his drivers' licence on him. "Maybe you can even take Baby to hang out with him tonight." Sam almost got whiplash by how fast he looked over at his brother, eyes wide.
"Really?!" Sam asked, shock clear as day in his voice and features. Dean never let him drive the Impala, even learning how to drive he learned at a school with given training cars. The only time he was ever behind the wheel was when Dean did a short driving course in it. It was just to make sure that if there was an emergency, Sam would be able to drive the older car.
"Yea, but only for a few hours." Dean warned, glancing at the clock. "And if you so much as scratch her-" The threat hung in the air, Dean didn't need to finish that sentence.
"Yea, okay." Sam grinned, slipping his bag on. "Thanks Dean."
"We gotta get you to school."
The presentation of the folktale project went off without a hitch, Danny did a great part on his end and designed an amazing book cover. The teacher had been impressed compared to everyone else's mismatched and lackluster creations, as their project was so creative. That had won them an easy A overall, and Danny seemed overly happy when he saw their final grade.
The whole day Sam couldn't figure out how to break it to Danny that they were leaving soon. It was hard after seeing just how much the Winchesters helped him with injuries and with his loneliness, Sam really didn't want to leave Danny alone. He was scared of what could happen if neither he nor Dean weren't there when he needed them. It wasn't like Danny was just being bruised up a bit, which isn't good either way, but the boy was littered with serious injuries most of the time. It was a scary thing Sam really didn't want to think too much about.
But to think today was the only full day he had left with Danny. Tomorrow his father would want to keep them in, wrapping up any loose ends on the most recent hunt, before they disappear into the dark. Dean wasn't wrong, they were going to leave Wednesday morning. Sam already knows that they would be leaving not long after midnight. He also knew John wasn't going to let Sam or Dean really leave tomorrow unless absolutely needed. Just saying goodbye to a friend didn't count.
So he had to make tonight count, he just needed to make sure Danny was free to hang out. It wasn't going to be easy, as the Winchester didn't really want to lie to his friend, but he couldn't tell him the truth. He didn't want to bring anything like this into Danny's already complicated life. He just hoped that Danny takes it alright, and the night goes well... But the question is what can they do? It had to be different, he really didn't want to do the same thing that he and Danny usually did. The motel was off the books if his dad was coming home that night.
"What's going on in your head?" Danny's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, turning to be greeted with a tired but content looking Danny. Sam felt his heart flutter at the real smile that greeted him.
"Going over my plans for tonight." Sam mused, offering a smile back. "I was wondering if you'll be free at eight?" Sam asked before he could stop himself. He watched Danny pause for a moment before the shorter teen nodded.
"I will be, where do you want to meet up?" Danny asked, walking through the slightly crowded halls as the two aimlessly strolled towards their classes.
"It's actually a surprise." Sam tried not to blush at the look he was met with, Danny's eyes widening, eyebrows lifting up, and head tilting questioningly. He quickly cleared his throat before continuing. "I was actually thinking I can pick you up. Dean's lending me the Impala."
"His Baby?!" Danny gasped, before laughing. "Must be a special occasion." The other teen joked, and Sam tried not to let it show that it technically was.
"I know right?" Sam laughed, shifting the weight of his bag on his shoulder. "So, I'll pick you up at eight?"
"Yea, but where are we going?" Danny asked, turning to the taller teen. Moving them out of the flow of traffic and towards some lockers. "I know all the spots here."
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise dummy!" Sam laughed, shaking his head. Danny might know the place he settles on, but he wasn't going to let Danny know ahead of time. After all, the local was going to know a lot more than the tourist. "At least I'm going to try and surprise you." Sam shrugged, losing himself a bit in thought.
"I'm sure you can." Danny smiled, just as the bell rang, knocking their shoulders together. "Also, my dad's picking me up after school so I can't catch a ride with you."
"I'll let Dean know." Sam nodded, not liking missing the almost routine pick up. "I'll see you tonight."
"Yep, eight." Danny nodded, moving to walk away before dropping a parting statement. "It's a date." Sam blushed, quickly hiding his face in his hands. Danny was none the wiser, back to Sam
Okay so maybe it wasn't an uncommon idea, but Sam was working under pressure of time to make sure he picked a good place. Picked the best idea for food, and location, and the whole nine yards. And maybe Danny saying what he did added a little more pressure on him while Sam was still under the pressure of figuring out how to tell Danny. Maybe Sam was a little worried.
But he had Dean, and his older brother was more than willing to help. The older Winchester easily gave Sam ideas on where the two could eat and go to hang out, mentioning how a coworker at the shop mentioned it in passing. It sounded perfect, and if all went to plan that's what tonight would be, even if it had an overshadow of sadness. Not to mention Sam was, of course, teased a tiny bit about this 'date' that's not really a date by his brother. Nonetheless, Dean was off to work, opting to work for his last shift so Sam would for sure have the car. He wasn't due to pick up Danny for another two hours and his dad was supposed to come back in at nine thirty when he's out. Dean promised that he'll cover for him so he wouldn't have to listen to too much of a lecture when he comes back to the motel.
For the meantime though, Sam was left with nothing but his thoughts, which were anything but pleasant. He was used to hard goodbyes, he's had them before. But Danny was different. This whole situation just felt different. He wished he didn't have to go, wished that his father wasn't too paranoid to just settle them somewhere, too paranoid to give out contact information, too angry to give up hunting the yellow eyed demon. It just wasn't something they would do, so he had no way to check on Danny if...
That was not the train of thought he wanted tonight. Tonight would just be about saying goodbye. Making sure Danny would be okay before they leave, okay without them, without him. It's not like Sam can even tell if Danny cared about him as much as Sam did for Danny. He shouldn't make Danny feel uncomfortable, just keep everything as a friendly goodbye and end it there.
No beating around the bush, that much Sam knows. He needs to be straightforward, if he isn't, it'll probably only worry the other teen more than needed. Sam really shouldn't be so worried, he knows Danny would understand. Danny knew since the beginning that the Winchesters' stay was only temporary. The smaller teen should have been expecting this. Maybe John did come back a little earlier than he expected, and maybe it was more abrupt than Danny would have expected either.
This was the life of a Winchester, and Sam sometimes needs to remember that.
The night was in full swing. Sam sent Dean a message letting him know that he was leaving and would most likely be back home by eleven thirty. The first stop was refilling Baby. Dean left clear instructions to fill the tank before and after the hangout. After that, he picked up two energy drinks from the gas station, and moved on to the next stop.
Nasty Burger.
It wasn't anything fancy, but it was always their go to food. You could never really go wrong with it. The franchise really was the best in town. Sam ordered the usual, along with a few extra snacks and dessert, you can never forget the dessert. The young lady at the counter was clearly judging him for all of the food he ordered, and he can understand that all things considered, mainly because a clearly high teen had just ordered a little more than half the menu, but she didn't have to do so blatantly.
With the food placed in the back seat, Sam was off to Danny's, driving the empty streets much slower than he normally. Maybe it was partly because of Dean's threats, but it mostly stemmed from the fact that he still had about twenty minutes to kill before it was time to pick up Danny. Music thrummed through the air in an attempt to distract Sam's racing thoughts yet it did little to reduce the worry that build the closer it got to being time.
By the time he got to the Fentons, it was only a few minutes before it was time. Surprisingly enough Danny had just been stepping out of the house. Sam smiled as the other walked over to the car, his smile only faltering a little when his eyes landed on a new bruise rested around the teen's right eye. Danny settled into the Impala with ease.
"This is what the front seat looks like." Danny joked, having always been seated in the back, clearly avoiding the blatant bruise on his face. Sam joined the laughter, knowing better than to sour the mood with questions neither really wanted answers to.
"Ready for your surprise?" Sam asked, pulling the car away from the curb. The streets flew by in blobs of color, Sam picking up a little speed to get there sooner rather than later.
"Well, I know one of them is Nasty Burger." Danny smirked, making a show of sniffing the air. "And when ever that's involved, it's always good." Sam genuinely laughed, cracking a smile that he couldn't stop even if he wanted to.
"You got one of them." Sam glanced over, before settling his eyes on the road. "No trying to guess where we're going though." Sam said, he figured if Danny paid enough attention he would be able to figure out where they were headed.
"Scouts honor." Danny nodded, settling back in his chair. Sam quietly hummed to the music as Danny reached over to raise the volume to the music a bit. The ride was going to carry out mostly in silence, barring the blaring music. That's one thing about Danny, sometimes the two of them didn't have to make small talk to be content. Sometimes silence is good, fulfilling and amicable, calming and supportive.
That silence was something that they both needed and were happy to provide to one another, a quiet solace sinking into their bones and giving both of them a contentment that they couldn't quite replicate with anyone else.
AN: Massive shout out to RangerHorseTug again for beta'ing this chapter
As you can see the Winchesters' stay is coming to an end. Let's see what Sam has up his sleeves shall we?
I hope y'all like this chapter, two updates in a row. I'm getting better... I'm sure it wont last I'm sure.
Anyways let me know what you guys thought in the the reviews. Hasta Luego!
