Ch. 4
Purgatory Organizational Post
Title: Purgatory Ch. 4
Setting: Post Ois, No BDM
Rating: PG
Warning: Like an old Mustang '69, slow to start, but heats up with a little time. Sorry if it's too long!!!
“You think I want to play with your borin’ ass? Hell, might as well just drink the whole damn thing. Quicker, drunker, and less boring for less time,” Jayne sneered, tossing the bottle back and forth between his hands.
For a moment Simon was perplexed. Confusion was not something he’d experienced much before joining the crew of Serenity, but now it felt as though he was walking a fine line between sanity and madness. Madness…. River. Simon was on his feet in an instant pounding on the door with all of his might. “She needs specific medical treatment and constant care!”
Jayne almost winced watching him bash those long, soft fingers against the rough metal of the blast door. He couldn’t imagine soft girly hands that bruised probably bruised easy.
“Knock it off, Doc,” he said as if Simon had just calmly asked the time.
“Excuse me?” Simon barked, his hair was disheveled and his skin glowed faintly with the light sweat of panic. “Do you honestly assume I will just sit back and relax with River’s health and well being on the line? After what I’ve- we’ve been through-”
“Shut up!” Jayne finally managed after flailing as if under assault from Simon’s words. “Gorram it man, are you a man or are you a woman? Hollerin’ at me like it’s my fault. Now you can throw yourself against that door all damn week, but I will choke you out if you don’t make less noise doin’ it. You really think that Mal’s not gonna take care of her? That if somethin’ don’t go wrong their not gonna come runnin’ in here with little crazy and all her crazy-pills?”
Heat flushed to Simon’s cheeks. His blood boiled with a mix of infuriation for hearing River called “little crazy” and sheer incredulity that Jayne had just talked sense into him.
“Why aren’t you drunk?” Simon spat, and crossed the room to busy himself with the re-organization of the food.
“I’m not drunk because we didn’t even start playin’ before you jumped up all ‘WooOWoRaaoHoorrrohOH!’” Jayne cried in a high-pitched moan, waving his arms around and contorting his face into an expression that Simon thought made him look even more like a man-ape-gone-wrong-thing.
“I thought you didn’t want to play,” Simon muttered, ignoring the farcical impersonation of his own concern.
“Nah, Doc, I’d play, I just don’t much like my odds of getting drunk when I’ve done damn near everything you could imagine and you…” he put his hands behind his head and leaned back, giving Simon a disconcerting once over and heaving a sigh. “…you are more… the indoorsy type.”
“If we were to play, I assure you I would not be drinking alone,” Simon said quietly, making up for his earlier reaction with a stoic calm envied by mountains and glaciers terraformed the ‘verse over.
“You think so, huh?” Jayne smirked, scratching his head.
“I do.”
“Well then, have a seat Doc, and take your best shot,” he grinned. “But no horse shit, now. No… ‘I never didn’t have daddies money paving the way for a comfy life of pastiness so I didn’t do anything interesting…’ and no ‘I never been an actual man with muscle definition…’ ”
Simon sat down and brushed the wrinkles from his trousers. He rubbed the bridge of his nose lightly as he waited for Jayne to tire of teasing him in the whiny voice he liked to use to mock him with. When he trailed off, Simon brought his eyes to meet Jayne’s. “I’ve never tried to sell my friends out to a corrupt government for cash.” Simon’s voice was deadpan as Jayne’s loose grin turned into a tight, crooked line. Jayne nodded a couple of times and opened the liquor, taking a swig.
“You know Doc, this game is supposed to be fun,” Jayne said, all mocking tones gone from his voice; replaced what could almost pass for guilt or concern.
“Alright then,” said Simon, “We leave out upbringing and personal past.”
“Deal,” it took Jayne a couple of false starts before he was convinced he was not breaking the new rule. “I never had a birthday party.”
Simon took the bottle from Jayne and brought it to his lips. The alcohol stung his nostrils and his eyes, but he managed to take a pull without grimacing too much. While the liquid burned its way comfortably into his stomach, memories of the galas and joyful gatherings surrounding his birthdays flooded his mind. The fact that Jayne had to miss out on that kind of care free joy made Simon suddenly wish that things were somehow different. He wasn’t sure what he would change if he were capable, but surprising, the sadness carefully smothered under Jayne’s machismo got to him. “I’ve never shot some one who couldn’t run away,” Simon’s voice came somewhat more breathy than he would have liked.
Jayne sighed and nodded, taking a long drink. Yet he looked less remorseful than he did when reliving the memory of his involvement with the near capture of the Tams. “You just did that on ‘cuz you were curious, didn’t you?” Jayne asked and Simon nodded. Jayne cocked his head from side to side causing his neck to pop as his vertebrae realigned themselves.
“You know, that’s not really that good for you. I’m not a chiropractor but I could look at it…” Simon began but was interrupted.
“I never wanted to kiss a man,” Jayne said with a little snort of a laugh, not quite making eye-contact with Simon. In response, Simon swallowed air and almost burst out laughing before realizing that Jayne did not look amused, and that the bottle was surprisingly half-empty already. They’d both been taking aggressive gulps of the stuff, with Jayne leading the rate of consumption.
Simon cleared his throat. “Well…” he paused, waiting for a snide reaction from Jayne. When it didn’t come he continued. “It was just one of those things. I never really have kissed a man, but I did want to once. After… well… he helped me save this girl’s life, this girl I’d been lusting after from afar… she was way out my league… and she was in an accident… and the rush I felt, and the look in his eyes…” Jayne’s eyebrows furrowed and Simon stopped. “It was just a moment,” he finished lamely and took a small swig. He felt his cheeks burn red again, and one foot slip into the side of madness on his narrow path. They became even redder as Jayne took the bottle from him, and wordlessly joined him in the confession.
Title: Purgatory Ch. 4
Setting: Post Ois, No BDM
Rating: PG
Warning: Like an old Mustang '69, slow to start, but heats up with a little time. Sorry if it's too long!!!
“You think I want to play with your borin’ ass? Hell, might as well just drink the whole damn thing. Quicker, drunker, and less boring for less time,” Jayne sneered, tossing the bottle back and forth between his hands.
For a moment Simon was perplexed. Confusion was not something he’d experienced much before joining the crew of Serenity, but now it felt as though he was walking a fine line between sanity and madness. Madness…. River. Simon was on his feet in an instant pounding on the door with all of his might. “She needs specific medical treatment and constant care!”
Jayne almost winced watching him bash those long, soft fingers against the rough metal of the blast door. He couldn’t imagine soft girly hands that bruised probably bruised easy.
“Knock it off, Doc,” he said as if Simon had just calmly asked the time.
“Excuse me?” Simon barked, his hair was disheveled and his skin glowed faintly with the light sweat of panic. “Do you honestly assume I will just sit back and relax with River’s health and well being on the line? After what I’ve- we’ve been through-”
“Shut up!” Jayne finally managed after flailing as if under assault from Simon’s words. “Gorram it man, are you a man or are you a woman? Hollerin’ at me like it’s my fault. Now you can throw yourself against that door all damn week, but I will choke you out if you don’t make less noise doin’ it. You really think that Mal’s not gonna take care of her? That if somethin’ don’t go wrong their not gonna come runnin’ in here with little crazy and all her crazy-pills?”
Heat flushed to Simon’s cheeks. His blood boiled with a mix of infuriation for hearing River called “little crazy” and sheer incredulity that Jayne had just talked sense into him.
“Why aren’t you drunk?” Simon spat, and crossed the room to busy himself with the re-organization of the food.
“I’m not drunk because we didn’t even start playin’ before you jumped up all ‘WooOWoRaaoHoorrrohOH!’” Jayne cried in a high-pitched moan, waving his arms around and contorting his face into an expression that Simon thought made him look even more like a man-ape-gone-wrong-thing.
“I thought you didn’t want to play,” Simon muttered, ignoring the farcical impersonation of his own concern.
“Nah, Doc, I’d play, I just don’t much like my odds of getting drunk when I’ve done damn near everything you could imagine and you…” he put his hands behind his head and leaned back, giving Simon a disconcerting once over and heaving a sigh. “…you are more… the indoorsy type.”
“If we were to play, I assure you I would not be drinking alone,” Simon said quietly, making up for his earlier reaction with a stoic calm envied by mountains and glaciers terraformed the ‘verse over.
“You think so, huh?” Jayne smirked, scratching his head.
“I do.”
“Well then, have a seat Doc, and take your best shot,” he grinned. “But no horse shit, now. No… ‘I never didn’t have daddies money paving the way for a comfy life of pastiness so I didn’t do anything interesting…’ and no ‘I never been an actual man with muscle definition…’ ”
Simon sat down and brushed the wrinkles from his trousers. He rubbed the bridge of his nose lightly as he waited for Jayne to tire of teasing him in the whiny voice he liked to use to mock him with. When he trailed off, Simon brought his eyes to meet Jayne’s. “I’ve never tried to sell my friends out to a corrupt government for cash.” Simon’s voice was deadpan as Jayne’s loose grin turned into a tight, crooked line. Jayne nodded a couple of times and opened the liquor, taking a swig.
“You know Doc, this game is supposed to be fun,” Jayne said, all mocking tones gone from his voice; replaced what could almost pass for guilt or concern.
“Alright then,” said Simon, “We leave out upbringing and personal past.”
“Deal,” it took Jayne a couple of false starts before he was convinced he was not breaking the new rule. “I never had a birthday party.”
Simon took the bottle from Jayne and brought it to his lips. The alcohol stung his nostrils and his eyes, but he managed to take a pull without grimacing too much. While the liquid burned its way comfortably into his stomach, memories of the galas and joyful gatherings surrounding his birthdays flooded his mind. The fact that Jayne had to miss out on that kind of care free joy made Simon suddenly wish that things were somehow different. He wasn’t sure what he would change if he were capable, but surprising, the sadness carefully smothered under Jayne’s machismo got to him. “I’ve never shot some one who couldn’t run away,” Simon’s voice came somewhat more breathy than he would have liked.
Jayne sighed and nodded, taking a long drink. Yet he looked less remorseful than he did when reliving the memory of his involvement with the near capture of the Tams. “You just did that on ‘cuz you were curious, didn’t you?” Jayne asked and Simon nodded. Jayne cocked his head from side to side causing his neck to pop as his vertebrae realigned themselves.
“You know, that’s not really that good for you. I’m not a chiropractor but I could look at it…” Simon began but was interrupted.
“I never wanted to kiss a man,” Jayne said with a little snort of a laugh, not quite making eye-contact with Simon. In response, Simon swallowed air and almost burst out laughing before realizing that Jayne did not look amused, and that the bottle was surprisingly half-empty already. They’d both been taking aggressive gulps of the stuff, with Jayne leading the rate of consumption.
Simon cleared his throat. “Well…” he paused, waiting for a snide reaction from Jayne. When it didn’t come he continued. “It was just one of those things. I never really have kissed a man, but I did want to once. After… well… he helped me save this girl’s life, this girl I’d been lusting after from afar… she was way out my league… and she was in an accident… and the rush I felt, and the look in his eyes…” Jayne’s eyebrows furrowed and Simon stopped. “It was just a moment,” he finished lamely and took a small swig. He felt his cheeks burn red again, and one foot slip into the side of madness on his narrow path. They became even redder as Jayne took the bottle from him, and wordlessly joined him in the confession.