Title: Tattoo

Author: GageWhitney

Rating: T

Pairing: Nathan/Audrey

Disclaimer: Very much not mine.

Summary: "Audrey has a tattoo?"

Note: For cold_queen_5's prompt in the comment fic post at the havenmaine LJ community.

They're playing extremely low-stakes poker at the Gull, trading old stories and discussing the best greasy spoons they've ever been in when Audrey casually brings up the little burger joint she went to after graduating from Quantico and getting tattoos with her classmates.

"It was one of those places with sawdust and peanut shells on the floor," she tells her friends. "I wouldn't want to see that place with all the lights on, but man, they had some good food. Perfect way to end the whole experience."

They laugh and call her Clarice and agree that the sawdust does something to enhance the taste of the burgers at such a place. She pretends not to notice that Nathan's been staring at her since she dropped the tattoo bomb.

"Hey, I'm going to make myself another drink." She stands and asks, "Julia?"

"Yeah. I'll come with." Julia definitely notices Nathan's staring.

"You guys want anything?" They shake their heads in the negative. "Okay. Deal us out."

"Audrey has a tattoo?" Nathan wonders out loud when she's far enough away.

"Oh, yeah," says Duke. He takes a sip of his beer. "Pretty cool one, too. And I'm something of an expert."

Nathan's eyes nearly bug out of his head. "Wait, you've seen it?"

"Yep. Come on, shuffle up and deal."

"When?" he demands, and Duke grins at the barely concealed anger and jealousy in his voice.

"Right now, man. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of in the zone," he teases.

"I mean, when did you see her tattoo?"

"Relax, Nathan," says Duke. "I only saw it when I fished her out of the water that first night she was in town."

"So, you saved her life, and then… what? You took her clothes off?" He grips the table in an effort to not punch Duke in the face.

"Nathan," Duke says slowly, as if speaking to a child. "Would it have been better if I had just let her freeze to death?"

He mumbles something, conceding the point, and shuffles the deck. "So, uh... what is it?" he asks, keeping his eyes on the cards as he deals. He's trying and absolutely failing to sound like he only sort of wants to know about his partner's tattoo.

"Sorry. I'm not going to share that privileged information with you."

"You're an ass." Duke shrugs and looks at his hand. There's a smile tugging at his lips. "Okay, so how about, where is it?"

"This is killing you, isn't it?"

"Just tell me."

Duke chuckles silently and slaps his cards down on the table. "You know, you could probably find out for yourself if you would just man up, Nathan."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on. Seriously?" Nathan looks at him blankly, and Duke sighs. "You know, for a cop, you can be so dense sometimes. I'm trying to say that she's going to have to be pretty close to naked for you to see this thing."

"What's your point?" He's proud of himself for getting out that coherent a sentence considering the direction his thoughts are heading in.

"Just do something, man. Make a move. She's not going to turn you down, trust me."

"You said that about Carla Rose," Nathan reminds him.

Duke smiles and shakes his head. "I know. But I have changed, Nathan. And I'm right about this."

Inside, Audrey and Julia lean against the bar, drinks in hand, and look out the window at the guys.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Audrey ponders facetiously.

Julia rolls her eyes and grins. "Gee, I can't imagine," she says, and they look at each other and share a laugh. "You do realize he's kind of wigged out, right?"

"Yeah," Audrey says with a grin. "That's kind of what I was hoping for, actually."

"I see," says Julia. "You're trying to push him into making a move, aren't you?"

"Not push, exactly. That sounds terrible. More like... nudge." She tries to illustrate this with her hands. "Influence."

"So, you're telling me his mind is the only thing you've blown thus far?"

"Julia!" she cries. She feels a faint blush creeping into her cheeks and takes a sip of her cosmopolitan.

"What? I'm just saying," Julia shrugs. "I thought you guys had something going on in secret. Hell, most of the town thinks that."

"We don't have anything going on," Audrey says. "Not yet, at least. I'm hoping this topic helps pique his interest."

"Well, judging by the looks he's been throwing your way, I'd consider his interest piqued. Not just his interest, actually."

"You are bad," Audrey says, grinning anyway as she watches him. As if feeling her stare, he turns in his seat and waves awkwardly when he sees her. She waggles her fingers back. "You think so?"

"You forget that we all grew up together. I speak the truth," says Julia. She elbows Audrey. "Come on."

"Welcome back, ladies," Duke says. "What do you say we turn this into a game of strip poker? Huh?" He looks at their blank faces. "Or not."

"Hey, Duke, why don't you show me that thing now," Julia prods. He looks confused, and she widens her eyes and gestures between Nathan and Audrey behind their backs. "Remember, that thing you wanted to show me? Upstairs?"

"Oh, yes. Right," he says, coughing in an attempt to cover his awkwardness. "That thing upstairs. Let's go."

He stands quickly and grabs her elbow, steering her inside. "Deal us out," he calls over his shoulder.

Nathan and Audrey look at each other and grin nervously. "That was weird," he says.

"Yeah," she agrees. She picks up the deck of cards and absently shuffles it.

"So," he says as she deals. "Tell me about this tattoo."

She smiles at him and knows he's hooked. "It's an ouroboros."

"What's that?"

"A snake, eating its own tail. It represents cyclicality, rebirth, self-reflection..."

"Interesting," he says. He's got trip nines, but he couldn't care less. "Can I see it?" His eyes travel up and down her body as if it's going to appear magically.

She leans closer, boldly placing a hand on his thigh. "I can't really show you in the Gull," she tells him quietly. "You'd have to arrest me for public indecency."

He nods, swallowing as her fingers draw circles on his increasingly tight jeans. A smile forms on his lips, and he leans down so that he's whispering in her ear. "My truck's out front. What if you show me back at my place?"

She shivers and squeezes his leg. "Let's go."