Mornin’ Glory By belasera Jayne and Kaylee in the lazy morning. Could be a sequel to Slim as Dimes if you’ve read it, but stands find by its lonesome. More R than NC-17

A vague disclaimer is nobody’s friend. All recognizable characters belong not to me, but to Joss Whedon and the darlings over at Universal. No money made, no harm meant.

........................................... “What time is it?” Jayne didn’t answer, just put one large hand over her mouth. Kaylee shoved it down and repeated, “No, really, you have to budge or tell me the time.” “Early, it’s early.” Kaylee laughed and tried to wiggle out from behind him, tried to pull herself up to see the clock. But Jayne twisted deftly, pushed her back down and laid obstinately half on top of her. “I have work to do, and I know Cap’n wants you in the hold scrapin’ mud off the mule.” “Naw, he came in while’s you was sleepin’, told me mud makes good cover, I’m to let it be.” “Oh, ok, that makes lot’s of sense…move!” “It’s seven.” His voice was soft in her ear and one arm was rubbin' up her thigh. “Still early, stay put. Others won’t be wantin’ us for a while.” “Yeah, but I need a shower, I look like…I smell like…” Jayne leaned in, sniffed across her belly, up to her face where he stopped with a hard little kiss. “Yeah, you do.” She moved again and again he stopped her, just put his hand over her belly and shook his head. “No…” His voice a little hoarser than it’d been a moment ago. “Stay, I’ll…I’ll get you cleaned up, no need to go nowhere for it.” Kaylee leaned back, smiled up at him, his hair standing on end, his eyes still holding their sleepy kindness. Jayne was sometimes this way, in the wee hours when they woke together. He was...she didn’t rightly know what to call it, it wasn’t really sweet none, more just…raw, like worn down leather soft and near to crumbling. He was needy, and it was something to see in a man so fit to strut, to flex and bluster. Something to see, when it’d been her the night before keening like a starved kitten, beggin’ for him to make it right, and he looked at her with a coolness that was a thrill. Something different in the ‘morn. He rose in a stretch, all muscle and bulk, and Kaylee was almost used to it enough not to ogle. Almost. He ran some water ‘til it was warm, and soaked his own t-shirt in it ‘fore comin’ back to bed. He looked almost casual, but Kaylee knew t’wasn’t nothin’ so for him, to be doin’ what he was fixin’. Was somethin’ fierce intimate, even after all these weeks of beddin’ ‘tween them. This was new. He started with her toes, and it was only a warm wet t-shirt so wasn’t no way to fathom the way the feelin’ of it ran right through her, up to her mouth and made her gasp. He stilled, just for a bit and then went on, up her calf, up her thigh, stoppin’ short and goin’ to the other foot, then to her fingertips and by then she was breathin’ shallow like an idlin’ engine. He was closer to her, his hard belly only inches above hers as he washed her arms and shoulders, took extra care with her neck before pulling back. “Flip over.” Kaylee didn’t hesitate, just turned slowly, her knees rubbing against his as he kneeled over her, felt him move closer as he worked across her back, down slow, so goramn slow and stopped. Nothin’, just nothing but him breathin’ near her ear and a drop of water fell on her shoulder, chilled her there. “Jayne, I’m cold here.” Wasn’t really even the truth, she just wanted him to move, do somethin’, all this stillness was like a field o’ snow in summer, not in no way the usual manner of things. She said it again, ‘cause he didn’t answer, “I’m cold.” “Shhh….I ain’t even got to the dirty parts yet.” “Jayne, you’re makin’ me feel like a greasy engine.” “Flip over.” It only took a beat and he was loomin’ over her again, all smirks and smiles, runnin’ his t-shirt over her, runnin’ his body a bit too, real soft and easy like they had all day to be glistenin’ here in bed. ‘Til he went and changed tactics, rubbed sweet and soft on down ‘til she was tremblin’ for where he was going and then he was there, took that t-shirt of his and swiped it hard over a place she’s sore and she yelped out in surprise and couldn’t help but sound mad, “Oh, hey, gentle you brute!” He just tossed that shirt on the floor, replaced it with his fingers as he shook his head down at her. “I can’t stand bein’ gentle for more’n a minute, I don’t push you some it don’t even feel like lovin’.” He seemed to pale just a bit at his own words and they made Kaylee look at him something’ sharp, hearin’ that word he never said before. Jayne busied himself runnin’ fingertips all over the skin he just cleaned, not lookin' at her but his breath was warm on her neck when he said, “Makin love, sexin’, or whatever you wanna name it, don’t make it no different to me. Just is what it wants to be, I’m guessin’.” His mornin’ sheen was slippin' off, she could tell by his fingers movin’ sure and steady, by his voice soundin’ like it don’t matter if she heard it. He was fixin’ to end this mornin’ layabout with a bang, he always did after a spell like that. “Shhh, Jayne why you talkin’ when there’s no words needin’ said? There ain’t no wall ‘tween us.” Kaylee just wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him down to her, way he only let her in the mornin’. Pushed past his lips into that hot noisy mouth, way of it got her excited every time like it was the only. For him too, body wakin’ up right, shrugging off their sleepy splendor. Maybe it was that word he’d said, runnin’ like a river between them, but seemed like he was needin’ somethin’ more this time, like he needed to pull her apart like yarn, way he twisted her all up and spun her back ‘round. Clock was long forgot and mule might stay muddy ‘cause Jayne was beddin’ her way she’d never been, all push and claim like it was a war’s last stand. She gave back, too, wasn’t no china doll, not ever, and ‘specially not when he was pourin’ so much onto her. Made her feel like a machine her own self, in that hot secret way she liked to be. When he was like this, all growl and flex, she could be as rumbly as she pleased and still be a woman. They were like that, like things not themselves and that was their lovin’ at its best. When he heaved and came and she was pulled along too, ears ringing, his voice sayin’ things she didn’t hear and probably didn’t wanna, vision just a mite starry and black at the edges…there at the sunburst end as he groaned long in her neck she laughed out ‘cause she thought like a flash of Corporal Henkins. He was an Alliance officer, well really he was a nobody, just a character in a well worn pulp romance that Kaylee’d had gotten rid of ‘bout a year back out of loyalty to the Cap’n. Didn’t’ matter, all the good parts were memorized, ‘bout how he and the lady always came together, every time. Kaylee’d never had it in the real ‘verse, but now she had she thought she knew a bit what that writer had meant. And so she laughed. Jayne brought his head up a bit sluggish to look her in the face, real mean like. “Is there somethin’ funny?” “Oh, only a bit. You…I just had a thinkin’ that you…ah, you’re like somethin’ out a romance book.” She was laughing harder, buryin’ her face in Jayne’s neck and goin’ to pull him down for a kiss, but he was pulling back, his face lookin’ all sorts of angry. He pulled out of her faster than was needed, pushed back off her bed and made to leave, puttin’ his back to her as he pulled his pants on. Kaylee stared at him in surprise. “Uh, Jayne, we got a bit of time ‘fore anyone needs us yet, ain’t no need to be hurryin’ now.” He didn’t turn, just snarled over his shoulder. “Don’t fancy a need to stick around get made a fool today, more’n I already done for myself.” Kaylee peeled her still wobbly limbs off the bed, took a step to him ‘fore speaking. “I ain’t makin’ a fool out’ya none, I meant it as a sort of compliment. ‘Cause, you see, in them books it’s always like…well, it’s silly a bit…” “Yeah, it’s silly. Sorry ‘bout sayin’ it, we could just maybe forget it, ok?” “Shuma? Forget what, Jayne? All that great sex we just did? Ain’t likely to be forgettin’ that anytime soon.” Jayne came ‘round, looked at her like maybe she was meanin’ something other’n what she said. “Naw, forget what I said, ‘bout….I mean when I said that…I love you.” His cheeks burst out red like apples, eyes dropped to the ground and Kaylee thought it must be all them good sex hormones racin’ ‘round her body that made her own eyes start cryin’ soon as he’d said it, like somethin’ in her just burst open. She was in his arms so fast she might have flown there, she could hardly breathe maybe from him squeezing her maybe from relief. He loved her. T’was the strangest thing in the ‘verse, him lovin’ her and her knowin’ it was the same for her right back, was like all their mornin’s had melted together to make this one perfect. Was like somethin’ out o that book.