(no subject)
Title: Feels Too Damn Much Like Home
Rating: R
Characters: Mal, Zoë, Wash, Kaylee, Jayne, Inara with a brief
appearance by Bester
Pairings: Zoë/Wash
Love Story: Roger/Mimi from Rent
Word count: 6,869
Warnings: Pre-series so nothing to spoil
Prompt: Too Much
Summary: Zoë isn't ready for someone to come into her life, until she realizes she let him in anyway.
Notes: This is for shinyhearts Valentine's Day Challenge for
shanalle I hope you enjoy. Also thanks to my Wash for putting up with all my edits and assisting me. <3
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Chapter 2
Dinner was quiet for Zoë. Mal hired Hoban, who apparently preferred to be called Wash. Zoë was a firm believer that one had to earn a nickname so she called him Hoban. He didn't seem to mind too much. She had to control the urge to roll her eyes every time he looked at her. So Zoë remained silent as the three men joked and got to know each other. When she was finished, Zoë cleaned up and went down to her bunk.
She sat at her desk and began to write in her journal. It was a habit that she had learned from her mother. Zoë found that it helped her to think objectively. Hoban had gotten under her skin. That didn't happen often. There was just something about him, something she couldn't place. Something she hadn't experienced in a long time. He made her feel - She didn't allow herself to finish that thought.
The last time she felt like this was before the war. She had fallen in love with a man who became a solider like her. They had been happy before the war, but he had been killed in Serenity Valley, right in front of her. She swore to herself that she wouldn't allow herself to go through that again. It had nearly destroyed her.
There was a knock at her bunk door. She figured it was Mal so she pushed the button to unlock it. Boots came down but they weren't Mal's. Hoban leaned against the ladder.
Zoë glared at him. Truthfully, she was surprised to see him, but she didn't let him know that. "What do you want?"
He smiled at her. It was a smile that lit up his face like a little boy being told he could go on another ride at the fair. "To talk."
Zoë rolled her eyes and sat back down at her desk, turning away from him. "I'm busy." She went back to writing, though on a note pad, having hidden her journal when she opened the door. She was making a list to keep busy.
She heard him sit on her bed. She turned and glared at him again. "What part of 'I'm busy.' did you miss?" He looked at her, and for a moment, she was captured by his eyes, so incredibly blue. They weren't shifty like she had thought before. They were open, telling her that he was sad she didn't like him. But she pulled herself back to reality quickly. She crossed her arms in front of her.
"I can wait." He smiled at her, trying to soften her up.
"Not here you can't. I have work to do, Hoban."
He winced. "Can you call me Wash?"
Zoë shook her head. "Nope." She looked at him fiercely. "Maybe I'll consider it if you leave."
Hoban sighed. "Okay, I can take a hint." He climbed up the ladder and Zoë turned back to her desk and placed her head in her hands, elbows propped up on the table. But she heard someone on the ladder again. She whipped around to see Hoban on all fours, looking for something.
"What'd you forget?"
"I think I dropped something."
Zoë sighed loudly. "What?"
He looked at her sheepishly. "My triceratops."
Her brow furrowed. "Your what?"
He smiled at her that little boy smile again. "My dinosaur figurine. He was in my pocket and now he's not."
Zoë couldn't believe it. "You play with toys?!" She felt like a foolish girl.
Hoban looked defensive. "They're not toys. They are figurines from Earth-That-Was. They're priceless."
Zoë bit back both a snappy remark and a laugh. She rolled her eyes and got down on her hands and knees, looking for this toy. Together, they searched the room. They crawled towards the bed and bumped heads.
Zoë sat back on her heels, rubbing her head. "Oww. You have a really hard head, you know that?"
Hoban laughed and Zoë couldn't help but smile. She looked around the room as he stood up, rubbing his own head, mussing up his hair. "Guess I didn't leave it here." He looked up at her sheepishly again, causing Zoë to realize that his second trip to her bunk had not been to try to win her over. "Sorry to have bothered you." He extended his hand to help her up.
Zoë noticed a lump on her previously perfectly made bed. She brushed his hand away and reached past him, pulling a three-horned dinosaur from underneath the fold of the blanket. She held it up while getting to her feet. His eyes widened. "This it?" she asked.
"Yes! Thanks." When he reached out to take the toy out of her hand, his fingers brushed hers, causing a shock from static electricity to spark between them. Or at least that's what Zoë wanted to believe it was.
Hoban turned quickly and headed for the ladder. He stopped about halfway up and looked at her. "They call me Wash. It would be really nice if you would too."
Rating: R
Characters: Mal, Zoë, Wash, Kaylee, Jayne, Inara with a brief
appearance by Bester
Pairings: Zoë/Wash
Love Story: Roger/Mimi from Rent
Word count: 6,869
Warnings: Pre-series so nothing to spoil
Prompt: Too Much
Summary: Zoë isn't ready for someone to come into her life, until she realizes she let him in anyway.
Notes: This is for shinyhearts Valentine's Day Challenge for
shanalle I hope you enjoy. Also thanks to my Wash for putting up with all my edits and assisting me. <3
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Chapter 2
Dinner was quiet for Zoë. Mal hired Hoban, who apparently preferred to be called Wash. Zoë was a firm believer that one had to earn a nickname so she called him Hoban. He didn't seem to mind too much. She had to control the urge to roll her eyes every time he looked at her. So Zoë remained silent as the three men joked and got to know each other. When she was finished, Zoë cleaned up and went down to her bunk.
She sat at her desk and began to write in her journal. It was a habit that she had learned from her mother. Zoë found that it helped her to think objectively. Hoban had gotten under her skin. That didn't happen often. There was just something about him, something she couldn't place. Something she hadn't experienced in a long time. He made her feel - She didn't allow herself to finish that thought.
The last time she felt like this was before the war. She had fallen in love with a man who became a solider like her. They had been happy before the war, but he had been killed in Serenity Valley, right in front of her. She swore to herself that she wouldn't allow herself to go through that again. It had nearly destroyed her.
There was a knock at her bunk door. She figured it was Mal so she pushed the button to unlock it. Boots came down but they weren't Mal's. Hoban leaned against the ladder.
Zoë glared at him. Truthfully, she was surprised to see him, but she didn't let him know that. "What do you want?"
He smiled at her. It was a smile that lit up his face like a little boy being told he could go on another ride at the fair. "To talk."
Zoë rolled her eyes and sat back down at her desk, turning away from him. "I'm busy." She went back to writing, though on a note pad, having hidden her journal when she opened the door. She was making a list to keep busy.
She heard him sit on her bed. She turned and glared at him again. "What part of 'I'm busy.' did you miss?" He looked at her, and for a moment, she was captured by his eyes, so incredibly blue. They weren't shifty like she had thought before. They were open, telling her that he was sad she didn't like him. But she pulled herself back to reality quickly. She crossed her arms in front of her.
"I can wait." He smiled at her, trying to soften her up.
"Not here you can't. I have work to do, Hoban."
He winced. "Can you call me Wash?"
Zoë shook her head. "Nope." She looked at him fiercely. "Maybe I'll consider it if you leave."
Hoban sighed. "Okay, I can take a hint." He climbed up the ladder and Zoë turned back to her desk and placed her head in her hands, elbows propped up on the table. But she heard someone on the ladder again. She whipped around to see Hoban on all fours, looking for something.
"What'd you forget?"
"I think I dropped something."
Zoë sighed loudly. "What?"
He looked at her sheepishly. "My triceratops."
Her brow furrowed. "Your what?"
He smiled at her that little boy smile again. "My dinosaur figurine. He was in my pocket and now he's not."
Zoë couldn't believe it. "You play with toys?!" She felt like a foolish girl.
Hoban looked defensive. "They're not toys. They are figurines from Earth-That-Was. They're priceless."
Zoë bit back both a snappy remark and a laugh. She rolled her eyes and got down on her hands and knees, looking for this toy. Together, they searched the room. They crawled towards the bed and bumped heads.
Zoë sat back on her heels, rubbing her head. "Oww. You have a really hard head, you know that?"
Hoban laughed and Zoë couldn't help but smile. She looked around the room as he stood up, rubbing his own head, mussing up his hair. "Guess I didn't leave it here." He looked up at her sheepishly again, causing Zoë to realize that his second trip to her bunk had not been to try to win her over. "Sorry to have bothered you." He extended his hand to help her up.
Zoë noticed a lump on her previously perfectly made bed. She brushed his hand away and reached past him, pulling a three-horned dinosaur from underneath the fold of the blanket. She held it up while getting to her feet. His eyes widened. "This it?" she asked.
"Yes! Thanks." When he reached out to take the toy out of her hand, his fingers brushed hers, causing a shock from static electricity to spark between them. Or at least that's what Zoë wanted to believe it was.
Hoban turned quickly and headed for the ladder. He stopped about halfway up and looked at her. "They call me Wash. It would be really nice if you would too."