Title: Advent Calendar (December 9): After the Party
Author: stellaluna_
Rating: PG
Pairing: Mac/Danny
Summary: Danny is drunk. Mac wants things.
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 is using the wall as a guide while he makes his way back from the men's room. He feels his way along one step at a time, and he keeps his hands on the wall, as if he's afraid that his feet won't hold him up unaided. From the looks of him, Mac isn't sure this fear is unfounded.

"Are you going to go help him or what?" Stella asks. She spent most of the evening doing shots along with Danny, but although her eyes are very bright and her hair has turned into a tangled halo, she's not slurring her words at all, and she's been carrying on a sensible conversation. Mac is still worried about her getting home safely, but Danny is the one who's actively having navigation issues. This is some way to end the lab's holiday bar run, Mac thinks; Danny is the last person he thinks he should be trying to deal with, but if he has to, at least everyone else but Stella has already taken off.

"He seems to be doing all right," he says, even though it's obvious that Danny is far from all right. "I don't think he needs my help."

"Oh, please," Stella says. "I'm surprised he even found the bathroom in the first place."

"He'll be fine," Mac says, but as they watch, Danny stumbles and catches himself, then comes to a dead halt, swaying slowly back and forth in a way that reminds Mac of a pendulum winding down. "Or not. You may have a point."

It's not that he doesn't want to help Danny; he and Danny have been good with each other for a long time now. All of it is good. But Mac can't help thinking that it's a delicate balance, and that one false move may send it tipping back in the wrong direction. And he's not sure if Danny would want his help. He's not sure Danny wants to deal with him at all, and he's beginning to think that he himself wants too much.

"I'll give you a hand with him," Stella says, and pushes her chair back. Mac keeps an eye on her, but she gets to her feet without a hitch. They go over to Danny; he's clutching the wall again, still swaying, and now he reminds Mac of one of those little toy birds that bob up and down endlessly.

"Hey, Danny," he says.

"Oh, hi, you two," Danny says. He blinks at them. "I think I'm done. Can I go home now?"

"That's the general plan," Stella says. "Can you walk?"

"Mostly." He looks at Stella. "I'd ask you to help, but I'm kinda heavy."

"Oh, that's okay," Stella says. "Mac will get you."

Danny lets out a little laugh, and Mac shoots her a look. Her face is perfectly bland, perfectly innocent. He sighs. "C'mon," he says, and grabs a fistful of Danny's coat.

Danny sort of falls toward him and leans heavily on Mac's shoulder. "Wow," he says.

"You all right?" Stella asks.

"Sure. Except I think gravity has stopped working."

"No, it hasn't," Mac says. "Come on, Danny."

"One foot in front of the other," Stella says, and to Mac's gratitude, she takes Danny by one arm. Together, they manage to get him through the bar and out onto Hester Street. Once they're out there, Mac is hoping that Danny will decide to let the building hold him up again, but Stella lets go of him and he clutches Mac even tighter. Mac sighs again and tightens his grip.

"Can you manage him from here?" Stella asks.

"Car's parked over there," Mac says, nodding across the street. "As long as we can make it that far, we'll be fine."

"I'm sure you will be," Stella says. She still looks, Mac thinks, much too cheerful.

"Can I give you a lift?"

"Oh, no. Thank you." She shakes her head. "I can walk from here."

Mac wants to protest, but he knows she won't give in on this. He nods. "Call me or send me a text when you get in."

"I will." She puts a hand on his free shoulder for a moment. "Goodnight, Mac."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Danny."

"'Night, Stel," Danny mumbles into Mac's shoulder.

Mac watches her walk down the street, then turns to Danny. "Ready to go?" he asks.

"Sure," Danny says, but he doesn't move. Mac waits, and Danny suddenly stands up a little straighter. He looks up at the sky, blinking, then looks back at Mac. "Hey, you're hot," he says abruptly.

"Excuse me?" Mac says.

"You're hot," Danny says. "You got, like, all kinds of body heat going on here. How come you're so hot when it's so cold?" He clutches at Mac with one hand and moves in close, and his other hand starts to slide under Mac's coat. The touch is enough to trigger a number of memories in Mac's head, but he grabs Danny by the wrist and pries him off before he can get too far.

"Give me a break, Danny," he says.

"No, you are." Danny shakes his head. "I mean it. Don't know how you manage it, but you're all cozy." He drops his head to Mac's shoulder, and Mac can hear him breathing. He shuts his eyes for a moment.

"All right," he says. "Let's go get in the car. You can warm up if you're cold."

"That's not what I mean," Danny says. He lifts his head. "You're doing a good job." But he crosses the street willingly enough, and climbs into the passenger seat without protest.

He's drunk, Mac tells himself as he walks around to the driver's side. He doesn't know what he's saying. He doesn't mean it, but he doesn't intend it to be hurtful, either.

When he sits down, Danny is staring out the window. It's not until he's putting his seatbelt on that Danny says, "Mac. Hey, Mac."

"What?" he says.

"It's been a good holiday season," Danny says, still looking outside. "I think it's gonna be a good Christmas, too."

"Probably so."

"I know there's no mistletoe and all," Danny says. "But I was thinking. In the spirit of the season, could I have a kiss?"

Mac shuts his eyes again. "Danny -- "

"Please?" He opens his eyes, and Danny has turned away from the window and is looking right at him. His eyes are wide, and they're very clear, not cloudy like they were a little while ago.

"Danny, you're drunk," Mac says.

"Not so much that I don't know what I'm saying," he says, and there's no blur in his voice, no soft edges on the words. "It's been a long time, Mac. It's Christmas. I -- "

Mac leans toward him, and they kiss. Danny's mouth falls open under his, and he strokes his fingers across Mac's cheek. Mac puts a hand on the side of his neck and feels the pulse beating there, feels his throat work as he moves his mouth. Danny tastes like whiskey, but his lips are warm, and the kiss is soft and slow and so good.

Mac makes himself pull away after a minute or two, because he knows that if they keep going, he's not going to be able to stop. He puts his hands on the steering wheel. "I need to take you home," he says.

"Your home?" Danny asks.

"No, yours."

"You gonna stay?"

"No."

"Fine." Danny's face goes tight and closed, and he starts to turn toward the window again.

"Danny," Mac says, and when Danny doesn't move, he reaches out and puts a hand on his arm. "Danny."

He turns to face Mac, but doesn't say a word.

"I just..." Mac takes a deep breath. He could end this right now, if he wanted to. "You're drunk," he says. "Even if you know what you're saying, you are. I'm sober. I don't want..." He struggles for the right words. "It's been a long time. I want to have this conversation when we both know what we're doing."

Danny's eyes go wide again. Mac sees something like dawning relief on Danny's face; he also can see him fighting against that relief. Against that hope. And Danny might not be the only one who looks like that right now. "Honest?" Danny says.

"Honest," Mac says. He holds onto Danny's arm for another moment, then lets him go.

"Okay," Danny says. He leans back in his seat as Mac starts the ignition. "I still think it's gonna be a good Christmas."

"Yeah?" Mac looks over at his familiar face. "Good. So do I."

***