Title: Someone Exactly Like You
Series: BJD Ficlets
Author: Romanceguru
Disclaimer: Joss is boss and Helen Fielding is a goddess.
Rating: PGish
Summary: Inspired from a Scene in the film Bridget Jones Diary. Post-Serenity. Minor spoilers all around.
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The sun was setting deep in the sky on Persephone, tinting the atmosphere a fuzzy purplish pink. The air was warm and thick, and there was a constant buzz sounding from the over crowed streets of the merchant planet.
A well-built man attired in casuals and a green cowboy hat, trotted to catch up with a dainty brunette making her way up the cargo bay ramp of a Firefly class transport ship.
Jayne had been trailing behind River and Mal the whole way back from their deal, muttering to himself like some old loon, practicing in vain what he was going to say to her.
When he finally reached her side, she turned and glanced at him quizzically. His heart stilled as she penetrated him with a single look. Those big ole brown eyes intimidated the hell out of him. Although, now for slightly different reasons than before.
Nimble-mindedly, he searched for the words he had rehearsed whilst being distracted by pale, green skirt swishing along the backs of long, slender legs. Oh, yeah, conversation starter. "Nice… um, job wit Badger back there."
"Thank… you." River returned skeptically, a puzzled expression encompassing her delicate features. Gorram, if the girl didn't look cute when she was all confused like.
"I just…" Damn, he felt like a rutting school boy talking to his crush for the first time. "Yeah, well." He tried again. Err! Ain't never had a problem talking to female before. In fact, it was his specialty. Why couldn't he just say what he wanted to say. I… like…you. "So. When's the weddin' ?" That wasn't it. Crap.
"Excuse me?"
"It's plain as day, ta lil' pygmy's sweet on ya." God, he was worse then the girl's brother.
"Look, did Badger put you up to this, or is this just a part of your primitive charm?" River grilled impatiently, narrowing her eyes on the large man before her.
She understood Badger had a thing for her; she used it to her advantage to help persuade the little zha pian not to screw them over on every job they took, and she detested every minute of it. The skuzzy way he looked at her, the nasty, lewd thoughts that trickled into her mind from his.
Now, Jayne was going to tease her about this too? Even worse if Badger had sent Jayne to convince her, he knew she hated the guy. He probably thought she couldn't do any better. That thought made her feel horrible, and she struggled to make her words sound unaffected.
"I mean, I understand that you despise me. You've pointedly and relentlessly announced my lunacy… since the day I arrived on Serenity, and it's really not necessary. I already feel mentally incompetent most of the time anyway- with or without your reminding me of it, Jayne."
Mal's voice cut over the ships intercom, just as River had finally finished standing up to her bully. "Lil' Albatross, my ships in dire need of a pilot right 'bout now. She can't fly herself off world. Sooner, would be better."
River broke the silent stare down between them. "I have to get to the bridge. Good night, Jayne."
As she turned on her heels to leave, the deep, husky tone of his voice halted her once again. "Hold up girl."
It puzzled him how the girl could be so confident and insecure at the same time. Didn't she know how beautiful she was? Guess maybe he hadn't helped much in that department. "Um... I'm sorry if'n I've been…"
"What?" She questioned wearily, turning back and observing him now more carefully. His hands were thrust in his pockets, and he was looking at her sheepishly.
"I don't think yer a moon brain anymore," He finally declared, his words spilling out overtly, like a sinner at Sunday confessional. "I mean, yeah, there are still some harebrained qualities 'bout ya. Yer Brother's a pantywaist. An' yer clothes are too big. An' ya let whatever's in your head... come out of yer mouth...even if'n it don't make much sense. I know I tried to sell ya out on Ariel way back... I got stupid... the money was too good." He took a step closer to her, attempting to close the gap between them a little, the physical and personal.
"Thing is... what I'm tryin' ta say like a total hun dan... is that, um... I guess... mainly, 'spite our past... I like you very much." He let out a winded sigh and chanced a subdued look at her.
"Sure." River rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Apart from the relapses, the ranting and gibberish ... and the pansy Brother and my lack of fashion sense."
"No." He fixed his brilliant blue eyes solidly into hers this time. "I like ya, crazy girl, very much-- just as ya are."
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