Castiel can tell you the exact moment he discovered his love for Dean. Just like the hunter, Castiel busies himself with battle to ease unwanted frustrations. The angel was up in heaven after a particularly harsh slight of words with Dean, desperately searching for a follower or two of Raphael's to sink his blade into.

The thick air of heaven is surprisingly void of noise as Castiel wanders through its vastness, senses on fire. The sound of metal hitting metal has filled its figurative walls for far too long, its absence is almost unsettling. A malicious laugh rings behind him, bringing his steps to an abrupt halt.

"Well well well. Your precious boys have stopped ordering you around long enough to let you venture into Heaven?" A man in a black suit-seemingly common for angelic vessels- towers threateningly over the shorter man, ear-length black hair accentuating the devilish intent in his eyes.

Ever the chatterbox, Castiel wastes no time dropping his knife into his waiting hand. His body hums with anticipation, a sensation that nearly got him killed the first time it arose. The other angel shakes his head disapprovingly, reaching for his own silver blade. The familiar clang of knife meeting knife graces Castiel's ears once again.

"You don't say much, do you Castiel?" The trenchcoat-clad angel responds by lunging at the man, blade held against his throat in a very human manner. A threat.

"I have no interest in talking." The sting of killing his brothers has faded over time, perhaps the worst way Dean has effected him. There's no hesitation, no guilt. Just a carefully aimed blade meeting flesh.

The other angel is more acrobatic than Castiel, evading each thrust of the knife with nearly perfect precision. When Cas does land a hit, it's just a small nick. As deadly as a papercut. An evil chuckle escapes the other angel's lips, who tucks his angel blade safely into his vessel's jacket.

"Perhaps I should give you something to talk about, then." In an instant his wings are unfurled, disappearing towards Earth. Towards Dean. Cas takes off after him as soon as he pieces together the other angel's intentions, rage and fierce protectiveness clouding his vision.

A determined hand buries itself into lightly colored feathers, pulling the angel back up into heaven. Castiel uses his grip to hurl the man into this particular heaven's soil with inhuman strength, foot resting against the small of his back.

"You will inot/i harm Dean." He tugs and pushes in all of the right spots, bones cracking under his strength until the angel's wings are a broken, bloody mess against his back. Gut wrenching screams rush from the man's lips, pointlessly begging the stronger angel for mercy. For death.

"Just... Kill me... Already." He's trembling, white-hot pain short circuiting his angelic ability to heal. Castiel smirks, backing away from the broken follower.

"No." His beautiful, unbroken wings pull him off of the ground, leaving the man to suffer through unimaginable pain. Because he dared to threaten Dean.

After that fight, his intention was to hunt for another weapon to aid him in future battles, but he found himself nestled on his bench for the 38th time. His actions were cruel, but more importantly, reckless. Leaving the angel alive certainly means he'll communicate information from the fight to Raphael. And that will definitely be... unpleasant.

At least Dean is safe. Castiel's eyes fly open from the thought, tentatively considering the warning he growled at the other angel. You will not harm Dean. The revelation should surprise him more, but he remembers how he longed for such a gleaming soul the first time he laid eyes on it. Surely, the love he feels for Dean is purely angelic. Because he's his charge.

Sam's your charge, too. Castiel shakes his head, deciding he's done enough thinking.


"Good morning, Sam." Castiel calls from his spot on the couch, glancing over as the younger Winchester sits up.

"Morning, Cas. What's up?" The angel squirms uncomfortably at the question, suddenly not able to meet Sam's gaze.

"I... have a problem." When the angel finally does look up, Sam sees poorly disguised panic in his eyes.

"What kind of problem?"

"Human." Sam nods, but Cas's response really doesn't ease his confusion much.

"Alright, let's go outside." He rises to his feet, motioning for the angel to follow. Outside, they sit on a nearby edge of a stretch of sidewalk, legs awkwardly resting against asphalt. It's difficult for Sam to sit like this, but they don't have any other options. Unless Cas wants to zap them somewhere. Castiel folds his hands in his lap, finding a far away tree very interesting. Anything to avoid Sam's scrutinizing glances. As the master of intense stares, it takes a lot to make the angel want to look away.

"I really don't know where to begin. I guess, by mentioning that I've done two things recently because of human emotions."

"Like what?"

"Most recently, using my powers to 'knock out' an innocent woman at a bar." Sam's eyes widen, piecing the clues together. Castiel is the one that made that woman collapse of the bar last night.

"What emotion caused you to do that?" Sam asks, idly noticing that he doesn't feel anywhere near as awkward as he should, having this conversation with Cas.

"I haven't decided yet. But jealousy makes the most sense." Sam chuckles at Cas's matter-of-fact tone. Even amidst all of the foreign feelings, Castiel is still very much an angel.

Behind the unlatched door to their motel room, a very awake Dean cautiously backs away from the overheard conversation. Sam carelessly left the door open an inch, letting every word reach the elder Winchester's ears.

"I agree." Sam pats his brother's future boyfriend on the shoulder, trying to ease the conflict he senses underneath Cas's calm exterior.

"What do I do?"

"Nothing." Sam chuckles, leaving his hand on Castiel's dejected shoulders. "My brother is stubborn. If you came right out with something like this, he'd just clam up and push you away." The younger hunter frowns at the truth in his own words before flashing the angel a sympathetic smile.

"So you're saying I'm going to have to deal with this frustration forever?" Cas slumps forward, unintentionally pulling away from Sam's touch.

"Nah." Sam glances up at the sky, noticing the waning sunrise. His favorite part about being a morning person. "Just let him act first. I suspect you won't be waiting much longer." Castiel frowns, wondering what exactly Sam means by that.


Author's Note: Thanks for the review! Here's the update you asked for.