He wasn't exactly sure why he was standing there. Mal was on the gallery, while the crew played ball in the cargo bay. Not that he could work out much of what was going on, but Kaylee had asked him to come. Plus, as she had pointed out, Simon was playing. That was too much of an event to miss, even if the only evidence Mal had that he was even there was the occasional squawk as Jayne ran heavily into the doctor.

Mal decided that it didn't matter so much that he couldn't see them. He could hear the babble of laughter, and Kaylee and Wash cheering enthusiastically when either of their teams scored. River was standing beside him, peering over and reciting numbers and angles, but when Simon scored she paused to clap, so he supposed she was having a good day. She just liked numbers.

'Next point wins,' Jayne called.

They continued for five minutes or so after that, seemingly without anyone getting close enough to score.

'Simon!' Wash called. 'Over here!'

There was a thud and a strangled sound. 'Jayne, stop squashing my husband,' Zoë said calmly.

'Mal!' The throw was soft and square at his chest. Even without the call he might have caught it. Simon had apparently decided that the safest option for the pass was the person Jayne couldn't reach to crush. It was touching, if just a little insane, that Simon had trusted that he would catch it.

He rolled the ball from hand to hand consideringly.

From beside him River offered, 'It's just trajectory and memory. Simple if you do the maths.'

Nodding at her, he took aim at where the ring should be, and let fly.

The ball thudded off the ring and bounced away. Jayne chuckled. 'Not bad, Mal, but maybe you should leave that kinda thing to the two-eyed folk among us.'

There was a familiar swoosh noise, and Mal knew what had happened even before Jayne's outraged howls.

'We win,' Simon proclaimed smugly.

'Qingwa cào de liúmáng! You wait one minute there, doc. Can't cheat like that,' Jayne said.

'Like what?' Simon asked.

'You had an extra player!'

'I thought he wasn't up to the standards of the "two-eyed folk"?'

'He distracted me!'

'Don't be so easily distracted next time.'

'I'll give you distraction!'

There was a clatter of footsteps and amused encouragement-cum-warning from the rest of the crew.

Mal heard Simon on the stairs, hotly pursued by Jayne's thudding.

He reached out and snagged Simon's arm, rougher than he had intended. The doctor fell against his chest, panting heavily. 'Looks like you need rescuing, doc,' Mal said.

'Are you offering?' Simon asked carefully.

'Looks like.'

'Then thank you.'

Mal pushed Simon behind him and groaned unconvincingly. 'Ow! Doc's gonna have to come and have a look at these bandages. Your maiming'll have to wait, Jayne.'

'Now you just wait right there!'

'Sorry,' Simon said innocently.

'Low down dirty…' Jayne began.

'Deciever?' Mal offered.

As they walked to the infirmary, Mal was close enough to feel Simon's soft laughter.

When they arrived, Mal perched casually on the end of the bed, but Simon hovered. 'Do you mind if I...?' Simon gestured at the bandages.

'Thought we were just hiding out.'

'Yes, and I do appreciate it, but I haven't ran a check on your eyes for a few days.'

'And since you've successfully corralled me back in here...'

'I thought I would try my luck,' Simon agreed.

'So I should just lie back here on the bed and think happy thoughts while you stick things in me?'

There was a pause and Mal wondered if Simon was blushing. Doc clearly had a dirty mind. Good to know. 'That would be fine,' Simon answered eventually, calmly.

Mal lay down on the cot and Simon knocked him out to start the mender. This was getting awful familiar.

'Open your eyes.'

Mal woke. Or thought he woke anyway. Those words didn't make much sense if he was awake.

'Open your eyes, Captain,' Simon repeated.

'You gave me pretty specific instructions as to what would happen if I did that again,' Mal answered cautiously.

'Only if you did without me telling you. Trust me.' He did, of course. Well, as much as he trusted anyone. Simon had taken the bandages off, and he wouldn't have risked Mal's eyes by messing around with this. But last time...

'It's okay, Captain.'

Mal opened his eyes.

The world came slowly into view. He could make out Simon's silhouette across the room. 'It's dark.'

'I turned out the lights so you wouldn't strain your eyes.' Simon's voice was excited. 'Should I...?'

'Turn them on.'

Mal blinked at the lights came on. It did hurt his eyes a little. Simon came over to the side of the bed and shone a torch in them, which didn't help the problem much. He pushed at Simon's hands and held them away from him so he could look at the doctor properly. 'Well ain't you a sight for sore eyes.'

'How long have you been waiting to say that?' Simon asked, laughing. '...and more importantly, would you still have said it if I had made sure that Jayne was the first thing you saw?'

Mal looked up at Simon, who was smiling brightly. It was rare to see Simon's eyes so openly affectionate when dealing with someone who wasn't River or Kaylee. The blue eyes sparkled with warmth and relief. Mal pushed himself up to a sitting position and, unthinking, pulled him down for a kiss.

There was a second where he believed that it would work. Simon closed his eyes peacefully and leant down. But it was only a second. Simon pulled away, not just from the kiss, but all the way across the infirmary.

'Don't,' Simon said brokenly.

'Don't what, Simon? Cause last I heard you wanted to do that, too,' Mal said.

'You listened to Kaylee and me talking.' Simon folded his arms protectively across his chest.

'I...' Mal started.

'I knew you weren't always asleep, but that was private.'

'So that's a no then.' Mal said

'A no to what? To "thank God I can see again" sex?'

'You think that's what I was offering?'

'I don't know what you were offering, Captain, but I doubt it was what I want from you. As I'm sure you know,' he added bitterly.

'And what if I was offering more than that?'

Simon's expression softened, but he still looked sad. 'Then I would say you're mistaking gratefulness for my fixing you, and the fact that we've spent so much time together in the past month, for something that it isn't.'

'Don't have much faith in my faculties, do you?'

'Before this happened, Captain, you were hardly showing me a great deal of interest that way.'

'And no one's ever just realised that they liked someone?'

'Tell me something you like about me that isn't connected to me being a doctor or River's brother,' Simon asked fiercely.

Put on the spot, Mal could only offer, 'You have nice eyes.'

'See?'

Mal demanded, 'Well okay then, tell me things you like about me that aren't about me being Captain and coming for you and River on Jiangyin.'

Simon smiled wretchedly, 'You make me laugh. You talk about criminality, but you believe so fiercely in the right thing to do, and do it. You're charming when you like the person you're talking to. You don't put up with idiocy or cruelty. You've made a family out of nothing, all of whom are willing to risk their lives for you. And that's not about you being Captain, they just love you.' He paused and then ran headlong into the last part. 'And the way you smile at me when you wake up and forget that even though you can't see me, I can see you.' He went to the door.

'Wait.'

Simon stopped and watched Mal sadly. 'If you're really serious, tell me again in a month, when you haven't just been stitched up.' He left.

Mal swore loudly.

Translations:
qingwa cào de liúmáng - frog-humping sumbitch