If at First (or Second or Third) by quiesce, Dan/Casey, rated: G
Title: If at First (or Second or Third)
Author: quiesce
Author's website: fic index post
Pairing: Dan/Casey
Rating: G
Category: ficlet, slash
Notes: Written for the "Dan/Casey, persevere" prompt for rat_jam. ( excerpt cross-post)
Dan said no.
"It's not that I don't want to," he explained. "Believe me: I want to."
"Then what's--"
"I've been down this road before and I know where it goes and I can't go through that again, Casey. Not with you."
Casey nodded and watched Dan fidget with the cuff of his sleeve. He tried again. "It'll be different. I'll be different."
"No, you won't." Dan smiled and patted Casey on the knee to take the sting out of his words. Then he got up and left.
***
"All I'm saying is--"
"Stop."
"What?"
"I'm not changing my mind, Casey." Dan signalled Jack for another drink.
"I was talking about basketball."
"You were going to use a longwinded history about the rule changes in basketball as a means to argue that things can change for the better and then turn that into an excuse to ask me out again."
"Maybe," Casey allowed.
"I said no last week. I said no the week before that. I'm saying no tonight. Can we just take it as given that I will continue to say no and skip to the part where you let it be?"
"No."
"Casey."
"I'll drop it for tonight though."
"Thank you."
"I still think reducing the time restriction from ten to eight seconds was a good example."
"It was."
***
"60 seconds live."
Casey cleared his throat and bent his head to speak directly into the mic. "I have an announcement I'd like to make."
Dan's pre-show high was replaced with apprehension. Announcements were never a good thing.
"I want everyone to know that I am pursuing Dan--"
"Oh, God."
"--to a romantic and sexual end."
Dan dropped his forehead to his hand and repeated himself. "Oh, God."
Nothing but silence filled the studio and control room for several long seconds -- a rare event so close to going on air.
"30 seconds live."
"I just wanted everyone to know because I have nothing to hide and I'm not ashamed or embarrassed. And while I think that it'd probably be best for our careers, and therefore your careers, if this didn't go beyond the floor, I wanted to be completely out in the open about this because it's not some dirty little secret."
Casey turned to Dan to flash him his best "aren't you proud of me?" grin. Dan's head stayed down with his eyes focusing intently on the desk in front of him.
"In 3, 2..."
Dan's head shot up and he faced the camera, only his still-red face belied his air of professional calm.
"Good evening. From New York City, I'm Dan Rydell alongside Casey McCall."
***
A bouquet of flowers lay on the desk.
Dan stepped back out to the newsroom to see if Casey was lurking around a corner watching him, but Dan couldn't see him. He returned to their office, took off his coat and hung it up. He eyed the flowers suspiciously.
With a sigh, he picked up the card and read just enough to confirm it was addressed to him. It was. He grabbed the flowers, walked over to Kim's desk and got down on one knee, holding the bouquet out to her.
"What?"
"Can't a guy get flowers for his favourite secretary?"
"Bite me." She glared at him, then smiled and gladly took the bouquet.
Dan stuck the card in the desk drawer.
***
Casey grabbed a can from the bar fridge as Dan loosened his tie and flopped on the couch.
"Can I come over tonight?"
"Sure," Dan nodded.
"Pizza?"
"Yeah."
"Mock West Coast?"
"Of course."
"Fool around a little bit?"
"No."
"Pepperoni?"
"Yes."
***
Casey called as soon as the noon rundown broke.
"You're sick?"
Dan groaned in response.
"It's pretty slow here at the moment; I've got time to come over. I can pick up soup or something on the way."
"You won't try to take advantage of my weakened state to talk me into anything, will you?"
It was a joke, Casey knew, but his answer was serious and subdued. "I want in for the long haul, Danny. I think we can make a real go of it -- I know we can -- but only if it's what you want too."
"Ok, soup," Dan replied after a pause. "Anything but chicken noodle."
***
They took turns tossing the ball to Charlie in the park.
"This is good."
Dan lobbed the ball in a slow underhand. "He's a great kid."
"I mean this. Us."
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Not yes yes."
"So, no?"
"Not no no."
Casey turned to Dan thoroughly confused and almost missed the ball coming towards his head. He reacted in time and threw the ball back. "I have no idea what you're saying."
"I'm saying I'm thinking about it."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"But not yes yes."
"Exactly," Dan nodded.
They spent the rest of the afternoon wearing matching smiles.
***
Casey pounded a fist into the keyboard.
"Trouble?" Dan looked up from his script.
"This Hurricanes-Devils bit is mocking me."
"I could take it." Dan offered.
"Then it'd just be a different bit mocking me. And that'd be in addition to the network notes, which are also currently mocking me. Since when do I overuse alliteration?"
"Ok."
Casey stopped short. "Um, even if that wasn't a rhetorical question, I'm fairly certain it wasn't a yes/no answer question."
"I was answering a different question."
Casey frowned in thought. "Did I ask another question?"
"With disturbing regularity over the past several months."
"Oh. Oh. Ok?"
"Yes."
Casey gulped. "Ok."
They stayed frozen in place, grinning at each other.
Natalie rushed in asking if they knew the final score from the Dallas game. She trailed off when she realized neither was paying attention to her.
"What's going on?" She looked back and forth between them. Then she noted their expressions. "Omigod, Dan said yes?"
"Yes," they both replied.
"Ok, the talking in unison thing is a bit too cute. It doesn't work for you guys."
They broke eye contact and stared at Natalie. "Ok, ok, I'm leaving. I'll ask someone else about the game."
Natalie squealed her way through the newsroom and many eyes wandered over to their office.
"Danny?"
"Yes?"
"You just had to say yes when we're at work and have several more hours to go before we can have a moment to ourselves?"
"Yes."
Author: quiesce
Author's website: fic index post
Pairing: Dan/Casey
Rating: G
Category: ficlet, slash
Notes: Written for the "Dan/Casey, persevere" prompt for rat_jam. ( excerpt cross-post)
Dan said no.
"It's not that I don't want to," he explained. "Believe me: I want to."
"Then what's--"
"I've been down this road before and I know where it goes and I can't go through that again, Casey. Not with you."
Casey nodded and watched Dan fidget with the cuff of his sleeve. He tried again. "It'll be different. I'll be different."
"No, you won't." Dan smiled and patted Casey on the knee to take the sting out of his words. Then he got up and left.
***
"All I'm saying is--"
"Stop."
"What?"
"I'm not changing my mind, Casey." Dan signalled Jack for another drink.
"I was talking about basketball."
"You were going to use a longwinded history about the rule changes in basketball as a means to argue that things can change for the better and then turn that into an excuse to ask me out again."
"Maybe," Casey allowed.
"I said no last week. I said no the week before that. I'm saying no tonight. Can we just take it as given that I will continue to say no and skip to the part where you let it be?"
"No."
"Casey."
"I'll drop it for tonight though."
"Thank you."
"I still think reducing the time restriction from ten to eight seconds was a good example."
"It was."
***
"60 seconds live."
Casey cleared his throat and bent his head to speak directly into the mic. "I have an announcement I'd like to make."
Dan's pre-show high was replaced with apprehension. Announcements were never a good thing.
"I want everyone to know that I am pursuing Dan--"
"Oh, God."
"--to a romantic and sexual end."
Dan dropped his forehead to his hand and repeated himself. "Oh, God."
Nothing but silence filled the studio and control room for several long seconds -- a rare event so close to going on air.
"30 seconds live."
"I just wanted everyone to know because I have nothing to hide and I'm not ashamed or embarrassed. And while I think that it'd probably be best for our careers, and therefore your careers, if this didn't go beyond the floor, I wanted to be completely out in the open about this because it's not some dirty little secret."
Casey turned to Dan to flash him his best "aren't you proud of me?" grin. Dan's head stayed down with his eyes focusing intently on the desk in front of him.
"In 3, 2..."
Dan's head shot up and he faced the camera, only his still-red face belied his air of professional calm.
"Good evening. From New York City, I'm Dan Rydell alongside Casey McCall."
***
A bouquet of flowers lay on the desk.
Dan stepped back out to the newsroom to see if Casey was lurking around a corner watching him, but Dan couldn't see him. He returned to their office, took off his coat and hung it up. He eyed the flowers suspiciously.
With a sigh, he picked up the card and read just enough to confirm it was addressed to him. It was. He grabbed the flowers, walked over to Kim's desk and got down on one knee, holding the bouquet out to her.
"What?"
"Can't a guy get flowers for his favourite secretary?"
"Bite me." She glared at him, then smiled and gladly took the bouquet.
Dan stuck the card in the desk drawer.
***
Casey grabbed a can from the bar fridge as Dan loosened his tie and flopped on the couch.
"Can I come over tonight?"
"Sure," Dan nodded.
"Pizza?"
"Yeah."
"Mock West Coast?"
"Of course."
"Fool around a little bit?"
"No."
"Pepperoni?"
"Yes."
***
Casey called as soon as the noon rundown broke.
"You're sick?"
Dan groaned in response.
"It's pretty slow here at the moment; I've got time to come over. I can pick up soup or something on the way."
"You won't try to take advantage of my weakened state to talk me into anything, will you?"
It was a joke, Casey knew, but his answer was serious and subdued. "I want in for the long haul, Danny. I think we can make a real go of it -- I know we can -- but only if it's what you want too."
"Ok, soup," Dan replied after a pause. "Anything but chicken noodle."
***
They took turns tossing the ball to Charlie in the park.
"This is good."
Dan lobbed the ball in a slow underhand. "He's a great kid."
"I mean this. Us."
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Not yes yes."
"So, no?"
"Not no no."
Casey turned to Dan thoroughly confused and almost missed the ball coming towards his head. He reacted in time and threw the ball back. "I have no idea what you're saying."
"I'm saying I'm thinking about it."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"But not yes yes."
"Exactly," Dan nodded.
They spent the rest of the afternoon wearing matching smiles.
***
Casey pounded a fist into the keyboard.
"Trouble?" Dan looked up from his script.
"This Hurricanes-Devils bit is mocking me."
"I could take it." Dan offered.
"Then it'd just be a different bit mocking me. And that'd be in addition to the network notes, which are also currently mocking me. Since when do I overuse alliteration?"
"Ok."
Casey stopped short. "Um, even if that wasn't a rhetorical question, I'm fairly certain it wasn't a yes/no answer question."
"I was answering a different question."
Casey frowned in thought. "Did I ask another question?"
"With disturbing regularity over the past several months."
"Oh. Oh. Ok?"
"Yes."
Casey gulped. "Ok."
They stayed frozen in place, grinning at each other.
Natalie rushed in asking if they knew the final score from the Dallas game. She trailed off when she realized neither was paying attention to her.
"What's going on?" She looked back and forth between them. Then she noted their expressions. "Omigod, Dan said yes?"
"Yes," they both replied.
"Ok, the talking in unison thing is a bit too cute. It doesn't work for you guys."
They broke eye contact and stared at Natalie. "Ok, ok, I'm leaving. I'll ask someone else about the game."
Natalie squealed her way through the newsroom and many eyes wandered over to their office.
"Danny?"
"Yes?"
"You just had to say yes when we're at work and have several more hours to go before we can have a moment to ourselves?"
"Yes."