SPORTS NIGHT: A Question of Significance
Title: A Question of Significance
Characters/Pairing: Dan/Casey, a little Dana/Calvin Trager
Word Count: 962
Rating: PG
Summary: Two kisses over the space of five years.
Notes: Written for sn_playbook's hourglass challenge and two itsproductivity prompts.
Disclaimer: I am not Aaron Sorkin, I do not own Sports Night or any of its characters.
It seemed insignificant at the time.
They were all just excited that the show wasn't going to be canceled, that CSC had been bought by someone who wanted the show. The studio and control room were filled with offers to buy each other drinks after the show (or calmly accepting offers of drinks, in Kim's case). The show was safe. They were all safe. Casey felt like he'd have to repeat that to himself a few more times before he really believed it.
Nevertheless, as he and Dan walked to their office, he commented, "I told you not to worry."
Dan glanced over at him and snorted a little. "You never said that."
"I didn't?" Casey frowned.
"No. As a matter of fact, you were kind of quietly panicking."
"Oh. Well, can we just pretend I told you not to worry? It sounds like something I'd say."
Dan pushed open the door and held it open for Casey. "You mean unfounded and completely without logic? Yeah, sure."
Casey shrugged and let it go, pulling off his jacket and tossing it onto the couch. He took off his tie, tossed it alongside the jacket, and glanced over to Dan as he did the same. "Hey, Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're not going to California."
Dan watched him silently for a second, then grinned. "Me too."
It wasn't strange, or all that important. They were both relieved, Dan got kooky when he had adrenaline in his system... he'd have kissed Isaac if he happened to be right there. But Casey was right there, so he was the one Dan reached out to. He was the one Dan grabbed by the arm, pulled him in and kissed him full on the lips. And then he let go of him, like nothing had happened, still grinning.
"So. Anthony's tonight?"
"Yeah." Casey knew he should say something more, but it took him a minute to think of something. "I think we owe just about everyone in the studio a drink tonight. Several of them more than one."
"Sounds good."
It seemed insignificant. It was insignificant. Just one of those things that happened on days like this, when everyone's spirits were high. One of those things that happened, and would be forgotten before the end of the night. "Let's go, then."
*
"She couldn't have scheduled this on a weekend, could she?" Casey asked, sprawled on the couch as he watched Dan across the room, putting on his shoes. It wasn't as if it was a particularly riveting sight, but there wasn't much else to watch.
"No, because Dana's getting married and therefore everything else must be insignificant," Dan answered without looking up.
"Yeah, but we're doing a show tonight. She does realize that, right? And why couldn't Calvin talk sense into her?"
"Do you want to question Dana's logic?"
"I really don't."
"Then let it go."
"I let it go a while ago. I just don't think Dana's going to let it go if the show sucks tonight."
"Worst comes to worst, I say we blame Natalie," Dan said, finally straightening and looking over at Casey. "That always works." He frowned at Casey for a minute, just long enough to make Casey worry there was something horribly wrong with his hair or something, and then announced, "Your bow tie is crooked. C'mere."
Casey reached up to straighten the tie, staying exactly where he was. "I can straighten it myself."
"No, you just made it worse." Dan beckoned with one hand. "Come over here and let me fix it. Don't make me call Kim."
Casey considered the options, and decided Dan fixing his tie was safer than Kim attempting to do the same. Kim always managed to find a way to injure him.
"Fine," he sighed, rolling reluctantly off the couch. "Just don't stab me with anything, alright?"
"Why would I stab you?" Dan asked as he grabbed Casey's tie and started to straighten it.
"I don't know, Kim always does."
"I'm pretty sure that's not necessary to tie-straightening. She probably just does it because it's the only chance she gets to physically harm you without repercussions," Dan said, his eyes fixed on Casey's chest and a very focused frown on his face.
"Why would she want to stab me?"
"I dunno, call it misplaced rage."
"Kim has misplaced rage?"
"No, but we're gonna call it that."
"Why?"
"Because it's easier than convincing you you're an ass and people might have perfectly good reasons to stab you."
"Are you just about done straightening my tie?"
Dan's eyes had drifted from Casey's chest to his face, and snapped back down the instant Casey said it. "Uh. Yeah, I guess so." He gave the tie one last tug, but didn't step back.
"Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"It's not going to move if you let go of it or anything. The tie's fine."
"Yeah."
"Dan-"
Dan tightened his grip on the collar of Casey's shirt and tugged him forward to kiss him. Casey remembers the first kiss, five years ago, how it seemed to hardly matter at the time. This was not that kiss. This was warm and fierce and maybe a little angry - Casey's mind flickered back to the idea of misplaced rage, and to the thought that their office had glass walls and everyone could see them if they just glanced over here, before discarding it in face of the fact that Dan was kissing him, not just a quick kiss but real and...
Dan pulled back and gave Casey an admonishing look. "You know you're an idiot, right?"
"Yes."
"And an asshole?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Dan kissed him again, and somehow Dana's wedding and the possibility of the show sucking tonight and the idea that anyone could see them and everything else became suddenly very, very insignificant compared to this.
Characters/Pairing: Dan/Casey, a little Dana/Calvin Trager
Word Count: 962
Rating: PG
Summary: Two kisses over the space of five years.
Notes: Written for sn_playbook's hourglass challenge and two itsproductivity prompts.
Disclaimer: I am not Aaron Sorkin, I do not own Sports Night or any of its characters.
It seemed insignificant at the time.
They were all just excited that the show wasn't going to be canceled, that CSC had been bought by someone who wanted the show. The studio and control room were filled with offers to buy each other drinks after the show (or calmly accepting offers of drinks, in Kim's case). The show was safe. They were all safe. Casey felt like he'd have to repeat that to himself a few more times before he really believed it.
Nevertheless, as he and Dan walked to their office, he commented, "I told you not to worry."
Dan glanced over at him and snorted a little. "You never said that."
"I didn't?" Casey frowned.
"No. As a matter of fact, you were kind of quietly panicking."
"Oh. Well, can we just pretend I told you not to worry? It sounds like something I'd say."
Dan pushed open the door and held it open for Casey. "You mean unfounded and completely without logic? Yeah, sure."
Casey shrugged and let it go, pulling off his jacket and tossing it onto the couch. He took off his tie, tossed it alongside the jacket, and glanced over to Dan as he did the same. "Hey, Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're not going to California."
Dan watched him silently for a second, then grinned. "Me too."
It wasn't strange, or all that important. They were both relieved, Dan got kooky when he had adrenaline in his system... he'd have kissed Isaac if he happened to be right there. But Casey was right there, so he was the one Dan reached out to. He was the one Dan grabbed by the arm, pulled him in and kissed him full on the lips. And then he let go of him, like nothing had happened, still grinning.
"So. Anthony's tonight?"
"Yeah." Casey knew he should say something more, but it took him a minute to think of something. "I think we owe just about everyone in the studio a drink tonight. Several of them more than one."
"Sounds good."
It seemed insignificant. It was insignificant. Just one of those things that happened on days like this, when everyone's spirits were high. One of those things that happened, and would be forgotten before the end of the night. "Let's go, then."
*
"She couldn't have scheduled this on a weekend, could she?" Casey asked, sprawled on the couch as he watched Dan across the room, putting on his shoes. It wasn't as if it was a particularly riveting sight, but there wasn't much else to watch.
"No, because Dana's getting married and therefore everything else must be insignificant," Dan answered without looking up.
"Yeah, but we're doing a show tonight. She does realize that, right? And why couldn't Calvin talk sense into her?"
"Do you want to question Dana's logic?"
"I really don't."
"Then let it go."
"I let it go a while ago. I just don't think Dana's going to let it go if the show sucks tonight."
"Worst comes to worst, I say we blame Natalie," Dan said, finally straightening and looking over at Casey. "That always works." He frowned at Casey for a minute, just long enough to make Casey worry there was something horribly wrong with his hair or something, and then announced, "Your bow tie is crooked. C'mere."
Casey reached up to straighten the tie, staying exactly where he was. "I can straighten it myself."
"No, you just made it worse." Dan beckoned with one hand. "Come over here and let me fix it. Don't make me call Kim."
Casey considered the options, and decided Dan fixing his tie was safer than Kim attempting to do the same. Kim always managed to find a way to injure him.
"Fine," he sighed, rolling reluctantly off the couch. "Just don't stab me with anything, alright?"
"Why would I stab you?" Dan asked as he grabbed Casey's tie and started to straighten it.
"I don't know, Kim always does."
"I'm pretty sure that's not necessary to tie-straightening. She probably just does it because it's the only chance she gets to physically harm you without repercussions," Dan said, his eyes fixed on Casey's chest and a very focused frown on his face.
"Why would she want to stab me?"
"I dunno, call it misplaced rage."
"Kim has misplaced rage?"
"No, but we're gonna call it that."
"Why?"
"Because it's easier than convincing you you're an ass and people might have perfectly good reasons to stab you."
"Are you just about done straightening my tie?"
Dan's eyes had drifted from Casey's chest to his face, and snapped back down the instant Casey said it. "Uh. Yeah, I guess so." He gave the tie one last tug, but didn't step back.
"Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"It's not going to move if you let go of it or anything. The tie's fine."
"Yeah."
"Dan-"
Dan tightened his grip on the collar of Casey's shirt and tugged him forward to kiss him. Casey remembers the first kiss, five years ago, how it seemed to hardly matter at the time. This was not that kiss. This was warm and fierce and maybe a little angry - Casey's mind flickered back to the idea of misplaced rage, and to the thought that their office had glass walls and everyone could see them if they just glanced over here, before discarding it in face of the fact that Dan was kissing him, not just a quick kiss but real and...
Dan pulled back and gave Casey an admonishing look. "You know you're an idiot, right?"
"Yes."
"And an asshole?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Dan kissed him again, and somehow Dana's wedding and the possibility of the show sucking tonight and the idea that anyone could see them and everything else became suddenly very, very insignificant compared to this.