Chapter Text
Nothing was protecting Dean's eyes from the sun blaring its bright ass light into them. Dean pushed himself up, gritting his teeth as his shoulder popped. In the front seat, Cas was shoring and Dean didn't know how. It had been three weeks sleeping in Cas's car and Dean was sure he'd never get used to this.
His body wanted to kick his ass.
Dean leaned over and shook the alpha’s shoulder. “Cas, buddy, wake up.”
Cas woke up with a snort before letting out a big yawn. “Do we got any food left?” He asked, smacking his lips.
Dean reached down, grabbed his backpack from the floorboard, and dug through it. “We have two pieces of bread, a scoop of peanut butter, and a pack of hot fries. We need to go shopping.”
“We also need gas, man.” Cas opened up the console and pulled out a plastic bag that was next to empty. “I'm also gonna, like, need more grass.”
“How much money do you have left?”
Cas opened up his glove compartment, grabbing his wallet. When he opened it, he frowned. “Bummer, man, we're gonna need to find a job.”
Dean sighed. “You've been smoking too much, Cas. We talked about this, remember? I can't work ‘cause I'm a runaway. If I try to get a job, my folks will be alerted, and it's a life of a sex slave for me.”
“Do you wanna work? If like, you had a choice?”
“Of course.” It would be double the money and maybe they could get actual food for the road.
A huge smile spread across Cas's face. “I know a guy.”
***
Dean looked out the window, not liking the dinghy trailer house he saw. It used to be white but hadn't been power-washed in years so there were dark streaks all over it. The windows were covered with blankets from the inside and the wolves on the blanket looked menacing. The grass was overgrown but not enough that Dean couldn't see all the junk pressed against the side of a trailer. Jugs of oil and antifreeze, a part of a truck bed, a tire, and an open bag of manure that had a plant growing out of it.
“Umm… So how do you know this guy?” Dean asked.
“Oh Ash? Super cool guy, man. He has a mullet and like, we met at a party the last time I was in the area.”
Dean narrowed his eyes. “And how long ago was that?”
Cas shrugged. “Maybe two or like, three years ago. He said that if I ever, like, needed a new identity, to totally hit him up.”
Dean had to take a moment to stare at the alpha in disbelief. “You met him once and he offered you a new identity?”
Cas grinned at him. “Cool, right?”
With that Cas was out of the car with Dean reluctantly following him. A man was sitting on a chair on his porch a trailer across from them. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, his arms, neck, and bald head were red from being out in the sun for so long but his chest and belly were pale. Forming a wife-beater shirt and it would be funny if the man wasn't glaring at them like he wanted to beat their faces in.
Cas didn't seem to notice, he happily strolled up to Ash's trailer and Dean followed close to him. There was rock music blasting behind the door, Cas didn’t knock, he banged. Dean felt his heart stop, what if this Ash guy was crazy? What if he thought Cas was a cop and shot him through the door? What if Ash didn't live here anymore and some redneck came rushing out with a shotgun?
“It's okay, Ash is a totally cool guy.” Cas said and Dean started to feel calmer when he realized the alpha was sending out calming pheromones.
“Cas, I told you not to do that.” Dean scolded and Cas frowned.
“But like, you get so stressed, man. And you won't smoke pot, so…” Cas shrugged before smiling again. “It's like, the most natural way to chill, man.”
“I don't care how natural it is, I don't want you messin’ with my-” Dean's words caught in his throat when he noticed the music had stopped.
A second later the door swung open and an alpha with a mullet and a sleeveless Darkness band t-shirt was standing there. He would kind of look a little goofy, but cool, if he wasn't an alpha. When he saw Cas, a tiny smile formed on his face.
“Cas! Man! Good to see you!” Ash stepped back, allowing them to enter.
Cas went on in, but Dean froze. He wasn't exactly thrilled about stepping into a strange alpha's home. Dean remembered all the creepy alphas that made unwanted advantages while he was still working. He thought about the sleazy alphas who would show up at the auction house to buy helpless omegas. But… This was Cas and Dean knew his friend would never put him in any danger. So, Dean shoved his fears aside and stepped into the trailer. Ash closed the door behind them and Dean didn’t like that, he stepped next to Cas, their shoulders pressed together.
“Man, how long has it been?” Ash asked, “Five years? Seven?”
Dean looked at Cas, “How long have you been traveling?”
“Uhhh…” Cas looked up at the ceiling, “I was like, sixteen.”
“Ah, three years!” Ash snapped his fingers before looking over at Dean. The omega smushed himself closer to Cas. “Hey! I’m Ash!”
“Dean.” He quickly replied.
“You’re boyfriend’s a bit shy, huh?” Ash chuckled and Cas laughed.
“Dean isn’t my boyfriend, he’s like, my best friend.”
Best friend status? Already? Well, they were together twenty-four-seven, living in Cas’s car, and the alpha happily brought Dean along without complaint. The alpha literally saved him and it hit Dean that Cas was his best friend when he thought about it.
“Right on,” Ash said, “So, what brings you back into this area?”
“Remember when you said you could make a new ID?” Cas asked and Ash nodded.
“Of course! I still got all the stuff.”
“Far out, man, Dean, here,” Cas said, slinging his arm over Dean’s shoulder. “Needs a new identity so he can like, work, man.”
“Follow me.”
Ash led them through the living room covered in band posters and women in bikinis and into a kitchen that hadn’t been touched in days. Dishes were piled in the sink, take-out boxes were left on the counter, and beer cans littered the table tops. The room that Ash led them to was a bedroom and Dean froze. His mind screaming that Ash was going to ask for sexual favors from Dean and he would have to do it because they didn’t have cash.
Cas won’t let that happen! Cas won’t let that happen!
Dean snapped back when Cas gently shook his shoulder. He looked up to see concern in those blue eyes. “Hey.” He wishpered. “I’m like, serious. You don’t have to work if you don’t want to, man. I can totally bring in the money for us.”
Dean shook his head, it was a sweet gesture, but they needed all the money they could bring in. Dean looked around the bedroom, it was just as messy as the living room and the kitchen. Clothes were scattered about like a hurricane had passed through, the covers were hanging off the side of the bed, but what caught Dean’s eye was in the corner of the room. There was a blue screen with a little stool sitting in front of it. Next to it was a desk with a laptop and a printer.
“So like, we don’t actually have money right now. But I can totally pay you back, later man.” Cas said and Dean’s unease returned. Dean was sure now Ash would ask for his body for payment and Cas wouldn’t let them and they would leave without a new ID.
“Maybe you can hook me up with some green when you get paid.” Ash suggested instead and a big goofy green spread across Cas’s face.
“Totally.”
And… That was it? It was settled just like that? Dean could hardly believe it but Ash gestured towards the stool and Dean took a seat. Ash pulled the first drawer open and grabbed his camera. He stood in front of Dean, bending his knee a bit. “Smile!”
Dean tried his best to smile and not grimace. It must have been good enough because Ash snapped the picture and took a seat at his desk. He took the SIM card out and inserted it into his laptop. Ash quickly taped and clicked away before turning towards Dean.
“How old are you?” Ash asked.
“Seventeen.”
“We’ll bump you up an age, so you don’t run into any trouble while applying for jobs.” Ash said, typing in a fake birthday. “Cas, let me see your ID, so I can match the address with Dean’s.”
“Sure.” Cas said, pulling out his wallet and handing it to Ash.
The other alpha pulled out the ID and started to copy what was there. Then, Ash once again turned to Dean. “What would you like your new name to be?”
“Ummm…” Dean said, staring stupidly at him. He didn’t think they would get this far so he hadn’t thought about it.
“So…” Cas spoke up and Dean and Ash both looked at him. “He’ll need my last name, so I can tell people he’s my brother. You know? Cause society, man.”
“Good thinking, what’s your last name?” Ash asked and Dean listened with interest. All these weeks together and the omega didn’t even know Cas’s last name. To be fair, Dean hadn’t told Cas’s his last name either. Or more about his personal life. Dean stuck to talking about lighter things or places they had been so far and places he’d like to see.
“Novak.” Cas replied and Ash quickly typed it in.
“You get to pick your first name.” Ash told Dean.
Dean bit his lip, thinking about it. He went over all the things he liked, actors, and singers, and finally, he knew his answer. “Robert, I want my new name to be Robert, please.”
“You got it, man.” Ash said before typing in the name. He clicked a few more times and soon the sounds of a printer filled the room. It wasn’t from the printer Dean could see, so Ash had to have a smaller one somewhere nearby. Sure enough, Ash bent down, grabbing the ID from a smaller printer on the first shelf of his desk. He stood up, and gave Dean a lopsided grin before handing the ID. “Congratulations Robert Novak, you’re a brand new omega.”
Dean looked over at the shiny new ID and was filled with a sense of freedom. Now, if someone stopped to question him, he wasn’t Dean Winchester, he was Robert Novak. No one would question Cas and Dean saw the chances of him getting turned over to his parents shriking.
“T-thank you!” He told Ash, his voice quivering a bit. The alpha had no idea just how much this meant to him.
“Of course, man. I just gotta make some more fake documents and I’m gonna need Cas’s help. You can chill out anywhere you want. There’s food and drinks in the fridge so help yourself.”
Dean nodded and stood up so Cas could pull the stool next to the desk. The alpha started to give Ash all kinds of personal information and Dean didn’t feel right eavesdropping. So, he wandered back into the living room and pulled the wolf blanket to peek outside. The redneck with the bad tan line was still there, but now there was a woman with messy blonde hair. She too looked like she was pissed there was a car that didn’t belong at the trailer park.
Why do these people hate visitors so much? Dean wondered but quickly decided he didn’t want to know. So he left the window and snoobed around Ash’s CD collection. There were a lot of hair metal bands, but Ash did have some taste, he owned Metallica. Dean lost track of time going through the CDs and he was caught looking through them, but Ash didn’t look upset that Dean was going through his stuff.
“You could have totally thrown on some tunes.”
Dean gave Ash a nervous smile before putting the CD back. “Maybe next time.”
“Right on,” Ash walked over to Dean, handing him two pieces of paper. “Your new birth certificate and a social number.”
“Thanks again, Ash.” Cas said, slapping the other alpha’s shoulder.
“Anytime! Feel free to swing by if you ever want to party.”
When Dean and Cas stepped outside, the couple from the other trailer were still staring daggers at them. Once again, Cas didn’t seem to notice, he just slipped into the car. Dean opened his door, but stopped long enough to stick his tongue out at the rednecks before hurrying into the car. Cas threw it in reverse, and made way too many point turns before driving out of the trailer park. “Let’s get us a job!”
***
Dean paced nervously, they had both been called in for an interview at a Gas-N-Sip. Cas was being interviewed now, but Dean worried about how the hell Cas would get a job. While Dean found Cas’s personality enduring, in Dean’s experience, they were very wary of hiring anybody. Would they want some pothead working the registers? Get a hold of yourself, Dean. Cas has done this before. He knows what he’s doing. Sure enough, when the door opened, Cas came out, doing a little dorky dance to let Dean know he got the job. Well, at least one of them would have money coming in. Now Dean just had to smile, put up with some sexiest bullshit, and hope they didn’t think it would be too dangerous for an omega to work.
“Rober Novak.” An older alpha lady with wavey blonde hair called out.
Dean put on his most charming smile and headed into the room. The office was small and he didn’t like being in such a close space with an alpha when the lady closed the door. But she squeezed behind her desk and at least there was something between them. Dean took a seat, but his stomach started to twist into knots when she gave him a weird look.
“Oh… I didn’t realize you were an omega.”
Dean kept the smile plastered on his face, even if he wanted to scream at her that it shouldn’t matter. “There wasn’t a section for a subgender.” Because you’re not allowed to ask.
The alpha cleared her throat. “Well… I really could use the help, I had three people quit on me. However, it’s not up to me. You know the laws, I need your Alpha to give me permission for you to work.”
Dean’s cheeks were hurting from how hard he was smiling. It took everything he had not to roll his eyes. “One moment please.”
Dean stood up, walked to the door, and opened it. “Cas!”
Soon, Cas was in the office and the lady looked surprised to see him there. Dean wasn’t sure why, they both put Novak as their last name and Novak wasn’t all that common of a surname, was it?
“Hey, I’m Robert’s legal Alpha. What seems to be the problem?” Cas asked, all smiles as usual.
“You’re his legal Alpha?” She asked, looking at them suspiciously.
“Sure am! I’m his older brother, I became his legal alpha when our parents died. A drunk driver crashed into them. It was totally sad, but that’s not why I was called back here, was it? I told my brother as long as I’m his legal Alpha, he had to work.” Cas said, patting Dean’s shoulder. “Bills are tight and he knows how upset I’ll be if he doesn’t get a job soon. I’ll have to beat him until he doesn’t fail me.” Cas narrowed his eyes at the woman who was now his boss. “He did get the job, right?” Then Cas turned his eyes towards Dean and it took the omega everything he had to not smile while Cas glared at him. “You did get the job, right?”
“Yes!” The woman quickly said. “O-of course! I wanted him to work here, I just needed your permission.”
Cas’s smile returned. “Far out.”
They both sat there, as the woman typed out their schedules. Dean would work the day shifts and Cas would work the evening shifts. They would both start tomorrow and Dean was able to keep it together until they stepped outside. Then the omega bursted out laughing with Cas chuckling as they walked back to the car.
“Dude! Who knew you could act?! That was great!” Dean snickered. “You were going to beat me!”
Cas threw his arm over Dean’s shoulder. “I promised you a job.”
“Thank you, Cas.”
“Of course, man.”
***
Cas munched on a bag of sour cream and onion chips, leaning behind the counter, and watching a soap that he couldn’t understand. It was all in Spanish, but from what the alpha could tell, there was a love triangle going on. Dean was stocking the shelves that didn’t really need stocking, at least in Cas’s opinion. “You know it’s like, my shift, right? You don’t gotta do that.”
“I need something to do with my hands.” Dean said, never looking up from the shelf.
Cas hummed. “I’ve noticed that about you.”
Now the alpha could feel Dean’s eyes on him. “What does that mean?”
Cas shrugged. “Just noticed that you don’t like to keep still.”
“It gets cramped up in that car of yours. I need to move while we’re out.”
Cas frowned. “I don’t stop enough?”
He knew that Dean didn’t like being in the car for hours of the time. The alpha tried his best to make stops. He stopped places where he had been and showed them to Dean. Sometimes he stopped just so they could hike through the woods. Dean seemed like he enjoyed them, but maybe Cas was mistaken. But then again? What did he really know about Dean? He knew that the omega’s parents were a drag and shouldn’t have had pups if they were gonna sell them. He knew that Dean liked classic rock music and Western movies, and he loved pie. Cas needed to know more.
“You know?” Cas asked and Dean hummed, but he now was moving on to restocking the sweet snacks. “When I still lived with my parents, I felt like I was trapped, you know?”
To the alpha’s surprise, Dean stopped what he was doing. Bringing the products he shouldn’t be stocking right now and placed them on the counter. “Oh yeah?”
Cas nodded his head. “Totally, my parents… They had plans for me…” Cas picked up a chip, but he didn’t bring it to his mouth. He just kind of played with it. “Dad wanted me to be an alpha, wanted me to study hard, and like, take over the family business. I did make him proud by presenting as an alpha, but not like, I could control that, you know? I think that was the only thing I did to make him happy, but I didn’t even choose it.”
“Would you have chosen something else? If you had the choice?” Dean asked, leaning closer to the counter.
Cas shook his head. “Nah, man, I believe there’s gotta be a reason why the universe, like, made me an alpha. I just hope that I can do something good with it.”
“Well, for me, you sure as hell did.”
Cas ducked his head, hiding his growing smile. He was glad that he was able to help Dean. He thought that they could become good buddies, but now? Cas was thankful the omega wanted to stick around. Life on the road got lonely, but Cas would find beauty in the moment, he traveled and made friends, but they never stuck around. Cas would move on and they would stay behind. When Dean wanted to stay, Cas wasn’t thinking about how much he was helping the omega. He was selfish, he was excited someone wanted to travel around with him. He figured Dean would want to part ways once they got far enough.
Only, he didn’t.
The omega stayed, he made lists of places he would like to see, with Cas. Dean wanted to stay, and Cas’s world was thrown for a loop for the first time in years. Dean was kind, and funny, even if he was a bit more serious at times, the omega made Cas laugh more than anyone ever had. Dean’s soul was gentle, always making sure that Cas had enough food and there had been plenty of times that Cas had to remind Dean to eat more than he was. Yet, there was hurt in those beautiful green eyes. Cas would never understand what it was like to be an omega who wasn’t wanted. Would never understand the fear that he could be sold.
But there was more to it, but if Cas wanted to know what lay beneath the surface, he needed to open up more himself.
“My father feared that I was going to be an omega, you know?”
“He did?”
“Yes, he was already making plans to mate me as soon as I turned eighteen. He wanted me to be with this guy named, Ishim. He was like, six years older than me, but my old man was good friends with Ishim’s father. My old man was already planning to mate me off before I presented because like, he thought I was too soft, too caring. I guess in his head, there’s no way an alpha could be those things, you know?”
“Yeah… Yeah I can get that.” Dean agreed.
“He was so happy when I presented as an alpha, but then, I just disappointed him again. I guess he like, I dunno, thought I would just magically toughen up once I presented, but I was still me, man.” Cas stuffed the chip back into the bag. “He still pushed me though, still wanted me to follow in his footsteps and you know? I got to thinking, right? Did I really wanna live like that forever? The thought of it was killing my soul, man. I knew I had to totally get out of there. So, when I got my driver’s license, I just like, packed my bags and hit the road. Never looked back.”
Dean walked around the corner, taking a seat in the second chair. “My parents were sure I was gonna be an alpha.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yup!” Dean replied, popping at the end. “I’m pretty tall for an omega, bigger than most. I had that swag, I got noticed by both genders.” Dean huffed out a humorless laugh. “Then, I didn’t present as an alpha.”
“It was bad, huh?” Cas asked, turning so he could face Dean better.
“Oh yeah, my dad was pissed. All of a sudden he started to point out qualities that he hadn’t before. He started to say that I was too caring, too bitchy, and that I had really soft features on my face. My parents no longer saw me as a person, they wanted to sell me right then and there. I had to convince my own parents that I could be useful. I worked two jobs and gave them every cent, I cooked, I cleaned, and I picked up my brother from school. I did everything I could to be useful but it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough…”
Dean had this faraway look in his eyes, his scent was filled with regret and sorrow. Cas knocked his shoe against Dean’s. “You know, that like, you don’t gotta be useful to stick around, right? I’m just happy you’re here with me.”
Dean blinked before a smile broke out across his face, he ducked his head. “Yeah… I mean, if it was anyone else, I probably wouldn’t believe them but…” Dean shrugged. “It’s you, and this is gonna sound crazy, but I know you would never use me.”
Cas beamed, happy that Dean did trust him. “I’m glad that you were brave enough to run away.”
Dean huffed a laugh and shook his head. “I wasn’t. I used to be… I used to be so different before I presented. I was cocky, I would get into fights, and sneak out of the house. You know, just normal teenager stuff. Then everything changed when I presented.” Cas watched those green eyes fade again, going somewhere far away, somewhere in a place of hurt. “I think I lost myself trying to stay useful. I got so used to taking demands without question that when my parents finally decided it was time, I just accepted it. I would be someone’s bitch by now if weren’t for Sammy. He packed my bags and shoved me out the door. Told me to run and make a better life for myself.”
Cas watched Dean play with the amulet he always wore. He never thought much about it before, but now the alpha realized it wasn’t just a necklace, it was the only thing Dean had left of Sam. “I’m sorry.”
Dean’s eyes became more focused, bringing him back to the present. “It sucks, I miss my brother, I miss the parents I knew before I presented.” He snorted. “Sometimes I miss a bed and getting to watch TV.” Dean finally returned Cas’s kick, gently knocking their shoes together. “But if it all had to happen the way it did, I’m glad that I get to travel with an interesting alpha.”
Cas grinned. “Right on.”
Dean shook his head, leaning over and grabbing Cas’s chips. He plopped some in his mouth and started to munch loudly. “So what’s going on with this show?”
“Ummm…” Cas squinted at the screen. “I think like, the red dress woman is maybe pregnant with that square jaw’s pup. But like, he’s totally mated to the woman in the black dress and I think that like, maybe the two women or sisters. But I’m totally pulling things out of my ass, man.” Dean hummed as the two of them watched the two possible sisters pull each other’s hair.