#cashannah

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So, technically yes, Castiel knows betrayal, and pain, and grief, and love, etc… but he's never felt them outside of a certain setting. A setting that allows for limited amounts of emotional introspection because actions are so important and time-sensitive. Now, with Metatron locked up and Dean saved, it feels like things have slowed down a little for Castiel.

We started to see Cas exploring/being more aware of his emotional self last season. This was especially obvious with April, when he was forced to articulate what happened to him and in doing so, was made more aware of why he felt the way he did. He was also a human, so all the new needs and cravings his body had were overwhelming (something he said himself). When he was human, Cas didn’t get to feel and move on… there were so many things, he needed to think about at least some of them to give his body what it wanted. Going off of this, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that, if Castiel has remained human for a longer period, he could have figured out some of his more complex emotions, including his bond Dean (which Metratron kindly and wonderfully comments on at the end of the season).

But this didn’t happen and Cas’s time as a human didn’t last.  He juiced up with another angel’s grace and he was back in the game. He had a mission again. He fell into a place where he understood how his emotions worked and how deep they ran and why he was feelings those things. I think that, now, he's being forced to feel things in a different context, and at a more relaxed pace. This gives him time to explore his emotional state, and ultimately makes him vulnerable. It would make sense, then, that he craves physical contact and closeness from the people he cares about. Hannah was certainly one of those individuals. Castiel’s love for her was obvious, but I don’t think it was romantic. He rebuffed her advances twice, and his reaction to her nakedness can easily be explained (as suchfunarewe pointed out) in two different ways:

He’s still living on borrowed grace and is becoming more human.

He doesn’t think that he can be where/with whom he wants right now. His reaction did hold a large amount of discomfort, and the fact that he’s vulnerable and craving closeness would definitely cause a more human body to react a certain way… even if it’s not for the person he wants to be reacting to (i.e. Dean).

So, do I think that kiss canonized Cas/Hannah? No, mostly because she was clearly doing it for another reason, and because Cas was just craving closeness. If he had been totally into it, he would've responded more quickly. Also, keep in mind that out of the three kisses Castiel has had, two happen in much the same way: Hannah’s kiss greatly resembles April’s in that Cas gets kissed and flounders for a while before hesitantly responding. I think it’s pretty clear that he knows what do to in terms of logistics at this point, so that hesitance boils down to Cas not sure about wanting kiss the person he’s with rather than not knowing what to do.

From my perspective, all this kiss did was show me how vulnerable Castiel is right now. He’s craving closeness and support and will get it where he can find it, because he’s being forced to delve more deeply into himself and his current emotional state.

***Gifs by the amazing hallowedbecastiel. I will never make them as pretty as she does!

EDIT: In support of this 'castiel is craving closeness theory', put a magnifying glass to hallowedbecastiel's second gif. Castiel steps away a little bit before leaning forward again. He actually steps back twice (and these steps are Castiel’s instinctual response to the kiss, not due to a loss of balance because Hannah is firmly holding him). The fact that these steps even happen is extremely telling, but the second one is what I’m most interested in.

Look at his body language. He makes a tiny, barely noticeable step away, and his head follows in the same pattern. This, to me, is indicative that, even though Cas is enjoying the contact—the closeness, this kiss is not happening with the person he wants it to. His first reaction is to move away, but he craves the intimacy that comes kissing so much that he leans in just a little bit when Hannah pulls away.

But keep looking at the body language, because while Castiel looks like he’s enjoying the contact, he makes no move to get closer. He’s solidly and completely taking up the left half of the screen, and though he isn’t necessarily retreating, he’s not pushing to be in Hannah’s space. In my opinion, Cas just really loves what kissing gives him on both an emotional and physical level. At a time where he’s being forced to think and rethink what he is, he takes comfort in a very human thing: the comfort of closeness. Of contact.

But he doesn’t look, in my opinion, like he’s in love. Instead of asserting himself and leaning in, which you would expect from two people in love (especially two people who view themselves as equals), he folds into himself. I wouldn’t pay attention to this if this was during a scene where the contact was rough, like in Dean’s earlier kissing scene. There, there’s clearly a push and pull. But this scene with Cas and Hannah? I don’t think Castiel is in love with her. I think that he feels vulnerable and he’s seeking comfort. Hannah is there and he cares about her, which is why he continues with the kiss even though she’s not his first choice. Then, who is his first choice, you ask?