Notes: Sorry this has taken so long... invasion of real life and all that. Be forewarned... this chapter's borderline-cheesy.
Trans: wuh de ma: mother of God
Jayne had pulled on a faded green shirt and pair of brown pants in his bunk, and then continued on towards the bridge to keep watch. River had padded after him silently in her nightgown, intently watching everything he did.
After he trotted up the stairs to the bridge, Jayne plopped down heavily in the pilot's chair. He was still sleepy and slightly unhinged from the look in Zoe's eyes before she slipped away. He kicked his bare feet up onto the control panel and leaned back, closing his eyes. Was sleeping in River's bed worth being emasculated? He snorted. He didn't like his answer to that.
He heard River moving around, touching panels and opening the lockers. She was humming to herself. A quiet, slow, song. She had a pretty voice, Jayne thought. Very soft and gentle. It contrasted sharply with her slightly unsettling personality. A personality he was quickly getting used to, he grudgingly admitted.
He opened his eyes and saw River situating herself on top of the console, swinging her feet easily. She had certainly calmed down from earlier that night. Her eyes were darting around, staring at everything in the room as if it was all new to her. But when her gaze locked with Jayne's, she stilled. Concentrating on him. She smiled.
The girl was making him nervous. She had that look on her face. She was waiting for him to say something. Something he didn't even know he was going to say yet. He ran his hands through his hair and stubbornly stared back at her.
She raised her eyebrows at him, still grinning elfishly. Then she hopped lightly off the console and sauntered over.
"You're nervous," she crowed tenderly.
"You're looking at me funny." Jayne squinted up at her suspiciously.
"Because you're nervous." She grinned at Jayne's bewildered look. Stepping behind him, she pushed down on the back of his chair, barely keeping it from tipping it over.
"Hey! Careful! You'll dump me on the floor," Jayne whined.
River stared at his upturned face then brought her cheek down to rest upon his.
"You can trust me. I won't drop you," she soothed.
"Ain't a matter of trust, girl... you just ain't strong enough. Now put me down!"
"You can tell me. It's nice to hear from your mouth, not your head."
"Tell you what?" Jayne asked while trying to catch his toes under the console in order to lever himself upright.
"Why you've slept next to me every night."
Jayne froze.
He chewed his lip, trying to figure out the right answer.
"You're my wife... it's my duty."
River pressed down a little further on his chair, bringing him parallel to the floor.
"Hey!" he protested. "All right... because you are... you have... I mean, I think I... ah, hell, darling... you know what I mean! Why do you need me to say it?"
River released the chair, springing him forward with a jolt. His feet landed hard on the cold ground, leaving him disoriented.
She spun his chair around to face her and she crawled onto his lap, sitting cross-legged across his broad thighs. Dropping her eyes to her hands, she threaded the hem of her nightgown through her fingers apprehensively.
"I'm just a girl, Jayne. It'd make me happy if you could say it."
Jayne sighed.
"Fine. Just don't look at me when I say it," he roughly demanded.
The smile on her face lit up the room as she obediently hid her head beneath Jayne's chin.
Jayne cleared his throat as he brought his arms around her, nervously stroking her back.
"Look girl, I ain't got pretty words..."
River just kissed his throat and waited for him to continue.
The shivers she made run through him were amazing. He shifted his weight in the chair and tightly held on to her, closing his eyes.
"Okay. Um. I kept coming back because I thought you needed me. 'Cause you did. Remember? And... I liked being needed. Being important to somebody."
He paused, but a short poke from River's finger in his ribs made him start up again.
"And I liked being close to you. You make me... um..." he searched for a word, "...not hungry anymore. Like I'm full. And, you're mine, you know? I get to take care of you. Plus, you smell nice," he finished, glad it was over. But River jabbed him again.
"Ow! Sheesh. Fine." Jayne shifted in his chair again, glancing around to make sure they were alone.
"I..." he began in an awkward rough whisper, then checked himself: "I like you."
He stood up then, lifting her with him, trying to reassert himself.
"And that's all I'm saying!" he growled as he plopped her down on her feet in front of him. "Go pester someone else."
River cocked her head at him.
"Your head talks louder than your mouth."
Jayne just stared at her uncomfortably. Why wouldn't she just leave it at that, then? She knew what he felt. Didn't know why she wanted him to go off spouting poetry.
"You don't like me, Jayne," she stated confidently as she stalked towards him, backing him against the lockers.
He slid down to the floor to avoid her gaze but she just crouched in front of him.
"You're swirling inside, Jayne. I make you happy. I make your heart dance. I make your existence worthwhile. That's what you're not saying."
She dropped to her knees and pressed his shoulders flat to the ground. Half leaning, half lying over him, she continued.
"You need me, Jayne. You want me." Her voice dropped lower, conspiratorially. "You love me, Jayne."
"Get off me, girl," he warned.
"Trust me, Jayne."
"I said get off."
"Your mouth did. But your head said stay. It likes me here, on top of you."
"Stop it."
"You like how I feel. I warm your bones. You'll never feel cold with me. You want me with you always. You'd break if I left you!" she cried out.
"Gorramit, River, I know! It's my head, remember?"
He dug his fingers into her hips in frustration.
"You know how much I..." he paused again, not able to shake off the fear.
"Trust me, Jayne," River again whispered.
Jayne rolled over and trapped her beneath him on the hard metal floor, trying to get back some sense of control. He slid his arms up under her shoulders and lifted her head up to his. He crushed her to him.
"You're mine," he breathed in her ear. "You're me. I can't help it. I do it without thinking."
"Do what?" River encouraged.
"River..." his voice rumbled against her neck.
He buried his face further into her, trying to muffle the words that would come. But a sudden blaring klaxon from the forgotten console drowned out his voice.
"Wuh de ma..." Jayne began, releasing River and leaping off the deck. He checked the scanner to be sure then scooped River off the floor and hugged her tightly to his chest.
"Go get dressed, girl. I'll come get you in a minute."
She stared at him with wide, liquid eyes, then ran down the stairs.
Jayne cursed under his breath again and slammed his palm against the wall. He bent to pull out one of his guns he had stashed on the underside of the console and hurried down to wake Mal.
The Reavers were here.