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out_thereDan/Casey. Rough and unbeta'd. The format may be hurting it more than it helps. (This is why I'm always behind on my work… *g*)
Casey couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You didn't just say that." Casey shook his head, but Dan kept nodding.
"I did."
"You didn't. You didn't just suggest that the Six Month Dating Plan was a good idea."
"I didn't say it was a good idea. I just suddenly see the logic in it."
"There was no logic. It was an insane idea, formulated by an insane woman. It's the type of thing that only makes sense to a lunatic."
Dan blinked and frowned at him. "Casey?"
"Yeah?"
"It wasn't totally insane."
***
Earlier:
Dan pulled back slowly and said gently, "No."
Casey licked his lips, watching Dan uncertainly. "No?"
"No."
He grinned at Danny and waited for the other shoe to drop. "No?"
"As in, I'm flattered but not interested. No."
"Ah," Casey said and noted that the earth never opened up and swallowed you whole when you most wanted it to. "I thought…" He trailed off. He'd just kissed Danny; it was pretty obvious what he'd thought.
"You're a nice guy, Casey." Dan shrugged, and looked up at the ceiling as he thought. "And I won't deny there's a certain amount of attraction there, but… No."
Casey nodded. He had no idea what to say to that.
Dan leaned back, rocking on his feet, but didn't actually step away from Casey. "I wasn't kidding when I said I was taking a break from dating.'
"Okay…"
Dan smiled at him, and tilted his head to the side. "This is the type of situation where Dana's dating plan would make sense."
***
Later:
"It was totally insane! Was, is and will always be totally insane."
Dan's lips pressed together tightly. "Don't say something you're going to regret."
Biting down on his lower lip, Casey took a calming breath. "You can't honestly be suggesting…?"
Dan frowned, obviously not following the direction of Casey's thoughts. "What?"
"I went through that crap once with Dana. You can't expect me to go through it again. I won't, Dan." Casey swallowed and Dan's eyes widened in shock.
"I'm not. I wouldn't ask you to do that. I'm just saying… No. I don't want to get seriously involved with someone right now. You don't have to wait around. Go out, see people. Date girls, or date guys, and have fun." Dan shrugged. "Just don't date me."
Casey didn't know what to say.
***
Earlier:
"Monica stopped in."
"Yeah?"
"She said a friend of hers really wanted to meet you," Casey reported dutifully, holding up a scrap of paper. "Monica said to give you her number."
"Oh." Dan didn't look quite as interested as Casey had expected. "I'll call Monica later and tell her I'm not interested."
"Really?"
Dan gave Casey half a smile. "Yeah."
"Why not?" Casey asked, stepping closer.
"It's… Abby's suggestion. I'm officially not dating."
"Why?"
"It's just… an experiment. To see if I can. I've been dating and sleeping with people since I was fifteen. I haven't gone two weeks without seeing someone since I was in college."
"I know." Casey grinned. "You've never had trouble getting dates."
"Yeah, well…" Dan shrugged uncomfortably. "I want to spend a few months not trying to convince people to like me."
"I already like you," Casey said and leaned in. Dan tasted of the jelly donut he'd just finished, of coffee and sports reports and studio lights.
***
Later:
After a few moments of watching Dan, Casey still wasn't sure what to say. "But I want to date you."
Dan grinned for a moment, a happy smile that Casey hadn't seen for a while, and then he looked serious again. "That's sweet, but… I'm trying not to do the dating thing. I'm serious about this."
"I know."
Dan sighed and stepped back. "I want to spend at least three months not seeing anyone. Not chatting people up, not flirting, not taking them back to my place or going back to theirs."
"I know."
"I need to do this, Casey."
Casey nodded slowly. "But it's not a 'no', right? It's just a 'not now'."
Dan ducked his head, avoiding Casey's eyes. "It's probably better if you think of it as a no."
"Oh."
***
Much Earlier:
"I don't think giving up my sex life should be part of therapy."
Casey looked up as Dan walked through their door. "Am I supposed to understand that?"
Dan's lip curled up in a sneer. "No. I was talking to myself."
"You were complaining to yourself."
"Same difference."
"So, therapy was…?" Casey asked, wanting to know and not wanting to pry.
Dan shrugged. "Do you think a therapist can be insane?"
"I hope not," he replied and Danny snickered.
"Abby's latest suggestion is nuts. She told me just to think about it. I don't have to do it, just think about it for our next session."
Dan settled closer to him on the couch, letting his head fall back and rest on Casey's arm. Casey swallowed and tried to focus on the conversation. "Do you think you'll do it?"
Dan shot him a cryptic sideways glance. "Maybe."
***
Much Later:
Casey shrugged, and figured now was as good a time as any. "Is it still a no?"
Dan looked over at him, scowling over the top of his magazine. "What?"
Taking a deep breath, Casey walked over and sat down next to Dan. "Is your answer still no?"
"Is my answer to wha-" Dan stopped mid-sentence and just watched Casey, mouth still slightly open. "I thought you'd forgotten about that."
"I can be a very patient guy," Casey said, leaning forward on the couch.
"Yeah, but…" Dan waved vaguely.
"But?"
"That was months ago. Technically, it was last year."
"I know." Casey nodded. "And I also know you saw Jenny last night, so I'm asking if your answer is still no."
Dan looked away. "It's probably a bad idea. I'm trying to be… discriminatory about who I date. Not dating people who only like me because I'm on TV, and not people who should like me. Just… people that I like."
Casey rested a hand on Dan's knee, and the way that Dan's eye's flickered down was very telling. "So that makes the real question, do you like me?" Dan looked down and swallowed, and Casey stubbornly kept his hand on Dan's knee as he waited.
When Dan looked up, the answer was written in his smile. "Yes."
THE END
Casey couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You didn't just say that." Casey shook his head, but Dan kept nodding.
"I did."
"You didn't. You didn't just suggest that the Six Month Dating Plan was a good idea."
"I didn't say it was a good idea. I just suddenly see the logic in it."
"There was no logic. It was an insane idea, formulated by an insane woman. It's the type of thing that only makes sense to a lunatic."
Dan blinked and frowned at him. "Casey?"
"Yeah?"
"It wasn't totally insane."
***
Earlier:
Dan pulled back slowly and said gently, "No."
Casey licked his lips, watching Dan uncertainly. "No?"
"No."
He grinned at Danny and waited for the other shoe to drop. "No?"
"As in, I'm flattered but not interested. No."
"Ah," Casey said and noted that the earth never opened up and swallowed you whole when you most wanted it to. "I thought…" He trailed off. He'd just kissed Danny; it was pretty obvious what he'd thought.
"You're a nice guy, Casey." Dan shrugged, and looked up at the ceiling as he thought. "And I won't deny there's a certain amount of attraction there, but… No."
Casey nodded. He had no idea what to say to that.
Dan leaned back, rocking on his feet, but didn't actually step away from Casey. "I wasn't kidding when I said I was taking a break from dating.'
"Okay…"
Dan smiled at him, and tilted his head to the side. "This is the type of situation where Dana's dating plan would make sense."
***
Later:
"It was totally insane! Was, is and will always be totally insane."
Dan's lips pressed together tightly. "Don't say something you're going to regret."
Biting down on his lower lip, Casey took a calming breath. "You can't honestly be suggesting…?"
Dan frowned, obviously not following the direction of Casey's thoughts. "What?"
"I went through that crap once with Dana. You can't expect me to go through it again. I won't, Dan." Casey swallowed and Dan's eyes widened in shock.
"I'm not. I wouldn't ask you to do that. I'm just saying… No. I don't want to get seriously involved with someone right now. You don't have to wait around. Go out, see people. Date girls, or date guys, and have fun." Dan shrugged. "Just don't date me."
Casey didn't know what to say.
***
Earlier:
"Monica stopped in."
"Yeah?"
"She said a friend of hers really wanted to meet you," Casey reported dutifully, holding up a scrap of paper. "Monica said to give you her number."
"Oh." Dan didn't look quite as interested as Casey had expected. "I'll call Monica later and tell her I'm not interested."
"Really?"
Dan gave Casey half a smile. "Yeah."
"Why not?" Casey asked, stepping closer.
"It's… Abby's suggestion. I'm officially not dating."
"Why?"
"It's just… an experiment. To see if I can. I've been dating and sleeping with people since I was fifteen. I haven't gone two weeks without seeing someone since I was in college."
"I know." Casey grinned. "You've never had trouble getting dates."
"Yeah, well…" Dan shrugged uncomfortably. "I want to spend a few months not trying to convince people to like me."
"I already like you," Casey said and leaned in. Dan tasted of the jelly donut he'd just finished, of coffee and sports reports and studio lights.
***
Later:
After a few moments of watching Dan, Casey still wasn't sure what to say. "But I want to date you."
Dan grinned for a moment, a happy smile that Casey hadn't seen for a while, and then he looked serious again. "That's sweet, but… I'm trying not to do the dating thing. I'm serious about this."
"I know."
Dan sighed and stepped back. "I want to spend at least three months not seeing anyone. Not chatting people up, not flirting, not taking them back to my place or going back to theirs."
"I know."
"I need to do this, Casey."
Casey nodded slowly. "But it's not a 'no', right? It's just a 'not now'."
Dan ducked his head, avoiding Casey's eyes. "It's probably better if you think of it as a no."
"Oh."
***
Much Earlier:
"I don't think giving up my sex life should be part of therapy."
Casey looked up as Dan walked through their door. "Am I supposed to understand that?"
Dan's lip curled up in a sneer. "No. I was talking to myself."
"You were complaining to yourself."
"Same difference."
"So, therapy was…?" Casey asked, wanting to know and not wanting to pry.
Dan shrugged. "Do you think a therapist can be insane?"
"I hope not," he replied and Danny snickered.
"Abby's latest suggestion is nuts. She told me just to think about it. I don't have to do it, just think about it for our next session."
Dan settled closer to him on the couch, letting his head fall back and rest on Casey's arm. Casey swallowed and tried to focus on the conversation. "Do you think you'll do it?"
Dan shot him a cryptic sideways glance. "Maybe."
***
Much Later:
Casey shrugged, and figured now was as good a time as any. "Is it still a no?"
Dan looked over at him, scowling over the top of his magazine. "What?"
Taking a deep breath, Casey walked over and sat down next to Dan. "Is your answer still no?"
"Is my answer to wha-" Dan stopped mid-sentence and just watched Casey, mouth still slightly open. "I thought you'd forgotten about that."
"I can be a very patient guy," Casey said, leaning forward on the couch.
"Yeah, but…" Dan waved vaguely.
"But?"
"That was months ago. Technically, it was last year."
"I know." Casey nodded. "And I also know you saw Jenny last night, so I'm asking if your answer is still no."
Dan looked away. "It's probably a bad idea. I'm trying to be… discriminatory about who I date. Not dating people who only like me because I'm on TV, and not people who should like me. Just… people that I like."
Casey rested a hand on Dan's knee, and the way that Dan's eye's flickered down was very telling. "So that makes the real question, do you like me?" Dan looked down and swallowed, and Casey stubbornly kept his hand on Dan's knee as he waited.
When Dan looked up, the answer was written in his smile. "Yes."
THE END
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no subject
Date: 2004-03-11 12:33 am (UTC)"So why are you online, stoopid?"
"Emailed the office, okay? Oh wait, that doesn't explain why I'm in LJ ..."
- and it seemed to make perfect sense in a Mememto-type stylee to me, but that may not be a particularly valid indicator just at the moment.
Enjoyed it either way - screwed-up Danny, insecure Casey, these things are always good. If that helps at all.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-11 02:33 pm (UTC)Well, at least it made sense to people other than me. I mean, I get where the timeline all intersects, but... wasn't sure if everyone else would.
None the less, have an urge to call it "Yes, no and maybe". It's a cheesy title, but it does appeal to me.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 02:57 am (UTC)I knew I had something vaguely constructive to say, which is that this doesn't seem to be going down the 'Danny's depression is miraculously cured the instant Casey kisses him route', which I've been finding a lot of courtesy of the random story generator. Which is a Good Thing, because while it's a very sweet idea, these things really don't get cured that easily. Um, so hurrah. (Well, it started out constructive, I sort of ran out of steam.)
no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 06:59 pm (UTC)*nods* Then I shall use it. Yes, I shall.
I have trouble with titles. Sometimes they're very vague, othertimes they're only barely related to the story, and sometimes they're highly misleading. Generally, they're never memorable, even to me.
I knew I had something vaguely constructive to say, which is that this doesn't seem to be going down the 'Danny's depression is miraculously cured the instant Casey kisses him route', which I've been finding a lot of courtesy of the random story generator. Which is a Good Thing, because while it's a very sweet idea, these things really don't get cured that easily. Um, so hurrah.
Heh. Nice to know I'm not the only one who haunts the "random story" page.
I guess it's just that... I can imagine Danny being the kinda of guy who really doesn't spend a lot of time without seeing someone. He's "smooth" with women, and between getting Rebecca's number and calling her, he's dating another woman. I don't think he has any trouble getting dates. (Casey, on the other hand, I don't think dates much. I think he'd need to be fairly taken with someone to date them, whereas I think she just needs to be kinda hot for Danny to date a woman.)
Plus, that was the way the dialogue started in my head. Of Dan saying "no". Just not interested.
(Well, it started out constructive, I sort of ran out of steam.)
Hey, it's constructive! All ego massging is constructive. *g*
no subject
Date: 2004-03-11 01:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-11 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-13 02:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-13 05:42 pm (UTC)It's the lack of personal space between them. It makes me wonder what they're hands are doing, and takes my mind to a happy, smutty place.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-13 07:08 pm (UTC)I like the way your mind works. :)
no subject
Date: 2004-03-13 07:15 pm (UTC)It's just the way I am. *leers at the boys*
Danny just looks too self-satisfied to be innocent, and Casey looks like he's trying a little too hard to look believable. (Plus, imagining Dan's hand creeping up Casey's thigh just makes me a happy little fangirl... *g*)