Clandestine (5/6)
Title: Opportunity (5/6)
Series: Clandestine
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 1685
Title: Opportunity (5/6)
Series: Clandestine
Author: Cricket
Disclaimer: Please Joss, can I keep ‘em?
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 1685
Jayne’s fist thumps heavily on the purple flowered covered wall as he yells over the cacophony of moans filtering into his room from the brothel next door.
“Give it a rest already!” He rubs his hands over his tired eyes and flops back down onto his lumpy mattress and threadbare sheets. For a second he wonders what he’s still doing here, waiting around with no money, barely enough food to keep him alive and a constant advertisement of what he can’t have going on just beyond the thin plaster walls. But then he sees the clean white envelope propped up against his headboard. River had set it there before she left with explicit instructions not to open it until he was laying down in bed. An eager smile crosses his face as he reaches for the envelope. Ripping it open he pulls out a sheet of paper and a capture.
He watches her dance on the capture, dressed in what he assumes to be the nightie she had mentioned earlier. It made of a pale blue satiny material that hits at mid-thigh and has a neckline that shows off the tops of her creamy breasts. She twirls around her room, smiling and blowing kisses to the camera and he’s amazed by the sheer innocence she still possesses even after the hell she’s been through. Her childlike performance turns into a provocative dance as her hands massage her stomach and slowly inch upward to cup her small breasts. She keeps her gaze level with the camera making it seem to Jayne as if she’s looking straight at him while she fondles herself. Her hips sway seductively as she dances towards the camera. River leans in and winks impishly while licking her lips. Her voice is husky as she whispers, “Read the letter.”
The screen goes dark and Jayne drops it onto his chest while reaching for the accompanying sheet of paper. He glares once more at the wall and the now distinctively male groans filtering through before reading the letter. Her handwriting is small and neat, more like art than his chicken scratch. The letter reads like erotic poetry, every word carefully chosen to convey her meaning beautifully without making it too difficult for him to understand.
My skin burns with your touch. Fingers tracing patterns of desire across my body and your name tumbles past my lips. The river rises and blood rushes like rapids through my veins.
Contrary to how it might seem to others, their relationship isn’t only about sex, though he loves that part immensely. They understand each other on a level that no one else can. They’re both outsiders and know what it feels like to have people be afraid of them for their ability to kill efficiently without guilt. Jayne knows that it doesn’t make either of them monsters. When you fight, you learn to turn off the part of you that empathizes with your target. It makes life both easier and harder for them at the same time. On one hand, they’re able to do their jobs and protect the people they love with enjoyment, but it often makes relating to others difficult. River realized how similar they were long before Jayne did, but once the connection was made they latched on with abandon. Finding someone who can see past the job to the real person underneath was something he didn’t even know he wanted until she came along. He knows that he’s opened up more to her than any other person in his life and being so vulnerable scares him, but he takes comfort knowing that she’s just as deep in it as he is. And that’s why he stays of Persephone, waiting for her.
His attention drifts back to the letter in his hands and it reminds him of the night River came to him about a month back. He closes his eyes at the memory. She had just come from a job and was covered in cuts and bruises. He wanted to take care of her, but her brother had already tended her physical wounds. So he tried to give her the only other kind of support he knew how to give. Attempting to make love to her slowly and take care not to agitate her injuries, he’d been painstakingly gentle only to have her growl at his leisurely pace and demand that he make it rough and hard. He complied with enthusiasm, pounding into her as she scratched and bit at him while whispering in his ears some of the nastiest things he’d ever heard. He loved the way she spoke, all flowing and rhythmic, but hearing her talk dirty to him, telling him how badly she wanted him to fuck her made him harder than he thought possible.
He’s almost surprised at finding his hand encircling his already hard length when he opens his eyes. It only takes a few quick strokes with the image of her writhing underneath him and the sound of her needy voice in his ears before he feels the familiar tension in his stomach that comes just before he does. One last look at the capture of her caressing herself through the new nightie and he’s panting raggedly with her name pounding through his mind as he lets go.
A contented smile floats across Jayne’s face as he feels the tension slowly ease out of his body. But it isn’t long before the bed slamming against the wall next door works its way back into his consciousness, making each loosened muscle tighten in annoyance. With an angry growl he heaves himself off of the warm bed and jerkily shoves his legs into a pair of pants. Scavenging a shirt off the ugly green carpeted floor, he pulls it over his head as he storms out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him.
The itch in his feet is back and it’s becoming harder and harder to ignore as the months drag by. He stays for River because when they’re together she makes him feel like he could fly if he wanted to. Any chance he gets to make her smile is worth it, she deserves whatever happiness he can give her. But when she’s away and all he can hear is the whores next door and the black calling out to him, all he has is a few letters and her memory to keep his feet on the ground. He doesn’t know how much longer he can live like this. So he turns to the only thing he can think of that can ease the ache, help him hang on just a little bit longer. He heads downstairs to the saloon and, taking his usual seat at the bar, orders a drink. The shame he feels at paying for it with the money River left for him to buy food settles deep in his chest.
After a few shots of cheap tequila he’s starting to feel better. Not good though, nothing can make him feel good when River’s away. Better is all he can hope for and the alcohol is doing a decent job of it. That is until the small drunken man stumbles into him, spilling his fourth shot across the table. Fury burns in Jayne’s eyes as he stands up to tower over the culprit, but the fire dampens when he recognizes the face smiling idiotically up at him. Without acknowledging the larger man’s anger, Badger pulls a stool up to the bar next to Jayne and slumps into it. He signals the barkeeper for another drink, though it seems he’s probably already reached his limit as he sways drunkenly in his chair.
Jayne retakes his own seat and watches as the barkeeper cleans up the spilt drink with a rag with one hand while the other pours a fresh one for Badger. He’s too tired to fight and he has to admit that it feels good to see a familiar face, even if it belongs to the weasely man.
“Been wonderin’ wha’s happen to you,” Badger slurs. “Din’t see ‘ide nor ‘air of you when I met with your Cap’t Reynolds yesterday.”
“Not workin’ for him no more. Done kicked me off the ship ‘bout half a year back.” Jayne’s head starts to hurt with the reminder of the situation he’d been trying to forget.
With a mischievous wink that looked more like an odd sort of facial twitch Badger laughed heartily. “Your better off not workin’ for ‘im. Not with wha’s about to come ‘is way.”
“What’s comin’ his way?” Jayne tries to look as though he’s excited at the prospect of something bad happening to his former employer, but inside he’s terrified of what might happen to Serenity. Though River’s safety is topmost in his mind, the thought of any of the crew being in danger worries him.
“Tomorrow,” Badger whispers loudly, “that pretentious hun dan thinks ‘m buyin’ ‘is cargo, nice stuff too, gonna make me a pretty penny when I resell it. After I steal it right out from under ‘im of course.” He gives a little laugh of amusement at his trickery and continues, “What’s more, Serenity ain’t had a job that pays more than a small profit in months. They don’t sell this shipment and Reynolds won’t even be able to buy fuel to get ‘is ship off the groun’. Two bird with one stone, eh?”
A plan starts to crystallize in Jayne’s mind as he listens to the slimy little man giggle to himself.
“You lookin’ for any extra men on this job?” Jayne catches the barkeeps eye and gets another shot.
“Meanin’ to get yourself a little revenge, that it?” At Jayne’s affirmative nod he stumbles to his feet and balances himself with a hand on the vacated stool. “Tomorrow it is then, with your standard seven percent of the cut.”
Jayne would have laughed at being offered what he now knew to be less than standard pay, but for once in his life he wasn’t taking a job for the money. This was about protecting family.
< Previous: chapter 4: Substitutions | Next: chapter 6: Together>
Series: Clandestine
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 1685
Title: Opportunity (5/6)
Series: Clandestine
Author: Cricket
Disclaimer: Please Joss, can I keep ‘em?
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 1685
Jayne’s fist thumps heavily on the purple flowered covered wall as he yells over the cacophony of moans filtering into his room from the brothel next door.
“Give it a rest already!” He rubs his hands over his tired eyes and flops back down onto his lumpy mattress and threadbare sheets. For a second he wonders what he’s still doing here, waiting around with no money, barely enough food to keep him alive and a constant advertisement of what he can’t have going on just beyond the thin plaster walls. But then he sees the clean white envelope propped up against his headboard. River had set it there before she left with explicit instructions not to open it until he was laying down in bed. An eager smile crosses his face as he reaches for the envelope. Ripping it open he pulls out a sheet of paper and a capture.
He watches her dance on the capture, dressed in what he assumes to be the nightie she had mentioned earlier. It made of a pale blue satiny material that hits at mid-thigh and has a neckline that shows off the tops of her creamy breasts. She twirls around her room, smiling and blowing kisses to the camera and he’s amazed by the sheer innocence she still possesses even after the hell she’s been through. Her childlike performance turns into a provocative dance as her hands massage her stomach and slowly inch upward to cup her small breasts. She keeps her gaze level with the camera making it seem to Jayne as if she’s looking straight at him while she fondles herself. Her hips sway seductively as she dances towards the camera. River leans in and winks impishly while licking her lips. Her voice is husky as she whispers, “Read the letter.”
The screen goes dark and Jayne drops it onto his chest while reaching for the accompanying sheet of paper. He glares once more at the wall and the now distinctively male groans filtering through before reading the letter. Her handwriting is small and neat, more like art than his chicken scratch. The letter reads like erotic poetry, every word carefully chosen to convey her meaning beautifully without making it too difficult for him to understand.
My skin burns with your touch. Fingers tracing patterns of desire across my body and your name tumbles past my lips. The river rises and blood rushes like rapids through my veins.
Contrary to how it might seem to others, their relationship isn’t only about sex, though he loves that part immensely. They understand each other on a level that no one else can. They’re both outsiders and know what it feels like to have people be afraid of them for their ability to kill efficiently without guilt. Jayne knows that it doesn’t make either of them monsters. When you fight, you learn to turn off the part of you that empathizes with your target. It makes life both easier and harder for them at the same time. On one hand, they’re able to do their jobs and protect the people they love with enjoyment, but it often makes relating to others difficult. River realized how similar they were long before Jayne did, but once the connection was made they latched on with abandon. Finding someone who can see past the job to the real person underneath was something he didn’t even know he wanted until she came along. He knows that he’s opened up more to her than any other person in his life and being so vulnerable scares him, but he takes comfort knowing that she’s just as deep in it as he is. And that’s why he stays of Persephone, waiting for her.
His attention drifts back to the letter in his hands and it reminds him of the night River came to him about a month back. He closes his eyes at the memory. She had just come from a job and was covered in cuts and bruises. He wanted to take care of her, but her brother had already tended her physical wounds. So he tried to give her the only other kind of support he knew how to give. Attempting to make love to her slowly and take care not to agitate her injuries, he’d been painstakingly gentle only to have her growl at his leisurely pace and demand that he make it rough and hard. He complied with enthusiasm, pounding into her as she scratched and bit at him while whispering in his ears some of the nastiest things he’d ever heard. He loved the way she spoke, all flowing and rhythmic, but hearing her talk dirty to him, telling him how badly she wanted him to fuck her made him harder than he thought possible.
He’s almost surprised at finding his hand encircling his already hard length when he opens his eyes. It only takes a few quick strokes with the image of her writhing underneath him and the sound of her needy voice in his ears before he feels the familiar tension in his stomach that comes just before he does. One last look at the capture of her caressing herself through the new nightie and he’s panting raggedly with her name pounding through his mind as he lets go.
A contented smile floats across Jayne’s face as he feels the tension slowly ease out of his body. But it isn’t long before the bed slamming against the wall next door works its way back into his consciousness, making each loosened muscle tighten in annoyance. With an angry growl he heaves himself off of the warm bed and jerkily shoves his legs into a pair of pants. Scavenging a shirt off the ugly green carpeted floor, he pulls it over his head as he storms out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him.
The itch in his feet is back and it’s becoming harder and harder to ignore as the months drag by. He stays for River because when they’re together she makes him feel like he could fly if he wanted to. Any chance he gets to make her smile is worth it, she deserves whatever happiness he can give her. But when she’s away and all he can hear is the whores next door and the black calling out to him, all he has is a few letters and her memory to keep his feet on the ground. He doesn’t know how much longer he can live like this. So he turns to the only thing he can think of that can ease the ache, help him hang on just a little bit longer. He heads downstairs to the saloon and, taking his usual seat at the bar, orders a drink. The shame he feels at paying for it with the money River left for him to buy food settles deep in his chest.
After a few shots of cheap tequila he’s starting to feel better. Not good though, nothing can make him feel good when River’s away. Better is all he can hope for and the alcohol is doing a decent job of it. That is until the small drunken man stumbles into him, spilling his fourth shot across the table. Fury burns in Jayne’s eyes as he stands up to tower over the culprit, but the fire dampens when he recognizes the face smiling idiotically up at him. Without acknowledging the larger man’s anger, Badger pulls a stool up to the bar next to Jayne and slumps into it. He signals the barkeeper for another drink, though it seems he’s probably already reached his limit as he sways drunkenly in his chair.
Jayne retakes his own seat and watches as the barkeeper cleans up the spilt drink with a rag with one hand while the other pours a fresh one for Badger. He’s too tired to fight and he has to admit that it feels good to see a familiar face, even if it belongs to the weasely man.
“Been wonderin’ wha’s happen to you,” Badger slurs. “Din’t see ‘ide nor ‘air of you when I met with your Cap’t Reynolds yesterday.”
“Not workin’ for him no more. Done kicked me off the ship ‘bout half a year back.” Jayne’s head starts to hurt with the reminder of the situation he’d been trying to forget.
With a mischievous wink that looked more like an odd sort of facial twitch Badger laughed heartily. “Your better off not workin’ for ‘im. Not with wha’s about to come ‘is way.”
“What’s comin’ his way?” Jayne tries to look as though he’s excited at the prospect of something bad happening to his former employer, but inside he’s terrified of what might happen to Serenity. Though River’s safety is topmost in his mind, the thought of any of the crew being in danger worries him.
“Tomorrow,” Badger whispers loudly, “that pretentious hun dan thinks ‘m buyin’ ‘is cargo, nice stuff too, gonna make me a pretty penny when I resell it. After I steal it right out from under ‘im of course.” He gives a little laugh of amusement at his trickery and continues, “What’s more, Serenity ain’t had a job that pays more than a small profit in months. They don’t sell this shipment and Reynolds won’t even be able to buy fuel to get ‘is ship off the groun’. Two bird with one stone, eh?”
A plan starts to crystallize in Jayne’s mind as he listens to the slimy little man giggle to himself.
“You lookin’ for any extra men on this job?” Jayne catches the barkeeps eye and gets another shot.
“Meanin’ to get yourself a little revenge, that it?” At Jayne’s affirmative nod he stumbles to his feet and balances himself with a hand on the vacated stool. “Tomorrow it is then, with your standard seven percent of the cut.”
Jayne would have laughed at being offered what he now knew to be less than standard pay, but for once in his life he wasn’t taking a job for the money. This was about protecting family.
< Previous: chapter 4: Substitutions | Next: chapter 6: Together>