West Coast

Dean

Dean sighed. 'It's like everybody prefers you over me. I know, it's stupid, but you get to spend all this time with Jack, hell even the damn cats like you more.'

Cas rubbed Dean's knee. 'Dean-'

'No, you don't have to tell me, I know I'm being a dumbass.'

'You are,' Cas said, smiling at him. 'We all love you very much.'

'I just feel like I'm nobody's favourite.'

'You're my favourite,' Cas murmured. 'But maybe there's more we can all do to show you how much we love you. You should have said something sooner, Dean.'

Dean shrugged. 'I didn't want to dump my stupid crap on you.'

'I think we're well past keeping these things from each other,' Cas said, cupping his cheek.

'Yeah, you're right.'

Cas kissed him. 'I love you, Dean.'

'Ditto.'

Cas spent most of the next day deep in thought, making long, deliberate brushstrokes, but he couldn't think of anything, until Jack got home.

'How was school?' Cas asked him, as he packed away his painting.

'It was okay,' Jack said. He sounded distracted.

'Only okay?' Cas asked, turning to face him. He looked worried.

'Can I talk to you about something?' Jack said nervously.

'Yes, sit down, Jack. Is someone at school bothering you?'

'No,' Jack said, climbing into one of the chairs, pushing away Little Gabe. 'Is something wrong with Dean?'

Cas gave him a startled look. His perception certainly was improving. 'What makes you say that?'

'He looks sad a lot. Did I do something wrong?'

'Oh no, Jack, you didn't do anything wrong,' Cas said, scooping Jack onto his lap. 'Dean's just been feeling a little left out lately, that's all.'

'Why?'

'We all spend a lot of time together and he has to stay at work.'

'Can we do anything?'

'Well, I've been trying to think of something to make him feel better, but my brain's not been so good today. What do you think?'

Jack scrunched up his face, thinking hard, then he suddenly looked excited. 'I got it! But can you make him stay a bit later at work, I gotta make something.'

Cas smiled. 'I think I can make that happen.' Cas called Jody after Jack explained his plan, and happily stalled Dean at work.

Dean called out to them when he got back. 'All right, what are you guys up to? Jody's not a good liar, what's going on?'

'We're in here!' Cas called back from the living room.

Jack giggled, and jumped up as soon as Dean walked in. He ran at Dean, who lifted him up.

'Hey, kid, how's it going?' He looked around at the decorations Jack and Cas had hastily made and put up. 'What's all this?'

Jack jumped down from Dean's arms and pulled him into the living room, then made him kneel down, so Jack could reach him.

'This is your dad ceremony!' he said excitedly.

'My what?'

'It's where we have a party and you're not Dean anymore. I call you Dad now.'

Dean looked utterly bewildered. 'Really?'

'Yep,' Jack said proudly. 'I made you a button, see?' He picked up the button he'd made that said 'DAD' on it and pinned it to Dean's jacket.

'Dad ceremony?' Dean repeated.

'Yeah! We got a cake, wait here!' Jack ran into the kitchen, and Dean gave Cas a stunned look.

'Did you put him up to this?' Dean asked.

'No, this was all his idea,' Cas smiled.

Jack came back with a cake, with 'DAD' messily written on it with frosting. 'Tada, you're a dad!'

'Wow, thanks, Jack,' Dean grinned. 'But, what about you?' he said to Cas.

'We thought, given how my brain works and everything, that it would be too confusing for me if I changed my name, so we're sticking with Cas for now.' Cas gave him an indulgent smile

Dean pressed his lips together, clearly holding back tears. 'Cool, that makes sense.'

'Come on, Dad, eat your cake,' Jack said, clapping his hands together.

'You got it.' Dean picked up some of the cake, but couldn't quite pull himself together enough to put it in his mouth.

'Oh, I got something else!' Jack jumped up again, running off to his room.

'Are you all right?' Cas laughed, rubbing Dean's back.

'I'm great,' Dean choked. 'Fantastic. Who's coming to the party?'

'Just us,' Cas said gently.

Dean sniffed and cleared his throat. 'Wow, I don't know what to say.'

'You don't have to say anything... Dad.'

Jack returned with a cardboard hat and some party horns that he'd saved from Mary's birthday, and gave them to Dean. Dean put on the hat, wiping his eyes.

'Thanks, Jack,' he said.

Then Jack wrapped his arms around Dean's neck. 'I love you, Dad.'

Dean squeezed him tightly. 'I love you too, kid.'

Jack got up, still excited, and played with Fries, tickling her nose with the end of one of the party horns.

Cas leaned close to Dean to whisper in his ear. 'Sam's picking him up in an hour. It'll be just us tonight, so I can show you exactly how much I love and appreciate you.' He trailed a finger down his chest.

Dean adjusted the hat on his head. 'Sounds great to me,' he grinned.

Just then, Little Gabe came up and rubbed himself up against Dean, purring loudly. Dean scratched him under the chin until he'd had enough and walked away.

'Are you feeling any better?' Cas asked after a while.

'Much. Thanks.' Dean ran a finger over the button Jack had made him. He never removed it from his jacket, not even when the writing faded and the metal became tarnished. He wore it with pride, like a talisman, running his finger over it if he ever felt sad, so he would remember how it felt to be called Dad for the first time.