Title: Wrath of the 'Verse
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairing: Mal/Kaylee
Summary: He ain't never said it and he wasn't sure he'd ever get the chance to.
Warning: My first Firefly fic; please be gentle!

Wrath of the 'Verse

1/1

He was pretty sure they got into these scrapes too often. And if he still believed in heaven, he figured Shepherd would be up there shakin' his head and smirkin', as if to tell him it was just his lot in life. Whether he was in the Black or parked on some core, trouble always found 'em. He probably shoulda left her back at the ship, but she was just so excited to get out and find new parts. And look where it got her! All her cheer was gone now as she stood ram rod straight, eyes staring back at him with defiance and loyalty and far too much understanding than he wanted her to have. Some days he still wished she was that naïve little girl he picked up so many years back. She still believed the good in people 'til they got her into spots like this, and while he could never feel that way himself, he admired her for it. But right now, he was really wishin' this wasn't happenin' to her. To keep that gorram innocence about her that was only ever false when she was ridin' him in the privacy of their bunk, hips weaving circles, insides tightenin' all around him 'til he couldn't hold back anymore. But when she wasn't in their bed, she was right back to being her cheerful, shiny, innocent self, who looked at people and saw the essential good in them, the good he rarely saw anymore. And this was why.

One minute they were on their way to the ship and the next they were being threatened and one of his crew was leveraged against him. His jaw clenched; nothing ever went his way no more. And the crazy look in their pathetic excuse for a robber told him that talkin' his way outta this one wasn't gonna be easy and likely to end with somebody gettin' dead.

"Now I don't think you get it," Mal said, lip curled. His knuckles were white around the handle of the gun, the only real show of fear. He was too gorram good at keepin' his feelings sheltered and he wasn't about to let that mask slide now. Not when that knife was held against her neck, so close, so sharp, one little movement would have her blood on the ground and her body deader than dead before he could even blink. "See that girl you got there, she's a part of my crew. One of the most importan' too, see. She's the mechanic and without her mechanicin' I can't get my ship doin' much of anything. So," he said loudly. "You hand her over, you might just keep yourself alive today. You don't, well, you see, I ain't in such a shiny mood and you're gonna be rottin' out here in the sun and I won't give you a second thought."

He didn't lower the knife and he didn't loosen his grip. Instead, he snarled, spit escaping his mouth in a stringy wad. "I want yer ship! I ain't stayin' out here no more! You gimme your ship and I'll give ya yer girl!"

"Don't you do it, capt'n," Kaylee yelled, her face the picture of seriousness. "He ain't gonna treat her right! You tell 'im no and you get her outta here!" Wasn't it just like her to try and give him an order right about now, too.

The man shook her, angry that she wasn't pleading and askin' for help. He just didn't know how much the ship meant to her, that she'd give up her own life for it would make anybody turn their heads in confusion. Anybody but Mal, that is.

"That's a mighty fine idea, Kaylee," he agreed with a nod, his eyes still set harshly on the man using her for a shield. Damn yellow bellied coward. "Only problem is she ain't goin' nowhere without you on her. Dong ma?"

She frowned almost sadly, but he could see the spark in her eyes, as if he'd just told her all those frilly words he ain't never bothered with before. Some part of him that was comin' up with worst case scenarios said that she was about three seconds from death and maybe he shoulda said those words earlier. All them things that he thought but didn't bother with out loud. Sure he said the "you're lookin' mighty shiny today," here or there, but he didn't let her know just how deep she affected him. Wasn't right for a man in his position to be flowerin' her up with promises and compliments. If he'd stuck by his own rules about relationships on his ship, maybe he wouldn't be thinkin' this way, but he was. Goin' on two years he'd had more of her than he'd ever thought he would and while they'd had their fights and their too close scrapes with death, they got through 'em best they could. But he ain't said those three words she wanted to hear, even if she said them to him.

He knew how she felt. Kaylee wasn't never one for keepin' her feelings quiet or hidden. She kissed him clear in front of the crew and dressed him down when she needed to, no matter who was in the room. It was like havin' a wife, he supposed. 'Cept his first run in with matrimony wasn't something he could really compare it to. But then he figured it was rather like Zoe and Wash - with less touchiness. She did all the touching while he tried to keep it to their bunk. He didn't want to share that with the rest of the crew. Touchin' her was for him and his eyes only. Kaylee didn't see it that way and so she made sure to touch him whenever she gorram well pleased. It grew on him to the point that he was just plain used to it by now. And damn it all if the notion entered his head that he might never get one of those random kisses of hers or feel her hand sliding up his back in greeting or see that smile of hers brighten just a little more when she sees him. Well piss on it, he wasn't letting this sorry excuse of a man take that away from him.

"Now ya get out my way and get yer crew off that ship and ya get 'er back, no problem. Ya don't move and she ain't gonna be doin' no mechanicin' no more!" the man yelled, breathing heavy with panic, eyes wildly searching around. If his head wasn't so gorram close to Kaylee's, he might have a clear shot. But the way he saw it, the only place he could shoot was the arm across her chest, holding the knife, and there was a too high risk that the bullet would go through him and into Kaylee, or that the knife would slice open her pretty little neck. And he wasn't willing to put that to the test.

He sighed. It was almost funny how it would all go. He couldn't give this man Serenity. Not him or Kaylee would forgive him for that. But he couldn't let Kaylee die either. He called back to the ship and said in a sharp, clear voice. "Get up in the air and don't come back 'til I tell ya."

"Sir?" Zoe's confused replied.

"Now. Get River up there and get off the core."

"Yes, sir."

Kaylee smiled at him real shiny-like and he found himself smiling back. He still didn't know how it was she did that. He'd just sent his ship off, possibly never to be seen again. And his girlfriend was currently being held at knife point, vergin' on bein' dead.

"What are you doin'? Ya can't- I need outta here!" the man sputtered, blinking wildly. "She's dead now and so are you when I'm done with her. You're gonna see her blood flow like a river!"

Mal shook his head. "You still ain't gettin' it." His brows lowered, eyes thinning. "You picked the wrong girl. See that's my Little Kaylee and you nick one drop'a blood outta her and you ain't gonna be breathin' much longer."

The man sneered disbelievingly. "She'll be dead 'fore you could pull that trigger."

"You wanna test me?"

He was moving around behind her now, drawing her closer, his head peeking out to show his arrogant pride as he tried to act like a cocky sonuvabitch. Just one clear shot, it was all he needed. She knew exactly what he was thinkin' too, she always did. While the man was squawkin' away about how good he was with his knife, Kaylee was slowly inching her head to the side, doin' her best to keep her throat from bein' sliced wide open.

"This pretty little thing," the man muttered, wipin' his grimy paws all over her hair, "Bet she's real good for ruttin'. Bet she be a better prize that ole heap a junk you flyin' in. Should'a just taken off with her. She be a good reward all her own. Reeeeeal shiny," he breathed against her ear, smiling a dirty tooth grin. "Too bad she gonna be dead in a minute."

Mal pursed his lips. "The only dead body 'round here, is yours." And with that, he pulled the trigger, watching with slight satisfaction as it hit the man square in the center of his forehead, throwing him back a few inches until he fell to the ground. Mal turned to Kaylee who had a hand over her neck, holding it tight, staring wide eyed at the ground in front of him, unwilling to look back at the body that lay still in the dirt behind her. He felt panic rise up in his chest, clenching his heart. She hadn't yet pulled her hand back and he wondered if he mighta shot too soon, if the knife still nicked her some and he'd gone and got her dead.

"Kaylee," he said gruffly, closest thing to show the emotion he felt buildin' up in him.

She lifted her eyes to his, still wide and shocked. And then she was running at him and he felt her plow into him, hard. He didn't mind so much though, seein' as he was thinkin' he might not get that again; the feel of her in his arms. He could feel her tears against his neck and he closed his eyes, dropping his chin to kiss her hair. And when he opened them again, he stared at the dead body a few feet from them and tightened his grip on her, hands curling tight around her shirt.

"'m okay, Malcolm," she murmured. She only ever used his full name when they were in their room and that suited him fine. Turned out it calmed him more than he expected too. It was usually Mal, or capt'n when she was feeling playful. "'m just shiny."

He quirked a disbelieving smile. "You ain't shiny. You're scared to shakin', Kaywinnit!"

He could feel her wince against his neck. He only used her full name when he was mad, or scared.

"I told you to stay close!"

"You did," she agreed, nodding.

"I said not to linger by them flowers, we had to be gettin' back."

"I remember."

He sighed, breath falling against her hair heavily. "All the time I spend escapin' death and it's you whose gonna be the death of me."

She chuckled before pulling back from him some. She smiled up at him real shiny-like, arms wrapped low around his waist. "If I'm the cause, you can be sure you're goin' out pleasantly," she assured with a wink that made his body warm up. He tried not to smile, wanted to stay angry at her even if it wasn't really her he was mad at. But then she was reaching up, running her hand through his hair like she did whenever he was deep in thought and she just wanted to see how he was doing but not interrupt him. "You and I both know he wasn't gonna gut me none." She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "He was just too hot for our ship and he went about it the wrong way is all."

He sighed. "Kaylee girl, you are somethin'."

She smiled brightly. "You ain't so bad yourself, capt'n."

Felt good to hear her voice, normal as can be, when just a few minutes ago he'd been pondering all the things he didn't do and all the things he shoulda said to her. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss against her mouth that caught her by surprise for only a second or two and then she was meetin' him with just as much fervor. Her body arched up into him, hands threading in his hair. Just that morning he'd woken up to one of her lazy kisses; the kind that reminded him of how lucky he was to have her sharin' his room and his bed. Sometimes he even liked it better than how she woke him up, using her mouth elsewhere. Sucking on his length until the haziness between dream and reality fogged his mind so deep he was he couldn't hold back that shout of ecstasy for the sake of the rest of the ship. Her mouth could do wonders, no matter where it was or how she was using it; slow and sensual, rough and hard, or in between like now. Their tongues tangling, teeth gnashing, and lips meshed together, swelling with delight. Damn near kill a man with the passion she put into each kiss, he figured. 'Course he was too good at avoiding death to fall victim to her shiny display of mastery with her mouth. As they parted, breathless, she smiled up at him with a fuzzy expression. "You sure know how to make a girl hum, Mal."

His smug grin didn't bother hidin'. "Yeah well, that's just for you now."

"Is that right?" she asked. She was always an open book when it came to her emotions and he could see that slight insecurity there in her eyes.

He leaned in, pressed a kiss to her forehead, his hand lifting to cup the back of her neck, forefinger and thumb massaging it just like he always did when she spent hours workin' on their ship only to come to bed almost too exhausted to breathe. "I ain't plannin' on lettin' you go," he told her, hopin' she understood the words behind what he was sayin'. He was a straight shooter, always had been, but it was gonna be awhile yet before those words got to sayin'.

She sighed, eyes falling closed. "Well I ain't lettin' you go either, Mal," she murmured, letting her head fall to his shoulder. "I figure I love you too much for any lettin' go."

He smiled. He really did admire the ease she had with those words when they always seemed to clog in his throat. Too deep, too damn frilly. He was a captain and a former sergeant; he just didn't say those types of things.

"There ain't anyone more patient than me," she told him knowingly.

"Ain't anybody more shiny either," he replied lowly.

He could feel her smile.

"Sir? While I know you don't make orders without thinking of these things, we are wasting a lot of fuel just sitting up here, circling," Zoe's voice vibrated out from his squawk box.

He sighed, lifting it up to his mouth. "Well land the damn thing and pick us up then."

"Don't see why we had to get up off the core jus' so they could go rut," they heard Jayne in the background. "Not like they don't do it enough 'round here, now they gotta kick us up into the black for some damn privacy. Jus' don't make any sense!"

Kaylee laughed, pressing her face against Mal's shoulder to stifle it.

He felt relief lift his shoulders and separated from her only enough to grab their bag of ship parts and wrap an arm around her, makin' sure not to let her see her captor layin' dead behind them.

"You get any of those flowers you were lookin' at?" he wondered.

"Nah," she said with a small shrug. "Too expensive. Way I see it, our ship parts are much more shiny and I'm thinkin' they'll last longer than them pretties." She smiled up at him genuinely and he knew she was being honest. Only his Kaylee could want more ship parts rather than a bouquet of nice smellin' flowers. He decided their next trip, he'd get her some just so she could have both. Long as she kept herself out of reach from any robbers, she deserved a little frillery. And greased up parts wasn't good enough for her, even if they made her eyes sparkle and her mouth twist up in a grin.

"How's your neck?" he asked her, real casual like as they walked off into the distance, waitin' for their ride to come.

"Shiny," she replied, her voice a tiny bit wobbly. "Ain't nothin' wrong with it."

He stopped, tipping her chin up to see for himself. He could see a faint red line there, where the knife had been pressin' too tight. Made him want to go back and shoot him between the eyes. His jaw clenched as he ran his thumb over the line, wanting to soothe it away. Her hands lifted, cupping his face and his eyes lifted to hers.

"Like you said, things ain't never go smooth." She lifted a shoulder.

"Why is that?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her once more as they started walking.

"Figure it's just how the 'verse treats us, right?" She looked up at him, still her cheerful self.

"Well the 'verse has a bit of a wrath problem, I'm thinkin'."

She chuckled, shaking her head.

In the distance, they could see Serenity landing, their own little piece of perfection. Sure she was fallin' apart and probably the deathtrap that Zoe dubbed her from the beginning, but she was their deathtrap. "You ready to get home then?" he asked.

"'Course I am," she replied, leaning against him, her head falling to his shoulder. "Ain't nowhere else I'd rather be."

He smiled lightly, tipping his head so his chin was on top of her hair.

Him either.

Author's Note: I'm a recent Firefly fan. Got into it recently and I'm a Mal/Kaylee fan as seen from above. They're the only couple I really like and I know most ship Mal/Inara and Kaylee/Simon, but I've never been one much for canon. Hope ya'll liked this! Reviews are sustenance, readers! Luv yas - Fina!