This story is partly inspired by the song Rockabye by Clean Bandit, partly by the movie I, Robot with Will Smith, and partly by the fanfiction story Homeless hearts by Briston on AO3.

Huge THANK YOU to maowg for checking this story out and shaping it into something a little more readable. Q, you are the best damn beta any author could ever ask for, I really enjoyed working with you.


Dean watched the tail lights flicker, the lake swallowing the car while he just stood there on the bank, shocked. The roads were slippery from the rain and the car had swerved dangerously on the bridge before bursting through the railing and taking the dive right into the lake. As the first bubbles arose on the lake's surface, Dean snapped out of it, quickly took his jacket off and just ran right into the water.

The car was of a golden color, bulky and large, and sinking rapidly. Dean dove in, expertly swimming downward, hoping to get to it fast. Nobody appeared to be getting out of the car, so Dean figured they were either trapped or unconscious.

Reaching the car, he was met by a devastating scene – the car was slowly filling with water; there was a kid crying in the back and the driver was frantically trying to calm him down while unsuccessfully trying to break himself free of the seatbelt. His bright blue eyes, illuminated by the moonlight and filled with fear, snapped in Dean's direction when he tried to open the car door. The guy glanced back at the kid who was trapped in a child car seat then looked back at Dean.

"Save him! Save Jack!" The guy yelled as the water level rose over his chest. The car was tilted in such a way that, thankfully, the water was only covering the kid's feet, but he was really panicking, screaming and crying for his dad.

Dean didn't have much time.

The car wouldn't open; it could be a problem with the central lock or a simple vacuum issue, but Dean needed to get in there fast. So he did the only thing he could think of – he punched the window, hoping to break it. This wasn't the movies and he wasn't an action hero, but Dean was persistent and, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand, he punched the glass a few more times before it finally gave in.

He got to the kid first, as Jack still had a small air pocket and Dean had been running out of breath. He quickly unbuckled him, all the while trying to calm the kid down, promising he won't leave his dad behind. Telling Jack to stay put for just a minute, Dean dove back to the driver who had fallen unconscious by then. The seatbelt was jammed, probably due to impact, but luckily Dean had his pocket knife in his jeans, so he quickly cut the damn thing and freed the guy.

Getting out of the car with a terrified kid and an unconscious, full-grown man took some maneuvering, but Dean managed, rushing them all towards the surface. Thankfully the kid could swim, so Dean focused on getting the guy out. As soon as they reached the bank, Dean ran to his jacket, pulled out his phone and called 911.


"It's gonna be okay, buddy, the paramedics are going to take your dad to the hospital and he is going to be alright, okay? You were so brave, Jack," Dean told the kid, staying with him while the paramedics loaded the kid's dad onto the ambulance. It seemed that the guy had hit his head upon impact and even if he was breathing and had a steady pulse, he still hadn't come to. The paramedics checked both Jack and Dean over, giving them warm blankets and telling them to check in with their doctor as soon as possible.

"How – how do you know my name?" The kid turned his huge, blue-like-his-dad's eyes on Dean, still very shaken by everything.

"Your dad told me. He told me to help you out of the car, remember?" Dean replied, but before Jack could respond, one of the paramedics came up and told Dean they were taking the guy to the nearest hospital, but that they didn't have room for the two of them. The kid suddenly started to cry and Dean assured both him and the paramedic that he would get the kid there.

On the ride to the hospital, Dean tried to keep the kid calm by asking him a bunch of questions. He found out that Jack was six years old and that he loved dinosaurs. Jack's last name was Milton and his dad's name was Castiel. Jack's mom died giving birth to Jack. Her parents were also dead, but his dad's parents were still alive, they just didn't like his dad very much. Jack used to go to kindergarten, but had to stop going a few months ago.

"Why did you have to stop going, Jack?"

"Because we lost our house. The mean guys from the bank took it. And now we lost our home too." The words cut through Dean deep, making him gasp, the situation all too familiar, but he had to know for sure.

"What – what do you mean, Jack?"

"Our car sank, like those old ships. We had all of our stuff there, but now it's gone."

Oh, hell. They had been living out of their car for God knew how long. Dean's heart broke for them, for Jack; these were the kinds of circumstances that made little kids grow up way too fast.

Dean steered the conversation to some lighter subjects, learning that Jack liked nougat and hot cocoa and cereal and a cartoon called Paw Patrol, all the while trying to breathe through the heavy ache in his chest.

At the hospital they wouldn't let him see Castiel, who had already been transferred to a room to be monitored, but then Jack broke down crying and he guilted the staff to let them in, asking how they could keep a child away from his father. Castiel was hooked up to some machines, but luckily he wasn't intubated. Jack ran towards him and flung himself on the bed, calling out for his dad. Dean tried his best to calm him down and to explain that his dad was only resting, and that they should let him, so that he could wake up sooner. Jack finally stopped jostling the unconscious man and settled next to him on the bed, falling asleep within minutes.

The next shift thought Dean was Castiel's boyfriend and Dean didn't correct them. He spent some time regarding the man, finding him handsome and, from everything he had heard from Jack, he seemed like a really great guy. Knowing his luck, that would probably translate into being straight, or maybe even already taken, though the latter didn't seem likely considering their living situation.

Hours passed. Dean dozed off in the chair once or twice, but it was too uncomfortable to really fall asleep. The more awake he was, the more he kept thinking about the guy before him and his sweet kid, and even though Sam would call him an idiot, he still decided to ask them to come stay with him. His excuse would be a free room and…well, he would figure it out.

Ever since Sam took off to California, Dean had been a little lonely, even with all his friends still mostly around. His job at Bobby's car shop wasn't all that exciting, mostly consisting of oil changes and minor repairs on the newer, cost-efficient cars. Nobody drove the classics anymore. So yeah, Dean was lonely, he had a spare room, and Castiel and Jack needed a place to stay. It really was a no brainer.


Cas slowly came to, the ripple of water still echoing in his ears as the waves danced before his closed eyes. He was disoriented and confused at first, not knowing what had happened or where he was. Where Jack– Jack?

"Jack?"

"Oh, shit, he's awake."

He heard a voice and saw a fuzzy figure in the room, but Jack was there, right next to him, and Cas focused on him. He was there, he was safe, he was okay. It took him a few more moments to remember what had happened, his eyes trained on his son's teary ones. The road, the car swerved, he couldn't control it and they… They… Oh, god, they went through the railing, falling off the bridge, straight into the lake. It all flashed before his eyes, him struggling to break free, Jack crying, someone outside of the car, Cas begging the person to save Jack.

His eyes scanned the room to find a man standing a bit further away, insecure and worried, his green eyes wide as they just stared at Cas. This was him, he remembered the features of the man and his eyes, this was the man that had saved them.

"Tha–" Cas tried to speak, but his throat was too dry and the word of gratitude broke before he could say it. The man rushed towards him, poured him a glass of water and helped him take a sip. "Thank you."

"No problem, man, I–"

"No. Thank you for saving us." Cas didn't have the strength to explain, but he figured that the man would get the point.

"Of course. Don't worry about it." The man smiled and Cas found himself completely mesmerized by the sight of it, the way it raised his cheekbones a little and accentuated the dusting of freckles that spread across the man's nose.

"Ah, Mr. Milton, how are we feeling?" A nurse stepped in the room, breaking off Cas' staring and bringing him back to reality. The nurse asked him some questions, and he could see that the man was trying to give them privacy, but Jack went to him and clung to him, so the man lingered. Cas answered as best as he could, not minding the man's presence at all. Until the nurse made a strange comment.

"Well, guess your boyfriend took really good care of you. Between you and me? He's definitely a keeper."

A few moments later she was out the door and Cas turned to look at the man, finding him with his head ducked low and his cheeks rose red.

"I, um, heh. I can explain," he said and paused, probably waiting to see what Cas would say. "Funny story, um… The staff thought at one point that I was your boyfriend and I didn't correct them, otherwise they wouldn't let me stay. And then the cops came and child services and, and I just sort of went with it to keep Jack here. I, um… I'm sorry."

"You… You looked after Jack? You didn't have to do that." Cas felt some sort of strange warmth spread through his chest.

"Yeah, well…" The man trailed off, then came closer and spoke with a lower tone. "The kid told me you have been living out of the car, and I figured you wouldn't want social services to take him. Besides, Jack and I had loads of fun, right kid?" His tone went back to normal as he addressed Jack, smiling widely. But there was something in his eyes, some sort of understanding, like he knew what it was like. Cas felt a little embarrassment flare up, but it only aided that warmth in his chest to spread wider.

"And I don't even know your name."

"Dean. Dean Winchester. Nice to meet you, Castiel." The man, Dean, smiled and offered Cas his hand for a shake.

"Please, call me Cas."


Cas felt a little uncomfortable; Dean had already done so much and when he offered Cas a place to stay, Cas wanted to decline. But Jack got really attached to the man and honestly, the idea of staying somewhere safe and warm was really appealing. In his attempt to persuade him, Dean said, "until you guys get back on your feet," and Cas swore he would repay him as soon as he could.

Dean's car was a beauty and Jack was delighted by it. Dean was beaming as he referred to it, to her, as Baby, proud and glad they liked it. It purred gorgeously and Cas blushed when Jack made a comment about her sounding a lot nicer than their old car.

Throughout the ride, Dean kept talking about his place, sounding apologetic as he claimed it was small, and Cas got the feeling Dean was being a little modest. He could believe that it was a little messy, since Dean was a bachelor, it made sense, but it didn't matter, not to Cas. Hopefully, Dean had a couch he and Jack could sleep on, or at least Jack; Cas wouldn't mind sleeping on the floor as long as Jack was warm and safe.

It turned out Dean's apartment was in a decent part of town, nice and clean, with a lot of trees and plants all around. He lived on the second floor, and there was an elevator, the inside of the building just as nice as the outside. Dean fumbled with the keys as he unlocked the door to apartment 2D, once again apologizing for the mess.

There was no mess.

Sure, the blanket wasn't folded and there was an empty mug on the coffee table, but otherwise the place was perfectly clean, lacking even a simple layer of dust. The front door opened to the large living room with the TV mounted on the same wall as the door. There was a small wardrobe on the left and a place to hang a jacket, but most importantly, there was a huge, deep blue couch that not only looked super comfortable, but also seemed to be a pull out.

"Um, as you can see this is the living room. Sorry, I'll put this away…" Dean picked up the mug and motioned to the passage on his left which led them to a medium-sized kitchen with a small table pushed up to the opposite wall. It was sweet and cozy, bright and clean. There was a Kiss the cook apron hanging on a hook glued to the fridge upon which were a dozen magnets, one of them a pink, purple and blue flag.

Across the kitchen was a bathroom, tiled in ocean colors. Jack was delighted by the few seahorses while Cas was secretly excited about that big tub. Dean showed them where the towels were, gave them spare toothbrushes and told them they were free to use whatever they needed. Cas was going to protest, but then he remembered that the little possessions they had went down with the car and were part of the lake floor now, so he quietly thanked Dean, not meeting his gaze.

On the other side of the apartment there were two doors. Dean opened the door to the left and said, cheeks reddening, that it was his bedroom. Cas respected the space, not entering. He assumed the second door was a closet or something, but when Dean opened the door only to reveal another bedroom, with a queen size bed, a big dresser and a little desk, Cas just stood there, stupefied. He sucked at visualization of space; he'd had no idea how big the apartment actually was.

"And this is your room."

Jack immediately ran inside, climbing on the bed and then frowning at it. "What's this?"

"It's memory foam, Jack. It remembers you."

Oh. Oh. Oh, God. A room, just for them? A nice, sunny little nook just for the two of them? With enough space and a memory foam mattress on the bed? A thought flashed in Cas' mind, and before he knew it, he was acting on it, placing both of his hands on either side of Dean's face and pulling him into a kiss. It was brief, a mere electric touch of lips, but it was enough to jolt him out of this daze.

"Oh, God. I'm sorry, I didn't… I was surprised; you didn't tell us about the room and I… I was just excited, I… Gosh, I'm so sorry." Cas was tripping over his own words, feeling like an idiot. Here Dean was offering them all these nice things and Cas thought he could just take more. Oh, if he ruined this, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Dean blushed, ducking his head and reaching up to rub his neck nervously, and Cas thought this was it, he was going to tell them to leave. But Dean looked up and smiled. "I, um… I didn't really mind."

Oh. Ooooh.

Cas couldn't help the smile that simply bloomed on his face.

It took less than a month for another kiss to happen, this one a little less spontaneous, but a lot nicer and way longer. They spent the whole evening just making out on the couch, and when they finally pulled apart, both of them were smiling like a couple of doofuses.

It took less than three months for Cas to move out of his and Jack's bedroom, relinquish the room to his son, and start sleeping in Dean's king size bed (it also had memory foam that remembered him).

It took less than a year for them to join hands in marriage and exactly one year for Jack to officially gain another father.

It would take many, many years, and if those weren't enough, they would take eternity in Heaven. And all that because Dean opened up his home and his heart to two lost boys.