Bomb's Away!
Inara had just gotten back to Serenity after a little shopping trip with Kaylee. She’d bid the younger woman farewell as she went off to do something or other with Simon. She smiled to herself as she headed to her shuttle. It was odd being in the ship alone. Comforting almost. She took her time walking along the catwalk. She wondered if the peace that she felt then was what Mal oftentimes felt when he was alone with Serenity. If it was what he felt when they’d left him to die with her. The corners of her lips turned down in a frown.
A sound from within her shuttle caused her footsteps to move quicker than they were just seconds before. More noise and muttered curses. Swallowing hard, she quickly approached her shuttle. She had no idea who was in it, or what they could possibly want with the bare essentials she’d stocked in it since Mal had picked her up at the training house.
Biting her lip, she looked around the catwalk near the entrance to her shuttle looking for a weapon of any means to protect her from whatever beast was within. The only thing she spotted was a wrench. She knelt to pick it up and studied it carefully. While not very large, it was a bit big for her hand, but it’d have to do the job. She couldn’t risk entering without being armed.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the button and the door to her shuttle swished open. She gasped and blinked in surprise as a black plume of smoke assaulted her senses. Coughing and sputtering, she waved the smoke aside and hurried into her shuttle hoping to stop the fire before the thing burnt down taking Serenity with it.
Her eyes widened as she peered through the haze spotting a form a few feet away. Whoever it was had their back to her and obviously hadn’t heard her enter. Wincing as the smoke stung her eyes, she ducked her head slightly and lifted the wrench above it. As she charged, she let out an animalistic growl and brought the wrench down on the intruder.
He heard her far too late, and spun around just in time for the wrench to come crashing down on his head. Grinding his teeth together as his eyes crossed from the pain, he grabbed her wrist holding the weapon and shook it until the wrench fell free. He watched as a transformation took over her face as recognition dawned.
“Oh God-Mal! I’m so sorry, I-what are you doing in my shuttle?!” Her face took changed emotions so quickly, Mal was having trouble keeping up.
He blinked, his right eye more so than his left as blood from the gash above his eyebrow was dripping into it. “Gorramit, ‘nara! Always so happy ta see me,” he muttered wiping at the gash smearing blood and a bit of soot on his forehead.
Inara huffed and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him and then looked around at the mess of charred silks. Her shoulders slumped a bit as she moved over to where her makeshift altar had been and looked in horror at the large pile of black ashes. She knelt and sifted through them carefully so as not to get her clothes dirty. Standing back up, she dusted her hands off and fixed a steely glare on Mal.
“Care to explain yourself?”
“It was s’posed ta be a surprise,” he mumbled quietly not meeting her eyes.
“Well I’m certainly surprised, Mal!”
She was quite exasperated. It would take her a good long while to clean up the mess. She’d been in a good mood upon returning to the ship. She rubbed one of her temples as a headache began.
“Hey!” he protested. “I was tryin’ to be all romantical and stuff!” He pouted.
Oh he was so adorable when he pouted. Her lips twitched and she almost caved. Almost.
“Forgive me for being dense, but I don’t see how burning down the house so to speak is all that romantic.” She gave him a pointed look while her heart fluttered behind her ribcage.
“Yeah well,” he looked around at the charred remains of Inara’s altar. “Weren’t ‘sactly s’posed ta burn up.” He smiled sheepishly at her, further melting her resolve.
“And…” She found herself forgetting what she was meaning to ask as she stared intently at his grin. “And,” she cleared her throat lightly and turned around taking a couple steps in the opposite direction. “How exactly were you trying to make it “romantic”?”
“I was tryin’ ta light them smellin’ sticks ‘a yers,” he grumbled looking down at the pile of ashes sulking now.
Wu de tyen ah. He couldn’t be any more adorable if he tried. Inara had been glancing over her shoulder, watching him sulk.
“Lotta good it done me’s you c’n see. Don’t even get ta have the romantical…aura.” He kicked at the pile of ashes, growing angry.
Inara bit her lip to keep from laughing as she turned around to face him. Her mouth dropped open in shock as he started to stomp from the shuttle. It was her turn to scowl and march after him.
“Just where do you think you’re going, Malcolm Reynolds?!” She demanded grabbing his arm and spinning him to face her just before he reached the door of the shuttle.
Mal’s face was hard when he turned to face her, smeared with a mixture of blood, sweat, and soot. “Don’t you worry yer pretty lil’ head darlin’, I’ll be back ta clean up my mess.” His voice held more than a hint of sarcasm as his eyes clashed with hers.
Her eyes narrowed. “Oh you’ve gotten yourself into a real big mess this time, Mal.” His brow furrowed in confusion. “In fact, it’s so big, I suggest you start cleaning it up right now.”
“I-”
She silenced him by placing her finger against his lips and making a shushing noise as she moved closer to him. Slowly she removed her finger from his lips and replaced it with her own lips. It was a feather light kiss and was over just as quickly as it started.
Pulling back, her eyelids fluttered as she looked up at him, hoping and praying he took her invitation. She could’ve smacked herself at the look that was now on his face.
Mal grinned, a cocksure grin and strode further into the room pulling her behind him. He was all arrogance now. He reached the foot of her bed which had amazingly been unscathed by the fire, and stopped.
“Well, this weren’t ‘sactly how I pictured it, not nearly ‘s romantical’s I’d’ve liked…” he captured her lips again in a quick kiss before pulling back to continue same cocky grin plastered on his face. “But… It’ll do.” He nodded once before pulling her to him and falling back onto the bed.
Afterwards, Inara lay curled against Mal in the crook of his arm tracing imaginary patterns on his chest. “Tell me, Mal, how exactly did you burn down my altar?”
Mal was lounging on her bed, his head propped up with big fluffy pillows a completely sated look on his face. When Inara spoke, his face turned a slight shade of pink. “I uh… Well, you see… How it happened was…”
She waited patiently.
He looked down at her and gave her a tiny somewhat embarrassed smile. “Let’s jus’ say ya don’t want me nowhere near the galley when there’s cookin’ ta be done.”
A sound from within her shuttle caused her footsteps to move quicker than they were just seconds before. More noise and muttered curses. Swallowing hard, she quickly approached her shuttle. She had no idea who was in it, or what they could possibly want with the bare essentials she’d stocked in it since Mal had picked her up at the training house.
Biting her lip, she looked around the catwalk near the entrance to her shuttle looking for a weapon of any means to protect her from whatever beast was within. The only thing she spotted was a wrench. She knelt to pick it up and studied it carefully. While not very large, it was a bit big for her hand, but it’d have to do the job. She couldn’t risk entering without being armed.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the button and the door to her shuttle swished open. She gasped and blinked in surprise as a black plume of smoke assaulted her senses. Coughing and sputtering, she waved the smoke aside and hurried into her shuttle hoping to stop the fire before the thing burnt down taking Serenity with it.
Her eyes widened as she peered through the haze spotting a form a few feet away. Whoever it was had their back to her and obviously hadn’t heard her enter. Wincing as the smoke stung her eyes, she ducked her head slightly and lifted the wrench above it. As she charged, she let out an animalistic growl and brought the wrench down on the intruder.
He heard her far too late, and spun around just in time for the wrench to come crashing down on his head. Grinding his teeth together as his eyes crossed from the pain, he grabbed her wrist holding the weapon and shook it until the wrench fell free. He watched as a transformation took over her face as recognition dawned.
“Oh God-Mal! I’m so sorry, I-what are you doing in my shuttle?!” Her face took changed emotions so quickly, Mal was having trouble keeping up.
He blinked, his right eye more so than his left as blood from the gash above his eyebrow was dripping into it. “Gorramit, ‘nara! Always so happy ta see me,” he muttered wiping at the gash smearing blood and a bit of soot on his forehead.
Inara huffed and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him and then looked around at the mess of charred silks. Her shoulders slumped a bit as she moved over to where her makeshift altar had been and looked in horror at the large pile of black ashes. She knelt and sifted through them carefully so as not to get her clothes dirty. Standing back up, she dusted her hands off and fixed a steely glare on Mal.
“Care to explain yourself?”
“It was s’posed ta be a surprise,” he mumbled quietly not meeting her eyes.
“Well I’m certainly surprised, Mal!”
She was quite exasperated. It would take her a good long while to clean up the mess. She’d been in a good mood upon returning to the ship. She rubbed one of her temples as a headache began.
“Hey!” he protested. “I was tryin’ to be all romantical and stuff!” He pouted.
Oh he was so adorable when he pouted. Her lips twitched and she almost caved. Almost.
“Forgive me for being dense, but I don’t see how burning down the house so to speak is all that romantic.” She gave him a pointed look while her heart fluttered behind her ribcage.
“Yeah well,” he looked around at the charred remains of Inara’s altar. “Weren’t ‘sactly s’posed ta burn up.” He smiled sheepishly at her, further melting her resolve.
“And…” She found herself forgetting what she was meaning to ask as she stared intently at his grin. “And,” she cleared her throat lightly and turned around taking a couple steps in the opposite direction. “How exactly were you trying to make it “romantic”?”
“I was tryin’ ta light them smellin’ sticks ‘a yers,” he grumbled looking down at the pile of ashes sulking now.
Wu de tyen ah. He couldn’t be any more adorable if he tried. Inara had been glancing over her shoulder, watching him sulk.
“Lotta good it done me’s you c’n see. Don’t even get ta have the romantical…aura.” He kicked at the pile of ashes, growing angry.
Inara bit her lip to keep from laughing as she turned around to face him. Her mouth dropped open in shock as he started to stomp from the shuttle. It was her turn to scowl and march after him.
“Just where do you think you’re going, Malcolm Reynolds?!” She demanded grabbing his arm and spinning him to face her just before he reached the door of the shuttle.
Mal’s face was hard when he turned to face her, smeared with a mixture of blood, sweat, and soot. “Don’t you worry yer pretty lil’ head darlin’, I’ll be back ta clean up my mess.” His voice held more than a hint of sarcasm as his eyes clashed with hers.
Her eyes narrowed. “Oh you’ve gotten yourself into a real big mess this time, Mal.” His brow furrowed in confusion. “In fact, it’s so big, I suggest you start cleaning it up right now.”
“I-”
She silenced him by placing her finger against his lips and making a shushing noise as she moved closer to him. Slowly she removed her finger from his lips and replaced it with her own lips. It was a feather light kiss and was over just as quickly as it started.
Pulling back, her eyelids fluttered as she looked up at him, hoping and praying he took her invitation. She could’ve smacked herself at the look that was now on his face.
Mal grinned, a cocksure grin and strode further into the room pulling her behind him. He was all arrogance now. He reached the foot of her bed which had amazingly been unscathed by the fire, and stopped.
“Well, this weren’t ‘sactly how I pictured it, not nearly ‘s romantical’s I’d’ve liked…” he captured her lips again in a quick kiss before pulling back to continue same cocky grin plastered on his face. “But… It’ll do.” He nodded once before pulling her to him and falling back onto the bed.
Afterwards, Inara lay curled against Mal in the crook of his arm tracing imaginary patterns on his chest. “Tell me, Mal, how exactly did you burn down my altar?”
Mal was lounging on her bed, his head propped up with big fluffy pillows a completely sated look on his face. When Inara spoke, his face turned a slight shade of pink. “I uh… Well, you see… How it happened was…”
She waited patiently.
He looked down at her and gave her a tiny somewhat embarrassed smile. “Let’s jus’ say ya don’t want me nowhere near the galley when there’s cookin’ ta be done.”