t w o . g r e a t . t a s t e s . t h a t . t a s t e . g r e a t . t o g e t h e r

Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together
[by victoria p.]

Rating: G

Summary: Only one person had ever left Rusty Ryan, and he'd regretted it soon after.

Notes: For V, who requested Rusty! 'Well, that was a total disaster.'

Date: January 31, 2005

When Danny opened the door, Rusty said, "Well, that was a total disaster."

Danny cocked an eyebrow. "You do realize that by even speaking to you, I'm breaking my parole."

Rusty shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah. Can I come in?"

Danny moved out of the way and Rusty brushed past him, more jittery than Danny had ever seen him. It was unnerving.

"Should I be expecting our friendly neighborhood boys in blue any time soon?" he asked, locking the door and throwing the bolt for good measure. Not that hotel room doors could keep out anyone who wanted in, but it was a familiar gesture, and there was something comforting in the sound of metal hitting wood (or wood substitute, Danny wasn't quite sure).

Rusty turned and looked at him like he was crazy. "What?"

"Not a job gone wrong then." Which made sense. Rusty had never been caught unless he'd wanted to be, and Danny'd taken the fall the one time he'd come close. Not that Danny blamed him.

"No." Rusty made straight for the minibar, which Danny had unlocked earlier, though the thought of four dollar M&Ms still rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't like being treated like a mark by anyone, and certainly not by the Courtyard Marriott of Red Bank, New Jersey.

Rusty's brow furrowed as he contemplated the selection of snacks, drinks and toiletries available in the minibar, and then cleared as he settled on the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Danny sighed but didn't even inquire about the price. Some things were more important than money.

"So if it's not a job--"

Rusty already had half a peanut butter cup in his mouth. "I found this in my night table drawer, where I usually keep the condoms," he said thickly, pulling a small black object out of his pocket and tossing it at Danny.

Danny caught it and managed to swallow his laughter as he examined the all-too-familiar figurine. "I see."

"She left me for the Night Fox. Can you believe it? She left me." Rusty shook his head. "I don't think that's ever happened before." He sounded more than a little put out about it.

It was true. Women didn't leave Rusty Ryan. Only one person ever had, really, and well, Danny had regretted it soon afterward. So much so that he'd taken the fall over the Incan matrimonial head masks without a second thought. Of course, that debacle had mostly been his fault anyway. He shook his head.

"So are you upset because Isabel left, or are you upset that she left you for the Night Fox? Or are you just upset because no one's ever left you before?"

"You--" Rusty started and stopped. He laughed. "You're not helping, you know."

"Have another five dollar snack. It's on me."

Rusty sat down on the sofa, stretched his legs out and popped the second peanut butter cup into his mouth. He shook his head. "I'm not sure that's enough to console me," he replied with a half-grin.

Danny sat next to him and laid one arm across the back of the sofa. "I'm sure I can come up with something else."

Rusty swallowed and said, "Can you?"

"I'm an idea man, after all."

Rusty turned to look at him, eyebrow cocked and lips curved in a grin, and Danny kissed him, the hand on the back of the sofa moving to stroke the back of his head. Rusty's short hair tickled Danny's palm, made it tingle, and Rusty purred into his mouth, which made other spots on Danny's body tingle. He tasted peanut butter and chocolate in the sweet, hot slide of Rusty's tongue against his.

"Best idea you've had all day," Rusty murmured against his lips when they broke apart. Danny could only agree and kiss him again.

end

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Disclaimer: All Ocean's 11/12 characters belong to Soderbergh and Warner Bros., etc. This piece of fan-written fiction intends no infringement on any copyrights.