Dean's rut lasted three days, and two nights. By the time his body cooled, he was sore all over, the sensitive skin of his cock too raw to touch. But he was sated in a way he never had been before.
He had taken his omega in all ways imaginable, had licked him clean only to cover him in sweat and seed once more. It had been so good, at times Dean had wondered if it was all a dream, if he'd wake up and it'll all be over.
He held Castiel close that night, arms wrapped tightly around his mate, almost as if he knew, once tomorrow came, things wouldn't be as easy as they had appeared to the Alpha.
Like the quiet before devastating storm.
His eyes fluttered open slowly.
For the first time in three days, the Winchester wasn't crazy with arousal, and it was a relief. His body was beyond exhausted, moving even a finger somehow caused him discomfort.
And then it all came back to him.
He had mated Castiel. He had mated the prostitute that was supposed to guarantee no strings attached sex. And they had mated.
Dean jolted upright, groaning low in his throat as his muscles protested the erratic movement, the world spinning for a second before settling down.
Mated. He was fucking mated.
This couldn't be happening. Not now, not after he had finally gotten himself together after Lisa. He wasn't even ready to date yet, and now.. He felt panic clawing at his chest, laboring his breathing. How was he going to tell Sammy he had claimed an omega he had just met, never even had a conversation with that didn't concern sex? What would Bobby, the one man that had been a true father to him, think about his adoptive son bringing home a hooker as a husband?
And as much Dean hated to admit it, he cared about what Lisa would think, too. Despite the pain and the heartache she had caused him, he still loved her. Any chance they had at being together again was effectively ruined when he had bitten into the omega's neck, had tasted his blood and let Cas' taste his in return.
It was a nightmare come true, and suddenly Dean wished it had all just been a dream.
But the clattering noise from the kitchen was proof enough. This was reality, and Dean had just ruined his entire life for a man he didn't know. A man he had paid to keep things casual. So how had he let this happen?
Anger rose ever so slowly, like magma from a volcano, higher and higher until it threatened to burst out. This hadn't been his fault, not entirely at the very least. Castiel should have stopped him. This was his fucking job, so why had he failed to stop the Alpha?
Getting out of bed as quickly as his body allowed, Dean grabbed a pair of sweats from the floor, quickly sliding them on, fully intending on making a certain omega answer his questions.
Cas stood in his kitchen, wearing only a shirt Dean recognized as his own, pouring what smelled like fresh coffee into two mugs. The shirt barely managed to cover the omega's ass, leaving long legs exposed, and for a second the Alpha's anger was blown awake.
It felt so domestic, so warm and safe, like home, his omega in the kitchen, making coffee for Dean to wake to, to not bother getting dressed properly because they had been so intimate with each other that clothes were simply unnecessary. And then Castiel turned his head to give Dean that heart warming smile, crinkling the skin around perfect blue eyes, and if Dean squinted, he could see bruises blossoming along the brunette's collar bone, bruises he had left there..
This was not the time to think with his cock, and grinding his teeth, Dean recalled all the anger from a moment before, all the questions he had, the panic he felt when he thought about what his life was going to be from now on.
He couldn't help the growl, watching as that smile faded into a blank expression, ignoring the sting he felt. Castiel, he suddenly realized, didn't regret what had happened. And why would he, a voice in Dean's head questioned, when he had just landed himself a man with a decent income and nice home? Surely, the omega didn't sell himself out of joy, but for completely other reasons...
"How." He ground out, finding it incredibly difficult to form coherent sentences when his anger rushed through him with every beat of his heart.
"How what?" Castiel asked carefully, voice even, as if none of this phased him at all, only confirming Dean's suspicions that this had been planned, that he had been played by a hooker.
"How did you let this happen?" The Alpha snapped, moving forward, getting into Castiel's face. To his surprise, Cas' didn't back down. He stood still, holding his ground, head tilting a bit so he could look Dean in the face.
"I believe it was you who claimed me first." He replied, shrugging softly. "And it was you that offered to be claimed, too."
"I was in rut Its your job to stop this from happening!" Dean snarled, forcing himself to take a step back before this fight got physical. As pissed off as he was, he wasn't going to beat Cas' up.
"This is my fault then?" Castiel asked, voice rising slightly, eyes narrowing down, finally showing some sort of emotion. "You can't control yourself, and I'm supposed to stop you?As if you would have let yourself be stopped."
"Yes its your fault!" Dean bellowed, slamming his fist on the counter top beside him so hard the wood cracked. "You're a hooker, you've slept with plenty Alpha's in rut, and you were unclaimed! Somehow, you managed!"
This was spinning out of control, and Dean didn't care. How could Castiel stand before him and pretend he wasn't at fault? How could he look at the Winchester with that disgusted expression when he had trapped him in this relationship? They were bound now, the effects of that bond would become apparent once it was completely settled, and they'd have no choice but to be together, and all of this because of him.
"That's all I am to you? A prostitute?" The omega's voice was impossibly low, so rough Dean could barely make out the words being said. "This prostitue will leave you be then. Just think about one thing, Alpha. Why do you think neither of us could control ourselves enough to stop it?"
With that, Castiel made his way to the living room, leaving the mugs of coffee abandoned, and Dean frozen in place. A minute later, Castiel was dressed, and out of the door.
Dean still couldn't move.
Dean went to work the next day as if nothing had happened. He hid the bite mark with his shirt, and made sure he had washed all of Cas' scent off his body. He wasn't anywhere ready to talk about the events that had unfolded.
He simply needed more time.
It took three days spent in denial, the Winchester stubbornly refusing to really think about what Castiel had said. Eventually, he had to admit that the omega had a point. He had never considered the impact this had on the omega's life, that this wasn't how he had planned for things to go, either. That he was trapped in this just as much as Dean was.
He had behaved like an idiot, he knew that, he had just been so angry. Now he realized that he had mainly been angry at himself. Because the omega had been right, nothing would have stopped the Alpha from claiming Cas'. Nothing at all.
He had called the agency again and again, even gone to their office down town, trying to somehow find his omega. But after being refused over and over again, one of the secretaries had pity on him. She told him that Castiel had quit his job after being with Dean. She couldn't tell him anything more, but it helped. The agency was a dead end. He'd have to find Castiel some other way.
And that's where his little brother came in.
Sammy was a lawyer, he had connections to the local police. Surely, Castiel was registered somehow, by fingerprints at the very least when he got his driver's license. If he had one, that was. It was a long shot, but it was all Dean had left. He had tried to look Castiel up on the internet, the phone book, any other way he could think of, and had come up empty.
He had invited his brother over for a game and a couple of beers, two weeks after Castiel had left his apartment. Dean was already feeling the consequences of the omega's absence. His nerves were frayed, he snapped at people every day, only to apologize right after. He wasn't getting enough sleep, missing his omega's warm body beside him, and if he did manage to fall asleep, all Dean would dream of was Castiel. Sam had started asking questions, and even Benny had openly stated he was worried about his friend.
He'd have to tell Sammy everything, but the others had to wait until he had figured this mess out. Dean didn't want to be a burden to his friends and family, and if he confessed to them, he just emknew/em they'd start fretting over him like a child, would treat him differently, and he simply couldn't take that.
When the door bell rang, announcing Sam's arrival, he took a deep, calming breath. It was going to be alright. Making his way to the door, Dean tried to keep his anxiety level as low as possible, opening the door in a measured motion.
"Hey Sammy." He gave the tall Alpha a crooked grin, not able to manage more before stepping to the side. "Come on in."
"Hello Dean." Sam replied evenly, as if he was choosing his words carefully. Which was probably a wise move, seeing as pretty much anything seemed to have the potential of pissing Dean off.
"Look, I know I invited you over for a game but.." Dean started, shaking his head a bit, not knowing how to even begin to explain, closing the door.
"But you really want to talk to me about whatever happened. I know." The younger Winchester made for the living room, and Dean followed, taking a detour to the kitchen to grab two beers, handing one to his little brother before sitting down on the couch. Sam had chosen to take a seat the armchair placed at the far end of the couch, simply waiting for Dean to speak. He had always been much more patient then the mechanic, content to wait until someone was ready to share.
"I need you to help me find someone." Dean declared, letting the statement hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "I hired someone, an omega from an agency, to help me through my rut. I guess I was.. tired of being alone."
"And now you have feelings for him?" The lawyer inquired, arching a brow at his brother.
"I wish it was just that." The Alpha responded, giving a humorless chuckle. "..We mated, Sammy."
Silence stretched between them, and Dean couldn't even look at Sam, clutching his unopened beer with one hand, the other curling into a fist on his lap.
"I know what you think." He finally spoke, unable to take the silence, having to break it, to somehow explain himself. "How could this happen, what was I thinking.. Fuck Sammy, I wasn't thinking at all. It just felt so emrightem, it was.. I can't describe it. All I know is that I need to find him. I said some things, Sam, and I have to tell him I'm sorry. I need to fix this, whatever it takes, because honestly.. I'm goin' crazy here without him, Sammy."
He was ranting, but the words poured from him, the weight on his chest lifting as he shared these events with his brother.
"And you can't find him?" Was all Sam asked, and Dean shook his head.
"No. He quit the agency, he's not in the book, not anywhere." Sam gave him a contemplating glance, before popping his beer open and taking a sip.
"You're going to ask me to get someone at the police station to run his name, aren't you?" He asked, once more studying Dean's face. "Do you think it'll be that easy?"
"He has a pretty unique name. I don't think there'll be a lot of Castiel's out there." The mechanic stated, finally daring to look his brother in the eye. So far, Sam seemed to be taking this pretty well, and it was confusing as fuck.
"I'll text someone." Dean blinked, baffled, as Sam pulled out his cell, and started typing out a message.
"..That's all? You're not going to tell me that I'm an idiot for doing this?" He asked, dumb folded. The younger male seemed almost amused by this, glancing at Dean for a moment before focusing on his phone once more, giving a small shrug.
"He obviously means a lot to you. Whatever happened between you two, I'm inclined to believe it happened for a reason. You're my brother, Dean. I'll always have your back."
Dean bit back the urge to drag Sam into a hug, blinking away the tears that threatened spill at the acceptance he was shown, and hadn't at all expected.
"Thanks, Sammy."
The day after Sammy came over, Dean got a text from his brother, containing Castiel's full name as well as his address, and the instruction to delete the message once he had written them down. What they had done wasn't exactly legal, and it was better to get rid of all evidence, even if it was unlikely that there would ever be any legal consequences.
Dean had been at work, in the middle of fixing up an old Toyota when the message had come through. He had wanted to storm off right that second, only to stop himself. Rushing into this wasn't the way. Dean would stay at work, would plan out what he wanted to say, and how. Only then would he go to see Castiel.
After jotting down the information he needed on a piece of paper in Bobby's office, the Winchester deleted the text, pocketed the note, and returned to the car he been working on. His mind was spinning as he tried to come up with the right words, right phrases, dreading the possibility that Cas' wouldn't even open the door for him.
But surely the omega was feeling the effects of Dean's absence, too. Their bond went both ways, and Castiel was bound to be experiencing the same discomfort the Alpha was. He hated to know his omega was in pain, but in this case, it played out in his favor. The short temper and insomnia had recently been joined by exhaustion, at least in the mechanic's case. If Cas' felt anything like he did, he'd have to open the door, for relief alone.
He refused to rely on this, and the next hours were spent mulling over every possible outcome, making him almost nauseous. An hour before he was off, Dean finally gave up. He couldn't wait any longer. Had to go see his mate now.
Cleaning the oil off his hands with the rag he carried, the Alpha made his way to Bobby, the older beta sitting in his office chair, going over some paper work.
"'ey, Bobby." Dean greeted as he entered, the door to the office being open as it always was. "I know there's a lot to do, but. I gotta go. I'll put in the hours next week, I promise."
The beta didn't react for a moment, flipping over a file before glancing at Dean.
"You alright?" He finally asked. " You're pale as a ghost, boy."
"Yeah. Just gotta.. take care of something. Its important." Dean prayed that Bobby would let it go. The longer he stood here talking, the longer it would take for him to finally get to Cas,and every minute seemed like an eternity.
"A'right, get outta here then."
The Alpha didn't need to be told twice, practically bolting out of the shop and towards his car, ignoring Benny calling his name. The drive would take twenty minutes, if traffic was decent. Only twenty minutes and he'd see his omega again.
Dean was almost light headed with excitement as much as with anxiety. What if Castiel did turn him away, make him wait until he could no longer stand being without his mate, forced by their bond to seek the Alpha out. It wasn't how he wanted things to be between them, he wanted to be more to Cas' than a necessary evil, someone he had to be close to, not because of choice, but physical pain.
The entire ride was a blur, and he was truly surprised that he hadn't wrapped himself around a tree. But he had made it, he was parking across the apartment building the omega lived in. All he had to do was cross the road, find the right apartment, and ring the doorbell.
Gathering all his courage, Dean stepped out of his Impala, closing the door behind himself and locking her up. He made his way to the main entrance. The apartment he was looking for was numbered 221 B, indicating it was in the right wing of the large complex, on the second floor. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, the brunette had a few more minutes to gather himself.
And then he was standing in front of 221 B, only a door separating him from his omega, if Cas' was at home at all. Somehow, Dean just emknew/em he was. He reached out, taking one last second to calm, and rang the doorbell.
First, there was silence, but then he could make out soft footsteps, and something dragging over the floor. The door was opened moments later. Dean held his breath.
"...You."
"...You."
Dean swallowed at the accusing tone in his omega's voice, immediately taken aback. He wanted to lower his head and run, too ashamed to bare, but forced himself to stay.
"How did you find me?" Castiel demanded, not making any motion to indicate he would ask Dean inside, and the Alpha didn't blame him. After what he had done, Cas' had every right to be angry.
"I have friends." He replied vaguely, forcing himself to look at the omega as he continued. "Look, I know you're pissed off at me, and I deserve it. But I. I've been doing a lot of thinking and I'm just.. I'm so sorry Cas. I shouldn't have blamed you for this, I shouldn't have insulted you, I- emfuck/em, Cas, so much I shouldn't have done."
Dean paused, taking a deep breath before stepping forward, getting himself a few inches closer to the beloved being before him. Cas looked so tired, just as tired as Dean felt. He had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, reaching onto the floor, explaining the dragging sound the Alpha had heard.
"I know you probably don't want to see me again." His voice was shaking now, and he hated himself for it, hated that he was so weak before his perfect omega, when he was meant to be strong, to protect Cas', to keep all harm from him. So far, all he had done was harm. "But I hope that.. we can talk about this. About all of this. And that, in time, you'll forgive me. I want this to work out, Castiel. I want you and me to work. I'm willing to do anything to at least try and make it right. Please."
Out of things to say, and too nervous to continue, Dean fell silent. It was up to Cas now. He had done all he could at this point, leaving his fate in the omega's hands alone.
Now all that was left to do was pray.
And here's chapter three. Thank you again for all the support, you guys are awesome! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
