At the end of "Don't Get Your Hopes Up," I asked people's thoughts on my inclusion of Cas/Gabe as a couple, and I got a lot of interesting opinions. (Thanks to everyone who commented!)

One of those comments prompted me to write a couple paragraphs about Cas/Gabe that I posted in a comment on AO3 then cross-posted to Tumblr, and then another requested resulted in a Tumblr ficlet, and I figured, what the heck, I wrote a thing, might as well post it.

LOOK, LOOK, I ACTUALLY SUCCESSFULLY WROTE A FICLET IT'S A THOUSAND WORDS IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE. *laughs with insane glee since, well, her WPW "ficlet" this week is 10k words...*

Note that this is in two parts. As it's basically a C&P from Tumblr, I included the comments/requests that led to each of the two parts.

amberpeace's initial unintentional "prompt:" As far as the Cas/Gabe thing goes…it's a little weird. I too always view them as brothers/some sort of family…..or the best friend that you've made out with at a party and realized friendship was the better path for your relationship.

Cas and Gabe meet at a party and both are a bit drunk and they end up making out a whole lot, like for ages, and all the while each in their own head is like "this actually feels kinda weird but he's really into it so we might as well keep kissing" and a few days later they run into each other again and each is like…so…that thing that happened the other night…do you want to do that again? And each is reticent but won't just say no cause they liked each other but the kissing just didn't really work…and finally Gabe just throws his hands up and is like, look, you're hot and I like you but that kiss was kinda awkward. And Cas is all, "oh, thank God, you thought so too?" And they're both so relieved and Gabe is like, "also you've been single way too long, we're going drinking again and I'm your wing man, if I don't have you laid by the end of the night it won't be MY fault."

So that becomes their relationship, and they get to be increasingly close as friends, and one night at another party Cas notices Gabe making out with this really hot dude with green eyes, and he's simultaneously a little jealous but also happy for his friend cause it seems to be working out. A bit later in he evening, Gabe corners him and is like, "okay, Cassie, I've tested this one out thoroughly, I think he's good enough for ya" and from anyone else that'd be super weird, but it's GABE so it's okay…and that's how Cas and Dean meet…

pod7et followed up with: so now you obviously have to write the dean and cas meet part of this story … OBVIOUSLY

Charlie dragged Dean to a party where he didn't know, like, anyone. As soon as they stepped inside, she pointed around the room introducing people she knew. "Garth - Ash - Benny - Gabe..." and on it went before she spotted someone, squeed, and disappeared, leaving Dean to his own devices. One of the people she'd pointed out sauntered up to him moments later and offered him a beer, they got to talking, and that's how Dean ended up making out with someone he was *pretty sure* was Garth but they hadn't really bothered with introductions so it might be one of the others. The guy was short and a bit older than him but okay looking and he kissed like a fucking sex god. Dean was pretty sure he was going to get lucky that night when Garth (or maybe it was Vic?) broke it off, wiped his mouth and said, "okay, yeah, you'll do. Come on." Bemused and horny (adjusting himself in what, in his buzzed, aroused state, he thought a covert manner) Dean found himself being introduced to Cassie, Garth's gorgeous friend. They were shaking hands - they were staring at each other in confusion - and then Garth was gone and they were as alone as two people could be at a packed house party.

"So."

"...So."

"You known Gabe a while?" asked Cassie awkwardly.

"Oh, is that his name?" was Dean's embarrassed reply. "Um...did he just...did he just test drive me for you? Like, you two plan this out or something?"

"No!" Cassie exclaimed, an attractive, delicate flush pinking his cheeks. Noticing that drew Dean's eye to even pinker lips, drew his attention to stunning blue staring at him. "I mean, yes, I think that's what he was doing, but we didn't plan it."

"You got some good friends, Cassie. Weird friends...but I can't say he doesn't have great taste."

Cassie flushed darker, looked away. "Ugh, don't call me that. My name is Castiel, he just...he's Gabe. But...um...I do like his taste. In you."

Dean laughed. "I'm not sure what that means, though fuck knows I did get a taste of him. But, dude, I meant you."

"You meant me...what?"

"I meant you're really fucking hot," Dean clarified, glad for the liquid courage his first couple beers had given him. Just cause Gabe hadn't worked out didn't mean he couldn't still get laid that night...and given the choice between Gabe and Cassie...Castiel...Cas?...that was a no brainer. Yeaaaaah...Dean's brain had nothing to do with that choice...

"Oh." Cas darted a glance at Dean's face, shied away again, and then there were arms around his neck, lips rough against his. Their noses bumped hard, Cas tried to pull way mumbling something Dean suspected was an apology, but Dean interrupted, pressing Cas back against a wall, covering Cas' mouth with his own, coaxing Cas' lips open with his tongue.

When they left together an hour later - having hardly parted for breath the whole while - Charlie sighed and handed a grinning Gabriel a twenty dollar bill. "Told you I know someone perfect for this Dean you've been going on about," he said smugly.

"You already won, Gabe, you don't have to boast."

"You know, Cas would be furious if he knew we were betting on his love life."

"So would Dean - except I think you're confusing 'love life' and 'sex life' again."

As it turned out, they were both wrong, on both counts. Cas and Dean spent the evening far too busy, and far too pleasurably engaged, to give a shit what their friends chose to blow their money on.

And the next morning - holy shit, Cas actually stayed the night, Dean could hardly wrap his head around it - after round two, they exchanged numbers. By lunch time they had a date set up for the following night.

So no, neither Cas nor Dean would have been furious at a bet that meant they got to meet, and for the first time in a long time for either of them, their sex life and their love life seemed to be very much on the same page.

Okay, maybe one night (and morning!) of mind-blowingly good sex and one fucking awesome date didn't prove that.

But when Cas proposed six months later, that rather sealed the deal. Or at least, it did when Dean said yes.

And Charlie grinned triumphantly to get back her twenty bucks back with interest, a cool hundred from Gabriel for their follow-up bet.

Endnote: And, as always, my Tumblr is unforth-ninawaters. Feel free to stop by, hang out, chat, whatever, and yes, I take prompts, though I can't always promise to write back, er, promptly. (ba-dum-dum...)