Introduction
Rated: PG
Category: Drabble. Mal and Zoe Friendship.
Season: Pre-series.
Spoilers: None.
Summary: Sometimes, one word can change everything.
Note: This one was for ncb, a loyal Browncoat through and through.
xxx
He was holding it together pretty well, but if you knew where to look, it was obvious he was scared.
She knew where to look, so she saw how he trembled when no one was watching; how he hadn't eaten since orders came down; how he kept checking his ammo.
She sighed in resignation and, as much to keep herself safe as anything else, sat next to him and stuck her hand out.
"Zoe," she said.
He looked up, swallowed once, and shook her hand.
"Mal."
Two hours of (mostly him) talking later, they waded into their first bloodbath together.