Pairing: canon pairings; Mal/Inara, with some River/Jayne if you squint hard enough

Rating: PG

Word Count: 1660

Genre: general fluff

Spoilers: set before “Serenity” the movie

Disclaimer: Firefly and Serenity belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is being made.

Comments: The inspiration came after my own bout of flu, and a particularly harrowing eighteen hours of being bed-ridden. Thanks to my beta-readers Enkanowen and Sorsha, who made sure that it wasn’t entirely feverish dribble.

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When Kaylee came back from the scrapyard, she brought back spare parts that could be jury-rigged to outfit other parts of the ship. She also brought back a sniffle. It was hardly noticeable at first, then it came with a dry cough. Then River started to sniffle.

The cold spread rapidly through the ship. As Serenity really was a small ship, it was hardly surprising. Simon used what he had in the infirmary to treat the growing number of patients, but his supplies were short, and they were already a week away from a planet where they could replenish. Between Kaylee and River, he was worried about keeping their temperatures down, and their nutrient stores up. Kaylee was the sweeter of the patients: quiet, still, and accepting of Simon's treatment with a weak smile. River was another matter, as she always is.

“Ring around the rosey, a pocket full of posies...” River sing-songed, as Simon tried to corral her to her bunk. She continued to evade him, spinning out around the kitchen table and into the crash room in a feverish haze.

“River, please go lie down. Your fever is rising – ”

“They all fall down,” she finished. “A nursery rhyme from Earth-That-Was, rumoured to be about the Bubonic Plague. A misconception.” She slumped onto the couch, limbs sprawled and loose.

Simon knelt in front of her, his hand already reaching up to her forehead. “Have you finally worn yourself out?” he