There was only one more suggestion from his research that seemed to have any merit. There was only one more chance that his limited knowledge on the subject might actually be helpful.
Reveal things about yourself:
The first opportunity to share more about himself came when the brothers were digging through the biblical lore the Men of Letters had collected. Of course, all of the information in the bunker was from well before the apocalypse and mostly just speculation. The guidance for dealing with angels was severely lacking.
"Just write: Dicks with wings, avoid at all costs." Castiel heard Dean say. The angel was in the kitchen, but could easily hear the hunters in the other room.
"Unless the angel answers to Castiel." Sam added.
"In which case, stab him in the heart, so he can stare at you like you're a spec of dirt on his shoe." The eldest Winchester added. The comment was enough to convince the angel he should intervene, ensuring such information would not actually be placed in the files.
Sam's laughter carried down the hallway as Castiel headed in their direction. "I'd forgotten about that! I can't imagine how freaked out you must have been when he wasn't even bothered with a demon knife sticking out of his chest."
Castiel made his way into the room just in time to see Dean replaying the scene from when they first met. The hunter was indeed staring at Sam as if he was a particularly irritating inconvenience, but not something remarkable enough to be a threat. One of the knives had been taken off a display and was tucked under his arm to look as if he'd been stabbed. He glared at Sam threateningly for a moment before he pulled the knife out slowly, dropping it to the floor. The angel wondered if it had truly looked that dramatic when he'd done it.
"Insignificant human! You can not kill me with a demon knife! For I am an Angel of the Lord!"
The brothers laughed at the ridiculous reenactment while Castiel glanced between them. He didn't know if they were aware he'd come into the room.
"That's not quite the way I remember it." He said, if only to announce his presence.
"Yeah, cause you were the one doing all the scary shit!" Dean answered immediately.
So, they had known he was there. Which hopefully meant that they weren't making fun of him with their laughter.
"I was not trying to scare you. I honestly did not expect you to try to kill me when you summoned me."
Dean laughed at that. "You didn't know me then."
Castiel spared him a smile. "Yes, I know better now."
Dean grinned at that answer, obviously pleased with the insinuation of his reputation.
Castiel moved toward the brothers, ready to input into the conversation he'd overheard.
"Perhaps I might be of assistance in the effort to update the archives about angels?" He didn't wait for an affirmative answer, taking a seat at the table with Sam.
"Yeah, that would probably be pretty helpful. We mostly only know the things you've taught us anyway." The hunter admitted, throwing the angel one of his adorable smiles. He then placed his hands on the keyboard, as if prepared for a monologue he'd have to transcribe. "What do you think we should add?"
"Perhaps we can add the symbols needed to keep angels out and the banishing sigil to get rid of them if they do find a way in." Castiel could see how allowing mankind the option could backfire, but he also knew that the humans he'd entrusted the information with had used it sparingly so far.
"Yeah, that's good. Maybe we should add information about befriending angels…" The younger hunter was typing away as his brother made a face of disapproval. Castiel had to agree with that reluctance, although he hated it.
"I doubt there will ever be many angels that are sympathetic to the plights of humans." He told Sam gently, knowing that the hunter liked to see the best in everyone.
Sam glanced up from his laptop as if trying to gauge the seriousness of the angel's words.
The hunter seemed confused about the certainty that Castiel spoke with. "You don't think there are any others that understand the importance of free will?"
The angel was unable to disguise the disappointment in his voice. "I am an anomaly among my brethren. Even after proving that angels also possess free will, they are unlikely to change their views on the subject."
Although Sam looked unsettled at the way Castiel said that, it was the truth. Angels were made to do as they were told. Following orders was ingrained in them from the moment they'd been made, and the difficulty of escaping their roles was well documented if only in the incredibly small numbers that had chosen to do so.
Castiel was not ashamed of the role he had taken in the new order. He knew that helping the Winchester's stop the apocalypse had been the correct path for him. He was well aware that his current predicament was a result of that decision, but even so he could not feel that he had made the wrong choice. He would much rather be suffering the effects of humanity than cleaning up the devastation that would have preceded the war of good and evil.
"I guess you're just one of a kind then." Sam said, his dimples pronounced even as he looked down at the screen in front of him. Castiel couldn't see his smile, but he knew it was there.
The angel couldn't say he'd never had a similar thought about himself before. Although, when he did, he was always filled with a strange mixture of pride and shame at the fact. When Sam said it though, with the warmth in his voice and the smile on his face, it was clearly a compliment. Castiel could feel his face heating and a rush of emotion through his system. Sam seemed to think it was good that he was different.
"Yeah, our Cas is a rebel. I wouldn't have it any other way!" Dean patted him on the shoulder as he said it, making Castiel blush even further. He realized that such a word was also compliment when it came from Dean. "If my guardian angel was just a little bitch that told me to be good all the time, I don't know what I would have done."
The angel rolled his eyes as he corrected the hunter. "I am not your guardian angel." He made sure that he sounded sufficiently put out by the idea. The brothers shared a laugh at his tone.
Sam allowed them a moment of amusement before he spoke again. "From what I've read of what they already have here, it seems like even they knew that angels were not meant to sit on our shoulder and tell us to be good." The youngest Winchester was clearly trying to get them back on track.
"The lore mostly says that angels are 'messengers from God' and that they haven't been seen in some time. The only recorded sightings are from the bible, and the Men of Letters clearly thought that it was a reliable enough source to say that angels were probably real, but not a reliable enough source to say that it had to be truth. It sort of implies that the creatures recorded in the bible might have been something else completely. And that they had no definitive proof of whether the angels had been here or not. It's written as if they wanted to believe what the bible told them, but couldn't call it fact because there were no other records."
Sam turned a few pages of the book he'd placed next to his laptop. "It doesn't really speculate on what other kinds of creatures could have been posing as angels in the biblical stories, though. It goes on to question whether the men that identified themselves as angels were lying about their origins. This specifically states that they couldn't find any other recorded instances of angel sightings from that period, but that they didn't believe that angels would only visit those few men, if they had truly been around then."
"They were wise not to believe everything they read." Castiel nodded sagely at the choice.
Sam looked baffled as he met his eyes. "What does that mean?"
"The book was written by man, and as such is not wholly accurate. There are parts of the story that have been altered and some that were left out altogether." The angel was surprised by the shock that seemed to play across the other man's face.
"Are you saying that the Bible is inaccurate?" Sam's question seemed genuine, as if the existence of angels had been enough proof for him that the book was truthful.
"The testimonies of the bible have been altered many times. The men that recorded the events chose which parts to bring together for the book."
The look that the hunter graced him with was a cross of shock and intrigue that sent a tingle down Castiel's spine. "Like what?"
It was if Sam was finally playing along with one of his plans. The angel could feel a warmth spreading through him as excitement trickled down his spine. This plan might actually work. Sam was interested in the things he had to say.
"The most irritating to me, personally, is the book of Judas. It was altered just to make the apostles seem less afflicted by the less desirable of human emotions."
"Meaning what?" So now even Dean was interested in his story.
"Jesus asked Judas to kill him. He felt his spirit was trapped in his body and he wanted to return to heaven. Judas turned him in because he could not bring himself to do the deed himself. Of course, that part of the story couldn't be included in the book. They removed it when they rewrote the story of how Judas died."
"Wait, didn't Judas commit suicide?" Sam asked as if he didn't know if he was remembering the story correctly.
"That is the way the story was printed, but the other apostles killed Judas. They originally altered the story to say that Judas was killed in reaction to his betrayal, although their actions had much more to do with Jesus' clear favoritism of Judas. The writers would not allow Jesus' other apostles to look like they suffered from jealousy, which is a sinful emotion. By the time they printed the stories they had decided that the apostles should have had no hand at all in Judas' death. Murder is a sin, after all. Even a murder for revenge."
"Wow." Both of the Winchesters looked fascinated by the idea, and Castiel was quite proud of himself for finally finding a way to use one of his research suggestions to his advantage.
"There are actually many stories that didn't make it into the finished book. The church was content to only include the stories that went along with their own wants for humanity." He hoped that sharing a few more of his stories would help him in his plans.
"But if you guys were there, why didn't you make them include everything? If you guys knew what was happening, why didn't you stop them?" Sam asked him, instead. It wasn't the way he was hoping this would go, but he answered anyway. At least the hunter was able to recognize that this was a story he had witnessed in his lifetime.
"At the point that the book was being made, we were told we could no longer interfere. It was explained that we could no longer make contact with the humans, and any angel allowed on this plane was only here for observation. So, we could watch the humans rewrite the stories as they saw fit, but were not able to do anything to change it."
"Wow. That must have been hard."
The angel made an affirmative noise. It had been hard, but it was so long ago now that it no longer caused him pain. Some humans had learned valuable lessons from the book, no matter the falsities in it.
"It was a very important part of human history. I was one of the few angels that had been selected to observe humanity during the time." Castiel could not hide the pride in his voice as he'd said that, it was one of the few times he'd been observing when a large piece of history had been made.
"Jesus Christ, Cas! How old are you?" Dean exclaimed, un-ironically.
The angel recoiled immediately. Perhaps he hadn't thought through the consequences of sharing these stories with them. He did not truly want to remind Sam that he was considered a supernatural creature to them. It was one of the things he knew would make the other man less likely to want to pursue anything with him, if he ever got that far.
The younger hunter glared at his brother after witnessing Castiel's reaction to his outburst. "Dean, you are the most insensitive ass on the planet."
"What? How was I supposed to know that his age was a touchy subject?" The elder Winchester seemed baffled by the angel's response.
"No, it's fine. I know I am very old by human standards." Castiel wished he knew how to change the subject without being incredibly obvious about it. He was hoping to build a connection with the younger Winchester, not remind him that he was an incredibly old supernatural being.
"Sometimes I forget that you're an angel." Sam said softly, although they had been working through angelic lore only minutes before.
"Does that bother you?" The angel couldn't help but ask.
The hunter wore a perplexed expression. "Why would it bother me?"
There was no way to answer that question without being too obvious. No way to reword his own to get the information he needed without saying too much. Castiel truly wanted to know if Sam would be bothered by the fact that he was an angel, if the time ever came that he had the courage to do something with his feelings. One of many things he worried about since he'd decided to pursue his feelings for the human. He knew that Sam had a relationship with the demon that was shaping him to be Lucifer's vessel, but he worried the experience had taught the younger Winchester a lesson in trusting supernatural beings. In which case the hunter would likely not be interested in becoming involved with an angel either. He changed the subject, bringing the conversation back to angelic lore.
He had finally gotten around to doing one of the suggestions correctly, but instead of worming his way into the heart of his beloved, he'd reminded him of how much older he was. Instead of making steps toward romance, he'd reminded Sam that he was one of those untrustworthy supernatural creatures that the Winchesters spent their days hunting. He was terrible at this.
After his last failed attempt, Castiel decided that it might be best to go back to ignoring his feelings. All his plans to convince Sam to love him were failing before he even got the chance to implement them. He hoped it would be easier if he stopped thinking about it, so he decided to help Dean dig up a new case.
The hunter had been suffering what he called 'cabin fever', which apparently meant that he had been stuck in the bunker far too long. He said the only cure was a new case, and since Castiel was looking for a distraction he decided to help. It didn't take them long to find a good enough lead, and they decided to head out bright and early the next morning.
Castiel spent the night researching the area that they believed to be haunted. Then he researched the violent deaths. He proceeded to even research the graveyards in the town. The angel looked at everything he could find, and still felt he wasn't distracted enough.
It was very early when Dean came grumbling out of his room to make coffee. Castiel followed the hunter into the kitchen hoping the other man's presence would help to distract him. It didn't take nearly long enough for him to relay all the information he'd gathered, and it was hard to tell if the hunter was even paying attention. Dean was practically sleeping in his coffee cup.
"Alright, buddy. I get it. Research done. Why don't you make yourself useful and go wake Sammy." The hunter yawned immediately following the words.
"I'm not sure how to wake him. You always seem upset when I wake you."
"That's because you just stand over my bed and stare! It's creepy!" Dean exclaimed dramatically.
"Well, what do you suggest I do?" The angel asked sincerely. He honestly didn't know the protocol for waking someone up.
The smirk that crossed the hunter's face said he was not going to learn the proper way this time either.
"I have an idea."
Dean carried a large glass of water with him while he showed Castiel how to wake his brother. If he had known what the water was for, he may have done something to prevent it.
"Rise and shine, Sammy!" A look of utter glee crossed the eldest Winchester's face as he upended the cup directly over his sleeping brother. Dean seemed to be aiming for the hair, but the younger brother was able to move his head after only a moment and the rest fell across his chest.
Sam rolled out of the bed as soon as he was awake enough to perform the feat, which was only seconds later. He landed on his feet with a glare for his brother.
"Seriously, Dean?" He grumbled as he tried to wipe some of the water from his skin, and squeeze the water from his hair. "What are you, five?"
"Cas and I found a case. Let's get the hell out of here." Dean didn't seem at all bothered by the hateful look his brother was sending him.
Castiel found it very difficult to pay attention to much more than Sam's nearly naked body. He was wearing only his boxers, and even they were riding low on his hips. The angel's eyes were inexplicably drawn to a drop of water that was slowly working it's way between the other man's pectorals, before moving swiftly to the line of hair at his navel. The sight was entrancing, and it took him a moment to realize these were the exact feelings he was supposed to be trying to avoid. He steeled his resolve to turn away from the sight, but before he could Sam moved.
The hunter lifted one arm into a stretch as he yawned, pulling the muscles of his torso tight and making them ripple a little as his arm lowered. Castiel's attention was immediately claimed again. He watched as the hunter rolled his shoulders and leaned back a little to complete the stretch.
"Well, that's just ridiculous." It took the angel a moment to realize the words had not been in his own head. The twin looks of confusion he received proved it, and he took that as his cue to get out of there as fast as he could. His plan to ignore his feelings again fell to pieces on Sam's bedroom floor. The chances of that sight leaving his head anytime soon were nonexistent.