62. Chapter 62

Bobby’s spare table could literally not withstand the amount of food that Jody and Gabriel piled onto it. When they weren’t looking, Castiel had to use a flicker of grace to reinforce the table and keep it from collapsing. It would be a shame to see that much food go to waste, especially when Sam, Dean and Bobby were wearing identical expressions of excitement. All three of them were practically drooling.

The six of them sat down around the table. Jody said a prayer to God as thanks for their meal. Castiel watched Dean out of the corner of his eye during the prayer, noticing that, while Dean didn’t participate, he didn’t seem to be as uncomfortable as he would’ve been before either. That was good. Religion, or lack thereof, mattered very little for hatchlings or nestlings, but Castiel didn’t want Dean to hate his Father. That could get awkward in the future.

“Bobby, will you carve the turkey?” Jody said, handing him the knife. “Dig in, everyone.” She was flushed with exertion but glowing as Sam and Gabriel both stood up and went over to the table where the food was laid out. Dean was slower to pick up his plate, and Castiel guessed why: Dean was no longer used to getting his own food. He ate what Castiel – or more commonly, Gabriel – fed him.

Castiel picked up his own plate and stood. He waited until Dean got up and then stepped over to the table with him. “Why don’t you hold our plates?” he said, more for Sam’s benefit than Dean’s, and slid his plate into Dean’s free hand.

He piled small quantities of most of the food onto both their plates, avoiding the broccoli and peas for Dean. Bobby topped both plates off with some turkey and then they sat. Human food didn’t taste quite as good as it had when Castiel was falling, but he could tell that Jody’s food was very enjoyable. Dean was eating with gusto, making soft moans of appreciation and sneaking Sparks little bits of turkey under the table. Even Gabriel was stuffing himself.

“Oh, Gabriel got wine,” Jody said, jumping up from the table. She went into the kitchen and returned holding two bottles of wine, one red and one white. She poured herself and Sam some of the white, then red for Bobby. Gabriel also requested white. Castiel waved her off, so Jody turned to Dean.

“Um, red,” Dean said, darting a nervous look in Castiel’s direction. He was clearly uncertain of what to do, reluctant to admit to Sam, Bobby or Jody that he was no longer drinking, but knowing that Castiel wouldn’t be pleased if he did. He looked at the half-full glass like it might explode.

Gabriel shot a smile in Castiel’s direction. His fingers twitched as he reached for his own glass of wine. “Go ahead, Dean-o. I flew to France to get this. It’s the best wine you’ll ever taste.”

It was a sign of how much Dean’s trust in them had built that Dean reached out and picked up the glass. At one time, he would’ve hesitated, trying to figure out whether Gabriel was setting him up to get in trouble. Castiel watched as Dean brought the wine glass to his lips and sipped. Dean tensed in surprise when he tasted the “wine” in his glass, which was actually tinted grape juice.

“Good, isn’t it?” Gabriel asked, grinning.

“You’re right. Best I’ve ever tasted,” Dean said with a small smile, setting his glass down. “So Bobby, how’s married life?”

Bobby rolled his eyes and Jody swatted at him. The attention left Dean as everyone began to eat. The only other snag during the meal was when Dean suddenly stiffened and then stood up, blurting out “bathroom” as he sprinted out of the room at a dead run. His departure was so abrupt that Castiel felt no one would think twice when he followed, ostensibly to make sure that Dean was okay.

Really, though, he already knew what had happened. And sure enough he found Dean in the bathroom, facing the wall with his hands clenched into fists. There were tears in his eyes when Castiel pulled him into a hug. “I barely stopped myself,” Dean said, clearly mortified. “I almost pissed myself in the same room!”

“They wouldn’t have known,” Castiel soothed, though he knew that for Dean, that was a small comfort at this point. He rubbed Dean’s back and whispered reassurances until Dean, with a small shudder and choked gasp, finally relieved himself in his diaper. Then he flew them up to the bedroom and laid Dean down on the changing table so that Castiel could quickly change his diaper.

“I hate this,” Dean said as he sat up afterwards. He looked distressed and embarrassed. “I hate this part of it. It sucks.”

“I know,” Castiel said simply, giving him another hug. He suspected that Dean didn’t actually hate the diapers as much as he let on. But that was probably part of what unsettled him so much. With time, as Dean fell more into his hatchling role and the people around them got more used to seeing him this way, Castiel was certain that Dean would get used to using them in public or around his family. It would just take a while.

He kissed Dean’s temple. “Come on, little one. I’m sure that Gabriel is itching to break into the pie. You don’t want to miss out, do you?”

“No!” Dean gasped, eyes going comically wide as that occurred to him, all thoughts of embarrassment forgotten. “Hurry, Daddy!”

Castiel held back a laugh and flew them back to the first floor so that they could walk into the kitchen together. Dean practically had a fit when he saw Gabriel sitting at the table with a huge slice of pecan pie in front of him, a big forkful inches from Gabriel’s mouth. Gabriel locked eyes with Dean, grinned, and slowly slid the forkful of pie into his mouth, making deliberate moans and groans of delight.

“Dude! I just made room for that pie!” Dean yelped. “You better not have eaten it all!”

Sam and Castiel both rolled their eyes. “I guess some things never change,” Sam whispered to Bobby, who shook his head.

“There is plenty of pie to go around, Dean,” Jody said with an amused smile. “I made two pecan pies because Bobby said they were your favorite. I also have apple pie and pumpkin, for anyone who isn’t obsessed with pecan.”

“Pumpkin for me,” Sam said. “I’ve been waiting for this all day.”

Castiel had to admit, he wasn’t a huge fan of sweets, but the pie was worth waiting for. Jody was right up there with Gabriel in terms of baking. He thoroughly enjoyed the small pieces of apple and pumpkin pie. Bobby and Jody both ended up with pumpkin and apple as well, since Gabriel and Dean managed to demolish the two pecan pies between them.

Predictably, Dean had eaten a little too much. “Ugh, my stomach hurts,” he whined, collapsing on the couch beside Castiel. Bobby and Sam had volunteered to clean up. Jody was on the phone with some relatives. Castiel took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Dean’s shoulders and gently rub the baby’s belly to alleviate some of the tension. He could feel the way that Dean’s belly was rounded, so it was no wonder he was feeling some discomfort.

“I’m starting to think I need to limit your access to pecan pie. This is the second time you’ve gorged yourself,” Castiel said, but he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Babies weren’t known for their impulse control, after all. It was really Castiel’s responsibility to cut Dean off, but Dean just enjoyed pie so much. It was next to impossible to say no to those adorable green eyes. And Gabriel urging Dean on didn’t help the matter.

“But it’s good,” Dean sighed, wiggling a little closer. He tipped his head back against Castiel’s shoulder, then turned his face into Castiel’s wings so that the feathers brushed over his lips. For a split second Castiel honestly wondered if he was going to start nursing, but he didn’t, of course. He just went boneless, and then it took all of thirty seconds for him to fall asleep.

Not that Castiel was surprised. He knew Dean had barely slept last night, and he’d missed his mid-morning nap. Dean had to be exhausted. He shifted slightly so that Dean’s neck was better supported and continued rubbing Dean’s belly. Gabriel came out of the kitchen with the last of the apple pie and sat down beside them on the couch, lifting Dean’s feet into his lap.

“That’s so cute,” Jody said when she walked in and saw them. “I love Dean’s little wings. They’re such a nice color. The copper really suits him.”

Castiel had to admit, his wings puffed up a bit in pride. He hoped that Jody would repeat those comments where Dean could hear, because hearing positive things about his wings would be good for Dean. “It’s a good color,” he said. “I think Dean was very concerned he’d end up with pink wings.”

Jody laughed and sat in the chair. “Yeah, I can see that,” she said. “Pink wouldn’t really suit him. Green, though. Green would’ve been nice. Do you get any say in it? Or is it just random?”

“It has to do with the color of your soul,” Gabriel told her.

“So what color would mine be?”

“Only archangels can tell,” Castiel said. He could see Jody’s soul, of course. But all he could perceive was how brightly it shone (and it was bright, but the glow was dull next to Dean’s brilliance).

Gabriel squinted at her as he put the last forkful of pie in his mouth. “Yellow,” he decided. “Not a bright yellow, but the color of that apron you have.”

“I can live with that,” Jody said, smiling. She started to say something else, but was cut off when, somewhere outside, a cat yowled in pain.

Dean jerked awake instantly. “What? Sparks?”

Bobby came in from the kitchen, wiping his hands. “I hope that cat of yours didn’t get outside, Dean. I’m in the middle of junking a bunch of old cars. There are spare parts laying all over the place. It would be easy for her to cut her paw or worse.”

“Sparks loves being outside,” Dean said, looking worried. “She goes out all the time.”

“I’ll find her,” Gabriel said, jumping up. He vanished.

“I want to look too,” Dean said. “Please?” He turned the puppy eyes on, and Castiel regretted ever telling Dean to use them as a weapon against Gabriel. Even though Castiel knew Gabriel would find Sparks easily, and probably be back in seconds, he nodded.

“Okay.”

“I’ll help too,” Sam volunteered, grabbing his jacket. Bobby and Jody joined them. Castiel stepped outside first, and honestly – he just wasn’t thinking. This was Bobby’s house. It had been as thoroughly warded as was possible for as long as Castiel had known the man. He was too used to letting his guard down at Bobby’s, and thinking that nothing could touch them here.

He’d forgotten how easily persuaded humans could be, especially by demons.

He felt a ripple from Gabriel’s grace, shockpainanger, and froze. Jody crashed into him. Before he could open his mouth to warn her, a similar blast caught him in the face and flung him backwards. Only he didn’t collide with Bobby’s house; he was being banished, he realized distantly, and then knew nothing more.