Work Text:
Clothes Make the Man
by Buffy
"I don't get it, why does Ash let him come crawling back time and again?"
Albert didn't respond to the venom in Stacie's tone. Seeing her ex-husband again had dug up old feelings, and despite the fact that she knew he hadn't changed, she was still having trouble letting go of him. He calmly took a sip of his brandy, "The relationship works for them."
Stacie shot him a look, "Danny cheats on Ash with Mickey over and over, and you think the relationship between Danny and Ash is a good thing?"
Albert sighed, resigned to explaining it out to her. "Humor an old man. When you get dressed up for a party, really dressed to the nines, how do you feel?"
Stacie was a bit taken aback, "It's nice, obviously. I feel fabulous, because I know I look utterly smashing. It's a bit of a power trip, seeing men's reactions to me."
"Then why don't you dress up like that every day?"
She laughed, "Because it's not practical. Those heels pinch and hurt. The hair and makeup take forever to get right, and you have to be careful to keep them looking perfect. And what's under the dress is not meant to be worn for more than a few hours."
"If it's so uncomfortable, why dress up at all?"
"Albie!" Stacie rolled her eyes, indulging her friend, "Because sometimes it's nice to do something different. To wear the fancy clothes that aren't very comfortable but that make me look like a goddess."
"Well, why should it be any different for Danny?" Albert leaned forward, gesturing towards where the others were talking to Eddie, "Danny and Mickey have never and will never be able to maintain a relationship. They end up constantly challenging each other, they fight. But Ash is comfortable with Danny, and vice versa." Albert held a hand up when Stacie would have said something, "Stacie, all three of them know it. Mickey knows that he's a fling, Ash knows that Danny will always come back, and Danny knows that both men accept him for exactly who and what he is. Be glad they've found their way into something so good for all of them." Albert patted Stacie's hand as he slipped out of the booth. He hoped she would find her balance again, soon, because he could read the signs. Mickey had a new mark in mind, and the way he was acting, it would be a doozy.
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