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dolevalanTitle: Dreaming
Fandom/original: Firefly
Rating: G
A/N: For Soujin, because she asked. ^__^
People knew River had nightmares. The entire ship knew it, and surely several outlying colonies where they’d passed a night or two knew it as well. Sometimes loud, sometimes soft, and it was always her brother to soothe her and stroke her and murmur her back into the calm that passed for sanity. Sometimes he could guess what she’d dreamed, sometimes she’d tell him. There were times when he couldn’t even guess. It didn’t, he supposed, matter. In the end, at least.
Mal had nightmare too, though as far as Simon could see, everyone pretended not to notice. The Captain might not even notice them, after all, and Zoë might have killed anyone trying to get too close. Zoë most likely had nightmares too, about the same things, and even if she didn’t, she’d have had a right to. Wash’s nightmares were a different flavor, but Niska had given him plenty of fodder. It was impossible to say which of the Washburnes slept worse.
Inara never spoke of anything that might disturb her sleep, and alone in her shuttle, no one knew what her dreams held.
Jayne slept like a rock, always, regardless of the circumstances. No one knew what the Sheppard thought, awake or asleep.
It was, on the whole, a ship that rested uneasily.
Kaylee, the only one whose dreams remained simple and easy, was contrarily not asleep. She was in the galley, making a midnight snack as Serenity drifted easily along. Humming a little tune she’d learned as a girl, she tucked her hair back as she mixed food packets and what was left of the produce they’d got on the last job. She was concentrating hard enough that she didn’t notice Simon watching her from the doorway for several moments, and jumped when she did.
“Oh!” This with a smile. “You surprised me. Are you hungry too?”
“No, no I just… I couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh,” she repeated, still cheerful, but surprised. “Your sister?”
He shook his head, coming in. “She’s fine. Peaceful tonight.” Of course she was surprised. Simon seldom stopped to consider the ship’s ignorance of his own troubled dreams. But River was the sick one. It only made sense. Nothing was wrong with him.
“Well, that’s nice to hear. Strawberries or blueberries?”
“We have both?”
“A little of each.” She fetched another bowl. “The raspberries are all gone. I think Wash had them.”
“Do you care?”
“No, course not, or I wouldn’ta asked you.” She grinned sidelong at him before reconstituting the milk.
“Blueberries then.”
Her face fell. “Oh. Right.”
“Unless you want them,” he said quickly. “Either, really. You pick.”
She could only keep it a few moments before the joke was lost, and she laughed. “Didn’t anyone ever tease you, when you were little, doctor? You never see ‘em coming.” She popped a blueberry in her mouth.
He colored a bit. “Ah. Well.”
“Oh, sit,” she said, and he did. She brought over the bowls, blueberries for him, strawberries for herself. “There.”
“Thank you.”
She beamed, and they ate in silence for a few minutes. Simon’s mind wandered, until she said quietly, “I love when it’s my turn on watch, and Serenity’s like this. All peaceful, and quiet. Everyone else asleep, and the ship just rocking them away, all safe. She purrs, when everyone’s sleeping, did y’ever notice that?”
He looked up and listened for a moment, but all he could hear were the regular static noises of the ship. “I…”
“I like stayin’ up with her, watchin’ out for everyone. It makes the Black seem calm, you know?”
He nodded, slowly, though he really didn’t.
“Why are you up, Simon?” she asked, just as quiet.
He considered, for a brief moment, making an excuse. His sister was always good, though he’d already said she was fine. Or maybe…
“I had bad dreams. I didn’t want to wake her.”
“Oh no. What about?”
He looked at her open, concerned face, and wondered if she’d ever had a nightmare in her life. Traveling with Mal, she had to have had some fodder for it, but still it was hard to picture.
“Nothing in particular.”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, fine. But you don’t have to lie about it.”
“Kaylee…”
“I’m not stupid, you know. Just because things don’t sit and stew with me like the Captain, or all tense and tight like Zoë don’t mean I don’t notice when things get bad.” She didn’t look away from him. “The Black ain’t peaceful, no matter how quiet it gets. It’s just empty, ‘less you fill it with something yourself. See?” she asked, almost an offering. Trying to reach him.
He wanted to kiss her so badly his lips hurt.
“I think I’ll go back to bed now.” He stood. “Thank you. For the berries.”
She sat back in her chair, defeated. “Welcome. D’you want anything else while you’re here?”
He wanted to say yes. “No,” he said.
“G’night then, doctor. Better dreams.”
“Thanks, Kaylee,” he said quietly. “Good watch.”
He had turned to slowly flee the room, when she said, “Things’ll be alright.”
“Yes,” he said without turning back around. “I’m sure they will.” And he left the brightest part of his life sitting there alone with a bowl of strawberries, cursing himself for an idiot.
Fandom/original: Firefly
Rating: G
A/N: For Soujin, because she asked. ^__^
People knew River had nightmares. The entire ship knew it, and surely several outlying colonies where they’d passed a night or two knew it as well. Sometimes loud, sometimes soft, and it was always her brother to soothe her and stroke her and murmur her back into the calm that passed for sanity. Sometimes he could guess what she’d dreamed, sometimes she’d tell him. There were times when he couldn’t even guess. It didn’t, he supposed, matter. In the end, at least.
Mal had nightmare too, though as far as Simon could see, everyone pretended not to notice. The Captain might not even notice them, after all, and Zoë might have killed anyone trying to get too close. Zoë most likely had nightmares too, about the same things, and even if she didn’t, she’d have had a right to. Wash’s nightmares were a different flavor, but Niska had given him plenty of fodder. It was impossible to say which of the Washburnes slept worse.
Inara never spoke of anything that might disturb her sleep, and alone in her shuttle, no one knew what her dreams held.
Jayne slept like a rock, always, regardless of the circumstances. No one knew what the Sheppard thought, awake or asleep.
It was, on the whole, a ship that rested uneasily.
Kaylee, the only one whose dreams remained simple and easy, was contrarily not asleep. She was in the galley, making a midnight snack as Serenity drifted easily along. Humming a little tune she’d learned as a girl, she tucked her hair back as she mixed food packets and what was left of the produce they’d got on the last job. She was concentrating hard enough that she didn’t notice Simon watching her from the doorway for several moments, and jumped when she did.
“Oh!” This with a smile. “You surprised me. Are you hungry too?”
“No, no I just… I couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh,” she repeated, still cheerful, but surprised. “Your sister?”
He shook his head, coming in. “She’s fine. Peaceful tonight.” Of course she was surprised. Simon seldom stopped to consider the ship’s ignorance of his own troubled dreams. But River was the sick one. It only made sense. Nothing was wrong with him.
“Well, that’s nice to hear. Strawberries or blueberries?”
“We have both?”
“A little of each.” She fetched another bowl. “The raspberries are all gone. I think Wash had them.”
“Do you care?”
“No, course not, or I wouldn’ta asked you.” She grinned sidelong at him before reconstituting the milk.
“Blueberries then.”
Her face fell. “Oh. Right.”
“Unless you want them,” he said quickly. “Either, really. You pick.”
She could only keep it a few moments before the joke was lost, and she laughed. “Didn’t anyone ever tease you, when you were little, doctor? You never see ‘em coming.” She popped a blueberry in her mouth.
He colored a bit. “Ah. Well.”
“Oh, sit,” she said, and he did. She brought over the bowls, blueberries for him, strawberries for herself. “There.”
“Thank you.”
She beamed, and they ate in silence for a few minutes. Simon’s mind wandered, until she said quietly, “I love when it’s my turn on watch, and Serenity’s like this. All peaceful, and quiet. Everyone else asleep, and the ship just rocking them away, all safe. She purrs, when everyone’s sleeping, did y’ever notice that?”
He looked up and listened for a moment, but all he could hear were the regular static noises of the ship. “I…”
“I like stayin’ up with her, watchin’ out for everyone. It makes the Black seem calm, you know?”
He nodded, slowly, though he really didn’t.
“Why are you up, Simon?” she asked, just as quiet.
He considered, for a brief moment, making an excuse. His sister was always good, though he’d already said she was fine. Or maybe…
“I had bad dreams. I didn’t want to wake her.”
“Oh no. What about?”
He looked at her open, concerned face, and wondered if she’d ever had a nightmare in her life. Traveling with Mal, she had to have had some fodder for it, but still it was hard to picture.
“Nothing in particular.”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, fine. But you don’t have to lie about it.”
“Kaylee…”
“I’m not stupid, you know. Just because things don’t sit and stew with me like the Captain, or all tense and tight like Zoë don’t mean I don’t notice when things get bad.” She didn’t look away from him. “The Black ain’t peaceful, no matter how quiet it gets. It’s just empty, ‘less you fill it with something yourself. See?” she asked, almost an offering. Trying to reach him.
He wanted to kiss her so badly his lips hurt.
“I think I’ll go back to bed now.” He stood. “Thank you. For the berries.”
She sat back in her chair, defeated. “Welcome. D’you want anything else while you’re here?”
He wanted to say yes. “No,” he said.
“G’night then, doctor. Better dreams.”
“Thanks, Kaylee,” he said quietly. “Good watch.”
He had turned to slowly flee the room, when she said, “Things’ll be alright.”
“Yes,” he said without turning back around. “I’m sure they will.” And he left the brightest part of his life sitting there alone with a bowl of strawberries, cursing himself for an idiot.
