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It all started a few weeks ago. Dean had been gently patting Jack’s back to burp the child after dinner. Jack was squirming and absolutely refusing to cooperate, but Dean was patient. He softly hummed some old Led Zeppelin tune while swaying back and forth and tapping the baby’s back.
Dean had cooed and congratulated Jack when he finally did burp with an enthusiastic spit-up of some of his dinner. The hunter simply laughed and swayed Jack a little longer while humming. That was when he felt it: Jack’s tiny palm resting on his shoulder right where Castiel’s handprint used to be. The baby splayed his small fingers on Dean’s shoulder while he drifted off to sleep and Dean smiled at Jack’s peaceful face.
Then there was tummy time. A few days after the initial incident, Dean had been laying on the couch watching some boring nature documentary Castiel insisted was essential for Jack’s development. He had been lying with Jack on his shirtless chest, also by Castiel’s request, because apparently, skin-to-skin contact was important for growing infants.
He absently stroked Jack’s back and began to hum some old lullaby when he noticed Jack’s eyes slipping shut in the dark room. Yet again, Dean felt a tiny palm plant itself on his left shoulder. He looked at that small hand and thought about how lucky they were to have Jack in their lives.
Then there was the time he had been cooking dinner the week prior. Sammy’s vegetables had been sizzling in the pan as Dean stirred with Jack on his hip. The baby had seemed to get quite attached to him lately and whenever he began to scream, it was Dean that knew exactly how to calm him best. The rest of the group did not seem to take too much offense, after all, Dean had the most experience with children.
The hunter had been stirring something green and leafy when he began to hum to whatever song was playing softly from his phone in the kitchen. Just as he began to hum Dean felt a tiny palm on his shoulder. When he turned to look, there Jack sat looking straight back at him. That was the exact moment Dean realized just how much the infant he loved resembled Castiel.
Then came the fateful day: bathtime. Jack was a splasher. He loved sending water and soap flying everywhere as he played with the rubber ducks and boats Jody had gifted them a few weeks back. Dean had elected to leave his shirt on the bathroom counter in hopes of keeping it dry.
When he first found the room with the bathtub so many years ago, Dean never would have anticipated using it but with Jack now living in the bunker, it was one of the most frequented rooms in Dean’s busy schedule. The kid seemed to always be getting into trouble and finding some kind of mess to make.
Dean carefully hoisted Jack out of the now draining tub and wrapped him in a towel to dry. He blew nice wet raspberries onto the baby’s cheek and earned himself a hysterical fit of giggles. Dean swayed Jack gently against his chest as he patted the infant’s hair dry and began to hum softly. This time when Jack’s hand returned to Dean’s shoulder, it was accompanied by a searing heat.
Dean whipped his head around to look at the tiny palm against his shoulder. Jack’s palm left his arm and Dean’s jaw dropped when he noticed the print of a tiny hand remained, just like Castiel’s old handprint.
“You little stinker,” he said to the baby in pure shock and amazement. “You wanna be like Daddy huh? Well, let’s go show him.”
Dean found Castiel reading at one of the library’s tables and the angel looked more than surprised when a sopping wet Jack and animated Dean approached him. Dean grabbed Castiel’s hand to tug him to stand and look.
“Dude you gotta see this!” Dean joked as he turned his shoulder to face Castiel. “He laid it on me after his bath.”
Castiel’s eyes widened and he reached out to touch Dean’s shoulder. His hand landed exactly where his old handprint used to be and Dean noticed that the tiny one fit perfectly in Castiel’s palm. Jack cooed and clapped when Castiel did so and both the angel and hunter looked at him in amazement.
“I think he knows more than he lets on,” Castiel commented as he let go of Dean’s shoulder to stroke the baby’s hair.
“You think?” Dean said with fondness in his voice.
“It seems Jack here is more cognizant than we originally anticipated. He must have been able to sense the brand left behind when I raised you from perdition.” Castiel looked at the baby with admiration and fascination.
Dean laughed. “Yeah, well. I like it. I might even like it more than yours!” he teased while winking at the angel.
“Well.” Castiel pressed a quick kiss into the baby’s hair before speaking again. “It seems he likes you.”
Dean hadn’t quite realized how much he missed the old scar until this moment. Now he had a new one. This one may not have been from Castiel, but this one was from the angel’s son. This one was not placed there out of necessity. Instead, it was a symbol of his found family and how far he had come in his life. This one meant love and he intended to keep it.