"Sammy!" Dean yelled at his little brother, watching as the tall, lanky body ran up the stairs ungracefully. Childish giggles were heard along with the stomping and the boy in question ran down the hallway and slammed his bedroom door shut. Dean ran his hand over his face and counted to ten. When he felt himself calm down, he got up from the couch and made his way up the stairs and down the hallway.

Ever since their dad passed away, Dean had been Sammy's guardian. Dean knew his little brother was acting out because of his turmoil of losing their dad. The boy never knew their mother, but he did know that both parents had left him alone. That was why it was so important for Dean to remain patient with his younger brother.

Sam had played another one of his pranks, dropping a bag of plastic spiders on his face when he was napping. Sam was supposed to be doing his homework. Apparently the boy got distracted. He climbed up the stairs and went down the hallway. He stopped at his brothers' bedroom door and raised his fist to knock on it.

"Go away!" The boy yelled, giggling giddily.

Dean smiled fondly at his brothers excited and happy giggles. He waited a couple of seconds, moving to the wall to remain undiscovered by his brother when he would go to open it. He heard the turn of the knob and the squeak in the hinges when the door was pulled open. Sam peaked his head out and Dean moved, easily scooping the boy up into his arms and tickling his sides. Sam replied in roars of laughter and pleas for Dean to stop.

"DEAN! Stop….tickles….stop!" Sam exclaimed breathlessly.

Dean relented and swung the boy over his shoulder and carried him down the stairs. Sam went limb in his hold, still breathless and weak from the tickle attack. Dean stopped once they reached the living room and moved his brother so he was propped on his hip. Sam wrapped an arm around his neck and leaned his head on his shoulder.

"Alright, Sammy, that was a pretty funny prank you pulled, but now you need to clean it up and go back to doing your homework, alright?" He said.

Sammy pouted, "Okay, Dean."

Dean smiled, and set him down, "Thank you kiddo. If you clean it all up, I'll let you have some ice cream after dinner okay?"

"Ice cream!" Sam said excitedly and grabbed the bag that contained his plastic spiders. He began to search for all of the black plastic insects meticulously.

Dean shook his head fondly, his brother was bit of a perfectionist and finished his tasks with immense concentration and precision. He turned and headed into the kitchen, looking in the fridge and then pantry for the ingredients needed for dinner that night. His brother wasn't one who enjoyed a lot of meat, except for chicken. Dean pulled out a frozen chicken breast and placed in a plastic bowl and ran cold water over the covered meat and let it sit in the bowl. He placed it in the sink, and pulled out the angel hair pasta his brother loved. He set the package out on the counter. Moving back to the fridge, he pulled out a fresh red and orange bell pepper. He rinsed them off and grabbed a knife and the cutting board.

He moved to the island and began to chop up the vegetable with ease.

Never in a million years did I ever expect my life to turn out like this. Having to raise my six year old brother and living the life of domesticity that I once promised myself I would never live. I never wanted to learn to cook meals and to help my kid brother with his spelling and numbers. I didn't know what to do with a kid in general. Sam was born when I was already a year out of the house. I didn't even know the kid. Yet here I am, preparing dinner happily.

If it wasn't for…

"Cas!"

Dean looked up to see his little brother stand up and excitedly run to the front door. He smiled at his brothers outward excitement and affection toward the man he had come to love.

"Hey Sam!" Castiel's gentle and deep voice replied. Keys dropped into the glass bowl next to the door and movement was heard. Dean looked up just Castiel and Sam entered the kitchen. Castiel was holding Sam. Sam leaned into the man comfortably.

"Hey Cas," Dean greeted.

"Hey Dean," Cas smiled

"Sammy, did you pick up all of the spiders?" Dean asked.

Sammy sat up and frowned, "No. I couldn't reach the ones underneath the couch. Does that mean I don't get any ice cream?"

Dean smiled at his brother's upset face and also his honest, "Of course you can have ice cream. You can have it for being honest. Why don't you ask Cas for help, I'm sure he wouldn't mind?"

Sam beamed at him, and turned to Castiel, "Cas, will you help me pick up my spiders?" He asked, a bit shyly.

"Sure thing, Sam. Let's go find those bugs," Castiel said, tickling Sam's stomach. Sam giggled and wiggled a bit. Castiel set the boy down and Dean watched as they looked under the couch and pulled out the plastic bugs.

After Dean finished chopping up the veggies, he rinsed the knife off and set it on a towel to dry. He began to pull out the pots to cook the noodles in and a pan to sauté the vegetables and chicken in.

"Sam, did you finish your homework?" Dean heard Castiel ask.

"No, I needed help on my numbers, but Dean was asleep and so I woke him up with the spiders," Sam explained.

Dean chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Why don't I help you with them while Dean is cooking dinner, yeah?" Castiel offered.

"Okay!" Sam answered happily. Dean looked behind him to see Castiel sitting next to Sam at the table and leaning over the workbook.

Dean grabbed the meat from the bowl in the sink. He grabbed a lemon out of the basket on the counter and cut it in half. He squeezed the lemon onto the cutting board and began rubbing the juice around to disinfect the board. He took the chicken out of the plastic bag and onto the board and began to slice into it, cutting the meat into cubes.

Cas has been such a great help. Teaching me how to interact with my brother and care for him so patiently. He was a friend who was concerned and helpful, but never pitied me. He expected me to take care of Sammy and helped me to do so. The only person who truly held me accountable and I could never thank him enough. And now…

"Dean!"

Dean looked up to see his brothers smiling face at the table.

"Yeah, Sammy?" He replied.

"Guess what we learned about today?" He asked eagerly.

"Hmm…I'm not sure, Tell me Sammy, what did you learn today?" Dean asked.

"We learned about sharks!"

"Really? Tell me one thing you learned about sharks," Dean asked.

"That there are lots of different kinds of sharks. There's a great white shark and one called a hammerhead shark and it has a funny head. It doesn't even look like a hammer!"

"Really? Why don't you draw me a hammerhead shark to show me what it looks like? I want to see," Dean said.

"Okay, Dean. Cas, you can help. Here take this crayon. It's grey. Just like sharks." Sam instructed.

Dean laughed. He slid the veggies into the pan with a bit of olive oil and black pepper. He turned the heat on medium. He grabbed the package of noodles and opened them and poured it into the pot full of boiling water.

Cas put up with my sorry ass and somehow deluded himself into thinking that I was it for him. I don't know why, and I don't care to know. All I know is that he's it for me. I could never do better than having Cas as mine. Mine…for as long as I want. Just like he promised. I love…

Arms snaked around Dean's waist, startling him from his thoughts.

"Where is your head at?" Castiel asked.

Dean leaned back in the embrace, "Nowhere important."

Castiel chuckled, pressed a soft kiss to Dean's neck. "Dinner smells good."

"I hope it is. Making Sammy's favorite. He got a hundred percent on his spelling test and asked me if we could have pasta tonight with the 'rainbow veggies' when I picked him up." Dean chuckled.

"He's a smart kid," Castiel commented. He had laid his head in between Dean's shoulder blades, still holding him from behind.

"I don't know where he gets it from," Dean replied.

"From you, obviously," Castiel chastised.

"Cas," Dean sighed.

"Oh come on, don't be such a negative Nancy. You were always acing physics and math like nobody's business. Sam is just smart in different way, he enjoys reading and history, and prefers life science."

"I guess so."

Lanky arms wrapped around Dean and Castiel's legs. Both men looked down to see Sam's big brown eyes looking up at them with a sweet smile on his face.

Castiel pulled away and lifted the small boy up, "Hey kiddo."

"Group hug? Is Dean okay?" Sam asked, the concern in his voice to adorable to resist a smile.

"Of course I'm okay, squirt. I was just telling Cas about your spelling test. Do you want to tell him how to spell the bonus word?" Dean asked.

Sam concentrated, "The bonus word was 'unacceptable' and it's spelled: U-N-A-C-C-E-P-T-A-B-L-E! I was the only one who didn't forget the other 'C' and so I got a star on the chart. I'll be able to get a prize if I get two more stars!"

"Wow! Good job Sam! That's a pretty difficult word!" Castiel smiled at him.

"Yeah, it was, but I missed one of the easiest words to. I could have gotten a hundred and two, but I missed 'careless' because I forgot the 'E,'" Sam said, a bit upset.

"Hey, that's a really easy mistake. You still did very well, considering you were the only one who got the bonus word right. And it's just that: a mistake. Next time you'll just need to be more careful and pay attention to what you're writing. You probably were so excited for the test that you weren't paying attention to what you were writing," Castiel explained.

"Yeah, I didn't want to forget how to spell the bonus word," Sam admitted.

"That's okay, but you've been practicing with Dean all week, you wouldn't have forgotten," Castiel said gently.

"You're right Cas," Sam said happily.

"Alright boys, dinner is ready. Sammy, go clear your homework from the table, so Cas can set the table." Dean said.

Sam nodded, and Cas put him down. The little boy began organizing his work into his folders and placing them in his backpack with great care. "Dean! Can I show you my picture of the shark? Then we can put it on the fridge?"

"Sure, let me see it kiddo," Dean said. Sammy brought it over to him and Dean crouched to Sam's level to look at the carefully drawn picture.

"That's really good, Sam. You were right, he does have a funny head." Dean complimented.

"Cas helped with the fins and tail, but I drew the head all by myself," Sam explained.

"Cas and you did a really great job. Why don't you find a magnet and go ahead and put it on the fridge, okay?"

"Okay, Dean."

Dean stood up and began scooping noodles onto a plastic plate with a bit of chicken and lots of the 'rainbow veggies' for Sam. He poured a bit of alfredo sauce onto the noodles. "Sammy, do you want juice or milk?"

"Apple juice please!" Sam asked.

Dean chuckled and grabbed the bottle of apple juice into a cup and took Sam his meal and drink, "You can go ahead and start eating."

Sam picked up the fork and began to eat at the chicken.

Dean served Castiel his plate and set it on the counter. He served himself and took the two plates to the table. He saw that Sam had finished his chicken and was now mixing his vegetables into the sauce and noodles. He chuckled.

"Dean, what would you like to drink?" Castiel asked.

"I'll have a beer," he answered, sitting down. "Taste good?" He asked Sam after he took a bit.

"Yes!" Sam said after he swallowed and took a drink of his juice.

Castiel placed a beer in front of him and sat beside him with a cup of iced tea. Once Castiel sat down, Dean began mixing his pasta together.

The rest of dinner was full of happy chatter and smiles.

Once the left overs were packaged away in the fridge and the kitchen cleaned up, Dean pulled out the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup ice cream for Sam. He scooped two scoops out and placed them in a bowl for him. He placed the ice cream back in the freezer. Sam came running down the stairs with wet hair and pink skin.

"That was a fast shower," Dean remarked.

"Ice cream," Sam whined.

Dean gave him a stern look.

"Can I have my ice cream please?" Sam rephrased.

"Of course," Dean said, handing him the bowl. Sam carefully walked into the living room to sit on the couch and watch the cartoons Castiel had turned on for him. He watched as Castiel leaned down and kissed the top of Sam's head. Castiel came into the kitchen with him and kissed Dean on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Dean asked.

Castiel smirked, "For being the best big brother any kid could have."

Dean blushed and looked away.

"I'm going to have a glass of wine, do you want me to get you another beet?" Castiel asked.

"Sure," Dean answered.

Dean and Castiel hung out in the kitchen drinking their respective drinks until Dean set his empty bottle down, "I'm going to put Sammy down."

Castiel nodded, "Alright."

Dean headed into the living room to see Sam's bowl on the coffee table and his kid brother's eyelids growing heavy and droopy. He chuckled and picked him up. Sam wrapped his arms and legs around Dean.

"Say good night to Cas, Sammy," Dean said to him.

"'Night Cas," Sam mumbled.

"Good night Sam," Castiel said softly.

Dean carried him up the stairs and down the hallway to his brothers bedroom. He gently laid him down on the bed, pulling the Cars themed sheets and comforters over him. He kissed Sam's forehead, "Good night Sammy. I love you."

"'Night Dean, love you too," Sam mumbled.

Dean smiled, and turned on the nightlight and left the room, closing the door. He walked back downstairs to see Cas lounging on the couch. The empty bowl had disappeared. Dean smiled, and went to sit in the space next to Castiel.

"He's out," Dean commented.

"That's good," Castiel replied.

Dean smiled at Castiel, and leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips, "I love you," he murmured to him.

Castiel responded to his kiss eagerly, "I love you too," he whispered back.