Dean didn't know he was falling asleep until he was jarred awake by his phone playing it's usual call tone, the familiar grungy guitar mixing terribly with the sounds of the newest movie playing on the television he never had the chance to turn off before sleep pulled him under. Groaning in annoyance, he stretched toward the nightstand and pulled his phone to the edge, tipping it to check the caller ID. Cas (because Dean was too manly to change his boyfriend's name to something like "baby" or "babe" in his phone and he didn't dare label Cas as "angel" despite sometimes calling him that just in case his phone fell into the wrong hands) was displayed above a picture of the angel Dean had set as Cas's contact picture.

"Hello?" he grumbled, blindly feeling his free hand through the blankets at his side for the remote, promptly shutting off the television once he had it.

Cas's gravelly voice sounded full of concern when he responded. "Dean? Are you alright? You were supposed to check in almost ten minutes ago."

Dean sighed and flopped back against the pillows. He hadn't meant to fall asleep and miss check-in and he wasn't fully awake and still grumpy but he bit back the urge to tell Cas to shove his check-ins where the sun don't shine. "M'sorry," he mumbled instead. "Fell asleep."

"Oh. I'm sorry to have woken you." The angel sounded sincerely sorry and a lot less worried now that he knew Dean was alright. "You can go back to sleep if you'd like. I just wanted to know you were still safely behind the wards."

"I'm still here, Cas," Dean assured his angel as he awkwardly pushed himself into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. At sixteen weeks, his belly wasn't huge, despite the fact that he was about as big as a woman carrying one baby might be a month further along than he was. Still, it was more of a belly than Dean had ever possessed despite his penchant for greasy burgers, alcohol, and pie. It wasn't too awkward to maneuver his body but his middle wasn't soft like flab so he couldn't bend in certain ways anymore. "Besides, I gotta pee anyway."

"Alright. Sam and I are almost finished," Cas continued. "Would you like us to pick up dinner on our way back or would you like to go out again?"

"M'too tired to go out, Cas," Dean sighed, scrubbing his free hand down his face in an attempt to wake himself up a bit more. "Can you just bring something?"

"Of course," Cas assured in a tone so pleasant that Dean almost felt bad for asking Cas to do anything for him though he wasn't sure why he felt any kind of guilty; it was probably the triplets' fault. "Anything in particular you want?"

"Not that I can think of. Just… no burgers, okay? And, um… can you find me something lemon?" he asked sheepishly, still not used to admitting to his body's cravings.

When Cas agreed, Dean heard the smile in his voice but instead of making the hunter feel guilty or stupid for wanting what he wanted, the pure happiness in his boyfriend's tone made him smile. And he realized that, despite the way they were going about it, he and Cas were gonna be parents. Dean being pregnant was a good thing no matter how his changing body made him feel weak or different. Cas couldn't be the one to carry their babies – it didn't work in reverse unless Dean was an angel, too – but he could take care of Dean and so far, the pregnant hunter hadn't asked his partner for much help. Aside from setting up the nursery, Dean was still capable of moving and doing most everything on his own. He knew that would change the bigger he got, but he knew, for now, Cas was probably feeling a little left out or unwanted.

"Thanks, Cas," he said quietly after the angel promised to find him something lemon flavored. "And… listen, I know I haven't asked you for much so far, but… I do appreciate your support, you know?"

"Of course, Dean. Why would you think I thought otherwise?"

"Because…" The hunter sighed and shoved a hand through his hair in apprehension. Despite having been in a relationship with Cas for awhile by now and knowing that he could tell his angel anything, he still found it hard to have conversations about feelings. "Because I know I suck at admitting weakness and asking for help-"

"Dean," the angel interrupted gently, "you are not weak. You seem to think that being pregnant makes you weak but it does not. Yes, it means you can't do certain things until the triplets are born but that is not weakness. Do you want to know something?"

"What?" Dean squeaked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I think you're incredibly strong for doing this for us," Cas admitted, lowering his voice so that Dean knew only he could hear the praise. "I know it wasn't easy asking Sam and I to do the nursery when you couldn't and I know your body is beginning to ache more as it changes and I know it's hard for you to admit when you want something. But I am proud of you for asking for help whether it's moving heavy things or just asking me to relieve your discomfort. And I'm happy to indulge your cravings and get you whatever you want. Please don't feel like I'm not as much a participant in this pregnancy as you because I am. I may not be the one carrying our children but I am no less happy in this. Do you understand?"

Forgetting that Cas couldn't actually see him, Dean nodded, unable to speak around the lump in his throat. When Cas gently called his name after not getting a verbal answer, an involuntary sob broke free and Dean coughed to try to cover it up. "Sorry. Y-Yeah, I get it. Thanks, Cas."

"Don't apologize," Cas gently chided. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. But you're welcome." Dean heard a voice in the background before Cas sighed. "I have to go. Sam and I need to finish up here. We'll bring food on our way home."

"'Kay," Dean said. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

Ending the call, Dean tossed his phone back onto the nightstand then pushed himself to his feet, using the nightstand as leverage and pushing one hand into the small of his back. He hadn't been lying when he told Cas he had to pee and once he was upright, his bladder reminded him of just how much he needed to go. So instead of going back to sleep until the other two returned, he made his way into the bathroom. Just like any other time, he flicked on the light, shut the door, and stood in front of the toilet. But as he reached down to hold himself to aim, he realized how uncomfortable doing this had become recently, having to bend forward a bit just to reach around his belly which made lining up even more difficult.

"Son of a bitch," he moaned in defeat as he turned around and awkwardly lowered himself to sit and groaned in relief as his bladder emptied. As he stood, tucked himself away again, and flushed and washed his hands, he decided that as far as Sam was concerned, Dean could still stand to pee; he didn't need the teasing his little brother would probably give him when Sam found out Dean had to sit like a girl.

Finished in the bathroom, he returned to the main room and eyed the bed then the dark television. He could start another movie. Or nap until Sam and Cas returned with food. But he'd done both of those all afternoon already. If this is what it was going to be like until the case was over, Dean was going to go stir crazy. At least confined to the bunker, he had more space to be confined to. Maybe he could ask Cas to go for a walk with him later or tomorrow; then he could escape the same file walls and the angel would law Dean was safe.

Mind me up, he settled for messing around on Sam's laptop until he hears the familiar rumble of Baby's engine returning – he'd let Sam and Cas borrow it to do their digging around since he wasn't going anywhere anyway. He exited what he'd been doing and shut the laptop down just as a key turned in the lock and Sam entered the room, Cas behind him and each carrying a bag from a nearby burger joint. Cas also carried a white paper bag with handles, fancier than their usual fare.

"Is that my laptop?" Sam asked with a crinkled nose. "Dude, if you looked up porn again and got another virus on it-"

"Relax, Sammy I was playing solitaire. Friggin' boring," Dean quickly dismissed, eyeing the logo on the bags. "Cas, I said no burgers," he said, stomach rolling at the thought of a burger like the one from the diner that afternoon.

"We didn't get burgers," Cas assured him as he pulled out a paper wrapped, burger shaped something. "I didn't know if you would want a salad like at lunch so I also got you a chicken sandwich in case you still wanted meat. And I didn't know if you'd want grilled or breaded so I got one of each."

"And when Cas said you wanted more lemon, I convinced him straight lemons was a bad idea. He came up with a good idea so we stopped and got you…" Sam trailed off as he pulled some kind of plastic container out of the white bag which Cas had set beside the fast food bags.

"A lemon meringue pie?!" Dean gasped in awe before shoving himself up and into Cas's space to kiss him squarely on the lips. "I fucking love you," he said, grinning at his angel's surprised expression.

"I love you, too," Cas finally replied through a chuckle then snatched the box as Dean reached for it. "Pie after dinner."

"But the triplets want lemon pie," Dean whined, hoping to use being pregnant to get what he wanted. By the unamused expression on his boyfriend's face, it wasn't working.

"After dinner," Cas repeated. "Do you want a sandwich or are you still averse to meat?"

Dean thought about it for a moment as he watched Sam pull out his salad and Cas put the other salad and two chicken sandwiches on the table. Of course, the angel didn't get himself anything to eat. The hunter eyed the greens and the paper wrapped sandwiches, taking a deep breath of the scent of warm chicken; it didn't trigger the same urge to vomit the burger at lunch had. In fact, the smell of grilled chicken made his mouth water.

"Grilled one," he decided, accepting the sandwich as Cas passed it to him.

As they ate, Sam and Castiel explained how the case was going and Dean gave them suggestions on how to proceed though he knew Sam knew what he was doing; he wanted to feel useful since they hadn't needed him for any research so far and seemed like they'd be wrapping up in a day or two anyway. After finishing one chicken sandwich, Dean devoured the breaded one, too, pushing the salad toward Sam; it didn't hold the same appeal as it did at lunch. While he ate his second sandwich, Cas unboxed and sliced the pie. Sam even had a piece.

Dean moaned happily, almost obscenely, as he finished his piece and leaned back in his chair, his hands unconsciously finding their way to his lower belly.

"Dude," Sam huffed, smiling at how happy Dean seemed despite the almost filthy sounds his older brother made. "What's with you and lemons lately?"

Dean shrugged. "Dunno, Sammy. They just sound really good. You said go with the cravings, so…"

"I did and I'm not saying you shouldn't," Sam hastily added. "Just amused is all. You're not usually a fruit person."

Dean hummed in agreement, shifting in his seat. "Cas, can we go for a walk? I'm sick of being stuck in this room and the only thing I got to look forward to is our room."

"Of course, Dean," the angel agreed, rising and offering Dean a hand up though the hunter batted his hand away and levered himself up out of the chair. "Sam, would you care to join us?"

Sam shrugged. "Why not? Not often Dean willingly exercises either, fighting and running on hunts aside."

"Shut up, bitch," Dean grumbled, plopping onto the edge of the bed and awkwardly shifting himself forward between his knees to grasp for his boots and pulling them on. Once he was ready, he stood. "Let's go."

They exited the room, Sam locking up behind them. Their route stayed in the motel's parking lot and surrounding land and didn't last long before Dean tired out and they decided to head back inside. They bid each other goodnight and Sam slipped into his own room while Dean and Cas went into their own.

This time, Dean accepted Cas's help sitting down and removing his boots then his jeans and button up, leaving him in his t-shirt and boxers. He wiggled himself back onto the bed and settled on his side while Cas undressed, listening to the familiar slide of a leather belt through the loops of Cas's slacks then the rustle of fabric as layers were shed. He'd almost drifted off to sleep when the opposite side of the bed dipped and one of Cas's hands found their way to his belly, rubbing wide circles.

Dean hummed appreciatively but blindly reached down to nudge his boyfriend's hand toward his lower abdomen. Cas got the hint and after a few circles, began kneading the flesh there, earning a pleased groan from the hunter.

"Are you in pain?" Cas asked, barely above a whisper.

"No, just… tight, I guess," Dean admitted in the same low tones, sounding unsure how to explain how he felt. "Not used to having this much weight on me."

Cas hummed in understanding and Dean felt him shift around a little bit, his hand never leaving Dean's belly. Once he was settled again, he resumed his circles.

Dean fell asleep full and warm and relaxed with Castiel rubbing his belly.

When Dean awoke the next morning, he was cuddled against Castiel's chest, his belly cradled between them. One of Cas's arms was around him, the other hand resting on his hip, thumb rubbing back and forth. Dean sighed and nuzzled his face into the angel's neck.

"Good morning, Dean," Cas murmured, pressing a kiss to the hunter's temple.

"Not awake," Dean grumbled, voice sleep roughened.

"The triplets are," Cas said cryptically.

Dean's eyes popped open and immediately locked onto the angel's blue ones. "Can you feel them?" he asked, eyeing where Cas's hand rested on his hip.

"No. I can't feel their movements clearly from the outside, remember? Encased in their eggs, they won't be able to kick you or push outward like human babies. But I can sense them," Cas explained. "They have been awake for some time."

Dean made a thoughtful sound and watched as Cas's hand began to slowly pass back and forth across his belly. Then the angel's hand slipped under Dean's t-shirt and began massaging the lower curve of his belly. The skin-to-skin contact sent pleasant shivers down Dean's spine and he arched up into the touch, his cock twitching in interest. Despite the intensity with which is body demanded they take this in a certain direction, Dean still possessed enough mental faculties to note that Cas's touch, while always pleasurable, had never quite stimulated him so easily with so little before. It was like the angel's hand was a live wire, each brush of his fingertips sending electric currents through Dean's body.

"Shit, Cas," he breathed, unconsciously rocking his hips up, seeking a friction that wasn't there.

Cas chuckled, understanding his boyfriend's reactions, and trailed his hand down from Dean's belly to cup his cock through his boxers. Wordlessly, he began to stroke Dean through the material, long, slow passes up and down.

"Cas," Dean moaned breathlessly, pushing up against the angel's palm. "Shit, I need you so fucking much."

"Tell me what you want, Dean," Cas commanded, just shy of his Angel of the Lord voice, the one that used to command armies and strike fear into humans and other supernatural beings. Now, that voice only ever turned Dean on and this moment was no different.

The hunter moaned and rocked up harder into the angel's palm. "Fucking touch me," he growled.

"I am touching you, Dean," Cas reminded, tilting his head in the way he often did when confused though instead of the confused squint of his eyes, the bastard was smirking. The movement of his hand never slowed or faltered.

"Pull off my boxers and touch me," Dean commanded.

Cas made a sound of approval and removed his hand long enough to pull Dean's boxers down in one swift motion, carelessly tossing them across the room. Instead of returning his hand to Dean's cock, he leaned down and teased at the head with his tongue.

"Wh-Wha'-?"

"We do not have lubricant," Cas explained, sitting upright to meet Dean's eyes. "I do not want to cause discomfort stroking you dryly."

Dean only managed to nod once then watched as Cas leaned back down to tease Dean's cock with his tongue and lips before finally taking it into his mouth. He licked and swirled his tongue around it as he bobbed his head and Dean had to consciously think about keeping still so he didn't choke his boyfriend – not that Cas need to breathe.

When Cas deemed Dean wet enough, he pulled off with an obscene pop then replaced his hand around Dean's cock, grip firm but not too tight. Dean moaned as Cas's hand pumped up and down from head to base several times. He rocked his ups up to meet each swipe of the angel's hand, tipping his head back and moaning.

"Shit, Cas, yeah," he panted. "Tighten… Little tighter."

Cas complied, squeezing his fist a little tighter but being careful not to make his grip painful. He quickened his strokes, adding a twist to his wrist on the downstroke which caused Dean's hips to jerk up harder into his fist. The angel smirked, proud that he could make his hunter come undone. When they'd first explored intercourse, he hadn't been very good at it; now, it pleased him to make Dean feel good.

"Cas," Dean panted. "Cas, I'm so close, angel…"

"Come, Dean," Cas purred, stroking his free hand up and down one of Dean's inner thighs, making the hunter's legs tremble.

As if that permission was all he needed, Dean tensed, arched his back as he pushed his cock into the angel's fist, and groaned through his release, come spilling down over Cas's hand and onto Dean's lower belly and the sheets below him.

After, Dean was so relaxed that he'd almost fallen back asleep. That is, until his phone started blaring from the nightstand. With a groan, he rolled away enough to pick it up, noticing Cas slip out of bed and toward the bathroom as he swiped his thumb across the screen to answer.

"Morning, Sammy."

"Good morning," Sam said pleasantly. "Listen, I'm gonna go grab breakfast. What are you in the mood for?"

"Is this gonna be a new thing every time you get food? Can't you just bring me what I always get?" Dean grumbled.

"Well, last night, I would have brought you a burger and we all know how well that would have turned out," Sam explained. "So I thought this was safer."

Dean hated to admit it but Sam probably had a point. He wasn't used to being so picky with his food. Other than no rabbit food and bring me pie, he usually didn't have many requests, making it easy for Sam to pick what Dean would choose at any given restaurant – usually a burger of some kind for anything but breakfast which varied by restaurant.

"Are you just going to the diner again?" he finally asked.

"Yeah, unless you want something I'd have to get from somewhere else," Sam replied. "Which is totally cool, by the way!" he hastily added.

"Nah, don't do that. Diner is good," Dean argued. "I'm feeling chocolate this morning so their pancakes works. Don't go outta your way for me."

"Got it. Be back in twenty."

"Cool. Later, bitch."

"Bye, jerk," Sam laughed before the call disconnected.

As Dean was replacing his phone on the nightstand, he noticed Cas waiting at the foot of the bed with a wet washcloth. Grimacing, Dean looked down toward his belly though he couldn't really see so much as feel the come sticking to his skin.

"Thanks," he said as the angel passed him the cloth, quickly wiping it away.

"You're welcome. Based on your half of the conversation, I assume Sam went to get breakfast?" Cas asked, returning the towel to the bathroom.

"Yeah," Dean said with a grin as the familiar purr of Baby's engine roared to life in the parking lot.

"Then we have time to dress and make ourselves presentable before he returns."

It didn't take long to dress and pick up Dean's clothes from the night before which they shoved into his duffel. While waiting for Sam, he took the time to gather everything he'd need to take over to Sam's room once the other two left and he'd be stuck behind all the warding again. This didn't take very long either and with a heavy sigh, the hunter peered out the window.

"Cas, can we go for another walk? Once we're done with breakfast and you two leave, I'll be stuck inside again," he grouched.

"Of course, Dean," Cas assured, brow furrowed with worry. "I'm sorry you feel like we're trapping you like you were at home. The point of getting you out of the bunker was a change of scenery and now we've been treating you the same."

"No, I get it, Cas," Dean quickly assured him, pressing close to the angel – careful not to squish his belly between them too harshly – and winding his arms around Cas's neck. "Cas, I understand why you want to protect me, protect the kids. I'd feel protective of you, too, if you were in my place. I know I'm not stuck inside because you and Sam wanna be asshats. I'm inside for protection and because people would freak at the sight of a pregnant dude."

"I wish you had the freedom any normal pregnant woman could have," Cas said, resting his hands on Dean's hips.

"So I'm a woman now?" Dean teased with a smirk, smile widening when his joke managed to get Cas to crack a smile. He leaned forward to place a quick kiss to his angel's lips. "I get it, Cas. I'm not a civilian and I'm not female. I'd attracted all kinds of attention outside. But knowing this is for both my safety and the safety of our kids doesn't stop me from getting a little stir crazy."

"Maybe Sam could go alone today so I can protect you so you could go out. We couldn't go to overly crowded places because, you're right, you would attract attention being male and appearing pregnant but I'm sure we could do something," Cas suggested.

"We only have the one car and you still don't have your wings," Dean pointed out. "Either you and I or Sam would have to shuttle the other back and forth around Sammy's digging all day. You two go," he urged, giving his boyfriend a gentle push. "I can last a day or two more. Maybe, when this is all over, before we go back to the bunker, we spend a day or two here doing fun things in not-so-crowded places where I won't get too many stares, okay?"

"If you're sure," Cas said slowly.

"I'm good, Cas. Really," Dean promised.

After Sam returned and they ate, they gathered anything Dean might need and got the pregnant hunter settled into Sam's warded motel room before Sam and Cas left for the day, Dean promising to check in every hour just like the day before. And just like the day before, Dean spent his day watching cheesy movies on TV and browsing on Sam's laptop between napping or just lazing around in bed, exploring the swell of his belly and hoping to feel the bubbly sensation that meant the triplets were moving. He still hadn't discovered any pattern to it and it had only happened a couple of times since the trip from Lebanon when he'd first felt it but he eagerly looked forward to feeling it again.

Somewhere around noon, his stomach growled loudly and once he realized how hungry he was, he couldn't focus on anything else. He didn't want to make Cas or Sam leave their case to bring him food so when Cas texted him for his hourly check in, Dean made sure to let the angel know he was safe but didn't mention that he was hungry.

As he tossed his phone onto the bed with a weary sigh, he tipped his head back against the headboard. Then he remembered the pie! The fucking amazing lemon pie – and the thought of the pie made Dean realize how much he was craving lemon again – his wonderful boyfriend bought him the night before. As quickly as his belly would allow, Dean extricated himself from the bed and crossed to the fridge in the kitchenette along one wall. His anticipatory grin faded when he opened the fridge to find nothing but a box of baking soda likely put there by the motel cleaning staff in an attempt to keep the fridge fresh-smelling.

"Son of a bitch," Dean groaned when he remembered that Sam had put the pie in the fridge in Dean and Cas's room while Dean had been fighting with his boots before their walk the previous night. "In case you want some later," Sam had said but Dean had been so exhausted after their walk that he'd fallen asleep and slept through the night.

And between the three of them, no one had remembered to bring it from their room to Sam's.

"Son of a bitch," Dean snarled, biting back a frustrated whine – because Dean Winchester did not whine – as he slumped against he fridge, crossing his arms and decidedly not pouting.

The thing about cravings, though, was that once a craving hit, it was almost impossible to not crave whatever food started the craving. No matter how much Dean tried to convince himself that he didn't want that pie and could wait for Sam and Cas to get back so they could go get lunch, he couldn't stop thinking about that lemon-y goodness in the other room. But that would mean calling Sam or Cas to come get it or protect him while he got it.

"Fuck it," he growled, marching toward the door. "It's right the fuck next door! I don't need Cas to drive all the way back out here so I can go into the other room for one minute."

Determined to spend as little time outside the warding as possible – though he was ninety-nine percent sure there was no one, supernatural or otherwise, this determined to get their hands on on his kids – he hurried out of Sam's room and back into his own, leaving the door open since he'd only be there for a second. He crossed to the fridge, pulled it open, and practically moaned at the pie box sitting front and center.

"Well, well, well," an unfamiliar voice purred from the doorway just as Dean was straightening up again, lemony treasure in hand. "What have we got here?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for any typos or mistakes, it's late and I can't be bothered to properly edit. I don't make too many mistakes as I write anyway – not saying never, 'cause I have seen mistakes in other things I've posted. Anyway, if there's anything big, let me know and I'll fix it tomorrow.

And, as it seems to happen to me a lot, this chapter didn't come out as I planned and instead of more of the reason I sent them on a hunt happening, I barely scratched the surface with our mystery visitor at the end there. So the reason I sent them on a hunt becomes clear next chapter instead.

Also, OP, I have not forgotten your lovely comment about Dean and his belly and lemons - I do have plans to use that somewhere in the future. ;)