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Into Effervescence
Charlie fell asleep in the extra bedroom before he could even drink his sparkling grape juice, so Casey's living room primarily contains Dan, Casey, a couple glasses and an empty bottle of champagne, and a TV blaring "Auld Lang Syne" like Kenny G on crack.
Dan stumbles off the couch and to his feet. Rather than lifting his glass again -- they're out of bubbly anyway -- he hauls up Casey instead. "Happy New Year," he says, and gives him a hug out of some misplaced sense of tradition.
But more than the champagne has gone to Danny's head, because he can't help leaning over and pressing his mouth to Casey's, too. He can't seem to help licking Casey's lips, either, tracing upper, lower, and the teasing line between that widens into a gap as Casey makes an odd noise. That shocks Dan's eyes open and his body about two feet away.
"What did you just do?" Casey's voice is high and not a little panicked.
"Uh." Dan looks past Casey's face, over his shoulder. "Kissed you?"
"Are you asking me?" comes out angrily.
He glances into Casey's eyes. "Am I asking you what?"
"Are you asking if you kissed me?"
"No, Casey." Turning around, he tries to wish hard enough for mistletoe to materialize above their heads. He tries to see a merry green sprig instead of the black spots edging his vision.
Casey grabs his wrist. "Are you asking something else?"
"Your answer wouldn't change." He's being shaken, not just by Casey's grip -- shaken, stirred, and stabbed with an olive like the greenest eye.
"You don't know that, because I haven't given any answer yet."
"Oh, really?" Dan hates himself sneering, and he knows Casey isn't fond of it either, but his lip just refuses to uncurl -- like his mouth imprinted Casey's through that one kiss and can't function without its touch anymore.
Casey very carefully releases Dan. His voice slides into a lower register with almost every word. "Really. So, ask me something else, and let me answer."
"Is Charlie still asleep?"
Casey's tongue flicks out. "You know that's not what I meant."
"I know."
When he doesn't say anything else, Casey rolls his eyes and checks. "Sound asleep and probably drooling on the clean sheets I just put in there."
Danny grins. "I'm sure you can change them again in the morning."
He expects for things to go back to normal at that, for Casey to punch his shoulder and toss a snide remark back at him. He doesn't expect Casey just to cock one eyebrow and stare.
"Uh, Case--"
"What are you unsure of?"
"Everything." He almost chokes, maybe on a laugh.
Casey's hands clench as though he's trying really hard not to cross his arms. "You were sure enough to kiss me."
He rocks back on his heels and rubs his forehead. "That wasn't me being sure. Maybe it wasn't even me." It's the wrong thing to say, but again, his mouth isn't obeying his brain's commands.
"I don't see anyone else standing here, do you?"
Dan actually has to stop himself from looking around the room like the desperate idiot that he is. "I guess not."
Casey sighs. "Jesus, Danny. Would you just --"
"I ... want you. Do you want me?" And his breath is gone, first from the shock of having forced out those words and then from the hot, hard push of Casey's tongue between his lips. The kiss bursts like champagne, all sweet and bright tingles, short-circuiting him.
At least his mouth obeys Casey's commands.
- end -