Disclaimer: As if.
A/N: So this is my first Firefly fanfic and I'm a newbie in terms of Firefly fandom. Read two or three fics and found myself shipping Mal/Kaylee, so this is my attempt, points of view from "Shindig" which I really loved and won't let anyone in the house tape over. Anyways, criticism, suggestions, comments, complaints- just review.
Kaylee is absolutely in love with the city. It didn't take her very long to figure out, and now with all the people and the smells and, of course, the fashion. So pretty soon she's transfixed with that one dress, because she's never owned anything like that. It's always been work clothes, because what kind of mechanic needs a ruffled dress? And then, while she fawns over it, Mal decided to read her thoughts out loud. He's impatient, she knows that, but does he have to point out that she doesn't need it? He might as well say she'd never look good in a dress like Inara while he's at it.
She walks off, holding back the tears that always seem to come. He starts to watch her go when Zoë gives him one of those icy looks that speaks for itself and he sighs. He's done it again. Why is he always doing that?
They're back on the ship and he's found her where he knew he would. She is, he chides himself mentally, an engineer, after all. "Kaylee," he begins, determined and commanding, like he always is.
"I'm not speaking to you, Captain," she replies, realizing as she says it how little sense it makes.
"I've got a job for you," he says and begins to walk away, determined enough to ignore her iciness. She's not impressed and turns back to her work, but he knows she'll follow soon enough.
When they walk into that fancy room she wonders what would happen if she acted all offended by him more often. He looks awkward, but at that point she's past caring, really, and then he's holding his hand out to her like a proper gentleman, looking a little less awkward as she takes his hand.
"Do these seem kinda tight?" He asks, sounding uncomfortable once again as she stares at the glitter and the glam and, of course, the chandelier. He is uncomfortable, in the clothes, in the room, heck, just being in the building makes him cringe.
"Shows off your backside," she responds easily, hardly looking at him, and he wonders briefly when she had a chance to check. She's grinning at the room as a whole as he's about to ask why she's been looking, but she's already moved on to another wonder. She's jabbering on like she always does, but he catches the talk about her dress because he knew the dress was a good idea.
"And so do I. How 'bout that?" She asks jovially, reaching out her arms and looking positively charming. She does have a pretty dress, he supposes. Pretty enough just because that's how she obviously feels wearing it. Kaylee doesn't care if they're there on business, not one bit. She can pretend that she's there because she belongs.
"…Make me look respectable," she catches as she clues in to him once again. He does look respectable, without her needing to pretend it, she thinks appraisingly, looking at him quickly.
"Yes sir, Captain Tight Pants," and he's that close to saying something about when he decides it's probably better to just move on. She's grinning again, one of those special Kaylee grins, and she mentions something about Inara.
"She's wearing gold," he says, eyes sweeping the room. Kaylee glances at him. He may have remembered Inara's dress colour, but he cheated Badger out of money for hers.
Now he's mentioning something about the man they're supposed to find, but she's captivated again and there's nothing he can do. "Is that him?" She asks, half-serious and half-playful, pointing to the buffet table.
He looks down at her. "That's the buffet table." She makes some comment about not knowing unless he's been questioned, then grins up at him, looking pleading and innocent all at once. He feels like her father being asked for permission, and it feels odd, but he sends her off all the same. "Just don't get sick!" He mutters after her, feeling again like her father. But the smile he gets for the decision and the warning is just perfect and takes the awkwardness out of the whole situation.
Off she goes, holding a single strawberry. She tries talking to one of the men, acting just like she always does- because that's what she's like, Mal thinks. Just Kaylee, nothing to hide. She's a little surprised herself, because she thought she'd have to pretend, but the words come easy to her, just like they always have. The man excuses himself with a little bow and walks away, not a word, and she marvels at his politeness even when he's blatantly escaping from her. Mal watches her greet some girls looking like Inara's kind of people, still being Kaylee with her smile and her exuberance. He watches the interaction long enough to see a comment made that makes her face fall, and suddenly the magic's disappeared for her.
He finds himself continuing to watch and he's feeling protective and offended just because, but then she's smiling once again, looking down at the mess of ruffles and lace and pink that she's wearing. Once again, however, she's sad suddenly; looking so sad that he's sure they said something about the dress. She finds new company, however, and the grin is back and he moves on to find his client.
Kaylee can see the Captain working his magic once again, talking to a rather pompous-looking man with a red sash. She smiles broadly in his general direction, not bothering to wish him luck with the man because she knows he doesn't need it, looking respectable or not. Mal is working is magic, but he's caught short when he hears Inara's laugh nearby, dancing with a man he doesn't particularly like the look of and he's hit with a sudden wave of jealousy. He chides himself, trying to remember business even as he's introduced to Atherton and begins to talk. He knows he's laying it on too thick and risks the request for a dance because he's Captain Malcolm Reynolds and that's just the kind of thing he does.
He's dancing with Inara and Kaylee finds them from her spot on the edge of the dance floor and can't stop watching them. She's not sure whether or not it's the intricate steps or the looks on their faces or maybe something else, something a little more like envy that keeps her watching. Envy of the dance, envy of Inara's grace and easiness on the dance floor, or envy of the fact that she's dancing with the Captain.
They dance and even though Mal's with a woman who belongs there and even though it's a dance he knows, the conversation becoming too complicated- and abruptly he just wants Kaylee's easy innocence and simplicity. "I see Kaylee's here," Inara comments, and Mal's not quite sure what to make of it.
"You shoulda seen her when I told her she had that layer cake she's wearing."
"I think she looks adorable," Inara says, and for a split second he's angry at her because it sounds so condescending. Brushing it away he replied ruefully.
"Yeah, I but I never said it," thinking that there's something else to forget and letting his eyes wander to where she is. She's happy now; it's plain to see, talking about engines with a group of men. Once again he gets that jealous feeling, watching her laugh, and then he's enveloped in one of those conversations he finds himself in, punctuated by a punch. Kaylee hears the thud from across the room and knows it's Mal, knows he's done it again and knows it has something to do with Inara. It always does. There was another pang of jealousy before it was overridden by shock which was overrun by a quiet familiarity of the scene unfolding in front of her.
He looks at her as she walks up and takes a few moments from worrying about Inara and what he's done to hate himself, once again, for ruining her evening. She walks up with a "What's going on?" sounding part 'Here we go again' and part worried sick. The word 'long blade' comes out of their prospective client's mouth and he and Kaylee are thinking the same thing.
Inara walks off with Atherton and he's thankful for Kaylee once again. Despite protecting Inara's honour, Kaylee's the one who's still there. He tries to tell himself that's just how it is but it still means something. She looks up at him. "Up until the punching," she begins ruefully, "It was a real nice party." She looks a little sad but not at all surprised, and he's sorry and he wants to say it but he can't.
Some twenty minutes later she's back on the ship and she feels as out of place as she must look, but at least she's keeping it reasonably together. And it's not like she doesn't see the way Simon looks at her, it's just that she's too busy worrying about Mal and a sword put together to really care for once. In Mal's room, when Inara walks in, he's pleased. He can't help himself. She can teach him how to fight, but she's also making him feel like an idiot. And he can't help think that, if Kaylee were there, she would find an optimistic view, despite the ruining of her evening and the fact that he would probably be killed the next morning.
Back on the ship Kaylee was still valiantly trying not to do that whole crying thing. "He said not to do anything. He'll join us after the duel." There's that blind faith of hers, they think, but she's not as hopeful as she sounds.
Inara's explaining it and she's holding his hand and they're fighting again. The complexity is back, and he's pretty sure that, with her, he just can't ignore it. He walks back in to the ship the next morning and Kaylee is so relieved he's not dead that she almost forgets herself. They're happy, they've got a shipment, all with one wound. Only one. It might just be a new record for them.
Later she sits in her almost-room and stares at the dress and listens to the lovely music and tries to think of Simon looking at her appraisingly instead of Captain Tight Pants and that chandelier and the strawberry. Mal sits with Inara and tries to focus on whatever really sweet thing she's probably saying instead of thinking about the chandelier and the aura of finery and Kaylee's smile, making it all seem real.