Chapter Text
Dan’s career begins and ends the same way.
With a scandal.
He’s at some fundraiser for some bullshit that Selina thought needed a VP face in and Dan drew the short straw (literally they drew straws – twice because the first time Mike cut them all the same length claiming “he didn’t know what they were doing”). He’s doing that best he can, chatting up some group of full-drunk, half-high assholes with deep pockets when he says the wrong thing to the wrong friend or cousin or someone of a judicial councilman and realizes he’s royally fucked up and that he’s been fired and rehired but that this might really be the end of it. His heart is racing erratically from fear and worry, but mostly because he’s chasing down the person, Sandra, or Sasha or Sally whatthefuckever, in the middle of the fundraiser drawing more attention than necessary. He can feel his heart beating so hard that it’s about to jump out of his chest and slap him in the face but he doesn’t stop. He can’t stop. Not until he cleans up his own fucking mistake. But just before he reaches her, his body, his stupid fucked up mind, body, and soul take him out faster than a bullet to the head which he wishes he had instead.
When he wakes up he’s in a hospital…again…accompanied by only Amy…again…and he’s fired…again, but this time it’s clear that it’s for good. No way back in no matter who he knows or no matter how hard he tries to weasel his way into their – Selina’s – good graces. Selina wanted to have him executed but she doesn’t have that power…at least legally.
He wants to fight, wants to care, wants to feel anything other than the complete void of anything that’s currently there.
But he can’t and he doesn’t. He sees what he assumes is supposed to be a look of concern on Amy’s face when he says nothing, but it just looks like she’s severely constipated. And it’s at that thought that Dan starts laughing. Uncontrollably. He can’t breathe and his chest hurts, but it feels so good to not care.
And Dan feels something lift from him knowing he doesn’t need two iPads or cell phones, a high power job, prestige or power. He doesn’t need anything. Not really. Not anymore.
He knows he’s in shock and probably losing his mind at a rapid rate, but that’s a situation for Other Dan, Future Dan, to deal with.
He doesn’t even notice when Amy shrugs and leaves when both her phones ring.
He’s discharged a few hours later and sent home to an apartment he hasn’t been to in weeks.
He orders his favorite take out and opens his oldest bottle of scotch before his iPad, laptop and television are tuned into different networks to see what, if anything, is being said about the Veep’s ex-Campaign manager chasing down the lobbyist niece of some judicial councilman before blacking out and falling face-first to the ground.
He knows it’s pure ego and masochism that is pushing him to watch, but he genuinely does want to know if his career-ending mistake was even worth a mention or passing comment throughout the circuits. The ones that mattered, at least.
He touches the bruise that’s covering the side of his left eye and forehead and thinks if the press can care about Catherine’s college essay, they’d most likely being fucking jumping at the chance to make him look as much the disaster he was and he isn’t disappointed. He’s not even surprised that they’re tearing him to shreds.
Luckily, he isn’t the only one.
Selina is being heavily criticized for her tactics. Amy’s trying to handle the backlash and barely holding it together with two iPhones and two iPads clutched like she’s willing them to cause a bigger scandal. Still, Amy ultimately curtails the questions and issues a generic statement that Selena was unavailable for comment because she and POTUS were working on the new clean jobs addendum.
He scoffs at that. Both at POTUS and Selena working together and at Selena wanting clean jobs to pass because he knows her inclusions were cut from the first rendition of the bill.
That’s the game. He thinks, switching the channel.
He’s flipping back and forth until he catches some random news channel interviewing Jonah of all people about the situation. He vaguely remembers Jonah being at the fundraiser, but that night is such a blur he can’t even remember the insults he hurled at the giant if any. Still, what keeps him from immediately changing the channel and what he’s really wondering (beyond why they’re interviewing Jonah at all) is what he’s going to say. Despite all attempts to prevent it, Jonah knows more about Dan than most people. Jonah’s insight into Dan’s motivations and behaviors has always been spot on and Dan always did his best to hide that truth. Jonah had a keen eye for hidden motives and Dan had always been secretly impressed by it.
Still, nearly any enemy Dan has ever made has come out of the woodworks to tear him to political shreds and he hasn’t even batted an eye. Jonah wasn’t necessarily an enemy, but their tensions and Jonah’s knowledge of Dan and the Meyer shitshow could completely eradicate any attempt at recovery for Dan.
If that’s even what Dan wants anymore. Now, he’s not so sure.
Still, the thought of Jonah’s inevitable rant about everything wrong with Dan Egan hits him harder than all the others and makes his head fuzzy and scotch want to come back up. He tries to calm down and wait for the commercials to end.
He watches Jonah’s crooked, slightly smug smile as the interview returns. Jonah’s the last and what looks like a sudden guest of their Dan Egan Shit Show and Dan smiles slightly at that.
He doesn’t realize the interview has started because he’s been too busy watching Jonah try to drink from a coffee mug and talk at the same time.
He smiles again.
The interview is a standard recounting of the event, Jonah is asked a series of questions that raises Dan’s heart rate.
“So, in your opinion, why do you think Mr. Egan lost control at the fundraiser that night? Do you think charges should be pressed, as some of his constituents have suggested? And with the loss of his job, will you be vying for the position yourself? You’ve been close to the Meyer campaign so far, even in her Vice Presidency.”
He doesn’t realize Jonah’s having some sort of conniption until he sees the furious shaking head of the boyband haircut that he’s made fun of for far too long for it to be funny anymore.
The interviewer prompts, “Mr. Ryan?”
He watches Jonah take a deep breath as Dan holds his. Something about this feels like he’s hanging off the edge of a cliff and the fact that Jonah is the one that’s either going to save him or push him off makes him feel like this is all a dream.
“Look, I’m the first to say that Dan-Mr. Egan is not the easiest person to work with.”
Here we go. Dan thinks as he releases his breath and hangs his head between his hands.
“Still, he is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen.”
Dan’s head shoots up.
He watches Jonah look down and smile slightly before looking directly at the interviewer and continuing with an intense directness that has even the interviewer squaring their shoulders.
“The amount of stress any person on the Hill is under is enormous and still he handled it with calm and dignity. I don’t think charges should be pressed because no harm was done and that is being blown out of proportion. It’s clear he was just trying to get someone’s attention who couldn’t hear him or was distracted. As for his “constituents,” Jonah air quotes with the giant hands that look even bigger in the smaller television frame, “I can guarantee anyone who said that is trying to follow the pack or get the job vacancy which I am not vying for. I’m very happy with my current job and I wouldn’t do that to a dear friend, especially one who was wrongfully terminated. The fact that the Meyer campaign is so readily available to drop such an important, dedicated, and loyal member of their team shows weakness and fear far greater than this so-called scandal that can barely be defined as a misunderstanding. They jumped the gun and so has every single person who has reported on this or talked shit about Dan Egan. Thank you.”
Dan is staring, mouth agape, and hands shaking as he watches the camera follow Jonah storming off the interview area, ripping his mic off before he shouts about why it was wrapped around his tie.
“We’ll, uh, be right back with more on this situation in a minute.” The interviewer finishes lamely before Dan turns the television off.
Dan’s dreaming. Either that or he’s officially gone insane because there’s no way that just happened. There’s no way that Jonah Fucking Ryan is the only one who defended him, who pulled him away from the edge, and who is the reason Dan feels like he can actually find a way to bounce back from this or at least stay in D.C.
He takes his pills, finishing the scotch, and before he can even think he texts, Jonah, a single word ignoring the mountain of missed notifications and an odd pounding in his chest.
Before he blacks out, he can’t help but think that something significant has just happened, but he’s asleep on the floor before that can make any sense.
9:53 p.m.
Dan: Thanks.
The next morning Dan wakes up to pounding on the front door of his apartment as well as inside his head.
He slowly pushes himself off the floor, bones cracking from the uncomfortable position and lack of cushioning all night and shuffles his way towards the door prepared entirely to shoot whoever it is on sight. God Bless America.
He rips the door open without grace and the moment his bloodshot eyes recognize Jonah he moves to slam the door back in the giant’s face. However, due to lack of any fine motor skills at the moment, he’s too slow and Jonah’s hand is on the door and foot between the closing, pushing the door back open with gentle force.
The door opens wide enough and long enough for Jonah to get a decent look at Dan.
“I always say you look like shit Dan, but this time I might actually mean it.”
And with that, Jonah bursts into his apartment, and the only thing keeping Dan from throwing him through the window in the smell of coffee and grease easing his hangover.
He shuts the door unceremoniously and snaps his finger for the coffee without even looking at Jonah and grabs his phone after the coffee hits his hand.
He’s about to rapid-fire questions at Jonah but Jonah’s phone rings and he’s talking before it even connects.
“I already told you if Jane wants the interview then she has to agree to my terms. I’m not a fucking amateur okay. She likes hit pieces and she gets off on fucking people over in the worst way. So, she can jack off all day long to someone else, but not today and not on my watch. If she wants to be the only one out there without the real story and the press to go with it, then that’s on her, but I’m not fucking compromising.”
Dan plugs his phone into the charger on the counter and listens to Jonah batter whoever is on the phone into acquiescing to his demands. It’s impressive, at least in comparison to what he would usually expect from Jonah, and Dan takes a drink of coffee before he tells Jonah as much.
He smiles slightly when Jonah levels him with petulant glare, then sighs as the caffeine hits him, and is pleased when he finds it’s exactly the way he likes it.
“Tell her exactly what I said. Don’t mince words.” Jonah demands.
He’s too tired, hungover, and apathetic to care that the next words he speaks to Jonah aren’t the questions he wants to ask, but rather, “You know how I like my coffee?”
Jonah gapes at him for roughly ten seconds, emotions flickering too fast for Dan to catch any, but he recovers quickly and sets his phone away from his mouth.
“Yeah, you shouted it enough times at the interns for it to stick.”
Dan nods and takes another drink, unsure why he feels a sudden warmth at Jonah’s knowledge of his coffee order when his phone chimes in rapid succession to indicate it’s turned back on.
“This is a fucking disaster.” Dan sighs, no real heat in his words, more annoyance than anything.
“Fine. The first sign of fuckery from Jane and we walk.” Jonah threatens before ending the call.
Jonah throws his phone on the dining table he’s sat at and the heavy thud of its contact captures Dan’s attention.
“So, I expected this to already be going differently, but before you really kick me out, just listen to what I have to say?” Jonah asks and then adds, “Please.”
Dan’s eyebrows rise and he looks again at Jonah. There’s always been an awkwardness inherent in Jonah, but he notices none of that at that moment. He just sees earnest curiosity as Jonah waits for an answer.
Dan reaches for his phone. Old habits die hard and the weight is a comfort that helps settle the unease of anxiety Dan’s feeling.
He shrugs trying to curb the uncharacteristic demeanor of the giant sitting in front of him, “You have until I’m done with my coffee.”
Jonah smiles and nods appreciatively as if he’s surprised he’s even allotted that.
“Alright, so I’m just gonna jump right in. You’re already behind on this entire thing but you still are in the best position right now to take control.”
Dan texts Amy that he didn’t kill himself despite her deepest wishes. He tells his mother that, no, this doesn’t mean he’s moving home and ignores the text from his brother.
“How so?” He asks Jonah from beneath his lashes before looking back down at his phone.
“Dan, you’re in a rare situation where your public response is taken for its word. You get to control the narrative of it because no one has heard it yet. No press release, no one speaking for you or through channels to get your side out. It’s just you. You could say anything, and they’ll have to believe it because Judge Walters’ niece isn’t speaking up. After all, Kent has done everything aside from killing her in order to shut her up. Meyer hasn’t even released anything. POTUS basically issued a gag order because of the new clean jobs thing. You’re the only primary source of information. If you want to control this and stay in DC like I know you do, then you have to get out there before some other shit takes the spotlight and you have nothing.”
Dan mulls over the idea through three sips of coffee. It’s not like he didn’t immediately think of this when he was watching the interviews yesterday, noticing the lack of any real press release or official statements, but now he has Jonah who is willing to back up his side of the story and did as much last night. Why Jonah did that, he still doesn’t understand, but his apathy still lingers as his chronic cynicism flares up. He’d put himself out there as much as humanly fucking possible and it fucked him over. Again. He’s not sure it’s worth the trouble anymore. He doesn’t know if he wants to play the game anymore.
“What’s the point?” He asks, and fuck he wishes he didn’t sound like the lead singer of the fucking sad bands Jonah listens to, but here he is.
Jonah swallows heavily and Dan watches him for a moment, noticing a hungry determination that’s starting to feel kind of infectious.
“The point? The point is that you don’t fucking end up some Comptroller in fucking Rochester. The point is that you don’t throw away everything because they, not you, fucked up. The point is that Selina fucking Meyer doesn’t win because unlike the rest of the world, except maybe your mother, I know you can do this. You’re intelligent, a quick-thinker, and absolutely ruthless when it’s needed in this fucking business. You may not have been born into this, but you’re made for it. It’d be absolute fucking waste if you gave all that up. Do you have any idea what opportunities you’re gonna have out there if you play this right? Shit you never even dreamed of, Dan.”
Normally his ego overpowers his apathy, but not this time. The thought of giving himself over to the game again is making him dizzy with hesitation.
As if Jonah could sense this, he speaks again.
“I know you’ve never had a reason to, but…just trust me, Dan. We can do this. I promise. Okay?” Jonah requests quietly.
Dan thinks it over. He’s the laughingstock of the Hill. His enemies are circling his reputation’s corpse like vultures. He has no job, no job offers and his prospects are about six feet under rock bottom. He’s spent the entirety of his career burning bridges rather than build them and of all those bridges, he’s not sure how he and Jonah are standing on an intact one now. Still, here they are and Jonah, Jonah fucking Ryan himself, is trying his hardest to get Dan back on his feet. Running a quick pros and cons list cross-referenced with indifference and lack of anything better in his near future, he comes to a decision.
“Okay. What’s your plan?” Dan replies and tosses the empty coffee cup in the trash along with the last of his self-pity and apathy.