Permanent Reminder of a Temporary Feeling

Rated: PG

Category: Triple Drabble, Mal Focus, Humor.

Spoilers: Trash.

Summary: I do believe the title says it all...or does it?

Note: With apologies to Nathan, and all for charlie_bz, who asked for it.

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Something itched fierce.

Mal couldn't quite put his finger on what or where it was, but something that was all sorts of unpleasant gnawed at him and forced his brain to come more awake.

As it did, Mal realized he wasn't alone.

A long, slender leg was draped over his torso.

Mal grinned.

He could get used to waking up like this.

He wasn't entirely certain how he'd ended up in this situation, but he didn't much care. He'd figure that out later.

For now, he saw was no harm in enjoying the moment.

The moment, however, had other ideas. The woman attached to the perfectly curved leg shifted in her sleep. Her foot dragged across Mal's hip.

Mal bit back a curse. His hip was on fire. It felt like someone has poured hot engine coolant on his leg.

Mal struggled to see what the problem was. He flung his still-sleeping companion off of him and flipped the sheets down to look at the source of his pain.

And there it was.

Scarlett red and burning hot.

An Egyptian glyph. Inked neatly into his flesh for all eternity.

Mal groaned. His night came back to him. He remembered telling Billy he'd go to the tattoo parlor with him, but he had no recollection of this. And a glyph? Of all the things he could've picked? A glyph?

Mal didn't even know what it meant.

He groaned again and shook his head. He never should've agreed to this trip. The Core didn't agree with him. And with all this "Alliance" talk, it was agreeing with him less every day. Now this. This was the last straw. Mal was done with it. He made a promise to himself.

Come Hell or high water, he was never setting foot on Osiris again.