Fair Trade
Title: Fair Trade
Author: quiesce
Rating: PG
Characters: Zoe/Wash/Jayne
Disclaimer: All three belong to Joss
Word Count: 414 Words
Notes: I can't figure out how thunder_nari made me write this, and yet here it is (in a hastily written and unbetaed form).
"Zoe?"
"Sir?"
Mal sighed. "It's just that... I mean, you know I wouldn't ask if I saw another way."
Zoe's serenely blank expression hardened into a warily blank one.
"Sir?"
"I didn't mean to agree to anything, exactly. Not until checking with you first. Not that you would've gone along with it."
"You're rambling, sir. You could take all night talking circles or you could just tell me what you got us into."
"Us. Right. Well, that's just the thing. It's not me and you. It's you." Mal coughed. "And Wash."
"Funny. I thought I just heard you say you signed my husband up for a job. You know he can barely figure out which part of the gun bullets come out of. He ain't going anywhere."
Mal scratched at his nose nervously. "Ain't a job, per se."
Zoe dropped her schooled expression for one of total suspicion. "What do you say we'd do?"
"Ok, on the line. Serenity's got bits flying off her and we can barely put enough gas in her to keep her from falling out of the sky. We can't afford to lose the new guy; you and I ain't enough to keep everyone safe during a take. Problem is, until we get another big job, we can't afford to keep him here either. So...we were talking...he said he didn't mind missing out on his pay this once if..." Mal trailed off.
"What. Did. You. Say. We'd. Do?"
"You and Wash let him watch you guys...you know."
"You what?"
"Already talked to Wash. He said--"
"You already went to Wash?"
"He grinned and said he'd be waiting in your bunk."
"He what?"
"C'mon Zoe..." Mal started before Zoe's glare stopped him in his tracks. He tried another tactic. "He ain't that bad, when he's not talking. And I don't think he's looking to philosophize with you or nothing. Kinda pretty too, in a rough way. And have you seen those arms?"
Zoe held her glare for another second before shaking her head in a laughing smirk. "That man has put in some serious time working on that body of his. And Wash said he was waiting for us?"
"Probably been there a while. He practically sprinted to your bunk when I told what Jayne asked."
"That boy does like his fun."
Zoe stood and headed off, still shaking her head and grinning.
"Well, I'd better get down there before the two of them start getting into trouble without me."
Author: quiesce
Rating: PG
Characters: Zoe/Wash/Jayne
Disclaimer: All three belong to Joss
Word Count: 414 Words
Notes: I can't figure out how thunder_nari made me write this, and yet here it is (in a hastily written and unbetaed form).
"Zoe?"
"Sir?"
Mal sighed. "It's just that... I mean, you know I wouldn't ask if I saw another way."
Zoe's serenely blank expression hardened into a warily blank one.
"Sir?"
"I didn't mean to agree to anything, exactly. Not until checking with you first. Not that you would've gone along with it."
"You're rambling, sir. You could take all night talking circles or you could just tell me what you got us into."
"Us. Right. Well, that's just the thing. It's not me and you. It's you." Mal coughed. "And Wash."
"Funny. I thought I just heard you say you signed my husband up for a job. You know he can barely figure out which part of the gun bullets come out of. He ain't going anywhere."
Mal scratched at his nose nervously. "Ain't a job, per se."
Zoe dropped her schooled expression for one of total suspicion. "What do you say we'd do?"
"Ok, on the line. Serenity's got bits flying off her and we can barely put enough gas in her to keep her from falling out of the sky. We can't afford to lose the new guy; you and I ain't enough to keep everyone safe during a take. Problem is, until we get another big job, we can't afford to keep him here either. So...we were talking...he said he didn't mind missing out on his pay this once if..." Mal trailed off.
"What. Did. You. Say. We'd. Do?"
"You and Wash let him watch you guys...you know."
"You what?"
"Already talked to Wash. He said--"
"You already went to Wash?"
"He grinned and said he'd be waiting in your bunk."
"He what?"
"C'mon Zoe..." Mal started before Zoe's glare stopped him in his tracks. He tried another tactic. "He ain't that bad, when he's not talking. And I don't think he's looking to philosophize with you or nothing. Kinda pretty too, in a rough way. And have you seen those arms?"
Zoe held her glare for another second before shaking her head in a laughing smirk. "That man has put in some serious time working on that body of his. And Wash said he was waiting for us?"
"Probably been there a while. He practically sprinted to your bunk when I told what Jayne asked."
"That boy does like his fun."
Zoe stood and headed off, still shaking her head and grinning.
"Well, I'd better get down there before the two of them start getting into trouble without me."