Soldier Boy

Chapter Six

"When will you come home?" Sam murmured into the phone, his voice cracking in despair. He'd asked the same question for three long years, and it had always been the same answer.

"Not yet, Sammich. My brothers are still too big of dicks," the voice replied affectionately over the phone, the sad smile almost audible in his voice. There was always a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Please, come back soon," Sammy pleaded, his voice soft in the hopes that his friends wouldn't here. He always called at this time. They hadn't broken this tradition since the older boy had left. Sam would never break it, no matter what happened, and neither would the other.

"I'll try, Samsquatch," he promised lightly, the call ending soon after. They'd already talked for an hour, Sammy locked in the bathroom of Kevin's house. Any longer, and his friends might think he was dead.

After Sam ended the call, he unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out, instantly running into his three friends that stood the hallway, staring at him. "What, did you fall in?" Barry asked, teasing him. Sam stuck his tongue out at his friend.

"Was it him?" Kevin asked, eyes concerned, staring at his friend expectantly.

"No," Sam responded too quickly, giving himself away. He mentally cursed.

"You don't have to lie to us, Sam. We know how much he meant to you," Barry said gently, reaching out to pat Sam's back. Andy looked sympathetic.

"What? That I am hopelessly infatuated with a guy, and I don't even know where he is, while he just sees me as a little kid?" Sam retorted, shoving past his friends to go to Kevin's room. He didn't need Kevin's family overhearing this horrible conversation.

"Hey, you don't know. A lot could change in three years. Gabe might be in love with you by now," Kevin said, following his friend. Sam snorted.

Gabriel Novak, the most perfect, sweetest, funniest, most handsome guy to ever exist, in love with little, scrawny, puny, nerdy, imperfect him? Sam? No way in Hell.

There was a better chance of Dean admitted how in love with Cas he is.

"And whoever said the guy thought of you as a kid? He's always been sweet on you. He used to always get you stuff, and we hardly got to spend a minute alone with you before he skipped town," Andy said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Sam looked at him incredulously.

"No, really. Think about it. What guy keeps in contact with someone steadily for three years if they think you're just some kid? He has to care about you!" Barry was backing Kevin and Andy up.

"Quit being ridiculous, all of you," Sam ordered coldly, shutting out their words and desperately trying to snuff out the candle of hope that their words lit in his chest.

Hope was dangerous. Hope hurt more than knowing Gabriel didn't love him back. Hope was what broke your heart and shredded it to pieces. Sam refused to get his heart broken like that again due to his stupid instance on hoping for his feelings to be reciprocated. It was easier to assume the worst.

His three friends sighed, the boys going to play some game together. They mindlessly played for hours until Mrs. Tran told them that it was lights out. Then they stayed up for hours more, talking in the dark. It was easy to lose track of time, the boys soon realizing it was one o'clock in the morning, and they weren't even close to sleeping.

"Barry, truth or dare?" Andy asked eagerly.

"Dare," Barry murmured after a moment of thought, feeling more daring than he'd ever felt in his life.

"Sneak down the stairs and jump on Kevin's trampoline for five minutes," Andy said, and Barry's eyes widened. Kevin looked mortified. It was widely known that Kevin's parents were the lightest sleepers on earth, and if Barry woke them up, there would be hell to pay. Big time.

When Barry began his trek down the stairs, Sam, Andy, and Kevin instantly began cowering under the covers or a blanket, pretending (terribly) to be asleep. Once Barry was down stairs, as instructed, Barry pathetically threw a rock up to hit Kevin's window. Kevin, Andy, and Sam instantly opened his window, looking down at their nerdiest friend and grinned.

Once Barry began bouncing, Sam watched the clock, giving time signals to his friend while Andy desperately tried not to laugh. Once the five minutes was up, Barry went back inside, the boys rushing to close the window and resume cowering, pretending to sleep. When Barry was back in the room, he commenced muttering about how much he hated them all.

The friends grinned, coming out from under their hiding places. "You love us," Andy replied, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Barry glared at him before chuckling just a bit. Kevin still looked like Satan himself might come and get him in the form of his ferocious mother.

"Sam, truth or dare?" Barry asked, turning to his tough friend.

"Truth," Sammy replied, not trusting his friends to go easy on him with the dares. Not after the last dare he'd given Kevin. Kevin still was scarred by it.

Kevin grinned and leaned over to Barry, who sat next to him on the bed, whispering something in his ear. Barry's face flamed, and Sam paled. Andy leaned over to hear and instantly muffled his laughter with his hand. This wasn't good.

"Uh, Sam, have you ever... masturbated to Gabe?" Barry asked, stumbling through the sentence awkwardly. Kevin was smirking triumphantly, and Sam couldn't help but glare at his darker-skinned friend. Bastard.

"Yes," Sammy mumbled in answer, his face flaming a horrible shade of red in embarrassment. Kevin howled with laughter, only muffled by his pillow, and Barry looked even more mortified than Sam. Andy was giggling like some school girl, then patted Sam's back with tears from laughing still in his eyes.

Maybe he should've picked dare.

"Kevin, truth or dare?" Sammy's voice sounded almost angry at his friend. Kevin finally calmed his laughter enough to answer.

"Dare," Kevin answered, whipping some tears from his eyes.

"Go downstairs, grab the mustard, bring it up here, and eat mustard. Just mustard," Sammy growled, smirking in triumph himself at getting revenge.

Kevin made a puking sound. "You know I hate mustard," Kevin pleaded.

"I don't care. Go," Sam replied, still smirking. No one messed with Sam Winchester.

Kevin trudged downstairs- quietly- and returned a moment later with the mustard. He put some in his hand, at Sam's direction, and Sam watched him eat it with satisfaction. Kevin nearly puked into his own trash can at the taste, but Sam didn't feel that bad. There might have been a smidgen of guilt, though.

"Alright, Sam, truth or dare?" Kevin said, skipping right over Barry and Andy- who both didn't mind at all- and going straight to get his revenge.

"Dare," Sam answered cockily, knowing Kevin couldn't do anything that bad to him. Nothing like the mustard.

Kevin grinned evilly, and Sam wondered just how wrong he was.

"Call Gabriel and confess your feelings for him," Kevin said, and Sam's heart stopped.

Oh no.