Fic: Home Without You (Mal/Inara)
Title: Home Without You
Fandom: Firefly
Characters: Mal/Inara
Prompt: #018 closing
Word Count: 357
Rating: PG
Summary: The cargo bay ramp is nearly done closing up when he sees her.
Notes: Written for fic101 on 11/3/13.
The cargo bay ramp is nearly done closing up when he sees her. She’s carrying a bag, and looks frantic, something that confuses him instantly. Inara is never frantic. She is always calm, in control. Even when Miranda... Even then, she was able to keep a calm facade. Or at least, she managed to hide some of her fear.
Now, there is pure panic in her features. He swallows, wondering. The doors close.
Then, he hits the button to get the doors going down again. “Hold it, River,” he tells the ship’s pilot. He needn’t bother. River probably knew Inara was there before he saw her. Force of habit.
He waits and watches as the door reveals, bit by bit, pieces of sky and mountains and finally, Inara. She’s on the ground now, on her knees, leaning on her bag as if for support. He hurries out. “Inara?”
She looks up. “I thought I missed you,” she says.
“Nearabouts,” he agrees. “Was there something else? Did you forget something?”
She watches him in silence, and he regrets the harsh tone to his voice. In all honesty, he’s happy to see her again. He hadn’t expected to see her again in a very long time. This was supposed to be goodbye.
“I... couldn’t,” she manages to say.
Now he’s curious. What has Inara so unlike herself? “Couldn’t what?”
She looks like she’s about to cry. He swallows, uncomfortably.
“Leave. Not again.”
He stares at her, and she seems to deflate under his gaze, like she’s expecting a fight. Instead, he leans down, helps her up and takes her bag. “Good thing I saw you then. Let’s get you back to the ship, yeah?”
She nods.
“Can I tell you somethin’?” he asks, when they’re inside and he’s set her bag down just inside her shuttle.
“Of course.”
He gives her an apologetic half-smile and shrugs. “She’s not home without you.”
“Mal-”
“I should never have let you go. I’m glad you’re... uh, you know.”
She turns from him, hiding her face, though he catches a hint of a smile before she does so. “I never should have left.”
fin.
Fandom: Firefly
Characters: Mal/Inara
Prompt: #018 closing
Word Count: 357
Rating: PG
Summary: The cargo bay ramp is nearly done closing up when he sees her.
Notes: Written for fic101 on 11/3/13.
The cargo bay ramp is nearly done closing up when he sees her. She’s carrying a bag, and looks frantic, something that confuses him instantly. Inara is never frantic. She is always calm, in control. Even when Miranda... Even then, she was able to keep a calm facade. Or at least, she managed to hide some of her fear.
Now, there is pure panic in her features. He swallows, wondering. The doors close.
Then, he hits the button to get the doors going down again. “Hold it, River,” he tells the ship’s pilot. He needn’t bother. River probably knew Inara was there before he saw her. Force of habit.
He waits and watches as the door reveals, bit by bit, pieces of sky and mountains and finally, Inara. She’s on the ground now, on her knees, leaning on her bag as if for support. He hurries out. “Inara?”
She looks up. “I thought I missed you,” she says.
“Nearabouts,” he agrees. “Was there something else? Did you forget something?”
She watches him in silence, and he regrets the harsh tone to his voice. In all honesty, he’s happy to see her again. He hadn’t expected to see her again in a very long time. This was supposed to be goodbye.
“I... couldn’t,” she manages to say.
Now he’s curious. What has Inara so unlike herself? “Couldn’t what?”
She looks like she’s about to cry. He swallows, uncomfortably.
“Leave. Not again.”
He stares at her, and she seems to deflate under his gaze, like she’s expecting a fight. Instead, he leans down, helps her up and takes her bag. “Good thing I saw you then. Let’s get you back to the ship, yeah?”
She nods.
“Can I tell you somethin’?” he asks, when they’re inside and he’s set her bag down just inside her shuttle.
“Of course.”
He gives her an apologetic half-smile and shrugs. “She’s not home without you.”
“Mal-”
“I should never have let you go. I’m glad you’re... uh, you know.”
She turns from him, hiding her face, though he catches a hint of a smile before she does so. “I never should have left.”
fin.