A Femslash mini...
Title Sky Full
Author Brutti ma buoni
Pairing River/Fred
Rating PG1
Words 600
Setting Firefly verse
Prompt for punchkicker15 who wanted Chinese New Year, fireworks and music - for the Holiday Season round
"I don't love anything as much as tacos," says Fred, dreamily. "But those little lettuce wrap things? With the sauce? They're totally worth coming through the portal for."
"You don't have them in your world?" River asks, doubtfully. They've been eating traditional food, not modern cuisine. Some things feel like they should be timeless. New Year banquets, definitely so.
Fred groans out a, "Nooaaaaww," drunk on food and happiness. It makes River smile. Most things about Fred do. "We have 'em, I think. But I never found good Chinese take out in our neighbourhood. Stupid. There must have been places. But I was - we were - always so busy, and-" Her brow crinkles with distress, and River kisses it away, hastily. Keeping Fred away from the past is important. Ever since they realised that this is Fred's world, or what remains, but all her friends are dust and ash in the void of Earth That Was, a part of River's everything has involved keeping Fred's mind off of the was, and onto the is.
Which, when there are foodstuffs this wise, is not such a challenge for a woman of resource. Fred called River that once, at the start, and it stuck in her head as a label she's kindly to. She's taken care, since, to think what Fred might have need of, and resource it as such. Tonight, she has it all ready.
"C'mon," she says, and Fred groans, belly full and lazy. But River knows that'll pass, and she's not about to waste that resourceful planning. "Up, up," she says, dragging Fred up off the dining couches.
"Where're we goin'," Fred sighs, and then- "But Inara won't-"
"Nara will," says River, who asked extra, extra nicely, and will be tutoring Inara in some unarmed combat tomorrow in repayment. "I want you to see."
She's steady with the shuttle controls as always, loving the natural feel under her hands, while Fred whispers algorithms under her breath and shudders when River takes the less travelled of possible paths. Fred makes math into music, rippling patterns that River loves to follow, murmured into her ear at the darkest moments of the night. It's time to give back some sensory pleasure.
"It's important," River says, "To understand context. Geography. History. Natural sciences. Cultural traditions."
"Uhuh," Fred says, with just enough scepticism that River laughs aloud. Fred somehow has one last egg roll, too - how does she even have room? But she always does.
"Because," says River, "When you do that, when you get the calendar just exactly right, and the moon on the right date and time, and get the shuttle and your girl into the black upside of Xiaolong on New Year's…" There has been a countdown in her head and it reaches 2-1-boom, just at that moment.
Fred gasps, leans forward in the co-pilot seat, a frown on her brow. "Is that an explosion- No, wait! It's fireworks!"
"It's dragons," says River, just before Fred says the same exact thing. River with glee, Fred with sheer wonder. The dragons are leaping, bursting, green and red and gold, across the night skies of the moon Xiaolong.
River knows what the name means, and about the firework factories, and the ancient foundation which demands (and funds) that the moon celebrate its foundation every New Year with the greatest display of pyrotechnics that may be. Which, annually, gets a little better. Which, over time, means a lot.
She doesn't explain it to Fred, or not yet. But it's there. Data. Explanations. Planning. Resource. In case her lady wants it. For now, they links hands (only a little egg-roll greasy, and all the tastier for it), and watch the sky dragons together.
Author Brutti ma buoni
Pairing River/Fred
Rating PG1
Words 600
Setting Firefly verse
Prompt for punchkicker15 who wanted Chinese New Year, fireworks and music - for the Holiday Season round
"I don't love anything as much as tacos," says Fred, dreamily. "But those little lettuce wrap things? With the sauce? They're totally worth coming through the portal for."
"You don't have them in your world?" River asks, doubtfully. They've been eating traditional food, not modern cuisine. Some things feel like they should be timeless. New Year banquets, definitely so.
Fred groans out a, "Nooaaaaww," drunk on food and happiness. It makes River smile. Most things about Fred do. "We have 'em, I think. But I never found good Chinese take out in our neighbourhood. Stupid. There must have been places. But I was - we were - always so busy, and-" Her brow crinkles with distress, and River kisses it away, hastily. Keeping Fred away from the past is important. Ever since they realised that this is Fred's world, or what remains, but all her friends are dust and ash in the void of Earth That Was, a part of River's everything has involved keeping Fred's mind off of the was, and onto the is.
Which, when there are foodstuffs this wise, is not such a challenge for a woman of resource. Fred called River that once, at the start, and it stuck in her head as a label she's kindly to. She's taken care, since, to think what Fred might have need of, and resource it as such. Tonight, she has it all ready.
"C'mon," she says, and Fred groans, belly full and lazy. But River knows that'll pass, and she's not about to waste that resourceful planning. "Up, up," she says, dragging Fred up off the dining couches.
"Where're we goin'," Fred sighs, and then- "But Inara won't-"
"Nara will," says River, who asked extra, extra nicely, and will be tutoring Inara in some unarmed combat tomorrow in repayment. "I want you to see."
She's steady with the shuttle controls as always, loving the natural feel under her hands, while Fred whispers algorithms under her breath and shudders when River takes the less travelled of possible paths. Fred makes math into music, rippling patterns that River loves to follow, murmured into her ear at the darkest moments of the night. It's time to give back some sensory pleasure.
"It's important," River says, "To understand context. Geography. History. Natural sciences. Cultural traditions."
"Uhuh," Fred says, with just enough scepticism that River laughs aloud. Fred somehow has one last egg roll, too - how does she even have room? But she always does.
"Because," says River, "When you do that, when you get the calendar just exactly right, and the moon on the right date and time, and get the shuttle and your girl into the black upside of Xiaolong on New Year's…" There has been a countdown in her head and it reaches 2-1-boom, just at that moment.
Fred gasps, leans forward in the co-pilot seat, a frown on her brow. "Is that an explosion- No, wait! It's fireworks!"
"It's dragons," says River, just before Fred says the same exact thing. River with glee, Fred with sheer wonder. The dragons are leaping, bursting, green and red and gold, across the night skies of the moon Xiaolong.
River knows what the name means, and about the firework factories, and the ancient foundation which demands (and funds) that the moon celebrate its foundation every New Year with the greatest display of pyrotechnics that may be. Which, annually, gets a little better. Which, over time, means a lot.
She doesn't explain it to Fred, or not yet. But it's there. Data. Explanations. Planning. Resource. In case her lady wants it. For now, they links hands (only a little egg-roll greasy, and all the tastier for it), and watch the sky dragons together.