Title: What’s to Understand?

Author: hisgoodgirl

Rating: G

Characters: Simon, Jayne (gen – not slash)

Disclaimer: All belong to Joss. I got nada.

Words: 300

A/N: If you read and enjoy this, please take a minute to let me know. Cross-posted from my LiveJournal.

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What’s To Understand?

The dry air was bitter with cordite, cut by the sharp crack of gunfire echoing off the adjacent warehouses. Near the Eavesdown Docks, several of Badger’s goons were nailing away at the two men pinned down in an abandoned building.

Jayne poked his head up over the windowsill just long enough to get off several shots. He quickly ducked back as return fire tore through the wood right where his head had been, scattering dust and splinters over them. Beside him, Simon huddled low behind the concrete wall, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees and his refined features pale and anxious. During a break in the gunfire, he finally gave voice to the question he’d been struggling with.

“Jayne, I don’t understand. I know you despise me. You’ve made that abundantly clear.”

“What’s to understand?” the mercenary growled, quickly reloading.

Simon considered their present circumstances. Mal and Zoe had taken off after exchanging the drugs they’d stolen for cash. But him? He’d somehow gotten separated from the others and needed to be rescued. All because he hadn’t been paying attention when the job went down, because he’d been preoccupied with his sister.

“I – I’ve jeopardized your life as well as my own here and… well… I don’t understand why you came back after me.”

The big man beside him glared back and then spat onto the dusty concrete floor. He carefully aimed over the window ledge, his single shot followed by a muted cry. “Gotcha, ya ruttin’ hún dàn ,” he muttered with fierce satisfaction. The casing he ejected chimed against the concrete, the sound like a small, clear bell punctuating a sudden break in the