Otis heard the door crashing into the home. Rolling his eyes, he looked up to see who had caused the ruckus. There she stood in the doorway, curves accentuated by her skin-tight tank top and painted on leather pants. His face softened almost immediately.

"Jesus christ, Woman. Why don't you just tear the damn house down?"

She smirked in response. "Why don't I just take your ego down another notch, eh?" flopping on the couch next to him, kicking her legs over his to sprawl across him.

Grunting, he allowed a smile. "Always so damn fiesty. I can't even get ahead of you."

"Isn't that why you keep me around?"

"Mm. Yeh, guess so."

"Hold me."

"What? No, no right now, woman. Damn."

She pulled a gun, cornering him on the sofa. "I said. Hold me."

"Alright, Alright. Jesus christ. Come here." Otis pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and allowing her to settle. "Happy now?"

"Yes."

They paused for a moment, the still of the house beginning to lull them to sleep. Otis leaned down so that their faces touched, planting a firm kiss on her cheek. "So ah...wha'd you do today, mm?"

"Ah, y'know. Same old same old."

He chuckled "Nothin's ever the same with you, Mama." Another pause. "Save anyone today?" He rested his cheek on hers.

"Yeah. Couple people. Not for you to just kill em though."

"Ah, come on, mama." He chuckled lightly. She loved these moments. The moments when he dropped the facade for her and became normal for once. She knew who he really was. The parts of him he didn't let anyone else see.

She turned, now lying beside him, and raised her hand to cup his cheek, draping her arm across his chest. He stayed still, watching her movements peripherally. "Did you eat today?"

"Mm."

"I'll take that as a no."

"Don't remember."

"Well, come on then. Let's get something." She started to move, but his grip around her waist tightened suddenly.

"No, come on now..."He sighed and rolled his eyes, lying his head back against the arm rest of the couch. "This feels good..." She nuzzled into his chest, settling after a while. He grunted in protest. "Damn, mama you're boney."

"Ah, shut up, albino."

"You're a bitch sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Lying there for a while, she began to hear his soft snore, his chest rising evenly up and down. So peaceful, he looked younger, so much more innocent than the man she knew him to be. It was a stark, unsettling contrast, but she loved this side of him. She always said she had wanted a man who was hard and crass, maybe even cruel, and she wanted to be the one to soften him. Well, she certainly got him.

The door slammed again, and Otis startled awake, almost throwing her off of him. Rufus stalked in the house, completely ignoring their presence before walking out the other door.

"You okay, Otie?"

"Mm...Don't call me that."

She smirked. "Aww, why?" she pulled on one long side burn. "Why, Otie? Don't you like that?"

"I fuckin said, stop that." He pulled her back up into his lap before flipping her on her back, pinning her down and kissing her roughly.

"Ow, Otis...I told you you have to be more gentle." Ignoring her, he pushed his lips roughly against hers again, ignoring her attempts to escape. "Otis, stop. Stop it!" Shifting her weight, she toppled him to the couch, pinning his hands above his head. His muscles tensed in rebuke, but she was stronger than him, holding him in the position she desired. His pupils dilated, and she could hear his heart pounding. Out of everything, this brought back memories for him. Terrible ones from long ago that everyone knew about, but no one dare brought up, let alone tried to stimulate like she did.

She slowly moved her knee against his groin, pushing hard, but not providing a forceful blow. He fidgeted and grunted, unable to move. Defeat and humiliation crossed his face. He wouldn't meet her eyes. She leaned down and kissed his neck, biting the pale flesh there. "Calm down, Otie. It's just me."

"Fuck you." It wasn't as aggressive as usual. He was distracted. She knew he loved it when she kissed his neck. Otis would never admit it, but he was ticklish.

She pushed harder into his groin. Otis jerked, still unable to get out of her grasp. "Maybe you should learn to treat women better." She pulled away from him to look at his face. She expected anger, but instead it was a mix of embarrassment and the look he gave her when he was trying to be sweet.

"Yeah? You're doin' a good job of teachin' me, darlin."

"What is with you?"

"Fuck you. What do you mean?"

"You're not...This isn't very you, to act...sweet like this. Kind."

"Hey now. I can be kind if I want to."

"Yeah, sometimes. It's just out of character. So what's going on with you?"

He shrugged. "Days are long without you sometimes, is all."

She cocked her head. "Mm?"

He chuckled, kissing her long and deeply. "You make me feel some kind of way, mama."

"Baby, you're bein' odd."

Otis shook his head. "Nah. Just...Thought a lot today bout...some fucker like me gets a hold of you, does what I do..." He sighed, shrugging. "Ah, well...I could lose you. And I don't like the thought of that. And I don't like that I don't like the thought of that. But that's the truth." He shrugged again, as if to put emphasis on the fact that he was done with the subject. A smirk came across his features once more. "So why don't you show me how you wanna be treated, eh?"

She couldn't help but smile. "Alright then." She adjusted letting him sit up. Then, she straddled his waist and sat in his lap.

He raised an eyebrow. "Right here? I'm not complainin'-"

"No, numb nuts. Shut up and pay attention." She kissed him deeply, sweetly. She felt his arms snake around her waist and pull her closer to him. She felt him press his tongue against her lips, and clenched her teeth down on it.

"AH! What the fuck?!"

"You listen to ME, mother fucker. None of that, yeah? Next time I'll bite it the fuck off!"

"Alright alright, christ..." She was on him again, quickly, hungrily. She wasn't sure what it was about him, but it made her crazy. It wasn't lust. Otis was handsome in his own very unique way, but it wasn't that. She loved him. She wasn't sure how or why, but she did.

She felt one hand rest in the small of her back, the other coming up to her shoulder blades, firmly holding her to him. He broke away from her lips to kiss her jawline down to her neck, then back up to her lips. She cupped his cheek again, resting the tips of her long, slender fingers on the back of his neck while her thumb rested on his cheek bone.

When she broke away, they were both gasping for air. "Damn, Mama."

She simply smiled at him and turned, sitting in his lap in a more innocent manner. He grunted at the shift in weight, but immediately wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, Otie?"

He grumbled, tightening his grip on her and leaning forward to bite her ear. "I said stop FUCKING calling me that!"

She reached one hand behind her to touch him, indiscriminately. She ended up resting her hand on the back of his neck again. "Why don't you like that? Bring back memories?"

He snorted. "No. Parents didn't name me, 'member?"

"So why the hell 'Otis'?"

He shrugged. "Blame Cutter for that."

She knew all about what Otis's parents had done to him. The years of torture he endured. For not going to a traditional school and having to teach himself everything he knew, he was very intelligent. She wished that the pain he had been through hadn't manifested in the way it had, him seeking revenge on just about anyone who walked through the doors of the Firefly household, but it had, and there was no way she could change that.

"What was the worst?"

"Huh?"

"The worst they did to you?"

"Ah, shit, why d'you have to bring this shit up. We been over it a hundred times."

"I'm trying to help you get over it."

"Some things you don't get over, Darlin'. Sometimes your demons stay no matter how you exorcise them."

She knew through the hard exterior, he was just a child. As scared as he was years ago, clothing the pain and fear in the crimes he committed. She knew he didn't like who he was, but it was who he had become. And that was that, as far as he was concerned. "Alright, fair enough."

"You're a doctor, Mama, but these wounds are ones you can't heal...Been festering for too long."

"I can still try, though, can't I?"

"Mm...Yeah, guess you can."