Fic: Advent Calendar (December 24): Midnight Mass
Title: Advent Calendar (December 24): Midnight Mass
Author: stellaluna_
Fandom: CSI:NY
Rating: PG for language
Summary: It's a Christmas Eve tradition. Danny/Mac
Disclaimer: None of these are mine. Characters are the property of Anthony Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, CBS, and Alliance Atlantis.
Notes: This is my attempt at a fic version of an Advent calendar. There will be 25 of these.
Danny walks out of the warm church into a cold, cloudy December night, and he breathes deeply for a moment, letting the sharp air fill his lungs as he stares up at the night sky and the haze around the moon. Mac catches up to him at the bottom of the steps.
"Ready?" he asks.
Danny refrains from the "I was born ready" rejoinder that springs to his lips almost automatically, mostly because he think that's probably getting old, but also, a little bit, because it occurs to him that a comment like that would be tacky right after Mass. "Ready if you are," he says. "'Less you want to go hang with the church crowd."
Mac shakes his head, not looking at the people who are standing and talking on the steps or hugging on the walk in front of the building. "I'm good," he says.
They start to walk, and Danny tugs his coat collar up around his chin. "Remind me again why we didn't take a car?" he asks.
"Danny, it's all of three blocks from my place," Mac says.
"But it's late. And it's cold," Danny says. "We should've taken a car."
"What is it I've heard you call Adam when he starts complaining about the cold?" Mac says. "I believe the word 'cupcake' was involved."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't you start with me," Danny says, but he can't help laughing. "There's a big difference between winter weather in the middle of the afternoon with the sun shining and how it feels at oh-my-God o'clock in the middle of the night."
"Sure," Mac says. "You tell yourself that."
"Sarcasm is not a virtue, Mac, has anyone ever told you that?" Danny says. "You still got time to get on the naughty list this year, you know. Which reminds me..." They're standing at the corner now, waiting for the light to change, and he glances at his watch. "It's Christmas morning."
"It's been Christmas morning since Mass started," Mac says. "Which was almost two hours ago."
"I know," Danny says, "but it didn't really feel like it when we were sitting in church. 'Specially because it was still Christmas Eve when we got there. You know?"
Mac nods as they start to walk again. "I suppose you have a point."
"Anyway," Danny says, "merry Christmas. That's what I was going to say."
"Merry Christmas, Danny." Mac shoves his hands deeper into his coat pockets, and Danny can see, out of the corner of his eye, that he's watching his feet as they walk. "Thanks for coming to Mass with me."
"Any time," Danny says. "Happy to do it. Thanks for asking me. You know, I think that was maybe the second time in my life I've ever been to Midnight Mass."
"Really?" Mac sounds surprised.
"Yeah. My family was never into it when I was a kid. The only other time I went was sometime around when I was still playing baseball, I think. That was...shit, that was more years ago than I really want to admit."
"We went all the time when I was growing up," Mac says. "I skipped a few years when I was in the Corps, but there was usually a group of guys who would want to attend if we were stationed somewhere we could manage it."
"And you've gone every year since?" Danny asks.
"I stopped for awhile after Claire died," he says, "but I started up again a few years ago. It feels...I feel good during Midnight Mass. I feel peaceful."
"Yeah, I hear you," Danny says. He knows, now, that most of the time it's okay when Mac talks about Claire, that they can say her name and it doesn't have to be a big tragedy or an uncomfortable moment. They can say her name like there's some peace there, too, and Danny thinks that's a good thing. "God knows we Catholics are good at the pageantry all year long, but we really know how to bust a move when it comes to Christmas."
Mac gives him a look. "'Bust a move'?" he says.
"Yeah, what?"
"Nothing."
"What?"
"Nothing," Mac says again, and he goes up the front steps of his building, fishing for his key. Danny follows him, grinning.
The apartment is nice and warm after the cold street, and Danny stands over the radiator for a few minutes, rubbing his hands together to let some feeling back into them, while Mac goes around locking up and putting things away.
"What time do you have to be at your parents' house?" Mac asks a little while later, as they're both getting dressed for bed. "I'll set the alarm."
"Around ten o'clock next year?" Danny says.
"Danny."
"Okay, okay. I don't know. Sometime in between present-opening and the ritual bloodshed. Maybe around eleven?" He pulls a sweatshirt over his head.
"I'll set it for nine," Mac says. "Give you time to get out there."
"Great," Danny says, secretly hoping that Mac will forget to set it, even though he knows there's not a chance of this. "You sure you're gonna be okay by yourself tomorrow? You won't get bored?"
"I won't get bored," Mac says. He turns down the blankets, and Danny climbs into bed next to him after setting his glasses on the nightstand.
"And you won't do something stupid like go into work?" he asks.
"I won't," Mac says. "I'll go catch a movie or something. Maybe two."
"Okay," Danny says. He rolls over on his side so he and Mac are facing each other, and puts a hand on his arm. "I'll call you when I'm on my way back, yeah? Maybe we could order Thai or pho or something."
Mac nods. "We could do that."
"You sure you'll be okay?" Danny doesn't like to belabor the point, and he knows that Mac made the choice not to go to Chicago, but he can't help worrying. He can't help feeling bad when he thinks about Mac spending the day by himself.
"Danny, I'll be fine," Mac says. "Really."
"All right." Danny moves closer, rubbing Mac's arm in a slow circle. "If you get stir-crazy, you can always call Hawkes. Maybe catch a movie with him."
Mac smiles. "That's a thought. And we'll order in something once you get back. Pho sounds good."
"Sounds good to me, too," Danny says. "Good night."
"Good night, Danny." Mac pulls him close and kisses him, and Danny kisses him back, then reaches over and turns out the light.
"Danny?" Mac says after a minute, into the darkness. "Merry Christmas."
Danny smiles. "Merry Christmas, Mac," he says.
Mac curls against his back and slides an arm around his waist. Danny lies awake until he hears Mac's breathing turn steady and deep, and then he goes to sleep, too.
Feedback is always appreciated.
Author: stellaluna_
Fandom: CSI:NY
Rating: PG for language
Summary: It's a Christmas Eve tradition. Danny/Mac
Disclaimer: None of these are mine. Characters are the property of Anthony Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, CBS, and Alliance Atlantis.
Notes: This is my attempt at a fic version of an Advent calendar. There will be 25 of these.
Danny walks out of the warm church into a cold, cloudy December night, and he breathes deeply for a moment, letting the sharp air fill his lungs as he stares up at the night sky and the haze around the moon. Mac catches up to him at the bottom of the steps.
"Ready?" he asks.
Danny refrains from the "I was born ready" rejoinder that springs to his lips almost automatically, mostly because he think that's probably getting old, but also, a little bit, because it occurs to him that a comment like that would be tacky right after Mass. "Ready if you are," he says. "'Less you want to go hang with the church crowd."
Mac shakes his head, not looking at the people who are standing and talking on the steps or hugging on the walk in front of the building. "I'm good," he says.
They start to walk, and Danny tugs his coat collar up around his chin. "Remind me again why we didn't take a car?" he asks.
"Danny, it's all of three blocks from my place," Mac says.
"But it's late. And it's cold," Danny says. "We should've taken a car."
"What is it I've heard you call Adam when he starts complaining about the cold?" Mac says. "I believe the word 'cupcake' was involved."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't you start with me," Danny says, but he can't help laughing. "There's a big difference between winter weather in the middle of the afternoon with the sun shining and how it feels at oh-my-God o'clock in the middle of the night."
"Sure," Mac says. "You tell yourself that."
"Sarcasm is not a virtue, Mac, has anyone ever told you that?" Danny says. "You still got time to get on the naughty list this year, you know. Which reminds me..." They're standing at the corner now, waiting for the light to change, and he glances at his watch. "It's Christmas morning."
"It's been Christmas morning since Mass started," Mac says. "Which was almost two hours ago."
"I know," Danny says, "but it didn't really feel like it when we were sitting in church. 'Specially because it was still Christmas Eve when we got there. You know?"
Mac nods as they start to walk again. "I suppose you have a point."
"Anyway," Danny says, "merry Christmas. That's what I was going to say."
"Merry Christmas, Danny." Mac shoves his hands deeper into his coat pockets, and Danny can see, out of the corner of his eye, that he's watching his feet as they walk. "Thanks for coming to Mass with me."
"Any time," Danny says. "Happy to do it. Thanks for asking me. You know, I think that was maybe the second time in my life I've ever been to Midnight Mass."
"Really?" Mac sounds surprised.
"Yeah. My family was never into it when I was a kid. The only other time I went was sometime around when I was still playing baseball, I think. That was...shit, that was more years ago than I really want to admit."
"We went all the time when I was growing up," Mac says. "I skipped a few years when I was in the Corps, but there was usually a group of guys who would want to attend if we were stationed somewhere we could manage it."
"And you've gone every year since?" Danny asks.
"I stopped for awhile after Claire died," he says, "but I started up again a few years ago. It feels...I feel good during Midnight Mass. I feel peaceful."
"Yeah, I hear you," Danny says. He knows, now, that most of the time it's okay when Mac talks about Claire, that they can say her name and it doesn't have to be a big tragedy or an uncomfortable moment. They can say her name like there's some peace there, too, and Danny thinks that's a good thing. "God knows we Catholics are good at the pageantry all year long, but we really know how to bust a move when it comes to Christmas."
Mac gives him a look. "'Bust a move'?" he says.
"Yeah, what?"
"Nothing."
"What?"
"Nothing," Mac says again, and he goes up the front steps of his building, fishing for his key. Danny follows him, grinning.
The apartment is nice and warm after the cold street, and Danny stands over the radiator for a few minutes, rubbing his hands together to let some feeling back into them, while Mac goes around locking up and putting things away.
"What time do you have to be at your parents' house?" Mac asks a little while later, as they're both getting dressed for bed. "I'll set the alarm."
"Around ten o'clock next year?" Danny says.
"Danny."
"Okay, okay. I don't know. Sometime in between present-opening and the ritual bloodshed. Maybe around eleven?" He pulls a sweatshirt over his head.
"I'll set it for nine," Mac says. "Give you time to get out there."
"Great," Danny says, secretly hoping that Mac will forget to set it, even though he knows there's not a chance of this. "You sure you're gonna be okay by yourself tomorrow? You won't get bored?"
"I won't get bored," Mac says. He turns down the blankets, and Danny climbs into bed next to him after setting his glasses on the nightstand.
"And you won't do something stupid like go into work?" he asks.
"I won't," Mac says. "I'll go catch a movie or something. Maybe two."
"Okay," Danny says. He rolls over on his side so he and Mac are facing each other, and puts a hand on his arm. "I'll call you when I'm on my way back, yeah? Maybe we could order Thai or pho or something."
Mac nods. "We could do that."
"You sure you'll be okay?" Danny doesn't like to belabor the point, and he knows that Mac made the choice not to go to Chicago, but he can't help worrying. He can't help feeling bad when he thinks about Mac spending the day by himself.
"Danny, I'll be fine," Mac says. "Really."
"All right." Danny moves closer, rubbing Mac's arm in a slow circle. "If you get stir-crazy, you can always call Hawkes. Maybe catch a movie with him."
Mac smiles. "That's a thought. And we'll order in something once you get back. Pho sounds good."
"Sounds good to me, too," Danny says. "Good night."
"Good night, Danny." Mac pulls him close and kisses him, and Danny kisses him back, then reaches over and turns out the light.
"Danny?" Mac says after a minute, into the darkness. "Merry Christmas."
Danny smiles. "Merry Christmas, Mac," he says.
Mac curls against his back and slides an arm around his waist. Danny lies awake until he hears Mac's breathing turn steady and deep, and then he goes to sleep, too.
Feedback is always appreciated.