Title: Tattoo

Summary: One day when Alvin's changing to take a shower, Jude spots a little tattoo on the upper left of Alvin's arm.

Author: Metamorcy

Pairing: Alvin/Jude

Disclaimer: don't own

A/N: You'll see that tattoo whenever you change Alvin into his swimsuit.

Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Ankou13

"Oh man, I would kill to have a nice warm shower right now." Alvin grumbled under his breath as the group slowly made their way towards Sharilton to visit Driselle to give their report. It was a few days before their final battle with Gaius, but in light of what would be taking place they were traveling through Riezia Maxia to close some doors. Still, traveling from one location to another was a pain no matter how many times they had done it before. The only reason they were out like this was because right after they had arrived at Sharilton, they were requested to take care of the golems in Fort Gandala. The creatures had been preventing the merchants from conducting any sort of trading. The battle hadn't been too tough with their skilled workings, but the travel back had been agonizing with their exhaustion.

"For once, I think I'll have to agree with you on this." Rowen muttered as he lagged to the side, trying to keep up with everyone else. The only one who seemed to be full of energy was none other than Milla, but that was probably because of the Four Great spirits that were back with her. Even Leia, who had the most stamina of the group, was falling behind, almost looking like she was about to start dragging her poor body across the ground.

Jude sighed, just barely keeping up with Milla and smiled softly when he saw the city just up ahead. It was like a 'finally' had passed through everyone's lips. His amber eyes glanced around towards his companions, making sure that everyone was physically alright, before turning towards Alvin. "I don't think that's a bad idea. I think everyone is due for a good shower. While we're at it, we should probably get our clothes cleaned, too. Rowen, you don't think Driselle will mind if we use her place, do you?"

"The lady? Absolutely not." Rowen chuckled in amusement, straightening his back just slightly as he pushed his long hair back behind his shoulder. "Actually, I believe that the moment the lady sees us, she'll demand it."

Alvin laughed loudly, throwing his head back. "That's good to hear. So what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and get there already!"

Jude sighed deeply as he flopped into a heavily padded chair to rest his feet, feeling completely content at finally getting the chance to sit down. Rowen had wandered off to talk to Driselle, leaving himself and Alvin alone in the bedroom - not that that wasn't uncommon after all. The bathroom door was open, ready to be used, and the shower was already warming up. The constant noise in the background was quite lulling and for a moment, Jude was tempted to close his eyes to fall asleep.

Apparently, Alvin would be the first one to head in for his shower; Jude was fine with that, he just wanted to sit down after a long day. As the teenager lifted his feet to place them on a stool, he momentarily closed his eyes to feel the cool breeze flow in from the opened windows. It felt great against his warm skin and he almost shivered from the sweat still on him. His short hair ruffled in the wind, tickling his skin gently, and he raised his right hand up to push some of the locks out of his eyes. Before long, he was leaning forward with his eyes open, taking off his long coat to toss it into a basket to lighten the load on his shoulders. A set of bathrobes were near the bathroom, Driselle wanted everyone to change into them after taking a shower. It would give her time to wash and dry their traveling clothes.

Alvin moved around the room, grabbing a few things out of his travel bags and tossed them onto the counter of the bathroom sink. His jacket had been tossed off into a basket and soon his scarf and white undershirt followed. His shoes had already been thrown off with his socks being added to the pile. The only clothes he had left on were his pants and underwear. He momentarily stepped out of the bathroom to see if he was forgetting something when he took notice of Jude.

"Hey, man, don't go falling asleep like that. Wouldn't want you catching a cold now would we?" He gave a smirk as he teased the younger male, watching as those amber eyes snapped towards him.

Jude took one look at the near-nude male and turned away, a small red tint dancing on his cheeks. "Oh hush. And I think Milla would be most thrilled if she found out about that. Though taking care of her when I'm sick might be a little tough…" He sighed, tilting his head downward, before glancing back at the other. His eyes began to wander over Alvin's body as the brunet went back to his bags and listened as the older man quietly hummed to himself. Compared to his own physical form, Jude didn't have that much muscle except around his arms and maybe his legs. Jude shook his head, tempted to smack his forehead at his idiotic thoughts.

Alvin was older and a mercenary so of course he would look better in that department. He was just an ex-medical student who didn't really do much battling until this journey with Milla. Though he had some training back in his hometown, it was nothing like being with the others and fighting off both monsters and people alike. Still, his eyes continued to travel over the older male's form, leaning against the arm of his chair like he was studying something. It was only then that Jude noticed a small black marking on Alvin's upper left arm and for a second, he thought it was just his imagination. As he looked closer at it, squinting his eyes. 'Is that a… tattoo?' Tilting his head, he watched as Alvin rotated around to look at him and with that movement, Jude got a better view of the tattoo.

"Oh? What's this?" The brunet smirked when he saw Jude eyeing him. It was quite odd and he couldn't help but tease the other out of amusement. "I didn't know you enjoyed looking at people's bodies like that. You sure you don't swing both ways?"

For once, Jude didn't respond as his eyes remained trained on the tattoo. He didn't dare show any response to those words, knowing very well how the brunet would react if he did. Alvin raised an eyebrow at the lack of response, curiosity getting the better of him. It was unusual to not get a reaction from the teenager after all. Suddenly, Jude spoke, "Is that a tattoo?" He raised his arm up to point out the spot, hoping to get an answer instead of the brunet's usual change of subjects.

Alvin blinked and glanced over immediately to his left arm with a small twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "Oh? So you saw it? Yeah, it's a tattoo."

"Hmm," Jude stood up from his spot, forgetting all about his fatigue, and stepped closer to get a better look. He eyed the details, trying to figure out what it meant. Well, if it had any meaning.

The adult smirked. "Huh, never pegged you as a guy who likes tattoos."

"I don't, I just find them interesting as well as how artes are used to create them on the skin." Jude continued to study the markings carefully, committing them to memory. "I also find it interesting how people would like to mark their bodies like this and the ideas people come up with. Some are really horrible while others are more elegant."

Alvin chuckled, finding it humorous how Jude was so in tune with such a little thing. "Really now? If I didn't know any better I'd say you want one."

The teenager just shook his head, his short hair swishing side to side. He had forgotten all about his fatigue. "No, not really. I'm just curious."

"Curious, huh? Well, what are you waiting for? You're welcome to touch it," Alvin just continued to laugh, amused by the whole setting. "It's not as if it's private or anything. It's nothing like touching something you shouldn't. I don't mind."

Jude sighed heavily, rubbing in-between his eyes. "Can you not make fun of me for one second?" Still, that also meant he had been given permission at the same time and there was no way he was going to let this opportunity go. It wasn't often that people got tattoos in Riezia Maxia after all. And if he didn't know better, this was probably the first time he had ever really gotten this close to Alvin. Moving closer, he reached up to touch the symbols, trailing his finger along the various lines. He ignored the smiling expression from the older man for the time being, focusing on the tattoo. "It's interesting how they used artes to create this. And it doesn't even damage the skin either. But I'd bet it hurt."

Alvin didn't speak up on that, letting the teenager do what he wanted. It wasn't as if Jude was really listening for a response anyway, trapped within his own world. That was, until those fingers drifted against his skin ever so lightly. He suppressed a shiver that wanted to run down his spine and peered down at the black-haired teen. He hadn't expected himself to be that sensitive. As those fingers continued to work around the tattoo, pulling his arm out for a better grip, a small tint of red began to appear on Alvin's cheeks as the ticklish sensation began to grow. The tips of the fingers were warm as they glided across his skin with skill that he didn't think would belong to a battle-hardened fist. He knew that Jude's hands were calloused from all the fighting, but despite all that, the touches were so… soft. Each touch burned pleasantly and there was a constant trail following each movement.

Jude didn't pay any attention to the redness that was beginning to grow on Alvin's expression and continued to study the tattoo with a critical eye. It was only when Alvin finally shifted away that he took notice of it. The movement had almost been like the other was trying to… escape. "Alvin? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing…" The brunet ran a hand through his hair, feeling embarrassed from knowing he had enjoyed those touches. He couldn't believe that he was feeling this way from something so simple. His heart fluttered at the thought of them being back, but he pushed it down to prevent any awkwardness. It was best if he avoided such things after all. He glanced over Jude for a moment and scratched the side of his cheek. "It's nothing. I just thought I'd better take that shower soon. I'm wasting water after all."

"Oh, right. Yes, go ahead. Sorry for delaying you like that. I didn't think I would get so engrossed."

"I don't think you were the only one…" Alvin muttered under his breath as he stepped away.

Jude lifted his head and glanced over towards the retreating figure. "Huh? Did you say something?"

"Oh, I said it's okay, don't worry about it." He smirked to hide his previous statement, closing the bathroom door behind him. Now that he was cut off from the teenager behind him, he sighed heavily to himself and leaned against the door. The embarrassment he had felt before was back and he raised his head to stare at the ceiling before glancing towards the running water in the shower. The warmth of it had coated everything in the bathroom with a thin fog and some of the larger droplets were already streaking down the surfaces. It created lines downward in various manners and Alvin watched as one fat blob began its travel. His eyes glanced down towards his tattoo, the burning sensation of the fingers still on him and he sighed once more. It felt funny how those touches sparked something within him and he shook his head, trying to push it out of his mind.

He could only hope that Jude didn't do such a thing to him again, he doubted his poor heart could take anymore.

Hope people enjoyed it