Title: Better In Red
Author: jmaria
Rating: FR-15
Claim: Dawn/Jayne/River
Crossover: BtVS/Firefly
Prompt: 011. Red
Disclaimer: Joss is god of his verses - me, not so much.
Spoilers: pre-Serenity, but eventually will contain spoilers
Summary: Left bleeding and in pain
Words: 231
A/N: Just pre-Rayne in this one.
Jayne was completely drunk that entire day. She'd all but slunk off from his bunk and had kept herself tightly hidden behind Wash and Zoe all damn day. He'd barely noticed Zoe's footsteps passing his bunk as she came back from the drop. He didn't acknowledge Mal's bitchin' at him from the top of his door, or Kaylee's hopeful taunts. Or the Shepherd's invitation to work out with him. Or Inara's tellin' him grub was on.
The one thing that really sunk into his mind was the tiny footsteps that entered his bunk, the long strand of dark hair tickling on his neck as he laid perfectly still on his bunk, his eyes screwed shut to block out the entire universe. The wet sting of a single tear drop and the fading footsteps on the stairs echoed loudly in his ears.
"He's not to be disturbed," her voice trickled back to his ears clearer than anything that had been said at him all damn day. "He does not look better in red, and needs the time it takes for old wounds to heal."
And River Tam sat guard all day and well into the night - despite all her brother's, Captain's, and Shepherd's pleas - at the door to Jayne Cobb's bunk. Her borrowed red dress flowing around her, making her smell like the woman who'd damaged her mercenary so.