Hunter Winchester Turned Baby Wesson

by softfoxfandoms

Summary:

PedioRejuva, an astounding breakthrough in medical history. It is a neuro-physical genesis catalyst, allowing a person to go through rigorous testing and background checks before they are administered the drug that reverts their body back to their youth, and over time their mindset as well. Giving those who are deemed deserving a second chance at a childhood.

Dean Winchester is a lethal hunter of the supernatural. He’s a hefty 23-year-old standing at 6ft tall, well-built, and having had a childhood of intense training from his grief-stricken and emotionally distant father, John, is an incredibly efficient and dangerous killer. Used to disposing of the things that go bump in the night, usually by himself, Dean didn't expect he could be snuck up on in the darkness of a back alley and spiked with an unknown drug.
He wakes up in the hospital, confused and now incapable of caring for himself.

Suddenly there are two men present, taking him to a house, caring for him and calling themselves Daddy and Papa.
What the hell is going on?

((Art currently being drawn by me for a few chapters :D))
((Art now in Chapters: 2,))

Chapter 1: The Nightmare Begins

Notes:

Hope you guys enjoy it. This is my first AO3 book but not my first time publishing a work. Looking forward to seeing your comments and creating an enjoyable experience for you all. :)

The smell. Dean could smell stale air and disinfectant. A hospital. That’s the only place this shitty smell exists. So, he’s in a hospital, which means something happened to him. But what? Last thing he remembered was having finished that hunt in Lebanon with the vampires and then going to that seedy bar. What could have happened? He knew he didn’t drink much and he only followed that sexy guy out back for a quickie after he hit on the waitress. And then nothing, did Dean even get to do that guy? What the fuck happened?

His brain felt foggy, and he couldn’t recall anything more after that. He shifted and felt the bed beneath him, it was soft and he feels something fleecy and something else squishy. That’s not right. Since when are hospitals known for comfort? And what the hell was squishy? It was warm though, and he couldn’t move anyway as he felt something tight around him limiting his movement.

Dean cracked open his eyes and immediately slammed them shut at the piercingly bright white light that flared in his vision. Another shitty part of hospitals, they give zero fucks about the energy bills and light the place up like a Christmas tree 24/7. Yeah, no, darkness is fine for now.

He heard a door near him open and someone walked in. Panic blossomed in Dean’s chest and he snapped his eyes open, wincing slightly at the assault on his eyes. His vision cleared and he saw a young lady in pink scrubs shutting the door behind her. She turned and saw him staring at her.

“Well, hi there sweetheart,” she spoke softly at Dean with a smile and stepped forward, rubbing her finger along his cheek. “It’s so good to see you awake. You have such gorgeous eyes.”

Okay, this was weirding Dean out, even if the nurse was hot. “Hey, hands off lady!” He yelled and squirmed away from her finger. He didn’t get far, only managing to move his face a little to the left.

“Aren’t you a talkative little mister?” The nurse chuckled as she lifted a clipboard and noted a few things down.

“The fuck do you mean? You taking some of the meds they keep here? Quit talking to me like that!” Dean stared at the nurse as she walked around his bed and unhooked a couple of wires from a monitor. She wasn’t responding to any of his words, as if she wasn’t even hearing them. “Hey! I’m talking to you! What the hell is going on here- AH!” He cut off with a whine as the nurse peeled off the scanning nodes stuck to his head, pulling at the hairs.

“Oh, I know honey that’s not nice, I’m sorry.” The nurse cooed as she smoothed a hand over his hair. Her hand felt huge, covering his whole head. What the fuck?

“Stop touching me lady, why are you so big? What’s going on?” Dean panicked as he squirmed and wriggled, trying to break free of whatever was wrapped around him so tightly. The nurse tutted a little with her tongue and pulled back the blanket covering him.

“Let’s get you out of this huh, Dean? That way you can wriggle much more freely.” She said as she pulled a zipper down from his chest to his feet, freeing him from what appeared to be a little sack with fleece on the inside. She then undid the elastic velcro band holding his arms across his chest. Immediately Dean flung his arms outward and tried to grab at the woman.

That’s when he saw his hands and he froze. They were TINY. Like, tiny little hands with a little bit of chubbiness to them and small fingernails. Baby hands. They were baby hands.

Why did he have baby hands????

“I know, honey. It’s a bit of a shock, isn’t it?” Dean looked back at the nurse and saw her peering at him with a sympathetic face. “But don’t worry, we are going to take good care of you until we can find you a family. I promise there is a positive side to this sweetie.”

A positive side? A POSITIVE SIDE? He was a fucking baby! How was there any positive side to this? And how did this happen? He was literally just at a bar trying to have a drink and get laid! Wait. The dude. The one he followed outside. It must have been him. But how?!

“You were found out the back of a bar honey,” The nurse said, almost as if she was reading his mind. “You were spiked with PedioRejuva, quite a lot of it as well. We didn’t know when you were going to stop shrinking. But you did, and now you are a healthy little 6-month-old boy.” She finished with a smile.

PedioRejuva? Oh no. Oh FUCK. There’s no cure for that. There’s no way out of this. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Dean started panicking. He was stuck as a baby! What was he going to do? How was he going to hunt? What was his fucking dad going to say?

Suddenly he was scooped up into warm arms and held against a shoulder. He was crying. He hadn’t even noticed the tears starting or heard his own little wails. He was covering the nurse’s scrubs in tears and baby snot as she shushed and rocked him, patting his back lightly.

Fuck this was not going to be fun.

“I know, honey, I know. This is all so difficult. I know, it wasn’t your choice but maybe it’s a new start.” Hearing that, Dean wailed harder. He didn’t want a new try! He wanted his own life back! He wanted to be able to hunt, and drink, and have sex and be a fucking adult! This wasn’t fair!

“Oh no, do we have a cranky baby?” Dean heard a second, much older, woman’s voice come from the direction of the door. He turned his head from the crook of the nurse's shoulder and saw a kind-looking middle-aged woman closing the door behind her.

“Oh, look at those gorgeous eyes,” the older lady cooed as she sidled up next to the nurse and the sniffling baby. “I bet someone’s feeling a bit hungry, huh?” Dean stared at the woman in confusion. Everything was too much too fast, and his brain couldn’t keep up.

The tears still leaked from his eyes quietly and he could hear a pathetic whimpering coming from his throat that he could not stop. Why couldn’t he just stop? He squeaked as he felt two hands pry him off the nurse and he was turned to cradle in the older lady’s arms. He squirmed, trying to break free of the grip but he was too weak now. That sent a shock through his system.

He was too weak to break free from an older lady’s grip. How fucking pathetic. It truly was over. How was he ever going to be able to hunt like this when he probably couldn’t even fucking walk. Another freight train of realisation hits Dean. He couldn’t walk. Sure, he could remember how but there was no way a six-month-old had the muscle capacity to be able to walk, not even talk now to think of it. No wonder the nurse hadn’t responded to him earlier, he probably sounded like a babbling idiot.

Dean was suddenly shocked out of his thoughts by something rubbery being pushed into his mouth. He startled and looked up at the woman holding him. “It’s okay honey, this yummy milk will fill you up all nice,” she said with a sweet smile. Dean looked down and saw that there was a bottle in front of him with the nipple in his mouth.

Absolutely fucking not.

He squirmed and kicked his little legs as hard as he could, pushing the bottle away with his little hands as hard as he could. He didn’t really get much done, the woman still had a hold of him and the bottle was still in his mouth. Eventually, he pushed the bottle just outside of his mouth before he slammed his lips close.

“Come on, sweetheart, it’s tasty I promise,” the lady tried as she pushed the nipple against Dean’s locked lips. He stared up at her with big, round eyes full of defiance. He was not going to drink from a bottle. No way.

The woman kept trying for a minute before she gave a small sigh and placed the bottle on the nearby side table. “It’s alright honey we’ll try again in a little bit,” she spoke as she started to walk around the room, swaying slightly and patting Dean’s diaper-padded bottom.

“Listen, lady, just… put me down okay? I ain’t some helpless little…” Dean tried to speak through yawns. His body felt all heavy and his eyelids kept drooping. Did all that struggle really take it out of him? How the fuck was he ever going to get anything done? This sucked.

“Ohhh it’s alright sweetie, those are some big yawns. You just relax and I’ll wrap you up all nice for a nap.” The woman said as she made her way back over to the bed. She placed Dean down back on the weird swaddle sack and began to use the velcro band to wrap his arms.

With no energy left in his little body, Dean just went limp and looked around the room with heavy-lidded eyes. The pink scrub nurse had left at some point and turned on the blue nightlight in the corner, casting a blue glow on the sea-themed walls. A particularly happy whale shark seemed to taunt Dean from his helpless position on the bed, smiling at such a shitty situation for the small boy to be stuck in.

“There we go, all nice and snuggly and warm.” The woman sat in the small armchair by Dean’s bedside after zipping up the fleecy sack and pulled up the blanket, placing her hand on Dean’s stomach after. She started rubbing her hand in slow circles and Dean felt himself getting pulled more and more towards the edge of sleep. He was just so tired. The fight was sucked out of him, and his bones just felt heavy.

“You just have a nice sleep baby, and when you wake up hopefully those lovely gentlemen will be here.” The woman smiled at him sweetly and kept rubbing those soothing circles on his stomach.

‘What men?’ was the last thing Dean thought before he toppled over the edge and fell into the void of sleep.

Notes:

Updates may be irregular due to my schedules but I hope to see you guys in the next one :)

Chapter 2: The Wesson Husbands

Summary:

Meet the Wesson husbands and their experience arriving at the hospital.

((new art now available at bottom drawn by me))

Notes:

Thanks so much for the kudos on my first chapter, it's my first time using AO3 to publish and honestly this is the best damn website ever, everyone is so much more interactive and shit on here. Love it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter :)

Sam Wesson’s heart was in his throat. Scratch that it was in his goddamn mouth. He stood at the bottom of the steps to the entrance of Lebanon Hope Hospital and was frozen. He could only stare at the sliding double doors above him that would lead to a new chapter of his life. Was he ready for this? Sure, they had been trying to adopt for a couple years, but this was really happening now. How did he know he was going to be a good father?

And the baby was a Rejukid, and a spiked one at that who didn’t even have a choice in the matter. It was going to bring a whole new set of complications to the already complicated process of raising an adopted child. How was the child going to settle in? Would they actually see him as their dad? Would they even like him? The questions circled and swirled in his mind, creating a nauseating cacophony of sound that made his body tremble.

Suddenly a warm hand slipped into his own. Sam turned to his left and saw his husband's sparkling, blue eyes looking up at him. He felt his nerves calm instantly and the shaking of his body stopped. Castiel smiled brightly up at Sam, his chest fluttering with butterflies, both nervous and excited for the step they were taking.

“You okay babe?” Castiel asked. His husband looked back to the looming doors, away from those blue orbs.

“I’m just so nervous,” Sam started. “I just have so many questions in my head. Like, how will I know if the kid will even like me? Us?”

“It will probably take some time, love, plus it’s a baby. They are going to need us to take care of them and love them. That’s sure to make a bond between us all.” Castiel responded, letting go of Sam’s hand and slipping his arm around his freakishly tall lover’s waist.

“But they’re a Rejukid Cas, and you heard the social worker on the phone. It was a spiking, the poor kid never got the chance to make a decision, let alone even consider PedioRejuva in the first place. That’s going to make this so much harder.” Sam looked back down at Cas, snaking his arm across his shoulder, and pulling him to his side.

“I know, Sam, but all we need to do is take care of them and give them as much love as we can. We are going to be their fathers, babe! How exciting is that!” Cas said with a huge smile, shaking Sam a little coaxing a small smile from his nervous husband.

His smile didn’t last long before Sam looked down at his feet. “I just don’t know if I’m going to be a good enough dad for them-”

“Samuel Robert Wesson,” Castiel snapped, stepping in front of his husband and gently pulling his chin up so he was staring into his hazel eyes. “You will stop that thinking right now. You don’t think I’ve been thinking like that so much since we started looking for adoptions?” Sam said nothing and continued to look into Cas’s eyes, the doubt in his mind slowly starting to ebb away.

“I know you, Sam. I know how caring you are and how dedicated you are to making me happy. And I am happy, I’m so fucking happy with you. And if you spend even a fraction of that love and caring and devotion on our child, then that baby is going to be the most loved thing on this planet, and that’s even without adding my smothering love.” Cas continued, looking into his husband's eyes as he coaxed a small chuckle out of him.

“God, I love you, Castiel Wesson,” Sam said, pulling Cas in by his hips and planting a chaste kiss on his lips, feeling his husband smile into the kiss.

“And I love you too, idiot,” Cas said, resting his hands on Sam’s chest. He slipped out of Sam’s arms and grabbed his hand again. “Now, let’s go and adopt our baby.” He smiled and pulled his husband up the steps to the sliding doors and both men stepped through, ready for what was ahead of them with doubt being left far behind.

It didn’t take long for the men to traverse through the winding hospital corridors and in a quick five minutes they found themselves on the brightly coloured children’s ward. Animals and fairy tales adorned the walls as they walked along hand in hand towards their destination. Soon enough a short lady with brown eyes and sleek black hair pulled into a ponytail came into view, dressed in a formal cream blouse and grey dress pants with slip on black pumps. She smiled at the husbands and quickly directed them into her office.

“Thank you for calling us, Rachel. I couldn’t believe it when I saw your name on the caller ID. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited,” Castiel said as he stepped into the social worker’s office at her direction, Sam following closely behind him.

“No problem at all Mr Wesson, I am just glad we had someone accept so quickly. Especially because of the situation,” Rachel responded with a smile as she sat behind her desk, smoothing down the front of her blouse. “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you, and please, call me Castiel. And this is my husband, Sam,” Castiel took one of the seats opposite Rachel and gestured to Sam who gave a small wave as he took the seat beside his husband.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both in person,” Rachel pulled out a file from her desk drawer and placed it in front of her, leaning forward and lacing her hands together. “So, obviously you are aware of why you are here, and I understand I gave you a basic run-down of the situation, correct?”

Castiel and Sam both nodded before Rachel continued. “Okay, so the aim of this meeting today is to fully brief you on what has happened and how Dean came to us, then we will try to sort out all the paperwork and get you both out of here with your new baby.” She smiled sweetly at the couple.

“Dean?” Sam questioned. “So, it’s a little boy?” Rachel nodded and Sam turned to Castiel with a huge smile on his face, his heart swelling in his chest as his husband looked equally as excited. Cas reached over and grabbed Sam’s hand and gave it a squeeze. They had both been secretly hoping to adopt a boy, though of course, they would love the child no matter what.

“His full name is Dean Michael Winchester, though obviously by the end of today, we hope for it to become Wesson.” Rachel continued. “Now, you both understand that it was a spiking, correct?” The husbands both nodded.

“How did that happen by the way?” Cas questioned, still holding Sam’s hand.

“Dean was found in a back alley behind a bar and luckily whoever had spiked him had left the needle still in Dean’s neck.” Both men cringed at the thought of the needle being stuck in the poor boy’s neck. “He was brought in before he even started regressing and the lab was able to run tests to determine that it was PedioRejuva he was spiked with. And it was a much larger amount than any normal case would be injected with voluntarily.”

Rachel paused as she opened the file on her desk and started drawing out pictures and placing them in front of the husbands. “Due to the copious amounts in his system, we didn’t know when he was going to stop regressing, so we tracked his progress.” She slid four photos in front of the men, and they leaned closer to take a look.

The first photo was of a young man lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen cannula under his nose and brain scanning nodes stuck to his head. He had spiky, light-brown hair, a light dusting of freckles, and a youthful, peaceful face in his sleep. The second photo was obviously of the same man, yet now he was about the size of a fifteen-year-old. His face was rounder, though his hair was the same and his freckles stood out more than before. The third photo showed a boy around ten years old, his freckles very prominent on his face and his hair was ever so slightly longer, flopping in his face a little bit. The final photo showed a small boy around four years old, his hair like a small mop on his head and his face round and smooth, freckles only just present.

“Here is the final photo we took earlier this morning, actually only a few hours before he woke up.” Rachel handed Sam the photo of a small baby wrapped in a swaddle sack and Sam felt his heart melt. The little boy had a soft round face with a thin layer of light-brown hair on his head and soft pink lips. His eyelashes fanned across his chubby cheeks. “We have managed to establish he is around the six-month-old mark when he used to be 23 years old,” Rachel said, catching Sam’s attention.

“Wow, that is young for PedioRejuva,” Sam said as he passed the photo to his husband and watched as Castiel’s face softened and began to smile. “Even the other spikings I’ve heard of haven’t been that young. How did someone even get a hold of that much of the drug?”

“We aren’t sure,” Rachel frowned. “The police haven’t managed to catch or trace a suspect as of yet and we can’t exactly ask Dean for help as he can no longer talk.” Sam frowned and saw Cas do the same out of the corner of his eye.

“That’s got to be a horrible experience, waking up to not being able to talk or do what you used to,” Cas said, placing the photo on the desk with the others. “How has he coped since waking up?”

“To be honest, it hasn’t been overly eventful,” Rachel collected the photos and placed them back in Dean’s file. “He woke up and a nurse tended to him as he had a small breakdown when he saw himself for the first time. Then one of our volunteers went in to feed him but he didn’t want it and fought against the bottle. He ended up tiring himself out and he’s been napping since then.” Rachel pulled a second file out of her desk as the husbands exchanged a sympathetic look.

“Poor boy,” said Cas. “This has got to be so hard on him.”

“I’m not going to lie to you both,” Rachel began, placing the new file on her desk and pulling out some documents. “Due to the circumstances, this is going to be a much more difficult process for the two of you than it would have been with a regular child. Dean is going to have to come to terms with his new body and life as well as create a bond with the two of you. It’s going to be a long process but I am sure the two of you will be up to the challenge and will create a loving environment for Dean.” Rachel smiled at the husbands.

Cas turned to his husband and took his hand. “I know we can do this, it might be hard but I believe in us and in Dean.”

“I believe in us too babe,” Sam responded, giving Cas’s hand a small squeeze and turning back to Rachel. “We want to do this, we want to adopt Dean.”

Rachel smiled widely at the two. “Amazing, I’m glad to hear it. If I could get the two of you to just sign these documents here…and here too…Perfect! I’ll make sure that the RejuCertificate is printed but I will also print out a regular birth certificate for you.” Sam and Cas both looked confused at the woman.

“As this is a spiking, and we have found no database providing an eligible carer for Dean as his biological father has an extensive criminal record, we recommend that you present him as a regular child to friends, family, and the public. For Dean’s safety as well as your own as we don’t know who out there may still be after Dean. The only people who need to know of his condition are you and your family physician for medical reasons.”

“That makes sense,” Cas said, and Sam nodded in agreement. Their families already knew they were looking to adopt so it wouldn’t be difficult to play Dean off as a regular child.

Rachel collected the documents and placed them back in her file and into the desk drawer. “Well, congratulations to the two of you. You are now the proud fathers of Dean Michael Wesson.” She smiled brightly at the two husbands.

Sam turned to Cas, a giddy feeling flowing through his body, and pulled him close for a kiss. He looked into his husband's eyes and Cas grinned at him, the same feeling bubbling through his body. They were officially dads! And strangely enough, neither felt afraid or anxious.

“How would the two of you like to meet your son?” Rachel interrupted.

Cas’s head snapped back to meet her eyes, his face brightening even more and his eyes wide with excitement. “More than anything!” he said with a huge smile. Sam nodded like an excited puppy next to him, fidgeting a little in his seat.

Rachel leaned to a button on her desk and pressed it. “Hey, Clara, we’re ready for you.” She spoke into a small microphone with a grin.

Sam and Cas exchanged one last excited look before the door behind them opened and their breaths caught in their throats. A lady in pink scrubs walked in, holding a wriggling, snuffling bundle in her arms.

Notes:

Would love to see some comments from you guys, obviously no pressure tho. See you all in the next one :)

Chapter 3: Baby's First Bottle

Summary:

Sam and Castiel finally meet their new son, and Dean reluctantly has to give in to one of his needs, the first of many.

Notes:

Hi again, it's so nice getting comments from you guys and having people actually seeming to want to read my work. It's really incredible to see people liking what I write :)

Dean was rustled from his sleep by the dipping of his bed next to him. He cracked his eyes open a little and saw the pink scrub nurse from earlier sitting on the bed next to him and pulling down his blanket.

“Hi there sleepy boy,” she cooed and rubbed his cheek, she seemed to really like doing that. She unzipped the swaddle sack around him and ripped open the velcro band. The cold air assaulted Dean’s bare skin immediately and he squirmed a little, shivering as goosebumps sprung up across his limbs.

“Fuck lady, that’s cold!” He mumbled in protest as the nurse grabbed him from the bed and placed him on a cold plastic surface that crinkled underneath him. Dean watched as the nurse bent down and grabbed something from underneath the table he was on and left him shivering on the table. The nurse straightened up and he saw what was in the lady’s hand.

Oh god, he was getting a diaper change.

“Hey, what the fuck no!” Dean panicked as the nurse began to tug at the straps of his diaper, breaking the flimsy plastic and exposing Dean’s tiny manhood to the cold air of the room. He squealed in protest, a pathetic noise if you asked him, and began kicking his legs at the nurse’s hands. He turned to his left and attempted to use what little weight he had to roll onto his front in a sad attempt to get away.

“Oh, honey I’m sorry I know it’s cold,” the pink nurse began as she used a wipe on Dean’s crotch before quickly grabbing the diaper lotion and rubbing a small amount on the small boy’s private area and thighs as his legs cycled in the air. She was trying her best not to think of the turmoil probably happening in the boy’s head, his life and his dignity being ripped away from him all in a matter of a few days. Snapping from her thoughts she saw Dean roll to his side and then onto his front, almost rolling straight off the changing table. She lunged forward and grabbed him just as he began to slip off the side.

“Dean!” She gasped as she rolled him back onto his back. “Gosh, you’re one squirmy little monster, aren’t you?” Dean grunted indignantly as he glared at the nurse now holding her hand over his chest so he couldn’t roll away again. ‘You have no idea what monsters are, you dumb bitch’, Dean thought with venom as he watched the nurse easily powder his dick and tape a new diaper to him with just one hand. He knew it wasn’t the nurse’s fault he was in this position, but he just felt so frustrated and angry, he just wanted to go back to his life. But a small part of his brain knew he couldn’t and was trying hard to accept the new situation.

The nurse interrupted Dean’s thoughts by picking him up and holding him against her shoulder as she grabbed the soft blue blanket from the bed. “Let’s get you all comfy and snuggly before we take you to meet them, huh?” she said as she wrapped the blanket around him and cradled him in her arms. The blanket wasn’t tight enough to restrict his movements like the swaddle sack, but he wasn’t going anywhere.

“What do you mean? Who am I meeting? Oh god, what the fuck is happening to my life right now man,” Dean rambled as he felt panic blossom in his chest for the second time that day and hot tears prickled in his eyes much to his annoyance. Stupid baby body.

“Oooo, sh sh shhhh. It’s alright sweetheart,” The nurse said as she patted Dean’s bottom through the blanket. “There are some lovely men here who want to take you home and look after you. We’re gonna go meet them in a minute and I’m sure you’ll love them honey.”

I’m sorry. Take him home? What home? Their home? Absolutely the fuck not. Where the fuck was his dad? Weren’t their laws or some shit about spikings of PedioRejuva? Like, didn’t you have to be relinquished to the guardianship of a responsible next of kin? Why were there two random dudes here instead? Dean felt a tear leak down his cheek, and he sniffed in an attempt to make the stupid waterworks stop.

“These gentlemen are very lovely people, Dean,” The nurse spoke as she carried Dean down the corridor. He had been so mixed up in his own head that he hadn’t even realised they had begun their journey to his doom. Dean looked around frantically at the corridors, but everything looked the same, whitewashed walls and bright fluorescent lights.

“Their names are Samuel and Castiel Wesson, and you are just the baby boy they’ve been looking to adopt sweetie,” the nurse continued as she snaked through the corridors, past families with children in little hospital gowns and past painted murals of various animals. “They know all about what happened to you and how you came to be here so there’s no need to worry about that.” She came to a stop outside a door with a small intercom system nailed to the wall at the side of the doorway. Dean shuffled a little as the nurse took a seat in a plastic chair and she looked down at him. Dean looked straight back into her eyes, pleading in any way that he could with his green orbs for her to help him.

The nurse sighed as Dean’s eyes searched hers with an awareness seen only in Rejukids. A soulfulness there older than the body he was currently stuck in.

“Listen, Dean,” she began softly. “I know this is incredibly difficult for you, but you have to have known by now that there’s no way for you out of this.” She watched as the small baby’s breathing hitched ever so slightly and his big green eyes grew watery. Her heart wrenched a little for the boy. “I know it’s upsetting, having everything you know taken away from you and having your independence overruled by the body you’re in, but try and see this as a new chance.” She paused as Dean’s lips pouted and his eyes brimmed with tears he wouldn’t let fall. “All I’m saying is to give the Wessons a chance. All they want is to keep you safe and to love you and care for you as their own. If you’re going to be stuck reliving a life, you may as well make it a good new life full of all the best things, right?” She wiped a stray tear of Dean’s away with her thumb and the boy almost seemed to nuzzle into the touch.

“Just give it a try honey,” she brushed his hair back and was surprised when the small baby nodded his head at her before averting his eyes. The nurse sighed again and wiped Dean’s tears away as he sniffled, letting out some of his emotions in silent cries.

She bundled him up into her arms and stood as she was called in through the intercom. She smiled down at Dean as he snuffled and fiddled with the edge of his blanket. She stepped through the door with confidence, she had a good feeling about this small boy’s future.

Sam and Castiel watched in awe as the nurse in pink scrubs, Clara as Rachel had called her, walked in through the door and shut it softly behind her. In her arms she held a small bundle wrapped in a soft blue blanket. From their position sitting in front of the desk, they could see two little hands pulling and fiddling with the edge of the blanket. Sam felt his husband's hand find his and grasp it tight as Castiel stood, pulling him up too.

“Mr and Mr Wesson,” began Clara, pulling Dean’s attention from his blanket back to the situation in the room. “This is Dean,” Clara smiled stepping up to Castiel and passing the small bundle into his arms. Dean snuffled a little at the movement and suddenly found himself staring up into bright blue eyes in strong arms. Castiel looked down at the boy, his son, for the first time and was greeted by big emerald orbs staring up at him. His heart melted almost immediately, and emotions welled up inside him as hot tears prickled the corners of his eyes.

“Hi Dean,” He choked out in a small, soft voice as he felt Sam’s hand come to rest on his back, his husband stepping closer to look at their boy. Dean looked away from the blue eyes as another man stepped in close. ‘Fuck that guy is tall!’ Dean thought as he met the other man’s hazel eyes which were also brimming with tears. The taller, and obviously slightly younger man, placed a hand on Dean’s head and smoothed back his hair with his thumb.

“Hey, little man,” Sam sighed, his voice sounding slightly watery as he held back his own tears. This was their baby, their little boy, little Dean Wesson. Dean was staring at him with wide curious eyes, almost as if he was assessing the both of them. To be honest, they expected to be thoroughly examined by the small boy the moment they met him, and he was certainly living up to that expectation. The green orbs scanned every inch of his face before they flicked back to Castiel who lifted his finger to rub at Dean’s small hand still clutching the edge of the blanket.

“Hi baby,” he said with a wide smile. “I’m your Papa.” Dean looked into the darker-haired man’s eyes again, searching for any sort of deceit or ill will embedded in the blue depths. But all he saw was genuine care and affection, and…love. The men were looking at him with love. He felt a warm feeling blossom in his chest and wrap around into his stomach making him feel cosy and safe. Is this…is this what love felt like? Slowly, he let go of the blanket and wrapped his hand around the man’s finger.

Castiel chuckled wetly and a tear slipped from his eye as the boy gripped his finger tight. He wiggled his finger up and down a bit moving the boy’s arm with him, his chest bursting with affection. “Yeah, baby boy, that’s right. I’m Papa,” he said proudly. Sam was rubbing his hand in circles on Cas’s back as his other hand still rested on baby Dean’s head.

“And I’m your Daddy, baby,” he added softly as Dean’s eyes flicked back to him. He was smiling so hard he felt his jaw and cheeks starting to ache, but he couldn’t stop. All those past months trying to get a child of their own, all the stress and all the sadness, it was finally worth it. No matter whether Dean was a Rejukid or a normal child, he was their son. They had a son, a baby boy. He was theirs, and he was here.

Dean felt so conflicted. Everything about the situation was wrong. He was a man stuck in a baby’s body, a hunter no less whose job was to save people, a feat he could no longer perform. He shouldn’t be here in these men’s arms. He should be out in some random hot-wired car, hunting things and living his life. But at the same time, here he was, comfy and warm and feeling something he had never felt before. This warm feeling inside him made him want to just melt away and stay in the arms of the two men forever, whereas his brain was screaming at him that he didn’t deserve this.

If he was going to give this a try, AND THAT WAS A BIG FUCKING IF he reminded himself, he supposed it wouldn’t be too bad with these two guys. They had just met him and yet they were looking at him as if he was the best thing to ever happen to them. He’d never seen anyone ever look at him before like that, not even John.

But how was he meant to just let go? He didn’t know how, and it wasn’t as if he was super comfortable with everything happening right now. If anything, the only thing he had enjoyed so far was the sleeping. And didn’t these guys adopt him? Would that mean he had to live with them for years? Through childhood and puberty and all that shit? What if they just gave up on him and didn’t want him anymore? Wouldn’t they just grow tired of him if he was a pain? But he didn’t know how to let go and be a baby, they deserved a kid that would be everything they wanted. Not him, who was a broken shell of a mind in a small package.

He hadn’t even noticed he was starting to make a small keening noise in the back of his throat until the dark-haired man started bouncing him a little in his arms. Dean came back to reality and felt his face scrunched up in a distressed pout, tears prickling his eyes and threatening to fall. He saw the two men looking at him softly with concern at his sudden mood change.

“Sam,” Rachel piped up, having stepped back and watched the meeting of fathers and son she now stepped forward again. “Dean hasn’t eaten yet today as I mentioned in our talk, so I suspect he’s hungry. Would you like to feed him whilst I finish printing the paperwork?” The taller man turned to the woman with a smile.

“I’d love to Rachel, yes,” Sam said breathlessly. The immense feeling in his chest was overpowering and he quickly looked back to his husband and son. Castiel stood with Dean in his arms easily, the two slotting together almost like puzzle pieces. Sam’s heart swelled at the sight. This was all he and his husband had ever wanted.

Clara stepped back into the room, Sam never even noticing she was gone in the first place, holding a bottle out to Sam who took it eagerly. “Hey, Cas, I got his bottle,” Sam said stepping in front of his husband. Cas looked up at Sam with a huge smile and shifted his arms, handing Dean over into the arms of the taller man before following closely behind. Dean felt that Sam’s arms were stronger, and it felt strange being held so high off the ground as he was carried easily over to the chairs in front of Rachel’s desk. Sam sat down and repositioned Dean, so his head was raised a little before he held the bottle nipple up to Dean’s mouth.

Dean stared at the damned bottle for the second time that day, hatred boiling in his blood. The fact that he was being fed from a bottle made the situation so much more real, even though it was as real as it could possibly be. This was a matter of pride, of dignity over the loss of his independence. Dean’s mind roiled with frustration as Sam poked the nipple against the boy’s soft pink lips. Dean was so hungry; his stomach was aching and the look of hopefulness in Sam’s eyes as he cradled him made him break.

He opened his mouth and latched onto the bottle, taking a moment to find a good rhythm before he was able to properly start suckling the creamy mixture into his mouth. In all honesty, it didn’t taste as bad as he thought it would. He suckled contentedly, snuffling around the bottle as he multitasked breathing and drinking. He closed his eyes and settled into the rhythm.

Sam smiled wide and let out a relieved sigh as the baby took the bottle. Castiel sat beside him in the chair to his left and absent-mindedly began to rub one of Dean’s little feet through the blue blanket as he chatted with Rachel and Sam whilst the documents printed. By the time the bottle was empty, Dean was fast asleep in Sam’s arms. Gently, he passed the sleeping baby over to Castiel and gathered up their belongings as well as the new documents, thanking Rachel profusely for helping them.

The two husbands then left the office and the building, Castiel carrying their baby boy and Sam walking beside him, hand on his husband's lower back possessively. They made it out to their car and strapped the still-sleeping Dean into the new car seat in the back before climbing into the front seats, Sam starting the car and pulling out onto the street.

Castiel glanced into the back seat and saw Dean’s sleeping form in the mirror strapped to the back seat headrest to see into the rear-facing car seat. His heart was full and warm as he watched the baby’s chest rise and fall softly. He looked back at his husband and leaned across, kissing him on the cheek. Sam broke his eye contact with the road and glanced at Castiel, his face holding that childish sort of glee he only got when he was excited or incredibly happy. Castiel smiled back at him before resting his head on his husband's shoulder.

They were dads, they had done it. They had their baby boy.

Now it was time to go home.

Notes:

Thanks for reading this chapter guys, I'll update as soon as possible I'm just currently writing and producing a video essay for my university course so I am strapped for spare time. Have a good day :)

Chapter 4: Home Sweet Home

Summary:

The Wesson family makes it home and Dean sees his new room.

Notes:

Hi all, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm sorry if the writing is a little janky, I haven't written anything in a while so I'm getting back into the swing of it. Still, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

Sam placed the car in park and stepped out onto the driveway, stretching his legs from the long drive and hearing them click angrily in protest. They had made it home with little Dean sleeping the entire seven-hour journey and Cas mother-henning the whole time, constantly turning back to look at the mirror facing their sleeping son. But they had finally made it back to Wichita Falls, Texas.

“Okay, Mama, you want to grab the baby?” Sam asked with a sly smile as his husband climbed out the passenger side. Cas glared at him but the spark of humour in his eye gave him away, unable to hold his resolve he cracked a smile and opened the backseat door. Sam pulled open the opposite door and grabbed out their coats and the hospital documents before turning and walking to the front door.

Their house was a beautiful two-storey family home with navy blue panelling and white trim in a small cul-de-sac adjoined to the end of a long street. The front garden was kept trimmed by Sam and had a litany of gorgeous plants and flowers growing from the many flower beds courtesy of his green-thumbed husband. The backyard was a decent size with a small creek running through the back end of the property, surrounded by trees. The sliding doors from the kitchen led out onto a stone patio, complete with a fixed metal marquee, table, seating, and a large grill that Texas-boy Sam refused to let Castiel touch, stating his husband “doesn’t have the finesse required of a true Texan grill master.” Castiel being from Missouri originally and having moved to Texas after meeting Sam at Stanford and falling in love with him.

In return, Sam was banned from touching the luscious vegetable garden Castiel had cultivated just beyond the patio. It was his pride and joy and he worked year-round to keep it in good condition, providing healthy home-grown fruit and veg for himself and his husband. It was therapeutic to Cas, to be able to take a step away from the household duties and get his hands in the dirt. Castiel had quit his job at the local flower shop when the couple had started their adoption process, searching for a child. Sam continued to work at his law firm and was able to provide a comfortable life for their small family when they finally had their third member so Castiel could stay home and take care of the baby. It was a long-discussed arrangement that had Cas jumping for joy. He had always wanted to be a stay-at-home dad and now he was getting the chance to do so.

Sam flipped his car keys in his hand until he found the front door key and slipped it into the lock, clicking the door open and stepping into the house’s lobby. He hung the coats on the hooks to the left of the door and threw the keys into the little glass bowl on the table beneath. He placed the documents and turned back to look at his husband who was bent in the car, ass up in the air. Sam stared for a minute, a smirk on his face as his eyes roamed his husband's behind.

“Hey baby boy,” Cas cooed, leaning into the back of the car, and releasing the latch on the car seat so he could turn it toward himself. The sudden movement after the stillness of the stopped car jostled Dean from his sleep. He cracked his eyes open and saw Castiel leaning close in front of him, undoing the buckles on his chest. Groggy from sleep, Dean reached forward with his hand and grabbed Castiel’s nose. What the hell was he doing? Whatever it was, it was kind of funny. He let out a sleepy little giggle as Castiel crossed his eyes and wore a face of mock surprise at the grabbing of his nose.

Chuckling to himself at the boy’s antics, Castiel grabbed Dean under his arms and pulled him out of the car seat and to his chest, making sure to pull the blue blanket with him to cover Dean’s mostly naked body. The boy had been so conked out after his bottle that they had decided to leave as soon as possible for the long journey home, knowing they could dress Dean in some of the clothes they had prepared at home rather than risk waking him and dealing with a cranky six-month-old in the backseat.

He shut the car door and turned to see his husband leaning against the doorway, the smirk on his face telling Cas what he had been doing immediately. He shifted Dean onto his hip and stalked up to Sam, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him down for a kiss. Sam’s hand immediately went to his ass and grabbed it with a tight squeeze. Pulling away from the kiss, Cas smirked up at his husband.

“Later, tiger,” he said teasingly and nodded in the direction of the baby on his hip. Sam pulled a frowny face before glancing towards Dean, immediately cracking up at the look on the small boy's face. Castiel looked at the baby and saw a look of disgust on the boy’s face, as if saying “really, I'm right here”. It was a strange look to see on a baby so young and he couldn’t help but laugh along with his husband.

“Sorry, little man, Daddy and Papa just love each other way too much, huh?” Sam chuckled as he ushered Cas into the room and shut the front door behind him. Dean watched as he did so, noticing the tall man never even locked the door, let alone add a salt line or some sort of devil's trap. Not even a deadbolt for Christ's sake. What kind of psycho doesn’t protect his house?

“Right, I’m going to go get this little boy changed and into some clothes,” Castiel started, turning Dean away from the abysmal security of the front door and towards the wooden staircase leading to the second floor. “You go make us some tea, babe, then we can start doing the calls.”

“Aye, aye,” Sam said with a mock salute, planting a quick peck on his husband's cheek before scampering off into the kitchen. Cas rolled his eyes at his husband and started up the stairs, glancing at Dean. The boy was letting his eyes roam around every part of the house he saw, taking in every detail of his new environment and storing it in his little brain.

“This is your new home, Dean,” Cas said, Dean turning to face him with curious eyes. “I know you didn’t really plan on this happening but now you have me and Daddy to look after you, and we are going to give you the best life ever.” He said, bouncing the boy a little on the last phrase. He turned and walked down the corridor to Dean’s new nursery, pushing the door open and watching Dean’s eyes snap to the room and widen in awe.

The room was amazing. The walls were a creamy white colour with an accent wall opposite the door panelled in forest green painted wood, a small wooden bookshelf nailed into the left side and full of picture books. The floor was a natural wood colour with a large cream-coloured rug in the centre covering the majority of the floor. In front of the wall was a white wooden framed crib with natural railings and a soft mattress inside. The sheets were white with bees dotted across and a mobile hung over the crib with small safari animals made of felt and stuffing suspended in a circle. To the left of the crib was a cream armchair with rocking legs. Sat on the seat was a mustard cushion and a burp cloth hung over the back, a small woven footstool placed in front. To the left of the chair sat a natural wooden side table adorned with a potted plant and two little ceramic elephants, one adult and one baby, the sunlight from the large window behind it glinting off the elephants’ white backs. On the right of the crib was a large stuffed elephant, so big that Dean was sure he could sit on it and ride it in his current size. In front of the elephant was a white changing table stocked full of diaper-changing necessities with a plastic padded mat decorated with bees on the top. A large white wardrobe with leaf-patterned curtains instead of doors stood to the left of the doorway next to the side table, a woven basket perched in front filled to the brim with stuffed animals. A small toy chest rested next to the changing table, full of blocks and colourful plastic toys that immediately took Dean’s attention.

“This is your bedroom, baby,” Cas said, suddenly snapping Dean from his awed daze. He looked up at the dark-haired man and searched his face with his eyes. He had this whole room to himself? Just for him? No way, Castiel had to be lying. “It’s all yours, honey, I promise. No one else’s, it’s all for Dean,” Cas said, giving Dean’s stomach a soft little poke. He stared into Dean’s eyes, seeing the disbelief and doubt swimming there.

He stepped into the room and pulled open the curtains to the wardrobe, revealing cubby holes full of all different types of clothes and a small hanging section for some longer garments and some nicer, formal-looking clothes. “See baby, all for Dean,” Castiel said, watching as Dean stared at all the clothes in disbelief. These guys were really serious about wanting him. They’d bought out the entire baby aisle in Target for fuck sake. That warm feeling was back in his chest again and was making his eyes begin to water. He grabbed a fistful of Castiel’s shirt and turned his face into the man’s shoulder in shame. It was pathetic, he was crying over a room and some stupid baby clothes.

“Aw, Dean,” Castiel cooed with a frown, his deep voice rumbling his chest where Dean’s hand was clutching his shirt. He rubbed circles on Dean’s back as the small boy shook from his sobs. The silence worried Castiel, babies are very vocal, and Dean seemed to be trying to not make any noise at all. What kind of life had this small boy led before that he felt unable to allow himself to make noise? Hopefully, with time Dean will become more comfortable with the situation and his new self, and the mental regression from the PedioRejuva should start to kick in soon. “It’s alright baby, it’s a bit overwhelming huh?” Cas said, slowly rocking Dean from side to side, letting the boy settle slowly before he coaxed him out from his shoulder.

“Let’s pick some nice clothes for you to wear, hm?” Cas asked as Dean looked up at him with watery green eyes, surprised when the little boy nodded. He couldn’t stop a large smile from splitting his face at his son communicating with him. “Ok, let’s have a look then,” Cas stepped up to the wardrobe and started sifting through the pile of onesies and picked out a short-sleeved white legless piece and lay it over his shoulder opposite Dean. He moved to the shirts and picked out a cream and burgundy striped stretchy long sleeve.

“How’s that so far baby?” Cas asked, wanting to coax more communication from Dean. The little boy scanned the shirt and gave a small shrug. Castiel took it as a yes and placed the shirt over his shoulder with the onesie. Finally, he sifted through the hanging clothes and unhooked a small denim dungaree set, an embroidery of a cute little fox playing in autumn leaves stitched to the large front pocket. Castiel also grabbed a tiny pair of cream-coloured socks before striding across the room and placing Dean on the changing table.

Dean hadn’t particularly enjoyed Castiel’s choice of clothing but what could he do? His fist was still curled around the man’s shirt when he lay him on the cold changing mat, he squirmed a little at the sudden coolness and Castiel removed his blanket from around him, making him even colder. The man smiled sweetly at Dean as he pried his little fingers from his shirt. Dean immediately felt a strong sense of loss and a little bit of panic as the man straightened up away from him. What the hell was wrong with him? Cas was still there, he could still see him. Why was he so fucking upset?

Tears prickled the corners of his eyes, and he felt his mouth pout at the sudden loss of contact. Cas noticed Dean’s eyes getting watery and he gently rubbed Dean’s little legs. “It’s alright baby, I’m still here. Not going anywhere whilst my little Dean is all naked,” he said, giving Dean’s bare tummy a tickle making the little boy squirm and giggle a bit. Dean was ticklish huh? He’d have to remember that.

He got to work ripping off the small boy’s wet diaper and wiping him down, lotioning his bottom and powdering the area before securing a new one in place and dropping the soiled one into the diaper bin. He noticed that Dean averted his gaze the whole time, choosing to tilt his head back and look up at the large stuffed elephant behind him as a red blush spread up his neck to his cheeks. “It’s alright baby boy,” Cas tried to be reassuring. “We want to do this for you, we’re your daddies and you are our baby.” Dean looked back at him as the new diaper was taped securely in place, his eyes a little watery again only this time it was all embarrassment.

Cas gave a small sigh and bent to plant a kiss on Dean’s forehead, the boy going a little cross-eyed to look at him with eyes full of surprise. Cas smiled but felt sorrow well inside him. Had Dean never had this kind of affection before? Well, he and Sam were sure to change that. He quickly finished dressing the small boy and grinned as he snapped the dungaree straps over his son’s shoulders. “Oh, you are just too cute Dean,” Cas said as he picked the baby up and settled him on his hip. “You are going to have us wrapped around your finger in no time, pumpkin.”

Dean smiled a little as Castiel carried him out of the nursery and down the stairs. He was always a charmer, now he’s got a cute little face that could send an old woman into cardiac arrest. Hell yeah, he was gonna use it to get away with shit tons of stuff.

“What’s so funny, little man?” Sam questioned as Cas entered the kitchen, placing two Mr and Mr mugs on the kitchen island. ‘God these guys are sappy,’ Dean thought, watching as Sam dunked a cookie into his tea and shoved it in his mouth. As Dean watched, he found himself copying Sam's chewing movements, even though his mouth was empty. He had the sudden urge to chew something, chew anything. He just wanted something in his mouth, like, right now. It was a strange feeling, but he decided to give in and just shove the first thing he could think of into his mouth, his fingers.

“Ah, ah baby,” Cas scolded softly, pulling Dean’s fingers from his mouth, and grabbing something cream-coloured from a nearby kitchen drawer. “We don’t chew fingers, they’re icky. Here try this,” Cas said as he pressed something rubbery into Dean’s open mouth. Dean pushed his tongue over it and sucked a couple of times. A pacifier. It was a goddamn pacifier. Wow. Look at him now. The mighty hunter Dean Winchester. Sucking on a pacifier.

Then again, a small part of his brain, which was slowly growing larger, whispered that baby Dean Wesson would be sucking on a pacifier. He paused for a moment, debating whether or not to spit out the offending object before his instincts gave in and he started to suck rhythmically on the rubber. Cas and Sam seemed happy he was giving in to something so babyish and shared a smile with each other, having a silent conversation.

Castiel stepped towards the island counter and set little Dean down near his husband, Sam reaching out a hand to support the baby’s back as Cas let go. Dean focused on his muscles and staying upright, determined to have this for himself. Sam’s hand at his back helped but he was managing to sit there, rather wobbly yes but he was doing it! He looked up at Sam, a huge, gummy smile breaking across his face behind the pacifier. Sam grinned back at him. “Look at you, duck! Sitting all by yourself,” Sam praised, Dean basking in the attention he was getting. Dean looked to Castiel who was smiling around the rim of the mug as he took a sip. He winked at the little boy who let out a small giggle. Cas felt his heart bursting and he glanced at Sam. His husband was completely enraptured by Dean, smiling down at the small boy who was now fiddling with his little socked feet.

Cas leaned forward and pecked Sam’s cheek again. “Where do you want to call everyone from?” he asked as Sam turned to him.

“Um, how about the living room? That way we can stand up and then there’s the couches to sit down on if we get tired, there’s quite a few calls to make.” Sam answered, slipping his free hand around his husband’s waist and pulling him to his front.

“Yeah, good idea,” Cas said, turning his head to look at Dean who was looking between his daddies with a look of pure confusion. Cas chuckled at the look on his face and put his now empty mug on the counter.

“Come on honeybee,” he said picking Dean up and resting him on his hip as Sam straightened up and made to grab his mobile phone. “Let’s introduce you to your big new family.”

Notes:

Would love to see some comments from you guys, let me know what you think of the story so far and if you're excited for anything specific in future chapters. :)

Chapter 5: Family Ties

Summary:

Sam and Cas call their families to show off Dean and a party is planned for the following week.

Notes:

Hey guys, I'm so happy to see that you are enjoying this. I'm really enjoying writing it, it's just taking me a bit of time to get through sorry. Enjoy this chapter. :)

Sam led the way into the lounge from the kitchen and jumped over the back of the couch, sitting back into the plush fabric and unlocking his phone.

“Samuel!” he heard Cas’s sharp voice yell behind him. He cringed and turned around to meet his husband's hard gaze with a sheepish smile. Cas took great pride in the state of their home and climbing on furniture was out of the question, much less jumping over them and messing up his cushions. Sam had been scolded many a time for forgetting the rules and yet he never seemed to learn. Casting a quick glance at the baby on Cas’s hip he saw big green eyes flicking between himself and Cas, a gummy smile hidden by a pacifier signalling that Dean found this hilarious.

“Sorry baby,” he looked down before tilting his head up and giving Cas his best puppy eyes. “I love you,” he added with a pout. Cas rolled his eyes and strutted forward, snatching the phone from Sam’s hands and placing Dean in them instead.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s just call your parents Loverboy,” Cas said, opening the contacts on his husband’s phone and scrolling to his father-in-law’s number. “I think Papa, might be mad at me,” Sam whispered down at Dean, pulling a face. Dean looked up at Sam with amused eyes, this was fucking hilarious. Seeing Cas mad at Sam made him want to giggle for some reason. Sam was definitely the rough-housing parent, and he couldn’t wait to be big enough to mess up the house with him. The chaos they would cause would be beautiful. Poor Cas didn’t stand a chance.

Huh. Maybe he was accepting this quicker than he thought.

Cas found the correct contact and began the Facetime, walking around the couch and standing in front of the coffee table facing Sam and Dean. The rhythmic beeping of the call went on for a moment before his father-in-law picked up, his face suddenly filling the screen.

“Cas, my boy, how you doin’?” the man asked in his gruff, accented voice, a smile gracing his lips.

“Hi Bob, I’m really good. How are you?” Cas replied, smiling brightly. He loved his father-in-law. Bob was an amazing man, very kind and very protective of his family. He was also a damn good grill master, maybe even better than Sam but Cas never dared to say so to his proud husband.

“Ah, I’m alrigh’. Usual aches and pains, ya know,” Bob responded, scratching his beard and shifting the camera as he fixed his position in his armchair. Cas could hear the sound of a football game on the TV in the background so he could picture exactly where Bob was at the moment. “Mary’s picked up crocheting now. Damn yarn is everywhere, keep findin’ it in ma beard somehow.”

Cas chuckled at that. His mother-in-law always had an affinity for crafts, she seemed to find a new one to add to her arsenal of hobbies every couple of months. “How is Mary, is she around?” he asked.

“She’s fine, beau’iful as always. Yeah, she should be in the kitchen, hang on,” the man leaned out of the shot and called for his wife a few times. Cas loved how much Bob doted on Mary, complimenting her every day and making sure she knew she was loved. It was a trait he had passed down to his son, a quality Castiel was grateful for. He had never felt so loved as he did with his husband.

“Alright, Bobby, alright I’m coming now,” Cas was drawn back to the call as he saw Mary’s blonde hair bob into view as she took a seat on her husband’s lap. “Cas, honey, how are you love?” she said upon seeing the dark-haired man on screen.

“Hi Mary, I’m actually amazing right now” Cas smiled at her, now his excitement was starting to flutter in his chest. His cheeks were starting to ache from the smiling but he couldn’t help it. Sam watched on from the couch as he played with Dean’s little socked feet. His husband was practically bouncing up and down with excitement and it fuelled his own butterflies currently swirling in his stomach. He stood up and turned Dean so he was held against his chest, one arm under his rump and the other hand resting softly on his back. The small boy pushed off his chest with his hands so he could look around the room, curious as to who was on the phone.

“Well, what’s happened? My son there with you?” Mary smiled finding Cas’s happiness contagious.

“I’m here Mom,” Sam called from off-camera, rounding the coffee table but remaining out of shot.

“You not gonna pop in and greet your folks, boy?” Bob called back at his absent son. Sam chuckled at his father which jiggled Dean a little on his chest, the small boy scowling at him at the movement.

“I’ve got my hands a little full at the moment, Dad,” Sam said grinning at Dean, removing his hand from the boy’s back and bopping him on the end of the nose. Dean went cross-eyed to watch Sam’s finger and felt a strange bubble of giggles burst from his mouth. Damn, he was still getting used to that, he was amused so easily.

“What was that? You boys watching another parenting show on Netflix?” Mary said rolling her eyes. Cas knew it came from a place of kindness. His own family, especially his brothers, had made fun of him for the amount of new parenting material he and Sam were practically absorbing to be ready for when they adopted a child. They just wanted to be prepared, that’s all.

“Actually, we stopped watching those,” Cas said, smiling at Sam. His husband smiled back. It was time for the reveal. “We’ve got all we can from them and it’s difficult to watch anything with a baby in the house.”

Cas watched with a smile as it took Bob and Mary a second to catch what he was saying. At that moment Sam came to his side and he tilted the phone so their little family was all in the frame, Dean gazing at the screen with big green eyes. Mary gasped and the phone was suddenly shifted in a blur of blonde hair and clothing before her face filled the whole screen.

“Oh my god boys!” She was staring at the screen in shock, way too close to the camera as she was leaning in to closely look at the new baby. “Oh, Bobby, look at them, they’re gorgeous,” Mary choked a little as her eyes grew watery and a few tears slipped out.

“I would be able to if you hadn’t snatched the damn phone, woman,” Came Bob’s voice from off-screen. Mary chuckled wetly and leaned back from the phone, tilting it so both parents were back on screen. Sam just chuckled at his parents’ antics. He used his spare hand to grab one of Dean’s little ones, the boy instinctively wrapping his hand around his forefinger, and made the baby wave at his parents.

“This is Dean Michael Wesson,” Cas smiled, one hand rubbing Dean’s back as the other kept the phone steady. “He is six months old, and he is officially your first grandson.” Both in-laws were beaming at the phone, Mary with tears streaking down her face and Bob with his eyes sparkling, too manly to let any fall.

“Hi Dean,” Mary cooed as Cas moved the phone closer to the baby so only Dean filled the screen. Dean didn’t really know what to do. He was having a phone shoved in his face with two strangers on the call who were smiling crazily at him. He looked up at Castiel who was just smiling at him, and then up to Sam who gave him a reassuring nod. He spat out his pacifier, not bothering to watch it tumble to the floor before he detached his hand from Sam’s finger and made a grab for the phone screen.

“Yo, if I’m going to be your guys' grandson, I expect lots of under-the-table candy, okay? Like lots of it. I’m gonna sucker you guys into as much as I can, I’ve never had grandparents before so buckle up,” Dean rambled at the screen. He knew it didn’t matter what he said, all that would come out would be baby babble. Then for extra cuteness effect, he leaned back and plopped his head onto Sam’s chest, grabbing a fistful of the tall man’s shirt.

Every adult in the room and on the call cooed at him, Success. This was a piece of cake, he practically had superpowers now. He could wrap any adult around his finger just by using his adorable little face, he was gonna clean shop with this family. He grinned in victory as the adults began to chat about the hospital and the adoption and stuff, Sam and Cas leaving out the parts that gave him away as a Rejukid. Sam was rocking him slightly and he was enjoying the motion, taking time to look around the room. Suddenly he noticed that his tongue was clicking on the roof of his mouth, why was he doing that?

Oh. He wanted his pacifier. And he wanted it bad. Where had it gone? Oh right, he’d spat it out. He pushed away from Sam’s chest, the man instinctively placing a hand on his back to stop him from falling. No, man, that’s not what he wanted. He wanted to look for his damn pacifier. He looked from side to side, not seeing it on any of the floors he could see. Against his will he started whining.

Sam pulled away from the conversation as he noticed Dean getting distressed. He bounced the baby a little bit and studied the boy’s sad face, his little pink lips pouting and eyes brimming with tears. He took his hand off Dean’s back and rubbed his thumb on his soft bottom lip instead. “What’s wrong little duck?” he asked.

Dean was trying so hard not to cry, it was honestly pathetic. Suddenly, Sam was rubbing his thumb on Dean’s little bottom lip and he did something he wasn’t proud of. Instinctively he opened his mouth and lurched forward, grabbing Sam’s thumb in his mouth and starting to suck slowly on it. It felt weird in his mouth and had the salty taste of skin but he didn’t care, he had something in his mouth and that’s all that mattered.

Sam was startled at Dean’s sudden movement latching on to his thumb but that was quickly replaced by amusement. He chuckled as Dean looked up at him, eyes seeming to say, ‘shut up, I can’t help it’. It felt strange, he could feel Dean’s tongue attempting to stick at the appendage as his toothless gums pinched him in place.

“Cas, babe, look,” Sam said, drawing Cas from the conversation with his in-laws where they were solidifying plans for a visit. Cas saw Dean sucking his husband's thumb and laughed, though internally cringing at the thought of the germs.

“Looks like someone wants their binky back,” Mary chuckled seeing the situation through the screen. Cas stooped to pick up Dean’s pacifier from where it had fallen when he spat it out, luckily landing on the coffee table rather than the floor. He quickly stuck it in his mouth to suck off any table germs and held it out in front of Dean, the small boy taking it immediately, seeming not to care about it having been in another person’s mouth.

“Well Mom, Dad, we better end the call. We’ve still got to call Chuck as well as Cas’s brothers, and Charlie and Auntie Jody too,” Sam said, leaning into Cas’s side as he spoke, the shorter man’s arms coming to wrap around his waist. “But we’ll see you in a week, yeah? Make sure to bring some of your cookies, Mom.”

“Wouldn’t dream of forgetting baby,” Mary smiled leaning back into Bob and throwing her arm over his shoulder.

“Really happy for you boys, truly. You’re gonna make great pops,” Bob commented with a wide smile. “And don’t hesitate to call if you need help, ya hear? Don’t be idjits,” Cas chuckled at the man’s favourite word.

“Thanks, Bob, we will,” he replied. They bid their farewells and ended the call. He turned and pulled Sam into a kiss, their lips locking and spreading a warm feeling through their bodies. The kiss continued until they both felt small hands reaching up from between them and smacking the bottoms of their chins. They looked down to see Dean, arms above his head and hands resting on their chins. His face scrunched up in distaste at being squished between their lovefest. Both men chuckled and leaned back, freeing Dean from the sandwich.

“Sorry, baby boy,” Cas chuckled, picking Dean up off his husband's chest and turning him so he was laid against his own. Dean hated the feeling of being suspended between the men by hands, even if it was only momentarily it fucking sucked. One wrong move and he would slip out of the men’s hands and plummet towards the floor with no way for him to stop himself.

As soon as Cas had turned him around, he curled into the man’s chest and grabbed his shirt in his fists. He hated feeling so small, but he felt safe as soon as he was in Papa’s arms. Wait. No. Not Papa. Castiel. What was he thinking?

Cas slipped his own phone out of his pocket and handed it to Sam. His husband called his father, and they repeated the whole process with the reveal of Dean and the adoption story, finally planning the same visit date for his father as they had for Sam’s parents. They were planning to make a small party out of it and let Sam pull out his grill for the first time this year, it was just coming into summer so the weather was starting to get much warmer.

“Oh, Cas, I’m so proud of you son,” Chuck said wetly, his emotions getting the better of him slightly at the sight of his son finally happy with his own little family. Cas was his youngest child yet the first to give him a grandchild, he was overjoyed.

“He’s beautiful Cassy,” Anna, Cas’ older sister, commented from beside their father, her red hair glinting in the light of the room. “I’m really happy for you both.”

“Thanks, Anna,” Sam said. He was loving showing Dean off to their family and he couldn’t wait until they all met him in person. Dean though, he was worried the small boy would get overwhelmed. Still, they had a week to settle him into the home and build a better bond with him. They wrapped up the call with Anna and Chuck and decided to call Cas’s older brothers next. Luckily, they knew that today the brothers were all together at their office, all of them working as co-heads of their father’s company since he had retired. Sam chose to call Gabriel as he was most likely to pick up.

“Aye, Sammy, what’s up bud?” Gabriel said popping up on the screen spinning in an office chair with his usual sucker in his mouth. Cherry was the short man’s favourite, and he was never seen without one.

“Not much, just wanted to show you our new addition,” Sam said, cutting straight to it and tilting the phone to show a sleepy-looking Dean curled up on Castiel’s chest who was now sitting on the sofa.

“Yo, what?!” Gabe said, a huge grin splitting his face as he ceased spinning and leaned forward for a better look. “Hey Luci, Mikey, Bal! Get your asses in here!” he yelled out, not looking away from the baby with the drooping eyelids.

“What Gabe? God, you’re so fucking loud,” Sam recognised Lucifer’s voice from off-screen and heard Michael and Balthazar mumbling as well. Gabriel turned in his chair and tilted the phone towards his brothers who were gathering behind him. “Look! Baby Cassy has a baby!” he said with a grin.

The men all broke out in smiles and started chatting over one another at the two husbands. Sam sat on the couch next to Cas and watched Dean as his husband conversed with his older brothers. The baby was looking up at him with bleary green eyes. Dean was trying to stay awake he really was, but he just got so tired so fucking quick. It was ridiculous really, but he couldn’t stop his eyelids from drooping.

Sam looked to the window and saw it was getting dark out, he wanted to make sure Dean had dinner before sleeping but he didn’t want to take him away from Cas who was loving the snuggles he was getting.

“I’m going to go make him a bottle, babe. He’s fading fast and I want him to have a full tummy before sleeping,” he said as he stood up, passing the phone to Cas and walking around the back of the sofa. He leaned over and turned Cas’s head towards him, giving him a quick kiss before making his way into the kitchen.

“That's gay,” he heard from Gabe as he walked away, chuckling as he heard Cas round on his brother and tell him 'shut up so are you, dick'. He busied himself with quickly making a bottle for the baby and warming it through in a bowl of warm water. He checked the temperature on his wrist before making his way back to his boys on the sofa.

“Okay, so we’ll see you next week?” Cas said as his husband rejoined them.

“Sure thing Cassy,” Luci replied with a smile. “But make sure to keep all sugary things in a top shelf. Shorty here can’t reach them then.” Unfortunately, Lucifer was stood at elbow height behind Gabriel who quickly struck his elbow back into Lucifer’s crotch. The second oldest brother doubled over and swore, the other two bursting out laughing as Gabe smiled smugly at the camera. Cas rolled his eyes at his brothers’ antics.

“Bye guys,” Cas said, receiving cheerful goodbyes and one particularly pained one. He ended the call and dropped the phone into his husband’s lap. “Hey babe, you want to feed him or can I?” he asked, looking up at his husband. He really wanted the chance to feed Dean but he didn’t want to be selfish.

“You feed him, honey. I fed him in the hospital it’s your turn,” Sam responded with a smile, sliding his arm over Cas’s shoulders. “Plus I still got to call Charlie and Auntie Jody.” Cas smiled in relief and manoeuvred Dean from his chest, the boy going boneless in his groggy state. Once he had him cradled safely in his arms he took the bottle from Sam and jiggled Dean a little. Dean cracked his eyes open and glared blearily up at the man holding him. He was just going off to sleep man, why was he being woken up?

“Hey honeybee,” Cas smiled, rubbing his thumb on Dean’s pouty lips. “Think you can try some yummy milk before nodding off?” He held the nipple in front of Dean’s mouth and pushed at them slightly. Dean groggily opened his mouth and started to greedily suckle at the milk, taking a second to find a rhythm. He feasted as he snuffled around the bottle, the motions soothing him into the edge of sleep.

Sam and Cas set about calling Sam’s Aunt Jody as well as his younger sister, Charlie. Both calls went well, and Charlie would be attending the party with her girlfriend, Jody also attending with her wife and two teenage girls. Jody had been overjoyed to see her nephew had finally managed to complete the adoption process and had a family of his own, she knew her brother would make a great Grandpa too.

Dean had finished his bottle about halfway through the first call with Charlie, not even managing to make it through the whole thing before falling asleep. He slept through the whole call with Jody and her wife, Sam and Cas cutting the call off sooner than they would have liked so they could get him in bed. They hung up the call and sat for a second, leaning into each other and watching their baby boy sniffle a little in his sleep.

“I’m really proud of us, Cas,” Sam said, breaking the silence. He looked down at Cas who was pressed into his side, blue eyes melting his heart. “I know we’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m proud of us. We finally did it.” Sam watched as his husband smiled wide, eyes crinkling at the edge in a way that made his heart flutter.

“I’m proud of us too,” Cas said before looking back at Dean. A sly smile spread across his face when remembered his earlier promise to his husband. “Though I’d be more proud of you if we got this boy in bed and you still had the energy to plough me into our mattress.” He looked back up with a cheeky smile at the slightly startled taller man. He watched his husband's eyes darken with lust at the innocently mischievous look on the shorter man’s face.

“Say less,” Sam practically growled. The men hurried up from their seats before rushing up the stairs and settling the baby in his crib. Grabbing the baby monitor and switching it on before taking the receiver and running to their room.

Let’s just say, Cas was very proud of Sam that night.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, I'll see you all in the next one. Feel free to leave some comments if you have anything to say. :)

Chapter 6: Shit Storm

Summary:

Dean has to face the facts about his body and its waste.

Notes:

Hi all, I hope you're liking it so far. Expect a little grossness in this one but also some cute fluff and Dean gives in to a couple of little nicknames. Enjoy. :)

Dean wasn’t initially sure why he was waking up. Opening his eyes he found that the nursery was still dark, the curtains drawn across his windows and the soft nightlight casting a glow around the room. He then realised he was wearing something different, a pastel green onesie with short sleeves that seemed to snap at his crotch leaving his chunky legs bare. Wow, he must have really knocked out with his bottle if they managed to change him without stirring him.

He had a moment of bliss between awake and asleep before a horrible ache sprung in his abdomen. He whimpered and shifted a little before the realisation hit him. He had to poop really bad.

Crap, he really didn’t want to poop in a diaper. Dean had given in quite quickly to wetting his diaper as where else was he meant to go? But taking a shit was something entirely different. Plus, all he’d had to eat was a few bottles of that milk formula, whatever shoots out of him is sure to be a mushy mess and there’s no way in hell he was going to sit in that disaster.

He squirmed a little under his blanket, trying to see if he could alleviate the ache that was slowly starting to become more painful, but it wasn’t working. He threw his weight to the side and rolled over onto his front, pulling his legs up under his rump and pushing himself into a sitting position. If he was going to be awake he was going to sit up. He noticed he was making a pathetic whining noise from the back of his throat and he couldn’t stop. Damn this stupid baby body.

The sudden sound of a door opening pulled his attention from his aching stomach. He turned to his closed door as footsteps pattered across the hall and the doorknob twisted. Dean’s heart fluttered in panic for a second before the door opened to reveal Pa-Castiel in a t-shirt and sweats. The man yawned and rubbed his eyes before he saw Dean sitting up in the crib.

“Hi sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked as he crossed the room to the baby. Dean suddenly realised that if Castiel found out about his predicament, he’d have no choice but to mess his diaper.

“Hey, man, all good. No need to worry about me, I was just being stupid. Go back to bed,” he rambled out as Castiel walked closer. How had he even known? Dean’s eyes scanned the room and landed on the baby monitor camera perched on the corner of his crib. Oh shit. They got him bugged.

“Ooo you’re very talkative for 2am, pumpkin,” Papa cooed as he leaned over the crib and hoisted Dean out from under his arms, pulling him to his chest. The movement jarred Dean’s stomach and he whimpered, curling into the man’s chest and grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt. Pap-Castiel, damn he really had to stop doing that, started rubbing little circles on his back as they walked out of the room and took a left down the stairs.

“You hungry, baby?” Cas asked as he walked through the open plan of the dining room, lounge and kitchen. He bounced Dean a little on his chest, earning a series of small whimpers. Something was up with the baby but he couldn’t think what. Hopefully, it was just an empty tummy. He quickly threw together a bottle with the formula and water and heated it by using boiled water in a bowl from the kettle. He tested it on his wrist whilst juggling Dean between his arms, the small boy refusing to relinquish his hold on his shirt. Satisfied with the subtle warmth he carried the bottle and the baby into the lounge and sat on the sofa before turning sideways and reclining back.

Dean looked up at him with big mossy eyes and he couldn’t help but smile at the small baby. “Alright sweetheart, let’s flip you over for your baba,” he said, uncurling Dean’s fists from his shirt and rolling him onto his back. Dean whined at the movement before settling back on Papa’s chest.

The man held the nipple up to him and he took it quickly, willing for any distraction from the almost unbearable pain in his bowels. As he suckled down the creamy mixture, he realised that it wasn’t helping at all. Like not even one fucking bit. If anything, it was making the pressure build. He quickly stopped and pushed the barely touched bottle away, whining and using his little hands to hold his tummy and curling his legs up to try and move the pain.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Papa questioned, his chest rumbling with his voice. Dean felt himself be moved as Papa sat up and cradled him in his arms, blue eyes gazing down with concern. As he stared up at the man holding him, he couldn’t help the tears that sprang to his eyes. He felt an intense want for the man to fix everything, to just hold him and make the pain go away. He held his belly and whined again by accident. Papa’s eyes widened as he realised the problem.

“Oh, honeybee, your tummy achy? You struggling to use your diaper?” The man cooed and stood with Dean, wandering around the room as he rocked the baby and used his spare hand to apply pressure on the little boy’s abdomen. Dean squealed at the contact, trying to push Papa’s hand away as the man rubbed deep circles on his stomach. No, he didn’t want this! Plus it hurt like a bitch as the man pressed a little deeper.

A cry escaped his lips and he kicked his legs, trying all he could to signal Papa to stop, but the man just continued to walk and rock him whilst shushing him and applying pressure with his fingers. Suddenly, the man hit the right spot and both Dean’s bladder and bowels released with an obnoxious farting noise. He felt the mush surround his lower areas and it was the most fucking disgusting sensation ever. Papa had stopped walking and was looking at Dean with a smile.

No. Fuck that.

Dean burst into tears. Hot, humiliated tears. His cries echoed throughout the downstairs area as Papa lifted him onto his chest. “Oh, honeybee. I know, I know it’s not nice. It’s alright baby,” the man tried to comfort the wailing baby as his volume intensified. He made his way back over to the sofa and pulled the diaper bag up from where it was sitting on the floor next to the armrest. He knelt down in front of the coffee table, still holding the very upset infant to his chest, and pulled out the bee-covered changing mat with one hand, laying it across the wooden surface. So he had a love for bees and wanted to coordinate his changing equipment, sue him.

As he lay the wailing baby onto the cool mat, Dean impossibly began to cry louder, arms reaching up and trying to grab at his Papa for the missing warmth and comfort. Castiel wasn’t even sure the boy knew he was doing it in the midst of his upset.

“It’s alright pumpkin, I’m still here. Papa just wants to get the ick off his Dean,” he soothed, placing one hand on the baby’s chest, little hands immediately grabbing hold of his fingers tightly. Guess he was doing this one-handed then.

He quickly pulled out everything he needed from the bag and set about changing the upset boy with his one hand. Just as he finished taping on the new diaper and snapping the onesie back in place, footsteps came from the stairs. Sam appeared around the corner, blearily rubbing his eyes and walking with heavy steps.

“Cas?” he asked in his rough, sleepy voice. Cas felt his heart flutter a little at the sound but he stayed focused on Dean, lifting the now softly crying boy onto his chest again, the baby latching on with his hands immediately.

“I’m here, Sammy,” Cas said, standing up from beside the coffee table. Sam moved towards him and the sniffling baby clasped onto him. Sam kissed his temple as he wrapped an arm around his waist, then leaned down and planted a kiss on top of Dean’s head.

Dean looked up and saw Daddy standing over him, smiling softly at him. He was still sniffling from embarrassment and his eyes felt hot and itchy with tears. “What’s wrong little man?” the tall man cooed as he rubbed a finger on Dean’s cheek. Dean plonked his head back down onto Papa’s chest and felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment as Papa explained what had happened to his husband. Strangely, neither of the men were making much of a big deal out of it, the only one freaking out was himself. He listened to the rumbling of Papa’s chest as he talked to Daddy before suddenly he was being lifted away from the warmth. He whined in protest before he felt two strong paws take hold of him and draw him into another warm, firm chest.

Dean peered up and saw he was now resting on Daddy’s chest. He grabbed a fistful of the tall man’s nightshirt in each of his hands and snuggled in, listening to the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat. Call him a pussy but he found it incredibly soothing.

Castiel smiled at the sight of Dean looking so small curled up against his giant Daddy’s chest, Sam smiling back at him in joy. He quickly cleared up the changing equipment and binned the soiled diaper and wipes. Chucking the diaper bag back down next to the couch he stepped forward to take Dean from Sam to feed him the rest of his bottle. Sam pulled a frowny face and Cas chuckled.

“Babe, I need to feed him,” Cas said with a smile as Sam frowned even more and tried using his puppy eyes. “No, Sam. You need to go to sleep. You have work in the morning.” Sam groaned at the prospect of having to go into the office but reluctantly handed the baby back to his husband. Cas leaned forward and kissed Sam’s frowny lips before the tall man made a dramatic show of walking off and stomping up the stairs. Cas rolled his eyes at his husband and settled back on the couch with Dean who was being very quiet. He cradled the boy in his arms and rubbed his thumb on the little pouty lips, drawing Dean’s attention to him.

“I’m so proud of you bumble bee,” he said as he reached for the bottle on the floor next to the couch, it was a little cool now, but it would have to do. He could see Dean’s eyes starting to get droopy after tiring himself out crying. “You did such a good job going potty in your diaper.” He held the bottle up to Dean’s mouth and the baby took it quickly, still staring at him with watery eyes.

“Me and Daddy love taking care of you, we want to do every little thing to make you feel happy and comforted and safe. Even changing your poopy diapers,” he smiled down at the boy as his little hands curled around the fingers holding his bottle. “We love you, Dean.” Castiel watched as the baby’s eyes went wide at those words. Smiling he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Dean’s head before sitting back and watching as Dean slowly emptied the bottle, eyes slowly dropping closed but never looking away from his Papa. Eventually, the bottle was empty, and Dean was out for the count, his little arms now limp against his chest as he breathed softly.

Cas smiled as warmth filled his chest. He stood and deposited the bottle in the sink to be washed in the morning and made his way upstairs. He entered Dean’s nursery and gently laid the baby in his crib, pulling the soft green blanket over his legs and up to his stomach. He leaned down and kissed Dean’s soft chubby cheek. His baby boy was too cute for his own good.

Closing the door behind him as he left he crossed the hall into his and Sam’s room, closing that door as well. He slipped under the covers next to his husband and smiled as giant arms pulled him close and a warm body pressed into his back. He sighed deeply in contentment and snuggled in.

This was just where he wanted to be. Home with his man and his baby.

Notes:

Dean has given in and is calling Sam and Cas: Daddy and Papa! How adorable. I hope you all enjoyed this and I hope to see you in the next one. :)

Chapter 7: You Tell It, Dean!

Summary:

Sam leaves for work and we get a look at Cas and Dean's first morning alone together.

Notes:

Hi guys, sorry if this is written kind of funny. My anxiety has been off the charts these past couple of days with all my university work and shit. I hope it's still okay though. :)

Sam woke up to the buzzing melody of his alarm ringing from the bedside table. He groaned and detached his arms from around his still-sleeping husband’s waist, reached over and pressed the stop button. Lying flat on his back for a second, he rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the sleepy itchiness that tickled them. He pushed himself up slowly and untangled his and Cas’s legs that had intertwined at some point in the night.

Sam glanced at the dark-haired man still breathing softly next to him. The early morning sun was peeking through a gap in their curtains, casting a soft golden glow across his husband’s stubbled cheek. Sam gazed for a moment, his heart fluttering and a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. He could’ve sat there and stared at the slumbering man all day but the buzzing of his second alarm on the nightstand pulled him out of the moment.

He sighed deeply and grabbed the phone off the nightstand, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing, stretching his legs and cracking his neck. He trudged over to the walk-in closet, the hardwood floor cool in the morning air. Opening the door and stepping inside, Sam turned to the right where his clothes hung opposite his husband's. He took a moment to sift through the various shirts and blazers before settling on a pair and grabbing a matching pair of pants and a tie. He pulled open one of the drawers beneath the hanging rail and grabbed out a clean pair of boxers and socks as well.

Sam quietly walked into the master ensuite and shut the door behind him. He laid the pants, shirt and underwear over the side of the empty bath to the right of the door and hung the blazer on its hanger on the back of the closed door with the tie. He slipped into the small side room containing the toilet and shut the door, relieving himself before stepping out and turning on the shower. He pulled open the door to the linen closet next to the shower as the water heated up, grabbing a towel for his body and a smaller one for his hair before hanging them on the hook by the shower.

Sam quickly stripped and stepped under the hot stream of water, sighing as it relaxed his muscles and washed away the last remnants of sleep. He made quick work of washing his body and hair with various products and soaps, the time crunch in the back of his mind keeping him in a rushed state. Sam stepped out of the shower after he felt he was clean enough, filling the room with steam as he grabbed the towels and wrapped one around his waist, using the smaller one to quickly towel off his long locks before resting it over his shoulders.

He turned to the two sinks embedded in a counter on the left side of the room, looking himself over in the reflection of the large mirror above them. Damn, he looked good. Eating healthy and working out regularly really paid off. He smirked a little before he grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste. Sam brushed his teeth as he applied deodorant and cologne, noting he could do with a shave but not bothering. It could wait until tomorrow.

He grabbed his hairdryer and plugged it into the wall after he finished with his teeth, quickly blasting his hair dry before combing it through and applying a small amount of product to make sure it stayed out of his face. He finished towelling off his mostly dry body before he slipped on the boxers and socks, pulling the navy pants up and slipping his arms into the crisp white shirt. He grabbed his matching tie and made quick work of fastening it around his neck, flicking the collars of his shirt down and pulling on his blazer.

Sam wiped down the counter and the shower glass with his towels before he dumped them in the laundry basket by the door and stepped back into the bedroom. He popped back into the closet to grab his black dress shoes and his brown leather briefcase Cas lovingly called his ‘Lawyer Purse’. Sam slipped on the shoes and walked over to his husband's still sleeping form, leaning down and planting a kiss on his forehead. He watched with a smile as his husband shifted, smiling slightly in his sleep and letting out a deep sigh.

Sam slipped out the door and clicked it shut softly behind him. He crossed the hall and opened the door to Dean’s nursery, peeking in to see the small baby on his back in his crib. Sam crossed the room and reached down into the crib, rubbing his hand softly on Dean’s tummy. “See you, later, little duck,” he whispered before leaning in and planting a soft kiss on the small boy’s chubby cheek. Dean snuffled and rubbed at his face but otherwise didn’t wake. Sam chuckled and left the room, shutting the door and heading down the stairs into the kitchen. He checked the time on his phone. 6:30 am. He still had half an hour before he had to leave, plenty of time.

He crossed the first floor into the kitchen and lay his briefcase on the kitchen island counter, chucking his phone on the top. He opened the pantry door and grabbed out half a loaf of bread, slipping two slices into the toaster and leaving the rest on the side. He opened the fridge and pulled out an avocado, mashing the green food in a bowl and adding lemon juice, salt and pepper. The toast popped and he grabbed it, lying it on a plate and spread an even amount of the mashed avocado onto both slices. He poured a glass of orange juice and sat on a stool at the counter, munching on his breakfast and scrolling through Facebook, liking all the posts from his family congratulating him on Dean’s adoption.

He stopped and smiled at a picture Gabriel had obviously screenshotted at some point in their call. The four older brothers were smiling like goofs in the top corner while the rest of the screen was filled with Cas and Sam sitting side by side on the couch, both looking down at Dean with smiles. The baby on Cas’s chest looking up at them both with big green orbs, soft, little strands of sandy-coloured hair flopping on his face. Sam’s heart filled with warmth at the picture. That was his little family, he had his husband and his son, what more could a man want?

He finished his breakfast and quickly washed the plate, bowl and knife. He put the rest of the bread back in the pantry and went back to the fridge. He still had fifteen minutes before he had to be out the door, so he decided to do something nice. He grabbed out strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, raspberries, bananas and dragon fruit and set to work chopping up small amounts of them on the green chopping board. Cas would kill him if he used the wrong chopping board.

Once finished he tossed the cubes of fruit and the berries into a bowl and gave them a quick mix with a spoon. He then grabbed out a small plastic baby bowl with a suction cup on the bottom and put large chunks of watermelon and banana in there for Dean to try. He popped the uncut fruit, berries and the two bowls back in the fridge and grabbed the magnetic plant-themed notepad on the fridge they used to leave notes for each other. He wrote out a quick message explaining the fruit salad in the fridge and ripped it off the pad. He returned it to the fridge and grabbed the note, placing it on the island counter and pinning it under the hive-shaped glass honey pot he had bought Cas for their 5^th wedding anniversary. It even came complete with a little glass honey dipper and a small glass bee stuck to the side of the pot lid. He knew how much Cas loved honey with fruit so Sam knew he would appreciate him getting it off the high shelf for him.

Checking his phone one last time Sam grabbed his briefcase and crossed the rooms again, grabbing his long black coat from the hooks by the front door and slinging it over the arm holding his case. He grabbed his keys from the glass bowl and slipped out the front door, shutting it behind him and locking it.

Cas stirred in bed, hearing Sam shut the door downstairs and starting his car. The telltale sound of gravel crunching as he backed out of the drive let Cas know he was leaving for work. Cas rolled over sluggishly and shuffled to his husband's side of the bed, digging his face into the absent man’s pillow and breathing his scent. He sighed and peered up at the clock above the window at the head of the bed. 7 am. He could probably get a little more sleep before the baby woke up.

Just as he was starting to drift back off a shuffle and loud cooing noise came from the baby monitor on the table by his side of the bed. Cas rolled back over and peered up at the monitor screen to see Dean awake and kicking off his blanket. He smiled and pushed himself up, resting on his elbows and watching Dean over the camera, listening to him babbling to himself.

“What are you doing little man?” Cas chuckled to himself as he watched Dean roll over and push himself into a sitting position, trying to use his uncoordinated hands to pull off the blanket tangled in his chubby legs. Suddenly, Dean grabbed the bars of the crib and started pulling himself forward as if attempting to stand up. Cas gasped in a breath and watched patiently as the small boy held onto the bars, putting one foot underneath himself to push himself up. He watched as Dean went to push up on the foot but ended up pushing sideways. The baby flopped sideways, pudgy hands losing their grip on the bars and his body spinning a little so the back of his head knocked on the bars with an audible thud over the baby monitor.

Cas was up in seconds, throwing back the covers and rushing out of the room and across the hall to Dean’s nursery. He opened the door to see Dean sitting up with his back to him making small snuffling noises. He quickly walked to the side of the crib. “Hey baby boy,” He said with a soft coo, not wanting to startle the obviously upset little boy. Dean had heard his Papa enter the room but was trying so hard not to cry about his bumped head. He’d just tried to stand up using the crib but he was so fucking dumb to forget that his legs wouldn’t work properly and so he’d fallen, spinning and smashing the back of his head against the crib bars. It hurt like a bitch, but he didn’t want to cry because Papa might get mad, John always had. He would give him a sharp slap and tell him to ‘man up’.

“Sweetheart, I saw you bump your head,” Cas continued, stroking the back of the little boy’s head gently and hearing him wince and flinch when he caressed over the tender spot. “Oh, honey…Can you look at Papa honeybee?” He asked softly. He watched as Dean turned to look at him, pink lips pursed and eyes full of big fat tears that the small boy was stopping from falling. “Oh, baby boy,” he said sadly, frowning at the sight. “It’s alright to cry bee, all babies cry, even Deans.” He smiled as reassuringly as he could as emerald eyes scanned him.

Dean’s resolve crumbled. If Papa said it was okay to cry, then it was okay to cry. He burst out with a wail and threw his arms up towards Papa, wanting nothing more than to be held in the man’s arms. His Papa complied quickly and picked Dean up, pulling him to his chest and patting his back. Dean rested his head on the man’s shoulder and gripped his night shirt with tiny fists, wailing hard as hot tears flew down his face. Emotions sucked but at least Papa was here, rubbing big circles on his back and bouncing him as he spoke to him.

“I know, baby, I know. That was a nasty bump, hm?” He spoke as the boy let out his emotions on his chest, feeling the little body in his arms shake with every struggling breath through the tears. “It’s alright bee, you’re okay Papa’s got you now. Shall we tell the crib off? Hm?” He said, watching as Dean looked up from his shoulder, face wet with tears. He angled his body so the baby could see the crib before he reached over and sharply smacked the wooden railing of the crib. “Bad crib, hurting my Dean!” he said in an angry voice, smiling when he heard a watery giggle from the little boy.

Dean leaned forward in Papa’s arms, not turning down the chance to get a smack in too. Papa seemed to understand so he leaned forward, holding Dean tight around his back and bum. Dean reached forward with his chubby hand and managed to smack the top of the crib twice. “You fucking suck crib!” he yelled, baby babble rolling from his mouth and making Papa laugh.

“Yeah! You tell it, Dean!” He said loudly, bouncing the laughing baby in his arms, all the tears and pain forgotten in the moment. Dean clapped his hands together, initially struggling with the difficult coordination. Damn, babies had zero hand-to-eye coordination, this was hard. “Round of applause for Dean,” Papa said moving his hands so he could clap them whilst keeping a good hold on his son. Dean smiled a big gummy smile and wrapped his arms as far around Papa’s neck as he could to say thank you. Thank you for saving him from the mean crib, but also for reassuring him. God, he wished he could just tell the man how he felt but his mouth just wouldn’t work with his brain.

“Awww, thank you honeybee,” Cas said, rubbing Dean’s back. He quickly stuck a finger inside the boy’s diaper and found it was wet. Dean squawked from his shoulder and pushed back, staring into his Papa’s eyes with an offended glare. “Moment over huh?” He chuckled as he moved to the changing table and laid Dean down, the boy pouting at the loss of comfort but getting distracted by the large elephant plushie looming over him. Cas began to change the wet diaper and spoke to Dean, intent on keeping the boy engaged and content.

“I think your elephant friend needs a name sweetheart,” he said as he removed the soiled diaper, grabbing a wipe to clean Dean’s crotch before grabbing the diaper cream and rubbing it in. Dean looked down at his Papa. “Sure,” he mumbled from around his hand which had somehow made its way into his mouth. Papa seemed happy at the babbled response and began listing random names. Dean really liked his Papa, maybe even loved him, but the man sucked at naming things. Every single name was met with a shake of his head. The diaper change was nearing an end as Papa lifted his legs and slid a fresh diaper underneath.

“Not that one either honey? Okay,” Papa said after another shake of his head. “Well, what about…Ziggy?” Dean paused before doing the automatic shake of the head he had been for the past minute or so. Ziggy? You know what, that wasn’t too bad. Ziggy, he liked that. “We have a winner there, baby?” Papa had stopped after taping the new diaper, watching Dean with a smile. Dean nodded his head and stared up at the large elephant above him with a smile. Papa quickly popped the onesie close at his crotch and put a hand on Dean’s chest to keep him in place as he walked around the side of the changing table to reach the elephant stuffy.

“I now dub thee, Ziggy the elephant! Protector of Dean!” He proclaimed, knighting the elephant with a hand crossing either side of the elephant’s big ears. Dean squealed in delight from the table, a noise he was still getting used to coming from himself. Papa was funny.

Cas grinned at the joy radiating off of Dean, his little boy was just fine now after that rocky start to the morning. He pulled out the top drawer of the changing table and grabbed a blue pacifier, gently pulling Dean’s hand from his mouth and slipping the rubber substitute in its place. He picked Dean off the table and perched him on his hip. “Come on, bee, let's get you some breakfast,” he said as he started out of the room and down the stairs, slipping his feet into the slippers waiting at the bottom of the stairs next to his husband’s larger pair. He crossed into the dining room and lowered Dean into the plastic highchair perched at the end of the table. Dean squirmed as he was being lowered and grabbed onto Cas’s shirt. “Hey, hey, it’s alright sweetheart. Papa’s going to turn you around so you can see him in the kitchen.”

Dean didn’t understand why Papa was speaking in the third person, but he felt better knowing he was going to be able to keep his eyes on him at all times. Though he wasn’t happy about the buckles currently being fastened over his shoulders and between his legs. He was even less happy about the plastic tray that was clicked into place in front of him.

Cas snapped the tray in place and spun the chair slowly, making it so Dean was facing the kitchen across the open plan space. He bopped the small boy on the nose, earning a giggle, and turned to the kitchen. A small glass glint caught his eye and he crossed to the island counter to see his favourite glass honey pot and stirrer on the side filled with golden honey and a note pinned underneath it. He smiled and picked up the note.

‘Hey Cassy,

Hope I didn’t wake you this morning, I know you can sleep pretty light at times and the gravel always seems to wake you so I’m sorry if it did.

I made sure to have food before I left so don’t worry. I also made you a salad of your favourite fruits and I left the honey pot on the side so you can use it for breakfast. I also cut up some watermelon and banana for the little duck.

I don’t know if he’s allergic to any of it, he didn’t really have much medical history in the documents Rachel gave us so just keep an eye on him.

I love you baby and I’ll hopefully be home early today. Give Deanie a kiss for me.

Love, Sammy XX <3’

Cas smiled at the note, his heart swelling at his husband’s kindness. He crossed to the fridge and opened the door, spotting the two bowls of fruit on the second shelf. He grabbed them and put them on the island counter. He then quickly poured himself a glass of orange juice and put a tiny bit of juice in a sippy cup, topping it off with plenty of water. He deposited the cups on the table and saw Dean’s big eyes following his every movement. He bent down and quickly kissed the boy on the head.

“Daddy made us some breakfast sweetheart,” he said as he crouched to be level with Dean. “We have some yummy fruit, I just need to know if you’re allergic to anything, honey,” He asked. Dean nodded his head which sent a small jolt of panic through Cas’s chest. “Okay, bee, are you allergic to watermelon or banana?” Dean shook his head in response and Cas smiled, getting up to go and grab the two bowls and the glass honey pot. He made his way back to the table, placing down the bowls and pot and sitting in the chair next to Dean. He grabbed the highchair and turned it so Dean was facing him again, placing the suction bowl on the tray and pressing it down to ensure it stuck. He turned to his own bowl and grabbed the honey pot, drizzling the sticky golden substance over his fruit using the stirrer. The two ate together in peace, Dean struggling with his hands but managing to gum at the soft fruits whilst covering his face in red juice. The sippy cup was even harder to use but he would whine every time Cas tried to help him, so the man let the stubborn little boy figure it out slowly by himself. By the time they both finished, Dean was a sticky mess. Cas quickly tidied away the bowls, cups and honey pot before grabbing Dean and wiping him down, taking the small boy upstairs to get changed for the day.

Soon Dean was ready for the day. He was dressed in a clean white long-sleeved onesie with a pair of baggy khaki trousers with an elastic waist covering his legs and a pair of little blue socks. Over the onesie, he wore a blue and navy striped polo shirt with a white collar. He looked like an infant straight out of a 2000s baby clothing catalogue, and to be honest, he approved of Papa’s choice. Then he had been laid on Papa’s bed whilst the man rushed around the room, changing himself into a t-shirt and jeans with clean boxers and socks, entertaining the small boy at intervals.

Soon the pair were back downstairs, Castiel watching an episode of Dr Sexy whilst Dean took a nap on his chest. What a day, and it was only just 11 am.

Notes:

Thanks again for reading another chapter, see you in the next one. :)

Chapter 8: Master Crawler

Summary:

Dean learns a few new skills and surprises his Daddy.

Notes:

Hi all, hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

After Dean’s nap, Castiel had prepared a small lunch and coaxed the baby into munching on some chip puffs made especially for babies to gum at. The small boy hadn’t seemed too keen to try them at first but had warmed up pretty quickly after the cheesy taste hit his tongue. He’d polished off ten puffs before Cas had stopped giving him more, earning him a small tantrum from the boy.

Cas wiped the last of the crocodile tears off Dean’s chubby cheeks with a burp cloth. “You done there little monster?” he asked with a chuckle, knelt down in front of the boy in the highchair. Dean glared at him with big green eyes and pouty lips. Cas unbuckled the baby after removing the tray and lifted him from under his arms, popping him onto his hip.

“That was a big old tantrum, honeybee. I think we need to have some play time now, don’t you?” Dean kicked his legs a little on Papa’s hip. He was still pissed that he wasn’t given more cheese puffs, but he wasn’t proud of the tantrum. A blush climbed his cheeks as he remembered the screaming and crying he’d forced out of himself, god that was so embarrassing. He didn’t even mean to get that upset, he just spiralled after he forced out the first few tears. But Papa hadn’t cracked, he’d just knelt in front of him and held his little hand with his fingers whilst Dean rode out the screaming and crying.

Dean plopped his head on Papa’s shoulder in embarrassment. The dark-haired man chuckled and rubbed his back. “Is someone a little embarrassed after that, hm?” Papa chuckled, Dean made a whine and hit his hand on Papa’s chest. The man caught his wrist and tapped his hand with his finger. “Ah ah Dean, I’ll tolerate the tantrum, but we don’t hit in this family young man.” Dean grumbled again and softly rubbed the spot he hit as an apology.

Cas carried the sulking boy into the lounge and placed him on the soft rug on his back so he would have to roll if he wanted to see anything in the room. He thought it would help build Dean’s muscles so he would be able to move more easily. He walked over to the box containing the new playpen he wanted to set up for the boy. He knelt down and started pulling the contents of the box out and laying them in piles as he read the instructions. He peered over at Dean and saw the boy staring at him as he lay on his front, chunky little forearms holding him up.

“This is for you to play in baby, Papa just has to throw it together quickly. It won’t take long,” he reassured the boy who was staring at him with impatience, lips beginning to pout again. He turned and started rereading the instructions only to hear Dean whine. He turned around and saw Dean’s green eyes getting watery as the boy reached out one hand, making grabby motions for his Papa. Cas sighed and shuffled over quickly to the boy, however as he moved, he got an idea.

Dean didn’t know why he felt so sad as Papa focused on his playpen. The man was right there, why was he starting to cry? He felt a bit guilty when Papa sighed and shuffled over to him, he looked up at the man as he arrived and noticed the smile on his face. He squeaked a little when Papa grabbed his sides, but he didn’t lift him up for a cuddle. Instead, he felt strong hands propping him into a position on all fours. He looked up at Papa in confusion, resting back on his padded butt.

“How about we try this, bee,” Papa said, getting onto all fours next to him. Dean watched as Papa suddenly took off, scurrying to the other side of the rug before turning and looking at Dean. Papa sat up and held his hands out for Dean. “Come on baby, you try,” he encouraged.

Dean paused for a moment, looking at his Papa before his face steeled. He stared at his hands determinedly, little eyebrows scrunching on his forehead. He lifted his butt back up and attempted to stick one hand out. He slapped it down an inch forward and focused on moving his legs in the same way. It took him a second and a couple of wobbly moments but soon he was quickly crawling his way across the rug towards his beaming Papa. He grinned to himself as he moved, he was doing it! He was fucking doing it!

Cas watched with pride swelling in his chest as Dean started off slowly and gained confidence, moving with newfound purpose. He watched as a smile graced his little boy's features and he couldn’t help but smile himself. He quickly flipped out his phone and filmed a small video as Dean slapped his little hands and knees across the rug. As Dean drew nearer, he threw his phone to the side on the couch and held his hands out.

“Almost there baby boy, you got this!” he said, smiling as Dean looked up at him with a face full of joy. Soon enough Dean reached his Papa, sitting back on his rump and throwing his arms up towards the man with a smile. Cas picked up the small boy and peppered his face with kisses. “Oh, Dean! I’m so proud of you baby bee!”

Dean squealed at the assault on his face and put his little hands on Papa’s cheeks, the stubble scratchy on his palms. He squealed again. “Pa!” he yelled. Cas suddenly stopped and pulled back the baby, holding him out in front of him, the small boy quieting at the sudden mood change. Dean watched tears spring to Papa’s eyes. What had he done wrong? Why was Papa sad? “Pa,” he asked quietly, tilting his head at the man. Papa sobbed out a laugh as tears leaked from his eyes. Okay, now Dean was really fucking worried.

He reached out a hand and patted Papa’s cheek by his mouth. Papa snapped out of it and pressed a kiss into his little palm. “Oh baby, you said Pa!” Papa cried as he pulled Dean close for a cuddle. Wait he’d actually said it? Like Papa understood him? Dean felt a surge of joy wash through him. He kicked his little legs and pushed off Papa’s chest with his hands. “Pa, Pa…ah-Pa,” he babbled, loving the fact he could say the word and be understood.

Cas chuckled wetly and wiped at his face, pressing a big kiss onto Dean’s cheek. God, he was so proud of his baby boy, he’d crawled and said his first word. He looked at the little boy smiling up at him, all gums and green eyes. “Hey baby, should we try to learn a word for Daddy?” he suggested switching to a crossed-leg position and sitting Dean in the crook of his legs. Dean looked up at him with a smile and nodded with confidence.

“Okay baby, you try say Da?” Cas said. “Da…d-ah, Da,” he enunciated, hoping it helped the little boy. Dean scrunched his eyebrows for a moment. “Ah,” he said, Cas nodded in encouragement as the boy gazed at him. “Duh, d-da…Da,” Dean tried. Cas cheered for the boy and watched as Dean’s face lit up after the confirmation from his Papa. “Round of applause for Deanie!” Cas said, clapping his hands and watching as Dean copied.

Cas and Dean sat there for a few moments more as the man tried to help the little boy grasp more words. He didn’t manage any more but Cas didn’t care, he’d managed to say the two most important words and they were music to his ears. He let Dean crawl around the room as he finished building the hexagonal grey playpen, telling the boy to stay around the couches for now and knowing he could understand him. Once he had constructed the pen he grabbed some of the toys from the chest by the TV and placed them in the new construct.

Dean saw Papa finishing the pen and putting in some colourful toys that drew his attention, but he didn’t want to go in the pen. He liked crawling around the big open space. If he had this new skill then he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to use it. Glancing around he looked for a place to hide. Papa had told him not to go beyond the couches and he knew better than to test the man’s patience, he saw how scary he looked when he told Daddy off for jumping over the couch the day before.

Spotting the wooden coffee table, he crawled over. He was small enough to fit underneath with tons of headspace, perfect! He slipped under the table and perched back on his butt, watching as his Papa turned around and scanned the room for him. There was no way he could see Dean, he was too good at hiding.

What Dean didn’t know was that Cas could in fact see him. His bright blue clothes stood out against the light grey of the rug beneath the coffee table. He smiled but quickly slapped on a confused face. “What? Where did my Dean go?” he asked, hands on his hips as he pretended to scan the room again. “Is he under the cushions?” he said as he flipped some of the couch cushions before putting them back. A small giggle sounded from under the table making him falter but he kept his act up. “Hm, no. Maybe he’s behind the curtains?” he copied the same act of searching the cushions. “No there either,” he said, walking over to the coffee table and hearing the giggles rolling from beneath. Without warning he quickly dropped down to see Dean underneath. “Gotcha baby bee!” he said as he pulled Dean out from underneath, the boy looking in disbelief at him as if he couldn’t understand how he’d been found.

Cas chuckled and carried the baby over to the playpen, depositing him on its floor with the toys around him. “You just got to get better at hiding sweetheart, I’m awesome at hide and seek,” he said as the boy pouted at him and turned to play with a Winnie-the-pooh piano mat instead. Cas chuckled at the sulking baby and plopped down on the couch, listening to the random, off-note keys his son was hitting.

“Pa,” he heard suddenly. He looked back to the playpen and saw Dean staring at him. He got up and walked back over. “What’s up honeybee?” he asked as the boy crawled to the edge, hand gripping an Eeyore plushie. He sat back and held the plushie up to his Papa. Cas took the toy. “Is this for me baby? To cuddle whilst you play, a substitute Dean?” he asked. Dean nodded his head and crawled back to his piano toy. Cas’s heart fluttered at his boy's kindness and he sat back down on the couch, holding the Eeyore close and turning on a nature documentary to pass the time.

As 3:30 pm rolled around, Cas heard the front door click open and his husband walk through. “Cas, babe, I’m home,” he heard him call from the lobby. Cas launched himself off the couch and quickly turned off the TV, grabbing his phone and rushing over to Dean on the playpen.

“In here baby!” he called over his shoulder. He turned back to Dean. “Ready to give your Daddy a surprise?” he asked the boy, watching a big gummy smile split Dean’s face as he stuck his arms up to be held. Cas smiled and grabbed Dean up, walking into the kitchen and sitting on the floor facing the dining room just as Sam rounded the corner, throwing his coat over one of the dining room chairs and putting his briefcase on the table. Cas sat Dean in front of him and pulled out his phone, pressing record.

“Hey babe, what’s this?” Sam said as he turned and saw his husband sitting on the floor, his phone up in front of him and little Dean sat looking at him with a smile on the floor in front. He watched as Cas patted Dean’s back and smiled at the small boy. Suddenly, Dean leaned forward onto all fours and rocketed across the floor towards him, a big gummy smile pinching his cheeks as he stared up at the big man. Sam’s mouth fell open as Dean crawled to him. As the boy reached his feet he sat back on his rump and loudly said “Da!”

Sam’s heart could have exploded. Tears pricked his eyes as he breathed out a laugh of shock. He reached down and picked up Dean holding the boy to his chest and rocking him before holding him out and covering his face in kisses. Dean squealed at the kisses and kicked his little feet in glee. Sam peeked over at his husband still on the floor and still recording, his eyes shining behind the camera. “When did this happen?” Sam asked as a tear escaped his eye. He quickly wiped it as Cas stood up and made his way over.

“Just this afternoon, I was teaching him to crawl. He did a good job and then he topped it by saying Pa.” Cas smiled up at Sam, recording the little moment. “How’s that for a proud Daddy moment?” Cas asked pointing the camera at Sam. Sam laughed and pressed a big kiss to Dean’s cheek, the boy smiling before turning and doing the same to his Daddy.

“The best thing to come home to ever,” Sam said. Cas stopped the video and pocketed his phone, reaching up and pressing a kiss to his tall husband’s lips. They revelled in it for a moment. “Pa! Da!” came a small voice from Sam’s hip. They both looked over at the little boy glaring at them with droopy eyes. Sam chuckled and wrapped his arm around Cas’s waist, pulling him in for another long kiss. Whining and squirming came from his hip as the small boy interrupted their lovefest again.

“Okay, okay little duck,” Sam chuckled, breaking the kiss with Cas who was also laughing. “I’m going to take someone up for a nap whilst Papa calls the pizza place for dinner,” Sam said, Cas raising an eyebrow at his usually healthy-eating husband. “What? I had a long day away from my boys,” Sam said with a shrug as he carried Dean away, the sleepy boy giving his Papa a wave over his Daddy’s broad shoulder.

Sam climbed the stairs and turned into Dean’s nursery, sitting in the rocking chair, grabbing a book for the small boy as he turned him to cradle in his arms. Dean didn’t put up a fight, just leaning back and listening to the story. His little boy was out before the fifth page, so Sam just closed the book and gently shifted Dean into his crib, covering him up to his stomach in his blanket. He switched on the baby monitor and crossed to their bedroom to grab the receiver before heading back downstairs.

The husbands spent some time together discussing their days and basking in each other’s company before the pizza arrived an hour and a half later. They woke Dean and the small family ate pizza whilst watching Cars on the TV. Afterwards, Dean was given a bath by both husbands and had his nighttime bottle before being put down to sleep. The husbands stayed up for a couple of hours more before they headed to bed as well, curling around each other under the sheets.

Sam sighed as he held his husband in his arms and listened to his son breathing softly over the baby monitor. His son had called him Da. He couldn’t believe it. He smiled a little as he drifted off into sleep, dreaming of the day.

Notes:

Thanks again for reading, I'll see you in the next one. :)

Chapter 9: Shopping Adventures

Summary:

Cas and Dean go to the local store and Sam has a scare when he returns home.

Notes:

Hi guys, sorry for the delay in posts. I visited my parents for a couple of days to get away from the stress of my uni work so I was away from my PC and couldn't write. I am back now though and I should be updating my other story soon as well. Enjoy. :)

Sam slipped out the front door, locking it shut behind him. As he pulled out of the driveway, his husband stirred at the sound of crunching gravel. Cas rolled in bed and snuggled into his husband’s pillow again as he did every morning when his tall lover had to leave for work. He snuggled into the warmth for a few minutes before his bladder twinged, signalling his need to relieve himself.

Cas groaned and rolled rather ungracefully out of bed. He trudged into the bathroom and used the toilet before he spotted himself in the large mirror above the sink. His blue eyes were puffy from sleep and his hair was stuck up all over the place like some sort of porcupine. Sam would always tease him in the morning, playing with his bed hair and posing it in different styles. His favourite was when he made his husband resemble a cockatiel.

Cas grabbed the baby monitor from the bedside table and saw Dean still fast asleep on his back on the screen, his arms splayed out to his sides like a little starfish. He smiled a little at the image and turned left on the landing to head down the stairs. Call him selfish but he wanted to have a cup of tea alone before his baby woke up, just as a little him time. He shoved his feet into his slippers at the bottom of the stairs and made his way into the kitchen, grabbing his favourite bee mug from the cupboard. He flicked on the kettle and dropped a cranberry and raspberry tea bag into the mug.

Leaning back against the counter he pulled out his phone as he waited for the water to boil. Opening Facebook, Cas was presented with a litany of notifications from comments and likes on his newest post containing the videos of Dean crawling and surprising his Daddy.

‘Post Liked by: @RedheadNovak, @MichaelN, @QueenCharW, @BobbyWesson, @MaryWessonwasCampbell, @BalNovOfficial, @GabboTrickster, @DevilLuci, @ChuckNovak @JodyWess, @DonnaDoo, @LexW, @ClaireBear, @DorothyRS, @MooseSamW, @NovakCoOfficial, @EdenFlowers, @EllenHRoadhouse, @RMacLeod, @AshMan, @BlessJess, @HannahBanana, @BenjiBro, @DeadEd, @HarryCameraBoy, @AdamMilli, @MasterMick’

“Look at him go! What a fast little man!” - @QueenCharW

“Milestones already! What an advanced little boy, can’t wait to give him Gam-Gam cuddles next weekend <3” - @MaryWessonwasCampbell

“He’s moving so fast already? Good luck baby bro lol.” - @GabboTrickster

“Aw look at poor Sam's face, the man was trying so hard not to cry XD” - @DevilLuci

“Congrats Cas and Sam! Can’t wait to meet the little bugger, this calls for a good old group get together ;)” - @MasterMick

Cas smiled at all the comments and read through each one. Yes, people thought Dean was a super smart baby when he was actually a Rejukid, but there was no harm done right? Dean was super smart in his two daddies' eyes anyway, no matter his mental age.

The kettle clicked off behind him and he quickly poured the water to make his tea. He grabbed the steaming mug, took a seat at the kitchen island and decided to give his in-laws a call. He had a small favour to ask of Bob before the party the following weekend and he wanted to make sure the man had ample time to complete it if he agreed.

Just as he was hanging up the call, a cooing noise floated over the baby monitor. Cas placed his empty mug in the sink to be washed later and peered at the monitor screen. Dean was sat up in his bed, seeming to be talking to Ziggy the elephant by his bedside. Cas smiled at the babbling baby and switched off the monitor before jogging over to the stairs and making his way to his son’s room.

He clicked open the door and saw Dean turn to face him, the small boy’s face lighting up at the sight of his Papa. “Pa!” Dean squealed, throwing his arms up towards the man as he approached his crib, a big smile splitting his face. Dean had felt pretty lonely when he woke up, so he decided to chatter with Ziggy until his Papa arrived. Now that Papa was here his chest was full of warmth and he squealed in delight as he was lifted out of his crib and pulled to Papa’s firm chest for a big morning cuddle. He kicked his little legs and pushed off Papa’s chest when the hug was over, peering into the man’s blue eyes. He slapped both hands on either side of the stubbly face “Pa!” He yelled again in joy, his little body not knowing how to contain all the emotion.

It was strange, Dean felt he’d grown attached to the man, even in the short amount of time they’d had together. He hated being physically apart from the man and god forbid his Papa stepped around a wall out of sight for even a second. The first time it had happened Dean had thought his heart was going to implode from fear. He thought he’d been fucking abandoned. It was terrifying, to say the least.

Then seconds after he burst into tears Papa had come back round the corner and he had felt so stupid for being so scared.

He now lay still on the changing table, staring up at Ziggy as his Papa quickly changed him. It honestly wasn’t as bad as he’d built himself into thinking it was. It was over in a barely perceptible minute with Papa’s fingers working quickly to remove the uncomfortable wet feeling and replacing it with warm, fluffy comfort.

“Come on, Deanie,” Cas said as he scooped a clean Dean off the changing table. “Let’s go get some munchies in that tummy.” He tickled Dean’s onesie-covered belly, coaxing a burst of giggles from the infant. Dean’s chubby legs kicked the air in response and Cas chuckled. He now understood why women so often said they wanted to bite babies' legs, they just looked so chubby and adorable.

Cas had Dean seated, buckled and fed in no time. He opted for a little bit of scrambled eggs and fingers of soft toast, after getting the allergen okay from the small boy in the highchair of course. He and Sam were planning on talking about allergens with Dean the following day as his husband had the weekends off from work and they could use the information to keep their boy safe.

However, Cas had made the mistake of supplying the uncoordinated baby with a small puddle of ketchup on his blue suction plate. Now his son was painted in red sauce like a mini copy of Carrie on prom night. Cas sighed with a chuckle as he looked at the boy, hands on his hips as the little monster stared up at him with a big gummy smile at the mess he’d made. This was definitely going to call for a bath.

“Come on mucky, bath time for you,” Cas unclipped the tray and put it in the sink before he unbuckled Dean and lifted him out of the seat onto his hip. Dean was pouting and glaring at him at the prospect of having a bath. Cas chuckled and just carried the sulking boy up the stairs and into his and Sam’s room, hoping to cheer the boy up by using the big oval bath in their ensuite.

Dean felt his eyes go wide as Papa carried him into his and Daddy’s room and into the big ensuite bathroom. He’d never been in here before! As Papa wandered in and bent over the bath to turn the water on, Dean caught sight of himself in the large mirror over the sinks. He stared back into his own big green eyes in awe. He looked so fucking young. Yes, he knew he was a baby and all that shit, but this was the first time he’d really seen himself. His face was all round and cutesy and his limbs were all chubby and short. Not to mention he currently looked like he’d been on a hunt and slaughtered some ketchup-blooded monsters. Eating was difficult, okay?

Papa seemed to notice him staring at himself and carried him to the mirrors, plonking him down on the counter so he could see himself closer. “Look pumpkin, that’s Deanie!” Papa said, grabbing one of his tiny hands and making him wave at himself. Dean couldn’t stop staring at himself. It felt so weird seeing himself like this, so inherently wrong. His eyes suddenly slid up the mirror to see his Papa standing behind him, hands resting on his little legs and rubbing soft circles in them as he studied the small boy in front of him with eyes full of adoration. Dean stared at him for a moment, waiting for his face to break out of that caring look and into one of blank dismissal he had seen so many times as a child. But it didn’t. Papa really, actually cared.

Dean felt warmth blossom in his chest again and a smile split his face. If he was going to have to relive his life, he was glad it was with Daddy and Papa. He wouldn’t want anyone else. Papa scooped him back up and leant back over the bath to turn off the water. He laid Dean down and stripped him of his onesie and diaper. As he was being undressed, Dean noticed a small basket of toys next to the bath. He pointed a pudgy finger towards them. “Ah! Pa!” Dean grunted, pointing over to the space beside the bath.

Cas leaned forward to see he was pointing at a small basket filled with colourful plastic water toys. “You want the toys, baby bee?” he asked with a smile.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Dean kicked his legs as he nodded. Cas chuckled and grabbed the basket. He pulled it round the side and picked out a small family of rubber ducks, a green plastic car, two little blue turtles and a yellow fish. He dropped them into the lukewarm water and scooped up the naked boy on the floor before he gently lowered him in as well. The bath was mostly uneventful, Cas managing to clean the boy of ketchup just moments before he discovered he could splash the water up at his Papa.

Cas took another wave of water to the face, Dean’s giggles echoing through the bathroom as he spat some of the water out his mouth. “Right,” He started, wiping his face with Dean’s towel. “I think that’s enough bath time for you, little monster.” He pulled the plug as Dean whined in response.

“Pa!” the little boy whimpered, turning big, sad eyes to look at him. Cas chuckled at the puppy-eye attempt. “Nice try baby boy, but your Daddy has better puppy eyes than that and I barely ever crack for him,” Cas said as he gripped the slippery baby under his arms and lifted him into the towel on his lap. He quickly swaddled the boy as he stared up at him with a disgruntled look. Cas carried him into the bedroom and out across the landing to his nursery.

“We need to go to the shop, Deanie, so let's pick you something cute to wear, hm?” Papa said as he opened the curtain to the wardrobe. The shop? Dean felt a little bit of anxiety squeeze his chest. He hadn’t really been outside since he was shrunk, and he was…he was scared. Dean Wesson was scared. He was so small and helpless now and he wasn’t able to protect himself at all. What if a monster showed up to grab him or hurt Papa? What if some random psycho human tried to hurt someone? He wouldn’t be able to do anything except cry and grip onto his Papa.

Cas felt the baby in his arms tense slightly at the mention of leaving the house. This was exactly why Cas wanted to do it, to get Dean desensitised to going out in his new body. He knew the boy probably felt scared for his own safety, but it was important to take this step. “It’ll be alright honeybee, Papa will be with you the whole time,” he reassured as he picked out an outfit, carrying the clothes and baby to the changing table and laying everything down.

“We just need to pop to the food shop baby. Papa and Daddy didn’t have a chance to go before you came so we need to pick up some extra stuff,” he chatted at the baby as he quickly unwrapped him and diapered him, dressing him as quickly as he could so he didn’t get too cold. “And if you’re an extra good little boy for Papa, I might get you a little treat.” He finished with Dean’s socks and glanced at the little boy’s face. His eyes were wide at the prospect of getting a treat.

Dean was now dressed in a comfortable short-sleeved onesie with a pair of elastic-waisted dark denim trousers. He wore a buttoned-up grey flannel with a comfy red sweater over the top and little grey socks. Cas scooped up his adorable baby and took him to his own bedroom so he could watch the baby as he quickly changed into jeans, a long-sleeve shirt and a light blue knitted sweater covered in clouds. Once changed he scooped up his boy and the two headed downstairs to the front door.

Cas slipped on his boots and spent a good five minutes wrestling the little black fabric Converse onto Dean's feet. The boy looked at them with disdain as he stared at the boots his Papa was wearing. This sucked, he hated baseball shoes, and he wanted boots like Papa. Dean glared up at Cas as he lifted him onto his hip, Cas choosing to ignore the stare and just grab his car keys. He slipped out the front door and locked it behind him, carrying his son to the car and loading him quickly into the car seat in the back.

“I don’t see many little boys who glare at their Papa getting treats,” he commented as he finished clicking the safety buckles at Dean’s middle, he looked up and saw big green eyes full of shock and fear. Cas faltered for a second, thinking he had said something wrong before Dean reached forward with two hands. “Ah!” he grunted. Cas moved his face forward and let Dean put his hands on his cheeks. The baby pulled him close and planted a soft wet kiss on the end of his nose.

Cas chuckled and pulled back, clicking the lever and turning Dean’s seat so it was rear-facing. “All forgiven, bee,” he said with a quick rub on Dean’s tummy. He shut the car door and quickly opened the trunk, checking he had an ample amount of shopping bags before he rounded the car and got in the driver's seat. “Ready to go, sweetheart?” he called into the back seat, checking the rearview mirror to see Dean reflected in the monitor mirror, a small trace of anxiety gracing his features. Cas sighed a little but started the car and drove to the local store, glancing back occasionally to see Dean watching the world fly past his window.

The drive wasn’t long and soon Cas was pulling into a parking lot. He turned off the engine and got out of the car, opening the back door and turning Dean’s seat. The little boy’s eyes were wide and starting to grow a little watery. “Oh, baby,” Cas cooed as Dean’s bottom lip trembled and a tear slipped down his cheek. “It’ll be alright honey, I promise,” Cas wiped the tear off Dean’s face and unbuckled him, lifting him to his chest for a cuddle as he locked the car and made his way to where the shopping carts were. He rubbed circles on the sniffling boy's back as he pulled out a cart with a baby seat.

“Come on little man, let's get you comfy,” Papa said as he lifted Dean away from his chest. Dean felt a whine pass his lips as his hands slipped from Papa’s shirt. He hated this. He felt so scared and small, the entire journey here he’d just tried to battle the anxiety slowly souring in his stomach. Papa made soft shushing noises as he buckled him into the hard plastic cart seat, thank god for his plush diaper padding his butt otherwise this shit would have been uncomfortable.

Papa started pushing the cart into the store, moving one of his fingers so it was within reach of Dean’s little hands. Immediately he reached forward and grabbed the finger, holding it tight and drawing comfort from the warmth of his Papa. The man then reached into his pocket and pulled out a navy pacifier. “You want your binky, honey?” Dean opened his mouth in response and watched as Papa quickly stuck it in his mouth to get off any germs before he slipped it between Dean’s lips. He started to suckle and sat back in the chair, now content to just watch his Papa roam the shelves.

Cas slowly worked his way through the fresh produce section, the cereal aisle, the canned goods aisle, and the meat and poultry aisle, the cart filling with various foodstuffs as he went. He chatted at Dean the whole way around, the small boy responding with babbles every now and then seeming entranced by the colourful packaging passing his vision from the shelves. As they made it to the non-food section of the store, Cas paused to look at a few different cushions that caught his eye.

“Well, hello handsome boy,” he heard from behind him. He spun around quickly and saw three old women stopped next to his cart, completely enraptured by the baby boy staring up at them with tired green eyes. Cas chuckled and placed the cushion he chose in the cart, drawing the attention of the elderly ladies. “Who is this lovely little man?” Asked one of the ladies.

“This is little Dean,” Cas responded, giving his son a little tickle on the tummy and earning a small, sleepy giggle. “Oh, he is absolutely gorgeous,” the lady cooed, rubbing a finger on Dean’s hand resting on the cart bar. “How old is he?” Asked one of the other women.

“Dean’s six months old,” Papa smiled at the woman who commented on Dean as well. All three women were cooing over him, and Papa was just stood back watching with a grin. Dean was growing tired and that made him irritable. His body felt all heavy and his eyes were achy. What was the deal with these old ladies? They wouldn’t stop touching him and they smelled like strong perfume, it was so overwhelming. And what the fuck was Papa doing? He was just letting this happen, couldn’t he see he was tired?

He felt his eyes starting to get prickly with tears and his lip trembled around his binky. He reached a sluggish hand out towards Papa and made a grabby motion. “Pa…pa,” he croaked with a whine, tears threatening to fall now. All the women awwwed as Papa slipped forward, unbuckling him and lifting him to his chest. He curled into the warmth and let his tears fall with little sobs.

“It’s alright honeybee, I know,” Cas said as he felt Dean grab fistfuls of his shirt and curl in. “You’re a tired boy huh? You didn’t get to have your morning nap,” he cooed as he rocked his son, calming down the little sobs until they were sniffles. His watch showed that it was midday now, the shopping having taken longer than he expected. Guilt twinged inside him. He rubbed circles on the small boy’s back as his breathing evened out.

“Talking at six months?” One of the old ladies said, drawing Cas’s attention. “What a clever little boy you have young man. You and your wife must be so proud.” Cas cringed a little at that, he knew these women were of a different generation and he hoped they wouldn’t react too badly to his next words. He didn’t want a scene to be caused when he was holding his sleeping son.

“My husband and I really are,” he said with a nervous smile. He prepared for the worst but was pleasantly surprised when the women all smiled back at him. “My mistake dear,” the woman who spoke patted his arm. “You and your husband are doing a great job, that boy is going to be a little genius at this rate.” She chuckled and Cas let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Thank god for that. He smiled at the women and placed a small kiss on Dean’s head, the baby fussing a little in his sleep. He leaned down and slowly placed Dean back in the cart, buckling him in and making sure he was in a comfortable sleeping position.

“Thank you so much,” he said to the women who all smiled and mentioned their hope to see him again before they shuffled off down the housewares aisle. Cas smiled at his sleeping boy and continued with his shopping. As he passed the baby aisle, he spotted a pair of soft brown, faux leather boots and his mind cast back to that morning, to Dean’s unhappiness with his shoes and how he’d stared longingly at his Papa’s boots. Cas grabbed a pair in Dean’s size and tossed them into the cart, this was the perfect treat for his boy’s good behaviour.

He grabbed a last couple of things and made his way to the checkout, choosing the shortest queue and getting through quickly. He made it back to the car and loaded the shopping into the bags in the boot, Dean still slumped over in the cart seat. He pushed the cart back to the others and slowly lifted the sleeping boy out of the seat, shushing him as he fussed and letting him curl into his chest. As he was walking back to his car, he saw the three elderly women leaving the store and waving at him. He gave them a wave back before turning to load his boy into the car. He hopped in the driver’s seat once Dean was secure and drove the long way home, wanting to give the small boy time to sleep.

Dean was sound asleep, blissfully dreaming about his elephant friend Ziggy when a sudden sharp movement jostled him. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked slowly at the scene before him. Papa was unbuckling him and picking him up out of his seat. “Hi sleepy boy,” Papa cooed, his chest rumbling against Dean’s hands as he was placed on the man’s hip. “You have a nice nap?” Papa asked, but Dean wasn’t awake enough for that yet. He plopped his head against the man’s side and sucked on his binky with the full intention to just go back to sleep. He felt Papa chuckle at his actions. “I don’t think sleeping babies get to enjoy their treats, honey.”

Treat? Oh yeah! He gets a treat for being good!

Dean’s head snapped up to look straight up at his Papa with excited eyes. Cas laughed and carried his boy inside, the shopping bags already on the floor by the kitchen island as he felt it was best to wake Dean last. He placed his boy on the dining room floor and went to the closest bag, pulling down the sides to grab out the little brown booties. “So baby,” he started, putting the boots behind his back as he turned back to his boy sat patiently on the floor. “I noticed you weren’t too happy with your shoes this morning.”

Cas took a seat cross-legged in front of Dean and chuckled when the boy shook his head at the comment on his shoes. “Yeah, they’re bad shoes huh?” Cas chuckled. “Well, I thought as your treat I would get you these,” he said as he pulled the boots from behind him and placed them in front of Dean.

Dean felt his eyes go wide. No way! Papa got him boots! Just like the ones he wore and the bigger pair by the door that he suspected was Daddy’s. They all matched now! He felt a squeal build in him and he just decided to let it out, the sound seeming to bring joy to his grinning Papa. He grabbed the boots and started looking them over. They had a nice feel to them, and they had fake laces on the front. They would easily slip onto his tiny feet. He was grinning like a madman behind his binky as Papa stood and planted a kiss on his head, saying something about unpacking the shopping. He was just too focused on the objects in his hands.

These boots were perfect! Dean wanted to put them on right now but decided against it. He couldn’t get the stupid Converse off if he wanted to anyway. Looking at his Papa he held the boots against him and watched the man bustle around the kitchen, emptying bags and stacking stuff away in cupboards.

As he watched, something peeking out of the bag closest to him caught his eye. Where Papa had pulled down the side to grab out his treat it revealed a new, unopened container of salt. Dean eyed the salt, mind casting back to his Daddy’s lack of protection when they first arrived home from the hospital. His hands itched to grab the container and line every door and window, but he knew it wasn’t possible in his current state. His mind was conflicted as he sat staring at the bag.

He made a decision. He could at least salt the front door. It was the main point of entrance, and it wasn’t that far away so he could get there and back quickly before Papa even noticed. Watching his Papa move around the kitchen he quickly got on all fours and crawled to the nearby bag, sitting back on his butt and grabbing out the large container. He couldn’t hold it and crawl, so he placed it on its side and pushed it forward, crawling towards the door and pushing it again when he caught up with it.

Once he made it to the door he sat back and lifted the container clumsily. Damn, this was difficult with tiny hands. He plonked the container down upright and attempted to flick open the top. It took a few tries but eventually, he got it open. He had to physically suppress a squeal of delight when he did so, instead choosing to busy his body with tipping the container and rolling it so a stream of white salt poured out the top and created a thick line in front of the doorway. Satisfied with his results he smacked the lid of the container closed and pushed it next to the door, using Daddy’s big slippers to hide it.

He crawled quickly back into the dining room and grabbed his boots again, sitting back in his padded rump in the same place so it was like he never moved at all. Papa chose that moment to glance at him and he held up his boots, babbling at the man in the kitchen. Papa smiled and turned back to his chore. Dean smiled to himself. He had effectively protected his Papa and he was none the wiser, it was just like he was a hunter again. He tried really hard not to giggle when Papa couldn’t find the salt he’d bought.

Once Cas had finished putting the shopping away, he made a quick lunch of strawberries and yoghurt for himself and Dean before they spent the afternoon playing and napping. They had spaghetti and Bolognese for dinner and Dean required another quick bath before his nighttime baba and bed. Cas then had time to sit down, relax and watch a nature documentary with the baby monitor next to him displaying his sleeping son on the screen.

Sam pulled his car into the drive and switched it to park. It’d been a long day. He stayed late to make up for his missed two days when he’d been to pick up his new son. He sighed tiredly and exited the car, grabbing his briefcase and coat from the backseat before he trudged to the front door. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping through and being met with a strange noise. He stepped again and was met by the same crunching noise underfoot. He glanced down and saw a thick line of salt crossing from one side of the door to the other. A line which he had just broken.

Panic gripped his chest and he jumped through the door, slamming it shut behind him and quickly brushing the line back into place making it whole again. “Cas?” He yelled to the house. “Cas?! Cas where are you?” He sounded frantic now. He threw his briefcase to the floor with his coat and ran through to the kitchen to see his husband scrambling off the couch, panic evident on his face from his husband’s shouting.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief and rushed forward, gathering Cas into his arms quickly before holding him out and checking him over for injuries. His husband was looking at him with fear and confusion. “Sam? What’s going on?” He grabbed the large paws checking him over and stilled their movement, feeling the slight tremble to them. “Take a breath, calm down.”

“No Cas, the salt at the door. You know you aren’t meant to put that there unless you think there’s something after you,” Sam rambled, hands squeezing Cas’s as he breathed heavily from the panic. “What is it? What followed you? Demon, ghost, what?” Cas looked confused which just added to Sam’s own confusion.

“Sam, what do you mean? What salt?” He asked. Sam pulled him as he walked, Cas falling in step behind him as they travelled to the front door where the salt line was still boldly placed inside the threshold.

“See, the salt,” Sam said, pointing to the line with his free hand, the other still holding his husband’s tightly. Cas stepped forward and peered at the line.

“Sam,” he said, looking into his husband’s hazel eyes. “Sam I didn’t put that there.” Sam frowned in confusion.

“Then who put it there?” He questioned, eyebrows knitted together. “Who else could know about that stuff?”

“I don’t know babe,” Cas replied, his own face a mask of concern. “The only ones who have been here all day are me and-…and Dean.” Realisation dawned on Cas’s face and he started searching the ground around the door. He spotted what he was looking for next to his husband’s slippers. He pulled out the container of salt and held it up, turning to face his husband. “I knew I bought salt.”

“Cas, what?” Sam said confused.

“Dean, it was Dean,” he said, picking up his husband’s coat and hanging it on the hooks before grabbing the briefcase and walking into the kitchen. He placed the case on the counter and the salt in the cupboard hearing his husband trail after him like a lost duckling.

“Dean? How could Dean possibly have known what to do with this? The only reason I know is because my Mom wanted me and Char to know how to keep ourselves safe,” Sam rambled as he rubbed his forehead.

“I don’t know Sam, maybe it was his life before he became our boy?” Cas said, wrapping his arms around his husband’s waist and leaning into his chest. Sam lifted his arms to embrace his smaller husband. “I think we need to bring it up with him tomorrow when we talk to him about his allergies. Just so we understand.” Cas spoke, muffled by Sam’s chest.

Sam hummed in response and closed his aching eyes, content to just stand with his husband. He groaned when Cas moved away to heat his dinner in the microwave. “Come on, babe, have this then we can go cuddle in bed,” he chuckled, placing the steaming food on the counter and taking a seat, patting the chair next to him for his husband to hop up on.

Sam made quick work of his food and before he knew it, he was in bed wrapped around his sleeping husband. He closed his eyes, thoughts swimming about the baby across the hall and what kind of life he possibly could have led before meeting them. Whatever it was, they’d find out tomorrow.

Notes:

Thanks again for reading, have a great day. :)

Chapter 10: Scooby Doo Saturday

Summary:

Sam and Cas learn some things about their son and his past.

Notes:

Hi all, welcome to another chapter. It's a bit of a slow one sorry but it has Dean being excited over Scooby Doo so I think it's worth it. Enjoy. :)

“Alright little man,” Sam started once he noticed Dean had finished munching down his watermelon breakfast. The little boy looked up at him, his face covered in sweet red juice and his cheeks puffed up with the effort of chewing. Cas chuckled opposite him as he removed the tray from in front of Dean and quickly took it to the kitchen sink ready for cleaning later.

Sam pulled Dean’s highchair a little closer to the table and wiped his face with a burp cloth as Cas returned and retook his seat. Dean was peering at his Papa and Daddy rather confused. He was just enjoying his watermelon and now all of a sudden, he was being interrogated like this was NCIS. What gives? He got to sit at the head of the table though so that was pretty cool.

“Baby, you remember how I asked you if you’re allergic to anything?” Cas asked, leaning forward on his forearms on the table. Dean’s green eyes met his, noticing how serious his Papa had become he gave a sombre little nod. Cas grinned a little despite himself at Dean’s cuteness. “Well, we still don’t know what you’re allergic to pumpkin, so we decided today we were gonna play a little game!”

Sam watched Dean’s face light up at the prospect of a game. He reached over to the end of the table where he’d placed the pack of picture cards he’d bought at the store the day before on the way home from work. The cards had colourful pictures of different foods on them, and Sam had thought it was the perfect way to help Dean communicate his allergens to them. “Alright, duck, look here,” he said, catching the little boy’s attention. “I got some cool picture cards for you, and when I hold them up you just have to nod or shake if you’re allergic. Sound good?”

“Da!” Dean said with a hard nod. He understood. This game seemed a little repetitive, but he understood it was for his safety. Papa and Daddy had no clue what he was allergic to and he really didn’t want to have a reaction. He’d had anaphylactic shock once when he was ten and it had ended in a week-long hospital stay and a very sore throat for a month. All round a shitty experience he did not want to repeat.

Sam smiled and held up the first card, then the second, then the third. Each one gets a shake of the head from the baby in the chair. It took until the seventh card for Dean to react differently. “Ah!” Dean yelled and pointed at the card Sam had in his hand. Sam flipped it around and was met with a picture of various fish.

“Fish, bee, you’re allergic to fish?” Cas asked, taking the card from his husband, and creating a new pile for the ‘yes’ cards. Dean nodded and Cas looked at Sam. “None of Paw-Paw's famous grilled fish for this little boy then, huh Daddy?” he said with a smile.

“I guess not Papa,” Sam said teasingly as Dean grumped in front of them, lips pushed into a pout. “I’m sorry Deanie, Daddy and Papa are being mean huh?” he chuckled and tickled the baby’s tummy coaxing a giggle and a smile from him. “Right! Let’s keep going, then we can get changed and watch some cartoons.” Dean smiled wider and nodded again.

Sam cycled through more of the cards, the ‘no’ pile growing larger and only a couple more cards being added to the ‘yes’ pile. In the end, Sam and Cas discovered their boy was allergic to fish, seafood, mustard and peanuts. Luckily, they had none of the offending objects in the house, but they would need to be incredibly careful with trace amounts residing in any products they purchased. Then Sam held up his fingers and asked Dean from 1-10 how severe the allergies were with 1 being very mild and 10 being incredibly severe. Dean had reached forward and grabbed the seventh finger in his lineup. Sam and Cas had shared a concerned look before Cas sighed. “Alright honeybee, thank you for helping us,” he lifted Dean out of the chair after unbuckling him and the family made their way upstairs to change.

“We can call Dr MacLeod later and get her advice on EpiPens and stuff,” Cas said as he grabbed some clothes out of Dean’s wardrobe, his husband changing the baby’s diaper at the changing table behind him. Happy with his choice he made his way over to Sam and his tall husband slipped an arm around his waist. “It’ll be okay babe, at least we know now and can keep him safe,” Sam said.

Cas sighed as he watched Sam finish taping Dean’s fresh diaper and drop the soiled one in the diaper bin. “I know, it’s just…he’s just a baby, Sam,” Cas said, turning to look up into his hazel eyes. “I’m so scared we’ll mess up and he’ll get hurt.”

“I know sweetheart,” Sam said, pulling Cas into a hug, his husband resting his head on his chest. “We’re just going to do our best, okay? We can do this, he’ll be okay.” Sam felt Cas sigh heavily against him, his arms wrapping around his waist making Sam’s heart flutter.

“Pa, Da.” A small voice came from the changing table. The husbands looked up to see their baby sat on the table, arms crossed (well, as crossed as he could get them) and lips pouting. Sam laughed and Cas chuckled as he lay the baby back down. “Sorry bee, we left you a nakey Dean, didn’t we? Let’s fix that,” he said as he picked up the clothes he’d chosen and set about changing their boy. Sam kissed him on the temple and went to get dressed himself. Cas was already changed as Sam had taken Dean downstairs when he’d woken up, giving his husband the chance to have an extra half an hour of sleep as well as a shower and shave.

Soon enough, Dean was changed into a long-sleeve footed onesie in a pale green colour, a little cartoon frog stitched on the front. Big bubble letters stated ‘hopping mad!’ across his son’s tummy which made Cas smile. He’d chosen something simple and comfy as they were just going to have a lazy day as a family. No going outside, no Sam at work and no interruptions. Just the three of them relaxing and having fun.

Though of course, they would be having that discussion with Dean later, the one that had plagued Castiel’s mind all morning. How had Dean known to make a salt line? Cas was both excited to learn about his son but also horrified. He knew about the supernatural and its dangers from all that his husband had told him. Sam had learned it from his mother who came from a family of hunters but had wanted to escape that life, only telling her husband and children the basics so they could protect themselves and their future families. But how had Dean known? What kind of life had he led before he had been spiked? From what he was told, Cas knew that the life of a hunter was not a good one. It was one usually full of pain and loss and horror, not one he would ever want for his baby. And his poor boy was stuck with those memories, PedioRejuva doesn’t go far enough to erase the memories of the past life. It made Cas’s chest ache a little in sorrow.

“Pa?” he heard Dean’s small voice call. The baby was sat up again, little hands holding Cas’s big one close to his body as he watched his Papa get lost in his thoughts. His head was tilted sideways in concern and his lips were in a little pout.  Cas smiled at his son’s worry for him. “Sorry pumpkin, Papa was just thinking,” he said as he lifted the boy onto his hip, Dean’s hands grabbing onto his t-shirt automatically. Cas slid open the top drawer of the changing table and grabbed out a pastel green pacifier with a froggy themed clip.

“Here you go bee, binky time,” he popped the pacifier into Dean’s open mouth and attached the other end of the clip to the front seam of his onesie. Carrying the baby back out onto the landing, he was met halfway by Sam, now dressed in a pair of comfy blue jeans and a grey t-shirt that accentuated his muscular frame. Cas let his eyes roam his husband for a moment before he caught Sam’s eyes, the man giving him a knowing smile. He flushed pink and turned down the stairs, his husband chuckling behind him as he followed and giving him a quick pinch on the butt making him squeak. He reached a hand behind his back and smacked Sam’s hand, the other keeping Dean firmly on his hip.

Once downstairs, Cas turned and deposited Dean in his Daddy’s arms. “Go get settled in the lounge you two, I’m going to get some tea and juice,” Cas said, patting his husband's ass to get him moving. Sam grinned and winked as he carried the small baby into the lounge, flopping down onto the couch whilst making sure he didn’t jostle Dean too much.

“Right little duck, what we gonna watch,” he said as he turned Dean to sit in his lap with his back against his chest, facing the TV. He grabbed the remote from next to him and switched on the TV, flicking to Netflix, and choosing the account he had set up for Dean just a couple of nights prior.

Dean pouted at the choices that popped up. They all seemed so babyish and boring, where was all the good shit at? Daddy started flicking through the different shows, but Dean didn’t want to watch any of them. Yes, they were colourful but they all just looked so-…WAIT. No way. Was that? It can’t be. “Ah! Da!” he yelled, getting his Daddy to stop flicking through the shows.

“You want Paw Patrol, baby?” Daddy asked having stopped on the show when Dean shouted. “Uh,” Dean said, shaking his head. He pointed to the left, signalling Daddy to go back a few spaces. Daddy scrolled back one by one slowly until Dean saw it again. “AH!” He shouted, Daddy stopping exactly on the right show. “This it, cub? Scooby Doo?” Daddy asked. Dean turned with a big smile on his face and bounced on his butt a couple of times, clapping his hands to communicate his happiness.

Sam grinned at his happy little boy. Who knew his son would have the same love of Scooby Doo that he did. “Scooby Doo it is Deanie,” he said with a tickle to his son’s side. “I love this show,” he muttered to himself as he pressed play on episode one. Dean hummed happily on his chest in response, leaning back against his Daddy and sucking on his binky. Cas walked into the room at that moment with a tray holding their steaming Mr and Mr mugs and a blue sippy cup of watered-down juice for Dean. He placed it on the coffee table and grabbed the sippy cup, holding it out to Dean who took it a little clumsily and held it close. Cas sat next to his tall husband and snuggled up close.

“Scooby Doo?” he questioned as Sam rested an arm across his shoulders. “You didn’t force the poor boy to watch this did you?” he grinned slyly at his husband knowing all about his love for the mystery gang.

“No, babe, he chose it himself,” he said rolling his eyes. “What can I say? Little duck has taste,” he grinned, leaning down and planting a kiss on his husband's lips. He licked his lips after, tasting the hot tea that Cas had obviously had a sip of. “Lemon and ginger tea?” he questioned. Cas smiled and reached forward to grab Sam’s mug, handing it to him and letting him take a sip before he handed it back for his husband to put on the tray, not wanting to disturb the happy baby lying on him.

They sat like that for a few hours. Sam and Cas chatting with each other and enjoying the background noise of the cartoon, Cas passing his husband his drink every now and then. Dean lay on his Daddy, happily watching the show and taking sips of his juice often, Daddy or Papa having to put his binky back in his mouth most of the time after he started whining when he couldn’t. After about an hour and a half, Sam noticed Dean’s sippy cup slipping out of his little hands. He quickly caught it, noticing the baby had nodded off. He passed the cup to Cas and gently manoeuvred Dean, so he was cradled in his arms.

Slowly, he stood and carried the softly snoring baby to the playpen and laid him on the floor of it. He grabbed a discarded blanket nearby and covered his son up to his stomach. Sam made his way back to the couch, pulling his husband up and lying down across the couch. He then pulled his smiling husband back down so he was lying prone on top of his body, head on his chest listening to the slow rhythm of his tall lover's heartbeat.

Cas sighed happily. He loved being held in Sam’s arms, just a simple cuddle on the couch could solve any bad day. “How’d you know I needed this?” he asked, peering up at Sam with a smile. His husband looked down at him with a cheeky grin.

“You always need cuddles, babe,” he teased. “Why else would I call you my koala?” Cas chuckled and swatted his husband's arm, a flush of embarrassment reddening his cheeks as he recalled the nickname from the early years of their relationship. He remained in the warmth of those memories for a moment before his husband’s low voice drew him out.

“I think we should talk with Dean after lunch,” he said as he drew circles on his husband's back, feeling him tense under his hand as he spoke. “It’s better earlier than later, babe. That way we can get it over with quickly and spend the rest of the day just spending time together.” He felt Cas nod in agreement on his chest, his muscles still tense under Sam’s hands though. Taking initiative, Sam started rubbing into his husband's back in deep strokes, an impromptu massage. He worked into the tight muscles, drawing out the shorter man’s worry and knots as he slowly turned into goo under Sam’s deft fingers.

“Mmmmm, you know I'm gonna fall asleep if you keep doing this,” Cas mumbled, completely relaxed as Sam kept going. He felt Sam chuckle beneath him and say something, but he was already slipping into sleep. Warmth flooded his body as darkness crept in and dragged him under.

Sam watched as Cas slowly drifted off to sleep on top of him, breathing evening out and eyes slipping closed. He smiled at the peaceful sight, his husband on top of him and his son to his left, both absolutely knocked out. He grabbed the TV remote off the coffee table and switched the TV over to Disney Plus, deciding to watch a few episodes of Family Guy whilst he had some time to himself. Cas wasn’t a fan of the show, and he didn’t want to watch it around the baby, so he hadn’t been able to catch up on the new episodes in a little bit.

He lay still for about an hour, letting both boys sleep before his stomach growled in protest for lunch. He paused the TV and gently nudged Cas. The man shuffled and groaned on his chest as he was disturbed. “Baby, come on I need to get out from underneath you,” Sam said, nudging his husband a little more. Cas shifted to the right and slipped between Sam and the back of the couch, so his husband was able to slide out from underneath him. Sam did just that, chuckling quietly as his sleepy husband repositioned himself face down on the couch and promptly went back to sleep.

Sam leaned over the playpen to check on Dean who was still splayed out on his back like a starfish, his pacifier fallen to the side as drool dribbled down from his mouth. Sam smiled and gently rubbed his son’s stomach, Dean snuffling a little before settling again. Sam straightened and made his way into the kitchen, quickly whipping up a lunch of turkey and cheese sandwiches for himself and Cas and a jar of chicken and veg for Dean. He poured the slightly chunky puree into a suction bowl after heating it gently in the microwave. Happy with the temperature he placed the bowl on the tray waiting on the dining room table with his and Cas’s plates.

He crossed into the lounge and whipped out his phone, taking a quick picture of his sleeping husband and his star-fished son. He chuckled at the image and tucked his phone back in his pocket, leaning over the back of the couch to gently shake his husband. Cas groaned and sluggishly attempted to swat at Sam’s hand. Sam chuckled again.

“Cas, babe, you need to wake up,” he shook Cas again, hearing a sleepy, incoherent mumble come from him. “Come on sleepy, I made you a sandwich.” At the promise of food, Cas pushed himself up on his arms, blinking blearily at Sam.

Sam couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. Cas’s hair was stuck up all over the place and he had the pattern of the couch imprinted on his cheek from where he had been sleeping against it. A thin line of drool crawled out the corner of his mouth which Sam leant forward to wipe away. “Hey little hedgehog,” he teased as his husband glared sleepily at him. “Go sit at the table, I’ll grab the baby.” He watched as Cas stood and shuffled out of the room to sit at the table.

Sam walked up to the playpen and leaned in, gently rubbing Dean’s stomach. “Deanie, come on buddy. It’s wakey-wakey time,” he said softly, watching as the baby stirred from sleep, green eyes opening slowly. “There’s my cub,” Sam said as Dean’s eyes met his, blinking slowly after being pulled from his nap. A smile grew on Dean’s face as he saw his Daddy there, arms reaching up to be held.

“Let’s get some food that belly of yours,” Sam said as he plucked his son off the floor of the playpen, the boy curling into him as he felt the warmth of his Daddy. Sam quickly carried him over to the table where a much more awake Cas was happily munching on his sandwich. He plonked Dean down in his seat and buckled him in, clicking the tray with the full bowl over his lap and grabbing a rubber baby spoon off the table.

“You want to do it baby or you want Daddy to feed you?” he asked, holding the spoon up to show Dean. He watched the little boy contemplate for a moment before pointing to himself. “Okay, champ, just remember you might need a bath after,” Sam said. “Uh,” Dean said, pointing to himself again with a defiant expression. Sam chuckled and handed the spoon to Dean’s uncoordinated hands, the boy taking it and plunging it into the mush in his bowl.

Sam took a seat across from his husband next to Dean and tucked into his own sandwich, smiling across at his husband whose hair was still awry. He reached over and flattened some of the spiky hairs, Cas giving him a playful glare as he chewed his food. The family ate in comfortable quiet, just the sound of Dean’s sloppy eating breaking the silence. As Sam finished his sandwich, Cas was using a burp cloth to clean as much of the mess of Dean’s face as he could. Not that it mattered as most of it was all over their son’s clothes, hands, and somehow even in his hair.

“Deanie,” Sam said, pushing his and Cas’s plate to the side as Cas leaned back, sudden anxiety evident on his face. Dean’s focus slid to his Daddy as he sensed the tone of the room change. Papa looked nervous and Daddy looked serious. Was he in trouble? Had he done something wrong? Oh fuck, were they getting rid of him? A small bubble of fear rose in his chest and he could feel his eyes starting to prickle with tears. Daddy seemed to notice and immediately went to comfort him, rubbing a finger across his cheek. “Oh no buddy, we aren’t mad. You aren’t in trouble we just want to ask you some questions, that’s all.” Dean immediately felt a little better, the tears no longer threatening to fall as he took a deep breath. Daddy wouldn’t lie, it’s all okay. He kept thinking reassurances to himself as Daddy began to talk, Papa seeming to be silent from anxiety as he looked at Dean.

“So, Dean, when I got home last night, I noticed you put a little present by the door,” Daddy began, leaning forward with a little smile. Oh crap, the salt line. Dean had forgotten all about that. Shit, he really hadn’t thought ahead about their reactions. “I have to say, you are a very smart little boy for trying to protect our home,” Daddy said, confusing Dean immediately. Protect their home? How did Daddy know what the salt was for?

“I know why you put it there baby, but me and Papa are just concerned about how you knew to do that,” Daddy asked, drawing Dean’s attention again. “Gam-Gam taught me all about the supernatural when I was leaving for college. She comes from a family of supernatural hunters, and she wanted me and Auntie Charlie to know how to look after ourselves and our future families, but we were told never to get into that life.” Daddy continued, Dean hanging onto his every word. Gam-Gam was a hunter? Well, her family were. Damn, what a small world.

“Honeybee,” Papa asked with a wobbly voice. Dean looked over at him, his heart clenching a little at the worried look on Papa’s face. “Were you a hunter before you got spiked? Is that maybe why you were spiked?” Papa was looking at him with big blue eyes. Dean hesitated. He didn’t want to hurt Papa and Daddy with his past, but they seemed so worried. They wanted to know, in fact, they deserved to know. Slowly Dean nodded, looking between his Papa and Daddy as they shared concerned yet knowing looks.

“Dean, you were only 23 when you were spiked,” Daddy said, looking back at him. “How old were you when you started to hunt?” Dean hesitated again before lifting his hands and clapping four times. He’d started just after his mother had died, his father going crazy with revenge and dragging poor Dean around the country to find his mother's murderer. They killed any supernatural being they encountered, John practically turning his son into a serial killer before he could even read the word.

Dean looked between his two daddies, both of them wearing matching faces of shock and horror. Papa’s eyes were growing watery as rage seeped into Daddy’s. “If I ever meet the person that pushed him into that life,” he said, turning to Papa as his fists clenched on the table. Papa reached across and grabbed his hands, rubbing his thumbs along Daddy’s knuckles.

“I know, Sam, I know,” Cas said as he soothed his angry husband, tears threatening to fall. “But he’s here, with us now. He won’t be hunting ever again.” Dean knew he should feel outraged at that sentence, hunting was his lifeblood for Christ's sake. But he couldn’t bring himself to care. He was here with his Daddy and Papa, and he was more than happy to stay here rather than bust his ass trying to save people who barely gave him a thank you.

A lone tear slipped from Cas’s eyes, Sam having his anger dissipate at the sight of his upset husband. He sighed and leaned over the table, wiping away the tear on his husband’s cheek. He nodded at Cas as he leaned back, his mind swirling with all the possible horrors his son had seen and had to endure over the years.

Cas could see his husband getting lost in his own mind, so he took action. He reached over and unbuckled Dean, making sure to pull the boy close and plant a big kiss on his forehead before handing him over to Sam. “Take him upstairs and give him a bath, babe,” he said with a small smile as Dean curled into his Daddy, Sam holding him close and kissing his cheek as he did so. “I’ll take care of the dishes, thank you for making lunch,” he said, rubbing Sam’s arm as he passed to the stairs. Sam knew Cas was giving him this task so he would be distracted from his thoughts, and he was grateful. His husband knew him far better than even he knew himself.

Soon, Cas had cleared the dishes away and Sam and Dean were back downstairs, the baby fresh and clean after a messy bath. The family sat down and continued their lazy day, the two daddies cuddling their baby between them as they enjoyed the cartoons. After an afternoon nap and a dinner of chicken salad and soft finger foods for Dean, the family were heading to bed. Dean had knocked out during his nighttime baba and Sam was teetering on the edge of sleep as Cas pulled his husband's clothes off and helped him change into his night clothes. Cas was glad Sam had allowed him to nap earlier but felt a little guilty after finding out his husband didn’t, leading him to now being absolutely shattered.

Cas guided Sam into bed and quickly changed himself before lying down and shuffling back to his husband's chest, lifting Sam’s strong arms to wrap around his smaller frame. Sam nuzzled into the back of his neck as Cas sighed deeply. Today had been bittersweet. He was glad they learned more stuff about their son, but it was horrifying to know he had led such a difficult life. The horrible thoughts rolled in Cas’s head, only being silenced by his husband tightening his grip on him. “He’s here with us, and he’s safe,” Sam mumbled in his ear. Cas relaxed into the taller man’s hold and repeated the words to himself. Their son was with them, and he was safe.

He was safe.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, see you in the next one. :)

Chapter 11: Baby Yoga? Really?

Summary:

Sam and Dean go to a baby yoga class.

Notes:

Hi again, I'm back with another chapter. Would love to see some comments from you guys about what you think will happen in the future. I've planned most of the story and I wonder if you guys might have any idea where it is headed. Enjoy. :)

Dean was really enjoying this oatmeal. Papa had put a little bit of sugar in it and stirred it in before he sat down opposite him and started to feed him. He didn’t really like being fed, he wanted to do it himself. He still had his hands, he wasn’t useless, but Papa and Daddy seemed to enjoy the experience so he just made do. Plus it usually meant he avoided a bath if he was spoon-fed by an adult. He tended to turn himself into a walking version of whatever he was eating when he was in control. It was difficult okay!

Papa deposited another spoonful of oatmeal in his mouth accompanied by car noises. He’d first attempted to do a plane imitation but Dean wasn’t having any of that, planes were scary and he hated them. Then Papa had tried train noises and Dean hadn’t budged again, trains were boring. Eventually, Papa had imitated a car and Dean had happily opened his mouth to let the sticky sweet breakfast in. Papa had seemed very proud of himself, smiling wide as Dean had worked the food in his toothless mouth, cheeks puffing out with the effort.

As Papa was spooning up the last of the oatmeal, Daddy appeared from upstairs. And what the hell was he wearing? Dean stared at his Daddy for a second before bursting out laughing. He was dressed in a pair of black shorts, a grey tank top and slip-on black Vans. What really broke Dean was his Daddy’s long brown hair, which was pulled back into a half-up half-down style complete with a man bun. He looked like a model for a health magazine and Dean just couldn’t handle it.

Cas watched as Dean dissolved into a mess of baby belly laughs, the sound making him grin wide and chuckle. He turned and saw Sam appearing with a surprised smile, immediately understanding why Dean was laughing. He chuckled a little as his husband cast him a confused look. “What? What’s so funny?” Sam asked, confused but unable to stop the smile spreading across his face from his two boys' laughter.

“Babe, I get why you’re dressed like that, but the man bun?” Cas asked, his hand raising to partially cover his infectious grin. Dean doubled over as he burst out once more into hearty laughs in front of him, leaning over the high chair tray with his nose almost to the plastic. Cas laughed along as Sam plastered on a face of mock offence.

“I’ll have you know I look amazing,” Sam said, flicking his hair like a high school girl. Dean giggled as he panted, his breath gone from all the laughing. Cas reached to grab Dean’s sippy cup of juice from the table and handed it to Dean who took it and began to guzzle it down. He won't lie, his husband did look amazing in just shorts and a tank top. It accentuated his slim and muscular build, his biceps flexing as he moved some hair from his face. Cas couldn't help but let his eyes roam his husband, imagining all the things he could do to him in the privacy of a locked room. Sam crossed the space and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of the baby’s head. He rounded the back of Cas’s chair and leant over, resting his arms over his husband's shoulders and gently gripping his chin, tilting the shorter man’s head up to look at him upside down.

“I know what you’re really thinking babe,” he said lowly with a wink as Cas’s blue eyes widened and a blush crept up his cheeks at being caught. Sam tickled his fingers along the sensitive spot on his husband’s neck causing the man to shiver as his eyes fluttered. The tall man grinned at his success and pressed a kiss to the top of Cas’s head before he grabbed the burp cloth on the man’s lap and went to clean his son’s face. Cas flinched at the sudden contact so close to his crotch and quickly busied himself with cleaning the baby’s breakfast away, his face flush and his mind spinning.

Sam was still grinning as he finished cleaning Dean and noticed the boy was all changed and ready, probably the reason why Cas spoon-fed him. “Thanks for changing him babe,” he said as he watched Cas clean the tray in the kitchen. “Does he need a diaper change before we go?” Sam asked as he lifted the baby out of the chair and onto his hip. The small boy was dressed in a pale blue short-sleeved onesie with elastic-waisted grey sweatpants over the top.

“He had a change just before eating so he shouldn’t need one for a little bit,” Cas responded over his shoulder, not looking at his husband purposefully. “I’d still take the bag though, I don’t know how long you’re gonna be gone for.” Sam heeded his husband’s words and grabbed the diaper bag from where it rested by the kitchen island, sparing his husband little glances as the shorter man kept his back to him. Maybe he shouldn’t have teased him. Was Cas mad at him now?

“Uh?” Dean questioned from his hip, the boy wearing a look of confusion as Sam crossed to the lobby and grabbed his keys from the glass bowl. Sam smiled at the boy, realising he hadn’t explained today’s adventure.

“Me and you are going to a little class today, bud,” Sam said, watching as anxiety, fear and confusion all passed the small boy’s features in quick succession. “It’ll be okay baby, I’m gonna be with you the whole time and you might even end up enjoying yourself.” He said as he tickled Dean’s bare feet, another thing the boy didn’t seem too happy about.

“Uh,” Dean grunted again, pointing to his little toes.

“No duck,” Sam said as he opened the door, hearing Cas’s footsteps coming up behind him. “You don’t need socks for today.” Sam grinned at Dean’s little pout of annoyance before he felt his husband’s arm slipping around his waist. He turned in the grip to see Cas staring at him with big blue eyes. Cas leaned forward and hugged his husband, resting his chin on the man’s chest and looking up at his face with a smile.

“So you aren’t mad at me?” Sam asked, quirking an eyebrow up at his husband. Cas grinned and held his husband tighter, slipping his hand down between them both and stroking a hand across his husband’s clothed member. Sam tensed and his breath hitched as Cas looked up at him with a face of feigned innocence. Suddenly the contact was gone leaving a line of fire where his husband had touched him, the shorter man quickly detaching from him with a wink and a sly smile and pressing a kiss to their baby’s cheek.

“You behave for your Daddy, baby bee,” he grinned and tickled the little boy, earning a giggle in response. He looked back at Sam who was standing with wide eyes and a flush creeping from his neck to his cheeks, mouth opening and closing in an attempt to speak. Cas smirked in victory and sauntered away back to the kitchen, making sure to sway his hips just a little more as he departed. Sam stood shell-shocked for a moment as he watched his husband slink away. He seriously considered abandoning his plans for the day and spending the day having ‘fun’ with his conniving husband before he felt a little hand grip some of the clothing covering his chest.

He looked down and saw Dean leaning into him, his head resting on him as he waited patiently to get going, little legs swinging in boredom. Sam snapped into motion and slipped out the front door, shutting it behind him and locking it as the little boy watched, nodding in approval at the action. He quickly loaded his son into his car and shook out his limbs, trying to rid himself of the arousal coursing like electricity through his body at his husband’s actions. He climbed in the driver's seat and started the ignition, pulling out the drive as the radio switched on.

The drive wasn’t too long and soon Sam was pulling into a parking space in front of his local gym. He’d been coming here ever since he and Cas had moved to Wichita Falls and all the staff knew him by name. He chatted with everyone here and he saw them at least once per week so he was a well-known and well-loved face in the establishment. He put the car in neutral and quickly jumped out, crossing to the back right door, opening it and being greeted by two big green eyes looking up at him.

“Hey little duck, we’re here,” he said with a big smile as he turned the seat using the lever and unbuckled the curious baby who was now scanning the surroundings from his position on his Daddy’s hip. Sam grabbed the diaper bag and slung it over the shoulder opposite Dean, shutting the car door and locking it with his fob. He tucked the car keys into the diaper bag and made his way towards the building. He glanced at the small boy on his hip and was greeted with a pout and little brows furrowed in confusion.

“This is Daddy’s gym, Deanie,” he said, tickling under one of Dean’s feet, the little boy wriggling with a smile. “I saw a class advertised here for parents and babies between the ages of 6-12 months so I thought me and you could come and try it out.” Dean looked up at him with pouted lips and an expression Sam couldn’t read. Possibly doubt mixed with a little indignation? It was hard to determine the emotion of a grown man’s mind on the face of a baby, especially on a baby as cute as Dean which just served as a distraction.

The sliding doors hissed open to welcome Sam and Dean into the cool, air-conditioned lobby of the gym. The large reception desk stretched from wall to wall with the gym’s name and logo branded on the wall behind it. Two women and a man dressed in uniforms sporting the same logo worked behind the desk. Sam knew all of their names without needing to look at their nametags. “Hi Bela, Ruby, Arthur,” he said with a smile as he carried Dean up to the desk. The youngest lady, Ruby, was the first to look up, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She smiled seeing it was Sam addressing her.

“Sam! It’s good to see you, we missed you this week,” she said with meaning. Sam having skipped his usual session on Wednesday as he and Cas had to travel to Lebanon as soon as he got home from work in order to pick Dean up from the hospital the following day. “And who is this little man?” she asked, spotting the green-eyed baby staring at her from Sam’s hip.

“This is my son, Dean,” he said with a smile as Ruby, Bela and Arthur’s heads all snapped to look at him. They all knew how he and Cas had been struggling with the adoption process before they found Dean. Bela squealed and came rushing over to pull Sam into a hug over the desk.

“Oh, Sam! That’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you and Cas!” she said, her British accent softening her words. Both she and Ruby started to coo over Dean, the small boy seeming torn between enjoying it and curling into his Daddy shyly. Arthur stepped up next to Sam having crossed from behind the desk. “Happy for you, mate,” he said as he clapped Sam on the shoulder, his accent also holding a formal British twang. Sam felt pride swelling in his chest as he held his boy close and a smile split his face. This was all he ever wanted, to be able to go out and spend time with his son, his boy.

“Thanks, guys,” he said to the three employees. “I’m actually here to sign in for the baby yoga class.” He felt a shift on his hip as he spoke and looked down to see Dean staring at him, his expression portraying ‘seriously, yoga?’ as his eyebrows furrowed. “Da,” he said as he looked up at Sam, the taller man couldn’t help but chuckle at his son's disdain. The three employees also chuckled and cooed at Dean’s cuteness. “It’ll be fun, duck, I promise,” Sam whispered to the baby as Ruby got them signed in and pointed him in the right direction. He thanked the employees again, Ruby leaning in to bop Dean on the nose before Sam set off towards the doors to the left of the lobby.

He walked down a short corridor and opened the first door on the right as Ruby had instructed him. He entered the doorway to see a cream-coloured room with a wooden floor and a wall full of mirrors. Yoga mats lay in three rows of five across the floor and moms were dotted about the room in little huddles, their babies all held in their arms or sat in front of them. Sam felt a twinge of anxiety in his chest as the door shut behind him and he froze. He couldn’t do this, there were so many people. And he was the only guy. Cas wasn’t here. He was all alone.

Suddenly he felt a small hand patting his chest. He looked down to see Dean patting his chest, big green eyes gazing up at him with a little smile on his face. Sam smiled back at his boy. He wasn’t alone. He had his son. And he was here to spend time with his son, no matter who else was around. He leant and kissed Dean’s head, a giggle bubbling from the boy’s lips as he reached out with his hand to Sam’s face. The man lifted the baby higher and allowed him to pull his face close to plant a big kiss on his cheek. “Thanks, buddy, you’re Daddy’s little rock,” he said as he crossed to a corner of the room and placed the diaper bag in an empty space, slipping off his shoes so he was barefoot and tucking them under the bag.

Sam turned to face the room again. The moms had all drifted into little cliques at the edges of the room so luckily it left the middle of the room pretty clear. Sam stepped up to the rightmost yoga mat in the back row and took a seat, shifting Dean to sit on his outstretched legs facing him. “So Deanie,” he said in a hushed voice so only his son could hear him. “What do we think so far?” The little boy looked at him and shrugged. “Uh, Da,” he said as he held his Daddy’s large paw close to his tummy with both his little hands.

“Yeah, don’t worry buddy, I’m not going anywhere,” he chuckled as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear with his spare hand. “Wouldn’t leave my best little guy here alone,” he said and tickled Dean’s side with his finger. The little boy giggled as he batted at his Daddy’s hand. “Dada!” he squealed as Sam kept tickling. Dean fell on his back from the laughter and Sam leaned forward, assaulting every part of Dean’s ticklish torso with his fingers. The boy was squirming left and right under his touch before he quickly flipped and rocketed off his Daddy’s leg at breakneck pace, giggling madly as he crawled away. Sam scrambled forward and picked Dean up under his arms, pulling the giggling boy back to his chest and holding him up as he kissed all over his face.

Dean squealed as Daddy peppered kisses across his face. He’d become a lot more used to the strange, babyish sounds that tended to burst out of him at the most unexpected moments and he was learning to just let go of it and let them happen. Plus they seemed to make both Daddy and Papa very happy judging from the current grin spread across Daddy’s face as he held him up. “Da!” he said, holding his arms out to grab the sides of Daddy’s face and pulling him close to kiss him wetly on the lips.

“Awwww, thank you Deanie,” Sam said after his son had kissed him, subtly wiping away the baby slobber after Dean’s attention strayed from him. “How old is your little one?” A lilting voice came from beside him. Sam looked to his left to see one of the small groups of moms who had sidled over to him with their children. Five women now stood in front of him, all dressed in skin-tight yoga pants and varying workout tops. Sam cringed a little internally but slapped on a smile.

“He’s six months,” he said with a smile as he held Dean close, the small boy grabbing his shirt automatically at the presence of strangers. The woman at the front of the pack smiled at him, Sam noting there was something a little condescending in her facial expression.

“Wow, talking at six months? He must be a genius,” she said, that same condescending nature bleeding into her speech a little as the moms behind her snickered a little bit, glancing between her and the man sitting in front of them. Sam didn’t let his smile falter at the woman’s words. She was clearly trying to get a rise out of him and he didn’t want to respond, not with Dean present.

“Well, Dean is a smart little boy, aren’t you buddy?” he said, looking down at Dean. The little boy looked up at him, his expression steeling as he nodded. “Da,” he said with a confident little voice making Sam’s smile grow wider as he rubbed his hand on the baby’s back. He heard the woman scoff above him with her little posse following suit.

“My Jason was basically walking at his age,” she sneered as she repositioned the chubby little boy in her arms. Sam really didn’t like this woman, how dare she try and undermine Dean’s accomplishments. He felt the little boy curl into his chest. Dean was able to understand everything the woman was saying unlike a natural six month old and Sam didn’t want her insults to undo all the progress they had made with their boy.

“Dean doesn’t need to walk yet,” Sam started as he rubbed his hand on Dean’s back reassuringly. “He can crawl, and me and my husband are incredibly proud of him for that,” he said with a steely expression. He looked down at Dean and saw big green eyes staring up at him with admiration, a small smile gracing the baby’s lips. He looked back at the group of women and noticed all the faces had dropped with shock and disgust.

“You and your-?” the lead woman began just as the teacher walked into the room with a cheery smile and a skip in her step.

“Good morning moms and babies!” she said loudly as she stepped to the front of the class, the other groups of moms all disbanding and finding their own mats. “Oh, and a new dad I see,” she said with a smile as she noticed Sam sat cross-legged at the back with Dean against his chest. He gave a small smile as the women in the room all glanced back at him, the women from the group that had cornered him all throwing disgusted looks his way that he ignored. “Would you like to introduce yourself and your little one?” The teacher spoke as she laid out her mat and took a seat, motioning for Sam to stand.

“Uh, sure,” Sam said as he stood slowly, shifting Dean onto his hip. “Um, my name is Sam and this is my six-month-old son, Dean.” He said, motioning to Dean with his free hand. The boy on his hip looked around and noticed all eyes in the room on him. “Dada,” he said as he jabbed a finger at his Daddy’s chest. All these women had to know that this was his Daddy, his and no one else’s. All those dumb babies on the mats had to find their own.

A ripple of chuckles rolled through the room at Dean’s action. “That’s right buddy, that’s your Dada,” said the teacher in a babyish voice, smiling widely at the baby. Dean noticed a couple of women giving his tall Daddy a once over with hungry eyes. Nu-uh, this man belonged to one man only. “Papa,” he said loudly, staring down a few of the women who had been ogling his Daddy.

Sam chuckled. “No, duck, Papa’s at home, remember?” Sam said as he tickled Dean’s tummy. “Sorry, he’s never really been away from my husband yet,” he said with an apologetic smile to the teacher. Dean watched as the women who had been staring at Daddy raised their eyebrows a little in surprise before smiling politely and turning back to the teacher.

“Not a problem at all, Sam, why don’t you take a seat and we can get started,” the teacher said with a smile. Sam nodded and sat back down, depositing Dean on the mat in front of him. “Thanks, little man, those women were really giving me a once over, but you know I’m all Papa’s,” he said in a hushed voice, winking at the little baby who smiled and blinked back hard in an attempt to wink as well. Sam chuckled quietly and sat back to listen to the teacher, absentmindedly rubbing one of Dean’s bare feet between his thumb and forefinger.

After listening to instructions Sam copied what the teacher was doing. He lay Dean on his back and rolled him onto his stomach. Then he leant back and got into the downward dog pose over the small boy, just getting in the right position as Dean lifted his head. They met eye to eye with Dean staring up at his upside-down Daddy. Sam smiled as the boy let out a hearty giggle at his position, his hair flopping down and Dean reached forward to make a grab for it. Just as the boy was about to grasp a few strands dangling below his man bun, the teacher directed the change of position and he moved out of reach.

Next Sam picked Dean up and laid flat on his back, placing Dean in a sitting position on his stomach as he lifted his own legs straight up in the air, crossing them at the ankles and holding the right-angled position. Dean placed his hands on his Daddy’s chest and leaned forward, smiling a big gummy smile as he reached forward and patted his Daddy’s grinning mouth. Sam opened his mouth and grabbed Dean’s hand, pretending to munch on it whilst pulling a funny face. Dean burst into giggles again as he bounced a little on his butt. This was incredibly entertaining for some boring hippy crap, maybe he could get used to it. Maybe.

After forty five minutes of poses and a lot of giggling exchanged between the father and son, the session came to an end. Sam carried Dean back to their bag and worked with slipping his shoes back on one handed as a very tired Dean clung to him in his other. All the laughing and the few poses Dean had to be helped into had really taken it out of the baby and Sam was looking forward to getting him in the car so he could nap. As he finished with his shoes and slung the diaper bag over his shoulder, the teacher approached him.

“Hi Sam, you two did really well today for your first time!” She complimented with a smile. “It was really nice to hear all the giggling coming from both of you.”

“Thanks,” Sam replied with a smile as he shifted sleepy Dean so he was lying against his chest, his head immediately flopping to relax as his little hands grabbed his shirt. “Both me and my husband love having a laugh and so it’s no surprise Deanie picked it up from us.”

“I’ll bet,” the teacher said. “I hope we’ll see you here again, it was a pleasure having you both.” She had a hopeful expression, but Sam felt conflicted. He spared a glance towards the confrontational group from earlier who were speaking in hushed voices and occasionally throwing repulsed looks his way. He didn’t want to let them win by giving up and never showing up to another class, but he really didn’t want to deal with them alone every week. An idea suddenly sprung to mind.

“Would you mind if next time both I and my husband attended?” he started, looking back at the teacher. “We have a party next weekend but the week after would you be fine with us both attending with Dean?” The teacher turned to glance where he had been looking and spotted the group of women. A look of realisation passed over her face as she turned back to him.

“You know what, we’d love to have you both here!” She said with a big smile. “Bring him along next time, I’m sure we’d all love to meet him.” Sam smiled back at her and thanked her before leaving the room. He looked down to see Dean fast asleep against him as he held him close, one arm under his rump and the other hand resting on his back. He carried the sleeping babe through the reception, bidding a hushed goodbye to Ruby, Bela and Arthur before he left the building. He got to his car and loaded Dean into his seat in the back. He crossed around to the driver's side and climbed in, checking Dean in the monitor mirror before he put on his seatbelt and started the ignition. As he pulled out of the parking lot he got a call pop-up on the car’s Bluetooth system. He quickly answered it as he saw his husband’s name appear on the dashboard screen alongside a bee and a heart.

“Hey babe, just try and keep your voice down. I have a sleeping duck in the backseat,” he said as the call connected. He heard a hushed giggle from his husband over the call.

“I take it he enjoyed it then?” Cas asked quietly through the speakers.

“He didn’t seem like a fan at first but then we started and we were both laughing the whole time,” Sam said, a smile splitting his face as he recalled the memories. “I even spoke to the teacher and she’s more than happy for us both to go together next time.”

“Oh, Sam, I’m really glad you had fun,” he heard his husband say. He could hear the smile through the phone.

“Thanks, koala,” he teased, hearing Cas sigh through the phone. “How was it with Dr MacLeod?”

“It was good, I learnt a lot,” Cas said as a rustle came through the line. “She gave me some information pamphlets for us both to read through and then I bought a couple of EpiPens so we have them on hand. We just need to keep an eye on the expiration dates.” Sam found himself nodding along to his husband’s words before he realised he needed to verbally respond.

“Great, babe, I’ll give those a read when we get back,” he said as he navigated the roads. “We should be home in about ten minutes so I’ll see you then, okay? I love you,” he spoke with a little sing-song to his voice at the last sentence.

“I love you too, dork,” Cas chuckled over the line before it clicked and went dead. Sam sat back with a happy sigh. He glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Dean still peacefully sleeping in the monitor mirror. He smiled to himself and focused on the road again, listening to the little snores of his tuckered-out baby.

He couldn’t wait for the next class with both his boys.

Notes:

Thanks for reading. Leave a comment where you think it might go. :)

Chapter 12: Heaven's on fire!

Summary:

Cas and Dean play outside and Cas learns about his son's preferred music taste.

Notes:

Hey all, bit of a shorter one today as all my coursework deadlines are next Friday so I'm a bit pressed for spare time. Hope you enjoy it anyway. :)

Dean sat on the grass and tilted his head up, basking in the little sun that caught his face under his hat. Papa had decided it was too nice a day to sit inside whilst Daddy was at work. Dean hated that Daddy left every day, he missed the sasquatch man when he wasn’t around, and he was usually too tired to play with the man when he got home. The evening cuddles being held against a firm chest by big paws were amazing though, even Dean could admit that in all his stubbornness.

“Deanie, what you doing baby?” came Papa’s gravelly voice from behind him. Dean turned on his butt to face the dark-haired man who was bent over his luscious vegetable garden, gloved hands covered in dirt and a light sheen of sweat coating his forehead. He smiled behind his sky-blue binky as he garnered the man’s full attention, he’d just had his afternoon nap about half an hour ago and he was full of energy now.

“Suh,” he squeaked at Papa, the man grinning at him and shielding his eyes as he peered across the seven-foot gap at the baby. Dean pointed up with a little finger to accentuate his point, the sky matching the colour of the short cloth overalls he was wearing.

“That’s right bee, the sun is in the sky,” Cas said, watching as Dean rolled forward on his butt and started crawling towards the picnic blanket he had laid out when they’d first come outside. He watched as the baby came to a stop in front of the small Bluetooth speaker he’d connected to his phone to play his Spotify playlist. He tilted his head in confusion as Dean struggled to pick up the heavy speaker, eventually giving up and turning to Cas with a pout.

“Ah,” Dean grunted at Papa. Whatever the man had playing through the speaker, it was shit. He’d tolerated it for well over an hour but now he’d had enough. If he had to hear Frank Sinatra croon one more time he was going to scream, which would lead to a tantrum in his current little body.

“What’s wrong buddy?” Papa asked as he pulled off his gardening gloves and deposited them by the veg patch. He stood and came over to where Dean was, the boy glowering at him the whole time. Papa crouched down next to him and pulled the speaker from his little hands, moving it just out of reach. His hands chased it as it was taken away, his throat whining in response out of instinct.

“Ah! Ah!” he cried as the speaker slipped away.

“Alright, alright little man,” Papa said, sliding the speaker back in front of Dean who immediately took it in his hands again. He ran his hands over the sides of the speaker until he found the buttons. He peered to the left and located the button with the power symbol, pressing it and relishing in the silence that followed. He smiled up at Papa and clapped his hands in victory.

Cas tilted his head at the happy baby, a confused smile gracing his features. “Was that it, bee? You just wanted the music off?” He asked, watching as Dean nodded in response, his little bucket hat almost falling off. Cas re-adjusted the baby’s hat and slid the speaker away from him again, this time with no protest from the little boy. He scooped the baby into his arms and took a seat on the picnic blanket, grabbing the bottle of sunscreen left there and squirting it into his hands. Dean sat still as he reapplied the cream all over his arms, legs, and chubby face, making sure to get it under the collar of his white t-shirt for safety.

“Not a fan of Papa’s music taste huh buddy?” He asked, chuckling as Dean vigorously shook his head. “Well, what if Papa let you pick the music? Would Dean like that?” He laughed again as Dean squirmed in his arms in excitement. He placed the baby down and watched as Dean crawled over to his phone, sitting back on his rump and clumsily picking up the device that was larger than his head. Cas scooted over on his butt, taking the phone off Dean who whined in protest again.

“I’m just getting the music up bee, be patient,” he chided, tickling Dean’s tummy with his finger. The little boy scowled and swatted at his hand, a tiny smile peeking through of its own accord from the tickle. Cas made quick work of opening Spotify again and flipping to the search page. “Alright baby bee how are we gonna do this?” he asked. The little boy had a face of confusion, merely holding his hands out to Cas to take the phone.

Cas placed the phone on the floor in front of Dean and watched curiously as the boy leaned forward over the open, touch-screen keyboard. His breath hitched in his throat as Dean began poking at the letters with his pudgy little fingers. Dean could still read and write? Why hadn’t this occurred to him and Sam at all? They’d just assumed he had lost the skill instead of asking the baby.

He watched on with pride swelling in his chest as Dean typed slowly, having to delete a letter every now and then and attempt to type it again as his uncoordinated hands struggled with accuracy. Eventually, the baby stopped typing, reached for the search button, and pressed it. He grinned as Dean squealed in delight at the list of songs and playlists that popped up. The boy looked up at him, almost expectantly.

“Good job clever boy! You’re so smart!” he said with a big smile, Dean’s face lighting up at the praise as he bounced on his butt. The baby looked back down at the phone and clicked on the playlist button, looking over the list briefly before selecting the third playlist down and pointing at the phone.

“Papa!” he cooed as he pointed at the phone. Cas picked up the phone and turned the screen so he could see it. Open on the screen was a playlist titled ‘Dean Winchester Favs’ with a cover photo of an older version of Dean leaning against the side of a sleek black muscle car with his arms crossed, slightly bowed legs crossed at the ankles and a smile gracing his face as he looked off to the side. Cas recognised the young man as his son from the photos they had seen at the hospital with Rachel. He glanced up at the baby and saw him sitting patiently, hands resting on the floor between his legs.

“This used to be yours, baby? Like, when you were bigger?” he asked a little dumbly, of course it was his son’s playlist. It has his name for god’s sake. He turned the phone screen back to Dean, the baby leaning forward and re-reading the playlist title.

“Uh uh,” he grunted, pointing at the screen and shaking his head. Cas looked at the screen again, confused.

“What, honey?” he asked as Dean crawled over to sit in his lap. Once settled Dean pointed at the name ‘Winchester’ on the screen.

“Nuh,” he said, shaking his head at the word.

“Winchester?” Cas asked, Dean nodding in response. He watched as the baby pointed to his own chest before poking his finger into Cas’s chest. Cas was dumbfounded for a second before realisation hit him and he felt emotion well up in him. “You want me to change it? To Wesson?” he asked a little hesitantly, not wanting his feelings to be too hurt if he had interpreted wrong.

His heart burst when Dean nodded in response, smiling a big, gummy smile from behind his pacifier. He felt tears prickle the corners of his eyes but he held them in, smiling widely at the baby in his lap. He leant down and pressed a kiss to the boy’s forehead, leaning further when Dean reached up with both hands to hold the sides of his face, taking out his pacifier and giving him a wet kiss on the lips before popping the rubber back in his mouth.

“Thanks, honeybee,” he grinned as a tear slipped out. He wiped it quickly and clicked the save and download button on Dean’s playlist, watching as the download bar completed quickly. He opened the newly saved playlist and clicked the edit button, changing the name Winchester to Wesson in the title. He saved the title and smiled widely as Dean cooed and clapped his hands happily. Next, the little boy pointed to the picture of the man leaning on the car.

Dean looked up at Papa and tapped the phone screen again, so the man understood. He wanted to change the picture. If he was really going to be living this new life, he was going to embrace it. No more Winchester, no more old Dean, no more reminders of John. Even if that meant removing the last photo he had of John’s beloved car that Dean had so hoped to inherit one day. He was willing to give that up for Papa and Daddy. Damn, he really loves these guys, he realised.

“You want to change the picture too honey?” Papa asked, almost a little bewildered. Dean looked at Papa with big green eyes. “Are you sure? I won’t be able to change it back, Dean,” Papa reiterated as he met his gaze. Dean paused. Is he sure? Was he ready to let go? He looked back up at Papa and thought of Daddy as well. Both men had opened their hearts and home to him. And not only that, but they had chosen him. They had chosen him. No one had ever chosen him before and the love that these men supplied him with was like nothing he had ever experienced. Not even from his own biological father.

He looked back to Papa and nodded, his little face serious and full of conviction. He was very sure. Papa looked at him for a moment, seeming frozen by emotions. Dean turned in Papa’s lap and grabbed the man’s t-shirt, pushing himself up with his shaky, weak legs as much as he could. It took him a few wobbly moments but soon he was stood upright in Papa’s lap, hands gripping the fabric at the man’s shoulders tightly to keep himself upright as he planted a binky button kiss on Papa’s stubbly cheek. The man raised his hands to Dean’s side, helping hold him up so Dean could release his shirt and pat his face, wiping away the stray tears that had escaped.

Papa laughed wetly and peppered kisses all over his face, Dean squealing as his face was battered by the man’s lips. He sunk back down onto his butt in Papa’s lap in a fit of giggles as the kissing ceased. He turned back around to rest against Papa’s stomach as the phone appeared in front of him again.

“As long as you’re sure, baby,” Cas said as he held the phone in front of the baby again, selecting the cover photo and selecting the edit option. His camera roll popped up and he started scrolling slowly. “You tell me when you see one you like, okay lovebug?” he said to the small boy in his lap. It took about five minutes before Dean made a noise. Suddenly the baby squealed as he spat out his pacifier, and Cas paused his scrolling. He watched as Dean reached forward and clumsily tapped on a photo. A photo of a selfie taken by Sam popped up. Cas was sat next to his husband on the couch with Dean in his arms facing the camera. Sam had his arm wrapped around Cas’s shoulders and the other holding the phone out from them. All three were wearing pyjamas with matching grins across their faces, Dean’s obscured by a pacifier. Cas smiled as the memory of the photo surfaced. It had been taken this Saturday past when they had spent the day watching cartoons in their comfy clothes, Sam choosing to grab a selfie to add to the scrapbook Cas was in the middle of making.

“This the one bubs?” Cas asked, Dean nodding happily with a gummy smile as his pacifier lay forgotten by Cas’s feet. “Okay! Family photo it is!” Cas cheered, bouncing Dean in his lap causing the boy to burst into giggles. He quickly saved the new cover photo and laid the baby down on his stomach on the blanket. Dean grouched as he was left to push himself into a sitting position whilst Cas grabbed the speaker and switched it back on, reconnecting his phone and queuing the playlist. Now it was time to find out the kind of music his son liked.

He pressed play just as Dean got himself upright, the start of ‘Heaven’s on Fire’ by KISS blasting out of the speaker. Cas raised his eyebrows as he looked at his son. He picked up the phone and scrolled through the playlist, noticing all the best hits of classic and mullet rock. Well, that was a little unexpected. He looked back to Dean who was bouncing on his butt along to the beat of the music, incredibly on time as well. He grinned and bobbed along with the baby, Dean’s face lighting up as he realised his Papa was joining him.

The two bobbed and danced for half an hour to the various songs that floated over the speaker, Cas lifting Dean up and dancing with him in his arms around the garden and the blanket. The vegetable patch lay forgotten for some time as the two enjoyed the sun, the music, and each other’s company.

As the evening drew close and the sky darkened, Cas packed up their stuff outside and brought the baby inside. He cooked up dinner and he and Dean sat down together. After an hour or so, Sam arrived home, fulfilling his nighttime routine of cuddles with Dean and giving him his bedtime baba before they both tucked the baby into his crib.

Cas recounted the happenings of the day once the husbands were alone and played a few of the playlist songs to his husband. And who was to judge if they used a couple of the more heated songs in the bedroom that night?

What Dean doesn’t know can’t hurt him.

Notes:

Thanks again for reading guys. See you sometime soon. :)

Chapter 13: ((NOT A CHAPTER)) Addressing Something

Hi all, I just wanted to type this up to address something quickly.
Today It was brought to my attention by a commenting guest reader that apparently, a chapter of my book is super similar to one in a chapter called 'Cursed Blessings'. This is written by Jysmo and I haven't read this fic.
I definitely appreciate why some people may be mad at me thinking I am plagiarising or stealing from this story but I swear I am not.
I believe it was last updated in 2020, I wasn't even aware of AO3's existence at that time. I only discovered it very recently and started writing here.
However, I am more than happy to give credit for the idea of baby Dean and stuff to this person. I know this is not an original idea from the tag searching I've done and if Jysmo is my predecessor for this idea then no problem! Credit where credit is due.

Plagiarism is not a good thing, and I don't support or condone it.
That is why I am giving credit to Jysmo as I had no intentions of copying or plagiarising anything, especially something I haven't even read. And if I have unintentionally offended anyone or pissed anyone off then I am sorry. I really am.

I am going to keep writing this story as I have already planned up to 75 chapters in advance, I just need to write them out. However, before I continue I will be reading through 'Cursed Blessings' so I can double-check my planned storyline and make sure nothing is a direct copy or too closely similar.
The last thing I want to do is seem like I am just blatantly copying someone.
I take great pride in my writing and I enjoy the process of creating a narrative so the thought that I am accidentally copying parts of someone else's storyline makes me feel sick.

Have no fear, I will continue this story, I just wanted to address this as it is the right thing to do!

Have a lovely day guys and I'll see you in the next chapter.
:)

Chapter 14: Wheeeee!!!!

Summary:

Dean and Cas go to a local soft play centre for some fun and meet a friend of Cas's.

Notes:

Hey all, so sorry for the delay in updates. I've had deadlines this week for my final projects and now I've got most of them in. Past Friday I will have a lot of time open up as it will be after my course ends. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I enjoyed writing it. :)

Tuesday mid-morning found Castiel sat downstairs with a cup of coffee on the couch, a nature documentary about bees playing on the TV. To his left, his baby boy lay on the plush floor of the playpen fast asleep, sprawled out on his back with his pacifier dangling from his lips and drool leaking down his chubby cheek. Gripped in Dean’s hand was the Eeyore plushie Cas tended to leave in the playpen. Even in his sleep, the boy had an iron grip on the soft toy and when awake he could be found babbling to it as he played with various blocks and cars beside it. It was fast becoming a favourite of his and Cas was elated. Eeyore was his favourite of the Pooh Bear characters and his heart warmed to see his boy taking after him a bit. He tended to ponder on that, on how Dean would take after himself and Sam. He would spend hours lost in a dreamland as he wondered what traits the baby would grow up inheriting and what kind of person he would become with both the memories of his past life and the nurturing of this second chance.

Cas took another sip of his black coffee, the sweetness of the honey he had added quelling the bitter taste. He watched the TV screen as a bumble bee came in for a landing and bounced along the floor rather ungracefully in its attempt. He chuckled lightly at the sight. He loved bees, he would give anything to be able to harvest his own honey at least once from a local bee farmer. He knew Sam had been looking for a long time for him, but sadly his tall husband had come up empty-handed. Oh well, it was the thought that counted and Castiel was touched at his husband’s upset that he couldn’t provide the experience. God, he loved that tall, lumbering, sweet moose of a man.

A snuffling to his left caught his attention and he glanced over to see Dean stirring from his nap. He quickly downed the last dregs of his coffee and set the empty, frog-themed mug on the coffee table. Standing up, he made his way over to the playpen and leant with his arms crossed on the side to watch as his boy snuffled and wriggled as he woke up, dropping poor Eeyore as his little hands wiped at his wet face. Sweet, mossy green eyes appeared slowly from behind blinking eyelids, staring up at him slightly glazed as the baby garnered his surroundings and became more aware. Cas smiled as the small boy blinked a few more times before his eyes became clearer and he noticed the dark-haired man leaning against the playpen. Dean’s face lit up as he saw his Papa’s blue eyes and stubbly smile, his own gummy smile present as his pacifier was lost to the playpen floor and his eyes sparkled with joy.

Cas watched as Dean rolled over and pushed himself onto all fours, struggling for a moment to free himself from his blanket before he crawled to the edge of the pen. Once at the grey wall, the boy stopped and sat back on his padded butt again, reaching his arms up towards Cas with a big smile. “Papa!” Dean squealed. Cas grinned and scooped up the baby, cuddling him close and spinning in a circle a few times, only stopping when he felt himself getting dizzy. Dean’s giggles and squeals of delight were music to his ears and Cas couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

“Woooo!” Cas said with a chuckle as he spun for the last time and stopped, the baby giggling and gripping his shirt tight with little fists. “Deanie and Papa! The human spinning tops!” Cas called as the boy on his chest leaned back and clapped with uncoordinated hands. Cas smiled at his boy and stroked back his sandy-coloured hair with his thumb. “You have a good nap baby boy?” he asked, Dean nodding his head with vigour before pointing to his open mouth.

“Uh, ah!” the baby demanded. Cas chuckled, knowing exactly what his boy wanted but wanting to play dumb for the fun of it.

“What do you mean, honeybee? You got some teeth in there?” Cas said, dramatically looking into Dean’s little mouth and seeing nothing but gums and plenty of drool. He furrowed his eyebrows in feigned confusion and leaned back again, noticing Dean’s glowering expression. He held his composure despite the laughter building in his chest. “No teeth yet buddy, what’s up?”

What the hell is Papa doing? The man was just studying his mouth looking for teeth. He didn’t have teeth Papa, that’s not the problem. He was hungry! He pointed at his mouth again, hoping Papa understood. “Ah, Pa, ah!” he emphasised it by poking at the man’s lips as well. Papa’s eyes were glinting with something akin to amusement, but Dean was too focused on his grumbly tummy, only noticing the confused look on his Papa’s face. “Pa! Ah!” he said as he poked at his Papa’s lips. Realisation seemed to cross his Papa’s face and he smiled in relief.

“Oh!” Papa said lifting Dean a little higher, so they were face to face. “You want to see Papa’s teeth?” Dean’s smile fell immediately. This man was pushing his luck. He just wants some damn food! How difficult did Papa have to make this? He felt frustration building up inside him and he let it out with a frustrated whine, kicking his feet a little so they drummed against Papa’s tummy. He felt his eyebrows lower into a glower as he tried one last time. If it didn’t work, a tantrum would.

“Ah,” he said, pointing at his mouth again and then pointing at his tummy with his pudgy index finger. “Papa, fu-oo!” he made an attempt at the word food, and it wasn’t bad at all if he said so himself. Surely Papa had to understand him now. He watched with angry eyes as Papa watched his motions.

“Baby Dean wants some tummy time on the floor?” Papa asked with a sly grin, something wasn’t right here but Dean had had it. That’s it. He tried. Time to scream.

Cas noticed Dean’s eyes getting watery as they scrunched with frustration, his little feet kicking him softly over and over as the boy stimmed to try and release some of the emotions inside his small body. Time to cut the jokes, his boy was about to have a full-blown tantrum. He heard the whine slowly building as it passed Dean’s lips. “Alright, Dean, alright I’m sorry. Papa took it too far,” he said as he rubbed the hand not holding Dean to him on the small boy’s back. “I’ll get you a snack now before we go out.” He smiled at the boy as the little kicks slowed and the wateriness of his eyes cleared. The scowl didn’t disappear though, his boy was not happy with him at all.

Cas carried the baby into the dining area and plonked him down in his highchair, clipping the buckles over him and snapping the tray in place. He crossed into the kitchen and grabbed a packet of tangy cheese Doritos for himself and some baby cheese puffs for Dean. He walked back over and sat in the chair next to Dean who was still at the head of the table. It was his spot now, if either he or Sam attempted to move the chair from its place then Dean threw a hissy fit, so the husbands had decided to just let him sit there like a king. He unclipped the top of the open baby puffs and took out five, depositing them on the tray in front of the baby who was still glowering at him.

“I’m sorry, Deanie, Papa was mean wasn’t he,” Cas said, watching as the baby nodded his head a bit. Cas sighed, leaning forward and rubbing a finger over Dean’s cheek. “You think you can forgive Papa?” he asked, looking into his son’s emerald eyes. Dean didn’t respond for a second, Cas could see the little cogs turning in his mind. A moment later Dean grabbed Cas’s hand closest to him and pulled it to his lips, planting a wet kiss on his Papa’s knuckles. “Thank you, baby bee,” Cas smiled as Dean let go and dug into the puffs on his tray, holding one in each hand so he had maximum snacking abilities.

They sat there for a few minutes, snacking in silence. Whenever Cas finished about four Doritos, he would hold out his index finger and thumb to Dean who would pause in his own snacking, leaning forward to take the appendages in his mouth one at a time to suck off the cheesy powder residue. By the time the tray was clear, and Cas’s single-serve packet was empty, all had been forgiven for the earlier teasing. Cas quickly wiped down the tray and his son, depositing the packets in the bin before quickly rinsing his own hands in the sink and making his way back over to the table to get Dean out of his chair. He wiped the remaining crumbs off the small boy’s red T-shirt and dark blue denim dungarees and made his way over to the front door.

Cas placed the baby on the floor on all fours and watched as he crawled over to the shoe rack and pulled out his little brown booties. “Bring them here, little man,” Cas said as he quickly slipped on his own matching boots and tied the laces, finishing just as Dean made it to his feet. He sat cross-legged on the floor and placed the baby in his lap with his back against his chest. He fiddled with the bottoms of the long dungarees and rolled them up so he could get the booties on over the little red socks with no hassle, rolling them back down only a little so that the trouser legs wouldn’t catch. He stood and grabbed his coat off the rack, grabbing Dean’s tiny coat as well, and laying them over the top of the diaper bag before he grabbed the strap and swung it over his shoulder. He readjusted Dean on his hip and opened the front door, grabbing his keys from the glass bowl.

“Ah, Papa!” Dean suddenly yelled. Cas froze, wondering what was wrong. He looked at the small boy who in turn opened his mouth wide, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth a couple of times.

“Oh, that’s right sweetheart! Your binkies,” Cas said, turning and walking back to the kitchen and opening the baby sanitiser on the counter. He picked out two pacifiers from between the various bottles and utensils currently being sanitised by the steam and clicked the lid shut again. He slipped one into the bag and popped the brown bear-themed one in Dean’s mouth, the baby giving him a happy nod and a smile. He smiled back and crossed to the lobby again, slipping out the door and shutting it behind him before locking it and pocketing his keys.

He loaded the bag and baby into the car with ease and climbed into the driver’s seat, turning on the GPS and putting in the address for the local soft play he and Dean were going to spend the rest of the morning at. It was a half-hour drive which wasn’t too bad, and Dean wouldn’t sleep as he’d just napped. Cas connected his phone via Bluetooth and turned on Dean’s playlist. ‘Enter Sandman’ by Metallica started over the speakers and he heard Dean squeal in delight from the backseat. He grinned to himself and drove down the driveway onto the street, following the directions on the GPS so he could get there as quickly as possible.

The drive went smoothly, Dean babbling along in the back to the songs that came on and Cas singing along as well. He’d heard some of the songs before thanks to his four older brothers and any he didn’t know he quickly learned so he could rock along with his son. Soon enough, they were pulling into the parking lot of ‘Texoma Fun House Play Centre’. Cas pulled into an empty space and put the car in park before shutting off the engine. “We’re here, baby boy,” he said over his shoulder to Dean who gurgled in response.

Grabbing the keys from the space below the dashboard he pocketed them and opened the door, hopping out and rounding the car to the back right and opening the door to access his son. “Hey, little monster, ready for some fun?” he said, tickling Deans tummy by slipping his fingers under the front of the dungarees. The boy giggled and squirmed under his deft fingers, tapering off only when Cas stopped and clicked the lever to spin the seat.

“Papa! Fuh!” Dean squealed as he was spun to face Papa. The man was smiling wide as he unbuckled him and picked him out of the comfy chair. Once he was out and perched on Papa’s hip, he stretched all his little limbs. The car chair was comfy, but damn was it good to stretch out after being cooped up in there for what felt like hours. Truthfully, he knew it was only about half an hour but who could blame him, he had a short attention span now. He swung his legs a bit as he watched Papa grab the diaper bag that went everywhere with them and locked the car, leaving the coats behind as the sun was out.

“That’s right bee, fun,” Cas said as he carried Dean to the front doors of the play centre. He’d read up on the place whilst Dean had been napping, deciding on impulse to take him there for the day rather than remaining in the house. He carried the baby through the front doors now and stepped up to the reception. A young man was looking at a computer on a desk with his back turned to him. Making it to the main desk Cas cleared his throat and the young man turned around. “Alfie?” Cas questioned, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise as a smile graced his face. Alfie smiled at him, his blue eyes sparkling at his former boss as he flicked some of his blonde hair out his face. Alfie had worked under Cas at the ‘Eden Flower Shop’ for four years before Cas had resigned so he could become a stay-at-home dad. He’d been hired as a sixteen-year-old, so Cas had had the privilege of watching the timid teenager grow into an amazing young man. Cas had fond memories of Alfie, the young man was kind and quirky and always came to work with a smile on his face. His true name was Samandriel Alfred Woods, but he preferred to just use an abbreviated form of his middle name as he found it easier and reminded him less of his…difficult family life, which he had luckily managed to escape from with the help of Cas.

“Mr Castiel!” the man said with joy. “It’s so good to see you sir!”

“Oh, Alfie, you don’t have to call me that. How many times have I told you just to call me Cas,” the older man chuckled as he readjusted Dean on his hip, the boy watching the conversation with curious eyes.

“Too many times to count sir,” Alfie laughed as he responded, still not dropping the easy formalities that seemed ever-present in his speech. “Who’s this handsome young guy?” Alfie asked, his attention shifting to the baby on Cas’s hip who curled shyly into his Papa.

“This is my son, Dean,” Cas said with a proud smile, rubbing Dean’s cheek with his thumb as the boy leaned against him, hiding half his face from Alfie who was now leaning on the counter. The young man looked up at Cas with a huge bright smile that almost blinded Dean. It was so pure and bright.

“Wow Mr Castiel! That’s amazing!” Alfie said, enthusiastically throwing himself half over the counter to drag Cas into a hug. The older man chuckled, not being surprised at all at the young man’s action. “I’m so happy for you sir! And for Mr Samuel as well!” The man said as he released Cas from his hold.

“Thank you very much Alfie,” Cas said with a smile. “How come you are working here now? Not enough hours at Eden?” He frowned a little as he saw the smile on Alfie’s face fade.

“Um, not really,” Alfie said, fidgeting a little. “They got a new manager in and…well he knew my parents…” Alfie was looking anywhere but at Cas now. Cas frowned deeply, anger bubbling in his chest a little. Of course, the poor boy’s parents had to ruin his steady job for him somehow. They were well known, powerful people in the community and poor Alfie had been disowned after he had come out as bisexual and had been forced to run away. “The new manager fired me; said he didn’t want a faggot working for him and that was that.” Alfie continued. He looked up and fixed Cas with a forced smile. “But it’s okay! This place is really nice, and the managers are also queer which is awesome,” Alfie said, his smile becoming more genuine as he spoke. “They make me feel at home and they love how hard I work. A lot of my coworkers like Jo and Aaron and Jesse are also queer too! I’m even a supervisor now!” He finished with a proud smile, Cas also feeling pride swell in his chest as he looked at the boy. He’d supported the young man in his darkest times, and he was feeling like a proud father seeing how far he had come.

“I’m really happy for you Alfie, and I’m so proud of you for keeping yourself together. You’ve done so well,” Cas grinned as Alfie basked under the compliments. He suddenly felt a patting on his chest.

“Papa! Ah! Ah!” He looked down and saw Dean pointing over through the doorway to the play area as he babbled around his pacifier. Through the glass he could see colourful inflatables and toys everywhere. Dean was fixing him with an impatient look, big green eyes seeming to say ‘come on Papa, hurry it up!’. Cas chuckled and tickled Dean’s side, the boy squirming.

“Seems like someone spotted the toys,” He grinned, looking back to Alfie. “We’ve just come for the open play session.” He said, Alfie nodding with a smile and tapping away on the touch screen in front of him. Moments later Alfie asked for both their wrists, Cas handing him his own first where the young man fixed three different colour wristbands. He tilted his head in confusion and Alfie winked at him with a smile. He was about to grab Dean’s arm to hold out when the boy beat him to it, sticking his arm out eagerly making both the older men chuckle.

“I’ve put you in for three of the one-hour sessions, all on me,” Alfie smiled as Cas spluttered in shock.

“What? Alfie I can’t…what if you...your managers-” Cas babbled out before Alfie cut him off.

“Don’t worry sir, my managers know all about you and how you’ve helped me over the years. You never have to pay here,” the young man smiled as Cas stood shocked.

“Wow, uh, I don’t know what to say Alfie,” Cas managed to get out. “Thank you, so much. That’s amazing.” Alfie smiled and rested a hand on Cas’s shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze.

“Pah-paaaaaaaa,” Dean whined from on Papa’s hip, his binky making it difficult to talk. This was so boring. There were so many colours through that door and Dean wanted to go and touch all of them. He couldn’t quite see what they were from this far away, his stupid baby eyes only let him see so far before everything went super blurry. For example, he could see Papa and the desk and Alfie with the touch screen computer, but he couldn’t see any further than that. He was desperate to know what was through the door and Papa was just taking too fucking long. It was starting to get ridiculous. He whined again as both men’s attention went back to him and gave a huge pout, kicking his legs and pointing towards the door leading to the colourful room again.

“Well, I better get this little man into that room before he throws a full-on tantrum,” Cas chuckled as Dean got more and more frustrated. Alfie laughed and wished him a good time, telling him to let the snack bar know who he was so he could get a free lunch and letting him know he needed to stay with Dean at all times. Cas felt his heart warm at the young man’s kindness and thanked him again before crossing to the door and stepping through. He watched Dean’s face as he entered the room, the baby’s eyes widening as his mouth went slack with awe. Cas snatched the bear pacifier as it slipped out Dean’s mouth. He chuckled and carried them over to the benches next to the rainbow lockers to the left of the door. He deposited the diaper bag on the floor and sat down, placing Dean in his lap. He slipped the boy’s boots off as he glanced around the room, there wasn’t really anyone else here at the moment. A few employees milled about but there were no customers. Then again it was a school day and Castiel was lucky enough to not need to have a job.

He tucked Dean’s booties into the diaper bag and pulled out a pacifier case, popping the bear pacifier inside before slipping it into his pocket in case Dean wanted it in a little bit. He then readjusted Dean on his lap so he could bend over and remove his own boots. He placed the diaper bag and his boots into one of the lockers and locked it, tucking the key into his jeans next to the pacifier case. “Right, Deanie, lets go play!” he said with a grin, Dean squealing in delight in his arms and squirming in excitement. Cas walked into the centre of the room and placed Dean on the floor in a seated position, bending over and grabbing the boy’s hands so he could pull him into a standing position.

Dean was confused, Papa had carried him into the colourful play area and put him on his butt before pulling him up to stand. Silly Papa, he couldn’t walk yet. Why couldn’t he just let him crawl? Dean looked straight up at Papa who was bent over him, holding his hands so Dean would stay upright on his weak, wobbly legs. Papa smiled down at him upside down, his hair sticking up all over the place. He couldn’t help but giggle at the funny sight, Papa was so silly! “Where to honeybee?” Papa asked, chuckling at Dean’s giggles. Dean looked back at the blurry room. Where to indeed. There were so many colours and so many shapes that it was a little overwhelming. He hesitated for a moment, torn between taking a step or turning and burying his face into Papa’s legs. “It’s alright baby boy, you can do it,” he heard Papa say from above him. He took a deep breath. If Papa thought he could do this then he could this.

He took a shaky step forward, surprised when he didn’t face plant immediately. He felt his knees buckle a little, but Papa’s firm hold on his hands kept him pulled upright. He took another few shaky steps, Papa shuffling along behind him as he turned towards a large nearby shape. As he got closer and closer it became clearer and clearer what it was. Eventually, the pair stopped right in front of a large, very colourful inflatable slide. Dean squealed in delight and looked up at Papa who was grinning brightly at him.

“Well done honeybee!” Cas said, scooping up the boy and tossing him a little in his arms causing the boy to squeal more. Cas felt pride swimming comfortably in his chest. Dean was getting so much stronger and more confident in his abilities; his development was coming along very well. “This is a good choice, bumble,” Cas said, stepping around to the front of the slide. “Shall we go up there?” he questioned the little boy, turning him so he was on his hip safely. Dean nodded with a smile but gripped tight onto his Papa’s shirt with both hands. Cas quirked an eyebrow at him but climbed on to the inflatable and started to climb up the steep ladder on the left side. It was difficult with the baby in his arms and he was glad there were inflatable walls both sides of the ladder so he could lean a little into them as he climbed.

Eventually he made it to the top and he sat down, the plastic tarp roof too low for him to be standing. He shuffled over on his butt until his legs dangled over the edge of the yellow plastic that made up the large slide section. He pried Dean off his hip and sat him on his lap facing outwards, the small boy had a death grip on Cas arms that were locked around his middle. Cas hesitated for a second, Dean seemed kind of scared. Maybe going down would help him. “Ready baby boy?” he asked, not waiting for a response, and quickly pushing himself off the edge so they slid down. It was fast and was over in seconds, Cas making an exaggerated ‘wheee’ noise the whole way down as Dean clung onto his arms with both his little arms and legs.

Once at the bottom, Cas released his arms form around Dean and turned the boy to face him. The small boy had a shell-shocked expression on his face and he seemed torn between crying and laughing. “You okay little bee, was it fun?” Cas asked, studying his boy with concern. It took Dean another moment before he let out a squeal and began to giggle. Cas sighed in relief and laughed himself.

“G-ah, Papa, g-ah,” the boy giggled, pointing back up the slide and bouncing in his Papa’s hold. Cas smiled and stood, lifting the boy onto his hip and climbing the ladder again. They reached the top and he shuffled over again on his butt, letting his legs dangle and rearranging his son before pushing off and sliding down. This time Dean threw his little hands up in the air and squealed the whole way down, Cas copying the motion with one of his hands still using the other to hold Dean close. They both became a laughing pile at the bottom before Dean demanded to go again.

It went like this for the next hour and a half, Cas carrying Dean up various different inflatables and holding him tight as they slid down. Between the inflatables he placed Dean down and held him up so he could toddle over to the next inflatable in his eyeline. He wanted to give the boy as much opportunity for choice as well as helping him build his muscles so he could get around easier. They spent the time laughing and squealing and having fun.

Eventually, lunch rolled around, and Dean was starting to become less interested in the inflatables and more interested in wobbling over towards the snack bar. Cas redirected him the first couple of times, the pout he gave making the employees dotted around chuckle a bit before he finally let Dean lead him over the third time. He scooped the boy up as they got closer and Dean grinned at him, happy his plan for food finally worked. Cas reached the snack counter and peered at the menu behind the young girl working there. It took him a moment to find something he knew he would like, on the other hand Dean was easy to pick for as the boy was like a human hoover. He would eat anything.

“Hi, can I get a club sandwich with chips and the side salad?” Cas asked the blonde girl.

“Of course! Anything else?” She responded as she tapped the computer screen a few times.

“Yes, a kids tomato pasta please,” he said with a smile after he'd thoroughly read through the meals ingredients and allergens, feeling Dean kick in excitement on his hip. The girl tapped the screen again a few times, grinning at the happy baby.

“Any drinks for you both?” She asked, looking back to Cas.

“Can I get a peach iced tea please and just a small glass of juice and a glass of tap water. I’ll mix them in my son’s sippy cup.” Cas said, pulling out his phone to pay with contactless.

“Of course, sir, and don’t even think about it,” she said with a grin, nodding her head sat his phone. “I know who you are, Mr Wesson. That Alfie from the front desk came and told me. He talks about you a lot.” Cas sighed and smiled, shoving his phone back in his pocket.

“Spend a lot of time with him do you,” he said with a wink. The young girl blushed hard a smiled sheepishly down at the computer screen before printing the order. “I’m sorry, I’m only teasing you…”

“Jo,” the girl finished for him with a smile, tapping at the nametag on her chest. Above which a small badge sporting the pansexual flag resided. This must have been the Jo that Alfie mentioned earlier. If his eyes hadn’t deceived him, the young man’s eyes had sparkled just a little more when mentioning the young woman’s name.

“Jo,” Cas repeated. “If you like him, go for it. I’m sure he likes you back, he’s a good kid,” Cas said as he readjusted Dean on his hip, the boy had been very patiently waiting for his Papa to finish his conversation.

“I might do just that, sir,” Jo said with a shy smile. “If you take a seat, I’ll bring your food to you when it’s done.” She said, gathering the order ticket in her hands.

“Thank you, I’m just going to change this little monster but we’ll be at that table there when we are done,” Cas said, pointing towards a nearby table that had a normal chair and a highchair already tucked up to it. Jo nodded and departed to the back kitchen as Cas turned and made his way back to the lockers, grabbing out his boots and slipping them on quickly. He didn’t really fancy going into a public access toilet in his socks. He grabbed the diaper bag and went into the baby change toilet, locking the door behind him. “Let’s do this quick, huh buddy,” he said, Dean nodding in agreement. He pulled down the changing table from the wall and laid out his changing mat before he laid Dean down and made quick work of the diaper change. Soon enough, Dean was fully dressed again with the soiled diaper and used wipes deposited in the diaper bin in the corner. He sat Dean up on the table and quickly relieved himself in the nearby toilet before he washed his hands, picked up his son and the diaper bag and left the room.

After depositing his boots and the bag back in the locker he made his way over to the table he’d pointed out to Jo. Resting in front of the normal chair was a tall glass of iced tea and two smaller glasses with water and orange juice. He deposited Dean in the wooden highchair, buckling him in safely, and took a seat next to the boy. He placed the burp cloth, bib and sippy cup on the table he’d grabbed from the diaper bag before setting to work mixing a little bit of juice with a whole lot of water. He handed the full sippy cup to Dean who guzzled down some of the mixture, puffing out little breaths around the rubber spout. Cas smiled and took a sip of his own drink, the peachy flavour tasting sweet on his tongue.

Soon, Jo came with their food and Cas attached the bear themed bib around Dean’s neck before he fed the boy small spoonful’s of pasta. He’d pause every now and then when Dean was chewing to take a few bites of his own food, relishing the myriad of tastes that flooded his mouth. After they’d finished, he quickly cleaned down the baby with the burp cloth and thanked Jo who came to clean their table. He went back to the lockers to deposit their stuff in the diaper bag before he set Dean on the floor again. He felt that the boy had done enough toddling for the day and just decided to let him crawl around. He followed close behind him as he took photos and short videos to show Sam later, even one where he propped up the camera and helped a grinning Dean toddle towards it as he held him up. Sam was going to love it.

After another half an hour of playing with some random toys and going down just a couple of slides, Cas could see that Dean’s eyes were getting droopy. He had been slowing down the past ten minutes and he’d been more whiny than happy. Deciding it was time to go, Cas scooped Dean up and made his way back to the lockers. There was no protest from the tired little boy, who just plopped his head on his Papa’s chest and observed what he was doing. Cas slipped his boots on and adjusted Dean so he could slip on his little booties. He grabbed the bear pacifier out of the case in his pocket and popped it in Dean’s mouth. The boy started suckling immediately, his eyelids drooping even more as he fought to stay awake. Cas smiled, the baby was definitely going to knock out in the car. He grabbed the diaper bag and slung it over his shoulder, waving goodbye to Jo before he stepped through the door back into the reception.

“Mr Castiel!” Alfie called from behind the desk. “Did you have a good time?” Cas smiled and crossed to the boy who was holding a pair of scissors, motioning for Cas to hold out his arm.

“We had a great time, Alfie, thank you,” Cas said, watching as the wristbands were cut off his arm before holding up Dean’s arm. The boy was too tired to move so he remained laid against his Papa and let him do all the work as he just watched. “This one is all tuckered out,” Cas said with a grin.

“I’ll bet,” Alfie said as he snipped off Dean’s wristbands as well, tossing them all in the nearby trash. “There’s a lot in there to do for such a little man,” he cooed as he rubbed a knuckle over Dean’s cheek. The boy smiled sleepily behind his pacifier and leaned into the touch, Alfie smiling up at Castiel in glee. “Oh, and you’ll never guess what happened sir!” Alfie continued. “One of my co-workers, Jo, just came and asked me if I wanted to go roller skating this weekend!”

Cas grinned at the cute idea and silently cheered to himself. “That's great Alfie, you guys have a great date,” he said, patting the boy on the shoulder. “I’ve got to get Dean home, but message me if you need anything. Anything at all, okay?”

Alfie blushed as he smiled bashfully. “I will sir, and I promise I’ll message you soon,” he said, waving goodbye as Cas turned and walked to the door. He grinned even more when the small baby on the older man’s hip turned to look at him over Cas’s shoulder and gave him a sleepy wave.

Cas made it back to the car and quickly loaded in the diaper bag and his son, laying a small blanket from the bag over Dean’s legs after he was all buckled in. The baby was fading fast and would be asleep in no time, his eyes drooping heavily as Cas clicked the lever and turned the seat so it was rear facing. Cas climbed in the driver’s seat and started the car, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the street so he could begin the journey home. Two minutes into the ride he glanced in the rearview to see his son fast asleep in the monitor mirror. He could hear the soft snores coming from the back seat and he grinned.

He turned on Dean’s playlist quietly and hummed along to the songs as they played over the speakers, tapping the steering wheel to the beats. He smiled to himself as he recalled their little adventure and all the pictures he had taken. He couldn’t wait to tell Sam all about it later.

Notes:

Thanks again for reading, I hope you all have a good day. :)

Chapter 15: Butterfly Friends

Summary:

The Wesson trio visit a butterfly centre on Sam's day off to celebrate Dean's first full week with them.

Notes:

Hello guys, I'm sorry for not updating for a week or so. I finished my degree work and I reeeaaalllyyyyyy needed a break so I visited my parents. Hope you're all okay and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

Sam bounced his son in his arms, coaxing small giggles from him, as they strolled through the doors of the local butterfly centre. Cas walked beside him, diaper bag slung across his shoulder as he rummaged around inside for his wallet. Sam glanced over at his husband and noticed his searching.

“Hey, babe, if you’re looking for your wallet, it’s in the backpack,” Sam said, Cas pausing in his search and fixing him with a confused look.

“Huh? I swear I put it in here?” Cas said, a frown curling his lips downward.

“I moved it into the backpack along with your glasses and phone,” Sam said, adjusting Dean slightly as the boy leaned and twisted in his Daddy’s grip to look around the gift shop they were stopped in the middle of. “I thought it would be easier to have all that important stuff on me so the diaper bag could just be Dean’s stuff.”

Cas rolled his eyes but smiled as he tugged Sam around so he could access the black backpack on his tall husband's back. He zipped it open and grabbed out his wallet and glasses case, snapping it open and quickly slipping them on before he tossed the case back in the bag and zipped it close. “Next time, tell me when you switch stuff around you dummy,” Cas chided as he swung the diaper bag so it rested against his lower back.

Sam chuckled and flicked some of his long hair out of his face. “I always forget how adorable you look in your glasses,” he teased, struggling with Dean as the small boy tried to reach and grab some of the toys nearby. Cas blushed a deep red as a shy smile crept across his lips.

“Shut up, I just want to see the butterflies better,” he muttered, looking down and quickly starting to walk away towards the cash desk. Sam chuckled to himself and caught up with him with long strides, reaching his spare hand out to tickle the back of his husband's neck. Cas squirmed away and swatted his hand in response, trying and failing not to smile.

Dean was enraptured by all the blurry colours passing him. He couldn't really see what they were but he could guess from the colourful medley that he was surrounded by toys. He kept reaching out to try and grab some as they passed but Daddy’s strong arms quickly wrestled him back to a safe position on his chest. This wasn’t fair! It was fucking torture! How dare Papa and Daddy bring him to a place full of toys and not let him even touch one? He felt frustration starting to build in his tiny frame and could quickly feel it starting to spiral out of his control.

“Dah-deeeeee,” he whined, kicking his feet against Daddy as he made grabby hands towards a nearby colourful shelf they were passing. “Dada, uh, uh!” he whined again, patting Daddy’s face with one of his chubby little hands as he continued to try and grab with the other.

Sam ignored Dean’s hand patting his face and used his spare hand to pull Dean’s wild little grabby hand back close to his body. “No little duck, we’ll come back here later,” he said, noting how Dean’s feet were kicking and his lips were scrunching in the way they usually did when he got frustrated. “We gotta go see all the pretty butterflies first, then we can come back later and maybe get something for your room. How does that sound?” Sam continued, Cas casting a smile back at him with an agreeing nod.

Dean contemplated the compromise for a second. He really wanted to touch all the colourful objects, but he also liked the sound of seeing all the butterflies. He paused in his kicking and studied his Daddy’s face. Daddy hasn’t lied yet so Dean had no reason not to believe that they wouldn't come back later, but he was still cautious to trust his words. Daddy seemed to notice his hesitation and held out his little finger to Dean. “I pinky promise baby boy,” Daddy said, looking straight into Dean’s eyes with his own hazel ones. Dean studied his eyes for a second but found no deceit present. He nodded his little head and grabbed his Daddy’s finger with his whole hand. Daddy smiled and adjusted him so he was sitting on his hip as they came to a desk with a lady behind it.

“Hi, Welcome to Wichita Falls Butterfly Centre. How can I help you guys today?” the woman said, smiling brightly at the little family.

“Hi, can I pay for two adults and an infant please?” Cas said, smiling back at the woman. He felt Sam move up beside him and place a hand around him to rest on his waist. He glanced up and came face to face with a very smiley little boy.

“Papa,” Dean squealed as he reached out to touch the glasses on Cas’s face. The dark-haired man quickly stopped his son’s little hand from smudging his lenses, grinning at the boy’s enthusiasm. Dean giggled and tried to reach with his other hand that Cas stopped as well, causing the boy to dissolve into laughter.

“What’s so funny, bee? You think Papa’s glasses are silly?” he asked with a chuckle as Dean laughed a little harder, the baby’s laugh was very infectious. He noticed a couple of nearby people in the gift shop casting smiles their way as Dean giggled.

“You certainly have a very happy little boy,” the woman behind the desk commented as she finished on her computer screen and reached under the desk to grab the corresponding wristbands for their visit. Sam took the wallet out of Cas’s hand and passed the giggly baby into his arms, Dean immediately making grabs for his Papa’s glasses again as Cas wrestled with him to keep his little fingers away from the frames on his face.

“He hasn’t seen him in his glasses before, so I think he’s finding it rather hilarious,” Sam explained to the employee as he pulled a card out of the wallet. “How much do we owe?”

“Well infants are free, so the two adult admissions come to $25,” the woman said with a smile, glancing between Sam and the wrestling match happening next to him. Sam tapped the card on the contactless reader and listened for the tell-tale beep before he slipped the card back in the wallet and shrugged his backpack off one shoulder, so he was able to swing it around and open it. He dropped the wallet inside and zipped it back up as the woman handed him a leaflet and motioned for him to hold out his wrist. He took the leaflet in one hand and held out his left wrist so the woman could attach the white wristband adorned with little black butterflies and the centre’s name around it.

Meanwhile, Cas had managed to wrestle Dean into a position where he physically could no longer make a grab for his face. Dean was lying face down across one of Cas’s arms, his chest against Cas’s large hand and his legs on either side of his forearm by his elbow. The baby’s giggles were tapering off, but a big gummy smile remained on his face as he found the position very entertaining. Sam turned and saw how Cas had positioned Dean, letting out a laugh as Dean glanced up at him.

“You look like you’re carrying a frozen turkey in a store,” Sam laughed as Cas chuckled, waving Dean about a bit.

“I have no idea what you are on about,” Cas smiled as he held his free wrist out to the cashier so she could attach his wristband. “This is my new bracelet, it’s a little heavy but it’s rather pretty, no?” Cas teased with a smile, feeling Dean’s stomach bouncing as he giggled again. Cas held the arm with Dean on out to the cashier so she could grab Dean’s little wrist and attach the infant wristband.

“Oh, it’s your best yet,” Sam commented with a serious head nod, his resolve breaking as Dean giggled again. The cashier chuckled from beside them and Sam suddenly noticed they’d created a line behind them. He quickly slipped his backpack back on properly and thanked the woman before he ushered Cas away from the desk and out of the gift shop. They crossed to a bench in the courtyard in front of the aptly named ‘Butterfly Dome’, Cas slipping off the diaper bag so he could deposit it on the wooden seat and grab Dean off his arm.

“What are we going to do with you, you little monster,” Cas said, holding Dean out at arm's length above his head. Dean giggled and kicked his legs as he reached down to make grabby hands at the glasses again. Cas rolled his eyes and looked exasperatedly at his husband who was chuckling as he rooted through the diaper bag for Dean’s pacifier and its matching clip. Cas went to lower Dean to his chest again when he caught a whiff of his boy’s rear end.

“Oh, I think someone needs a change,” Cas commented, still holding Dean out from him as the boy blushed and curled his legs up like a newborn in embarrassment. Cas quickly pulled the boy to his chest and rubbed a soothing hand on his back. “It’s okay honey, Daddy will take care of it for you now whilst Papa finds your binky,” Cas said as reassuringly as he could. Even though Dean had been in their care for a full week now, he was still struggling with certain aspects of his new life. Particularly using his diaper and having it changed. The two fathers supposed there were sure to be certain holdbacks when you were dealing with an adult mind in an infant's body.

Sam grabbed out a diaper, some wipes and a chewable toy for Dean as he abandoned the search for the elusive pacifier. Cas handed off the small boy to him and Dean quickly curled into his Daddy, hiding his face in the large man’s chest out of embarrassment. Sam gave Cas a quick peck on the cheek before he crossed to the small building housing the toilets. He passed the men’s and women’s and headed straight for the baby change, locking the door behind him and unfolding the tray from the wall. He deposited the baby on the surface and passed him the toy so he could entertain himself during the change. In just a couple of minutes, Dean was changed and dressed back in his little grey shirt dungarees and white t-shirt.

Dean grinned up at his Daddy as the man slipped back on his little brown booties, the colourful chewy toy lodged firmly in his mouth. This thing was great! He could gum at it all he liked, and it didn’t break or hurt him. If anything, it really helped the little pain he’d started feeling in his mouth the past couple of days. It was nothing to make a fuss over but there was definitely something there. He waited patiently on the table as Daddy bustled about, depositing his shitty diaper in the bin with the wipes and washing his hands in the sink. The tall man then picked him up and carried him back outside to Papa, the shorter man prying the toy out of his mouth and slipping a koala binky in its place.

“There we go baby bee, much better,” Cas said as he clipped the grey strap to the top of Dean’s overalls and slipped the slobber-covered toy back in the diaper bag side pocket. There was an ulterior motive for the pacifier than just soothing the small boy, neither father wanted to have the baby shove a butterfly in his mouth. Even though he was technically at the cognitive level of an adult, since accepting the reality of his new life Sam and Cas had noticed a lot of Dean’s mannerisms and ways of thinking had become much more age-appropriate. To them, the possibility of Dean deciding to chow down on a winged bug was very real.

Sam passed Dean into his husband's arms and leaned over the diaper bag, grabbing out a pacifier case, a burp cloth and a small packet of organic fruit puffs. He slipped them all inside the black backpack along with a packet of baby wipes and zipped both bags closed. “Right, I think we’re all ready,” Sam said shouldering the backpack and carrying the diaper bag by its handle as he slipped his phone in his pocket and slipped Cas’s into his own. Cas held Dean on his hip and turned to walk with his husband towards the large glass dome housing the butterflies. “I grabbed out some essentials, so we’ll just put the diaper bag in one of the lockers inside,” Sam told his husband who nodded in response and bounced Dean as they walked through the doors into the small lobby area of the dome, pushing his glasses up as they slid down his nose a little.

Cas carried Dean towards the entrance door and stood to wait for his husband. “You excited, pumpkin? We’re gonna see all the pretty butterflies! And, if we’re very still, one might even land on you,” Cas said in a hushed voice. Dean’s eyes stared up at him wide and excited as his arms flapped a little at his sides. Cas grinned at the little stims and decided to fuel Dean’s excitement even more. “Maybe we’ll make some butterfly friends! Wouldn’t that be so cool sweetheart?” He said, bouncing the baby a little. Dean nodded and let out a few happy noises around his pacifier as Sam came to join them, backpack on his back and diaper bag nowhere to be seen.

“You excited, huh duck?” he said with a small chuckle as he saw Dean flapping his arms up and down and smiling wide up at him. Dean nodded his head and pointed towards the entrance door behind the employee who had been watching the little boy and smiling. “Alright, cub, we’ll go in now,” Sam said stepping over to the employee and holding his wrist out to be scanned. “You got to show the nice man your band, Deanie.” Sam turned and saw Dean already eagerly holding his arm out to the employee who chuckled and scanned the band, thanking the little boy before he scanned Cas and opened the door for them. The family quickly passed through the two layers of PVC strips beyond and were enveloped in a warm, humid environment.

The whole dome was full of exotic and beautiful flora. Giant green leaves, colourful flowers, strange trees. Gravel pathways wove through the man-made jungle; benches dotted along them as well as various signs providing information on the dome’s inhabitants. As well as the luscious environment, everywhere they looked they could see varying kinds off butterflies. Big ones, little ones, colourful ones, transparent ones, all lounging around on nectar feeders and plants or fluttering around in the air. Sam and Cas looked around in awe before sparing a glance at their son.

Dean was mesmerised by the environment. It was mainly a big blurry mush of greens and reds and purples and yellows, but it was incredible. Everywhere he looked was another colour and another plant and all through the air were little blurry blobs that dodged and weaved around each other and the blurry shapes of other people in the dome. This place was amazing, though he was kind of pissed he couldn’t see it all properly. Stupid fucking baby eyes. He looked up at Papa and Daddy who were smiling down at him. He was amazed by this place but his jealousy and frustration were overwhelming. He frowned and pointed at his stupid eyes.

Cas felt his heart sink a little as Dean’s eyes saddened as he pointed at them. Sam’s tilted his head in confusion as realisation dawned on Cas. “What’s up, buddy?” Sam asked, rubbing his finger along Dean’s cheek. Cas turned to look at his clueless husband with a sad expression.

“I think he’s upset because he can’t see anything. Babies' eyesight is usually blurry with only the clarity of objects closest to them. As time goes on it gets clearer and clearer but Dean’s probably only able to see as far as you and me clearly at the minute, everything else is probably blurry for him,” Cas explained, watching as Sam’s face fell. He looked back at Dean and saw the boy looking at them both guiltily as if it was his fault. “Oh, baby no, it’s ok. We can still have fun, we’ll just have to get you real close to see the butterflies,” he reassured, smoothing back Dean’s hair and planting a kiss on his soft forehead.

“I’m sorry Dean, I didn’t know you had a hard time seeing sweetheart. But Papa is right, we can get you suuuuuper close to the butterflies to see them,” Sam said, tickling along Dean’s chest as he made a funny face. Dean giggled at his Daddy’s silliness and the smiles returned to both of the men’s faces.

“Let’s go see some butterflies, huh baby?” Cas said with a relieved smile, glad they could cheer their boy up. Dean smiled and squealed in response, pointing down the path on their left. Cas shared a happy look with Sam before they started to stroll down the path. They made their way through the trees and plants, pausing every now and then to point out flowers or look at a resting butterfly with Sam meticulously reading every sign they passed so he could absorb all the facts. Cas would crouch down and lean over towards the bug so Dean was closer and could see it clearly. To both men’s surprise, Dean didn’t once reach out to grab at anything. He merely sat frozen on his Papa’s hip, looking around at everything but barely moving his head to do so. Throughout their walk, Sam and Cas kept sharing confused looks over their son's sudden ability to stay still, something he had seemed to struggle with till then.

As they reached the centre of the dome, the area opened up into a large gravel circle with benches planted at intervals around the rim. Butterflies fluttered in huge numbers around the open area, landing on people standing in the area or sitting on the benches. One little girl had a small Sara Orangetip resting on the end of her nose which she seemed to find hilarious, her parents laughing along with her as they took some photos. “Look Deanie, she’s made a butterfly friend,” Cas said, pointing to the little girl. Dean’s head moved minutely to look at the girl.

“Uh,” the little boy whispered quietly.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Cas asked, very concerned with the boy’s current behaviour. Dean hadn’t been moving much, if at all, since they stepped through the PVC strips, so Cas tried to cast his mind back to just before. Suddenly it dawned on him and he started laughing, Sam casting him a confused look.

“Cas?” Sam asked, smiling at his husband’s outburst but confusion still furrowing his brow. Cas kept laughing before he drew in a deep breath to calm himself down.

“I know why Dean’s not moved,” he said through laughs. “I told him if he’s still a butterfly might land on him but I think he took it a little too seriously.” Sam started laughing a little as well, Dean glaring at both men as he attempted to cross his little arms. Papa and Daddy were so stupid, he just wanted to make a butterfly friend. He was only doing what Papa had said! He made a grunting noise to let them know he wasn’t impressed. Both men ceased laughing slowly and turned their attention back to their son. As they turned to look at Dean properly, the boy saw a big yellow butterfly flutter over and land on his Daddy’s hair.

“UH!” he grunted loudly, eyes wide in awe as he pointed to his Daddy’s head. Papa looked and saw the butterfly clinging to the side of his husband’s hair as well. Papa gasped and hiked Dean up on his hip a little higher, shuffling closer to Daddy so Dean could see better.

“Daddy’s got a friend,” Cas said, Sam immediately stilling and looking out the corner of his eye to see the yellow wings of a large Cloudless Sulphur resting on his brown locks. He smiled widely down at Dean who was staring at the butterfly with a big smile behind his pacifier. As Sam went to crouch down, another butterfly fluttered over and rested on top of his head, an orange Viceroy this time. Dean let out a small squeal as the second butterfly landed and Cas chuckled, holding back the small boy’s hand as he tried to reach out for their fragile wings. “We can’t touch them baby, but we can look at them,” he said softly, Dean nodding in response as he dared not take his eyes off his Daddy.

As they stood still, another Viceroy landed on Sam’s shoulder and a very large California Sister meandered through the air to land on his hand. Sam slowly lifted his hand from his side to not startle the butterfly away but so he could hold it up in front of his son. Dean leaned close to study the brown and orange bug with curious green eyes as a little speckled Tropical Checkered-Skipper joined the bigger butterfly. Cas pulled his phone from his pocket and leaned back a little so he could fit both Dean and Sam in the photo. He snapped a couple before he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder, and he turned his head to see a young employee smiling at him. She offered to take a couple of pictures of them all for him on his phone. He thanked her and handed over the phone, watching as a White Admiral landed on his shoulder. He smiled at the butterfly before turning back to look at his son and husband. Sam was avidly explaining the butterflies on his hand to the baby who was much more intent on just staring at the colourful insect than listening to what his Daddy was saying.

The employee handed Cas back his phone and he thanked her again before pocketing it and turning back to his boys. The butterflies were still lounging happily on Sam who was now poking at the ones on his hand a little to get them to shuffle around and flex their wings for Dean to see the colours. “Hey Dean,” Cas said softly, garnering the boy’s attention. “I think Papa has made a couple of friends too,” he motioned to the butterfly on his shoulder and the small Eastern Tailed-Blue that had just landed on his forehead next to his eyebrow. Dean squealed at the two butterflies and stretched his legs out to lift himself higher towards his Papa’s face. Sam pulled out his phone with his bug-free hand and snapped a couple of photos before Dean turned back to look at the butterflies on his Daddy’s hand. As he lowered himself back into a sitting position and looked at the butterflies, the Tropical Checkered-Skipper hopped from Sam’s hand onto Dean’s pacifier.

The little boy startled a bit as the butterfly hopped on his binky and spread its wings out flat. He froze and looked up at Papa with round eyes. Papa smiled down at him as he saw the butterfly on his face. “Try holding your arm out honey, see if any land on there,” Papa said, lifting Dean’s arm out from his side and letting go when it was straight out. Dean held still, almost holding his breath as he crossed his eyes to see the bug on his binky. It was so close to him! He felt a light brush of wind above his head before something landed on him gently. “You got another friend baby! It’s a big green and black one,” Papa said, smiling at him. Dean smiled behind his binky and looked at his arm as a little white butterfly landed on his bare skin. It pattered up and down his arm making him giggle a bit, it tickled!

Sam took a couple of pictures of Dean as the boy stared at his new friends, making sure to get one of the bug on his head that he couldn’t see. They stood like that for a few minutes, Dean quietly looking at the bugs on his arm and face as he whispered a little “Pa” or “Da” ever so often to pull the two father’s attention. Eventually, the insects moved on, fluttering away aimlessly to their next destination leaving behind a slightly upset little boy.

“You got to wave bye to your friends, duck,” Sam said as his butterflies flew away as well. “Bye-bye butterflies,” he said, waving to the insects as they flew away.

“Bye-bye,” Cas said as well, waving at his butterflies as they left. Dean frowned as his friends flew away but lifted his hand and waved clumsily.

“Buh-buh,” he mumbled as they disappeared between various leaves and flowers.

“Good boy sweetheart,” Cas said, rubbing his sad boy’s back as Dean leaned his head on him miserably. “They’ve gone to their little beds now so they can have a nap,” he hinted. “Does Deanie want to have a nap?” Cas knew his boy was in dire need of sleep as it was midday and they’d missed his mid-morning nap. He could feel Dean was getting tired by the way his body was sagging in his arms instead of holding itself up properly.

“Nuh!” Dean said from his Papa’s chest, defiance immediately overtaking the misery of his friends leaving. Sam chuckled as he watched the exchange, knowing for a fact that Dean would be knocked out before they made it back to the entrance. The little boy’s eyes were already getting droopy as he rested against Cas, but his stubbornness was something for the record books. Cas smiled at Sam and motioned with his head that they start moving. The couple ambled their way back through the fifteen-minute walk to the entrance of the dome, Cas rocking ever so slightly as he walked to lull the baby into sleep.

Just as they both suspected, Dean was dead to the world when they reached the entrance again. His little body was comfy against his Papa’s chest, legs curled up like a frog and pacifier bobbing up and down gently as he slept. Cas and Sam shared an amused look before Sam moved to hold back the PVC strips so Cas could slip out.

“Excuse me, sir!” came the voice of a young woman nearby. Sam turned and saw an employee walking towards him with a small smile. “I’m so sorry but you have a little hitchhiker on your head,” the employee said, Cas chuckling as he noticed the Viceroy butterfly still clinging to the top of his husband's head.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” Sam said with a small laugh as he bent down so the young woman could gently scoop the butterfly off his hair. “I almost took him with me.”

“It’s alright, I got him now,” she replied, cupping her hands around the butterfly so she could release it after they’d left. “You look like you all enjoyed yourself,” she commented, motioning towards the sleeping baby on Cas’s chest.

“Oh, it was great! I’ve never seen him so still,” Cas laughed, adjusting the baby as he fussed in his sleep. “We should bring him here more often.” The three all chuckled.

“Well, we’d love to see you here again. They sell memberships at the gift shop so maybe look into a family one,” the young woman suggested.

“That actually sounds pretty good, we’ll look into that,” Sam said, moving the PVC strips again ready for Cas to pass through. “Thank you, and thanks for getting that little fella.”

“Not a problem, enjoy the rest of your day,” the woman said before she turned and walked away back into the jungle. Cas slipped through the exit under his husband's arm, shielding Dean’s head from the PVC before Sam passed through behind him, making sure the strips fell back into place preventing the butterflies from escaping. Cas stood in the entrance again whilst he waited for Sam to retrieve the diaper bag from the locker area around the corner, gently rocking from side to side as Dean snuggled into his chest, burrowing into the warmth his Papa provided. After a minute, Sam returned with the large bag in hand and they exited the building back out into the courtyard.

“So,” Sam started, looking around and spotting the café to the left of the gift shop with the playpark next to it. “Lunch?”

“Lunch,” Cas agreed with a nod of his head. “Lunch and coffee?” he asked with a cheeky smile at his husband. Sam rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss his husband on the lips.

“Yes, I’ll get you a coffee babe,” he said as they broke apart. Cas smiled happily and started towards the café with a happy wiggle, Sam chuckled and followed his dorky husband. They found a table with two-seater couches on either side in the nature-themed café, and Sam got Cas’s order so his husband could sit down with the sleeping baby on him. The taller husband went to the counter and ordered a coffee and a turkey salad baguette for his husband and a ham and cheese salad baguette for himself with a berry smoothie, making sure to tell the server his table number. He paid, grabbed some cutlery, and returned to the table where Cas was now sitting back against the couch. He’d removed the hoodie tied around his waist and laid it out on the sofa, placing the sleeping baby on top of it in a sort of makeshift bed. He was absentmindedly rubbing a hand on Dean’s stomach as he watched Sam take a seat on the couch opposite him.

Sam sighed and sank back into the plush cushions, glad to be off his feet for a moment. Cas smiled at him, one hand still on Dean, and he felt his heart melt a bit. Cas looked so natural with Dean it was amazing to see, he was definitely meant to be a father. Sam on the other hand, felt he was lacking heavily in that department. With his daily work, he felt like he was out of the house too much to be a good father for Dean. He struggled with the mental argument that he needed the job so he could support his family but that he was failing his family by not being there enough.

“So, babe,” Cas said, cutting across his husband's thought train and catching his attention. He could see Sam getting lost in his head and knew he had to stop it before it got out of hand. The taller man tended to get lost in his thoughts and would spiral into obsession over them if not stopped, effectively ruining his own day and making him detach from reality. It was something Cas had learned to help prevent in the early years of their relationship, especially after Sam’s mental breakdown during the start of his third year in college that had resulted in him having a two-month stay at the hospital psych ward. He never wanted to see his love back in one of those places, so Cas had made it his mission to aid his husband in controlling his thoughts.

“So…” Sam repeated, looking up at Cas with big, hazel, puppy eyes.

“So,” Cas said again, grinning at his husband's puppy look. “How was it yesterday with Dr Braeden? You get to talk about some of the stuff that’s been knocking around that head of yours about you and Dean?” he said with a soft head tilt. Sam didn’t shrink away the way he used to whenever Cas asked about his therapy sessions, he used to find them embarrassing and shameful but not anymore. He leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“It was pretty good, to be honest. I got out a lot of the stuff I’ve been stuck on since we got Dean,” he said, meeting Cas’s gaze and feeling his heart flutter from the love in his husband’s eyes. “I’m glad we found her when we moved here, I forget how much I need to just get some of this stuff out and have someone help me understand it.”

“You know you can still talk to me about this stuff too, right?” Cas said, leaning forward as well. “I’m not a therapist but I’m still your husband, you don’t have to bottle it up all the time.” Sam reached forward and cupped Cas's cheek in his hand, rubbing his thumb over the shorter man’s cheekbone. Cas leaned into the touch with a soft sigh.

“I know, darling,” Sam said with a smile. “I’ll try to talk about it with you more, I just worry I’d be putting too much on you. And you’ve already got enough to deal with when you have that little monster in the house,” he said, motioning with his head towards their sleeping son who snuffled and wiggled in his sleep at just the right moment. They both chuckled before locking eyes again. Cas stared into the depths of his husband’s soul and embraced the warmth and love that flooded through him.

“I love you. You know that, right? I love you so much,” he said softly, grabbing hold of Sam’s free hand and holding it tightly with both of his own as he leaned further into his husband's touch. “I just…I never want to see you slip back into psychosis…” he looked down in shame, feeling selfish for the way he phrased it. He felt Sam’s hand move from his cheek and felt his fingers hook under his chin. Sam lifted his head to meet his gaze again.

“I am never, ever, going back to that dark place again Cas. I promise,” he said strongly, fixing his husband with a serious stare. “Ever,” he punctuated the word again and Cas nodded softly in his grip. Sam smiled, pulling the older man in by his chin and kissing him, slipping his hand from his chin up to his cheek as they deepened the kiss. After a moment they broke apart, staying close as they revelled in the moment.

“And I love you too,” Sam said, Cas chuckling as he rested his forehead against his husband’s. They broke apart when the server arrived at their table, carrying their food and drinks with her. She deposited their order and quickly walked away to fulfil the next one. Both men dug into their meals, snippets of conversation happening here and there between mouthfuls as they enjoyed each other's company. Just as they were finishing their meals Cas saw Dean stirring out the corner of his eye. The baby snuffled and wriggled from side to side as he slowly came back to consciousness. Soon enough, bleary green eyes began to blink open as the small boy stretched out his little limbs.

“You want to get him, Sammy?” Cas asked, still holding the last little bit of his baguette. Dean was starting to make little whining noises from the couch, confused at his whereabouts post-nap and wanting comfort. Sam stood quickly and leaned over the coffee table, scooping up the sleepy boy and holding him to his chest as he took his seat again. Dean rubbed his face against his Daddy’s chest to try and wake himself up before he pushed back and looked around. It was so weird to fall asleep and wake up somewhere else, he wasn’t used to it at all. Last thing he remembered was being held against Papa in the big dome, now they were in a café?

“Hey, little man, sleep well?” Sam cooed at the boy, big green eyes turning to look at him as a gummy smile spread across the boy’s face behind his pacifier which had miraculously stayed in place whilst he was napping. “There’s my happy boy,” Sam smiled, bouncing his legs as Dean rested on them. Dean flapped his arms at his sides as he bobbed up and down, giggling a little. Once the bouncing ceased he titled his head at his Daddy, confused.

“Papa?” the baby asked. He hadn’t seen Papa yet, but he’d fallen asleep on him. Where did he go?

“I’m here baby,” Cas said from behind Dean, the boy twisted in Sam’s grip to see his Papa finishing the last of his lunch. He squealed and waved at the man, Cas chucked and waved back with a smile. As he resumed eating, he noticed Dean staring at the leftover food on his plate. “You hungry, bee? You want Papa to go get you something?” he asked, watching as Dean’s face lit up and he nodded eagerly.

“Alright, whilst Papa gets you some food, we’ll change you quickly. Okay, lovebug?” Sam said as Cas stood to go order. Dean nodded in response and grabbed some of his Daddy’s shirt in his hands as he turned himself around to rest face-first against him again. Sam stood and held Dean to him with one arm, grabbing the diaper bag with the other and crossing to the baby change bathroom. From the food counter, Cas could see their table so there was no risk of losing the table or the backpack left on one of the sofas.

Soon enough, Dean and Daddy were back at the table with Papa, goofing around and playing with Daddy’s long hair as they waited for his food. It didn’t take long and soon the server returned with an apple juice box and a little sectioned plate full of finger foods suitable for babies.

“I just got him the baby plate, then he has some choice and stuff,” Cas said, taking the juice box and piercing the top as he grabbed a sippy cup half full of water from the diaper bag, he squirted the juice out of the box into the cup until it was full before replacing the lid and giving it a small shake.

“Sounds good,” Sam said, placing Dean down on the sofa next to him and taking the small plate off the table. There was cheese, boiled egg, strawberries, bananas, ham, and avocado which were all either sliced or diced as well as some little puff chips. Sam pinched one off the plate and popped it in his mouth, discovering that they were flavoured like cheese and herbs. He hummed and placed the plate down on the sofa in front of Dean. They weren’t too worried as the couch was leather so they could wipe off any mess Dean made with their baby wipes, and this way he could eat with a bit more freedom.

The small boy dug into his food as his Papa and Daddy chatted next to him. He worked slowly through the snacks, making sure to leave the cheese for last as it was the best. Cheese is fucking amazing and no one could ever tell Dean any different. Sam would reach over periodically to wipe at Dean’s face with a burp cloth, the boy protesting as his snacking was paused for the cleanup. Soon enough he was finished, and he crawled his way back into Daddy’s lap. Eating was fun and all but now he was bored. He pulled himself to stand in Daddy’s lap, the man’s big paws reaching to help hold him up as he still didn’t have the strength to do so alone. He entertained himself for a minute by patting the sides of Daddy’s face in a rock rhythm before the two adults finished their conversation and got ready to leave.

As they were making their way back to the gift shop, Dean spotted some blurry shapes that looked a lot like a playpark. “Dada, uh!” he said to the man holding him, pointing towards the structures nearby. Sam looked towards the park and shook his head a little.

“I’m sorry, duck, we don’t have time for the park today,” he said, noticing how Dean’s face fell and his little eyes began to grow wet. “But look, Daddy promised he’d get you something from the shop earlier didn’t he? Look where we are now buddy,” he said, pointing out the door they were currently walking through with Cas walking along beside them, diaper bag in hand. Dean turned to see all the colourful shelves from earlier.

Immediately, the park was forgotten.

The next fifteen minutes were spent by the husbands carrying their son around the shop until he found something he wanted. Surprisingly, the small boy didn’t end up choosing a toy. Instead, a 3D, green, metal butterfly took his fancy, and he wouldn’t be swayed from his choice, whining every time either of his fathers tried to carry him away from it. Sam ended up buying it and Dean held it in the car the whole way home, Cas having to sit in the back so he could watch Dean with it as the baby would start to cry whenever they tried to take it away from him. It was so big that it was almost the same size as him.

Once home, Sam immediately deposited the bags in the dining room and went to grab his hammer and a small silver nail from the garage. He hammered the nail into a space on the wall in Dean’s bedroom that the little boy picked out, Cas holding his hands over Dean’s sensitive ears. Only then would Dean let Sam take the butterfly so he could hang it up on the nail.

Dean loved his new butterfly. He loved it a lot. When he went to bed that night, he stared at it until he fell asleep and when Cas came to check on him later, he was still facing towards it, a smile on his face as he slept.

Notes:

Thanks for reading guys! Hope to hear from some of you soon. How are you enjoying the story? Do you have any predictions or requests for circumstances you'd like to see that I may add later? Anyway, thanks again and have a good day. :)

Chapter 16: Friends of Papa and Daddy?

Summary:

Cas and Dean enjoy some colouring together before Sam and Cas's friends arrive for a visit.

Notes:

Hi all, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It introduces some new characters and a really nice friend dynamic that has been going strong for over ten years! Anyway, enjoy reading. :)

Crayons. Were. Everywhere.

Cas felt he had made a mistake by telling Dean they had drawing supplies for him, as the small baby had pestered him until said crafts were pulled out. Now Cas sat on the dining room floor, half scribbled on pieces of paper littering the area and various coloured crayons scattered about around him. Dean seemed to be unable to sit still and colour on one sheet of paper. No, he had to have multiple projects ongoing simultaneously so he could crawl between them when he got tired of one and wanted to continue with another.

Cas coloured in the yellow circle he had made as the sun on his own drawing, meticulously staying inside his lines. Dean didn’t seem to have the motor skills to do much more than make colourful wiggly lines, but the boy didn’t seem too bothered by it as he crawled over towards his Papa, his forest green long dungarees protecting his soft knees. Clutched in his little hand was one of his finished drawings.

“Papa,” Dean cooed as he sat back on his butt and patted Papa’s knee. The man looked up from his colouring with a smile. Dean was a little jealous of his Papa’s drawing because it actually looked like something. His all looked like weird piles of multicoloured noodles.

“What you got there, baby boy?” Cas asked, taking the piece of paper his son held out to him and smoothing down where his little hand had crumpled it. The page consisted of three blocks of squiggles. One was made from blue, black and grey, and another slightly larger one consisted of dark brown, light brown and navy. The final, much smaller, blob was coloured beige, green and yellow. He looked back up at his son who had a slightly nervous expression, waiting patiently for his Papa’s approval. “Wow, honey, this is so good! Can you tell Papa what these are?” he said with a big smile, Dean’s face immediately lighting up from the praise.

“Papa, Dade, De!” the baby squealed, pointing at each of the blobs as he labelled them. The baby was bouncing on his butt in excitement, all his energy having been restored from his morning nap as he pointed at his green dungarees and yellow t-shirt to show it was the same as his squiggly self on the page.

“You drew all of us? That’s so sweet, thank you bee,” Cas smiled, leaning down and kissing Dean on the head. “Shall we put this up on the fridge?” he suggested, watching Dean nod his head excitedly before turning and crawling over to a nearby pen resting against the crayon box.

“Uh,” Dean said, holding the ballpoint pen out to his Papa. The man took it with a face of confusion. Dean crawled forward again and pointed at each blob on the paper. “Papa, Dada, De,” he said again, trying to help Papa understand.

“Ohhhhh, you want me to put the names under them, honey?” Cas asked as understanding dawned on him. Dean clapped in response and watched as Cas neatly wrote each of their names under their corresponding scribbles before he turned it over and wrote ‘Dean Wesson, 6 months’ on the back. “Let’s go pop this on the fridge, sweetheart,” the man said, leaning forward to pick up the small boy who squirmed back in response before turning and starting to crawl. Cas chuckled at his son’s stubborn independence and followed the baby as he crawled around the kitchen island onto the tiled floor.

Once in front of the fridge, Dean reached forward to grab the handle of the door and attempted to pull himself up. He got about halfway before his weak stumpy legs gave out on him and his little yellow-socked feet slipped out from beneath him. He plopped back onto his padded butt with a frown and a whine. Papa was stood right behind him, so he turned and buried his face in the man’s leg. This was so stupid! He just wanted to be able to stand up by himself, but he was too weak and small. Stupid fucking baby body ruining everything. His eyes pricked with tears as Papa reached down and picked him up from under his arms. He curled into the man’s chest as he sniffled and hiccupped, feeling his large hand rubbing circles on his small back.

“Oh, bee, it’s alright,” Cas said, shushing the baby. His heart pinched with sympathy for his boy. “I know, you’ve got so much you want to do but your body isn’t listening, is it?” He cooed, feeling Dean nod his little head. “But it’s alright honey, we can keep working on it. And in the meantime, you have me and Daddy to help you and look after you,” he stroked back Dean’s hair as the boy leaned back to look at him. He pressed a kiss to the baby’s chubby cheek, coaxing a gummy smile and a giggle out of him. “Now, which magnet do you want to use for your picture?”

After pinning up the photo with a sun-shaped magnet, Cas enlisted the help of the small boy to clean up his mess. The baby crawled around, gathering his crayons by his crayon box. He would crawl to one, grab it, and then head back to the box to dump it before starting off in another direction to retrieve another coloured wax stick. Cas found himself having to intervene more than a few times, pulling crayons from the boy that had somehow found its way into his mouth. In the end, Cas just decided to pop the boy in his highchair so he could clear away the final bits of paper and stray crayons into the crafts drawer in the dresser nearby. Dean was not a happy bee about that.

“PAPA,” Dean squealed loudly, once again trying to grab the man’s attention so he could get out of the dumb chair. He’d been trying to whine and mumble but nothing had worked, so now it had resorted to screeching. As he took in a breath to squeal again, Papa turned and fixed him with a hard stare. Uh oh, maybe he shouldn’t have screamed.

“Dean Michael, we do not scream inside the house,” Cas scolded, putting his hands on his hips. “You’re in that chair because you kept trying to eat your crayons, didn’t you? Even though Papa said no,” Cas stepped forward and knelt, so he was level with the pouting baby who was starting to get teary-eyed. “All your binkies are upstairs or in the steriliser, sweetheart. Papa’s sorry he can’t give you one right now but that doesn’t mean you should try to eat your crayons, silly boy,” he chuckled, rubbing a finger on Dean’s cheek as the boy leaned into his touch. They stayed like that for a moment before Dean peered up at Cas through his eyelashes.

“Papa…De suh,” the boy said, reaching forward with his hands to be held. Cas obliged and scooped the boy out of the chair after unbuckling him. He held him close as Dean reached up and pressed a wet kiss to his cheek, smiling as the baby hugged him around his neck.

“Thank you, bee. Papa’s sorry too for having to put you in the chair,” Cas said as he patted Dean’s rump, quickly sticking a finger inside his diaper to check for wetness. Dean squeaked at the invasion and swatted his Papa’s hand, making Cas laugh. “Sorry bee, just needed to check,” he said as he lowered the boy to the floor. “You want Eeyore?” he asked as the boy started crawling away towards his playpen.

“Ah,” Dean grunted as he knelt in front of the playpen. He felt Papa pick him up before he was placed on the soft mattress of the pen, right next to his fuzzy best friend. He squealed and clapped in delight at the sight of the grey animal, reaching over to hug it close as he lost his balance and rolled onto his side.

“Okay, sweetheart, you play with Eeyore whilst Papa finishes cleaning before his friends get here,” Cas said, smiling as the boy grinned up at him before his attention went fully back to Eeyore. Sometimes Cas felt he simply couldn’t compete with the fluffy animal Dean adored so much. They were thick as thieves, although Cas was sure Dean was the ringleader in their mischief whilst poor Eeyore was always taking the brunt of the blame. He chuckled to himself before he crossed back into the dining room. He made quick work of cleaning the rest of their playtime mess up before he started putting together a tray of sandwiches and a couple of bowls of chips for when the guests arrived.

About fifteen minutes later, a knock sounded from the front door. Cas grinned and quickly wiped his hands off on a dish towel. He glanced at Dean and saw the boy happily babbling to Eeyore whilst Scooby Doo played quietly on the TV. Satisfied that his son was okay he crossed the open space to the front door and opened it to be greeted by a flurry of blonde hair.

“CAS!” Jess squealed as she threw herself headlong into the dark-haired man’s arms. Cas laughed as he hugged her back, spotting Hannah, Benjamin and Mick over her shoulder. She kept squeezing him for a moment more before she let him go and he moved to hug the other three. Jess had always had copious amounts of energy, it was something they all loved her for.

“Cas, mate, looking good,” Mick said with a smile as he pulled Cas in for a quick hug.

“Not too bad yourself, Davies,” Cas retorted with a smirk.

“I’m surprised, you don’t look as awful as you usually do,” Hannah said with a sly smile, hugging Cas next.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry to disappoint,” Cas replied as she winked at him. “How do you put up with her, Benji?” he asked as he hugged the last man in line.

“I honestly don’t know, it’s a mystery,” Benji replied as he was released from the hug, Hannah playfully jabbing his side as he leaned to kiss her cheek. Cas shook his head and chuckled, some things just never change.

“Harry, Ed and Adam will be here in a minute or two, they just needed to go grab something before they came over,” Mick said as he slipped his arm around Jess’s waist.

“Oh, no problem,” Cas said, grinning at them all. He was over the moon they were here; he’d missed them all so much. It was rare they had an excuse to meet anymore as everyone lived in different places and had various jobs to navigate. The days when they had all been in college had been so much easier. Well, Cas hadn’t gone to college and neither had Harry and Ed, but they all met through the Stanford system in Palo Alto. “Come inside, make yourself at home. Just leave your shoes by the door,” he said as he stepped back inside and held the door open. His friends filed through and hung up their coats, slipping off their shoes to place them either by or on the shoe rack.

“Oh my god, Cas,” Jess said suddenly, pointing at the three pairs of brown boots standing in size order on the floor by the door. “You all have matching boots?”

“Yeah, Dean isn’t too keen on chucks or sneakers,” he chuckled as Jess picked up one of Dean’s booties, showing Hannah how tiny they were in her hand. “He’s a boots boy through and through,” Cas said as a loud squeal came from the lounge. “Sorry, one second,” he said, quickly turning to go and check on his son.

“What you squealing about honeybee?” he called as he walked through the dining room and kitchen into the lounge to see Dean, who was sitting at the edge of his playpen. Eeyore was discarded in the middle of the pen as Dean was more interested in why his Papa had disappeared and who the new voices belonged to. Cas grabbed the remote and turned off the TV before crouching next to the pen. “What’s up, sweetheart?” he asked as he saw Dean glancing behind him. He heard chattering and assumed his friends had followed him into the lounge. Dean looked at him anxiously and reached his arms up to be held.

“Papa…” the boy mumbled quietly so only Cas could hear. Who were all these people? Were these Papa’s and Daddy’s friends? They didn’t look mean or anything, but he wanted Papa. Papa was safe. If these people turned out to be monsters in disguise, then he would be safe in Papa’s arms. But he guessed if Papa trusted them, then he should too…maybe.

“It’s alright, bee,” Cas whispered as he scooped Dean out of the playpen and held him against his chest, Dean grabbing his shirt in his fists reflexively. “I promise these guys are all okay, they are so excited to meet you,” he reassured, swaying gently and pressing a kiss to the top of Dean’s head. He felt the baby nod against him and took it as an ‘I’m ready’. He turned to face his friends who were all watching him with his boy. Immediately they were all cooing at Dean who curled up on his chest a little more at the overwhelming attention. “Guys, this is Dean,” Cas said, stepping towards them and angling himself so Dean could see them all with his big green eyes.

“Oh, Cas, he’s gorgeous,” Jess cooed, leaning forward to meet Dean’s gaze. “Hi buddy, I’m Jess,” she said sweetly, holding her finger out to him. Dean hesitated for a moment, staring at the stranger who was offering her friendship to him. She didn’t seem like a shapeshifter or werewolf, and she didn’t give off the aura of a demon either. Slowly, he released his death grip on Papa’s shirt and reached out, grabbing a hold of her offered finger. The response was instant, she was smiling and laughing as she wiggled her finger up and down, shaking his whole arm. It was infectious, and Dean found himself smiling along with her.

“You got yourself a right handsome little chap,” Mick said as he stepped up next to his girlfriend. “I’m Mick, little man,” he greeted, smiling down at the now curious baby. This guy was British? That was pretty cool, maybe he could teach him some British swear words! Dean studied the man’s face before he cooed and pointed at the man’s 5 o’clock shadow. Mick started laughing a bit and rubbed a hand over his unshaven face. “That’s right buddy, I’m all stubbly like your…” Mick prompted, looking to Cas for the correct nickname.

“Papa!” Dean said loudly with a smile before Cas could even have a chance to answer. Cas chuckled as the other adults looked mildly shocked.

“He can talk already?” Hannah questioned with wide eyes.

“Well, less talk, more make noises and throw out a couple of coherent words now and then,” Cas said with a proud smile, earning himself a glower from the baby in his arms.

“Papa,” Dean chided, scowling up at his Papa who chuckled again.

“Sorry baby, Dean is very smart,” he assured the boy, Dean smiling up at him from the praise, seeming to forgive his poor choice of words.

“Wow, he really is,” Benji commented, stepping forward to get a look at the boy who had turned to him as he spoke. “Hey, little guy. I’m Benji, and this is Hannah,” he said softly, pointing to himself and his girlfriend who tickled the bottom of his foot through his sock with her fingers. Dean giggled and looked back at everyone again.

“Jeh, Mih, Beh, Nah,” Dean listed, pointing with a chubby finger towards each of the adults in the room before turning back to the man holding him. “Papa!” he squealed as he threw his hands up and wrapped them around Papa’s neck to cuddle him. Cas chuckled and hugged the baby back tightly, knowing for a fact the boy was showing off on purpose.

“Wow, he’s amazing,” Jess said in awe as her friends stood shell-shocked. “He’s so aware for a six-month-old, and he’s so developed,” she smiled up at Cas who was positively beaming with pride.

“Hard to believe he’s yours and Sam’s kid,” Hannah commented. Cas just gave her a deadpanned look as the baby in his arms turned to glare at her. She burst out laughing and quickly grabbed her phone, snapping a photo as the other adults started laughing as well. She held the photo out for Cas to see, the dark-haired man immediately joining in the laughter. “He is like a mini-me of you,” Hannah chuckled as she sent the photo to their group chat.

“If you think that’s bad, you should see him and Sam together,” Cas said, “It’s like Tweedledum and Tweedledee.” He readjusted Dean as the boy began to lean from side to side to try and get down. “Why are you being squirmy, little monster?” Cas asked the wriggly boy.

“God, if that nickname doesn’t bring back memories,” came another voice from the front door. Everyone looked towards the door to see Adam, Harry and Ed walking through, all three stopping to slip off their shoes and remove their coats. Adam smiled at Cas as he walked over. “Sam used to call me that in high school,” the young man recalled.

“Adam, it’s so good to see you,” Cas smiled, pulling the man into a one-armed hug so that Dean wasn’t squished.

“Oh, don’t worry about us, just carrying some huge boxes,” Ed said sarcastically as he dumped a large box by the stairs, Harry placing a slightly smaller one on top.

“It’s good to see you both too,” Cas said, rolling his eyes and hugging both of them as well.

“This must be Dean!” Adam said happily, eyeing the baby who was watching them all from Cas’s arms. “Hi little dude, I’m Adam,” he said with a little wave and a smile.

“I’m Harry, and this is Ed,” Harry spoke, leaning down to bop Dean on the nose. Dean smiled again and repeated the same process of listing the names.

“Aada, Huh-ruh, Eh,” he spoke as clearly as he could, pointing to each of the people listed. The shock on their faces was so worth it. This was fucking hilarious, they all thought he was some dumb baby. Boy were they wrong!

“Alright, show-off, let’s get some food in you,” Cas said, tickling Dean’s ribs and earning a loud burst of giggles from the boy as he tried to push him away with his little hands. He carried him over to the table and strapped him into the highchair, clicking the tray in place. He turned to his friends again. “I made a bunch of sandwiches and chips for us all so just take a seat at the table. All I ask is to leave a chair next to Dean free for me,” he said, walking to the kitchen to grab the tray of sandwiches.

Dean whined as Papa left him alone at the table, all the strangers taking seats around him. He was fine when Papa was there, but it was different when he was alone with them all. He heard himself whine again as he tried to turn in the seat to spot Papa in the kitchen, the straps across his chest stopping him from turning far enough. He squirmed to try and loosen the straps but they just wouldn’t budge! Fuck, he hated this. “Papa! Ah, Pa!” he whined as the man was still lost from his view.

“It’s alright buddy, he’s just getting you something to eat,” Adam said as he took a seat next to the baby. Dean was once again at the head of the table so Adam took the seat to his left, leaving the right one open for his Papa. Dean looked up at Adam who was smiling at him sweetly, rubbing his hand with his finger. Instinctively, Dean grabbed a hold of the appendage and held it tight for comfort. If Papa wasn’t around, then Adam would have to do for now. It seemed like Papa really liked him, and he said he’d know Daddy since high school. That had to have been a long time ago as Daddy was old.

“Aada,” he whined as his eyes got teary, reaching out to the young man with grabby hands. “Aada, Aada.” He just wanted to be out of the chair and in safe arms.

“Aw, buddy, I’m sorry. I can’t get you out right now,” he frowned as he watched Dean stop making grabby hands and grabbed his finger with both hands tightly. He leaned forward and brushed some of the baby’s hair out his face as the boy hiccupped and sniffled. His heart warmed as the baby leaned into his touch, he was so cute! This was kind of like his surrogate nephew, seen as Sam had treated him like a little brother for as long as he could remember knowing him. “Hey,” he whispered to the baby, leaning in close as he saw two big, green, watery eyes look up at him. “Why don’t I tell you some funny stuff about your Papa after lunch, how does that sound little dude?”

He watched as Dean sniffled for a second and studied his face. It seemed like the baby was so advanced for his age. He was comprehending everything they were saying, and he was responding with the cognitive level of an adult. It was amazing to see, and Adam knew his friends must be so proud of their son. Dean nodded his head and started to smile, some stray tears leaking down his cheeks from where they had been threatening to fall moments ago. Adam rubbed the tears away with his thumb before leaning back, just as Cas arrived back at the table with a large tray of food.

“Seems like you’ve made a friend,” Cas said with a smile as he placed the tray down. Adam smiled back as he worked his finger out of Dean’s hold so he could help Cas hand out the plates.

“He’s amazing Cas,” Adam replied. “He’s so smart and he listens to everything you say! Plus, he’s just absolutely adorable,” he said as he took his seat again and reached out to grab a sandwich and a handful of salted chips. Cas was busy opening a small packet of cheesy baby puffs to add to his son’s sectioned bowl of chopped-up cheese, ham and banana.

“He really is a special little guy,” Cas smiled as he pressed the suction-silicone bowl onto Dean’s tray and let the boy tuck in, brushing a hand over his small head before he leaned back. “It’s strange, it feels like we’ve had him forever, but it’s only been just over a week.”

“Well, a lot has happened since you’ve got him from what I’ve seen on yours and Sam’s Facebook,” Jess commented, cutting across the chatter happening around the table. “That video of you and him toddling at the play place was just so adorable, I watched it, like, five times,” she chuckled as she took another bite of her sandwich.

“And I was shown it well over five times,” Mick jibed from across the table, wincing as Jess kicked his shin under the table. “I joke, I joke,” he laughed as his friends chuckled at his punishment.

“He seems to enjoy eating,” Harry said, motioning at the baby with his head. Dean was munching on a piece of banana that he was struggling to keep in his mouth as he held some ham in one hand and a puff in the other. He wasn’t even sparing the adults at the table a glance as he stared at his bowl, trying to decide what to eat next.

“Yeah, he loves his food, just like his Daddy,” Cas commented as he tried to wipe Dean’s face a little with a burp cloth. The baby squirmed away with a whine before he glared at his Papa and carried on with his eating. “Remember that time we went to that buffet in downtown Palo Alto?” Cas recalled.

“Oh, you mean when we all were done in an hour and a half, but we ended up staying for a whole extra hour because your husband had five full plates of food,” Ed said sarcastically with a raised eyebrow. “Dude, we literally had to cut him off! I swear he was going to go for a sixth plate,” the man laughed at the memory as the other adults joined in.

“Seriously, the number of stories we have about Sam and food is ridiculous,” Benji chuckled between chips. “I can’t wait to see how Dean’s relationship with food develops. He has no hope with that giant as his father.”

“You should’ve seen the mother of a tantrum he had when I stopped giving him cheese puffs last week,” Cas chuckled at the memory as the baby next to him grew red in the face and looked down in embarrassment. He rubbed a finger across Dean’s cheek reassuringly. “You just love your cheese puffs too much, don’t you honeybee?” he cooed. Dean grabbed two puffs from his bowl and held them above his head.

“Puh, puh, puh!” he squealed, causing the adults around the table to laugh. He smiled and kept munching on his nearly empty plate. The tray on the table was empty, and the friend group was finishing up their sandwiches and chips left on their plates. Eventually, the action at the table devolved into mere chatter between the adults as Dean slowly finished up his last few pieces of cheese. Yes, he left the cheese till the end again, he will never not love cheese. As he finished, he tried to get his Papa’s attention. “Papa...Papa…” he said, reaching forward and patting the man’s hand that was lying close to his tray.

“Oh,” Cas said, a little startled by the sudden contact. He turned and saw Dean’s plate was empty and he was trying to get his attention. “You all done, pumpkin?” he asked, Dean nodding his head in response. “Well done, bug, you did so good,” he cooed as he took the tray off the chair and placed it on the sandwich tray in the middle of the table so it could all be carried together. He wiped down the baby’s face quickly with a burp cloth, much to Dean’s distaste. He squirmed and whined as Cas cleaned him, but he couldn’t do much with the straps holding him in place.

“Papa, uh,” Dean said, pulling at the straps over his torso once Cas had cleaned his face.

“If I let you out, you got to stay at the table, baby,” Cas said, laying the burp cloth over his shoulder so he could use both hands effectively. He leaned forward to continue the conversation between himself and his son as his friends continued to chat around them. “We’re all talking, and I don’t want to leave you in your pen too close to your nap time as you’ll fall asleep. Are you okay to stay up here? Maybe say hi to some of my friends?” he asked the boy as he brushed some of his little hairs out of his chubby face.

Dean thought it through for a second. He wanted to get out of the chair, but he didn’t really want to stay at the table. He wanted to go play with Eeyore. Then again, Papa was right. His nap was only about an hour away and he could already feel his little body getting tired and a bit heavy. If he went to the pen with Eeyore, he would fall asleep before his naptime for sure. He guessed he could socialise for a bit. Dean nodded his head and reached out his arms to be held.

“Thank you, lovebug,” Cas smiled and unclipped the boy, pulling him up to his chest where Dean immediately curled in for a cuddle. He patted Dean on the butt as he turned back to the conversation, noticing all his friends looking at him with smiles. “What?” he questioned.

“You’re so natural with him,” Hannah commented with a smile, the kindness catching Cas off guard as it was slightly out of character for her. “I see what Sam meant when he said you were made to be a dad.”

“Sam said that?” Cas said confused.

“Yeah,” Ed replied. “He used to say it when you were looking to adopt. And since you’ve got Dean, all he’s been saying is how right he was and how you were made for this. That dude loves you way too much,” Ed smiled as Cas’s heart swelled. He had no idea his husband had been saying such kind things about him. He felt a pang of longing as he remembered Sam was at work and wouldn’t be home for hours but pushed it away so he could join in the chatter that had resumed at the table.

Dean snuggled on Papa’s chest for a few minutes before he felt his eyelids starting to grow heavy. He quickly shook his head so he could stay awake and not miss anything, but it was so difficult when pressed up against Papa’s warmth and comforting smell. He leaned back and looked for a way out of the man’s grip, anywhere that could keep him awake. He spotted the young man across the table who was chattering animatedly with his Papa. Adam! He could go to Adam, that would keep him awake.

“Aada!” he said loudly, twisting to reach towards Adam with both hands.

“Oh, uh,” Adam said, surprised by the baby reaching for him. He looked to Cas for help. The dark-haired man smiled reassuringly at him.

“It’s alright Adam, I think he likes you,” Cas said, turning the baby so his body was facing the young man. Dean was still reaching out to him with flailing arms, his little legs starting to kick in frustration as he whined. “I suggest you take him before he starts crying,” Cas chuckled, holding Dean out to the nervous man.

Adam slowly took Dean from Cas, holding the baby by his sides at arm’s length over the table. Dean looked at him with big eyes and giggled as he kicked his legs, Adam chuckling back in response as he pulled the boy to his chest. He slipped one arm under Dean’s rump and held his other hand on his back, so he felt secure. The baby put his hands on his chest and leaned back so he could see the young man’s face, he started laughing as he saw how nervous he was to be holding him.

“Adam, even he finds it funny how damn scared you look, bro,” Benji commented from next to Adam who glared at him, making Dean laugh harder on his chest.

“God, I just can’t get over how adorable he is!” Jess said with a smile, finding the baby’s joy infectious. “And I can’t believe he is yours and Sam’s. Like, you actually have a kid now!”

“I know, it’s weird, right?” Cas responded, moving the burp clothe from his shoulder and folding it on the table. “Sometimes it feels strange, like I can’t believe we actually have a child now. We have a son.”

“And, let’s be honest,” Hannah spoke up. “With this group in his life and both of yours and Sam’s families? This kid is going to have the best hype team ever.” She smiled as Cas chuckled, thinking of how passionate everyone at the table was about each other and being supportive. He could only imagine how Dean’s first talent show would go or how they would act at his sports events, if his boy ever chose to participate in any of those activities. Either way, Dean was going to have an army of support behind him. The chatter around the table started back up as they all argued and debated on Dean’s future and the kind of person he would turn out to be. The baby in question however was enjoying a cuddle with Adam.

Dean knew it wasn’t working. Adam was just as comfy as Papa. He didn’t have the comforting scent that he associated with his Papa and Daddy, but he was damn comfortable to lie against. He could feel his eyelids getting heavier and heavier as he listened to the voices of Papa and his friends talking, Adam’s voice rumbling his chest where Dean was laying his head. He curled his fists in Adam’s t-shirt and snuggled in closer, pulling his legs up close and squishing his cheek into the man’s chest more. He’d only been in the young man’s arms for fifteen minutes and he was already struggling to stay awake. Stupid baby body.

“Um, Cas,” Adam said softly, noticing Dean curl up in his hold more and going limper as the minutes passed. “I think he’s tired,” he motioned to Dean with his head as Cas turned his attention to him, too scared he was going to disturb the boy if he tried to use his hands.

“I knew he wasn’t going to last much longer,” Cas grinned as he stood and walked round the table to look over Adam’s shoulder at the baby who was trying hard to keep his eyes open. “His afternoon nap is coming up, but I guess it won’t hurt if he goes down a little earlier than usual,” Cas said, leaning down to scoop Dean out of his friend’s arms, the baby started to fuss before he realised it was his Papa and proceeded to curl into his hold. “I’ll put him down in his playpen so he’s not far away, we can all chill in the lounge while he sleeps,” the man said as he crossed from the dining room across the open-plan space.

Ed and Harry cleared the table for him as he rested the now-sleeping baby down on the floor of the playpen. He pulled Eeyore close to the boy and pulled the fuzzy blue blanket up to his son’s stomach, so he was warm and cosy. He stood back and took a seat cross-legged on the rug, thanking the men for clearing the table as everyone made their way into the lounge and sat about on various pieces of furniture.

“I gotta ask,” Cas started with a raised eyebrow. “What’s with the boxes?”

“Well, we all decided to chip in on a couple of things for Dean,” Adam, said, motioning to the baby’s sleeping form. “Harry, Ed and I just had to go pick them up before we came over.”

“What?” Cas exclaimed, surprised by his friend’s answer. “You guys didn’t have to do that!”

“Yeah, well, we wanted to, moron,” Hannah said with a smile from where she was squished next to Jess on the sofa, her arm slung over the shoulders of her giggling friend. “He’s the only kid of the group, of course we were gonna spoil him.” Cas was stunned for a moment before Adam and Mick carried the boxes into the room, placing them on the floor in front of him.

“Go on then mate,” Mick said as he sat down on the sofa and crossed his arms patiently. “Open them up.” Cas turned to the smaller box and pulled the tape off. He opened the top up and pulled out the packet resting on the top. It was a pack of t-shirts. He opened it up and pulled out three different shirts, one in his own size, one in Sam’s size, and one tiny one for Dean. They each said ‘Family’ on them with a rainbow line underlining the bold word on each shirt.

“Awww, that’s so cute,” Cas said, studying the shirts as he laid them on his lap. “we could wear them with our matching boots,” he laughed, Jess giggling along as she remembered the boots by the door.

“They were my idea,” she said with a smile as Cas put them back in the packet and set them aside.

“Thank you, Jess,” he smiled at the blonde woman before he pulled out the other item in the box. It was a toy for Dean, more specifically a bouncer “Oh my god, he will love this,” Cas said as he held the toy up in front of him. It was a fabric seat with two large elastic bands that were made to hang at the top of a doorway or from a ceiling. It was a pale blue colour and was decorated with little pictures of stars and planets.

“We can set it up whilst we’re here, that way we can see the little guy enjoy it,” Benji said from his place on the rug across from Cas. “I’ve set up a couple of them for my nieces and nephews so I’m pretty good at it now,” he chuckled.

“That would be great, thank you,” Cas smiled and placed the toy back in the box for safe-keeping. He pulled the larger box over to him and removed the tape, cracking open the top and peering inside. “Oh wow, guys, no way,” he said, his mouth falling open with shock. He knelt up and reached inside with two hands, struggling for a second before he managed to pull out the large, moving toy. It was a baby walker. He placed it on the floor before he studied it. It was a large plastic ring with toys all over the outside and a suspended area in the middle for Dean to be placed into. The ring sat on four large posts that connected to a thinner ring a the bottom that had wheels placed at intervals around its circumference. On closer inspection, Cas found that the fabric seat in the middle spun at a gentle push, so Dean would be able to easily reach all of the toys that would surround him when inside the contraption. The whole thing was sandy-coloured and cowboy-themed, it was perfect for his boy.

“Guys, this is amazing, holy shit,” Cas said as he looked up at his grinning friends. “It’s literally perfect, Dean adores cowboys. Thank you so much.”

“No problem, Cas,” Adam said. “We’re just really happy for you and Sam, we know how hard these past two years have been and we’re just glad you finally have what you need.”

“God, you guys always know how to make me cry,” Cas choked as he wiped furiously at a couple of tears that had escaped his eyes. He chuckled wetly and stood to hug each of his friends. Once he’d thanked each of them he pushed the walker to the side and pulled the bouncer out of the box again, passing it to Benji who made quick work of setting it up in the lounge with Sam’s tools. He hung it from the ceiling between the playpen and the TV so Dean would have a perfect view of the whole room when bouncing. The boxes were discarded in the recycling and the t-shirts were set on the coffee table to go in the wardrobes that evening.

For the next hour, Cas sat in the company of his friends. They spoke about anything and everything. Their lives, their jobs, their families. Everything. And Cas loved it. He sat and revelled in the atmosphere he had missed so much since their get-togethers were less often. He joked and laughed and reminisced with them all, making a promise to himself to meet up with them all more often. Both for himself, his husband and his sleeping son who seemed to have already grown a liking for young Adam.

But for now, he was content to just enjoy himself with his closest friends in the world.

Notes:

Thanks for reading guys, having a great day. :)

Chapter 17: Bouncing Baby Boy

Summary:

Dean plays with his new toy and Sam arrives home.

Notes:

Hi all, this is a slightly shorter chapter. I actually planned this and chapter 15 to just be one chapter but the writing got away from me and I felt I had to split it into two parts otherwise it would have gone on forever. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Dean heard voices as he stirred from his nap. Who did the voices belong to? There were so damn many, all chattering over each other and babbling on about stuff he was too sleepy to comprehend. It was so overwhelming. He kept his eyes scrunched closed as he wriggled and snuffled, rubbing at his face to get rid of his sleepiness and kicking his legs to get his blanket off him. Annoyingly, it just made the fluffy cloth wrap itself around his chubby lower limbs.

“Oh, looks like someone is waking up,” Papa’s low voice cut through the noise. Papa! Thank god that man was still around, Dean had no clue who the other people were as his brain was still all foggy from his nap.

“Can I get him, Cas?” a chirpy female voice said. Dean curled his legs up against him and whined a little. He wanted his Papa, not the stranger.

“I’ll get him, Jess, he can be a bit clingy after a nap. But thank you,” Papa’s gravelly voice said softly, a lot closer than before. Jess? Oh yeah, Jess! Papa and Daddy’s friends were here visiting. That’s why there were so many voices, how could he forget that?

Dean blinked his eyes open and was met with the sight of his Papa leaning over the playpen, blue eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled sweetly down at him. Dean cooed and held his arms out towards the man, kicking his legs happily as he was scooped up and pulled in close to Papa’s chest. “Hi baby boy, you have a nice sleep?” Papa crooned as he walked to the rug and sat down cross-legged, Dean still curled up happily against him.

“Papa,” Dean mumbled as he snuggled in close, the adults around the room cooing and awing. Cas chuckled and rubbed his hand up and down his baby’s back. He turned back to his friends, continuing their debate about how Clifford the Big Red Dog was superior to Bluey. He was personally on team Clifford along with Mick, Adam and Hannah, whilst Harry, Ed, Jess and Benji were all vouching for Bluey.

“I have no problem with Bluey, it’s a great kids show,” Adam started, gesturing with his hands from his position curled up on the armchair. “I’m just saying, sometimes the classics are better! Clifford has great lesson-teaching moments, just like Bluey does. He is also just a giant red dog, what’s not to love?”

“What is it with kids shows and dogs?” Jess commented from the couch. “Like, there are so many that are centred around dog characters.”

“Huh, that’s actually a good point,” Cas commented, his face warped in thought. “There’s Huckleberry Hound, Pippin, Snowy, Air Bud, Dug, the puppies from Paw Patrol. And of course, Scooby Doo,” Cas finished, adjusting Dean as the baby suddenly perked up and leaned back at the mention of his favourite cartoon character.

“Oob-ee?” the baby cooed, tilting his head as he looked up at his Papa with expectant green eyes. Cas chuckled, as did his friends around the room. Dean glanced around at the adults with a glowering face, they were the ones who mentioned Scooby Doo in the first place. Why would they say his name if they weren’t going to put him on the TV? It just made no sense! Dean continued to glower until he spotted something weird hanging from the ceiling next to his playpen. He stared at it as Papa spoke to him.

“Sorry, sweetheart, we aren’t putting Scooby on now,” he said as he watched the boy glare at his friends. He followed Dean’s line of sight once the baby had paused and noticed he was staring at his new bouncer.

“Papa?” the baby questioned, pointing at the contraption with his finger.

“That’s your new toy, buddy,” Benji commented from the floor by Cas. “We got it as a little present for you,” he said, smiling at the baby who was looking at him with round green eyes. Dean’s face split into a wide gummy smile as his legs kicked a little in excitement against his Papa. Cas laughed at the baby’s adorable squeal.

“You want to have a go, bee?” he asked, Dean looking back at him and nodding as he clapped his hands. He turned the boy in his arms and held him out towards his friend next to him. “Here Benji, why don’t you get him in?” he said with a smile.

“Are…are you sure?” Benji asked with a shocked expression as he gently took the baby under his arms and held him close. Dean didn’t really know how to feel about being in the new man’s arms, but Papa was smiling and Benji was holding him tight. He grabbed onto the man’s t-shirt with both hands just to be sure though.

“Yeah, you’ve got him,” Cas said with a reassuring nod to his friend. “Plus, you hung it up. It seems right you should be the one to show him it properly,” Cas smiled as he leaned back on his arms and motioned with his head towards the bouncer. Benji smiled and stood, holding Dean against him with both hands as he crossed the room to crouch in front of the bouncer as quiet conversation started up behind him.

“Hey little buddy,” he said to the baby who was staring up at him. “This toy is a bouncer, so when we put you in it you can push yourself up and down and up and down,” he grinned, emphasising the motion by bouncing the baby in his arms, earning a litany of high-pitched giggles. He grinned, finding the baby’s laughter infectious, and reached forward to pull the fabric seat towards him. He quickly slipped Dean inside the contraption, so he was suspended and lowered him down towards the floor until he was only being held by the elastic of the toy. Dean still hadn’t let go of Benji’s shirt which was being pulled towards the slightly anxious boy.

“Mmm, Beh,” the boy whined as anxiety pinched his little chest. Benji was holding one of his sides as he pried his fingers off his shirt with the other. Dean could feel his feet barely skimming the floor beneath him and he really didn’t know how to feel about it.

“It’s okay, it’s okay Dean,” Benji said soothingly as he finally got Dean’s hands off his shirt. He slowly removed his hand from Dean, so the boy was left to be suspended by the bouncer. Dean was staring up at him with slightly panicked eyes as his little legs dangled beneath him limply. “Go on, buddy, have a try,” Benji smiled at the baby who tilted his head in confusion. “Push off with your feet,” the man said as he tapped the boy’s little socked feet.

Dean looked down at the floor as best he could from his position. He leaned forward and then backwards, checking to see if he would flip unexpectedly. It never happened so at least he was secure in the seat; it was just the feeling of being slightly off the floor that was so disconcerting. He looked back at his little feet again and pushed off the hardwood floor just a little. Suddenly he was being bobbed up and down as the elastic above him flexed from the momentum of the push. Dean felt his tummy do a little flip from the movement and his breath caught in his throat, it felt a little bit like when he went down the inflatable slides with Papa at the fun place. A big grin split his face and he pushed off again, harder this time. He went flying up and down, he felt like he was feet off the ground when he was probably only inches. But who cared! This was fucking great! A big burst of giggles passed his lips as he squealed at the motion in delight, making the chatter in the room end as Papa and all his friends looked at him with happy expressions.

“I guess he likes it then,” Hannah said as she watched the happy baby push off from the floor again. She chuckled as she watched Jess pull out her phone and take a short video of Dean as Cas crawled to be level with his boy and bounced along, making the baby squeal again and burst out laughing.

“He’s just too cute, I can’t,” Jess cooed as she finished the recording and put her phone down. Cas turned and grinned at them all, face shining with pride. He turned and sat so he was right next to Dean, should the boy want him, and started up a new conversation with his friends. This time about Dean and how they all thought he would be as he grew up. The baby in question was too focused on his new favourite pastime of bouncing up and down to even notice what any of the adults in the room were talking about. Instead, he was babbling at Eeyore in the playpen next to him about how cool his new toy was.

Two hours passed much the same, and soon the clock on the wall displayed that it was approaching 6 pm. Cas had been watching the time like a hawk, eagerly awaiting his husband's return. He glanced at the baby who was sitting happily in between his outstretched legs, playing with Eeyore and handing a block to his Papa. The baby had gotten tired of playing in his bouncer after half an hour and had whined to get out and have some freedom. He’d proceeded to crawl around the room, over the various adults dotted about and underneath some of the furniture. It had taken Mick and Cas five whole minutes to get him out from under the sofa and now the adults on the couch had all moved, so their feet were on the floor, blocking the baby’s route under their seats.

Dean had also managed to get his fair share of cuddles from his Papa’s friends, especially from Adam. He didn’t know why, but he enjoyed the young man’s presence. The man engaged with him a lot and had even told him some embarrassing stuff about Papa! Apparently, Papa didn’t just like old crooners like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. He was an avid Lady Gaga fan! Dean had sat and very intently listened as both Adam and the group revealed stories of Papa’s younger days when he would constantly listen to Gaga and was always on the dance floor at clubs when her songs came on. They’d even shown the baby some of the dark-haired man’s favourites which had now all made their way onto Dean’s Spotify playlist after Cas had seen how much Dean had enjoyed the songs. The baby’s favourites appeared to be Government Hooker, Judas, and Bloody Mary, though he also enjoyed Born This Way which Cas was happy to see as that was his personal favourite.

“Papa!” Dean said impatiently as he continued to hold the wooden block out to the man who was lost in thought. Cas shook his head and came back to reality, looking away from the clock on the wall.

“Sorry, baby bee, is this for me?” he asked, taking the block from Dean and seeing it had a ‘P’ on it. He smiled and looked back at the baby who was busy trying to collect the blocks with the correct letter of the start of everyone’s names in the room. Cas leaned forward and picked up the ‘A’ block, passing it to the boy and motioning with his head towards Adam. Dean smiled and crawled away clumsily, block in hand, and passed the letter up to Adam who thanked him as the baby crawled back to his Papa. Dean held his hand out again for the next block and repeated the process with a ‘J’, ‘M’, ‘E’ and ‘H’. As he was turning to crawl back to his Papa after handing Harry his block, ready to collect the next letter block, Dean heard the sound of the front door clicking open. He froze for a moment, who was that? Then he heard the heavy footsteps that only belonged to one man.

“Dah-dee!” he squealed, rocketing out of the room on all fours past the kitchen and around the corner through the dining room. The lobby came into view along with the sight of his Daddy slipping off his shoes and hanging up his long coat. “Dah-dee!” Dean squealed again with a big gummy smile as the moose man turned and spotted him approaching.

“Deanie!” Sam said with a big smile, the sight of his son crawling towards him looking so happy warming his insides. He stepped forward and bent down to pick up the boy as he stopped crawling and reached up with his arms. He scooped the baby up and held him close for a big cuddle, kissing all over his chubby face. This was by far the best part of his day, coming home to his two boys. “Oh, I missed you today, little duck,” he said as Dean leaned back in his hold and planted a wet kiss on his cheek. He bounced the baby in his arms as he walked to the lounge, laughing along with his happy son.

“Well, well,” Harry teased from his place on the couch. “Look who it is, Mr Big Lawyer himself,” the man finished with a smile, Sam felt his own smile grow impossibly wider at the sight of all his friends. He quickly walked forward and drew Harry into a one-armed hug, careful to avoid squishing his son in between them.

“God, you never change, do you Harry,” Sam rolled his eyes as he was released from the hug. The other man shrugged and winked as Sam moved on to hug the next person in line. Eventually, once all his friends had been hugged and greeted, Sam made it to his husband. Cas stood and waited patiently for his husband to reach him, smiling once hazel eyes turned to meet his blue. Sam walked forward and snaked his baby-free arm around his husband’s waist, drawing him close as Cas looped his arms around his neck. “I missed you,” Sam mumbled as they rested their foreheads together.

“I missed you too,” Cas smiled and closed the gap, their lips meeting in a deep kiss. Electricity buzzed through their bodies as they held each other close, revelling in the love of the moment. That was until little hands patted at their faces, breaking the moment apart.

“Pa! Da! Ick!” Dean grumbled from between the two men, swatting at their faces with his hands to break apart their lovefest. He didn’t want to be in the middle of this mushy shit!

“Sorry, honey,” Cas chuckled as he leaned back in Sam’s grip, tickling their grumpy boy’s tummy as his friends laughed at their son’s disdain. “Papa and Daddy always get you in the middle of their sappiness, huh?” he smiled up at Sam as the man chuckled.

“What’s all this?” Sam said, noticing Dean’s new bouncer, the cowboy baby walker and the packet of t-shirts. The boxes had all been cleared away to be recycled earlier as Dean kept trying to climb into them.

“Oh! We got you some presents!” Jess said brightly. “We all chipped in for them,” she said as she smiled up at her tall friend from her place on the couch.

“That’s so nice you guys, thank you,” Sam said, his heart filling with warmth from the kindness of his friends. “Has he tried them?” he asked, turning back to get a proper look at the new toys.

“He tried the bouncer, and he really liked it,” Benji commented. “He just got tired, so he’s been crawling around for a while instead,” the man said as he poked at the bouncer, making it swing sideways a little. As if to accentuate the man’s point, Dean chose that exact moment to let out a big yawn ending in a squeak. The adults around the room all chuckled as Dean rubbed his face and plopped his head on his Daddy’s shoulder.

“Looks like someone needs their baba and bed,” Cas smiled, pressing a kiss to the boy’s head before crossing into the kitchen to prepare a warm bottle. Sam rubbed a large paw on Dean’s back as the boy grew limp in his hold, chatting with his friends about the day and catching up on their lives as his husband bustled around in the kitchen.

“Here, Sam, take the armchair,” Adam said once Cas returned with Dean’s bottle, uncurling himself from the chair and standing.

“Thanks little bro,” Sam grinned and ruffled Adam’s hair as he sat down, the young man smiling and choosing to sit on the floor in front of the chair with his back resting against the armrest. “You held this duck today?” he asked as Adam glanced back at him.

“Oh, that boy loves Adam,” Mick commented from the couch across the room. “He’s been all over him all day, it’s honestly adorable,” the British man smiled and winked as the young man on the floor blushed at being called adorable.

“That’s good! I’m glad he loves his Uncle Adam,” Sam grinned as he took the warm bottle from Cas and turned Dean to cradle in his arms, pressing the bottle into his lips and letting the baby settle into a rhythm. Adam turned to face him again, surprise evident on his face from the nickname before his eyes grew watery and he smiled. Sam winked at him and nudged him playfully with his foot as his hands were now busy with both the baby and the bottle.

The friends all spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing, feasting on pizza that Cas ordered from a local place. Sam had to have his husband feed him as the baby slept soundly on him after knocking out from his bottle. Soon enough, their friends had to leave for the night to journey home, luckily none of them living more than an hour and a half away. Sam and Cas gave lengthy farewells to each of their friends accompanied by hugs and cheek kisses, each adult pressing a soft kiss to the top of the sleeping baby’s head as Sam held him securely. Eventually, the house was empty and quiet.

“That was really nice,” Cas commented sleepily as he locked the front door and crossed to the stairs where his husband was waiting with their boy. He took Sam’s spare hand as they walked up the flight of stairs side by side. “It was good to have everyone back together, and to meet Dean,” he smiled at his husband.

“It was, I’m glad you got to spend the afternoon with them all,” Sam smiled back, pressing a kiss to Cas’s forehead as they made it to Dean’s nursery. Cas opened the door and the two men quickly set to work changing and dressing their baby for sleep. Once his dirty diaper was gone and he was in his jammies, they laid their baby in the crib and covered him halfway with a blanket. They turned on the monitor and quietly left the room, shutting the door gently before they crossed to their room.

“I hope next time we can all do something together, like the zoo,” Cas said as he changed into his pyjamas, Sam doing the same.

“Dean would love that,” Sam smiled as he pulled back their bed covers, letting Cas climb in first before he slid in beside him and pulled the covers over them both. He wrapped his arms around Cas and pulled him close to his chest, breathing in his scent. “I love you,” he mumbled into his husband’s hair. He felt Cas place a kiss on his forearm.

“I love you too,” Cas responded sleepily, already slipping towards the edge of sleep. Sam smiled and held on to the shorter man tighter. They fell asleep that way, limbs tangled together and smiles gracing their features as they dreamt about all the fun excursions they could go on with their found family and their new son.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, have a great day. :)

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of PedioRejuva