54. Chapter 54

The kitten was good for Dean. It took less than twelve hours for Castiel to tell that much. That night, he put Dean down for bed just like he always would. The kitten crept into the room and leapt up onto Dean’s bed. Dean stared at her in astonishment as she strutted up the bed and onto his pillow. She curled up into a warm little ball right beside Dean’s head and started to purr. The look on Dean’s face – equal parts shock and awe – was something to be treasured.

“I guess you have a little companion now,” Castiel said, gently running a finger down the kitten’s back. She arched into the touch and purred louder. “I’m sure she’ll guard your dreams so that you don’t have any nightmares, just good ones.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Kittens can’t do that, Daddy.”

“Well, it can’t hurt.” He grabbed the covers and pulled them up around the base of Dean’s wings. “Do you want me to read to you for a while?”

It had been a little while since they’d had the chance to read together at night, and Dean nodded eagerly. Castiel perched on the edge of the bed and slipped a pacifier into Dean’s mouth before picking up the book. Dean sucked placidly on the pacifier, eyes drooping, as Castiel began to read. He didn’t get through more than half a chapter before Dean was asleep and snoring softly. The kitten was asleep as well, tiny tail flicking every so often.

“Good night, sweet boy,” Castiel said softly, setting the book aside. He kissed the top of Dean’s head and switched on the mobile, then quietly left the room. He left the door open a crack in case Dean woke up and then went out to the living room.

He was greeted by two grave expressions and frowned at his brothers. “What’s wrong?”

“Demons,” Balthazar said by way of explanation. “They’ve been noticed around your wards, Cassie.”

"Damn Crowley," Castiel muttered, cursing the King of Hell. If he'd thought there was any chance of Crowley seeing reason, he would've tried to make a deal with the man. Certainly, there was value in having the Winchesters and their angels otherwise occupied for the next several years. But this was Crowley they were talking about, and Castiel was through making deals with demons. It was bad enough they'd been forced to work with Crowley during the Apocalypse.

Making the situation worse was that Crowley was the devil that they knew. It wouldn't be overly difficult to smite him – well, Castiel would have a battle on his hands if he were to try, but Gabriel was an archangel and could probably smite Crowley without too much difficulty – but it was impossible to know who would end up taking Crowley's place. Sam and Dean were universally hated, and the thought of someone like Lilith ending up in charge of hell was not promising.

“We actually don't think that these are Crowley's demons, baby bro. These are rogue demons. Lucifer’s followers,” Gabriel said. “I thought we’d gotten most of them, but it seems our brother had more reserves than we realized.”

Castiel frowned at that and sat down beside Balthazar. Lucifer. Would he ever stop being such a thorn in their side? It did make sense that any demons loyal to him would be after Dean and Sam. They were responsible for helping to seal Lucifer away in the cage, and it was a lot easier to go after two humans than it would be to attack an angel or an archangel. He could be sure that Dean was safe because he was never out of someone’s sight, but Sam… He glanced at Gabriel.

“Did you increase the protection around Sam?” he asked.

“What do you take me for? Of course I did. Sammy’s got at least three sets of eyes on him at any given time. Kiddo’s never alone at this point. His dorm room is already outfitted with every anti-demon sigil he knows of, but I added a few more and had the students and professors he spends the most time with thoroughly vetted. Even hid some hex bags amongst their belongings.” Gabriel paused, then added, “I didn’t tell him, though.”

“That’s probably for the best,” Castiel admitted. He knew that Sam and Dean hated being left in the dark. But Sam had made such a huge deal out of going back to school like a “normal” student – heavy emphasis on normal – that it seemed unfair to put him on high-alert. Castiel didn’t know much about university beyond what little Dean had told him, but constantly looking for demons didn’t seem conducive to an education.

“You should be careful as well. Lucifer didn’t like you very much either,” Balthazar said, looking at Castiel with concern. “You would be one of their prime targets if they're out for revenge.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m more concerned about Dean and Sam.”

“Well, you and the baby will be okay. I’m not planning on going anywhere soon,” said Gabriel. “And short of bringing Sam here, he’s as safe as I can make him.”

Castiel considered that scenario for all of five seconds before shaking his head. “No. Dean’s not ready for that, and Sam would be upset that hunting is getting in the way of his education again.” He tried to imagine bringing Sam into the nest and grimaced. There was no way that would go over well. He’d barely gotten Dean to the point where he was okay with the diapers and bottles in front of other angels, and that was only because he’d repeatedly reassured Dean that to an angel, this process was normal for hatchlings. Dean was only just finally starting to accept that.

But having Sam around would basically set Dean back to square one. There was no way Dean would allow himself to use a diaper or to drink from a bottle or to be carried if his brother was here. And that would be disastrous because Dean couldn’t really control his bladder anymore, so the chances that he’d end up wetting himself in front of Sam would be quite high. Castiel pictured Dean’s reaction to that, based on what had happened at Bobby’s house, and figured a full-scale meltdown would be the only answer.

Gabriel looked like he was having the exact same thoughts as Castiel, judging from the look on his face. “I know. But at least Sam can still protect himself. He’s got the demon-killing knife with him and he still has his anti-possession tattoo. And he also knows that if he’s in trouble and he prays, I’ll hear him. That’s really the best we can do.”

Castiel nodded. He didn’t like it, but he knew that Gabriel was right. “Dean’s getting restless. I was hoping to be able to take him for a walk once his fever breaks.”

“That should be in the next couple of days now that his feathers are out,” Gabriel said. “So long as we stuck around here, it should be okay. I’ll come with you, and maybe Balthazar can as well.” He glanced at Balthazar.

“Surely it would be safer to just keep the baby indoors?” Balthazar asked.

“Dean doesn’t cope well with being told he’s not allowed to do something,” Castiel said wryly. “And also, he’s been cooped up in the nest for a couple of weeks. I think it would do him some good to be outside for a little while.” He was pretty sure that this was the longest amount of time that Dean had been in one place for years. Because even when Dean and Sam had to hang around one town for a hunt for more than a couple of weeks, Dean was used to taking the Impala for drives by himself.

“What about taking him to the other side of the world?” Balthazar suggested. “The demons know you’re here. If you flew to Europe maybe, or Japan, they wouldn’t be expecting that.” He smiled wickedly. “I know some of the best places to visit in Tokyo, actually – ”

“And I’m sure none of them are appropriate for a baby,” Castiel cut him off, giving him a look. Balthazar’s smile was pure innocence that didn’t fool Castiel for a second.

Gabriel was trying not to smile as he said, “Regardless, I don’t think Dean should be flying right now if we can avoid it. Flight is usually hard on hatchlings and nestlings right after their wings come out. No, I think we’ll be fine if we just take a short walk here. It won’t be for another couple of days. Maybe before then, the guards will have gotten rid of the rest of the demons.” He didn’t sound very hopeful, though.

“But you’re not leaving the house right now,” Balthazar checked.

“No.”

“Excellent.” He got to his feet, stretching gracefully. “Then I have some places to visit in Tokyo. Let me know when you want to take your walk.” He winked at Castiel, spread his wings and flew away.

Castiel shook his head at the place where Balthazar had been and reached out with his grace to tell Balthazar exactly how incorrigible he was. The only sensations he got back were a feeling of strong amusement and an increased determination to visit this particular place in Tokyo where Balthazar could – and Castiel severed the link, feeling his vessel’s face flush at the images Balthazar had shown him.

“Speaking of Dean’s wings,” Gabriel said, looking way too amused for Castiel’s tastes, “I have something for the baby. I picked it up that day we all went shopping.”

“Is this one of your surprises?” Castiel asked.

“Yup.” Gabriel made a show of snapping his fingers. A large toy appeared in the room beside him, and at first Castiel wasn’t sure what it was. It had a strong steel frame that was a circle on the bottom for added stability. Poles rose from the circle to form an arch that was a few inches taller than Castiel. Hanging from the arch was what Castiel figured was a seat, though an oddly shaped one made from some kind of fabric with two holes for legs and a tray that could snap around your waist.

“What is it?” he asked, puzzled.

In response, Gabriel pushed down on the seat and let go. It bounced and he grinned. “It’s for Dean. He didn’t seem to like bouncing on your knee very much, so this will help him exercise his wings. I have a few toys that can be attached up here.” He patted the top of the arch. “The idea is that when he reaches for the toys, it’ll make him bounce and his wings will respond accordingly. If he’s not playing with the toys, the seat can be set to bounce anyway.”

Castiel stepped closer, realizing for the first time that the seat was attached with a very flexible cord. It didn’t take much pressure to make it bounce, and he found the controls that would make it do so by smoothly withdrawing and releasing the cord. He was certain that those automated controls would come in handy, since he didn’t think Dean would have much interest in bouncing himself at first.

The unit was also taller than he’d first assumed; Dean wouldn’t be able to stand on flat feet, meaning that he’d having to use his wings for balance. He also noticed that it could be adjusted, likely so that as Dean got used to using his wings the seat could be raised so that his wings were fully balancing him. The end result would be an excellent workout for Dean’s wings, much better than just setting Dean on Castiel’s knee and bouncing him.

“It’s perfect,” Castiel said with a smile. “Dean’s going to hate it, but it’s exactly what he needs.”

“Oh yeah, he’ll hate it,” Gabriel said, gesturing to the tray. “That can be locked with grace, so Dean can’t get free or climb out until we come to get him.”

An image of Dean’s frustrated face flashed through Castiel’s head. He couldn’t help chuckling. “I think this might just be enough to eliminate your status as the favorite uncle.”

Gabriel shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Why do you think I gave him the kitten first?”