Mal is hiding in Shuttle Two. Nothing in there besides an extra comm for when Inara's shorts, and boxes from various jobs.

The job.

Today started out so gorram happy.

Now? Mal is sitting crosslegged on the floor in the shuttle, hoping like hell no one realizes he's in here.

Mal is on the bridge. Captainly duties and all requiring it, of course. If by captainly duties you mean flipping on the boob tube Cortex and seeing what the somnambulant public was receiving today.

The plain-looking newscaster Serenity is picking up from god only knows which moon they're passing is relaying some drivel or other before Mal tunes in ( Read more... )

Mal had been fixing himself some black tea when Simon and Kaylee came up to him, having the distinct air of "We need to tell you something".

The timid smile on Kaylee's face calmed Mal, before a smirk of one crossed Simon's face as well.

Jubal's gone. River did it. Again.Cough. "Good. One less thorn in our paw." A true grin, and Kaylee and Simon ( Read more... )

Mal's currently standing just outside of the doorway to his and Inara's room in Crowley's flat, adjusting his new suspenders he received earlier from Kaylee.

He doesn't see River until he hooks his thumbs under the suspenders and gives them a good tug.

Turning to face the girl in the hallway, "What do you think?"

Mal's palm is sweaty. The maple of his new calligraphy brush handle is too smooth, still - hard to grip.

It's making his characters he is practicing in the kitchen on the table a little wobbly.

Mal is smiling, but there is pain there too as he walks up to the bridge. The ship is ready to fly again.

Sitting in the pilot's chair, Mal adjusts the T-Rex - Crichton - on the dashboard, prepping the pre-flight sequence while being completely aware of the presence in the co-pilot's chair.

"You gonna ride shotgun, help me fly?"

No dreams last night.

Not that he doesn't have some tension to clear off.

This is why Mal adds another ten pounds to each side of Jayne's steel barbell and leans back for another set of reps.

It's oddly calm on Serenity. Quiet. Boring. The way it should be, some days.

Mal is not bored. He's working.

He's gone through about anything he can think of to be polite and considerate and all those things he'd ever been taught, and failing.

Giving up and scrawling on a piece of paper a short note, Mal folds it in half and places it next to a ( Read more... )