Title: Adventures in Ink
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1,827
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, of course. I also do not own Castiel, sadly.
Summary: He may never get to experience having wings again, but they would always be part of him, and maybe it was time he showed that. Part of the Adventures in Falling verse.
Note: Thank you for the support in this verse! Feel free to drop me a comment with any ideas you have for "firsts" for Castiel as he tries to adjust to being human, or even just anything you're curious to see in this verse as prompts/suggestions are always accepted, appreciated and encouraged. :)

"A tattoo." Cas stared up at Dean, his chin resting on his chest as they lay in bed. The idea wasn't completely revolting, but it was a rather out of the blue thing for Dean to bring up.

"Yeah, you really should get the anti-possession tattoo now that you're human." He wasn't looking at him, and it was making Cas suspicious, "And you could always, y'know, personalize it a bit."

"Personalize it how?"

Dean shrugged, "I dunno, there's lots of possibilities."

"I'm sensing you have something in mind?"

"Not really," He replied quickly, and Cas saw him flush, "Well, I mean. Yeah, sort of."

"What's your idea?"

"I don't wanna offend you or anything. Hit any wrong nerves, y'know?"

"Dean," Cas deadpanned, "Please, just tell me."

Dean finally let their eyes meet, and his gaze was intense. Cas could tell that whatever the idea was, he was serious about it. "Well, I was thinking that you could get wings. Like, on your back." He shifted his eyes away again, obviously expecting some sort of negative reaction. "I just thought that maybe it'd be a good idea, 'cause they were really important to you and they were a really big part of who you are, and even though they're gone you're still, um, you."

"Wings," Cas thought about it, different ways that he could incorporate the anti-possession tattoo. He liked the idea of having a permanent reminder that he did once have them, almost like a lingering memory. While he may have thought it a bad idea a few months ago, now he found it rather appealing.

"Yeah, I mean I get it if it's not what you want, but yeah."

"No, I like it." Cas smiled, pushing himself up to press a kiss to Dean's lips, "I think I have an idea for it, as well."

It took them a couple days for Dean to find a reliable parlor. He kept worrying about unsanitary conditions, muttering about the dangers of a bad needle. Sam, on the other hand, was muttering about how Dean didn't care about any of that when they got theirs done in some crappy parlor in the middle of nowhere.

Cas spent the time working on his design, trying to capture the glory of his wings into a design that would fit on his back. He knew the design would reach across his shoulders, rounding off and coming back down so the tips of the wings landed just above the dimples in his lower back. The anti-possession tattoo would be placed between the two wings, directly between his shoulder blades. He focused on trying to get the detail of his feathers, each one delicately drawn with as much care as he could manage.

"You want them to be black?" Sam asked, glancing over his shoulder at the design Cas had just about finished.

"Yes, I want them to be my wings. Albeit much smaller."

"Your wings were black?" Dean asked.

"Not always. They were… singed, in a sense." Cas placed his pencil down, turning to meet Dean's gaze. "A trip to Hell does not come consequence free."

"Your wings were ruined 'cause of me?"

"Ruined?" Cas smiled, shaking his head, "They were far from ruined. Before I rebelled I was praised for them, much in the sense a war hero would be."

"Oh."

"Neither of us left the pit unscathed, Dean." He reminded, and the hunter's hand unconsciously moved to the handprint on his arm.

"I guess so, yeah."

Dean was more nervous than Cas was on the date of his appointment, fretting about whether or not Cas would be able to handle the pain, despite being constantly reminded that he had felt much worse. The parlor was nice, fancier than Cas was expecting, however. The artist that would be working with him was a lady named Kit. She smiled warmly at them, complimenting the design that Cas produced and telling them it would only take her a few minutes to prepare. They took a seat in one of the plush chairs, and Cas found himself reaching for Dean's hand.

"Nervous?"

"Not nearly as much as you are," Cas joked weakly. He was nervous, though. He was about to mark his skin permanently. If anything were to go wrong, if he didn't end up liking the final product… he would be stuck with it. Forever.

"Your design is amazing, Cas."

"Thank you."

"Castiel? I'm ready for you." She was motioning him forward, and Cas made his way over to the chair in the back of the room. "Alright. Go ahead and take off your shirt, sweetie."

He cringed slightly at the pet name. He knew that she was trying to be welcoming, but it made him feel like a naïve child getting their first tattoo, afraid of every little prick of pain. However he did as she asked, pulling his loose t-shirt over his head and handing it to Dean. He felt her gaze on his chest, though he couldn't tell if she was staring at the various scars lining his skin, or if it was something else.

"Great, you can go ahead and lie down so I can put the stencil on." He straddled the chair, crossing his arms on the top of it like Dean had told him to. He felt the cool touch of her gloved hands, and then pressure as the design was transferred onto his skin. "Would you like to check it in the mirror?"

"Dean, does it look okay?" Cas asked instead. He didn't want to back out now, and he was afraid seeing the design may change his feelings on it.

"Yeah, Cas. It looks great."

"Then you may proceed."

"Alright," He heard a slight hesitation in her voice, but she was moving on almost immediately. "Everyone has a different pain tolerance, so I'm not sure how much this will hurt for you. If you need me to slow down, just let me know."

Cas nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He heard the whir of the tattoo gun, and then there was a tight prick of pain as she started marking his bare skin. He couldn't help his quick intake of breath at the surprise, and he realized it was a lot more painful than he had anticipated. Almost as if he could read Cas' mind, Dean was suddenly right there and was holding his hand out. Cas took it gratefully and squeezed, using Dean's warmth as his anchor for what he was sure would be an agonizingly long process.

"Alright, sweetie. All done." Cas opened his eyes at Kit's words and let out a sigh of relief.

"It looks amazing, Cas." Dean whispered. His mouth was close enough to Cas' ear that he could feel his breath ghosting against his neck.

"You can go take a look in the mirror now, if you want." Kit said softly, in the process of removing her gloves. "Would I be able to take a picture for my portfolio?"

"I'm afraid I cannot allow my design to be used for anyone else," Cas said stiffly. He didn't know why he wanted it to be singular to himself, but he was suddenly feeling rather protective of not only his design, but the hidden meanings behind it no one outside of the Winchesters would ever know.

"Oh, no. I wasn't going to use it for anything aside from displaying what I can do. If a customer were to ask for it I would deny them, of course."

"Oh… um, sure." Kit smiled and threw a 'thanks!' over her shoulder as she went into a back room, leaving him alone with Dean.

"Ready to see it?" Dean asked eagerly.

Cas bit his lip, "Not really." He got up regardless and let Dean guide him over to the full-length mirror, his hand steadying on his elbow. Cas looked at his reflection, his nerves suddenly flaring at the idea of seeing the finished product. If it weren't for Dean's careful nudging, he wasn't sure he would've turned around. With one last, deep breath Cas glanced over his shoulder.

The tattoo was breathtaking. Kit had copied his design exactly, and none of the detail in the black feathers was spared. The pentacle rested just above his shoulder blades, directly in the center. Cas remembered the pain of having her work on it; the pain of her working directly above his spine. The two, black wings curved delicately across his back, following the line of his torso and ending just above where his pants sat. They were the exact replica of what his wings looked like when they were folded in. The only difference was in the size, and for the first time since he got the idea for them, Cas let his emotions take control. He let the tears roll down his cheeks, a bittersweet feeling of joy and longing in his chest.

Dean pulled him into his arms, careful not to put too much pressure on Cas' sore back. Kit returned at that moment, freezing not too far behind them. Cas caught a glimpse of her in the mirror and pulled away from Dean, composing himself as best as he could.

"Do you not like it?" She asked nervously.

"No, I love it. It's fantastic." Cas smiled, "You did an amazing job."

"O-okay. I'm glad you like it." She pushed past the awkwardness the best she could, and Cas posed for his photo. She went over how to properly care for the tattoo, relief flashing past her eyes when Dean told her he had one and would know what to do, more or less. She warned him that it would hurt for a couple days, and gave him strict instructions to stay out of the sun unless he had a shirt on.

Cas headed out to the Impala after paying and heavily tipping her, his best way of displaying just how glad he was. However, Dean stayed behind. "Thanks for that," He said gruffly, "He was really nervous about getting it. It's kinda got personal meaning, y'know?"

"No problem, it was a pleasure to do." She smiled brightly, "It's good you came with him. I can tell he needed you here."

Dean didn't know how to respond, so he didn't stay anything, simply muttering a 'goodbye' and a 'thank you' and then heading out to the Impala. Cas was already inside, and Dean couldn't stop his laughter at the sight of him; he was sitting on the very edge of the seat, his back as far from the seat as he could get it.

"It isn't funny," Cas insisted, "It hurts."

"Yeah, it's going to hurt for a couple of days," Dean told him, "You're also going to have to sleep on your side or something."

Cas groaned loudly as Dean put the car into drive, staying bellow the speed limit for the first time since he took his driver's test.