A/N: This one is another anonymous request from Tumblr, asking for Cas and Sam's first hug and all the feels that went with it (squeals! :D) I love Cas and Sam hugs! Canonically, they didn't get that until S9, but I bumped it up to an AU version of S8. Some of the dialogue from the actual event are used here.

Setting: S8, after Cas has broken Naomi's hold on him and run off with the tablet.

Summary: Being hated and on the run - again - gets lonesome. Castiel is tired of being on his own with no home and nowhere to belong. Sam is going to make sure the angel knows he'll always have them.

One of Them

The bus pulls into the station a few minutes ahead of schedule, so Castiel doesn't rush to get out. He waits until everyone else has headed for the door, partly patient but mostly hesitant. He hopes he isn't making a mistake… the whole point of running with the tablet was to protect Sam and Dean.

But they've been so insistent that he come back, the few times he's accepted their calls, so sure that they're stronger together. Castiel finds himself dwelling wistfully on that sentiment, a deep ache tightening around his tired soul. But he can't forget nearly killing Dean in that crypt, watching in his mind's eye as he is used to destroy his best friends.

Then again, sometimes he can also see Naomi, using the boys to get to him, hurting Sam and Dean in order to reel him in. Castiel wouldn't put it past her, and he'll be better able to prevent it if he's there to watch over them.

So he's traveled back to where the Winchesters are, telling himself it's for their safety.

The truth is, he's being selfish and he knows it. Castiel feels utterly alone, and that's a cold, deep feeling that leaves him numb. His siblings hate him. His father left him.

The truth is, Castiel is starving for somewhere to belong.

Feeling weighed down by more than just the burden he's hiding within himself, Castiel trudges off the bus at the end of the line. Passengers are greeting family and friends who have arrived to meet them. Castiel enjoys watching these reunions, the genuine delight people find in each other's company. He pauses to observe as nearly every one of them is met with an embrace.

Surrounded by such fellowship, the ache of his own loneliness deepens.

"Cas!"

Surprised at the sound of his name, Castiel turns to see Sam hurrying towards him, beaming. He wasn't expecting them to be here yet. And until that moment, he hasn't realized how desperately he wanted them to be. Something in his chest releases a little.

"Sam."

Caught up in the greetings he's just witnessed, Castiel starts to raise his arms before catching himself and immediately pulling away. He looks down as his heart constricts again. Hopefully Sam didn't notice the move. After everything that's happened, they aren't likely to meet him with literal open arms.

Sam pauses, and Castiel's cheeks heat in mortification to realize that Sam is perceptive and couldn't have missed the movement.

Quickly, the angel clears his throat. "Where's Dean?"

"Parking. Your bus is a little early. Hey, Cas…"

Castiel has started to brush by, but he stops to turn back to Sam. Before he can register what's happening, the hunter is right in front of him, arms wrapping around Castiel tightly.

"We were really worried about you," Sam says quietly. "You just took off. What if you had needed help?"

Not, "what if we had needed you", but "what if you had needed us."

Whatever it is in his chest that's constricting, it's getting tighter and moving into his throat, and now something's wrong with his vision as everything blurs. Castiel had gone rigid when Sam first moved in, but now his body is starting to relax into the… the hug.

…Sam is hugging him.

There was a low chuckle in his ear. "Now's the part where you hug back."

"Oh." Castiel raises his arms hesitantly, hoping he's doing this right. "Right. Uh, sorry."

"Ah, there you go," Sam murmurs, sounding amused.

The hunter doesn't make a move to let go, and Castiel closes his oddly blurry eyes. The heaviness inside of him lightens with every passing second; he's never been greeted like this. He's tried not to get too close since learning from Dean that humans required "personal space", hasn't had this kind of deliberate contact before. He's never known how dearly he wanted it. Craved it.

"I, um…" he tries, finding that he's tightening his grip slightly. "I've missed you both." Is it okay to say something like that?

"We missed you, too. I'm just glad you're home."

Every burden Castiel carries is lifted in a rush, if only for that moment. Golden light like what he used to feel in Heaven from his father's presence floods the angel's being… it's like flying.

But better.

Because he's not flying alone.

The terrible lonesomeness fades away, the ravenous need to belong somewhere starts to fill, because in this moment—in this gesture—Castiel realizes that he already does.

When Sam finally lowers his arms and Castiel steps back, he opens his eyes to find the blurriness still there, feeling strangely damp in the corners. Sam is still smiling, soul ringing with sincerity, but with expression slightly wrinkled.

"You don't get hugged enough, do you, Cas?"

Castiel clears his throat again. "I, um… I think I enjoy hugs."

Sam seems to be holding back a laugh. "Well, we'll have to try it more often then. Dean wuvs them, too."

He says it like a joke, but the punch line escapes Castiel. Sam only grins, pulling him in for another quick squeeze before backing away.

"Come on," he says, hand remaining on Castiel's arm—the touch is casual, keeping the angel grounded to the fact that he's there. "Let's go find Dean. And Cas… don't run off again. You're one of us now, we gotta stick together."

Castiel's hesitation disappears, replaced by gratitude and peace. He's never realized how warm hugs were, still feeling Sam's presence where they had made contact. It's been a long time since he felt so… whole.

He's not alone. He's one of them.