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Grah, I don't even know why I bother trying to write cos' it's obvious I can't... and still don't have the hang of Firefly. *sighs* Anyway, here's another fic... completed. The end's terrible, and the in-between's not so good either XD In other words, don't bother unless you're desperate for something to read. XD
Note: This has NOT been edited or proofread yet. No title either.
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All Simon can hear is Kaylee’s laughter as he sits under a tree planet-side with nothing to do but wait for their contact. He should’ve been taking advantage of the time that Mal had finally seen fit to allow them to have. Instead, his attention is focused on the two figures chasing each other through the fields in front of him. They weave in and out between the tall reeds, peeking at each other before scurrying away. Seeing that smile on Kaylee’s face is enough to make him want to smile as well. It reflects her pleasure at feeling the sun upon her skin, being away from the confines of the ship, and having no worries about being shot up.
She is having fun.
By contrast, Jayne’s answering grin is almost predatory, and immediately kills the upward curl on Simon’s lips. He knows that the mercenary is just playing, but something about the scene bothers him. The way she smiles at Jayne, and the way he smiles back - like they both fit. Kaylee’s small and feminine even if she has the uncanny ability to make engines sing under her fingertips. Jayne’s large, masculine in a way Simon knows he could never be. He towers over Kaylee though everyone knows that Jayne could never harm her. The more he stares at them, the more he realises all their similarities. They’re both unhindered by propriety and they say what’s on their minds. They’re both working people, good with their hands with skills that are useful and valuable on board a ship.
Simon’s none of those things and it upsets him. He wants to be able to play with Kaylee like that, running through the fields, hearing her laughter and his own, and knowing that he’s making her do so. He wants to touch the hair that somehow remains so soft despite working in the engine room all day. He wants to feel the grease under his fingertips and see Kaylee’s smile for a job well done. He wants to be able to grab her and kiss her with all the feelings that have been building up since the first time he laid eyes on her, parasol and all.
He wants.
He sighs, and looks out into the sunset blanketing the valley they’re in. It’s breathtaking but nothing compared to the way Kaylee looks when the sun’s dwindling rays are bathing upon her skin. She looks golden, like sunshine itself. Radiant. Shiny. All sorts of things he wants to be, but could never be.
“Simon?”
Looking up, he sees her walking towards him, slightly out of breath but with a smile still on her face. It’s different than the smile from earlier, somehow softer, and somehow affects him even more.
“Are you all right, Kaylee?”
Her eyes twinkle as she sits down next to him. “What? A girl can’t come to see a doctor without havin’ some sort of injury?”
There’s a slight tinge of embarrassment on his face, and he’s glad the sunlight can mask it. “Of course not. I was just worried…”
She nudges him slightly with her body. “Oh Simon. Jayne’d never hurt me. ‘Sides, I know where he hides Vera.”
He smiles a little.
Tilting her head, she asks softly, “Why didn’t you come join us?”
“I didn’t want to spoil your fun. Besides, I’m no good with anything requiring coordination.”
“It ain’t ‘bout bein’ good at somethin’. It’s ‘bout having fun! You wouldn’t have spoiled our fun! Well, you might’ve spoiled Jayne’s fun, but that’d be fun for me.”
He can’t help but smile at the impish grin on her face. “You two get along really well.”
The warmth of her body radiates towards his despite the cooling temperatures. “I s’pose so on account of the fact that I was around lots of farm animals back home.”
Laughter bursts out of him, startling himself. Kaylee’s looking rather pleased. “See? That ain’t too bad.” At his quizzical look, she adds, “You laughing I mean. Yer so serious all the time, Simon. You gotta laugh a little, live a little. You laughed, and nothin’ bad happened.”
He stares at her, unsure of what to say. “I’m not like you, Kaylee. I can’t laugh the way you do. I have River and the Alliance to think about.”
Her gaze narrows, and by now, he knows her well enough to know he’s somehow offended her with his words. “And I don’t got worries to think ‘bout? Like bein’ responsible for Serenity and what happens to the crew if I make a mistake?”
“I didn’t mean…”
She sighs and shakes her head. “I know you didn’t mean it. Jus’ tellin’ you that we all got worries on board, even out here in the black. We all have secrets and things botherin’ us, but that don’t mean we gotta stop enjoying life. We only got one to live, so we might as well enjoy it ‘fore we die.”
He looks at her with some wonder. “How’d you get to be so smart?”
Turning around, she flashes a smile at him and taps her head. “Came from my mama and papa. That and I heard the Cap’n say it once when I was real upset.”
His eyes widen. “I can’t see you being… okay, well when you’re not mad at me for saying stupid things, but you always seem so bright.”
The grin still remains on her face. “It was ‘bout two months after bein’ on board Serenity. All the… newness had gone out of things, ya know? I was getting’ upset, missin’ home somethin’ fierce, and jus’ being a real grouchypants to be around when the Cap’n told me that. Don’ tell him I told you though. He’d be upset if he thought someone else knew about his nice side.”
He laughs. “I know he’s nice. Didn’t toss me and River off Serenity.”
“He didn’t toss Jayne off Serenity," she retorts.
They both laugh, and she leans in a little closer. “You mention Jayne quite a lot…” he begins awkwardly, trying hard to ignore her nearness.
“Hmm, I s’pose I do. We’ve been part of the crew some, and I jus’ understand him. So it’s easy bein’ around him.”
He supposes that is the sound of his heart shattering. “I… see.”
Kaylee's smile is soft, the melting type that spoke of immense fondness. “He’s jus’ so big an’ awkward, an’ all his life, no one’s ever taken him seriously or believed in him. I know he ain’t all good, but he ain’t all bad either. He jus’ needs someone to believe in him.”
There’s this lump in his throat that’s proving to be quite difficult to get around. “You seem to care for him.”
She’s fiddling with a beautiful woven bracelet that River has given her. “Hmm? ‘Course I do,” she replied matter-of-factly, as if she weren’t stomping all over his heart. “Jayne’s a teddy bear, but don’ tell him I told you that either. He’d be right upset with me.”
“Oh…”
Something in his voice must’ve given away his thoughts because Kaylee turns her head around to look at him. “Simon? You all right? All these questions about Jayne…” Her brow furrows. “You ain’t on the sly, are you?”
“NO!! I like women!!!” he practically shouts.
She laughs and leans in even further so that their arms are next to each other. He can feel the heat radiating from her. “That’s good to know.”
Simon doesn’t know what to feel, or what to say any more. Kaylee just has a way of doing that to him, turning his world upside down till he wonders why he's clinging onto propriety the way he is. He knows they are as opposite as night and day, and he really has nothing to offer her. As a fugitive, he has no money and the fact that he's a doctor doesn't get him very far. Yet he knows that even if he has his name and wealth, she wouldn’t want it. She’s happy just being with her beloved ship and the people she cares for so much.
He hears her sighing. “What’s wrong, Kaylee?”
“Well, don’ know how much more I can take. A girl can only hint so much, y’know.”
Oh good. His heart has just stopped beating.
“Uh…”
“It’s a pretty sunset, ain’t it?”
He can almost hear the males on the ship screaming that it’s a trick question.
“Yes…”
“I’m sitting next to you, ain’t I?”
He starts breathing again.
“Yes…”
There’s the slightest hitch in her voice when she says, “You still think I’m pretty… pretty? Or was that jus’ the mudders’ milk talkin’?”
“You’re pretty,” he manages to reply eventually.
She turns around and faces him with the biggest pout he’s ever seen. He finds it utterly adorable, though it’s even more adorable when she asks, “So why ain’t you kissin’ me?”
Her cheeks are flushed, but her eyes are filled with curiosity and a bit of hurt. He decides right there and then he never wants to see that look on her face, not from him anyway. He’s not going to question why she likes him, and why she doesn’t choose Jayne because in all frankness, he doesn’t care. Besides, doctors are better than man-apes.
“Guess I’m a boob,” he replies, and is grinning ridiculously when she laughs heartily.
“Yep, sure are, Simon. Gonna fix that?”
He reaches out and touches her skin, feels the delicate bones beneath the softness. He can still see the traces of grease in certain spots, and it makes him want to smile.
“Sorry ‘bout the grease. You got some on yer fingertips now,” she whispers.
Simon never quite figures out how he’s able to smile and kiss someone at the same time, but he does. As does Kaylee. The laughter continues ringing in his ears even as his hands pull her closer. He knows that there’s nothing more that he wants more than to be with this woman for the rest of his life, but for now, he’ll settle for the moment. It’s more than he deserves, and all that he wants.
Note: This has NOT been edited or proofread yet. No title either.
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All Simon can hear is Kaylee’s laughter as he sits under a tree planet-side with nothing to do but wait for their contact. He should’ve been taking advantage of the time that Mal had finally seen fit to allow them to have. Instead, his attention is focused on the two figures chasing each other through the fields in front of him. They weave in and out between the tall reeds, peeking at each other before scurrying away. Seeing that smile on Kaylee’s face is enough to make him want to smile as well. It reflects her pleasure at feeling the sun upon her skin, being away from the confines of the ship, and having no worries about being shot up.
She is having fun.
By contrast, Jayne’s answering grin is almost predatory, and immediately kills the upward curl on Simon’s lips. He knows that the mercenary is just playing, but something about the scene bothers him. The way she smiles at Jayne, and the way he smiles back - like they both fit. Kaylee’s small and feminine even if she has the uncanny ability to make engines sing under her fingertips. Jayne’s large, masculine in a way Simon knows he could never be. He towers over Kaylee though everyone knows that Jayne could never harm her. The more he stares at them, the more he realises all their similarities. They’re both unhindered by propriety and they say what’s on their minds. They’re both working people, good with their hands with skills that are useful and valuable on board a ship.
Simon’s none of those things and it upsets him. He wants to be able to play with Kaylee like that, running through the fields, hearing her laughter and his own, and knowing that he’s making her do so. He wants to touch the hair that somehow remains so soft despite working in the engine room all day. He wants to feel the grease under his fingertips and see Kaylee’s smile for a job well done. He wants to be able to grab her and kiss her with all the feelings that have been building up since the first time he laid eyes on her, parasol and all.
He wants.
He sighs, and looks out into the sunset blanketing the valley they’re in. It’s breathtaking but nothing compared to the way Kaylee looks when the sun’s dwindling rays are bathing upon her skin. She looks golden, like sunshine itself. Radiant. Shiny. All sorts of things he wants to be, but could never be.
“Simon?”
Looking up, he sees her walking towards him, slightly out of breath but with a smile still on her face. It’s different than the smile from earlier, somehow softer, and somehow affects him even more.
“Are you all right, Kaylee?”
Her eyes twinkle as she sits down next to him. “What? A girl can’t come to see a doctor without havin’ some sort of injury?”
There’s a slight tinge of embarrassment on his face, and he’s glad the sunlight can mask it. “Of course not. I was just worried…”
She nudges him slightly with her body. “Oh Simon. Jayne’d never hurt me. ‘Sides, I know where he hides Vera.”
He smiles a little.
Tilting her head, she asks softly, “Why didn’t you come join us?”
“I didn’t want to spoil your fun. Besides, I’m no good with anything requiring coordination.”
“It ain’t ‘bout bein’ good at somethin’. It’s ‘bout having fun! You wouldn’t have spoiled our fun! Well, you might’ve spoiled Jayne’s fun, but that’d be fun for me.”
He can’t help but smile at the impish grin on her face. “You two get along really well.”
The warmth of her body radiates towards his despite the cooling temperatures. “I s’pose so on account of the fact that I was around lots of farm animals back home.”
Laughter bursts out of him, startling himself. Kaylee’s looking rather pleased. “See? That ain’t too bad.” At his quizzical look, she adds, “You laughing I mean. Yer so serious all the time, Simon. You gotta laugh a little, live a little. You laughed, and nothin’ bad happened.”
He stares at her, unsure of what to say. “I’m not like you, Kaylee. I can’t laugh the way you do. I have River and the Alliance to think about.”
Her gaze narrows, and by now, he knows her well enough to know he’s somehow offended her with his words. “And I don’t got worries to think ‘bout? Like bein’ responsible for Serenity and what happens to the crew if I make a mistake?”
“I didn’t mean…”
She sighs and shakes her head. “I know you didn’t mean it. Jus’ tellin’ you that we all got worries on board, even out here in the black. We all have secrets and things botherin’ us, but that don’t mean we gotta stop enjoying life. We only got one to live, so we might as well enjoy it ‘fore we die.”
He looks at her with some wonder. “How’d you get to be so smart?”
Turning around, she flashes a smile at him and taps her head. “Came from my mama and papa. That and I heard the Cap’n say it once when I was real upset.”
His eyes widen. “I can’t see you being… okay, well when you’re not mad at me for saying stupid things, but you always seem so bright.”
The grin still remains on her face. “It was ‘bout two months after bein’ on board Serenity. All the… newness had gone out of things, ya know? I was getting’ upset, missin’ home somethin’ fierce, and jus’ being a real grouchypants to be around when the Cap’n told me that. Don’ tell him I told you though. He’d be upset if he thought someone else knew about his nice side.”
He laughs. “I know he’s nice. Didn’t toss me and River off Serenity.”
“He didn’t toss Jayne off Serenity," she retorts.
They both laugh, and she leans in a little closer. “You mention Jayne quite a lot…” he begins awkwardly, trying hard to ignore her nearness.
“Hmm, I s’pose I do. We’ve been part of the crew some, and I jus’ understand him. So it’s easy bein’ around him.”
He supposes that is the sound of his heart shattering. “I… see.”
Kaylee's smile is soft, the melting type that spoke of immense fondness. “He’s jus’ so big an’ awkward, an’ all his life, no one’s ever taken him seriously or believed in him. I know he ain’t all good, but he ain’t all bad either. He jus’ needs someone to believe in him.”
There’s this lump in his throat that’s proving to be quite difficult to get around. “You seem to care for him.”
She’s fiddling with a beautiful woven bracelet that River has given her. “Hmm? ‘Course I do,” she replied matter-of-factly, as if she weren’t stomping all over his heart. “Jayne’s a teddy bear, but don’ tell him I told you that either. He’d be right upset with me.”
“Oh…”
Something in his voice must’ve given away his thoughts because Kaylee turns her head around to look at him. “Simon? You all right? All these questions about Jayne…” Her brow furrows. “You ain’t on the sly, are you?”
“NO!! I like women!!!” he practically shouts.
She laughs and leans in even further so that their arms are next to each other. He can feel the heat radiating from her. “That’s good to know.”
Simon doesn’t know what to feel, or what to say any more. Kaylee just has a way of doing that to him, turning his world upside down till he wonders why he's clinging onto propriety the way he is. He knows they are as opposite as night and day, and he really has nothing to offer her. As a fugitive, he has no money and the fact that he's a doctor doesn't get him very far. Yet he knows that even if he has his name and wealth, she wouldn’t want it. She’s happy just being with her beloved ship and the people she cares for so much.
He hears her sighing. “What’s wrong, Kaylee?”
“Well, don’ know how much more I can take. A girl can only hint so much, y’know.”
Oh good. His heart has just stopped beating.
“Uh…”
“It’s a pretty sunset, ain’t it?”
He can almost hear the males on the ship screaming that it’s a trick question.
“Yes…”
“I’m sitting next to you, ain’t I?”
He starts breathing again.
“Yes…”
There’s the slightest hitch in her voice when she says, “You still think I’m pretty… pretty? Or was that jus’ the mudders’ milk talkin’?”
“You’re pretty,” he manages to reply eventually.
She turns around and faces him with the biggest pout he’s ever seen. He finds it utterly adorable, though it’s even more adorable when she asks, “So why ain’t you kissin’ me?”
Her cheeks are flushed, but her eyes are filled with curiosity and a bit of hurt. He decides right there and then he never wants to see that look on her face, not from him anyway. He’s not going to question why she likes him, and why she doesn’t choose Jayne because in all frankness, he doesn’t care. Besides, doctors are better than man-apes.
“Guess I’m a boob,” he replies, and is grinning ridiculously when she laughs heartily.
“Yep, sure are, Simon. Gonna fix that?”
He reaches out and touches her skin, feels the delicate bones beneath the softness. He can still see the traces of grease in certain spots, and it makes him want to smile.
“Sorry ‘bout the grease. You got some on yer fingertips now,” she whispers.
Simon never quite figures out how he’s able to smile and kiss someone at the same time, but he does. As does Kaylee. The laughter continues ringing in his ears even as his hands pull her closer. He knows that there’s nothing more that he wants more than to be with this woman for the rest of his life, but for now, he’ll settle for the moment. It’s more than he deserves, and all that he wants.