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In all their hurried engine room rendezvous’, removing clothing above the waist wasn’t really convenient, so Kaylee had never seen Jayne’s tattoo until the night he invited her into his bunk. It was hard to make out in the dim light, so Kaylee leaned in to get a better look, while using the opportunity to lick at his nipple.
In the centre of his chest, right above his heart. It was small and stylized, but Kaylee knew what it was. She smiled and sat up to look at Jayne.
“You have a tattoo of a dragonfly.” She smiled brightly at him, “Jayne that is just so feminine. I never would have suspected it.”
“Ain’t nothing feminine about it.” Jayne stated gruffly as he pushed Kaylee off his lap. He stood and moved across the small room. Absently his fingers traced the black lines on his skin.
It had been a hot summer day when he ventured into town from the family farm, intent on doing something reckless. He remembered he had been 17, maybe 18, not much older. He walked absently through the dusty town before finding himself outside the small tattoo parlour. It wasn’t more then a shack next to the saloon, but that didn’t matter.
The old man who ran the place passed Jayne off to his apprentice, a girl only a few years older then he was. She introduced herself as Lilly and Jayne said it was pretty name. She smiled.
“So, what would you like?” She passed him a book full of designs. Flipping through it, one image caught his attention.
“That one.” He said with conviction. Lilly took his hand and led him the chair. The rest of the afternoon passed in a haze. He remembered how soft her hands were, how soft her voice was when she reminded him to breathe and relax.
He remembered how sweet her mouth tasted when he kissed her long and hard when the tattoo was finished. She took him to bed that night, and Jayne never forgot that either. No man forgets the first woman they're intimate with. He remembered that she had a beauty that the heat and the dirt couldn’t touch.
He had always meant to go back, but he never did. It was only a few months later that he left the family farm, the planet for good. He wondered what had become of her. Wondered if she had ever settled down into a proper life as someone’s wife. Maybe if he had stayed home on the farm, she could have been his wife.
“Jayne…” Kaylee’s voice was soft in the silence. Jayne looked at her and smiled. If he had stayed at home he wouldn't have this moment and looking at Kaylee, he knew that this was where he was meant to be.
“When I was young, I heard a story about the how ancient samurai warriors decorated their armour with dragonflies. The dragonfly was a symbol of strength, courage and success. I never forgot that. Considering my line of work, it seems fitting.”
Kaylee moved to stand by Jayne. He could smell her sweetness and it reminded him of Lilly and that long ago summer. She kissed the tattoo lightly, smiling at Jayne’s soft intake of breath. Standing on her toes, she kissed his lips softly.
“I reckon its perfect.”