xfirefly9x

Title: Towels And Torture
Fandom: Firefly
Characters: Inara
Prompt: #009 Soothing and #000 character study / shower / anything
Word Count: 318
Rating: T+
Summary: The water caressing her back is warm and soothing.
Notes: Written for

coclaim100 and

c425cc33.

The water caressing her back is warm and soothing. It gently pounds the tension out of her muscles and cleanses her. Her skin has never felt more alive or refreshed.

Closing her eyes, she tilts her head back under the spray. She runs her fingers through her hair as the water changes her dark brown locks to an even deeper, almost black colour.

She applies soap, lavender, that a client presented her with on their last meeting and then shampoo and conditioner possessing the same scent. When she’s done, she steps back from the calming water and turns the tap very slowly until it is no more.

A towel is waiting for her outside the shower, hung over one of four porcelain railings protruding from the wall. She takes it and it is soft – soft and comfortable and warm.

She tosses it.

It reminds her too much of what’s left behind, of who’s left behind. On Serenity, they didn’t even have the luxury of a shower and here she was, showering and using the finest of towels to dry herself with.

She heads into the bedroom to find her old towel instead. Her old one is also soft, but it’s worn out. More importantly, it makes her feel less guilty.

For the entirety of her shower, she had been able to forget everything and relax. She had been able to shed the yearning to call the crew up on the cortex just so she could see their faces and talk to them once more.

Now, those desires flood back to her and the stress begins to pile up again. She should have expected no less. It happens the same way every time she takes a shower.

Only the next time, she swears to herself, there will be no old towel filled with memories or otherwise to go running back to. She wouldn’t let it torture her any longer.