Jealous

Syn

PG-13

I do not own these characters.

Summary: Jayne’s not jealous.  No way.

Notes: Written for girlfromsouth for my Holiday Ficathon Project.

 

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"Is this absolutely necessary?" Jayne asked as he hefted Kaylee into his arms.  She shot him a pained, sweaty smile and nodded.

 

"Yes," she said as he swung her around. "Just because I got a gut wound doesn't mean I can let Serenity fall to pieces.  That Ivan we pulled gave the engine a nice workout.  I don't keep ahead of it, we're going to be drifting."

 

"Yeah but--" he started, but Kaylee shot him a large-eyed stare, one he knew well.  There was no way he was going to dissuade her.

 

"Fine.  Rip those stitches though and I don't want to hear you whine when you bleed out all over the engine room floor," Jayne grunted, climbing the stairs outside the infirmary toward the engine room. "Or maybe you want to get all nekkid for the doc again?"

 

"I'm ignoring you," Kaylee said, clutching his arms as his climbing motion jounced her slightly.  Pain flashed in her eyes and she closed them, face pinched and white.  Her brown hair clung to her sweaty face. "Careful."

 

"Sorry," he grumbled, stepping carefully onto the landing and threading through the narrow corridor portal.  He walked down the metal floor toward the engine room. "So...what is up with you and the good doctor?"

 

"None of your business," she clipped, her expression cloudy.

 

"Aww c'mon!"

 

"He's got other worries.  So do I," she mumbled.

 

"Crazy sister-in-a-box," Jayne said, nodding as he entered the engine room. "That's an attention grabber."

 

"What do you think, Jayne?" Kaylee asked him. "About taking them on?"

 

"I think Mal is asking for trouble's what I think," Jayne grunted, bending on his knees and setting Kaylee down gently on the floor. "We can ALL do better."

 

She looked at him hard, brows drawn down into a frown. "What was that?"

 

"Nuthin'," Jayne said roughly. "Just don't think the little ponce'll stay with us long."

 

"Are you jealous?" she said shrewdly, looking him over.  Jayne straightened up, glaring down at her.

 

"Me?  What for?" said Jayne defensively. "Ain't got no cause to be jealous over nuthin'."

 

"Well--"

 

"Alls I'm sayin' is you could do better than him.  He's a tetchy thing and he's on the run from the law--"

 

"Uh, so are we!" Kaylee interrupted, scooting over on the floor to reach for her tools.

 

"That's different!"

 

"How so?" she asked as she picked up a wrench and then scooted onto her sliding trolley.  The spinning heart of the ship rotated over her as she pushed herself beneath it, showing its underbelly every few seconds as it spun. 

 

"He's...he's..." Jayne stammered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, it don't matter how it's different.  Now that we've got them 'fugees on board we're going to be a beacon for every kind of trouble out there.  Trouble we don't need."

 

"Jayne, we're criminals.  Dragging them along with us ain't going to make much of a difference."

 

"Yeah but the Feds--"

 

"Are after us too," she said, voice muffled by the engine she was lying under. "Why is this such a big deal?"

 

"It ain't.  Just don't think we need them, is all.  We don't know what kind of danger that sister of his is."

 

"Her name is River.  And his is Simon," Kaylee said, sliding out from beneath it and reaching for a screwdriver.

 

"I don't care," Jayne said diffidently. "Don't need to learn 'em."

 

"Hand me that spare converter, would ya?  This one's about worn out," Kaylee said, ignoring him. He reached for it and crouched down, placing it in her outstretched hand.  Her attention was on the engine and he watched her for a few moments as she unscrewed the old converter and tossed it aside.  She deftly snapped the new one on and the engine, which had been making a soft whining noise, immediately stopped. "Perfect.  Now, let's change her oil..."

 

"Need help with that?" Jayne asked, tilting his head to squint at the underbelly of the engine.

 

"Yeah, actually," Kaylee said, sliding out from beneath it and pointing to a panel at the side. "Open that up and flick the yellow toggle switch down.  Don't want to get electrocuted..."

 

Jayne nodded and crossed the engine room.  He pulled the panel open and looked at the numerous switches inside for a few seconds before finding the yellow one.  He flicked it downward and sparks flew from the switch.  Jayne pulled his hand back immediately and glanced at her.

 

"Yeah, that happens," Kaylee said wryly, sliding over the floor on her flat trolley.  She had one hand on her stomach and was wincing. "Now come over here and get out the three cans from this shelf."

 

Jayne followed her pointed finger, slid open the metal cupboard and pulled out three cans.  One was of greenish liquid, the other of grease and another of used oil.  He set them down next to her and crouched down to watch her change the oil.  Her face a mask of pained concentration, she deftly unscrewed a cap, grabbed the can of used oil and put it under the flow of sluggish, black oil that oozed from the plug.  She drained it to the last dregs, put the used oil can aside, plugged the hole with the cap and pushed the can of fresh oil toward Jayne.

 

"What?"

 

"I can't stand up right now.  You're going to have to pour it in for me," she said impatiently.

 

"Oh, right," he said, taking the oil.  He stood and poured the oil into the place she indicated. 

 

"Good job," she said and he smiled, looking back down at her.  She was under the engine, tweaking a few things and using grease on several gears. "You might make a shiny mechanic."

 

"Doubt it," he said, crouching down to watch her again. "If it don't have a trigger, I don't want anything to do with it."

 

Kaylee regarded him with a skeptical look. "You know, Jayne...you're not so bad.  Sometimes."

 

"Whatdya mean, sometimes?"

 

"Just...sometimes," she said, shrugging.  He looked at her, seeing she had a smudge of black grease on her nose.  He reached down and wiped it off.  Kaylee smiled at him. "Thanks."

 

"Welcome," he said, standing again. "Need me?  Er...for anything else?"

 

Kaylee looked around the room for a moment and then shook her head. "No.  I think that'll do it."

 

"Need to get back to the infirmary?  That tetchy doctor'll be wanting a look at your bullet hole, among other thing," he nearly spat the words, which made her shoot him a glare.

 

She sighed and gripped her stomach with one hand. "No, I think I'll stay here for a little while."

 

"Right," Jayne said, his face tense, and then he backed up from the room. "See you later, Kaylee."

 

"See you Jayne," she called, sliding back beneath the engine.  She watched him walk away from the corner of her eye before turning back to her work. "Not jealous my gorram ass..."

 

(end)

 

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