Skin to Skin: Variations on a Fruit Theme

Oneshot! Simon and Kaylee explore their budding relationship in a vineyard. Stand alone or a companion piece to 'Finger Lickin' Good'. No spoilers. SK fluff.

A/N: this is so odd but I finished it so I'm going to post it. Let me know if I'm totally nuts for writing this.

It was the grandest dinner they'd had in a long while. A full spread of roasted meats and tangy, seasoned pastas. Crusty breads and creamy cheeses. Fresh vegetables that had been sautéed in fine oil. More than they could ever hope to stuff their bellies with and richer than anything most of them had ever tasted.

But the crowning asset of the meal was the wine, made at the very vineyard currently hosting the little fête, in appreciation for Serenity's completion of a job well done on the vintner's behalf. Thanks to the ship and her crew, they had finally received their delivery of hand-blown glass bottles from their border planet supplier just in time for the impending harvest; such narrow misses were cause for the greatest of celebrations.

And so their hosts had fired up their ovens and made a special trip to the farmer's market to show their appreciation. A long table had been set out behind the main house within skipping distance of the vast fields of grapes. And they had opened an oak cask of their own highly renowned wine- so famous that Simon had informed them that the label was to be found in the finest domiciles on the Core planets. No doubt his family had possessed several bottles in their own wine cellar.

Thus the crew and the vineyard's owners and workers had all ate and drank and danced and drank some more until dusk was setting and everyone was lolling into a fitful state of restful satiation. Wash and Zoë were cuddled up together, exchanging mellow conversation with the vintner and his wife. Shepard Book was sitting at the table discussing theology and wine-making with a couple of the older gentlemen over glasses of their pride and joy. River and Kaylee were taking their turns dancing with any of the young men who could keep up with their boundless energy. Mal and Inara watched the revelry from the other end of the table, their backs perched against the wood and half-empty glasses in their hands. Jayne was stretched out on the grass softly dozing; his head perched in the lap of a beautiful and amenable lady worker, who periodically sipped on his abandoned glass while lazily tangling her fingers in his hair. On this rare occasion the mercenary wore a contented grin on his sleeping mug, as if he were a baby cradled in the loving arms of its mother. And Simon took up a comfy spot against a tree, leaning back and taking in the entire scene with an unusual sense of serenity.

Serenity. It was ironic how that word had haunted him of late. It was the ship that had saved him and his beloved sister, on which he had now spent the better part of a year, and yet its namesake had eluded him for nearly his entire journey. He had always been on his guard; ready to run at even the hint of Alliance presence nearby, ready to handle River when she would get out of hand, ready to patch the crew back up when jobs didn't go as 'smooth' as was hoped. Serenity, peace, was a luxury he had not been able to afford for himself; only now, in its presence, did he realize how he had truly missed it. Tomorrow might bring bounty hunters, manic episodes, gun fights or other surprising but not entirely unanticipated crises. But right now Simon was content, and realizing it somehow made it all the more sweet.

So lost was the young doctor in thought that he missed Kaylee dancing over in his direction. The fire-glow from the table lanterns in the background softly outlined her form, making her hair and skin glow an ethereal gold and creating a fluid shadow that fell across his chest. When he looked up, Simon saw the silhouette of an angel hovering over him. The angel smiled down at him, revealing two perfectly even rows of shining pearl teeth and a pair of brilliant eyes that danced with laughter. Simon's jaw fell dumbly as he squinted at the figure before him. How much wine did I drink?

Not until she said his name did he recognize the ship's mechanic standing in front of him. "Simon?" Kaylee wrinkled her nose as she took in his expression, her body still absently swaying from the singing instruments behind her. "What are you doin' over here all by your lonesome? Don't 'cha wanna come dance with me 'n River?"

Simon recovered a bit of his usual composure and gave her a slight shake of his head, "I'm not much of a dancer, especially with this kind of music. I…" as he launched into his usual retreat he watched her face fall minutely and realized he was about to disappoint her yet again. He amended his comment, "…actually I think I might have had a bit too much wine. I'm pretty sure any bit of coordination I might have possessed is long gone." He ended with an apologetic smile.

Kaylee, however, would not be deterred. "Well you can at least walk, can't 'cha? I wanna go see the vineyard, get a look at what all the fuss is about." She extended her hand in a sort of insistent invitation, and Simon found himself more inclined to consider this new suggestion.

"Actually, I have been wondering what sort of grapes they use to make such a fantastic wine."

Taking this as a full acceptance, Kaylee's eyes sparkled anew, "Well, let's go check it out. Don't think they'll mind if we take a little bitty peek and maybe sample a grape or two. Come on!"

Simon thought this was a brilliant idea but was emboldened by the alcohol in his system enough to tease the expectant girl standing above him, "I don't know, Kaylee. I'm so comfortable sitting here. I doubt I could even get up."

"Oh, stop messin' and come with me. I'll even help you up. Here…" and she reached down to grasp his hands in her own. He was happy to feel the warmth of her much tinier palms in his and reflexively tightened his grasp when she squeezed his hands. With surprising ease she hoisted him from his seated position, pulling him awkwardly to his feet. He knew she was fit, working with giant spaceship parts everyday, but was still a bit shocked by her actual strength.

It took Simon a moment to find his footing, causing him to first clutch at Kaylee's bare arms and lean against her until he could adequately balance. Her impish gasp and his mild intoxication sent a devilish smile to his lips, "I've had an awful lot to drink. Are you going to take advantage of me?"

She didn't miss a beat, and with her most innocent look replied, "Only if you ask me nicely, doctor." Then she looked over to the rows of grapes to hide her growing blush. "You wanna lead the way?"

"Oh, ladies first. I insist," and Simon waved an arm with mocking flourish. To his delight Kaylee reached up to his outstretched hand and lightly interlaced his fingers with her own. As she led him into the vineyard by the hand Simon's legs propelled him forward seemingly without a conscious command from his brain; he couldn't help but home in on the beguiling creature ahead. He allowed his gaze to fall to Kaylee's backside only because of his growing inebriation and the fact that no one else could see him do so. He was lulled into a trance by the tiny sashay that caused her bottom to sway from side to side like a seductive pendulum. By the time he recovered his senses enough to tear his gaze from her behind he realized that they were many yards deeper and several rows down from where they had entered the vineyard. He planted his feet and tugged her to a stop; he wasn't sure he trusted either of them too much further from the rest of the party.

Kaylee looked back to turn a quizzical eye on him but was soon distracted by her nose. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply from their surroundings. "Doesn't it smell just delicious? Like fresh soil and rain and wood. It smells so… natural."

Simon, only slightly distracted by her fingers still clutching his, had to agree. After so many weeks of scrubbed and recycled air in the ship, the plant-produced oxygen around them was a welcome change.

"Wanna try some?" she asked, gesturing to the deep purple grapes on either side of them. He answered with a mischievous smile and leaned forward so that his nose was mere inches from hers. While she was distracted by their intimate proximity, he reached behind her, pulling a single grape out of the nearest hanging bunch and brought it up to eye level between thumb and forefinger. Catching her eyes with the fruit he rubbed the skin of the grape against the shoulder of her shirt as if to clean it, and then leaned back in order to pop it in his mouth. He laughed as Kaylee's eyes widened with the boldness of his gesture; what prompted his flirtatious behavior tonight he couldn't say.

Thoroughly pleased with himself, Simon closed his eyes and bit down, feeling the juices burst past the skin against his cheeks. He chewed slowly, mashing the soft flesh and teasing away the seed with his tongue. He allowed the flavor to flood every taste bud, as if he were again sampling the fine wine these grapes produced. It was rather tart, nearly sour, but with a robust flavor that was sorely lacking in the table grapes he could remember eating.

When he opened his eyes again he realized that Kaylee's gaze had been transfixed on his mouth the entire time he had been chewing; she had yet to sample the fruit for herself. Instead she asked in a breathy, expectant, toe-curling whisper that nearly stopped his heart, "How does it taste?"

After a hesitant breath he was only able to muster a "wow…" Without waiting any longer Kaylee plucked a grape from a nearby bunch and, mirroring Simon, held it an inch from her mouth, preparing for a sample. Wrapping her lips around the end of the oblong little orb, she nipped off a portion of the small fruit and sucked on the remainder still clasped between her fingers, flooding her mouth with the wet innards of the grape. She chewed on the top that she'd bitten off, and unconsciously rolled her eyes in approval.

Transfixed by what must have been some sort of grape-eating ritual, the forgotten seed from Simon's grape miraculously migrated from against his teeth to the outer corner of his lower lip without his knowledge. It wasn't until Kaylee turned her head to unceremoniously spit her own seed away that he remembered his. He was even more embarrassed that she located it before he could properly dispose of it. Before he could decide how to best remove it and still appear the gentleman, Kaylee reached up to rest her hand on his cheek and grazed her thumb across his lip, brushing away the seed. "Are you so drunk you forgot how to eat, Simon? Getting' food on your face; not very doctor-like…"

Flushing with embarrassment, Simon grabbed her wrist defensively. "I…" then he changed the subject, "well, I don't have an elaborate ceremony like you seem to. Do you always eat them like that?"

Pretending to ignore his hand still curled around her wrist, Kaylee cocked an eyebrow in answer, "actually, most of the time I peel 'em."

This utterly confused Simon, "you what?"

She lightly disengaged her wrist still clutched in his grasp, further embarrassing him, and plucked another grape from the vine. "I said I peel 'em. Like this…"

Holding the grape by the end as before, she set her teeth against the tiny belly button of the fruit and with practiced ease minutely nipped at it. Simon watched dumbfounded as she slowly pulled the grape away from her mouth, sure enough peeling a sizeable portion of the translucent skin in its wake. Pulling the film in her mouth with her tongue, she then repeated the process several more times as he watched, until the entire grape was just a denuded lump of flesh. The remainder was slowly consumed in multiple bites as Kaylee took impossibly small bites of the pulp still grasped in her fingers. When she finished only the seed was left pressed between her digits; she raised her eyebrows at Simon in a symbolic 'I-told-you-so'.

Temporarily at a loss for words, Simon managed to spit out, "Wh… Why…? What possessed you to start eating them like that?"

"Out on the rim, fruit ain't exactly easy to come by. So when I do get to have some, I try to make it last. I can make one bunch last me 'bout a half-hour."

Still wrestling with the image of Kaylee and a half hour alone with a bunch of grapes, Simon pressed, "and do you peel all of your produce?"

Kaylee laughed at his bewilderment, replying, "only the stuff with skin. Actually, I pretty much only do that with grapes. I guess I do have different ways of eatin' different kinds of fruit- apples, pears, peaches, melons…" she couldn't help smiling broadly as she launched into a list of her favorite foods, "…bananas, berries. Strawberries are my absolute favorite! Can't peel a strawberry."

"Though I'm sure you tried."

She rolled her eyes at him, "See? I knew you'd make fun. We'll see how inventive you get when you have ta go without."

He smiled at her defensive posturing, "I don't mean to laugh. It's just you've opened my eyes to a whole new way of consuming food. It's fascinating… You're… fascinating…"

An approving smile rose on her lips, and she replied, "and you're finally learning to loosen up, I think."

Now it was Simon's turn to get defensive, "Hey, I'm a very laid back kind of guy… when the time calls for it."

"Oh yeah?" Kaylee plucked another grape off the vine and this time popped the whole thing in her mouth.

"Absolutely! I'm only serious when the situation demands a professional-" he was interrupted by a grape seed arching from Kaylee's mouth onto the dead center of his immaculate white shirt!"

"Hey!"

"Laid back, huh?" she teased, finishing her mouthful.

He scoffed but smiled, catching her intentional goading, "Do you mind? I'm running out of clean shirts! This is the last one that doesn't have blood on it somewhere!"

However his pleading came too late as she was already reloading. After some hidden tongue work another seed soon followed the first, landing neatly on one of his buttons.

Not to be outdone, Simon snatched a whole handful of grapes, intent on fighting fire with fire. "You wanna spit on people? I'll show you some real marksmanship!" and with that he shoved the entire handful in his mouth.

Kaylee squealed in surprise and turned on her heels, narrowly missing the first seed launched at her retreating back. She took off down the row, giggling as Simon tried to yell "get back here!" around a mouth full of grapes. She slowed down just enough to spit out the seed she still had in her mouth and to grab a handful of ammunition for herself. He actually succeeded in nailing her in the arm and in the back a couple of times and was soon reloading himself as they both tore through the vineyard.

Kaylee zigged down another row and took cover behind the vines, popping up just long enough to launch a single seed at him, but soon found she was no match for his cleaning abilities. In desperation she started chucking whole grapes at him as he spit at her with surprising accuracy. He ducked behind another vine, shouting "cheater!" at her. Then he circled around to ambush her from the other side. He emerged behind her as she was attempting to fill her arms with bunches of grapes and she yelped in surprise, hitting him several times in the face and chest before he tackled her to the ground. The grapes in her arms crushed between their bodies as he seized her wrists in one hand and then proceeded to tickle her senseless with the other.

"Apologize for spitting on my shirt!" he demanded laughing and smiling down at her, gauging her explosive laughter to locate the most sensitive spot. He was a ruthless tickler.

"Never, you big stuffed shirt!" she cried between gasps for breath. She merely wriggled more wildly beneath him, trying to buck him off of her. He pinned her more fully by sitting on her thighs and yanked her arms over her head, gaining better access to her exposed belly. A more focused attack conjured peels of new laughter from Kaylee and she howled almost as if in pain. In a surprisingly flexible move, she twisted beneath him cat-like and set him off balance, crashing him off of her and onto his side. She then turned the tables on him, straddling his lap and reaching for his midsection, using her best moves. Amidst their tangle of defending and attacking arms Simon exclaimed, "It won't work! I'm not ticklish!"

Kaylee simply renewed her efforts, responding, "Liar! River told me you were ticklish, just like her!" Finally locating her mark, Kaylee reached around to the side of his back and got the response she had hoped for. Simon yelped, jerked beneath her and threw his head back- right into one of the wooden posts supporting the vine beams. A loud 'thud' issued from the back of his skull and immediately all tickling ceased. Simon grabbed the back of his head amidst a long wince as Kaylee leaned away from him with the guiltiest look on her face he'd ever seen.

Her brilliant smile vanished as she apologized, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…" She suddenly realized her precarious perch astride the good doctor's hips and scrambled hastily off of him, landing just to the right.

Simon tried to reassure her as he palpated the back of his head, "It's nothing, Kaylee. It sounded worse than it actually was." In all honestly he couldn't even find any evidence of the collision.

Kaylee hovered in closer, not quite believing him, "Let me take a look at it. You might be sproutin' a goose egg." Before he could properly protest she pulled him forward and pulled his head down to look at it from the top. Simon ended up staring down at her knees as she rose up on them for a better vantage. He felt her fingers move lightly over his scalp as she gently plowed through his hair, undoubtedly mussing it in the process.

"It's okay, Kaylee, really. I have a really thick skull."

He heard her mutter, "I'm well aware of that," under her breath, but she didn't stop her inspection. Finding nothing, the pressure from her finger pads increased, and Simon could feel his hair moving every sort of direction atop his head. He closed his eyes and gave a deep exhale as she worked. Finally utterly perturbed, Kaylee asked, "You're not bleedin'; where does it hurt?"

Below her Simon chuckled, "It doesn't! Actually… that feels really good…" and he reached up, grabbing the backs of her hands in his palms and moving her hands to his shoulders. He raised his head to stare up into her shocked, doe-eyed gaze.

In barely a whisper she asked, "It… does?"

Hypnotized by her enchanting voice he replied, "Yes. You have very skilled fingers."

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, "I… do?"

Simon was thoroughly entranced and couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth, "Yes. Like a surgeon's, but for a starship." He rubbed her fingers now grasped tightly to his shoulders for emphasis. This left the poor girl speechless. It was the nicest complement he'd paid her to date. Kaylee struggled to find words that would not reach her mouth; she could do no more than shine that brilliant smile of hers at him and suddenly Simon realized that the angel had returned. Not caring about the wine, the grapes, the crew or their hosts, Simon knew exactly what he wanted from this moment.

With Kaylee's palms still clutching his shoulders, Simon ran his hands from her fingers down the length of her forearms, pulling them down against his chest and bringing her lips within range. He stared deeply into her too-large eyes seeking permission; the catch of her breath in her throat told him everything he needed to know. Kaylee closed her eyes as he pulled her the final few inches into him, and Simon pressed his mouth against her waiting lips.

The kiss was chaste and sweet; their lips seemed to fit perfectly against each other. When they drew apart Kaylee licked across her bottom lip, sighing in satisfaction. However, having gone this far, Simon was not about to let this opportunity slip away.

Firmly grasping her waist, he pulled Kaylee from her kneeling position over into his lap and leaned in for another kiss. Sensing his intentions, she enthusiastically met him halfway, wrapping an arm around his neck and placing a palm against his chest. Their lips met with more urgency this time and when she opened her mouth for him he eagerly plunged his tongue deep, intent on a thorough sampling of her taste. He was met with a miraculous sensation- the tart juice of the grapes Kaylee had been eating had somehow transformed with her chemistry into an unmistakable sweetness. She smelled and tasted like old fashioned grape juice- equally sharp and sugary and full of body. The kind that filled your whole mouth even if you only sipped it; the kind that you couldn't help roll around your cheeks so that your tongue turned the richest shade of royal purple by the time you reached the bottom of the glass. The expensive kind that you could only get on the core planets, imported from high quality vineyards like this one.

As they kissed, Simon longed to be closer to her, creeping a hand up the back of her shirt and pulling her into him while tangling fingers in the silken hair at her nape. He reveled in her softness and the unearthly feel of her touch- the skin of her bare arm wrapped around his neck; the skin of his palm massaging the muscles along the length of her spine. The skin of their lips as they moved against each other's mouths in the most harmonious dance; the skin of their touching tongues as they met and tangled in a struggle to devour each other. Tiny lights burst against his closed eyelids and he wondered if Kaylee was as breathless as he was. He could kiss her forever but he didn't want her passing out on him.

He reluctantly broke the kiss to breathe and rested his forehead against hers. As he guessed, Kaylee was gulping for air like a drowning woman, smiling at him beneath an adorable pink flush and inviting him to pick up where they left off whenever he was ready. This time she ran her tongue across his lips for good measure. Her hand on his chest had found its way beneath the collar of his shirt and Simon felt tingles where her fingers rested on his skin. Seeing her passion-plumped lips and gazing into her inviting eyes, he could think of nothing other than having her naked beneath him now.

However, the sound of rapidly approaching boots yanked the couple all too suddenly back into reality. Both looked up to find Mal and Jayne halting a little ways off, pistols drawn and recovering from what looked to be a runner's pace. Without a hint of humor in his voice, Mal inquired, "Jayne, is that my medic kissin' on my mechanic?"

In an equally flat tone, the mercenary replied, "Looks t'be th'other way around from here."

Kaylee sprung out of Simon's lap as if it had caught fire. Book came racing up behind the two men a moment later, panting and looking very concerned, "Is everyone alright? What was that screaming?"

Mal answered, "Just the doc workin' on corruptin' my mechanic is all. Seems the girl's a mite ticklish. Nothin' serious."

Jayne immediately spun around and started skulking off, muttering, "I can't believe I got woke up for this. Was havin' a right pretty dream 'bout ladies underthings and the stuff in 'em."

The two remaining men soon followed but not before first conveying meaningful glances to the couple sitting on the ground amidst several bunches of grapes. Mal gave a stern 'not another word' look to Simon and the expression on Book's face said that the two discovered love birds were going to hear all about the 'special hell' over tomorrow's breakfast.

As the others retreated, Simon asked Kaylee, "Is Mal going to kill me?"

Kaylee giggled and replied, "Probably."

Simon dropped his head in his hands, muttering a half-hearted 'oh God'. Kaylee just smiled, and rubbed a large circle in his back. As a well-meaning joke she inquired of the seemingly doomed man, "Any last requests?"

Suddenly and with a clarity rather startling for his level of inebriation it hit him. Simon realized that he'd finally found it; even if only for a fleeting moment, he had finally caught a fading glimpse of it and all the promise that it held. It was her. After all this time he realized that his wish for peace and the woman he desired were one in the same.

Now fully cognizant of his surroundings, he realized that an opportunity like this might never come again; he'd be damned if Mal, Jayne, Book or even he himself would ruin it now.

When Simon returned his full attention to the beauty at his side, a mischievous twinkle had returned to his eye. Kaylee gasped in both surprise and delight. In answer to her question, he leaned over and pulled her to him, intent on tasting sweetened grapes and recapturing the delectable serenity only to be found on the lips of Miss Kaylee Frye.

A/N: I know, strawberries! But I wanted to try something different (see 'Finger Lickin' Good'). R&R, please! Reviews are like crack- feed the junkie!

Thanks, Mira :)