Meant to post this on actual New Years but I completely forgot. Anyway, hope it's not too late to wish everyone a Happy 2013. Let's celebrate with a little Dick/Babs.

Maybe it was the champagne.

Or maybe it was the mood. After all, it was the team's annual New Year's Eve party. And it was the first one they were celebrating since defeating the Light. The first one since Artemis and Wally had officially rejoined the team, along with Kaldur, who had finally, finally, been able to drop the gloom and doom act and ditch his psycho of a dad. And okay, maybe things weren't a hundred percent back to normal yet. But they were pretty darn close.

So all in all, there was a pretty potent mixture of reasons. But in that moment, as the clock struck midnight and Dick's eyes suddenly locked on her own, Barbara Gordon didn't give a damn about any of them.

The room was an explosion of cheers, shouts, and streamers, balloons and glitter (thanks to M'gann, who had reverted back to her pre-angst self just in time to bedeck the cave with an obscene number of decorations)—but all Barbara seemed able to concentrate on was her best friend, this tall, dark, and handsome one she'd been flirting with for two years now, on whom she still hadn't worked up the courage to make a real move. And right now he was walking towards her.

Barbara felt her breath catch as she watched him dazedly. A thousand ridiculous thoughts whirled through her head in the space of those few seconds that the distance between them was narrowed—was there glitter in her hair, had her lipstick smeared, did her breath smell good? Why, oh why hadn't she taken a piece of that minty gum Cassie had offered her?

And was she really about to kiss her best friend?

Dick was in front of her now, close enough that she had to tilt her head to look into his face (damn, it had only been a few years ago when he'd been the one who had to look up at her). His eyes were sparkling, alight with some of that childish mischief that still lingered, despite the change in height. The designer shades were long forgotten—he'd chosen to stop keeping secrets from his team once and for all—and she was glad, because it meant that she could look into them now.

She was trying to think of something witty to say, a teasing remark, perhaps; what she always did when she felt nervous around him. But all she seemed to be capable of thinking about was the fact that hewas the one with glitter in his hair, little specks of gold and silver that stood out against his thick dark waves—and that he had the most enticing pair of lips she thought she had ever seen.

Then just like that they were pressing against hers, warm and full and filled with far too much passion to be classified as "friendly". And her heart was racing and her skin was tingling as she pressed herself against him instantly, sliding her arms around his neck in a way that felt as natural as breathing.

She felt his hands slip around her waist, brushing the skin on the small of her back where it was left bare by the sweeping plunge of her dress. The sensation made her gasp, and Dick used it to his advantage, pressing her tighter against him and deepening the kiss. She let his tongue have dominion for a few moments before she started to fight back, challenging him for dominance. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly against her lips as he replied with equal enthusiasm.

He pushed against her more desperately, and she heard herself give a soft moan, enjoying his need a little more than she probably should. He had her pressed against a wall now, and the hard surface lent support to their bodies, allowing them to move together even closer. His hand had moved from its place on her back, sliding even lower to pass over the curve of her ass. He cupped it through the silk of her dress and she smirked a little, pleased by his soft groan of appreciation. In response she hiked a leg up around his waist, suddenly immensely glad Karen had convinced her to go for the dress with the slit.

Dick quickly moved his hand to cup her bare thigh, holding her there, pressing her tighter. Barbara's breath hitched as he shifted his hips forward suddenly, grinding against her. Her fingers slid over the dark fabric of his jacket, then raked through his hair as she kissed him hard enough to let him know he was doing something right. He kissed her back even harder, so powerfully it took her breath away in a whoosh—but just before she thought her lips were going to bruise from the sheer force, he pulled back.

His dark blue eyes locked on hers, gazing into them intently. She could feel his breath, heavy and uneven, as it moved in and out of his lips and lightly brushed against hers. Her heart was pounding like a hammer on an anvil, beating rapidly against her ribcage. And already she was leaning forward, eager to pick up where they left off…when something interrupted her.

It was the sound of applause.

She and Dick both turned at the same time, abruptly startled from the small, special, little world to which they had both retreated. The entire team had stopped their celebration and were now looking at them, bright beaming smiles on all of their faces. And they were all cheering as if she and him were the winners of the World Series.

Barbara flushed brilliantly, and Dick cleared his throat drily, a sheepish smile already making its way across his face. They quickly released their hold on each other, untangling from one another with as much dignity as they could muster. Barbara ran her hands over her dress, smoothing out the folds, and Dick reached up to straighten the tie she seemed to have practically ripped off at some point. Then they turned to face their friends.

It was Wally, unsurprisingly, who spoke first. The arm that wasn't wrapped around his smirking girlfriend he punched into the air, giving a loud whoop. "Finally!" the speedster exclaimed, making Barbara grin despite herself. He pointed a finger at Connor, who was actually grinning for once. "Told ya it would happen. Pay up, super dude."

Just like that the rest of the room broke out into a loud cacophony of voices, echoing with cries of "Geez, it took you two long enough!" or "I knew it!"

A warm feeling was starting to grow in Barbara's stomach. When she was finally certain she wasn't going to die of embarrassment, she let herself sneak a small, sideways glance at Dick. He was watching her, smiling so broadly it looked like his cheeks might hurt. And just like that, Barbara knew it hadn't been the champagne, after all.

It was something much better.