Disclaimer: Not mine, just writing for fun!

A/N: So Leiasky has caught me in her web of prompt writing and here is one of my first efforts. It may not be what you expect but I certainly hope you enjoy it! As usual, comments are welcome and appreciated!

Here's the link for Candle Wax, you can find the prompt table link here!

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#53-Threesome

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Inara let the giggles roll out of her mouth as she leaned back on the couch, trying to keep her glass steady, not wanting to spill any of the precious sake she had been saving for a special occasion. Of course, the night had not been deemed a special occasion at the beginning, but as it had progressed Inara couldn't help but share her hidden stores with Serenity's bubbly mechanic. It had begun innocently enough, with Kaylee rapping on her shuttle door, seeking some company as Simon was otherwise occupied with removing yet another bullet from Jayne's body. The job had gone well enough, except for the gun play at the end, but they had been paid, with only a few scrapes and one bullet lodged in a particularly delicate region of Jayne that Kaylee couldn‘t help snickering at. Now they were hurtling through the black, their next destination New Melbourne, and Inara's last few days on Serenity were quickly passing. She had invited the mechanic in without a second thought, wanting to capture as much time with the young woman she had grown to think of as her younger sister as she could. Kaylee had regaled her with the harrowing tale of the last job, ending with a cackle as she told of Simon's reaction to where Jayne had been shot, his grimace at having to perform the operation clouding his usually passive and professional demeanor. They had moved onto other subjects, the most pressing being her fledging relationship with the resident doctor. Kaylee had been telling her about his morality tale on the evils of sake when it sparked a little mischief in her ownself. Pulling out the delicious rice wine, Inara had poured two liberal glasses for the each, handing the sake to Kaylee, who had only on one prior instance ever tasted the stuff. Inara had to hold back her own amusement as Kaylee's eyes widened as the dry wine slid down her throat, causing her to suck in a deep breath and consequently let forth with a great coughing fit. "Careful mei mei, this is a particularly strong vintage." Reaching out to pat her on the shoulder, she couldn't help but let slip a tiny laugh as Kaylee beamed back at her. That had been only an hour ago, and now they were completely tossed, the sake bottle more than half empty, and both women hysterically trying to keep up right as their laughter roared in the shuttle. "So I said to him, no ya ain't, I don't do that!" Inara shook her head and held her temple at the mental image Kaylee had just created. Kaylee leaned forward, a conspiratorial grin spreading across her lips," I do, though, just didn't wanta with him!” Her peeling laughter as she fell back against the pillows caused another fit of giggles to overtake Inara. They were bittersweet though, for she knew this just may be the last time she would ever share such a wonderfully sweet and riotous time with her young friend. A dreamy look clouded Kaylee’s eyes as she snuggled in closer to the fluffy pillows that lined Inara’s couch, “I’d let Simon do it...if he wanted to.” Inara bit her lip, the thought of the young doctor ever trying something so brazen tickling her sensibilities. She never doubted anyone’s prowess, and she had a feeling that Simon would most likely be an excellent lover. It's always the quiet ones, she mused to herself, but that particular act would be something that she couldn’t quite see the young doctor attempting. She plastered on another charming smile across her face as she leaned forward, capturing the sake bottle with slightly unsteady fingers and lifting it to refill Kaylee’s now empty glass. Kaylee gladly accepted Inara’s offering, sliding closer across the couch so Inara wouldn’t spill any of the sake. Kaylee may have been a bit intoxicated but she knew the worth of what was in the bottle and she didn’t want any of it to go to waste. After setting the bottle back down, Inara smiled mischievously at Kaylee, “So when did this auspicious event take place, if you don’t mind me asking?” Kaylee blushed at Inara’s tone, knowing she was goading Kaylee into another story, “Well, I guess that was ‘bout a year ‘fore I boarded Serenity. Things were mighty boring back home, ain’t much to do for a girl, ‘cept get married, have babies, or fool around. I weren’t ready for the first two, so I decided that the third one was my best bet.” Inara smiled at Kaylee’s honesty, wishing for all the world she could have that innocent candor herself, knowing that the years of training she had undergone had driven that far from her being. “I think you made a wise choice, sweetie.” Kaylee smiled one of her mega watt beams at Inara, “Me too!” They had let their giggles settle, each taking a sip from their drinks and letting the delicious fluid slip down their throats. They sat back enjoying the comfortable silence when a jarring knock at her shuttle door interrupted them. Inara gave Kaylee a puzzling look as she tried her best to gracefully rise from the couch, stumbling slightly but recovering quickly, eliciting a giggle from Kaylee as she watched Inara saunter over to the door. Sliding it open, she was surprised to see Simon standing before her, his hand bracing himself against the shuttle as his leg was still healing from the gunshot wound he had received just a few weeks back. “Hello, Doctor. What can I do for you?” Her tone was sober enough, though the tiny hiccup that escaped her lips as she tried to keep her body from swaying clued in Simon that Inara had definitely been drinking. “I... I was... just looking for Kaylee but maybe I have come at a bad time?” Inara waved off Simon’s dismissal, smiling sweetly at him and motioning for him to enter, “Of course you haven’t. You’re always welcome here and you have come to the right place.” As Simon entered, he was shook by the sight of a thoroughly intoxicated Kaylee leaning heavily against Inara’s couch, cradling her crystal glass. His entrance had created such a bright grin, Kaylee’s smile seemed to threaten to fall off the edges of her face, her nose slightly scrunched up with the force of the smile, “Hey there!” Her slightly slurred greeting caused a flush to begin to spread along his throat, the words laden with a sultry glee. Simon raised his hand in awkward greeting, “Hello.” Inara swept passed him and lifted the almost empty bottle of sake, “Would you like a glass?” Simon saw the label and his stomach turned immediately, thoughts of statues and naked singing flooding his brain, “No! No, I...I never touch the stuff.” Inara bit her lip at his refusal, successfully containing the laughter that threatened to escape her lips. “Aww, c’mon Simon, it’s real good...quality stuff, if I say so myself.” Flashing a coy grin at Simon, Kaylee drew the glass to her mouth, taking a long sip before pulling the glass back and licking away the glistening liquid that had been left on her lips. Her eyes were eager and Simon had just been through a trying, if not truly disgusting procedure. He had sworn off sake, and had been vigilant for quite a few years, but at the behest of this pretty girl before him, Simon lost all resolve. “Well...all right, but just one glass.”

*Two Hours Later*

Simon’s eyes were beginning to cross with the concentration he had to keep up just to stay perched on the edge of Inara’s bed. They had broken out another bottle of sake , the first one being almost gone by the time Simon had joined the party, and now they were finishing the last of the second. They had shared a delightful few hours trading stories, Simon and Inara regaling Kaylee with tales of life in the Core, and a few occupational hazards they had encountered over the years. She, in turn, had amused them with stories of her home world and one particular event involving a home made cattle feeder that had gone haywire, causing Simon to almost fall off the bed from laughter. Kaylee had been eyeing him most of the night, but he had made an effort to make sure to keep up some semblance of decorum, as useless as it seemed to him now after a night’s worth of drinking. Yet, placing himself across from the two women afforded him quite the view, and he smiled at the scene playing out before him. Kaylee and Inara had begun to lean against one another, each of them having their own hard time trying to stay upright, but neither of them wishing to end the night so soon. “Ya know, this’s snice,“ Kaylee slurred as she swept her arm lazily out across the air and landing back along her leg, snuggling in closer to Inara as she smiled and pressed her cheek to Inara’s shoulder. Her face was serenely inebriated, her eyes half closed with drink. Inara reached around to cradle Kaylee’s shoulders as she giggled at the mechanic who was more than likely about to pass out at any moment. “Yes mei mei, it certainly is.” Simon nodded in agreement as he drained the last sip from his glass. He knew Kaylee would be in for a rough morning and just thanked his wisdom in picking up some extra cortisone at their last supply stop. He didn’t usually administer medication for hangovers, as Jayne would deplete his supplies within days if he did so, but for Kaylee, and most likely Inara and himself, he would make an exception. Feeling his eyes begin to slip down at the corners, Simon rubbed them with his free hand before announcing, “I think maybe it’s time for me to leave, ladies.” Simon stood up with a slight sway, teetering for a moment before catching himself. Kaylee reached out her arm for him, “Nah! The fun’s just gettin’ sstarted!” The words were a great amount of effort, and her head unceremoniously rolled as she craned her neck, careening back into Inara’s chest. This caused Kaylee to laugh uproariously, Inara reaching up to hold her head steady against her body, shaking her own head with amusement, “I think Simon is right, Kaylee. Maybe it’s time we call it a night.” Kaylee pouted prettily against Inara, trying her best to extricate herself from her best friends arms. She did her best to push herself off the couch, but failed miserably, her body sliding from the perch she had on the edge of the couch. Her bottom hit hard against the shuttle floor, causing both Inara and Simon to jump to her rescue, but Simon reached her first. He knelt in front of her, Kaylee tossing both arms around his neck as Simon hoisted her up against his body, keeping her secure against his frame as he lifted them up to a standing position. Kaylee nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck, sighing contently, “Mmmmm...thanks, Simon.” He didn’t know if it was the alcohol or the pleased smile that played across Inara’s face that caused him to blush a furious crimson as Kaylee snuggled even closer along his body, her arms locking behind his neck. Inara crawled off the couch and motioned for Simon to place Kaylee on her bed, “Maybe she should stay with me tonight.” Kaylee shook her head energetically, “Nope, I wannas sleep in my own bunk...it’s comfy there.” Simon hefted her back against his body, as he was losing his grip on her from so much drink, and smiled at Inara, “I...I will help her to bed.” Kaylee again sighed with satisfaction as lovely images of Simon helping her into bed swam through her mind, “That sounds real snice.” Inara bit her lip as she moved for the door, keeping her steps smooth, even though the alcohol was beginning to wear off. Pushing the door aside, Inara turned back to help Simon and Kaylee exit the shuttle. Taking slow and steady steps they had made it to just the entrance when they were assaulted by Mal’s form as he barreled through the shuttle door, unannounced as usual. Startled by the sight before him, he took a step back out of the shuttle and gave them all a scathing glare. “Mal!” The words had escaped Inara’s lips with a breathy air to them, but she chalked it up to the massive amounts of sake she had consumed, and not the tingle in the pit of her stomach that had began to tickle her insides when Mal had appeared before them. Kaylee gave him a sloppy smile as she waved her hand, “Hey Cap’n.” Simon refrained from greeting Mal, the look on his face making Simon feel like he was a kid just caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He also didn’t trust his own voice not to sound slurred, so he felt keeping quiet was his best option. “Well aren’t we just the happy little threesome?” Simon immediately blushed at the words chosen by the captain, but Kaylee, in her inebriated stupor let her sloppy smile spread wide across her face, grinning like a loon, “Ain’t we?!” Simon quickly sidestepped Mal, hoisting Kaylee again closer to his body, his movements more deft under duress than they had been just moments before. Mal gave them both an aggravated look as Simon passed by, Kaylee turning her head to face her captain, her hand reaching back to wave at him, “Night!” Mal turned his full irritation to Inara as Simon made haste across the catwalk leading to the crew bunks. He sneered at the Companion as she held herself steady against the open shuttle door. “Thought you didn’t service crew?” Inara’s eyes flashed with fury, “Oh! Grow up, Mal!” With that she slammed the door shut, leaving Mal to fume all by his lonesome.

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So I know that it's not what is expected from a smut promopt, but I wanted to challenge myself as to write one without smuttiness! There may be more on their way.....