The Sun Will Come Out, Malcolm ReynoldsxReader

You were minding your own in a bar, swirling an amber liquid around in your glass. As of right now you were out of work, homeless, and single. You spent most of your savings following a man to an outer rim planet, and your parents who would willingly take you back were so far away. So it was time to drink your problems and deal with it tomorrow.

It was a mostly empty bar, a few staggering alcoholics tucked in the corners. The dusty orange lights swung with even the lightest breeze. In fact, there was dust everywhere, and even with your best efforts you never really could scrub yourself clean. There was soft music playing in the background, and the bartender looked at you with a smile.

"You'll get drunk quicker if you drink it, miss." He said.

"Yeah I know." You said, taking a long drink of it. The cool liquid coated your throat and for a moment you thought maybe you would be okay. In that same moment a handful of people entered. The leader of the group, a broad and tall man, sat next to you.

"You look lonesome." He said before summoning the bartender and asking for a drink.

"And I quite like it." You said, lying.

"No you don't." He said. In the background whispers among his entourage worried you.

"I don't need you tellin' me what I already know." You burst out, trying to keep your cool but failing.

"Captain, I think she wants to be alone." Said a girl in the background, and you wondered if she could help you out.

"The only reason a pretty girl like you would be here alone is if things got really bad. Let me tell you right now, miss," he grumbled, "that getting upset at me isn't going to help."

"Are you a feelings Doctor? Because you don't seem to be medical man." You asked, turning in your seat to look at him. If he wasn't irritating you right now, you'd probably think he was even a little handsome. Those tight pants definitely had a purpose, and it wasn't just for fashion and functionality.

"No, but I have been where you are right now." You glared at him, doubting he really felt the same pain you did. He took a swig of his drink before offering you his hand. "Captain Mal Reynolds."

You shook it with a firm grip. "(Y/fn) (y/ln)."

"Well then. I'm glad we had this talk." He said, finishing his drink and preparing to get up. "It seems my crew is getting antsy."

You looked back to see his mismatched friends relaxed, enjoying themselves. They didn't seem to care what sort of trouble their fearless Captain had gotten into.

"They don't seem to be in a hurry." You spied a couple happily flirting with each other, making the others at the table a little uncomfortable. They were definitely content now.

"Yeah, I guess." Mal murmured, a little embarrassed.

"Wait, you don't know me. How are you sure that you've been where I am?" You asked after a few moments of silence as you slowly processed everything this Mal had said to you since his unwelcome arrival.

"Why don't you tell me your story and I'll try to help." He offered and you laughed, because he surely knew how ridiculous this proposition was. There was nothing in common between you and him because you weren't some space captain with a big ego and tight pants. You felt like he was going to use you to validate himself, and you were kind of over it.

We're you going to tell him how you ended up in this bar talking to him though? Probably was more likely to happen than for him to have a shared experience. But it wasn't like you would ever see this man again. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to air out your grievances.

"I'm pretty sure we have nothing in common, but I'll talk. Not because I need your help, but maybe saying this stuff out loud will help me recover." You said, before taking a sip of your drink. “But I guess it starts out a year ago when I followed my fiance out here. We were in love and looking to make a fortune out of farming the land out here.”

“Oh wow you were in love! That’s so cute. So let me guess, he broke your heart?” He asked mockingly. You felt like smashing your now empty glass on his nose.

“Hey you don’t get to be a jerk about it.” You defended yourself. “I’m sure you've done that. I mean, you’re like a million years old.”

“You don’t even know me.” Mal snapped. “But yes, I guess I've kind of followed someone I loved blindly. Carry on.”

You scoffed at his assumption that you needed his permission to keep talking.

“Well turns out for the past little bit he’s been sleeping with one of my only friends on this godforsaken planet. When I outed him on the topic he fired me from the little business we made and we broke up. On top of that, he kicked me out of our shack. So I guess things could be worse, but right now I’m kind of stuck out here for the rest of my life.”

Mal swirled the remains of his drink in his glass before drinking it all down in one smooth motion. He set the glass down on the bar and beckoned for the bartender to refill both our glasses. You moved to object, partially because you thought maybe it was time for you to stop drinking. But also because you weren't sure if you could cover the cost.

“No, it’s on me. I’m sorry for being so inconsiderate.”

“Thanks.”

“If you’re willing to pay your way through labour, I’m sure there’s room on my ship for someone like you who wants a one way trip off of this rock.” His lopsided smile seemed to be contagious because you started smiling.

“Thanks. Again.” You added, a little amazed at his generosity.

When you finished your drinks and he paid the bartender, you said your final goodbyes to this desolate rock as you boarded his ship, which was lovingly referred to as Serenity. Mal and his crew warmly welcomed you to your new home for the next few weeks. Things were definitely starting to look up for you. And you knew this was especially true the one night that Mal said something particularly flirty and winked at you in front of his crew.

Yeah, you weren't exactly where you thought you wanted  to be but you were pretty happy.