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Chapter Text

Eight year old Castiel was half listening to his two year younger cousin, Gabriel, prattling on about his favorite SpongeBob SquarePants episode. They were walking behind their mothers, who had taken the boys shopping for some fall clothes, now that the new school year was about to begin.

Castiels mom had promised him he could buy a new comic book, if he behaved himself and was nice to Gabe. He was thinking about which one to get, while humming along to his cousins babbling, when he accidentally walked straight into something and fell on his butt.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you ok kid?”

Cas looked up into the worried face of a kind looking man.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going…” Cas answered, a bit embarrassed.

“No worries. Here, let me help you get up.” The man smiled at him and offered Castiel a hand. He was just about to grab the mans hand when his mother slapped it away from him.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Don’t touch my son!” His mom looked furious, while she roughly yanked Castiel off the ground and pushed him behind herself.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I was just trying to help the boy up…” The man tried but was interrupted by Castiels mother.

“I don’t care! I don’t want a Null talking to, or touching, my child!” Cas could see the man flinch. The man blushed and looked down at the ground.

“With due respect, ma’am, there’s no need to be that harsh…”

“Just get away from us!” His mom was shouting now, and people were starting to stop and stare at them. The man held up his hands in surrender and walked away. Castiels aunt put a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Come on, Hester. He’s gone now, let’s continue shopping, I still need a pair of shoes for Gabriel.” His mother’s shoulders relaxed and she nodded at her sister.

“Yes, let’s get going. Are you ok, Castiel?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Why did you shout at that man?” Castiel was feeling confused, he had no idea what the man had done wrong.

“Yeah, and what’s a “Knoll?” Gabriel was piping up from behind Castiel. Their mothers shared a meaningful look, and then his aunt gently nodded. His mother sighed.

“You boys know how everyone is either an alpha, an omega or a beta? ” Both Castiel and Gabe nodded in affirmation, although Cas didn’t know the specifics. His parents had told him he was too young to understand all of it yet and that he would find out when he was older, and they’d start teaching him about the subject in school.

“That is called a gender designation, or a subgender. Well, a Null is someone that God does not approve of, and as a punishment they are not given a subgender.” Castiel and Gabriel gave eachother confused looks.

“Why does that matter?” Gabriel asked, and their moms shared another look.

“If you don’t have a subgender, you can’t make out scents the way those who have one can. You can’t tell how someone is feeling or thinking. Worst of all, you can’t scent bond with another person. Scent bonding is crucial for finding the person you will mate and spend the rest of your life with. A Null is destined to live life without a mate, never to feel love.” Castiel felt stunned and looked at his mother with worried eyes, then Gabriel started bawling.

“But…but… I can’t scent those things! Will I…will I be unloved forever?” Gabe shouted as tears were pouring down his face. Castiels mother and aunt looked surprised, then they started laughing, and Castiels aunt pulled her crying son into an embrace.

“Oh, honey, no, that is perfectly normal! You’re just a child! The only scents you can make out is the different ones of your family. Like, how you can scent me and know I’m about to enter your room just before I do. But you won’t be able to scent if someone is angry or sad until you present as a subgender when you’re a teenager.” Gabriel relaxed at that and stopped crying.

“The two of you have nothing to worry about, you’re both good kids.” Castiel’s aunt said and ruffled both their hairs.

“And, God’s most devoted and beloved followers, just might get rewarded by meeting their true mate. That’s a person that is made for you, a soulmate. It is very, very rare though, so make sure you behave your very best at Sunday School.” His aunt winked at them.

“Ok, kids, let’s get you both some new shoes!” Castiels mother said cheerily, and they all started down the street again.

His aunt’s words hadn’t stopped Castiels worries though. He couldn’t scent his mother before she entered his room. But it wasn’t like he couldn’t smell her at all! If he got really close to her, like when they hugged, he could scent her. A null wouldn’t be able to do that, right?

“Cassie! Oh, my GAWD! CASSIEEE!!!” Castiel startled at the shrieking voice of his cousin, starting downstairs, and quickly getting closer with Gabriels thundering footsteps. Castiel turned around from his desk, just as Gabriel threw open his bedroom door.

“I’ve presented!!! Can you tell what I am?!” Gabriel ran up to Castiel, wearing a huge grin on his face, and staring at him in anticipation. Gabriels face was flushed, his eyes shining, and he was sweating profusely.

“Ehhrrm…no?” Gabriel was standing so close that Castiel unconsciously started to lean back in his chair.

“Oh, come ON! You’ve got to scent it at least a little bit, even if you’re still unpresented!” Gabriel impatiently slapped Castiels shoulder. Castiel felt a sting at the “unpresented” bit.

“I…uh…” Castiel didn’t scent anything different about Gabriel, well, he did smell a little bit sweeter than usual. Castiel decided to take a guess.

“Uhm…O-Omega?” Cas held in a sigh of relief at the glee in Gabes eyes.

“Correct! Isn’t that awesome?! Dad is furious!” Gabriel giggled.

“Did he seriously think you’d present as an alpha?” Cas asked with an eyeroll.

“He hoped! But I guess he assumed I’d be at least a Beta. You know how he is about male omegas…” Yeah, Castiel knew how his uncle, and pretty much everyone in their family thought it was pathetic for a man to be able to carry a child.

“I’m so sorry about that, Gabe.”

“Don’t be! He and the rest of our family can shove their beliefs where the sun don’t shine! At least I’ve got you on my side, right!” Gabe winked at him, but Cas knew his cousin well enough to pick up on the well hidden worry in his eyes.

“Yeah, Gabe, I’ll always be on your side.” Castiel smiled at him, and Gabe smiled back, then he suddenly looked weird and stumbled on his feet. Castiel managed to catch him before he fell to the floor.

“Whoa, Gabe! Are you ok?” Cas worriedly asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s the heat, makes me dizzy. I should probably get back home and lock myself in my room.” Gabriel grinned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Euuw, Gabe! I did not want that mental image!” Cas whined as his cousin snickered.

“Whatever, see you in three to four days, Cuz!” Gabriel turned and swaggered out of Castiels room.

Cas sat back down in his chair, staring in front of himself. He was happy that Gabriel had presented, but at the same time it really hurt that his thirteen year old cousin had presented before he did. Cas felt the familiar old unease settle in his stomach. What if he’d never present? He felt almost nauseous at the thought. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. So, he didn’t scent things as well as his other unpresented friends, but that didn’t have to mean anything. Most people presented between the ages of twelve and fifteen, but it wasn’t that unusual for people to present when they were as old as sixteen and even sometimes seventeen. So, realistically speaking, he’d probably present any day now.

At sixteen, and just two months shy of his seventeenth birthday, Cas was still unpresented. His parents had started discussing taking him to see a doctor, but he had talked them out of it, for the time being. He was currently on his way to pick up his girlfriend April. They had been dating for a little over a year, and four months ago she had presented as a beta. When he drove up to her house, April was already waiting for him outside. He smiled at her as she opened the door and sat down beside him, but stopped when he saw the serious look on her face.

“April, is everything ok?” He reached over to stroke her cheek, but she gently catched his hand and pushed it back towards him, making Cas frown.

“I’m sorry, Cas, but this isn’t working.” She turned to look at him, still with the same serious expression on her face.

“W-what are you talking about?” Castiel asked, anxiety starting to rise.

“Us, we’re not working… I want to break up.” Castiel felt as if all air had been punched out of his lungs.

“What do you mean we’re not working? We have fun together, I like you and I thought you liked me too.” Castiel felt pathetic, but couldn’t help himself. April sighed.

“I do like you but… But seriously Castiel, you’re almost seventeen and you still haven’t presented! People have started talking about it, and honestly, it’s embarrassing.” Castiel flinched and felt cold dread settle in his gut.

“You have to face reality, there’s a huge risk that you’re not going to present. And I can’t be dating a… well, a Null. You get that, right?” Castiel didn’t know what to say, so he just stared at her. April sighed again.

“I’m sorry, Cas, but it has to be this way. I’m going back in now, you take care, ok?” April opened the door and stepped out of the car, then she turned around.

“If I’m wrong and you do eventually present, we can always try again and see where it goes.” She gave him a small smile, closed the door and walked back to the house. Castiel felt numb as he turned the ignition and drove away. He kept driving around aimlessly, for he didn’t know how long, his thoughts a jumbled mess. When he suddenly started to hyperventilate, he pulled over to an empty parking lot. He threw open the door and stumbled out of the car, sank down on his knees and tried to breath through the anxiety.  After a while his breathing started getting back to normal, only to be replaced by his brokenhearted sobs.

Castiel had been seventeen for three months, when his parents finally snapped and made him see a doctor. Castiel was not at all surprised when the doctor confirmed what his parents greatly feared, and Cas already assumed. The drive home was quiet. His father told him go to his room, as soon as they were inside the house. He was halfway up the stairs, when he heard his mother break down and cry. He turned around to go down and try to comfort her, but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard her speak.

“What have we done to deserve this? Our only child?” His mother sobbed.

“Well, Castiel has obviously done something to anger God. That boy has always been a bit peculiar.” His father’s voice was cold, devoid of emotion.

“I don’t want him in our house anymore!” Cas stopped breathing at his mother’s words.

“Neither do I, dear. But, Null or not, it won’t look good if we kick him out before he’s finished high school.” His father sounded regretful.

“You can’t be serious, Zachariah? We can’t keep living with that…thing!”

“Unfortunately, we have to. But we’ll set up some new ground rules, as to make sure we have to have as little as possible to do with him.”

“Fine! But as soon as he graduates, I want him out of here!”

“Of course, Dear.” Castiel couldn’t keep listening, he turned around on shaking legs and continued up the stairs to his room.

Four months later, Castiels mother still hadn’t spoken to him since the day of the doctors appointment.  His father only spoke to him when necessary. Everyone at school now knew of his Null status, one after another his friends had stopped speaking to him. His teachers didn’t call on him anymore, except for his art teacher,  a beta named Mr. Roché. Mr. Roché treated him the same way he always had. Gabriel had tried to see him for the first two months, but his parents had figured out all the ways he could sneak out and now kept a close watch on him. The isolation and loneliness were steadily sinking Castiel into a deep depression.

 The tipping point came one day when Cas was eighteen. His father knocked at Cas’ door and told him his mother was having another baby.

“God has blessed us with a new hope! This is His way of telling us we did nothing wrong as parents! You are, of course, forbidden to come close to the baby when it is born. I will try to arrange so that you can leave this house a few months before your graduation. Please try to stay out of Hesters way as much as possible, I don’t want your presence to upset her and endanger her pregnancy.”

That evening his parents went out to celebrate together with his aunt and uncle. Castiel placed a box cutter at the side of the bathtub, while he was filling it up with water.  He took a long look at himself in the bathroom mirror, feeling nothing. No sadness, no anxiety. Just a bone deep weariness, maybe a bit of relief at finally taking the step.

He turned off the water, stepped into the bath and slowly sat down and relaxed. Cas grabbed the box cutter and put the blade to his left wrist, he started cutting, hissing at the pain, but didn't stop.

“Hey Cassie! You in the bathroom? I hope you’re decent!” Gabriels voice rung out just before the bathroom door slammed open.

“Grandma fell asleep “watching” me an…” Gabriel stopped talking as is eyes widened in horror at sight in front of him.

“No…nononono, Castiel, no! What are you doing?!!” Gabriels scream startled Castiel into dropping the box cutter into the water. Gabriel grabbed a towel and threw himself onto the floor next to Castiel, and proceeded to frantically wrap the towel around Castiels bleeding wrist.

“You can’t do this, Castiel! I won’t let you!” Castiel could do nothing but stare at Gabriel, as his cousin was holding the bleeding arm up high, while pulling up his cell and dialing 911. While Gabe was informing someone about the situation and giving them the address, Castiel felt himself slowly drift away, then everything went dark.

When Cas woke up, he was lying in a hospital bed, it took him a moment before he remembered what he was doing there. So, it hadn’t worked. Well, he could try again as soon as he was out of here. Cas looked up as there was a knock on the door. When the door opened, Cas was surprised to see his art teacher, Mr. Roché enter the room.

“Oh, you’re awake, just a moment, I’ll get the nurse!" Mr. Roche disappeared and soon came back with a nurse who asked Castiel a bunch of questions, while checking his vitals. As soon as she was finished, Mr. Roché sat down beside Castiel and took his hand in his own.

“First off, I am deeply sorry you feel so bad you’d do something like this to yourself. Second, I sincerely apologize for not realizing how bad your situation had gotten. Third, I will do everything I can to make you feel better, ok?” The earnest look on the face of his teacher made something crack inside of Castiel, and though he thought he had no more tears left, they started to fall down his cheeks.

After that, Castiel moved in with Mr. Roche – “Call me Balthazar, it’s weird for you to call me Mr. Roché when we live together!”-, his parents more than happy to be rid of him. Balthazar got Cas into therapy and on antidepressants. He also helped Castiel get in contact with a couple of unpresented adult friends of his, to show Cas that being unpresented didn’t mean your life was over. Gabriel managed to sneak over and hang out with Castiel every now and then, and in between he made sure to message and snap Cas, incessantly.

Cas parents refused to help him with any kind of money, and the savings they had made for him going to college, they put away for the new baby instead. Thanks to Cas’ good grades, his talent in arts, and a little help from Balthazar, Castiel managed to snag himself a scholarship, making his dream of going to University possible. Balthazar assured him there were plenty of places where people had a more openminded view on unpresented people, and helped Cas choose a fitting university.

Castiels little sister Claire, was born one month before Cas’ graduation. He wasn’t allowed to meet her, but Gabriel made sure to send Cas lots of photos. Gabe also told him he’d tell Claire all about her amazing big brother while growing up, and that he’d help her sneak out to see Cas when she was old enough. To Gabes credit, he just kept quiet when Castiel hugged him tight, and cried.

Balthazar had been right about there being places where people were openminded and all in all, Cas had a decent time at university. Of course, there were still people who’d act weird around him, but it was still much better than in his home town. His dating life was nonexistent, but he became close friends with a tall, muscular alpha named Gadreel, who’d stare down anyone who’d dare speak ill to, or about, Castiel. Gabriel decided to apply to the same university as Cas and joined him two years later. Cas realized early on that it’d be best for him if he got a job where he’d have to interact with people as little as possible. Even people who were nice to him, would still act uncomfortable being around him, due to his unpresented status. So that’s how he ended up working as a freelance graphic designer when he graduated, and living together with Gabriel in a two bedroom apartment, close to the university.  

Chapter Text

It was Castiel's 25th birthday and he was celebrating at home, with Gabriel and Gadreel. His cousin had made all them a three course meal, and they were now enjoying a fine single malt whiskey, that Gadreel had brought with him. Cas leaned back in the armchair and let out at content sigh.

“You look like a happy cat over there, Cassie. Enjoying you birthday?” Gabe smirked at him.

“Yeah, it’s been great, thanks you guys.” Cas raised his glass and smiled at his two friends.

“Hopefully it’ll get even better after you open your present.” Gadreel smiled, as Gabe leaned back and pulled out a gift bag from behind the couch.

 “You didn’t have to get me anything, the dinner and scotch was more then enough!” Castiel protested but was quickly hushed by his friends. He accepted the bag and pulled out a small package, maybe six inches high. He quickly unwrapped it and gasped when he pulled out a sleek, glass bottle, containing an amber liquid.

“Wait, is this what I think it is?” Cas stared with wide-eyed disbelief at his friends.

“It sure is!” Gadreel said with a big grin.“You can’t be serious, this stuff is expensive!” Castiel reverently inspected the bottle containing “Null Block”, a relatively new, and rare product for unpresented people. It was said to make the wearer smell like a beta on blockers. Castiel had read about it in the Null-forums he frequented online, the few who had tried it said it worked amazingly well.

“Well, we split the cost with Balthazar, so it wasn’t that bad. And honestly, you should have seen your face when you told us about this stuff, we had to get it for you.” Gabriel said, and Cas could feel himself tearing up.

“I don’t think I can thank you enough. This is going to make meeting up with clients, so much easier. Or just going to the bank, or…”

“Or coming with us to a party tomorrow night?” Gadreel interrupted Cas, looking hopeful.

“What? A party? I don’t know…” Castiel said reluctantly as he looked down at his hands.

“Please, Cassie? It’ll be fun, it’s at Garths place, you like Garth right? And with the Null-block, no one will bother you about being unpresented, so you can just relax and enjoy the party like everybody else.” Gabriel tried. Castiel did like Garth, the guy had never treated Cas any different from anyone else.

“It’s a college party, then?” Cas asked.

“Kind of, but it will be mixed with other people who have graduated, like us two.” Gadreel added. Castiel contemplated the whole thing, and came to the conclusion that it might be fun, and he was itching to have a reason to try the Null-block.

“Ok, I’ll go to the party…” He was interrupted by cheers from both men.

“BUT, no trying to set me up with anyone. Ok, Gabe?” Castiel told his cousin, sternly.

“Whyyy? I get that you don’t want to ask out a presented person, but there’s no harm in just getting laid?” Gabe pouted.

“No, I’d feel like a creep, tricking someone into thinking I’m something I’m not.”

“Fine, I get your point.” Gabriel sighed.

“I promise not to set you up.”  

“Thank you, Gabe.”

Gadreel poured them all some more whiskey and they continued talking long into the night.

The party was great, and the Null-block was working out better than Cas could have hoped for. No one had given him pitying looks, no sneers, no pointing and whispering. He was relaxed and happy in a way he hadn’t been since his early teens. Castiel had just grabbed another beer and headed outside to the porch to get some fresh air. Cas was taking a swig of his beer, when something to his right caught his attention. He turned around and saw the back of a guy, leaning against the side of the house, breathing heavily and shaking. Castiel walked over and tapped the guy on the shoulder.

“Hey man, are you ok?” Cas asked, and let out a small gasp as he was suddenly staring into the face of a ridiculously attractive, blonde, green eyed man, maybe a couple of inches taller than Cas himself. Probably a beta, or maybe an alpha, Cas had never been good at telling.

“I…I don’t know..yea..no, it feels like everything’s spinning…” The pretty man slurred, face pale.

“Had too much to drink? Can I get you some water?” Cas asked.

“N-no, I… I’ve only had one beer, I don’t understand…” The guy tried to take a step back, and immediately stumbled and fell into Castiel's arms.

“Whoa, good catch…I mean, I’m sorry, I-I’m…” The guy slurred his words even worse now and he seemed to have a hard time focusing his eyes.

“Let’s try and get you inside, do you have any friends here that can help you home?” Castiel said as he tugged one of the mans arms around his neck.

“N-no…Yes? Garth? I kinda know Garth…” The guy stumbled again and Cas had to use both his arms to hold him up. 

“Well, helloooo, Cassie! What about the “No hookups-rule?” Castiel turned towards the voice of his cousin.

“Gabe! Help me out here, I think this guy might have been drugged!” Gabriel’s grin immediately dropped and he ran over to Cas and helped him hold the guy up.

“Shit, is that you, Dean?”  Gabriel said.

“…Gabe?...” The man whose name was apparently Dean, gave Gabriel a confused look.

“You know him?” Castiel asked.

“Yeah, he’s in engineering, shit, should we take him to the hospital?”

“No, no hospital…expensive…” Dean mumbled.

“Ok, uhm, shit! Let’s take him to our place, he’ll probably be fine sleeping it off, right?” Gabriel asked nervously.

“Uh, yeah, ok. Stay with him here, I’ll go get Gad so he can drive us back.” Castiel and Gabriel managed to get Dean to sit down on the porch steps, and then Cas hurried inside the house again. He got Gadreel, and on the way out they bumped in to Garth and told him that someone had spiked Dean's drink. He promised to make sure to be on the lookout for anything weird going down for the rest of the night. Dean was pretty gone when they got back outside, but with the help of Gadreels alpha strength they managed to get Dean first into the car, then out of the car and into the apartment. They helped the unconscious Dean to the couch, and Gabriel got out a pillow and blanket for him.

“So, I’ve googled a bit and it seems like he’s doing ok, he’s not showing any symptoms of an overdose. It should be safe to let him sleep it off.” Gadreel told the others.

“Ok, well I’m going to bed, I’m exhausted…and drunk. See you tomorrow!” Gabriel said and headed to his room.

“I guess I’m sharing your bed? Since the couch is occupied?” Gadreel asked Cas.

“Yeah, don’t hog the covers, though.” Gadreel looked offended.

“I’ve never hogged the covers!”

“Suuure…” Gadreel flipped off a grinning Cas and started walking toward his bedroom.

“Are you coming?” Gadreel asked Cas.

“I’ll stay up a bit longer. I just want to make sure he’s ok.” Castiel said as he sat down in the armchair. Gadreel turned around.

“You want me to keep you company?”

“Nah, I’ll just sit here and read for a bit.” Gadreel nodded and walked over to Castiels bedroom. Castiel sat beside Dean for two hours before he felt comfortable with leaving him on his own. He sat a glass of water and some Tylenol on the table next to Dean, before he headed to bed.

The next morning, Cas woke up cold (of course Gad had wrapped himself up like burrito in the covers) and to the sound of talking voices. He got up and walked out to the living room, in his long sleeved t-shirt and sweatpants. Gabriel and Dean were sitting on the couch, they turned around when they heard Cas close the door to his room.

“Good morning, Cassie! Come meet our house guest. Officially, that is.” Gabriel winked, and Dean blushed and looked down, before looking up at Cas again. Castiel walked over and extended his hand to Dean.

“Hello, Dean, nice to meet you. I’m Castiel, please don’t call me Cassie, Cas is fine though. Dean gripped his hand and shook it firmly, while smiling.

“Ok, nice to meet you, Cas. And, thank you for helping me last night.” Dean gave him a nervous smile.

“Don’t mention it. How are you feeling today?” Castiel sat down, as Gabriel handed him a cup of coffee.

“Like shit, honestly. My whole body aches, and my head is pounding. But I guess I should consider that lucky, considering…” Dean worried his lip, and Cas couldn’t help but stare at it. He looked up and blushed when he noticed Dean, watching him.

“Well, we’re very happy that nothing bad happened. Sucks that you don’t know who might have spiked your drink, I’d love to kick that creeps ass.” Gabriel grumbled.

“Yeah, you and me both.” Dean said angrily.

“Anyhow, feel free to stay here for as long as you need.” Gabriel offered and Castiel agreed.

“Thank you, I’ll see if the Tylenol helps with the pain, then I’ll head back to the dorms.”

“I can drive you, if you’d like?” Castiel quickly offered, and cringed at the eagerness in his voice. For some reason, he didn’t want to part from Dean too soon. Gabriel tried to hide a smirk, but Dean just gave him a radiant smile.

“I’d really appreciate that, thanks.” Castiel smiled back and the two of them kept staring at each other, until Gabe made a small cough.

“I’ll get started on some breakfast, how about you guys pick out a movie for us to watch?” Gabriel said as he got up and walked over to the kitchen. Castiel cleared his throat and looked at Dean again.

“You have any preference when it comes to movies?”

“I can watch just about anything, but I do love scifi.” Dean said, and Cas grinned.

“Yeah? Star Wars or Star Trek?”

“Why choose one when you can have both?” Dean winked.

“Ah, a man of my own taste!” Cas said and was rewarded with a small laugh from Dean.

“How about a classic then, the second Star Trek movie…” Castiel started, but was interrupted by Dean.

“KHAAAAN!” Dean fake yelled, and then they both broke down laughing.

“I take that as a yes?” Castiel finally managed to gasp out, making both of them laugh even more. When they calmed down, they talked about their favorite Star Trek episodes, until Gabriel announced the breakfast ready. All three filled their plates to the brim with pancakes and bacon, before sitting down and watching the movie. Dean and Cas kept quoting the movie, until Gabriel threatened to not let them get a second helping of breakfast. When the movie was over, Dean turned to Castiel.

“So, uh, do you go to KU like Gabriel and I, or...? He asked

“No, I did, but I graduated almost two years ago. I work as a graphic designer now.”

“Cool, what kind of work do you do?” Dean asked, with seemingly genuine interest.

“I mainly work with layout and print design. Gabriel said something about you studying engineering?”

“Yeah, mechanical engineering, I’m going to specialize in automotive, I’m in my third year.”

“Impressive. How do the two of you know each other, since Gabe is in his fourth year of business?” Cas wondered.

“Oh, Deano here is in the same Omega Rights qroup as I.” Gabriel answered nonchalantly.

“Oh? You’re an omega?” Cas blurted out before he could stop himself, and blushed.

“I-I mean, uh, sorry…” Cas bit his lip and looked down at his hands.

“Don’t worry, it’s ok, but, can’t you tell by my scent? Pretty sure my blockers wore off during the night?” Dean said, looking a bit confused. Gabriel gave Cas a sympathetic look, seemed like the Null-block was still going strong.

“Ehm, I, uh…” Castiel began just as the door to his bedroom opened and Gadreel stepped out in only his underwear, yawning and stretching his arms.

“Oh, look who’s alive and breathing! How are you feeling man?” Gadreel asked as he approached the trio. Castiel looked at Dean who had a strange expression on his face, but then it was gone and he smiled at Gadreel.

“A bit beat up, but much better now that I’ve had something to eat. I’m really grateful to all three of you for helping me out.” Dean said as Gadreel leaned over the couch to shake his hand.

“Good to hear, and don’t mention it. I’m Gadreel by the way.

“Dean.”

Gadreel yawned again.

“How come everyone’s already up? It’s Sunday!” He complained.

“Well, I was freezing my ass off and couldn’t sleep. Turned out a certain someone had hogged all the covers.” Castiel said, somewhat sourly. Gadreel huffed a laugh.

“I do not hog the covers, you keep kicking them off in your sleep.”

“You are infuriating.” Castiel shook his head.

“Well, I’m going to take a shower now, nice to meet you, Dean.” Dean gave a nod and Gadreel walked over to the bathroom.

“Uh, well, I feel a lot better now, so I should probably be on my way. Thanks again, for everything.” Dean was scratching the back of his head, looking a bit uncomfortable. Castiel felt a pang of disappointment in his chest, he didn’t want Dean to leave already.

“Again, you don’t need to thank us, and you’re welcome to stay longer, if you’d like.” Cas said.

“Yeah, no need to rush off, Dean-o.” Gabriel agreed.

“Thank you, but I really need to go, I have an assignment I should get started on.” Dean started to stand up.

Alright, I guess I’ll see you at the next group meeting. Just let Cassie get dressed, and he’ll drive you.” Gabriel insisted.

“Yeah, I’ll just be a minute.” Castiel agreed and hurried over to his room to change into jeans and a henley. When he got back out again, Dean was waiting for him by the door. Gabriel was nowhere to be seen, Cas figured he’d gone back to bed.

“I could take the bus, I don’t want to inconvenience you.” Dean said as he fidgeted with the hem of his sweater.

“What? No, I’ll drive you, it’s no problem. I, uh, need to get some groceries anyway.” He and Gabriel had shopped for the whole week the day before, but Dean didn’t know that. Dean gave him a shy smile.

“Ok, great then.”

It was only a ten minute drive to the dorms where Dean lived, and Castiel felt the drive was over way too soon. They were both quiet for a minute, and Castiel frantically tried to come up with something to say. They looked at each other, and then Dean cleared his throat.

“Thanks for the drive, and again, for everything else.” He said as he reached to open the door.

“No problem. It, uh, it was great meeting you. Just, ehrm, wish it was under different circumstances?” Cas cringed again at his own awkwardness, Dean huffed a laugh.

“Yeah, me too. And it was nice meeting you too, Cas. I’ll see you around.” Dean smiled and stepped out of the car.

“Yeah, see you around!” Cas managed before Dean closed the door and waved, then turned around and went through the entrance to the dorm. Cas took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh, then he started the car and drove back home.

When Cas got back, Gadreel was sitting at the kitchen table, shoving cereal in his face. Gabriel was leaning against the counter, sipping on a fresh cup of coffee.

“So, Dean, huh?” Gabriel said with a smirk.

“What do you mean?” Cas frowned.

“Oh, come on! You like him.” Gabriel rolled his eyes. Castiel opened and closed his mouth a few times.

“What? What did I miss?” Gadreel perked up from his almost empty bowl.

“Oh, not much, only a whole morning of Dean and Cassie flirting.” Gabriel tried to act serious, but his face soon split into a huge grin, eyes twinkling.

“Winning the pretty omegas heart by being his knight in shining armour, huh?” Gadreel teased and Gabe snorted a laugh.

“More like winning over the fully capable, nerdy omegas heart, by being an even bigger nerd.”

“Yeah, that sounds more like Cas.” Gadreel agreed.

“Oh, shut it, assholes. We weren’t flirting, we just realized we had some common interests. It was a nice, friendly morning.” Castiel said, grumpily.

“Yes, such friendly friends, staring into each other’s eyes, sneaking peaks of one another when they thought no one was looking…” Gabriel continued. Castiel blushed.

“Fine, Dean’s obviously a very attractive man, but still, I wasn’t flirting.”

“I doth think the lady protest too much…” Gadreel said, as he finished his cereal.

“I wasn’t!”

“Oh, really?” Gabe asked sarcastically, making anger flare up inside of Cas.

“Yes! Really! It’d be a waste of time and effort!” Cas hissed, making both of his friends stare at him in surprise. After a moment Gadreel quietly spoke up.

“Why do you say that?” Castiel felt his anger subside, and weariness took its place.

“You know why. Dean has no idea I’m a Null, had I not been wearing the Null-block, he’d probably been out the door as soon as he saw me, just to avoid the awkwardness…” Cas slumped down in the chair next to Gadreel. Gad put an arm around Cas’ shoulders and Gabriel sat down on the opposite side.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, that could have happened. But, he could also not have given a fuck. Look at Gadreel, or Garth, they’ve never had a problem with it. There’s cool people out there, you know this, Cas.” Cas drew a shuddering breath, Gabe was right, he’d met several presented people over the years, who didn’t bat an eye at his unpresented status. Still, that didn’t stop the hurt he felt every time someone acted strangely around him. 

“I know… I guess it’s just… I do like him, I enjoyed his company, I think we could be good friends. And that’s what makes it worse, kind of? I don’t want him to be repulsed, or act weird, like he’s walking on eggshells around me, after he finds out.” Gabriel nodded solemnly.

“I get that, I do. I know a lot of people have hurt you, and that it’s resulted in you keeping away from people, and not taking chances. But, that said, maybe, sometimes you should give yourself a break and take a risk, try and make some new friends. If it goes bad, it’s not because of you, it’s because the other person is an idiot.” Cas laughed a little at that.

“Maybe I should, eventually. I don’t feel ready for it right now though.” Castiel pulled a hand over his face.

“That’s fine, but when you do, Gabe and I will be there for you.” Gad squeezed Cas’ shoulder and they smiled at each other.

“Ok, enough serious talk for today, how about we watch some more of Cas' crappy SciFi movies?” Gabriel started to make his way over to the living room, as Gadreel and Cas followed.

Chapter Text

A month later, Castiel was sitting at his computer, having just put the finishing touches on his latest project. He was craving a caramel macchiato, and since he’d finished earlier than anticipated, he decided he deserved a treat. He made his way to his favorite café, where the baristas were used to him, and didn’t react to him being scentless. There was a line of about eight people, so Cas pulled out his phone to check his work email. He was reading a message from a magazine he’d worked with a few times before, when a familiar voice caught his attention. He looked up and saw Dean ten feet away, laughing at something a blonde girl had just said.

Castiel froze with the excitement of seeing Dean again, mixed with the fear of Dean noticing him and discovering that he was a null. He was trying to figure out what to do, when someone bumped in to him from behind.

“Oh my god, why are you just standing there? The line is moving?” A loud voice spoke up, and Cas turned to see two annoyed teenage girls glaring at him.

“I-I’m sorry, I was lost in thought.” He said and took a step forward.

“Cas?” He turned to the side and locked eyes with a smiling Dean. Castiel's stomach dropped, and he started stuttering, Dean frowned and Cas could see him scenting the air. Then, one of the teens gasped.

“He’s a Null! No wonder he’s too dumb to even handle standing in line!”

“Oh, my god, Kelly! That’s so rude!” the other girl said, before she giggled. Cas noticed that people turned to look at him, and he felt his anxiety spike. He looked back at Dean, who wore a look of dawning realization on his face. Cas started to panic, turned around and bolted out of the café. He was walking down the street as fast as he could, breathing heavily and trying to reign in his distress, when he heard steps running up to him. Someone put a hand on his shoulder, turned him around, and suddenly he was face to face with Dean. Castiel's eyes grew wider and he didn’t know whether he should push Dean away and make a run for it, or not.

“Hey, Cas, wait, calm down!” Dean grabbed his other shoulder as well and kept him in a firm grip, forcing Cas to look at him.

“Those girls were assholes, ok? Please, don’t run, let’s talk, ok?” Dean looked so worried it made Cas relax. He looked down at his feet and nodded. Dean let go of his shoulders, took his hand and led him to a nearby park, where they sat down on a bench. Castiel kept his eyes downcast, nervously picking at a cuticle.

“Fucking brats, if they weren’t so young, I’d kick their asses.” Dean nearly growled, and Cas looked up in surprise.

“Sorry, they pissed me off. Anyway, are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, it just got a bit… overwhelming.” Cas fidgeted with his sleeve.

“Well, what they did, wasn’t cool. I hope that doesn’t happen a lot?” Dean looked worried again.

“No, not here. People usually, just… avoid me. It was way worse in my hometown.” Cas felt ashamed admitting that. He was once again surprised, when Dean squeezed his hand.

“I’m sorry to hear that, some people can be real shitheads.” Cas made himself look up into Deans eyes again.

“You, uh, don’t find it awkward that I’m practically scentless?” It was Deans turn to look surprised.

“No? Not really? I mean, sure, it’s different, and a bit strange not being able to read your scent. But, it’s not like you can read someone’s scent when they’re on blockers either so…” Dean scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed, but sincere.

“So, you don’t feel uncomfortable sitting this close to me? I know my lack of scent make a lot of people feel uneasy.” Castiels voice quivered at the end and Dean squeezed his hand again.

“No, it doesn’t. As I said, it’s different, but not in a bad way, just… it’s something new? To be honest, I’ve never met someone with a null status before, and I don’t really know a lot about it. I’m sorry if I’m saying anything offensive, I don’t mean to.”

“Y-you’re not, and we’re kind of rare, there’s around two hundred thousand of us in the U.S. It’s not that strange that you haven’t met any before.”

“Wow, that rare, huh? What causes it, is it a hormonal thing or something?”

“They think so, but no one really knows. There’s not that much research on it, but there’s this specialist doctor called Pamela Barnes, who is conducting several studies, trying to find out more about the condition. I occasionally donate blood and other samples to help with the research.”

“So, it’s research to find out what causes it?” Dean seemed intrigued by the subject, and it made Castiel want to tell him more.

“Yes, that and also if maybe there’s something that can be done about it, to make us finally present.”

“Oh, it’s not a permanent condition?”

“For most of us, it probably is? Again, they don’t know. But, there’s two known cases where a null has presented later in life. The first one is from the 1920s, a man who suddenly presented as a Beta when he was 74 years old, but there’s no detailed records about it. The second one was a 41 year old woman in the 70s, she suddenly presented as an omega, no one cared to do any tests as to find out why. When Dr. Barnes found out about her, the woman had unfortunately passed away in a car crash, together with her mate. I don’t hold any hope for myself ever presenting, but I do what I can to help, and hopefully it might be of help to someone else in the future? I don’t know…” Castiel looked at Dean, who seemed a bit conflicted.

“Sounds like it’d be great to find out more about it. I feel like it shouldn’t matter whether you guys ever present, though. People should accept you for what you are. So what if you don’t have a scent?” Castiel smiled at Dean, he had not expected this kind of open mindedness.

“It’s more than that. We can’t scent others, I can’t tell an alpha from an omega or beta, unless they look and act very stereotypical, but even then, I can’t be sure.” Dean made a quiet “oh” at that.

“Also, uh, since we don’t have a scent, and can’t scent others…” Castiel braced himself.

“…We can’t scent bond, and others can’t scent bond with us, making it impossible to mate…if we bite someone, it’s just a bite.”  They were both quiet for a moment, then Cas looked up at Dean. Instead of the pity he’d expected to see there, he saw sadness. Dean took a shuddering breath before he started talking again.

“I had no idea. That really must suck. I’m guessing dating can be… challenging?” Castiel huffed a sad little laugh.

“Yeah, you could say that. It’s almost impossible to date and be in a long, lasting relationship with someone who’s presented. It happens, sure, but it’s extremely rare. Most nulls use online dating sites to find other nulls. Many chooses to stay single, though.”

“That’s…I don’t now what to say… Loving someone is so much more than scenting, if you really love someone it shouldn’t matter, right? Like, sure, scenting is great and all, and it’d be quite a change, especially for alphas and omegas, you’d have to rewire the way you’re used to think…fuck, I’m making it worse, aren’t I? What I’m trying to say is, it’s absolutely doable, especially when you love someone. I’ll shut up now.” Deans face was a deep red, and he groaned as he put his face in his hands. Castiel looked astounded, then he started to giggle, then he was suddenly roaring with laughter. Dean soon joined in, and Castiel didn’t even care that people passing by gave them weird looks. They soon calmed down, and Dean pulled a hand through his hair, while Cas wiped away the tears in the corners of his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I knew I’d make an ass out of myself.” Dean smiled self-consciously.

“No, you didn’t, I really appreciate that you’re so accepting of all of this. It’s rare to meet people like you, and that makes it hard to make friends.”

“Well, I’d love to be your friend, Cas.” Dean smiled at him.

“I’d love that, too, Dean.” Cas smiled back

“Great, ‘cause you’re stuck with me now!” Both men grinned widely at each other.

“See? I told you it’s good to take a chance once in a while!” Gabriel was pointing at Castiel with his fork, almost making the meatball fall off. Castiel had been telling Gabe and Gad about his earlier encounter with Dean, during dinner.

“Yeah, I guess you were right.” Castiel smiled at him.

“Little Cassie, making a new friend! I feel like a proud mother!” Gabe used his napkin to pretend to be wiping away tears.

“Little? I’m both older and taller than you, Gabe.” Castiel huffed.

“Whatever! When are you hanging out with your new best friend again?”

“Woah! No one tries taking my place, or I’ll have to make them “disappear”.” Gadreel playfully growled.

“No one can replace you, Gad. We haven’t made any plans yet, but we did exchange numbers.”

“How about you ask him to come with us when we go see the new Star Wars movie, he likes scifi, right?” Gadreel suggested.

“That’s a great idea, I’ll contact him later!”

When they had finished dinner and Gadreel had gone home, Cas decided to text Dean.

Cas – hey

Cas – you want to come watch The Last Jedi with me and a friend?

Castiel was surprised when he got an answer just a few minutes later.

Dean – hi cas

Dean – love to

Dean – when

Cas – 8pm thursday

Dean – that works

They texted some more about when to meet up, and where. Castiel was excited to spend some more time with Dean. He’d never thought he’d be able to make any more friends after college. Maybe he should try going out more, as Gabriel always told him to.

Gadreel was getting the tickets, while Cas waited for Dean. It had taken Castiel forever to choose what to wear, which was ridiculous, since they were just three friends watching a movie together. He’d first decided on a button down, but then felt over dressed, and opted for a light blue Henley instead. He’d also put on some Null-block, not wanting to deal with any stares or worse, this evening. Cas heard someone call his name, saw a smiling Dean approaching him, and couldn’t help but smile wide himself.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Hi, Cas, how’re you doing?”

“Good, looking forward to the movie.”

“Me too! This is gonna be awesome!” Right then, Gadreel came back with the tickets, Dean's face fell, but he soon regained his smile.

“Hey, nice seeing you again, Dean!”

“Yeah, nice seeing you too, Gadreel.” Was Cas imagining things, or did Dean's voice sound a bit strained?

“How about you guys tell me what snacks you want, and I’ll go get it for us?”

“Thanks, Gad. Popcorn and a coke for me, please. How about you, Dean?” Castiel asked.

“Uhm, same for me thanks.” Gadreel nodded and went over to the concession stand. Dean was frowning and had crossed his arms over his chest. The change in mood made Cas feel nervous.

“Is something wrong, Dean?” Dean sighed and stopped frowning.

“No, not really, but… You should have told me you were bringing Gadreel, I could’ve brought a date of my own.” Castiel blanked at the comment.

“Date?” he asked, confusedlty.

“Yeah? Third wheeling is a bit awkward.”

“What do you mean? I told you I was bringing a friend?”

“Yeah, friend, not boyfriend.” The coin finally dropped for Cas.

“Gad? Why would you think he’s my boyfriend?” It was Deans turn to look confused.

“But… When I stayed over, he came out of your bedroom, practically naked?”

“He likes sleeping in his underwear, we’re close enough to be family, so it's nothing weird.. Also, he had to sleep in my room, since the couch was occupied?” Cas quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh? Oooh…right. Well, I feel a bit stupid.” Dean laughed.

“Easy mistake, I guess.” They smiled at each other for a moment, then Dean scratched the back of his neck.

“So, like, just to be clear, you and Gadreel…?”

“Never happened, never will.” Cas deadpanned.

“Cool. Uhm, are you dating someone else then?”

“No, as you know, it’s a bit… complicated for me…” Cas said, awkwardly.

“Shit, yeah, right, sorry. Idiot, remember?” Dean pointed to himself, while blushing.

“No, it’s kind of nice that you don’t assume I’m single, that’s usually what people do.”

“Seriously? Hard to believe when you look the way you do, especially in that shirt.” Dean winked, making Cas lost for words. Dean then blushed again and looked away.

“I-I mean, it’s b-blue and your eyes are blue, and I’m just saying they go well together. I'm shutting up now.” Castiel laughed.

“Ok, thanks. How about you then? Dating anyone?”

“Nope, very single at the moment.” That statement made Cas feel…happy? Weird.

“Hey guys! I need some help with carrying all this stuff!” Gadreel called out to them, and they both hurried over to help him out. They then proceeded to find their seats. After the movie all three of them went to get some burgers and ended up discussing the movie long into the night.

Chapter Text

The following month, Castiel and Dean would hang out at least once a week. Sometimes they'd be alone, and sometimes Gadreel would join them. They texted a  lot and they'd send each other funny pictures and videos. Castiel was currently relaxing in his room when Gabriel knocked and came inside.

Hi, Cassie! I’m here to give you a heads up that my heat is on its way.” Gabriel threw himself on Castiels bed, making them both bounce.

“Ok, when do you need me out of the apartment?”

“You’re making it sound like I’m throwing you out! You are welcome to stay, it’s your home too. Buuut, since Justin is coming over to help me out again, and you don’t really seem to appreciate the sounds…” Gabriel tried his best to sound innocent.

“You are absolutely right, I do not! So, again, when do you need me to get out?” Castiel rolled his eyes.

“It’ll probably hit sometime during Friday.”

“Ok, I’ll ask Gadreel if I can stay at his place from Thursday.”

“Great! Only one tiny problem though… He has that date with Anna on Saturday, and her roommate is home…you catching my drift here?” Castiel groaned. Right, Gads new girlfriend.

“I’ll get a motel room for Saturday…”

“I can split the cost with you?”

“No, there’s no need, you should be able to spend your heat in peace.” Castiel waved his hand dismissively.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I can afford it, don’t worry, I’ve been getting a lot of assignments lately.” It was true, his workload was picking up fast, he’d even been able to say no to a couple of projects he didn’t find particularly interesting.

“Well, we’re all set then! I’m calling Justin!” Gabriel jumped out of the bed and ran off to his own bedroom.

Castiel picked up his phone and called Gadreel. When they hung up, Cas started to look online for decent motels in the area. He was thinking of making a reservation at one, when a new message from Dean popped up.

Dean – hey

Cas – hi

Dean – what you doing

Cas – lookin at motels

Cas – you have any recommendations

Dean – here?

Dean – and why?

Cas – time for Gabes heat...

Cas – can’t stay at gads place sat

Dean – stay at mine?

Dean – watching movies with friends sat evening

Dean – join us

Castiel felt a thrill run down his spine. Staying at Deans dorm room? Could he do that? They’d become good friends, so it should be ok. But, the thought of meeting Deans friends made him seriously nervous. He could use his blocker to avoid anyone being uncomfortable around him. But what if they already knew and it’d be awkward anyway? Castiel considered the pros and cons, when his phone buzzed again.

Dean – I can hear your thinkin all the way here

Dean – it’s my bffs, theyre cool

Dean – no pressure tho

Maybe it was time to take a chance again? Castiel made up his mind.

Cas – thanks

Cas – what time?

Dean – the others get here at 8

Dean – you can come whenever after 2 tho

Cas – I’ll be over at 4

Cas – thanks again

Dean – no prob

Castiel was starting to plan what to bring with him to Dean's, when his phone buzzed once more.

Dean – no need to use that block stuff btw

Dean – unless you want to ofc

Dean - my friends know

Oh. Dean had told them about him. Castiel debated what to do. The Null-block was expensive, so he tried not to use it too often, and it might be a good idea to try meeting more people, while not wearing it, see if they were ok with it, like Dean. But, he didn’t want Dean's friends to feel uneasy around him. Then he figured he could bring it with him and use it if anyone seemed uncomfortable. Content with this compromise, he texted Dean back.

Cas – i’ll try it

Dean – cool

Castiel was packing a smaller bag for his stay at Deans place, while Gadreel was doing some cleaning before Annas arrival.

“I think it’s great that you’re going over there without using the blocker. I honestly don’t see the problem with your lack of scent, if anything it’s refreshing. Too strong scents from people you’re not compatible with, now that’s something to be uncomfortable about!” Gadreel made a face of disgust, making Castiel laugh.

“I wouldn’t know, but I’ll take your word for it.” Castiel kept smiling, he had gotten over most of his nerves and was looking forward to meeting Dean's friends. He continued packing, while humming a happy little tune, only to look up into Gadreels grinning face.

“What?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking this friendship with Dean’s been good for you. Two months ago you would have never even considered doing something like this. I mean, you’ve avoided meeting most of my other friends.”

“I’m sorry…” Castiel suddenly felt bad, he hadn’t thought about that. He didn’t want to hurt Gad's feelings.

“No, that's not what I mean! It’s completely fine that you haven't met them. What I’m trying to say is that you're getting the confidence and opportunity to live a normal life, making new friends on your own, and that's a great thing."

"Well, I guess I need some new friends, now that you're going to be spending all your free time with Anna." Castiel joked.

"Fuck you, you've been staying here for two days so far. Didn't know you were that needy." Gadreel grinned.

"I can never get enough of you, Gad. Tell Anna I said hi!"  Castiel threw his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door.

“Will do, have fun tonight!”

Castiel had parked his car and was making his way up the stairs to Dean's floor. It was his first time going over to Dean's, they usually met in town or at Cas' place, since Dean's room was small. He found the correct room number and knocked on the door. The door swung open almost immediately.

“Hi, Cas!”

“Hello, Dean.”

They smiled and Dean ushered Cas inside. The room was small, but clean and well organized, there was a bookshelf, a wardrobe, a desk with two large computer screens, a mini fridge, and a bed. The walls were decorated with different band posters.

“Nice room, mine was a total mess when I was in college.”

“Thanks, I try my best.” Dean said with a nervous laughter.

“Is that a bathroom door?”

“Yeah, it is. This is an omega dorm, so all rooms have their own bathrooms.

“That makes sense." Cas thought it couldn't be fun to be on your heat and having to use a shared shower room.

“You can sit down on the bed, since I don’t have a couch.” Castiel put his bag by the door and did as Dean suggested.

“Do you want to watch a show or something?”

“Sure.”

“I have both Netflix and Hulu, so we can see if we find anything interesting.”

“Such a luxury for a college student.” Castiel joked.

“Heh, yeah, they’re actually my parents' accounts, but they rarely use them.”

“Ah, that explains it.”

“So, uh, how about… Doctor Who?” Dean said after some scrolling.

“Sounds good, how about season four?”

“Ten and Donna? Fuck yeah!”

They watched for a couple of hours, then they ordered and ate some pizza. They kept watching Doctor Who until there was a loud knock on the door. Dean got up and let his friends in.

“Hiya, Rocket!” A short, red haired girl threw herself around Deans neck, she was closely followed by the blonde girl Cas had seen Dean with at the café.

“Hi Red, hi Joanna Beth.”

“Fuck you.” The blonde girl said as she passed by Dean. The redhead let go of Dean and walked up to Castiel.

“You must be Cas! I’m Charlie, and Miss Sunshine over here is my girlfriend, Jo. Only Jo, if you want to keep all of your limbs intact.” Castiel reciprocated Charlie's wide smile.

“Nice to meet you, Charlie and Jo.” Cas shook their hands. Jo then made a 360 turn, looking around the room.

“What happened here? Did you get robbed or something?” She turned to Dean.

“What do you mean?” He asked with a pout, that Castiel absolutely did not find adorable.

“Seriously? I’ve never seen your room look this clea…”

“SO! Cas! Dean tells me you work as a freelancer? That sounds awesome! I’m in computer science, and I’m thinking of going freelance when I graduate, be my own boss, and all that. Maybe you can give me a few tips?” Charlie quickly interrupted, as she sat down beside Cas.

“Yeah, sure. Are you taking any business courses? I found that very helpful.”

“Oh, I haven’t thought about that, that’s agreat idea!” Charlie beamed at him. Jo sat down too and grabbed one of Dean's many throw pillows, studying it.

“Where did all these pillows and blankets come from, are they new?” She asked Dean, who blushed.

“Ow! Charlie!” Jo hissed.

“So sorry, babe! My elbow slipped! I need to use the bathroom, why don’t you come with me?” Charlie stood up and started pulling on Jo’s arm.

“Why do we both have to go?”

“Haha, silly Jo, ‘cause we’re girls!” Charlie pulled Jo with her into the bathroom and closed the door. Cas and Dean soon heard them whispering, but couldn’t make out the words. Castiel could feel his anxiety starting up, he’d really hoped he wouldn’t have to use the blocker.

“Sorry about those two, they’re very… energetic.” Dean said and sat down next to Cas.

“It’s ok Dean, I’m used to it. I guess I should have put on the Null-block before they got here.” Castiel said quietly. Dean frowned, then his eyes widened and he placed a hand on Cas’ arm.

“Cas, no, that’s not what’s going on, I promise.” Dean said urgently.

“Don’t worry, it’s ok, I get it. I brought my blocker just in case, I’ll go put some on.” Cas tried to stand up, but was pulled down again by Dean, he looked angry.

“Charlie! Jo! Get out here!” Dean growled, and the whispering abruptly stopped. Then there came a hesitant flush from the bathroom, before both girls came stumbling out.

“What’s wrong, Dean?” Charlie asked with wide eyes.

“The two of you are making Castiel uncomfortable, he thinks you’re acting weird because he’s unpresented.” Castiel's face went beet red, he had not thought Dean would be that blunt. This was beyond humiliating.

“WHAT!? Oh, no! I’m so sorry! I really am! I promise that’s not it!” Charlie looked crestfallen, and Jo was blushing almost as bad as Cas himself.  Jo took a step forward and put one of Cas' hands gently in hers.

“I’m sorry too, Cas. I can see how you might have come to that conclusion, but you’re wrong. Charlie and I, uh, had a fight on the way over here, and we didn’t really resolve it before we knocked on the door, which was stupid. It had absolutely nothing to do with you.” Jo looked and sounded very apologetic, and when Cas looked at Charlie she looked as if she was on the verge of tears. Castiel relaxed, even if he still felt rather awkward.

“I see, I guess I jumped to conclusions. I’m sorry too.” Jo squeezed his hand and smiled, before letting go.

“Nah, it was all our fault.” Jo said as she sstarightened up again.

“Yeah, it was.” Dean muttered.

“Yeah, sorry Dean.” Jo said and ruffled his hair.

“So, we’re all ok now?” Charlie asked with a quivering voice.

“Yeah, we are.” Castiel smiled, and suddenly he had his arms full of Charlie, hugging him tightly.

“Ok, Charlie, let him go before you suffocate him.” Dean huffed and then ended up with Charlie clinging to him instead. He eventually managed to get out of the hug and they all decided to watch some horror classics, starting with “The Thing”.

It was a fun evening and Castiel found himself really liking Jo and Charlie's company. They didn’t act strange at all for the rest of the night. When they were at the middle of the third of the movies, and had downed maybe five beers each, Jo was asleep, leaning on Charlie where they were sitting on the floor in front of the bed. Dean was awake, but resting his head in Cas’ lap, while Cas was carding his fingers through Dean's hair.

“I’m sorry guys, but I think I should be getting Jo back home. I can barely keep my eyes open anyway.” Charlie said, and Dean turned off the movie and sat up.

“You need any help waking the dragon?” He asked Charlie.

“No, she’ll just bite your fingers off. She’s more careful with mine. "Charlie winked.

“Say no more.” Dean smiled.

Charlie managed to get Jo to her feet and waved goodbye at the guys, as they closed the door. Castiel was lying down on the bed, not feeling particularly fond of the idea of having to get up again. Dean crashed down beside him.

“I’m so tired!” He whined.

“Me too, I don’t think I’ll be able to sit up again.” Cas mumbled. Dean gave him an hesitant look, then sat up and pulled one of the blankets over them as he lied down again.

“Then don’t, let’s just sleep like this.”

“Great idea…” Cas mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

When Castiel woke up, he was slightly confused about why he was hugging a large, firm, warm body pillow. Then he remembered where he was, opened his eyes and gasped as he realized that he was spooning Dean, legs completely tangled up, and his nose buried in Deans neck. He felt a little embarrassed that he was clinging to his friend the way he was. He could tell from Dean's steady breathing, that he was still asleep. Cas decided to try and untangle himself from Dean, as to avoid any awkwardness when Dean woke up. He’d do it soon, it was just so comfortable and felt so…nice. He rubbed his nose against Deans neck, and then froze. What was he doing? Dean was his friend and, this behavior was not acceptable. Castiel started to move his legs, but froze again, with dread, when he felt his morning wood poking Dean in the back. This was not happening, oh please God, don’t let Dean wake up!

Castiel tried to keep calm and not panic. He carefully scooted his hips back, so that his middle parts no longer touched Dean. Cas then slowly managed to get his legs untangled from Dean's, and he was about to slip his arm free, when Dean sighed and started moving. Dean turned around, put an arm around Cas’ neck, threw a leg over his hip and buried his nose in the pit of Cas neck. Dean let out a content sigh, and then continued breathing evenly.

Ok, so Cas appearantly had to accept the fact that he was trapped. Sure, it was a surprisingly cozy trap, but a trap nonetheless. Luckily, their groins weren’t touching. Castiel did his best to will his boner to go down, by thinking about sad and disgusting things, like dead puppies and his grandpa's weird mole. It eventually worked, which was lucky, because just moments later, Dean started to stir. Castiel looked down at the top of Deans head, and then DEan turned his face up and Castiel was met with bleary, green eyes.

“Mornin’ Dean.” Cas greeted, his voice deep and raspy from being unused. There was a glint in Deans eyes, but before Cas could figure it out, Dean was letting go of him and sitting up.

“Sorry, Cas, guess I’m kinda clingy in the morning, huh?” Dean joked with a nervous laugh. Dean's voice sounded rougher too, Cas liked it.

“Who isn’t.” Castiel joked back, Dean not knowing how true that actually was.

“I, uh, need to use the bathroom.” Dean turned away, stood up and hurriedly went inside and locked the door. Soon Cas could hear the shower running. When Dean finally got out, Cas took a shower too. Then they went to a diner for a late breakfast, before Castiel went back to Gadreel's place.

“Sounds like an eventful sleepover.” Gadreel said after Castiel had told him about everything that had happened.

“Yeah, it was fun, even if this morning was a bit awkward.” Gadreel gave Cas a strange look.

“Cas, have you considered that maybe you like Dean as more than friend?”

“No, Dean is… just a good friend.” Castiel gave his best frienda hard look, Gadreel looked skeptical and sighed

“Ok, just wondering. But, have you considered that maybe, just maybe, Dean likes you more than as a friend?” Castiel snorted a laugh at that.

“No, that’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Because, he’s an omega, and scenting and scent bonding are more important to them than to any of the other subgenders. Also, Dean is so gorgeous, funny and smart, he’s way out of my league.”

“I think that you’re wrong about that, I think…” Gadreel began before Castiel interrupted him.

“And I think we should drop the subject.” Castiel stood up and walked over to guest room and closed the door.

On Monday, Castiel could finally go back home. He and Gadreel had pretended that their earlier conversation had never taken place. Another month passed and Castiel continued to spend a lot of time with Dean, both of them getting closer. Gabriel had started dating a female alpha named Kali and wouldn’t shut up about her. Cas had yet to meet her, he hoped she’d have no problem with his "situation", since Gabriel had broken up with people over that before.

Castiel was working, when his phone started ringing, displaying Gadreel's name.

“Hey Gad, what’s up?”

“Hi, Cas. My boss is suddenly making me go on a business trip this weekend. It’s a really important contract, so I can’t say no. I’m so sorry, I really don’t want to leave you alone this weekend.” Gadreel sounded stressed.

“Oh. I see, don’t worry about it, it’s not your fault. It’s probably time I learn to deal with it on my own, anyway.” Castiel could hear his voice sounding strained.

“I was thinking, can’t you ask Dean to come over?”

“I don’t know… He doesn’t know about my family situation. I mean, he’s tried asking a couple of times, but I’ve kind of avoided the subject.” Dean seemed to understand that it was a sore subject, and didn’t push the topic.

“You don’t have to tell him anything, but it could be nice to have some company, taking your thoughts off things? I’d feel a lot better knowing you’re not alone.” Cas thought about it.

“Maybe, it’s not such a bad idea…”

“Right? At least during Saturday?”

“Yeah, ok, I’ll ask him.” Cas really didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts on Saturday, and being with Dean always cheered him up.

They finished their conversation and Castiel decided to text Dean right away.

Cas – Hi

Cas – got any plans this sat?

As always, there wasn’t long before he got an answer.

Dean – nope

Dean – why?

Cas – wanna hang at my place?

Dean – sure

Dean – but wasn’t this like a special wknd for u and Gad?

Castiel debated what to write back, he’d told Dean he and Gadreel had planned some kind of “best friend-weekend”.

Cas – yeah, but he’s forced to work

Dean – that sucks

Dean – when should I come over?

Cas – whenever

Dean – I finish work at 2, so after that?

Cas - sounds great

Castiel put down the phone and sighed with relief, he wouldn’t have to go through Saturday alone.

It was late at night, the TV was on in the background, but they weren’t paying much attention to it as Dean was telling Cas a story about how he’d pranked his little brother Sam once, by putting green hair dye in his shampoo.

“You didn’t!” Castiel laughed.

“Sure did, I mean, it was Saint Patrick’s day after all!” Dean snorted and Cas broke down into fits of laughter.

“I was grounded for like a month after, but it was so worth it!”

“You’re terrible!” Cas grinned.

“Yeah, when my grandpa found out, he lectured me on how it was unbecoming of an omega to act like that.” Dean rolled his eyes.

“What an ass!”

“Yeah, pissed off my mom so much, she told him to go fuck himself. Well, maybe not with those exact words. She even reduced my punishment with a week because of it.”

“I like your mom.” Cas smiled.

“Yeah? I think she’d like you too.” Dean got something soft in his eyes, as he smiled back at Cas. Castiel's phone chimed, he took a look at it and saw that he had a new message from Gabriel. He put the phone down without opening it, frowning.

“Bad news?” Dean asked.

“Huh?”

“The text? You suddenly look like someone stole that fancy drawing pad of yours, or something?”

“Oh, uh, no, just a text from Gabe.”

“Ok, did you two have a fight or something? Is that why he’s not home?”

“No, no fight. He’s gone back home over the weekend.” Cas gave Dean a stiff smile.

“I see… Does that have something to do with how you’ve seemed kinda down today?” Dean asked carefully. Cas looked down, set on changing the subject, but was surprised when his mouth had other plans.

“Yes…” Dean put a hand on Cas’ knee.

“Wanna talk about it?” Castiel was again surprised, when he realized that, yes, he did.

“It’s my little sister’s birthday today.” Castiel said quietly.

“Sister?”

“Yeah. I’ve never mentioned her before because…I’ve never met her. I really want to, though.” Cas was staring at his hands, so he didn't have tolook Dean in the eye.

“Then, how come you never have?”

“Our parents won’t let me see her. They don’t consider me their son anymore, barely even human to be honest…” Cas' voice was trembling and he heard Dean draw in a sharp breath.

“That’s seriously fucked up, Cas. How old were you when…when you found out you were a null?” Dean's voice was thick with emotion.

“Seventeen.”

“Jesus… How old is your sister?”

“Six, she’s six, today.” He could feel Dean stiffen, putting two and two together.

“Oh, Cas…” That was it, Castiel couldn’t keep it together any longer. His shoulders started shaking and tears streamed down his face. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas and pulled him close, placing Cas’ face in the crook of his neck, where his scent glands were. Cas knew, thanks to Gabe, what an intimate gesture this was on Dean's part. Omegas usually only ever let close family or mates scent them like this. Not that Cas could scent much, but he was still overwhelmed by it, and a warm feeling spread through his chest. Cas wrapped his arms around Dean too, and pulled them even closer together. When Castiel finally started to calm down, Dean was rubbing circles with hands into Cas’ back.

“I’m sorry to unload on you like this…” Castiel mumbled against Dean's neck.

“You have nothing to apologize for, this is part of being friends."

“I feel exhausted…”

“Then how ‘bout we lie down for a bit?” Castiel nodded and they moved around on the couch, until they were lying down on their sides, Dean spooning Cas with an arm draped over his chest.

“Can I ask you something else?” Dean softly asked.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Does she know about you?” Cas drew a shuddering breath.

“Thanks to Gabriel, yes. He’s told her she has a brother who can’t come see her, but who cares about her very much. She’s so young, I don’t think she really understands. I have Gabriel bring her gifts from me every birthday and Christmas though.”

“That doesn't piss off your parents?”

“They don’t know about it. Gabriel makes it seem like the presents are from him, but he tells Claire the truth when they’re alone. He says she’s eerily good at keeping secrets, guess it’s true since my parents haven’t found out yet.” They were both quiet for a moment.

“What did you get her this year?”

“Gabe told me she’s obsessed with Friendship is Magic, so I got her a Rainbow Dash plushie. I also designed a big birthday card with her as a pony, surrounded by all the other ponies.”

“That’s badass, Cas! You’re an awesome big brother.” Cas could hear the smile in Dean's voice.

“Thanks.”

They were quiet after that, and soon Castiel drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Castiel and Dean were abruptly woken up when the door to the apartment slammed shut. Dean still had his arm wrapped around Cas, and both of them started to untangle and sit up, when Gabriel came stomping in, shouting.

“I am never going back to that hellhole, unless it’s to see Claire Bear, that’s for sure!” Gabriel stopped and gave Cas and Dean a curious look.

“Soo… Did I interrupt something, orrr…” Cas blushed and Dean made a choked noise and started coughing.

“What are you talking about, we’re fully clothed! We fell asleep on the couch, that’s all. Why are you home, weren't you supposed to be back tomorrow?” Castiel asked, irritation lacing his voice.

“Uh, hello, I texted you about it last night?”

“I never read it, I thought you were sending me a picture of Claire or something, and I wasn’t ready to open it.”

“I’m getting the feeling that Dean might up to date on our family drama?”

“…Yes.”

“Good! So, as I was saying, I’m never going back to see those idiots again!” Gabriel dramatically flopped down in the armchair.

“Ok, what happened?” Castiel rubbed his eyes, and he and Dean rearranged themselves so that they were sitting next to each other.

“We were having dinner, when dad tells me he has some exciting news. He turns to me, smiles brightly, and tells me he’s found a suitable mate for me!” Gabriel looked as if he was ready to murder someone.

“Oh, god…” Castiel put his face in his hands.

“I know! He continues to tell me it’s some dull, freaking beta son to one of his clients. You remember the Armstrongs?”

“Oh, euw, not Marv?” Castiel wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Yes, Marv! I told dad I was already seeing someone, and where he could shove this so called "mate"! Then you know what he did? He told me he would stop paying for my education, if I didn’t act like a good little omega and do as I was told.” That made Castiel groan.

“What the fuck is wrong with your family?” Dean asked, shocked.

“Oh, so many things, Dean-o! I told him to go ahead, that I would start living on the streets, and that I would be begging for money outside of his fancy law firm. He took back that threat lightning fast I tell you. But it didn’t keep him from,for the rest of the evening, trying to convince me to "do the right thing” and act like a "good little omega".

“I don’t think I can handle any more of this without coffee.” Cas muttered, Gabriel and Dean agreeing. They made their way to the kitchen, where Gabriel continued to complain all through breakfast.

Chapter Text

“So, did I get this right, your parents belong to some kind of sect-like church?” Dean asked.

“Yup.” Gabriel made a popping sound at the p.

“I guess that explains a lot…” Dean shook his head in disbelief.

“Well, enough of my whining! I have something great to show you, Cas!” Gabriel bagan to flip through his phone and then pushed it over to Cas, Dean leaned in to take a look as well. There was a blurry image with the small white play-button, indicating it was a video. Castiel pressed it and the video started.

The camera focused on a smiling girl, with long blonde hair, jumping up and down excitedly. She was wearing a dress and hugging a large pony plushie in her arms.

“What do you want to say to your big brother, Claire?” They could hear Gabriel ask.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the best present ever!” She hugged the plushie close and beamed into the camera.

“Anything else?” Gabriel said.

“Yes! I look badass as a pony!” The girl’s eyes widened and she threw a hand over her mouth.

“Oh! Don’t tell mommy I said ass!” She hissed at, seemingly, Gabriel.

“I won’t.” Gabriel said and sniggered.

“You should draw more pictures of me as a pony, Cassie! I’m gonna have more cake now! Bye, love you!” Claire then ran out of frame and the clip was over.

Castiel didn’t realize he was crying until Dean put his arm around his shoulders.

“You ok there, Cassie?” Gabriel asked softly.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. This is great, thank you so much, Gabe.” Castiel wiped at his tears and then played the clip three more times, before Gabriel made him scroll through all the pictures that he’d taken during the birthday party. Cas couldn’t help but feel a sting in his heart when his parents appeared in some of the photos. They looked so happy, laughing and smiling with Claire.

“I’m guessing mother and father didn’t ask about me, as usual.” Cas already knew the answer, but he couldn’t help asking anyway.

“No, sorry. Aunt Hester just did her usual thing where she asked me if I had finally gotten a place of my own, and if anyone really had low enough standards to hire “that null”. I told her I was very happy living with my amazingly talented cousin and that you get more job offers than you can accept.”

“I see…”

“How about we change the topic? Any crazy people in your family, Dean?” Gabriel joked and managed to break the tension.

Dean told them about his grandma who was a firm believer in anything supernatural. They all hung out together for awhile after that, but eventually Dean said he had to go home and get some schoolwork done. Castiel offered to drive him, but Dean assured him he was fine with taking the bus and told Cas to get some rest. Cas felt drained, so he reluctantly agreed and said goodbye to Dean at the door. When he turned around, Gabriel was standing behind him, arms crossed.

“You and Dean seem to have gotten really close?” Gabriel asked.

“Yeah, I guess. Dean’s very kind and understanding.”

“Yes, seem like it. So, how close exactly are we talking about here?” Gabriel smiled crookedly.

“What do you mean?”

“Are the two of you dating?”

“No, why would you ask that?”

“Because the two of you act more like a couple, than two friends. You should ask him out, make it official.”

“I’m not asking Dean out, and we’re not talking about this.“ Castiel tried to walk pass Gabriel, but was stopped when Gabe put a hand on his arm.

“I think we should talk about it. The way you talk about him, look at him, act around him, I’d say you’re in love with him.“ Gabriel's voice was gentle, but it still agitated Cas.

“Not you, too! Gadreel and I have already had this conversation, I’m not in love with Dean, and Dean could never fall in love with me.” Castiel was starting to get worked up now.

“Oh boy, you are very wrong about Dean, Cassie. That guy is faaar gone on you.”

“Stop it, Gabe! Dean’s a great person, and friend, don’t mistake his kindness for love!”

“Cassie, I know Dean, I’ve seen him with other friends, with other close friends, and he does not act the same way around them as he does you. If you ask him out, I know he’ll say yes. Happily so!”

“No, he won’t!” Castiel shouted and pushed Gabriel's hand off of him.

“Why are you getting so upset? This is a good thing, a great thing!”

“Because even if you’re right, even if I ask him out and he says yes, he will eventually leave me, and that would break me! I’d much rather stay friends and have him in my life forever!” Castiel realized he was nearly hyperventilating and tried to calm down his breathing.

“Why do you think he’d leave you?” Gabriel looked, and sounded, sad.

“Because he’s an omega, he’d eventually meet someone he’s scent compatible with, and he’d leave me!”

“If he loves you, he won’t care about someone else being scent compatible…”

“Oh, don’t give me that bullshit, not you! It’s rare enough that omegas end up in long term relationships with betas, it’s unheard of with a Null! You and me both know how important scenting is to omegas, especially during your heats. I could never, truly satisfy him, nor could I properly comfort him during his heats.” Castiel had stopped shouting, but he was still talking rather loudly.

“I get where you’re coming from, Cas, I do. But, Dean is not your average omega, I think you should give him some more credit.”

“Just, let it go, Gabriel! Dean is my friend, and that is all I’m ever going to think of him as.” Castiel said with emphasis.

Gabriel looked as if he was about so say something more, when the doorbell rang, making both of them jump. Thankful for the interruption, Castiel opened the door and saw Dean standing outside.

“Hi, Cas! I’ve left my keys here, a bit hard to get home without them. Luckily, I realized it before the bus had gone too far.” Dean said cheerfully, while walking inside.

“Oh, any idea where they might be?” Castiel asked as he closed the door.

“I’m thinking the couch, they probably fell out my pocket while I slept.” Dean walked up the couch and started to feel around between the cushions.

“Aha! There they are!” Dean straightened up, spinning the keys around his finger.

“Well, guess I’ll be on my way again.” He started walking over to the door.

“I can drive you, you’ve already lost time having to get off the first bus.” Castiel started looking for his shoes.

“No need, I feel like taking the bus anyway and you should rest. Talk to you later!” And with that Dean was out the door.

“Shit…” Gabriel mumbled.

“What?” Castiel sighed while rubbing the ridge of his nose, this day was giving him a brutal headache.

“D..no, nothing, it’s nothing.” Gabriel said wearily.

“Ok, I’m going to my room now.” Castiel said, and Gabriel let him.

The next week, there was a heavy decrease in texts from Dean, he also took a lot longer to answer any of Castiel's messages. Cas tried not to think about what it might mean, but when he twice asked Dean if he could hang out, and Dean declined both times, saying he was busy, Cas started to stress out a little. It was also strange for Dean not to suggest another time that they could meet up instead. The next Monday, when Castiel's suggestion to hang out got declined, he couldn’t reel in his anxiety. After a lot of inner turmoil, he finally got up the nerve to ask Dean what was going on.

Cas – so…

Cas – I was wondering

Cas – did I do something to upset you?

This time, Dean's reply didn’t take too long.

Dean – no

Dean – why’d you think that?

Castiel bit his lip, was he overreacting? No, something felt wrong.

Cas – are you sure?

Cas – I understand if it got a bit too much last time

Cas – my life is a bit of a mess

Cas – I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable

He waited a little, and then his phone started ringing. It was Dean. Cas had to force himself to answer, expecting Dean to tell him they shouldn’t be friends anymore.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Cas, listen, you did not make me uncomfortable. I’m glad you feel safe enough with me to tell me these things, ok?”

“OK…” Castiel was waiting for the “but…”.

“I’m sorry I’ve been absent, there’s just so much to do in school with only one month left of this term. I also have to prepare for my internship.” Dean sounded tired.

“I understand, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume…” Cas started, but Dean interrupted him.

“It’s ok, I get why’d you worry. How about this, you come over to my place on Thursday, and we’ll watch a movie together with Jo and Charlie?”

“It can wait, you have a lot to do, I should have thought about that.” Cas said, although he really wanted to see Dean.

“No, you come by on Thursday, I need a break. Also, I want to see you too, ok?” The smile in Dean's voice calmed down Cas, and he smiled too.

“Ok, I’ll come.”

“Great! I’ll text you the time. I will probably keep being crap at texting you back for a while though.”

“That’s understandable, Dean. I see you Thursday.”

“Yeah, see you, Cas.”

They hung up and Cas felt a lot better.

Charlie and Castiel had arrived at Dean's dorm at the same time, and were now sitting on Dean's bed, talking. Charlie's nose would occasionally twitch and she’d scratch at it every now and then. Castiel hoped it wasn’t because of him, but it was probably something else, since she’d never done it around him before. Dean was rather quiet, but would smile and sometimes comment on their conversation. There was a loud knock on the door and Dean opened the it for Jo.

“Whoa, Dean! You need to throw on some blockers if this is what you’re going to smell like tonight! It’s a real downer.” Jo stepped inside and used her hand to fan her face, then she noticed Cas and Charlie, and stiffened.

“Oh! I thought I was the first one here! Hi guys! Nice to see you again, Cas!”

Hi Jo, nice to see you, too. Um, is there something wrong, Dean?” Was Dean sad? Why? He hated that he wasn’t able to scent like normal people. Dean turned around and smiled weakly.

“One of my assignments aren’t going very well. I’ll try to cheer up now that all of you guys are here though.” Right then, Charlie sneezed.

“And I’ll put on some blockers so Miss Sensitive Nose over there can relax.” Dean said and motioned to Charlie, who looked a bit sheepish. When Dean went into the bathroom, Jo opened the window.

When Dean came back, they turned on the movie and Castiel was a bit surprised when Charlie continued to sit beside him on the bed, and Dean sat down on the floor with Jo. They had a nice time watching the movie, but when Cas left, he couldn’t help but feel like there had been a bit of a distance between Dean and him.

The next three weeks continued much the same way, with few texts and not being able to hang out. Dean called Cas a couple of times though. Cas couldn’t shake the feeling of there being a weird distance between them. Cas figured it was because of the school stress and Dean getting ready for his summer internship at a major motor company, but it still felt a bit unsettling.

Castiel was very excited when Dean finally invited him over again. They were currently watching a movie at Dean's place, again together with Charlie and Jo. Dean was writing on his phone a lot, and it kept buzzing with new messages. Jo suddenly threw at pillow at Deans face.

“Dude! Are you even watching the movie? Who are you texting with? I know it can’t be Cas, ‘cause he’s sitting right here.” Dean threw the pillow back at Jo, but she easily ducked out of the way.

“Just this guy…” Castiel's stomach made an unpleasant summersault at that.

“A guy? What guy?” Charlie asked, and all three of them were now staring at Dean, movie forgotten. Dean blushed.

“Just a guy from one of my classes…” Dean glanced at Cas, but then quickly looked away again.

“Yeah, we’re gonna need more than that, spill it!” Charlie demanded, slapping Deans foot.

“Ok…uh, his name’s Aron and we both take “Fluid dynamics”. He came up to me the other day and asked if I’d like to go for a coffee, so we did. We’ve been texting for a bit and we’re having dinner together next Thursday…” Cas’ chest and throat started to ache, but he kept his facial expression neutral.

“What? You’ve got a date? That’s awesome! Is he an alpha? Is he handsome?” Charlie asked, excitedly.

“No, he’s a beta, and yeah, he’s cute.” Castiel's stomach felt as if it was trying to turn itself inside out.

 “You’ve got to call me right away when the date is over, and tell me all bout it!” Charlie squeeked, making Dean laugh.

“Take it easy, Red, or you might combust.”

“Speaking of next week, how about we go out next Friday to celebrate you and Charlie surviving this term?” Jo suggested.

“That’s a great idea!” Charlie eagerly agreed.

“Sounds good.” Dean smiled.

“You’re coming too, right Cas?” Jo asked.

“Yeah, sure…” He smiled, but it felt strained, no one seemed to notice though, as they started discussing where to go.

When Castiel got back home, he went straight to bed, happy that Gabriel was at Kali’s place. Lying in bed, he tossed and turned, feeling anxious and angry at himself. Dean was his friend, he should feel happy for him. Dean was amazing, beautiful and talented, it was strange he hadn’t already been on a bunch of dates during the time they’d known each other.  Maybe he had though, and just hadn’t told Castiel? His stomach churned uncomfortably, and Cas felt ashamed over his feelings. This had to stop, he’d be supportive of Dean and he was sure that these crappy feelings would fade with time. It took him over three hours before he fell asleep from exhaustion.

At 10pm the next Thursday, Cas figured Dean might be done with the date, and pulled up his phone.

Cas – good date?

He then waited for twenty minutes before his phone chimed.

Dean – yeah, it was nice

Cas fought against the dark feelings swirling around in his chest.

Cas – great

Cas – will there be a second date?

Dean – nothing planned yet

Dean – but he kissed me, so probably?

Castiel closed his eyes, and took a few deep, steadying breaths, before replying.

Cas – nice

Cas – hope he was a gentleman about it

Dean – he was

Cas – good

Cas – see you tomorrow

Dean – c u

Castiel felt like punching something.

Chapter Text

They had been at the bar for two hours, it was crowded, the music was loud, and Cas just wanted to go home. He felt gloomy and irritated, but tried his best not to show it, he didn’t want to ruin his friends’ night. All four of them were hanging out at the bar, currently listening to Charlie telling a story about her latest LARP adventure.

“Dean? Is that you?” Castiel looked around and saw a short, bearded, brown haired guy approach Dean.

“Aron?” Cas’ mood plummeted at the name, Charlie and Jo were all excited smiles though. Dean looked surprised.

“Hi Dean! Fancy seeing you here!” Aron went for a hug and Dean reciprocated. Castiel's upper lip twitched and he fisted his hands. He was very grateful for being scentless, or the others would have been giving him weird looks by now.

“Yeah, I had no idea you’d be here tonight.” Dean said, smiling. Cas hated that smile.

“My friends dragged me out, thought we needed some drinks now that the term has ended!” Aron smiled goofily, cheeks flushed, looking like he’d already downed a fair amount of alcohol.

“We’re celebrating the term ending too. These are my friends by the way.” Dean said as he motioned towards Cas, Jo and Charlie.

“Oh, nice to meet you, Dean’s friends!” Aron said and shook hands with everyone and getting their names. Castiel struggled to keep his cool, smile and not crush the little gnomes hand. Aron stood closer to Dean, too close for Cas taste. Jo and Charlie started to ask Aron a bunch of questions, curious about the guy who Dean had been on a date with. Castiel kept quiet, occasionally stealing glances of Dean. Everytime Dean smiled or laughed at something Aron said, it made something dark swirl inside of Cas' chest. Aron's voice and laughter grated on Cas’ nerves. Castiel excused himself and went to the bathroom. In there he splashed cold water onto his face, trying to calm down. He took a few deep breaths and felt a little more in control of himself.

He walked out of the bathroom and made his way towards the bar again. As he got near, he could see that Aron was standing even closer to Dean than before. Cas felt the hairs on his neck stand up. Cas had just come up to the group, when Aron stood on his toes and kissed Dean on the lips.

Cas’ mind went blank, and all he felt was a white, hot rage. Without knowing what he was doing, he took a step towards Aron and let out a loud, deep, warning growl. Aron flinched, took a step back and stared at Castiel. Dean, Jo and Charlie were all staring at him as well, mouths agape. The disbelief on Dean's face pulled Cas back to himself. His eyes widened, he opened and closed his mouth without any sounds escaping. What was he doing? What was wrong with him?  

“Whoa, didn’t know a beta could go all alpha like that!” He heard some girl say, right before panic and shame made him turn around and quickly head towards the exit.

Castiel stumbled outside and headed over to an alley, where he leaned his back against a wall, eyes closed. It felt hard to breath, so he unbuttoned his top two shirt buttons and took several gasps of fresh air. What had he done? Nulls never growled, betas rarely did either and not like that. He had overstepped so many boundaries. He put his shaking hands over his eyes.

There were steps approaching and they stopped in front of him.

“Cas… are you ok?” Dean's voice came, sounding slightly cautious.

“No…I’m so sorry, Dean. That was so, very wrong of me.” Castiel kept his hands over his eyes, not wanting to see whatever look Dean was currently wearing on his face.

“Well, it might not have been the most appropriate behavior, but I’m guessing it wasn’t on purpose, was it?” The cautiousness was still there.

“No, it wasn’t, I swear! I have no idea how or why it happened.”

“I get not knowing how, ‘cause I’ve never heard anything like that from anyone but an alpha before. But, there must have been a reason, right?” Dean sounded sad now, and it made Cas feel like shit.

“I don’t know, I…I don’t know…” Cas managed weakly, he didn’t know how to explain it.

“Cas. Please, look at me…” Castiel was still scared of what he’d see, disgust, disappointment, but there was something in Dean's voice that made him drop his hands from his face. Dean was standing a few feet in front of him looking… nervous and…hopeful? That made no sense. They looked into each others eyes, without speaking, and Cas felt as if he never wanted to look away.

“Now, I think you do know why. Tell me, please…” Dean pleaded, still keeping his eyes on Cas'.

 “I-I don’t know why, I… I saw him kiss you and…” Cas went quiet.

“And…?” Cas gave Dean a pained look. How were his eyes that green and beautiful?

“…I hated it.” Castiel whispered. Dean drew a shuddering breath, and took another step closer.

“Why did you hate it?”

“Because…because…” Castiel nervously licked his lips.

“Yes?”

“It...it should have been me, not him.” What?! Castiel panicked, and pushed himself off the wall.

“I’m so sorry, Dean! I shouldn’t have said that, I’m a terrible friend! I should just go.” Castiel started to turn away, but found himself pushed back against the wall. Dean's face was only inches away, his eyes filled with emotion.

“Don’t you dare run away from this, we're not finished talking!” Dean's voice was shaking, Cas stared at him.

“Tell me, do you really, only, want me as a friend? Or do you want more?” Cas looked down to avoid Dean's gaze, saw that his lips were trembling, and then met Dean's eyes again.

“I...I want more… a lot more. I’m sorry.” Why was he telling Dean all of this, he shouldn’t be! He was ruining everything. Dean let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Why are you apologizing? Can’t you see how I feel about you?” Dean gently caressed one side of Cas’ face.

“You can’t… you shouldn’t…”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t give you what you need.” Dean looked confused.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re an omega…” in under a second, Dean went from confused to royally pissed off,.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?! You think I’m some kind of weak willed omega, ruled by his biological whims?! I thought you knew me better than that!” The hurt on Deans face made Cas' lungs constrict.

“No, I don’t think that! I know how strong you are, and how passionate you are about the people you love! I think you are the most amazing person I’ve ever met! That’s why I know you deserve so much better than me!” Dean stared at Cas in disbelief.

“That’s what this is about? You think you don’t deserve me?” Cas barely managed to nod, as he was trying his hardest not to start crying. Suddenly his face was caressed with both of Deans hands.

“Cas, you are everything that I could ever want. I can’t stop thinking about you, when we’re apart I’m counting the minutes until we’re together again. My world feels colorless without you.” Castiels heart was soaring at Deans words.

“...I feel the same.”

“Then let’s be together!”

“What if it doesn’t work out? I need you in my life.”

“No one can ever be sure any relationship will last forever, except maybe true mates, but that’s beside the point, ’cause they’re rare as fuck. What I’m trying to say is, we don’t know, there’s always a risk it won’t work out. But, there’s also the chance that it does. The thing is, you have to take a risk to find out, you have to jump off the cliff to ever have even the tiniest chance at happiness.” Dean looked at him pleadingly, eyes full of hope, and Cas felt all resistance drain out of him.

“Ok.”

“Ok what?”

“I’ll jump.” Cas gasped when Dean's face lit up with most beautiful smile he’d ever seen.

 Cas didn’t know who took the initiative, but suddenly they were kissing. He reveled in the feeling of Dean's soft, beautiful lips against his own. He wrapped his arms around Dean and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Dean let out a content sigh and carded his hands through Castiel's hair, before his arms ended up around Cas’ shoulders. Castiel felt dizzy from the sensation, and he felt as if his whole body was tingling. Dean broke the kiss and started to pull away to say something, but Cas quickly closed the distance and kissed Dean over and over again. Dean, in turn, made a small surprised noise and smiled, before kissing back. Eventually Dean pulled away again and Cas reluctantly let him. Dean rested his forehead against Cas’, who rubbed their noses together, making Dean smile.

“Let’s go home, Cas.”

“Ok.”

Dean took Cas' hand in his, and they started walking together. When they passed by the entrance to the bar, Jo and Charlie came outside and stopped in front of them.

“Hey, are you two ok?” Charlie asked, both her and Jo looking worried.

“Yeah, everything’s peachy!” Dean said with a wide smile. Then the girls noticed their entwined hands, and their worried looks were replaced with huge smiles.

“Oh my god! Is this really happening!?” Charlie looked as if she was moments from jumping up and down with excitement.

“Sure is!” Dean looked happy, and Cas had a hard time grasping that it was because of him.

“I told you the friend-thing was just a misunderstanding!” Jo said and punched Deans shoulder.

“What friend-thing?” Castiel asked, feeling as if he was missing something. Dean looked down and scratched his neck.

“I overheard you tell Gabriel how you only saw me as a friend… your door isn’t exactly soundproof…” Dean looked embarrassed. Castiel blushed a deep crimson color.

“Oh god…”

“I..uh..I believed it and… I needed some space to deal with it…sorry.” Oh. That explained a lot.

“I feel like an ass, I’m so sorry, Dean.

“You were both idiots, case closed!” Charlie chirped.

“Yeah, guess you’re right.” Dean smiled and squeezed Cas hand. Cas squeezed back.

 “Well, we’re going home, you ladies wanna share a cab?”

They did. Dean and Cas decided to go back to Cas’ place. They fell asleep in a tight embrace.

When Castiel woke up, he and Dean were once again tangled together. Unlike last time though, he sighed happily and pulled Dean closer. Dean made a soft noise and put his face in the crook of Cas’ neck. Castiel felt a thrill run up his spine. He put his nose in Deans hair and inhaled. This close he could pick up on a tiny bit of Dean's scent. Dean had a fresh smell that Cas couldn’t really figure out, but it was nice and calming.

Castiel couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that Dean felt the same way about him, that he was here, in his arms. Cas still had his worries, but right now he only wanted to focus on the good things. He traced his fingers down Deans spine, pulling up Dean's t-shirt a little so he could put his hand on the small of his back, enjoying the warmth of Dean's skin.

Dean started to stir, rubbing his nose against Cas’ neck, planting a small kiss at the base.

“Good morning, Dean.” Cas said and kissed the top of his head. Dean groaned.

“I love your voice in the morning.” He mumbled. Castiel laughed a little at the remark. Dean started trailing tiny kisses along Cas’ neck and up his chin, until he reached Cas’ mouth. They kissed and Castiel's stomach erupted with what felt like a hundred butterflies.

“I also love your smile.” Dean said, and Cas realized he’d been smiling without knowing it.

“I love your smile, too. And your eyes. And your nose. And your freckles.” Cas started kissing every spot on Deans face containing freckles, making it Dean's turn to laugh. They were soon trading lazy kisses.

“I could stay like this all day.” Dean sighed.

“Me too.”

“Buuut… I have to pee.” Dean sat up abruptly and Cas whined.

“Terribly sorry, but nature is calling. You can maybe get some coffee started?” Dean winked at him, before swinging his legs over the bed and standing up. Castiel groaned but agreed. He followed Dean out of the room and they ended up kissing outside of the bathroom, before Dean pushed him off and practically ran into the bathroom.

Castiel started the coffee machine, and then he went over to the fridge to see what they could have for breakfast. Dean came back and wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist and kissing his neck.

“Whoa! Am I still asleep? Am I dreaming? Can someone pinch me please!?” They both turned around and saw Gabriel dramatically holding a hand against his chest.

“You are very much awake, Gabe.” Castiel grinned at his cousin.

“Are you sure?” Gabriel walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.

“Very sure.”

“Good, because I though you totally screwed things up the last time Dean was here. Glad to be wrong!”  Castiel's mood dropped.

“What, you knew Dean heard me?” Cas' voice had a sharp edge to it.

“Don’t sound so mad, you weren’t exactly in the right state of mind to listen to me.” Cas relaxed a little.

“I guess you’re right. But how did you know?” Cas felt Dean's arms tighten a little around him.

“Well, Dean-o here reeked of rejected omega, so it wasn't exactly hard to put two and two together.” Castiel felt his stomach drop, if only he could scent people, he would have known how Dean was feeling. As if Dean could sense his thoughts, he spoke up.

“That's history now. From now on we’ll just have to talk about our feelings, no more assumptions and misunderstandings.” Cas smiled and nodded, leaning back into Deans embrace.

“If you need any help, I can tell you that Dean smells very happy right now.” Gabriel smiled crookedly.

“Shut up, Gabe.” Cas looked back at a blushing Dean.

“Why don’t the two of you sit down, and I’ll make us all some breakfast, to celebrate you two love birds finally growing some balls?”

“You are too sweet, Gabe.” Castiel said sarcastically and rolled his eyes. They both did as he said though, sitting down next to each other.

Gabriel got breakfast ready and in the middle of eating, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the couple.

“Hey, why'd you do that?” Dean asked. Gabriel started sniggering while he was texting.

“Because you two look ridiculous and I need to show Gadreel.” Castiel frowned and Dean looked irritated.

“What do you mean?” Dean asked, and Gabriel gave him an incredulous look, before laughing.

“Are you kidding me? You two are practically sitting in each others laps!” Cas and Dean looked at themselves and how their chairs were pressed together. Dean had his legs over Castiel's, and Cas had his arm around Dean's back, while Dean was stroking Cas neck. They both blushed, before joining Gabriel in laughing. They didn’t move though. Soon Cas’ cell chimed and he took a look at it.

Gad – Congratulations!

Gad – I told you so!

Castiel smiled and shook his head.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day was spent mostly cuddling, kissing and cuddling some more. Gabriel made fun of them more than a few times, but they didn’t care. They were currently snuggled up on the couch, not really paying any attention to what was showing on the tv. Gabe had told them he’d had enough of feeling like a third wheel and gone over to Kali's place. Dean was currently nuzzling Cas’ neck.

“It’s stupid that you’re called scentless, you’re not. Especially this close I can pick up this really nice, kind of woodsy scent. Sure, it’s sort of faint, but it’s there.”

“Well, as children we do have the same amount of scent as any other, regular kid, and we have the hormone that makes it possible for our parents to pick up on our distress. But, when we don’t present, that hormone decreases over time until it’s gone. They think the lack of that hormone makes our scents fade with time as well. Nulls in their 70s and 80s are ,usually basically scentless. Anyway, our scents are less than a child’s and we’re lacking all the hormones that comes with presenting, so we’re practically scentless compared to the norm. “

“Well, I really like your scent, it makes me feel at home.” Cas blushed at the sincerity in Dean’s voice.

“I feel the same about yours…” He admitted. Dean sat up and looked at him, eyes sparkling.

“You can scent me? Like, how much? What do I smell like to you?” He asked excitedly, and Cas smiled

“When we’re close like this I can. I feel this nice, fresh scent, but I can’t really place it.” Cas worried that Dean would be disappointed in how little Cas was able to scent, and was surprised when Dean grinned widely, making his eyes crinkle.

“I actually don’t smell as flowery and sweet as most omegas, my scent ismore a mixture of bergamot and neroli. It’s amazing that you can pick up on that!” Dean’s excitement was contagious, and Castiel smiled even wider.

“Yeah, that is pretty great.” Dean laughed, pushed Cas back down on the couch and started kissing him. Cas closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Dean’s body against his, Dean’s lips' soft slide against his. Dean sucked on Cas’ lips, before he dipped his tongue between them, and Cas eagerly let him deepen the kiss. Cas put his hands under the hem of Dean's shirt, and let them travel up over the warm, smooth skin, while biting down on Dean’s plump lower lip. Dean’s breath hitched and he put his hands in Cas’ hair, kissing him even deeper.

There was suddenly a faint, sweet scent in the air, making Cas wonder where it came from. He drew in a deep breath. He could feel the sweet scent a little better this time, and for some reason it made heat course through his body, his want for Dean rapidly escalating. Cas flipped them around, earning a tiny squeek of surprise from Dean, then he moaned as Cas licked a broad stripe up his neck. Cas thought the sweet scent intensified a little, as Dean pushed him back and started to pull off Cas' t-shirt.

When Cas was freed from his shirt, Dean pulled his hands over Cas’ chest, marveling at the sight. Castiel caressed the right side of Dean’s face, and Dean turned his head and kissed Cas’ hand, then he froze. Dean sat up abruptly, pushing Cas back and grabbing his left arm, staring at the thin scar running down the wrist.

“Cas… what’s this?” Dean asked, voice shaking, his eyes not leaving the scar. Castiel felt his stomach clench uncomfortably, he always pretended it wasn’t there, hiding it under long sleeves.

“I-It’s, uh, it’s what you think it is…” He said quietly. Dean turned his head and looked at Castiel, his eyes filled with sadness and disbelief.

“When?” The question made Cas look down and draw a shuddering breath.

“When my father told me they were having another baby.” Cas knew he had to elaborate.

“I was eighteen, no one was talking to me, I had no friends left.“

“What about Gabriel?” Dean’s voice sounded pained.

“He wasn’t allowed to see or contact me.”

“Jesus Christ…” Dean breathed.

“I had hope that my parents would change their mind, that they would eventually accept me for what I am, that they just needed some time. They were letting me stay at home, even though my mother would pretend I didn’t exist.” He took another shuddering breath, it was painful to talk about. He felt Dean let go of his arm, a warm hand softly grabbed his chin and tilted it up until Dean could lean forward and softly kiss him. He soon pulled away and looked at Cas, silently encouraging him to keep talking.

“You see, according to my parents’ church, it’s greedy and selfish to have more than one child. Them having another baby finally made it clear to me, without a doubt, that they had cast me away as their son.” Castiel's eyes burned and his throat ached at the memory. It took him a moment to be able to talk again. Dean entwined their hands.

“I had been depressed for a while, but this was the final straw. I felt like I couldn’t keep living like that, and I saw no other way out, so when my parents went out to celebrate…” Castiel went quiet again. Dean squeezed his hands.

“So, what stopped you?” Dean whispered.

“Gabriel. He came barging in the bathroom, boasting about how he’d managed to run away from our grandma.” Dean let go of Cas’ hands and pulled him into a bone crushing embrace.

“I never thought I would ever be grateful for Gabe’s ability to burst in whenever he feels like it.” Dean’s comment made Castiel let out something in between a laugh and a sob, as he hugged Dean back.

“I mean it, I don’t even want to think about never getting the chance meet you…I’m so happy that you’re here with me now.” Cas could feel a shiver run through Dean's body. They kept holding onto each other, until Dean eventually let go of Cas and looked at him again. Cas could see taht Dean’s eyes were red and there were streaks of tears on his cheeks.

“You don’t feel like that anymore, do you?” Cas could see the concern and worry in Dean’s eyes.

“No, I don’t. I promise. Now I have people I care about and who cares about me too.”

Dean kissed him again and then Cas told him how Balthazar had helped him, how they still kept in touch. How Cas would spend Thanksgiving and Christmas together with Balthazar and his mate Meg. They talked for hours and Dean ended up spending one more night at Cas’ place.

Castiel woke up to Dean kissing his shoulder, he turned to his side and pulled Dean close to kiss him on the lips. Dean let out a pleased sigh and dragged his hand down Cas’ naked chest, stopping to thumb over one of Cas’ nipples. Cas drew a breath through his teeth and deepened the kiss, drawing a moan from Dean. Dean continued to play with Cas’ pebbled nipple as Cas' hand travelled down Dean’s back, until he was able to squeeze one of Dean's butt cheeks. Dean kissed him eagerly and suddenly that sweet scent was back again. Cas wondered where it came from, when there was a loud rumble from Dean’s stomach. They looked at each other an started laughing. Castiel sat up and pulled Dean with him.

“Come on, let’s get you some breakfast.” Cas smiled. 

“Now? Ehm, ok?” Dean smiled back.

They got up and made breakfast together, then Dean spent the rest of the day at Cas’ place, until he had to get home to get ready for his first day at his internship. It took them twenty minutes to say good bye at the door. Castiel sat down at his computer to try and get some work done, and to drown out the feeling that was telling him to run over to Dean’s place. He’d been drawing for three hours when Gabriel got back home.

“Dean isn’t here? Yesterday it seemed like the two of you had become joined at the hip or something.”

“Ha, ha, very funny.” Cas rolled his eyes.

”So, loverboy eventually had to go home?” Gabriel said and sat down in the armchair.

“Yeah, he starts his internship tomorrow.”

“I see.” Gabriel was quiet for a moment, looking contemplative.

“Hey, Cas?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really happy things worked out between the two of you.”

“Yeah, me too.” Cas smiled.

“Dean’s a great guy, you know.”

“I know.”

“And he’s got a great ass, too!” Gabriel grinned and wiggled his eyebrow, making Cas roll his eyes.

“Guess you couldn’t be serious for more than a minute.”

“Oh, I’m very serious when it comes to butts!” Cas just shook his head and continued drawing.

“I’m gonna grab a beer, you want some?” Gabriel said, standing up and walking towards the kitchen.

“No, thanks. I’m going to get some blood drawn at Dr. Barnes tomorrow, so I can’t have any.”

“It’s been six months already? Time really flies by. Tell me if they’ve made any progress.”

“Sure, but I doubt it.”

Castiel decided to get a caramel macchiato before going to his appointment. He thought about the second time he’d met Dean, and almost felt a little bit grateful towards those teenage girls. Almost. He looked around and saw a few people giving him strange looks. He sighed and tried not to think about it. When it was Cas' turn to order it was one of the regular baristas. She smiled at him, but then she looked confused and subtly scented the air. Cas found it a bit strange, since she was used to him being a null. She seemed a bit puzzled, but continued on with the order as usual.

 After getting his order, Cas got in his car and drove over to Dr. Barnes' office. When he went inside, Ms. Rosen, Dr. Barnes' assistant, greeted him.

“Hi Castiel! Great seeing you again!”

“Hello, Becky. It’s nice seeing you as well.” Castiel walked up to the desk to get signed in and fill out some papers. Becky’s eyes widened, and her nostrils flared.

“Oh!” She threw her hand over her mouth.

“Sorry, Castiel, that was rude of me! I was just a bit surprised!” She looked embarrassed. Cas was confused, she must meet nulls on a nearly daily basis. She had met him twice a year for about four years now. Before he could ask her what she meant, Dr. Barnes appeared in the doorway.

“Hi Castiel! Please follow me to the examination room, bring the forms with you.” She turned around and Castiel did as told. He was handing the papers over when Dr. Barnes raised her eyebrows and then smiled wide at him.

“Well, seems like someone’s started dating!” She said cheerfully, surprising Cas.

“I…well...yes. How did you know?” Dr. Barnes laughed.

“Well, whoever the boy is, he’s very fond of you. He’s scent marked you, Castiel.” Dr. Barnes winked at him.

“I, uh, I’m not exactly sure what that means? I mean, I know it’s something presented couples do, but… yeah…”

“It’s a natural reaction in omegas, and alphas, when they’re with someone they’re serious about. Usually their partner does the same to them, it marks them as a couple and tells others that they’re “off the market”. Betas usually only do it if they’re dating another subgender than their own.”  She smiled at him again and Castiel blushed. So, Dean had marked him as his? Thinking about it made him feel happy.

“Well, that might explain the strange reactions I’ve been getting from people today.”

 “I can imagine, I’m used to nulls and can tell that you’ve been scent marked. Others will probably be confused. To them you smell a bit like an omega, but not in the right way. Your lack of subgender scent makes them unable to tell that you’ve been scent marked.”

“So, I smell like an omega with a weird scent?”

“Yes, basically. At least to people who’re not close to you. Well, let’s get some blood drawn, shall we?”

When Castiel was finished at Dr. Barnes', he sat down in his car and texted Gabriel.

Cas – hey, could you tell Dean scent marked me?

Gabriel’s response was instant.

Gabe – hah, yes, hard to miss!

Cas – I had no idea

Gabe – shit ofc not

Gabe – didn’t think about that

Gabe – you ok with it?

Gabe – it’s a totally normal thing

Cas – yes, very ok

Gabe – cool

Cas -been stared at tho

Gabe – oh.

Gabe – that’s different how?

Cas – smell like weird omega accordin to Dr. B

Gabe – you can never win huh, lol

Cas – haha nope

Castiel hummed happily as he drove home.

Dean called Cas as soon as he got home from his internship. He’d had a good first day, nice coworkers and challenging assignments.

“How was your day? Dean asked.

“Good, been working most of the day, I’m almost finished with this one book cover, so I think I’ll stay up until it’s finished.”

“That’s great, you think you’ll have time to come over tomorrow, when I’m finished with work? I miss you.” Dean sounded hopeful.

“I miss you too, and yes, I’d love to come over.”

“Awesome! Oh, how did your appointment go today?

“Fine, I only had some blood drawn. I did find out one interesting thing though…” Cas smiled.

“Oh yeah? What?”

“Apparently I’ve been scent marked.” Cas grinned as the line went quiet for a bit.

“O-oh, I-I…uh…sorry, did I overstep? I didn’t think…I should have…of course you wouldn’t know, I’m so dumb, I..uh…” Dean sounded incredibly flustered and his rambling was so cute it made Cas laugh.

“Calm down, Dean, it’s ok, I like it.”

“…You do?”

“Yes. Very much.” Cas sincerely answered.

“Oh thank god, you made we worry, you asshole!” Dean laughed, sounding relieved.

“So, you’ll mark me up some more tomorrow?”

“Definately, can’t have people think you’re up for grabs.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too…”

“See you tomorrow, Dean.

“See you tomorrow.

They hung up and Castiel continued working. Twenty minutes went by and then his phone started ringing again, it was Dr. Barnes. Cas frowned and wondered what it could be about.

“Hello, Dr. Barnes.”

“Hi Castiel! I’m sorry for calling you outside office hours, but I just got the results of your bloodwork back. It shows a low percentage of two hormones you usually lack. I checked the forms you filled out and you’ve stated that you’re not on any kind of medication, is that right?” Well, this was unexpected.

“Yes, I don’t take any form of medication.”

“And you haven’t changed any eating habits or moved apartments or anything else that might be significant?”

“No, nothing.”

“Would you be able to come back tomorrow for some more tests? Maybe the samples got contaminated somehow. And if not, I’d need more blood to do some further testing.”

“Yeah, ok, I can come by in the morning.”

“Great, would nine be ok with you?”

“Yes.”

“See you tomorrow then, Castiel.

“See you tomorrow, Dr. Barnes.”

They hung up, and Castiel sighed. There had probably only been some mix up with his samples. He kept working until he was finished with the cover and sent it over to the client. Then he went to bed and fell asleep right away.

Chapter Text

Castiel was waiting for the results of his latest blood draw to come back. Dr. Barnes had asked him to stay, so that she could do more tests if the sample showed traces of the same hormones again. Cas was sure it was a waste of time, and he was feeling rather restless. Finally, he was called back in again.

“Your sample show the same hormones again, so I need to do some further testing. I will need to draw more blood and get some skin and hair samples. We need to rule out any kind of tumor or other major internal physical change, so I’m referring you to do a CT scan and full physical evaluation at the hospital.”  Cas’ head was spinning.

“Wait, I might be ill?”

“I don’t think so, but we need to rule it out. Especially since there’s been no major changes in your everyday life.” Dr. Barnes contemplated for a moment.

“You do have a new partner, but that shouldn’t affect your hormone levels. I have plenty of patients who are married. I don’t think I’ve heard of a null and an omega dating before though. Have you been having intercourse regularly, for how long and do you use any form of protection?“ Castiel was taken off guard by the questions.

“No, uh, we haven’t had sex yet.”

“How about oral or petting?” Well, this was turning awkwardly personal.

“No, nothing, only making out. We’ve known each other for a few months, but we started dating this weekend.” Dr. Barnes looked up from her notes, surprised look on her face.

“Oh, and he's already scent marked you? Interesting…” She scribbled something in her notebook.

“Do you feel aroused when you’re with your partner? It’s ok if you don’t, it’s quite normal for nulls to have a low libido.”

“No, I mean, I feel aroused, yes.”

“Well, let’s get on with the tests, and then you can check in with Becky about at what dates you will be scheduled for the CT and physical. She’ll also schedule another appointment with me, so we can go over the results.”

When Castiel finally got home, he was tired, grumpy and slightly worried. He decided to take the day off and sleep until he was meeting Dean. Unfortunately, his neighbor chose that precise moment to start drilling in the wall, and it just went on and on. Castiel gave up on sleep and instead started cleaning the apartment. When he was finished he went into the kitchen to make a casserole that he could bring with him to Dean's.

Finally, it was time to go over to Dean’s dorm. When he got there, they kissed as if they’d been apart for weeks. Eventually they let go long enough for Cas to show a very happy Dean, that he had brought them dinner. They reheated it and ate in the shared kitchen. When they got back to Dean’s room, Cas told him all about what Dr’ Barnes had said and about the tests he needed to have done.

“She thinks you might have a brain tumor or something?” Dean asked worriedly.

“No, but she can’t be sure. Those tests are just a precaution.” Cas tried to convince himself as much as Dean.

“But she has no clue what else it could be?” Cas shook his head, ha was not going to tell Dean about all questons about their sexlife.

“When are you getting the CT scan?”

“Thursday, luckily.”

“You want me to come with you?” The suggestion made Cas happy.

“Thank you, Dean. I really appreciate it, but you have your internship.”

“I don’t care, if you want me to, I’ll be there.”

“Again, thank you, but I’ll be fine on my own. I promise I’ll let you know the results as soon as I get them.” Dean reluctantly agreed not to go with him. Dean kissed him and soon they were making out on the bed. Castiel was too tired to let it get too heated, he also knew that Dean needed to get up early in the morning. Dean seemed disgruntled when Cas told him they should go to bed, but he seemed to be in a better mood again when he cuddled up close to Cas as they fell asleep. 

They were reluctant to part in the morning, so Castiel drove Dean to work. Since they both would be rather busy the following two days, they agreed that Dean would come over to Cas’ place on Friday evening and stay for the rest of the weekend. Gabriel talked Cas into letting him come with him to the hospital, since he hadn’t yet started his own internship. Cas spent Wednesday night hanging out with Gadreel and Gabriel.

Thursday came around and none of the tests showed any abnormalities. Castiel was relieved and texted both Dean and Gadreel about the news. Both sent fast replies, and seemed even more relieved than Cas himself.

Friday morning had Cas back at Dr. Barnes’.

“Well, I’m stumped. I can’t find anything but the raised hormone levels in your blood and you’re as healthy as can be. I got in contact with a colleague in Germany whose null patient is married to an omega, but his patient showed no signs of any change in hormone levels.” Castiel perked up when he heard about the other null-omega couple. If things were going that well for them, then maybe he and Dean…

 “I’m sorry I can’t give you any answers right now, not even a theory. I will schedule another blood draw in about a month’s time, and we’ll see if there are any changes.”

Castiel was a bit disappointed that there hadn’t been any answers, but very happy that he was healthy. He’d gotten a bit behind on his work, so he sat down at his computer until Dean rang on the door. Again, they were on each other as if they hadn’t seen each other for ages. They made dinner together, cuddled, watched a movie and ended up making out on the couch. Since Cas was tired from the stressful week, he asked Dean to go to bed early again, promising he’d be more fun once he’d gotten some sleep. Dean seemed disappointed at first, but agreed, and they cuddled close in bed.

Castiel woke up, feeling like he’d finally gotten a decent night’s sleep. He noticed that Dean was watching him, worrying his bottom lip.

“Hey, are you ok?” Cas asked as he pulled Dean closer and gave him a chaste kiss.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just… can I ask you something, uh, personal?” Dean seemed nervous.

“Yes, of course, what is it?” Cas rubbed Dean’s arm soothingly.

“Are you…do you feel…do you have any interest in…uhm...sex? I mean, it’s totally fine if you don’t, I want to be with you anyway, I’ve read that it’s like that for some nulls, but I’d just like to know, so that…I know, I guess?” Dean was beet red and his words were spilling out lightning fast. Castiel blinked a few times, dumbfounded, before taking in the question.

“Do I…? Yes, of course I have!”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Are you attracted to me then?” Dean was back to biting his lip, face still red.

“What? Of course! I am very attracted to you!” Cas couldn’t believe what he was being asked, wasn’t it obvious?

“Ok, cool…It’s just that… every time it feels like we’re getting close to, uh, something, you kind of…pull the plug?”

“I do?” Castiel thought back to the times they spent together over thelast week and…oh. Ok, so he could see how Dean had gotten that idea.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Dean! I’m not very good at this, I’m not used to these kind of things…” It was Castiel’s turn to blush.

“I see. Have you ever…?”

“Yes, I had a girlfriend in high school, and twice with nulls I met online, but other than that…I don’t have much experience. How about you?” Dean’s eyes went wide, and he started to stutter.

“It’s normal to have an active sex life, Dean.” Cas reassured him, and he seemed to relax.

“So, I’ve only been with betas, no alphas or omegas…” That surprised Cas, but then he was used to Gabriel’s rants about how awesome knots were. Dean telling him this made him feel less insufficient.

“Do you have a preference as how to…?” Dean asked.

“I prefer topping.”

“Awesome.” Dean smiled. They looked at each other and started laughing.

“Well, that was awkward.” Dean eventually managed to say.

“A little bit."

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, we needed to talk about it, and I'm glad we did.” Castiel kissed the top of Dean's head.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

They started kissing and soon it was getting heated. Castiel grabbed the hem of Dean’s t-shirt and pulled it off over his head. Cas then proceeded to kiss his way down Dean’s chin and throat, stopping to nip at the junction of his neck and shoulder. Dean gasped, and Cas continued down to Dean’s nipple. He sucked at it, before gently pulling it between his teeth, making Dean moan. There it was again, that sweet smell. Cas let go of Dean’s nipple and lifted his head to scent the air. Dean made a frustrated noise.

“What are you doing?”

“There’s this sweet scent, can you feel it? I’ve smelled it a few times before when we’ve been together.” Dean chuckled and blushed.

“Cas, you're probably scenting my slick...”

“Your…oh. Oh!” Cas gave Dean a wolfish grin and ducked back down to lap and tease at Dean’s nipples. Dean keened and bucked his hips, making their erections brush against each other. Cas sat back long enough to pull off his own t-shirt, then he lay down, pressing their chests together, loving the feeling of skin against skin. The sweet scent intensified a little and Cas felt a strong wave of desire run through his body. He gripped Dean and flipped them over so that Dean was on top.

Dean pressed openmouthed kisses under Cas’ ear, before sucking Cas earlobe into his mouth, and making Castiel shiver. Dean then plunged his tongue into Cas' mouth, as he also started to slowly grind his hips down onto Cas' crotch.. Castiel moaned loudly and gripped Dean’s ass with both hands and squeezed.

Cas could feel the fabric of Dean’s boxers getting soaked, and his dick twitched in anticipation. He slipped a hand under the waistband and between Dean’s cheeks, groaning when he felt the amount of slick there. Cas used a finger to circulate Dean's puckered hole, before slowly pushing the tip inside. Dean inhaled sharply and bucked his hips back, making all of Cas’ finger push inside.

“More, Cas, please!” Dean panted, and Cas pulled out his finger, and then slowly pushed two inside instead. Soon, he eas plunging them in and out and kept doing so until Dean ordered him to add more fingers. It wasn't long  before Dean was a quivering, panting mess.

“I-I need more, Cas.”

“Ok, uh, shit, condoms. I can probably get some from Gabe’s room.”

“No, don’t leave!” Dean whined, nuzzling Cas’ neck.

“I’m clean, and on birth control. You?” He panted.

 “Y-yeah, I’m clean.”

“Then get this underwear off, now!” Dean nearly growled, making Cas' dick grow even harder.

Cas pulled out his fingers, making Dean mewl and shudder, then he made Dean lay down on his back as Cas pulled his boxers off. Dean pulled his legs up, making Cas stop and look hungrily at Dean’s beautiful, leaking cock and ass.

“Come on, Cas, take yours off too!” Dean whined impatiently.

Cas didn’t need to be told twice, he sat back and hurriedly pulled off his own underwear, sighing with relief when his cock sprung free. He looked over at Dean again and saw him staring, mouth agape.

“Fuck, you’re big!”

“I am?”

“Yes! God damn, well, come on, put it to good use!”

“How do you want to…”

“Like this, please, hurry!”

Cas crawled on top of Dean, kissing him as he started to push inside. There was a tiny bit of resistance, so Cas slowed down, but Dean made a frustrated groan and wrapped his legs around Cas’ hips, making him push inside faster. Cas’ breath hitched as the tight wetness became nearly overwhelming.

“Dean, you feel so good…”

He bottomed out and started making slow, shallow thrusts, before picking up the pace and pulling out further. Dean was panting and loudly moaning, he started playing with his own nipples, his dick bouncing against his belly and smearing precum. The sight made Cas’ mouth water and he changed his position a little, so he could thrust deeper and harder.

Dean suddenly let out a shout and gripped the sheets hard with his hands.

“Yes! Cas! Right there, don’t stop!”

Cas startedslamming into Dean at the same angle, drawing delicious sounds from him. Dean was starting to clench down around him, and Cas knew he was close. Cas kissed and licked at Dean’s neck, then he suddenly bit down hard, but not enough to break the skin, and Dean came shouting Cas name, his release painting both of their stomachs.

Castiel could feel himself getting close, the familiar heat building up.

“Dean, I’m close, where do you want me to…”

“Inside, I want to feel you cum inside!”

Cas’ hips started stuttering and he mashed their lips together as came hard inside of Dean. He managed to catch himself on his arms, so that he didn't crush Dean. Cas waited for his heart rate to slow down, before carefully sliding out of Dean. Dean made a face and Cas lay down on his side, pulling Dean into his arms.

“Believe that I’m attracted to you now?” Cas joked, making Dean snort a laugh.

“Yeah, you’ve convinced me.”

Chapter Text

They had stayed in bed for an hour, not caring about the messy sheets, just cuddling and talking, then they had sex again. When they were finished, Dean was dozingoff, his head on Cas' chest. Castiel was sliding his fingers absentmindedly up and down Dean’s back. He was thinking about how lucky he was to have met Dean, and how an important part of his life Dean had become.

Cas thought he would be terrified of how strong his feelings for Dean had become, but instead it was as if all fear had completely disappeared. All Cas could feel was a happiness and content, he’d never thought was possible for him to ever experience. He watched Dean sleep for a while, before he started to doze off himself.

He woke up to Dean gingerly kissing him.

“Hi, what time is it?” Cas asked and rubbed his hands over his face.

“It’s 1.35pm, we should probably take a shower, and get something to eat.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I should change the sheets too.”

“If you want to, but it’s not necessary. I like how they smell like us.” Dean gave Cas a cheeky smile.

“Well, I guess we’re just going to mess the new ones up anyway…”

“Yup!” Dean grinned and looked around the bed.

“You know, you should get some more pillows, and blankets.”

“Oh, right, you like pillows. I guess I could get some more.” Dean looked down, embarrassed smile on his face.

“Uhm, it’s more like a…nesting thing.” Nesting? Cas thought about all the pillows and blankest at Dean's place, then back to the first time he visited.

“Wait, so, the pillows were all new, like Jo asked, that time I met her and Charlie for the first time?” Dean nodded, looking sheepish.

“Because of me?” Cas asked, incredulous. Dean nodded again.

“You’re kind of thickheaded, you know.” Dean smiled, and Cas pushed him down on the bed, planting kisses all over his face.

They eventually made their way over to the bathroom, Dean insisting that they shower together, although it’d be a tight fit. They kissed, laughed and helped clean each other up.

Dean’s hands sliding all over his body, soon had Cas hard and aching again. Dean pushed Cas back against the shower wall and dropped down to his knees. Castiel groaned when Dean started gently sucking on the tip of his dick, teasing the slit with his tongue.

“Fuck, Dean…” Cas breathed.

Encouraged, Dean grabbed the base of Cas’ length and swallowed down as much as he could of Cas' large cock. Dean bobbed his head up and down, using his hand to stroke what he couldn't fit in his mouth. Cas head fell back against the wall, he moaned loudly, and put a hand in Dean’s hair. He could scent Dean’s slick again and it made his hips do an involuntary jerk. Dean made a choked noise and used his free hand to press Cas' hips back against the wall. The heat was building in Cas' stomach and groin, so Cas started to gently pull Dean’s head back, only to get his hand slapped away.

“Dean, I-I’m about t-to come…” He managed to pant out.

Dean made a happy little grunt and doubled upon his efforts, then Cas was suddenly coming down his throat. Dean kept sucking and licking Cas through his orgasm, until Cas started pushing his head away again, and this time Dean let him. In the closed space, the scent of Dean’s slick was overwhelming. Cas turned off the shower and Dean looked up at him, panting heavily, unspoken question in his eyes.

“Dean, get out of the shower and present to me.” The depth and firmness of his voice surprised Cas, Dean let out a high pitched whine and did as told. Cas watched him as he got down on all fours on the bathroom floor, lifting his hips up and presenting his ass to Cas.  Cas stepped out of the shower, sinking down to his knees behind Dean. He used his hands to spread Dean’s ass cheeks apart, and then took a moment to marvel at Dean’s leaking, twitching, pink hole. He flattened his tongue and licked at the sweet slick trickling down DEan's thighs. Dean shuddered and another whine made it's way out his throat.

Cas made his tongue pointed and pushed his it inside of Dean with no effort, since Dean was still loose from earlier. Cas pushed his tongue as far inside as he could, swirling it around and licking up as much slick as possible. Dean mewled and started to rock back on Cas’ tongue. Cas fisted Dean’s cock and started stroking it hard and fast, loving how a fresh gush of slick leaked out of Dean before Cas could swallow it down, resulting in it covering his chin and slowly making its’ way down his neck.

There was a strangled shout from Dean and Cas felt Dean’s warm cum coat his hand, before Dean collapsed on the floor. Cas sat down on his haunches, breathing as if he’d run a marathon. He leaned forward and gently stroked the back of dean’s thigh.

“Hey, you ok?”

“Yesthatwasamazing…” A jumbled mumble came. Dean eventually turned his head and squinted back at Cas.

“We need another shower…” Castiel laughed at the grumpy tone of Dean’s voice and helped him get up and back into the shower.

They had finally managed to get dressed and order pizza. They were now sitting on the couch,eating while watching a movie. Dean had first grumbled something  about it being a chick-flick, but now he seemed to be pretty into it. He was leaning back against Cas’ chest and pointing out what parts he found romantic, and which parts he thought were dumb.

“Oh, of course she’s going into heat when she has a super important presentation that she can’t miss. What kind of omega forgets to keep track of their heat? And ever heard of suppressants?” Dean rolled his eyes. Castiel smiled fondly at his boyfriend’s irritated voice. Dean was quiet for a beat.

“Cas?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you always go over to Gadreel’s place when Gabe’s in heat?”

“I do when he has alphas over. But there have been times when he’s dealt with it on his own. Those times I’ve stayed at home to make sure he eats and drinks properly, that he has clean clothes to change into, stuff like that.”

“That’s nice. Charlie usually checks in on me, since she’s an omega too.”

“She is? I had no idea, guess it’s never come up. What about Jo?”

“I always forget you can’t tell. Jo’s an alpha.”

“I see.”

They continued watching the movie for a bit.

“So, uh, my heat should be coming up in about two weeks…”

“It is?”

“Yes. I was wondering…if you’d like to spend it with me?”

“You want me to…are you sure?”

“Yes, I really want you to be there.”

“Then yes, I’d love to.” Castiel felt as if something deep down inside of him, was howling in victory. Dean turned around, so they were chest to chest instead, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Great! It’s usually very punctual, but last time it came almost two weeks early, so I can’t swear it’s two weeks left. I mean, it most likely is.”

“That’s ok, I don’t have any major deadlines coming up for a while.” Dean’s smile widened.

“Awesome!” Then he looked uncertain.

“I probably should tell you that last time was rougher than usual, and it went on for four and a half days. Our family doctor said it was probably a fluke due to stress.”

“I’ll be with you whenever it comes and however long it takes, ok?” Cas said reassuringly. Dean started kissing him, and soon they were heading back to the bedroom, movie completely forgotten.

They were in the middle of having breakfast on Sunday morning, and Cas had been feeling hot and sweaty since they woke up.

“Isn’t it really hot in here, maybe the AC is broken?”

“Naw, it feels the same as always. Maybe you’re getting sick?” Dean put his hand on Cas forehead.

“You don’t feel warm enough to be having a fever. Do you feel ill in any way?” Castiel thought about it, but he felt fine.”

“No, I just feel hot.”

“Oh, you’re very hot.” Dean winked, and at him, and Cas snorted.

Dean’s cellphone started ringing.

“Sorry, I have to take it, it’s work.”

Cas downed another large glass of water as Dean walked into the living room to talk to his boss. He was starting to feel a little light headed, maybe he was coming down with something? He filled up another glass of water and wiped at his sweaty brow. Dean came back into the kitchen, a sour look on his face.

“One of our main servers is down, and I need to go in to work to help and try fix it.” Castiel’s mood fell, he didn’t want Dean to leave. He had to bite his toungue to not say it out loud. Of course Dean needed to go to work.

“That sucks. I can drive you if you'd like.” Cas pushed himself off the counter and was struck with a sudden dizziness, and it made him stumble. He grabbed the kitchen table to steady himself until the dizziness faded.

“Cas, what happened?” Dean came up to him, looking worried.

“I felt dizzy all of a sudden, I’m fine now though.” Cas straightened up.

“Ok, so you’re definitely comming down with something, you’re not driving me anywhere.” Dean crossed his arms over his chest and Cas could tell he wouldn’t budge.

“Fine, I’ll stay here and rest. But you’re borrowing my car.” Castiel grabbed his car keys and handed them to Dean.

“Thanks, Cas.” Dean gave him a kiss.

“Call me if you need anything, I can come by again after we get this problem sorted.”

“I will, thank you.”

Castiel followed Dean to the door, they kissed and hugged, both reluctant to separate, but eventually Dean had to hurry off to work. Castiel had to fight the urge to throw open the door and pull Dean back inside. His whole body ached, longing for Dean.

“I really must be getting sick…” Cas muttered to himself, This was not a normal reaction, he’d see Dean soon again, if not today then probably tomorrow evening.

He went inside his bedroom to rest, thinking he should change the sheets first, but he felt calmed down by the faint scent of Dean, so he decided against it. He laid down ont he bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

“Hey, Cas! Can you hear me? Come on, wake up!”

Castiel slowly opened his eyes, annoyed at whoever was shaking him. His body felt as if it was burning up, and his body was aching all over. When his eyes finally managed to focus, he saw Gadreel’s worried face staring down at him.

“Gad, what is it?” He felt confused, what time was it, why was Gadreel looking at him like that, and why was he so god damn thirsty?

“Oh thank god, you’re awake!”

“Who could sleep through you manhandling them like that.” Cas muttered gruffly, before starting to close his eyes again. Cas was immediately then pulled up to a sitting position by Gadreel. Cas’ head exploded with a searing headache, and he put his face in his hands and moaned.

“You, apparently! It took me almost five minutes to wake you, I nearly called an ambulance!” What? That was weird.

“You’re burning up, Cas, I’m getting the thermometer, don’t you dare fall asleep again!” Gadreel hurried out of Cas’ room and Cas had barely managed to get his legs over the edge of the bed, before his friend was back, showing the thermometer into his mouth. Gadreel scrunched up his nose and Castiel raised his eyebrow questioningly.

“Sorry, it’s just, you reek of this really… I don’t now how to describe it, it’s a scent that smells... all wrong. What is going on here?” The worried look was back on Gadreel’s face. The thermometer beeped, and Gadreel pulled it out of Cas’ mouth before he had time to do it himself.

“105?! Fuck, Cas! How are you feeling?”

“Tired, it’s incredibly hot in here, my body hurts, my head is killing me and I’m thirsty.” Gadreel rushed out of the room and came back with a glass of water, that Cas slowly downed, his throat aching.

“What time is it?”

“9pm.”

“What? I’ve been asleep all day?”

“Seem like it.”

“How come you’re here?

“Dean called me when he couldn’t get in touch with you, or Gabriel, telling me you hadn’t been feeling well this morning. He’s still at work by the way.”  When he heard Dean’s name, Cas whole body went rigid, and a bone deep need for Dean coursed through him, making him feel nauseous.

“Dean…” Cas breathed and tried to fight the water coming back up again.

“Cas, I think we should get you to the hospital. You look like shit and the fever is really bad. This scent… I’m worried.”

“Ok…” Was all Cas managed to get out. He could feel something was wrong, very wrong.

“Come on, I’ll help you stand up.”

Castiel grabbed Gadreel’s arm and stood up. The world suddenly started spinning like crazy, he threw up and then everything went black.

Chapter Text

Everything was a blur, Cas could hear people talking, but he couldn’t make out the words. He thought he heard Gabriel’s, and even Dr. Barnes’, voices at times, but most were unfamiliar to him. His body hurt and he was so, very, nauseous. There was a sting in his arm and all the voices and the pain faded away.

When Castiel started to wake up, he felt someone holding his hand. His left arm was itching and there was something annoying on his face. He blinked his eyes open and used his right hand to try and get the thing on his face off. Someone let go of his left hand and stopped his right hand from pulling off the plastic thing from his face.

“Hey, hey, hey, Cassie! Keep the oxygen mask on, it’s helping with the nausea, ok?”

Castiel managed to focus on Gabriel’s tired face. He stopped trying to pull off the mask and looked around the room. He realized that he was in a hospital bed, and there was an intravenous drip attached to his left arm.

“Gabe…” He managed, throat feeling almost impossibly dry.

“Yeah, hi Cassie. You’re at the hospital. You fainted and scared Gadreel quite bad. Me too.”

“What time is it?” Cas asked, and Gabriel looked down at his watch.

“It’s 3.16pm, Monday afternoon.

“Monda...?” Cas started coughing.

“I’m gonna give you some water. I’ll have to move the mask and when I do, I advice you to hold your breath, ok?” Castiel nodded and did as told when Gabe pushed the mask to the side and put a straw to his lips. Cas happily took a few sips, before Gabriel put the mask back in position.

“Thanks…”

“No problem, kiddo. How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted, and my body is aching. What happened?”

“Well… It would seem that you’ve started presenting. Since you’re such a late bloomer, your body is kind of struggling with it, not being used to all the hormones and what not.”  

“Did you say…presenting?” Castiel couldn't quite believe he heard that right.

“Yes. Your new sense of smell was overwhelming you, and you kept throwing up all over the place. That’s the reason why you’re wearing the mask, it keeps all the scents out.”

“I’m…what am I presening as?” This couldn't be real, was he really awake?

“I don’t know, so far your scent is really strange, kind of bad actually. Don’t worry! Dr. Barnes thinks you’ll smell normal when you’ve finished presenting.” Gabriel reassured him.

There was a knock on the door before Cas could ask anything else. Dr. Barnes came in and got a bright smile on her face when she saw that Castiel was awake. She asked Gabriel to leave while she had a talk with Cas, he did and promised he was nearby if Cas needed him. She asked Cas how he was feeling, and he gave her the same answer he’d given Gabriel.

“I assume your cousin has told you that you’re in the process of presenting?”

“Yes, how is that even possible?”

“I can’t be sure yet, but your most recent tests, taken last night and today, show a low level of a hormone only found in true mates.” Dr. Barnes was quiet to let the news sink in.

“True mates? Do you mean...Dean and I?” Seriously, was he dreaming? Was this some kind of elaborate joke? Thinking about Dean made the deep longing surface again.     

“It seems likely, yes. Mr. Winchester is coming over straight after work today, to let me run some tests and see if his blood contains the same hormone. Unfortunately, I can’t let you two be in the same room, until your presenting is completed.” Dr. Barnes was interrupted by a low growl from Cas, she smiled crookedly.

“I’m sorry, Castiel, but we don’t want to risk his scent and pheromones making your hormones go haywire again. Your temperature reached almost 109F last night, that’s dangerous. Also, we don’t know how Dean’s body will react to you being in a half presented state.” That made Castiel stop growling. He didn’t want to risk Dean getting hurt in any way.

“Do you have any idea what I’m presenting as?”

“Your tests are inconclusive, your hormone levels keep changing. That said, my guess is that you’ll present alpha.”

“Why?”

“Well, becoming a beta wouldn’t be that much of a change physically, I doubt you’d be this sick if that was the case. Your genitals are much too large for an omega, and you have displayed some rather alpha-like aggression.” Dr. Barnes gave him an amused look.

“Concerning the true mates part, the most common pairing is alpha-omega.” Dr. Barnes took out her notebook and scribbled something in it.

“Now, Castiel, I know you understand what an amazing breakthrough this is for the null research. I hope you’ll let me continue to follow your process closely?”

“Of course.”

“This means I will have to put you through a lot of testing and questioning.”

“Whatever you need to do, it’s ok with me.” Dr. Barnes gave Castiel an excited smile, before schooling her features again. Castiel knew how much this must mean for the progress of the research, and he could only imagine how thrilled Dr. Barnes must be.

“First, I need to ask you some questions about this weekend, to see if we can figure out what triggered your presenting.” Castiel blushed.

“Uh…well…we didn’t really do anything different, we were hanging out at my place. We did, however, have sex for the first time…”

“That could be a trigger, yes. So, you had intercourse?”

“Yes.” Castiel tried not to blush too hard.

"More than once?"

"Um...yes, maybe, uh... I think five times." Castiel cringed a and wished he would pass out again, as Dr. Barnes continued to ask questions about what types of sex that had been partaking in, who had performed what on who, and do on.

“Could you tell me the approximate time from the first time you were intimate to the last time?

“Saturday morning, maybe…around 10? Then around 8am Sunday, I think.

“Did you use any protection?

“We’re both clean and Dean’s on birth control so…no.”

“I see…”

She asked some more questions about what else they had been doing, what they had been eating, if they had partaken in any nesting behavior, and when he’d  first started feeling sick. She eventually put her notebook away and looked at Castiel.

“I will let you rest now, the nurse will notify me if there are any changes.” Dr. Barnes left, and it didn’t take long before Cas was asleep again.

The second time he woke up, Gabriel was back by his side.

“Hello there, sleeping beauty.”

“What time is it now? Please don’t tell me it’s Tuesday.”

“Don’t worry, Cassie, it’s still Monday and it’s…6.42pm.”

“Good… Did you see Dean?”

“Yeah, I talked to him when he was here to see Dr. Barnes. He’s very worried about you, it took a lot to talk him into going back home, and not staying in the waiting room like last night.”

“He did?” Cas felt his heart clench.

“Yup, he was a wreck. Don’t worry though, he seemed better now that he knows you’re not dying.” Cas closed his eyes and swallowed thickly, he wanted Dean there so much it hurt. He wondered if Dean felt the same.

“Do you think you can try and eat something? The room has been sanitized, so mine and the foods’ scents should be the only ones in here. It should be ok for you to take off the mask.” Cas saw a sandwich on the table next to the bed.

“Yeah, I could try.” He got the mask off, and then drew in a slow, hesitant breath. Gabriel’s scent hit him first, it was sweet, a mixture of chocolate and honeyscotch. It wasn’t unpleasant,  the scent reminded him om related family, and something about it made him feel at ease. Cas could also smell the sandwich to a point where he could tell what spread it had, without looking.

Cas took another breath and there was something else there, his nose twitched and he took one more, deeper breath. There was a faint, fresh, citrusy scent in the room, it made Cas’ shoulders relax and filled his chest with warmth. It seemed to be coming from… Gabriel’s sweater?

Cas needed more of that heavenly scent, he grabbed Gabe’s arm and pulled him close enough so that he could sniff out what the source was. It got stronger around the shoulder area, and Cas made a triumphant sound when he finally found the right spot. Cas buried his nose in the fabric on Gabe's shoulder. This close he could smell the ravishing scent of bergamot and neroli better, the scent of home and mate. Cas sighed happily and rubbed his face against the spot.

“Yeah, this is not at all weird, Cassie…” Gabriel remarked, but didn’t move.

“Dean…mate…” Cas purred.

“What? Oh, fuck, how are you even able to scent that? He touched my shoulder for like three seconds, two hours ago.”

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in Cas’ gut, he doubled over, gasping for air.

“Cas, what’s happening?”

Another burning stab went through his gut and spread out through his genitals, making Cas shout in pain. Gabriel put the mask back on Cas' face, and pushed the alarm. In under a minute, two nurses and Dr. Barnes came running inside the room. The pain kept coming and Cas couldn’t get a word out, Gabriel tried to explain what had happened.

Dr. Barnes told Gabriel to get out, and the nurses to hold Cas down, while she started to examine him. She pressed her hands down, from his stomach to his groin, making Cas scream in agony when she got to the lower parts. He was hurting too much to feel embarrassed when she pulled up his hospital gown and started poking around his genitals.

She hummed and ordered a nurse to go get something.

“Castiel, try to relax, nurse Milligan is getting you something for the pain. Mr. Winchester’s scent seem to have triggered the change in your genitals that will make it possible to form a knot. Your testicles and ejaculatory duct will also change to accommodate the substantial production of alpha semen. The whole change is probably this painful because your body has already gone through puberty.”

The nurse came back with a syringe and handed it over to Dr. Barnes who proceeded to inject it into Cas’ groin. Within a few minutes the pain subsided enough to not be excruciating anymore, and he could form words again.

“Fuck, that was bad! How long will this change last?”

“I’m sorry to say I don’t know Castiel. You’re the first known null to present in about 40 years. Your presenting is nothing like that of a teenager who’s still going through puberty. We’ll make sure to put analgesic in your intravenous drip to help with the pain.”

In the end, it took approximately seven hours of constant pain, and Castiel was not happy.

After that, the worst part of the transition seemed to be over with. His fever had gone down the next morning and he was able to eat some soup. Gabe told him he was starting to smell better, if still kind of bad, and that it was now possible to tell that Cas was, indeed, an alpha. Cas started scent training by taking off his mask short periods of time, smelling 2-3 scents at the same time. He’d just finished his lunch soup, when Dr. Barnes came into his room.

“It’s great to see you feeling so much better already, Castiel. I’m here to talk to you about both Dean’s and your latest test results.”

Cas sat to rapt attention, nervous and excited at the same time.

“Your hormones are stabilizing, and it is now easy to tell that you’re an alpha. Your scent starting to clear up is probably a result of that.” Cas tried not to show his impatience, he already knew he was an alpha.

“Dean’s test show the same amount of the true mate hormone, and yours haven’t decreased. This means the two of you really are true mates.” Castiel felt lightheaded at the confirmation. Dean and he were meant for each other? Soulmates?

“This is not only a breakthrough for the null research, but also for the true mate one. It’s been believed that true mates are a perfect scent match, but the fact that the two of you started to bond before you presented, indicates that there’s more to it. You’ve turned out to be quite a rare case, Castiel.” She winked at him.

 “This…I…when can I see Dean again?”

“When we can confirm that you’ve fully presented, there shouldn’t be a problem for the two of you to meet again. Fait warning, you will probably react to each others’ scents like any other true mates that get to scent each other properly for the first time.“

“Ok…?” Castiel frowned and Dr. Barnes looked amused.

“Let’s just say that you should meet somewhere private, where you can be alone together.”

“Oh…”

They went over some more medical aspects and some more tests were done. Castiel realised he could talk to Dean on the phone, but when he went into an unexpected alpha rage when told it might not be a good idea, he was not even allowed to text him, in case it would end up being a negative trigger. Castiel felt ashamed, even if he couldn’t help what had happened, his hormones still unbalanced.

The next day his scent had finally stabilized itself, and Gabriel told Cas he smelled very pleasantly of cedar and fig leaves. They drew blood every second hour, and every time it showed his hormone levels at a normal rate for an alpha in his twenties. The presenting was completed.

The scent training was going well, and Dr. Barnes decided that he should stay another night and then be discharged. She recommended that he'd stay at home the first week, and go outside for short walks every day, to slowly get used to the scents of everyday life.

It was the end of visiting hours and Gabriel was soon about to go home.

“Will you tell Dean to meet me at home when he gets off work tomorrow?”

“I’ll do you one better, his work has already given him a week off, and he’ll be at home when you get there tomorrow.”

“They gave him time off? But he just started the internship?”

“Well, turns out his company actually has a policy where they give their employees a week off, if they meet their true mate. True mates are extremely rare, so it's not like it's going to be a huge problem for the company. Apparently their founder had a true mate, and so it's a way to honor his memeory. I think Dean would have been there anyway when you got discharged, internship be damned. He’s been very antsy. He stayed in your room last night, and will do so tonight as well, since he couldn’t get any sleep at home.”

“Dean…” Castiel’s chest constricted, there was only one night left, but it felt like an eternity.

Chapter Text

There were so many scents everywhere, telling his brain what felt like a million different things at the same time. Cas sighed with relief when he was finally sitting down in Gabriel’s car. Was he ever going to get used to this?

“You ok there, Cassie?” Gabriel asked as he started the car.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just, really want to get home to Dean.”

“He really wants you home too, he’s going a bit crazy.”

“I need him…” Castiel whined.

“God, you’re pathetic… Not that he’s much better, you should see your room. I hope you both snap out of it when you complete your bond.” Gabriel rolled his eyes affectionately.

“My room, what do you mean?”

“You’ll, see….”

They were quiet for a bit, and all Cas could think about was how much he wanted to see and to touch Dean. To talk to him, scent him, mate him…Castiel snapped out of his musings when he suddenly realised that they were going the wrong way.

“Gabe, this is not the way home, what are you doing?” Cas nearly growled.

“Relax, we’re just picking up Gadreel.”

“Why?” This meant more time apart from Dean, and Cas did not like that.

“Because, he’s a big, strong, burly alpha. You have just presented, and it was not under normal circumstances. You have been acting a bit erratic, and you’re not used to being able to smell mating scents and pheromones. We don’t know how you’ll react to properly scenting Dean, your true mate, for the first time. I want to make sure your alpha brain won’t jump him before he's ableto consent.”

“Gadreel's coming with us so he can hold me back.” Castiel stated, a bit offended, he could never hurt Dean.

“Yes, if need be. Just as a precaution We also want to see how you react to another alpha being in close proximity of your mate. I’m planning on staying at Kali’s this week, and I don’t want to hear about you assaulting one of our alpha neighbors, just because they happened to be in the hallway at the same time as Dean.”

“Alphas attack people for going near their mates?” Castiel’s eyes were wide, he didn’t want his new subgender to make him violent.

“Only heard about it when they’ve been in rut, and it’s not very common then either. What I’m saying is, alphas can act a bit cray, cray when their hormones are going wild, which they probably do when true mates are bonding.

“I'll bond with Dean, it will be beautiful, amazing and...” Cas started, dreamily.

“Aaand, you’re back to pathetic.”

Gadreel was already waiting outside for them, Gabriel parked the car and made Castiel get out.

“Cas! You have no idea how great it is to see you! You scared the shit out of me!”

Gadreel was immediately by Cas side, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. Castiel tensed up slightly when he got the full impact of Gadreel’s scent, since his nose was accidently buried in Gad’s neck. It was the scent of iron and the ocean, “alpha” his brain provided. Cas was surprised that he could tell through his scent that Gadreel was relieved and happy to see him.

“You smell nice, Cas!” Gadreel grinned at him as he released him from the hug.

“Thanks, you too. Now get in the car, I want to see Dean!” Castiel turned around and hurried back in the car, annoyed when his two friends laughed at him.

As soon as they walked into the building, Castiel could pick up the faint scent of Dean, and Gadreel had to grab Cas' arm to keep him from bolting up the stairs. Gadreel both looked and smelled amused when Cas growled at him. They were finally stepping out of the elevator and Dean’s scent got stronger. Castiel’s heart started pounding, and he had to get inside to his mate, right this moment or he’d die! Castiel started making tiny, distressed noises.

“Stop whining, Cassie, we are literally steps away from the door.” Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes, as he opened the door and they went inside.

A huge wave of wonderful bergamot and neroli scent came crashing down on him the moment he stepped inside. Cas closed his eyes in euforia, and when he opened them again, Dean was standing five feet in fron of him. His green eyes were shining, his cheeks were flushed, and his mouth was slightly open. Cas absentmindedly took a step forward, but then he was stopped by Gadreel's hand on his arm.

“Easy, Cas…” Gadreel’s voice was soft.

Castiel growled, and then he was nearly knocked down as Dean threw himself in his arms. Dean’s scent engulfed Cas, and it told him that this was meant to be, this was home, safety and family. This was, without a doubt, his mate. Castiel started shaking and he wrapped his arms around Dean, who had his nose buried in Cas’ neck, breathing in deeply over and over again.

“Mine…” Dean purred happily, rubbing his nose over Cas’ scent gland.

“Yours.” Castiel whispered, voice raw with emotion.

Dean looked up at Cas, grabbed his neck and pulled Cas’ face down to his own scent gland. Castiel gasped as the pure scent of Dean took over all of his senses. Before he new what he was doing, he’d licked a broad stripe from the gland and up, alongDean’s neck. Dean shuddered and let out a small moan.

“Ok, I think that’s our que to leave. Come on Gadreel, I’ll drive you to work!” Gabriel’s chipper voice felt like it was coming from far away and Cas was barely aware that the door closed and locked behind them, he was too busy kissing Dean’s jaw.

Cas made his way down to Dean’s scent gland again and started licking and sucking at it. Dean’s skin tasted so good, so perfect. The air was suddenly thick with a heavy, tantalizing scent of sweet lemon and honey, and Cas felt something inside of him roar. He pushed Dean up against the wall and desperately kissed him hard, clinking their teeth together. Their bodies were pressed against each other and Cas could feel Dean’s erection straining against his own. Cas’ left hand wandered down inside the back of Dean’s jeans, and he purred with pleasure when he felt how wet with slick Dean was. He stroked his fingers through it and pulled out his hand. He pulled away from the kiss, making his mate whine and look at his lips yearningly. Castiel brought his slick covered fingers to his mouth and started licking and sucking them, moaning at the sweet taste. Dean gasped loudly and his hipsjerked against Cas’.

“Fuck, Cas…” Dean’s pupils were blown, and he’d started panting.

Cas licked his fingers clean, reveling in the mind blowing taste and scent of his mate. He felt high, mind foggy but at the same time crystal clear. Every touch from Dean left his skin tingling. Cas scented Dean’s neck again, and started to slowly grind his hips against him.

“Cas…my mate…bedroom…” Dean managed to get out, and Cas grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the door.

Cas slammed the door open, then stopped and stared. His bed was covered in pillows, blankets and different articles of clothing stuffed in here and there. He saw a couple of his own shirts, and a pair of Dean’s jeans and a Led Zeppelin t-shirt.

That voice inside of him was pleaantly surprised, his incredible mate had prepared a nest for them.

Dean slipped his arms around Cas from behind, while kissing and scenting his neck. A fresh scent of more slick reached Cas’ nostrils and then, before he could register what was happening, they were ripping their clothes off each other. When they were finally naked, Dean squawked as Castiel hoisted him up into his arms, and carried Dean over to the bed, bridal style.

Castiel carefully layed Dean down in the middle of the bed, subconsciously astonished by how easy it was. Cas crawled over the small mound of pillows and clothing, and sat down between Dean’s legs. Cas saw streaks of slick on the inside of Dean’s thighs, then he leaned in and licked at it. More slick trickled out of Dean, and the scent was intoxicating.

Castiel pulled Dean’s legs over his shoulders, and buried his tongue in Dean’s wet hole. Dean rattled off a string of curse words, grabbing Cas’ hair and pushing him closer. Castiel enthusiastically sucked and licked, only taking short brakes to nip at Dean’s thighs.

Castiel’s cock was throbbing in a way he’d never experienced before, his lust for Dean was flowing like electric currents all through his body. He slid a finger in together with his tongue, and loved the choked sound Dean made. He added another finger and Dean’s hand tugged at his hair,folloes by a deep moan.

More slick gushed out, and Cas almost flipped Dean over so he could fuck into him fast and hard. Only the fear of hurting his beautiful mate stopped him. He pulled his face away from Dean’s leaking hole, and added a third finger, that he continued to push in and out of Dean. He let Dean’s legs drop down from his shoulders so he could reach to catch Dean’s lower lip between his teeth. He soothingly licked his tongue over the bite, and Dean grabbed Cas’ face with both hands, plunging his tongue down Cas throat.

Dean grabbed Cas’ cock and started stroking it, making Cas groan into his mouth.

“D-Dean…I need to be inside you…”

“Yes…please…”

Cas pulled out his fingers and coated his cock with the slick from them.  He used his hand to guide the tip to Dean’s entrance, then he pushed inside. He thrusted into Dean a few times, and growled as he wanted, needed, more. Cas pushed Dean’s legs up, making it easier for him to thrust deeper and harder. Dean threw an arm around Cas' neck, and pulled him down so he could scent him again. Wrecked gasps and groans escaped Deans’ lips, and Cas picked up his speed, practically slamming into his mate. Dean threw his head back, eyes hazy with lust, and Cas started licking and sucking at his exposed neck.

“Fuck, yes, Cas! Please, please, yes! Mate me!”

Dean begging Cas to mate him, had that inner voice roaring in triumph. Castiel felt a new, deeper feeling of lust course threw his body, it was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. There was a strange, but very pleasant, pressure building at the base of his cock. Cas pulled back from Dean’s neck, causing Dean to let out a displeased, tiny, snarl, and looked down at his dick.

Cas stopped mowing for a few seconds, and stared down at some sort of lump at the base. Then Dean smacked his arm and Cas met his mate’s irritated eyes.

“Are you just gonna stare at your knot, or put it in me?”

Oh, right. He was an alpha now, this was normal. Cas hurriedly started thrusting again, and kissed Dean deeply as a way of apology. He slid his hand down between them and started stroking Dean’s cock. Dean moaned loudly, closed his eyes and exposed his neck to Cas again. His knot started catching on Dean’s rim, and Cas felt an unfamiliar, forceful, arousal taking over his senses, spurred on by Dean’s shaky breaths and whimpering . His knot pushed inside, and instinct made Castiel bite down hard over Dean’s scent gland.

When his teeth broke the skin and he tasted blood, his orgasm came crashing down, making him loose his breath. He felt the bond make a connection, and the intensity of it made him let go of Dean’s neck and throw his head back, with a gasp. Dean soared forward and then his teeth sank down into Cas neck, and it was as if his mind exploded when the bond locked down, completed. Another orgasm ripped through him, filling Dean with, what felt to Cas as, an impossible amount of cum.

Dean had fallen back down on the bed, a dazed expression on his face, eyes glazed over. Cas slowly slid down, laying on top of Dean, realizing then that Dean had cum too, by the sticky mess that he could feel between their bodies.

Cas  started to lick the mating bite clean. Dean shuddered and carded a hand through Cas’ hair.  

“Mine…” Dean said softly.

“Yes, yours.” Cas mumbled against the bitemark.

Dean pulled at his hair, Cas raised his head and met Dean’s lips in a gentle, loving kiss.

“Cas?”

“Yes, Dean?”

“Can we try and change our position? You’re kind of crushing me…” Dean smiled crookedly.

Castiel kissed him again, and then they carefully moved to their sides. They cuddled close, constantly kissing and touching each other, but not talking. Their silence was reverential, taking in all the new emotions from their mating bond.

Chapter Text

Castiel was staring into Deans emerald eyes, a huge smile plastered on his face. Dean was his mate! This gorgeous, kindhearted, smart, funny, caring, amazing person was his, how was that even possible? Dean smiled back at Cas and kissed him again, then he put his nose in the crook of Cas’ neck, inhaling deeply.

“So, it was cedar…” Dean mumbled.

“What was?” Castiel carded a hand through Dean’s har and kissed the top of his head.

“Your woodsy scent, it was cedar. I’ve always loved the smell of cedar. I wonder if it’s because some part of me knew it’d be my mate’s scent.” Dean sighed and kissed Cas’ jaw.

“Maybe? Come to think of it, I’ve always enjoyed citrusy smells.” Cas said, and Dean looked up at him with a huge grin on his face.

“Dude, this is insane! We’re true mates!” Deans eyes sparkled, and he pulled Castiel closer into the embrace.

“I know, it feels unreal… Your scent is the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt, and it keeps telling me you’re my mate, my home… I had no idea how many things scents can tell you, like, right now I know you’re very happy, just from your scent. It’s all so…strange and fascinating.” Cas gently caressed Dean’s face with one hand, and Dean put his hand on top of Cas’.

“That’s normal to me, but thinking about it, yeah, it is kind of really cool.” Dean moved his legs a little, and the movement made him tug at Cas’ knot, sending a spike of pleasure through Cas’ body. A tiny moan slipped out of Cas, and Dean smirked at him.

“This is…interesting as well…how long do we stay like this? It must have been almost thirty minutes already, right?” Castiel had no clue about how knots worked, it had never seemed like a necessary thing to learn.

“Well, I’ve never been knotted before, but, if I remember high school biology correctly, your knot should be going down soon. They’re supposed to last for 20-40 minutes.” Dean smiled at him.

“Did it, uh, did it hurt?” Cas asked, worriedly.

“Nah, it felt good.” Dean smiled and bit his lip.

“Is it uncomfortable now? Being stuck like this?”

“No… Actually feels nice, being filled up…” Dean blushed.

Castiel smiled and they continued to kiss and cuddle until a few minutes later, when Cas’ knot finally went down, and he slipped out of Dean. Dean made a face at the cum and slick trickling out.

“That’s messy, we should have a towel ready next time.” Dean grimaced.

“I don’t know, part of me likes it very much, makes the nest smell right.” Cas mumbled, before he knew what he was saying. Dean looked at him strangely, and then started laughing.

“Dude, your inner alpha is one kinky son of a bitch!” Dean continued to laugh, a fond look in his eyes.

“That’s what it is? My alpha instinct?” Castiel was genuinely surprised, it made sense though.

“Yeah, you’ll get used to it.” Dean said and kissed him again.

After a few more kisses, Castiel got up and got them some wet cloths to clean up with, then he lied down again and pulled Dean close, his back to Cas’ chest.

“The nest is nice...” Cas’ comment made Dean’s face turn a deep shade of red.

“I guess I went a bit crazy when you were in the hospital and I wasn’t allowed to see you… It felt comforting, sleeping in your bed, but I felt like it was missing something. So, I got all the pillows and blankets from my place. Then it still felt like it was missing something, so I got a couple of your shirts… I’m, uhm, not sure when I added the rest of the things…” Dean hid his face in a pillow. Cas pulled him closer and kissed the mating mark.

“I love it.”

“Really?” Dean peeked out from the pillow.

“Yes, you’re such a perfect omega...” Castiel’s voice had dropped a few octaves.

Dean turned around and crashed their lips together, Cas could feel the sweet scent of honey in the air again. It wasn’t long until they were knotted together again.

On the third day of their mating, they finally got outside of the apartment for the first time. Castiel felt nervous, but he knew he needed to get used to all the new scents of the world. They went for a walk around the neighborhood, which was about as much as Cas could take before he started to get a headache from being bombarded by all the new smells. They met an old couple on the way home, who smiled sweetly at them.

“Did you see that couple smiling at us?” Cas asked Dean.

“Yeah, they could probably see and scent that we’re new mates.”

“Is that something people usually do?”

“I guess? I mean, they probably think it’s sweet, seeing a newly mated couple and scenting how happy they are.” Dean smiled at him.

“That’s nice.” Castiel smiled back.

“People smiling at you?”

“Yeah, usually people look away, or they stare and whisper.” Castiel said, matter of factly. He suddenly scented sadness coming from Dean, so he stopped walking and gave Dean a worried look.

“What’s wrong, Dean?”

“It’s just… I hate how people have treated you, it’s not right.” Anger started to mix with the sadness. Castiel pulled his mate into an embrace.

“No, it’s not. Luckily, I’ve had people like you in my life.” Castiel nuzzled Deans’ neck and kissed the mating mark. He felt Dean relax and the sadness and anger started to fade from his scent.

“I’m lucky to have met you…” Dean mumbled, and Cas kissed him.

They started walking again and were soon back at the apartment, they went inside and Dean let out a low whistle.

“Wow, it reeks in here.”

“What do you mean? It smells wonderful, it smells of us.” Castiel replied, grumpily. Dean laughed.

“Relax, I like it too, but I’m pretty sure Gabe won’t appreciate it when he gets back. We need to crack open some windows.”

“I don’t want the scent to go away…” Castiel said petulantly.

“We’ll only weather out the living room and kitchen, we can leave our bedroom as it is.” Dean shook his head, looking amused. Cas brightened up, knowing the bedroom would remain the way it was.

“We will, however, change the sheets.” Dean said, making Castiel whine.

“Oh, come on, they’re getting real crusty!” Dean jokingly pushed at his shoulder.

“I don’t mind…”

“But they’re starting to feel scratchy, it’s uncomfortable.” Dean pouted. That made Cas’ alpha stand to attention, his mate needed their nest to be more comfortable!

“Where are you going?” Dean asked as Castiel hurried off.

“I need to get some fresh sheets and change the bed.”

Dean laughed as he opened the living room window.

Two days later, the mating haze had finally started to wear off a little. Castiel had just finished talking to the last of his clients, explaining why he’d been absent and that he’d have to push up the deadline for a couple of projects. To his surprise, all of his clients had been very understanding, and they had congratulated him on his mating.

Dean had talked to his bosses to keep them updated, then he’d called his family and was currently on the phone with his mother. Cas decided to give Gabe a call, he’d sent a few texts to both him and Gadreel over the last few days, but maybe it was time for a more detailed update. He sat down on the couch and dialed Gabriel’s number.

“Cassie! How’s mated life treating you?”

“It’s amazing.” Cas smiled.

“Ooh, I bet it is…” Cas could almost hear the suggestive eyebrow wiggle through the phone and rolled his eyes.

“Are you ok with staying at Kali’s for a few more days?”

“Oh yes, her rut is about to start, so no complaints here.”

“Uhm, ok, great, uh…”

“Have you and Dean discussed living arrangements, now that you’re mated?” The question caught Cas off guard, the mating pheromones had made him completely forget that Dean didn’t actually live there.

“No, uh, we, uh, probably should though.”

“No stress, Cas. We’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, you’re right. There’s a lot going on.”

“Hah, yeah, mildly put. By the way, I talked to Balthazar, he and Meg are very happy and excited for you. You better give them a call when you have the time.”

“Yeah, I will.” They both were quiet for a moment.

“Anything else, Cas?” Castiel swallowed a lump in his throat.

“Yeah…uh…do you think… do you think I’ll be allowed to see Claire now?” Cas’ voice came out as barely a whisper. The thought had been there since he’d first been told he was presenting. He could hear Gabriel take a deep breath.

“I hope so, I mean, I think so. They shouldn’t have a problem with it now. I, uh, I actually told my mom that you’ve presented…”

“You did? How did she react?” Cas sat up straight and he could feel his hands starting to shake. Suddenly Dean was wrapping his arms around him from behind, putting his chin on Cas’ shoulder. Castiel relaxed into the comforting scent of his mate.

“She seemed pretty shocked. Told me she would talk to dad about telling your parents. Haven’t heard back from her yet, but it’s only been two days.”

“Call me as soon as you hear back from her?”

“Of course, Cas.” Gabe said softly.

“Thank you… for everything.”

“No need for thanks, Cas.”

They were quiet for a moment again, then Gabe spoke again.

“Cas… if they…if your parents want back in your life again…will you let them?” Cas closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I…I don’t think I can. What they did… It will only be for Claire.”

“Good. They don’t deserve you.” There was venom in Gabriel’s voice, and Cas couldn’t help but smile at his cousins’ protectiveness.

“But, just to be clear, if you’d want to…”

“I don’t think so…”

“Well, if one day you do want to, I’ll support you either way, you know?” 

“I know.” Castiel could feel his eyes prickling with tears.

“I’ll call you if I hear anything, if not, I’ll call when it’s time for me to come back home.”

“Ok, talk to you later.”

“Yeah, tell Dean-o I said hi.”

They hung up and Dean moved around so that he was straddling Cas’ lap, then he pulled Cas’ face down to his scent gland. Castiel inhaled deeply, letting Dean’s comforting scent wash over him. Dean started to card his hand through Cas’ hair.

“What did Gabe say about Claire?”

“He’s told his mom about us, he’ll call me when he hears back from her. He thinks my parents might let me see her now.” Cas wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist.

“I really hope they do, you two deserve to get to know each other.”

Cas nodded, but kept his face in the crook of Dean’s neck.

“How do you feel about the possibility of seeing your parents again?” Dean asked, hesitantly.

“I…don’t know. My father and I was never all that close. He’s the “kids should be seen and not heard”-kind of person, he was strict and expected me to have good grades. My mother…” Cas’ swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath.

“My mother and I would do a lot of things together. Like, we both loved to play boardgames, so Friday was game night, even when I was a teenager. I would go to her if I had a problem, and she’d help me figure it out. She always told me how much…how much she loved me.” Cas’ voice broke and he had to take a moment before he could continue. Dean rubbed Cas’ back soothingly.

“My father not wanting me when I was confirmed to be a null, it hurt, but I could handle that. My mother… I don’t understand, you know? I just don’t understand how she could love me one day, and then the next…I was nothing to her, nothing at all.” Tears were running down Cas’ cheeks, but he barely noticed. He could smell sadness in Dean’s scent again.

“Cas…” Dean’s voice sounded hoarse.

“It broke me. I can’t forgive her, but at the same time I miss her. I miss what we had. But, I can’t let her back in my life again. I had to work so hard to piece myself back together after what they did to me.” Castiel felt Dean’s hand on the side of his face, and he raised his head to meet his mate’s tear-filled eyes.

“We’ll find a way for you to see Claire, without having to deal too much with your parents. I’ll be with you when you need to see them, and I’ll make sure to keep them off your back, as much as possible. I’ll be there for you in any way you need me to before, after, and during any meetings with them.”  

“Thank you, Dean.” Cas smiled at his wonderful mate, who proceeded to kiss him softly, before pulling Cas up from the couch and into the bedroom.

Chapter Text

An alarm was sounding, and Cas growled, as he wanted to continue sleeping. He heard and felt Dean sitting up and turning the alarm off. Cas groaned and wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist.

“I don’t want you to leave the bed…” Cas sighed and nuzzled Dean’s hip.

“Me neither… but I have to get up and go to work, our week’s up.” Dean sounded as displeased as Cas felt. 

“It should be a month, not a week…” Cas hugged Dean closer, and Dean huffed a laugh.

“Can’t say I disagree. Unfortunately, it’s not, and I have to get ready. That means you need to let go of me.” Dean said fondly, and Cas reluctantly loosened his grip on his mate.

“They should at least have given you today and tomorrow off as well, it’s almost the weekend…”

“Yeah, well, if my heat wasn’t about to hit this Tuesday or Wednesday, they probably would have. Now, I need to shower, or the guys will make fun of me for smelling like.” Dean winked and stood up, Cas appreciated the view of his naked mate walking towards the bathroom.

Cas turned on his back and stared at the ceiling. He needed to do some (well a lot actually) work himself. He decided to make some breakfast while Dean was showering, so that they could eat together before Dean had to leave.

Cas was just setting the plates on the table, when Dean came into the kitchen, fully dressed to Cas’ great disappointment.

“Stop pouting, I don’t have time for any funny business, so I had to get dressed.” Dean kissed Cas’ cheek, sat down at the table and took a bite of the pancakes, moaning loudly.

They finished their breakfast and then they kissed at the door, until Dean checked his phone and hissed that he was about to be late and ran out the door (after kissing Cas one last time). Castiel sat down at his computer and started his own workday. He was relieved to realize that while he missed Dean, it wasn’t the same overwhelming longing it had been at the hospital, before they mated. He got into a nice workflow and was surprised when his stomach started growling and it was 2.45pm.

He made and ate a sandwich, then he continued working until Dean got back from work in the evening. Dean was barely through the door, before Castiel was at his side, pulling him the rest of the way inside, and crashing their lips together. They didn’t make it to Cas’ room, but instead ended up with Cas knotting Dean on the living room couch.

Friday went by pretty much the same as the day before, the difference being Gabriel walking through the door as Cas was greeting Dean welcome back by pushing him up against the wall.

“Well, hello there, Cassie! Dean! Am I interrupting something?” Gabe smirked at them. They both blushed and took a step away from each other, hands linked together.

“Gabriel, you didn’t say you were coming back home today…” Cas said, slight blush on his cheeks.

“Nah, thought it’d be fun to surprise you two.” He winked at them as he made his way inside the apartment.

“I see the window is open and the place doesn’t smell like a brothel, I appreciate that. Still, wow! This place definitely smells like it’s been marinated in your scents.”

“Sorry…” Cas started but was immediately interrupted by his cousin.

“Cas, if you think I’m anything but happy for you, you’re an idiot. I know you haven’t been able to scent it before, but this is nothing compared to what it’s like after one of my heats.” Gabriel grinned and patted Cas’ back as he walked over to the living room.

“Speaking of heats, will Dean be moving in with us?” Gabriel smiled and sat down on the couch.

“Yes, well, kind of.” Castiel started.

“I will stay here a lot of the time, but I’ll keep my room for when I need to really focus on studying. At least for the time being, we’ll see how it goes.” Dean continued.

“Great! Welcome to the family, Dean-o! Guess we’ll need to make a heat-schedule, to make things run smoothly around here.”

“Well, about that… you think Kali would mind housing you for another few days next week?” Dean scratched his neck, and Gabriel stared at them for a minute, before laughing.

“Are you serious?”

 When Gabriel had stopped laughing and assured the new mates they could have the apartment to themselves during Dean’s upcoming heat, they invited Gad, Jo and Charlie over to celebrate the mating.

It was strange for Castiel to be able to read his friends moods through their scents. At the same time, it was great to finally understand and pick up on subtleties he had never been able to before, it made socializing a lot easier he realized.

They all made fun of Cas and Dean for taking so long getting together, considering they were true mates. Cas found it easy to laugh at, now that it felt so obvious that they belonged together.

When they finally decided to call it a night, Jo and Charlie decided to take a cab back to Jo’s place. Gadreel had already fallen asleep on the couch, so Cas just threw a blanket over him, before heading to bed with Dean.

The next day, Cas, Dean and Gadreel went to Cas’ favorite café for a late breakfast. Gabriel had still been sleeping, Kali’s rut and the late night party taking its’ toll on him. Castiel was about to order, when he realized the barista was staring at him with a look of utter confusion on her face.

“Is everything ok?” Cas asked.

“I’m not sure? I think there’s something wrong with my nose. I could swear you were a null, then you came by smelling like some weird kind of omega? Now, you’re very obviously alpha? You think it could be a tumor?” Cas could scent genuine worry coming from the barista and decided to calm her down, even if the subject felt rather private to him.

“Oh, no, there’s nothing wrong with you, I promise. I was a null, the omega scent came from my now mate, then I, uh, actually presented.” Cas felt awkward, and he could tell both Gad and Dean tensely waiting for the barista’s reaction. First her face scrunched up in confusion, then she was suddenly smiling brightly at him.

“Oh my gosh! I had no idea nulls could present, that’s so cool! And, oh! Congratulations on the mating, you two look really cute together!” She kept smiled brightly at them and Cas started stuttering a thank you.

“Alicia, what’s taking you so long? There’s a line.” Another barista came up to the first one.

“Sorry, Krissy! This guy here is one of our regulars, and he’s just been mated!” The other girl looked at Cas and Dean and started smiling as well.

“Oh, it’s you! Congratulations! What can we get for you today?”

They ordered, got their food and sat down at a table. Castiel was in a great mood, the baristas had been very nice. He wondered if maybe him being a null had never bothered at least those two. When they were nearly finished, the girl named Alicia came by their table with three plates of pie.

“How about some cherry pie for the newly mated couple and their friend? It’s on the house.” She smiled and put down the plates on the table.

“Pie? This is so my new favorite place! You guy’s rock!” Dean exclaimed before stuffing a large bite in his mouth. Cas and Gadreel thanked her, and Alicia winked at them before hurrying off to help another customer.

Dean ended up eating both his own pie and half of Cas’. They left a hefty tip for the girls before leaving. Gadreel decided to go back home, since he was going on a date with Anna later that day. Since the weather was nice, they went for a long walk. It was getting easier dealing with the magnitude of scents. Cas had started to be able to tune out scents that weren’t people or animals.

They ended up walking for long enough that it became lunch time, so they decided to stop at a diner and eat. Cas enjoyed being outside this much, and not being stared at once. Some people had looked, but since most of them were smiling, Cas guessed it was because he and Dean were obviously newly mated. When they had finished eating, they mad their way back home.

When Castiel opened the door, he was immediately alarmed, there was something off in Gabe’s scent. He growled under his breath, and told Dean to stay put, then he hurriedly followed Gabe’s scent into the kitchen.

As Castiel entered, he saw Gabriel sitting on a kitchen chair, a dark haired, female alpha standing in front of him. Gabriel was covering his face with his hands, strong scents of sadness, upset and distress coming from him. The female alpha looked and smelled angry, and something else that Cas didn’t have time to make out before his vision turned red, a loud growl of protectiveness ripped from his throat, and he lounged towards the alpha.

He managed to grab her by the neck, before she seemed to know what was going on, and he threw her across the kitchen, to get her away from his family. The other alpha hit the wall and fell to the floor, Cas was about to jump her, when Gabriel grabbed his arm.

“Castiel! Stop! Kali isn’t hurting me!” Gabriel sounded scared, but Castiel’s mind was overcome with a red fog of rage, all his instincts telling him someone was trying to hurt his family. He shook Gabe’s arm off and started towards the other alpha, when Dean appeared in the doorway. Castiel snarled as his mate was now close to the danger as well. He took another step towards the intruder, but then he suddenly had his arms full of his mate. Dean clung to him as he started to push Castiel back and away from the other alpha.

“Cas! Listen to me, Gabriel isn’t in danger, his girlfriend hasn’t done anything wrong!” Dean’s voice was stern. Castiel was confused, he looked over to the other alpha, who kept her head down in submission.

“Please, Cassie, listen to us! You need to relax, Kali isn’t a threat!” Gabriel pleaded. Cas’ regular, rational self, realized that there wasn’t a threat anymore, but the rage he felt didn’t calm down, his instincts was still protecting his family from an intruder. So, he took another step towards the alpha, starting to push Dean to the side.

Dean jumped in front of Cas again, kicking Cas’ legs from out under him, while pushing Cas in the chest. Castiel fell backwards and slammed into the floor, then Dean was on top of him, pushing Cas head into the crook of his neck and scent gland, Cas was suddenly surrounded by his mate’s scent.

“Come on, Cas, snap out of it, I know you can do it.” Dean’s voice was calm and so was his scent. Cas closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. After a few deep breaths, the red started to disappear from his vision, and he managed to relax. Dean rubbed his nose against Cas’ hair, telling him he was doing good, and that everything was ok.

Soon, all the rage was gone, and Cas could think clearly again. He stiffened, dread filling his gut, and grabbed Dean’s arms.

“Shit! What did I do! Is Kali ok?” Castiel started to sit up, and Dean moved to the side to make it easier. He looked over at where Kali was sitting, leaning against the wall, Gabriel by her side, stroking her hair.

“I’m ok, just got the wind punched out of me.” She smiled crookedly at Cas.

Cas got to his feet and walked over to Kali, extending his hand to her to help her get up. She grabbed it and stood up.

“I am so sorry! I’m terribly ashamed of my behavior, I hope you can forgive me.” Castiel felt terrible.

“Don’t worry, Castiel. I’m an alpha, this was nothing. I admit this wasn’t how I imagined meeting you for the first time, though.” Kali said, good naturedly, as she also shook Dean’s hand.

“Me neither…” Gabriel said as he came to stand by Kali’s side.

“I’m so sorry, Gabe, I promise I didn’t mean to…” Cas began.

“It’s ok, Cas, you haven’t gotten used to your alpha instincts, and don’t have full control over them yet.” Gabe gave him a small smile.

 “We’re lucky that your mate was with you. I’m rather impressed by how fast he calmed you down from your alpha rage.” Kali said and gave Dean an appreciative look. Castiel took Dean’s hand in his, and Dean started to rub his thumb over Cas’.”

“The power of true mates.” Gabriel joked.

“What was going on though? Your scent even had me worried.” Dean asked. Gabriel looked at Cas, and then at the floor. He started fidgeting, looking like he didn’t know how to start.

“I came over because Gabriel forgot his phone at my place. It had been ringing several times, so I figured it might be something important…” Kali said and looked at Gabriel.

“It was my mom. Kali was angry and worried because my mom made me upset.” Gabriel bit his lip and Cas felt his stomach drop. Dean took a firmer grip on Cas’ hand.

“And, what did she say to upset you?” Castiel asked, dreading what the answer could be. Gabriel looked up and met Castiel’s gaze, sadness and anger thick in his scent.

“Your parents still won’t let you see Claire.”

Chapter Text

“What do you mean they won’t let me see her? Like, not right now, but eventually? I mean, I understand that they have to explain a few things to her, but then I can see her, right?” Castiel practically pleaded with Gabriel.

“I’m so sorry Cas, but no. They don’t want you to meet her, ever.” Gabriel had a painful look on his face and started to reach for Castiel, but he took a step away. 

“No… No, that can’t be true. I presented! I’m even an alpha, just like father always wanted!” Cas’ voice cracked at the end of the sentence.

“I know, I know, I don’t get it either! Mom said that your parents were disagreeing about letting you back in the family, so they consulted their priest. Apparently, that fucker convinced them that it doesn’t matter if nulls present later in life, they’re still to be shunned. What they did to anger God in the first place is a great sin, and that nulls should live a modest life in solitude to try and make up for it, blah, blah, blah! It’s all complete, fucking bullshit!” Gabriel pulled at his hair, anger and frustration coming off him in waves.

“But that doesn’t even make sense! I have a true mate! The church has always preached how only God’s most beloved are rewarded with a true mate!” Castiel pointed to Dean, who staring incredulously at Gabriel. Kali was standing to the side, chocked look on her face.

“That’s what I told mom! I told them they were huge, fucking hypocrites! She refused to believe me about the true mate-thing, saying nulls could never achieve that and that what you have is a false bond. She just wouldn’t listen to reason!”  

“Which one disagreed?” Castiel gave Gabe a determined look.

“What?” Gabe looked confused.

“Before they talked to the priest, which one of my parents thought it’d be ok for me to come back?”

“Aunt Hester, why?” The answer surprised Castiel, but he didn’t linger on it. He let go of Dean’s hand and pulled out his phone, then he dialed a number he hadn’t used in over seven years. Three signals got through before someone answered.

“Novak’s residence.” Castiel wasn’t prepared for the pain that shot through his chest, from hearing his mother’s voice for the first time in years.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” His mother asked, and Castiel cleared his throat.

“Mother… it’s me.” He could hear a sharp intake of breath from the other end of the line, other than that, it remained quiet.

“Listen… I’m an alpha now, I have a true mate. Doctors can show you proof that it’s a true bond. You know what it means to have a true mate…”

“Castiel…” Her voice was barely a whisper, but she had said his name, she had acknowledged him for the first time since Cas was seventeen!

“Please, mother! I just want a chance to get to know my sister.” Cas’ voice was shaking. He heard his mother take a shuddering breath.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are, or what you’re talking about. Please don’t call again!” Her voice sounded strained.

“No, wait, mother!” Castiel tried, but she had already hung up.

Castiel dropped his phone to the floor, then Dean pulled him into an embrace, and he allowed himself to cry.

When Castiel had calmed down, all four of them sat down in the living room. Dean and Gabe tried coming up with ideas of how to get Cas and Claire together, in spite of his parents’ wishes. Kali, who was a lawyer shut down several of their ideas. Castiel only listened to the other’s, feeling numb.

“No, it’s not a good idea to just show up at their house. They could easily get a restraining order, and that is something Castiel absolutely must avoid, if he wants to be able to see Claire before she turns eighteen. When she’s old enough to make decisions on her own and is allowed to leave the house on her own, it would be possible for you to meet up with her, without her parents knowing. You’ll have to be careful about it, so they don’t find out. Again, restraining orders are easy to attain in their state when it comes to theses kind of issues.” Kali looked at Cas with sympathy.

“This is crazy unfair! Cassie shouldn’t have to wait at all! I’ll drive up there and give my asshole aunt and uncle a piece of my mind!” Gabriel spit out, as he punched the armrest of the couch.

“No, please don’t.” Castiel finally spoke up.

“Why the hell not? I can’t just shut up about this stuff!”

“It won’t change their mind. But, it might make them ban you from visiting and seeing Claire, too. Claire loves you, and she needs you in her life as the only decent person.” Castiel rubbed a hand over his face.

“Cas…” Gabriel looked like he wanted to protest but thought better of it.

“Also, we need to think of what's best for Claire, she's only six after all. Besides, you’re my only way of communication with her.” Castiel gave Gabe a dejected smile.

“Your arguments makes sense… so we’re back to our original plan then?” Gabriel asked sadly.

“Yeah, I guess we are.” Cas nodded.

They talked for a while longer, then Castiel and Dean decided to spend the rest of the evening together in their room. Dean made him talk about his feelings concerning talking to his mother again after so long. Castiel kept being astounded about how his mate managed to get him to open up things he’d thought was too painful to even think about, and that it somehow made things feel less awful. Kali stayed over in Gabe’s room, to be there for and comfort him. Castiel decided that he liked the female alpha, and how much she seemed to care about his cousin. 

Sunday started with all four of them hanging out and Cas getting to know Kali better. At a first look, the calm, dignified and serious alpha seemed like an odd match for someone goofy and hot tempered like Gabriel. But then it seemed perfect how they somehow completed each other.

Gabriel decided to go back with Kali to her place, so that Cas and Dean could prepare for Dean’s upcoming heat. They went to the grocery store and stocked up on food and drinks and things that could come in handy during the heat-days.

Then Cas had to work on some of his projects, Dean sat in the armchair close by, and read in some kind of programming book. Castiel loved the domesticity of the situation.

Cas could tell it was close to Dean’s heat, since Dean had started to smell a bit sweeter the last two days. Also, his mate would take every chance he had to touch him, nuzzle his neck, hug him and scent mark him. Castiel made sure to scent mark Dean thoroughly in the early morning, before Dean went to work. Cas wanted to make sure that everyone that met Dean during the day would know that he had an alpha, and wasn’t up for grabs, even if he smelled enticingly fertile. Cas knew it was kind of silly, considering anyone could tell that Dean was mated, but he figured it was the alpha in him. Also, Dean seemed more than happy about the attention from his mate and smelling of Cas all day.

Castiel had been working hard all day, when he suddenly started craving some chicken tikka. He looked at he time and decided he could call it a day. He calculated that he should be able to go get some dinner for him and Dean at the Indian place a couple of blocks away, and be back right before Dean got home.

Castiel was halfway to the restaurant when his phone started ringint and he saw Dean’s name on the display.

“Hello, Dean.” Cas heard a low whine on the other end of the line.

“Casss…” Dean’s voice was breathy.

“Dean, is everything ok?” Cas asked, worriedly.

“Yes…no…yes? I…ahh… I’m in heat…” Another whine slipped out, and Cas shuddered pleasantly at the neediness he could hear in it.

“Are you at work? I’ll come get you.” Castiel had turned around and hurried towards his car.

“Noo… I’m in my dorm room… I went over here to get some of my comfy clothes… then it just hit me, out of nowhere…unnh…please hurryyy…” Dean was panting, heavily, and Cas could feel his dick twitch with interest.

“I’m getting in the car right now, I’ll be there as soon as I can, ok?”

“Yes…good…I need you here…”

Castiel drove as fast as he could, staying on the phone with Dean, who didn’t want to hang up, saying Cas’ voice was soothing. Castiel parked outside Dean’s dorm, making it there in record time.

“I’m here, can you make it down on your own?”

“N-no, I… please Cas…” Dean hissed, and Cas ran inside the building and up the stairs towards Dean’s room. He didn’t have his key on him, so he had to knock on the door.

When Dean opened, he had to lean on the door frame and he was dressed in only his boxers. His face and chest were flushed red, he was sweating, and his eyes were looking feverish. Cas was about to say something when the smell hit him. It was like nothing he’d ever scented before, tit was pure ambrosia, and it was coming from Dean.

The next thing Castiel knew, he had pushed Dean inside and up against the wall. A possessive growl ripped from his chest and he was licking a broad stripe up Dean’s neck. Fuck, he tasted just as good as he smelled! Dean keened and trembled under Cas’ touch.

“More, alpha! God, you smell fucking amazing!” Cas’ breath hitched at the “alpha” and Dean’s scent becoming heavier. Suddenly his vision turned red, pure lust pulsating through his body. His mate was fertile and wanted him, he needed to fuck, breed and take! Castiel roared and used both his hands to rip apart Dean’s underwear, then he lifted Dean up and practically threw him on the bed. Dean made a startled noise as he landed on his back, then Castiel was flipping him over to his stomach and pushing his legs up so that he was presenting. The words mate, fuck and breed kept spinning in Cas head and he was about to undo his belt when he froze.

What was he doing, manhandling Dean this way? Dean’s heat wasn’t about him and his needs. The red was back, the red that made him loose control. He couldn’t loose control with Dean, his beautiful mate!

Cas took a step back, shaking his head violently, trying to clear his mind.

“Cas… what are you doing?” Dean looked back at him, and Cas felt that pull of fuckbreedmate start up again. He clenched his fists, willing the fog in his brain away. It didn’t work, the red was still there, and it started to frighten him. He took another step back. Dean looked confused and raised himself up on his elbows.

“What…Why are you backing away?” Dean seemed confused.

“I-I’m sorry, Dean…I…I need to get out of here!” Castiel turned around and bolted out of the room, slamming the door shut, and ran down the stairs, he didn’t stop until he was outside and next to his car. He leaned against the roof of the car and tried to calm his beating heart and heavy panting. The red, the overwhelming lust, it was still there. The pull to go back inside and fuck his mate was strong, but Cas fought it, he couldn’t risk hurting Dean.

His phone started ringing and he picked up, knowing it’d be Dean.

“Dean…”

“Why did you leave? What the fuck, Cas!” Dean sounded upset.

“I’m sorry I…had to.”

“What do you mean? You…you don’t w-want to be with me?” Dean’s voice was shaking.

“No! Yes! I mean, of course I do!” Fuck, it was hard to think straight.

“Then why would you leave? Why would you leave me when I’m in heat?!” Castiel winced at the hurt in Dean’s voice.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… Everything went red, I can’t control myself, I don’t want to hurt you!” Dean was quiet for a moment.

“Wait… your eyes turned red and your scent… Cas, I think you’re in rut.”

“What?”

“You’re in rut, we’re mates, my heat must have triggered it. Cas, this won’t go away, come back inside!” Dean pleaded.

“I’m rutting? No, Dean, I can’t risk hurting you!”

“You won’t hurt me, please Cas, I need you to be here!” Castiel shook his head, but realized that Dean couldn’t see him.

“No…”

“Cas, you promised you’d be there for me, you know how bad my last heat was. This one is going to be worse if you, my mate, isn’t with me, you know this.” Cas could hear that Dean was on the verge of crying, and his alpha was snarling at him for upsetting his mate.

“Please Cas, you won’t hurt me. You not being here is what’s hurting me.” With that, Castiel’s resolve broke, he was hurting his mate! He needed to fix this, now!

“I’m coming back up.” Cas didn’t hear Dean’s reply, before ending the call.

The door was still unlocked and Castiel took a deep breath before walking inside. Dean was still laying on the bed, but he sat up as Castiel entered, and threw one of the pillows at Cas, hitting him square in the face.

“You fucking asshole!” Castiel looked at his mate’s tear streaked face, and felt ashamed, his inner voice calling him a lousy alpha. He sat down on the bed and pulled Dean into his lap.

“I’m sorry, I promise to make it up to you.” Castiel started kissing Dean’s jaw, making his way down Dean’s neck.

“You better.” Dean growled.

Chapter Text

“Take off your clothes, I want to feel your skin!” Dean demanded and pushed himself off Cas’ lap.

Cas hurried to obey and was soon as naked as his beautiful mate. Dean stared at him hungrily, and Cas could scent the sweetness of Dean’s slick filling the air around them. His mind went hazy and he had suddenly flipped Dean over on to his stomach again. Cas was laying on top of him, pressing Dean down as he was sliding his cock in the slick between Dean’s ass cheeks.

Castiel gasped and pulled away, he’d lost control again! Shame washed over him, he was such a failure of an alpha.

“What’re you doing, why’d you pull away?” Dean had turned his head to look at Cas, his face flushed, and he was panting heavily.

“I-I…didn’t mean to…are you ok? I don’t mean to push you around like that, it just…happens.” 

“Cas, I’m in heat, I don’t care about romance, I need you to fuck me!”

“But what if I do something bad? The way I lost control on Saturday, with Kali…”

“That was different, that was a bad situation. This is good, and it’s ok to lose control. I want you to follow your instinct!”

Cas was just about to argue, when Dean’s face twisted with pain and he hissed as he curled in on himself.

“Please Cas, I need you…” Dean managed to grit out between clenched teeth.

Seeing his mate in pain got Cas going again, letting his inner alpha take control. He licked at Dean’s neck and mating mark, while he easily pushed two fingers inside of Dean’s slick filled hole. Dean moaned loudly and relaxed under his mate’s ministrations. Cas felt a gush of slick sliding down his hand and forearm, and the scent mixed wonderfully with a strong wave of Dean’s heat scent.

The matebreedfuck-mantra started spinning in Cas’ head again, and this time he didn’t resist it. Cas positioned himself behind Dean and pushed his legs up a little for better access. Then Cas lined the head of his cock up with Dean’s entrance and pushed inside with one smooth slide.

Dean gasped and mumbled something that sounded like “fuckinfinally”.  Cas gripped Dean’s hips and pulled almost all the way out, and then slammed back in, making Dean cry out and bury his fingers in the sheets. Castiel set a punishing pace, fucking hard into his mate. His mate’s whimpering and moans were like music to Cas’ ears, then Dean suddenly shuddered with a small cry, and Castiel realized that Dean had cum.

Castiel grinned and moved one of his hands to start stroking Dean’s half hard dick until it was fully erect again. He could feel his knot starting to catch on Dean’s rim, and he looked down to see Dean’s thighs glistening with slick, his hole stretching wide and leaking around Cas’ knot. Cas roared and slammed into Dean a few more times, before his knot locked into place and he bit down on the mark at the base of Dean’s neck. Dean shouted his name and came all over Cas’ hand at the same time as Cas came deep inside of him.

Cas’ mind cleared up a little as he lay panting on top of Dean, he licked and kissed soothingly at the mating mark. He hadn’t bit through the skin, but it would probably bruise. He maneuvered them to their sides and started trailing his fingers up and down Dean’s chest. Dean let out a tiny purr and pushed his body back against Castiel, clenching around his knot and milking another orgasm from him.

“How are you feeling, Dean?”

“Ssso good…” Dean mumbled, as he seemed to struggle to keep his eyes open.

“Sleep my little omega, you’ll need the rest.” Castiel said and nuzzled Dean’s neck.

It only took a few moments for Dean to fall asleep, but Cas was wide awake. He looked around a bit and his inner alpha scowled at the lack of nesting materials in the room. This place was not fit for his beautiful mate’s needs. He tried to wiggle around and get a better view to see if he could spot something to use, but all it did was make his knot tug at Dean’s rim, and another orgasm rushed through him. His mate sighed happily in his sleep, as Cas filled him up with more cum.

Castiel resigned to cuddling close to his mate, so he didn’t wake him, while trying to come up with a plan to make things more comfortable for him.

Thirty minutes later, Cas’ knot subsided, and he slipped out of Dean. He was planning on checking Dean’s closet for some more pillows and blankets, since there was only two pillows and the comforter in the bed at the moment. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of looking down at where they had been connected, and the sight of his cum mixed with slick flowing out of his mate’s loose hole sent him into another breeding frenzy.

His cock was already hard again, and he wrapped an arm around Dean’s chest as he pushed inside where they were lying on their sides. Dean woke up as Cas started to rock in and out of him, and moaned Castiel’s name. Cas could scent the heady aroma of Dean’s arousal, and started to lick and bite at his neck, back and shoulders.

Dean gasped and started to grind back on Cas’ cock, meeting every thrust with his own. Castiel slid his arm down and put his hand under Dean’s knee, so that he could pull up the leg and thrust deeper inside. Dean grabbed his own dick and started stroking it in time with the thrusts, moaning loudly every time Cas’ hit his sweet spot.

Dean soon came with a cry, and then Cas knot slid inside, filling his mate with more cum. Castiel rubbed his hand up and down Dean’s arm and chest, telling him what a good omega he was.

“Dean, this isn’t a nice nest for you. Do you have any more blankets?”

“No, I brought them all to your place. Didn’t really anticipate it being necessary to keep stuff here. My heat has never come on this fast, it usually takes a couple of hours to build up.”

Castiel growled, his alpha side did not approve of their current conditions.

“How long do you think it’ll take for your next heat wave to hit after my knot goes down?”

“I don’t know, usually at this stage an hour or two. But it feels different this time, even from last time and then it took like forty minutes.”

“Well, that would be enough time for me to drive us home, I can carry you to and from the car.”

“I don’t think either one of us is in the right shape to drive. And what if a strange alpha happens to walk by while you’re carrying me, it would probably cause you to go into an alpha rage, even if they’re not an actual threat.”

“…You’re right. That could be catastrophic.” Cas tried to think, an uber or taxi would be equally bad.

“But… we can’t stay here, Dean. There’s no food or drink, no heat medication, even if we had someone deliver it to us, you only have the mini fridge. And the bed… it’s small and not comfortable enough for you.” No, this was far from good enough, he needed to find a solution to this.

“I know, but it’s not safe to go outside…”

“I could call Gabriel, he could drive us.”

“But he won’t be able to do anything if you go into a rage.”

Castiel groaned in exasperation, then it hit him.

“Gadreel! He could drive us, and he’s strong enough to hold me down if need be.” Castiel felt excited, he had found a way to get home and care for his mate the way he needed!

“What if you react badly to Gadreel? He won’t be able to drive us with you raging in the backseat.”

“It’s worth a try? He can come up to the room, if I start to react, we’ll just slam the door shut and have him deliver the things we need.” Dean looked skeptical, but eventually nodded.

“We need to do it tonight, I don’t think I’ll be coherent enough to move tomorrow.”

Said and done, when Cas’ was able to slip out of Dean, he called Gadreel who promised to come right away. Castiel got dressed and then helped Dean dress as well. After fifteen minutes, Gadreel called to tell them he was stuck in traffic due to a minor accident, but that he was going to try and drive around it. It would take him longer to get to Dean’s place though.

After twenty more minutes, Dean’s clothes were soaked in sweat and slick, he was shivering and struggling with stomach cramps. Castiel was about to rip their clothes off again, when there was a knock on the door.

Castiel swung the door open and stood face to face with Gadreel. He inhaled deeply, anticipating the red haze to take over and make him want to attack his best friend. Cas felt bone deep relief when he didn’t become enraged, but rather, slightly annoyed.e tooHe took a deep breath

“Are we cool?” Gadreel asked.

“I think so, yes.” Castiel answered, just as Dean cried out in pain and doubled over. Castiel hurried and scooped Dean up in his arms.

“Gad, take the keys on the table and lock the door!”

Gadreel hurried to pick up the keys, locked the door and hurried to catch up with the two mates on the stairs.

“Let me go first, I can look out for any alphas approaching before you can scent them.”

Castiel nodded and they made it out to the car without incident. He held Dean close as his mate shivered and whimpered. He tried his best to soothe his mate, but he could scent Dean’s pain and worry getting worse. Gadreel’s alpha scent was stronger in the confinement of the car, and that mixed with his mate’s distress was starting to affect his alpha protectiveness.

Cas clenched his teeth and tried to focus on Dean’s scent, but he could feel his hackles rising.

“Gadreel…you need to step on it.” he growled.

“I’m driving as fast as I can, Cas.”

“Drive. Faster.” The red was starting to bleed into his vision. Gadreel looked at him in the back mirror and cursed under his breath.

“Focus, Cas! Dean is safe right now, but he won’t be if you lose it while we’re on the road!” Gadreel managed to step on the gas, and Cas hoped they wouldn’t get pulled over.

He pulled Dean closer, trying to shut out Gadreel’s scent. Dean was gasping, and Cas could feel the fever through his clothes. When Gadreel drove up outside their building, Castiel threw the door open and practically ran out the car with Dean is his arms.

He could tell that Gadreel followed at a safe distance, probably to make sure Cas didn’t run into any of their alpha neighbors. Castiel barely managed to unlock the door and get Dean inside. He carried his mate to the bedroom and carefully lay him down on the bed, then he fetched a glass of water and made a semi-conscious Dean swallow some heat-medication with all the water.

 Castiel made sure there were enough blankets and pillows in the bed, he carefully removed Dean’s clothes and then his own. He kissed every part of Dean’s face, before pushing inside of his mate once more. He rocked into Dean as he kept softly kissing him. Dean’s breathing was fast and shallow, and even though he moved his hips with Cas’ thrusts, he seemed pretty out of it. Cas grabbed Dean’s hard dick and after only a few strokes, Dean came with a gasp. Cas continued to kiss every part of Dean that he could reach as he picked up the pace of his thrusts. Dean started moaning and opened his eyes when Cas knot locked inside of him, and they both came at the same time.

Cas moved them around to their sides again and Dean put his face in Cas’ neck and fell asleep as Cas carded his hand through Dean’s sweaty hair. Castiel was relieved to feel Dean’s fever cooling down. He held his sleeping mate close as he too drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Dean’s heat peaked during the night, and the strong scent and pheromones he produced made Castiel’s rut haze take over completely. Cas would have some clarity where he managed to get up and get them both food and water. He was amazed to realize that his alpha instinct would make sure that Dean was ok, and not only give in to sexual urges.

At one point during Tuesday, Castiel even managed to get Dean in the shower and clean up the both of them. Dean was feverish and delirious most of the time, until he was knotted, then he’d be able to communicate a little better.

On Wednesday, Castiel’s rut was over in the morning, he still made sure to knot his mate when needed, and now he was able to better keep track of the time between heat surges and Dean’s fever. In the late afternoon he prepared the couch with a bunch of the pillows, blankets and a couple of his own shirts, then he carried a sleeping Dean to the temporary nest. Castiel changed the bedsheets and aired out the bedroom, then he carried Dean back again.

He lay down close to his mate and took in Dean’s relaxed, sleeping face and how his long, dark eyelashes slightly shuddered. Cas listened to Dean’s calm, steady breathing, and smiled when he started to snore lightly. Cas found it almost hard to breath when a surge of emotions came crashing down over him.

If four months ago, someone had told him that he’d be laying in bed with Dean, his true mate, he would have laughed in their face. Meeting Dean had been a miracle in so many ways, thinking about it all felt almost surreal.

Dean stirred, his eyes fluttered open and he looked up into Cas’ eyes.

“Hey…your rut is over.” Dean’s voice was raspy with sleep.

“Yeah, been over since this morning.”

“Oh…”

“You seem a bit more lucid, how are you feeling?”

“I feel…ok, I think.” Castiel kissed Dean on the forehead.

“Your fever doesn’t seem as bad as before.”

They stared at each other for a bit.

“What are you smiling about?” Dean asked and gave Cas one of his own, beautiful smiles.

“You.” That made Dean smile even bigger.

“What about me?”

“I love you.” Dean drew in a small breath of air, then his smile softened, and he looked at Cas in a way that could have been answer enough.

“I love you too.”

They kept looking at each other, wrapped up in the moment, then Dean softly caressed the back of Castiel’s head, pulled him close, and kissed him sweetly. They kept kissing, slowly, without any rush, holding each other close.

After a while, Cas scented Dean’s heat starting on another surge, so he gently flipped Dean, so he was laying on his back, with Cas on top. Castiel then started to slowly kiss, lick and nip his was down Dean’s body. He payed extra attention to the sensitive inside of Dean’s thighs, until his mate was squirming and panting, begging Cas to fuck him.

Castiel grinned and only slipped a finger inside the leaking hole, earning himself a disgruntled whine and Dean trying to push down on the single digit.

“Shhh, I’ve got you…” Castiel said and added a second finger as he simultaneously licked the head of Dean’s cock. Dean keened and bucked his hips.

“Alphaaa…stop teasing!” He hissed.

Cas added a third finger and suckled on the tip, loving the choked sound coming from his mate. Then, before Dean could complain again, he twisted his fingers just right, and swallowed down as much of Dean’s dick as possible.

“Fuckfuckfuck…” Dean panted and tried to thrust his hips, but Cas held him down with his free hand. Cas sucked and licked in time with pushing his fingers inside, making sure to brush against Dean’s prostate at every turn. It didn’t take long before Dean was coming down his throat with a strangled cry.

Cas carefully pulled out his fingers, then he coated his painfully hard cock with Dean’s slick.  He proceeded to hook Dean’s legs over his shoulders, and then he slowly sank his cock into the slick warmth of his mate. Cas started thrusting and lowered his head to suck and nibble at Dean’s nipples. Dean moaned loudly every time Cas used his teeth.

“Come on honey, I wanna see you touch yourself.” Cas told Dean and straightened up, so he could grab on to Deans thighs and fuck into him harder. Dean threw back his head and groaned but did as told and started stroking himself hard and fast. Castiel felt his knot swell, and could tell that Dean was close too.

“Come on Dean, open your eyes, I want you to look at me when you cum.” Castiel ordered. Dean shuddered and whined, then he met Cas’ heated gaze. Castiel pushed his knot inside and Dean came hard enough for some of his cum to land on his chin, as Cas filled him up with his own release.

Castiel was still panting hard as he leaned over and licked Dean’s chin and chest clean.

 “Fuck, that almost made me hard again…” Dean slurred, making Castiel laugh and kiss him lovingly.

Thursday morning, Dean’s heat was practically over. They both enjoyed being bale to spend the day together in bed, without the rush of heat and rut hormones. They were cuddling and nuzzling each other, when Dean cleared his throat and looked a little nervous.

“So…um…my mom wants to meet you. Actually, my whole family does, but my mom’s the one who brought it up…” Castiel found it cute that Dean was nervous about asking him, they were mated, of course he’d need to meet Dean’s family soon.

“Dean, I’d love to meet them.” Castiel said seriously. Dean bit his lip and gave Cas a nervous smile.

“Well… it’s more than just that. She…They want to throw us a mating party.”

“Oh…?” Castiel wasn’t sure what that ensued.

“Yeah, they want to celebrate that we’ve mated and that we’re true mates. It wouldn’t be anything fancy! Just like a barbecue, family and friends having a good time, that sort of thing. What do you think?” Dean met Castiel’s eyes, and Cas could tell from the look on his face and his scent, that Dean was really exited and hopeful.

The thought of meeting a lot of new people, especially people he really wanted to like him, made Cas slightly anxious. But, with Dean by his side it should be ok. Also, Dean deserved a real mating celebration. He smiled and gave Dean a kiss.

“I think it sounds great.” Cas heart almost skipped a beat at the radiant smile that lightened up his mate’s face.

“Seriously? That’s great! It will be awesome! My dad makes the best burgers, and you haven’t truly lived before you’ve tasted mom’s pie!” Castiel couldn’t help but grin at his mate’s excitement.

“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“They want to have the party as soon as possible. How much time in advance do you think Balthazar and his mate will need to know to be able to come?”

“What?” Cas gave Dean a confused look, and his mate rolled his eyes affectionately.

“It’s a mating celebration, your family and friends need to be there too.” Castiel immediately felt more comfortable about the whole thing.

“I see. Well, I think Balthazar and Meg would reschedule pretty much anything for something like this.”

“Awesome! I’ll tell my mom tomorrow, then we can start making plans.”

Dean then started telling Cas about various family members and Castiel happily listened and asked questions. When they were falling asleep that evening, Castiel was looking forward to the whole thing almost as much as Dean.

Dean went back to work on Friday and he had to work through the weekend and some late nights to catch up on a couple of his projects. Castiel himself had to work early morning to låter evening for about a week to be able to keep up with his own deadlines. It was a huge change from the last two weeks where they had gotten to spend so much time together. They tried to make the most of the little time they got together.

When Gabriel got back, he had jokingly complained about never getting the heat and rut stench out of the apartment. He’d gotten childishly excited when they’d told him about the mating party, that had been set at a date three weeks from now. Gabriel even managed to convince Dean and Mary to let him help with the food.

Castiel and Dean invited Gadreel and Anna out to dinner to thank Gadreel for his help during Dean’s heat. They then bought them extra dessert when Gadreel laughingly told them he’d had to go to the carwash and have them use a special detergent to get the strong scent of rut and heat out of the car seats.

Dean and Cas finally had an evening off together and had decided to go to dinner and a movie. They were standing in line to get some snacks when a group of three rowdy alphas got in line behind them. One of them bumped into Cas.

“Watch it, man!” The alpha who’d bumped into him said. Cas turned his head to look at him, and the guy straightened up and tried to look big and intimidating.

“Sorry.” Castiel said with a nod and continued talking with Dean, not really paying attention to what had happened. The three alphas erupted in laughter, and Castiel thought he heard them say something about “pathetically submissive” but didn’t really pay attention to it. He did however pick up on Dean’s body posture getting stiff and that he seemed irritated.

“You ok, Dean?” Castiel asked as he payed for their drinks and snacks.

“Yeah, it’s nothing.” Dean seemed to relax and smiled at Cas.

They continued talking until they sat down in their seats and started watchin the movie.

When the movie was over, and they were walking through an alley to get to Cas’ car, they met two of the three alphas again. The same guy who had bumped into Cas in the theater now slammed into him with his shoulder as they passed each other. Castiel felt a little annoyed, but decided to let it go. Dean seemed to be on the same page as he narrowed his eyes angrily, but didn’t say anything.

“Hey asshole! Apologize for walking into me!” The annoying alpha shouted, as his friend snickered beside him. Castiel rolled his eyes and then turned his head.

“Sorry.” Then he started to walk again, but the alpha grabbed his shoulder and made him turn around.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever met such a pathetic excuse for an alpha before. Do you have a back bone, like at all?” The guy was trying to look big and intimidating again, staring into Cas’ eyes.

“I don’t see a need for unnecessary quarreling. Please let go of me and we can both be on our way.” Castiel answered calmly. The alphas laughed.

“How any omega agreed to let you mate them is beyond me, even if it’s a male one.” The alpha spit out the “male” part.

“Fuck you! He’s more alpha than you’ll ever be, you insecure, posturing asshole!” Dean bit out, looking and smelling pissed. The alphas burst out laughing again.

“Look, the omega has to speak for him!” The other alpha gasped.

“How sad! Hey blondie! I’m not usually into male omegas, but you’re pretty enough for me to let you warm my knot for an evening. What do you say, want to know what a real knot feels like?” The alpha made a crude gesture at his crotch, and Castiel growled at the same time as Dean, eyes dark with rage, swung his arm and punched the alpha in the face. The alpha stumbled back a couple of steps, then he was suddenly pushing Dean up against the wall, a hand around his throat. Castiel’s vision turned red.

“You fucking whore!” The alpha managed to scream, blood dripping from his nose, before Cas got his hands on him.

Castiel let out an enranged roar, and pulled the alpha off Dean, throwing him into the opposite wall. The alpha fell to the ground, and before he could stand up, Cas pulled him up and twisted his arm until it snapped. The alpha screamed in pain and Cas punched him in the face, shutting him up. Castiel felt a hand on his shoulder, but as he turned around it disappeared. When he finished turning he saw the second alpha on the ground, holding his throat and struggling to breath.

Castiel saw Dean stand above the guy, angry look on his face. A sound behind him made Cas snap around again, and he saw the first alpha running away, caressing his arm. The second alpha scrambled to his feet and stared to run after his friend.

Castiel growled and prepared to run after them.

“Cas, stop!” Dean’s voice had him stopping in his tracks, he turned his head toward his mate.

“Let them go, I think they learned their lesson.” Castiel growled quietly, but stopped when he saw the red marks on Dean’s throat. Immediately the red disappeared and he hurried to his mate’s side.

“Dean! Are you ok?” He gently stroked his fingers over the marks and Dean winced. The red started to seep back.

“They hurt you! I will kill them!”Castiel growled, and Dean grabbed his arm.

“No, Cas! Please, calm down. I need you to stay here, with me.” Dean pleaded. Hearing that his mate needed him, the red went away again. Cas embraced Dean, who nuzzled Cas’ neck, scenting him.

“I’m so sorry, Dean. I should have reacted faster, then you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” His inner alpha howled at his failure to protect his mate.

“Don’t be stupid, you protected me just fine. You were great.” Dean pushed his body closer to Cas.

“Well, you were quite the badass, punching that assbutt in the face, and having my back when the other guy tried to jump me.” Dean snorted a laugh and mumbled “assbutt?”, but Cas was busy thinking about Dean standing over the second alpha, righteous anger permeating the air. It’d been…hot. Dean started rubbing his nose against Cas’ neck, hands sliding down his back and up his shirt.

“The way you threw him through the air, like ha weighed nothing…” Dean mumbled, and Cas could suddenly scent Dean’s slick in the air, making Cas dick start to swell.

“Dean, we should get back to the car…” Dean grabbed Cas’ arm and pulled him with him as he almost started running towards the car.

They made it into the car, but not out of the parking lot, and they ended up having to wait out Cas’ knot in the backseat of the car.

Chapter Text

It was the evening before the barbecue, and Castiel was stalking back and forth in the living room, nauseas with anxiety.

“His family isn’t going to like me, they’ll think I’m not good enough, how could I be, Dean’s so smart, kind, beautiful, perfect…” Castiel was rambling on but was interrupted by Gabriel who was sitting on the couch.

“Calm down, Cassie! They’re not going to hate you! Why would they, you treat Dean like he’s the most precious thing on this earth, what more could they wish for?”

“But I’m not your regular alpha, I’m different, weird, I don’t act the way a real alpha should, I…” He was once again interrupted by his cousin.

“Oh no, you don’t do the usual, super annoying, alpha posturing, you would never use your alpha voice on Dean to get your way, you’re polite, you’re a sweet and caring person…” It was Castiels turn to interrupt.

“Ok, ok, I get it. It’s just… I’m not good with people, especially not new people. I’m awkward, I still get overwhelmed by new scents and large groups of people. I don’t want to freak out and weird everyone out.” Castiel sighed and sat down beside Gabriel, who put his arm around Cas’ shoulders.

“They all know about your situation, they’ll understand if you need to take a breather. This is the family that raised Dean, one of the most openminded people I know, how bad can they be?” Gabriel pulled Cas close and lightly ruffled his hair, making Cas huff a small laugh.

“I guess you have a point.”

“And if they all turn out to be assholes, I’ll be there. And so will Gad, Kali, Anna, Balt and Meg.” Gabriel looked thoughtful for a moment, before grinning mischievously.

“Thinking about it, it’d be kind of fun to watch Meg go to town on anyone who’d say anything even remotely impolite to you.” Both cousins started to laugh and Cas thought back to the time when Meg had been thrown out of a supermarket for screaming some rather colorful insults at, and threatening to beat up, another customer for having called Cas “a disgrace” under his breath while passing them.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t get that far.” Castiel smiled.

“Oh, it won’t, ‘cause no one’s going to be mean or rude to you, they’re all going to like you.” Gabriel smiled back.

“I hope you’re right. Guess I should pack my bag and get started on dinner before Dean gets home.” Cas stood up and walked over to his room.

“You pack your stuff, I’ll get started on dinner.”

“Thanks, Gabe.”

The two hour drive to Deans parents house went by way too fast for Cas’ liking. As Dean was parking outside a beautiful, white picket fence house, Cas was suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety again. He closed his eyes and tried to take a few deep, calming breaths, when he felt Deans hand on his thigh.

“Hey, Cas, what’s wrong?” Cas opened his eyes, turned his head and looked into Deans concerned eyes.

“I..uh…I’m just nervous… I guess…” Cas said and looked down, he heard Dean make a sharp inhale, then Deans hands were cupping his face and he looked back up.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t think about…I’m stupid, remember?” Dean was looking regretful and Cas was confused.

“W-what do you mean? You’re not stu…”

“Yes, I am! I’ve been so excited about you meeting my family, and planning for today, I didn’t think about how hard this must be for you, meeting all these new people. I mean, I know they’re all great and that they’re going to love you, so I didn’t think about how that’s not obvious to you, and what you’re going to worry about and… I’m so sorry, ok? I feel like an ass…” Cas could scent Deans regret and shame, it made his hackles rise and his inner alpha growl. This was supposed to be a happy day, Dean wasn’t supposed to feel this way, he should smell of excitement and happiness, like he’d been the whole morning.

“Dean, no, I love how much you’ve been looking forward to this, I have too, I promise. It’s just…now that we’re here, I… I just, really want them to like me…” Cas looked down again and he could feel his cheeks heat up. Dean embraced Cas and Cas pulled his arms around Dean and scented his neck.

“They will, how could they not? You’re the kindest, smartest and funniest person I know. I’ll probably have to fight people off to get even a moment alone with you.“ Cas could hear the smile in Deans voice, and smiled to himself.

“I’m serious. That said though, I am sorry I didn’t consider your feelings more. I should have let you meet at least my parents before this, so that you’d be more comfortable.” Cas didn’t like the sadness in Deans scent. Cas pulled away a bit, so that he could look Dean in the eye.

“Dean, I appreciate you saying this, but you have done nothing wrong. Our mating was sudden and we honestly haven’t had time so set up a meeting with your parents before this celebration. We have been dealing with my… issues practically since the day we met, and you have been nothing but understanding and conciderate. My anxiety is something I’ll have to work on, probably for a long time. Today is a bit of a challenge, but knowing I’ll have you by my side makes it so much easier.” Dean grabbed Cas’ face and pulled him into a sweet, loving kiss. As they parted, Dean looked at him with love and devotion in his eyes.

“I’ll be with you, every step of the way.”

“I know. I love you.”

“I love you too.” They kissed again, and then they rested their foreheads against each other for a moment.

“Ready to do this?” Dean asked with a soft smile.

“Yeah, ready as I’ll ever be.” Cas smiled back.

They got out of the car and started walking towards the door, hand in hand.

“You sure we shouldn’t have come earlier to help with the preparations?” Cas asked worriedly.

“As I’ve already told you, several times, yes. Mom really wanted to prepare the party by herself.” They were at the door and Dean rang the bell. Castiels stomach made a flip and then the door opened. A tall, lanky, teenage boy (that Cas recognized from the photos on Deans phone) smiled at them brightly, before throwing his arms around Dean.

“Dean! You’re here!” Dean was hugging Sam back and grinning like crazy.

“Missed you too, Samsquatch.”

“And Castiel! It’s great to finally meet you! I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I already know you!” Cas didn’t have time to reply before the young beta was engulfing him in a tight hug. The boy released Cas and took a step back, still with a broad smile on his face.

“Oh, yeah, I’m Sam by the way, Deans brother.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured, it’s nice to meet you too.” Cas smiled back.

“Well, come on in, everyone’s waiting! Mom’s been going crazy, I’ve never seen her this worked up about meeting any of Deans boyfriends before!” Sam froze, then looked between Cas and Dean with large, worried eyes.

“I, uh, I mean… shit!” Sams face was bright red and Cas found it rather endearing.

“Sam…” Dean sounded exasperated.

“Sorry, Dean…” A hint of shame entered Sams’ earthy lime scent. Cas chuckled, making Sam look at him in surprise.

“Don’t worry, Sam, I know that Dean had a life before me, as did I before I met Dean.” Cas winked at Sam and the young beta seemed to relax, his smile back again.

“Cool, uhm, let’s go to the backyard, everyone’s waiting!” They followed Sam through the house, Cas hardly registered what it looked like, as his anxiety was spiking again. He felt Dean slip his hand into Cas’ again as Dean leaned in and whispered in his ear.

“Relax, I’m here, everything will be ok.” Dean kissed his cheek and straightened up again as they stepped out onto a cozy back porch, looking out over a huge backyard, decorated with lanterns and fairy lights. There was a large party tent covering a few rows of tables, decorated with flowers and tea candles. Soft music was playing over a few large speakers. Close to the tent there was a buffet table seemingly filled with salads, sauces and condiments. There were people scattered across the yard, talking in groups and sipping drinks.

“Hey, the happy couple has arrived!” Sam declared loudly and everyone turned to look at them.

Cas tightened his hold on Deans hand and Dean gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Jo was suddenly by their side and handing them each a glass of what looked like sparkling wine. She kissed each of them on the cheek, then she and Sam stepped down from the porch to join the other guests.

A blonde, middle aged woman, that Cas recognized to be Mary, Deans mom, stepped forward, a glass raised in her hand.

“I would like to welcome everyone here to the celebration of Dean and Castiels mating. I am utterly delighted that my oldest son has had the luck and privilege to meet his one true mate. Castiel, I welcome you to the family, you are no longer just a Novak, but also a Winchester. You will always be welcome in our home, as you are now one of our sons. Everyone, raise your glass to the union of two families, to Dean and Castiel!” Mary smiled at them, eyes sparkling and raised her glass higher. Everyone in the yard copied her.

“To Dean and Castiel!” A chorus of voices echoed, before everyone took a sip from their glasses.

Dean let go of Cas’ hand and wrapped his arm around Cas’ waist, he clinked his glass to Cas’ and they both took a sip together with everyone else, then Dean leaned forward and kissed Castiel, to the cheer and wolf whistles of their guests.

When they pulled apart, Mary was the first one to come up to them. She hugged and kissed Dean, then she hugged Cas. He liked her comforting omega scent of lemon curd and vanilla.

“I mean it, Castiel, welcome to the family.” Her words were so heartfelt, it almost made Cas tear up, but he managed to keep it down.

“Thank you, Mary. And thank you for organizing all of this, your home is lovely and these decorations are amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it, just wait until you taste the food! John and I have been working all day.” “

“Hey, I’ve helped too!” Sam pouted.

“Yes, honey, your decorations are wonderful!” Mary turned to her youngest son, grabbed his face and kissed his forehead.

“It’s great to finally meet you, Mary. Thank you, all of you, this is amazing.” Castiels voice was slightly shaking with emotion, he hoped no one was noticing.

“Yeah, thanks, mom! This is even better than I imagined when we talked about it!” Dean was beaming at his mother.

“I’m glad you boys like it! Now come on, Castiel has to meet John.” Mary smiled and lead them over to a corner of the yard, where John Winchester was standing in front of an enormous Weber grill. He turned as he heard the group approach. Dean stepped forward and hugged his father.

“Hi dad, damn, that smells amazing!” Deans stomach rumbled and the four of them laughed.

“It’s good to see you too, son. You’ll have to wait about 30 more minutes until the meat’s ready though.” John winked at him, and Dean smiled.

“Dad, this is Castiel. Castiel, this is my dad, John.” Castiel braced himself, took a step forward and extended his hand. Dean had told him a lot about the tough, ex-marine. Cas could smell the copper mixed with earl grey tea-scent of the older alpha, mixed with… Cas wasn’t sure, but he thought it was the scent of wariness. John slowly took his hand and shook it.

“Hi Castiel.”

“Hi John, it’s nice to meet you.” Cas got a nod in return and then John turned around and continued watching over the grill. Mary pulled them along and introduced them to Bobby and Ellen, Jo’s stepdad and mom. Bobby acted all gruff and huffy, but Cas could tell that the old beta was happy through the sweetness in his scent. Ellen reminded Cas a lot about Jo, and he instantly liked her, and the feeling seemed mutual.

Next up was Deans friends Benny and Victor, and Benny’s wife Andrea. Both Benny and Victor made some alpha posturing, telling him he’d better not mess with Dean, but Cas could tell it was all good natured joking.  Dean rolled his eyes and told them to go fuck themselves, which made the two alphas roar with laughter.

Then Mary introduced Castiel to her parents, Samuel and Deanna. Deanna was nice enough and asked some polite questions, but Samuel kept quiet and just stared suspiciously at Cas. It made Cas uncomfortable and nervous, but Dean was soon pulling him towards friendlier faces.

They got to Jo, Charlie, Gadreel, Anna, Kali, Gabriel, Balthazar and Meg, and were met with tight hugs and kisses. Meg and Balthazar pulled him into a small group hug, then they both turned and gave Dean a calculated look.

“So, you’re Clarence’s new mate…” Meg drawled and looked Dean up and down. Dean slightly straightened his back under the scrutiny.

“I guess you’ll do, but if you ever hurt my angel, there will be hell to pay…” She smirked menacingly and Dean seemed to gulp nervously.

“There, there, my love, don’t scare the poor boy, I’m sure he has our dear Cassie’s best in mind…”  Balthazar gave Dean an evil grin. Castiel rolled his eyes and Balthazar started laughing.

“Just messing with you, Dean.” Balthazar patted Deans shoulder.

“I’m not…” Meg mumbled and raised an eyebrow, Cas was the only one who heard it.

They all continued talking until John declared it was time to eat. After filling theirs plates to the brim, Castiel and Dean ended up seated in front of Mary and John. Sam sat down next to Castiel and they had a rather lengthy conversation about Sam starting university in the fall. Mary then changed the subject to Cas’ job and how he’d decided on his career path and other small talk.

During the whole dinner, Cas could feel John’s eyes on him. Cas tried to make it seem like he didn’t notice, but he couldn’t help worrying about it. When it was time for dessert (a wide range of different pies to Dean’s childlike glee), Castiel was starting to feel rather overwhelmed. He told Dean he needed to take a breather and excused himself to the bathroom.

Castiel sat down on the toilet seat and rubbed his hands over his face. He did a breathing exercise to try and calm his nerves. After a few minutes he stood up and went over to the sink and splashed some cold water in his face, he dried his face and took a couple of deep breaths before deciding he was ready to go back outside.

When he opened the door, he was met with the sight of John leaning against the wall outside the bathroom. Castiel felt his face heat up, as John was straightening up from the wall.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting?”

“Naw, son. Dean wanted to go check on you, but I convinced him to let me do it instead. You ok there?”

“Y-yes, I’m fine, thanks. Just needed to… breath a little…” Castiel felt awkward and pulled at his shirt cuffs. John nodded and made an “hmm”-sound.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, how about we sit down for a bit?” John motioned for Cas to follow him into the living room. Castiel felt his stomach turn, and he swallowed thickly before following his father-in-law.

John sat down in an armchair, and Castiel tried to make himself comfortable on the couch.

“So… it can’t be easy not having your parents here for such an important occasion?” Castiel blinked in surprise, he’d thought he was going to get told he wasn’t good enough for Dean, or that if he’d hurt him John would hunt Cas down. But this? Castiel had been pushing away the thoughts of his parents’ absence, but hearing John ask about made the unwanted feelings of abandonment and sorrow come crashing down.

“I…uh…no, I guess it’s not.” Castiel said quietly as he felt his throat constricting. John pursed his lips and nodded, before taking a deep breath.

“Well, it’s their damn loss. What you and Dean have is something rare and beautiful, don’t ever let anyone tell you differently, ok son?” John leaned forward with his arms on his knees, serious look on his face. Cas was lost for words and simply nodded in response. He could feel his lip slightly tremble, but fought to keep his feelings back.

“Good. And if anyone ever gives you any grief about anything, you come to us. You’re a Winchester now, and we always have each other’s back.” John put his hand on Cas’ shoulder and squeezed it, smiling reassuringly. Castiel couldn’t help a tear slipping down his cheek. He quickly wiped it off and had to clear his throat twice before he managed to croak out a shaky “Thank you.”

John patted him on the back and stood up.

“Take your time, I’ll save you a piece of pie before Dean manages to inhale all of them.” John grinned and Castiel huffed a small laugh. When he was alone again, a few more tears slipped pass before he managed to pull himself together again. He waited for a bit, to make sure there was no evidence of his crying, then he stood up and walked out to join his family again.

Chapter Text

Two and a half years later, Dean and Cas were living together in the apartment, that was now theirs. Gabriel and Kali had moved in together seven months ago and were now talking about getting mated.

Dean’s heats were usually very regular, so it surprised them both when he suddenly went into heat during breakfast, on a saturday three days before it was scheduled to happen. It also escalated unusually fast, Cas didn’t even have time to finish his toast before Dean was in his lap, begging Cas to fuck him. At the moment Dean was holding onto the edge of the kitchen sink, moaning and begging for Cas to fuck him harder. Cas gripped Dean’s hips even tighter and did as told.

“Fuck, Cas! You feel so good, I’m close!” Dean reached down and started to stroke himself in time with Castiel’s thrusts.

“Me too, baby. I’ll make sure not to knot you.” Cas panted as he felt his knot start to catch on Dean’s rim.

“No, no, no, alpha! Please, knot me, I want your cum inside, I need it, please, alpha…” Dean rambled as he tried to push back onto Cas’ cock.

“But, it’ll be uncomfortable for you to get knotted in the kitchen…”

“No, it’ll be amazing, your cum filling me up, please, alpha, please breed me!” How could he say no to his omega begging for his knot? Cas could feel by the way Dean was tightening around him, that he was close. Cas sped up his pace and felt his knot push inside, and Dean came with a shout, his release shooting out over the sink. Castiel managed a last push and then he came hard, Dean’s twitching ass helping to milk him dry.

“Yes, your cum feels so good…” Dean mumbled as he leaned he back against Cas. Cas snickered, the last two heats Dean had seemingly developed a breeding and cum kink, always begging or demanding Cas to fill him with his release. Cas didn’t mind, it was both amusing and a turn on, maybe he was developing a kink of his own.

He carefully maneuvered the both of them so that he was sitting on the floor with a half sleeping Dean in his lap. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but he still enjoyed holding his mate close. Cas slowly rocked back and forth, drawing a second orgasm from himself and shooting more cum inside the omega. Dean purred, a satisfied smile on his face.

After twenty minutes, Cas slipped out of Dean, cleaned them both up and carried Dean over to their bedroom. He was about to put their breakfast away, when he started to feel unusually hot and his vision turned red, he was in rut, a month early. It was strange, but Dean’s early heat must have triggered it, it had happened the first time they spent Dean’s heat together. Castiel wondered if maybe Deans hormones was going a bit haywire due to the stress of his relatively new job as a design release engineer at a large automotive company. He’d been working there since his graduation five months ago.

Castiel was pulled out of his thoughts when his mate called for him to come and fuck him again, and he rushed to the bedroom.

A month later, Cas had just gotten out of bed and was pouring himself a coffee, while Dean was running around, frantically looking for his car keys, muttering under his breath about how he was going to be late for work. Dean had gotten his dad’s 1967 Chevy Impala as a graduation gift, and Cas was starting to suspect that Dean might love the car as much as he loved his mate.

“Where the fuck did I put the fucking car keys!” Dean was standing in the middle of the room, looking pissed and frazzled. As he turned around, Cas checked out his mates ass (hey, who could blame him?) and noticed something.

“Dean, touch your butt.” Cas calmly said as he took another sip of coffee.

“What? Cas, I’m not in the mood for jokes right now.” Dean growled and gave Cas an exasperated look.

“No, seriously, touch your butt.” Cas nodded in the direction of said butt.

“Why should I…” Dean quieted as he finally seemed to get the hint, and put his hands down his back pockets.

“Seriously? They were in my fucking pocket this whole time? I hate Mondays!” Dean gripped his bag and was about to run out the door, when he stopped, turned around and hurried over to Cas and kissed him.

“Thank you, I love you.” Dean said and they hugged, scenting each other before they had to part for the day. As Cas drew in a breath, there was a faint scent of something sweet, it made him pull Dean closer and to take another, deeper, breath.  There it was again, that faint sweet smell, he couldn’t quite place it, but he liked it.

“Cas, honey, you have to let go of me, I’m about to be late for work.” Dean softly pushed Castiel off and started to head for the door again.

“Did you get a new body wash?” Cas asked.

“Hmm? No, I use the same one, why?” Dean was almost out the door.

“Oh? Huh, I thought you smelled a bit differently, guess I was wrong.”

“Maybe it’s something I’ve eaten? Anyway, have a nice day, see you tonight! I love you!”

“I love you too!” Cas just managed to call back before the door closed. He felt slightly morose, like it was harder than usual to say goodbye to Dean this morning. Maybe he was just tired, more coffee would probably make everything better.

The next few days, Castiel kept scenting that faint sweet smell on Dean, and every morning it was getting harder to say goodbye. Seeing Dean leave had started to make Cas feel nervous, like something bad could happen to Dean is Cas wasn’t there to protect him. He didn’t say anything to Dean since he didn’t want to seem like an overbearing alpha. When Dean got home in the evenings, Cas would cling to him more than usual, fuss over him and make sure he was comfortable and eating foods he liked. Luckily, Dean seemed to enjoy the attention. Cas wondered if maybe this was some new alpha instinct emerging, maybe the sweetness had always been part of Dean’s scent and his nose had just matured enough to pick up on it.

On Friday he was scheduled for an appointment with Dr. Barnes. She had done the usual bloodwork, and Cas had just explained everything to her and told her his theory. Dr. Barnes was looking at him, seemingly amused.

“No, Castiel, your sense of smell is already fully developed. You said it’s a sweet smell, but you can’t quite tell what it is?”

“Yeah, and Dean says he hasn’t changed any of his products. He doesn’t seem to notice it either.” Cas was confused when Dr. Barnes gave him a wide smile.

“I see. When was Dean’s last heat? My guess is about four weeks ago?” Cas was surprised at how accurate she was.

“Yeah, four weeks and a few days… How did you know?” That made Dr. Barnes let out a small laugh.

“Well, Castiel, my educated guess is that Dean is pregnant. A pregnant omega’s scent starts to change about four weeks after conception. It’s very faint for the first three months, and it’s usually only their mate that picks up on the change. It’s also common for the alpha to start feeling more protective of their pregnant omega, to want to take extra good care of them and the growing baby.” Castiel was completely dumbfounded, he stared at Dr. Barnes as if she had sprouted a second head, his jaw slack.

“You still with me, Castiel?” The amused smile was back on her face. He shook his head and pulled his hands over his face and through his hair.

“B-but, Dean is on birth control?” He weakly protested, still feeling dazed.

“Well, as I’m sure you know, those are only ninety seven percent effective. I remember having read a theory that true mate couples have an even lower percentage, their bodies “being made” for each other. The longer a true mate pair is together without procreating, the less effective birth control becomes. But it’s just a theory, there’s too few true mates out there to make a reliable study on the subject.” When Castiel kept staring in front of himself, her smile faded, and she started to look concerned instead.

“Castiel, is this maybe not good news for you and Dean?” She carefully asked him. Cas snapped out of his stupor.

“No! No, I mean, it’s not bad news, it’s just… surprising, and very much unplanned. Dean’s still new at his job, our apartment is small, but I guess we could make it work for a while… God, there’s so much we need to do, to prepare, I mean if that’s what Dean wants, if he feels ready…” He rambled on but stopped when Dr. Barnes put her hand on his arm.

“Calm down, I’m sure everything will turn out great. Also, it might be something else. I recommend you start with a home pregnancy test and take it from there. Ok?” Castiel agreed.

Cas was fidgeting nervously as he was sitting on the couch, waiting for Dean to come home. He hadn’t told him anything yet, not wanting to potentially upset Dean at work. It also felt like a conversation that should be held face to face. He kept looking at his watch, the minutes slowly creeping forward.

Suddenly he heard keys being put in and turning the lock. Cas hastily stood up and practically ran over to the door. Dean looked surprised at seeing his mate only a couple of feet away from him. Dean started to smile, but then his nose twitched, and he started to look concerned instead.

“You’re worried about something, what’s happened?” Dean dropped his bag on the floor and pulled Cas into a hug. Cas scented him, and there it was again, that sweet, unidentifiable scent. He pulled away from the embrace and took Dean’s hand in his.

“Let’s sit down, we need to talk about something.”

“Ok…” Dean seemed cautious, but let Cas lead him to the couch.

“So, uh, you know how I’ve been telling you that lately, there’s something different with your scent?” Cas began, holding both of Dean’s hands.

“Yeah… I haven’t noticed anything though. Wait, please tell me there’s nothing wrong with you, you’re not sick or anything?” Dean’s face paled slightly and he grabbed Cas’ wrists. Dean’sscent soured with worry.

“No, there’s nothing wrong with me, everything’s fine! I promise.” Castiel reassured is mate, and Dean visibly relaxed, his scent calmed down, but still held a note of worry in it.

“Then, what is it?” Dean urged.

“Well, I told Dr. Barnes about the scent and how I’ve lately felt more, uhm, protective of you?”

“You have? That explains all the extra cuddling, not that I’m complaining.” Dean gave him a weak smile. Castiel loosened Dean’s hold on his wrists, and intertwined their fingers instead.

“Yeah, so Dr. Barnes seem to think it all adds up to you…maybe…being pregnant?” Cas looked at Dean, who stared back at him.

“Say what now?”

“You might be pregnant.” Cas squeezed Dean’s hands.

“But, I’m on birth control.” Dean deadpanned. Castiel would have felt like laughing, if he wasn’t so worried about Dean’s reaction to the news. Truly two true mates.

“Birth control isn’t one hundred percent effective.” Cas continued to inform Dean about what Dr. Barnes had told him. When he finished, Dean frantically stood up, eyes wide and face pale.

“Dean, it could be something else…” Castiel began, but was interrupted by Dean.

“Something else? It sure doesn’t sound like something, fucking, else!” Dean pulled his hands down his face.

“Dean, please try to calm down…” Cas began as he stood up in front of Dean.

“Calm down? I might be pregnant! Oh god… I need to go out and get a pregnancy test, I need to know for sure, I…” Dean paced back and forth in front of Cas.

“I’ve already bought two, on my way home. We can try them right away, if you want.” Castiel said as he reached out and gently grabbed Dean’s arm. Dean stopped pacing.

“Of course you did.” Dean gave Cas a small, shaky smile. Cas pulled Dean close and wrapped his arms around him. They held on to each other for a few moments, then Dean sighed and pushed back enough to look Cas in the eyes.

“Ok, let’s do this.”

Cas got retrieved the tests from his bag and they went over to the bathroom. Dean used both tests at once and then put them on the bathroom sink. They stood beside each other in silence, holding hands and staring at the sticks. It felt like an eternity, but then the two sticks both showed a tiny blue cross. Cas’ heart made a summersault, and he could feel Dean’s hand start to tremble, he softly embraced Dean’s face with his hands.

“Dean…” Dean looked back at Cas, licked his lips and thickly swallowed.

“I’m pregnant.” He stated softly.

“Yes, you are. How do you feel about it?” Cas tried to keep a lid on his slowly growing excitement. This decision was up to Dean, it was his body.

“I…I want to…keep it.” Dean whispered. Castiel drew in a shaky breath, still trying to keep his feelings down.

“You sure?” Cas asked. Dean started to get teary eyed.

“Yes, I am. I know it’s not the best timing, but it’s our baby and I want it.” Dean’s lips started to tremble.

“Don’t you…want it?” Cas gasped and finally let his feelings of happiness and excitement run loose, and he could see Dean visibly relax as Cas’ scent revealed his feelings.

“Of course, I do!” Castiel laughed, and Dean started to smile brightly as a tear made it’s way down his face. Cas kissed it away, and then continued to kiss Dean all over his beautiful face. Dean giggled and Cas felt almost drunk on the scent of exhilaration and joy from his mate. Dean grabbed Cas’ neck and captured Cas’ lips with his own, and they shared several long, loving and passionate kisses.

“We’re going to be fathers.” Cas exclaimed when they slightly pulled apart.

“Yeah…damn, we have a shit ton of preparations ahead of us.” Dean worried his lip between his teeth, Cas kissed him softly to make him stop.

“We’ll figure it all out together.” Castiel reassured him.

“For now, let’s celebrate.” Castiel continued, as he slipped his hands inside the back of Dean’s pants. Dean’s eyes darkened and he started to push Cas’ shirt up and over his head, then he gave Cas a deliciously, filthy kiss. They somehow, eventually made their way to the bedroom and celebrated all through the evening.

After Dean had been to his doctor and gotten a final confirmation of his pregnancy, they started to make plans for the baby. They decided that their apartment was big enough for the baby’s first two to three years and they started to make plans to turn Gabriel’s old room into a nursery. They researched the cost of baby carriages and other more expensive baby necessities and made a budget plan. They would excitedly discuss baby names until late at night, jokingly competing about who could come up with the worst and cringiest one.

When Dean was twelve weeks pregnant, they decided it was time to tell their family and closest friends. They started by inviting Gabriel, Kali, Sam and Dean’s parents to dinner, and dropped the news during dessert. There were a lot of hugs, tears (mostly from Gabe and Sam) and well wishes. John and Mary stubbornly insisted on buying them the best stroller on the market as a gift.

They had to tell Balthazar and Meg over Face Time. Cas knew that his parental figures was’nt interested in any kids of their own, so he was first surprised when Meg choked up and couldn’t stop crying, telling them how happy she was for them, and for Cas to have a new family of his own.  Castiel understood what she meant, and was moved to tears by her unusual show of affection.

They went out to a bar with Charlie, Jo, Gadreel, Anna, Benny, Victor and Garth (who had somehow become a close friend of theirs over the last two years). It took their friends a few seconds to understand the implication when Dean proclaimed he couldn’t have any alcohol. Charlie was the first one to get it and as she squeeled and threw her arms around both Dean and Cas, the others catched on. They all celebrated together until the bar closed.

It was the eighteenth week of Dean’s pregnancy and they were at the doctor’s office for their first ultrasound. They were both crying over the emotional moment of seeing their baby for the first time. The midwife smiled at them and asked if they wanted to know the sex of the baby. They didn’t care about which gender their baby was, as long as it was healthy, but decided to find put, so that they could narrow down their long list of baby names. It was a boy. They decided to not tell anyone else.

Two days later, at eight in the evening, they were on the couch, watching a movie. Dean was laying against Cas’ chest, and Cas was lovingly rubbing his mate’s swollen stomach. Dean started craving some popcorn, and Cas got up t make him some. When he got to the kitchen area, his phone started ringing, the display showing it was Gabriel.

“Hi Gabe, what’s up?” Castiel answered as he opened a cupboard and took out a bowl.

“Castiel…” Gabriel choked out between sobs, making Cas stop in his tracks.

“Gabe, what’s happened?” Castiel’s voice was strained with worry, his cousin didn’t cry easily. Gabriel sobbed while struggling to get his words out. Dean came over to kitchen, having picked up on his mate’s distressed scent.

“What’s going on?” Dean whispered, eyes worried. Cas shrugged and mouthed “I don’t know”. Gabriel took a shaky breath and managed to speak again.

“There was a car accident…your parents, they’re dead…and Claire, they don’t know if she’ll make it.” Gabriel started sobbing again. Cas was barely aware that the bowl fell from his hand, as the world started spinning.

Chapter Text

Dean had made Cas sit down and taken the phone from him to find put what had happened, since Cas had been rendered speechless.

Gabriel had managed to tell Dean that Castiel’s parents had collided with another car, that Cas’ parents had been dead when the ambulance got there, and that Claire had been rushed to the hospital for surgery. Gabe didn’t know any details since it had been only an hour since the accident, a police officer at the scene knew Gabriel’s father and had contacted him immediately.

They had agreed to meet at the hospital, and Dean had hurriedly packed a bag for them and then ushered a stunned Castiel out the door and into the Impala. They had now been on the road for a little over three hours and was almost at the hospital.

 Castiel had been feeling completely numb since the phone call, and most of the ride he’d been sitting there quietly, staring out the window. Dean hadn’t pushed him to talk, he would only occasionally ask Cas if he was ok, to which Cas would give a small nod.

“Ok, we’re here.” Dean said as he drove the car into the hospital’s parking lot and parked. Castiel looked at the hospital.

“I hate this place, last time I was here I… never mind. Let’s go inside.” Castiel said, but continued to stay in his seat. Dean unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to Cas. He gently embraced Cas’ face with both his hand and made Cas meet his eyes.

“We need to go inside, Gabriel is waiting for us.”

“I know…but what if Claire doesn’t…” Cas couldn’t finish the sentence.

“All we can do right now is pray and hope that she’ll be ok. Whatever happens, I’m here with you, every step of the way, ok?” Cas nodded and Dean gave him a soft kiss, before letting go of him and starting to get out of the car. Cas took a deep breath and stepped outside. Dean came around the car, took his and they walked up to the entrance together.

When they got inside, they saw Kali standing at the reception desk, waiting for them. She quickly went up to them and gave each of them a hug.

“I unfortunately don’t have any news, Claire is still in surgery. Gabriel and I got here maybe thirty minutes ago, he’s in the waiting room with his parents. Come, I’ll take you there.” Kali started leading the way.

Soon they stepped inside a small waiting area, where Castiel immediately spotted Gabriel sitting on a sofa, hugging his mother close, who was crying into his shirt. Beside them sat Gabe’s father, he looked up at the new arrivals and his face seemed to darken.

“What is he doing here? He’s not family!” Cas flinched at the venom in his uncle’s voice. Unwanted memories started flooding back, and Cas felt his heartbeat speed up and hands getting clammy.

“Shut up, dad! He’s her brother!” Gabriel hissed, his eyes shooting daggers at his father.

“Brother? He’s never even met her.” Cas’ uncle said with a sneer.

“And whose fault is that? Not his!” Gabriel was practically shouting. Cas felt as if it had suddenly gotten hard to breath. Gabriel had let go of is mom, who turned around so that Cas saw her face. Cas made a sharp inhale, his chest tightening uncomfortably. His mother and aunt had always looked a lot alike, and seeing her in person like this hit him hard in a way he’d not been expecting.

“Castiel?” She looked at him with swollen eyes and a tear streaked face. Even their voices were somewhat similar. The numbness he’d been feeling disappeared. He was here. This was real. His parents were dead. He was never seeing them again. His sister was badly hurt. Maybe dying. He had never even had the chance to speak to her.

The room was too hot. He couldn’t breathe. There was a ringing in his ears. His heart was beating too fast. His peripheral vision grew smaller. Someone said something but Cas couldn’t make out what it was. He felt strong arms around him, and someone helped him sit down. He kept trying to breathe, and then he felt the scent of bergamot and neroli, the scent of home and comfort. He buried his face in the scent and slowly it was getting easier to breath again, the world stopped spinning and he could finally make out the words of the person speaking.

“…it’s ok, Cas. I’m here. Try to focus on my voice and scent. I love you.” Dean was softly speaking to him, and slowly rubbing his back with one hand, the other around Cas’ neck. Cas face was resting against the side of Dean’s neck and scent gland. Cas was holding on to Dean’s shirt as if his life depended on it.

Castiel drew a shaky breath to try and say something, but all he managed was a broken sob. Then it was as if all his walls came crumbling down and heavy sobs ripped through his body, while Dean held him and whispered comforting words.

Eventually Cas started to calm down, he let go of Dean’s shirt and wrapped his arms around his neck instead.

“They’re gone. They’re really gone.” Castiel mumbled.

“I know, love. I’m so sorry…”

“Claire…s-she can’t die, Dean. She’s only nine. She can’t die, I’ve never hugged her, never even said hello.” More tears slipped down his face. Dean pulled him closer.

“The doctors are doing everything they can.” Dean’s voice was shaking. They held on to each other awhile longer, then Cas let go and looked around the room. He realized that they were sitting on a bathroom floor. Dean got up and grabbed a plastic cup and filled it water, then he handed it over to Cas, who drank everything at once. Dean refilled it and sat down beside him.

“Do you feel ready to go back out into the waiting room?”

“Yes…I think so.” Dean helped him stand up, then Cas washed his face with cold water before they went back out to the others. Gabriel immediately came over and hugged Castiel. When they finally pulled apart, Cas could see his uncle looking at them with a sour look on his face, but he didn’t say anything. His aunt avoided looking at him all together. They all sat down and waited, praying,wishing and hoping for good news.

One and a half hour later, a doctor came into the waiting room, everyone stood up at once, holding onto their mates, as if bracing themselves.

“My name’s dr. Braeden, I’m here to tell you that Claire Novak is in a critical, but stable condition. She’s suffered damages to her lungs, and ribs, due to the impact of the crash pushing the front seat back against her body. She has three fractured ribs and two that are broken. One of the broken ribs punctured her left lung. She also suffered a blow to her head, causing the brain to swell, due to this we’ve had to put her in a medically induced coma. We are optimistic about her recovery, next twenty four hours will be crucial.”

Castiel felt sick, his poor, innocent sister, she did not deserve this. His aunt had sterted weeping again, clinging to her husband’s arm. Gabriel was pale as a ghost, looking as if he was about to throw up. Kali asked the doctor some details about Claire’s care, and they were also told that Claire was being transported to the ICU.

“Because of the unfortunate passing of both of her parents, we have needed to look into Claire’s family records to find out who her new guardian is. Since it seems like neither Mr. or Mrs. Novak have selected a guardian for a situation like this, we have to look at what the state law says. This means that custody of Claire falls upon the next of kin alpha, if they are of proper age. Which in this case would be her brother, Castiel Novak. Is he here?” Dr. Braeden finished and looked expectantly at the group.

Castiel’s mouth fell agape, he could not have heard that correctly.

“What!? Castiel can not be her guardian! They have never met, she doesn’t know him! For God’s sake, he’s not even a real alpha!” Gabriel’s father was looking furious.

“There must be a mistake, we should be her guardians, I’m her aunt, Hester Novak was my sister.” Castiel’s aunt looked confused.

 “Yes, he’s here, my mate is Castiel Novak.” Dean spoke up, pointing at Castiel and earning himself a couple of dirty looks from Gabriel’s parents.

“Ok, it seems like you all need some time to discuss the permanent guardianship of Claire. But right now the hospital needs to follow the rules, and the law.  Mr. Novak, for the time being, you will be appointed Claire’s legal guardian. We’ll need you to sign some papers, you can talk to our nurses in the reception. You will also be responsible of the decisions concerning her further care.” Dr. Braeden finished, she then excused herself and left the room.

“This is not acceptable, you are not a suitable guardian!” Cas’ uncle spat out.

“Oh, shut up! He’s a perfect guardian for Claire! You two on the other hand would be terrible guardians, with your shitty religious views and…” Gabriel started, but was interrupted by his mother slapping his face.

“Gabriel Lucas Milton! You do not speak to us like that!” His mother raised her hand as if to slap him again, and Castiel started to step forward when there was a low, menacing growl and Kali suddenly stood in front of Gabe.

“You raise your hand against him again, and I’ll rip it off your arm…” Kali’s eyes were tinted red, and both Gabriel’s parents took a step back, looking scared.

“You two are not welcome here right now, go home and come back again tomorrow. If you can’t behave then, I won’t let you see Claire.” Castiel said, his inner alpha coming out to protect his cousin. His uncle and aunt stared at him, then his uncle huffed, grabbed his wife’s arm and started to walk away.

“You won’t be her guardian for long…” He mumbled as he walked passed Cas and out the door.

Dean grabbed Cas’ hand and rested his head on Cas’ shoulder, while Kali was fussing over Gabriel, lightly touching his cheek and kissing it. Eventually Kali spoke up.

“Let’s make a plan for the night. I have made two reservations at a nearby hotel. How about Cas goes and fills out those papers, I’ll come with to help look them over. Then Gabe and I stay here, and you guys go to the hotel and get some sleep, it’s already 2am.”

“No, I should stay here with Gabe…” Cas began, but Kali interrupted.

“Cas, I understand, but look at your pregnant mate, he needs some proper rest.”

“It’s fine, Cas. If you want to stay, we stay.” Dean gave him a tired smile, dark circles under his eyes. Cas instantly felt ashamed, another alpha had to point out to him that his mate was pregnant and very obviously exhausted.

“No, she’s right, we’re going to the hotel. I’m so sorry, Dean.” Cas kissed his forehead.

“No need to say sorry. I’m a grown man, I’m capable of telling when I need to rest.” Dean pouted.

“Yes, you are. But I think we both could use some good sleep, the nugget too.” Cas said and put his hand on Dean’s belly, gently rubbing it. Dean relaxed and sighed.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

They finished all the paperwork, made Gabriel and Kali promise to call if there was any change in Claire’s condition, and drove over to the hotel. As soon as Castiel lay down in the bed, he realized how exhausted he himself was. Still, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to fall asleep, the events of the evening spinning in his head. Dean laid down close beside him and kissed his shoulder, Cas turned his head and kissed Dean on the lips.

“How are you holding up?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know… This is all…too much.” His eyes started prickling , and soon a tear trickled down his cheek. Dean kissed the tear away and put his arm across Cas’ chest.

“They’re dead…they treated me horribly. For ten years, they didn’t care about me, I didn’t even exist. I will never forgive them for that, never.” More tears made their way down.

“You don’t have to forgive them. What they did was reprehensible.” Dean was moving his hand up and down Cas’ chest, soothingly.

“I’ve been w-working so hard on f-forgetting them, and I have all the right in the world to hate them.” Cas’ voice was shaking.

“Yeah, you do.”

“For the last few years I h-haven’t, cared or thought m-much about t-them.”

“Mhm.” Dean nodded, tightening his arm around Cas.

“S-so, why does it hurt so much now? Why do I even care?” Cas put his hands over is eyes, as pain, loss and sorrow ripped through his body, tears flowing freely from his eyes. Dean pulled him as close as possible, their legs getting tangled.

“I don’t know, Cas. Feelings are complicated. All I can tell you is that it’s ok for you to feel this way, it’s ok to grieve them.” Dean said, kissing his mate’s tear streaked face.

Castiel cried in his mate’s arms, until he eventually fell asleep, shortly followed by Dean.

Chapter Text

Castiel didn’t get a lot of sleep, he kept having nightmares about his parents, about Claire, and about Dean, about losing him and the baby. He had just woken up from one of the latter ones, relief flooding hid body as he felt Dean tucked against his chest, lightly snoring. Cas kissed the top Dean’s head, and let his hand slide down to caress the bump on his mate’s belly. He took a deep breath, letting Dean’s scent calm him, especially enjoying the notes of sweet lemon and jasmine from the pregnancy.

He reached for the nightstand and grabbed his phone, there were no new massages and no missed calls. Every hour without any news about Claire, was technically good news, Cas knew that, but couldn’t help feeling worried and frustrated. At any moment he could be getting a phone call about how his sister didn’t make it, how she was gone before he’d even had a chance to get to know her for real.

His stomach roiled uncomfortably, and he tried to calm down and instead think about what to do if…no, not if, when Claire woke up. How much rehabilitation would she need? How would she react to her parents’ death? What would happen to her? Castiel worried his lip between his teeth. He didn’t think he’d be allowed to stay her guardian for long, that had to be some kind of mistake. Also, his uncle was a very skilled lawyer, there was no way he’d let Castiel care for Claire for much longer. Dean started moving and soon he was looking up at Cas.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Dean asked and then kissed Cas’ cheek.

“Not too great.” Cas admitted, and Dean took Cas’ hand in his and entwined their fingers.

“I can’t stop worrying about Claire…”

“Have you heard anything from Gabriel?” Dean asked.

“No, not yet.”

“Well, that’s good, means she keeps fighting.” Dean smiled softly at him.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Cas smiled back and squeezed Dean’s hand. They were quite for a bit, then Dean frowned and squirmed around a bit.

“You ok? Cas asked, making Dean stop.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Dean smiled and wrapped an arm around Cas. Then he wriggled his legs a bit.

“Dean, do you need to pee?” Cas chuckled lightly.

“…Yes…sorry, it’s this kid’s fault.” He said and hugged Cas tighter.

“Just go to the bathroom, I can handle being alone for a few minutes.” Castiel smiled and moved Dean’s arm from his chest.

“Fine, but I’ll try and be quick about it.” Dean pouted, sat up and hurried over to the bathroom. It didn’t take long for him to get back to Cas’ side, pulling him close again.

Castiel’s phone vibrated and there was a new message from Gabriel. Castiel’s mouth went dry, but he relaxed as he read the text. There was no change in Claire’s condition, Gabriel just texted to tell them they could come over to the hospital after lunch to switch places with him and Kali. It was currently 9.34am, Cas could tell that Dean was till tired, so he convinced his mate to get some more sleep by promising to try to get some himself and setting the alarm.

They met up with Gabriel and Kali at 1pm, and they told Cas and Dean that they were now allowed to sit by Claire’s bed.

“Just… be prepared Cas, she looks awful…my sweet little Claire bear…” Gabriel’s eyes teared up and Castiel pulled his cousin into a hug. They clung to each other for a minute or two, their mates standing quiet beside them, letting the two cousins have their moment.

“So, uh, call me if she wakes up?” Gabriel said as they pulled apart.

“Of course. You go and get some sleep now.” Kali and Gabriel left, and Castiel and Dean were led to Claire’s room by a nurse. Castiel stared at the door for a moment, then Dean took his hand and gave him a nod. Castiel took a deep breath and they walked inside.

He stopped in front of the bed and stared at the sight before him, barely remembering to breath. Claire was looking so small and frail, laying in the bed surrounded by cords and tubes from different machines and IV drips. Her head was wrapped in bandages, her face swollen, bruised and had several small cuts. A tube went from her throat to a machine that was helping her breath.  

“Cas, honey, you’re crushing my hand.” Dean’s soft words snapped Castiel out of it, and he eased his tight grip, then lifted Dean’s hand to his mouth and kissed it as an apology before letting go. Cas walked to the side and sat down in a chair close to the bed. He swallowed hard and carefully took Claire’s tiny, pale hand in his. Cas barely registered the sound of a scraping chair as Dean sat down beside him and put a hand on his thigh.

“Hello Claire, it’s Castiel…Cassie…your big brother.” Cas licked his lips and let out a shaky breath.

“I, uh, I’m so sorry that this is how we finally meet. I wish so much it was different. That we were having ice cream together and talking about your favorite books, how you’re doing in school, who your best friends are…” Castiel cleared his throat and blinked away tears.

“I’ve wanted to meet you for so long, to talk to you, to be with you…so, please Claire…you have to pull through, ok? I need you to give me the chance to get to know you, to make you laugh and to be the big brother you deserve. I want you to meet and hold your nephew when he’s born…” Tears were running down his face and he couldn’t get any more words out. Dean moved his chair even closer and pulled his arm around Cas’ shoulders.

They had been sitting at Claire’s side for nearly three hours. Dean had introduced himself and they had talked about the baby, they had sat there quietly, and they had told her stories. Castiel got up and went to the bathroom, when he on his way back to the room he ran into his aunt.

“Hi Castiel.” She gave him a small smile.

“Hi, aunt Muriel. Castiel said, feeling nervous and uncomfortable.

“You said it was ok for us to come and visit Claire today?” She asked him hesitantly.

“Yes, yeah, sure. We’re only allowed two at a time, I guess Dean and I can go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat, while you visit her. Is uncle Bartholomew here as well?” Castiel felt reluctant to leave Claire’s side, but he had to think about what was best for Claire, and having her uncle and aunt there for awhile was probably something she’d want. Hearing the voices of people she knew and were close to could be good for her.

“Thank you. Yes, he’s in the waiting area close to Claire’s room.” They started walking together. His aunt seemed like she wanted to say something, but then stopped. Then, when they were getting close to the room, she stopped and put her hand on his arm. Cas turned and looked at her.

“Castiel…I understand if you hate all of us, your parents made a choice that was hurtful for you.” She looked at him cautiously, and Cas didn’t know what to say so he stayed quiet. That seemed to encourage her.

“That said, I hope that your hurt feelings won’t cloud your judgement when it comes to Claire and her future.”

“What do you mean?” Castiel asked, as a tight knot was forming in his stomach.

“Claire has just lost both of her parents in a very traumatic accident, it is going to take her a long time to heal, both physically and emotionally. The last thing she needs is getting torn away from the family and friends that knows and loves her, the people she’s grown up with and feels safe with.” Muriel looked at him pleadingly, tears in her eyes. Castiel didn’t know what to say, so he just stuttered. His aunt took one of his hand in both of hers.

“Please, Castiel. Think about what’s best for Claire, don’t use her as a pawn in some kind of misguided vendetta against the people you feel have wronged you. Claire is innocent in all of this, and she needs her family to help her heal.”A tear was running down Muriel’s face and her lips were quivering.

“I-I would never intentionally hurt Claire, I love her, she’s my sister.” Castile protested, feeling upset. His aunt gave him a small, shaky smile.

“I’m happy to hear that, Castiel. It gives me hope that you’ll do the right thing, do what is best for Claire. She’ll be in so much pain when she wakes up, and even if you care about her, you two don’t know each other. She’s going to be confused, scared and heartbroken, she’ll want to be around familiar faces.” Castiel felt sick, of course it would be a horrible time for Claire, and he didn’t want to make things worse for her.

“You can’t be selfish during these circumstances, you need to think about how you can make Claire’s situation better, how to let her heal and get back to a normal life as smoothly as possible.” She sniffled and wiped at her tears. Castiel silently nodded.

“We could draw this out, going to court over custody, but that would only hurt Claire, slowing down her recovery and putting her in unnecessary distress. And for what? The result will inevitably be that custody befalls us. Bartholomew has spent the whole day researching custody laws, and they’re definitely in our favor.  So, I beg you Castiel, spare Claire the grief of a drawn out custody battle. Meet up with us tomorrow and sign the papers that’ll let us take over the guardianship, for Claire’s sake.” More tears made their way down Muriel’s cheeks.

“I-I want what’s b-best for Claire…” Castiel felt confused, anxious and…ashamed. Was he hurting Claire?

“Also, Claire will need a lot of attention and care. You and your mate are expecting, and being new parents isn’t easy, both of you will be focusing on the baby’s needs and neglect Claire, whether it’s intentional or not.”

“That’s not…I wouldn’t…”

“We’ll bring the papers tomorrow. I’m happy to know that you’re putting Claire’s wellbeing first, that you’re not going to hurt her just so you can get revenge on your parents.” She patted his arm and started walking again, Castiel followed her.

They got Bartholomew and walked over to Claire’s room. Castiel walked inside and told Dean and the nurse that they were letting his aunt and uncle have some time with Claire. Dean nodded and left the room. When they entered the waiting area, Dean’s nostrils flared, he gave Castiel a worried look and wrapped his arms around him. He had obviously picked up on Castiel’s distress.

“Castiel, what’s wrong? Did something happen? Did they do something to you?” There was a slight growl to the last part of his question. Castiel hugged him back tightly.

“No…she…I…I just have a lot to think about.” Castiel buried his face in Dean’s neck, breathing in his mate’s soothing scent.

“I know…and I’m here for you, whatever you need. You know that right?”

“I do, and I’m very grateful that I have you in my life, Dean. I’d be a complete wreck without you. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, let’s go get some coffee and food, it’ll make you feel better.”

Two hours later, they walked back to the room and Castiel’s aunt and uncle left. His aunt told him they’d be back the same time next day and castile gave a nod in response, Dean gave them an angry look as they walked away, sensing his mate’s unease and anxiety. They sat down by Claire’s side again until 8pm when Gabriel and Kali came back. They all sat down to talk for a bit in the waiting area.

“Your parents came by and sat with Claire for a bit.” Dean said, annoyance in his voice. Gabriel sighed.

“They behaved I hope?” He rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, did they?” Dean raised an eyebrow at Cas.

“Uhm, pretty much.” Cas said, the tight knot in his stomach pulling tighter.

“Speaking of the wackos, Kali has some great news.” Gabriel said gleefully.

“I’ve been reding up on the laws concerning custody in this state, and there doesn’t seem to be a way for anyone else to get guardianship over Claire, unless you hand it over to them, or die, then they’re next in line.” Kali said, and Castiel looked at her, confused.

“That’s great news!” Dean said, smiling.

“But…but aunt Muriel said earlier that Bartholomew had looked up the law and that it was undoubtedly in their favor?” Castiel said. They all turned to look at him.

“What? Is that why you’ve been so upset?” Dean asked, looking pissed.

“She must have lied, Castiel. The law is very clear, the next of kin alpha has all authority. Since you used to be a null, I double checked if it would make any difference and it doesn’t, in the eyes of the law, you are alpha. There are no other cases involving a null that’s changed designation, so there has never been a reason to include anything about it in the law, which works in your favor here.” Kali smiled reassuringly. They all started to look worried when Castiel didn’t smile back and looked down on the floor.

“Cassie, what’s wrong? Are you worried about how this will impact your and Dean’s life, considering you guys are about to have a baby? Gabriel asked.

“Cas, we can manage taking in your sister. We need to get a bigger place, but I’ve been thinking about it, and we can work around our budget and afford something suitable. We’ll have too look over our spendings, sell one of the cars, not the Impala by the way, but I think we’ll be able to afford the extra expenses surrounding Claire’s needs. And that includes sending her to a therapist, because let’s face it, she’ll be needing one, maybe for a long time.” Dean stopped, a little out of breath, the other three staring at him.

“Wow, Dean-o, you’ve really thought this through.” Gabriel sounded impressed.

“Cas, you still seem down. Maybe, you don’t want to be Claire’s guardian?” Kali asked, carefully. Gabriel’s eyes went wide and looked as if he was about to say something when Cas interrupted.

“No! No, that’s not it, I’d move Claire in with us in a heartbeat if it was up to me and my feelings! But I can’t be that selfish! What about the baby, it’ll need a lot of attention from the both of us, but so will Claire. What if we end up neglecting and hurting her because we’re too busy with out baby?” He looked at Dean, anxiety flaring in his chest. Dean took Cas hand in his, then caressed Cas’ face with his other hand.

“Cas, we’ll make it work. We have several months to get to know Claire and prepare for our life with her and the baby. We’ll have both friends and family to help out if we ever feel overwhelmed. Gabe and Claire have a great relationship and he can visit us every day if need be.”

“Yeah, you just try to keep me away from my Claire bear.” Gabriel winked.

“But what about what Claire needs? She’s just lost her parents, is it really right to take her away from the rest of her family, from her friends, from everything she knows? What if we end up hurting her, what if she’ll hate us?” Cas’ voice was shaking. Dean frowned, looking conflicted.

“Hurting her? Why would taking her away from here hurt her more than letting her stay?” Gabriel sounded surprised.

“Aunt Muriel said that…” Castiel started but was interrupted.

“Off-fucking-course! My mom!” Gabriel stood up and threw his hands in the air.

“She got to you, didn’t she? Sneaky bitch…” Gabriel growled.

“Calm down, Gabe.” Kali said, before she continued.

“Castiel, I need you to tell us exactly what Muriel told you. Kali said, and Castiel tried to recite his conversation with his aunt earlier that day. He was silently crying at the end of it, Dean holding onto him and trying to comfort him. Gabriel was seething beside his mate.

“To me, it sounds like your aunt was trying to manipulate you into giving them the guardianship. Bartholomew must know that they can not win a custody case, so they want you to just sign it over to them.” Kali said, as she held a calming hand on Gabe’s thigh.

“But…what if she’s right? What if it’s better for Claire’s recovery to be here, with the people she knows? I don’t want to cause her unnecessary pain.”

“Seriously Castiel? Did she manage to completely brainwash you or something?” Gabriel asked, sounding frustrated.

“Do you want Claire to grow up with people who will judge her if she doesn’t behave and act exactly the way they want her to? For Claire to grow up with and learn from bullies? To be raised by people who think it’s ok to slap their kids if the get mouthy with them?” Gabriel glared at him, and the knot in Castiel’s stomach started to unfurl.

“No, I don’t want that.” Castiel could feel his anger start to rise.

“Have you thought about what will happen if Claire turns out to be a null?” Gabriel’s voice was softer, and he gave Cas a pained look. It was as if he’d been drenched in ice cold water and all doubts disappeared. His parents weren’t the only ones who had cast him aside. The last two days chock, stress and grief must have messed with his brain, but he could see clearly now.

“They’re not getting her.” Cas growled, as the other three gave him relieved smiles.

Chapter Text

The signal of a text message woke up Castiel and Dean at 2am the following night. It was from Gabriel, telling them that the swelling of Claire’s brain had begun to go down, and that her condition was starting to stabilize. Cas cried tears of relief and held his mate close as they lay awake planning for Claire’s recovery the following weeks. They managed to get a few more hours of sleep before Dean was heading over to the hospital and Cas was meeting up with Kali at the courthouse.

They had all agreed that Castiel should sign all the legal papers concerning Claire as soon as possible. Castiel had expected there to be some kind of questioning concerning him being fit to be Claire’s guardian, that Kali would have missed some important clause that deemed Cas unfit as custodian, but there had been no such problems at all.

It had taken Kali all morning getting his parents’ death certificates, but after that it had been easy to prove that Castiel was Claire’s older brother and the state records confirmed that Castiel was the closest, blood related alpha. It took the clerk some time to get all the correct papers to sign and for Kali to go through them and make sure everything was in order, but then all Cas had to do was sign at the correct lines and then he was officially Claire’s legal guardian.

“I can’t believe it all went this smoothly.” Castiel said as they were driving over to the hospital.

“Well, it helps that the laws here are quite old fashioned and favors alphas over betas and omegas, since alphas are viewed as the superior subgender. It’s of course horrible and complete bullshit, and I don’t even want to think about how many people loses custody cases to abusive alpha assholes. But, in this case, it actually turned out for the best. It’s lucky that Gabe’s parents are betas, or else they might have been able to put up a good fight.” Kali gave him a small smile, which Cas returned.

“I wonder how they’ll react to the news…”Castiel said, quietly.

“My guess is, not too well. We’ll find out soon enough.” Kali said as she turned into the hospital’s parking lot.

They met up with Dean and Gabriel in the waiting area, where they all sat and talked until Castiel’s aunt and uncle arrived.

“Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here Gabriel. Haven’t you been up all night? You look exhausted, doesn’t your alpha take care of you properly?” Gabriel’s mom started fussing over him, but he waved her off, Kali looked pissed but said nothing.

“I’m fine, I wanted to be here for Cassie.”

“Right, we’ve brought the documents so that he can sign over the custody of Claire and we can get all this over with. I’m sure he and his…mate, wants to be on their way home and prepare for the delivery of their offspring.” Bartholomew stated, looking at them coolly. Dean clenched his jaws and gave Bartholomew a dark look, Castiel lightly squeezed Dean’s hand and stood up, facing his uncle.

“Yeah, I’m not signing your documents.” He met his uncle’s angry gaze.

“You can’t be serious, Castiel? We talked about this yesterday, you need to think about what’s in Claire’s best interest.” His aunt’s voice was pleading.

“We did, and I’ve thought about it, and I’ve come to the conclusion that living with me and Dean is what’s best for her. Gabriel lives close by and…” Castiel was interrupted as his uncle took a step closer to him, anger clear in his scent.

“No! Claire living with and being raised by some godforsaken abomination who pretends to be a real alpha? I won’t allow it!” Bartholomew practically spat in Cas’ face. Dean growled where he sat, slightly behind Cas.

“It doesn’t matter whether you allow it or not, I signed all the necessary documents earlier today. I’m officially Claire’s legal guardian.” Castiel kept his voice calm, eyes not leaving his uncle’s. Bartholomew growled and tried to puff himself up and look menacing.

“Castiel, you can’t do this! Claire needs to be with us! Gabriel, please, help me talk some sense into your cousin, he’ll listen to you!” Muriel turned to her son and looked at him pleadingly. Gabriel looked at his mother with disgust.

“Yeah, he listens to me, and I’ve told him he should take Claire bear and run. Let her grow up feeling safe and loved no matter what happens.” Gabriel glared at his parents. Muriel gasped and threw her hands up over her mouth. Gabe’s father had turned away from Cas and was staring at his son, his face twisted with rage.

“This is not the time to act like a rebellious child, Gabriel! Hester and Zacharia turned this “thing” away for a reason, they would not have wanted their daughter to be raised by godless sinners.”

“I don’t care what they would have wanted, they were terrible parents! Thanks to them I almost lost Castiel!” Gabriel’s voice broke, and Kali wrapped an arm around him. Castiel felt a stab of guilt in his gut, hearing the sadness in his cousin’s voice.

“Gabriel! Don’t you dare speak ill of the dead! They did what was expected of them, their duty as members of the church! What Castiel did was his own choice, a choice born out of selfishness and weakness!” Muriel looked as if she wanted to slap her son again but didn’t dare go near Gabriel as Kali was growling menacingly.  Right as Muriel finished her tirade, there was an angry snarl and Dean was standing by Castiel’s side.

“How dare you blame my mate for the awful things you all put him through?! How can a loving parent just throw away their child as if they mean nothing? I admire Cas’ strength, being able to walk through a rough life where even the people who were supposed to love him unconditionally have treated him like trash! He went through a lot of shit, but he still came out as one of the most loving, caring and amazing people I have ever known! I couldn’t be more proud to call him my mate and to carry his child.” Castiel could feel tears well up in his eyes from his mate’s loving words.

“Be quiet, you omega whore, your words means nothing!” Cas’ uncle hissed. Muriel gasped and looked at her husband in shock. The tears in Cas’ eyes disappeared and red started to seep into his vision, rage surging through his veins.

“You do not insult my mate!” Castiel growled, making his uncle take several steps back.

“One more word like that from you and I’ll make sure you won’t be able to speak for months.” Castiel used his alpha voice to emphasise the threat, making his uncle visibly flinch.

“Y-you’re making a great mistake, Castiel. As long as you have custody of Claire, no one from our family, or community, will have any contact with Claire. She’ll lose everyoneshe knows and loves. And that will be your fault.” Bartholomew said as he grabbed his wife’s arm, getting ready to leave.

“No. That is your choice, which makes it your fault, not mine.” Castiel said firmly, surprising himself by truly believing in his own words.

“Muriel, we’re leaving. Gabriel, we’ve so far been lenient with you, letting you live and stay in touch with your former cousin. That’s over with, from now on you stay away from him and anyone associated with him, understand?” Bartholomew ordered his son.

“No, I won’t. I’m a grown man, I make my own decisions. Castiel is my brother, I love him, and I will always be by his side.” Gabriel said, voice slightly trembling. Bartholomew looked as if he was about to have an aneurysm.

“You better stay away from him or you are no longer a part of this family.” Gabriel blinked a few times, looked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath, nodded and then looked at his father with determination in his eyes.

“Fine. I still choose Castiel.” Bartholomew went completely still, then he turned around and walked away, pulling his crying wife with him.

Gabriel leaned his arms against his knees, putting his face in his hands, Kali was still holding on to him, looking at him with worry and sadness, stroking her hand up and down his back soothingly. Castiel walked over to his cousin and bent down in front of him. He slowly pulled Gabriel’s hands from his face and looked into his cousin’s tired and tear filled eyes. The scent of anger and grief rolled off Gabriel and Castiel felt as if it was almost making him choke.

“I-I’m so sorry, Gabe. I never meant for this to happen.” Castiel gripped Gabriel’s hands tightly, Dean sat down on the other side of Gabriel and put a hand on his arm. Gabriel huffed something between a laugh and a sob, leaned his forehead against Cas’.

“It’s not your fault, Cas. As you said, it’s my parent’s choice. I’ll still have the people who matter the most, you know. I have Kali, you guys and Claire, that’s what’s important.” Gabriel smiled, as tears ran down his face. Castiel wrapped his arms around Gabriel and pulled him close, and soon Gabriel slid his arms around Cas’ too.

“I’ll always be there for you, Gabe.”

As Claire was considered stable enough, they decided that they could all get a good night’s sleep at the hotel. The next day Gadreel had helped sending Cas’ laptop and equipment over so that Cas could use the time, not spent by Claire’s side, working. Castiel was called into a meeting with dr. Braeden, she informed him that they’d be taking Claire out of the medically induced coma the next day. They talked about what to expect and how they’d be going forward with the treatment and recovery. Cas and Gabe got to speak to a child psychologist about how to tell Claire everything that had happened. They decided that it’d be best if Gabriel did most of the talking, since he and Claire already had an established relationship.

The next day Castiel and Gabriel were sitting by Claire’s side as the hospital staff were going through the procedure of waking her up. Castiel was fidgeting nervously, sacred that something could somehow go wrong, worried about Claire’s mental state and reaction to everything that had happened.

When Claire’s eyes finally started to flutter open, Cas’s whole body tensed and he grabbed on to the chair’s armrests. Claire made a pained face and moved her head a little, her arm made a weak attempt at grabbing the breathing tube, but Gabriel stopped her by softly taking her hand in his. She turned her head towards Gabriel, and she let out a tiny whimper, that made Cas’ heart ache.

After a few more minutes Claire’s eyes started to focus on Gabriel’s face, and she made another whimper. Gabriel leaned in closer and kissed her hands before softly speaking.

“Hey there, Claire bear, it’s uncle Gabe, do you recognize me.” Claire gave a small nod and Gabriel continued.

“There was an accident and you’re in the hospital. You’ve been sleep for a few days and you needed help breathing, that’s why you have that uncomfortable tube down your throat.” There was another whimper.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. These nice nurses and doctor will soon help you take it out so that you can breathe by yourself again. You just have to be brave for a few more minutes, ok?” Claire made a small nod again, her face scrunching up in discomfort.

The doctor introduced himself, asked Claire some yes and no questions to see that she was awake and cooperative. They then spent a moment removing the ventilation tube (making Claire cough) and placing an oxygen mask over her face. The doctor explained how her throat would be sore for a while.

“It hurts…” Claire said in a quiet, hoarse voice.

“I know, sweetie, I know. You were hurt pretty bad, but you’re doing much better now.” Gabriel said, comfortingly stroking her hand.

“You’re going to have to stay at the hospital for a bit, a few weeks or so.” Claire made another small nod, then her eyes wandered around the room, stopping at Castiel, who felt his hands getting clammy. Claire looked confused.

“Is…that Cassie?” Castiel had to bite down on his lip to keep tears from welling up, he nodded as Gabriel spoke again.

“Yeah, it is. He’s been very worried about you, we’ve all been very worried.”

“Hi…Cassie…” Claire managed a small smile. Cas’ chest clenched painfully and his throat and mouth felt incredibly dry.

“Hello, Claire.” He tried to say something else, but no words came out. Claire frowned.  

“I think…I heard your voice…you said something…about bunnies?” She looked contemplative.

“Yeah, yes, I, uh, I read to you.” Castiel managed to get out, voice slightly trembling.

“I see…I heard aunt Kali…and Gabe, too.” Claire looked back to Gabriel.

“We’ve all been here, talking to you, Claire bear.” Gabriel smiled. Claire looked around the room again, this time looking worried.

“Where’s mommy? Why isn’t she here?” Gabriel gave Castiel a pained look, then turned back to Claire.

“Claire, do you remember anything about the accident?” Gabriel asked carefully.

“I don’t know…” She looked as if she was thinking hard, then her lips started quivering.

“I think…I think we were in the car, me, mommy and daddy…then there were bright lights, mommy screamed…Gabe, where is mommy?!”  Claire was starting to get upset.

 “Yes, you were in the car, you were driving home when another car got on the wrong side of the road and hit your car straight on.” Claire hade started crying, and Gabe looked at her with a pained expression.

 “Your mom and dad didn’t make it, I’m so sorry Claire bear, but they’re dead.” That had Claire full on weeping and shaking her head.

“No, no, no, Gabe! I want my mommy, I want my mom!” Gabriel got up so that he could softly caress Claire, trying his best not to hurt her injury. She clung on to him, crying for her mom, until she got exhausted and fell asleep. Castiel could only watch, quietly crying, his chest aching over his sister’s pain.

A couple of hours later when Claire woke up again, she refused to talk to them, she just softly cried as Gabriel held her hand. She eventually fell asleep again, and the next time she woke up she didn’t cry, but stared at the ceiling for a moment, before speaking.

“What will happen to me now? Will I have to live in an orphanage?” Her voice trembled.

“No, of course not, Claire bear. You’ll be staying at this hospital for one more week, then you will be moved to a hospital close to where Cassie and I live and stay there for a couple of more weeks. After that, you will go to live with Cassie and his mate Dean.”  Gabriel smiled encouragingly at her, but Claire looked wary.

“Why can’t I live with you? Or with auntie and uncle?” She gave Castiel an short, apologetic look, which made Castiel smile.

“Because according to the law, Castiel is the one that gets to take care of you, since he’s your big brother.” Claire slowly nodded.

“Will you and Dean move in with me in my house then?” Claire looked hopeful, and Castiel felt bad for having to disappoint her.

“No, Claire, you will be moving in with us at our place.” Claire’s eyes welled up, but no tears were falling yet.

“I don’t want to move away…I like it here, I have all my friends here, and my room…” A tear made it’s way down her cheek.

“I’m sorry Claire, but it’s just not possible for us to move here.” Castiel said softly, hoping she wouldn’t ask too many questions why.

“Considering all that’s happened, it might be good for you to get a new start, Claire bear.” Gabriel tried.

“Think of it as an adventure, you’ll get to explore a completely new place, you get to decorate a new room and you’ll be making a ton of new friends.” Gabriel continued, but Claire looked skeptical as more tears made their way down her face.

“There’s also the amazing bonus of having me close by, I’ll be able to visit you every day!” Gabriel threw his arms in the air and grinned, earning himself a wet chuckle from Claire.

“Really, you’d visit every day?” Claire asked, looking at Gabriel with big doe eyes. Castiel deemed it a dangerous look, he’d never be able to tell her no if she ever used it on him.

“Yes really, you won’t be able to keep me away, even if you wanted to!” That made Claire smile through the tears.

“Another extra added bonus is that you no longer will have to go to church.” Gabriel continued, shrugging. Claire made small gasp.

 “I won’t? is that true, Cassie?” She looked at him questioningly.

“Yes, Dean and I aren’t exactly the church going kind.” He smiled at her.

“There’s another thing I think you might like…” Gabriel smiled at her mischievously.

“What? Tell me!” She gave Gabe a curious look.

“You know how you’ve been saying how you wish you had a little brother or sister, right?” Claire slowly nodded, and Castiel looked at Gabriel, surprised.

“Well, Dean and Cassie will be having a baby in about five months.” Claire gasped loudly, causing herself to have a coughing fit, Gabriel helped her to some water. She whimpered and made some pained sounds, and Gabriel looked regretful. Claire coughed some more, followed by a few minutes of ragged breathing.

“Sorry, sweetie, I didn’t mean to make you this excited. Are you ok?” Gabriel asked as he gently stroked her hair from her forehead. She nodded weakly. A few more moments of Claire resting against her pillow, catching her breath went by, before she was able to speak again.

“Is it true, Cassie? Are you having a baby?” She looked at him with shining eyes and a bright smile, making his heart melt.

“Yes, we are. And we’re going to need a lot of help when it is born.” He tried, and Claire’s eyes sparkled.

“Like holding it? And dressing it? And playing with it?” She looked at him expectantly.

“Yes, to all of the above.” He laughed and Claire answered with a huge grin.

“Is Dean’s belly big?” She asked with glee.

“Well, he’s got a bump, it’s not huge, but you can definitely tell he’s got a baby in there.”

“Can I see it? Is he here?” She asked, breathless, using the doe eyes again. He was right, he could not say no.

“Yeah sure, he’s in the waiting area, But, uh, we can only visit you two at a time.” Claire immediately turned to Gabriel.

“Gabe, can you go get Dean? I want to meet him.” Gabriel smiled smugly and agreed. He got up and went outside the room. Soon there was a knock at the door and Dean walked inside.

“Hi there, Claire, I’m Dean, it’s nice to meet you.” He walked over to the chair that Gabe had been using, but didn’t sit down.

“Hi Dean! Did you know I’ll be living with you when I get out of the hospital?” Dean chuckled.

“Yes, so I’ve heard, and I’m looking forward to it.” He smiled at her, and she grinned back.

“Does it feel weird to have a baby in your belly?” Dean seemed to think about it.

“A little bit, I guess.”

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Dean and Cas looked at each other, then Dean nodded at Cas.

“Well, we haven’t told anyone else, are you good at keeping a secret?” Castiel leaned in and lowered his voice. Claire gave him a sneaky look.

“I’m the best at keeping secrets.” She answered proudly.

“I trust you, The baby is a boy.” Claire giggled and mimed closing and locking her mouth.

“Does he kick a lot?”

“Nope, not yet, but he could be any day now.” Dean said.

 “Can I touch your stomach anyway?” The doe eyes were back once again, and just like his mate, Dean seemed unable to say no. He got closer to the bed so that Claire could easily put her hand on his belly and lifted his shirt. She stroked her hand over the part she could reach and cooed.

“Hi there, baby! I’m going to be your big sister…well, actually aunt I guess…but I prefer sister.” Dean and Cas exchanged smiles. She kept talking to the baby for a bit, telling it how fun they’d have playing together.

“…and I’ll show you how to ride a bike and…oh, what was that?” She looked at Dean questioningly, who had a strange look on his face.

“I…uh…” He started, then his eyes grew big, and looked at Cas.

“It happened again!” Claire said.

“Cas, give me your hand!” Dean said excitedly. Cas did as told, and Dean put his hand next to Claire’s. He waited for a moment and then he felt a tiny flutter under his hand. He looked up at Dean, mouth slightly opened.

“Is that him…?” Cas asked and smiled brightly as Dean nodded and laughed.

“That’s the baby kicking isn’t it!” Claire exclaimed excitedly and made herself have another, painful coughing fit.

Chapter Text

Gabriel was allowed to spend the night at the hospital with Claire. Castiel and Dean met up with him in the waiting room around lunch the next day.

“How has she been holding up?” Cas asked.

“Not too great. She’s been having a lot of nightmares all through the night, been waking up crying, calling for her mom, then crying even more when she’s remembered that Hester isn’t here anymore.” Gabriel looked exhausted, sadness and concern was strong in his scent.

“I mean, it’s to be expected, considering what she’s been through. I try my best to comfort her, but I just feel so insufficient.” Gabriel pulled his hands through his hair. Castiel took a step forward and hugged his cousin.

“You’re doing a great job, Gabe. No one of us were prepared for something like this… it’s overwhelming. We’re just going to have to try and do our best in this crazy situation.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I just hate seeing her in so much pain, she’s only nine, she shouldn’t have to go through something like this.” Gabriel’s voice was trembling and Castiel hugged him tighter.

“Me too… I wish there was more I could do to make her feel better. I feel awful for having to take her away from her home and her friends, but there’s no way I could move back here…I just can’t I…” Castiel’s breathing was getting faster and more shallow, he closed his eyes and tried to take some deep breaths.

“Hey, Cassie, it’s ok, she’ll be better off leaving this place, I promise.” Gabriel assured him. Castiel felt Dean’s calming hand on his shoulder. The two cousins let go of each other and Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel from behind, his mates scent helped to calm down Cas breathing again.

“There’s just so many major changes going on in her life, and she doesn’t really know me and Dean. Maybe it’s be better for her if she lived with you and Kali, people she already comfortable with and trusts, and then she’ll get to know us better over time?” Castiel asked, and Gabriel gave him an affectionate smile.

“Kali and I talked about that too, that Claire could stay with us at least for the first few months, while you all get to know each other better, ease her into things. But we looked into it and it’s a no go. You’d have to give up the guardianship and then my parents could try for custody and they’d probably get it considering my mom is seen as a closer relative than I am. Also, she’s a beta and I am but a lowly omega…” Gabriel said the last part sarcastically and huffed.  

 “This is all so fucked up…” Dean said quietly, and the two cousins agreed.

“Anyhow, I found a place close by for us to stay at until Claire gets transferred.” Gabriel said.

He explained it was a small two room apartment that an old, school friend of his owned. Both Dean and Kali would have to go back to work that on Monday, and were going to drive back home together Sunday evening. Both Castiel and Gabriel could work from anywhere, so they’d be staying in town.

They talked a bit more, then Gabriel went back to the hotel, while Dean and Castiel went over to Claire’s room. She woke up about an hour later, they read to her for a bit, then after she’d had lunch she went quiet and contemplative for awhile.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Dean said and smiled at her. Claire bit her lip and then looked at Castiel, hesitantly.

“Cassie?”

“Yes?”

“Why have we never met before? I’ve asked Gabe before, but he never really answers, he just makes a joke and starts talking about something else.” Castiel licked his lips and looked down, he knew the question was unavoidable, but he still didn’t have a good answer figured out. Before he had time to begin trying to answer, Claire started speaking again.

“I even asked mommy about you once, she said she had no idea what I was talking about, but I could tell she was upset. She asked why I thought I had a brother, but I didn’t tell her about the presents, because I promised Gabe not to. I thought that maybe it was just another one of Gabe’s jokes, that you didn’t really exist. But now you’re here…” Claire kept biting her lip, and her scent was telling him that she was nervous.

“I…uh…I’m not sure how to explain…I’ve wanted to meet you, I really have, but mother and father they…they didn’t want me to.” Cas began.

“Why? Did you do something bad?” Claire both looked and smelled worried. Castiel tried to clamp down on his own distress over the subject, not wanting to stress out his sister. Dean had placed his hand on Cas’ thigh, and was gently stroking it, trying to comfort.

“No, I didn’t do anything bad, I just…didn’t live up to their expectations.” He tried.

“So, you’re not a bad person then?” It pained Cas that Claire thought that she might have to move in with a horrible person that her parents had wanted her to stay away from.

 “No, he’s not a bad person, quite the opposite. Do you really think that your uncle Gabe would let you go live with a couple of meanies?” Dean said and smiled softly at Claire, Cas could tell that Dean was purposely trying to make his scent fill with calming omega hormones, the pregnancy helping it along. Claire seemed to relax a little.

“No, Gabe would never do that.” She gave them a small smile, but then it faded.

“I don’t understand, why didn’t mommy and daddy want you to see me then? Why did they never talk about you?”

“I…had a problem, a physical problem that the church did not approve of. So, I had to go away and wasn’t allowed to see you guys.” Not the whole truth, but not a lie either. Claire was far too young to get the whole story. He’d explain it better to her when she got older, Cas decided. It also felt wrong to put any blame on their parents when she had just lost them.

“What kind of problem?” She looked at him with a frown.

“I didn’t present, so I didn’t have a scent.” Claire’s frown grew deeper.

“But you have a scent now, I can tell, even if I can’t scent people like adults do.” Castiel felt relief wash over him, Claire was probably not a null. When he was her age, he had not been able to scent people the way she’d just been able to. His sister would most likely not have to face the same stigma that he had. Dean could tell Cas’ feelings through his scent and put his arm around Cas’ shoulders. Cas took Claire’s hand in his.

“Well, Dean is my true mate, and meeting him made me present. I’m an alpha now.” Cas smiled as Claire’s eyes widened.

“You’re true mates? Really? Only special people get true mates, they said so in church! And in school!” Her scent had changed to excited, and Castiel could tell that Claire was holding back, probably to try and avoid another coughing episode.

“Yes, really.” Dean said and looked at Cas lovingly.

“But if your problem disappeared, then the church should have let you come back, especially since you have a true mate!”

“No, they still decided against it.”

“What? I don’t like the church, they’re stupid and mean!” Claire’s frown had turned angry. Castiel chuckled.

“I don’t like them either.” He said and squeezed her hand.

They talked some more, then Claire fell asleep for a couple of hours. When she woke up again, they watched a movie before Gabriel and Kali came over to take the evening shift. Castiel and Dean went out to eat, and when they got back to their room, Castiel’s phone started ringing.

“Hello?”

“Yes, hello, my name is Elijah Schwarz, am I speaking to Castiel Novak?” Castiel didn’t recognize the name.

“Yes, I’m Castiel.”

“Great. As I said, my name is Elijah Schwarz, and I am a colleague of your uncle, Bartholomew Milton. I am also the executioner of your parents’ will.”

“Oh, I see…” Castiel sat down on the bed and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Let me start by telling you how sorry I am for your loss. Zacharia and Hester were both well liked and respected in our community.”

“Thank you.”

“I am calling to inform you that there will be a reading of the will tomorrow afternoon, and that it is important that you attend.” Right, Cas was Claire’s legal guardian, he was probably needed there to sign papers concerning her inheritance.

“Yes, ok, I should be able to make it.”

“Good, I’m sorry for the short notice, I had a bit of a problem to find you contact information, and Mr. Milton wasn’t exactly helpful in providing me your number.” Castiel could hear a slight annoyance in the lawyer’s voice, he smiled to himself, he felt sorry for the guy who had to work with his uncle.

Mr. Schwarz told Castiel to meet up at his office at 2pm the next day, Cas wrote down the address and thanked him for calling. He told Dean about what had been said, then he called Gabriel. They decided that Kali would come with Cas and Dean to the meeting, while Gabriel stayed with Claire.

The next day they, Castiel wasn’t surprised to se his aunt and uncle sitting in Mr. Schwarz office, as they walked inside. Muriel met Cas’ eyes, but hurriedly looked away, while Bartholomew completely ignored their presence. Mr. Schwarz greeted them all and went over some details concerning the will, before it was time to go through who was getting what.

Castiel counted on the meeting being relatively short, since his parents would have left mostly everything to Claire. Both sets of grandparents were already dead, Zacharia had no siblings and Hester had one sister.

 The lawyer began with with Zacharias will, he started with some of Cas’ father’s smaller possessions, most of them going to Claire, some

“The BMW X5 was completely demolished in the accident and is therefore excluded from the will. The BMW X1 goes to his daughter, Claire Novak. The summer house at Lake Eden goes to Claire Novak as well. Zacharia’s shares and savings to the amount of $985345 also goes to the daughter, Claire Novak.”

Castiel heard Dean mumble “Holy shit…” and felt Dean staring at him. Cas looked back at his incredulous mate and shrugged. He’d told Dean his parents were pretty well off but had never gone into any details. Dean just shook his head. Then they got to his mother’s will. Hester had left some jewelry, clothes and furniture to Muriel, the rest of her belongings went to Claire.

“Hester leaves the house at Angel Lane 24, including furnishing, to her son, Castiel Novak.” Castiel’s mouth fell open as he stared in shock at the lawyer, he could not have heard that correctly. He barely registered the outraged gasps from his aunt and uncle.

“Say what?” Dean looked about as flabbergasted as Castiel felt.

“Hester left the house to her son, Castiel Novak.” Mr. Schwarz calmly repeated.

“There must be a mistake.” Castiel said, still not believing the lawyer.

“I have to agree with Castiel, why on earth would Hester leave anything, especially the house, to her disgrace of a son? They both took him out of their wills the same week they found out he was a null!” Bartholomew spat out. Dean threw him a dirty look and let out a quiet growl.

“They did. But about three years ago, Hester came by my office and changed her will to include Castiel again.” Mr. Schwarz looked coldly at Bartholomew.

“I don’t believe it, Zacharia would have never allowed it!” Bartholomew continued.

“Well, tradition says that since the omega is supposed to take care of the home, they also own the home. The alpha is instead in charge of the money and luxury items, as they are the breadwinners. Hester didn’t need Zacharias permission to change her will.”

“This is an outrage! We’re leaving!” He grabbed Muriel and pulled her out of the office. Mr. Schwarz shook his head.

“Shall we continue?” He asked, while looking at Castiel. Cas nodded slowly, still dazed from the shock, he cleared his throat.

“Do you know why she decided to change the will?” He asked the lawyer.

“Unfortunately not, she never told me the reason.”

“You presented.” Dean said quietly.

“What?” Castiel looked over at his mate.

“You presented almost three years ago, that must be the reason, right?” Dean’s hand seeked out Cas’ and he entwined their fingers.

“But…bit it didn’t matter, she still didn’t want to see me, or let me meet Claire.” Sadness and grief, mixed with anger and confusion started to swirl inside of Cas.

“Yeah, and that was really, fucking shitty of her. But, she thought differently first, right? Before the church had their say? Maybe she just, forgot to change it back? Or maybe… maybe she thought you being an alpha still made you eligible to some of the heritance?” Dean suggested.

“I…guess that could be it.” Castiel turned to Mr. Schwarz again, who looked slightly uncomfortable.

“What else do we need to do?” He asked, wanting to get it over with and go back to the hotel.

Mr. Schwarz explained what papers needed to be signed and they called in Kali who had been waiting outside, then they went over all the details of Claire’s and Cas’ inheritance.

 Afterwards, they went over to the hospital to see Claire again and tell Gabriel about everything that had happened. Gabe agreed that Hester had probably thought that an alpha shouldn’t be left out of a will, no matter what. That evening, in their hotel room, Cas had another breakdown, his parents’ and Claire’s accident and everything around it, together with Gabriel being disowned, just being too much.

Dean managed to calm him down, and after talking for a long while they agreed that Claire wasn’t the only one who could need some therapy sessions to deal with the loss of their parents.

Chapter Text

Gabriel and Kali helped Castiel to go check on the house, since he didn’t feel ready yet to go over there himself. They cleaned out all perishables and other food stuff, watered the plants and got the spare keys back from Gabriel’s parents. Castiel had hired a cleaning service to go over the house the following week. Cas and Dean had decided that they should try and sell the house as soon as possible. They made plans with Gabriel and Kali to go through the house the next weekend to start going through what things to sell or donate, and what to keep for Claire when she got older.

It was hard for Castiel and Dean to part that Sunday when Dean needed to go back home for work. Cas wasn’t fond of having to be apart from his pregnant mate for several days. Castiel made Dean leave a couple of shirts that he’d been sleeping in, so that Cas would be able to scent him whenever he needed.

Castiel and Gabriel checked out of the hotel and moved their things to the apartment that same Sunday. Castiel felt comforted having his cousin by his side, and he tried to be there for Gabe in return to deal with with being disowned by his parents. Gabe said he felt like deep inside he had always known that day would come.

 They kept taking turns working and visiting Claire. She was slowly and steadily getting better, but she wasn’t well enough to got o her parents funeral that Friday. Castiel wasn’t sure she would have been allowed inside by his uncle and aunt anyway. He and Gabriel didn’t even try to attend. Claire was upset that she couldn’t go, but Cas thought that maybe it was for the best. She calmed down when he promised that they’d visit and put flowers on the graves together.

When Dean finally came back Friday evening, they both practically threw themselves at each other, scenting and kissing. They made love for the first time in two weeks, it was slow and sweet. Gabriel was still spending the nights at the hospital, his omega scent and closeness calming Claire.

Saturday morning had Castiel standing outside his family home for the first time in almost ten years. He was grateful to have not only Dean and Gabriel there to help him, but also Kali, Gadreel and Anna. Jo and Charlie were going to arrive sometime around lunch to help as well. Meg and Balthazar would come over and help out the next day.

“You ready to go inside?” Dean asked as he slipped his arms around Cas’ waist and kissed his neck. Cas nodded.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.” He said and walked up the steps to unlock the front door.

He stepped inside and when the scent hit him a barrage of memories hit him all at once, good, bad, mundane. He stumbled to the side and right away Dean was pulling him into an embrace, making Cas bury his face in Dean’s neck, and scent him. It took him a moment to calm down again, but eventually he pulled away from Dean.

“I’m ok, we can…we can start going through things...” He smiled weakly at his friends.

“You sure, Cas? You can take some time while we get started. Hell, you can leave if you like while we pack everything up. We can send you pictures of the things we don’t know what to do with.” Gadreel said as he put a hand on Cas’ shoulder. The others confirmed their agreement.

“Thank you, all of you, but I feel like I need to do this. I’ll tell you if I change my mind though.” He smiled more genuinely at them.

“Ok, but you tell us if you need anything, ok Cassie?” Gabriel asked. Cas nodded and then they divided the rooms among each other. Castiel and Dean began with Caire’s room, since all her things would be going to their home. Claire’s room had used to be one of the guest rooms when Cas was still living there. When they were finished, Castiel couldn’t help but open the door to his old room. Expecting it to be converted into a guest room, he was surprised to see it was now some kind of sewing and crafts room. Castiel briefly looked at the door to the bathroom, but quickly looked away, feeling slightly nauseas.

“Aunt Hester said she should have her own space for her sewing, painting and what not, since uncle Zacharia had both his home office and “mancave” in the basement.” Gabriel clarified as he appeared behind them on his way to Cas’ parents’ bedroom. The room still had the same flooring and tapestry, even the same desk, but everything else was gone. Castiel got down on his knees and looked at the wall under the desk, close to the floor, and smiled as he saw it.

“What are you looking for?” Dean asked.

“This ugly dinosaur I drew when I was six, it’s still there.” Castiel answered. Dean chuckled and got down on the floor to have a look for himself.

“I must say you might have slightly improved since then.” Dean winked at him and Cas laughed, as he helped Dean back to standing. Dean walked over to a half finished painting on an easel.

“She was quite good.” Dean said.

“Yeah, she taught me a lot when I was younger. I ended up preferring to do digital art in the end though.” Cas said, feeling a lump forming in his throat.

“It’d be fun to see you make something with actual brushes and paints sometime.” Dean smiled at him.

“Maybe I will.” Cas smiled back. They looked around the room a bit more and Dean asked about what it had looked like when Cas lived there. They decided that they might as well pack up this room as well. Before that they went down to have some lunch with everyone else, and in the middle of it, Charlie and Jo arrived and joined them.

Having finished eating and putting Charlie and Jo to work, Cas and Dean returned to his old room and started to put things into boxes. Dean had started going through the closet and Castiel was halfway through a dresser, when he noticed that they were out of boxes. He went downstairs and fetched some more, he also stopped and answered some questions that Gadreel had concerning what to put in the donation pile. When he returned to the room he found Dean leaning against the desk, peculiar look on his face. There was a shoebox on the desk and Dean was looking through what looked like a small photo album.

“What’s that?” Cas asked and Dean’s head snapped up, conflicted look on his face.

“I, uh, found this box under a bunch of fabrics in a bigger box, it..uhm…” Castiel put the boxes on the floor and went to stand beside Dean, he looked in the album and his mind blanked.

He was looking at a couple of pictures of himself as a kid, maybe about seven years old. Without thinking he took the album from Dean’s hands and started flipping through it from the start. It was all pictures of him, from when he was a baby and up until he was in high school. All in all, there seemed to be about forty pictures in there.

“But, they threw them all away…” Castiel mumbled and Dean drew in a sharp breath. Cas turned around and looked in the box, there was also a pair of light blue baby shoes and a brown lock of hair tied together with a silky blue string.

“W-what is all this? Why are there photos left?” Castiel threw the album on the desk, anger and confusion spinning around inside of him.

“I don’t know, Cas.” Dean tried to caress Cas’ face, but Cas took a step back, the anger building inside of him. There were footsteps coming from the corridor, then Gabriel appeared in the doorway.

“What’s going on?” Gabriel asked, concerned.

“Did you know mother kept these things? Do you know why?” Castiel motioned towards the desk. Gabriel frowned and went over to the desk to have a look. His frown turned into a look of surprise.

“Wow, no I did not know about it.” Gabriel looked at the things scattered around the shoebox.

“It did seem like it was kind of hidden away…” Dean said.

“Why would she keep it at all? They got rid of all my things, photos, my old paintings, they made it look like they never had me at all!” Castiel’s voice was loud and pained.

“The same day we found out I was a null, she wanted me out of the house! She called me a thing, a thing , Gabriel!” Dean whined in sympathy with his mate, but Cas barely registered it.

“Maybe she somehow thought of you as having died? She might have kept this stuff as a memento?” Gabriel tried to guess.

“Dead? She thinking of me as dead, as if she had lost me, would insinuate that she cared! She did not care about me, if she did, she would have contacted me! She would have told me she was sorry, she would have told me she wanted me to be her son again, that she missed me and that she hated what she did to me! That she was deeply ashamed of what she put me through!” Castiel was shouting and his voice broke at the last word.

Angry tears were rolling down his face and he was shaking. Dean took a step forward and gently wrapped his arms around Cas, and Cas let himself be pulled close. He could see that their friends were hovering outside the room, probably concerned about what was going on.

“She didn’t lose me, she threw me away…and she did not deserve to keep those things.” Cas said hoarsely. Gabriel came closer and hugged Cas together with Dean.

“No, she didn’t.” Gabriel whispered.

As Castiel’s scent changed from angry and hurt to sadness and grief, his friends piled into the room, and tried to comfort their friend in any way they could.

Dean and Cas had left the house after that, and Castiel didn’t go back again. Their friends helped pack the rest of the things over that and the following weekend. Balthazar and Meg also helped by having all contact with the real estate agent and preparing the house for the sale. 

It was a huge relief when Claire got transferred to the new hospital and Castiel could finally go back home. They had started looking at houses now that they would get money from selling Castiel’s childhood home. Since they would probably be living in the apartment for a while longer, they tried to make the guest room as comfortable and cozy as possible for Claire.

The day Claire got released from the hospital, they held a welcome party for her at home, inviting Gabe and Kali and serving Claire’s favorite foods. Gabriel kept his promise and came by to see Claire every day, and he’d sleepover during the weekends. For the first three weeks Claire would act rather shy around Dean and Cas, but then she started getting more and more comfortable. One night during her fourth week living with them, Castiel was woken up by a tiny finger poking him in the ribs. He opened his eyes and saw Claire standing by his side of the bed, looking like she’d been crying.

“Hey, Claire bear, what’s wrong?” He whispered, not wanting to wake up Dean.

“I had a nightmare… can I…can I sleep with you guys?” She whispered back, looking embarrassed. Castiel felt a warmth spread through his chest and he smiled at her affectionately.

“Of course, sweetie, climb in.” He scooted back closer to Dean, and lifted the edge of the quilt so that Claire could get in. She snuggled close to him and scented his neck, sighing as she relaxed against his chest. Cas wrapped an arm around her and tried his best not to get weepy over the blatant show of trust and affection. Soon her breathing was evening out, telling Castiel that she had fallen asleep. He soon followed her.

Cas woke up the next morning to Claire’s giggles as she was now laying between him and Dean, and touching Dean’s protruding belly. Castiel guessed that the baby was moving around again, it never seemed to stop being amusing to his sister. He met Dean’s gaze and they smiled happily at each other.

Chapter Text

Claire did well both at physiotherapy and regular therapy. Castiel also started seeing a therapist and made his own progress, he knew it was still a long way to go.

Nine weeks after the accident, the house was finally sold, they were shocked to get $402500 for it. They had been looking at houses for awhile and had a few in mind, now that they knew how much they could spend  (a lot more than they originally had hoped) they got serious, it was July and they hoped that they’d be able to buy and move into a house if not before Claire started school, then around that time so that she wouldn’t have to change schools right away. They also wanted to have moved into the new house before the baby was born.

They soon found a place they both loved, it was a two story house with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a beautiful kitchen and a large backyard. They bought it for $295600 and would be able to move in at the end of August. Claire was ecstatic about getting to choose the wallpaper and furniture by herself. She also happily helped them pick out stuff for the nursery.

All their family and friends helped with the move and getting everything ready before the baby arrived. Dean was fucking huge (his own words) and couldn’t do much, but he ordered everyone else around like a pro. Mary and John had quickly become substitute grandparents to Claire, and she had John wrapped around her finger in record time, to his two sons’ great amusement. Sam and Claire would joke around and tease each other like siblings.

Two days after they had settled into their new home, their doorbell rang. When Castiel, with Claire by his side, opened the door, he found two women and a girl Claire’s age standing outside. The taller of the two women was obviously alpha, she had short, dark hair and warm, hazel eyes. The other woman seemed to be also be an alpha, she had long blonde hair, pulled back in a pony tail, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement, she was holding a plate of what seemed to be chocolate chip cookies. Both women were smiling at them and the dark haired, blue eyed, little girl was eyeing Claire, curiously.

“Hi there, neighbors! Thought we should welcome you to the neighborhood!” The blonde exclaimed happily, as she pushed the plate of cookies into Cas’ hands.

“Oh, uh, thank you, these looks lovely.” Castiel smiled back at the energetic woman. Right then Dean came around the corner, curious to see who the visitors were.

 “Oh, and here’s the mate! Well aren’t ya lookin’ like you’d pop any minute now!” She beamed at Dean, making him chuckle.

“There’s about three weeks left, but yeah, feels like the little monster could burst out at any moment now.” He said as he came to stand by Cas and Claire.

“Let’s introduce ourselves, honey.” The brunette told the blonde, smiling fondly at her.

“Oh, yah, name’s Donna, this is my lovely mate Jody, and this here is our wonderful daughter Alex!” Donna smiled proudly at them.

“Nice to meet you all, I’m Castiel, this is my mate Dean and…” Cas was interrupted

 “I’m Claire! How old are you?” Claire was looking with big eyes at the other little girl.  

“I’m nine.” Alex gave Claire a shy smile.

“Me too! Do you go to Banes Elementary School? Because Cassie said I’ll be going there when school starts in two weeks.” Claire looked hopeful. Alex’s smile grew a little wider and she nodded, which made Claire smile back.

“Do you wanna play in my room?” Claire asked, and Alex gave her moms a hopeful look.

“Can I?”

“Well, if it’s ok with Claire’s dads?” Jody gave Cas and Dean an apologetic smile.

“They’re not my dads, Cassie is my big brother. My parents are dead.” Claire said, biting her lip. Jody’s and Donna’s faces fell.

“Oh, I’m so sor…” Jody started but was interrupted by Alex.

“I’m adopted, my first mom died when I was a baby.” Alex stated matter-of-factly. 

“Really?” Claire looked surprised.

“Yeah.” Alex nodded. Claire took a step forward and grabbed Alex’s hand, then she turned to Dean.

“Is it ok for Alex to stay and play for a while?” She was using the puppy eyes.

“Of course, she can.” Dean said, and both girls giggled excitedly as Claire pulled Alex towards her room.

That left the four adults looking a bit awkwardly at each other, until Dean cleared his throat and invited the alpha couple in for coffee and cookies, which they happily agreed to. The two alphas were both police officers and had met at work. Since it was hard for two alphas to conceive, they had adopted Alex after her mom had died of an overdose.

Castiel found himself enjoying the two women’s company and surprised himself by being comfortable telling them about his parents’ death and parts of his relationship with them. Donna had put her hand on his and told them that her own father had not approved of her mating another alpha, and that she hadn’t spoken to him in 15 years. Right then Claire and Alex had appeared and exclaimed that they were hungry, which led to their neighbors staying for dinner as well.

Claire and Alex became fast friends, playing together every day during the two weeks before school started, and they were ecstatic when it turned out they’d been placed in the same class. Castiel was very happy that Claire had made a good friend, him and Dean enjoying the company of said friend’s parents was an added bonus.

One evening, Castiel was massaging Dean’s feet as they were watching the news.

“God, I wouldn’t mind if the nugget decided to come a few days early, I’m seriously tired of this pregnancy. I hardly sleep at night ‘cause of this huge ass belly and needing to pee all the freaking time.” Dean complained.

“I know, Honey. I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better.”

“Some pie might help…” Castiel chuckled at Dean’s pleading look.

“Well, I can swing by the store and get some. What flavor?” Dean’s huge grin made Cas smile.

“Fuck, I love you! And, any kind of pie, really.”

“I love you, too.” Cas let go of Dean’s foot and started to stand up.

“No, don’t stop, I want more foot rubs!” Dean whined. Castiel snorted a laugh and shook his head.

“Dean, I can’t both rub your feet and get you pie.” Cas rolled his eyes affectionately.

“I know…ok, go get the pie.” Dean pouted. Castiel stood up again and made it two steps away from the couch.

“No! I changed my mind, rub my feet again!” Dean said as he wiggled his right foot. Castiel laughed and sat down again and started rubbing his mate’s foot again. A minute or two went by.

“I want pie…”

“Seriously, Dean?” Castiel raised an eyebrow at his pouting mate, who nodded. Castiel smiled and shook his head again, then he pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Who are you calling? I need pie…” Dean whined. Castiel signaled for Dean to hush as Donna picked up.

“Hiya, Cas! How ya doing?” She chirped.

“Hello, Donna, I’m fine thanks. My mate however wants me to both continue rubbing his feet and going to the store to get pie. You don’t happen to have some at home?” Cas looked at Dean, who was grinning again. Donna laughed.

“I see, well, you’re in luck, we do have some frozen lemon curd pie, would that do?” She asked, amusement in her voice.

“Dean, does lemon curd sound good?”

“Fuck yeah!”

“Ok, I heard that, hang in there I’ll be right over!”

“I can’t thank you enough, just let yourself in.” They hung up and there were only a few minutes before there was a knock on the door and Donna came inside.

“No need to get up, I’ll heat the pie for yah!” She told them as she made her way into their kitchen. It took a moment, but then she came inside the living room with a huge piece of pie.

“There you go, hope it’ll help that craving of yours.” She winked at Dean as she put down the plate in front of him.

“Donna, words can not express how much I love you right now.” Dean said before starting to stuff his face with pie.

“Yeah, thank you, Donna, you definitely win “neighbor of the year”.” Castiel smiled at her.

“Oh, don’t mention it, you two have a nice evening now!”

Donna left and Castiel continued to rub Dean’s feet.

One week after due date, there was still no baby and Dean was growing increasingly frustrated, pelvic pain now a constant companion. Mary had been staying in their guest room for a few days, so that she could take care of Claire when it was time for Dean to give birth. Cas and Dean were laying in bed, awake in the middle of the night.

“Come on Nugget, stop being lazy, daddy’s going crazy!” Dean whined as he was rubbing his belly. Castiel scent that his mate was exhausted and slightly agitated.

“Yeah, he seems a bit too comfortable in there, doesn’t he.” Castiel said and moved closer to Dean so that it’s be easier for Dean to scent him. Dean put his nose in the crook of Cas neck and seemed to relax a little.

“Way too comfortable.” He grumbled. Castiel let Dean scent him for a bit, then he scooted down so that he was facing Dean’s stomach.

“Hey there, Nugget, be a nice baby and evacuate the premises. We want to meet you.” He said with a serious voice, then he planted several kisses over Dean’s belly, before moving up and kissing Dean on the mouth.

“You’re such a dork.” Dean said, while looking at Cas lovingly.

One and a half week over due date, they were in bed again, this time in the early morning. Dean was crying out of frustration.

“I can’t take more of this pregnancy, I’m in constant fucking pain and I get almost no sleep! I’ve tried going for walks and walking in stairs as the doctor suggested, but he still won’t come out, I’ve tried spicy foods, pineapple and grapes, we even tried having sex, but nothing works! I will fucking scream if one more person tells me he’ll come when he’s ready, his concept of time sucks!” Dean growled as he angrily wiped at his tears. Cas was stroking Dean’s hair and tried to make his scent calm and comforting, his heart aching for his tired mate.

There was a knock on the door and Mary came inside the room, she sat down on the bed beside Dean and stroked his cheek. Dean leaned into the touch.

“I know it’s tough sweetie, I know. Try not to focus on how much time has passed, but how little time there’s left and that you’ll be holding your baby any day now.” His moms calm words and her comforting omega scent made Dean’s scent even out a little.

“I’m trying to focus on that, I do, I just want him to be here already.” Dean sniffled as his tears started to dry up. Mary smiled and her eyes twinkled.

“So, you’re having a boy?” Dean laughed a little.

“Yeah, we are.”

“Well, according to my experience, baby boys are great.” She winked at Dean, getting him to laugh again. She soon had Dean engaged in a conversation about taking care of baby boys, and Castiel felt grateful to his mother-in-law as his mate’s scent turned happy again.

Later that morning, Dean started complaining about backpain, as well as his stomach hurting. He still tried his best at walking (more like wobbling) around the house as much as possible. Castiel was preparing lunch together with Mary and Claire, while Dean was resting on the couch. Dean called for Cas to bring him something to drink, so Castiel poured a glass of orange juice and went over to the living room.

“Thanks, Cas, could you put it on the table and then help me sit up?” Dean gave him a weak smile, looking a bit pale. Cas put down the glass and then grabbed Deans hands and helped pull him up. Dean hissed and then his eyes went wide and his mouth fell open, as he put a hand over his belly.

“You ok, Dean?” Cas asked worriedly, there was suddenly an ocean scent in the air. Dean looked at Cas, eyes still big.

“I…I think my water just broke?” He said, voice lightly shaking. Castiel gasped and felt a thrill run through his body.

“You sure?” He breathed, and look down to see a small wet spot forming on the couch cushion under Dean. Dean followed Cas’ gaze and nodded.

“Your water broke.” Castiel said, almost reverently.

“Our baby’s on his way.” Dean stated, then he smiled brightly and made startled noise as Castiel suddenly grabbed his face and kissed him. They broke apart, laughing happily.

“This is happening, this is real! Shit, Dean, I need to get your bag, I need to…Mary! Get in here!” Castiel stood up, looking stressed.

“Whoa, slow cowboy, we’ve probably got plenty of time before we need to go to the hospital.” Dean laughed.

“What’s going on?” Mary came into the living room, wiping her hands on a towel, then her nose twitched.

“Oh, you water broke!” She exclaimed excitedly and hurried to Dean’s side and hugged him.

“What do we do?” Cas worriedly asked Mary.

“Well, I recommend you call the hospital, then Dean might want to take a shower. There’s probably no need to go to the hospital until there’s about four minutes between contractions. Your bag is already packed, right?” She looked at Dean, who nodded. They made the call and was told to wait like Mary had predicted.

“A shower sounds good, right now. Cas, help me get up, will you?” Dean barely had time to finish the sentence before Cas was by his side. They managed to get Dean off the couch and then he hissed.

“Dean? Are you ok?” Castiel put an arm around his back, and a hand protectively over his belly.

“I’m fine, just a contraction.” He smiled.

“Shall I carry you to the bathroom?” Cas was about to lift Dean up, when Dean gently pushed him back.

“Cas, calm down, I can walk just fine.” Dean laughed as Cas let out a soft whine. Mary chuckled.

“Is the baby coming?” Claire squeaked as she suddenly entered the room.

“Yeah, he is.” Dean smiled at her, earning himself a high pitched squeal of excitement from Claire, before she ran up to him and tried her best to hug him.

Ok, all Novaks need to let go of me and let me go to the bathroom and shower!” Dean laughed after a few minutes. Claire reluctantly let go of him, while Cas kept his arm around him. They made their way over to the bathroom and Castiel stayed close to the shower after Dean refused to let him in the shower with him.

Castiel knew he was acting a bit ridiculous, but his inner alpha was in full protective mode and he couldn’t fight it. Dean laughed and shook his head as Cas stood ready, holding out a towel and helping wrap it around Dean.

Castiel kept fussing and worrying until three hours later, when it was time to make it to the hospital. John had arrived about half an hour earlier, after Mary had called him. He was making about as big a fuss as Castiel. Kali and Gabe had also come over since Gabriel was too excited to keep waiting for news at home.

They arrived at the hospital and they were taken care of right away and getting a room. Then it took about fifteen hours of labor until baby Jack finally made his way into the world, kicking and screaming. Castiel shakily cut the umbilical cord and then held Dean’s hand as Jack was placed on Dean’s chest.

“Hi there little guy…” Dean cooed happily, tears in his eyes. Castiel just watched, overwhelmed with emotion, as Dean softly touched, scented and kissed their baby. After a while, Dean looked up at Cas, eyes filled with love and warmth.

“Hey, want to hold him, Dad?” Castiel silently nodded, his voice seemingly not working. Dean carefully put Jack in Cas’ trembling arms. Cas held his son close, scared to somehow hurt him. He slowly lifted Jack enough to properly scent him and nearly choked as a wave of pure love came crashing down inside of him. He gasped and started to put soft kisses all over Jack’s tiny head. He didn’t realize that he was crying until Dean spoke up.

“Try not to drown him, will you?” Dean said as happy tears were rolling down his own cheeks, and Cas answered by leaning forward and kissing his mate. 

“He’s so perfect.” Cas said, voice hoarse. He kissed Jack a few more times, then he put Jack back into Dean’s arms.

“Thank you, Dean.” Cas said as he carded his fingers through Dean’s hair. Dean just smiled at him and pulled him down for another kiss.

“I’ve been thinking…” Cas started.

“Yeah?” Dean said and looked at Cas when he didn’t continue. Cas drew a shaky breath.

“I’ve been thinking that I want all three of us to have the same name…” Dean nodded slowly and looked at Cas questioningly.

“And so, I’d like to change mine to Winchester?” He smiled shyly at Dean, who proceeded to pull Cas down for another kiss.

One year later.

All their friends and family were gathered in their backyard, celebrating Jack’s first birthday. Everyone had just finished eating cake, and Cas feltlike he could finally sit down and relax for the first time that day.

He looked around at all the important people in his life. He smiled as watched Claire walk around with Jack, helping him keeping his balance by holding on to both his hands. He could take a few wobbly steps on his own since a couple of weeks back. Alex was walking in front of them, cheering Jack on, who smiled happily and tried to go faster.

Cas looked to the side and saw Gabriel teasing Sam, as Sam’s new girlfriend Jess, and Anna laughed at them. Kali came up behind her mate and hugged his round belly. Jack would have a new cousin in about three months and Cas was looking forward to it, almost as much as Claire.

There was a roar of laughter and Cas looked over just as Jody raised her arms in victory, having just beaten Benny in an arm wrestling match. Donna threw her arms around her mate’s neck and gave her victory kiss. Mary, Garth, Charlie and Jo were all whooping and cheering as John sat down to challenge the champion. Victor, Gadreel and Bobby were laughing and slapping Benny’s back as he joined them in the loser’s corner.

Castiel felt his heart swell, watching all the people he loved enjoy themselves. He thought back to over four years ago, and how person he was then would have never even had dared to dream of a life like this. He felt a tear make its way down his cheek, and he quickly wiped it away. He then felt a small hand on his arm and turned his head to meet Claire’s worried eyes.

“Don’t be sad. Cassie!” She said as she climbed into his lap and hugged him. Cas chuckled and hugged her back.

“I’m not sad, Claire bear, it’s actually the opposite.” Claire pulled back and looked at him doubtfully.

“Really? You’re happy?”

“Yeah, it’s like how you cried the first time you met Jack.” Claire nodded solemnly.

“I see. But there’s no new baby’s here now?” She frowned and Cas chuckled again.

“There isn’t. I was just thinking about how I was very lonely once, but now I have all you guys in my life, and that makes me very happy.” Claire looked worried again.

“You were lonely?”

“Yeah, but no longer.” He assured her and ruffled her hair, making her giggle.

“I’m happy you’re not lonely anymore and I’m happy I have you too!” She grinned and Cas felt his heart squeeze, so he pulled her into a hug again.

“Dada!” Cas looked up when he heard his son’s voice from above and saw Dean putting Jack down into his lap beside Claire. He let go of Claire with one arm and wrapped it around his son so that he wouldn’t fall off.

“Can we join you guys?” Dean asked, smiling affectionately.

“You already did!” Claire giggled and Dean leaned in to kiss the top of her head.

“I guess you’re right.” Dean winked as he wrapped his arms around Cas shoulders from behind.

There was another roar of laughter and they all turned to see John respectfully bowing his head in defeat.

“Aren’t you going to challenge Jody too?” Dean teased.

“Nah, I think I prefer to stay like this for a bit longer.” Cas smiled and leaned back into Dean’s arms, hugging Claire and Jack close.