Title: Superheroes

Prompt: Written for merry_gentry on livejournal: SPN, Castiel + Gabriel + wee!Dean + wee!Sam, a spell goes wrong and Cas and Gabriel find themselves babysitting . . . and it's not as easy as they make it seem on TV.

When Castiel's voice came crashing into Gabriel's head in a panic, the archangel thought something truly dire had occurred. Something like death and/or dismemberment. Which was the only reason taht he flung himself to his little brother's side in an equal state of panic.

No one was dead. No one was dismembered. Granted the Winchesters lost about four feet in height, but that was because they appeared to have shrunk, not because anything important had been cut off.

"Huh . . . well, at least they're cute."

Cute and potentially traumatized. A pre-school sized Dean Winchester curled around his baby brother in the corner, staring at Castiel with the kind of terror usually reserved for slow-dancing aliens or big bad ugly things. Even with Gabriel's sudden appearance, the kid didn't say a word.

Castiel gave Gabriel a cold look.

With a sigh, Gabriel crouched just out of arm's reach of the kids. "Alright, boys, let me see what you've got yourself into now." He held out his hand to Dean, but the kid wouldn't take it. Gabriel really couldn't blame him. "Bro, how about some pie to smooth things over?"

Castiel spoke stiffly and slowly. "The Winchesters are vulnerable in a time of great danger, and you wish to have pastries?"

Gabriel sighed. "Do you know what happened?"

"No, I discovered-"

"Pie," Gabriel ordered, and dismissed his brother with a snap of his fingers. He'd pay for that later-Castiel got pissy about abuse of power-but there were more important things at stake.

"So, kiddo, what kind of cartoons do you like? Me, I'm partial to the superheroes. You just can't beat Superman. Mild-mannered busybody journalist and then just like that," Gabriel snapped his fingers, adopting the costume for just a minute, "he's Superman."

The kid stared at him unblinkingly. Gabriel sighed and reverted to his actual clothing. "I should have known Dean Winchester would be a Batman fan," he sighed.

The pie was also a resounding failure, but eventually Dean appeared to decide that the two bumbling angels were unlikely to be a threat to Sammy and emerged from the corner.

He even demonstrated an unusual show of trust by passing off his baby brother to Castiel. Gabriel suspected the true cause was Sammy's obvious dirty diaper.

Castiel wrinkled his nose and held the baby out in front of him with a hand under each arm, firmly supporting the baby's back and neck with his extended fingers.

Dean watched anxiously, tugging on Castiel's trench coat until the angel looked down at him. "Yes, Dean?"

The kid tugged again, eyes only for his brother.

"You're holding him wrong," Gabriel supplied. "Kid's probably old enough to support his own head, but if it makes Dean feel better, you may as well cradle him." At his brother's accusing look, Gabriel sputtered. "Hey, who here has experience with babies?"

"You were afraid of the Holy Child," Castiel deadpanned. "And he cried the entire time you held him. But very well. I concede to your greater experience, Gabriel." He held out the baby, and Gabriel jumped backward.

"What? No! I don't know how to change a diaper any more than you do!"

Dean stared at them both incredulously, and gestured frantically for the return of his brother. Castiel quickly obliged. "Dean virtually raised Sam; do you suppose . . . ?"

"No," Gabriel shook his head as Dean hugged his brother to his chest. "He's just a smart enough kid to realize we're total idiots."

"Idjits," Castiel corrected absently under his breath. There was a pause and then the angels turned back as one. "Bobby!"