A Broken Angel (Destiel AU)

A Chance Meeting

Castiel had never been a fast runner, he'd always relied on flying when it came down to a fast getaway. Now, with a broken wing and a hellhound chasing him, he was left on the cold, hard ground running as fast as his feet could carry him, which actually wasn't that far. His trenchcoat flew behind him and his shoes were muddy, things that he probably should've taken into consideration as he was stumbling his way through the woods.

The hellhound snarled, leaping from behind Castiel and clawing at his coat. He was suddenly parallel with the ground and he yelped, wings flailing out in a painful attempt to keep him upright. He heard a crunch come from his left wing as the broken bones shifted violently. His face hit the ground in a spray of dirt. He scrambled to get to his feet, slipping on the muddy soil and falling back down in a useless heap. He took a deep breath, accepting his death and ready to return to heaven in his original form.

He felt the beast lumber over to him, dark fur matted with what was most likely blood. Its glowing red eyes bore into his and it gnashed its pointed teeth near his face. Castiel fumbled for some type of weapon, desperate to get out of its cloud of rotten, copper breath. His wings fanned out helplessly, the usually powerful appendages limp on the ground. He stared the beast in the eyes, trying not to show fear as it drooled all over his body. If he was going to die, he was going to die facing down his foe.

Screeching tires shattered his resolve. He began to panic again, not sure who or what had just driven up. He couldn't let them see his wings, or the creature above him. The existence of demons and angels had been a secret for millennia, he wasn't going to be the one to betray his brothers and sisters. The shadow it cast blocked Castiel's view, but from what his ears picked up, whoever was in the car had gotten out. The demon above him snarled, still poised directly over the injured angel. If whoever it was killed the beast, it would fall on top of him, crushing his ribs into tiny pieces. Castiel sent a prayer up to his father, hoping it wouldn't be too painful.

"Hey asshole!" A gun cocked off to his right, where the gruff, male voice had come from. Castiel curled his wings in close, instinctively curling in on himself for the inevitable. Much to his surprise, the demon moved his large, clawed paws away from his head, instead opting to fight the other in the woods. Two gunshots rang out, echoing off the trees, followed by a guttural growl. The angel remained on the ground, staring up into the stars.

"Dude. You okay?" The man leaned into his line of sight. Castiel frowned, sitting up rather slowly.

"I am fine." He grunted, wings pressed tightly against his back in an effort to not draw this guy's attention. Unfortunately, the man noticed the small movement and his eyes widened in shock, then fear. He grit his teeth, a sound Castiel hated.

"The hell are you?" The man questioned him, taking a careful step back. Ignoring his question,Castiel looked at the hellhound, then let his eyes drift to the human. Yes, he was human, that much the angel could smell. That, and apple pie. The man had fair, freckled skin topped with short brown hair. He wore a tight black t-shirt covered with a denim button up, worn jeans, and muddy shoes. Well, Castiel guessed they hadn't been dirty before he'd gotten out of his car to help him. Why did he help him anyways? He hadn't looked scared while killing the demon, but it was clear he had never seen an angel before. Unless he was feigning surprise-.

"I asked what the hell you are!" The man interrupted the angel's inner mumbling. Castiel blinked twice, staring into his dazzling green eyes. He swore he could stare into those orbs for the rest of his life. Wait, what was he saying? He didn't even know who this guy was, let alone if he was a threat or not. Castiel cleared his throat, steeling his face and dropping his voice into an even lower pitch than normal to sound threatening."I am an angel of the Lord, if that is what you're asking." Castiel kept his straight face, but the waterfall of words continued to spill out without thinking. "My name is Castiel and I am a hunter. Why did you kill the demon?"

It was the man's turn to look dazed at all the information being thrown his way. Opening his mouth, his eyes searched Castiel's face that was void of emotion. He had nothing to show this human, there was no reason to speak to him anyways. Aside from the unnatural pull he had towards the man, Castiel felt indifferent. He had almost forgotten about his wing until he shuffled a bit and pain laced up his side. He puffed out a breath in shock, standing stick straight.

"Are you hurt?" The man finally spoke, tone wary. Castiel averted his eyes, clenching his jaw as he shook his head. The man looked at him doubtfully. "My name's Dean Winchester."

Castiel looked at the man, Dean, in surprise. He didn't expect to get to know him. He felt a sudden itching in the base of his wings, jolting him out of his reprieve quickly.

"Do you have a phone I may borrow?"