This is an AU in which Castiel has removed and hidden most of his own Grace to avoid detection by the other Angels.

He is mostly human now, with only a very small amount of his power left, just enough to enhance the 5 basic senses of his vessel.

He has decided to lay low and go on the hunt with Sam and Dean for the time being until things cool down upstairs.

Dean took a long gulp of his beer and sat it back down on the table with a heavy clink.

"That vamp put up a hell of a fight, huh Cas?" Dean asked, grinning jovially as he nudged the Angel with his elbow.

Castiel nodded absently, his gaze fixed on the untouched bottle of beer in front of him.

Sam's brow furrowed in concern as he looked across the table. "What's wrong, Cas?"

Castiel sighed. "I'm fine. But being without my Grace… will take some getting used to."

"I thought you kept some," Sam said after a swig of beer.

"Only a fraction," Castiel replied quietly. "Barely enough to sharpen the basic human senses."

"Well you're still one-up on us then," Dean said, trying his best to cheer the Angel up. "And you did a kickass job ganking that vamp tonight."

Sam raised an eyebrow as he watched his brother, a slight smile quirking at the corner of his mouth.

"Perhaps you are right," Castiel relented at last, glancing over at Dean. He picked up his beer, gave it dubious look, then tilted his head back and drained half the bottle.

"That's my boy!" Dean said with a laugh as he clapped Castiel on the back.

A table across the room erupted with laughter and cheers as a young woman stood up and loudly proclaimed, "Dare!"

"Now that's a game I haven't played since I was a kid," Dean reflected thoughtfully.

"Oh, I remember," Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"What?" Dean quipped. "It's not my fault you always lost, Sammy."

"No," Sam said with a shrug. "I just wasn't dumb enough to do the stupid shit you did."

"Hey-" Dean began in an offended tone, but was interrupted by Castiel.

"What game are you talking about?"

"It's called 'Truth or Dare'," Dean explained. "Here, I'll show you."

Dean turned to Sam. "Sammy, truth or dare?"

Sam shot his brother a look as if to say, 'Really, Dean?' but he chose to play along for Cas' sake.

"Truth."

Dean thought for a moment, then said, "Is it true that you have the hots for Doctor Sexy?"

"No, Dean," Sam said with all the patience he could muster. "That would be you."

Dean laughed almost self-consciously. "I, uh… no, I don't."

Castiel looked back and forth between the brothers as they argued with an almost childlike curiosity.

"Oh, yeah," Dean said, turning to face Castiel. "And if you choose dare, you have to do whatever the other person says, or you lose. Simple."

"Very well," Castiel said, looking at Dean. "I choose dare."

"Hmm…" Dean propped his chin in his hand as he thought. Then his eyes lit up mischievously with an idea.

"You see that girl standing by the bar?" Dean put his arm around Castiel's shoulders and turned him in the right direction. "The one with the tight, leather skirt."

"Yes."

"I dare you to slap her ass."

"Really, Dean?" Sam said out loud this time, utterly exasperated. "Cas, you don't have to do that."

"But I chose dare." Castiel replied emphatically.

Dean was trying so hard to hold his laughter in that it looked as if he would burst at the seams.

Without another word, Castiel stood up, walked purposefully over to the woman at the bar, whose back was turned to him, and slapped her rear with a loud "smack".

Dean couldn't hold back any more and let out a bellow of laughter, clenching his stomach.

Sam put his face in his hands as he shook his head.

The woman in the leather skirt gasped, then spun around to face Castiel. She glared for a split second, then slapped him across the face.

"What the fuck?!" she shouted angrily.

Castiel didn't flinch at the slap, but a red welt was already forming on his cheek.

"It was a dare," he explained, as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"Yeah, well, I dare you to suck on this." she took her margarita and poured it on Castiel's head.

The angel simply turned around and went back to his table, leaving the woman glaring at his back as he walked away.

"Oh, man, Cas," Dean said with a mixture of admiration and embarrassment. "I didn't think it would go down like that."

"I believe I win that round." Castiel stated flatly.

Before Dean could say another word, Sam spoke up, more than a little irritated.

"Alright, Dean. Now it's my turn."

Dean gulped, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.

"Truth or dare?"

Dean glanced over at Cas, who was watching him closely. Cas, whose hair was dripping alcohol down his face… down his face with a red handprint across one cheek.

"Dare, Sammy. Do your worst."

"I dare you to…. Kiss Cas."

Dean choked on the swallow of beer he'd just taken.

As he was still sputtering, Sam continued. "On the mouth. And not just a little peck either - I want it to be a real one."

"Sorry, Cas," Sam added earnestly as he looked over at him.

Castiel went deathly silent, and sat as stiff as a board.

Dean smirked at Sam.

"What are you waiting for, Dean?" Sam chided. "Don't tell me you're afraid."

"Cas," Dean began a little shakily, turning in his seat to face him. "Sorry, man."

With one swift motion, he leaned forward, took Castiel's face in his hands and kissed him hard on the mouth.

At first, Castiel kept perfectly still, neither accepting or resisting his advance. Then Dean felt the angel slowly, subtly, begin to kiss him back.

At that moment a fire bloomed in Dean's chest unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Castiel reached for Dean's waist and pulled him closer with surprising strength, deepening the kiss. Dean felt his body go weak, as if he would melt right out of his chair.

Sam cleared his throat loudly. "So… you guys want your own room tonight?"

Dean immediately broke off the kiss and stood up, his face flushed.

"Now that's how you do a dare, Sammy," he said with more bravado than he'd meant to. "Told you I never lose!"

'Play it cool, Dean,' he thought to himself anxiously. 'It was just a dare. That was all. Play it off like it was nothing.'

"And, Cas," he said, pointing a finger at the angel and smiling. "If you keep kissing like that, you're going to have to beat the women off with a stick."

Castiel frowned. "Dean."

"Whew, I think I've had enough to drink for one night," Dean continued, ignoring Castiel.

Sam looked from Dean back down to the single, unfinished bottle of beer on the table - the only thing he'd drank.

"What do you say we hit the road, guys?" Dean asked, becoming more and more overly animated as he went on.

"Dean," Castiel said again.

"I'll start the car," Dean called over his shoulder, already leaving the bar.

Sam pulled out some cash and gave Castiel an apologetic look as he went to pay for their drinks.

Dean stared up at the ceiling that night from his bed, unable to sleep. They'd come straight back to the motel room from the bar. The kiss had not been mentioned again.

Now it was 3:00 am. Dean rolled over and looked across the small room at Cas, who was asleep on the couch with his back turned. Sam was passed out in the other bed.

Dean rubbed his eyes wearily. He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss.

"You're acting like a freaking school girl," he whispered angrily to himself. "What in the fuck is wrong with you, Dean Winchester?"

Cas' lips had been so warm, so soft yet firm against his own. He'd tasted like the margarita that bitch had dumped on his head.

Stop it!

Cas had kissed him back. For real, kissed him back. He'd pulled him hard against his chest. God, that was sexy.

Ugh!

Dean rolled over so he couldn't see Castiel any more. He had always believed himself to be straight. There had never been a doubt in his mind. Or had there?

He closed his eyes to think about it. There had been men he'd felt attracted to, sure - more than just admiration. Doctor Sexy, for one. And Cas.

Hell, so maybe he wasn't as straight as an arrow. Nothing wrong with that.

Dean let the thought marinate for a few minutes. Yeah, he could live with not being one hundred percent straight.

But every time his thoughts drifted back to Cas, he felt his heartbeat quicken. He'd always believed his love - yes, love, he reminded himself - for Cas was purely brotherly. But maybe, if he was honest with himself, maybe that was never quite the case. Maybe there had always been something more.

Dean buried his face in his pillow, refusing to linger on the matter any longer.