Chapter Text
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“So what are we watching tonight?” Miranda asks, voice slightly muffled because she’s already munching on the popcorn you made exactly the way she likes it.
You place another bowl of miscellaneous sweets on your small coffee table and turn away to hide your smile. Gosh you have it bad for that woman.
“Well,” you start with a conspiratorial tone, “since it’s October and every day in October is basically Halloween, I’ve selected a horror film.”
Truth be told, you couldn’t care less about Halloween – the only good thing about that holiday is the candy, and little kids running around in cute costumes – but you’re rather hopeful that Miranda might get a little scared and perhaps inch a little closer to you than usual. You aren’t always this cunning, but in matters of the heart and in warfare everything is fair, right?
Miranda stays silent and you look back at her as the dvd slides into the reader. You could have chosen a film that was streaming, but you didn’t trust your internet connection to not fuck up your plans.
Miranda’s eyes widen slightly as she attempts to smile around her mouthful of popcorn.
“Don’t forget to chew,” you grin at her, delighted at the blush that appears on her cheeks.
When she’s finally able to speak again her voice is unusually timid when she admits that she doesn’t normally go for horror films. You fake concern at hearing this while cheering on the inside. In another life you could have made it big in Hollywood, you’re sure of it.
“It’s fine, tho. I’m not a baby, and we’re at your place so you get to choose.”
That is the rule that you had established. Whoever hosts provides the snacks and chooses the film. It’s your favourite bi-weekly routine – although, sometimes, Miranda’s job keeps her so busy that she has to cancel. Then you usually spend the evening alone on your sofa, hoping that she and her colleagues are being safe in whatever they’re doing.
You throw Miranda a blanket and get comfortable in your favourite corner of the sofa before pressing play.
“Damn right, I do,” you agree, snatching a handful of popcorn out of Miranda’s (really, it was supposed to be a shared) bowl.
You end up watching her face for reactions more than you are watching the film. For the first ten to twenty minutes, Miranda puts on a very brave front. When the clowns finally start to up their game, however, Miranda flinches so hard that half of the leftover popcorn (which really isn’t much by that point) goes flying.
"Oh my God, you are a police officer, Mir," you laugh, completely unbothered about the mess on your carpet.
"And I am very glad we never had to chase one of those killer clowns that made the rounds a few years back, thank you very much."
Miranda has the good manners to look sheepish about the spilled snacks, but you wave your hand at her, signalling her not to worry about it.
The screen flashes as the knife makes contact with the fair maiden’s skin and blood splashes onto the clown’s face, painting its cheeks and nose an even deeper red.
Miranda squeals, and you try to hide your grin as your devious plan unfolds. As soon as you lift your arm, the much taller woman is buried against you. A sudden warmth floods your whole body – one that has nothing to do with the additional blanket on you now – and you melt back into the cushions, guiding Miranda’s body with you.
“Ha!,” she suddenly exclaims, “I knew it, you’re scared, too. I can hear your heartbeat.”
The pleasant heat from your chest rises to your face and you feel just like the clown – except it’s your own blood colouring your cheeks.
When Miranda flinches again as the clown claims their next victim your hand burrows under Miranda’s blanket to caress her arm. Her muscles relax slightly under your touch.
“Sure am, Miranda,” you whisper into her ear before leaning your cheek against her head. “But we’re safe here.”
Miranda wiggles into a more comfortable position, spreading her long legs out behind her and moving her head into the crook of your neck. Every time there is a jumpscare now, she turns to hide her face and her soft hair tickles your skin.
You don’t want the film to end, although you are feeling a little bit guilty when you see Miranda tensing up more and more. So much so, that when the screen eventually turns black you suggest putting on another film just to get her mind off of the horrors she’s just witnessed.
You’ve never watched more than one film on these movie nights, and it is already pretty late. Miranda moves to sit up a little and you are about to backpedal on the offer. But the remark of it being time to head to bed dies on your lips when Miranda doesn’t actually move off of you.
Instead she looks at you with her adorable puppy dog eyes and your jaw clenches with the effort it takes not to pull her back down and taste her smile.
“Are you sure?” she asks you, “I don’t want to impose.”
You almost break out in laughter at the thought of Miranda ever imposing on you, but you’re afraid it would send the wrong signal.
Trying not to bulldoze her with a completely lovesick expression you contain your grin to a mere smile, nod and tell her to choose whatever from your shelves.
She grins back at you and lies back down, head pressed against your shoulder. You can feel her body is much more relaxed already, yet you return to stroking your fingers up and down her arm and she sighs pleasantly.
“I really don’t feel like getting up right now. Can we watch something from Netflix?”
This time you do laugh. Maybe streaming services aren’t so bad if they mean keeping Miranda in your arms.
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