Chapter One
Castiel sat in an ornate arm chair, waiting patiently for the allotted time of the meeting he had been called to. Looking around the large, white room, he took in the bland pictures on the wall. One was of a sunset over a desert, another of an ocean. All were designed to be tranquil and calming. He shuffled in his seat, absentmindedly flicking a bit of lint off of his suit pants. He wondered why he had been called, above all his brothers and sisters, to a meeting with head office. He felt a stab of worry, hoping he had done nothing to displease them. That would be… unpleasant. Rubbing his temples, he tried to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. He looked up as the door across from him opened, and a woman walked out.
"Castiel, thank you for coming. My name is Naomi. Sorry to pull you out of your garrison at such short notice, but we have very important business to discuss, and not a lot of time." Naomi smiled warmly, ushering Castiel through the open door. Gesturing to an empty chair in front of her desk, Naomi sat behind clasping her hands together, as if in prayer.
"I have to admit, I am very curious as to what this meeting is about, if you don't mind me saying." Castiel said in an even tone.
Naomi reminded Castiel of the type of hard business woman he had seen down on earth, the few times he was there. Dark blue pants suit, hair pulled back into a bun and a warm smile but still a hint of the steel underneath he knew she needed for this job.
"Well, let me get right to the point then. We have a very special assignment for you. One like this doesn't come around very often." Naomi opened a file on her desk, passing a piece of paper to Castiel. "Now, if you read that, it will explain in detail what the assignment requires. But I will give you a brief overview. Basically, we have discovered a soul on earth that is so bright, so pure, that when he ascends to heaven, he will become an angel."
Castiel looked up in shock. That kind of soul had not been discovered in millennia. Humanity was a dark and miserable monster, with only a few bright sparks among the darkness.
"And what will my part be in all of this?" has asked quietly, looking down at the picture in front of him. The man in the picture was in his thirties, stubble etched over a strong jaw.
He had short, dark blonde hair and the greenest eyes Castiel had ever seen. He looked up at Naomi, a sudden need to know why he had been called, what he had to do with this man, this mission.
"You are to be stationed on earth indefinitely, Castiel. You are to be his protector." Naomi looked over at the shocked face of the young angel, something a kin to pride coloring her eyes. She closed the folder on her desk and stood up, coming around to sit on the edge of her desk in front of Castiel. "We have been watching you, Castiel. You have shown great compassion on the battlefield and a willingness to… improvise, where most other angels are not. We believe you will carry out this mission to the best of your remarkable abilities."
"Thank you for bestowing upon me this great responsibility. I will endeavor to keep this human, this-"Castiel squinted at the paper in front of him "Dean Winchester, safe."
Naomi smiled another warm smile, nodding her head. "I know you will, that's why we chose you." She walked over to the door, opening it.
Castiel made his way quickly over to the door, impatient to get on with his task. "When do I begin this mission?" he asked with as much excitement an angel was allowed to show.
"Immediately, and Castiel?" Naomi stopped him with a touch on his arm. He turned to her, looking her right in the eye with an unwavering gaze. "Good luck with him. From what I have been told, he can be... difficult. That is why we are sending you to watch over him. Too many close calls."
With that little mystery firmly lodged in Castiel's mind, the door closed, and the young angel found himself standing not in the waiting room, but in a small flat with a small dog looking up at him. And then the door opened.
Dean sighed heavily as he stared at the clock on the wall. Five minutes until home time, yay… he thought, bored as all hell. Paperwork was not his thing. It was the only part of the job he actually hated. Riding along on the beat with Sammy? The best. All night stake outs? All good. All you can eat donuts? Mmmm. Getting peed on by some homeless guy? Not his best day. But paperwork? No. That was Sammy's thing, not his. His mind was fried after a day of writing up stupid reports and summaries. I mean come-on! He was a beat cop, getting out there with the population, that was his thing.
Dean grabbed a blank piece of paper, scrunched it up and lobbed it over at his partner. Hitting Sam square in the head, Dean chuckled as Sam threw him one of his mean bitch faces. He knew almost all of them by now, having been partners for going on 5 years. His favorites were the 'don't touch me I'm eating face', and the 'don't interrupt me I'm researching face'.
"Dude, its knock off time. You wanna go grab a beer?" Dean asked, hoping Sam wasn't going to suggest they stay late again and finish more reports. He didn't become a cop to write fucking reports.
"Nah sorry man, I gotta get home to Amy. She text me before, something about a shit day at work." Sam looked over at him sympathetically. Dean hoped the disappointment didn't show up too much on his face. Times like this he was sure glad his dad taught him how to be good at poker. He smiled what he hoped was an easy smile.
"Nah man it's all good. I'll hit the gym, work off all this writing we been doing today." He said, pulling a face at the thought of a whole day wasted without someone getting arrested. He got up, stretching his stiff muscles, feeling his vertebrae pop and shift. The gym would do him good, get a good sweat on.
"Bro, you know we have to do the writing, if we want these guys to end up in the slammer where they belong." Sam said as he got his gear ready to leave. Dean just shrugged. He tried to leave his work at work, that way he wouldn't be forced to think about it when he got home. That place was crowded enough as it was. Sometimes keeping them separate was the only thing keeping him going.
"Alright man I hear ya. Say hi to Amy for me. Get her to make me some more of those brownies, god they were good." Dean said, lolling his tongue out and rolling his eyes. Sam just rolled his eyes like usual, punching the other man on the arm.
By the time Dean got to his car, he was actually pretty pumped about going to the gym. He hadn't been in a couple of weeks and he could use the exercise.
Three hours later however, Dean was severely regretting that decision. He had forgotten about the burn that accompanied a good workout, and he knew he would be sore in the morning. Sliding his keys into his apartment lock, he opened the door to his darkened flat. Dropping the keys onto the table beside the door, he switched on the lights. A small, furry creature bounded up to him, happily laying at his feet for a belly rub.
"Hey buddy, sorry I'm so late. Traffic was a bitch." He scratched Riot's belly hard, sending him sliding over the hard wood floors. Suddenly, Riot had enough and was racing over to just by the window, looking up. He then proceeded to do exactly what he had just done to Dean, but to thin air. Dean watched all this with a looked of bewilderment on his face.
He walked over to where his dog was sprawled out, just standing to watch his reaction. Be bent down to rub his dogs belly again, and looking somewhat pacified, Riot got up and waddled over to his bed by the TV. Dean chuckled to himself as he straightened up, and then froze. Turning ever so slightly around, he swore he could feel someone's breath on the back of his neck. It made all the little hairs on his body stand up, and a tingle run down his spine.
Then the cop part of him snapped him to attention.
He spun fully around, ready to confront whoever was in his space. Open air greeted him. Dean sighed unsteadily, heart still racing. A tiny part of him wished beyond measure there was another person in the apartment. Someone to come home to, to share his day with. His green eyes darted around the room hastily, taking in all the familiar details.
His apartment was small, but comfortable. Shiny wooden floors stretched throughout, all the way to large bay windows that looked out at… some other buildings brick wall. New York was a funny place to live. The older buildings stood by new ones, sometimes, like in his case, blocking the view. You wanted somewhere cheap, the view took the fall. Dean didn't mind, he got some sun, and he wasn't in the apartment enough during the day to miss it anyway. He had a few simple furnishings, a two seater couch, a large TV, a messy desk. His coffee table was scattered with car magazines, and dirty coffee cups.
His kitchen was small but it did the job. The apartment only had one bedroom, as was per usual for New York. It suited Dean right down to the ground, it being only him and his dog.
Satisfied there wasn't anyone lurking in his apartment, Dean began removing his gym soiled clothes. Peeling his singlet away from his sweat slicked body; he dropped it on the floor by the bathroom. Bending down to strip off his shorts, he touched his toes to stretch out his sore back. Standing back up, he stepped out of his clothes, heading into the bathroom.
Castiel waited until the bathroom door had closed before daring to move. He released a tense breath, trying to relax his bunched muscles. He felt slightly guilty having seen Dean undress without him knowing Castiel was present. He had to admit, Deans naked form was highly…. Appealing. Castiel had been on earth a few times in the last few millennia. And Dean's body had to be one of the most appealing he had seen. Not that it mattered. Dean was just a charge. Nothing more.
The fact that the small furry dog had almost revealed him was most unfortunate. He couldn't reveal himself to Dean yet; he had to learn more about his elusive human charge. Castiel was not sure how he would react to his presence. The last thing he wanted was to frighten this poor, fragile hum—
What is that noise?
Castiel could hear moaning and thumping coming from the bathroom. Dean could be in trouble. The angel hurried over to the door, quietly opening it, hoping Dean thought it was his pet. The sight that assailed him would stay with him for as long as he existed. Dean was in the shower, facing the angel, back leaning against the tiled wall. The thumping Castiel had heard was Deans head hitting the wall every few seconds. That was not, however, the sight that made the angels body burn like fire.
Deans naked body was being pelted with hot water, eyes closed in rapture. The hand that wasn't holding the wall, was gripping himself. His large hand was wrapped tightly around his large, erect cock, slipping easily up and down in a rhythmic movement. Dean was moaning, teeth biting his bottom lip, head thumping occasionally against the wall.
Castiel noticed how Dean's muscles clenched when he groaned, his hips thrusting into his tight grip. His rhythm was increasing, as were his sounds, guttural, growling sounds that had the angel clenching his fists. Castiel could feel an unusual feeling in his own pants. Looking down, he was shocked to see a slight bulge in his neatly pressed dress pants. This sort of thing did not happen to angels. They could control their human urges, which only eventuated while on earth.
Hearing a particularly loud groan, Castiel looked up just as Dean moved his head, seemingly locking eyes with the angel. Bright green eyes, almost overtaken by pupil, stared back at him in pleasure. Biting his lip, Dean started pumping his fist furiously, thrusting up wards into his clenched fist. Castiel watched as Dean moaned heavily, his muscles tensing, and a stream of white fluid pumped from Dean's cock.
Castiel did not understand what was happening. He had not even talked to Dean, and yet his body was responding in the most basic of ways, wanting, needing, the other man like he had never needed anyone before.
He knew he needed to get out of the bathroom, but he couldn't drag himself away from Dean. He watched as the other man's aftershocks dissipated. Dean put his back up to the tiled shower wall, covering his face with his hands. His shoulders began to shake. Castiel was confused; this was not a normal conclusion to human masturbation. A sob reached the angels ears, and when Dean drew his hands from his face, the angel was shocked to see tears running down his face.
Castiel didn't understand why it made his heart ache, watching Dean suffer, and not being able to do anything about it. He assumed it was because it made him feel like he was failing in his new mission, to watch over Dean. Castiel wanted nothing more than to reach out and clench the other man's shoulder, to provide him with comfort. He had no idea what Dean was upset about, only knowing that seeing Dean upset made him upset as well. The mirror above the wash basin began to vibrate, shaking violently at the energy Castiel was emitting.
Deans head shot up with a choked breath, looking at the mirror with his brows furrowed in confusion. He quickly wiped his hands over his face, washing away the remaining tears. Turning off the water, Castiel had to quickly sidestep out of Deans way when he grabbed blindly for a towel. Wrapping it around himself tightly, the angel watched as the human walked over to the now still mirror, slowly wiping his large hand over the surface gently.
"hmm must have been a blocked pipe" Dean mumbled to what he thought was himself.
Castiel was now almost in the shower himself, in his haste to avoid Deans touch.
Pull yourself together and just fly out. What is wrong with you?
Castiel physically shook himself before closing his eyes, and reappearing back in Deans living room. Riot looked up from his spot by the TV, cocking his head to the side. He watched as Dean emerged from the bathroom, once again naked, drying his head with the towel. Castiel everted his eyes, slightly uncomfortable about the way Deans body made his body react. That would require some research on his part.
Dean disappeared into his bedroom, returning wearing a pair of dark blue sweats and a grey tee shirt that clung to his damp body.
"How about we rustle up some dinner, eh boy?" Dean asked the little dog warmly. It was obvious the human had great affection for the small animal.
The next few hours passed quickly, as Castiel watched Dean make dinner for himself, singing along to a classic rock radio station. Dean settled himself on the couch with a beer in hand, watching some show about cars. Not long after Castiel had settled himself in Deans only other armchair, he heard a soft snore coming from Deans direction. Looking over, he realized Dean had fallen asleep. Getting up, Castiel leaned over the prone shape below him. Dean shivered slightly in his sleep, hands clutching an invisible blanket.
Castiel walked around the apartment until he found a cupboard with various linens, pillows and blankets. Gathering one up, he walked back over to the couch, covering Dean from neck to foot. He sighed contentedly in his sleep, snuggling deeper into the warmth. Castiel straightened up, smiling at a job well done. He could do this. He could protect and serve, just like Dean.