Shooting Lessons

a Kaylee/Jane fic in response to the pathetic pleading of ‘a cry’

disclaimer: no. Just - no.

a/n: my first romance-y type thing. Attempting to fill the gap so woefully pointed out by jayne in his/her request for some waffy goodness.

She set the piece down and gently pushed it across the table, until it was resting within his grasp. He stretched out a hand to gently caress the hard, metal surface of the weapon. For Jayne, it wasn’t just a gun. It was a living organism, a unique and complicated system of interwoven parts with its own personality and style. Not that the mercenary would ever have thought to articulate his relationship to firearms in such a way. He simply knew, instinctually, down in his gut, who she was and what she desired every time he saw a new gun. He knew her name. ‘Sue,’ he called out gently to the pistol lying patiently on the table. He had not seen her before. Curiosity ripped him from his momentary reverie. How had a gun gotten aboard Serenity without his knowing about it? He knew every rifle, every sidearm, every gorram peashooter - any scrap of metal capable of inflicting pain and suffering that resided anywhere on the ship. Where had this one come from? Quizzically, he looked up at the woman seated opposite.

‘Where’d you get this?’ he asked.

‘Got it secondhand last stop we made. Teach me how to use it,’ Kaylee pleaded, stating her request as something between a question and a command. Her hands trembled slightly, and her eyes held a look that Jayne did not understand. Knowing what women were thinking had never been his strong point. He was better with guns. But, thick as he was, he knew there was something wrong in the way her soft brown irises seemed to dampen and mute the light that hit them, reflecting none of their usual shine. For some reason, he felt the impulse to reach out a hand and stroke her hair with a slow, calming motion.

Instead, he snorted, and gruffly replied, ‘What’d you be wanting to learn shootin for?’

‘Gotta learn to protec