This fic was a request by my best friend. She said she wanted to read a story about friendship between Dean and Cas, and this is what I came up with. No slash intended in this fic! Sorry, slash-lovers.

Takes place somewhere in season 5.

Dean was sitting in a random bar somewhere in Ohio. He glanced around and saw the typical people: young attractive women, young guys with drinks on their tables, people talking and hanging out together. He sighed and took a sip from his beer.

It didn't take long after his phone call before he felt someone sit down in the bar stool next to him; looking at him intently. "Hello Dean," said the other man. Dean turned to look at Castiel. He was as calm as usual, and had sat down gracefully without messing up his trench coat on the stool.

"Hi Cas," Dean said, giving him a weak smile. "Angel airways are as fast as ever I see."

"Why did you call me, Dean? Is something wrong?" Cas asked; ignoring Dean's comment about the angel airways.

"Nope, nothing is wrong," Dean said and waved at the bartender to give Cas a beer. The bartender came over and put a beer in front of Cas. Cas just frowned at it, not sure what to do.

"Just drink it, Cas. It's not poisonous," Dean smiled. Castiel took a small sip from it and made a face. The taste was weird. He looked up at Dean again, still frowning.

"Why did you call me if nothing is wrong?" asked Cas, tilting his head slightly.

Dean sighed and looked at his beer. "I dunno. I guess I just wanted some kind of company. Sam went bitchy on me earlier; I guess I said something I shouldn't have. Tends to happen a lot lately…" Cas observed Dean with his head tilted to the side. Dean sighed before he went on. "So, I called you I guess. Not like I have many others to call." He looked at Cas. "Unless you were busy—"

"I wasn't," Cas said, interrupting Dean. "I… don't have any others to be with either," he admitted, and looked down at the bar desk in front of him. Dean smirked.

"I guess we're just the two lonely outcasts, huh," he joked. Cas didn't really respond to that, he kept looking at the desk. "C'mon, Cas, don't be so boring. Now that you're here, you might as well just enjoy yourself a bit."

Castiel looked up at Dean and frowned. "If you're going to 'hook me up' like in the den of iniquity, Dean, I don't—"

"Cas!" Dean interrupted. Cas looked at him. "It's nothing like that. It's just you and me, okay?" He sounded sincere when he said it, and Cas' eyes narrowed for a bit, but then they became softer.

"Okay," he simply said, turning his gaze back to the desk.

Dean turned back to his beer, but then he frowned at looked at Cas again. "Dude, where did you learn the words 'hook up' from anyway?"

Castiel made a tiny smirk. "From you. You say it a lot, Dean."

"Oh," Dean said. He looked at the angel for a moment. "I'm rubbing off on an angel of the Lord… Christ, help us all," he deadpanned and drank from his beer.

Castiel gave a weak smile at that. "It can't be helped, Dean. I'm… not what I used to be anymore." There was something like sorrow in his voice, and it made Dean turn a worried look to his friend.

"Like, you're becoming more human, is that what you mean?" Dean asked. Castiel hesitated and nodded slightly. Dean looked at his friend for a moment and felt kinda sorry for the guy. It was his fault Castiel had become like this in the first place. After a moment he cleared his throat. "What kind of changes have you, uh, experienced? I mean, what has changed in you since you started becoming more human?"

Castiel looked at his friend and considered the question for a bit. "I…" he trailed off, shifting in his seat. "I'm… not sure. I've become weaker since I was cut off from heaven's powers. And I think… I've started to be able to feel emotions more than before." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and Dean did not take his eyes off from him. "They can be rather… confusing sometimes."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Dean said.

Cas looked at Dean and frowned. "I just did." Dean stared at him for a moment.

"I know Cas. It's a figure of speech."

"Oh," Cas simply said; looking a bit embarrassed. Dean smirked and slapped a hand on Cas' back in a friendly gesture.

"Never mind, you'll learn about that sooner or later." He let his hand linger on Cas' back for a few moments before pulling it back to himself. Castiel tilted his head.

"Wasn't that a violation of the personal space you always ask me to respect?" he asked in wonder.

"So what, I'm allowed to violate it," Dean shrugged.

Castiel frowned. "But then why—"

"Cas," Dean interrupted, making Cas shut up. "Don't take everything so seriously. I can violate your personal space 'cause I know where the border between appropriate and inappropriate is, and you don't." Cas looked at Dean, and he clearly didn't understand what Dean meant. Dean grinned. "Dude, just drink, okay?"

Castiel turned his attention back to his beer. It still tasted funny to him. "I don't understand why people drink this kind of stuff. It's… weird."

Dean laughed. "It gets better each time, trust me." But Cas didn't quite believe him. "Hey, Cas," Dean asked after a while. Cas looked up.

"Yes Dean?"

"Do you, you know… miss heaven?" Dean asked. "Miss being an obedient little angel dick who had no free will and no saying on the matter?"

Castiel seemed to think about his answer. "I… I do miss heaven," he admitted. "And my brothers. And I feel kind of… lost… without being given orders." He started playing with the beer bottle in his hands. Dean interpreted that as if the angel was uncomfortable about talking about it. "But I do not regret my decision about betraying Zachariah's orders, Dean." He turned to look at Dean again. They looked into each others eyes for a few moments before Dean shifted.

"That's good," Dean said. "That's what counts."

Dean got up from his seat, and Cas rose from his as well. Dean smiled and pulled an arm around Castiel's shoulder in a friendly gesture as they walked out of the bar. "Welcome to Team Free Will," Dean grinned. Castiel smiled and followed Dean out of the bar and into the outside world once more.

- fini -