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Entry tags:
F: Cold Beans and No Cover
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: Tracey/Zoe
Warnings: Angst
Rating: G
Summary: Something he'll never have. For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
30_shinyfics.
"You okay, private?"
"Saved me again, Zo'. You really have to stop doin' this. Sarge really wants my beans."
Zoe smiles at Tracey. Not a real smile -- not the warm and soft and vaguely shy smiles he used to draw out of girls with his clumsy jokes and compliments and brief touches. A grim smile for a war comrade. "Gettin' to the point where I think you owe us your share of beans in payment for saving your clumsy ass so many times. Keep an eye out for me. Holler if you see anything."
"What, you're going to put your gun down and eat beans?"
She flips her hair out of the way, squatting down in the rubble and reaching behind her into a pack full of every essential thing and some unessential things. "With someone watching my back. I don't have much faith in you, but -- "
"Hey, I'm better than nothing."
"My thoughts exactly."
He smiles a little helplessly as he divides his attention between the rather beautiful Zoe and the rather less beautiful rubble of the city. She doesn't even look up as he offers his can opener, just taking it and working on getting the can open, nor does she look up when he speaks. "I'm getting kind of sick of cold beans. Aren't you? Do you think we'll get out of here anytime soon?"
"Keep watching," she warns, eating a quick forkful of cold beans with a grimace. "I don't know and it ain't my place to go worryin' on it. It's best to just focus on what's happenin', live in the moment and all of that. Didn't you get that talk in basic?"
"Didn't get much of anythin' in basic."
"I'd noticed. Will you quit staring at me and start staring at whatever's going on?"
Tracey huffs softly, running his hand through his hair and giving a token glance to the world around them. "There's nothing going on out there, Zo', there's no cover. I'm not that stupid."
Zoe finishes off her beans, cleaning up after herself quickly and pushing back up to her feet, her every movement practised and perfect. Tracey wants to stare at her, but since she's good at catching him out when that happens, he looks away instead and scans the area, shifting slightly and getting a more comfortable grip on his gun. He looks away harder than ever when her hand lands on his shoulder, squeezing a little.
"You're alright, kid. But I ain't interested."
He hates himself for being obvious and clumsy and too sweet to really try for what he wants. He hates her for being so perceptive. He hates the war because he tells himself that's why she's not interested. He hates himself for letting himself be bullied into this gorramn war, because he didn't choose this.
"Let's get movin', private. We've got ground to cover and the sergeant's waiting."
Tracey'd hate Mal, too, if it would do any good, for Zoe's hopeless loyalty to him. But that's not anyone's fault.
Pairing: Tracey/Zoe
Warnings: Angst
Rating: G
Summary: Something he'll never have. For
30_shinyfics."You okay, private?"
"Saved me again, Zo'. You really have to stop doin' this. Sarge really wants my beans."
Zoe smiles at Tracey. Not a real smile -- not the warm and soft and vaguely shy smiles he used to draw out of girls with his clumsy jokes and compliments and brief touches. A grim smile for a war comrade. "Gettin' to the point where I think you owe us your share of beans in payment for saving your clumsy ass so many times. Keep an eye out for me. Holler if you see anything."
"What, you're going to put your gun down and eat beans?"
She flips her hair out of the way, squatting down in the rubble and reaching behind her into a pack full of every essential thing and some unessential things. "With someone watching my back. I don't have much faith in you, but -- "
"Hey, I'm better than nothing."
"My thoughts exactly."
He smiles a little helplessly as he divides his attention between the rather beautiful Zoe and the rather less beautiful rubble of the city. She doesn't even look up as he offers his can opener, just taking it and working on getting the can open, nor does she look up when he speaks. "I'm getting kind of sick of cold beans. Aren't you? Do you think we'll get out of here anytime soon?"
"Keep watching," she warns, eating a quick forkful of cold beans with a grimace. "I don't know and it ain't my place to go worryin' on it. It's best to just focus on what's happenin', live in the moment and all of that. Didn't you get that talk in basic?"
"Didn't get much of anythin' in basic."
"I'd noticed. Will you quit staring at me and start staring at whatever's going on?"
Tracey huffs softly, running his hand through his hair and giving a token glance to the world around them. "There's nothing going on out there, Zo', there's no cover. I'm not that stupid."
Zoe finishes off her beans, cleaning up after herself quickly and pushing back up to her feet, her every movement practised and perfect. Tracey wants to stare at her, but since she's good at catching him out when that happens, he looks away instead and scans the area, shifting slightly and getting a more comfortable grip on his gun. He looks away harder than ever when her hand lands on his shoulder, squeezing a little.
"You're alright, kid. But I ain't interested."
He hates himself for being obvious and clumsy and too sweet to really try for what he wants. He hates her for being so perceptive. He hates the war because he tells himself that's why she's not interested. He hates himself for letting himself be bullied into this gorramn war, because he didn't choose this.
"Let's get movin', private. We've got ground to cover and the sergeant's waiting."
Tracey'd hate Mal, too, if it would do any good, for Zoe's hopeless loyalty to him. But that's not anyone's fault.