"So you like me the way I am, huh?"
"Yup"
"What if I don't like me the way I am? What if I want to change, just don't know how?"
"Then I'll still like you. There are many things that you can change about yourself, but you'll always be Jack"
"I don't really get it"
"Doesn't matter. So long as I see it that's all that matters. "Jack swats Miranda on the thigh. "Hey! That stings!"
"And you don't make any fucking sense. S'like talking to Solus all over again"
Miranda hums. "Really? So you wouldn't mind sitting on a park bench with Mordin, holding hands in what has got to be the most romantic setting on the citadel?"
The setting was indeed romantic. One of the hidden gems of the Silversun Strip. The Kahje Sunken Gardens featured ancient Asari architecture from the old meditation grounds, as well as the splendorous harmony pools from the spiritual reefs of the Hanar home world, filled with beautiful bioluminescent life. Soft hues of blue and red dance with the gentle movement of the water's surface, and from the bench overlooking the pools, Jack and Miranda have the whole place to themselves. On a stone bench, seated side by side, their only physical contact one's hand grasped in the other, they make a very picturesque tableau. Romantic indeed.
In the distance, the raucous sounds of the strip are barely an afterthought.
Jack rolls her eyes. "Har, har. How'd you even find out about this place? Cheesy make-out spots monthly?"
"Oh look I'm Jack!" Miranda teases, "I'm a badass biotic bitch and don't have a sensitive bone in my body! Hur, hur, hur! Don't pretend you don't love it. We just had a moment a while ago. You were crying and everything"
"Ugh. I cry in front of someone ONE time and this is what I get. And I don't sound like that!" She laughs; a gentle noise to fit the environment. Contentment drapes over her shoulders like the warmest cloak in existence.
On the balcony of Orae's Fabulous Art Detonation, after the two of them finally stopped hugging and calmed down, they meandered out of the art gallery and into the neon of the SIlversun Strip. Miranda didn't say much in particular, and Jack didn't exactly know what to do. Her first instinct was, of course, to go home and reflect, but that would have made her overthink and that's was the last thing she needed. Besides, being close to Miranda, even if they were only holding hands, just felt right.
So she kept doing it, and they kept walking, all the way to the Kahje Sunken Gardens.
But for all the wondrousness that the gardens had to offer, it was still a park in the middle of a city, and as susceptible to crime as any other. Especially in the middle of the night.
The hear the gunman before they see him.
"Okay ladies, hate to spoil your little moment, but I'll be taking all your valuables now, if you don't mind." A Drell with a shotgun comes out from behind a tree, his weapon leveled. "Now no sudden moves," his voice is bored, disaffected, "and we can be done before dinnertime which, for me, is in five minutes so, you know, lucky for you"
They don't say anything.
"Valuables! NOW!"
His outburst does not have the desired effect.
Jack and Miranda just stare at him. They just sit there and stare, a four cold orbs burning into his very being. The Drell hesitates. He notices that they don't move; they aren't at all panicked, or even scared. In fact, they're staring him down. And then it hits him.
Some innate knowledge stored in the most primordial portion of the Drell's DNA lights up like a firecracker. Under the intensity of their collective gaze time seems to slow down, and the gravity around him seems to gather in his stomach and sink below the ground below him, through the layers of the space station, and straight into space.
All of this hits him in the span of a second, and he puts down his shotgun.
"Uuuuuuhm…nevermind?" He accompanies his question with what he hopes is a very non-threatening shrug. They are not amused.
The sound of twin thunderclaps break the silence of the gardens. Familiar with the sound of a biotic charge, the Drell knows that they're behind him.
"You're going to beat me up now aren't you?"
All he gets in response is the cracking of knuckles. The world can be a rough place sometimes, but it's full of titans who don't want to deal with crap like this.
"You let him off surprisingly easy"
Jack hums in contentment as she and Miranda wander back into the crowded area of the Strip, opting for a more populous, less dangerous area to hang out in.
"Other than him trying to rob us, I actually kind of liked him"
"You're not serious"
"I am! And you know what? Somehow I think I'm in a better mood"
"Why am I not surprised that you find visiting heinous violence upon someone somehow cathartic?"
"Because you know me," Jack's tightens her hold on Miranda's hand just a bit, "and I think I know myself a bit better too. I mean, I didn't even break any of that guy's bones"
"You broke his nose though"
"Not a bone! And I feel good. Better than good! I feel- I don't know-" she stops in the middle of the street. Passing pedestrians mutter in annoyance at having to circumvent them, not that either of them care. Jack looks at her, expression schooled, but not enough that Miranda doesn't notice a sliver shyness, "I feel like having my first date with you. How about it?"
Jack barely has to wait a second before Miranda affectionately tightens her grip. "Sounds good"
"Okay this wasn't what I envisioned when you said this was our first date"
"Oh come on. Isn't this what romance is? Big gestures? Keeping things so we can remember the good times?"
"Ye-*sigh* I guess so, but this is ridiculous"
"Look, I'm not saying YOU have to get a tattoo. I'm just saying I'm getting one, and I want you to help me pick it out"
And because this ridiculous ritual is so plainly special to Jack, Miranda bites back her instinct to call it stupid. Not enough trust just yet. No-one said going out with Jack had to be easy.
"How about this one?"
"Nah, won't go well with the rest of 'em"
"How about this fish? It's pretty cute"
"A fish?"
"Okay, not the fish, clearly I'm out of my depth here, uh, how about-"
"Hey ladies I don't got all day"
Jack whirls on the offending tattooist, a biotic corona of sheer rage enveloping her body. "I'm on a date here ya dick! DON'T FUCKING RUIN IT!" She punctuates this with a weak biotic push that nonetheless has the man scurrying to the back of the store. "Right, where were we?"
"…"
"What?" She asks worriedly, afraid that she had done something wrong "What are you looking at me like that for?"
Miranda is expressionless for a time, worrying Jack even more, until she starts giggling.
"Oh my god, what!?"
"Nothing," says Miranda in between giggles, "you're just so ridiculous"
"Huh?" Jack isn't sure how to take that.
"Nevermind, it's a good thing. You make me laugh"
Again, Jack isn't sure how to take that.
Seeing this, Miranda stops giggling and puts on her reassuring face. "I really, really like you and I think you're funny. In a good way"
"Oh. R-right, yeah, no I knew that, uh," she hastily looks back down at the design booklet, breath short with nervous energy. She's being self-conscious again and Miranda knows it. It's there in her eyes, darting all over the page and looking at anything but Miranda, afraid that she has already somehow screed things up.
Like she always does.
Miranda sighs, but not so loud that Jack can hear it and get the wrong idea. "I've never thought about tattoos much. Never thought it went very well with my look"
"What? You think they're beneath you?"
The instant chagrin on Jack's face means she didn't really mean it. Lashing out on instinct. "No. I just wouldn't know what to get. I haven't thought about tattoos much, but I always thought that if someone were to get one it should mean something. Something personal; symbolic. I look at you and…your tattoos are a painful, visceral reminder of everything you've been through…" Jack shivers ever so slightly as Miranda caresses her back, leaning in for a more intimate effect. She thanks god she's wearing a backless dress. "…But you lived through it all, and now your tattoos, every single one of them, are a monument to that triumph." Her hand lingers a moment longer, and then the moment passes. "Your tattoos are much better than any silly fish I could pick out of a book"
"…"
"…"
"You know…most of these I did myself"
They look at one another.
The look in Jack's eyes; that's what trust looks like. Miranda savors the feeling. The tattooed woman closes the booklet with a snap and climbs to her feet. She looks at the tattoo chair as if she's peering into a sun-swept horizon. She turns to Miranda, and the lighting is such that only her cheeky little smile can be discerned through the silhouette. She offers Miranda her hand.
And Miranda, knowing without having to be told what is going on, sighs loudly and audibly, and takes her girlfriend's hand.
"Hey Miri," says Jack, leading her to the chair and making her sit on it backwards. She slips on a pair of gloves and gets the needle going. "I really, really like you too"
The buzz of the needle is the perfect overture to a beautiful relationship.
"That's…huh. Wow. That's actually really good. Think she'll do one for me if I ask her?"
"I don't know. But that's not-"
"I think I'd like a dragon around my bicep. Or maybe a Celtic knot"
"Shepard…"
"Nah, something simpler. I've always liked the idea of…kind of a blue wing…or maybe a star. It could be a red star…"
"Shepard! Not the point"
"What is the point? You just came waltzing into my office and took off your shirt. Not very seemly behavior for a CEO I might add"
"Shut it. I asked you; do think this is a god thing or a bad thing?"
"Well you knew going in that it would be a turbulent ride…"
"Yes…?"
"But as I see it, giving you a tattoo; that's pretty much her way of claiming her territory. How can that possibly be bad?"
"I don't know. Maybe she wasn't really feeling it. I mean it was a very romantic setting, ad she was vulnerable, maybe-"
Shepard sighs loudly enough to interrupt her. She leans back in her char and languorously bringing her feet onto her desk. She isn't wearing any shoes. "Look, you're overthinking this. Just like Jack. It's like, whoa, am I dealing with Miranda here or am I dealing with Jack? You said it yourself, you had a great time. That's all you have to think about. Don't overanalyze, I guarantee you, that's probably what Jack's doing right this minute"
Meanwhile, in Jack's apartment
"Just got the weirdest feeling"
"Is it the feeling of speaking with your mouth full? Ew, I can see the bananas you put in your cereal"
"Ha! I ever tell you I like the way you say banana? "Ba-naw-na." So fucking sophisticated"
"Please swallow, you're making me nauseous"
Back in Shepard's Office
"You're probably right"
"I'm definitely right. Remember who you're talking to. I saved the universe. That means I know what I'm talking about all the time"
"I'm glad that the lifelong bragging rights haven't gone to your head"
The former commander smiles, leaning back to bring her feet to the floor. It has the effect of making her seem much more stately and serious that she really is. She runs her hand through her hair in that way she does when she gets thoughtful. "The tattoo's cool, you're fine, and I'm happy for you. Stay the course. And try not to let the S.S. Jack/Miranda steer into waters that are too dramatic"
"I do worry needlessly don't I? I'm…thank you. Things have been going so well that I've been too wary to really enjoy it." Deep breaths. Iiiiin, ooooout. The future is arrayed in front of you, and so is Jack's. The dance steps are difficult, but that's hardly a problem. Their relationship was bound to be a little volatile to begin with.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Just remembering something"
Back in Time: Jack and Miri's Date
"I can't believe I let you do this"
Jack is giddy as she puts away the equipment, neither of them paying much attention to the actual store owner muttering in the corner.
"Do I get to see it now?"
"Yeah. Hold on. It's not my usual style, but…here, what do you think?"
Jack takes off her gloves and holds up a mirror. With mirrors behind and in front of her, Miranda can see the design on her naked back. It's a fairly large tattoo, encompassing her right shoulder-blade. Composed in the same geometric style as Jack's tattoos, it nonetheless coalesces into something much less abstract. Segments reminiscent of the phalanges on Jack's spine tattoo swirl into a brutal nautilus shell shape, but the subtle white and blue coloring lends it an ethereal beauty. In lieu of tentacles, thorny vines sprout out of the opening with a flower here and there. They swirl around the nautilus and encompass most of Miranda's shoulder blade.
Jack was in such a trance that might have been able to keep going too. But as soon as the needle got dangerously close to side-boob territory Miranda declared they were finished.
The end result was the most beautiful piece of art Miranda had seen. It took her breath away.
"What do you think?"
Miranda gazes at her tattoo, mesmerized. Jack begins talking about how she shouldn't go near water anytime soon, or expose it to too much sun, or….
Miranda backs herself off the chair, not entirely caring that she's topless. Jack's eyes go wide and she trails off, unable to keep her eyes off of Miranda's chest.
"U-um….don't scratch it either…it…uh…"
"Jack"
"Huh?"
"My eyes are up here"
Just as Jack's eyes snap upward, Miranda's fingers delicately take the instructor's chin, coaxing her into a stand. Her hand finds its way to the small of Jack's back, and she pulls just enough that they are pressed gently together. Miranda smiles at Jack's spellbound expression.
"I love it," she murmurs, craning her head closer.
"Wha-?"
"The tattoo. It's beautiful. Thank you"
"Oh…yeah. No problem."
Her breath is barely there. It's flattering really.
Miranda keeps Jack waiting for a few torturous seconds before going in for the kill, pressing their lips together in what Jack would later describe as…well, she wouldn't be able to describe it really, because she had never had a kiss quite like this one. So soft, so gentle; and yet passionate. And nothing quite compares to the feel of Miranda Lawson's naked breasts pressed against her, neither did the impromptu make-out session, which only stopped because Jack had to punch out the tattooist (who they had forgotten about completely) for taking pictures.
They take a cab back to Miranda's apartment. No nightcap, but a very long parting kiss. One date down, two more to go. Or three, or four. Who cares in the long run, if this thing is built to last?
Present
"Good memory?"
"It's a doozy"
Author's note: More to come. One more "arc" to go. Thanks for the reviews. To that one lurker person, I'm glad mine could be the first story you reviewed. If you're anything like me then a couple months down the line you will start writing fanfics! mwahaha!