36. Chapter 36

Despite Dean’s insistence on the picnic, it didn’t end up happening. When they returned home, Castiel sat down on the couch and drew Dean down onto his lap under the guise of giving Gabriel enough time to get things ready. Dean came willingly enough, eyes already heavily lidded, setting his knees on either side of Castiel’s thighs and tucking his head under Castiel’s chin. He slipped his thumb into his mouth, mumbled something unintelligible and was out like a light within minutes.

Castiel stroked his hair, not surprised in the least. The process of becoming a hatchling with taxing enough on the human body, but it had been a very long, emotional day for Dean. Between seeing Bobby on the brink of death and trying to keep up appearances around Sam and Bobby, Dean was completely exhausted. He decided to let Dean sleep for a little while before putting him to bed and settled back against the couch, shifting Dean a bit until the baby sagged into him bonelessly.

Gabriel popped back into the room a couple of minutes later. “Sammy’s all set,” he announced, though he kept his voice quiet enough to not disturb Dean. He threw himself down in the chair across from Castiel and stretched. “You know, the dorm rooms they give university students suck, especially considering how much they want you to pay for them. I went back to embellish Sam’s a little.”

“Did Sam say you could?” Castiel asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He didn’t say I couldn’t,” Gabriel replied, which was answer enough. “He left as soon as I took him back. Said something about heading to the library and then making up for a shift?” He shrugged. “I don’t understand why humans want to work so much.”

“It’s what they do, Gabriel. Sam works to support himself,” Castiel said. It was the best explanation he could offer, considering that he didn’t really grasp the nuances of it all. Sam and Dean had already proven they could acquire money through means that took far less effort than the kind of work Sam was doing right now, like hustling or credit card scams. But Sam had made it clear he was determined to make it through university legally – and without accepting any more money than absolutely necessary, which Gabriel had also offered to him.

“That sounds boring,” Gabriel muttered, and Castiel had to concede that it did.

He was glad that Dean didn’t have to do that. Dean had been through enough already without having the additional stress of worrying about making enough money to survive. Because Castiel knew Dean well enough to know that Dean would have worked himself to the bone to make sure that Sam didn’t have to work and could concentrate on school. It was just the kind of person Dean was. He had been taught from a young age to always put Sam’s needs ahead of his own, and it was a lesson that had stuck.

“It’s unfortunate that Sam feels the need to prove himself,” Castiel said carefully. “But it won’t be for much longer, Gabriel. And once Sam is finished with school, I think, based on your interactions, that if you asked Sam to be your nestling he would say yes.”

Rather than denying it the way he would have before, Gabriel just shrugged. It was progress of a sort. Castiel would take what he could get. He ran his fingers through Dean’s hair one last time and then slowly trailed them down Dean’s back, frowning when Dean shifted and squirmed against him at the sensation. He’d noticed that Dean was in pain earlier, though Dean had – of course – brushed it off. But when he did it a second time, a little bit harder to gauge the response, Dean just sighed and nuzzled closer. He was drooling around his thumb, warm and wet against Castiel’s neck.

“Sam won’t be a hatchling,” Gabriel said then.

Castiel nodded. “I know.” He was pretty sure that Sam would be young for a nestling, probably around four to five years old in human years, which would be perfect for Gabriel. Young enough that Gabriel would have to look after him, but old enough that he wouldn’t require constant care like Dean did. He wondered what Dean would think, having an ‘older brother’ for once.

He patted Dean’s bottom absently and realized that the baby was wet. It was probably time to put him down for bed, anyway. Castiel stood up, seamlessly shifting Dean into his arms, and looked back at Gabriel. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time,” Gabriel said, snapping his fingers. The television went on, showing scantily clad girls strutting across a beach. Castiel rolled his eyes and carried Dean out of the room.

He spread the changing pad out on the bed and laid Dean down on top of it. Dean barely stirred as Castiel removed his t-shirt, pants and diaper, though he woke up a little when he was carried out of the bedroom into the bathroom while still naked. He ended up sitting on the toilet and pouting around his thumb while Castiel ran warm water and bubble bath in the tub.

“Don’t need a bath,” he grumbled. “We were supposed to be having the picnic.”

“No picnic tonight, and yes you do need a bath. You were sleepy last night so you didn’t get one, which means you need one tonight,” Castiel replied, testing the water. It was just the right temperature. “Come on, Dean. Just a quick bath and then you can eat something and go to bed.”

“I’m not hungry.” Dean kept pouting as he stepped into the tub and sat down.

“You didn’t eat very much today,” Castiel pointed out. Dean had been so excited for Gabriel’s surprise during the picnic that he’d eaten a fraction of what he usually did, and so upset during the pizza that the same thing had happened again. He figured Dean was just tired and getting cranky as a result. Coaxing food into him would require a lot of time and effort, but there was another avenue. And after seeing how Dean had been with the beer bottle today, he thought Dean might actually be open to it now.

Dean frowned and grabbed a toy in lieu of responding, but his enthusiasm for his usually beloved bath toys was subpar at best. He listlessly squirted water a few times while Castiel ran a washcloth over him, not even putting up a fuss when Castiel cleaned between his legs. Normally after a bath Castiel gave him a few minutes in the tub to play. If there was one thing that would make Dean act like the baby he was, it was water. But tonight he just pulled the plug and let the water drain away.

He scooped Dean up into a big, fluffy towel and gently started to dry him off. “Did you like seeing Sam today?”

“Yeah,” Dean said through a yawn. “Sammy looks tired, though. He’s doing too much.”

“You and your brother have that in common,” Castiel said, dropping the towel on Dean’s head. He chuckled as Dean batted away the fabric. “He’ll be okay, Dean. Gabriel’s asked a few trustworthy angels to keep an eye on your brother. If Sam starts to get too stressed out or breaks down, then Gabriel will talk to him.”

“And will that talk be anything like our talk?” Dean asked wryly.

“That depends. If you mean the one where I extended an offer to you and you promptly freaked out, probably.”

“I didn’t freak out!”

Castiel just looked at him and Dean subsided into a sulky silence, crossing his arms. He stayed quiet while Castiel got him diapered and dressed in a pair of pajamas – bright green, with a picture of a yellow dragon on the top – but couldn’t stop the yawns, which were coming on thick and fast.

“Go wait in your bedroom. I’ll be right in,” Castiel said, smoothing a hand over his still damp hair. He was half-expecting an argument that never came; Dean stood up and stumbled sleepily towards his bedroom. Castiel went into the kitchen and took a bottle out of the cupboard. Gabriel wandered in while he was putting milk into the microwave and rolled his eyes.

“Oh my god, give me that,” he said, making a grab for the milk. “Do you want the baby to drink it or throw a fuss? ‘Cause I am not up for a tantrum tonight.” He snapped his fingers and a pot appeared on the stove. He switched the burner on, poured some milk in, and began adding honey and some spices while stirring.

“It would’ve been fine.”

“Yeah right,” Gabriel muttered, huddling over the pot like he was expecting Castiel to muscle him out of the way. Which, honestly, if Gabriel wanted to cook for Dean, Castiel was not going to stop him. Cooking and baking would never be Castiel’s strong point: he wasn’t very good at following the instructions, even when he tried to be careful. Gabriel, on the other hand, seemed to possess a natural affinity for it. He moved around the kitchen like he’d been created with that purpose in mind.

A couple of minutes later, once the milk had been sufficiently warmed and Gabriel had added grace – there was very little left, Castiel noted with concern, probably only enough for two or three more doses – he handed the bottle to Castiel with a flourish. "There. That's something actually worth consuming."

"Thank you, Gabriel." Castiel accepted the bottle, doing his best to keep a straight face. He never would have thought that there would be a day when Gabriel was this concerned over what Dean ate and drank. "You'll be good for Sam, you know. When the time comes."

"Go feed your hatchling, Cassie."

"I'm going." Castiel retreated, walking down the hall to Dean's bedroom. Dean was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding his fox and his bee on his lap, and rubbing his eyes with one hand. He looked up when Castiel entered and hastily dropped his hand.

"I'm not tired," he said immediately.

"Yes, you look like you're not tired," Castiel said wryly, gesturing for him to scoot up on the bed. He sat down in the space left behind and showed Dean the bottle.

The expression the flashed across Dean's face was difficult to interpret. It was equal parts fear, curiosity, shame and dismay, which matched perfectly with the thoughts running rampant through Dean's head. Castiel was quiet for a moment, letting Dean have his initial reaction. Underneath the surface emotions, which were changing too fast for him to really keep track of, he could sense wanting. Whether Dean was willing to acknowledge it or not, it was there.

"I know you're not hungry, just like you're not tired. But I want you to have something in your tummy. Can you drink this for me while I read to you?" he asked. Despite how much he wanted to cradle Dean in his arms and wings and help him drink, he suspected this was better at first. Letting Dean feel that he had some control was important.

Dean stared at the bottle for a long time without speaking.

"Uncle Gabriel made it for you," Castiel added.

That seemed to be the deciding factor. Slowly, Dean took the bottle. He didn't make any move to drink, though, and Castiel picked up their book and settled back against the wall. He started to read, pretending like he wasn't paying any attention when Dean curled up against him. But he was definitely watching when Dean finally put the bottle to his lips and just sucked at it for a couple of minutes, the way he would with a pacifier, before he finally tipped the bottle up enough to get some liquid.

It must've tasted good, because Dean made a soft sound of pleasure and instinctively started to suck harder. His eyes closed in concentration, dark lashes fluttering, which was fortunate because Castiel couldn't hide his smile any longer. He wrapped an arm around Dean's shoulders and continued to read.