Twist And Shout

part 6

1971

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Vietnam wasn't what Dean would have expected at all. It was green and humid, and at least Cas was right about that, but Dean thought to himself that maybe things would have been different if he was over there for a different reason. The scenery was beautiful, don't get him wrong, but he just saw things differently. Every time he went somewhere, he always sought places where he could keep cover just in case anything were to happen, because he wasn't about to get left in the open where he could get shot

He had someone to go home to, someone that expected him home in one piece, and he was going to keep his promise to Cas.

Adam Milligan joined their platoon a few months before Dean's departure home. He was a greenhorn, shipped straight from Kansas, and most everyone avoided him the first couple of weeks because no one wanted to be caught near him if he made a rookie mistake in the field. The new guys were usually the first, and the first to get shipped home in the body bags.

It was raining and they had settled down to rest for the night at base. Dean was seated on the edge of his cot, cigarette dangling from his lips, when Adam walked into the tent, shirt clinging to his skin; soaked to the bone. Dean laughed dryly, blowing smoke out of his nose as Adam wandered over to him, sitting on the cot across from him.

"Get caught in the rain?"

Ashes fell from the end of his cigarette as he fished around behind him, pulling his pack of smokes out and offering it to Adam. Adam shook his head and waved him off, and Dean shrugged and set the pack down beside him.

"No, thank you."

Dean raised his eyebrows, surprised that the kid was actually polite. He had been dealing with men that were as rude and crude as him for months, so it was almost a relief to have someone around with some manners. He finished off his cigarette with one last pull, dropping it onto the ground and tamping it out with the heel of his boot. Adam shifted on the cot in front of him, eyes darting around the tent before stopping and focusing on Dean.

"So what brings you inside?"

"It's raining."

Dean laughed again, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "No shit. It's always fucking raining. Woulda been a miracle if they had sent us out here during dry season."

Adam laughed softly and leaned back, attempting to wring some of the water from his shirt, only managing to stretch the bottom. He frowned and placed his hands in his lap.

"How long you been out here?"

"Few months," Dean shrugged a shoulder, placing his hands on the cot and leaning back slightly, watching Adam the whole time. "It's Milligan, right?"

"Yes, sir," Adam nodded, smiling slightly. "Adam Milligan."

"You don't need to call me 'sir'. Dean will do just fine. Or Winchester, like the rest," he sat up and Adam pulled back slightly, leaning away from him. The kid was a stick with a mop of hair, not long, but a mess. He couldn't have been over eighteen, and the thought made Dean's stomach sink. He couldn't believe that they were sending kids fresh out of school over to this place.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"God damn," Dean breathed, smoothing his hand over his face. "I guess they don't got anything better than to send kids over here, huh? Funneling you poor fools right into the meat grinder."

Adam shrugged and Dean shook his head. Not a lick of fear in the kid's eyes. If anything, he was indifferent to it all. Probably poor, Dean figured. A lot of boys enlisted to make money - if they could last that long. He reached around him and grabbed his pack of smokes, fishing another cigarette out of it. He lit it quickly and tossed the used match onto the ground, taking a long draw. Adam watched him, and Dean saw the glimmer of innocence. He bit back the urge to sigh. It was okay for Dean to be over here, just dandy, but he hated seeing kids Adam's age. It felt like they only lasted a night and then they were lying on the ground, begging for their mothers.