I've been dying for some Mal/Simon stuff. Especially if its Simon being stubborn or reluctant about his relationship or sex with Mal. Like he knows he wants too but resists for whatever reason.
(Not my go-to ship for Firefly, but I can roll with it. I hope I didn’t disappoint)
Simon Tam was nothing if not proper. He had kept a hold of that tattered piece of who he was even harder once he was thrown out of his pristine life and had to settle into a much more rough and dirty world than he had ever let himself he a part of.
So when he found himself drawn to the captain of the ship he was residing in, he shoved it down deep within himself.Captain Malcolm Reynolds was the exact opposite of proper. He was rough and sarcastic and spoke his mind… which all just made Simon want him even more.He loved how different Malcolm was than anyone he had ever been attracted to, or told he should be attracted to, in the past.
The doctor didn’t even really care that it was a man he was interested in, though he knew in the back of his head that was a factor to his intrigue as well.Simon refused to let himself play into his wants though, he was above that. He may have been cast out but he was still the same brilliant doctor from a stuck up family that he had always been.
He reminded himself of that every day when he got dressed in his much too formal clothes, fixed his hair in a much too tidy way, and treated the other inhabitants of the ship like they were his esteemed colleagues instead of a bunch of criminals, a confusing preacher, and a companion. He treated his sister more like a daughter sometimes, but he supposed that was normal given her fragile state.He had taken on more of a fatherly roll with her, and didn’t see how it was messing him up.
He couldn’t get sad anymore, he couldn’t get mad anymore, he couldn’t lash out, he couldn’t go after the people he wanted. She came first and only in his life, even Simon himself sometimes didn’t get any attention from himself because of how involved he was in making sure she was ok.Sometimes he’d forget to eat for days because she’d refuse to eat the food because it was “evil”, sometimes he wouldn’t sleep for a week because she’d had nightmares so he’d sit by her bed and calm her every single time one started.
As a doctor, he should have realized how repressing everything could mess someone up.
River had finally gotten through six hours of sleep without waking up, so Simon held out hope that the nightmares were over, at least for the moment.He was looking over his sister’s serene face when he felt his chest tighten. He found it harder to breathe and felt the panic rising in his throat.His first thought was that he was having a heart attack, but since he had no numbness and he was a healthy man in his prime, he quickly concluded that he was having a panic attack.
Simon quickly left his sister’s room and just kept walking to try to get away enough that she wouldn’t wake up.He went to the bridge since that was the furthest he could go on the ship. He sat on the floor in front of Wash’s station so he was hidden from the door and began sobbing into his knees.
He hugged his knees to his chest as he cried hard.He was so caught up in his tears and trying to breathe that he didn’t notice anyone come in.He jumped when he felt a hand in his shoulder. He looked up and sniffed when he saw Mal kneeling before him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” He told the captain.
“You didn’t Doc. I wake up early sometimes, especially when I have to deal with people who had tried to shoot me.” Mal chuckled and shrugged.
“Yea, I can see why.” Simon nodded and wiped his eyes.
The captain just laughed and nodded once more. The doctor smiled back at him, then found himself surging forward to kiss Mal passionately. He let one hand rest on his neck, his other on the captain’s thigh to help steady himself.Mal was a bit surprised but kissed him back without a question, gently tangling his hand in the doctor’s soft hair.
Simon pulled away sharply when his brain let him realize what he was doing.
“I am so sorry, I-i don’t know why. That… I’m sorry.”
“Relax, Doc. Things are different out here in the black.” The captain assured him with a warm smile before he stood up. “Get something to eat and some shuteye before we land for supplies. You know Jayne can wake up the whole gorram ship with those boots of his.” He chuckled some before heading out.
The doctor was very confused and nodded as he got up as well. He took a deep breath before heading back to his room to crash as long as he could.
After that he tried to keep his distance from the captain, not knowing why the captain hadn’t pushed him away. The more time went on, the more Simon couldn’t explain it to himself. He knew things were different out on the rim, but he didn’t think they were that different that people let others they didn’t like kiss them and act like it was fine.
Finally his brain couldn’t take it anymore and he found himself climbing down into the Captain’s quarters.
“Got something on your mind there, Doc?“ The captain asked, turning to look at the doctor with a raised brow.
“Why didn’t you push me away when I kissed you? It’s very clear that you’re interested in Inara, so why did you kiss me back?”
“Just because I tend towards womanfolk don’t mean those are the only folk I enjoy.“ Mal told him simply with a shrug.
Simon was stopped by that sentence, not just because it was so vastly different than the sentences he had grown up with, but also because of the blunt statement.
Just like before, his body moved before his mind could catch up. He was rushing forward and yanking Mal into another heated kiss. He pressed close to him and wrapped his arms around his neck.
Mal happily kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Simon’s waist. He kissed him back easily, slightly surprised when the doctor heated up the kiss.
Simon nipped his bottom lip before moving his leg between the captain’s to grind against his clothed cock.
Mal growled into his lips and easily picked up the doctor before moving them to his bed. He laid Simon on his back before moving over him, straddling his one thigh.
The doctor moaned as well, hands quickly going to unbutton Malcolm’s shirt and push it off of his shoulders.
Mal smirked and happily pushed Simon’s shirt up and off of his pale torso before yanking him back into a heated kiss.
Simon let his nails gently scratch down the captain’s back while grinding up on him. He bit his lip and looked down when he felt the captain’s impressive shaft pressing against him.
“You’re hard.“ He told the man on top of him, still grinding up on him.
“The human male’s shaft can become fully engorged in under five seconds given appropriate stimulation.” River’s casual voice said.
Both men jumped at the sudden voice and pulled apart, looking towards the ladder. River had laid down on her back in the hallway that held the hatch to his room and had let her chest, head, and arms dangle down into his room. She was running her hands through her dark locks while she watched them with disinterest in her eyes.
“River, this... it, it’s not... it’s just not. This is... uh...“ Simon stammered, quickly getting up from under Mal to pull his clothes back on.
“I want soup.“ She cut him off to say simply.
“Yea, of course, mei mei.“ He nodded and climbed up the ladder, not looking back at Mal because he knew he was blushing.
He stayed very clear of Mal after that, not trusting his body around the captain. He was a proper man from the Core, he courted gorgeous women who had been picked by his parents to help elevate the family name. He didn’t have a hot and heavy dust-up with a male browncoat.
Just because his brain knew that, didn’t mean his body knew that. Now that he had gotten a taste of it, he couldn’t think of anything else whenever he saw the captain.
It was a small ship after all, there were only so many places he could go.
It took several months, but finally Simon convinced himself that having some physical fun was the new normal. Everyone did it out on the rim and he knew he needed it.
So he finally went to the captain and they finally had sex, and promised to never tell Wash because it had been on his desk.
They kept meeting for physical relief and Simon assured to himself that it was a simple thing, just sexual relief that they both needed.
He didn’t let himself realize that they were kind of dating as well. He said it was just sex, but they were spending more time together while not having sex as well.
They would talk after they had sex, they’d have meals together as often as possible, and Mal had been spending more time in the infirmary with Simon. He usually spent time with Zoe and Wash, every so often with Jayne as well, but now it was all Simon.
Everyone else seemed to notice what was happening but Simon kept it in his head that they were just having sex. He had to admit though, he liked seeing Mal. He liked spending time with him, he liked getting to know him.
They talked about Simon’s childhood, Mal loved seeing the twinkle in the doctor’s eyes when he doted on River as a young child, loved hearing the pride in his voice when he talked about how hard he worked at school.
Simon was absolutely fascinated when he heard Mal talk about his childhood. He was thoroughly surprised to find out that Mal actually grew up on one of the Core planets and moved out when he noticed how evil the Alliance could be and since then was a badass pirate and veteran.
They actually had a lot in common and it made both of them very happy.
It wasn’t until River intervened that Simon finally got past his wall of stubbornness towards him and Mal being together.
“You should be together.“ River informed her brother simply, making marks in one of Book’s books he had left at the kitchen table accidentally.
“What? Who? What?“ Simon asked her, very confused as to what she was trying to tell him or if he even knew what she was about to say.
“You and our captain. You like him and he likes you. You’re dating even if your brain is confused on it.“
“What? We... we’re not, we’re just..“
“You’re in love. It’s ok. You can love him too.“ She smiled at him in a way that was both like a wise old woman and a small child.
“It’s not love, River. It’s... it’s different out here.“ Simon sighed softly and gave her a happy smile.
“It’s not. Your heart is your heart no matter what.“
Simon just gave her a smile and nodded, not thinking about it too much for the moment.
His head didn’t let it go though, and that night while he was bathing it rang through his head. He was fighting with himself over whether or not he could date the captain, but River was the most important person in his life and she was telling him to.
Simon was nervous about it, but he decided to just go for it before his brain could overthink. He took a deep breath and headed to the cargo bay where he heard Jayne, Wash, Zoe, and Mal playing basketball.
He came down and couldn’t keep the smile off his lips when Mal saw him and smiled brightly.
“You coming to play, Doc?“ He asked playfully.
“Not right now. I... Mal, when we land do you want to go out to eat with me?“
“Why Doctor Tam, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were asking me on a date.“ The captain commented playfully.
“I am. I am asking you on a date.“
“Well I’m honoured, Doctor. I’ll wear my finest holster.“
“Ok.“ Simon laughed and nodded.
He turned to head back up before turning and taking a few steps closer to Mal before kissing him. Mal happily kissed him back but didn’t get the chance to deepen it much as Simon pulled away when Wash began cheering and Jayne made gagging noises.
“See you later.“ He chuckled before heading back up to the infirmary to check the Cortex to see what decent places there were to eat at on their next planet.
(This ended up longer than I thought and I hope it was roughly what you were dying for lol. Thanks for the submission =) )
