Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One step out into the rain and Castiel was already soaked. He grumbled to himself as he tried in vain to shield his face with an old newspaper. It hadn’t looked like rain when he had left this morning for work, so of course he had decided to disregard the weather report and leave his umbrella at home. Cursing his own stupidity he fumbled at his keys, ready to lock up and go home. The Gas’n Sip was a small, two pump station, unable to afford a 24/7 cashier, so most nights saw Castiel locking up at ten, not a customer in sight. 

Tonight however, something was different. 

It was hard to hear clearly over the sound of rain, so Castiel almost jumped out of his skin when a loud groan echoed out from around the corner of the building. 

“What in the world?” He clutched his chest, the thumping of his heart intensifying as he nervously approached the alley. Another groan came out of the dark, followed by a sudden dragging sound that made Castiel second guess walking alone into the secluded space. But the moan had sounded human, and more importantly, whatever was making the noise sounded in pain. If someone was hurt he couldn’t just leave them there.

 Steeling himself, he left the red glow of the Closed sign. Cautiously, he walked into the alley, shielding his sight from the rain with the now dripping paper. Toward the back, just behind the dumpster, someone stumbled into the wall. 

“Hello?” Castiel called, concerned. “Excuse me? Are you alright?” 

A startled gasp was the only answer to his question, and Castiel ran forward as the figure sagged.

“Let me help you - oh,” Castiel sucked in a surprised breath, blinking water out of his eyes. His hands tightened where he braced the stranger. His fingers brushed along feathers. There was strong muscle instead of the fabric that he had expected, and it was with no little shock that he found himself staring into eyes that seemed to glow with an inner fire. 

“Angel,” he whispered, awe filling him as he helped steady the winged being. Angels almost never walked among humans as the other supernaturals were prone to do. Castiel had never heard of an Angel venturing out alone.

 The Angel, a male from what little Castiel could make out in the dark of his figure, tensed under his touch. 

“Oh,” Castiel withdrew his hands, raising them up in a gesture of no threat. “Excuse me. Are you ok? I heard you yell.” 

The angel shuddered, wings dripping with water as he pulled them out of Castiel’s reach. Mesmerized, Castiel’s gaze followed the drops down the feathers until he caught on the exposed curve of the Angel’s stomach.

 “Fuck, you’re pregnant!” he blurted out, fumbling at his jacket. “You must be freezing. Please,” he held out the slightly damp windbreaker. “Do you have somewhere to go? Where’s your mate? Your flock?” 

Angels never let omegas wander without protection. Ever. As the trembling figure was clearly pregnant under the almost translucent white robes he wore, this Angel was certainly an omega. Only the worst could have driven this angel into the rain and the dark tonight. 

Shaking, the Angel took the windbreaker from Castiel, awkwardly wrapping it around the soaked robe from the front and over his shoulders, the cold strong enough to override any stranger-danger fears he might have had about Castiel. 

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on but you seem to be in some sort of trouble,” the Angel looked down, clutching at jacket, but made no comment. “My name is Castiel and my apartment is close, just a short walk," Castiel gestured vaguely on the direction of home. It really wasn’t far,  and he had come close enough to homelessness in his teen years to not wish the same fate on anyone else. "You could stay the night, or longer. Until you get help."

 The angel regarded him, his wary gaze almost enough to make Cas wring his hands in anxiety. Angel pregnancy was, from what Castiel could remember from high school sex Ed, a very delicate process. A pregnant angel was basically a giant incubator, temperature being a much more important factor in egg growth than in human infant growth. The egg growing inside of this angel was very likely being harmed by the cold and exposure. The angel himself was definitely being harmed. 

"My home isn't much, but it's warm and dry," Cas offered, holding a hand out to the angel. "Will you let me help you?" 

For a long moment the Angel said nothing. He stared at  Castiel with those glowing, green eyes, and Castiel wondered if it was true that Angels could see into the human soul. 

“Ok.” 

Castiel startled, snapping out of his thoughts as the Angel took a hesitant step closer to him, wings flicking again to dispel the water that had gathered during the exchange. “Really?” Castiel said, wilting a little in embarrassment when the Angel simply raised an eyebrow at him. “I mean, of course. My apartment is this way, uhh...” 

The Angel squinted at him, then shook his head as if unsurprised by Castiel’s awkward fumbling. “Dean. Name’s Dean.” 

Castiel felt a little shiver go through him that had nothing to do with the continuous rain pouring down on both of them. “Dean. Nice to meet you,” he coughed, purposefully averting his eyes from the Angel as Dean stepped up beside him. “This way. We need to get you out of this rain.” 

Dean didn’t need telling twice and they quickly made their way out from behind the Gas’n Sip, Castiel fretting when in the better light he saw that Dean was only wearing thin sandals and his soaked robe in addition to the windbreaker, but Dean shrugged off his worry, scowling until the human sighed and lead the way home. 

The walk back to the apartment was one of the most stressful in Castiel’s memory, and that included the time he was mugged for loose change. The angel, Dean, kept shivering in a way that greatly concerned him. How long had he been out in the rain before Castiel had found him? Dean ignored all questions about his home and flock, leaving Castiel’s only real option being to get the omega home as fast as possible. 

It was with great relief that they reached his apartment building, sprinting to duck under the roof awning, which provided a small patch of protection from the rain. Castiel’s room was on the top floor, accessible by outdoor stairwell with a single, moth covered light. The pair damply climbed the few floors up, dripping all over the cement hall as Castiel fumbled with his keys to let them inside.

 Looking around at the small space, he had a sudden and near overwhelming sense of inadequacy. His living room was, well, completely adequate for a single man with little to no disposable income and no concept of interior design. His furniture consisted of an old, gray loveseat, a coffee table he had found on the curb the first week of living in the apartment, and a boxy old tv that didn’t even have cable. 

Next to him Dean shivered, bringing him back to the issue at hand. 

“Let me get you some towels,” he said, herding the angel further into the kitchen, careful of the puddles they were both making. “I would offer you a hot shower, but I don’t think your wings will fit in the stall.” Or the bathroom for that matter. 

He pulled both of the towels he owned from the bathroom along with a clean pair of pjs from his closet, taking a moment to cut the shirt opening the back for the angel’s wings. It’s not like he didn’t have enough old t-shirts anyway. He handed them to the angel with minimal blushing over the way Dean’s robe was clinging to his body with rain. As Dean began drying himself off Castiel realized he had another issue.

 The apartment didn’t have a guest room. Hell, the couch wasn’t even big enough to sleep on. 

Inspiration struck, and like lightning Castiel ran around the apartment. Dean watched in bemusement, hand protectively on his belly as Cas pulled all the cushions off the couch, all the pillows too, then ran back into the bedroom to grab every sweater he had and all but one blanket off his own bed. Dumping them onto the cushions in the corner, he ran back to the bedroom, digging through the closet for the extra sheets he knew were in there somewhere from that one Walmart trip where he thought it would be a nice, grown up thing to do if he changed his sheets regularly. Finding them shoved under a yoga mat he didn’t remember owning, Castiel ran back to the living room, holding the sheets up triumphantly. Under the curious gaze of the angel, Castiel began stacking the pillows strategically, using the side of the couch to block in the nest-like shape he was building with what he had gathered. 

By the time he was done a decent bowl shape had been achieved and even Castiel had to admit it looked more comfortable than his own lumpy mattress. 

Dean moved over to check out the nest, walk more of a waddle even with his wings to balance out the very large baby bump. He poked at the pile with his now bare foot, sandles having been discarded with the rest of his clothes in the kitchen while Castiel had been busy with his project. 

Castiel held his breath as he watched the angel fuss with the placement of the various pillows. He noticed Dean would occasionally stop to breath through his nose, hand on his stomach, and Castiel was vividly reminded of the pained moans that had lead him to the angel in the first place. Castiel didn’t know the first thing about medicine and pregnancy, he hadn’t even spent time around human kids before. He was pretty sure however, that pregnant people shouldn’t take pills of any sort, even if in pain. 

Despite his obvious discomfort Dean didn’t seem too concerned. In fact, though it might be a small vanity, Cas believed Dean looked relaxed compared to his whole demeanor back at the Gas’n Sip. 

As Castiel watched, lost in his own thoughts, Dean finished arranging the bedding to his satisfaction. When the angel lowered himself into the pile with a relieved sigh Castiel was reminded of his duties as a host. “Are you hungry?” he asked, hovering awkwardly over the angel. “I think I have some leftover chinese food, or I could heat up a can of soup if you would prefer. I usually eat most meals at work so I don’t have much on hand right now.” 

Dean only grunted in reply, wiggling deeper into the covers of the makeshift nest. His eyes were closed and his whole body curved around that bump like a hug, and Castiel found himself slowly walking out of the room, hitting the lights on his way out. 

Laying in his bed that night, under the one blanket he had left himself, Castiel thought he should feel more….something. More upset about his privacy being invaded, annoyed at the inconvenience. Something other than worried about whether Dean was eating enough, or whether Dean’s flock was looking for him. Castiel had lived his 32 years on this planet making minimal human contact. Friendships stayed at work, family stayed away until the obligatory holidays. His life was quiet, and that’s the way he liked it.

 There was something nice though, about knowing that here in his apartment there was someone else resting safely in comfort because of him. He hoped Dean felt well enough in the morning to open up to him so that they could make sure he and his egg stayed safe. 

He must have fallen asleep, because somewhere between one thought and the next his alarm was going off. He slapped at the annoyance, managing to hit the off button and knock the clock off the nightstand at the same time. With a groan that he muffled in his pillow he dug around for his cellphone. A horribly bright screen revealed that it was indeed Saturday. He had forgotten to turn off the alarm last night. 

Last night. 

Castiel sat bolt upright, covers sliding off as he stumbled out of bed. Last night he brought a homeless, pregnant angel back to his apartment. Shaking his head, he realized he could hear noise coming from the main room, and he could smell something cooking.    

With all the grace of a newly reanimated corpse, Castiel staggered out into the kitchen. Dean was by the stove, wings dry and smooth against his back as he moved around something on a pan. The robe, now dry, had made a reappearance, but the angel was still wearing the old pair of sweats Castiel had given him the night before. 

At the sound of Castiel shuffling in Dean turned, flashing him a smile that almost stopped his heart with its brilliance. “Good morning, Cas. I’m making omelets and hashbrowns. I hope you don’t mind. It was all you had lying around and I figured I should do something to pay you back for all the trouble…” Dean rambled into a pause, looking at Castiel, or “Cas” now, Castiel thought, blushing. 

“Thank you, Dean. I’m sure anything you make will be better than the mess I usually cook.” 

The smile was back, and Cas found himself sitting as Dean scooped egg and potato onto a plate for him. Watching Dean move around him Cas felt yet another frisson of shock go through him, waking him up faster than any coffee on earth.

 The robe Dean had on, slightly dirty and loose, was hanging flat over the angel’s stomach. Jerking so hard he almost fell out of his chair, Cas turned to the living room. Sure enough, just visible around the edge of the couch was a lump, about a foot long, wrapped in blankets.

 “Dean,” Cas wanted to look at the angel, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from what must be an angel egg snuggled up in his living room. 

“Hmm?” Dean was putting the dirty pan in the sink, but when he saw Cas staring at the nest he blushed. “Oh. Yeah, so that’s a thing that happened.” 

Dean moved into the tiny living room, waving Cas over to the nest, breakfast forgotten for the moment. Very carefully, Dean pulled back the blanket surrounding the egg. Cas had to hold back a gasp as the angel picked up the small object, his child, and cradled it in his arms. The egg was a shockingly pearlescent shade of pink, almost like blown glass or a seashell. It was so fragile that Cas could hardly believe there was a tiny angel inside of it. 

“They’re beautiful, Dean.” 

Dean puffed up in pride, his golden feathers rustling as he held out the egg for Castiel to view. “Thank you, alpha.” 

Cas choked, jerking away from the omega, who eyed him curiously. 

“I’m not- Humans aren’t like that,” the implication of an omega angel referring to him as Alpha , well. Dean probably didn’t understand human genders. All he saw was Cas’ apparent protective streak. 

Dean was shaking his head though. “Humans don’t have a lot of things. But even without wings and scent I can tell,” One golden wing came out to trail almost possessively down Cas’ arm. “You’re all Alpha. My alpha.” 

Confused, nervous, and a little aroused, Cas sputtered in protest. 

“But what about the egg, err, child’s father? The alpha who got you, you know,” Cas gestured nervously at Dean and the nest. 

Dean’s face darkened. “No,” he growled. “There is no other alpha. Just you, and people who will  wish they were you.” 

Cas sat down heavily on the couch, ignoring the lack of cushions. He stared up at the ceiling as if it had some secret message that would help explain this situation he had gotten himself into. Something warm and heavy was pushed onto his lap and he started, arms automatically coming up to hold the object. He looked down at the warm, slow pulsing feeling of shell under his hands. Dean was smirking down at him, wings puffed out in pride at the egg he had created.

 “You’ll take good care of us,” the angel said, voice so certain that Cas had no doubt that the statement was fact in Dean’s mind. Dean’s wings reached out, making a tent-like dome over Castiel and the egg. “I know you’re worried. A hatchling is a big responsibility,” he brushed his hand tenderly over the top of the egg cradled in Cas’ lap. “But look at what you’ve already done for us. We’re safe and warm. I have food in my belly and a nest to keep our egg safe. You didn’t have to offer us a home, but you did,” he looked slyly at Cas. “I can look after you too.” 

Cas was shaking his head, not even sure anymore what he was denying but quite sure that everything Dean was saying couldn’t be real. 

“Don’t worry, alpha. I don’t mind that you don’t have wings. I have wings large enough to cover us both,” Dean slid into the seat next to Cas. “I like that you’re small, but tough.” 

Dean was completely covering Cas now, both of them wrapped in a cocoon of feathers and warmth that let in just enough light to see. “You could have left me in that alley. Hell, there was no reason you had to check on anything you heard. It was late, and dark. You were alone. Anyone else would have walked away. But you didn’t leave. You found me. Us.”

 Cas swallowed. “I would never let anything bad happen you you, if I could prevent it.”

 It was the truth. He couldn’t let even an unknown person possibly suffer alone in the dark of the outside world. Now that he could put a face and a name, an egg for heaven’s sake, to the pained cry he had heard last night the last thing he could imagine doing was to turn Dean and his hatchling out. Even if Dean was a little confused about what was happening here. 

Cas rubbed his hands slowly down the surface of the egg. The warmth under his palms ebbed and flowed like a heartbeat, proof of a strong new life growing underneath. 

Dean hummed, slowly dipping his head in to press his lips to the curve of Cas’ neck. “That’s why I want you, alpha. You care about us.”

Chapter Text

Something horrible was screeching right next to Castiel’s head. 

“Goddamn it,” he muttered, grumbling out a few more curses as he flopped about, trying to shut off the alarm clock. His movement was hindered by several pillows and a golden wing, which twitched in annoyance as Cas struggled to sit up and stop the god awful noise. Having their nest built on the floor of the living room as the most comfortable way to fit two grown men and an egg the size of a watermelon all together in the same space, but it meant that things like phones and alarm clocks were high and out of reach up by the tv and the room’s only power outlet. 

By the time Cas managed to get the alarm off, the peace of the nest had been thoroughly disturbed. Morning light seeped through the curtains and Cas dragged himself to the bathroom to shower. By the time Cas was clean and reasonably wakened by the warm water the smell of coffee and toast was drifting through the tiny apartment.  It had barely taken a week of living together before Dean took over most cooking. Not only was Cas more likely to burn water than not, but Dean had caught on to the fact that Cas was a useless zombie in the mornings. Cas was only too happy to pass off the cooking to the angel, on the understanding that Dean was under no obligation to cook and that Cas would wash the dishes.

 Two months into their strange situation their lives had taken structure. As soon as his boss at the Gas’n Sip had heard the story of Cas’ new “roommate” she immediately changed his shifts around so that he could get off work at a reasonable hour. She also promoted him to shift lead, which was more just a title than a real responsibility, since the Gas’n Sip rarely had more than one worker on shift at a time. But the promotion came with a raise and Nora’s assurance that she had been planning on the change anyway since Cas was the only employee to be punctual and consistently trustworthy in his work. It wasn’t with too much reluctance that Cas accepted the change. Now he had time to run errands before returning home and extra cash to give Dean when the angel wanted something for their nest. As always, thought of the nest and its precious treasure filled Cas with warmth. 

With the egg now out in the world instead of safe in his stomach, Dean had become a shopping fanatic, scouring the internet for the perfect memory foam pillows. Cas had to admit, his back had never felt this good after a night’s sleep. He wasn’t quite sure how it came about, but somewhere between accidentally falling asleep in the nest once or twice and that one night when it was just too cold to sleep in his own bed, the nest had become their shared space rather than “Dean’s Nest”. Dean didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, the most official sign of Cas’ change in sleeping space came the night where he had come home to discover that Dean had moved the master bedroom mattress into the living room to improve the nest. 

They hadn’t discussed the change after that. It just became an accepted fact of their daily life. Cas wasn’t complaining. Beyond being extremely comfortable it was nice not only to sleep with another person nearby, but also let him keep a watchful eye on the egg. 

Every day after work Cas would rush home, filled with both excitement and worry, just so he could kick off his shoes and climb into the nest with what Dean had jokingly dubbed “their omelet”. Cas of course refused to use such a ridiculous nickname, insisting that no one would be making any omelets of their egg. He called the egg “sweet baby”, which in turn Dean refused outright on the principle that their kid wasn’t a Cadbury Egg and angels were warriors not pansies. 

Today was no different. Cas got home right at 5, and after calling out a greeting to Dean, who was pulling laundry out of the dryer in the hall, Cas crawled into their nest, pulling the pretty pink egg to his chest. Since the egg had been laid it had been steadily growing. Dean informed Cas that angel eggs feed off of the grace of their parents until they reach maturity, hatching about 8 weeks after being laid. The egg was quickly approaching the size of a human 2 year old, and Cas could only imagine what the actual size of the child would be with each passing day. 

“Hey lazy-pants, are you planning on eating today or are you just going to nap the day away?” 

Dean’s voice was teasing, but Cas really didn’t feel like leaving the nest now that he was in it. Before Dean and his arrival, Cas’ life had been quiet. He enjoyed the peace, but as he lovingly rubbed the glimmering shell of the egg in his arms he couldn’t help but be excited for the future. There was something to be said for excitement and responsibility. It was nice to have something to care for, and nice to have Dean to talk to every day. Nice to have a ‘family’, small as they were, and strange as their actual familial connection was, to come home to. 

A foot nudged his shoulder. Cas reluctantly rolled over to see Dean staring fondly down at him, a plate with half a sandwich and a pile of potato chips in his hand. “Sit up. Don’t want to get crumbs everywhere.” 

Cas happily complied, taking the plate from the angel as Dean lowered himself into a comfortable seat on the pillows.   

“What about you?” Cas asked through a mouthful of turkey and rye. 

“Pfffffff,” Dean pulled the egg into his lap, turning it gently so that the previously exposed side was now nestled in his lap. “You thought I was going to wait for your slow butt to walk home?” He patted his stomach. “Just because the little omelet is out of the oven doesn’t mean providing a growing egg with grace isn’t hungry work.” 

Cas hummed appreciatively. Dean wouldn’t talk about much when it came to his angel home and family, but he had been happy to talk about the egg and everything related to nestlings. Dean's top complaint was that growing an egg meant providing enough grace to create a fully fledged angel. 

“Thank you for making dinner,” Cas said earnestly. Everything Dean made was better than the quick food he would buy at work and reheat at home. 

“No problem, dude,” Dean preened at the praise, scooting over until they were pressed thigh to thigh. “Me and the omelet were itching for something to do, isn’t that right?” he pet the egg lovingly, a pulse of grace lighting up the egg’s reflective, pink surface with a soft glow. 

Cas made a face, but set his plate aside to cuddle closer to the angel. “I wish I could look after the egg for you,” He said, voice low as his hands joined Dean’s on the shell. “Then you wouldn’t have to stay cooped up in the apartment all the time.” 

Dean didn’t say anything to that, his eyes distant even as they looked down at the precious bundle in his lap.

Cas sighed. They couldn’t have everything in life, but there was still this, here and now.

Chapter Text

“What were you thinking!”

Cas paused on the stairs, ears perked. He was just getting back from a grocery run. His arms were getting tired from carrying his conscientious but damn heavy reusable shopping bags, and all he could think of was getting back into the air conditioned apartment. There was more shouting from the floor above him, muffled this time as the arguing pair moved further away. Cas sighed. If people were going to have shouting matches in apartment living the least they could do was shut the door.

Shaking his head, Cas continued up the stairs. He couldn’t wait to get home and have some quiet cuddle time with Dean and their egg. He would have to put on some music if the neighbors continued their loud spat.

He had reached the top of the stairs and was adjusting the bags on his arms when he noticed something was off. The door to the neighbor’s apartment was firmly closed, lights off, clearly no one home. Down the hall however there was the tell tale sound of arguing. The door to his own apartment wide open, the faint smell of dinner drifting down the hall.

Dropping the groceries, Cas ran toward the open door, thoughts of break-ins or furious landlords running through his head.

“I told you, Char, I know what I’m doing! No one was going to fucking listen to me so I had to--,”

Cas ran in just as Dean was turning to shut the door, a stormcloud of anger and annoyance on his face.

“Dean? I heard yelling, are you--,” Cas barely got a word out before a tawny pair of wings were bursting out in front of him, blocking his view of Dean.

“Back the fuck off, human,” a female voice growled, viciously. “Get away from him!”

“Jo!”

Cas stumbled back, falling on his ass as Dean pushed the angel out of the way, giving her a death glare as he stomped over to Cas’ side.  His wings were splayed out, puffed up fully and forcing space between Cas and the other two angels in the room.

The ginger female that Cas hadn’t seen until now pulled the tawny female back, eyeing Cas warily. “Come on Jo. We aren’t here to fight. But Dean,” she gave Dean a pleading look. “What’s going on here? You disappeared on us, no note or anything. Gone with no warning just when negotiations were about to close. We thought you must have been kidnapped, or worse!”

Jo gave another growl, eyes never leaving Cas as Dean helped him to his feet. “Who is this human, Dean? Is he the one who took you?”

“No one took me, Jo!” Dean shouted, throwing up his arms in annoyance. “I’m not some princess who needs rescuing! This is why I left. None of you ever listen to a word I say.”

The ginger looked aggrieved at this, but Jo didn’t take her eyes off Cas, her wings matching Dean’s in aggression. Cas cleared his throat, unsure if he should close the door, get closer to cover Dean’s back against these intruders, or leave himself to reduce conflict. His eyes automatically searched out the nest, something in his stomach settling when he saw the top of the egg just visible beneath the blankets on the mattress.

“We want to listen to whatever you have to say, Dean,” the ginger angel said, side eyeing Cas. Her wings were still pressed neatly against her back, but Cas had the suspicion that could change in an instant if need be. “But Dean, we’ve been looking for you for months. The whole flock was going out of its mind with worry.”

Dean’s face fell, his wings losing their angered poof. “Awww Charlie, I didn’t mean to worry you guys.”

Quietly, Cas moved to the living room. These angels must be part of Dean’s old flock, and as Dean still hadn’t shared the reason he had fled his nest, despite being a pregnant omega, Cas wasn’t comfortable with them around the egg. The two angels watched him, but made no effort to stop him, unaware of the precious bundle resting just out of view behind the couch.

“Dean, who is this human?” That was Jo again, and Cas barely stopped himself from glaring right back at her at the look she sent his way.

Dean groaned, hands rubbing over his face as a blush started to creep it’s way up his neck. “Jo, Charlie, this is Cas. He’s the guy who saved my ass. He gave us a home when--”

“Dean!”

The angels tensed, three pairs of wings lifting defensively as a new voice shouted up from the stairwell. Cas put himself in front of the egg, torn between protecting the helpless nestling and Dean, who was obviously the focus of these intruders.

“Quit yelling, you idjit. If he’s here we’ll find him.”

“Quiet both of you,” a female voice scolded. They were getting closer. “Do you want to wake all the humans?”

At the sound of this voice Jo perked up. “Mom! We’re in here, top floor!”

Dean gave a huff at this, glaring at Jo, who smirked back at him. “You’ve got some explaining to do,” she sing-songed as the group outside thumped and argued their way to their door.

“Dean!” A young angel, a boy barely reaching Dean’s shoulders in height, ran through the door, throwing himself at Dean and wrapping his arms around the omega. “You really are here. I thought we would never find you.”

“Hey Sammie,” Dean said, sighing and wrapping his wings around the younger angel. “Whoa, have you gotten bigger since I last saw you?”

The young angel sniffed, pulling back to frown at Dean. “Don’t joke. We were really, really worried! Why did you leave? Didn’t you want to have your hatchling?”

“What?” Dean looked toward the other angels, who only glowered or looked uncomfortably back. “Sammie, no. That’s not it at all. My hatchling’s fine, I just needed some space and decided to take a little, uh, vacation of sorts,” he pulled back, wings turning the young angel until he was facing Cas and the living room. “See? The egg is all safe and sound here in my nest. Cas was nice enough to give us these sweet digs and awesome pillows.”

Reluctantly, Cas scooted enough for the boy to see their egg, still wrapped up nice and tight in i. Ts blankets. Sammie gasped, wings fluttering excitedly as he hopped from foot to foot in excitement.

“Oh! You did have the egg. They’re beautiful, Dean. I’m so glad!”

Dean rolled his eyes, holding up a hand when the others made to move closer. The two new angels, an older woman and a grumpy looking man, glared at Dean but made no move to get closer. The kitchen was getting crowded with angels, but neither Dean nor Cas were keen on letting any of them enter the nest space.

“Boy, what the hell is going on?” This from the older woman, her eyes wary as she took in Cas, the nest, and their egg. “What possessed you to take off in the middle of nesting?”

“We’ve been out of our minds look’n for you these last few months,” grumbled the old man, the other angels nodding together. “And who the hell is this guy?” he waved an accusing finger at Castiel, who refused to even blink at the anger in the angel’s voice. He might be outnumbered by them, but they had another thing coming if they thought he was going to roll over and let them hurt Dean or the egg.

“If you guys would just calm down a second and let me talk I’ll tell you, but so help me you had better stop yelling at Cas,” Dean scowled around at all the angels. “You guys are the one barging into his home like you own it, so I think he has a little more right to an explanation right now than you do.”

Ignoring the outburst this declaration caused, Dean sat down onto the couch, making grabby hands at Cas until the man sighed and gathered up the egg, passing it to Dean carefully.

“Cas, this is my old flock,” Dean nodded at the angels, who bristled, anger back at the use of past tense. “The first two ladies you met are Jo and Charlie, and this little guy is Samandriel,” He said, giving a thumbs up to the boy angel, who was staring at the egg with stars in his eyes, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. “Ellen and Bobby are the other two,” he cleared his throat, looking down at the egg in his lap, “and uh, like I was telling Jo and Charlie, this is Cas.”

Cas nodded at the angels, still feeling like a storm was about to break over his home at any moment. Dean still wasn’t looking at anyone. But he seemed to find his voice again as he cleared his throat, shoulders straightening. “Cas is a good guy. He gave me a home when I needed it, and has provided a nest for both of us. He’s my….he’s my alpha, and I expect you to treat him with respect.”

There was a full beat of dead silence at Dean’s words. Then the whole room erupted into mayhem.

“He’s your WHAT?” - “You wouldn’t have needed a home if you hadn’t left--” - “Can I hold the egg, Dean? Please ??”

“He can’t be an Alpha, he’s just a human!”

A loud crash from outside the apartment broke through the shouting, causing most in the room to jump in shock.

“Dean!” A voice roared as something heavy hit the balcony by the door.. “Dean! I know you’re in there!”

“Fuck,” Dean flinched, wrapping his arms protectively around the egg.

“Who is it now?” Cas asked, alarmed.

“Dean!” There was a pounding on the door, the person on the other end hitting it so hard the poor thing groaned on its hinges.

“It’s Sam,” Dean mumbled, not making eye-contact as Bobby got up to answer the door. “Guess he finally found me.”

Chapter Text

This whole situation was out of control. Angels were crammed into every corner of his kitchen, more angels were pounding on the door, and his angel, his Dean, seemed to be frozen with indecision. Waring looks of exasperation and worry were visible in Dean’s expression, yet none of the angels had noticed, or they didn’t care.

Mind made up, Cas rose, moving to stand between Dean’s seat and the rest of the room. Crossing his arms and ignoring the startled look Dean gave him Cas scowled into the kitchen entryway where Bobby was grumbling as he opened the door for whoever this ‘Sam’ person was.

“Where is he? What have these humans done with my brother?”

Cas wasn’t sure if it was the accusation that made his spine striffen or if it was the sight of the largest man he had ever seen -scratch that- largest angel he had ever seen, with a monsterous wingspan to boot, entering his apartment in a rage. Castiel squared his shoulders. Brother or not, hulking angry alpha angel or not, Castiel wasn’t about to let anyone do anything to Dean against his will.

“I’m over here,” Dean called, giving Cas an apologetic look. “Shut the door and use your indoor voice, will you?”

Sam snarled, eyes locking on Cas as he stormed towards them. Cas had a moment to question the sanity of his life choices, right before a wing unfurled around him, smacking him right in the face before pulling him back and off his feet.

With a muffled and undignified yelp Cas fell back onto the couch, practically pulled into Dean’s lap by a soft facefull of feathers.

“Watch the omelet please?” Dean murmured into his ear, warm breath sending a shiver up Cas’ spine. “I can handle my brother’s tantrum better if they are safe.”

“What’s going on here?” Sam spluttered. His obvious confusion had an angel coming in after him hiding his snickering behind a polite hand.

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Dean stood, stepping in front of Cas and his egg in a mirror of what Cas had just done as he glared at the new arrivals. “You guys can’t just barge into someone’s home uninvited like a herd of wild horses and start yelling. For one,” he snapped out a wing warningly when Sam growled and took a step forward, the rush of air at the movement surprisingly loud, “It’s rude. You’re not only disturbing the whole damn building but also terrorizing people in their own homes, which two, is illegal.” He glared around the room, brows furrowing deeper when the only angel who seemed even a little contrite was Sammie.

“I don’t give a fuck about this human or his home. He kidnapped you!”

“Now alpha,” the new angel said with raised hands, “Maybe we shouldn’t start throwing around accusations-”

“What the FUCK are you talking about?” Dean was pissed now, and Cas prayed to whoever was listening that there would be something left of his home when they were done throwing down.

“He kidnapped you! You’re not even supposed to be out of the nest, much less living in some human apartment.”

“Oh please. Don’t give me that crap. I know you guys thought I ran away to lose the egg. How the hell, and why even, would Cas kidnap a pregnant angel?” he cast a disgusted look at the angels all around them. “Do us all a favor and stop posturing.”

“Then why are you here , Dean?” The alpha seethed. “If you went to get rid of the egg then it’s done, you shouldn't be out here. If you didn’t get rid of it then why the heck did you leave? You can't just run off without your mate. It’s dangerous!”

“What mate?’ Dean scoffed. “I seriously don't know where you got this idea that banging a guy once means we’re stuck together for life. No offence Balth, but there’s no such thing as a “you banged it you bought it” clause, even for omegas.”

Much to Castiel’s surprise the angel only huffed and stepped away from Sam to stand with the less angry angels.

“He knocked you up, he’s your alpha whether you like it or not.” Sam said, sparing a glare for ‘Balth’.

“Don’t be stupid, Sam.” Dean’s fists were clenched at his side, wings stiff and deliberately tight to his back. “Balthazar never wanted fledglings.”

Sam snorted, waving a hand dismissively to cut Dean off. “Balthazar is great with fledglings, Dean. Just because he never had a chance before mating you-”

“We aren’t mated!” Dean’s wings were up now. “You keep saying that like it will make it true, but I don’t have his bite, and I never will.”

Sam inhaled to dispute this but Dean refused to be cut off again. “I’ve tried my damned hardest to respect you as an Alpha since dad died, but I won't accept your word as law when you have no right involving yourself in this. Balthazar doesn’t want fledglings, as you would know if you asked him instead of assuming everyone will just hop when you say hop. Jesus. I’m the guy who slept with him, you would think you could take my word  on this.”

Dean turned to the gray feathered angel. “Tell him. I’m sure you would make a great dad, but you never wanted to be tied down to a nest and a mate. That kind of responsibility would drive you crazy, man.”

Balthazar wilted under Sam’s glare, but with a dramatic sigh seemed to throw caution to the wind.

“You’re right. Dean’s right,” he said to the room at large. “ I didn’t want this mating, in fact, I don’t recall being consulted in the matter anymore than Dean was.” He gave Sam the stink eye before turning back to Dean with a softer look. “I wouldn’t abandon you, however, or our nestling, but I can’t say that a future locked away with omega and child fills me with any joy.”

Sam gave an actual growl at this, and Cas pushed himself a little further in front of the egg at the sight of Sam’s huge, bristling wings. The whole flock watched the exchange with tense readiness.

“You two are just irresponsible and selfish. Nobody needed to be consulted about anything! You got knocked up, Dean. And if Balthazar didn’t want to be tied to the nest he should have kept his dick in his pants. You need an alpha and there’s nothing more to it.”

Again, Dean’s wings flicked out sharply in warning, and his face was grim. “I’m not going back with you Sam. I don’t give a fuck what you think is appropriate or whatever. I’ve said my piece, and I’m not changing my mind.”

Sam frowned. “We could drag you back if we had to.”

Cas tensed, ready to defend Dean, but Dean only shrugged. “You could. There’s more of you than me, even with Cas on my side. But I would fight you,” his eyes never blinked, and Castiel was reminded of that first night they met and the burning light in his angel’s eyes. Dean was strong, and would hold firm.  “I would fight you every damn step of the way, every second you forced me from here. I would never stop fighting, Sam.”

The brothers stared at each other, silent. No angel so much as twitched, and Cas barely dared to breathe.

It was Sam who broke first.

“But, why Dean?” he said, wings finally drooping, causing an almost physical shift in the mood from tense to confused. “Do you hate us that much?”

Dean blew out a breath. “Dude, have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying? Of course I don’t hate you. You’re my flock. But,” he reached out to Cas, who took the offered hand with a squeeze. “Cas is flock now too. He gave me a home here when I needed space to get my head right and I don’t --I really want to stay here.”

“Please do,” Cas interjected.

Dean gave him a reassuring smile. “If I went back with you then I’ll just get sucked back into the same hole I started in where all I get to be is an Omega. Protected, sure, but trapped.”

“We just want you to be safe,” Sam said, voice rough.

“But what about happy? I can’t be happy in a nest that treats me like an egg made of glass, no pun intended.”

Sam was silent again, and it was Balthazar who spoke next. “I wouldn't have abandoned you.” he heaved a huge sigh, gray wings shrugging. “But you’re very right. I would have been miserable if I had been confined as you were,” he looked pointedly at where Dean’s hand was still entwined tightly with Cas’. “I like this better, for both of us. You deserve someone who cares about you because they choose to, don't you think so Alpha?”

Sam looked like someone had shoved rotten eggs under his nose, but he slowly nodded. “You aren’t getting rid of us though.”

“Of course not!” Balthazar interjected. “I’m not a responsible Alpha or anything, but even I wouldn’t abandon my fledgling. I’m sure Dean and his human will be more than willing to grant us, as humans say, visitation rights.”

“He damn well better,” the angel Cas thought might be Bobby- his head was still reeling from all the new faces crammed into his home- grumbled. “Ellen and I have been waiting forever for grandbabies, so unless Sam gets busy you bet your feathers you aren’t getting rid of us that easily.”

Chapter Text

Nothing in life was simple. Life hadn’t been all that simple back when it had been just Cas. There was a reason he worked late shifts at a gas station and lived alone in a pokey apartment. He had never done too well with people. People were always either too loud (his brothers and their endless screaming feuds came to mind), or too quiet (the homeless man who came in twice a week for the old donuts Cas would take out back and ‘forget’ to toss in the dumpster). People were frustrating and kind in the same breath, and Cas had worked at least a little to make sure his life was as free from human stress as he could make it, with the vague idea that he would someday get a cat. He satisfied his social side through interactions at work and came home to comfortable silence. It was nothing fancy, but he was comfortable.

Turns out Dean was allergic to cats.

They had both discovered this sad fact about two weeks after Dean had come into his life, given birth, rearrange his furniture and made himself at home. Cas had found himself surprisingly ok with all this, although he was a little disappointed about the cat.

He was a lot less ok now.

It was probably a level of exposure issue, he mused grumpily as angel chaos reigned around him. Dean was one angel, maybe 1 ½ angel if you counted the egg. Plus, he was cute, and did nice things for Castiel like bake for him, and smile, and clean constantly for whatever reason. These angels did the opposite in every way.

First off, there were way more of them than had any right being here, a fact that Dean had tried to communicate through lots of shouting and whining, but the other angels were unmoved. If Dean was going to hatch his egg here then here is where the flock would be, at least for now. In the few hours since this was all decided several of the angels, mostly Sam and the first shouty angel, Jo, kept dropping rude hints that Cas better not get used to the idea of Dean staying. Along with that came rude remarks about his home, his belongings, his heights and species, and a bunch of mess. Angels came and went, bringing things in and out of the apartment with much shouting and wing smacking.

At first Cas had tried to play good host, figuring that would at the very least de-escalate tensions. No such luck, and he had quickly retreated to what was left of the nest to cuddle with the egg and pretend a flock of assholes hadn’t invited themselves into his life.

He understood now why everyone always complained about the in-laws.

Deep in his bitter thoughts, Castiel let the noise of the apartment wash over him. Absently his fingers traced circles on the egg, taking comfort in its steady warmth. There was so much he didn’t understand about angels. It felt rude to judge Sam’s handling of the flock just because the angel’s customs were different from his own culture. But the choices he made were clearly unfair to Dean, who was strong and perfectly capable of making his own choices. This Balthazar angel seemed relieved too, at finding himself out in the human world. Perhaps Dean wasn’t the only one struggling under the expectations of gender.

“Your family’s a bit of a mess, huh little one??”  he hummed, pulling the egg closer and adjusting the blankets around it. “Don’t worry, your daddy’s  a tough cookie. We’ll get this sorted out.”As if in agreement there was a solid thump from inside the egg. Something hitting squarely under his palm.

“What?” he blinked, shook his head, and pulled the egg into his lap. It thumped again, a small knock from inside the shell.

“Dean,” he called, not taking his hands, or eyes for that matter, off the egg.

“-Hovering all the time, man. I would go crazy-” Dean was arguing again, not surprising but Cas had more important issues at hand.

“Dean.”

“It’s not unreasonable! You need help, you should never have been-”

“DEAN!”

The engels turned to him in shock, Sam with wings raised to defend, a couple of the others looking decidedly puffed up. Dean just looked worried, shoving his brother out of the way as he moved to drop down next to Cas.

“What? What’s wrong?” he hovered anxiously, unsure if Cas or the egg were the issue.

Instead of answering, Cas just reached out, pulling Dean’s hands into place on the egg.

“I think the little one wants to say hello,” he said, more to the egg than angel, hoping that the sound of his voice would encourage a repeat performance.

“Wait, really?” Balthazar leaned in, obviously interested and more animated than he had been since arriving.

“I don’t feel any-” Dean cut off with a gasp and Cas could imagine that the same knocking feeling was happening under the angel’s hands.

“Holy cow.” Dean’s face was full of wonder, hands pressing around the pink shell to feel as much movement as possible.

“The kid’s moving?” Sammie squealed, before being almost knocked over by the whole flock suddenly clambering to get close and feel.

“Please can we go home now?” Sam was staring at the egg, hand hovering over it like he was scared to hurt it. Cas groaned in frustration, sick to death of this old argument.

“Goddamn it, Sam,” Dean snapped, pulling the egg away from his brother. “We are home. This is my kid’s home. Get it through your head. We aren’t leaving. We live with Cas now.”

“But why?” Sam turned to Cas, who was surprised to see less anger in the look than usual. “What do you want with some random angel’s kid?” I get maybe wanting to hook up with Dean.” Both brothers made a face at this, “But this isn’t your kid, and having a hatchling around isn’t going to be easy.”

Cas considered this seriously for a moment. Even Dean seemed interested in his answer, despite having hashed this out for days with the other angels.

“Well,” he didn’t know what to say, to be honest. ‘I don’t not want kids? It just wasn't an option before.” He shrugged. He hadn’t really given it much thought to be honest. “Contrary to logic, most people don't think that hard before having children.” He brushed a gentle hand down the egg. “My own parents had many, but I doubt they ever stopped to think on whether they actually liked children enough to warrant having any. It’s just what you do, in their world.” He sighed, shaking off those thoughts and leaning forward to place a small kiss on the pink shell. “I didn’t ever expect to have an angel child, but that doesnt mean I don't love them just the same now that they are here with me.”

The room was quiet for once, although judging by the scrunched noses and constipated expressions, most of the angels were perplexed by his answer. Dean was smiling though.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Our omelet was a total accident, but that doesn’t change much, does it? Now about how much I love them at least.” He turned to Sam, eyes turning flinty. “SO there, we aren’t leaving,” Dean said, and Sam wilted, obviously unhappy to be back into an argument.

“Of course you aren’t, hun,” Said Ellen, cutting over Sam with a firm look. “Any idiot with eyes  can see that what you have here is a fine alpha and a comfortable nest.”

“Wouldn’t be fair to separate your egg and boyfriend now,” Bobby agreed after a sharp nudge from Ellen. “Probably ain’t safe either,” he gave Sam a level look. “I ain’t helping you move a whole omega nest halfway across the state, not with the fit Dean’ll throw. Just let your brother be, you overbearing alpha pup.”

Cas had to hide a snort at the offended look on the alpha angel’s face. Clearing his throat he fussed over the egg, pulling the covers back around it now that the nestling seemed done showing off.

“Great!” Balthazar clapped his hands together loudly. “Now that we’ve got that cleared up I think we’re going to need to move some furniture around. The space is abysmal, but I supposed humans are rather small. We’ll make it work.”

The youngest angel fluttered at this, excitement in his eyes. “We should bring the big futon over! If we get rid of the couch it will just fit, I think.”

Cas groaned. He hoped his landlord wouldn’t notice some half dozen angels illegally living in his tiny apartment.