Penance { for Lizardwhisperer

[Nene]

"Mm..." Cas thought about that and he nodded, "alright, I will try it, Dean." he said and he whined softly as his tummy grumbled. Cas became grumpy once more and kicked the back of Dean's seat, but he calmed some when they arrived at the diner and were seated fast.

Sam took the time to cut the burger for Cas, as the burger, the bun and all the fixings would be too large for baby Cas to even hold in his hands. "Well, tomorrow morning you'll have a nutritious breakfast, and a healthy lunch," he hoped to somehow balance Cas' diet. He found he wanted to spoil their angel friend as did his brother but he knew the importance of healthy eating. Cas pouted and waited as patiently as he could, and when Sam was done cutting his meal up into smaller pieces, Cas dug in, happily enjoying the burger. It was so yummy - he never expected something so mundane to be so delightful.

"Well, I know you said you didn't have to go, but I think you should try," Sam suggested and Cas shook his head again. Sam sighed, giving in for now, and heading to the bathroom himself.

Cas burped, rubbing his tummy and pushing the plate away, and when Sam rose to use the bathroom, he too rose. Cas wandered out of the restaurant, wanting to go to where he heard the pings and bells, and saw the pretty lights. He slipped out of the diner, unnoticed by most; a young man behind the counter noticed him slip out and he went to Dean who had emerged from the restroom, "excuse me," he wasn't a very loud individual and he moved to tap Dean's shoulder, but he withdrew his hand. He swallowed thickly, "excuse me," he said again, this time louder, "if you're looking for a little boy with brown hair, h-he's outside."

Cas wandered across the packed lot, not bothering to look both ways and as Dean stepped out of the diner, he witnessed a car coming very close to turning the corner and hitting Cas. Cas didn't know the danger he put himself in.

[Lizardwhisperer]

"What the Hell...?"
Dean peered out the window, in time to see someone small, darting headlong through the parking lot. He threw a handful of cash at the kid behind the counter and yelled over his shoulder, "Tell my brother," as he charged out the door yelling Cas' name. Dean looked around in a panic, as he ran between the parked cars, his eyes returning again and again to the road ahead.
"CAS! CAAAAASSS!!!"
The hunter turned quickly, at a movement--"Oh God, Cas, STOP!"
Dean dove and tackled the little angel, the two rolling into traffic. Tires screeched and horns blared--and somehow, Dean and Cas were still alive.
I'm gonna kill him, thought Dean.

[Nene]

The young man nodded and took the cash, ringing up the bill, and when Sam emerged from the restroom in search of his brother and baby, the young man directed him out the door.

Cas, distracted by the lights and sounds coming from the laundromat hadn't known that the people in the cars barreling toward him in the parking lot and road couldn't see him. Cas wandered into the road and peered over his shoulder at Dean shouting his name, demanding that he stop, and he gasped in surprise when Dean tackled him and they tumbled into the road.

Cas sat up and looked around at the cars, stopped and blaring their horns. One man got out of his car and threw his arms out, "the HELL you doin'!? Get out of the fuckin' road, dingbats!" he demanded, and a woman got out of her car and came to them, gentler than the man that was irate.

"are you two alright? Holy crap!" she questioned them, looking them over. Both Dean and Cas had scrapes from the tumble but they weren't hit and they were still conscious and breathing. Cas teared up and sniffled pitifully as he realized they had both gotten hurt from this. Fortunately, their injuries were only superficial and weren't serious.

Sam's heart practically leapt into his throat as he spotted Dean and Cas, lying on the road, and he ran over, fearing the worst. "Dean! Cas!" he gasped and knelt down, looking them over, "come on, let's get out of the road," he was relieved to find that they weren't hurt or dead.

[Lizardwhisperer]

Dean Winchester had been jumped by all manner of monster, nearly lost his life (actually DID lose his life) over and over, had been shot, stabbed, tortured, and had pizza with Death, but none of it had put the level of fear and panic in him, like the moment the cars came screeching to their stops, around his his angel. He hadn't even cared if he made it. Ignoring his own scraped shin and jacked shoulder, he frantically checked Cas over for injuries. He heard people shouting around them, but all he could see was Cas, until Sam called their names.
Dean let his brother help him out of the road, clutching Cas to his chest the whole time.

"W-we almost lost him, Sammy. We really almost lost him."
Reluctantly, Dean let Sam take the shaken angel to give him a hug of his own--followed by a surprisingly stern Sam lecture.
If Dean didn't know his brother better, he'd swear he sounded like he was gearing up to deliver a John Winchester-style butt-roasting.

[Nene]

Sam breathed in and out to calm himself before he took Cas from Dean. He hugged Cas close to him and kissed the top of his head, but then he became stern, "Cas... Castiel," he began, and the angel peered up at him, sweet angelic blues wide. Sam swallowed hard at the lump that formed in his throat - Cas was so precious but he wasn't innocent and Sam had to resist the look Cas gave him.

"I know you didn't have to worry about this when you were an angel, but you aren't an angel now, and you have to look BOTH WAYS before crossing the road or even in the parking lot - no, scratch that, you shouldn't have been out here at all, we've told you never to leave without us. You're so small, they couldn't see you, you could've gotten hurt a lot worse than these scrapes!" he was shaking, he was so scared by the danger Cas had found himself in - he could've lost Cas AND Dean tonight.

"I'm sorry..." Cas began to apologize but Sam shook his head.

"I know. You're about to be a lot sorrier, though, Cas." he sighed and carefully he rose. Sam helped Dean to his feet and brushed some dirt from his flannel carefully. He attempted to lift Cas up with him, but Cas was having none of that, crying loudly and trying to push Sam away. Cas knew what was coming to him, and Sam was determined to carry him back into that diner and spank his little bare butt. Finally after a fight, Sam lifted Cas under his arm and gave his little bottom a couple of firm smacks, "that's ENOUGH, CASTIEL," he scolded. Cas stopped his attempts to push Sam away and only whined as he was carried across the parking lot.

Sam was angry, scared and worried, and he didn't know if he could do this on his own, but he knew his brother had his back. He peered over his shoulder at Dean, nodding subtly, his brows drawn downward. Normally he would wait until they were back at the bunker but this had to be taken care of now. He hated to do this but he had to and he took Cas into the family restroom in the back of the diner.

[Lizardwhisperer]

Dean followed his brother, proud of Sam’s commitment to staying stern with their boy—Dean was still shaking, inside.
When Sam told Cas he was going to be sorry, Dean knew where they were headed and his brother’s plans. Shaken as he was, with shock and emotion, the hunter was grateful for his brother taking the lead, as he wasn’t sure if he could punish Cas right now—or if he did, if he could know when enough was enough.
They marched their kicking, whining angel to the family bathroom and once inside, Dean leaned against the door and folded his arms. “How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, before it sticks, Cas? You’re not an angel anymore—you’re a little boy and a naughty one, at that. You deserve every last bit of this spanking.”
Still, Dean had to clench his jaw and struggled to watch, while Sam lit up Cas’ little bottom.

[Nene]

Sam seated himself on the closed toilet and put the already crying baby angel over his knee. He breathed slowly, his heart beating fast, but there wouldn't be any time for hesitation. Sam tugged down Cas' little jeans and boxers, and rose his hand, "Cas, do you realize how much danger you were in? Do you understand what could've happened to you? You're not an angel, anymore, and you are able to die from things that could kill humans." his hand came down hard, but not too hard, hard enough for a boy of Cas' age.

Cas yowled and bucked his legs as Sam set to color his baby cheeks red. "I-I'm SORRY, I'm SORRY, I - wuhhhh... I know!! I KNOW!" he sent his hands back to cover his bottom, but Sam was having none of that, and immediately caught those rubbing hands, pinning them to the small of Cas' back and continuing this unpleasant punishment.

"I don't think you do know, Cas, or you wouldn't have left the diner without us." Sam made his point in a couple of hard smacks to Cas' undercurves, which got a yelp and a cry from him. Cas wept and peered over at Dean, hoping for Dean to speak up in his favor and save him, even if he knew he deserved every last smack to his unprotected bottom.

"b-but--! but! I'm-I'm STILL an angel--i-in here!!" Cas insisted and shook his head, brown waves falling in his eyes, "I w-w-want my WIIIINGS!" Cas had a proper fit over his grace and Sam sighed, trying to steel his resolve. There wasn't anything he could do about Cas' grace or his wings or anything - he really tried to make Cas feel better about the whole problem but Cas wasn't wanting to accept it.

"No, you're not, Cas. You're not the way you were, and you aren't getting your wings or your grace back. You're a child and I don't know if you've noticed it yourself, but you're acting more and more like it each day, and now that you're a child, you have to learn what human children have to learn, to be safe, and-and healthy." he paused and thought about what he would say or do next, because, damn, this was hard. This was so damn difficult for him and he was glad that Dean was there to back him up.

As he lit up Cas' bottom, he began to lecture him about looking both ways, and looking out for himself, and not leaving any place without them. Above all, he lectured Cas about what could befall him if he chose to disobey them and they couldn't get to him in time. Sam and Dean would hate for Cas to learn this the hardest way possible - by something terrible happening to him, if he were to even survive such an ordeal. Cas' bitter sobs turned to sorrowful weeping and that's when Sam knew it was time to wrap it up. "You are to always stay close to us, do you understand? If you wander off again, we're calling Gabriel." that got a freaked out cry from Cas, and he nodded, understanding.

"I wuh-wuh-willlll..." Cas bawled and tried to tug his hands free. Sam couldn't keep going, not with Cas this sorry, and he nodded to Dean, before scooping Cas up from his knees and holding him so close to him, rubbing his back.

"Shhh, it's okay... you're forgiven... just... don't... don't scare us like that again, alright, bud?" he asked softly and kissed Cas' warm forehead. Sam dried Cas' tears and rocked him back and forth, "You're alright..." he motioned for Dean to come closer.

[Lizardwhisperer]

As he watched Sam give Cas a thorough spanking, Dean realized that the only thing harder than administering a sore bottom to their angel himself, was sitting by and watching someone else do it. This also sucked.
That said, Dean still felt pride for his brother, lecturing away, as he continued to redden that tiny bottom, through all the cries and begging, struggling and kicking. It was quite a commotion.
When Sam decided the boy had enough, Dean watched his brother cuddle and soothe their little friend--finally able to feel the relief of their near-miss. He patted Cas' hitching back, "Almost lost you--you know I just...couldn't...right?"

[Nene]

Sam closed his eyes and breathed slowly, tearing up some as Cas' sobs tore at his heartstrings. "it's okay... it's okay." he repeated to Cas. Sam looked up to Dean, offering a reassuring smile, to let him know that everything was fine - Sam looked like hell right now and he felt it too. He was overwhelmed by what he'd just done but he knew he would have to get used to it, for Cas' sake.

Cas hid his face in Sam's flannel and he nodded subtly. He knew that neither of them could bear it if they lost him. "m'sorryyyy..." he wept into the soft fabric.

"... Anything could've happened... but we're... we're so relieved that you're safe... and you'll always be safe," he wanted that to be completely the truth but he knew it wasn't - in their line of work, Cas could still encounter the supernatural; though, as long as he was there, in their arms, he would be safe. "there, there..." a lump formed in Sam's throat and his hazel hues darted up to the door when he heard someone pounding on the door, demanding to be let in, as they believed something was very wrong.

"We're fine!" Sam insisted and his own breath hitched - he looked to Dean, hoping for him to say something, anything to get that man on the other side of the door to get lost. The last thing Cas needed was some guy coming in and seeing his well spanked bare bottom.

[Lizardwhisperer]

"Buzz off!"
Dean yelled at the voices, as a fist pounded on the restroom door.
Noticing Sam's look, he added, "Buzz off, please. Everything's fine--it's a family matter. ...Better?"
He gave Sam one of his most charming smiles, as his brother shook his head and handed him their punished boy.

"C'mon. buddy, let's blow this hamburger stand and go find us an ice cream place, what'ya say?" He wiped at Cas' remaining tears and bounced the sore little angel, a bit.
When Cas predictably asked if he could still play pinball, Dean squared off with his friend, eye-to-eye, "Don't push your luck, young man or you and you'll be right over my knee for round two--got it?"

They ignored the stares and whispers, as they left the diner, Cas looking like an obviously just-spanked little boy, sniffling on Dean's shoulder, while he rubbed at the seat of his jeans.