#31 - Random Sports Night Fic Post Because I Had Nowhere Better To Put It
Title: Fifteen Years
Fandom: Sports Night
Characters: Dan Rydell, Casey McCall
Rating: PG
Word Count: 815
Prompt: For the sportsbackinsn challenge: Florida repeats as national champions, becomes only school to win a basketball and a football title in the same school year.
Summary: Dan starts to think about longevity.
Disclaimer: 1) Obviously, not mine. 2) This is the first SN fic I've written in a long time. 3) I am an unabashed University of Florida Gators fan, so um. Yeah.
"Fifteen years," Dan said, tossing the newspaper down.
Sitting at his desk, Casey looked up from his computer screen and eyed his partner warily. If he couldn't figure out what Dan was talking about, sometimes he didn't want to know. "What?" he said cautiously.
"It's been fifteen years since a team repeated as national champions. Nobody's done it since Duke in '91 and '92. Not until Florida the other night." Dan seemed somehow grave about all this, his tone belying no joviality whatsoever. "And no school in the history of college sports has won the basketball and football title in the same school year. Ever."
Casey nodded slightly. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I was watching the game, too."
"I know."
"I was sitting right next to you."
"I know."
There was an uncomfortable pause in the room, as Casey just waited for Dan to drop whatever philosophical bombshell the University of Florida had somehow prompted him to unearth. This was the same man who, after living in New York for years, had suddenly decided to have a renaissance. You couldn't predict these things.
"We've been working together for fourteen years," Dan said. "So it's been longer than we've worked together."
It took Casey a moment to remember that they had, in fact, started working together in 1993, but he didn't let it show, lest he be snarked at for it. Lisa had always hated him for being horrible with dates. "It's been a real long time," he agreed. "Dan, what's your point?"
"Older than Charlie," Dan helpfully added.
"Yeah, it is. Danny, what are we even talking about?" Casey asked, spreading his hands, imploring his friend to tell him what on Earth the University of Florida's year of championships had to do with their lives. "C'mon. We've still got a show to write."
"The show'll get done. It always does," Dan protested, before he shifted in his seat and looked at Casey. "What I'm saying is, fifteen years is a long time."
"Yes, it is."
"A really long time."
"Almost a quarter of a century," Casey pointed out, for lack of anything better to say.
"Really?" Dan perked.
Casey shrugged. "Well, it's off by a decade."
Dan did the math in his head, and then nodded slightly. "It's a long time," he repeated, leaning forward and clasping his hands in his lap. "My point is...we've been working together for a long time too. And it makes you wonder, you know, where we go down in history. Sports Night's not gonna go on forever. And you think, you hope, that when people think of the great sportscaster duos of all time, they're gonna think of us. Hopefully."
Realizing what his best friend was really getting at, Casey turned in his chair, giving Danny his full attention. "Would be nice," he admitted. Like anyone who loved what they did, he wanted to be one of the best at it. "It would be pretty cool, actually."
"Because I mean, there are not that many great sportscaster duos in history."
"No, there are not."
"I mean, there's Dan and Keith...and George Grande and that guy he used to do stuff with...but as far as TV sportscasters...I don't even know who's anchoring SportsCenter these days."
"No clue."
"And we're cooler than Dan and Keith."
"Yes, yes we are." Casey couldn't help but keep the smirk off his face.
"So we'd have a pretty good chance of going down in history," Dan continued. "We could be remembered as one of the best sportscaster duos of all time. And that would be pretty cool."
"That would be very cool," Casey agreed.
There was another long pause as they looked at each other. Neither of them could really imagine doing anything important without the other one. Dan had been the best man at Casey's wedding, and he was Charlie's godfather. And when Casey had told Dan he couldn't follow him to Los Angeles if the network was sold, it had broken Dan's heart. They weren't just co-anchors. They were best friends and they were partners. If they were honest, they would want to be remembered as good sportscasters, but better friends.
"Hey, Dan?" Casey asked after a moment.
"Yeah, Casey."
"How long do you think that'd take?"
"What?"
"Going down in history."
Dan shrugged. "Probably another fifteen years," he said. "We could do the show when we're old and grey and you can't read the TelePrompTer," he quipped.
"Yeah, so what, you can fall off your chair and break a hip?" Casey commented, not wanting to think about the idea of trying to do a live sports news show after qualifying for the senior citizen discount at Macy's. "Why don't you start writing something, huh?"
Dan didn't answer him, but he was smirking behind the box scores. They would still be annoying the hell out of each other for another fifteen years.
Fandom: Sports Night
Characters: Dan Rydell, Casey McCall
Rating: PG
Word Count: 815
Prompt: For the sportsbackinsn challenge: Florida repeats as national champions, becomes only school to win a basketball and a football title in the same school year.
Summary: Dan starts to think about longevity.
Disclaimer: 1) Obviously, not mine. 2) This is the first SN fic I've written in a long time. 3) I am an unabashed University of Florida Gators fan, so um. Yeah.
"Fifteen years," Dan said, tossing the newspaper down.
Sitting at his desk, Casey looked up from his computer screen and eyed his partner warily. If he couldn't figure out what Dan was talking about, sometimes he didn't want to know. "What?" he said cautiously.
"It's been fifteen years since a team repeated as national champions. Nobody's done it since Duke in '91 and '92. Not until Florida the other night." Dan seemed somehow grave about all this, his tone belying no joviality whatsoever. "And no school in the history of college sports has won the basketball and football title in the same school year. Ever."
Casey nodded slightly. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I was watching the game, too."
"I know."
"I was sitting right next to you."
"I know."
There was an uncomfortable pause in the room, as Casey just waited for Dan to drop whatever philosophical bombshell the University of Florida had somehow prompted him to unearth. This was the same man who, after living in New York for years, had suddenly decided to have a renaissance. You couldn't predict these things.
"We've been working together for fourteen years," Dan said. "So it's been longer than we've worked together."
It took Casey a moment to remember that they had, in fact, started working together in 1993, but he didn't let it show, lest he be snarked at for it. Lisa had always hated him for being horrible with dates. "It's been a real long time," he agreed. "Dan, what's your point?"
"Older than Charlie," Dan helpfully added.
"Yeah, it is. Danny, what are we even talking about?" Casey asked, spreading his hands, imploring his friend to tell him what on Earth the University of Florida's year of championships had to do with their lives. "C'mon. We've still got a show to write."
"The show'll get done. It always does," Dan protested, before he shifted in his seat and looked at Casey. "What I'm saying is, fifteen years is a long time."
"Yes, it is."
"A really long time."
"Almost a quarter of a century," Casey pointed out, for lack of anything better to say.
"Really?" Dan perked.
Casey shrugged. "Well, it's off by a decade."
Dan did the math in his head, and then nodded slightly. "It's a long time," he repeated, leaning forward and clasping his hands in his lap. "My point is...we've been working together for a long time too. And it makes you wonder, you know, where we go down in history. Sports Night's not gonna go on forever. And you think, you hope, that when people think of the great sportscaster duos of all time, they're gonna think of us. Hopefully."
Realizing what his best friend was really getting at, Casey turned in his chair, giving Danny his full attention. "Would be nice," he admitted. Like anyone who loved what they did, he wanted to be one of the best at it. "It would be pretty cool, actually."
"Because I mean, there are not that many great sportscaster duos in history."
"No, there are not."
"I mean, there's Dan and Keith...and George Grande and that guy he used to do stuff with...but as far as TV sportscasters...I don't even know who's anchoring SportsCenter these days."
"No clue."
"And we're cooler than Dan and Keith."
"Yes, yes we are." Casey couldn't help but keep the smirk off his face.
"So we'd have a pretty good chance of going down in history," Dan continued. "We could be remembered as one of the best sportscaster duos of all time. And that would be pretty cool."
"That would be very cool," Casey agreed.
There was another long pause as they looked at each other. Neither of them could really imagine doing anything important without the other one. Dan had been the best man at Casey's wedding, and he was Charlie's godfather. And when Casey had told Dan he couldn't follow him to Los Angeles if the network was sold, it had broken Dan's heart. They weren't just co-anchors. They were best friends and they were partners. If they were honest, they would want to be remembered as good sportscasters, but better friends.
"Hey, Dan?" Casey asked after a moment.
"Yeah, Casey."
"How long do you think that'd take?"
"What?"
"Going down in history."
Dan shrugged. "Probably another fifteen years," he said. "We could do the show when we're old and grey and you can't read the TelePrompTer," he quipped.
"Yeah, so what, you can fall off your chair and break a hip?" Casey commented, not wanting to think about the idea of trying to do a live sports news show after qualifying for the senior citizen discount at Macy's. "Why don't you start writing something, huh?"
Dan didn't answer him, but he was smirking behind the box scores. They would still be annoying the hell out of each other for another fifteen years.