August 2023 (Castiel is 33 (almost 34), Dean is 35, Eden is 9 (almost 10), Adrian is 6 (7 in a few months), the twins are 2 years and 9 months old).
One and a half years had passed and the twins had started sleeping longer during the night. They would wake up awfully early, though – often before 7am, even in the weekends. So Dean and Castiel made it a habit to go to bed rather early to be able to catch some sleep before the twins would wake up. Dean had difficulties adjusting to it because he was always one for staying up and sleeping late.
The twins both had blonde hair, but it was likely to turn a little darker with age. They had both inherited Dean's bright green eye color, and they were full of energy. They were constantly running around, opening closets and drawers to see what was inside, and running into rooms they weren't supposed to go to, so the two parents had to keep an eye on them all the time. The twins still didn't mind sleeping in different rooms, but they cried and protested if they were separated during the day – they preferred each other's company. Eden and Adrian mostly got along well with their two younger siblings, but quarrels would happen when the twins got in the way of the TV, stole their older siblings' toys, or otherwise annoyed them. Dean and Castiel certainly had their hands full all the time, which sadly gave them a little less time for themselves. Luckily, they had Mary and John, and Jo to take a few of the kids over during the weekends sometimes so that they could have some time alone and relax. They had spent those weekends going out to have dinner together, spent some time to themselves, and had had lots of sex to make up for the frustrations.
Their neighbor, Brad, was still a problem but his sons had stopped harassing the neighbors after the police had come by a few times. Brad had finally seemed to tell his sons to let the others be, but he was still hostile towards the neighbors and especially towards Dean and his family. Their children never dared going anywhere near his house.
In mid-August, Adrian was supposed to start in school. He would be at the same school as Eden who was about to start in the fifth grade. Adrian was looking forward to start in the first grade, although Dean and Castiel were worried about him since they knew that school meant bullies. Eden seemed to be worried about that as well.
School started at 8am, and they always got up around 6 to prepare the children for school and daycare.
Dean and Castiel woke up at 5:50 that morning when a door slammed outside in the upstairs hallway. Castiel opened an eye and heard small footsteps outside the door. He knew it was one of the twins who had woken up and was trying to go downstairs, but the baby gate blocked the access to the stairs. It didn't take long before he could hear someone grabbing the door handle and coming into the room.
Castiel sighed and rolled over on his back. Dean grunted next to him, sleepily, and turned over on his other side to keep sleeping. The angel rubbed his eyes and sat up on the bed to see who was in the room. He saw Lily fumbling around by the end of the bed, trying to climb onto it. She grunted in effort but finally managed to climb up and crawled over Castiel's legs.
"Hello, Lily, couldn't you have waited ten more minutes?" Castiel yawned, and opened his arms so she could crawl up and hug him. The girl grinned and cuddled into his arms, and Castiel lay back down with his daughter on top of his chest. She hummed and snuggled into him while he stroked her back.
Dean stirred and looked over his shoulder at them. "Ah, it's Lily again…" he murmured, sleepily, and rolled around to face them. He yawned and reached a hand over to ruffle her blonde hair. She giggled and buried her face in Castiel's t-shirt. "I think I smell poop," Dean said and chuckled.
Castiel frowned down at Lily. "Yes, I think she needs a new diaper. Don't you, sweetie?"
Lily made a noise of agreement and grinned shyly. She and Isaac could talk a little, though it was still often difficult to understand what exactly they were saying, since mostly it was just random baby babbling. Castiel was pissed at Gabriel for teaching Isaac the word 'dick' for his first word, but his brother thought it was funny as hell, especially since Isaac didn't even know what it meant. He wasn't sure if he could ever forgive his brother for that.
Castiel got up to take Lily to her room and change her diapers. Dean chuckled when the angel wobbled sleepily and his wings and hair were a mess. Castiel glared briefly at him before carrying Lily back to her room.
They woke up the other children and led them downstairs to have breakfast and prepare for school and daycare.
Eden was helping Castiel put the lunchboxes into her and Adrian's schoolbags. She scolded Isaac when he continued to run in front of her and get in her way. "Isaac, stop going in front of me! Go watch TV or something," she told him and glared at her youngest brother.
Isaac whined as if he was offended before moving towards the television where his twin was. There were four bean bags placed around it since the children often preferred sitting there instead of on the couch. Eden was pretty much the only one who liked to use the chairs or couch sometimes.
When Isaac was gone, Eden stared up at Castiel with a worried expression. "Papa, do you think Adrian is gonna be okay in the school? The bullies can be pretty mean."
Castiel glanced down at her, surprised. His face softened. "I don't know, but I hope so. Adrian knows how to answer back if they call him bad things," he smiled. Adrian had turned more firm towards other children who didn't treat him nicely. He didn't put up with kids who called him or his friends names. He was no longer that shy boy who'd hide under Castiel's feathers whenever they visited someone.
Eden nodded. "I know, but I'm kinda worried. The bullies mostly leave me alone, but there are still some in the class that won't look at me."
Castiel felt a sting of guilt in his chest. He sighed and kneeled down to look at her properly. "I know, Eden… And I'm sorry. I wish the world was a better place, but some people simply don't like those who are different from themselves."
"Like how some people don't like you and dad being together?" she asked.
Castiel stared at her in surprise.
Eden gave him a soft smile. "I'm not stupid, papa – I know that people think angels and demons aren't supposed to be together, that's why they stare at you and dad when they see you. And at us…"
Castiel smiled a little and stroked her cheek softly. "Yes, they stare, but just let them; it's their problem." He stood up again and smiled down at his daughter, who grinned back up at him.
"Yes, it is! Because you and daddy are the best in the world," she grinned.
Castiel laughed and hugged Eden back when she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against him. She reached to the top of his stomach now, but not quite to his chest. It probably wouldn't be long before she did. The angel's wings wrapped around them, and Eden's tail curled happily around Castiel's leg.
Dean came out of the bathroom after having shaved and stared at them. "What's going on? Is it the big hugging day today? Why wasn't I invited?" he grinned.
Eden pulled back from Castiel and laughed. She went over and hugged Dean tightly, and he grabbed her and lifted her up afterwards; making Eden squeal and laugh. He quickly put her down again because she was getting a bit heavy.
The twins noticed what was going on and ran across the room towards Dean to be lifted up as well. The demon laughed and lifted them up before telling them to get ready to leave.
Castiel observed the scene with a happy smile, and Dean turned to look at him after Eden took the twins out to the entrance hall to get dressed. Adrian went to join them.
The demon grinned and pulled his mate in for a kiss. "Everything is gonna be fine today. I think Adrian can handle himself at school," Dean said and stroked a hand through Castiel's soft feathers.
"I know, but I still worry," Castiel admitted and looked into Dean's green eyes.
Dean smiled softly. "I know."
They pulled apart and went to get their jackets and shoes on as well, before driving the kids to school and daycare. They would go with Adrian into the school and be there for his first school day.
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The school was filled with children coming back for classes after the summer holidays. Dean and Castiel kept Eden and Adrian close by to not lose them in the crowd. Adrian looked around as people stared at them curiously and almost with hostility. He tensed up a little. Eden was rather calm and ignored their stares – she was more used to them than her brother was.
Inside, they had to part with Eden so she could go to her own classroom while Dean and Castiel would go with Adrian to his first class.
Eden approached Adrian and looked at him in worry. "If there are any mean kids, just ignore them or answer back. Some of them are probably complete assholes like some of my classmates."
"Eden!" Castiel scolded when she cursed and scowled at her in surprise. The girl rarely cursed or used such words about others.
Eden looked up at him in apology and smiled a little. "Sorry, papa."
Adrian blinked at her and shifted a little. "Thanks… But I can take of myself," he muttered.
Eden laughed at his attempt to stay manly. She ruffled his hair with affection and grinned when he swatted her hand away and glared at her.
"Easy there, kids," Dean grinned. "Have a nice day in school, Eden. We'll pick you and Adrian up later."
Eden smiled and said goodbye to them before running over to Ariel who had just appeared and went with her to their classes.
Castiel and Dean followed Adrian into his new classroom. Most of the kids were already seated and were chatting with their parents. Everyone looked around at each other to see who their classmates were. A few of the parents stared oddly when they saw Dean and Castiel walking together, and at how Adrian had angel wings but a demon tail. None of them said anything, but Dean gritted his teeth when he saw one of the alpha angel parents glaring at his son.
Most of the children were hybrids, but a little less than half of them were full bloods. Some parents liked to have their full blood children attend a mixed school because the mixed school were known to be more open, more social, and less about what you are and more about who you are. Ironically, some of those parents still seemed racist towards Dean and Castiel's relationship and their children. Most cities only had one or two of each institution that was mixed (meaning one or two mixed daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary schools, etc.), while the rest was divided into species. The numbers of hybrids were slowly increasing, but still not enough for it to be necessary to have more mixed institutions for them than two at the most. Around thirty percent of the world-wide population was hybrids.
Adrian picked a random seat in the class, and the parents all went to stand by the walls when the teacher came in. Adrian's good friend, Millie, from daycare and kindergarten didn't go to his school, but there were two other children in his class that he knew from before.
One of the new boys in the class – a demon/human hybrid – suddenly came over and stood in front of Adrian, staring at him. "Is that seat taken?" he boy asked, and pointed at the seat next to Adrian. He had demon wings but no tail, and he had dark brown hair and grey eyes.
"No," Adrian replied and blinked at the boy.
The boy smiled and sat down next to him, and the boys started introducing themselves to each other. When the teacher spoke up, all the children went quiet and looked up at her.
Dean's tail poked against Castiel's leg. When the angel looked at him, Dean gestured over at Adrian who seemed to get along well with the boy next to him. Castiel followed his gaze and smiled, relieved. He briefly brushed his wing against Dean's before paying attention to the teacher once more.
Most of the other parents stared at them while the teacher spoke, but whenever Dean stared back they would look away fast. Dean was pretty pleased about that, even though he knew that half the stares were purely out of curiosity.
After half an hour it was time for the parents to leave again. Most children had already interacted with each other and found a potential friend. There was a lot of talking going on in the room when the parents said goodbye to their children, and Dean and Castiel forced their way through the crowds to say goodbye to their son.
Dean ruffled Adrian's hair with affection and smiled down at him. "You gonna be okay, son? Don't be scared of the bullies, they're not worth getting upset over."
Adrian leaned away from his hand and corrected his messy hair. Dean smiled at how it looked so much like Cas', except it was a bit lighter than the angel's.
"Yeah, I'm okay, dad," Adrian smiled.
Castiel chuckled softly at them. "Take care of yourself, Adrian."
Adrian smiled up at them before hugging them both. When Dean and Castiel were about to leave, Garth suddenly came over to them.
"Oh, I see your second kid is in the school now," Garth smiled and looked between them. He had come into the classroom to greet his students whom he would be teaching math and music.
"Yeah, he's been waiting with excitement all summer," Dean grinned.
Garth laughed. "Good to know. I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he's comfortable, but I kind of doubt he'll be needing much help – he looks tough!" He grinned down at Adrian, who grinned back; seemingly proud of the compliment.
Adrian already seemed to like Garth, so Dean and Castiel felt safe about the situation. They said their final goodbyes to him and left.
Adrian watched his parents leave and sat back down when all the other parents had left too. The boy next to him – Jeremy – would stare at his wings and tail sometimes, but he seemed more curious than disgusted about it, which relieved Adrian. He glanced around at the new children, feeling a little nervous, but he was also excited to get started with school.
Garth had to go outside to discuss something with a colleague, leaving the children alone with their new classmates.
Adrian started chatting a bit with Jeremy. They both liked the same cartoon series, which instantly seemed to make them connect with each other. Adrian's two friends from kindergarten also came by his table to greet him, and the boy felt a bit more at ease in the class.
After a few minutes another boy approached him.
"You do know that you look odd, right?" the boy said. He stood in front of Adrian's desk and stared at his wings and tail. The boy himself appeared to be demon/human hybrid like Jeremy, but with a tail and no wings.
Adrian glanced up at him, frowning. "I don't look any more odd than you do. You're the only one in here without wings," he pointed out.
The boy was taken aback by that and blinked at Adrian. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment when some of the girls giggled and the boys laughed, and he turned around and didn't say a word as he walked back to his chair.
Garth returned and the children stopped talking.
Adrian could still feel some of the others staring at him – particularly the full blood children. He tried his best to ignore it like Eden had told him to.
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After school, Adrian went to the after-school care together with most of his classmates. It was a place at the school to stay while waiting for their parents to pick them up, and a few teachers would look after them. Since it was his first day, Adrian was out of class pretty early. Eden was in the after-school care as well. She had gymnastics lessons three times a week, and she attended the after-school care between her school and gymnastics classes, as well as on the days where she didn't have gymnastics. She waited for Adrian outside his classroom to lead him to the after-school care, since her brother didn't know where it was yet.
"Were there any mean kids in your class?" Eden asked while she and Adrian walked through the corridors. The after-school care was located in the other end of the school. The corridors were filled with children on their way home, so they had to snake their way through the crowds. Eden kept her brother close to not lose him from her sight.
Some of the other kids looked at them as they walked by. The teachers would stare too, but only the ones they didn't know. Neither Eden nor Adrian liked being stared at, but they had come to understand a bit better over the years why people were staring the way they did.
"There was some… One of the demon boys glared at me the whole time," Adrian muttered and grabbed the strap of his one shoulder schoolbag tighter. He pulled his wings closer and glanced at floor. Having a schoolbag on your back when you had wings was a bit difficult, so schoolbags were worn over one shoulder so it rested at their hip. Some also used clip on bags with adjustable strap lengths, and others had rolling backpacks. Having an ordinary backpack resting over the back and wings could be painful and nearly impossible.
Adrian barely avoided being hit in the head by one of the older kids' schoolbag when they walked by him in the corridor. The demon boy had totally done that on purpose and Adrian glared at him after he had passed them.
"What an assbutt," Eden commented and glared over her shoulder at the older boy who couldn't hear them.
Adrian snapped his head up to look at her. "Don't say that in front of dad, he will ground you."
Eden laughed. "He won't. He barely says anything anymore when uncle Gabe curses. Only papa says something to him – and to us," she grinned.
"Hmm, that's true," Adrian said. "But you aren't supposed to curse; you're a girl."
"And you're stupid!" Eden retorted and shoved him lightly. Arian grinned playfully, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.
At the after-school care they parted ways – Adrian joined with Jeremy, and Eden played with Ariel before they went to the gymnastics studio together. Neither of the siblings wanted to play together while their classmates were around, and they would have plenty of time to play with each other at home, anyway.
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It was 5pm when the family arrived home, and Dean and Castiel were pleased to hear that Adrian's day had gone rather well. He had told them about how a few of the other students had stared at him or avoided him because they said their parents had told them not to play with him, but he seemed to take it quite well – he had other friends in class to talk to instead. Castiel still worried that some of the other children would pick on him eventually. He had seen the way some of the children and their parents had looked at Adrian, and it hadn't been in a friendly way.
Lily and Isaac were rather tired after a long day in the daycare, but not tired enough to stop running around the living room. They begged for a snack while Dean and Castiel made dinner together, but Dean didn't let them have any, otherwise they would keep begging for it.
"Eden, can you keep the twins over by the TV while your dad and I are making dinner?" Castiel asked when Eden came out of the bathroom and walked by the kitchen.
Eden looked up at him before glancing at her younger siblings, who were whining because Dean refused to give them a snack. "Okay, papa, I will try," she said and walked over to the twins. "You wanna watch cartoons? It's much more fun than standing here, crying," she told them and grinned.
Lily stopped sniffing and glanced up at her sister. She nodded and followed Eden over towards the other end of the room, and Isaac joined them. Lily always grabbed a hold of Eden's tail when she followed her around, and the older girl didn't mind it as long as she didn't pull at it.
Dean chuckled as he watched the twins follow after Eden like ducklings following their mother. He turned around and helped Cas at the stove. "Eden is pretty good at helping us out."
Eden would often help them with minor things when they had their hands full. She would put plates on the table, help with cooking sometimes, tidy up her own room without being told to, look after the twins, and help Castiel fold the laundry.
Castiel smiled. "Yes, she is, she's always been helpful. I'm just trying to not give her too much responsibility."
"You're not. Most of the things she does, she does voluntarily. I think she enjoys helping out. Adrian on the other hand is a bit more lazy…"
Castiel's lips curled into a smirk. "I wonder who he got that from…" he remarked, teasingly.
"Hey, I'm not lazy! I'm helping you out with dinner, aren't I?" Dean spoke, and sounded a little offended.
The angel laughed softly. "I know. But there was a time when you just collapsed on the couch after coming home and let me do the dinner, and where you never tidied up after yourself." He turned his head and grinned smugly at his mate.
Dean chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I didn't know how to cook back then. And I guess we gotta give Adrian some house chores soon… And start giving the kids small rewards for helping out."
"We can start with a few minor tasks and let him get used to it."
"He's probably gonna be annoyed either way," Dean told him and smirked.
Castiel chuckled, and they went back to preparing the dinner.
Suddenly there was a pained scream, and Dean and Castiel quickly looked in the direction of their kids in the other end of the room, and saw Adrian jump up fast.
"Ow, Lily, don't pull at my feathers! It hurts!" Adrian scolded and scowled at her, angrily.
Lily began crying and Isaac stood next to her, staring between his siblings. Eden tried to comfort her.
Dean came over to them and asked, "Hey, what's going on?"
"Lily is pulling feathers again," Adrian said and pointed at her. It wasn't the first time she had pulled someone's feathers, she loved doing it because she found them really interesting and fascinating.
Adrian twitched his sore wings which were now reaching down to his knees. They were still white with a beautiful color mix of grey and black feathers. His tail moved in agitation behind him as he glared at his little sister in annoyance.
Dean sighed and kneeled down to look at his youngest daughter. "Lily, we have been over this – if you pull someone's feathers it will hurt, you know that. You don't like it either when Isaac pulls at yours, so stop it."
Lily met his eyes and looked a bit ashamed. She sniffled and nodded, and Dean rubbed her arm and stood up again.
Adrian sat back on the couch and continued playing a Mario game on his hand-held gaming device, while his younger siblings continued watching the children's cartoons on TV. Lily and Isaac fought over a bean bag until the boy gave up and sat down in the other one instead. Eden went over to sit down next to Adrian on the couch and read a book. She had been able to read pretty well since she was six years old.
Dean walked back over to his mate, and they smiled when they listened to the twins argue and Adrian telling them to calm down.
Dean curled his tail around the angel's leg and brushed their wings together, and Castiel smiled at him and accepted the tender kiss that the demon placed on his cheek. They went back to cooking and exchanged stories about their workday.
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Author's notes: This chapter was a bit difficult to write to be honest, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I know this story takes place far into the future now, but since I have no idea what the technology is gonna be like then I'm sticking with the technology we have today. It's a minor detail anyway.
Please review, and thanks for reading :)