Title: When You Know
Title: When You Know
Author: Omorocco
Rating: G AKA K
Summary: They both know, but Mal hasn't quite figured out whether that makes it easier or harder.
Disclaimer: Good evening I am Joss Whedon, and I am here to inform you that I own all of the characters, places, and inanimate objects mentioned in this fic, and that this Omorocco person owns diddly-squat. That's right I said Diddly.
Authors Notes: Post-Serenity ficlet. Slightly confusing at times, or at least I found that, when reading it back, but I thought it might be worth posting at any rate. Anyway, hope it pleases to some degree. And please let me know what you think of it. Thanks!
She knows.
He knows.
She knows he knows, and Vise versa.
But he ain't quite figured whether that makes it easier or harder – the situation that they're both knowin' about that is.
Its not like it'd be such a grand act to acknowledge it, to take it to the next step, in fact he's all manners of longing to take that step, and the ones after that, which lead to knowing of the Biblical kind.
But then, what if it didn't work out - What if they didn't work out? They're from two different worlds, literally and figuratively, she's fine and graceful from the Core, he's rough around the edges at home on the Border.
And opposites, while want to attract, didn't always stick – he knew.
They had to live together on this tiny little boat out in the middle of the Black whatever might come, for better or worse.
And it was the worse he was fearin' of, because he couldn't push her off his boat again if things turned sour; she, who had always been on the outside of the crew, a passenger in most rights, had carved herself a place within their strange family.
Had cemented herself there when she fought alongside the rest of them on Mr Universe's moon.
And that was a forever sort of deal, if she left they wouldn't be whole no more, but he knew damn well if it did go bad, he wouldn't be able to live with her either.
He wants her, but he wants to keep her from hurt even more, and right now, it feels like a one or t'other deal, because he's a bad man, and he knows he'd just go an' do something wrong by her eventually, he always does.
He knows he wants her. He just wished he could make the right choice.
'Why's nothing ever go smooth?' he wonders.
Damnit all, he hadn't been this spun about by a woman since The Companion had finally packed bags and left the second time.