A/N: Meg Masters is an angel in this one... because the prompt requested a flirty (how flirt do you? o.o;) Meg... but they didn't say where they wanted her or how... *improvises*

Longest chapter, like, ever. OTL

Chapter Four: Pity

Dean came home from a day of battling engines to find Castiel sitting on the couch with his head in his hands and a calendar on the table in front of him. Dean let out a low whistle as he closed the door and after a trip to the fridge, stepped closer to Castiel to tap a beer against his shoulder which the dark-winged declined with a quiet and polite "No, thank you."

"So, what the hell happened to you?" Dean asked as he plopped leisurely on the other couch, legs stretched and crossed at the ankles over one of the couch's arms, opening the beer that Castiel declined as his wings were lifted loosely behind him over the other side. Dean was in a good mood, Castiel observed, probably because the evening was his longest gap between his medication times and he could drink a beer.

"My family," Castiel started in his perfect monotone voice and Dean moved his legs off the arm of the couch to face him, knowing that this would be one of the more serious of their conversations. The dark-winged angel didn't talk much about his personal life, but over the time that they spent together and the bits of information that Castiel let out, Dean was able to place the pieces into a pretty screwed up picture of Castiel's overbearing, aristocratic parents and siblings. "has requested for me to join them for dinner... with a potential mate." Dean blinked twice before he felt his brain wrap around what Castiel was saying.

"Just turn it down." Dean said as he looked at Castiel with conviction. "You're a grown man, Cas, they can't make you do anything." Dean huffed out a laugh, but with the way Castiel looked at him, it died in his throat. A ping from Castiel's pager broke the silence.

"I have to go to work." Castiel stated before he marched to the door, grabbed his suitcase, threw on his coat and left Dean feeling like an absolute piece of shit.

"Crap, sorry Cas." he sighed to himself as he looked at the calendar and how deep the penned-in, red circle around next week's Monday looked, like the thick paper was close to being ripped. Dean thought about how fucking horrible it was for himself be to be pressured into finding a mate and couldn't even begin to compare how much worse it must be to have your family force you to mate with someone you don't even know. That was the vibe that rolled off Castiel in that one miserable look he gave Dean. The thought of Castiel having to go through a forced mating made Dean sick to his stomach and he was really pissed off. Castiel was a good guy, Dean thought in a state of slight panic that he didn't acknowledge, and would definitely be able to find a nice omega... he deserved to be happy, not have to mate with someone he didn't even know! Another thought overtook Dean: If Castiel had to mate with anyone, it should be him- "Fuck. I did not just-" Dean sprang from his seat on the couch and grabbed the house phone. He needed to make an appointment to get new meds. Now.

[]

Dean had to wait for three excruciating days in order to get an appointment with a specialist for his huge-ass omega issues.

"Hi, Dean." came the smiling voice of the red-head, human nurse he had met when he came to the city a few years back.

"Hey, Charlie." Dean finally let himself smile as she led him to one of the back rooms and he took a seat on the examination table, the wax paper on it crumpling loudly and making Charlie giggle as he tried to not be so loud. She continued pacing about the room, gathering papers and other items before she took a seat on a stool and, with clipboard in hand, began her usual questioning.

"So what's going on with you this time?" she said with a smile, but Dean knew that she was actually concerned.

"Same old, same old. Just need a new prescription for you know what." Dean said as his wings clung to his back in anxiety, contradicting his calm smile that he tried to keep up. He hated talking about this and Charlie knew it, so she always kept the questions quick and to the point. That's why he liked her, she was funny and didn't get in his personal space.

"Alright, that's it for this," she said as she placed the filled out sheets on the counter and got up to leave again. She gave him a soft punch to the shoulder and a smile. "Take care Dean, I'll go get the doc now." Dean gave a low grunt and smirk and she left the room. After a few minutes of waiting, Dean laid down on the table and stared at the ceiling, sat straight-up and faced every direction he could maneuver on the table and paced about the office a few times before sitting back down and sighing drastically. After about thirty minutes of waiting, Dean was about to go find Charlie and yell at her for forgetting to get the doctor in her ditzyness, when the office door opened and Castiel stepped in dressed in slacks, a button-up shirt, and a lab-coat, looking at his pager.

"Cas?" Dean felt his jaw drop and closed his mouth quickly. Of course there was a damn chance that he would run into Castiel here, he was a doctor who worked with angels and specialized in omega medication for hormones. Dean felt stupid that he had never really paid attention to what hospital Castiel had been working at. Castiel smiled a small, tight smile, but his wings did twitch in shock when Dean called his name.

"So, you've come for your new prescription." Castiel stated as he walked over to the counter and picked up the papers that Charlie had left for him.

"Uh, yeah. I would've come in sooner, but I was too lazy to make the appointment, yah' know?" Dean huffed out a laugh, but it died quickly when there was no answering sound. This is awkward, Dean thought. Castiel made a sound as he speed-read the papers and turned to him with wide eyes.

"The medication stopped working?" Castiel looked honestly surprised. Dean fidgeted as he endured another soul-searching stare.

"It's not working as well as it should, that's why I need the new prescription, remember?" Dean smirked as he felt his eyebrows knit together in a scowl that he was trying to hold off. There was a long pause before Castiel continued.

"Yes, of course." Castiel said with as normal a tone as he could muster. Dean's medication had stopped working, he needed a new prescription, Castiel repeated in his thoughts. The complication was all due to Dean's more powerful omega biology, it had nothing to do with him. If it did have to do with Castiel in any way, it was because he was an alpha, and Dean did not want any part of that. In his thoughts he didn't notice that he hadn't moved for a while, but Dean did.

"Hey, Cas, are you alright?" Dean asked and that's when Castiel smelled him. The glands in Dean's wings were leaking oil which Castiel noticed had begun to soak the back of Dean's shirt. The oil smelled of Dean, but mixed with hormones that caused them it to smell like things that extremely appealed to Castiel and made his mouth water.

"Yes." Castiel shook his head and re-examined the nurse's notes. "You'll need to head downstairs to the lab to have a blood sample and oil-gland sample taken for more accurate results and placement on which level of medication you'll now need, since your pheromones as an omega have apparently increased to... substantial levels." Castiel struggled to get out as he hastily wrote and signed the order for testing Dean's samples and passed him the small colored papers. Dean took the papers, but kept his eyes on Castiel, confusion and concern in his expression.

"Dude, what's the problem? You look like you're having a panic attack." Castiel recalled all of his nursing and days of working as a doctor for omegas, and not once did he ever feel any kind of unprofessional pull towards his patients. Dean was a staggering exception. The dark-winged angel suppressed a growl as he stepped closer to Dean, abandoning his clipboard on the counter to place both hands on the examination table besides Dean's hips, not touching, but fairly close. He stared deeply into Dean's face, barely even hearing the shocked curses as examined his reaction. Dean displayed not a few, but all signs of attraction for angels and damn the world if Castiel wasn't doing the same. Just being close to Dean felt incredible and Castiel felt a shiver run down his spine, it made a primal sort of feeling burn under his skin as he felt the need to claim the younger angel in some kind of way. When Dean's wings curved towards him and meshed their light brown, oil-soaked fathers with Castiel's black ones, Castiel lost his self control. His fingers dented the examination table as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Dean's in a rough kiss. It was a moment of bliss that was quickly replaced with pain as Dean's fist cracked against his cheekbone and a knee slammed into his lower stomach, knocking him against the opposite counter.

"Fuck you!" Dean yelled as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard, Castiel swore he heard one of the hinges break. Castiel cupped a hand to his cheek as he felt along the bone. Dean had been lenient, hitting him just hard enough to only cause pain and not break anything. Castiel wished he had just knocked him out so that he wouldn't have had to see the hurt look on Dean's face.

Over the next few days, Castiel had gotten used to keeping the solid habit of working as many hours as possible, taking on as many patients as he could successfully handle and enough paperwork to keep him from returning home before he was absolutely sure that Dean was asleep and locked away in his own room. And even when he did return to the apartment it was really only for a quick shower, some new clothes, his toothbrush, and to fake the appearance to his worrying colleagues that he was actually going home after work. Castiel spent a lot of time sleeping on the couch in his office, and if Charlie had noticed and come in to place a cup of coffee on his desk every morning, they didn't talk about it.

Once done reviewing and signing a rather large pile of patient documents, Castiel rubbed at his temple and checked his calendar. It was Monday. He would have to see his family tonight. He let his head drop to the desk just as Charlie came into his office to grab the paperwork he had just finished.

"You should probably, um, get some sleep. You know, in a bed." When Castiel just looked at the red-head, she stood up straight with her head high and hand on her hip. "Go home and get some sleep in y-o-u-r bed. Do it, or else I'll tell the supervisor guy."

"He won't even be in the state for two more weeks." Castiel shut down her threat with a sigh as he stood up from his chair, handed her the finished paperwork and gave her a small smile . "But I will go home. Thank you, Charlie."

"No problem, doc." she beamed as she returned to what she was doing. Castiel packed up the supplies he had gathered in the past few days to survive in his office and returned to the apartment. He examined the clock on the wall and judged that Dean probably wouldn't get home from work for another three to four hours, so he could take some time to catch up on sleep.

When Castiel woke up, it was dark outside and he didn't really feel refreshed, but felt awake enough. He got to grooming himself, washing his face and hoping that the purple shades under his eyes weren't too noticeable to the potential mate that he would have to be charming toward tonight. He dressed in his good suit and left his room to find Dean on the couch watching TV. Dean turned to him, mirroring his shock and quickly turned back to the show he was watching and a cup of soda. Castiel watched the back of his head and wings as he warily passed to the door and threw on his coat. While he had been mulling in his own depression, Charlie had told him that Dean had given his samples accordingly. Castiel had viewed them and when Dean wasn't home, dropped the prescription in front of his bedroom door. If the less-drenched look of his wings and calmer expression were anything to go by, Dean had been taking the new medication. Castiel continued to stand in the doorway, anxious to ask how he was feeling on the new prescription, but nervous to make Dean angry with him again.

"I'm fine." Dean's bored tone answered his thoughts. "Now get going, have some fun." Castiel's eyes widened at how inconsiderate that last comment had been, but Dean made no move to remedy the situation. On purpose then. Castiel left the apartment without another word.

Castiel didn't use his powers much, but at the moment he wanted to get as far away from the apartment as possible, so he quickly teleported to his family's home, creating a huge gust of wind that blew over an unfortunate nearby tree. Once alerted of his arrival, a complete staff of white-winged angels welcomed him into his childhood home and all emotions that Castiel had been experiencing were shoved into a box for later mulling over. Now he stood tall and every bit the strong archangel that he was, his scent mingling with his brothers' and filling the house with an overbearing alpha atmosphere. He was led to the dining hall where the guests had yet to take their seats. The first to greet him was his older brother Gabriel who wrapped him in a hug as soon as he walked in the door.

"Hey, Cassie, I thought you weren't gonna show and leave me to deal with this mess." he shook his head as they separated. Out of all of his brothers, he was the closest to and most understood by Gabriel who was shorter than him, but held and emitted every bit of alpha confidence that Castiel did. After the less pleasant greetings of his other brothers and a catching up conversation with Gabriel, Castiel finally let himself be beckoned by his parents who were dotting over a young woman with short blonde hair and nearly black eyes. She wore a dark red dress, there was one strap crossing over her shoulder leaving the other bare, the hem of the dress stretching to touch the floor, when she moved, Castiel could see the slit that started at her hip.

"Hello." she smiled as she approached and lightly took his hand for a polite greeting. "Meg Masters. I'm very pleased to finally meet you Castiel." she purred and bowed her head slightly to him in submission. She didn't seem to be an omega, but the gracefully measured perfume of pheromones her reddish-black wings were wafting his way told him otherwise. When all the guests were finally seated, Castiel took his place next to Meg and gave her polite conversation and the minimum of light jokes that made her smile and laugh softly. At the end of their dinner, when the rest of his family moved to the sitting room, Meg gently threaded her arm through Castiel's and led him through the far door, into the hallway.

"So," she began and turned on him. "any reason you haven't been responding to my pheromones all night? I'm top grade, I can assure you." Castiel knew that it would come to this and was glad he had to confront her first, not his eldest siblings. Castiel stretched his wings and looked directly into her black eyes.

"My apologies, but I've already met someone-"

"Yes, I know you have an omega around, but he doesn't want you," she purred in her airy voice as she tightly wrapped her thin, spider-like fingers around Castiel's tie "or else you would have already banged his brains out and mated with him. I've done a little research on your lovely Winchester-pet," she said as she moved away to sit on the windowsill, crossing her legs and making very good use of the side-slit in her long dress. Her wings fluttered behind her in a feign of innocence. "he's not an ordinary omega, he seems to have been struggling with stronger hormones and closer episodes of heat- must have been hell resisting that- which makes him nearly irresistible to you as the incredibly powerful alpha that you are. How on earth did you stop yourself?" She smiled like acid, her red wings looking like blood as they lowered behind her.

"I respect Dean, he's not a pet, he's a person." Castiel corrected as he glared her down, unabashed by her snobbish all-knowing display. "He isn't just some omega, he's stronger than that, much stronger than you." Meg's lips pulled back in a hissing sneer, but Castiel continued. "I love him-" Her entire expression changed as she started to laugh in the same delightful tones as she had at dinner, but to Castiel it definitely sounded joyless.

"You have got to be kidding me!" she laughed at him and like a switch her serious expression returned. "Love is not a part of our culture, Castiel." He inwardly shuddered as he recalled his parents engraving those words into his brain nearly everyday, ripping apart his toys and killing his pets, all to teach him this lesson. "It's all hook-up, fuck, mate, knot, make babies," she vulgarly spat, regaining his attention. "it doesn't matter who it's with as long as they're of a good enough status to make strong offspring." She got off of the windowsill and approached Castiel again as she lifted a hand to trace his jaw. "And with your status you can have as many omega-whores in your harem as you want, but" she wafted her oily pheromones at him, which should have smelled something like flowers, but Castiel could only smell death and rot. "I will be your only wife and mother to the first of your children."

Castiel stood in the hallway for a long while after Meg had returned to the party. He gazed out of the window into the dark night sky and thought about how much the stars reminded him of Dean's smile as he repeated in his thoughts:

"He doesn't want you. He doesn't love you."