[For funsies] Um. Oops?

[badinlatin]

Author Note: Set immediately after Mal comes back from Milliways shenanigans.

---

Mal's door back to the ship always moves around. Usually it's to Inara's shuttle, but he can end up anywhere from the bridge to Jayne's bunk.

Awkward.

This go-round though, he's happy to not immediately show up in front of Inara. Instead, he walks out into the bridge and sits in the pilot's seat - just for a moment.

Not that he's stalling.

Comments

[makesmeatease]

"Well, I wasn't trying to be." Inara says lightly, as she finishes climbing the stairs. "When I'm trying to be, you will never know where I am."


Sneaky ninja! Or not but you know.

[badinlatin]

Looking back as Inara comes up the stairs, Mal's smile for her is genuine, but he's already thinking too hard about what to say.

"Did you miss me while I was out?"

[makesmeatease]

"Well, you were gone for a very long time." Inara says, her voice light, but she's turned away to look out the view port. "I started to worry that you'd run off to another world without telling me."

She quirks a smile back over her shoulder at him, but there was a shadow of concern there.

[badinlatin]

Justified concern.








"Only a little?"

[makesmeatease]

"Just enough."

[badinlatin]

"I promise I didn't shoot anyone, and only beat up on one guy who thought I kidnapped this insane princess person who I thought was dying and -- "

[makesmeatease]

Inara blinks, holding a hand up to stall his rapid speech. "...what?"

[badinlatin]

"Which part needed clarification?"

[makesmeatease]

"I want to be surprised." Inara frowns. "I truly do...but there's no way, that after all this time, Milliways is going to surprise me anymore."

She sighs, then comes to lean on the console in front of him. "Did you save the crazy princess?"

[badinlatin]

"I did."

That was the easy part.

"I even met back up with Amy in Amber after we got separated - honest, it weren't even my fault, to begin with. There's something feng kuang de goin' on with the rutting Bar door.

"Just wanted a field trip."

[makesmeatease]

"Well it sounds like you got one!"

[badinlatin]

"Thought you'd be mad. What with the inter-'verse risk taking and all."

[makesmeatease]

She shifts against the console, thinking her reply over. "Not mad, worried. Which, can instigate anger, I suppose, at times."

Inara glances to the side, her lips twisting into a sardonic smile. "Okay, most of the time. But it's you. When have I ever known you to not take risks, whatever the universe?"

[badinlatin]

It's easy to smile at that.

Mal Reynolds has the most loving of wives.

"You're too nice."

[makesmeatease]

"Remember this when you're telling me I'm mean the next time I make you do something you don't want to do." She retorts.

[badinlatin]

"Depends on what the task at hand might be.

"I'm not washing your silks again."

[makesmeatease]

"You're not allowed to wash my silks again." Inara jabs a finger into his chest. "I had to throw out the last one you washed."

[badinlatin]

"Remind me never to do you a favor."

Mal was at least genuinely remorseful about that.

(The blue was always incredibly attractive on her.)

[makesmeatease]

Her smile is sweet, and tired. "At least a favor including the treatment of my clothing."

[badinlatin]

"I thought you liked it when I did things to your clothing."

[makesmeatease]

"Malcolm Reynolds!"

[badinlatin]

"What? Don't lie and say it ain't true."

[makesmeatease]

"I am entirely too proper to be having this conversation. On the bridge."


HMPH.

[badinlatin]

"You know River don't care what we do."

Just because she can hear all of it.

...which gets awkward, the more Mal thinks about it.

[makesmeatease]

Inara's smile grows a little pained. "I know she doesn't care. I like to pretend that if we keep such things to my shuttle, however, she doesn't know."

It's wishful thinking.

[badinlatin]

Mal leans forward to reach for Inara's wrist - all the better to pull her closer to him.

Mal puts on his best, most charming smile for his wife, holding her hands in each of his own.





"Sit with me."

[makesmeatease]

She doesn't really resist, just a playful tug on his grip as she comes to settle herself in the pilot's seat with him--on him-- her bare foot coming to brace herself on the console in front of them.

"There. Sitting with you."

[badinlatin]

Mal slouches a bit so that his nose hits between Inara's shoulderblades and he inhales.

Inara always feels just so.









After a minute: "Why am I the one that always gets the crazies?"

[makesmeatease]

She shivers at his nose, and sighs a little laugh.


"Because you're Malcolm Reynolds...and the 'verse likes to throw these things at you."

[badinlatin]

"I get the good stuff too though. Now and then."

[makesmeatease]

"All the crazy is to remind you of how awesome the good things are." She snuggles back into him.

[badinlatin]

"That being said - Blanche was [incredibly aggravating]."

[makesmeatease]

Inara laughs. "Poor Captain."

[badinlatin]

"My life is so troubled."

Inara is so light, on Mal's lap and at Mal's fingertips. He brings his hands up and across Inara's stomach as though he'd never ventured there before, lazing about.

[makesmeatease]

She shifts, squirming against his light fingers -- light fingers always tickle more.

Turning, she buries her nose in his hair. "Yes," Inara murmurs. "Poor, poor you."

[badinlatin]

Mal told Blanche that he had his true love waiting for him at home.

"Love you, lao po."

[makesmeatease]

"Oh, zhàngfu" His hair tickles her lips as she smiles into him. "I love you, too."

[badinlatin]

"Are you ready to turn in? Not that sittin' up with you ain't lovely and all -- "

But Inara likes her privacy.

[makesmeatease]

"Enough star-gazing for the night." Inara agrees, letting her feet reach the ground, so she can stand.

She holds out her hand for him to take. "Come on, qin ài de."

[badinlatin]

Mal very politely ignores Inara's hand so that he can bend at the waist and loop an arm behind her knees so he can sweep her up into his arms when he stands.

"Off we go."

[makesmeatease]

Her head tilts back as she laughs. Inara tightens her arms around his neck and she kisses him soundly on the lips.

[badinlatin]

Mal returned safely to his ship and his wife and his crew after adventures in another universe.

He doesn't drop Inara going down the stairs from the bridge, or up the catwalks to Shuttle Two.



Good day.