No one can accuse Castiel of not trying.

"So you guys are drinking tonight? Where?" He asks, an attempt at lighthearted.

Their eyes shift away from him.

"Oh, just at a friend's." One of them answers, evasive.

Castiel can take the hint.

"Ok, well. Have fun."

"Thanks, yeah." They clear their trays off the table and leave.

New city, new life, new friends- all things Castiel had never tried and apparently wasn't very good at. At least he had Gabriel, his friend from high school who'd agreed to room with him for their freshman year. Gabriel's presence was soothing when he wasn't actively trying to make Castiel uncomfortable with practical jokes and crude comments. Gabe was like a brother, though, and Castiel needed the one steady reminder of his old life, no matter how much he'd hated it, to get him through all the newness. Plus, Gabe knew about all his baggage and he didn't care.

"Party. You're coming."

Well, that was easy.

"Are you sure you want to bring me? I haven't had any luck socializing this week."

"That's because you're calling it 'socializing'. Just… 'hanging out' or 'smoking' or, fuck, anything but 'socializing'."

"I don't want to smoke."

"Shhhh, Cassie. Just make yourself presentable and lose that sweater-vest."

Castiel frowned, unaware his outfit was not considered presentable.

"I'm not smoking, Gabe." Cas muttered nervously as he pulled the sweater-vest over his head.

"God, I know, Cassie." Gabe rolled his eyes dramatically. "I know I can't make you do anything you don't want. I've learned that on multiple occasions, and often painfully."

"Keep it in mind." Castiel smirked, checking his appearance in the mirror briefly and thinking somewhat bitterly that he looked exactly the same, even though Gabriel nodded his approval.

"Much better, less stiff. Let the party animal out…. Well, that shy, hamster-sized excuse for a party animal you have."

Castiel had never been to a party before and he wasn't totally sure what to expect, his head filled with Hollywood b.s. he knew couldn't be accurate. This party turned out to be a small group of people, under 15 total, gathered in an apartment, passing around bottles of alcohol and laughing over poker. Two girls had given up trying to learn the game and decided to make out languidly on the floor, a nervous-looking boy watching them unabashedly.

Gabriel whooped loudly and sarcastically at the sight of the laid-back group and demanded louder music. Everyone in the wide, messy circle greeted him warmly and complied with his request. A few nodded at Castiel and eyed him curiously. Castiel kept his head down. Blend in, that was his goal and had been since he was old enough to understand his parents. Don't stand out, no matter what.

Eventually more people trickled into the tiny room, someone pumped the music up, and the poker game was abandoned for dancing raucously.

Castiel sat in the cramped corner and sipped at a cup of beer and watched Gabe get very familiar with a girl he was amazed to learn only minutes before that Gabe had never met other than tonight. Castiel wished desperately for a brief moment that he could be that easy-going, to dance with and kiss a girl he'd only known for an hour. Or maybe he didn't because now that he thought about it it sounded unsanitary... but at least he wouldn't be awkwardly sitting in a corner alone.

"Hey."

Castiel almost fell over as the boy dropped to the bed beside him, beer in hand, and clapped an arm around his shoulder. Most of his shock came from the fact that this guy was completely gorgeous: short, golden hair that stuck up in feathery spikes and dazzling green eyes with a cocky smile that was somehow completely endearing. The other half of his shock was due to his proximity. He could feel himself staring and he remembered Gabe warning him about his stares so he dropped his eyes hastily to the ground instead. "I'm Dean. That crazy girl over there— names' Jo— made it her mission to tire me out-" Dean tipped his beer in the direction of a perky blond who was tossing soft, golden curls to the heavy beat, "-and there's nowhere else to sit in this jam-packed room. So. Let's get to know each other, huh?"

"Castiel." Castiel sputtered, willing himself not to look up at this god's perfectly shaped mouth, or let himself gaze too long at his sparkling emerald eyes, because at this proximity Castiel was certain he would be interpreted as 'freaky' if he did. His heart was hammering in his chest, his instincts screaming at him to run and don't look back, but Dean was putting off nothing but friendly vibes and Castiel didn't want to call attention to himself. Blend in.

"Cool name, but I'll never remember it. I'm gonna call you Cas." Dean sipped from his beer. Castiel was trying to process that Dean hadn't retrieved his arm from around his shoulder yet.

"Alright." Castiel agreed in a soft mumble. He thought he might agree with whatever Dean asked of him at the moment, he was so distracted by how overwhelmingly beautiful he was.

"You look like you're a few beers away from dancing still." Dean noted casually. Castiel blushed a bit and looked back at the ground. He'd never been great at lying so he opted for the awkward truth.

"Even with a few more beers in me, I doubt I'll ever get to that stage."

"Aw, come on. Don't be that guy. Dancing's great." Dean winked at him, moving in closer to half-whisper in a conspiratorial way, "Chicks dig a guy who can move his hips." Castiel could see the freckles all along his cheeks and nose at this distance.

"Right." Castiel agreed mindlessly again, still dazed. Probably wasn't a great time to mention that he didn't particularly care about attracting 'chicks', not when Dean had his arm slung so casually over his shoulder and their sides pressed together from hip to shoulder. Castiel didn't want to alert Dean to just how far off-base he was with that tip, because he was pretty sure he'd never be this close to a god again in his life.

"Anyway. Drink up, Cas. The night is young." Dean clinked their plastic cups together before downing the rest of his beer. Castiel was still on his first and it was barely half-empty.

Castiel complied, downing the rest of his beer in several long gulps.

Dean watched him, eyes sparkling.

"You sure don't say much, but damn. Boy can drink. I respect that."

Castiel swallowed the last of his beer, a bit alarmed because no, no he couldn't drink he was just nervous as hell and he wanted to remedy that before Dean became aware of it.

"So who brought you here and then abandoned you to a corner?" Dean asked, and Castiel must have been imagining that Dean watched him lick the beer from his lips.

"He didn't… my roommate. He's dancing with that girl." Castiel looked for Gabe in the crowded room before, yeah, they weren't dancing anymore but full-on making out against the wall.

"Oh." Dean commented lightly, amused. "Nice."

"He didn't abandon me. I just- I'm not good at this stuff. That's not Gabe's fault." Castiel shrugged, wishing he had more beer in his cup to continue to drown his nerves. He probably shouldn't be telling Dean how much he sucks at talking to people, but that came with the territory of, well, sucking at it.

Dean was watching him again when he snuck a glance back at him, but it wasn't the sort of 'uh yeah that's obvious you don't even have to say that' look he had gotten used to lately.

"You want to get out of here?"

"I think Gabe is going back to our dorm with her." Castiel surmised dryly as he watched the two edge along the wall to the door. Sure enough, Gabe surfaced from the girl's lips just long enough to make a wild gesture at Castiel and then wave, which he guessed was supposed to mean, "don't interrupt us and I'll see you later".

"I meant with me." Dean smiles at Castiel's confusion and Castiel can actually feel his face warm up.

"Uh."

"Come on." Dean tugged him up off the bed and helped him edge his way through the bodies to the door.

"Thank god, I can hear myself think again!" Dean laughed as they closed the door behind them. Castiel grinned.

"I can hear you talk, too. That was quite a feat to accomplish in there."

Dean stared at him a moment, then shook his head.

"What are you even doing at this school, man? You're way too smart to be here."

"I- what?" Castiel blinked.

"Look I got a brother just like you, like, just like you. His teachers are promising me he's going wherever the fuck he wants when he graduates. I've lived with smart long enough to recognize it, and you, Cas, are smart as shit."

"I don't think shit is smart."

Dean laughed. Castiel decided right then that he loved Dean's laugh.

"Seriously, why are you wasting your time in a school a high-school dropout could get into with a GED?"

"I don't…. Dean, did you really get in on just a GED?"

"And a pretty great teacher recommendation from my language teacher, poor sap. Actually sees potential in me." Dean shook his head like it was pitiable how his teacher believed in him. "I moved around a lot as a kid, my Dad was in the Air Force so we had to, and I picked up a couple of languages along the way: Japanese, Korean, Cantonese… But the rest of my grades are total shit. Anything involving numbers? Phew, I'm screwed."

"I'm taking Japanese this semester." Castiel was staring at Dean's mouth again. He stopped himself as soon as he realized. Dean was smiling gently at him, even though Castiel was sure he'd noticed where his eyes had been. "It's very difficult."

"I know, I recognized you up there. You sit at the front of the class, answer all the teacher's questions correctly… nerd." The way Dean said it was so affectionate Castiel didn't even mind. Castiel couldn't believe he hadn't noticed Dean in class.

"Why are you in a 100-level Japanese class if you speak it already?"
"I can speak it, but writing is a whole other ballgame, Cas. Plus, easy A, which I could do with right now."

Castiel nodded, but the idea that Japanese could be an easy A for anyone was kind of astounding. Dean was very smart, no matter what his record showed.

"So." Dean said, and Castiel hadn't realized they were walking down the hallway, down the stairs, until they were outside the dorm. He'd just been following Dean, trying to concentrate on talking to him and not saying anything bizarre. "Your dorm's gonna be preoccupied for a while, huh?" Dean was texting as he talked. Castiel wondered if he was finally getting tired of talking to him.

"Yeah, but it's fine. I'll go to the library and read or something until Gabe texts me."

"Wow, you're a great roommate. You actually don't sound bothered by that at all." Dean looked up from his text to grin at Castiel in amazement Castiel didn't feel he deserved. Castiel shrugged.

"Gabe already warned me he'd be doing this from time to time. We're good friends from high school so I knew what I was getting into."

"Sammy's always giving me shit for bringing people back to the apartment." Castiel's stomach lurched as he noted Dean's purposefully gender-neutral 'people'. Not 'girls'. 'People'. Castiel used the same kind of pronouns when he referenced his sexuality to near-strangers.

"Sammy's your brother?"

"Yup." Dean finished his text and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. They were just standing around now, watching people walk in and out of the dorm.

"You know, you don't have to keep me company. You can go back in and enjoy yourself."

"I am enjoying myself." Dean cocked his head to the side, eyes sweeping over Castiel's face.

"Sure." Castiel snorted.

"Don't sell yourself short, brain. Tell you the truth, I wasn't really up for dancing tonight, but Jo can't be stopped. She and Ruby dragged me here and they won't want to leave for a few hours yet. We're in the same boat."

"Oh?"

"I worked all day, and while I do love to kick back with a beer and relax, that's hardly what you can call what they're doing up there." Dean shook his head. "Noisy parties were never my thing. I could go for more beer, though."

"You work?" Castiel asked. He had a full scholarship so he didn't have to worry about working, but he was always very impressed with students who managed jobs and school.

"Yup. I'm a mechanic down at Singer's Garage." Dean shrugged, nonchalant. "It's nothing fancy but it pays the bills."

"I don't understand how cars work in the slightest, so it sounds very interesting to me."

Dean laughed, green eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, they're pure rocket science. I must be as smart as you, Cas."

Castiel smiled softly, trying not to get caught in how beautiful Dean's smile was.

"That must be it." He said, sincerely. Dean was watching him, his smile fading, and Castiel liked the way he looked at him. He liked looking at him, too, and listening to his easy, throaty conversation. Really, everything about Dean was appealing.

Especially the way he smelled.

Now that they were out in the clean air, Castiel knew what Dean was without question: an alpha. Dean didn't seem to know what Castiel was, though, because he was still talking to him and omegas didn't just 'talk' with alphas. Lucky for Castiel he'd been on hormone suppressants since his first heat and he was covered in beta-masking deodorant… but it didn't always work. There were alphas who could sniff him out sometimes, despite his precautions. Dean didn't seem to be one of those. Castiel hoped he would stay in that category.

Castiel was still thinking about Dean when Monday came and he had to go to class. He thought about Dean while he was in class, and after class, and during lunch while he read a book and sipped at soup absentmindedly. He willed himself to stop, to think about anything else, but even Heart of Darkness couldn't distract him from the memory of Dean's green eyes.

It wasn't until he noticed someone watching him that Dean was truly chased from his thoughts. Castiel tensed at the feeling, adrenaline flooding his system, but didn't turn to see who it was immediately. Instead, he looked up at the window in front of him and checked the reflection. A dark haired man with wide brown eyes had his gaze trained on the back of Castiel's head, an unmistakably hungry look there as his fingers clenched around a can of Redbull.

Castiel calmly cleaned up his soup and left the cafeteria.

He picked his way to his next class, unable to keep himself from checking his back every few minutes, but luckily the alpha hadn't followed him. He sat in his lecture class and tried to lose himself in chemistry. Anna, his lab partner, had started sitting next to him recently and her conversation was pleasant. Castiel even found himself laughing at her hydrogen bonding joke.

Castiel hadn't forgotten about the alpha at lunch, but an hour of struggling to understand the complex arrangements of atoms cleared his anxiety over it somewhat. He was able to walk back to his dorm without checking behind him, though he did take the longer, somewhat obscure route to tire out anyone who might be following him.

Gabriel was there when he unlocked the door.

"Hey Gabe."

"Cas."

Castiel jolted at the deep rumble of a voice and his eyes immediately flew to the source: Dean was sitting on the bed next to Gabe. Castiel choked down an instinctive bout of omega jealousy as Gabe lifted his hand from where it was resting on Dean's shoulder. Dean wasn't his to be jealous over, he reminded himself.

"Hey Cassie. Look who dropped in."

Dean stared at him, and Castiel couldn't help but notice that his gaze was much less playful than it had been Friday night. Anxiety swept through him again.

"Dean." Castiel swallowed hard, tearing his eyes from Gabe's hand.

"Sorry to just stop by. Everyone knows where Gabe lives, so it wasn't hard to find." Dean said, rising from the bed and stretching, nonchalant.

"No. You're welcome to drop by anytime." Gabe's eyebrows shot up at Castiel's blanket invitation, but he stayed silent. What were the words coming out of Castiel's mouth? Dean coming here was extremely dangerous. His bed probably reeked of omega pheromones. His hamper was likely a hotbed for scent, too. If Dean didn't already know he was an omega, Castiel was pretty sure he did now. Maybe that's why he seemed different?

"Alright then." Dean smiled quietly, looking uncharacteristically awkward. "I, uh, I just forgot to get your number on Friday and I haven't met many people here that I get along with yet. So... yeah."

"Of course." Castiel's voice was more of a squeak than he'd hoped it would be, already reaching for his phone. "Yeah, tell me your number and I'll text you so you have mine."
They exchanged numbers and Dean said he had to get going or he was going to be late for work. He squeezed past Castiel in the small room to get to the door, and Castiel found himself pressing into his closet to avoid inhaling too much of that alpha smell that made his head swim.

"Gabe." Castiel hissed as he rounded on him. "How does it smell?" His voice fell from an angry growl to a nervous whimper.

"Uh, smells normal to me, Cas." Gabe shrugged, scratching out something on a pad of paper.

"No, you idiot! Dean's an alpha. How could you just let him in here?"

Gabe froze.

"Shit." He immediately breathed deeply and closed his eyes, serious for once. "Shit. I don't really smell anything." But Gabe was a beta and their sense of smell wasn't as keen as alphas', which is probably why Dean's alpha status didn't register with Gabe in the first place. "I'm sorry, Castiel, it was a totally dipshit move on my part. I didn't even think about-"

"It's ok." Castiel breathed, trying to calm his beating heart. Castiel couldn't freak out every time Gabriel let a male alpha in the room. "It's fine. I can't expect you to screen people for me. Sorry, I shouldn't have gotten mad. It's just- Dean is…"

"He seems like a nice guy." Gabe said, sounding guilty still. "I didn't catch any signs of possessive alpha bullshit. I'll be more careful from here on out, though."

"Yeah." Castiel agreed, trying to reassure himself. "Yeah, if you can't smell it, maybe he didn't catch it."

"I don't think he did. You know you've only lived here a week, and you wear that beta deodorant even when you sleep… I doubt there's much to smell." Gabe said, sounding more confident than he looked. "Anyway, he seems nice."

"Yeah." Castiel agreed again, numb. "Yeah."

"You two gonna bang?"

Castiel almost dropped his bag on the floor, computer and all.

"What the hell, Gabe?"

"Just curious." Gabe shrugged. "He's incredibly hot. I had to ask."

"Keep your hands to yourself." Castiel growled. Gabe beamed at him.

"Haha! Jealousy. Even with a face like that, you know I'm straighter than white girl shampoo, Cassie. So you're just hoping to bump uglies?"

Castiel rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Do you have to be so crude?"
"Come on, tell me about your crush on the big bad alpha." Gabe teased, wiggling his eyebrows as he adjusted himself on his bed, relaxing. "He at least bat for the right team?"
Castiel shrugged off his jacket and glanced at Gabe, who was grinning at him in that infuriating way of his. Ugh, what the hell.

"I have no idea. I think he likes girls, though."

"Aw. Poo." Gabe seemed suddenly to lose interest. "Sorry, Cassie. But, hey, at least you're probably safe if he did smell, uh…" Gabe seemed to realize he'd said something incredibly insensitive as he trailed off. Castiel shrugged.

"Yeah. Probably."

"I'll be more careful." Gabe sounded serious again. It was so weird to hear him attempt serious. Castiel met his blue eyes, read the regret there. "I'm sorry Cas. I'll be more careful from here on out."

Castiel's lips quirked up in a smile. "Don't call me Cas."

Castiel liked learning. He liked reading, and he even liked studying. He hated some of his teachers, but he still learned the subject because in the back of his head he remembered the whispers of 'bitch' and 'whore' and he knew what was waiting for him if he failed at his education. So he got top scores, he studied hard, and he didn't think about Dean, or text him, beyond that first text to give him his number.

Dean was dangerous now.

Still, when his name popped up on his screen with a little letter below it, Castiel opened it.

Having some friends over tonight. Want to come?

Castiel's throat clenched and despite himself he asked:

How many friends?

It was a good ten minutes or so before Dean replied.

5? It's not a big party if ur worried.

No that wasn't what Castiel was worried about. Castiel wanted to believe Dean was a nice person, but he was an alpha, and Castiel couldn't take any chances.

Can I bring Gabe?

Castiel got through another page of homework problems before Dean texted back-

Ok, but keep him on a leash.

Castiel actually laughed at that. Gabe, who was reading a book for his philosophy class, looked at him with some measure of interest.

What do you mean?

I mean don't let him wreck my house. I don't have the cash to replace everything.

Castiel laughed again, this time earning a "What?" from his nosy roommate.

"You want to come with me to make sure Dean's cool?"

"Sure. I'm game." Gabe agreed good-naturedly.

"You can't destroy anything in his house, though. Those are his conditions."

Gabe looked shocked.

"I'm hurt, Cassie, that you think I could treat another human's property with such reckless indifference!"

"Whatever." Castiel rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Gabe."

It was dark in Dean's apartment when he opened the door for them. Castiel looked around curiously, but the only light came from a large TV on one side of the small living room and Castiel couldn't make out anything other than a large couch with several people sprawled out over it, and leaning up against it on the floor.

Dean put a finger to his lips and pulled Castiel in by the wrist, quickly shutting the door behind them. Castiel was about to protest the pushy action but Dean let go before he could bother with it. Castiel looked around awkwardly for a place to sit before the blond (Dean called her… Jo?) from the party waved him over to an empty space by her on the couch.

Dean reclined on the floor next to a dark haired girl and pulled her against his chest, eyes settling on the TV.

Well that answered that question.

Castiel tried to ignore the dull crashing sound in his head. There was never any chance Dean would be into him anyway, but it still hurt to see it laid out bare in front of him.

Castiel didn't know what movie they were watching, but Jo quickly filled him in with quiet whispers. Castiel nodded and pretended to be paying attention but all he could think was no get your hands off Dean he's mine. Which immediately sparked a whole wave of guilt and shame because no, no Dean was not his and he shouldn't be feeling this way for someone he'd talked to twice.

He tried not to watch when they started making out. Instead, he asked Jo questions about the movie and glued his eyes to the glowing screen because, fuck, Castiel hated action but watching it was so much better than the alternative. Gabe was restless, propped up against the couch next to him, probably bored with sitting still for so long.

Eventually someone kicked Dean and the girl, earning a loud "Sam, what the fuck?" from Dean. A lanky boy with a very cute face scoffed loudly and complained,

"Dean I can't hear the movie over the sound of you two sucking each other's faces off."

Thank god Castiel thought, the tension in his chest loosening. Dean growled low in his throat but they didn't start back up, for which Castiel was infinitely grateful.

Castiel made it through two hours, somehow. Then the lights came on and he got his first glimpse of Dean's apartment. It was clean, if a little dingy and dusty, and very simple. The TV was the most expensive thing in the room, large and looming. The kitchen was connected to the living room and a hallway lead from the kitchen to what must be the boys' separate rooms. It didn't look heavily lived in, with hardly any decorations on the walls. There weren't any pictures on display, either.

Castiel was introduced to the few other people on the couch or around it: Chuck, the nervous guy who was watching the two girls make out at the party, Jo, who Castiel already liked a great deal, Ruby, a dark haired beauty who made Castiel a little nervous, Garth, a friendly beta who intimidated Castiel to the amount of exactly 0, and Kevin, an intense Asian guy who could probably kick Castiel's ass if he looked at him off. Lisa was the name of the girl Dean had his arm wrapped around. Castiel didn't care for her, though he tried to act neutral. She was nice enough.

As everyone stood up and stretched out the stiffness from two hours of the movie, Castiel wandered over to the bookshelf, unable to help himself. He wondered what kind of books Dean kept close to his heart.

"I admire a man who checks the bookshelf of a house first." Castiel almost jumped at the sound of the voice behind him. Sam. His bright hazel eyes tracked Castiel's movements, his hands shoved in his pockets in a show of teenage shyness.

Castiel smiled faintly.

"Crime and Punishment yours?" Somehow Castiel couldn't picture Dean sitting through the epic novel. Sam nodded, eyes brightening even more. "Probably my favorite book of all time."

"It's a beautiful piece of writing." Sam murmured in agreement. "Russian authors in particular seem to be able to capture poverty and suffering with great austerity."

"Well, Russia's pretty well versed in the topics."

"Did you hear about the laws they passed recently?"

Castiel swallowed hard.

"On omegas. I only know bits and pieces."

"Male omegas must report to the government and they're tagging them so it's impossible to hide their omega status, kicking the homeless out of shelters and forcing them into whore houses, legally excluding them from certain jobs… It's like the holocaust all over again. Despicable."

Sam was an alpha. Castiel could smell it thickening in the air between them. He edged back slightly.

"You think so?"

"There's nothing worse than persecuting people based on characteristics they were born with and have no control over."

"That's very enlightened of you, Sam. I wish society agreed with you."

"I want to work in law so I can fight that kind of thing." Sam's hand brushed over the bookshelf fondly, and Castiel was caught by the passion in his words.

"Hey. Nerds." Dean's green, green eyes pulled Castiel in over Sam's shoulder. "Pizza's here." Castiel wondered why Dean was staring at him like that, so intense. Dean always seemed to be staring at him. Castiel nodded.

Lisa giggled as Dean fed her a slice of pizza. Dean silenced her giggle with a kiss. Castiel bit into his own pizza and tried to focus on what Sam was saying. The kid was definitely smart, almost too smart. Castiel could barely keep up.

"-disenfranchising the poor while simultaneously using their votes to leverage their own political prowess?" He finished another rant.

"Hey kid." Gabe interrupted Sam before he could start up again, looking bored. "Any of these chicks single?"

"Uh. I think Ruby might be. Careful, though- she's been known to bite." Sam replied smoothly.

"Excellent." Gabe grinned, sliding away to try to chat up Ruby.

"Personal experience?" Castiel wondered, amused.

Sam flushed at the implication but said nothing. The kid was young, probably no older than 16, so Castiel hoped he didn't have experience with Ruby yet.

"Ah." Castiel took another bite of pizza.

Sam watched him chew. Castiel should have known better than to glance over to where Dean and Lisa were sitting.

"You like him." Sam surmised quietly. Castiel physically jerked away.

"Uh."

"It's ok, I won't tell him. I don't think he's noticed." Sam said quickly, chuckling.

"Thanks. It's not a big deal. He's just-"

"Hot?" Castiel laughed at the eye roll in Sam's tone.

"I guess you get that a lot?"

"He certainly takes advantage of it."

Castiel watched Lisa nip at Dean's ear, watched his eyes flare with desire before he captured her lips with his.

"Seems to." Castiel agreed.

"They've only been dating a few weeks. If you wanted to, you know, try for it." Sam shrugged, sounding serious and, oddly, a little sad. Castiel stared hard at his pizza before biting into it again.

"Naw. I'll get over it. Hopefully I'm not that obvious."

"Only if you're paying close attention. I have a habit of paying too much attention to everything, though, so you're probably safe." Sam grinned.

"I knew you two would get along." Dean squished himself down on the couch between Sam and Castiel. Gabe was making headway with a half-interested Ruby and Sam tended to go off on things even Castiel could barely understand, but Castiel was enjoying himself.

"Why do you even hang out with my bonehead brother?" Sam laughed, "He's a horrible influence."

"Shut up, twig." Dean scowled. "I practically raised you. I'm your horrible influence."

"I know." Sam said, and his gentle smile was filled with nothing but affection.

Castiel glanced at his watch. After watching Dean and Lisa's PDA all night, Castiel was ready to go home, stroke himself to an empty, sad orgasm and cry into his pillow until sleep overtook him. If he stayed much longer, he was afraid he would give his true feelings away to the entire room, scent blocking deodorant be damned.

"I should get going. It's late."

"It's a Saturday night, Cas. Live a little." Dean clapped a hand on Castiel's shoulder. Castiel tried not to stare at it, already overwhelmed by their proximity.

"I'm exhausted." Castiel was only half lying.

"Yeah, stay, Cas." Sam pleaded softly, and then there's twin pairs of hazel and green eyes pinning him to the couch, trying to push him over the edge.

"What else do you have planned?" Castiel asked, almost ready to give in.

"We were probably just going to pop in another movie."

"Don't make me sit through another one of their make out sessions alone." Sam pleaded again, to which Dean rolled his eyes.

"Don't watch if it bothers you so much, pervert."

"I can hear it. It's gross. Stay and distract me, Cas." Sam whined.

"No, I really will fall asleep on your couch if I stay." Castiel sighed heavily.

"So? Sleep on the couch. You're welcome to." Dean shrugged casually and warning bells went off in Castiel's head. No, he can't do that. No matter what, no matter how sweet Dean and Sam may seem, he cannot fall asleep, defenseless, in the home of two alphas.

"No." Castiel said firmly, rising to his feet. "Gabe? I'm ready to go."

"Baby, you know who to call if you ever need a good time." Gabe kissed Ruby's hand, who only looked slightly disgusted at the outdated gesture, before he waved a three fingered goodbye to her and made his way to Castiel's side.

"Hey, Cas?" Dean caught Castiel's arm as Castiel moved toward the door. "We cool? It just seems like… you're upset."

"I'm not upset." Castiel eyed the hand on his forearm. "Thank you for the invitation, Dean. I enjoyed myself. Nice to meet you, Sam." He nodded to Sam, who was watching Castiel with the same concern as Dean. With that, Castiel shook Dean off, maybe a little too hard, and left.

Castiel liked chemistry best, and good thing too because he wanted to be doctor. He spent hours upon hours in the library practicing equations for calculating the wavelength of elements and acid-base equilibriums. He loved the library, loved the way it smelled like old books and peace. He appreciated how chemistry fit together with steady rules he could memorize and practice and master. Castiel wanted to feel in control, and the library offered him an environment where he could accomplish that.

Which is why he didn't expect it when the alpha that scented him at lunch the second week of school backed him into a corner of the bathroom.

"I almost didn't sniff you out, bitch. You mask your scent well."

Castiel's heart pumps blood to his brain, he can hear every thud of his heart in his ears, but his brain isn't what reacts. Pure instinct, he lashes out with a slash to the head, then a swift elbow to the stomach, and the boy crumples in on himself, allowing Castiel to slip free and run for the door.

He doesn't make it.

"Little whore!" The man grunts in his ear after he tackles him to the ground. "I'm not going to hurt you."
If adrenaline hadn't whited his mind out Castiel would have laughed in derision. He probably believed it, too, believed that he was giving Castiel something he wanted; a struggle between an alpha and an omega. Hot.

To his surprise, the alpha backs off and onto his knees, letting Castiel scramble away from him as he raises his hands in a submissive gesture. Alphas who attacked omegas in bathrooms didn't act submissive.

Castiel is bewildered, his instincts thrown off by the uncharacteristic behavior. The alpha starts to talk before he can get his bearings again.

"I wanted to offer you an opportunity before you decked me. Why are you wasting your time in school, probably accruing unnecessary debt, when you could be making money right now? You can't actually believe that anyone will hire you when you get out of here, not for anything respectable. You're very pretty, and you could fetch quite a price if sold by the right auction house."

"I'm here on a scholarship, asshole." Castiel snarled. "I don't need to prostitute myself."

"I bet you feel lucky, don't you, to have gotten that scholarship? Too lucky. Bet you had to hide who you were to even be considered for it. More of a close call, really. When will your luck run out? When will you have to face the real world, where no one considers you worth two shits?"

"Fuck you." Castiel grits out, but it isn't the first time he's heard it. The low, gravelly voice of the man in front of him echoes words he's heard too many times in too many other voices and he can't pretend they don't get to him.

The man holds out a card.

"Crowley. If you decide you'd rather not take any chances with your future employment, I can give you something real to hold onto, to support yourself in style. I promise you this, omega, with a pretty face like yours… you could pull in hundreds, if not thousands, a day. But you're not getting any younger so you might want to rake in the big bucks while you still got the looks for it. Think about it."

Castiel spits on the card and scrambles to his feet, slamming into the door with force that carries him through to a run once he's out of the bathroom, a pace he can't slow until he's gulping down fresh air from outside.

"Cassie."

Castiel grunts into his pillow in response.

"Cassie, babe, talk to me."

"Leave me alone, Gabe. I'm tired."

"You're not. Even I can smell how upset you are, and I've got a shitty beta snozzle on me."

"Fuck." Castiel grumbled, burying himself further in the comforter. "You don't want to know, Gabe. Trust me."

"Was it Dean?" Gabriel's voice was heavy with guilt.

Castiel sat up suddenly.

"No, it wasn't Dean!" He was unnecessarily outraged by the accusation, even though he had considered Dean a threat to his person more than once.

Gabe doesn't defend himself, just breathes a sigh of relief.

"Let me know if I need to kick anyone's ass, Cassie."

Castiel feels a faint growl low in his throat. He launches himself out of bed, grabs his coat and leaves before he can snap at Gabe for something that isn't really his fault.

He doesn't need a beta defending his fucking honor for him. Castiel can take care of himself.

Castiel's banging out his frustration on a piano when he feels eyes on him. He's in a soundproof room in the basement of the music building and he's already been attacked once today so his heart jumps into his throat and he leaps like a startled deer from the piano bench and into the wall.

Summer green eyes widen in shock from the small window of the door to the practice room.

Dean. Alpha.

Castiel can't think straight until Dean walks into the room, hands raised above his head in a 'don't shoot' sort of gesture that signals to the primitive side of Castiel's brain, the side that's in charge right now, that Dean doesn't mean him harm.

"How did you find me?" Castiel's throat unclenches enough for him to spit out.

"I just came from the Business building next door. I always listen to the kids here practice while I'm waiting for the bus. Heard some great piano tunes, wanted to see if I recognized the kid."

Dean smells, overpowering and sickly sweet, like he's been working out. His smell fills the tiny room and does nothing to calm Castiel's dry mouth and tensed shoulders.

"What, did you run a mile or something?" Castiel blurts out, unable to breathe over the scent of alpha choking out the air in the room. It's heady and intoxicating and Castiel hates the way it makes him feel out of control with want and sick to his stomach at the same time. He can't stand it, not after what happened in the bathroom today.

"How did you…" Dean's eyebrows twist up for a moment and then a blank, neutral expression settles over his face. "Oh."

No beta would notice his smell.