A Might Unpredictable
Chapter One
It Weren't Right
By RingPrincess

Jayne shifted his weight onto his other leg as he tried to remember why he was standing outside of River Tam's door with a thin large white box in his large hands. He supposed it came down to one sentence. It weren't right. In hundreds of ways it weren't right and he wasn't sure where to begin on categorizing them all. He licked his lips and took a deep breath and knocked on the edge of her door.

It weren't right her having to live like this. She wasn't meant for a life in the black. And it weren't because she was a pretty delicate thing that was only meant to look ornamental. She'd a brain, a damn good one. Course that's what had caused her bein' out here in the first place, but with a brain like that she should be someplace where she could learn things appropriate for her brain. Not out here in the bufu nowhere of the 'verse bein' shot at and hunted like a prize pet. Sure, she was pretty and delicate lookin', but Jayne Cobb weren't fooled by looks as much as the rest of 'em on. He knew that plenty of deadly things came in small pretty packages.

The door slid open enough for River to look through, half a face, dominated by a large brown eye and a mess of dark brown hair. Her face didn't change when she saw him, not that he had expected it too.

It weren't right that in the aftermath of the situation that she'd been forgotten. No one had remembered to thank her or praise her or anything show appreciation for the way she'd saved them. It was like everyone was tryin' to put the entire situation as far behind 'em as fast as possible. They put the dead to rest and thanked whatever late at night or what passed for night in the black that they were still alive. None of that gratitude seemed to go in her direction. She didn't make a big deal of it. Maybe she didn't think anything of it. Perhaps to her killing so many reavers weren't hard and so she didn't need the thanks. Or maybe she felt the gratitude late at night and didn't need it verbalized. Didn't make it right. Things like that should be said and Jayne Cobb was aimin' to make it did.

He cleared his throat and steadfastly kept his eyes on her face. He didn't need to get distracted by the rest of her body, pressed up against the other side of the door where he couldn't see. Not that he needed to see.

It weren't right he knew what her body looked like under those oversized clothes her go se brother provided her to wear. Of course, meeting a person stark naked for the first time does tend to leave a lastin' impression. She was all pale skin, lithe muscle and dark hair. Pert breasts that were just large enough to fit a man's hand. The clothes she wore didn't do her justice. They hid all those curves, made her shapeless. It drove him to want to tear them off her so he could see, see her in all her glory, a creature of contrasts, light and dark, small and strong.

It weren't right that he knew what that body could do. Light on her feet, graceful, River Tam didn't walk, she danced. Every movement was a part of a great dance made just by one foot movin' in front of the other. And when she fought their wasn't room in the dance for anyone else. She didn't need anyone else. Flexible, fast, she reacted to those around her before they even knew what they were going to do. Jayne knew what he wanted to do and it was a different type of fight. A fight that would leave them both sweaty and panting, sated, curled around each other unsure who was the winner and who was the loser.

It weren't right that every time he went to a cathouse lately he chose girls that looked like her. Biting his tongue every time as he came to keep from screaming her name. He didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings or let them know that he was thinking of round expressive faces with large soft lips, bee stung he thought they called them. Though why a bee would sting lips was beyond him. Perhaps because they looked swollen and kissable, so kissable that they were makin' him seriously reconsider his no kissing on the lips policy. The tangle of wavy brown hair he wanted to work his way through the knots with his fingers.

It weren't right that she'd forgiven him. For Ariel, for being stupid in general, she had to have known what was going on but hadn't said a word. He didn't know why. He hadn't been planning on having a change of heart. If she thought that, River had more faith in his nature than even Kaylee. She'd forgiven him enough to protect him and not kill him even when she wasn't really in control of her body.

It weren't right he respected her. Dangerous, unpredictable, the two qualities that he liked most about himself he saw in her even when she was at her most quiet. The way she knew things and would do them before they even had a plan in place, like that time with Badger. He knew she was a better shot than he was, could fight better too. And she loved the fighting. He could tell, even backlit as she'd been when those doors had opened. He'd seen the light in her eyes, the preparedness in her stance, relaxed yet tensed. Ready to do more, eager to do more. He swore she'd looked at him in that second and understanding had passed between them. They were mutual predators and knew it.

It weren't right that all of this made him attracted to her, despite the age difference. He didn't care about age. Age didn't matter out here in the black. Age was a thing for planets and "civilized" people who put limits and rules on love and the appropriateness of things. It was why Jayne didn't live on a planet, too many rules. He lusted after her, mayhap even liked her and deep down he was scared he might love her.

It weren't right he was thinking about her even as he walked through the marketplace of yet another gorram planet. He couldn't tell you why he'd happened to glance into the window of that shop. After that his feet had had a mind of their own and he was goin' inside and buying what he'd seen, paying coin for something he wasn't even sure she'd like. Yet doing it anyways 'cause he was stupid gorram fool.

He looked down at the box in his hands. He should've got it wrapped with a ribbon around it. Made it all purty and shiny like she was. Yet, he hadn't wanted to stick out more than he already had. No one needed to know about this. He looked back up at River and thrust the box at her, inside of his palms all damp. "I, uh," He lost track of the words and looked away from her eyes and at her door. A full-grown man shouldn't feel like this, especially around an eighteen-year-old girl. "I saw this and thought you might like it." His gaze flicked to her face. She wasn't frowning or anything. He plunged on. "'Cause I appreciate what ya did for us and I'm still sorry about that mess on Ariel an alls."

River slid the door open more. A slight frown creased her face. "A gift?"

Jayne's shoulder's sagged. "Yeah a gift." He wiggled the box. "Go on, take it. Don't get enough gifts as it is to be refusin' this one."

She took the box from his hands with a long look from between strands of hair. He wiped his hands off on his pants as she pushed the top off while steadying the box with her other hand. She looked up at him then down back at the box, whatever was inside underneath a sheet of tissue paper. She stepped back into the room and placed the box top onto the bed and pushed the paper out of the way. Her eyes widened.

Jayne coughed. "I know it isn't something you'd normally wear, dong ma. But every girl should have something shiny every once in a while." He shuffled a bit and turned around. "Well, I gotta, uh," he paused. "You know, got things to do." He started to walk down the hall towards the cargo bay.

"Jayne!" River shouted, words torn from her lips working past the shock.

Jayne stopped and turned. "Yeah?" He started as she was right there on his heels already. He hadn't even heard her, prolly wasn't wearing shoes again.

"Thank you." She murmured shoving up onto her tiptoes and planting a light kiss on his cheek. She smiled at him before whirling around and heading back to her bunk with a swish of cotton. Jayne stared after her as the door slammed shut. He reached up and rubbed his cheek where she'd kissed him.

Nope. It weren't right.

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