Max's mouth open and closed a few more times before he cried out incredulously. "I didn't mean it as a challenge! I – uh – Go away!" He started to shoo her out with a small smile. "Go bother someone else!"
As Josh began to lead her out, still taking most of her weight, all they could hear was Issy's laughter.
Issy woke up early one morning. Her wrist was completely healed, as were her ribs, and her leg was nearly healed too. Today she woke up with purpose, a rare thing just recently and Issy missed the feeling. She missed having a plan for the day and having something to do. She should have been able to go back to work when both Vex and Bennett cleared her. That was almost a month ago and for some reason, Max was keeping her off the rota.
Soon enough after waking up, Issy was out of her door and on her way. With a travel mug full of delicious coffee in one hand and her speaker in the other Issy took a leisurely walk throughout the compound. She was dressed in leggings, a loose hoodie and trainers. Her phone and her keys were in the hoodie pocket, the end of her bungee cord clipped to her belt loop. Issy had made the decision to skip breakfast. No doubt one of her brothers would come and find her at lunch time. There was only one thing she planned on doing today.
Issy exhaled happily as she stepped into the garage and grinned at the familiar scene around her. With a small grin, Issy swapped out the speaker for her keys and began to swing the cord around her fingers. She walked to the door towards one of the corners and swiped her red keycard. She stepped through the door and was greeted by a large and very familiar room. The S.W.A.L.T room hadn't changed in the slightest. Half of the room was sectioned off where all the lockers were and people were coming and going as they retrieved tings for their patrol.
The most familiar part of the room had Issy grinning. She wasn't surprised to see that there were already people sitting at some of the stations, head bent over their work. Though with each of them she knew their names. It was kind of odd, the relationship she had with these people. Issy didn't know any of them outside of the garage, sure, they'd greet each other in passing but none of them met up. It was almost like a family dynamic. They looked out for each other, made sure others' work was safe and they helped out if someone was struggling with something. Her grin widened impossibly so, her eyes shining gold. She didn't announce herself, instead she turned on her speaker and her music automatically started playing. She started laughing when everyone's head snapped up simultaneously, eyes wide. There was a moment of silence before Vinny threw up his hands in a welcoming gesture.
"GOLDEN EYES!" Cheers erupted as Vinny shouted across the room. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"
Issy laughs brightly. "Of course I am!" She threw her hair up into a bun as she walked over to her station, which was near Vinny's. "Did you really expect me to go down without a fight?"
As Vinny and those around them laughed, she looked over her bike with a sombre smile. Hec had showed her pictures of the bike before the guys started work on it and it had her in tears. Issy had spent so much of her time into giving this bike a character that seeing the bike absolutely battered almost killed her. Though as she stares at it parked up in front of her, Issy is immediately reminded of how it looked before she drew the wolves on the tank. The satchels have been remade and look like exact replicas. The bike in general had a piercing attitude the same as the one that Issy designed for it nearly a year ago. She turned back to her odd little family with a teary smile.
"Thank you." She whispers and Steve pats her on the shoulder.
"You're welcome kiddo." He smiled down at her before handing her the tools to redraw her wolves. "Though I think it's missing something."
Issy grins in response, placing her phone and speaker on the station before picking up the tools and taking a seat next to her bike.
xXx
It was nearing lunch when one of the guys, Paul, came up to her station and asked if he could play a song. She opened her phone and watched as Paul went onto the sever and typed in a song before pressing play. The title itself made her smirk. Wolves. She had finished her wolves not long ago and as Issy checked for any gaps in the shading, she noticed that her wolves appeared fiercer than before. Issy had begun to pack her stuff away as the song started. It wasn't even a few seconds in when Issy was immediately hooked to the tune of the song.
Won't see us coming; out the door before you even blink. Something so cold-blooded with a deep killer instinct. Don't look us right in the face, it's like starin' at a burnin' sun. Got teeth like razor blades and you know that we're out for blood. We're out for blood!
Issy closes her eyes for a moment, feeling overwhelmed by how inspired the lyrics make her.
Better run, better run! 'Cause here it comes, here it comes! Better run, better run! When the wolves come out to play!
Full moon is risin'. Oh, the hunger's burnin' like a flame. No use in hidin'. Oh, you're never gonna find escape. Don't look us right in the face, it's like starin' at a burnin' sun. Got teeth like razor blades and you know that we're out for blood. We're out for blood!
When Issy reopens her eyes, she immediately sees Eric standing by the doors like he did all those months ago. This time he's without Captain, Harrison or her brother. He stands there watching her with a proud look on his face and that alone makes her face heat up. She ducks her head down and concentrates on the rest of the song.
Better run, better run! 'Cause here it comes, here it comes! Better run, better run! When the wolves come out to play!
No mercy! This fury! Like a war machine, it keeps turning. No mercy, no mercy! No mercy! This fury! Like a war machine, it keeps turning. No mercy, no mercy!
Better run, better run! 'Cause here it comes, here it comes! Better run, better run! When the wolves come out to play!
The song ends and Issy grins at Paul, putting both her thumbs up in his direction. Issy turns in the direction of Eric only to find him standing right by her station. His sudden movement makes Issy jump and she nearly falls on her seat.
Eric quickly loops an arm around her waist and pulls her towards him. "Sorry." He says quietly, his eyes staring straight through her.
"It's okay." Her voice is just as quiet.
Eric swallows before pulling his arm back and his professional mask is pulled onto his face. "Max requests a meeting with you – us – now." Issy raises an eyebrow, wondering just what Max wanted from her and Eric. Before she could ask, Eric began talking again. "Max is suppling food in his office." At that statement, her stomach takes that as its cue to start grumbling. Issy laughs slightly, her head ducking down in embarrassment. "C'mon." Issy can hear the smirk in his voice.
Issy begins to pick up her stuff and follows Eric out, waving at the guys that are remaining. Once out of the garage Issy looks up at Eric. His face is forward and his posture is straight and proud. He emits strengths and power of a Leader but Issy is more drawn to the fact that if she's watching, Issy will see the pleased glint that flashes in his eyes when an Initiate picks up something quickly. Eric doesn't show it at all but Issy knows he honestly cares for the members in the faction, especially those that he trains. Eric prides himself over the fact that he has a hand in training the next generation of Dauntless but nobody ever thanks him for it because he's Eric, Dauntless Leader, brutal and cruel. No one searches for the man that cares deeply for his faction and will place his life on the line so his faction becomes better.
Issy begins to smile and there's a slight skip in her step as she turns to Eric. "Is Max putting me back into patrols?" She asks, the thought of it making her giddy.
Eric, never breaking his stride looks down at her with a grin. He waits a while before answering and shrugs. "Dunno."
"Eric!" The wait had made Issy think that he knew something she didn't and so she began to get excited – the bastard knew it too. She grabs his hand and pulls him to a stop. Issy frowns up at him, which makes Eric smirk. As her frown deepens, his smirk widens. "Stop that!"
"Stop what?" Issy punches him in the shoulder but Eric brushes it off with a laugh. "You're trying to glare at me but it's just too adorable. It's like a puppy trying to glare down a lion. It has no affect." Issy ignores the blush rising up from her neck and darkening her cheeks as she punches him again. Eric laughs brightly as he slings an arm across her shoulders, pulling her close as they begin walking again.
Issy was surprised at how easy it was to be with Eric in moments like this, especially outside of the infirmary. The young soldier had initially thought that because Eric was so well known, he often was watched by most of the members around him. Issy didn't think she could deal with that – with being watched constantly. But what Issy noticed as they walked close together through the compound with Eric's arm slung across her shoulders, they weren't watched. Sure, members would glance at the pair curiously but looked away after a moment and got on with their day. Slowly, Issy began to relax into Eric, leaning into his side slightly.
When they get around about halfway across the compound, Issy's face brushes up against his jacket and a thought pops up. She pulls them to a stop again. "You need to take that jacket back. You know, the one that you gave me in initiation?" Eric pulls away from her looking insulted. "Wait! No! That's not –" Issy grabs his hands and laces her fingers with his when Eric tries to distance himself from her. She pulls him forward and places her forehead on his chest. His body is tense and Issy closes her eyes. She is overwhelmed by the shot of fear that ran through her when Eric started closed himself off from her and even more so when he backed away from her. "That's not what I meant." Issy says in a broken whisper. "I – it seems stupid now… The jacket no longer smells like you." She says it so quietly that Eric might not have heard her. But when his body relaxes, Issy knows he heard her.
She feels Eric exhale deeply and he unlaces their fingers to wrap his arms around her waist. His chin comes to rest on top of her head and he exhales again. "God sake," Eric whispers into her hair, almost so silently she struggles to hear him. "Don't scare me like that."
Issy's hands grip his jacket and she moves her head to rest her cheek against his chest. "Sorry… I should had worded it differently."
Eric's arms tighten around her. "No shit."
xXx
When they reach Max's office, Eric knocks on the door once before opening the door. Eric motions for Issy to go first and she steps inside. She isn't the slightest bit surprised to see Max's office in a mess with piles of folders scattered around. The annoying side of Issy just wants to push on pile and then watch them all fall. Her face must have given away her thoughts because Max points at her with pen.
"No!"
Issy settles into one of the seats in front of the Head Leader's desk with a pout as Eric settles into the next, his shoulder shaking in silent laughter.
"Alright!" Max starts his gaze on Issy and she shuffles slightly. "I know that you are getting restless about being off the rota. I'm worried that even though you think you're fine and can handle it, you'll actually panic… But obviously none of us know that until you're back out there" Max looks at Eric briefly, gauging the younger Leader's response. Issy guesses that Max hadn't discussed the meetings outcome with him… "So as a trial, today you will join Eric and I on a meeting to Erudite –" Eric's relaxed posture immediately straightens, his cold eyes on Max in disbelief. "– to ease you back into things. We aim to leave at fourteen hundred hours so be at the garage for thirteen hundred hours for the briefing."
"Max –" Eric interrupts but is ignored. Issy is almost ecstatic at the opportunity but she glances warily between Eric and Max, the older Leader ignoring Eric.
"I will make the decision on whether or not you will re-join your squad on today's performance."
"Max!" Eric snaps, gaining the other Leader's attention. "You were there that day! This would be like –"
"Enough Eric! I know. but we have to straighten things out. Erudite cannot keep hounding our ambassadors or the other Factions like this."
Issy glances between the two Leaders again. Clearly Erudite was causing trouble by some way or another but it sounds like it's been kept under wraps. She bites her bottom lip, changeling her courage as she asks a question. "Is this about the Factionless we captured?"
Max and Eric exchanged a look. Max looked away slightly and Eric scowled at the other Leader as if to say well done. There was something cold and animalistic in Eric's face but he sighed, his expression changing to a softer one and he placed a hand on Issy's knee. Eric closed his eyes, squeezing her knee gently like he had to remind himself that she's still there.
Max finally cleared his throat. "You don't have the authorisation to know that information."
"Okay." Almost subconsciously, her hand fell on top of Eric's and squeezed. Issy released the breath she was holding when he squeezed back.