Looking up, he saw that one looked quite ordinary wearing a suit and tie although a trench coat was silently billowing behind him. Hmmm, probably a salesman or a tax accountant he mused which is just great because he knew he should have paid the rent yesterday but it really wasn't his fault that his car had broken down. He then looked at the other man, who wore thick boots and a beaten down leather jacket which managed to emphasize his broad shoulders.
He looked more like a ...hunter he decided.
Which he was, just not the type he was thinking of.
Together they looked mismatched; outweighing each other and yet they oddly seem to fit nicely.
Opposites attract apparently.
The hunter stepped forward and offered him his hand, introducing himself as Dean. The tattoo artist offered his name in return. Nodding, Dean looked behind him, lifted an arm and reached over to the other man, propelling him forward throwing him off balance.
The man looked so utterly terrified that he would have laughed but managed to contain himself.
Dean explained that his name was Cas and was here to get a tattoo. Obviously. " You seem like an expert.." The hunter gestured to the various tattoos that he could see, trailing up his arm. Thank God some of them were hidden.
"Yeah, well, I AM a tattoo artist. Anyhow, so your name was..Cas, right?"
Castiel nodded tersely.
Satisfied, the artist continued. "Well, Cas, if you could just come and sit here for me, that would be fab." The chair that he was pointing at could have passed for a torture chair.
The angel stood stock still for a moment, still looking vaguely terrified though he looked slightly calmer. Just a bit. But it was something. He then straightened up and walked over to the very passable looking torture chair and sat down slowly.
Cas, let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
And, oh, the terror is rising again.
A gruff voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Oh, stop acting like such a baby, Cas" Dean grumbled, but there was no vehemence in his voice but instead a slightly worried tone.
Well, that's new.
At Cas' flinch, a worried expression passed through Dean's face. It came as quickly as it went but the look didn't go unnoticed.
" I just don't understand why I need to get a tattoo now, Dean " Cas muttered " Because I said so. " Dean bit back although it really wouldn't have mattered since Cas wasn't listening to him anymore but looking anxiously at an instrument that the tattoo artist was holding and had brought over. Well he had to hand it to him , it did look pretty fucking lethal.
"Okaaaay" The tattoo artist began " This will probably hurt and it might take a while but the nice design you will be left with will be worth it." There was no response.
Well, it was now or never. Slowly he bent over Castiel's chest and began the process.
The pain blossomed slowly from his chest and rose upwards. It really didn't hurt as much as he expected but that didn't mean he couldn't still feel the needle puncturing his skin and as result making him whimper a bit, quite undignified. In his defense, it really was beginning to hurt more.
The angel tried as hard as he could to whimper quietly, trying his hardest not to let Dean hear him.
But a hunter is sharp and focused, looking and watching for the smallest detail.
Dean was no exception.
Watching Cas like that did something to his heart that he didn't appreciate nor liked. It was just a twinge, but it was something.
Before he could dwell on it, he shook himself, a hunter must also pay attention and right now Cas was pretty much in a fuckload of pain that he was trying to hide. Assbutt.
There was no way he was going to just stand there and do nothing, so on a whim he reached over and silently closed his fingers around Castiel's wrist and ran his his finger through his hair soothingly. He hoped anyway.
The room was silent except for the small vibrations.
Almost as if frozen in place, the room didn't move not until after what must have been at least 30 minutes that the tattoo artist spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Almost finished, I just need to do this, little,tiny bit...and THERE!" The process had finished and it took a while before the angel decided it was safe enough to open his eyes. It took longer to realise that Dean's hand was still encircled rather delicately around his wrist and a still hand was still in his hair providing warmth.
He looked up and the first thing he saw was the hunter's face caught in the overhead lights.
His usual hard eyes, full of determination and pain were filled with a little bit of worry and the need to help. The hard lines around his face after frowning too much although Dean would probably argue that they're just laugh lines ,were open and relaxed, trying to sooth him.
The thought process took less than a second ; a second to long for Dean.
He removed both his hands sharply still feeling the skin beneath his fingertips and the softness of Cas' hair.
What shampoo does he use anyway?
There was a small cough.
" So, er, well since I have finished I will need, ahem , some sort of payment." " Take my silence as a cue to continue " Dean made a gesture to carry on " Riight, well that will be..uh, 75 dollars."
There should a be an award for making a perfect O using only a mouth.
Dean would have won in a heartbeat.
"Dude, that's pretty expensive."
"Yeah well..."
Silence "Fine. Take your friggin money."
Somehow Dean had produced a small wad of money and handed it over.
"Come on, Cas" Confident that Castiel would follow, Dean began walking and was nearly at the door when that annoying voice spoke again.
"Oh and by the way, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been together?"
The red crept up slowly, tainting Dean's cheeks. It was probably the first time he had ever blushed and boy, did he hate it. All over some stupid question.
"I.. ?" Dean managed to splutter "We've been together for 5 years " Cas offers helpfully.
He looks more like himself, the colour slowly coming back to his face. His trench coat helped too for it was billowing again.
How the fuck does it even do that?
"Cas, that's not what he meant" The redness stubbornly refused to go away, and Dean felt the need to shoot the angel a glare which seemed to exclaim "Castiel, you are so fucking dead when we get back to the motel. I am so looking forward to ganking you."
It didn't quite have the effect he wanted when Castiel simply shrugged his shoulders, cocked his head slightly then walked out. He, somehow managed to get out without bursting into flames from Dean's glare as he followed.
The drive to the motel was quiet.
Reaching the motel, Dean pulled over and fixed Cas with yet another glare. He's going to run out soon.
"No need to look at me like that, Dean " Actually, yeah I think I was you thinking? I mean c'mon even you must have understood what he meant."
"I did"
"Then why did you tell him we've been together for 5 years?"
"Because, we have. We just didn't know it"
Oh.
That was unexpected.
It sounded like something from a fairytale except they aren't real. Fairies are thought. Sort of.
For the second time in the day, Dean spluttered.
But then he thought about it and it occurred to him that Cas was sort of right.
Kind of.
Not really.
Yeah right.
Well, fuck.
"It's okay, Dean" The angel reassured him. "You ARE good looking even if you're infuriating sometimes"
That was probably the most mildly put testimony of Dean Winchester.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, the eldest Winchester sighed quietly.
This would be completely wrong in a number of levels and everything will probably crumple and fall and they were in the middle of the goddamn apocalypse for fuck's sake and here was Cas, telling him this stuff. Which is why he found himself nodding because this was wanted this and he will be damned if he didn't take now before everything falls apart.
They both got out the impala and walked hand in hand to the front of the motel. Of course, Sammy decided that, that was the perfect moment to appear out of nowhere and bombard them with all the new information he had gathered whilst Cas had been getting his tattoo.
When, Sam saw the gesture however, he narrowed his eyes slowly trailing off in the middle of his point. Looking from Dean to Cas and from Cas to Dean before he surprised them both by clapping Dean around the shoulder and smiling broadly.
"Well, It was about time." He chuckled. " We are so driving to Bobby's so I can pick up my reward."
Hold on "Reward?" Dean inquired before it hit him. " You placed a bet on us?!"
"Hells yeah! And now I am getting my money." Sam chuckled already imagining what he could do with his new cash.
Probably imagining buying a better computer with faster connection. Nerd.
"You are such a bitch" Dean states, his mouth threatening to expose his smile.
"Yeah well, to bad you're a jerk" Sam retaliated, also smiling." I can't wait to see the look on Bobby's face."
Team free will stared at each other, smiling.
"It will be pleasant to see his reaction" The angel laughed, the rest of group joining moments later.
On that note, they packed up, ready to go to Bobby to deliver the news.