Word Count: 2741 approx. Rating: G Spoilers: Set after BDM. Vague allusions. Pairing: Mal/Inara Authors Note: A little fluff biscuit, just for fun. Originally written in an RP with the lovely anjulie.

Title: Not All Bad By: 2x2 and anjulie

Mal sighed, running a hand through his hair in resignation. He’d put it off as long as he possibly could - a man couldn’t hide in his bunk forever.

Why this day always ended up fallin’ when they were in the Black, in the middle of nowhere, with a ship full of bored crew havin’ nothin’ better to do than poke their noses into matters that didn’t concern them was a mystery to him.

He’d made it crystal that he wanted no undue fuss made – wanted nothing done that would mark today as different from any other, he thought as he climbed the ladder out of his bunk. And he’d made his point well enough, Mal assured himself as he moved through the corridor and into the galley.

“Happy birthday, Cap’n!” Kaylee sang out, smiling broadly as she gestured to the cupcake they’d put at his place at the table.

‘Tamade!’ he cursed silently. ‘Didn’t nobody on this gorram boat ever listen to a word he said?'

Inara watched as Mal glanced from the tiny, crooked candle to the expectant, and somewhat nervous, faces around the table, then smiled to herself as he gave in and sat down grumpily, giving Zoë a significant look that promised retribution after the meal.

“We thought you’d want to keep the celebration quiet,” Inara remarked softly, drawing his glare from his first mate, “so we didn’t go for the usual cotillion and feast. We talked Kaylee out of making that three-layer chocolate and strawberry pound cake - the one with the dozen eggs?” She tilted her head and smiled teasingly. “So, it’s just the cupcake, the streamers, and the birthday hats,” Inara added innocently as he swung his disgruntled gaze to her. “And we kept the gifts to a minimum.” She placed a flat, nondescript package beside his plate with a quiet smile.

Mal’s eyes flicked down to the box, then back up, holding her gaze for a long moment.

“Thought I made it more’n clear that I didn’t want no fuss,” he reproved, turning to glare at the rest of the crew before relenting slightly. “But, seein’ as how you’ve gone to the trouble…” He reached for the cupcake.

“Not yet, Cap’n!” Kaylee exclaimed. “First you gotta put on your hat and close your eyes and make a wish.” She pulled on her purple party hat and motioned to Mal and the rest of the crew.

“I ain’t puttin’ on no ruttin’ hat,” protested Jayne.

“Oh, you surely are,” said Mal grimly, pulling his on. “As a matter of fact, each an every one a’ you is gonna be wearing one of these here very glittery hats, and that’s an order.”

“Don’t wear hats, sir,” said Zoe soberly, “glittery or otherwise.”

Mal grinned at her humorlessly. “You do today,” he promised, tossing her a blue one.

“Well, technically, they’re really more crowns than hats,” Simon put in helpfully, trying to hold back a grin at the thought of Jayne and Zoe wearing the shiny paper circlets.

“Don’t know why you’re punishin’ me, Mal,” Jayne groused. “I told ‘em not to do it.”

“Jayne!” Kaylee huffed, “You did no such thing!” She turned her cheerful face back to Mal, blissfully unaware of the undercurrents of aggravation running through him. “Matter of fact, he beat the icing for the cupcake."

"Only so's I could lick the bowl," Jayne mumbled defensively.

"Now, make a wish!” she instructed Mal brightly, sending a playful look in Inara’s direction. “Not that we don’t all know what you’re hopin’ for,” she grinned knowingly, rocking back and forth with excitement.

Inara hid a smile as a blush crept up Mal’s neck at Kaylee’s words, wondering if it was embarrassment or rage. She placed a gold crown over her curls and shared an amused look with Zoe, who winked and grinned at Mal’s discomfiture before shaking out her own coronet.

Mal swallowed and cleared his throat gruffly. He glanced around the table, his eyes lingering on Inara for a moment before he scratched his ear and frowned. He studied the flame as the candle leaned precariously toward the table, drew in a breath, closed his eyes, and blew it out.

Kaylee cheered and clapped wildly, while River joined in with an enthusiastic two-fingered whistle, followed by quieter clapping from Simon, Inara, and Zoe.

“So, what’d ya wish for, Mal?” Jayne leered suggestively, before Kaylee punched him on the arm.

“Oh no!” she exclaimed disapprovingly. “Ya can’t tell, Cap’n, or it won’t come true.”

“She’s right,” said Inara with a soft smile, and knew this time he was blushing for certain.

“Ain’t aimin’ to tell,” he growled defensively. “So, do I get to eat this now, lil’ Kaylee?” he asked, eyeing his cupcake dubiously. The sooner he ate the damn thing, the sooner he could put the day behind him – and take off the stupid hat.

“Not yet!" she admonished. "First you have to open your birthday gifts!” At the mechanic’s words, four more small packages were produced from laps to join Inara’s.

Mal studied them, looking around at each eager face, hating birthdays with all his heart – this part ‘specially. One, he didn’t need a thing – 'cept some gun oil and bluing. Two, he’d have to pretend to like each offering and bury guilt at the thought of them spending their hard-earned coin on him.

He swallowed a sigh and picked up Kaylee’s box first. It was wrapped in a lime green hankie embroidered with purple butterflies and, against his will, Mal felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. He tugged the orange, curly bow off, carefully laying it aside to be reused. His fingers grasped a red satin ribbon attached to a small metal token apparently made from fused spare parts. It had a faintly Sino look to it. Mal tilted his head to see if he was holding it correctly.

“It’s a good luck charm - for Serenity. You can tie it to the control panel. Wards off evil,” Kaylee informed him proudly.

“That’s real thoughtful. You make this yourself, darlin’?” Mal asked, touched in spite of his bad mood.

“Simon helped,” she trilled, sending the doctor a smile that made him turn beet red.

“Just bet he did,” Mal muttered, glaring at the younger man who suddenly developed an intense interest in refolding the cloth wrappings.

He opened their favors, finding in each a small offering that was meant for him personally. Jayne gave him ammunition. “You’ll like those, Mal. Reloaded ‘em myself - went heavy on the powder if you know what I mean,” the big merc assured him with a grin and a wink. Mal thanked him, making a mental note to lock the ammo in a metal box marked ‘Things Like to Blow You to Hell’.

River’s gift left him nearly speechless as he struggled not to crumple the delicate origami model of Serenity while he contemplated the amazing replication.

“Now ain’t that somethin’?” he marveled with a smile, making her blush and grin with self-conscious pleasure.

Simon’s gift, surprisingly, was an antique book on Naval warfare from Earth-That-Was. Mal examined it closely, before quietly thanking the young doctor.

Zoe had refilled his gun cleaning kit, purchasing the much-needed bottle of gun oil and some bluing. “Don’t do handmade, sir,” she’d said dryly, yet she’d cut soft material into neat stacks for cleaning squares. A closer inspection of the fabric brought a lump to Mal’s throat as he recognized it as coming from one of Wash’s wildly patterned shirts. He shared a look with Zoe he knew no one else understood.

Finally, he reached hesitantly for the elegantly wrapped package from Inara – the one he’d saved for last.

Inara watched, suddenly nervous, as he opened and unrolled a scroll of rice paper. It was an ink painting of a cherry tree, heavy with fat, pink blossoms. An inscription, written in an impossibly neat hand, nestled under the flower-laden branches. Mal contemplated the artwork, noting Inara’s tiny initials painted in the corner. He made no comment and a quiet settled on the revelers as they looked curiously back and forth between the Captain and the Companion.

She hesitated, unsure if he could read the Mandarin symbols. When he continued to study it, she finally began softly, “It says….”

“I know what it says,” he interrupted, voice slightly rough. He cleared his throat and cast a sideways glance over Inara. “I uh… “ He swallowed. “Thank you,” he muttered noncommittally, rolling the scroll up and replacing it carefully.

“I… got captain-y things,” he announced gruffly, pushing his chair back abruptly and standing.

“But Cap’n…!” pleaded Kaylee, but he shook his head.

“This was… all….real shiny,” he assured them, avoiding eye contact, then turned and headed out of the galley.

They all watched him go with varying degrees of shock and surprise.

“Oh, no…” Kaylee gasped, her lip trembling as she fought the unshed tears that pooled in her eyes. She looked at Zoe and Inara in dismay. “Oh, it was all goin’ so well. What do you supposed made him just leave like that? He ain’t never wanted us to do much for his birthday, but he ain’t never just walked out without even eatin’ his cupcake,” she wailed. Simon put his arm around her and she turned her head into his neck, snuffling loudly.

“I’m sure the captain had a reason for leaving so…abruptly,” Simon soothed her. “I don’t think he’s very comfortable being the center of attention. Isn’t that right, Zoe?” he asked almost desperately.

Zoe studied the doorway where Mal had escaped and then Inara for a long second before she sent Kaylee a comforting smile. She reached across the table and squeezed the mechanic’s hand. “That’s the truth of it. Never could stand to be singled out for nothin’, not even a good thing. Don’t mean he ain’t grateful.”

“Scared,” River breathed softly, yet loudly enough to draw all eyes to her as she delicately propelled the paper model of Serenity through the air in front of her face. She ignored the rest of the crew, moving her gaze as though she could follow Mal through the metal skin of the ship. She turned to Inara. “Scared that you heard the stars whisper, too.”

Inara blinked, startled by the girl's words.

“Sooo…can I have that there cupcake if nobody else ain’t gonna…what?” Jayne asked as every eye turned to him in amazement. “Well hell, Mal don’t want it!” he half whined. “And it ain’t like I made him leave – Inara done that with her …what did you write that tore Mal up so, anyhow?” he smirked slyly.

Inara swallowed hard as every eye swung from Jayne to her, mouth suddenly dry and cheeks hot with embarrassment. “I – uh, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to…um…I’ll be back,” she mumbled as she gracefully rose and moved in the direction Mal had taken.

Zoe and Kaylee’s eyes met across the table knowingly as Zoe smacked Jayne’s fingers away from the icing without looking at him. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned before she rose and walked toward the bridge.

“Well, I’m saving his cupcake,” Kaylee sniffed, but made no effort to move from Simon’s embrace.

Mal looked up as he reached the hatch to Inara’s shuttle, finding himself there before he knew it was where he’d been heading. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, settling against the catwalk railing to wait for her, fairly confident that she would follow him eventually. When she came walking toward him less than three minutes later, he nodded to her without really making eye contact and strolled into her shuttle ahead of her.

“I don’t know what it means,” he admitted quietly, turning to face her as she followed him in.

“What, the scroll?” she questioned and he nodded. “I thought you said you could read—“

”Know what it says, ’Nara. Want to know what it means.”

“What do you think it means?”

Mal shook his head in dissatisfaction. “Nuh uh, it ain’t workin’ that way. I’m askin’ you, an’ I want you to answer.”

She studied his troubled face before moving past him and sitting down on her small sofa. She left room for him, waiting patiently until he finally sat down stiffly by her side.

“I guess having a party wasn’t such a good idea. I’m sorry that we didn’t respect your wishes, Mal.” She smiled ruefully at him as he turned to catch her gaze. “I thought you knew that when I came back with you…well, let’s just say that I thought my actions spoke for themselves where you’re concerned. I'm sorry that my gift upset you.”

“Ain’t upset,” he denied. “I just… hell, Inara, you know I don’t do well with that sorta situation.” He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it even more. “An’ yeah, reckon I had a fair idea what your stayin’ on meant, but ain’t about to say I got an understandin’ of every nuance of this thing between us. You write me somethin’ like that, well… wanna be damn sure I know plain as day what your meanin’ is ‘fore I go doin’ somethin’ stupid we’re the both of us like to regret, is all.”

Inara couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips as she shook her head at him in wonder.

“You’ll take on anyone or anything, regardless of the odds – maybe because of them – but one little love poem from a girl and you’re a mess.” His stunned look turned her smile into a grin and something light and fluttery bubbled up in her stomach as she moved closer to him, cupping his cheek in her hand to turn his face down to hers.

“Malcolm Reynolds, what am I going to do with you?”

He studied her for a long moment, blinking as he leaned into her palm slightly, then, before he could think the better of it, he closed the distance between them quickly, bringing his lips to hers in a gentle, exploratory first kiss. His eyes slid closed as he moved his mouth over hers softly, his hands sweeping up to catch in her hair when she didn’t pull away.

Inara froze for a moment, then, with a sigh of pleasure, she returned the kiss, meeting his sweet and insistent lips with her own. Coherent thought left her as sparks of pleasure slid down her spine. She let the taste and scent and warmth of him wash over her until he pulled reluctantly back, studying her parted lips. His eyes were dark and questioning as they rose to meet hers.

“Well,” she breathed with a dazed smile, “that’s one thing I could do.”

His lips curved in answer as he trailed his fingers down her cheek, his thumb gently brushing the corner of her mouth. “Conjure we could think of some more things if you really mean to stay."

“I really mean to stay,” she affirmed, lifting her hand to cover his. “That’s what I was trying to tell you with the poem.

‘While cherry blossoms fell around us like stars, the heavens whispered,Your arms will shelter me and my heart will be your home,’ she quoted softly, looking into his eyes. “It’s a very old verse, Mal, but it says what I feel, what I want - with you. Is that plain enough for you?”

“Got a nice ring to it,” he agreed softly, pulling her closer to him as he slid his arms around her. Mal let his forehead tilt forward to rest gently against hers.

“Always a place for you in my arms as long as you want it,” he whispered, tightening his embrace tenderly.

“And there will always be a place in my heart for you,” she whispered trailing her fingers up his cheek to toy with his hair. “Happy birthday, Mal.”

He closed his eyes a moment, enjoying the sensation of her hands on his nape before opening them again with a warm smile.

“You know,” he murmured, leaning in to touch her lips briefly. “It really is.”

She smiled and they stayed that way a moment, basking in their closeness, before Inara spoke again.

“How old are you, anyway?”

“Yep. There it goes…” Mal huffed, disentangling himself from her arms, rolling his eyes as he rose and walked out.

“What? Mal… Mal?” she called after him, jumping up to follow. “Mal!”