Hearts
Firefly, 525 words, more gen than shippy, nothing but sugar
River had purchased the cheap candy hearts on some cheap heartless planet. She liked that they had words on them. More foods ought to have something to say, in her opinion. Ingesting the words gave them weight, and it was hard to misunderstand someone else's meaning when you literally consumed their words.
So she made a game of it, leaving the words meant but unsaid for those who wouldn't have heard them otherwise.
A pile of hearts with variations on "I miss you" for Zoe, because River was sure that Wash did, if he was able from the afterlife, assuming there was such a thing.
Words of friendship and loyalty for Jayne, because River felt he needed to be reminded that he was capable of such things, even if he didn't realize it.
"Thank you" and "You're the best!" to Simon, because his sister owed him that much, at least.
On Kaylee's pillow, "You're beautiful" and "Kiss me" and "I want you", because River could give him that, too, the words he found too hard to say, when he was such a dummy about his own heart.
Handfuls of sugar and thoughts, left behind by a little ghost girl when no one was looking. No one but Serenity herself and the Captain who kept watch in the black.
"You ain't as invisible as you think you are, little one," she heard from the shadows as she emerged from Kaylee's room.
"Not trying to be invisible from you," she said, as though she expected that to be obvious and was weary of always trying to explain. "Someone wants to go about giving you their heart, they have to be certain you know where it's coming from."
He gave her a hard, seaching look. "Is that so? I don't reckon there's anyone trying to give me much of anything in this 'verse, albatross."
"I don't reckon you would reckon that, but that's what I mean." She pressed a handful of candy hearts into his hand, a whole mixture off all the sentiments she had separated out for the others, because he was all of those things to her whether he knew it or not.
"Xie xie, darlin," said Mal, though he didn't quite know why she was giving him candies. He thought it would be polite to eat one, seeing as how it was a gift and all. "What's 'BFF'?" he asked, because seeing as it was a gift from River, it was a good idea to know what things meant.
"'Best friends forever'," River translated. "Like you and Serenity. And crew. That's what it's meant to mean, I think."
He ate it, and then poked through the rest of the colored hearts in his hand, carefully choosing a pink one and offering it to River. "Don't seem fair, you givin' all your treats away."
"Be mine" was an unnecessary sentiment for the captain to give to his albatross, when she already was, but she appreciated it all the same. She smiled, and made his words a part of herself, and hoped the rest of the crew would take their own hearts to heart as well.
River had purchased the cheap candy hearts on some cheap heartless planet. She liked that they had words on them. More foods ought to have something to say, in her opinion. Ingesting the words gave them weight, and it was hard to misunderstand someone else's meaning when you literally consumed their words.
So she made a game of it, leaving the words meant but unsaid for those who wouldn't have heard them otherwise.
A pile of hearts with variations on "I miss you" for Zoe, because River was sure that Wash did, if he was able from the afterlife, assuming there was such a thing.
Words of friendship and loyalty for Jayne, because River felt he needed to be reminded that he was capable of such things, even if he didn't realize it.
"Thank you" and "You're the best!" to Simon, because his sister owed him that much, at least.
On Kaylee's pillow, "You're beautiful" and "Kiss me" and "I want you", because River could give him that, too, the words he found too hard to say, when he was such a dummy about his own heart.
Handfuls of sugar and thoughts, left behind by a little ghost girl when no one was looking. No one but Serenity herself and the Captain who kept watch in the black.
"You ain't as invisible as you think you are, little one," she heard from the shadows as she emerged from Kaylee's room.
"Not trying to be invisible from you," she said, as though she expected that to be obvious and was weary of always trying to explain. "Someone wants to go about giving you their heart, they have to be certain you know where it's coming from."
He gave her a hard, seaching look. "Is that so? I don't reckon there's anyone trying to give me much of anything in this 'verse, albatross."
"I don't reckon you would reckon that, but that's what I mean." She pressed a handful of candy hearts into his hand, a whole mixture off all the sentiments she had separated out for the others, because he was all of those things to her whether he knew it or not.
"Xie xie, darlin," said Mal, though he didn't quite know why she was giving him candies. He thought it would be polite to eat one, seeing as how it was a gift and all. "What's 'BFF'?" he asked, because seeing as it was a gift from River, it was a good idea to know what things meant.
"'Best friends forever'," River translated. "Like you and Serenity. And crew. That's what it's meant to mean, I think."
He ate it, and then poked through the rest of the colored hearts in his hand, carefully choosing a pink one and offering it to River. "Don't seem fair, you givin' all your treats away."
"Be mine" was an unnecessary sentiment for the captain to give to his albatross, when she already was, but she appreciated it all the same. She smiled, and made his words a part of herself, and hoped the rest of the crew would take their own hearts to heart as well.