47. Chapter 47

Dean was reluctant to go down for his nap that afternoon, protesting that he wasn’t sleepy, but Castiel insisted that he at least lie down for a little while. Sure enough, after two chapters of the third Harry Potter book, Dean was out like a light, clutching his bee against his chest. Castiel shook his head fondly, switched on the mobile, and crept out of the room to the soft tune of ‘Hey Jude’. He closed the door partially behind him, leaving it open just a crack, and moved into the living room.

Their conversation earlier had gone a lot better than Castiel had expected. Dean was so stubborn, but worse than that he was just too used to being the one who had to take care of everyone. It wouldn’t be that easy for Dean to stop that behavior, but maybe now it was something Dean would consciously think about instead of just doing automatically. Not to mention, it seemed like the idea of being a hatchling was finally starting to sink in. Dean was such a happy baby when he wasn’t over thinking the situation.

He spent several minutes gathering some more grace for Dean, refilling the empty bottles that lined the counter, then wandered into the living room. He’d cleaned the room by hand yesterday, putting away the toys that Dean and Charlie’s play date had left scattered all over the floor. The memory of Dean, playing so unselfconsciously, was enough to make him smile. He wanted to see that happen a lot more often. Dean deserved it.

The distinct flap of wings made him turn towards the door, but Gabriel waited for no one. He opened the door and strolled inside with Balthazar in tow, grinning at Castiel. “Hey bro. Heard a rumor that a certain baby was missing his uncle.”

“It’s more than just a rumor,” Castiel said, pleased to see him. Gabriel looked a little worn, but there were no visible injuries that Castiel could see. “Although I think he misses your pie more than anything else.”

Gabriel shrugged. “I’ll take what I can get. Where is he?”

“Napping.”

“Ah, well. That gives the adults time to talk. I’m sure Balthazar updated you on the suspicious lack of demonic activity?”

“He did. I take it things haven’t changed,” Castiel said.

“Nope. And Crowley hasn’t reared his ugly head that we know of. He seems to be sticking pretty exclusively to hell. Since I have no interest in laying siege again, we were wondering if you might have better luck getting into contact with Crowley. Just to have a chat, that’s all.”

Castiel frowned. “Crowley hates me, and the feeling is mutual.”

“But you teamed up him with him during the Apocalypse,” Balthazar pointed out. “Or at least the Winchesters did.”

“I don’t want Dean anyone near him,” Castiel said instantly, wings puffing threateningly at the thought. It was true that he, Dean, Sam and Crowley had been forced to work together during the Apocalypse. But Castiel had never allowed himself to forget that Crowley was, first and foremost, a demon, and that meant everything Crowley did was for his own benefit. Crowley hadn’t helped them out of the goodness of his own heart; he’d done it because Lucifer would’ve killed him otherwise.

“I don’t either,” Gabriel said, completely serious. “Believe me. Balthazar could baby-sit Dean while you and I went to talk to him.”

“Talked to who?” a sleepy voice asked. Dean stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey kiddo!” It was amazing to see the transformation that came over Gabriel. He immediately brightened up at seeing Dean, a huge grin crossing his face. His wings lifted too, spreading out welcomingly even as Gabriel opened his arms for a hug.

“Uncle Gabe!” Dean’s eyes lit up and he sprinted across the room to throw himself into Gabriel’s arms, giggling with abandon as Gabriel scooped him up into a bear hug. Gabriel dramatically shook him from side to side a few times, then set him back down on the ground and planted a kiss on the top of Dean’s head.

“How have you been?” Gabriel asked. “I heard that someone was craving pie?”

Dean nodded. “Will you make me an apple pie?”

“Of course. You can help me make it tonight.”

“You’re staying?” Dean asked, fingers wrapped in the fabric of Gabriel’s shirt. He seemed worried that Gabriel would leave again, and Gabriel shot a look of surprise at Castiel before giving Dean another hug.

“Absolutely, honey. I had to go sort some stuff out in heaven, but I’m all done with that for now. Besides, I couldn’t stay away from my favorite nephew for long.” He tickled Dean a little. Dean squealed with laughter and wiggled away, though he didn’t let go of Gabriel’s shirt.

“How are your wings feeling?” Balthazar asked unexpectedly.

Dean blinked at him. “Okay. Why are your wings purple today?”

Balthazar preened at the mention of his wings, flaring the feathers out so that they could better admire the color, which was as pale as lavender. “I find it boring to have the same color wings every day,” he answered. With a tilt of the head, he changed the color of his wings to a deeper purple. Dean gasped in astonishment, eyes widening.

Castiel exchanged an amused look with Gabriel. Balthazar was the only angel they knew of that changed the color of his wings every single time he came to Earth. He didn’t stick to the traditional colors either, frequently using colors normally associated with nestlings or hatchlings. Mostly, Castiel suspected, because he found it funny when another angel mistook him for a nestling and then Balthazar got the chance to correct their perception. Usually with as much embarrassment for the other angel as possible.

“That’s so cool. How come you don’t change the color of your wings, Daddy?”

“I guess I never thought about it,” Castiel said honestly. “I like the color of my wings.”

“I like it too,” Dean said quickly, apparently worried that he’d offended Castiel with his innocent comment. Castiel smiled at him in thanks, then looked at Balthazar.

“Why do you ask how Dean’s wings are?” he asked, knowing better than to think Balthazar was just asking out of concern.

“Because I went through the trouble of tracking down these.” Balthazar pulled a pair of green wing sleeves out of midair. There were few pairs of wing sleeves in existence, mostly because newly grown wings were so unbearably sensitive that they had to spun from the hair of a unicorn, and that was both tedious and time-consuming because unicorns were such vain creatures. Most angels opted to just keep their nestling inside the nest until their feathers had grown in. Castiel had never even seen a pair before.

“What’s that?” Dean asked, frowning.

“They’re to cover your wings until your feathers grow,” Gabriel said, putting a gentle hand on Dean’s head. “That way you don’t have to worry about anyone seeing them. Like gloves for your hands, except these can be coated with some of your Daddy’s oil and will help with the pain. Plus, it will keep you warmer.”

“Oh.” Dean looked over his shoulder at his wings and grimaced. “Can I put them on now?”

“Of course. Uncle Gabriel will help you too lie down on your bed. I’ll be right in,” Castiel said, watching his hatchling and his brother disappear down the hall hand-in-hand. Then he turned to Balthazar.

“Thank you for finding those for Dean,” he said quietly, meaning it. “That must have been a lot of work.”

“It was,” Balthazar said, passing over the sleeves. “I had to call in some favors, and I owe a lot more. But the little rugrat means a lot to you, so it was worth it.”

Castiel had a suspicion that Balthazar liked Dean a lot more than he was willing to admit, but he said nothing. He took the sleeves down the hall and found that Dean was lying face down on his bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and Gabriel stood behind him, stimulating his wing glands to collect the oil. Gabriel liberally smeared the oil across the sleeves until the delicate fabric was glistening. Because it was made from unicorn hair, the oil didn’t soak through to the other side, but nor did it slide off when Castiel and Gabriel each took a sleeve and slipped it over one of Dean’s naked wings.

Dean tensed up, whimpering around his thumb, as his wings were touched. Castiel removed his hands as soon as he could, watching as the fabric tightened and settled into place on its own – the wonders of supernatural creatures; unicorn hair fabric was about as heavy as a snowflake, and the oil would help to make it stay. Once the oil was fully absorbed, the sleeves would slide off painlessly for reapplication. It was truly a stunning gift.

As Gabriel slipped out, Castiel perched again on the bed and pulled Dean up into his lap, cuddling the baby and rubbing his lower back until the flow of tears had slowed. Dean sniffed a few times, sucking wetly at his thumb, and winced when one of his wings gave a spasmodic jerk. Castiel set a hand on his shoulder, urging him to relax, because Dean didn’t understand how to control the muscles in his upper back yet. It would take practice once his feathers had grown, as it was the equivalent of teaching a human baby to walk.

Gabriel came back into the room with a bottle of water mixed with grace. He handed it to Castiel and sat down beside his brother, putting a reassuring hand on the back of Dean’s neck. Castiel urged Dean to sit up a little, offering him the nipple of the bottle with some trepidation. He’d never attempted to give Dean a bottle like this; up till now, the few bottles that Dean had consumed had been under his own control. He always took the bottle from Castiel.

Dean eyed the nipple for a long moment, eyes still watery, before he slipped his thumb out of his mouth. Much to Castiel’s surprise, Dean kept his mouth open and allowed Castiel to slide the nipple in. He sucked once and then a second time, swallowing the cool water, and then shut his eyes as a light blush spread across his face. Even though he was clearly a little embarrassed, he kept drinking from the bottle. Castiel wouldn’t have said as much, but he looked adorable the whole time.

“There you go, little one,” he said softly as Dean finished the water. He handed the bottle to Gabriel and lifted Dean up to his shoulder, very carefully patting at Dean’s back. After about thirty seconds, Dean belched and sighed, nuzzling onto Castiel’s shoulder.

“Hey Dean-o,” Gabriel said. “Now that your wings are covered, would you feel up to going out?”

“Out?” Dean repeated, sounding more like he was ready for another nap than going out. “Out where?”

“Not to the mall or anything. I just thought you might like to go for a walk. Get out of the nest for a bit.”

“Will you come too?” Dean asked, turning a pleading look into Gabriel, who visibly melted.

“Of course I will. Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen this time. No demons are gonna be dumb enough to challenge two angels and an archangel.” Gabriel winked at him. “You and your daddy get ready to go, okay? I’ll get your stroller.”

“Don’t need it. I can walk.”

“You sure?” Gabriel said, glancing at Castiel. Castiel shrugged with his free shoulder. When Dean inevitably grew tired, because that would be a long walk for a baby, one of them could carry him or fly back to the nest to get the stroller.

Dean nodded, rubbing his cheek against Castiel’s feathers, like a contented kitten. He mumbled a little in protest when Castiel stood up and set him down on the changing table, but allowed his diaper to be changed. Castiel got him dressed in a pair of jeans with an elastic waist and a cute purple t-shirt, then carried him out to where Balthazar and Gabriel were waiting.