Mal/River Drabbles
Title: Full Blown
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #36: Fantasy
Spoilers: BDM
Word Count: 107
It is wrong for Mal to think of his young pilot like this but at this point, his name is already on the roster for the Special Hell that Book spoke of fondly. He had not meant to think of her like that but it was a natural progression. At first, it was little scenes in his head that were innocent to play off. He wished she would display a secret smile his way or a reassuring hand on his shoulder. But now, there were full blown fantasies that involved the pair of them doing things to each other that even the Special Hell would be surprised.
Title: Hangar
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: River
Prompt: #37: Field
Word Count: 100
River’s mind was not one of saneness. She viewed the ship in which she loved on in a different light every time she opened her eyes. The hangar was a favorite spot of hers. With the crates stacked up on top of each other, they became mountains and the floor was a field. There was nothing on the true hangar floor that represented flowers or trees but this did not matter to River. They were something of substance and whole. They resided in her mind like images from a book. This was real to her and it was her field.
Title: No Fun
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal, River
Prompt: #38: Rain
Word Count: 111
Mal was amazed at the sight before him. The rain was hitting the small general store with something mighty fierce. He was under the store’s awning, his attention on the young woman whose head was up to catch the droplets that were falling. Mal had made the mistake of telling River it was going to rain, not that she did not know already. She ran out onto the uncovered steps and lifted her head to see the darkening sky.
“You’re going to catch your death, bao-bai.” He yelled over the downpour.
She skipped back under the awning, shaking her wet hair so it would hit. With a pout, “You’re no fun.”
Title: The Point
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal, River
Prompt: #52: Halloween
Word Count: 103
“And what was the point of this holiday?” Mal asked as he checked over his ship’s systems. He barely caught River rolling her eyes.
“The citizens of Earth-That-Was believed it would confuse spirits if they wore masks while the veil between this life and the next was at its thinnest.” She was sitting in the co-pilot’s chair, her chin delicately on her knees.
Mal was still confused by the custom and River could tell by his facial expression. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
“Really Mal, why are you interested?” A rare smile lit her face.
“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you.”
Title: Moves
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #47: Feathers
Word Count: 100
When River dances, Mal cannot help but notice how light she is on her feet. He knows he moves with a briskness that makes him wonder why River chooses him when her and Kaylee have an impromptu dancing get together. She is as light as a feather as his momma used to say. River can move about the ship effortlessly to the point where one might be convinced she is part of the ship itself. She is light and airy while he is like rock and stone, always bringing the air to the ground. Yes, she will be his feather.
Title: Unexpected
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #46: Soft
Word Count: 100
River is surprised the first time she kisses Mal. She is expecting him to be of a strong form. He is but she was not anticipating his lips to be soft or his movements be that gentle. He can tell she is shocked by something, perhaps his spontaneous gesture? No, she reassures him but does not say the real reason. She is too embarrassed to admit her preconceptions and how false they are. She does not want to admit she had thought of his strong kiss but instead received something soft she had accepted more graciously. The soft was nice.
Title: Pain
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: River
Prompt: #44: Hard
Word Count: 105
The metal siding of the interior of the spare shuttle is hard when her hand makes contact with it. She is aware that she is not exactly lucid at the present time but she knows her outburst is rooted in lucidity. If it had been any other day, she would store her feelings inside and not say anything. But it is not any other day and she likes the feel of hard metal against her hand as she crushes it into the wall. Her hand starts to hurt and someone has bound to hear her by now but she does not care just this once.
Title: Harsh
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #45: Cold
Word Count: 118
Her fever freezes her to the point that she just wants to roll over and die. River is in her room with so many blankets on her that she loses track after the fifth. Inara is repeatedly replacing washcloth after washcloth in an attempt to lower her temperature but nothing is working. Simon had been warned by the captain that he or his sister may get sick due to the harshness of the outer rim. The doctor doubted it would be that bad but his sister had become a testament to it. River suddenly felt warm and turned her head a little to see Mal laying next to her, attempting to warm her up and surprisingly it worked.
Title: Wood Carving
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Jayne (about Mal/River)
Prompt: #29: Toys
Spoilers: BDM
Word Count: 104
Jayne had been woodcutting toy after toy for the Captain and the Pilot’s unborn child that he was starting to dream about what to woodcut next. It had started with something to do as they sat near their latest animal run. He did not think it something big, just a woodcarving of a cow. The girl had taken it gratefully but the Captain was suspicious. He was not anticipating the Captain trusting him anytime soon but hell, he was trying. The more toys Jayne made, the less worrisome the Cap’n became, and the more the girl became happier whenever presented with a new toy.
Title: Nonsense
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal, River
Prompt: #30: Train
Spoilers: The Train Job
Word Count: 101
“Why did you take the job?” River inquired as she sipped a little more of her alcohol in the galley.
“The pay was good. The Alliance wasn’t. The stealing of medicine exactly wasn’t as well.” Mal answered. He did not know how they had gotten onto the topic of the train job but it was a job he would rather forget. He had also admitted something he rather wish he had not let slip but it did and she was holding onto it for dear life.
“So before this job, you were fine? But afterward, you developed a fear of trains?”
Title: Knowledge
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: River
Prompt: #31: Fountain
Word Count: 109
Young River Tam, aged ten years, was a fountain of knowledge. She could recite anything she had read, learn anything she wanted, and accomplished anything she desired. But she did not want any of this. She wanted to use her fountain of knowledge for something that was beneficial. She could be a doctor like Simon but she felt as if that was his territory only. She could be a Browncoat like she had read on the cortext. No, she wanted to do something adventurous and equally as dangerous. She could possibly spend the rest of her life searching for such a thing in the verse and never find it.
Title: Permanency
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #33: Marble
Spoilers: BDM
Word Count: 111
The patrons of the Maidenhead are made of marble in her dreams. They do not move; just stare at her as she passes. They are the faces of the people she had severely beaten when the Alliance’s subliminal message sat her off. She knew what she had done after the fact and it still haunted her. She did not want their marble faces in her mind like the occupants of Miranda who had permanence in her brain.
Her only solace lay next to her at night and tried to keep the dreams away. But he was only one man and she had to atone for her sins all on her own.
Title: Seedling
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #35: Fog
Spoilers: Ariel
Word Count: 100
Her mind is like fog that no one can penetrate. Many have tried and they have all failed. He had not even tried to enter her mind but he did anyway and left a seedling behind. As the seedling grew, the fog slowly lifted. She started to remember her words and actions. She sought his approval whenever necessary. She wanted to show she was listening so she hurt Jayne. He knew the reasoning behind it. She tried to become an active member of the crew just like her brother. It was working and the fog was lifting more and more.
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #36: Fantasy
Spoilers: BDM
Word Count: 107
It is wrong for Mal to think of his young pilot like this but at this point, his name is already on the roster for the Special Hell that Book spoke of fondly. He had not meant to think of her like that but it was a natural progression. At first, it was little scenes in his head that were innocent to play off. He wished she would display a secret smile his way or a reassuring hand on his shoulder. But now, there were full blown fantasies that involved the pair of them doing things to each other that even the Special Hell would be surprised.
Title: Hangar
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: River
Prompt: #37: Field
Word Count: 100
River’s mind was not one of saneness. She viewed the ship in which she loved on in a different light every time she opened her eyes. The hangar was a favorite spot of hers. With the crates stacked up on top of each other, they became mountains and the floor was a field. There was nothing on the true hangar floor that represented flowers or trees but this did not matter to River. They were something of substance and whole. They resided in her mind like images from a book. This was real to her and it was her field.
Title: No Fun
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal, River
Prompt: #38: Rain
Word Count: 111
Mal was amazed at the sight before him. The rain was hitting the small general store with something mighty fierce. He was under the store’s awning, his attention on the young woman whose head was up to catch the droplets that were falling. Mal had made the mistake of telling River it was going to rain, not that she did not know already. She ran out onto the uncovered steps and lifted her head to see the darkening sky.
“You’re going to catch your death, bao-bai.” He yelled over the downpour.
She skipped back under the awning, shaking her wet hair so it would hit. With a pout, “You’re no fun.”
Title: The Point
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal, River
Prompt: #52: Halloween
Word Count: 103
“And what was the point of this holiday?” Mal asked as he checked over his ship’s systems. He barely caught River rolling her eyes.
“The citizens of Earth-That-Was believed it would confuse spirits if they wore masks while the veil between this life and the next was at its thinnest.” She was sitting in the co-pilot’s chair, her chin delicately on her knees.
Mal was still confused by the custom and River could tell by his facial expression. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
“Really Mal, why are you interested?” A rare smile lit her face.
“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you.”
Title: Moves
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #47: Feathers
Word Count: 100
When River dances, Mal cannot help but notice how light she is on her feet. He knows he moves with a briskness that makes him wonder why River chooses him when her and Kaylee have an impromptu dancing get together. She is as light as a feather as his momma used to say. River can move about the ship effortlessly to the point where one might be convinced she is part of the ship itself. She is light and airy while he is like rock and stone, always bringing the air to the ground. Yes, she will be his feather.
Title: Unexpected
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #46: Soft
Word Count: 100
River is surprised the first time she kisses Mal. She is expecting him to be of a strong form. He is but she was not anticipating his lips to be soft or his movements be that gentle. He can tell she is shocked by something, perhaps his spontaneous gesture? No, she reassures him but does not say the real reason. She is too embarrassed to admit her preconceptions and how false they are. She does not want to admit she had thought of his strong kiss but instead received something soft she had accepted more graciously. The soft was nice.
Title: Pain
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: River
Prompt: #44: Hard
Word Count: 105
The metal siding of the interior of the spare shuttle is hard when her hand makes contact with it. She is aware that she is not exactly lucid at the present time but she knows her outburst is rooted in lucidity. If it had been any other day, she would store her feelings inside and not say anything. But it is not any other day and she likes the feel of hard metal against her hand as she crushes it into the wall. Her hand starts to hurt and someone has bound to hear her by now but she does not care just this once.
Title: Harsh
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #45: Cold
Word Count: 118
Her fever freezes her to the point that she just wants to roll over and die. River is in her room with so many blankets on her that she loses track after the fifth. Inara is repeatedly replacing washcloth after washcloth in an attempt to lower her temperature but nothing is working. Simon had been warned by the captain that he or his sister may get sick due to the harshness of the outer rim. The doctor doubted it would be that bad but his sister had become a testament to it. River suddenly felt warm and turned her head a little to see Mal laying next to her, attempting to warm her up and surprisingly it worked.
Title: Wood Carving
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Jayne (about Mal/River)
Prompt: #29: Toys
Spoilers: BDM
Word Count: 104
Jayne had been woodcutting toy after toy for the Captain and the Pilot’s unborn child that he was starting to dream about what to woodcut next. It had started with something to do as they sat near their latest animal run. He did not think it something big, just a woodcarving of a cow. The girl had taken it gratefully but the Captain was suspicious. He was not anticipating the Captain trusting him anytime soon but hell, he was trying. The more toys Jayne made, the less worrisome the Cap’n became, and the more the girl became happier whenever presented with a new toy.
Title: Nonsense
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal, River
Prompt: #30: Train
Spoilers: The Train Job
Word Count: 101
“Why did you take the job?” River inquired as she sipped a little more of her alcohol in the galley.
“The pay was good. The Alliance wasn’t. The stealing of medicine exactly wasn’t as well.” Mal answered. He did not know how they had gotten onto the topic of the train job but it was a job he would rather forget. He had also admitted something he rather wish he had not let slip but it did and she was holding onto it for dear life.
“So before this job, you were fine? But afterward, you developed a fear of trains?”
Title: Knowledge
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: River
Prompt: #31: Fountain
Word Count: 109
Young River Tam, aged ten years, was a fountain of knowledge. She could recite anything she had read, learn anything she wanted, and accomplished anything she desired. But she did not want any of this. She wanted to use her fountain of knowledge for something that was beneficial. She could be a doctor like Simon but she felt as if that was his territory only. She could be a Browncoat like she had read on the cortext. No, she wanted to do something adventurous and equally as dangerous. She could possibly spend the rest of her life searching for such a thing in the verse and never find it.
Title: Permanency
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #33: Marble
Spoilers: BDM
Word Count: 111
The patrons of the Maidenhead are made of marble in her dreams. They do not move; just stare at her as she passes. They are the faces of the people she had severely beaten when the Alliance’s subliminal message sat her off. She knew what she had done after the fact and it still haunted her. She did not want their marble faces in her mind like the occupants of Miranda who had permanence in her brain.
Her only solace lay next to her at night and tried to keep the dreams away. But he was only one man and she had to atone for her sins all on her own.
Title: Seedling
Author: spooky_xphile
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal/River
Prompt: #35: Fog
Spoilers: Ariel
Word Count: 100
Her mind is like fog that no one can penetrate. Many have tried and they have all failed. He had not even tried to enter her mind but he did anyway and left a seedling behind. As the seedling grew, the fog slowly lifted. She started to remember her words and actions. She sought his approval whenever necessary. She wanted to show she was listening so she hurt Jayne. He knew the reasoning behind it. She tried to become an active member of the crew just like her brother. It was working and the fog was lifting more and more.