Title: Advent Calendar (December 7): Snow Dog
Author: stellaluna_
Rating: PG for language
Pairing: Danny/Don
Summary: Danny is really going to regret this.
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.

***

"Rise and shine, Messer," Flack says, leaning in the doorway. "I brought coffee."

"Hey, Flack," Danny says. He doesn't take the chain off the door. "What can I do for you?"

"Don't tell me you forgot we were gonna go to the gym today," Flack says. "Danny, seriously, I reminded you not twelve hours ago."

"I remember," Danny says. "But you're not supposed to be here for another half-hour. Not my fault if you're an early bird."

"We said seven a.m."

"We did?"

"It's currently..." Flack makes a show of looking at his watch. "Seven-oh-two."

"It is?" He could have sworn Flack said seven-thirty. Too fucking early either way, but there's nothing he can do about it now.

"Yes," Flack says. "Now are you gonna let me in or what?"

"It's kinda messy right now, Flack," Danny says. "I didn't exactly have time to straighten up in the thirty seconds in between the buzzer going off and you planting yourself at my door."

"What, like I care?" Flack says. "C'mon, open sesame. And take your damn coffee."

Danny doesn't move. "It's just...Look, I really thought I had another half-hour. I still gotta walk the dog, so I tell you what, why don't you go ahead to the gym, and I'll -- "

"Daisy?" Flack says. "I don't mind walking him with you. We can do that first, Messer; it's no big. Haven't seen the little furball in forever."

"Yeah, no -- "

"Daisy!" Flack raises his voice, and Danny hears Daisy bark and then start toward the door. He braces one leg, trying to block him.

"Yeah, I know you like him and all," Danny says, "but he's been kinda funny around other people lately. It might not be such a good idea."

"Daisy, here boy."

"Flack, really, I don't think he's up to -- "

Daisy pushes past Danny's legs into the hallway and launches himself at Flack.

There's a moment of silence. Danny lets his forehead bang against the door.

"Messer, did you know your dog is wearing a sweater?" Flack says in a conversational tone.

"I wouldn't really call it a -- "

"It has reindeer on it." Flack shoves both cups of coffee into Danny's hands, then kneels down and scratches Daisy's ears. "Hey there, buddy," he says. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"Look, he gets cold easily, okay?" Danny says. He tries to juggle the coffee, then gives up and sets it down on the little table where he leaves his mail and keys. "There's six inches of snow on the ground."

"Yeah, but reindeer?" Flack asks. "You couldn't have gotten him something in blue? Or maybe a nice camo, if you were going to insist on a print?"

"He shredded his old sweater, which, by the way, was gray. This was all the pet store had left in his size."

Flack laughs, and Daisy lets out a little bark, propping his front paws on Flack's knee. "I see. You know, he's not exactly the manliest dog to begin with. And then you go and do this to him? You're gonna give him a complex."

"I'm gonna give him a complex?" Danny says. "You're the one who keeps insulting my dog."

"He doesn't mind, do you, Daisy?" Daisy rolls over on his back and grins at them both upside-down. "If I were him, I'd be much more traumatized by the fact that my human is clearly ashamed of me."

"I am not ashamed of him."

Flack looks up. "Were you or were you not trying to hide him when I showed up?"

Danny folds his arms. "Maybe," he says. "But only because I knew you were gonna pull this crap if you saw him."

"Look at him. He loves it." Flack grabs Daisy's paws and rolls him around. "Don'tcha? Yeah, who's a handsome devil?"

Daisy barks again. "Oh, come on," Danny says.

"I'm surprised he doesn't have little booties, too. Or did you just not get around to putting those on yet?"

"Okay, enough already," Danny says. "Both of you. He's gotta go out for a walk before he bursts. And if that happens, you're dealing with clean-up."

"Whatever."

"Can I trust you to keep an eye on him while I grab his leash?"

"Please, are you kidding? He loves me." Flack stands up, and Daisy sticks right by him, standing on his hind legs again so that he can paw at Flack's calves.

"Traitor," Danny says. Daisy doesn't even look at him as he goes back inside to get the leash and his jacket.

"Bring the coffee, too," Flack calls, and Danny sighs.

"Well, isn't this just fucking domestic?" he says a few minutes later, when they're walking down the street to the dog park and Daisy is bounding ahead of them through drifts of snow.

"Don't know what you're complaining about, Messer," Flack says. "I'm having a great old time. C'mon, look around you: we got snow, we got a dog, we got coffee. This is what passes for a beautiful day in Queens. What more could you want?"

"You down on your knees?" Danny says in a mutter, and Flack elbows him hard in the ribs, almost making him spill his coffee.

"Not in front of the pooch," Flack says, and Danny laughs. It is a beautiful day; he won't say that to Flack, but he'll admit it to himself. The sun is bright overhead and the wind is crisp against his face, and the snow hasn't yet turned to gray slush or hard-packed ice.

The coffee isn't bad, either. And if he's being honest with himself, neither is the company. He wraps the end of Daisy's leash more securely around his hand and takes another drink of coffee.

"Hey," says Flack. "As long as you're dressing him up anyway, you ever think of getting him a Santa hat? Bet he'd look real cute."

Danny almost doesn't answer, but then he decides that he's lost all dignity today when it comes to Daisy, at least for the time being. "I tried that a couple of years ago," he says. "Thought it might score me some dates if I took him out like that."

"So what happened?"

"He ate the hat."

Flack laughs so hard that he has to stop walking. He stands there in the middle of the sidewalk, bent over with his hands on his knees and just about gasping for breath. Danny watches him, and after a minute Daisy looks back to see why they've stopped walking, then comes trotting back to wait.

"Messer, tell you what," Flack says, when he's finally able to talk again. "From now on, you vet all of this poor dog's clothing choices with me. I think that might be better for all of us."

"I hate you," Danny says.

"I know," Flack says, looking very happy. "I hate you, too."

"Damn dog," Danny says to Daisy. "This is all your fault." Daisy barks and wags his tail, then takes off running again through the snow. Flack punches Danny in the arm, then starts after Daisy.

No, Danny decides; the company isn't bad at all.

***