Black Leather

*A/N* See, that's what I meant when I said short ;) This takes place a while after the movie. Enjoy!

"Are you deliberately dressing like a dominatrix, Henley?"

A strained silence hung in the air after Merritt's words, Jack gaping at the mentalist, Henley looking down herself with a frown and Daniel amusedly observing the scene from behind his novel.

The escape artist wore immensely high heels, a short leather skirt, matching jacket, her inevitable fingerless leather gloves, her long hair pinned up in a tight bun and bloody red nail polish. He couldn't deny Merritt had a point.

"Well, I thought you of all people would appreciate a touch of that, Merritt," she said after a second and grinned at the oldest horseman.

"You didn't hear me complain," he replied with a dirty smile. "I was just pointing it out."

He eyed Henley very slowly from head to foot and that smile widened a little more. "I can't really imagine Danny-boy getting off on that, though."

Henley shot the mentalist a pointed look and turned towards the mirror.

Jack threw Daniel a slightly worried glance, probably scared he would resort to physical violence again.

Danny suppressed a laugh. If he'd known how much fun he was going to have with Jack afterwards, he would have let his jealousy get the better of him years ago. His hand still hurt a little, though - he wasn't exactly adept at punching people (although he'd given Merritt a fairly satisfying nosebleed). He usually solved his conflicts verbally, mostly because he knew he was probably not the most intimidating person on the planet when it came to fighting. But sometimes, it was impossible to reason with the mentalist, especially when they were both slightly drunk and Merritt taking hitting on Henley for fun at least ten steps too far.

Even though the aftermath of his outburst (his only one to date, he deserved a medal for his composure) had included a lot of cursing and whining on both sides, he didn't really have the impression Merritt was mad about it. He almost seemed a little proud, having finally managed to get Danny this far.

But Jack was jumpy around them ever since, which Daniel and Merritt both found absolutely hilarious.

"I think it's the skirt," Merritt decided finally, seizing the opportunity to take a good look on her backside.

"No, I think the jacket's too much," Jack argued, contemplating Henley's outfit, too.

"Everybody wears leather jackets, there's nothing wrong with the jacket. The skirt's got that dominatrix touch."

"I don't think it's the skirt," Henley said, looking at herself critically in the mirror.

"Maybe the gloves?" Jack suggested tentatively, but recoiled at the look she gave him.

Henley would not loose the gloves for anything.

Putting his book down slowly, Daniel let his eyes wander over her very deliberately, not even trying to hide his suggestive smirk. He knew he was the only one whom she'd let get away with this and he absolutely felt like making the most of that advantage.

She caught his eyes and the hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Merritt raised an eyebrow and shook his head in disbelief, which was what he always did whenever the two magicians displayed the slightest hint of mutual affection in front of him (usually accompanied by a comment along the lines of "what the hell do you want with him, sweetheart?", but apparently today he felt like being subtle).

"It's the shoes," Daniel said decidedly. "Definitely the shoes."

"Well, I'll wear them anyway."

"Didn't say you shouldn't," he muttered, still grinning, and returned to his book.

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