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more ficlets
And now the first three Sports Night requests, for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dammitcarl (Charlie), musesfool (Dana, Dan, Casey), and mosca (Dan/Casey), respectively.
Requests can still be placed here; I'm feeling comfy, and I still have two days left of my weekend.
Dan was late. He'd never been to the house before, and he still wasn't quite used to driving in Texas; he'd gotten lost somewhere in the wild outskirts of Dallas.
It was Lisa who answered the door. "Dan," she said, barely bothering to disguise the dislike in her tone.
"It's great to see you again, too, Lisa!" Dan said cheerfully. He leaned forward to kiss her cheek, and Lisa took the wine bottle from his hands and move aside to let him in.
They were standing in the entryway, Lisa still hanging up his jacket, when Charlie appeared of the end of the hall, Casey a few steps behind him.
"Dan!" Charlie shrieked, running down the hall and almost tripping once on the laces of his sneakers. He gave Dan's leg and stomach an eager hug.
"Hey, Charlie," Dan said, ruffling his hair.
"Did you come for dinner?" Charlie asked, his face serious. He was a cute kid, Dan thought, a bright one. Maybe he'd like one like that someday. Someday far away. "I already ate my dinner. I got to have jell-o for dessert because I cleaned my plate."
"Your mom and dad and I are having a celebration," Dan said easily. Over Charlie's head, Casey caught his eye and smiled wryly.
"What are you celebrating?"
"We're celebrating little boys getting to bed on time," said Lisa. Dan saw her give Casey a pointed look. Casey sighed and then scooped up Charlie up in one smooth motion, grinning.
"Say good night, sport."
"Good night!" Charlie called, and the two of them disappeared again.
Dan followed Lisa down to the living room. It was gorgeous and untouched-looking; if he hadn't known, he wouldn't have believed a four year old lived here. He was a little scared to touch anything.
"Did you get a chance to catch the first show, then?" he said, more to break the silence than anything else. "It's pretty damn exciting--"
"Oh, yes. I'm practically jumping for joy," Lisa said shortly. "Look, Dan, I have to check on the food. Why don't you just sit down?"
The couch was stiff and uncomfortable. Dan sat back as far as he could, stretching out his legs and whistled to himself while he waited for Casey. This was the best week of his life; it'd take more than one disagreeable woman to spoil his good mood.
*****
"To Sports Night," Casey said, raising his paper cup.
"To Sports Night!" Dana and Dan chimed in.
They swallowed down their drinks and placed the cups on Dana's desk. Dana picked up the bottle of liquor to pour a liberal amount back into each cup.
Dan took his cup and said, "To Quo Vadimus!"
"To Quo Vadimus," Casey and Dana repeated, not quite in sync. They pressed the cups together, without a satisfying clink noise, and drank again.
Dana filled them back up. "To Isaac!"
Casey started to say it, but Dan said, "Wait, why to Isaac?"
Dana said, "You don't think Isaac deserves a toast, Dan?
"I think Isaac is deserving of any number of toasts. I was just wondering on the rationale behind this particular toast."
"Come on, Danny," Casey said, and Dan shook his head.
"Yeah. To Isaac."
"To Isaac."
After they drank, Dana sat down heavily in her chair and rolled back and forth the length of her desk. "The whole thing has a sort of mythic quality about it, doesn't it?" she said musingly. She leaned foward, resting her forearms on the desk. "You know what they say, guys. Things always seem darkest before the dawn."
"Indeed they do," Dan said agreeably.
"You bet they do," Dana said, nodding emphatically. "They say it all the time. It's like a cold snap before spring returns. Dark, then light." She made a small gesture to demonstrate.
Casey said, "What about the cold snaps that mean winter's coming? Or famine?"
"Well, we're not talking about those cold snaps."
"Ah," said Casey. "Of course."
Dan looked around the office. "Where are Natalie and Jeremy, anyway? Shouldn't they be celebrating with us?"
"Natalie," Dana said, carefully enunciating, "is celebrating in her own private way. A private way with Jeremy."
"I take it we're not talking miniature golf?"
"No, sir."
"Well," Dan said, reaching for the bottle. "That means more for us." He poured the drinks once more. "To the show."
*****
"What happened to Kate?" said Dan. "The date didn't go well?"
Casey sighed. "Do the dates ever go well, Danny?"
Dan frowned and tapped his pencil against his thigh. He was sitting in the office, leaning back in his chair with his feets propped up on the desk. Casey was lying on the couch across the room. Most of the rest of the crew had left already; the newsroom was dark, though a few still passed through now and then.
"Hmm," Dan said.
"Hmm," Casey repeated, mocking his tone.
"I'm just surprised, Casey. I thought your personal life was really moving forward."
"My personal life can't move forward. My personal life is dead. Lifeless. Exanimate."
"I know what dead means, Casey."
"You know," Casey said thoughtfully, "to some people, the phrase 'personal life' would imply personal. As in, say, none of your business." He closed his eyes.
There was a pause.
"Well, you have to remember that those people aren't us."
"How could I forget?" said Casey.
The chair made a small creaking sound, and a few seconds later Casey felt Dan push his feet aside to sit down at the end of the couch.
"I don't think she would have been good for you anyway," Dan said judiciously. Casey opened one eye to squint at him.
"You know, I can't even remember when my life became your custody."
Dan waved this away. "You can't be trusted to handle these things yourself. We've both seen that."
Casey snorted and said, "Because you do so much better."
"It's a complementary system," Dan said, and Casey shook his head, amusd.
Dan was quiet for a moment, frowning at the walls. Casey poked him with his foot, and Dan glanced back at him. His mouth twisted into a half-smile.
"You know, when we first met, before I knew about Lisa, I thought we were just going to end up sleeping together." He let out a puff of air and clasped his hands together behind his neck. "Somewhere down the line we seem to have gotten married instead."
Casey stared at him, but Dan just looked thoughtful and tired.
"It's working out better than my last one," Casey tried, and Dan laughed.
dammitcarl (Charlie), musesfool (Dana, Dan, Casey), and mosca (Dan/Casey), respectively. Requests can still be placed here; I'm feeling comfy, and I still have two days left of my weekend.
Dan was late. He'd never been to the house before, and he still wasn't quite used to driving in Texas; he'd gotten lost somewhere in the wild outskirts of Dallas.
It was Lisa who answered the door. "Dan," she said, barely bothering to disguise the dislike in her tone.
"It's great to see you again, too, Lisa!" Dan said cheerfully. He leaned forward to kiss her cheek, and Lisa took the wine bottle from his hands and move aside to let him in.
They were standing in the entryway, Lisa still hanging up his jacket, when Charlie appeared of the end of the hall, Casey a few steps behind him.
"Dan!" Charlie shrieked, running down the hall and almost tripping once on the laces of his sneakers. He gave Dan's leg and stomach an eager hug.
"Hey, Charlie," Dan said, ruffling his hair.
"Did you come for dinner?" Charlie asked, his face serious. He was a cute kid, Dan thought, a bright one. Maybe he'd like one like that someday. Someday far away. "I already ate my dinner. I got to have jell-o for dessert because I cleaned my plate."
"Your mom and dad and I are having a celebration," Dan said easily. Over Charlie's head, Casey caught his eye and smiled wryly.
"What are you celebrating?"
"We're celebrating little boys getting to bed on time," said Lisa. Dan saw her give Casey a pointed look. Casey sighed and then scooped up Charlie up in one smooth motion, grinning.
"Say good night, sport."
"Good night!" Charlie called, and the two of them disappeared again.
Dan followed Lisa down to the living room. It was gorgeous and untouched-looking; if he hadn't known, he wouldn't have believed a four year old lived here. He was a little scared to touch anything.
"Did you get a chance to catch the first show, then?" he said, more to break the silence than anything else. "It's pretty damn exciting--"
"Oh, yes. I'm practically jumping for joy," Lisa said shortly. "Look, Dan, I have to check on the food. Why don't you just sit down?"
The couch was stiff and uncomfortable. Dan sat back as far as he could, stretching out his legs and whistled to himself while he waited for Casey. This was the best week of his life; it'd take more than one disagreeable woman to spoil his good mood.
*****
"To Sports Night," Casey said, raising his paper cup.
"To Sports Night!" Dana and Dan chimed in.
They swallowed down their drinks and placed the cups on Dana's desk. Dana picked up the bottle of liquor to pour a liberal amount back into each cup.
Dan took his cup and said, "To Quo Vadimus!"
"To Quo Vadimus," Casey and Dana repeated, not quite in sync. They pressed the cups together, without a satisfying clink noise, and drank again.
Dana filled them back up. "To Isaac!"
Casey started to say it, but Dan said, "Wait, why to Isaac?"
Dana said, "You don't think Isaac deserves a toast, Dan?
"I think Isaac is deserving of any number of toasts. I was just wondering on the rationale behind this particular toast."
"Come on, Danny," Casey said, and Dan shook his head.
"Yeah. To Isaac."
"To Isaac."
After they drank, Dana sat down heavily in her chair and rolled back and forth the length of her desk. "The whole thing has a sort of mythic quality about it, doesn't it?" she said musingly. She leaned foward, resting her forearms on the desk. "You know what they say, guys. Things always seem darkest before the dawn."
"Indeed they do," Dan said agreeably.
"You bet they do," Dana said, nodding emphatically. "They say it all the time. It's like a cold snap before spring returns. Dark, then light." She made a small gesture to demonstrate.
Casey said, "What about the cold snaps that mean winter's coming? Or famine?"
"Well, we're not talking about those cold snaps."
"Ah," said Casey. "Of course."
Dan looked around the office. "Where are Natalie and Jeremy, anyway? Shouldn't they be celebrating with us?"
"Natalie," Dana said, carefully enunciating, "is celebrating in her own private way. A private way with Jeremy."
"I take it we're not talking miniature golf?"
"No, sir."
"Well," Dan said, reaching for the bottle. "That means more for us." He poured the drinks once more. "To the show."
*****
"What happened to Kate?" said Dan. "The date didn't go well?"
Casey sighed. "Do the dates ever go well, Danny?"
Dan frowned and tapped his pencil against his thigh. He was sitting in the office, leaning back in his chair with his feets propped up on the desk. Casey was lying on the couch across the room. Most of the rest of the crew had left already; the newsroom was dark, though a few still passed through now and then.
"Hmm," Dan said.
"Hmm," Casey repeated, mocking his tone.
"I'm just surprised, Casey. I thought your personal life was really moving forward."
"My personal life can't move forward. My personal life is dead. Lifeless. Exanimate."
"I know what dead means, Casey."
"You know," Casey said thoughtfully, "to some people, the phrase 'personal life' would imply personal. As in, say, none of your business." He closed his eyes.
There was a pause.
"Well, you have to remember that those people aren't us."
"How could I forget?" said Casey.
The chair made a small creaking sound, and a few seconds later Casey felt Dan push his feet aside to sit down at the end of the couch.
"I don't think she would have been good for you anyway," Dan said judiciously. Casey opened one eye to squint at him.
"You know, I can't even remember when my life became your custody."
Dan waved this away. "You can't be trusted to handle these things yourself. We've both seen that."
Casey snorted and said, "Because you do so much better."
"It's a complementary system," Dan said, and Casey shook his head, amusd.
Dan was quiet for a moment, frowning at the walls. Casey poked him with his foot, and Dan glanced back at him. His mouth twisted into a half-smile.
"You know, when we first met, before I knew about Lisa, I thought we were just going to end up sleeping together." He let out a puff of air and clasped his hands together behind his neck. "Somewhere down the line we seem to have gotten married instead."
Casey stared at him, but Dan just looked thoughtful and tired.
"It's working out better than my last one," Casey tried, and Dan laughed.
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Casey stared at him, but Dan just looked thoughtful and tired.
"It's working out better than my last one," Casey tried, and Dan laughed.
*giggles* It's true, they are married. *loves on my boys* Write more Dan/Casey?
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But, yes. I am glad you liked, my dear!
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Ah, one description that says it all. :)
"Natalie," Dana said, carefully enunciating, "is celebrating in her own private way. A private way with Jeremy."
"I take it we're not talking miniature golf?"
"No, sir."
*dies laughing*
"Somewhere down the line we seem to have gotten married instead."
Awwwww!
So so married. *hugs the boys*
These are great!
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I'm still thinking over yours, but I'm feeling somewhat stuck, so it may be a little bit more. Maybe I need to rewatch some of the Rebecca stuff? Hmm.
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#1 shows an interesting little slice of what Casey and Lisa's marriage must have like, and it feels very real.
#2 is delightful. I love seeing the SN guys'n'gals celebrating. *g*
#3? Best ending dialogue ever. Seriously, I love the hell out of those last three paragraphs!
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