Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Casey, I'm taking a stand," Dan declared.

Casey didn't look up from his computer. "You're taking a stand?"

"I am taking a stand."

There was silence for a moment.

"I don't think you're taking me seriously."

Casey looked up. "You're seriously taking a stand?"

"I am seriously taking a stand," Dan said with a nod.

"You are standing."

"Because I'm taking a stand."

"Okay, Danny." Casey pushed his chair back a little so he was away from his computer and paying full attention to Dan. "What are you taking a stand about?"

"I think we should get married."

Casey raised his eyebrows. "You think we should get married?"

"I do."

Casey blinked at the phrasing and chose to ignore it when Dan also realized what he'd said and gave shrug that said he hadn't meant it.

"Just to be clear," Casey said, "when you say you think we should get married, who exactly do you think we should marry?"

"Casey," Dan said patiently, "I think you and I," he did a gesture with his hands that indicated the both of them, "should get married. To each other," he clarified when Casey kept looking at him.

"You think we should marry each other," Casey said.

"I do," Dan said again.

"And you feel so strongly about it that you're taking a stand."

"I do." Maybe it went with the wedding talk.

"And why do you think we should do that?"

"Well, it's legal now," Dan said.

"You do know it's been legal in New York for," Casey paused, not sure of the exact number, "a few years?"

Dan waved that away. "It's legal in all fifty states now."

"And you think we should get married."

"Yes." At least it wasn't another I do.

"Danny," Casey said patiently, "marriage involves a number of things other than the legality as determined by the Supreme Court."

Dan nodded. "Yes, I know that."

"Cohabitation," Casey said.

"I know you hate change," Dan said.

"I don't hate change," Casey said.

"But you're going to have to move," Dan finished as if Casey hadn't spoken.

"I'm going to have to move?" Casey said. "Why don't you move?"

"You hate your condo board," Dan said. "Besides, we're both moving. Maybe closer to work."

"Partnership," Casey said.

Dan gestured at himself, at Casey, at their office.

"Personal partnership," Casey clarified. "Supporting each other."

"I was in the front row with you at Charlie's wedding," Dan said. "You came with me to my dad's funeral. You sat shiva with me."

"Sex," Casey said.

Dan nodded. "I'm very good in bed."

Jeremy, just coming through the door said, "Nope," and turned around and left.

"You're very good in bed," Casey repeated.

Dan nodded. "I am. I can give you references."

"You can give me references," Casey said. "So I'm just supposed to call up your exes and ask how you are in bed?"

"Jeremy's too scared to come in here," Lauren said, coming in the door. She was twenty-four and their new assistant producer. "I am a professional, so I am not. You're going to be late for the rundown."

They were late for the rundown.

Dana came onto set just as they finished up the show and, as soon as they were off camera, said, "What is up with you two today?"

"Dana," Casey said warmly. "You're here."

"I am here," Dana said with a nod. "I am here instead of on my way home to my husband and children after watching a successful show because this was not a successful show."

"I thought it was fine," Casey said. "What do you think, Danny?"

"It was a fine show," Dan said.

"It was fine," Dana said. "Fine is not successful. Good is successful. Great is successful. Fine is not successful. And so I repeat, what is up with you two today?"

"I asked Casey to marry me," Dan said.

"You did not," Casey said.

"I did," Dan said. "Unless you're trying to tell me I hallucinated that entire conversation before the five-o-clock rundown."

"No," Casey said. "The conversation happened. But there was no question in it."

"There was an implied question."

"An implied question is not an actual question."

"That's what's up with us," Dan said to Dana. "I asked Casey to marry me and I'm waiting for his answer."

"He did not," Casey said to Dana. "We'll be better tomorrow."

"You'd better," Dana said. "I don't want to have to come down here again."

Lisa had claimed Sunday, so on Saturdays, when Casey woke up late after a week of doing a job that meant he got home in what was technically the morning, he picked up food and took it over to Charlie's.

He put the food down after hugging Charlie and then scooped Ava out of Garnet's arms. "Hello," he said. "Did you miss me?"

"She's three months old," Garnet said. "She doesn't even know you exist."

"Of course she does," Casey said, bouncing Ava a bit. "You know Grandpa Casey exists."

Garnet didn't pause in dishing herself out a full plate of Chinese food, not even for the doorbell, leaving Charlie to go let Dan in.

Dan put the bakery box he'd brought with him in the fridge and took Ava from Casey.

"Hey," Casey protested. "I just got here."

"She likes me better," Dan said. He bounced Ava, who made some incoherent vowel sounds. "I'm the fun grandpa."

"I'm plenty fun," Casey protested.

"Grandpa Casey is going to teach you about Strunk and White," Dan said to Ava. "Grandpa Danny is going to take you sailing."

Casey made up plates for himself and Dan, and then took Ava back when they sat down on the principle that he had more experience eating while holding a baby than Dan did.

"Grandpa Danny greatly exaggerates his coolness," Casey said.

"But not your lack thereof," Dan says.

Casey didn't dignify that with a response and instead asked Charlie and Garnet about their week.

"What about you?" Charlie asked after he filled them in on their week. "Anything new?"

"I asked your dad to marry me," Dan said

"There was no asking," Casey said.

"It was an implied question."

"An implied question is not an actual question."

"Congratulations?" Charlie hazarded.

"I'm still waiting for him to answer me," Dan said.

"There was no question," Casey said. Then he registered Charlie and Garnet's lack of concern. "You wouldn't have a problem with it?"

Charlie shrugged. "Lots of our friends are bisexual. And it's legal now. Federally, I mean."

"Yes, but," Casey said, and then Ava grabbed at his shirt collar and he was distracted trying not to be choked by a three-month-old.

"Casey has some concerns," Dan said.

Charlie nodded. "About the show."

"The show?" Casey glanced up, still carefully detangling Ava from anything that could hurt him. "No. The show is fine."

"That's not your concern?" Garnet asked. She'd eaten everything on her plate and was in the process of refilling it.

"Of course not," Casey said. He got Ava resituated so he could eat without dying.

Charlie and Garnet exchanged a look. "Your parents are very strange," Garnet said.

"Still not as weird as yours," Charlie said with unmistakable warmth.

Dan had a key, so Casey wasn't particularly surprised when he got out of the shower on Sunday morning and found Dan at his kitchen table with coffee, donuts, and the Sunday Times.

"Morning." Casey poured himself a cup of coffee.

"It is indeed morning," Dan said, ostentatiously turning the page.

"It is morning," Casey said, "and you are reading a paper newspaper."

"You're very observant," Dan said.

"You don't read paper newspapers." Casey sat down across from him and helped himself to a donut. "You said it was antiquated and you're ready to join the new millennium."

Dan folded up the paper and pushed it across the table. "True. But you love reading the paper on paper."

Casey took the paper and read the above-the-fold headlines. "What are you doing Danny?"

"Partnership," Dan said. "This is how it goes. I bring you the paper because I know you like reading it."

Casey stopped looking at the paper. "Is this still about marriage?"

"Casey, Casey, Casey. It never stopped being about marriage."

Casey met Dan's eyes. "Why?"

There was a long moment where they just looked at each other, and Casey knew Dan was going to take the question seriously before he even answered. "I have never loved and will never love anyone as much as I love you."

"Danny."

Dan didn't stop meeting his eyes. "Who do you love?"

"Who do I love?"

"Who do you love?" Dan repeated.

"You," Casey said, "Charlie, Ava, Garnet, Dana, Dana's kids. Should I keep going?"

"No," Dan said. "You made my point. You said me."

"Of course I said you," Casey said.

"You said me first," Dan said.

"I'm looking at you."

"You said me before you said Charlie," Dan said.

"Danny," Casey started without knowing how to end.

"I've taken my stand," Dan said.

Casey went home after the show on Monday night, looked around his empty apartment, and turned around and left. He let himself into Danny's with his key.

"Hey, Case." Dan said. He hadn't gotten any farther than the couch where he was watching basketball on ESPN Classic.

"Danny." Casey sat next to him and watched the game with him for a few minutes. "You're very good in bed."

Dan turned away from the screen. "I am very good in bed. Would you like a demonstration?"

"In a moment," Casey said, and he had the satisfaction of seeing Danny's eyes darken and his mouth drop open. "You love me."

"I do," Danny said.

"In a romantic way," Casey clarified.

"Very much so," Dan said. "And you love me."

"I do," Casey said. He looked at Dan for a long moment. "I think I'd like that demonstration now."

He received it, twice.

"I think," Casey said after, "that I'm not going to ever romantically love anyone else more than I love you." He stroked Danny's hair. "That's not a judgmental qualifier. It's taking Charlie into account."

"Of course you're never going to love anyone more than you love Charlie," Dan said. He nuzzled into Casey's shoulder.

"Yes," Casey said after another long minute.

"Yes?" Dan asked muzzily.

"Yes," Casey said firmly. "You never asked an actual question, but yes."

Dan's face widened into a grin.

"Are you going to want a religious wedding?" Casey asked.

"Are you going to convert?"

"No."

"Then, no." Dan cupped Casey's cheek. "We could go to the courthouse. Friday? Have the weekend to celebrate?"

"If Charlie and Garnet can make it," Casey agreed. "She was right we should think about the show. We should probably announce it."

"I could tweet about it," Dan said.

"You're not allowed to use Twitter," Casey said. "I could tweet about it."

"You're really not allowed to use Twitter," Dan said.

"We do have PR people," Casey said after a moment.

"We do indeed," Dan said. "We do indeed."

"You two don't have an appointment," Steve the head of PR said when they stepped into his office on Tuesday afternoon.

"No," Casey said.

"We do not," Dan said.

They took the two chairs in front of Steve's desk.

"And you never come here of your own free will," Steve said. He closed his laptop. "Which means you've done something."

Dan and Casey exchanged a look.

"No," Dan said. "We haven't."

"It's more what we're going to do," Casey said.

"We're getting married," Dan said.

"And we can't tweet about it because we're not allowed on Twitter," Casey finished.

"To clarify," Steve said, "you're getting married."

"Yes," Dan said.

"To each other," Steve said.

"Yes," Casey said.

"And when are you planning to do this?" Steve asked.

"Friday," Dan said.

Steve put his head in his hands. "Friday," he repeated. "As in three days from now."

"Yes," Casey said. "My son will be there. He can take a picture you can use for Twitter."

Steve tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling. "You're getting married in three days and you want to announce it on Twitter."

"It doesn't have to be Twitter," Casey said, "but I've been told that Facebook isn't cool anymore."

Steve rubbed his eyes. "When exactly did you decide to do this?"

"Last night," Casey said at the same time Dan said, "last week."

Steve rubbed his eyes even harder. "Okay," he said. "Okay." He took a couple of deep breaths. "I will figure this out. Get out of my office and let me do my job."

They took a long lunch on Friday. Dana, Jeremy, and Kim went with them. Natalie met them there with plans to go back to work with them; being the executive producer for West Coast Update meant her day often started after their lunch to begin with.

Charlie, Garnet, and Ava were waiting on the steps for them, and Casey jogged up to them to get to Ava before Dan could.

"Congratulations," Garnet said as she handed Ava over.

"Thank you," Casey said. He leaned in for a hug with Charlie, who was grinning almost as much as Casey had on Charlie's wedding day.

The ceremony was short, much shorter than when Casey married Lisa or when Charlie married Garnet. They held hands, and they'd bought rings when they left the office for dinner the night before.

There were people with them, and Casey didn't see or think about any of them when he looked into Danny's eyes and said, "I do."

He definitely wasn't starting to tear up when it was Dan's turn to say, "I do."

Dana got a picture of them kissing. Charlie took one of them on the steps. Dana took another one of them on the steps with Charlie, Garnet, and Ava.

After a long lunch, they went back to work.

Dan had the first break of the show, and Casey knew from the smirk Danny gave him beforehand that he wasn't going to follow the script, and he didn't.

"I'm Dan McCall alongside Casey Rydell."

"And we've got some details to figure out about our marriage," Casey said. "We'll be right back after we do."

"What are you doing?" Lauren asked once they were out.

"I think we're doing our show," Dan said with a broad grin.

"We are," Casey said. "We are doing our show. And I am not taking Danny's last name."

"Well I'm not taking yours," Dan said. "Dan McCall just doesn't have a ring about it."

"Actually Dan does," Casey said smugly, grabbing for Dan's left hand and holding it up just in case anyone in the studio hadn't noticed it yet.

Dan snickered. "Matches yours."

"Indeed it does," Casey said. "Indeed it does."

"Twenty seconds back," Lauren said in their earpieces. "Please try to act like professionals."

"I don't know what she's talking about," Dan said. "We're very professional."

"Indeed we are," Casey said, and then the cameras were back on him and he said, "We've decided to keep our own names, which I'm sure will be a comfort to anyone who doesn't like change."

Steve was there at the next c-break, glowering at them. "I had a plan," he said.

"Hey," Dan said, "did you get the picture I sent you?"

"Did I get the picture?" Steve repeated. "Yes, Dan, yes I did get the picture you texted me. I had a plan, and I was going to post it as part of that plan."

"Which picture did you send him?" Casey asked, not having considered the matter before.

"Kissing at the altar," Dan said. "It felt more demonstrative than the steps."

"Certainly harder to misinterpret," Casey said.

"I had a plan," Steve emphasized again. "And now you're telling jokes about your names and talking about your marriage on national television."

"Thirty seconds back," Lauren said in their earpieces and their studio. "Steve, thirty seconds."

"I had a plan," Steve said. "You have ruined my plan." He followed Lauren out of the studio and into the control room.

"Do you think that's a problem?" Casey asked, watching him go.

"No," Danny says. "He should thank us. Now no one had to tweet about it."

"We are not allowed on Twitter," Casey agreed. Then they were back on the air and Casey got to do the thing he loved most with the person he loved most - in a both romantic and professional way - and it was, he decided, his favorite wedding night.