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Not often did Miranda feel so exhausted and beat down by work that she had to come home, strip down, and sink into the bathtub with no thoughts other than the extreme desire for relaxation. The constable had left a trail of discarded clothes on her way to her bathroom; heaps of bubbles being the only thing that blocked her naked form from the world now. The heat of the water in combination with the sweet scent of lavender soap made the constable sigh as the tension released from her shoulders. She closed her eyes for a moment, tilting her face so her cheek rested against the towel she had placed under her head.
The entire setup was bliss for Miranda. Such bliss that she had forgotten Brienne was intending on coming over to her apartment after the Aussie was set on returning from work.
After the third knock without any form of response from the inside of the apartment, Brienne glanced down at her wristwatch to check if she had gotten the time right or if she was early. When she saw that she was indeed on time, even a few minutes late, she started to wonder if Miranda had fallen asleep. The knight thought about her possible options and settled with trying the door handle after she scrapped the other solutions her brain came up with.
When she tried the handle, she was surprised to find that the door was unlocked and it slid open to reveal a path of clothes on the floor that led to the bathroom. Brienne took off her shoes and put away all of her things in her girlfriend’s entry hall before stopping beside the doorway that led into the room Miranda was sure to be in. “Mir? Are you covered? Your door was unlocked and you didn’t answer so I let myself in… I hope that was okay.”
The constable was on the verge of sleep, leading to Brienne’s words falling on deaf ears. Miranda had assumed the sound of her girlfriend’s voice was coming from her dreams, choosing to only hum in reply as she was always happy to hear the knight’s soothing tone.
“I’m choosing to take that as a yes.” Brienne was uncertain about the lack of a verbal response from Miranda but knew that it was the best she would get at this time. “I know it’s fall and the wet season… but Good Gods is it hot. The humidity is killing me and I’m sure my hair- Seven Hells!” The knight had started speaking as she walked into the bathroom but had interrupted herself when she had seen how much skin her girlfriend was showing and she was sure her face was bright red. She had never seen so much of the constable before, even if the only thing she could see was her wet shoulders and damp hair. Within a millisecond, her eyes had averted, and was now intently observing her partner’s ceiling.
Jolted from her partial sleep, Miranda's head perked up immediately, spinning around to find the culprit of who had awoken her. The water gently sloshed at the sides of the tub, momentarily revealing the swell of the constable’s breast. Quickly, Miranda gathered heapings of bubbles, drawing them to her chest to avoid anything else from showing. “Brienne! Oh, my gods! I’m so sorry. I- I must have forgotten you were coming over. I’m sorry!”
“Oh, don’t be sorry! I should be the one who is sorry, I completely just barged in! My apologies. I’ll just go wait in the living room until you’re done. Pardon me.” Brienne scrambled to pull herself together and succeeded in getting a complete sentence out. Her eyes were still fixed on the ceiling as she motioned with her thumb over her shoulder towards the door. When she turned around to leave, she could finally face forward again, eyes once again landing on Miranda’s discarded clothes leading through the doorway. “Take your time… I’m very sorry.”
“No! No! Please don’t go.” Miranda bit her lip at the twinge of desperation in her tone. Today had been exhausting and discouraging and the constable knew Brienne would only make this bath better by sitting in the bathroom with her. The Aussie was plagued with a small amount of regret, knowing she was asking the knight to put herself in an uncomfortable situation. “I’m sorry, Bri… But would you just stay here with me? Just to talk? I missed you so much these past few days and I…” She trailed off, not knowing what else she could say to convince Brienne to sit with her.
Brienne was silent for a few seconds before she turned around and offered a small smile. Her gaze was glued to Miranda’s face as she approached the bathtub. “If that is what you wish, then of course I will.” The knight squatted down next to the tub and maneuvered herself so she was sitting down on the tiled floor with her back against the bath.
“What had you been saying when you entered the bathroom? Before you saw me?” The Aussie woman allowed herself to lean her head against the towel once more, releasing a content sigh as she did. Her head lolled to the side so she could admire the side of Brienne’s face.
“What I had been saying? Oh! Yes! I was talking about how hot and humid it is. These wet season months are really ruthless.” Brienne ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to slick it back, the humidity causing it to fall into her face. “I have to wash my hair every single day cause of it. My hair gets all greasy because of how muggy it is.”
“We could always get you a nice little baseball hat collection going…” Miranda hummed happily, bringing her own hand down into Brienne’s locks. She swept her fingers through the knight’s hair slowly and methodically, nails giving her scalp a soft scratch as well. “I bet you would look cute in a little hat.”
“Hats aren’t really my thing…” Brienne hummed in appreciation at Miranda’s fingers running through her hair, the borderline scalp massage being much nicer and more comfortable than imagined and expected. “How was your day?”
The constable stopped her hand movements momentarily at the question, teeth biting at the inside of her lip while she mulled over her day. In short, her day was terrible, but there was a hesitation in Miranda of pouring her negativity over her sweet girlfriend. Instead, she opted for the more positive answer, “Better now that you are here...”
“Mmm, you only give that answer when you’re trying to make light of your day…” Brienne knew her girlfriend enough to know that if Miranda didn’t go into detail when asked about her day, something most likely happened to make it rotten. In an attempt to reassure her partner, the knight offered some words that could either act as a prompt or just some comfort. “You can tell me anything, you do know that, right?”
“I... It was just... long. I don’t know why I work ten-hour shifts instead of eight. There is always something that seems to happen in that last two hours that-” The constable’s tone began to thicken with frustration, the harshness in her tone unusual for her. In an effort to calm herself, Miranda cut the thought short, releasing a sigh as she tried to reorganize her thoughts, “Oh, Bri... My current case with Robin is going nowhere, so much so that we argued in the car nearly the entire day. When we got back to the station, I took a call just to get away from her, and I- I don’t think I’ve ever seen a scene so...” Miranda trailed off as she thought back on the two bodies they found in Redfern. The rate of decomposition matched with the mutilation of the bodies was far more traumatic than she has ever experienced before.
“Well… I am assuming that you started investigating this case today. It is very common to allow frustration to take over when it seems like there is nothing to find. Especially if the scene is gruesome. It only seems to taunt when there is nothing to see. Usually in such scenes, there is often a mistake left by the killer, and when there isn’t, it’s incredibly aggravating.” Brienne began offering some consoling words to her girlfriend, even if it was only to calm her down the tiniest bit. “However, you and Robin are very clever. I have full faith in both of you. I’ve seen you solve cases previously deemed unsolvable. Do not beat yourself up because of one day of mishaps or dead-ends. And even if Robin is your best friend, she is also your boss. Needing to get away from your boss, or any type of professional partner is entirely normal. And butting heads is incredibly common as well… just think back to the only case we were put on together. Arguing in a professional setting happens.”
“Some days I don’t know why I chose this career... I’m too-” The constable stopped her sentence short with a wry laugh, rolling her eyes at how silly she felt, “Over ten years I’ve been doing this. I’ve been shot and stabbed and berated and- and now, now I’m questioning my life choices...”
Brienne lolled her head to the side as it leaned on the edge of the tub, her eyes finding Miranda’s face. “You chose this career because you wish to help people, no? To put perpetrators, criminals, predators, and people who hurt other people behind bars and offer justice to all victims. Sadly enough, police have not proven themselves to be reliable, but as long as there are good and trustworthy police, like yourself, there will be a tiny sliver of justice. Even if it’s only a dot of light in the darkness that is brutality, power abuse, and corruption.”
The Aussie skirted the issue once more, bringing up the lighter subject of her relationship with Brienne (a topic that always made her happy), “Why can’t being your girlfriend be my full-time job? I think I’m much better at that than police work.” While Miranda spoke, she began to alter her pattern of playing with Brienne’s hair, twisting the messy bits of hair around her fingers before allowing them to fall down once more.
The knight chuckled slightly as she rolled her head back to her previous position of facing up toward the ceiling. “Sadly, being my girlfriend does not pay the bills. Sorry to tell you. Police work does. You could always go into another career or find some other task to be assigned to. Perhaps they are looking for someone to organize the file cabinets down in the basement.” Brienne grinned at her last sentence, being well aware that those cabinets hadn’t been touched in years judging by the immense amount of dust and disorganization. Also, the fact that the last case file in those cabinets was from the late seventies.
“Oh, yes... How I love the basement of the station...” The constable began to giggle at Brienne’s joke, loving when her girlfriend was more humorous than her usual serious self. Shifting her hand, Miranda began stroking the back of her knuckles up and down the knight’s cheek, pure adoration radiating from the constable as she gazed at her girlfriend, “I’m not thinking of changing careers or anything... Just complaining more than I should. Thank you for listening, BriBri.”
The new form of intimacy relaxed Brienne incredibly, and she closed her eyes to savor every last second of Miranda’s hand in her hair and on her skin. “Mmm, anytime… You are more than welcome to complain. There is no limit on how much a human is allowed to. If you did elect to change, I would support you. Just so you are aware.”
“You’re sweet. How was your day, sweetheart? Didn’t you have class?” Miranda turned her face towards the ceiling, closing her own eyes. Each touch she placed on Brienne’s skin was absent-minded, fingers brushing down to trace along her jawline before circling back up again. This was one of the first times they had spent in such close proximity without Brienne seeming incredibly nervous.
“I wish. Class would’ve been more entertaining. I was ordered to shadow a senior constable for ‘experience’ and good Gods, I’m surprised that man still has his job with the amount of slacking off he does. I lost count of the number of times we stopped to get coffee and donuts for him on our patrol.” Brienne sighed her words. Clearly annoyed with the person she had been paired with, courtesy of Robin. At the same time, she never failed to maintain some form of gratitude in her tone. Always aware to respect those who were ranked higher than her.
The Aussie shook her head, unable to believe the incompetence of her peers, “Good lord. Isn’t he a stereotype? Who were you stuck with?”
Brienne released a huff through her nose, chuckling the tiniest bit as she did. “You’re telling me. I almost laughed when he returned with it. Here I thought it was only in those movies and shows of yours. It was McCallister. He wanted me to call him ‘Rooster’ because that’s apparently what everyone else at ‘the station’ refers to him as. When I tell you I almost visibly cringed. There is no way in Hells that I would call or refer to that man as ‘Rooster.’”
“McCallister? That little shit. He is the worst…” Miranda mulled over her experiences with the man, knowing him to be one of her primary antagonists at work, but she wasn’t looking to rile up Bri any further.
“I did not learn a single new thing today except for how to properly eat in a squad car. He seems to have perfected the technique. Ugh. And I have to do it all again tomorrow.” Brienne’s experience with the man had only given her one more person to avoid being dependent on in the future of her career within the force. “He truly doesn’t give me one singular reason to trust him in dire situations. I’m surprised he’s a senior constable, honestly. I am guessing he was promoted when Adrian was superintendent because there is no way Robin would promote that man with how little he does.”
“Yeah. Rooster and Adrian graduated from the academy together. His favorite activity is harassing women in the workplace… Just to prepare you.” Miranda was seething as Brienne regaled her about her time with McCallister, many terrible memories being dredged to the surface.
“Oh, never call him that again, please. I almost threw up.” Brienne couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her mouth when Miranda used his supposed nickname. “Of course it is. Why am I not surprised… He made some very off-handed comments today so I was expecting him to have a leisure activity like that. It comforts me the tiniest bit to know that they graduated together and Adrian rose to superintendent whilst he has been stuck at senior constable for Gods knows how long. Gods… he’s such an ass.” The knight was silent for a few moments as she thought over the possible reason for Robin pairing her up with him, she must have noticed his harassment or been a victim of it when she first joined. “You think Robin put me with him to reinforce me… or whatever? Actually, let me ask you who has known her much longer than I have. Why do you think she put me with… him?”
Miranda’s hand trailed back to Brienne’s hair, starting the scalp massage once again, “Possibly... that or she wanted you to kick his ass. The world may never know. I-” The constable paused, debating on sharing the next story with her girlfriend, but she knew Brienne would find out about it sooner or later, “His favorite joke is acting shocked that I am a woman. It's something he frequently tells new hires...The whole system is a joke sometimes. They want women to join the force but allow men like him to stay there, telling women they just need to be tough about it and are shocked when women quit. If he gives you too much trouble, tell Robin, she is looking for a reason to plant him behind a desk.”
“I’m so close to slapping him silly… but I know that won’t be good for my career considering I’m only a probationary constable. He’s such an idiot, truly. He did tell me that once after he had witnessed us speaking in the breakroom. He didn’t find it very funny when I told him that I already knew that you were a woman. He didn’t quite know what to say to that so he just countered with acting shocked that I was a woman… I really don’t understand how that is so funny to him because he laughs every single time. I will tell Robin, but I’m giving him a few more opportunities to redeem himself. Whenever I don’t politely laugh at one of his ‘jokes,’ I can feel him dying inside a little bit. For far too long have people laughed at his ‘jests’ out of politeness and to not make it awkward.” Brienne sighed again and remained silent for a few seconds before she spoke. “Next time I should ask him to explain the ‘joke’ and how it’s funny. Perhaps then he’ll think over his shitty behavior.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Miranda mumbled, not quite convinced he could ever learn from his behavior. Typically, she had faith in most people, seeing the good in nearly everyone and everything, but McCallister and his cronies had been treating the constable this way since she was a probationary constable. “Well...if anyone can teach him a lesson, it’s you Bri.”
“If not, it would be my pleasure to report his sorry ass to Robin. If I can’t remove at least one harasser through my first plan, I wouldn’t be bothered. He’d be punished either way because I would tell Robin no matter how it played out. I would just be telling her fewer things if the first plan ends up working.” Brienne knew a person like that shouldn’t be allowed to get away scot-free even if he did end up changing his ways, which was improbable. She only wished to see if she could get him to consider that his ‘jests’ weren’t as funny as he thought them to be and at least adjust his behavior, if only slightly.
“You’ll be able to report him soon enough. Robin is still shocked you chose Sydney PD when so many other departments wanted you...” Miranda was extremely proud of Brienne’s performance in the academy. Her scores had caught the attention of recruiters, leading to many departments feigning for the knight. The constable’s hand drifted down, gently taking Brienne’s chin in her hand, tilting the Westerosi woman’s face towards her own, “My talented girl...”
“Well… there is only one department that has a female superintendent and that has my girlfriend. It was an easy choice.” Brienne gazed lovingly at her girlfriend, eyes flicking down to Miranda’s lips briefly before coming back to the constable’s eyes. “Besides… I figured you could use some more women in your department. Hopefully, one of these days I, or you, will rise above McCallister and his posse in rank and watch them cry about the fact that they are lower rank than a woman who rose from probationary constable whilst they are still stuck at their rank.”
“Hmm... While it should be me by seniority, I have no doubt that your heroism and abilities will place you at the top of the force... Just like back in Westeros.” Miranda’s eyes scanned Brienne’s face, taking in all of the small details that endeared her to the woman. The constable licked her lips, hand relinquishing the knight’s face to rest on her opposite cheek to keep her love’s eyes facing her. “The Lord Commander equivalent in Australia would be Commissioner. I have no doubt you could achieve it.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. However, I will work equally as hard and honorable as I did back in Westeros, and we’ll see where that takes us.” Brienne smiled at her girlfriend, endeared at how much faith she had in her. She leaned forward and stole a quick kiss, retracting her head back before speaking. “The faith you have in me is steadfast. Thank you. It truly makes me… I don’t know. It helps to know that I have someone that believes in me to such an extent.”
“Of course I do. It’s in the job description of me being your girlfriend, ya know? But you make it incredibly easy by being so wonderful and smart and handsome...” The constable was light-hearted in her compliments, her emphasis on her adjectives for Brienne light and teasing. Miranda pushed the knight’s hair from her face, grinning widely at the way the hair would fall back in her face after the Aussie attempted to tuck it behind her ear.
“You’re doing a wonderful job. I do nothing. I just am. You’re the one who sees me in that way.” Brienne spent a long time drowning in Miranda’s soft eyes. She simply couldn’t help herself with the way there was so much care in them. It was almost like they drew her in, like a moth to a flame, or a pirate to a mermaid. After a while, she simply lost track of time of both how long it had been since she arrived, and how long she had been sitting in silence. Her next words were but a whisper, not wishing to disrupt the peace. “I have no idea how long we have been sitting here. Your water must be cold by now…”
The Aussie was slightly disappointed at having to get out, she had grown so comfortable sitting with Brienne like this. Glancing down at the water, Miranda’s cheeks grew warm at the absence of bubbles that once kept her body hidden. The constable sat up straighter, retracting her hand from the knight’s face to grasp at the towel under her head, tucking the folded cloth beneath her chin just above the water level to cover herself. “I suppose I should get out, shouldn’t I? Dinner and a movie after I get dressed?”
“I think that would be sensible… unless you want to permanently transform into a raisin. Your choice. Dinner and a movie sound like a perfect idea. I’ll wait in the living room.” Brienne gave Miranda a swift peck on the lips before getting up and exiting the bathroom, closing the door behind her to give her girlfriend some privacy.
The constable drained the tub, stepping from the slowly sinking water, and wiping her body clean of the dripping water. There was a sense of urgency in Miranda’s actions, not wanting the knight to wait longer than necessary. With her body dry, the Aussie rehung her towel on the back of the door and padded out to her bedroom where she quickly threw on an old t-shirt and a pair of pajama shorts, knowing Brienne and she would just be relaxing for the remainder of the evening.
After the bath and her long discussion with Brienne, Miranda was feeling more like herself, bobbing out to the living room with a large grin. Dropping to the couch, the constable leaned into the knight’s side, resting her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder, “Since it’s my night to cook, I say we get take-out.”
“Hmm, really? Who would’ve guessed? What kind of take-out are you thinking?” Brienne brought a hand to her girlfriend’s head, landing on the back of her neck and her fingers settling in the hair by Miranda’s nape.
“Chinese. And because you let me pick dinner, I’ll let you pick the movie. It’s only fair.” Miranda jested, reached to grab her phone from the coffee table, ready to dial up the number of her usual Chinese restaurant. She knew Brienne and her own order by heart, making ordering take-out even easier, “And because I like you so much, I’ll order extra dumplings and I’ll think about sharing them with you.”
“Technically, I didn’t let you do anything. But I’ll take it.” Brienne removed her hand from Miranda’s neck to bring it back to her phone, needing it to finish writing a response to an email. The knight was amused at her girlfriend’s words, knowing that in most cases, the constable was too full to finish all of them and would end up asking Brienne to finish them for her. “I’m actually more of a spring roll kind of person, so you can keep your dumplings. Though I am very grateful for your potential generosity.”
Tilting her head upwards, the constable smirked up at the Westerosi woman, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. Miranda’s response sounded egocentric, but the sarcasm that coated the words changed the meaning completely, “I’m wonderful. What can I say?”
“I know you are.” When she had sent her response, she put her phone away and turned in her seat on the couch to face her girlfriend. She raised her brows and looked at Miranda in disbelief. It would all be taken seriously if she didn’t have the smallest of smiles on her lips.