Simon has a problem with Kaylee's new perfume.
Chapter 1: Smell
Disclaimer: The Firefly Universe belongs to Josh and Fox. As do Kaylee and the gang.
Smells and Allergies
Kaylee loved boys. All boys. In any shape or size. They were just shiny. Sometimes the mechanic wished she were a companion, like Inara, just so's she could meet so many nice men. Men like Simon.
Of all the boys on all the planets she had been on Simon was her favorite. He was so nice and neat. And he smelled really nice. Kaylee noticed when he was patching her up, that time when she got shot by the Fed. The other men on the ship didn't smell nearly as nice. Jayne always stunk of sweat and gun oil. The Captain and Wash weren't that bad but… Simon was just different. Not just soap but also that antiseptic cherry smell of his supplies and something else she couldn't quite figure.
Sometimes when they sat together real close, like on that couch in the common, Kaylee would sneak a sniff. The girl didn't do it openly, just sort of breathed deep when he was jabbering on. Simon liked to talk so she got lots of smellin' time.
She didn't know what she smelled like.
Probably like grease. Which she hoped wasn't too unappealing. When she had time she'd shower before she went to go see Simon and spray that shiny perfume Inara gave her. But the doctor never said anything about her smelling pretty so maybe he didn't notice.
Kaylee was sitting entirely too close again.
Simon shifted uncomfortably and tried to turn his head so he would not get a noseful of her perfume. The mechanic always put too much on and it reminded the doctor of his grandmother.
And, well, it just didn't smell right on her. He liked the way she normally smelled: of grease, her metallic tools, and the tangy citrus of her fermentation system. On days she didn't spray the perfume he would lean toward her, taking in that distinctly Kaylee smell. On Osiris none of the girls smelled like Kaylee. They were always scented and clean, smelling of flowers and mint.
Simon was allergic to flowers.
It hadn't been a problem until his teenage years, when girls wanted bouquets and corsages. Then everyone began to smell of the wretched blossoms. Simon didn't have many dates.
A reprieve from flowers had been one of the best things about hanging out with her on the ship. Because Kaylee didn't smell like anything he was allergic to, she smelled like Serenity. But now… Simon dodged a gust of the stuff.
He was going to kill Inara.