FYI in this fic tattoos are inked by actual tattoo guns not those weird patch things they used in the film. And check out Golden Flames Outtakes that will include POVs from other characters, the first one is in Declan's POV and it's already posted.
Enjoy!
"Good work today Issy." His smile lasted for another second before his cold mask of indifference slid back into place. He dips his head at her then walks into the room.
"Issy! Oh my god, look at this!" Her eyes are ripped from Eric's retreating back to Bree who comes running from the opposite side of the room. As she neared, Bree held her left wrist out. A black and grey feather twist on itself with an arrow at the bottom and birds flying out of the top, bracelets with small beads hang from the arrow and curve around the feather.
"Wow Bree! That's beautiful."
"I know and-" Bree starts to slap Issy's arm again. "You should see your brothers tattoo, I mean, wow. Ooh! And Noah's tatt, that is beautiful. C'mon!" Issy gets pulled by the arm to where the artist is just finishing off Noah's tattoo. He is layed stomach down, laughing at whatever Alec just said. The piece on his back is beautiful. Covering all of his back is the most badass tree Issy has ever seen. The roots start at his hips and the trunk climbs his back for at three-quarters of it; the bark is shaded black and dark grey. The leaves cover the rest of his back in shades of red, yellow and orange like flickering flames. It's the perfect mix of Amity and Dauntless.
"Shit." Issy nods her in approval. "That is badass."
"It should be." The artist, a tanned woman with slanted eyes and black dreadlocks smirks. "It's one of my best pieces. Tori." She introduces herself and glances at Alec and back again. "You must be Issy, the other Golden Eyes."
"Yes, I've just heard of that nickname." Issy motions her head to where Josh has just came out with Eric in deep discussion. Tori notices the pad and pencils she holds with one arm.
"A drawer are you?" Alec perks his head up in surprise, fixing his eyes on the pad before locking his own golden gaze with hers and smiling sadly.
"Yes, but I haven't drawn in a long while. Dauntless seems to bring that artistic nature out of me that's be hidden for years." She returns the smile to her brother. "What tattoo did you get Alec?"
He smirks as he takes his hoodie off, revealing his bare chest. Bright ink dyed the whole of his left arm in the shape of a dragon. The tattoo started with the dragon's triangular tail fin on top of his hand, the tail then coiled around half of his forearm and the rest of the dragon's body covered the rest of his arm. Its back claws were gripping his arm whereas the front claws were holding onto his shoulder. The head flowed onto his shoulder blade with it's jaws open wide, spitting jets of golden fire across his back. Within the flames Issy could make out a sentence. Embrace the flames and become uncontrollable. The scales ranged from silvery grey to slate grey and it's eyes were a sharp blue – the same blue as their own.
"Damn, that is sick." Issy spins to look at Cody "And what badass tattoo are you hiding?" She cocks an eyebrow at him with her hands on her hips.
"I haven't got it yet." Two hands slam down onto Cody's shoulders, making him jump.
Josh snorts at his reaction. "Have you got the design?" Cody nods. "Well come on." Josh leads Cody over to a station further away from the others. Issy leaves Alec and Bree with Noah as the touch ups are finished and follows after Josh and Cody. Josh motions for Cody to settle down on the chair as he takes the design. Cody chose a geometric lion head to go on his right peck. As Cody makes himself comfy shirtless while Josh prepares the gun, Issy tucks her legs underneath her on the chair next to him and reopens her sketch book.
Josh makes easy conversation as he inks Cody's skin but she too distracted by her drawings. She pauses, looking down at the five similar drawings. Each design consists of five five-pointed stars drawn in a column with a shooting star at the bottom. The only difference is only one of the stars in each design is solidly coloured black while the others are outlined black. In each one the black star is positioned differently. She nearly jumps out of her skin when Hugo takes the pad out of her hands.
"Is this what I think it is?" He glances up and fingers each drawing. Mutely, she nods. "He'd like it. From a young age he loved the stars." Hugo smiles fondly. "So there's one for each of us?" Again she nods. "Hey Dec, Alec! Come over 'ere." Hugo waves over their brothers, Issy didn't even know both Hugo and Declan were in the shop. When they both came over Hugo shoved the pad under their noses. "Look."
"Is this-" Declan furrowed his brows in question, when he glanced up at her Issy could see the small mist clouding his eyes.
"Yep."
"Placement?"
Issy shrugged her shoulders. "Anywhere." Hugo turns around to see Josh begin to clear up his work station with no Cody in sight.
"Josh are you clearing up for the day or do you have time for a few small ones?" If Issy wasn't as observing as she was she would have missed Josh quickly glance Hugo up and down before nodding.
"Yeah, I have time. Who's getting tattooed?"
"All of us." Alec answers.
"Okaay, who's first?"
Declan sits down and points to the first design with the black star at the top of the column. "I'll have it on my left pointer finger." Declan holds out his hand for Josh to start. As quickly as it started Declan's was finished and Hugo replaced him in the seat. Hugo pointed to the second design with the black star the second one down and twisted his right arm so the side of his wrist was facing up. Soon enough it was Issy go and she tried to calm her breathing.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm not overly fond of needles."
Alec snorted. "Understatement of the century." Issy shot him a glare.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" When she nodded Josh sighed. "If you need a break tell me to stop. Now, I'm going on a whim here but I'm guessing you want the third star black?"
"Yeah."
"So where do you want it?"
"On the back of my neck."
Josh's jaw drops slightly and looks to her brothers for confirmation. "On the back of your – do you realise it's gonna sting like an absolute bitch?"
"Bring it." Issy turns her back to him and lifts her hair out of the way. Josh mutters something about them being nuts and starts. At first the buzz was painful, Josh was right, it did sting like a bitch but soon like pain faded and it became almost soothing. Not once did she ask for a break nor did she hiss when Josh drew over bone. Time seemed to blur together when suddenly Issy was shaken lightly.
"I cannot believe you started to doze off." Josh shakes his head in amazement and tells her to come back if there's any redness or swelling.
"You've already finished?"
Josh scoffs. "Golden Eyes, I was finished at least ten minutes ago. Now up you get, one more to go." Alec quickly swaps with Issy, pointing to the design with the fourth star black and twists his left arm so that his side of his hand was facing up. Josh looks at Alec, then to Issy who tied her hair into a loose bun and to Declan and Hugo. "Seriously! What is with you guys? Can't you choose a less painful place to put it?"
"The pain was already there, what's some more?" Declan looks down at his boots and shuffles a bit. Issy turns to Dec with her mouth open slightly.
"That is the deepest shit I've heard you say on the subject." She shook her head. "But anyway, this is a happy time, of remembrance and now I want to see more of Dauntless." She looks to her brothers in turn. Declan's eyes crinkle in sadness and amusement as he scratches the back of his neck. Alec nods his head in agreement as Josh finishes up the tattoo. Hugo smile directly at his sister with a toothy grin.
"You're right." Hugo turns to Declan. "The guys should be in the Pit by now right?"
"Yeah, Tris said this morning that she'll meet us there." Declan grinned, the sombre mood replaced with excitement. Hugo looked at Josh, who was once again cleaning his station.
"Coming Josh?"
"Nah, I've got stuff to be over-looking tonight." The twins exchange a look, silently communicating. They didn't know if Dec saw it but they noticed the deflated look in Hugo's eyes that disappeared as quickly as it came.
"Okay. C'mon then." Declan and Hugo dragged their siblings to the door.
"Thanks again Josh!" Issy called back but the slamming of the front door cut off his reply.
The Pit was loud and wild as they entered. Along the way, they found Cody, Noah and Bree heading to the dorms. They protested loudly when Declan ended up pushing them in the opposite direction, stopping when none of them could get out of his hold. They came to stop outside a corner of the Pit where three main open bars connected in a triangular formation with high and low tables of various sizes spread between them. It was busy for only a couple of minutes past seven, the black clothing blended each person from the next. Outrageous hair colours and piercings separated the members that sat side by side, laughing as the drank and Issy loved it.
"Look for a man waving his arms about like a lunatic, seriously, you couldn't miss him." Hugo muttered as they all searched the crowd.
"Is that him over there?" Bree pointed over to the corner to a high table filled with people. Hugo was right, he did look like a lunatic. The man had a young tanned face, probably older than Hugo. For some reason he looked familiar but she couldn't think of why.
"Yes that's him. Come on!"
As they neared the table jokes could be heard being flung back and forth. One of them, Issy recognised as Zeke from lunch earlier that day, had the waving psycho in a headlock. Both were laughing as the others egged it on. The guy in Zeke's hold looked up as they came to the table.
"Oh, hi." He said casually like the situation he was currently in was normal. They're Dauntless so it probably was.
Zeke looked up and grinned. "Declan! It's about time you showed up!"
"Oh Zeke, were you beginning to worry? Don't worry hun, Deccy's here. " Declan put on a baby voice and pouted.
Noah glanced at the Issy and Alec with a disgusted look on his face. "Is that normal?" He asked.
"Not that we know of." Alec appeared stunned and shook his head. The other occupants turned around, noticing the initiates standing there awkwardly, looking confused.
"Ah, the new batch!" A girl from the other side of Zeke gasped, shuffling down the table to make room. "So who do we have here?"
"This is Noah, Bree and Cody." Declan points to each one in turn. Then he starts grinning and clasps the twins on their shoulders. "This is Alec and Issy."
A woman with dark hair and tanned skin starts laughing. "Dec and Hugo's told us so much about you guys. I'm Christina and this is Will, Tris, Marlene, Shauna and Lynn."
"This is my little brother Uriah." Zeke tightened his hold on Uriah. Issy remembered Lynn to be one of the Dauntless born's instructors. Will was also familiar but she couldn't think where from. She looked to Alec as he raised an eyebrow towards Will and both turned to Declan and Hugo. "Erudite?" Will nods. They all move up so the rest can sit down.
"I'm sure you've met Will before." Hugo taps his chin. "He's two years older than me but two years younger than Dec."
"I remember that time where someone set off glitter bombs off in Jeanine's office and she was furious."
Alec laughs. "Yeah, that was us. . . I think you were the decoy weren't you Hu?"
"God, That was hilarious. Do you know how hard it was to get her to go to her office without making it obvious?" Hugo stated as the table laughed.
"So first day: how was initiation?" asks Tris. Groans echoed from the five initiates.
"I'd never have thought knife throwing would be so much effort." Issy leaned he head on her hand as she looked to Bree. "But you were pretty good at it Bree."
"Yeah but you'll never beat my awesomeness." Cody brags.
"You shat yourself when Four was behind you!" Noah muses, shoving Cody's shoulder with his own.
"What happen?" Zeke leans forward, releasing his brother.
"When I was on my last knife I somehow managed to embed the knife into the board hilt first and Four said it was a first."
"I'd only now wish the beds were comfier." Noah groaned.
"I don't know what you're talking about. That was the best sleep I've had in awhile." Issy smile wryly and looks to the table while the others start chuckling, mistaking her tone as a joking one. Her brothers however catch onto the truth in her sentence. Declan squeezes her thigh reassuringly, smiling sadly.
"Anyway, it's – " Hugo consults his watch. " – nearly half eight and you'll need all the sleep you can get." Hugo's gaze lingers on Issy. The initiates get up from the table. "See you lot at breakfast yeah?" They agree, saying their 'good-byes' and 'laters' as they weave through the mass of people. On their way out of the Pit they nearly walk into Four and Eric. Nodding night to them both they break into a sprint, racing and laughing down the halls.
Slamming into a stop, they reach the dorms. Surprisingly, only Zara and Jess are in their beds, quietly whispering to each other. One by one Cody, Bree and Noah each go to bed, tossing and turning. Glancing at the clock it's ten to nine. When Issy readies herself to jump into the top bunk Alec grabs her arm.
"If you're ever bored, wake me up okay? We've gone through everything together since we were born, let me help you with this Iss, please?" Alec sighs as he runs a hand through his hair, his blue eyes flecked with gold showing the sadness he's feeling.
"Okay."
"Yeah?" The gold flickers stutter out slightly.
"If it gets to more than an hour, I'll wake you up."
"Okay."
With help from Alec she heaves herself into the bed. It takes a minute to relax before she closes her eyes, succumbing to sleep.
The stench of smoke clogging up her nose and lungs, poisoning the air. Stairs creak and groan under her weight as her shoes slapped against them. The fire so hot, burning, eating, devouring everything it touches. The cries sound oh so painful, making her heart retch as she –
Issy bolts up, breathing heavily. She runs her hands down her body and through her hair. She can still feel it, the flame's heat, the smoke as it covers her vision. Her breathing calms slightly as she falls back onto her bed after looking at the clock.
02:37
'Just great.'
So that's probably going to be the last one in a while as college is finishing soon and (unfortunately) I have no Wi-Fi at home :(
Tell me, what did you think of the tattoos? Who do you think he is? And what do you think to Issy's dream?