Lights were flashing. Music was blaring The Dalton boys and their dates filled the room, dancing wildly to the music, all drunk with adrenaline and alcohol. The entire room was decorated to give it the appearance of Hogwarts, with gigantic banners in the four House colors lining the walls. The countdown to New Year's had begun.
Five minutes until the New Year.
The room erupted in cheers and applause, making the sound level of the party even more deafening. Julian leaned against the outer wall, drink in hand, eyes closed. The noise was starting to give him a headache. He took another swig of the cocktail.
Logan swept through the crowd of dancing partygoers, swaying a little from the effects of the alcohol and the pumping music. The blinding lights didn't help either; he could barely see where he was going. Suddenly, he caught sight of Julian leaning against the wall. He walked faster.
Julian opened his eyes, squinting against the bright light. Someone was rushing through the crowd towards him. Who was it…? The room was spinning. He closed his eyes again.
Logan broke through the densely packed bodies and broke into a run, heading for where Julian stood. The actor leaned against the wall, eyes shut tightly, looking like he was about to fall over. Logan shouted his name. He didn't seem to hear.
Four minutes until the New Year.
Julian opened his eyes again and saw Logan standing in front of him, cocktail in hand. He groaned. His head was still pounding. Logan shouted something, but Julian couldn't tell what he was saying. He took another swig of booze.
"Julian! What are you doing? It's five minutes left!"
Logan's speech was slurred, but he didn't notice. Julian looked up at him. Logan threw his hands up.
"Get out there and dance!"
Julian groaned at him. Obviously the lights and music were too much for him.
"Don't be such a baby. You have to participate. I invited you here for a reason."
"And what would that be?"
"So that you could spend some time with us instead of working all the time!"
Julian stared at him. Logan stumbled forward and grabbed Julian's arm, leading him out into the crowd, ignoring his grumbled protests.
Three minutes until the New Year.
Julian drained the rest of his cocktail and the glass clattered to the floor. He hardly noticed. Logan was probably right; he should be enjoying himself. He didn't want to admit defeat, however; so he danced along halfheartedly, trying to appear uninterested.
Logan kept hold of Julian's hands, forcing him to dance. He laughed at the annoyed expression on the other boy's face. "You're having fun and you know it," he said tauntingly, flashing Julian a cocky smile.
Two minutes until the New Year.
The screams were literally deafening now, to the point where Julian could hardly hear the music. His headache was long forgotten; he was having too much fun with Logan to care. Both boys were laughing and dancing, drunk with the spirit of the party as well as the alcohol. Logan was happier than Julian had seen him in a long time. He liked seeing his friend so excited, and a small part of him realized that he was the reason Logan was so happy. This knowledge made him even more energetic.
Logan watched Julian, completely hammered, dancing like an idiot, having the time of his life. He laughed out loud; he very rarely saw Julian this wound up, and he found that he wished it would happen more often. They were having a better time together than they ever had before. He stopped dancing for a moment and just watched Julian, grinning.
One minute until the New Year.
When the screaming died down, Julian looked up and saw Logan watching him.
"What?" he shouted.
"What, what?" Logan shouted back.
"What are you smiling about?"
Logan smiled even wider. "You're hot when you're drunk."
He hadn't meant to say it. He'd been thinking "hilarious"…but between the alcohol, the noise level, and the general euphoric atmosphere, his thoughts had come out completely wrong.
Julian's smile faded a little. "What?"
Logan blanched. Come to think of it, Julian actually was pretty hot when drunk…wearing a mussed-up makeshift Hogwarts uniform, his hair a total mess, covered in sweat…yeah, he did look insanely attractive.
Julian watched Logan expectantly. Logan realized that he'd been staring at him.
Thirty seconds until the New Year.
"I…you're hot when you're drunk." Julian realized that he had heard Logan right. Logan grinned mischievously and moved in closer. "Really hot."
Julian's eyes widened. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening.
Twenty seconds until the New Year.
Logan was inches away. The clock was ticking. The lights would go out in twenty seconds. He could kiss Julian if he wanted to. That was the rule, right? One kiss? Anyone you wanted? And right now, he wanted Julian…
Ten seconds until the New Year.
Julian stared in disbelief. Was Logan going to kiss him? That was the deal, right? A New Year's kiss at midnight? He couldn't think straight.
"FIVE!"
You're just inches away…
"FOUR!"
You can do it if he doesn't…
"THREE!"
Just a few more seconds…
"TWO!"
This is really happening…
"ONE!"
This is it…just one…more…second…
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Lights went out. People grabbed their partners, their dates, random strangers; everywhere was a flurry of movement. Logan and Julian simultaneously closed the gap between them, locking lips in a passionate kiss. Hands tangled in each other's hair; tongues hungrily explored each other's mouths. They broke the kiss reluctantly as the lights went up, and they stood still, still clinging to each other, gasping for breath. All around them there was an explosion of noisemakers, cheering, and whooping as the ball dropped in Times Square and the electronic voice rang out, declaring the New Year. They clapped and cheered with the rest, but still refused to let go of each other. Logan dove in and stole another kiss as the excitement died down, and Julian smiled.
"Hey Logan?" he murmured in the blonde's ear.
"Yeah?"
"You're pretty hot when you're drunk, too."
Logan just laughed.
