mfirefly10 | Fic: Zoe/Inara femslash

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Title: Hand-in-Hand
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: Zoe/Inara, mentions of past Zoe/Wash
Rating: NC-17, to play safe
Word Count: 946
Warnings: Spoilers for everything, especially the BDM.
Author's Note: Post-BDM. Originally written for the femslash_today porn battle. Zoe's POV, explaining how her relationship with Inara developed.

As Inara's hands palmed her breasts, Zoe couldn’t help but think how soft they were compared to her husband’s. Zoe didn’t wanna be thinkin’ on him at a time like this but the truth was, she wouldn’t be here with Inara if it weren’t for Wash. That damned man of hers had made her life so much more complicated than she’d ever wanted.

Before him, she would’ve just gone to the first semi-respectable bar she could find on whatever back-water planet they set down on and picked some stranger out of the crowd to fill her needs. Zoe’d always chosen someone who smelled nice and didn’t talk much and she’d have had her way with ‘em and been back on the ship ‘for anyone even knew she was gone. But then she married Wash and he’d gotten her used to the idea of sex and intimacy goin’ hand-in-hand.

For a long time after his death, she pushed her needs down ‘cause she didn’t know how to have that kind of connection with anyone else. Then, ‘bout a year after Miranda, she found herself standin’ in Inara’s shuttle. Zoe hadn’t admitted why she’d gone there but Inara knew without her havin’ to say a word. In fact, it was Inara who’d done all the talkin’ that first night.

Inara sat Zoe down and put one gentle hand on Zoe’s knee. The companion confessed to feeling the same need Zoe did, for the chance to lie with someone she trusted and cared for. That first time, they’d barely done more than touch each other. Inara’d asked Zoe to strip down to her underwear and lie on the bed. Zoe did as she was told and Inara started out by massaging Zoe’s neck and shoulders.

At first, Zoe felt strange havin’ someone else’s hands on her, hands that weren’t strong and calloused from years of piloting. But Inara’s delicate touch was soothing and as she worked the tension out of Zoe’s muscles, she talked. Inara told her of how she’d missed the girls at the Academy, the ones she’d been trainin’ before she returned to Serenity. Inara spoke fondly of her former students and before Zoe knew it, she was so relaxed she had started to dose off. Inara added some warm, sweet-smelling oils when she began to work on Zoe’s back and each touch sent sparks of pleasure all the way down to Zoe’s toes.

Zoe didn’t know how long it’d been before she’d fallen asleep but she woke cradled in Inara’s arms, having slept through the night for the first time since she’d lost Wash. That morning, Zoe made love to Inara in a bed too soft and with hands that wouldn’t stop shaking. Inara hadn’t seemed to mind and she invited Zoe to return to her shuttle again that night.

That was six months ago and in the time since, Zoe’s feelings for Inara had deepened beyond what she’d expected. She found herself spending any spare minute she had in the companion’s presence and there were plenty of times when it’d had nothin’ to do with sex. Zoe just liked bein’ around Inara, liked having her near. They’d gotten just as comfortable talkin’ as not and Zoe found she’d had a hard time sleepin’ when Inara was off with a client or she and Mal had to stay the night planet-side for a job.

It’d been more than a week apart this time and as soon as they broke away from the rest of the crew, Zoe covered Inara’s mouth with her own. The whimper Inara released when Zoe’s knee found its way between Inara’ legs let Zoe know she wasn’t the only one who wanted to make up for lost time. Inara’d gotten Zoe out of her clothes and onto her back with practiced speed but now she wanted to take her time.

Inara placed kisses all along Zoe’s collarbone as her hands got lost in Zoe’s hair.
Zoe tried to speed things up by brushing her thumbs over Inara’s nipples in that quick-slow motion Inara loved but Inara caught both of Zoe’s hands in her own and pinned them over Zoe’s head. Zoe relented, knowing Inara would have to take pity on her eventually, especially if Zoe made that sound in the back of her throat that made Inara’s pulse quicken. Zoe was right and after a few strategic moans, Inara moved to Zoe’s breasts and took each into her mouth in turn, as her free hand ghosted over Zoe’s stomach.

Zoe managed to breathe out Inara’s name and Inara released her hold on Zoe’s hands so she could run them over Inara’s scalp. Zoe laughed as Inara’s hair ticked her belly and she had to force her hips not to buck when Inara finally moved between her legs. Zoe’s fingers smoothed through Inara’s hair as Inara’s tongue did its work but soon enough, she had to dig the heels of her hands into the sheets to restrain herself.

Inara knew Zoe’s body so well that she was able to bring her to climax in half the time she spent on foreplay and as Inara guided Zoe through the aftershocks of her orgasm, she whispered words Zoe’d never thought she’d hear again after her husband’s voice was forever silenced.

Zoe pulled Inara to her for a long, thorough kiss and used the distraction to flip them over so Inara was pinned beneath her. Zoe had never been good with words but she showed Inara how much she’d been missed with tongue and touch until both women were too tired to do anything but collapse side by side and sleep well into the next day.