They Say What They Say

Title: Said and Done
Summary: Dan and Casey have bad sex, but it's okay.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I make no claim on anything associated with Sports Night except my own silly obsession.
Note: The following is unashamedly sappy. You have been warned. A big thanks to Todd for the fast and efficient beta.




When all was said and done, it wasn't the most terrible experience either of them had had. Awkward, yes. Uncomfortable, certainly. And fortunately everyone came. Only it wasn't the 'Ohmygodyou'refantastic' sort of orgasm. Rather it was more along the lines of 'Thank God that's over' kind of (anti) climax.

Afterward, they lay side by side in Dan's bed, the sweat cooling on their skin and the bitter tang of disappointment hanging in the air. Dan looked at the ceiling, watching the shadows shift and change. Beside him, he could hear Casey breathing deeply through his nose.

He wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what he could say under the circumstances. 'Sorry the sex was so bad' would just give voice to what they were both not ready to acknowledge, and 'It'll be better next time' seemed trite and stupid because based on this recent experience, he wasn't sure there would be a next time.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, after years of verbal foreplay and a strategically placed hand on Casey's knee at Anthony's after the show that night. Casey hadn't been as shocked or outraged as he thought he would be, and before Dan could really process it all he was stumbling through his front door, Casey clinging to him like a limpet as they did their best to rip each other's clothes off without letting go. They tumbled into bed, finally, blessedly naked and more than ready to take their relationship to dizzying new heights.

It came as quite a shock when they realised that while they fit hand-in-glove on air, between the sheets they were something else entirely.

Dan took in a deep breath, blinking a couple of times. One of them would have to do or say something soon. They couldn't just lie there like that all night. Dan especially didn't want to be laying there with the memory of Casey grinding painfully against his hip while he tried to respond in a way that would feel good to both of them.

Dan inhaled again and was about to suggest they clean up a little when Casey finally made a move.

"I'm going to go get a drink of water," he said, sitting up. "D'you want a drink of water?"

"Yeah, thanks," Dan replied without looking at him.

Casey swung out of bed and left the room without looking back. A few moments later Dan heard the bathroom light snap on and water running into the wash basin. Then there was silence and then another faint sound followed by the toilet flushing. The bathroom light snapped off and his keen ears followed the sound of Casey's bare feet padding down the hallway to the kitchen. That's when Dan lost him. He rolled out of bed, grabbing his discarded boxers from the floor to wipe the ejaculate from his stomach, then pulled a fresh pair of boxers and a T-shirt out of his dresser.

He paused, looking at the garments clutched in his hand, strangely unsure about putting them on. What he really wanted was a shower and to sit and wallow for a while, but he didn't know how to voice that desire without making Casey feel like he was being kicked out of the apartment; the last thing Dan wanted was to make Casey feel bad about what happened because God knows he'd be doing a great job of it all on his own.

Dan was tugging on the boxers when Casey returned, dressed in his own boxers and undershirt and carrying a glass of water. He handed the water to Dan without a word and watched him as he drained the glass. He handed it back to Casey who just stood there and Dan knew he was spot-on about the self-flaggelation when his partner just looked at the glass with the most forlorn expression Danny had even seen him wear.

Without saying a word, Dan tugged the glass out of Casey's hand, set it on the night stand then pulled him over to the bed.

"Danny, I…"

Dan hushed him with a gesture and made him lie down on the bed and then climbed in beside him.

"I should go home," Casey said as Dan settled beside him, but Dan wasn't ready for that and silenced him again, this time with a gentle finger to his lips.

"Who said I wanted you to go home," Dan replied and replaced his finger with his mouth.

The kiss was nice; warm and gentle. After a moments hesitation Casey responded, deepening the kiss and bringing his hands up to cradle Dan's head. Dan sighed appreciatively when it ended and as they curled around each other, he gratefully realised that they hadn't lost their connection. It was about the only good thing to come out of this sorry situation.

"We should talk about this," Casey whispered into his neck.

"Sometimes I think we talk too much."

"No really, Danny…"

Dan pulled away a little and made Casey look at him. "What can we honestly say that'll make either of us feel better about this?"

"Nothing, I guess," Casey replied quietly.

"Exactly." Dan reached out and touched Casey's hair, running his fingers through the soft, sandy strands. "It's not the end of the world. We're not the first people to have lousy first-time sex and I doubt we'll be the last. Sometimes it's the way things are."

"It was pretty bad, wasn't it?" Casey admitted.

"It did lack a certain something," Dan agreed.

"What it lacked was enjoyment."

Casey dropped his gaze and for a minute Dan was sure he was about to appologise. He was poised for a rebuttle when Casey finally said, "Maybe we took things a little too fast."

"Maybe we did; maybe we didn't," Dan said, curling his fingers around Casey's wrist. "Do we really want to examine it that closely?"

"Definitely not," Casey snorted.

"And it doesn't mean it won't be better next time," Dan added, giving Casey's arm a little shake.

Casey's expression became puzzled. "Next time?"

"You do want there to be a next time, don't you?" Dan asked cautiously, suddenly afraid that this was it. Because really, who would be fool enough to go back for seconds when the first helping had been less than enthralling? "I mean, we've been leading up to this for a long time. It'd be a shame to drop it because of one bad night. We're still okay, aren't we?"

Casey looked at him, eyes wide in the dim light of the bedroom. Dan found himself holding his breath, too scared to even guess at the answer to his question. He could handle not having sex with Casey again, but if their friendship had died because of it that was something he could never live with.

"Remember our first show for Lone Star?" Casey asked.

"Yeah."

"Remember how badly it sucked?"

"Boy, do I ever," Dan said with a laugh. "I'm still surprised they didn't fire us on the spot. You were so nervous."

"I wasn't the one throwing up five minutes before air time," Casey reminded him.

Dan smirked and rolled his eyes. It wasn't one of his finest hours.

"But in time we got better," Casey added.

"A little, I guess," Dan said with feigned nonchalance.

Casey thwacked him gently on the arm.

"Okay, a lot," Dan conceded.

"So this," Casey said with a vague gesture in the air, "is just like our first show. We've got a few bugs to iron out, but we'll get better with time."

Dan smiled and leaned in to kiss him again. "No, we're gonna be fan-fucking-tastic."

"Oh yeah," Casey agreed in a throaty whisper as he sank into his partner's embrace.

FIN