Chapter Text
Dean stretched, yawning wide as he opened his eyes to the sun pouring in through his bedroom windows. It had been a long time since he’d taken a Sunday off, and even longer since he’d slept past the sunrise. He smiled as he reached down and scratched his stomach, giving himself a few minutes to just be before he forced himself out of bed.
The coffee pot had already done its thing, and he was glad he’d put coffee grounds into it the night before, despite wishing he’d set it to brew at eight instead of four. He touched the side of the pot - it was lukewarm at best. But, it was his day off, so he poured a large mug and gave it a zap in the microwave before heading to the front porch.
He bent down to pick up the morning paper and walked across the porch to the patio loveseat and sank down, kicking his bare feet up onto the ottoman and placing his mug down on the side table.
“What's going on in Cottonwood today…” he mumbled to himself as he opened the paper and shook it out, scanning the first page for something to catch his eye.
Richard, the town’s barber, was doing a cut and shave special, and Dean filed that away. The law firm was looking to hire another lawyer on, and as much as he would love his little brother to live closer than Chicago, Sammy was cut out for way more than a small town could offer. Rita down the street was throwing a yard sale this morning for the local assisted living, and there were four baby announcements, two engagements, and a McDonald’s coming to the far end of Main Street.
He flipped to the personal ads, knowing he could sometimes pick up a few side jobs for his business, and stopped short. There, in the center of babysitting ads and people selling their cars, was bold lettering depicting Alpha Wanted. Although it wasn’t necessarily a strange thing to see dating requests in the personal ads, what was weird was that it was asking for a potential mate and was written by Castiel Novak, the most sought after Omega in town. Not only that, he was also Dean’s neighbor.
Dean’s eyes widened and he found himself looking up, turning nearly completely around to look at his neighbor’s house. It was quiet, only Castiel’s sleek black cat was lounging in the sun on the front walk, flicking its tail every few minutes. He didn’t know what to make of it. In the two years since Castiel bought the ranch on the other side of Dean’s home, the Omega had been friendly but very private. Dean could count on one hand the amount of times they’d had a real conversation and he’d learned something about the other man.
He liked Cas, though. Not only was the Omega gorgeous – which, Dean’s an Alpha, of course he noticed – but he was kind and funny. He went to work every day to work with kids under the age of five who haven’t learned how to use a toilet appropriately yet! That, in itself, meant Castiel should be given every brownie point in existence.
Dean sank back into the seat and turned his attention back to the ad, reading what Castiel was looking for.
Cottonwood Falls, KS - Alpha Wanted!! I am Castiel Novak and I have decided my time has come to take a mate. But, not just any Alpha will do. I am seeking one who is clever and kind, one that is up for a challenge. Between the hours of 5pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday, my cat will be roaming freely in my yard. He will be wearing a collar with a key to my house on the ring around his throat. If an Alpha can remove the key - keeping the safety of my cat in mind - they are given permission to open my front door and I will take them as my Alpha. Under no circumstances will I accept an Alpha outside of these hours or outside of this situation. To those who are going to participate, I wish you luck.
Dean read the ad once more, then snorted, tossing the paper onto the ottoman by his feet. He waited another moment, thinking, before he turned again and his eyes found the cat. The cat had shifted slightly, its head raised, and was looking right at Dean. If the cat had been human, Dean swore he would’ve had his eyebrows raised in a challenge.
Dean held his gaze for another moment before he broke their impromptu staring contest and went back to his coffee. Well, his weeknights were going to get a hell of a lot more interesting.
Dean stomped up his front steps, already unbuttoning his flannel and pulling it from his arms. God, today sucked. Not only was it hot as Satan’s taint – thank you, Jo – but their riding mower had broken, taking Ash out of commission nearly the entire day to fix it while Dean had to push mow the Country Club. Thankfully they took pity on him and didn’t ask him to do the actual course, accepting his promise to do it Wednesday morning first thing instead.
Mondays sucked normally, but this Monday took the goddamn cake. He kicked his boots off on the porch, then let himself inside to shower and change into basketball shorts and a tee shirt. There was no way in hell he was cooking, so he ordered a pizza and took a bottle of beer with him back out onto the porch.
There was a commotion going on in the front yard next door and he looked over as he sank down onto the patio couch, sitting sideways so he could rest his legs across it and look comfortably over at the neighbor’s house.
Well, this certainly made his Monday better. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about Castiel’s ad!
A man in a pressed, sharp business suit was getting out of his black Bentley Flying Spur, his expression intense and focused. Arthur Ketch. Dean rolled his eyes as he watched the pompous Alpha shake a bag of treats at the cat who was laying on the porch railing paying him absolutely no attention. Arthur shook the bag even harder as he stepped up the sidewalk.
Dean took a sip of his beer. He really hoped the cat was too smart to fall for a bag of dollar store treats. Seriously? Ketch couldn’t even spring for the good stuff! Dean knew for a fact the dude had money, he also knew he was as cheap as they came. The one and only time Dean had done landscaping for the man, Ketch had spent the entire time hitting on Jo and trying to talk Dean down to half the price.
Cas definitely deserved better the Ketch.
“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” Arthur cooed as he stepped closer, pausing at the bottom step. He poured a mound of treats into his hand and held it out to the cat. “Come here you stupid cat,” the Alpha sing-songed sweetly.
The black cat yawned and stretched before sauntering over to Arthur. He sniffed at the treats once and Dean held his breath, waiting to see what the cat would do. The cat leaned even closer and promptly bit the Alpha’s finger. Arthur ripped his hand back, flinging the treats in the air as he yelped and examined his hand. The cat completely ignored the commotion and leapt down from the railing to go find a nice spot to lay in the sun.
Dean let out a loud laugh, biting it back as Arthur turned to glare at him. The other Alpha looked furious as he yelled over, “Why don’t you give it a try, Winchester?”
Dean laughed again and raised his beer in a toast. “No, I think I’m good over here. Good try though! I think you almost had it!”
Dean watched Arthur slink back to his expensive car with a scowl on his face and Dean didn’t try to hide his smile as he watched Ketch speeding away.
Smart cat.
Dean stayed on the porch, even sitting there with his pizza box after it was delivered, to see if there would be anything else to watch. There was only one other suitor that night, one of the town’s lawyers, Gadreel. He was still dressed up in his suit and tie and was also foiled with the treat-trick. At least the lawyer had been able to dish out for quality treats, and Dean nodded as the Alpha left, seeing the man had left the treats behind in a neat pile on the bottom step for the cat the moment the clock struck eight.
As he stood to stretch, the cat jumped back up onto the railing and looked over with his head slightly cocked to watch Dean.
“Thanks for the entertainment, buddy,” Dean called over to it as he picked up his trash and took everything inside. It was early, but Dean had to get up at three tomorrow morning to get a head start on paperwork. If he finished it early, he would be able to start with the sun to make up for the lawns they were unable to get to today.
Plus, it would ensure he got out of work on time tomorrow to sit on the porch and watch what happened next door.
By Friday evening, Dean was sitting with his dinner and a sweet tea on the porch, ready for tonight's adventurous Alphas to try their hand at cat-catching. He hadn’t eaten a single dinner inside at his table the entire week, this shit was just too good to pass up!
Dean was enjoying his Chinese food as a woman in a black backless dress entered Cas’ yard. Amara Swallow. He sighed and took a gulp of his sweet tea. That woman was evil incarnate, an air of darkness and misfortune followed her wherever she went. Dean made it a personal mission to stay the hell away from that Alpha: she was bad news. He watched as Amara held out a wand with a long leopard print string attached to it, flicking it back and forth as she walked.
“Hey, kitty cat,” she called out.
The cat licked its lips and grumbled before abandoning it’s stoop to see what was going on. Dean watched as he sidled up to her and batted at the string. After a few minutes, Amara moved to kneel, but the cat jumped back, eyeing her warily. “It’s okay,” she promised as she paused in her movements and shook the string again. “You can trust me.”
“Yeah right,” Dean muttered, eyes narrowing. The cat cocked his head to the side as if assessing her.
“Come on!” She jiggled the string again. Apparently, now bored with her, the cat turned and started back towards the porch.
“Don’t!” she yelled, making Dean jump. “Don’t you dare turn your back on me you stupid cat!” She moved to swat at the cat with the plastic wand. The cat jumped and scampered off, running to the back of the house, but Dean was not giving her the chance to run after it.
“Hey!” he shouted, standing up and moving to the side of the loveseat to lean over his own porch railing. “What the hell was that? You can’t hit the cat! I think he made it clear you weren’t welcome here, so why don’t you take yourself off of Cas’ property?”
“Why don’t you mind your own damn business, little Alpha?” She placed her hands on her hips. “I’m gonna get that damn key even if I have to wring that cat’s neck to do so.” She flashed her incisors at him as she marched off towards the backyard after the cat.
“Son of a bitch,” Dean muttered under his breath, moving quickly across the porch and down his steps. He looked at Cas’ front door, hoping to see the Omega making his way outside to tell the bitch off himself, but the windows were dark. Hell, Dean didn’t even know if Cas was home right now.
He followed after Amara, the woman screaming profanities out in the backyard. “Jesus Christ,” Dean swore as he came around the corner, seeing Amara with the plastic wand raised and the cat, wide eyed and terrified, running away from her.
“Amara! Stop!” Dean yelled, jogging forward. She whipped the toy through the air, the whistling sound of it making Dean wince. He reached down and scooped up the cat in both arms just as the plastic wand whipped across his shoulder.
“Fuck!” Dean yelled, the stinging immediate, though if he hadn’t gotten in the way it would’ve beaned the cat. He fully expected to get a chest full of claws, but the cat was burrowed into his arms, its heart beating rapidly against Dean’s forearm. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Give me the cat,” Amara demanded with outstretched arms. “Give me that damn cat!” she repeated in a guttural growl.
“Like hell!” Dean fired back, twisting out of her reach and walking back towards the front of the house. He found himself petting what he hoped was comforting pats over the cat’s head and back, though because of his allergies, he would most likely be waking up with swollen eyes and unable to breathe in the morning. He tried not to think about it.
“Fuck the cat!” she countered as she held out her hand. “Keep it! Just give me that damn key.”
Dean paused, shifting the cat in his arms to look down at his watch. He found himself smirking and looked up to meet Amara’s dark, soulless eyes. “Sorry, its 8:06. Looks like you missed your opportunity.”
For a moment, Dean thought she was going to smack him with the cat toy again. Her eyes burned into his before she hissed a frustrated breath through her teeth. “No Omega is worth this amount of trouble,” Amara snarled as she stomped off.
“Don’t listen to her,” Dean mumbled to the cat, scratching behind its ears. The key and collar jangled as Dean’s fingers brushed against it and he felt the cat stiften and start to squirm in his grasp. “Alright, alright, don’t hurt yourself,” he said as he lowered the cat down, watching as it ran forward a few feet before stopping and turning back to look at him.
Dean raised an eyebrow and met the cat’s sharp gaze. “You’re welcome,” he said, smirking as the cat twitched it’s tail in what he figured was thanks. “Next time you see someone like her? Do everyone a favor - me, yourself, and your dad in there - and just go through that damn cat door. No one wants someone like that for a mate.”
The cat flicked its tail once more, then started licking its front paw and cleaning himself. Dean tried not to think he was cleaning Dean off of his fur because, honestly, what a ridiculous thought. Dean snorted and looked down, groaning as he saw his shirt was covered in a fine layer of black cat hair.
“Alright, Cat,” he said as he started to walk forward, the cat freezing and eyeing him warily. “Go on inside, I’m sure it's past your dinner time.” Dean let out a sigh and looked down at his shirt again as he muttered, “A shower and overdose of Benadryl is in my future, thanks to you.”
He waved at the cat, then laughed at himself. It’s not like the cat considered him a damn friend. Waving at a cat. Jesus Christ. He was still laughing at himself as he made his way back to his front porch and entered the house.
Dean sang along to the outdoor radio playing Pink Floyd as he shut the lid of the grill and hung the tongs on the side. After a week of takeout, an actual meal was in order, and he’d picked up a healthy pound of steak tips from the deli in their house marinade. His mouth had been watering since he’d gone through the checkout. He had a few potatoes wrapped in foil on the back of the grill ready to go as soon as the meat was, and he’d even picked up a fresh pre-made salad (so suck on that, Sammy!).
He dropped back down on the edge of his picnic table and leaned back, picking up his beer to take a sip. Sure, he’d made enough food to feed two, maybe even three people, but that just meant he would be having the best breakfast ever in the morning.
He snorted to himself and found himself looking over to Castiel’s house, his eyes scanning what he could see of the front and the backyard for signs of the cat. He didn’t see him, but he did see his neighbor. He sat up straighter when he realized Castiel was walking towards him.
“Hello, Dean,” Castiel smiled as he stopped a few feet from the Alpha, “I just wanted to thank you for saving my cat from that awful woman.” He sighed as he scuffed his shoe across the brick of the patio. “I was in the shower when I heard the commotion, and by the time I got dressed, you already had the situation under control. But yeah,” Castiel blushed and shifted side to side nervously, “I just wanted to say thank you.”
Dean smiled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck and giving a shrug. “It’s really no big deal,” he answered, glancing up to meet Cas’ eyes. The Omega held his gaze for a moment before blushing even more and looking away. “I’m sure if I had a pet, you would’ve done the same for me. I figured you were held up and I wasn’t going to let her hurt the cat.” Dean paused, then placed his beer down on the table. “Speaking of, where’s the lil’ devil?”
“Oh, he’s inside… probably sleeping in the sun on the padded window seat in front of my bay window.” Castiel huffed a small laugh and shook his head. “You know how cats love their naps, especially in the sun.”
Dean nodded slowly, then furrowed his brow. “You know,” he started, glancing up at Cas again, “I am actually deathly allergic to cats. I haven’t really interacted with them since I was a kid… but… I woke up just fine this morning, your cat didn’t seem to bother me at all.” Dean had even woken up to find hair in his bed, despite his shower and changing his clothes as soon as he got into the house. Pet hair was seriously a bitch.
“He’s a special breed.” Castiel shoved his hands in his pockets and he rocked back on his heels. “My brother Lucifer, like you, is also deathly allergic. I bought him from a breeder about an hour from here who specializes in breeding hypoallergenic cats. A dose of any allergy medicine before or even after someone comes over is enough to do the trick! It's like they were never even around a cat.”
“Huh,” Dean said, nodding his head again. “Well, that sounds about right. I took some Benadryl before I went to sleep last night and woke up just fine. I didn’t even know they made hypoallergenic cats that weren’t furless or something.”
“The mechanics of breeding are quite fascinating.” Castiel cleared his throat and gave Dean a shy smile as he sniffed the air and nodded towards the grill. “Smell good. I should go and let you enjoy your meal.” He gave the Alpha a small wave as he turned to leave.
Dean stared after him for a moment, a pang of regret twisting in his stomach, before he found himself saying, “You know, there’s plenty of food, if you haven’t eaten yet.” Then he held his breath. They were friendly, of course, but they weren’t friends, were they?
Castiel paused in his movements and turned to face Dean, a hopeful expression on his face. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to crash your dinner.”
Dean bit back the smile and shrugged casually instead. “No, it wouldn’t be crashing! Please, join me. Otherwise I’ll be sitting out here, enjoying the evening all by myself.”
“Now that would be a shame,” Castiel replied, blushing at the unintentional insinuation. He stammered out a quick explanation, “I just mean it's such a lovely evening and would be a shame to spend it alone.”
Dean chuckled, pushing up off of the picnic table and crossing behind Cas to the grill. He flipped the tongs in the air and caught them, silently sending up a prayer of thanks that he didn’t make himself look like a dumbass by flinging them straight into the dirt. He pulled the steak and potatoes off, piling them high on the plate and turning around to hand it to Cas. “Let me run in and get another set up and the salad. Do you want a beer? I also have tea and coke.”
“Whatever you’re having will be fine,” Castiel responded as he took the plate from Dean and moved to place it in the center of the picnic table. “Would you like me to help with anything else?”
“No, I got it,” Dean answered, giving the Omega a reassuring smile before turning towards the house. As soon as he shut the door behind him, his stomach flipped in anticipation. It was stupid, of course. Castiel had put an ad out in the paper and a little quest, of sorts, to find a mate, so he wasn’t interested in the Alpha next door, obviously. But it didn’t stop the hopeful little flutter in his stomach at the idea that this sort of, kind of, presented itself as a date.
He pushed the thought away and went to the fridge, pulling out the salad, dressing, and another two beers, before grabbing a plate, fork, and knife for Castiel. As he started back outside, the thought hit him again as he saw Castiel sitting calmly on the end of the picnic table, his face upturned to what was left of the sun, and smiling softly.
God, the Omega was gorgeous. Dean suddenly realized he’d never spent more than five minutes in the other man’s presence, only ever gone about passing back and forth a greeting or two. Now there the Omega sat, waiting for Dean, like this was a date… or maybe the start of a friendship? He tried not to feel disappointed at that, because friends were damn good to have around, too.
Hell, maybe Dean needed to put his own ad in the paper for a mate…
“Alright,” he cleared his throat, making his presence known and smiling as Castiel blinked in the sun and looked over at him, “I hope you like Italian… it’s all I have for dressing.”
“That’s perfect. Here,” Castiel stood and walked over to Dean. “Let me help, you have your hands quite full.” He stared in awe at the balancing act the Alpha was somehow pulling off. Castiel took the beers, bowl of salad, and dressing from Dean’s arms and placed it on the table before sitting back down. “I don’t see how you managed to carry all that. I would’ve dropped it all long before I even made it to the door.”
Dean laughed and reached over the table to put down Castiel’s plate and silverware, then sat down across from him. “I must have been a waiter in another life or something.”
Castiel laughed back and shook his head. “You know, I tried waiting tables for a little extra money when I was in college.” He paused as he smoothed his napkin in his lap. “I was fired halfway through my first shift. I spilled a whole tray of beers on someone, dropped six trays filled with food, and as I was serving one table, the spaghetti on the tray slid off and covered the man at the table behind me. Once that happened, the owner called me to the kitchen and instantly fired me…” He shook his head again as he smiled at Dean. “The owner was my older brother, Gabriel. You know you suck when your own family fires you.”
“Oh man,” Dean bobbed his head in sympathy and tried to hide his smile. “Yeah, I have never hired my younger brother to help me with my business, but it would take a lot for me to have to fire him. If it makes you feel better, I bet most people would’ve been fired after their first three trays, nevermind six, the beer, and a plate of spaghetti.”
Castiel threw his head back and laughed, grinning as he shook his head from side to side. “Gabe said pretty much the same thing.”
“It’s the big brother in us,” Dean commented, reaching forward to serve them up each a generous helping of steak and a potato. “We have the same, awesome minds.”
Castiel rolled his eyes, “And the same amount of modesty.”
“Naturally!” Dean beamed back, finding himself relaxing in Castiel’s company. Castiel opened up the salad while Dean ran back inside for butter and sour cream. While he was grabbing the stuff from the fridge, Dean hoped the Omega felt as comfortable over here in his presence as he appeared.
They started to eat in silence; Dean had always been impressed with his own grilling ability, but today he found himself nervous, wondering what Castiel thought. That is until Castiel told him...
“This is the best steak I’ve ever had!”
Dean felt himself blush and he busied himself with shoving a bite into his mouth so he didn’t come out with some half-cocked answer about giving Castiel his meat or something equally embarrassing.
“So,” Castiel wiped his mouth and took a sip of his beer before asking, “how's work been? You do landscaping and lawn maintenance, correct?”
“Yeah,” Dean nodded, pressing his fork into his potato and watching the skin split, “I own Simple Life Services. We’re kind of a jack of all trades type of business. Things have been going good though! I even just hired on a kid in high school for the summer and weekends, as long as he’s doing well in school. We also got contracted this summer for the golf course, so I’m hoping they like us enough to make us long term.”
“I’m sure they will.” Castiel smiled at him as he cut up his second serving of steak. “I’ve seen how much care and hard work you put into your own lawn, so I can only imagine how much you put into others.”
Dean felt himself flush again and he looked down at his plate. “Uh, thanks Cas. That means a lot.”
His dad thought the whole ‘lawn-care thing’ was for rich people or people who wished they were rich people. The front of the Winchester house growing up was always potted plants they got from relatives, various toys from Sammy and Dean, and cars in multiple stages of repair from the home shop John ran. John had come to Dean’s house once and had immediately scoffed at how the grass was mowed in a pattern. Dean had spent the rest of the summer ignoring his own lawn after that, but had thankfully shaken off that gloom for the coming season.
“Your yard isn’t doing too bad itself,” he added, glancing up. “I got a close up look when I went barreling into your backyard after the cat and Amara.”
“Thank you,” Castiel replied humbly. “I have always enjoyed gardening. It’s kind of a hobby of mine.”
“Well you’re doing a great job,” Dean answered honestly, warming at the wide smile he got in response. “How about your work? How’re the rugrats?”
“They are a handful, but it's worth it.” Dean didn’t miss the way Castiel’s entire face lit up as he spoke about the kids in his care. “They love learning new things, but they especially love art hour.” Castiel snorted and shook his head. “It’s because of the glitter. I swear, I find glitter everywhere. I find glitter in places it should never be. But I love my job and wouldn’t trade it for any other.”
Dean chuckled and nodded his head. “It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you love it. And the fact that you love doin’ one of the hardest jobs there is? Well, I applaud you for that. You’re doing awesome.”
“Well then,” Castiel held up his beer and waited for Dean to clank his against it, “here's to us doing what we love and being awesome at it.”
“Here’s to us.” Dean winked and lifted his bottle, clinking them together and taking a sip. They ate the rest of their meal chatting about various things from work and about the cat until Dean brought up the subject of the ad.
“You know, I’ve been enjoying watching the various… suitors, trying to entice your cat.” He smiled and glanced up, sipping his beer as he studied Castiel’s face. “It’s an interesting concept for finding a mate…”
“It is…” Castiel hummed as he picked at the label of his beer bottle. For a moment, Dean thought he wasn’t going to say anything else, but then Cas cleared his throat and continued, “I don’t want just any Alpha, you see. The Alpha that I choose to mate needs to be many things. He has to be kind, caring, and cunning enough to beguile my cat. My cat is an excellent judge of character and anyone that is able to remove the key from his collar, well, I know they will make a good Alpha.”
Dean clicked his tongue once, watching Cas’ fingers as they pulled apart the label. It made sense, to a point. But… “What if the Alpha who wins over your cat is all of those things, is kind and caring, is cunning and maybe even attractive, but… you don’t like him? What happens then?”
“Well,” Castiel gave Dean a cut nod, his brow furrowed in a way Dean could tell he was thinking of how to answer, “my cat is very clever in his own right. He’s very perceptive and I trust in him not to allow someone that wasn’t compatible with me to get that key. So, I guess you could say that I have the utmost faith in him to find me the perfect Alpha.”
Dean nodded, then shook his head. “Well, I suppose at the very least he will weed out people who can’t be near cats, then you don’t have to worry about some asshole demanding you get rid of your pet.”
“Definitely,” Castiel agreed as he downed the rest of his beer. “He and I are a package deal.”
Dean smiled and finished his own drink, leaning back on the bench seat and rubbing his stomach. “Man, that was good,” he commented, smiling as Castiel agreed eagerly. Together, they’d managed to devour all of the steak except for a small piece and all four of the baked potatoes. Most of the salad was gone, too, much to Dean’s surprise. The sun was starting to set and regretfully, Dean had to work early in the morning. “Thank you for comin’ over to eat with me.”
“Thank you for having me, Dean.” Castiel grinned coyly as he moved to stand up and throw away his beer bottle into the glass recycling bin positioned against the back of Dean’s house. “I’ve enjoyed your company. Is there anything I can do to help with clean up?”
“No, I’ll just throw everything in the dishwasher and call it a night.” Dean smiled at him and started to stack the plates. “I hope you have a good rest of your night, Cas.”
Castiel nodded to him and gave a small wave before walking back around the low fence splitting their land and into his house. Dean wasn’t even ashamed to admit he watched him until he was out of sight before going into his own house. He put everything away and rinsed all of the plates before shoving them into the dishwasher and starting it up. Then he spotted the small piece of steak still on the counter on a piece of foil.
He hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and went back outside to sit on the back steps. He looked over at Cas’ yard, trying to spot the cat. It wasn’t right that the cat had a stressful week dealing with douchebags and didn’t get to relax with a good ol’ steak like Dean and Cas had.
Dean was about to give up and eat the piece himself when he saw something black dart across the backyard. He smiled as he watched the cat for a moment, then started clicking his tongue at it. He sounded stupid, not at all like someone trying to call a cat, but it did the job and the cat stopped chasing whatever it was after and turned to look at him.
“Come here, buddy,” he called out, holding up the steak. “You deserve a treat better than that ol’ bug.”
The cat flicked his tail to and fro a look of contemplation on his features as he studied Dean and the piece of meat held between his fingers. After another moment of thought he pranced over to the Alpha and sat down at his feet, staring up at him expectantly.
Dean waited another moment before he snorted and tossed it forward a few inches, just landing at the cat’s paws. “I see how it is,” Dean said as he watched the cat start to tear it apart with his teeth, the sound of him purring was louder than the cicadas. “You save a guy, and he still won’t let you scratch him behind the ears.”
The cat licked his chops as he swallowed the last bite of steak. He looked up at Dean with big blue eyes as he pawed at his shoe. Dean reached down to pet him, but the cat jerked back a few steps, cocking his head to look up at the human.
“No more steak,” Dean said with a shrug, realizing the cat was asking for more treats. “Don’t worry though, you don’t have to be scared of me. Consent is a thing, buddy. I won’t pet you unless you want me to. You know, or I’m saving your furry ass.”
The cat meowed as he stretched, his back arching and his tail swishing. He gave Dean one final calculating look before disappearing from his yard. The Alpha watched the cat and only turned to go inside once he saw him go through the cat door, into the safety of his house.
“Night then,” Dean called to the empty air and smiled as he went back inside.
Monday night’s suitor was Dean’s favorite so far.
“Charlie, what the hell are you doing?” Dean yelled over, snorting as his best friend raised her hand to flip him off and went back to building… well, Dean didn’t know what she was building.
He watched her for another moment, her long red hair a curtain that hid both her face and what her hands were doing. Then he called out, “You know you’re not an Alpha, right? You don’t even swing that way!”
“Obvs, Dean!” Charlie called back, swiping her hair over her shoulder and turning her head to look at him with excitement in her eyes. “But when have I ever backed down from a quest?”
Dean snorted and rolled his eyes, going inside to get himself a cold coke. When he came back out, Charlie’s creation was built.
It was an honest to God, Bear Grylls deadfall trap, though instead of heavy wood it was made from hollow plastic pipe and lined with a hot pink fabric.
“What the shit, Charlie?!”
Charlie stood up and dusted off her pants, beaming as she looked over at Dean. “What? Isn’t it awesome! The pipes are light enough that even if they land on him, it won’t hurt him. And for extra protection I padded it with that god awful scarf your brother’s wife made me last year.”
Dean blinked, then walked off his deck to check out Charlie’s handiwork.
“You sure it won’t hurt him?” Dean asked, bending down to check it out closer.
“Positive,” she agreed, glancing down at her watch. “Now get out of here, can’t have them thinking you’re the smart Alpha.”
“You’re not a damn Alpha,” Dean argued back, but made his way over to his yard. He watched as Charlie opened a can of Albacore tuna and placed it beneath the trap, rolling his eyes as she crouched down behind Cas’ mailbox.
They didn’t have to wait long before the cat slunk out of the cat door and meandered down the front steps, sniffing at the air. His ears and tail perked up and Dean was amazed to see the cat trotting over to the trap.
“If Charlie wins this crap…” Dean muttered to himself, though couldn’t deny she would be the best potential mate he’d seen yet, even though she wasn’t an Alpha, or into dudes. And that right there was really saying something about all those other probable suitors.
The cat walked around the trap, sniffing the pipes. He cocked his head and sniffed the air, finding Charlie behind the mailbox. Then he jumped up on top of the trap, effectively flattening it before he jumped down and started meowing at the pile.
“You smarty pants!” Charlie laughed, coming out of ‘hiding’. Dean was shocked when the cat just meowed again and slinked around her legs, allowing her to reach down to scratch his ears and back before freeing the food from beneath the trap.
She stayed there to pet him for a few more minutes, the cat slinking around her once more before meowing and asking to be picked up. Charlie laughed as she scooped him up, rubbing his belly before the cat bopped her on the nose with his paw.
“Good luck, little friend,” she said as she kissed his head and dropped him back down to finish his prize. She carried her trap over and plopped down in the grass beside Dean.
“Dude,” Dean said, looking at Charlie with wide eyes. “He let you pet him. You… could’ve won!”
Charlie rolled her own and tossed the broken trap into his lap. “No, dumbass. I’m not an Alpha as you pointed out a million times. I was just doing it for fun, and he knew that. I’m not a threat, nor am I a potential mate.”
“You’re both ridiculous,” Dean said and stuck his tongue out as the cat turned around and showed him his butt.
“You’re so gonna win the challenge by insulting the cat,” Charlie said calmly, and Dean nudged her shoulder.
“I’m not participating,” Dean answered softly, shrugging as Charlie eyed him. He sighed at her unspoken question. “I sure as hell am not what Cas is looking for, Charlie. And it’s okay,” he interrupted her, pushing up from the ground and grabbing his beer from the railing, “the entertainment this provides is good enough for me.”
He didn’t wait for her response as he went back inside.
Dean parked the Impala in the driveway, reaching into the back of his jeans to pull out his phone and check it for messages. He had a few from Ash and one from Jo, all of them updating him on where they were at.
As if she were capable of reading his mind, his phone buzzed with another text from Jo.
We’re good, Boss. Enjoy your day OFF.
He rolled his eyes at her and didn’t respond, shoving the phone back into his pocket as he got out of the car. It felt weird not to be working on a Wednesday, but he’d had a doctor’s appointment that morning and had shifted their schedules so it was manageable for Jo, Ash, and Kevin to do on their own.
Still, it felt weird not to be heading out to where they were at and sharing the workload with them. Maybe he could catch up on some payroll…
He was contemplating what to do with the rest of his day when he heard a commotion from next door. Dean looked up and saw Castiel’s garage door was open and, along with the sounds of things crashing, the Omega started swearing.
Dean pocketed his keys and walked across Castiel’s driveway, peeking his head into the garage to see Castiel standing on an extremely old step stool, pulling gardening tools down from the top of a metal rack. There was a bucket of tools spread out across the concrete floor and Dean started picking them up as he walked into the garage.
“Need help?” he asked, picking up the bucket and dropping the handheld spade and trowel into it. “Before it’s you taking a tumble and not a bucket?”
“Jesus Christ!” Castiel gasped as he jumped and the stool wobbled dangerously. Dean jumped forward, dropping the bucket and making the tools scatter across the floor again in favor of reaching up and catching the Omega. He pressed a hand to the small of Castiel’s back and his thigh, helping him to balance. Castiel’s breathing was ragged as he pressed a hand to his chest. “Hello, Dean,” he let out a shaky laugh as he looked down and met the Alpha’s eyes, “you scared the hell out of me.”
“I’m sorry,” Dean answered honestly, giving him a small, sheepish shrug. The movement made him hyper aware of how close he was to Castiel, and how he was still holding on to him. “I, uh, didn’t want you to fall.”
“Thank you,” Castiel’s gaze flickered down to Dean’s hands and the Omega started to blush. He drew his bottom lip into his mouth and gave the Alpha a shy smile. “Care to help me down?”
Dean nodded quickly, removing his hand from the back of Castiel’s thigh to hold up for him to grab. The moment Castiel’s hand slid into his, Dean felt himself holding his breath, and he found he had to force himself to release the Omega as soon as his feet were on the ground instead of pulling him in close against his chest. He cleared his throat as he stepped back, looking up at the metal rack so his eyes wouldn’t betray what he was thinking.
“Do you need anything up there still?”
“Yeah,” Castiel nodded as he glared at the top shelf, then looked to Dean, “my favorite cultivator is up there and it's in the back against the wall. You think you could..?” he trailed off and his eyes flicked back up to the top shelf.
“Of course!” Dean answered, stepping back a few steps so he could see where the tool was before repositioning the stool. “Spot me?” he asked and Castiel nodded, moving behind him as Dean stepped onto the stool. Dean pressed up onto his tip toes, reaching forward until he felt the cool handle. “You know,” he said as he dragged it forward, cursing as one of the prongs got stuck in the shelf, “when’s your birthday? We’re getting you a new step stool.”
“August.” Castiel snorted as he held out his hands ready to catch Dean if the rickety stool gave way. “I don’t know why you’d want to buy me a new stool when there is absolutely nothing wrong with this one,” Castiel teased as he moved back giving Dean room to jump down.
Dean handed over the cultivator and then bent down to pick up the stool, flipping it over to examine it. “Cas,” he scoffed, looking up to meet the Omega’s eyes, “you’re missing like, half the screws in this thing! No wonder it's so unstable!”
“I guess you get what you pay for.” Castiel shrugged as he stepped closer to Dean to look for himself. “I got it at a yard sale for a dollar last summer.”
“Of course you did,” Dean said with a smile, shaking his head. “Alright, I have some tools in my garage, I’ll fix it up for you. Where are you gardening?”
“Back yard,” Castiel replied as he bent down to pick up the bucket and gather his tools. “I was going to pull some weeds around my rhododendron bushes and plant some hydrangeas.”
“Alright,” Dean nodded, “I’ll meet you back there!” He turned and carried the stool out of the garage, only realizing after he was in his own driveway that he’d essentially invited himself to help Castiel. He stopped short and looked over his shoulder, half expecting Castiel to be staring after him in disgust, but the Omega was humming to himself as he collected the rest of his tools and starting around the side of the house to the backyard.
Dean pushed away his self doubt and nerves and went to collect the tools he would need to fix the stool. If Castiel didn’t want him to hang out while he was gardening, he would’ve said so, right? Right.
Dean hoped so, anyways.
He carried everything he needed around the back of Castiel’s house, noticing the Omega kneeling on the ground on the other side of the porch. Dean walked over to him and sat down in the grass. Castiel looked up at him and smiled, effectively melting away what was left of Dean’s nerves, and Dean smiled back as he flipped the stool over and started working on it.
“So,” Castiel began as he placed a handful of weeds off to the side. “No work for you today?”
“Naw,” Dean answered, shaking a few screws from their box and putting three between his teeth. “Had an appointment this morning, Jo told me to just take the day off, that I deserved it.” His voice was slightly slurred thanks to the screws, but he glanced up and Castiel was nodding, so he must’ve understood him. “‘S’weird to have Wednesday off.”
Castiel hummed in agreement. “The first few weeks of summer break is like that for me.” The Omega plucked another bunch of weeds from in between his rhododendron bushes. “It’s like I don't know what to do with myself.”
Dean smiled, getting a screw lined up and working it into place. “Break must be nice though, right? You don’t get too much time off in the school year,” Dean commented. “How long is your break anyways? Two months?”
“Yeah, just a little over two months.” Castiel nodded as he clapped his hands together, wiping the dirt from his gloves. The Omega sat back on his haunches and looked over at Dean. “It’s nice… it would be even nicer if I had a mate to share that time off with.” Castiel shook his head, his face flushed at the bluntness of his statement. “I’m sorry, that was oversharing.”
Dean gave a small laugh, feeling himself blush and he looked down. “I mean, I’m aware you’re looking for a mate… It’s been entertaining to watch, to be honest.” Dean reached up, scratching the back of his neck before he took another of the screws from his mouth. Castiel was still silent so Dean cleared his throat and tried to change the subject.
“Your hydrangeas are going to be blue,” he started, pointing at the bush to the left of where they were sitting, “the soil around here is acidic. It’s why your rhododendron bushes are growing so well. I saw you have an open area on the corner, camellias would grow well there. They’re a climbing plant, but they would fit in with your color scheme. If you’re interested, I could get you a good sized plant at a decent price.”
“I would very much like that.” Castiel smiled shyly at the Alpha. “Thank you, Dean.”
Dean smiled back at him, immediately making a mental note to shoot Jo a text when he got back inside since she would be putting in their order for the week on Friday. He was still smiling as they silently went back to work.
As Dean finished putting in the last screw, he pushed up onto his knees and tested his weight on the stool, satisfied it was safer and more secure than it had been. Castiel was humming softly to himself again, bent over and ripping the weeds out from the back of the bush. Dean allowed himself only a moment to survey his ass sticking up in the air, before he forced himself to speak.
“Well, this is much better,” he said, hoping he didn’t look guilty as Castiel looked back over his shoulder. “Would you like help weeding?”
“Thought you’d never ask,” Castiel teased as he pulled a spare pair of gloves from his back pocket and tossed them to the Alpha. “If you help me pull all the weeds and plant my hydrangeas, I will treat you to lunch.” He smiled brightly at Dean. “Sub sandwiches, homemade chips, and fresh squeezed lemonade. Sound like a fair trade to you? Unless,” the Omega gnawed on his bottom lip his smile faltering, “you have other things to do. Or you just want to enjoy your day off not doing what you do practically everyday.”
“Cas,” Dean said as he slipped back off the stool, accepting the gloves and slipping them on, “this is my element.” He smirked as he knelt down into the earth next to the Omega and shifted, bumping their shoulders together. “Just try not to get too jealous of my weeding prowess.”
“I’ll try my damndest,” Castiel deadpanned with a roll of his eyes. “No promises though.”
Dean chuckled and got to work. By the time they’d weeded the entire back garden and planted the two hydrangeas, both of them had soaked through their shirts, the sun hot on their backs. Castiel pulled the front of his shirt out, fanning himself as he pushed up and surveyed their work, and Dean had never been more glad of the fact they were both wearing blockers. The sight of the sweaty Omega alone had him salivating.
They made quick work of picking up the tools and trash, and Dean offered to water the new plants while Cas ran inside to make them lunch. The few hours they spent together were hard work, but as Dean sank down in the adirondack chair by Castiel’s fire pit, a fresh glass of lemonade and his lunch in his lap, Castiel laughing freely beside him…
Yeah, Dean couldn’t imagine having spent his day doing anything else.
It was Wednesday night and Dean settled himself on the patio couch for that evening’s
entertainment. Hell, this was better than Netflix! He leaned forward in excitement as a dark grey Ford F150 pulled up. Let the show begin!
However, a low growl made its way past Dean’s lips as he laid eyes on the asshole Alpha that hopped out of the truck.
Fergus Crowley.
The Alpha also owned a landscaping company called Crowley’s Cut Above the Rest, one he opened just a few months after Dean established his. Dean and his team had found themselves in bidding wars for jobs more than once with the pretentious Alpha, and Dean was sure Crowley had been the one that started the rumor that Dean’s company didn’t pay their taxes. That had been a stressful summer, proving to various city and state officials with the appropriate paperwork, and smoothing over social media (thank you, Charlie) to appeal to the customers that the rumor had indeed been false.
As Crowley rounded the truck, he saw Dean and flashed him a toothy smile. “Well hello, Winchester.”
Dean crossed his arms and glared back at him. “Crowley,” he growled, then turned his head to where the cat was sitting on the railing of Cas’ porch, tail flicking back and forth as he eyed the two Alphas. “I would wish you luck, but I would prefer you’d choke.”
“Now, now,” Crowley tsked, “no need to be nasty.” The Alpha gave Dean a cross between a smirk and a scowl, brushing his hands down the front of his button up. “If you will excuse me,” he added as he straightened out his tie, “I have an Omega to win.”
Dean rolled his eyes and sat back heavily against the back of the seat, watching Castiel’s yard to see what genius plan Crowley had come up with. He had his fingers crossed in his lap that it would be a failure of epic proportions.
Crowley reached into his pocket and pulled out a slim black pen, he smirked over at Dean before clicking the end. A small red dot appeared on the walkway and Dean rolled his eyes. Really? A laser pointer? God, the cat was so much smarter than that.
The little dot danced and weaved up the sidewalk and the cat watched it from the top step. He twitched his nose, his whiskers bouncing as he glanced over to Dean as if saying, ‘Is this guy serious?’ The sheer thought of the ridiculousness of it made Dean snicker.
Crowley moved the dot closer to the cat, making it dance in circles in front of its paws. The cat didn’t even so much as bat at it.
“Come on you bloody cat!” Crowley grumbled as he shook the pen more forcefully.
After a few more minutes, and Crowley making so many figure eights Dean lost count, the cat turned his back to the Alpha and flicked his tail straight up, giving him a perfect view of his ass as he sauntered away.
“Stupid cat,” Crowley hollered after it. “This isn’t over. I will be back. I will get that key to claim your owner and then the first thing on my agenda as his Alpha will be to kick your fuzzy ass to the curb.”
Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. “Sounds like a winning plan, Crowley,” Dean called over to him. “Yell it a little louder so both the catand Castiel can know what a tool bag you are!”
Crowley’s eyes widened as if the thought of Castiel hearing him hadn’t even crossed his mind. He quickly schooled his features and turned to face Dean. “At least some of us are Alpha enough to try and catch the cat. Unlike you, just sitting there on your bloody porch.”
Dean shrugged and then smirked as the cat meandered over and jumped up on Dean’s railing. “Yeah, well,” Dean said, reaching over to pick up a piece of grilled chicken from his plate, his eyes never leaving Crowley’s as he placed it on the railing for the cat. “This couch is pretty comfortable.”
“I see what you are doing, Winchester.” He pointed an accusing finger at him. “You are trying to win the cat over with food! I’m on to you, and mark my words, I will get that key before you!” Crowley huffed as he stormed back to his truck and peeled out, swerving as he sped down the street.
Dean jumped as he felt a paw hit the side of his head and he turned to look at the cat staring back at him expectantly.
He snorted and grabbed another piece of chicken for him. “Your dad better not kill me for feeding you a bunch of human food,” he muttered, taking a bite of his dinner himself. They ate in a weird, companionable silence, the cat only ever coming close enough to grab whatever bite Dean had for him.
As the sun started to set, Dean’s plate had been completely cleared and the cat was resting on the other end of the couch, its tail flicking back and forth lazily. He had his eyes closed but was purring softly and Dean chuckled. He looked like every cat’s picture of comfort.
“Alright, Cat,” Dean smiled as the cat opened his eyes just a sliver. He smiled wider as he said, “Remind me to ask Cas what your name is the next time I see him. You should probably get home though, bud. It’s getting dark.”
The cat slowly rose up and glanced over at Dean once before hopping down from his perch and leisurely making his way back to his house.
Dean watched him leave and shook his head before picking up their mess from dinner. It was weird how in just the last two weeks the cat had become such a staple in his life. He looked up at Cas’ dark windows and wondered if the Omega watched the suitors chasing after his cat, or watched Dean hanging out with him every night after hours. Then that led to wondering what other things Cas did at night…
Dean sighed to himself as he went inside, putting everything away and locking up the down stairs. It didn’t matter that it was only nine o’clock and he had the morning off: he was ready for bed. As he laid down, he was suddenly hit with how lonely he felt and he rolled over, thinking about a nameless Omega mate who, for some reason, had dark messy hair and beautiful blue eyes…