Wash ficlet
This was inspired by the prompt "Wash goes shoping for a shirt in some ritzy mall."
It's rough, not very long, and pointless, but here goes nonetheless.
Title: Wash Ficlet
Author: hoban_harper
Rating: G
Pairing: none
Characters: Wash
Genre: General
Timeline/Spoilers: none
Wash flinched as the loud, animated advertisement right behind him changed suddenly, then flushed with embarrassment hoping no one had seen. He already felt decidedly out of place. Everyone around him was dressed to the nines in fancy, extravagantly priced clothes that followed the latest Core fashions. He’d never been one to put much effort into, as they say, keeping up with the Joneses, but he also wasn’t usually in the thick of it, either. He glanced down at the almost thread-bare flight suit and the not much better shirt he wore over it and practically felt a blazing neon sign flashing “abject poverty” over his head. Add being startled by strange advertisements to the mix and he might as well die of shame.
Not that a single, solitary soul was paying him any attention in this place anyway, though. They were all too busy rushing too and fro between the glitzy, overdone displays, huge bags of purchased goods gripped tightly in their hands.
“Can I help you, sir?”
Wash jumped again, startled by the voice, and looked around to find a young woman looking at him, her expression curious but not unkind.
“Huh?” he asked unconsciously imitating Mal, trying to ease out from behind the mannequin and look like he’d just happened to be standing there perusing the merchandise and not actually using it as a shield.
“I asked if I could help you, sir. Is there something you’re looking for?” she responded patiently, hiding a flicker of amusement. She was young, no more than Kaylee’s age, and dressed smartly in a button-up shirt and dark skirt. Pinned to her collar was a nametag indicating that she was a sale’s representative at this particular store.
“Um, yeah. I guess,” Wash stammered, deciding he might as well get this over with. When they had landed on this planet, Zoe had caught him on the bridge, needle and thread in hand trying to mend his favorite shirt once again. This time, she’d put her foot down. He was not getting back inside their bunk until he took his little self down to the nearest mall and purchased at least one new shirt. His pleadings that he loved that shirt and couldn’t live without it were in vain. When he discovered that she really had locked him out of their bunk, desperation took over. The mall he guessed it was, then.
But no one had told him how scary malls were! How could Kaylee stand these places?
“You guess?” the girl asked again, bringing him out of his musings. “Could you be a little more specific?”
“I…um…need a shirt. Yeah, that’s right. And, as I was standing here, you know, looking and shopping like people do in places like this, I couldn’t help noticing your wonderful displays of shirts over here, see. And I’ve made up my mind that I just can’t live without…” he reached behind him to grab the nearest shirt off the table. It was bright yellow with pink and blue tropical flowers on it, just his style, “um…this one. Yep, this is the shirt for me.”
He smiled proudly, happy at how well he had salvaged this situation and his dignity, not to mention getting the job done and hopefully making it back to Serenity where Zoe would let him back into their bunk and they could enjoy the few hours of break still left before their next job.
“Um, sir,” the girl said, hiding a small laugh behind her hand. “That’s a woman’s shirt.”
“Oh,” he said, shoulders slumping. He sighed, closing his eyes in defeat. He SO should have brought Inara with him on this one. He was way, way out of his league.
It's rough, not very long, and pointless, but here goes nonetheless.
Title: Wash Ficlet
Author: hoban_harper
Rating: G
Pairing: none
Characters: Wash
Genre: General
Timeline/Spoilers: none
Wash flinched as the loud, animated advertisement right behind him changed suddenly, then flushed with embarrassment hoping no one had seen. He already felt decidedly out of place. Everyone around him was dressed to the nines in fancy, extravagantly priced clothes that followed the latest Core fashions. He’d never been one to put much effort into, as they say, keeping up with the Joneses, but he also wasn’t usually in the thick of it, either. He glanced down at the almost thread-bare flight suit and the not much better shirt he wore over it and practically felt a blazing neon sign flashing “abject poverty” over his head. Add being startled by strange advertisements to the mix and he might as well die of shame.
Not that a single, solitary soul was paying him any attention in this place anyway, though. They were all too busy rushing too and fro between the glitzy, overdone displays, huge bags of purchased goods gripped tightly in their hands.
“Can I help you, sir?”
Wash jumped again, startled by the voice, and looked around to find a young woman looking at him, her expression curious but not unkind.
“Huh?” he asked unconsciously imitating Mal, trying to ease out from behind the mannequin and look like he’d just happened to be standing there perusing the merchandise and not actually using it as a shield.
“I asked if I could help you, sir. Is there something you’re looking for?” she responded patiently, hiding a flicker of amusement. She was young, no more than Kaylee’s age, and dressed smartly in a button-up shirt and dark skirt. Pinned to her collar was a nametag indicating that she was a sale’s representative at this particular store.
“Um, yeah. I guess,” Wash stammered, deciding he might as well get this over with. When they had landed on this planet, Zoe had caught him on the bridge, needle and thread in hand trying to mend his favorite shirt once again. This time, she’d put her foot down. He was not getting back inside their bunk until he took his little self down to the nearest mall and purchased at least one new shirt. His pleadings that he loved that shirt and couldn’t live without it were in vain. When he discovered that she really had locked him out of their bunk, desperation took over. The mall he guessed it was, then.
But no one had told him how scary malls were! How could Kaylee stand these places?
“You guess?” the girl asked again, bringing him out of his musings. “Could you be a little more specific?”
“I…um…need a shirt. Yeah, that’s right. And, as I was standing here, you know, looking and shopping like people do in places like this, I couldn’t help noticing your wonderful displays of shirts over here, see. And I’ve made up my mind that I just can’t live without…” he reached behind him to grab the nearest shirt off the table. It was bright yellow with pink and blue tropical flowers on it, just his style, “um…this one. Yep, this is the shirt for me.”
He smiled proudly, happy at how well he had salvaged this situation and his dignity, not to mention getting the job done and hopefully making it back to Serenity where Zoe would let him back into their bunk and they could enjoy the few hours of break still left before their next job.
“Um, sir,” the girl said, hiding a small laugh behind her hand. “That’s a woman’s shirt.”
“Oh,” he said, shoulders slumping. He sighed, closing his eyes in defeat. He SO should have brought Inara with him on this one. He was way, way out of his league.