Work Text:
The temperature seemed to keep rising the longer they stayed on Ganaymede. To the point the sweltering heat was taking its toll on everyone. It was a blistering day, and they were doing all they could to beat the heat. Even inside the Bebop was uncomfortably hot; even with the A/C running at full blast. Faye slipped into the freezer, startling at the sight of Spike already perched on a commercial sized box of fries.
“Trying to get out of the heat, Romani?” Faye laughed, knowing damned well Spike was doing the same.
“You don’t have tits, or an ass. You try hauling all this around in this heat. Underboob sweat is the worst.” Faye pulled a face at the mere thought. In truth, Spike and Ed probably had it the easiest out of all of them. Their smaller statues working in their favor in this heatwave. Spike raised an eyebrow as he let his eyes wander from the top of her head to her chest. “HEY! Eyes up here mister.” Spike chuckled, raising his hands up in a defensive positon.
“You’re the one that brought it up.” In his defense, Faye was easy to look at, not that he’d ever come out and tell her that. “You can’t be mad because my eyes wandered because you mentioned your breasts. Hell, that’s downright asking me to look at that point, Romani.” Spike raised an eyebrow as Faye shivered as the temperature of the freezer began to take hold on her body.
“Don’t.” Faye’s words were clipped as she glared in Spike’s direction but when he started to shrug off his suit jacket, Faye found herself scrambling to back out of the freezer. Spike slowed his movements until he came to a stop, one arm out of his suit and the other still in the sleeve. Never letting his eyes leave hers, Spike pulled his jacket the rest of the way off before handing it to her. He watched as she slipped her arms into the holes and pulled it tight around her body.
The fact it was too hot to leave the freezer, and too cold to stay was the defiitnion of irony as far as Spike was concerned.
“Romani, you know I’d never….” Spke cut himself off before he sighed as he turned to face her fully. “Jet and I, we’d never try anything. Not unless you wanted one of us too. It’s just not the type of men we are.” The look of confusion that crossed Faye’s face made Spike sigh. “I flirt, I get that; and we argue like cats and dogs; Jet says we’re flirting regardless of if we’re fighting. But…yeah, unless you explicitly said you wanted it, neither of us would try anything.” Faye’s face softened at Spike’s words.
She hadn’t been aboard the Bebop all that long. She was still trying to find her footing in this world that she know called home.
It was nice to be reminded that not all men were assholes.
“Nice to know, Gadjo.” Faye’s tone is soft as she tightens the jacket around her frame regardless. Spike’s not sure if it’s from the cold or from their current line of conversation. He’s not sure he wants to know.
Something tells him he’ll find out sooner rather than later, no matter whether he wants to know or not. The things people wanted to keep hidden most usually have a way of working their way to the surface. Especially when it’s least expected.
Faye eyes him like she’s trying to peer into his very soul. Trying to discern what type of man he is. Faye hasn’t known them long enough to truly know. Spike’s kept to himself except for when they start arguing. And it’s always the stupidest shit they’re arguing over.
Jet says they’re too much alike for their own good; Faye hasn’t quite figured out what the elder man meant by that.
She’s not sure she’s going to hang around long enough to find out either. It’s just not in her nature to stick around anywhere for long.
Run, run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man.
It was a stupid child’s nursery rhyme, but it fit her situation rather well as far as she was concerned. As long as she stayed one step ahead of her creditors, Faye was happy. But in this day and age, that was near impossible to do. She’s already surprised her bounty hasn’t been renewed.
She owes so much money that Faye knows it’ll happen sooner or later. That or a court summons. The fact she has to let the guys check in her bounties is demoralizing to say the least. For once, she’d like to be able to handle her business by herself.
The fact they turn in her bountes and hand over the cash without comment says more than Faye wants to analyze right now. Because that sounds too close to a friendship as far as she’s concerned.
The fact she’s so scared of it tells Faye it can’t be healthy. Shaking her head to clear it of such thoughts, Faey curses the heat.
Let the heat take the blame for her line of thinking. It was better than the alternative. It was better than the thought that she might actually have started to care for these ragtag cowboys that had wanted to turn her in not so long ago. These cowboys that would have turned her in had her bounty not be canceled.
It’s a sobering thought. One that reminds her to not let them get too close. That in the end, if money were standing between her freedom and their dinner, she knew they would hesitate. Loyalty is rare in this day and age.
Faye had figured that out not long after she’d woken from her cryosleep. As the cold washes over her body, Faye shivers at the reminder before she pushes her way out of the freezer.
She’s letting them in too much. Ed, Ein, Spike and Jet. Letting them touch her heart in ways people haven’t since she’d nearly died.
With a head full of nothing and no sense of trust, Faye watches those that live on the Bebop like a hawk.
It’s the only thing she can do. It’s the only thing that’ll protect her.
Curse this damned heatwave for sending her thoughts spiraling. Curse Spike and Jet too, for not turning her in when they had the chance.
If they’d turned her in back then, she wouldn’t be dealing with this now.