(AN wow thanks for the follow guys, hope you enjoy the second chapter! Destiel forever 3)

Castiel reached out and tapped Dean's shoulder, and in a heartbeat they appeared in a field, from the looks of things somewhere not many people had ever been. Usually when Cas popped him somewhere, Dean felt queasy and light headed. But it felt as normal is breathing this time. Dean took a moment to take in his surroundings, they were surrounded by mountains, the fall colors making the morning sun seem warm and cold at the same time. The air here smelled clean and crisp, untouched by the filth of humanity.

What the hell... Dean thought. When did I start thinking like that?

He shifted nervously, suddenly unsure of himself. "So, uh... where do we start?" Dean had never felt quite so out of his element before.

Castiel smiled at him, green eyes taking in blue, and the nervousness left him. "No, we fly." Cas said with a grin. Dean was startled when Cas's wings unfurled from his shoulders. Dean's wings were a startling white color; it had not occurred to him that Castiel's would be different. The onyx black wings glittered reds and golds in the sunlight, flickering like flames and then shimmering back to black. He stared at them in awe and wonder, quietly musing that he doubted he had ever seen anything quite so beautiful in his lifetime.

Cas cleared his throat, bringing Dean back to reality. He realized that he had been staring, his lips parted slightly, and that under his gaze Cas was shifting uncomfortably. Like he was embarrassed.

"What happened...?" Dean asked quietly, wanting to take a step towards the angel but not sure if he should.

Cas shifted his gaze away. "It was from the hell fire..." He started, trailing off and meeting his eyes to Deans.

At once, Dean understood. "When you pulled me out of hell..."

Castiel nodded sagely.

Dean blinked stupidly. He had known that Cas had given up a great deal for him, for the sake of helping him. He knew Cas had marked him when he pulled him out of Hell, It had never occurred to him that maybe Castiel had been maimed by that experience as well. Without thinking he reached forward, stroking a hand down the thick iridescent feathers. Cas sighed, closing his eyes to Dean's tentative touch. It felt so natural to Dean, like he had done this a thousand times and he just couldn't remember. Castiel closed his eyes at Dean's touch, a quiet breath escaping his parted lips.

Dean realized they were standing unnaturally close to each other, their breath mingling in a puff before them in the cool air. His naked chest would usually be cold, but his new body felt different. He was aware that it was cold out, but the cold simply didn't bother him at all. He blinked a few times and took a step back, clearing his throat.

Cas too seemed to feel the shift in the air, and he too shuffled away awkwardly.

"So, Cas." Dean grinned. "Let's do this." As if something primal and innate kicked in, Dean shifted his wings, spreading them far, and bringing them down in a few hard thrusts. Castiel grinned, and followed his friend into the air.

Dean was doing well for his first time, he was always a graceful creature. Castiel had always noticed this about the human. "Dean!" He yelled. "Slow your beats, long and slow!"

Dean followed Cas's direction, and found himself moving further upward at a steady pace. Droplets of condensation started to form on his skin as he climbed further into the sky, the earth below folding out into the most beautiful scene Dean had ever witnessed. Mountain ranges spread out below, in the distance he could see the deep blue of lakes and a herd of deer so small they looked like bugs. Whatever he had felt this morning waking up with wings disappeared as he soared into the sky. Castiel was hot on his heel, seeming determined to stay just below Dean, in case the other angel were to fall.

There were a few moments when Dean lost his bearings, he would shift one way with his body and another with his wings, not quite comfortable in the new muscles he was flexing. He was always able to shift his way back into a stable positions after few moments of awkward flailing and a hand from Castiel on his back to steady him. Somehow this felt as natural as breathing, though in the past he had always been terrified of heights. With a sudden shout of laughter, Castiel pelted towards Dean, who dodged out of the way just in time by turning an awkward somersault in the air. He couldn't help the giggle that erupted from him.

They spent hours in the air this way, neither one of them saying much, just circling each other, diving and dancing through the sky. The ground beneath them grew smaller, and they covered more of the land. Dean was laughing so hard his cheeks hurt. Something about this was more perfect than he had thought possible. The wind rushing around him, the earth so far beneath his feet and Castiel near him, his laughter the only other thing breaking the silence besides his own. That was the main thing it was, so far up in the sky. It was so eerily quiet. Dean found that he adored the skies; where the only sound he heard at all was Castiel's wanton giggles. Castiel watched the once human with interest, admiring Dean's form and grace. Most angel's did not do so well their first flight, but it was as if this skill was innate in Dean. Castiel found himself impressed with his hunter, and more than slightly aroused.

It was a long time before they made their descent back towards the earth, neither one of them too eager to leave the skies. Dean was terrified that this was a curse, and that he would never see this or experience it again. He now understood what Castiel had meant earlier, when he said that Dean needed to experience this first, before they decided to try to fix him. If they decided to try to fix him at all...

Dean had decided he could get used to being an angel.

Castiel landed gracefully, whereas Dean sort of tumbled to the ground, doing an awkward roll and coming back up onto his feet in a mock fighting stance. He wore a lopsided grin as if to say 'I did that on purpose' and Castiel shook his head in laughter. Some things, it seemed, would never change.

With a sudden frown Dean sighed. "I suppose we oughtta get back to Sam. He's gonna be pissed we've been gone for so long."

Castiel nodded dutifully. "Yes, we should probably be researching what has happened to you. Perhaps it has happened before." He replied somewhat sadly.

Castiel pressed his fingers to Dean's arm, and in an instant they were back in the crappy hotel room they'd been staying in. Sam jumped and spilled a fresh beer all over himself, making Dean bark with laughter. He was going to have way too much fun with Sammy once he figured out how to poof in front of people.

"So what's up? Any news?" Dean asked casually. For some reason he was hoping Sam didn't have any news. He didn't know that he wanted to know why he suddenly had wings anymore, all he knew was that it was supposed to happen. Something in his gut told him he was meant to have these wings, and that it wasn't a bad thing. He wasn't about to tell Sam that though, what would he say 'Oh don't worry about it, I know it's totally unbelievable and could possibly be a terrible thing, but I have a gut feeling everything is fine so let's just pretend its normal'? Somehow he knew that wouldn't go over well.

Sam shook his head. "No, no thanks to you two. Could really have used some help here, you know, trying to figure out what's wrong with Dean?" He snapped grumpily.

Castiel frowned at him. "There's nothing 'wrong' with him, exactly. He's stronger now than he has ever been before. He will be a better fighter and a better warrior in the coming battles. Perhaps this is a gift for him, for giving up so much." He reasoned.

Sam shook his head. "I'm not buying it," He insisted. "There's gotta be a catch." He shifted some papers around on the table in front of him. "I will look into whatever lore we have on this, but I don't think we even have lore on this."

Dean closed his eyes and thought hard, and his wings folded themselves up into him. He grinned at himself in the mirror, unfurling the wings again. He had to admit, they looked damn good on him. He pulled them back into himself again, tossed a t-shirt over his head, resolved to a long boring night of studying.

As he sat down across from Sam, he tossed Castiel a sidelong look. He realized the angel had been staring at him, and he felt a blush creep into his cheeks.

"I have a few friends with ears in Heaven still, I will go and ask them as well. Perhaps one of them has heard of something like this happening before, though for some reason I doubt it." The angel shrugged. "I will contact you with any new information," he finished, his eyes boring into Deans. He could tell that Cas was bothered by something, he was about to ask what when with a flutter of wings Castiel was gone.

Dean shrugged and turned his attention to his brother. "So where do we start when we don't know where to start?"

Sam shook his head. "I honestly don't know..."