om_main | Inara and Simon, backdated 10/17/13

Simon and Inara discuss his father's actions. It doesn't go quite the way Simon was expecting.

After Jean-Paul's email, Inara hadn't been able to decide if she should go to Simon or hope that he would come to her. In the end, she'd compromised and invited Simon to come see her, saying nothing more than she thought he might need someone to talk to.

She'd laid everything out for them -- tea, thin cookies, and a "see-through" salad of herbs and orange segments. And hoped that she could keep her temper.

The door popped open, and Inara took his hand at once to tow him into the room. "Simon..." She smiled at him. "I was hoping you weren't busy. Jean-Paul got in touch with me and it sounded like you could use a friend. Both of you, actually, but he didn't seem interested."

Simon opened his mouth, then closed it, frowning slightly but allowing himself to be tugged after her. "He told you?"

Inara winced slightly; the way Jean-Paul and Simon were with each other, it had never occurred to her that Simon didn't know. That made her all the more nervous about her own confession. But one thing at a time.

"He touched base with a few of your friends," she clarified. "To make sure no one said anything accidentally careless. He seemed pretty upset himself. For Jean-Paul."

"I think he's a little beyond upset," Simon confessed, releasing a slow breath. Once in the room, he already felt much more calm; less like he needed to go out and train for marathon just to get the nervous, angry energy out. The anger was still there, lurking in a dark pit in the back of his mind, but in Inara's presence, he found his shoulders relaxing. "The term 'nuclear' comes to mind."

"I can't blame him at all." Inara guided Simon to a seat at the low table at the foot of her bed. She'd set up cushions for seating. "I can't imagine how that must feel for the two of you. And I know how protective he can get. I guess he's really making an effort if all he did was send an email." She paused. "Is that all he's done?"

"I think he must be restraining himself with some kind of speedster Kryptonite," Simon confessed, toeing off his shoes and lowering to sit amongst the pillows.

"Jean-Paul and everyone else who heard about it. Pietro called your father evil and I think he's right." Inara settled on a cushion. She frowned as she poured their tea. "Are you going to respond?"

"I was going to call him tonight. I just...I need to have my wits about me when I do. I don't want to make a bad situation worse," Simon admitted grudgingly.

"There's...something you should probably know, then." Inara settled herself across the the table from him and lifted her cup. "I've been utterly furious with how he's been treating you since you came out," she confessed. "And this...was just the last straw. I called my parents as soon as Jean-Paul told me what happened."

Simon opened his mouth, but it just sort of hung there open for a moment as he tried to figure out what to say to that. Inara was possibly the last person he would have thought to act on such a thing, but the pheromones in the room kept him from getting too fussed over it. Mostly, he found himself surprised.

"What he's doing isn't right!" Inara said, half-justifying and half-protesting what she perceived as Simon's impending disagreement. She set her cup back down on the table with a loud clack. "He's just...he doesn't care about anything or anyone but himself!"

Simon finally managed to close his mouth, but lifted a hand to it just in case it happened again. Cupped in a fist over his lips, at least maybe he could keep from looking like too much of an idiot as he stared at her. He'd never seen Inara so animated before.

"And this...it was so damn petty! He wanted it to be public!" She picked up a cookie, fuming. "And that was just too much. So I figured in return for trying to set your relationship up for more public scrutiny, he at least deserved some scrutiny from his peers." She took a vicious bite. "He's lucky I didn't make a blog post."

It was fascinating, really, listening to her fume. Simon knew that he should be just as furious, but instead, found himself languidly watching and sipping his tea. Finally, he asked, "What are your parents going to do?"

"Not half of what I'd prefer; they'll probably just ask if he doesn't think he's being too harsh. But at least he'll realize his...his bullshit isn't as well hidden as he thinks."

Even so, just that small level of criticism from people like Inara's parents (who had the pull that they did) would make an impact on Gabriel Tam. The question was, what kind of impact? Simon took a deep breath. "You didn't have to do that."

"Oh, yes I did. Someone had to do something to let him know he can't just do whatever he wants to you."

"Imagine what he would do if he found out that I'm not only gay, but a mutant, too?" Simon answered wryly.

"I'd say I'd have to have him shot, but Jean-Paul would probably beat the bullet there."
"Which is why I have to keep that a secret. That, I can't subject River to that, even if it's just from our parents," Simon sighed out.

Inara forced herself to calm down. "I know you'd do anything to keep her safe. This...does she know?"
Simon shook his head gently. "I don't know. It's hard to know what she ever knows, when she can feel what everyone else feels."

"I can see why you wouldn't want to talk to her about it. But if she did find out..."

He looked uncomfortable for the first time since he'd come in, the feelings overpowering the calm he felt from Inara's presence. "She knows that our parents aren't...the most intelligent when it comes to decisions regarding our family's 'image'."

"Do you think there might be some merit in letting her in on what's happening with your life, rather than take the chance that she'll uncover it on her own?"

"I'd rather not trouble her if I can help it," Simon frowned.

"How much does she know now?"

"She knows he cut me off. She offered for me to use her account, but I haven't wanted to resort to that," Simon told her, sinking back to lean on his elbows.

"So at least she knows they're being cruel about the whole thing," Inara sighed. It wasn't exactly a relief, but it was better than the idea that River might be taken by surprise.

"It's not a shock to either of us," Simon agreed with a resigned sigh.

"I'm sorry. I'm not going to push you to do anything but what you think is right for her."

"I'll...tell her. Maybe once I figure out what I'm going to say to my father," he made a face at her.

A wicked smile pulled at the edge of Inara's mouth. "I'd say what you could tell them, but I'm sure Jean-Paul has already given you plenty of ideas in that vein."

"I'd rather not make the situation any worse than it is," Simon agreed, wincing back at her. "As much as I want to tell him off, myself."

"It sucks growing up, doesn't it?" she sighed, offering him the cookie plate.

Simon reached out and took one of the cookies gratefully. "It does," he agreed, but even saying that much, he winced inwardly. Inara might never have the chance to grow up. But no. He wasn't going to think like that. He would find a cure for her.