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F: Always A Place
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: None
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Meeting old friends and parting again. For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
over_look.
"So. It's good to see you."
Tracey was quick to note that Mal didn't look too pleased, to be honest. He was pretty sure why, too. He, after all, had invalided out before Hera. Hadn't been there with Mal during that horrible, horrible battle. It wasn't entirely his fault -- he really had been injured, after all -- but he got the feeling Mal had needed him around as more than a person he could steal beans from. Maybe Mal needed to protect him to keep himself focused, though by all accounts he had enough people to protect. Maybe he needed his smiles.
Tracey wasn't keen on Mal being pissed off at him for any reason, his fault or not. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and tilted his chin up so he could look into Mal's eyes, grinning a little. "Don't reckon you want to hear me apologisin' about invaliding out, sarge. Chances are I'd've died in Serenity Valley anyway, 'n' you know it and don't wish it on me. So let's skip the part of the conversation where I try to commiserate and you can tell me what you're doin' round these parts."
There was a frosty moment before Mal smiled, but smile he did. "Buyin' you a drink and listenin' to you tellin' me what you've been up to."
"That so?"
"Sure is."
The alcohol helped dissolve that frost a little, too. Sitting side by side on slightly wobbly barstools, side by side, elbows brushing companionably, for a while they talked about nothings. The weather, the company, the alcohol. Memories of the war that were slightly shinier and less soul destroying than Serenity Valley or any other desperate last stand that had turned out not to be the last. Old jokes they'd had. Zoe.
"So," Tracey asked, inspecting his drink carefully as if something might jump out at him from it before tossing it back with a little grimace that was really mostly for effect, "what are you doin'?"
Mal's smile was more of a smirk, really, as he watched Tracey. "Lookin' for a ship."
"Figure I know a place you might want to start."
That was a surprise, for a beat. And then Mal stretched a little, leaning against the bar and finishing his own drink. "Feel free to drag me there tomorrow. Or point me the place, whatever. If it's any good there I might offer you a place on my crew. For the post of... useless extra, or somethin'."
Tracey was never hurt by things like that. He just smiled. "Morale officer."
"That'd do. Can never be that unhappy with you around an' smilin'."
Mal was, he realised, rather more drunk than he'd thought, to be saying things like that to the kid. But Tracey just grinned and got up to get someone's attention for a top up of their drinks, so he decided to overlook his little slip into sentimentality.
"So, you have a crew planned? What're you gonna do when you get a ship of your own?"
Mal shrugged, and Tracey smiled to himself at the eager expression on his old sarge's face. "Not really. Plannin' on just... flyin' under the radar. Taking what jobs there are. Flying beyond Alliance jurisdiction as much as I can. Zoe's the second mate, if I can get in contact with her. You're welcome aboard, o' course. We'll be needin' a pilot, a mechanic and a cook. That's about it. If you can cook..."
"I ain't coming with you."
"Why the gorramn hell not?"
Tracey looked a little sad, shrugging slightly. "I'd be no use, an' you know it. I ain't havin' you and Zoe runnin' after me all my life. No offence to you an' all, sarge."
"If you ever need a place..."
"I know."
Pairing: None
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Meeting old friends and parting again. For
over_look."So. It's good to see you."
Tracey was quick to note that Mal didn't look too pleased, to be honest. He was pretty sure why, too. He, after all, had invalided out before Hera. Hadn't been there with Mal during that horrible, horrible battle. It wasn't entirely his fault -- he really had been injured, after all -- but he got the feeling Mal had needed him around as more than a person he could steal beans from. Maybe Mal needed to protect him to keep himself focused, though by all accounts he had enough people to protect. Maybe he needed his smiles.
Tracey wasn't keen on Mal being pissed off at him for any reason, his fault or not. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and tilted his chin up so he could look into Mal's eyes, grinning a little. "Don't reckon you want to hear me apologisin' about invaliding out, sarge. Chances are I'd've died in Serenity Valley anyway, 'n' you know it and don't wish it on me. So let's skip the part of the conversation where I try to commiserate and you can tell me what you're doin' round these parts."
There was a frosty moment before Mal smiled, but smile he did. "Buyin' you a drink and listenin' to you tellin' me what you've been up to."
"That so?"
"Sure is."
The alcohol helped dissolve that frost a little, too. Sitting side by side on slightly wobbly barstools, side by side, elbows brushing companionably, for a while they talked about nothings. The weather, the company, the alcohol. Memories of the war that were slightly shinier and less soul destroying than Serenity Valley or any other desperate last stand that had turned out not to be the last. Old jokes they'd had. Zoe.
"So," Tracey asked, inspecting his drink carefully as if something might jump out at him from it before tossing it back with a little grimace that was really mostly for effect, "what are you doin'?"
Mal's smile was more of a smirk, really, as he watched Tracey. "Lookin' for a ship."
"Figure I know a place you might want to start."
That was a surprise, for a beat. And then Mal stretched a little, leaning against the bar and finishing his own drink. "Feel free to drag me there tomorrow. Or point me the place, whatever. If it's any good there I might offer you a place on my crew. For the post of... useless extra, or somethin'."
Tracey was never hurt by things like that. He just smiled. "Morale officer."
"That'd do. Can never be that unhappy with you around an' smilin'."
Mal was, he realised, rather more drunk than he'd thought, to be saying things like that to the kid. But Tracey just grinned and got up to get someone's attention for a top up of their drinks, so he decided to overlook his little slip into sentimentality.
"So, you have a crew planned? What're you gonna do when you get a ship of your own?"
Mal shrugged, and Tracey smiled to himself at the eager expression on his old sarge's face. "Not really. Plannin' on just... flyin' under the radar. Taking what jobs there are. Flying beyond Alliance jurisdiction as much as I can. Zoe's the second mate, if I can get in contact with her. You're welcome aboard, o' course. We'll be needin' a pilot, a mechanic and a cook. That's about it. If you can cook..."
"I ain't coming with you."
"Why the gorramn hell not?"
Tracey looked a little sad, shrugging slightly. "I'd be no use, an' you know it. I ain't havin' you and Zoe runnin' after me all my life. No offence to you an' all, sarge."
"If you ever need a place..."
"I know."