A/N: To the eight people who have reviewed my story thus far: I love you all and am grateful for your considerable help in motivating me to get my act together. ^^ To my as of yet anonymous readers: I appreciate all of you for taking the time to read my story! Minor clarification from my miserable last chapter: River caught them and I somehow forgot to make that clear in any way, shape, or form. My sincerest apologies. I hope this chapter makes up for the last and would love to see more reviews come in! I am still more than open to any and all suggestions and would love to hear from some of you guys to see where you would like this story to go! Last, but not least, everyone give some applause to my new and awesome beta: veggiegoku! With veggie's help this chapter has been perfected for your viewing pleasure. :D Now please enjoy!
For the next few days- which seemed more like an eternity to Jayne- the burly mercenary threw all of his frustrated energy into his workout and taking all the subtlety out of being passive aggressive with the rest of the crew. Simon had turned the avoidance knob up another notch and somehow the entire crew knew exactly who to blame for it. He felt as though he'd finally had a shot at experiencing all the young doctor had to offer- with the small price of taking some of the edge off of his infamous reputation- but he had let the opportunity slip through his fingers. Rushing headlong into situations and making it through them with sheer force of will was something that he was notoriously good at, but he had known that wouldn't work when trying to woo the doc. He should have known better than to consume alcohol with his already tenuous control over his actions.
Simon was not some cheap woman at the local bar, and as such most of what Jayne knew about relationships was thrown out the window. He frequently tried to convince himself that he just wasn't cut out for this kind of relationship, but every time he felt certain his infatuation was gone he caught sight of a vulnerable looking core boy sitting alone in the infirmary- and his heart nearly melted. Currently, he was attempting to wrench all these horrid thoughts from his mind with good, old fashioned violence- perhaps a little too gleefully beating the stuffing out of a makeshift punching bag in the cargo hold.
Serenity had just landed on a seedy little planet and he was anxiously waiting for Mal to finish making docking arrangements with the dirty military men that ran this place's excuse for a government. He was eager to find an equally seedy, dirty bar to drown his sorrows and perhaps get in a good brawl. Just as he delivered a punishing blow to the dummy (thankfully putting the pathetic thing out of its misery as it split down the middle) he caught Simon descending into the hold- looking more than a little distracted, but with his lips pressed together firmly in grim determination.
"Now just what th' hell do ya think you're doin'?" he groused, a little more hostile than he intended.
"I need some things in town and the captain is nearly finished with negotiating our stay." Simon was dressed as prim and proper as ever- not a hair out of place, but to those who knew him something was clearly off. He shifted from foot to foot uncomfortable as Jayne's brows furrowed in response. "Is that a problem?"
"You bet your prissy lil' ass that's a problem! This here planet in no place for a softy like you-" he jabbed his finger into Simon's stomach to emphasize his point, "- and I forbid you from going. Anything you need in town I can pick up for ya." He grasped Simon firmly by his shoulders and turned to escort him back to the infirmary, unable to keep from smiling at his spontaneous shot at chivalry.
Simon planted his feet firmly at the bottom of the stairs and turned his face to shoot Jayne an icy glare. "And why exactly do you think that I would submit to you?" Jayne's brain stopped working momentarily at submit, but he cleared his throat loudly and scratched his head to try and cover the stutter in his train of thought.
Jayne straightened his spine and tried his best to talk in a scholarly manner- " I-" he pointed to himself with much bravado, "being a manly and rugged mercenary-" he flexed his muscles and stroked his beard animatedly, "have much more experience in these here affairs, than a pretty, delicate core boy such as yerself." he finished by gesturing pointedly at Simon's carefully styled hair and impeccable, shiny vest. He grinned widely, bouncing on his heels, obviously pleased with himself.
Simon bristled visibly, but was unable to speak for a moment, finding the older man before him just this side of endearing. "And what makes you think that you will be able to procure these items for me? They are medical in nature, and therefore largely outside your areas of comprehension."
Jayne crossed his arms and gave an exaggerated huff. "I think you just insulted me."
Simon couldn't help the small smile that ghosted across his lips as he raised an eyebrow in amusement. " That is quite the astute observation. Have you completely forgotten the time I last tried to teach you medical terms? I believe that was shortly before the captain tried to kill you for being a self-serving ass."
A small blush of shame blossomed across Jayne's cheeks, but he could tell that the statement held no animosity, and he shoved his hands in his pockets- giving a sheepish shrug. "You could always write me a list." He was afraid that his attempt to prove his trustworthiness to the doctor might be evaporating into thin air and he was starting to panic a little.
But just then the younger man's shoulders slouched- resigned to his fate. "I'll be right back with that list, but don't think that means that you've won." Jayne watched him intently as the doctor disappeared into the ship unable to contain the anticipation that was boiling inside him. He'd never felt any thrill in courtship and so he had never pursued that form of relationship. Simon was different though- snarky, sharp, and challenging. For the first time he was interested in the chase.
As he heard Simon approaching again he tried to wipe the idiotic grin off of his face and replaced it instead with his best attempt at a scowl. "Took ya long enough." he grunted, making a show of crossing his arms and rocking back and forth on his heels.
Simon narrowed his eyes and slowed noticeably, taking each step with an unnecessary amount of caution- pausing at the landing to untie and retie each of his shoes. When he rose his mouth was set in a hard line, but his eyes sparked with playfulness as he handed over a neatly folded square of paper. "I do hope that you will be able to handle this." Jayne wasn't sure whether the young man had meant the phrase as innuendo, but he decided to take it as such.
"Don't worry, I can handle anything you throw at me." trying his best to move slower, he couldn't help but throw in a wink and mischievous smirk.Simon's cheeks tinged pink and it took all of Jayne's focus not to cup his jaw and stroke the blush with his thumb. He stashed the image in the back of his head, instead choosing to kick absentmindedly at the floor. He heard the doc rush back up the stairs and unfolded the paper holding it as though it were something precious. The lettering was small and neat, and eclectic mix of print and cursive letters. Jayne stuck the list in his pocket and made sure to look extra cantankerous as he exited the ship.
He returned a few hours later, no longer faking his foul mood. Simon hadn't been exaggerating when he had talked about the difficulty in buying the various outlandish medications and musty diagnostic volumes that he had moved to in his attempts to treat River. He had to admit that he admired the younger man's dedication to the girl that he spent most of his waking hours on. He wasted no time heading to the infirmary, eager to see the surprise on Simon's face when he was given every item that was listed.
He stopped just outside the small room, noticing someone else inside with the doctor. He frowned as he watched Mal chat with Simon, taking up more personal space than was necessary with that flirtatious, lopsided smirk of his. Jayne growled low in his throat entering the infirmary, not at all pleased with the captain's growing interest with their newest passenger. The two of them turned at the sound of the doors opening and Jayne couldn't keep from sneering haughtily when he noticed the awkwardness of Simon's demeanor and the obvious discomfort in his stance.
He moved to Simon's side, effectively pushing Mal out of the implied space bubble and felt his ego grow considerably when the young doctor relaxed, a smile in his eyes. He turned to acknowledge his captain with mock admiration before blocking him completely off from the conversation. "I got everything on list… and a little somethin' extra too." he waggled his eyebrows and smiled at Mal's overly loud snort of derision.
Simon set the bag aside without looking inside and started rifling through his pockets, "How much did it end up costing you?" Jayne ogled at the money in his hands wishing his conscience was still small enough to let him scam a little extra off the inexperienced doctor.
"Naw, 's my treat." he rubbed his neck uncomfortably, playing dumb when both men gave him astonished looks. He shrugged sheepishly when both of them remained silent, "What? I've had a good couple-a weeks."
"Please, I know the medicine, at least, didn't come cheap." he tried and failed to stuff some money into Jayne's hand. The captain threw Jayne a withering look and left the infirmary, a frown set deep into his features. Jayne grinned triumphantly out the windows, but stiffened awkwardly when he felt Simon tuck the money into his back pocket, clearly making more contact than was necessary. He watched, slightly bewildered, as the younger man walked past smoothly, heading out of the infirmary and towards River's bunk with the bag of supplies in hand.