A/N: Not a whole lot happens in this chapter, but I thought it needed to happen.

If You Dare Challenge - #339 (Going to School)

Are You Crazy Enough To Do It Challenge - #589 (punctual)

Fanfiction Writing Month: October [1058]

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Sonny sent Dean to bed after that, and as soon as Dean entered the room, Sam rushed at him, signing so frantically that Dean could barely understand him. WHERE HURT YOU? WHERE HURT YOU? he repeated, thoroughly checking Dean for injuries.

Dean shook his head. NO HURT. SONNY NO PUNISH.

SONNY NO PUNISH YOU? Sam shook with fear. SONNY PUNISH ME?

NO, NO, Dean assured him. GO BED YOU.

Sam climbed up the bunk bed ladder as instructed. Once both Winchester boys were in the bed, Sam asked his question again.

NO, SAMMY, Dean said. SONNY NO PUNISH YOU. He stopped. SONNY TIRED. MORNING PUNISH ME. NO PUNISH YOU. OKAY?

WHAT IF SONNY PUNISH ME INSTEAD? Sam looked up at Dean. WANT ME SONNY PUNISH ME NO YOU.

Dean nearly growled out loud. NO.

DEAN—

NO SAMMY NEVER.

DEAN WAIT PLEASE. Dean stopped, biting his lip and letting his brother continue. AFTER CAR AND SICK, HURT BAD YOU. HURT BAD YOU STILL. IF SONNY PUNISH YOU, THEN DIE YOU. His shoulders slumped. SO SONNY PUNISH ME NO YOU.

SAMMY NO NO LET YOU. Dean shook his head. NEVER WANT HURT YOU. BETTER PUNISH ME. OKAY?

Sam nodded. OKAY.

SLEEP NOW YOU? Dean asked.

YES. TIRED ME. YOU?

YES. Dean usually would stay awake to watch Sam, but his illness, injuries, and terror had kept him at an intense state of awareness for the entire day, so he was so exhausted that he went right to sleep. Throughout the rest of the night, he would wake up, terrified, thinking that Sonny would come into the room to punish them. He hated that Sonny had not punished him when he was ready; now, he was forced to spend every waking (and sleeping) moment panicking that Sonny was coming for him.

John Winchester, as a former Marine, was incredibly punctual. He had always made Dean wake up at 5:00 exactly to do training exercises. Dean and Sam called it 'John Winchester Boot Camp,' but never in English; their father would beat them black and blue if he ever heard it. In ASL, they shortened it to J-W CAMP, and in Morse code it was simply JWBC. They used it so often that it was impossible to forget during their non-English conversations.

So Dean woke up abruptly at 5:00 for the first time to the absence of the shouts or fists of his father. To be honest, it unnerved Dean. He was...terrified. Whenever silence confronted Dean at this time, it meant one of three things. One, he and Sam were alone at the motel, usually left with a few dollars to provide for their basic needs. Two, he, with or without Sam, had been captured by one of the monsters their father chased. And three, John had drunk himself into such a stupor that he was unable to wake Dean up. The third option was by far the scariest, for it was usually followed by a round of beatings that left him barely able to protect his brother.

Dean sat up, shivering, both arms wrapped tightly around Sam. He was still tired, but now he had to protect Sammy. He remained on high alert until 6:30, when Sonny came in, flickering the lights on and off. "Time to get up, boys!" Various groans and protests echoed around the room in response. "Breakfast will be ready in 20 minutes. Dean" —both Winchesters flinched— "could I have a word with you?"

Dean, torn between staying with his brother and bringing him into Sonny's dangerous range, nodded solemnly and signed to Sam. STAY YOU. NO FOLLOW. KNIFE UNDER PILLOW. STAY SAFE.

TIME SONNY PUNISH?

YES. SORRY.

Sam frowned. NO SORRY. CAREFUL YOU. HEAL YOU ME WHEN BACK YOU.

OKAY. I LOVE YOU.

I LOVE YOU, TOO.

Dean climbed down the bunk bed ladder and followed the line of boys to meet Sonny at the door. "Yes, sir?" Dean asked. Sonny was disappointed to see that none of his words had taken with Dean; the older Winchester was still afraid of him and continued to call him "sir."

"Well," said Sonny, "each new arrival here gets to choose their first breakfast. I was just wondering what you'd like."

Dean's brow wrinkled. "Wh-what?"

"What you want for breakfast… I can make eggs, pancakes, waffles… Even grits if you want 'em. What do you feel like having?"

Dean simply shrugged. "Whatever is easiest, sir."

"Dean, you don't have to call me sir. You can call me Sonny."

"Sorry."

Sonny smiled. "Don't be sorry, kid. Do you like pancakes?"

Again, he shrugged. "Whatever's easiest, sir."

After realizing that Dean did not plan on giving him a straight answer, he moved on. "So, Dean… Today is Friday. All the other boys are going to school except Castiel—he goes to the private school, and they've got the day off today."

"Teacher retreat day," someone chimed in from behind him. Dean jumped, his hand moving to his chest. It wasn't an action of fear, however, as it was an attempt to grab something, like a reflex of sorts.

Sonny frowned. "Right. So I was thinking maybe we could take a little shopping trip? You, me, Castiel, and Sam? Rosa'll be here in about half an hour."

"Rosa's basically the head of the house," Castiel said, leaning in from his top bunk. He was barely a foot from Sonny. "Sonny just does what she says." He grinned.

Sonny smiled. This boy… "Well, he's not wrong…" Dean shifted uncomfortably under Sonny and Castiel's combined gaze. He just wanted to get back to Sam. Sonny continued, "Anyway, we'll get all your papers and everything ready over the weekend so you can start school on Monday. In the meantime, we'll go get you some clothes, school supplies… Anything you want, really. Castiel, do you want to join us?"

The boy's brilliant blue eyes sparkled, and Dean shivered. "Of course," he said. "Dean, are you okay with that? I can stay home and work if you want."

Dean wasn't familiar with people asking for his permission or preference, so he merely nodded, knowing that the best answer was always to give in. "I won't go without Sam," he said quietly. His only acts of defiance were ever to protect Sam.

"Don't worry," Sonny said. "Sam needs to go shopping, too. You won't have to leave his side."

A/N: The next chapter will get into how Dean reacts in public places. Thanks for reading!