The River-girl had lots of scars, they were hidden beneath her skin, in places no one could see. The Jayne-man had lots of scars too. His were all on the surface, for the world to see.
She tried to hide her scars away, tried to be a normal girl. He wore his like a badge of honor. His proof of survival.
She liked to dance her fingers over the road map of his life. Her hands learning his past with each gentle glide of her fingertips. A gun fight here, a bite mark there, knife wounds and harpoons too. It shocked her a little that he let her learn him like this. His body held no secrets from her questing fingers, his mind quiet and tranquil.
His scars were comforting. She was not the only damaged being on Serenity. Jayne kept her company, his outward scars a perfect counterpoint to her internal ones.
He never mentioned her need to run her fingers over his body in the night. It was their wordless secret. A bedtime story written just for them, recited with the touch of skin on skin. In the morning they always went back to being Moon-brain and Ape-man.
