Notes: Thank you, as always to everyone who is still reading my little story and especially to those you have taken the time to reach out and leave me reviews. I appreciate every word you guys give me. This is the last chapter of the story for this point in their lives, but I already have a time stamp planned for when Sam is in college. It might take a few weeks to get itself written and posted.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own obsession with Supernatural
Trigger Warnings: Consensual spanking between adults, use of rectal thermometer
Sam has two court dates over the next three weeks. At one, he gets an embarrassing lecture from a judge who basically calls him an entitled asshole without using any of those words, a one-thousand dollar fine and 150 hours of community service. At the other, he officially gets parents. Dean and Cas are with him for both, hugging him and putting an arm around his shoulders as they leave the courthouse each time, with solemn relief after the first hearing and big celebratory grins after the second one. It's an odd feeling walking out of the courthouse after being adopted. It's not like anything changed. Not really. Sam has considered Cas to be a second parent for a while now, and he's known Dean has loved him like a parent his whole life. But, he can admit he feels a warm, cozy swell of being loved and wanted whenever he thinks about Dean and Cas making the effort to adopt him and make him theirs, legally and permanently. He would have been ok if it hadn't happened, but it makes Sam feel good every time he thinks about it.
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Sam walks up to the couch, already in his pajamas. He had just finished his homework and was packing his book bag with the textbooks he needs for tomorrow, when he found the permission slip, still unsigned, inside. Cas and Dean are snuggled together on the couch watching the news. Dean's head is resting on Cas's shoulder and Cas has one arm wrapped around Dean. Both men look up at him as he approaches, and Sam feels a stab of guilt at interrupting them. His grounding ended a while ago, but ever since the day he'd spent with Cas, when they'd hiked Briars Point, and even more so after the adoption, Cas and Dean have been going out of their way to include Sam and make him feel wanted. He appreciates it, but he worries about them getting enough time alone, and it makes him more aware of intruding on their quiet, intimate moments, like this one. "Hey, Dean, can you sign this?"
"What is it, Sammy?" Dean asks, lifting his head from Cas's shoulder, and sitting up, to talk to his brother.
"It's the permission slip for the end of year day." Sam tells him. "The sophomore class is going to an amusement park. Tomorrow's the last day to turn it in." Sam moves directly in front of Dean and thrusts the form and a pen toward him.
Dean doesn't move to take either. "Huh." Dean says. "You know, Sammy. I've signed a lot of permission slips for you over the years." Sam can't read Dean's expression and he feels a twinge of confusion at where this might be going, wondering if Dean is considering not letting him go on the class trip to the amusement park. He can't think of anything he's done lately that would possibly warrant not being allowed to go. Between school and working on his court-ordered community service hours at the animal shelter, Sam hasn't had time to get into any trouble. And, he's been in such a good place lately with both Dean and Cas that he can't remember even talking back to either of them or not immediately jumping to do whatever has been asked of him. His mind flashes to the school camping trip in the fall and how Dean hadn't wanted to let him go because of his shitty attitude toward Cas, but Cas had talked Dean into letting him go because it was a school trip. Sam looks quickly to Cas now, in case he needs backup, but Cas looks just as confused as Sam feels.
"Remember how I used to sign Dad's name to stuff, when you were little and he wasn't around?" Dad asks.
"Yeah. I remember." Sam can feel himself frown.
"And, it's been good times. Really. I've had a lot of fun signing those things." Dean says. Sam can sense the playfulness in his brother's tone now, but he still feels lost as to how to interpret it. "So, I could go ahead and sign that, if you want, but you know who I bet would love to sign his first permission slip?" Oh. Sam watches the warm smile slowly grow on his brother's face, his eyes crinkling happily at the corners.
Sam feels himself smiling, too, as he turns toward Cas, holding out the form and pen to the man who so recently became his legal parent. "Cas, do you want to sign my permission slip?"
Cas's eyes are wide open in surprise. The man has a small, pleased smile on his face, but he also looks like he could get emotional, and the vulnerability that Sam sees in the man's eyes tugs at his heart.
Cas nods. "I would be very pleased to sign your permission slip, Sam." Cas accepts the form and pen from Sam and leans forward, laying the form in front of him on the coffee table. Sam watches Cas read through the form and point to the signature line, looking up to Sam with a serious expression on his face. "I suppose I should sign here, where it says parent signature, since I am indeed your parent now. Is that your understanding as well, Sam?" They have all been careful to use the word parent for Cas, never dad or father, and Sam appreciates that. He's not sure he'll ever be ok with using those terms for anyone other than his actual dad.
Sam nods at Cas. "Yes, Cas. That sounds right, since you are my parent now." "And, I'm your kid." He grins so much that he feels an uncomfortable stretch in his cheeks. "There's no de facto about it anymore."
Cas nods thoughtfully and gives Sam a warm smile. "Very well, then." Sam watches Cas use the same care the man uses with all tasks as he signs a proper Castiel Novak on the form. It's so different from the barely legible way that Dean always scratches out his own signature on these things, and the pride Cas is taking in being able to do this, stirs something warm and fuzzy in Sam's chest. Cas hands the pen and signed form back to Sam. "There you go, Sam. I hope you enjoy your time at the amusement park."
"Thanks, Cas." Sam bends to hug him. He feels Cas's arms wrap around him in response, and the light, brief touch of his hand on the back of his head. Sam tries to gently pull back from the hug after a moment, but Cas holds on, both arms squeezing him more tightly than he usually gets hugged, keeping Sam awkwardly bent forward. It brings to Sam's mind a flash of himself clutching his stuffed bear as a small child and how inconsolable he had been when he had left it behind in a laundromat and his dad refused to backtrack almost a full day of driving to retrieve it. Sam pats Cas's side with his palm. "Uh, Cas. I'm going to need to go to bed at some point."
Sam hears Dean shift on the couch next to Cas, then yelps in surprise as a solid smack lands on the seat of his pajama pants. "Hey, don't sass your parents, Sammy!" Dean scolds, the playfulness in his voice obvious.
Sam squeaks out a "Hey!" at the same time that Cas admonishes his brother with a stern "Dean." Sam can picture the disapproving look that Cas is likely aiming at Dean right now over his shoulder even if he can't see the man's face.
He hears Dean laugh softly. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."
When Cas finally lets go, and Sam stands back up, the man's expression is more embarrassed than anything. His eyes are damp, and the sight tugs at Sam's heart. "I'm sorry, Sam."
Sam gives Cas a warm smile, feeling a wave of generosity and gratitude toward his second parent. "It's ok, Cas. You can hug me for as long as you want."
"Thank you, Sam. I'm just…" Cas says, his eyes shining. "Very happy that I get to be your parent. There are some things that I had started to believe I would never get to have…..before I met you and Dean. A family and children. People I love, who love me back. And, I'm just so very grateful that I was wrong. I love you so much." Cas turns to include Dean, and Sam watches his brother reach out and squeeze the man's shoulder. "Both of you." Cas turns back toward Sam. "And, I don't know. It just hits me sometimes, how lucky I am to have you both." Cas dabs a knuckle at the corner of one eye and smiles self-deprecatingly. "I apologize for becoming emotional. It's very." Cas searches for the right word. "Silly of me. I realize that."
Sam watches Dean shift closer to Cas on the couch and drop his arm over his boyfriend's shoulders, rubbing a hand up and down the man's arm. "It's cool, Cas. Sometimes I get emotional, too, when I think about how lucky you are to have us." Sam barks out a laugh while Dean gives Cas a big shit-eating grin.
"You aren't wrong, sweetheart." Cas says.
Sam watches Cas raise a gentle hand to cup the side of Dean's face, but this time he doesn't feel like he's intruding. Instead he plunks himself down sideways on Cas's lap, facing Dean. laughing at the soft ooof it gets him from Cas.
"Hey, don't break my boyfriend." Dean jokingly scolds.
"Am I too heavy, Cas?" Sam doesn't lean against Cas's chest, just sits there on the man's legs like it's a normal thing to do.
Cas wraps an arm around Sam's waist, his other hand on Dean's leg. "Never, my sweet boy."
"Don't listen to Dean, Cas." Sam says.
"Hey." Dean objects, and Sam laughs.
"We know we're lucky to have you, too." Sam tells Cas. "And sometimes I get a little emotional." Sam pantomimes crying, sniffling exaggeratedly and lifting a closed fist to his face and twisting it back and forth in front of one eye. He feigns emotional distress as he speaks. "When I think about how grateful I am to have you guys."
Dean laughs and Cas nods, an indulgent smile on his face. "Ok." He pats Sam on the hip. "If everyone's going to make fun of me, I think it's time to go to bed."
Sam laughs again. "I'm just kidding, Cas." His expression turns serious. "Sometimes I feel a little…...overwhelmed, too, when I think about stuff with us. Like, how you were really a stranger when I moved in here less than a year ago, and how awesome you've been to me. And how you love me enough to adopt me. Or how much Dean's loved me my whole life and everything he's done for me. It's all a lot, and yeah, sometimes I get choked up when I think about you guys, too. I don't think it's silly to feel that way…..." Sam shrugs and trails off, starting to feel self-conscious.
"Same." Dean says as he lays the side of his head back down on Cas's shoulder.
Sam huffs out a laugh. "Same, Dean? Seriously?"
Dean smirks and reaches out a hand to pat Sam's knee. "Yes, same." Sam watches Dean's expression shift into something more serious and less guarded. "As in, I might not be as good at talking about it as you guys are…...but I get it. And, I feel the same. Lucky to have you guys to love." Dean slaps at Sam's leg. "So there, kid." Sam watches Cas twist his head to the side to drop a kiss on the top of his brother's head, and he feels so grateful for his little family.
It isn't until Sam is lying in bed half an hour later, that it hits him that their family is still comprised of two Winchesters and one Novak. He wonders what it means that Dean and Cas made the decision to adopt him, and commit to him legally as his parents, without first getting married and making that kind of permanent commitment to each other. He knows that tons of people have biological kids without getting married, so he tries not to read too much into it, or assume it indicates any kind of fragility in Cas and Dean's relationship, but it still feels like an odd choice.
He tries instead tofocus on the idea that he now has a legal, permanent right to Cas, the same as he does to Dean, just in case.
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The summer passes pleasantly for Dean. He settles into his job at the warehouse, performs his duties with more and more confidence, gets along well with his coworkers, and starts taking his first community college course two nights a week. After being at Ellen's restaurant for so long, where Jo was the only other member of the staff under thirty, Dean enjoys working with so many people his own age. He falls in easily with a group of fun, laid-back coworkers in their early twenties, most of whom are in some sort of school part-time. At first it just gives him people to sit with during breaks, or chew the shit with during shifts, and Dean assumes that's all it will be, since his non-sexual relationships with people so rarely move beyond the location that connects them, like high school or previous jobs, but then Dean finds himself getting asked to meet for drinks after work. He turns down the first offer, explaining that he needs to get home to his boyfriend and his little brother, feeling uncomfortable at the idea of spending his time and money on something that's just for him, instead of benefitting his family. But when he tells Cas about it, the guy encourages him to say yes next time if it's something he would like to do, ensuring Dean that he and Sam will survive without him for an evening if he would like to go out after work, telling him that he knows Dean didn't have the freedom that most young people had to socialize as a teenager because of his responsibilities for Sam, but that having friends outside his family is healthy and normal and something that Dean deserves. Dean gives Cas one of the best blow jobs in his recent memory that night, and the next time he's invited out, he goes. He spends a couple of hours drinking beer and eating bar food, relaxing and enjoying himself as he gets to know his coworkers outside of work. He doesn't make dinner or pick Sammy up from his summer job at the grocery store, but the world doesn't end, his family figures it out without him, and he returns home to find Sammy teaching Cas how to play poker over bowls of ice cream at the kitchen table, both perfectly happy and safe in his absence. Dean learns about the fire science program at a local community college from Ryan, a guy from work. Dean had wanted to grow up to be a firefighter when he was a little boy, but as he got older he began to feel foolish for ever thinking he was someone who could do something as heroic as saving someone's life, but now he figures if Ryan can do it, maybe he can, too, and he'll stick with the associates program until they kick him out. It's a whole new way of living for Dean, having friends other than his brother and whoever he happens to be dating or sleeping with, working toward something more than just keeping food on the table, having freedom to do things for himself, and it's nice. It feels like a normal life.
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Sam carefully scans the kitchen table in front of him, his eyes searching for the last edge piece of the puzzle he and Cas are working on after dinner while Dean is out for drinks with some of his coworkers.
"So, have you met any of Dean's new friends, Cas?" Sam asks without looking up.
"Not yet." Cas says.
"He hasn't asked you to meet up with them?" Sam asks.
Sam has never known his brother to have an actual friend group before, and he finds himself fascinated by the idea. It's not like Dean is anti-social or anything. He's funny and kind and a good listener, and Sam has seen his brother charm plenty of people in his life and even date a few. It's not that Sam can't imagine other people wanting to befriend his brother, it's more that Dean has never really chosen friends over hanging with Sam, and it makes Sam very curious about these new people in his brother's life. Every time Dean mentions something that one of his friends said at work that day or smiles at his phone as he checks his texts, Sam feels an unexpected twinge of what can only be called jealousy. He can remember feeling similarly jealous when Dean first started seeing Cas, back when their dad was still alive and Cas had just been this guy who came by to pick up Dean a couple of nights a week. He had been embarrassed by the feeling back then, too, knowing it was a childish reaction to having to share his brother's attention. Sam has been gone a lot this summer, himself, between his job stocking shelves at the grocery store, working his community service hours at the animal shelter, and hanging out with Gavin and sometimes some other guys from the basketball team two or three nights a week. And, it's not that he necessarily expects Dean to be home every evening, just waiting to feed him and listen to him and hang out with him, it's just that that's the way it was for so long, and Sam had gotten used to it, and now he needs to adjust to Dean having other people in his life that he likes to spend his time with.
"Dean asked me to join them for drinks one evening a few weeks ago." Cas says. "But, I declined."
Sam looks up at Cas then, his brow furrowed with curiosity, but the man is focused on the puzzle. "Why didn't you go? You don't want to meet them?"
"I think I would enjoy meeting them at some point, but I'm not very good at socializing in group settings." Sam watches Cas sort through the puzzle pieces in front of him, sorting them into small batches by color. "I sometimes make social situations awkward, and I didn't want to negatively affect things while Dean is still developing his friendships with his coworkers. I thought it was best for Dean to socialize with them without me."
Cas's words tear at something in Sam's heart, mostly because Sam realizes how true they are. As much as he loves Cas and spending time with him now, he can remember how hard it was for him to interact with Cas in the early days of their relationship, when Cas had come across as rigid and overly formal and responded to most of Sam's references with a blank stare. It hurts him to think how lonely that must make Cas feel. Sam knows his reaction must show on his face when Cas looks up from the puzzle and huffs out a surprised laugh.
"It's ok, Sam. Please don't worry about me." Cas gives him a warm smile, his eyes full of kindness. "It's just something I understand about myself. We all have shortcomings. I have always found that I function best when I view mine honestly and accept them."
Sam nods. "I don't think your shortcomings are that bad. I like hanging out with you."
"Thank you, sweet boy." Cas says. "I like hanging out with you, too. But, there was a time before we became close when you were able to recognize my social deficits, so I know that you understand what I'm talking about."
Sam knows that Cas isn't trying to shame him, and is only treating him like an adult by speaking to him honestly, but he feels his cheeks heat with embarrassment anyway at the mention of how cruelly he has spoken to Cas in the past.
"I understand….." Sam chooses his words carefully. "Why you might see yourself that way. But, you have so much to offer other people, Cas. I really hope you know that."
"That's a very nice compliment, Sam. Thank you." Cas looks back down, focusing on the puzzle.
"It's true." Sam goes back to searching for the edge piece he can't find. "Is it weird for you that Dean has people he sees without you?"
"No." Cas says. "It's not weird at all. My friendship with Anna is very important to me, and I think it's good for Dean to develop friendships of his own, too."
"Yeah, but you mostly see Anna at work, right?" Sam asks.
"That's right. I mostly see her at work." Cas nods. "We see each other at the office whenever we aren't at separate client sites, and we try to have a weekly lunch date to catch up with each other. But, when we were younger, when we were around Dean's age, we would often do what Dean is doing now, and go out for dinner or drinks after work, sometimes just the two of us and sometimes with a few of our coworkers. It was a nice way to decompress after work, especially when it was just me and Anna. Anna was always very patient with me. She understood that there were so many normal things that I hadn't been exposed to, growing up the way I did, and she never seemed to mind when I was awkward around other people. Then Anna married Ted and became busy with her family, and we stopped going out after work. We still enjoy each other's company during the workday, and the time I spend with her and the conversations we have are still an important part of my life."
"Yeah, but Dean has a family." Sam instantly feels like a selfish ass for suggesting Dean doesn't have a right to go out because he has a boyfriend and a sixteen year old brother at home. It's not like Sam's a little kid who needs constant attention.
"That's true." Cas says. "But, he's also twenty-two years old and I think it's very normal and healthy that he is pursuing friendships with the people he works with. Having friends at work is important. I find that it's much easier to withstand job-related stresses and difficulties if you are experiencing them alongside someone you trust and can vent to." Cas levels a concerned look at Sam, his head tilting slightly to one side. "Does it upset you that Dean has been gone more often, Sam?"
"It doesn't upset me, exactly." Sam says. "It's just different."
"I hope it's ok that you're stuck with me some evenings now." Cas says. Sam glances up at Cas and finds the man looking at him, with a fond smile on his face.
"Of course, it is, Cas." Sam says. "I never think of being with you as being stuck."
Sam watches Cas smile and turn his attention back to the puzzle. "You're a very sweet boy, Sam."
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Sam goes away to basketball camp for the entire month of August. Dean spends July dreading Sammy leaving. Dean's never been apart from his little brother for anywhere near this long before and he feels a pit in his stomach at the idea of not being able to see the kid everyday and make sure he's ok. Dean gets choked up as he hugs his brother goodbye when he and Cas drop Sammy off at camp. It takes a few days for Dean to settle into not having Sammy home. The first couple of days feel almost scary as Dean realizes how much his conversations with Cas have come to revolve around Sammy, and what a gaping hole the kid's absence creates in their lives.
It takes a few days, but they regain their footing as a couple instead of a family, and it feels good. Dean gives and receives blowjobs all over the house, including one very enthusiastically delivered on his knees in the kitchen while Cas stirs risotto, his pants unzipped and hanging open. They take lots of showers together, sometimes with Dean bent over, palms braced on the tile wall, getting fucked, and sometimes just kissing and washing each other's bodies. They spend more time playing. Dean spends almost an entire Sunday naked, just because he can. He cooks scrambled eggs in just an apron, Cas stopping to fondle and lightly slap his bare ass every time he walks by the stove while setting the table. He reads the newspaper sprawled across Cas on the couch, his back leaning against the other man's chest, legs splayed wide over his boyfriend's lap, while Cas gives him a hand job. He cleans the house naked, too, scrubbing the bathroom floor on his hands and knees, Cas crouched next to him, fully clothed and pretending to inspect his work, alternating between lovingly praising and sternly scolding him, gently caressing his ass and spanking it until Dean is quivering and panting and making a new mess on the bathroom floor.
They also have a few serious conversations, about their own future, instead of just Sammy's. They talk about the possibility of fostering a child after Sammy leaves for college. Cas shares that Anna has floated the idea of she and Cas starting their own small CPA firm together, as partners, and how Cas is attracted to the idea of being his own boss, but also averse to all the additional financial risk such a move would entail. Cas helps Dean study for an exam, and they somehow end up discussing Dean's self-esteem and the voice buried deep inside him, that sounds just like his father's, the one that's always there during moments of self-doubt, eager to confirm that Dean isn't special enough, or strong enough, or good enough, to be a firefighter, that he could never save someone's life, or be any kind of hero.
Dean misses Sammy every day that the kid is gone and gets super excited every time the kid calls or texts, but he can admit it's not the worst thing in the world having the house to themselves for a while, knowing that his brother is safe and enjoying himself at camp.
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Dean does the best he can with his role, trying to look feverish and miserable as he lays on the bed, his head resting on a pillow.
Cas, sitting on the edge of the bed next to him, frowns down at him.
"You know the rules, little one." Cas says, his tone caring but with an underlying sternness that goes right to Dean's lower belly. "In this house, little boys get up when they're told and go to school."
"I can't go to school. I'm sick." Dean aims for low and hoarse to demonstrate his illness, but feels he may have overshot the mark when he hears his voice come out as a dry croak.
Cas frowns again and lifts a hand to Dean's face, laying the back of his hand on his forehead. "You do feel a little warm. Does anything hurt?" Dean shakes his head slowly. "Are you just feeling poorly in general?"
Dean nods, dialing back his performance this time, not wanting his acting to ruin things for Cas. "I think I have a fever." He throws in for good measure, even though he already knows where this is headed. Cas lowers his hand to cradle Dean's cheek with his palm, and Dean feels his face automatically turning into the touch, savoring the gentle contact. The first few minutes, especially when he needs to speak, always feel like playing pretend to Dean. But, at the first touch from Cas, Dean's experience becomes real and cathartic, his emotions authentic even if the scenario is contrived.
"My poor sick boy." The sympathy in Cas's voice is genuine and makes Dean feel loved and cherished. Cas cards his hand through Dean's hair. "I think we need to check your temperature, little one, so that we can care for you properly and help you feel better."
Dean feels immediate grief at the loss of Cas's touch as the man leans forward to retrieve the special thermometer and small tub of vaseline from the nightstand drawer. This type of play always makes Dean feel especially vulnerable and needy, and he has often wondered what it means that he finds the experience so comforting and satisfying. Then Cas's hand is back on his cheek, gently petting him, the man looking at him with the kind of love that would have made Dean turn his head away in embarrassment had it been directed at him by anyone before Cas, not that it ever had been. "You are my good boy."
Dean nods at that, never sure how to respond, knowing that he's really agreeing to wanting to be Cas's good boy more than confirming that he actually is.
"Please turn over onto your belly, little one, so that I can check your temperature." Dean feels his dick getting interested inside his pajama pants, amazed as he always is when this happens, that his body has been so conditioned to respond pleasurably to something he would have once seen as embarrassing and weird. Not that this experience is really about sex for him.
Dean whines low in his throat.
Cas runs his hand through Dean's hair. "Would you like me to put you over my knee instead, sweetheart?"
Dean whimpers pitifully.
"Not to punish you, little one." Cas says, scratching his nails lightly on Dean's scalp, just above one temple. "That's not what I meant. I just think that the contact might help settle you and make you more comfortable with having your temperature checked. That's all." Cas tousles Dean's hair one last time then pulls back. "What do you think? Should we try taking your temperature that way?"
Dean nods. His obedience earns him a warm smile from Cas, who moves further back on the bed, turning at a slight angle and patting his thigh.
"Come here, my love." Dean slowly gets to his feet and feels Cas's hand, gentle on his lower back, guiding him as he positions himself face down across his boyfriend's lap, his crotch resting against one of Cas's thighs. Dean folds his arms on the bed and rests his face sideways on his forearms. His toes are still touching the floor and Dean feels a rush of contented arousal just at being in this vulnerable position, bent almost in half over Cas's knees.
Cas rubs Dean's lower back over his tee shirt. "That's my good boy. Are you ready for me to lower your pants and bare your bottom now, sweetheart?" Dean nods wordlessly against his arms and braces himself for the rush of intense feeling that always accompanies Cas pulling his pants down and exposing his ass in this position. It's not the humiliation that is so gratifying for Dean, it's the idea of having his trust and vulnerability met with the gentle, loving care that does it for him. Dean feels Cas's hands on the waistband of his pajama pants and lifts his hips to allow Cas to pull his pants down. "Thank you for your cooperation, little one." Cas tells him as he lowers Dean's pajamas to mid thigh. Dean feels Cas run a gentle hand over his bare ass, the touch light enough to make a shiver run through him. Cas removes his hand and Dean hears him open the tub of vaseline. "Ok. Here we go, my love." Dean feels Cas's hand on his ass, parting his cheeks gently. "Take a deep breath for me, little one." Dean inhales deeply, and feels the thermometer slowly enter him on the exhale. "There we go." Dean feels the side of Cas's hand resting against his ass as the man's fingers and thumb encircle the protruding thermometer, holding it in place. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Cas's tone is full of love and encouragement, and Dean shakes his head in response. Dean feels Cas's other hand sneak under the bottom of his tee shirt and rub small, comforting circles on the skin of his lower back. "We'll just sit here a few minutes, and then it will be all done." Dean nods. All of it together, Dean lying ass up over Cas's knee, with a thermometer sticking out of his ass, while Cas rubs his back and speaks to him as if he were talking to a loved and treasured child, does things to Dean. He feels himself melting into Cas's lap.
Dean feels relaxed and boneless as he lays there, relishing the experience until he hears Cas speak. "Ok, my love. It's time to take the thermometer out." Dean feels the muscles in his ass tense slightly at the impending loss, then feels Cas's thumb rubbing circles onto one cheek. "Try to relax your bottom, little one." Dean unclenches his ass and allows himself to relax. He feels Cas part his ass cheeks again, and feels the thermometer slowly exit his body. Cas is quiet for a moment and when he speaks, his tone has shifted to one of stern disapproval. "Ninety-seven degrees. It seems you don't have a fever at all." Dean waits. "Do you actually feel poorly, little one?" Dean remains silent and still, neither confirming or denying.
Dean shifts his weight slightly, readying to raise himself off of Cas's lap, but feels Cas's palm flat on the middle of his back, holding him in place. "Please use your words and answer my question. Now." Cas's tone is one of firm command and Dean's feels something in his lower belly turn to jello.
"No." Dean says quietly.
"No?" Cas repeats. "You don't feel sick?"
Dean shakes his head slowly.
"Are you telling me that you lied to me?" Cas asks. "About your health?"
Dean nods his head against the bed. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want to go to school today." Shame is a very accessible feeling for Dean, with no shortage of experiences to draw on.
"I cannot abide you lying to me, little one, especially about something as important as your health." Cas admonishes. "Do you understand me?"
Dean nods again. "Yes, Cas."
"Lying is very naughty, and because it is my duty to help you develop good moral character, I'm going to have to discipline you for doing it." Cas reprimands. "What are the rules in this house, little one? What happens to little boys who lie?"
"They get their mouths washed out with soap." Dean cites a punishment that they have never actually used, only referenced in moments like this, to add to the overall experience. Dean knows it's something that happened to Cas often as a child, but that Cas deems it too cruel and harmful to use with Dean even in play.
"You are correct. Typically little boys in this house who lie get their mouths washed out to teach them a lesson." Cas says. "But, I already have you in such a good position for a spanking, bent over my knee like this with your bottom bared. It would feel like a waste to not administer a spanking for your discipline." Dean feels his heartbeat speed up slightly and his dick starts to assert itself against Cas's thigh. He feels the usual, eager suspense as he waits for his spanking to start. It's not about the pain for Dean, except for the times it is about the pain, when Dean begs for it harder and harder and is desperate for escape from his own existence. This time isn't like that. It's more about connection and acceptance and catharsis from guilt through the pantomime of loving discipline from someone with his best interests at heart.
Dean feels a sharp slap land on the fullest part of his right ass cheek and lets out a soft gasp. "Lying to me was very naughty, little one, but I still love you very much." Dean feels a second, harder slap land on the same cheek, and he groans softly as the heat builds, submitting to the experience and turning himself over to the blissed out feeling of emotional and physical release to come.
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"Are you ready for your first day of school, Sam?" Cas asks. Dean watches his boyfriend pass Sammy a serving bowl of roasted broccoli. Dean has to admit that it's hitting him hard that Sammy's starting his second to last year of high school tomorrow. His main job, his sole purpose really, for the last sixteen years has been to take care of Sammy, and Dean is already feeling grief at the loss that's coming up in just a couple of years.
Sam accepts the bowl and scoops two spoonfuls of broccoli onto his plate. "I wouldn't mind another couple of weeks of summer, but yeah, I guess I'm ready. I have everything I need, if that's what you mean."
Cas had taken Sammy shopping yesterday for back to school clothes and supplies while Dean had attended an end of summer employee cookout put on by his work. Dean knows it meant a lot to Cas to get to take on the responsibility of getting Sam ready for school. Dean's mind goes back to the proud look on his boyfriend's face as he had described the success of the shopping trip to Dean last night as they got ready for bed. And, I let him pick out whatever he wanted, Dean. Anna advised me to offer no opinions on his clothes, unless he selected tee shirts with vulgar phrases on them. I followed her directions and Sam seemed very happy with everything he chose. And, he didn't choose anything with vulgar writing, which I didn't think he would, because Sam is a very good and respectful boy.
"Thanks again for everything you bought me, Cas." Sammy says, his expression serious. "I know if I hadn't gotten in trouble this year, I probably would have been able to pay for some of that stuff myself, and I really appreciate you not making me spend what I have left from my job after paying Gavin back and paying off the court fine and everything." Dean loves how appreciative his brother always is when Cas spends time or money on him. It isn't something the kid was very used to before Cas, when their dad hadn't really prioritized satisfying his kids' wants and Dean had rarely had extra money to spend on non-essentials for his little brother. Dean thinks back to Sammy showing him what Cas had bought him after he had come home from his work function, the kid carefully taking each garment out of his closet and holding it up for Dean. The overwhelmed awe in the kid's voice as he told Dean, he practically bought me a whole new wardrobe, Dean. And, you guys just spent all that money on me for basketball camp. And, the pleased smile that appeared on the kid's face when Dean responded with, I don't know what to tell you, Sammy. The guy must really love you or something.
"It was my pleasure, Sam. It's our job as your parents to make sure you have everything you need to start the school year." Cas gives the kid a warm smile, and it makes Dean's stomach flutter with happiness to see his boyfriend and his brother getting along so well, and just being important people in each other's lives.
Dean knows his emotions must be showing on his face, when he hears Sammy ask. "What's with you, Dean? Why are you grinning like an idiot?"
"Samuel." Cas cautions, but there's no real warning in his tone. The look he's giving Sammy is just short of playful, and Dean watches his brother turn toward Cas and smile sheepishly.
"Sorry, Cas." Sammy tells him with a laugh. "But, he is. Look at him."
Cas turns toward Dean then, studying Dean with a subtle head tilt. "You do look very pleased, sweetheart."
"I'm just thinking about how great this is." Dean can feel an ache in his cheeks from his wide grin. "Having dinner with you guys like this."
"Um, we do this pretty much every night, Dean." Sammy says. "Are you feeling all right? You're not having some kind of mental breakdown, are you?"
"No, smartass." Dean tells him, earning him a disapproving look from his boyfriend, but even that doesn't make his grin falter. "It's just nice seeing you guys get along like this. I was just thinking about what our family dinners were like at this time last year, when you guys didn't really like each other and were always fighting and sniping at each other."
"Dean." Cas admonishes. "I have always liked Sam, and I certainly never fought with him or sniped at him." Sam smiles at Cas's clear annoyance at Dean's description.
"Sorry, Cas." Dean says. "You're right. It was mostly Sammy being a little shit back then."
Cas levels an irritated look at Dean, but it doesn't carry the heat of the warnings Dean has received in the past for this type of thing. "Is it really necessary to refer to our child as feces, Dean?"
Sam laughs out loud at that. "Yeah, Dean. No calling people feces at the dinner table. It's inappropriate."
Cas gestures toward Sam with his fork in agreement.
Dean keeps smiling, undeterred. "I just mean that things were tense back then, a lot of the time. A lot of our dinners used to end with Sammy stomping up to his room, or getting sent there-"
"I don't stomp, Dean." Sammy says. "I'm not a small child."
"Keep telling yourself that, kiddo." Dean watches his brother's eyes narrow at him and it makes him smile even more to recognize Cas's mannerisms in Sammy. "It was all kinds of stressful for me back then, always feeling like I was stuck in the middle, not wanting to take sides with one of you and piss the other guy off, or make one of you feel like you weren't loved or supported. And, I was just sitting here appreciating how far we've come since then, as a family. This." Dean waves his fork in a back and forth motion between Cas and Sammy. "You guys getting along, hanging out together, treating each other with respect." Dean looks at Cas. "You loving my little brother enough to adopt him." Then toward Sammy. "And, you loving my boyfriend enough to want him to do it. All of it. I wasn't sure in the early days if we would ever even get within spitting distance of where we are now, and I'm just really grateful that we did. I love this. I love our family."
Cas gives Dean a fond smile. "I'm grateful for our family as well, Dean. This last year with you both has been the best of my life."
Dean looks toward Sam, who sighs and rolls his eyes dramatically, before breaking into a grin. "Yeah, you guys aren't too terrible. I like our family all right, too."