Author's Note: Two chapters today since I skipped updating last night. Today's first prompt comes from Jaden Grace1 who gave me two choices and as I wanted something less dramatic and fun, I've decided to go with her second prompt which was "cheese puffs". Not going to lie, this took me awhile to figure out, but I loved it so thank you so much for this prompt!
Living life as a hunter, food is never a big deal.
There's never a debate about what's for dinner because it all depends on how close you are to finishing the job and whether you can afford to get anything. Food for hunters usually comes in a bag, dripping with grease and probably a side of heart disease—not that hunters live long enough to experience that little problem that comes with living a life eating fast food. Being a hunter, you can't afford to be picky when it comes to food. Food is just required to fuel you and get you through the next hunt.
It's with this philosophy that Sam has been raised. Sure, during the years he's lived with his father and brother, he managed to find certain foods that agreed with him—cheese puffs when he had been younger and salads when he had gotten older—but he had never been to a fancy restaurant or anything like that.
"Would you relax?" Brady tells him as Sam fidgets with his jacket in front of the mirror in their dorm room. If Dean were here, he'd probably toss out some remark about how much of a girl Sam was being, followed by some piece of advice. The youngest Winchester smiles softly, practically hearing Dean's voice in his ear coaching him. It's been six months since they last spoke—they had fought over Sam's refusal to call their father and Dean's rejection of Sam's lifestyle—and neither brother had made the move to bridge the gap.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Sam questions nervously. He's been on dates before, but never a blind date and frankly, he's not sure if this is the best idea.
"Dude," Brady says with a sigh. "Jessica will love you! I mean, you're the hot shot young lawyer—"
"Not yet." Sam interjected quietly.
"—and she's going to be the next famous author!" His roommate plows on, ignoring Sam. He pushes Sam's arms down, which prevents him from fixing his collar. "Look, do you trust me?"
"Do you trust me, Sammy?" His older brother holds out the pulled pork sandwich that's drenched in so much barbecue sauce that the bun is pretty much nonexistent. Still, Dean's been raving about these sandwiches for weeks, ever since he first tried one on their last hunt in Louisiana. Reluctantly, Sam extends his hands forward and grabs the sandwich. He takes a small, tentative bite and then grins as the wonderful flavor washes over his tongue. Dean smirks. "Told you so."
"Sam?" Brady is waving a hand in front of his face now and the memory is gone. "You okay?"
"Fine. Yeah." Sam replies, running a hand through his hair.
"Okay," Brady opens the door that leads out into the hallway that connects their room with the others on their floor. "Get going! You won't want to keep Jessica waiting, I promise you."
And with that, he pushes Sam out the door and slams it behind him.
Jessica Moore is the prettiest girl that Sam has ever seen.
He's not simply saying that—it's true. Her blonde hair, which she's curled into ringlets, seems to glow under the lighting of the restaurant. Her blue eyes sparkle with emotion whenever she speaks about something she's passionate about. Her makeup is tastefully done, something that Sam appreciates. It shows she's confident in her own skin and that she knows that she doesn't need the makeup to feel pretty. She's also hilarious and he finds himself laughing within the first five minutes of their date.
Sam makes a note to buy Brady something to show his appreciation for setting this date up.
"So," Jessica is leaning in on her elbows, her hands supporting her chin. "This is probably the most important question that I need to ask." Sam stiffens, as her expression grows serious. "Do you like chocolate?"
"Do you like chocolate?" His father glances down at him. It's a rare treat being taken out for ice cream. Usually, they didn't have the money for it and even if they did, their father never wanted to stay in town long enough to go find an ice cream shop. Still, today was a good day. Dean was already happily licking his own chocolate ice cream cone and acting like a carefree child. "Sammy?"
"I actually like vanilla more." He answers and she beams.
"Me too!" She begins to laugh and he finds himself laughing along side her. They order dessert to share and he walks her back to her room. Then, as they pause outside her dorm room, she stares up at him. He hesitates, unsure if he's allowed to kiss her or not. Before he can make a move, she's leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss on his lips.
It's the best kiss he's ever had.
"I'll see you around, Sam Winchester." She tells him with a coy smile as she vanishes into her room.
"Yeah," Sam breathes, feeling purely content. "You will."
After filling Brady in on the details of his date—"Dude, you so owe me!"—Sam pulled out his cellphone and stared at the screen. It's been six months and though he doesn't regret walking out the door that night, he does miss his family. Pressing dial before he change his mind, he places the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
It's Dean—alive, safe—and Sam is overcome. A pang of longing washes over him and Sam forces himself to maintain his composure. He will not bawl like a baby over the phone.
"Hey, Dean." Sam whispers.
And just like that, the gap between the two worlds—hunter and civilian—closes a little bit.
"Hey, Sammy. How's school?"
That night, Sam talks until he's hoarse, but he doesn't care. He's just glad that he isn't as alone as he first thought.
Author's Note: So, there wasn't too much hurt in there, but I kind of focused on the angst that Sam must've felt at Stanford. Anyways, please review and let me know what you thought! Thanks!