Dean had snuck downstairs for a 1am snack, and was quietly rummaging inside the fridge with the kitchen lights off when he heard it. He thought he'd imagined it at first. Who the hell would be knocking on their back door at this ungodly hour? Besides, it was freezing cold and pouring with rain outside. Nobody should be out so late in weather like that. The knock was quiet, hesitant, but after a few seconds it sounded again, a little louder this time. Dean grabbed the baseball bat out of the broom closet, just in case, and carefully opened the door without taking the latch off.

What he saw made him curse, slam the door shut, yank the latch off, toss the bat aside, and throw the door wide open. "Cas! What the hell happened?" The slightly shorter boy choked out an, "I'm sorry Dean, I know it's late and I shouldn't be here, but I didn't know where else to go…" Maybe he was still in shock, but all Dean could really hear were Cas' teeth chattering. He was dripping on their small back porch. Dean pulled him inside, peeling his sopping clothes off until Cas stood naked in the middle of the room, shaking violently with cold. It was nothing he hadn't seen before.

Dean pulled off his own pyjama pants, glad that the waistband was elasticised enough that they wouldn't fall off of his boyfriend's narrow hips, and that he'd worn boxers underneath them tonight. He grabbed Cas the fluffiest towel in the linen closet for his hair, and the thickest jacket hanging on the coat rack in the hallway. He did up the zips and buttons for him because Cas' hands were too unsteady for the task. Dean bustled about, putting the kettle on and making Cas a giant mug of hot chocolate with five huge marshmallows in it, the poor kid looked like he could use the sugar.

He had seen the suitcase Cas had left just inside the door, covered in a black plastic trash-bag to protect it from the downpour. It was too big to be an overnight bag. Dean sat with his boyfriend, rubbing his back gently, and holding him tight when Cas started sobbing halfway through his hot chocolate. When the crying eased up, Dean figured it was time to talk. "Did you run away, or did you get kicked out?" Cas took a deep breath, shuddered as he let it out, and answered him. "Kicked out, and disowned. Father found out about us. Not about you specifically, but that I have a boyfriend. I'm still not sure, but I think Raphael may have told him. It doesn't matter. Either way, I'm not allowed to call him my father anymore."

Dean clenched his jaw in anger. Sure, Mr. Novak was only Cas' foster father, but he'd raised Cas from the age of four. The religious bastard had been the closest thing to a father Cas had ever had. Sending him out in this weather, Cas could have caught his death of pneumonia. Was that what Mr. Novak had wanted? Cas' next words were whispered. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have come here, that this is the last place I should be. I just… I really needed to see your face tonight…" Dean cut him off, brushing a hand through the younger boy's messy black hair. "Shut up Cas, you did the right thing by coming here. If you'd gone anywhere else tonight, I would've had to kick your ass. Nothing matters more to me than your safety."

Cas smiled weakly at him, tears in the corners of his eyes threatening to stumble down his cheeks. "I'm scared, Dean. I don't know what I'm going to do. Father… Mr. Novak gave me half a thousand dollars, but you know how I feel about carrying large sums of cash. The whole way here I kept looking over my shoulder, even though it would be crazy for anybody else to be out in this weather. That, my school stuff, and my clothes are all I have. I'm fifteen, I haven't finished school, and even if I dropped out tomorrow, nobody is going to hire someone my age. I don't know where the hotels are in this town, or which ones are safe to go to. I… I don't know where I'm going to sleep tonight…"

Dean pulled him into another tight hug. "Don't you worry about a thing, Cas. You're sleeping here, for as long as you like. I'm gonna take care of you. You're going to stay in school because you're too damned clever to let that brain of yours go to waste, and I'll get a proper job as a mechanic if I have to." Cas pulled back, looking uncertain. "You're only sixteen, Dean, and your grades are above average too. You shouldn't have to drop out either. I don't want you to, not for my sake. We haven't even mentioned Bobby…" Dean squared his jaw and gave him the most stubborn look he had. "What about Bobby?"

Cas pursed his lips, his expression saying 'You're not fooling anybody!' "Dean, you've never even introduced us. He thinks you're dating a girl named Cassandra. You thought you were completely straight before we started making out last year. Less than a month ago you were freaking out about maybe being gay because you enjoyed blowing me." Dean blushed bright pink, but he didn't back down. "A guy's allowed to freak out about shit like that sometimes. I care about you Cas, and if Bobby wants to give me shit for that, then screw him. I told you I'd take care of you, and I meant it. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

Cas huffed. Dean could act tough all he liked, but Cas knew what Bobby meant to him. After his mother had died in a house-fire, and his father had drunk himself into a very early grave, their mother's cousin Bobby had taken in Dean and his baby brother, Sam, and raised them as his own. Bobby meant the world to Dean, and if the gruff mechanic took the news of Dean having a boyfriend badly, it would absolutely crush him. "For a teenager, that would make you a perfectly reasonable boyfriend. It's not your fault that I got thrown out Dean, I've always been gay. Father would have found out eventually, even if I'd never met you, and the results would have been no different. You aren't responsible for what happens to me."

Dean scowled and crossed his arms. "Bullshit! I think of you as family Cas, and family looks out for each other. I'd do the same for Sammy. Look, I know I still freak out sometimes about the whole 'liking a guy' thing. I know it makes you worry that one day I'm gonna work out that it's not for me after all, and break up with you. I'm not, Cas. It's a big adjustment for me, sure, but you're worth it to me. I've never been happier than I am when I'm with you. Even when we're not doing anything more than just sitting together, talking or watching TV, I can never get enough of being around you. I'm not letting you leave here, Cas."

Cas' smile was brighter than Dean had ever seen before, even as his tears finally spilled down his face, and the hug he gave Dean was making it impossible for him to breathe. The blue-eyed boy pulled back just far enough to crush his lips to Dean's, startling him, but Dean quickly caught on and reciprocated. They both jumped and sprang apart when the kitchen lights came on. Neither of them had heard the approaching footsteps. Bobby's eyes took in the big suitcase, the sopping wet pile of clothes by the door, the almost-empty mug on the kitchen table, and then finally swept to look back at the boys.

Cas' eyes were wide with fear, and Dean had a grim expression. He'd taken a protective step in front of the shorter boy, who was practically swimming in one of Bobby's old jackets. His hair was still damp in places, and his eyes were red and puffy from crying. His lips were red and puffy too, from kissing. So were Dean's. Bobby heaved a sigh. He hadn't seen this one coming. "Dean, go put another pillow in your room. I'm too old to pretend to be awake at this hour. We'll talk about this when we've all gotten some sleep." Dean hesitated; glancing at Cas out of the corner of his eye, but Cas nodded and gently pushed him towards the hallway. He dithered for another second, then landed a quick kiss to Cas' temple before hurrying out of the room.

Cas stood there, blushing, and watching Bobby uncertainly. "Sit down, boy. And quit looking at me like that, I'm not gonna eat you." Cas nodded doubtfully, and resumed his seat at the kitchen table. "What's your name, boy?" Cas glanced in the direction of the hallway, but he couldn't hear where in the house Dean was. "My name is Castiel. I will be sixteen in two months." Bobby's eyes widened in recognition of the name. "You're Dean's Cas?" The teenager just ducked his head with a shallow nod. Bobby transferred his gaze, staring at Cas' suitcase and the pile of clothes on the floor. "Want to tell me what happened?"

Cas shifted in his seat, but nodded. "My foster-father is very religious, and he found out about… well, he found out that I'm not straight. I'm no longer welcome in his home." Bobby heaved a sigh. Some people just didn't make sense to him. Who the hell would disown their kid just for being gay? Cas looked ten years old, sitting there looking lost and scared. It reminded him of when Dean and Sam had first come to live with him. Dean had been seven years old by then, and Sam was just two weeks shy of his third birthday.

What Bobby remembered most was the look Dean had had in his eyes. He was just a boy, but he already had the eyes of an old man. Spending three years cleaning up his father's puke and raising his baby brother had turned that child into a grown man, and the sight of it had broken Bobby's heart. Bobby's own father had been an abusive drunk asshole, to the point where he'd refused to have children with his wife. He'd been too terrified of turning into his old man and putting another little kid through that hell. Then, just a few years after marrying, his wife had been killed during a house-breaking. He'd thought he was going to spend the rest of his life alone and miserable.

Apparently God had other plans, because it had only been a few months later that Sherriff Jody Mills had shown up with a little boy who could've been him from twenty years ago, and his toddler brother. He'd spoken with the Sherriff on the phone beforehand. She'd told him that the boys had no other family, that they'd be put in the foster system if he didn't take them. Still, until he'd seen Dean's weary old eyes, he hadn't been sure he would take them. It had been tough those first few weeks too, when Dean had still been getting to know him, slowly learning to trust him, slowly learning how to be a little kid again.

Bobby still saw that look in Dean's eyes from time to time, that mile-wide stubborn streak of his could drive the old man up the wall some days, but he liked to think he'd done good with those boys. Now, here sat another stray with nowhere to go, looking like a kicked puppy. It was still too early for him to have old eyes, he hadn't really had to struggle just yet. If Bobby could help it, things were going to stay that way. Besides, if this boy really was Dean's Cas, then it was the least he could do. Since Dean had started spending time with him his grades had gone up, he helped out more around the house, he played around with Sam more, and he was always in a good mood. Those were all the reasons Bobby needed to like the kid.

"Castiel, I honestly couldn't care less about the whole gay thing. You make Dean as happy as I've ever seen him, and that's good enough for me. We'll figure out the details tomorrow, but I want you to know that you'll always be welcome in my home. Welcome to the family, kid." Bobby was a little startled when Cas threw his skinny arms around him in a hug, but he huffed out a laugh and patted his back. "Alright now, hurry on up to Dean's room before he starts to get worried. I'll see you in the morning."