More Than Friends

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Simon walked back to the infirmary with Kaylee trailing behind him – he wondered what she wanted to say to him, if she weren’t too embarrassed at his previous mention of Jayne to even speak to him now. Knowing Kaylee, it was a wonder that anything embarrassed her…most likely it wouldn’t last long, in any case. As he had thought, she began to speak before they were even inside the door. “So, Simon…?”

“Yes?” he asked politely, walking over to one of the counters to pull out cotton swabs and disinfectant – one could always count on Jayne to come up with some kind of injury; he never knew how that man could have survived infancy with the sorts of things happening to him on a daily basis. If he wasn’t stepping on rusty nails – which had happened at least five times during the last six months – he came to Simon with sliced fingers, burns, and once he had even had a bullet wound perilously close to a delicate area. Of course, Simon was the only one who knew about it since Jayne had bribed him with cash as well as the promise of bodily harm if he ever told anyone.

He turned to see Kaylee biting her lip and regarding him carefully. “I was just, um, thinkin’ on what you said – you know – and how we’re always skitterin’ ‘round each other nowadays. Truth to tell, I’m kinda tired of it and I’m thinkin’ that you might be too.” Simon schooled his expression to not display any of the relief he felt rising up within him at his announcement. Kaylee continued, looking at the scuffed toes of her combat boots. “It ain’t no lie that I was mighty upset ‘bout it… but I just don’t got the heart to stay mad at no one, not really. I guess we weren’t really meant to be or somethin’ like that, but I was wonderin’ if we, um, could be friends, maybe?”

What could he possibly say to that? A statement outlining his immense relief would surely be taken amiss. “I actually thought you might stay angry forever,” he ventured finally. “I didn’t intend to hurt you, I just thought it was for the best that we-” A thunderous expression was forming on her face, so he cut himself off sharply and stuck his hand out. “Friends,” he said hastily. “Friends are nice.” Where had that ‘for the best’ speech come from? Nice one, Simon.

She accepted his hand and shook it briskly. “Well, then. I gotta go check on…somethin’.” Kaylee left, taking the steps three at a time.

Simon sighed and pushed a hand through his hair as River glided past the door with a mocking, “‘Friends are nice.’”

“You’re such a brat.”

“Better to be a brat than a boob,” she chortled, walking past the door again in the other direction.

Simon glared at his little sister. “River. Did you come all the way down here just to make fun of me, or did you actually need something important?”

“I couldn’t help it,” she announced, placing her hands on her temples. “The brain waves of stupidity were just radia-” River ended in a laughing shriek as Simon snatched up the neck pillow from the exam table and hurled it at her. “First do no harm,” she grinned as she turned on her heel and began to climb the stairs. Little sisters.

Simon returned to laying out his medical equipment, the first true smile in weeks beginning to form on his lips as he set out the suture kits caused by the realization that his mei mei was acting like a normal young girl. An annoying one to be sure, but still - normal. At last.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


Over in the other ship, the job was progressing without a hitch. Well, so far, Jayne thought sourly. He hadn’t in particular been wantin’ to come over for starters…but he hadn’t ‘xactly been asked. He kept an eye out for any signs of Reavers, and his trigger finger was itchin’ like the devil to shoot somethin’ – sooner they were off this ruttin’ dump, the better he’d feel. Lookin’ all over for dead bodies and findin’ none was a plus in his book, so he got on with his job and between the three of ‘em they collected the goods and were away on back to Serenity inside of two hours. “Let’s get outta here – place gives me the gorram willies,” Jayne complained when Mal started eyein’ the hull plating all covetous-like. “I ain’t takin’ that off there no how…let’s go.”

Zoë tapped the captain’s arm with the muzzle of her gun. “Hate to say this but the man’s right, sir. I say we get back and get as much black between us and this heap as we can. Jayne?” she motioned to the cargo and Jayne sighed in relief, stooping to pick it up and haul it back to the ship while Mal protested a mite weakly about Zoë overrulin’ him.

Back on Serenity they piled the goods in the airlock and disengaged from the derelict as fast as they could, pullin’ off their helmets as soon as the inner door cycled open. “Get that stowed,” Mal ordered, struttin’ off like bein’ a pain in the pi gu would make up for his ding in his gorram pride.

“Might wanna get unsuited first,” Jayne coughed, grinnin’ when the other man stopped and whirled to stalk back to take his suit off.

“These suits need some more sealant, Kaylee,” he called. “I had to try it in normal gravity to be sure, but I’m fair certain there’s a leak.”

Jayne looked around as Kaylee popped through the door and skipped down the stairs cheerfully. Girl’d be cheerful even if a Reaver slid down her bunk ladder and asked to borrow a gorram blanket, he thought with a smile as he slid his own suit down and stepped out of it. When he straightened, she gave him that look that always made him feel like somethin’ was squeezin’ his heart and he couldn’t breathe proper. “I’m fair certain you just forgot to take off your suit ‘til Jayne reminded ya, Cap’n… don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you none,” she said sweetly.

He felt the familiar jealousy well up in him as she leaned over and pecked Mal on the cheek. She didn’t mean nothin’ by it, was jus’ bein’ friendly…but it always made him see red that it was always someone else. “When’s it ever gonna be my turn?” he asked, half-joking.

Nothin’ prepared him for suddenly havin’ an armful of Kaylee and her pressin’ a kiss on one side of his face, then the other side. “Poor Jayne, never gettin’ kissed on by no one,” she teased, her hands lingerin’ on his shoulders.

“Well, hey – didn’t get no sexin’ planetside so what d’ya expect?” he answered, tryin’ to hide his pleasure at havin’ her so close. Mal shook his head and left with Zoë to the bridge as Kaylee stepped back and smiled up at him. He coulda sworn her lips were real close to his when she was meant to be kissin’ his cheek, but who was he to complain? Hell, he wanted to pick her back up and kiss her senseless afore carryin’ her to his bunk and…

River interrupted some mightily pleasin’ thoughts by stompin’ down the stairs in those big boots of hers and runnin’ up to them. Zhen mei naixing de Fozu! “So, now the job’s done we can practice fightin’?” Kaylee was askin’, those big brown eyes fixed on him.

“I want to practice too,” River informed him.

“Like hell – whyn’t you just go ‘practice’ killin’ someone else? I remember what happens when you go all wooly near me,” he said incredulously, movin’ his hand protectively over his crotch. Gorram girl was always on the lookout to smash up his goods for some reason or ‘nother – he figured it was past time to send her off to a whorehouse for some schoolin’ if she was so ruttin’ interested in grabbin’ people in their particulars. He ran his eyes over her appraisingly – naw, too scrawny to get some fer free; she’d have to pay for sure. River’s eyes widened as this train of thought drifted through his mind, then narrowed dangerously. Uh-oh, forgot she snooped like that… She glared at him and he started to back up as she darted past him to snatch up a can of something.

Kaylee blinked and looked back and forth between them. “What’s goin’ on? River…?”

River charged him suddenly and he brought up his hands to push her away when she slipped under his guard, lifted his shirt, and sprayed somethin’ from the can onto his chest before pullin’ his shirt back down and slappin’ her hand against it. “Let that be a lesson to you, uncouth primate,” she said before walking calmly over to the stairs and climbin’ up and away. What in the seven hells was that all about? He stared after her and then down at Kaylee, who had a hand clapped over her mouth in shock.

Runnin’ a hand over his chest, he stopped suddenly at the strange feel of it. What the….? What’d she spray him with? He tugged at his shirt only to find that it was stuck to him. Jayne lifted it slowly and tugged carefully – go se! It weren’t comin’ off! “Jayne?” Kaylee’s voice intruded on his panic, and he looked up sharply at the sound of laughter in her voice. Weren’t nothin’ funny ‘bout this! She held out the can to him so he could see the label. “What were you thinkin’ that made her so het up that she’d glue your shirt to your chest hair?”

tbc…
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