Castiel growled at the people walking around his cage. They didn't even glance at him, but he didn't want to take any chances. His wings were ruffled up and messy. He looked dirty and like he hasn't eaten in weeks. Just how he wanted to look. He didn't want anyone to adopt him. He wanted to stay in his cage and die there. Little kids pulled at his wings and he growled louder, pulling them tighter around his body. This was getting ridiculous. Just when he was about to turn around and bite the stupid kids a man with bright green eyes and freckles came up to his cage. Castiel remembered those green eyes.
"Hello, Dean." He greeted his old master who he ran away from. Not because he was abusing him, he wasn't. He ran because he was getting too close to him.
"Thought i'd find you back here." Dean sank down with a tiny smile cross legged as close to the cage as possible, shooing the children pulling at his wings away. The Winchester placed his hands slowly against the bars. "You look terrible." He sounded genuinely concerned for the Angel. Castiel chuckled lightly. "That's a nice way to greet your Angel." He mused, looking at him in amusement. "I made myself like this hoping you wouldn't recognize me." He admitted looking down in shame. "I'm sorry a ran away." Castiel looked down and hugged his knees to his chest, biting his lip. They hadn't done anything too bad. Just a kiss. One simple kiss that made Castiel decide to run away.
Dean tried to smile. He had loved Castiel even if it was wrong. He was so alone and Castiel had saved him. Fixed him and when he left he broke him all over again. Dean leans his head closer to the bars, if he could get inside the cage he would. He slips his arm through trying to touch the Angel. "I don't think you're 'My Angel' anymore." He frowns. He'd run away after all. Castiel looked at the arm, hesitating a moment before he leaned in so Dean could touch him.
"I think I'll always be your angel." He wasn't talking about a pet kind. He loved his master, though it was forbidden and the punishment was death for angels and prison for humans. He didn't care. He loved Dean, very much. He closed his eyes as Dean touched him, sighing a bit at the familiar hand. "Please come home." Dean quietly begged. John had been harder than ever on the boy and Sam had left for school again, leaving Dean pretty much on his own. Bruises trailed down the man's back and Castiel could tell he'd just recovered from a black eye. Evidence of John's anger on a particularly drunken night. That was part of the reason Dean loved Castiel so much. He understood what if felt like to feel caged up. To be treated badly by the people you put the most trust in. "I need you, Cas." He whispers as a police officer walks past eyeing the pair.
Castiel almost cried at that. He needed Dean almost as much as Dean didn't him. He took his hand into his and closed his eyes. "I can't, Dean. I can't risk you going to prison." He felt so weak without Dean by his side, though. Like a part of him was missing. He gently kissed his hand when no one was looking. "We can get into a lot of trouble if something like you know what happened again."
"Only if people see..." Dean whispers against the bars, his green eyes glistening with tears waiting to fall. Castiel is all he has and all he wants. Sam can have his life of school and student accommodation but Dean would always be stuck with John looming over him, he needed something, just this one thing. His light in this world. "Just come home." He rests his head on the cold metal bars, his head lowering as his voice cracks. Castiel copies this movement his head right in front of Dean's. He bit his lip and gently wiped the tears from Dean's eyes. "Shh, Dean. Don't cry." Castiel would start crying as well. And that wouldn't look good for them. "I'll come home, Dean." He whispered to him, squeezing his hand gently. Dean had missed the feeling of Castiel's hands on his face.
Standing up he called a guard over claiming this Angel was his and had run away. Dean showed the man his papers and the guard handed him the keys after kicking the cage. Dean held back his rage as the cage shook with Castiel inside and he felt like a fraud when he open the metal door with shaking hands holding out the most horrible invention ever. The Angel leash. "Lets go home." He whispers. Castiel curled into himself when the loud noise invaded his eardrums. The guards just loved scaring him and seeing him like this. When the door opened, he clung to Dean like he was keeping him alive. It was a normal reaction for the scared angels so no one thought it was weird or suspicious. He nodded when Dean whispered and allowed the leash to be out on him, growling and scratching at it like the dog he was suppose to be.
Dean led him away, closer to the place Dean was forced to call home. "I promise as soon as we get there i'll take it straight off." He says holding the leash ever so carefully, not wanting to hurt Castiel. "Everything is gonna be okay." He breathes, talking more to himself than Castiel. John was never really fond of the Angel and was glad to be rid of him. Dean wondered how he would take the news that he's returned. "Please don't leave me again." He chokes out, looking away.
Castiel frowned, remembering John and how angry he was every time he saw him. He hugged Dean, an arm around his waist as they walked, letting him know he was never leaving again. He felt terrible for leaving in the human in the first place. He nuzzled against him for a moment, then let go when they got to the house. Castiel swallowed when he seen John on the window. Before they could enter, John came storming out.
"What the hell is that thing doing back here?!" He yelled. Castiel growled and stood in front of Dean to protect him. Dean couldn't meet his Father's eyes. Instead he looked at the floor turning the leash handle over and over in his hand, trying to still his body from the shaking that will eventually begin to show. "I-I found him." He stutters out pulling on Castiel's chain only because he wants him to step away from John. he doesn't want Cas hurt. Dean wasn't exactly being truthful. He had searched every auction site in miles looking for his Angel. To bring him home. He just hoped John hadn't been drinking and he might get away lightly.
"Get rid of it. It's not coming in my house." John said, glaring at the Angel. The angel glared right back. He growled and pulled the chain hard, the sigils on it making his strength and stuff weaker, but he still managed to break the chain. "That's right, now go!" John ordered. Castiel stood in front of Dean again. John moved forward to hit Dean, but Castiel pushed him back, hard. "Don't touch him." He growled at the other. Castiel's push had sent Dean falling to the ground, the chain clattering down with him as Castiel stood free from his leash. "Cas Stop!" Dean begs, knowing the more the Angel angered his father the more he would be punished. "Just stop! it's okay!" He pleads with his eyes becoming watery again as he slides himself away from the two.
Castiel growled at John, who towered over him, but he didn't care. No one hurts Dean and gets away with it. "Move out of my way, you stupid animal!" John hissed and went to strike Castiel, but Castiel caught his arm and twisted it back, snapping the bone. When John was on the ground, hissing, Castiel went to Dean, nuzzling against him, telling the human he was sorry. Dean pulled Castiel into his arms, afraid that John would still take the dark haired angel away from him. He nuzzled back, his face wet with tears again. He watched John writhe on the floor, a broken arm to deal with. He knew that pain. John had snapped his arm plenty of times before. Dean lay there scared and out of breath for crying for a few moments, burying his head into Castiel's back. John wasn't dead, which meant punishment was still just around the corner. He leant across Castiel's shoulder. "Just let him, once it's over he'll be tired and you can come back with me to the barn." He whispers. "It doesn't hurt that much." He lied to make Cas feel a little better.
Castiel clutched Dean's shirt and shook his head. "No." He mumbled and buried his face in Dean's shoulder. "He can't do that. He can't just hit you and get away with it. I won't let him." He looked up at him, wiping his tears away. "Don't cry. Please, don't cry. Please, Dean." John stood up and looked at the two, glaring at the angel.
"You bring that angel into my house, I'll kill it." Castiel growled and nestled Dean again.
"He can't do this to you, Dean. It's not fair."
"Go to the barn." Dean gritted his teeth as John stood. He watched as Castiel made no effort to move. He hated to pull the ownership card but there wasn't another way around this. "It's an order." He says with his voice still cracked as he stands rubbing himself down, the mud still covering him. "I'll be there soon." He looks to John who's steaming with rage. "Please." He adds rubbing his hands together timidly as John's eyes watch his nervous son. Castiel felt tears in his eyes and growled at the both of them, turning and making his way to the barn, hugging his knees to his chest as he waited for Dean to join him.
John used his good arm to punch his son hard in the face, then in the gut, kicking him down to the ground. "Why'd you bring that Animal back, Son?" He growled at him. "Did you think he would SAVE you?" He sneered, using the phrase Dean had used when he thought no one was listening. Dean fell back down to where he'd just been, sprawled out with a black eye on the way. He felt winded as John kicked him in the gut, his hands automatically coming up to shield himself against further blows. "I need him!" He pants out "Dad, Please, Stop!" He cries curling up on the floor. He can smell the whiskey on his breath from here. He can't admit to his father that he's lonely. That he needs someone to accept him for the broken shell of a boy he really is.
John continued to kick Dean until the boy put up no fight. "Get rid of the Angel or I'll kill you and it." With one final kick, he went back into the house and drank some more.
Castiel waited and waited for Dean, but after some time he flew back to see Dean on the ground, bruised, bloody and beaten. The sight almost made him want to throw up. "Dean." He said quietly, tears welling up. He gently touched his forehead and healed him of the damage. The black eye, the bloody nose, a couple of broken bones and the bruising that covered his whole abdomen. Then pulling him into his arms, wrapping his wings around them so no one could see.
Dean weakly opened his eyes, laying flat on his back now his hand slowly rested against his own chest, grateful that his chest was infact still rising and falling. "He- He doesn't mean the things he says..." He breathes in a cracked whisper his eyes lolling back into his head. "He loves us really..." He says in a daze, forgetting that it's Castiel he's talking to and not Sammy. That's what he'd always tell his little brother. /Dad still loves us/. Even if Dean did get the worst of John's rage, Sammy had his fair share of broken bones and black eyes. He lay silently, no energy to move and grateful to be under Castiel's wings. "He does..." He murmurs before passing out.
Castiel held him tightly, burying his face in his chest. The Angel flew them back to barn, laying Dean down on a pile of hay, lying next to him, wings wrapped around him protectively and to keep him warm. He fell asleep next to him, arms wrapped around him tightly as his wings draped over him. He lightly kissed the others cheek before falling asleep. Dean had the best sleep in months thanks to Castiel's protective wings around him. He woke and automatically tried to figure out where he'd been hurt, but he felt fine. He'd forgotten how well Castiel could heal him. As if nothing had happened last night. The Angel still slept and so Dean took the moment to nuzzle closer, the wings huge and fluffy and warm, like a big blanket. "Thank you." He whispers into the Dark hair angel's ear. "For saving me from this Hell." He continues stroking an unruly piece of hair back into place and picking some straw out of it.