Torn
It wasn't often Malcolm Reynolds was torn between much of anything. Mal liked to think of himself as a straightforward kind of guy. Especially when it came to using his well-earned credits.
Serenity needed refueling. And the engine was needing a tune-up pretty bad if Kaylee's grousing was any clue. And the water heater had broken down again, leading to several surprised and chilly crew members grumbling at breakfast.
Not to mention that they were low on protein packs, and the fresh water reserves were getting on the low side. And Wash had said something about one of his switches being loose. Mal had more that loose switches to worry about.
The heat intake in the third corridor down to the cargo bay was rattling something awful. He could hear Simon and Kaylee through the ventilation shafts, aside from the fact that all of River's crawling about was likely denting them more than they should have been.
The mule was leaning to one side lately, and it made a terrible groaning sound when more than two people sat in it at once. One of the stove elements had blown when Jayne had tried to cook everyone dinner three nights ago and had to be replaced.
They'd had a rough landing running from some Purplebellies two weeks past, and the scarring on Serenity's underbelly was looking mighty unsightly. Her paint was peeling off and the seats on the bridge were getting a bit uncomfortable.
But Malcolm Reynolds stared down at that tea set and he was physically torn.
The proprietor of the establishment drummed his fingers on the glass case separating Mal from the fine China, and he looked up as the man with the finely-manicured hands drummed his fingers again.
"Can I help you, sir?" The man asked. Mal hated delivering into the Core, everyone looked at him sideways and talked down their noses to him.
Mal copied the tattoo of the man's fingers, his brain turning and turning over and over. He hadn't thought this hard on a decision in a good long time. It hadn't even taken this long to haggle for Serenity herself.
He hated himself as he stumbled out of the curio shop, the tea set wrapped carefully in too many bags and safety foam. He didn't even know if Inara needed another rutting tea set. He was soft. He was torn.
AN: Hey again folks! It's me with another bit of my project! This Valentine's Day, I have literally nothing to do, so I've decided to pick my 14 favorite pairings and write some sappy vignettes for them! Not all of them will be from one fandom, so if you're interested, check out my profile! I love this ship on the show but I've never really written it seriously before. The reason I skirt it a bit here, heheh. Anyway, let me know what you think of my stab at Mal/Inara. STAY AWESOME, FOLKS.