�Sorry, so sorry,� he said, edging past a young woman in the crowd. He bumped into at least three people on the way to his seat in the stands. He always made a hurried apology and moved on, head bent down nervously. The people he brushed into never gave a second look at the bumbling young man but went back to whatever they were doing.

The young man sat down in his seat, leaning back and allowing himself to straighten his shoulders and posture to his normal height. He placed the newspaper with the half-completed crossword on the seat beside his own. If people were to look carefully enough, they would realize this young man had an almost smug smile on his lips, even though it was barely there. His mouth moved silently, chewing on a piece of gum.

�Multimillionaire and you go around pulling chump change?� said a quiet voice near his ear. The question sounded more like a statement. �Kid, I�m disappointed in you.�

Linus whirled around to see someone standing in the row of seats behind him, watching him with a bemused smile and eating nachos. �Rusty?� he said. �What are you doing here?�

Rusty Ryan looked very different from Linus, at least at first glance. Where Linus was calculatedly nerdy and uncertain in his movements and appearance, Rusty was confident and� slick. That was the best word to describe Rusty. The young man had an aura of cocky certainty, from the smooth lapel of his suit right down to the way he leaned against the back of the stadium seat as if he owned the place. His spiky hair was a slick blonde-brown color and his aviator sunglasses were slick too.

But, if someone were to look closer� Rusty and Linus were not so different after all. Something in their eyes� something about their guarded expressions spoke more than physical appearances or clothes ever could.

At Linus� question, Rusty just smiled again and silently offered him a nacho. When Linus shook his head to refuse, Rusty leapt over the back of a seat and sat down next to Linus, removing the newspaper. �Came to watch a game,� he said.

�Really.� Linus couldn�t help being a little skeptical. After pulling off that huge job six months ago, Linus had neither seen nor heard from any of the other people in Daniel Ocean�s group. Every single person became fourteen million dollars richer after that job and contacting each other would be too risky. Linus honestly expected to see none of them ever again, but here was Rusty, sitting next to him and munching on soggy nachos as if he hadn�t just appeared from out of nowhere.

�Yep. Heard the Cubs suck this season though, so maybe I�m not getting my money�s worth,� said Rusty. He scraped some orange cheese-like substance from the plate with a chip. �So, tell me you didn�t blow all your money in five months. Stealing from innocent baseball fans isn�t your style.�

�I� I wasn�t�� Linus started to speak but Rusty waved a nacho at him to be quiet.

Rusty smiled, even though he didn�t turn his head to look at Linus. His voice was quiet and deep, like it always was. �Don�t fake the innocence, kid. You know, I know, it�s just an act. I�ve been watching you since you got off the train. If you don�t have at least six wallets in that jacket of yours, I must be seeing things. You�re a fast pull, but my eyes are pretty fast too,� he said. He turned then, glancing for a moment at Linus.

Linus sighed, slumping back in his seat a little. �I�m bored, okay?� he said. �I�ve got nothing to do. Sure, I�ve got a nice house, all the stuff I want -- I�m set for life. But there�s no more� there�s nothing. I�m bored out of my mind. I need� something.�

�Yep,� said Rusty, still smiling. He crumpled the empty paper plate in one hand, leaning back in his seat to watch the game, which had just started. �I know. I do, too. Why do you think I�m in Chicago, watching a Cubs game?�

Not turning to look at Rusty, Linus let himself smile a little. �To see me?�

�Don�t flatter yourself, kid.�

* * *

As they exited the baseball stadium a few hours later, they headed toward the parking lot and Linus wondered if Rusty got his name from the kind of cars he drove.

During the game, neither of them talked very much about anything important, only commenting on the game or making fun of certain players when they messed up. Somehow Linus found himself following Rusty out of the stadium even though the other man had said nothing about doing anything together afterwards. Rusty had a way of letting people know things without actually saying anything, so Linus found himself sitting shotgun in Rusty�s beat-up car even though he had no idea where they were heading.

�You complain about me about stealing and you�re still driving around this piece of junk?� asked Linus. He winced a little when the seat creaked ominously beneath him. �What about your money?�

Rusty sighed, as if he had heard this many times before. He shook his head, starting up the engine. �Blew it all on the suit,� he said, with a small smile.

The lights of the Chicago streets whizzed by them in a multicolored blur. The sun had set while they were at the game and the city was only beginning to come alive. Linus looked out his window instead of at the man sitting next to him. He didn�t feel all too worried; Rusty would eventually tell him where they were going. Even though he was a thief and a con artist -- so was Linus. Sometimes, Linus found that those types of people were the only ones he could trust.

�So, did I tell you Danny got out?� asked Rusty after a moment.

Linus looked at Rusty, who was watching the road, with one hand on the wheel and the other tapping idly at the gear shift. �That�s good,� he said. �Him and Tess�?� Linus let the question hang.

�Happy as two lovebirds could ever be.�

With a nod, Linus added, �They gonna�?�

Before he could finish the sentence, Rusty nodded. �Yep, in a few months,� he said. �Although, I don�t see what the point is. Making it legal could just make trouble.�

For a moment, all Linus could hear was the exhalation of his own breath and the hum of the car�s engine and air conditioning. The radio was broken, otherwise Rusty would have probably turned it on. When he couldn�t stand the silence any longer, Linus asked, �So were are we going?�

A slow smile accompanied Rusty�s reply. �Up for a game of poker?�

* * *

The Night Owl. The dingy, dirty nightclub in the seedier area of the city was a common hangout for the young adult crowd. People in their twenties, looking to get as drunk as possible and to have as good a time as possible in that condition. Linus had been to the Night Owl many times, although admittedly he usually didn�t bother to drink. He also usually left the club with his pockets a little fuller than when he went in.

As Rusty parked his car and they both climbed out silently, he caught Linus� eye and eyebrow quirked quickly, just a little. He had taken off his sunglasses now that night had fallen and Linus caught himself thinking that Rusty had nice eyes.

Without another word, the pair entered the nightclub, only to be hit immediately with a wave of thumping music and smoke so thick that it was like being hit with a wall. That was how the nightclub usually was -- people packed in everywhere -- dancing, drinking and doing who knows what else. Linus had to blink a little to adjust his eyes to the dim lighting, in time to see Rusty lean in close to him.

�Wanna go get some drinks?� asked Rusty, practically shouting to be heard over the din of the club.

�Sure,� said Linus, equally as loudly. �What do you want?�

�Whatever,� said Rusty. �Scotch. Meet you over there,� he added, nodding his head to an empty table in the corner of the club.

After ordering a two scotches, Linus maneuvered his way in the club with drinks in hand to find Rusty already sitting at the table, with three others: two girls and a guy. Rusty was talking animatedly over the noise of the club, smiling and already passing out cards. Linus sat down in the empty seat opposite Rusty, putting the drinks down.

�They�re joining in on the game,� said Rusty as he finished dealing. He reached over the table to get his drink, leaning back in his chair and sipping the scotch casually. �I said I�d teach them how to play poker. Oh, I�m sorry, I didn�t catch your names,� he said to the other three players.

Linus knew it didn�t really matter what their names were, as long as they had money. And knowing Rusty, they probably did. How the man had managed to find them so quickly was what amazed Linus. Watching Linus over the rim of his glass, Rusty�s sparkling eyes held deep amusement and Linus couldn�t help smiling himself as he picked up his hand of cards.

* * *

Some hours later, the two men left the Night Owl and were climbing into Rusty�s car once again. Linus admitted that getting money this way was more profitable in the long run, but pick pocketing was what he was good at and he liked doing it. When he told Rusty this, Rusty simply smiled, shrugging a little.

�Whatever makes you happy,� he said.

Linus picked at the torn leather of the car�s interior. �What have you been doing these past months?�

�Not much,� said Rusty. �This and that. Traveling, buying stuff. You know, now that I have all the money I want I find I have nothing to do with it.�

�I know what you mean,� said Linus. His father had called him up after Danny�s heist, congratulating him on helping to pull off the biggest job ever -- robbing a Las Vegas casino. Actually, his father hadn�t said it in those exact words -- phone lines were about as public as putting your conversation up on a billboard -- but he was proud.

Linus wondered if he hadn�t accepted Danny�s job offer to prove to himself that he could do it� and to make his father proud of him. Keep the Caldwell name high among the best thieves in the world. Well� maybe he had. So now, having all that money didn�t mean much except that Linus knew he�ll never be hungry again. Still, something was missing.

As Rusty took a turn down a familiar road, Linus sat up a little straighter, suspicious. �Where are we going now?� he asked.

�Your place.�

�My� place?� repeated Linus.

With a glance over at him, Rusty asked, �Is that a problem?�

�No� it�s just that�� Linus began speaking, but stopped and paused. �Are you on the run?�

The other thief laughed a little bit. �Would it really matter?� Rusty asked.

Pausing again for a moment, Linus smiled wryly. �No,� he said, and went back to watching the streak of Chicago nightlife outside his window.

* * *

Rusty drove up Linus� driveway slowly, peeking his head out of his open window and nodding approvingly. �Nice,� he said.

After getting his money, Linus didn�t bother buying a mansion or anything. His father already had one and Linus always felt like that place was depressingly lonely. All the marble columns and richly furnished rooms were nice, but they were also cold and empty. Linus instead bought one of those old, luxurious brick houses. The place was warm and better than any mansion could ever be. Except, in a way, the place still didn�t feel like home.

�How�d you know the way to my house if you�ve never seen it?� asked Linus as they headed up the front steps.

�I do my research,� said Rusty.

Sticking his key into the lock, Linus stopped and turned around, facing his friend. Since he was on the top step and Rusty was one beneath, they were actually the same height for once. Normally, Rusty was a little taller, but now Linus had the full impact of those merry eyes meeting his. �Wanna stay the night?� Linus blurted out.

�Don�t have a girl waiting for you in there?� asked Rusty. His tone was sardonic but he shoved his hands into his pockets. Rusty was the most calm, unflappable person Linus had ever met. That uncertain movement of Rusty�s hands was so uncharacteristic that Linus wondered what that meant. He wondered if Rusty did that consciously, putting on some sort of act, or if Rusty even noticed that he had done it.

Then Linus wondered if maybe he was thinking too much.

�No,� Linus said. He laughed a little as he opened the door. �Just me. C�mon. Don�t drive off without getting some sleep at least.�

Rusty smiled. �Okay,� he said, stepping inside. �Got anything to eat though?�

* * *

Linus was sitting in his living room, reading a book, and the large flat-screen television was flipped off. He didn�t know why he had even bothered to buy a television -- for appearance�s sake, mostly, so he could say that he had one. Linus didn�t like watching television much. He preferred to read. Which was what he was doing now, feet propped up on the couch�s armrest and book resting on his stomach. Linus focused on the words in front of him, refusing to think about how oddly comfortable it felt to have someone else in the house besides himself for once.

He could hear Rusty moving around in the kitchen, which a little ways away from the living room in the large house, but close enough to hear what was going on in there. The refrigerator door slammed open and close. Linus could hear the telltale clink of condiment bottles.

Why did he let Rusty stay the night? On some crazy whim. He didn�t understand why he did. Linus didn�t even think they counted as friends; they were acquaintances, surely. Accomplices in a big crime. Linus had never pulled a big job like that, with other people working with him and depending on him� They had become a sort of makeshift family, for a little while there. Him and Rusty and the other nine people in Danny�s group. It was kind of strange, especially since Linus had never done that sort of thing before. He and Rusty had gone through hell and back together� but did that make them friends?

Now with Rusty humming softly in Linus� kitchen� if none of the past had made them friends, somehow this definitely did.

Still absorbed in his own thoughts, Linus didn�t notice Rusty enter the living room until the other man had pushed his feet off of the couch and sat down next to him. Linus didn�t bother to straighten himself and instead lay at an angle on the couch, upper body spread out on two cushions and feet on the floor. He put his book facedown on his stomach and looked to see Rusty offer half of a sandwich to him.

Linus shook his head, watching Rusty shrug and take a bite. �How can you eat so much?� he asked. It seemed to him that whenever he saw Rusty, the man was always eating something, but Rusty was also always lean and healthy-looking.

�Fast metabolism,� said Rusty around a full mouth. �Low blood sugar level. Something like that. Why are you always chewing gum?�

�I am not�� said Linus. Then he realized the piece of spearmint gum he was chewing on. Linus hated to admit it, but he probably didn�t notice it before because he was so used to having gum in his mouth. In rebellion, he took a tissue from the coffee table and spit the gum out.

Rusty nodded, grinning. �Yep, see,� he said. He took another bite of his sandwich. �You have this house all to yourself?�

Linus shrugged. �Yeah, well� there�s no one else to share it with. My dad�s got his own place and everything,� he said. �Don�t you have a big place?�

�I guess, but it doesn�t seem like it,� said Rusty. �My mom and her family live there and sometimes it�s so noisy I�ve gotta get away.�

�That�s why you came out here? You�re not on the run?�

Dusting the crumbs off of his hands, Rusty said, �I�m not on the run, kid. That�s not why I came out here though,� he said. Rusty looked kind of like he always looked when he was watching something interesting. His eyes would be open and clear, absorbing what he saw silently. Sometimes, like when he was watching television, Rusty would rest his head in the crook of his arms as he did so, leaning forward on a table or whatever, and Linus would have never admitted it before but he thought that it was kind of cute.

Somehow Linus knew that Rusty would never lie to him, not directly anyway. So if he said he wasn�t on the run, then Linus believed him. �That�s good to know,� said Linus slowly.

�Can I ask you something?� said Rusty suddenly. He had finished with his sandwich.

Taken aback, Linus nodded.

�Why do you wear those terrible glasses?� he asked. Rusty surprised Linus even more by laughing a little and reaching over to remove Linus� glasses. Their bodies lay at an odd angle, with Rusty�s lean form stretched over Linus. He waved the thick glasses a little disapprovingly in his hand, right over Linus� nose. �Don�t tell me you need them �cause I know you don�t. What you really need is some style,� he said, still smiling. His warm breath ghosted over Linus� lips.

Suddenly, Linus was having trouble breathing correctly. �It�s a good disguise,� he finally managed to say.

�They hide your eyes,� said Rusty. �You have nice eyes.�

Linus thought that maybe he could say the same thing about Rusty.

Rusty�s hand slowly put the glasses down on the couch�s armrest, but his eyes still watched Linus. For a moment, neither of them moved, still positioned awkwardly on top of one another.

�Can I ask you something now?� asked Linus. His heart was thudding in his chest and he didn�t know why because this was Rusty and they� and� he� That�s exactly why your heart is beating so hard, a part of Linus� mind thought.

�Yeah,� said Rusty. His answer was barely there, an exhalation of soft air, and he seemed to be thinking about something else. His eyes were staring at Linus� mouth.

When Linus realized that, his heart only skipped harder in his chest. �Are� we friends?� he whispered.

Rusty looked up then, into Linus� eyes. His smile was gentle, not amused or mocking for once. For once, the guarded expression left his pretty eyes and he looked� exposed and open� and Linus couldn�t really think anymore.

�Yeah,� said Rusty, voice soft, and leaned forward to kiss him.

* * *

�We shouldn�t be doing this,� said Linus against Rusty�s lips. Rusty�s sweet, warm, soft lips. His kisses tasted like alcohol and sweetness. Their breathing was harsh and ragged, panting into each other, and Linus thought he was starting to feel dizzy. His hands ran down the sides of Rusty�s lean torso, making the other man growl and tilt his head back.

�Then stop touching me, kid,� said Rusty. He sighed contently as Linus� tongue made its way down his neck.

Linus kissed the bob of the Adam�s apple. �Not a kid,� he said. He sucked on smooth skin near a Rusty�s collarbone. �Name�s Linus.�

�I know,� said Rusty, groaning.

Before licking down that smooth chest, Linus stopped and whispered, �You came here to see me, didn�t you?�

In a breathless gasp, Rusty managed a smile and said, �Yes.�

* * *

Linus was gasping and moaning, back arching. His face was hot, and it got hotter when he caught a glimpse of the way Rusty was just watching him with this focused intensity. As it was, it was hard to concentrate on anything at all.

�Rusty� please,� said Linus.

Rusty moaned and closed his eyes, and Linus shuddered.

* * *

When Linus woke up in the morning, the sun was peeking through the curtains of large windows in his living room. He was lying on the couch and Rusty lay on top of him, sleeping. His body was a warm weight that wasn�t heavy at all.

Linus exhaled slowly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, and idly ran his hands over the smooth curves and bumps along Rusty�s muscled back. The naked, silken slip of skin against skin was terribly comforting and erotic, all in the same moment.

Rusty murmured something incoherent and his arms wrapped a little tighter around Linus� waist, pulling them closer together until his cheek was pressed against Linus� collarbone. Even though he was a some years older than Linus, his expression was surprisingly innocent and young.

Linus smiled.

Still stroking Rusty�s back, Linus closed his eyes. He went back to sleep, thinking that� now, maybe he had all that he could ever need.