A/N: I assure you, the next chapter of Sky Song is in the works, and expect an update soon. However, I've been itching to play around with something new and different. Hope it tides you over until the next update for SS. Based on a head canon.
But She Can't Cook
Mal knows Inara is a woman of many talents, but he's hell bent on finding something the companion can't do. A series of snippets where Mal thinks on Inara's endless skill set, and her single flaw.
.one. : Beauty
"When's the last time you even been with a real woman anyhow, Mal?"
Under normal circumstances, the question would have jostled the captain. But the mess was empty, save for the spirits and the company of an already intoxicated mercenary. Jayne watched Mal with daring eyes, swishing the amber liquid in his glass around slowly and carefully. The dim light cast shadows against his features that suggested a devious nature. Had he not been a bit dizzy with drink himself, the captain would have brushed off the thought. But alcohol had a habit of loosening him up, and thinking thoughts he normally kept locked away somewhere deep in his mind. Images of familiar faces came flooding to the surface, and he thought on each and every one of them, all of them important to him, all of them lost too soon. Nandi would have been the latest one, the freshest wound perhaps. Mal took a swig of his drink as he thought of her, choosing to feel the burn down his throat rather than the one behind his eyes.
"Too long, I think," Mal jested, lightening up the mood with a forced smile.
Jayne lifted his cup to that, before downing the rest of the liquid.
Mal just stared down the bottom of his glass at the amber liquid reflection staring back at him. The faces swam in his mind, like reminders of his failures throughout his long and dreary life. He'd sworn to never let it happen again, to never let anyone get that close again. It was his way of keeping them safe. But then there was her.
It always came back to that.
Little miss perfect. At first, he had been okay with it. So what if she was attractive? Saffron was proof that an attractive lady did not mean a lovely lady. Besides, she was Alliance; core-bred, everything he despised. She was part of everything that had ruined his life, and the lives of everyone he'd come to know and love. It had been easy to hate her in the beginning.
But it would be even easier to fall in love with her, as he had later come to learn.
She was a woman not like any other. If her beauty wasn't enough, she came armed to the teeth with an arsenal of other talents and wiles. He could have been the most pompous ass in the 'verse, and she'd still find it in her to forgive him. He lived to get a rise out of her, just to paint her in an ugly light, and even then, his plan would backfire. Even if she did slip, and allow him to get to her, he only ever found her more endearing in her rage. One could say it was near impossible to find the flaw in Inara Serra, but he was downright fixated on doing so anyways. This way, he could have an out, and be free of her spells.
Damn that woman.
"Gotta bunch o' lookers on this here ship even, and we can't touch 'em...Enough to drive any man crazy, I say," Jayne slurred as he began to pour himself another round.
Mal thought of Inara, because she was all he could seem to think about some nights.
"I'll drink to that," he added before finishing the contents in his cup.
Jayne wiped his mouth, before saying, "Knew them companions came all pretty, but never much cared. Whores are whores, I say. Do the same thing, they all do. Then she comes around, lookin' the way she does. Sets an unrealistic standard. It ain't even fair."
He hadn't wanted to admit to it back then when he'd first met her. She was a companion, an Alliance whore. He had reminded himself that he was supposed to hate her, and it had been easy for a while. But, slowly, he'd grown curious, and it wasn't long before it became a habit to make sure he at least caught a glimpse of her before she left to go visit her various clients. The outfits that fit her body just right, the makeup that perfectly highlighted her best features, the slight reveal of bare skin that was just enough to tease the imagination. She was tantalizing.
He may have tried hating her, but he couldn't deny the woman took beauty to a whole new level. It was a while before he could admit to himself that he was indeed attracted to her. He only hated her even more for it though, especially on the loneliest days when she'd consume his thoughts.
But it only ever got worse from there.
He'd see her without all the shiny, just lounging about the ship in her comfortable shifts, hair loose about her shoulders and without a trace of makeup. He'd see her share a hearty laugh with Kaylee, watch the way she'd smile so warmly towards River, and he would start having a harder time hating her. He learned of her anger, of her deep concern for those around her, and the way the emotions played amongst her features. There wasn't a thing that could make her ugly, not an emotion in the 'verse. It really wasn't fair at all, and she used it to her advantage many a time.
The 'verse was a cold and desolate place, too miserable for someone like her. She was a breath of fresh air among all the pollution, something that didn't belong, and it terrified him. He promised he wouldn't, not ever again, but she'd bewitched him. Now he was at her mercy, and he would fight to keep her for as long as he possibly could.
"'S too bad she ain't good in the kitchen...," Jayne blurted out suddenly.
It brought Mal out of a pessimistic train of thought.
Well, at least there was that.
He chuckled lightly at the mercenary's observation.
"Hey now, she makes a mean tea," Mal argued, causing Jayne to snort out loud.
Both men laughed, and the sound filled the empty corridors of the ship.
A/N: Like I said, just little snippets of Mal's thoughts on Inara and the things he simply doesn't say. Expect total fluff and cuteness as he thinks on these things. Because he's just a real big softy inside. :) Reviews are welcome as per usual, so do let me know what you think.