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"Sammy won't let me watch G.I. Joe!"
Dee's voice was frantic and whiny as he came flying into the kitchen, clutching his tiny Impala Matchbox car like a security blanket. His face was red and his brow was furrowed as if his brother had just committed the most offensive crime in history.
Castiel simply glanced at him and sighed as he grabbed a coffee mug from the cupboard. They had been doing this long enough that he should have been prepared today, and yet he still wasn't ready for the impending meltdown. Dean hadn't slept much last night, and any time he was extra tired, his crankiness spilled over into Littletime. He calmly finished pouring his cup of coffee before finally turning around. "We talked about this earlier, Bumblebee. You know Sammy asked to watch TV first. You'll get your turn when his show is over."
"But I'll miss G.I. Joe! And Sammy always watches stupid things! Nature shows," he scoffed before blowing a raspberry. "I want to watch cartoons!"
Cas frowned and began heading back to the living room with a pouty Dee trailing closely behind him. He always found it interesting that 'little' Dean threw temper tantrums. He was certain that John Winchester never put up with that type of behavior when they were children - Not that he was around much. And yet, despite his absence, and years of pawning off his parental duties, Dean still thought his father had hung the moon. Castiel knew that John had been thrown into a terrible situation, and he did the best he could despite his own descent into madness, trying to keep his boys safe from a yellow-eyed demon. Still, there were plenty of times where he could have tried harder, and it was hard not to be angry when seeing the visible damage it had done. Dean Winchester was one of the most selfless people he knew. But he had never been allowed to be selfish, even as a child. He'd made so many sacrifices before the age of ten, Cas figured a tantrum from time to time was to be expected. Now that he was allowed a childhood experience, he could let loose and express all of the emotions he had to swallow down before. Of course, that didn't mean Cas wasn't going to let him run wild either. Structure and obedience were two things Dee struggled with, and Cas was trying his best to be a firm father figure in this scenario.
"I'm sorry, Little One," Cas said. "You know the rules."
"But I..."
"Do you need to go have a nap?" Cas interrupted. "You didn't get much sleep last night, and you seem a little cranky today."
Dean had driven them home after a late night of hunting, and awoke early to work on some damage Baby had taken, despite Cas's insistence to come back to bed. At least a dozen times today, Dean had insisted he just wasn't tired - and yet, here they were, hissy fit about to begin. Though Cas figured his regressed age to be around eight, he really did act like a toddler sometimes when he was overly sleepy.
"No! I'm not tired! And I'm not cranky!" Dee stomped his way back to the living room, hoping to annoy Sammy enough that he'd give up on trying to watch TV, while Cas just followed silently.
"Stupid show. Stupid Sammy," he muttered under his breath as he flung himself onto the couch next to his brother.
Cas gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. He hated this part - he loved Littletime, but discipline was not his strong suit. "Okay. That's enough. You don't call your brother stupid," he admonished. "Sammy, sweetheart?"
"Hmm?" Sammy glanced up from the nature show he'd been watching.
"I'm going to put your brother down for a nap. Will you be okay here for a few minutes? You can come up too if you'd like."
Sam didn't even look away from his show as he spoke. "I'll be fine here. You can go."
"Okay." Cas reached down and grabbed Dee's hand, sternly pulling him to his feet. "Come on."
"No! I'm not going to nap. I'm not going!" Dee protested, digging in his heels. "I'm not tired!"
Cas steeled his jaw and continued. Oh how he hated this part. "Yes you are. You're so sleepy you can barely keep your eyes open. Come on, Bumblebee. It's naptime." Without another word, he scooped him up, slinging him over his shoulder as he effortlessly began carrying him up the stairs.
Dee huffed and kicked his feet the entire way, but Cas held firm. "Put me down!" he yelled. "I'm not tired!"
Cas just sighed and continued until he reached his bedroom, finally lying him down on the mattress. "Do you want your PJs on?" he asked, certain he already knew the answer.
"No," Dee grumbled, tiny little tears of indignant humiliation filling his eyes. His entire body was heaving from struggling and he drew a deep breath as a tear spilled over his cheek.
"Fine. Lie down with me for a few minutes," Cas instructed. He wiggled the blankets out from under Dee and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up over the two of them.
"Why do I have to sleep?" Dee asked weakly. His body had stopped fighting, knowing full well that he wasn't going to win this fight. Exhaustion was making everything feel limp and heavy, and his eyelids were drooping as he continued his weak protest. "Sammy's not sleeping."
Cas rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his elbow. "Because," he started, "You're tired, Dee. Stop fighting it. We'll have lots of time to play when you wake up." He rubbed a hand over his stomach in a soothing motion, trying to lull him to sleep.
"How do you know I'm tired?" Dee murmured. He grabbed the nearby teddy bear on the bed, wrapping it in his arms as his eyes fluttered closed again, despite his desperate attempts to keep them open.
Cas hummed in amusement. "Just a lucky guess. I love you, Bumblebee. I'll see you in a little bit." Dee nodded his head as sleep slowly starting to overtake him, and Cas began tiptoeing out of the bedroom.
"Wait!" Dee struggled to sit up, despite his eyes still being firmly closed.
"Yes?"
"I love you too. I... I'm sorry I was mean," he mumbled sheepishly, slumping back down onto his pillow. "I'll tell Sammy too when I wake up."
Cas smiled and returned to him, gently tucking him back into bed. "I know, baby. I forgive you. And it would be very nice of you to apologize to Sammy. But for now, get some sleep, Little One." He planted a soft kiss on his forehead before quietly closing the door and heading back down the stairs. Cas loved his boys to death, but there was a certain feeling of relief that washed over him when grumpy Dee finally gave in to naptime.
When he returned to the living room, Sammy was still in the same spot on the couch, clutching a stuffed animal in one hand as he watched his TV show. Whereas Dee was obsessed with a tiny, diecast car, Sammy had grown fond of a stuffed green stegosaurus that he carried with him everywhere. Outside of Littletime, he'd even admitted to keeping it in his bedroom and sleeping with it from time to time, which made Cas giddy with delight. For someone who had been so insistent that he didn't need this, he'd certainly become comfortable over the last few months.
"Hey, Tiger," Cas said softly, settling down on the couch next to him. "Thank you for being so helpful today. You were so good at making lunch with me earlier."
Sammy blushed and smiled self-consciously. He still wasn't good at accepting praise, but he was slowly getting better. "You're welcome."
"What are you watching?"
"It's a Discovery Kids show about bugs," Sammy said matter-of-factly. "Did you know there are six to ten million species of insects?"
"Wow. I honestly had no idea," Cas said, turning his attention to the television.
Sammy grinned proudly at sharing his newfound knowledge. "You're just in time," he said in a hushed voice. "Here comes the part about bees." He hugged his dinosaur tightly as he watched, quickly getting engrossed once again as the narrator droned on about the life cycle of honeybees.
"Dee was really grumpy today," Sammy suddenly blurted.
"Yeah," Cas agreed. "He gets grumpy when he's tired. You boys didn't sleep very much last night. He said he's very sorry though."
Sammy nodded. "It's okay. I'm a little bit tired too."
"Yeah? Do you want to go have a nap?"
"I don't know," Sammy murmured. "Can I just watch TV with you and maybe nap on the couch?"
Cas smiled. While Dee tended to get mean and ornery when he was overly tired, Sammy got docile and needy. "Of course you can. Come here," he motioned.
Sammy smiled and happily leaned into him as Cas wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Why do you like bees so much?" he murmured, snuggling in as he turned his attention back to the TV.
"I don't know," Cas soothed, gently stroking his hair. "I think they're very interesting. The way they build their homes, and the way they gather food and make honey... And they're very organized. Each bee has a job to do."
Sammy nodded. "I like how honeybees can fly up to fifteen miles per hour."
"They can?"
"Mmmhmm," Sammy nodded, not tearing his eyes away from the screen.
Cas chuckled warmly. "You're like a little sponge sucking up all this information."
Sammy blushed, hugging his dinosaur to hide his face. "I just like to learn," he mumbled.
"Well," Cas said, "I think it's wonderful. You're so smart. Maybe you and I can read that new dinosaur book to Dee before bed tonight,"he suggested. "I bet it's full of new things to learn."
"Okay," Sammy agreed happily. "Speaking of dinosaurs, I never named this one," he said, holding up his toy. His voice was sleep-heavy now, and he covered his mouth to hide a huge yawn.
"You're right. What's a good name for a stegosaurus? Maybe... Steve?"
"Noooo," Sammy shook his head and yawned again. "Hmm. I think I'll call him Dee."
"Dee? Why Dee?"
"Because sometimes he gets grumpy like Dee," he giggled tiredly.
Cas couldn't help but laugh at his sleepy hysterics. "You're silly. Do you think it's time to turn the TV off for a bit? You look awfully tired."
Sammy rubbed at his eyes and nodded. "Okay," he agreed.
Cas picked up the remote control and flicked the TV off and the room went silent. "Close your eyes for a bit, Tiger," he whispered. "Get some rest."
Sammy nodded again and cuddled up tightly, letting his eyes slip closed as Cas planted a gentle kiss on the top of his head. Within minutes, his breathing became deep and slow, and Cas could tell he was already losing him to sleep. He sighed in contentment and he closed his eyes too, thinking of how wonderfully different his boys were.
Now that they had grown comfortable with this arrangement, it was so fascinating to watch their 'little' personalities develop. They were still both incredibly sweet and loving, but aside from that, they couldn't be more different. Dee had been tentative and shy when they started this, but now he was confident and strong-willed. He had a playful, rebellious streak that got him in trouble every so often, but he was a good boy at heart.
Sammy had easily fallen into the big brother role. He had also been anxious when they started, and while he wasn't really nervous anymore, he was still somewhat shy. At first, Cas worried that he was wasn't comfortable with this new situation, but he'd come to realize that it was just part of his personality. He was shy, bookish, and eager to please. He was helpful around the house, and he loved helping Cas take care of his little brother. Where Dee was rebellious, Sammy played by the rules, and Cas had yet to even admonish him since they'd begun playing. Cas knew what would happen when Littletime was over - Sam would immediately be embarrassed that he'd been so openly raw and vulnerable. They weren't exactly touchy-feely in their normal lives, so he still had a hard time justifying why he was such a needy 'little'. Cas, of course, didn't mind at all. Whatever his boys needed, he would provide.
It was so comfortable and quiet, that before he realized, nearly an hour had passed. He had been sitting there with his eyes closed, not quite sleeping, but not totally lucid either when a tiny voice made him startle.
"Daddy?"
Cas would never get tired of hearing that word. Even now, goosebumps prickled his arms just hearing how the term rolled so easily from his boys' mouths. He slowly opened his eyes to see Dee sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of him.
"Hey, Bumblebee," he whispered warmly. "Feel better now?"
Dee nodded. "A little," he whispered back. "I was going to watch cartoons, but I don't want to wake Sammy."
Cas smiled. There was that sweet, considerate boy again. It was amazing what havoc lack of sleep could create. "That's very kind of you, baby. But I think you could turn it on quietly if you'd like."
Dee paused for a moment as he considered this, looking longingly at the TV. "No," he finally shook his head. "I don't want to wake him. I can watch later. Can I sit with you?"
"Of course." Cas held out his free arm and Dee launched himself at him, happily burying his face in Cas's chest as he snuggled in.
"Mmm," Dee hummed blissfully. "Cuddles are better than TV anyway," he said, wrapping an arm around Cas's waist.
"I think so too," Cas whispered. "Still sleepy?"
Dee nodded, his eyelids slowly fluttering closed. Despite their attempt to be quiet, Sammy stirred a bit as they spoke. He lazily opened his eyes and reached out to grip Dee's forearm. "Hey Dee," he murmured before his eyelids drooped again.
Cas let his own eyes close, sighing happily as he pulled them in a little closer. No matter how trying young boys could be sometimes, these moments made it all worthwhile. "Sleep a bit longer, Little Ones," he whispered, planting a soft kiss on each of their foreheads. "Daddy loves you so much."