Work Text:
"We'll see you in 10."
Cas put the phone down just as he felt Dean's arms wrap around his waist. His fiancee's breath tickled his neck, making him sigh happily. "Was that Jess?" Dean asked, burrowing his nose further into the scent of his lover. The dark haired man nodded, turning around swiftly to wrap his arms around Dean's neck. "And we'd better go, honey." He said kissing Dean chastely on his lips. Dean groaned at the loss of contact, watching Cas head over to the coat rack.
"I didn't even know Jess had a little sister. Why do we have to babysit her?" Dean asked, reaching over for his leather jacket. Cas rolled his eyes fondly, putting on his tan trenchcoat. "Well, if we're having kids anytime soon, we might as well practice." Dean looked up at his fiancee and smirked. "Practice? I basically raised Sam and you have two younger brothers. How much more practice do we need?" Cas rolled his eyes while he opened up the door. "Then let's prove our skills if you are so good with kids."
His voice had a teasing tone to it which made Dean sigh in defeat. He grabbed his car keys, laced his fingers with Cas' and off they went to Jess' house. Apparently Jess had an extra shift in the coffee shop and the shift she got was the busiest. Her parents were also out of town on a business trip. Castiel, being the angel that he was, offered to babysit little Amber until the end of her shift. When Cas volunteers for something, he really means him and Dean. He also knows that Dean would never deny him anything(It's those damn puppy dog eyes). So here they were now, ringing the doorbell to Jess' house.
"You'll do fine, honey. I've seen you with kids before." Cas assured him, squeezing his arm. Before they knew it, the door opened and both of them straightened up to greet Jess. But no one was there. "Hello!" The two men looked down to see a little girl, her hand clutching tightly to a little angel plushie trailing on the ground behind her. She was about 3. The girl looked like Jess, smaller and chubbier. The only difference was that her eyes were the same color as Dean's and her hair went down her shoulders in softer waves. "Hello there, little one." Cas bent down on one knee, sticking his hand out for her to shake. Politely, Amber shook his hand with a little smile.
"Are you Cas?" she asked with a little lisp to her voice that Dean would never admit to swooning over. The man in question nodded and introduced Dean to her as well. Before Dean could answer, Jess appeared and picked Amber up, making the little one squeal in delight. "Why didn't you tell me that Dean and Cas were here, sweetie?" Jess beckoned for both of them to come inside so she can make them some tea. "I'm so glad you guys are able to babysit Amber. I could never leave her alone in the coffee shop." Dean waved his hand, stating that it was absolutely no problem and that he didn't have work today anyway. Dean's answer puzzled Castiel but he chose not to comment on it.
Their time with Jess was only brief as she took one glance at the clock, kissed her sister on the head and bolted out the door. Dean looked at the front door, blinking rapidly. Amber giggled, seemingly used to her sister's antics. The youngest one ran over to Dean, stumbling slightly on the carpet, and pulled on his pant leg. "Lunch?" she asked, her green eyes peering up at him. Dean smiled warmly, picking Amber up and settling her on his lap. "Sure thing, kiddo. What do you want?"
The small child placed her chubby fingers on her chin, scrunching her forehead up in thought. Cas almost cooed at the adorable sight. Finally, she exclaimed "Spaghetti!" in her lisped voice all while claping her hands. Dean chuckled, running a calloused hand through her hair. He handed Amber to Cas as they walked into the kitchen together who let her sit on the table, making her promise not to break anything. "Spaghetti! Spaghetti!" she yelled happily, swinging her legs back and forth.
After 30 minutes, their lunch was ready. Dean couldn't cook like a pro but he did make a good pasta sauce which resulted in quite a messy counter. Cas laughed when Dean placed the spaghetti into a bowl for Amber, a splash of sauce landing on his nose. "You've got a little something there, honey." Dean looked confused for a second before Cas kissed his nose lightly, resulting in a blush spreading across his cheeks redder than the pasta sauce. Amber clapped loudly, looking as if she enjoyed their little display of affection. "Kissy, kissy!" she exclaimed, making Dean blush even harder and Cas to laugh even louder.
"Alright kiddo, eat your lunch." Dean mumbled, handing her fork after asking her if she knew how to use it. After a speedy nod and grabby hands, Dean complied and let her eat her lunch. After she was finished, Cas offered to wash the dishes so Dean took the little one to the living room. She wiggled in the older man's arms, a signal for Dean to set her on the floor. She took off swiftly towards the bookshelf, standing on her tippy toes to try and get a book that was out of her reach. "Need a little help there, sweetie?" Amber pointed at the book right above her, looking up at Dean with a pout.
"This one?" he asked and, with confirmation from Amber, he slipped the hard bound book from between two other larger books. "Grimm's Fairytales, huh?" he looked down at the three year old and she nodded her head up and down vigorously. Dean shrugged and led her to the couch. Amber quickly climbed up and found refuge on Dean's lap, feeling the warmth of his leather jacket surround her. "Which one do you want?"
"Goose!" she said but it sounded more like "gooth" to Dean. Nevertheless, he knew her request and found the page that held the story of the Golden Goose. He started to read and Amber payed him her full attention. Unknown to Dean, Cas had finished washing the dishes and was now quietly watching Dean read the story. Cas smiled as he made different voices for the characters and made big gestures so Amber could laugh.
As he watched them, Cas couldn't help but wonder what Dean was up to lately. Dean hasn't been going to work in a week and sometimes he wouldn't come home until late at night. Cas didn't want to assume the worst but he had the right to be worried. Was Dean fired from his job? Bobby would never fire him, no matter how irritating he gets. Was he... seeing someone? He tried to not think about that. All his friends and family say that Dean was so far into him that he wouldn't notice if the waitress wrote her number on the receipt.
But he was still worried.
Soon the time flew by and Jess came home. Jess thanked them repeatedly and both of them waved it off, saying it was nothing. After saying their goodbyes, they both drove back to their apartment. Dean stayed quiet the entire trip but Cas didn't ask him any questions. Only when they were in the safety of their home that Dean finally spoke to him. "Babe... I've got something to tell you." Cas held his breath. This is it. Oh what was he going to say? Will he break the engagement? Will he reveal his unemployment? Cas was starting to sweat nervously at this point.
Dean produced an envelope from inside one of the kitchen drawers. He handed it to Cas, still with a blank expression. Oh how he hated that of Dean. He would usually be able to read him like an open book but Dean took extra care to hide his emotions at this moment. He raised an eyebrow and opened up the envelope anyway. He read it carefully and slowly, his worries melted away with each line he read. When he finished reading, Cas looked up at Dean a proud smile on his face, making his blue eyes light up.
"You're going to college?"
"I'm going to college."
Cas covered his mouth in happiness and went to hug Dean tightly. He felt his fiancee's laughter shake his shoulders but he didn't care. Dean was going to college! After a few minutes, he pulled away, carressing Dean's cheek. "You're not doing this because of me right? Because you more than deserve this for yourself, honey. You know you do." he said, running his thumb across his lover's cheek. "I'm doing this for our future family, babe. I want our kids to be proud of me." Dean said, his voice almost small and shy. Cas shook his head and kissed Dean lovingly. "They will be proud of you, honey. I'm proud of you." Dean leaned in for another hug, clutching his fiancee tightly. Cas buried his face into Dean's shoulder.
"I'm proud of you."