Work Text:
I.
Castiel stood up and swung toward Sam while Dean pushed his weapon down and introduced them. “Hello, Sam,” Castiel said.
“Oh, my God,” Sam gasped and immediately fumbled. “I mean — What I meant is that—” He stopped and swallowed heavily, ignoring Dean’s weirded out stare out of the corner of his eye. “You’re way hotter than Dean said you were.”
Dean’s face went red. “Sam!”
Castiel merely blinked. “I don’t understand. My vessel is sustained at a constant temperature. I am no hotter now than I was when Dean and I last spoke.”
Sam’s brows went up. “Well it’s just that—”
“It’s just nothing!” Dean cut in, shoving Sam’s face — and the rest of him — to the side. “Don’t listen to anything Sam says. He’s an idiot.”
[cut]
II.
Castiel stood up and swung toward Sam while Dean pushed his weapon down and introduced them. “Hello, Sam,” Castiel said.
“Oh, my God,” Sam gasped and immediately fumbled. “I mean — Sorry, it’s just — Wow, you’re an angel. You’re the angel.”
“I am,” Castiel replied. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Sam.”
“You have?” Sam asked. His voice went tight with alarm. “Don’t believe any of it. Unless it was good — was it good?” Castiel hesitated and looked shiftily between him and Dean. Sam groaned and swiveled toward his brother. “Oh God, Dean, what have you been telling him?”
Dean jerked when Sam swatted the back of his head. “Ow! What the hell was that for?”
Sam gave him a dirty look. “That was for making me look bad in front of the angels.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
[cut]
III.
Castiel stood up and swung toward Sam while Dean pushed his weapon down and introduced them. “Hello, Sam,” Castiel said.
“Oh. My. God,” Sam said, feeling himself go a little bit weak in the knees as Castiel continued to look at him unblinkingly. “You’re Castiel.”
Castiel nodded. “I am.”
Sam swallowed heavily and worked up his courage. “Can I ask you something? It’s probably stupid, but it’d be really really cool.”
Castiel tilted his head in a way that was distinctly birdlike. “Of course.”
Immediately, Sam shucked his jacket to the side and unbuttoned his shirt so that he could bare his left shoulder. “Could you brand me too?”
[cut]
IV.
Castiel stood up and swung toward Sam while Dean pushed his weapon down and introduced them. Before Castiel could get so much as a hello out, Sam lurched forward and clasped his face in both of his big hands before reeling him in to kiss.
“I’m sorry,” Sam murmured between kisses, in the small breaths he took before claiming Castiel’s mouth again. “It’s just—”
“Sam,” Castiel gasped.
“You’re an angel,” he said, suddenly stumbling backwards. “I’m so sorry.”
Castiel touched his mouth briefly. “Interesting,” he said. “I wasn’t aware that this was your form of greeting.”
Latching onto an easy scapegoat for his embarrassment, Sam agreed with him quickly. “Uh, yeah, yes, we um... we do it all the time now. Recent development because uh—”
“Democratic president!” Dean offered quickly, shooting Sam a wide-eyed look.
“Ah.” Castiel nodded, licking his lips. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
[cut]
V.
Castiel stood up and swung toward Sam while Dean pushed his weapon down and introduced them. “Hello, Sam,” Castiel said.
Sam’s face went from fiercely aggressive, through gaping awe, and straight into burbling gratefulness. “You’re the one that brought my brother back,” he said.
Castiel bowed his head to look at his hand, which grasped at air as if he were remembering how he’d dragged Dean Winchester’s soul through fire and smoke and iron to bring him back. Yet when he looked back up at Sam, there was no pride in his eyes.
“Yes,” he confirmed simply and then made a soft noise of surprise as Sam engulfed him in a hug.
“Thank you,” Sam murmured and even though Castiel’s hands were sticking out awkwardly, he clung tighter to Castiel’s shoulders. He even pressed his face into Castiel’s collar, breathed in the hot ozone scent of his neck. “Thank you.”
After a few moments, Sam felt Castiel’s hands gently ease around his shoulder blades, and Castiel’s face turned slightly toward him until he could feel his breath softly wafting over his temple.
“It was an honor, Sam Winchester,” Castiel said. “Truly.”
[cut]
(On second thought, maybe we could keep that last one.)