Work Text:
Castiel woke up with what might have been the worst headache he ever had to endure. His brain hammered against his skull, the light was way too bright for his sensible eyes and he felt like puking every two seconds.
Yesterday had been party night at the campus and now he was paying for it with a horrendous hangover. A groan emerged from the other side of the wall and Cas found himself smiling unwillingly. At least he wasn't the only one going through a hangover right now. His flatmate Dean appeared to be in the bathroom, throwing up the last remains of the copious quantities of alcohol they consumed yesterday, at one of Balthazar's famous parties. He couldn't think of any other night when he drank as much. He actually couldn't remember how much he drank. But it must have been enough to make him forget a majority of the night before. Hopefully he didn't do something equally stupid as making out with someone he didn't know. Or worse, someone he knew.
Cas got up out of the bed and immediately regretted his decision to do something besides laying down and waiting for the pounding in his head to disappear. He shuffled in the kitchen to get himself a glass of water. The sink was full of dirty dishes and Castiel frowned, thinking of whether it as his or Dean's turn to clean them. In the end they would be doing it together anyway. They usually did.
He put down the empty glass and headed towards the bathroom to look after Dean. His best friend was leaning over the toilet at the other end of the room and so Cas was greeted with the sight of Dean's ass in only boxers. Cas tried his best to tear his eyes of Dean's back, but couldn't quite do so. In his defense, Dean did have a nice ass and Cas wondered if it would be looking as good without any pants at all. He snapped out of his stare, when he realized he'd been starring at him for much too long. He couldn't help the flutter inside his stomach whenever Dean laughed about something Cas said or how hot he became when Dean decided to leave his room in only boxers. It was Dean's Adonis like appearance, Cas was sure of that. It was not like Cas had any feelings for his best friend of almost 8 years. Dean let out another painful groan and Cas felt his heart clench as he watched him. Okay, maybe there were feelings involved.
“Cas?” Dean asked in a hoarse voice. “Is that you?”
“No, it's me. Death. I come to bring an end to your suffering.” Cas replied sarcastically, leaning against the door frame.
“Shut up, smart ass.” Dean groaned back, inching closer towards the toilet.
Cas walked forward and sat down next to Dean, his back against the washing machine. He patted Dean's shoulder in a comforting manner, trying not to interpret too much into the way his friend leaned into the touch. Dean raised his head and looked at his flatmate.
“I've never been this drunk.” He stated and Cas let out a small laugh.
“Seriously,” Dean continued. “I think I made out with Lisa Braeden.”
Cas felt something shatter inside him and he unintentionally drew his hand back.
Lisa Braeden was Dean's ex. They had been together for almost a year and it was the last hint Cas needed to know that Dean was in fact not interested in him in any other way than platonically. Before that, Cas had always wondered if Dean might feel something for him and he had been about to confront him, when Dean had told him about Lisa. Castiel had tried to get over Dean after that. Even after they broke up. He didn't want to lose his best friend over something stupid like his unresolved sexual frustration. For god's sake, he didn't even know if Dean was into men as well. He had never mentioned it in the 8 years of their friendship, not even to Cas, who he usually told everything. He did flirt with some guys, but solely while being drunk. And all the things he said to Cas, he himself had thought of as flirtations, were probably just Dean feeling comfortable around Cas and being nice to him. He couldn't expect someone like Dean, who was popular, funny, sporty and also the most gorgeous person Cas knew, to like him, the dorky literature geek, as something more than a friend.
No, Cas wouldn't risk their friendship for this.
“You okay?” Dean asked, after Cas didn't answer for several minutes. He looked up from the toilet to meet Cas' eyes.
“Yeah, I'm fine.” Cas replied, while trying his best to not look completely heartbroken.
“Well, you don't look fine.”
Apparently he had failed. Cas sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“Guess it's the hangover.” He said.
Dean let out a snicker after that. He seemed convinced.
“Yeah, we really had good night, hm?” He said, elbowing Cas while wriggling his eyebrows.
Cas frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I saw you going upstairs with Balthazar and when you came down again, you were wearing a different shirt. You must have been pretty wasted if you forget jumping the guy that has a crush on you.” Dean said.
Cas forced himself to smile at the wrong implication. He actually did remember, but it hadn't been what it looked like.
“The guy spilled beer on my shirt and brought me upstairs to give me another one. I didn't jump or make out with him.” Castiel explained.
“Good.”
“Good?” Cas frowned.
Dean froze in place and swallowed hard. Cas brought his hand up again, bracing himself to move Dean closer to the toilet because he looked like he might throw up again.
“Y-yeah, good.” Dean stammered. “It's good because I wouldn't want you to have your heart broken by such a player.”
But if it's you breaking my heart, it's okay? Cas asked silently.
“It's not your decision whom I get my heart broken by.” He answered a bit harsher than intended. Cas forced himself to calm down, because he couldn't really blame Dean for him developing feelings for his best friend and getting jealous.
“I know it's not. I just don't want to see you getting hurt.” Dean answered, sounding a bit insulted and Cas had the urge to kick his own ass.
“Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be harsh.” Castiel answered. Dean nodded, but turned his head away to look at the door.
“Can you bring me my phone? I wanna call Benny to bring us some pain killers. We don't have any.” Dean asked. Cas just nodded, glad that Dean had ended the conversation and got up to go to Dean's bedroom. He mindlessly grabbed the phone from the nightstand and returned to the bathroom, where Dean was now standing in front of the mirror, examining himself.
“I look like shit, dude.” He said as he saw Castiel entering the room.
“You don't.” Castiel responded. You're always hot as hell, was just added in his mind.
“I so do. You on the other hand look great. What's your secret for not looking like trash with a hangover?” Castiel rolled his eyes at Dean's question.
“I mean seriously. You look hot, man. It's the sex hair look, I suppose. You sure you didn't get laid last night?” Dean asked, grinning smugly. Cas felt his cheeks growing heated and blood rising up to his neck.
“Yes, I'm sure. Anyways, here's your phone.” Castiel replied, handing the cell over.
Dean grabbed the phone from his hand and unlocked the screen. His eyes were tracing some words, before his face became pale all of sudden.
“Oh shit,” he croaked, raising his hand and shoving the phone into Cas' face to show him a message he received.
Lisa Braeden: Netflix & Chill tonight? ;)
Cas felt like puking again.
The winking emoticon was enough to let him know that Lisa indeed knew the meaning behind the term Netflix & Chill. He swallowed hard, looking up at Dean and managing a fake smile.
“So, you're up? I mean, that's great. You still like her, so why not give it a go?” Every single word leaving Cas' tongue was another sting right into his heart, but he needed to act like a best friend, not like a secret admirer.
Dean blinked at him rapidly. His expression was unreadable and both men studied the others face for a hint of what might be going on in their minds right now. Dean was the first to snap out of the stare. He glanced at himself in the mirror and cleared his throat.
“What makes you think I still like her?” Dean asked. He locked his eyes with Cas' in the mirror.
“Don't you?” Cas asked, trying not to sound too hopefully.
“I- uhm... No, I like someone else.” Dean admitted.
An invisible fist punched Cas in the guts and he let out a shaky sigh. Dean starred at him in shock and Cas felt his face getting red.
That was the final confirmation to let Cas know that Dean was all about someone else and definitely not him.
“I think I need some air.” Cas said suddenly, turning around on the heel and storming out of the room.
He rushed towards the front door but several foots before reaching the knob, strong hands grabbed his hips, held him back and turned him around. The next thing Cas registered was his back being pressed against the door, his hands pinned above his head and soft lips pressing against his mouth. The kiss didn't last for more than three seconds, mostly because Cas was way too much in shock to kiss back and Dean got nervous. He drew back and grabbed the sides of his own face.
“Shit! Shit, I'm sorry, Cas. I just- I just thought... I'm sorry.” He nearly yelled.
Cas' mind was a blank space. He couldn't move, couldn't form words and couldn't think. When he finally recognized the look of absolute terror on Dean's face, he found himself able to do something again.
“I love you.”
He didn't mean to say that. He meant to say that it was okay, that he wanted to kiss Dean. That he felt like this for a long time and that he in fact wanted Dean. He wanted to tell him the truth. Which he basically just did, Cas realized.
“I love you.” He said again, this time louder, his voice firmer.
Within a second the lips were back, accompanied by a body pressed to his and hands cradling his face.
“It's you, Cas. I like you. God freaking dammit, I love you.” Dean said breathless after he drew his head back. Then they were kissing again. For a moment Cas wondered if maybe he had been drunk enough to kill himself last night and this was actually heaven. Dean's mouth left his lips to plant kisses among his neck and Cas was sure of it.
Suddenly he heard a distant buzzing, the sound of an incoming text message and Cas fell hard onto earth.
“What about Lisa?” He asked. “You made out with her.” Cas reminded his friend. Dean didn't move his head to meet his friend's gaze, but rather hid his face in the crook of Cas' neck, breathing heavily against his skin.
“I saw you going upstairs with Balthazar and I thought you two would have it going. I was so frustrated and also kind of heart broken and I needed something to ease the pain and Lisa was just there. Also I was really drunk.” Dean nuzzled his nose against Cas, pepping the skin of his neck with little kisses, going upwards until he reached his jaw.
“Forgive me?” He asked.
Cas brought his hands up and carded them through Dean's hair.
“Keep doing that and I might be willing to.” He answered and felt Dean smiling against his skin. He kissed Cas' jawline, then the corner of his mouth, before settling at his lips.
They kissed for what felt like hours and eventually made their way to Cas' bedroom, where they fell into the bed, entangled into each other, still way too hungover to do something more than kissing and cuddling. They'd be having enough time for that in the future.
“Next time Balthazar throws a party, I'll make sure you'll be wearing a shirt that says 'I have a boyfriend' so the guy knows you belong to me now,” Dean whispered into Cas' hair, whose head was resting on Dean's chest. Castiel's heart made a jump at Dean referring to him as his boyfriend and he smiled widely.
“You're the one to talk, assbutt. Make sure you wear one next time Lisa sees you.” Castiel replied and Dean chuckled. “Besides, I don't really feel like going to a party ever again. Or drinking alcohol. I'd rather stay at home with you.” He added.
“Really?” Dean asked, wrapping his arms tighter around his boyfriend's body. “What do you wanna do at home?”
Cas turned his head, placing a lingering kiss on Dean's lips. “How about Netflix & Chill?”