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It’s fifteen minutes to midnight and Dean’s pretty sure he’s right on the edge of being drunk. Everything’s going a little hazy around the edges, and a warmth that wasn’t there earlier is filling up his body and wrapping him in an embrace that isn’t too bad, if he says so himself. Dancers are gyrating all around him in a sway of movement, and the music is blasting so loud that Dean can’t hear himself think. Overall, everything’s perfect.
“Hey, there’s Dean!”
Well, almost perfect.
“Hiya, Sammy,” Dean groans, plastering on a smile he doesn’t feel like giving. He turns around and is met with the image of his brother practically tumbling forward, beer bottle centimeters away from the tips of his fingers. He looks blissed out beyond belief with his half closed eyes and breath reeking of whiskey, but that’s not what has Dean acting so sour.
“Whoa, watch it!” Cas calls as he swoops to the rescue. He dips down and catches Sam just in time before he falls flat on his ass, and the drunken giggles that erupt from Sam’s mouth would be freakin’ adorable if they weren’t directed at Cas.
Dean knows he’s being petty. Cas is a great guy, one of Dean’s best friends actually, and he shouldn’t act like some bitter wine mom because Sam snatched Cas up as his boyfriend before Dean could get his head out of his ass. And yet, Dean can’t help but feel the pangs of jealousy when he watches Cas and Sam interact. They’re always so touchy, hands brushing absentmindedly like they aren’t even thinking about it, whispering jokes in each other’s ears before breaking out into fits of laughter. They’re so domestic it’s disgusting.
“Thanks, Cas,” Sam mumbles under his breath. He tries to take another swig of beer, but Cas takes the bottle away before he gets the chance.
“I think that’s enough for now,” Cas murmurs in low tones, setting the bottle down on the nearest table. “I’m strong, but not strong enough to drag your weight three blocks back to campus.”
“But Caaaaas,” Sam whines with puppy dog eyes out in full force. “It’s not even midnight yet!”
“All the more reason to quit while you’re ahead. Don’t want to miss out on a New Year’s kiss, right?”
Sam giggles and tosses his head back. “Right,” he responds. “Wanna be awake for that.” He puckers his lips and brings them close to Cas’s cheek, who bats the faux kiss off with his hand before they both break down in laughter.
“Ugh, screw me,” Dean groans into his beer.
“Tried it; wasn’t a fan.”
Dean grins at the new voice behind him and spins around. Jo, the host of this New Year’s Eve party, is leaning up against a couch with a bottle of champagne in her hand and her girlfriend Anna clinging to her side, both covered in lipstick stains and reeking of smoke.
“I’m crushed, Harvelle,” Dean says in mock offense, bringing his hand up to his chest. “Are you saying that our drunken night in the Impala meant nothing?”
Jo laughs, high pitched and tinny. “Not entirely. It was the night I figured out that dick isn’t exactly my thing, after all,” she replies with turned up lips, nudging Anna next to her. “And that redheaded girls are.”
“Aw, you’re making me blush!” Anna squeals back in delight and knocks her hip into Jo’s.
“You’re all disgusting,” Dean mutters under his breath as he turns away, but doesn’t get far before Jo’s fingers wrap around the hem of his jacket and pulls him back.
“You’re not going anywhere,” she chastises with a wagging finger. “It’s game time and you’re our first participant.”
Dean quirks an eyebrow up at Jo but doesn’t get to ask what the hell she’s talking about before the entire room is called into order with Anna’s loud whistle.
“Okay, listen up everyone! It’s almost midnight and we haven’t played any games yet. Who’s up for a little round of spin the bottle?’”
The wolf whistles that ring out through the room echo around Dean and he finds himself being pulled forward with Jo’s clinging fingers.
“Everyone sit in a circle!” Anna commands, and the rest of the partygoers follow her instructions. Dean plops himself down next to Jo, and when he turns to his right Benny’s sitting by his side, bottle of whiskey clutched between his fingers as he chats with Jess. Bela and Ruby sit next to Anna, whispering into each other’s ears, while Lisa and Cassie file in accordingly. But what catches Dean’s attention is Cas sitting directly across from him, blue eyes glancing downward while a still drunk Sam topples to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs.
“The rules are these,” Jo announces with her palms raised in the air. “One person spins the bottle. Whoever the bottle lands on is their partner. Said partners will go into a closet for seven minutes- no exceptions. And whatever you two do in there? Well, that’s up to you.”
Whistles ring out once again and Dean feels his cheeks heat. Knowing Jo, she’s gonna rig the bottle in one way or another, and his mind is already racing with whom she’d pair him up with. He locks eyes with Lisa Braeden across the room, and her answering blush only makes him want to get away faster. He likes her well enough, but imagining being shoved into a closet with her for seven minutes will no doubt be awkward beyond belief. Cassie is another option, he realizes quickly, and his gut churns at the thought of being paired up with his ex-girlfriend. Either way, it’s going to be horrible, weird, uncomfortable.
“How about we begin with...Dean?”
“Jo-”
“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” Jo exclaims while pushes the bottle in his direction. “Give it a go and see what your future beholds,” she says while waving her fingers in the air.
He grunts once but doesn’t try to fight her on it. Instead, Dean spins the bottle as fast as he can and prays to whoever’s listening that it doesn’t land on anyone unsavory.
It spins around for longer than anyone could possibly think necessary before slowing down. It flies by Ruby and Bela, Benny and Jess too. It looks like it’s gonna land on Sam, but the bottle slows to a stop right in front of Cas instead.
No way.
“Oooooh, this will be fun,” Ruby caws from across the room, Bela nodding in approval. Benny nudges his arm against Dean’s and Sam’s too drunk and distracted by the bangs falling in his face to notice anything else. But what catches Dean’s attention is Cas. The corners of his mouth are pushed into a line and his head is tilted in that birdlike fashion Dean’s fond of. He looks adorable-
He’s also your brother’s boyfriend, idiot!
Dean tosses his head back and forth once to push off the thoughts and rubs the back of his neck with one hand. “I don’t think-”
“No backing out now, Winchester,” Anna coos with pursed lips. “Unless you’re...chicken?”
“What? No! That’s not it-” he objects, but the room is already filled with mocking voices and laughter all around.
“I think he is!” Ruby yells loudly. “Why else would he object?”
Dean cringes when another round of mocks fall on him. Is everyone too drunk to remember that Cas is taken? That Dean would never make a move on someone in a relationship, especially not his brother’s boyfriend?
But in an instant, Dean remembers Jo’s words. What they do in that closet can be anything at all. Hell, all he has to do is drag Cas in there, talk about bees for seven minutes and come out with his reputation still in place.
“I’m not chicken!” Dean gets up from the ground and marches over to the nearest closet. “Let’s go, Cas.”
Whoops ring out when Cas reluctantly gets up too and treks over to Dean’s side, cheeks a rosy red. Dean avoids looking Cas in the eye as he pulls open the closet door and steps inside with Cas close behind, and the soft click of the door closing only makes the back of his neck prickle with nerves.
A few seconds after entering the closet, Cas reaches up and pulls a chain above their heads. Light spills into the room, and only then does Dean realize just how close he is to Cas. They’re practically standing on top of one another, inches apart in the tiny space. He can feel the warmth of Cas’s breath brush past his lips, and Dean clenches his hands at his sides when the too familiar desire of want rushes through him.
“Well, this is awkward,” Dean mutters under his breath.
“Agreed,” Cas replies back, eyes trained on the floor.
They go quiet for a few minutes, and Dean listens to the noise outside the closet door. Jo announces it’s two minutes until midnight and Dean feels his cheeks heat up when he realizes they’ll still be stuck in this closet during the countdown.
“I’m sorry,” he blurts out, breaking the trilling silence between them.
Cas quirks an eyebrow up at him. “For what?”
“For not protestin’ Jo more. I...I get I’m probably the last person you want to count down with, and you’d rather be out there instead so you can kiss Sam, and-”
“Wait, what? Kiss Sam?” Cas interrupts.
“Uh, yeah?” Dean pushes his lips down into a line. “You don’t wanna kiss your boyfriend at midnight?”
Cas gapes for a few seconds before a giant smile breaks across his face. “Dean, do you think I’m dating your brother?”
Dean leans back on his heels and crosses his ankles. “Yeah?”
A boisterous laugh escapes from Cas and Dean’s positive he’s never been more confused. Why is Cas laughing?
“Dean,” Cas gets out through the giggles, “Sam’s not my boyfriend. We’re just really good friends, that’s all.”
“One minute until midnight!’ Dean hears Anna exclaim, but he pays it no attention.
“Wait...what? But what about earlier with the talk about missing out on a New Year’s kiss?”
Cas wipes away leaky tears from his eyes and smiles at the floor. “I was talking about Jess. Sam’s had quite the crush on her and tonight he wanted to make his move. But then he found the tequila and it all unraveled from there.”
Dean brings his fingers up to his lips and falls back into the wall behind him. Cas and Sam aren’t dating. He’d been reading the signs wrong this entire time.
“As a matter of fact, there’s someone else I’ve been meaning to ask out instead,” Cas replies, flicking his gaze up to meet Dean’s.
The air seems to buzz around them as Cas wanders a little closer into Dean’s space.
“Ten! Nine!”
“Who’s that, Cas?”
“Eight! Seven! Six! Five!”
Cas hums lowly and brings a hand up to caress Dean’s face. “I think you know.”
“Four! Three!”
“Cas, you sure?”
“Two!”
“...Positive.”
“One!”
With the blasts of TV fireworks in the background, Dean leans forward and lets his lips connect with Cas’s.
At first they go slow, mapping out each other carefully. Dean’s fingers reach up and tangle in Cas’s hair while Cas’s fingers trace the contours of Dean’s lower back. Their breaths intermix as they speed up, teeth pulling and biting, and when they break apart for air they’re both panting heavily, hands grasping each other’s shoulders for support.
“...Wow,” Dean whispers.
Cas smiles and nods. “Wow, indeed.”
“I can’t believe we haven’t been doing that earlier. That was...was…”
“...Amazing?” Cas finishes.
Dean nods quickly. “Yeah. Amazing.”
“Hey! Are you two coming out anytime soon? Other people want to play!” Jo yells as she slams her hand against the door.
“We’ll be out in a minute!” Dean calls back with a laugh.
When it’s clear Jo is gone, Dean turns towards Cas and smiles back at him. “Y’know, I’m glad that my New Year’s kiss was you.”
Cas grins back. “Me too.” He leans forward and leaves a light kiss against Dean’s lips. “Happy New Year, Dean.”
Dean blushes and toes the ground. “Happy New Year, Cas.”