FIC: Laughter (Five Muppets River Never Met, 4/5)
Title: Laughter
Fandom: Firefly. If you don't get the crossover by now, you're beyond help.
Ship: Serenity.
Spoilers: Both fandoms' existence.
Rating: G
Summary: River she can't help but think they're laughing at her.
Notes: Part four. Previous parts here. This part read over by lyra_sena.
500 words
River hears laughter and she can't help but think they're laughing at her.
She never used to be so oversensitive. She was a finely tuned instrument. She understood. If you can tune in to the right frequency you can understand exactly what everyone means, and you can play right into it.
River knows how to play.
But they broke her, and Simon can't fix her, and damaged goods can't play the right radio waves.
She hears their laughter, and she knows they shouldn't be laughing at her, but how can she know they aren't?
She freezes, caught in the gaze of her prey, and she listens and listens into eternity before realizing they're just laughing at themselves.
They've been doing that, lately, Wash and his new friend, who isn't Wash but might as well be. They joke at each other, laughter filling the hollow corridors (in space no one can hear you scream) as they trade witticisms that River doesn't think are overly funny.
They're working on one level, the simple one, Wash's puns and his friend's stand-up, and they would all be so much more funny if they factored in levels and audience and so on, but of course they are, because Jayne is one of the people watching their impromptu performance and that could necessitate a dumbing down even if the rest of the crew did not.
They met him in a bar, Mal and Zoe and Jayne, when they'd just secured a deal. It was a wonderful deal, a week flying more fresh fruits and vegetables than River had ever seen to a planet just that far away, practically no Alliance anywhere near them, easiest job on record, even, Mal had said proudly. And anything left over, anything misshapen or rotten or just more than wanted, they get to keep. To the victors go the spoils and for once Serenity's the victor and even River has to admit it feels good. Even with their newest transport.
She hides back, half-hidden by giant containers of zucchini and cauliflower and sweet fresh apples, and listens as they continue, the two-man comedy show she despises.
Her hand snakes out, and almost before she realizes what she's doing, her fingers have twisted around something red and squishy and she pulls her arm back, winds up the pitch, ready aim go and suddenly Wash is blinking rapidly and his friend is covered in red.
A tongue darts out. "Tomato?"
Mal, then. "River?" His voice is demanding, but he can't hide his amusement. Not from her.
River emerges from her corner and smiles. "It was rotten," she says simply.
Simon cringes, expecting criticism.
Instead there's Mal. "You just make sure," he says, "that next time you do that, it ain't fresh."
She likes that he knows there will be a next time. She likes that they didn't tell her no.
There's laughter, laughter from everyone but the comedians and soon from them too. River smiles.
This is the kind of laughter that's safe.
Fandom: Firefly. If you don't get the crossover by now, you're beyond help.
Ship: Serenity.
Spoilers: Both fandoms' existence.
Rating: G
Summary: River she can't help but think they're laughing at her.
Notes: Part four. Previous parts here. This part read over by lyra_sena.
500 words
River hears laughter and she can't help but think they're laughing at her.
She never used to be so oversensitive. She was a finely tuned instrument. She understood. If you can tune in to the right frequency you can understand exactly what everyone means, and you can play right into it.
River knows how to play.
But they broke her, and Simon can't fix her, and damaged goods can't play the right radio waves.
She hears their laughter, and she knows they shouldn't be laughing at her, but how can she know they aren't?
She freezes, caught in the gaze of her prey, and she listens and listens into eternity before realizing they're just laughing at themselves.
They've been doing that, lately, Wash and his new friend, who isn't Wash but might as well be. They joke at each other, laughter filling the hollow corridors (in space no one can hear you scream) as they trade witticisms that River doesn't think are overly funny.
They're working on one level, the simple one, Wash's puns and his friend's stand-up, and they would all be so much more funny if they factored in levels and audience and so on, but of course they are, because Jayne is one of the people watching their impromptu performance and that could necessitate a dumbing down even if the rest of the crew did not.
They met him in a bar, Mal and Zoe and Jayne, when they'd just secured a deal. It was a wonderful deal, a week flying more fresh fruits and vegetables than River had ever seen to a planet just that far away, practically no Alliance anywhere near them, easiest job on record, even, Mal had said proudly. And anything left over, anything misshapen or rotten or just more than wanted, they get to keep. To the victors go the spoils and for once Serenity's the victor and even River has to admit it feels good. Even with their newest transport.
She hides back, half-hidden by giant containers of zucchini and cauliflower and sweet fresh apples, and listens as they continue, the two-man comedy show she despises.
Her hand snakes out, and almost before she realizes what she's doing, her fingers have twisted around something red and squishy and she pulls her arm back, winds up the pitch, ready aim go and suddenly Wash is blinking rapidly and his friend is covered in red.
A tongue darts out. "Tomato?"
Mal, then. "River?" His voice is demanding, but he can't hide his amusement. Not from her.
River emerges from her corner and smiles. "It was rotten," she says simply.
Simon cringes, expecting criticism.
Instead there's Mal. "You just make sure," he says, "that next time you do that, it ain't fresh."
She likes that he knows there will be a next time. She likes that they didn't tell her no.
There's laughter, laughter from everyone but the comedians and soon from them too. River smiles.
This is the kind of laughter that's safe.