Sisters
Title: Sisters
Author: hola_meg_a_cola
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Serenity was his transport, his coworker on jobs, his home. Just how the hell did it end up as some gorram love shack? [SimonKaylee hints][Oneshot]
Author’s Note: First completed “Firefly” fan fic. I love Simon and Kaylee’s relationship, but at the same time, love Mal and Kaylee’s bother/sister bond. So, I combined both and came up with this.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I certainly would have never trusted Fox with it.
Feedback: Being my first “Firefly” fic, constructive criticism is welcomed.
-V-
Serenity was his transport, his coworker on jobs, his home. Just how the hell did it end up as some gorram love shack?
For some reason, that was the first thing Captain Malcolm Reynolds thought when he saw Kaylee in the engine room that morning. Even with Serenity roaring loudly into the black, the mechanic’s humming was audible as she worked under the engine. She was cheerful- too cheerful, in his opinion. Kaylee had always been known for her optimism and sweet demeanor, but lately, it had only increased and it had left Mal wondering…
He tapped his hand against the engine, the metallic sounds bouncing off the walls. Almost immediately, Kaylee rolled out from underneath, her honey colored hair pulled into a tight bun and her smooth skin covered in grease. She smiled as she saw Mal looking down at her, leaning against Serenity.
“Cap’n, just the man I wanted to talk to! Serenity’s belt is just ‘bout to go, and since we’re already headin’ for Persephone, I was hopin’ that-”
“Let’s see how this job goes first, lil’ Kaylee,” Mal reassured her, giving her a stiff smile. He glanced around the room before forcing his eyes back at her. “You’re shiny today- a bit too shiny, considering your baby’s not doin’ well. Any reason you’d like to share with me?”
He could’ve swore Kaylee blushed at his question, but his suspicions were paused as she giggled brightly, sitting up. “I can be shiny even when Serenity is hurting; she’s been through ‘lot worse and has lived to tell the tale.”
Mal chuckled under his breath, patting Serenity affectionately. “That she has, that she has,” he muttered, still keeping his eyes on Kaylee. Silence was brief between them before Mal blurted, “You ain’t planning on tellin’ me, are you?”
“Tell you what, Cap’n, that I need that belt ASAP? Well, as a matter of fact…” The mechanic trailed off, her wide smile still shining.
The captain wore the same begrudging frown and turned around. “Keep working, meimei,” he threw over his shoulder, leaving the room behind him.
Mal hated secrets, especially the ones his crew told him; bad ones were the worst, and he had a helping of all three.
-V-
Inara sauntered into the kitchen wordlessly, her magnificent clothing trailing behind her. She approached the cabinets, quietly rummaging through them. Finally, on the top shelf behind the canned corn, Inara found her blueberry green tea. Placing her delicate tea cup onto the counter, she placed the tea bag into it. She filled the kettle under the faucet and placed it on top of the stove.
Mal stood in front of her as she turned around, his arms crossed. Inara smiled softly. “Good morning, captain. Is there a problem?” She asked, her voice cool and smooth.
His expression remained the same, his fingers lightly drumming against his arms. Finally, he said, “Wanna tell me what’s goin’ on with my mechanic?”
Inara blinked, her expression remaining perfectly beautiful and still. It had been awhile since Mal had begun a conversation without calling her a whore, but it bothered her that it was about Kaylee. She shouldn’t have been surprised; Kaylee was the closest thing Mal had to a sister, and was fiercely overprotective of her. “Is there something the matter with Kaylee? Is she upset, frantic…?”
Mal shook his head. “Nah, nah; she’s shiny,” he explained, tilting his head down and walking around Inara and toward the kitchen table.
Inara raised her finely trimmed eyebrows. “Really?” She asked, confused. “I didn’t know that was a bad thing.”
“It’s not,” Mal answered, leaning against the kitchen table, “Kaylee is always shiny, but lately, she’s been too shiny, especially when she ain’t got no reason to be.”
Inara opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again, searching for the proper words. “And you’re approaching me with this question because…?” Her elegant voice trailed off, hoping for an answer.
She got one, as Mal finished, “Because you two gossip with each other more than a couple of women at a church function, and I was hopin’ you’d care to share some of that gossip with yer landlord.”
The shrill of the whistle resounded in the room, and Inara walked over to the stove and turned the fire off. She poured the boiling water into the cup, allowing the blueberry scent to tingle her nose.
“As much fun as that sounds, I’m afraid there is nothing to gossip about. Kaylee is Kaylee, and some days she’s simply more cheerful than others; nothing more.” Placing her cup on a saucer, Inara flashed Mal another cool smile before exiting the kitchen, the blueberry smell leaving a fresh trail.
Mal rubbed his nose, staring blankly at the doorway of the kitchen. He should have known better than to ask Inara; those girls were as thick as thieves, and wouldn’t have muttered a word about the other’s business unless they wanted it to be known. It was a bit of knowledge that he picked up from experience; Zoe was the same way since he met her, and had never known her to mum a word that didn’t want mumming.
He sighed as he thought of his first mate; they were ragtag soldiers, veterans of the Unification War which they had utterly lost. The experience had only made them close, closer than friends or lovers. Many people were shocked that they weren’t the latter, but they didn’t understand the tough times and the bond they shared. They were comrades, brothers in war, and it was hard to classify that.
Mal frowned as he delved deeper into thought, thinking about Zoe. Nowadays, when Zoe was a topic, Wash was always connected to it. He remembered when he first hired him; Zoe was adamant about her distrust of him, simply stating that it was a gut feeling. She was relentless about it for awhile, barely even speaking to him.
That was, until Wash shaved off his thick moustache; ‘too itchy,” he had explained, showing it off to his crewmates. After that, Zoe began talking with him more often, warming up to him finally. It wasn’t long until Mal found his first mate in his pilot’s bunk, wrapped in his sheets. She confirmed with her captain that she had seduced the unsuspecting Wash, and in fact was in love with him.
From then on, Mal had made it a point to enforce to the other members of his crew that ship romances would be looked down upon severely, and-
Suddenly, everything made sense. Mal felt a grin creep at the edges of his mouth, and tried his best not let it overcome him. He would never be able to pry any information out of Kaylee or Inara; women simply were too tough to crack.
But men were a bit easier…
-V-
“River, I need you to hold still for just a moment,” Simon pleaded with his sister, trying his best to hold into her arm. In his other hand was a needle, the liquid clear and undiluted.
On the infirmary bed sat River, staring blankly into nothingness. “It is impossible for the human body to hold perfectly still while alive; only though death can it be achieved…”
Simon sighed, rolling his eyes as he did so. “Well, meimei, try your best without opting for choice number two. You’ve been doing so much better, that I decided to reduce your dosage by half. I think we’re well on our way to a good recovery.”
River perked up, still staring at nothing but her eyes brightened, as if watching something that caught her interest. After a moment of silence, she laughed loudly, her arm pulling away and allowed her to cover her mouth as she continued. Looking back at her brother, River smacked his hand, allowing the needle to fall from his hand and drop to the floor.
Groaning, Simon followed it, picking it up with two fingers. “River, quit acting like a brat! We don’t have the money to just throw away perfectly good medicine!” He scolded her, turning around to see Mal there, his arms crossed.
Taken aback, Simon looked around Mal to see the edge of River’s blue dress disappear behind the threshold of the infirmary, her laughter following her. The young doctor cleared his throat. “Hello, captain; is there something that you needed?”
Mal grinned slightly, shaking his head. “Nah, I jus’ came ‘round to see what all the hubbub was about. Shoulda figured yer sister was in one of her moods.”
Simon nodded in agreement, stepping closer to Mal. “A less severe mood, but annoying, nonetheless,” he stated, walking closer, “If you’ll excuse me, captain, I really should find her. Tyen forbid she goes near Jayne again without her medicine…”
Before he could escape, Mal pushed his hand against Simon’s chest, causing him to step backwards. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that, doc; Serenity’s big, but she ain’t that big, and it shouldn’ be too much trouble to find her.”
Sighing in defeat, Simon placed the needle on the counter, his free hand placed on his waist. He rubbed the back of his neck, muttering, “Sisters are a pain.”
“Ain’t that right,” Mal agreed, approaching the doctor. “‘Course, I’m an only child; got no sisters or even brothers to my name.”
Simon crossed his arms and leaned against the infirmary counter. “Is that right?” He said quietly, not intentionally stating it to his captain.
Mal shrugged his shoulders, and stared at the door threshold where River had previously been. “Yep, only one Reynolds to carry on the family name. Closest thing I got to a sister is lil’ Kaylee and I’ll tell ya, I never thought I’d be so eager to protect her.”
Simon’s eyes lit up at the mention of Kaylee’s name, and a soft pink flush came over his pale skin. “It’s only a natural instinct; with no other male figure around, a brother is naturally compelled to protect his sister.”
Nodding his head, Mal continued, “Kaylee’s a free spirit, she’s gon’ do what she wants with who she wants, and I can’t do a damn thing about it.”
“Kaylee has a good sense of judgment; I’m sure you don’t have to worry too much,” the doctor added, letting the words slip from his mouth unintentionally.
The edges of Mal’s mouth begged to widen, but he resisted, holding back his wicked grin. “Oh, I’m sure, but I don’ care how good to the core the man is; if he so much as takes her smile off her face, I’ll make sure he becomes Reaver grub.”
Simon’s faced dropped, his lily white skin that Mal had teased him about became a might lighter shade. His blue eyes turned to Mal, wide and worried. He pulled at the color of his well tailored outfit; Simon rarely wore his fine clothing anymore, but since they were arriving on Persephone by that afternoon, he decided to try and look a bit civilized. “I see,” he said weakly, clenching his thick jaw.
Mal finally allowed some of his grin to show, and patted Simon’s arm roughly. “Shiny. Now that we’ve cleared that up, go and find your sister before she carves ‘nother one of my crew up like a turkey dinner.”
The words barely left him mouth when Simon darted out of the door, the needle in his hand. Mal laughed, shaking his head. He was a bad man, that Malcolm Reynolds, and he enjoyed it. He knew that Simon would accidently let their conversation slip to Kaylee, who then would come after him and berate him. Of course, Kaylee being Kaylee, she would talk about it with Inara, who would leave her shuttle only to find Mal and scold him for prying into other people’s business, warning him to let things be.
But Mal felt justified; Serenity was more than some love shack, and someone had to remind the crew of that, and who better than the captain himself?
-V-
Fin.