Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first day of school sucked whether you were thirteen or thirty. New people, new teachers, new rules, newnewnew. It was a lot to take in all in one day. 

Dean Winchester didn’t mind it. He took another quiet moment in his pristine black 1967 Chevy Impala before getting out and calling out to his little brother. 

“Have a good day, bitch!” he called across the parking lot with a large smile on his face. 

He could feel the bitchface as Sam called back, “You, too, jerk!” The lanky teen with long hair kept walking across the pavement. 

Kid didn’t even turn around to give me a proper goodbye, Dean thought with a grin. He took another sip of his coffee, the cup dosed with International Delight’s Southern Butter Pecan creamer and a little sugar. Dean sighed happily as he hitched up his black and green backpack and walked into the main building of Broadview High School.  

Broadview, Arkansas boasted a population of nearly 60,000 people. It wasn’t the biggest city in the state by any means, but it was definitely growing. At seven-thirty a.m. on a Monday morning on the first day of school, traffic was monstrous. The high school sat in the middle of town, halfway down one of the only full east-to-west streets in the city (several other streets were broken up along the city, but this one went from point A on one side to town, straight to point B on the other side of town without interruption). The high school housed the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders of Broadview, a population of its own somewhere in the two-thousands. 

Dean kept sipping at his coffee as he entered the front office and nodded a smile to the harried receptionist that practically ran the office. Mildred Baker was a sweet woman, but as Dean knew, she was no-nonsense and serious in her dedication to the students and teachers of the school. Dean made his way to the mailroom to see if there had been any new additions to his class rosters when he heard the principal talking in the next room. 

“Don’t bother me. I am not here to be your friend or to hold your hand. You want a smile from me, gimme some Johnny Walker blue.” 

Rufus Turner had been the principal at Broadview for eons. Dean still remembered being called back to the old coot’s office for a talking-to that usually ended up being a discussion about cars and engines more so than an actual conversation about behavior in class. Dean waited for whoever it was to be booted from the man’s office before making himself known. 

Stepping back out into the lobby stood a man with a squinty-eyed look on his face. His stubbled face with the jaw and the stubble and the pink, perfect lips (what?) and dark hair, and oh shit he sees me. 

Dean cleared his throat and walked over to the man who had caught Dean staring at him. Blue was the only other adjective that popped into his head as he approached the man. 

“Hey, man. New?” 

The man nodded his head. 

Dean held out his hand for a shake and introduced himself. “Dean Winchester, AP and Senior English.” He had on his boyish ‘trust me’ face, guaranteed to get anyone talking and smiling within minutes.  

The man looked down at Dean’s hand and then back up to his eyes. He cleared his throat before putting his hand in Dean’s. “Castiel Novak, advanced mathematics.”  

Dean nearly swooned at the sound of the man’s rough voice. The fuck? Man up, Winchester, he told himself. He, too, cleared his throat and quickly dropped Castiel’s hand. The two men still stared into each other’s eyes.  

“Right,” Dean sighed. “How about I walk you to your classroom? I can’t imagine Rufus told you anything about the building or where your classroom would be.” 

The man—Castiel—turned back toward the principal’s office. “No, he did not.” 

“No worries then,” Dean told him and turned him around to go back into the office, heading right for Mildred’s desk. “Mildred, can I get Cas’ class info? Rufus was his usual charming self this morning and didn’t give the man any of his stuff.” Dean turned back to look at Castiel, who had the tiniest of tiny smiles on his face. It made his eyes look a lighter blue. 

The woman sitting at the desk rolled her eyes (she’d known Dean for almost a decade and knew exactly how charming the man could act), but turned around and began typing at her computer. “Good morning, Mr. Novak. How are you today?” Mildred asked as she typed.  

“I’m well, thank you. I do appreciate you getting this information for me,” Castiel said, very prim and polite.  

Dean wondered if he was always that way (which he had no business wondering about) or if it was first-day jitters. Dean stood by and watched as Mildred got all of the paperwork printed off. He had to loosen his tie just a bit; it was getting warm for some reason. Dean took a deep breath, but that only served for him to look around the room in confusion. Spring was months away, but he could swear he smelled petrichor and freshly turned dirt. He shrugged and went back to watching the receptionist and Castiel. 

When the man turned back around, he had a determined look on his face; he was ready for the battle that was high school. 

“Come on, man. I’ll take you to your classroom,” Dean told Castiel with a kind smile and a slap to his shoulder. 

Dropping Castiel off at his classroom (only one hallway away from Dean’s own), Dean felt disappointed at leaving the man alone on the first day. His Omega was pulling at him to comfort the man with the line between his brow and confusion still written on his face. Weird. 

“Alright, well, here’s where I leave you, Cas. Have a good day,” Dean said jovially. 

Castiel walked across the room. He sat down, looked up from his desk, and smiled genuinely at Dean. “Thank you, Dean; I appreciate your hospitality.” 

All Dean could do was nod and back up into an errant student in the hallway, eyes still locked with Castiel. Dude.

Chapter Text

Castiel woke up with dread. The first day of school at a brand-new job. What had he been thinking when he applied for and accepted the position with Broadview High School? He wanted something different, a new challenge. Well, here it was.  

Castiel got up and went through his morning routine before heading out the door to his car. Something was buzzing just under his skin and Castiel couldn’t tell what. Probably just first-day jitters . It took approximately twenty minutes to cross the town between the route Castiel needed to take plus the traffic on the road. He rolled his eyes and checked his watch. At least he was still on time.   

At the high school, Castiel was lost. He somehow got turned around and ended up on the second floor. Castiel made his way back downstairs and asked a student where the front office was.  

“You’re headed in the right direction. It’s at the end of the hall.”  

“Right,” Castiel muttered as the student hurried off. “Thanks.”  

Castiel continued down the hall and, yes, there was the front office. He needed to meet with the principal and get his class rosters before he could go to his classroom, which he also needed to find.  

“Hello, I’m Castiel Novak,” he told the receptionist upon entering.  

“Oh, Mr. Novak; welcome,” she replied with a warm smile. “Mr. Turner will be right with you.”  

It didn’t take two minutes before he was being called back to the principal’s office. He’d never been to see the principal when he was in school, so this was a new experience that left his stomach roiling with anxiety.  

“Novak!” an older black man called from the open doorway.  

Castiel hurried to follow before the door was shut in his face.  

“Sit down,” the man said, doing the same. “I’m Turner. You can call me Mr. Turner. Don’t bother me. I am not here to be your friend or to hold your hand. You want a smile from me, gimme some Johnny Walker blue.”  

Castiel sat and gaped at the man for a moment.   

“That’s all,” Mr. Turner said, eyebrows raised, and Castiel was quickly dismissed.   

Castiel was still looking over his shoulder at the closed office door when someone stopped him.  

“Hey, man. New?”  

Castiel nodded, feeling out of his element.  

The man held out his hand for a shake and introduced himself. “Dean Winchester, AP and Senior English.”    

Castiel was instantly charmed. The man had dark blond hair, the greenest eyes he had ever seen, and full, pink lips that Castiel really wanted to feel against his own.  

Castiel looked down at Dean’s hand and then back up to his eyes. He cleared his throat before putting his hand in Dean’s. “Castiel Novak, advanced mathematics.”  

“Right,” Dean said. “How about I walk you to your classroom? I can’t imagine Rufus told you anything about the building or where your classroom would be.”  

Castiel turned back toward the principal’s office once more. “No, he did not.”  

“No worries then,” Dean told him and turned him around to go back into the office, heading right for the receptionist’s desk. “Mildred, can I get Cas’ class info? Rufus was his usual charming self this morning and didn’t give the man any of his stuff.”   

Dean turned around to look at Castiel with a ‘trust me’ smile on his face. Castiel smiled a little back at the man.  

The woman sitting at the desk rolled her eyes, but turned around and began typing at her computer. “Good morning again, Mr. Novak.” Mildred asked as she typed.   

“I do appreciate you getting this information for me,” Castiel said, very polite. At least the other people he would work with seemed kind. The receptionist handed over his paperwork with a smile.  

“Come on, man. I’ll take you to your classroom,” Dean told Castiel and slapped him on the shoulder before walking away.  

Castiel took a quick moment to scent the air. He could have sworn he smelled apple pie. Surely everyone was wearing blockers. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking. Pie would be nice right about now; comforting.  

On reaching Castiel’s classroom, Dean entered the room as well.  

“Alright, well, here’s where I leave you, Cas. Have a good day.” Dean said, rocking back and forth on his heels. It seemed like the man was stalling.  

Castiel sat down at his desk and looked up. He smiled genuinely at Dean. “Thank you, Dean; I appreciate your hospitality.”  

As Dean backed out of the classroom, the men’s eyes locked together. His eyes are green like apples , Castiel thought and shook his head at himself.   As Dean hit the door, he nearly backed into a student. It was adorable the way the man flailed and caught himself on the door frame; he looked so embarrassed. Dean righted himself, waved, and turned to leave. Castiel continued looking at the door with a small smile even as his students filed in. This could be a very good thing.  

Chapter Text

Driving Sam home was never a chore growing up. The kid was eight and had all sorts of funny stories to tell about his day. At eighteen, Dean had to play it cool, but secretly he loved their drives. Now that Sammy was eighteen himself, well, the little nerd only wanted to talk about what he learned in school that day.  

“--and he’s crazy smart. He went to Stanford, Dean!” Sam said excitedly as Dean tuned back into the conversation.  

“Who’s crazy smart?” he asked distractedly.  

Sam huffed in the passenger seat and once again, Dean could feel the bitchface directed his way. He smirked at Sam and batted his eyelashes. Sam reached over and punched the man in the shoulder.  

“The new math teacher, Mr. Novak. He’s really cool, but in like a nerdy, dorky way. He--”  

Dean tuned out again, thinking about his own encounter with Mr. Novak that morning. It was weird; he’d been thinking of the man off and on all day. Y’know, hoping the kids were treating him right on his first day and stuff. God knows Rufus wasn’t the best welcome party. He’d ask the guy about his day tomorrow. Surely, he drank coffee and would be in the lounge in the morning. Yeah, I’ll check him out tomorrow and make sure things went well. Dean shook himself a bit. Check on him.  

“You’ve not paid attention to me at all, have you?” Sam rolled his eyes and turned to look out the window.  

“Dude, I met him this morning, alright? I got the dorky, nerdy vibe, too. Did you see his tie was backward this morning? I really wanted to fix it for him; he shouldn’t go to class like that on his first day.”  

Sam turned to look at his brother who was staring out the windshield with a small smile on his face, presumably thinking about Mr. Novak. Well, well, well , the teenager thought.  

Dean stayed for dinner with his mom and brother. It was a yearly tradition—the Winchester family gorged themselves on Chinese takeout on the first day of school.  

“So, how was the first day, fellas?” Mary asked her boys as they sat around the kitchen table.  

“It was okay. There’s a new math teacher at school though; he went to Stanford!”  

“Dude, is that all you’re gonna talk about tonight?” Dean asked, mouth full of eggroll. “’Oh, Cas is so cool, he went to Stanford’.” Dean teased.   

He missed the look his mother and brother shared as he looked back down at his box of orange chicken. Mary’s eyes went wide and Sam raised an eyebrow and smirked.   

“’Cas’, huh?” she asked, picking at her food so that she could gauge her son’s reaction.  

“Castiel, Cas, whatever. He’s new and Rufus was a dick to him this morning, so I showed him to his classroom.” Dean shrugged as if anyone would have done the same.  

~~~~~  

Dean didn’t see Castiel again until Thursday; it was a busy week for teachers. That morning, as Dean dragged himself into the teacher’s lounge for more coffee, he saw a familiar messy head of hair sitting in the corner, talking to Charlie. Castiel was frightened if his body language was anything to go by.  

Dean laughed to himself as he got coffee and went to sit down with the duo. Charlie was a lot to take in on the best of days, let alone on a stressful one.  

“Charles, let the man breathe,” Dean said as he sat down next to Castiel leaving Charlie alone on her side of the table.  

“I’m getting to know my new bestie. You can’t fault me for enthusiasm,” she retorted with an annoying slurp of her almost-gone iced coffee.  

Dean rolled his eyes and elbowed Castiel in the side and faux-whispered, “She’ll be like the little sister you never wanted.” Dean took a sip of his still-too-hot coffee. He didn’t need that part of his tongue anyway...  

“I actually already have a younger sister; another would not be a hardship,” Castiel said with a smile behind his travel mug.  

Dean looked over to say something snarky but stopped when he noticed that Castiel had a smear of foam on his upper lip. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie look over at him in surprise. He shook the small smile off his face, cleared his throat, and seared his tongue again.  

“Cas, you, uh...” Dean waved his fingers in front of his mouth. “...got a thing.”  

Castiel tilted his head and squinted his eyes before grabbing a napkin and wiping at his mouth. Dean hid a fond smile behind his coffee cup. He missed Charlie’s questioning look. Dean took a deep breath, intending to stand up, but he was stopped by the same scent as Monday: rain and dirt and grass and spring. Instead of standing, however, he looked over at Castiel.  

“Do you wear cologne?” Dean asked. The scent of impending spring had been driving him nuts for days.  

“I usually do not. Why?” Castiel’s eyes got large. “Are my blockers not working?” He slapped a hand to his neck, just above his collar.  

Charlie cut in before Dean could say anything. “No, Castiel; your blockers are working fine. Dean’s just sensitive.”  

Dean frowned. “Am not.”  

The first bell rang, signaling to everyone that classes would soon start. The three teachers stood up and got rid of any trash they had accumulated. At the door, Charlie and Dean headed off in one direction while Castiel went the other.  

“Dude, why are you following me?” Dean asked as they walked down the hall. Charlie’s computer science classroom was in the STEM part of the building, closer to Castiel.  

Charlie turned and punched Dean in the arm. “What the hell was that?”  

“What was what?”  

Charlie rolled her eyes, stopped in the middle of the hallway, and grabbed Dean by the elbow. Neither cared that they were surrounded by rushing teenagers who were trying valiantly to get to class before the second bell.  

“You know what . That weird thing with Castiel.”  

Dean held Charlie’s eyes, searching for any hint of a joke. He really didn’t know what she was talking about and told her so.  

“Okay, first, you practically sat in the dude’s lap,” Charlie held up a finger as Dean scoffed. “Then the coffee thing. I swear you looked like a little puppy for a minute. And the scent thing!”  

Dean reached up and straightened his tie. “No, I didn’t,” he argued. “The chairs were where they were and the coffee thing was funny, alright?” He had no response to the ‘scent thing’.  

“That was not your ‘it’s funny’ face. I don’t know what that face was. And for the scent thing, you looked like...like you did when you and Anna started going out...” Charlie trailed off.  

The second bell rang. Dean and Charlie looked at each other for a moment, at an impasse. She finally raised her hand in a Vulcan salute and turned to walk to her classroom. Dean walked into his room shaking his head in confusion. So, yeah, maybe he sat a little close, but he wanted to talk with the guy. He’s a cool guy ( you’ve known the dude for a couple of days, how the fuck do you figure that one, Sherlock? ). Whatever. And the coffee mustache was funny. For a second, Dean could imagine a young Cas drinking a glass of milk after school and getting a milk mustache. He caught himself smiling again at the memory. And the scent thing...that was...someone in the lounge wearing cologne.   

Chapter Text

Castiel watched as Dean Winchester waved goodbye to a student. He was irrationally jealous that this student got to spend extra time with Dean. The student came closer and he realized it was Sam Winchester. Castiel felt like an idiot. 

“Good morning, Mr. Novak,” Sam greeted as he made his way up to the building. 

“Good morning, Sam. How are you today?” 

“Eh, okay. Dean—er, Mr. Winchester—nah, you know what he was being a jerk. Dean kept making Rapunzel jokes on the way to school like the asshole that he is.” Sam looked up at Castiel from a fringe of hair in his eyes. “Sorry...” 

“I like ‘assbutt’ personally. I used to call my brother that all the time...still do if he deserves it,” Castiel said with a smile. Both he and Sam laughed as they entered the school building.  

Castiel waved Sam away as the teenager began his trek to first period. There was still a good ten minutes until the first bell rang, so Castiel headed to the teachers’ lounge for some additional coffee. Upon entering, Castiel was met by Charlie Bradbury, the computer science teacher. 

“I’ve been wanting to meet you!” she squealed, engulfing Castiel in a hug. “The last math teacher and I had a feud going because he was an asshat Alpha who didn’t think an Omega was capable of rational thinking.” Charlie didn’t let Castiel respond, she simply kept talking. “Anyway, now that you’re here, maybe you’ll be more receptive to my idea!” She took Castiel’s arm and they sat down at a table in the far corner of the room.  

For the next few minutes, Charlie held Castiel hostage, jumping from topic to topic, often with no segue whatsoever. Currently, she was talking about Harry Potter. “Hermione was totally the heroine of that story. I mean she--” 

“Charles, let the man breathe,” Castiel heard behind him. Dean sat down beside Castiel and gave him a smile. 

“I’m getting to know my new bestie. You can’t fault me for enthusiasm,” she retorted with an annoying slurp of her almost-gone iced coffee. 

Dean rolled his eyes and elbowed Castiel in the side and faux-whispered, “She’ll be like the little sister you never wanted.” Dean took a sip of his steaming cup of coffee and made a face as if he had burned himself. 

“I actually already have a younger sister; another would not be a hardship,” Castiel said with a smile behind his travel mug.  

He looked over at Dean as he sipped at his coffee; the man was just as handsome as he had been a few days before. Castiel had hoped it was just the shine of the first day of school that had him thinking of Dean in such a way. But no, it was just the man himself. 

Castiel turned back to Charlie and was about to engage in further conversation when Dean interrupted him. 

“Cas, you, uh...” Dean waved his fingers in front of his mouth. “...got a thing.” 

Castiel tilted his head and squinted his eyes before grabbing a napkin and wiping at his mouth. He could almost see a smile on Dean’s face. Yes, Castiel was a rather amusing Alpha, not known for his brute strength or knothead ways. 

Dean suddenly gave Castiel an odd look. “Do you wear cologne?” the man asked. 

“I usually do not. Why?” Castiel’s eyes got large. “Are my blockers not working?” He slapped a hand to his neck, just above his collar. If his blockers weren’t working then he needed to head home immediately. He wasn’t ashamed of his scent, but it was close. Castiel was often told that he had too light a scent, that no Omega would take him for a real Alpha. 

Charlie cut in, calming Castiel’s racing thoughts. “No, Castiel; your blockers are working fine. Dean’s just sensitive.” 

Dean pouted. “Am not.” 

Castiel breathed a sigh of relief. He felt tempted to ask the same of Dean. That apple pie smell was back again and just couldn’t imagine it coming from Charlie. If everyone’s blockers were working, then why could he still scent? He shouldn’t be able to smell apple pie. 

The first bell rang, signaling to everyone that classes would soon start. The three teachers stood up and got rid of any trash they had accumulated. At the door, Charlie and Dean headed off in one direction while Castiel went the other. 

He was glad to have made two friends so quickly. His older brother always said that Castiel’s ‘people skills’ were ‘rusty’ and that he was ‘awkward as fuck’ when he tried to interact with anyone that wasn’t family. Neither Charlie nor Dean seemed to mind if he was awkward. Perhaps they would remain friends as the semester wore on. For some odd reason, he couldn’t imagine not knowing Dean anymore. 

Chapter Text

Two weeks later, at the end of August, Dean hesitated just outside of one of the classrooms. Sam said he was being tutored that afternoon by Castiel. It wasn’t a problem in and of itself; on the contrary. Dean liked the dorky dude (well, not like like), but there was something about being in the man’s presence that unsettled him. No, intrigued him. It was like Castiel had his own gravitational pull...but Charlie had laughed and muttered something about ships when Dean told her.  

Dean took a deep breath and felt his head swim minutely ( maybe it’s going to storm again, he thought) For the last week, it had stormed on and off. Dean had never reacted so strongly to rain before. Every night before bed, the man had to jerk off or he couldn’t sleep (not too odd an occurrence in all honesty, but it felt different this time). He’d wake to slick-wet sheets, having remembered his dreams the night before. He was embarrassed beyond all reason because it was always Castiel putting Dean in a state of ecstasy in those dreams, hence the hesitance to see the man. He wasn’t gay for crying out loud!  

Dean had avoided talking to the man on those days. He’d nod or wave hello, but he refused to stick around for conversation. Charlie was beginning to call him out, saying that Castiel had noticed his absence and wondered if Dean was alright. Of course, he was. Dean was righter than rain! Dean shook his head at himself. You’re an idiot, Winchester. Man up, and walk through the door. Dean took another deep breath and walked into the classroom with his best smile in place.  

“Heya, Cas,” Dean said as he crossed the threshold.  

Castiel looked up from his desk where it looked like he was grading papers. “Hello, Dean,” Castiel returned with a small smile of his own.  

The men stared at each other for a moment before Sam interrupted them. Dean was thankful. Castiel’s eyes reminded Dean of rain puddles that had littered his driveway, reflecting the blue skies.  

He cleared his throat. “Mr. Novak? I have a question about number eight.” He cut his eyes over to Dean with an evil glint in them.  

 Dean stuck out his tongue and walked up to Castiel’s desk, leaning a hip on it, and facing his brother’s desk in the front row (nerd). Dean’s eyes wandered around the room. There wasn’t much decoration in here; no photos or posters (other than the random numbers that Dean thought made up a formula...no, equation). Dean’s eyes made their way back to Castiel and Sam when said eyes dropped down to look at Castiel’s ass. It was a nice ass, covered by dark slacks that were practically molded to the man’s thighs. When Dean realized he was checking out the man’s ass, he started and choked on his own spit.  

Castiel turned around in concern, still bent over. “Dean? Are you alright?” the man asked.  

Dean had turned an impressive shade of red and shook his head ‘no’...then ‘yes’...then he caught his breath.  

“Cough- loser- cough,” Sam coughed. Dean turned his head to his brother quickly and narrowed his eyes.  

Castiel straightened up. “Dean, are you sure you’re alright?”  

Dean cleared his throat. “Yeah man, went down the wrong pipe is all,” he said with a smile.  

Castiel tilted his head and squinted his eyes, trying to solve a puzzle. “What pipes?”  

Dean stared at him for a moment. Those blue eyes were easy to get lost in; what was happening?  

“Oh, you know, the, uh, idiom. Something goes down the wrong tube or pipe means that you choked.”  

Castiel moved his head back to center, though his eyes were still squinty. He slowly began nodding before turning back to Sam, hitching his pants, and squatting down to his level. Dean’s dick gave a very slight twitch. Behind Castiel and in full view of Sam, Dean threw his head back and rolled his eyes. This wasn’t okay. Castiel was a friend (right?), not some hot chick Dean was hoping to bang; what the hell, body? When Castiel was finished helping Sam, he rose up and turned to talk to Dean.  

“So, uh, how’s your day been, Cas?” Wow, smooth, Winchester.    

“Quite well, thank you for asking,” the man replied with a large smile on his face. His nose wasn’t quite crinkled and the corners of his eyes weren’t tilted up, but Dean’s inner Omega gave a lusty sigh anyway.  

Dean stood up, clearing his throat. “You ready yet, bitch?” he asked, sounding gruff.  

He watched Sam roll his eyes. “Not yet, jerk. Why don’t you and Mr. Novak talk some more,” Sam retorted, with a slight smile on his face.   

Dean wished he could give Sam a punch in the arm. Damn kid. Said kid turned around to Castiel who had been watching the interaction.   

“Mr. Novak, you said you’re new in town, right?” he asked earnestly and with the start of puppy-dog eyes. Dean didn’t trust him. “You should come to our house for dinner tonight. Dean makes a really good pot roast.”  

Damn kid’s never going to live to see nineteen, Dean stewed.  

“Oh, well, that’s very kind of you, Sam, but--”  

“No, really. You need to meet some people, right? Make friends?”  

Dean watched Castiel pale a little bit. “Sammy, the guy said no,” he said looking back over at his brother.  

“Please, Mr. Novak? My mom would pitch a fit if we didn’t at least invite you.”  

Dean looked back up to Castiel who had a calculating look on his face, staring at Dean.  

“If your mother won’t be put out, I’d love to. Thank you, Sam.” Castiel smiled as he accepted the invitation, still looking Dean’s way.  

If I say anything about him not coming I’ll look like an asshole. Thanks a lot, Sammy. Dean could only smile and nod his head. “Just, uh, follow us back to my mom’s house when y’all get done here, yeah?”  

“Thank you, Dean.”  

Once in the car driving home, Dean leaned over and punched Sam in the left arm. Hard.   

“What the fuck is your problem, Sam? Inviting your teacher to dinner?”  

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his hair out of his way. “Because he’s all alone.”  

“Bullshit,” Dean said without looking away from the road. Every now and then he’d check the rearview mirror to make sure the eyesore Castiel called a car was still behind them. He didn’t want the guy to get lost.  

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dean. I invited a lonely--”  

“No, you did this for a reason other than Cas being sad and lonely after moving here from Iowa.”  

“How’d you know he was from Iowa?” Sam turned in his seat and asked, looking at Dean.  

Dean gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “He may have mentioned it during a conversation. Or something.”  

“Since when do you care about where someone is from?”  

“Just shut your cakehole, Sammy.”  

Chapter Text

Castiel felt like he had already lost a friend. For the last week, Dean had barely been around. If they passed each other in the halls, Dean would nod his way, but quickly walk off. Charlie reassured Castiel that Dean was just being aloof, most likely on accident. She mentioned that perhaps he had a new special someone on his mind. That twisted Castiel’s insides in a way he didn’t particularly like. Many of his friends were single and dated, so why would it be an issue now? Well, that and the fact that Castiel had quite the crush on the other man.  

He was taken aback when Sam invited him for dinner with Dean and his mother. Castiel had been surprised to even see Dean in his classroom let alone seeing him for a meal. Castiel accepted out of shock more than anything else. Now here he was, sitting in a random driveway behind a big black car, and second-guessing himself. Castiel adjusted the rearview mirror so that he could straighten his tie before getting out of the car.  

Castiel nervously rang the doorbell. He should have stayed in the car longer to calm down. Why was he so nervous? Oh, right, Dean. Dean was why Castiel was nervous. The man was perfect in looks and personality. He was a frat boy at times (a ‘dude bro’ Charlie mentioned), but underneath the bravado was the most caring man he’d ever met. Castiel was lost as soon as he met the man.  

The door opened and a woman in her late-forties stood there with a smile.  

“You must be Castiel. I’m Mary; Dean and Sam’s mom.” Mary held out her hand for a shake and as Castiel put his hand in hers, she pulled him in for a hug. Warm vanilla enveloped him and immediately set him at ease. “Come on in. The boys are in the kitchen.”  

“Listen here, bitch, you do not mix salt and pepper with the green beans. You--”  

“No, you listen, jerk. I’m cooking the sides and what I say goes.”  

Mary threaded her arm through Castiel’s and pulled him further into the house. At the sound of Sam and Dean arguing, she smiled ruefully.  

“They’re adults and yet they still act like children.”  

Mary walked Castiel into the kitchen where the other two were having a slap-fight near the stove. Soon it turned into a shoving match which Dean won by twisting around and putting Sam into a headlock.  

“Dean Michael Winchester!” Mary admonished. She motioned for Castiel to sit at the table. “We have company for crying out loud.” She walked up to the boys and smacked both of them on the head.  

Dean immediately looked up toward Castiel, his cheeks red. He cleared his throat. “Heya, Cas.”  

Castiel smiled at the adorable man. “Hello, Dean.” He looked to Sam. “Hello, Sam.”  

“Hi, Mr. Novak,” Sam said as he turned back to the stove.  

“Beer?” Dean asked. He seemed anxious to have Castiel around.  

“Sure, Dean,” Castiel replied. He looked toward Mary. “Is there anything I can do to help, Mrs. Winchester?”  

“Oh, Castiel, please call me Mary. And no, Sam and Dean are in charge of dinner tonight. You’re a guest, Castiel.” Mary sat down at the table as Dean got three beers from the fridge. “Do you prefer ‘Cas’ or ‘Castiel’?”  

Dean choked on his sip of beer and began coughing. Sam snickered and Dean hit him in the arm.  

Castiel blushed, smiled, and looked down at the table. He looked back up to Mary who had a small smile on her face.  

“Either is fine, Mary. Anything is better than what my brother calls me.” Castiel took a sip of his beer. “Cassie.”  

Everyone in the kitchen laughed.  

“Well, I like Castiel,” Mary decided. “I used to tell my boys that angels were watching over them.”  

“What does that have to do with Cas, Ma?” Dean asked, sitting down beside Castiel. (As close as in the teacher’s lounge, which made Castiel’s Alpha perk up with interest.)  

Castiel turned toward Dean slightly, nearly nose to nose with the man. “Castiel is the name of an angel; the Angel of Thursday.” He took a sip of his beer, noticing how Dean’s pupils dilated slightly at the sight of Castiel’s lips wrapped around the bottle. He smiled at Dean and dropped his eyes.  

Dean cleared his throat and stood up to check the meal in the oven.  

“About ten more minutes, y’all.” Instead of sitting back down, Dean stayed near the oven with his brother.  

For the next ten minutes, Mary asked Castiel questions about his life, his work.  

“Numbers always made more sense to me than people growing up. I was the ‘weird’ kid,” he said with his fingers making air quotes.  

Mary reached out and touched Castiel’s hand. It was nice being comforted, though he wasn’t sure why she was comforting him. With a lull in the conversation, Castiel turned his gaze toward Dean. The man was wearing worn jeans that showed off his bowed legs and a green henley that brought out his eyes. Castiel didn’t care what Dean’s designation was; he really wanted to ask the man out. Turning back toward Mary, she had a knowing smile on her face. Castiel blushed and looked down at the table again.  

The conversation flowed throughout dinner. Stories of both Sam and Dean were told by Mary. Some actually funny and some embarrassing. Castiel hadn’t laughed so hard in ages. It was a shame that he had to leave, but it was getting late.  

“Please come back again, Castiel,” Mary said, hugging the man again. “You’re always welcome here alright?”  

“Thank you very much, Mary.” Castiel looked over to Dean. “I would love to take you up on that offer.”  

Dean walked Castiel out, and the two men stood staring at each other on the sidewalk for a moment. Had Castiel been braver, he’d have reached forward for a kiss. Alas, he was too chickenshit right now. Maybe next time.  

Chapter Text

After Castiel left, Dean walked back into the house with a smile on his face. He missed the look that Mary and Sam shared. As the Winchesters began cleaning up, Sam decided to be a little shit to his big brother.  

“Someone’s got a crush!” Sam cooed at his brother.  

“I do not, bitch! Cas is...Cas is... He’s just different, alright?”  

“Oh, but you knew exactly who I was talking about? Whatever you say, jerk, but I called this years ago when you hung out with Aaron all the time.”  

Dean scoffed. “He was my best friend! Of course, we hung out all the time!” Dean could feel his face turning red from embarrassment. Okay, so there may have been one or two times that he imagined...but that was nothing!  

“Dude,” Sam continued, “your Omega flared so bad when he was around. If you and Cas hadn’t been wearing blockers, I bet you would have gone all Omega on him, too.”  

Dean took two steps and walked right into Sam’s space, getting in his face and replying, “It did not and it would not. He was my friend, Sam; end of story.” Dean nearly growled he was getting so angry.  

Sam laughed in his brother’s face. “You went to prom together!”  

“Lisa just broke up with me!”  

“Whoa, fellas,” Mary said, coming into the kitchen where the boys were supposed to be cleaning up. “What’s with all the yelling?” She decided to pick up the beer bottles left on the table and went to throw them in the recycling bin.  

Sam side-eyed Dean as continued washing off plates and turned to look at his mother. “Dean has a crush on Mr. Novak,” he told her.  

“Oh, he’s cute,” she said with a smile. “He was so shy and polite. He should come back again soon.” Mary looked over at Dean and gave him a pointed look.  

Dean sat down and rolled his eyes. “Seriously? It. Is. Not. A. Crush.”  

“Methinks the jerk doth protest too much,” Sam muttered under his breath as he put the plates in the dishwasher.  

“Listen here, bitch--”  

“Dean! Language,” Mary scolded.  

Sam smiled tightly at his brother and stared him down as he asked, “Mom, do you remember Aaron Bass?”  

Mary frowned as she thought. “Oh, yes,” she said, smiling. “Dean’s best friend in high school. He was such a sweetheart. He--”  

“See?” Dean interrupted. “ Friend , Sam. I didn’t like him like that.”  

“Wait, didn’t y’all go to prom together, though?” Mary asked. “I distinctly remember--”  

“It was a bro date!” Dean sputtered, throwing his hands up in the air and sitting down in what was formerly Castiel’s chair.   

“So, it was a date?” Sam asked, looking like a smug little punk in Dean’s opinion.  

Dean sat with his mouth hanging open. That's not what he meant at all but it seemed that rebuttal was futile. He didn’t have a crush on Cas; Dean wasn’t gay. He wanted to shout it louder: I’m not gay! But there were some things... no .   

“You both suck,” Dean pouted.   

Sam sat back down as well and snickered from across the table. Dean looked over at his mom, making sure she was looking elsewhere, before flipping his little brother off.  

After getting back to his own home, Dean sat and stewed. He didn’t have a crush, dammit. He had a healthy appreciation for the friendship that he and Cas shared. So what if the guy was kind of dorky and clueless? He was also really smart and hot and funny...  Shit, I have a crush on Cas. Dean sat down heavily on his couch and dropped his head into his hands.  

Okay, first, Dean wasn’t gay. He could appreciate the male form just like any other dude... Dean was quickly digging himself a hole and he was about ready to be buried in it. Dean wasn’t gay. He liked chicks! He liked the softness of breasts and curves, the silky-smooth skin covering every inch of a woman’s body. He appreciated the hardness of men’s bodies, the strength therein. Dean  appreciated the fact that another guy could lift him up and throw him across the room. Wait. Fuck.  

Dean stopped avoiding Castiel if only to prove to Sam and his mother that he didn’t have a crush on the guy. (Maybe proving to himself a little bit, too.) The two men had coffee together every morning and had lunch together nearly every day. Dean kept wanting to ask the man out for dinner some night; he could cook. That, however, sounded both too much like a date and like too bad of an idea in general. To the best of his knowledge, Castiel didn’t know that Dean was an Omega. Letting the man into his house would alert him of that fact. Dean had already lost friends because of his designation, and he didn’t think he could handle Castiel being one of them.  

Somehow, in such a short period of time, Dean had come to think of Castiel as one of his best friends, despite being only ‘work friends’. Dean and Castiel just clicked. As August ended and September began, the friendship was growing strong.  

~~~~~   

Dean sat in the dunk tank for three hours getting dunked by most of the students in his AP classes. Charlie was manning the booth, handing out softballs and prizes.   

“Fall Fest” wasn’t really a fall festival. Taking place over the Labor Day weekend, the Central Arkansas weather was still sticky, hot, humid, and uncomfortable. Dean loved manning the dunk tank for that very reason. Even the lukewarm water was better than wandering around in the heat. He’d foregone sunscreen against Charlie’s advice, and now his shoulders and nose were red with more freckles dotting the tanned skin.  

A breeze blew past, carrying with it the most enticing scent Dean had ever had the pleasure to experience. Petrichor, newly turned soil, and freshly mowed grass. It was suddenly spring in Dean’s mind and nose. That was the smell from the school and from his dreams. Dean’s Omega sat up and took notice.  That’s mine, it said, that Alpha is mine. Homehomehome and matematemate were circling around Dean’s head, making the man lightheaded. He searched around in the dunk tank trying to find the owner of the fresh and perfect scent, but there were just too many people. Dean melted in disappointment, sure it was starting to color his scent when he saw Castiel, who looked like a man on a mission.  

“Hey, Cas!” Dean shouted, getting the man’s attention.  

Castiel looked around like he was lost before Charlie, in a giant turquoise sun hat, pulled him to the booth.  

“Hi, Castiel!” she greeted with the usual enthusiasm. “Dean hasn’t been dunked in almost ten minutes,” Charlie said, “You should really put him out of his misery.” She thrust three neon-yellow softballs into the man’s hands, with Castiel nearly dropping all of them.  

“Oh, I--”  

“Come on, Cas; I dare ya!” Dean called out; his melancholy quickly forgotten in the face of his friend.  

Dean could see that the man was beginning to sweat through his gray AC/DC t-shirt (Dean had to give the guy points for that one). His Omega perked up for absolutely no reason and Dean’s cock gave the slightest twitch. Before he could stop himself, Dean was darting his tongue out to glide along his lower lip. Castiel’s eyes widened. What the fuck? Dean’s rational brain screamed at him to get a grip. We do not check out dudes. Dean cleared his throat and returned his face to one of jest and fun, rather than the...whatever the fuck that come hither glance was.  

Castiel still held tight to all three softballs, cradling them in his arms. He suddenly seemed to make up his mind and dropped two of the balls.  

“Come on, Cas. You win, I’ll buy you a beer later,” Dean bargained, still trying to regain his composure.  

Castiel shot Dean a smirk that the man had never seen before (that is not hot; what the fuck is wrong with you, Winchester?! ) Castiel reared back with the ball in his right hand and sent the ball flying through the air. He hit the target and was laughing heartily as Dean’s “Son of a bitch!” was cut off mid-sentence as he fell into the water. Dean could hear both Castiel and Charlie laughing at Castiel’s win.  

Dean didn’t pay attention to the way Castiel’s smile was gummy and wide. Nor did he see the wrinkled nose or eyes. It didn’t make him smile back at all.  

“Alright, hotshot,” Dean said, climbing back onto the bench. “Beginner’s luck. Let’s go again,” he teased.  

Castiel wound up again, but this time his aim was slightly off and he missed hitting the target.   

“Come on, man, two outta three!” Dean heckled.  

Castiel tossed his last softball up in the air and caught it on the way down. Looking Dean right in the eye, Castiel threw the ball and hit his mark. Dean came up spluttering as Castiel walked over to the stall for his prize. He and Charlie were laughing again. When Dean surfaced, pouting, he reached a hand out and grabbed Castiel’s shoulder, leaving a nice wet handprint behind.  

“Dude, you totally hustled me!” Dean laughed.  

Castiel looked down at the ground, suddenly shy. “I played baseball in high school and for a year in college,” the man said, looking up at Dean through long, dark lashes that covered the beautiful sky blue of his eyes. ( Why are you waxing poetic about the dude’s eyelashes?! ).   

Dean leaned over the side of the tank and went to grab Castiel’s arm again, but the other man danced out of range, still laughing. Charlie watched both of the men play and splash for a good five minutes before she interrupted their fun.  

“So, Castiel, what do you want for your prize?” she asked, tongue in cheek.  

As the men’s laughter died down, that breeze swept through the air again, leaving Dean closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, heedless to the people around him. It was only when he caught himself leaning forward did he open his eyes. Bright green eyes were caught in the gaze of bright blue ones. Castiel’s eyes were as wide as Dean’s.  

“Omega,” he said quietly. “Dean--”  

Dean stepped back as far as he could in the small tank. “Hey, uh, Charlie, I need a break.”  

Charlie looked up, confused. “Oh, okay. Don’t stray too far, I see Sam coming around the corner,” she said with a smile.  

Dean managed a small smile that was more of a grimace as he climbed out of the tank. Once again, he grabbed Castiel by the arm and drug him back to a makeshift alley behind the game tents. The two men just stared at each other, neither ready to make the first move.  

“I, uh--”  

“Maybe--”  

Dean and Castiel spoke at the same time and both men looked to the ground. Castiel spoke first. He took a step forward, causing Dean to raise his head and try to take a step backward. He was nearly nose to nose with Castiel.   

“Can I--”  

“I’m not gay.”   

Dean and Castiel both looked shocked at the blatant honesty. Castiel started to reach out but stopped when Dean threw his hands up.  

“I don’t know what this is, but I’m not gay, Cas. I--”  

“It would seem that we are True Mates, Dean,” Castiel ground out, his voice gruffer than Dean had ever heard it.  

Dean huffed out part of a laugh and ran a hand over his face. “Nah, that’s not it; it can’t be.”  

“Dean--”  

“No, Cas. We can be friends, colleagues, but we are not True Mates. The breeze must’ve hit just right--”  

“Apple pie.”  

“What?”  

“You smell like apple pie. Cinnamon, tart apples, vanilla. Home. Mate. Tell me you didn’t feel the same.”  

Dean didn’t speak. He couldn’t. His Omega wanted to break free and pull the man in front of him into a searing kiss. A ‘ finally, it’s you’ recognition. Dean kept a tight reign on his Omega and only let out a small whimper that he soon covered with his hand. Castiel’s eyes widened, and he began to speak again.  

“This isn’t what you think it is, Cas. I’m not gay--”  

“So you’ve said three times already, Dean. I’m not about to jump you in the alleyway. I simply want to talk with you...” Castiel trailed off, once again dropping his gaze to the ground. His scent began to sour; the spring smell gaining a slightly burnt tinge.  

Dean looked up, hoping to find the answer there, but all he saw were clouds and a sky the color of Castiel’s eyes. He looked down and tried to meet Castiel’s eyes.   

“I’m sorry, man, but I can’t be what you want.”  

Rather than say more, Castiel simply nodded and found his way between the game tents toward the main pathway through them on the other side. Dean’s chest hurt as he watched Castiel walk away.  

Chapter Text

“Castiel?” Charlie called out. “Are you okay?”  

Castiel stopped mid-step and turned to face Charlie. “Not particularly. Ask Dean.”  

The man continued storming off in the direction of the parking lot. Once he reached his car, Castiel banged a fist against the top and then folded his arms before dropping his head down. His arms were burning against the hot metal, but Castiel didn’t care.  

Should’ve gone with my first instinct that Dean Winchester was straight and off-limits, he thought, getting into his car and starting it. He allowed himself to beat his fists against the steering wheel exactly twice before putting the car in gear and driving away. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get the smell of apple pie out of his nose. Castiel rolled down the windows, hoping to get some fresh air and maybe different scents in his nose.  

At home, Castiel roughly let himself into his apartment and made his way to the kitchen. He pulled a bottle of vodka out of the freezer and grabbed a shot glass. He knocked back three shots before he put the liquor away and went to sit down on the couch. His head tipped back and Castiel covered his face with his hands.  

Had it really only been an hour ago (or less) since he first scented apple pie and Omega and home? Castiel growled as he replayed the afternoon in his mind.  

He hadn’t known that a Fall Festival could be held in 90-degree weather, but Broadview was proving him wrong. Castiel arrived and bought tickets from a few of his students before entering. The festival was held on the football field. There were games and prizes, food trucks, and a makeshift stage where an auction was taking place. Castiel was charmed and intrigued. He wandered from stall to stall, talked with students and parents, and ate delicious fried foods.  

The wind shifted as Castiel was about to start a new conversation with an advanced placement student. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply.   

“Mr. Novak?” Kevin Tran asked, concerned. He had a question about the quiz after Labor Day, and running into his teacher was just fate.  

Ignoring his student, Castiel walked away, following the scent of apples and cinnamon. He was downwind so the scent got stronger the closer he got to his Omega. He was practically running down the pathway between stalls. Castiel had almost reached the source when the wind stopped. He slowed down and ended up stopping completely when he heard a familiar voice.  

“Hey, Cas!” Dean shouted, getting the man’s attention.  

Castiel looked around still trying to nail down the scent before Charlie, in a giant turquoise sun hat, pulled him to the booth.  

“Hi, Castiel!” she greeted with the usual enthusiasm. “Dean hasn’t been dunked in almost ten minutes,” Charlie said, “You should really put him out of his misery.” She thrust three neon-yellow softballs into the man’s hands, and he nearly dropped all of them.  

“Oh, I--” He really had to find his Omega; he didn’t have time for this!  

“Come on, Cas; I dare ya!” Dean called out, his smile brighter on the sunny day (as if the man could shine any brighter than he already did).  

Castiel looked down at the softballs in his arms and then back up at Dean who was suddenly darting his tongue out to swipe over his lip in what Castiel could only call an ‘interested’ manner. Maybe he could...but no, his mate was so close. It was a shame that Castiel hadn’t had the guts to ask Dean out before now, but he couldn’t risk not finding his True Mate. A little fun, however, well that was different. He could pause long enough to soak up the beauty that was Dean Winchester. He dropped all but two of the balls on the ground.  

“Come on, Cas. You win, I’ll buy you a beer later,” Dean bargained with his boyish smile. Soaking wet and showing off his freckles, Castiel’s dick perked up in interest. He’d love to lick up the water trailing down the man’s body. No! I have a True Mate to find!  

Castiel smirked Dean’s way. Two out of three my ass. He’d play one game and then be on his way. Plus, this was child’s play. Castiel reared back, the muscle memory kicking in, allowing him to pitch a perfect curveball. Dean dropped down into the tank.  

“Son uv’a--”  

Castiel and Charlie looked at each other and began laughing. He was having fun and forgot about trying to find his True Mate for the time being. Surely, the wind would pick up again...  

“Alright, hotshot,” Dean said, climbing back onto the bench. “Beginner’s luck. Let’s go again,” he teased.  

Castiel wound up again, but this time his aim was slightly off and he missed hitting the target.   

“Come on, man, two outta three!” Dean heckled.  

Castiel tossed his last softball up in the air and caught it on the way down. Looking Dean right in the eye, Castiel threw the ball and hit his mark. Dean came up spluttering as Castiel walked over to the stall for his prize. He and Charlie were laughing again. Dean reached out and grabbed Castiel’s shoulder to shove the man.  

“Dude, you totally hustled me!” Dean laughed.  

Castiel looked down at the ground, suddenly shy. “I played baseball in high school and for a year in college,” Castiel said, looking up at Dean through his eyelashes, knowing how coy he must have looked. Tit for tat.  

Dean leaned over the side of the tank and went to grab Castiel’s arm again, but he danced out of range, still laughing. The men got into a slap fight with the occasional splash thrown in for variety.  

“So, Castiel, what do you want for your prize?” Charlie finally interrupted.  

Dean Castiel thought quietly, forgetting about his True Mate.  

As the men’s laughter died down, the breeze swept through the air again. Castiel’s nostrils flared and he could swear he felt his eyes flash red for a moment. He watched Dean—his Omega--and realized that the man was having a reaction to his scent as well. Dean was his True Mate. Bright green eyes opened and were caught in the gaze of bright blue ones. Castiel’s eyes were as wide as Dean’s.  

“Omega,” he said quietly. “Dean--”  

And now, here he was, buzzed and alone on his couch, reeking of rejection. Tuesday morning was going to be agonizing.  

Chapter Text

When Dean got back to the dunking booth, Charlie was standing in the stall, hat on her head, hands on her hips.  

“What did you do?” she demanded as soon as Dean walked up.  

“Don’t worry about it,” Dean said, reaching for a towel to dry himself off. The rough fabric of the towel rubbed harshly against his sunburned skin. He pressed the towel harder onto his face, not even pretending to dry his face or hair anymore.  

“Dean?” Charlie asked a little quieter.  

Dean groaned and looked around before grabbing Charlie’s arm and stalking off in the same direction he had come from. After getting her behind the stalls, Dean stopped and turned to Charlie, who still looked confused.  

“Dean, I just saw Castiel come running from back here. He... Why do I smell something burning? Is that you?” Charlie took a step toward Dean and leaned in to sniff at him.  

He waved her off. “Probably.” Dean took a deep breath, also breathing in the scent of burning pie and scorched earth. “What do you know about True Mates?”  

“Dude, did you not pay attention in health class?”  

Dean closed his eyes and sighed. “Humor me.”  

Charlie looked at the man quizzically but continued talking. “Well, scents and biology and love and... I don’t know! Just...there’s supposed to be someone out there made specifically for you. Their scent will smell better than anyone else’s, you’ll be compatible physically and emotionally. You’ll practically be two halves of a whole. They’re also pretty rare. Like, we’re all supposed to have one, but people rarely do because there are billions of--”  

“I got it, Charlie,” Dean said, tilting his head back. “Cas is mine,” he whispered.  

“What did you say, Dean?”  

Dean looked over at Charlie with a hurt look on his face. “I think Cas is my True Mate.” He watched Charlie draw in a deep breath, probably to squeal, but he cut her off. “I’m not gay, Charlie!”  

Charlie snapped her mouth shut and stared at Dean.   

“I’m not... I can’t be what he wants, Charlie. Right? I mean...”  

“Dean Winchester, how many times have I told you that there is not just gay and straight? Sexuality is a spectrum. Just be--”  

“Charlie--”  

“Dean! Maybe you need some time to think about this.” She held up a hand before Dean could speak. “I mean, think about what you’re going to tell Castiel. Based on how he walked off earlier, you two already had the first part of the conversation.”  

Dean dropped his gaze to his feet and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck.   

“That’s what I thought. Look, you don’t have to sleep with the guy, but you do need to talk to him, Dean. It’s not fair for either of you if you don’t.”  

“Charlie--”  

“Duh, it’s gonna suck, but, Dean, you have to clear the air. Do you know what happens to an Alpha or Omega who are rejected? They get really sick, Dean; this is serious.”  

“I don’t know what to do, Charlie. I like Cas...a lot, but...”  

“Right. You’re not gay.”  

~~~~~  

Later that night in bed, Dean thought back through his high school and college years. Yeah, there was Aaron and a few other guys he hung out with. He and Aaron were by far the closest. He dated off and on throughout High School but dated only Lisa Braeden and Rhonda Hurley senior year. Oh, man, Rhonda Hurley. Dean shut his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face. It was her fault that he had a secret stash of panties that he wore on the weekends. Fuck, maybe I am gay. No straight guy has panties, right? He liked the way they felt on his skin, okay? They were...decadent. That’s not... 

Dean sat up and reached over to his nightstand for his phone. He was up half the night doing research and taking quizzes about his sexuality. He took twelve. Around two a.m., Dean had his answer. “I’m bi,” he whispered into the dark room. Dean closed his eyes and tried to adjust to the information he just read.  

~~~~~  

Dean was a man on a mission on Tuesday when everyone returned to school after the holiday. He stood and paced the hall near Charlie’s classroom until he saw a flash of red. He ran-walked down the hall toward her before pushing her into the boys’ bathroom right behind them.  

“Dean, what the frak, dude?”  

Dean pushed at every stall door until he was sure the room was empty.  

“Ew, it smells like teenage boy in here,” Charlie whined.  

Before she could continue talking, Dean interrupted her. “I’m bi.” He said it in a rush, exhaling harshly before bending over and putting his hands on his knees.   

Charlie looked at the man in front of her as he straightened back up with a pained look on his face. “Is this about Saturday?”  

Dean couldn’t believe that was the woman’s response. “Yes, Charlie; this is about Saturday! I’m bi!” he yelled in the small room, not caring that his voice echoed and could probably be heard out in the hall.  

“Okay,” Charlie said quietly as she walked over to the sink and began pulling paper towels out to wet them. “You’re bi. This is good, Dean.” Charlie’s eyes met Dean’s in the mirror above the sinks. She wrung out the paper towels and headed back over to Dean, still standing in the middle of the room panicking.  

“How is this good, Charlie?” Dean asked. He could feel small droplets of cool water trailing down his collar as Charlie placed the wet towels on the back of the man’s neck.   

“You’re being honest with yourself, for starters,” Charlie responded. She took a deep breath. “Dean, I love you and you’re my best friend, but you’re so gorram clueless sometimes.”  

Dean stared at the woman he’d known since college, who had been his best friend for almost a decade. “You knew,” he said simply, backing away and leaning on the wall. “Why didn’t you say anything?”  

“Dude, you’ve had a crush on Harrison Ford for over a decade and you went to senior prom with a guy. You--”  

Dean held up a hand to stop the woman from continuing. “Okay, first, everyone should crush on Harrison Ford. He’s my man-crush.” He waved at Charlie. “You get girl-crushes all the time.”  

Charlie could only stare for a moment before saying as calmly and as clearly as she could, “Dean, I’m a lesbian. Of course, I have girl crushes.”   

“That’s not what...” Dean ran a shaking hand through his artfully styled hair. “And, b, Aaron and I went to prom together because we were both dateless!”  

“Oh, Dean,” Charlie said quietly.  

“Don’t ‘oh, Dean’ me, Charlie. I’m having an existential crisis here!”  

Charlie walked forward and put her hands on Dean’s shoulders. “’kay, you’re gonna have to breathe, Dean. You don’t want to end up passed out on this nasty floor.”  

Dean let out a small hysterical giggle. Nevertheless, he followed Charlie’s instructions and breathed deeply.  

“There you go,” Charlie said calmly. “So, Saturday, huh? Does this mean you’re ready to accept that there’s something more between you and Castiel?”  

“Charlie, I’m not gay. I--”  

“You’re right, Dean. You’re not gay, you’re bi. It’s okay. It’s okay to like Castiel as more than a friend and it’s okay to talk to him about all this. Hell, you’re True Mates; he deserves to know what’s going on.”  

Dean stayed quiet. He hadn’t slept all night. Memories had taken on a whole new look with a pink, purple, and blue lens. Dean couldn’t stop thinking about Castiel. His strong jaw begged for kisses and nips along with it. Castiel’s eyes which were so bright and blue one moment lit up with humor, and then dark and stormy when he was upset. Dean thought about the man’s voice and how it gave him shivers. He thought about the man’s sweet and sometimes clueless smile. His dark bedhead just begged Dean to run his fingers through it. Dean thought about the man all the time (even in the shower...especially in the shower lately). Dean wanted to make it his sole mission in life to get Castiel to laugh; he had a great laugh.  

“Fuck. I have a crush on Cas,” he said aloud to Charlie. The woman just smiled encouragingly at him.  

As Dean’s worldview completely shifted on its axis, the first bell rang, signaling a warning call to everyone that classes would begin in five minutes when another bell would ring.  

“Dean, look at me,” Charlie said, walking over and taking the man’s face in her hands. “You will get through this morning and then we’ll go off-campus for lunch and talk some more, okay? This is a good thing.” She looked deeply into Dean’s eyes to impress upon him the seriousness of the talk they were going to have.   

A few young men entered the room talking to one another but stopped when they saw Charlie.  

“It’s cool; I’m leaving!” She headed for the door before turning back. “Remember what I said, Dean,” and with that, she was gone into the busy hallway.  

The boys looked on in confusion. Dean waved them off to go do their business before turning to the sink to run cold water on his face. Wiping away the water, he looked up into the mirror and whispered, “I have a crush on Cas.” Dean closed his eyes, stood up straight, and turned to go out the door and off to start his day.  

Chapter Text

Castiel spent the rest of the weekend and all day Tuesday and Wednesday in bed. Rejection Sickness had set in sometime around Castiel’s tenth shot of vodka Saturday night, so not only did he feel like he had the flu, but the man was also hungover.  

Charlie came to check on him Tuesday evening.  

“Okay let me start by saying, you look like shit,” she said after Castiel had opened the door.   

He rolled his eyes and walked away dragging his blanket cape behind him.  

Charlie stepped into the living room, wrinkled her nose at the stench of rejection, and turned to shut the door behind her. “I mean, I wanted to get that out of the way, but for real, I know what happened; Dean told me.”   

Charlie took a few steps to the left to set down grocery bags in the small kitchen of Castiel’s apartment. She had brought over some simple meals for Castiel to try and eat.   

“Fantastic. Now I feel embarrassed on top of everything else.”  

“It’s not like that, Castiel. Dean... Well, I won’t betray Dean’s trust on some of this; he can tell you himself, but... I want you to know that things will work out, okay?”  

“I’m falling for a straight guy, Charlie. Please tell me you understand the issue here.”  

“Okay, yeah, it looks that way and I’m sure it feels worse--”  

“Charlie, why are you here?” Castiel was getting frustrated. He hurt, both inside and out, and he wanted to mourn what could have been in peace.  

Charlie stopped fluttering about the kitchen and went to sit with Castiel on the couch. She reached out to wrap her arms around his shoulders.   

“It’s going to be okay, Castiel. When Dean gets his head out of his ass, just try to listen to him, okay?”  

“No promises,” Castiel muttered into Charlie’s shoulder.  

“That’s fair.” Castiel’s friend of barely one month kissed his forehead and stood up. “If you need me for anything, call me, okay?”  

“Okay. Thank you, Charlie.”  

Castiel and Charlie hugged before the woman left the apartment. Castiel looked over at the kitchen and gagged at the thought of eating anything. He settled himself back down on the couch and became enthralled in his bee documentary.   

~~~~~  

By Thursday afternoon, Castiel was feeling a bit more human. He’d still called in for that day and Friday, but he was starting to feel better in some ways at least. Like, for starters, he was coming to terms with the fact that he may never get to be with his True Mate. If he could retain Dean’s friendship, Castiel thought that things might just be okay. He’d suffer, but in the end, he’d still have the man in his life; Castiel could almost be content with that.   

Second—The doorbell rang, disturbing Castiel’s thoughts. Dammit, Charlie, the man thought, dragging himself out of bed. At least he’d lost the heartbreak cape from earlier in the week. That, alone, was progress.  

Making his way to the door, Castiel called out, “Charlie, I still haven’t eaten the food you brought on Tuesday, I don’t understand why you feel the need to bring more.” Upon opening the door, however, Castiel saw that it was Dean standing there looking lost.  

“Heya, Cas,” the man said quietly.  

“Hello, Dean.”  

Dean cleared his throat. “May I come in?”  

Castiel took a delicate sniff of the air. Dean was wearing a heavy dose of blockers if he couldn’t even make out the barest hint of apple pie.   

“I, uh, have on extra blockers today. I thought we might be able to talk...” Dean also sniffed at the air in the apartment and recoiled at the smell of rejected Alpha.   

Castiel huffed out a laugh. “I don’t have blockers on and don’t intend to put any on. If you wish to talk, we’ll do so as-is.”  

Dean nodded. “Your house, your rules.” He lifted his eyes to Castiel’s. “May I come in?”  

Castiel stepped away from the door and allowed Dean to enter the apartment.  

“I want to apologize for how I acted Saturday, Cas. I was out of line.”  

“No, I think you were justified. Learning that your True Mate was a gay man was probably not what--”  

“I was still out of line. Look, I was hoping we could talk about this is all, okay?”  

Castiel tilted his head and squinted his eyes. “Talk away, Dean.”  

Dean let out a sigh. “Fine.” He took a deep breath. “Look, up until about forty-eight hours ago, I thought I was completely straight, okay? I like women--” Castiel huffed and Dean rolled his eyes-- “and I apparently like you for some reason.”  

Without realizing it, Dean began picking up odds and ends in the apartment and straightening things up. Castiel watched as Dean tidied the apartment. It made his Alpha happy, at least until Castiel squashed it down.  

“Yes, you made it abundantly clear that you like me as a friend and a colleague,” Castiel said haughtily.  

Dean stood up straighter and turned to look at Castiel. It made the man want to shrink away. “Look, I said I was sorry, okay? I’m trying to explain why I’m here. That okay with you, or should I just leave?”  

Castiel tilted his head and thought it over. On the one hand, he might get closure, but on the other hand, he might end up feeling worse. Fifty-fifty shot. “Fine, Dean. Talk,” Castiel said, dropping down to sit on the couch.  

Dean sighed. “Thank you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, like I said, up until about forty-eight hours ago I thought I was straight; turns out that’s not really the case.” Dean took a deep breath and looked Castiel in the eye. “I’m bi,” he said in a rush.  

“Thank you for telling me,” Castiel said quietly. He still didn’t know what this meant for his and Dean’s relationship...friendship...acquaintanceship. “It must have been hard to make that realization.”  

Dean began to pace the apartment’s small living room. “Well, between Charlie and research and doing a lot of thinking...it makes sense.” Dean shrugged. “Now I just have to figure out what it means for us.”   

“Yes,” Castiel began slowly. “What does it mean for us? We’re True Mates, Dean; that won’t go away.”  

Dean took a deep breath and sat down on the couch beside Castiel. “I’ve never been with an Alpha. I’ve stuck to other Omegas and Betas when I’ve dated in the past. It--”  

“What about your heats?” Castiel asked, an embarrassed flush coloring his face.  

Dean stood up to pace once again. “Two years of starter heats and then suppressants.”  

Castiel took a moment to do the math. “Ten years? Dean that’s--”  

“I wasn’t about to put anything up my ass, okay, Cas?”  

“But now you want to try to pursue a relationship with an Alpha, knowing that you would be penetrated and knotted?”  

Dean stopped pacing and held his head in his hands. “Ugh, Cas, don’t say ‘penetrate’.”  

“What else am I supposed to call sex between an Alpha and an Omega, Dean?”  

“I don’t know, alright! I’m trying, here, man,” Dean said, throwing his hands up and then falling back down to the couch. He sighed and finally looked at Castiel, the Alpha—the person—made for him alone. “Look, I’m screwed up, okay? I’m sorry you’re stuck with me for a True Mate. I--”  

It was Castiel’s turn to sigh. “Dean,” he said, moving just an inch closer to Dean on the other end of the couch. “You just learned something very important and new about yourself--”  

“That, apparently, I was the last to know about,” Dean huffed.  

Castiel leveled a gaze at Dean that told the Omega to be quiet. “As I was saying,” Castiel continued, “you’ve learned something life-changing. Two somethings, including myself. I would never push you into anything, Dean, but these are questions to ask yourself before we moved forward.”  

Castiel sat calmly, waiting for Dean to say something. When he didn’t, Castiel moved forward with his questions. “Is it because you think people will think less of you as a man? As a person? For you to come out as bisexual and have a male partner?”  

Castiel had dated closeted men before—albeit begrudgingly—but they hadn’t been his True Mate. There had been something about Dean that drew Castiel in from the beginning. He was just...bright. Dean was a good man, a good brother, friend, teacher. Somehow, fate had decided to dangle Dean Winchester just out of Castiel’s reach.  

“I don’t know, Cas. I’m sorry,” Dean said sincerely, “but I don’t know.”  

Castiel stood up and straightened his t-shirt. He didn’t know if Dean would ever be ready for a relationship, let alone a mating. It was troublesome at the core of things. Castiel could wait, but he wouldn’t wait forever.  

“I think that’s another question for you to ask yourself, Dean.” Castiel looked down at Dean, still sitting on the couch. He looked like he belonged there. “I don’t think I could just be friends with my True Mate.” Castiel made his way to the door, looking back, making sure Dean was following. He turned back to the man at the door. “I believe we both have a lot to think about. I will see you at school on Monday.”  

Dean nodded and stepped out into the hallway. Inside the apartment, Castiel dropped his head against the door and ignored the stinging in his eyes.  

Chapter Text

Going over to Castiel’s may have been a mistake. The guy’s apartment reeked of sadness and frustration. Dean did that. In his car, Dean sat and thought about his and Castiel’s conversation. He did have a lot to think about. This was big. It was bigger than big. This was world-altering. And Dean was being a dick about it. Castiel was stuck with some closet-case Omega who didn’t know what he wanted.  

He thought about Castiel’s comment about coming out to family and friends. Did it make him feel like less of a man for being bi? Charlie was a no-brainer; she already knew anyway. Sam would be a little shit regardless. Dean wasn’t sure about his mom, but since she kicked John’s ass out of the house for being so hateful towards his Omega son, maybe she’d be cool with having a bisexual son. Rufus didn’t give two shits about anything. But there was Bobby and Ellen, Jo, Dean’s students, and coworkers...  

Dean turned the car on and left Castiel’s apartment. He decided to go for a drive. Dean needed to think and driving around the backroads was the best way to do that. He cranked up the Led Zepplin and drove out of town, headed toward his favorite spot at the nearby lake. If he had to do it over again, Dean would’ve bought land out here and built a house on the property rather than buy one in town. Sure, it was a long drive, but it was beautiful and quiet.  

Dean parked in a secluded area near the lake and walked out onto the rickety dock. He sat down on the edge, letting his feet hang off just above the water. The sun was just starting to set. Dean had headed over to Castiel’s directly after school after begging Charlie for the man’s contact information.  

He liked Castiel, genuinely. He was a nice, weird, dorky guy with a wicked sense of humor. He was attractive (read: amazingly hot) with dark, messy hair that seemed to bed for a comb—or fingers—to be run through it. His eyes were the color of the lake today, a little murky but still blue under the surface. His jaw was strong and it called out to Dean to trail kisses there and down to his throat. His voice was whiskey. He—fuck, Dean really liked the guy. Which, you know, it’s good for True Mates to like each other.  

There was something that drew Dean to Castiel, though. Even on that first day. He couldn’t get the man out of his head. He’d slept like shit beating himself up over rejecting Castiel the way that he did on Saturday. Today was proof that they had something more profound than just friendship. At least, Dean hoped that something more than friendship would still be an option.  

Dean Michael Winchester, a 28-year-old English teacher from Broadview, Arkansas was bisexual. He rolled that around in his mind for a while. It didn’t hurt to think about it.  

“I’m bi,” Dean said quietly. Then a little louder, “I’m bi.”  

There was no one around to judge him or to tell him to be quiet. He looked down and saw a turtle on a rock not far from the dock.  

“Do you care that I’m bi?”  

He and the turtle stared at each other before the little guy tucked his head into his shell and slid back into the water.  

“I’ll take that as a no.”  

Dean tilted his head back to look at the sky. “I’m bisexual!” he yelled as loud as he could. He wasn’t struck down by lightning. Nobody popped up out of the water or from behind a tree to berate or judge him. Dean huffed a laugh at himself. Maybe he could do this...come out to his family and friends. He’d be scared as fuck, but he could do it. Tomorrow.  

Dean got up from his spot on the dock and walked back to the Impala. Tonight, he’d sit with his revelation and decide where he and Castiel should go from there.  

Chapter Text

Dean tossed and turned all night. He was hot and cold and fucking uncomfortable. His heat had broken through his suppressants. True Mate indeed...  

This heat, Dean ached for something, but he didn’t know what. He felt incomplete and completely unsatisfied. Dean pulled up his secret stash of guy-on-guy porn—nothing. He was horribly aroused, but jerking off only irritated him more. Dean thought of his secret spank material of Harrison Ford and Dr. Sexy. Nothing worked, goddammit! Dean writhed in pain, his cramps becoming unbearable. Fuck, what if he ended up in the E.R.?  

He gave up around noon. Dean took several deep breaths and planted his feet on the bed before he slowly worked his hand down his body, past his dick (still painfully hard), past his balls, and reached his wet entrance. Dean groaned as he swiped a testing finger across his hole. It was actually a pleasant sensation, close to a tickle, but not.  

Slowly, Dean pushed a finger into himself. Nothing happened. He groaned at still feeling like something was missing. He cried out as he added a finger; two was almost enough. Dean sighed at three fingers and began to move them in and out of his slick hole.   

Maybe this wasn’t so—HOLY FUCKING SHIT. Was that his prostate ? He changed the angle just slightly and moaned. Dean kept thrusting his fingers in and out, hitting that nub of nerves with every other thrust of his fingers. His wrist hurt horribly, but he was almost there. Just a little more of something. Dean reached down and began stripping his cock fast and hard with his other hand. With only a few flicks of his wrist, Dean was coming harder than he ever had before. He saw stars and he was pretty sure he blacked out for a minute.  

Dean lay panting in his bed, one hand covered in come, the other in slick. He was satisfied and mostly calm for the first time since he woke up.  

“What the fuck?” he whispered to himself in awe. He could do that with just his fingers. Fuck, what would it be like with something actually filling him, filling every inch of his wet hole full? What about presenting for his Alpha? For Cas . Would that feel even better?  

Dean didn’t realize he was stroking himself until he was coming over his hand just from the image, the idea of Castiel filling him up in all the right ways. He wiped both hands on the sheets and ran them through his hair, tugging on the strands. (He needed another shower anyway, what’s a few extra bodily fluids here and there?)  

He kept imagining. Castiel in his home. His thunderstorm and fresh earth scent filling the house and Dean’s nostrils. Castiel’s hands on his feverish skin, cooling him down with just a touch. Castiel laying over him, kissing him, whispering in his ear. Dean moaned. He needed his Alpha A.S.A.P.  

Dean launched himself off the bed in search of his phone. Where was it?! He found the blasted thing under the discarded dress shirt laying on the floor. Slick dripped down Dean’s thighs and onto the hardwood floor of the bedroom. Dean growled as he looked for Castiel’s information. Finally! Dean pushed the call button and waited, crawling his way to the bathroom for a bath or a shower or--  

“Dean? Are you alright?” Castiel said when the line connected.  

“Caaas,” Dean moaned. “Need you, Alpha.”  

He didn’t care how needy he sounded. Dean needed his fantasy to come true. He began finger-fucking his hole again, this time presenting to the empty room, chasing that release.  

“What fantasy, Dean? Are you in heat? How?”  

“Too many questions, Alpha. Need your knot. Need you to fill me up.” There was silence on the other end of the line. “God, Cas, just say something! Anything,” Dean pleaded.  

Just hearing Castiel’s voice was an aphrodisiac. Dean shouted as he came again, just on his fingers. He lay down on the cool tile floor of the bathroom. It felt so good against his overheated skin. Dean moaned obscenely into the phone (as if his shout at coming hadn’t been loud enough). He heard the barest of growls across the line. Dean smiled lazily, unconsciously pulling and rubbing at a nipple. Gotcha.   

“ You like that, Cas? Hearing me moan? I’m all spread out for you, y’know. All yours. I’m--”  

“Dean, enough. You don’t want this. Your biology is taking over.” Castiel took a deep breath on the other end of the line. “Hang up the phone, Dean.”  

Just the slight edge of Alpha voice had Dean whimpering. Maybe Cas was telling him to hang up because he was on his way...  

“No, Dean. Hang up the phone. We can talk after your heat.”  

Dean moaned, half in frustration and half in arousal. He heard Castiel inhale like he wanted to say something else, but all Dean heard afterward was the click of the line going dead. Dean held the phone in front of his face, and yep, the call had ended.  

“Cas!” Dean yelled. His anguished cry reverberated through the small bathroom. Dean beat his fist on the tile underneath him and then brought his fists up to cover his face. Rejected. By his Alpha. During a heat. Dean made himself sit up and crawl over to the toilet where he promptly threw up.  

Between the tears, snot, slick, and semen, Dean was a pathetic mess...couldn’t even get, let alone keep, an Alpha. Especially not one as great as Cas. What have I done?  

~~~~~  

After not hearing from her bestie all day, Charlie made her way over to Dean’s house to check on him since he wasn’t picking up the phone. It was Mario Kart night; Dean never missed it. Upon arriving at the house and locating the hidden key, Charlie noticed that something wasn’t right. She opened the door and was hit by two distinct scents—that of an Omega in heat and rejection. Under that was...illness? Charlie ran down the hall to Dean’s bedroom. The smells were strongest there, and Charlie gasped at seeing Dean on the floor near the toilet in a puddle of slick and vomit.  

“Dean!” she cried, walking further into the bathroom. “Dean?” Charlie asked, kneeling down beside the prone man. “Dean!” Charlie prodded at Dean’s shoulder and then began shaking him when there was no response.  

“Shit,” Charlie muttered, the room now filling with the scents of anxiety and fear as Charlie took out her phone and dialed 9-1-1.  

Chapter Text

After Dean left, Castiel began to feel better about things. He and Dean had a productive conversation. Dean had a lot to work through, but at least they cleared the air.   

Friday morning, Castiel woke to his phone ringing, Dean’s number showing on the screen.  

“Dean? Are you alright?” Castiel said when the line connected.  

“Caaas,” Dean moaned. “Need you, Alpha.”  

Castiel had almost gone down to his knees right there in the kitchen. His cock certainly was on board with whatever Dean had in mind. But, no, it was wrong. He heard Dean mumbling about home and hands and Castiel, presenting, slick, and prostate.  

“What fantasy, Dean? Are you in heat? How?”  

“Too many questions, Alpha. Need your knot. Need you to fill me up.”   

Castiel was stunned into silence. His Omega was in heat and needed him.   

“God, Cas, just say something! Anything,” Dean pleaded.  

No, Castiel . Had Dean been more receptive to the idea of them being True Mates, Castiel would have already been in the car.   

“ You like that, Cas? Hearing me moan? I’m all spread out for you, y’know. All yours. I’m--”  

“Dean, enough. You don’t want this. Your biology is taking over.” Castiel took a deep breath on the other end of the line. “Hang up the phone, Dean.”  

"Maybe he’s on his way...” the voice trailed off. Dean was deep into his heat, nearly babbling with need.  

“No, Dean. Hang up the phone. We can talk after your heat.” The three hardest sentences of Castiel’s life. He desperately wanted to go to Dean, bend him over the nearest surface, and fuck the man to within an inch of his life. He inhaled like he wanted to say something else, but Castiel just couldn’t make himself sound comforting right now; he was too deep into lust to be rational.   

~~~~~  

That afternoon he received a frantic phone call from Mary Winchester. Dean had been admitted to the hospital.  

“I’ll be right there, Mary,” Castiel told her, frantically getting dressed, foregoing a shower or a shave. His True Mate was in trouble; grooming could wait.  

On the drive over to the hospital, Castiel kept thinking about the phone call from Dean earlier in the day. Had he gone over to Dean’s home, would it have prevented the hospital stay? Probably. Would Castiel be able to control himself around Dean in heat? Absolutely not. Should he have checked in on the man? Again, probably, but Castiel had been holding on by such a thin thread during the first phone call; multiple ones would have been worse.  

Upon arriving at the hospital and asking about Dean’s location, Castiel was directed up to the Omega ward of the hospital. When he reached the fifth floor, he immediately saw Mary outside of the elevator. She quickly walked toward the man and engulfed him in a hug, burying her face in his chest and crying. Her vanilla scent had soured, making Castiel’s nose twitch. He held her tight, offering whatever comfort he could.  

Mary gathered herself and pulled back from Castiel. “Thank you so much for coming, Castiel.”  

“What happened?”  

“Charlie went by the house to check on him and found him unconscious in the bathroom.”  

“How did she know to go over?”  

“She went by over lunch. Dean was able to call in for heat leave, but Charlie wanted to make sure he was okay since he never called out for a heat before. He had texted her this morning and told her.”  

As Mary continued talking, Sam walked up to her and Castiel with two cups of coffee.  

“Where is Charlie now?”  

“I sent her back to work after I got here. She’ll likely be back any time.”  

“Hello, Sam,” Castiel greeted.  

“Hey. Here’s some coffee, Ma,” the teenager said, handing over one of the cups of coffee.  

“Dean Winchester’s family?” called out a nurse.  

All three turned around. “Yes, that’s us,” Mary replied.  

“The heat symptoms have stopped; Mr. Winchester’s temperature is back down to normal.”  

“Oh, thank God,” Mary sighed. She reached down to hold Castiel’s hand. “What happened to him? I know that his heat was out of control, but...” Mary trailed off, waiting to hear more news from the nurse.  

“The doctor will be out to see you shortly with all of the information on Mr. Winchester,” the nurse said, giving them a kind smile before walking away.  

Castiel escorted Mary into the waiting area and they sat down. Sam opted to lean against the door frame. The three waited for over an hour before a slender woman in dark purple scrubs and a white lab coat came to find them.  

“Winchester family?” she asked from the doorway.  

Mary rushed toward the doctor but noticed that Castiel wasn’t with them. She motioned him over and held his hand once again.  

“If you’ll come this way, I’ll take you to Mr. Winchester’s room. Unfortunately, we’re only allowing family and mates in right now,” the doctor said turning around. She could smell that Castiel wasn’t mated.  

Castiel stalled, but Mary tugged him along, Castiel supposed it was for moral support, but technically he was a True Mate. That had to count for something, right?  

Before everyone entered the room, the doctor stopped and turned around. She gave Castiel a questioning look. He cleared his throat and quietly told the doctor (and Mary and Sam), “I’m Dean’s True Mate. We’re obviously not mated yet, but--”  

Mary gasped and squeezed Castiel’s hand tighter.  

“That’s good, actually. Dean, in addition to suffering from dehydration, is also dealing with Pining Sickness.”  

Mary looked to Castiel. “Pining Sickness?”  

“It seems to have been exacerbated by his heat. There’s a possibility that’s he’s suffering from Rejection Syndrome instead, so it’s good that his mate—mate-to-be—is here. Though it smells like you recently got over Rejection Syndrome yourself.” The doctor turned to go into Dean’s room and the other three followed.  

“Rejection Syndrome?” Mary asked quietly. Castiel knew it was directed toward him.   

The only sound was the heart monitor and Dean’s breathing. The lights were turned down low. The bed was next to the window, but with the shades drawn, Castiel couldn’t look outside. He needed something grounding so that he could calm his scent and his emotions.   

Mary let go of Castiel’s hand and walked up to the bed, taking Dean’s hand in hers.  

“We put him under because of the heat. Is it possible this was a breakthrough heat?”  

Castiel cleared his throat again and spoke. “Probably. Dean mentioned that he’s been on blockers for ten years without--”  

“Ten years?” Mary asked incredulously. She looked down at her sleeping son. “You stubborn man.”  

“Then that explains why the heat was so bad. We were most concerned with the high temperature and dehydration.” She turned toward Castiel. “May I ask why you weren’t with your mate?”  

Castiel froze; he didn’t want to out Dean. He thought carefully about his next words. “I’m not sure if there will be a mating. Dean has indicated that he doesn’t want...me.” Everyone looked at Castiel with sympathy.   

“That explains a lot then. We put Dean under to help control his heat. Like the nurse told you, it’s only been recently that his fever broke. We’re giving him fluids to counteract the dehydration, but I can’t tell you how long Dean will be out. It could be a few hours to a few days depending on how badly his system was damaged.”  

“Damaged?”  

“Yes, Mrs. Winchester. Between the rough heat, dehydration, and Pining Sickness, your son has had a tremendous amount of stress put on his body. I wish I could tell you that all will be fine, but we really just have to wait on Dean.” With that, the doctor nodded and left the room.  

Mary had just sat down in a visitor’s chair, hand still clutching Dean’s, when she asked, “So, True Mates? Rejection Syndrome? Is there something I need to know, Castiel?”  

Castiel looked down at his feet. “I’m unable to give you some of the details, but yes, Dean has rejected me as his mate, at least for the time being, but I’m unsure where we are to go from here. When Dean called me--”  

“He called you?”  

Castiel blushed. “That’s part of what I’m unable to tell you, Mary; I’m sorry. It’s Dean’s story to tell.”  

Mary nodded which Castiel took to mean that he should continue. “Other than that, yes, we are True Mates. We discovered it about a week ago at the school’s Fall Festival. It, uh, didn’t go very well.”  

Mary seemed to understand that she would have to wait and get the rest of the story from Dean when he awoke. “Thank you for coming, Castiel. I realize this must have been hard for you.”  

“Yes, but...” Castiel cut off and looked down at Dean from the foot of the bed, “there’s no place else I’d rather be.”  

Chapter Text

The first thing he noticed was the smell of disinfectant. It almost burned his nose; it was so strong. Underneath that was the smell of spring...freshly turned earth, rain, and freshly mowed grass. Dean opened his eyes to a dim hospital room. He looked around the room only to find Castiel folded onto a cot in the corner. Dean tried to say something, but all that came out was a croak. His throat and mouth were Sahara-dry. Regardless, the small noise was enough to wake the Alpha.  

The man twitched, grunted, then rolled off of the cot and onto the linoleum floor. He twisted around to face Dean, eyes a little wild.  

“Dean?” Castiel ground out. He didn’t sound much better than Dean.   

Dean watched as Castiel climbed to his feet and made his way over to the man, who flinched back. Both men looked over to the heart monitor as the sound of heartbeats increased. Castiel stayed a respectable distance away and tried speaking again.  

“You’re in the hospital, Dean,” Castiel began. Dean huffed and rolled his eyes. Duh. Castiel nodded once. “Right. I’ll go get the doctor,” he said before backing out of the room.   

Dean frowned. Why the fuck is Cas here? Why the fuck am I here? He looked around the room, but all that he could ascertain was that it was nighttime, or very early daytime. The door opened and a woman in a white coat and purple scrubs entered the room, followed by Castiel who had his head down, looking at the floor.   

“Good morning, Dean,” the woman greeted. “My name is Pamela Barnes; I’m your doctor.” She smiled warmly. “Do you know why you’re here?”  

Dean began to speak but croaked again. Dr. Barnes moved over to the room’s sink and filled a cup with water. She brought it over to Dean and encouraged the man to drink.  

“Small sips,” she admonished.  

Dean did as he was told and once the water was gone, he tried to speak again, clearing his throat before doing so.   

“No,” he said quietly, eyes on Castiel (who had yet to look up). “What’s going on?” He waited a bit. “Why’s Cas here?  

That got the man’s attention and he looked up, straight into Dean’s eyes. Dr. Barnes moved to stand in front of Dean, effectively blocking his view of Castiel.  

“Dean, you passed out during the early part of your heat. Your friend Charlie found you unconscious in your home three days ago. She--”  

“Three days?” Dean asked, incredulous.  

“That’s right. When you were brought in, we diagnosed you with severe dehydration and what we believed to be Rejection Syndrome.”  

Dean blushed and looked down at his hands. Castiel had rejected him, how could he forget? The Alpha in the corner made a sound that could have been a whimper before he cleared his throat. Then again, Dean had done the same thing.  

Dr. Barnes continued, “We admitted you, set you up with I.V. fluids, and gave you an injection to stop your heat. Then--”  

“What’s Cas doin’ here?” Dean asked, jutting his jaw toward the Alpha.  

“Dean, I--” Castiel began, taking a step toward the bed.  

“If you’ll let me finish, I promise to explain,” the woman said with a patient smile. “After we stopped your heat, we tried to reverse the Rejection Syndrome. We thought that having your family here would help, but scenting them--”  

Dean huffed. “That still doesn’t explain--”  

“Dean,” Castiel interrupted, “will you please let the doctor finish?”  

“Mr. Novak, why don’t you step outside for a moment? I’ll come to get you in a bit.”  

Castiel nodded and left the room.  

“Why is he staying?” asked Dean.  

“He quite literally saved your life. You’re lucky your mother called him. It was just happenstance that we found out he was your True Mate. There are proven studies that show scenting one’s mate during a medical crisis—or even an illness—drastically improves the Omega’s or Alpha’s wellbeing and healing. Once--”  

“I don’t have a mate.”  

“Once Mr. Novak arrived, his presence helped improve the outlook of saving your life.”  

“Where’s my family?” Dean asked.  

“They left last night and told Mr. Novak to watch over you.”  

Dean sat in the bed staring out the door at the Alpha who stood calmly in the hallway.  

Dean looked back toward the doctor and asked, “So, when do I leave?”  

The doctor didn’t immediately answer.  

“Dean, the prolonged usage of suppressants and this breakthrough heat have rendered your suppressants ineffective. We still need to keep you for another day or two for observation.”  

Dean’s jaw dropped. What? “ What?”  

“We did several tests and none of them allowed the suppressants to remain in your system.”  

“What tests? You’re kidding right?” For the first time, Dean was really worried about his hospital stay.  

“I’m afraid not. This I.V. medication isn’t even a normal suppressant. It’s terbutaline, used to stop or slow contractions in persons giving birth.”  

“So I can’t use suppressants anymore, is that what you’re saying?” Dean was still trying to wrap his head around everything.  

Dr. Barnes nodded with a serious look on her face. “At this time, we’re not certain you’d be able to have children either. The suppressants have done some extensive damage to your reproductive organs.”  

Dean’s eyes glazed over. Right. As an Omega, he could bear children. Did he want children? With anyone? Not right now. What about in the future? What did Castiel want— no, no, no thinkin’ about Cas .  

“I’ll leave you alone to process everything. It’s a lot to think about all at once.” The doctor gave Dean one final sympathetic look and then she was out of the room and talking to Castiel.   

Dean sat quietly for a moment before he decided he needed support. He looked around the bed before finding his cellphone charging on the nightstand. He picked it up to call his mother.   

“Dean! How are you feeling? I was so worried!”  

“I’m fine, ma,” Dean said with a small smile. “Ready to get out of here. Doc didn’t say when.” Dean leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He wondered if his mother knew all of the details surrounding her son’s hospital stay.  

“Dean Winchester, you will stay there as long as the doctor tells you to. You’ve been through some serious trauma--”  

Dean tuned out what his mother was saying to him. Instead, he was looking out the door at the Alpha who was returning his gaze.   

“--Dean? Did you hear me?”  

“Uh, no, sorry; I didn’t.”  

“Sam and I will be up there in a couple of hours. Until then, listen to the doctor. Is Castiel there? I’d like to speak with him.”  

Dean cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, he’s here.”  

“Good. I asked him to stay. Dean, your vitals improved so much when he got to your room. He--”  

“I get it, Ma.” Dean paused, still looking outside at the Alpha leaning against the wall by the door. He looked for all the world like he’d come running if Dean so much as made a whimper. “Listen, I, uh, need to tell you something, but I don’t want to do it over the phone.”  

Mary sounded worried when she responded. “Okay, Dean. Sam and I will be over as soon as we can.”  

“Right. Lemme get Cas.” Dean covered the speaker with his hand. “Cas?” he called. The Alpha immediately looked at Dean through the door. Dean crooked his finger telling Castiel to enter the room.  

“Yes, Dean,” Castiel asked gruffly. He still hadn’t gotten the water that Dean did.  

“Uh,” Dean cleared his throat again. “It’s my mom; she wants to talk to you.”  

“Of course.” Castiel walked up to the bed and held out his hand. Neither broke eye contact as Dean passed the phone to the other man.  

“Hello, Mary,” Castiel said, still staring at Dean. His eyes jumped to the heart monitor as it sped up. Dean blushed at being caught out.  

“Yes, the doctor just left. Yes, she explained all of it. No, not really. Yes, I will see you soon, Mary.”  

Castiel hung up the phone and then handed it back to Dean.  

“Why are you here, Cas? Really.”  

Castiel looked back down at his feet again. “It’s just as the doctor told you, Dean: I helped you by coming in with your mother and brother.”  

Dean was finally able to drag his gaze from Castiel’s. “Thanks, man.”  

“Of course, Dean.”  

Dean blushed as he turned to look at Castiel again. “I’m, uh, sorry about calling you the other day. I--”  

“Please don’t worry about it, Dean.”  

“Right.”  

Castiel nodded and moved over to sit in the visitor’s chair. Dean finally took a good look at the man. He was almost clean-shaven (other than his perma-stubble), his hair was sticking up in the back, and he still had dark circles under his eyes. The bruising made his eyes look navy in the dim light of the hospital room. Dean had the inexplicable urge to hug the man.  

“Uh, Cas?” Dean asked, looking at his hands twisting in the blanket. “Can I, uh...scent you?”  

Castiel’s head popped up. “Of course, Dean,” he answered quietly.  

Dean made room in the bed for Castiel to sit down. The man stood, then sat and leaned over allowing Dean access to his scent gland. Dean hesitated before leaning forward and running his nose along Castiel’s scent gland. The man broke out in goosebumps. Dean tilted his head, in a silent offer for Castiel to scent him as well. Both men sighed as they took in the scent of their True Mate. It eased their anxiety. They needed to talk about so many things, but for right now, both men were content.  

Chapter Text

Castiel stood in the hallway, his back against the wall. What had he done? He’d almost lost Dean. Why did the idea of losing Dean hurt so much when they weren’t even together? It’d been a shitty few days.  

 First, Castiel had received the best phone call of his life: hearing Dean in heat and calling him Alpha in a non-sarcastic way. Castiel carried on about his day, checking his phone at least every five minutes, hoping that Dean had texted him, or even called. He had put his phone on silent so that he wouldn’t jump at every little noise he heard around the house thinking it could be his phone.  

Then, Mary had called him, frantic. He had rushed over to the hospital only to find that his True Mate was in extreme distress. For the last three days, he’d been alternating time at home and the hospital.  

They had walked into the dimly lit room on that first evening, and Castiel’s first thought was, he looks so tired . Dean was still sweating, the medicine not having quelled his heat completely yet though his fever was back to normal. He had dark circles under his eyes. Dean’s hair was limp and falling across his face at an odd angle. Castiel walked to the bed, reached out, and fixed the man’s hair. His second thought was, he smells so good underneath the medications . Dean was still emitting a heat scent, causing Castiel’s pants to tighten minutely and he was sure his eyes flashed pink if not full red.  

A nurse soon came into the room and began speaking to Castiel. “If you’ll lean down to his face or put your wrist under his nose, that would be best,” the nurse informed Castiel as she jotted notes down on Dean’s chart.  

Castiel gaped. What good would Dean scenting him do? He nodded and then held his hand out, wrist up, under Dean’s nose. He didn’t know what was supposed to happen. Should Dean wake up? Should there be movement or recognition of his scent?  

“Try leaning down and letting him smell near your scent gland.”  

Castiel cleared his throat and leaned down, one hand on top of the bed and the other on the bed next to Dean’s hip to hold himself up as he bared his neck in front of the man he may never get to have. Both he and the nurse heard a deep inhale and sigh from Dean. Castiel looked up at the nurse quizzically. She smiled slightly and wrote down another note. She nodded at Castiel to stay there and keep letting Dean breathe in his scent.  

“There’re studies that show having a mate near during an illness can help speed up the healing process. By letting Mr. Winchester scent you every half hour or so, he should continue to improve.”  

That close, Castiel could smell burnt sugar and scorched shortbread. He’d burned the pie. Castiel had gone and ruined something delicate and pleasing. The longer he stood next to the bed, however, the more the acrid smell dissipated. Castiel wondered how long it would take before the smell of a baking apple pie would return.  

Castiel’s back began to spasm after twenty minutes. The nurse then brought in a small cot for someone to sleep on. Castiel stood up and moved away from Dean. He headed for the door before Mary stopped him.   

“Castiel?” Mary asked as the man began backing out of the door.  

“He scented me, so I suppose that’s good. I’ll just let you--”  

“The nurse said every half hour.”  

“I’m sure that was an exaggeration. Perhaps every few hours will work. In between, I really should let you and Sam stay with Dean.”  

Mary smiled. Castiel could see where the family resemblance lay between her and Dean.  

“He’s still not awake, though,” Castiel said concernedly. “Shouldn’t he wake up soon?”  

At that moment the doctor came around the corner. “Winchester?” she asked.  

Sam, Mary, and Castiel all nodded and walked closer to the woman.   

“Are you the True Mate?”   

Castiel cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but in the end, he simply nodded.  

The doctor smirked a bit but launched into her explanation of Dean’s condition again. “Dean will wake up in a day or two...” the Winchesters and Castiel both sucked in a deep breath at the news “...which is normal, given the cocktail of medications we have him on. His body needs time to recover. We’ve moved a cot into the room for Castiel to stay--”  

“Mary and Sam should be the ones to stay, not me,” Castiel protested.  

The doctor nodded. “I can understand why you think that, but Dean really needs to be able to scent you as often as possible. Even being in the same room as him will be helpful.”  

Castiel looked over at Mary who nodded.  

And that’s how he found himself lying on a really shitty cot watching and listening to Dean breathing. It lulled him to sleep until Dean had woken him up. Falling off of the cot hadn’t been part of the plan, but it did serve to wake him up. However, Dean didn’t seem too pleased to see him in the room when he woke up.  

“Dean?” Castiel ground out. His throat was dry, making his voice sound deeper and rougher than normal. He cleared his throat and wished for some water.  

Castiel made his way to Dean's bed until the heart monitor started beating faster and Dean flinched away from him. He tried to keep his scent as level and calm as he could. He didn’t move any closer to the bed.  

“You’re in the hospital, Dean,” Castiel began. Dean huffed and rolled his eyes. Duh. Castiel nodded once. “Right. I’ll go get the doctor,” he said before backing out of the room.   

Castiel left the room and headed for the nurses' station.  

“Excuse me. Dean Winchester is awake. I was told that the doctor would come to see him?” He saw the doctor from a few days ago come around the corner.  

“Shall we go see our patient then?” the doctor asked with a kind smile. Castiel could only nod before the two walked into Dean’s room.  

“Good morning, Dean,” the woman greeted. “My name is Pamela Barnes; I’m your doctor.” She smiled warmly. “Do you know why you’re here?”  

Dean began to speak but croaked again. Dr. Barnes moved over to the room’s sink and filled a cup with water. She brought it over to Dean and encouraged the man to drink.  

“Small sips,” she admonished.  

Dean did as he was told and once the water was gone, he tried to speak again, clearing his throat before doing so.   

“No,” he said quietly. “What’s going on?” He paused. “Why’s Cas here?  

Castiel looked up from his feet and straight into Dean’s eyes. Dr. Barnes moved to stand in front of the two men. Castiel went back to looking at his shoes.  

“Dean, you passed out during the early part of your heat. Your friend Charlie found you unconscious in your home three days ago. She--”  

“Three days?” Dean asked, incredulous.  

“That’s right. When you were brought in, we diagnosed you with severe dehydration and what we believed to be Rejection Syndrome.” Dr. Barnes continued, “We admitted you, set you up with I.V. fluids, and gave you an injection to stop your heat. Then--”  

“What’s Cas doin’ here?” Dean asked, jutting his jaw toward the Alpha.  

“Dean, I--” Castiel began, taking a step toward the bed.  

“If you’ll let me finish, I promise to explain,” the woman said with a patient smile. “After we stopped your heat, we tried to reverse the Rejection Syndrome. We thought that having your family here would help, but scenting them--”  

Dean huffed. “That still doesn’t explain--”  

“Dean,” Castiel interrupted, “will you please let the doctor finish?”  

“Mr. Novak, why don’t you step outside for a moment? I’ll come to get you in a bit.”  

Castiel nodded and left the room, finding himself leaning against the wall wondering what would happen next. The doctor left Dean’s room shortly thereafter.  

“I’ve given Mr. Winchester all of the information, including that about the suppressants. You may want to let all of the information sink in before you try to discuss it.” The doctor dipped her head a bit to catch Castiel’s eye. “You’re a good mate, Mr. Novak. You’ve done everything right. All he needs right now is rest and support.”  

Castiel cleared his throat; he suddenly had a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes. “Thank you, Dr. Barnes. I appreciate it.”  

Before Castiel could get too comfortable against the wall, Dean called out for him. Looking through the door’s window, Castiel watched as Dean crooked his finger in a ‘come here’ gesture. Of course, he obeyed.  

“Yes, Dean?” Castiel asked gruffly. He still hadn’t gotten the water that Dean did.  

“Uh,” Dean cleared his throat again. “It’s my mom; she wants to talk to you.”  

“Of course.” Castiel walked up to the bed and held out his hand. Neither broke eye contact as Dean passed the phone to the other man.  

“Hello, Mary,” Castiel said, still staring at Dean. His eyes jumped to the heart monitor as it sped up.  

“Good morning, Castiel. Has there been any change; has the doctor come by?”  

“Yes, the doctor just left.”  

“Did she tell Dean everything?”  

“Yes, she explained all of it.”  

“Has Dean said anything about it? He said he had something to tell me, but not over the phone.”  

“No, not really.” Castiel was ready to get off of the phone and spend what time he could with Dean.  

“Alright, Castiel; thank you. Sam and I will be up in a few hours. Please keep watch over my son.”  

 “Yes, I will see you soon, Mary.”  

Castiel hung up the phone and then handed it back to Dean.  

“Why are you here, Cas? Really.”  

Castiel looked back down at his feet again. “It’s just as the doctor told you, Dean: I helped you by coming in with your mother and brother.”  

“Thanks, man.”  

“Of course, Dean.”  

“I’m, uh, sorry about calling you the other day. I--”  

“Please don’t worry about it, Dean.”  

“Right.”  

Castiel nodded and moved over to sit in the visitor’s chair. He was about to drop his head into his hands when Dean spoke up.  

“Uh, Cas?” Dean asked. “Can I, uh...scent you?”  

Castiel’s head popped up. “Of course, Dean,” he answered quietly.  

Dean made room in the bed for Castiel to sit down. The man stood, then sat and leaned over allowing Dean access to his scent gland. Dean hesitated before leaning forward and running his nose along Castiel’s scent gland. The man broke out in goosebumps. Dean tilted his head, in a silent offer for Castiel to scent him as well. Both men sighed as they took in the scent of their True Mate. It eased their anxiety. They needed to talk about so many things, but for right now, both men were content.  

Castiel heard Dean whisper, “Cas, I, uh...I want to try. I want us to try to be together. I want to try to be a good mate for you. Or at least a boyfriend.”  

Castiel leaned back to look into Dean’s eyes. He found sincerity and a little bit of fear. The man’s scent was all over the place and the heart monitor was beating fast again. Castiel knew what he wanted to say, but it was hard to vocalize at the moment so he simply nodded and moved closer to Dean. He touched their foreheads together and the two men breathed each other in.  

Chapter Text

Dean rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time.  

“Dean, are you even listening to me?” Mary asked, exasperatedly as she held out clothes for Dean to change into. After another day and a half, he was finally able to go home. He was ready to be home.  

“No, Ma, I’m not. You’ve said the same thing six times. Yes, I will take time off work to recover. Yes, I will call you if I need anything. Yes, I will let Cas take care of me.”  

Dean had struggled with telling his mom that he was bisexual. When she and Sam visited the other day, he had Castiel by his side, holding his hand. The other man sat in the visitor’s chair, talking quietly with Dean when they arrived. Dean’s first instinct was to pull away; he even flinched. Castiel continued to hold Dean’s hand, just barely squeezing when he felt Dean flinch.  

“Hey, Ma. Hey, Sammy.”  

“Oh, baby, I’m so glad to see you awake and with some color in your face!” Mary gushed as she went around to the other side of the bed. She leaned in and hugged Dean tightly. She pulled back only to place a kiss on Dean’s forehead. “Castiel, thank you so much for staying with him.” Mary went around to the other side and kissed Castiel on the forehead as well.  

She’s not even going to say anything? Dean wondered. He was obviously holding hands with another man.  

“Hey, jerk.”  

“Bitch,” Dean said with a big smile.  

“Boys, really?” Mary said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at Castiel. The man huffed out a laugh.  

Dean’s smile dimmed and he legitimately squeezed Castiel’s hand. “So, uh, I have some things to tell you.”  

“Anything, Dean. What’s going on?” Mary sat down on the cot still near the bed.  

Dean took a deep breath. “First of all, I, uh...I...” Dean felt Castiel cover his hand with the man’s other hand in a show of support. Dean closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened his eyes again, finding his mother’s. “I’m bi,” he whispered “Cas and I are gonna try to make a go of things and just...y’know see where we go from there.”  

Mary simply smiled at the two men, secretly telling herself that she knew it all along.  

Sam groaned and rolled his eyes. “Finally!” he said, knowing his brother was bi for a few years now.  

Dean looked back and forth between the two. “That’s all you...that’s it?”  

“What do you want, jerk, a party?”  

Castiel snorted out a laugh but schooled his face when Dean whipped his head around to look at the man.  

“Dean, I love you no matter what. I’d love for Castiel to be one of my boys,” Mary said, looking at Castiel with a smile.  

Dean reached back to rub a hand on his neck and smiled slightly. “Okay then.” He brought his hand back down to the hospital blanket and began crimping it with his fingers. “The next part is about my...well, about me using suppressants for so long.”  

“About that, Dean. I cannot believe--”  

“They won’t work anymore,” Dean interrupted quietly. “The doctor’s also not sure if I’ll be able to have kids because the suppressants did some damage in there.”  

“Oh, Dean,” Mary whispered. “I’m--”  

“I’ve, uh, had a lot of things thrown at me this last week, so I’m still trying to process everything.”  

“Of course.” Mary came back to Dean and kissed him on the forehead again, offering the only comfort she knew to give.  

Now, he was going home. He’d had to promise his mother, Castiel, and the doctor that he would take things easy for at least a week (his students were probably loving all of the reading assignments he left for them while he was gone). Dean also had to agree to let Castiel take care of him by coming by after school to check on him, cook him dinner, and just provide the man with company. Dean had had strong opinions about having a babysitter. Charlie had also promised to come by and visit as often as she could. Dean would be lucky if he got any kind of peace and quiet over the next week.  

Chapter Text

Castiel drove Dean home, planning to stay with the man for the rest of the evening. However, once they arrived at Dean’s house, he wasn’t anticipating Dean jumping into work around the house.  

“Dean, you’re not supposed to overdo it. Will you please sit down?” Castiel asked, walking down the hall following Dean.  

“I’m not doing anything but cleaning the bathroom. It’s disgusting in here--”  

Castiel didn’t hear the rest of Dean’s sentence because he was zoned out staring at the man’s ass in his athletic pants. He could still smell traces of Dean’s heat scent? Fuck, what if he started his rut? How would he take care of Dean that way? How--  

“Dude, are you listening to me?”  

Castiel raised his eyes quickly and blushed. “Yes!”  

Dean raised an eyebrow. “Right. How about you get started with dinner?”  

Castiel nodded and retreated from the bathroom to go to the kitchen. He leaned back against the counter and rubbed his hands over his face. He felt embarrassed and ashamed.  

“You were totally checking out my ass weren’t you?” Dean said, coming around the corner with a big smile on his face. He put the cleaning products back under the sink (shaking his ass) and dumped out the bucket of dirty water. “It’s cool, man, my ass is fantastic.”  

“You’re teasing me,” Castiel said, squinting his eyes. He moved away from the counter and began encroaching on Dean’s space.  

Dean backed up to the opposite side of the counter where Castiel pinned him with his gaze. Castiel could smell that Dean was anxious, but underneath that was a hint of arousal. The man swallowed harshly.  

“Teasing Omegas get teased back,” Castiel whispered into Dean’s ear before backing up completely. He could see that Dean’s pupils had dilated and Castiel smiled before going to the grocery bags they brought in.  

Dean cleared his throat. “That, uh, brings up an important question.”  

“Oh?”  

“Yeah, our relationship...now that we’re going to try for a relationship...”  

“What are our boundaries?” Castiel supplied.  

“Yeah, that,” Dean said with a sigh.  

“Dean, I’m following your lead. I’m up for anything but I want you to control how fast or slow we go.”  

“So, if I said I wanted you to kiss me, you would?”  

“Yes.”  

“But if I said no physical contact, you’d abide by that, too?”  

“Yes, Dean.”  

“Okay, then.”  

“Okay, then,” Castiel echoed.  

~~~~~  

Over the next week, the men would get together after Castiel left school and cook dinner together. They worked well as a team, flowing smoothly around Dean’s kitchen. Occasionally, Castiel would stay later and the two men would spend the evening watching a movie or Dr. Sexy.  

“He was one of my first crushes,” Dean said one night.  

“Your sexual awakening?” Castiel asked teasingly.  

“Heh, you could say that, I guess. I just didn’t realize it at the time. Or didn’t want to realize it.”  

Castiel reached over and took Dean’s hand in his. “It’s alright, Dean.”  

Dean squeezed Castiel’s hand in acknowledgment. Castiel thought it was at least progress. He wasn’t lying when he said that he wanted Dean to take the lead in their relationship. He didn’t want to scare the man off; he was just happy Dean was willing to try.  

The following week, Dean went back to work, but the routine stayed the same: the men would have coffee together in the mornings and had lunch with Charlie in the afternoons. Dean had to kick Charlie when he told her that he and Castiel were going to try dating; she squealed too loud for comfort.  

Castiel and Dean weren’t exactly hiding the fact that they were dating, but without the PDA, other public displays, or outings, no one knew they were together.  

That all changed on a Thursday morning at the end of October. It was storming badly that day. Castiel’s car wouldn’t start and he asked Dean to pick him up, so the two men rode to work together, chatting as if it were an everyday occurrence. Dean, the gentleman that he was, got out of the car first with his umbrella and then went to Castiel’s side of the car to let him under the cover of the umbrella, too. Castiel wrapped his arm around Dean’s waist to try to stay dryer. As they reached one of the entrances to the school, they said their goodbyes.  

“Have a good day, Dean,” Castiel said, trying to finger-comb his hair.  

“Let me do that; you’re making it worse.”  

Dean delved his hands into Castiel’s hair and the man nearly moaned at having the man’s hands on him.  

“That’s at least a little better,” Dean said, surveying his work.  

As the man turned to leave, Dean stopped Castiel and began to tidy the man’s shirt buttons and tie.  

“How do you always look like you just rolled out of bed?”  

“I’m not a morning person, Dean.”  

Dean rolled his eyes. “Alright, Sunshine, the rest is all you.”  

It was Castiel’s turn to roll his eyes as the two men entered the building. They turned to one another almost simultaneously, leaned forward, and kissed each other on the lips. Both men just stared at each other, realizing what just happened. The students and teachers who saw what happened all burst into applause and yells. Castiel and Dean both blushed furiously.  

Castiel recovered first. “Dean it’s alright. We--” He didn’t get to finish, however, because Dean took hold of his tie and pulled Castiel into another kiss, this one intentional. It caught Castiel by surprise, but he immediately wrapped his hands around Dean’s waist and pulled the man closer. Dean’s arms came up around Castiel’s shoulders.  

Dean was the first to tentatively flick his tongue along the seam of Castiel’s mouth. The man opened and greedily took Dean’s tongue into his mouth. One or both men moaned as the kiss deepened. By the time Charlie came running up to them, the kiss had mellowed into little nips and pecks.  

“Oh. My. Hermione. You guys!”  

“Shut up, Charlie,” Dean said, looking into Castiel’s eyes. Both men had small smiles on their faces and wouldn’t look away from each other.  

Castiel was hopeful that this could be the turning point in their relationship. Dean pecked him shyly on the lips one more time before turning around to go down the hall. Castiel could see that the back of Dean’s neck was red, but the man didn’t seem to be freaking out. Excellent progress.  

Chapter Text

I kissed Cas. I kissed Cas. I kissed Cas. It was on a continuous loop in his head all morning. His first-period students got the surprised, embarrassed, and slightly off-kilter version of Dean. He wasn’t uncomfortable per se, but he did kind of wish he’d had the impulse in private rather than in front of a majority of the school.  

When the bell rang for class change, Dean breathed a sigh of relief and fell back into his desk chair.  

“You kissed Castiel?” Sam yelled as he walked into his brother’s classroom.  

“Can you be any louder, bitch?”  

“Hell yeah, I can. Want me to go out in the hall and yell, jerk?”  

“Go for it,” Dean said, face becoming red. “Half the school already saw it.”  

“Ha! I knew you had something going on with Aaron back--”  

“Uh, no, just with Cas.”  

Sam began laughing, harder than Dean thought was warranted. “What is your problem?”  

“You’re Cas-sexual, not bisexual,” Sam teased.  

“Shut up and go sit down,” Dean said, standing up to face his next class.  

The day went much the same way. When the two men entered the cafeteria, the room broke out in cheers and applause. When Dean and Castiel looked at Charlie she simply shrugged and said, “The school shipped you guys, what can I say?”  

Castiel tilted his head and squinted. “They...’shipped’ us? What does that mean?”  

“You ship people you want to be together, like you two. When your ship becomes canon--”  

“Charlie, enough with the geek-speak.”  

“Ugh, you’re no fun. People wanted you guys to get together. Everyone’s seen how close you two have gotten since the beginning of the year.”  

Dean and Castiel looked at each other and Dean shrugged, taking a huge bite out of his turkey sandwich. Castiel took a much more modest bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Charlie watched the two, looking back and forth like she was watching a tennis match.  

“Wha’?” Dean asked, mouth half-full.  

“Y’all aren’t going to act any different at all, are you?”  

Dean and Castiel looked at each other. Were they supposed to act differently? Dean didn’t think he could be attached at the hip with anyone (despite being attached at the hip with Castiel for the last two months). Dean shrugged and swallowed his sandwich.  

“I guess?”  

“Why would we act any differently, Charlie? We are True Mates. That doesn’t change how a person acts.”  

“Ugh, you two are unbelievable. At least hold hands or something.”  

“Charlie. The entire school watched us practically make out this morning. I don’t think we need to show anything off.”  

Castiel cleared his throat and wiped his mouth. “I, uh, would like to take you out on a date, Dean. If you’re amenable that is.”  

Dean looked over at Castiel (the two were sitting very close together, which wasn’t unusual) and smiled. “I’d like that.”  

Castiel looked shocked. “You would?”  

“Well, yeah. Why not?”  

“I figured you’d want to keep things on the ‘D.L.’,” Castiel said, using the finger quotes that Dean loved.  

“We just made out in front of most of the school, Sunshine; I don’t think the down-low is an option right now.”  

Castiel tilted his head and squinted his eyes. “I suppose you are right.” As the man got up to throw his trash away and get back to class, Dean grabbed his tie once again and pulled Castiel to him for another—quick—kiss.  

Dean could get used to this. The feel of Castiel’s slightly-chapped lips against his own, the scrape of stubble against his...it was all different from kissing a woman who was generally softer, but damn if kissing Castiel wasn’t the best thing that had happened to him all day.  

At the end of the day, Castiel met Dean in his classroom as he finished filling his messenger bag.  

“Heya, Cas,” Dean said with a smile, looking over at Castiel.  

“Hello, Dean.” Castiel stayed near the door.  

“You know,” Dean began conversationally, “it’s creepy to just watch someone.”  

Castiel cleared his throat and walked closer to Dean. “I guess I should do something other than stare then.”  

Dean’s eyes widened slightly. “Maybe you should.”  

Castiel and Dean both smiled as the man walked forward. Castiel’s hands found their place on Dean’s waist and pulled the man forward. Dean took a step closer to Castiel and met the man’s lips. This was a chaste kiss. A ‘hello’ after a long day; languid. At least until Sam interrupted.  

“Hey, jerk!”  

Dean sighed and dropped his head to Castiel’s shoulder. The other man huffed a laugh and kissed Dean’s forehead before letting him go.  

“Ready to go, bitch?” Dean said, turning toward his brother.  

Sam had a shit-eating grin on his face. “Yep.”  

“Alright, let’s head out.” He put a hand on the small of Castiel’s back to lead him out of the room.  

Castiel reached for the back door when they got out to the Impala.  

“Cas?”  

“I don’t mind letting Sam sit in front; that’s where he belongs.”  

It’s where you belong , Dean wanted to say. Instead, all three got in the car and headed to the Winchester home.  

Chapter Text

Dean kissed Castiel. Not just a peck on the cheek or a quick press of lips, well, it started with a quick press of lips, but...Dean kissed Castiel. He had been on cloud nine all day. Castiel had thought progress was Dean accepting trying a relationship, who knew that two weeks later they would be ‘making out’ in school in front of nearly everyone! And the other kisses! Sure, they were nothing like the one that morning, but both had a familiarity to them that Castiel reveled in.  

Driving Sam home, Castiel caught Dean looking back at him through the rearview mirror more than once. He smiled, he blushed, and he even tried winking (which got him a proper wink back). Sam seemed oblivious, though, having the young man in his class, Castiel knew he was anything but. Brothers being brothers, he was probably plotting something embarrassing for Dean later on.  

Castiel tried to stay in the car once he and Dean dropped Sam off, but Mary came out the door and insisted on having them stay for dinner.  

“It’s so good to see you again, Castiel!” she cried upon seeing the man, smiling. Mary took Castiel into her arms and gave him a hug. “Come in, come in! Sam and I planned to order pizza for dinner. Dean,” she said, turning back, “I know you don’t care--” Dean scoffed-- “but, Castiel, what do you like?”  

Castiel was led into the two-story home, Mary’s arm around his waist. She looked up at him expectantly.  

“Oh, I, uh, don’t have a preference,” he said, looking back at Dean who was near the door and taking off his suit jacket. Nothing seemed different in the man’s actions, but Castiel couldn’t think of why he was being invited in.  

Mary nodded once and walked back into the kitchen, Sam following.  

When Dean turned around, Castiel had a frown on his face.  

“What’s up, Cas?”  

Castiel hesitated. “Why am I here?” he whispered.  

Dean looked confused for a moment, but then his face cleared. “Dude, that’s what happens when you date someone: you get invited to dinner. Have you not...dated before?”  

“I have, just not with anyone with such a tight-knit family, I suppose.”  

Dean reached out and grabbed Castiel’s shoulder. “Welcome to the Winchesters,” he said with a small smile. His hand traveled down Castiel’s arm until it reached his hand, where Dean threaded his fingers through the other man’s.  

Castiel looked down at their hands and then up at Dean, who had a tentative smile on his face. Castiel, eyes still locked on Dean’s, raised their hands and pressed a kiss to the back of Dean’s. The man dropped his gaze and blushed, while Castiel’s smile widened. More progress. And new friends to boot; who knew?  

“Boys, are you coming?” Mary asked, sticking her head out from the kitchen. She was holding three beers and a soda in her hands.  

Dean’s gaze had once again locked with Castiel’s. “We’ll be there in a minute, Ma,” he told her.  

“Dean?” Castiel questioned when Mary went back into the kitchen with a smile on her face.  

“I, uh, just...” Dean broke off to rub his free hand on the back of his neck. “...thanks, y’know, for letting me set the pace. I appreciate it.” He squeezed Castiel’s hand and pulled him into the kitchen.  

Dinner was filled with embarrassing stories from Dean’s childhood. The four sat around the kitchen table, eating their pizza and laughing. Sam never missed an opportunity to chime in with something else that he remembered. He and Dean had gotten into trouble for throwing meatballs at each other.  

“I still haven’t gotten over the fact that Dean convinced Sam to do that,” Mary said in response to one story.  

Apparently, when they were ten and six years old, Dean convinced Sam that if he tied a towel around his neck and jumped from the shed in the backyard that he would be able to fly like Superman. Sam’s broken arm said otherwise.  

“Because he was a gullible little sucker,” Dean said, taking a sip of his beer.  

“Was not, jerk. You were just manipulative.”  

“Bitch.”  

“Dean!” Mary yelled, exasperated with her sons’ bickering.  

Castiel sat laughing quietly, hoping to hide his smile behind his beer bottle.  

“What are you laughin’ at, Sunshine?” Dean asked as he turned to look at Castiel.  

“Family dynamics,” Castiel responded, still smiling and looking at Dean, who rolled his eyes and went back to stuffing his face full of pizza.  

After dinner, when Dean and Castiel began to get ready to leave, Mary pulled Castiel aside and hugged him tightly.  

“Mary? Is everything okay?” he asked, hugging the woman back.  

“Thank you, Castiel,” she replied, looking up at the taller man. “Dean seems happy; you’re good for him. Just please be patient.” She backed up and wrapped her arms around herself. “John was...not kind to Dean growing up. I should have left him sooner than I did. I think being the firstborn son, John had such high expectations for Dean. He never approved of Dean building nests or acting less than 100% Alpha. I had to convince him that Dean’s obsession with Harrison Ford was more hero-worship than a boyhood crush. He did a lot of damage. I did a lot of damage allowing him to stay. I--”  

“Mary, I don’t think that you should blame yourself. I’m willing to be patient, to wait until Dean is ready to come to terms with everything.” Castiel paused and smiled. “We kissed earlier today, for the first time. Dean didn’t recoil.” He dipped his head to look more directly into Mary’s eyes. “I have faith. Good things do happen, and I hope to be a good thing for Dean.”  

Before the two could continue, Dean came around the corner of the hallway. “Hey, Cas, you about ready to head out? I don’t know about you, but I have a metric shit-ton of papers to grade.”  

“Dean Winchester, please keep your swearing to a minimum in this house.”  

“Who do you think I learned it from?” Dean asked cheekily. Mary rolled her eyes and went to hug her son goodbye.  

On the way back to his apartment, Castiel thought about what Mary had said and his response. He did have faith that Dean would be okay and that they would work out this True Mate thing.  

“Well, here you go, Cas,” Dean said upon arrival at the apartment complex. He turned in his seat to face Castiel “I can come get you tomorrow and take a look at your car on Saturday if you like.”  

“You don’t have to do that, Dean. I can call an auto shop--”  

“Nah, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten my hands greasy; I don’t mind,” he said with an easy grin.  

“Then I greatly appreciate your offer and accept,” Castiel agreed, also smiling.  

The men sat quietly for several moments, staring into each other’s eyes in the darkness of the car.  

“Can I kiss you goodnight, Dean?”  

Dean’s eyes widened, seemingly in shock. While they had shared a ‘steamy’ kiss in the hallway earlier that morning, and the two other chaste kisses, it didn’t mean that Dean would be ready for another show of intimacy so soon; it was a lot for one day. Ultimately, Dean nodded his head and shifted forward along the bench seat, moving closer to Castiel who did the same. The air in the car felt charged. Castiel reached up to cradle the side of Dean’s face and leaned in, quietly and carefully placing his lips on Dean’s, not wanting to scare the man away.  

At the first touch of lips, Castiel heard Dean let out a sigh, holding a breath that he probably wasn’t aware he was holding in the first place. Castiel began to smile into the chaste kiss. Dean leaned back minutely, able to look into Castiel’s eyes without crossing them, but still close enough that they were practically whispering into each other’s mouths.  

“What’s so funny?”  

“Nothing. I’m just happy you allowed me to kiss you again.”  

“Oh. Well, maybe you should do it again...y’know just to make sure you’re still happy about it.”  

“But will you be happy about it?” Dean nodded again. “Please say it, Dean,” Castiel pleaded, searching Dean’s eyes for his comfort level.  

Dean was quiet for a moment before quickly dropping his gaze down to Castiel’s lips before jumping up again. “Kiss me, Cas,” he whispered.  

Castiel smiled slightly and brought his other hand up to hold Dean’s face. He added more pressure to the kiss this time and flicked his tongue out against Dean’s bottom lip. He didn’t expect Dean to open eagerly and begin to explore Castiel’s mouth, but the man wasn’t about to complain. The kiss deepened, and Dean moaned quietly into it. Castiel’s Alpha preened at the thought of bringing his Omega pleasure.

Chapter Text

Dean‘s brain short-circuited. Kissing Castiel was unlike anything Dean had ever experienced. He thought he was a pretty good kisser, but Castiel...whether it was because he was male, Alpha, or something else, the man was...was...  

And Dean’s brain officially turned off as Castiel’s tongue breached his mouth. The very first kiss was a surprise. The second one was an itch scratched, and the last two? Those were comfortable. This wasn’t any of those. This was intimate. It was quiet, unassuming. Dean sighed out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.  

Dean moaned into this kiss, this...his mate’s kiss. It was like a switch was flipped in Dean’s mind. He scooted closer to Castiel, moved his hands from the seat, and wound them around Castiel’s neck, bringing the man even closer. Castiel’s hands moved into Dean’s hair, turning the man’s head the way he wanted it, deepening the kiss further.  

Dean’s lips moved from Castiel’s lips to his cheek and then to his jaw. The scrape of stubble was unlike anything had felt before; the texture brand new against his lips. He found that he liked it. Kissing Castiel’s jaw put Dean in closer range of the man’s scent gland and it was so fresh and clean smelling. He thought back to what Castiel said about not many people liking his scent. Well, it was Dean’s now and he loved it.  

“Dean,” Castiel moaned. Dean had just lightly nipped at the bolt of Castiel’s jaw and was making his way down to Castiel’s pulse point just under that spot. Dean wanted to get closer and lifted himself to his knees, careful of his head against the roof of the car. He swung a leg over Castiel’s lap and settled in on the man’s thighs. Castiel’s hands moved from Dean’s hair to his hips, just barely pushing Dean away.  

“Dean,” Castiel began. “Dean, beloved, you have to stop.”  

Dean stopped and realized that he had his nose buried in Castiel’s neck and was in his lap. It was like he was doused with cold water. He sat up quickly, hitting his head on the roof of the car. He tried to back away further from Castiel, hitting the dash instead.  

“I’m so sorry, Cas. I--”  

Dean scrambled to get off of the man’s lap to sit back on the driver’s side of the car. His breath coming out in pants.  

“Dean, breathe for me,” Castiel said calmly. He began taking deep breaths in through his nose, holding it, and letting it out slowly through his mouth. Dean panted a bit more before trying to breathe with Castiel. It took several cycles, but his breath eventually calmed.  

Dean lowered his hand and adjusted himself in his jeans. The smell of cinnamon and vanilla was heavy in the car; Dean was surprised he wasn’t dripping slick. It was there, but not gushing. His mind wouldn’t still though his breathing had. What did I just do? What was I thinking? 

“Dean, please try to breathe. I know you’re ‘freaking out’ right now, but I need you to calm down.”  

“I’m sorry, Cas,” he said, still breathing heavily  

Why was this kiss different from the other ones they had shared during the day? Oh, maybe because he threw himself into Castiel’s lap! He stared out the windshield taking stock of what just happened. If Castiel was talking, he didn’t hear the man.  

So, there was kissing. Check.  

Awesome kissing. Double check.  

Amazing kissing. Triple check.  

Oh, that’s how he’d ended up in Castiel’s lap. Dean’s breathing slowed.  

That damn gravitational pull that Dean had tried to tell Charlie about was in full force. He turned to look at Castiel who had a pained look on his face. Dean took in the man’s features; he was always looking at Castiel. His True Mate Castiel. The person—man—that was made for him. Did Dean care any longer that he was a man? That Dean himself was bi? Did he want to crawl back into Castiel’s lap? No, no, and hell yes.  

Dean focused on Castiel’s face. The man was waiting patiently for Dean’s freak out or the continuation of it. He reached out for Castiel’s hand and threaded their fingers together. He both saw and heard Castiel let out a sigh; he still looked concerned.  

“I’m sorry, Cas. I--”  

“You really don’t have to apologize, Dean, I--”  

“I want us to go on a real date. I want to kiss you good night. And then I want to go on another date.”  

Castiel tilted his head in a way that Dean was beginning to l—love. He was falling for his True Mate. Dean didn’t know how to feel about that just yet, but he did know that he wanted to date Castiel for real.  

“Are you going to say anything, Cas?” Dean began to worry that Castiel had changed his mind.  

“I would like that very much, Dean,” the man said sincerely. Dean thought that he must be so confused; Dean went hot and cold in the space of a minute. “What about tomorrow? I have not yet been to the Roadhouse and my students have said they have good hamburgers there.”  

“Well, mine are better, but yeah, they’re good,” Dean said with a smile. Then he frowned. He’d be outing himself in front of Ellen and Jo and possibly Bobby, not to mention half of the town. Was he ready for that? Dean swallowed harshly. “Yeah, we can do that,” he whispered.  

“Dean?”  

“I’ll be coming out to more people. It’s a lot.”  

“We don’t have to go out, Dean. We can--”  

“I want to. I want to go out with you, Cas. Hell, we just spent ten minutes making out in my car like teenagers. I think a date is the next step, buddy. Or the first step, whatever.”  

Dean watched as Castiel searched his face. He tried to project a calm exterior, though inside he was still nervous.  

“Alright. Let’s go out on a date,” Castiel finally responded, with a slight smile on his face.  

They spent the next ten minutes figuring out the timing. When Castiel got out of the car, Dean leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss goodnight. He could get used to that.  

Chapter Text

In the morning, Dean and Sam came by to pick Castiel up to go to school. This time, Sam was already in the backseat. Castiel slid in and said good morning to both Winchesters. He didn’t expect Dean to lean over and kiss his cheek. He blushed and thought about the night before, sitting in that very spot with Dean in his lap. Castiel cleared his throat and surreptitiously adjusted himself in his slacks.  

He saw Dean smile out of the corner of his eye.  

“Seriously, guys?” Sam whined from the backseat. “If you’re going to stare at each other at least do it when I’m not around. And, Dean, watch the freakin’ road.”  

Dean’s eyes cut up to the rearview mirror. “Shut up and study, bitch.”  

“Jerk.”  

Castiel may never get used to Sam and Dean’s arguing, but it was certainly entertaining. Once at school, Sam practically leaped from the car and headed inside the building. Dean, however, stayed in his seat.  

“Dean?”  

Dean looked over at Castiel with a small smile. “I’m trying to decide if I want to kiss you goodbye here or walk you to your classroom first.”  

“Oh,” Castiel said, surprised. “May I offer a suggestion?”  

“Sure.”  

“Here. We already put on a show, so to speak, yesterday. We’re allowed to be private about our relationship when we want to be.”  

Dean stared into Castiel’s eyes so long that the man began to squirm. “I like that idea.” Dean inched to the right on the seat until he was lined up shoulder to thigh with Castiel. He ducked quickly and pressed a kiss onto Castiel’s throat. Castiel huffed out a laugh.

“Are you wearing blockers today?”  

“Of course, Dean.”  

“You smell amazing.”  

Castiel smiled and blushed. “So do you.” It was Castiel’s turn to duck quickly and capture Dean’s lips in a chaste kiss. Dean chased after him for a slightly deeper kiss involving Dean sucking Castiel’s lower lip into his mouth and nipping. Castiel growled low in his throat. Dean backed away and reached for the door. This time Castiel grabbed for Dean’s tie. “Don’t forget about teasing Omegas, Dean.”  

Dean simply winked. “I look forward to it.” With that, Dean exited the car and began to walk toward the school. Castiel sat a moment longer, willing his half boner to go away. Dean Winchester might just be the death of him.  

~~~~~  

“I hate that you have to keep driving me around, Dean.”  

“It’s no problem, Cas.”  

The two men had just dropped Sam off at home and were headed to Castiel’s apartment so that the man could change out of his suit and into something more date-like.  

“I still plan to come over tomorrow and take a look at your car. It’s probably something simple,” Dean shrugged.  

Dean went with Castiel as he headed up to his apartment; Castiel didn’t want him waiting alone in the car. He hoped the apartment smelled better than it had a couple of weeks ago. Surely, the scent of rejection had dissipated by now.  

“Your apartment smells like a thunderstorm.”  

“Is that...good?”  

“Very.” Dean sat down on the couch while Castiel went to change. “You remember the week that it rained so much?” Dean asked, looking around the room.  

Castiel stopped in the middle of undoing the buttons on his dress shirt. “Yes, vividly,” he responded with a frown. “That was the week you ignored me.” He went back to undressing.  

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” Dean called back. “It was because I was having some very steamy dreams about you and I was embarrassed. I don’t think I’ve ever jerked off so much outside of being a teenager.”  

Dean spoke nonchalantly, but Castiel was nearly brought to his knees. “Dean,” the man groaned. He could just barely make out Dean’s laugh down the hall. Cheeky Omega, Castiel thought, trading his slacks for blue jeans and his dress shirt for a different button-up.  

“Hey, Cas?” he heard Dean call.  

“Yes, Dean,” he called back.  

“You done yet?”  

Castiel rolled his eyes and headed down the hallway. He stopped in front of Dean and held his arms out for inspection. He watched as Dean’s eyes raked up and down his body. Castiel couldn’t help the flush of anticipation when Dean stood up and walked over.  

“Very nice, Alpha,” Dean said, brushing off Castiel’s shoulders from behind. He stepped up closer to Castiel, practically molding himself to the man’s back. Castiel could feel Dean’s breath on the back of his neck and he broke out in goosebumps.  

“Dean,” the man warned. He was getting close to losing what rein he had on his self-control. The Omega was trying his patience.  

“My turn,” Dean said simply and backed away, heading for the door.  

Castiel dropped his head back, closed his eyes, and sighed.  

Chapter Text

Dean was having a little too much fun teasing Castiel. He knew the Alpha threatened retribution, but really, what was there to be afraid of?  

Dinner went even better than Dean could have anticipated. Jo was their waitress and she didn’t bat an eye at the two men holding hands on top of the table. Ellen came out to talk with them and she didn’t bat an eye either. I am seriously the last to know I was bisexual. What the fuck? Dean sat a little slack-jawed after Ellen walked off.  

“Dean, are you alright?” Castiel checked.  

Dean gaped for a moment. “They didn’t say anything.”  

“About what, Dean? Us? Were you expecting them to?” Castiel sounded a little apprehensive.  

“I mean, I guess? I certainly expected Jo to say something; she’s a brat.”  

“Perhaps no one cares, Dean.”  

Dean laughed a bit. “Yeah, I’m getting that.”  

The two men ate in peace, each talking about their classes and what grading they had to do over the weekend.  

“You know, Sam is pretty stoked that you went to Stanford.”  

“Yes, we’ve had conversations. You know he plans to apply?”  

“Oh yeah. It’s all the kid’s been talking about.”  

“I plan to write him a recommendation letter as an alumnus.”  

Dean smiled widely. “That’s really cool, man.”  

“I look forward to doing it. Sam is a remarkable young man.”  

“That he is. He--”  

“Here’s some pie, courtesy of mom,” Jo said as she came up to the table, tray holding two plates of cherry pie with ice cream on top. The pie slices were just warm enough that the ice cream was melting onto the plate.  

Dean’s eyes widened significantly. “Oh, hell yes!” he shouted, undoubtedly startling Castiel. Jo rolled her eyes and walked away.  

“Ellen’s pie is legendary. Dig in, dude.” Dean took a giant bite of both pie and ice cream and moaned around the bite. It was tart and sweet and delicious. When he opened his eyes, he saw Castiel with his spoon poised at his mouth for a bite, eyes darkened, and pupils dilated slightly.  

“Teasing, Dean,” Castiel growled.  

Dean, little shit that he was, decided to lick the spoon clean while staring at Castiel.  

“We’re leaving.” Castiel stood up, dropped some money on the table, and grabbed Dean’s arm, pulling the man out of the booth.  

“I wasn’t finished yet!” he whined.  

“Oh, you’re plenty finished.”  

At the car, Castiel shoved Dean against the driver’s side door and attacked the man’s mouth. It was the most aggressive he had gotten with Dean, and Dean loved it. They were parked at the back of the lot (so the car wouldn’t get scratched or dinged by drunks) with no light source overhead or around them. Castiel’s hands were in Dean’s hair, tugging the man's head to the side so that he could deepen the kiss. He moved his mouth across Dean’s jaw, nipping in various places as he got to Dean’s neck. He sucked a bruise onto the man’s pulse point, inordinately proud of marking his mate. Dean moaned even louder than he had at tasting Ellen’s pie. Castiel’s kisses kept going down further until he reached Dean’s collar. He took one of his hands away from Dean’s hair to pop a couple of the top buttons, allowing him to mouth at Dean’s collar bone, ultimately reaching the man’s scent gland.  

Dean’s hands were busy grasping Castiel’s back as the man practically ravaged his mouth and neck. All Dean could do was hang on for the ride and tip his head back to allow for more access. He whimpered when Castiel got to his mating gland. The man rubbed his nose along it, getting the raw, unadulterated scent of Dean, of apple pie. The cinnamon and vanilla scent from the night before became more and more prominent as Dean began to slick.  

Castiel raised his head to look into Dean’s eyes. Dean could see the red ring around Castiel’s pupils.  

“Get in the car, Dean,” Castiel growled. He shoved Dean to the side so that he could open the backseat door and roughly pushed Dean inside. Dean wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but he was on board, whatever it was.  

“Teasing me all night, Dean, isn’t very nice. Especially when I know that you’re doing it on purpose,” Castiel was undoing Dean’s belt as he talked, roughly pulling the jeans and boxers down as he continued. “I’ve told you that teasing Omegas get teased back, well, here’s your punishment." He quickly opened his mouth and took Dean’s cock into his mouth. Dean’s hips bucked up, but Castiel did nothing to stop him.  

Dean moaned. If this was a punishment, he’d tease Castiel every day for the rest of their lives. He was wet and dripping down onto the leather seat, but right now, Dean couldn’t care less; he was getting the blow job of his life. Soon he felt something press against his wet hole. Castiel’s finger. Castiel was going to finger his ass. Dean tried to muster up the words to get Castiel to slow down, but they were caught in his throat, coming out as moans and gasps instead.  

“Cas!” Dean cried as Castiel’s finger breached his entrance. He knew from his recent heat that this could feel good, but he wasn’t prepared for how good it was with Castiel. Soon there were two fingers in his ass and Dean still didn’t care, especially when they found that sweet spot. “Castiel!” Dean yelled, this time it echoed throughout the car and could probably be heard in the cool night air, especially as Castiel hadn’t pulled the door closed behind him.  

Two fingers became three and they relentlessly rubbed at Dean’s prostate. He was a babbling mess, fucking himself down on Castiel’s fingers only to fuck up into the man’s mouth. It was a feast of sensation until suddenly it all stopped. As Dean had uttered that he was close, Castiel stopped all ministration. He pulled off of Dean’s cock and pulled his fingers out of the man’s ass. Castiel raised up, his hair fucked six different ways from Dean’s fingers tugging on it, mouth red with spittle dangling from it, and his eyes were wild.  

“Cas?” Dean questioned breathlessly.  

“Tease me again, Omega,” he said gruffly, completely getting off of Dean and moving out of the car, leaving the other man exposed on the seat.  

“Ugh! Cas!” Dean called as Castiel shut the door. He could just make out Castiel’s arm moving. He was jacking himself off outside of the car! That wasn’t fair! Dean let his head fall back on the armrest of the opposite door and watched as Castiel’s head fell back as well, and Dean heard a low moan come from the man.  

Dean was still painfully hard, so he reached down and took himself in hand, stripping his cock quickly. It didn’t take long for him to come, and he came hard. He heard the passenger side door open and Castiel got in. He shut the door calmly as if nothing had happened. Dean was still trying to catch his breath, with a sticky mess on his stomach, and a sticky mess underneath him. He’d have to detail the seat to get the slick (and likely some come) off of the leather.  

“Asshole,” Dean panted as he pulled his jeans up. He was uncomfortable as bodily fluids began to dry on his person. He finally sat up and scooted to the door. He walked forward with as much dignity as he could, opened the driver’s side door, and slid inside.  

Neither man looked at the other, but Dean could see Castiel smiling out of the corner of his eye.  

Chapter Text

There was no kiss goodnight, and Castiel accepted it with a laugh. Tasting Dean had been, by far, the best part of the night. As he let himself into his apartment, he realized that he was still covered in Dean’s scent, slick drying on his shirt and pants where he had pumped his own cock and come on the rocks of the parking lot below him. Castiel slept very well that night.  

The following day, Castiel felt guilty. How could he have treated Dean that way? He’d apologize when the man came to work on his car later— if he came to work on the car later. Castiel spent the morning pacing his apartment wanting to text Dean but feeling almost ashamed to do so.  

At approximately one o’clock, someone knocked at the door. Castiel was hesitant to answer it. When he did, Dean stood, leaning against the door jamb, a smirk on his face.  

“You didn’t call, you didn’t text...”  

Castiel rolled his eyes and backed up to let the man in. Dean never lost the smirk, like he knew something that Castiel did not. He reached out, Castiel almost afraid that Dean was going to hit him when instead Dean pulled Castiel close by the back of the neck and kissed him.  

Castiel’s hands went automatically to Dean’s waist, pulling the man close. The kiss was not chaste. Neither was it frenzied. It was a ‘hello, it’s been too long, I’m so glad to see you’ kiss: not quite languid, but very thorough. Dean’s hands were on the back of Castiel’s neck, then his shoulders. The kiss came to an organic end, and the men’s foreheads rested against each other.  

“I almost called to apologize,” Castiel began.  

“I’m glad you didn’t.”  

Castiel pulled back, questioning.  

Dean rolled his eyes. “I don’t want an apology, Cas. Last night was awesome. The ending was a little disappointing, but...,” he shrugged. “We both got off, so I call it a win.” Dean smiled a wide, boyish smile and clapped his hands. “So, should we get started?”  

Castiel was suspicious but took Dean downstairs to the parking lot. It wasn’t hard to find Castiel’s car. It was a 1978 Lincoln Continental. It had seen better days, but it was well-loved.  

“Dude.” Dean grimaced as they walked up to the car. He walked around it twice before settling at the front of the car and popping the hood. “So, not only am I dating a man who drives a pimpmobile--” Castiel was offended-- “but he also doesn’t know how to take care of it.” Castiel was less offended.  

“I get the oil changed every three thousand miles, Dean,” he said, trying to save face.  

Dean leaned back from the engine. “There’s more to a car than gas and oil, Sunshine.” He went back under the hood, muttering as he did so.  

Castiel rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands into his trenchcoat pockets. Now, what was he supposed to do? Apparently, Dean would be at this for quite some time. As Dean moved forward a little further under the hood, Castiel thought he noticed a shine that didn’t come from the car. He squinted. He tilted his head this way and that. At one angle, Castiel saw the shine, but at another angle, he didn’t. He moved closer and Dean moved just right for his shirt to ride up a little on his back.  

Lace . Castiel saw lace. His brain went offline. Dean was wearing something with a shine that had lace. Dean was...but no. Right? He quickly walked up behind Dean and took hold of his hips. Castiel startled the man, making him raise up too fast and hit his head on the hood.  

“Dude, what the fuck?” Dean yelled, rubbing the back of his head and pulling his hand away to check for blood. He tried to turn, but Castiel held his hips in a vice-like grip keeping the man from turning.  

“Dean,” Castiel whispered into the back of the man’s neck, “are you wearing what I think you’re wearing?” He couldn’t say it; it was beyond his abilities. His Omega was wearing... He watched as Dean’s neck reddened quickly.  

“I, uh...” Dean didn’t finish his sentence, instead, he opted to stand still while Castiel moved his thumbs in circles on the man’s hips, widening the circle with each swipe. Dean wasn’t wearing a belt, making it easy to slip his thumbs into the waistband and really explore what his mind told him was there.  

“Dean,” Castiel growled low in his throat. The teasing was getting to be too much.  

Dean cleared his throat. “Technically, uh, this is what I wear on the weekends. I didn’t--”  

“They’re not for me?” Castiel sounded hurt.  

“Not on purpose, but if you like them...”  

“Omega--”  

“It’s not teasing if it’s a habit, right?”  

Castiel lifted Dean’s shirt and got a good look at the pink satin and lace that sat on the man’s hips. He dropped his head to the back of Dean’s neck and breathed in the smell of tart apples. The cinnamon was a little off, however. Was Dean embarrassed? Before Castiel could ponder further, he made himself step back. He adjusted himself in his own jeans, whimpering a bit at the friction.  

“Cas?”  

“I’ll be back, Dean,” he said stiffly. Castiel backed away, walking down the sidewalk before turning to go into his apartment building.  

Upstairs, Castiel headed directly for the bathroom and leaned against the sink. Looking at himself in the mirror, he saw that his face was flushed, that his eyes had a purplish-hue thanks to the red in his irises, and he had a grimace on his face. Castiel was breathing heavily after having practically run to his apartment.  

How is Dean real? he thought undoing the belt, button, and zipper of his pants. Castiel hadn’t even bothered taking off his coat. If he didn’t come soon, he was going to explode. As he took himself in hand, Castiel heard Dean banging at the door.  

“Cas! Let me in, man,” he yelled, muffled through the door and a room away.  

This time Castiel did whimper as he pumped his cock only enough to be slightly satisfying before putting it away in the confines of his jeans once more. He leaned down and splashed cold water on his face as he continued listening to Dean knock frantically on the door. The water did nothing.  

Walking down the hall and to the door was a chore with a raging boner and the knowledge that your mate was just outside the door wearing panties. Since he still had his trenchcoat on, Castiel wrapped it around himself, hoping to hide the fact that he was so desperately turned on.  

He wrenched open the door to find Dean with his hand raised, about to knock on the wood again.  

“What, Dean?” Castiel ground out. He really just wanted to go masturbate in private, picturing Dean laid out before him in panties, moaning his name, and—Dean had said something.  

“--sorry.”  

Castiel looked at the man oddly. “What?” he asked eloquently.  

“Can I come in so I don’t have to say this out in the hall again, please?” The man looked embarrassed and his scent was all over the place. Castiel couldn’t say what his scent was doing other than screaming ‘aroused Alpha’. He let Dean into the apartment.  

Chapter Text

He’d finally been caught; someone besides himself knew about the secret panty stash. Seriously, that should have been his first clue that he wasn’t entirely straight. Dean stood absolutely still, listening as Castiel walked away, muttering things under his breath. He closed his eyes, trying to reframe the situation.  

Yes, someone else knew that he wore panties, but it was his True Mate. That was good, right? But then why did the man walk away, seemingly upset? But he had smelled aroused. But Dean was also bent over the hood of a car showing off his ass (maybe on purpose). God, what if Castiel was disgusted by the fact that Dean was so...so...ugh, he couldn’t even think of a word (and he was an English teacher for shit’s sake!). He hung onto the sliver of thought that Castiel was disgusted and that was why he had left, scent slightly souring as he moved away.  

Dean stood by the car long enough that he thought Castiel had probably reached his apartment by now and headed that way. He knocked politely on the door, running a hand over the back of his neck. He knocked a little louder, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He started banging on the door, shouting Castiel’s name. They were going to talk, goddammit—and whoa, Dean never thought he’d actually want to talk about something like this.  

When Castiel finally opened the door, Dean took a step back in surprise. The man smelled like a thunderstorm, alright, one that meant the possibility of tornadoes and strong winds. Dean thought he had smelled the Alpha aroused before, but that was nothing compared to this. Still, he was going to say his piece, and then they’d figure out what to do (Dean voted fucking on the couch...and wasn’t that a kick in the head?).  

“Look, I know you probably think I’m too feminine or whatever by wearing panties, but I like them; they make me feel good. So, if that’s something that bothers you or makes you want out, then I’m sorry,” he said in a rush.  

Castiel tilted his head in the way that Dean l-loved. Fuck, he was—no, he already had fallen for the man.  

“What?”  

“Can I come in so I don’t have to say this out in the hall again, please?” Dean was embarrassed. And turned on. And confused.   

He stepped through the door of the apartment and the men stared at each other. Castiel shut the door and that was the starting gun. The men leaped at each other, lips, tongues, teeth. Dean was backed into the wall by the door as Castiel ground his erection into the man’s hip. Dean moaned before latching his mouth onto Castiel’s throat and sucking harshly. They both got Castiel’s coat off and on the floor and then began working on shirts.  

Dean’s came off first, thrown to the side (to land on the kitchen counter), and Castiel leaned down and forward to take an already-erect nipple into this mouth. Dean’s hands left the hem of the other man’s shirt and instead went to his hair, holding Castiel to him.   

“Cas!” Dean gasped out.  

Castiel left one nipple for the other and began to rake his nails down Dean’s chest and abdomen, creating red furrows in the skin. Dean threw his head back on a moan, knocking it on the wall and causing a picture to fall from the wall. Castiel leaned back, red bleeding through the blue irises turning the man’s eyes into an ethereal purple. Dean knew that his own eyes must be golden.   

Next, Castiel attacked Dean’s neck, sucking a dark bruise onto his mating gland. Hands still in the man’s hair, Dean pulled Castiel up to his mouth so he could be kissed hard and long. His own erection was pressing into Castiel’s and Dean had begun to slick. Castiel reached a hand around Dean and slid it into the man’s jeans and grabbed a handful of Dean’s satin-covered ass.   

Dean lifted a leg to wrap around Castiel’s waist as best as he could. He’d had women do that in the past and he had always grabbed their thigh, pulling them closer to his body. He was not disappointed when Castiel did the same.  

“Clothes, Cas,” Dean whispered against Castiel’s lips, hands going back down to the hem of the man’s t-shirt and pulling up, with no hesitation. Castiel dropped Dean’s thigh and raised his arms to let the t-shirt come off (that one ended up on the back of the couch).  

Shoes were next, each man trying to step out of theirs, tripping and smushing lips together further.  Dean moaned loudly at feeling Castiel’s skin against his own. He ran his hands across Castiel’s chest, pinching a nipple as he went. Castiel bit down on Dean’s lower lip and then licked the pain away. Castiel reached down and lifted Dean by his thighs. He was able to press his straining erection against Dean’s and rolled his hips against the man pinned to the wall.  

Castiel leaned his head back, allowing Dean to attack his neck.  

“Dean,” Castiel moaned. “Dean, wait,” he said, running his fingers through the man’s hair and pulling his head back away from his neck. “Are you sure, Dean?”  

It was all Dean could do to nod.  

“I need you to say it, Dean.”  

Dean took in a deep breath and smelled ozone, soil, and freshly mown grass. His spring. His new beginning. “Cas, I want you to fuck me.”   

“No, we’re not fucking, Dean,” Castiel said as he leaned forward to press kisses into Dean’s jaw and onto his neck, not sucking, not biting, simply placing tiny kisses as he moved down.  

Dean let out a soft moan and held onto Castiel’s shoulders. What was happening? He’d never been more turned on in his life; his cock was hard and his slick was dripping. His eyes were shut tight and his head was tilted up. Castiel had one hand on Dean’s neck and one hand on his thigh. He squeezed Dean’s neck, the Alpha telling his Omega to submit.  

“’m yours, Cas. You don’t have to go so slow,” he whispered, opening his eyes and actually staring into Castiel’s eyes instead of turning away. He wanted this.  

“I’ll do what I please, how I please, Dean.” Castiel lifted his head and stared into Dean’s eyes. “The only way I’m stopping is if you tell me ‘no’. Do you want me to keep going?” Castiel’s voice had reached an even lower decibel if it was possible.   

“Don’t stop, Cas,” he said louder.  

Castiel pulled them away from the wall and headed down the hall to his bedroom. Dean gasped at the show of strength. Fuck, why was this so hot? Was it because Castiel was his True Mate?   

If the smell of spring was strong in the living room and on Castiel, it was downright saturating the man’s bedroom. Dean pulled away from the kiss and inhaled deeply, tasting the freshness on his tongue. He barely registered Castiel laying him down on the bed. Dean’s legs, wrapped around Castiel’s waist, fell down to the bed, spread out in his nearly-ruined jeans.  

Castiel smelled a deep caramel and knew Dean was more aroused than he originally thought. He raised back from Dean to sit on his heels; Castiel wanted to take a good look at how debauched Dean already looked. His shoulders and chest were dotted with bruises. His lips were red and puffy. His eyes were a perfect gold. There was a growing wet spot on the ass of Dean’s jeans, beginning to spread down toward the backs of the man’s thighs.  

Looking up at Castiel, Dean didn’t think there was anywhere else he’d rather be at that moment. He raised up and hooked a hand behind Castiel’s neck, pulling him back down for a deep kiss. Castiel went willingly, lying flat on Dean and pressing him into the mattress. Dean’s hips came up automatically, seeking friction. Castiel moved one leg over Dean’s so that he was half on top and half to the side of the man, allowing him to grind up into Castiel’s hip.  

“Jeans, Cas, jeans,” Dean chanted, hoping to get Castiel to move faster toward the main event.  

“Patience, Dean.”  

“Panties, Cas.” That got Castiel moving his hands down to the waistband of Dean’s jeans. He rose back up on his knees, eager to unwrap his present.   

Undoing the button and zipper allowed Castiel to see just how well the panties fit around Dean’s cock, the tip poking up out of the top of the lace. Castiel leaned down and went to suckle the head, once again causing Dean’s hips to buck up. This time, Castiel moved slightly to the left and bit Dean’s hipbone to keep him still. The man moaned wantonly above him and Castiel smiled as he nuzzled Dean’s satin-covered cock.   

Once the jeans were out of the way, Castiel looked his fill. His mate spread out on his bed, moaning and writhing, dripping slick and precome. Castiel bit his lip as he stood up and got rid of his own jeans.   

Dean’s eyes widened as Castiel removed his jeans. This was about to happen; he was going to have sex with Castiel. Gay sex. The gayest sex. The sex that Dean wanted more than anything right now. Looking at the man’s straining cock caught in his boxer briefs, Dean could almost see his knot forming at the base. Much like at the hospital, Dean crooked his finger, beckoning Castiel to him. He widened his legs and allowed Castiel to settle between them.  

Castiel had Dean caged between his forearms, kissing him as he rubbed his clothed cock against Dean’s.   

“Castiel!” Dean moaned against his lips. He thought he could come just from the sensations alone. “Come on, Alpha. I thought you were going to make love to me.”  

Castiel adjusted slightly so that as he nipped Dean’s chin, his clothed cock bumped up against Dean’s leaking hole. The man nearly howled. “I’m getting there, Dean,” he whispered. Once again, Castiel got up on his knees, aiming to remove Dean’s panties, but first, he had to look his fill. He suddenly wondered if he’d ever see Dean like this again. The man said he wore the panties on occasion, but would this experience be a one-time thing? He couldn’t bear it if so. He’d buy the man an entire room full of the things if it meant Castiel knew Dean had a pair of panties on every day.  

“Cas?”  

“I’m just admiring you, Dean; you’re beautiful,” he said quietly. Castiel reached forward and began removing the pink satin and lace panties from Dean’s body. Once the barrier was gone, the room filled with the heady scent of cinnamon and caramel; Dean’s slick was flowing freely onto the bedspread underneath him.  

Castiel dropped the panties somewhere behind him and began stroking Dean’s knees. Finally, he decided to push them up so that he could get a better look at Dean’s wet hole. He had to have a taste. Castiel leaned down and licked a stripe across Dean’s hole and heard the man moan out his name. He didn’t waste any time delving his tongue into the tight heat. Hot apple pie exploded on his tongue and Castiel decided then and there that a real pie would never satisfy him again.   

Dean wanted to be embarrassed, spread out the way he was on Castiel’s bed, but damn did he feel amazing. Is this what sex would be like in the future? Is this what he had to look forward to? Dean’s train of thought exploded off the tracks when Castiel licked at and inside of his hole. He had felt his orgasm building, but he came with an unexpected shout when Castiel added a finger alongside his tongue.  

He watched as Castiel pulled back and looked up, slick dripping from the man’s chin.  

“I’m not done with you yet, Dean.”  

“Then keep going, Alpha,” Dean panted. He’d just experienced the best orgasm of his life; Castiel could do whatever the fuck he pleased.   

“I intend to.”  

Dean didn’t realize he’d said all of that out loud but soon he felt Castiel’s other hand wrap around his cock, pumping it to near-full hardness once again. Fuck . He heard Castiel chuckle.   

Once done assaulting Dean’s wet hole with his tongue, Castiel raised up and let go of Dean’s now-hard cock. He moved over Dean, kissing him as he made his way up, finally resting on Dean’s lips as he leaned on his left forearm. His other hand was now two-fingers deep into Dean’s hot, tight hole. He nosed at Dean’s cheek, making the man turn so that Castiel could nibble at his earlobe.  

“And you’ve never had anything up here before?” Castiel asked, rubbing his two fingers across Dean’s prostate and making thing man writhe.  

“Just your fingers, Cas,” Dean moaned out.  

“Are you ready for more?”  

“Yes!” he cried.  

Castiel removed his fingers and Dean felt empty. How could he feel empty? Suddenly, however, he felt the head of Castiel’s cock prodding at his entrance. How the fuck was he supposed to take something that felt so large? And then a knot on top of that?  

“Shh,” Castiel whispered. “Look at me.”  

Dean turned his head and stared into Castiel’s blue eyes; the purple having faded away though the man was no less aroused. He and Castiel looked into each other’s eyes as Castiel’s cock finally breached Dean’s hole and he began sinking in. Dean’s eyelids dropped as he tilted his head back and sighed. Castiel’s eyes closed too as he began peppering Dean’s throat with small kisses.  

“So good for me, Dean.”  

Once he’d bottomed out, Castiel stilled, waiting for Dean to become accustomed to his girth and length. He moved until both arms were supporting his weight up by Dean’s head. Dean opened his eyes to look back at Castiel before letting go of the bedspread to grip Castiel’s back. He lifted his legs to wrap around the man’s waist, taking Castiel even deeper into his body. Both men moaned at the sensation.  

Castiel was shaking and sweating at holding himself together. He could have plundered and ravaged, but he wasn’t lying: he was going to make love to Dean Winchester.  

“Mm,” Dean moaned, “move, Cas.”  

Castiel slowly pulled his cock out of Dean’s tight channel before sliding back in just as slow. He wouldn’t last long at all, but he was determined to make Dean come first. Castiel continued his in and out, reveling in the sounds of Dean’s pants and moans. He tried to ignore the fact that his knot was beginning to swell and catch on Dean’s rim.  

“Ugh, Cas! Cas, Cas, Cas,” Dean chanted. Call him a fucking puzzle because the missing piece was found and he was complete. “L-love you, Cas,” Dean whispered. He cried out when Castiel changed the angle to kiss him and the man found his prostate.  

“I love you, too, Dean,” Castiel said between kisses. He sped up minutely with every other thrust until he was nailing Dean’s prostate, making the man call out in ecstasy. “Come for me, beloved,” Castiel whispered against Dean’s lips. The man did, squeezing tightly around Castiel’s cock as come spurted out between their stomachs, making an obscene slide. With a few more thrusts, Castiel’s knot fully expanded and caught on Dean’s rim. Both men cried out, Dean coming for a third time, nearly dry, and Castiel coming harder than he ever had before.   

The men lay still, each trying to catch their breath. Castiel began to raise up, intending to move them into a more comfortable position, but Dean stopped him.  

“Don’t, Cas. Please...like feeling you on top of me.” He had been relegated to phrases instead of full sentences. Castiel still understood and stayed where he was.   

“Did you mean it, Dean?” Castiel asked cautiously, head buried in Dean’s neck, nose firmly on top of Dean’s scent gland. He caught—and felt—the slight flinch, but was put at ease when Dean responded, “Yeah, Cas.”  

“I meant what I said as well, Dean.”  

“Good. That’s good. Why, uh, didn’t you bite me?”  

Castiel leaned back so that he could look Dean in the eye. “We have not yet talked about mating, Dean. I would never do anything without your permission.”  

Dean’s hands found their way into Castiel’s hair, nails scratching lightly on his scalp. He raised up by a small margin and placed a chaste kiss on Castiel’s lips; a silent ‘thank you’.  

The two men lay quietly together, trading soft, slow kisses and looking into each other’s eyes. They fell asleep waiting for Castiel’s knot to go down. In the back recesses of Dean’s mind, he told himself finally .   

Chapter Text

Dean woke up literally plastered to Castiel. The Alpha’s knot had gone down and slipped free while they were sleeping, allowing slick and come to drip onto the bedspread below them. Dean’s come between them had become crusty and uncomfortable. Apparently, sex with an Alpha was fluid-drenched. They had forgotten a condom, so the mess was worse, though truly that was the least of Dean’s worries. He really had to pee and Castiel was sound asleep on top of him, lightly snoring.  

“Cas?” Dean tried quietly. “Castiel?” Finally, Dean reached down and pinched Castiel’s hip.  

“Mm, go back to sleep, Dean,” Castiel said tiredly.   

“I’d love to, Sunshine, but I need to pee and take a shower.”  

Castiel grumbled something into Dean’s neck that he couldn’t quite make out. “Is this why you look like you just rolled out of bed in the mornings? Huh? Too interested in sleep?” Dean had a smile on his face, remembering grumpy Castiel before his coffee in the lounge in the mornings.  

“Exactly,” Castiel replied, kissing Dean’s neck before rolling off of him.  

Dean hissed as he moved to sit up. “Dean? Are you alright?” Castiel asked, turning over onto his side to look at the man.  

“Yeah, yeah, just sore in places I didn’t know I could be sore.” He gingerly moved to the edge of the bed and steeled himself for getting up, not knowing what would hurt or what would drip. The answer was everything. Dean looked over his shoulder at Castiel whose face was planted back on the pillow and sound asleep once again. Dean couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he stood up.   

The first thing Dean noticed was the ache in his limbs. It wasn’t an unpleasant ache, more the pain you would feel after a really good workout. His ass, on the other hand, was a new one. He felt stretched inside and out, come and slick still somewhat running down his legs. Dean supposed you would feel quite stretched at having a cock and knot inserted in your ass. Again, though, the ache wasn’t unpleasant, which made Dean smile as he left the room for the bathroom down the hall.  

Dean turned the water on in the shower before making his way to the toilet. Walking back toward the shower, however, Dean caught a look of himself in the mirror. Bruises dotted his neck and shoulders; infinitesimal drops of blood had welled up in the scratches on his chest and dried. He couldn’t ignore the smile on his face, either.   

The water was hot on Dean’s skin, stinging in places where he had other scratches. He dropped his head back under the spray and moaned. That was something else sore: his throat. He had never been so vocal during sex. Dear god, Castiel knew how to play Dean’s body like a fine-tuned instrument. He felt more than heard the curtain move as said man stepped into the shower as well.   

Dean smiled slightly as he felt hands grab his waist and pull him forward. Dean opened his eyes and stared into blue. Castiel dropped his forehead onto Dean’s, never losing eye contact.  

“Good afternoon,” the man said.  

“Afternoon, Cas.” Dean made the first move to kiss Castiel, but Castiel was the one to deepen it. The two kissed languidly under the spray, hands wandering over bodies, no real destination.   

“Did you mean it, Dean?” Castiel whispered again, eyes still closed. He didn’t want this to be a dream.  

Dean reached up and took Castiel’s face in his hands. “Yeah, Cas,” Dean said quietly. The man opened his eyes and smiled, nose crinkling. Dean wanted to look at that smile always. “Did you mean it?”  

“Yes.” Castiel leaned forward, Dean moving to accept another kiss when he grabbed the shampoo bottle and poured some into his hand. Dean huffed a laugh and let Castiel wash his hair. He soon returned the favor and, after scrubbing the come and slick off of their bodies, the two men exited the shower, smiling over at one another every now and then.  

Back in the bedroom, Dean searched for his jeans. Once found, he deemed them ruined for the time being, slick having dried all along the ass and the backs of the pant legs. Castiel came up behind him and held out a pair of boxer briefs and sleep pants. Handing them off, Castiel kissed the back of Dean’s neck. Dean could feel the goosebumps that had absolutely nothing to do with the cool air of the room.   

Dean had told Castiel that he loved him, and Castiel had said the same. He was trying not to freak out, really, he was, but he had never said those words to anyone but family.  

“Dean?” Castiel questioned, already dressed and stripping the bedspread off of the bed. He stood up and looked at Dean carefully, probably preparing himself for the meltdown of the century. “Are you alright?”  

Dean looked over at the man, gray t-shirt on over sky-blue sleep pants (that looked like they had bumblebees on them). This was his True Mate. This was the man that he loved. This was...awesome.  

“Yeah,” Dean replied, a smile growing on his face. “Yeah, I’m good.”  

Chapter Text

The house was a light blue with white shutters. As they turned down the driveway, Dean sighed. Home. It had taken a little over a year to build. A blip of time to Dean as he waited patiently. He wanted it done right. He wanted it done the way he imagined. Castiel was totally on board and supported each of Dean’s decisions.   

And now the house by the lake was a reality. Yes, it was a longer commute and their closest neighbors were a mile away, but they loved it. It was two stories with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was a fireplace in the living room that just begged for cozy, late-night fires in the winter (along with sex in front of said fire). The kitchen was big enough for the two men to cook together without being on top of one another (although the men were usually on top of one another). The master bedroom overlooked the lake and the sunsets to be seen there were awesome. An office, a guest room, and the second bathroom completed the second floor.  

Once situated in the garage, both Dean and Castiel exited the Prius (for which Dean had bitched, but the Impala had quickly become impractical, so it was used for special occasions only...it also meant that the pimpmobile was gone). Dean walked around the back of the car and went straight for the back seat, but Castiel beat him to it.  

“Dean, you’re not supposed to lift anything right now.”  

Dean rolled his eyes. “Fine, but I don’t see how that’s going to work out. It’s kind of in the job description, man.” He slowly headed inside the house with a smile on his face.  

Castiel ignored his mate of three years and opened the backseat door. Sitting perfectly still and sound asleep was their newborn daughter, Claire. Castiel disengaged the car seat from the base and lifted the baby carrier out of the car. Claire whimpered but ultimately went back to sleep. He decided that, other than the diaper bag, the rest of the stuff in the car—flowers, cards, gifts, Dean’s overnight bag—could all wait a little longer.  

Claire was a surprise. When Dean was told he wouldn’t be able to have children because of his over-use of suppressants, he’d accepted that fact. He and Cas didn’t bother with birth control for that very reason. After three years of regular heat cycles and innumerable bouts of sex, Dean’s body decided it was ready to host a new life.   

Dean had been sick for a week and had been averse to coffee for almost as long before Castiel finally convinced the man to go to the doctor. When she asked if there was a chance that Dean could be pregnant, he almost laughed in her face. Instead, he explained his medical history (which was also right there in his chart, but whatever) and was prepared to hear he had food poisoning. Instead, he was told to pee in a cup. When the doctor came back with the news, Dean didn’t believe her and accused the staff of playing some sick joke. He left and didn’t plan to go back to that particular clinic ever again.  

However, the seed was planted so to speak. On the way home, Dean stopped at the store at bought five different kinds of pregnancy tests. He went home and did all of them. Two hours later, when Castiel came home from school, he found Dean sitting on the bathroom floor, nearly catatonic (too reminiscent of a few years earlier when Dean was so sick from his heat and Rejection Syndrome). When Castiel asked what was wrong, Dean simply pointed to the bathroom counter where all five tests were lined up. Once he realized what he was looking at, Castiel began to laugh. Dean thought he was crazy.   

“Dean, this is...it’s...”  

“Crazy? Unexpected? Insane? Impossible?”  

“Yes, all of it,” Castiel said with a smile as he sat down next to Dean. “It’s a good surprise, or at least I think so,” a frown replaced Castiel’s smile, “but I’m more concerned with what you think. It’s your body, Dean.”  

“I think I’m still in shock. I’ve gotten used to the idea that we wouldn’t have kids, y’know? Now...”  

It took several days, but Dean’s shock wore off and Castiel found Dean standing in the guest room one night, rubbing his flat stomach and crying. The ‘fucking hormones’, as Dean called the situation, told Castiel that their lives were about to be turned upside down.  

Now, a little less than nine months later, Castiel sat Claire down on the dining table before unclipping the buckles and lifting her out of the seat. He was already charmed and wrapped around the little girl’s finger; they both were. The baby snuffled a bit and turned her head to scent her Alpha daddy.   

“Told you it was part of the job description,” Dean said cheekily, looking up at Castiel from the couch.  

“Yes, yes, but I don’t think the doctor meant our daughter,” Castiel replied, passing the baby to Dean and then sitting down beside his mate.  

“You mean all nine pounds of her?”  

“Indeed,” Castiel said with a smile.  

Claire began to root around, telling her daddies that she was hungry. Castiel got up and went to fix a bottle of formula. Going back to the living room, he saw Dean stretched out on the couch, with Claire laying on his chest.  

“Are you in pain, love?”  

“Yeah, a bit,” Dean admitted and grimaced.  

Castiel rolled his eyes. If Dean was willingly saying that he was in pain, it must be more than ‘a bit’.  

Dean had a cesarean section to bring their daughter into the world. The doctor warned there would be pain (among many limitations to consider), but, since Dean wasn’t breastfeeding, he shouldn’t worry about taking the pain medication. But the man was stubborn.  

“I’ll get you a pain pill,” Castiel said after handing Dean the bottle and helping to adjust Claire into a more comfortable position on a pillow in Dean’s lap.  

“Cas, it’s fine.”  

“No, it’s isn’t, Dean. You need to take care of yourself, more now than ever.”  

Dean rolled his eyes but agreed to take a pill even though it would make him sleepy and loopy. As Castiel went back to the garage to get Dean’s bag, Dean looked down at his daughter, greedily sucking down her lunch.  

“Just like your old man already, huh?”  

Pregnancy had been so weird for Dean. Just the thought that he was growing another living thing inside him was enough to squick him out. His first trimester was filled with morning sickness, nausea, unpredictable hormone surges, and exhaustion. But the first time he felt Claire move, all of that went out the window. He was having a baby—his and Castiel’s baby. It was a little miracle after being told it was impossible. Now the possibilities were endless. Would Claire take out of him or Castiel? Would she have green eyes and blonde hair or blue eyes and dark hair (the latter was true so far)? How would she act as she got older?   

Castiel came back with a pill bottle and a glass of water. Dean abandoned feeding Claire long enough to take his pill. In the seconds she didn’t have her bottle, Claire became very fussy and began to cry.   

“I guess she takes after you,” Castiel said. “She loves her food already.” He smiled at his mate and sat down beside the two, lifting Dean’s legs to put them in his lap. The two men stared in awe at the little girl. Every now and then they’d look up at each other and smile.