Borrowed Time
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Not my sandbox, I'm just borrowing it. Song lyrics are "Borrowed Time" by A Fine Frenzy. Mal/Inara, missing scene from the BDM, set between Miranda and the Alliance/Reaver battle. Consensual Adult Sex. And angst. In fairly equal doses. Comments welcome.
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 2133 RATING: 9.0 (NC17) SERIES: FIREFLY
thick as thieves
the last of leaves
in the winter sun
holding fast
this freezing branch
is home to us
Mal looked around the galley at his crew, taking in their assent to his plan. He had just asked everything of them, and suddenly it was Serenity Valley all over again, the knowledge that he might once again lose all. He sighed deep, and more than a little tired. As the crew wandered off to their own thoughts and needs, he noticed Inara silently slip out, back towards her old shuttle. Silently, he trailed after her, and found her, standing by one wall, running her pretty, small hands over the dust that had accumulated since she left. “Nara.”
A shudder seemed to pass through her as she turned back towards him, the hem of her purple dress dragging through the dust bunnies on the floor. “Mal.” Her face was a mask of confusion and loss. More than any of them, what they had seen on the holotape on Miranda had been the end of her world as she knew it.
“Nara, I’m sorry you got caught up in…” The sentence died as she suddenly closed the space between them with the sort of speed and grace River might have used.
“Shut up, Mal.” Her lips were pressed against his, grinding and urgent as her hands tangled fast in his hair. His own moved of their own accord, pulling her lithesome body tight against his, delving into her mass of dark curls. He groaned against her mouth as her teeth bit hard on his lower lip, almost enough to draw blood. In that moment, he knew they weren’t dancing around each other anymore. This was a whole new step entirely.
step, step right over the line
and onto borrowed time
when it’s life, not waiting to die
waiting to divide to divide
He had wondered when he first met her what sex with a companion would be like. He had known his share of whores in his time, but there was sure to be a difference between brothel girls on a back-water moon and the crème of the fabled Guild. In the end though, it wasn’t what he wanted from her. Not that way. Because when money ch
Keep flying ;)
You can't take the sky from me
Anyway, on to the review.
I would agree with your claim of angst and sex in fairly equal measure, but for this particular story, I think it's the perfect mix. The feelings of desperation in the face of overwhelming odds are evident in both their points of view, and you manage the transition from that desperation to passion in a very believable way, while still maintaining a sense of intimacy and romance.
The lyrics fit the story perfectly, and while I suspect that you wrote the story around the song, it doesn't really matter - the end result works beautifully.
Finally, you worked several very memorable lines into this story - such as the one GillianRose mentioned about how long since Inara 'had seen to certain things' - but the one that struck me the most was this one:
"Moving not to disturb her, he crawled out of her, no their bed and pulled on his pants and his boots and his guns, and went to find a shirt fit to meet death in."
It's so very Mal - calm and determined even though he's almost certain that he's going to his death.
A most excellent job, RaynaWhitehurst.
Regards,
Omega
Post Your Comments
You must log in to post comments.