Work Text:
The small angel had never felt pain before. When the bee stung his grabby, chubby hand, he shook off the dead insect and stared at the well of blood surrounding the stinger and screamed. Gabriel came running and soothed the small hurt effortlessly.
Gabriel knelt before his small charge. “It’s a bee, Castiel. They sting to protect their food or if they feel threatened. You must not bother them,” he gently scolded.
“I only wanted to play with it,” Castiel sniffed. “It was pretty and had little wings.”
The archangel smiled as he picked up the baby angel who somehow always found trouble. He whispered, “When you are older, you may observe the bees and perhaps persuade some of them to play with you.”
“Promise?” Castiel demanded.
“Yes, I promise. When you are older you’ll know all of our father’s creations.”
The child brightened, and his small wings fluttered in anticipation. He was curious for his kind and he believed his brother in all things.
~*~
It took millennia and the loss of his sanity before he was able to fulfill a childhood dream.