Random imagines/one-shots/etc

Firefly

Background knowledge: Inara Serra has a little girl around the same time as Wash and Zoë Washburne have a boy. The two kids grow up together in Serenity with the rest of the crew, including Simon and River when they come along. The "siblings" are 17 when the series starts. (I know the age doesn't really make sense but just make it work)

"No." Mal grabs my arm and walks me back to the crew, away from the boy.

"What? I'm just sayin' hi!"

"Yeah, and I'm sayin' no."

"Oh come on, Mal, she's stuck on the ship for months at a time. Let her socialize." Inara persuades. I smile a thank you at my mother but I know Mal won't listen. He never does.

"Yeah! Alan has friends on practically every planet and no ones stoppin' him!" I stomp up the steps to the kitchen/sleeping quarters/cockpit.

"Hey, I was just makin' dinner. You want somethin'?" Kaylee smiles at me as I walk in. I slump in a chair and groan. She sits across from me waiting for me to start venting. Kaylee is always there when I need her.

"Hey, why don't we play Tall Card!" She offers once she realizes I'm not in the mood to talk.

"Oh god, not that again." Simon chuckles as he walks in. I look to Kaylee. I know she's infatuated with him. River is, unsurprisingly, not far behind. We're friends even if we rarely talk. It is nice to have another female my age on the ship. She hands me a rock.

"She insisted that she needed to get this rock to you. It seemed like the only reason she wanted out of the ship." Simon explains. I smile and thank her. She leaves.

"So Simon," Kaylee starts up a conversation with him as I get up to leave to take a walk around the ship.

•••
"What's wrong?" I ask as Alan joins me in my walk. He's always up to something.

"Nothing. I was just wondering if you want to hang out with friends of mine." He offers.

"Mal put you up to this didn't he?" I roll my eyes. He chuckles and nods.

"But you can't tell him about it yet. He specifically said not on Lilac."

"Then why there? You know people on practically every planet right?" I tilt my head and furrow my eyebrows.

"Not every planet." He defends.

"Look, I don't need you makin' friends for me." I frown at him. "I just need help gettin' out there without Mal worrying."

"Well either way, Lilac doesn't have a drinking age." He says.

"It does for you two!" Zoë yells from the hall.

•••
"What are we doing in Lilac?" I walk up to Wash in the cockpit. "Thought it's too close to Reaver territory."

"Good payout I'm guessing." He answers with a shrug.

"Damn good pay. But I only need Zoë and Jayne. Everyone else stays on ship. You hear me? Don't even think about goin' out." Captain looks directly at me. I put my hands up in surrender and walk out.

"Promise you won't leave Serenity." Mal follows me down the hall.

"Why would I?"

"Because, as of late you've been..." He thinks for the right word, "flighty."

"As long as I get to help the next job."

"We'll see."

"And as long as you're nice to River and Simon." I add. He gives me a look and keeps walking without a word.