Though it is nearly two and a half months later, nothing has really changed since Gabriel became involved. The boys still hunt (Dean rarely leaves the bunker, though), and Cas still loves Dean with his whole heart, as Dean does Cas. Castiel was babbling on about marriage and 'holy matrimony' or whatever a month back, and so Dean said screw it and proposed right then and there outside his beloved Impala, with pie crumbs littering his chipmunk cheeks. Cas, obviously, said yes, and they tried to keep the ring as inconspicuous as possible.
Sam noticed after two weeks of the two being engaged, and Cas nonchalantly lied it off as one of Jimmy's mementoes he found while rummaging through a spare set of pants that he had decided to wear to keep his vessel's memory alive. Sam, though slightly sceptical, believed this story and went on as usual.
He is still completely oblivious to his brother's relationship, engagement, and upcoming fatherhood on the day when Castiel and Dean lay contentedly in his bed, within a cocoon of bedclothes. They are watching Mamma Mia! for the fourth time that day, and Cas still cries when Donna tells Sophie about her disownment by her mother. Though he will not admit it, Dean sheds a few manly tears as well.
They listen to Sam and Gabriel bicker endlessly as the movie plays on, their argument over whether "bazinga" is a valid Scrabble word becoming more interesting than Meryl Streep. They laugh as Gabe runs away from the Moose, carrying the scrabble board as he sprints. Sam screeches at Gabe for being a poor sport as he locks himself in his room, pouting like a small child. Yes, Gabriel had decided to move into room 27, right next door to room 26, which is Sam's quarters.
Dean reaches out to hold Cas' hand, and he moves their linked ones to his stomach, which now looks to be a fully pregnant belly. They feel for kicks, as they usually do, and when they feel one they rate the strength on a scale of one to ten. Usually, they range from a four to a seven, but today, the little Winchester decided that he'd pummel his father's insides like there was no tomorrow.
The duo had decided not to find out the sex of the child, because as Cas said, "Nephilim are genderless and it won't matter anyway." Dean still feels that it matters, but Cas is the one pregnant, so he lets him have that one. Though they only want the baby to be healthy, they both secretly hope for a boy. Dean would have a chance to father their son as his father neglected to do for him and Sam, and Cas would teach him how to activate the Netflix.
"Whoa," Dean mutters at the child's kick against his hand, "kid, calm down. We get it, you're strong."
Cas suddenly feels a very strange tingle creeping up his spine and his eyes flash golden yellow. His back stiffens and he feels like he is outside his vessel, watching as the miracle of life begins to set itself in motion. Damnit, Eve.
"Cas?" Dean asks, sensing that something is wrong just from the way that Cas' muscles tense against his touch. "Everything alright, babe?"
Castiel exhales with a silent grunt and forces a smile. "Yes. Yeah, everything's fine."
Dean shuts off the television and faces his angel, a concerned look dwelling behind his apple green eyes. "Honeybee, I can tell when something's wrong. If you're in pain, just tell me, and I'll—"
"No, Dean, I'm not in pain. At least not yet." Cas whispers, a scared whimper escaping his thin lips as he massages his swollen stomach.
The hunter catches on, and his eyes widen with anxiety. "Holy shit. It's time?! Now?! Oh, god, should I get Gabriel?"
Castiel shakes his head and hunches over, a strained gasp accompanying his pain. "No. I don't want anyone in here except you. Not Gabe, not Sam, nobody."
"Um...okay, Cas, I get it, but I am not a baby doctor," Dean stutters through shock, terror, and anticipation.
"Then go get your degree instead of stalling and help me out here!" Cas sarcastically replies (possibly for the first time in his incredibly long life) as he yelps in pain. Just then, a rainbow wave of colours floods into the room like Noah's flood, the haze being transparent enough to see through without difficulties.
Dean then realises that, while human labour takes upwards of four hours, angelic labour could be as quick as one. If Cas was already experiencing minor pains before, then...this kid can pop out at any given minute.
He rushes to lock the door and grab necessary supplies: towels, scissors, a heating pad, water, and baby blankets. Dean then rushes back to Cas and helps him ease his pants off despite the growing pain in his abdomen. He remembers that health class tape from the ninth grade and shudders, as labour can get messy, and quick.
"Goddamnit, Dean! This is your fault!" Cas grips the sheets of their shared bed and tries to suppress the agony. Dean spreads Cas' legs ever so slightly and notices that what was there before has been replaced with a modified biological structure more suitable for birth (A/N: we ain't getting into that here, lads). He cocks his head as he begins holding Cas' hand tightly and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Okay, um...o-on the next pain, just—just push, alright? I've got you," he instructs, almost like he knows what he is doing. He doesn't and is just as scared as he had been on his very first hunt with John.
Cas nods tearfully, feels the next contraction approach, and on the onset of pain, begins pushing. This goes on several times, with Cas taking a rest every so often to hydrate and relax until the agony intensifies even more. Castiel screams out in pain, and neither of the men notice Gabriel and Sam pounding at the door concernedly. Dean's original hypothesis is confirmed when he sees the baby crowning after only an hour of labour, and he gasps.
"Cas, baby, I can see the head. You're doing so great, honeybee. Just a few more pushes." He coaches in a whisper, feeling Cas tense up again.
He groans with an especially agonising push, and with that, the pain stops completely. Cas catches his breath as Dean cuts the umbilical cord and deals with the placenta, expecting cries from the fragile infant in his arms. It doesn't occur to him to check the sex, as he is far too preoccupied cleaning Cas and the child up while swaddling the littlest Winchester in blankets.
Cas uses his grace to heal himself and shakily moves over to the edge of the bed. When he does so, he gasps and tears fill his eyes.
The infant has the most gorgeous blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, which lightly covers a portion of their head. Their now-reddened porcelain white skin is dotted with freckles, and their eyes bat open with zeal to take in Creation. They don't cry, as nephilim rarely do, and stays silent as their fathers take in the sight of a new life, created by them and for them.
Dean moves carefully onto the bed next to Cas and they both stare awestruck at the tiny child swaddled in Dean's arms. Now, both men are crying profusely, and when Dean checks the sex of their child, he just begins sobbing even more.
"Dean, what is it?" Cas smiles with a sniffle as Baby Winchester wraps their tiny pink hand around his finger.
Dean turns to Cas and looks him in the eyes with all the love in the world. "Cas...he's a boy. We—we have a son."
Cas gently lifts their son from his other father's arms and kisses his temple, earning a coo from the baby. Dean wraps his arms around both his angel and his son and holds them tight.
The taller man speaks after nearly a minute of silence spent taking in the sight of their baby. "He needs a name."
Castiel nods with an exuberant sniffle and cradles the infant close to his bare chest. "His name is Jack. Jack Robert Winchester."
Dean's eyes grow wide and fill with tears again. The idea of his fiancé choosing the only father he ever had as a namesake for their child is enough to make him implode out of sheer happiness, and they both had discussed how much they love the name Jack, Cas because of its biblical origins and Dean because it 'sounds like a Winchester name.'
"Cas," he wraps his arms around where Castiel's baby bump was formerly located and smiles, "I'm so proud of you. We have a family, angel."
"We have a family...human," Cas returns his words with a tear of joy cascading down his reddened cheek.
Then, he notices something about the baby. He places Jack down on the blanket and wraps him in a cloth diaper before holding him up, his knees growing weak because of what he is seeing.
As soon as Jack is held up, his wings crease out from behind his back, stretching into a magnificent span of vibrant blues and violets and even some hues of magenta. The silver shimmer coating the feathers accompanying the way Jack's icy blue eyes pulse not blueish white but wolfish sleek grey can only mean one thing.
"Dean," Cas exclaims breathlessly, "Dean, Jack's not a usual nephilim."
"What?" Dean asks, suddenly going into parent mode and trying to see what his angel can. He obviously fails at doing so, and that makes him worried. "Cas, what's wrong with him? Is he okay?"
"He...he's better than okay. I-I didn't even know this was possible." He beams openly and envelopes Jack in his blankets. "Dean, Jack...he's an archangel."
"A-an archangel? What...how? I thought only God could create archangels," Dean gasps as Cas passes their son into his arms. The baby smiles a toothless grin and his reddened eyes fill to the brim with more tears. "H-he did this?"
Cas nods with a sniffle. "I-I guess he knew that our partnership is special, and so he gave us a gift nobody else has. A baby archangel."
"Oh god," Dean's eyes widen again, "please tell me he won't turn out like his uncles."
"What, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Lucifer? They all have primary coloured eyes and grace. Jack...he's something special. His eyes are grey. Pure." Cas rambles. "Our son will change the world, Dean."
Dean chuckles and rubs his calloused thumb over Jack's smooth chest. "Not 'til you're eighteen, okay buddy?"
Just after, Gabe and Sam finally find the spare key hidden inside the knob and unlock the door, the wooden slab swinging open aggressively as the two men enter. Sam has a shotgun cocked and ready, and Gabriel holds his blade in front of him.
The vertically challenged archangel is the first to notice that Dean and his brother aren't alone in the room. He inches closer to them, dropping his blade onto the floor, and kneels down to see his new family member.
Sam still remains confused and alert at the door, until he hears Gabriel sniffle. He slowly approaches the huddle and sees Gabe hugging both Cas and Dean. He lowers his gun and looks at them perplexed.
"Gabe," Dean whispers, kissing the baby's head. "Meet your nephew. His name's Jack."
"Hiya, sport," he makes a funny face at the child before turning him to the side to see his wingspan, causing Cas to hold his baby in a very awkward position in order to avoid getting hit by silver feathers. Gabe falls back, hit with the tip of the left wing, and his eyes widen. "Holy half-brother almighty, that kid's wings are massive. How'd a Nephilim get a wingspan that large?"
"He didn't. He's an archangel, brother," Cas adds, which makes Gabriel scoot back a bit and laugh.
"Wait, I'm sorry, I thought you just said—"
"Archangel? Yes, we did." Dean affirms. "The fourth–well, technically fifth–one. Awe, man! We should'a given him a cooler name, Cas. Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Lucifer, and little Jack. Man, our son's gonna get shit up in heaven."
"And I thought I had postpartum panic," Cas kisses Dean on the cheek, causing him to laugh.
"Um..." Sam manages through his perplexity. "What's going on here, Dean?"
Dean looks at Cas, who nods, and motions for Gabe to move a bit to reveal the tiny child in Cas' arms. "Sammy, meet Jack Robert Winchester: your nephew."
Sam laughs instinctively and looks at Dean mockingly. "Oh, nice one, Dean. You got me. Well played. Alright, how'd you get the kid and where should I return him?"
Cas cocked his head in confusion and narrowed his eyes at the moose. "Through labour pains on my part. How else would a child be conceived and born? His room is next door, but Dean is hell-bent on using the Winchester method of constant human contact to humanise him."
Dean kisses Cas' perspiration-coated forehead and Sam shakes his head, doing a double take. "Oh shit, you're not joking, are you?"
"Nope. Sam, Cas is not just my best friend. He's my fiancé as of a month ago, and we've been together for almost a year and a half now. And this...this is our son, Jack." Dean explains though not taking his eyes off the most beautiful sight in the world: the love of his life holding their baby.
"A-a Nephilim?" Sam gulps almost inarticulately. His mouth is inexplicably dry after the news.
"No," Castiel begins, "an archangel."
Sam chokes on his own saliva and has to step out, and once he wraps his head around the whole "my brother's gay and marrying an angel of the lord who, in fact, just birthed their son, an archangel" thing, picks up his phone with shaky hands and presses "favourites."
The line rings and rings until he hears a familiar voice on the other end. He inhales and begins talking.
"Hey, Bobby. I owe you twenty." He mutters happily, staring over his shoulder as Dean hums "Smoke on the Water" to Jack while Cas laughs, and Gabe dejectedly turns away after Castiel rejects his offer to give the child a sweet. "Also, I think you should come by the bunker. Your grandson and future son in law are waiting to meet you."
The family might be odd, and there're definitely countless bumps in the road ahead, but one thing's for sure; little Jack will capture his fathers' and uncles' personalities and characters and display the perfect superimposition: a rainbow full of colours.