A/N: Definitely not what I usually write, but written lovingly for a friend as a late Christmas present.
Sam, Dean, and Castiel had to have what Dean called an "adult conversation", so he had shown Jack to the "man cave" and told him to relax. Jack didn't know what Dean meant by calling the room that - it wasn't a cave. Or maybe it was, it was dark, underground… Jack shook his head, supposing it didn't matter, and sat down in one of the plaid armchairs before the TV.
He found the remote and surfed through the channels a bit before alighting upon a movie that looked interesting.
Jack was half an hour into it when Sam came in and took the seat next to him.
"Whatcha watching?" he asked.
"Madagascar. I really like the penguins, especially Private."
"Oh yeah?"
Jack looked at his dad with a soft smile as he explained, "He doesn't always know a lot, but he's trying his best."
Sam didn't get up, and after awhile his other two dads trickled in, watching the movie with him and laughing at all the appropriate moments.
"The penguins are still my favorite," Jack declared.
"We could take you to see 'em," Dean intoned from where he stood behind Sam's chair, an open beer bottle in hand.
Jack straightened in his seat, all excited.
"Really?"
Sam glanced at Dean and answered, "I mean, yeah. There aren't any zoos around here and I've only been to one once-"
"For a chupacabra case," Dean filled in.
"But, yeah, if you want to go."
Castiel had been leaning against the wall, arms crossed serenely as he listened to the conversation, but now he came forward.
"I've never been to a zoo," he told them. "Perhaps it'll be fun."
"When do we leave?" Jack asked with a smile, almost up out of his seat.
"We have some things we have to finish here," his father told him, a hand on his shoulder, "but soon."
"Real soon," his dads promised.
Real soon dragged into a week as his dads got wrapped up in another case and Castiel stayed behind to watch Jack, but now they were all headed to the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas. Dean no longer seemed excited and grumbled and argued as he drove, but his father assured him that Dean was just being dramatic and would be fine when they got there. Sam had gotten up a map on his iPad and was asking Jack if there were other animals he wanted to see.
Jack, who had watched The Lion King, and Balto the night before answered, "Lions! And wolves!"
"Alright." Sam made some marks on his map.
Jack didn't like the zoo at first though he'd rushed in ahead of his dads once they'd paid. It was too crowded, so many sounds, and sights. So many humans and emotions in one place.
He saw there were signs with arrows pointing to different exhibits, and he searched for PENGUINS.
Castiel came up to stand beside him, also looking around.
Jack was jostled by a boy passing by him, and he gave the retreating brown head a questioning look, until he felt his dad's hand on his shoulder.
"Penguins are this way," Sam told him, leading him out of the air-conditioned entrance area to a path lined with a wooden fence and short trees.
There were a lot of paths like that and Jack dutifully followed his dads to another building, smiling at a few animals he saw as they passed.
He felt giddy, excitement bubbling up into his chest, and wanted to run the rest of the way to the exhibit. Luckily his dads all had long legs, so they made good timing.
Part of Jack was startled that this was where he was in life. He'd been in a war in another universe, had led people, and now he was here, happy with his family, ready to do something so normal, and maybe even childish. That thought was left behind as they entered a cool, dark building, the walls made to look like the stone of a cave. Blue light flickered on the wall in wavering rivulets, and Jack lifted his head up, attempting to see over the crowd to the glass window they were approaching.
He saw some snow, maybe a black flipper, but nothing else yet.
Why can't I be as tall as Sam?
Finally they got to the glass and Jack beamed at all the black and white birds before him. There were ten of them all together, waddling about, squawking, perched on snow-capped stones. Two were in the frigid water that lapped up against the glass.
The birds were tiny, with little beaks that were a bright orange. Their backs and the top of their wings were black, their bellies white. And on their heads were dustings of white that traveled down to their perceptive eyes.
Jack's mouth was open as he smiled - his father stood behind him, a comforting hand on each shoulder, and his dads stood on either side of him. He was unable to tear his gaze away from the shuffling, feathery figures to look at his family, but he hoped they were smiling too.
One penguin with a neon green band on one leg flopped down on its stomach before attempting to dive into the water. It misjudged and fell in, wings flapping in mild panic. Jack found himself giggling at the spectacle.
Another, this one with a yellow band, hopped around before bumping into another bird, who squeaked in admonition. They both splashed into the water.
"Alright, kid. You saw the penguins," Dean told him. "Let's get going."
"Dean, give him a couple minutes," Sam asaid.
They did give him a few more minutes, Jack staring in wonder. Then they went to other exhibits. They saw grey wolves, and moon bears, and lions, and lemurs, and some snakes, and turtles.
In the back of his mind Jack was still thinking of the penguins.
He slipped away from the food court during lunch while Sam was buying him a hot dog. He didn't know why; he just had to see the penguins again.
"Where's Jack?" Sam asked his brother and his friend when he realized the kid wasn't with them.
"No, no, no," Dean murmured, as the three of them wildly looked around. The hot dog Sam had bought fell out of his hand.
"Jack!" Castiel called, voice much too loud, drawing attention.
He didn't come up to them, and Sam couldn't see him in the myriad of people that were about.
Don't panic, Sam told himself, even as a bunch of horrible scenarios began to take over his head. Jack's gonna be fine. He's probably fine now.
The three of them split up to search the zoo for the boy, and Sam eagerly awaited a phone call saying he'd been found.
No such call came.
Sam felt a tugging sensation in his chest as he came to the building with the penguins, but he didn't let himself hope just yet.
He hurried inside, stopped and sighed when he saw Jack sitting cross-legged on the floor, tracing designs on the glass with his finger, a penguin following with rapt attention.
He called Dean.
"I got him."
"Where is he?"
Sam affectionately rolled his eyes, letting himself smile. "He's with the penguins again."
"Good. I'll tell Cas."
After his brother hung up, Sam approached Jack. A penguin ruffled its feathers, a few soft, fluffy fibers swirling gently in the air. The penguin that had been amused by Jack's finger surfaced.
"You shouldn't wander off like that."
Jack started, glanced at Sam and took him in before looking back at the penguins.
"I know," he sighed. "People are after me."
"Yes. People who want to hurt you. You understand that, right?"
Jack nodded.
"I just wanted to pretend a little bit," he explained as the penguin started following his finger again. "I wanted to pretend that I was normal, or that I felt like me. And the penguins are just so cute - I thought they'd be a good distraction."
Sam knew it'd be weird for what looked like two adults to be sitting in front of the penguin exhibit, but he sat down beside Jack anyway.
"They are," he agreed, smiling at his son before looking at the boisterous birds. "I don't know when I last felt like this."
"Felt like what?"
Sam huffed out a laugh, and half-smiled.
"Felt like I was having fun," he responded.
Jack's hand fell away from the glass as the penguin lost interest.
Purposeful and familiar footsteps sounded behind him as Jack said, "I'm having fun."
Castiel and Dean were there now, and Jack turned to them.
Sam beamed up at Jack as the boy got up to give Castiel a quick hug.
He spoke, smile showing his teeth, carefully chosen words sincere, "Thank you."