Only Children and Fools tell the truth

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/18033140.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandom: Supernatural
Relationship: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Sam Winchester, Charlie
Bradbury
Additional Tags: Age Regression/De-Aging, De-Aged Dean Winchester, De-Aged Castiel
(Supernatural), Poor Sammy has to babysit them, dean and cas get
cursed, and baby dean has no filter, shy!Dean, cute!cas, SPN Fluff Bingo
2019
Language: English
Series: Part 1 of SPN FLUFF BINGO 2019
Stats: Published: 2019-03-07 Words: 4,163 Chapters: 1/1
 Only Children and Fools tell the truth
by NotfunnyDean (IronEyes)

Summary

When a hunt goes wrong, Sam finds himself with two children alone in the woods. Dean
doesn’t seem to trust him at first, but he cares about Castiel even more and lets a well kept
secret out.

Notes

Welcome to my first fic for the SPN Fluff Bingo 2019! I signed up for 25 fics, so get ready
:D

Fist Square: De-aged.

I just really love to write Dean as de-aged kid. He deserves to have a better childhood and I
imagine him as such a sweet little boy. Bonus here? Cas is de-aged as well.

See the end of the work for more notes

Sam is pretty sure that he is actually still in the bunker, in his soft, warm bed, and is dreaming
all of this. This can’t be his real life, no matter what else had already happened in it.

This has to be a joke.

“Dean, please. It’s me, Sammy!” Sam says for the tenth time, but the little boy behind one of
the trees only cries louder. Dammit. The last time Dean got de-aged he was at least sixteen
years old and he could also remember his own brother.

“Why is Dean crying?” Castiel asks and Sam takes a deep breath before he looks down to the
tiny angel. At least Castiel seems to be better off than Dean, since he still remembers their
names. However, he seems a lot more like a real kid, too.

“I think he is afraid.” Sam says, exhausted, and looks back to the Impala. If he could manage
to actually catch Dean and get him into the car, maybe they could find an antidote for this
curse.

Too bad Sam killed the witch before he realized that he had cursed his brother and Castiel.
Sam sighs loudly and watches how Castiel nearly stumbles over his own feet as he walks
towards Dean.

Sam doesn’t even have an idea how old they could be. For once, Dean is actually a tiny bit
smaller than Castiel, but they both seem to be very young. Three, maybe four, if Sam is
lucky. Just great.

“Dean?” Castiel asks quietly when he reaches the tree. Sam can see how he kneels down and
has to hide a grin. Fine, maybe the baby angel was actually kind of cute.

“I w-wanna go home. I want my m-mommy!” Dean cries louder this time and it’s as if
someone punched Sam in his guts. So maybe Dean is already four and is now dealing with
his mother’s death.

“But you have me and Sammy!” Castiel says happily and he even throws his hands up. Dean
sniffles again, but at least the loud crying finally stops. Sam takes a shaky breath, thank god.

“But Sammy is so tall!” Dean whispers, or he tries to, but Sam can hear him clearly. He
smiles, so Dean does remember him, he is only confused about his height. Well, normally
Sam is already bigger than Dean, but the difference now is just ridiculous.

“Hmm. I wish I were that tall.” Castiel giggles and Sam’s heart swells. He thought Castiel
would be an awkward kid, but maybe he had been a sweet little fledgling in heaven as well,
before he grew up to be a warrior. Just like Dean.

“Dean, it’s okay. I promise you that I just want to help you.” Sam says and he tries to soften
his voice. Dean actually looks carefully around the tree and Sam smiles as widely as he can.

Dean looks back to Castiel who now holds his hand out.
“Okay.” Dean says softly and he wipes away all the tears and snot on his face. Sam
concentrates not to make a face at that and he watches as Dean carefully takes Castiel’s hand
in his own.

“Maybe we can ask Sammy for pie?” Castiel says and Sam huffs a laugh. The little angel
seems really clever and Sam winks at him. Dean actually walks a bit faster, when he hears
that, but he doesn’t say anything.

Sam is relieved, when they are both in front of him. They are still dirty and Dean’s face is all
red from his crying, but they seem healthy. And thank god both are still dressed.

If the trench coat looked out of place before on Castiel, now he really seems to be from
another planet. Dean looks almost cute in his tiny flannel and Sam chuckles.

“Did I hear something about pie?” Sam asks and Dean’s eyes automatically light up. Seems
like some things never change.

“Can we please get some? It would make Dean very happy.” Castiel asks and Sam would
literally give him anything, if the little angel continues to look at him like that. Dean nods
hastily besides him, but he is still not speaking.

“Of course. I’m sure we’ll find a diner on the way home.” Sam promises and he already
knows where he would stop. It’s a little devious route, but he believes they all deserve some
good pie now. Even him.

“Thank you Sammy!” Castiel says happily and Sam only nods. He goes over to baby and
opens the door to the back seats. Of course he doesn’t have any children’s seats for them, but
he would just drive carefully.

At least he doesn’t have to burn the witch or anything, because she turned to dust the moment
he killed her. He doesn’t want to imagine how Dean and Castiel would react, if they saw him
burning her body.

“Okay, Cas? Come here, I’ll help you in first.” Sam says and he carefully picks Castiel up.
Dean whines a bit when Castiel lets go of his hand, but Sam ignores it for now. He helps
Castiel to fasten his seatbelt and has to smile at that. Castiel never did that before, but the
angel hums happily now.

“I hope I like pie.” Castiel whispers and he seems excited. Sam nearly leans down and kisses
his forehead. He catches himself in the act and turns around to close the door. Dean would for
sure like to sit in the front.

“Wait!” Dean says loudly and Sam raises his eyebrows.

“What is it?” Sam asks a bit worried and Dean looks down to his feet. Sam can’t remember
the first time around, when Dean was this young, but he never would’ve guessed that Dean
was this shy.
“What about me?” Dean asks and his under lip wobbles dangerously, Sam kneels down and
puts his hands on Dean’s shoulders.

“Hey I would never forget about you. I just thought you wanted to sit up front with me, but
maybe you feel better with Cas?” Sam explains and Dean nods. Only one tear falls down this
time and Dean is pouting all cutely.

Sam always knew Dean would be his death one day, but that he would get killed by his
brother’s cuteness? Yeah that’s a new one.

“Cas.” Dean just says and Sam nods before he picks him up as well. He closes the backdoor
anyway and carries Dean to the other side of Baby. Dean even holds onto his shirt and Sam
smiles.

They already survived so much crap in their lives, they could do this too. As soon as they get
back to the bunker, Sam would do anything to change them back and maybe he should text
Charlie for help too.

“There you go.” Sam says, when he puts Dean in the backseat next to Castiel. Dean smacks
his lips and while Sam tries to find his seatbelt as well, Dean actually puts his thumb into his
mouth. Sam yanks his hand away and Dean’s eyes widen.

“N-no”. Dean says and Sam can see that he is nearly crying again. He groans quietly and then
looks into his bag. He knows he has some baby wipes in there somewhere, not because he
actually thought he would ever have babies with him, but because it often comes in handy,
when they are bloody and there is no shower in sight.

“Here, let me just clean your hands.” Sam explains and he carefully wipes the dirt of Dean’s
hands. Dean just watches him and as soon as Sam is finished, he puts his thumb back into his
mouth.

He looks way too cute to be angry with him for doing that, but maybe Sam should buy him a
pacifier. God, he hopes the curse will be gone, before he actually has to buy all this baby
stuff.

“I can help!” Castiel says happily and Dean snuffles around his thumb.

“Help? We don’t need to fly anywhere Cas. I can drive us to the next town, don’t worry.”
Sam says and finally buckles Dean in. Dean plays with his seatbelt and Sam watches in
disgust how the spit already dribbles down his chin from sucking his thumb.

“I’m too small to fly!” Castiel says, as if it’s the most obvious thing he ever said. Well,
maybe as a fledgling his wings are still growing in? But it’s not as if Sam can see them.

“As I said, don’t worry about that. I’m…” Sam starts to explain, when Castiel closes both his
hands together. Sam frowns. What the hell is he doing? There is a tiny glow around his hands
and when he opens them again, there is a bright red pacifier in his hands.
“Wow.” Dean says fascinated and even Sam feels a bit lightheaded. Castiel smiles widely and
then holds out the pacifier for Dean, who immediately takes it and puts it into his mouth. He
smiles behind it.

“I can only do small things.” Castiel says a bit disappointed in himself, but Dean doesn’t
seem to care. Sam knows that Castiel believes Dean would only tolerate him around them
because he is a good weapon.

Sometimes Sam wants to tell Castiel the truth, tell him that his brother is just a coward, but
he still hopes, one day, Dean will finally find the courage to talk about his feelings.

“Thank you, Cassie!” Dean squeals and it comes out all slurred, because of the pacifier. Dean
takes it out, just to press a kiss on Castiel’s cheek and the angel puts his hand over the spot
Dean kissed.

Sam has to hide his grin, while Dean just nods and then kicks his legs a bit.

“Pie?” Dean asks and now that he seems to understand the power of his big green eyes, he
actually starts to use them. Sam nods.

“Sure.”

Luckily the drive was quiet. Dean had hummed to his music, even though now he doesn’t
remember the words and Castiel had actually slept a bit. Seems like his angel powers are still
growing, too.

“Boys, we’re here!” Sam says and turns around in his seat as best as he can. The sight he gets
is adorable. Dean and Castiel are both asleep now, their heads leaning against each other.
Dean still had the red pacifier in his mouth and to Sam’s surprise Castiel has one of his own
now.

They are holding hands. Sam tries to be quiet, while he gets his phone out of his pocket and
he takes a picture. He can’t wait to show it to his adult brother.

“Pie.” Dean mumbles quietly and Sam chuckles. He could let them sleep and just drive home,
but thats still three hours away,and he is actually really hungry. Besides, if he lets them sleep
now, they won’t sleep very well tonight.

Sam wakes Castiel up first, since he feels that is a lot of safer. Castiel actually makes grabby
hands at him and yawns so widely that his pacifier falls out. Castiel doesn’t seem to care, he
just cuddles Sam when he takes him out of the car.

“Are you feeling okay, Cas?” Sam asks, just to be sure, and Castiel nods.
“Hungry.” Castiel says and Sam nods. He still has Castiel on his hip when he kneels down
and tries to wake Dean up carefully.

“Dean hey, sweetheart.” Sam says and he nearly bites on his tongue, when he realizes the
nickname. Dean is waking up very slowly and blinks his eyes open, Sam smiles, because
normally Dean is wide awake within a second.

“Sammy?” Dean asks and when he sees Castiel as well, he smiles widely.

“Yeah, we’re at the diner. You want your pie?” Sam asks and Dean nods. He even puts his
pacifier away and Sam is glad about that.

Dean rubs over his eyes and Sam helps him out of the car. Since he can’t carry both boys
very well, he lets Dean walk over to the diner, not without holding his hand though. Dean
doesn’t complain and walks quietly behind him.

Sam is glad when he sees that the diner is almost empty. He helps Dean and Castiel onto their
own corner bench and then sits down at the opposite.

“Oh hello, aren’t you two lovely?” The waitress, Natasha according to her name tag, states
and Sam grins in agreement.

“Hello Miss.” Castiel actually says, while Dean hides behind him.

“Your sons?” She asks and Sam nods, before he realizes what he is doing.

“Actually just the shy little monster. The polite gentleman is the son of a friend.” Sam
explains and Dean actually pouts at those words. Castiel just nods along and Sam snorts,
when he thinks that he is friends with God.

“Okay, what can I do for you all?” Natasha asks and she pulls out her pen and pad. Sam gets
himself some cheesecake, glad that Dean doesn’t even complain about that, and some apple
pie for the two boys.

“Sammy?” Dean asks and Sam looks up from his phone. He already texted Charlie the details
and she promised she’d be at the bunker by the time they get there. Sam is glad that she’s
gonna help him and she was already working on the solution before they said goodbye.

“Yes, Dean?” Sam asks back and looks to his brother. Dean is smiling all widely and then
points at another couple at the end of the diner.

“Why are they doing this?” Dean asks and Sam doesn’t really know what Dean is talking
about. Then he sees that they are holding hands and the man leans closer to kiss his
girlfriend.

“Uhm… you do that if you really like someone.” Sam explains awkwardly and Dean nods
very seriously. He is looking at the couple again and Sam hopes they will get served, before
Dean can ask any other questions.
“Are they in love?” Castiel wants to know and he looks fascinated with the idea. Sam
swallows dryly.

“Yeah...perhaps.” Sam answers and Castiel nods to himself. Dean is still watching the couple
with big eyes, when the man starts to feed his girlfriend some of his eggs, Sam groans.

“Here we go boys! Cheesecake for the caring father and for the two cutest boys in the world,
some apple pie with extra cream.” Natasha says happily and puts the plates down. Sam is a
bit relieved when Dean finally focuses on something different than the couple and starts
eating his pie.

Castiel eats his own pie very slowly, while Dean just stuffs it all into his mouth. Sam has to
hide his grin, because Dean even has some cream on his nose.

“And is it good?” Sam wants to know and Dean only answers with a nod, still too busy
devouring the pie in one breath. Castiel smiles at Sam.

“It tastes really nice.” He answers happily and Sam is glad. Dean would’ve thrown a fit, if he
had discovered that Castiel actually hated pie. They eat in silence and Sam has to say that his
cheesecake is as good as he remembers.

“Cas?” Dean asks between his bites and Castiel looks at him automatically. They stare at
each other and it’s scary how much Sam can see their adult selves in this moment. Dean
blinks.

“Open your mouth.” Dean says and Castiel frowns, still without complaining he does so and
Dean nods to himself, before he scoops up some of his pie. Sam feels like he shouldn’t be
watching this, but he can’t help it either.

Dean grins when he actually feeds Castiel and the angel blushes deeply, when he seems to
understand what Dean is not saying.

“Thank you.” Castiel says and Dean shrugs, as if it was nothing.

“You do that when you love someone.” Dean says and Sam coughs into his glass of water. Oh
god. He just...said that.

“Like a brother?” Castiel asks back and Sam sighs. Yeah, Dean had said things like that
before to Castiel, only to tell him that they are just like family. Like himself and Dean.

“No. I already have a brother.” Dean says and smiles.

“Oh.” Castiel says and this time he is the one who looks back to the couple. Before Sam can
somehow distract them from…whatever this was, Castiel frowns harder and then puts his
hand over Dean’s.

Dean doesn’t react at all, he just continues to eat his pie with his free hand, and Sam decides
not to say anything. They deserve this. The next minutes nobody says anything and Sam gets
up to pay for their meal.
When he comes back, Dean seems still pretty tired, because he is rubbing his left eye while
still holding onto Castiel.

“Young love, huh?” Natasha asks smiling, when she sees them as well. Sam shrugs.

“Nothing really new, but the first time they acted on it.” Sam says and he doesn’t care that
this may sound weird for the waitress. He takes out his phone and takes another picture.

“I’m glad you are so open with this.” Natasha says and Sam frowns. Why wouldn’t he be, but
then he sees how Dean looks up to him. He seems a bit afraid and hastily looks away, as if he
thinks Sam wouldn’t be okay with him and Castiel.

“Boys? You ready?” Sam asks and he holds the door open. Castiel gets up and joins him,
Dean behind him, still holding hands. It’s a sight Sam could get used to, he still takes his time
to smile at them.

When Sam helps them into the car, Sam strokes Dean’s hair.

“I’m really proud of you.” He says and Dean just grabs his pacifier as an answer.

“Oh my god.” Charlie says, when she sees them. They are in Dean’s room and before Sam
can stop her, she is already picking Castiel up. Dean hastily hides behind Sam’s legs.

“Hello Charlie.” Castiel says and he frowns a bit, when Charlie puts him on her hip and
boops his nose with her free hand. Sam has to laugh at the angel’s face. He looks almost
grumpy now.

“Please tell me you have a solution.” Sam says and he puts his bag down. He needs some
sleep, but he couldn’t just ignore this problem. He would actually cry, if Charlie already
found something to cure this.

“Yeah, wait a second. I wanna see my sweet little Dean first.” Charlie answers and at her soft
tone, Dean actually looks up to her. He seems still way to shy, but Castiel just nods to him
and Dean makes two steps towards her.

“Hi.” Dean chirps and Charlie’s eyes actually tear up. She kneels down, Castiel still on her
hip and puts her hand on Dean’s cheek. Dean smiles and doesn’t say anything else.

“Are you okay, Dean?” Charlie asks and Dean nods. Castiel starts to wiggle in her arms and
when she lets him down, Castiel takes Dean’s hand, before they both start to toddle over to
the bed.

“Can we watch TV, Sammy?” Dean asks and bites nervously on his bottom lip. Sam nods and
then turns it on for them. He even helps them on the bed and pulls the blankets over them.
Maybe they are still tired and will sleep some more.

“And we are sure those are Dean and Castiel?” Charlie asks when she watches them. Dean
awkwardly puts his head on Castiel’s shoulder and Castiel gives him his pacifier. Sam laughs.

“You know how they say that only children and fools tell the truth? Maybe it’s like this. Dean
shows his feelings more openly now and Castiel is enjoying this.” Sam explains and Charlie
nods.

“I thought I would never see the day those two are actually cuddling on the bed together.”
Charlie whispers and Sam nods along to her words. He is hoping Dean won’t run, as soon as
he is an adult again.

“So, you actually found something?” Sam asks and yawns. Hopefully, the spell to fix them
wouldn’t take very long. Charlie turns around and gets a book out of her bag and Sam takes
it.

“Yeah, I think I did.” Charlie says and Sam reads over the article she points out. Sam sighs.
Nothing they could do. It should be gone on its own after 24 hours. At least that means Sam
can actually go to sleep now.

“Okay, so we just sit it out? Great. I really need to get some shut eye.” Sam says and is
already at the door, before he hears a tiny voice again.

“Sammy?”

Charlie grins, when Sam stops and turns back around. Castiel is still focused on the movie,
but Dean is looking at him.

“Yes, Dean?” Sam asks and Charlie goes over to the bed as well. Dean seems a bit
embarrassed but then points at the bathroom door. Sam groans.

“We need to get ready for bed.” Dean says and Sam nods. He is right. Luckily, with Charlie
by his side, they manage to get both boys into the bed again in under ten minutes, even
though Castiel complained about brushing his teeth.

Since Sam has no real pajamas for them to wear, he puts them both in some of Dean’s shirts,
even though Dean would for sure kill him for that later. Sam shakes his head and then tucks
them in again.

They look so small in the middle of the bed. Charlie is stroking Castiel’s hair again and the
angel closes his eyes.

“Sleep well, boys.” Charlie says and Sam actually presses a kiss to Dean’s forehead this time.
Charlie winks at him and kisses Castiel’s as well. Sam nods and then gets up, Charlie follows
him.

“Goodnight Dean.” Cas says, when Sam and Charlie are leaving. Just as Sam wants to turn
off the lights, he sees how Cas leans closer and kisses Dean’s cheek.
“Love you.” Dean mumbles half asleep, but Castiel smiles wider than Sam has ever seen,
before he cuddles back against Dean, pressing a new pacifier in his mouth. Sam shakes his
head, grinning.

It’s nearly noon, when they boys are still sleeping. Maybe the curse was too much for them?
Sam has already checked more than three times up on them, but they are both still alive. Still
breathing.

“How long?” Charlie asks and Sam checks his watch.

“Around ten minutes.” Sam answers and he can’t help it, he is nervous. What if Dean reacts
badly? He is already imagining hearing some screaming from his room, but so far, there is
nothing.

“Sam!”

Oh yeah. That is definitely not his sweet baby brother anymore. Charlie giggles into her mug
and Sam swallows dryly, when he hears Dean’s steps coming up to the war room, where he
and Charlie are sitting.

“You okay?” Sam asks, before Dean can start yelling. Dean is wearing just his underwear and
still the now well fitting shirt, but over that he wears his bathrobe. He looks very alarmed.

“Please tell me this was all just a joke and I did not just wake up in Cas’ arms.” Dean says
and of course that is the moment, when Castiel also enters the room. He is wearing his suit
and trench coat again.

“It wasn’t a dream.” Castiel answers for Sam and Dean’s eyes widen almost comically.

“Cas?” Dean asks and turns back around to his angel. Charlie shrugs, when Sam looks at her.
They both stay quiet, while Dean and Cas are staring at each other again.

“Did you… not mean it?” Castiel asks carefully and Sam wishes he could leave, but the two
are standing in front of the only exit. He doesn’t want to be here, when Dean breaks Castiel’s
heart again.

“I...of course I meant it.” Dean whispers quietly and he seems so nervous, that he looks down
and shrugs awkwardly. Dean is afraid to get hurt, Sam realizes. He isn’t ashamed of Castiel
or his feelings for another man. He just doesn’t think Castiel feels the same.

“Good.” Castiel says and he takes the last three steps towards Dean to hug him. Charlie hides
her squeal very badly, when Dean presses himself even more against Castiel and Sam huffs.
Fucking finally.
“I love you too, Dean. No matter when.” Castiel whispers, while he presses a kiss to Dean’s
hot cheek and Sam is really relieved when his brother just nods and holds onto his angel.

He would still blackmail him with the pictures he took.

The next weeks are much happier than Sam can ever remember. Dean and Castiel are still shy
around each other, but it gets better. Sam still shows the pictures to everybody, just to
embarrass Dean.

Until one day he searches for his laptop and finally finds it in Dean’s room. Sam stops, when
he sees the new picture on the nightstand. It shows Dean and Castiel on the backseat holding
hands, while being asleep.

Under it is written: “I loved you since forever.”

End Notes

I let you decide, if Cas or Dean wrote that under the picture :P

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