Forgive me for not posting so often, but here is another of my EllisxNick fics from my DA days! I'm currently working on some new stuff from different fandoms, so be on the look out for those if you are interested. And also, Just Jess, if you see this, thank you so much for the critiques you have been giving me! I do mostly write quite a bit of fanservice, so I apologize if it comes out rushed or anything, but the input was appreciated. :D

Ever since the younger man had gotten the idea in his cap-covered head while they were running through the damn apocalypse, he had been nagging him about it over, and over.

They had gone through a crummy, musty tattoo parlor, and he stopped, surveying all the different images around. He figured the hick would pick some kind of skull or motorcycle tattoo, something that would fit his personality.

But when Ellis turned to him, grinning ear to ear, he was taken aback by what the boy said.

"Hey Nick, you and me outta get tattoos that say 'Bros'!"

Nick spat a threat at him, as he always did, and said something about not liking tattoos, or so. He couldn't really remember what he said. He just knew he didn't want a tattoo. But he felt a slight twitch in his stomach at the fact that Ellis wanted a tattoo with him.

Now he was standing outside another tattoo parlor, the same question getting drilled into his head by his companion.

"C'mon Nick, it'll only hurt a lil' bit!"

"No."

"What, ch'ya scared?" he teased, poking the conman in the side.

"No."

"Aw, Nick, c'm-"

"I said no, Ellis," he said sternly. The hick pulled his hands away from the glass he had them pressed against and frowned.

"Aw, you're no fun," he complained, and Nick sighed.

"Look, I don't want something permanently etched into my skin that I can't get taken off ever again," he said, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

"They got that laser-surgery-thing," Ellis mumbled quietly, twiddling his thumbs together.

Nick glared at him with his brow lowered, and Ellis clamped his mouth shut.

"Aw, look Nick, it ain't even gotta be the tattoo I asked fer. You can get whatever ya want!"

"I do not want a tattoo, Ellis. Get that through your thick skull!" he shouted, and popped the hick over the head.

Ellis pouted, rubbing his head. "Ya didn' have'ta hit me "

Nick growled and turned away, walking off.

He had never been fond of tattoos. They were permanent marks on the skin that resembled a memory, and a time in your life you wanted to remember. They resembled pictures that had meaning to you, or things that were important to you, like maybe your mom's name, or the name of a child.

But, in Nick's life, nothing was worth having burned into your skin to remember forever.

If anything, he wanted to forget it all together.

His horribly failed marriage, his gambling and drinking ways, his passionate nights with Ellis underneath him

He stopped, and turned around. He had walked a pretty far distance. The tattoo parlor, and the hick, were no where in sight.

He sighed, and continued on his trail to no where.

He had to take that last one back.

The moments he shared with Ellis were some of the best he had in his life. He sure as hell wasn't going to admit that to the hick, though. If he did that, Ellis would never let him live it down.

He loved the boy, and it annoyed him to no end that he did.

But was it really worth getting something permanently burned into your skin?

To Ellis, it was.

He wasn't afraid to tell Nick he loved him on the first night they had sex. He wasn't afraid to show how much he loved the conman, and it made Nick's stomach grow tight thinking about it. Ellis wanted to get matching tattoos because of all they went through together, and he wanted Nick to know he meant something him. Nick had never cared for anyone, and he knew damn well no one cared about him.

But once that stupid little hick snuck his way in

He stopped, a neon sign flashing next to him. He looked up at it, and then realized it had grown rather late into the even.

His old habits were itching at the back of his head, so he gave a small shrug, thinking 'A couple games and drinks won't hurt.'

Walking into the bar, he saw a few small, round tables where some people were playing poker. He smiled, and walked over to them, pulling up a chair.

It was going to be his night.

He walked around the street, a nervous twitch working at his spine. He hadn't seen hide or hair of his older companion, and it was being to really work his nerves. He had checked a couple bars, and even a strip joint, but saw no sign of him. He was hoping that Nick was alright, and not drunk off his ass, lying in some ditch somewhere.

He walked past a bright neon sign, and stopped for a moment by the door.

Smoke and the smell of alcohol flowed from the open door, and he wanted to walk in, but some men were coming up to the door at a quick pace. He took a couple side steps, and saw them throw a man out on his face on the concrete sidewalk. The man was obviously drunk, and was cussing up a storm at the two bouncers that had thrown him out.

"I won those games fair and square you retarded, fat bastards!" he slurred, and covered his face with his hands, groaning.

Ellis groaned and frowned.

"Ah, Nick, man."

He walked up to his companion and helped him to his feet, pulling one of his arms around his neck.

"Damn, Nick, you smell rank! Gotta getchya somewhere so ya can take a shower!"

"I wanna go, to that parlor," he grumbled, and tried to stand. He was successful for a few steps, but ended up stumbling. Luckily Ellis caught him.

"What parlor? Whatchya talkin' about, Nick?" the hick asked, confused as hell.

"I wanna get that, that tattoo. The one you wanted us to get," he said, grabbing Ellis' arm.

"Wha? Ya-ya really wanna Nick?" he asked, his eyes brightening for a moment, but then he pulled back and frowned.

"Nick, yer drunk! You ain't thinkin' right!" he said, taking the conman by the arm again.

He pulled away and grabbed him by the biceps and squeezed them.

"No, Ellis. I wanna get the tattoo. With you. You mean, you mean a lot. I love, love you."

Ellis blinked, staring at the man before him.

He smiled.

"Well, if ya insist."

He woke the next morning to a pounding headache, and an arm sore as all living hell. He sat up, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun peaking through the curtains of the hotel room.

Ellis lay next to him, snoring lightly. His vision was blurry, obviously due to the pounding hangover, but he could tell there was a black mark on his upper, left bicep. He blinked his eyes a few times, trying to clear his vision. When it finally cleared, and he saw the fresh tattoo, his eyes widened.

In bold letters, it read "Bros".

He than remembered the sore, stinging pain coming from his left bicep, and he cursed under his breath.

On his arm was the same exact tattoo.

He shoved Ellis off of the bed, and the hick woke with a horrible start.

He sat up against the bed, bracing his forearms on the edge. "What was that fer?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"For this!" he all but hissed at the hick, pointing to his new and only tattoo.

Ellis grinned. "Hey, you were the one who insisted on gettin' it."

Nick was about to say something, but he stopped, and sighed.

"I was drunk," he mumbled.

"Yeah, off yer damn rocker drunk!" Ellis exclaimed on a laugh, and then got a face full of pillow.

"Shut the hell up!" Nick spat back. "You took advantage of my inebriated state, and had me get this damn tattoo with you!"

"Now look 'ere," Ellis said, pointing a finger at Nick.

"I dunno what the hell 'inebriated' means, but I sure as hell didn't take advantage of you. Ya'll were the one who said I meant somethin' to ya, so ya wanted to get that tattoo wit' me."

He took his cap off the night stand, and pulled it onto his head, hiding behind the brim.

"Plus, ya said ya loved me "

Nick sat there, his mouth slightly agape. He knew the things he told Ellis in his drunken stupor were true.

'They always say the things you really mean and want to say can come out when you're drunk, he thought.

He laid back on the bed, and stared up at the ceiling.

"It's true, Ellis."

"Huh?"

The hick climbed back onto the bed with his lover, and looked at him, his head tilted slightly.

"I had been thinking about you. You confuse me so much."

Ellis frowned at this statement, and curled in on himself slightly.

"But, Ellis," Nick said, turning his head to look at him, "you're the only good thing that's really ever happened to me."

Ellis' head snapped up, and he had a face splitting grin smeared across his face that Nick didn't even think could be possible for him to do.

Ellis jumped on him and kissed him deeply.

"Same goes fer you, Nick," he said, kissing his nose.

Nick smirked, and flipped Ellis onto his back, causing a little 'eep' to escape him.

"Well let's see how good you've gotten," he growled, and kissed Ellis so hard he pinned his head against the pillow. Ellis brought his hands up to grab at Nick's shoulders, but the conman caught his wrists and pinned them up above his head.

He trailed kisses down the hick's arms, causing him to squirm; Nick knew he was ticklish under his arms, and took full advantage of that fact. He nibbled along his neck, and up along his jaw line. His attention went down to his chest, and when he felt the hardness pressing against his thigh, he smirked.

Keeping his lover's hands above his head with one hand, he used his free hand to wonder down the hick's boxers and torment him. He squeezed his erection tight, and ran the ball of his thumb in circles along the tip. Ellis squirmed under the touch, and groaned Nick's name.

Nick removed the hick's boxers, and released the boy's arms for a moment to remove his own.

That moment was all he needed.

He jumped the conman, attack his ear and cheek with nibbling. The stubble was rough against his raw lips, but he loved the feel of it. Before he knew it, though, he was back pinned underneath the conman, with his hands held fast above his head.

Nick smirked, and Ellis shivered.

He braced the hick's legs over his thighs, and slowly positioned himself at his entrance. He slid a few fingers into him, causing him to wince slightly, but once he felt he was ready, Nick pressed the head of his cock into him.

He pushed in till he was at the hilt, and he felt Ellis tense around him. Once he felt the boy's body relax, he moved. He leaned over Ellis, still holding his arms above his head. He kissed the boy deeply, and then teased at his chest with little licks and bites.

Ellis struggled to break his arms free, to run his fingers through Nick's hair. He wanted to claw at his back, or grip his shoulders. But Nick refused to give him the freedom, and instead kept his dominance over his lover.

He quickened his pace, and wrapped his free hand around Ellis' erection, pumping faster than his own tempo. Ellis arched his back up against Nick's chest, and Nick kissed on his neck, causing him to arch more.

Nick sped up his own tempo, and quickened even more his tempo on Ellis. Ellis fought even harder to get his hands free, but Nick only tightened his grip.

Ellis' mouth opened in a silent moan as Nick's tempo was at its quickest.

"Ughn! N-Nick!"

He came between their pressing bodies, and soon after Nick released also.

Neck collapsed atop his lover, finally releasing the boy's hands. Ellis ran his fingers through Nick's hair, and rubbed his fingers along the stubble on his cheeks.

"So ya don't reget it?"

"Regret what?" Nick asked, sleepily, not caring that his head was resting on Ellis chest.

"Ya know. The tattoo "

Nick leaned up, and looked down at his now-blushing lover.

He sighed.

"No, Ellis. I don't regret the tattoo."

Ellis grinned again.

Dammit, he was really beginning to love that grin.

"Ya mean what ya said, than? That I mean somethin' and that " he trailed off, biting his bottom lip.

"Yes, Ellis," he said, kissing him.

"I meant what I said. I love you."

There it was again; that God-damn grin.

"I love you too, Nick."

He looked at his tattoo, than at Nick's.

"Maybe we shoulda gotten our names done instead of 'Bros'!"

Nick punched him in the head, and rolled over on his side, falling back into an annoyed sleep.