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“I’m getting shots!”
Castiel smiled and shook his head fondly as Dean pushed off his barstool and stumbled towards the bar.
“Not purple nurples!” Sam called after his brother, cackling when Dean lifted his hand above his head to flip him the bird without turning around.
Castiel was glad he agreed to accompany the Winchesters tonight. They more than deserved a break with the threat of the Darkness hanging over their heads, even if that break was simply an evening of drunken frivolity.
He watched as Dean leaned against the bar and winked at the attractive blonde bartender, swallowing down the pang of hurt that always seemed to appear when he witnessed Dean partaking in a flirtation. Determined not to let the old hurt ruin his good mood, he turned his attention back to Sam, who was draining the final dregs of beer from his glass. After a satisfied exhale and a wipe of his mouth with the back of his woollen cardigan sleeve…
“Are you seriously wearing that, you dork?”
“Bite me Dean, it’s cold!”
… Sam reached out and placed a hand on Castiel’s shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re here, man,” Sam slurred. “Love you, dude.”
Castiel looked up from where his eyes had followed Sam’s hand placement and chuckled at the gigantic, drunken man. Sam was clearly an affectionate drunk.
“Thank you Sam, I love you too,” Castiel replied fondly.
Sam tapped his hand against Castiel’s shoulder a few times, before a tray slammed down on their bar table.
“M’not interrupting anything, am I?” Dean grumbled, looking decidedly more sober than he had moments earlier as he wriggled onto his stool.
Castiel furrowed his brow and tilted his head, confused by Dean’s sudden brash demeanour. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think Dean was jealous.
“What’re you talking ‘bout, dude?” Sam laughed. “Ooh, tequila! Da da da da da da da dun dun…”
Dean visibly relaxed, his mouth tipping up in a half-smile at Sam’s drunken antics.
“God, you’re a sappy drunk,” Dean laughed.
Castiel shifted his attention to the tray of shot glasses, wholly ignoring Sam’s singing. They were full almost to the brim with gold liquid, less the small puddle that had escaped when Dean plonked them on the table. “Dean, you purchased thirty tequila shots,” Castiel mused.
“Yep,” Dean replied, popping the P. “You’re getting drunk with us, sunshine, had to go big to put a dent in that angelic alcohol tolerance you got.”
“Da na na na na na na , TEQUILA!” Sam shouted.
Dean picked up a shot glass and tilted it towards Castiel. “You heard the man,” he smirked, before throwing his head back and swallowing the spirit with one gulp.
Castiel plucked one of the glasses from the tray and examined it for a few moments. “Isn’t it customary to consume these alongside a lick of salt and a squeeze of lime?” Castiel clarified.
Slamming his second empty glass face down, Dean scoffed. “Nah, that’ll just slow us down,” he argued, reaching out for his third.
With a shrug, Castiel raised the rim to his lip and poured the liquid into his mouth. There was the slightest of burns as he felt it slide down his throat, but the taste was minimal—simply the molecules that he was accustomed to when consuming human sustenance and beverages. After placing his own glass next to Dean’s collection of empties, he reached out for a second.
“The warming sensation in the aftermath is rather pleasant,” Castiel explained.
“Attaboy,” Dean grinned, raising his latest glass and clinking it against Castiel’s own. Sam also picked up a glass to join the cheers before the three men tossed their heads back simultaneously.
By the time they’d cleared the tray of shots, most of which Castiel had consumed, the angel was feeling delightfully buzzed as he watched the brothers partake in a verbal stoush over whether All Saints’ Day or Friday the 13th was the superior horror movie franchise.
“Dude, Jason Voorhees isn’t even a scary killer!” Dean argued. “I mean, a hockey mask? Really? Makes him about as scary as a Canadian—and that 2009 movie sucked ass.”
Sam blanched. “How dare you!?”
Before Sam could defend himself, a crackle caught their attention, and they all turned towards the sound. The bartender was standing on a stage that Castiel hadn’t noticed was there, tapping a microphone.
“Hope y’all are having a wonderful night,” she drawled, to which she received a few whoops and whistles. “But it’s about to get even better because it’s karaoke time! Anyone brave enough to go first?”
“Oh! Me me me!” Dean cried out, shoving away from the table and darting towards the stage with a sway in his step. He tripped on the first stair but managed to right himself and make it up onto the stage.
“You ever done this before, hon?” the bartender asked sweetly.
“Not since I was a de—” Dean started before his eyes widened. “Uh, I mean, not for a while,” he went with, laughing nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.
The bartender giggled, none the wiser. “Well, alrighty then, song selection is there,” she advised, pointing to the silver karaoke machine before redirecting her finger to the screen next to it, “there’s the lyrics, and here’s the mic!”
Dean accepted the microphone and began punching his fingers against the top of the karaoke machine. After a few moments, soothing piano music filled the room and Dean stood ramrod straight with the microphone gripped tight in his right hand, held so close to his mouth Castiel was sure it was grazing his lips. As he opened his mouth to sing, Dean’s eyes found and locked on Castiel’s.
“How do I get through one night without you
If I had to live without you
What kind of life would that be
Oh and I, I need you in my arms
Need you to hold
You're my world, my heart, my soul
If you ever leave…”
These were very romantic lyrics, Castiel couldn’t help but think. This was something someone would sing to a lover. And yet, Dean’s gaze never wavered from his own.
Castiel gulped thickly at the implication and leaned towards Sam, who was grinning widely at his brother.
“Sam, why would Dean choose this song?” Castiel queried, keeping his eyes fixed on Dean.
Sam chuckled. “Oh, dude, Dean fucking loves Con Air .”
Castiel finally allowed his vision to leave Dean, turning to face Sam with a questioning look. Sam mirrored his expression for a moment before he started to giggle. “Oh, right, ‘I don’t understand that reference’,” Sam teased, dropping his voice low in a poor imitation of Castiel.
Castiel wrinkled his nose, feeling mildly offended, as Sam continued.
“So, this song plays at the end of Con Air when Nicolas Cage reunites with his wife and kid,” Sam explained. “Dean’ll deny it, but he tears up every time.”
The hope Castiel felt a moment ago began to crumble. “Oh. So, the song has no romantic connotations? It’s more about needing family?”
Sam shrugged. “I mean, yeah, it’s definitely romantic.”
“So Dean would sing it to a lover?” Castiel asked, a slither of hope creeping back in.
Sam looked at Castiel blankly for a few moments before he burst out laughing. “Doubt it,” Sam chirped. “That requires way more game than Dean’s got. I’d blame Nicolas Cage for this atrocity.”
Castiel nodded solemnly and turned his attention back to the stage. Dean now had his eyes closed, the hand not holding the microphone clenched in a fist and pumping next to his head as he continued belting out the tune.
“How do I live without you
I want to know
How do I breathe without you
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?”
Castiel wouldn’t consider Dean’s singing an atrocity. In fact, Dean was actually a pretty good singer, especially considering his current state of inebriation.
When the song ended, Dean fumbled the microphone onto the stand and walked towards the front of the stage, placing his hand down and jumping onto the floor rather than taking the stairs. As he approached their table, swagger in his step, Dean smirked at the angel.
“So, what’dya think?” Dean asked, leaning his forearms against the table, his body so close to Castiel that he could feel Dean’s breath on his face.
Castiel cleared his throat. “Very good Dean, you are rather talented,” he responded as Dean beamed.
“Didya, ah, get the meaning?” Dean asked with flushed cheeks and wide eyes—because of the amount of alcohol he had consumed, obviously.
Castiel squinted his eyes and cocked his head to the side. “That you have an affinity for Nicolas Cage films?” Castiel clarified, as Sam descended into a fit of laughter.
Dean looked back and forth between the two men before laughing nervously. “Uh, yeah, sure… I’m gonna grab another round.”
The brothers and Castiel were sipping scotch and colas when a dark-haired woman with a partially see-through red top sang the final lines to ‘Delta Dawn’, resulting in a boisterous round of applause.
“Maybe you’ll understand this,” Dean mumbled under his breath before dashing onto the stage again. Despite being a few notches drunker, Dean’s karaoke setup was swift, requiring only a short search on the machine before the sounds of a synthesizer blared out of the speakers.
“Watching every motion
In my foolish lover's game
On this endless ocean
Finally lovers know no shame
Turning and returning
To some secret place inside
Watching in slow motion
As you turn around and say
Take my breath away!”
Another love song. How odd.
Castiel felt a nudge against his arm and turned towards Sam.
“Top Gun. Classic!” Sam said gleefully.
Castiel nodded his head in understanding. “Oh, another movie song,” the angel confirmed.
“Yep! Dean’s obsession with Tom Cruise rivals Nicolas Cage,” Sam laughed. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he had a thing for dark-haired dudes!”
Castiel swallowed thickly, refusing to entertain any undertone of Sam’s words, and continued watching Dean.
“Through the hourglass I saw you
In time you slipped away
When the mirror crashed I called you
And turned to hear you say
If only for today
I am unafraid…”
Dean’s gaze was penetrating, focused solely on Castiel. He was even gesturing towards the angel and intermittently clutching his hand against his heart.
When Dean returned to the table, he didn’t say anything, he simply looked at Castiel expectantly. It was strange.
“Tom Cruise?” Castiel guessed, to which Dean slammed his head on the table and grunted, “I need another drink.”
As a bachelorette party finished a rendition of ‘Escape (The Piña Colada Song)’ that was more shouting than singing, Dean dove for the microphone again, practically yanking it out of the bride-to-be’s hand.
Either he didn’t notice or didn’t care about the glares the group of women shot him as he selected his song, took a deep breath, and started to sing.
“I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure!”
“Pffft, there goes our dark-haired man theory,” Sam laughed.
“What do you mean?” Castiel asked, facing the tallest Winchester rather than focus on Dean’s eyes burning a hole in his head.
“Bruce Willis is blonde in Armageddon ,” Sam clarified, before tapping his lip thoughtfully. “Although, Ben Affleck is also in that movie.” After a few moments of consideration, Sam started chuckling. “I’m so gonna give him shit about this.”
Castiel shook his head and returned his gaze to the Dean, who was now bent down on one knee and pointing at Castiel.
“'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing!”
Dean managed to keep hold of the microphone for several more tracks.
*
“I don't want another heartbreak
I don't need another turn to cry, no
I don't wanna learn the hard way
Baby, hello
Oh no, goodbye
But you got me like a rocket
Shooting straight across the sky!”
“Practical Magic is one of Dean’s guilty pleasures.”
*
“I feel your breath in my face
Your body close to me
Can't look in your eyes
You're out of my league.”
“You know what Dean says, Swayze always gets a pass.”
*
“You know I'm just a fool who's willing
To sit around and wait for you
But, baby, can't you see
There's nothing else for me to do?
I'm hopelessly devoted to you!”
“I CAN’T BELIEVE HE’S OPENLY ADMITTING TO LIKING GREASE !”
*
Eventually, Sam became so drunk he fell asleep against the bar table and could no longer offer Castiel his… wisdom… over Dean’s song choices. Sam’s soft snores were almost drowned out by the final verse of ‘Wild Thing’, during which Dean jumped off the stage and dropped to his knees beside Castiel’s bar stool.
“Wild thing, I think you move me
But I wanna know for sure
So come on and hold me tight
You move me.”
All of Sam’s justifications echoed in his head as Dean reached out and clutched Castiel’s knee. When the music stopped, the room fell silent, as if everyone in the bar was communally holding their breaths.
Castiel tilted his head to the side.
“Oh my god!” Dean shouted, shooting up as the audience groaned. “Okay, okay, subtle clearly isn’t working.”
“Pffft, in what universe are you being subtle, dude,” a college-aged man in a backwards baseball cap at the next table scoffed.
“So,” Dean pushed on, “I think it’s time for action.”
Dean reached up and cupped Castiel’s face with both hands as Castiel’s eyes widened. He leaned in slowly, so slowly. He was going to kiss him. Dean was going to kiss him! There was no way to misinterpret this. Dean’s glacial speed offered a clear out in case Castiel wanted to pull away.
Not a chance.
Castiel leaned forward to close the distance and suddenly they were kissing and it was everything he ever wanted but thought he could never have. Their lips slid together, connected like they were made to meet, as the bar erupted into applause.
When they finally separated, they giggled absurdly, Dean gazing at him with a look of deep affection that Castiel was certain was mirrored on his own face.
“I’m in love with you, in case that wasn’t clear,” Dean said softly.
Castiel, brushed his fingers through the side of Dean’s hair, combing down to rest gently against Dean’s neck. “And I you,” he responded.
As they leaned in for a second kiss, they heard a gasp behind them. Slowly, they turned their heads to face Sam, who was sitting up and blinking owlishly at them.
“Wait. You two!?” Sam shrieked.
Dean beamed. “Wasn’t it obvious, Sammy?”
“What!? No, of course not!? How would I know?”
“Because you have eyes!” a voice shouted from the back, causing Sam to pull his trademark bitchface.
The youngest Winchester stood, swayed a little and covered his mouth with his hand. “I think I might be sick.
“Wow, Sammy, didn’t peg you to be homophobic,” Dean said with a smirk.
Sam’s eyes widened and he dropped his hand from his mouth. “What!? No, I-I’m happy for you. Both of you, I just…oh god.”
Sam started jogging in the direction of the bathroom as Dean called out, “I thought you were better than this!”
“I’M AN ALLY!” Sam shouted as he disappeared behind the door labelled ‘Men’.
Castiel rolled his eyes fondly as Dean chuckled.
“If you’re done tormenting your brother…” Castiel said pointedly.
“What? I’ll get him a rainbow sticker or some shit, he’ll love it,” Dean said with a shrug.
“...I would like to take your breath away.”
Dean looked at him blankly for a moment before he huffed a small laugh. “Look who finally understood a reference,” Dean said softly.
“I need you in my arms, Dean,” Castiel crooned, stepping towards Dean and wrapping his arms over Dean’s shoulders as Dean placed his hands gently on Castiel’s hips. “Need you to hold,” Castiel whispered before he kissed him. “You're my world, my heart, my soul,” Castiel continued, peppering more kisses in between.
“Baby, you would take away everything good in my life,” Dean sighed. “And tell me now, how do I live without you?”
Castiel smiled. “Dean, you’ll never have to find out.”