F: Not Even Illusions
Fandom: Firefly
Main characters: Mal, River
Referenced characters: Zoe, Simon
Pairings: Mal/River
Contains: Angst, death
Rating: G
Summary: All the fires are going out. For feywood, for getting up on time today.
"Just us, now," River says, without looking at Mal. She's looking out of the windows, her hands on the controls, but they're not really going anywhere. They haven't flown in a while. These are the last feeble beats of their wings, Mal thinks, the last time before the cold and the dark come finally creeping in for good. "I closed Simon's eyes for him," River says, her hands tightening, and Mal closes his eyes and tries to accept this blow without breaking.
"Good thing neither of us is sick," he says, his voice rough. He hasn't spoken much since Zoe went. Seems as though he's out of practice, now.
"I'm glad he's gone. He was hurting."
"We've all been hurtin'."
"I'm so cold," River says, wrapping her arms around herself. She's thinner now, thinner than ever, too thin, her eyes darkened and sunken, her face skeletal. He still thinks she's beautiful, even though he never really let himself think that before anyway. "Nothing left," she says, in answer to his thought. "Not even illusions. Come and hold me."
It might, he thinks, be a last request. It's not one he can say no to, anyway. He crosses to her, feeling his own weakness and the gnawing hunger he can never quite push to the back of his mind. He wonders how it's been for River, feeling all their fires slowly going out. No wonder she's cold.
He puts his arms around her, and she puts her cold thin hand on his chest -- he can feel the chill of it even though his shirt. "I don't want to be alone," she says, and he realises she's measuring the beats of his heart.
"I'll go last," he says, trying to give her what warmth he can. "Captain goes down with his ship, remember?"
"I remember," she whispers. He takes her hand and kisses her cold fingers. There's nothing left for anything else.
Main characters: Mal, River
Referenced characters: Zoe, Simon
Pairings: Mal/River
Contains: Angst, death
Rating: G
Summary: All the fires are going out. For feywood, for getting up on time today.
"Just us, now," River says, without looking at Mal. She's looking out of the windows, her hands on the controls, but they're not really going anywhere. They haven't flown in a while. These are the last feeble beats of their wings, Mal thinks, the last time before the cold and the dark come finally creeping in for good. "I closed Simon's eyes for him," River says, her hands tightening, and Mal closes his eyes and tries to accept this blow without breaking.
"Good thing neither of us is sick," he says, his voice rough. He hasn't spoken much since Zoe went. Seems as though he's out of practice, now.
"I'm glad he's gone. He was hurting."
"We've all been hurtin'."
"I'm so cold," River says, wrapping her arms around herself. She's thinner now, thinner than ever, too thin, her eyes darkened and sunken, her face skeletal. He still thinks she's beautiful, even though he never really let himself think that before anyway. "Nothing left," she says, in answer to his thought. "Not even illusions. Come and hold me."
It might, he thinks, be a last request. It's not one he can say no to, anyway. He crosses to her, feeling his own weakness and the gnawing hunger he can never quite push to the back of his mind. He wonders how it's been for River, feeling all their fires slowly going out. No wonder she's cold.
He puts his arms around her, and she puts her cold thin hand on his chest -- he can feel the chill of it even though his shirt. "I don't want to be alone," she says, and he realises she's measuring the beats of his heart.
"I'll go last," he says, trying to give her what warmth he can. "Captain goes down with his ship, remember?"
"I remember," she whispers. He takes her hand and kisses her cold fingers. There's nothing left for anything else.