Title: Noble

Title: Noble
Fandom: Firefly
Characters/Pairings: Pre Rayne, Book
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, not paid, don't sue.
Warnings: Not beta'd
Notes: This was supposed to be something cheery to distract someone who needs distracting (Roll on the 23rd). It turned a bit dismal, sorry about that.

Noble

"Crazy, whatcha doin'?"

River started with his fingertips and worked her way up his arm, poking and squeezing him down to the bone. Her eyes weren't quite in the here and now and Jayne knew what that meant; she was always a bit fuzzy for the first hour or two after her meds. Strange thing was, if she could find Jayne alone, she'd gravitate towards him, but only if he was alone.

She wasn't hurting him any, so he sat there as she worked her way up to his shoulder. When she grabbed his nose he gently disengaged her fingers and repeated his question.

River frowned horribly and clutched her head, her eyes slipping in and out of focus. "Captain said you do not have a noble bone in your body."

Jayne shrugged. "He ain't wrong."

River nodded furiously. "Yes he is. It is in there somewhere and I will find it and show him." Her words were always simpler and slower when she was like this, he could always understand her.

River started poking his chest. Jayne caught her hand far more softly than anyone would imagine he could.

"I ain't havin' yer takin' out ma bones so quit now."

River's eyes got a little frantic. "But it is untrue and he must see."

Jayne gave her a steady look. "Best you take a nap."

River opened her mouth to argue then nodded wearily and stumbled to the galley door. "The noble bone is there Jayne, I will find it," she said, over her shoulder.

Jayne waited until she was out of sight and shifted uncomfortably. He had some theories about the location of his "noble bone" that he wasn't planning to share with River.

She never came near him when the "fuzzies" wore off, acted as if she didn't remember. He guessed she wasn't interested in what was going on in his head either because she never said anything.

Times like this he could feel the Shepherd looking over his shoulder.

Jayne wished River would come looking for him when she wasn't tripping, just once.

Being noble was hard.