Ficlet: "Cupid" (Firefly)
poisontaster requested non-angsty Jayne. Set pre-series.
Jayne couldn't quite remember who came up with this idea, but it was a good one. A damn fine idea. Downright shiny, in fact.
Well, if he thought about it for a minute, he could remember. And look at that, he had a minute right now, from when the waitress took the empty mugs away from him and Mal to when she brought them back again nice and full.
Yeah, now he remembered. It was Zoe's idea. Wash and Zoe's, but she was the one who handed him the money and said he could have the same amount over again if he kept Mal at the bar till sunrise.
That sure as hell wouldn't be a problem, he thought with a grin as the waitress set the next round of drinks on the table. The beer was cheap and the girls were pretty- there wasn't nothing like that back on Serenity.
Come to think on it, Zoe had been looking pretty fine tonight. Wearing a dress- first time he could recall that since he signed on- a long red one with gold at the edges. And she must've had Inara do something with her hair, since it was piled up all high and fancy and he didn't see how anybody with less than three hands could do that on her own. And she'd painted up her face, which he didn't think he'd ever see on Zoe as long as she was breathing.
Jayne paused in his drinking as something else occurred to him- Wash had been done up spit-and-polish, too. Hair all slicked down, and a white shirt with a tie instead of his usual bright foolishness. And that thing he said after Zoe gave Jayne the money- that was downright weird-
"I like that you're doing this for us, Jayne, since you're really the reason we finally got together in the end."
"That's right," Zoe had laughed. "You're our Cupid, Jayne."
"I chased her for months, and two weeks after you come aboard, she shows up at my door and says 'You're right. I could do worse.""
Jayne shook his head and turned back to his drink. Wash always was talking nonsense- man was more than half feng le. Zoe, too, maybe. Getting all done up in a dress and tie like that, after spending the morning looking around town for a church, and then paying Jayne to keep Mal out all night.
The two of 'em deserved each other.
Jayne couldn't quite remember who came up with this idea, but it was a good one. A damn fine idea. Downright shiny, in fact.
Well, if he thought about it for a minute, he could remember. And look at that, he had a minute right now, from when the waitress took the empty mugs away from him and Mal to when she brought them back again nice and full.
Yeah, now he remembered. It was Zoe's idea. Wash and Zoe's, but she was the one who handed him the money and said he could have the same amount over again if he kept Mal at the bar till sunrise.
That sure as hell wouldn't be a problem, he thought with a grin as the waitress set the next round of drinks on the table. The beer was cheap and the girls were pretty- there wasn't nothing like that back on Serenity.
Come to think on it, Zoe had been looking pretty fine tonight. Wearing a dress- first time he could recall that since he signed on- a long red one with gold at the edges. And she must've had Inara do something with her hair, since it was piled up all high and fancy and he didn't see how anybody with less than three hands could do that on her own. And she'd painted up her face, which he didn't think he'd ever see on Zoe as long as she was breathing.
Jayne paused in his drinking as something else occurred to him- Wash had been done up spit-and-polish, too. Hair all slicked down, and a white shirt with a tie instead of his usual bright foolishness. And that thing he said after Zoe gave Jayne the money- that was downright weird-
"I like that you're doing this for us, Jayne, since you're really the reason we finally got together in the end."
"That's right," Zoe had laughed. "You're our Cupid, Jayne."
"I chased her for months, and two weeks after you come aboard, she shows up at my door and says 'You're right. I could do worse.""
Jayne shook his head and turned back to his drink. Wash always was talking nonsense- man was more than half feng le. Zoe, too, maybe. Getting all done up in a dress and tie like that, after spending the morning looking around town for a church, and then paying Jayne to keep Mal out all night.
The two of 'em deserved each other.