Rain hammered at Serenity. Wind whipped it about, slapping at odd angles and echoing across the landing pad.
Mal sat quietly on a cargo container, feet dangling, mug of tea in hand, back end of the ship wide open so he could listen to the storm.
It was a good day. A quiet day. At least...it had been. He could only hope about the remainder of it.
A dark shape appeared at the far end of the dock, shuffling closer as it was pelted with the rain. Mal checked the time.
"You were nearly late," he said once the figure's foot hit the ramp.
Simon threw back the hood to his jacket and fixed the Captain with a glare. He was drenched, head to toe. He may as well not have worn a jacket. Mal sipped his tea.
"The checkups are done," Simon said as he pushed his soaking hair out of his face. "Vaccines administered, no issues, one girl needs a tooth extraction but I'm not a dentist." He shook out his hands, realized his sleeves were dripping, and went about peeling off some of his useless layers. Mal only nodded, kicking his feet occasionally.
"You game for makin' this a regular gig?"
"What, this place specifically?" Simon tossed his jacket onto a crate and started picking at the buttons of his vest. Mal shook his head.
"Proprietor's got a bunch of these farms, ain't as productive as they could be with healthy folk workin' 'em. Figured you'd want a chance to use all that fancy schooling. Ain't gonna be as exciting as your core hospitals, but it's somethin'."
Simon stilled and stared at the wall for a moment. Looked thoughtful. Maybe even thrown by the idea of a routine. Mal sipped his tea again.
"You don't think it would..." Simon looked down then, now shucking his vest. Mal already knew the end of that sentence.
"Don't go makin' a name for yourself all over again, should be fine." Simon stared at Mal's hands as he picked at the first few buttons of his white shirt, now soaked and plastered to his skin.
"I'll do it," he said easily as he finally met the Captain's eye. Mal smiled.
"Thought you might."
Carefully he reached behind him and retrieved a second piping hot mug of tea. Simon looked on the verge of tears when Mal extended it to him. With a careful shimmy, Simon sat next to the Captain, still dripping, but happy. They sat in silence as they sipped their tea and watched the storm blow over.