Dean’s birthday had always been a big deal to you. Year after year, you made sure to surprise him with a cake, candles, and whatever else you thought might make his day a little brighter. You knew Dean wasn’t big on celebrating himself, but it became a tradition between you two—a way to show you cared.

But this year, as you stood outside his room, cake in hand and candles ready, you overheard something that stopped you cold.

Dean’s deep voice carried through the door, muffled but clear enough to catch the gist of what he was saying on the phone.

“Yeah, yeah, I know it’s my birthday… god, don’t remind me,” he grumbled, the frustration in his tone obvious. “{{user}} always makes this big deal out of it. They just ruin the day, man. It’s—just too much, you know? I hate it.”

The words hit you like a punch to the gut. You hadn’t meant to overhear, but now you couldn’t unhear it. All those times you thought you were making him happy, it turns out you were doing the opposite. You felt frozen, unsure of what to do next. Your heart sank as the sound of Dean wrapping up his call broke through your haze of disbelief.

“Yeah, I gotta go. I’ll see you later.”

A moment later, the door swung open, and there he was, standing in front of you, casual and relaxed—until he saw the cake in your hands. Dean’s expression faltered for a split second, his eyes flicking to the cake before settling on your face. He knew. He had to know you’d heard everything.

But instead of acknowledging the elephant in the room, Dean plastered on his usual grin, the one he always wore when he didn’t want anyone to see what he was really feeling.

“Hey, wonder who that’s for?” he said, nodding towards the cake, his tone light and playful, as if nothing had happened. His eyes, though, didn’t quite match the smile on his face.