DISCLAIMER: Not mine, but oh do I wish it was...
All she could think was, 'Bless me Father, for I have sinned.'
He was her darkness. It was the way that they were. They would fight with each other in public, but in private; he was her paradise. Their constant bickering would make Mal roll his eyes and mockingly scold the both of them; Simon would simply tune them out; Kaylee giggled, like she knew they were just playing; Zoe would smile and laugh because she did know; and Inara would laugh and begin arguing with Mal over the "correct punishment" for the two of them. But once the two of them were alone, the fighting stopped, and their need for each other took over. Sometimes it was a savage love, one that neither could control; others it was sweet, one that they took their time exploring. Tonight was one of those savage nights. Her hands gripped at his shoulders, nails digging in and drawing blood as he pounded into her over and over again. They went through this routine every night since Miranda, but tonight seemed different to both of them. Neither wanted to control themselves, letting the bloodlust take over. Over and over again, his body pounded into hers, making her feel more than she's ever felt before. His thoughts were no longer off limits to her, but she chose to respect him and stay out of his mind, unless he pushed something on her. River groaned as she felt her body move closer towards the edge and sank her teeth into the tender skin between his neck and shoulder, breaking the skin when she bit down.
She was his light. His balance against the black. Sure they fought in public, but in private; she was his sanctuary, the only thing that kept him sane on these gorram weeklong trips through the black. It was the feeling of her teeth drawing his blood that made Jayne break. They both passed over the edge with groans on their lips. He dropped down, rolling off of her and pulling her against him so she could lay sprawled across his chest. When his breathing evened out, he gently kissed her forehead and fell into a light sleep. He never slept too deeply when she was with him; he always felt the need to protect her at all costs. If Mal or her brother were ever to find out, he would be in a world of hurt. But for now, he was content just to have her by his side and with him every chance they got. Since Miranda, she'd gotten a lot better, and he could swear that at times, she was as sane as the rest of the crew. The weight of her on top of him was comforting, knowing that he could have lost her to those Reavers back on Miranda. He was thankful that she'd stayed on board, her brother too. It was thanks to her and her brother that he was still alive after that. He still felt a twinge now and then since the doc couldn't get all the bullet fragments out, but when she was around, he never felt anything except euphoria.
They lay there together, the assassin and the mercenary, both spent from their last round. Listening to each others breathing calm and even out. They knew it was wrong, knew they would get in trouble for being together. But they couldn't help themselves. It was an animalistic urge that kept them coming back to each other every time. And as she lay there in the darkness of his bunk, sprawled across his chest and listening to his heartbeat even out, all she could think was;
'Bless me Father, for I have sinned.'