A DRINK TOO FAR Mal/Simon, PG-16

"I try to fix one gorram door, and the damn ship tries to kill me... OW!"

Simon looks up at the captain in frustration. "If you'd stop thrashing around it wouldn't hurt, and I haven't even started stitching you up yet... I'm just cleaning it out."

Mal glances down at the 8 inch gash in his leg, and then frowns up at the doctor. "I don't mean to tell you your job or nothing, but aren't I usually numbed up with something right about now?"

The doctor grimaces as he picks up another clean piece of gauze. "Well, River decided that it would be a fun game to mix some of those pretty chemicals together... it cleaned off the top of the counter nicely, but that means that my supplies are pretty low." He picks up all of the bloody gauze and moves over to the trash dump in the wall. "The way this crew manages to embroil itself in dangerous situations I thought it wise to reserve our meager rations for an emergency."

Mal looks down at his leg again... it needs stitches. "Uh, doc... all manly toughness aside..."

Simon laughs. "I've got a little alternative medicine that should do the trick..." Reaching under the bed against the bulkhead, he pulls out a large brown bottle.

Mal looks at the label and smiles that rare, slow smile. : : : : "Naked?!?" Mal sprays Ng Ka Pei out into the air (which is probably for the best, as the mostly-full bottle is now mostly EMPTY). "And you weren't kicked out or arrested or nothin?"

Simon smiles wryly as he finishes wrapping up the leg. "Well, I was naked, but the police kindly helped me find my wallet, so they wouldn't have to fill out all of that paper work... very reasonable prices, those officers."

Simon turns away to wash his hands, not realizing that he's humming THAT SONG and kind of shaking his butt in time to the music. Mal is still staring at the ceiling and sniggering a bit, but he hears the melody and turns in the doctor's direction. He stops laughing real quick.

Simon is obliviously cleaning up his workspace, singing under his breath now in a warm tenor... something about bedsprings and howling at the moon.

Mal feels the drunken haze burn off in a sudden upswell of lust, a wave of heat so hard and unexpected he almost loses it right then and there. When the doctor bends over to pick up another piece of gauze, Mal groans loudly and rolls onto his side, AWAY from Simon... who hears the groan and turns quickly in alarm. "Does it hurt that badly? Maybe I can give you a local, let me see..."

"NO! No, nope, I'm good! Never felt better! Gotta go!" Mal exclaims loudly, swinging his legs off of the side of the operating table and attempting to make a quick getaway. Unfortunately, his leg and his sense of balance are not quite what he thinks they are, and he slips and starts to fall. Cursing (in Chinese, of course), Simon vaults the table and grabs Mal right up under the arms before he has a chance to fall. Shocked by his speed, Mal grabs at him for stability, feeling the hard muscles underneath the stiff white shirt. 'Where did those come from' he thinks muzzily, and slowly moves his eyes up Simon's body until they lock onto his face. "Where did these muscles come from," he almost whispers, looking up past that fringe of hair into Simon's eyes.

Simon's breath catches in his throat at the tone in his captain's voice, the way his pupils are dilated with desire. He answers, equally softly "You never noticed?" He tries to lower Mal gently to the floor, but Mal won't let go, and they both end up sitting on the floor, legs tangled together. "You're dribbling wine." He reaches a finger up to wipe the corner of Mal's mouth, but ends up running his finger lightly over the lips, rubbing the lower one as Mal's eyes darken even more. He runs his hand up to brush the sandy brown hair away from Mal's eyes. "You... are so..." Mal closes his eyes against the frank admiration on Simon's face, and seems to come back to his senses a bit.

"Doctor, I reckon my..."

Simon sees his chance slipping away, and grabs the short hairs at the nape of Mal's neck. Mal's eyes pop open wide, and his hips jerk involuntarily against Simon, just a little. As if to give him time to protest, Simon sloooowly lowers his face to Mal's, gently grazing their lips together. Mal almost goes limp in his arms, it feels so good. He leans into the kiss, increasing the pull on his hair just a bit, slipping his tongue up into that pretty mouth. Simon counters by pulling back a little, and then nipping at that tempting bottom lip, sucking on it as Mal's dizziness increases. It's been so long... Actually... "Deng yi miao, wait, stop..." Simon freezes, and then pulls back completely, releasing Mal's hair. He doesn't look up, afraid to see the rejection on Mal's face. Mal grabs that stubborn chin and forces Simon to face him, searching for words. "Uh." He blows out a breath forcefully, lets him go and looks away, and then back with a hint of... embarassment? "Thing is, I ain't never done this before.. You know, um.... not that I've NEVER done this before, just not with a man... not that I never wanted to, you understand, not that the opportunity never came up, but things being the way they are..."

Simon's look of trepidation is rapidly fading into comprehension, and then amusement as he watches the normally taciturn captain trip over his tongue to try to explain without explaining (and without looking him in the eye). He reaches up, with both hands this time, placing them on either side of Mal's face. Mal stills instantly, looking up at him. Simon smiles, gently, but with a wicked sparkle in his eyes. "This isn't life or death right now, Mal." He runs one hand back through Mal's hair, and grins a little wider as Mal closes his eyes again and shudders with desire. "You were in the Independent army, correct? You do remember how to take orders?" Mal takes a long, slow, deep breath and opens his eyes to look at Simon. His voice is low and steady.

"Yes, Sir."