Angel With A Devilish Angle

I watched as the tattoo artist wiped away some excess ink from where he was working at creating a new image on my hips. My existing one of the chequered Vans slip on was low enough not to be affected, something I'd thought of when I'd first thought up the design on my lunch break one day before Zack had even come home from his holiday and told me I had to come on this tour.

Frank was sat beside me, holding my hand and laughing every time I flinched or sucked in a sharp breath because of the slight pain. Like I keep saying I'd much rather be the inker than the inked. But this design... when it was done it was gonna say 'Stand' on my right hip 'and' in the middle and then 'Deliver' on my left hip above the existing tattoo. Then over the 'and' there was an old fashioned pistol.

Yes I got the idea by listening to Stand and Deliver which happened to be one of my favourite songs for reasons unknown. "How long did it take you to draw this up?" The artist asked, briefly glancing up at me before looking back.

"Half hour, during my lunch break." I answered.

"What do you do?"

"Tattoo artist." I grinned.

"Woman after my own heart." He chuckled and Frank squeezed my hand with a smile.

"She's one of the best if you ask me." He then said, pulling his sleeve up to show the guy the one I'd done; it was just some random Halloween related tattoo and I'd filled in more space of his sleeve. The guy smiled from beneath his bristly moustache that looked much like it had dropped off a sweeping brush, then he nodded and agreed with Frank.

"I think I've seen your work actually." He know spoke up as he moved onto the next bit. "You've inked the A7x guys, haven't you?"

"Yeah, Zack's my twin brother. They always come to me because they know I'll knock a bit off the price."

The guy chuckled some more and I glanced up at Frank who was watching intently until I looked up at him and he smiled back. After another half hour the guy finished up and smeared petroleum jelly across my hips, before letting me stand up, albeit gingerly. It was a bit dumb of me really since I'd probably end up inking someone that afternoon.

Oh well.

As it were Sarah came into the tent a bit afterwards dragging Zack along behind her who looked a little sheepish and decidedly nervous. I stood studying my new tattoo and turned to look at them both, raising an eyebrow much as Frank had when they entered. The pair of them stopped in front of us and Sarah nudged Zack in the side.

"Wouldyouinkmeplease?" He mumbled as he stared away at his feet and scratched at the back of his neck.

"Huh?" I frowned not catching a word of that as I pulled my top back on and pulled it down carefully.

"He wants to know if you'll tattoo him please." Sarah sighed.

I looked away from her and up at my brother and smiled at him. It was high time I forgave him anyway and he was being extra...nice...around Frank now so I no longer had reason to hate him. That and the fact he helped in the search for Gerard the night before.

"Got anything in mind or will I have to get my assistant Franketta to find my sketchbook?" I asked moving away to set up my things.

"Erm you do whatever." He now shrugged following me across the tent to where I pointed out for him to sit. "You know what I like."

I smiled and nodded before telling Frank to pull up some more boxes for seats; then I turned to Zack and asked him where he wanted it. His arm. Should have guessed. I grabbed my blue-purple pen and sketched out some lines on his arm; I was pretty accurate straight off so I wouldn't have too many lines I didn't want.

"Happy with that?" I questioned and he studied it in the mirror before smiling at me.

"As awesome as ever."

"Good now sit, or it'll hurt." I smirked up at him.

"It'll hurt you more, babe." Frank now spoke up and Zack looked to him and then back at me, confusion evident all over his face.

"I only got done being inked about a half hour ago." I grinned at him, before pulling the edge of my top up for him and Sarah to see. Zack grinned even more up at me as I put my top back down and carefully sat down, pulling on a pair of latex gloves ready to begin. Once the buzzing of the machine started up and I'd dipped the nib in the ink I turned back to Zack. "Ready?"

"Do I really look like I'm a tattoo virgin?" He asked with both eyebrows raised.

I gave him a blank look before grinning. "Yes."

He shoved me arm lightly and I held a finger up at him. "Who is the one who can easily inflict pain here if she accidentally pressed too hard, huh?" I warned him, with a sly smile. Zack sank back slightly and shut up letting me begin. "You're too submissive boy." I finally grinned after a few minutes of him flinching slightly as the initial stinging set in.

"No he's just whipped." Frank commented which made Sarah and me laugh.

"Like you're not?" Zack retorted.

"Oh I know I'm whipped." Frank now said. "I'm only off my leash today because I've been a good boy."

I looked up at him laughing to see him waggling his eyebrows at me which made me laugh more. "You think with your dick."

"I'm a guy." He shrugged.

"Touche."

Within a matter of minutes I'd finished the outlines and changed the nib accordingly for the colour, which I began on. Sarah's eyes widened when she saw I was already onto the colour and Zack just smiled softly at her, but I spoke first, a hint of amusement in my voice. "You've never seen me at work before, have you Sarah?"

"Nope."

"She's one of the fastest artists on the West Coast." Zack now informed her with a proud grin right across his face that made me smile. "She's won medals and trophies at competitions and all. They're all right next to my baseball ones in a cabinet in mom's living room where she can show them off."

"I know honey." Sarah replied, patting Zack's head. "Your mom has told me about all of you two's trophies and things."

"I was telling Frank that part honey." Zack now informed her and I glanced at Frank shaking my head slightly as we both giggled at them. I always found it amusing when they bickered over silly little things, knowing that once one of them had the final word it would never be mentioned again and everything would be back to normal. It was like they were already married.

"I was only in those competitions because Nori and Zack - even though Zack isn't Nori's biggest fan - entered me then told me they had."

"You don't need to be in any to be good Faith." Frank smiled at me.

Once I was done on the big tattoo I went back to the black ink and started on a much smaller barely noticeable one. I grinned over at Sarah whilst Zack frowned out of confusion and looked down at me. He was worried what I was now tattooing on him, I could tell, which only made it funnier.

Once I was done I wiped off all the excess ink and handed him a mirror. I stood with my arms folded across my chest, smiling triumphantly as he studied the new monster wrapped around his arm. And then, he noticed it. The extra one I had drawn on him. And his eyes widened with horror.

"What the fuck?!" He yelped before looking round at me. "What the fuck have you drawn on me?!"

"A Care Bear, because deep down inside you're just a real big softy like a Care Bear." I smiled, pinching his cheek like our nonna does.

"You know you're only getting away with this because I love you and I don't wanna fall out with you anymore this year." He grumbled before softening up when I wiped the jelly over it and wrapped it over to protect the sore skin.

Once I was done striping myself of my gloves and Frank moved over to get a better look, Sarah moved over to me giggling and grinning, and high fived me. Not gone unnoticed by Zack either. "What was that for?" He asked suspiciously.

"We've been planning this since I first got my apprenticeship!" I laughed.

"When you were seventeen." Sarah added.

Zack narrowed his eyes at us both, dropping some money into my bucket before making to leave with the rest of us laughing at him. That was until Gerard appeared under the tent and we all shut up PDQ, whilst Zack stopped leaving. Gee looked nervous; he was rubbing his hands together and his eyes were shifty. Not an 'I'm trippin' right now' shifty, the nervous kind.

"Hey Gee." I smiled softly and he finally broke into a smile before coming right up to me and engulfing me in a hug.

"I'm so so so sorry about last night!" He apologised.

"Gee it's o-"

"No it's not because I ruined your date!" He made an almost pouty look at me before looking at Frank apologetically who just smiled back. "Ray said you were just about to kiss when he opened the bus door to ask where I was. So I ruined your night."

I felt my cheeks burn up at that point and I bit down hard on my bottom lip. Neither Frank nor I had spoken about that yet; I don't know why though. We'd been out on a date so why should we be shy to talk about one little kiss? That didn't happen but you know what I mean.

"It's okay Gee, really." I assured him and with that he turned back to Zack.

"Thanks for helping last night." He now said. "It really means a lot. I owe you one."

"Well make it up by being a good friend to my sister." Zack smiled back. Meaningfully too. That smile and that sentence was heart felt and that meant a lot to me after what he'd said about Frank and Gerard the week before.

"That's something I will be able to keep." Gerard nodded.

With that Zack smiled one last time, as Sarah gave Gerard a hug before hurrying after my brother and leaving with him, leaving me to finish tidying my things away and follow the guys as they went to get ready to go onstage for the last time on the tour.