Fic: An Unconventional Kind of Place (2/?)
PG
3,613
Dean/Castiel AU. Dean runs a day care center for human and angel kids, the first of its kind. Castiel is a parent.
Again, my thanks to C. for all her hard work.
Also, thank you to everyone who read and commented! I was surprised by the amazing response I had to this. You all encouraged me to keep writing. ♥
An Unconventional Kind of Place
2.
Dean has four rules: no fighting, no bullying, no magic, and no touching the angels' wings.
The wing thing is something Uriel had stressed about fifty times, and every day since the center opened, and it's the one thing Dean was afraid the human kids just wouldn't get. If he's honest he doesn't really get the big deal himself.
They were sacred, Uriel said. Only a child's parents would touch them, and even then rarely. It was their covenant with God, he said. Uriel, too, had had misgivings about the ability of human children to comprehend the absoluteness of this taboo. While adults could hide their wings on some other plane of existence or something, the angel kids hadn't learned how yet.
Dean and Uriel had explained it to all the kids. Dean had explained it to the human parents. To the angel parents Dean had been clear that sooner or later it was something that was just going to happen, because he knows what little kids can be like- human ones at least.
Dean just wishes it hadn't been so damned spitefully done. He could have forgiven curiosity, or friendly poking, but he couldn't abide intentionally cruel yanking. And of course, it has to be Castiel's kid that gets their feathers pulled on. The reaction is instantaneous. Lee cries out in a strangled kind of yelp, and before Dean can get to him, to the table where the kids were supposed to be drawing pictures, Balthazar's kid, Camael, has thrown the offending human half way across the room. The human kid, Alex, one of a set of twins, has a bloody nose as he picks himself blearily up off the floor.
Dean's kind of smugly pleased though when Lee runs straight for him, grabbing onto his pant legs like he's holding on for dear life, and burying his face against the material.
The kid's wings are drawn so close against his back that Dean's pretty sure that's gotta hurt.
"I'll deal with the offender," Uriel intones, and the class shivers in fear. Uriel gives Dean a look he can't interpret but which in all probability means, I told you so, but then Uriel has turned away and is bearing down on Alex.
"Show me your nose, child," he orders, and to no one's surprise the kid obeys. Dean's fairly confident Uriel will handle any injuries and not let the kid suffer, physically at least. To the rest of the class Dean says, "Back to your drawing," before turning his attention to Lee.
"Hey," Dean says softly. "Hey, you're okay." He takes a gentle hold of Lee's arms, trying to dislodge the kid from his leg but he won't let go.
"He's not okay," Camael calls out indignantly. "That ass touched his wings! If he was an angel he'd get sent to the Second Heaven!"
The other angel kids mutter and look freaked out and Dean figures whatever the Second Heaven is, it can't be a good thing. Uriel obviously knows very well what it is, and deems it an inappropriate thing to say, if the way he sends Camael to sit in a corner with the ominous words, "I'll deal with you later," is anything to go by.
There's a restless, uncomfortable feeling in the room and Dean doesn't think it's helping Lee. He turns to Uriel, who has his hand covering Alex's nose in a way that looks way more gentle than Dean had thought Uriel capable of. It's disconcerting, the way he carefully heals Alex's nose as best he can, because the no wing-touching thing is a rule Uriel has always pronounced as absolute before. Alex looks freaked out too, and Dean can't blame him.
"Can you look after the class?" Dean asks. He's certain Uriel can keep them in line both on his own and without much effort, but it's polite to ask anyway.
"Of course," Uriel replies dismissively. "Call Liwet's father," he adds, and Dean nods. He's not quite sure how to deal with this, and knows he needs some help here.
To Lee Dean says, "Come on, man. Let's go to the office. I can get you some milk." Dean had learned very quickly that angels, whether they had to eat or not, loved milk. "We can call your dad too."
Lee nods against his leg but doesn't move.
"I'm gonna need my leg, dude," Dean tries.
For a second Lee releases his grip and it's enough that Dean can maneuver the kid back so he can reach down and pick him up. It seems like the easiest thing to do, because Lee sure as hell doesn't look like he wants to move himself anywhere. Lee latches on immediately, locking his arms around Dean's neck and hiding his face against Dean's T-shirt. He's lighter than a human child and it's easy to carry him to his office across the hall. It's not so easy to convince Lee to let go when he gets there, but with promises of his dad and milk and two cookies later Dean has the kid settled in the chair opposite Dean's messy, overflowing desk. He hates paperwork, and there is so freaking much of it.
It's when it comes to picking up the phone and calling Castiel that Dean gets apprehensive. It'd be a lie to say he understood the significance of angel wings, but Dean's heard enough to get that this is something Castiel, or any of the other angel parents, could take his kid out of the day care over.
Sam might not have been wrong, Dean thinks, when he told Dean again and again to read up on angel culture. He'll get right on that, when he gets a spare second away from the paperwork.
Uriel had said the kid's dad needed calling though, and Lee is watching Dean hopefully from behind his glass, his eyes red. He still looks uneasy, fidgeting in the chair and looking at his wing like he's checking it's still there.
Castiel's emergency phone number belongs to a cell which makes Dean looks up in surprise.
"Your dad has a cell phone?" he asks. Dean doesn't think he's ever seen an angel with a cell phone before.
Lee nods solemnly. "He has to talk with human generals and stuff sometimes."
Dean thinks Castiel might have the phone for Lee's sake too. This is the first indication Dean's had, though, that Lee knows what his dad does.
Dean shouldn't really be surprised, he guesses, because even though these kids are too young to remember the War, they can still see the destruction and devastation it left behind. There are still demons in the world who try to start it up all over again.
"Your dad's pretty cool, huh?"
Lee nods. "He smites demons." He says it so seriously and so proudly that Dean has to smile. Where the hell the kid learned a word like smite Dean's not sure he wants to know. He hopes Castiel isn't smiting demons right this second though. From the way Lee keeps rubbing his eyes and looking at the phone Dean knows he can't put the call off anymore.
"He's gotta be very brave," Dean says as he dials the number. He's not just humoring this kid either because demons are freaking scary, and he should know. He's seen them rip humans and angels apart. He knows what it feels like to have a demon trying to cut your guts to ribbons. Dean hopes Lee doesn't know any of this, and never has to find out what it feels like to lose a father.
For most of his life Dean fought demons. For the longest time it was all he knew, and sometimes he feels guilt at leaving it all behind. Now, he leaves it to angels like Castiel and hunters like Jo to keep the evil bastards at bay. He never wishes he was back in that life, but sometimes he thinks he should be.
After the War, though, he just couldn't go on.
With John and with all the shit that happened with his dad and with Sam he just had to get out.
Dean's glad when Castiel picks up on the second ring and he's got something other than all that crap to concentrate on.
"Mr. Winchester," Castiel answers. Before Dean can correct him Castiel amends, "Dean."
There's no way of knowing if Castiel has his name saved on his cell, or if he can read minds over the phone.
"Yeah. Hey, Castiel," Dean greets, trying not to sound as uncomfortable and nervous as he feels.
"Something is wrong," Castiel says anyway, and it's not a question. But then, it's not like Dean would have a reason to call if something kind of bad hadn't happened.
"Yeah," Dean says again. "Look, one of the other kids pulled on Lee- Liwet's- wings. He's pretty freaked out."
Dean tries not to make it sound like an admission of failure. He'd seriously thought about playing it down and not mentioning the fact that Alex had yanked on Lee's feathers so hard it had looked painful even to Dean, who hadn't the first clue what it felt like to have wings. But since the start Dean had promised honesty and he wasn't about to break that promise at the first sign of trouble. And Dean refuses to think about all the humans and angels who had told him this project would never work. That it was doomed to fail.
Castiel doesn't sound horrified or angry or wrathful in the way Dean had half been expecting him to when he replies simply, "I see."
It's hard to know what to say in response to that, so Dean goes with "I thought you should know."
From the way Lee is watching Dean with a look somewhere between sympathy and concern Dean guesses Castiel must always be this awesome on the phone.
Castiel says, "I'll be there immediately," and then the line goes dead.
"He's not very good on the phone," Lee says apologetically.
Dean grins, "We'll just have to teach him then."
Dean's seen a lot of how human stuff is new to the angels. They don't drive, which Dean thinks is tragic, and most of them don't get machines at all. They're confused by the idea of money, never understand sports, and for some reason Dean's never been able to figure out are always freaked out by Santa Claus. There's a whole ton of other stuff Dean takes for granted but required careful explanation to the angel parents when he was setting up the day care.
They're all still learning their way around each other, what humans do and what angels do and trying to find a balance between them.
Uriel has ideas about education that sometimes drive Dean crazy, like absolute silence during study, and his plans for intense, rote-learning of Latin which is just never going to wash with five year olds. On other things though he's weirdly open-minded. He's deeply invested in art and creative stuff, and doesn't even complain much when the kids accidentally splatter paint on his suits.
It's on religion, though, that they come to a stalemate. At first, Uriel had insisted on prayers to everything, and Dean had flat out said no. The religion of the angels wasn't the religion of any humans, and Dean was not having that stuff forced on kids. Dean doesn't think he's going to forget the indignant, furious lecture he'd received from Uriel after that comment any time soon. After that, they'd not so much compromised as decided to pretend the discussion had never happened. So there was no religion at the center at all, mostly because no one actually dared raise the issue again.
Dean just wants this center to work so bad it makes him feel ill sometimes. And now he's got the kids here and he's had a couple weeks to get to know them the thought of losing it all has only gotten worse. Sam says he's getting gray hairs over it, and right about now Dean wouldn't be surprised.
They'd been expecting something like this, Dean reminds himself, and tries not to feel too guilty about how scared Lee looks and how red his eyes are. The kid is putting on a brave face, but Dean can tell it's not going to last.
"Your dad'll be here soon," Dean says reassuringly and tries to think whether a game or coloring would be a better distraction until Castiel arrives. Uriel loathes coloring, calls it pointless and wasteful, and in response the activity has taken on the idea of being something illicit among the kids.
Before he can decide Castiel is suddenly right there, standing inches from Dean's side.
It's stupid, Dean thinks, how he forgets every freaking time that angels can fly.
Castiel doesn't move away like Dean expects him to, but stands, way too comfortably, right up in Dean's space like it's the most natural place in the world to be, even though there's gotta be at least five foot of empty space behind him.
This close Dean can feel the cool, charged air you get around angels. It should remind him of the War, but it doesn't. Around Castiel there's just a whole lot of calm, but there's contained worry, and trust, too and Dean wonders where he's getting all this from. If it's all just his imagination.
Castiel doesn't seem to notice anything weird, and he nods once at Dean in greeting before moving away towards his son. Then, the feeling is gone.
Lee says the word Dean's come to recognize as meaning dad- or mom- in angel and Castiel replies with, "I am here." He touches his fingers to Lee's forehead before picking him up.
"Let me see," Castiel says, and waits until Lee nods, says something so quietly Dean can't hear, before running one hand through the feathers of Lee's wing.
Dean gets the uncomfortable feeling this is something private, that he's not supposed to see, and wonders if he should leave them alone, but then Castiel asks, "Do you have ice?"
"Ice?" Dean repeats, not expecting the question at all.
In Castiel's arms, Lee whimpers and Dean can see he's hanging onto Castiel's neck tightly.
"Where the feathers were pulled," Castiel explains, "there is some inflammation of the skin."
Dean feels like a total dick for not realizing Lee was actually hurt. It must be like having someone try to pull on your fingernails, he guesses.
There's no reproach in Castiel's voice though. It doesn't make Dean feel any better.
"Aw hell, I'm sorry, man," he apologizes. "I didn't think. Dude, tell me next time if you're hurt, okay? I'm only human."
He smiles, and Lee nods back.
"You gave me milk," Lee says quietly, like that makes everything okay.
Castiel looks surprised. "You like to drink?" he asks, as though this is news to him. Dean's certain he's seen angel kids drink before, and Uriel had never said anything, so it can't be that unusual.
Lee just shrugs. "S'okay." He looks down at his glass sitting on Dean's desk. "I like milk though. It comes from cows."
Castiel has a kind of bemused smile on his face, and Dean takes the opportunity to duck out of the room and scavenge for ice in the kitchen.
On the way back Dean checks in with Uriel and the other kids. He's got Alex in a corner with an icepack of his own on his face. The rest of the kids look nervous, but Dean doesn't think it's because of Uriel's terrifying presence for once.
"Lee'll be fine, guys," he announces, then quietly to Uriel he asks, "Everything good?"
"Of course," Uriel says imperiously. "We shall talk to Alex's parents when they come to collect their child tonight. Liwet will require an apology." Dean nods.
It's three thirty already but Dean knows it's gonna be a long day yet. They have to deal with Balthazar's kid too, because as much as Dean understands the kid's retaliation, it's not something he can approve of in class. Camael broke the no magic rule, and somehow they're going to have to find an appropriate punishment for that, too.
It doesn't help that Dean has only the vaguest idea of how angels discipline their kids. If Uriel was to be believed, angel kids never did any wrong. Dean's been taking care of them long enough now to know that isn't even slightly the truth.
Maybe it's not so bad though. Uriel hadn't been wearing his dire look of doom and Castiel doesn't come across as ready to sue their asses to hell, so Dean's encouraged that all is not lost.
When he gets back to his office Castiel is seated on the chair beside Dean's desk with Lee on his lap, the kid's arms still wrapped around Castiel's neck. They're talking in low voices, so Dean crosses the room quietly holding up the bag of ice for Castiel to see.
Meeting his eyes, Castiel nods his thanks and takes the bag. Dean watches in a kind of awe as Castiel carefully pulls Lee's wing open, the kid murmuring unhappily when the cold ice pack is pressed against the feathers.
"It'll be better in a moment," Castiel encourages softly, rubbing Lee's back.
It's the first time Dean's ever seen an angel wing fully extended so close up. The kids always keep them closed, the adults keep them hidden, and only rarely in the War had Dean seen them spread wide.
Dean can't stop staring.
He can see every feather, the soft sheen on the tips, the way they move and shift as Lee breathes. Dean watches Castiel's fingers as they thread through feathers. It's only when Dean realizes what he's doing that he looks up, and finds both Castiel and Lee staring at him with identical curious expressions.
"Err… sorry," Dean manages, trying to look contrite when all he wants to do is smile at how identical Castiel and Lee's face look. "I haven't seen that before." Dean smiles at Lee. "Your wings are awesome."
The comment makes Lee hide his face in the folds of Castiel's ugly trench coat and for a second Dean thinks he's said something offensive.
Castiel doesn't look like he's about to bust Dean's face in though.
He tells Dean, "It's unusual for our wings to be complimented. You have given no offence," like he knew what Dean was thinking.
Castiel says something to Lee in their language, and Lee nods.
"He didn't mind," Castiel translates, and Dean's relived. He's already messed up enough for one day.
"The reason you guys don't touch each others' wings," Dean says curiously. He's hesitant to ask but he thinks it'd be a useful thing to know, and Castiel is a lot easier to talk to than Uriel. "Is it because they're so sensitive?"
Lee shivers. He's gotta be cold, Dean thinks. The poor kid fidgets uncomfortably in Castiel's lap.
"That is one reason," Castiel affirms. "There are religious disapprobations too. It's such an old prohibition that few of us even remember where or why it began anymore. Now it's just something which is not done. Almost unthinkable."
Dean thinks about explaining that to five year olds. Maybe after today and Uriel's glares and the other angel kids' tension, they might understand better that yanking on someone's wings is a pretty shitty thing to do.
Dean sits down heavily in his chair.
"I will take Liwet home," Castiel says, but before Dean can even start begging for a second chance he adds, "but he will return tomorrow. I'm sure he wishes to see his friends again soon."
"I won't let it happen again," Dean tells him, and means to make sure it doesn't.
This gets him a smile from Castiel. Dean thinks Castiel should smile more.
"We all knew these things would happen." Castiel says sensibly. "There will be more. It's unavoidable. We are with you in this endeavor, Dean. We won't abandon you." He puts his free hand on Lee's hair. "Liwet and the other children too know how important this is."
It's weird to be getting a pep talk from someone Dean had thought fifteen minutes ago would be furious at him. Angels had always been nothing if not unpredictable.
"We'll do better," Dean says.
"I don't doubt it."
Castiel stands, shifting Lee in his arms and yet somehow still managing to hold the ice against Lee's outstretched wing. It's easy to forget how strong angels are.
There's a weird change in the air then like there's suddenly less room to move, and what sounds to Dean like the sound of beating wings and shifting feathers. It can only be Castiel's wings, preparing to leave, and Dean finds himself wondering how far Castiel's wings stretch and if they're heavy on his back.
Then Lee says, "Stop, stop!" and the sound is suddenly gone. "You're supposed to say goodbye before you leave," Lee insists.
Castiel frowns down at Lee. "I am?"
"Yes! You've got to say 'goodbye', or 'see you tomorrow'. Something like that. It's polite." The way Lee sounds so authoritative, like he's gently reprimanding his dad, Dean's got to admit that it's kind of funny.
"Very well then," Castiel agrees before looking to Dean and saying, "Goodbye, Dean." It makes Lee giggle.
He waves, calls out, "Bye!" and they're both gone in a flurry of noise before Dean's even had the chance to wave back.
Dean shakes his head, smiling, and returns to the classroom feeling more confident about the future of the day care than he has done since it opened.
Part 3
3,613
Dean/Castiel AU. Dean runs a day care center for human and angel kids, the first of its kind. Castiel is a parent.
Again, my thanks to C. for all her hard work.
Also, thank you to everyone who read and commented! I was surprised by the amazing response I had to this. You all encouraged me to keep writing. ♥
An Unconventional Kind of Place
2.
Dean has four rules: no fighting, no bullying, no magic, and no touching the angels' wings.
The wing thing is something Uriel had stressed about fifty times, and every day since the center opened, and it's the one thing Dean was afraid the human kids just wouldn't get. If he's honest he doesn't really get the big deal himself.
They were sacred, Uriel said. Only a child's parents would touch them, and even then rarely. It was their covenant with God, he said. Uriel, too, had had misgivings about the ability of human children to comprehend the absoluteness of this taboo. While adults could hide their wings on some other plane of existence or something, the angel kids hadn't learned how yet.
Dean and Uriel had explained it to all the kids. Dean had explained it to the human parents. To the angel parents Dean had been clear that sooner or later it was something that was just going to happen, because he knows what little kids can be like- human ones at least.
Dean just wishes it hadn't been so damned spitefully done. He could have forgiven curiosity, or friendly poking, but he couldn't abide intentionally cruel yanking. And of course, it has to be Castiel's kid that gets their feathers pulled on. The reaction is instantaneous. Lee cries out in a strangled kind of yelp, and before Dean can get to him, to the table where the kids were supposed to be drawing pictures, Balthazar's kid, Camael, has thrown the offending human half way across the room. The human kid, Alex, one of a set of twins, has a bloody nose as he picks himself blearily up off the floor.
Dean's kind of smugly pleased though when Lee runs straight for him, grabbing onto his pant legs like he's holding on for dear life, and burying his face against the material.
The kid's wings are drawn so close against his back that Dean's pretty sure that's gotta hurt.
"I'll deal with the offender," Uriel intones, and the class shivers in fear. Uriel gives Dean a look he can't interpret but which in all probability means, I told you so, but then Uriel has turned away and is bearing down on Alex.
"Show me your nose, child," he orders, and to no one's surprise the kid obeys. Dean's fairly confident Uriel will handle any injuries and not let the kid suffer, physically at least. To the rest of the class Dean says, "Back to your drawing," before turning his attention to Lee.
"Hey," Dean says softly. "Hey, you're okay." He takes a gentle hold of Lee's arms, trying to dislodge the kid from his leg but he won't let go.
"He's not okay," Camael calls out indignantly. "That ass touched his wings! If he was an angel he'd get sent to the Second Heaven!"
The other angel kids mutter and look freaked out and Dean figures whatever the Second Heaven is, it can't be a good thing. Uriel obviously knows very well what it is, and deems it an inappropriate thing to say, if the way he sends Camael to sit in a corner with the ominous words, "I'll deal with you later," is anything to go by.
There's a restless, uncomfortable feeling in the room and Dean doesn't think it's helping Lee. He turns to Uriel, who has his hand covering Alex's nose in a way that looks way more gentle than Dean had thought Uriel capable of. It's disconcerting, the way he carefully heals Alex's nose as best he can, because the no wing-touching thing is a rule Uriel has always pronounced as absolute before. Alex looks freaked out too, and Dean can't blame him.
"Can you look after the class?" Dean asks. He's certain Uriel can keep them in line both on his own and without much effort, but it's polite to ask anyway.
"Of course," Uriel replies dismissively. "Call Liwet's father," he adds, and Dean nods. He's not quite sure how to deal with this, and knows he needs some help here.
To Lee Dean says, "Come on, man. Let's go to the office. I can get you some milk." Dean had learned very quickly that angels, whether they had to eat or not, loved milk. "We can call your dad too."
Lee nods against his leg but doesn't move.
"I'm gonna need my leg, dude," Dean tries.
For a second Lee releases his grip and it's enough that Dean can maneuver the kid back so he can reach down and pick him up. It seems like the easiest thing to do, because Lee sure as hell doesn't look like he wants to move himself anywhere. Lee latches on immediately, locking his arms around Dean's neck and hiding his face against Dean's T-shirt. He's lighter than a human child and it's easy to carry him to his office across the hall. It's not so easy to convince Lee to let go when he gets there, but with promises of his dad and milk and two cookies later Dean has the kid settled in the chair opposite Dean's messy, overflowing desk. He hates paperwork, and there is so freaking much of it.
It's when it comes to picking up the phone and calling Castiel that Dean gets apprehensive. It'd be a lie to say he understood the significance of angel wings, but Dean's heard enough to get that this is something Castiel, or any of the other angel parents, could take his kid out of the day care over.
Sam might not have been wrong, Dean thinks, when he told Dean again and again to read up on angel culture. He'll get right on that, when he gets a spare second away from the paperwork.
Uriel had said the kid's dad needed calling though, and Lee is watching Dean hopefully from behind his glass, his eyes red. He still looks uneasy, fidgeting in the chair and looking at his wing like he's checking it's still there.
Castiel's emergency phone number belongs to a cell which makes Dean looks up in surprise.
"Your dad has a cell phone?" he asks. Dean doesn't think he's ever seen an angel with a cell phone before.
Lee nods solemnly. "He has to talk with human generals and stuff sometimes."
Dean thinks Castiel might have the phone for Lee's sake too. This is the first indication Dean's had, though, that Lee knows what his dad does.
Dean shouldn't really be surprised, he guesses, because even though these kids are too young to remember the War, they can still see the destruction and devastation it left behind. There are still demons in the world who try to start it up all over again.
"Your dad's pretty cool, huh?"
Lee nods. "He smites demons." He says it so seriously and so proudly that Dean has to smile. Where the hell the kid learned a word like smite Dean's not sure he wants to know. He hopes Castiel isn't smiting demons right this second though. From the way Lee keeps rubbing his eyes and looking at the phone Dean knows he can't put the call off anymore.
"He's gotta be very brave," Dean says as he dials the number. He's not just humoring this kid either because demons are freaking scary, and he should know. He's seen them rip humans and angels apart. He knows what it feels like to have a demon trying to cut your guts to ribbons. Dean hopes Lee doesn't know any of this, and never has to find out what it feels like to lose a father.
For most of his life Dean fought demons. For the longest time it was all he knew, and sometimes he feels guilt at leaving it all behind. Now, he leaves it to angels like Castiel and hunters like Jo to keep the evil bastards at bay. He never wishes he was back in that life, but sometimes he thinks he should be.
After the War, though, he just couldn't go on.
With John and with all the shit that happened with his dad and with Sam he just had to get out.
Dean's glad when Castiel picks up on the second ring and he's got something other than all that crap to concentrate on.
"Mr. Winchester," Castiel answers. Before Dean can correct him Castiel amends, "Dean."
There's no way of knowing if Castiel has his name saved on his cell, or if he can read minds over the phone.
"Yeah. Hey, Castiel," Dean greets, trying not to sound as uncomfortable and nervous as he feels.
"Something is wrong," Castiel says anyway, and it's not a question. But then, it's not like Dean would have a reason to call if something kind of bad hadn't happened.
"Yeah," Dean says again. "Look, one of the other kids pulled on Lee- Liwet's- wings. He's pretty freaked out."
Dean tries not to make it sound like an admission of failure. He'd seriously thought about playing it down and not mentioning the fact that Alex had yanked on Lee's feathers so hard it had looked painful even to Dean, who hadn't the first clue what it felt like to have wings. But since the start Dean had promised honesty and he wasn't about to break that promise at the first sign of trouble. And Dean refuses to think about all the humans and angels who had told him this project would never work. That it was doomed to fail.
Castiel doesn't sound horrified or angry or wrathful in the way Dean had half been expecting him to when he replies simply, "I see."
It's hard to know what to say in response to that, so Dean goes with "I thought you should know."
From the way Lee is watching Dean with a look somewhere between sympathy and concern Dean guesses Castiel must always be this awesome on the phone.
Castiel says, "I'll be there immediately," and then the line goes dead.
"He's not very good on the phone," Lee says apologetically.
Dean grins, "We'll just have to teach him then."
Dean's seen a lot of how human stuff is new to the angels. They don't drive, which Dean thinks is tragic, and most of them don't get machines at all. They're confused by the idea of money, never understand sports, and for some reason Dean's never been able to figure out are always freaked out by Santa Claus. There's a whole ton of other stuff Dean takes for granted but required careful explanation to the angel parents when he was setting up the day care.
They're all still learning their way around each other, what humans do and what angels do and trying to find a balance between them.
Uriel has ideas about education that sometimes drive Dean crazy, like absolute silence during study, and his plans for intense, rote-learning of Latin which is just never going to wash with five year olds. On other things though he's weirdly open-minded. He's deeply invested in art and creative stuff, and doesn't even complain much when the kids accidentally splatter paint on his suits.
It's on religion, though, that they come to a stalemate. At first, Uriel had insisted on prayers to everything, and Dean had flat out said no. The religion of the angels wasn't the religion of any humans, and Dean was not having that stuff forced on kids. Dean doesn't think he's going to forget the indignant, furious lecture he'd received from Uriel after that comment any time soon. After that, they'd not so much compromised as decided to pretend the discussion had never happened. So there was no religion at the center at all, mostly because no one actually dared raise the issue again.
Dean just wants this center to work so bad it makes him feel ill sometimes. And now he's got the kids here and he's had a couple weeks to get to know them the thought of losing it all has only gotten worse. Sam says he's getting gray hairs over it, and right about now Dean wouldn't be surprised.
They'd been expecting something like this, Dean reminds himself, and tries not to feel too guilty about how scared Lee looks and how red his eyes are. The kid is putting on a brave face, but Dean can tell it's not going to last.
"Your dad'll be here soon," Dean says reassuringly and tries to think whether a game or coloring would be a better distraction until Castiel arrives. Uriel loathes coloring, calls it pointless and wasteful, and in response the activity has taken on the idea of being something illicit among the kids.
Before he can decide Castiel is suddenly right there, standing inches from Dean's side.
It's stupid, Dean thinks, how he forgets every freaking time that angels can fly.
Castiel doesn't move away like Dean expects him to, but stands, way too comfortably, right up in Dean's space like it's the most natural place in the world to be, even though there's gotta be at least five foot of empty space behind him.
This close Dean can feel the cool, charged air you get around angels. It should remind him of the War, but it doesn't. Around Castiel there's just a whole lot of calm, but there's contained worry, and trust, too and Dean wonders where he's getting all this from. If it's all just his imagination.
Castiel doesn't seem to notice anything weird, and he nods once at Dean in greeting before moving away towards his son. Then, the feeling is gone.
Lee says the word Dean's come to recognize as meaning dad- or mom- in angel and Castiel replies with, "I am here." He touches his fingers to Lee's forehead before picking him up.
"Let me see," Castiel says, and waits until Lee nods, says something so quietly Dean can't hear, before running one hand through the feathers of Lee's wing.
Dean gets the uncomfortable feeling this is something private, that he's not supposed to see, and wonders if he should leave them alone, but then Castiel asks, "Do you have ice?"
"Ice?" Dean repeats, not expecting the question at all.
In Castiel's arms, Lee whimpers and Dean can see he's hanging onto Castiel's neck tightly.
"Where the feathers were pulled," Castiel explains, "there is some inflammation of the skin."
Dean feels like a total dick for not realizing Lee was actually hurt. It must be like having someone try to pull on your fingernails, he guesses.
There's no reproach in Castiel's voice though. It doesn't make Dean feel any better.
"Aw hell, I'm sorry, man," he apologizes. "I didn't think. Dude, tell me next time if you're hurt, okay? I'm only human."
He smiles, and Lee nods back.
"You gave me milk," Lee says quietly, like that makes everything okay.
Castiel looks surprised. "You like to drink?" he asks, as though this is news to him. Dean's certain he's seen angel kids drink before, and Uriel had never said anything, so it can't be that unusual.
Lee just shrugs. "S'okay." He looks down at his glass sitting on Dean's desk. "I like milk though. It comes from cows."
Castiel has a kind of bemused smile on his face, and Dean takes the opportunity to duck out of the room and scavenge for ice in the kitchen.
On the way back Dean checks in with Uriel and the other kids. He's got Alex in a corner with an icepack of his own on his face. The rest of the kids look nervous, but Dean doesn't think it's because of Uriel's terrifying presence for once.
"Lee'll be fine, guys," he announces, then quietly to Uriel he asks, "Everything good?"
"Of course," Uriel says imperiously. "We shall talk to Alex's parents when they come to collect their child tonight. Liwet will require an apology." Dean nods.
It's three thirty already but Dean knows it's gonna be a long day yet. They have to deal with Balthazar's kid too, because as much as Dean understands the kid's retaliation, it's not something he can approve of in class. Camael broke the no magic rule, and somehow they're going to have to find an appropriate punishment for that, too.
It doesn't help that Dean has only the vaguest idea of how angels discipline their kids. If Uriel was to be believed, angel kids never did any wrong. Dean's been taking care of them long enough now to know that isn't even slightly the truth.
Maybe it's not so bad though. Uriel hadn't been wearing his dire look of doom and Castiel doesn't come across as ready to sue their asses to hell, so Dean's encouraged that all is not lost.
When he gets back to his office Castiel is seated on the chair beside Dean's desk with Lee on his lap, the kid's arms still wrapped around Castiel's neck. They're talking in low voices, so Dean crosses the room quietly holding up the bag of ice for Castiel to see.
Meeting his eyes, Castiel nods his thanks and takes the bag. Dean watches in a kind of awe as Castiel carefully pulls Lee's wing open, the kid murmuring unhappily when the cold ice pack is pressed against the feathers.
"It'll be better in a moment," Castiel encourages softly, rubbing Lee's back.
It's the first time Dean's ever seen an angel wing fully extended so close up. The kids always keep them closed, the adults keep them hidden, and only rarely in the War had Dean seen them spread wide.
Dean can't stop staring.
He can see every feather, the soft sheen on the tips, the way they move and shift as Lee breathes. Dean watches Castiel's fingers as they thread through feathers. It's only when Dean realizes what he's doing that he looks up, and finds both Castiel and Lee staring at him with identical curious expressions.
"Err… sorry," Dean manages, trying to look contrite when all he wants to do is smile at how identical Castiel and Lee's face look. "I haven't seen that before." Dean smiles at Lee. "Your wings are awesome."
The comment makes Lee hide his face in the folds of Castiel's ugly trench coat and for a second Dean thinks he's said something offensive.
Castiel doesn't look like he's about to bust Dean's face in though.
He tells Dean, "It's unusual for our wings to be complimented. You have given no offence," like he knew what Dean was thinking.
Castiel says something to Lee in their language, and Lee nods.
"He didn't mind," Castiel translates, and Dean's relived. He's already messed up enough for one day.
"The reason you guys don't touch each others' wings," Dean says curiously. He's hesitant to ask but he thinks it'd be a useful thing to know, and Castiel is a lot easier to talk to than Uriel. "Is it because they're so sensitive?"
Lee shivers. He's gotta be cold, Dean thinks. The poor kid fidgets uncomfortably in Castiel's lap.
"That is one reason," Castiel affirms. "There are religious disapprobations too. It's such an old prohibition that few of us even remember where or why it began anymore. Now it's just something which is not done. Almost unthinkable."
Dean thinks about explaining that to five year olds. Maybe after today and Uriel's glares and the other angel kids' tension, they might understand better that yanking on someone's wings is a pretty shitty thing to do.
Dean sits down heavily in his chair.
"I will take Liwet home," Castiel says, but before Dean can even start begging for a second chance he adds, "but he will return tomorrow. I'm sure he wishes to see his friends again soon."
"I won't let it happen again," Dean tells him, and means to make sure it doesn't.
This gets him a smile from Castiel. Dean thinks Castiel should smile more.
"We all knew these things would happen." Castiel says sensibly. "There will be more. It's unavoidable. We are with you in this endeavor, Dean. We won't abandon you." He puts his free hand on Lee's hair. "Liwet and the other children too know how important this is."
It's weird to be getting a pep talk from someone Dean had thought fifteen minutes ago would be furious at him. Angels had always been nothing if not unpredictable.
"We'll do better," Dean says.
"I don't doubt it."
Castiel stands, shifting Lee in his arms and yet somehow still managing to hold the ice against Lee's outstretched wing. It's easy to forget how strong angels are.
There's a weird change in the air then like there's suddenly less room to move, and what sounds to Dean like the sound of beating wings and shifting feathers. It can only be Castiel's wings, preparing to leave, and Dean finds himself wondering how far Castiel's wings stretch and if they're heavy on his back.
Then Lee says, "Stop, stop!" and the sound is suddenly gone. "You're supposed to say goodbye before you leave," Lee insists.
Castiel frowns down at Lee. "I am?"
"Yes! You've got to say 'goodbye', or 'see you tomorrow'. Something like that. It's polite." The way Lee sounds so authoritative, like he's gently reprimanding his dad, Dean's got to admit that it's kind of funny.
"Very well then," Castiel agrees before looking to Dean and saying, "Goodbye, Dean." It makes Lee giggle.
He waves, calls out, "Bye!" and they're both gone in a flurry of noise before Dean's even had the chance to wave back.
Dean shakes his head, smiling, and returns to the classroom feeling more confident about the future of the day care than he has done since it opened.
Part 3