Stray
Title: Stray
Rating: PG
Characters: Castiel, Dean, Sam & John Winchester
Pairing: Pre-Slash
Summary: John knew that most kids had a habit of bringing home strays, but he was pretty sure this wasn't what most people had in mind.
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Dean: 7
Sam: 3
Macomb, Illinois
The kid was back again, standing along the edge of the railway crossing that stretched across one of the main roads. John hovered a hand over his pistol, approaching with a wary step. School had just let out, and John knew Dean had some kind of association with this boy, but he wasn't really keen on finding out any true intentions. Sammy would be at the daycare for another few hours, Dean should have made his way over there by now - this was probably John's only chance to figure out whether this new friend of Dean's was human or not.
Dean hadn't given John a name for the boy, just that he was older than Dean and lived in the foster home down the street from the school. He had dark, disheveled hair and tired eyes that probably were bright blue once - but they'd been dulled from something. He was awkard looking, back far too rigid and clothes never fitting right. He always stared at things like he was just discovering their purpose - and John didn't like the way he stared at Dean whenever John swung by the elementary school to pick him up.
The boy looked up slowly, turning his head to stare at John. His satchel was sitting on the ground beside the edge of the railway, stuffed to the brim with books and papers. John froze, fingers pressing into the handle of his pistol.
No words were exchanged for the longest time, and then the boy crouched down, lifted his bag, stepped away from the railroad and brushed past John to head back down the street.
John released his grip on the gun, staring at the retreating form of the child.
That night, with Dean and Sammy sitting beside him and hot TV dinners on their laps, John brought up the kid from earlier. Dean's face seemed to light up in an instant, however, and it sent a feeling of guilt and dread through John.
"His name is Castiel - but I call him Cas cuz his name's too lame. He's in the 5th grade but he's really smart. He says they held him back 'cause he was home schooled last year and they didn't teach him the right stuff. He's super cool." Dean babbled, munching on a chicken nugget. Sammy dug his fingers into the small portion of macaroni on his plate and John grabbed a napkin to wipe at the toddler's face once the handful was eaten.
"Does he act weird at all, Dean?" John asked, poking Sammy's nose playfully. Sam crinkled his nose and pawed at his chicken nuggets. Dean hummed thoughtfully, eating a forkful of brownie.
"Yeah, he's real weird, but not like - bad weird. He's quiet, and he stands real straight. He doesn't like the dark much. The lights went out last week when it was raining real bad and Cas didn't like it at all. He got really scared, I think."
A small wave of relief washed over John. No demon or monster he knew of had any fear of the dark - but hopefully it wasn't some sort of hoax to throw John off his trail. Dean wiped at his face with a napkin, sliding off the motel bed and tossing his empty T.V. tray into the trash bin. John helped Sammy finish his food and Dean went to grab his homework out of his backpack.
"Cas is awesome, Dad. He helped me with all my math homework. I didn't even KNOW some of this stuff and then Cas was all 'you gotta do this cause of this' and then it was super easy to do."
John nodded and responded at the appropriate times, flipping open his journal to scribble down a quick entry about the possible ghost haunting the railway, and then another sentence or two about Castiel - just to be safe. Dean quieted down to get started on his homework, humming Led Zeppelin under his breath, and John started washing Sammy up for bed.
The next day, Castiel was outside with Dean when John went to pick him up. They exchanged a long and awkward staring session as Dean clambered into the car and started yelling his goodbyes out the window to Castiel. John acted before he'd even thought through on his plans, and nudged Dean with his elbow.
"Why don't you ask your friend if he wants to eat lunch with us?"
Dean's face looked like a kid on Christmas, but it fell just as fast. "He's not allowed, Dad."
John scowled, leaning over Dean to look at Castiel - who hovered on the steps of the school. "Hey, Cas. You wanna come eat with us? I hear JoAnne's has some great pie."
Castiel seemed startled, and stepped towards the car before catching himself and freezing in place. He shook his head, continuing to the car and standing outside Dean's window.
"I apologize, Mister Winchester. I can't. Perhaps this weekend?"
John - not one for being shot down - nodded gruffly. "That's fine. I'll pick both of you boys up on Friday after school lets out. Sound good?"
Castiel smiled softly, nodding. "That sounds very nice, Mister Winchester. Thank you for the invitation."
John jerked his head in a nod and peeled out of the school's parking lot. The second they were on the road towards Sammy's daycare, Dean was blathering on about Castiel again.
"He knows about ghosts, Dad! He totally does, cause he was talking about a ghost haunting that railroad and he wrote a bunch of stuff down about the ghost and the reason it was killin' people, and he's so cool!" Dean blurted, pulling out a crinkled paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and John was surprised to see - not the scrawl of a child, but neat cursive with details and dates and even a photocopied image taped into the corner.
John snatched the paper from Dean, staring at it with such surprise that he nearly drifted into oncoming traffic. Dean laughed - a delighted giggle of excitement - and John gave the paper back to his son.
He and Castiel were going to have a talk on Friday, if anything else.
The next two days came and went with ease. John had found the grave with ease - thanks to Castiel's notes - and had salted & burned the body that same night. Even though the job was done, John felt obligated to follow through with taking Castiel and the boys out to lunch after school as promised.
When the final bell rang for school and John watched Castiel stiffly follow Dean down the steps and to the impala, John started to wonder about the child's upbringing - but dashed that thought as soon as it had come.
Dean climbed into the back with Castiel (Sammy was buckled in his booster seat in the front) and John took them to the diner down the street that boasted the best pancakes in northern America. Castiel didn't move once during the entire trip - his back straight and hands clenched in his lap, nodding and responding dutifully to everything that Dean said.
They reached the diner and Castiel's face pulled into the tiniest of smiles. He slid along the booth bench to the window and Dean sat next to him with John and Sammy across the table. They ordered their food - after explaining to Castiel for the third time that John would be paying for his meal - and settled into an uncomfortable silence. Castiel sipped at his water and Dean sucked down his root beer, talking quietly to one another about classmates or something of the like.
The food showed up and John watched Castiel's eyes widen at the sight of the greasy cheeseburger that was settled in front of him, hot fries and a bottle of ketchup accompanying it.
John didn't start eating until Castiel gingerly took that first bite of the cheese and and onion-laden burger. The normally expressionless face contorted into a look of pure delight, and John was almost glad he'd witnessed that first real sign of emotion on Castiel's face.
They ate in relative silence until Castiel was halfway through his burger and nibbling on the fries.
"One of the many things I have missed from my previous life before joining my current foster family...." Castiel said wistfully, scooping up some ketchup with a fry and biting into it. Dean stopped mid-chew of his bacon cheddar burger and John tried to act more interested in wiping mustard off of Sammy's cheek.
"So you've been with a few families, then?" He asked, turning away from Sammy to stare Castiel down. "so... would you mind telling me how you know so much about ghosts?"
Castiel took a sip of his water, staring out the window and finishing his bite of cheeseburger.
"I've seen a lot of places, for someone my age." He turned to stare at John in that creepy, unsettling way. "I was once taken in by a hunter for a year - a man named Sebastian Vick."
John, floored, was suddenly unable to even think of anything to say. Sebastian had been killed a few years back on a hunt - an older man with a penchant for having a soft heart. It had been rumored that the guy had taken in a kid, but John hadn't believed those rumors for a second.
"Exactly how much do you know?" He croaked, clearing his throat and dipping three french fries into his ketchup. Castiel took a bite out of his burger and chewed it thoughtfully.
"I'm semi-fluent in Latin, French, Russian, Enochian and... German...but my German is atrocious." He confessed, having the audacity to look sheepish over the fact that he had trouble with a language that even John could barely grasp the basics of.
Dean, finished with his burger, smacked a hand on the table and drew everyone's attention to him. "Cas's family is terrible, dad! They don't let him leave the house except for school and like, five minutes on the weekends! And they make him study all the time!"
“My alotted free time on the weekends is actually one hundred and twenty minutes, Dean.” Castiel interrupted, looking embarassed that Dean had dared speak up on his behalf.
"Same thing!" Dean barked, looking far more upset than John would have expected. Castiel shifted in his seat, stirring ketchup around on his plate with a french fry. He looked stiff, like he was locked in an invisible box of perfect posture. John ignored Dean's words to look at Castiel.
"You can lean back, you know. The seat's not going to bite you." John said, thinking his words would bring reassurance to Castiel. However, all they did was bring a look of horror to the child's face. Castiel shifted, straightening his back even more and wincing. John had a feeling it would be harder to leave this kid behind than he'd originally anticipated.
He took Castiel home, dropping him off at the end of the street as per the child's request, and took Dean and Sam back to the motel to start packing their things. They were going to leave first thing in the morning, once John had a good night's rest, and head out to Bobby's to replenish on supplies.
The following morning, John stepped outside of the motel with his arms full of bags to see Castiel standing next to the Impala with a small duffel bag, reading an old book. John froze mid-step and Castiel looked up, completely unsurprised.
"I dislike the idea of intruding on your family, Mister Winchester..." Castiel began, closing his book and holding tightly to it. "But... I would appreciate it greatly if you could take me as far as the state line. I'm afraid my foster family isn't..." He paused, seeming to mull over his words for a long moment before continuing. "Providing the proper... care... And I would like to try and make a living on my own."
While Castiel had been talking, Dean had emerged from the motel and grinned at the sight of Castiel. However, his grin didn't falter - but grew wider - at Castiel's words. John had no time to defend himself before Dean was clinging to his leg and pulling pathetically at John's leather jacket with wide eyes.
"Please dad! His parents are horrible! They're gonna kill him, you gotta let him come with us, pleasepleaseplease!"
Dean wasn't one for begging, nor was John one for listening, but there was something off about Castiel that begged for John to find out the truth. He opened the Impala's trunk and tossed their bags into it, grabbing Castiel's from him and throwing it in with everything else.
“You can come with us, for now." Castiel's eyes went wide - he apparently hadn't expected John to agree to the arrangement. John held up a finger, stopping Castiel from expressing any form of gratitute. "BUT. I can’t be dragging another kid across the damn U.S. Its bad enough I’ve already got two with me.”
Castiel grinned nonetheless, holding his book to his chest and looking like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "That's perfectly fine, Mister Winchester. I'm well aware that children are considered a burden, I wouldn't expect anything more from your family, you've already done enough." Castiel shifted awkward, but then took John's hand and shook it. John, speechless, watched the child climb into the back seat with Dean and grin at his son.
John watched the two boys interact, and a warm feeling bubbled up in his chest. He knew that feeling all too well.
".... God dammit."
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Rating: PG
Characters: Castiel, Dean, Sam & John Winchester
Pairing: Pre-Slash
Summary: John knew that most kids had a habit of bringing home strays, but he was pretty sure this wasn't what most people had in mind.
--
Dean: 7
Sam: 3
Macomb, Illinois
The kid was back again, standing along the edge of the railway crossing that stretched across one of the main roads. John hovered a hand over his pistol, approaching with a wary step. School had just let out, and John knew Dean had some kind of association with this boy, but he wasn't really keen on finding out any true intentions. Sammy would be at the daycare for another few hours, Dean should have made his way over there by now - this was probably John's only chance to figure out whether this new friend of Dean's was human or not.
Dean hadn't given John a name for the boy, just that he was older than Dean and lived in the foster home down the street from the school. He had dark, disheveled hair and tired eyes that probably were bright blue once - but they'd been dulled from something. He was awkard looking, back far too rigid and clothes never fitting right. He always stared at things like he was just discovering their purpose - and John didn't like the way he stared at Dean whenever John swung by the elementary school to pick him up.
The boy looked up slowly, turning his head to stare at John. His satchel was sitting on the ground beside the edge of the railway, stuffed to the brim with books and papers. John froze, fingers pressing into the handle of his pistol.
No words were exchanged for the longest time, and then the boy crouched down, lifted his bag, stepped away from the railroad and brushed past John to head back down the street.
John released his grip on the gun, staring at the retreating form of the child.
That night, with Dean and Sammy sitting beside him and hot TV dinners on their laps, John brought up the kid from earlier. Dean's face seemed to light up in an instant, however, and it sent a feeling of guilt and dread through John.
"His name is Castiel - but I call him Cas cuz his name's too lame. He's in the 5th grade but he's really smart. He says they held him back 'cause he was home schooled last year and they didn't teach him the right stuff. He's super cool." Dean babbled, munching on a chicken nugget. Sammy dug his fingers into the small portion of macaroni on his plate and John grabbed a napkin to wipe at the toddler's face once the handful was eaten.
"Does he act weird at all, Dean?" John asked, poking Sammy's nose playfully. Sam crinkled his nose and pawed at his chicken nuggets. Dean hummed thoughtfully, eating a forkful of brownie.
"Yeah, he's real weird, but not like - bad weird. He's quiet, and he stands real straight. He doesn't like the dark much. The lights went out last week when it was raining real bad and Cas didn't like it at all. He got really scared, I think."
A small wave of relief washed over John. No demon or monster he knew of had any fear of the dark - but hopefully it wasn't some sort of hoax to throw John off his trail. Dean wiped at his face with a napkin, sliding off the motel bed and tossing his empty T.V. tray into the trash bin. John helped Sammy finish his food and Dean went to grab his homework out of his backpack.
"Cas is awesome, Dad. He helped me with all my math homework. I didn't even KNOW some of this stuff and then Cas was all 'you gotta do this cause of this' and then it was super easy to do."
John nodded and responded at the appropriate times, flipping open his journal to scribble down a quick entry about the possible ghost haunting the railway, and then another sentence or two about Castiel - just to be safe. Dean quieted down to get started on his homework, humming Led Zeppelin under his breath, and John started washing Sammy up for bed.
The next day, Castiel was outside with Dean when John went to pick him up. They exchanged a long and awkward staring session as Dean clambered into the car and started yelling his goodbyes out the window to Castiel. John acted before he'd even thought through on his plans, and nudged Dean with his elbow.
"Why don't you ask your friend if he wants to eat lunch with us?"
Dean's face looked like a kid on Christmas, but it fell just as fast. "He's not allowed, Dad."
John scowled, leaning over Dean to look at Castiel - who hovered on the steps of the school. "Hey, Cas. You wanna come eat with us? I hear JoAnne's has some great pie."
Castiel seemed startled, and stepped towards the car before catching himself and freezing in place. He shook his head, continuing to the car and standing outside Dean's window.
"I apologize, Mister Winchester. I can't. Perhaps this weekend?"
John - not one for being shot down - nodded gruffly. "That's fine. I'll pick both of you boys up on Friday after school lets out. Sound good?"
Castiel smiled softly, nodding. "That sounds very nice, Mister Winchester. Thank you for the invitation."
John jerked his head in a nod and peeled out of the school's parking lot. The second they were on the road towards Sammy's daycare, Dean was blathering on about Castiel again.
"He knows about ghosts, Dad! He totally does, cause he was talking about a ghost haunting that railroad and he wrote a bunch of stuff down about the ghost and the reason it was killin' people, and he's so cool!" Dean blurted, pulling out a crinkled paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and John was surprised to see - not the scrawl of a child, but neat cursive with details and dates and even a photocopied image taped into the corner.
John snatched the paper from Dean, staring at it with such surprise that he nearly drifted into oncoming traffic. Dean laughed - a delighted giggle of excitement - and John gave the paper back to his son.
He and Castiel were going to have a talk on Friday, if anything else.
The next two days came and went with ease. John had found the grave with ease - thanks to Castiel's notes - and had salted & burned the body that same night. Even though the job was done, John felt obligated to follow through with taking Castiel and the boys out to lunch after school as promised.
When the final bell rang for school and John watched Castiel stiffly follow Dean down the steps and to the impala, John started to wonder about the child's upbringing - but dashed that thought as soon as it had come.
Dean climbed into the back with Castiel (Sammy was buckled in his booster seat in the front) and John took them to the diner down the street that boasted the best pancakes in northern America. Castiel didn't move once during the entire trip - his back straight and hands clenched in his lap, nodding and responding dutifully to everything that Dean said.
They reached the diner and Castiel's face pulled into the tiniest of smiles. He slid along the booth bench to the window and Dean sat next to him with John and Sammy across the table. They ordered their food - after explaining to Castiel for the third time that John would be paying for his meal - and settled into an uncomfortable silence. Castiel sipped at his water and Dean sucked down his root beer, talking quietly to one another about classmates or something of the like.
The food showed up and John watched Castiel's eyes widen at the sight of the greasy cheeseburger that was settled in front of him, hot fries and a bottle of ketchup accompanying it.
John didn't start eating until Castiel gingerly took that first bite of the cheese and and onion-laden burger. The normally expressionless face contorted into a look of pure delight, and John was almost glad he'd witnessed that first real sign of emotion on Castiel's face.
They ate in relative silence until Castiel was halfway through his burger and nibbling on the fries.
"One of the many things I have missed from my previous life before joining my current foster family...." Castiel said wistfully, scooping up some ketchup with a fry and biting into it. Dean stopped mid-chew of his bacon cheddar burger and John tried to act more interested in wiping mustard off of Sammy's cheek.
"So you've been with a few families, then?" He asked, turning away from Sammy to stare Castiel down. "so... would you mind telling me how you know so much about ghosts?"
Castiel took a sip of his water, staring out the window and finishing his bite of cheeseburger.
"I've seen a lot of places, for someone my age." He turned to stare at John in that creepy, unsettling way. "I was once taken in by a hunter for a year - a man named Sebastian Vick."
John, floored, was suddenly unable to even think of anything to say. Sebastian had been killed a few years back on a hunt - an older man with a penchant for having a soft heart. It had been rumored that the guy had taken in a kid, but John hadn't believed those rumors for a second.
"Exactly how much do you know?" He croaked, clearing his throat and dipping three french fries into his ketchup. Castiel took a bite out of his burger and chewed it thoughtfully.
"I'm semi-fluent in Latin, French, Russian, Enochian and... German...but my German is atrocious." He confessed, having the audacity to look sheepish over the fact that he had trouble with a language that even John could barely grasp the basics of.
Dean, finished with his burger, smacked a hand on the table and drew everyone's attention to him. "Cas's family is terrible, dad! They don't let him leave the house except for school and like, five minutes on the weekends! And they make him study all the time!"
“My alotted free time on the weekends is actually one hundred and twenty minutes, Dean.” Castiel interrupted, looking embarassed that Dean had dared speak up on his behalf.
"Same thing!" Dean barked, looking far more upset than John would have expected. Castiel shifted in his seat, stirring ketchup around on his plate with a french fry. He looked stiff, like he was locked in an invisible box of perfect posture. John ignored Dean's words to look at Castiel.
"You can lean back, you know. The seat's not going to bite you." John said, thinking his words would bring reassurance to Castiel. However, all they did was bring a look of horror to the child's face. Castiel shifted, straightening his back even more and wincing. John had a feeling it would be harder to leave this kid behind than he'd originally anticipated.
He took Castiel home, dropping him off at the end of the street as per the child's request, and took Dean and Sam back to the motel to start packing their things. They were going to leave first thing in the morning, once John had a good night's rest, and head out to Bobby's to replenish on supplies.
The following morning, John stepped outside of the motel with his arms full of bags to see Castiel standing next to the Impala with a small duffel bag, reading an old book. John froze mid-step and Castiel looked up, completely unsurprised.
"I dislike the idea of intruding on your family, Mister Winchester..." Castiel began, closing his book and holding tightly to it. "But... I would appreciate it greatly if you could take me as far as the state line. I'm afraid my foster family isn't..." He paused, seeming to mull over his words for a long moment before continuing. "Providing the proper... care... And I would like to try and make a living on my own."
While Castiel had been talking, Dean had emerged from the motel and grinned at the sight of Castiel. However, his grin didn't falter - but grew wider - at Castiel's words. John had no time to defend himself before Dean was clinging to his leg and pulling pathetically at John's leather jacket with wide eyes.
"Please dad! His parents are horrible! They're gonna kill him, you gotta let him come with us, pleasepleaseplease!"
Dean wasn't one for begging, nor was John one for listening, but there was something off about Castiel that begged for John to find out the truth. He opened the Impala's trunk and tossed their bags into it, grabbing Castiel's from him and throwing it in with everything else.
“You can come with us, for now." Castiel's eyes went wide - he apparently hadn't expected John to agree to the arrangement. John held up a finger, stopping Castiel from expressing any form of gratitute. "BUT. I can’t be dragging another kid across the damn U.S. Its bad enough I’ve already got two with me.”
Castiel grinned nonetheless, holding his book to his chest and looking like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "That's perfectly fine, Mister Winchester. I'm well aware that children are considered a burden, I wouldn't expect anything more from your family, you've already done enough." Castiel shifted awkward, but then took John's hand and shook it. John, speechless, watched the child climb into the back seat with Dean and grin at his son.
John watched the two boys interact, and a warm feeling bubbled up in his chest. He knew that feeling all too well.
".... God dammit."
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