(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 4
The next day, Zoë avoided Hoban. Kaylee found her in the cargo bay, doing nothing. Zoë never did nothing. "Something wrong?"
Zoë looked up at her. "No." She held her gaze for a moment and then looked around the cargo bay, eyes trailing over the crates stacked about. She turned back to Kaylee. "Why do you ask?"
Kaylee sat herself on a crate. "Well, for one thing, you're down here in the cargo bay, by yourself, doing a whole manner of nothing."
"Just have a lot on my mind is all."
"Clearly." She looked at Zoë. "Maybe you should do something about it." She smiled.
"Kaylee, I ---" Zoë was cut off by Kaylee's hand on her arm.
"Listen, I'm going to this little bar tonight. Gonna get a decent meal made outta something other than processed protein. Maybe you'd like to ask Wash to come along." With that, Kaylee hopped off the crate and headed back to the engine room, smile on her face and a slight skip in her step.
*
Zoë made her way slowly to the bridge. She paused at the doorway. Hoban was under the console, fiddling with something. Zoë cleared her throat as she stepped into the room. She heard him hit his head and winced. He pulled himself out and turned around, anger dying at the fact that she was standing there.
Zoë offered him a soft smile. "Kaylee and I are going planetside for dinner tonight. Would you like to come with us?"
Hoban stood there for a minute, quite shocked. He recovered quickly. "Sure. Love to."
Zoë smiled more. "Good. Meet us in the cargo bay in an hour." She turned and left the bridge, heading for her bunk and leaving him with his mouth hanging open a little.
*
Zoë headed back to the cargo bay a short time later, hair loose for a change. Hoban and Kaylee were waiting for her. Mal decided to stay with Serenity. The three crewmates made their way into the town, Kaylee leading them to a little hole-in-the-wall place. Inside, it was warm and inviting. The townspeople didn't seem to mind the strangers.
They sat at a table on the side opposite the bar. They ordered dinner and drinks and chatted about their last job. Zoë and Kaylee were talking about what the mechanic had done to the engine to improve it. They also talked about what she had done to the galley. The younger woman had painted cheerful flowers all over, making it seem more like a home. Hoban interjected here and there but mostly sat quietly. Every now and then a local would call for a toast to their way of life. Zoë and Kaylee would raise their glasses because theses people were Independents too.
Zoë got up to go to the bar for another drink. Hoban followed her. "Did I do something wrong?" Zoë looked at him, clearly confused. "You invite me to come and then ignore me all night."
Zoë looked down at her glass. "Look, I'm trying." She took a deep breath. "I've got baggage, okay?" she admitted softly. The war had changed her and he needed to know that it wasn't easy for her. "I'm not perfect."
Hoban sighed. "I'm not saying that I am. Life is too short, Zoë. Everyone has baggage." He offered her that boyish grin of his. "I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine."
Zoë turned and opened her mouth to speak but was bumped by a rowdy local right into Hoban's arms. They looked at each other for a few moments, ones that seemed to stretch on forever, blocking everything around them. Zoë gave in and leaned in to kiss him softly on the mouth. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. They were wide with surprise.
She glanced over at Kaylee and saw her smiling. Zoë pulled Wash through the back of the bar to the alleyway. It was colder out her and she wrapped her arms around herself. Wash stepped up behind her and rubbed her arms. She turned to him and looked into his eyes. "Wash, I really don't have any idea how to do this."
He smiled and rubbed her arms again. "I hate this part anyway. Let's just make it go faster." His smiled turned sheepish. "I should tell you I put the dinosaur under your blanket to have a reason to come back down."
Zoë laughed softly. "I think I'd forgotten how to smile until you told me about your dinosaurs." She took a step closer to him and his hands stilled on her arms and they looked into each other's eyes. "I don't know where this is going," she said softly.
"I don't know either." He offered her that little boy smile again. "But I'm willing to find out. Are you?"
Zoë answered him by closing the distance between them with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and drank him in. His hands moved to her back and waist, holding her to him. They kissed like they had been doing it forever.
Wash broke the kiss first. He searched her eyes. "You sure about this?"
Zoë cupped his face him her hand. "Yes." She smiled at him. "But we shouldn't leave Kaylee alone in there. And Mal will be expecting us back soon."
Wash's face fell. He let her go and stepped back, causing her hand to fall from his cheek. She closed that distance in an instant and put his hands back on her hips. "Doesn't mean we can't discuss this further when we're back on Serenity." Her eyes danced.
He captured her mouth with his, catching her slightly off-guard. He pulled back after a minute. "Here goes." He kept his hand on her hip and led her back inside.
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 4
The next day, Zoë avoided Hoban. Kaylee found her in the cargo bay, doing nothing. Zoë never did nothing. "Something wrong?"
Zoë looked up at her. "No." She held her gaze for a moment and then looked around the cargo bay, eyes trailing over the crates stacked about. She turned back to Kaylee. "Why do you ask?"
Kaylee sat herself on a crate. "Well, for one thing, you're down here in the cargo bay, by yourself, doing a whole manner of nothing."
"Just have a lot on my mind is all."
"Clearly." She looked at Zoë. "Maybe you should do something about it." She smiled.
"Kaylee, I ---" Zoë was cut off by Kaylee's hand on her arm.
"Listen, I'm going to this little bar tonight. Gonna get a decent meal made outta something other than processed protein. Maybe you'd like to ask Wash to come along." With that, Kaylee hopped off the crate and headed back to the engine room, smile on her face and a slight skip in her step.
*
Zoë made her way slowly to the bridge. She paused at the doorway. Hoban was under the console, fiddling with something. Zoë cleared her throat as she stepped into the room. She heard him hit his head and winced. He pulled himself out and turned around, anger dying at the fact that she was standing there.
Zoë offered him a soft smile. "Kaylee and I are going planetside for dinner tonight. Would you like to come with us?"
Hoban stood there for a minute, quite shocked. He recovered quickly. "Sure. Love to."
Zoë smiled more. "Good. Meet us in the cargo bay in an hour." She turned and left the bridge, heading for her bunk and leaving him with his mouth hanging open a little.
*
Zoë headed back to the cargo bay a short time later, hair loose for a change. Hoban and Kaylee were waiting for her. Mal decided to stay with Serenity. The three crewmates made their way into the town, Kaylee leading them to a little hole-in-the-wall place. Inside, it was warm and inviting. The townspeople didn't seem to mind the strangers.
They sat at a table on the side opposite the bar. They ordered dinner and drinks and chatted about their last job. Zoë and Kaylee were talking about what the mechanic had done to the engine to improve it. They also talked about what she had done to the galley. The younger woman had painted cheerful flowers all over, making it seem more like a home. Hoban interjected here and there but mostly sat quietly. Every now and then a local would call for a toast to their way of life. Zoë and Kaylee would raise their glasses because theses people were Independents too.
Zoë got up to go to the bar for another drink. Hoban followed her. "Did I do something wrong?" Zoë looked at him, clearly confused. "You invite me to come and then ignore me all night."
Zoë looked down at her glass. "Look, I'm trying." She took a deep breath. "I've got baggage, okay?" she admitted softly. The war had changed her and he needed to know that it wasn't easy for her. "I'm not perfect."
Hoban sighed. "I'm not saying that I am. Life is too short, Zoë. Everyone has baggage." He offered her that boyish grin of his. "I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine."
Zoë turned and opened her mouth to speak but was bumped by a rowdy local right into Hoban's arms. They looked at each other for a few moments, ones that seemed to stretch on forever, blocking everything around them. Zoë gave in and leaned in to kiss him softly on the mouth. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. They were wide with surprise.
She glanced over at Kaylee and saw her smiling. Zoë pulled Wash through the back of the bar to the alleyway. It was colder out her and she wrapped her arms around herself. Wash stepped up behind her and rubbed her arms. She turned to him and looked into his eyes. "Wash, I really don't have any idea how to do this."
He smiled and rubbed her arms again. "I hate this part anyway. Let's just make it go faster." His smiled turned sheepish. "I should tell you I put the dinosaur under your blanket to have a reason to come back down."
Zoë laughed softly. "I think I'd forgotten how to smile until you told me about your dinosaurs." She took a step closer to him and his hands stilled on her arms and they looked into each other's eyes. "I don't know where this is going," she said softly.
"I don't know either." He offered her that little boy smile again. "But I'm willing to find out. Are you?"
Zoë answered him by closing the distance between them with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and drank him in. His hands moved to her back and waist, holding her to him. They kissed like they had been doing it forever.
Wash broke the kiss first. He searched her eyes. "You sure about this?"
Zoë cupped his face him her hand. "Yes." She smiled at him. "But we shouldn't leave Kaylee alone in there. And Mal will be expecting us back soon."
Wash's face fell. He let her go and stepped back, causing her hand to fall from his cheek. She closed that distance in an instant and put his hands back on her hips. "Doesn't mean we can't discuss this further when we're back on Serenity." Her eyes danced.
He captured her mouth with his, catching her slightly off-guard. He pulled back after a minute. "Here goes." He kept his hand on her hip and led her back inside.