Title: like fireflies and stars
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: pre-BDM; AU
Pairings: Zoe/Wash, shades of Mal/Simon
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 460
Point of view: third
Prompt: Firefly, ensemble, Simon is also a telepath but went undetected, There's only so much trauma one mind can experience - but what about two?
Even when River sleeps, her mind is never quiet. Maybe especially then; all the paths she walks while awake flow together in dreams, and she floats from sky to sky, living a thousand lives at once.
It is fascinating to watch, and Simon hovers at the edge, waiting. She always knows he's there, but when she notices, she holds out a hand.
Dance with me, Simon, she says.
He takes her hand and spins around with her, like fireflies and stars, and he soaks up some of her pain, some of her fear, some of her rage -
Every time she wakes up, she is more of the little sister who went to the Academy, not the war-torn girl he saved.
0o0
Book's mind is peaceful. Simon knows he has secrets; he sees the tail-end of them. Book is a dangerous man, but not to them, not yet. Maybe not ever.
He leaves the shepherd to his sleep.
0o0
Kaylee is beautiful, inside and out. Sometimes, Simon listens to her internal monologue when he needs a pick-me-up. She chatters to the ship, and it's soothing.
Whenever River's mind lashes out, Simon latches onto Kaylee, just to remember how to breathe.
0o0
Simon went to Jayne's mind once. Just once.
There is more to the brute than he'd expected, but not enough to go back.
(A good man does hide inside the abrasive exterior. If Jayne will ever let him out is another matter entirely.)
0o0
Wash is very much like Kaylee. He dreams about the sky, and his wife, and the children they'll have some day, when life is safer.
Simon feels like an invader every time he goes to Wash's mind.
0o0
Inara's dreams are surprisingly peaceful. Her mind is always calm and collected; a small pond and a cup of tea, few clouds and a gentle breeze. She's usually planning things – her life after Serenity, most often. Where she'll go, what she'll do. Who she'll be with.
Simon only goes to her when Kaylee's mind is too loud.
0o0
Zoe's mind is dangerous, just like her. The first time he touched her, her entire body jerked, as if she'd been electrocuted. Her gaze shot around and he nearly panicked. He tried again, after he and River were allowed to stay aboard, and her eyes narrowed.
He hasn't been back.
0o0
And Mal. Mal is something else entirely. His psyche is scarred, same as his body. His dreams are never restful. Simon helps where he can, but Mal won't ever take his hand.
Simon wishes he would. Wishes he could heal any part of Mal at all.
0o0
Dance with me, Simon, River says.
He takes her hand, and they spin around, like fireflies and stars.
She's more and more like his little sister every day.