Triangle
by Jargonelle
Pairings: Stacie/Mickey, Stacie/Danny, Mickey/Danny (ie. implied het and slash)
Summary: Stacie remembers when it used to be all about her.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hustle.
-----Stacie remembers when it used to be all about her.
She remembers Mickey looking like he would rip the balls off any guy who so much as smiled at her. She remembers being the recipient of his fierce, hypnotic gaze and feeling her breath catch in her throat as he touched a hand to her cheek, to her mouth, through her hair. She remembers it being all right to be strong and also to be weak in his arms; for someone who spent most of her life working her 'feminine wiles', she was expected to be one of the guys the rest of the time. She remembers how Mickey could be such a gentleman, yet still be full of passion, full of wit, full of life.
She remembers Danny and his laddish smile, fighting Mickey for her even though she wasn't a prize to be won. Playing the part of the older, experienced woman, whilst he joked and reached for her arse every time he could, as if he hadn't yet grown up into a man. It was irritating and disgusting and flattering all at the same time, and she had smirked and played along, saying 'no' when she could have been saying 'yes'. The novelty soon wore off, as he ran out of lines and kept reusing the same semi-offensive material, but he was still good for a laugh though, always up for a little flirtation when she was feeling down.
She doesn't remember when it changed, but it has done.
Danny continues to play, but with her it's just a game and with Mickey, it's serious. Danny wants to impress Mickey, they all do, but it burns Danny with a fire he can't hide any longer. It's not in him to be smooth, not the way Mickey is; Danny's flash and he's a rogue and he's rough edges mixed with surprisingly sensitive soft spots. Danny can't hide what he wants from Mickey, the need for approval... for something more... it's all written, plain as day, in his eyes and his clenched fists. What Mickey wants is anyone's guess - Stacie sure as hell doesn't think Mickey knows.
Stacie wonders though, if it somehow all comes back to her in the end.
Sometimes she watches Danny and Mickey and wants them both, yearns for them in a way she'd thought almost insensible. They know this, she's sure of it, and sometimes she wonders if that's all that keeps them from falling on top of each other.
She wouldn't stop them: she couldn't. They're stopping themselves and she can't figure out why.
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The End
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