Originally written for queenmidalah for the LJ community fandom_stocking.

Signs of the Season

"You painted my ship?" Mal was losing the ability to modulate his voice rather swift-like, but that can be expected of man when his one of his favorite girls was being so poorly used by those who'd profess to love her.

"Just a little bit of her, Cap'n. Ain't she pretty?" Kaylee was her usual vibrant self, smiling and turning to survey her artistic effort with pride.

Mal was briefly distracted by a smudge of orange paint on Kaylee's jaw below her left ear. The warm tone drew attention to the lovely flush of Kaylee's skin, a flush that was spread all the way down her neck to her-

He shook his head fiercely and brutally dragged his attention back where it belonged. Which was on the unapproved picture that had been painted on the wall of his ship!

"Gorram it, Kaylee! You can't just go around changin' on any surface that strikes your fancy!"

She frowned at him slightly in reproach. "You certainly didn't seem to mind when I got the tattoo on my-"

"That is not the topic under discussion right now!" And there he went losing his volume-control again. If he weren't careful he'd draw attention to their discourse and he was not in a frame of thought to court the opinions of the rest of the peanut gallery right now.

"Fine then. I'll turn it back to the way it was. I just thought everyone'd 'preciate a little festive decoratin' considerin' the season and all." Kaylee's voice had gone quiet and thin by the end of her sentence and Mal realized she wasn't annoyed but hurt by his reaction. Gorram.

Mal took a deep breath, turned, and contemplated Kaylee's handiwork. On the closest flat, large surface of wall to the ship's mess she'd painted a brick fireplace complete with mantlepiece and crackling fire. She'd chosen warm colors – reds, oranges, yellows, and browns – to create her masterpiece and he had to admit she'd created an scene that was friendly-like and welcoming. On the wall of his ship. In paint.

"The season, Kaylee? You realize it'll be the middle of summer when we arrive at our next job, right?"

"'Course I do, Cap'n. It's just that it's nearly winter back home, and there's even bound to be snow on the ground by now. I thought this would help us all get in the spirit of things... You know- togetherness, family, cocoa and snuggling by a cracklin' fire..."

He wasn't quite ready to be admittin' it aloud, but she did paint a nice mental picture to go along with the physical one. On. His. Ship.

She sighed, softly, and wrapped her arm around his waist as he continued to contemplate the scene before them. "I can put it back, if you'd druther not have it here."

Mal's sigh matched hers. He pulled her towards him and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Nah. I 'spose it can stay."

Kaylee nearly squealed with delight and one of her fists, raised in victory, nearly caught him directly in the jaw.

"For a little while, you hear? It's not gonna be gracin' the side of my ship forever, got that?"

"Sure do, Cap'n!" The smile was back on Kaylee's face, right where it belonged. He supposed that Serenity wouldn't mind the redecoratin', temporarily, at least, and so long as his girls were happy...

"So, tell me more about this snuggling business..."