Title : Mend (1/1)

Disclaimer : Not making any profit, just playing, they belong to Joss and Co. etcetera, etcetera.

Spoilers : Series, major mentions of the BDM.

Characters/Pairing : Inara, Mal, Mal/Inara.

Summary : Inara wants tea and ends up with a little more than that. Inspired by the sheer number of scenes in the BDM dedicated to showing Mal “tortured” and “brooding.” Thank you, Joss Whedon.

Rating : We’ll call it R. To be on the super, super, super safe side. (Sex? What? What sex? This rating totally doesn’t give anything away!)

Word Count : 3, 274

A/N : Yes. That’s a ‘Heart of Gold’ quote. Because I like it. Leave me alone.

Inara, I ain't looking for anything from you. I'm just feeling kind of truthsome right now. Life is too damn short for ifs and maybes.

-Mal, Heart of Gold

***

Serenity is quieter than Inara remembers. It chills her, and she draws her shawl tighter across her shoulders. She hasn’t been sleeping well lately. Not since—

She closes her eyes and stops, swaying on her feet. She can just barely make out the outline of Zoe’s quarters. Oh, yes, Serenity is quieter than she remembers. Not quite broken, but damaged. Miranda, the Reavers—it brought them closer together, but there’s a danger now. Life has become too fragile.

She moves forward again, hands fiddling restlessly in front of her. At night, it’s the worst. She can still hear the Reavers screaming—sounds no human should make. She can see the look on Simon’s face, his blood all over her hands, and River…

She’d been ready to die for them, in that moment.

Outside the mess, she pauses. It’s Mal, sitting at the table, body hunched over a grimy mug. His chin rests propped on one hand, while the fingers of his other drum over the tabletop.

She hovers indecisively. How long has he been there? She has no wish to interrupt. Brooding is an art form Mal had conquered and perfected long ago.

She watches him slowly reach for the mug and bring it to his lips, h