Oscar stepped away from the leg of the table, finding a good spot on the edge so high above that he hoped to catch onto. He opened up his pin and held it at the ready in one hand, the thread coiled loosely in the other. It was a process he'd done many times, especially in the last year. He did his best to ignore the fact that a human was sitting right there.

After a windup and a toss straight upwards, his safety pin sailed towards the edge of the table. It was a strong throw, stronger than anyone Oscar's size would appear capable of, and the pin was extra light. Even so, it glanced off the rim of the table and fell back down, much to Oscar's dismay (and embarrassment).

He caught the pin in both hands, frowning at it while his cheeks and ears burned red. Without looking at Dean or Sam, he reared back to try again, this time with his tongue sticking out for concentration.

The pin clattered to the tabletop, and with careful tugs Oscar was able to get it to catch on the edge, with the part opposite the point anchoring against the side. He hauled downwards on his thread to make sure the pin would hold. Then he began the climb.

With the thread carefully secured between his feet and coiled partly around one leg, Oscar pulled himself hand over hand up the thread, the way only someone who'd been practicing for years could do. He was lightweight, making the process pretty fast, and it didn't take him long to get a foot off the ground.

The higher he got, the more the thread seemed to sway. He knew it was because, in his peripheral vision, the ground was farther away and each movement meant a lot more care was needed. It was practically instinct to tighten up each motion so he could maintain his speed until he got his hands on the edge of the table and hauled himself over.

As the ground receded beneath Oscar's fabric shoes, Dean and Sam both leaned forward to watch, wide-eyed. Though both brothers had learned to climb at a young age, they'd never seen anything close to what the youngest kid in the room was attempting.

For all intents and purposes, the table had transformed into a cliff that stretched over fifty feet up into the air. If the little guy was to slip and fall, he could easily break an arm or a leg, or twist his neck. Dean could feel his fingers twitch, aching to reach out and give him a hand… literally. Even just hovering his hand under the kid would be more reassuring while he watched.

And Oscar wanted to teach this to Sam?

Dean bit his lips, trying to hide his nerves as the boy passed the halfway mark, showing no sign of slowing down as he climbed straight up. Most humans would never attempt anything close to what Oscar was doing, and from what he'd said this was normalfor him.

After several more seconds of concentration, Oscar was within a foot of the top. He was careful as he closed the last few inches, knowing one wrong move could knock his pin loose. Finally, he grabbed the edge and hauled himself over it, kicking his legs.

Oscar caught his breath and made sure he was clear of the edge of the table before getting to his feet. He grabbed his pin and closed it up, setting it on the edge of the table so he wouldn't trip on it or knock it down to the floor. He happened to have the spare for Sam in his bag, but he didn't want to risk forming a bad habit because of that.

He turned a shy grin towards the two brothers and tentatively approached Sam. He was only a little out of breath from the exertion, his small chest rising and falling. "I said I could do it," he told them proudly, extremely pleased to have proven himself to a human of all people "I'm surprised you never tried, Sam. You could probably throw a hook even farther than me, you look stronger."

Sam shook his head, still amazed at what they'd seen. "I've never thrown anything that far up," he said shyly. After all, the hook had reached the edge of the table all the way from the ground! That was like throwing something all the way to the top of a building from the ground floor.

While they were greeting each other, Dean couldn't resist plucking up the tiny safety pin that was left sitting by itself on the edge of the table. He examined it curiously, trying to see the knot that had been tied at the end. He gently pulled on it, testing the strength of the climbing implement. He was impressed at the use such a simple, everyday item had been put to.

"So you made this yourself?" Dean asked, letting the thread slip through his fingers. It was only just long enough to reach the top of the table, making it easy for him to stretch out and look at the full length.

Oscar glanced up and his eyes widened a little to see his safety pin in the human's hands. He had seen the movement in the corner of his eye, but he hadn't expected that Dean actually picked the essential tool up from where he'd left it.

It looked so small in Dean's hands. If he were to put it in his pocket, he could almost lose the whole thing.

He nodded sheepishly, wondering suddenly if his supplies looked particularly shabby to people used to having things tailor made for a certain function. Not slapped together out of other things. Even Oscar's knife was barely holding together compared to Sam's shrunken human one. "I made that one," he confirmed, looking at his bag thoughtfully.

Remembering himself, he opened up the cloth container and drew out the spare he'd brought. The thread on it was wrapped around the pin securely, making it a neat little parcel, which he offered to Sam. "I made this one, too. It's an extra. If you want it."

"Wow, really?" Sam asked, enamored at the idea of having his own way to climb up and down the furniture. He reached hesitantly out for it, touching the cool metal and running a finger up the side. It was lightweight and sturdy when he took it in hand, hefting it curiously to test out the weight. The thread felt coarse under his fingers, but he was beginning to adjust to the way the texture of items had changed with his curse.

Dean's eyebrows went up, and he put the other safety pin back down where he'd grabbed it from. "I don't think you're ready for that," he said as he remembered how high up Oscar had looked as he scaled the furniture.

Sam frowned, staring up at Dean as he held the safety pin and thread close to his chest. "But Dean, I won't have to wait for you or dad to be around if I can climb like Oscar! And I won't get stranded anywhere." His eyes turned big and round at the thought.

"Sam, it's dangerous. What if you slip? Dad's gonna kill me if he finds out I let you climb like that!"

Oscar shuffled over to pick up his own safety pin while the brothers argued, to try to keep himself out of it. He hadn't realized that his gift for Sam might not be taken so well by Dean. After all, climbing such great heights was just a necessity of life for Oscar. He'd grown up without a notion in his head for fear of heights. People their size couldn't afford it.

But, as he coiled up the thread and looked back over his shoulder at the two of them, Sam the smaller brother trying his best to stand up to Dean, a towering human, something suddenly made sense. The two of them were still brothers, and always would be.

But Sam had one foot in Oscar's world now, the world where everything towered over him and where being able to get around on his own would mean doing things that looked very risky to the humans. The humans didn't need to worry about the height of a table, because it was built for them, by other humans.

Oscar inched back towards them to stand next to Sam, looking up at Dean. He was so much bigger than the two on the table that Oscar almost lost the nerve right then and there. He had to remind himself that if Sam could stand up to someone so huge, Oscar could, too.

"W-well, Dean," he began, hating the way his voice shook. His standing-up-to-a-human skills could use some work, but at least he'd gotten started. He took a deep breath and continued. "Th-the whole point of m-me teaching Sam how is so he doesn't slip." He tucked his pin into his bag and wrung his hands while he worked out the next words.

"It's dangerous to not be able to get around. If w-we get stuck somewhere and someone else comes in or an animal f-finds us it's all over," he explained, reciting lessons he'd heard from an early age. Lessons Sam would need to take to heart if he was to survive.

Oscar almost broke eye contact with those intense green eyes up above, but finished with "S-sometimes the person y-you're counting on to come back doesn't and you have to know what to do."

Dean stared down at them both, a small scowl forming on his face at being teamed up on. But the look of hope on Sam's face, the memory of how terrified his brother had been when he'd gotten stranded up on a table by himself… Dean could still remember those shudders in his hand when he cupped Sam to his chest… all coupled with Oscar's determination that this was right and important…

"Fine," he growled, giving in to the two younger kids. Sam's face lit up as he buckled.

"But only on one condition," he said sternly, holding out a hand with a finger extended. "Non-negotiable."

There was a glow of hope on Sam's face while he waited to find out what the condition was.

A/N

Try not to intimidate Oz, Dean, geeze. He is smol. Don't scowl at him.

Next: December 14th