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F: Meaning It
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: Inara/Kaylee
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Sending Jayne to his bunk. For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lusciouspandora, for Christmas.
Inara is watching Kaylee, out of the corner of her eye. Kaylee's eyes are far away, though she smiles when someone makes a joke, and things between her and Simon don't seem too strained -- all things considered. Mal watches her like a protective older brother anyway, his eyes on Simon as if he'd like to make a mess of his face. Inara rather hopes that Jayne, who is eyeing Kaylee thoughtfully, has the sense to keep his mouth shut.
Jayne has never been known for an overabundance of sense, though. She sighs softly to herself and looks away from Kaylee -- her eyes are thoughtful, she thinks, but not sad, but she'll talk to her about it anyway, later -- and down at her own dinner, focusing on the taste of the herbs Mal found somewhere in the back of the cupboard to flavour their mush-and-minerals.
"What's up with you?" Jayne asks Kaylee, punching her shoulder lightly to get her attention. Kaylee's eyes take a moment to come back to the present and then she smiles. Inara reaches out, beneath the table, to touch Kaylee's leg; comfort, reassurance, support -- she's not sure which. Kaylee can take it as whichever she needs, of course.
"Nothing, nothing," Kaylee says, lightly, but everyone's eyes are moving to Simon. The doctor has the good grace to look uncomfortable, but the sense not to protest. Inara nearly applauds him for learning some tact at last.
"Still mooning over the doc?"
Inara has never wanted to slap Jayne quite so much before. The urge has come and gone before, but this time she thinks she might almost go through with it -- except that Kaylee shakes her head, gently brushing Inara's hand away from her leg and sitting up straighter. "I'm not mooning over anyone and especially not Simon. Things didn't work out, s'all, that's not his fault or mine, and just because I'm thoughtful don't mean I'm not happy. Me 'n' Simon are friends and that's that."
Simon looks a little more relaxed after that, even if tension is still there for anyone to see in Mal's face, in the set of his jaw and the squaring of his shoulders. Inara nods slightly at him and they exchange a smile. At least they know how to be civilised.
"I still think you're moping," Jayne says.
Inara could swear Kaylee even looks a little irritated at that. "I'm not."
Jayne grins at her. "Prove it."
Kaylee narrows her eyes a little, half amused still and half starting to find it really annoying. Inara wants to say something -- something like she'd never kiss you, Jayne -- but she doesn't. It's not her fight, if fight it's going to be. Then Kaylee smiles, a slow smile like something's dawning. She turns slightly -- Inara's eyes are on Jayne's puzzled face for a moment, so she half misses it until Kaylee is gently turning her face.
Her focus is all on Kaylee, though, when Kaylee kisses her, soft and perfect just like she's always imagined this moment -- even if she never thought it'd come about and never, never like this.
The kiss breaks when there's a clatter and Inara looks up, confused, to see Jayne getting up. "I'll -- I'll be in my bunk," he says, with a look in his eyes that makes Simon groan in disgust.
"I can do without that mental image," he mutters, and Inara nods agreement, almost not daring to look at Kaylee, sitting beside her, hand still touching the side of her neck. After a moment, Kaylee pulls her hand away and settles in to eat the rest of her food and, with her stomach now uncomfortably churning, Inara gets up to go to her shuttle.
Why did Kaylee do that? she asks herself. Did it mean anything? Does she -- ?
She's normally so good at reading people. Even Kaylee, for all the feelings clouding the issue that shouldn't be.
Someone is running after her, she realises, just as she reaches the door of her shuttle. She turns slightly, listening to the clattering of Kaylee's steps and smiling at her as she stops suddenly, a little flushed and ruffled from running. "'nara," she says, hastily, "you didn't mind, did you?"
Inara searches her face carefully, slowly, for what must feel like hours for poor Kaylee. She smiles a little, then, and takes a deep breath for the gamble. "Only if it was all a diversion."
"I don't kiss people and not mean it, Inara," Kaylee says, earnestly. For a moment, they stand silent, eyes locked. And then Inara smiles, turning to step into her shuttle.
"Care to join me?"
Pairing: Inara/Kaylee
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Sending Jayne to his bunk. For
lusciouspandora, for Christmas.Inara is watching Kaylee, out of the corner of her eye. Kaylee's eyes are far away, though she smiles when someone makes a joke, and things between her and Simon don't seem too strained -- all things considered. Mal watches her like a protective older brother anyway, his eyes on Simon as if he'd like to make a mess of his face. Inara rather hopes that Jayne, who is eyeing Kaylee thoughtfully, has the sense to keep his mouth shut.
Jayne has never been known for an overabundance of sense, though. She sighs softly to herself and looks away from Kaylee -- her eyes are thoughtful, she thinks, but not sad, but she'll talk to her about it anyway, later -- and down at her own dinner, focusing on the taste of the herbs Mal found somewhere in the back of the cupboard to flavour their mush-and-minerals.
"What's up with you?" Jayne asks Kaylee, punching her shoulder lightly to get her attention. Kaylee's eyes take a moment to come back to the present and then she smiles. Inara reaches out, beneath the table, to touch Kaylee's leg; comfort, reassurance, support -- she's not sure which. Kaylee can take it as whichever she needs, of course.
"Nothing, nothing," Kaylee says, lightly, but everyone's eyes are moving to Simon. The doctor has the good grace to look uncomfortable, but the sense not to protest. Inara nearly applauds him for learning some tact at last.
"Still mooning over the doc?"
Inara has never wanted to slap Jayne quite so much before. The urge has come and gone before, but this time she thinks she might almost go through with it -- except that Kaylee shakes her head, gently brushing Inara's hand away from her leg and sitting up straighter. "I'm not mooning over anyone and especially not Simon. Things didn't work out, s'all, that's not his fault or mine, and just because I'm thoughtful don't mean I'm not happy. Me 'n' Simon are friends and that's that."
Simon looks a little more relaxed after that, even if tension is still there for anyone to see in Mal's face, in the set of his jaw and the squaring of his shoulders. Inara nods slightly at him and they exchange a smile. At least they know how to be civilised.
"I still think you're moping," Jayne says.
Inara could swear Kaylee even looks a little irritated at that. "I'm not."
Jayne grins at her. "Prove it."
Kaylee narrows her eyes a little, half amused still and half starting to find it really annoying. Inara wants to say something -- something like she'd never kiss you, Jayne -- but she doesn't. It's not her fight, if fight it's going to be. Then Kaylee smiles, a slow smile like something's dawning. She turns slightly -- Inara's eyes are on Jayne's puzzled face for a moment, so she half misses it until Kaylee is gently turning her face.
Her focus is all on Kaylee, though, when Kaylee kisses her, soft and perfect just like she's always imagined this moment -- even if she never thought it'd come about and never, never like this.
The kiss breaks when there's a clatter and Inara looks up, confused, to see Jayne getting up. "I'll -- I'll be in my bunk," he says, with a look in his eyes that makes Simon groan in disgust.
"I can do without that mental image," he mutters, and Inara nods agreement, almost not daring to look at Kaylee, sitting beside her, hand still touching the side of her neck. After a moment, Kaylee pulls her hand away and settles in to eat the rest of her food and, with her stomach now uncomfortably churning, Inara gets up to go to her shuttle.
Why did Kaylee do that? she asks herself. Did it mean anything? Does she -- ?
She's normally so good at reading people. Even Kaylee, for all the feelings clouding the issue that shouldn't be.
Someone is running after her, she realises, just as she reaches the door of her shuttle. She turns slightly, listening to the clattering of Kaylee's steps and smiling at her as she stops suddenly, a little flushed and ruffled from running. "'nara," she says, hastily, "you didn't mind, did you?"
Inara searches her face carefully, slowly, for what must feel like hours for poor Kaylee. She smiles a little, then, and takes a deep breath for the gamble. "Only if it was all a diversion."
"I don't kiss people and not mean it, Inara," Kaylee says, earnestly. For a moment, they stand silent, eyes locked. And then Inara smiles, turning to step into her shuttle.
"Care to join me?"