Two days later, Dean wakes up tangled in sheets that smell like slick, come, and sweat. He blinks and looks around, but he's alone in bed. Residual heat tells him that Cain hasn't been gone long.

The last forty-eight hours have passed in a haze of knotting, sleeping, and being pampered within an inch of his life. It's awesome. He's far past the days when he was completely helpless during heat cycles, so he could take care of himself, but it's much more fun to let Cain do it for him. His alpha instincts have been driving him to provide for Dean in every way imaginable He's apologetic, rueful, but both of them indulge the alpha's instincts.

The bedroom door opens slowly to reveal Cain, dressed in snug black briefs and holding a tray piled high with a variety of breakfast foods. There's also a steaming carafe that Dean prays has coffee in it.

His libido, tired though it is, perks up at the sight of his mostly naked alpha. Cain is all hard, lean muscle and a generous dusting of dark hair all over, shot through with grey here and there. His chest and shoulders are broad, all of his bulk comes from hard, back-breaking work and Dean wants him.

From the smirk on the alpha's face, he knows it, too. "Not yet, love," he rumbles as he comes to the bed and sets the tray down on the bedside table. "You need to eat first, then a bath." He quirks an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be winding down now, anyway?"

Dean grins as he sits up, letting the sheet pool at his waist. "Yeah, but you're hot, alpha."

Cain laughs, a deep, rolling sound that sinks into Dean's bones. The smile on his fae highlights how handsome he is. A warm feeling bubbles up in Dean's chest, and it takes him a beat to recognize it as happiness and love.

"Nevertheless," Cain is saying, "you'll have to wait a bit. I need to take care of you."

Dean lets the happiness he feels fill his scent, and a little thrill zips up his spine when Cain's scent deepens with his own alpha happiness.

This is perfect, he thinks giddily as he lets Cain feed him bites of toast and slices of bacon and fruit. When he left his pack and ran, this feeling of quiet contentedness, of home and safety and love, this is what he was looking for.

He finally gets his coffee, too, once Cain has finished watching him with an eagle eye. He cuddles back against Cain's chest, nose in his coffee, while the alpha holds him close, scent-marking him shamelessly.

Dean's a little heat drunk, he knows, but he can't help but revel in the closeness, the warmth. For the first time in years, absolutely nothing is expected of him. Cain doesn't want him to make hard decisions, or to be responsible for pretty much anything. Cain just wants to take care of him. Cain gently guides Dean to where he wants him, feeds him, and fucks him until Dean's a puddle of relaxation and satisfaction.

Even with the coffee, Dean's eyelids start to droop. Though his heats aren't as intense as they used to be, they still tend to exhaust him.

His mug is gently lifted from his hands at the same time that Cain presses a tender kiss to his neck. "Not yet, love," Cain murmurs again. "You still need a bath."

"Later?" Dean asks hopefully.

Cain chuckles, and the rumble of his chest shakes Dean. "No, come on," he says. "I've already got everything ready for you."

Dean perks up a little. "Can we fuck in the tub?"

Cain shifts away from behind Dean and pulls him to his feet with an indulgent smile. They both ignore the way the sheet falls to the floor, leaving Dean bare. "We'll see," he says.

Dean groans theatrically but lets Cain pull him into the bathroom. The room is dominated by a massive clawfoot tub, easily big enough for the two of them. There are big east-facing windows, so sunshine is filling the room with warm morning light. All of the fixtures are burnished brass and Cain has already laid out a stack of fluffy dark towels and a small basket of bath salts beside the rub.

It looks like heaven.

Dean steps into the tub and sinks down, hissing at the feeling of cold porcelain against his skin. Cain runs a soothing hand through his hair, presses a gentle kiss to his forehead, then turns to fuss at the faucet and choose a concoction of bath salts to go into the bath.

Water that's just a shade from scalding splashes around Dean's feet and legs. He relaxes into it with a groan. He didn't realize how sore some of his muscles were, or how sensitive and tender some of his skin is. After the initial sting, he lets the heat of the water soak into him, unknotting all of the tension he didn't realize he was carrying.

Once the water is up to his shoulders and the room smells heavily of lavender and honey (the whole farm smells like honey), Cain guides Dean to sit forward so the alpha can settle in behind him. Dean immediately leans back into Cain's strong chest, resting his weight there while Cain wraps his arms around Dean's middle and holds him close. Cain tucks his nose behind Dean's ear and inhales deeply.

Dean floats on the good feelings, the hot water, and the relaxing scents for what feels like a long time. Eventually, Cain produces a sudsy washcloth from gods know where and washes Dean gently, starting at his very tender neck (littered with dark bruises and teeth marks)(though not the teeth marks Dean has been really thinking about these last two days). The soothing hand moves down his arms, to his hands, and between each finger, back up to his chest, then down his belly. Cain is perfunctory when he washes Dean's cock, but it starts to fill regardless. Cain ignores it studiously, moving to wash gently between Dean's legs, his puffy hole, then down the long muscles of his thighs.

The arousal that Dean feels is less urgent than he has felt since his heat started, but it's more present, somehow, more important. Cain has spent the two days waiting on Dean hand and foot, making sure that Dean wanted for nothing while he went through his heat. The kind of attentive care that Cain has given him is like nothing Dean has gotten in any context since he was a pup, and a romantic partner has never even come close.

It makes Dean love him even more fiercely, and it makes Dean think that his alpha deserves a reward.

Dean tilts his head back to rest on Cain's shoulder, then turns so he can nuzzle and nip at his jaw through his beard. Cain hums, a low sound in his throat, and drapes the washcloth over the side of the tub again. His hands come to rest at Dean's hips, but he only holds Dean gently, like he somehow knows that this is Dean's rodeo. It makes Dean flush in arousal, an alpha giving up control so easily just because Dean wants it.

Godsdamn.

Dean arches his back, reaching behind him to thread his fingers through Cain's long, thick hair, which has remained unbound since his heat started. Cain is pressing adoring kisses to Dean's shoulder and neck, and Dean tilts his head to give him more access.

It takes a little maneuvering and a lot of Cain's help, but Dean manages to somehow get himself onto his knees, his lower legs bracketing Cain's thighs and hips. Dean rocks down, letting himself rub along Cain's cock with his hole without actually sinking down onto it. A low growl emanates from his alpha's chest, but Cain's hands remain still on Dean's waist, grounding him but not controlling him.

Finally, Dean reaches down to wrap his fingers around Cain's thick alpha cock. Cain has got to be sore by now, his knot tender and already swollen, but he gives no indication of displeasure when Dean squeezes gently and positions him so that the tip of his cock presses against Dean's entrance.

Admittedly, the bath isn't the best place to have sex. Water is terrible lube, and the efficiency of Dean's own natural slick is definitely decreased by the bath. He makes do, though, hissing at the burn of the stretch as he sinks down, even though it's been several days of marathon sex. Cain is just that big.

It seems like hours until Dean is fully seated on Cain's cock, the slight swelling of his knot stretching him even further. Dean moans and rocks a little, pressing Cain's cock against his prostate and making his own blurt precome.

"Alpha," he moans, hands falling to grip the sides of the tub.

"So pretty like this, my love," Cain says, a growl evident in every syllable. "So good for me."

The praise washes through Dean, spreading a gentle, even warmth through him. His heat is almost over, but he's far from being unaffected by Cain's words.

"Fuck," he whines, rocking back onto Cain's cock again.

"Ride me, Dean," Cain purrs. "Come on, my love. You can do it, one last time. For me."

For me. The words shake Dean's inner omega awake and he finds himself rising up until just Cain's tip is still inside, then letting gravity do the work of taking him back down to bury Cain back inside him. Dean drops his head back and moans, shuddering at the way Cain is just letting him use his cock.

"Good, good. Keep going, love."

With Cain's gentle encouragements ringing in his ears, Dean rides his alpha slowly at first, taking his time to feel every stretch, every thrust and movement. It doesn't take too long, however, before he starts to move faster. Soon there's water sloshing over the sides of the tub, unheeded by either occupant. Dean is slamming himself down, crying out every time Cain's cock hits his prostate, which is more often than not.

Cain's fingers, so gentle at the beginning, are like vises on Dean's waist, adding to the fingertip bruises that are already there. He's still not controlling Dean's actions, just holding on for dear life while Dean rides him hard.

Cain comes first, his knot swelling and locking them together. The alpha's back bows and he grinds his teeth together so hard Dean can hear it over his own nonstop moaning. Cain's orgasm trips Dean's, making him shake and tremble on top of his alpha as he rides out wave after gentle wave of pleasure.

Finally, Dean slumps back against Cain, who holds him close and scents sleepily at his neck and shoulder.

"You've rendered the bath obsolete," Cain says, no censure in his voice at all.

Dean grins. "And it was awesome."

Some hours later, they're curled up together in bed and Dean is almost all the way to sleep when a spike of anxiety shoots itself through Cain's scent. Dean's awake instantly, and he grips Cain's forearm where it's wrapped around his middle. Cain's muscles are hard with tension, and his breathing has stopped completely where it was puffing gently against the back of Dean's neck.

"Alpha?"

"Dean," Cain says softly, "we… Never discussed birth control."

It's like a bucket of cold water was dumped directly on Dean's head. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He hasn't told Cain. He can't put his finger on why he hasn't, but he thinks it's because he was enjoying himself so much with the alpha. He didn't want to lose the companionship, the easy affection, the love. He knows that he will now, if not for this, for his deception about it.

Fuck.

His scent has gone thick with distress, and Cain's immediately all over it. He tucks Dean closer to his body and presses soothing kisses to his neck and shoulders. His own scent is pumping out calming pheromones left and right.

"Shh, shh, love, it's all right," he's murmuring in Dean's ear. "We don't have to talk about it right now, we can deal with whatever comes in the morning. Shh, rest now, omega, shh."

Dean gathers up as much courage as he can and manages to mutter out, "Kinda the opposite problem of what we have, alpha."

Cain pauses in his frantic comforting. Though he doesn't move anymore, it's clear that Dean has his attention. It's just a matter of figuring out if he really wants the alpha's attention like this.

"What… What do you mean?"

Dean sighs. "I…" Cain tries to pull him over so they can face one another, but Dean resists. "Wait," he blurts out, "this is better. Easier. So I don't… Can we just stay like this?" He despises how small his voice sounds.

Cain relaxes, but makes sure to keep Dean close to him. His fingers draw nonsensical, ridiculously soothing shapes on the skin of Dean's belly. "Whenever you're ready, then."

It takes Dean longer than he'd like to admit, but not as long as he really thought he'd need to whisper out, "I can't."

Cain, to his immense credit, simply stays where he is and matches Dean's volume. "You can't what, love?"

"I can't have pups," Dean rasps, unable to make his volume increase. "I'm barren. There was an accident when I was a teenager. Put me in the hospital, and now there's… There's too much scar tissue. My chances of getting pregnant are less than half of a percent."

There are a few long beats of silence before Cain's big, long-fingered hand splays across Dean's belly, and the alpha places a gentle, loving kiss just behind Dean's ear.

"That must have been a hard thing to hear at that age," he whispers.

Dean shrugs. His voice is stronger when he speaks again. "I guess? I hadn't really thought of pups yet, to be honest. And then Dad got sick, and it seemed like I already had too many things to take care of. Pups were the last thing on my mind. And then…"

Here's the hard part. Gods.

"And then?" Cain prompts gently, without expectation or demand.

Dean takes another deep breath. "And then Ketch. We'd been hanging out, fucking for a while. I don't think he liked that I put being Alpha over our relationship, but there was so much responsibility on my plate. There was no way I could put him first. When he found out I was barren on top of all that, fuck knows how he found out, he beat feet pretty quick. Told me…" Dean swallows, because although the words don't hurt anymore, the sentiment behind them lingers, still stings. "He told me that I was broken, that no one was going to want me if I couldn't provide pups."

They're quiet for another long time, and Dean tries to brace himself for rejection.

"Dean," and there is a fierceness of will and intent in Cain's voice that Dean hasn't heard before, "you can't possibly think I'd leave you over this?"

"I mean-"

This time, Cain doesn't let Dean resist. He pulls Dean onto his back and hovers over him, bracing his weight on an elbow and staring down at the omega. Dean's taken aback by the fire in Cain's blue eyes. He's pinned where he is, staring back.

"Dean," Cain says, his voice sending a hot awareness down Dean's spine, "when I sought you out after our run in the woods, I was just looking for you. I did not know if you had pups, or if you had employment, or if you had any number of perceived 'flaws' that would make one supposedly undesirable. I simply wanted you, and I was willing to do the work to find you and court you."

One big, calloused hand cups Dean's cheek, and he realizes distantly that there are tears running into his hairline as Cain continues to speak.

"If you wanted to fill our home with pups, I would be happy, but only because that would mean that you were also here in our home. This changes nothing at all for me, my love. I want you, and I love you. Just you, not our potential, not your potential, just you."

Cain is caught unaware by the way Dean hurls himself at him, pressing their lips together in a hard, messy kiss. The alpha isn't into dallying, however, so he quickly wraps Dean in his arms and turns them again so he's hovering on top, kissing Dean back sweetly.

As he yanks Cain's briefs down, overwhelmed by the alpha's absolutely perfect response to something that has been a deep, burning shame for Dean for decades, he pants against Cain's mouth, "I'm going to mate you someday."

Cain's answering grin is triumphant, smug, and relieved all at once.

"Well," he says as he positions Dean for another round, "if you insist."

- *slides in after two months of radio silence, posts, and runs away*