Much More Than a Hunch Part 22
Title: Much More Than a Hunch Part 22
Author: Gedry
Pairings: Dean/Cas
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1118
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. I am making no profit from this fanfiction.
Spoilers: none
Warnings: mentions of past childhood abuse.
Summary: For lillyg who wanted FLUFF and got a daycare verse instead.
No beta, my bad!
Much More Than a Hunch
Kissing Cas goodbye to go get his kids is hard.
Not the hardest thing Dean’s ever done. He’s pretty sure kissing Cas the first time when they were kids still holds that honor but this is still a top ten finisher at least.
In Dean’s heart he’s going to get all three of THEIR kids and they all live together. Cas will be waiting for him when he comes home.
He’s used to comfortable monogamy. He wants it again with this man who is fast becoming his lover.
Lisa is smiling from where she’s looking down on him today; Dean just knows it. Somewhere in the wind he thinks he hears ‘I told you so.’
She always did like to be right.
Dean’s falling and he plans to land right in Cas’ arms.
“What’s up with you?” Sam chuckles halfway through dinner when he has to call Dean’s name three times to get his brother’s attention for the fourth time.
“Dad’s in love,” Ben announces.
Everything screeches to a halt.
“What did you say?” Dean sputters.
“You are right?” Ben presses. “You’re in love with Cas.”
“We’re friends,” Dean answers with a wild look in his eyes from the rising sense of panic.
“Like boyfriends,” Jesse teases. “Like Uncle Sam and Gabriel are.”
“This isn’t about me,” Sam blurts as he shoves more peas onto the boys plates like the extra food will encourage them to eat and not talk.
“Boys,” Dean tries for diplomacy. “You can’t just go around saying that.”
“Why not?” Ben asks. “It’s the truth and you always tell us to tell the truth even if it’s hard. So there it is. You love Cas.”
“Besides,” Jesse adds. “We aren’t the only ones saying it.”
Dean turns glaring eyes at Sam who raises his arms in a gesture of surrender and shakes his head furiously. “Not me!”
“No,” Jesse huffs like his father is the most dense person in the world. “At school. All the teachers are talking about how cute you two look and how Cas is so protective of you. They get all smushy and stupid whenever you two are anywhere near each other.”
Dean groans and buries his head in his hands.
“I know,” Jesse sympathizes with a pat to the back of his head. “Girls are so stupid.”
“Anna’s not stupid,” Ben defends proudly.
“Anna and Claire don’t count,” Jesse agrees.
“Why not?” Sam asks even though Dean is waving at him to stop asking because Dean knows this is only going to make less sense the longer the boys explain it.
Sam hasn’t learned the parental art of ignoring and nodding like you listened yet.
“Because they’re going to be part of our family,” Ben exasperatedly answers.
“Or are we going to be part of theirs?” Jesse asks. “When two men get married how do you know which name to use?”
“Gabriel’s older,” Ben suggests. “Uncle Sam should take his name.”
“But Dad and Cas are the same age,” Jesse points out. “What do you do then?”
“Cas should take our name,” Ben says after some thought “There are more of us than them and that way it’s fair.”
“How is that fair?” Jesse questions.
“We traded them Uncle Sam and got Cas for him,” Ben shrugs. “It’s like sports.”
“Are they equating our relationships to the draft?” Sam whispers to Dean who is still rolling his face on cool wood of the table.
“Stop talking to them,” Dean suggests. “Eat your dinner.”
“We can’t trade Uncle Sam,” Jesse says with conviction.
“Why not?” Ben asks, clearly irritated his idea is being shot down.
“Because,” Jesse shrugs. “If we trade him then he and dad won’t be brothers anymore. You can’t trade your brother away.”
“Oh,” Ben says and then there’s a moment of silence while everyone processes that concern. “Well, we should just have them all be a part of us then. Our name is cooler and Gabriel won’t want to trade Cas any more than we want to trade Uncle Sam.”
Dean prays for bedtime.
*****
“They are very involved,” Cas chuckles as Dean sprawls across his bed with his cell phone pressed against his ear.
Cas’ warm voice through the speaker is nowhere near enough for Dean but it’s going to have to do tonight.
“Yes they are,” Dean laughs. “You should have seen Sam’s face. It was one of those priceless parenting moments you wish you could save forever.”
“I’ve had a few of those myself today,” Cas sighs. “Anna is concerned that if we get married then she won’t be able to marry Ben when she’s older.”
“Oh,” Dean says slightly stunned. “That’s an actual problem.”
“I assured her we were not getting married,” Cas snorts. “Then she was upset that you thought I wasn’t good enough for you. That took longer to explain.”
“Dating is hard,” Dean snorts. “I think we should skip it.” It’s out of his mouth before he knows he’s going to say it. Once it’s floating in the air between them Dean closes his eyes and grinds his teeth down praying silently for the bed to swallow him up and smother him for his stupidity.
“Skip it how exactly?” Cas asks hesitantly, carefully.
“Skip it as in like,” Dean swallows nervously because hell, he can’t back out now. “Like go right to the committed relationship part. I’m not asking you to move in or anything but I don’t want to act like this is casual either. I don’t want you dating anyone else.”
“Dean,” Cas says after a pause that has caused Dean’s shirt to get sticky with sweat. “There’s something you should know about me.”
“Oh fuck,” Dean groans. “What?”
“I’m a sure thing,” Cas answers. “I would have been good with casual dating if that’s all you could handle but if you want more all you have to do is ask. I’ll say yes I promise.”
Dean giggles, maybe it’s the emotional high he’s been on since he came all over Cas’ stomach this afternoon, maybe it’s the crazy conversations he’s been having. He doesn’t know. “I love you Cas,” he murmurs wishing he could hold the other man so badly right now.
“I love you more,” Cas teases softly and it makes Dean laugh again.
He’d forgotten joy was just as powerful as grief.