Work Text:
The harsh orange curtains sent blinding beams of light into Danny's eyes, so he glared into his quickly-cooling coffee. Things usually don't irk him this much, not even with the ruthless addition of morning.
He'd passed by Rusty's room that morning, hoping for a morning cigarette on the sun-flooded balcony or to say something stupid just to be blessed with a flash of white from behind Rusty's pink lips. However, the slight crack in the door revealed something resembling more of a lump in the covers than a man. Danny wisely decided that must mean Rusty won't be awake for a while. It was a blessing and a curse to be so genius, really.
So here he was with the rest of the guys in the living area. They'd all come up respectively from their various rooms scattered across the hotel. It was already risky enough, having everyone stay in the same place. But given they they were at a scenic overlook of sorts along the road to their heist, it wasn't enough to get Danny's panties in a bunch. Or "in a wad", as Basher would say.
Now, there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with the rest of the guys, except for the rather large underlying fact that none of them were Rusty. Danny knew he was being ridiculous, he didn't need Basher's eye roll or Linus' innocently furrowed brow to tell him. He should very much be able to handle a few hours without the man he's spent more time with than his wife in all of their years of marriage.
But nonetheless, here he was, becoming increasingly annoyed at his cold mug and the bright curtains of the hotel room and the seemingly endless downpour of shouting conversation. Danny was dumbfounded with how much volume these guys could have before noon. Rusty was always on the quieter, cooler side of talkative - but especially so in the morning. He would pad around softly, making two cups of coffee, smoking a cigarette in the sun, looking back over blueprints at the dining table. Danny was always extra careful to be just as silent so that he could watch Rusty during these hushed hours. His particular favorite was to watch him on the balcony, assuming they had one where they were staying. Watch him lean against the railing on the palms of his hands, his t-shirt stretched across the span of his back, taking slow, steady drags of his cigarette, his blonde hair still mussed from sleep. Eventually, Danny would take faux-heavy steps as he emerged from the hallway "for the first time." Then, after a few moments, Rusty would join him and slide him his cup of coffee, smelling of smoke and spring and perfection.
As if Danny thinking about him so much had burned a hole in his subconscious, Rusty surfaced from his room and ambled into the kitchen.
"Hey, Rusty, good morning!" Frank greeted from his spot on the couch, raising his glass. The surrounding guys all let out their various ovations of hello.
Rusty grinned. " 'Morning, everybody," he said, leaning down to open the door of the mini fridge, where Danny was remembering he had put a burrito the night before.
"Good thing you're here, mate," Basher smirked, looking over at Danny, "I was worryin' that Danny was going to explode Virgil and Turk's heads with his mind."
The twins glanced around sheepishly, to their credit. Rusty just smiled, looking down to unwrap his burrito. He looked impossibly handsome for someone who still had bedhead and a pillow crease dipping below his chin. "No need to fear, the caffeine just hasn't hit yet."
Danny, beside himself, felt the corner of his mouth curl. It was almost embarrassing how easily Rusty could dissipate any off mood Danny was in. In his defense, Rusty's eyes were impossibly blue as they connected with Danny's, the suddenly-soft light from the curtains warming his hair and outlining his face and shoulders.
Now, Danny couldn't possibly imagine why'd he'd ever been annoyed at the color.