Hide and Seek (AO3)

Requested by hunterswithdaddyissues

Prompt: (#200 - FALLING) When six year old Castiel encounters some bullies, nine year old Dean steps in to save the day.

Castiel hurried over to his window as fast as his short legs could carry him. Climbing up, he looked out to see that the cheering and noise he could hear was from a few kids - some of them his own age but a few older – playing hide and seek.

“Michael, can I go out to play?” He asked, excitedly, peering out of the window. “Please, can I?”

His older brother came up behind him, peering out of the window and spotting the kids. He looked doubtful until another boy turned up, just a couple of years older than Castiel, but Michael knew his family. His younger brother often had playdates with Gabriel, who was strangely attached to him. Castiel had never really spoken to Dean, but he knew him by sight, and knew that their brothers got on well.

“Alright, so long as you stay with Dean. If he goes too far away, you come home, Castiel, okay?” Michael warned, stepping back and walking with Castiel to the front door. He helped him into his jacket and tried to tug the stuffed bee from his grasp, but Castiel wouldn’t let go.

Michael sighed. “If you take it out, you’ll lose it, Castiel. It’s your favourite toy.”

Castiel shook his head stubbornly. “Won’t lose it. Please, Michael?” He whined.

His brother sighed and gestured for Castiel to leave, telling him not to be home later than seven. Castiel cheered and hurried out of the house. He was only six years old, but he was responsible enough to know what was allowed and what wasn’t, and he never missed his curfew. Tightening his grasp on his toy, he hurried after the boys in his street, smiling as he caught up to them.

“Can I play?” He asked, beaming widely.

The older boys exchanged a glance, one of them nudging another and turning his eyes to the bee Castiel was holding. Castiel stared at them, his expression hopeful and earnest and slightly naïve.

“Sure!” One of them said eventually. “But we’re going further down the road now, if you’re coming.”

Castiel wasn’t supposed to go that far, but he supposed that it would be okay as long as he stuck with Dean, as long as Michael didn’t find out. As they ran down to the trees at the end of the street, Castiel stayed close to Dean, wanting a familiar face nearby.

“You’re Cas, right?” Dean spoke up, giving him a small smile. “Your brother Gabriel is friends with Sammy.”

Nodding, Castiel gave Dean a happy smile in return. “Yeah, ‘m called Castiel. But you can call me Cas if you want to.”

Dean nodded and ran close to Castiel the rest of the way, a tentative friendship striking up between them stemming from their mutual knowledge of each other. Dean was a little older than Castiel, closer to nine, so he felt slightly protective. He knew it would screw things up for Sammy and Gabe if he didn’t keep an eye out for Castiel.

“You’re it,” one of the older boys told Castiel bluntly. “Close your eyes and count to a hundred, then come find us.”

Castiel floundered, because he could count big numbers but that seemed like a daunting prospect. “I can count to thirty?”

The other boys groaned and Castiel ducked his head, his cheeks heating up as a few of them started complaining that they were playing with a baby. Dean glared and stepped over to Castiel, standing next to him.

“I’ll help. There’s too many of us anyway, so it’s better to have two people seeking. And a hundred is way too much time. We’ll count to fifty, like we were doing before.” He told them firmly.

He guided Castiel over to a nearby tree and got him to cover his eyes. Letting the bee fall to the floor, Castiel’s hands covered his own eyes tightly and he started to count. He could hear scuffling and giggling and someone sneak up really close, but he didn’t pull his hands away. After he’d gotten to twenty, though, he heard someone making buzz noises and he opened his eyes, turning around.

“That’s mine!” He cried out, seeing two of the boys passing his bee between them. Dumbly, he looked down at his feet and saw that Buzzy had indeed been stolen. “Give it back!”

“Give it back!” One of the boys mocked, his voice higher and whinier. “Give it back!”

Dean turned around and looked between Castiel and the toy and his face hardened. “Drop the bee, jackass, or you’re gonna get my foot up your ass.”

His words were confident, and while Castiel was inwardly both mortified and impressed at the colourful language, he was more concerned with whether or not they’d give him back his favourite toy. He couldn’t sleep without it.

“You’re gonna take the baby’s side?” The guy holding the bee asked, raising his eyebrow and sneering at Dean, but when the green eyed boy took a threatening step forward, he faltered. “Fine, if he wants it so much, let him go and get it.”

Castiel watched in horror as the boy drew his arm back and tossed the stuffed bee high up into the tree and got caught on a branch. His lip wobbled and tears filled his eyes as they all ran away laughing, leaving Castiel staring up at his toy.

“It’s okay, Cas.” Dean told him, patting his shoulder clumsily. “We can just go and get one of your brothers to get it down.”

Shaking his head, Castiel let the tears spill over, letting them flow down his cheeks. “Not supposed to go this far,” he whispered, giving a small whimper. “Michael will send me to my room. It’s okay… I’m… I’m probably too big for toys anyway.”

Dean looked at him for a minute and then clumsily wiped away Castiel’s tears. “Don’t cry, Cas. I’ll get it for you.” He walked over to the tree and tentatively started to climb it, his boots scraping against the trunk.

“No, Dean, it’s too high.” Castiel gasped, watching in awe as Dean scaled the tree branch after branch, trying to get to his bee. He forgot to cry because he was so grateful to the other boy for trying to help him. Gabriel must have been right about Sam being awesome, because Dean was too.

The toy was caught on the end of a thin branch, and Dean slowly moved along it. Just as his hand freed the toy, there was a loud crack and the branch gave way. Castiel was horrified as Dean plummeted, falling to the floor and landing heavily.

“Dean!” He shouted, hurrying over to him and kneeling next to him. “Are you okay?”

Dean gritted his teeth, tears in his eyes as he cradled his wrist, but he refused to let the tears fall. His forehead was grazed too, but it didn’t look too bad. “My wrist,” he ground out. “Hurt my wrist.”

“Can you get up?” Castiel asked, forgetting about his bee in his concern for Dean, his own lip wobbling again at the shock of seeing him fall. “Michael can make it all better, he always makes everything better, like when I cut my elbow, see?” He rolled up his sleeve and pointed at his elbow, which sported a bright blue bandaid.

Dean couldn’t help but smile, even through his obvious pain, and he shook his head. “Gonna need a bit more than a bandaid, Cas. I think I’m gonna head home. You think you can get home by yourself or you need me to walk you?”

“I can make it,” Castiel whispered, looking at Dean as the older boy slowly pushed himself to his feet, cradling his wrist to his chest. “Sorry, Dean.”

He ducked his head as Dean reached out with his good handle to ruffle his hair. “Not your fault, Cas. Go on, get yourself home, and don’t forget your bee.”

Castiel stayed still for a few seconds as Dean started to jog away, and grabbed his toy to make his way home. He just made it in the door before he promptly burst into tears and threw himself at Michael.

“Dean got h-hurt and it’s all m-my f-fault,” he wailed, wrapping his arms around his brother as he told him everything that had happened between sobs. It was all his fault, if he hadn’t taken his toy or if he hadn’t let go of it then Dean wouldn’t have had to climb up that tree in the first place.

Concerned for what had happened, Michael waited for his brother to calm down, letting him cry for a while, before he sent Castiel to clean his face and dry his eyes. He’d have to call Mary. A few moments later, he had the full story and he smiled softly.

“Castiel,” he murmured, entering his brother’s bedroom and sitting on the bed. Castiel was lying face down, under the covers, sniffling pathetically. “Dean is fine. He sprained his wrist when he fell out of the tree, but he told his mom what happened, and we all agree that it’s not your fault. Dean offered to get your toy back, and the boys you were playing with shouldn’t have thrown it up there in the first place. Do you remember what I told you about bullies?”

Castiel nodded, looking up meekly. “Bullies are jerks,” he repeated quietly.

“That’s right. And were those boys jerks by throwing Buzzy up into the tree?”

Uncertainly, Castiel nodded. It had been mean and caused a lot of trouble and he hadn’t wanted them to have his bee in the first place.

“That’s right. So those boys were bullies, and that’s not your fault. Dean stood up to those bullies for you, which makes him a very special person. Now, Mary told me that Dean likes apple pie, so I think we should make him one, what do you say?”

Castiel perked up, nodding excitedly. “Can I take it to him when it’s done, Michael? Then I can tell Dean I’m sorry he got hurt and ask him if he wants to be my bestest friend in the world.”

Michael smiled and ruffled his hair. “Sure you can, Castiel. Come on.”

It didn’t take much more than an hour to make the pie, but Michael made Castiel have dinner first before they eventually went over to the Winchester house, knocking on the door. Castiel was proudly holding a huge wedge of pie in a box for Dean, while Michael had a separate full pie for Mary.

“Dean!” Castiel called out, knocking on his bedroom door and hurrying inside without waiting for a reply. “How’s your arm?”

Dean was wearing a sling, his wrist bandaged, but he was grinning widely at the sight of Castiel, who had left his toy at home this time. He seemed in a good mood, no sign of his earlier pain, although he did wince a bit when he reached out to ruffle Cas’ hair.

“Hurts, but I can handle it,” he puffed up his chest proudly. “What you got there, Cas?”

Castiel beamed and set the box down on Dean’s bed. “Pie. Michael made it and I helped! It’s for you, to say sorry and thank you for getting Buzzy down from the tree for me.”

Dean’s face lit up at the promise of pie and he took the box, struggling to open it with one hand, but eventually managing it. He inhaled deeply and smiled in satisfaction.

“Thanks, Cas. Pie is my favourite. Don’t worry about it, those guys were jackasses.”

Licking his lips, Castiel climbed onto Dean’s bed and sat next to him without invitation. “Michael says that you’re a very special person for standing up to those bullies for me,” he said solemnly.

Dean’s cheeks turned a pale pink and he fidgeted a little, before shyly meeting Castiel’s eyes. “Yeah? And what do you think?”

“I think so too.” Castiel whispered. “I think you’re the bravest person in the whole world, Dean. And I want to be friends.”

Smiling widely, Dean reached out to ruffle Castiel’s hair again. “Me too, Cas.”

He wrapped his arm around the younger boy, and Castiel leaned into the touch, each knowing they’d somehow made a lifelong friend.

Masterpost