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Assistant: Title: don't care where you've been
        Author: thanks_tacos thanks_tacos 
        Chapter: 9/37 
        Summary: Dean's life is finally changing. After years of enduring Alastair's abuse, the alpha dies and Dean's married off to the next alpha the system pairs him with - Castiel. The man is strange and distant, but not exactly bad, and Dean's determined to be on his best behavior and not mess up the chance he was given. Soon enough, though, he f@cks up anyway and has to call the alpha for help.Castiel's lived his entire life without an omega by his side, and he was fine with that. He doesn't know how to proceed once he's suddenly married to a beautiful man who's obviously been through a lot. Omegas were always a confusing subject to him, so he tries not to interfere much - neither of them is there by their choice. But when Dean calls for help, he understands he's going to have to set some things straight and engage more.
        Contents: Chapter 9
    

    


      
        
           trigger warning: brief attempted non-con, so read at your own discretion!  nothing too graphic, but avoid if not your thing.timeline: same day as 2 previous chapters (05/01).
      
  

  
  
    
    Everything goes well at the grocery shop, at first - Castiel helps him look for the things to buy. Dean kind of expects him to just stay in the Alpha Lounge -  a place with sofas, magazines and power outlets, where alphas usually relax, waiting for their omegas to finish their errands. But Castiel doesn't even spare a glance as he passes by the Longue, and goes inside the store, even carries the shopping basket. It's not that unusual - alphas who don't have omegas do go shopping - but it is unusual to see an omega and an alpha walking side by side, picking the items together, almost like equals. Dean does actually spot one person turn their head when Castiel grabs a box of pasta and asks Dean which one does he prefer. 'I got no preference, alpha,' Dean shrugs. 'I enjoy the texture of those tube ones,' Castiel informs him, squinting at the label. 'Penne's okay,' Dean replies absently, looking down the aisle. They're only halfway through the list at best, but Castiel doesn't seem to rush, and he's still waiting for some opinion from him, so Dean delivers. 'I like farfalle and tagliatelle with sauce.'When he focuses back on Castiel, he sees that the man is gaping at him with something akin to awe.'You know Italian?' he asks, and he sounds impressed.'What? No,' Dean almost laughs at the idea. 'I probably butcher it the way I say it, anyway. I got it from cooking class, alpha.'Castiel frowns, but then apparently something clicks in his head. 'Ah, during school, am I correct?'Dean nods. 'I didn't suspect your previous alpha would have arranged for you to have classes,' explains Castiel. 'But you do cook marvelously. I never wondered where you've learned that, I assumed your mother taught you. Or your father, if he was an omega-''No,' protests Dean, cutting him off abruptly. 'Sorry. My, uh, my mom, she wasn't - no one in my family was an omega.''Oh,' Castiel stares at him some more. Dean prays that he won't ask any more family questions, and he doesn't. 'Well, you must have been the best student in your cooking class.'Dean blushes and can't help it. He feels like a schoolgirl, but for years no one's been saying nice things to him, and when Castiel does, he just feels so... flustered. 'I was never the best student anywhere,' he admits. 'But it was okay...' he hesitates for a moment. 'Housekeeping class sucked, but cooking was cool, and the prof was low-key obsessed. With all those fancy European words, or whatever. The state test was super rigid, but
I passed it. Didn't really have to, my dad-' he stops, what the f@ck? He can't talk about that. '- but uh, I wanted to,' a wave of alertness washes over him, and he stutters, trying to change the topic quickly. 'Anyway, I know all kinds of words like these. They kinda stick.'Castiel watches him with rapt attention, the packet of pasta in his hand forgotten. Dean drops his eyes. How much can he overshare? But inside, he likes it. He likes talking to the alpha, because he really listens and seems to really care and hasn't hit him when Dean said anything wrong, yet. 'That's amazing,' Castiel replies, finally. 'Languages are fascinating. I didn't realize you had so much theoretical cooking knowledge, as well.'Dean shrugs, staring at the floor, at alpha's shiny shoes. He knows by now that Castiel's gotta have that pensive look on his face, and alpha slowly puts the pasta box back on the shelf, saying:'Arrivederci, penne.'His grave, unsure voice makes Dean look up and Castiel looks and smells kind of nervous, sends the omega an awkward smile. This is a joke. It's a joke, and the serious delivery was perfect, and Dean can't help himself and bursts into laughter. It's honest and unrestrained, and the sound of it shocks him as much as it does Castiel. He can't remember when was the last time he laughed like this. Laughed at all.Castiel's evidently baffled, but not in a bad way; the guy really didn't expect Dean to find it funny, Dean thinks. But his face splits into a grin, and it's a very happy one, his eyes wrinkling around the corners. Dean stops laughing, catches his breath, but he keeps smiling.
They stare at each other for a couple seconds, and then Castiel clears his throat. 'You'll have to tell me which ones are the ones you just mentioned, I don't know pasta types,' he tells him, scanning the shelves. 'I'd like to try them.''They're nothing special,' Dean replies, a little breathless, his voice light and still amused. God, he feels good. 'Farfalle is the bow ones. Tagliatelle is the super long ones, here,' he picks up the boxes. 'Are we getting them?'Castiel just holds out his basket in reply. They continue shopping and Dean's ready to declare that yesterday and today have got to be the most awesome days of his life. But then, alpha stops and says:'I forgot tomatoes. We need them for the sauce,' they both gaze back, to the far end of the shop they just came from. Castiel sighs. 'Please wait here with the basket. I'll be right back.'Dean agrees, not worrying much. He has his collar on, and alpha isn't going away for long.It turns out that it was a bad idea. He stands in the hygiene aisle, basket and bags from before at his feet, and he doesn't get why it happens now, because he's not groped too often when he goes out on his own. It's only from time to time, but unfortunately, some
@ssh@l@ picks this exact moment to ruin his day. It's a douchebag that's probably fifteen years younger than him. Enters the aisle and Dean fidgets nervously, trying not to draw attention. Apparently, that's a wrong thing to do. The alpha sees him, stops for a moment and heads straight towards him, menacing. There are some other people in the alley and they quickly vacate it, sensing trouble. Dean knows they won't help out; no one wants to end up as collateral damage.'Aww, your alpha left you alone, sweetheart?' the man asks mockingly. He's scrawnier than Dean but taller than him, wears designer clothes and a cap put on backwards. He looks like a spoiled kid that's used to getting what he wants. 'Or was it a beta? I'm sure you need a real alpha to show you what's what.'Not all of them usually bother with the small talk, but this one likes it. He likes how Dean backs up against the wall as he corners him. 'My alpha doesn't want anyone to touch me,' replies Dean, trying to sound stern and failing. The stranger grins predatorily, shows a row of blindingly white teeth. 'Just a little something won't hurt,' assures him the man, getting so close suddenly, his mouth is inches away from Dean's. He has Dean pinned to the shelves, the plastic corners digging into his back painfully. 'I won't tell if you won't.'He's gonna hurt him and suddenly, Dean can't breathe, he can't think. His heart is hammering in his chest, the scent of his own fear making him choke, like usually. But alpha won't like it, Dean thinks, detached, and it almost makes him laugh with how absurd that is. He doesn't like it either. But that helps, cause he realizes he's not Alastair's, remembers how distraught Castiel was in the morning when he thought about this happening. In an instant, he gathers all the strength he has and pushes the attacker away. He's not gonna get in trouble for that, he's not, Castiel doesn't want him to be shared.The douchebag stumbles back. Shocked that an omega dared to do that? Dean feels... he feels empowered.'You can't touch me,' he tells him, his mouth dry, barely hearing himself above the rush of the blood in his ears. 'My collar's on. My alpha won't allow it.''Your alpha's not here now, b@tch,' the man snarls and launches himself at Dean. He collides with him. Dean stumbles back, hits the shelves again and cries out in pain. He can hear shampoo bottles falling to the floor around them. The alpha is strong, he's stronger than him, and his hands are already under Dean's shirt, fingernails raking down his back, a grip on his hips. The alpha pins him with his lower body and Dean thrashes, but can't escape, and the alpha opens his zipper, his forceful fingers getting down Dean's pants, spreading his cheeks. Dean punches him under the chin. The man falls back, actually falls, and Dean's fist hurts, but it's not so bad. Jesus, there was a sound, and he thinks he's actually done some harm... the man spits and there's not only blood, but also teeth, and Dean's overcome with sick satisfaction. At that moment, Castiel appears in the aisle and takes it all in. Dean's first instinct is to cower; alpha's gonna be so f@ck@ng furious, he's not only let himself be touched but he also hit an alpha. But it only takes Castiel a split second to understand what's going on; Dean supposes he looks shaken enough. Alpha's by his side in a flash, and he grabs Dean's arm, ignores his flinch and the way he covers himself. 'Did he hurt you?' he asks, and his eyes are almost black when Dean glances at him. He's terrifying like that, and that's his alpha voice, too, Dean's never heard him use the alpha voice before. He stinks of rage, but his emotions don't show; his expression is stone cold, his face blank. But Dean knows his eyes well enough to know how mad he is. This is the first time he realizes how truly dangerous Castiel can be. Even Alastair didn't look like this during his worst moments. He was frigid calculation, Castiel is... contained fury.'He pushed me and touched me,' whispers Dean. He's more terrified now, but it's just his body. He thinks he knows... he thinks Castiel won't hurt him, not at all. And he doesn't. At Dean's confession, Castiel turns to the man and hauls him up by the collar of his shirt. The @ssh@l@ whines, like a pitiful crybaby, Dean thinks. He notices his front teeth are shattered. Hell yes. 'This omega is mine,' Castiel informs him, and it's a tone Dean's never heard from him before. 'You will never touch him again.''He wanted it,' seethes the man through his broken teeth. 'Begged for it like a little b@tch.'Dean feels his insides twist in fear. An alpha is always right, he remembers, it's been drilled into him since forever. Castiel should believe this man, according to everything Dean's ever experienced. What's his word worth against an alpha's?He readies himself to convince Castiel, he can't have his alpha think he was really throwing himself at someone else. He feels despair and resignation overcome him, awaits Castiel's (devastated? knowing?) gaze, but Castiel doesn't even glance back at him.'Touch him again,' he says, his voice ice cold. 'And I'll kill you.'He takes his time so that the words to get to the stranger, who gapes at him outraged, and then punches him. It's just one, swift punch, but it completely knocks him out. Castiel lets go of the alpha and he falls back onto the floor, next to his spat out teeth. Then, he turns to Dean. His gaze doesn't lose any of the intensity, but he looks at him differently. Dean doesn't know how to describe it; it's not pity, it can be a little bit of worry, and mostly it's still anger... but it's not at him. It's more like it's... (pride and affection)He doesn't know what it is.'Are you injured anywhere?' asks Castiel, completely focused on Dean.'No,' Dean replies, his lips numb, but his body angling towards Castiel. 'He scratched my back and groped me some, but...'Castiel's furious growl stops Dean's words, and he looks like he's losing control over his emotions, but Dean does something he can't entirely understand - he holds out a hand and grabs Castiel's shoulder, ducks his head to catch alpha's gaze.'Alpha,' he says, intently. 'I'm okay. You came for me.' It's soothing, and he doesn't know where it comes from. And then adds, a little dazed: 'I punched the f@ck@r.'Castiel looks at Dean's knuckles, bruised already, and as if driven by some strong instinct, takes his hand and kisses it softly. And then, he lifts his head and kisses Dean. It's hungry and short, and nothing like his previous kisses, but Dean melts into it all the same, because it makes him feel safe. He gets the message of it loud and clear, it's both you belong to me and i'm glad you're alright, and it's something he's never felt before. It's like... like how it's supposed to be, maybe. 'Let's go,' Castiel orders, pulls back to help Dean zip up his pants and straighten his shirt. Dean wants the contact to last longer, but he doesn't have to ask, because it's like Castiel's entered premium alpha mode. He pulls Dean closer and puts an arm around his waist, steers them towards the basket and they leave the aisle with the knocked out alpha behind them. Dean notices alpha's still holding the bag of tomatoes he went to get. Talk about self control. They go through checkout, they pay, and Castiel's still possessive and authoritative like never before. Dean packs the food in a plastic bag and his alpha closes his wallet and tells the cashier, loudly:'There's mess in your hygiene aisle. You should clean it up.'Holy sh@t, that's badass, Dean thinks, staring at Castiel openly, as the man passes by and takes the bag from him, and then his hand. Dean walks by his side and he feels protected, he feels proud. 'I'm so sorry for leaving you out there,' Castiel breaks the silence, as they near the exit to the parking lot. 'You were supposed to be safe with the collar on.''It happens,' Dean shrugs. He still feels adrenaline in his veins, and his fist is throbbing with pleasant pain. He's punched an alpha. It feels like back with dad, the fights, the training, it feels so good. 'I never want it to happen,' Castiel stresses. They reach the car. 'You know that, right?'''Course,' Dean replies, seriously. 'I knew you weren't okay with it. I couldn't... at first...' he looks away, clenches his jaw. 'But then, I remembered. If you said they're not allowed to touch me, they're not, and I can try to protect myself. The law doesn't forbid it, then.''I know,' Castiel opens the trunk and puts the food there. 'I'm glad. That... f@ck@r...' Castiel tastes the word, like it's foreign, and Dean realizes, dumbfounded, that he's repeating the word after him. 'Deserved more than we gave him.''I don't know, he can seriously cash it in tonight, when Tooth Fairy comes over,' Dean snickers, d@mn satisfied with himself. 'You're incredible,' says Castiel, and it's said with such certainty, it kind of floors Dean. 'I'm so happy you protected yourself. I just wish I was there to see it.''Might have more chances to,' Dean mutters, his ears burning. They get inside the car, but Castiel doesn't start it yet. He turns to face Dean. 'I sincerely hope I won't,' he says, sternly. 'Next time, I wish you'd call for me, as well.''I'll try,' Dean promises. 'I just kinda... it's... I don't know, when he was all over me, I... couldn't think.'Castiel embraces him like he's been waiting to do it since the shop, and Dean lets him, presses himself closer. 'I feel so safe with you,' he admits, so so quietly. 'Please never stop being you. I'll do whatever I have to, to deserve it.''You already deserve it, sweetheart. Always will, it'll never change,' Castiel swears, tightens their embrace. 'I'm sorry if I scared you back there, but I won't be sorry for how I reacted.' 'I wasn't scared. It was good,' Dean says, and it's true. 'It was nice, when you promised him you'd kill him. Very romantic.' He says it tentatively, unsure if his jokes will be accepted, but he feels Castiel chuckle. 'And also, when you kissed me.''Yes,' Castiel admits, sounding a little off, and Dean thinks he's trying to cover up his scent, but he's practically sniffing his neck, so of course he can tell. It's muted, but alpha's embarrassed. 'I have to say, your strength aroused me. It was quite unexpected.'Dean pulls back to look at him, feeling himself slick at the shy confession. 'Can I kiss you? Now?'Castiel smiles.'That would be alri-,' he replies, and Dean kisses the rest of the word off of his mouth. He's a little clumsy when he does it - stupidly inexperienced in things like these - but he tries, he tries, he feels so hot and can't wait any longer, and Castiel lets him in instantly, and Dean kisses him until he can't breathe and then pulls back. They stare at each other for a moment, Castiel smells pleased and Dean thinks, this is the best day after all. But there's still some unease in him, and he feels a bit... dirty after all the wrong touches. He thinks Castiel'll make them all disappear by tomorrow, though.'Let's go home,' Castiel says decidedly, and they drive. This time, alpha takes the shortest way home, but Dean doesn't mind. His own bags, with clothes and CDs and pillows are in the footwell and he looks at them instead of outside. It's still raining, the sky is still the
somber dark grey color, and Dean slowly feels the adrenaline leave his body. He sags in his seat, suddenly exhausted. Castiel drives in silence, but it's companionable, and Dean thinks he might take an extremely short nap. He smells something cooking, maybe spicy sauce? Whatever herbs are in it, they've gotta be intense, he decides, wrinkling his nose at the invading scent. Then, he hears the sizzle of oil on the pan, and stirs, blinks his eyes open. His head feels groggy and his limbs hurt, but he's on the couch, not in the car. There's a pillow under his head and he's wrapped in a blanket, and his shoes and coat are gone. He sits up carefully, squinting, not sure what happened. When he turns around, he sees Castiel in the kitchen, cooking their dinner. 'I... sleep?' asks Dean incoherently, wiping his eyes. 'You fell asleep in the car. I carried you inside,' Castiel tells him with a soft smile. 'You must've been tired.'He looks so down to earth in a simple black t-shirt and jeans, it's hard to believe Dean's deemed him the most dangerous alpha he's ever seen just moments ago. His hair is tousled as if he's run his hands through it, and even though he smiles, it's a little strained. There's no worry in his scent, but something seems off. 'I'm sorry,' Dean says, this is awkward. Alpha had to carry him, his bags, undress him and also cook, that's a lot of work. Dean's not sick anymore, he should be helping out. 'Don't be,' Castiel replies. 'The food is almost done. I don't mind, you needed your sleep.'Dean gets up and goes to him. He takes in the pot of bubbling sauce, minced meat frying on the pan, pasta - the one he's picked, tagliatelle - ready but kept warm in another pot. Alpha works so much, it's unreal. Even back home, when it was just him, Sam and dad, dad didn't cook often. Once he's discovered that Dean was good at it and that the classes really taught him things, he's left it to him. 'This looks great,' Dean comments. Alpha smiles, a little tiredly. 'I'm glad. How do you feel?'Dean frowns. 'I'm okay? I'm sure I'm not really sick anymore.''No, I mean, after...' Castiel trails off and Dean opens his mouth when he understands. After the... assault.'Fine, I'm fine,' he replies quickly. 'Can we still watch the movie? While we eat maybe?''Yes, of course. I wanted to ask you...'Dean looks up, even as Castiel leaves his place by the kitchen table to go stir the sauce and the meat. 'You mentioned the cooking and housekeeping classes. Did you also take self-defence or kickboxing at school? Or any sort of sport?'Dean snorts before he can stop himself. Is this a joke? It doesn't sound like the last time Castiel was being funny. Alpha turns around to him and they stand facing each other, with a comfortable distance between them. He can see on alpha's face that he's not joking.'Sorry,' he says, nervously rubbing one arm with the other. 'No, we don't... omegas never get to learn things like these. I just, why? How come...' he doesn't want to sound rude. 'How come you don't, you know, know how it is, alpha?'Castiel looks down and sighs. 'I was homeschooled,' he says, each word dragged out painfully, as if it's super hard to talk about. 'I was... I never had contact with normal education.'Oh. That explains it a bit. Maybe his parents were hermits, or something. Or maybe there's some religious cult-like thing involved? Dean doesn't know. It could be a bunch of things. Abuse? Doesn't seem likely, cause Dean's been through it and he thinks he'd recognize the signs in someone else. 'So... you've never met other kids, or anything like that?' Dean continues uncertainly. This time, it's Castiel who's clearly uncomfortable, squirms under the omega's gaze. Dean feels like he's stealing all his moves. 'I was kind of... secluded,' Castiel admits after a bit. 'My companions were my siblings, most of the time,' he clears his throat. 'But I'd like to learn more about the standard way of living.'Standard way of living, huh? Not like Dean's got a lot to say about that. With dad dealing the cards, pretty much nothing was ever standard in their life. 'I presented at thirteen,' Dean finds himself saying. He doesn't know why he shares that fact. It's not anything shameful or mysterious, he just doesn't talk about that with anyone. 'Do you know how that works, alpha?'Alpha doesn't look put off by that. Instead, he tilts his head curiously, leaning on the counter with his hands holding its edge behind him. 'The scent change, yes,' he confirms. 'I presented at fourteen, myself.'Dean nods.'Well, yeah, my scent changed and I got pulled out of regular school. They, uh, I... changed schools, a lot. We traveled a lot, like I told you before. Different places, different cities.' Castiel furrows his brow. 'What, what's wrong?''It must have been hard for you,' he says, sympathetic. 'One of the things I did hear about omegas, was that they like to have a home, a constant place to live in.'Dean shrugs, looking over at the cooking food. It wasn't so bad. It's almost word by word what Sam's said, too, but. Most of the time it was fine, except for... Dean remembers, shortly after he presented, how hard it was to leave the rented house on Oak Avenue, Chesapeake, Virginia. Sam and him had a small room there, with white-washed walls and big windows. When he presented, dad cried. Dean's scent just shifted one day when he woke up, it was sweeter and more tangible, and he went to the kitchen and dad froze where he was reading the paper and drinking coffee. They stared at each other, and Dean said 'I think I presented, dad' and dad just broke down. It was the only time Dean ever saw him cry like that, completely sober, and he didn't understand then but he does now. Dad got a grip almost right away and said it was gonna be fine, that he's an omega. Dean remembers feeling a weight settle on his chest - he knew it wasn't good to be an omega, knew that they'd often end up hurt and couldn't have any cool jobs. He remembers biting his lip, hard, when it started to wobble and saying brokenly but i wanna be a mechanic, dad, and dad gathering him in his arms and shushing him. He told him that not all was bad about being an omega. That he already takes great care of him and Sammy, and that now it's gonna be making him happier than ever, so he can just keep being himself. And that he just has to steer clear of alphas, but dad's gonna protect him and make sure he's never hurt and can keep doing whatever he wants. 'I can still fix cars?' asked Dean, looking at dad, careful not to cry. Only babies cried, but he was feeling especially lousy that day. Dad's big dark eyes were so sad then, but he smiled at him and hugged him close, and said 'I'd like to see anyone stop you, kiddo', and no one did. Not until he met Alastair. Dad kept his promises for as long as he could.Anyway, Dad took him to an old bookstore and then for ice cream that day, and Sam was surprised at the weird display of attention but didn't ask. He understood that something had changed, Dean knew, but he didn't know just how much. They ended up reading Treasure Island - the book he got, then - together and drawing a huge map with made up or borrowed locations. Like Derry from It (with clowns all over the place, just to see Sam's spectacular bitchface), Fantasia from The Neverending Story (Sam's idea - even if Dean liked the movie before, the amount of times Sam had rewatched it and made Dean read him the book was too annoying) or Planet Pie or Siren Coast (magical chicks everywhere, Sam, Dean had explained). Dean let Sam decide where the treasure would be 'hidden'. He never found out where it was, in the end. The map was pinned to the wall in their shared room, covering most of it, and Dean remembers it now, for the first time in years with an ache in his heart. The place was homey, it was theirs. They've spent over four months there, and Dean loved the tiny kitchenette, cooked his first real meals there when dad let him sign up for cooking classes. Dean continued to take them and the other obligatory ones until he was sixteen and able to take the state exam. He's not sure why he wanted to; his guess is it helped pass the time when dad and Sam were away, at work and school, and he liked being near other omegas even if he rarely got close to any of them. He was changing schools all the time and skipping a lot, too, preferring to spend time with dad when he was... hunting. It was one word for it.When they had to leave Chesapeake, Dean actually asked dad to stay for the first time ever. He knew the drill by then, knew they were living on the road, but there was a pull he couldn't quite get, and it kind of hurt and made him sad and scared. When they drove away from their small house, Dean sulked in the backseat, feeling detached and afraid of it, of the unknown in front of them, of the sudden feeling that he just wanted to go home. The Impala helped a little bit, and with time, he learned to transfer some of that need for one place to her, so it always felt like he had a piece of home with him whenever they drove anywhere. 'Is it something that you like, too?' He blinks at the question, forces himself to look at Castiel again. Right, he's asking if Dean likes having that constant place like other omegas do. Dean's never admitted it to anyone but himself, and even that was tentative, because he knew it was a weakness he couldn't really afford.'I think so,' he says, his voice thick with something he identifies as careful longing. 'It wasn't so bad, living on the road. We had that car-'He cuts himself off and shuffles his feet. 'You lived in the car?' asks Castiel, and sounds kind of horrified. Dean's head snaps up. 'What, no,' he hurries to explain. 'I mean, not all the time. But I, uh, that car, it was great. And it was always the same, you know? Everywhere we went.''I understand,' Castiel nods solemnly, and Dean thinks he really does, he knows what he's trying to get across. 'What did it look like?''It was a '67 Chevy Impala, black,' Dean supplies. He could recite it in his sleep. Castiel pulls his phone out of his jeans pocket, hands it to Dean. 'Could you show me?' Right. The Internet. Dean takes the phone, their fingers brushing, and it's already unlocked. He taps the white bar where he knows you can type things, and types the model. It pops up, tons of pictures of his car, and he exhales shakily. There's no omega filter. This is the Impala, and he can look at her anytime he wants, because alpha's turned the filter off. 'This is her,' he says, and hears the pride in his voice. He shows Castiel but notices that the man is watching his face instead of the phone, and is smiling. He does look down at the pics though. 'A classic, I see,' as if the 1967 part didn't betray that, but Dean can tell he knows absolutely nothing about cars and is abashed because of it. 'Well, anyway,' Dean gives him back the phone. 'I couldn't go to normal school anymore, that was for betas and alphas. So I had different classes and it was either a different building or the same one, depended on the city. We had cooking, housekeeping, sewing, which I kinda hated-' he hesitates, but Castiel doesn't look mad, only gestures for him to go on, 'Some gardening, too. I never got to use it. There were a lot of rules about cleaning and ironing, and on our last year, some general rules. Like how to act around an alpha or a beta.''Like when you kneel on the floor when I'm coming home?' 'Yeah.''Then... how did you learn how to punch people? Dean, you knocked that man's teeth out, and not that I'm not impressed, I'm just surprised you weren't taught that-''I was, my dad taught me,' replies Dean, squaring his shoulders. He waits for Castiel to disapprove, but he doesn't. He doesn't pry, either. 'I'm thankful, then,' he says instead. 'I wouldn't have been the best self-defence teacher, but I am glad you know how to protect yourself.'He's glad. He's glad Dean knows how to punch alphas. 'You decked him nicely yourself,' he says, cause Castiel did. He didn't even stop to hesitate, didn't consider the attacker's words, didn't believe that Dean wanted to be fondled.'I do work out, the sitting job can become a nuisance,' Castiel turns his back to him so he can't see his face, but he thinks alpha's sounding weird again. 'But at the shop I, ah, I simply got carried away.'Hmm. Castiel's busy with the pots, so Dean moves to take out some plates, but then the phone rings. It's alpha's cell. 'Can you pick it up?' he asks, and Dean glances at him, suddenly stuck in place. 'I have my hands full.'Dean leaves the plates and carefully reaches for the vibrating phone. The screen says Charlie.'It's Charlie?' he tells alpha, uncertainly. 'What should I say?''Just tell her I can't talk right now, ask her what she wants.'Right. Dean swallows and it takes him three tries to slide the icon and start the conversation. 'Hello?' he asks quietly, nervous for a thousand different reasons. He doesn't want to mess this up. 'Dude, open the freaking chat, Garth's just pushed the changes to the master branch and everything is f@ck@d up now, you need to check out his version-''Sorry, can you please repeat it? I'll write it down, I-' Dean frantically looks for a piece of paper and finds a discarded notepad on the coffee table in the living room, leaving Castiel behind, occupied with stirring and serving. Dean's able to write Garth and branch, but he doesn't understand anything else, and it's making him feel terrified. What if he gets it wrong and alpha's entire work project's f@ck@d up because of him?'Wait, is this Dean?'The pen in his hand comes to a halt. How does this - Charlie - know him?  'Yes,' he confirms. 'I'm - I'm alpha Castiel's omega. He asked me to pick up the phone-''Oh my GOD!' she exclaims on the other side and Dean winces, moves the phone away from his ear. 'Sorry, dude, I never noticed it wasn't Castiel! Sorry for rambling like that. I've been dying to meet you, he's been talking so much about you. So, how are you doing?'Dean's maybe even more terrified now than before. 'I'm fine,' he replies slowly. 'It's - it's nice to meet you.'Castiel's been talking about him? To other people?'I'm Charlie, Charlie Bradbury,' the cheery voice informs him. 'I work with your guy for what, five years now? We're friends. I hope we're gonna be friends too, in time! And I don't mean anything pervy, just so you know. You just sound cool, and if Castiel likes you, I'm sure you're awesome to hang out with. You like horrors, right?'What the f@ck.'Yes,' Dean confirms, again, pressing his hand to his forehead. He's gonna f@ck this up, how is he supposed to react to that? They were talking about alpha's job, and now she's asking about him? Is she even an alpha or a beta, is he allowed to say anything? He's freaking out. 'Can you please tell me what should I tell alpha? I didn't-' he feels really stupid as he says that, but he supposes he shouldn't be fluent in their geek-talk, even if he weren't an omega. 'I don't really, uh, get what you meant, about those branches, Miss.'There's a pause. Was the honorific wrong? He should address her by her designation, but he doesn't know it, he just feels so helpless.'That's alright, man,' Charlie replies and she doesn't sound angry. 'I'll just shoot him a text.'No no no. 'No, look, please, I - alpha's asked me to, I can totally tell him. Just please repeat and I'll write it all down.'Another pause.'Sure,' she relents and he can breathe again. 'It's enough if you tell him that Garth pushed the wrong code. He'll know what it means,' she stops for a moment, and then repeats, patiently. 'Garth. That's one of our IT guys. The push part is kinda crucial, but Castiel's gonna figure it out anyway, you don't gotta worry about missing anything. You need me to explain more, or...''No, I got it, thanks so much,' Dean's grateful she's so nice to him. She must be a good alpha like Castiel. Or a good beta, but somehow she doesn't sound like one. 'I know I made it look like there was a rush, but it's not that big of a deal,' she keeps going, even though Dean wants to just end this conversation, holding the phone with a steel grip. He almost runs to the kitchen with the note, despite her words, and puts it in front of Castiel who's finishing serving dinner. He reads it quickly and groans, exasperated. He takes the phone from Dean, leaves it on the table and presses something, and suddenly Charlie's voice is loud, and Dean jumps up. He didn't know that could be done.'- he unwinding around you? The dude has a small case of stick-up-his-ass, but it's just part of his charm, I promise, and once you get past that, you're golden.''I'm glad it's just a small case,' Castiel says dryly, and Dean knows he shouldn't laugh - he should've warned Charlie about alpha listening - but he can't stop a giggle that leaves his mouth, unbidden, and clasps a hand over his mouth to stifle it. 'You're on speaker, Charlie.'Charlie gasps on the other side of the phone.'Betrayed much?' she sounds offended and Dean freezes with fear, laugh forgotten, but alpha notices and grabs his arm, strokes it soothingly. 'I was talking to Dean, Castiel, thanks for the interruption.''What did Garth do?''The entire backend is gone, I tried to roll back, we all did, but he must've changed the other files-' Dean tunes it out cause he doesn't understand it, and focuses on how nice Castiel's hand feels gripping his. He rubs his thumb in circles over the man's palm. Maybe
tonight... like he's said...'I'll arrange the meeting tomorrow, we'll fix it,' Castiel decides. 'I'm not going to do it tonight. I have plans with Dean.'Dean jerks his head up, surprised. 'Alpha, I'm not gonna hold you back from work,' because that's ridiculous, his movie and maybe cuddling over a project that many alphas are invested in?'No, it can wait, Dean,' alpha and Charlie say at the same time, and Dean cracks a disbelieving smile. Charlie huffs. 'Never lets me have the last word,' she says, but Dean now understands that it's all fake offended. 'You guys have fun. And Dean, hope we can meet soon! You gotta tell me all about the movies. Castiel's never even seen Star Wars-''What?!' Dean whips around to Castiel, unable to stop his reaction. 'Really?''Finally, someone with common sense,' Charlie comments. Castiel shrugs. 'I understand there's an unhealthy amount of adoration for said franchise,' he says. 'Yeah, cause it rocks,' Dean gets defensive, but those are d@mn great movies. The old ones, at least.'I imagine it can be quite interesting if you introduce me to it,' Castiel smiles, and it's more than his usual politeness. It has a teasing edge and Dean thinks that alpha's kinda flirting with him. As if confirming, Castiel's hand stops grasping his and instead travels to the small of his back, caressing his hip on the way. Dean shudders from just that, but doesn't move away.'Alright, I'll leave you to it!' Charlie's high, amused voice cuts through the sudden, heavy silence and the phone beeps as she ends the call. Castiel doesn't reach for it, but brings his other hand to Dean's face, strokes his cheek. 'I enjoy learning about your various interests,' he admits, then frowns, as if it doesn't sound right. 'I enjoy learning about you.'Oh. Dean feels his cheeks get pink and tries to duck his head, but alpha holds his face and doesn't let him. He presses their lips together, again, and Dean's so happy to get so many kisses, all day.His hand slides down the curve of Dean's ass, though, and squeezes, hard. Dean's breath stutters; alpha's never been this... passionate, before. His kiss deepens and Dean goes pliant, docile; alpha's nice and it gets Dean all hot and bothered when he's so confident, and he just wants to let him take whatever he wants. But then, alpha's second hand joins the first, kneading his buttocks through the jeans and pulling them apart a little and Dean breaks the kiss and steps back, his hip colliding with the kitchen table painfully.'S-sorry,' he breathes out. Castiel's turned on. His eyes are wide open and his cheeks crimson. It's a good look on him, it's sexy as f@ck, but all Dean can think of is the row of stark white teeth and the choking smell of fear, and the invading fingers pushing past his underwear and down... there. His skin is too tight and he feels dirty and miserable, all of a sudden. Castiel's nice to him, but if goes all alpha, he might stop being so kind, he might hurt him - not even cause he wants to, Dean doesn't think that would happen, he keeps proving otherwise - but he can just lose control like back in the shop, and... 'Can we please eat now? I'm hungry.'It's a bold move for him, but it's easier to ask for food that than to admit what's really the problem. Castiel takes a moment to come back to himself, and he looks confused for a split second before nodding hastily.'Of course.'Dean can't tell what he's thinking. He's not a good actor and he's sure his sudden change in mood and scent was palpable, but luckily, alpha doesn't ask, he just brings the plates to the small wooden table in front of the couch. Right, they were supposed to watch a movie.The plates barely fit, which means that Dean and Castiel need to sit really close to each other in order to eat. But alpha's calmed down, and Dean's not scared anymore.'Your friend sounds cool,' the omega says, taking the first bite while Castiel puts on the movie. It's exactly what he's described he likes, back at the shop - the long pasta with tomato sauce and minced meat. 'Yes, Charlie has a great personality,' alpha replies. 'I think you two would get on well, should you choose to meet one day.'Dean's mind almost yearns to find something sinister in it, because meeting with another alpha or beta to discuss movies is way too suspicious. But he keeps coming up short.'Is she an alpha?"'Yes, and she has an omega, Dorothy. They've been married since before I've known her.'They don't talk much after that, only eat and watch the movie. It lasts almost two hours, and somehow by the end of it, Dean finds himself cuddled up with Castiel, alpha's hand stroking his hair constantly. It's stupid how much he loves it. When the film nears its end, Dean moves an inch and studies Castiel's face. Alpha's tired, but he looks at the screen engrossed, and Dean allows himself to stare; he's really attractive.He cooks Dean his favourite food. He holds him and buys him things he likes. He listens to everything he says and never insists on things, unless it's for Dean's own good. It strikes Dean how little he still knows about him; Dean could name maybe five facts about him, tops.
He remembers how Castiel kissed his bruised knuckles, and it's almost the best memory, but the number one is the surprised, pleased way he smiled when Dean laughed at his awkward (hilarious) joke at the store. It's that memory that really floods Dean with some warm, unnamed feeling. 'This was better than the first part?' Castiel announces, and voices it like a question, and Dean sees that the end credits started rolling. 'Mhm,' he agrees softly, and suddenly wraps his arms around Castiel, straddles him gracelessly and buries his face in the crook of his neck. He can feel the pause, feels how puzzled alpha is, probably about what prompted his hug, but he doesn't care. Alpha smells safe, he keeps smelling safe. It's lazy and comfortable, melting into alpha's body, rubbing his cheek on his t-shirt once or twice. It's cozy.In the end, Castiel's scent shifts to cautiously satisfied, and he runs a hand down Dean's back. That feels cozy too, alpha's palms are so big. 'My sweet omega,' he sighs, and Dean preens. 'I get a feeling you'd like to move this to bed,' he says, teasingly, and Dean nods. This alpha won't hurt him, he tries to convince himself, as he pulls back to look him in the eyes. He's not mad, but he's also not as turned on as before, which is probably a good thing. They clean up and turn off all the lights, and Dean attempts to go to the bedroom, but Castiel calls him into the bathroom where he's stripping. 'How would you feel if we took a shower together?' he asks, very serious. Dean knows he won't force him if he won't want to. But he does. 'Yeah,' not very articulate, he takes off his shirt. They strip in the same time. Castiel doesn't look at him until he's done, which is good, cause he hates his ugly body. Alpha gets the shower running and steps under the spray, and holds out a hand.'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
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