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F: Ask With Words
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: Mal/River
Warnings: None
Rating: G
Summary: He still hasn't managed to say a thing. Little drabble for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
feywood.
"Don't go forgettin' us."
River turns to look at him. Already she looks a different person -- a lady, with her slender quick grace, her pretty dress, her pretty face. She's already half-gone, and he still hasn't managed to say a thing. She smiles, a thin thing, a demure thing. A lady's smile. "Your thoughts are full of it, but thoughts don't count."
"Don't they?"
She hadn't looked like this when he kissed her. He'd thought that had been enough of a request for her to stay. She'd still been herself, then. Bright. Young. Dancing.
"Communication is a key part of a relationship," she says, more demurely than ever. He wants to shake it out of her. Then there's that mischievous smile. "Mindreading is cheating."
She looks away again, when Simon calls her name. Mal wants to drag her close, make her pay attention to him, keep her there. Selfish old man urges, he tells himself, and looks away. "So I guess that's my hint to say goodbye."
"Could be," she says, and then steps close. Mal can't help but grab her now, reel her in, hold her tight. He wonders if this embrace says enough.
"Ask with words," she says, looking up into his face.
"Words?"
"You only have to ask." She grips his jacket with both hands, fierce and hard. "You just have to swallow it and ask. We'll stay. Both of us. Just ask. That's all you have to do."
"River," Mal says, and it hardly takes anything to swallow this pride, "River, you an' your brother should stay."
"Ask," she says, again. She presses closer to him, buries her face in her shoulder. "Ask, and Simon will make everything okay."
"He's good at that," Mal says, quietly, and he touches her hair, the lightest touch. Like a breeze. And then he pulls away, raises his voice, so that even Simon, standing at the very threshold already, can hear him. "I... I think you and River should stay, Simon. I... I'm askin' you to stay, actually. Still need a doctor, and a pilot. Still have room for you in our little family."
Simon looks up, and River watches hope kindle in his eyes. "Family?"
Mal nods slightly, and then looks down at River, and he feels himself going all soft -- his eyes, his mouth, melting into something gentler. He used to be angry with her for it. "Yeah. Family. Reckon you'll be my brother-in-law before long, at this rate."
He expected Simon to squawk, but the boy just smiles. And he's not even sure he's joking.
"Stay," he says.
"We will," River says, and she laughs, and she's his again, his River, his albatross, his bright spark. She pats his hand. "Need a ring before you can make me yours," she says, brightly, and then she's off. Jayne looks between the three of them like he can't figure out what the hell's going on.
Mal rather shares that feeling, actually. Most of the time. For now -- "Put that damn suitcase down, Jayne. Can't you see they're stayin'?"
Pairing: Mal/River
Warnings: None
Rating: G
Summary: He still hasn't managed to say a thing. Little drabble for
feywood."Don't go forgettin' us."
River turns to look at him. Already she looks a different person -- a lady, with her slender quick grace, her pretty dress, her pretty face. She's already half-gone, and he still hasn't managed to say a thing. She smiles, a thin thing, a demure thing. A lady's smile. "Your thoughts are full of it, but thoughts don't count."
"Don't they?"
She hadn't looked like this when he kissed her. He'd thought that had been enough of a request for her to stay. She'd still been herself, then. Bright. Young. Dancing.
"Communication is a key part of a relationship," she says, more demurely than ever. He wants to shake it out of her. Then there's that mischievous smile. "Mindreading is cheating."
She looks away again, when Simon calls her name. Mal wants to drag her close, make her pay attention to him, keep her there. Selfish old man urges, he tells himself, and looks away. "So I guess that's my hint to say goodbye."
"Could be," she says, and then steps close. Mal can't help but grab her now, reel her in, hold her tight. He wonders if this embrace says enough.
"Ask with words," she says, looking up into his face.
"Words?"
"You only have to ask." She grips his jacket with both hands, fierce and hard. "You just have to swallow it and ask. We'll stay. Both of us. Just ask. That's all you have to do."
"River," Mal says, and it hardly takes anything to swallow this pride, "River, you an' your brother should stay."
"Ask," she says, again. She presses closer to him, buries her face in her shoulder. "Ask, and Simon will make everything okay."
"He's good at that," Mal says, quietly, and he touches her hair, the lightest touch. Like a breeze. And then he pulls away, raises his voice, so that even Simon, standing at the very threshold already, can hear him. "I... I think you and River should stay, Simon. I... I'm askin' you to stay, actually. Still need a doctor, and a pilot. Still have room for you in our little family."
Simon looks up, and River watches hope kindle in his eyes. "Family?"
Mal nods slightly, and then looks down at River, and he feels himself going all soft -- his eyes, his mouth, melting into something gentler. He used to be angry with her for it. "Yeah. Family. Reckon you'll be my brother-in-law before long, at this rate."
He expected Simon to squawk, but the boy just smiles. And he's not even sure he's joking.
"Stay," he says.
"We will," River says, and she laughs, and she's his again, his River, his albatross, his bright spark. She pats his hand. "Need a ring before you can make me yours," she says, brightly, and then she's off. Jayne looks between the three of them like he can't figure out what the hell's going on.
Mal rather shares that feeling, actually. Most of the time. For now -- "Put that damn suitcase down, Jayne. Can't you see they're stayin'?"
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