This is a series of one shots I thought would be fun to write about Cas dealing with human things and the boys teaching him about them (which there is a sad lack of in the series). Most of these will probably be a little AU just due to timing and setting, but they're just for fun, so I hope you enjoy them anyway.

This first one was requested by 29-pieces-of-me who wanted see Cas dealing with human sick. So that's what this story is. (And also, seriously, go read her stories because they are AWESOME)

Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters, they belong to Erik Kripke

Title: Cas Gets Sick

Setting: Season 9 kinda AU-Human!Cas staying at the bunker.

Warnings: None; just a little snot and vomit.

Castiel was still getting used to the feeling of being completely human. It wasn't the same as when he had fallen previously, for without his grace, he wasn't even angel by default, and was forced to deal with all the issues humans lived with on a daily basis, and had learned to deal with since they were born. He had to learn them himself, and it was taking a lot of work. Even the simplicity of such things as sleep, eating and bodily functions were giving him troubles.

And then there was sickness. Of course, when it happened, Cas didn't even know he was sick at all. In fact, he thought something was terribly wrong when he woke up in the middle of the night feeling very uncomfortable. Had he done something catastrophically wrong with his human body? But no, he had seen Sam and Dean abuse theirs far worse on more than one occasion, and he hadn't done anything to his recollection that could cause such harm. He hadn't over-eaten. He hadn't drunk anything, nor was he wounded. He had only felt a little tired and sore that day, and particularly heavy when he crashed in bed early that night.

He woke feeling suffocated in his blankets, his body hot and hurting, yet when he threw the blankets aside, he shivered. His head also ached horribly and felt fuzzy, confused. Something was dripping from his nose and with fear gripping his stomach—which also felt bad—he wondered if it was blood. He struggled to sit up and turn his lamp on to better see. But when he wiped his hand under his nose and inspected what was there, he found it was worse that blood.

Horrified that he might have some horrible curse put on him, he lurched from off his bed and fought just to get his footing. His head spun and his stomach rolled and he had to lean against the door before he could leave the room. He then stumbled across the hall to Dean's room.

Dean started up in bed as the door opened and watched with surprise as Cas came staggering in, a look of fear on his face, his hand held under his nose.

"Cas, you okay, dude?" Dean asked, wiping a hand over his face and getting out of bed to put a steadying hand on Castiel's shoulder to see what was wrong, surprised when Cas gripped his t-shirt and looked up at him earnestly. "What's wrong with your nose?" He reached out to pull Cas' hand away, but the former angel jerked back, nearly losing his ballence, causing Dean to have to steady him.

"Dean, I think I've been cursed," he said urgently. "My brain is leaking out my nose!"

"What?" Dean asked. "Your brain's not leaking out, Cas, brains don't do that."

"But I can't think, and my head hurts and this…substance is coming out my nose!" Cas cried, pulling his hand back for just an instant to show Dean what he had found earlier but quickly replaced it.

To his surprise and annoyance, Dean just laughed, patting Castiel on the shoulder.

"I don't see what's funny, Dean, I might be dying!" Cas said, his muffled voice only making Dean laugh harder in its seriousness. "Everything hurts and I'm burning from the inside out."

"Ah, Cas," Dean said, trying to smother his grin, shaking his head. "You've just got a cold, man. It's just snot and fever, not your brains leaking. Although it probably does feel like that. You'll be fine. We'll just get you some medicine."

Castiel felt relief seep through him. So he hadn't been cursed. That was good news at least, even if it didn't make him feel any better physically. But Dean seemed to know what he needed, and he was willing to trust him.

"Come to the study, I'll settle you on the couch," Dean said, taking his elbow to guide him out of the room.

They were only out in the hall when Castiel began to feel another odd sensation he wasn't accustomed to. He stopped Dean by tugging his shirt and the hunter turned to him expectantly, frowning at the strange look on his face.

"What?"

"I-I feel strange, Dean…I—" then before he could stop himself, he threw up all over the hunter.

Dean closed his eyes with a long-suffering sigh born of many years of caring for a sick younger brother. "Better?"

"Sorry, Dean," Cas said quietly.

"It's okay, Cas. Let's just get you taken care of."

A few minutes later Dean had settled Cas onto the couch with a bucket, a box of tissues and a thermometer in his mouth…after he had cleaned up the barf and changed his clothes, that is. He found the medicine he needed and went back out to Cas who was huddled miserably in a corner of the couch, the thermometer beeping as soon as Dean got there.

"You're running 101," he said, sitting on the coffee table so he could face Cas.

"Is that bad?" Castiel asked.

"It doesn't feel good, but it's not dangerous," Dean assured him and picked up a bottle of pink liquid. "Okay, first things first, Pepto will help settle your stomach." He handed Cas a little plastic cup and the former angel took it hesitantly, the sight of the syrupy liquid making his stomach turn again.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yep, I need to make sure you can hold the other medicine down before we throw it in there."

Castiel drank the medicine and nearly gagged but somehow managed not to throw up again. Dean took the cup back from him and handed him a glass of water.

"Just sip it," he cautioned.

Sam appeared in the room then, looking half asleep, and trying to flatten his extreme bedhead. "What's going on?"

"Cas has gotten his first flu," Dean announced with a proud smile as if it were some great accomplishment. He patted the former angel's knee as Cas groaned, glaring at him. "Why don't you keep him company, Sammy, while I get him a few more things."

Sam sat down on the couch with Cas and offered him a smile. "How are you doing?" he asked sympathetically.

Castiel shrugged and sniffed grossly, self-consciously putting a hand to his nose again. "I don't like it," he admitted.

Sam took pity on him and reached over to hand him a tissue. "No one does. It sucks being sick. Here, try and blow your nose, you'll be able to breathe better then."

Castiel made several poor attempts but finally managed to blow a really disgusting concoction from his nose that nearly made him vomit again. "Humans are very disgusting at times, Sam," he said, then hoped he hadn't offended the hunter.

Sam laughed though. "Yeah, we are. Especially when we're sick. Dean and I will help you through it though. And trust me, you are a way better invalid that Dean. You should see him when he's sick. He moans and groans as if he were on death's door."

"I heard that, Sammy," Dean growled as he came back with a pillow and a washcloth. He wrapped an arm around Castiel's shoulders to settle him back against the pillow. Cas winced, even that movement hurt, his body was so sensitive, but once he lay back on the soft pillow, he felt a little better and Dean placed the washcloth over his forehead. The coolness surprised Cas but it felt so good, he closed his eyes with a moan, settling back even more.

"Better?" Dean asked.

Cas nodded and Dean went back to the kitchen, returning with a soda and some saltines.

"Try a few of these," Dean urged. "It will help settle your stomach."

Cas reluctantly nibbled a cracker, not wanting to eat at all, everything tasting strange and muffled from his nose. But after a few crackers and several sips of the soda, his stomach did feel better, even if the rest of him didn't.

"I think we can try the Tylenol now," Dean told him, pulling open another bottle of medicine and shaking out a couple pills. "You'll have to swallow them, Cas, and don't chew them."

Cas groaned in protest as Dean forced the pills into his hand, and held the glass of water ready, but he took them readily, knowing that if Dean said they would make him better then they probably would.

Once he had swallowed them, he closed his eyes again, while Dean washed the sweat off his face with the washcloth before returning it to his forehead. "I don't feel any better, Dean."

"It won't happen instantly," Dean told him. "We'll check your temperature again in an hour or so."

"I don't understand, Dean," Cas mumbled. "How did I get sick?"

"Oh, any number of ways. You never know what you pick up in public places."

"Also," Sam added, "how many times do you wash your hands after being out, Cas? You never had to do it before because angels don't get human sickness, but now you'll have to make sure you do. If a sick person touched something you could have easily picked it up if you didn't wash your hands afterward. And since you're not used to it all, your immune system is probably pretty bad right now."

"Oh," Castiel said with a sigh. "I suppose I have many things to learn."

"Don't sweat it, Cas," Dean told him with a smile. "Being human sucks most of the time, not gonna lie. There's nothing easy about it, even when you've been human all your life."

"At least I have you two to teach me," Cas said with a small smile, cracking his eyes open to look at his two friends, his brothers, who always made sure to look out for him, as he returned the favor.

"Yeah, but let's not turn this into a chick flick moment," Dean said, uncomfortable. "How about we watch a movie so you can rest?"

Castiel nodded and while Dean started the movie, he closed his eyes, feeling a bit better, and allowed himself to drift off to sleep, feeling safe with the Winchesters there to look out for him. He knew he would have to learn the ins and outs of being human, but he didn't think he would mind it so much either. Certainly those two had gotten on well enough. So could he. It was much better than having to figure it out on his own, and chick flick moment or not, he would always be utterly grateful to Dean and Sam for taking him in even when he thought himself useless and proving him wrong.

He knew he was very fortunate to have a family like that.

This is a fic I am opening to requests, so if you would like to see Cas deal with a certain part of being human, please let me know! Depending on how many requests I get, I can't promise I will get to them all in the near future, but don't be afraid to request one anyway :) Anything goes, as long as it's not too strange, but bear in mind I do not read or write slash so I won't do any requests involving that.