Simon had thought that sex was an art. Terms like rutting or humping were gratuitous, uncivilized ways of expressing the actions involved. Making love - that's what Simon had always called it, what it had always been. But then he'd met Kaylee.

It was still making love, but the art was gone - replaced with instinct. They humped like crazy all over the ship, but mostly in the engine room. She loved the engine room. He smiled to himself as he thought of that, thought of the way her voice rose in pitch as she called his name; the sound of the fission reactor made sure no one else ever heard that, made sure that she was his and only his.

He might not have been able to adjust to Kaylee's style of sex, otherwise.

They never did anything anywhere else on board Serenity if all the crew was accounted for. Too much risk for even Kaylee's taste, and neither of them were ready to share their relationship with the others. Only River knew, and she hadn't been told, hadn't seen. She'd simply known, which hadn't really bothered Simon very much. Kaylee and River liked one another - they were innocent together.

The sound of Simon's laughter careened off the walls of the infirmary. Innocent and Kaylee were two words that should no longer be placed together in his mind. She'd left her innocence firmly behind her when she'd come to him the last time they were on Persephone, brown eyes glittering with mischief and want. He'd been so utterly unprepared for her then, so totally immersed in his ideas of sex and love. Chivalry and honor had been his sustaining traits out in the Black, and he found them lacking when put to the test.

He'd tried to be gentle, to go slowly, but she'd pushed him back against the cabinets of the small kitchen and fumbled with his pants. Her tongue had been hot against his, her mouth soft and demanding. Their teeth had clacked together harshly as he grabbed her face, trying to concentrate on the kiss, falling back on his experiences with others. She'd laughed into him as he blushed, running her hand up his shirt to feel the muscles rippling along his back.

"Excited, Doc?" The way her breath had caught in her throat had sent a jolt of lust through him. His pants were tight and undone and her hands were roaming across his chest and back and he had no idea what to do. She wasn't letting him love her like the others. He was out of his depth.

Her nails, short and bitten, scraped across his hips as she pulled his pants down just a little. Enough to run her fingers through the trail of hair that disappeared below where his belt now rested. He ground into her at that, his body taking over in the absence of his brain - he didn't have any blood left to run it. She'd sidled closer, pressing her curves into his planes and shifting just the right way. He'd groaned, gasping into her mouth.

Kaylee'd pulled away, leaving him confused and maddeningly aroused. Smiling, she'd pulled the tight red tee she'd been wearing over her head and flung it to the side. Her bra wasn't really pretty, but it wasn't ugly either. He was pleased with how it looked, how it represented her. Teal green satin without any frills. He'd gotten it off in record time, pulling her back towards him and covering one small, pink nipple with his mouth. She'd squealed as he sucked, dragging the stubs of her nails across his shoulders, making him shiver into her. He wanted to hear that noise every day for the rest of his life.

Shoving him back again she ripped at the buttons of his shirt, wanting it off of him and failing to get it that way without ruining it. Annoyance had passed through his mind, but had given way to other things and he'd never forget her gasp as he ripped it open the rest of the way, buttons scattering across the floor. Her arms were around his neck and her breasts were against his chest and their stomachs were heaving against one another and all he could think was how wonderful she tasted. Like candy.

Her boots collided with the lower cabinets, shocking them both apart long enough to bring a silly grin to his face. He'd moved her back, then, pressing her into the table and working on the jumpsuit she always wore open and hanging on her hips. It fell around her boots without argument and left nothing behind. It surprised him that she didn't wear panties, but not as much as it surprised him that she shaved. Everywhere.

Laughing, she'd kicked her boots at him and wiggled a little. Simon had never worked so fast to get a pair of shoes off in his life; his pants had worked their way down, and his penis was now clearly visible through his briefs. He'd blushed again but she'd just leaned forward and pushed the pants all the way down, motioning him forward and out of them and his shoes. He pressed into her as she sat on the table and her legs wrapped around behind him and her wetness made him shake.

Kaylee had reached down between them and deftly pulled his cock free of its confines, stroking it and causing him to thrust forward into her hand. She was gentle, but firm. Her rhythm was slow, and her pressure harder on the base than the head. He loved it. He loved her. He wanted her. "I need you." His voice was rougher than he'd ever remembered it being, and she'd smiled up at him as she positioned them both.

She was tight, and wet, and warm, and her gasp as he pushed all the way into her was hot against his ear. She locked herself against him, her arms around his neck and her legs behind his ass. He pulled out only a little before thrusting again, repeating the motion as she moaned and her feet dug into him to make him go harder, deeper. With every thrust her moans were louder, her nails more apparent against his flesh. He couldn't make a sound - he was breathing only for her.

He pushed her down slowly, gently, supporting himself with one arm as he continued to hump her. He played with her breasts, his free hand twisting and squeezing gently between them as she clung to him. They were the perfect size, just fitting into his hand if he cupped them. She liked having her nipples pinched - it made her scream. "Oh God! Simon!" He loved hearing her scream like that.

Kissing her again he moved lower, his mouth questing for her neck. She arched her body against him as he bit gently, scraping his teeth along her clavicle and making her muscles clench around his cock and her legs tighten around his waist. He was close, and he hated it. Hated it being so fast, wanted it to be longer. But that would require it being slower, and he wasn't sure he'd like that anymore. Not after this, not after her.

She ran one hand through his hair, turning his head to face her. Her eyes were dilated - almost black - and her face was flushed. "Watch me." Her voice was soft and rough with need. "Watch what you do to me." And he did, he watched as his final thrust sent her over the edge, watched her melt against him, felt her convulsing as her head rolled back and her scream echoed through the ship. It made him love her more.

They lay there together, gasping for breath. Kaylee's hair had fanned out on the table, and Simon had thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She'd played with his shirttails some, and smiled to no one in particular. At last, she'd looked up at him and stretched, and he'd felt it through his whole body. He'd never known he had stamina before then. "Ready again, huh?" Her eyes had laughed at him; this time, he hadn't blushed. "That's just shiny." She'd paused, a mischievous look on her face. "But first one of us has to clean the kitchen."

It hadn't been love making like he'd known it, but it had been love. And they'd made more of it later in the engine room, after Serenity had gotten on its way again. He'd never treated her like glass, had never whispered sweet nothings in her ears. Simon no longer looked at sex that way. Now he used words like humping and rutting.

And that didn't bother him at all.