A Needed Pain by linaerys (R)

[lyr]

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Zoë/Kaylee with Kaylee/Inara implied
Length: 1540 words
Author on LJ: linaerys
Author Website: Linaerys's Fan Fiction
Why this must be read: This is a short slice of the comfort and connection that could pass between these characters post-Serenity. Linaerys does a good job rendering both Zoë and Kaylee's voices clearly, and she makes both Zoë's pain and Kaylee's desire to ease it seem perfectly natural for the characters. The frame of Inara's lessons to Kaylee adds a thoughtful and meaningful touch to the story, and I think the meaning it lends to the character dynamics is actually my favorite part.


“Sometimes,” Inara had said, “sex is for love, sometimes for fun, sometimes for friendship. Sometimes it brings a needed pain, sometimes it soothes it.”

“A needed pain?” Kaylee had asked.

Inara had smiled sadly. “Pain comes before healing, Kaylee, if healing comes at all.”

A Needed Pain