Rating - PG
Type - Mostly Marsmallow fluff/silliness with a bit of angstyness in this one.
Pairing - Pre River and Jayne
Word count - 2833
Disclaimer - Not mine, not paid, please don't sue.
Warnings - None needed that I can see
Spoilers - None
Usual huge thanks to Ceslas for the betaing, any remaining cock ups as usual are mine all mine. There is stuff going on with Zoe that will intrude from time to time in this series because of something that seemed like a good idea in part two.
Forget my shoulder when you're in need…
Jayne cleaned up the galley and finished his pancakes because Cobb's don't waste food. Even when all of sudden it didn't taste that good. Every time he got things comfy with the girl, something stuffed it up.
He had a couple of hours before his appointment with Trudie so he wandered aimlessly down into the empty cargo bay, looked at his weights for a while, but didn't do anything with them.
Someone banged on the hatch.
There was a girl on the outside with a note for him from the cathouse; inside he found his bills for Maurice, the dinner and Maurice's dry cleaning.
He looked at the total.
He looked at the total again.
He got mad.
He spun around and opened his mouth to bellow Crazy! But she was there, on the catwalk, looking at him with saucer eyes and a hand to her mouth, her hair all wet and that fluffy bag with the kitten picture clutched to her chest.
She stood there like a rabbit caught in the mulelights as he took the stairs three at a time and barrelled towards her with murder in his face.
"Jayne I…"
Jayne cut her off, hissing at her, the words like slaps to the face.
"Don't hafta tell ya what ya done, do I, can see it in yer crazy face. I bin lookin' forward ta Trudie ever since I heard this was where we were comin'. Girl cleared her day fer me."
River could feel his desire to shake her until her teeth rattled billowing through his head like a red cloud. His hands balled at his sides, knuckles going white as he held himself back.
"B-but we just got paid again," stammered River, "can't you?" she saw the answer in his head as clear as if it was written up in the air. To pay for Trudie now he'd have to cut down on what he sent to his mother. There was no way in this 'Verse that that was going to happen. She could see it like it was an immovable rock in the centre of his mind. Cobb's first, fun second.
"Four bottles of some pissant wine, whaddya do? Wash in it? Six main dishes, four sides, an two desserts. Seems most of it musta gone down the whore's suit cos what they're chargin' me to dry clean it could pay for a new one."
"You didn't say, you didn't give a limit."
Jayne's body tensed and the cloud in his head went black and sharp, River flinched away but he just rocked on the balls of his feet, a muscle working in his jaw. When he spoke he had to force the words through his teeth. She felt each one hit her mind like a bullet in the brainpan.
"I din't reckon on ya eatin' and drinkin more than ya do in a week in one sittin'!"
"I…" River tried to speak but the impossibility of explaining herself knotted her mind and she started to cry. Her hands came up, wanting to touch him, to bawl on his chest like a child until he forgave her.
He stepped back sharply.
"Get away from me girl, all I wanted was ta get along cos I'm stuck wid ya bein' here. Just wanted ya ta stop bein' mad at me fer every little thing so as ya wouldn't tell them all about what happened in the cargo bay that time. But d'ya know what, I don't give a cuss if ya do. If I get thrown off It'll be worth it ta not have ta see yer crazy face again."
"J-Jayne p-please…" she sobbed.
He sneered at her, turned on his heel and walked away.
"Go cry on yer brother's shoulder," he snarled at her, "it's what he's there for."