Title: Accept
Rating: PG
Words: 471
Pairings: Mulder/Scully, Jack/Elizabeth, Crews/Reese, River/Mal, Persephone/Hades
Summary: A series of drabbles off this lovely
comment_fic prompt for 'Food':
"And what about my fruit?
Is it still forbidden to you?
Who forbade it? I didn't."
Notes: All credit goes to
hereswith and her beautiful Persephone fics for inspiration on the last part, and to
jedibuttercup for a slightly different idea of Mal in the Firefly bit.
Accept
Scully eats a lot of fruit these days, now that she has her appetite back, and watching her over the desk as she bites into a green apple, Mulder wishes, not for the first time, that she wasn't with him, that she was somewhere safe where aliens and monsters never entered into things.
“Mulder?” she asks suspiciously, noticing his scrutiny.
“You shouldn't be here, Scully. You deserve more.”
“Don't be ridiculous,” she says, grasping his fingers for a second, hers warm and sticky with juice, and bites into her apple again, the snap loud in their silence.
***
“Brought you a present, love,” says a familiar voice, long fingers decorated with silver presenting her an orange with a flourish.
“You shouldn't bring me gifts, Jack,” Elizabeth says coolly. “It isn't appropriate.”
“Isn't it?” he asks, his fingers brushing hers as she tries to take it. “In that case, I'll keep it for myself.” A small sound of protest escapes her, and he leans over her chair, dark-rimmed eyes meeting hers. “Although it's possible I might be persuaded to share.”
They taste, together, tart and sharp and sweet, not a trace of sour.
***
Dani's not entirely sure how she ended up eating plums in Charlie's kitchen, but she is sure it's been a hard day and she needs to feel alive, and the juice running down his fingers is a lot more appealing than the fruit in her hand.
“Reese,” he says, sounding a little breathless, probably because she's got his fingertip in her mouth, “we shouldn't.”
“Who says?” she asks him, pausing, staring at him levelly. “Life's too short, Crews.”
Charlie never needs to consider things for long, and, “We definitely should,” is the end of that discussion, but there's going to be another one later about just why he's brought the plums along.
***
Watching Simon and Kaylee feed each other strawberries, River catches a thought, red and unexpected, but very welcome, and moves to meet it.
“I know what you're thinking,” she says, leaning into Mal. “Yes, I like strawberries too.” He starts, looking down on her, but she captures his hand and shakes her head. “You're the only one who thinks it's wrong. Not me.”
She expects protests, but her Captain's always been a surprising man. “Meet you in your bunk in ten minutes then, darlin'?” he says, low and warm.
While she waits, Serenity blooms around her.
***
Persephone touches his face, her fingers stained dark with juice, marking him in vivid streaks, vibrant life to his death.
Pale flowers bloom around her feet, a soft glow in darkness, as she rises on her toes and whispers in his ear, “This I choose.”
Life is not forbidden.