Eyes trained on the floor as she moved through Serenity, Zoe didn’t bother to watch where she was going. Didn’t have to, she knew the ship well enough to navigate in her sleep. Her eyes were half closed as she stepped through the portal into the galley, which is how she ended up with a mouth full of tinsel.

Cursing, as she pulled strands of silver from her mouth, she glared around for the culprit, taking a full moment to realize Jayne was standing on a ladder above her, a handful of the stuff in hand, not to mention the wild multi-colored strands hanging from his clothing and hair.

“Oh, Hey, Zoe.” He blinked down at her, his brow furrowing, “You’re ruinin’ that tinsel.”

She narrowed her eyes at the mercenary, “What’s goin’ on, Jayne? Looks like elves threw up here.”

“What?” He turned on the ladder, looking over the room. Tinsel and garlands of every color were strewn everywhere; covering the table and chairs, the counters, hanging from the handles of the food lockers, draped over any peg just long enough to hold ‘em. Even the ground itself was littered with it. “It’s Christmas-y.”

She blinked, staring at the decorations for several long moments, “Christmas? It’s that time again?”

Jayne shifted his weight, sending the ladder teetering precariously, “Well, yeah.” Sometimes, he didn’t know how to act around Zoe anymore. Always afraid he’d say the wrong thing and set her off. It was all sort of unsettling how he cared so much.

She pursed her lips and then smiled hollowly, “Since when are you in the Christmas Spirit?”

“Since Kaylee asked me t’ help her decorate.”

“Asked?”

“Threatened, whatever.”

“You let a little wisp of a girl threaten you?”

“Hey, Kaylee can be right scary when she wants to be.”

She arched an eyebrow, gazing at the blinding eyesore that was their dining area, “Give any thought to what Cap’n’s gonna do to you know he sees this mess?”

“Mess?” He frowned, throwing a handful of silver tinsel at the doorway, half of it managing to catch on the bolts and hang there, the rest drifting to the floor, explaining how Zoe had ended up with a mouthful of it. “This here is festive.”

“You’re sure about that? Did Kaylee give you any instructions at all?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, climbing down the ladder.

Zoe arched an eyebrow, waiting. “And…?”

“What?”

“The instructions, Jayne. What were they?”

“How should I know?” He set the nearly empty bag of tinsel on the table and procured another from somewhere, this one full of bows. Ripping it open, he peeled the sticker off the back of one and stuck it randomly to the back of one of the chairs. “She was talkin’ and doin’ that thing with her eyes and ‘er lips got all pouty…“ He avoided looking at Zoe, “She said to decorate, an‘ I did. Looks mighty fine in here.”

Zoe looked from the garish yellow and purple ribbon Jayne was attaching to one of the chairs, to the man himself, his hideously bright green shirt sprinkled with tinsel and tape and--was that glitter?

She laughed. The mirthful sound bubbling up from within to fill the room.

Jayne pouted, “What?”