A/N: So yeah, haven't posted for a bit. Sorry about that. Got swept up in something else but I'm trying to at least get some of this chapter out for you. I had much bigger plans for this chapter but I think it may have to wait till chapter 12 as I have a fever and am struggling to get this part written. Either way, just enjoy some adorableness for a little while and I promise that next chapter will be more plot. I'm so sorry this isn't more than some light fluff but I hope the inclusion of Wee!Cas will make it at least bearable. I'll try again at chapter 12 tomorrow. So again, I'm terribly sorry this chapter is so short. I just don't feel good and don't want to throw something down when I have so much planned for this.
As soon as the car pulled into Bobby's driveway, Sam was already pulling his seatbelt off and practically racing up the steps. Dean quirked an eyebrow and shook his head as he watched his brother disappear into the confines of the house. Sam's rush to get back to Cas struck him as a little odd but he too wanted to make sure their friend was still ok all things considered and he hurried along after him. Sam tried to slow his pace somewhat as he found himself racing down the stairs. He made his way to the panic room and opened the door to find Bobby leaning back on his cot with Castiel perched on his lap. Bobby had been in the middle of saying something but his voice died off as the door opened and both he and Cas turned to see who had entered. The shotgun was sitting close to the hunter's side and as he recognized Sam in the doorway, his fingers loosened from it once more, though it stayed well within easy reach. Castiel blinked up at the new arrival with solemn wide eyes and his wings flicked once in recognition. Sam instantly felt some of the tension ease out of his body at the sight of that tiny form. He made his way over and reached out to thumb over a shock of soft hair. The contact was instantly warming and Sam offered the child a sad smile. Bobby cleared his throat to catch Sam's attention and it was obvious the older man was taking stock of the dried blood that had soaked through his surrogate son's clothes. "The hell happened out there?" Bobby asked in a voice that said he was almost afraid of the answer, "You two ok?"
"Just the usual," Dean piped up from the doorway, causing every head in the room to turn and look at him, "gettin' our asses kicked a little, killin' demons, havin' icecream. You know. The normal." Sarcasm saturated every word and the young man leaned heavily against the doorframe. He was pretty sure he looked like as bad as he felt if the expression on Bobby's face was any indication.
"Well if one of you wanna take Cas here, I'll go get the first aid kit," Bobby said. He looked between the brothers for a moment but decided not to press on what happened; the boys would tell him in due time when they were ready. The words had barely left his mouth before Sam reached down to scoop the infant up into his arms. If Castiel minded the dried demon blood he didn't show it and he calmly situated himself into a comfortable position in the hunter's arms, his hands curling into the stained fabric without a second glance. For Sam it felt like someone had just pulled away a heavy blanket from the world and calmness washed over him. It was as if a light had been flicked on and in its glow he found himself trying to figure out why he had reacted so brutally in the warehouse. As he looked down and met Castiel's placid gaze, he knew that while he had been worried about the angel and had been angry over the threats to him, his reactions had been influenced by more than just that. It was as if someone had been holding a magnifying glass over his emotions and the thought bothered him.
As soon as Bobby left the room, Dean sauntered over to his brother. He wouldn't admit it but he felt a swell of relief in seeing the angel safe and sound just as much as Sam did. He knew Bobby wouldn't let anything happen to their friend but he still felt better just being near the angel as it meant he could actively protect the little guy. Castiel turned to look at him as he approached and the small head cocked to the side at the sight of all the new wounds. "Too bad you aren't big enough to fix these anymore," Dean griped, "I could use some instant angel healing." The infant simply blinked at him for a few brief moments and then reached out with one hand in a silent request to make contact. A smile curled the corner of Sam's mouth and he supported the angel with both hands as the infant leaned dangerously out toward Dean, his tiny wings flapping as if he could cross the distance to the other hunter on them.
"Hey, hey, whoa. I don't think you're big enough to be flying yet," Dean said brightly as he moved closer to the angel stretching out to him. As he closed the gap between them Cas reached out and took his face between tiny hands with a gentleness that surprised the older man. Chubby fingers brushed over the bruises and swollen skin in an exploratory search and everywhere they touched, the pain lessened to a degree. Apparently satisfied that he had carefully taken stock of Dean's injuries, Cas stretched up and petted the thick tufts of Dean's hair in a fumbling mimicry of what Bobby had done to comfort the angel earlier before easing back to curl once more against Sam's shoulder.
The action brought a delighted bark of laughter from Sam who found the whole scene to be too adorable for words. "Oh my god! I wish I'd had a camera! That was the cutest thing I've ever seen!" He grinned up at Dean who looked terribly bemused by the whole situation.
"Yeah, yeah. You're cute," Dean said begrudgingly though the smile on his face belied his attempts to play off the act, "But you're still a pain in the ass." Cas didn't look the least bit offended by the statement and instead offered Dean a soft smile partially hidden behind by his shoulder as the angel tucked his head down bashfully. His attention turned a moment later back toward Sam and he reached up with a note of hesitation before curling a hand into a stray lock of Sam's hair as if testing the difference between the brothers. Sam tilted his head down to make the exploration a little easier for the child in his arms and Cas brushed at the strands for a few seconds before glancing back at Dean with a look on his face that said he was trying to puzzle out the differences in his head.
The moment was interrupted as Bobby re-entered the room and an ice pack was tossed to Dean. "Here. Put that on yer eye or you'll have one heck of a shiner come tomorrow." Dean slapped the cold pack to his skin and grumbled under his breath, moving over to the cot none the less to let Bobby tend to him. Castiel watched with open curiosity as bandages and anti-bacterial ointments were applied to Dean's many scrapes and bruises and several times Sam was forced to catch him when the infant leaned forward too far in his interest over the whole process. When the young hunter was finally all bandaged up and the worst of his injuries had been seen to, the angel was passed over to him at Bobby's insistence so that Sam could change into something that didn't make him look like an extra from a horror movie. Bobby followed the young man from the room as well with an offer to make a quick meal for the boys to take on the road, leaving Dean sitting alone with Castiel as he waited for the two of them to return.
The angel was being exceptionally careful as he leaned against Dean's shoulder as if he understood on some level that the hunter was injured and he didn't want to hurt him further. Dean found himself staring back at the cherubic face turned toward him with obvious interest as his emotions warred for priority. Castiel was his friend, even if he was a very strange one, and as such he was admittedly worried about who or what had done this to him. On the one hand, he really wanted to get Castiel back to his normal geeky, uncertain, ridiculously out of place self again while another part of him warred that he was going to miss Cas being in this form more than he wanted to admit to himself. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed taking care of someone, of having someone who was utterly dependant on him, and a wistful bittersweet longing rolled over him for a normal life where he could have his own son. The flutter of wings brought Dean back to the moment however and as he stared into those big blue eyes he knew Cas couldn't stay like that, no matter how comforting the infant's presence had become. It wouldn't be fair to Castiel to relegate him to filling in the hole made when Sam had grown up. Dean offered a sad smile to the little angel perched on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Cas. Sam n' I are gonna fix this." The infant blinked at him a few times and then gently placed his open hand against the hunter's cheek in a stoic sign of affection before curling once more into his favorite position below the chiseled jawline of his caretaker. Dean's eyes closed and he relaxed against the wall, his thumb playing over the smooth skin between the angel's wings. "Not gonna let anything bad happen to you, ok?" he murmured quietly.