Firefly Fic: The Red Hat

[meridian_rose]

Title: The Red Hat
Fandom: Firefly
Characters: Wash, Zoë
Rating: PG
Warnings: Nothing you wouldn’t find in an episode of the show
Wordcount: 536
Disclaimer: Firefly and related terms and characters do not belong to me. Not for profit.
Prompt: shopping on Persephone (though I almost feel the usage here is cheating)
Summary: Takes place just after leaving Persephone and before Mal gives his “welcome” speech to the passengers; Zoë and Wash discuss their new travel plans.
Notes: For the_browncoats fic rewatch challenge. Write a 300 word minimum fic set just before/during the pilot using one of the given prompts (see "prompt")

“So, we’re really going to Whitefalls?” Wash asked.

Zoë, sitting in the co pilots seat, and examining the allosaurus, said “If the pilot doesn’t know where we’re going, we are truly screwed.”

“You know what I mean,” Wash retorted. “I can’t believe Mal wants to go back there. Patience shot him.”

Zoë nodded and put the plastic dinosaur back down. “That’s true.”

“Shot him,” Wash went on, unable to let this fact go. Sometimes he thought he was the only sane one onboard – and he was the one who liked to play with toy dinosaurs. “I remember it well. There was blood. Lots of gushy blood.”

His wife said nothing. She could say a lot when she was being silent and right now she was wordlessly saying “Yes, there was blood, but he lived, and we’re still going to Whitefalls so there’s no point going on about it.” Wash sighed.

“He almost died,” the pilot said. This seemed highly relevant to him; the in-aptly named Patience wasn’t someone known for her restraint. He really didn’t want his wife going up against the sharpshooter again. It might be Zoë who got shot this time and then Wash would have to go and be heroic and most likely get himself killed.

“I soon got the bleeding under control.” Without a doctor onboard Zoë was often forced to draw upon the basic field first aid training she’d had during the war. She picked up the stegosaurus and moved it so that it was hiding behind the oblivious allosaurus.

“And the infection? Because selling all our antibiotics had seemed like such a good plan at the time? He was delirious for days! He kept talking about taking me shopping on Persephone. Promised to buy me a pretty red hat. Said I’d look darling in it.”

Wash had taken his turn to watch over the captain during his fevered dreams. There were things he’d heard during his vigil that he’d tried very hard to forget about since, but the red hat had stuck firmly in his mind.

“We’ve been to Persephone about ten times since then, including today, and Mal has never once taken me shopping. He’s never bought me a red hat. Or any hat. Or anything even resembling a gift.” Wash gestured empathically, knowing he was rambling. It wasn’t that he wanted Mal to take him hat shopping (it would be creepy and weird), it was that he was frustrated with the all too common situation they now found themselves in. “We’re hardly ever allowed to shopping at all. Just re-fuel, exchange cargo with Badger, and off we go, like as not with the Alliance on our tail. Then off to certain doom at Whitefalls, just to finish the day off with a bang!”

“You worry too much,” Zoë said, getting to her feet. “The captain will be ready for Patience this time. Look, we’re briefing the passengers in a minute. I have to go.”

“I’ll be there in a moment,” Wash said distractedly.

As Zoë turned to leave he pulled at her sleeve and looked at her imploringly. “At least wear body armour,” he begged.

Zoë leant over and kissed him on the cheek. “That, I can do.”

Comments

[iladora.livejournal.com]

aww, you got them exactly right! Wash worrying funnily and Zoe being all calm and respectful to the captain :)

[meridian_rose]

Thank you! I'd never written Wash before, so I'm glad it came off in character :)

[inanna1130.livejournal.com]

LOL. I love Wash babbling about not getting the hat, even though he didn't want it in the first place. It's very him. And a cute little interaction that shows how much he cares for Zoe. Very nice!

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :) I'm glad I got Wash so much in character.

[prlrocks.livejournal.com]

Oh, great job! I liked how you used the prompt. That got a laugh out of me. :D

Also really liked:

the in-aptly named Patience wasn’t someone known for her restraint.

True!

[meridian_rose]

I'm glad you liked the prompt; I really did think I was stretching it to the limit there!
Thanks for the comment; it's always good to know what works and what people's favourite parts were :)

[sarahetc.livejournal.com]

Sweet and funny! I really like this little glimpse of off camera life. Great stuff!

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :)

[leven-kemal.livejournal.com]

Well, at least Mal wasn't wanting to buy Wash a *green* hat, because in the Chinese culture, saying a man is wearing a green hat means his wife is being unfaithful to him. And given where things went in War Stories, a feverish Mal offering to buy Wash a *green* hat would not have gone over well. :D

Well dialoged and in character snip of Wash/Zoe interaction. I really enjoyed this.

[meridian_rose]

Thank you!
Re: the colour; I mostly picked it at random (and red is lucky in Chinese culture, I believe) but I had *no* idea a green hat had such a meaning. Thanks for sharing that, I love learning new things!