Sam was pouring himself a coffee when he heard the pitter patter of little feet in the hallway outside the kitchen. He looked over to see Castiel standing at the top of the step, giggling and shuffling closer to the edge with his little wings fluttering behind him.
"Hang on Cas, let me help you."
Sam put his mug on the table and went to help Cas down the stairs.
"So where's Dean? Did you actually manage to sneak past him while he was sleeping?" Sam asked as he tickled Castiels belly.
"Nope. Deans right here. Just had to change the poop factory." Dean said as he shuffled, yawning, into the kitchen. "Tell me there's coffee."
"There's coffee."
"I love you Sam."
Dean sat Crowley on the ground and went to pour himself a coffee in the largest mug he could find.
"So, how'd everyone sleep?" Sam asked as his brother sipped the blessed brew.
"Cas slept great. Right through, didn't wake once."
"And Crowley?"
"Very little."
"And you?"
"Even less." Dean said taking another long pull of coffee.
"You okay?" Sam asked.
"Yeah but I think somethings up with Fergus there." Dean said indicating to the mini king with his mug. "He's drooling and his poop is toxic enough to burn through lead and I think he's got a fever. All night, he wanted to be held, then he didn't, then he did again. I don't know how Cas managed to sleep right through it."
Dean walked past his brother and ruffled Castiels hair on the way to drop into a chair at the table. Sam put Cas down and checked that Crowley wasn't into anything dangerous then went to scramble some eggs for his brother and the little ones. He looked over and saw Dean with his head on his arms and his eyes closed.
"Why don't you go back to bed for an hour or two?" He suggested.
"Sounds like heaven. I miss my mattress." Dean mumbled. "Will you be okay with the terrible twosome?"
"Dean, they're not that bad." Sam protested.
Dean pinned him with a look.
"Fine, they're not that bad when you're not tired."
"Whatever. They can be your problem for the time being. I'm going back to bed."
"You want breakfast first?" Sam asked.
"Nah." Dean gave Sam a wave and headed out of the kitchen.
"Dee!" Cas called after him.
"It's alright buddy, Dean's just going to bed." Sam said.
"Nooo!" Cas screamed.
"Ah come on Cas. I'm tired and need to sleep." Dean said doubling back to reassure the little Angel.
"Noooo!" Cas screamed again and Dean had to dive quickly to save him from a cracked skull as Cas threw himself backwards almost smashing his head against the hard concrete floor of the kitchen.
"You want to come with me?" Dean asked picking Castiel up from the floor.
"Naaaa!"
"Oh, come on man. Don't you start now." Dean pleaded as he bounced Cas in his arms.
Sam turned the burner off under the eggs and carefully stepped around Crowley, who was still sitting red cheeked and dozey in a pool of his own drool, and tried to pry Cas from Dean.
"Come on Cas, why don't we sit down and have some breakfast?"
As soon as Sam had Cas in his own arms he shooed Dean from the kitchen who retreated quickly and gratefully to his room where he face planted on his mattress and planned to stay there for at least the next few hours.
…
If wishes were gold we would all be rich men, but unfortunately for Dean, wishes were metaphorical horses and he often found himself knee deep in crap. His plans for a few hours catch up sleep went out the window after less than thirty minutes when Crowleys constant whines and cries continued to echo down the hallway and finally drove Dean from his bed.
He shuffled into the library to find Sam seated in an armchair cradling the baby demon with Cas looking on concerned.
"I don't know what's wrong with him Dean." Sam said looking up at his brother worriedly. "I've given him water, milk, changed him, tried to burp him, tried to let him sleep. He barely ate his breakfast. I'm worried."
Dean looked down at the miserable little guy in Sam's arms and stroked his hair.
"Do we have any baby paracetamol?" He asked.
"Already given him some."
"Do you think he's teething?" Dean asked looking at the red cheeks on Crowley.
"Dunno, maybe. How do you know?"
"Stick your finger in and check it out." Dean said turning to head towards kitchen intending to grab some coffee.
"That's…how can you make something as innocent as checking for teeth sound so sleazy?" Sam asked.
"Hey, I just gave you instruction it's your brain that interpreted it the way it interpreted it!" Dean called back over his shoulder.
When Dean returned a minute later with two mugs of coffee Sam was still sitting in the chair with a whining Crowley. Cas was gently patting the mini demon on the leg.
"Aww, look at you Cas, being all comforting and stuff." Dean said as he walked closer.
Cas looked up at Dean and smiled. He patted Crowley deliberately three more times then lifted his hand and brought it back down with as much force as his little heavenly body had right down on Crowleys thigh causing the little guy to begin crying again.
"Hey! Don't do that!" Dean chastised him as Sam gently pushed him away.
Cas sat back on his butt and looked innocently up at Dean flashing his toothy grin, not at all looking guilty, rather quite pleased with himself. Dean shook his head and put Sam's coffee on the small table beside him.
"No Fergus!" Sam said moving Crowley away as the small king reached over Sams arm to grab at the mug.
"So, still no idea how long this is going to last?" Dean asked as he pulled a chair out and sat.
"No, none. I got more of the parchment translated, well, I think I did, but nothing about a de-aging curse. I got a bunch of words and managed to narrow them down to a couple of meanings but until Cas is back to normal, it's all just speculation." Sam said as he rocked Crowley.
"Okay, well, maybe he could still help."
"Help how?"
"I dunno, write down a few possible meanings and ask Cas which one it is. He's still an Angel and enochian is their love language."
"You think that will work?" Sam asked.
"Couldn't hurt." Dean replied sipping at his coffee.
…
Forty seven minutes later Crowley was asleep and Sam had managed a successful transfer of the sleeping demon to his bed and returned to the library to find Dean and Cas kneeling on the floor together and hunched over a large tome about Angels.
"What are you reading?" He asked.
"Angel lore. Cas found it on the shelf and wanted to read it. He tried to pull it of the shelf himself. Damn things almost as big as he is!"
"Be careful with that book, it's over seven hundred years old." Sam warned.
"It'll be fine." Dean said waving a hand in his direction. "Hey check this out!"
Dean flipped a few pages and pointed at a beautifully painted picture of the Archangel Michael.
"Who's this Cas? Is this Michael?" He asked.
Cas pushed at the picture and made a loud raspberry sound with his mouth causing Dean and Sam to chuckle.
"Not a fan huh?" Sam asked as he sat to watch them.
Dean flipped to a picture of Gabriel, standing on a mountain wearing golden armour, his blonde hair blowing in the breeze and his bronze wings spread wide as he held a golden trumpet to his lips.
"Is that Gabe?" Dean asked.
Cas squealed happily and placed both chubby hands on the picture then lay his cheek against it as if he was trying to hug his lost brother.
Dean flipped to yet another picture.
"What do we think about Raph?"
Cas repeated the raspberry that he had given Michael and turned away, his little wings arching slightly.
"That's cute." Sam chuckled.
"Isn't it?" Dean asked. He turned another page and suddenly there was a picture of Lucifer staring up at them. The painting depicted him as very beautiful with his long golden hair, perfect face and glowing wings.
Cas tilted his head and looked sadly at the picture. He placed one chubby hand on it and gently caressed it.
"What is it Cas?" Sam asked.
Cas began to babble away while gently patting the picture. He looked earnestly at Dean then Sam as he continued to 'talk', his hands moving this way and that, his wings copying him. He brought his hands together against his chest as he jabbered away and then gently placed them on Lucifers picture. At one point his voice got deep and growly and he raised his arms up in the air, his wings followed, rising up and spreading in a quite menacing display. Dean knew if he was to touch the feathers they would be as sharp as blades. If this looked this scary on a three foot toddler Angel, Dean could only imagine how terrifying it would be seeing a fully grown Cas in such a display of dominance.
"Hey Dean?" Sam said interrupting Dean's trail of thought.
"Yeah?"
"I think Cas is telling up the story of the war in heaven and Lucifer's fall."
"I think he is."
Cas had now pulled his wings back and stood with his hands on his hips and burbled with a stern, disappointed look on his face, his wings flattened out behind him. His wings then raised again as the small storyteller turned half away before turning back and pushing his arms out in front of him. He made a descending almost whoosh sound as he waved his hands and lowered them, eventually smacking them against Lucifer's picture with a splat. He sighed sadly and his wings drooped then he held his hands out to his sides, palms up and looked at the brothers.
"Lu'fer 'on." He said sadly then plopped down onto his butt.
"Lucifer gone?" Dean asked.
"Yeah," Cas replied.
"Hey Cas?" Sam asked and the little Angel looked at him. "Was Lucifer your friend in heaven?"
"Yeah." Cas nodded sadly then sighed.
"And is that why you're so mad at him? Because he chose to fall instead of staying in heaven with you?"
"And the whole planning to destroy humanity thing." Dean added.
"Yeah." Cas replied, his wings drooping.
Sam and Dean looked at each other for a moment.
"Cas, come here little buddy." Dean said holding his arms out to the Angel.
Cas pushed up from the floor and walked to Dean who drew him in and sat him on his knee.
"I know you've lost a lot because of everything, but you've always got us." He told him.
"Yeah." Cas smiled and leaned against Deans chest while Dean hugged him. His little arm reached out searching for Sam, who left his chair and joined his brother and Angel friend on the ground for another patented Cas group hug.
…
It took a few minutes for Castiel to release them from the hugs and he seemed agreeable to helping when Sam asked about the translating of the parchment. Dean took his little hand and led him to the table while Sam gathered up his translations. Dean lifted Cas from the floor and sat at the table with him on his knee as Sam sat close by and spread the papers around. He pushed one in front of Cas and pointed to the first word.
"Cas, can you tell me if this word means darkness or night?" He asked, pointing at the two different possible translations.
Cas looked for a minute and then pointed at darkness.
"Are you sure?" Sam asked.
"Yup!" Cas said with a nod.
"Great." Sam said writing the original and translated words down. "And what about this one? Does this mean lock or secure?"
Cas looked and pointed to the paper again. Sam wrote the translation down then moved onto the next.
"Okay, and this? Return or replace?"
Cas looked down at the page then leaned down and licked the page.
"No Cas! Don't do that!" Dean said pulling Cas back up. "Yucky!"
He pushed the page back toward Sam. Sam picked it up and examined the page.
"Did it survive?"
"Yeah. Well, I guess we now know Cas can translate for us."
"Maybe we should wait until after Cas has had lunch to try again."
Sam chuckled.
"Yeah, maybe we should."
…
A/N: so I've read that the character of Castiel was based on the angel Cassiel. While I was doing some research (yes, I do occasionally do that!) I came across a Wkik page that said that Lucifer and Cassiel were 'close friends' 😉 in Heaven and they fell together, so I adjusted the story a little and went with that. Thats what Castiel was babbling about.
