Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable.
The thrum of the tattoo gum reverberated through Sirius' head, overpowering all of his thoughts and finally bringing peace to his mind. It was an addiction. The only thing that silenced the negativity clouding his every move, the memories of a childhood he wished he could permanently forget. Tattoos were his only vice.
"What made you pick this design then?" His voice breached the silence, quiet and curious. It was a question every artist would ask, but this time it didn't feel like it was just asked out of politeness. He genuinely wanted to know why Sirius had chosen such a design. "Sorry, if it's personal. I just don't see many guys coming in asking for dragonflies."
"Maybe I just like dragonflies," Sirius murmured softly. He shifted slightly in the chair to get a better look at the artist's work. He'd finished up the outline and was slowly working on dot work before he'd move on to the shading and bright burst of colour Sirius had heavily debated on adding.
"Maybe you do, I wouldn't know." He paused for a moment, glancing at his references for clarity before bowing his head and continuing. "Something tells me that's not the real reason though."
Sirius was quite, once again allowing the humming of the tattoo machine to surround him, overwhelming his senses for a moment of peace. He had a lot of tattoos, and while some were just because he liked the art style, or needed to escape the real world for a moment, he did have a few that had deeper meanings. He'd spent almost a full year deciding on a design for the Japanese dragon that covered his back, a symbol of strength and wisdom and the known protector of the human race. Yet the dragonflies on his calf had perhaps taken him the longest to decide upon.
"Dragonflies are considered healing animals in many cultures, and a sign of transformation," Sirius sighed softly as he continued to watch the artist work. "For me, it's a message to myself that I'll always be healing from some element of my past, but that I can change myself for the better at the same time. Healing and evolving, to me, they're simultaneous actions."
The path of healing and transformation intersected in life. To Sirius, he had to heal old wounds from his childhood to change into a man who was no longer ruled by darkness and fear. At the same time, he had to mature and change to be able to begin healing by way of forgiveness. He walked down two separate paths, yet realistically, both formed one road to the future.
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