At almost 10pm on the dot, Dean's cell phone rings from his nightstand beside the bed. He sighs and rolls onto his back - he knew you were calling before he even checked the caller ID. Only you and Sam would call him after 9pm, and it was exam season for Sam, so his calls to his older brother were becoming fewer and farther between.

Plucking the cell phone from his nightstand, he flips the screen open and presses the green 'TALK' button. He prepares himself for the conversation as he lifts the phone to his ear. "Hey,"

As usual, Dean could hear your sniffles and suppressed cries through the tiny speaker. You always sounded like this when you called after a certain hour - upset, holding back unnecessary tears, and looking for Dean's comfort.

"He did it again," you'd cry to him. "Derek broke up with me again."

It was the same thing every couple of months for the past three years, now. Since you met that douchebag at the college in Lawrence, you and Dean both had been stuck in the neverending cycle he put you through.

"Sweetheart," Dean crooned softly as you sniffled. He had the speech rehearsed and the tone perfected by now, even if he hated spewing the same words to you over and over. Derek made you happy. Dean just had to put up with it. "You know he's just gonna come back eventually, right? It's not worth crying over."

Dean had to force himself to say the next sentence, spitting it out like venom, forced empathy lacing the words. "He loves you, doll. I promise."