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Van stirred, not hung over but just pleasantly fuzzy. It was still dark outside, but from the sky he could see outside the big hotel window as he cracked open his eyes, it looked like dawn was near. He could even hear the murmur of a quiet crowd on the Florida beach just outside.

He was on his side, someone sleeping behind him - from the arm draped over his side, it was clearly his bud Natch. Of their group of ten friends taking the New Year's beach trip, they were the two that landed the one-bed, two-person room.

Where was everyone, anyway? Probably back in the other two rooms, but... Van rubbed his eyes. The last thing he remembered from last night was all ten of them (and a few guests) packed into his and Natch's room celebrating the New Year into the early hours of the morning as the party kept going outside... He must've just passed out.

Yesterday had been such a blast, easily the best New Year's celebration Van had ever experienced so far. He'd never had a "party" New Year's before, and hitting up a rockin' beach certainly seemed the way to do it! Especially after the year he'd had.

The past year hadn't started poorly, but stress at his job and in his relationship with a collie named Jacan were already there and only got worse as the year got going. Things came to a head when he found not one but two other guys in his bed with the canine after Van's boss sent everyone home early one day in late April. Worse, Jacan had already packed his bags and had planned on just not being there anymore when Van was supposed to have come home. It was a horrible early birthday present, as the young worker turned 27 a week later. His job didn't fare much better than his relationship, the small company going under a week after his birthday.

Going from two lessees and two incomes to one lessee and no income meant he didn't have the bandwidth to pay rent on his apartment anymore, setting him to two or three months of couch-surfing and car-camping as he desperately looked for a new job. It was a dark time for Van, not helped by the fact that his uncle died suddenly that summer as well. It took his college buddies forcing him to stay with them and start being social again for him to really start recovering again.

His college buddies - two of which he'd known since middle school - were the first ones he had come out to late freshman year, prompting both Jayke and Natch to admit they were GSM as well. That whole group had always there for him, both in general and through that bad year, but it took them aggressively trying to get him back on track to really start turning things around. He ended up staying with Misha for a while, the ferret (already in a fairly comfortable managerial position) helping him polish up both his resume and his online dating profile, making Van joke that you can't shine shit.

He landed a new job after just two or three interviews, though, and both Misha and Natch got him exercising regularly. By the time October rolled around, Van was in an apartment of his own again and running a charity half-marathon with his posse - well, with Misha, Natch, and Pietr, as the rest simply waited for them at the finish line. Van wasn't really landing any dates still, but he honestly felt like he was in a good enough place with his group of friends that having a boyfriend wasn't a high priority.

It was Van's idea for the group to do something special for New Year's Eve, and it was Jayke who mentioned an annual beach party just a town south of his hometown on the Atlantic coast of Florida, so after getting a head count of who was interested, tickets were bought and a block of three hotel rooms was booked.

Van got a sizable year-end bonus at his new job just before the holidays, which made Christmas with his family all the brighter even without his uncle there this year. Still, as much as he enjoyed his family, he was certainly looking forward to ringing in the new year with his best friends in Florida.

The Florida beach party certainly didn't disappoint! They had great bands all night, not to mention a great selection of drinks - and so many beautiful furs! Van definitely flirted around a bit that night, though nothing ever drew him away from his friends - which was a very good thing, as the only blemish on the night was a wildly coincidental encounter with Jacan, who apparantly was staying two hotels down from where Van's group was. Pietr and Natch basically just stared the collie down, though, making him retreat so quickly that his then-date was left alone in the crowd and eventually assimilated into Van's group for the final concert before midnight.

The band had a really fun set, though with five minutes to go they went with a slower, more reflective song that projected forward to the next year, making the entire beach glow with lighters and cell phone screens. There was a moment or two of silence after the last chord while everyone held their breath, and then -

BOOM BOOM BADOOM KRACKOWSSHSHHH

Fireworks lit up the sky as the crowd, in one voice, cheered in the new year. Van hugged nearly everyone in his posse and those around them as even a few kisses were shared. The next band came on stage to start rocking the party deep into the night. Streamers, confetti, beach balls, and all manner of other party materials quickly scattered over the crowd, which was quite the spectacle.

As fun as it was down on the beach, boardwalk, and street, the group decided to move their party indoors after an hour or so. Van remembered them watching TV, having a few more drinks, dancing around, and playing games for a couple hours before his memory failed him. He himself had fairly little to drink, and since he wasn't hung over, he assumed he had simply failed to pull the all-nighter. He wondered if they had just let him sleep while they stayed or if Natch had shooed them to one of the other rooms.

He was still wearing his T-shirt and briefs, though someone must've taken off his jeans - thankfully, since they weren't the most comfortable jeans in the world. He liked how that skinny cut looked on him, though, especially with being in fairly good shape nowadays. Natch, still snoozing behind him, was apparently down to nothing but a pair of old, loose boxers. Van admired his bud's fur and muscles, a definite feeling of warmth filling Van as he lay there beneath Natch's arm. The other male had been there almost every step this year, and though Van didn't feel any fluttering or dizziness around Natch, he had to admit they'd gotten comfortable and close, particularly the past few months. They'd even had a fair amount of one-on-one time, either if Pietr didn't show up for exercise or on a few occasions where they just got together for lunch or something.

Natch's arm moved, hugging Van a little closer. A moment later, the larger male yawned, rolled slightly, then sat up groaning a bit. Van chuckled and sat up as well, watching his bud with a smile.

"Well, good morning and happy new year, my dear Vangelo," Natch said grinning groggily.

"Same to you Nachum. Sleep well?"

"Oh, very!" Natch stretched, giving the smaller male a very nice view of all his muscles moving and tensing, before rolling out of bed and walking around to stand between the bed and the window, where he held out a hand to welcome Van out of bed. "Looks like we woke up just in time to see the sun rise on the new year, huh?"

Van smiled and took the offered paw, getting lightly pulled out of bed and and into open arms for a hug before he moved over to the window, which he opened to step out on to the balcony. "Looks like!"

There were a fair amount of people milling about ten floors below on the beach and boardwalk; whether early risers or all-night partiers, Van couldn't tell, with many of them seemingly quite alert. He wondered why the street was completely empty for a bit as Natch joined him on the balcony before remembering that there would be a New Year's parade soon enough.

Some of the people below were focused completely east to the ocean horizon, while some were occasionally glancing up to the tops of the beach hotels. Natch wrapped an arm over Van's shoulders. "We're gonna get some of the first rays, tallest building on this strip of the beach."

The smaller male looked over his shoulder at his friend and then up to the edge of the roof just above them. "Good point... How much longer do you think?"

He didn't get a voiced answer, though, as the two of them took another glance east themselves and Natch pointed out the first glowing sliver of the sun. A minute or so later, their floor of balconies was clearly lit with sunlight, and a cheer started rising from the crowd on the ground below at the new year's first light.

Van cheered and clapped along for a moment before sighing happily and smiling over at his friend, who was already smiling back. They stared at each other for a moment before Natch leaned in to plant a kiss on Van's muzzle. It was simple, not too long but definitely not short either, leaving both of them to let out a tiny breath when they broke the kiss and looked at each other again. It lingered for a moment.

Van smiled. "You know, Natch, a New Year's kiss usually comes on the stroke of midnight."

The smirk he got in return clearly said that kiss wasn't a "New Year's kiss" before Natch simply rested his arms on the balcony ledge and looked east again, a position with Van soon mirrored.

That little moment didn't really change much for Vangelo or Nachum; they just continued with their jobs and exercising together and the occasional one-on-one meal. Come Valentine's Day, though, they admitted to their friends (and, somewhat, to themselves) they were officially a couple - a very comfortable, not-intesne-or-over-the-top couple that finally moved in together late April, right after spending their own "spring break" together back on that Florida beach.