Angels weren't meant to walk the Earth or leave Heaven for as long as Castiel has. Vessels, even if perfect fits, can only hold angels for so long.

Yet, Castiel has found his own method to keep his vessel safe. Sure, Heaven might not approve of said method, but he hasn't been on their good list for a long, long time.

Plus, he took care to do it when and where no one would see. At first, he could just find the most isolated place possible and release pressure through making his wings corporeal.

But then he lost his wings.

He couldn't teleport to remote places, and while his grace was weak, it was still suffocating to be cramped up in a vessel. He took his room at the bunker as a safe haven to release pressure there. Though he did it whenever he was sure there was no one at the bunker. He trusted the Winchesters, sure, but his wings weren't something he wanted people seeing.

Then Chuck healed his grace and wings, something about a gratitude gift. Meaning he could once again transport himself to remote places. Just that he didn't. He had grown to like the bunker, it felt a thousand times much safer than the outside world where he could never quite relax whenever he made his wings corporeal.

Here he could.

However, he might have gotten too comfortable with the bunker, he let his guard down, but he had been so content and comfortable where he had been laying that he hadn't heard anything, not from the bunker and certainly not from anywhere near close to him.

He had no idea he wasn't alone until a noise came from behind.

~

Arriving earlier than anticipated from a hunt had been great.

But then Cas hadn't been seen at the bunker, his truck was still there and there were no notes left behind, because yes, after Chuck gave Cas his wings back Dean had implemented the 'sticky note' rule. If the guy was gonna leave the bunker without the truck he could at least leave a note so Dean wouldn't waste two hours looking for him through the entire bunker.

But there was no note, and the truck was still there.

So Dean pulled his phone out and dialed him. When he didn't pick up, he pulled up the tracker, after the whole shit with Asmodeus Dean felt much better if he knew where Cas was whenever he went off and disappeared without a warning.

Turns out Cas wasn't even that far but literally somewhere in the forest behind the bunker.

Sam and Dean had gone out to see what he was doing, yet, of all things expected, not in their wildest dreams did they ever expect to come across the sight that greeted them.

Cas was fine…

Or well, he didn't seem hurt or particularly agitated, he seemed to be fine enough to just lay on his stomach in the middle of the forest, wearing nothing but his trousers. The only sign that he wasn't asleep or even dead was the fact that he was poking flowers with a glowing finger, making the flowers in question bloom with just a touch, colors much too vibrant to be anything remotely normal.

But that wasn't even what had them frozen in place.

It was the wings. Enormous, very much corporeal, very much real wings that sprouted straight from his shoulder blades. He didn't have a single white feather as the lore said or even their jars of angel feathers were, but searing magentas, glimmering purples, vibrant greens, night-sky violets and iridescent rainbows, shimmering hues that shifted beneath the sunlight as the wings twitched every now and then.

The sight was as breathtaking as it was stunning. It made their hairs stand on end and shivers run down their spines. Because sure, one thing was knowing Cas had wings and a whole different one was seeing said wings. They didn't even know wings could be made corporeal.

Although considering the angel feathers for spells… but Christ, this was…

Dean couldn't help the curse under his breath, which seemed to be enough to break the spell, because next thing he knows Cas has moved at an inhuman speed, standing up and eyes blazing, and it's years of hunting which makes Sam and Dean dodge as quickly as they did as a wing snaps forward, slicing cleanly through the tree behind them, as if the feathers were nothing but a collection of the sharpest knives known to man.

The tree comes down with a crash that echoes throughout the forest. Another wing comes back, straight for Sam who rolls on the ground, dodging it by a hair. And the wing leaves a giant dent on the ground where it hits, grass and dirt flying everywhere.

"Dude, it's us!" Dean exclaims, hands raised in surrender. And alright, maybe sneaking up on an angel hadn't been his brightest idea.

The glow from Cas' eyes disappear, leaving the angel staring at them wide eyed as the wings freeze, one right infront of them, and they watch in morbid fascination as the feathers shift from blades to regular, soft feathers. Okay, so fluffy wings weren't 100% true for angels. Chuck had certainly not been playing around when he made them.

"Dean… Sam…" Cas glanced at them both, as if seeming to just take on the fact that neither was some sort of intruder.

And then some sort of realization dawned on him and his wings snapped back at a disturbing speed, disappearing in a flutter of colors just as fast. An odd emotion washing over his face before he quickly turns away.

"I'm sorry." Is all he says as he picks up his shirt and briskly walks past them, the odd reaction pulling them out of the initial shock as they follow after him.

"Dude, what-?"

"Can we not?" Dean frowns at the angel's strained tone, something about it feels… off.

"Not what?"

"... Talk about what just happened, I would appreciate it if you weren't to make questions or comments regarding… my wings."

It was then that Sam and Dean recognized the tone.

Oh.

Oh.

He was uncomfortable. And that… that was new. Dean didn't even know the guy could get uncomfortable. Being seen naked didn't get so much as a blink from him, but this was what made him get all uncomfortable? Wings? But again, that was a part of his true form, something that was truly him, unlike Jimmy's body.

But considering he's never made them corporeal nor any other angel has ever done so, just showing the shadows… and he had also been doing it in the middle of the forest.

Maybe… maybe they weren't supposed to be seen by anyone. Like some sort of taboo or something?

"Alright. But, uhm, we are also sorry. We weren't supposed to see them, right?" Sam tries, because he feels like they did something they shouldn't have and like they really should apologize. He isn't quite sure about how bad it was, but Cas seemed particularly tense and while he couldn't see his face, it was clear the angel was uncomfortable.

And he felt guilty, because it was clear Cas had been quite happy about just laying there doing… whatever it was he had been doing, and he really tried to not think too much about the wings, even if that's all he could think of. Because they had been nothing like anything he had ever thought. Frankly? They had been more beautiful than the pure white he had expected.

But again, he tried to not think that.

"No… humans aren't supposed to see them." Is the short answer Castiel gives.

"Then why did you have them out?"

"... I was stretching them out… even if a perfect fit, vessels can become… suffocating…" Was all Castiel gave, he didn't feel comfortable talking about any of this, humans weren't supposed to know these things. And it also made him feel awkward, he knew how Sam and Dean felt about angel stuff.

Plus, he's never quite liked discussing with them the state of his vessel or anything remotely related to it. Which is why he never told them the truth behind his dying grace or anything about his burnt wings.

He just didn't like talking about it, and he knew neither of the brothers would feel 100% comfortable listening to any of it anyways, sure, they knew he wasn't human, but Castiel knows it will never not be particularly comfortable to actually speak about his… non-human status.

Meanwhile, Sam and Dean frowned, sharing a look. Dean opened his mouth as if to say something, yet Sam shook his head, it was clear Cas didn't want to speak about this, it would be better off if they just didn't ask any questions.

Even if Sam himself couldn't help but wonder what Cas meant with 'suffocating'. He was curious about angels, he's always been, but he's never really dared to ask Cas much regarding angels, afraid to come off as annoying or cross some sort of line, he didn't even know what he was allowed to ask, and the last thing he wanted was to say or ask something he shouldn't. It's not like there were any angel etiquette books or anything.

At least not that he knew of.

And he knew Dean felt the same.

Still, at least they now had a vague idea about what subject to not touch if they ever got the guts to ask anything.

His wings were a big no. That was much more than clear. Although there wasn't much to ask anyways, seeing them in action had answered several questions, though they did wonder if all angels had different colors in their feathers.

But again, those were questions they would just sit on, sure, they were curious, but having a non-human friend meant having to be careful with their words. Like how Dean had to re-learn how to refer to werewolves.

Just that unlike Garth, Cas never gave them a single clue about what to expect or what might be unacceptable. So far, he's never shown any particular reaction to anything they said to other angels.

Though whether that was because he was good at hiding his reactions or just didn't care was yet to be figured.