The next few weeks passed in normalcy, with nothing else happening between Dean and Cas in real life. Cas occasionally visited his dreams to ask him about things he wanted when he was little, but otherwise that was it. However, when Sam finally got back to Stanford, Dean prayed for Castiel to come and get him for their first day together as Daddy and son. Truth be told, Dean was excited. He'd never had a very close relationship with John. He was excited at the prospect of a close relationship. Castiel appeared and took him by the hand and teleported them to the cabin. When they arrived, something about it plucked a string in his memory. Had he been here before?
Sensing his thoughts, Castiel smiled.
"You have been here only once before. You were very small. I wanted to give you a place that had meaning to you and be able to make it a safe haven."
"I..." Dean wished he had words to say how he felt. There weren't any. Castiel took his silence as thanks and led him inside. He shut the door behind them. He let Dean look around while he brought in the bags. "Daddy?" He called from the living room.
"Yes?"
"Where's my room?"
Cas' eyes lit up. He'd been hoping for him to ask that question.
"Come with me." He said. He lead him to a wooden door and stepped out of the way so that he could open it himself.
Dean was ill prepared for what he saw.
It was a nursery. With a crib, changing table, and the works. It was exactly what he had dreamed of, although he didn't remember it. He didn't know what to say. Luckily, he didn't have to say anything. Daddy patted him gently on the back and led him in.
"What do you want to do first?" He asked gently.
"I don't know..." He said sheepishly.
"How about we get you dressed into something more comfortable?" He suggested. Dean nodded. That seemed like a good start. "Go pick something." He said. Dean nodded and started looking through the clothes. He pulled out a blue footed sleeper and held it up to Castiel. "Good choice."
Castiel went over to the changing table and patted it, inviting Dean up. But he hesitated. Castiel felt compelled to find out why and saw that he was afraid to be seen naked. He didn't understand why nudity was such a big deal for humans, but for now he decided to focus on making Dean feel better.
"It's alright, Dean. Nudity is not a shameful thing. My father created humans with no shame or any knowledge of their nakedness. It did not matter to him and it certainly doesn't matter to me."
For some reason the small speech made him feel better. But it didn't take away from his hesitation.
"Can't you just mojo it on?" He asked.
"I could, but I don't think it would be a good idea."
Dean tensed automatically. "Why?"
"I don't want to risk using any magic here. I've only used it to protect the house from intrusion. This should be something done as humanly as possible. It's only fair. I promise you I wouldn't ask if it wasn't necessary."
What he said was true, but there was another part to it that he had purposely hidden from him- he was afraid that someone could track him by his powers. So other than securing the house, he had vowed to not use them.
Dean's shoulders slumped in acceptance. "Okay."
Castiel smiled. "Good boy."
He got up and laid down on his back. Castiel got him out of his clothes and pulled out a diaper from under the table. He tensed. That was going way too far! But when he opened his mouth to protest, Castiel put a pacifier in his mouth to keep him quiet. Dean's first instinct was to just spit the thing out, but for some reason he found himself sucking on it. It tasted a little strange, but that didn't really bother him.
"That's a boy." Castiel Praised as he changed him. "You don't have to use it if you don't want to. It's just there to make you feel safe." He promised. Dean didn't know how to respond, so he purposefully ignored it. Once he was completely dressed, Castiel attached the pacifier ribbon to his sleeper and helped him up. "There now. That's better." He said, smiling. Dean was still looking around the nursery in awe when he realized something and frowned. He pulled the pacifier from his mouth and looked up at the Angel.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Where's my blankie?" He asked. Castiel moved to where Dean's packed bags were and pulled it out of the duffel bag.
"There you go baby boy." He said, watching with a smile as he nuzzled it against his cheek. Dean looked at him, smiling happily. "What do you want to do now?" He asked.
Dean thought about it for a moment, then took his pacifier out. "Play?"
Castiel looked out the window and realized that it was actually fairly late in the afternoon. "How about a nap instead?"
Dean's smile faded. That wasn't very fun.
"I wanna play." He said sadly.
"How about you play after?" He offered.
Dean frowned, but didn't protest. Castiel picked him up and took him to the crib. He lowered the side bar and laid him in gently. He tucked him in, and Dean squirmed, whining quietly. Castiel hushed him.
"It's alright." He soothed. He ran his hands through Dean's hair. The motion relaxed him, and he fell asleep. Castiel put the pacifier back into his mouth and quickly exited the room. He took the time to unpack their bags before sitting on the couch in the living room. There was a baby monitor attached to the crib, and Cas had the other one in his trench coat pocket. He was so calm he almost didn't notice his brother coming in through the front door.
Almost.
"What are you doing here, Gabriel?" He asked. His tone wasn't angry, but it wasn't exactly happy either.
"I came to visit."
"Why?"
"You've been going off on your own on and off for the past few weeks. You haven't told a soul about it. If you think I don't know when something is going on and you're trying to keep it from me and everyone else, you're sadly mistaken."
"Have you ever considered that there was a reason why I didn't tell you or anyone else in the first place?"
"I have. But there's no reason to keep things from family."
"It's not my secret to tell. I'm helping someone else." He said, hoping that would be enough to get Gabriel off of his back.
"What does it matter?" He asked. "Come on, bro. If you told me I could help you out when you needed something."
Tempting as the offer was, Castiel stood his ground. "No. This is important to me, Gabriel. This is something I have to do alone. I'm sorry but I can't tell you about this. It's too important." He said firmly. Gabriel looked at him for a minute, possibly in faint surprise before nodding gracefully. He wanted to press the issue further, but could see he wasn't going to get anywhere right now. He would have to wait until a better opportunity arose.
"Alright. But if you need something, give me a call."
Castiel smiled slightly. "I will."
With that, Gabriel vanished.
No sooner had Gabriel gone, then Dean began making noises, signaling that he was very much awake. Castiel smiled and went into the nursery. He flicked the light on and went over to Dean, who smiled up at him.
"Hey there, buddy. Did you sleep well?" He asked, picking him up. Dean nodded, rubbing his eyes with his fist. He was too tired to notice that he was being carried. His blanket was held loosely with one hand as Daddy took him into the kitchen. He sat him down at the dining room table. Dean whimpered slightly at being put down, but Daddy was quick to hush him.
"I'm just going to get you a drink, baby boy." He promised. He grabbed a pre made bottle of milk from the fridge and heated it in the microwave. When it dinged, he pulled the bottle out and went over to Dean.
"Do you want to drink your milk here or in Daddy's lap?" He asked. Dean thought about it for a moment before reaching up to the Angel. Castiel smiled, grabbed the bottle, and went to sit on the couch. He laid Dean across his lap and gently removed the pacifier from between his lips. He whined a little at that, but was silenced by the rubber nipple of the bottle entering his mouth. He started sucking and his eyes slowly closed shut as Cas looked at the boy with a smile. He had planned all of this down to the last detail. He knew he would have to start easing Dean into all of this slowly. The diapers would likely take the most time for him to adjust to. But the clothes, feedings, naps, and playtime were a solid foundation to build on. If all went well, it would help him slip into that infantile headspace. As long as he was happy, that was all Cas cared about.
When the bottle was gone, he settled Dean into a playpen that was loaded with toys. Cas sat back on the couch to watch him for a few minutes, monitoring his feelings closely. At first he could feel the embarrassment radiating off of Dean as he woke up a little more. Now that he was thinking clearer, his shame became more dominant. But as quickly as it had appeared it melted away as Dean started to play and get involved with his toys. Smiling, Cas flipped on the TV. Not to watch it, but just to have a little background noise while his baby played. Even though it was technically their first day as Daddy and son, both of them fell into the role so naturally that it was like they'd been doing it for years. However, if Castiel was being honest with himself, he had prepared for a lot more resistance from Dean. He expected tantrums and struggling and- if he were to be completely truthful- spankings. And yet, none of the problems he had anticipated never materialized. Dean was perfectly fine.
After he played for a while, Castiel went to the kitchen to make Dean dinner. It took about fifteen minutes for Dean to realize that his Daddy wasn't there, and he began to whimper. In the space of time it took him to blink, Castiel stood in front of him.
"What's the matter, baby?" He asked, picking him up. Dean leaned his head on his Daddy's shoulder and curled his fingers into his shirt while Cas rubbed soothing circles on his back. Dean didn't speak. He just whimpered and whined quietly. "You don't want me to leave?"
Dean nodded mutely.
"Would you like to sit with Daddy in the kitchen?" He asked. Again, he nodded. "Alright." He sat Dean on the counter while he stirred the pasta in the boiling water. Dean watched him from the corner of his eye, and looked back at the playpen, longing for one of the toys. Castiel, seeing his thoughts, flew over and grabbed what he knew was already Dean's favorite: a toy version of his '67 Impala. He handed it to Dean who took it with a smile. While he made the car drive down the counter, Castiel focused on the pasta. Considering that he didn't eat he didn't exactly count himself as a master chef. But he knew how to make pasta, at least. Maybe this would help him become a better cook. When the pasta was done he drained the water and stirred in the sauce. Then, he put some on a plate for Dean. He moved the boy to the table first before putting his plate in front of him. He gently tugged the blanket from his grip so that it wouldn't get dirty, and set it and the car back in the playpen. Dean waited for him expectantly. Cas handed him a plastic fork, but he chucked it away. Luckily, Castiel caught it before it could get very far.
"Dean," he said in a warning tone. "We don't throw things." He put the fork back beside the plate, but Dean shook his head.
"No!"
Castiel was puzzled. He could have taken a peek into Dean's mind, but chose not to. He felt better trying to get the answers himself.
"Dean, are you not hungry?" He asked. Dean shook his head again. Castiel thought he was close to feeling the human emotion that was frustration. "What do you need?"
"Want you to do it." He whined.
"You want me to feed you?"
Dean nodded, and Castiel smiled and started feeding his little one. He fed him his pasta, and when it was done, he took a rag and wet it with warm water to wipe Dean's face. Once that was done, he put Dean back in the playpen. For a while, this kept him occupied, until he started squirming in his seat. Cas went over and knelt down to him.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
"Potty." He said, frowning.
"Are you ready to use your diaper?" He asked earnestly. Dean shook his head. Castiel accepted it and helped him out of the pen. He zipped down the back of the sleeper and let Dean go to the bathroom. He waited for him to come back out, but when he didn't Castiel went to find him. He knocked on the door and heard him crying.
"Dean?" He asked, quietly.
A sob was the only reply he received.
"Can Daddy come in?"
He heard Dean unlock the door. When he stepped inside, his heart broke. Dean stood crying next to the toilet, sobbing his heart out. His sleeper was rumpled up on the floor, but what stuck out to him was that the diaper had clearly been used. Castiel pulled the sobbing boy into a tight embrace.
"What happened, buddy?" He asked gently. Even then, Dean flinched.
"I-I... I d-didn't get to the p-potty in time." He cried.
"That's okay, baby boy. That's what your diaper is for."
Dean refused to listen and just kept crying.
Sighing in defeat, Castiel carried the boy to the nursery to change his diaper. He made quick work of it and treated it as something matter of fact. He hoped that the more normally he treated this the less embarrassing Dean would find it. When he was done, he zipped the sleeper back up and pulled his child in for a hug.
"There now. It's all done. Daddy's so proud of you, baby boy. You did very well." He praised. Slowly, Dean stopped crying. "How about Daddy gives you a treat for being such a good boy? Would you like that?"
Dean nodded a little. They went out to the kitchen and Dean saw a pie on a cooling rack. His eyes lit up, his earlier distress forgotten, and he bounced up and down with excitement. Cas chuckled and settled the boy in his chair so that he could cut the pie. A slice of apple pie later, Dean was happy again.
They spent the rest of the evening together. After Dean had played for a while, Cas decided it was bedtime. He plucked Dean up from his playpen and room him to the bathroom so he could brush his teeth. When that was done, Cas sat in the rocking chair and read Dean a story before putting him to bed. When he exited the room, he sighed contentedly. This first day had been perfect. It could only get better from here.