Fic: Some Like It Hot (Firefly, Ensemble)

[amathela]

Title: Some Like It Hot
Fandom: Firefly
Character(s): Ensemble
Word Count: 609
Rating: PG

Summary: An engine malfunction raises the temperature on Serenity.

Notes: Written for such_heights, who wanted general crew interaction. Set pre-Serenity.


"Kaylee, how's that repair comin'?"

Kaylee looked up from her position on the floor. "I'm on it, Captain."

"I can see that." He sighed, and she went back to work. "When's it gonna be done?"

"Um ..." She hesitated. Tightened a screw; waited, loosened it. "Come on," she murmured. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Kaylee?"

"I don't know," she said, her voice a little louder than it needed to be. "I shoulda been able to just switch it off."

"So why can't you?"

She shook her head, sitting up to shrug out of her coveralls. "I don't know," she said again. "But I'll fix it."

She didn't look at Mal, but she could hear him turn to leave. "See to it," he said.

-

"When the gorram hell's the heat gonna be fixed?"

Mal glanced at Jayne as he entered the kitchen, swiping a bottle of water from the counter. It wasn't exactly fresh, but he was thirsty enough not to care, the back of his shirt already damp with sweat.

"Kaylee doesn't know," he said.

"Well, is it gonna be soon?"

Mal sighed. "She doesn't know."

"Well, how come -"

"Jayne," he interrupted, finishing the last of the tepid water. "Leave it be. We'll know when she's done."

"We could go back to the planet," Simon suggested.

"Yeah, and freeze our asses off instead of sweatin' 'em," Jayne said.

Mal shook his head. "Two problems. First, the planet's about six hours away, and I doubt it'll take Kaylee that long to fix. Second, I believe our pilot's otherwise engaged."

"Otherwise engaged?" Jayne repeated. "Doin' what?"

Mal fixed Jayne with a look. "He's with Zoe."

Jayne took a moment to catch on, but when he did, he grinned. "I get it," he said. "Takin' advantage of not wantin' their clothes on."

Mal grimaced. "Something like that." Beside him, Inara took a sip of strongly-brewed tea, and he looked at her. "Tea?" he asked. "In this heat?"

She looked up. "Better this than stale water," she said, and he had to concede that she had a point. "There isn't much else."

"What about Kaylee's wine?" Jayne asked. He reached up to pull his shirt off, and Mal glanced away.

"I though she stopped brewing that," he said. "Made the engine overheat."

Jayne shrugged. "I turned it back on."

"You -" Mal stopped; took a breath. "And it ain't occurred to you maybe that's the reason the engine's busted?"

"No." There was an edge to Jayne's voice, and he looked away from Mal, glancing down at his chest. He traced the scar that ran along his skin, and looked accusingly at River. She either pretended not to notice, or honestly didn't care.

"It's just like summer," she said, and Mal rolled his eyes, because, yeah, but without a swimming hole to jump in or a cold drink to be had. "All seasons must end."

"Let's hope this one ends soon," he said, and tugged at his shirt.

-

"Someone's been messin' with the engine," Kaylee said as soon as Mal walked in.

"I know," he said. He didn't add that it was Jayne; the last thing they needed was to add violence to the mix.

"Half the parts are screwed."

He moved forward. "Any way you can fix it?"

She sat up, shaking her head. "Not 'til I get some replacements."

He sighed. "So we're gonna have to go back planetside."

"Looks like it."

He nodded, and helped Kaylee to her feet. That meant at least another six or seven hours stuck in this heat. He was going to kill Jayne.

"Got any more of that wine?" he asked, and Kaylee grinned.

"That, I can do."