Chapter Text
Dean Winchester has just been announced as the last celebrity to join this year’s Celebrities Go Dancing! He will join the 14 others and take to the ballroom floor, to strut his stuff and aim to lift the coveted golden shoes trophy.
Dean scrunched the tabloid and threw it into the trash can with a huff. He couldn’t believe he had signed up to such a stupid chick show! He was a man’s man. He jumped off cliffs, surfed, swam with sharks, rode dirt bikes, and climbed. He didn’t dance and he most certainly didn’t wear sequins. His manager, Bobby, walked into the room just as the paper hit the rest of the trash.
“Suck it up sunshine. You wrecked your career the moment you were caught. This will save it.”
Dean opened his mouth to protest but upon seeing Bobby’s furious stare, thought better of it and swallowed his words.
“You’re to report to the Royal Ballroom tomorrow to find out who you’re partnered with.”
“Bobby, do I really have to do this?” Dean decided he did want to protest his somewhat questionable agreement to the god forsaken show. He had worked with previous contestants on his other shows and they had all raved about how they felt so lucky to be chosen and how they loved every minute. The dances, the glitz, the glam. Dean didn’t get it though.
“Yes Dean, you do. Your career isn’t going anywhere fast at the moment. You need a boost. This is the only way.”
The following day arrived too quickly. He huffed and grumped on the way there, keeping his arms firmly crossed across his chest. The car pulled up to the Royal Ballroom and from the tinted windows he could see the crowds of people and cameras flashing. Dean reached for the door handle but Bobby grabbed his arm before he could open it.
“The minute this car door opens, you go out there and you smile and wave, sign a few autographs and you sell it that you’re happy to be here. I mean it!”
Bobby didn’t get stern too often and so this shook Dean to his very core. He sighed, took a deep breath and exited the car. The frenzied paparazzi and the screaming people would never have been able to guess about Dean’s unwillingness and apprehension. He was charm itself. He smiled, he waved, winked at a few women, and posed for what felt like a billion selfies.
Once inside, Dean relished in the quiet. He found himself awestruck by how beautiful the building was. A chandelier hung down from the ceiling and sparkled in the sunlight. There were two staircases, one to the right and the other to the left, carpeted in the deepest, softest red carpet he had ever seen. He wondered if he could get some of that in his home. The walls were lined with pictures of couples dancing. Women in some of the most beautiful dresses and men in perfectly fitted tuxedos. Dean sighed and followed the signs to an annexed room, off to the side of the stairs. The other celebrities were there and they were all standing around, glasses of champagne in hand and chatting. Toward one end of the room was a red curtain.
Dean grabbed a glass, hoping the alcohol would numb some of the butterflies he felt and he moved further into the room, to join the group. Before he could say anything, or introduce himself to anyone, music began from somewhere, the curtain fell and the professionals shimmed out. They twirled, sashayed, leapt and shuffled around. A random girl in a glittery dress grabbed Dean’s hand and twirled him.
“Just do what feels natural” she smiled and Dean felt himself relax a little. She was a redhead and quite pretty. Although somewhat awkward due to the glass he held in one hand, Dean found himself getting into the dancing and thought to himself that he wasn’t half bad. Looking around, he could see some of the others didn’t have any rhythm. The song ended and everyone clapped. A woman, dressed in a neat suit, appeared in the middle of the group and smiled.
“Hello all. I’m Jody Mills. I am one of the executive producers of the show. I’m so excited to have you all as part of this year’s cast. I’m sure you’ve all seen the show and know how it goes.”
Dean looked uncertainly around while everyone else nodded enthusiastically. Jody seemed to sense his confusion and gave him a small wink.
“I’ll briefly explain again, just so we’re all clear. You will each be partnered up with a dancer, learn the basics, and together learn the group dance for the opening show next week. After that you’ll have three weeks until the first show, where your professional will teach you the basics and the first two dances. We are changing it up somewhat this year and there will be two same sex couples. A male, male partnership and a female, female partnership. So lineup and the dancer assigned to you, will come and join you.”
Dean stood beside health guru and podcaster Jo Harville on one side and writer Carver Edlund on his other. He was second last in the line, Carver being the last. One by one, the dancers stepped forward and led their celebrity partner off to the side. Fifteen contestants, eight men and seven women.
The pretty redhead who had twirled Dean stepped forward. For half a moment it looked like she was about to take his hand. She sidestepped quickly though.
“Hey, I’m Anna”. Jo smiled, gave her hug and together the two moved off to the side.
“Damn! She’s a babe!” Carver whispered to Dean.
The last two dancers stepped forward. A man and woman. Both darked hair. The man, Dean couldn’t help notice, had the bluest eyes he had ever seen. They crisscrossed, every two steps so it was uncertain who would end up partnered to who. Dean closed his eyes and took a breath, willing he get the pretty woman.
“Hello Dean”
“Dude you lucked out with Castiel” his brother was saying in the car home. “He is a world champion and has won the competition twice in a row now. You could actually have a shot.”
“Yeah but why am I with the guy?”
Dean knew the real reason he was with the guy but pushed the memories down and swallowed hard.
“Who cares Dean?! It’s Castiel Novak”
Dean gave up trying to convince Sam this was the worst thing that could happen to him as Sam just spoke about Castiel and how he was a master dancer. Castiel had been a child prodigy who rose through the ranks to become one of the most prominent ballroom dancers the world had ever seen. He disappeared for a few years, citing an injury, and now he was on Celebs Go Dancing tearing the dance floor up once more. His brother Gabriel was also a dancer on the show, usually landing the “dud” contestant, but always had a smile and a joke to crack.
Upon getting home, Dean looked Castiel up on the internet. The search results yielded video after video of his dances, of him winning competitions and some of his charity work. He couldn’t deny it. Castiel was hot. The way his hips moved, his ass in those tight dancing trousers. The way he sometimes left the top few shirt buttons open. Dean swallowed. It was going to be a long five months. He came across one interview where he was asked why the break in dancing and while Castiel citied the injury, he was evasive as to how he had acquired said injury. In fact everything Dean dug up online merely said it was an injury. No article or interview anywhere said what the injury was or how Castiel had become injured. Dean added it to the list of questions he would ask. For now though, he needed an early night, if he were to spend the entire next day dancing.