"Awareness." Chapter 2.
Story: Awareness
Chapter: Notice Me (2/3)
Character(s)/Pairing: Rayne
Written For: Valentine's Day Fic Exchange, for alsunwunderland
Prompt: "It's a great day to be alive"
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2123
Disclaimer: Not mine.
-Author's Notes: Blahr. I hope you can excuse the suck - this is just a bridge to chapter three. Which, if at all possible, will be finished later tonight. Enjoy, everyone!
♥ Rayne Valentine's Challenge ♥
for alsunwunderland!
Awareness
Notice Me
As soon as Jayne and River had returned from their mission, she’d run into her bunk and locked the hatch.
It wasn’t unusual for her to retreat to her bunk for hours at a time, but before there had always seemed to be a reason.
“Jayne, what the hell’d you do to our poor albatross?”
“Wha… I didn’t do nothin’, Mal! Ya got no cause to go blamin’ me.” Jayne dropped the small crate of meds they’d pilfered into a gaping doctor’s arms. “She weren’t actin’ weird out there - maybe one o’ y’all was thinkin’ somethin’ that got ‘er upset.”
Mal crossed his arms over his chest, giving his merc a look of disbelief. “Jayne…”
“Gorrammit, Mal, I ain’t lyin’!” He looked away with a huff, heavy arms folded in front of him. “An’ maybe she ain’t even upset. Maybe she’s jus’ tired.”
“Tired?” Simon frowned incredulously, looking around helplessly for somewhere to set the crate. “I-I… No. No, why would she run off like that? Something obviously made - “
“Look, if you want so ruttin’ bad to find out what’s wrong, then just go an’ ask her! An’ stop accusin’ me!” Jayne shook his head angrily. Sparing the gathered crew one last glare, Jayne turned on his heavy boot-heel and stomped out to his bunk.
The captain blinked. “You didn’t have to make him angry, doc,”he said.
Simon rolled his eyes. “Oh, of course - forgive me. That exchange and Jayne’s subsequent anger were both entirely my fault.” He sighed and looked down to the cargo still in his arms. “I’m going to go put this in the infirmary. And then go check on River. Let…” He sighed again, his face scrunched up slightly with concern. “Let me know if she comes out. Please.”
They all - besides, of course, Jayne - tried to convince her to come out, but she stayed in her bunk until breakfast the next morning. Mal had flown them off the planet and temporarily taken over the duties of pilot. It wasn’t like River to shirk her responsibilities, so he had suspicions that something was more than a little wrong with his albatross.
And, in fact, River’s behavior underwent a significant change. She never went out of her way to spend time with Jayne, but previously she’d had no real problem being around him. But after their mission she’d gone out of her way to avoid even being in the same room with him. And everyone, bar Jayne, had noticed.
“Doc, what’s up with your sister?”
Simon sighed. “I don’t know, Mal. She… She’s assured me that Jayne didn’t do anything. This behavior is odd, though, I know; she’s never been… skittish, or nervous before. Wh-why would she avoid him?”
“Well the facts that he’s mean an’ don’t smell too rosy when he’s been liftin’ spring to mind. Ain’t all that bright either.”
Simon shot him a quick look of annoyance. “She’s over looked all that up to this point. So I don’t think that… that any of Jayne’s inherent qualities could have suddenly affected her like that. It… Perhaps his thought processes have changed - a-and it’s his mind that’s bothering her.”
Mal shrugged. “Don’t know. If it is in his head, he hadn’t been actin’ like anything’s wrong. You ask the li’l witch about it?”
“No, but… I-I will. The next time I see her, I'll ask - "
"Ask what, ge ge?" River inquired, walking in. Her brother and captain were seated in the little common area, talking intently - about her.
Simon cleared his throat. "W-well... River, I've noticed a change in your behavior lately. You... Well, it's Jayne. You've... been avoiding him. And while I have no real problem with this, it's... it's unusual. Since..." He lowered his eyes and cleared his throat again, delicately. "Well since your brain has begun to mend you haven't expressed any animosity towards him; things have been fine. B-but suddenly you're avoiding him. We've all noticed and - well, I wouldn't say I'm concerned, but... I just want to make sure nothing's wrong."
River frowned. "I am fine, Simon. Jayne is... large. His presence is invasive, strong. I do not wish to be around it. Will I be forced to stop this new practice?"
Simon shook his head thoughtfully. "No, I - "
"If I need you for a job, albatross, then you better be willin' to work with him. Otherwise I don't give a good gorram if you spend time with him 'r not." Mal laughed. "Actually, don't think Jayne's even noticed you been avoidin' him."
River crossed her arms and pouted. "Ape-man's lack of perception comes as no surprise." She let out a soft huff of air. "He does not notice me."
"Hey doc!" Jayne came ambling in, looking vaguely around. He spotted Simon and grunted, gesturing towards the doorway with a tilt of his head. "Kaylee's lookin' for you. Asked me to send you down t'the engine room." Jayne grinned lasciviously. "An' she sure was in a tizzy waitin' for you."
"Not everything is about sex!" River told him shrilly. "Perhaps Kaylee wants only to speak with him."
Jayne snorted in amusement. "Don't think so, crazy. Ev'rything's 'bout sex, an' I know Kaylee." He shook his head. "An' that girl's got an itch that just don't go away. Prob'ly wears the poor doc here out."
"I-I..." Simon's face turned red and he fidgeted uncomfortably. "N-no, Kaylee and I... We - "
"You do not have to defend yourself to him, ge ge." River looked up haughtily. "He is not worth your time."
Jayne glowered at her. "I ain't talkin' to you, girl."
River rolled her eyes. "What a revelation."
"It's true," Mal said, nodding sagely. "You don't pay much attention to 'er. She's been avoidin' you since y'all went out on that job 'bout two weeks out."
Jayne looked a little surprised. "She has? Oh." The merc shrugged. "Ain't even noticed."
River shrunk down a little, her arms crossed tightly across her small torso. With a nod to her brother and Mal, she left, unwilling to spend another moment in Jayne's company. He was beginning to drive her even crazier. She'd never before thought of Jayne as anything more than a rather big, permanent nuisance. But since she'd discovered that his presence was so intoxicating, that just seeing the warm bulk of his body could affect her... Being around him was too much to take. Those large, muscle-bound arms would move and flex and her whole body would tingle with the thought of having those arms around her. Just close proximity to him made her heart flutter and something warm and dark unfurl in her lower belly.
But he didn't seem to even notice she was there.
She hadn't asked to be so attracted to him; previously, she'd thought he was nothing special. But suddenly she really saw him. He was handsome, strong - and, even though she'd been introduced only to the appealing physical aspects, the more she thought about him the more redeeming qualities she found in his personality. It was infuriating to find him so attractive, so magnetic - and then by ignored, cast aside, for him to not even notice if she was around or not.
At first, she'd been resigned to suffer in silence, to wait out her irrational feelings until they passed. But there seemed to be no end in sight. And if that was the case, then there was only one viable option: drive Jayne as wild as he drove her.
Everyone was glad to see River's behavior return to normal. And if suddenly her shorts were shorter and her shirts were tighter, no one complained. No one seemed to notice.
But Jayne did.
It wasn't any sort of epiphany; he only barely gave her any thought. But just that little spark of notice was enough.
And it was at dinner one night that she finally got the acknowledgement she'd been craving.
She'd worn a thin, lacy pink top, cut low with straps that were hardly wider than string. Jayne had noticed and every time she'd bent over his eyes had followed.
'Damn,' he thought, taking a large bite salty protein. 'Crazy ain't lookin' too bad there. Shirt's 'bout tight as skin. An' don't look like she's wearin' a bra, neither.'
River let herself smile a bit devilishly behind her glass.
The rest of the table had started an involved conversation about something River couldn't be bothered to care about. Jayne, never all that one for talk when there was food around, just ate. River shifted a little, tossing her hair behind her back so that her neck and shoulders were exposed.
'Gorram, she's pale. Bet the girl never spent more'n ten minutes out in any sort o' sun. Real smooth lookin', though.' River shivered as his mind catalogued the various delights smooth, feminine skin could provide. 'Bet 'er legs look just as good. 'R better. Girl's got a set, tha's fer sure.'
River shot up out of her seat. "I am finished with my meal," she said quickly, picking up her plate and stepping away from the table. "It was an exquisite dining experience, Zoe. Xie xie."
"No trouble, River," Zoe said, smiling bemusedly. "Glad you enjoyed it."
River walked over to the sink and set her dishes in, hoping desperately to feel the prickle of Jayne's eyes all along the length of her legs. She did, and holding back a giggle she congratulated herself on her success. She had no delusions about her own beauty, but just knowing that Jayne would look at her, would give her even a moment of attention made her head swim with pleasure.
The next few days were filled with similar incidents; any opening she could find she took and she wasn't above Reading him to find just what would make the greatest possible reaction. Dancing was the strongest weapon in her arsenal.
She spun, her skirts twirling around her thighs. Jayne was working on a letter to his mother, sitting on the bench he used for lifting weights. Every so often he'd look up, his mind swirling with half-formed thoughts about her. And they were quickly turned away from innocent curiosity to warm, erotic fantasy.
River saw herself in his mind, dancing around in something blue and sheer. But her dancing quickly turned from strong, formal steps to something much more sinuous: a dance meant to arouse, her small hands sliding all across her body.
River's breath quickened as his fantasy progressed. Jayne showed no outward signs; he sat there, chewing on his pencil as he stared down at the paper. Occasionally his eyes would flicker over to her, but other than that he seemed completely unfazed.
The next moment she saw herself naked, her limbs tangled up with his. She stopped dancing, unable to take the sensation, so pure and strong, straight from his mind. She whimpered and Jayne looked up.
"Hey," he said, a little worried. "What the hell's wrong?" He stood, taking in her flushed skin, her fluttering eyelids, the tilt of her head. "You..." He cleared his throat. "You okay?"
"I..." She whimpered again, resting her fingers gently on her temple. "Was... Reading you. The... I saw. What you wanted to do to me."
Jayne gaped at her, his blue eyes wide. Quickly, he shook his head, trying to physically clear his mind. He cleared his throat. "Girl, that weren't... Well, I didn't mean nothin' by that. Y'just... Well, you been wearin' all them real tiny shorts, showing your legs off, an' then you were dancin', all... flexible-like." He frowned, looking away from her. "Y'shouldn't be in my head."
River blinked. "Was showing off for you. Wanted to inspire such feelings." She crossed her arms, tapping gently on her elbow. "Had enough of not being noticed."
"What? What?! Girl, you tellin' me that - "
"Yes." She took a step closer to him. "Have recently become aware of your masculine appeal. I was... affected by your mere presence. But man-called-Jayne did not see the girl." She looked away from him. "I had to remedy that."
Jayne took a deep breath, processing what River had said the best he could. "Moonbrain. You're tellin' me that... You got all suddenly 'tracted to me. An' you wanted me to think on you like that. You been doin' all you been doin' just to make me take some notice?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Oh." Jayne's brows raised slightly. "Oh." He coughed, looking uncomfortably around the hold. His mind was whirling like a top, spinning and thinking - wondering just how to proceed. Finally, after a long, pregnant silence he said, "Well, River, I noticed. What the fuck d'ya want from me now?"
~~~
Feedback always appreciated!
Previous ♥ Next
Chapter: Notice Me (2/3)
Character(s)/Pairing: Rayne
Written For: Valentine's Day Fic Exchange, for alsunwunderland
Prompt: "It's a great day to be alive"
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2123
Disclaimer: Not mine.
-Author's Notes: Blahr. I hope you can excuse the suck - this is just a bridge to chapter three. Which, if at all possible, will be finished later tonight. Enjoy, everyone!
♥ Rayne Valentine's Challenge ♥
for alsunwunderland!
Awareness
Notice Me
As soon as Jayne and River had returned from their mission, she’d run into her bunk and locked the hatch.
It wasn’t unusual for her to retreat to her bunk for hours at a time, but before there had always seemed to be a reason.
“Jayne, what the hell’d you do to our poor albatross?”
“Wha… I didn’t do nothin’, Mal! Ya got no cause to go blamin’ me.” Jayne dropped the small crate of meds they’d pilfered into a gaping doctor’s arms. “She weren’t actin’ weird out there - maybe one o’ y’all was thinkin’ somethin’ that got ‘er upset.”
Mal crossed his arms over his chest, giving his merc a look of disbelief. “Jayne…”
“Gorrammit, Mal, I ain’t lyin’!” He looked away with a huff, heavy arms folded in front of him. “An’ maybe she ain’t even upset. Maybe she’s jus’ tired.”
“Tired?” Simon frowned incredulously, looking around helplessly for somewhere to set the crate. “I-I… No. No, why would she run off like that? Something obviously made - “
“Look, if you want so ruttin’ bad to find out what’s wrong, then just go an’ ask her! An’ stop accusin’ me!” Jayne shook his head angrily. Sparing the gathered crew one last glare, Jayne turned on his heavy boot-heel and stomped out to his bunk.
The captain blinked. “You didn’t have to make him angry, doc,”he said.
Simon rolled his eyes. “Oh, of course - forgive me. That exchange and Jayne’s subsequent anger were both entirely my fault.” He sighed and looked down to the cargo still in his arms. “I’m going to go put this in the infirmary. And then go check on River. Let…” He sighed again, his face scrunched up slightly with concern. “Let me know if she comes out. Please.”
They all - besides, of course, Jayne - tried to convince her to come out, but she stayed in her bunk until breakfast the next morning. Mal had flown them off the planet and temporarily taken over the duties of pilot. It wasn’t like River to shirk her responsibilities, so he had suspicions that something was more than a little wrong with his albatross.
And, in fact, River’s behavior underwent a significant change. She never went out of her way to spend time with Jayne, but previously she’d had no real problem being around him. But after their mission she’d gone out of her way to avoid even being in the same room with him. And everyone, bar Jayne, had noticed.
“Doc, what’s up with your sister?”
Simon sighed. “I don’t know, Mal. She… She’s assured me that Jayne didn’t do anything. This behavior is odd, though, I know; she’s never been… skittish, or nervous before. Wh-why would she avoid him?”
“Well the facts that he’s mean an’ don’t smell too rosy when he’s been liftin’ spring to mind. Ain’t all that bright either.”
Simon shot him a quick look of annoyance. “She’s over looked all that up to this point. So I don’t think that… that any of Jayne’s inherent qualities could have suddenly affected her like that. It… Perhaps his thought processes have changed - a-and it’s his mind that’s bothering her.”
Mal shrugged. “Don’t know. If it is in his head, he hadn’t been actin’ like anything’s wrong. You ask the li’l witch about it?”
“No, but… I-I will. The next time I see her, I'll ask - "
"Ask what, ge ge?" River inquired, walking in. Her brother and captain were seated in the little common area, talking intently - about her.
Simon cleared his throat. "W-well... River, I've noticed a change in your behavior lately. You... Well, it's Jayne. You've... been avoiding him. And while I have no real problem with this, it's... it's unusual. Since..." He lowered his eyes and cleared his throat again, delicately. "Well since your brain has begun to mend you haven't expressed any animosity towards him; things have been fine. B-but suddenly you're avoiding him. We've all noticed and - well, I wouldn't say I'm concerned, but... I just want to make sure nothing's wrong."
River frowned. "I am fine, Simon. Jayne is... large. His presence is invasive, strong. I do not wish to be around it. Will I be forced to stop this new practice?"
Simon shook his head thoughtfully. "No, I - "
"If I need you for a job, albatross, then you better be willin' to work with him. Otherwise I don't give a good gorram if you spend time with him 'r not." Mal laughed. "Actually, don't think Jayne's even noticed you been avoidin' him."
River crossed her arms and pouted. "Ape-man's lack of perception comes as no surprise." She let out a soft huff of air. "He does not notice me."
"Hey doc!" Jayne came ambling in, looking vaguely around. He spotted Simon and grunted, gesturing towards the doorway with a tilt of his head. "Kaylee's lookin' for you. Asked me to send you down t'the engine room." Jayne grinned lasciviously. "An' she sure was in a tizzy waitin' for you."
"Not everything is about sex!" River told him shrilly. "Perhaps Kaylee wants only to speak with him."
Jayne snorted in amusement. "Don't think so, crazy. Ev'rything's 'bout sex, an' I know Kaylee." He shook his head. "An' that girl's got an itch that just don't go away. Prob'ly wears the poor doc here out."
"I-I..." Simon's face turned red and he fidgeted uncomfortably. "N-no, Kaylee and I... We - "
"You do not have to defend yourself to him, ge ge." River looked up haughtily. "He is not worth your time."
Jayne glowered at her. "I ain't talkin' to you, girl."
River rolled her eyes. "What a revelation."
"It's true," Mal said, nodding sagely. "You don't pay much attention to 'er. She's been avoidin' you since y'all went out on that job 'bout two weeks out."
Jayne looked a little surprised. "She has? Oh." The merc shrugged. "Ain't even noticed."
River shrunk down a little, her arms crossed tightly across her small torso. With a nod to her brother and Mal, she left, unwilling to spend another moment in Jayne's company. He was beginning to drive her even crazier. She'd never before thought of Jayne as anything more than a rather big, permanent nuisance. But since she'd discovered that his presence was so intoxicating, that just seeing the warm bulk of his body could affect her... Being around him was too much to take. Those large, muscle-bound arms would move and flex and her whole body would tingle with the thought of having those arms around her. Just close proximity to him made her heart flutter and something warm and dark unfurl in her lower belly.
But he didn't seem to even notice she was there.
She hadn't asked to be so attracted to him; previously, she'd thought he was nothing special. But suddenly she really saw him. He was handsome, strong - and, even though she'd been introduced only to the appealing physical aspects, the more she thought about him the more redeeming qualities she found in his personality. It was infuriating to find him so attractive, so magnetic - and then by ignored, cast aside, for him to not even notice if she was around or not.
At first, she'd been resigned to suffer in silence, to wait out her irrational feelings until they passed. But there seemed to be no end in sight. And if that was the case, then there was only one viable option: drive Jayne as wild as he drove her.
Everyone was glad to see River's behavior return to normal. And if suddenly her shorts were shorter and her shirts were tighter, no one complained. No one seemed to notice.
But Jayne did.
It wasn't any sort of epiphany; he only barely gave her any thought. But just that little spark of notice was enough.
And it was at dinner one night that she finally got the acknowledgement she'd been craving.
She'd worn a thin, lacy pink top, cut low with straps that were hardly wider than string. Jayne had noticed and every time she'd bent over his eyes had followed.
'Damn,' he thought, taking a large bite salty protein. 'Crazy ain't lookin' too bad there. Shirt's 'bout tight as skin. An' don't look like she's wearin' a bra, neither.'
River let herself smile a bit devilishly behind her glass.
The rest of the table had started an involved conversation about something River couldn't be bothered to care about. Jayne, never all that one for talk when there was food around, just ate. River shifted a little, tossing her hair behind her back so that her neck and shoulders were exposed.
'Gorram, she's pale. Bet the girl never spent more'n ten minutes out in any sort o' sun. Real smooth lookin', though.' River shivered as his mind catalogued the various delights smooth, feminine skin could provide. 'Bet 'er legs look just as good. 'R better. Girl's got a set, tha's fer sure.'
River shot up out of her seat. "I am finished with my meal," she said quickly, picking up her plate and stepping away from the table. "It was an exquisite dining experience, Zoe. Xie xie."
"No trouble, River," Zoe said, smiling bemusedly. "Glad you enjoyed it."
River walked over to the sink and set her dishes in, hoping desperately to feel the prickle of Jayne's eyes all along the length of her legs. She did, and holding back a giggle she congratulated herself on her success. She had no delusions about her own beauty, but just knowing that Jayne would look at her, would give her even a moment of attention made her head swim with pleasure.
The next few days were filled with similar incidents; any opening she could find she took and she wasn't above Reading him to find just what would make the greatest possible reaction. Dancing was the strongest weapon in her arsenal.
She spun, her skirts twirling around her thighs. Jayne was working on a letter to his mother, sitting on the bench he used for lifting weights. Every so often he'd look up, his mind swirling with half-formed thoughts about her. And they were quickly turned away from innocent curiosity to warm, erotic fantasy.
River saw herself in his mind, dancing around in something blue and sheer. But her dancing quickly turned from strong, formal steps to something much more sinuous: a dance meant to arouse, her small hands sliding all across her body.
River's breath quickened as his fantasy progressed. Jayne showed no outward signs; he sat there, chewing on his pencil as he stared down at the paper. Occasionally his eyes would flicker over to her, but other than that he seemed completely unfazed.
The next moment she saw herself naked, her limbs tangled up with his. She stopped dancing, unable to take the sensation, so pure and strong, straight from his mind. She whimpered and Jayne looked up.
"Hey," he said, a little worried. "What the hell's wrong?" He stood, taking in her flushed skin, her fluttering eyelids, the tilt of her head. "You..." He cleared his throat. "You okay?"
"I..." She whimpered again, resting her fingers gently on her temple. "Was... Reading you. The... I saw. What you wanted to do to me."
Jayne gaped at her, his blue eyes wide. Quickly, he shook his head, trying to physically clear his mind. He cleared his throat. "Girl, that weren't... Well, I didn't mean nothin' by that. Y'just... Well, you been wearin' all them real tiny shorts, showing your legs off, an' then you were dancin', all... flexible-like." He frowned, looking away from her. "Y'shouldn't be in my head."
River blinked. "Was showing off for you. Wanted to inspire such feelings." She crossed her arms, tapping gently on her elbow. "Had enough of not being noticed."
"What? What?! Girl, you tellin' me that - "
"Yes." She took a step closer to him. "Have recently become aware of your masculine appeal. I was... affected by your mere presence. But man-called-Jayne did not see the girl." She looked away from him. "I had to remedy that."
Jayne took a deep breath, processing what River had said the best he could. "Moonbrain. You're tellin' me that... You got all suddenly 'tracted to me. An' you wanted me to think on you like that. You been doin' all you been doin' just to make me take some notice?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Oh." Jayne's brows raised slightly. "Oh." He coughed, looking uncomfortably around the hold. His mind was whirling like a top, spinning and thinking - wondering just how to proceed. Finally, after a long, pregnant silence he said, "Well, River, I noticed. What the fuck d'ya want from me now?"
~~~
Feedback always appreciated!
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