Jayne/River - Protected - PG-13
Protected
Jayne/River
PG-13
Jayne protects River without even knowing it.
literarylemming mentioned in the fic we collaborated on that Jayne couldn't stomach the thought of River getting hurt. I, of course, love angsty, protective Jayne...so I couldn't resist. :)
"No gorram way she's goin'! No way I'm letting her go!"
Mal settles against the console, regarding Jayne calmly. "Don't seem like you have much choice in the matter, seein' as she wants to and I say it's okay."
Jayne's fists clench at his sides and he takes a deep, shaky breath. "She's just a girl."
Mal scoffs. "Just a girl that can take out an entire army of Reavers single handedly. You sayin' she couldn't handle a little squabble if it comes to that?"
Jayne grits his teeth and scrubs a hand through his hair. "It don't sit with me all too well."
"Doc don't mind. He says it'd be good for her to feel like she's contributin', and comin' from him that's sayin' somethin'." Mal eyes Jayne warily. "Wanna tell me what's got you so worked up about this?"
Jayne falters, fumbling for something to say, something other than, Well, cap'n, the crazy girl's been sorta un-crazy with me these past few months. I don't mind her sittin' and watchin' me clean Vera. She's rather nice to look at and I sure as hell been lookin'...
Jayne sighs and folds his arms across his chest. "Little girls shouldn't be inolved in business. It ain't right."
"Huh." Mal says in surprise. "Point taken and also ignored." He brushes past Jayne with a smirk. "She's goin'."
*****
He sees it happen a split second before it actually does, and he wonders if River's starting to rub off on him.
The thug on the right has been looking shifty ever since they arrived, and the fact that he's yet to take his hand out from underneath his coat, has Jayne watching him closely.
There's a moment when something Mal says doesn't sit right with the big boss, and that's when Jayne sees it. The way the muscles in the thug's forearm flex.
He's drawing his gun.
This was it. The very essence of Jayne's job description. Be the muscle. Mal's enforcer. Basically the one that sees the trouble coming and puts a stop to it. He's about to reach for the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants when he suddenly feels a featherlight pressure along his arm.
Everything's moving slowly now. He blinks. Once. Twice. Looks down into her eyes.
"Not your fault." He hears her whisper but faintly notices her mouth isn't moving.
There's a sharp whoosh of air, River slumps against him, and everything speeds up, as if to make up for earlier.
*****
He's got blood all over his shirt, all over his jacket too, and he can feel the warm, sticky fluid seeping in to slide against his skin.
Zoe's driving as fast as she can, but it's not fast enough for him. Jayne's eyes clench shut, and he wills her to speed up. River has already lost a lot of blood.
So much blood from such a small girl.
The bullet had torn through her shoulder, coming out the other side at the top of her chest. It barely grazed his upper arm.
She took a gorram bullet for him.
Suddenly, he feels her mouth moving along his neck. There are no sounds, only the whisper of her breath along his skin.
The mule reaches the top of a rise and Serenity comes into view.
She saved my life. Me. She saved me. Bled for me. After all I've done to her...I don't deserve that.
As they pull up the ramp and into the cargo bay he finally hears her weak voice murmur. "Yes, you do."
*****
He's too worried to sleep, too exhausted to stay awake, so he slumps against the couch outside the infirmary, determined to keep watch until River wakes up. He had been hovering somewhere near the door with the others in the crew, but Simon had kicked everyone out when he started operating.
The doc's still in there with her, constantly checking her vitals, changing her bandages, and glancing up only to glare when he finds Jayne still there.
He thinks he's finally drifted to sleep. He can't be awake because Simon's saying his name and there's no hatred in his voice.
"Jayne. Jayne." He says quietly, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up. She's asking for you."
"Huh? Whassat?" He questions groggily, eyes blinking open trying to shake his drowsiness.
"River." Simon says, swallowing nervously. "She won't stop calling your name."
That's when he hears it, her voice, faint though it may be, saying his name over and over. It causes his heart to skip a few beats.
Jayne's up and by her side in mere seconds and when he sees the smile on her face he takes a calming breath.
"Not broken. Don't worry." She whispers.
His hand comes up to touch her, but he can't find a place on her that isn't bandaged or stuck full of needles, so he settles on trailing a fingertip across her forehead.
"Why'd ya do it?" He asks, voice strained. "I coulda taken it."
She closes her eyes at his touch. "No. It would have made you leave. Not ready for you to go."
Jayne shivers at the need in her voice and for the first time since she got hurt, he lets those feelings of desperation, anger, and fear wash over him.
"I should be layin' there. It ain't right. It ain't-" He trails off with a hoarse whimper. "I shoulda protected you. Don't want you to be hurt. Ever."
His hands are trembling and he falls to his knees beside her bed, leaning over to rest his head against her stomach.
"River..." He growls. "My River."
She gasps, a half-laugh and Jayne feels a faint touch along the back of his neck.
"It's alright, Simon." He hears her say. "Jayne understands now."
*****
Stars. River wants to see the stars and she can't leave her bed yet. It's no good just to bring her books or vid captures, she wants the real thing. So, that's why she's in Jayne's arms and he's carrying her up to the helm so she can look out the large windows.
Her arms tighten around his neck when he tries to sit her down in the co-pilot's chair and she shakes her head at his confused glare.
"Hold me."
River's eyes are wide and pleading and Jayne feels the corner of his mouth lifting in an agreeing smile.
He leans to the left a bit, hitting a button with his elbow that slides the shields back so the sky is visible.
"Oh." River gasps.
She's so light in his arms. So light, he thinks, she may just float away. It's beautiful the way she's so captivated by the stars, and Jayne can't look away. He watches her profile as she watches the stars.
"I tried to count them, but there are too many." She murmurs. "Always being born and dying. I couldn't add and subtract fast enough."
Jayne notices that her fingers have slid up the back of his neck and through his hair. His own hand shifts against her thigh, adjusting his grip, and her dress moves up higher on her leg. His eyes are immediately drawn there. The exposed skin is pale and, he imagines, soft. He knows it isn't right, to be thinking things about her, she's just a girl after all, and she's wounded to boot, but her fingers in his hair are tugging insistently and she must know what that does to him.
He looks back up to find her smiling.
"She knows."
Tug. Tug. She pulls him closer until their foreheads are touching. "She knows, Jayne. Thoughts tumble around in her head. Formulas and theorems. But she doesn't know everything. What it feels like to be touched. To be real. To be loved."
River's trembling and he holds her closer. "I ain't good with this. I can't be a man like you need. Don't go askin' me to be, dong ma?"
She lifts her head and places a sweet, soft kiss against his cheek. "River doesn't need Jayne to be anyone but Jayne. He's the one that protects her...that loves her."
Jayne's contented sigh rumbles through them both. "Tha's right. My River always knows what's right."
Jayne/River
PG-13
Jayne protects River without even knowing it.
literarylemming mentioned in the fic we collaborated on that Jayne couldn't stomach the thought of River getting hurt. I, of course, love angsty, protective Jayne...so I couldn't resist. :)
"No gorram way she's goin'! No way I'm letting her go!"
Mal settles against the console, regarding Jayne calmly. "Don't seem like you have much choice in the matter, seein' as she wants to and I say it's okay."
Jayne's fists clench at his sides and he takes a deep, shaky breath. "She's just a girl."
Mal scoffs. "Just a girl that can take out an entire army of Reavers single handedly. You sayin' she couldn't handle a little squabble if it comes to that?"
Jayne grits his teeth and scrubs a hand through his hair. "It don't sit with me all too well."
"Doc don't mind. He says it'd be good for her to feel like she's contributin', and comin' from him that's sayin' somethin'." Mal eyes Jayne warily. "Wanna tell me what's got you so worked up about this?"
Jayne falters, fumbling for something to say, something other than, Well, cap'n, the crazy girl's been sorta un-crazy with me these past few months. I don't mind her sittin' and watchin' me clean Vera. She's rather nice to look at and I sure as hell been lookin'...
Jayne sighs and folds his arms across his chest. "Little girls shouldn't be inolved in business. It ain't right."
"Huh." Mal says in surprise. "Point taken and also ignored." He brushes past Jayne with a smirk. "She's goin'."
*****
He sees it happen a split second before it actually does, and he wonders if River's starting to rub off on him.
The thug on the right has been looking shifty ever since they arrived, and the fact that he's yet to take his hand out from underneath his coat, has Jayne watching him closely.
There's a moment when something Mal says doesn't sit right with the big boss, and that's when Jayne sees it. The way the muscles in the thug's forearm flex.
He's drawing his gun.
This was it. The very essence of Jayne's job description. Be the muscle. Mal's enforcer. Basically the one that sees the trouble coming and puts a stop to it. He's about to reach for the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants when he suddenly feels a featherlight pressure along his arm.
Everything's moving slowly now. He blinks. Once. Twice. Looks down into her eyes.
"Not your fault." He hears her whisper but faintly notices her mouth isn't moving.
There's a sharp whoosh of air, River slumps against him, and everything speeds up, as if to make up for earlier.
*****
He's got blood all over his shirt, all over his jacket too, and he can feel the warm, sticky fluid seeping in to slide against his skin.
Zoe's driving as fast as she can, but it's not fast enough for him. Jayne's eyes clench shut, and he wills her to speed up. River has already lost a lot of blood.
So much blood from such a small girl.
The bullet had torn through her shoulder, coming out the other side at the top of her chest. It barely grazed his upper arm.
She took a gorram bullet for him.
Suddenly, he feels her mouth moving along his neck. There are no sounds, only the whisper of her breath along his skin.
The mule reaches the top of a rise and Serenity comes into view.
She saved my life. Me. She saved me. Bled for me. After all I've done to her...I don't deserve that.
As they pull up the ramp and into the cargo bay he finally hears her weak voice murmur. "Yes, you do."
*****
He's too worried to sleep, too exhausted to stay awake, so he slumps against the couch outside the infirmary, determined to keep watch until River wakes up. He had been hovering somewhere near the door with the others in the crew, but Simon had kicked everyone out when he started operating.
The doc's still in there with her, constantly checking her vitals, changing her bandages, and glancing up only to glare when he finds Jayne still there.
He thinks he's finally drifted to sleep. He can't be awake because Simon's saying his name and there's no hatred in his voice.
"Jayne. Jayne." He says quietly, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up. She's asking for you."
"Huh? Whassat?" He questions groggily, eyes blinking open trying to shake his drowsiness.
"River." Simon says, swallowing nervously. "She won't stop calling your name."
That's when he hears it, her voice, faint though it may be, saying his name over and over. It causes his heart to skip a few beats.
Jayne's up and by her side in mere seconds and when he sees the smile on her face he takes a calming breath.
"Not broken. Don't worry." She whispers.
His hand comes up to touch her, but he can't find a place on her that isn't bandaged or stuck full of needles, so he settles on trailing a fingertip across her forehead.
"Why'd ya do it?" He asks, voice strained. "I coulda taken it."
She closes her eyes at his touch. "No. It would have made you leave. Not ready for you to go."
Jayne shivers at the need in her voice and for the first time since she got hurt, he lets those feelings of desperation, anger, and fear wash over him.
"I should be layin' there. It ain't right. It ain't-" He trails off with a hoarse whimper. "I shoulda protected you. Don't want you to be hurt. Ever."
His hands are trembling and he falls to his knees beside her bed, leaning over to rest his head against her stomach.
"River..." He growls. "My River."
She gasps, a half-laugh and Jayne feels a faint touch along the back of his neck.
"It's alright, Simon." He hears her say. "Jayne understands now."
*****
Stars. River wants to see the stars and she can't leave her bed yet. It's no good just to bring her books or vid captures, she wants the real thing. So, that's why she's in Jayne's arms and he's carrying her up to the helm so she can look out the large windows.
Her arms tighten around his neck when he tries to sit her down in the co-pilot's chair and she shakes her head at his confused glare.
"Hold me."
River's eyes are wide and pleading and Jayne feels the corner of his mouth lifting in an agreeing smile.
He leans to the left a bit, hitting a button with his elbow that slides the shields back so the sky is visible.
"Oh." River gasps.
She's so light in his arms. So light, he thinks, she may just float away. It's beautiful the way she's so captivated by the stars, and Jayne can't look away. He watches her profile as she watches the stars.
"I tried to count them, but there are too many." She murmurs. "Always being born and dying. I couldn't add and subtract fast enough."
Jayne notices that her fingers have slid up the back of his neck and through his hair. His own hand shifts against her thigh, adjusting his grip, and her dress moves up higher on her leg. His eyes are immediately drawn there. The exposed skin is pale and, he imagines, soft. He knows it isn't right, to be thinking things about her, she's just a girl after all, and she's wounded to boot, but her fingers in his hair are tugging insistently and she must know what that does to him.
He looks back up to find her smiling.
"She knows."
Tug. Tug. She pulls him closer until their foreheads are touching. "She knows, Jayne. Thoughts tumble around in her head. Formulas and theorems. But she doesn't know everything. What it feels like to be touched. To be real. To be loved."
River's trembling and he holds her closer. "I ain't good with this. I can't be a man like you need. Don't go askin' me to be, dong ma?"
She lifts her head and places a sweet, soft kiss against his cheek. "River doesn't need Jayne to be anyone but Jayne. He's the one that protects her...that loves her."
Jayne's contented sigh rumbles through them both. "Tha's right. My River always knows what's right."