It's his own damn fault, of course. Mal knew the girl would be trouble from the moment he saw her and he still hired her. But then, he never thought Kaylee would put him in the spot like this.
"Will you?" she asks again, as if he were hard of hearing. "Marry us?"
This is the moment where he misses Book the most, Mal decides. He looks at Kaylee's beaming grin, and then at Simon's hesitant expression a step behind his girlfriend - it's not difficult to guess which one decided to present their case to him, is it? "Ah..."
"So, Capt'n, what do you say?" Kaylee presses, not one bit of hopeful enthusiasm fading despite his lack of answer. "I know Simon asked only last night" -and she shows off the thinnest band of gold Mal's ever seen; he's impressed nonetheless, real gold's not cheap in these parts- "but why wait? I've got my pretty dress and my prettier groom. I say I'm set."
And there goes that blinding grin again.
Mal glances over at the pretty groom, eyebrow cocked with a hint of male-to-male mockery. The younger man blushes a little, but stands firm. He's got to admit, Simon's come a long way since he boarded Serenity.
"Well, Mal. There you go," Zöe says, her expression serious even as her eyes are dancing merrily. "The girl says she's set. What are you waiting for?"
"Surely you can't be hesitating," Inara pitches in from Zöe's side, just as amused. "Don't you always insist how you're the captain of this ship?"
And he needs to insist on that point because otherwise everyone on board would mutiny and run all over him.
As it is, they are already making their best effort.
Mal turns toward the women, making sure his expression is angled away from Kaylee's view, and scowls a warning in their direction.
Zöe and Inara send back their most beatific smiles, daring him to say anything that will ruin Kaylee's wedding day.
And they know this will be a wedding day, don't they?
"Fine!" Mal knows he's growling, but days like these bring a man's patience to its limit. "I'll officiate the darn thing, and you better not complain about how I do it."
Kaylee squeals and, of course, runs up to hug him gratefully. Really, the girl's even crying a little. Mal squirms, grateful himself because Simon steps up to pull her away. Soon enough, Kaylee is too busy embracing the other women, as well as the future sister-in-law who's slipped into the room at some point in the conversation.
"You'll make such a pretty bride!" Inara gushes, a glint in her eye that says Kaylee will be taken into Shuttle One to improve some more on that prettiness. Mal would say she looks good enough already, but what does he know about these things?
"Hey, hey!" Jayne's voice cuts through the congratulations. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Everyone pauses and, when Jayne just stares at them grumpily, they exchange clueless glances.
Mal is about to give in and ask, when River brightens up and starts nodding. "But of course there'll be cake!"
"All right." Jayne claps and rubs his hands together with gusto. "Let's get these crazy kids married!"
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Firefly. Kaylee/Simon + ensemble
Date: 2014-09-25 09:45 pm (UTC)"Will you?" she asks again, as if he were hard of hearing. "Marry us?"
This is the moment where he misses Book the most, Mal decides. He looks at Kaylee's beaming grin, and then at Simon's hesitant expression a step behind his girlfriend - it's not difficult to guess which one decided to present their case to him, is it? "Ah..."
"So, Capt'n, what do you say?" Kaylee presses, not one bit of hopeful enthusiasm fading despite his lack of answer. "I know Simon asked only last night" -and she shows off the thinnest band of gold Mal's ever seen; he's impressed nonetheless, real gold's not cheap in these parts- "but why wait? I've got my pretty dress and my prettier groom. I say I'm set."
And there goes that blinding grin again.
Mal glances over at the pretty groom, eyebrow cocked with a hint of male-to-male mockery. The younger man blushes a little, but stands firm. He's got to admit, Simon's come a long way since he boarded Serenity.
"Well, Mal. There you go," Zöe says, her expression serious even as her eyes are dancing merrily. "The girl says she's set. What are you waiting for?"
"Surely you can't be hesitating," Inara pitches in from Zöe's side, just as amused. "Don't you always insist how you're the captain of this ship?"
And he needs to insist on that point because otherwise everyone on board would mutiny and run all over him.
As it is, they are already making their best effort.
Mal turns toward the women, making sure his expression is angled away from Kaylee's view, and scowls a warning in their direction.
Zöe and Inara send back their most beatific smiles, daring him to say anything that will ruin Kaylee's wedding day.
And they know this will be a wedding day, don't they?
"Fine!" Mal knows he's growling, but days like these bring a man's patience to its limit. "I'll officiate the darn thing, and you better not complain about how I do it."
Kaylee squeals and, of course, runs up to hug him gratefully. Really, the girl's even crying a little. Mal squirms, grateful himself because Simon steps up to pull her away. Soon enough, Kaylee is too busy embracing the other women, as well as the future sister-in-law who's slipped into the room at some point in the conversation.
"You'll make such a pretty bride!" Inara gushes, a glint in her eye that says Kaylee will be taken into Shuttle One to improve some more on that prettiness. Mal would say she looks good enough already, but what does he know about these things?
"Hey, hey!" Jayne's voice cuts through the congratulations. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Everyone pauses and, when Jayne just stares at them grumpily, they exchange clueless glances.
Mal is about to give in and ask, when River brightens up and starts nodding. "But of course there'll be cake!"
"All right." Jayne claps and rubs his hands together with gusto. "Let's get these crazy kids married!"