"Margaery, stop it."
"C'mon! Someone has to be at least a bit excited, and if you're not going to be, then I have to do the work. Oh, what about a sunset cruise around Blackwater Bay with dinner?"
For a second, Brienne tried to picture she and Jaime in a dining hall on one of those overly expensive ships, the sun setting behind a window which covered a whole wall. Jaime wore a dark suit – without a tie, and the first buttons of his shirt were open – and he looked absolutely stunning, an easy smile on his lips, making one joke after the other. Brienne … didn't look quite so good. In her head, she looked even more out of place than ever, in an ill-fitting dress and a ridiculous hairstyle, too nervous and uncomfortable to say anything or even swallow a single bite. It would be terrible. Besides, she knew that Jaime wouldn't like something like that. Ever since he had the big fight with his father and sister, he avoided anything too Lannister.
Quickly, she shook her head. "I don't think so."
"You're spoiling all the fun," Margaery sighed, but kept her eyes on the screen. Half an hour ago, she had started to look up date ideas on Pinterest. That had been a mistake. It was unbelievable how creative some people were. Brienne had heard the most romantic, cheesiest, corniest and utterly ridiculous ideas in her whole life. A part of her wanted all of those ideas – and the other part knew that she would either look way too awkward, or that Jaime would hate all of it.
"I am not. It's just not …" Brienne stopped to find the right words. Extraordinary enough? Fun enough? Relaxed enough? Embarrassing enough? None of those words seemed to fit. "It's just not Jaime-ish."
"I don't know. It sounds exactly like something a Lannister would do. Probably booking the whole cruise for it, too."
"I said Jaime-ish, not Lannister-ish." Margaery was right. His family would have loved the idea. Cersei would have demanded nothing less than the best, just like their father, Tywin. Tyrion's intention might be a bit more romantic, like showing his date how much she meant to him by booking a whole cruise. But Jaime wasn't like that.
"Maybe you're right," she said and shrugged, before starting to scroll again, and thus forgetting that Brienne was even in the room.
Brienne stopped pacing around and sat down, trying to calm her racing heart. Margaery had – once again – taken over the job of styling her hair and doing her make-up. It was more subtle than it had been on Hyle's date, though her clothes were pretty similar. Apparently Jaime had talked to Margaery – but maybe she just made that up, Brienne could never tell when she was joking about a make over –, saying that she needed to wear something comfortable. Nevertheless Brienne thought that this was all unnecessary. Jaime had made a joke, nothing more.
How could he seriously want to go on a date with her?
Brienne couldn't even decide which part of her body hurt most. Maybe it were her ribs. Zollo had gotten the chance to hit her before she could handcuff him. Maybe her head. She had hit it against the ground as she tackled the Goat. Then there was her ankle, her hand, and so much more … even the tip of her nose seemed to hurt! However, she hardly cared about any of it. Pride and satisfaction made her feel like she was flying, completely forgetting her pain.
They had finally caught the Bloody Mummers. After all those months, they got them.
It had been the worst chaos Brienne had ever seen. The Bloody Mummers didn't go down without a fight. Instead they wanted to take everyone down with them. It had been quick, but brutal. Bronn had been shot in the shoulder, and Jaime had insisted that Brienne goes to the hospital for a check-up right away. Her only condition had been that he would get a check-up, too. He held his arm in an awkward angle, there was a rather deep cut on his face, and he hissed every time he leaned over.
The ER of the Citadel, King's Landing's biggest and best hospital, was crowded, and neither their cop status nor Jaime's last name could get them the next free spot. Especially not with the woman who had a knife stabbed through her hand, or the man who had had an accident with a chainsaw.
"Who would use a chainsaw at night?" Jaime asked under his breath, but Brienne just hit him in the ribs. They spent the next three hours waiting until they were called to see Dr Pycelle.
It turned out that neither of them was hurt too seriously, and they should just take it slow for the next few days. They got a few painkillers – just in case –, and Jaime got a bandage on his cut, before they left to get back to the station. No doubt someone would have already started to question the Mummers, and neither of them wanted to miss another second of it.
They were both disappointed when their superior, Captain Barristan Selmy, told them they weren't allowed to question them since they hadn't been an official part of the operation. Loras Tyrell would take over that job – Bronn was still in the hospital after surgery to remove the bullet – together with Captain Brynden Tully, also called the Blackfish, who would arrive in the morning from Riverrun. The Bloody Mummers had terrorized the Riverlands for a long time, and the Blackfish had sworn to bring them down.
Before Jaime could start to curse or scream at their boss, Brienne quickly shut him up with a pointed glare. Captain Selmy just gave them a funny – or maybe annoyed – look, before allowing them to watch the questioning from the surveillance room.
They settled down, watching Loras, who did well, but Jaime was way too jealous to admit it, and Brienne was too tired to argue. After half an hour, she got a call from her father. At once she felt guilty, and quickly stepped outside to take the call. Like she expected, Selwyn Tarth was freaking out. Apparently the news channels had already caught up with what had happened in King's Landing, and showed some footage. Brienne couldn't remember seeing any reporters around the crime scene, but then she had been in such a rush that she had barely noticed anything other than the Bloody Mummers.
It took her quite a while to assure her father that, yes, she was fine, and, yes, she had been in the hospital, no, she wasn't seriously hurt. Yes, she was very happy that they finally caught them. No, she didn't know what would happen yet. Yes, she was really fine. As he told her how proud he was of his little girl, Brienne felt like crying.
It took him one question to make her go from feeling happy and proud to embarrassed and somewhat annoyed. Of course he would ask about her date with Hyle. Stuttering she told him almost the truth: she got a call and had to leave. She just left out that Jaime was there as well. As he asked if they would go out again, she said she didn't know yet, and ended the call quickly. Brienne still hadn't had the heart to tell her father the whole truth about Hyle. Knowing him, he would probably react similarly to Jaime, and offer to punch him in the face.
On a second thought, maybe she should tell him the truth.
When Brienne returned to the surveillance room, she brought some coffee for Jaime and herself. It was pretty late, and slowly the fatigue started to creep into her bones. Jaime was the only one in the room, still looking pretty grumpy. A quick glance through the window told Brienne that Loras hadn't had any success yet.
"I would have gotten a confession from him ages ago," Jaime said without looking at her.
"I know." From experiences she knew that it was sometimes best to just agree with him. And it wasn't like he was wrong. Loras was good, but Jaime was better. "Here." She handed him his usual cup and sat down next to him.
"I thought we agreed on talking about setting a date for our coffee after tonight," he said casually as he took a sip of coffee. Brienne almost choked on hers. "See how it all works out and that stuff, wasn't that what you said? No need to rush it."
"What?" she stuttered, her face bright red and her hands sweaty.
"The coffee," Jaime said, like it was the most obvious thing. "You were the one who said we should set the date after we know how the things turned out."
Totally speechless, Brienne watched him taking another sip. She couldn't read the impression he wore, and she had no idea if he was joking or not. Back in the car – and it seemed an eternity ago – she had just gave him the quickest answer with the most options. She thought she could think it through at a later point.
Apparently she had missed that point.
Jaime still gave no hint if was being serious or not. A part of her thought it had just been the worked up testosterone in him. Maybe he needed to prove a point by asking Brienne out after she ditched some other guy. Was that a guy thing? Or did he have some other motives?
Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Jaime cocked his head to the side and smiled a knowing smile. Then again he always said he could read her like an open book. "Or do you fear I might change my mind? Don't worry about that."
"What?" Brienne just echoed again.
"What's not to understand about that? Or did you hit your head harder than you thought? Should we go back to the hospital?" For a second, he looked pretty concerned, but Brienne quickly shook her head.
"No, I just mean - … I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about our date."
"Our date?"
"I asked you about coffee, back in the car. You said yes, but also said we should decide on a date after we dealt with the Mummers business. Then you turned up with the coffee." To emphasize it, he almost shoved his mug up her nose. "So, does that mean you want to have the date right now?"
"I didn't mean to - … I mean, I -" Her skin felt like it was on fire, and she was certain that this was the worst blush she had ever had.
"Gods, Giant," Jaime sighed, but he seemed more amused than annoyed. "It was a joke. No need to take it that seriously."
As Brienne exhaled – and she hadn't even noticed that she had been holding her breath – she had to confess that a part of her was pretty disappointed. Of course it had been a joke. How could someone like Jaime want to go out with her? That would never happen. It was basically one of those unwritten rules. Why did she get her hopes up? Why did she let her heart beat so quickly? That had been stupid. However the other part of her wished it hadn't been a joke.
"But since we're already talking about it," Jaime's voice brought Brienne back to reality, and slowly he moved his gaze from Loras to her. "When are you free?"
"What?"
"Seriously, is that some kind of joke or prank, or did you really hit your head too hard?" Now he definitely looked annoyed. "I asked when you have some spare time."
"Why?"
"For our date." He didn't need to say duh, but somehow he managed to pull an expression that just said the same.
"You just said it was a joke."
"Sometimes you're really trying your best to be as stupid as you look, don't you?" Before Brienne could even form a reply to his insult, Jaime set down his cup and turned around to her, before taking her cup and sat it next to his. Loras and the Goat seemed to be forgotten, and Brienne found Jaime's gaze too intense to feel comfortable. Yet she couldn't look away either. "The we-are-having-the-date-now-thing was a joke. Not my actual offer."
"Wha-"
"Don't you dare to finish that word." Quickly, Brienne shut her mouth again. For a second Jaime just looked at her before he took a deep breath and continued. "I don't know what's going on in your head, but let me make this clear: I want to go on a date with you. Whether it is to get some coffee or do something else, I don't care."
"But why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to go out with me?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
No, it wasn't. At least not to her. She had had experiences with guys who wanted to date her, and they had turned out badly. And now Jaime had asked her out. Jaime, who looked like he deserved a beautiful, delicate wife who had a successful career while taking care of two talented, cute children, cooking an entire five course meal, and cleaning the house without even breaking a sweat. Not someone who looked hideous in anything designed for women. Not someone who blushed as soon as you started talking to her. Not someone who was taller and bigger than Jaime. Simply not her.
There was no doubt that Brienne was attracted to Jaime. She had been from the start, and, honestly, how could you not be? He was gorgeous. After she learned to look past his sharp tongue and his bad reputation to see the man that he really was, her simple attraction to him turned into something much, much stronger. Though she tried to deny it – and still was – that didn't let the feelings disappear.
"You don't think I'm serious." Brienne snapped out of her thoughts to look at him. It surprised her that he looked hurt. It hadn't been a question, so she offered no answer. Jaime opened his mouth to say something, but stopped to think about it again. Brienne had to fight the urge to just flee out of the room.
She knew Jaime was nothing like Hyle and the other guys who made the bet about her, and it really hurt her that he obviously knew that she even considered that he would do something like that. But there was still that voice, whispering into her ear that no man would seriously be attracted to her in any way. She was too ugly, too freakish. If she couldn't pretend it was a joke, then she couldn't protect her heart to not get hurt again.
Brienne had expected Jaime to get angry, and to tell her exactly why he wasn't like the guys back in Highgarden. However, he didn't say a long monologue. Instead he leaned back into the chair and crossed his arms. "Alright. Let me prove it."
"You want to prove what?" she asked, after he didn't explain anything else.
"Let me prove that I am serious. I'm nothing like Hunt or those other assholes, and I could give you a million reasons. But I know that some part of you will still doubt me, because you tell me often enough how much shit I talk." He grinned and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. Not that he was lying, she did tell him at least twice a day. "So I will prove it to you. Deeds are better than words."
"Jaime," Brienne sighed, not quite sure if she could find the right words. The idea of a date with him was so tempting, so enjoyable, almost too good to be true. But he was right: some part of her would still doubt him.
"Just one date," he said and it almost sounded like a plea. Or maybe a dare. "One date to give me a chance. And if you still think I'm not serious about it, then we can just pretend it never happened."
She pretty much doubted that she would be able to forget it, but what other options did she have? Jaime had set his mind on this and if he was determined to do something, he would do it.
Brienne nodded shortly, and Jaime showed her one of those smiles that could power a whole city for a night. Of course it made her blush. Very pleased with himself, he took his cup of coffee again and took a sip of the almost-cold drink.
A cushion hit Brienne in the face. "Stop worrying," Margaery said from behind her screen. She didn't even look up, instead continuing her search. "You're overthinking it."
"I am not," Brienne said, but she knew it was a lie. Margaery just snorted. "And can you please stop looking up dates? It's making me nervous."
"You're making yourself nervous."
"That doesn't even make sense."
"Sure it does. Oh look, going stargazing! That's romantic." It was romantic, and Brienne knew it was actually something she and Jaime would both enjoy.
Back in the Riverlands, where the stars seemed to be so much brighter, he had told her that he knew some constellations. Apparently Tyrion had been obsessed with the space, planets and stars, and Jaime had listened to his ramblings since no one else had. He even convinced his father to buy Tyrion a telescope for his nameday. Some of that knowledge was stuck in his brain. It wasn't like Brienne knew nothing about stars. Growing up on an island, her father had taken her out on a boat often enough, even for some overnight trips, and taught her to use the stars to navigate. Not that she would actually ever need to do that, but it was fun to learn.
But it didn't matter that they would both enjoy it. Stargazing wasn't an option.
"It's too early for that," Brienne said. It wouldn't be dark before half past nine, and Jaime told he would pick her up at three. They still had about twenty minutes left.
"Maybe he planned a couple of things. You could do it later."
"It won't be that long."
"And how would you know that?" This time Margaery did look up. Brienne just shrugged because she didn't want to admit that she still thought it had be some kind of joke. But her best friend seemed to know what was going on in her head. Or maybe she really was as easy to read as Jaime always told her. "Brienne, sweety, if a guy asks you out, it usually means that he likes you."
"Or it could be a joke."
"But Jaime isn't one to pull that kind of joke. You know he wouldn't. So, obviously, the only option is that he likes you. And this is the end of this stupid discussion, you're killing the mood." Brienne just rolled her eyes. "What about baking together?"
"Jaime, let me do it."
"I am fully capable of doing that, Giant."
"You need two hands to do that."
"I have two hands."
"Just let me do it. You will do something wrong."
"I will not do- … Oops. That shouldn't happen"
"Lannister …"
"You know how I can tell you're really angry? You haven't called me Lannister in ages."
"I am going to kill you."
"Now that would put a shadow over this lovely day, wouldn't it?"
"Look at my clothes!"
"You just need to clean them, and they will be as good as new. Best thing would be to do it right now. I can take them off for you."
"Total disaster," she said, and stopped her imagination before it could go any further. She wasn't sure if she could deal with that while Margaery was in the room. This time she didn't seem to pay attention though.
"I can't wait to plan your wedding," she muttered with a grin on her face. "There are so many great ideas."
"There won't be a wedding. And you should really stop spending so much time on that website. It can't be good for you."
"I'll ask you about the wedding again tomorrow. And don't act like you hated every idea. I know that you liked some."
Yes, there had been some that did sound like a lot of fun. Mostly those that Margaery thought were not suitable for a first date. Laser tag, paint ball and going to a shooting range sounded great, but Brienne doubt that Jaime would do it while he still had troubles with his hand. Her best friend had rolled her eyes and muttered like children at that. Watching a movie – preferably the new action movie Mother Of Dragons – or going to the museum to have a look at the Dothraki Weaponry Exhibition were too ordinary in Margaery's eyes, even though Brienne disagreed. Before she looked things up on Pinterest, Margaery did a quick search about current events in King's Landing. There was a Monster Truck Show and even Greek Wrestling – though Brienne wasn't sure if Jaime was really into that – those were definitely not too ordinary in Brienne's eyes, but Margaery didn't even give her a chance to say anything about it and quickly closed the window. Going to an amusement park didn't sound too bad either, especially because the one near King's Landing was known to have some really good roller coasters, but Margaery just shook her head, and moved on to Pinterest.
"Dancing lessons?" she asked. "Maybe Salsa or Tango. That's always enjoyable with the right partner."
"No," Brienne said without missing a beat. She had two left feet when it came to dancing, and they would look funny because she was taller than him.
"Going to see a play?"
"And contrary to see a movie that's not too ordinary?" Margaery chose not to listen.
"Mountain biking?"
"Could be fun," she said. That didn't sound too bad, but there were no good paths around King's Landing. At least none she knew.
"Karaoke?"
"We already did that."
"You never told me!" Shocked Margaery looked at her best friend, who couldn't see why it was such a big deal. "When?"
"A couple of weeks ago." It had been a quite embarrassing evening. Again they somehow ended up drinking together and after her third beer Jaime had persuaded her into going to a karaoke bar because it would be so much fun. Brienne had no talent for singing at all, and she knew that. Despite knowing better, she agreed. In the end Jaime had coaxed her into singing three songs by herself – he sang five, and even though he didn't hit a single note, he got a lot of applause – and they sang two duets. It had been fun, but nevertheless embarrassing, and Brienne had no desire to repeat it any time soon.
"Game night?" Margaery asked after she finished pouting.
"Did that as well. Even worse than karaoke." Both of them were way too competitive for things like that. They started to scream at each other, both absolutely sure the other one was cheating.
"I don't know, this sounds pretty interesting. It's Twister." Margaery smirked, but Brienne couldn't see what was so funny about Twister.
"It wouldn't be the best idea. Especially not with his hand."
"Oh, I'm sure Jaime would be thrilled to play this version of Twister with you." Her smirk grew and Brienne started to feel uneasy. It was never good if Margaery smirked like that. "It's Naked Twister."
Before Brienne could even make an attempt to block any kind of images out of her brain, her head was filled with them. How they played it, and where it could end … If she thought she had blushed badly before, it was nothing compared with the blush she had right now. Every cell of her body was on fire, and her brain had shut down completely. She just couldn't stop thinking about it. Margaery laughed, obviously happy that she could embarrass her friend.
Luckily the doorbell rang, and Brienne jumped from her seat to open the door, gladly to have an excuse to get away from Margaery and the idea of Naked Twister.
In her rush – or shock –, she completely forgot to check the time or even remember the reason why they looked up all those ridiculous ideas. Clueless, she opened the door, and stared right into Jaime's handsome face. The Naked Twister images floated her in front of her face, and if it was possible for her to turn even redder, she did.
Jaime's gaze traveled up and down her body to inspect her outfit, and he nodded. "That'll do. Are you ready?"
Brienne couldn't answer him. What would happen if Jaime knew about Naked Twister? She wasn't sure if she would survive that game. However she wasn't even sure if she would mind playing it at all. But only if it was with him.
"Are you okay?" Jaime asked as Brienne didn't say anything. Quickly she shook her head to snap out of her shock.
"What?"
"Don't worry, she's fine," Margaery said, and appeared behind her in the hallway. "She's just a bit nervous." Brienne felt how Margaery put a small bag into her hand, and shoved her out of her own apartment. "Have fun you two!"
Jaime took Brienne's elbow and let her to his car, but Brienne turned around one last time. Margaery was still standing in the door, smirking and waving, and Brienne swore she mouthed with words Naked Twister before she closed the door.
No turning back now.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! josiepug (ao3) was my wonderful beta. All characters belong to GRRM. There is a photoset on my tumblr. The next chapter will be up next week or the week after. Cheers!