No, the Alpha wasn't paranoid at all, it just had an electronic card lock and a twelve digit code and, judging by the multiple clicks, at least eight door latches. And the door itself was so thick it just had to be lined with steel. Dean got a very good look at them. Habit and training. Knowing which way and how to get out of a room was important. Not that he expected to have to run, but if by chance he did... well, the card and code were needed from the inside as well. Once the door closed and the locks clicked into place, he simply didn't have the slightest chance of getting out.
He looked away from the card slot next to the door and looked around.
Three wide stairs ascended on the left, covered with the same kind of carpet he'd seen in Doll. He could also see as far as the glass doors to the balcony, the nighttime cityscape, and catch a glimpse of a kitchen with a bar. Just opposite the door, though, was a wall rising about halfway up the damn huge space that arched over him. The ceiling had to be at least thirteen feet high.
He lowered his eyes back to Alpha and watched him walk over to the painting that hung on the wall just opposite the door. Dean quickly figured it must be a picture of Jesus, what with the halo and all. But it was a little different than the paintings he'd seen in the churches they'd visited on every anniversary of his mother's death. It was painted in a sort of heavy-handed style with lots of brown and gold and thick curly hair and a curly beard.
Castiel stepped in front of the painting, crossing oneself and bowing slightly. It was strange, and perhaps a little unnerving, to see this particular Alpha... his Alpha... showing respect, even humility, and even more so to the picture. Sure, people did it, and Alphas did it, of course, and Castiel openly admitted to attending church services, but... religion just didn't make sense to Dean. And up until now, he couldn't imagine Castiel bowing his head in sincere humility to anyone, acknowledging that he wasn't the most dominant Alpha around.
Castiel turned to Dean.
"Spas Nerukotvornyy," he said in Russian, to which Dean responded with a confused frown. "The only picture of the Savior's face that wasn't painted by a human hand. It was printed in the veil that his followers used to cover his face when he was taken down from the cross. It hangs opposite the front door to protect the home from evil and people with evil intentions."
"Ah... well..." he said vaguely, hesitating on what he should answer more. He glanced quickly over Castiel's shoulder. "Should I...?" He let the question fade into nothingness and made a sort of half-hearted motion towards his face. Somewhere deep in his memory, he had vague memories of his jacket, his tie being tightened, his Omega mom always admonishing him not to wiggle around and complain about his ass being pushed around, and people crossing oneself around. And his dad, who tried to teach him how to do it right.
The alpha wrinkled his brow a little before sliding his gaze down his body to his feet and shaking his head a little.
"Just make sure you take your shoes off," he said, squatting down himself.
Right. Shoes. Take them off. He quickly knelt down and began working on the knot in his shoelaces as well. Here he was in Alpha's apartment, his lair, not a motel where it was sometimes healthy to get into the shower in his shoes. He pulled off his shoes and looked around for a place to put them while he thanked all the cosmic deities that he didn't have a hole in his sock. That would have been embarrassing. At that moment, Alpha took them from his hands and shoved a pair of sharp-toed velvet slippers with some oriental designs in their place.
"You have big feet. My size should fit you."
He glanced at his feet - yes, he had big feet, especially for an Omega - and then looked back at Alpha, who'd managed to put Dean's shoes on the doormat next to his own and was already climbing the stairs without checking to see if he was following. He quickly slipped on his boots, which looked ridiculously omega on his foot and in fact he couldn't imagine Cas ever wearing them, and ran up the stairs.
The alpha walked quickly to his destination, so he didn't have much time to look around, but he did it as carefully as he could anyway.
The apartment was big, like really really big, but not actually huge. He was expecting something even bigger, maybe even a duplex, like in the movies or catalogs, but no. It was just one big room, with big windows and balconies overlooking the city on two sides, and either sliding doors to other rooms on the other two sides - they were heading to one of them - or furniture. Although actually...furniture... To the right was the living room, which had an antique-looking sofa and large armchairs along with an antique-looking coffee table, but that was all the furniture that was there. Except for the space for the huge television hanging on the wall, a bookcase covered all available walls, up to the height of the partition in front of the front door. And it wasn't the kind made of pipes and planks or chipboard that was common in libraries, bookstores and schools because it was cheap but practical. This was heavy on the dark brown painted wood. He had seen a similar bookcase at Bobby's. Old Alpha had a strange hobby. He collected old books on monsters, ghosts and witchcraft, and had so many that he not only filled all four walls of his small study, but there were books on mysticism all over the house. Still, as far as Dean could guess, Bobby's library wasn't even a quarter the size of Castiel's.
He glanced over to the other side, where there was a large kitchenette, including a bar he could see from the doorway. The kitchen looked very modern. All glossy black, white and stainless steel with a variety of appliances like a huge coffee maker, a large microwave or something that looked a lot like the beautiful pot Cas had brought to the park for their meeting. And somehow it all contrasted with the rather cheap looking small light wood table and four chairs. Plus, it was all so... impersonal, as if no one used the kitchen to make coffee.
At first he thought it was just that the kitchen was clean and new, but then it dawned on him.
Alpha's scent was everywhere, because this was his lair. It was strong, unmixed with any other person's scent, but it mainly trailed from the library. It was where Castiel spent most of his time. He could totally picture him sitting on a couch or in a chair, legs comfortably stretched out in front of him, a book in his hands, the setting sun illuminating them. He would look... perfect and relaxed too. He'd have one of those little smiles on his lips, and the lines around his eyes would deepen... It would be nice to see him like that sometime, or even sit on that same couch and watch TV with him. Some B-horror movie that would make Alpha wrinkle his nose and curl his lips, like almost everyone else who wasn't a fan, like Dean.
His chest stung a little at the thought. Something like that was never going to happen no matter how much his stupid Omega wanted it to, or even no matter that she was happy with herself right now and deeply convinced that this was Dean's new home. After all, this was his Alpha's lair, so where else would he live?
No! He forbade himself from thinking such foolish thoughts. He preferred to pay attention to his Alpha, who had just opened the sliding door for him and, while he held it open, gestured with his hand for him to come in.
The bedroom was dominated by a large bed with a black velvet headboard, which he'd already spotted during the video call, and the only other furniture was the long bedside tables on either side of which stood old-looking lamps that somehow didn't match the modern bed. The right wall of the room was again one large window with a door to the balcony, but unlike the windows in the main room, there were blinds here. To the left was a pair of sliding doors.
A warm hand rested on the back of his neck, gently kneading his neck.
"The first door on the left is the bathroom. You'll find the towels easily. Feel free to take your time while I get you some clean shirts," Cas said, whereupon Dean felt a quick kiss pressed against the back of his neck. Then he ruffled his hair one last time and closed the door behind him as he left the bedroom, leaving him space, time and privacy.
He looked around one more time before heading into the bathroom.
He opened the door and yeah... the bathroom was fucking huge. Well, not compared to the apartment itself, of course, but who needed a bathroom so big that he could live in it with his dad and Sammy in peace? It was ridiculously big, though... he looked around and wow... yeah, he was starting to change his mind. The two sinks set into the stone countertop and the huge shower were cool in their own right, but the bathtub! A gorgeous, huge bathtub, at least for four people, that had a whirlpool in it. That was something. God, how he would have loved to have loaded himself into the warm water for an hour or two. Oh, he'd bet the tub must have had a heater to keep the water warm, because the bathroom itself definitely had a heated floor. He could feel it even through the thin soles of his shoes.
He loved bathtubs. He was a gentle, spoiled Omega at this point, and he loved baths with all the trimmings, including a thick lather with some nice scent to match his own, and maybe some oils and stuff. The last time he'd been lucky enough to take a bath was about three months ago, when they'd gotten a room with a clogged drain and the bathroom had started filling with stinky water during the night. When he walked in there in the morning, still groggy, he didn't notice the water and slammed his head on the floor with himself so hard that he broke his head off the tile. It was nothing, it didn't need stitches, and it hardly hurt (he'd stumbled around much worse in his life and gotten bigger beatings), but it was a wonderful opportunity to get something for free. He made a scene in front of the motel manager ala poor, fragile, injured Omega, and Dad got so mad at the sight that they got a honeymoon suite for the next night, just to prevent the manager from any more scenes or problems.
Too bad he'll never use this bathtub. Certainly not alone, because... he could imagine Alpha taking him in there for a while sometime later that night. Yeah, I guess that would work.
He cast one last wistful glance at the tub and walked over to the sinks.
He picked one that didn't have a plastic cup with a toothbrush and toothpaste (the cheap stuff they had at every corner convenience store) and after a brief glance in the mirror, put his hands under the photo booth to rinse them off. He also washed his face and finally rinsed his mouth a few times to get rid of the lingering bitter taste with a hint of baked cherries. Theoretically, all he would have had to do was wash out the stains on the front of his shirt and he would have been done, but he knew that Alpha hadn't brought him here just to shower. And since he'd washed for the last time last night, and his underpants were certainly soaked and sticky, it was best to rinse off before getting into bed with Cas.
He quickly shed all his clothes.
The bathroom floor was really warm, the shower had a non-slip surface and jets on the walls. Holy fucking mother! It had jets! And a fucking display where you could set the temperature and which jets you wanted to turn on. That was awesome! This bathroom was just amazing. He could live in it, all he needed was a sleeping bag.
It was his usual damn bad luck that this was probably the only chance he'd get to try this amazing shower and he didn't have time to do it. There was nothing he could do. He wasn't here to enjoy the conveniences of Alpha's luxurious home.
The shower controls were quite simple, picture perfect, all he had to do was press what he wanted. Only he was confused about the temperature for a moment before he realized that in Russia, like everywhere in Europe, they used degrees Celsius, so 45 wasn't fucking cold. Then it was all perfect.
He washed off not only the sweat but a lot of the stress of the last few days. He felt... here in Alpha's lair... just too comfortable and safe. And he knew he should be more vigilant, but... god, the shower was perfect and Alpha's heavy scent of roasted cherries and bitter almonds was so strong everywhere that his Omega was just purring contentedly somewhere in the back of his mind.
When he finally forced himself out of the shower - he must have been in it a long time, and it was a bit of a surprise that Castiel hadn't started looking for him - he easily found a shelf full of fluffy white towels, and while he towelled himself off, he wondered in his mind what it was like to use the bidet, and if Alpha's toilet had a heated seat. It existed, didn't it? Heated toilet seats.
He tied a towel around his waist, raked his damp hair through the toilet to give it some shape, and went out into the bedroom, half expecting to find Alpha there. But the room was empty. The only thing waiting for him were two plastic bags on the bed. One contained a plain black short-sleeved shirt and the other a simple pair of black sweatpants. Practical, unscented, packed in leak proof bags and designed for Alphas and Omegas. Were these the clothes the Alpha bought for himself? No, more likely not, because his clothes were made of fine, expensive fabrics, definitely hand-sewn and everything. These were mass-produced pieces. He must have had them for Alpha's visits.
He suppressed thoughts of his Case with anyone else and dressed quickly.
Alpha was probably waiting for him next door. He opened the sliding door to follow, only to hear his voice as soon as he did. He was talking loudly, probably on the phone and in Russian, so it was impossible to tell if he was angry or just talking to his brother again. Either way, Dean decided not to disturb him, preferring to wait in the bedroom.
He left the door ajar and sat on the bed.
Of course, his eyes immediately began to wander around the room. It was actually more or less empty, except for the large, wonderfully soft and comfortable bed he was sitting on and the bedside tables. Hmm, what did the Alpha have in his bedside table? A gun? Money? Drugs? Condoms? A book and reading glasses? An iPad with porn on the browser? Just empty drawers or all of the above? He got up to go look, but couldn't get to the nightstand because... there was a second door! That was a whole other room to explore.
He tried the door to see if it would open, and since it surprisingly did, he threw it wide open and was left staring at a ridiculously huge closet, at least as big as the bathroom.
Slowly he walked in, taking in the smell of dry cleaning, expensive fabrics, Alpha's scent, and even picked up the smell of leather somewhere in the background, probably from boots and fur.
One wall was filled with racks of shirts and jackets hanging together with pants. Most of the shirts were white and most of the jackets were black, and as he walked slowly past them, they all seemed to have the same cut. There were a few completely wild pieces by Cas' standards though, like the red and black shirts and even a few light pink and blue ones. He also discovered one light and dark blue striped jacket and another white jacket. Wow! Totally crazy!
At the end of the long pole were coats, and several of them. There was the old, beige one that Alpha wore a lot and from which his lovely scent was already wafting in the distance. Dean couldn't resist burying his nose in it. But since that wasn't enough, he simply wrapped his arms around the coat and carefully rubbed his face, hair, and especially his chin against it, not only to apply Alpha's scent to his freshly washed body, but more importantly to apply his scent to his favorite clothes. It was probably a stupid idea, and he ran the risk of making Castiel uncomfortable, but his Omega purred contentedly and Alpha let it be known many times that he liked Dean's scent. Maybe he wouldn't mind having it on his coat, where it would probably howl quickly besides, drowned out by Castiel's own dominating scent. So maybe it was a bit of a show of defiance, but it satisfied Dean.
He let go of the coat and looked at the next in line. Simple, black, long men's coats straight out of fashion magazines, except for the last one... Oh come on, really? He grinned. The last coat had a fur collar. Only women and Omega men wore those. He couldn't imagine any Alpha wearing it, especially Castiel, but he'd certainly like to see it. Just for the fun of it.
Amused and with a smirk on his face, he went to explore the other side of the locker room. His gaze briefly lingered on the tall mirror that took up most of the shorter wall, and he had to walk around the backless seat that stood in the middle of the room to get to the shoe rack.
At first glance, most of them were the same, leather, black, shiny, and obviously luxurious and expensive. On the second he found they had differently shaped toes and different decorative stitching. There were also a few brown loafers, a few sneakers that he couldn't imagine wearing on Alpha either, and one great rarity; a pair of leather sandals that stuck out like a fucking sore thumb from the collection.
If he wanted to continue exploring, he had a choice between a large wall full of simple drawers and an antique looking chest of drawers with a mirror attached to it. He chose the larger one and opened the first drawer. The drawer, like its birth sister immediately next door, was filled with simple white tank tops. Nothing amusing. The next drawer was already more interesting because it contained underwear. Mostly white boxers, then, which he already knew, and the same ones in black, too, but man! Alpha had a few silk pieces in black, blue, purple and dark red. He could definitely picture Cas's nicely shaped and firm ass in these. Sexy.
The other drawers were boring. White and black socks, some fancy pajamas, nothing he hadn't anticipated, so he didn't investigate too much and moved to the old dresser.
He pulled out the first drawer and found it wasn't a dresser. It was a bloody huge jewellery chest, and the very first drawer he opened peeked out at him a collection of rings set in those ring cushions. All the rings were obviously men's size, Castiel's size. They were mostly gold, but also silver and platinum. Some looked like signet rings, others had stones on them, others were just rings with or without engraving. Most were classic in appearance, but a few were modern. One, for example, was two rings with ball bearings between them so it could be turned.
In another drawer he opened were bracelets. Mostly chain and gold ones, like he saw on Castiel normally, but also a few solid ones and even two nice bracelets that had leather straps embedded in them. Exactly Dean's style. They'd fit perfectly with the ones he was wearing right now, they just probably weren't bought at a flea market.
He opened another drawer, from which a watch peeked out at him. A collection as huge as his collection of rings and bracelets. The very first ones in the front row were gold. Probably ones that the Alpha wore often, as they were familiar to him. He reached over to take them out and get a better look. He had never actually held a gold watch, as in really and truly all gold, including the strap, dials and hands on it. Yeah, a few cheaper Rolexes had passed through his hands - you wouldn't believe someone could be rich enough to afford a Rolex, but also such a cheapskate that he stayed in cheap motels with pokey locks when he traveled - but this was different. Was it lighter or heavier than a regular watch? And what was it actually like to have such a pile of gold on your wrist?
"Dean?"
He jumped in fright, turned sharply, and met the intent gaze of Alpha, who was standing at the door to the dressing room.
"I'm not stealing! I'm just watching!" He yelled after an impossibly long second of just staring at him in alarm. Then he immediately showed his arms and neck and lowered his gaze in an instinctive and deliberate display of submissiveness. Because... fuck, fuck, fuck! He shouldn't have been snooping in Alpha's dressing room. And he certainly shouldn't have been going through his things. He should have stayed sitting on the bed and waited for Castiel to make his call, no matter how bored he was in the bedroom. If the Alpha thought he was going to rob him... The photos of the dead Alpha that had burned in the gas burner under the fryer of the diner where Dean worked were a good indication of what the Alpha would do when someone touched his property. Sure, Dean didn't think he'd end up the same way if the Alpha thought he was going to rob him, but he certainly wouldn't let it go.
"I didn't think you were stealing," the Alpha said calmly enough to allow himself to look up at him, watching him warily as he approached. "If you like any of these," he uttered as he stood at Dean's side, nodding his head as he did so towards the pulled out watch drawer, "you're welcome to take them. What's mine is yours, Dean, unless I say otherwise."
"Really?" He asked skeptically.
What the Alpha once owned was his until death and beyond, just forever, and yeah, Cas let him take his drink, but the glass of lemon tea was different than the watch.
"Sure." He nodded. "Which one did you like?" He asked with genuine curiosity; Dean just couldn't control himself and his gaze slid to the massive, gold watch he wanted to examine. "This one?" Alpha asked with amusement in his voice and without waiting for an answer, he pulled the watch from its place. "Would you like these?"
"No...!" He replied hastily, because hell no, he couldn't take this huge bar of gold and bring it to the motel. Sammy wouldn't have missed it, and he couldn't sell a watch like that, since every pawnbroker would be asking where someone like Dean had gotten it. For the really expensive stuff, you had to get a dealer, and Dean would bet his ass that if not Alpha himself, his men sure knew every dealer in town.
"I just wanted to..." his voice trailed off and a sense of awkwardness enveloped him.
"To try them on and see what it felt like?" Cas finished for him indulgently, "Hold out your hand," he prompted.
His curiosity was greater than his embarrassment, so he did indeed set his hand and watched as Castiel put his watch on and switched it on. The watch was cold, of course, but it warmed up quickly, and while it was heavy, it wasn't as heavy as it might have seemed at first glance from how massive it looked. The individual pieces of the band were much more delicate and thinner than he had thought.
"How does it feel?" He asked, not just curiously, but in a way that seemed to be asking something naughty.
That made Dean look up at him and frown in confusion, because the Alpha was staring at him as well, as if he wanted to know a secret.
"Weird," he replied honestly; the Alpha raised his eyebrows in surprise and cocked his head to the side in question. "It's huge, shiny, snobby, and doesn't fit my style," he added, and to back up his words, he held up his other hand next to his wrist with the watch to show how strange it looked next to his bracelets. "See? It's ridiculous..."
Castiel measured his hand with that strange look before lifting it to Dean's, the corners of his mouth twitching in a gentle smile that he partially hid as he lowered his head and began to unfasten the gold watch.
"You're right. It doesn't suit you. We'll find you another, better one," he reasoned aloud as he pulled all the gold off his wrist.
He stowed the watch in a drawer, closed it, and opened one of the lower ones. It too was full of watches, but they didn't look so expensive and snobby. Dean watched as Alpha judiciously scanned all the rows before picking one watch from the middle one. It had a black leather strap, definitely thinner than the strap on a gold watch, and was made of a greyish matte metal, the dial a grey-black colour with iridescent highlights. They weren't bad, and they probably wouldn't look ridiculous next to his leather bracelets.
The alpha put them on him and motioned with his hand for him to get a better look.
He did so, comparing them to his bracelets and his pendants and acknowledging that they would fit, but still... it was a watch. Who wore them today, anyway?
"Nice..." he assessed, more to avoid offending.
"Then it's yours."
"Thanks, Alpha..." he said again, trying not to offend or upset him, and really trying to put enthusiasm in his voice, only it was hard. He clearly remembered what had happened the last time he had received a gift from Alpha. Even what the gifts really meant. And he didn't want to think about that right now. If he was going to spend tonight here and not end up in tears again, like a hysterical Omega girl, he couldn't think about what was expected of him in return for presents.
"You don't like..."
"Yeah... no... I mean..." He panicked a little, quickly trying to think of an excuse, ideally an uplifting or funny one. "Who wears watches anymore, anyway? They make these smart boxes nowadays that tell you what time it is, and you can also use them to make phone calls, send messages, and watch porn, you know?" He turned it all into a joke and winked coquettishly.
Alpha gave him a skeptical look with a hint of sarcasm.
"An allusion to the fact that there were no phones in my youth? Funny," he said dryly, but there was a small glint of amusement in his eyes that reassured Dean that he'd done a good job of disguising it. "Watches were never just for telling time, Dean. A watch was and is a sign of status and prestige. They indicate your material security. A tasteful, elegant watch belongs on the wrist of every true man, and especially a true Alpha."
"I see..." he chuckled. "Big watches, big cars, big houses, big bangers... one would almost think that these true Alphas are compensating for something."
Cas cocked his head to one side and squinted.
"I had no idea that today's young Omegas had such big," he emphasized the word, " standards that even I can't meet."
Dean blinked, and his ears warmed. Damn job. How he'd proven he was always so quick and easy to become embarrassed.
"Damn. I didn't mean you, okay? You've got a big dick..."
Fuck! He didn't want to say that out loud.
"Thank you," Alpha growled smugly.
More shame and embarrassment heated Dean's throat.
"Oh, fuck me, you smug bastard!" He snarled.
"Oh yes, that's the plan tonight."
"Jesus! Shit... shut up or I'll die of shame!" He growled, not knowing where to put his eyes. He really hated this so much. He could mock every other knothead's cock and knot, tell dirty jokes, sovereignly approach any girl he liked, even if she was easily ten years older, but when it came to Alpha Castiel... Shit. He felt so inadequate, so inexperienced... so fucking young, like some scared little kid. He hated it, but he couldn't help himself.
"You got a pretty dirty mouth, Omega," Cas growled playfully.
He glanced up at him and exhaled sharply as the Alpha grabbed him by the waist and pulled him to him. He automatically wrapped his arms around his shoulders.
"Maybe I should spank you to teach you better manners," he snapped cheerfully through his teeth, slapping Dean on the ass. Sure it didn't really hurt, it just stung ever so slightly and pleasantly, but he yelped in surprise anyway.
"Hey!" He objected indignantly, pursing his lips.
Cas just growled playfully again, burying his hand in the hair at the nape of his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. He pressed against him, tightening the grip he had on Alpha's shoulders and moving his other arm around his waist to pull him close. And willingly, he tilted his head to the side as Castiel released his lips and moved to his neck to press a few kisses against it, running his nose over it, which seemed cold in contrast to Dean's skin, still hot with shame.
The alpha pressed another kiss, this time on the underside of his jaw, and pulled back to take his chin and stare into his face. He followed every line of Dean's face with intrigued blue eyes.
"I like it when you blush. You smell nice and it brings out your freckles."
Not just the words themselves, but the way they were said... the deep admiration in every syllable... made him feel embarrassed again, but also brought a heavy feeling to his stomach. He liked the intensity with which Castiel could follow him. Like he was the most important thing in the world. And it always made his Omega growl in satisfaction. But rationally, he knew it meant nothing. It wasn't and couldn't be real. No real love and all that shit.
"Here..." He pulled away a little, letting go of Alpha and started unbuttoning his watch; he planned to give it back to him, knowing it wouldn't make him happy and somehow wanting him to feel as stupid as he did now. And because it was a symbol of their 'business' relationship. "Your watch..." he said, without looking up from the watch, taking it off his wrist and trying to give it back to Alpha.
He was probably going to reject it, he didn't have time to grab it or something, anyway the smooth leather strap slipped out of Dean's hand and the watch landed on the fur rug in front of the jewelry box. He froze at that moment, and there wouldn't be any blood left in him.
"Fuck... fuck... fuck! I didn't mean to do that! I didn't throw them on the ground on purpose!" He began to apologize and explain in a rush.
Castiel didn't say anything, just pulled away enough to bend down to retrieve the watch.
"Did it break?" He asked with genuine fear as he watched the Alpha turn the watch over in his hands and fold its strap so he could look at the face. If it was broken, he had no idea what he was going to do. He couldn't pay Alpha or buy a new one.
"Of course not," he replied calmly, but he didn't look at Dean, just put the watch back in its place. "It fell on the carpet from barely... three feet. It would be a piece of crap if it broke that easily."
He sighed.
"Fine. That's good. I know how fragile these things are..."
The alpha turned a puzzled, questioning gaze towards him.
"A wristwatch, you mean?"
"No, nice, expensive things."
"Expensive things are usually better quality and more durable. And they last longer, maybe even generations," he dismissed his assumption. "Like your jacket, for example..." he said with a slightly raised eyebrow. "It's made of good leather, well tailored, and... it smells mostly of birch and blooming roses. It's not your scent, but it's similar to yours. It belongs to your... alpha father, doesn't it?" he referred to his dad with clear disapproval in his voice, but Dean nodded in agreement anyway. "He must have worn it for years for the scent to become so absorbed, and you'll wear it for many more years before you pass it on to our pup one day."
"You'd let your puppy wear an old jacket?" He grinned in clear disbelief. He could totally see how someone like Castiel, who could have literally anything, wanted nothing more than for his children to wear tattered clothes from some charity that smelled of cheap disinfectant and equally cheap odor removers.
"Of course," he agreed without hesitation.
"Sure..." He chuckled. "You? An alpha who can buy all this stuff," he waved his hand around. "An Alpha who has literally anything... You'd want your kids to wear clothes that smell like me and my Alpha dad? Bullshit... why would you want that?"
"Typical American mindset. You have no respect for your history and your ancestors," Castiel snorted for once, and he definitely sounded disgusted enough for Dean to feel a surge of need to defend his own people. But he didn't get a chance to say anything as the Alpha continued, "What you see around you is just tinsel. I like it, it's nice, but it has no real value. Only things that have passed through the hands of generations or that someone has put their talents or faith into have real value..." he paused and looked at him in a strange sort of way before asking a completely incoherent question: "Do you believe in God?"
It confused him and moreover; what was the correct answer? What did Alpha want to hear? It was clear that he did believe in God. Dean on the other hand... not so much.
"I don't know... maybe... I've never had time to think about it," he replied vaguely before going on the counter attack. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"But you're baptized, right?" He didn't let Dean's question faze him in any way.
"Yeah... yes... as far as I know... I mean... but..."
Alpha didn't say anything else, just pulled out one of the drawers Dean hadn't had time to examine before. The drawer was almost empty. There were only three crosses, each resting lovingly and reverently on its own cushion, and a few medallions, at least one with the Madonna. Alpha picked out one of the crosses. Dean recognized it, it was the same one he had at their last meeting.
"The honorable Pop Alexander Sergeyevich gave me this one. He blessed it himself and made it symbolic of the beginning of my journey to re-accept God, a journey for the forgiveness of my sins great and small and reconciliation with my lot in life. Its worldly value," he passed it from one hand to the other, "is small. But its spiritual value is incalculable," he declared, so earnestly that Dean would not have spoken even if he had had anything to say. "I want you to take it and treat it with the respect it deserves. Carry it. It will protect you."
He opened his mouth a little, like a fish out of water, but quickly closed it again and nodded. He had nothing to say to this. He felt embarrassed and confused, because the cross meant very little to him, but also incredibly flattered and, who knew why, touched, because he could clearly see that Castiel cared very much. It was written all over his face, in his eyes, and even somehow in his scent. That made this particular cross important to Dean, even if he didn't believe in God himself... probably.
He bowed his head a little to indicate that he would accept the cross.
Castiel accepted his agreement in silence. Stepping closer, he unfastened the chain and then fastened it around Dean's neck. Finally, he settled the cross itself on his chest, a soft, satisfied, gentle smile appearing on his face that didn't falter even when he looked up. He looked so damn handsome and so damn sincere. It was one of those moments when it was nice to believe it was all real and enjoy the feeling that warmed Dean's chest.
"Thank you, Cas," he said, this time with genuine gratitude, cupping his face in his hands and leaning in to kiss him.
"Wait..." The alpha pulled away only slightly, looking away just long enough to close the drawer of crosses before wrapping his arms around his waist and finally pulling him into a kiss with the words, "Now come here..."
Once Castiel's hands strayed under his shirt, he didn't even hesitate, grasping the edge of it himself before pulling away from Alpha's tasty lips just long enough to pull it over his head. He let it fall to the floor and immediately had to smile smugly because the way Cas was literally staring at his body with undisguised hunger and pleasure really made him feel proud. Alpha's pupils were wide, though his irises were still blue, his lips were pouty, his nostrils flared, and his scent was filled with musky arousal.
"You really are beautiful..." he breathed his usual flattery, but this time he said it with sincerity too, and his hands ran eagerly over Dean's torso.
Mapping his muscles with his warm palms, he buried his nose in his neck and latched onto his scent gland with such force and hunger that it not only sent a shiver of withdrawal throughout his body, but also a bit of sharp pain when the sharp fangs touched his skin. He exhaled sharply and surrendered to the pleasurable sensations, so much so that he only felt the searching fingers under the edge of his pants as Alpha pulled them down from his hips.
He stopped them and immediately felt a frustrated gasp envelop his ear.
Yeah, he was aware that he'd been holding Alpha back from his desired goal for a long time, but he didn't really intend to this time. This time he wanted it. Sure, he still had a knot of fearful nerves in his stomach, but... this was about the best he could get. No backseat or nice but impersonal hotel. This was Alpha's lair, Castiel had invited him to it, and that made a lot of sense and... fuck. He shouldn't have to think about such stupid things. It was just fucking, wasn't it? So why complicate it.
He wanted it. He wanted it with everything, and first and foremost, that meant getting rid of Case's precious husks.
"Not until you take your shirts off too," he said, adding a challenging smile along with a lascivious bat of his eyelashes. "It's not fair for me to be naked while you stay clothed again."
Yeah, the expression that crossed Alpha's face was a little surprised, but it quickly turned into a pleased smile with a bit of teeth and a deep growl that made his slightly parted lips vibrate.
"No, that's not fair. You're right," he agreed, but by then he had already started undoing the buttons on his shirt.
This time he didn't even ask permission, instead he simply pushed Alpha's hands away and set to work himself. And along with working the buttons quickly, he rather unconsciously forced Case to back up until his ass hit the dresser. He commented with a brief wince that made Dean stop what he was doing for a moment and look up into his face. He saw no hint of displeasure there. In fact, Alpha seemed to enjoy being treated like this. Not only did his expression give it away, but his scent and... fuck. Yeah, it definitely gave him the courage and confidence to do whatever he wanted, so he didn't hesitate anymore and pulled his shirt off his shoulders. And then kept going - it was a little heavy over his arms, probably because of the cufflinks - until it fell to the floor.
There was one more damn obstacle waiting for him under the shirt; the cotton tank top that separated him from all the tattooed skin he wanted to touch. He grunted in frustration and gritted his teeth, shaking the tank top out impatiently. The alpha reluctantly gave it up, so it quickly ended up with the other uppers.
He pulled away a little, but left his hands resting on the warm skin of Alpha's hips just above the belt, and looked. He just had to. His eyes wandered over his body. He had firm muscles stretching up his arms, his shoulders were a little broader and more muscular than they appeared when he was dressed, and his stomach, while not lacking in muscle, was more of a hint than a solid baker of buns. His arms were thickly hairy up to his elbows, and a path of dark hair stretched from under his trousers to his navel, but the rest of his body was smooth, with only a patch of hair here and there that was mostly lost in his tattoos.
And he was tattooed literally everywhere.
The ink ran from Castiel's fingers, up his arms to his shoulders, and then back down his chest to his stomach, a few tattoos disappearing past the edge of his pants. The most prominent was a huge cross that took up most of Castiel's chest, its shoulders almost touching his small, pale nipples. It was impossible to miss the naked, bound woman who was partially lost beneathhispants. And the large stars on his collarbones, which seemed to have the most frequent place next to the cross. The other tattoos weren't insignificant either, it's just that those three somehow caught the most attention and... Fuck! All of it together... the miles of pale skin, all the tattoos, the thin but firm ropes of muscle stretching down his arms, even the damn hair that reminded Dean to the fullest extent that the Alpha was a man with all the right stuff... it was all so fucking spectacular. He wanted to touch. He wanted to kiss every line of the intricate ornamentation that made up the cross. He wanted to smell and even bite into the mounds of scent glands that ran down Castiel's arms, partly covered by tattoos and partly accentuated by the natural, slightly brownish tint of his skin.
He wanted it all to be his. His Alpha, his alone, was a silent mantra that his inner Omega was growling in his ear and he just couldn't do anything but obey it. He hooked his fingers into his Alpha's belt and pulled him close. Their lips pressed against each other just like their naked chests. Dean let his hands roam over Cas's back in an attempt to map those moving muscles and the slightly protruding beads of his spine, well aware that he was being pushed towards the bedroom. He willingly backed up until his feet hit the soft edge and then he simply gave in and fell on his ass on the fluffy mattress.
He looked up at Alpha who towered over him, blue eyes still fixed down on him, and quickly unzipped his trousers. Dean lowered his gaze to his hands. He already knew what to expect, that is, if it was Castiel's cock. A good, thick, hard piece. That's why he was a little surprised at what he saw when the Alpha pulled his pants down his hips and let them fall down his slender legs. His cock was soft and rested peacefully in dark curls. Sure, it was still worthy of appreciation and a quizzical look, but it still unnerved him and took away some of the confidence and enthusiastic determination he'd had just moments ago. Was Castiel suddenly not turned on or what the hell? But no, as he inhaled deeply he could smell both the cherry scent full of sweet happiness and the Alpha's arousal and of course himself and his own scent of excited Omega that attracted every Alpha.
Castiel didn't seem at all perturbed by the softness of his cock, instead he bared his teeth in a grin and leaned over Dean a little like a predator over its prey, causing him to lean back, bracing himself on his hands and instinctively twisting his head to show his Alpha his throat. Cas rewarded that with one quick, hot kiss right on Dean's throbbing neck, then grabbed the waistband of his sweatpants and pulled them down in one swift motion. He did it without hesitation, giving Dean little time to get up, making it a little easier.
"Move up," he ordered.
Obediently, he began to slide up behind him, watching with a slowly appearing smile as Alpha crept up the bed behind him. He was on the hunt. Eyes wide and eagerly fixed on Dean, teeth bared a little in a snarl, his every movement the epitome of dominating power, but also of interest and playfulness. His Omega was delighted to see his Alpha like this. And it made him forget about the somewhat softened state of Castiel's cock, because... Cas obviously wanted him, and apparently he didn't mind that his cock wasn't hard, so why did Dean have to worry about that.
Tattooed fingers wrapped around his ankle, and before he could so much as yelp, he was being dragged down the bed by his leg. The alpha let out a triumphant growl, which quickly turned into a satisfied purr as he began to spread kisses across Dean's upper arm. Honestly it was a little ridiculous and it tickled too, he could only take it for a moment before he at least tried to free his leg.
Castiel gripped his leg tighter and cast up a disapproving look that said he just wasn't going to give up something he'd captured that was his from now on.
Dean couldn't help an amused smile.
"Do you have a foot fetish, Alpha?" He asked teasingly, laughter ringing in the undertone of every word.
"I think I have a Dean fetish," he replied with complete sovereignty, before rubbing his chin against Dean's upper arm to leave his scent on him. "You have perfect feet... and calves..." he kissed his calf, "... and knees." He pressed another kiss to his knee. The kisses tickled and the words made him uncomfortable. Perhaps no one in the world threw around flattery as much and as sincerely at the same time as Castiel. Regardless, Dean was aware that he looked good for a Beta, but not quite ideal for an Omega.
"And a perfect cock to suck, too," he pointed out, maybe a little too cheeky, but damn, better to be cheeky than embarrassed.
"Hmm...? Sassy, cheeky and smug too?" He raised an eyebrow and dug his fingers into Dean's thigh a little. "Those aren't the qualities of a good Omega, are they?" He asked, and for a small moment Dean thought he might have overreacted, but Castiel smiled again and straightened up between his spread legs. "Good thing I don't want a good Omega in my house," he added, and without further warning, he leaned down.
Dean gasped, half in surprise and half in bliss, and fell back. Shit! Cas was fucking good at this. The strokes of his hand were firm, sovereign, and in that exact rhythm that was perfect. And the things he could do with his tongue... there was just that one thing missing again. His hole leaked and clenched in need. He moved his hips off the beat in a helpless attempt to rub against something. That was all it took for Castiel to understand, his fingers digging into Dean's waiting ass. There was no resistance, no pain or even just a pinch. Not even that little, like last time. They slid in as easily as if he'd shoved them in himself. And... fucking Jesus. It was too much, but it was exactly what he wanted and needed. He felt that telltale tightness in his pelvis. No, no, no. He didn't want to come so fast, but... Shit. What he wanted or not was irrelevant with Alpha's lips around his cock and his big, long fingers in his ass.
The orgasm swept over him in two waves. One gripped his balls and the other his ass. He could only manage to stifle a moan by biting down on his own wrist. He ground flesh and skin between his teeth until he was sure the only sound he could miss would be a quick gasp. Then he let his hand drop and while he watched the lights on the ceiling, he enjoyed the pleasant feeling of relaxation and Alpha's gentle ministrations.
He wasn't quite ready, or rather willing, to move when the damp warmth disappeared and that made him lift up a little and look. He met the gaze of Castiel's blue eyes and his small, satisfied smile, which quickly came closer as the Alpha covered him with his entire body. His weight felt nice and warm. He wrapped his arms around his back and inhaled the heavy scent. The cherry pie was heavily accented by the musky scent of arousal, and the way Alpha pressed his pelvis against Dean's provided a clear clue to what he was thinking.
Dean licked his lips.
His head was clearing now, and he felt a small knot of cold in his stomach, from which panic was beginning to stick its ugly horns out. He suppressed it in favor of rational thought.
"Do you have condoms?" He asked; Cas tilted his head in question. "If not, I have a few in my jacket. They're in Alpha size. I bought them recently. There's a rather embarrassing story attached to it... I didn't know what kind you used and there were like whole racks of them to choose from in the store and there was this one Alpha salesman who was asking..." Castiel's brow furrowed, he squinted his eyes and pursed his lips in displeasure. Yeah, this was probably a story he should leave out for now, since it involved other Alphas. "Anyway... Shall I go get them?"
"No," the Alpha replied lazily, his expression relaxed again, and rubbed his nose against his jaw. "I want you here."
He tensed inwardly in anticipation of an addendum along the lines of 'we don't need any anyway' or 'what do you think I'm going to infect you with something?' but Cas didn't look like he planned to say anything like that. In fact, he seemed to really just want Dean in his bed. And in fact, it didn't look like he wanted to do anything more than rub his still-soft cock against his thigh a little, running his fingers over his side in a slow, almost soothing rhythm, and peering closely into his face from beneath his closed eyelids. It was supposed to be soothing to be petted by his Alpha, and the Omega part of him certainly welcomed it, but the rest of him, which was much larger, was not calm in the least. He needed something to do, something more than just lie there, and so when fucking wasn't in the cards anytime soon, it begged the question:
"What now?"
Cas sighed, and there was a little frustration in that sigh, as if he hoped Dean would just lie still, let his gaze bore a hole in his head, and be quiet the whole time. Well, if that was really what he expected, he'd taken the wrong Omega to bed. He couldn't stand to be still. He was just like that. He said he had attention deficit disorder or something. Sam's opinion.
"I'll have a cigarette," the Alpha replied, rolling away.
Losing the weight of his warm body and Alpha's scent, his inner Omega commented with a disgruntled groan and Dean almost reached for the retreating back, but in the end he didn't. In the end, he just raised himself up on one elbow and watched Castiel's back. He eyed his bulging ass, which was just as firm and round as he'd imagined. All those muscles moving beneath the tattooed skin as he searched the drawer for cigarettes, a lighter, and an ashtray. He also, of course, took the opportunity to get a good look at the actual tattoo on his back. The largest and most prominent one was between his shoulder blades. A heart pierced with an oddly shaped dagger, and when he said heart, he didn't mean the pretty, Valentine's Day kind; this one was anatomically faithful, including the bleeding veins strangled with barbed wire. And the dagger was a really odd shape because the handle was just a little thicker than the blade itself. Maybe it was more of a spear than a dagger...
There was a deck of cards tattooed under his heart rather to his right side. As carefully and precisely crafted as the heart and dagger. And down the bottom, not the arching butt cheeks, was an eye. Quite large, about the size of a child's fist, with a Greek letter B for a pupil. It wasn't half as well done as the other tattoos, it looked old because the ink was melted, and it was actually tattooed awry, as if the tattoo artist had bounced somewhere in the two-thirds and then couldn't catch the right rhythm and shape.
Cas rolled half over onto his back, blocking Dean's view. His cigarette was already hanging in the corners, caught by its golden fang, and his eyebrows were raised questioningly.
"You want a beer? Or orange juice? I've got water too..." he offered in a conversational tone.
"Beer...?" He asked with a half-question at the end.
The alpha leaned over the edge of the bed again. The familiar sound of the refrigerator opening made Dean lift himself up enough to look over Castiel's shoulder to the nightstand, which was no ordinary nightstand. Behind one of the bottom doors was a small refrigerator, the kind you saw in nice hotels and you paid a shitload of money just to open it. And it was full of bottles of water, juice and cans of beer. Wow! Damn it! Loved it here. Fridge right by the bed. Shower with jets, a tub with a Jacuzzi... if the bed has magic fingers, it'll stay here forever. Like right in this room. He'll have a couple dozen pillows delivered, build a nest, and he and Alpha will roll around on the soft mattress for the rest of their lives.
Cas rolled back over, one can in his left hand and both the cigarette he was clutching between two fingers and the other can in his right. It was clear he'd practiced. When he took the can from him, he discovered that it was his favorite Margiekugel.
"I made supplies," Alpha pointed out, noticinghisreading the sign and probably his satisfied smile. "I was kind of hoping that would lure you into my lair."
"Thanks. That's great," he thanked, leaning in to press a quick kiss to his lips.
The alpha grunted contentedly, but made no major movement. He didn't look like he wanted to do anything other than lie propped up against the headboard with a pillow propped under his back. Dean decided to do the same. Moving close enough to Alpha that he wasn't touching him, he stretched his legs out comfortably, leaned back against the pelmet and opened his beer. Just as he was sipping, Alpha put his hand on his thigh. He glanced down at his tattooed fingers and stopped moving as he waited to see if he would do anything more, but he just began to lightly run his thumb over the inside of Dean's thigh.
Since he didn't do anything more, Dean swallowed a sip and leaned back against the soft headboard with a sigh, really comfortable.