Secrets and Camera Flashes

Chapter 67

Castiel completely forgets about the annual Winchester-Harvelle Christmas game night until John and Ellen go to bed, and he's instantly full of dread. He really doesn't want to do this. He doesn't care if it's a stripping game, a drinking game, or whatever other adult games they want to play. He wants no part of it.

"I got the whiskey," Jo announces, already making her way to the cabinet.

"My four favorite words," Dean says with a grin.

"Someone help me get the shot glasses," Ash says. He glances around the room. "Dean, make yourself useful for once."

"That's something I can do," Dean says. "How many we looking at?"

Castiel fidgets with his hands. How is he supposed to back out? He was going to think up an excuse, but it completely slipped his mind and partygoers rarely take "no" for an answer.

Ash's eyes scan the crowd as he counts under his breath. "Seven, so I take four, you take three."

"Sounds like a plan," Dean says.

Castiel wrings his hands nervously, trying to come up with some sort of excuse on the spot. When Dean and Ash start pulling out shot glasses, Castiel realizes that he doesn't have time to think of an excuse.

"I'm going to sit this one out," Castiel tells them.

Jo scoffs. "But it's a party, Cas! You can't just not party at a party."

"I know, I know," Castiel says, "but this just... isn't really my type of thing."

"Are you sure?" Dean asks. "It's always a lot of fun."

"What Cas is trying to say," Charlie cuts in, "is that he hates everything fun, including drinking."

Castiel rolls his eyes. "Well, if you want to say it like that..."

"You're missing out big time," Dean tells him, "but you do you. On the off chance you change your mind, though, you're always welcome to join in the fun."

Huh

That was easy.

Then again, he had Charlie to vouch for him so it didn't look like a hastily-chosen excuse to back out. He did also mention to Dean in passing that part of the reason he doesn't drink is that he's afraid of slipping up and saying something he'd regret — either about his sexuality or his long-abandoned family — so he shouldn't be surprised that Dean was willing to help him out, either. Between the two of them, he's sure he had an easy way out.

But that analysis didn't account for Jo's crush on him and the fact that she'd want him to feel welcome, and she ruins it by saying, "We don't have to play drinking games if you don't want to. There are other, non-alcoholic games out there."

Castiel shakes his head. "You guys play your games. I'm going to..." What's he going to do? This is probably something he needs to figure out now, considering he's going to have to do whatever it is in a minute. What about...? "I'm going to work on memorizing lines." He may already have them all down, but Jo doesn't need to know that.

Jo frowns. "Alright, well, if you change your mind, just say the word."

"Will do," Castiel says, which he can do truthfully because he knows he's not going to change his mind. He will admit, though, that he's kind of excited to see how the night will end. This is going to be a very interesting party.

~~

Two hours later, Castiel realizes that he's spent more time trying not to laugh at his drunk friends than he has reading his script. Their starting game of Never Have I Ever got everyone drunk very fast, and they transitioned to an interesting game of Truth or Dare to follow it.