Simon's smart - top three per cent - but somehow all of that leaves him when he's faced with such perfection.
And so he tries to study, to plan, to work towards a goal - even if the aim is simply a single, coherent, unoffensive sentence - just like he did in med school.
In theory, his plans are great; in practice, they tend to keep together as well as Mal's do.
And for all of his scheming and trying, the one time he truly succeeds is spontaneous and completely out of character.
--
Serenity's current cargo was twenty upright showers, which had send Kaylee into wild excitement, followed more subtley by the rest of the crew, and she had begged Mal to let her rig some plumbing for the three days they were transporting them. After an entire day of pouty lips and puppy-dog eyes Mal had grudgingly agreed, grumbling good-naturedly as she kissed his cheek and raced off.
More surprising for Simon was Jayne volunteering to put together an entrance in front of the shower Kaylee had run water to, where a person could leave dry clothing and a towel while they were showering. Simon had rather been under the impression that Jayne was not the best example of hygiene, but when he mentioned this to River she simply left the room, calling over her shoulder that even thieving raccoons washed their food.
--
It was late that evening, once River was soundly asleep and freshly clean, that Simon found himself restlessly slipping out of his bunk to wander the halls.
He first found himself in the galley, but wasn't hungry and tea couldn't settle him, and so he was moving again. He made his way to the hold, planning to sit on the catwalk and dangle his feet over the edge in the darkened room.
He was surprised to find the cargo bay dimly lit when he arrived, the sound of running water echoing around the room. Simon smiled to himself, almost positive he knew who was breaking the captain's firm 'one shower each' rule.
Before he realized what he was doing, Simon found his hand on Jayne's make-shift shower door, and was startled when he began to swing it open; he hadn't even noticed that he had even moved from the catwalk, almost wondered his intentions, before his everything - thought, breath, heart - stopped at the sight before him.
Kaylee's back was to him, hair dark with wet and coming to a point between her shoulder blades, water rivulets running down her shoulders, but what really stopped Simon from disappearing before he was seen was the shampoo that was trailing down her spine in the most amazing way.
He stepped forward, almost as silent as River for once, completely ignoring the fact that he was fully clothed as spray from the shower began to mist on his face and top.
He was completely focused on her as he reached out with his right hand, index finger leading, and placed the digit at the base of her spine, pausing for a moment as she started, gave a sharp intake of breath, before moving his finger up her vertebrae, facinated by the soap parting around it, racing his finger to the base of her neck before she turned to face him, wide-eyed, startled.
He paused there with her, as she shifted from fear to confusion, rounded eyes softening. His lips stayed shut, mouth not betraying him to her for once.
'Simon,' she breathed out, barely a whisper under the rush of water.
He brought his right hand around, fingers trailing along her neck, thumb coming to rest on her lips, stilling her tongue as his was.
He brought his other hand up, framing her face, thumbs now together over her lips. He then separated them, spreading them back across her cheeks, stopping again when they reached just behind her ears, fingers tangled in her hair, and kissed her.
Her eyes widened in surprise while his closed, but her lips parted automatically. When one of his hands fell to the small of her back, drawing her in closer she simply responded, molding her body to his and letting her eyes slide shut, giving in to the moment.
Her hands moved upwards as the hand Simon had knotted in her hair gently disengaged and slid back down her spine. Her hands were just beginning to grip Simon's vest when he opened his eyes, seeing her eyelids and splashes of freckles , pulling slowly back to kiss her nose before resting his forehead on hers. He gave her a moment to catch her breath before bringing her back towards him and leaning his head even nearer to hers, noses now touching along with foreheads.
This movement, accompanied by a soft 'Kaylee' coaxed her into opening her eyes. She gazed at him for a moment before speaking.
'Simon,' she said again, and this time he let her continue, 'You're all wet.'
He simply quirked his lips up into a smile and gave a 'hmmm' of agreement, letting the sound rumble through his chest and into her.
She smiled back before sliding down off the balls of her feet, looking up at his face with her chin resting in the centre of his chest, enjoying the vibrating sensation she felt. She cocked an eyebrow at him, daring him to kiss her again.
And so he did.
This one just wouldn't leave me alone, so here it is, fresh from my head and onto your computer screen. Hope that it was enjoyed :)
-Moksgmol