Firefly: River/Simon, DNA (reposted for rating), PG-13ascadulineadeptJune 8 2007, 21:37:12 UTC
He is drifting. Oddly weightless, floating up. Vertigo without nausea. "Simon." Simon opens his eyes; the blackness holds stars in it. Surprising, how dark the room gets, with all those lights and all that whirring hum. Simon briefly understands why River talks to Serenity, an ongoing little dialogue that lulls him to sleep most nights. But...there had been...oh, yes. "Yes, River?" His voice is cracking with tiredness. He wants to lie down, then remembers he is lying down. Sleep is what he wants. So soft, this bed... "Do you know what DNA is?" Simon spends a long moment pondering this. "You mean as in genetics?" "Do you know what it is?" River asks. "It's a... protein." Simon squints into the black, then lifts his head up to look around. He can see a faint line of light under the door. "It's a response set." After a moment River adds, from somewhere to his left, "Endless." "I...yes?" He thinks he can see it twisting in the darkness, or maybe that's just his imagination. "Better than a program. You can give it variants on inputs. It can guess." "Mmf." Simon turns on his side, away from her. There's a rustling noise, and she comes to kneel on his mattress, shaking his shoulder insistently. "Simon, wake up." Simon moans. "River..." "Wake up." She pokes him in the ribs. Hard. "Ouch!" He sits up, and she tumbles off the bed, with a dull sounds of flesh hitting various hard objects. It unnerves him, how silently she fell, when all he can do is hear her--no whimpers or shrieks to guide him. "Simon." There's only the barest hint of reproach in her voice. Simon sighs."I'm sorry. Did you bump anything?" "My knee." Simon pushes himself off the bed, carefully, waving his hands slowly into nothingness. There, flesh. A...what is it? Shoulder. He finds his way up to her face, then drops his hands. "I'll turn on a light." "No!" She pulls on his hands when he goes to stand, pulls him back down. "You don't need it." "I can't see." "Here." She pokes her foot into his knee, and, sighing, he feels around for hers. Stickiness. "You're bleeding." Oh, god. Now he's made her bleed. He didn't mean to... He stands, to go for the light, and she pulls him down again. "I need my kit, River." "No." "River-" "No." He can barely make out a shadow in the darkness. She seems to be curled over her knee. "It aches." She tilts her head up. "But, see? I fell off the bed, and caught myself on my hands." She holds her hands out, and Simon takes them. Rough. "Did you get rug-burn?" "I caught myself," River says. "Even though I never fell that way before. Don't you see?" She sounds utterly delighted. "I'm getting my kit." She pulls him down again, and he falls, sprawling across the floor, hitting his head against the side of her bed. He lies, dazed, beginning to be angry. River moves her legs restlessly; they lie pinned beneath his stomach. Simon hauls himself up, onto hands and knees. He runs his hands over his chest. Blood. Her blood everywhere. "Oh, god." River's hands find his. "River..." She guides his hand to his mouth, unusually strong in this strange twilight room. "It's--" "Shh," River says. "Taste." Her voice sounds, very close to his ear, and his hair stirs. "DNA."
"Simon." Simon opens his eyes; the blackness holds stars in it. Surprising, how dark the room gets, with all those lights and all that whirring hum. Simon briefly understands why River talks to Serenity, an ongoing little dialogue that lulls him to sleep most nights. But...there had been...oh, yes.
"Yes, River?" His voice is cracking with tiredness. He wants to lie down, then remembers he is lying down. Sleep is what he wants. So soft, this bed...
"Do you know what DNA is?" Simon spends a long moment pondering this.
"You mean as in genetics?"
"Do you know what it is?" River asks.
"It's a... protein." Simon squints into the black, then lifts his head up to look around. He can see a faint line of light under the door.
"It's a response set." After a moment River adds, from somewhere to his left, "Endless."
"I...yes?" He thinks he can see it twisting in the darkness, or maybe that's just his imagination.
"Better than a program. You can give it variants on inputs. It can guess."
"Mmf." Simon turns on his side, away from her. There's a rustling noise, and she comes to kneel on his mattress, shaking his shoulder insistently.
"Simon, wake up."
Simon moans. "River..."
"Wake up." She pokes him in the ribs. Hard.
"Ouch!" He sits up, and she tumbles off the bed, with a dull sounds of flesh hitting various hard objects. It unnerves him, how silently she fell, when all he can do is hear her--no whimpers or shrieks to guide him.
"Simon." There's only the barest hint of reproach in her voice. Simon sighs."I'm sorry. Did you bump anything?"
"My knee." Simon pushes himself off the bed, carefully, waving his hands slowly into nothingness. There, flesh. A...what is it? Shoulder. He finds his way up to her face, then drops his hands.
"I'll turn on a light."
"No!" She pulls on his hands when he goes to stand, pulls him back down. "You don't need it."
"I can't see."
"Here." She pokes her foot into his knee, and, sighing, he feels around for hers. Stickiness.
"You're bleeding." Oh, god. Now he's made her bleed. He didn't mean to... He stands, to go for the light, and she pulls him down again.
"I need my kit, River."
"No."
"River-"
"No." He can barely make out a shadow in the darkness. She seems to be curled over her knee. "It aches." She tilts her head up. "But, see? I fell off the bed, and caught myself on my hands." She holds her hands out, and Simon takes them. Rough.
"Did you get rug-burn?"
"I caught myself," River says. "Even though I never fell that way before. Don't you see?" She sounds utterly delighted.
"I'm getting my kit."
She pulls him down again, and he falls, sprawling across the floor, hitting his head against the side of her bed. He lies, dazed, beginning to be angry.
River moves her legs restlessly; they lie pinned beneath his stomach. Simon hauls himself up, onto hands and knees. He runs his hands over his chest. Blood. Her blood everywhere.
"Oh, god." River's hands find his. "River..." She guides his hand to his mouth, unusually strong in this strange twilight room. "It's--"
"Shh," River says. "Taste." Her voice sounds, very close to his ear, and his hair stirs. "DNA."
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But hey, why not!
Glad you liked it ^.^
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Now is this really a contest with voting and so on ... ? I've rather lost track of how it works. I just thought it would be fun to write!
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