Firefly Fic: Stained Stubborn (PG)

[what_works]

Fandom: Firefly
Title: Stained Stubborn
Author: Em
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~100
Spoilers: Serenity
Characters: Zoe, Mal
Prompt: "lost inside," from wiccanslyr's daily drabble prompts
Summary: The blood sticks to the floor, refusing to budge, as stubborn as the man who shed it.


Stained Stubborn

The pilot's chair is wrecked: the upholstery torn and stained in blood.

"Need a new chair," Zoe says.

"That we do." Mal bows his head, a pose that reminds Zoe of Serenity Valley.

Zoe picks up the mop and runs it through the sticky blood. The blood sticks to the floor, refusing to budge, as stubborn as the man who shed it.

Mal's hand covers hers. "You don't need to do that."

"Yes. I do." The resolve in her voice is all that keeps her from breaking.

"Come here." It's harder not to cry with the Captain's arms around her.



~Comments and feedback are appreciated.

Comments

[mar-sin-nua.livejournal.com]

Oof. I like it, but oof.

[theemdash]

Yeah, I oof, too. I love Wash. *cries* Why did I write this? *sobs*

[razycrandomgirl.livejournal.com]

Because it needed to be written ...
yeah I went there.:-)

[theemdash]

Ha! Well, thanks. ;)

Wash is my favorite character and it's really hard for me to watch Serenity let alone write about his death. I'm really surprised that this came out of me.

[razycrandomgirl.livejournal.com]

OMG! so little words, say so much. what a picture...

[theemdash]

Poor Zoe. :(

Thanks for reading.

[razycrandomgirl.livejournal.com]

NO, Thank you for making it review-able. Zoe tries and tries to be so strong. I guess she feels she needs to be for the people around her, for her captain for Wash's memory ... Girl's got to give her self a break! Mal totally see's that.

[theemdash]

Zoe's just a hard nut and I think she feels she needs to be that way because (how sexist is this) she's a girl in a man's job. And she just has to be harder than all the men to be taken seriously. So emotion? That's extraneous. You don't need emotions to do the job, and, yes, sometimes they get in the way. So if they do get in the way, you hollow yourself out, make like a corpse, and keep doing your job.

'Course Mal sees things different and he just can't let things be. I bet he picks scabs, too. ;)

[razycrandomgirl.livejournal.com]

I bet he picks scabs, too. ;)


LMAO Gross!

Yeah, poor dude see's his friend hurting and really just wants to help. He's always playing so hard. We know your nougaty goodness on the inside, Mal.

BTW I'm totally pimping this and thanks again for writing it.

[theemdash]

Ahhh, pimpage. How can I say no? ;)

[sarahetc.livejournal.com]

Oh god. Oh dear. This is very vivid and I may have to cry some now. Thanks for writing it. I'm here via razycrandomgirl's pimp and oh, it stings and hurts.

[theemdash]

Thank you. *hands over a tissue* It does sting.

[askmehow.livejournal.com]

Oh, Zoe. Oh, Mal. This tore me up all over again, and I just want them to be okay and I know that they never, never can be in quite the same way again. *sniff*

[theemdash]

Yes, that's what's so painful. It will never be the same again.

Thanks for reading and I'm glad it touched you. (Also, I'm glad that you enable semicolons.)

[rosehaft.livejournal.com]

Oh, sniff it's like a second funeral to replace Wash's pilot seat. Fitting that Mal & Zoe share the job in private. Good fic.

[theemdash]

I hadn't thought of it being a second funeral, but you're right. However, I did imagine this taking place before the funeral. Though I will admit it's been quite awhile since I've watched Serenity so I can't quite remember the order of things and if they would have had time to clean up some before the funeral.

... Hmm... I think I know what I need to do later today. ;)

[rosehaft.livejournal.com]

The operative had Alliance help repair the ship, but I don't think Zoe would've let anyone else touch Wash. She saw a lot of death after the war (before they were released). She might consider this one more death in the same war.

[theemdash]

Oh, yes. I'm sure that she wouldn't have let anyone else deal with any of the clean up or removal. Except maybe Mal.

[xfirefly9x.livejournal.com]

Awwwww! *sniffs* So perfect!

[theemdash]

Thanks. This one makes me wibble.

[akasha-lilian.livejournal.com]

*tears up* I still don't understand why Joss had to kill Wash. =(

[theemdash]

To. Torture. My. Soul.

[roadrunner1896.livejournal.com]

This is so sad. *hugs Zoe*

I bet millions of fangirls cried for her.

[theemdash]

I'm one of them.

I have trouble really getting Zoe, but this is one pain that I can share with her.