Castiel Novak was the most popular Country singer in the United States.
He was lucky enough to be born into a disgustingly wealthy family. However, when his parents first discovered his musical talent at seventeen, Castiel was still forced into the terrifying world of stardom against his will. He never wanted the attention. He loved singing but hated big crowds and eyes on him. At twenty-five, eight years and billions of dollars later, his manager strongly advised him to do something to improve his reputation. Castiel was a trust fund kid who had never struggled in his life. When it came to money and privilege, he had everything. He knew mental health issues all too well, but genuine trauma was a mystery to him. His mother was pressuring him to finally marry his fiance of two years and adopt kids, which spawned an idea, one that Cas initially brushed off as insane, but it kept swirling around in his mind as an option. As soon as he voiced the thought aloud to his partner, Dean Winchester, the man agreed it was the best solution to both problems. He even seemed excited.
Castiel realized later he shouldn't have been so surprised. Dean had an eleven-year-old son named Jack, who he loved more than anything. The Winchester was a family man at heart. He craved to nurture, and Castiel loved that about him. Jack's mother overdosed on drugs after he was born, and Dean was devastated, but meeting Cas changed everything. He experienced real love for the first time, and it was all too good.
"Are you ready for this?" He asked, glancing at Dean.
His eyes were so intensely deep and green. Cas stared at him.
"As I'll ever be," Dean sighed, looking away from him. "Let's go inside, I guess."
The adoption agency was as quiet as it was daunting. A woman named Sherry greeted them and ushered the two into an old office. It smelled of mothballs. She perched across from them on an old chair and handed the couple a file.
"Meet the Martinez family," She introduced solemnly. Cas and Dean looked down at a portrait of two tired, emaciated teenagers and a toddler too young to be as skinny as he was. None were wearing clothes suitable for the harsh, cold winters in Vermont. The heartbreaking photo was taped to the back of their manilla file. "Your time and resources could do wonders for these three children. They have suffered absolute hell and come back stronger and more independent. Would you want to hear their story?" Sherry asked hopefully.
Dean and Castiel had explained in advance that they wanted to save someone who was genuinely in need, a child, or even siblings who didn't have a probable chance of getting adopted in any other circumstances. They hadn't expected Sherry to suggest they take more than two kids, but the idea made sense, considering how much they had to offer.
The couple looked at each other and exchanged a wordless conversation. When Castiel looked back at Sherry, he nodded.
"Okay," She said. "Here we go," She paused again to allow them to collect themselves if needed. "Their names are Carlos Matteo, Victoria Elena, and Hector Thomas Martinez. Victoria and Carlos were born and raised in one of the most dangerous slums in Guatemala City. The country is divided into zones, most of which are made up entirely of gangs and terrified bystanders. Violent assaults and murders are performed out in the open without consequence, and criminals run rampant in the streets, terrorizing innocent citizens. Kidnapping is so normalized that families have stopped reporting it. The government is too corrupt and improvised to change its increasing issues. Victoria and Carlos were born in one of the red zones, which means their neighborhood was beyond dangerous. Carlos is the eldest Martinez sibling at sixteen. Victoria is his fifteen-year-old sister, and Hector is her two-year-old son. Victoria and Carlos were abandoned as young children after their parents were killed in a shooting. Victoria was raped in their village at thirteen and gave birth to Hector ten months later without any meds or hospital involvement. A few months ago, two buses of people from their orphanage, one including Carlos, Hector, and Victoria, were brought to America and placed into programs that assist in saving extremely at-risk families. There's a chance they'll get separated if we don't find a home soon because the program is running out of funding much faster than they first expected. I guess no one here could've imagined how horrible the living conditions were, considering our privilege, but just getting everyone in that one home out of Guatemala safely cost them half their budget."
Dean could feel his face getting hot as he fought the urge to cry. He turned to look at Cas, who had wetness shining in his eyes.
How could they say no after that?