Yay update! :P I've had this one in my head for a while. It didn't turn out exactly how I had hoped, but...I hope you all like it anyway. And remember, if you ever have anything specific you want to see in this series, let me know. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Title: Cas Learns to Drive

Setting: Season 5

Warnings: a little Baby!whump

Cas Learns to Drive

Set Season 5

Castiel had always found humans to be fascinating creatures, the things they invented being something that fascinated him most. He had to admit, that he hadn't really thought about such things too much before he had met Sam and Dean; certainly, an angel had no need for a microwave or a shower, but he could see how they helped humans with their daily routines.

One contraption he found particularly interesting was the automobile. Yes, they were slow compared to how he traveled, but they were intriguing all the same, the way everything worked together under the hood like a living thing, and like a human body, they sometimes needed fixing. Sometimes when he had nothing else to do, he liked to watch Dean work on his Impala—Castiel would never say so out loud to the hunter, but he didn't entirely understand Dean's obvious love for the machine, nor how he seemed to think it was female as Castiel saw no difference. But he liked to see how the hunter always knew what was wrong with the car when it wasn't running smoothly, how he seemed to know every piece of it. A couple times, when he was in a surprisingly good mood, Dean would even explain to the angel what he was doing, though he had never offered to let him try for himself, and Castiel thought it best not to ask. Dean was very protective of his car, and Castiel didn't want to accidently hurt it.

He couldn't ignore the fact that his grace was weakening by the day, and the more it happened, the harder it got to fly, the more he began thinking that learning how to drive a car might prove to be a useful skill to have. He didn't like to think that the day might eventually come where driving was his fastest mode of transportation, but he also knew that it was a very likely possibility and he thought it better he be prepared if it did happen.

So one day while they were staying at Bobby's between hunts, he awkwardly approached Dean to see if he might be able to help.

"Dean, I was wondering if you might help me with something."

The hunter looked up from a book he had been idly flipping through, eagerly slamming it and looking up. Anything to get out of research. "Sure, Cas, what do you need?"

Castiel shifted on his feet. "I—I would like you to teach me to drive a car."

Dean looked taken aback. "Well…okay, I guess I can do that, but…why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

Castiel shifted again, then let out a small sigh. "It looks so interesting when you and Sam do it. But, I also wish to have something to fall back on. Just in case."

Dean didn't have to ask in case of what. His face showed that he understood well enough and he tactfully didn't take the conversation any further. "Okay then," he said, standing up. "Let's go."

Castiel followed him outside, slightly relieved that Dean had agreed and not teased him about his wanting to learn such a human skill. He was extremely surprised to find them heading toward the Impala.

"Get in," Dean told him and Castiel climbed into the passenger side while Dean slid behind the wheel.

He pulled the keys from his pocket and started the car before turning to Cas. "Okay, so first thing you gotta know is that, you're not going anywhere until you get the car out of park. This is an automatic so you don't have to worry about manually shifting gears; it should be good for your first time driving. Remember to put your foot on the break—that's the one on the left." Castiel looked down to see where Dean's foot was and the hunter grabbed the gear stick and pulled it down. "And then pull this to where it says 'drive' and that gets the car going once you take your foot off the break." He pulled his foot back and put it on the other pedal, making the car go forward. "I'll drive over to the road so you can have a stretch to practice on."

Once they got to the dirt road that led to Bobby's scrap yard, Dean cut the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition, opening the door. "Your turn," he said and handed Cas the keys as he got out and moved around to the other side while Castiel slid into the driver's seat with sudden trepidation. He suddenly felt he couldn't remember the exact order of steps and looked sheepishly over to Dean.

"Key first," Dean offered, pointing to the keyhole next to the steering wheel. Castiel slid the key inside carefully and twisted it. The Impala came to life with a growl that nearly startled the angel at first, realizing that he had at least succeeded with that.

"Good," Dean said. "Now foot on the break."

Castiel looked down to make sure he had his foot on the right pedal and pressed down. "Now what?"

"Put it in drive," Dean motioned to the gear stick and an indicator on the dash. "That's the 'd', just pull it down until it indicates the 'd'."

Castiel pulled the stick down, sliding into several different gears until he found the right one.

"Okay," Dean told him. "Now just take your foot off the break, and slowly press down on the gas."

"Is it going to go fast?" Castiel asked worriedly. "I don't want to run into something."

"Well, don't floor it," Dean told him with a laugh. "Because you know if you hurt my baby I'll kill you."

Castiel took this to be truth. It almost made him wish they had chosen another car to drive, but the fact that Dean had even considered to let Cas take his first lesson in his prized vehicle, told the angel just how much he trusted him. So he released the break and as the car started forward, put his foot gently onto the gas pedal.

The sudden lurch, made him scramble for the break pedal again, surprised at how quickly the car had responded. Dean laughed at his surprised expression and shook his head.

"Come on, Cassandra, you can do better than that. There's nothing to run into out here."

"My name isn't Cassandra," Castiel said, slightly confused, but realized that Dean was teasing him and glared at the hunter, determined to prove he could do this. He was an angel after all, a great warrior of God, and he could certainly learn to drive a car if humans did it every day.

He tried again and this time, knowing what was coming, he was better prepared for the lurch as he touched the gas and was able to press a little harder, moving faster down the road as Dean grinned.

"Awesome, you've gotten up to 20 miles and hour. Good job, grandma," he joked.

Castiel drove for a little bit longer, until Dean told him to stop as they would be getting to the main road soon.

"You're doing good so far, wanna try turning around?"

"How does one accomplish that?" Castiel asked.

"You turn the wheel, genius," Dean snorted, reaching over to give the wheel a tug. "Just put 'er in gear and then turn it to the left and you should be able to make it around."

Castiel did as he said, and the Impala turned around at an excruciatingly slow pace. Dean was snickering, unable to help himself and Castiel, frustrated, pressed harder on the gas and slid half off the road, turning the rest of the way with a slight squeal of the tires.

Dean laughed, having been thrown into the door at the sudden move. "Woah, no road rage, yet Cas. We'll get to that in the next lesson. Now drive back toward Bobby's and we'll try it again."

Castiel drove a little faster this time, and as the lesson continued, with Dean's patient instructions, he found he was growing more and more comfortable with driving the Impala, even understanding why humans enjoyed it so much. It was rather fun. Finally he was able to make the turn at the end of the road a lot faster and still stay on the road as he did it, and Dean decided that was enough of their lesson for one day.

"Drive back to Bobby's and you can turn in and park," Dean told him.

"How did I do?" Castiel asked anxiously as he drove back toward the entrance of Singer Salvage.

"Not bad," Dean said sincerely. "Better than Sammy his first time. But then I started teaching him before he had his growth spurt and he could hardly reach the pedals, poor aspiring sasquatch." Dean shook his head fondly at the memories. Castiel smiled, happy to see Dean relaxed again. If teaching him to drive could make him forget his troubles for a while, then Castiel was even more willing to learn than before.

He made a careful turn into the driveway and then another toward the place Dean usually parked, but seemed to miss a post sticking out of the ground. Dean tried to warn him, but it was too late and Castiel braked too slowly to avoid running the front fender into the post.

He sat there horrified at what he had done as Dean sat stone-faced, looking as if he were trying to contain his anger.

"I'm—sorry, Dean," Castiel said quietly.

Dean took a deep breath and shook his head. "Happens to everyone, Cas. You'll just have to help me fix it."

"I'll do whatever you need me too," Castiel replied humbly.

"First get out of the driver's seat," Dean told him and Castiel cut the engine and slid back into the passenger seat as Dean came around to drive the rest of the way. "Seriously though, dude. I know it wasn't your fault," Dean told him, as he parked in his usual spot. "But I am totally getting payback for this."

"Of course, Dean, it is only fair," Castiel agreed, though not without some trepidation.

Three days later, Castiel found out what itching powder was.