In under the wire, it's..."The Bath Houses of Shinon" (1/2)
Title: The Bath Houses of Shinon (1/2)
Author: Alexis
Characters/Pairings: Mal/Inara
Word Count: 905
Challenge: #98- Bathing
Rating: NC-17 (for teh sex)
Spoilers: BDM
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I profit. Woe is me!
Notes: Set a few days (or weeks) after the BDM. Serenity sets down on Shinon so Inara can take care of some business. The story is in two parts to accommodate the word-limit on posts.
The Bath Houses of Shinon (1/2)
Mal relaxed into the steaming water with a grateful sigh. The bathwater tingled his skin, just this side of scalding hot, but he didn’t mind one bit. Baths were hard to come by in the black, hot ones even harder. He’d take his pleasure where he could, and a bathing-house on Shinon was hardly slumming it.
Steam clouded the large, open room, the only sounds were the faint splashes Mal himself made as he sunk deeper into the tub. His side ached like hell, a lingering reminder of his tussle with the Operative. Weren’t the first time he’d been stabbed, but it numbered among the most painful. The hot water and relaxing atmosphere of the Shinon training house were already working their magic, though, and Mal felt the tense muscles in his back start to slacken. He stretched, wincing only a little, and leaned back. Mal closed his eyes and drifted blissfully, slipping off the marble ledge running the length of the bathing pool and into deeper waters.
The sound of bare feet padding across the warm tiled floor made him open his eyes. Mal caught a fleeting glimpse of a female figure through the steam, and she’d already disrobed and made her way to the edge of the large rectangular pool before Mal thought to call attention to himself.
“Inara,” he murmured, his voice rough and loose in the heat. “Pleasant surprise.”
She started a little, pursing her lips in annoyance as she gathered her robe up against her body to cover herself a little. “I thought you’d be in the public baths,” she said coolly. “This space is reserved for Companions.”
Mal smiled a little ruefully. “House mistress gave me leave. Nice of her, don’t you think?” he smirked, swimming away on his back. He hoped he looked relaxed, pleased with the way he’d managed to charm House Mistress Albia. Serenity had landed on Shinon at Inara’s request; seems leaving her duties at the training house to go fight off Reavers and half the Alliance fleet at the request of a no-good smuggler had caused a bit of a stir with the Guild. Inara had been called in to explain herself and, Mal guessed, surrender her license as a Companion. He hadn’t expected Inara to pay such a heavy price for helping him, and Mal wondered privately if he’d ever be able to make it up to her.
However, House Mistress Albia had surprised him. The woman had been genteel and not overly-cold, as some high-society types could be. Instead, she’d welcomed the entire crew of Serenity warmly and put them up in the best quarters House Madrassa had to offer, and had even thanked him for helping Inara. Mal had suppressed the urge to ask what, exactly, he’d ever done that was in Inara’s best interests. Albia, a woman of charm and insight into the ways of people, had distracted him and delicately suggested he could use a bath. Not that Inara needed to know that particular part of the story.
She was still standing before him, clutching her robe close and looking unsure of herself. Mal was surprised by her clear indecision; Inara had always seemed to be a woman firmly in possession of her own mind. Water had condensed on her body, making her skin glow. He couldn’t help but watch as a bead of moisture began a slow journey from Inara’s collarbone to the top of her breast.
Inara cleared her throat, and Mal realized he was staring. He kicked his legs, paddling back to the submerged bench, and gazed up at her. His body was already responding to Inara’s presence, much to his own consternation. The woman always had had the ability to make him feel like he was a moon-brained teenager who couldn’t yet grow a beard; he’d get all worked up over the sight of her hair, loose and flowing over her shoulders. Or her smile, that rare, shy, half-grin he’d spied sometimes when she thought he wasn’t looking. Anything and everything about her aroused him, but Mal didn’t see a reason to make it completely obvious.
“You planning on standing around all day, or are you gonna get in here before the water gets cold?” he asked her, nervous.
Inara shook her head. “These pools are heated by underground thermal vents. They never get cold,” she explained, stalling. Inspiration hit and she smiled coyly, climbing into the pool. “You could do me a favor and wash my hair, Captain Reynolds.”
Mal hoped his mouth wasn’t hanging open in any obvious way. So she’d called his bluff; two could play that game.
He watched the heat of the bathwater creep over her skin, turning the parts of her he could see (her shoulders, her neck, the tops of her breasts) a shade of rosy pink. Her hair, loosely piled atop her head, glistened. A few stray tendrils trailed through the water, smelling like jasmine. Mal inhaled deeply, coughing a little as the steam tickled his throat.
“Nice place,” he commented awkwardly. “’Course, I didn’t expect anything less.”
Inara eyed him carefully, waiting for the inevitable insult. When Mal failed to deliver it, she allowed herself to relax minutely. At least he was trying to be civil.
“Shinon was the first core world to be terraformed. It has had centuries to develop its beauty and culture. Other worlds in the ‘verse may come to resemble it, given time.”
She delivered this statement in the low, coaxing tones of a companion, and she hoped Mal wouldn’t notice. She so rarely employed her professional skills around him, knowing he would take offense and say something they’d both regret. She watched him now, warm and relaxed, and noted how rarely she had seen him so at peace. The old and new battle-scars on his torso had turned an angry red in the bath and she couldn’t help but be reminded of Mal’s capacity for violence, how rarely he permitted himself the time to indulge in more...peaceful pleasures.
“No offense to you or Shinon, but I like the rim worlds the way they are,” Mal was saying, oblivious to her concentrated study of his body. “Civilization comes with a mighty high price.”
Inara closed her eyes, nodding silently in agreement. The past few weeks had taught them all the cost of civilization; it was a price paid in blood.
She shivered slightly, despite her earlier denial of the waters ability to chill. They were silent for a moment and Inara felt him move closer through the water. He held a bar of scented soap in his hands, working up a lather. At the question in her eyes, he smiled softly.
“You wanted me to wash your hair,” he reminded her.
...continued...
Author: Alexis
Characters/Pairings: Mal/Inara
Word Count: 905
Challenge: #98- Bathing
Rating: NC-17 (for teh sex)
Spoilers: BDM
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I profit. Woe is me!
Notes: Set a few days (or weeks) after the BDM. Serenity sets down on Shinon so Inara can take care of some business. The story is in two parts to accommodate the word-limit on posts.
The Bath Houses of Shinon (1/2)
Mal relaxed into the steaming water with a grateful sigh. The bathwater tingled his skin, just this side of scalding hot, but he didn’t mind one bit. Baths were hard to come by in the black, hot ones even harder. He’d take his pleasure where he could, and a bathing-house on Shinon was hardly slumming it.
Steam clouded the large, open room, the only sounds were the faint splashes Mal himself made as he sunk deeper into the tub. His side ached like hell, a lingering reminder of his tussle with the Operative. Weren’t the first time he’d been stabbed, but it numbered among the most painful. The hot water and relaxing atmosphere of the Shinon training house were already working their magic, though, and Mal felt the tense muscles in his back start to slacken. He stretched, wincing only a little, and leaned back. Mal closed his eyes and drifted blissfully, slipping off the marble ledge running the length of the bathing pool and into deeper waters.
The sound of bare feet padding across the warm tiled floor made him open his eyes. Mal caught a fleeting glimpse of a female figure through the steam, and she’d already disrobed and made her way to the edge of the large rectangular pool before Mal thought to call attention to himself.
“Inara,” he murmured, his voice rough and loose in the heat. “Pleasant surprise.”
She started a little, pursing her lips in annoyance as she gathered her robe up against her body to cover herself a little. “I thought you’d be in the public baths,” she said coolly. “This space is reserved for Companions.”
Mal smiled a little ruefully. “House mistress gave me leave. Nice of her, don’t you think?” he smirked, swimming away on his back. He hoped he looked relaxed, pleased with the way he’d managed to charm House Mistress Albia. Serenity had landed on Shinon at Inara’s request; seems leaving her duties at the training house to go fight off Reavers and half the Alliance fleet at the request of a no-good smuggler had caused a bit of a stir with the Guild. Inara had been called in to explain herself and, Mal guessed, surrender her license as a Companion. He hadn’t expected Inara to pay such a heavy price for helping him, and Mal wondered privately if he’d ever be able to make it up to her.
However, House Mistress Albia had surprised him. The woman had been genteel and not overly-cold, as some high-society types could be. Instead, she’d welcomed the entire crew of Serenity warmly and put them up in the best quarters House Madrassa had to offer, and had even thanked him for helping Inara. Mal had suppressed the urge to ask what, exactly, he’d ever done that was in Inara’s best interests. Albia, a woman of charm and insight into the ways of people, had distracted him and delicately suggested he could use a bath. Not that Inara needed to know that particular part of the story.
She was still standing before him, clutching her robe close and looking unsure of herself. Mal was surprised by her clear indecision; Inara had always seemed to be a woman firmly in possession of her own mind. Water had condensed on her body, making her skin glow. He couldn’t help but watch as a bead of moisture began a slow journey from Inara’s collarbone to the top of her breast.
Inara cleared her throat, and Mal realized he was staring. He kicked his legs, paddling back to the submerged bench, and gazed up at her. His body was already responding to Inara’s presence, much to his own consternation. The woman always had had the ability to make him feel like he was a moon-brained teenager who couldn’t yet grow a beard; he’d get all worked up over the sight of her hair, loose and flowing over her shoulders. Or her smile, that rare, shy, half-grin he’d spied sometimes when she thought he wasn’t looking. Anything and everything about her aroused him, but Mal didn’t see a reason to make it completely obvious.
“You planning on standing around all day, or are you gonna get in here before the water gets cold?” he asked her, nervous.
Inara shook her head. “These pools are heated by underground thermal vents. They never get cold,” she explained, stalling. Inspiration hit and she smiled coyly, climbing into the pool. “You could do me a favor and wash my hair, Captain Reynolds.”
Mal hoped his mouth wasn’t hanging open in any obvious way. So she’d called his bluff; two could play that game.
He watched the heat of the bathwater creep over her skin, turning the parts of her he could see (her shoulders, her neck, the tops of her breasts) a shade of rosy pink. Her hair, loosely piled atop her head, glistened. A few stray tendrils trailed through the water, smelling like jasmine. Mal inhaled deeply, coughing a little as the steam tickled his throat.
“Nice place,” he commented awkwardly. “’Course, I didn’t expect anything less.”
Inara eyed him carefully, waiting for the inevitable insult. When Mal failed to deliver it, she allowed herself to relax minutely. At least he was trying to be civil.
“Shinon was the first core world to be terraformed. It has had centuries to develop its beauty and culture. Other worlds in the ‘verse may come to resemble it, given time.”
She delivered this statement in the low, coaxing tones of a companion, and she hoped Mal wouldn’t notice. She so rarely employed her professional skills around him, knowing he would take offense and say something they’d both regret. She watched him now, warm and relaxed, and noted how rarely she had seen him so at peace. The old and new battle-scars on his torso had turned an angry red in the bath and she couldn’t help but be reminded of Mal’s capacity for violence, how rarely he permitted himself the time to indulge in more...peaceful pleasures.
“No offense to you or Shinon, but I like the rim worlds the way they are,” Mal was saying, oblivious to her concentrated study of his body. “Civilization comes with a mighty high price.”
Inara closed her eyes, nodding silently in agreement. The past few weeks had taught them all the cost of civilization; it was a price paid in blood.
She shivered slightly, despite her earlier denial of the waters ability to chill. They were silent for a moment and Inara felt him move closer through the water. He held a bar of scented soap in his hands, working up a lather. At the question in her eyes, he smiled softly.
“You wanted me to wash your hair,” he reminded her.
...continued...