A/N- Throughout this story, I use several forms of communication. When there is spoken conversation, it's in quotes like normal. When something is written down, typed on a computer, or texted, it is written in italics like this. When angels are speaking to each other telepathically, 'it will be written like this with one apostrophe.' When sign language is being used, 'it will be in italics between a single apostrophe like this.' As you are reading, this will probably become a lot more clear.
It was twenty minutes later when his dad pulled up in his police cruiser. Castiel had finished his sandwich and was sitting at the table with a nervous look in his eyes. Missouri was standing near him with a hand on his shoulder for comfort as Dean waited by the door. He had some of what he might say ready in his mind, but most of that flew out the window when he opened the door and saw his dad stalking up to the house.
"Dad…" Dean stepped back as John pushed his way through the door.
"Are you hurt?" He cut him off sharply.
"What?"
"Are you hurt?" Dean shook his head. He sighed and relaxed. "Good. What's wrong with you? Why would you run off like that in the middle of the night?" Relief for his son's safety was evident in his voice, but John knew the dangers of the city at night.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go so far. I forgot my phone at home and I didn't know where to go."
"Yeah, I know." John held his phone out to him with a missed call on the screen. "You didn't even take a jacket."
"I'm okay. I need to tell you something, why I didn't call sooner." Dean had hoped to tell him before he saw the angel, but Missouri's door was too close to the table and John looked around and saw him sitting at the table with his bandaged wing sticking out to the side.
He walked around Dean and looked at Missouri. "Who's this?"
Missouri looked at Dean. "Let your boy tell you."
John furrowed his brows and turned back to Dean. "Dean?"
Dean took a breath and tried to keep his voice steady. "His name is Castiel. When I was on my way back, there were a bunch of guys attacking him. I chased them off and I brought him here." He saw his dad making to say something, but he talked over him. "His wing was broken and I couldn't just leave him there. Look at him, Dad, he has to have been on the street for years."
John held up a hand. "Who were the boys?"
"I don't know. I've never seen them before."
He nodded. "So, what are you planning to do?" John could tell by Dean's voice that he had been meaning to tell him something, and he could guess what it might be.
"Castiel is coming home with us." Dean kept his eyes on his dad and didn't waver.
"Is he?"
"Yes." Dean raised a brow in challenge.
"Dean, the angel most likely has an owner. We can't just take him."
"What, an owner that left him on the streets without trying to find him?"
"He could've run away."
"Why would he do that unless he had a bad owner?"
"Dean!" John cut him off and put up a hand. "If he has a legal owner, he must be returned. We're going to the station in the morning and checking his records."
"But, Dad…"
"No, that's the end of it." He turned back to Missouri. "Can you watch him for the night and I'll come back tomorrow and pick him up?"
"Why is it okay for him to stay here and not with us?!" Dean walked around his dad to face him.
"I'm the sheriff, Dean. I have to follow different rules sometimes."
"We've already discussed this, John." Missouri kept her hand on Castiel's shoulder as the angel grew more worried by the shouting voices. "I run a business here and I can't have an angel following me around while I got customers. Some of them don't like them and won't come back." She looked down as Castiel looked at her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's nothing personal."
"I'm talking about one night."
"I'm telling you I can't." She looked at Dean and silently encouraged him.
"Dad, he can sleep in my room, wear my clothes, eat my food if he has to. Please, let me help him."
John sighed and glanced at the angel. His head was bowed and his hands were clenched tightly together on his lap. He could see him shaking in fear. Sympathy crept through him. "Why do you care so much about this angel?"
"His name is Castiel. I care because after saving his life and the abuse of the street, I owed him more than just tossing him back into that, especially with his broken wing." He could see his dad coming around, but he needed more. "He's staying with me. Even if I have to walk home with him, he's coming with me."
John could see that Dean wasn't lying. He had been so relieved when he had known Dean was safe. He didn't want to fight with him now. "Fine, he can stay for the night. In the morning we'll talk about what's gonna happen. Come on." He turned away from them and headed to the door.
Dean let out a shaky breath, his heart pounding hard in his chest, and turned to look at Castiel. "Let's go." He held out a hand to the angel.
Castiel looked at the hand and back up to Missouri. She nodded to him and stepped away. Castiel reached a shaking hand out and grabbed Dean's and stood up. He kept his head down and moved close to stand behind Dean, tightening his grip on his hand.
"Thank you, Missouri, for everything." Dean started to walk the angel towards the door when Missouri put a hand on his shoulder.
"Here, take this," she handed him a couple bottles of liquid and bandages, "for the pain, and you'll have to change those bandages eventually."
"We'll just have him tonight, though." Dean closed his hands around the items.
Missouri smiled. "Of course." She patted his arm and chuckled. She looked at Castiel and nodded. "You'll be safe now, dear."
Dean furrowed his brows and was about to ask what she meant when his dad called for him to hurry up. "Bye."
"Goodnight." Missouri stayed in her doorway and waved to them as they all entered the car.
Castiel was in the backseat to have room for the wing he couldn't wrap around him. His head was down during the drive as tension seemed to build between Dean and his father.
Dean was forming retorts in preparation for anything his dad might say on the way home. He had expected a lot more of an argument already and was nervous as his dad just kept driving silently. He glanced back at Castiel and was glad that the angel would at least have a warm place to stay tonight.
As they pulled into the driveway, Dean felt himself bracing for the worst. Surely now his dad would make the angel leave.
"Dean," John turned off the engine and looked at him, "I hope you understand why we can't just take this angel in. If he has an owner, we have to check."
"He's not a piece of property, dad."
"I know, but legally he most likely belongs to someone else. I can't ignore that." He glanced at the angel, who was still looking at the floor. "I'm sorry." He got out of the car and walked to the door where Mary was already waiting.
Dean looked at Castiel. "Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to you ever again."
Castiel looked up and wanted to believe him, but he wasn't sure if he could. He simply looked back down and waited as Dean got out of the car and opened his door to help him out.
Castiel held Dean's hand as they neared the house. He had to walk slow and shivered as the cold wind blew around him. He crowded closer to Dean and wrapped his good wing around him.
Dean was glad to be home but felt his heart sink when he saw his mother's face as his dad explained everything to her. He couldn't imagine how worried she must've been. She talked to John for a minute before he walked inside and she smiled to them.
"Dean, I'm glad you're okay." She stepped closer and put her hands on his shoulders. "You really had us scared."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be gone so long or so far." He let go of Castiel's hand and hugged his mom.
"I just wanted this to be a good birthday dinner." She rubbed his back slowly.
"My birthday was a few days ago."
"But we were celebrating tonight." Mary pulled back and raised a brow at her son. "It was the night we would all be here together this week."
Dean nodded in guilt. "Yeah," he glanced at Castiel, "let's go inside."
The boys followed Mary inside and she shut the door. She walked back towards the kitchen and Dean followed, still waiting for her word on the angel issue. John was in the kitchen with a beer and she shooed him away from the sink so she could get the clean dishes.
"First thing in the morning, we're taking him to the station and checking on his owner." He waited for Dean to nod before heading to his room to change for bed.
Dean waited for the door to close before moving closer to his mom. "So, let me hear it."
"Hear what?" Mary closed the cabinet after putting the dishes up and wiped the counter around the sink.
"Whatever you have to say about Castiel." The defeat must've been clear in his voice because Mary turned to face him with a frown.
"Is that his name?" She looked at the angel that seemed attached to Dean's side. He was holding Dean's elbow and had his head bowed enough that he was partially hidden behind Dean's shoulder. Dean didn't seem to notice how close he was.
"Yes."
She nodded and walked around Dean to get a good look at the angel. "Hello, Castiel. Welcome to the Winchester house. I am more than happy to have you here as long as you want." She smiled as Dean's eyes widened in surprise.
"He's staying?"
"We need to check with his owner first. If he needs to be returned, we'll have to. I'd be happy for him to stay, Dean, but we already have four people living here on a limited budget. It wouldn't be easy to make it five."
"But not impossible, right?" Dean's heart began to race with hope. "I'll help around the house, pay for anything he needs, and he'll be my responsibility."
"How would you pay, Dean?" She gave him an amused smile.
"I'll get a job! I'm old enough now and I have the Impala so you won't have to drive me anywhere and I'll take Sam to school and…"
"Sweetheart," Mary grabbed his face gently and chuckled, "I know. Don't worry about any of that right now. Just go on up to bed." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
Dean nodded and walked over to the stairs. Castiel tightened his grip and stayed close behind him. His room was the first door at the top of the stairs and he had just opened his door when Sam's door opened at the end of the hall.
His eleven year old brother poked his head out. "Dean, you're back." His eyes widened comically when he saw Castiel. "Whoa!" He ran down the hall to stand next to Dean. Castiel moved closer to Dean's back.
"Sam, relax." The grip on his arm had tightened painfully. "He's nervous." He knew his brother was a little obsessed with angels and didn't want him scaring Castiel.
"Where did he come from? Is he staying here?" He turned hopeful eyes to Dean.
"I'm not sure yet. I hope so. Go back to bed. It's too late for you to be up." Sam deflated and turned to walk back to his room.
Dean shook his head and walked into his room. Castiel only let go when the door was shut. Dean looked around the room and quickly found the extra pillows and blanket that his mother insists on him having even though he never had a use for them before. He picked them up and looked at where he could make a bed for the angel.
"Sorry I can't offer you better than a blanket and pillow." He moved a lounge chair he had shoved in the corner over to face the room and smiled at Castiel. "I know it's not much, but we'll get you a mattress and stuff later."
Castiel hadn't moved from the door as Dean made a place for him to sleep. He watched in disbelief and didn't make to move closer.
Dean frowned. "If that doesn't work, you can sleep on the bed. I've fallen asleep on that chair more than once and it wouldn't bother me."
Castiel shook his head rapidly and raised his hands. He walked over and took the blanket from Dean. He grabbed Dean and moved him to sit on the bed and Castiel sat on the chair.
"Okay, I guess the chair works?" Castiel nodded. "Good." Dean stood and picked up his pajamas off the floor. "I'm gonna go change." He wouldn't normally go to the bathroom, but he didn't want to change in front of Castiel.
He came back to find Castiel nestled into his blanket on the chair, his broken wing angled out so it wasn't stuck in the back of the chair. Dean smiled and turned off the light and sat on his bed.
Dean had one window in his room and it happened to be behind Castiel so the angel was the only thing visible in the moonlight coming through. His eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness and he could just make out his face.
"Hey, so I'm assuming you've had your vocal cords removed?" Castiel nodded. "Did your last owner do that?" He nodded again. "Was he bad?" He paused briefly before nodding slowly. "Did you run away?" He shook his head and looked away from him. "I'm sorry."
Dean had a bad feeling in his gut at the thought of how Castiel ended up on the street. Of course, if his previous owner had thrown him out, he probably wouldn't want him back. "Your life is gonna be a lot better from now on, promise."
He rolled onto his other side after saying that, so he missed the hopeful look on the angel's face. It was the best night of sleep the angel had had in years.