A/N: Luke = Lucifer
Chuck loved his children. He really did. Sometimes, though, more often than not, they were a bit too much to handle.
Usually, Michael (who was the eldest) helped his dad keep the rest under control. In all honesty, he was more of a father figure than Chuck – he played with them at the park, bought them food, took them to school – and that led to Chuck being a mostly absent father. After lots of self-loathing and careful consideration, Chuck decided he just wasn't cut out to be a father.
Michael, on the other hand, believed – well, wanted to believe – otherwise. He wanted to think that he had the best father, someone to look up to, when in reality he had neither. Chuck had tried to be what Michael and the others needed, but in the end, it didn't work out as planned.
Chuck was dozing off in his writing chair when Anna came into the room, hand in hand with Castiel. Her red hair bounced behind her as her and Castiel walked over to the tired Chuck. Her tiny hand tapped his forearm and he opened his eyes slowly, yawning. Castiel climbed up into his father's lap, his arms finding their way (almost) around Chuck's waist. Chuck looked down at the kid and smiled.
"What's up, honey?" Chuck asked, looking at Anna. Her eyes darted away from him.
"Daddy, Michael's sick. He can't take us to the park." Uh-oh. Lately, Chuck noticed him having a coughing fit or two.
"Oh. Where is he?" Anna took Chuck's hand – or, rather, some of it – and led him to Michael's room. Castiel was still clinging onto Chuck for dear life, and so he picked up Castiel, setting him on his shoulders.
When they arrived at Michael's room, Chuck could see the kid was in no condition to be going anywhere. There were tissues scattered across his bed, blankets piled up on him, and hot tea sitting on his nightstand. Luke was placed in a chair next to Michael's bed, watching over him.
"Hey, Dad," Luke said, a hint of satire in his voice. Luke was the second eldest of the children, and was not as father-like as Michael was. Infact, he was the complete opposite. Him and Gabriel loved to play around with the other children, and they did so a bit harshly. However, Luke loved Chuck like there was no tomorrow.
Chuck walked over to Luke, Anna following behind him. He gave Luke a quick hug before turning towards Michael, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully.
"Has Anna been bugging you about going to the park?" Luke looked at Anna, who was now sitting on Michael's bed.
"I.. I wouldn't necessarily say 'bugging,' but.." Castiel started playing with Chuck's hair, and Chuck winced at the sudden pull from Castiel. "Yeah. She asked me. If you guys want to go, it's no bother at all for me to take you," Luke's eyes widened and he smiled.
"Really? Let's go now, then!" Luke picked up Anna, running out of the room to most likely tell the others. Michael opened his eyes and smiled. "Thanks, Dad."
Chuck shrugged. "It's no problem. I guess I should thank you for everything you've done." Michael rolled his eyes, and Chuck went on. "Thanks. I love you a lot."
After getting all the children ready, Chuck hurriedly put on his shoes and grabbed his coat. Michael had told him where the park was, and Chuck hoped getting the kids there would be easy.
Chuck opened the door, feeling the cool breeze on his skin. Balthazar and Gabriel rushed out, running onto the sidewalk. Luke followed after them, bringing Anna along. Castiel walked alongside Chuck, holding his hand tightly. Uriel was beside Castiel, playing with the hem of his shirt.
"Daddy, can you play with us at the park?" Chuck looked down at Castiel, who was already staring at Chuck. Chuck nodded and smiled, and Castiel returned the gesture, his blue eyes wide.
Once they arrived to the park, Chuck decided to sit at a nearby bench to watch the kids. Luke and Gabriel were playing on the swings, Anna on the monkey bars, and Balthazar was chasing Uriel and Castiel around. As Chuck fell deeper into his thoughts, he decided that maybe he could change his ways. Maybe he could redeem himself to Michael and be that father he always wanted. Maybe he could give his children the love and care they needed. Maybe he could actually be a father.
Chuck didn't notice Castiel walk up to the bench and sit down next to him, so when Castiel tapped him, Chuck jumped in his seat. Castiel pouted.
"Can we play now, Daddy? Uriel doesn't wanna wait more." Chuck nodded, calming himself down. He got off of the bench, letting himself get pulled by Castiel. Uriel was waiting by the slide.
"Castiel, I wanna play tag," Uriel said, crossing his arms. "Daddy, let's play tag!" Castiel agreed to it, and Chuck said it was okay. Anna noticed, and she walked over to the three, asking to play. Soon, everyone was playing tag.
Chuck was it. Chuck had tried his best to catch some of the kids, but to no avail. Their legs took them running far away fast, and although Chuck was running at his top speed, he couldn't get any of them. He even tripped a few times while running.
Gabriel was laughing at his father getting up from the ground when Chuck quickly reached out and touched Gabriel, then sprinting away quickly.
As Gabriel was one of the fastest of the children, it wasn't long before Gabriel had caught Balthazar. Chuck was with Anna and Luke when Balthazar came running towards them, causing each of them to run away. Chuck laughed, bumping into Uriel a bit.
Finally, the kids decided to end the game. The sky was getting darker and Chuck decided it was time to go. Anna was being carried by Chuck when Balthazar was begging to be put on his father's shoulders, and Chuck reluctantly allowed it.
The walk home seemed shorter than ever. The children looked genuinely happy, and so did Chuck. Chuck thought it was the first time in months when he was happy with himself.
When they reached the front door, Chuck found his keys and unlocked it, letting the children pour into the house. They were all a laughing, sweaty mess, and Chuck decided they needed to each take a bath.
After everyone was cleaned up and in their pajamas, Chuck played a movie – "The Parent Trap" – on the T.V, and everyone gathered around to watch it. While the kids were absorbed into the movie, Chuck got up and left to go check on Michael.
Michael was doing his homework when Chuck came in. Immediately, he looked up to see the guest, and then smiled.
"Did they have fun? Were they any trouble? I'm guessing they were, because-" Chuck cut off Michael, shaking his head and smiling like an idiot.
"No, they weren't any trouble at all. Actually, I think it was the most fun I've had, since, like, years ago," Chuck continued, "I'm really mad at myself for not taking them out earlier."
Michael chuckled quietly to himself. "Yeah, well, they are very energetic."
A couple moments of silence passed by when Chuck leaned over to Michael, leaving him a quick kiss on the forehead. "Hope you get better. I'll be in the living room if you need me." Chuck got up, walking towards the door when he turned around and looked at Michael again, smiling. "Oh, and I love you. A lot." And with that, Chuck left the room.
The movie playing was coming to an end and all the kids were snoozing. Chuck picked up each of them, one by one, and set them comfortably in their beds, letting them sleep. Chuck left all of them a kiss and a quick 'good night' before going off to his own room.
Chuck pulled up the covers, the blankets around him making him warm during a cold night. As he drifted deeper into sleep, he thought about his beautiful children, happy and safe.