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When Dean first saw Castiel, he stopped and stared. His raised his eyebrows as he walked a circle around Castiel and then, finally, after staring at him again for a long time, Dean said: “You have wings.”
Castiel shifted the wings on his back.
“I have always had wings, Dean,” Castiel replied.
“Well- okay, but- these are, like, angel wings.”
Castiel sighed. “I have always had angel wings as I am an angel.”
Dean waved a hand at Castiel dismissively. “No, I mean, you have angel wings.”
Castiel stared at Dean for a long moment, then squinted. “I don’t understand why the emphasis makes a difference in your meaning. I am an angel, therefore any wings I have would be angel wings.”
Dean huffed in irritation and gave Castiel an unimpressed look.
Sam cleared his throat. “I think what Dean means is that you have the stereotypical wings given to angels in modern society, Cas.”
Castiel nodded at Sam’s explanation. He squinted over his shoulder at the wings. “Are they?”
The wings Castiel now bore were white and fluffy. They were completely inadequate for flight- too small to carry his weight and the wrong type of feather. They were also cumbersome. Castiel’s actual wings responded to his needs instinctively. These had to be moved like an appendage, and they were heavy. Castiel shifted them in disgust.
“I like my wings better,” he said plaintively.
Dean’s eyebrows went up again. “Those aren’t your wings?”
Castiel frowned at Dean. “My wings are incorporeal, and they are useful. These-” Castiel shifted the wings again. “-are useless.”
“Can you flap them?” Dean asked.
Castiel made a face at him, but Dean continued to look at him expectantly. Castiel looked at Sam, but Sam just shrugged. Castiel narrowed his eyes at the curious look that Sam also wore.
Castiel sighed as Dean reached out and poked him in the arm. “Come on, Cas. Just one flap.”
Castiel’s frown deepened. He wondered at what point Dean had lost his fear of Castiel. He looked at Dean’s pleading face and realized that it was a lost cause. With another sigh, Castiel flicked one of the wings out to the side before snapping it back sharply.
Dean’s face lit up and Castiel realized what a fool he was.
“That’s awesome!” Dean licked his lips and studied the wings for a moment before glancing at Castiel’s face. “Hey, uh, can I touch them?”
Castiel stared at him for a moment. “You want to… touch them?” He was certain he could not have heard that correctly. Sam made a choked noise, and Castiel looked over to see him staring at Dean with wide eyes.
Dean shuffled closer and licked his lips again. He held Castiel’s gaze and gave a nod. Castiel considered him and then glanced back at the wings. He shifted them, stretching them out from his body slightly. He looked back at Dean. Dean had that hopeful look to his face again, but it was laced with something new, something darker. Castiel shifted his wings and watched as Dean’s gaze shifted with them, following the movement.
Slowly, Castiel unfurled one wing, curling it over his shoulder and bringing it closer to Dean. Dean hesitated, glancing at Castiel’s face in question. Castiel nudged him with the wing and then Dean reached out to pet it, sliding his fingers over the top arch and down the long feathers.
“Oh,” Castiel breathed as the sensation shuddered through the wing and into his body.
Dean’s attention snapped to Castiel’s face, and he reached out slowly and ran his fingers across the feathers again. When Castiel gave a soft sigh, eyes closing slightly, Dean grinned, wide and shark-like, and said, “Awesome.”
They both ignored Sam when he slammed the motel door behind him.