Dean's drink was not spiked and there was no spell going on. Witches who stay true to the Craft, so to speak, don't do stuff to people against their will.

Edited after Paulathe Cat's comment. It's pronounced Sow-en or Sow-een, according to what tradition you belong to, and yes, it's sow like in a pig. Thanks Paulathe Cat! :)


CHAPTER 2

Dean didn't see Castiel again until New Year's Eve. Sam had been invited to a party at a classmate's house and he had convinced Dean to come along. Dean thought it was better than sitting at home feeling like a depressed loser so he agreed to go.

The house was quite big and there were a lot of people. Dean immediately spotted some girls he decided to chat up. He went for the dark haired one first and would save the blond for later if the first one didn't work out. He went over, said hello and got the desired response. The girl was very friendly and told Dean her name was Holly. Dean tried to make a joke about how appropriate that name was since it had just been Christmas, but she didn't laugh. Maybe people told her that all the time. He asked her if she wanted a drink and she nodded. Dean went in search of beer and found it in another room. When he got back he saw that Holly was talking to another guy...who turned out to be Castiel. He sighed and contemplated not going up to them but Holly was really hot. He steeled himself and went over and handed Holly the beer.

"Hello, Dean," Castiel said when he saw him.

"Hi, Cas" Dean tried to make it as neutral as he could but Holly looked at him like she could tell something was up. Dean took her by the elbow and said: "Excuse us," while steering her away.

"Are you one of Castiel's conquests?" Holly asked when they were out of ear shot.

"His what?"

Holly laughed. "Castiel has his own fan base of young men who are intrigued by him being a witch."

"Oh." Dean thought for a while. "Is he a slut?" he asked.

She laughed again. "No more than some. He has needs like everybody else and when a good looking guy throws himself at him why should he say no?"

That made sense. Sort of.

"So are you?" Holly asked.

"No," Dean said, a little too quick, and smiled crookedly.

"But...?"

"But nothing." Dean felt himself getting defensive.

Holly looked at him so long that Dean automatically started explaining.

"I met him on Halloween and he tried to pick me up. I said no."

Right then, Sam came over and asked if they were having a good time. Holly's eyes went wide when she heard they were brothers. When Sam left she giggled and said: "I don't think you're being completely honest about what happened on Halloween."

"What? What do you mean?" His cheeks was starting to burn.

"Well, the way I heard it was that you got drunk and made a pass at Cas."

Dean huffed out a breath. "Wh-where did you hear that?" He began fidgeting with one of the buttons on his shirt.

"From some people I know who were there." She smiled at him. "Why are you saying you turned him down?"

"Because I did. He came round our place a few days later and asked if I wanted to get together and I said no."

"Oh. Why?"

"I'm not gay!" Why didn't people listen?

"Maybe you're bisexual," Holly offered.

"Wh-No. I'm not!"

Holly took a drink from her bottle. Dean was beginning to think he wasn't getting layed tonight.

A girl came up to them and said she had to borrow Holly for a moment and Dean was left standing alone. Not that he minded at that particular time. He didn't want to spend another evening defending himself. He went out on the porch to get some fresh air but he wasn't allowed to be alone for long. Soon, Castiel was by his side asking him if he'd had a nice Christmas.

"Sure. It was alright. You?" he asked politely.

"Yeah, we had some nice celebrations. We always start the new year by clearing out our stuff and cleaning the house properly so we had all that taken care of in advance."

"The new year? It's New Year's today."

"Pagans' new year starts at Halloween. Samhain, it's called, actually."

"Huh," Dean said. That was confusing. "So you've already been in the new year for two months?"

"Uhuh."

Dean nodded.

"So, you and Holly? She's nice," Castiel said.

"Yeah. I don't think it's gonna happen."

"Why not?"

"Apparently people are spreading the rumour that I'm gay and nobody believes me when I tell them I'm not."

Dean could hear Castiel smile in the darkness. "That's too bad."

Dean didn't quite believe him.

They talked a while more then went inside because it was too cold to be outside for a long time.

Dean had made the decision not to get drunk this time and he kept to it really well. Midnight came and the fireworks started and more and more people were getting lackered up quite good. A few had gone home and Dean was starting to get that idea himself. He went to look for Sam and was told he had last been spottet going upstairs.

Dean cursed inside. What the hell was Sam doing going upstairs in someone else's house? Well, he knew what he was doing, but he should keep that stuff to their own house. He went up and started knocking on the doors and trying the handles. The first two rooms were empty, but the third had someone in it. Dean stuck his head through the gap and said: "Sam?"

The person on the bed sat up and Dean almost regretted going up there when he saw it was Castiel.

"Sam's not here," he said.

"Yeah, I gathered," Dean said, pulling his head back.

"Dean, wait."

Dean's grip on the door handle tightened. He had had a couple of quick drinks in the last half hour and though he wasn't drunk he was still feeling a lot more at ease with certain things. He opened the door a little more and put one foot inside the room.

"Yeah," he said.

"I, err...will you come inside for a moment?"

He didn't really, but he still did. He closed the door behind him, shutting out most of the noise from downstairs.

"What?"

Castiel patted the bed to make him sit down but he only took a few steps closer. Castiel sighed.

"Look, I wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"Well, I may have had something to do with the rumour about you."

"You may have had something to do with it?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. What may you have done, then?"

"I, er, I told a couple of people you were into guys. And they might have told quite a few people."

Dean sighed and sat down on the bed. "Great, thanks."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to eliminate some of the competition."

"Eliminate? Competition?"

"Yeah, you know, girls. You're a good looking guy and there were a lot of girls at the Halloween party who wanted to get to know you. I just wanted to have a fair shot."

Dean was silent for a moment, then he started laughing. This was ridiculous!

The next thing he knew, Castiel had his lips pressed against his, his tongue trying to make its way inside his mouth. Dean struggled against him and finally managed to break free.

"What the hell dude?" he spat out, wiping his mouth.

"Dean...," Castiel began.

"No. I don't wanna hear it," he contradicted himself and stood up.

"Dean, I think you should consider the fact that you might be bisexual."

"I'm not gay!" he almost shouted.

"Bisexual!" Castiel said with a raised voice.

"Whatever! I'm not!" He turned around to leave and Castiel was quick as a flash and got off the bed, intercepting him before he could open the door. He turned Dean around and pressed him against the door, kissing him again. He had his whole body pressed against Dean, who didn't struggle because he was busy thinking "Is that an erection?"

Because Dean didn't struggle, Castiel could easily slip his tongue between his lips and connect with Dean's tongue. Dean hadn't been kissed in a long time and he automatically started kissing back, feeling the surge in his stomach at the feel of Castiel's soft lips and his tongue licking inside his mouth.

His brain caught up after a moment and he pushed Castiel off him. They stood for a moment, staring at each other, then Dean turned around and left. When he got downstairs Sam was there.

"Dean, you've been looking for me?"

"Yeah, we're leaving," Dean said with an angry voice, taking long strides towards the door.

The look in his eyes made Sam shy away from asking what was wrong but a look back at the stairs where Castiel was standing told him everything.

Dean was still angry when he got into bed. He was angry at Castiel for kissing him when he had told him he wasn't interested, but he was also angry at himself for going along with it. And he was angry that he could still feel Castiel's erection against his groin where he was getting hard at the memory. The next morning, he was angry that he had been thinking about Castiel while masturbating and that he had finished sooner than usually because of that.


The next few weeks, Dean was thinking very hard about what had happened New Year's Eve and whether Castiel was right. Maybe he was bisexual. But he'd never been attracted to guys before and he couldn't think of any that he wanted to be with. Except Castiel. But Castiel was...strange. He was a witch. What the hell kind of thing was that to be in this day and age? There was also the hord of guys Holly had told Dean about. Alright, maybe hord was a bit strong but it seemed Castiel could get some whenever he wanted.

In February, Sam came home one day and asked Dean if he wanted to go to a party at Castiel's house.

"What's the occasion?" Dean asked.

"I don't think there is one. It's just a party."

Dean thought for a moment. He knew that if he went he was giving the okay for Castiel to come on to him again. But would he really mind? He decided to go. Maybe it would help him make sense of the way he was feeling. He was still thinking about the kiss and if he was going to move on with his life he had to face this thing, whatever it was.

It was a cold evening when Dean and Sam made their way to Castiel's house. The light was shining through the windows, making the house look warm and cozy. There were a lot of people there already but not as many as the first time. Dean went for the beer straight away and waited for Castiel to sneak up on him. He looked at the girls for a while. He still found them attractive so he was sure he wasn't gay. He had lost sight of Sam already and was beginning to feel a bit bored. Under normal circumstances he would be chatting up a girl by now but he was still waiting for Castiel. He looked through the crowd but couldn't find him. As the evening progressed he made his way through the whole house. Now that the Halloween decorations were gone he could see what was probably witchy decor. There were symbols above the doors to the outside and some figurines of what was probably a deity placed around the house. In one corner of what was the office, on a small side table, there was a small collection of sea shels, stones, a green birthday candle and a small bowl with what looked to be herbs.

There was still no sign of Castiel and Dean was beginning to think he wasn't there at all. But then he heard a voice from the corner of the office.

"Hello, Dean."

He squinted against the darkness and could make out Castiel's silouette in a chair next to the window.

"Cas. What are you doing in here in the dark?"

"Just sitting. I'm not really in a party mood."

"That's a shame since it's your party."

Castiel laughed a little. "Yeah." He turned on a lamp by the chair.

Dean felt a little awkward. "What's this collection?" he decided to ask, gesturing to the side table.

"It's an altar."

"An altar? Like what they have in churches?"

"Sort of, but not quite," Castiel answered confusingly. "It's a small collection of powerful and symbolic objects. A bit like a shrine."

"Oh," Dean said, not really sure he understood. "What does it do?"

Castiel smiled. "It focuses my intentions."

"Alright. And what intentions do you have with these things?"

"Well, I do my work in here. I write a few articles for publication so I have a green candle symbolizing work and money. When I light it I focus on bringing in money. The stones and sea shells are good memories that have positive energy. A bit of decor for the Gods, so to speak."

Dean nodded. There was a lot more to this stuff than he thought.

"I can show you my cauldron if you like. You asked about it last time you were here."

"Sure," Dean said. He was eager to get on with it. If Castiel was going to make a move on him he'd rather he did it soon.

Castiel got up and lead Dean upstairs to one of the rooms furthest back of the hallway. It was a small room that looked like an extended broom closet and it was where Castiel kept all his witch stuff. If Dean had expected a big black cauldron like the one he had seen in a movie once, he was sorely disappointed. What Castiel got out was a small grey iron cauldron with three legs. I didn't look like it could hold more than a couple of cups of water.

"That's it?" Dean couldn't help saying. They were sitting on the floor, the cauldron between them.

Castiel smiled. "Yeah. What did you expect?"

"I dunno. Maybe something that's big enough to hang above a fire?"

Now Castiel laughed. "Dean, I'm not making big brews in it. I use normal cooking pots for that. This is more symbolical, to place a candle in or a bit of ice during a ritual in the Spring."

"Why ice in the Spring?"

"Because it melts, symbolizing the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring."

"Oh, I see. So a lot of what you do is about symbolism?"

"Yeah."

Dean was beginning to understand more of what Castiel was. He didn't seem so weird now.

Castiel put the cauldron back and they spent a while talking about this and that aspekt of Witchcraft.

When they fell silent, Castiel moved closer to Dean and kissed him. Dean didn't protest this time, he actually enjoyed it. Castiel pushed him down on the floor and climbed on top of him. They had completely forgotten the party downstairs and when Dean finally broke the kiss because he needed a break he suddenly remembered Sam. He looked at his watch. It was well after 1. Sam had to be at work at 9 so they couldn't stay that long. Dean had purposefully ignored Castiel's erection. He wasn't ready to deal with that now.

"I have to go. Sam has to get up early tomorrow."

"Isn't he old enough to wake up by himself?" Castiel asked with a smile.

"Oh, sure, but...well..."

"Oh," Castiel said, sounding disappointed.

"This is just very new to me," Dean tried to explain.

"I understand. So I shouldn't expect to hear from you tomorrow, then."

Dean made a grimmace. Now he felt bad. "I'm sorry. I just need to think about this."

Castiel stood up and Dean followed. "I'm sorry," He said again.

Castiel waved his hand. "It's no problem. You know where I am."

"Right." Dean smiled awkwardly at him. Then Castiel opened the door and they went downstairs. Dean quickly found Sam and they went home.

"Where did you disappear off to?" Sam asked.

"Oh, nowhere. I was just having a look around the house."

"Uhuh. Did you have fun?"

"Sure." There was no way he was telling Sam what he'd been doing.