Penance { for Lizardwhisperer

[Nene]

"I un'wanna," came Cas' grumpy response, but his grumpiness would be replaced by the sweetest laughter and wriggling about as Sam dried him off and dressed him. He smiled, pleased by the soft fabric of his temporary pajamas, but the pleasure turned to nervousness when he was taken to his room and tucked into bed.

Not wanting to be tucked in, Cas kicked the blankets away and he sat up on his knees, and he peered over the side of the bed. He looked up at Dean at the suggestion of a bedtime story and settled back down on his well punished bottom. It sounded nice, as he already knew he loved to be read to. Cas snorted when Dean poked his nose and turned his attention to Sam as Sam sat at his bedside and cracked open The Wizard of Oz.

As Sam read to him, Cas lowered himself back onto his pillows and curled up close with the blankets. The blankets were soft and he couldn't resist cuddling into them. Those sweet angel blues soon closed, and his breathing slowed and deepened. Sam smiled softly and closed the book at chapter two, and stood as slowly and carefully as he could, not wanting to disturb Cas.

[Lizardwhisperer]

“Is he out?” Sam nodded and Dean handed him a beer, before the brothers walked quietly to the map room. Dean took a long pull off his bottle and shook his head. “Did the Angel of the Lord enjoy his bedtime story?”

They discussed the details of the case they were supposed to start investigating in the morning, then Dean brought up the elephant in the room. “We gotta figure out what we’re gonna do with him, while we hunt, Sam.”

Dean finished his beer, said goodnight to his brother, then headed into his darkened room. He toed off his boots, slipped out of his jeans, and crawled under the covers—where he bumped into a warm invader. “What the...Cas? What’re you doin in my bed, kid?”

[Nene]

When Sam turned the lights out, Cas' sweet blues opened and he sat up. He pushed himself up onto his knees and peered over the edge of the bed, and a thrill of fear went through him when he heard a growl. It was his tummy but he feared a creature had found its way into the bunker, and he leapt out of bed and bolted for Dean's room.

"Yeah, he's out... I think he liked it, yeah, it put him to sleep." Sam replied and he sighed as Dean brought up what they were going to do with Cas when they had to hunt. "I don't think he'd like it if we called Gabriel to babysit... maybe... I don't know, maybe if we're up that way, we could ... leave him with Jody and the girls?" Sam suggested. There weren't many others that they could trust to not hurt Cas and to keep him safe. Dean seemed to like that idea and they decided to sleep on it. Sam said goodnight to his brother and retired to his room, and he was practically out before he even hit the pillow. He'd had a long ass day even before Gabriel brought Cas to them.

Cas looked over his shoulder, relieved to find he'd lost that creature, and he climbed up onto Dean's bed and immediately made himself comfortable beneath the covers and atop the soft memory foam. When Dean came in and discovered him, Cas peered out from beneath the covers, "there was a creature, Dean. I heard it growling, under my bed." he told Dean and those precious blues widened when his tummy growled again. "Th-There it is again...!"

[Lizardwhisperer]

"Huh! You led a garrison, once, Cas--now, you're afraid of your own stomach!"
Dean's comment obviously upset the little angel, so the hunter stretched out beside him and scooped the boy in close, letting him curl into him.

"Shhh, you can stay here tonight--but just for tonight. Get some sleep, buddy, you'll feel better in the morning. We're going on a field trip, I want you to meet some friends of ours."

Dean sighed, as he settled in, the warm little bundle against his chest. With Cas truly curled up to him, Dean absentmindedly rubbed Cas' little round bottom and garnered a small sigh from his young friend. Dean kept rubbing, long past when Cas' breathing evened out and light snores came from below the hunter's chin.

"G'night, little buddy--dream of angelic things--and don't wet my bed."

....

The next morning, Dean woke with a start. He was equally thankful that his bed was dry--but also empty!

"Cas? " Dean jumped out of bed, calling the little angel, through the bunker.

[Nene]

Cas' feathers were ruffled by Dean's comment but he would be over it almost immediately when Dean cuddled him close to him. "o-only for tonight..." Cas began his protest, but he thought about it and those absolutely precious teary angelic blues closed. He hoped he would be grown up again tomorrow. He whimpered and sighed when Dean rubbed his bottom and he huffed hearing Dean tell him not to wet the bed, but he at least hoped he would have pleasant dreams.

The night went by peacefully with no bad dreams and Cas woke in the early morning, an hour before Dean would rise. Slowly he eased himself out of the gentle embrace of Dean's strong arms and as quiet as a baby mouse, he went down to the dungeon. He thought if he found all the ingredients for a spell to re-age him, he would not have to deal with this interruption in his penance and he could take it upon himself once more to punish himself for what he had done. He did not appreciate Gabriel stepping in as he had.

Cas went through the ingredients and read through a spellbook. An hour passed and he still hadn't found what he was looking for. Dean, after frantic searching through every room in the bunker would find him seated on the floor in the dungeon, the very last place that Dean would ever think to look for a young angel. Cas was surrounded by papers, books and various rare ingredients; some ingredients were spilled and scattered on the floor as Cas had dropped their containers.

[Lizardwhisperer]

Dean didn't bother to stop to wake up Sam, aside from calling Cas' name into his brother's room, before darting off to check the other rooms. Exiting the hall, Dean was met by a zombie-like Sam stumbling toward him, hair in an uproar and mumbling about the kitchen and other main rooms being Cas-less. The brothers looked at each other--"The dungeon!" They said, Winsynch.

Dean reached the darkened room, first, feeling instant relief upon spotting young Cas, parked among the books and bottles. Finding the little guy unharmed eased Dean's heart rate a bit, though the hunter's blood still boiled. Dean was nonplussed, watching the boy pour over the text, on his lap, his little bare feet kicking carelessly through a pile of what looked like blessed yarrow, mermaid salt, and--he hoped--some sort of small animal bones.

"Just what do you think you're doing, little man?"

Cas jumped, at Dean's loud voice, dropping the glass vile he held, which shattered on the stone floor. Something green steamed and oozed from the broken shards.

Dean was vaguely aware of his brother in the doorway, as he lunged forward to snatch the barefoot boy out of the pile of sharp and vile things. He held Cas at arm's length, trying not to be deterred by the little angel's big, blue eyes and shook him, to rid his shirt of bits of bone and an unnatural sparkling powder.

"W-what are you doing, Cas? You shouldn't be down here. We couldn't find you and this stuff is dangerous!"

Dean shook his head at Cas' answer and turned to his sleepy brother, "Gabriel was right, Sam. Little Cas here does think he's got all the answers--just like big Cas did." He turned back to the pouting troublemaker, "You know, I've got half a mind to take Gabe up on his offer and call him in for backup--but I don't wanna see his smug-ass face say I told ya so."

Dean looked back at his brother, who was now wide-awake, but not looking happy at all. "We'll have to take care of this ourselves, Sammy. I know you're not one hundred percent on board with this whole spanking thing, so--flip a coin to see who goes first?"

[Nene]

Cas gulped and peered down at the steam and ooze among the broken glass of the vile he dropped, and he yelped when Dean lunged at him and scooped him up and away from the dangerous oozing substance. Cas brought his knees up close as Dean held him at arm's length and he swallowed hard.

"D-Dean, I-I can explain," he looked around and sighed. He had to be truthful with the brothers, in order to spare his bottom from even more punishment.

"I... thought if I found the correct ingredients, I could... re-age myself a-and end this ridiculous situation." Cas told the truth and he coughed, having breathed in a miniscule amount of the potentially dangerous steam. He pouted irritably and his gaze snapped back up when Gabriel was brought up and Dean considered taking the archangel up on his offer to call him back. "N-No, Dean...!"

Sam, upon hearing Cas coughing, rose his brows, concerned. He didn't know what was in that vial and there was no telling what that could've done to Cas. That concern was put on the backburner when Dean turned to him. He put his hands up when Dean suggested that they flip a coin for who would 'go first', "...D-Dean, I-I don't think I'm up for that. I don't think I could, I-I mean you're... you're the one that..." he shook his head, not wanting to complete that statement. He didn't want to give Dean any ideas.

Sam was on board with Cas receiving a punishment for this dangerous and naughty thing that he had done this morning, but he wanted to figure out something else. "Maybe, uh, we could put him in the corner, you know, after you... I'll be on corner duty?" he knew eventually he might have to take Cas over his knee but he didn't want that to be now.

[Lizardwhisperer]

Dean looked at Sam like he'd just told him he forgot how to swallow.

"Yeah, thanks for that. Grab some gloves, Sam, you're on custodial duty." As his brother mumbled and crouched to clean up the mess, Dean parked the protesting boy on his hip and started up the hall, toward his bedroom. There, the hunter pulled up a chair, sitting Cas on his lap.

"Here's the thing, Cas. Gabriel made you like this as a punishment, so you don't get to decide to undo it. Plus, remember he said you had to learn that you don't have all the answers? And you're supposed to do as you're told? Well, this is a perfect example of you trying to solve something your way, not asking for help--and NOT doing as you were told."

Cas tried to interrupt, but Dean wasn't having it.

"Uh-uh--time to listen. When we put you to bed last night, you didn't stay put. I was a softie--but I said you could stay in my room--not go wandering around the bunker. What made you think a little boy belongs in the dungeon? That place is designed to hurt you--even kill you. If you were big, would you let a kid in there?"

Dean cut another protest short.

"Look at yourself, Cas--you ARE a kid--and you know full well you had no business being in there."

Dean set his jaw and steeled himself against the coming waterworks.

"Your Auntie Sammy opted to sit this one out, but Cas, buddy, we all know you've earned yourself a spanking."

[Nene]

Sam tugged on some chemical gloves and put on a mask so he wouldn't inhale the toxic fumes, and he cleaned up the dungeon floor. He put the books away and tossed the mask and the gloves in a bin, and he went out of the dungeon. He heard something come up behind him and he stopped, and immediately turned. "Oh, uh... G-Gabriel. Hey. What... what're you doing back?"

Cas wriggled about on Dean's hip as he was carried to his room, and tried to hop down when Dean sat him on his knee but was unsuccessful. Cas pouted when Dean scolded him and he opened his mouth to interrupt, but Dean shot his argument down.

"b-but, I'm--" he tried to protest again, wanting to tell Dean that he wasn't a kid, that he was an angel, but he fell silent. He teared up, looking up to Dean so sadly.

"b-but... but... D-Dean, s-surely there's another way to solve this..." he didn't want another spanking! His bottom still smarted some from the thorough smacking he received yesterday from his brother.

[Lizardwhisperer]

"Hello, Samuel--still cleaning up my little bro's messes, I see." Gabriel smirked up at Sam, then narrowed his eyes, "Your own brother's manning up right now, one Winchester short of his support group. Do you think he's having an easy time punishing little blue eyes alone?"

Gabriel listened to Sam's side of things until the tall hunter became obstinate. A snap of angelic fingers clamped Sam's mouth shut.

"Tsk-tsk, Sammy, that's where you're wrong--I can make you." Another snap and the Archangel was seated--with all six-four of Sam Winchester over his much shorter lap. Gabriel smiled with amusement, watching the shocked hunter try and fail to struggle. Grace trumps brawn.
A wave of a finger and Sam made a very un-hunter-like sound, as his jeans and boxers dropped to his knees.

......................................

Dean sighed and raked his fingers over Cas' messy head. "Look, Cas, I don't really want to spank you any more than you want to be spanked, but like your brother said, you've got lessons you're here to learn and one of them is accepting the punishment you've earned--not the one you think you should get."

Dean gripped the sniffling little cherub under the arms and lifted him up. "Please don't make this harder than it already is, buddy," Dean said softly, gently laying the boy over his knees.

He lifted his own big t-shirt, exposing Castiel's wriggling little bottom, still a bit pink from yesterday's spanking.

Cas made a final, desperate plea, his voice watery.

This was going to be even harder than Dean thought.