-1Love type thing
Mal never thought the thing between Jayne and Simon would last longer than a few hot oversexed months. It hadn't been a surprise, the sex part he saw that coming months before it actually happen. It was the lasting part that was still shocking him. Three years in and it was still something like a surprise to catch the gleam of the sliver ring on Simon's hand, the matching one on Jayne's. The possessive hold of Jayne hand on Simons hip. The small soft smile Simon reserved just for Jayne. The looks. The looks were enough to cause him to stumble. No, the sex wasn't anything like a surprise. Mal like the rest of the crew had a front row seat to the bizarre mating dance of Jayne Cobb and Simon Tam he was expecting it, even looking forward to it for the embarrassing moments that never came.
When it moved pass pointless runting into something like loves Mal could never be sure. When it moved for something like loved to something deep solid and defiantly love he can't even image let alone believe. But he sees it the love like thing between them. When they are snipping at each other across the table. When Simon's hand rest on Jayne arm as he patch up another stray bullet, the worry that tightens the skin around his eyes. He sees it in the way Jayne hold Simon like he's something precious something to be revered and protected.
Mal can't help but wonder what they are like in the dark behind closed door. He see the signs of how they spend their down time, the bruises on Simons wrist from rope burn, the mark on Jayne neck that could only come from a bite. He wonder at the noises Simon makes, how long it last. When his mind starts bring up pictures of Jayne spreading Simon wide he knows it's time for him to find a good whorehouse and a bottle of whisky. He thinks at times he spends more time than is healthy trying to figurer out the rightness of Simon and Jayne.
As the year closes he promises himself as he has done every year since the first that he will let it stop surprising him. That he will think on it less. He knows same as every year that the thoughts will keep coming till he gets it, the strangely right thing between them.