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Dean was driving to Castiel’s apartment as fast as he could.
It was a Wednesday evening, and Dean was just finishing closing up the garage with Bobby, they had roughly 10 minutes of cleaning up to do and they were done, when he had gotten a text message from Castiel.
Dean, I need to talk to you immediately.
Can you please come over? It’s important.
Dean had seen the message and replied asking Castiel what was wrong, but he had received no answer. He sent a second message asking what was wrong as he stood next to Bobby, discussing the next day’s work whilst Bobby locked the door, but he got no answer. By now he was starting to freak out a little bit. Castiel never took this long to reply to his messages. Saying goodnight to his uncle, Dean walked briskly to his car, dialing Castiel’s number as he went. No answer. He tried calling three more times, all with no answer before he drove out of the parking lot and started to drive towards Castiel’s apartment, breaking every speed limit between the two places and praying he didn’t get caught.
When he arrived at Castiel's apartment building Dean sprinted up the stairs to Castiel's apartment and knocked on the door but once again was met with no response. “Cas?! Are you in there?!” He called out, practically banging his fist on the door now. “Cas! Castiel!!” Giving up banging, Dean tried the handle, and found the door was unlocked. Throwing the door open Dean looked around the front room and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He shut the door behind himself and headed towards the bedroom, still finding no clue as to where his boyfriend was and if he was okay. Finally he heard a faint noise coming from the bathroom. Knocking softly on the door Dean waited, hoping to hear a response. “Cas? You in there?” He asked, sounding very concerned.
“Dean?” The reply was very quiet, practically whispered. But there was something else. Dean was fairly certain his boyfriend was crying from the sound.
Pushing the door open softly, Dean peered around it and was shocked at the sight he saw. Castiel was on the floor next to the toilet, with arms wrapped around his legs that were pulled up to his chest, his head buried as deep towards his chest as he could get it. When Castiel looked up Dean could see that his eyes were red and swollen from crying, fresh tears still running down his cheeks, his nose red as well, presumably from the tissues that were pilled up next to him. “Cas? Are you okay?”
Dean could see a new wave of tears start to fall from Castiel’s eyes as he replied. “No.”
Dean walked forward quickly, dropping to his knees next to Castiel and wrapping his arms around him without hesitation. He didn’t even care if the problem was Castiel being sick. He would risk catching whatever it was if it meant he could comfort the man on the floor next to him. “What’s wrong baby? You didn’t answer any of my calls, I thought you were seriously hurt.”
“I’m not hurt, but I umm I-I’m…” Castiel was struggling to get his words out. He was starting to sob into Dean’s chest now, which was making him even more worried about what was going on.
“Cas?” He gently encouraged, wrapping his arms even tighter around Castiel, making sure he could feel Dean’s reassurance. He needed to know what was wrong so he could fix it.
“I-I'm pregnant Dean.” Castiel finally stuttered out, no longer able to speak anymore with the power of the sobs wracking his entire body so hard that he was actually moving in Dean’s arms.
Dean however was so shocked he couldn’t find a way to push the words he wanted to say out of his throat. After about five minutes of silence Dean was finally able to make his throat muscles move enough to speak. “Are you sure?” He asked.
Castiel didn’t say anything, just handed Dean a pregnancy test and the box it had come in so that Dean could see for himself. Dean removed one arm from around Castiel so that he could grab the items and looked at the box so he would understand what the result meant. Looking back at the test he saw that there were definitely two lines. It was positive. Castiel was pregnant. Dean was still in shock. This had not been a part of there plans.
Dean and Castiel had been together for a little bit over a year now. Castiel had only graduated college a few months ago, when he moved into his current apartment. Upon graduating Dean had considered asking Castiel if he wanted to move in with him, after all he made a pretty good salary at the garage and had a place that was definitely big enough for two people, but at that time they had only been together about 8 months, and so he had been worried it had been too soon. Somehow through the shock, he was now regretting that decision.
“Cas, can we maybe get up from the floor so we can talk about this? I’m pretty sure we will be more comfortable on the couch.” Dean suggested. Castiel nodded but made no movement to suggest that he was going to respond any further. Dean moved his arm so that it was braced under Castiel’s arms, in order to try and stand and pull him up with him. Castiel leaned heavily on Dean as Dean supported him through the bedroom and out into the living room where he carefully lowered Castiel to sit on the couch. “I’ll be right back.” Walking into the kitchen Dean grabbed a large glass and filled it with water. Castiel was going to get dehydrated if he kept crying the way he was. Back at the couch he handed Castiel the water before sitting next to him and draping his arm around his shoulders. Once Castiel had finished the glass he leaned his head down on Dean’s shoulder and snuggled into him, Dean tightening his arm again, moving it so his hand was placed on Castiel’s waist.
“Okay, ready to talk about this?” Dean asked. Castiel just nodded. “I guess the first question I have is are you going to keep it?”
Castiel sat up, leaning slightly away from Dean. He had stopped crying now but Dean could still see the tear tracks on his face. Once they had finished talking he was going to need to make sure Castiel got cleaned up.
“I don’t know Dean. I’m only 23, I’ve only been at my job a few months, and we haven’t even been together all that long. I don’t think I am ready to be a parent.” He confessed, looking down at his hands as he said it.
Dean placed his free hand around Castiel’s and held them, squeezing slightly to try and calm him. “Forget about that part for a minute. Pretend you are in a place where you are ready to be a parent. Do you want to keep the baby?”
Dean was lucky he was paying close attention, or he may have missed the very small and brief smile that flashed across Castiel’s face as he thought for a moment. “Yes. I always wanted to be a parent. I just didn’t think I would be until I was older.”
Dean smiled. Even after a year together apparently there were still things that they didn’t now about each other.
“Do you want me to keep it?” Castiel asked slowly, sounding like he was terrified Dean was going to tell him to get rid of it.
“I think I do Cas, but it’s not really up to me. It’s your body, and therefore your decision. I would never tell you what to do with your own body.”
“So, we’re keeping it?” Castiel asked, he was still so sure that they weren’t ready, but if they both wanted the baby they would find a way to make it work.
“If you want to, then yes.” Dean said.
Castile smiled and leaned in to press his lips hard against Dean’s, moving so he was straddling Dean and wrapping his arms around his neck. Although the position may be slightly sexual in nature, they had no intentions of having sex tonight. Castiel just needed to be close to Dean. When theirs lips parted Castiel looked deep into the green eyes that he loved so much, realizing he had actually never told Dean that he loved him. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Dean gently rubbed soothing circles into Castiel’s back. “That’s okay. Why didn’t you answer though?” Dean was curious.
“I was terrified you were going to leave me when I told you. I couldn’t bear it if you did that, so I was ignoring your calls as it meant I could still call you mine for just a little bit longer. I love you Dean.”
Dean looked deep into Castiel’s piercing blue eyes, taking a deep breath, and replying. “I love you too Cas. And I promise I’m not going anywhere.” Dean kissed Castiel softly, trying to convey his words again through his actions. After a few moments they pulled apart again, Castiel snuggling into Dean’s chest, his face hidden in Dean’s neck. “I think we should call a doctor and make an appointment, just to make certain and to see how far along you are.”
Castiel leaned back and nodded. “Okay, I’ll call now.”
“No, you go get a shower, clean up and relax a bit. You’ve had a stressful evening and that’s not good for the baby. I’ll order some food and call the doctor. When would be a good time to make an appointment for?”
“Tomorrow? I want to know as soon as possible.” Castiel said.
“Do you need to take the day off then?” Dean asked.
“Ohh no. My boss gave me the day off. I was throwing up in the bathroom for about half an hour before I came home. On the way home the thought occurred to me, so I stopped at the store to grab a test. Anytime tomorrow is fine.”
Castiel got off of Dean’s lap and walked out of the room to go have a shower. Dean did as he said he would, first ordering some food for dinner and then calling the doctor and writing down the appointment information. While he waited for the food and Castiel to finish in the shower Dean made one more phone call.
“Hey Ellen.” He said when the phone was picked up on the other end. “Is Bobby there?”
Dean chuckled as he heard the yelled conversation happening on the other end of the line between his aunt and uncle.
“Bobby! Your nephew is on the phone.”
“Which one?”
“Dean.”
“I just saw him all day, find out what he wants.”
“What did you want to talk to him about honey?” Ellen asked him.
“I just wanted to see if he would be alright without me in the shop tomorrow. Cas is not very well so I wanna take him to the doctor and look after him tomorrow.” Dean explained.
“I’m sure that’ll be fine, Jo is in town so she can help him out.”
“Ohh that’s right. He mentioned that. Say hi to her for me.” There was a knock on the door. “I’ve got to go. Thanks Ellen and thank Bobby for me to.”
“Talk to you later honey. Bye.”
Dean hung up and answered the door. Just as he was shutting the door behind him Castiel emerged from the bedroom, a soft pair of sweats hanging low on his hips, and one of Dean shirts, which was a lot bigger on Castiel, running a hand through his hair, padding bare foot over to the couch. “Who was on the phone?” He asked, sitting down.
“I just called Ellen and Bobby to let them know I won’t be in tomorrow. You hungry?”
“Dean, you should go to work, I can see the doctor myself. And I’m starving, I think I puked my entire lunch up earlier.” Castiel said. He didn’t like feeling as though he was putting others out.
“Cas, there is no way I am missing a single appointment. This is my baby too, I want to be there for everything. Good, I got Chinese.”
Dean walked to the kitchen to grab some plates and start putting the food on them when he felt arms wrap around his waist from behind, a kiss placed low on his neck. “Thank you Dean.”
“What for?” Dean asked, as he put some noodles onto the plates.
“Just for being you, and for loving me.” Castiel let go then and walked back to the couch, sitting in his usual corner as Dean finished up the food and walked over to him with the two plates. They talked about their days, completely avoiding anymore talk of the pregnancy for now, as they ate, and when they were done they put on a random movie to watch. Castiel curled himself into Dean’s side, Dean wrapping one arm around him, his other hand placed on Castiel’s stomach. For Castiel it had been an exhausting day, and halfway through the movie he fell asleep. Dean considered just staying where he was and drifting off himself, but he figured it wouldn’t be the best way to sleep at all, so trying his best not to wake Castiel, Dean gently lifted him up from the couch and carried him to bed. Once he had Castiel comfortably laid down and covered with the blankets, Dean quickly went around the apartment tidying up from their meal, cleaning the mess of tissues in the bathroom and grabbing a quick shower himself, he was pretty dirty from his day at work, not that Castiel had minded all evening. Once he was satisfied that everything was cleaned enough, including himself, he went back into the bedroom in just his boxers and curled up next to Castiel, resting his head on his chest and drifted off to sleep himself. The last thought that went through Dean’s head before sleep took him was that he was going to be a father, and he fell asleep smiling.
The doctor’s appointment was at 11am, so Dean let Castiel sleep in, choosing to make him some breakfast when he got up around 9. “Sleep well?” Dean asked when he heard Castiel enter the room.
“Surprisingly I did.” Castiel replied.
“Surprisingly?” Dean questioned.
“Well, after the shock of yesterday I didn’t think I would sleep so well. I don’t even remember making it to my bed.”
“You didn’t. You fell asleep on me on the couch, so I carried you to bed. I thought about leaving you on the couch, but I figured you’d be more comfortable in bed.” Dean explained, turning to face Castiel and sliding some eggs onto a plate for him.
“Thank you Dean.” Castiel said, wrapping his arms around Dean’s waist and placing his head on his shoulder. “I feel like I should ask how you are this morning.”
Dean wrapped his own arms around Castiel and hugged him back. “I’m okay. More than okay actually. Honestly as much of a shock as it was yesterday, today all I feel is excitement about being a father.”
Castiel leaned back slightly, just enough to be able to look him in the eyes. “Really? You’re excited?” He asked.
“Absolutely.” Dean said, smiling for a moment before his smile faltered. “Have you changed your mind about keeping the baby Cas?” He asked, feeling sick to his stomach at the thought of Castiel wanting to get rid of their baby, but knowing that if it was what Castiel really wanted then he would support him and say nothing else about it.
Castiel read the fear in Dean’s eyes and reached one hand up to his face to reassure him. “No, I haven’t. I’m keeping the baby Dean.” Castiel could feel Dean physically relax against him.
“Okay, breakfast time. I didn’t know what you might be able to stomach so I figured eggs seemed like a safe bet.” Dean said, untangling himself gently from Castiel’s arms and grabbing the plates of eggs to take to the table. They sat and ate breakfast, trying to determine for themselves how far along Castiel might be. Unfortunately they had a very active sex life, so it was almost impossible for them to pinpoint a date of conception.
“The doctor will be able to tell us.” Castiel said as they slid into the impala and headed to the doctors.
In the waiting room they sat in silence. As much as they had both decided that they definitely wanted to keep the baby, it was still slightly terrifying sitting here, knowing that very soon they would know for certain if they were soon to be parents, and how long they had left to prepare for it. When Castiel’s name was called he just sat there, fear spiking through him. Everything was suddenly becoming so much more real.
“Cas?” Dean questioned, gently nudging his arm. “Cas, it’s your tun.”
Castiel still didn’t move, so Dean stood up and gently lifted Castiel to his feet, guiding him after the nurse who was leading them to their consultation room with an arm around his waist. They sat in the room for a few minutes, just waiting for the doctor to arrive, Castiel still not saying anything and sitting as still as a statue. It was impressive to Dean just how still Castiel could be when he chose to, but sometimes, like right now, it also scared the hell out of him. Clearly it was all becoming more real now since they had entered the doctor’s office, and Castiel was panicking. When the doctor entered the room Dean ended up having to explain why they were there as Castiel still appeared to be unable to speak. After listening the doctor appeared to be quite sure that Castiel was indeed pregnant, but said he wanted to do an ultrasound just to be certain, pointing to the bed in the corner of the room and indicating that Castiel should lay down as he went to collect a few things from a cupboard. Castiel moved himself this time, but slowly and unsure, Dean helping up onto the bed worried that he was going to fall or hurt himself in some way in his current state. Once he had laid down, Dean sat in the chair next to him and held his hand as the doctor turned on the ultrasound equipment and pushed Castiel’s shirt up enough to be able to spread some gel on his stomach.
“Ready?” He asked, waiting until Castiel had managed a small nod, before placing the transducer probe on his stomach and moving it around. Both Dean and Castiel were watching the screen with no clue what they were supposed to be looking for, but after a moment a very fast heartbeat could be heard. “Okay Mr. Novak, you are definitely pregnant.” The doctor said, putting the probe back on it’s stand and pointing to the image on the screen. “You see this little mass here, the one that looks a little like a giant peanut?” He asked, looking back at the two men staring at the screen. They both nodded, not sure what it was meant to mean. “That is your baby. By this picture I’d say your around 12 weeks along. I’ll leave you alone now to clean up, here is a towel.” He handed Castiel a small towel that he could clean the gel off with. “Just leave it in the basket before you leave, and please make another appointment on your way out. I’d like to check the progress in about a month. Congratulations.” With that the doctor left the room, and Dean turned to look at Castiel.
There were tears in Castiel’s eyes as he wiped his stomach clean of the gel. “Cas?” Dean asked quietly, not sure what emotions his boyfriend was feeling right now.
Castiel looked at Dean when he was clean. “Dean, that’s our baby.” He said, looking back at the screen and letting his tears flow now that they were alone. Dean felt his own answering tears fill his eyes as he looked at the picture of their baby on the screen.
“We should see if we can get a picture.” Dean said, still staring at the screen and holding Castiel’s hand tightly. He hadn’t let go since Castiel had laid down.
“Dean?” Castiel asked, trying to get his attention as he was now standing right next to Dean. When Dean turned to look at him he leaned in and kissed him gently. “I love you Dean.”
“I love you to Cas.”
The two men just stared at the screen for a little bit longer, not wanting to turn their gaze away, when a nurse knocked on the door to see if they were okay. They made an appointment for a months’ time on the way out and asked if they could possibly get a picture of the baby. The receptionist put a mark on Castiel’s file and promised that they would be able to collect the photo the following day. On the way home Castiel got a sudden urge to be sick, so Dean pulled over and let Castiel get out. After a minute his stomach had settled though, so he got back in the car and they continued back to his apartment, once they had entered however Castiel sprinted to the bathroom, Dean followed behind him. When Dean entered the bathroom Castiel was already bent over the toilet, emptying his stomach of his breakfast, so Dean knelt beside him and rubbed his back soothingly as Castiel continued to retch even after there was nothing left to come up. When he was certain he wasn’t going to throw up anymore Castiel got up from the floor and brushed his teeth to get rid of the taste, then together he and Dean curled up on the couch and watched movies all day, talking quietly and starting to make some plans.
“Shit Dean, my apartment isn’t big enough for a baby. What am I going to do?” He asked when they had started to write out a list of the things that they would need to buy.
It was true that Castiel’s apartment probably wasn’t big enough for a baby. It was a small one-bedroom apartment, with a small kitchen/lounge room and one bathroom. When Castiel had graduated college he just wanted a place he could afford that was big enough for him, and this place had been enough, but luckily he was only on a month-to-month lease as he planned to move into a slightly better place once he could afford it. A few months ago Dean had thought this to soon, but now they were having a baby and he couldn’t see a reason not to now. “Cas, what if you move in with me?” Dean asked.
“Are you sure Dean? That’s a big step isn’t it?” Castiel questioned.
“Well so is having a baby Cas, and we are already doing that.” Dean said. “I have the room at my place. I have two bedrooms so we can make the second one a nursery, and we don’t have to worry about you breaking your lease as its month to month. It will also be easier on you financially too, even if we decided to split the rent and bills it will still be cheaper for you than living here alone. What do you say?”
“Okay, I’ll move in with you.” Castiel said after a moment to think through what Dean had said.
“Yeah?” Dean asked, a smile spreading across his face.
“Yeah.” Castiel replied, an identical smile on his own face. “But not quite yet, it will take me a bit of time to pack everything, and I think we should tell our families about the baby first.”
“Of course, whenever you’re ready.” Dean said.
“Maybe we could go out for dinner with our brothers and tell them.” Castiel suggested.
“Absolutely. I’ll invite Uncle Bobby and Aunt Ellen as well. I’m pretty sure they would kill me if I didn’t include them.” Dean laughed but he knew that they would actually kill him if he didn’t invite them to hear the news.
“So it’s settled. We’ll find a good night in the next week?” Castiel asked, wanting to tell them all sooner rather than later, especially since it seemed he would be showing very soon and wanted them to find out before then.
“Sounds good to me.”
They put aside the planning for the rest of the day, enjoying their time together instead before they went back to work the next morning, however Dean was certain he would be seeing Castiel more then he already did now that he was carrying his child.
Two days later it is Saturday, and Dean and Castiel are meeting their brothers and Dean’s Aunt and Uncle for dinner to tell them about the baby and that they were going to be moving in together. Castiel was extremely nervous, much more nervous than Dean. His two brothers were very protective of him after all, so he was terrified of how they might react. As there was the possibility for bad reactions they had decided a public setting was a good choice, that way their family had to at least keep some semblance of good behavior but had picked a place that was normally not very busy so that if things didn’t go well there were less people around to see it. Dean and Castiel had arrived first, and Castiel was bouncing his leg almost obsessively as Dean held his hand, trying to calm him down. They hadn’t said that they needed to tell them anything, so their families just thought that they were having a nice dinner for a catch up and nothing else.
Sam arrived first out of their families, followed closely by Bobby and Ellen, and then Gabriel and Michael, Michael grumbling about how he hated being late and that Gabriel had been the reason why. Gabriel was as cheerful as ever though, completely unconcerned by his big brother’s unhappiness. Dinner was going really well, they all ordered, chatted and ate happily, no problems at all. It wasn’t until after dinner that Dean grabbed and squeezed Castiel’s hand to let him know it was time before clearing his throat and looking up at everyone.
“So, there is actually a reason we invited you all out tonight.” Dean said, indicating that he was talking about both himself and Castiel. “It’s not just a catchup family dinner like we said. We have some news to share with you.”
“I’m pregnant.” Castiel said quickly wanting to get it over with, looking down at the table, not wanting to see the reactions of his brothers. “And Dean and I are moving in together soon.”
At first there was just silence as everyone processed their words, but then there was an almost simultaneous cheer and Castiel and Dean saw everyone smiling and getting up to hug them. It was a much better reaction than they had thought that they would get, but apparently everyone was fine with it.
“Congratulations Dean!” Sam said, pulling his brother into a hug and making Dean feel tiny because of his size, then releasing him and giving Castiel just as big a hug.
Next Dean got hugged by Bobby and Ellen as they also congratulated him, Castiel was busy being hugged by both his brothers at the same time. Dean didn’t get hugged by the other Novak’s, but he did get a handshake and a slap on the back from them both. When everyone had sat back down Bobby asked a question that no one else had even thought to ask yet.
“How far along are you Cas?” He asked curiously.
“About 12 and a half weeks” Castiel said, smiling as he was unable to hide how happy he was that everyone was okay with the pregnancy.
“So Dean that day off on Thursday cause Cas was sick??” Bobby questioned his nephew.
“We found out it was possible Wednesday night, and Thursday I took Cas to the doctor to make sure. Ohh that reminds me.” He said, digging in his pocket. “Here’s the ultrasound photo.” Dean said, handing it to his uncle who passed it around the table.
“I’m gonna be an uncle!” Sam said excitedly as he looked at the picture.
“I’m gonna spoil that kid so much, it had better have a sweet tooth just like it’s uncle.” Gabriel said.
“Ohh no.” Castiel groaned, leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder. “Dean, our kids gonna be so fat.”
Everyone at the table laughed very loud at that. They all decided as it was a special occasion to order dessert, but before it arrived a waitress passed their table with another table’s main course and Castiel felt his stomach lurch. He jumped up and ran to the bathroom.
“Cas?” Dean called after him, voice laced with concern. He excused himself from the table and ran after Castiel, everyone watching them. Simply watching the way Dean reacted towards Castiel proved his feelings for him, making certain that his brothers no longer had any doubts as to whether Dean would hurt their brother.
“I think the morning sickness doesn’t just hit Cas in the morning.” Michael said to the table, hoping his brother was okay.
“Cas?” Dean called as he entered the bathroom, although he could clearly see where he was. There were only two stalls, and his feet were sticking out from the far stall. “Are you okay?” Dean asked.
“Yeah, sorry. Just smelt something and suddenly had to throw up.” Castiel said as he got up and went to rinse his mouth at the sink, also splashing some water onto his face to wash the slight sheen of sweat away.
“Here, I have some mints.” Dean said, holding one out to Castiel, who took it gratefully. It wasn’t like he had a toothbrush with him.
They made their way back to the table, Castiel apologizing for his sudden departure.
“It’s okay sweetie.” Ellen said. “I’ve been there. It’s not a fun part of pregnancy. But if you’re in your 12th week it should stop very soon.”
“Thank you.” Castiel said, feeling grateful that he had such a loving family around him.
All in all the night had gone a lot better than either Dean or Castiel had expected, but as they crawled into bed in Castiel’s apartment, they were very glad that it had gone so well. Dean had a feeling that this pregnancy was going to be a lot easier for Castiel now that he knew he had so many people on his side.
By the fifth month of Castiel’s pregnancy Dean was spending practically every night at his boyfriend’s apartment. With his hormones all different to normal he was emotional and horny most of the time, sometimes needing to have sex multiple times a day. Dean was getting exhausted, almost like he was the one carrying their child. Between work, helping Castiel pack up his apartment for the move, and trying to keep up with Castiel’s increased sex drive he felt like he barely had a moment to himself these days. But he wasn’t going to complain, he was much too excited about becoming a father. They had been having regular ultrasound appointments to check on the baby’s progress and were delighted to hear each time that the baby was perfectly healthy. At their last appointment they had been asked if they wanted to know the gender of the baby, but they had both previously decided they would rather be surprised when it was born.
By the sixth month mark not much had changed, except that Castiel was slightly less emotional, and he and Dean had started shopping for items for the nursery. When purchasing the bigger items such as the crib and change table they got them delivered to Dean’s apartment, as they were fairly sure they wouldn’t fit them in the impala, and it was better than sending them to Castiel’s as they would just have to move them to Dean’s place eventually anyway. The smaller items such as clothes, toys and blankets were easily placed in the trunk and bought home with them.
When Castiel reached the seventh month of his pregnancy Dean had developed a habit of resting his hand on his stomach whenever he was close enough to touch him, rubbing his hand in an almost massage across the large bump where their baby was resting comfortably, slowly growing. The first weekend into Castiel’s seventh month was moving day. Everything that Castiel was taking with him to Dean’s apartment, now their apartment, was all boxed up and sitting in the front room ready to go. Other items that were bigger, such as Castiel’s bed, couch, chairs and tables were the only things left to deal with, but as they were being put into storage, and were much too big to be transported in either Dean or Castiel’s cars, they had hired a small moving truck for the day that Sam and Gabriel were going to help them with.
Sam and Gabriel arrived at around 8 in the morning. Together with Dean’s help they managed to carry the tables, chairs, and the couch (which was a difficult one to maneuver) down the stairs and out to the truck. Castiel kept trying to help, but all three of them refused to let him. They were not going to risk the health of the baby for a little extra help that would potentially make the move faster. Next was the bed. To get this one out of the room they were going to have to take it apart, so they started with moving the mattress out of the room and setting Gabriel with the task of wrapping it up in plastic so that it stayed in good condition and nice and clean. From there Sam and Dean started to dismantle the bed, piling the pieces to the side of the room. It took a while to get everything for the bed down to the truck, starting with the mattress, which really needed a fourth person due to its size, but they made do with three. The rest of the bed was easy in comparison. When they were satisfied that all the big items had been removed, they started carrying the boxes down as well, first filling up Dean’s car, then Castiel’s. They both had cars that didn’t have a lot of room to fit boxes, so there were a few boxes left over that they put into the truck before heading back up and checking that they had absolutely everything. Before leaving, Castiel and Dean stopped by the landlord’s apartment on the bottom floor and returned the key, accepting his well wishes for them.
First they all headed to the storage unit, unloading all the furniture into it as quickly as they possibly could. It still took a while and when they were done they were all tired and hungry, so they decided to stop at a small diner nearby for lunch before heading to the apartment. They sat in a small booth, Dean as close to Castiel as was possible in public, his hand placed protectively over their baby. Sam and Gabriel sat opposite them, sharing looks that would make passers by perhaps think that they might also be a couple, but everyone at their table knew that the looks were based purely on their brother’s relationship and knowledge that they were now so close to becoming uncles.
“So exactly when did you two decide to move in together? Cause I remember you mentioning it when you told us all about the baby, but that was a few months ago.” Gabriel asked as they ate their lunch.
“Umm, the day we found out for certain Cas was pregnant I think.” Dean answered casually. “He just wanted to stay in his own apartment for a bit longer.”
“Okay, can I ask why you decided to?” Gabriel probed further. As much as he liked Dean and was glad that his brother was happy, he couldn’t help feeling that maybe they were only doing it because of the baby, not because they actually wanted to.
“Cas had a little freak out about his apartment not being big enough for the addition of a baby, so I asked if he wanted to move in with me. It’s not like I hadn’t already thought about it before then though.” Dean explained, earning him looks from everyone, including Castiel.
“You had?” Castiel asked.
“Well yeah, when you graduated college and were looking for a place I considered asking you to move in, I only didn’t because I didn’t want you to freak out about moving to fast or anything. So when the baby came along and you had your little freak out, I didn’t even think about it, just asked.”
Castiel smiled and leaned in to kiss Dean, placing his hand on Dean’s knee under the table, deepening the kiss and running his hand up Dean’s thigh, getting closer and closer to…”Okay, hold up there horny.” Dean said, breaking off from the kiss. “We’re in public.”
Castiel just pouted, and Dean laughed, while Sam and Gabriel groaned, feeling that they shouldn’t have to witness this stuff.
“Come on guys, save it till you’re alone.” Sam complained.
“Yeah.” Gabriel agreed. “You’re going to make me sick if I have to watch that.”
“Sorry guys, he can’t help it. Hormones and shit.” Dean reasoned as Castiel went back to his food looking very embarrassed. The rest of lunch was mostly silent as three out of the four of them were embarrassed about the little groping incident, only Dean was unaffected, but then it was time to head to the apartment so they could finish moving all Castiel’s stuff. It was a much quicker unpack this time than the storage unit though as they simply decided to just pile all the boxes up in the living room and sort them out later. While he still had some help though, Dean asked Sam and Gabriel to stick around a little longer and help him set up the baby furniture they had purchased about a month ago but had just been sitting in the nursery since then in the boxes it had all come in. Unfortunately for them, the instructions were all in pictures, no words, so it took longer than any of them would like to admit to put it all together with quite a few arguments on what they were supposed to put where, and lots of swearing when things didn’t fit right. Castiel had offered to help, but once again was told no so he went into the main bedroom and started putting some of his cloths away instead. He didn’t have too much to put away cloths wise though as half of what he owned appeared too already be there from all the time he had spent at Dean’s apartment. Most of all he had left to put away were his newer clothes, all the maternity items that were all he could currently fit into.
They all stayed that night for dinner, after taking the truck back to the rental place, Dean cooking dinner for everyone and then chilling in front of the tv with beer, water for Castiel. It was quite a pleasant evening in the end. Castiel and Dean drove Sam and Gabriel home, each with their respective brother, thanking them for all their help. Dean arrived back before Castiel and quickly cleaned up the kitchen and living room from their evening so that they could go straight to bed when Castiel got back. Of course Dean completely forgot that he hadn’t given Castiel his own key yet, so he was confused when he heard a knock on the door, wondering who it could possibly be.
“Hey, why’d you knock? You live here now? Dean asked.
“I don’t have a key.” Castiel said.
“Right, I forgot to give it to you. There’s one in the kitchen for you. Anyway, welcome home Cas!” Dean said, smiling at his boyfriend and pulling him into his arms for a kiss. Their kiss quickly got heated, and they went to bed to continue what Castiel had tried to start at the diner at lunch.
The next two months saw Dean and Castiel preparing even more thoroughly for the baby. Now that they were living together it was easier to make sure that they had everything they needed as the nursery came together. Around the time Castiel reached his eighth month, he stopped going into the office for work, instead working from home, do as much as he possibly could. That continued for two weeks until his boss told him as he was so close to his due date, and babies could come early especially if he was stressed that it was time for him to start his maternity leave, so Castiel did. He didn’t like it very much though. He was used to having a busy schedule and always having things to do. Now though all Castiel had to do was sit around the apartment reading books or watching tv all day until Dean got home from work. Around lunch time every day he would receive a call from Dean, just checking in on him, always ready to rush home if Castiel went into labor, and Castiel would assure Dean that he was fine, just a little bored. He had also taken to going for a walk every day, usually doing so right after Dean had finished his call. He would spend about an hour outside enjoying the fresh air. As soon as Dean would get home from work he was always super attentive to Castiel. As much as moving in with someone could take some people a while to become accustomed to the new arrangement, Dean and Castiel had settled into it immediately, as thought they had never lived apart. Dean was the happiest he could remember ever being, and he could see that Castiel was equally as happy. All they had left to do now was start counting down to the due date, the day that they would finally meet the little bundle of joy that they had created together.
It was a Monday evening around 10pm when Castiel went into labor. He and Dean had finished a late dinner and were just sitting on the couch going through a list and making sure they definitely had everything they needed for the baby, also another list to make sure Castiel’s go bag was ready with what he needed when labor did start. Dean was ticking off the final item when Castiel gasped in mild pain and surprise, a hand moving to his stomach instantly.
Dean looked up concerned. “Cas? Are you okay?” He asked, then noticing that Castiel’s light grey sweats were a lot darker around the crotch area and looked wet.
“Dean, I think my water just broke.” Castiel said, trying to keep his voice calm.
“We got this Cas, the bag is ready with everything you need, lets just get you a dry pair of pants and a jacket and we will head to the hospital okay. Just stay there, I’ll get them for you.” Dean hurried into their bedroom and grabbed what he needed, the to go bag, a pair of pants and two jackets. It was cold outside so he would need one for himself as well as one for Castiel. Helping Castiel change his pants was more of an effort than it should have been, halfway through getting them off he was rocked with a large contraction that had him crying out in pain and gripping the couch so tight his knuckles turned white. Dean coached him through the pain, breathing with him the way he had been taught to in their birthing class, and then finished the job. Once he was changed and they both had their jackets on Dean grabbed his wallet and keys and helped Castiel to the car, holding his hand the entire drive to the hospital, counting two more contractions on the way if the small cry’s from Castiel along with the death grip on Dean’s hand were any indication.
The nurse that met them at reception led them up to the maternity ward and Dean was relieved when they had a private room. He helped Castiel change into a hospital gown and sat with him for about ten minutes trying to keep him calm and comforted as they waited for a doctor.
“Hello Mr. Novak.” The doctor said, walking into the room with a clipboard in his hand that must have held all Castiel’s details. “I have been informed that your waters have broken, is this correct?”
Castiel simply nodded as another contraction hit him and he felt he couldn’t speak. The doctor waited till it was over to speak again himself. “I can see your partner paid a lot of attention in birth class, you’re doing a great job there Mr. ….” He quickly checked the file again to find Dean’s name. “Winchester. I just need to do a quick examination now to see how far dilated you are Mr. Novak. I do apologise beforehand, a lot of patients find this to be quite invasive, but it is a necessity so that I know where you are at in your labor. Is that okay?”
“Yes that’s fine.” Castiel said, pushing the sheet off himself and allowing the doctor to check, choosing to look at Dean the whole time. It did feel quite invasive when someone other than your partner was touching you in such an intermit place. Dean just squeezed Castiel’s hand in a reassuring manner.
“It looks like you are progressing quite well so far. I’m afraid you are only at a few centimeters though, so it will still be a few hours yet I think before it’s time to deliver this baby. I will check on you every half hour just to be sure, and if anything feels more painful than your current contractions or simply not right, press the call button and let us know.” Castiel nodded again as the doctor gave him this information. “I see here that you have chosen to have an epidural, I would just like to check that is still the case before we administer it?”
“Yes, I do still want that.” Castiel confirmed.
“That’s fine, there’s no shame in that. Childbirth can be very painful. I would also like to check that you are not allergic to any medications or drugs of any kind? Right now everything looks good, but just in case we need to perform an emergency C-section we need to know if there is anything we can’t give you.”
“I don’t really know, but I don’t think I’m allergic to anything.” Castiel said.
“Very well. I’ll leave you alone for a while now. I will be back in half an hour, and just remember, anything at all press the call button.” With that the doctor left and Castiel turned his gaze back to Dean.
“I guess now we just wait.” Dean said.
“Yeah, argh.” Castiel cried out as another contraction hit him. Dean did the same coaching he had been doing so far to help Castiel through the pain.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Dean asked when the contraction was done. He felt pretty helpless right now, it’s not like he could take Castiel’s pain away.
“Read to me.” Castiel said, almost sounding like a child as he did so.
It was something that Castiel always liked when he wasn’t feeling well. Whenever he had had a cold or the flu throughout there relationship so far he always liked Dean to read to him, so it made sense to the older man that he would want that now when he was in the most pain he had ever experienced in his life to date. Dean rummaged in the bag they had and found a book that Castiel had packed, then nudged him forward a bit on the bed and got up on it behind him, fitting Castiel comfortably into the V of his legs. He wound his arms around Castiel so that he could see the book as well and hooked his chin over Castiel’s shoulder starting to read to him. The reading itself was slow going as Dean stopped every time Castiel had a new contraction and helped him through it, Castiel sometimes grabbing one of Dean’s hands causing him to drop the book, sometimes gripping his leg where he could reach it. Every half an hour the doctor came back as promised and checked Castiel again to see how his labor was progressing. Around 7 am Castiel was exhausted having been awake for about 24 hours, his contractions now coming a lot closer together, so Dean had put the book down, not bothering to continue reading. When Castiel felt like the contractions weren’t stopping for breaks he asked Dean to press the call button, the doctor arriving a few minutes after. He checked Castiel again and announced that he was ready to start delivering the baby. Dean got off the bed and moved beside it, still close enough to Castiel for him to squeeze his hand when he needed. The doctor called a nurse in to assist him, and they started to guide Castiel through the final part of his labor, instructing him to push whenever he got the urge. Each contraction was a lot more painful now, and Castiel screamed through most of them. It physically hurt Dean to see his boyfriend in so much pain, he wanted nothing more than to take it away, or to trade places with him and be the one on the bed giving birth instead. After about half an hour of pushing they got what sounded like the best news possible at that moment from the doctor.
“Okay Mr. Novak, one more big push is all I need from you on the next contraction.” The doctor said.
“No.” Castiel moaned. “I can’t do it.”
“Cas, look at me.” Dean said, squeezing his boyfriends’ hand reassuringly. Castiel reluctantly opened his eyes and looked at Dean. “You can do it.” Castiel shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but Dean didn’t let him. “Yes you can. You can do this. You are the strong one of the two of us. If anyone can do this it’s you. Just one more push and this part will all be over.”
“I need you to push now Mr. Novak.” The doctor said.
“Just one more push Cas. Squeeze my hand as hard as you need and push.” Dean encouraged.
Castiel squeezed Dean’s hand so hard he thought a few of his fingers may be broken, but Dean didn’t complain, and screamed as one final contraction slammed through his body, and a moment later a small cry broke the air to announce the arrival of their child. Castiel sagged back against the bed, his grip on Dean loosening as the relief that it was over washed through him. The doctor asked Dean if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord, and Dean didn’t want to let go of Castiel’s hand, but he also didn’t want to miss the chance to have this experience either. He wanted to cut the cord. After the cord was cut, Castiel tried to sit up, but his body was so weak that he couldn’t hold himself up, so Dean slid behind him on the bed, allowing Castiel to sit up but with Dean there to lean against. Only a minute later the nurse had finished cleaning the baby up and walked over to them with their tiny little human wrapped in a blanket.
“Congratulations, you have a son.” She said as she placed the baby in Castiel’s arms.
Castiel turned his head to look at Dean, a tear running down one cheek. “We have a son Dean.” He said.
“Yeah Cas, we do. I’m so proud of you.” He said, tears starting to well up in his own eyes as he looked down upon their little miracle and was met with wide eyes that were the exact same shade of blue as Castiel’s, and he placed a gentle kiss to Castiel’s lips. Unfortunately their little moment was interrupted when the nurse came back with some paperwork that she had already filled out most of.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you have a name yet?” She asked kindly, watching them with a small smile that showed she clearly loved her job and seeing the families together after a new life was bought into the world.
“Umm no we haven’t.” Castiel said.
“That’s okay.” She said. “There is plenty of time. For now we can just put baby Novak on the tag, and you just let us know when you have a name.” The nurse was about to leave when Castiel said something that stopped her. “I’m sorry, what was that?” She asked politely.
“Baby Novak-Winchester.”
The nurse nodded and headed to the door. “I’ll leave you three alone for a few minutes.” And then she left the room.
“Cas?” Dean asked.
“Yes.”
“Novak-Winchester?” He questioned.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to you first, I just want the baby to have a piece of both of us in in his name.” Castiel explained.
“I have no problem with it Cas, in fact I love it. But are you sure you want it that way around?” Dean asked.
“What do you mean?” Castiel asked confused by what Dean was talking about.
“Well on paperwork and official documents it will say Novak-Winchester, but people will most likely just call him Winchester as it’s the second name and shorter than saying both together.” Dean explained.
“I’m fine with that.” Castiel said, staring down into his sons face with a small smile on his face.
Okay, now what about his first name?” Dean asked.
“What about Jack?” Castiel suggests.
“Jack? I like it. Where did you get that name from?”
Castiel blushed. “It’s stupid, but when I was a kid Jack and the Beanstalk was my favorite story.”
Dean laughed, he laughed so hard his whole body was moving. “I’m sorry Cas, but that’s funny.” Even Castiel managed a small chuckle at Dean’s reaction. “Okay, Jack it is. Jack Novak-Winchester.”
Soon enough the nurse came back in to take Jack to the nursery and give Castiel some rest. Dean and Castiel told her their name choice and she finished the paperwork before she took Jack. Dean got up from the bed so that Castiel could lie down and rest, and he fell asleep almost instantly. Dean slipped outside the room quietly to make a few calls, letting their families know that the baby had been born and know that they could come visit tomorrow also letting Bobby know he wouldn’t be in for work for a few days, then going back into the room to sit beside Castiel and just watched him sleep. The day past in a bit of a blur as Dean and Castiel drifted in and out of sleep, Castiel feeding Jack a few times.
It wasn’t until the next morning that Dean first left Castiel’s side, going down the road to a bakery to get some pastries and coffee for them for breakfast. They ate their food together and then a nurse came in with Jack for another feed and the discharge papers, saying that they could sign them now, but it would still be a few hours before they could actually leave as a doctor needed to give Castiel a quick check up to make sure there were no complications from the birth, and a pediatrician had to do the same with Jack, she would come back to let them know when they could go. Within an hour Castiel had been checked and given the all clear to leave, but the pediatrician won’t make it to the hospital for another two hours, so Dean and Castiel are sitting on the hospital bed together, just staring down at their little boy in silence, when their families arrived to meet him. Dean would have stood up to introduce his son to them, but he is very comfortable where he is with Castiel sitting between his legs, leaning back into his chest, cradling Jack against his own chest. So he did the introduction from where he was.
“Everyone, I’d like you all to meet Jack Novak-Winchester.” He said proudly, smiling so big his face muscles were actually hurting, but he didn’t care, he was so happy.
“Novak-Winchester?” Gabriel questioned, as he watched Sam happily smiling down at his nephew as he cradled him gently, reaching out his own arms to get his own hold of his new nephew.
“That was my choice.” Castiel said by way of explanation, not feeling the need to explain any further.
Sam, Bobby, Ellen, Gabriel, and Michael all stared down at Jack in amazement, taking turns holding him.
When they were finally allowed to leave the hospital Dean and Castiel headed straight home, settling a sleeping Jack into his crib. Standing at the bedroom door watching him sleep, Dean stood behind Castiel, his arms wrapped around his waist.
“We will be fine Cas, you, me and Jack. We’ll be a perfect little family.” Dean said.
“Yes we will. I love you Dean.”
“I love you too Cas.”