Written for comment_fic on livejournal

Prompt was Mal/Kirk, taste of blood

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Mal wondered about this Alliance captain. He just didn't seem all that... Alliance.

Mal had been running a scam, pretending to be a well-off gentleman, looking for smuggled luxury goods. Of course, the scam was intended to provide cargo that could be smuggled even further into the black.

Kirk had been posing as a criminal in order to catch some local robber gangs who wouldn't want a new and pretty face horning into their territory.

Their first contact was in a bar, Kirk yelling that Mal was a stick-up-the-ass rich prick who was afraid to get his hands dirty. Mal trying to act his part by calling Kirk a lowlife who wasn't fit for civilized life in the Core.

And then grappling and punching and the taste of blood and bile in their mouths, until the bartender kicked them both out on their asses, some Vulcan showed up to drag Kirk away, and Zoe did the same for Mal.

Their next contact was when Serenity was about to get taken by Reavers, and an enormous well-armed starship showed up. And asked the Reavers if they wanted to surrender.

Seriously, who does that?

Of course the giant weapon-laden ship eventually had to destroy the Reaver ship. And then they inspected Serenity. And they found some things that couldn't get hidden quick enough, and soon they were all in the ship's brig.

Kirk visited to tell them they would be brought to trial but they would be treated humanely. He raised an eyebrow at seeing Mal, but didn't comment.

Mal tried not to listen as Kaylee gushed about how handsome the Alliance captain was. And he tried to block it out of his mind forever when Jayne admitted that that Captain Kirk did indeed "have mighty purty lips. If'n I were into that type of thing."

But late that night, when the others were asleep, Mal was woken by a young officer with an unrealistic accent and given food and drink. He was then taken to the 'holodeck' which looked oddly like a gym.

The officer left Mal there, taking off his restraints and leaving him free. Kirk was there, standing alone, looking at Mal with a smirk.

"What's all this, Cap'n?" Mal said with a smirk, "Because I gotta tell you, as far as torture scenarios go, I've seen better."

Kirk smiled. "Actually, this is just for us. It won't affect what happens to you or your crew, either way. But I just thought we should settle our unfinished business."

"The business where you don't like me because I'm a law-abiding Alliance citizen of wealth?"

"The business where we see who wins a fight with no bartenders to interrupt us. And don't pretend you don't want to know as badly as I do."

Mal looked at him with suspicion. ""You're really here alone? What if I take you hostage?"

"My first officer will kill you. And probably me. He's kind of pissed at me right now," Kirk said as he slowly walked a circle around Mal.

"Can't imagine why," Mal quipped.

"I know, right?" Kirk said with a grin, "Besides, to take me hostage, you'd have to win. And I don't think that's going to happen." Kirk lunged at Mal as he finished.

Mal dodged but Kirk managed to get them both on the ground, wrestling for the upper hand.

Mal was surprised. The pretty boy wasn't bad in a fight.

And when Mal landed a hard uppercut, there were no redshirts rushing in to stun Mal. Just Kirk and Kirk alone. Punching him back. Hard.

So it seemed that Kirk had been honest. It really was just the two of them in here.

They ended up grappling on the floor again soon, Mal trying to use his legs to subdue him. He finally got the upper hand and pinned Kirk to the floor, holding him in position. As they struggled, a bead of sweat fell from Mal's forehead and he saw it land and glisten on Kirk's lips before Kirk darted his tongue out to lick it away.

"You're not like any Alliance captain I ever met," said Mal.

Kirk suddenly moved his knee, making Mal lose his balance, and immediately it was Mal who was pinned. "I'll take that as a compliment," Kirk said with a grin. And before Mal made his next manoeuvre, he paused to take a look at the impish gleam in Kirk's eyes. And Mal couldn't help grinning back.