message received
for the femslash big bang and also here on ao3
Jack accidentally receives a text from Oriana that was meant for Jacob on how Miranda isn't taking breaks. While the two of them are in a sort of friendship truce Jack knows she really shouldn't care about this message. She does anyway.
~~
It started with a simple mistake.
Oriana had clearly meant to message Jacob the question but instead hit ‘Jack’ so when she woke up that morning to see a message from Miranda’s little sister she was more than a little confused.
Miranda isn’t taking breaks and I’m getting worried, do you have any suggestions?
The message sat there innocently on the datapad she was holding followed by one a minute afterwards with Oriana apologizing profusely for messaging her instead of Jacob. Jack should have just let it go then but she it was like the thought was stuck with her.
The (ex)Cerberus cheerleader wasn’t taking breaks to the point where she’d worried someone around her.
Jack tried to remember if on the SR-2 if Miranda took any breaks then either but most of her memories with Miranda on that ship were of the two of them fighting. While now they had made a tentative peace with each other after Shepard’s party Jack would still be the last person Miranda – or her sister – would come to with a problem.
But now she knew about it anyway, Jack thought with a frown that Prangley interpreted wrong during training and very nearly ran into a wall while throwing a biotic field. Jack let all thoughts of Miranda fall from her head as she turned her focus back on her students, yelling for Prangley to get back up while subtly making sure the kid hadn’t injured himself.
On the other side of the room Rodriguez snickered so Jack turned her attention to her, ordering all of them to practice barriers and walking around to correct stances where she needed it.
By the end of the day she’d almost completely forgotten about the message and was just looking forward to collapsing in her bunk after writing up her reports but caught it on the screen of the datapad again.
Jack petted Eezo idly as she considered the message again and sighed. She was clearly getting soft because instead of just deleting it she typed back:
Hey kid, try getting your sister laid. Could do wonders for her.
It was hardly a minute later that she received another message, this time from a secure channel.
Next time you send something like that I’m deleting it from Oriana’s inbox.
That was clearly Miranda and Jack’s lips curved upwards in pure amusement, picturing Miranda making a face at the screen when she saw Jack’s message.
And I’m fine.
The other message came in seconds later and Jack shook her head, typing back.
Bullshit.
As predicted Miranda didn’t take kindly to being called out like that.
This is hardly your concern. How are your students doing?
Jack raised an eyebrow at the attempt to swerve the conversation in another direction.
Not as high strung as you so they’re doing fine.
This time there wasn’t a response back as quickly, Jack had to wait around about five minutes and the more time that went by the angrier she was starting to get. That the anger was coming from a place of worry didn’t even occur to her.
I don’t think we should talk about this.
Jack rolled her eyes and sneered at the words even if Miranda couldn’t see it.
Too late for that. Just take a fucking break so your sister can stop accidentally messaging me.
It was probably the same advice Jacob had sent, though his would have been phrased far nicer and in between stories of his life.
Drop it Jack.
If anything Miranda’s response pissed her off more. This wasn’t her problem, Miranda knew it, her kid sister knew it and the best thing to do was leave this to Jacob. Except that Jack was absolutely taking this as a challenge to annoy Miranda now.
She scrolled around on the extranet for a little while, locating the closest escort service to where Miranda and Oriana were stationed and ordered the first person that came up on the screen.
Enjoy.
She grinned a little viciously as she typed that and laughed when she got back:
Jack what did you do?
It took an hour for the person to get there clearly because Jack didn’t get another message until then. She looked away from her far too many reports to look at it.
You can’t be serious.
Would you prefer EDI? Joker might share if he can tape it.
I will block you.
Jack could practically see the way Miranda was pursing her lips at that, trying hard not to be amused and claiming her disgust but Jack had seen her smiling at other jokes she’d made at the party.
It was a victory for her at least.
Here I thought we were becoming friends princess.
A year ago I never would have thought that possible.
Well if you’d stop sucking Cerberus’ dick earlier you’d realized I was right.
That’s an image I won’t get out of my mind any time soon.
Jack snickered to herself at the response and wondered if she could send a crude drawing over the extranet when a new message came in.
Thank you Jack. Disturbing as it was I needed the laugh.
She blinked at that, her hand stilling on top of Eezo who made a slight whuffling noise. “Well shit.” She said out loud, staring at the padd. Now she was undeniably worried, Miranda was thanking her of all people. Something must have gone wrong if she’d been able to help and Miranda was admitting that.
Looking down at Eezo who had inched closer in his concern she groaned, “Stupid Shepard.” Now she actually cared about her ex-team mates. Even Miranda.
Skimming through her list of duties she sent a message off to Kahlee requesting some time off, at least a month. Before Kahlee could respond she’d packed her bags and whistled for Eezo to follow her and “borrowed” a shuttle.
She had a princess to kidnap.
~~
Oriana was the one who opened the door and at the sight of Jack her eyebrows went up in surprise. “Aren’t you…” She began and Jack cut her off.
“Looking for your sister.” Jack muscled her way past Oriana and through the door, Eezo bounded behind her and Oriana yelped at being pounced on.
“Ori?” At the noise Miranda had come running, the blue glow of her biotics surrounding her as she was prepared to take on whatever was possibly threatening her sister. She stopped short when she saw Jack and Eezo, her mouth falling open a little in surprise before she straightened up, smoothing her face and clothes until everything was once again perfect.
It didn’t make her want to punch Miranda right away though, instead Jack squinted and noticed that there were bags under Miranda’s eyes and the exhaustion was clear though probably only to people who knew her. Whatever stress she was under had gotten to Miranda, or maybe the fact that the war was over hadn’t sunk in.
Jack snorted, “Well you look like shit.”
Miranda rolled her eyes. “Did you come here just to tell me that?” She said drily and Jack grinned at the familiar banter. “Get your Varren off my sister Jack.”
Jack glanced behind her, Oriana was now laughing as she tussled a little with Eezo. “Nah, I think she’s good.” Jack crossed her arms and looked back at Miranda. “Pack up, we gotta get going.”
Miranda raised an eyebrow at her coolly, “Jack-”
“T’Soni gave me coordinates to a Cerberus base that’s still up.” Jack said, looking Miranda straight in the eyes. “I’m going to destroy it and every last one of them.”
That caught Miranda’s attention and Jack could see she was wavering between joining her and staying with Oriana.
“Miri.” Oriana broke the silence, standing up with a bit of difficulty as Eezo still wanted to play. “You should go. I’ll be fine.”
Jack had no siblings but she could recognize the tone of exasperation towards the end as the same one from her students who were trying to stubbornly prove they could handle themselves. She felt a kernel of guilt in her stomach at leaving without much of a goodbye. She had stopped in quickly to see Rodriguez and let her know what was going on but it was strange not being there with them now. She resisted the urge to squirm at the guilt, squashing it down with a frown.
“Break the fucking leash cheerleader.” Jack sneered, trying to hit on Miranda’s anger.
It worked as Miranda flashed her a quick glare which softened when she turned to look at Oriana. “I will be checking in.”
Oriana rolled her eyes, reminding Jack so much of Miranda in that moment that Jack actually grinned. Miranda caught it and shot her a confused look but let it go when Oriana moved to hug her. “Be careful Miri.”
It was the similarity between Oriana and her students that made Jack say, “I’ll make sure your sister doesn’t even break a nail.”
“Knowing you it will be a rib instead.” Miranda muttered and then pretended she hadn’t said anything when Oriana pestered her about it.
It took ten minutes for Miranda to pack. When she came back out she stared down at Eezo. “Is he coming?”
“Yes.” Jack grinned. “Problem?”
“Only that I’m not sure I’ll be able to tell which one is the wild creature on the ship.” Miranda deadpanned.
“My bite is worse.” Jack smirked.
“Of course it is.”
~~
The shuttle was meant for two people. Not two people and a Varren but Jack refused to leave Eezo behind so they crowded into it and he curled up on one of the beds that Miranda instantly declared was Jack’s and not her own.
It was an experimental shuttle with a modified FTL capable drive that some of the non-biotic Grissom Academy kids had made. In retrospect Kahlee would be furious at her for taking it but Jack didn’t really care.
“Where’s the compound?” Miranda asked as she took a seat next to Jack by the controls.
“Mnemosyne.” Jack had checked the information that Liara had sent her a few times to make sure.
Miranda hummed, not sounding surprised, “They were probably stationed there to look for anything left of that derelict Reaper.”
Jack had gone on that mission, she could remember the eerie quiet of the Reaper before the screams of husks and scions had pierced the air. “Fucking Reapers.” She swore, it seemed like even with Shepard destroying them they weren’t free of it. Not if Cerberus kept trying to mess about with them.
“Based on their coded outgoing messages it looks like this was research for Sanctuary,” Miranda was scrolling through the notes that Liara had sent intently. “But that was months ago so what are they doing now…”
“Hey I brought you along to answer that.” Jack shrugged, “I don’t give a shit what they were doing, I just want them gone.” She’d really only thought of the plan to take out Cerberus bases halfway to Miranda’s and had taken an hour to message Liara for the intel. She wasn’t about to tell Miranda that she’d visited on a whim and only then thought of an excuse.
Miranda glanced over at her. “About that, Jack-” She sounded serious and Jack cut her off, not wanting to have the conversation at all.
“I gotta feed Eezo, you drive.” She said roughly, practically jumping out of her seat and to where Eezo was.
She didn’t look back but could feel Miranda’s disappointed and confused look burrowing into her.
~~
“Recon is the best option first.” Miranda sighed as she said it, rubbing her forehead.
“Fuck that, I say we go in there and just blow them up.” Jack paced as much as she could in the small cabin of the shuttle.
“We should watch them, find the best entrance and then you can blow them up Jack.”
It was reasonable. Jack hated it.
“Way less entertaining.” Jack said and without another word blasted a shockwave at three of the guards.
Miranda swore at her but was up in a second, firing off her own biotic blast and erecting a barrier when the guards started firing back at them.
The air crackled around her as Jack formed another shockwave, a bigger one this time to take out every guard in front of them who were stupidly standing all together.
Miranda even snorted at that and muttered ‘idiots’ under her breath. Clearly they didn’t have someone with a tactical mind in charge of the station like Miranda, which in Jack’s opinion would make this easier. Not that she’d tell Miranda that.
It took five minutes to dispatch all the guards as they came rushing out, “Grunt would call this shooting pyjack in a den.” Miranda commented at one point as she slammed guards against the walls, maintaining her barrier with one hand.
“I call this fun.” Jack’s heart raced in her chest with the adrenaline from a fight, she was more than ready to finish it and anyone else who stepped in her way.
Alarms blared around them as they made their way into the base, stopping now and then for a fight with a scientist or for Miranda to hack into the computer to open a door for them. By the time they made it to the central hub Jack was certain they were the only two people left alive in this station.
“We should have at least spared one to question them.” Miranda sighed as she looked at the mess around them.
“You wanna bring them back all Shepard style be my guest. I don’t mind shooting them in the head again.” Jack nearly spat on the Cerberus logo that adorned someone’s coat, even after all this time and the help Shepard had given her she still couldn’t contain her anger when she saw that.
Miranda noticed it and leveled her with a calm stare, “They’re gone Jack.”
“Yet still pulling this shit.” Jack sneered and gestured towards the computer. “Let’s just find out if there’s anymore of them and blow this place to hell.”
“You certainly know how to show a girl a good time.” Miranda said drily, shaking her head and Jack could just see her lips twitch upwards in amusement.
Usually Jack would have made some innuendo at that, something about how she could show Miranda a better time back on the shuttle or how Miranda wouldn’t know a good time with the stick up her ass but her mouth felt dry suddenly and instead she crossed her arms and just grunted.
Miranda’s fingers didn’t make a sound on the holographic keyboard and in the orange glow of it Jack could make out how relaxed Miranda looked as she poured over the information. Jack had no doubt that soon she’d formulate a plan for them to attack other bases and have the entire network figured out.
“You’re staring.” Miranda’s voice cut through the silence but she didn’t look away from the screen.
Jack scowled at her and for a bit of revenge sent the tiniest shockwave to just hit Miranda in the ass. She snickered as Miranda yelped and whirled around to glare at Jack. Jack grinned back at her, claiming the point in her favour.
“It was a large target.” Jack said, shrugging.
To her surprise Miranda smirked, “One that seems to have caught your attention.” She then turned back to the console, ignoring Jack once more.
“Hey cheerleader-” Jack began before Miranda cut her off.
“You know I don’t support Cerberus anymore Jack, that name hardly seems appropriate.”
Jack rolled her eyes even if Miranda couldn’t see her, “Stop dressing like one then.”
“And should I dawn belts instead?” Miranda glanced back, that smirk still on her lips.
Jack shook off the mental image of Miranda dressed how she used to be, “Nah, you couldn’t pull it off. You’d need some ink.”
“Yes that’s what I’m missing.” Miranda snorted, her voice carrying it’s usual dry sarcasm.
“I could fix that.” Jack felt more comfortable now that conversation was back on neutral ground, even if she still was sneaking the occasional peek downwards at Miranda’s ass.
“I’ll pass.” Miranda straightened suddenly, her omni tool coming to life and Jack could see she was transferring files on to it. “There’s three more bases like this.” Miranda said and frowned. “All looking at Reaper remains.”
“On who’s order.” Jack’s biotics flashed slightly in her rage, in the idea that someone else had taken over Cerberus and was trying to raise it from the ground once more.
“Still unclear.” Miranda looked as annoyed as Jack felt. “The encryption will take a while to crack.”
“Weren’t you supposed to be perfect.” Jack sneered, her anger still rising.
Miranda met her eyes, “I think we’ve both learned I’m not quite.”
The confession took her by surprise and Jack blinked. “Well shit. And I thought the Reapers were the end of the galaxy.”
“I’m certainly still better than anyone here. Their personalized encryption was a joke.” Miranda continued onwards.
“There’s the ego that inflates your ass.” Jack replied, chuckling to herself.
“Here I thought I you’d pay attention to my fantastic tits.” Miranda lowered her voice, like she was trying to imitate Jack’s words at the party.
Jack looked over at them and crossed her arms. “Yeah, they’re probably inflated too.”
Miranda hit her with a small slam that made Jack skid back a few steps. She just laughed instead of firing a biotic blast back, where before there would have been antagonism in all their actions now there was just somewhat companionable playing.
When they got back to the ship Jack whistled for Eezo and let him tackle Miranda for her revenge.
~~
They took turns sleeping while the ship flew mostly on auto pilot to their next destination. Occasionally Miranda would try to bring up the reason why Jack had sought her out but Jack continuously ignored her in that. She wasn’t even sure she had the answer herself and wasn’t about to tell Miranda that she’d been worried about her.
“You look less like shit.” Jack commented when she woke up to see Miranda looking over the encryption again.
Miranda ignored her again in favour of continuing her efforts.
When they arrived at the second planet Jack opted to take Eezo with them. Miranda took one look at the Varren and sighed but didn’t argue.
“Good boy.” Jack complimented as Eezo wiped the floor with some of the guards. “Who’s my good boy.” She took the Varren’s face in her hands and roughly petted him. Behind her she could hear Miranda trying to stifle a laugh. “Hey he’s a better companion than you Lawson.” As soon as she said Miranda’s last name she nearly cursed at herself.
“I think that’s the first time you’ve used my name.” Miranda crossed her arms. “I’m beginning to think you actually like me Jack.”
Jack straightened up and barrelled past Miranda, hitting her with her shoulder as she walked by and scoffing. “Bite me cheerleader.”
Miranda didn’t retort back and Jack turned to see her staring at Jack with a curious look on her face.
“Well?” Jack said gruffly, “Let’s get the fuck on with this and blow it up.”
Miranda followed her after a moments pause, Eezo bounded after them whuffling in what Jack thought of as a cheerful manner.
If she’d been paying attention instead of focusing on how Miranda had looked at her Jack would have seen the person coming around the corner. Instead as it was she heard the rifle fire and felt a searing pain in her side.
Her uninjured side hit the wall with her balance thrown off. “You-” She began, biotics crackling around her when the man was slammed so hard into the corridor that the metal bent around him.
“Jack!” Miranda’s worried face came into her vision and a hand covered hers over the wound.
“It’s fine.” Jack insisted. “Dipshit couldn’t even make a good shot.” For all that she said that her side felt like it was on fire. “Ah hell, I’m going to have to redo the tats there.” Jack looked down at her side with a frown.
“You’re worried about your tats?” Miranda sighed, “No of course you are.” Eezo darted around them, whimpering now in his concern.
“Just slap some medigel on it.” Jack said, wincing as she moved slightly.
“Fine.” Miranda finally relented. “But I’m taking a look at this when we’re back on the shuttle.”
Jack grumbled but let it go, she’d just duck out of Miranda’s grasps on the shuttle by putting Eezo between them or something. The medigel was freezing at her side in stark contrast to the rifle burn but it also numbed the pain and Jack was ready to move within the minute.
Miranda summoned a barrier around them and when Jack shot her a look she shrugged, “Just in case.”
If Jack noticed that the barrier was covering herself more than it was Miranda she didn’t say anything.
~~
With the rest of the scientists taken care of Miranda had gotten a new encryption to look at and compare to the one at the old base. She didn’t pause to look at it though like before, just loaded it up on her omni tool and began to drag Jack back to the shuttle.
“If you died on my watch Shepard would come back somehow and kill me.” Miranda stated when Jack complained.
“Shit if I died on your watch I’d haunt your ass.” Jack said.
“You’ve really got a fascination with my ass recently.” Miranda noted and pushed Jack into a bunk when she reached the shuttle. Miranda paused and looked down at her, “Including worrying about it it seems.”
“Shit.” Jack wasn’t drunk enough or high enough on painkillers to have this conversation. She opened her mouth to call for Eezo but was cut off when Miranda kissed her. Jack reached out automatically, resting her hands on Miranda’s hips and deepening the biting kiss.
“Don’t worry.” Miranda said when she pulled back, her lips puffy where Jack had bit them, “I won’t read anything in to this.” Even as she said it Jack knew that there was in fact something there to read in to but if Miranda didn’t want to touch it yet then she didn’t either.
“So about your ass…” Jack slid her hands down and leered at Miranda.
Miranda rolled her eyes, “I’m not sleeping with you in front of your Varren.” She told Jack. “And we have to get you fixed up first.”
“Pussy.” Jack muttered but let Miranda poke at her wound and attend to it with medi kit in the shuttle. For the first time since they’d left she actually regretted bringing Eezo with her. “You know he can sleep outside for the night.”
Miranda paused for a second, clearly considering it. “We’re sleeping in my bunk.” She said. “Yours smells like Varren.”
Jack grinned in victory.
~~
“Did you plan this.” Miranda asked, her hair billowing around her on the pillow, streaked with sweat.
“Nah.” Jack stretched, wincing as she pulled on her newly healed wound. “I just wanted to blow up some Cerberus bases.”
Miranda raised a hand and slid it down Jack’s side to rest on her wound, warming it beneath her fingers. “You can admit you were worried you know.” Miranda smirked. “Showing up at my door when Ori said I wasn’t doing so well, you hardly hid it Jack.”
“Fuck you.” Jack mumbled, turning her face into the pillow.
“Well you’ve done that.” Miranda admitted, making Jack let out a surprising bark of laughter.
“Thought you weren’t going to read in to this.” Jack said when her laughter died down. “I think we had a deal princess.”
“I liked it better when you using my last name.” Miranda was silent for a moment. “You weren’t a mistake you know.”
“What?” Jack raised her head a little, squinting at Miranda in the pale light they had from above.
“I said that once. I regret it.” Miranda admitted. “I was wrong.”
“Didn’t we already have this fucking talk at Shepard’s party.” Jack groaned, her stomach twisting uneasily. She hated all this feelings shit.
“Fair enough.” Miranda shrugged and her hand slid off Jack’s side, making her shiver in the cold it left.
“Hey.” Jack said, turning so she wasn’t looking at Miranda and was staring at the pillow instead. “I guess I don’t hate you as much as I did.”
She heard Miranda chuckle. “But you still do?” Jack didn’t answer and thankfully Miranda didn’t press. Instead she returned her hand back where it had been over Jack’s wound and shut her eyes. “I can live with that.”
Jack raised her own hand and rested it on Miranda’s stomach, right where her wound was when she had fought Kai Leng.
“Shut up, Lawson.” Jack said, pressing her fingers down so hard she could feel Miranda’s pulse underneath them. “Some of us are trying to fucking sleep.”
Miranda snorted but didn’t say anything else. Jack didn’t move to her own bunk like she was planning on to before.
~~
When she woke up Miranda was already at the console and Eezo was snoring on Jack’s bunk while kicking in the air occasionally.
She dragged herself up with a groan, popping the joints in her shoulder and quickly getting ready. When she joined Miranda at the front of the shuttle she saw that Miranda was still looking at the encryption files.
“Didn’t think you’d take this long.” Jack commented, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tease Miranda that she still hadn’t cracked it.
Miranda made some kind of noise that could have been agreement but didn’t look away from the console. Jack shoved her lightly in the thigh with her booted foot and Miranda turned to scowl at her.
“Really Jack?”
“Hey I just want to know what’s taking so long. I wanted these things gone by now.” It had actually gone quicker than Jack expected, courtesy of Miranda and by her smirk Miranda seemed to know that.
“I think we may have to get something I left back with Ori. She’s got some colony encryption codes and it looks like these were sent to someone out in the traverse.” Miranda ran a hand through her hair and then smoothed it back down. Jack resisted the urge to lean over the seats to kiss her and muss with her hair again.
“So we drop in, get it, and go back to kicking ass.” Jack shrugged.
“If that’s how you want to think of it. We can stop in to see Chakwas so she can take a look at your wound.” Miranda plugged the coordinates in.
“Now that we’re sleeping together are you going to be a fucking pain in my ass about this shit.” Jack frowned.
“Oh I’m aware I can’t stop you Jack.” Miranda replied, “But since I’ve taken control of this mission-”
“I sure as fuck didn’t agree to that.”
“You did actually.” Miranda grinned, “You agreed that you were on my watch. Something about haunting my ass.” Jack rolled her eyes, of course Miranda remembered that. “Besides,” Miranda continued. “I think it’s also still up to if we are still going to be sleeping together after this.”
She was leaving the choice up to Jack which somehow irked her, like she needed to be coddled. Jack was tempted to end it right there for that reason alone but then she’d have to cut off communication with Miranda again and would probably never hear from her. That didn’t sit well with her either.
“Like I said.” Jack spoke before Miranda could notice her internal struggle, “You’ve got fantastic tits.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“We do have a long ride back to your place.” Jack grinned at her.
“I told you I’m not sleeping with you in front of your Varren.”
“Prude.”
~~
Oriana was surprised to see them back so soon but when Miranda asked her for the codes she told Miranda where they were quickly enough.
“She seems better.” Oriana said as Miranda walked into another room.
“Like I said,” Jack shrugged, “You just needed to get your sister laid.”
Oriana glanced at Jack from the corner of her eyes and Jack caught an all too familiar smirk. “That’s why I messaged you right.”
Jack was gobsmacked for a second before she laughed uproariously. “Shit, you played us both.”
Oriana grinned, rocking back on her feet. “Miri missed you too you know, she kept checking up on Grissom Academy in her extranet searches.”
Jack let that sink in for a second, she’d lord that over Miranda later. “Who says I missed her.”
“The fact that you responded at all.” Oriana definitely had an eviler streak than her sister, Jack couldn’t help but approve of it.
“Did you even message Taylor?” Jack asked, somewhat curious.
Oriana shook her head at the same time that Miranda came out. She looked between the two of them curiously but they both just grinned at her.
“Jack don’t influence Oriana.” Miranda ordered as she walked towards her, stopping only to hug her sister once more.
“Too late.” Jack muttered under her breath and nodded at Oriana who waved them out cheerfully. As they walked out the door Jack gave up resisting the urge and rested her hand on Miranda’s ass.
“Jack.” Miranda began in warning.
“C’mon cheerleader.” Jack pressed her along by pushing on her ass lightly with no regrets. “Let’s go blow up some Cerberus assholes.” She twisted her neck and called back to Oriana, “Hey look after Eezo.”
She heard Oriana’s confused ‘what’ right before Eezo tackled her.
“I suppose you think this means you’re going to get lucky.” Miranda said drily, looking over at Jack but she hadn’t removed Jack’s hand from where it was as they reached the shuttle.
Jack didn’t answer, smirking back at her instead and shutting the shuttle door behind them.