She creeps into his bunk, feet padding almost soundlessly down the ladder and into the gloom. He cannot hear, can barely see, but he knows she's there. She's always there. A tiny figure leaps onto the bed, Cheshire Cat grin alight in the black. She laughs. "Sumthin' funny, girly?" Jayne postures, chest puffed out despite the fact it's covered by a sheet and neither he nor her could tell the difference.
"Everything is funny. We laugh because we see that this is all a joke."
Jayne huffs. "I ain't seein' the joke."
"You are not like her. You see the white and black where she sees rainbows. The rainbows are laughing." She giggles and climbs up the bed until she hovers over him.
"There sumthin' your lookin for, Crazy Girl?" Jayne smiles in spite of himself. It's all just so gorram weird. The girl who, by rights should want him dead more than anyone, y'know, 'cause he tried to kill her a thousand times, was climbing into bed with him. Not that he was pushing her out. A man has needs.
"Life." She whispers, her breath warming his face.
"Huh?"
She leans down and kisses him, lips meeting lightly then parting just as quick. She laughs. "Does his kiss bring the princess back to life?"
"What in the—?" Jayne panics, the amusement in her eyes burns into his. Her makin' nice was all good in theory, but this was River. The River who once said, with all the sincerity in the Verse, that she could "kill him with her brain."
She leans down again, bringing her lips to his. They kiss harder, lips sear and bodies melt closer into one another.
Kissing wasn't such a bad way to go.
She pulls away and grins maniacally. Then she's gone.
"I'm sorry Jayne." That was not a voice he was overly fond of. "I know I promised you that I would never do a thing to you on my table that wasn't healing… But I lied."
The darkness of the bunk becomes the burning sterile blue of the medical bay. Jayne moves to sit up, but his body is suddenly trapped beneath tightening restraints. Legs too.
"Do you know why I've changed my mind?" Simon's voice is pleasant and calm. He stood over his captive, raising various surgical tools, examining them and placing them down in favour of the next terrifying contraption.
Jayne opens his mouth to reply. He finds himself gaged.
"River." Simon looks down at Jayne, his glare a switchblade. "Your hands", his clean-cut face twisting into a sneer, "touching her… You disgust me." Then the doctor smiles. "So I'm going to take care of that. Make sure you can't touch anyone again." Simon raises his surgical mask and lifts his scalpel.
Apparently, even gagged, he can still gulp.
Jayne shoots up in bed, his scream shiver-inducing. Sweat glistens on his chest, throat burning, mouth bone-dry. He pants, realising that he was dreaming. Then he spots the brown eyes in the corner of the bunk burning holes in the gloom. They glimmer in amusement.
"You stay the hell away from me you little freak," he mutters, turning over in the cot and pretending to fall into the caress of sleep. He waits for her to leave, holding his breath. No way he could sleep with her hovering at his back like that. He flinches. There's a breath at his ear.
"Does his kiss bring the princess back to life?" Two lips press down on his cheek and a laugh, musical and child-like chimes in his ear, burns in his soul.
Then he is alone, blanket wrapped tightly around him, cradling himself as he rocks, trying to soothe himself. No matter how hard he tries, Jayne just can't sleep.
