Title: Serenity's Shiny
Rating: K+
Genre: Family/Romance
Pairing: Mal/Kaylee
Summary: She was all about the shiny.
Author's Note: Part of my Shiny 'verse.
Serenity's Shiny
1/1
Mal was used to bein' right, but he wasn't too fussed when his baby girl came into the world. She was just as shiny as her momma and fit just right in his arms. She took after Kaylee from the first moment she was set down with her mom. Lifted her tiny little hand up and grabbed hold of Kaylee's necklace; an old nut from one of the loose screws on the engine hangin' on a chain he bought. Gift he gave her on their first anniversary and she hadn't taken it off since. His little daughter grabbed onto the shiny object and held on tight. Ever since she'd had a real fascination with anything like it. She played with nuts and bolts rather than the pretty dolls her "uncles" bought her whenever they landed. She liked grease on her hands better than the bubbles her aunty Zoe blew for her to clap at. She relaxed better to the hum of the engine rather than the lullabies her momma sang for her. She was Kaylee's daughter, no doubt about that.
They gave her the best name they could think of; one with symbolism and background and that meant more to them than any other name could. They didn't name her for three days, kept callin' her 'baby girl' until one morning they had her lyin' between them. She was on her stomach, droolin' and squirmin', making nonsense noises and smilin' up at them all shiny like. She kept reachin' for the ship wall and strokin' it with her little hand affectionately; opposite of how she grabbed everything else and shook it around excitedly or slapped her hands against things in curiosity. Only thing that ever got her real quiet was the ship and that's how they knew what would fit her right. They looked at each other all knowing and nodded. And that was that, they had their little girl and her name was Serenity.
She fit her name just right and loved the ship it came from just as much. Her favorite place was the engine room where she got to play with all the shiny objects to her little heart's content. Even as she grew up, her interest in the ways of the engine and the parts that made it work never went away. She liked the tools that put the engine back together and the bits that didn't work no more. He saw his little girl already turnin' into a mini version of his wife. She already had the ear for listenin', knew what the ship wanted and was learnin' quick how to do it. When she was able to walk, she'd pass her mom the tools light enough for her to hold. She knew the engine room inside out and she didn't wander far from her momma; she knew better than that. When she wasn't with him, sittin' in his lap and playin' with his wedding ring, mumbling, "Shiny," just like her momma did, she was off mechanacin' with Kaylee, bein' the best little helper she could be.
She was growin' up quick and becomin' more girly as she went. She wore her pretty dresses, even if she had her dirty little coveralls on underneath. She wore ribbons in her hair; the same hair that was always tangled and streaked with grease from her fingers runnin' through them. And she painted flowers on things; usually whatever her favorite shiny object was for that day. Her way of markin' it her own, he figured. She wasn't too fussy about things, was usually pretty happy about things however they were. She loved the markets whenever the landed and seein' all the things people were sellin'. But it was the scrap she loved best; goin' along with them to find what parts they figured they needed. It was like she was celebratin' her birthday whenever they 'round that type of stuff.
He expected to grow out of it some. Lose that bit of innocence that made her think metal and grease were the best gorram thing in the whole black 'verse. But she didn't change none. Not when she learned that other girls liked dolls and dresses and hated getting dirty. She didn't cry 'icky' when her momma's greasy hand would take hers, not like how one of the daughters of a client he was puttin' up 'til the next planet acted. She liked her life just fine and she didn't tell him she wanted to be more girly. And when she grew up some, 'nough to know she wasn't like her aunty Inara, even if she liked her pretties, she didn't come to him and ask for more girly stuff. In fact, she told him different.
"I ain't wanna be like Aunty 'Nara. She ain't get to have no fun. She can't play with any shinies none and that's just sad," Serenity told him, nodding her head abruptly.
"Reckon Inara likes her life just fine, Ren," he told her, bouncing her on his knee like he used to do when she was a baby. She leaned back against his chest and played with his wedding ring, twirling it around on his finger.
"That's 'cause she ain't know what it's like to be free."
He looked down at his daughter, brows furrowing.
"Momma's freer than her, daddy. She gets to do what she loves and she don't have to worry none about how she looks. 'Cause you love her the same and you love me the same, if I'm dirty or clean." She nodded. "So why be clean when I can be dirty and doin' what I likes?"'
He shook his head, smiling some. "Figure you might have somethin' there, Ren."
She nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, momma says I got her smarts."
He laughed, shaking his head.
She smiled up at him, same smile as her momma. And she hummed under her breath, the tune her momma kept humming these days. She ran her grease covered fingers over his wedding band some more and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
"Hey daddy, you reckon the baby's gonna love the same shiny stuff as me an' momma?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Figure he'll find what he finds shiny and that's all there is."
She grinned, tipping her head back. "I'm gonna give him my favorite wrench."
"Not the one painted with flowers, right?" he asked, eyes thinned. No boy of his was gonna have flowery wrenches, that was for gorram sure!
"'Course not, daddy. I's gonna give you that for daddy's day," she told him, smiling up at him.
He chuckled. "You know how daddy loves his flowers."
She nodded. "Yup. They's real shiny, ain't they?"
He nodded, turning back to his log book.
She squirmed around on his lap for a moment before hopping down. "I just 'membered momma got me that toaster from the last core!" She looked up at him, grinning widely, eyes shimmering with excitement. "I'm gonna fix it and make ya some toast, kay?" She ran off before he could answer and shook his head to himself.
He looked up a minute later when his wife came in the room. She had some grease smudged on her face and her hair was up in a funny ponytail. She had her coveralls tied around her waist by the arms, her stomach protruding some. She sat down in his lap, where Serenity had been sittin' and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"She leave ya for her toaster?" Kaylee asked knowingly.
"Second she remembered," he replied, tipping his head to lean against hers.
She chuckled softly. "Couldn't hardly get her away from that scrap pile 'til she saw that toaster. Then she was holdin' on to it tight and lookin' at me with them eyes." She smiled. "You know the ones."
"Yeah, they're just like yours when you're tryin' to talk me into a few more parts," he replied, lifting a brow.
"You like them eyes just fine," she said sitting up and turning toward him with a grin. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she tipped her head to kiss him. "You like gettin' me them scraps almost as much as I do."
"Yeah well," he muttered, reaching up to push a tangle of hair outta her eyes. "Must like the reward plenty."
She smiled, pressing her lips to his, her tongue tangling with his and her fingers weavin' around his hair. The bump of her stomach hindered them some, but they managed as she turned around, closer to him. His hands fell down her back, squeezin' and kneadin' her sides. He could feel her sighing into his mouth as her tongue reached for his once more. Tasted like strawberries; he gorram loved that fruit.
"Daddy!" Serenity called from outside the room. "Come look at the toaster! It's got sparks comin' off it!" She giggled. Girl ain't got no fear in her!
Kaylee separated from him, laughing. He shook his head. "Don't you touch them sparks, Ren!" he called out, carefully standing up and putting Kaylee on her feet. "You better not to be pokin' it with your wrench neither!"
"Just a little!" she called back.
He rolled his eyes. He loved his daughter but somehow she managed to get in trouble surrounded by nothin' but the shiny bits she loved and a wrench covered in flowers. "What'd daddy tell you about 'lectricity and metal?"
"Ouch!" she replied.
"Exactly!" he said, nodding.
He could hear his wife laughing in the background and smothered a smile. Being a dad was never boring, that was for sure.
Author's Note: Didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but I like it well enough. Hope you do too! Reviews are sustenance, readers! Luv yas - Fina!