#mal x simon fanfic

[amethvysts]

BOA NOITE LIV!!! Eu sou a diva carioca q já comentou algumas vezes aqui, mas o assunto d hoje será um pouco diferente pq uma anon extremamente MALDOSA (diva genia 😉) falou sobre simon hempe flamenguista e pipe otãno tricolor eeeeee isso me deixou criativa EEEEE completamente loka passando mal tal qual mc ryan do sp q estava na OTI 🙁 PQ EU PENSEI NUM CENÁRIO EXATAMENTE IGUAL A ESSE MASSSSS o PEOR é q eles eram PRIMOS!!!!!!!! 😱😱😱 OMG!!

OLHA SÓ: a loba começou ficando com o tricolor e tals bem pimposinha e super d boa até ter a infelicidade d conhecer o flamenguista (off q todo flamenguista é canalha safado) e foi assim q a lobinha acabou ficando mais perdidinha ner 😋 pq os dois eram super divertidos, mesmo sendo primos tinham personalidades beem diferentes (menos a canalhice 😣😖✊) além d q os keridos eram putos tesudos crocantes gostosos eee ENFIM sempre quando tinha fla x flu a lobinha já c preparava pra enfrentar as briguinhas bobocas infantiloides desses dois homens o dia todo. MASS quando for times q esses dois cretinos amam fazer d chacota q a língua chega até doer de tanto q esses homens falam mal (time esse q só pode ser o vascão) EEEEEEE como o diabo é sujo, a lobinha torce exatamente pro Vasco (mds😫😫😫) aí quando é dia de jogo a lobinha só leva esculacho desses sem consideração! 🤬 A lobinha toma só no cu quando é jogo do vascão (literalmente)

Enfim, boa noite liv fique bem com essas sapequices q pensei agr 😋

ah sim anon entendo vamos ignorar o fato de que eu vou ter que ficar sofrendo pelo meu time ATÉ em fanfic

vei, você foi TÃO mente de titânio nessa! pensando que você seria amiga (ou ficante plus premium comfort max rs) de um deles e aí ele te convidaria pra reunião de família pra assistir o jogo do vasco contra o time dele, e você acaba se juntando com o primo dele pra torcer contra — a primeira e única união vasfla ou vasflu do mundo.

acaba que vocês formam um trio calafrio e criam um grupo no whatsapp para aloprações e afins. o que significa que todo jogo do vasco, eles vão enviar trilhões de figurinhas e áudios estourados.

inclusive, o pipe tem carinha de quem perde totalmente as estribeiras (e a noção do perigo) quando tá assistindo jogo; teve uma vez em que ele se juntou com alguns outros tricolores pra gravar um vídeo falando que seu time é uma merda. e quando você fica chateada, ele se sente um pedaço de bosta velha pisada no asfalto e te manda várias desculpas, “gatinha, por favor, me perdoa :( pensei que seria engraçado” — e só piora quando o simón coloca pilha dizendo que ele pisou muito na bola.

ai, mas penso muito nos dois competindo pela sua atenção enquanto vocês estão assistindo jogo. o simón fica falando um bando de gracinha pra te fazer rir, zoando os jogadores e referenciando uns memes da internet. e isso leva o pipe a ficar bicudinho, mas fica toda hora tocando no seu braço, se envolvendo na conversa e sendo bem passivo-agressivo com as piadinhas do primo.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC F/AotW - March 10 - 16, 2024

✒️ = Fanfic | 📱= Text Fics/Edits | 🎨 = Fanart Ⓜ️ = Mature Content 18+ | 🔥 = Explicit/NSFW 18+ 🏳️‍🌈 = LGBTQIA

BLADES OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

Battle ✒️| Tyril Sarfury x f!human!mc - @petalouda85

Blades Fanfic ✒️| Tyril Starfury & MC - @skepticalfrogcat

Names ✒️| Tyril Starfury x F!human!MC - @petalouda85

Nyx x Luna Rose 🎨| Original Characters by @lilyoffandoms C: @storyofmychoices

Second Thoughts ✒️| Tyril Starfury x F!MC - @thosehallowedhalls

CRIMES OF PASSION

Confrontation ✒️| CoP F!MC, M!OC - @thosehallowedhalls

Home Without (Series) ✒️| M!Trystan Thorne x F!MC - @thosehallowedhalls Part 4

Mama, Didn't Mean to Make You Cry ✒️| M!Trystan Thorne, Viktoria Thorne - @inlocusmads

Running on Empty ✒️| M!Trystan Thorne x F!MC - @inlocusmads

THE ELEMENTALISTS

Your Love is Sweet Like a Honeysuckle ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Griffin Langley x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

Yoga & Pancakes ✒️| Beckett Harrington x F!MC - @storyofmychoices

THE HAUNTING OF BRIARWOOD MANOR

Chicory Flowers For My Beloved ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Eleanor Waverly x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

IMMORTAL DESIRES

Lavander Sass ✒️🏳️‍🌈| NB!MC, Original Characters - @aallotarenunelma

OPEN HEART

Complete Open Heart List for Week Ending March 16, 2024

PERFECT MATCH

Alstroemeria as in Adoration ✒️🏳️‍🌈| PM F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

RED CARPET DIARIES

My Favorite Place 🎨| Thomas Hunt x F!OC by @/majoma_art (IG) C: @storyofmychoices

THE ROYAL ROMANCE

Ghosted (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️| Liam Rys x MC - @kristinamae093 Chapter 11: Altering Visions

Second Chance Love (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️🔥 | Liam Rys x MC, Liam Rys x F!OC - @mysticalfangirl Part 1

Turning the Page (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️| Liam Rys x F!OC - @tessa-liam Chapter 11: A Step Back in Time

Vancross (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️| Liam Rys x F!OC - @ao719 Chapter 23: Rescue You

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Stitched Sunflowers ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Dean West x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

SAVE THE DATE

Origami Daisy ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Simon Hendricks x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

CROSSOVERS

Blades of Light & Shadow / Nightbound

Kit Meets Rock ✒️| Mal Volari x F!MC, Nik Ryder x F!MC - @ladylamrian

Immortal Desires & Murder at Homecoming

Murder at Homecoming: Harlow (Series)✒️| Cas Harlow x MaH F!MC - @korgbelmont Part 2

Open Heart & The Royal Romance

Don't Call Me Angel ✒️| OH F!OC, Bryce Lahela, Tobias Carrick, Maxwell Beaumont, Bertrand Beaumont - @peonierose

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

All The Days Ahead, Chapter 6: Your Hand Forever’s All I Want

Mal x Simon, Firefly. Kaylee POV. Also on AO3. Ch 1-5 on my blog.

Kaylee’s beaming face catches his eye in particular and he lifts his eyebrows at her. “What’s everybody staring at, huh? Can’t a fella get shot in peace around here?” 

When she hears Simon’s proposal, Kaylee gasps from her spot outside the infirmary door, a sunny grin spreading across her face. 

“Marry you,” Mal repeats as she watches along with the rest of the crew. “As in, marriage-married. Wedded bliss.”

“Well, I think bliss might be stretching it, when we’re lucky to avoid injury or capture on any given day,” Simon says, “but yes. I’m asking you to marry me. If you’re going to keep nearly dying, I’d like you to do it as my husband.”

Husband! Just imagine, Kaylee thinks gleefully. The cap’n, married. And to Simon. For a minute, after meeting him, she had thought maybe the doctor was for her--but that crush had long since passed. It’s obvious that Mal makes him happy. Happily ever after, her brain adds. How romantical.

“I know we couldn’t be tied legally,” Simon tells Mal, clearing his throat. “What with River and I still flagged by the authorities. But we could be wed, in the other sense. That is-” Nerves are starting to take over; he catches himself. 

“That is, if you say yes.”

“You’re serious.” Mal looks over at the group in the doorway, wincing when the movement hurts. Kaylee’s beaming face catches his eye in particular and he lifts his eyebrows at her. “What’s everybody staring at, huh? Can’t a fella get shot in peace around here?”

“Mal.” Simon gently squeezes his hand. ”There’s a distinctly nonzero chance that you’re going to pass out again soon.”

“Right. Should probly focus.”

He takes two deep breaths that wheeze when he exhales--his recovery ain’t gonna be quick, that much is clear--and quirks his lips up at Simon. “You went from telling me you love me to marriage awful fast, you know. It’s a lot to take in...and it’s a mite out of character for someone prone to overthinking.”

“Your heart stopped beating,” Simon reminds him. “That tends to narrow a person’s priorities.”

“Are you sure it’s me you want to be marrying?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I weren’t.”

“I’ll likely be a terrible ornery husband.”

“Mal, you’re being terribly difficult right now.” He sounds more amused than annoyed, though.

Kaylee can see a teasing glint in Mal’s eyes. If it didn’t seem unlikely for someone as recently-revived as the captain, Kaylee would even swear he winks at her. Then he reaches toward Simon and lays his free hand against the doctor's chest. 

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, Simon Tam. I’ll marry you. Once I can sit up without bleeding out.”

“How about we play it very safe,” Simon counters, “and wait until you can also walk?”

“Well, I mean, it sounds awfully risky to put it off, if you really think I could keel over any minute. But if you insist.” Mal grins. “Sure. Let’s get married after I’m all healed up.”

Simon smiles back and kisses him, still carefully. When he pulls away, he finally seems to notice everyone else. “Oh. Hey. I guess...you all saw that.”

“Captain!” Kaylee exclaims, taking that as her invitation to join Simon beside the bed. “Simon! Congratulations, you two. This is so great, you know. A little wedding just for us--that is, I’m guessing it’ll be just us...since all your family’s onboard the ship.”

She feels bad reminding Simon that wherever his parents are, he and River aren’t connected to them anymore, but to Kaylee the better thing is the way they all belong to each other now. 

“ Xiao mei-mei, a little less volume would be a help to me,” Mal says, looking pained. 

“Right.” Kaylee drops her voice to a near-whisper in apology. “I got excited, is all.”

“I know. And it is very exciting, I’m sure, ‘specially for those still hovering out there,” Mal agrees. “Maybe we can discuss it at great length and girlish volume later.”

He looks at Simon, who takes the cue and motions toward the exit. 

“I’m going to dose him now,” he tells the others, “and I’ll let everyone know when he can have visitors. After he gets some rest.”

“Kaylee,” Mal adds, before she leaves his side. “What do you say you help me plan the shindig? I’ve got no flair for it.”

She lights up as bright as if he’s just offered her a year’s supply of strawberries. There could be layer-cake dresses, and shimmery lanterns, and oh--she’ll come up with so many ideas, now that she knows what a fancy party can be.

“Shiny,” Kaylee agrees, leaning down to kiss Mal’s cheek. “As long as we have the ceremony onboard the ship this time. Serenity’s never had a wedding before.”

[itsyaboycole]

Your Own ch.4

Fandom: Firefly

Pairing: Mal/Simon

Rating: T for now, next chapter contains smut

Chapter: 4 / 5

Summary: You can only be strong if you are sometimes allowed to be weak.  With alcohol.

tumblr / ao3 / ffnet

Slowly, Simon had plucked through his cabinets, his boxes, the various first aid kits scattered around the ship, and assembled a surprisingly short list of supplies he needed. Ariel hadn't been long enough ago for them to have depleted their supplies too significantly, and Simon wasn't fool enough not to notice that he was being given an easy task on purpose.  Mal was worried, in his own way.

But now everyone was planetside – or moonside – and he was alone, in his infirmary, trying not to feel as exquisitely lonely as he had the last few days.

Or at least he thought he was, until he heard something heavy crash onto the floor just outside the infirmary.  Instinctively he ran to the noise, only to come to a screeching halt when he saw the Captain on his knees in front of a...box?

“What's this?” Simon made sure not to let on how relieved he was that he wasn't alone.

Mal pried and sliced at stubborn cardboard with his knife.  “Said you wanted a desk!”

He sounded maybe too pleased with himself.  Simon tilted his head to inspect the box's graphic.  It actually looked nice.

“Yes, about...two months ago, in passing,” Simon muttered while he tried and failed to keep a smile off his face.  He already knew that the instant the thing was built, River would be taking it over anyway.

“Well, 's here now,” Mal busied himself with laying out each numbered piece in order.  Bags of screws and fasteners and drawer pulls soon littered the floor of the common area, and Simon quietly cleared a spot for himself amongst the clutter while Mal glared at the guide.  He didn't know if the Captain wanted help, but he knew he had nothing better to do.

“Is that...the side piece?”

Simon tilted his head sideways as he inspected the manual over Mal's shoulder.  “I think...I think it's the top?”

Mal flipped the whole manual upside down in his hands and swore.  Simon pulled his sweater sleeve down over his fingers and casually leaned his chin on it to hide his own smirk.  Mal flipped the manual a second time.

“Tian di wu yohn guide...”

Simon cleared his throat to mask a chuckle.  “Aren't the pieces numbered?” He picked up a bag of screws and turned it over in his hands, but Mal snatched it away just as quickly.

“Wait, wait, I think I got it,” Mal balanced the manual on his thigh, a long flat board in one hand, a bag of fasteners in the other, and part of the desk top on his knee. Simon's brows furrowed, and he abandoned all hope of helping the Captain.  He was clearly beyond that point already.

They worked in relative silence, Simon's only contributions being to occasionally hand Mal a piece, or a tool, or the manual after he'd misplaced it for the fifth time.  It felt a little bit like when the Captain had to play his nurse – only with a much lighter, more companionable silence.

Once the desk started taking shape, Mal finally handed over the pieces to a drawer, something for Simon to assemble all on his lonesome.  He had to bite back the urge to make a snarky comment about whether he could be trusted to do it correctly. Mal gathered the pieces to a second drawer and began to assemble that.  But Simon was distracted.

“Thank you,” he said it quietly, nearly trailing off entirely.  Mal glanced up from his work only briefly, but the look he gave the younger man made goosebumps spread over his flesh.

“Wasn't too hard to find one,” and he was speaking of the desk, because of course Mal would avoid what Simon had really meant.  He nodded once, let his eyes slip over Mal's broad chest and button-down, and tried not to feel disappointed.

“You remembered, though,” a little louder, a little more uncertain.  He tried to catch the Captain's gaze.  “That kind of thing doesn't go unnoticed.”

“Yeah, well,” Mal flipped over the piece he was working on to finish attaching the handle, “just my way of avoidin' a mutiny.”

Simon thought of Jayne's book.  He smiled.

“Consider my bloodlust sated for the day,” he murmured as he went back to the drawer.  Mal handed him the screwdriver, and he tried not to think too hard about the fact that he was both literally and figuratively building a place for himself.

[glygriffe]

Fanfics Masterlist

This is a list of all the fanfictions of mine I posted on Tumblr. All gen fics, all cross-posted on AO3.

Supernatural

Drabbles or ficlets

Taking Care of Me (Dean & Soulless!Sam) You Are My Home (Sam Winchester) You've been Garthed (Garth Fitzgerald IV) A Family Recipe (Jody, Sam, Dean) I can't stand to fly (young Sam & Dean) The Mahaha Hunt (young Sam & Dean, John Winchester) In the Mouth of Hell (Dean Winchester) Mastering Life (Meg Masters - Demon Meg) Pillow Talk (Sam & Dean Winchester) Like Fine Wine - A Poem (Rowena MacLeod) Crossroad meeting with a smoking date - A Poem (Demon) They Spoke as if They Knew Me (Jody & Sam) Shades of Villains (Alastair, Azazel) Trials and Tribulations (Sam Winchester) Last Resort (Donna & Jody) The Small Things in Life (Jody & Claire) The Lockpick (Sam Winchester) Something Borrowed (Sam & Dean)

One-shots

Family Matters (Dark Angel AU) This Old House (young Dean Winchester) To Love and to Hold (Castiel & Sam & Dean)

From the Dead-end job series (more on AO3): A series of short fics exploring the work relationship of Death and Billie the Reaper, doing a shallow dip into their individual mindset in between episodes of the show. A Rock and a Hard Place (Billie & Death, Lucifer) part one | part two The Ballad of Chicago (Billie & Death, Dean Winchester) part one | part two

Crossover

Who's lost now?: Dean Winchester is a little lost going back to school in the big city. When he meets The Doctor who took a job at the university, it may be just two lost souls colliding. But maybe it is the start of a friendship they both need. (Doctor Who & Dean Winchester: see the header here!)

Stranger Things

Pain and Confusion (Joyce Byers) What's left after the storm (Dustin Henderson & Steve Harrington) A Slight Case of D&D Fever (Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin) Tragic Dingus (Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington) Love in the TIme of Vecna (Steve Harrington x Nancy Wheeler)

Firefly

Sudden Betrayal (Wash x Zoe) In the Family Way (Jayne & Kaylee) Blue as the river bringing me home to you (River Tam) A Quest for Geniuses (Simon, River, Kaylee) And a Bottle of Rhum (Mal, Jayne)

Dark Angel

Sweat and blood - A study in Red (Max Guevara) Family Matters (Supernatural in a Dark Angel AU) Saving Grace (Alec McDowell - Dark Angel AU) The Road to the Good Place (Ben) Gossamer Feelings (mostly an original work, but inspired by Simon Lehane)

Also, ficlets in French, from DUG fandom : (Dans une galaxie près de chez vous) Dans une doudou près de chez vous. Méchant Malade

Various art can also be seen here.

[ximeria]

Writer Meme

Was tagged by @moonygarou​

1. Favourite Fandom to write in?

Currently it’s most definitely Good Omens. If we’re looking at the community and its interaction in general with writers and artists, I really can’t complain. We’re all a bunch of evil enablers and the outcome, art, stories, cosplay, comics odd stuff is just amazing. I haven’t left the X-men fandom behind, but I needed a break from writing in it. This has most certainly given me new writing angles and ideas.

2. Favourite Rare Pair?

I’ve never really done rare pairs? I don’t even know what constitutes a rare pair. In many ways it’s the major characters that normally grab my attention. Does this make me a lemming? In some people’s eyes it might, but honestly? I grab inspiration where it hits me. I think the closest I might’ve come was Mal/Jayne in Firefly, because most everyone else went for Mal/Simon or Jayne/Simon. And Mal/Jayne was by no means a small pairing.

3. What do you use as motivation?

Pure, raw need to create LOL. But honestly, I am on several GO servers and all of them have sharing channels and many of them sprint channels as well, not to mention plot-bunny adoption channels. There is nearly always someone on who will be a fabulous enabler if you need it.

4. Ever completed Nanowrimo?

I... actually had to check how many times I’d taken part (I’ve never started and failed, do not doubt me!) First time I had an old fantasy novel I started in the late 90s that I wanted over and bloody done with. So with no further ado yes, I finished Nano. 13! Fucking! Times! That as a bit of a chock for me as well.

Nano says 6 completed but I think it might’ve reset at one point when they redid the website because the earliest there was 2011. Went through the old folders and awe and behold - no less than 13 all in all XD - Some fanfic, some original.

5. What is your favourite tool to write on?

Old laptop - has larger keyboard than my little more portable laptop. I’ll cry when it dies.

6. Drink of choice?

There’s nearly always a cup of coffee at my writing spot as well as a glass of water.

7. When do you finish your fic, before or close to deadline?

If they have a deadline, I’m normally done well ahead of time. Once I get started I tend to just work with the singlemindedness of a bulldog.

8. What genre do you prefer to write in?

I’m lazy with research sometimes, so modern setting, though I don’t shy away from historical and i love some good old fashioned sci-fi

9. If you were an Animagus what would you be?

No clue. Potter thing, is it? No clue, no interest XD

10. If you had the choice to travel in time, where would you go to.

Forward, prove to myself that mankind isn’t as fucked up as it seems to be.

For use if anyone wants to use it (apart from @meinposhbastard​ who gets tagged just because :P)

1. Favourite Fandom to write in 2. Favourite Rare Pair? 3. What do you use as motivation? 4. Ever completed Nanowrimo? 5. What is your favourite tool to write on? 6. Drink of choice? 7. When do you finish your fic, before or close to deadline? 8. What genre do you prefer to write in? 9. If you were an Animagus what would you be? 10. If you had the choice to travel in time, where would you go to.

[investigaterainbows]

¡Hola! 

Acá les dejo la traducción que hice del post de goodmorningtoyouuniverse sobre lo que Louis dijo en una entrevista reciente sobre Simon.

La historia de Simon.

Matt le pregunta a Louis si alguna vez ha tenido una experiencia con Simon Cowell donde haya pensado, “eso es muy Simon de tu parte”.

Louis: ‘Hay una, que - no creo que alguna vez haya hablado sobre ello, pienso si puedo... Uno de los primeros shows que hicimos por One Direction. Yo era nuevo, obviamente salido directamente de Doncaster, empecé a beber - ese tipo de cosas. Bebí antes de uno de nuestros primeros conciertos, y obviamente también estaba nervioso, así que pensé - bueno, sólo tomaré un par de cervezas. Terminé muy, muy borracho en este show. Repito, fue uno de los primeros conciertos que dimos. Y me despierto con un mensaje, para encontrarme con que viajaría a LA la mañana siguiente - desconcertado, estaba sentado en el avión pensando ‘y ahora qué’. Llegué a la casa de Simon, y él me regañó un poco. Fue positivo, pero me regañó un poco. Fue positivo, pero ciertamente se sintió como el aterrador Simon que ves en la tele.’

Matt: “¿Te hizo volar a Los Ángeles así podía regañarte?”

Louis: Sí, al verdadero estilo de Simon, sabes, en clase business (*), el Four Seasons (**), pero eso es un poco-

Matt: “qué castigo, desearía toparme más seguido con su lado malo. Así que fueron unas vacaciones gratis, lo cual es encantador. Y - y él - asumo que él no levantó la voz, que él sólo dijo - ¿fue calmado, ocultó su agresividad? Y algo como, mira no estoy enojado, sólo decepcionado.”

Louis: ‘Tenía una vibra de decepción, sí, muy calmado, pero sí’

Matt: “Así que literalmente estuviste en su casa por cuánto - ¿como una hora o dos y luego te fuiste?”

Louis: ‘Sí, bueno, él me regañó ni bien me vio, tal vez por 5 o diez minutos, y luego tuvimos una charla apropiada. Y honestamente, si no hubiese tenido esa charla con Simon entonces, no creo que ahora seríamos tan cercanos, sabes, realmente siento que me apoya, sabes, he hecho bastante con él incluso fuera de One Direction. Y en realidad creo que fue vital para mí como individuo y también para nuestra relación, sí.”

(*) vendría siendo la clase entre económica y primera

(**) es un hotel de renombre

Okay. Ahora, ¿qué significa todo esto que dijo Louis sobre Simon? ¿será cierto que Simon es el gran salvador de la humanidad y todos estuvimos equivocados? 

Vamos a dejar unos puntos en claro.

1) La entrevista ya de entrada sabemos que va a ser caca dado que quien lo entrevistó tiene conexiones con Simon y X Factor.

2) Hay una parte en la que Louis dice: 

“I don’t think I’ve ever spoken about it before, just thinking if I can...”

refiriéndose claramente a que no sabe si puede hablar de ello. ¿Por qué Louis no podría hablar de una de estas experiencias con Simon si no hubiese algo más?

Recordemos que cualquiera que tenga ataduras con Simon no puede hablar mal de él o de cualquier cosa que produzca (presionen acá si quieren saber más del tema).

3) La entrevista tiene un tinte amargo, ¿lo notan? Matt trata de darle un enfoque chistoso diciendo que él desearía ser “regañado” así por Simon porque el regaño pareció más como unas vacaciones gratuitas. Sin embargo, las elecciones de palabras que usó Louis fueron cuidadosas e interesantes. 

Léanlo de nuevo, si es que no lo notaron. Louis, quien desde el principio fue el más atacado por su team, tomó un par de bebidas antes de un concierto y lo que hace Simon no es llamarlo por teléfono, sino que lo hace volar (a un chico de 18-19 años nuevo en la industria) hasta Los Ángeles sin el resto de los chicos y sin saber qué mierda estaba pasando. Cuando llega, lo ””””””regaña””””””” de manera no-agresiva y después tienen una charla que cambia la vida de Louis y es un hombre nuevo y Simon es Jesús reencarnado. Tenemos un nivel de manipulación e intimidación impresionante acá. Incluso lo hizo ver los lujos que tendrían y que quizás perderían por su culpa. ¿Parece sacado de un fanfic? Totalmente, pero no es algo nuevo ni inventado. Simon es esa clase de persona, y ponerse en el lugar de Louis e imaginar todo lo hace aún peor. Simon siempre queriendo remarcar el poder que tiene, y lo horrible es cómo fue desde el principio: los chicos no ganaron X Factor, y Simon igualmente los “salvó” dándoles un contrato; esto claramente muestra cuánta manipulación hubo desde el inicio: no sean malagradecidos, no la caguen para sus compañeros, tienen suerte de que Simon vio talento en ustedes. 

4) Simon no es el mejor amigo de Louis, no lo salvó de un pozo de miseria y Louis lo aborrece. No hace falta explicarlo. 

5) Me sigue pareciendo interesante la manera en la que Louis cuenta todo, con ese tonito de “not a big deal”, sin embargo la elección de palabras no concuerda con la manera en la que cuenta las cosas. Tiende mucho a hacer esto.

Les dejo, también, otro post para que se orienten (x)

Ayu, x

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC AotW - July 16-22, 2023

Ⓜ️ = Adult/Mature Content 18+ 🔥 = Explicit Material/NSFW 18+ ✒️ = Includes Fanfic

Welcome to the inaugural CFWC Art of the Week listing! As previously announced, we will be accepting previously posted art through the end of August. After that, we will post creations posted within the last week, just like we do with our CFWC Fics of the Week.

We're still deciding if we'll have one or two lists down the line, but due to the overwhelming response, it made sense to have two lists this week.

BLADES OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

Mal Volari x Daenarya Art by @storyofmychoices

Mal Volari Geometric Art by @storyofmychoices

Our Get Along Sweater | Tyril Starfury & Mal Volari by @storyofmychoices

Threep Geometric Art by @storyofmychoices

Tyril Starfury Geometric Art by @storyofmychoices

A Year of Kisses | Tyril Starfury x MC - @lilyoffandoms ✒️

CRIMES OF PASSION

Crimes of Passion 1 Fanart by @javsarts (C: @lilyoffandoms)Ⓜ️

Trystan Thorne by @/ohheyitsjulia (IG) (C: @storyofmychoices)

IT LIVES WITHIN

It Lives Within Fanart by @ryuuuakuma (C: @aces-and-angels)

MOTHER OF THE YEAR

Levi Schuler by @storyofmychoices

More below...

OPEN HEART

The Accidental Double Date | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC, Sienna Trinh x F!MC by @vantaray (C: @liaromancewriter) ✒️

And they talked long into the night... Fanart by @bayleedrawsx (C: @cariantha)

Barbie Bryce Lahela x F!OC by @/_artsbymena_ (IG) (C: @storyofmychoices)

Bryce Lahela x F!MC by @bayleedrawsx

Bryce Lahela x F!MC at the Beach by @bayleedrawsx

Dancing in the Kitchen | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC by @/artbyainna (IG) (C: @liaromancewriter) ✒️

Ethan Ramsey x F!MC Fanart by @bay-lee (C: @quixoticdreamer16)

Family Fun at the Beach | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC by @/artbyainna (IG) (C: @liaromancewriter) ✒️

Fast Break | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC by @/artbyainna (C: @trappedinfanfiction) ✒️

I Surrender | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC by @angkis (C: @cariantha) ✒️Ⓜ️🔥

The Proposal | Sienna Trinh x M!OC by @/artbyainna (IG) (C: @liaromancewriter) ✒️

Sawyer Brooks by @mydemonsdrivealimo (C: @cariantha)

Tobias & His Lovely Ladies by @/artbyainna (C: @jerzwriter) ✒️

RED CARPET DIARIES

Thomas x Alex by @storyofmychoices

Thomas Hunt by @storyofmychoices

Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer by @storyofmychoices

THE ROYAL ROMANCE

Maxwell Beaumont X F!OC Fanart by @twinkleallnight

THE UNEXPECTED HEIRESS

Simon Montjoy & Ruby McCoy Fanart by @bayleedrawsx (C: @quixoticdreamer16)

WAKE THE DEAD

Troy Hassan by @storyofmychoices

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

All The Days Ahead, Chapter 4: The Brilliance of Death to Humble Us All

Mal x Simon, Firefly. Serenity POV. Also on AO3. Ch 1-3 on my blog.

She knows the passengers inside her as well as she knows her own mechanics: each of them with a different rhythm, forming a harmony that plays out within her as Mal struggles to breathe. 

The captain is dying.

He has kept her flying for these many years, kept her tended, and now, inside her medical bay, he is a light fading out. Serenity can feel it happening, a sunset that burns as it dims.

He has always been a warrior; he is always fighting. To keep flying, then. To save those he loves, now.

They’re all waiting for his fate, some watchful, some working to save him. She knows the passengers inside her as well as she knows her own mechanics: each of them with a different rhythm, forming a harmony that plays out within her as Mal struggles to breathe.

The woman who loves him is by his side, searching for supplies as they’re needed. Praying fiercely in a whisper when they’re not. The ship understands the companion’s meaning if not her words--desperate pleas for a miracle, one more chance for a rebel who’s had more than his share.

The man who he loves back is leading the charge against death, his battlefield her sick bay and his weapons blood infusions and surgical stitches. He has only fought this strenuously once before on her premises, to save his sister by saving a stranger. He was victorious then. His hands, though determined, are less steady now.

The shepherd is keeping his prayers to himself, out of a sense of respect--though he’s sending them up to God all the same from where he stands on her deck. He is not easily phased. She can feel his concern radiate out like a beacon, warning that things are dire indeed.

The captain’s second is pacing from Serenity’s cockpit to the infirmary and back again, monitoring the surgery along with their flight. She’s ready to issue orders, fearing she’ll be called to. Though the crew and the ship would be safe in her hands, it is not an outcome she welcomes.

The pilot is watching her gauges and scans, refusing to leave his seat as though he expects more trouble. She knows no trouble is coming from the skies and so does he--he just hates feeling useless in a crisis. His wife can’t spare energy to soothe him, and won’t slow long enough for him to soothe her, so he keeps his gaze fixed on the dark expanse ahead.

The mercenary is eating lunch in her galley, glaring at anyone who comes in. Has to keep his strength up, he insists, though no one’s said a word to him about it. He leaves half of his sandwich behind when he goes to his bunk, his lack of appetite as upsetting to him as the sounds drifting out from the surgery.

The mechanic is sitting on the metal walkway outside the infirmary, her eyes fixed to her captain. She’s remembering her time in the same bed, the same struggle, the way he's always protected her. She’s wishing she understood human bodies like she does ships. She’s wishing they were as easy to fix.

The girl who talks to Serenity as though she hears Serenity talk back is walking on tiptoes down her stairs. She isn’t listening to the battle of blood and muscle on her upper deck, at least not with her ears. She’s waiting for an outcome that’s already been decided.

She’s the only one that doesn’t react when Simon throws a metal bowl against the wall, and Inara starts to cry. She faces away from all of it as Mal’s heart slows, and stutters to a stop.

The girl tilts her head a little and listens then, like Serenity does, past the crying and the shouting and the loud footsteps hitting metal on their way to meet Mal’s fate.

The ship and the girl are one as they await the inevitable storm.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

All The Days Ahead, Chapter 10: Nothing Has Changed Me Quite Like You

Annnnnnd we’re finally here! This chapter concludes the story, not-at-all-coincidentally on @actuallylukedanes‘ birthday. Three years later is a totally reasonable timeframe for finishing a fic, right? <3 Hopefully it helps that it’s the longest chapter fic I’ve ever finished, and I wrote it just for you.

Mal x Simon, Firefly. Mal POV. Also on AO3. Ch 1-9 on my blog.

“What did you think of your wedding?” Mal asks, toying with Simon’s unbuttoned shirtsleeve. “Everything you hoped?”

The party after their wedding ceremony lasts all night, even though it’s just the nine of them on the ship, same as any other day. Jayne gets too drunk to walk and passes out near the stairs--also not so different from regular times, Mal thinks. 

Book toasts them but keeps his imbibing to a minimum; he does join River for a dance that is surprisingly lively. The teen is in cheerful spirits, chatting with Kaylee and twirling to music only she can hear after the others have settled down. 

Mal knows she had proper training in the Before, but still. Seeing her dance is really somethin.’  She teases Simon until he joins her in a complicated routine they must’ve learned in their central planet schooling, and Mal’s new husband is blushing furiously when he bows out at the end, to applause from everyone still awake.

Inara dances with everyone and drinks just enough to be festive, heading to her shuttle after congratulating them both. She seems distracted, but Mal doesn’t think she’s got clients scheduled when they land, so he couldn’t say why.

Wash set their course for New Melbourne before the ceremony started, putting Serenity on autopilot. He and Zoe excuse themselves a few hours into the party, claiming exhaustion. 

Mal suspects they’d just rather keep their own company, when it comes down to it, and he finally thinks he understands that particular frame of mind. He can’t wait to be grounded with Simon, starting their married life alone for a while. Though he dearly loves his crew, ain’t nothing like privacy from time to time.

The crew will be tending to a job on the other side of the planet, so Mal and Simon’s honeymoon will only be a week long--but that means seven secluded days in the fishing capital of the ‘verse, where Simon should be safe to show his face to get to their private visiting room.

Trading fresh foods will get them the nicest accommodations New Melbourne has to offer; Mal made sure of it. It should come with a view and the kind of finery he has little need for, but that he suspects Simon will appreciate. A touch of romance, class-ified and fancy.

It’s really the least he can do, when he and Simon couldn’t be tied the regular way. Mal doesn’t much care when he thinks of it, but he suspects Simon does--Simon was raised so different. 

He had lots of dreams, and none of them panned out exactly as planned. It must pain him a little that their marriage is on that list.

Wash and Zoe got married all legal-like and registered, so it was different for them. They got credits from the government to put towards a honeymoon, hails from acquaintances far and wide. Zoe took on Wash’s name. 

He and Simon don’t have the opportunity for any of those things...but being outside the Alliance system has its benefits, too. It means they get to make their own rules, and Mal has always enjoyed doing that.

Now, with Kaylee and Jayne sleeping on the deck and River curled up above them on the catwalk, Mal pulls Simon closer. They’re leaning on a stack of crates, Simon’s back resting against Mal’s chest, as Serenity’s hum brings them closer to their destination. 

“What did you think of your wedding?” Mal asks, toying with Simon’s unbuttoned shirtsleeve. “Everything you hoped?”

“All that and more,” Simon replies, kissing the hand that isn’t mussing his cuff. “Though I have to admit, none of my meticulous planning was prepared for the sight of Jayne Cobb drunkenly toasting to us ‘being healthful and rutting like rabbits’ before leading everyone in song and then passing out.”

“Yeah,” Mal agrees, grinning in the direction of the snoring man. “That one was a jolt to the system. But certainly memorable. Ain’t that what weddings are for? The memories?”

“I suppose.” Simon snuggles into him, enjoying the quiet. “River’s barefoot pirouettes are a memory I will definitely be holding onto.”

“She had a good night, didn’t she? Engaged herself in a lot less screaming. Didn’t interrupt the ceremony once.”

“Yes. It seemed to be a very good night.” 

Simon is quiet after that, but it don’t feel entirely comfortable. Mal wraps an arm around him. “What’s on that sharp-witted mind of yours?”

“I just hope that Book and Kaylee will keep a close eye on her. A week feels like a long time...we haven’t been apart since I got her out of the Academy.”

“I know.” Mal holds on firmly and waits to see if there’s more. 

“What if something happens while we’re off ship? What if she hurts someone, or she wanders onto New Melbourne? What if she gets hurt and I’m not here to fix it?”

What if I’m never able to fix it? Mal hears him asking under his actual words, and he presses a kiss to the curve of Simon’s shoulder. 

“This crew of ours, they’re scrappy. And your genius sister keeps things interesting, sure, but she’s just as capable of gettin’ herself out of trouble as in. If something happens, they’ll handle it. All together, ain’t no better crew flying--and I’m sure if real trouble comes looking, they’ll send us a wave.”

"You’re right.” Simon exhales, turning to face Mal. “I’ve been looking after her for so long.”

“And you’re good at it,” he assures him. “But a week where you can let all that go won’t make the planet stop turning. Might even be good for you both. I’m sure River feels the need for a little space now and then herself.”

“She does!” The teen calls from across the deck, making the captain laugh.

“See?” Mal does quick math in his head. “In about two hours, we’ll land on New Melbourne and get to be marrieds, all secluded-like.”

“I can’t wait.”

Simon kisses him, hands framing his face. Despite the snoring crew and his shiny new sister-in-law nearby, Mal lets himself sink into it. 

So much is different now, even just thinking back to the day they let passengers on at Eavesdown Docks. He never could’ve guessed then, that Simon would be the person to sway him to lettin’ his guard down. But somehow, they just make sense.

Mal, tied to his crew by history and scars and the need to stay free. Simon, tied to his sister by blood and tenderness and fear. 

The two of them are tied now at the center of it all, meant to be bonded forever. Til death parts them, whenever death comes. Death comes quick on the outskirts of civilization. Mal has managed to escape it more’n once, though--he expects a lot more years arguing with Simon across the supper table.

And for today, things are downright peaceable. Even happy. 

Mal long ago stopped looking for happy, when survival makes him content enough. It feels strange on him, like pants that are a little too tight. 

He’s looking forward to getting used to it.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

All The Days Ahead, Chapter 9: I Want You For Worse Or For Better

Mal x Simon, Firefly. Book POV. Also on AO3. Ch 1-8 on my blog.

“Friends and family,” Book says, as though he’s beginning a wedding before a much larger group than the nine of them. “We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Malcolm Reynolds and Simon Tam in a union of love--a true and equal match of hearts, souls, and minds.”

The wedding manages to begin exactly when they planned for it, a miracle all by itself. Mal’s recovery, though not without its setbacks, is behind them. Their last job left no one injured, they haven’t come upon the Alliance or Reavers in days, and thanks to Kaylee and Inara, the arrangements are complete. 

Now Kaylee stands to the Shepherd’s right, with Zoe and Wash, and Inara stands to Book’s left, with River and Jayne. They all watch as Mal and Simon walk toward them from the other end of the deck, connected by the blue o juju they’re each holding onto at one end. 

Once they reach the others, the two men let go of the set of twenty-one beads, giving them to Book. Mal takes his place next to Kaylee, and Simon moves to the space between Inara and the preacher.

“Friends and family,” Book says, as though he’s beginning a wedding before a much larger group than the nine of them. “We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Malcolm Reynolds and Simon Tam in a union of love--a true and equal match of hearts, souls, and minds.”

Cued by his words, Zoe and Inara hold out candles. Mal lights the red one in Zoe’s hands, and Simon lights the gold. 

“Before us all, they vow to respect and to honor each other, to be faithful and true,” Book continues. “They'll exchange further sentiments now.”

He waits, watching Mal place his hand on top of Simon’s with palms touching. Then Book wraps a yellow ribbon around their joined hands, binding them together.

“Ain’t never been much for words,” Mal says, his eyes locked on Simon’s. “Some of the best advice I ever got was to speak true, or say nothing at all. Much of the time, it means I get quiet. But in this case, I can speak nothing but true, and say that I love you in a way I never expected to love another person, and I would do near about anything to keep you safe and make you happy. Despite the particulars, I’m real glad you chose my ship to be a fugitive on.”

There’s a murmur of laughter around them at Mal’s final words. Simon is still smiling a little when he speaks.

“I’m not always good at...finding the right words. So I thought a lot about what I wanted to say today, how I could best express my, my happiness and my appreciation for everything you’ve brought to my life since we met. I decided that for once, perhaps I should speak your language, and keep it simple. I love you with all my heart. Every morning that we wake up together is better because I’m with you. I don't know whether it was luck or a kind of fate that brought us together, on your ship...but I'm very grateful that we're here. All I want is to live, work, and fight beside you for the rest of our days.”

Book unwinds the ribbon from their hands, pausing while River holds out a small box. “These two have freely chosen to be tied in life, 'til death someday parts them. With this exchange of rings, they tell every world in every galaxy, as well as the skies themselves, how strong and deep their devotion is, and will remain.”

Simon slips on Mal’s wedding ring first, a shining black band made of polished stone. Mal returns the gesture, watching the way tiny emeralds in Simon’s ring catch the light.

“I now pronounce you husband and husband,” Book tells them. “I believe Wash has the saké.”

Wash hands Mal the small cup of rice wine, and he takes a sip from it before passing it to Simon. Once they’ve both drunk from it, Wash takes it back.

That final formality accomplished, Book grins at them. “It seems to me, now would be the proper time for your first kiss as married men.”

While they kiss, long and enthusiastic, the others burst into sound. Kaylee is crying a little, River is clapping, and Jayne whistles and stomps his feet like they’re at a festival instead of a wedding. 

With the ceremony ended, Book follows the others toward the party food, appreciating the way Serenity has been specially decorated for the wedding.

The incense Inara has lit around the open space, along with Kaylee’s scattered arrangements of flowers, gives the ship a joyful atmosphere. It truly feels like a mix of both Mal and Simon’s backgrounds, beauty meeting earthiness. The men may not have invited God to their union, but Book can feel Him in the very air that surrounds them.

Everyone talks as they gather food, strands of conversation overlapping until Book can only catch snatches. 

“Do you think it’s too much?” asks Kaylee in a worried tone, but he doesn’t hear Inara’s reply. 

“I’m serious! They use gophers!” Wash says to Mal, and Book is a mite glad not to know the context of that one, to be honest.

“Any occasion to wear a dress...” Zoe is telling Simon, and Book turns to River, done selecting his food. 

“What an amazing array this is, I must say. It smells delightful.”

With Inara’s help sourcing the ingredients, Kaylee and Wash have prepared a feast fit for a crew with hearty appetites. Despite his opinion on the morality of her work, even Book has to admit that they all benefit from Inara’s esteemed contacts across the ‘verse. Especially once he tastes the herb-root soup. It used to be his favorite at the Abbey.

“Dig in, everybody,” Mal declares as they sit down with their bowls and plates along the table that has been moved downstairs for the party. “No better way to mark an occasion, I reckon, than with good food, and good friends.”

“Hear, hear,” Book agrees. “And might I just say, there’s no better occasion than a true meeting of hearts like yours. May you fly free together for years to come.”

Mal nods in acknowledgement of the blessing, and Simon smiles. 

Looking around the table, Book lifts his cup in a toast. “To Mal and Simon, our very own newlyweds.”

“To Mal and Simon!” 

The others drink, and River pouts a little after sipping from her cup. Simon stopped her when she tried to pour the same tonic as everyone else, with a firm, “Not today, mei-mei.”

Book has overheard her arguing with Simon about the artificial construct of age a lot lately, but luckily for everyone, the doctor is used to the way his sister can be both a stubborn child and a skillful logician at the same time. 

Given her usual state of behavior, the shepherd can only imagine what young River might be like inebriated. It’s a rather concerning picture.

Luckily, the girl’s mood shifts as soon as Kaylee puts on music. She pulls Simon away from Mal long enough to dance with her--and then afterwards, somehow convinces Mal to do the same. 

Book settles in to enjoy the party, pleased that once they’re reunited, the happy couple seem to be enjoying themselves. 

Along with everyone else, he thinks, amused as Wash and Zoe dance by him. Their band of misfits has become a family, and he suspects Inara was right in telling him this is where he belongs.

This is where they all belong. And tonight they get to celebrate that, together.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

All The Days Ahead, Chapter 8: All Of The Words We Said, We Can't Take Back

Mal x Simon, Firefly. Jayne POV. Also on AO3. Ch 1-7 on my blog.

Jayne makes a listening noise and keeps walking, half of his attention on the people around them. Why any reasonable fella would want to get married in the first place is beyond him. He definitely never expected it of Mal.

A month after Mal is officially cleared from bedrest, Serenity is docked on Persephone while the crew scatters to gather supplies. Mal and Jayne are in the garment district, with its open air market tables and loud overlapping conversations. 

It’s not wholly clear to Jayne why the captain ordered him to come along on this errand--he ain’t much for fashion, nor wedding decorations. Mal would be better off with one of the women. His best guess is that Simon’s the one behind it, a way to offer Mal protection when he’s still weak. But he can’t ask, can he? The doc still isn't his biggest fan. So guessin’ is all he has.

“We’re looking for beads first,” Mal tells him. “The prayer kind, though we won’t be doing any prayin’ at my wedding, I’ve already had words with the preacher about that.”

Jayne makes a listening noise and keeps walking, half of his attention on the people around them. Why any reasonable fella would want to get married in the first place is beyond him. He definitely never expected it of Mal.

In hindsight--heh, hindsight, that right there’s a pun, Jayne realizes--he probably shoulda known the captain was sly long before Simon came onboard. Mal always did enjoy dressin’ up like womenfolk on the job a little too much. 

“How long is this gonna take, anyway?” Jayne asks. “Never feels safe spending too much time on Badger’s planet. Askin’ to get pinched.”

“It’s not Badger’s planet!” Mal retorts. “He only lives here. But I take your point, seeing as he got me shot and all. Once we handle my list, we’ll head back to the ship.”

“Shouldn’t take more’n a few hours,” Mal adds. “Rest of the crew ought to be back by then too--no reason to linger.”

“Good. So, prayer beads. Any particular color?”

“Simon didn’t say.” Mal frowns. “I guess, whatever’s classic under these circumstances.”

“Red and gold then. Or the kind made from wood.”

Mal stops walking to stare at Jayne.

“What?”

“Nothin.’ You just confound expectations at times.”

He’s feelin’ twitchy, an itch between his shoulderblades that usually means they’re being watched. In this crowd, he can’t tell if it’s true. “Just keep yourself focused while we’re strolling, would you? Don’t need nobody gettin’ shot again.”

“Hey,” Mal protests. “Mykan wasn’t my fault--I wasn’t distracted. I was a highly focused professional, scoping out the area just like you and Zoe.”

“Yeah, well, all I know is, Zoe and I didn’t end up shot. Maybe you and the doc should stay off jobs until after your honeymoon,” Jayne suggests. “Too busy grappling with him lately. Never used to get shot.”

“I’ve been shot lots of times!” Mal reconsiders that line of defense. “Not the point. I don’t need to take myself off the job, Jayne. I’m all healed, my mind’s as sharp as ever. Don’t know where you got the idea that I’d be addled anyhow, just ‘cause Simon and I are together.”

“Come on, Mal. Ev’rybody knows goin’ sly can make you soft. Got to watch--”

Jayne isn’t finished with his warning before Mal’s got his hands around his neck. Despite their history, it still surprises Jayne whenever the captain goes for whip-quick violence...probably because he’s more of a pistol duel kind of man. Honorable even when he shouldn’t be. 

“Hey! What’d I say?” Jayne chokes out, starting to turn red. Mal’s not actually trying to kill him--the hold he’s got on Jayne is more of a threat than a real attack--but that won’t stop him from passing out if it goes on much longer.

“Do I look soft to you?” Mal asks, his voice fearsome in its restraint. 

Passersby aren’t paying them much mind, though Jayne can see a pair of men across the market eyeing them. They look like scalpers, not likely to intervene even if Mal does strangle him.

“No,” Jayne says, trying to shake his head. “Wasn’t what I meant, Mal. You’re takin’ it all wrong.”

“What about Simon?” Mal asks, his anger more evident now. “You’ve been at the end of one of his blades, you moonbrained hwen dan. Think he’s soft too?”

“No. Dammit, Mal, lemme go.”

Jayne shakes off the choking feeling, rubbing his throat as Mal steps back. “Dunno why you’re taking things so personal these days. I was just tryin’ to say you and Simon both oughta be careful. Either of you die, what’ll happen to the rest of us?”

“Well, whatever you think of me, or of Simon, keep it to yourself,” Mal says. “I got no interest in your opinions on my sexual proclivities, ‘specially when they make you sound like a backberth never set foot off the rim.”

“Ain’t like I insulted you,” he protests. “Just fact. You and the doctor are coupled up.”

“That we are. And if you like facts so much, here’s another: you talk like that again about me or Simon, it’ll be your turn for a hilarious gunshot wound.” 

Mal rolls his shoulders and stalks off through the crowd, ready to pick up what they came for.

“Really didn’t mean it that way,” Jayne insists as he follows Mal through the crowd. Captain sure was tetchy lately; must be them wedding jitters people talk about. 

After a few minutes of silent walking,  Jayne puts a hand on Mal’s shoulder. He isn’t surprised when Mal shrugs it off, but it succeeds in getting his attention, which is the goal.

“Behind your left,” Jayne says under his breath, and Mal tenses, starts walking again. 

“Table up ahead,” Mal answers, and Jayne understands the shorthand for ‘play at being shoppers and see what happens next.’ 

He joins Mal at the display of prayer beads, his hand casually resting above his gun. “Well, are these gonna work for you okay, do y’think? I don’t rightly know what a wedding needs, to be honest.”

Mal relaxes as soon as he lays eyes on the men walking toward them. Jayne keeps his hand where it is, though, just in case.

“Renshaw!” Mal reaches out and the two men clap each other on the back, friendly as you please. 

The skinny man beside Renshaw looks about as thrilled as Jayne feels at this development, his own hand inside his coat. Jayne nods in his direction and he tips the brim of his hat in return.

“Cain’t remember,” Renshaw says. “You met Stacey before? He’s new to my crew.”

“Don’t reckon I have. Pleasure,” Mal tells the silent man in front of him. 

“Same.”

Chatty fella. Jayne clears his throat.

“Right. Renshaw, this is Jayne. He’s on my crew--doubtful you’ve crossed paths before, I know you stick closer to the central planets these days.”

“Jayne.” Renshaw grins, his smile crooked. “You can let go of your gun, I suspect. We’re all friends here.”

“Are we? I ain’t in the market for friends.”

“Jayne’s a girl’s name,” Renshaw’s man says, and Jayne’s hand twitches near his pistol. Maybe it is better if he lets it go for now. 

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. When my momma brought me out, Stacey was already taken.”

Renshaw decides to ignore them, and turns back to Mal. “What brings you to Persephone on this fine day, Reynolds? Didn’t you get shot on Mykan all recent-like?”

“Weren’t that recent,” he says with a shrug. “I’m up and about now, just doing some trading. Getting tied soon, and there’s all manner of particulars we need for that, as it happens.”

“Well, congratulations!” The leader of the rival crew claps his shoulder again. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

Jayne snorts. The man’s wrong twice; Simon ain’t a lady, and he also ain't much lucky, far as Jayne can tell.

“No such lady,” Mal replies, aiming a warning look Jayne’s way. “I’m marrying our crew doctor--he and I have been flying together for years now.”

“You’re kidding.” Renshaw looks between Mal and Jayne for the punchline, laughing when it didn’t come. “The fearsome Malcolm Reynolds, last man standing in Serenity Valley? Spreading on the sly? Well and I thought I’d seen everything the ‘verse had on offer by now.”

“You’re gonna want to find a new joke,” Jayne tells him. “This one ain’t funny.”

“Jayne, leave it,” Mal starts to say, before Renshaw cuts him off. 

“Son, you’re gonna want to stop giving me orders before Stacey here puts you in your place.”

“I’m right familiar with my place,” the mercenary says, as Mal looks on. “It’s exactly where I’m standin.’ You both might wanna reconsider your own locations though. You’re about three hundred rotations back in time, ain’t ya?”

“You’re telling me you fly with him, muscle like you?” Renshaw asks. “Knowin’ what he gets up to?”

“‘Course I do. Why wouldn’t I? He pays me.” It has always been that simple for Jayne, even if he sometimes also feels pangs of family and affection and home for the folks on Serenity. “I get paid, I got no problem. I’m here helpin’ him pick out wedding beads, ain’t I?”

“Well, I hope you know,” Renshaw warns, that crooked smile of his a sneer now. “Sly can be catching if you don’t put a stop to it. Next thing you know, it could be you tied to a--”

Mal expects the next word out of Renshaw’s mouth was to be insulting. He doesn’t have to hear it, though, because Jayne’s knuckles knock the words right out of Renshaw’s mouth--along with two teeth. 

Stacey reacts immediately, going for Jayne while Mal just sort of stands by, feeling useless under the circumstances. If he takes a punch to the wrong spot, he’ll bleed internally: Simon lectured him on that possibility multiple times before letting him out to shop today.

Jayne doesn’t give him long to mope, though. A gut punch doubles Stacey over, followed by an elbow slicing down to catch him behind his neck. He’s left sprawling across Renshaw, both men unconscious. Jayne cracks his knuckles and lets out a whistle, feeling cheerier after the excuse for a fight. 

Not much of a fight, only two men and all, over awfully fast...but still, made Persephone more fun for a minute there.

“Why are you staring?” He asks Mal, once he looks over and sees it.

“After all that kuh wu crazy you were spoutin’ earlier about me and Simon, it’s Renshaw’s words you take offense to? You dropped them both like it was your mama they insulted.”

“You know me, Mal!” Jayne protests. “Words ain’t my speciality. I’m always getting smacked for ‘em.”

“So your reasoning was, you should beat up Renshaw? In my honor?”

“‘Xactly.” Jayne nods. “Not like you could do it, not today. And you shouldn’t have to, anyhow. Get mussed up or bloodied while you trade for your wedding. You gotta look purty for your bridegroom, in’nt that right?”

Mal stares down at the men who are starting to stir, then back at Jayne, who seems as sincere as Jayne ever gets. 

“You really do confound expectations,” Mal says. “We should mosey along, I think, before they find their feet again.”

“What about your beads?” Jayne points to the table they were perusing before Renshaw joined them. “Those blue ones are nice.”

They’re painted wood, and the old woman selling them has a sweet smile. Mal decides that if Simon wanted a different color, he should have specified--the blue suits him just fine. 

“Yeah, pay for those and let’s go,” he agrees. “We have to find a ribbon next, fancy yellow one. Don’t suppose there’s a yellow ribbon table up ahead, do you?”

“Could be.” Jayne shrugs, handing him the beads and leading the way toward the center of the market. “What do you need a ribbon for, anyhow?”

“Simon’s got all kinds of ideas. I haven’t asked too many questions,” Mal admits, grinning when Jayne glances back. “Between him and Kaylee, I’m just doin’ as I’m told.”

“Does that make you the bride?” Jayne wonders aloud. “I keep meaning to ask.”

“Gonna shoot you,” Mal answers simply, and Jayne waits for him to catch up, so they’re walking side by side again.

“I retract the question.”

“Good.”

“Am I gonna need somethin’ fancy to wear?” Jayne asks. “‘Cause I’ve only got my...non-fancy clothing.”

“If you’re real worried you can ask Simon,” Mal says. “I’m guessing the women will dress up, because they want to. But I for one don’t care what you wear.”

They walk in friendlier silence after that, until Mal stops, aiming a knowing finger at Jayne. “As long as you’re wearing clothes.”

“That happened one time! And I was mighty hungover that day.” It’s not like he harmed nobody. No matter what ‘Nara said about mental pain and suffering. 

"Never let nothin' go," Jayne mutters under his breath on their way to a ribbon display, the rainbow of colors including a perfect yellow that Mal folds into his pocket.

“Two more treasure hunts and then we’re back to Serenity,” Mal tells him.

He’s glad to hear it. Jayne suspects the rest of their shopping trip is going to include a lot less punching, so he’d rather get it over with.

As Mal’s friend though, if he is that, it’s his job to be supportive. Right? 

So he tacks away from his real feelings and slings an arm over Mal’s shoulders. “Shiny. Just tell me what we’re looking for.”

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

All The Days Ahead, Chapter 7: When The Sweet Words And Fevers All Leave Us

Mal x Simon, Firefly. Inara POV. Also on AO3. Ch 1-6 on my blog.

She likes Simon, of course--she has since the very beginning, when it became clear he was devoted to River. In her world, full of scoundrels and the slickly powerful, it’s easy to appreciate a man who gave everything up to save his sister.

Simon knocks and waits just inside her shuttle, hovering rather than barging in the way his fiance always has. Inara smiles and drops the screen cover that separates her work from her life. 

“Simon. Come in.”

It has been two months since Mal began the long process of recovery, and while the two men won’t be getting married for a while yet, Inara knows that’s why Simon has come. 

Truthfully, she expected him sooner. 

“Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?”

Simon sits where she indicates, looking curiously around her shuttle. “Ah. Thank you. Yes, tea would be nice.”

Inara lets him wait quietly while she brews the tea, taking advantage of the moment to make sure her friendly mask is firmly in place.

She likes Simon, of course--she has since the very beginning, when it became clear he was devoted to River. In her world, full of scoundrels and the slickly powerful, it’s easy to appreciate a man who gave everything up to save his sister.

But liking him as a person has very little bearing on her feelings towards his impending nuptials. The doctor is a good man, and she reminds herself of it often: when she catches him kissing Mal in her peripheral vision, when she hears the way Mal says his name, when she imagines the future they’re all flying towards. Endless days stretching ahead where Mal will be with Simon and she will be there to witness it. 

She’s happy for Mal. She truly is.

She’s simply sad for herself. 

It would be inaccurate, and melodramatic, to claim that the two feelings are at war with each other. They coexist peacefully enough, very occasionally overwhelming her in ways that threaten to shake her composure. And she knows Mal doesn’t return her feelings, not enough to have reached out before Simon joined the crew, to have said a word. He doesn’t feel for her what she feels for him. Even if he had never met Simon, she doubts he could.

She’s experienced enough in the act of love to know the difference between passion and devotion. 

Devotion is what she sees in Simon’s bearing, as he sits in her shuttle, manners keeping him from breaking the silence until she returns.

It would be easy to drop hints here and there, collect his sympathy to soothe her loneliness. Instead, he won’t see anything she doesn’t allow him to; she’s well-schooled not only in the Companion arts, but in what living on Serenity has taught her. 

Sharing her feelings would be a vulnerability she isn’t willing to risk. After all, Simon isn’t really there for her. Her value has always been measured by what others need.

“Here we are,” she says, the picture of hospitality when she brings the tea over. “I’m guessing you have something you’d like to ask me.”

“How did you know?”

“It’s my calling to read intentions, Simon, you know that.”

Despite her feelings for Mal, Inara is probably closer to the doctor than anyone else on Serenity, besides Kaylee. They have a shared background, a common language--and not just the cultured Chinese they slip into that marks them both as hailing from core planets.

Inara was raised to be exceptional at her career from the age of twelve. Her work is marked by ritual and structure, not unlike Simon’s studies with a scalpel. In a way, her soul recognizes his--a need for control, for excellence, for propriety.   

So she settles into her chair, sipping her tea, and waits. 

Simon drinks his slowly, savoring it. She can’t imagine he gets well-brewed tea in the galley kitchen. It can be a soothing respite, and Inara knows Simon has found few moments of safety and calm since he stepped aboard the ship. 

Finally he sets the cup down and meets her gaze. “Well. I’m sure you're aware that Kaylee volunteered to help Mal with the wedding.”

“Yes, of course.” Inara's grin is genuine this time, and fond. “She’s incredibly excited.”

He chuckles. “Yes. She does seem to be. And she has all these ideas for the party after the wedding.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No! No, not at all. I think it’s great. Mal seems to be having fun planning it with her. But when it comes to the ceremony itself, he’s not very...particular.”

“Mal isn’t weighing in much,” Inara prompts.

“At all.” Simon sighs. “He has yet to weigh in at all. Just agrees with whatever I want, says he trusts me. It’s infuriating.”

“So, you need help.”

“Yes. And I was hoping that since you’ll understand what I’m picturing for the wedding, you might be willing to help me.”

“Of course I would be happy to help,” she assures him. “But I’m not sure what kind of help you need--if you already know what you want, that is.”

Simon taps his fingers on her table. “Well, you see, I was very young when I learned the traditions for marriage. I always assumed that I would have a chance to study them more closely when my time came, from my family history. Instead, now River and I are here, far from a temple or a monk who could fill in the gaps.”

Inara sits forward, realizing what he means. “You want a Buddhist wedding.”

“Yes. Cultural elements of one, that is. I know Mal and I will have to craft our own ceremony, and Shepherd Book has already promised to leave God out of it...but there are some traditions that are important to me. And I’d like them to be included properly.”

It is exactly as she expected, if from a different angle. Who better to support Simon’s side of the wedding, mirroring Kaylee and Mal, than the one person onboard the ship with extensive training in rituals and ceremony?

“Have you told Mal, that you want me to be your wedding attendant?” Inara ventures. 

She has no good reason to turn Simon down, and honestly, she isn’t inclined to. After so many years of Companion studies, this is exactly what she’s good at. Detailed protocol...and burying her own feelings.

“Of course,” Simon assures her. “He seemed pleased by the idea. I know he trusts you, Inara.”

That’s something, she supposes. Trust can be much harder to earn than affection, after all. And what the crew has built with Mal at the center, a kind of family and love she never expected to partake of while she was roaming the galaxy...that’s invaluable.

She reaches across the table to take Simon’s hands in hers. “It would be my honor,” she tells him, meaning it with all of her gently-bruised heart. “We can begin tomorrow morning, if you like.”

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

All the Days Ahead, Chapter 5: All The Fear And Fire Of The End Of The World

Mal x Simon, Firefly. Simon POV. Also on AO3. Ch 1-4 on my blog.

All those years of study, training, perfecting his skills...what good are they if he can’t save the man he loves? 

Simon is up to his wrists in Mal’s blood when the love of his life stops breathing.

The supplies on board are rudimentary. Even with Mal’s begrudging acquiescence to Simon’s requests the last few months, even with careful additions of whatever they've been able to scavenge during other jobs, they’re nothing like what Simon would have access to at an Alliance hospital. He can’t track Mal’s antibodies this way, or transfuse him quickly and easily. 

He’s going to have to rig a transfusion soon, easy or not. Mal lost far too much blood before they brought him back to Serenity. But that, like potential infection, is a secondary issue. In this moment, Mal isn’t breathing, and Simon can’t even use an intensive lungscan to pinpoint the origin of the problem. 

“Simon?” Inara asks from behind him. 

“He’s not breathing,” Simon says as he steels himself to begin chest compressions. “Stand back, please.”

“But--you got the bullet out. You said the weave was working.” She moves toward the doorway, giving him room. Her hands clasped tightly together aren’t joined in prayer anymore but to stop herself from rushing over where she doesn’t belong. 

“It is. And yes, the bullet’s out, but it did a lot of damage.” Simon leans in, his ear above Mal’s chest, and listens. Silence.

“Ta ma de!” he snaps out, beginning compressions. Mal’s heart should be louder than usual as the stitches tried to mend his broken skin--not difficult to hear. 

Kaylee and Zoe watch from outside the room as Simon counts out his efforts, breathing air into Mal’s lungs and pausing for a response. 

Again.

“One, two, three,” he repeats into the brittle silence of the room, palms to Mal’s heart, lips to Mal’s lips.

They have only had five months together as a couple, months spent living openly on the ship as more than a confusing crush of limbs and heat in the darkness. They’ve still been sliding past definitions, outright talk of feelings, though Simon doesn’t need to hear Mal say anything to understand his own. 

He spent so much of his life attempting to live up to expectations, and then trying to resist them to save River...he barely had time to live, before. But he has never been happier than he is on Serenity, as a fugitive with a pirate by his side. 

Simon ignores the sound of the others nearing the infirmary, drawn together the way families are during a crisis. The voices swirling beyond him are mild irritants, flies on a dusty backmoon planet. 

He will fix it. He has to fix it. He is a doctor, damn it--he is meant to heal. All those years of study, training, perfecting his skills...what good are they if he can’t save the man he loves? 

He reaches for a syringe to shock Mal’s heart into waking back up, gives it a moment to enter his bloodstream before he tries again. 

One, two, three. Air to the lungs, a prayer to the sky. Hands above the heart. Careful with compressions, the weave is still fragile.

Simon listens again, thinks maybe he hears a wheezing hint of lungs expanding. Another second and he knows he’s grasping at nothing. 

It cannot end this way. 

He gives up on prayers and looks down at Mal’s unsettlingly peaceful face, directing his demands to the man in question instead. 

“Malcolm Reynolds, I will never forgive you if you die on me. I will curse you to the outer moons and you will not rest again in whatever afterlife the galaxy has planned for you. Dong-ma?”  

Simon doesn’t realize that he has slipped into Chinese, or that he is dripping sweat onto Mal’s bare chest as he tries to force color back into him, desperate enough to bruise. All he is aware of is the one square foot of space where Mal’s heart is without its beat. 

“Come back, damn it. Don’t leave me here without you. Come back!” 

It’s that last hard push that does it, somehow--Simon doesn’t know why. While medicine is a science, not everything can be explained, certainly not the shaky line between life and death. And even the best doctors learn they’re unable to save every patient. 

He can’t claim that his love for Mal, his need for Mal, meant the difference between life and death...but Mal rejoins the world of the living, and Simon feels his own heart contract with relief and joy so intense it hurts.

“Xie-xie.” Simon sags downward, resting his hands on either side of the bed. The sound of Mal’s ragged breath is such a beautiful thing. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he adds in English, his voice a whisper. 

Simon couldn’t have said who he was thanking in that moment--though his reasons are different, he is as skeptical of religion as Mal. But he is grateful, in every language he knows, for the rise and fall of Mal’s chest. For the pulse he can see jumping along his throat, and the way his eyes are hazy but focused enough to stare at him.

“Hey,” Mal rasps. His eyebrows furrow at the grin Simon can feel stretch across his face. “Hey, where’d you go?”

Simon shook his head. “I didn’t go anywhere, but you almost did. Don’t do that again.”

“Just fell asleep for a minute. Man’s allowed to get...tired.”

His color is returning, though Simon’s fingers on his wrist find a pulse less steady than he’d like.

“You scared the living go-se out of me. I almost lost you.”

“It’s okay. I’m right here.” His voice softens, taking in the entirety of Simon’s appearance. “You really had your hands full with this one, huh? You’d think you’d be used to bullets by now, doc.”

“Bullets I can handle. Your heart stopped beating. Losing you--I don’t want to have to handle that.”

Though the others are still outside the infirmary, none of them enter. With Mal conscious again, the worst of the danger has passed--but the two men form an intimate tableau. It turns the crew into an audience, witnesses to their reunion. 

“Don’t talk crazy, you’re not gonna lose me.”

“You can’t promise that,” Simon argues, straightening up to take a deep breath. “The life you lead...we lead...it’s nothing but risk, and danger.”

“And wacky fun.”

“Gorram it, Mal. I’m not joking. You know how many times I’ve had to patch you up since we met? Do you?”

Mal blinks up at him, cautious of the brittle way Simon’s standing. “Can’t reckon I do.”

“Nineteen. Everything from a wrist fracture when your punch landed wrong, to that idiot swordfight of yours. So don’t talk to me like I’m the one who’s overreacting!”

Simon kisses him before he can respond, his mouth careful but desperate, just a second of contact. Reassurance and heat.

“I love you,” he says, and Mal’s eyes widen before they narrow. “I don’t care if you don’t want to hear it, because it makes things messy. I love you, and I want the rest of my life to be with you--preferably a life that lasts longer than the next few hours, if you can do me the kindness of staying alive.”

“I-” Mal swallows down a vague panicked sensation that tastes like pennies. “Simon, what’re you gettin’ at, exactly?”

“I’m trying to tell you that you’re too important to me to go running off and getting shot!” Simon’s relief has faded into frustration, as he watches Mal look bewildered by his intensity. 

His survival in this moment can’t keep Simon from picturing the next job-gone-wrong, the next bar fight. That future feels inevitable, and it scares him. He has to speak his mind. 

“I know we’ve been avoiding the complicated feelings side of this, this relationship. But I wouldn’t be with you, if I didn’t want it to mean something. And I think you’re the same way.”

“Well, yeah.”

He laughs at the simplicity of Mal’s answer. Well, yeah, he thinks. The Malcolm Reynolds version of a love confession.

“Why I fell for such a yu bun duh adrenaline-chasing sky pirate, I’ll never understand,” Simon mutters, as he reaches for Mal’s hand and holds on. “But I did. I love you, and I don’t ever want to go through this again.”

Mal’s nodding and about to agree, as though he can honestly control who decides to shoot at him--until his tongue freezes. It’s in good company, with the rest of him. He has to take a deep breath. “What did you just say?”

Simon's smile fades, to match the seriousness of the moment. They could die any day, right? Given that, holding back would make him the idiot in this situation. And he has always been smart.

“I said, marry me.”

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

All the Days Ahead, Chapter 3: Like A Sudden Gust Of Wind

We are one week out from @actuallylukedanes’s birthday! and I owe them 8 more chapters on this Mal x Simon birthday fic I originally began three years ago. (They love me lots, which you can tell by the way they’ve patiently waited for more of this story without once yelling at me to come back to it, which at this point would’ve been totally fair. And I love them back! so I thought the happy ending this story deserves might make a good birthday surprise.)

Mal x Simon, Firefly. Zoe POV this time. Also on AO3. Ch 1-2 on my blog.

Battlefield experience taught her that the more of his blood she can keep inside him, the better his odds. His odds aren’t looking as good as she’d like.

The familiar vibrations of the ship under her feet are a comfort as Zoe fires two more shots out into the desert air of Mykan. After all these years of flying, Serenity is steadier ground for her than any border planet--even with Mal bleeding at her feet.

She watches one of the riflemen that followed them drop after her second shot, and another go down thanks to Jayne. From his spot in the cockpit, Wash is already closing the hatch, so she lets her gun fall and puts all the force she can behind dragging Mal further into the ship.

Even as they were getting back to the safety of Serenity, she was already running through next steps in her head. Jayne’s the best sharpshooter she could have asked for to cover their retreat, but he��s not much for the medics of the situation, so she doesn’t waste time getting his help once the ship’s secured and rising into the air.

“Go get Simon,” she tells him instead, and to his credit, Jayne doesn’t hesitate. Though he’s never really warmed to the doctor, his alliance with Mal means he’s learned to tolerate him. Mal hasn’t really given Jayne another choice.

As soon as Jayne’s heavy footsteps head toward the stairs, Zoe kneels and puts pressure on the chest wound that has Mal gasping for air. Her medical know-how isn’t much better than Jayne’s, but she understands enough to keep her hands firm against the hole the bullet punched through his skin.

Battlefield experience taught her that the more of his blood she can keep inside him, the better his odds. His odds aren’t looking as good as she’d like.

Kaylee’s the first to reach Zoe’s side; she must have heard the commotion from the engine room.

“Mal! Oh, no. Oh, god.” She’s on her knees beside Zoe in an instant, hands fluttering near his stomach. “What can I do?”

“Help me keep him from bleeding out,” Zoe says, nodding when Kaylee adds her hands to Zoe’s efforts, both of them trying to hold steady as Mal starts to shiver.

“Really didn’t see that one coming,” Mal tells them through gritted teeth. “My bad.”

“The real trouble is on its way though,” he mutters as he reaches up to pat Kaylee’s knee. “Doc’s gonna get tetchy.”

He can hear Simon before he sees him coming, and he winces at the way the doctor lets out a stream of Chinese curses at the sight of him.

“I know, yes, I promised to stay safe,” Mal manages to tell Simon. “But in my defense, I didn’t shoot me. Please-please don’t be mad.”

The please worries Zoe almost as much as the pallor spreading along Mal’s skin. The Malcolm Reynolds she’s known for all these years doesn’t apologize. He’s too prideful, too stubborn.

Simon looks up at the railing where Inara has silently appeared, staring down with horror written across her face that matches his own. “We’ll get him to the infirmary,” he shouts up at her. “I need help once we’re there.”

She's on the way before he’s done speaking, and he turns back to face Kaylee and Zoe. “We need to move him with as little added damage as possible. If Jayne and Zoe lift him, Kaylee, can you keep the pressure on while I go prep the room?”

Simon’s in his element now, sliding easily into his training to avoid really looking at Mal. Zoe understands his sudden detachment, the need to focus on anything other than the man he loves whose life is in jeopardy. If she could keep Wash out of the life she leads entirely, safely tucked away on the ship at all times, she would. It’s easier to get the job done when you pretend you have no feelings.

As Zoe pulls back her hands and wipes them on her coat, Kaylee presses down harder in her absence, flinching when Mal groans.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Mal tells her, trying to smile, and she shakes her head. “It will, mei-mei,” he insists. “You survived getting gutshot, ‘member? And I’m a Browncoat. A rebel. I’m tougher. Doc’ll fix me right up.”

Simon takes Mal’s hand and holds it before the three of them stand, lifting the captain with them. “Stop trying to talk,” he tells him. “You need to save your energy. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“Oh, is that the problem?” Mal rolls his eyes, eyelids fluttering at the effort. “Good to know. I thought I inhaled some space dust is all.” The cough that follows his joke is a wet and terrifying sound.

Simon squeezes his hand, trying not to react when Mal can barely grip back. But his eyes meet Zoe’s and she sees the panic in them. She can guess what it means. Even the worst Medacad student would probably know the odds Mal is facing, and Simon was one of the best. They’re running out of time.

“Go,” he tells the others, and he takes off toward the stairs at a run.

Zoe is lifting Mal’s shoulders while Jayne carries his legs. Mal cries out when they start to follow Simon, but then he is silent. Too silent, she thinks, realizing that he's unconscious.

“It’s better that he passed out,” she assures Kaylee, who has tears rolling down her face as they walk. Zoe doesn’t think the mechanic even realizes she’s crying while Mal’s blood stains her hands.

“Right.” Kaylee nods, and Jayne, who has been keeping his thoughts to himself so far, takes pity on her. He grunts and meets her eyes while they start up the stairs.

“Zoe’s right. I’ve seen a lot of bullet wounds, y’know. Mal doesn’t have to feel it now.”

Jayne doesn’t add what Zoe would expect from him next, something less helpful like He also won’t feel it if he’s dead. She’s grateful for small mercies, and even more grateful when they reach the infirmary and can lay Mal down on the cot.

“Give me room to work,” Simon tells them. “Inara's going to assist. River can come get you if I need you.” As soon as he finishes dismissing them, the doctor is ignoring them all, holding out a hand for the first shiny metal instrument he asks Inara for.

Part of Zoe wants to argue, as though her presence will improve Mal’s chances somehow. She didn’t even see River in the room until Simon mentioned her, the teen scrunched in a corner watching her brother work with wide, focused eyes.

Luckily for Simon, taking orders is easier for Zoe than it is for some. Deferring to Mal’s authority has gotten her this far, and in this room Simon is in charge. She follows Jayne out and heads straight for the cockpit.

Wash is still getting them safely out of the cursed planet’s orbit, but he leans against her when she steps up to press against his side.

“What the hell happened out there?” Wash asks. “You’re okay?”

“They shot Mal,” she tells him, ignoring the second question. Of course she’s not okay. “They wanted the goods and the money, and they got us while we were still patrolling the zone. When this is done I think we need to have words with Badger.”  

Why is it always Badger? Zoe wonders, forcibly relaxing her hands where they clenched into fists when she thought about it. The little húndàn vouched for that crew--he might as well have done the shooting himself.

The violence in her tone doesn’t phase her husband, who knows her too well to expect anything else.

“Simon will save him,” Wash says, putting as much confidence as he can into the prediction. “He knows his stuff.”

“He better.” She lays a hand on her husband’s shoulder and stares out at the sky ahead of them. She doesn’t know where Wash is taking them, and she doesn’t ask. The only thing that really matters right now is happening in the infirmary behind them.

All they can do is wait, and hope.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

Drabble request. Firefly: Mal/Simon.

Thank you for all the requests!! Also on AO3:

“You need to be more careful.”

Mal rolled his eyes, saying nothing as Simon stitched him up. This was an old argument, one that always ended the same way.

Simon finished up with the needle, carefully running his fingers over Mal’s skin, above the shoulder wound. “I’m serious, Mal. You have to think about the rest of us. What happens to you matters…you’re not alone anymore.”

That was the hard part. Maybe he didn’t want to worry about everybody else. Maybe he liked being selfish.

It was easier.

But Simon was watching him, with those stormy eyes.

“I’ll try.”

it’s my birthday!!! send me drabble requests