Dean was offended. But not really. He'd just been splashed in the face three times by soapy water, and Cas wasn't stopping. Dean did only what was logical by reaching a hand into the water and splashing him back, gently of course.
Castiel spluttered, then giggled. He retreated into the mountain of bath bubbles where he could hide. But alas. "Hey, you can't hide!" Dean splashed him some more.
Castiel surrendered, but not like a man. "Wait, wait, my eyes!" He complained, although he was laughing.
"Oh, fine." Dean pretended to be annoyed. Castiel smiled and flipped around in the bath tub for another few minutes, sometimes hiding under the bubbles or going underwater, then Dean helped him get out and towel off. Dean had to assist with the process on Fridays, otherwise Cas took too long because he hated going to bed. One time the kid had spent an hour and a half in the bath tub while Dean assumed he'd gotten out, and turned himself into a prune.
When Castiel got his pants on Dean picked him up in an embrace and spun around. Cas maneuvered out of his arms, squirming and ducking his head. Dean just tousled his wet hair and tried to tell him it was time to go to bed.
"But Dad..." Cas began after pulling his shirt on.
Dean watched as Cas tried to come up with a reason to stay up. "But what?"
Castiel looked up at Dean's face. "Can we read?"
Cas had this grin like he knew he'd already won, that a love of reading was healthy and Dean couldn't deny him.
"Sure. Go pick something out." Dean instructed, and Cas ran toward his room.
When Dean got there Castiel had chosen Alice in Wonderland. It sat on the foot of the bed as Cas crawled up onto the mattress. Dean casually picked it up and read the title aloud, then pulled the sheets back for Cas to get under. He sat down on the bed and tucked his own legs under the blankets, drawing Cas in to his side with one arm slung over Cas's chest.
Castiel tucked his head under Dean's chin, watching as his dad opened the cover to the first page and began to read. He always did well trying to follow along. A lot of times he got lost, though, so he would just listen to the story, and sometimes he started to get sleepy with his dad's voice rumbling through him. He understood about the girl and the rabbit, and how she fell into a hole. This wasn't his first time hearing the story, but he noticed more than he had the first time.
When Cas got very tired Dean noticed, closing the book and putting a hand on Cas's arm. Cas just leaned over and kissed the hand, causing Dean to rub the arm in small circles. The touching was important to them. Dean raised Castiel with physical contact, teaching him that it was okay. Dean knew what it felt like to be different from everyone else, alone and confused. He didn't want his son to feel that way, wanted him to know that differences are okay, they're good in fact, and he should never try to hide anything from Dean. He wanted the loss of Cas's mother to bring them closer, not pull them farther. They were spontaneous and open, and Dean was glad for all of Cas's ideas and sleepy relaxed cuddling. He was also not afraid to use Cas as a heater at night the times they slept together. This reflected now when Cas rolled over and grabbed Dean's ears, so Dean gave him a kiss.
Dean reached to switch off the rocket-ship-shaped lamp and set the book down, and he shifted into a laying position with Castiel following suit. He encircled Cas with his arms, Cas's back resting warm against his chest.
"Love you, Cas," Dean said into the dark air.
"Love you too, Dad," Castiel sighed tiredly.
Dean kissed Castiel's hair and murmured, "G'night."
