InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Listen Are you listening"

Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds [Firefly] (cpttightpants) wrote in marinasylum,
@ 2012-01-14 18:31:00

Current mood:	restless
Entry tags:	inara serra, malcolm reynolds

[ action ] - CLOSED to Inara
[It's late at night. It's too late at night for Mal to be off of the couch in Inara's place where he usually sleeps. And yet, he's up after a nightmare in which people just lay down and let themselves die, where people he cares are dropping one by one, and where governments are all-powerful entities that throw their weight around to quiet anyone with an opinion that's different than theirs.

He has these nightmares often. Sometimes they're more realistic than other times. Sometimes they affect him more than others. But he can rarely go right back to sleep after one.

For awhile he's pacing, thinking over operation barbecue, the numbers he has, the logistics of taking control of this prison to figure out how it works. He's got a good number of people interested and that's what keeps him going, the possibility of getting the hell out of here instead of just lying down and taking it like all those people from his nightmares.

He didn't really mean to be in the dark room he's suddenly in. But while deep in thought, his pacing had led him here, here where he's standing in Inara's room watching her sleep. He really shouldn't be in here, he knows that. And yet...

His hand is on her shoulder and he's gently shaking her awake.] 'Nara...

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	onlyfell 2012-01-15 12:51 am UTC (link)
	[Inara is sleeping fairly soundly when Mal wakes her. She startles, mild panic on her face as she sits up.] Mal? What's wrong? [She leans over to turn on a very soft, low light on her nightstand table.] (Reply to this) (Thread)

cpttightpants
2012-01-15 12:59 am UTC (link)

[To say what was really wrong would be admitting a weakness that would take a lot for him to admit. In fact, he isn't at all sure why he woke her up except that he'd sorely needed to hear her voice for a bit. Inara Serra for as much as she turned his world upside down and messed everything up also represented a sort of stability to him, an impossible dream that he'd given up on long ago.]

Wrong? [He stood up and pushed a hand back through his sleep mused hair as he quickly tried to come up with an excuse for being here in her room at this hour and waking her up.]

Nothin' wrong. Thought I heard you call for me is all. [A complete lie, but hey the ball was in her court now. She could shove him back out into the living room to his couch if she wanted to.]

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	onlyfell 2012-01-15 01:10 am UTC (link)
	[She pushes her own thick, mussed hair back from her face, taking a moment to decide what's going on here. She can call Mal on it or she can string him along and see what's really going on. She scoots over a bit and pats the edge of the bed.] You're right. I did. I couldn't sleep and I thought perhaps you might be having the same problem. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cpttightpants
2012-01-15 02:15 am UTC (link)

[Mal hesitates at first, if only because he knows he's been caught red-handed and he's surprised at her playing along with his little fib. But maybe that's what he needed. Maybe that's what she needed too. He wasn't going to argue just yet, even if he was teetering over the edge of looking for a fight.

One step and he slowly sank down to the mattress, resting one knee sideways up on the mattress and leaving the other foot touching the ground. Halfway closer to her and halfway looking for an excuse to back out. His position was symbolic of every interaction he had with Inara, really.]

Head's busy thinkin' too much when it should be sleepin'. Even thinkin' in my sleep, which ain't right... and it ain't hardly fair either. Can't really control the thinkin' when you're sleepin'.

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	onlyfell 2012-01-15 02:48 am UTC (link)
	I believe they call that dreaming, Mal. [What she can't be entirely passive. he wouldn't want that.] And you're actually more susceptible to that sort of thing when you're asleep. You have to let your guard down in order to sleep. [She pauses, not wanting to make it all lecture, not when he's coming to her.] I understand though. I have nightmare--dreams as well. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cpttightpants
2012-01-15 03:35 am UTC (link)

Yeah well maybe I can do without the dreamin'... [Yes, he knows it isn't possible to function without REM sleep. But when Inara talks to him like he's an idiot, like he doesn't know what dreaming is, he just says the first thing that comes to mind without really thinking it through.] Stay awake long as possible. Yep. Think I can do that.

[His fingertips idly pick at a wrinkle in the soft bedsheet, the material still warm from where she had just been lying. When he speaks again, his voice it a bit quieter.] What sort of nigh-... dreams?

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onlyfell
2012-01-15 03:43 am UTC (link)

[Inara just rolls her eyes. She's aware he knows what dreaming is.] That should make you the most pleasant housemate I can think of.

[She hesitates because it's admitting a weakness and she doesn't like doing that. She trails her fingers along the sheet near his hand yet not quite touching him.] Miranda. Mostly. Occasionally the Reavers. The operative.

[It was a good deal of horror in a relatively short amount of time.]

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cpttightpants
2012-01-15 06:49 pm UTC (link)

[Of course that just makes him feel guilty. That good deal of horror she experienced in so short amount of time was because of him in many ways. Because he'd brought her back to Serenity. And even before that, all the horrors. His life should never have been her life. Of course she'd had no idea what his life was like when she'd decided to live on Serenity.

He welcomed the guilt though. Guilt was a familiar weight on his shoulders, as natural to him as breathing. She'd never asked for any of that. Not that he had either. But he had gone head first into it and carried people he cared about with him.

Of course he was also guilty of wanting those he cared about with him, including and provbably most importantly Inara.] Hopefully thoughts of those will fade with time. They do have a way of lingerin' about though, don't they?

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	onlyfell 2012-01-15 09:43 pm UTC (link)
	[It's never occurred to Inara to blame Mal for the experiences she's had. She made the choice to go with him and because of that, she owns the responsibility for the things that happened.] It's important that they do because those are things that should be remembered. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cpttightpants
2012-01-15 10:49 pm UTC (link)

Rather remember 'em in the daylight than at night when I'm sleepin'.

[He draws in a deep breath. Exhales. Leans back, resting one hand on the sheets behind him to prop himself up in a half sitting position. Her room smells like her shuttle did back on Serenity. He finds that both comforting and strange, that smell that had lingered long after she had left the ship for a life better than what he could give her.]

Been burnin' that smelly fooferah, have ya? Can smell it from the other room.

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	onlyfell 2012-01-15 11:11 pm UTC (link)
	[She's pleased he changes the subject to something more familiar and less fraught with emotion. She smirks and fluffs the pillows up on one side of the bed so that she can recline against them.] It's incense, Mal and I've got to burn something to combat the smell of socks. [Her tone isn't quite as biting as it has been before on a similar sort of subject.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cpttightpants 2012-01-17 06:31 pm UTC (link)
	I don't smell like socks. [This is him leaning back against the pillow, all cocky for the moment.] If I did you wouldn't be fluffin' this pillow for me. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	onlyfell 2012-01-17 06:48 pm UTC (link)
	Of course you don't. [She's rolling her eyes at him as she lays next to him.] However the socks that you leave strung about smell like dirty socks. Fascinating how that works. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cpttightpants 2012-01-18 07:42 pm UTC (link)
	Don't like it, you shouldn't have invited me to stay here. [Yes, that's exactly how he chooses to remember his ending up here. He rests his arms back behind his head against the pillow.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	onlyfell 2012-01-18 08:22 pm UTC (link)
	[There's a bit of a scoff and an arched eyebrow] Is that how you remember it? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cpttightpants 2012-01-23 06:33 pm UTC (link)
	[That's exactly the reaction he expected from her. It gets a small grin out of him, a satisfied grin at that.] Ain't just rememberin'. It's fact. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	onlyfell 2012-01-24 12:52 am UTC (link)
	[She sees that grin and she rolls her eyes at him.] I believe, Captain Reynolds, that you've misunderstood the meaning of the word 'fact'. [Clearly she's enjoying this as well.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cpttightpants 2012-01-24 12:56 am UTC (link)
	Way I see it, ain't no misunderstandin'. Way I remember it. [He glances amusedly over to her.] 'Sides, you'd miss my smelly socks if I weren't here and about. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	onlyfell 2012-01-24 01:28 am UTC (link)
	Have you seen a doctor about that faulty memory of yours? [She smirks and shakes her head.] I'd find myself with far too much time on my hands if I weren't picking up after you. Whatever would I do? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cpttightpants 2012-01-30 05:12 pm UTC (link)
	Your life wouldn't be near so excitin' without me in it. You'd get right bored with it, I think. [Yes, he's trying to get her to admit that all this means something to her, everything they've been through, everything they're going through now.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	onlyfell 2012-01-30 06:42 pm UTC (link)
	[She smirks at him, making him wait for that admittance at least for a moment.] My life would not be half as exciting without you in it. However, I'm not conceding to boring. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cpttightpants 2012-01-30 06:58 pm UTC (link)
	Sure it would be boring. Doin' the same thing day in and day out. Different face, of course. Same parties. Same tea wiles. Same bed. Same thing. [Cause that's what a Companion does in his mind. It isn't quite so exciting as anyone would make it out to be.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	onlyfell 2012-01-30 07:27 pm UTC (link)
	[Inara shifts, angling her body toward him, her voice dropping an octave.] I assure you, Mal, the same bed will never be boring with me in it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cpttightpants 2012-01-30 07:30 pm UTC (link)
	[His gaze snaps over to meet hers and an involuntary chill runs down his spine, like a spark of electricity that settles in his stomach with a bit of unease.] No, conjure it wouldn't. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	onlyfell 2012-01-30 07:40 pm UTC (link)
	[Inara holds his gaze and her breath as the moment stretches between them. If this were anyone else, she would know precisely how to deal with this situation. The tension sparks between them, growing in intensity as the moment stretches.] Good concession to make if you're going to make one. [Her voice is still throaty and quiet. Her gaze still holding his.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cpttightpants
2012-01-30 09:27 pm UTC (link)

[He almost doesn't want to speak again. He almost wants to grab her and kiss her and find some sort of solace in her that he knows he doesn't deserve. He almost wants to give in to this moment in which most fellows would lean in and kiss her in order to snap the tension between them in half. Of course he reckons she doesn't have this kind of tension with most, he hopes she doesn't. And as soon as his mind goes there and starts filling with doubts, he clears his throat, looks away, and stands up.]

Guess I oughta let you get some shut eye. In here yappin' your ear off ain't doin' either of us any good. [Nope, unfortunately Malcolm Reynolds is not most fellows.]

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	onlyfell 2012-02-02 07:29 pm UTC (link)
	[Inara hesitates. She hadn't actually thought he was going to kiss her simply because it's Mal and it can't be that simple. She sighs, looking up at him and nods.] You could stay. If you like. [And then a pause because that's almost too nice.] Provided you don't actually speak or breathe loudly. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cpttightpants 2012-02-03 01:30 am UTC (link)
	Well if that ain't a caveat and addendum then I don't know what is. [He kind of can't believe she even offered, and just stands there by the bed because he really doesn't know how to answer... yet.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	onlyfell 2012-02-03 02:15 am UTC (link)
	I'd even concede allowing you to sleep in the bed simply because I hardly think the chaise is long enough. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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