This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends not with a bang, but a whimper... -The Hollow Men TS Elliot

The streets were deserted, not surprising since all the storefront along the street had already been ransacked of everything useful. Even the televisions and high priced electronics had been stolen. That made Mal wanna laugh.

Instead, he only chuckled to himself as he placed a cigarette into his mouth and fumbled into the pocket of his long brown coat for a lighter while walking down the dark deserted street. The only light came from the few fires that were turning some of the building into ruins ash, but there were no firefighters there to help put out the flames. What would be the point? Mal lit his cigarette and puffed on it a few times. He placed his lighter back into his pocket and exhaled some smoke into the night air.

The crashing sound of metal on concrete had Mal turning on his heel reaching for the gun on his holster next to the badge clipped to his belt, but a stray cat running from the knocked over trashcans made him release his gun butt and shake his head.

Mal continued down the street puffing at his cigarette not paying much attention to where he set his feet until he damn near tripped over the body lying on the sidewalk.

Mal cursed as he caught himself with his hands, abrading them on the hard sidewalk. He turned his head and looked back at the large body that lay on the concrete. He had thought he heard a grunt or groan when his booted feet hit it so he moved closer to the body to find that the man was breathing.

Malcolm Reynolds, Detective for the Houston Police Dept, reached out and tugged on the muscular shoulder of the unconscious man and tuned him on to his back. Upon seeing the face, Mal gasped out loud.

Jayne Cobb was a mercenary and a criminal. He would kill or maim if the money was right, but even though every cop in Houston knew that, they could never prove it. Jayne had never spent more than a few months in jail, mostly for bar brawling.

He looked as if he had been in a few brawls this night, and smelled as if he had been in a few bars.

Mal knelt beside the body of a criminal for a long moment, looking at the bruised and bloodied face of a man he should hate. Then he looked up into the sky, at the bright light, almost like a star that outshone even the moon, and he knew that this night of all nights he could hate no fellow man.

Mal was able to get Jayne over his shoulder and he carried the big lug away from the streets and inside a nearby apartment building. Some of the apartments were occupied, he could hear some people crying, praying and even the grunts and groans of people having sex, but Mal eventually found an empty apartment and walked on inside.

The place was only slightly trashed, but Mal ignored that as he carried Jayne into the bedroom and nearly dropped the big merc onto the mattress of the bed. Then Mal went back into the front room and locked the door that he had shut casually with his booted foot when he entered.

Removing his long brown coat and hanging it on an empty peg beside the door, Mal then walked into the bathroom and after a thorough search he found a first aid kit, candles, some peroxide and bandages. After lighting one of the candles with his lighter, he flung a towel over his shoulder, and took the items into the bedroom and sat down beside the merc on the bed placing the lit candle on the nightstand. He soaked the towel in peroxide and used it to wipe away the blood from Jayne’s bruised and bloodied face. The peroxide bubbled when it touched the open wounds.

As Mal cleaned off the mercenary’s face, he noticed the eyelids began to flutter until finally they opened to reveal the cold blue eyes beneath them. Those eyes were confused for a moment, and then focused on Mal’s face.

“Don’t move too much, don’t wanna get nunna this in yer eyes.” Mal said.

“I know ya, don’t I.” Jayne said in deep gruff voice.

“Yeah, Malcolm Reynolds. I was a cop. Tried to arrest ya fer Pauli Cabazi’s murder.” Mal said.

“The little shit. Tried ta turn me in, after all I’d done fer his family.” Jayne said. “Little bastard deserved it.”

Mal laughed, “And ta think I would’ve been downright e-static to have heard that confession a few years ago.”

After a moment Jayne laughed as well, “Yeah, well, prison wouldn’t have been too much fun.”

Mal laughed a bit at that. He realized he was getting a bit hysterical and forced himself to stop before he went completely off the bend.

Jayne also stopped laughing when Mal did and he took the moment to look around. “Where we at?” He asked.

Mal shrugged, “Just some empty apartment I found. Yer kinda heavy, didn’t wanna lug you around for the next twelve hours.”

Jayne nodded at that. “Could use a beer.” He said.

“Ya smell like ya had twenty of em already.” Mal said.

“Na, only me a couple ‘fore some damn fool thought he would start a fight. Caught a couple a bottle ov’r the head before I took the bastard out.”

“Well guessin I could see what’s in the fridge, coursen’t won’t be cold or noth’n.” Mal stood up, but Jayne reached out and grasped his wrist. Mal looked down at Jayne’s face.

“Thanks, fer ya know, not leaving me there.” Jayne said.

Mal shrugged uncomfortable at the gratitude from the big mercenary. “Guess I didn’t want to wait fer it alone.” Mal finally said.

Jayne released Mal’s wrist and Mal dug out of his pocket another candle and lit it using the one burning on the night stand and used it to make his way into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked around. On the shelves were some take-out leftovers that stand rather badly, but he did find a six-pack of bottled beer. He picked that up and carried it back into the bedroom.

Jayne was sitting up having removed his black leather jacket, which had been tossed casually onto the floor, and his grey T-shit that shared the space.

Mal stood in the doorway, staring at the hairy muscular chest in the light of the candle that flickered with each breath. Jayne was using the blood and peroxide soaked towel to clean a few gashes along his ribs. He looked up when Mal took another step into the room and grinned when he saw the six-pack of beer.

Mal moved further into the room and sat down on the bed, putting the six-pack between the two of them.

He peered at the gashes on the mercenary’s ribs. “Doan look to bad.” Mal said.

“Nah, shallow, sting like a bitch but I won’t bleed to death ‘fore that comet kills me.” Jayne said.

“Meteor,” Mal corrected. Jayne just shrugged and took the beer that Mal offered him.

Twisting the cap off, Jayne took a big swig of the beer ignoring the fact that it was lukewarm.

“Lukewarm beer sure taste damn good when yer bout ta die.” Jayne said.

Mal took a drink of his and nodded, “Yeah that it does.” He looked over at Jayne who had just finished the first bottle and was now opening his second. “Planning ta die drunk?”

“Wishn I could, but this aint’ enough ta get good and plastered.” Jayne said. He took another slower drink of the second bottle as if to savor it.

The sat for several minutes drinking their beer and staring at the shadows from the candles dancing on the far wall till Jayne’s voice, low and quiet broke the silence, “Ya know, this ain’t how I thought I’d go out.”

“Me either.” Mal said. He looked at Jayne who was staring down at his beer bottle. “How did ya think it would be.”

“Figured it be knife or bullet in tha back. Some bastard who’d hired me ta kill someone then turned on me. Cam close a few times as it where.” Jayne took a drink of his beer. “How about you?”

“Actually figured it ta be old age.” Mal said. Jayne laughed at Mal’s statement. Mal laughed with him.

For several minutes they laughed and drank their beer, forgetting for a time that they were cop and criminal, good guy and bad guy.

Eventually they got around to telling stories. Mal told stupid criminal stories, and Jayne could even top some of them with stupid criminals he had known, even a few dumb cop stories. It didn’t matter when Jayne would admit to killing a man, it didn’t matter because in eight hours the world would end in a fiery explosion.

Their laughter and drunkenness eventually had them falling on the bed, their bodies touching without them realizing it until finally they laughter died down and they found themselves on their back, heads touching as they looked up at the ceiling.

As the laughter trickled off Mal said in a humor filled voice, “Ah, yer a bad man, Jayne Cobb.”

“Why thank ya kindly, Malcolm Reynolds.” Jayne laughed holding up his half empty bottle of beer. Mal laughed and clinked his bottle against Jayne turning his head as he did until their faces were but an inch from each other. They stopped, the laughter died away, as they looked at each other in the eyes, seeing the fear in blue eyes.

In the next moment they were kissing, their tongues fighting for dominance, hands having dropped the beer bottles that rolled onto the floor spilling their contents were now clutching at each other. Jayne’s hands were helping Mal get rid of his buttoned shirt and suspenders pushing them down over his shoulders. Their mouths continued to battle, Jayne’s hands moved to his jeans, ripping them open, not caring in the least as the buttons broke off the material.

They rolled, Mal on top of Jayne, the smaller man’s weight pushing Jayne into the mattress. Mal’s lips left Jayne’s mouth to move down Jayne’s neck biting and nipping their way down the strong neck to the hairy chest. Jayne threw his head back and groaned in pleasure when Mal’s teeth found one nipple and began to bite while his lips suckled on the brown nub. Mal’s hand were roaming down Jayne’s sides, following the muscles as they flowed down toward Jayne’s groin. As his mouth moved lower down Jayne’s chest, his hands pushed at Jayne’s jeans and boxers freeing the straining erection from the cloth.

Jayne cried out when Mal’s mouth engulfed the erection and began to suck. Teeth and lips and tongue were used almost expertly and the humming sound Mal issued from his throat eventually had Jayne coming so hard he saw stars. Mal swallowed every last drop and looked up at Jayne.

The mercenary was breathing hard, gasping in pleasure. He looked down at Mal, he moved to take Jayne’s mouth in a rough but passionate kiss. Jayne could taste the saltiness of his own semen in Mal’s mouth, but he ignored, finding pleasure in Mal’s tongue exploring his palate.

Jayne moved, turning them so that Mal was on the bottom, and Jayne could explore Mal’s body with his mouth.

Like Mal, Jayne left bruises and bite marks in his wake as he made his way down toward Mal’s groin.

With brute strength, Jayne ripped open Mal’s pants freeing Mal’s erection.

Jayne took the large cock into his mouth, coating the erection with his saliva, his tongue pleasuring and teasing the bulbous head and the piss slit.

When Jayne was sure Mal’s erection was completely wet with saliva, Jayne then rolled off of Mal and onto his stomach. Mal lifted up onto his elbow and looked at Jayne.

“Are ya sure?” Mal asked.

“Yeah, “ Jayne said with no hesitation.

That was all Mal needed as kicked off his boots and the remnants of his pants while Jayne did the same to his boots and jeans.

Jayne moved further onto the bed, resting his head on one of the pillows while Mal settled himself on his knees between Jayne’s spread legs looking down at Jayne’s muscular back and buttocks.

Mal spit into his hand and coated his fingers. He rubbed the saliva onto his cock mixing with Jayne’s then using his hand he guided the large head to the small opening into Jayne’s body.

Mal spit down at the place where his cock touched Jayne’s anus, then slowly he thrust his hips forward, his bulbous head breaking through Jayne’s tight opening.

Jayne grunted, reveling in the pain of the intrusion that tore through his drunken and sated haze. In less that five hours they would be dead, burned to ashes, but at that moment, Jayne felt alive, the pain told him he was alive and he thrust back rising to his knees taking all of Mal’s cock into his ass, the large penis burning its way inside.

“Fuck me.” Jayne cried to Mal. “Fuck me hard.”

Mal didn’t bother arguing, the spit hadn’t been enough to keep his cock from feeling the friction burn, but he like Jayne, he found he needed that burn, and without any thought, Mal began to thrust his hips, pounding into Jayne’s ass. And Jayne did not kneel down on the bed and take it, instead he reared back meeting each thrust with one of his own taking the cock even deeper inside himself.

They fucked animal like on the bed making the springs squeak with each thrust. The mattress moved back and forth on its rails and several times the headboard beat against the wall. And they continued to fuck until finally Mal threw back his head, thrust deep into Jim’s bruised reddened ass and came with a howl. Jayne cried out as well when the hot semen splashed against his burning insides.

Tired, covered in sweat, Mal fell forward over Jayne’s back, his penis still inside Jayne. They both breathed heavily, sweat rolling down their bodies, mixing with blood. Mal felt a fire over his cock from friction burns, but ignored the pain as he breathed against Jayne’s neck. Beneath him, Jayne pulled his knees out from under him and laid down on his stomach.

They rested against each other, connected by flesh, sweat, blood and semen, while outside the world awaited its destruction.