Inevitable Betrayal || Zoe, Mal and Wash - M!A
Wash made his way slowly up the stairs from the cargo bay. He needed a strong cup of coffee. Or a cup of whatever was passing for coffee these days. Maybe that would help him shake the weird clenching feeling his gut. The feeling that something was wrong. Zoe had come back from a job, just like normal. But something about her was... different. Off. Like she wasn't telling him something. And that was making his insides do all sorts of uncomfortable squirming.
She'd just... brushed him off. Like he was nothing. To say it hadn't stung would be a damn lie. But he knew Zoe. She wasn't like that. Even when she was busy or tired or stressed, she could always spare a moment for him. Even if it was just a look, a quick brush of hands. She always found some tiny way of showing that she gave a damn. But today she'd looked right through him. And the more Wash tried to tell himself he was being an idiot - that he was overreacting - the worse he felt. Why wouldn't she just look at me?
Before Wash could brood any more on the subject, a sharp cry came from the distance - from the dining room. He frowned and sped up his pace. What the hell? Wasn't the most normal sound to hear aboard Serenity. He was soon rushing down the main corridor, the common area just ahead. There were strained voices coming from within. Okay, looks like there's plenty of weird stuff goin' on today... Wash reached the door.
He stood there, rooted to the spot. He couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. There was no way he was seeing this. He blinked rapidly, willing the image before his eyes to vanish. But it didn't. A cold, sickening vice tightened around his heart, before settling in his gut. It a tight knot of... hell, everything! Confusion. Disbelief. Anger. Hurt. Nausea. And most of all betrayal. It wedged in his heart like an icy splinter, running straight to the core. Somewhere through his shocked haze, he knew he should be screaming right now. Yelling, accusing. Hell, even throwing things! But he couldn't find the words. Couldn't find his voice. What's a guy supposed to say when his whole world rips apart at the seams, leaving everything he cared about in shreds? Zoe was straddling Mal, her mouth pressed to his passionately. There was no hiding what was going on. No doubts his heart could cling to in order to make denying it easier.
And somewhere, deep in the back of his mind, a tiny, insidious voice whispered: You were right.
Wash didn't know how long he'd been standing there, mouth agape. Heartbreak written across his face. Finally, he managed words. Well, one word. And it sounded thick. Raw. Like he hadn't used his voice in ages.
