Work Text:
Bobby knows these boys. As much as he s to admit it he feels like he’s raised them more then their father. He knows what kinds of food they like; he knows what annoys them and what makes them happy. He feels like they are the sons he never had.
And when Sam leaves for college he feels his loss. He feels like a tiny part of him was gone. He always wonders how Sam’s other half was dealing.
It’s not long before he finds out.
He sees Dean three weeks after Sam leaves and hugs the boy. He holds back his pity hug and replaces it with handing the boy a bottle of beer.
“You seen your father?”
“Took off after…” Dean doesn’t finish, he doesn’t need to.
Bobby knows Dean’s life has suddenly spilt into two.
Before Sam left…aka… when life was good.
And after Sam left aka when everything went to hell.
“Come on son, you need to sleep.” Bobby pats his shoulder’s and nods his head toward the staircase.
Dean takes another long swallow of the warm beer then starts forward.
He pauses and turns only a few steps later.
“He’s gone and I don’t know what to do.”
The utter loss in his voice shakes Bobby. He’d never heard the boy so broken.
Dean’s eyes waters and his throat convulsed. “What do I do, Bobby? I…he’s gone!”
Those last words were whispered in pure grief; Bobby takes a small step forward.
“Dean-“
“He just left…got on that bus and left. What am I suppose to do? How am I suppose to come back from this? I…” Dean rubbed his eyes to keep the tears from falling.
“Dean…you just need to sleep. It’ll all look better in the morning.”
“That’s the problem Bobby!” Dean snarling, dropping his hands to glare at the man, “It doesn’t look better. I’ve spent the last three weeks waiting for it to look better and it doesn’t. I don’t think it every will. What the hell happened to me?”
Bobby sighed deeply, taking a moment to curse John and Sam. “I think we need other people to make us happy, Dean. I think if we don’t have someone to love we can’t love ourselves. But we can learn.”
“Going hippie on me Bobby?” Dean forced a smirk.
Bobby rolled his eyes but grins, “Don’t make fun of me. I can still kick your ass.” He rested a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “You love Sam…and you’ve spent all your life taking care of him. Now it’s your turn just to take care of yourself. Focus on you for a while Dean. Enjoy just being you for a while Dean.”
Dean gave a wrly nod, but sighed heavily, “It’s like you said though…I was always happiest with him…I don’t think I can be happy alone.”
“You aint’ alone, kid.” Bobby pointed out quickly.
Dean looked up him, his eyes hard. “I don’t have him with me that means I’m alone.”
Bobby sighed. “Go to bed…we’ll figure this out in the morning.”
“No we won’t,” Dean whispers.
Bobby stands rooted to the floor until he hears Dean slammed the spare bedroom door.
He tried not to think of the pain he’d seen in the younger man’s eyes. He tried not to think about how, despite his own words, Dean wouldn’t really be happy again. It was heartbreaking. Bobby sighed and turned back to his old chair.
It wasn’t over, Sam would be back, Dean would be happy, and someday they’d figure it all out.