A/N: My dear, beloved readers. I know I'm making you wait quite long for the chapters but I think I managed to make up for the wait. This chapter is extra long, so before we start, I would like to send a giant THANK YOU to my sweet beta reader who wasted her precious time on dealing with my damn mistakes. And I need that. Cause, you know, English is not my mother language ;) So, Cassie, I love you for doing that!
Now, I must admit that at some point in this chapter I kinda lost the contol over what was happening... I know it sounds quite impossible but that's true! It was supposed to be shorted and there's one thing that wasn't about to happen at all! But well, it did and I had to deal with it, that's why it's extra long... ;) There's almost everything in this chapter so I hope I managed to please everyone :) If you have any suggestions or would like to tell me what you think about the story, don't be shy! Leave a review or feel free to PM me! I'll answer all questions ;) As long as they won't spoil too much...
Now, have fun with the story!
Ch. 14
Afterlife was surprisingly far more crowded than usual. Loud music, strong alcohol and the asari dancers, all that had encouraged people to come and forget about everything that bothered them. Yet Miranda would have been grateful if they'd besieged the club while Aria was present, not somewhere outside the station. The brunette had naively hoped that the club wouldn't be that crowded, yet it seemed that fate was up to mischief. With a loud sigh she slowly left Aria's lodge, heading to the main room of the club. A vorcha guard ignored her when she walked past him, wondering why she had such bad luck that even Grizz was absent that day. She earlier had noticed Anto protecting the other staircase but beside him there was not a single familiar face. And knowing the batarian didn't help her feel relaxed at all. She wasn't really sure why but there was something suspicious about him, something that forbid her from trusting him. Something that warned her to watch her back while he was nearby. Perhaps it was partially caused by the simple fact that he was a batarian. Unlike Cerberus and the Illusive Man, she wasn't really xenophobic or racist. She just, like the majority of the galaxy, didn't trust those sneaky bastards. And dealing with Shepard who hadn't hesitated to blow up their Solar System to stop the threat didn't decrease that distrust at all.
Speaking of, Anto suddenly appeared at her side as if she'd summoned him with her thoughts. It was a miracle that she managed to keep a straight face when his face twisted in some sort of a smile. There were two glasses in his hands, both filled with a dark blue liquid. Miranda eyed them suspiciously as he handed her one of them.
"Turian whisky. You should try, it's Aria's favorite," he said loudly, leaning close so she could hear him despite the noise. She examined the glass more closely and shook her head. She might not really know what Aria's favorite drink was, yet she was absolutely sure that she'd never seen that blue liquid in the asari's glass.
"No, thank you, Anto," she refused gently. "I prefer whisky imported from Earth."
The smile was quickly gone as the batarian glanced at the glasses. He shrugged and quickly emptied both of them. "I'll see what I can do about that," he murmured and simply turned on his heel and left her there, in the middle of the club, frozen and staring at his back, trying to understand what the hell had just happened.
She shook her head quickly, deciding that it's not healthy to try to understand the batarian's behavior. She was absolutely sure that Anto hated her only because she was in Afterlife, sort of close to Aria. Yet if he did hate her then why would he offer her a drink? Whatever his reason was, she was sure that she didn't have to worry about him trying to get her drunk. There was no way he would find human whisky anywhere on this station. While she'd been walking around Omega earlier she'd done a small research and discovered that one could find almost any alcohol imaginable on the station – apart from the most valuable ones like the best whisky in the galaxy. So she simply shrugged and continued wandering around the club, making sure everything was in order.
And fortunately it was. People clearly knew how to behave in this place; they drank, they laughed, they danced. Luckily not as horribly as Shepard had done it. The commander's inability to dance was becoming quite famous, she had to admit. She'd never met anyone who danced as badly as the redhead. Yet in a way it was quite endearing to watch as the mighty Shepard struggled on the dance floor, trying to at least look decent.
She was just about to turn around and go back to the lodge so she could observe the whole club from up there when she suddenly felt a hand on the small of her back, quickly sliding down to squeeze her backside. She froze and her hands formed fists when a man pressed himself against her back, his breath hot against the side of her neck.
"Hey, beautiful, what are you doing all alone in a place like this, hm? What about I keep you company?" His voice was low and husky, the kind that a lot of people would find attractive. Maybe she would too in other circumstances, yet she really, really hated being touched like this by overconfident strangers that had probably downed too many shots. She was no toy or sex doll to be treated like this. There had been a time when things like that had happened too often. And she had enough.
"I advise you to take a step back," she snarled through clenched teeth.
The man either was deaf or just decided to ignore her. Not only didn't he listen to her but she also noticed in the corner of her eye how a hand tried to reach her right breast. It was too much. The man yelped when she suddenly stepped on his foot. Immediately her fingers clenched around his wrist and she turned on her heel – that dug deeper into his foot – pulling at his arm. The moment his body turned fully towards her, she stepped aside, grabbed the back of his neck and pushed down. His head collided with the counter with a loud thud, making the glasses tremble and people scream in surprise. She let go of his wrist and neck and he fell down on the floor, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath.
"Damn, man, you okay?!" another man yelled behind her and pushed his way forward to kneel beside his barely conscious companion.
"You can take him out of here before he gets himself in more trouble," Miranda advised the kneeling man who glanced at her with something like a bit of fear in his eyes. He nodded quickly and threw the other man's arm over his shoulders. "And tell him to listen to what people are saying to him the next time," she added, turning on her heel.
"I told you to not bother her, you idiot," she heard the man hiss. "I've seen her with Aria the other day..." His voice faded, deafened by the noise; she couldn't quite help a small smile forming on her lips as she climbed up the stairs leading to Aria's private lodge.
It was a few hours later when Anto appeared again by her side, grinning like an idiot. Without a word he handed her a bottle and a glass filled with an amber liquid. She eyed him suspiciously but slowly put aside her asari wine so she could take the glass. Lifting it slowly, she sniffed carefully. Her eyes widened in shock at the fine scent of the best whisky she'd ever tasted. She raised her eyes to the batarian who was observing her with clear pride written all over his face.
"Where did you get that from?" she asked, her voice dangerously low. It wasn't even possible for him to find this alcohol anywhere near, so it must have been some kind of trick. And one more thing that Miranda really hated was being tricked.
"You can find everything on Omega, if you know where to look for it. Ask Grizz if you don't believe me," he added, hissing the turian's name. It clearly seemed that he wasn't at all happy about her acquaintance with the other guard. Surprisingly it made her quite satisfied.
Still, his kindness was really suspicious, yet it would be rude if she didn't accept the glass when he went through all that trouble to get it. So she slowly lifted it and carefully sniffed the alcohol. Not smelling anything odd, she took a small sip. Immediately she felt a familiar burning in her throat. The taste was smothered by the sweetness of the wine she'd drunk earlier, yet she was perfectly sure that the alcohol in the glass was the very same, finest whisky from Earth.
"Thank you," she said quietly, still not really believing that he'd managed to get it.
"Yeah, yeah, just don't get drunk. I don't wanna have any problems because of you," he snorted and left the lodge so he could go back to his position at the bottom of the stairs.
Two hours later she knew she was drunk. But what was really odd was that she didn't feel drunk. She had emptied half of the bottle Anto had brought her, so she must be drunk as hell and yet she felt perfectly normal. Something was really off, but she couldn't put her finger on it. And she couldn't quite explain why she was getting mad that quickly. She wasn't really short tempered but it looked like the alcohol made her blood boil.
She shook her head, getting rid of those strange thoughts and, grabbing the glass again, she left the lodge in order to check how things were going down in the club. Fortunately there wasn't anyone as blunt as the man from earlier, as no one tried to bother her. But she noticed something else, something that made her frown and the anger in her grow. There was a group of batarians surrounding one of the dancers'tables, and everything would be fine if only the hand of one of those ugly bastards wasn't resting on the asari's thigh. What made her even angrier was that clearly not a single guard seemed to notice. She went through the crowd, heading straight for the table.
"Hey, you!" she called loudly. The batarians glanced at her. "Which part of 'don't touch the dancers' don't you understand?"
"Oh fuck off," the batarian snorted and grabbed both the asari's knees to pull her closer, not caring about her protests.
Miranda clenched her teeth in anger, yet before she made it to that annoying idiot, she was forcefully pushed back by one of his companions.
"He said fuck off," the batarian told her, blocking her way.
"He can kiss my arse," she hissed and tried to move past him.
The batarian confirmed that indeed she was drunk. Otherwise it would be a piece of cake to dodge his fist. Yet her body seemed too tired to do it quickly enough and she ended up with her whole jaw on fire as he punched her hard right in the face. For a second all she was able to see were stars right before her eyes. She slowly pulled herself up from the floor and shook her head. She heard laughing somewhere above her, then some yelling and more punching. All the while she was trying to understand how she suddenly found herself on the floor. She moved her jaw slowly and quickly clenched her teeth as a wave of pain shot through her head. She could taste her own blood as she licked her lips.
It took her a moment to fully regain her composure and when she looked around, she cursed. It looked like punching her had been the start to a massive fight. Yet to her surprise she couldn't see any of the guards. Confused, she glanced around the club. In the corner of her eye she noticed Anto, leaving the place with a nasty smirk on his face.
What the...
Touched by a sudden feeling, ignoring the fight around her for a moment, she tapped some commands in her omni-tool, connecting the device with Aria's. Just in time to hear the asari answering the call.
"What do you want?"
"We have a small problem here, boss," Anto said slowly, sounding clearly unsatisfied.
"Get to the point," Aria ordered impatiently. Despite the noise in the club, Miranda could hear loud yelling from the asari's end but couldn't really make out any words. Yet she could swear that the voice was rather familiar.
"We have a fight in Afterlife. And I'm afraid your pet is incapable of solving the problem."
"What?"
"Well, partially she's responsible for starting the fight..."
At this point she completely stopped listening to whatever the batarian was saying. Pure rage filled her mind, hiding the world surrounding her behind a red mist. Someone bumped into her but she didn't even notice. She drew her Carnifex from its holster, turned around and aimed at the bloody bastard who'd started this whole mess by ignoring her words. A single bullet made a hole in his head and he fell, quickly followed by his two, equally dead, companions. Immediately everyone calmed down and she felt stares on her back as she rushed though the club, thinking about the best way to kill Anto. This bastard wasn't just kind, she realized. He'd brought her that alcohol to make sure she would get drunk. And this idiot who dared to break Afterlife's rule? She was absolutely sure he was Anto's fellow. It was all a set-up. A bloody set-up. And she was absolutely furious that she hadn't seen it earlier.
With her blood boiling and throbbing loudly in her head, deafening not only every single sound that surrounded her but also her own thoughts, she stormed out of Afterlife using the back exit. She almost bumped into a turian who was just about to enter the club. She paid no attention to him, only pushed him aside as her eyes landed on the batarian standing a few steps behind him. The red mist grew, almost blinding her as her rage increased its strength. Her hands immediately formed into fists and she was just about to throw herself with all her fury at this bloody, impudent idiot. It was an arm around her waist that stopped her at the last second.
"Let go of me, I'm gonna kill that bastard," she snorted, struggling angrily, her eyes never leaving that ugly face twisted in an oh so confident smile.
"Dammit, Lawson, calm the hell down!" Grizz exclaimed right into her ear, wrapping his other arm around her too, forcing her to stay in place. "And care to explain what happened? Why are you acting like you wanna skin him alive?"
"Yeah, hold her tight, Grizz. After all, we don't want Aria's pet to hurt herself even more, do we?" Anto said before she even had time to respond or yell at the turian, demanding to be released. A quiet growl left her lips as she kept sending a murderous glare his way, yet he ignored her and pointed at her head. "See what she did with her pretty face? I would keep an eye on her." He laughed mockingly as she scowled. "Oh don't worry, it looks horrible but it's nothing a bit of medi-gel couldn't fix," he told her smiling nastily before turning around and heading to the corridor leading to the guard's room.
She so wanted to rush after him, to show him exactly what she thought about him and his impudence yet the turian's hold on her tightened right in time to halt her. She started struggling with new force but he still refused to let her go. They kept fighting like that until she became too weak to even hope to regain her freedom on her own.
"Damn, Lawson, you remind me of those big, wild cats from your planet that I saw in some of the vids. I just started to wonder if you're ever going to get tired," he said finally, breathing heavily, clearly tired because of their small fight. "And as much as I hate to agree with him, he has a point." She turned her head looking at the turian with pure disbelief. He frowned slightly at the sight of the mess that should be her cheek and jaw. "You need to calm down and take care of your face, not throw yourself at another fight, you know. Besides, maybe I'm hallucinating, but you don't really look like yourself. And I'm not talking about that bloody mess now."
She sighed reluctantly and lowered her head, trying to take a deep breath. It was extremely difficult but after some time - she couldn't really tell if it were only minutes or maybe an hour - she managed to get her emotions back in check. She was still angry, but the mist slowly vanished. She placed her hand above Grizz's arm and could feel his grasp slowly loosening.
"Where have you been all this time?" she asked quietly, hoping that he didn't notice the tiny note of betrayal in her voice. She had this odd feeling that if he'd been around all the time, everything would have been different.
"I got a message this morning saying that I was granted a day off. I have a feeling that Anto sent it only to get rid of me for the evening," the turian sighed hesitantly. "Anyway, come on, let's get your gorgeous face back in shape. And after that I'd advise you to stay in Aria's apartment and try to get some rest, what you think? I'll keep an eye on the club for you."
She didn't really know why but she had a feeling that she could trust the turian. And getting rid of all that blood and pain sounded quite appealing. With a nod she let herself be led to the hidden corridor leading to the huge apartment.
She hated waiting. To be honest, she hated a hell lot of things but waiting was extremely high on her list. When the day had started she'd felt relaxed. She'd rather die than admit it but waking up with Miranda Lawson's body pressed so closely against her own was more appealing every passing day. And seeing the brunette being so clingy all of a sudden, even when she'd known exactly where that came from, had put her in a surprisingly good mood. Until, of course, Miranda had gottenmad at her of all of a sudden. Yes, she had to admit that when she'd ordered her guards to keep an eye on the brunette and Afterlife she'd hoped that they would be wise enough to not get caught. Which didn't change the fact that Miranda had had no right to yell at her. Especially after what Aria had done the previous day. So yes, their argument had destroyed her mood, but she'd quickly recovered. Yet when she'd found out about the events in the club and about the brunette's actions this morning in the guard's room her good mood had vanished into thin air, leaving her furious. She now wasn't even sure who she was really mad at.
With a deep calming sigh Aria put her glass aside and leaned back, resting her arms atop of the couch. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. It helped a bit. She stayed in this relaxing position until she heard footsteps. Immediately she knew that it wasn't the person she was hoping to see. Even if she didn't know that Miranda was still somewhere in the mines, she got used to recognizing her footsteps. And the person who dared to interrupt her was much heavier than the brunette, yet not as heavy as the krogan. That would leave a turian or a batarian. She had already had the pleasure of dealing with pissed off batarians this morning so she doubted they would be back that fast. A turian then. She even had an idea who exactly it might be. And glancing at the intruder assured her that she was absolutely right.
"What do you want?" she asked with her normal scowl, but her voice wasn't as cool as usual. She was fully aware of Miranda's acquaintance with that particular turian and surprisingly it calmed her to know that the brunette had an ally.
"Can I speak freely, boss?" Grizz asked slowly, looking a bit shy. Her brow raised in surprise. The turian had always been everything but shy. It made her extremely curious, so she nodded shortly. "Anto is a fucking ass. Don't be mad at Lawson, 'cause everything that happened here yesterday was his damn fault. She was trying to keep order here, it's not her fault that he poisoned her." He made a small pause as if asking if he didn't cross hadn't crossed any borders. Aria tilted her head curiously, letting him continue his speech. She really wanted to hear what else he had to say. Grizz cleared his throat. "Yeah, maybe she shouldn't have started a war with that bunch of assholes, but honestly, what would you do if you were in her place? You offered her trust, opportunity and for return only asked of her to keep peace. And she was trying to do that and everything was fine until this ass decided to show you that she's not worth it. And yeah, maybe I wasn't here yesterday to help her but I stopped her from murdering him then. And I saw his face, Aria. He was pissed off at Lawson that she managed to fix his mess. So if you need someone to be mad at, be mad at me. I assumed that you agreed to let me have this day off and because of that I wasn't here for her."
She didn't move even when he finished his speech. Instead she let the silence surrounding them fill every passing second with anticipation. Aria simply kept staring at him, knowing perfectly well how unnerving it was. Yet Grizz seemed oddly determined. He tried hard not to show how uncomfortable she made him. He stood straight, his hands folded behind him, his eyes focused on the point somewhere above her head. He'd always made her proud. She let a tiny smile break the tension.
"You like her, don't you?"
He shook his head. "I respect her."
"Don't lie to me, you enjoyed watching what she did to Anto."
Grizz visibly hesitated for a moment but then he sighed and lowered his head. "Maybe a little bit," he admitted carefully.
Aria's laugh made him glance at her with disbelief. It wasn't a mystery that those two had never loved each other, yet she'd never managed to make Grizz admit it. Hearing now that he did enjoy seeing the batarian suffer was more than she had ever been hoping for. She would never admit it aloud but one of the reasons why she had usually kept both of then nearby at the same time was simply for her entertainment. Anto had never hidden his dislike for the turian but Grizz had always kept things professional and never expressed what he'd really felt. She would have definitely made the turian her second in command if there hadn't been the need to keep a close eye on Anto.
Still smiling she got up from the couch and approached him slowly. She shook her head, seeing as he relaxed. Immediately the smile was gone, replaced by a scowl.
"Grizz, I hope you know that she is mine," she whispered slowly, looking him right in the eye. He was even taller than her but Aria had always been a predator. She could make a krogan feel like he's tiny without any real effort.
"Sure thing, boss. I was just trying to make sure that she's fine."
"Good, you may continue doing that," she nodded shortly and turned around so she could head back to her couch. However, she stopped suddenly as an idea occurred to her. "Or you know what?" she said, glancing at him over her shoulder. "You will keep doing that. It's your new priority mission. If you fail," she shrugged. "Well, there are consequences. If you want to know more about them, you can ask Bray."
Her voice was low and dark and she noticed how Grizz tensed for a moment. It was Bray who had accompanied her during one of her darkest moments. The batarian had been there when she'd hunted down some of those responsible for her loss. And it was him who'd witnessed her rage. And as far as she knew, Bray had never been really willing to share this experience with anyone.
"Am I interrupting something?"
A calm, kind voice made Aria momentarily freeze in place. Her eyes widened as she focused all her attention on the tall brunette who calmly stepped into the lodge glancing curiously at the turian. The asari felt her blood boil again as Miranda sat comfortably on the couch, clearly not caring about the tension in the air. One of her perfect brows traveled upwards as she turned her eyes on Aria. The Pirate Queen could literally feel the pleading look on her back but she dismissed Grizz with a wave of her hand. Crossing her arms she slowly stepped closer to the relaxed brunette, glaring at her from above.
"Where have you been?" she hissed, her voice dangerously low. Miranda simply glared back at her.
"Really? And here I thought you know about everything that happens on your precious station."
Miranda's petulant tone made her clench her fists. She wanted to be calm and not get angry at the brunette as Grizz had asked her to but it would be much easier if Miss Perfect showed some will to cooperate. Despite feeling her anger level raising hurriedly, Aria took a deep breath and leaned down placing her hand on the couch next to Miranda's shoulder to support herself. She glared at the brunette with narrowed eyes and the only response she got was a calm look. Somehow it managed to madden her even more.
"Care to explain what the fuck you were thinking? Starting a war against my guards?" she hissed through clenched teeth, her fingers digging into the leather beneath them. She couldn't stop the puff of annoyance when all she received was a shrug. Taking a deep breath she glanced at Miranda's left cheek. Not even a scratch she could be found there although Grizz had described in detail how much damage the batarian's fist had done to her face. She raised her hand absentmindedly and gently brushed the skin there as if making sure that no wound was hidden from her.
"I'm fine," Miranda said quietly, turning her head slightly, running away from the touch. Aria's hand stayed in place for a moment but then the asari frowned and her fingers grabbed the brunette's chin to turn her head back.
"Yes, I am not blind. But that doesn't answer my question," she said slowly, her patience growing thinner every passing second. She'd always been calm and composed, dealing with every problem with her emotions at bay. Yet somehow when it came to Miranda Lawson, she was losing control over her own feelings.
"If they ask for a war then who am I to decline them?" the brunette answered with another shrug. Although deep in her light blue eyes Aria noticed something far different from this whole indifference Miranda was showing. Something hard, unstoppable. She could almost feel the hidden challenge the woman was throwing at her. As if she dared Aria to disagree, to tell her that she should have backed off.
"You could have answered in a different way," she answered slowly, beginning to realize that she wasn't mad at the brunette for starting a war.
"Could I?" Miranda's eyes narrowed and her voice became lower, her look harder. "And what should I have done, then?" It hit her suddenly. By starting this stupid war Miranda had endangered herself, put her own life at risk. And that was something Aria just couldn't stand. "Step aside and let him humiliate me?" A forceful push at her shoulders brought her attention back to the brunette's words. Aria felt confused for a moment. She hadn't even noticed her thoughts had wandered off for a few seconds. She took a step back, regaining her composure and immediately was pushed again. "Is that what you want to see?" Another push, more powerful, enough to make her lose her balance for the tiniest of seconds. "Me crawling at your feet, obeying your orders without any complain?" One more push, sending her a few steps back. She was speechless and absolutely astonished. Her eyes widened as Miranda rushed once more, pinning her to the wall. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you."
The venomous hiss was like a bucket of cold water. Aria shook her head and frowned; she grabbed the brunette's arms and pushed her back, freeing herself with ease. "Have you lost your mind?" she snapped at Miranda. "That's not what I want, you idiot! Besides, my wishes are not the point here. What you did was utterly stupid."
"Oh, right, because you, the mighty Queen, would handle the whole situation differently, right?" Miranda asked with a sugary and oh so mocking smile. Aria clenched her teeth as her anger instantly grew. She couldn't argue with that, she was absolutely sure that she would act exactly the same way.
"It doesn't change anything. I'm not letting you walk around Omega and punch anyone you want," she hissed leaning closer. Their faces were only inches apart now and she almost didn't notice that her hands never left Miranda's arms. What she did notice was the deepening frown and the light blue eyes getting darker because of a slowly raising fury.
"You have no right..."
"Actually I do. Because you bel-"
"I am not your bloody toy! I do not belong to you!" Miranda exclaimed fiercely. The biotics in her body exploded, sending Aria back few steps, yet immediately she was back in front of the brunette, her fists clenching, her own dark energy swirling in the room.
"Yes, you do! You do since the moment you decided to agree to my offer and stay on Omega! How many times do I need to fucking remind you about that?!"
"So maybe I shouldn't have come here at all!"
"Then what the fuck are you still doing here?! Oh right, I almost forgot that you have no other place to go!" She could literally see Miranda's rage boiling just beneath the surface but it didn't stop her. It couldn't stop her now. Her own fury consumed her. "Go on, run to your beloved daddy, I'm sure he would be so pleased to see you again! Or maybe you prefer to hide behind the Illusive Man? He surely would be so happy to give you a nice, small brainwash. And don't forget about the Alliance. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't they send that cute little warrant for your arrest? I can imagine how they would welcome you with-"
There was so much more she wanted to say, to throw at Miranda's face, but she was fiercely interrupted. She stumbled back hissing in pain after receiving a solid punch to her jaw. The silence that followed it was nearly deafening. Aria slowly raised her hand and carefully touched her face. It hurt but thankfully there was no blood, although she was sure that the very next day her jaw would be colored by a not so tiny bruise. Her eyes found Miranda's and for a moment she felt simply lost in those blue orbs filled with so many emotions. Confusion, guilt, fear, disbelief, concern, worry. No sign of anger remained. Her eyes were wide, lips parted, her whole face literally lost all the color. She swallowed visibly and took a slow step back. Aria tilted her head slightly as she slowly realized that she had been doing everything so wrong from the very beginning. She wanted to keep her. She had no idea why but she wanted to keep her so desperately and that was the only way she knew how. And it turned out to be the worst way.
"I... need to check up on my sister," Miranda said so very slowly, her voice trembled just slightly. In an instant she turned on her heel and rushed towards the exit.
"She's fine," Aria called, halting the hurried escape. In the corner of her eye she saw the brunette freeze.
"What did you say?" It was barely a whisper but the whole world seemed to disappear, leaving them both alone in the universe.
She sighed, "I so hate to repeat myself." Brushing her jaw once more, she looked up at the ceiling, deciding to just act like nothing had happened. She knew it was an accident. An accident that sobered them both. Maybe it was something they both needed. "I said that your sister is fine."
A long moment passed without any words spoken. Miranda turned her head slightly, but Aria couldn't see her face, it was well covered by her dark hair.
"How would you know?"
Aria grimaced slightly. There was a reason why she did all this behind Miranda's back. She had feared that the brunette might mistake a slight concern over her mental stability for a deeper affection. If this whole situation with younger Lawson didn't bother her older sister that much, Aria wouldn't even think about doing anything. But it had bothered her extremely and had been slowly leading her into an alcoholism. The Pirate Queen just couldn't let that happen, now could she? There was no way she would leave Miranda like that, watching from a distance how the brunette sinks lower and lower. And of course she'd been aware that eventually she'd have to tell Miranda about her actions, yet she had been hoping that the day wouldn't come up any time soon. Yet it looked like luck wasn't on her side this time.
With a small sigh she slowly approached the brunette from behind. To her honest surprise, Miranda didn't even flinch when her hands touched her hips. Pulling the woman closer, Aria rested her chin on the brunette's shoulder and slowly inhaled her intoxicating scent while her arms snaked around her waist, holding her close. The asari could feel the tension in all her muscles but tried to ignore it, focusing instead on what she should say. One might think that it was easy for someone like her to deal with anything but Aria had become fully aware in the past that sometimes even she could find herself in a situation that needed extremely careful actions.
"I may have taken care of her," she admitted slowly, closing her eyes and tilting her head slightly, as if absentmindedly trying to hide her face in Miranda's hair.
The tension growing in all of the brunette's muscles was clear and some part of Aria's mind was amazed to realize that she did enjoy feeling those muscles moving beneath her fingers. Sighing slightly she tightened her embrace, gently caressing Miranda's abdomen. It surprisingly felt good to just hold her like that, relaxing even and quite calming. Especially when the muscles relaxed slowly after a moment. She couldn't stop a tiny, winning smile when a hand found hers and fingers were wrapped around her wrist.
"Wh... why would you do that?" Miranda asked quietly and Aria froze momentarily. She was really hoping that the brunette would just acknowledge her words and let it be. She wasn't a fan of sharing her reasons with anyone.
"You were distracted. I just thought that taking the burden off your mind would help you relax," she shrugged, hoping that she sounded convincing enough. Truth to be told, it was one of the reasons as to why she had decided to do that. Because honestly, where was the fun in throwing Miranda over the edge of pleasure if her thoughts were clearly somewhere else?
The brunette nodded slowly, not really seeming convinced. But she didn't try to dig and Aria was thankful for that. She didn't want to continue this interrogation. "I want to talk with my sister," Miranda announced after a second, her voice stronger now.
Aria blinked. She raised her head and frowned, fighting with herself. On the one hand she so wanted to say no, to just keep the brunette to herself and do everything she wanted with her. But on the other hand she was aware that such an action would only bring another argument. And she wasn't going to give Miranda any opportunity to punch her again. One fist in the face was enough for a lifetime. So she sighed heavily and loosened her embrace slowly before taking a step back. Avoiding Miranda's eyes she moved past her and halted immediately the moment she finally let herself notice the world around them. There had always been some guards nearby, making sure that no one bothered the Pirate Queen without her permission. Why she'd forgotten about them now was a mystery. All of them, literally all, were staring at her, wide eyed, their mouths opened, clear disbelief on their faces. She scowled, feeling deep embarrassment consuming her slowly.
"What the fuck are you staring at? I believe you all have something important to do right now, am I wrong?" she hissed, her eyes jumping quickly from one guard to another. In a flash they all began nodding and speaking at the same time, trying to come up with some weak excuses. Some of them bowed before rushing away, not really bothering where exactly they were going. It took around half a minute before the lodge and adjacent corridor were empty except for Aria herself and Miranda. The asari sighed, rolling her eyes as she approached the hidden passage.
No word was spoken on their way to Aria's study. Not paying any attention to the brunette, Aria tapped some commands on her omni-tool. A big ring on the floor glowed blue, showing the readiness to start a holo-meeting. A few more commands and she could hear a voice in her earpiece after a moment.
"How may I help you today, dear?" the elderly woman asked gently, her voice kind as always. Despite dealing with the woman for more than a few years Aria still couldn't get used to be treated like a child. She could understand the gratefulness that caused such odd behavior but she was Aria T'Loak for bloody sake.
"Mrs. Winchester, I'd appreciate it if you show your new guest the way to the communication room. I must speak with her as soon as possible," she answered quickly, hoping the woman would hurry up. She could feel Miranda's curious look on her back but refused to turn around.
"Of course, of course, she will be there in a moment. Oh, Oriana, honey, could you come with me, please?"
With a satisfied nod Aria ended the call. She quickly approached the terminal and used it to open a safe connection between her study and younger Lawson's new home. She wasn't afraid anyone would be capable of hacking it. There was only one person in the whole galaxy who could do it, and that person happened to be the exact same one who was hired to make sure that the connection would be safe. And the very same person agreed to do it as soon as Aria announced that Oriana's safety depended on it.
A quick beep announced the start of the transmission; Aria turned towards the ring right when a hologram showing the young brunette appeared. Oriana was glancing around curiously and the moment her eyes landed on the asari, a wide smile brightened her expression.
"Hey! I heard you want to talk with me?" the brunette asked cheerfully, tilting her head with curiosity.
"No," Aria simply shook her head. Seeing clear confusion forming on the girl's face was absolutely amusing and partially she was a little disappointed with Miranda for taking away her fun so quickly but she could understand it.
"I wanted to talk with you, Ori." And the way the older Lawson's voice became so soft and gentle, so filled with affection and her whole expression softened, making her seem so much younger and innocent... Aria sighed as her disappointment vanished into thin air in just a second.
Oriana, however, literally jumped at the sound of her sister's voice. She spun around so quickly that Aria was shocked that she didn't lose her balance. "RANDA!" she screamed with such joy that the asari was taken aback and her brows rose in shock. Yet a moment later she rolled her eyes and shook her head when the girl's hologram momentarily vanished as she tried to rush towards her sister.
Miranda laughed genuinely as Oriana appeared again a second later, scratching the back of her neck and smiling timidly. "You need to stay inside the ring, dummy," she informed her younger sister, stepping closer to her.
Aria felt utterly amazed. She'd dealt with both Lawson sisters, but for the first time she had the opportunity to see this pure affection they had for each other. And all of a sudden she felt like an intruder. It made her uncomfortable. She had every right to stay in the room, as it belonged to her, but it did nothing to reduce the impression that she shouldn't be there, that she shouldn't interrupt their moment together. So she cleared her throat quickly and headed towards the door.
"I'll leave you alone now. Have a nice talk," she said on her way out. In the corner of her eyes she saw Miranda nodding, but her eyes never left her sister. Oriana on the other hand sent her a bright smile and wave vigorously with her hand.
"See you later, then. And, you know, thanks!"
Aria simply shrugged it off; yet a small smile was still on her face when she let herself relax on the leather couch in her apartment with a glass of wine in one hand and a datapad in the other.
It was two hours later when she heard footsteps behind her. Her eyes didn't leave the datapad, partially because her attention was consumed by the report she was currently reading and partially because she wasn't really sure in what mood Miranda was. Who knows what her sister had told her and she really wasn't looking forward to another argument. That's why she didn't even bother to raise her head when the footsteps faded suddenly. There was silence again and she exhaled slowly, not even realizing that she'd held her breath. She gladly went back to reading the report about the bullet she'd gotten out of her own body. It took her a while to realize that she was reading the same sentence about three times and didn't understand a word. She sighed, annoyed. And she could swear she heard a quiet laugh right behind her, yet before she could snap at the brunette, Miranda leaned over the back of the couch. The glass was gently taken from her hand, so was datapad. Her brows rose as Miranda slowly walked around the couch and placed the datapad on the table. She took a sip from the glass before putting it aside as well.
Aria hardly suppressed a swallow when the brunette turned around unhurriedly and sent her a devilish look. Swaying her hips she stepped closer and extremely slowly climbed on Aria's lap so she could straddle the asari. Aria couldn't help but feel like all of a sudden the temperature in the room drastically rose. She didn't move, anxious to see what would happen next. And next were hands on both her cheeks, holding her head in place. Her eyes never left Miranda's face as the brunette smiled smoothly and leaned in. Aria's eyes closed on their own the moment their lips met. She could taste the sweetness of the wine on Miranda's lips and she sighed in approval. A moment later, the second the brunette deepened the kiss, Aria's eyes shot open as unexpectedly the wine filled her mouth. She swallowed on impulse and pushed back slightly to look at the woman on her lap. Miranda was grinning wolfishly, clearly proud of herself. In a flash the brunette leaned in again, capturing Aria's lips in another, heated kiss. Her tongue explored her mouth, Miranda's unique taste mixing with the wine's. It was intoxicating, slowly driving her crazy. She had to hold on to something, anything. It wasn't her fault that Miranda's backside was the closest. The moan she received as an answer to the tight squeeze made the heat rise even more.
And just like that, Miranda pulled back. An angry growl left Aria's lips before she even noticed what was happening. She felt the brunette resting her forehead against her own. A hot, sharp breath on her face made her realize that Miranda was panting. And surprisingly, so was she. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked directly at those blue orbs, clearly darker than normal. A small, genuine smile was forming on the brunette's lips.
"Thank you," Miranda whispered. "For saving my sister."
Aria smirked slowly. "If I had any idea you would want to thank me like that, I would have done it much earlier." Miranda laughed quietly and didn't really notice the devilish gleam in Aria's eyes. The laugh quickly transformed into a short yelp as the asari turned them suddenly and she landed on her back, pinned to the couch. "That's better," Aria purred and leaned to capture Miranda's full lips but was quickly stopped by hands on her shoulders. She frowned, looking at the woman underneath her with confusion.
There was an odd, all focused expression on Miranda's face. One of her hands slowly rose to gently touch Aria's cheek. The asari felt... quite strange as the fingers caressed her jaw. "I'm so..."
"Don't," she interrupted the brunette quickly. "Just don't." She did not want to talk about what happened earlier between them, nor did she want to even acknowledge it. The past was in the past.
Now this was what she preferred, the brunette trapped under her, her legs held spread wide by Aria's hips, her arms snaking around the asari's neck, keeping her close. She crushed their lips together and dipped her fingers in the dark locks while her other hand traveled all the way up Miranda's body to squeeze her breast not so gently. The brunette moaned into her lips and her back arched. It was Aria's turn to pull back, yet her lips quickly found that delicious pulse point on Miranda's neck. Oh how she loved sucking on that spot, feeling all those muscles tense, the fingers digging into her back. She released the skin only when she was sure that she left had a nice red mark there. Her lips traveled up, placing small kisses here and there.
"You have no idea how badly I want to take you right now," she whispered into Miranda's ear, biting the lobe gently.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
She froze momentarily but it was all she needed. Her face brightened with a wide, so satisfied grin. Miranda had no idea what she'd just put herself into...
The first thing that she felt when waking up was cool flesh pressed against her back. A tiny smile danced on her lips as she focused on the feeling. Aria's arm lay loosely yet almost possessively across her waist, the asari's knee had somehow, during their sleep, slid between her legs, hot breath caressed the skin on the back of her neck. She slowly raised her head and risked a glance back at the still sleeping asari. Usually Aria had been up much earlier than her, so seeing her deep asleep was a rare opportunity. She seemed fully relaxed and despite her features looking a bit softer there was still something dangerous in the way her brows were slightly frowned.
As much as she appreciated this sight, she dreamed of a hot shower. She carefully grabbed Aria's wrist in order to lift her arm. Immediately there was a deep exhale behind her and the hand slid out of her grasp, going back to her waist. Not stopping there, it slid across her abdomen, clearly stating that it's staying right there. Miranda glanced at Aria again, half expecting to see the blue eyes staring at her but the lids were still closed, the breath warming her skin still steady. She sighed. Deciding to try a different way, she carefully turned on her back. She immediately realized that she had just made a huge mistake. Aria's body shifted slightly as if in order to adjust to this new situation and her hand quickly went further, stopping at Miranda's hipbone, where her fingers dug into the skin there, holding her in place. The asari's other arm moved, partially slipping under the brunette's pillow while Aria raised her head slightly only to rest it on Miranda's shoulder.
Despite being clearly trapped in the asari's embrace, she couldn't help the slight smile. She had no idea what Aria might have been dreaming about, yet she found it quite endearing. The way the mighty Pirate Queen clenched to her, snuggling, seeking the comfort and safety, it was nothing like Aria. Yet in some way it was so... human. A clear proof that even someone like Aria had a right to have a moment of weakness. She was not a machine, designed to kill and rule Omega. She was a living being, with all the emotions, needs and desires. Miranda fully understood why the Pirate Queen couldn't let anyone see her like that and it only made her feel like she was being favored.
With a sigh she brushed the asari's arm with her fingers, all the way up to her shoulder. She could swear she heard a tiny purr when her fingertips caressed Aria's neckfolds gently. Which wouldn't be so surprising as she already noticed how sensitive this spot was. With a smile still dancing on her lips she glanced at the asari. Her cheek was partially resting on Miranda's left breast as if Aria was trying to listen to her heartbeat. And suddenly she noticed something that she'd never seen before. And to be honest, she couldn't have really seen it, as the asari was slightly taller than her. There was a thin but clearly visible scar all along one of Aria's crests. She had no idea how old the scar might be but it looked like the wound had been pretty nasty and quite deep. And suddenly the realization hit her. She finally understood why the asari had felt pain when Miranda had absentmindedly clenched her fingers around Aria's crests once.
Feeling a bit guilty, she gently stroked the crest, carefully tracing the scar with her fingertips. The skin there was surprisingly soft and she was sure that it was extremely sensitive. Making sure that her fingers were just barely touching the scar, she let her thoughts wander around, wondering how strong the asari's opponentmust have been to hurt her in such a way. Which also made her wonder how, in the first place, Aria got this scar. Truth to be told it looked as if her head had been meant to be sliced in two.
"Breaking a window with your head is such a terrible idea."
Miranda's fingers froze immediately and her eyes widened. Aria's voice was low and husky and so quiet and lazy she barely heard the words. A quick glance at the asari's face assured her that she wasn't even fully awake yet.
"You-"
"Not mine. Not that stupid," the asari interrupted her and yawned before resettling her head and inhaling deeply. She was clearly waking up but didn't seem to notice that she was using Miranda's chest as her pillow which extremely amused the brunette.
"So what are you saying? Someone tried to check if your head is thick enough to break a window? I can't really say that I'm surprised that it is."
"Very funny. A krogan. Don't piss them off. Not worth it. This bastard almost managed to rip my head apart. I can't imagine who would rule Omega now if he'd succeeded."
Miranda frowned and caressed the scar once more, feeling a sudden wave of both anger and sadness. This krogan had been clearly close to killing Aria and if he had done it, where would she be now?
"Is he alive?" she asked quietly, silently hoping that he was, so she could pay him a small visit. Where did that sudden need to make him pay for what he had done come from? She couldn't really tell.
"What makes you think that I let him live after what he did?" Aria answered with a question and sighed.
Miranda couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine as the hot breath caressed her nipple. Aria must have felt her slight movement, 'cause suddenly she frowned. And barely a second later Miranda could literally see every single muscle in the asari's body tensing. With held breath she observed as Aria slowly opened her eyes, blinked a few times and swallowed slowly. Miranda couldn't really believe her eyes and at first she thought that it was only her imagination but after a moment she realized that what she saw was real. The skin on the asari's face became a few shades darker. If anyone ever told her that one day she would see Aria T'Loak blushing, she would have called them insane. But now here she was, in the Pirate Queen's bed, with the asari herself lying almost on top of her and her cheeks colored by a real blush.
Aria cleared her throat and slowly got up. She was clearly avoiding Miranda's eyes and the brunette wasn't really surprised. She could tell that the asari was absolutely embarrassed by her own behavior. With a sudden courage Miranda sat quickly and grasped Aria's arm, stopping her. She leaned closer and placed a small kiss at the side of the asari's neck, her lower lip slightly brushing the neckfolds. Aria sighed and the tension in her shoulders lessened just a tiny bit. Yet Miranda was sure that it was enough. She let go of the asari's arm and without a second glance left the bed and headed towards the bathroom, leaving Aria to her own thoughts.