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Cas sat cross-legged on the nursery floor with his back against the crib, Jack tucked comfortably in his lap. He wore soft gray lounge pants and one of Dean’s old Henleys that had been worn thin with time. The sleeves were pushed up exposing his forearms where Jack’s hands were pressed firmly as he held himself up on wobbly little legs.
Jack was cozied up in a purple onesie decorated with yellow stars, the little grips on the feet making imprints in Cas’s thighs through the fabric of his sweats. Jack was bouncing gently, like he was just learning how his knees worked, and babbling happily as he looked into his Papa’s eyes.
Cas smiled softly at him. “You are a miracle, Jack,” he said fondly. “Our whole family is.”
Jack squealed and plopped down on his butt. His hands immediately went to Cas’s shirt, tugging at the fabric and stuffing it in his mouth.
Cas laughed and smoothed a hand through Jack’s wispy hair.
“I loved your Daddy from the moment I met him,” Cas said, voice steady and sincere. “I didn’t know what it was at first—didn’t have the words. I only knew that he made the world seem… brighter. Louder. More complicated. He made me feel things I had no context for.”
Jack blinked up at him with wide blue eyes, full of wonder and trust, then promptly tipped backward, almost toppling off of Cas’s lap.
Cas caught him easily and pulled him back against his chest.
“I had existed for a very long time before I met him,” Cas continued. “But he was the first thing that made me feel present. Fully here. He made me care about the little things and want something bigger all at once.”
Jack slapped Cas’s chest, delighted by the sound.
“Yes,” Cas agreed. “Like you.”
He kissed Jack’s knuckles and went on, voice lowering, more thoughtful.
“Your Daddy, though… he took longer to understand what it meant. He had been hurt before. He didn’t trust love easily. He thought it was something that always came with conditions and an expiration date.”
Cas cupped Jack’s face and planted a kiss on each chubby cheek. “But that’s not how true love works, honeybee. True love transcends human limitations and societal beliefs. And so I waited.”
Jack beamed at the affection and planted his own slobbery “kiss” right on Cas’s nose.
“I didn’t mind waiting,” Cas said. “Because your Daddy is worth waiting for. Because I knew that he would find his way to me when he was ready. Because love is strong enough to break down even the sturdiest of walls.”
Jack yawned then and settled back on his Papa’s lap, burying his face in Cas’s belly.
“But I loved him every second while I waited, even if it was only in the small ways.”
Cas let his hand rest on Jack’s back, rubbing soothing circles.
“The late-night stakeouts I would always make sure to bring a slice of pie on. Watching cheesy Westerns just to see him smile. Being there when he was angry, and hurt, and exhausted. I loved him at every turn. Through the good and the bad. I loved him even on the days when he didn’t think he deserved it. Those days were the most important.”
Jack let out a tired sigh, slowly drifting off.
“One day,” he said, “your Daddy looked at me and finally understood what I had known all along. That love did not weaken him. That it did not take from him. That it was not something waiting to be lost.”
Outside, the nursery, Dean had stopped moving. He lingered by the nursery door, hand resting on the frame, listening.
Cas had heard his footsteps, of course he had, but that didn’t stop his story.
“And when he told me he loved me,” Cas said, voice warm and reverent, “I cried. Not because I was sad, but because I was so relieved that he finally saw himself the way I’ve always seen him—as nothing short of heaven’s greatest creation.”
Dean stepped into view now, eyes wet.
Jack was asleep now, his little body heavy against Cas’s stomach, but still, Cas continued. “And now,” Cas said, eyes on Dean, even as he spoke to Jack. “Now I can love your Daddy freely, not just in the stolen moments. That is a beautiful thing, Jack. And our love has only grown with you in our lives. Because more people to love doesn’t mean love divided, but love multiplied.”
Dean crossed the room and sat beside Cas, watching him with their son. “A love story like that is fit for Hollywood, angel.”
Cas huffed a quiet laugh and nodded down towards Jack. “So good it’s putting audiences to sleep,” he teased.
Dean snorted softly and brushed his fingers against Jack’s cheek.
They sat like that for a moment, the room quiet except for Jack’s snuffles and the gentle hum of the bunker around them.
Dean shifted closer, knee brushing Cas’s, then slid an arm around his waist, palm warm and familiar at his side. He rested his cheek against Cas’s shoulder, eyes drifting closed.
“I’m glad you waited for me.”
“I would’ve waited an eternity for you, Dean Winchester.”
Dean swallowed, then leaned in, brushing his mouth against Cas’s. The kiss was slow and careful, more a promise than anything else. Cas kissed him back, his love manifesting physically as he cherished the tenderness.
Jack stirred briefly at the movement, then settled again.
Dean’s smile was warm when he pulled back. “This kid’s going to know nothing but love. None of that toxicity we’ve lived with.”
Cas’s free hand slid into Dean’s. “He already does,” Cas said gently. “He knows it in the way he is held. In the way he is spoken to. In the way he spends his days smiling.”
Dean let out a slow breath and nodded, pressing his forehead briefly to Cas’s temple. “Good,” he murmured. “He deserves that. We all do.”
They stayed there for another moment. Just the three of them on the nursery floor, shrouded in safety and love. No urgency. No need to move just yet.
Eventually, when his back started to ache, Dean pressed a kiss into Cas’s hair. “C’mon, angel,” he whispered. “Let’s get him to bed.”
Cas nodded, careful as he stood, cradling Jack close to his chest before turning and gently laying Jack in his crib. Dean watched the scene unfold, hand resting on the small of Cas’s back, grounding himself in the moment.
And when the light was dimmed, and Jack settled safely in his crib, Dean’s hand found Cas’s again without looking, and their lips met for another lingering moment of happiness.