"Would you mind if I smoked?" Jack asked as they walked down the street.
"You're really asking for my opinion?"
"Yeah."
"Well, actually, yes."
Jack huffed.
"I thought so."
"It's a terrible habit."
"I know, okay?"
Miranda gave her a sideways glance.
"When did you start?"
Jack thought for a moment.
"About two years ago? Someone offered and I took it, and it was bad at first, but quickly turned into a way to just... unwind."
"Huh."
So she didn't light a cigarette, and they kept walking in silence for a while.
"You know where we're going?"
"Yes, I've lived here all my life."
"Are we going to go through that park?"
Miranda looked over at Jack.
"Are you scared?" It was an honest question, no teasing.
"I've lived in bigger cities, you wouldn't want to go through a park at night..."
"I see. But that park is already part of the estates, guards and all. Don't worry."
She took Jack's hand and squeezed it quickly, before letting go just as fast. Jack gave her a long, silent look.
Eventually they came out at the other side of the park, which Jack thought she recognized, even though everything pretty much looked the same here. Then a playground caught her eye.
"Did you come here as a kid?"
Miranda looked towards the set of swings and seesaws, frowning.
"I was always kind of too busy."
"Even as a kid?"
Miranda shrugged uncomfortably.
"Didn't you want to? I mean, swings! I used to love swings."
"Did you now?" Miranda smiled.
"Yeah. There was this family I lived with. Lots of kids, house always too loud and crowded. But they had this ancient wooden swing in their garden. The other kids didn't really use it, it was kind of gross, to be honest. Moss growing on it, always damp. Basically rotting. But I loved it. I always tried to go higher, I wanted to go all the way round."
Miranda snorted.
"Cute."
"It broke in mid-swing one day and I fell off. Broke my arm. And I couldn't stop crying. Because it hurt, but also because of the stupid broken swing. I was about seven or so."
"Poor baby," Miranda said wryly.
"Well, it still beats having been too busy to play outside."
"I always envied the other kids."
"You can go now."
Miranda raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not a kid anymore."
"Playgrounds are for kids only during the day. At night they belong to beautiful girls in red dresses."
Miranda smiled at that, but then pointed at the sign next to the playground.
"It says only for kids under fourteen."
Jack rolled her eyes mightily.
"Seriously Miranda? Come on, it's not like you're going to break anything."
Jack took her by the hand and pulled her along.
"There, I'll push you."
Miranda sat down, laughing, and let Jack push her for a while, swinging higher every time.
"You do realize it's never going to go all the way around, no matter how hard you push?" she yelled back at Jack in mid-swing.
"No reason not to try!" Jack called back.
"Okay, okay, I've had enough!"
She let her feet drag over the sand below, almost lost her balance and tumbled back against Jack's chest.
"Ouch."
"You okay?" Jack's arms had tightened around her, reflexively.
"Ass still hurts a little from falling into the tub," Miranda admitted.
Jack kissed the top of her head.
"Poor thing."
"And now I feel queasy."
"Then let's get you home."
Miranda turned around to look at her.
"You don't want a go?"
"No, it's just not the same when you don't have a damp, greenish spot on your butt after."
"I'm sure we can arrange that somehow, some grass, that puddle over there... What?"
Jack was looking at her with a strange smirk that made her feel very self-conscious, all of a sudden.
"Why are you looking like that, do I have something on my face?"
"Do you know that you're..."
"What?"
Jack shook her head.
"Nothing."
"Come on, Jack, don't do that, it's unfair."
"You're you."
"Who else would I be?" Miranda replied, a little impatiently.
"Not really you. You the way other people want you to be."
Miranda looked at her feet.
"Didn't you ever want to live up to someone's expectations?"
Jack laughed.
"No one ever cared enough to expect much of me. Even then I probably failed. But it wasn't like I cared much, either. Just always did shit my way."
She didn't tell Miranda that she made her nervous because of that. That she might have expectations Jack couldn't live up to. Instead she bent down to kiss her, then pulled her to her feet.
"What's going on here... Oh, Miss Lawson."
Jack turned around to glare at a pudgy security guard, who looked confused for a moment, then turned an interesting shade of bright red.
"We were just about to go home," Miranda said in a remarkable good-little-girl voice that made Jack roll her eyes.
"Oh, I see. You girls do that, then," the man muttered, before hurrying away.
"Wow, awkward."
"Come on."
"Security guy knows your name. Geez."
Miranda just took her hand and pulled her along like an obedient little child, but Jack didn't mind all that much. She found she rather liked Miranda being assertive.
. . . . .
"Are you falling asleep?"
"A little."
Jack looked up at her from where she was lying with her head in Miranda's lap, while Miranda's fingertips drew lazy circles through the oddly soft stubble where Jack's head was shaved. The close proximity made Miranda feel anything but sleepy.
"Do you have to work tomorrow?" she asked, wondering if Jack would mind if she undid her ponytail. She'd never seen her with her hair open.
"Yeah, afternoon. You could come along. I can't give you free coffee the entire time, though."
Jack smiled at her, and Miranda let her fingers wander down to her lips, traced their beautiful curves lightly.
"Oh. No, it's fine. I'd just be in the way."
"Nonsense. You could read or do homework."
Miranda frowned, and Jack reached up and stroked her cheek.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't pay for anything. I have no money."
Jack stared up at her.
"What?"
"He said if I can't be responsible, I can't be trusted with money," she muttered through gritted teeth. "I have no money of my own."
Jack sat up.
"Not being responsible meaning being with me?"
Miranda just shrugged.
"What a jerk!"
"It's okay, really. He's not going to bully me into submission. I've been thinking maybe I could babysit. I am responsible, no matter what he says. Parents would love me."
Jack raised her eyebrows.
"Have you been around little kids much?"
"Well... no," Miranda admitted.
She laughed.
"You should totally try." Then she grew serious again. "But really, what an ass your dad is."
Miranda gave her a pained look, and Jack pulled her close.
"I'm sorry."
"It isn't your fault. Really, something like this was inevitable. It's okay. You're tired, let's just sleep."
She kissed Jack gently, hoping that would make the worried and still slightly guilty look on her face go away.
. . . . .
Miranda awoke gradually to gentle hands caressing her arms, plying tousled hair away from her neck, lips against her throat.
"Good morning," she said lowly.
"Morning."
Jack buried her head in Miranda's hair.
"You smell so nice, why do you smell so nice?"
"Shampoo?" Miranda muttered, still a little sleepy, but arched into Jack's touch. "You can use it if you want."
Jack's hands slipped below the shirt and moved up her stomach to her breasts. Miranda hummed appreciatively.
"You could take a shower with me."
Jack stopped and was silent for a moment.
"Are you serious?"
"Pretty much."
"Naked?"
Miranda chuckled.
"No, in an evening gown."
"I'd like that. Can I have a tophat?"
Her hand started roaming again and Miranda sighed lowly.
"Or we could just stay here and be naked," she suggested.
"I... does that mean you're, uhm, ready?"
"Yeah," Miranda said lowly, "I guess I am."
"Well, I'm fairly naked already..."
Miranda turned around to her, pushed the blanket down to her waist and looked her over with a smile.
"That you are."
Her fingers slowly trailed up Jack's naked upper body, watched her erupt in goosebumps, drew slow circles around her breasts. Jack's fingers curled in her hair, she pulled her close, started nipping at her throat, then tugged Miranda's shirt up.
"Jack?"
"Yeah?" Jack looked up reluctantly.
"You're staring."
"Yeah, well, have you looked at them? They are... pretty amazing."
"I have and they are," Miranda said and blushed a little as Jack cackled, before she bent down to kiss her breasts.
"I like that, you know?" Jack muttered against her skin a moment later.
"What?" Miranda had a hard time keeping her eyes open.
"That you're not modest. It's hot."
"You give..." She took a deep breath, hands running along Jack's spine. "You give the strangest compliments. I... I like that."
Jack's hands slowly made their way down her body, fingernails scraping lightly over her stomach and sides, making Miranda twitch. Then her fingertips traced the edges of Miranda's panties, slowly, hesitantly.
"You sure?" Jack asked lowly, lifting her head to look at Miranda.
"I am."
She let her head fall back into the pillow when Jack started rubbing her through the fabric, before she tugged the panties down and off, and nudged her legs apart with her knee. There was something in the look Jack gave her when she opened her eyes again that made Miranda feel hotter than the hand stroking her between her legs, made her heart race, her hands pull Jack up to kiss her before she even made the conscious decision. Jack's mouth just rested against hers while her fingers inched lower, breath soft on Miranda's lips, Miranda trying to concentrate on all the sensations at once.
Which was the moment she heard her dad call her name.
"No!"
Jack let go of her at once.
"Well, shit."
"Dammit!"
"Should I hide?" Jack's voice was only half serious, but it made Miranda look around frantically.
"There is nowhere to hide in here."
There was a knock on the door and Jack quickly pulled the blanket up.
"Miranda?"
"Oh god."
There was nothing she could have said. Her mind was entirely blank.
"What's going on here?"
He'd never sounded that angry before.
"Well, what does it look like?"
So Jack wasn't making things easier. Not exactly a surprise. Miranda closed her eyes for a moment. She felt sick.
"Get out!" her father hissed. "And if I ever see you anywhere near my home again, you'll regret it."
"I'm in my fucking panties, I'm not getting out of this bed as long as you're staring at me."
They just glared at each other, while Miranda wished the earth would swallow her up.
"Three minutes."
Slammed the door behind him as he left.
"He wasn't supposed to come back until tomorrow," Miranda muttered, groping for her clothes.
"Fuck, I can't just leave you!"
Jack struggled into her shirt and trousers, staring at her all the while.
"It's fine. No, really, I'll manage..."
"He wouldn't hit you, would he?"
Miranda shook her head.
"I'm sorry," she said lowly.
Jack took her hand.
"I'm embarrassed as fuck, but you're the one who's in trouble."
Miranda squeezed her hand, feeling like she'd burst into tears any moment.
"You'd better go. I'll text you later, okay?"
"Fuck." Jack bent forward and kissed her cheek. "I really don't want to leave you in this mess..."
"It would be worse if you stayed."
Jack didn't look convinced, but Miranda pushed her towards the door.
"Just go. I'm fine."