Dean and the tiny stared at one another, too shocked by the unexpected predicament to do anything at first. So many questions kept Dean immobile. Who was this guy? Why was he under the nightstand, in Sam's bed no less?

And more importantly, where was Sam?

Dean narrowed his eyes. The tiny gasped, struggling to jump out of the bed and flee through the small exit to the side.

'Oh no you don't!' Dean growled, reaching out and blocking the little guys dash. He yelped, jumping back. He tripped over Sam's bag, tumbling to the ground. Dean quickly scooped him up, dragging the struggling guy out from the little room.

Takota wasn't doing well inside a giant's hand. He took short, startled breaths, feeling around in the dark to find some hold. He struggled between two mindsets, to escape a giant's clutches, or avoid a potentially long fall. Don't drop me! For the love of Hydra, DON'T DROP ME! He pushed at the fingers around him, tears in his eyes, but of course there was no progress made. He was as stuck as if he'd been encased in cement.

'Let me go!' He tried to shout, but all his strained throat could manage was a small croak. He was sure the giant hadn't even heard it.

Dean would never get used to the feeling of minuscule hands scrabbling for purchase inside his fist. How many times had he done this now? He huffed, standing up. The struggling paused, and he heard a tiny gasp of fear. Dean winced at that, imagining that the ride must not be pleasant. He shook his head, feeling guilty for scaring the tiny guy.

But Sammy's missing. He wasn't sure if he could handle another disappearance like this.

He quickly switched the light on, making sure the curtains were drawn so no one could look in at what was happening. He stepped over to the table, where there were many pamphlets strewn about. He quickly moved them to the side before gently dropping his catch onto it. The tiny guy yelped at the fall, pushing himself to his knees. He glanced back at Dean as he sat heavily on the chair, slowly crawling back from him.

Dean quickly examined the little guy. He wore a white tunic with a brown vest, matching fine jeans and black boots that reached his knees. A leather padding was over his chest, with the dark ambrosia of... some sort of leaf? A leather arm guard was wrapped around his left arm with pale string criss-crossing the leather to keep it in place. A dark green cloak was clipped over his shoulders, but the hood was drawn back. He was shorter than Sam, maybe three and a bit inches tall, with brown skin and hair that stuck up in wild spikes. Wide amber eyes stared up at him as he slowly crawled away. He looked like a renaissance character, if it weren't for the tiny watch that was clipped to his right wrist ruining the medieval-like look.

Takota crawled backwards desperately, trying to get as much distance between himself and the unknown giant. He tried to get to his feet, but they had become jelly and wouldn't support his weight. Can't I get a break, he asked incredulously. He'd only just gotten out of a bad situation with giants and he didn't need a repeat of it. But at least the giant hadn't dropped him from a bone breaking height. Small favours, he supposed.

Dean leaned forward, placing his arms either side of the retreating figure to corral the guy inside. He couldn't let him escape before he knew what had happened. He refused to loose Sam again.

The guy flinched at the movement, but then frowned. With a determined look, he forced himself to his feet, standing straight and leveling an angry glare at Dean.

'How dare you!' He called out, one hand reaching up to pull out a minuscule necklace, 'State your name and... a-and your rank! I'm going to report you to the C-council, and when Quintuple finds out what you've done, there will be hell to pay!'

Dean was taken aback by the sassy remark. He hadn't expected that. The guy sounded younger than he originally thought, with forced professionalism and casualness. He spoke in an almost militaristic manner, but stumbled over his wording. And he was shivering, the hand holding the necklace white from how hard he clenched it. His legs quivered, looking like they'd collapse at any second.

He seemed fairly certain that his words would have an effect on Dean.

Dean leaned forward, purposely looming over him. He paled visibly, shaking. He took a startled step backwards, quickly trying to hide it by standing straight again.

'You haven't done this before, have you, pint-size?'

Takota gulped, leaning back. It wasn't working. Just saying that name usually was enough to scare off any giant's that tried to give him a hard time. He could feel himself quivering. Either this guy was a fool, or he was quite confident in his abilities – in which case he was twice the fool, considering he was human.

Or maybe he didn't know the stories about Quintuple? If that was the case, Takota was screwed. He hadn't realized how dependent he'd become on his bondmate's reputation to keep him safe.

Dean just snorted at the continued silence, cocking his head. The kid was shaking like a leaf, his eyes too wide as he stared unblinkingly at Dean. The intensity of that fearful stare was kinda unnerving, actually.

'Look, I really don't care that you were in my room,' Dean stated, his eyes narrowing somewhat, 'But I found you in my brothers bed, with him nowhere in sight. I can't exactly ignore that.' He still had no idea what had happened under the nightstand, and for all he knew the guy didn't have any involvement in the issue. He didn't want to hurt the guy if that was the case.

The guy furrowed his brow, looking around at his surroundings for the first time. His eyes widened even further, if that was even possible.

'… Where am I?'

'Wedgewood Motor Inn, room five.'

'WHERE?!' Dean bristled at the demand, and the tiny stiffened when he realized what he had done. The terror that crossed his eyes made Dean pause. He'd seen that look plenty of time before, and no matter what the situation, it made him feel like bloody Godzilla. He quickly shrugged his annoyance off, trying to keep his movements slow. No need to freak the guy out more than he already was. He probably wouldn't get any answers like that.

'Blackstone, Virgina.'

'Virgina?' The guy muttered, teetering and falling back, 'I'm in America...?'

Dean blinked, confused by the comment.

'And where are you supposed to be?'

Takota whimpered, wrapping his arms around his knees. Where am I supposed to be? Not on a completely different planet, that's for sure! He should have been in the mother worlds headquarters, surrounded by his fellow resistance members. With his bondmate! And...

He paused in his panic, his hand reaching up to his spark, right where his heart should have been if he were human. He'd grown used to a warm weight by his spark, a constant sign of his sparkbond. In stressful times like this, he could use it to find reassurance from his bondmate. It was a powerful bond that forever linked two individuals together.

And it was gone. There wasn't even a small strain that came from long distance. It was as if he didn't even exist.

Dean stiffened when the tiny guy began sniffling, then outright sobbing. Fuck! He leaned back, looking around for help, but of course, there was none. Sammy couldn't help him now. He was utterly alone in this situation.

'Hey. Calm down, kid. You're gonna be okay.' Dean assured, not sure what else he could do. If it were Sam he'd try to rub his back to calm him down, but he was sure that wouldn't go down well with this kid.

'What are you going to do with me?' The kid asked, wrapping his arms around his knees. The pinnacle of hopeless fright. It made him look even smaller, considering there wasn't much of him to begin with.

'Look, if you're not hurting anyone, there is no reason for me to hurt you,' Dean explained, his voice soft, 'I just want to find my brother.'

Takota paused in conjuring up terrible possible scenarios, looking up at the giant, focusing on his chest. Anywhere but the scary eyes. He sounded hurt, and sincere in his words. Being a shifter had its perks, and while his heightened hearing made every giant movement more frightening, it also lend support to the giants words. His heartrate continued to beat in a steady rhythm; he wasn't lying. This gave Takota a small sense of courage, enough to look directly at his face. Those green eyes made him shiver for more reasons than one. They were intense, with a cold look he'd glimpsed in the old veterans at the headquarters. They were the eyes of a seasoned killer. And they were almost familiar, the same colour, maybe a little darker, but not the same. The absence in his spark made him cringe, feeling more alone than he ever had. Am I ever going to see him again?

'How about we start over?' The giant asked, smiling kindly, 'The names Dean. What's yours?'

Takota hesitated, unsure if he truly saw concern in those eyes. He looked down to his necklace. A black oak leaf, the symbol of great protectors. He squeezed the pendant for reassurance. He then huffed, dragging himself to his feet. C'mon! You're a Mandimal soldier. Act like it! Takota took a deep breath, forcing himself to look the giant – Dean – in the eye.

'My name is Takota Metteta, level three Telepath of the Mandimal Resistance. It's a pleasure to meet you.' He said, holding one fisted hand behind his back and the other over his heart, nodding a respectful salute.

Dean shifted, unsure how else to respond to such a formal introduction. He wasn't really used to the tiny people being so calm in their first meetings with him, sans that first few frightful minutes. There was a lot to fear from him, being as big as he was. While the guy was obviously still scared, he made a tangible effort to move passed it and cooperate with him. It was going better than Dean could have hoped.

'If I could be so bold to ask, what happened when you found me?' Takota continued.

'You don't know?' Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Well, I was kinda unconscious when the whole thing happened, so yeah, I don't know what happened,' He snapped sarcastically, then cleared his throat apologetically, 'Sorry, but that was a stupid comment.'

'Heh. No problem,' Dean chuckled, thinking, 'Well, Sam was whining in his sleep, then screamed. When I called to him he didn't answer. Then there was a light, and I found you in his room instead.'

Takota was silent as he thought over the information. He began pacing, eyes to the floor. So Dean's brother was the same size as he was. How they were brothers didn't really matter at the moment, but he imagined that they had adopted each other some time in the past. If not, and they truly were blood related... he stopped going down that rabbit hole of possibilities. Task at hand, he thought. He needed to stay on track. If he were to understand what happened, he could find a way to return home.

'Did you see what colour the light was?' He asked thoughtfully.

'Does that really matter?' Dean asked. In truth, he didn't remember what the colour was. He had been too busy worrying about Sam. Takota paused in his pacing to send him a calculating look before shaking his head.

'Nah, it doesn't matter now,' He stated, beginning to pace again, 'We're here now, so we need to...'

He froze in his pacing, eyes widening. Dean sat straighter, suddenly worried.

'What?'

'If I'm here, it would make sense that your brother is where I was,' He mused, 'And that would mean he's at the apartment with... Oh Twins help him.'

'What? Is Sam in trouble?' Dean demanded. Takota flinched at the raised voice, but otherwise didn't move. He took a deep breath, looking up at Dean with wide, worried eyes.

'I don't know,' He said, shaking his head helplessly, 'Most of the guys would be okay and only retaliate if he were a threat, but if Adrian gets his hands on him? He'll rip him apart like a bug.'