Twenty Hours: by Tyloric

Beta read by the lovely youroctober.

Important Note: As a reviewer so graciously pointed out, the name of the moon in Jaynestown is Higgins. I had forgotten this while writing and to be completely honest am just too lazy to change it. Just consider this an AU if it really bothers you.

Part Two: Recollections

[A few days ago]

“Higgens?” Jayne sputtered, “What the hell kind’a name is Higgens?”

Mal was giving him a look that was a cross between annoyance and amusement. “That’s just the name of the moon, Jayne. I ain’t never heard of it ‘fore now.”

The mercenary barked a laugh. “Well with a name like Higgens, I ain’t surprised. Hey, where you from? I’m from Higgens!” He tittered at his own joke.

Mal rolled his eyes, but he was smiling all the same. Clasping the mug that sat in front of him, he took another long, slow draw of coffee. It was bitter, as they’d run out of sweetener, and it stung the back of his throat a bit on its way down, but damned if it didn’t wake him up something proper. Straight up black coffee, one of the only ways he stayed on his feet after a night with no sleep.

Jayne’s partly to blame for him not sleeping; the man had the libido of teenager. Of course, last night had been their first real night of proper sexin’, as Jayne had just been given a bill of clean health by the doc the day prior, and Jayne had literally jumped at the chance to get his rocks off in a way that didn’t exclusively include hands and rubbing against one another.

It hadn’t stopped Jayne from working out, however. In the week and a half Jayne had been confined to his, and Mal’s by extension, bunk, Jayne hadn’t been able to stay completely bedridden, despite both his and Simon’s constant warnings of reopening the bullet wounds. Naturally, he had graciously ignored them both, waiting until Mal was forced to leave on a job before doing his pushups, sit ups, and squats, forcing himself through the pain that any other man would have found excruciating. After a while he had star