Untitled Rayne Fic
Firefly ficlet (502 words)
pre-Rayne
“You gonna clean that?”
River looked up from her new gun and found herself face to face with a scowling, dirt-streaked Jayne.
He rolled his eyes. “I said… You gonna clean that?”
“You mean Paris?” She hefted her new gun into the air, smiling proudly. “Was going to when - “
“No.” Jayne walked over to her and snatched the gun out of her hand. “Y’just used it, so you gotta clean it now. Don’t want nothin’ happenin’, ‘specially when he just got a name.” He snorted and sat down on the crate beside where she was sprawled out on the floor. “What kind o’ name’s Paris, anyhow?”
River sighed as Jayne started cleaning the gun himself. “Worthy name,” she informed him. “Stole away the most beautiful woman in the world.” It was kind of him to do the cleaning for her, but she wanted him to realize she was perfectly capable of doing it herself.
“Guns ain’t s’posed to be named after men,” he told her loftily. “They’s more o’ the female type.”
“Your guns may be ladies,” River sniffed, “but mine is a boy. Full of snakes and snails and the appendages of baby canines.”
“Whatever.” He huffed and continued cleaning, murmuring under his breath, “Even for a boy, what kind o’ pansy-ass name is Paris?”
River smiled.
They sat in companionable silence as Jayne worked. “There,” he said finally. Wiping off the barrel with one of his old rags, Jayne grinned proudly at the job he’d done and handed Paris back down to the girl. “Now that was a one-time only deal, dong ma? Next time you use him, it’s gonna be up to you to clean ‘im.”
“Yes. Girl will be most fastidious.”
“Good.” Jayne nodded and again they lapsed into silence. He cleared his throat and jerkily he asked, “So that girl. The one who got stolen by your gun-boy. She must ‘a’ been somethin’ real special.”
“The face that launched a thousand ships,” River told him with a smile. “Most beautiful mortal. Very very special girl.” She could practically hear the wheels in his head turning and innocently she tilted her head up at him. “Why does man-called-Jayne ask? Want his secrets? Planning to steal some special girl away?”
“No.” Jayne scowled. “What kind o’ girl’d be worth havin’ a thousand boats comin’ after you?”
“Already been launched,” she told him with a small, cheeky grin. “Simon stole the girl so you wouldn’t have to.”
Jayne raised an eyebrow as he finally realized what she’d been hinting at all along. “Oh he did, huh? So… this girl we’re talkin’ about. How’s she feel about bein’ stole?”
“Girl has been waiting a very, very long time.” She smiled again and stood up. “Must put Paris away. And if the girl is to keep up a proper cleaning regimen, she will need proper instruction from a talented teacher.”
“Now that,” Jayne said, looking her over with a hot gleam in his eye, “is somethin’ I think I can do.”
~~~
So! One of the prompts for my "25 Fics" is weapon-cleaning, so I wrote this! Unfortunately, the person also requested "fire and ice" to be incorporated into the fic, and obviously I totally didn't. So! Here - a little piece to enjoy while I figure out a way to actually write what was asked for. Heh.
-ILB
***
pre-Rayne
“You gonna clean that?”
River looked up from her new gun and found herself face to face with a scowling, dirt-streaked Jayne.
He rolled his eyes. “I said… You gonna clean that?”
“You mean Paris?” She hefted her new gun into the air, smiling proudly. “Was going to when - “
“No.” Jayne walked over to her and snatched the gun out of her hand. “Y’just used it, so you gotta clean it now. Don’t want nothin’ happenin’, ‘specially when he just got a name.” He snorted and sat down on the crate beside where she was sprawled out on the floor. “What kind o’ name’s Paris, anyhow?”
River sighed as Jayne started cleaning the gun himself. “Worthy name,” she informed him. “Stole away the most beautiful woman in the world.” It was kind of him to do the cleaning for her, but she wanted him to realize she was perfectly capable of doing it herself.
“Guns ain’t s’posed to be named after men,” he told her loftily. “They’s more o’ the female type.”
“Your guns may be ladies,” River sniffed, “but mine is a boy. Full of snakes and snails and the appendages of baby canines.”
“Whatever.” He huffed and continued cleaning, murmuring under his breath, “Even for a boy, what kind o’ pansy-ass name is Paris?”
River smiled.
They sat in companionable silence as Jayne worked. “There,” he said finally. Wiping off the barrel with one of his old rags, Jayne grinned proudly at the job he’d done and handed Paris back down to the girl. “Now that was a one-time only deal, dong ma? Next time you use him, it’s gonna be up to you to clean ‘im.”
“Yes. Girl will be most fastidious.”
“Good.” Jayne nodded and again they lapsed into silence. He cleared his throat and jerkily he asked, “So that girl. The one who got stolen by your gun-boy. She must ‘a’ been somethin’ real special.”
“The face that launched a thousand ships,” River told him with a smile. “Most beautiful mortal. Very very special girl.” She could practically hear the wheels in his head turning and innocently she tilted her head up at him. “Why does man-called-Jayne ask? Want his secrets? Planning to steal some special girl away?”
“No.” Jayne scowled. “What kind o’ girl’d be worth havin’ a thousand boats comin’ after you?”
“Already been launched,” she told him with a small, cheeky grin. “Simon stole the girl so you wouldn’t have to.”
Jayne raised an eyebrow as he finally realized what she’d been hinting at all along. “Oh he did, huh? So… this girl we’re talkin’ about. How’s she feel about bein’ stole?”
“Girl has been waiting a very, very long time.” She smiled again and stood up. “Must put Paris away. And if the girl is to keep up a proper cleaning regimen, she will need proper instruction from a talented teacher.”
“Now that,” Jayne said, looking her over with a hot gleam in his eye, “is somethin’ I think I can do.”
~~~
So! One of the prompts for my "25 Fics" is weapon-cleaning, so I wrote this! Unfortunately, the person also requested "fire and ice" to be incorporated into the fic, and obviously I totally didn't. So! Here - a little piece to enjoy while I figure out a way to actually write what was asked for. Heh.
-ILB
***