Aboard, About, Above, Across by Jedi Buttercup (G)

[lyr]

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Mal/Inara, Simon/Kaylee
Length: 5,563 words
Author on LJ: jedibuttercup
Author's website: Jedibuttercup.com
Why this must be read: If you have a found families button as I do, this is likely going to delightfully mash yours down as hard as it does mine. This story is the fictional equivalent of curling up in a warm bed on a cold, stormy night and listening to the icy wind howl from a place of smugly certain security. It's a short fic, but there's a lot of love packed into it. Added to that, the voices are strong and jedibuttercup has a deft hand with clear and vivid visuals.

Kids aboard. It was something Mal would never have considered before. But with their records clear for the first time in years, and so much of the abiding rage that had drove him since the war finally bled away, he thought he might could use a little peace and... well, he supposed he had to say it... family.

What a ramshackle schoolhouse they'd make. Mechanical engineering with Miz Frye; culture and history with Miz Serra; biology and chemistry, of course, with Mister Tam. Physical education, maybehaps, with Jayne-- and a little gun safety, too, when they were old enough to see their family carrying 'em around and start to be curious. Didn't want nobody treating 'em like toys. He'd cover literature; he'd worked his way through his Ma's library as a kid and acquired an abiding love for the written word he didn't much have cause to share, these days. Zoe could cover maths; River-girl might figure like she breathed, but she'd probably frustrate anyone not quite as quick as her. The arts, though. He thought River might enjoy being the one to teach them about beauty.

Aboard, About, Above, Across