Post-Attack with Mal.

[bad_in_latin]

"But I'll be here when you're done..."

The first conscious thought that occurs to Captain Reynolds is that he is very cold, and that this condition might be due to the fact he has no shirt on and is lying facedown on an examination table.

Gorramitwelosti'mattheAcademy

Mal quickly attempts getting up - too quickly - and immediately falls back down

Comments

[righthandwoman]

It takes Zoe longer than she'd like to find a moment when she can slip into the infirmary. But it's a hectic few days to be acting captain of the ship.

But when she finally can, she heads there, a wooden box in one hand.

There's a slight smile on her face as she steps in.

[bad_in_latin]

Mal attempts a smile for Zoe, eyeing the box she carries.

"A present? My birthday ain't for a couple weeks yet."

[righthandwoman]

"Well, you can open this one a little early."

Zoe takes a seat on a stool beside the infirmary bed, then opens the box and holds it out to him.

Inside is the key to the safe in his room, the one he gave her before the battle.

[bad_in_latin]

Mal lifts the lid off the box, and pulls the key up by the leather strap, trying very hard not to let his eyes water and failing.

"Just what I always wanted."

At that second, that slice of life, for Mal, his vision of the world goes blurry and all he can see is his first mate - his best friend - sitting with him in the ship that makes him whole.

He simply gives up on making the tears stop falling. He doesn't sob or make a sound. Just lets them run over. Because Zoe understands.

[righthandwoman]

Zoe lays her hand over his, and squeezes. Her grip is firm and steady--the touch of a fellow warrior.

"Picked it out special."

She doesn't say anything else.

[bad_in_latin]

Mal snaps back to reality in a moment, not necessarily moving Zoe's hand away, just rubbing his eyes and forcing his breathing to return to normal.

He knows he will weep later. Much later. When no one can see.

For now, he offers a not-quite grin to Zoe, attempting to regain a captainlike aura.

"So, what's our status?"

[righthandwoman]

Zoe draws in a breath and lets it out on a slight sigh before answering.

"River's back, and she's about as alright as can be expected, the students got taken to the Tet's people on Earth-That-Was, the Academy's now so much floatin' space trash, and everyone's been patched up that needs it."

[bad_in_latin]

Mal nods, adding a sigh of his own.

"Sorry for throwin' you into new job descriptions on short notice."

[righthandwoman]

Zoe cracks a smile at that, briefly.

"Knew what I was gettin' into when I signed on. Well, no, when it comes to this little adventure, I didn't, but still."

[bad_in_latin]

"Don't think none of us knew what this was going to be one hundred percent, Zoe. Even when things were simpler, we never knew exactly what was goin' to be behind the next moon."

"Knew you could handle it. Knew you could handle anythin', first moment I met you."

[righthandwoman]

Zoe doesn't respond to praise like this with blushing or protesting or anything like that. She responds with the Zoe version of those things, which is to get gruff.

She squeezes Mal's hand again, then draws her hand back.

"I'm just glad Wash got us out of there. My own qualities as first mate wouldn't count for much if we'd all been swallowed by a hole in space."

[bad_in_latin]

Mal smiles somewhere in the back of his mind. Yup. Zoe.

"This is true. Good thing Wash is as good as he said he was, and I didn't listen to your 'something'. Looks like, for as good as you are I might have to teach you 'bout managerial skills."

[righthandwoman]

Zoe's smile at that is honest and unguarded.

"I think I can safely say I've been more'n happy to be proved wrong on that score."

[bad_in_latin]

Mal flits through his mental checklist of things he could ask Zoe at the moment. He lets them all pass while choosing a distinct subject change.

"And everyone's really okay." Not a question.

[righthandwoman]

Zoe nods. "You're in the worst shape, of ours. Cuthbert got shot, and Crowley got pretty badly messed up by...something, but they're both on the mend."

[bad_in_latin]

Mal nods. "Well, I'm the captain. Suppose I should win most somethin'. Zoe? Remind me next time to pick something that doesn't involve metal pointies."