Disclaimer: I do not own this song or the Divergent Trilogy. All rights go to Mumford and Sons and Veronica Roth.
THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE. I was informed that I can't have song lyrics in a story if that song isn't in public domain so I have edited the story. The name of the song that they are listening to is below.
They are all standing around the kitchen, beers in hand as Four cooks. Everyone's there - Evelyn, Christina, Zeke and Shauna, Cara and Caleb, Amar and Geoge - everyone who survived the war alive. The radio is playing lightly in the background. Now that Chicago is open to the rest of the world, different types of movies, music, clothes, art, food, etc. have been exposed to it's inhabitants.
As they are chatting a song starts playing faintly in the background and no one notices. No one except Four.
Zeke glances over at the sudden quiet from Four. He nudges Shauna quiet and slowly everyone else falls silent as well listening to Four sing silently under his breath.
They see him grip the counter as he leans on it, the tight grasp that he has on the knife that he's holding, the way that his eyes are screwed shut and how is deep his voice is as he croons the lyrics. They see the way his posture changes till he's has a straight back and legs spread in a fighting stance.
They stay quiet even as the song ends and Four falls silent. No one says anything, spellbound,even as Tobias' breath hitches.
"Four.." Zeke says cautiously after a few minutes of hitching breaths, reaching out to touch his shoulder.
"Don't." comes the reply, voice hard and cold. Then he turns around surprising everyone with the tear tracks running down his cheeks.
"Tris….." he starts before pausing and swallowing as if to gather his courage "Tris liked that song, she said it reminded her of me and of us. Now it just reminds me of her."
Everyone else nods, silently digesting the unexpected bit of information.
"Well," Cristina cracks " does that mean that you proposed to her 'cause the song implies that you did."
Everyone pauses at that.
"Wait - you did what to my baby sister?" Caleb demands, glaring at Four.
"Not exactly,.." He trails off, a blush crawling up his cheeks as everyone else burst into laughter. The awkward moment sufficiently ended.
After everyone's gone home, late at night, Four glances out the window as he washes the dishes. The moon is full and he remembers. He remembers sneaking into Amity's fields for a hidden moment with Tris and making out in the grass until the dawn broke. He remembers whispered promises into skin and her eyes under the moon. He remembers hundreds of little things adding up to the mental image that is simply Tris to him.
I will love with urgency but not with haste, he thinks.
Three weeks later, Evelyn notices a bandage sticking out from under his shirt. "Are you ok?" she asks in a tentative moment of motherly concern.
"I'm fine." he says sharply before continuing in a softer tone "It's actually a new tattoo."
"Could I.." she starts before continuing, careful not to overstep her boundaries. "Could I see the tattoo?"
"Sure." he says after a moment's pause. He pulls off his shirt and carefully removes the bandage on his chest. There in carefully scripted black ink is the line : I will love with urgency but not with haste.
"Oh." she says quietly and thinks of that time in the kitchen three weeks ago.
"Yeah" Tobias says, smiling briefly.
She never brings it up again but thinks that this is a memorial inked into the skin of the man she loved. Inked into the skin of her son, she realizes and takes it as proof that he's moving on and starting to live instead of just surviving.
She never mentions the tattoo again.
It's been ten years. Ten years since Abnegation was attacked and the faction system abolished. It's been ten years since Tris died.
This is my first fanfic so any useful/ constructive criticism or advice is welcome. Please review. The song for future reference is Not with haste by Mumford & Sons. I heard it and was instantly reminded of Four/Tris.