Side By Side

16

Warnings:
-Mentions (child) abuse

Clay's POV

I sat down with my soup as Sapnap stood up. 'Can I grab your sleeping bag and put it down in our barrack so you don't have to do that anymore after eating?'

'If you want to, thank you,' I answered with a smile on my face. He smiled back and opened my bag to get my sleeping bag. He walked to the barrack and I turned around to see where he laid it down.

'Yours is here!' he yelled out as he came back again.

I quickly finished my food and put the bowl away as I stood up.

~~~

After a few classes, we had physical training again. It was the first time I would have to work together in this team. I got a "battle buddy" who would always have to stay with me. It was Sapnap and he had been really kind to me already so I was glad he needed to stay with me.

We went back to the parkour area with a high tower, a lot of obstacles and a running area. We would have to climb the tower and then pass all the obstacles, including a sand pathway where we had to crawl under ropes and stay as low as possible.

I was excited to go with Sapnap, but I had no idea what his strengths were. He stood next to me when it was our turn and I started running, noticing he was keeping up with my running pace.

I ran to the tower to climb over it which he seemed to have trouble with. I climbed to the top and grabbed his hand to lift him over it. He jumped down on the floor and we ran further, laying down on the sand pathway to crawl.

Sapnap was panting really loudly and had an overheated face when we were halfway.

'YOU CAN DO IT, GO ON,' I screamed through the burning pain in my arms and legs. 'YOU CAN DO IT!'

He kept going until we neared the end and I helped him stand up to run the last part. He was exhausted and I felt my calves burn more and more the longer we ran.

'ONE MORE OBSTACLE!' I yelled as he held my hand against his back to push him forwards with me.

He let out a scream from the pain and squeezed his hands to fists.

'WE ARE ALMOST THERE!' I encouraged him, jumping over some low walls on the course.

He jumped too and I grabbed his hand to pull him with me. We both breathed really fast as we finished the parkour, both immediately laying down on the floor without talking.

Once I calmed down again, I sat up slowly and grabbed my and Sapnap's water bottle.

'You need to drink some water, Sapnap,' I panted softly. I lifted him up to make sure he wasn't passed out and he nodded, grabbing his water bottle.

'I'm sweat soaked, that's so difficult.'

'You did it, though,' I smiled, drinking water as he nodded.

'I wouldn't have made that without you, my goodness,' he replied. I stood up and grabbed his hand to lift him up. 'I thought about quitting.'

I looked at him. 'Why? Quitting the boot camp?'

He nodded slowly. 'I didn't believe in myself because I failed a few physical training. Then I started discouraging myself and I went slower and it started getting harder and harder.'

'Why do you not believe in yourself?' I asked as we started walking back to the group.

He shrugged. 'My parents were abusive.'

'Listen up, alright? I got bullied with my sexuality and I wanted to give up at one point, but then I realised that I can turn this into my strength. The bullies told me I couldn't do this, your parents most likely did too. Repeat that in your head, you don't want to listen to them, you don't want to let them have what they wanted to.'

He looked up at me as I kept talking.

'What did your parents do and say to you?'

'That I'm a failure, then they used to hurt me and tell me I wasn't worth anything.'

'And look where you are now. I was told I would never make it, I'm here too. You can do this, repeat the insults in your head and use them to make yourself stronger. You're NOT a failure, you're going to defend our army, the good things in this world. They are failures, failures who couldn't even raise their kid.'

He had a small smile on his face and nodded.

'You're ten times stronger than them. Don't give up because they weren't in the right. You're physically able to do this, you're strong enough. If you start realising that you can prove your parents wrong, you are going to prove them wrong.'

'Okay,' he nodded. 'I can do this. I know I'm physically able to, otherwise I would have passed out but I didn't. I'm going to prove them wrong, Clay. You're proving the bullies wrong, we are going to prove everyone wrong.'

'Together,' I smiled. 'I'm not leaving this boot camp without you.'

'I can do this. I know I can do this, I'm not going to let my parents get what they want. They wanted me to give up, they wanted me to stop believing in myself, but I won't.'

'That's what I want to hear,' I replied, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. 'Don't you dare quit now. You're so far and you can do this. You're physically strong enough and you only need the mental strength too.'

'I know I have that mental strength. Thank you so much, Clay. I just didn't think I was good enough to do this.'

'You wouldn't have come so far if you weren't good enough,' I grinned. 'You're great, dude.'

'You're great as well. I think it's pretty cool that you joined even though people didn't think someone who is gay could make it. It's bullshit in my eyes, because you're probably the best one out of us.'

I didn't even answer, but smiled brightly as I looked at him. He looked at me too and then opened his arms for a hug. I gave him a tight hug and he softly sniffed after a while.

'I never got a hug before,' he whispered. 'You're the first one who wanted to.'

I held him even tighter, not letting go anymore until he wanted to.

1082 words