"Hey Mal?" Simon whispered into the darkness.
Mal grunted a half asleep sort of noise that Simon assumed meant for him to either continue talking or shut the hell up. Since he wasn't sure which it was he just decided to go ahead.
"You don't think anything is going on with River and Jayne do you? I mean you don't think he's taking advantage of her while they're stuck together?" Simon asked.
Mal sighed wearily and propped himself up on his elbows so that he could look at Simon.
"Why you see him do somethin inappropriate?"
Simon thought for a second before shaking his head. "No not inappropriate, they just seem… friendly."
"Simon they been chained tagether fer over a month now. I'd rather have em be friendly than tryin to kill each other." Mal pointed out.
"I know. Its just I didn't think Jayne could even tolerate River most of the time let alone be friends with her."
"Well I'd say you and me have gotten ta be friends since we been stuck tagether. S'it really so strange same might happen ta them? Plus if Jayne ever tried somethin that River didn't want to happen she could kill him a hell of a lot faster than you or I could."
Simon thought this over and laid back down looking relieved. "Good point."
"But ya might have ta be ready case she ever does want somethin ta happen." Mal said as he lay back down as well.
Simon groaned, damn he'd just started to feel better about the situation. "But River with Jayne? I mean you don't think either of them would ever really… No there's no way River would…" Simon trailed off thinking about all the times his sister had done the exact opposite of what he expected her to do.
"Oh God I'm going to end with Jayne Cobb for a brother in law!" He moaned pitifully.
Mal snorted with laughter but didn't reply.
"Jayne?" River asked.
"Wha-?" He mumbled sleepily.
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
Jayne sighed and sat up so that he could look at River. "Whattda ya mean?"
"Made me feel better when I had a nightmare and don't call me crazy anymore. Why?"
Jayne grimaced and furrowed his brow, he really hated touchy feely type a crap, but being stuck to a girl seemed to come with plenty a this shit.
"Well seein as how I can't get away from ya and you can kill me pretty fuckin easy I guess I gotta be nice to ya right?" He muttered hoping that she'd leave his good intentions at a need for self preservation.
"I would never harm you for being mean to me, don't you know that?" She asked fearfully and Jayne felt like the Verse's biggest hun-dan when her lip began to quiver and tears filled her eyes.
"Hey River I didn't mean it like that. I know you wouldn't do nothin to me if ya didn't have a reason. Come on now don't cry, please?" He whispered sounding more caring than she'd ever heard before.
Giving him a small smile she wiped the tears from her eyes. "So then why are you really being so kind?"
"Well I owe ya fer one thing. Ya saved my life that day with the Reavers."
"So you are simply repaying a debt you feel you owe?" She whispered.
"Ya ain't gonna let this go are ya?" He asked.
"Just like to know where we stand." She answered.
Jayne propped his pillow up so that he could lean back. Once he was comfortable he grew quiet as he thought over what to tell her.
"I guess I kinda respect ya now. After Ariel and Miranda I kinda realized what them bastards at the Academy did to ya and how much they hurt ya. And well ya might still be a little off sometimes but fer all that happened to ya yer pretty amazing." He finally admitted.
"Pretty amazing?" She whispered happily.
Jayne sighed and finally looked straight at the young woman. "Yer absolutely amazing alright? I ain't never met anyone like you and I think yer probably the most special person in the whole gorram verse. S'that what ya wanted ta hear? That I'm crazy about ya and I know I ain't ever gonna be good enough for ya and being stuck to ya is killin me cause yer right there but I know I ain't ever gonna have ya."
Jayne drew in a deep ragged breath and wished to god that he could get out of the damn cuffs and away from the woman he'd just poured his heart out to. He waited anxiously as River stared at him with those impossibly large and beautiful eyes of hers.
River's face suddenly broke into a dazzling smile and she leaned forward to press her lips against his. This wasn't like the first time she'd kissed him earlier in the night, not hard and fast at all, but soft and lingering.
Jayne didn't stop to think about the fact that he was kissing River or the fact that he was kissing a woman on the lips at all, he was too lost in the sensations. The kiss was hesitant at first but after a few seconds River seemed to grow braver and opened her mouth to slip her tongue into his. Jayne felt his breath constrict and he began to grow hard as the very tip of River's tongue brushed against his own. Sighing contentedly into her mouth Jayne pulled River's slight form closer to him so that she was straddling his lap.
From this new position Jayne knew that River could feel his erection pushing against her and hoped that it wouldn't make her uncomfortable or scare her. It seemed that River had the exact opposite reaction because River began to kiss him harder and rubbed her hips against his. Jayne growled with arousal as River's hot center brushed up against him with only the thin fabric of their underwear to separate them.
Feeling bolder himself Jayne moved his free hand up to River's breast and rubbed his thumb against her small hard nipple. River groaned at the action and pressed herself even tighter against his body.
Five minutes later…
"Wait River girl we gotta stop." Jayne said reluctantly and pushed River's shoulders to move her away from him.
River took a deep breath and gave him a confused look.
"We just started this thing we don't gotta do everything right now. Plus we don't got any…"
"Contraceptives." River whispered finishing his thought. She nodded and climbed off of Jayne's lap. "Jayne's being very responsible." She complimented.
"Yeah well I ain't too used to it, but if we're gonna do this we're gonna do it right." He said firmly.
She gave him a loving smile and nodded in understanding. "But what about…?" River asked and gestured down to his erection.
"Don't worry bout it none. It'll go away soon enough. 'Sides just think how much better it'll be if we wait a bit."
"Delayed gratification is often pleasurable." She agreed.
"Uh yeah."
They lay quietly for awhile both of them lost in their own thoughts of what this new development between them might mean.
"You are good enough for me Jayne." River whispered.
"What?"
"You said earlier that you don't deserve me, but you're wrong. You're a very good man Jayne Cobb even if you don't believe it. I care about you very much."
Jayne was surprised at how good that simple statement made him feel. He couldn't remember the last time someone had said something as kinda as telling him they cared for him.
"I care bout you too River, a lot." He replied but then noticed that she'd already drifted back to sleep.