Steamed
Monday, May 25, 2009
Inara overhears Mal in the shower.
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 2437 RATING: 9.0 (NC17) SERIES: FIREFLY
Title: Steamed
Author: thomaszhang
Rating: mild R
Word Count: 3703
Pairing/Characters: Firefly: Mal/Inara
Spoilers: None particularly.
Mal sagged against the shower wall, waiting as his equilibrium and his breathing slowly returned to normal. He sighed, banging his head against the tile angrily. This had to stop. Not only was he succumbing to his body's will far too often, this time he'd been particularly vocal, not to mention that the crew were bound to start noticing the frequency with which he was using the shower...
But having her on board, so close, her perfumes and incense scenting every corner of the ship - even his own gorram bunk smelled like her. It was getting to the point that even a look from her was enough to set him off.
He shook his head, turning off the water and running his hands over his face wearily. It had to stop, he told himself again, resolving - as he did every time - that he would not do this any more.
Nodding in agreement with himself, he dried his hair and then wrapped the towel around his hips, mouth falling open in dread, face heating, as he opened the door to come face to face with Inara waiting on the other side.
Inara had waited, her foot tapping impatiently on the grated metal for Mal to finish showering. Since the man had decided to evade her all week, she’d made up her mind to catch him the first chance she got. When she’d seen him disappear into the head with his soap and towel, she'd gone for her small calendar then come back to wait him out. Then, thinking he might take the other exit, she’d opened the hatch and stepped inside.
The steam surprised her. Mal was usually so spartan with everything on the ship that she'd half expected him to bathe in icy cold water. She was just about to call out for him to hurry when he’d made a short huffing grunt that cause her whole body to heat in surprise, followed by something very much like desire. She stood stunned, aware of what she’d obviously interrupted and was just about to spin and leave when he stepped ou
Well written.
I also like devilish Inara. She does like to push Mal's buttons, trying to bring forth something real from him. And Mal steadfastly refusing to give in. Although I would love to read what would happen if he did as well as the ramifications of it.
Well done! Hope you post more.
Oh, my, redefined UST and well written. No wonder she left:)
I have to agree with Alisse, though, I've never seen Inara as a blatant cruel tease (maybe from Mal's POV, with the wiles and all) it's a dangerous edge which she could have walked, but never crossed.
I'd like to see where you would take them post Miranda, where lives were lost and worlds shattered.
Even Inara says things sometimes that are blatantly uncalled for and very unfairly teasing/taunting of Mal. Like in the Serenity pilot, it's always made me very uncomfortable when she played Mal's jealousy with Simon ("I gave the boy a free thrust") for no other reason than she was angry that Mal was about to kick Simon and River off. Always seemed a bit spiteful to me, although Mal kind of deserves it.
This seems to be after HoG where Inara's about to leave and both of them are hurt and upset. I think that's ample vitriol for a fight like this.
Of course, I suspect Inara's being a little bit hypocritical here, because we KNOW she thinks of Mal when she's with clients, and I don't find it a stretch to think she might think off him when she's alone, too.
Maybe it's time to hear from the author,
Mr. Zhang
Another post-commenting thought: this reminds me in some ways of The Shuttle Story by Gillian, where you also get a LOT of touching without the pay-off. I'm not sure, from the female perspective, that I could be that close to Mal and fancy him that much without just GIVING IN! Even for just a quick little snog...
thanks for all your comments!
Now I'll try to address them :)
Jane0904:
Thank you! And you're probably right, it would all go to hell! Butit might be fun getting there ;)
Aliasse:
I can respect that you don't agree with everything in the story, we all have our different perspectives on how we see the characters :) Inara asking Mal directly about his fantasies was, to my thinking, a direct retaliation for Mal, once again, belittling and trying to reduce to a crude level her profession, so she strikes back in a similar manner. Pleased you liked the hot hot though :)
CharlieBZ:
Thank you! Maybe I'll be inspired to write an alternate version of the ending ;)
GillianRose:
Thanks again! And yes, the one-upmanship is such a big part of it, driving each other on and on, waiting to see who will break - and how they'll break, cuz yeah, with the right spark, I think they could have combusted! ;)
Platonist:
Redefining UST, that's tall praise! I know we didn't necessarily see Inara getting down and out with the insults in the actual series, but she told the Shepherd she'd called him worse things than he'd called her, which to me implies some real nastiness between them. From that standpoint, I believe Inara would have to be cruel sometimes. (is it really any crueller than Mal is to her, though?)
Bytemite:
I actually had in mind that this was before HoG, closer to the pilot, or even before. The tone of the 'free thrust' scene does come to mind (though I think Mal more than kind of deserves it ;) Mal's shown he can be uncomfortable hearing about sex, it seems a natural weapon for her to use against him. But yes, I think they could both be cruel, especailly to keep themselves safe from each other.
Thanks again for your comments, everyone, and so much discussion! Xie Xie!
And we weren't confused, so you're clear. :)
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