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I haven't been near a computer (with internet) for so long I can't remember the last time I updated this.
actually I wanted to do so today and correct a few things on the previous fics... but I just forgot the files on my computer at home... it's a shame!
anyway, here a danny/rusty fic dealing with the head masks stuff. This is my vision on how (and why) Danny screwed up... and ended up in jail...
If I have some time, I'll come with a sequel dealing with D/T wedding and everything until D got caught.
maybe not my last version but the last I found on my USBkey.
I don't know how you call it a serie or sth.
As always, reviews and corrections welcome!
Title: Intro
Summary: It came naturally, kind of.
Pairing:D/R, D/Tess
Rating: PG
Note: in process
Title: Hurt
Summary: Danny had hoped his gesture would go unnoticed. Observant people were a pledge.
Pairing:D/R, D/Tess
Rating: PG
Note: in process
Title: Long Story
Summary: Danny and Rusty first met in a department store.At least, that’s when Rusty met Danny.
Pairing:D/R, D/Tess
Rating: PG
Note: in process
Title: Sharing
Summary: Danny and Rusty shared many things.
Pairing:D/R, D/Tess
Rating: PG
Note: in process
Title: Affection
Summary: the 'head mask' con ...
Pairing:D/R, D/Tess
Rating: PG
Note: in process
Title: The plan
Summary: Danny couldn’t point out with precision when things started to go wrong.
Pairing:D/R, D/Tess
Rating: PG
Note: in process
Title: Screwing up
Summary: A jealous Rusty is a hell to deal with...
Pairing:D/R, D/Tess
Rating: PG
Note: in process
*****************
Intro
*****************
Rusty was there when Tess and Danny first met.
He and Danny exchanged a smile the first time Danny drove her back home, and Rusty headed to a club so that he wouldn’t have to sleep alone.
It came naturally, kind of.
But it doesn’t mean it went without hurt.
*****************
Hurt
*****************
Danny dropped an eye to his watch. 1am, Tess was probably asleep. He kept on sipping his whisky, pretending he had nothing better to do.
He studied Rusty’s face across the table, beautiful but harsh, with a touch of sadness, broken.
“You should go. It’s late,” Rusty said.
The blond finished his glass in one draught and avoided Danny’s glance.
Danny had hoped his gesture would go unnoticed. As much he wanted to go, he wouldn’t leave his friend on his own. Observant people were a pledge.
Rusty stood up and passed his coat.
“Come on.” He gestured Danny the door and made his way out of the bar.
Danny stood up and followed.
“Where are we going?”
Rusty didn’t answer. Stubborn people were a pledge too, Danny decided.
In the parking, Danny accelerated to keep pace with his friend. As they reached the car, Rusty turned to face him.
“Do you want me to drive you back home or you’re gonna be fine?”
Danny hesitated then asked tentatively “You’re sure you don’t want to --”
Rusty rolled his eyes and turned to enter the car.
“You’re not my mother, Danny.”
“What are you gonna do?”
Rusty sighed.
“Get laid. See you around.”
With those words, he started the car and drove away.
Danny watched him go.
“Fuck him.”
Danny laughed in spite of himself. It was exactly what Rusty was planning to do.
He turned away and headed back home.
******
When he opened the door, his place was silent. He undressed and slipped under the covers. Tess curled against him.
“Where have you been?”
“I had a drink with Rusty. He was depressed.”
Tess moaned softly as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Why?”
Danny sighed.
“It’s a long story.”
*****************
Long story
*****************
Danny and Rusty first met in a department store. At least, that’s when Rusty met Danny, the later being handcuffed and stuck between two security guards.
About two second later, a cold piece of metal was slipped in Danny’s hand and the silhouette passing by him disappeared before he could even catch the colour of his coat.
Much to Danny astonishment, the so called piece of metal appeared to be the handcuffs key which was in the guard’s hand less than a second before.
Twenty seconds later, Danny was rushing out of the store chased by the guards.
Danny first met Rusty in the parking of the department store.
As he crossed the road, he ran into a car.
Rather surprisingly, the conductor opened the passenger door and gestured him in. As soon as Danny climbed in the car, Rusty accelerated and drove them out of town.
Danny had barely recovered from his escape when Rusty addressed him for the first time.
“The bag at your feet, get me something to eat. I’m starving.”
Danny gave him a look then grabbed the bag and opened it to reveal a bunch of snacks, a bottle of coke, one of wine and one of whisky. He stared at Rusty.
“You paid for that?”
The other grinned wide.
“No, why?” then laughing softly, “Help yourself, I don’t mind sharing.”
Danny smiled back and handed him a packet of potato crisps.
A few kilometres later, Rusty asked: “You’re from around here?”
“No.” Danny drank coke directly from the bottle.
“Heading to somewhere special?”
“No. You?”
Rusty kept his eyes on the road, a dreamy smile on his lips.
“No.”
They stayed silent for a moment, both picking from time to time potato crisps from the packet Rusty had placed between them.
“Is it true for everything?”
Rusty looked at Danny quizzically before looking back to the road.
“What?”
“That you don’t mind sharing.”
******************
Sharing
******************
In the years they had known each other, Danny and Rusty shared many things.
During the first few months, they shared cheap hotel rooms, food, alcohol, experiences, jokes, and disillusions.
With time (and money helping), they stopped sharing room.
Booking for two rooms in a decent hotel provided them both some independence and the possibility to bring somebody back for the night.
Strangely enough, it’s at the same period they started to share bed.
They shared a few lovers, but they never lasted long. From time to time, they shared a suite in a famous hotel, in LA or Reno. During the whole time, they shared Rusty’s car.
Then, they started sharing plans.
Planning scams was quite different from the grafts they were used to. It was more subtle, it took more reflection, more patience, more imagination, and more skills. It could take weeks or months to have a plan come true.
When they talked about it, Rusty would say it was more ‘coherent’. Those were long term project. Things one could make a living of.
But on the other hand, anything that lasted more than two weeks was a long term thing for Rusty.
Danny often laughed thinking that himself and Rusty’s car were probably the only two things Rusty had been attached to for more than two months.
Besides secrets, toothbrushes and clothes, there was only one think Rusty didn’t liked sharing: Danny’s affection.
******************
Affection
******************
“You must be crazy.”
“We can do it.”
“Of course we can do it. You know what I mean. You’re totally out of your mind.”
“Maybe I’m not.”
“Sure you are.”
“Why don’t you even consider?”
“That’s stupid.”
“If it can reward twenty grand each then it’s not that stupid.”
“Don’t tell me you want to do it for money.”
“Why else?”
“You must be crazy.”
“I’m not. We can do it.”
“I know we can do it.”
“Then, why not do it?”
“You’re totally out of your mind.”
Danny and Rusty’s conversation had turned a rather ridiculous way. For about half an hour, Danny had tried to win Rusty’s adhesion to rob Incan matrimonial head masks from an art gallery.
Rusty refused to ever consider it as an option. Danny knew exactly why he was reluctant but they hadn’t moved to the subject yet.
Danny was taking his time. He knew exactly how to work it out. He was about to offer something he knew Rusty wouldn’t refuse.
“Twenty grand each, just think about it.”
Rusty sighed and looked away. When he looked back to Danny, something in his gaze had changed.
“This conversation is ridiculous.”
Danny smiled. It was time for him to play his card.
“*You* make it sound ridiculous.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Danny didn’t answered and displayed his more seductive smile instead. A nice smile always helped.
Rusty stared at him for a moment.
‘Now’, Danny thought.
Rusty grabbed some peanuts and crunched them slowly, his eyes still on Danny. He swallowed then cleared his throat.
“What about *Tess*?”
It was about time, Danny thought.
“*What* about Tess?”
“She doesn’t know you’re a thief.”
“No.”
“And she’s gonna help us to get the masks?”
“Yep.”
“We’re gonna con her, then.”
“Yes.”
Rusty considered for a moment then sighed.
“You’re crazy.”
Danny gave him his best ‘you are the only person in the world’ look.
“Am I?”
Rusty hesitated for a moment.
“You’re gonna lose her.”
God, he had said it at last! Danny tried to hide the word ‘victory’ he was sure was written in his eyes.
“I know.”
Rusty half smiled.
“And you don’t mind?”
Danny gave him another seductive look, just for measure.
“Why should I?”
Rusty hided his grin the best he could crunching some more peanuts.
“I thought you liked her.”
Danny smiled back. Truth was he had been with her for about a year, now. Rusty could possibly believe that, especially since Danny had started going back home earlier at night, planned less and less cons, deserted Rusty’s bed.
“Yes. I *like* her.”
This one sentence meant everything, Danny knew. All the things unsaid between them. All the things he had almost forgotten for the last few months.
Danny liked Tess, he really did, but he was about to lose Rusty, and that, he couldn’t stand.
He had no other motivation for running this con. When he thought about the scam he didn’t referred to it at the ‘head mask con’, but as the ‘Rusty con’, or the ‘winning Rusty back con’.
He wouldn’t give up Tess willingly, though. He didn’t love her. Not the way he loved Rusty. But if things went along the plan, and they would, he would be able to keep them both.
Only, Danny would have to learn to share himself between his two lovers.
He gave Rusty a look.
Yes. He could start tonight with this part of the plan.
******************
The plan
******************
For a few weeks, everything went according to the plans, meaning according to both to the plan he had told Rusty and the one he had in mind.
Danny couldn’t point out with precision when things started to go the wrong way. It must have been at some point between the moment he and Rusty went to Reuben for funding and his weekend in Minnesota to meet Tess’s parents.
He didn’t paid attention at first when he noticed the long and evaluating looks Rusty gave him as soon as he had his back turned.
He didn’t paid attention either when Rusty pretended to have something on schedule every night for a whole week before his weekend with Tess.
To Danny, Rusty was still jealous. He wasn’t worried, though, it would be easy enough to convince the blond when they have a chance to talk. Danny was about to give up Tess for a scam with him after all.
It’s not until he came back from his especially boring and exhausting weekend (boring on all points except this long an memorable night when he and Tess went for a walk under the stars and didn’t came back before dawn) Danny actually noticed something was wrong.
Rusty was acting wrong.
It was something really unlike Rusty to go wrong.
On all the scams they had pulled in the time they had known each other, Rusty had always been *the* thing Danny was sure of. Rusty was the person he could rely on, the one who never failed him.
Something had changed, something was wrong and Danny couldn’t quite figure out what.
That’s when he knew he was about to screw up.
And Danny was not one to let it happen. Whatever Rusty Ryan had in mind, he would figure out what it was, and fix it before it ruined any hope for him to achieve his plan.
Rusty was too precious to him. Danny just couldn’t imagine screwing up.
******************
Screwing up
******************
It was four in the morning and the light of Rusty’s room was on, meaning only one thing (or more, but only one Danny minded), he wasn’t alone.
Danny reached the door of the flat and knocked a little bit too hard, unable to contain his nervousness and his impatience.
He heard faded voices behind the door but nobody came. He knocked again, trying to keep his nerves under control this time.
A voice he identified as Rusty’s said something. It was soft and controlled, but Danny could hear irritation piercing through.
He voice approached.
“I know who this is. Wait for a sec’. I’ll be back.”
From behind the door, Danny heard him pacing, then the door popped open and Rusty appeared in the doorframe.
“Hey,” Danny smiled, trying hard to sound cheerful.
“What.”
Rusty tone was cold and distant.
“Mind if I come in?”
“Yes.”
Rusty didn’t move, blocking the way.
“So, what are you doing?” Danny did his best to sound conversational which clearly irritated Rusty.
“What do you think? What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I don’t know. I just wanted to see you, I guess.”
“Where’s Tess?”
“Sleeping,” and as Rusty kept silent, Danny pursued “In our bed.”
For a second, it seemed to him Rusty expression had softened.
“Something went wrong or you just deserted in the middle of the night.”
Danny smiled, slightly amused.
“I deserted.”
“Why, Danny?”
“I told you.”
Rusty sighed.
“You’ve seen me now. Go back there.”
Danny looked away, then back to Rusty,
“You’re not helping, you know?”
“Why should I?”
Danny sighed again. A jealous Rusty was a hell to deal with.
“I… I thought we had agreed on that. The plan--”
“The plan is off. I’m out of it.”
“No… Why?” Danny was stoned. He had expected anything but that.
“You know why. I’m not gonna rob from the woman you love. You can’t con with emotions involved. It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t lov--”
“You do. Listen, Danny, I don’t like that. I might be partial on this case, one could even call me jealous, but I am out of it.”
“Listen, you can’t just --”
“Of course I can. I wish you love and happiness and … oh, just a point, don’t pull the job. Don’t even try to. You’re gonna screw it up. You don’t really want to con her, and if you don’t want to, you won’t be able to.”
“I hoped you thought better of me,” Danny tempted a vain joke but he knew he had lost the game.
“I don’t want you to take the fall for Miss Pretty. Don’t do anything stupid, I won’t be there to save your butt this time.”
“Maybe, you will.”
“I doubt it.”
“So--”
“Good night Danny.”
The door was closed before Danny had a chance to answer. He heard Rusty’s voice, it seemed to him he caught the word ‘friend’ as he talked to whoever was in his room. Danny closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He had screwed up.
Now, he had only one way to win Rusty back: keep the job going, alone, con Tess as it was decided at the beginning, get the matrimonial head masks and prove Rusty he didn’t love her.
What if he did?
He had to pull the con, even if only to con Rusty and make him believe he didn’t.