Quick one-shot written for Whedon Secret Santa. Disclaimer: Of course I do not own Firefly.
It was a relatively legal mission for Serenity- transporting four crates of climbing harnesses, from a decent seller and everything (it was just the buyer who was missing some papers). Because of that, it wasn't really an emergency when the ship had trouble launching after they'd loaded up- it just made Mal snappy. He'd barked at Kaylee to fix it, which was what led to her and Inara spending the afternoon in the engine room; Kaylee to do her job, and Inara because she was annoyed with Mal's attitude.
"All the parts in this section are ancient," Kaylee said crossly. "I keep tellin' the captain, and he still ain't listening. These all need replacin'. Of course Serenity's havin' trouble, it ain't her fault."
"Of course."
Inara watched the younger woman fiddling with the engine for a few minutes, speculating.
"Why don't we head into town for a bit, see if there's some place to buy what you need," she suggested finally.
Kaylee looked up from her work, then, and grinned. "That's a great idea, 'Nara."
Ten minutes later, after Inara had curtly informed Mal that Serenity wasn't going anywhere without Kaylee's engine parts, the two women were well into the center of the bustling town they were marooned in. Their mission quickly turned into an outing as they passed a line of shops and restaurants, all trying to catch the eyes of passerby.
"Free sample?" a woman in front of one of the restaurants offered, holding out a tray of green-ish crackers and a bright green paste.
"Ooh, wasabi," Inara said, taking one of the crackers.
"Our custom recipe," the woman replied, clearly pleased to have caught their attention.
"What's wasabi?" Kaylee asked, interested. The saleswoman eagerly placed a dollop of it on a cracker and offered it to her. Kaylee took it.
"Ah, Kaylee, it's a little-"
"Mmmph!" Kaylee choked, eyes starting to water before Inara could finish her warning.
"-spicy."
Kaylee frantically waved her hand in front of her face, and Inara had to bite her lip to keep from giggling at her as she finally swallowed the bite she'd taken.
"Would you like some water?" the saleswoman offered, holding a paper cup out, clearly pre-prepared for such occurrences.
Kaylee grabbed it, then turned and stalked away. Inara muttered a thank you to the woman and quickly followed.
"Mei-mei, don't be upset," she said placatingly. "That's what everyone does the first time they try wasabi, trust me."
"You're laughin' at me!"
"Sorry."
The mechanic glared at her friend for another long moment, but when Inara couldn't keep her straight face any longer, Kaylee started chuckling, too, and they were still laughing as they made their way down the street to try and find the engine parts.