A/N: This is my first fanfiction. And I mean first ever! I've had an idea for a novel for years and suddenly it just clicked with Destiel and so I've formed this around it. It's a semi-AU where Sam is never thrown in Hell, first little section explains, but otherwise is set in the SPN universe. If you see glaring spelling/grammar please feel free to tell me about it, haven't had it beta'd, just wrote and posted!

Enjoy!

Castiel had been hunting with the Winchesters for a while now. He had disobeyed his orders and helped them in ending the Apocalypse instead of encouraging it with Zachariah and his assembly. The ancient spell they had discovered to control the archangels was instrumental in bringing Lucifer down without needing to fulfill the prophecy everyone had gone on and on about. Winchesters made their own rules, their own destiny, and no one could tell them otherwise.

With nothing to return to in Heaven he instead chose to stay with the humans. They had shown him the love and consideration he needed. They understood how betrayed he felt by his brothers and sister. Even more than that he found sympathy from Dean, a self-declared expert in absent fathers.

Over the months they had built up a good system. They hunted per usual, taking out demons, werewolves, and wendigos alike. Sam and Dean drove the Impala, Cas followed, spending the travel time exploring the world, indulging his curiosity. The last month or so he hadn't left again, had ridden in the car. Supposedly it was due to his interest in having them explain human nuances, but they suspected it was his waning angel mojo. He was nowhere near weak, could take out a vampire with the snap of his fingers, but occasionally would nap after a particularly involved hunt. Being the Winchesters they were no one asked him to divulge if anything deeper was happening, and he didn't seem concerned about it.

They hunted, they laughed, they stayed up playing cards and drinking whiskey. They gave Castiel the taste of humanity he craved, and day-by-day he opened up from the reserved quiet angelic solider he had been.

April

The brothers began the job of cleaning up from the hunt, wiping down their prints and making sure that they didn't leave anything behind. With nothing to do Castiel began to examine the small house. He wandered down the hall, glancing into the cramped and dirty bathroom, momentarily inspecting a cluttered office full of papers and books. The last room was closed; they hadn't bothered to check it earlier while searching having found the okami in the living room. He opened the door and took in the walls covered with posters, pieces of paper, and pictures. Pictures hung from the ceiling in garlands, showing muted natural scenes.

Curious, Cas pulled down one paper off the wall, it was written in Japanese, the calligraphy showing detailed brushwork. Below the writing was a small drawing of a leafless tree. As he looked closer he saw that ever paper and poster on the wall had similar bits of writing. Some were handwritten, others brushed with ink.

He moved to read another when one of the hanging pictures hit against his temple. He stepped back and examined the moment captured in it. A cool forest, pine trees rising high into the air. He could sense the stillness that had been as the photographer took the picture.

The feeling coming over him was one he didn't recognize. Being on earth brought out emotion in him and emotion was still baffling. The minute he understood one he'd feel another, then begin the process of examining the how and why of it all.

"Cas! Come on, it's time to get out of here!" Dean bellowed from the other end of the house, marching down the hall in search of the angel.

He stood in the doorway and huffed, seeing Castiel looking about in wonder at the pictures and writings in the room.

"Dude, it's dinner time, we gotta go, job's done."

Cas turned to look at him, blue eyes widened.

"What is all of this? I'm not sure why they've written what they have. It's an odd way of communicating." He studied a different piece of paper, touching the writing.

"Like I'd know, I can't read hieroglyphics or whatever. Come on I'm starving!" Dean prodded as Sam sauntered down the hall to find out what the hold up was.

"O wow, you didn't tell me this was here," Sam pushed his brother out of the way, joining Castiel in examining the works.

"God are either of you two normal? Cas I get, but Sam too?"

"Like you've never seen art before Dean? Just give us a minute. I had no idea monsters like her could understand or appreciate art, let alone display it," Dean had clearly lost him to his inner geek.

"This is art? I've never seen words used like this, it doesn't make any sense," Cas scrunched up his face at the paper he still held in his hand.

"What's so weird about it, can you read it to us?"

With his knowledge of all languages he translated for Sam...Dean just rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorframe.

"Dew Evaporates
And all our world is dew...so dear,
So fresh, so fleeting"

"OOh I get it now, these are haiku's!" Sam explained to Castiel. The blank stare he received back showed the angel's lack of understanding.

"Is that...another cultural reference Sam?" Cas whispered, not wanting to seem ignorant in front of Dean yet again.

"No, it's a kind of poetry," the blank stare continued, "It's Japanese and you write the poem with seventeen syllables in three lines of five, seven, five. It's usually about nature...Cas you're not getting this are you?"

Castiel turned to Dean, hoping he could offer some explanation to this new phenomenon.

"You know...it's almost like you paint an image with words...usually lots of metaphors and stuff. Chicks dig it." The bitchface Sam shot his direction told him he hadn't explained it well. Like I know anything about this Sammy, why don't you educate the angel if you're so smart.

"So you're saying…it's an art form similar to story telling? Using words to create something pleasing?" Cas was clearly intrigued.

"Yea exactly! I think you'd like it Cas, bet you've seen plenty of amazing things you could share with us through poems…or something," Sam encouraged. He knew Castiel needed an outlet to experience human life. Poetry and photography seemed as good of an outlet as any others, certainly better than anything Dean could suggest. Drinking and fucking women wasn't exactly the most eloquent way to be human.

"Alright well if you two girls are done I'd like to get some food, growing boys gotta eat!" Dean stormed off down the hall, trying to drag them away.

Sam sighed, giving Cas a look of exasperation over Dean's insensitivity, then followed his brother calling after him about how he would only grow wide not tall now. Cas could hear Dean's roaring reply, lighthearted sibling fighting ensuing.

He looked around the room once more, the strange art intriguing him. Pulling out the pins holding them to the wall he collected a few more of the haiku's he liked and grabbed down one or two pictures. He convinced himself that it was purely out of needing to study them and know more about humanity…but deep down he knew it was his selfish desire to have something beautiful to look at.

He folded the small bundle up, stuffing it into a coat pocket as he hurried to catch up to the brothers. Dean had Sam in a headlock by the front door spouting off something along the lines of 'who's bigger now bitch.'

"Dude no, no way in hell is that girly British Direction crap better than Led Zeppelin or any other classic rock, not even a little!"

"Dean! They have amazing voices, just accept it!"

The argument had gotten old hours ago for Castiel. It was lighthearted, yes, but he didn't see the point or need. He sat in the diner next to Dean sipping on water so the other patrons wouldn't be suspicious. The waitress came back around, this was the third time she had offered to fill his water without there being sufficient room to add more. Cas was beginning to wonder if she was planning something. Her smile seemed genuine enough, but no one paid an angel that much attention without something sinister in mind.

With half a mind to tell Dean he leaned to his left, nudging his elbow. The move jostled Dean's arm, the ketchup he was pouring squirting out all over the table and onto Sam's shirt, comical sound effect included.

They all froze, Sam and Dean slowly turned to regard Cas who shrunk down into his coat.

"I apologize"

Dean began chuckling, always enjoying a good moment to see his brother squirm a little. It's why he always won the prank wars.

"It's no big deal Cas, I'll just go…clean up real quick. O ha ha Dean, keep laughing," Sam rose, stalking off to the bathroom, more annoyed at Dean's laughter than the red stain down his shirt.

Dean kept laughing under his breath, looking sideways over at Cas who had turned a deep shade of red.

"I think I hurt Sam's feelings. I should go apologize in a better way,"

"No no he's just bitching about me laughing. Heh…sorry man it just feels good to see your little brother like that. I mean, if someone dropped a bowl of mashed potatoes on Gabriel's head you know you'd laugh."

"Why would it be funny for potatoes to be on his head?" Castiel was thinking about this seriously, wondering why a smashed tuber was humorous.

"You know, nevermind. Don't feel bad, Sam's a good sport, just drink your water. Maybe she'll finally give you her number this time," he nodded towards the waitress who was coming back over, fidgeting with her hair

She paused for a moment, sizing Castiel up while he made a point to stare at his hands to avoid eye contact.

"Can I get you guys anything else?"

"You know maybe you can help us out. We're just blowing through for the night and only managed to get a hotel with two beds. Looks like my friend here," he clapped Cas's shoulder, "is going to have to couch it again. Know of anywhere else to get a room?"

Cas turned a deeper shade of red, "Dean…" he warned.

"Oh…yea of course! I actually have a guest room at my place…if you just need a place for one night it'd be no trouble!" She grinned, her red lipstick making her look just slightly sick.

Castiel hesitantly look up, eyes flitting from her face to the table, wishing as hard as he could that he could just fly out of here. Then a sudden thought came to his mind, a joke that Sam had made some months ago, seemed like the appropriate social circumstance.

"Thank you. I am sure that your guest room is very nice and…comfortable. But I will do just fine in the double bed. There's enough room for us if we…spoon?" He set his hand on Dean's thigh.

Her smile disappeared as fast as Dean's. Muttering something about hearing an order come up she scurried off towards the back of the diner.

Removing his hand Cas began to think that this was actually no the appropriate time for the joke after all. Dean was no laughing.

In face he had turned a deep red color and gone still, looking at Castiel like he had just grown another head. Cas waited for the yelling to come next, the assertion of control and dominance that Dean always gave when something didn't go the way he'd wanted it. Instead he just turned his head and put an extreme amount of concentration into his burger.

Sam arrived back at the table to an awkward silence, Dean not looking at either him or the angel and Castiel's pinched lips and furrowed brow showing his anxiety. He looked back and forth between them confused, then noticed the waitress from earlier give the back of Castiel's head a deep glare from the other side of the room.

"Dean what did you do?"

"What?! Oh no, this is not on me. Ask little fairy boy over here. Probably scared off every girl in this town now." Dean grumbled into his fries. Cas lowered his head, looking more uncomfortable by the second.

"Um, Cas what happened?"

"I only used the joke you did previously. About spooning…together in bed," Cas barely whispered, not wanting any more attention on him.

Sam's eyebrows rose, giving a huge laugh at what must have happened. Leave it to the angel to make a social misstep.

"Well that one's on Dean actually. He was the one who seemed pretty happy…"

"Dude! So not cool. It was once, and I was asleep! THIS one thought it would be ok to get in bed with another grown man."

"It was cold Dean. What was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, take yourself to Florida or something? Just…not cool." Dean scowled at both of them. That morning was one of the more humiliating moments of his life. Being woken up by Sam's concerned face with Castiel spooned up against him under the sheets, having no idea how the angel'd gotten there. He wasn't even the big spoon, which made it ten times worse.

"I apologized Dean, an apology you accepted. Try not to seem too disgusted at the idea. You certainly snuggled happy enough at the time, consciously or not." Cas growled right back at him, cheeks flushed red with indignation.

"Yea whatever, just stop bringing it up." Dean went back to finishing off his burger, Sam launching into a history discussion with Cas, trying to alleviate the awkward atmosphere.

Thing is that had been the best night of sleep Dean had had in a long time. Probably since getting out of Hell. And as much as he hated to admit it, the warm and safe feeling he briefly had in the moments when he woke up before realizing what was happening…well that feeling was something he craved.