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Castiel stood stock still, hands tucked neatly behind his back as he stared out of the front glass panel of his ship. In front of him, the stars stretched out endlessly, sparkling gently in the sea of black. Space, in all its glory, was there to explore.
At age twenty-six, Castiel was one of the youngest Captains to ever take his own ship. He had lived for space exploration since he was old enough to know what space was, dreaming of one day becoming a Captain or even a Commander for the JDM- Earth’s only space travel agency. The second he was old enough, he left his crappy family behind without a second thought, jumped onto a ship and worked his way through the ranks. Just last year he had finally been able to buy his own ship, Heaven. Friends he had made over his years of travel had become his crew, following him loyally through the stars.
All of which seemed nice enough at first, but the truth was not so pretty. Due to the fact that Castiel was still not technically old enough to command a shop- according to the JDM’s rules, a Captain had to be at least 30 before piloting a ship, much less becoming a Captain- the JDM refused to hire him, and Heaven quickly resorted to piracy. It was better this way, Castiel thought. Those who flew for JDM took orders and did little else. He was free to go anywhere, do anything, take orders from no one. Screw the JDM.
Castiel turned away from the glass, the tan trench coat that his crew loved to make fun of swirling behind him. Walking towards the right side of the large control room, he looked over Anna’s shoulder at the map that marked their course.
“We’re right on course, Captain. We should reach the fueling station at Zion by dawn tomorrow,” Anna looked up at him, having to speak up to be heard over the talking from the rest of the crew.
Castiel simply nodded before turning away again. As much as he loved his ship, his Heaven, he knew the rest of the crew was getting antsy. Zion was the largest non-JDM port on this side of the quadrant, and a nest for gambling, drinking, and sex. His crew was anxious to get there and spend a few days with someone other than their shipmates.
Castiel turned to look at the rest of his crew. Balthazar, his first mate, and Naomi were working the controls, watching their course and making sure nothing came near the ship without their knowledge. The gunmen, Lucifer and Michael, were sitting nearby talking and playing poker with Gabriel and Raphael, who took turns cleaning and cooking for the crew. Why they always chose to play cards in the control room, Castiel still wasn’t sure, because there were plenty of other places to play aboard the ship.
There were a few other members of the crew, as well, but the Captain surmised that they must all be sleeping or just flat didn’t want to be near the rest of the crew anymore. Castiel couldn’t blame them.
“Castiel,” Balthazar called to him suddenly, and the blue eyed man quickly strode across the room to his first mate’s side. “There’s a ship due West. It looks like a delivery or cargo vessel, definitely JDM.”
“Please tell me we’re going to take it,” Naomi said, leaning back in her chair, hands folded neatly in her lap. “The last few ships we’ve taken have been utter shit.”
Castiel nodded slowly, “Yes, we will take it. Maybe we can find something worth selling before we get to Zion.”
The crew cheered all at once, the thought of fighting and treasure erasing the urgency to get to their destination. Naomi changed course instantly, heading to the new ship. Lucifer and Michael both abandoned their card games, hurrying off to the artillery guns on either side of the ship. A moment later, they both called in on the intercom, declaring the guns were prepared for battle.
The dark haired Captain waited until the other ship came in sight in the window before him before picking up the radio’s microphone. The other ship- clearly marked for the JDM- was revving up, trying to get away, but the small delivery ship was no match for Heaven’s engines. Castiel raised the microphone to his lips.
“This is the Captain of Heaven. JDM Delivery Vessel Number 8-5-12-12, I am commanding you to relinquish command of your ship immediately. You will give your ship and all its possessions over to us. Comply, and we will not harm you. Resist, and we will destroy you,” Castiel released the talk button as he finished, watching the ship in front of them.
After a few long moments, an accented, gravelly voice radioed back. “This is Captain Crowley, Heaven. You are free to board our ship, but we are carrying no cargo as of yet.”
“Turn off your engines and open the hatch so we can board. I want everyone on the ship in the entry, hands on the tops of your heads. Try anything stupid, and you will die,” Castiel commanded evenly. He waited for the agreement he quickly got, and nodded to Naomi. The woman began to steer the ship closer, until they were in position to board.
Less than ten minutes later, Castiel was leading his crew onto the smaller ship, Balthazar grumbling the whole way about not even getting a decent fight. As Castiel stepped into the entry, he was greeted by the sight of the small, mismatched crew, lined up against the opposite wall with their hands on their heads obediently.
The rest of Castiel’s crew came into the entry as he was sizing up the JDM’s crew. The Captain was a slightly balding middle aged man wearing an expensive suit. His first mate was a black haired woman with a dirty smile she flashed towards Castiel. Two of the other members of the crew were unremarkable, average height and coloring and completely boring, the usual space trooper wannabes. The fifth member of the crew was different though. He was a very young Asian man, nearly a boy, a bit on the small side.
All that aside though, the boy was shaking. Sweating, rubbing his hands together and refusing to look away from the grimy floor. Castiel narrowed his brow in thought.
“Hello, crew. I am Crowley, the Captain of the lovely ship you’ve just overtaken-“ Crowley started what had to be a rehearsed speech.
“Captain of a bucket of shit, more like,” Lucifer commented, looking around the small entry in disgust.
“Yes well. We have to deal with what the JDM provides. And you are?” Crowley gave a huge fake smile, never looking away from Castiel.
“I am Castiel, Captain of Heaven,” Castiel introduced himself- he had to build a fearsome reputation somehow- before turning to his crew. “Search the ship; see if there’s anything worth taking. And put each of the crew into separate rooms, I wish to speak with them privately.”
It was a common tactic, Castiel knew, but a useful one. Many a time a crew member would give up the location of valuables when questioned alone, rather than in front of his crewmates. With the way the Asian boy was acting, the Captain figured he’d probably give up whatever they were trying to protect fairly quickly.
He was pleased at his decision when Crowley immediately paled ever so slightly, and a couple members of the crew glanced nervously towards the younger boy. Before any of them could protest, the rest of Castiel’s crew was ushering them away, locking them in the rooms of their own ship.
Knowing that his crew would guard the hostages, Castiel took a few minutes too look around the ship before beginning his interrogation. He found nothing but dirt and grim, and hoped that one of the crewmates would give up something valuable, lest this whole mission be in vain. After careful consideration, Castiel decided to start his question with the other Captain and work his way back to the youngest member of the crew.
Unfortunately, neither Crowley nor the other three members of his crew would give up anything but insults and an invitation of sex from the woman, who introduced herself as ‘Meg.’ Not even Lucifer and Michael, who were rather skilled at interrogation, could make any of them talk.
By the time Castiel was outside the room of the youngest crew member, he was somewhat worried that all he had accomplished was giving the man time to calm down. Even so, he was hoping to get something out of the young man. He stopped by the door, telling Lucifer and Michael to stay outside unless called, and then he pushed his way into the room.
“Oh God, please don’t kill me!” A small shaky voice cried out the second Castiel stepped into the room. Castiel looked around the room, finally spying the boy in a corner, sitting curled on the floor in fear.
He barely resisted the urge to smile. At least the kid hadn’t calmed down so much that he wouldn’t talk. Sitting down at the small table in the room, he looked at the black haired boy. “Come and sit. I’m not going to hurt you, I just wish to speak.”
The Asian man slowly stood, moving to sit across from the Captain. He stared at the older man with wide eyes, obviously scared out of his mind, which confused Castiel somewhat. Sure, being overtaken by space-pirates was a little frightening, but Castiel had been nothing but polite. Surely there was no reason to be this scared?
“My name is Castiel,” he said softly, even thought he had introduced himself before. Something told him the younger boy hadn’t heard it. “What is your name?”
“K-Keven,” the boy stuttered softly. He rubbed his knees nervously, barely looking up at Castiel. “Kevin Tran.”
“Hello, Kevin. Why are you so nervous? I promise you, unless you give me a reason, no harm will come to you.” Castiel tried to make his voice reassuring.
Kevin gave a jerky nod, wanting to get this over with. “Okay. What-what do want?”
Castiel shifted his weight in his chair, “Is there anything valuable on this ship?”
Kevin quickly shook his head no. “No. There’s nothing, unless one of the crew members had something personal.”
He didn’t stutter at all, so Castiel figured the boy was probably telling the truth. He continued his questioning. “Where was the ship headed? And what were you going to deliver?”
Kevin froze, shaking his head violently. “I- I can’t te-tell you that.”
“Kevin, I need to know where the ship was heading,” Castiel’s voice was harder now, despite the patience he was trying to show. He had been on this ship too damn long already, and he was confused. The younger man was obviously scared to death, why would he be refusing to talk now?
Kevin was still shaking his head no, though, and he was casting glances towards the door of the room now, fear etched across his face. Suddenly Castiel wondered if it was actually him Kevin was afraid of. He had heard about many a Captain who mistreated his crew.
He chose his next question carefully. “How do you like working for Crowley?”
The Captain immediately knew he had hit a nerve. Kevin gasped slightly, and his shaking became so bad that Castiel was half afraid that he’d fall out of his chair. It took him a few minutes before he could even answer the question. “C-C-Crowley’s g-great. P-per-perfect.”
Castiel frowned in concern for the smaller boy. “Has Crowley threatened you, Kevin?”
The boy squeaked slightly, looking away in fear. He shook his head again.
The Captain gave a sigh. “Kevin, if Crowley has been mistreating you, I can help. You don’t have to stay with him if you don’t want. But I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.”
“I-no,” Kevin stammered, his brown eyes looking at the other man in obvious distrust. “I can’t.”
Castiel was quiet for a long moment, thinking about how to best help the boy. When he finally spoke, he kept his voice quiet. “I know you have no reason to trust me. But most pirates would have already killed the entire crew and taken the ship by force. It’s easier that way, less hassle and less chance of being caught. But I haven’t killed anyone, and I have no intentions too. I don’t like hurting people, Kevin.”
He paused, quickly deciding that the young man didn’t really need to know the specifics of the interrogation techniques Lucifer and Michael used on the rest of the crew. “I will not force you to come with us. I won’t force you to do anything. But if you choose, if you want to get away from Crowley once and for all, then you are welcome to come with us. We are headed to Zion, I can take you there and help you arrange passage to Earth if you wish. I will not leave you here if you are being mistreated.”
Kevin was quiet for a long time, trying to decide if he could trust the Captain. Castiel was nearly ready to give up when Kevin finally spoke. “Crowley… he won’t let me go. He’ll search for me, and…”
Castiel nodded slowly. “I’m sure we can come up with a way to keep you safe from him. But I need to know, Kevin, what is he doing to you? Why are you here?”
It was another long moment before Kevin finally spoke again, voice shaking as he put his trust in Castiel. “He ships for the JDM, but it’s just a cover. Crowley… he’s a slaver. He ships slaves all over, takes them to… awful places.”
Kevin paused, and Castiel couldn’t help but interrupt. Suddenly his dislike of the other Captain turned into a burning rage. How any self-respecting Captain be involved in slave trade…“The JDM tracks all their ships. How are they letting him get away with this?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Kevin answered quietly, looking down. “I’m good with computers, really good. I was planning to work for the JDM, program their computers all around the galaxy when I was old enough. Then Crowley found me, and he took me away. He- he killed my family. He makes me hack the GPS on the computer, so it shows we’re going where the JDM want us, and hides where we really are.”
“And if you refuse?” Castiel asked quietly, his heart aching for the younger man.
“He hurts me. Threatened to chop off my fingers, and all kinds of things,” Kevin’s voice was trembling. He wiped at his eyes with the back of one hand.
Castiel took a deep breath, amazed at how much this man had been through already at such a young age. “How old are you, Kevin?”
“I’m twenty,” Kevin answered softly, looking up to meet Castiel’s blue eyes.
Castiel shook his head in disbelief. Kevin was a man, but he wasn’t old enough to even be on a ship, much less to be forced onto one, and tortured the way he was after losing his family. “Well. You are more than welcome to come with us. No one on my crew will treat you badly, I swear it. Well, Gabriel may try to prank you, but he means no harm.”
Kevin gave a slow nod, and Castiel stood, reaching out his hand to help Kevin up. He was feeling the need to get off of the JDM ship as quickly as possible. Kevin took his hand, a small, hopeful smile slipping over his face. Castiel smiled back. “Let’s go get you settled into our ship, okay?”
The rest of Heaven’s crew welcomed Kevin with open arms, helping him settle into the ship as though he had been a part of the crew forever. Lucifer and Michael had a few last minute words with Crowley, but as soon as they stepped back aboard, Heaven was flying away, leaving Crowley and his crew far behind. Kevin spent the rest of the day in a daze, talking to the crew who were more than happy to entertain him, and exploring the much larger ship.
By the time the ship docked at Zion the next day, Castiel had to admit, at least to himself, that he didn’t particularly want Kevin to leave. The young boy was still super shy and nervous, unwilling to trust anyone too far, but he fit in with the rest of the crew easily. In less than a day, the entire crew had developed a protective streak over the young man. And if Castiel had noticed how cute the younger boy was when he wasn’t crying and cowering in fear, well that had nothing to do with the fact that he wanted Kevin to stay.
Naomi turned the ship off once Heaven was safely docked. Turning away from the controls, she yelled to the rest of the crew, who had gathered in the control room. “Zion at last!”
The crew cheered, all of them more than ready to go spend their money and their weekend drinking and gambling to their hearts content. They all stayed put though, waiting for any last minute instructions from their Captain.
Castiel smiled at them fondly. “Be back here by Monday morning, or I will leave you. And don’t get arrested, because I’m not bailing anyone out. Other than that, go have fun.”
Another, louder, cheer, and the crew were practically running off the ship, anxious to enjoy their weekend. In seconds, only Castiel and Kevin were left. They both retreated to the living area of the ship. Castiel took a seat on one of the long couches in the room, smiling slightly when Kevin sat down with him.
The blue eyed Captain cleared his throat. As much as he didn’t want Kevin to leave, he knew he had to help the other boy get home if that was his wish. “Do you want me to help you find a ship back to Earth? It shouldn’t be too hard to find someone around here willing to take you.”
“I guess,” Kevin said slowly. “I mean… there’s not really anything for me there, not anymore, but there’s nothing for me anywhere else, either. I’m not old enough to get a job on a ship or anything.”
“And? I’m not old enough to be a Captain,” Castiel smiled at the younger man. “Pretty much every pirate started as a pirate because he was too young for the JDM.”
Kevin shrugged slightly. “I don’t know if I’d make a good pirate.”
“Well. If you want, you’re more than welcome to join Heaven’s crew. We could use someone that can actually work a computer, and you wouldn’t have to do any actual fighting,” Castiel offered, trying to keep himself from sounding too hopeful.
“Seriously? You’d let me stay? I mean… would your crew and everything be okay with that?” Kevin stared at him, eyes wide.
“Sure. Everyone on the crew likes you,” Castiel smiled. “And you wouldn’t have to worry about Crowley either. The crew’s loyal, to me and each other. We’re like brothers, and they’re already protective of you. If you join up, we’ll protect you.”
Kevin thought about it for a long moment, even though he already knew there was only one answer he could give. “Okay. Yeah, okay. I’ll stay.”
Castiel couldn’t hold back his smile.
**Two Months Later**
Castiel leaned against the doorway to the living area of Heaven, watching his crew with a small smile. It was one of the rare days where everyone but Naomi gathered in the spacious room, talking and hanging out instead of trying to avoid each other. Naomi would probably be there too, but someone still had to steer the ship.
Castiel looked at his crew proudly. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe that all of these amazing people had chosen to follow him. They were the closest to family that he’s ever had.
A loud laugh brought Castiel’s attention, once again, to Kevin. Kevin had been accepted by the crew instantly, becoming a part of their family in just weeks. All of them had done their best to make Kevin feel accepted and at home.
The willingness to bring him into the family might have a small something to do with Castiel’s crush on the younger boy, although Balthazar had reassured him that they would have welcomed Kevin either way. It was painfully obvious that the entire crew- baring Kevin- were more than aware of their Captain’s feelings, and more than willing to try and match make, no matter how much they embarrassed Castiel in the process. Which, it turned out, was quite a lot.
Castiel shook off his thoughts, instead going back to watching the object of his affections. Kevin was leaning back on the long couch, laughing at one of Lucifer’s dumb stories- the one about the striper and the tadpole from what Castiel could hear. Gabriel was next to them, helpfully interjecting to ‘correct’ his story.
As Lucifer finished his story, Raphael came up to the three with the intent of starting a poker match. Lucifer and Gabriel quickly agreed, but Kevin declined telling them he was just heading to bed. They groaned, but everyone told Kevin good night, and by the time the boy had stood and was moving towards the door, everyone had turned their attention towards either the poker game or the TV.
The Captain remained in the doorway, watching as Kevin headed towards him. A smile came over the younger man’s face as he saw Castiel standing there. “Hey, Captain.”
“Kevin,” Castiel nodded his greeting. “Heading to bed?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Kevin smiled. “What about you? Gonna join the poker game?”
Kevin’s smile filled his face, and Castiel had to use everything in his power to keep himself from kissing the younger boy right there. He cleared his throat. “No. I’ll probably just head to bed as well.”
Kevin nodded, moving to step past Castiel and into the hallway. He glanced back at him. “Walk with me, Captain?”
“You can just call me Castiel,” the blue eyed man said softly, falling into step beside Kevin.
“Okay, Castiel,” Kevin smiled up at him.
They walked in silence for a bit, until one side of the hallway turned into a floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the stars and galaxies that they were flying past.
“It’s so beautiful,” Kevin said softly. He stared out the window, awe on his face. “When I was with Crowley, I never really got to look out at all. I still can’t get over how beautiful it all is.”
Castiel glanced at the smaller man, raising a hand to pat his shoulder gently. He didn’t say anything, sensing that Kevin had more to say.
Kevin turned away from the window, looking up at him instead. “You know, I can never thank you enough, Castiel. For taking me away from there, and for giving me a home, a family. You have helped me so much, and you didn’t have to. You didn’t know me from Jack, but you still helped me, and I just… Just, thank you.”
Castiel blushed slightly at the thanks, but shook his head. “No, Kevin, you don’t need to thank me. I’m glad I found you, and I love having you on my crew.”
Kevin shifted his weight, looking a little nervous. “There’s something else, too. Something I need to tell you.”
Castiel nodded slowly, waiting for the younger man to continue.
Kevin hesitated for a moment. “I love it here, everyone’s wonderful and everyone treats me well. This is the first place that’s felt like home in a long time. But ever since I joined the crew, I’ve got these… feelings, and they’ve just gotten stronger, and I’m scared that I’m gonna screw it all up.”
“What feelings?” Castiel asked after a pause, seeing that Kevin wasn’t going to continue without being prompted.
“Um,” Kevin shifted, nervous. He hesitated again, unsure of how to say what he wanted. “Oh fuck it. Gabriel did say to just go for it.”
Castiel narrowed his eyes in confusion, but before he could say a word, Kevin was moving forward quickly, pressing his lips to Castiel’s. The Captain froze in shock, unable to move at all until he felt Kevin start to pull away.
Jerking his hands up, Castiel grabbed Kevin’s hand in his hands, pressing their lips back together urgently. He felt Kevin grabbing at his coat as they kissed, tasting each other for the first time. Before Castiel knew what was happening, his tongue was in Kevin’s mouth and he had the shorter man pushed up against the window.
A loud wolf whistle finally made them break apart. Castiel jumped back, turning to see Balthazar in the hall, a smirk on his face. “Might I suggest that the two of you take this somewhere that innocent people don’t stumble upon you?”
Before either could answer, Balthazar was walking past, headed down the opposite hallway easily. Pausing, he turned back before he got to far away. “I am very happy that the two of you finally decided to confess your feelings for one another. You just won me fifty bucks.”
Like that, Balthazar was gone. Castiel looked back to Kevin, who was still leaning back against the window. Kevin looked back at him for a second before a large, goofy grin spread over the younger man’s face. He pushed away from the window and smirked up at Castiel. “He’s got a point. And your beds bigger.”
Without another words, Kevin was headed down the hall that led to the bedrooms, leaving Castiel standing in front of the window in shock. He looked out at the stars for a moment, a smile slowly creeping across his face. After a second, he shook his head, turned, and headed after Kevin with his trench coat swirling in his wake.