"Write her a love letter," Inara suggested. He'd never written a love letter before. He figured he could at least give it a shot. So, he'd thought on it and penned it awful nice.

Deer River,

I think yer right shiny and a great fighter and stuff. And butiful.

I think we should git too sexin alredy cuz yer drivin me crazy with yer legs and belly and cute self. So thats what I think should happen.

Regards,

Jayne

Hadn't gotten quite the response he was looking for: an envelope left on his pillow, his letter shredded to bits and pieces inside, and a note. No was all it said. Well fine.

"How about a present? Like a rose or somethin'?" Kaylee said, not really payin' attention and fixin' on the engine.

So he'd gotten her some roses. Red. Okay so not exactly… fresh. Maybe a day or two old. And he hadn't had enough coin to really wrap 'em nice but he'd found some chain link to hold 'em in place with!

He'd found those shredded in his bed as well. With another note. No again. Huh.

Well, maybe it was just Jayne, but all this asking folk what to do was just… not good. So he'd gone about it his own way.

He'd found River in the cargo bay, sitting down on his weight bench. She was sketching. What, he didn't know and didn't much care about. He walked over and sat down behind her, scooting up close. River huffed and turned around. He felt her shiver.

"No." She said simply.

Jayne frownedthen cocked his head to the side, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Yes." He said, testing a theory. Her jaw dropped.

"No." She said, more insistently this time, rising from the weight bench. Her little nose turned up in the air like she was just so much better than him. But at the last second, when she thought he'd have turned away, she glanced back at him with seeking, desperate eyes. She turned away again, her shoulders twitching slightly like they just ached to turn around and look at him again.

Jayne looked at her with disbelief. The little liar!

"Yer lookin' at me saying no and meanin' yes."

"I am doing no such thing." She said, whipping around and glaring at him, her eyes lingering up and down his frame.

"Are to!" He said, frustration leaking into those two words.

"If I say I don't want you it's clearly because I do not want you!" She said, voice rising in volume until she was shouting.

Jayne stood and advanced on her. "Don't want me, huh?"

"I believe that's what I just told you, you imbecile."

"Strange how you git so shaky when I come near you, then."

River made a huge effort to still her body but found she could not. "Strange…" Jayne continued. "How whenever I git near you, yer breathin' picks up and you act like yer drugged. Glassy eyed, pantin' fer me like you've got trouble takin' in air."

"I--"

"Downright peculiar! How if'n I git closer you just shake more. Like yer a tuning fork and I'm just…" he stepped closer, she shook harder.

"…the right…" Harder.

"…pitch."

River looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes. "No…." She whispered.

Jayne sneered at her. "Not good enough for you?"

She nodded. "Not by half."

His face closed down. "Is that why I can hear you at night, moaning my name and thrashin' about on your sheets just wishin' you could think on me a little bit harder." He forced her against the wall, slamming two hands on either side of her head.

"I… I…" She whimpered. Caught in more ways than one. "I don't want to think on you harder." She finished, proud to have even gotten that much out.

"Funny, cuz that's what you keep sayin'. Oh Jayne, harder! Harder! I'll show you harder little one." He ground himself into her. She moaned from deep inside her throat.

Before her mind had a chance to think about it, her legs had spread and she was almost halfway up his body, rubbing herself as hard onto him as she could manage. She flung herself away when she understood what she had just done.

"I… no! Unacceptable, I can not be attracted to you!" She whispered angrily.

"And this is so much better for me?" Jayne questioned, grabbing her arm and spinning her back to him. The long line down the center of their bodies pressed together and they both moaned. Jayne growled, a deep rumble reverberating against her front. "Gorramit you feel good."

River shook her head. "You're vile!"

"Yer crazy!"

"You smell!"

"You ain't barely got tits!"

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you!"

Jayne grabbed her and kissed her. Lips pressed tight into each other, angry and unyielding. The skirt of River's dress was suddenly up past her hips, her back pressed into the wall.

Her hands grasped desperately at Jayne's belt buckle, pulling it apart and ripping his fly down. Her underwear had been torn in half and tossed away. His large, gruff hands pulled her thighs apart and he thrust inside of her. She screamed and thrust back.

The unbelievable slide of his body within hers was enough to throw her head back in bliss. She lost herself in the wet friction of their bodies moving together. Moans and sighs tumbled from them both as they struggled towards completion. River clung to Jayne, screaming his name as she violently orgasmed. Jayne followed shortly after, fingers digging deep into her soft hips as he spilled inside of her.

For minutes afterwards they stayed as they were, joined and still. River pulled away first.

She looked almost scared as she whispered to him. "You were right."

"'Bout what?"

"It's too strange for me, too new… feeling what I feel. Just me and no one else. There are times when it frightens me very much. I do not know… how these affairs work. I thought that by rejecting you, perhaps my feelings would go away."

Jayne nodded. "See, I already did that fer the first two years you was on the boat."

River tried not to giggle. "I was otherwise occupied."

Jayne cracked a grin. "Yeah, that whole 'being' crazy' deal sure does take up time." River nodded, resting her forehead against his. Jayne slid his hands up her to her back, cradling her that much closer. "If'n you got questions 'bout this stuff, just ask."

"Understood. I will try not to prevaricate further."

"If that means lie, then I'm shiny."

River nodded. "I will be shiny as well if intercourse such as this is more common."

Jayne nodded, bringing his arms up to circle her waist, curling around her back tightly. "Less lyin', more sexin'. Got it."

River smiled softly. "We should probably relocate before the crew returns."

"My bunk or yours?"

"Actually, the shower sounds pleasant right about now."

Jayne smirked. "Mmm, that ain't no lie."

"Indeed not."