Tokens Of Affection: Copper
Series: Tokens Of Affection
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: River/Jayne
Prompt: 041 Copper
Word Count: 1,128
Rating: PG
A/N I: Huge thanks go out to
angel932 who very kindly beta'd this for me.
A/N II: Follows my prompt ficlet Wood, which has now become part of the Tokens Of Affection ficlet series.
* * * * * * *
“You sure ya don’t wanna come, sweetie?” Kaylee tried to cajole her sister-in-law out from underneath the navigational console on Serenity’s bridge.
“Can you pass me the copper wiring please?” came a muffled voice, hand extending blindly to reach for it.
Kaylee toed it closer to River’s hand. She was seven months pregnant and getting around was hard, which was why River was doing the repairs and she was sitting in the co-pilot’s chair. It wasn’t the best solution, since River couldn’t be two places at once and was normally needed on the bridge. But Kaylee wouldn’t trust her girl to anyone else - not even Mal… especially not Mal.
River pulled the spool out of sight, under the console. “You and Simon won’t get to be alone like this for much longer. Don’t want to get in the way.”
“You wouldn’t get in the way!”
“Maybe not, but this re-wiring needs to be done while we’re on the ground.” Kaylee could hear the smile in River’s voice and her own widened.
“Well if you’d rather spend your time pokin’ round Serenity’s innards…” She let the sentence hang, because it was a well known fact that on most days, that would be Kaylee’s activity of choice.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Jayne’s soft tread could barely be heard as he climbed the steps onto the flight deck. It plain amazed her how such a big man could be so quiet when he wanted.
Beneath the console, River froze. Her birthday had only been a couple of weeks ago, but she still wasn’t quite sure what to do about Jayne’s jewellery box. She had thanked him of course. Privately, since that was how he’d given her the gift. But she wasn’t sure what to do with the intent, the thought he’d put into it.
To know that she mattered to him had shocked her to the bone. And it had taken a while to assimilate that fact into Jayne’s past behaviour.
With the benefit of hindsight she could see that he’d been working up to this, in his own way, for a while now. Jayne had long ago accepted her as crew, and eventually Simon as well. And while he’d complained initially about their occasional partnership on jobs, they did work extremely well together. His resentful attitude that she would slow him down had long since disappeared, although he had become somewhat protective of her on jobs. And he’d taken to watching her of late. At the time River had thought he was plotting something, but she sensed no ill intent in him or his present. Also the last three trips off ship had seen him at bars, but not brothels, even though they were available.
When you added in the latest data, it made for a drastically different Jayne Cobb than the one she met over four years ago.
“Well,” she heard Kaylee say from the co-pilot’s chair. “I think I’m gonna go find Simon and hurry him along a bit.”
River was silent as Kaylee climbed out of the chair and slowly waddled down the stairs. She turned back to her work. It would be better to say nothing at all until she had figured out her own feelings towards Jayne.
* * * * * * *
Jayne could hear River and Kaylee chatting away up on the bridge. At breakfast, everyone had been talking about their plans for the day and he’d realised right quick that River’d be here by herself most of the day. Jayne figured he didn’t have anything important to do, and she seemed to be softening towards him, so maybe they could spend some time together.
For days after her birthday he kept catching her staring at him with this adorable, scrunched-up look on her face. Whenever he caught her, she’d blush and turn away. His hands had itched to drag her into his arms each time, but he’d stopped himself. As far as he knew, River’d never even been with a guy, so he knew he needed to be careful with her. Take things at a slow pace. Wouldn’t do to scare her none.
“Oh, hey Jayne,” Kaylee said, leaning back in her chair to see him.
He mumbled a reply to her, or at least Jayne thought he did. Truth be told, his gaze got firmly attached to River’s bare legs the second he got up there. Jayne loved her legs. Just thinkin’ about them got him all riled up, imagining ‘em wrapped around his waist, or kickin’ someone’s pi gu if they got on the wrong side of her.
He leaned against the doorway, arms folded over his chest as Kaylee made her excuses and left the bridge.
“So you stuck doin’ that all day?” Jayne asked, once the pregnant mechanic was gone.
“Should only take approximately ninety minutes more.” River paused, then added, “Why do you ask?”
Jayne squatted down beside her so he could see her face and then stood up again, thinking better of that idea. Talkin’ to her would be easier if he wasn’t lookin’ at her. “I’m stuck guardin’ the ship till Mal gets back. Ain’t got nuthin’ to do. Was thinkin’ bout having a game a horse shoes.” He paused, not even sure why this was such a difficult question to ask. “You want in?”
River’s smile was hidden by the underside of the console she was working on. He’d never asked her to play horseshoes before. They’d played together of course, as part of a group, but never on the same team. River thought it might be the first time he’d ever actually asked just her to do anything. Even after all these years.
Her silence was making him nervous, and River found that she was having difficulty removing the foolish grin from her face so she could answer him. “Would love to,” she said, when she finally managed to school her features into something a little less giddy.
Relief flooded Jayne’s face. “Shiny. Gimme a yell when you’re done.”
River nodded, swallowing hard to relieve her suddenly dry throat so she could talk. “I will”
Jayne left her to it, and a part of River was glad. Another thing she’d noticed of late was a decreased concentration span whenever she was in his general vicinity. And if he hadn’t left her to her repairs, she feared they’d never get to their game of horseshoes!
River returned her attention to the troublesome copper wiring. Snipping off the excess, she hesitated before tucking it in her pocket. She didn’t know why, but she felt an unexplainable sentimental attachment to that little piece of reddish metal, almost as if they’d formed a bond by being the only witnesses to this strange turn of events.