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Dean woke up wrapped up in warmth, and he smiled and burrowed further into it. The soft chuckle above him caused him to look up and saw beautiful blue eyes already staring at him.
“Good morning, Omega,” Castiel’s deep voice rumbled and Dean huffed happily and sighed as fingers ran through his hair.
The last year and a half with Castiel had been fantastic, better than Dean ever thought. After helping him with his heat, they got to know each other better and, as it turned out, the Alpha wasn’t the self-centered typical macho jerk Dean thought that he was — in fact he was the opposite. He showered Dean with gifts, not the flashy, expensive kind, but little things that made Dean’s chest ache in the best way; Dean’s favorite pie tucked into the fridge after a long day, a blanket soft enough to lull him into naps before he could even protest. Every little gesture made Dean’s inner Omega preen with the fact that their Alpha was taking care of him.
Dean leaned into Cas’s touch, eyes fluttering shut again as his hair was combed through with steady fingers. “You’re spoilin’ me, Alpha,” he muttered, voice still rough with sleep.
“I’m caring for you,” Castiel corrected, calm and sure as ever. “Allow me to.” His thumb brushed over Dean’s temple, and Dean felt warmth ripple all the way down his spine.
Dean cracked one eye open, smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “You gonna feed me breakfast in bed too? Or is that askin’ too much?”
Castiel tilted his head, considering, before the faintest smile tugged at his mouth. “If that’s what you want.”
“Pancakes and bacon,” Dean exclaimed and Castiel leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead.
“As you wish.”
Dean groaned contentedly and stretched, but made no move to leave the bed. “I’m just gonna lay here and let my big strong Alpha do all the work.”
“Sounds fine by me,” Castiel said simply, slipping out from under the covers with that unhurried grace of his. He tucked the blanket more securely around Dean before making his way out of the room.
Dean waited until the Alpha was out of the room before jumping out of the bed and making his way silently to the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him. He opened the top drawer and rifled through it, silently celebrating when his hand brushed the paper bag that he had stashed at the back of the drawer.
He carefully removed the bag and reached inside and pulled out a box, flipping it over.
Omega First Pregnancy Tests
Dean swallowed as he opened the box and pulled out the instructions, reading them carefully as though the words might rearrange into something different if he stared long enough. His palms were damp, the paper crinkling under his grip.
He thought back to a few weeks ago, when his last heat should’ve hit. Instead of the sharp ache, the bone-deep exhaustion, the restless pacing that usually came with it, there had only been… warmth. A quiet hum under his skin, soothed by Cas’s steady presence. Not painful, not lonely, not desperate like before. He’d chalked it up to having a mate now — even if they hadn’t shared the bite yet, even if their bond wasn’t fully sealed — something had just felt different.
He set the instructions on the counter and tore open the wrapper, his breath shallow, chest tight. The plastic stick felt heavier than it should, like it carried more weight than his entire body could hold.
“Just in case,” he whispered to himself, as if saying it aloud would keep it from being real. He glanced at the closed door, listening for footsteps, for Cas’s voice drifting back from the kitchen.
Nothing.
Dean braced his hands on the counter, the cool porcelain grounding him for a second before he forced himself to move. He fumbled with his sleep pants with clumsy fingers and followed the instructions with mechanical precision.
The stream hit the test cleanly, and he counted the seconds under his breath, jaw tight. When the time was up, he capped it quickly and set it down on the folded hand towel he’d laid out like the instructions suggested. He then washed his hands slowly, and looked in the mirror. His reflection in the mirror was pale, eyes wide, freckles stark against skin that looked too tight over his bones. He didn’t recognize the expression staring back at him —hope, fear, disbelief all twisted together.
Finally, Dean slid down to sit on the closed toilet lid, elbows braced on his knees, hands twisting together. The minutes stretched, heavy and endless, as he tapped his heel against the tile, restless energy crawling through him and suddenly his throat tightened.
What if… What if he doesn’t want this? What if I ruin the best thing I’ve ever had?
The thought alone made his eyes sting.
He dragged both hands over his face, pressing hard against his eyes like that might block the thought out, shove it back into the dark where it belonged. But it clung to him, heavy and cold in his gut.
A pup was permanent. Life-changing.
Dean’s chest ached with the thought of screwing it all up — of Cas looking at him differently, of that warmth in those blue eyes dimming under disappointment. He could almost hear it now, Cas’s quiet voice saying, Dean, we weren’t ready.
His gaze flicked to the stick, still face-down on the towel, as if it might bite him. He swallowed hard, throat working against the knot there.
He wanted to look. He didn’t want to look.
Dean leaned forward, resting his forehead on his clasped hands, and forced himself to breathe. One minute more. Just one more minute, then he’d flip it over.
He couldn’t put it off any longer. With fingers that shook despite himself, he pushed himself up from the toilet lid and crossed the short distance to the counter. The stick sat waiting, small and harmless-looking, yet heavy enough to pull at the edges of his world.
“Just look,” he muttered under his breath, reaching out.
He turned it over.
Two lines. Bold, undeniable.
For a moment, the world went perfectly still. His chest seized, heat crawling up the back of his neck. His vision blurred, and he had to blink hard, but the result didn’t change. Pregnant. He was pregnant.
A sharp knock jolted him.
“Dean?” Cas’s voice came muffled through the door, deep and warm, threaded with the faintest note of concern. “Are you alright?”
Dean’s mouth went dry. “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” he called back, voice rough, too quick. He winced at how unconvincing it sounded and squeezed his eyes shut. “Just… just gimme a sec, please, Cas?”
There was a pause.
“Dean,” Castiel said again, lower this time. Steady, but now with a thread of worry woven through.
Dean’s grip tightened around the test behind his back, his knuckles whitening. He wanted to hide it, shove it back into the drawer, pretend the lines weren’t staring at him in bright, accusing pink. But his body wouldn’t move fast enough, wouldn’t cooperate.
The door creaked open. The Alpha stepped inside, his eyes immediately found Dean’s, then flicked down to his hand.
Dean swallowed hard, throat tight, as Castiel’s gaze caught on the plastic stick he was still clenching awkwardly, half-hidden but not enough. There was no mistaking it.
For a heartbeat, the silence was suffocating. Dean’s chest burned as he fumbled for words, any words, his voice breaking on the first attempt. “Cas, I—”
Castiel crossed the small space and took the test from Dean’s hand. He silently picked up the instructions that were sitting on the bench, reading them while Dean stood there and held his breath.
This was the moment that Castiel told Dean that it was all over. That he was going to be a single Omega raising a pup, just like his father always told him would happen, because no Alpha in their right mind would stick around once things got real. Dean’s chest constricted, breath trapped somewhere too deep to reach.
Cas held the little stick gently between his fingers, the instructions loose in his other hand. He read carefully, as though the meaning could be hidden, as though this wasn’t the clearest truth Dean had ever faced. His brow furrowed, mouth parting, and then — so softly Dean almost didn’t catch it — Cas whispered to the strip of plastic itself.
“…two lines.”
The words hung in the quiet bathroom like something holy, reverent.
Then Cas lifted his gaze to Dean, blue eyes wide but not hard, not distant. There was no condemnation in them, no flash of anger. Only raw wonder, a fragile hope. His voice came rough, almost breaking around the edges as he asked, “Dean… are we having a pup?”
Dean’s knees nearly buckled, all that fear colliding with disbelief, with something dangerous and aching in his chest. His mouth worked, no sound coming out at first, because we—Cas had said we.
Dean’s chest tightened so fast it felt like it would crush him, and before he could stop himself, the words tumbled out in a rush, raw and trembling.
“I — I didn’t think you’d want it! I mean, I didn’t know if you’d — if you’d even — want a pup!”
The words barely left his lips before Cas’s face split into a grin so wide it made Dean’s heart trip over itself. In a single, fluid motion, Cas crossed the small distance and scooped Dean off the floor, wrapping him tight in his arms.
“Dean!” Cas laughed, pure, untamed joy rolling through the sound, and swung him around, spinning him until the world tilted in the best way. “We’re having a pup! Our pup!”
Dean’s surprise melted into a breathless, shaky laugh as he clung to Cas, his fear dissolving into a dizzying happiness. Cas’s arms were strong and steady, grounding him even as they spun, and Dean could feel the uncontainable excitement radiating from his Alpha.
“We’re… we’re really having a pup,” Cas repeated, voice high with delight, as if saying it aloud would make it real, solid and undeniable.
Dean laughed again, half-crying, half-joyful, as Cas set him back down gently, still holding him close. “Yeah… yeah, we are,” he whispered.
Castiel dropped to his knees, his hands and forehead coming to rest on Dean’s stomach. The contact was electric and grounding all at once, and Dean’s breath hitched at the sheer intimacy of it. Cas’s fingers pressed gently, reverently, as if afraid to break the fragile new life growing there.
Dean’s hands found Cas’s shoulders, holding him close, feeling the Alpha’s chest rising and falling against his thighs. “Cas…” he started, voice trembling with awe and disbelief.
“Hello, baby,” Cas whispered, voice low and reverent, eyes closed as if concentrating all his attention on the tiny life beneath his hands. “Me and your daddy are so happy you’re in there.” He looked up at Dean, his eyes glassy with tears. “We made this… together.”
Dean swallowed, overwhelmed by the depth of it, by the reality of everything he’d feared and hoped rolled into one. “Yeah… we did,” he echoed.
Cas’s fingers flexed slightly, tracing circles over Dean’s stomach, and Dean’s heart thudded in response, a wild, steady drum of shared wonder. “We’re really doing this,” Dean breathed.
“Yes,” Cas murmured, lifting his gaze to meet Dean’s. His eyes sparkled with all the unspoken joy he had stored, all the quiet love he carried. “We’re going to raise a pup.”
Dean’s chest ached with happiness, and he let himself melt into Cas’s embrace, letting the moment stretch, savoring the warmth, the safety, and the unshakable certainty that they were going to be a family.
Forever.