SIDES

 

 

It's one of those things, Mal reckons, that nobody notices. Why, he can't rightly be sure. But it's there, clear and crystal, and sometimes he wonders why in the blue hell he's the only one that sees it. It starts innocently enough. Kaylee and Inara playing that damned number game with the little ivory pieces, black dots almost faded upon the smooth surface. Inara's making a face, a mite distasteful when Jayne plops down next to her, pulling out his hunting knife to pick at his nails, while he watches, making comments about, 'no damn use for math short of counting shares.'

Two days later, Mal's up real late--when the only sound is Serenity's engines humming nice and slow, and even Wash has left the cockpit to head to bunk--and there's this buttery half-light from the kitchen. He's coming around the corner, real silent like, not wanting to disturb whoever else is up at this hour and is wholly surprised to see Jayne's big self bent over the kitchen table, the broadness of his shoulders blocking out most of the light with all those little game pieces spread out in front of him, brow furrowed in concentration. Mal can't be rightly sure what he's doing, but whatever it is, Jayne's thinking hard about it, lips open to mutter a few sounds every now and then. Counting. Adding. And once Mal figures out the rhythm of what it is he's doing, it doesn't take long to realize that Jayne isn't quite so dense on numbers that he'd have people believe.

Choosing to say nothing, he just just turns on his heel, that midnight snack forgotten, ignoring the fact that he just might be protecting Jayne's ego. More than willing to let that thought sit in the back of his head, not bothering to put air to it. What Jayne does on his own time, is his own business.

The pieces are put back exactly as they should be by the time morning rolls around, even Inara not noticing they'd been mussed with. Mal finds himself biting down on acid words when the Companion makes a wayward comment about big dumb apes, knowing it would do him no good. He's trying not to feel a pang of protectiveness, the kind that usually only surfaces when Kaylee's got that look on her face -- the one with the too wide eyes, and thinly pressed mouth. Jayne's a grown man. He don't need no protecting, especially from a damned moon brained Captain, who can't seem to keep his thoughts away from the merc, and that look -- one of pure, almost innocent concentration. Trying to prove nothing to anyone but himself and still shrugging and grinning sharply whenever people make cracks about him being stupid.

"Ain't stupid. Know you ain't."

The words are gasped out at the worst damned moment possible, when the big man has him holed up in his bunk, pressed tight against the hull, skin burning from the trail of his goatee and the persistent open-mouthed kisses that land anywhere but on his lips. Jayne goes rigid, and pulls back, filling up the air in front of Mal, and that dangerous look is about all the warning he's gonna get.

"What'd you say?"

Jayne's growling voice drops to a rough whisper, fingers twitching for a weapon that ain't on his person. He's trying for menacing, and succeeding, except for the momentary panic that flits across his usually bland face. Mal's unable to hide the fact that he knows, and it doesn't take any words between the two of them. Just ragged breaths, and locked eyes. A struggle for dominance, that Mal ultimately wins. He always wins but he's finding himself wanting, for once, for Jayne to buck up hard, and make him work for the leash he's got around the big man's neck. No, Mal ain't liking the rubber spine, and them shamed eyes. He's wanting...no needing to see hard-eyed defiance. Anything to kill the image before him of the big manchild, still lost in memories that're too old, unable to shake off somebody's voice in his head, calling him plumb stupid.

"One time."

Mal's jaw is clenched, and he dont even realize it, until he's trying to force words out of it. He's watching Jayne's head slowly swivel back towards him, confusion written all over the broad planes of his face. Trying to figure out what exactly it is that Mal's offering. Eyes widen and mouth goes slack when Mal slides down, rubbing himself against Jayne in a way that leaves no room for confusion. He's willing to let the other man win, just once, to bring back that arrogance, unable to handle the two different sides anymore.

"Dont kiss on the mouth."

Jayne's words are strangely petulant, and Mal moves fast, grabbing Jayne's chin and holding it a mite too tightly. Their eyes meet, and he gives Jayne no chance to look away.

"You do tonight."

 

End