Work Text:
‘I thought the president told you you weren’t allowed to stay late tonight?’
Josh jumped, looking up at Donna as she leaned in the doorway of his office, arms folded. ‘I’m—’ He scratched at the back of his head, a guilty expression on his face. ‘“Late” is a relative term.’
‘10pm on New Year’s Eve?’ She came over to him, perching on the edge of his desk. ‘Think most people would agree that’s pretty late, Josh.’
‘I’m nearly done.’
‘Are you?’
‘Yes.’ He frowned at her. ‘Anyway, you’re still here.’
‘I’m not working,’ she said. ‘And I wasn’t given a direct order from the president of the United States.’
‘It wasn’t a direct order; it was a sort of suggestion.’
She smiled at him and shuffled closer, putting out a hand to cup his cheek. ‘What if I gave you a direct order?’ she murmured. She moved her hand up, tracing the path of the hair that curled around his ear with her thumb. ‘Hmm?’
He turned his head and kissed the inside of her wrist. ‘You can’t give me direct orders.’
‘Oh yes, I can.’
‘Oh yes, you can,’ he admitted. He caught her other hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing that one as well. ‘But I really do have to get this finished.’
‘I know. It’s okay.’
‘You should go meet the others. I’ll be there before midnight, I promise.’
‘Sure.’ She stood, kissing his cheek before walking away. ‘I’ll see you later.’
***
Josh stopped typing and looked at the clock on his computer.
23:55. Donna was going to kill him. He began to mull over plans to appease her: dinner, flowers, a long round of passionate and very attentive sex. For now, he reached for his cellphone.
‘You know it’s almost impossible to get through this time on New Year,’ Donna reminded him, not breaking her stride as she came in and crossed the room to him.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he said to her. ‘I’m so sorry, Donna, I just—’ He broke off, silenced by her mouth on his. He pulled her onto his lap without breaking their kiss, clutching her tight around the waist and nipping gently at her bottom lip.
‘I was anticipating yelling,’ he said when they pulled apart, breathing hard. ‘This is nicer. What are you doing here?’
‘I knew you weren’t going to make it. I decided I didn’t want the next time I saw you to be next year.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Twenty seconds.’
He craned his head to look over her shoulder at the computer screen. ‘The clock says we’ve still got a couple of minutes.’
‘That clock is slow.’
He scoffed. ‘I think a White House computer is more likely to be accurate than your crappy old—’
‘Shh.’ She put a finger over his mouth, looking at her watch. ‘And five, four, three, two, one.’
Josh heard the unmistakable squeals and bangs of fireworks, and the sky outside his window was filled with brightly-colored light.
‘What were you saying about my crappy old watch?’ Donna asked, and then twined her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his softly. ‘Happy New Year,’ she whispered.
‘Happy New Year.’ He stroked his hands up and down her arms. ‘So I should do something about that computer clock, huh?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘but not tonight.’
‘No, not tonight,’ he agreed. He tilted his forehead against hers. ‘I love you. Thank you for coming back.’
‘I wouldn’t have missed being with you,’ she told him, and he smiled and pulled her closer.
Behind her, the computer screen went dark.