Temptation

She came to his room.

His actual room, knocked on his actual door, probably woulda climbed down his actual ladder if Jayne hadn't flown up it and hustled her down the corridor and around the corner. "Crazy," he snarled, shoving her against the bulkhead. "You outta your mind?" Forgetting that, technically, yeah she was.

She looked at him wide-eyed, needy, then turned her head to stare down the corridor into the cargo bay.

He knew what she wanted. There was only one thing she wanted from him, ever, and he’d given it to her every night for the past week. He’d bitched and moaned the entire time, but he’d given it to her.

Escape.

River wanted out.

She wanted him to put her in a suit, open up the airlock, and stand guard while she danced the void. She actually trusted him to pull her in when her air was used up. She wanted him to tie her to the ship so she wouldn’t just float away, the way she wanted to but knew she couldn’t. There was just enough sense in her poor addled head to know that what she wanted most of all couldn’t ever happen, and she needed him for second-best.

Just him.

He sighed. More of a moan, really. Then he stepped back, turned her by her shoulders, and gave her a little push down the corridor.

She darted away like a butterfly, and by the time he caught up with her, she was suited up and ready to go. She jigged and jittered, babbling, as he double-checked hoses and gauges. "I’m dressed for the weather, and I’m going out to play--"

"How come this works?" he asked her. "Huh? Why should a space walk make any kinda difference?"

For half a second, her eyes cleared and focused. Then her gaze wandered to the window. "Shiny knights on spiky white horses have to find a new path through the enchanted forest," she said. "Can't if there's monsters in the way. No defense. Poor things don't have swords or turtles." She smiled a sweet, loony smile with teeth. "Suck the monsters out. Phoom. Blow up. Thermodynamics. Equilibrium. Internal pressure exceeds external