The buzzing hum of electrical equipment was already making Castiel nervous. If it weren't for Gabriel's insistent shoving, he wouldn't have made it through the front door of this dingy looking establishment. On the outside of the building the sign had been flickering slightly, and the windows were covered with black paint so you could not see inside. Castiel, with wary eyes, looked around the tiny inner sanctum that was "Skinkraft - Tattoo and Piercing". Even the name gave Castiel the shudders. Gabriel seemed all too amused with the behavior of his clean cut friend as they looked around. The walls were as black as the windows, and harsh florescent lights lit up tasteless artwork of naked women with copious amounts of tattoos and piercings in less than reputable places on their bodies. The whole place stank of rubbing alcohol and cheap incense that was being used to cover up any suspicious (possibly illegal) activities that were likely occurring on a regular basis at the establishment. And if the smell wasn't bad enough, Castiel's ears were graced with the sweet and melodious sounds of blaring hair metal playing from what may have been an old boom box in one of the back rooms. At the counter was a tall and very handsome young man, with hair that was fit for shampoo commercials. He was wearing a simple plaid shirt and surfing the internet on his laptop, his feet propped up on what looked like his appointment book. Gabriel gave Castiel another good shove right up to the counter, and then cleared his throat to call attention to his uncomfortable friend.

"Hey Sam." Gabriel greeted with a wide and charming smile as Sam looked up and took in the sight of one terrified Castiel, and one increasingly more amused Gabriel.

"Hey Gabe. You here for some work or just to screw around?" Sam asked, setting his laptop aside and taking his feet off the counter top.

"Actually, I'm here to see Dean. Well. Cas is anyway. Cas here, is gonna get his first tattoo." Gabriel announced, patting Castiel rather hard on the back.

"I have not agreed to this Gabriel. I do not wish to be here..." Castiel said firmly, looking from Sam, to Gabriel. Gabriel snorted.

"Oh come on. All that talk last night about getting a tatt, and you're backing out now just cause you're sober? C'mon Cas. Don't be a party pooper..."

Castiel opened his mouth to argue, when the three of them were interrupted by the swift clicking of boots on the black and white checkered linoleum. Castiel looked over as a very attractive young blond woman came strolling up the hallway and to the counter, handing over a wad of bills.

Castiel had been so busy watching the woman as she paid Sam that he hadn't noticed that she'd been followed to the doorway by someone.

"Thanks Jo. See you again next week?" Sam asked, putting the money in a lock box. Jo smiled sweetly.

"Yeah. If Dean remembers to keep it professional." she said, rolling her eyes a bit.

"Hey! I am always... professional..."

Castiel looked over to the door, seeing the source of the gruff and charming voice he'd just heard. There, in a t-shirt, beat up jeans, and boots, with a smirk on his lips that would make anyone weak-kneed... Was Dean. Castiel swallowed uneasily, not sure he wanted that man anywhere near his body with a needle.

"Goodbye Dean." Jo said with mock irritation, but she winked as she walked out the door. Sam laughed a little and watched her go.

"So what's the occasion, Gabe?" Dean inquired, now acknowledging the presence of the man and his frightened companion. Sam cleared his throat.

"Ah. Gabe here is trying to talk his buddy into getting a tattoo." Sam stated. Gabriel nodded in response.

"Yup. That's the plan. See he talked big time last night, about getting a sexy tramp stamp, or maybe even something on his ass... So now that he's sober, I'm holding him to it." Gabriel said playfully. "It'll be his first tattoo..."

Dean gave an almost wolfish grin and slowly walked past the counter and up to Castiel, into the nervous man's personal space.

"I really... Don't want to. Gabriel is insisting. However, I think I'd better just go and not waste anymore of your time." Castiel said, staring at Dean with trepidation, his head tilted back and to the side a little as if trying to avoid being bitten on the nose. Dean chuckled darkly.

"Oh come on now... Don't be scared. Since it's your first time, I promise I'll be gentle..." he teased, winking at the man. Castiel's cheeks slowly turned a deep red and he swallowed hard.

"I uh... Um..." Castiel looked to Gabriel, then Sam, hoping one of them would do something to rescue him from this man. Both seemed far too amused with the scene before them to want to step in any time soon. Sensing he was now on his own, Castiel looked back to Dean's persuasive green eyes.

"O-Okay..." Castiel said quietly. Gabriel pumped his first in victory.

"Yes! All right Castiel! You're one step closer to getting that massive stick out of your ass. Doesn't that feel good?" Gabriel quipped playfully. Dean looked over at Gabriel.

"I'll take it from here fellas. When I'm done with him, he'll be a new man. As scary as that sounded, Castiel found himself following this Dean character down the hallway to a back room. On the walls were posters of "Bust Asian Beauties" and Playboy Bunnies, as well as a smattering of rock posters. This alone made Castiel regret his decision already. He looked at the chair he was meant to sit in, it's leather was beaten and torn and had a pentagram painted on it. That wasn't exactly comforting.

"So. What's your name huggybear?" Dean inquired as he washed his hands in the sink and then pulled a sheet of sterile paper from a roll to cover the chair. He turned a knob and laid the chair out flat for Castiel to lie down on, but Castiel simply stood stiffly in the doorway.

"Castiel. My friends seem to call me Cas." he replied quietly, eyeing the tools that were sitting on a rolling tray. They were clearly going to be used on him very soon.

"Well Cas, what kind of tattoo are we lookin' at...? You want to look at some designs, there's some books of pictures right there on that counter. Or did you ave something in mind. Castiel swallowed uneasily, and paused for a moment, the image in his mind from the previous night returning. He took a deep breath.

"Do you have a piece of paper? I can draw it for you." Castiel replied. Dean nodded, rummaging through a drawer under the sink and pulling out a yellow note pad and a pen. Castiel took them and sat down on the edge of the chair, shifting uncomfortably at first, then he set to work, drawing up the design. He finished it in a few minutes, while Dean watched him with mild interest. He turned and offered the notebook and the pen back.

"That's what I want." Castiel said. Dean looked at the design and narrowed his eyes, studying it closely. His gaze moved from the paper to Castiel, and he smiled.

"So a shoulder and neck peice?" he asked, assuming from the design. Castiel shook his head.

"No... My lower back and..." Castiel shifted and turned his back on Dean, shifting on the chair and making the paper crinkle noisily. "And my rear..."

Dean was silent for a moment, looking from the design, then to the back of Castiel's head.

"Really? Huh. That's hot. All right. I'll do it..." Dean got up from his own seat and walked over to stand in front of Castiel folding his arms over his chest.

"But first you gotta lose the trench coat, shoes, and pants."

Castiel stood and couldn't meet Dean's piercing gaze as he stripped off his jacket, toed off his shoes, and finally dropped his pants. For good measure he even took off his suit jacket, setting all these things in a neat stack for the time being. Dean stifled a laugh at how uncomfortable Castiel looked as Castiel started intently at his own feet.

"All right tiger. Lay on your stomach and relax. I'll take it from here." Dean directed, much softer than he had before. Castiel slowly got onto the laid down chair and stretched out, lifting his hips as Dean reached out and pulled down his boxers to expose his supple flesh. Dean then pushed up Castiel's shirt, giving him a nice workable area from lower back to firm ass.

"Now I'm gonna draw on the design first so this might... tickle just a little bit."

Castiel had not fully prepared himself for the sensation that came next. First the swipe of alcohol prep pad, then, the cool, wet, felt tip of a mark on his sensitive skin. His leg muscles tiwtched a little as he tensed up, feeling not just the marker, but the gently brush of Dean's warm hand over his soft body. It was beyond exposure and so terrifying at first, that he had to fight with himself to stay put.

The design seemed to take ages to draw out, but once Dean finished, he began to prep his tools for the real work. Castiel closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to see any of it, in hopes that it would help him keep his calm.

"All right. If you have a happy place, go there buddy. This is gonna hurt... But if that gets you off then... Well more power to ya." Dean said. He heard the wheels of Dean's chair on the floor, coming closer, and then, there it was again. That buzzing hum over the music that had in fact, been coming from a boom box in this very room.

"Here it comes." Dean warned one last time, before the needle touched down. Castiel inhaled sharply for a moment, and then slowly let it out. He'd expected so much worse than what he felt. It stung at first, but as Dean continued on, it just felt warm. Like the sort of uncomfortable warmth you'd get from stepping into a shower that was too hot. It tingled and pricked at his skin in a way that, after a few minutes, Castiel began to actually enjoy. The adrenaline rushing into his system was euphoric. He closed relaxed and let Dean work, taking in the feel of it all. The needle scarring him with ink, the after burn from where the needle had once been, and the gentle touch of Dean's gloved hands on his ass. It was a much better experience than he'd imagined.

Castiel let himself get wrapped up in it all, the pain, the euphoria that it brought, the bad music, and worse posters. And Dean. Dean, who was singing along under his breath with the music. Dean, who's strong and skilled hands moved with the utmost precision. Castiel barely heard him when the needle moved away and Dean asked.

"You need a break?"

Castiel's voice came out hoarse, and thick with some kind of new high that he was experiencing.

"No... Keep going..." he urged quietly. Dean shrugged and began working again. For three hours they were there, in one another's company, Castiel baring himself to this stranger who had no problems creating a work of art on his creamy flesh. Three minutes to midnight and Castiel's tattoo was finally finished. Dean scooted away and sighed.

"Well. That was fun. You ready to take a look sunshine?" he asked. Castiel slowly stood, holding up the front of his boxers as he did so. Dean gestured to the full length mirror on the far wall and Castiel turned his back to it, looking over his shoulder.

On his lower back was a detailed celtic cross, from which black feathery wings sprouted, their delicate and detailed softness curving down and around Castiel's cheeks, as if they were clutching him like a lover would. Dangerously and yet tenderly. Castiel blushed a little and looked over at Dean, and with a rapturous voice said:

"It's perfect."

Dean grinned and nodded, watching as Castiel carefully pulled his boxers up over the tattoo, hissing a little in discomfort. He then pulled his pants back on and slipped into his shoes and coat.

"How much do I owe you?" Castiel inquired, catching Dean eying him like a hungry animal. His eyes were dark and the tip of his tongue slid lightly across his lips.

"Dinner and a movie." Dean replied confidently. "And then we go back to your place so I can appreciate my work a little more..."

Castiel stood there, baffled for a moment, and then, with a nervous sort of smile, he nodded.

"Okay." he replied. Dean smirked.

"You can pick me up here at eleven, next Friday." Dean husked. Castiel shivered and agreed with another nod.

"I will not be late." Castiel replied. Castiel then headed out the door, and up the hallway, walking a little funny do to his discomfort. As he stepped out into the front of the store again, Gabriel looked over with a grin.

"So did you get a tattoo or just fucked in the ass? You're walkin' like a cowboy!"

Castiel wasn't sure how to respond, but Dean did it for him.

"Actually Gabe. It was a little bit of both."

~The End

[SHAMELESS SELF PRMOTION: Like my work? Follow me on Tumblr for your chance to recieve a one-shot/drabble from me, and to see fics that won't be posted anywhere else. theskyeskye [dot] tumblr [dot] com.]