(Untitled)

[simon_doctor]

[After this.]

When Simon steps onto the nearly-repaired Firefly in the Milliways garage, he's carrying a heavy brown paper bag; the contents jostle against each other with the flat click of plastic.

He sets the bag down just outside the engine room, and taps with his knuckles on its open door.

Comments

[gonna_live]

Kaylee glances up -- she's in the process of rearranging drill bits, and for once there don't appear to be pieces of the engine everywhere.

"Hey, you." A little surprised.

[simon_doctor]

Warm: "Hey."

He glances at the work in front of her. "Where are you up to?"

[gonna_live]

"Up to comin' up with a new task list, 'cause I'm done with the big-event ones. So I'm takin' a minute to get a little reorganized." A slightly crooked smile. "Could even spend tonight in my own bed."

[simon_doctor]

He breaks into a smile, and moves further into the room. "That's great. Lǐ zàn."

[gonna_live]

"You're biased," she says cheerfully.

[simon_doctor]

"Maybe," he concedes, "but that doesn't mean I'm wrong."

He finds an empty crate near the tool chest and leans against it, halfway to sitting.

After a moment, soft: "Do you maybe have a few minutes to talk? About something important?"

[gonna_live]

"Yeah." She glances at him, hands stilling. "What's up?"

[simon_doctor]

He should have practiced how to start this, he thinks distantly.

"I was thinking," still soft, "about your business plans, and about how you didn't want to tell me about them. About why you didn't want to tell me."

[gonna_live]

"...okay." She looks deeply uncertain.

[simon_doctor]

"And I realized ... there are things I've been afraid to talk to you about, too. Mostly because I didn't want you to think I was worrying."

[gonna_live]

Kaylee opens her mouth, and closes it.

A little shaky: "Are -- is this -- " She makes herself take a deep breath. "Are... we okay?"

[simon_doctor]

Swiftly: "We're okay."

Simon straightens, takes the half-step to close the distance between them, reaches for her hand.

"But I want to make sure we stay okay, xin gan."

[gonna_live]

Kaylee closes her hand on his.

"Okay." A little steadier; she offers up a faint smile. "All right."

Beat.

"...meanin' what?"

[simon_doctor]

"Meaning that we somehow have to get past being afraid to tell each other things. I don't know how, I'm not even sure where to start, but -- coming to you and telling you this seemed like a beginning."

[gonna_live]

Kaylee bites her lip, nods.

"I don't -- what is it you're scared of?"

[simon_doctor]

In exactly that many words, Jordie said; and he's trying to remember now what those words were.

"I'm scared of hurting you," he makes himself say. "Or of making you feel like I'm ... demanding too much of you."