iThe party is tonight the party is tonight the party is tonight./i Dean lay in his bed, waiting for the alarm to go off. It was Friday, the day of the party, and Dean was, to put it mildly, freaking out.
How the hell was this going to work? What was he going to do? What was the perfect way to let Cas know how he felt? What if Cas rejected him? What if he made a fool of himself? What if, what if, what if?
Dean's alarm finally went off and he slammed the button down before climbing out of bed and beginning to dress. He had flirted shamelessly with Cas over the last week, and Cas' responses made it pretty obvious that he reciprocated. But, still. Dean couldn't help but worry. What if it was all a show? What if Cas didn't mean it at all?
He ate breakfast quickly, not speaking a word to Sam, before they both left the house and climbed into the Impala. Now only did Dean have to worry about making his move and the party tonight, but he had to interact with Cas at school and pretend everything was okay.
"Hey, I talked to Gabriel, you know," Sam broke Dean out of his reverie as they drove toward the school.
"What? Why?" Dean was surprised. When the hell had that happened?
"Uh, a couple days ago. He's in the same grade as me, Dean, duh," Sam replied. Dean shook his head; he should have recognized that before.
"Oh yeah? Well why are you telling me?" Dean questioned.
"Gabe thinks you and Cas make a cute couple," Sam replied nonchalantly. Dean nearly swerved off the road before staring at Sam incredulously.
"We're not a couple, Sam," Dean replied, forcing his eyes back to the road.
"Well, you could've fooled me," Sam replied. Dean simply tightened his grip on the steering wheel and didn't reply, so Sam continued. "Why aren't you?"
"Why aren't we what?" Dean asked, wishing this conversation would just end.
"You and Cas, why aren't you a couple?"
"Sammy," Dean began, but Sam interrupted him.
"Look, Dean, I'm not stupid. I know you like him, it's pretty difficult not to notice all the flirting you two do, not to mention the ridiculous amount of staring. And, you know what? It's okay. I iwant/i you to be with him. Because I know he would make you happy. So, just explain to me why you haven't made a move when you usually close the deal in a matter of hours," Sam finished with a smug grin as Dean just stared at him dumbfounded. They were parked in front of the school now.
It took a few minutes before Dean gained enough composure to speak. "I just haven't gotten around to it yet."
"Well, hurry up! It's excruciating to deal with all the sexual tension that flows between you two," Sam sent a huge grin Dean's way and Dean's jaw dropped.
"I'm going to!" he yelled back, annoyed at his brother. "Tonight," he added more quietly, unable to look at Sam.
"Jo's party?" Sam questioned, excitement leaking into his voice. Dean nodded.
"Don't say anything, though, okay? Especially not to Gabriel!" Dean hissed as Sam climbed out of the car. Sam leaned over to look back at Dean, acting like he was locking his lips shut and throwing away the key, before he walked into the school. A small smile formed on Dean's lips before he grabbed his own bag and made his way into the school.
The day passed rather uneventfully. Dean made small talk with Cas, and though he was sure the other boy had noticed his nerves, he had been kind enough not to mention it. Jo kept dropping way too obvious hints that annoyed Dean to hell and back, and Sammy made excited little squeals whenever they passed each other in the hallway, but that was about the extent of the excitement.
Cas hitched a ride with Anna after school, telling Dean that she would drive him to the party so he needn't worry about picking Cas up. Dean and Sam drove home, Sam asking him questions about Cas the whole time. Dean ignored him, of course, but that didn't make it any less annoying.
When they got home, Dean deposited him backpack in his room before making his way to the bathroom to shower. He spent more time than necessary just letting the water run down his back, relaxing him, before he actually set about washing himself. When he emerged, he wrapped a towel around himself and walked to his room, opening his closet and looking through all his clothes, trying to find the perfect outfit. He sighed when he realized how pathetic and girly he was being, but, regardless, he picked out a nice plaid button up and a clean pair of jeans. He sprayed himself with cologne and looked at the clock. There was still an hour before the party was supposed to start, but he had nothing else to do, so he climbed into the Impala and began driving, telling himself he would just help Jo. When he arrived, Jo gave him a knowing look but said nothing as they began setting up for the party.
Time had passed by quickly, and the party was officially in full swing. Dean sat alone the sidelines, a beer clutched in his hand. He had made sure not to drink any of the harder stuff, hell, he was only on his second beer. If he was going to make his move tonight, he didn't want it to be drunk and sloppy. He wanted to do it right.
He watched Jo play the role of host perfect, circulating around the house, talking to everyone individually. Dean still hadn't seen Cas, and it was starting to bother him a little. What if he had decided not to show? What if he was getting totally drunk? What if he was flirting with someone else right now? Jealousy twisted in the pit of Dean's stomach, sending fire through his gut and leaving a vile taste in the back of his throat. Dean swallowed the last gulp of his beer, tossing the empty can into a nearby bin, and set out to find Cas. It wasn't long before he saw the flaming red of Anna's hair. He approached her, only to be disappointed to find that Cas was not with her. Well, she at least had to know where he was, right? He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to face him, a beer in her hand.
"Uh, hey, Anna. Have you seen Cas?" Dean asked cautiously.
"Dean!" Anna yelled, flinging her arms around his neck in a too friendly hug. Dean could smell the alcohol on her breath. She was completely smashed.
"Hey, Anna," Dean repeated, prying her arms from around his neck in the gentlest way possible. "I was just wondering if you knew where Cas was?"
"Cas?" she questioned, and then she smiled. "Oh, Dean, you and Cas are so close. My brother usually doesn't get close to anyone, and you have been so good to him and I'm so surprised because you really didn't seem like the type of guy who would be nice to someone like my brother. You just kinda seemed like a whorish meathead. And I'm so surprised and thankful that someone is finally being nice to Castiel because he deserves it and he's such a good kid and I can't begin to show how thankful I am, but I hope this is a good place to start," Anna finished her drunken, slurred speech, only to throw her arms back around Dean's neck and press her lips to his in a sloppy kiss. Dean stumbled back, trying to get away, but she held her grip firm around his neck. Dean heard a loud gasp to his left, causing him to turn his head quickly and Anna's lips to fall from his as she stumbled back. Standing there, his mouth hung open, an unopened beer in his hand, was Cas. Dean looked down at Anna, then back at Cas, finally grasping the situation. Dean could see the tears well up in Cas' eyes and his heart sunk. No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to be with Cas. Cas wasn't supposed to be crying, no, no, no! What had he done?
Cas dropped the beer and brought his hand up to his mouth, the tears finally breaking free of their ocular confines and running down his cheeks. He turned on his heel and ran out of the house as quickly as possible. Before Dean could even registered what he was doing, he was running after Cas. He could see Cas ahead of him, but, damn, could that kid run fast. He pushed himself as fast as he could go until he was almost close enough to touch him, before yelling out his name.
"Cas!" he yelled, hoping with all his might that this would work. The other boy stopped and turned around, causing Dean to stumble to keep from running into him.
"What do you want, Dean?" he spoke with venom in his voice.
"Look, man, she kissed me, I didn't kiss her," Dean tried to defend himself but was cut off by Cas scoffing.
"Oh, please. The bad boy with the reputation didn't initiate the sexual contact? Like that's a story I'm going to believe. I may be foolish, but I'm not that stupid," the tears were now being replaced with a burning rage. Dean tried to stifle the panic building up in his stomach and filling his chest.
"No, seriously, Cas, you have to believe me," Dean began, trying to find the right words to phrase what he wanted to say. He had to make Cas believe him, show Cas that he wanted to be with him, and not Anna.
"Why should I believe you, Dean?"
"Because I've never lied to you?" Dean supplied, trying to fight down the hurt that that statement had cause him. He wanted, he needed Cas to trust him, to believe him.
"Oh, really? Then what the hell has been going on the last week, cause it was obviously a lie." Cas spat, looking Dean in the eye.
"No, Cas," Dean bit his lip, trying to force the words out while holding Cas' intense gaze. "That was-that was all real. I meant all of it," Dean took a step toward Cas and, to his surprise, Cas didn't move away. Cas' anger seemed to falter a bit, looking into Dean's eyes, and Dean knew he was displaying every ounce of sincerity he has. Cas had to believe him, he just had to. Cas looked conflicted for a moment before his face hardened and he scoffed again.
"Yeah, right, like that would really happen to me. I was foolish to believe it was possible in the first place," Cas began to turn away, but Dean grabbed his arm.
"No, Cas," he turned Cas back around, pulling him closer, "it was true, I swear it. I promise," Dean looked down, showing every emotion he had on his face. It felt strange, putting everything on display like this, but he knew this was the only way he was going to make Cas believe him. Cas looked up at him, conflicted again, before a smirk emerged on his face.
"Prove it," he whispered, his breath hot on Dean's chin. Dean's breath hitched and he looked at Cas, uncertain. But there was that smirk, taunting him, and, before Dean could lose his nerve he leaned down and crashed their lips together. Cas squeaked a bit when their lips connected, surprise overtaking his face, as if he hadn't believed Dean would do it. Dean smirked into Cas' lips, taunting him by bringing his hand up, tangling it in Cas' hair. Cas finally sighed and relaxed into the kiss, bringing his hand up to cup Dean's cheek. The two boys pulled away after a moment, both breathing heavily despite the chasteness of the kiss.
"That proof enough?" Dean asked, smirking at Cas. Cas bit his lip and nodded, still trying to catch his breath. "So," Dean continued, "you still gonna stay at my house tonight?"
Cas looked up at him and smiled, nodding. Dean smiled back, grabbing Cas' hand and walking them back toward where he had parked the Impala. He could feel the stress in his stomach untwisting, only to be replaced with happiness and excitement. Cas' hand was smoother than Dean would have imagined, and he stroked small circles on it with his thumb as they drove toward his house.
When they arrived, Dean walked around to Cas' side of the car and grabbed his hand again, leading him into the house. They passed Sammy, who was watching television on the couch. Sam shot Dean a knowing smile and Dean just smiled back, glad to have Sam as his brother. They walked upstairs to Dean's bedroom and Dean smiled at Cas before removing his pants and climbing into bed, motioning for Cas to join him. Cas smiled at Dean and removed his own pants before crawling into the bed next to Dean. The two boys faced each other and Dean threw his arm over Cas' waist pulling him in close. Cas nuzzled his face into Dean's chest and the two boys fell into a content silence before they both drifted off to sleep.
