This story takes place in the beginning of Season 9. There are small spoilers from Season 8.
…
Castiel knew nothing.
As he sat on the bench and thought, he quickly amended the incorrect statement.
Cas still knew what he had known before. He had all of his memories and he still understood the knowledge of the world. He knew about humans and how they all lived.
But Castiel did not know how to be a human.
And that was exactly what he was.
Cas could still remember the moment he realized Metatron had betrayed him. It had stung, but not as bad as losing his grace had. Now, instead of watching the humans from above, he was one of them below.
Castiel couldn't understand how humans coped. At the moment, he felt. His head was hurting, his eyes were drooping, his stomach was protesting. He felt a million things at once and he didn't know what to do to make it all better. Human bodies apparently needed a lot of help to survive.
Speaking of humans, one was approaching him where he sat in the middle of the park. "Hey," the adult male asked Castiel. "You okay?"
Cas looked down at his torn and bloodstained clothes. "I could use some help," he admitted, finally looking up to where the man was sitting next to him.
"I'm Michael," the man said, and Castiel could not stop the shiver that ran through his body at the name.
"Castiel," he replied. "I'm an angel of the Lord, and I have fallen."
Michael shifted away from him, and Cas could not understand why. "Yeah, alright," Michael finally said, but he did not look like he'd accepted Castiel's words. "Well, I have somewhere to be, so here." He quickly pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled an address on it, handing it to Castiel. "That's where you'll find the hospital. Good luck, man."
Castiel watched Michael leave with confusion in his eyes. "What did I do?"
Being a human was harder than he'd expected.
That night, as Castiel sat up against a tree in a secluded area of the park, the angel radio was particularly loud.
"—astiel," Bartholomew was saying, "is trouble. We need to find him and kill him."
"No," responded Malachi. "That will only waste angelic resources. I say we let him die on his own. He's human now, is he not?"
Bartholomew sounded suspicious. "How can I be sure you are not working with him? Castiel used to be powerful, and we are on different sides in this upcoming war."
"I may be using somewhat unorthodox methods," Malachi stated angrily in Enochian, "but not even I would stoop that low."
"Fine. He will die as a human. It may take a few days, but I am sure starvation, dehydration, and lack of blood will end his life as well as torture him in his final hours."
"So no sending in angels or anyone else?" Malachi confirmed.
Bartholomew's answer was clipped. "Correct."
When sleep overtook Castiel, his hands were over his ears.
….
In the morning, Castiel set out. He was determined to prove his brothers wrong, and to do that, he had to act like all the other humans.
Seeing that people were giving him concerned stares, Castiel decided to begin with getting new clothes. Cas stepped into one such store and was surprised to find "Dressing rooms" at the back.
When humans got clothes, Castiel reasoned, it only made sense that they put them on and wore them out. Cas decided to do the same.
Picking out a fresh t-shirt and jeans, Castiel noticed a trench coat similar to his own hanging on a hanger. He grabbed that as well and stood in line for the dressing rooms.
…
Ten minutes later, when Castiel stepped out of the store, his clothes no longer elicited strange looks.
But now other human needs were calling. He was hungry, thirsty, and his head was hurting still.
As Castiel walked down the street, he noticed there were hungry people asking for spare change or food. When I was an angel, I could have helped them. It hurt Cas to walk right past them as if they didn't exist, so he picked up his pace and turned into the nearest alley.
The alley was deserted, save for trash bins. Knowing that humans sometimes discarded unwanted food, Castiel hurried to check them, but they must have just been emptied, for nothing was inside.
Cas did manage to find a half empty water bottle wedged between one of the bins and the building it was up against, and he quickly drained it.
Feeling slightly better but still ravenous, Castiel sank to the ground and sat, staring up at the blue sky. "Please, brothers, do not do this. Kill me if you must, but not in this way." There was no response, but Cas figured one of the angels had heard his call.
Castiel couldn't understand how everything had gone so wrong. Just hours ago, he'd been one of the luckier beings, with power and everything he needed. Now he was human and no angels were in heaven. "Oh, father," Cas called out in anguish. "Why do you no longer care?"
When there was no response once again, Cas put his face in his hands and sobbed.
He had no way of knowing that he was being watched.
…
Rosie had a quiet life, running her bakery and living above it. She was alone, except for a dog, but her dog was the only companion she needed.
Rosie was very grateful for her situation; the bakery and dog were her dreams for adulthood fulfilled. Feeling thankful, Rosie often helped others so they could get closer to their own dreams.
Usually, at the end of the day, Rosie would walk up and down her street passing out free baked goods leftover from the bakery. It was sad seeing how many homeless people there were, but their grateful faces lit up her day.
Rosie loved making a difference.
So one morning, when she was tidying up her small apartment and she looked out the window, Rosie knew she had to help the man below.
She didn't know who he was, but by his grimace, he was in pain. And when he looked through her trash bins and guzzled the grimy water bottle, Rosie figured he was homeless.
Normally, Rosie would let someone like that be and go back to cleaning, or baking, or whatever she was doing when she first saw them. She didn't mind people taking from her trash bins or sleeping in the alley as long as they weren't dangerous.
Rosie would just let them do their thing, and then offer them bread later that afternoon.
But there was something different about this man.
So from her window, Rosie watched as he looked up hopelessly and shouted at the sky, and then began crying.
Rosie promised herself right then and there that she would help whoever that man was.
No matter the cost.
…
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