Kaylee and horizon expansion.

Post-Serenity, but that's mostly irrelevant.

Unfluffy.

Unbeta'd.

PG-13.

I blatantly stole certain aspects from "actual" literature, and obviously Firefly is not mine.

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She doesn't know how to use the weapon in her hand. She doesn't even know if it's loaded.

But neither does the man in front of her, on either count, and that's what has him raising his hands and what has Kaylee standing still, even though she wants to do nothing more than turn around and run. To her bunk, maybe, and lock it from the inside.

But the man would be faster, anyway. She knows that. She has to be brave today and do what needs doing. Whatever that may be, until the Captain comes back.

He's not quite right.

In his head, he's not quite right. She can tell. The shifting eyes and shoulders pulled up and his smile. Like a child. A very big child.

She's trying not to cry and he shrugs.

"Her hair is so soft."

Thin strands are dancing in a near weightless tangle downward from his fist, moving with some kind of invisible drift of air, not with the shaking of his hands, because they are not. And there's the blood.

"Step back!"

It bursts out of her, after a moment of contemplation, almost by itself. Her voice isn't steady like she wants it to be, nor menacing in any way, but it's loud enough to fill up the cargo bay, and sharply so, and maybe enough to be heard outside a bit away. In case anyone is on the way. They ought to be. It's late in the afternoon. The light is so pretty.

Inara's not moving at all.

"Go away," it's not as loud as before, not half so, and she corrects herself through the throat that hurts with her not crying. "Go the ruttin' hell away!"

Jayne would, maybe, say it like that. He curses all the time, and this is what he does, be harsh and strong. And it works, a little. The man frowns through his smile. His eyes keep tracing some sort o