Then and Now

Trouble

Dean sat in the principals office, swinging his legs absently and looking at the ground. The plastic seat was starting to get really uncomfortable.

He didn't dare move though, just through the door he could hear the principal greeting his carers. Dean felt nervous, he stomach doing flips. He face hurt from where Alastair had punched him, but that didn't really bother him so much now.

Not when his caregiver came into the room with looks of anger. She thanked the principal for taking care of it, before motioning Dean to leave the room.

Dean grabbed his bag, reluctant to move as he shuffled out of the room with Miss Lilith, the lady in charge of the orphanage, right behind him.

She didn't speak a word until they got out to the car, and Dean kept his head down as he scrambled into the back seat. Lilith started the car, staring straight ahead as she pulled away from the school. It was now that she finally spoke. 

"I do hope you realize that this stunt has gotten you in a lot of trouble young man."

Dean just sat quietly, not daring to speak a word as he stared out the window. She doesn't speak another word, leaving Dean alone with his scared thoughts.

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Once they got back to the house, Dean meekly followed her inside. He went to go up to his room to put his bag away, but then Lilith grabs his arm and roughly drags him down the hall. 

"Not so fast, you need to learn that your actions have bad consequences."

Dean cries out, trying to twist out of her steel grip as she pulled him towards the small storage closet. "Miss Lilith, please!"

She ignored him, instead throwing the door open. Dean shook his head in fear as she wrestled him into the cramped space. Dean could barely move an inch once inside, and as Lilith shut the door, was pitch black. 

"No please! Miss Lilith!" Dean howled, in full on panic mode now. "Please don't leave me in here!"

But there was no reply, and the door stayed firmly shut. His panicked breaths made him dizzy, and even as he clawed at the door, Dean knew it was pointless. 

"Sammy?" He tried calling out again, but no one seemed to be hearing him. Sniffling, he sits in the small space and starts crying. 

He wasn't aware of just how much time had really passed. All Dean knew was that it had felt like an eternity spent in hell. The dark, tight space was suffocating, and he didn't know if he could handle another moment in it. 

He stopped crying before long, instead just sitting there and staring dully at what he assumed was the door. Not that he could tell in the absolute darkness that smothered him. 

He must have passed out at some point, after what felt like hours of crouching in the darkness. When he opened his eyes, he almost started crying when he was meet with darkness again.

But then, he almost couldn't believe it. A sliver of light started to shine. Rubbing the sleep and tears from his eyes, Dean watched as the door swung open fully. The light hurt his eyes, making him squint even as he was dragged from the small space.

Lilith stood over him. "Now, have you learned your lesson?"

Dean nods meekly, eyes downcast. He didn't want to go back into that darkness, ever.

"Good, now get your stuff together. Its almost time for school." She turned away, before freezing and looking back at him. "Oh, and Dean? Don't tell anyone about this or I'll leave you in there for a week."

Terrified to answer, Dean just nods and runs off to grab his school bag. Sam was hovering in the hallway, a worried look in his eyes that disappeared the moment  he saw his older brother.

Siently, Sam ran over to his brother and hugged him. Dean patted Sam's back, hugging him back as he tried to steady his breathing.

"It's okay Sammy, I'm okay."

Then he was being hustled out the door by the other older kids, and they all headed off to school. Alastair was glaring at Dean, his black eye standing out against his pale skin. Dean hid his grin, at least he'd taught that idjit a lesson. 

The walk to school was short, and Dean stayed quiet, keeping to himself as the other kids laughed and jostled about. He was deep in thought about his brother's birthday. 

Then, he felt someone tapping his shoulder. Looking up, Dean saw an unfamiliar red-haired girl walking beside him. She looked younger than him, her head coming up to his shoulder. Her eyes, however, seemed far older. 

"Hey, I'm Charlie, I was put in the house last night, but I don't remember seeing you." 

Dean panicked, what should he say? "I-I'm Dean, I was at.... a friends place."

Charlie stared at him for a long moment, eyes curious. Then; "Oh! That's cool! How long have you been here?"

"A-about a month." 

Charlie nods, acting as if this was all very important information that she needed to know. "Do you like Doctor Who?"

"Who's that?" Dean vaguely recalled someone talking about it before. 

"Who's that!?" Charlie huffed, obviously offended.

Dean wondered what he had done, watching the strange girl gasp at him.

"It is only the best show ever, I'll show you it sometime since you obviously have no sense of what is right for you." Charlie nodded, as if affirming what she said to herself. 

Dean didn't know what to think of her. 

"I like you, Deano, wanna be friends?"

Dean barely missed a beat, reaching out to take her outstretched hand. "Sure."

And with that, they walked into the school. Dean smiling wider than he had in a very, very long time. 

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A/N:

I'm trying to get a better feel for the tone I want for this story, and I'm working into the main plot line so in the meantime, here's a kinda filler.

- Soph