The Gift Horse's Mouth
Title: The Gift Horse's Mouth
Rating: PG
Pairings: Dean/Castiel preslash
Spoilers/Warnings: None that I can think of.
Summary: The egg arrives on the second morning after the announcement.
Notes: Sequel to The Greatest Gift.
The egg arrives on the second morning after the announcement. Castiel has spent the past day and a half scrounging up every towel and blanket he could find around the house, putting together a nest of sorts in the hastily cleared out storage room. Sam’s spent his time researching eggs and how to care for them. Dean and Gabriel alternated between snarking at each other and disappearing for long periods of time.
Then the egg appears, smack dab in the middle of the nest Castiel had created. The angel, upon finding it, practically glues himself to the pale, mottled shell, leaving only when he absolutely has to. Dean wanders in next, sees the egg and speeds out, barely not running Gabriel over. He’s not seen again until the next evening, when he staggers home, smelling of liquor and smoke.
The archangel is pragmatic about it all. “It’s an egg. We won’t know what the fledgling’ll be like for another four months, so why fret over it so much?” He then proceeds to spent most of his time in the study or out of the house entirely.
Only Sam seems to have a truly rational reaction to the egg. He pays attention to it, helping Castiel shift the blankets and towels every once in a while and turning the egg, but he doesn’t make it his whole focus. He spends time researching and making sure that there’s food in the house and paying bills and everything that’s needed for normal life.
Then, two months after the egg appeared, the topic of parentage comes up again. Dean doesn’t faint this time, but he does look beyond uncomfortable. The meeting is held in what has become known as the nursery, since Castiel refused to leave the egg alone. That’s one of the first things talked about.
“Obviously, Castiel’s rather attached to the egg, so I think he should be one of the parents,” Sam says. Gabriel shrugs, Castiel shifts the egg a bit closer to himself and Dean glares at the wall. Sam takes that as agreement. “So, what we really need to figure out is who his partner will be.”
Dean scowls harder, Gabriel snaps up a lollipop and Castiel absently pets the egg. Sam sighs.
“I need your input, guys. Unless you want me to pick one of you two, speak up.”
Gabriel huffs. “Well, there’s one angel sitting on the egg already. Hardly need both of us.”
“Alright,” Sam says. “Dean?”
His brother shoots a quick glance at Castiel and the egg and mutters something.
“What?”
“I’m too old for this shit,” Dean repeats. Castiel frowns at him.
“Do not swear in front of the fledgling,” he reprimands. “It is very impressionable at this age.”
Dean just huffs. Sam rolls his eyes.
“So, will you do it or do I need to be the mature adult in this house?” Sam asks.
Shifting uncomfortably, Dean heaves a sigh. “Yeah, whatever, I’ll do it.”
Sam beams at him. “Great. We’ll let you and Cas figure out how things’ll work. C’mon, Gabriel, let’s go get…ice cream or something.”
“Pie?” the archangel asks, perking up.
“If you want.”
“Oh, fine. Leave me with the freaky egg thing and Mama Bear here and go get pie,” Dean grumbles. “Bitch.”
“Dean!”
“Jerk,” Sam says, grinning. “Gabriel?”
The archangel snaps and he and Sam disappear, leaving Dean and Castiel alone with the egg.
Castiel considers the human. “There will be rules,” he says after a minute.
Dean makes a face, but doesn’t argue.
“Rule number one, no swearing.”
“Cas-”
“Rule number two,” Castiel says over Dean’s protest, “is that you cannot shirk your responsibilities in raising this fledgling.”
“Responsibilities?!”
“Yes. You will spend time with the fledgling, you will help teach it, you will not treat it as an unwanted guest or in any way you would not treat a fellow human being. This child will need love and support from us and we will give it.”
Dean slumps in his chair. “This is going to be worse than I thought,” he mutters.
Castiel adjusts the towels and blankets again. “Quite possibly, as long as you keep that attitude.”
~*~
Gabriel swallows the last bite of his cherry pie. “Think they’ve worked things out yet?”
Sam shrugs and pokes at the crust of his pumpkin pie. “I dunno,” he says. “I feel kind of bad forcing this on Dean.”
The archangel snorts. “He brought it on himself. Besides. Being a parent to an angel fledgling is a lot of work. He won’t have time or energy to complain once the thing hatches.”
“I suppose,” Sam says, not quite convinced. Gabriel rolls his eyes.
“Like he would have let either of us partner with Cas for anything. You know how he is.”
Sam huffs a laugh. “Yeah. Completely oblivious and in denial,” he agrees. “Maybe this will actually work out for them.”
“It better,” Gabriel muttered. “I’m sick of watching them both pine unconsciously.”
“Yeah. So, I guess that makes us the uncles?”
Gabriel snagged Sam’s plate and dug into the remaining pumpkin pie. “Yup. We get all the benefits of a kid and none of the problems. Much better than being a parent.”
“You’re probably right. So, more pie?”
The archangel smirked. “You have to ask?”
Rating: PG
Pairings: Dean/Castiel preslash
Spoilers/Warnings: None that I can think of.
Summary: The egg arrives on the second morning after the announcement.
Notes: Sequel to The Greatest Gift.
The egg arrives on the second morning after the announcement. Castiel has spent the past day and a half scrounging up every towel and blanket he could find around the house, putting together a nest of sorts in the hastily cleared out storage room. Sam’s spent his time researching eggs and how to care for them. Dean and Gabriel alternated between snarking at each other and disappearing for long periods of time.
Then the egg appears, smack dab in the middle of the nest Castiel had created. The angel, upon finding it, practically glues himself to the pale, mottled shell, leaving only when he absolutely has to. Dean wanders in next, sees the egg and speeds out, barely not running Gabriel over. He’s not seen again until the next evening, when he staggers home, smelling of liquor and smoke.
The archangel is pragmatic about it all. “It’s an egg. We won’t know what the fledgling’ll be like for another four months, so why fret over it so much?” He then proceeds to spent most of his time in the study or out of the house entirely.
Only Sam seems to have a truly rational reaction to the egg. He pays attention to it, helping Castiel shift the blankets and towels every once in a while and turning the egg, but he doesn’t make it his whole focus. He spends time researching and making sure that there’s food in the house and paying bills and everything that’s needed for normal life.
Then, two months after the egg appeared, the topic of parentage comes up again. Dean doesn’t faint this time, but he does look beyond uncomfortable. The meeting is held in what has become known as the nursery, since Castiel refused to leave the egg alone. That’s one of the first things talked about.
“Obviously, Castiel’s rather attached to the egg, so I think he should be one of the parents,” Sam says. Gabriel shrugs, Castiel shifts the egg a bit closer to himself and Dean glares at the wall. Sam takes that as agreement. “So, what we really need to figure out is who his partner will be.”
Dean scowls harder, Gabriel snaps up a lollipop and Castiel absently pets the egg. Sam sighs.
“I need your input, guys. Unless you want me to pick one of you two, speak up.”
Gabriel huffs. “Well, there’s one angel sitting on the egg already. Hardly need both of us.”
“Alright,” Sam says. “Dean?”
His brother shoots a quick glance at Castiel and the egg and mutters something.
“What?”
“I’m too old for this shit,” Dean repeats. Castiel frowns at him.
“Do not swear in front of the fledgling,” he reprimands. “It is very impressionable at this age.”
Dean just huffs. Sam rolls his eyes.
“So, will you do it or do I need to be the mature adult in this house?” Sam asks.
Shifting uncomfortably, Dean heaves a sigh. “Yeah, whatever, I’ll do it.”
Sam beams at him. “Great. We’ll let you and Cas figure out how things’ll work. C’mon, Gabriel, let’s go get…ice cream or something.”
“Pie?” the archangel asks, perking up.
“If you want.”
“Oh, fine. Leave me with the freaky egg thing and Mama Bear here and go get pie,” Dean grumbles. “Bitch.”
“Dean!”
“Jerk,” Sam says, grinning. “Gabriel?”
The archangel snaps and he and Sam disappear, leaving Dean and Castiel alone with the egg.
Castiel considers the human. “There will be rules,” he says after a minute.
Dean makes a face, but doesn’t argue.
“Rule number one, no swearing.”
“Cas-”
“Rule number two,” Castiel says over Dean’s protest, “is that you cannot shirk your responsibilities in raising this fledgling.”
“Responsibilities?!”
“Yes. You will spend time with the fledgling, you will help teach it, you will not treat it as an unwanted guest or in any way you would not treat a fellow human being. This child will need love and support from us and we will give it.”
Dean slumps in his chair. “This is going to be worse than I thought,” he mutters.
Castiel adjusts the towels and blankets again. “Quite possibly, as long as you keep that attitude.”
~*~
Gabriel swallows the last bite of his cherry pie. “Think they’ve worked things out yet?”
Sam shrugs and pokes at the crust of his pumpkin pie. “I dunno,” he says. “I feel kind of bad forcing this on Dean.”
The archangel snorts. “He brought it on himself. Besides. Being a parent to an angel fledgling is a lot of work. He won’t have time or energy to complain once the thing hatches.”
“I suppose,” Sam says, not quite convinced. Gabriel rolls his eyes.
“Like he would have let either of us partner with Cas for anything. You know how he is.”
Sam huffs a laugh. “Yeah. Completely oblivious and in denial,” he agrees. “Maybe this will actually work out for them.”
“It better,” Gabriel muttered. “I’m sick of watching them both pine unconsciously.”
“Yeah. So, I guess that makes us the uncles?”
Gabriel snagged Sam’s plate and dug into the remaining pumpkin pie. “Yup. We get all the benefits of a kid and none of the problems. Much better than being a parent.”
“You’re probably right. So, more pie?”
The archangel smirked. “You have to ask?”