While the teacher's voice went on outside, listing off things that Oscar could hardly follow, he remained huddled in the hood. It was dimmer and more closed in, qualities of the walls that he called home and had come to associate with safety. The noises beyond Dean's hood still reached him and still made him nervous, but at least his current hiding place was growing on him as a good place to be.

He had his legs drawn close with his bag leaning against his side. The comfortable fabric all around offered him a soft place to rest and try not to think about how many humans were in the room. It could end up being a long day; he had to tell himself over and over that he was safe.

Later in class, when the teacher's voice was accompanied by the tick tick tick of chalk on the board, Oscar looked up from a daze to see Sam sliding back into the hood to rejoin him. The other kid made the task look easy, proof that he really did do this all the time. If there weren't so many humans out there, Oscar might feel a little better about trying again.

"H-hi," he greeted softly. "Won't you miss the lesson?"

Sam gestured dismissively as he sank down into the warm cloth. "Nah," he said. "Dean started paying attention when they got to history. Of all things, he gets a kick out of researching the past. He just never, ever lets on. I think it's why dad has him help with lore when he's on a case. Dean makes connections no one else even notices."

Squinting in the dark, he tried to make out Oscar. " 'Sides. I wanted to make sure you were alright. You've never done this before… I mean, it's really scary sometimes, but at least I know what to expect in school. How you holding up?"

Oscar shrugged and offered a quiet, sheepish laugh. He was glad it didn't seem like Sam could see him that well, because he was a little pink with embarrassment over how quickly he'd retreated earlier. "I'm okay," he replied, telling what was mostly the truth. All in all, he was perfectly fine. His nerves simply hadn't gotten the notice.

"There's just so many of them," he added, looking at his hands where they rested on his folded up knees. There had never been so many humans in one place at the motel. Even the small lobby it had near the office wasn't big enough for that many humans. "And they're all really big," he said with a breathy chuckle.

"Don't think about that," Sam suggested. "Just focus on other things. Like how they're kids just like you and me. I mean, if things had happened differently, I'd be that big right now. If I found you, I'd never hurt you, or trap you. Honest."

He listened to the outside world for a long moment after that statement. The teacher writing on the chalkboard, the rare scribble of a pencil from Dean… the constant shifting, moving and murmuring from the other classmates. And of course, the ever present sound of massive lungs dragging in deep breaths only inches away. Their place in the hood put them close enough to hear. It was humbling to listen and know that the older boy could take in more air than Oscar or Sam had mass in their bodies, but it was also a sound that reminded them that he was there, and as long as he was around, they'd be fine.

Oscar looked up in surprise. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to think about the varied what ifs in this scenario. One of them being, of course, what if Sam hadn't been cursed? Oscar would fit just as easily in the other boy's hands. Sam could have been the one to place his hands around Oscar as he ran and snatch him up from the ground. But, from his earnestness now, Oscar had to believe him. He wouldn't have done him any more harm than Dean did. Maybe things would have been just as scary (probably more so with two humans to deal with), but Sam was consistently looking out for Oscar.

"I believe you," he said with a nod. He paused to listen to the sounds beyond the hood. The normal sounds of extremely giant people shifting about, breathing, whispering, and writing things down. They were just other kids like him and Sam and Dean ... they were just big. It helped to put some of his unease to rest, but not all of it. At least they were safely hidden with the one bigger person they could trust.

"I never thought nice humans could exist. Mom always told me never ever go near 'em."

"You can't really know if they're nice or not," Sam said. "You should listen to your mom. If it wasn't Dean that found you, youcould have ended up trapped. Or maybe they'd be just as nice and let you go, or get you food." He leaned forward in the swaying hood, doing his best to meet Oscar in the eyes. "Oscar, I'm just saying there are nice humans out there. But… it's too dangerous to try and talk to them if you don't have someone watching out for you. Not when they can stop you with one hand. But don't give up on humanity for just a few asshats."

He gave Oscar a huge grin. "You've always got me and Dean to count on."

Oscar couldn't help but grin right back. Even if the thought of being found by other humans still terrified him, he believed completely by now that Dean would look out for them. He'd just have to stick close to Sam and Dean. The first and only friends he had in all the world.

Even with constantly reminding himself he was alright, by the end of the school day, Oscar was exhausted. He couldn't help the stress that his instincts put on him to be constantly watchful. He was always wary of some hand that he didn't know diving into the hood and claiming him and Sam. They wouldn't be able to stop it.

The final bell rang and he heard a sudden rush of noise as the other students happily agreed that the end of the school day was happy news. He shrank back out of habit, watching the top of the hood with wide eyes.

"Th-they all sound so happy," he muttered, blinking over at Sam. His next words were lost in a flinch as someone laughed raucously and a chair squealed as it pushed along the ground. Oscar chuckled sheepishly at himself. "I-I guess they got tired of sittin' around all day."

Sam laughed at that idea. He wasn't worried about either of them being heard in the loud happenings outside of the hood. Dean hadn't moved yet, waiting for the initial rush to calm down in order to leave with his vulnerable passengers.

"They don't like being stuck in school all day," Sam confided. "Five days a week, from eight to two or three depending on the school… some even go later. Me an' Dean have been to a bunch of different ones over the years and it's always the same. I always liked going, but most kids spend most of their time complaining about it."

Outside the hoodie, Dean finally decided it was time to head out. He got up from his seat, trying to avoid eye contact with the teacher, Mrs. Martin. She glanced up as he walked by her desk.

"Dean Winchester!"

Dammit.

He shuffled to a stop, holding his notebook awkwardly against his chest. "Yeah?" he asked, an annoyed grumble in his voice.

She had a knowing glint in her eyes as she tilted her head up at him. "I just had a question about yesterday's homework assignment," she said calmly at him. After years of teaching kids like him, the annoyance and the grumble washed right over her. She pushed the paper towards him. "Did you do this?" she asked with the lilt of curiosity in her tone. A long finger tapped against a small squiggle in the upper corner of the page.

Dean leaned forward, squinting at the tiny picture that was sitting there. Of course. Sam had been doodling in the margins from boredom while Dean was working through the math work. "Just… practicing," Dean said, switching to the charm.

She arched her eyebrows at him. "You should think about going into art. I haven't seen anyone manage such precise work. With skill like that you might even manage blueprints better than the computer." She pulled the sheet back towards the pile. "Just keep it in mind."

Dean forced out a smile, turning to go out of the room. After that start, he didn't like turning his back on her knowing the others didn't have anything between them and the woman. It wouldn't do to act any more suspicious than he already was.

The hallways outside were deserted. All the other students had fled towards the fleet of buses that would bring them home, leaving Dean to his walk back to the motel.

Once he was certain the teacher didn't suspect anything other than Dean's artistic prowess, Oscar released a sigh. The swaying of the hood with the human teen's walk had become familiar during the day. He was just glad there weren't a bunch of boisterous voices in the hall this time. Between classes, the noise alone had made Oscar feel pressed in on. The quiet was much better.

"You went to a buncha different schools?" he finally echoed, his eyes wide with wonder at the thought. Sam and Dean could travel all over, and apparently they never stayed in one place for long while their dad fought monsters. He hadn't thought about how that might affect the two boys.

"I haven't even gone to the other side of the motel by myself before," he mused, a faint sheepish smile growing on his face. "Is it hard to keep up moving around so much? I didn't understand most of the teachers today."

Sam shrugged. " 'S'okay. I tried asking dad if we could stay in one school for a year once. He got real mad at that. He didn't say much to me the rest of the week, and after that we went off to another different school anyway. The longest we got to stay in one place was when uncle Bobby was watching us. He had us go to school in Sioux Falls. It was great. Dean even got to learn how to repair cars with him."

He closed his eyes at the memories. "He's got a huge library, so hunters like my dad all go to him to find out about the monsters they're tracking down. He let me help out a few times. I got to look through the books and track down different types of monsters."

Sam stuck his lip out. "The hardest part was when we switched schools they were always learning different things. We'd have to start over again every time. I think that's why Dean hates it so much. He's smarter than just about all the other kids in the class, but he always comes of as behind since he mighta learned something different in our last school. And now, I can't even go to the classes I was in. I had to work hard to keep up with the classes that Dean's in."

Oscar mulled it over while the human that carried them navigated the empty halls. He could just barely hear the chatter of students in the distance. Soon enough Dean would be outside, skirting past the crowds to get back to the motel.

"That really does sound hard," Oscar agreed. Constantly changing things up didn't help anyone learn anything. He couldn't imagine learning things like climbing or sneaking around while also having to move house all the time. There was one advantage to not being able to travel very far, he supposed. "I think I would never be able to keep up… I know my numbers but things sounded so confusing today. And talkin' about history would be tough, I dunno where everything is."

He glanced up at the sound of a door opening. The crowd, thankfully, didn't sound as loud as he expected. It seemed the other humans really were excited to get out of there. "I-I think I'm real good at the stuff my mom could teach me though! A-and soon you can be, too! You'll have both," he added with a shy grin. Sam had such an interesting outlook. He knew all of the human things, and Oscar was going to teach him the side of the smaller people.

Sam brightened when a thought came to him at that. "And I can teach you any human things you want to know," he offered. "I know lots! And Dean knows more. That way, we can both know things from both sides."

The sound of the outdoors came at last as Dean passed the threshold of the building. The sound of the student body was replaced by distant traffic. With swift, powerful footsteps carrying them away from the building, they were on their way home.

A/N

Next chapter: December 18th