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.

Orientation started at 10am and Dean was ready to get started. Rick had been gone when they woke up and he was relieved not to see him with his group at orientation. They spent the next few hours talking with the group of students and getting the official tour. They all had lunch together and it was nice to just hang out outside.

When that was over, they went back to their room. It was empty. They decided to play a card game while they waited for the floor meeting.

At 6pm they made their way to one of the areas with couches while the floor gathered for their meeting. Benny and Andrea were there talking to one of the guys on the floor. Castiel and Dean sat on one of the couches.

"Well, this'll be fun." Dean was tired of these big group meetings. He just wanted to go sit in his room with Castiel.

Charlie entered their side of the floor and waved to them. She landed on the couch next to Dean with a plop.

"Hi guys. How was your orientation?" She pulled her legs up so she could cross them on the couch.

"Fine." Castiel shrugged. "Nothing too exciting."

"Me too. College has been pretty boring so far. You meet your roommate yet?"

"Yeah," Dean saw Rick sit on the other side of the room, "unfortunately."

"That bad?"

"Major dick." He stared at the guy and wished he could do something.

"Unclench, Dean." Charlie put a hand on his shoulder and laughed.

"Sorry." He smiled at her and tried to relax. Castiel put a hand on his other arm. He looked at him and tried to give him a reassuring look.

A few minutes later, Benny called for everyone's attention. When everyone was quiet, he spoke.

"Alright, this is our first floor meeting. Most of you already met me, but I'm Benny," he pointed to his left, "this is Andrea. I'll be your RA this year. So, if you have any problems or questions, I'm the one you need to talk to."

Dean glanced around at the group and finally saw that there were five angels that would be living on the floor. He noticed Castiel making the same observation.

"Now, this dorm, as well as most of the school, allows angels and because of that we have a few living on this floor. Andrea will go over some of the rules we have regarding them."

Andrea stepped up and lightly brushed Benny with her wing. "There are just a few things I need to outline for everyone. If you have an angel, you should hopefully know these already.

"First, all angels' senses are much more sensitive than humans. Smells, sounds, and light can be too much for us. Keep the angels on the floor in mind about noise. Second, don't ever touch an angel's wings without their explicit consent. Wings are very sensitive and can be sharp. You could easily hurt them or yourself if you're not careful."

Dean saw most of the angels pull their wings in closer at that. She continued, "Finally, I want all the humans to understand that despite what you may have been led to believe, angels are naturally docile and peaceful creatures. We don't want to hurt anyone or cause trouble. All we ask is the same respect from others."

Castiel looked at Rick and saw the boy roll his eyes. He wondered what could've happened to him to make his this way. Andrea's voice snapped him out of his watch.

"If it comes to our attention that someone is acting inappropriately or abusing an angel, harsh action will be taken."

Dean felt himself smirk at that. He looked at Rick and saw him clench his jaw. Dean reached out and took hold of Castiel's wrist. He hoped the angel would feel a little safer now.

Benny stepped up next to Andrea. "And that will lead us to the other rules we have. First, I want to say that my door will always be open. When I'm here, anyone can come in and talk. I'll help as much as I can. Now, to go along with the angel rules, we do have a rule about noise. After 10pm it's considered quiet hours. No loud noises should be played or made by anyone that late out of respect to your neighbors. The walls are thin and everyone will either be trying to sleep or study."

Charlie snickered lightly. Dean looked at her and she shrugged while biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh.

"This is also a dry dorm and campus. There is no alcohol allowed in the rooms, even if you're over 21. If you're found in possession of alcohol or having consumed it, you will be expelled and turned over to the authorities. Same goes for any drugs as well, obviously."

Charlie leaned in to whisper. "Well shit, there go all my plans." Dean and Castiel stifled their laughs.

"And just a word of advice, please keep your doors locked when you leave your rooms. It isn't an official rule and I can't make you do it, but I strongly urge it. Theft is possible and will happen. That being said, if you're found having stolen something from anyone living here, you will be kicked out of the dorm, possibly the school.

"Lastly, we have a couple forms for everyone to fill out with their roommates. It's just a roommate agreement that outlines all the acceptable and unacceptable things between you and your roommate. You should go over it together and then sign it. If someone violates it, you can bring it up to me and I will take action that could include having them moved. Angels don't need to worry about signing."

Benny started handing out the forms. As he did Andrea spoke again, "I also want to let the angels know that they can come to me anytime if they'd feel more comfortable talking to me."

Once everyone had gotten their forms, Benny stood beside Andrea again. "I'll need those forms back at the latest by midday tomorrow. These floor meetings will happen every week or two. I'll also be organizing some floor activities if any of you'd all like to get to know each other better. You'll all be living on the same floor for a year. You might want to make friends."

Benny adjourned the meeting and everyone started scattering back to their rooms. Charlie hung back to talk to Dean and Castiel.

"You guys want to start your lessons tomorrow night? I'm done with classes by five."

"Sure." Dean looked at Castiel to confirm and got an affirmative.

"Awesome! See you guys then. Have a fun first day of classes, Dean."

"You too, Charlie." They all waved as she left to cross the stairs.

Dean and Castiel went back to their room. Rick was already there and looking over the roommate agreement. They decided to fill it out now.

After the first few questions, Rick just signed his and handed it to Dean. "I probably won't be around enough for this to matter anyway. Just give mine to Benny for me, would you?"

Dean didn't have time to answer. Rick grabbed a soda from his desk and left.

"Yeah, sure." Dean rolled his eyes and looked at Castiel. "God, he's such a jerk."

Castiel nodded and picked up his board. I hope he was serious about not being around much.

"Me too." Dean signed his form and picked up Rick's. "I'm gonna go bring these to Benny. You wanna come?" Castiel nodded and stood to follow.

They made their way to Benny's room and found the door open. He had a single room and was sitting at his desk. Dean knocked on the doorway.

"Come on in." Benny turned as Dean and Castiel entered.

"I just wanted to drop these off." He held out the forms.

Benny took them. "Thank you."

Andrea entered the room behind them. They both stepped aside to give her room. "Hello."

"Hi." Castiel waved.

She moved to stand by Benny as he looked over the forms. "So, Dean, you're staying with Rick. He's not gonna be a problem is he?"

Dean and Castiel looked confused. They didn't know how Benny knew about his issues already.

Benny laughed at their looks. "He's already tried to get me to move him to another room or floor."

"He has?"

Benny nodded. "I told him I couldn't. With it only being the second day, nobody has left yet so there aren't any openings. Besides, I would need a legitimate reason to move him before the end of the semester."

"Legitimate reason?"

"Yeah, like if there was a serious problem between the three of you or if he had some kind of medical need. Disliking angels isn't a reason I can use to move him, even if I'd like to." He raised a brow and looked at them both seriously. "Will he be a problem for you?"

Dean looked at Castiel. He was ready to ask for him to be moved, but it was just based on a gut feeling. It was Castiel he was worried about. The angel met his gaze and gave a small nod.

"No, we'll be okay."

As Benny spoke again, Castiel could hear Andrea's voice in his mind.

'Will you really be okay, Castiel?'

Castiel looked at her and could see the concern on her face. 'Yes.'

'You can tell me anything. I won't tell Benny if you don't want me to. Has he hurt you or threatened you?'

Castiel hesitated a moment. 'He did tell me that I belonged tied up in a corner and to stay away. He didn't hurt me. I've heard much worse.' She still looked worried. 'We'll be fine.'

She smiled slightly and looked at Benny, giving him a nod. He smiled and turned back to them.

"If there are any issues, please let me know. I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Thanks." Dean turned to leave and unconsciously reached for Castiel's arm. Castiel let Dean lead him out of the room.

They walked back to their room and Castiel sat on his bed. Dean dug his schedule out of his folder on the desk and went over it again.

"Okay, tomorrow I've got speech at 8am," he threw his head back, "ugh, then angel studies at 9. That lets out at 10 and then I'm free until 2. So, after angel studies, I'll come back and maybe we can get lunch?"

Sounds good.

"You gonna be okay with being here alone?"

You worry too much. I'll be fine. Dean raised is hands in surrender and let the issue rest. Truth be told, Castiel was a little worried. He wasn't sure what Rick would do when they were alone together without the threat of Dean coming back. He hoped he would have a lot of classes Monday.

They weren't sure when Rick had come back, but when Dean woke up early for his first class, he was there sleeping. Dean climbed down from the top bunk as quietly as he could, but he wasn't surprised when he saw Castiel was already awake.

"I'll text you when I'm done with classes." Dean kept is voice low. "Text me if you need anything."

Castiel nodded tiredly. He had woken up as soon as Dean moved above him. He wasn't fully awake yet and would probably fall back asleep when Dean left. With a yawn, he pulled his covers up over his wings farther and closed his eyes.

Dean came back from getting his clothes and saw Castiel sleeping. He changed quickly and left with his books. He really hoped everything would go okay.

About one hour later, Castiel heard Rick moving on his bed. He cracked an eye enough to see him stand and walk slowly to his closet before leaving with a change of clothes. Castiel stretched under his cover and turned on his stomach so he could let his wings relax.

Rick came back a few minutes later, having changed in the bathroom, and grabbed his books. Castiel saw him give him a brief look before leaving with his bag. He heard the door lock from the outside.

Dean was walking across the quad to get to his angel studies class as he pulled out his phone. He sent a text to Castiel as he yawned. Speech had been uneventful and hard to get through while being so tired.

Done with speech. On my way to angel studies. Any problems?

No. He left about fifteen minutes ago.

Good. I'll let you know when I'm on my way back.

Okay

Dean put his phone back in his pocket and walked a little faster so he wouldn't be late.

Dean entered the large classroom and found a seat in the third row. It looked like there were almost 100 students in this class. Almost four times the size of his speech class. Hopefully, that would be a good thing and he wouldn't need to worry about being called on to answer anything.

He took out his textbook and notebook. He checked his watch once people had stopped filing in the doors. There was about one minute before class was scheduled to start. Dean glanced around, hoping to maybe see Charlie or a familiar face from his floor. He didn't recognize anyone.

Then it suddenly got very quiet and most of the students had turned to look toward the front of the classroom. Some whispered to each other while others just stared. Dean turned to see what they were looking at. His mouth opened slightly when he saw what it was: the professor had just entered the room.

He was tall, had short blonde hair, was wearing a nice suit, and had large white wings. Dean didn't know that angels could even become teachers, let alone professors at a university. It seemed most of the class had thought the same. The man went about his business of unpacking his things like he didn't notice the change in the room.

Then, the professor looked up to greet the class. "Good morning everyone." He had a British accent.

There were a few mumbled returns, though most of the class was silently staring.

"This is Basic Angel Studies so if that's not the class you're supposed to be in, now you know. My name is Balthazar. You can call me Professor Balthazar, or if you find that too much of a mouthful, as I do, Professor works."

Balthazar looked up and down the rows of students slowly as if studying them as he talked. Dean suddenly felt nervous.

"As you can tell, I am an angel. If that's a problem with anyone, you have exactly two minutes to pack up your things and leave and there will be no hard feelings. If you wait longer, I will be offended." He smiled and looked around the class.

Dean raised his brows and glanced around the room. It was silent a few moments, but soon there was rustling scattered around the room. About twelve students had stood and were heading for the doors. Dean was shocked.

"Of course," Balthazar crossed his arms and watched the students leaving, "I am the only professor on campus that teaches anything related to angel studies, so you'll need to either change you're major to avoid those classes or change your mind."

A couple of the students that were halfway to the doors stopped and reconsidered. They found their seats again.

Balthazar waited for all the moving students to leave before continuing. "Now, I'll tell you all a little bit about myself. As most of you can guess from my voice, I was not raised in America, but I was born here. In this very city actually."

Dean looked up. That was an interesting fact.

"I spent the beginning of my life with a breeder before being purchased by an English couple. They brought me to England with them and had me help around the house. Despite being the 'help' they cared for me like I was their own and made sure I was educated. When I was old enough, they let me declare my citizenship and helped me get into college. They're a lot more relaxed about angels in Europe. I went on to get my doctorate and eventually came back here."

Dean was leaning on his desk. He was already so glad that he signed up for this class. The more he could learn about what angels could, or were allowed to do, the more he could help Castiel.

Balthazar picked up a stack of papers and moved to an aisle to hand them out. "This is your syllabus for the semester. I'll go over them more once you all have one. If you have extras at the end of the row, just hand them to the person in front of you until they end up at the front and I'll take them back."

Dean took the paper when it got to him and read over it quickly. As Balthazar walked across the room, Dean couldn't help looking at his wings again. He'd never seen wings that white before. There were some gray spots on the larger feathers, but it was mostly white. Most angels he'd seen had dark gray or even black wings. He wondered if maybe the light hair affected that or not.

He took the extra syllabus from a girl in the front row. "Oh good. I only made one extra copy."

Dean looked up again. He'd only made one extra copy? If no one had left, he wouldn't have had enough for everyone. He must've known how many people would leave.

"Before I go over the syllabus, I'd like to begin how I always do. I have a question for you all and I expect full class participation." Dean could feel some of the students tense up at that. "By a show of hands, how many of you either own an angel personally or your family owns one?"

He hesitated just a moment before raising his hand, along with most of the class. Balthazar nodded like he expected about that much.

"Keep your hands up please. I've got at least two more questions for each one of you."

Dean felt his heart thudding hard in his chest. He didn't know what was going to happen and he didn't like that.

"You first." He pointed to a girl at the very back of the class. "We'll just make our way down the rows until we get to the front. But you: how many angels?"

The girl put her hand down. "Two." Her voice was shaking and Dean could barely hear her. She cleared her throat as if to repeat it louder.

"It's alright, dear. I can hear you just fine." Balthazar smiled sweetly. "Two angels." She nodded. "Do you own them or your family?"

"My family."

He nodded. "My second question: why?"

She hesitated. "Why?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. We've just always had angels. My parents did too when they were younger. I never asked why."

"Okay." He looked around at everyone. "Please understand that I'm not looking to shame or accuse anyone of anything. This is just something I do to gain information and maybe inform those of you who never owned angels." He nodded to the girl before looking to the boy a couple seats down from her. "Next."

Dean cursed himself for sitting so far down now. His arm was raised for a long time before they got close to him. Most of the answers were very similar to the first girl. They had one or two angels, usually because they always did or because their family needed a maid or housekeeper. Only one or two said something that seemed to make Balthazar a little angry. His wings would tense behind him briefly, Dean noticed.

Finally they got to him and Dean was wondering what he would even say. How would he explain Castiel's situation without telling a big story?

"Next. How many angels?" Balthazar was standing at the bottom of the stairs in front of him.

Dean put his hand down, feeling blood rush back into his hand. "One."

He nodded. "You own them or your family?"

"I do."

Balthazar squinted slightly as if trying to read him better. "Why?"

Dean swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Because…I wanted to save him."

The angel tilted his head curiously. That was an answer he hadn't heard. "What do you mean by that?"

"I didn't want to own him, but I was told it was the only way I could take care of him."

Balthazar still seemed confused and prompted him to continue. "About two and a half years ago, I found him on the street being beaten up by a group of…jerks." Dean fought hard not to curse and saw the corner of Balthazar's mouth twitch upward.

"You saved him?"

"I made them leave. They were kicking him and spitting on him. One of them had broken one of his wings." Balthazar's face cringed in sympathy. "I couldn't leave him alone. He was in no condition to survive alone anymore."

"So, the only way you could've helped him was to own him?"

"Legally, yes. He needed medical attention and a place to live. His last owner had thrown him out after years of horrible abuse and I…I just wanted to help him."

Balthazar took a step up closer to Dean. "Did you bring your angel here with you?"

"He's with me, yes." He hadn't asked any of the other students that.

"Are you local?" He was searching Dean's eyes again and Dean couldn't make himself look away.

"Yeah. My parents are about half an hour from here."

He looked at Dean a little bit longer before seeming to be satisfied and turned away from him. "Next."

Dean let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. They finished through everyone and then quickly went over the syllabus. Balthazar told them to start reading chapter one of the text as he'd start going over it Wednesday.

He left feeling strange and excited. It would be interesting to have an angel as a teacher but he wasn't sure how Balthazar felt about him. He couldn't wait to tell Castiel about it.