Over the course of the next few weeks, they steadily acquired more furniture for the triplets' nurseries. A glider with matching ottoman was added to the room where the triplets would sleep – Dean had tested several in the store they'd gone to before he'd deemed one comfortable enough – to help put them to sleep and in case any woke in the middle of the night. Despite how logical it sounded to have a second one, the room just wasn't big enough for two gliders where they wanted them so Dean had reluctantly agreed on purchasing just one. Cas had assured him that if two or three needed rocking to sleep, they'd figure it out.
The room that Sam had teasingly referred to as "the triplets' walk-in closet" had acquired three dressers and two changing tables. Dean argued that they'd definitely need more than one "just in case" and Sam had countered that they didn't need three because how likely was it that all three triplets would need new diapers at once? He'd assured Dean that if they really thought they needed a third later on, they could get one.
For more storage, Dean had bought a simple dark wood shelving unit. It was divided into sixteen open squares which made nice cubbies to hold extra diaper packages, powders, wipes, ointments, and anything else they might need extras of that wouldn't fit in the changing tables. Then Sam had purchased plastic woven style baskets in a few pastel colors and labeled them with things like "ointment" and "powder" and "wipes." He put them in twelve of the cubbies but left the last four empty for diaper packages and any other large items that wouldn't need to be stored in baskets.
Dean hated to admit it but he kind of liked the way that organized what they would need.
By the time Dean made it to fourteen weeks – safely into the second trimester – he'd deemed the nursery – both halves – mostly finished already. Which was something he'd wanted to accomplish while he was still small enough to move comfortably. Sure, they still had to buy actual supplies like the diapers and clothes and bedding and pacifiers but the big items were accounted for.
But without work to do in the nursery – things to build or hang up or organize or go out to purchase – the hunter quickly found himself feeling caged in, despite grocery runs with Sam or Cas once or twice a week. Ever since he was four and his father started hunting Yellow Eyes, Dean had always been on the move. First with Dad, then on his own, then with Sam. Even with the bunker, they didn't spend more than a week, two at the most, at home, hunts popping up here and there to provide time away. A few hours a week wasn't enough time to alleviate the restlessness.
"I need a hunt," he growled one morning after breakfast sometime into his sixteenth week, palm slamming down onto the table and rattling their plates.
"Dean-" Sam started in that sympathetic I know you're hurting and I wanna make it better but there's nothing I can do tone that, right now, grated on Dean's nerves.
"Sam, I'm going crazy here!" Dean snapped, throwing his hands up in the air. "We've never spent so many weeks at home in a row and a few hours here and there each week for grocery or supply runs isn't cutting it."
"Dean," Cas soothed, reaching out in an attempt to rub Dean's shoulders and neck to release the tension there but the hunter batted him away with a glare. The angel sighed and finished his thought without the added touch. "Dean, I understand you're feeling cooped up here but a hunt is not a good idea in your condition."
"We've hunted through all kinds of illnesses and injuries before," Dean grumbled, his hands skimming over the now obvious dome of his belly at the mention of his "condition." It wasn't easily hidden under loose t-shirts anymore and resembled a woman a month or more further along with one child than his four months with three. Not for the first time, he caught himself imagining that now would be when he'd feel his baby if he were that far along. And if his babies weren't encased in eggs – and the eggs probably added more weight than just the triplets alone. And that thought reminded him that he was going to get pretty large by the end.
"This isn't the same, Dean," Sam challenged, breaking the elder Winchester from his thoughts. "This isn't a bum shoulder or a cold. You're pregnant and hunting would put your kids in unnecessary danger."
"I could hang back at the motel and do research," Dean countered. "You and Cas could do the actual hunting."
"I fail to see how staying in a motel is any different than staying here," Cas pointed out, that confused furrow of his brow and tilt of his head softening Dean's anger slightly; no matter how upset he was, his angel was still adorable.
"It just is," Dean snapped. "Please? I can't stay cooped here for the next four or five months," he added in a pleading whisper. "You can ward the hell out of me and the room and make me check in every fucking hour if it makes you feel better. But I need to get the hell out of here for a little while."
"You would need to be warded against anything we could possibly ward against, including angels," Cas said. "Which poses a problem if we're warding you from my own kind."
"We've been getting two rooms ever since you two became a thing," Sam pointed out, his tone going thoughtful and his eyes staring, unseeing, at a spot on the table. "What if we ward my room and he stays there whenever you or I can't be with him? Then when you're around to protect him, you two have your room which wouldn't be warded against you."
"I suppose that could be acceptable," Cas said slowly as if he was hesitant to outright consent to the idea of taking a pregnant Dean on a hunt. "But as soon as you fail to contact me or Sam at the specified time or fail to answer if we check on you, I will return and I will not leave your side until we're home again no matter how 'fine' you say you are," he added, turning his full Angel of the Lord stare and voice on Dean. The hunter was almost surprised Cas hadn't flashed the shadows of his wings against the walls for emphasis.
"I promise I will text or call both of you every hour on the hour and answer any text or call from either of you between check-ins and if I fail to do either of those things, I will happily accept my boyfriend's constant presence at my side until such time that we return to the Batcave," Dean said, lifting his right hand to eye level, palm facing forward in a solemn vow.
"Hilarious," Sam deadpanned. "But I actually think that's a good idea. You can't hide the bump anymore and if anything finds you when we're not around, who knows what they'd try to do with you or the eggs. Heavy protection and being overly paranoid probably isn't a bad idea."
"Yeah, I know," Dean sighed, slumping slightly in his chair with defeat. "I get why you guys want to be so protective, I do. And just because I need to get out of here for a little while doesn't mean I plan to recklessly put my kids' lives in danger."
"I know that is not your intention, Dean," Cas said in a soothing tone, daring to reach out to clasp one of the hunter's hands in his own, pleased when Dean didn't bat him away again. "I understand your need to get out for a while and I want to help as I know it will help your mental health. I just want to make sure you're safe if we agree to this."
"I know, Cas," Dean assured with a small smile and a gentle squeeze of his boyfriend's hand. "I want to keep them safe, too. I'm just not used to being the one on the sidelines and I was mostly poking fun at needing to check in but if it makes you feel better to hear from me that often, then I'll do it. I promise."
Cas's lips curled up in a small smile as he nodded. "I would appreciate knowing you are safe when I can't be with you to protect you."
"So are we agreed then?" Sam asked, breaking whatever moment was going on between his brother and the angel. "Because I can find us something easy that shouldn't take more than a few days. Plenty of time for Dean to get away from here but not enough that we have to be worried about him."
Cas nodded. "This plan is acceptable. We may go on a hunt as long as it is easy and nearby."
"On it," Sam said with determination as he hurried from the room in search of his laptop.
Of course, as soon as they're actively looking for a hunt, there's nothing. Nothing easy, anyway, and Sam made sure to pass information along to hunters near possible cases when it looked like something that should be taken care of quickly. It took a few more days for something to crop up that they all deemed safe enough for Dean to accompany them on.
"A salt and burn?" Dean asked incredulously when Sam showed them the laptop a few mornings later. "That's, like, beginner level hunting. That'll take you two days tops to solve. And it's in Sterling – that's still Kansas."
"That's the point," Sam said with a huff. "It's a simple case that leaves you unprotected as little as possible. And I didn't choose where the hunt was. Though I may have purposely stayed within Kansas state lines when looking for clues," he added with a sheepish smile and a hand scrubbing at the back of his neck. "Look, Sterling is about three hours from here which means we don't have to stop overnight to get there which means one less place we have to heavily ward to keep you safe. That's a day to get there and rest, one to three days max to solve the case, and another day to get back here. That's up to four days out of the bunker, Dean. That's plenty."
Dean crossed his arms and wanted to argue that no, that wasn't enough time but he reminded himself that it only felt like not enough because he still felt stir crazy at the moment. He'd feel differently after actually spending time away. And Sam did have a point about not needing to stop overnight which meant not needing to heavily ward an extra place. Even though he'd have Cas nearby for the night and probably wouldn't need warding. Still, less work required.
"Okay," he finally agreed. "Okay, sounds good. Let's get packed and hit the road."
Half an hour later, they were all packed – Cas had insisted on carrying Dean's duffel to the Impala and hefting it into the trunk despite Dean's assurances that it wasn't too heavy though the hunter secretly loved his angel's protectiveness. As Dean slid behind the wheel, he noticed an obvious lack of space between his abdomen and the steering wheel. Not enough to impeded his ability to drive but there was definitely less space there than there had been in previous weeks.
"What?" Sam asked from beside him (despite Cas being Dean's boyfriend, Sam still rode in front simply because he had such damn long legs and couldn't fit in the back) as Dean stared down toward his lap and moved his hand from his belly to the steering wheel.
"Nothing," Dean dismissed with a wave of his hand before starting the engine. "Just noticed there's less space between me and the steering wheel and knowing how big I'll be by the time the triplets are born, I realized that there'll be a point where I can't drive Baby anymore," he said as he steered the Impala down the road leading away from the bunker, a harsh edge entering his tone that barely covered the definite waver in Dean's voice.
"Only until they're born," Sam assured him. "And then you'll be small enough again to fit behind the wheel."
Dean made a vague sound of agreement that might have been the word "yeah" but Sam couldn't be certain. The elder hunter reached forward and turned on the radio to fill the silence. He turned the dial up and began tapping on the steering wheel and singing along to the music. They passed this way for almost an hour, song after song, before Dean quickly reached forward and cranked the volume all the way down, eyes slightly widened with confusion.
"Dude, you okay?" Sam asked.
"Dean?" Cas called, leaning forward in the backseat to peer around his boyfriend to see his face. "Are you alright?"
"I dunno," Dean admitted quietly, slowly turning the volume back up but keeping it low enough that they could still talk. "I thought I felt something but it's too early for that, right?" he asked, glancing at Sam for confirmation since Sam seemed to know everything.
"Why are you looking at me?" the younger Winchester asked, brow furrowed. "I don't know anything about pregnancy, let alone angel pregnancy."
"Well, look it up!" Dean snapped. "It felt like... bubbles popping. Kinda tickled. But it just felt really weird."
"Hang on," Sam sighed, pulling out his phone. After a minute of tapping at the screen, he shrugged. "I didn't find any medical answers but, on this forum, this lady said she felt her triplets at around the same time as you. I don't know if your triplets being angel eggs makes any difference but I guess it's possible."
"Huh," Dean said thoughtfully. "Felt weird."
He turned the music back up and began singing along again. After several more minutes, he turned it back down, grinning. He felt the bubbly sensation a few more times throughout the rest of the trip but didn't say anything. While it felt nice to share those moments with Cas and Sam, he couldn't be positive the feeling was the triplets, even if Sam said it might be possible. For now, he'd just enjoy the odd sensation and share the triplets' movements later when they could actually feel it.
When they arrived, Sam went into the office to get their rooms while Cas pulled their bags from the trunk. Dean tried to help but Cas gently stopped him just as he had when they'd been packing back at the bunker. This time, the overprotectiveness rubbed Dean the wrong way and he bit back a harsh retort. He knew his angel was just trying to help but the diminishing gap between his belly and the steering wheel made him remember that there are going to be less and less things he can do the bigger he got and he wanted to stay as independent as he could for as long as possible. Still, he figured carrying a few bags wasn't the end of the world so he let Cas do it.
"Okay," Sam announced as he crossed the parking lot, holding out one of the keys. "Two rooms. Here's yours. Let's get mine warded up before we get settled. It's still early enough that Cas and I can do some digging, too."
"I'm hungry," Dean announced as a counter to Sam's plan. "Can't we go eat first?"
Sam glanced at Cas and shrugged. "I suppose the room can wait. I'm kinda hungry, too. But," he added with a confused furrow of his brow as he turned to Dean, "you can't hide anymore. I mean, your belly is too big to conceal under clothes and is kinda obvious. Is it safe going out?"
Dean shrugged and looked down at his belly, smoothing a palm down the front of it. "I know it's not small enough to hide now but it could still pass as just fat, right? I mean, I just look like I like beer and food way too much."
Sam tilted his head in concentration as he eyed his brother's belly. "Yeah," he said slowly. "I suppose it isn't obviously a pregnancy bump. And you're a guy so no one would really believe you are pregnant anyway."
"Exactly. So let's go put our stuff away so we can go eat!"
Five minutes later, their bags were in their rooms and they'd put down the minimum warding to protect their rooms while they were away – salt lines on the doors and windows and devil's traps painted under rugs; Dean had been told to wait outside with Cas while Sam painted those – and they were back in the Impala. It didn't take long for Dean to find an acceptable diner but as soon as they were crossing the parking lot, all bravado the hunter had about going out vanished.
"Cas," he said, tugging at their entwined hands as he came to a full stop. "I don't think I can..."
Sam, noticing he wasn't being followed anymore, backtracked to stand near them. "What's up?"
"Dean is feeling self-conscious," Cas announced.
"What if someone figures out that I really am..." He made a vague gesture with his hand and lowered his voice. "Y'know... pregnant."
"No one is going to mistake you for a woman and no one is going to assume a dude is pregnant," Sam assured him. "You'll be fine. Like you said back at the motel, you just look fat."
"You think I'm fat?" Dean squeaked, appalled when his lower lip started to wobble and tears pricked his eyes.
"You said the same thing back at the motel!" Sam cried in exasperation.
"Dean," Cas soothed, stepping between the brothers to block Dean's view of Sam and lowering his voice so only the elder hunter would hear. "You are not fat. You might appear so to humans who know nothing about the supernatural and would never allow themselves to believe something like this could happen but you are not fat. You are pregnant and still as handsome as you always were."
Dean sniffled and nodded, raising a hand to wipe at his eyes. "I know we want them to just assume I am fat. We don't want to draw attention," he agreed then released a cleansing breath. "Fuck, Sam says one thing – that I even basically already said – and I start crying like a little bitch."
"It's normal," Cas assured him, stroking a hand down his spine a few times to help further calm his hunter. "Don't feel bad for doing so."
"Are you okay now?" Sam asked hesitantly. "I'm sorry I made you cry. It's just-"
Dean waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it, Sammy. I know what you meant and I did say the same thing. I don't know why it hit me the wrong way when you said it. I'm good, promise. Can we go eat now?"
Dean's little outburst forgotten, the three entered the diner and made their way to a booth in the back corner. Cas kept himself positioned between Dean and the patrons in other booths while Sam flanked the side nearest the counter. Despite the diner being mostly full this close to lunchtime, the few patrons that did look up at their entrance didn't spare them more than a glance before returning to their own meals. As they settled into their seats (Dean safely nestled between Cas and the window on one side of the booth and Sam across from them), Dean had calmed considerably, reassured that he didn't look too out of place.
It didn't take long for a waitress to pounce, cheerful and perky as she handed them menus and took their drink orders. While Sam ordered his usual iced tea, Dean's usual soda options didn't appeal to him. Instead, what did sound really good was the milk options listed above that, specifically chocolate. He gave the waitress his order, keeping his eyes on her instead of Sam, knowing his brother would be giving him an odd look.
"Milk?" Sam questioned as soon as the waitress walked away.
"Shut up," Dean mumbled. "It sounded really good."
Sam shrugged. "Just surprised is all. You always get sodas. Nothing wrong with milk."
They scanned their food options in silence and it didn't take long for Sam to decide on his usual salad. But, as with his drink options, Dean's usual cheeseburger didn't appeal to him and he didn't know what to choose. Every pass he made though the menu, he kept getting stuck on the salads but he didn't say anything, not wanting to see that confused, slightly smug look Sam gave him when he'd chosen a healthy drink option instead of his sodas.
When the waitress returned with their drinks and took their food orders, he ordered a burger since it was what he always ordered. Pleased that Sam didn't give him that look, he sipped at his milk. They idly discussed the case and theorized until the waitress brought out their food.
Dean watched as Sam set aside the lemon slice that they'd stuck to his glass and when he managed to tear his eyes from that, they got stuck on Sam's damn salad. Looking at his burger, his stomach churned with nausea and he pushed it away, making a face and slipping his hand down under the table to gently knead his belly.
"Dean?" Cas called quietly which, of course, got Sam's attention, too. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah, fine, just... don't want a burger as much as I thought I did," Dean admitted.
"We could get the waitress and you can choose something else," Cas suggested. "You do need to eat something."
Dean shrugged then pushed his plate to the outer edge of the table, needing it as far away from his nose as possible. "I guess." His eyes flicked to Sam's side of the table again but this time, Sam noticed before Dean could avert his gaze.
"You wanna try it?" he suggested, holding out his fork which he'd just used to spear a few pieces of lettuce and a tomato.
Dean hesitated, winkling his nose at the idea of eating a salad, but the insistent craving he had for it won out and he plucked the fork from Sam's hand. As soon as he'd pulled the empty fork back out of his mouth and chewed, the juice of the tomato filling his mouth, he fought back a moan and closed his eyes.
"Shit, why do I like this right now?" he whined, handing the fork back.
"Cravings," Sam said as if that explained everything. "Just go with them no matter how weird they may seem to you. You'll feel better and there's probably a reason why you want what you want."
"I want your lemon, too," Dean admitted sheepishly.
"My lemon?" Sam asked, glancing down to the slice of fruit he'd placed on a napkin before pushing it across the table. "Sure. I don't like them anyway."
Dean grinned and plucked the slice of fruit up, easily biting off the flesh of the fruit up to the rind.
"Isn't that sour?" Sam asked, eyes slightly wide.
"Yeah, but it tastes so good," Dean practically moaned.
"Everything okay, boys?" their waitress asked as she returned to the table, eyeing the untouched burger at the end. "Something wrong with the burger?"
"Um, I just... don't feel like burgers as much as I thought I did," Dean admitted sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I'll still pay for it, of course, but can I get another of those?" He asked, pointing at Sam's half eaten salad.
"Sure, hon," the waitress agreed with a pleasant smile, picking up the plate. "Do you want us to box this for you for later? You might want it then."
Dean quickly shook his head, the thought of touching that burger, even later this evening, making his stomach roll. "No, thank you."
She disappeared and a few minutes later, returned with another salad. Dean thanked her and apologized again for wasting a perfectly good burger but she assured him it wasn't the first time someone had changed their mind and it wouldn't be the last before disappearing back into the kitchen.
After lunch, they returned to the motel and the brothers warded Sam's room while Cas kept guard outside since they'd be warding against angels, too. Once they all agreed that Dean would be safe in that room, Sam changed into his Fed suit and he and Cas left to do a bit of digging while Dean settled himself in the bed with his phone, Sam's laptop in case they needed him to look up anything, and some romcom playing on the motel TV that he would never admit to the other two that he was enjoying.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, just like telling Sam about the eggs instead of doing the nursery like I'd planned for that chapter in the beginning, this got away from me a little bit – what I intended to happen got pushed back for something else that popped into my head. But as I was writing, the diner scene just kinda happened and I had to play with Dean's feelings and cravings a little bit. So, the real thing I sent them on a hunt for should be happening in the next chapter.