(no subject)
Title: The First Five Times
Author: whats_her_name0
Rating: R-ish overall. Nothing too bad though.
Pairing: Mal/River
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don’t sue me cause I’m a poor college student and have about $45 to my name.
Summary: It takes five times for Mal and River to come together.
Author’s Notes: I’m new to writing Firefly fiction so tell me if this sucks. I wanted to try something a little different so this story focuses on Mal and River building a relationship, so if you’re looking for a plot that has a whole bunch of action this isn’t for you. This also seems a little clunky to me as a lot of it is exposition. Hopefully the four other chapters coming after this will be a bit more smooth. The title and scattered lyrics in this story belong to the band Stars. I highly recommend downloading it cause it’s a great song.
And all mistakes are my own, for I do not have a beta. Anyone interested in the job?
The first time in the backyard...
When was the first time Mal Reynolds realized he was attracted to River Tam? Three years after Miranda at the crew of Serenity’s ranch house on the remote planet Sapphire. Named for it’s blue tinted long grass and sparkling lakes, Sapphire sat at the beginning of the outer planets- not sure as destitute as the farther out ones but just enough out of reach of the core.
Times had been good for Mal and his crew after the images of a dead world filtered through out the ‘verse. While the Alliance never claimed responsibility for the 30 million lives lost on Miranda, their presence slowly began to disappear on the outer planets, and eventually didn’t really venture outside the core planets too often.
The warrants for River and Simon vanished, which Mal suspected was in thanks to the man formerly known as the Operative, as well as the rest of the crew’s for harboring the fugitives.
Jobs became more frequent, most of them were even legal. It seemed River and her extraordinary “gifts” served as reassurance to employers that their cargo would be sure to reach its destination, and they paid handsomely for the extra security. Serenity’s nest egg grew, and with the Alliance keeping to itself, a unanimous decision was made and the crew bought the ranch they now called home in between jobs.
So there was Mal, sitting on the screened in porch in the sprawling backyard, watching River twirl barefoot in the light summer rain. She wore a light pink sun dress that was soaked through and her dark hair was plastered to her face as she spun in circles. Mal wasn’t sure how he missed it, but River has transformed from the broken, schizophrenic 17 year old who spoke in fragmented sentences and riddles into a still slightly damaged but all together brilliant 20 year old woman.
And she was beautiful.
Mal was torn out of his inner thoughts when River stopped spinning and made a face at the skirt of her dress, which had become tangled with her legs. His eyes widened and his pulse kicked up as she slipped the straps from her shoulders and wiggled out of the sopping article of clothing, leaving her only in a white slip and underwear.
Mal stood up and decided that now was a good time to speak up and make his presence known before River got annoyed with the rest of her clothing and decided to for go it completely.
“You’re gonna catch a cold out here, running around half naked,” he called, stepping into the doorway and leaning against the frame.
“Rain and cold weather have no official link to the common cold. While cooler temperatures do seem to lower the body’s immune system, colds are caused by viruses and as far as I know the rain on Sapphire is virus free. So while my immune system may be a bit suppressed, the only way I could actually catch a cold would be if I came into contact with a person carrying the virus,” River replied, never once letting her science lesson get in the way of her twirling.
“Well... Then you’re gonna freeze...” Mal stuttered, desperate to get her in out of the rain before what little she did have on became transparent. Because if that happened, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to tear himself away, and he wasn’t looking to add ‘Peeping Tom’ to his long list of character flaws.
River stopped spinning and fixed him with a playful stare that made Mal’s stomach drop to his feet.
“If you’re so worried maybe you should come keep me warm...”
Mal crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. “Now that seems a bit silly to me. If I came out there and got all wet, I’d be cold as well, and then where would we be?”
A sly smile spread across River’s face and she slowly sauntered her way over to where he was standing, pressing her form against him and leaning in until her nose was brushing his.
“Body heat. Skin against skin generates warmth, even if both parties are cold. Your argument is flawed,” she breathed in a voice barely above a whisper. “And if you really were all that worried, you would’ve dragged me in the house a half hour ago instead of sitting there watching me. It would appear, Mal Reynolds, that you like me all wet...” River reached up and ran her hands down through his hair, finally resting them on the back of his neck.
“You may have a point there lil’ one,” he sighed.
River shook her head and smiled warmly at him. “Not so little anymore... And you’ve noticed.”
“I have?” Mal challenged, eyes drifting to River’s lips.
“Yup. You want to kiss me,” she stated, brushing her lips against Mal’s ear.
Mal shuddered and tried to swallow his hammering heart that had taken up residence in his throat.
“River... You been readin’ me?” He asked breathlessly.
“No,” she whispered. “It’s in your eyes. In your body language. It has been for some time but you’ve only just realized it.” She paused and placed a whisper of a kiss on Mal’s forehead. “Now the question is... What are you gonna do about it?” River leaned forward so her mouth barely brushed his.
A soft gasp escaped Mal’s throat. “Now that is a good question, lil’ one.”
“Again with the lil’ one stuff.” River pulled back so she could look into Mal’s eyes, a serious expression on her face. “What would you do if I kissed you right now?”
Mal’s mind picked that exact moment to go completely blank. He desperately grasped for a coherent answer but all he could come up with was, “I uh... I dunno.”
River shrugged. “Well, when you figure it out let me know.” She leaned forward once more and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his lips and then twirled back out into the rain.
Mal blinked a few times as the fog slowly began to clear from his mind. He watched as River spread herself out on her back in the long grass, closing her eyes and letting the rain drip on her face. He took a few deep breaths and suddenly words spoken long ago came rushing back to his brain.
If I truly wanted someone bad enough... Wouldn’t be a thing in the ‘verse could stop me from going to her.”
And suddenly his feet were moving... Closer, closer, until he was kneeling in the wet grass and crawling over River’s form.
Her eyes popped open and she smiled up at him. “Hi.”
Mal’s lips quirked into a smile. “Hi.”
“You make up your mind?”
“That smug smile on your face makes me believe you know the answer to that question... But I’m guess you like to hear me say it.”
River looped her arms around his neck and nodded. “And people say you’re not smart.”
“We’re gonna come back to that comment after I’ve thoroughly kissed the smart ass remarks out of you.”
And with that Mal dipped his head and captured River’s lips with his.
Author: whats_her_name0
Rating: R-ish overall. Nothing too bad though.
Pairing: Mal/River
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don’t sue me cause I’m a poor college student and have about $45 to my name.
Summary: It takes five times for Mal and River to come together.
Author’s Notes: I’m new to writing Firefly fiction so tell me if this sucks. I wanted to try something a little different so this story focuses on Mal and River building a relationship, so if you’re looking for a plot that has a whole bunch of action this isn’t for you. This also seems a little clunky to me as a lot of it is exposition. Hopefully the four other chapters coming after this will be a bit more smooth. The title and scattered lyrics in this story belong to the band Stars. I highly recommend downloading it cause it’s a great song.
And all mistakes are my own, for I do not have a beta. Anyone interested in the job?
The first time in the backyard...
When was the first time Mal Reynolds realized he was attracted to River Tam? Three years after Miranda at the crew of Serenity’s ranch house on the remote planet Sapphire. Named for it’s blue tinted long grass and sparkling lakes, Sapphire sat at the beginning of the outer planets- not sure as destitute as the farther out ones but just enough out of reach of the core.
Times had been good for Mal and his crew after the images of a dead world filtered through out the ‘verse. While the Alliance never claimed responsibility for the 30 million lives lost on Miranda, their presence slowly began to disappear on the outer planets, and eventually didn’t really venture outside the core planets too often.
The warrants for River and Simon vanished, which Mal suspected was in thanks to the man formerly known as the Operative, as well as the rest of the crew’s for harboring the fugitives.
Jobs became more frequent, most of them were even legal. It seemed River and her extraordinary “gifts” served as reassurance to employers that their cargo would be sure to reach its destination, and they paid handsomely for the extra security. Serenity’s nest egg grew, and with the Alliance keeping to itself, a unanimous decision was made and the crew bought the ranch they now called home in between jobs.
So there was Mal, sitting on the screened in porch in the sprawling backyard, watching River twirl barefoot in the light summer rain. She wore a light pink sun dress that was soaked through and her dark hair was plastered to her face as she spun in circles. Mal wasn’t sure how he missed it, but River has transformed from the broken, schizophrenic 17 year old who spoke in fragmented sentences and riddles into a still slightly damaged but all together brilliant 20 year old woman.
And she was beautiful.
Mal was torn out of his inner thoughts when River stopped spinning and made a face at the skirt of her dress, which had become tangled with her legs. His eyes widened and his pulse kicked up as she slipped the straps from her shoulders and wiggled out of the sopping article of clothing, leaving her only in a white slip and underwear.
Mal stood up and decided that now was a good time to speak up and make his presence known before River got annoyed with the rest of her clothing and decided to for go it completely.
“You’re gonna catch a cold out here, running around half naked,” he called, stepping into the doorway and leaning against the frame.
“Rain and cold weather have no official link to the common cold. While cooler temperatures do seem to lower the body’s immune system, colds are caused by viruses and as far as I know the rain on Sapphire is virus free. So while my immune system may be a bit suppressed, the only way I could actually catch a cold would be if I came into contact with a person carrying the virus,” River replied, never once letting her science lesson get in the way of her twirling.
“Well... Then you’re gonna freeze...” Mal stuttered, desperate to get her in out of the rain before what little she did have on became transparent. Because if that happened, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to tear himself away, and he wasn’t looking to add ‘Peeping Tom’ to his long list of character flaws.
River stopped spinning and fixed him with a playful stare that made Mal’s stomach drop to his feet.
“If you’re so worried maybe you should come keep me warm...”
Mal crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. “Now that seems a bit silly to me. If I came out there and got all wet, I’d be cold as well, and then where would we be?”
A sly smile spread across River’s face and she slowly sauntered her way over to where he was standing, pressing her form against him and leaning in until her nose was brushing his.
“Body heat. Skin against skin generates warmth, even if both parties are cold. Your argument is flawed,” she breathed in a voice barely above a whisper. “And if you really were all that worried, you would’ve dragged me in the house a half hour ago instead of sitting there watching me. It would appear, Mal Reynolds, that you like me all wet...” River reached up and ran her hands down through his hair, finally resting them on the back of his neck.
“You may have a point there lil’ one,” he sighed.
River shook her head and smiled warmly at him. “Not so little anymore... And you’ve noticed.”
“I have?” Mal challenged, eyes drifting to River’s lips.
“Yup. You want to kiss me,” she stated, brushing her lips against Mal’s ear.
Mal shuddered and tried to swallow his hammering heart that had taken up residence in his throat.
“River... You been readin’ me?” He asked breathlessly.
“No,” she whispered. “It’s in your eyes. In your body language. It has been for some time but you’ve only just realized it.” She paused and placed a whisper of a kiss on Mal’s forehead. “Now the question is... What are you gonna do about it?” River leaned forward so her mouth barely brushed his.
A soft gasp escaped Mal’s throat. “Now that is a good question, lil’ one.”
“Again with the lil’ one stuff.” River pulled back so she could look into Mal’s eyes, a serious expression on her face. “What would you do if I kissed you right now?”
Mal’s mind picked that exact moment to go completely blank. He desperately grasped for a coherent answer but all he could come up with was, “I uh... I dunno.”
River shrugged. “Well, when you figure it out let me know.” She leaned forward once more and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his lips and then twirled back out into the rain.
Mal blinked a few times as the fog slowly began to clear from his mind. He watched as River spread herself out on her back in the long grass, closing her eyes and letting the rain drip on her face. He took a few deep breaths and suddenly words spoken long ago came rushing back to his brain.
If I truly wanted someone bad enough... Wouldn’t be a thing in the ‘verse could stop me from going to her.”
And suddenly his feet were moving... Closer, closer, until he was kneeling in the wet grass and crawling over River’s form.
Her eyes popped open and she smiled up at him. “Hi.”
Mal’s lips quirked into a smile. “Hi.”
“You make up your mind?”
“That smug smile on your face makes me believe you know the answer to that question... But I’m guess you like to hear me say it.”
River looped her arms around his neck and nodded. “And people say you’re not smart.”
“We’re gonna come back to that comment after I’ve thoroughly kissed the smart ass remarks out of you.”
And with that Mal dipped his head and captured River’s lips with his.