Different For Girls by Mosca (R)

[invisibleshrew.livejournal.com]

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Zoe/Wash, Kaylee
Length: c1800 words
Author on LJ: mosca
Why this must be read:

This is vintage pre-series Zoe - all smoothly reticent and reserved on the outside, but with her own inner conflicts. Mosca packs a lot into such a short story, and I love the contrast she has given Zoe between her spare, efficient, spoken voice, and her much richer internal dialogue. Kaylee and Wash sound and act (adorably) like themselves, and all in all it is a beautiful little look at the crew as they begin to come together into the tight-knit unit that we met in the pilot.



"You ain't gotta try so hard," Kaylee said, "to pretend to be my friend."

Zoe had always prided herself on subtlety about her dislikes. She wondered if she had overestimated herself that badly, or if Kaylee was as quick to spot a well-intentioned lie as she was to learn new knots. "We ought to at least get along," Zoe said.

"We ain't had no quarrels," Kaylee said. "That's all we oughta hope for, ain't it?" She laughed, and it seemed like there was no reason for it until she added, "What, you think 'cause we're the two women, we gotta be best girlfriends? I reckon I got a better chance of that with Wash."

"Don't you tell *him* that," Zoe said.

"Why not?" Kaylee said. Her lower lip trembled, and Zoe feared that at any moment, Kaylee would give her an emotional incident to clean up. "I thought he liked me," Kaylee said.

"He does," Zoe said. "He thinks you're cheerful. Even likes those lights you put up."

"They ain't too much?" Kaylee said. "I was worried, a little."

Zoe took in the deep breath she'd need for the long list of reasons why those lights needed to be packed up and never seen again, but she couldn't convince herself to be so cruel. Kaylee'd released her from that responsibility. "They're fine," she said.


Different For Girls