gonna_live | (no subject)

She reaches out. "Thought you was gonna stay -- ?"

"I'm staying," he assures her.

And reaches out to gather her sock-clad feet into his lap, rubbing them gently.

"Mm." Kaylee closes her eyes again. "Don't have to do that."

"I know." His thumb slides along her instep, firm enough not to tickle.

She lets out a long sigh, and doesn't say anything else.

When her breathing slows and deepens to the pattern of sleep, he gently lifts her feet out of his lap and settles them on the bed, then slides off and moves to the chair.

He can't do any packing without waking her, but he's got reading to do anyway.

About two hours later, as promised, he sets aside his datareader and moves to wake her.

And she's all business, with her hair pulled back and her own list.

As they walk into Milliways, she's running down their itinerary for the evening: mostly work on the bridge, but after that they'll move into the engine room to make sure the changes on the bridge are being recognized by the systems in the engine room.

Down to the garage, and to work.

He's in there working beside her, sleeves of his oldest shirt rolled up, getting his hands dirty. They don't talk much aside from what's necessary for the job, but it doesn't feel like a distancing.

They've been at it for close to two hours before Simon calls a break, and volunteers to head upstairs to get them dinner.

Kaylee takes that time to wrap up work on the bridge and move her tools back to the engine room.

She glances around, a little despairing, toolchest at her feet, and wipes her brow with a long sigh.

Simon gets back only a little after she's finished moving; he's brought a bag with hot sandwiches and fried paradoxes and carrot sticks, and a thermos of sweet iced tea. And a second thermos, which he says is "for later".

They find space to sit down, and Simon unwraps everything.

He gets a brief kiss for his trouble, but he doesn't get much conversation over dinner. Kaylee eats with grim determination and no visible pleasure; the whole time she keeps making notes on the task list she's got to hand.

She clears -- it's only fair, she tells him -- and they get back to work.

Down the task list, one item at a time, in systematic order; putting the mortally injured heart of the ship back together.

It's hard work, as promised, but not backbreaking.

A few hours later, and much grimier, she looks down at the list, and turns off the pad.

"I'm beat." Kaylee sounds weary, too. She leans against a bulkhead. "You okay callin' it quits for now?"

"Oh yes," Simon breathes out in undisguised relief.

He casts about for something to wipe his hands on; finds a mostly clean rag, and starts to scrub away the grime as he moves to sit down.

"Made some good headway, though." Kaylee closes her eyes. "Might could even sleep in a little. Six instead of four."

"...what time is it now?" he asks, glancing around for a timepiece.

She fishes the pad out of her pocket and turns it on again. "Twenty-one forty-five. Not too bad."

He puts down the rag, and glances over at where the second thermos and the bag from dinner are stowed neatly against the bulkhead.

"I think we've earned a little relaxation," he says, glancing at her.

Kaylee seems a little preoccupied with the pad. "Mm."

"If I remember correctly," he says, moving over to the bag, "from the first time you took me on as a mechanic's assistant, there's one important job I still have to do."

He's bending down to pick up the thermos and the bag, and rummaging inside the latter.

She doesn't look up. "What's that?"

After a long beat, something is held up next to the pad: a clear plastic glass filled with a frozen substance, deep pink, smelling of fruit and alcohol.

"Bring you drinks."

Kaylee looks from the glass to Simon, and raises her eyebrows.

"You're a bad influence, you know that?"

(But she can't quite hide a smile as she takes it from him.)

He pours a second glassful for himself, and sets the second thermos aside.

"I learned from the best," he assures her.

"Yeah, and watch me wake up hung over."

Doesn't seem to be stopping her from drinking, though.