Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Go over there and ask Eric to dance,” Christina says, smirking deviously.

“Absolutely not.”

Tris really should have expected this. For weeks now the ex-Candor had been trying to get her to come on to Eric in some way or another.

“You don’t really have a choice now do you? It’s called Dauntless or Candor for a reason and you chose Dauntless.”

This bloody game would be the death of her…or the end of her friendship with Christina, Tris wasn’t sure which yet.

“You do this to me every time I agree to play this stupid game,” she counters, frustrated that Christina is once again trying to ruin a night out.

“Well maybe if you followed through, I would stop. What’s it gonna be this time? Are you going to go talk to him? Or are you going to give up and go home like usual.”

Tris sighs loudly.

“Why are you so hell bent on watching me make a fool out of myself?”

Christina lets out a sigh of her own. “Trust me, you’ll be fine. That man wants you.”

Tris’ eyes grow wide in disbelief. “Excuse me? He does not!”

“He so does girl. You should have seen the way he looked at you during initiation.  I thought you were just ignoring it because he’s a jackass but then when we found out about Four it made sense.  You were too wrapped up in him to notice Eric constantly checking you out.”

“You’re being ridiculous. Will, please tell her how ridiculous she’s being,” Tris says, turning towards the boy standing next to Christina.

Will looks between the two girls before shrugging.

“I mean, I didn’t see him ‘checking you out’ the way Chris did, but…” he trails off.

“But what?” Tris asks sternly. “But what, Will?”

“If you think back on initiation, you’re the only person he was ever nice to.”

“Nice? When was he ever nice to me?”

Tris is starting to wonder if her best friends have gone crazy.

“Well, nice is a relative term. Eric’s version of nice isn’t the same as most people’s but still. He told you he thought you were brave. He admitted that he underestimated you. When you ignored him after the fights and showed up on the train for the war games, he didn’t yell at you, he barely even said anything, and he seemed impressed that you showed up. Oh, and when our rankings came up at the end of initiation, I swear he looked proud that you came first…but that’s subjective I suppose.”

Tris turns to Christina who looks back at her with the smuggest expression she has ever seen.

“You’re both wrong. He is NOT into me. This is crazy.”

Christina rolls her eyes before speaking. “Whatever, it doesn’t even matter.  The dare stays the same.  Go ask him to dance.”

Tris wants to give up.  She wants to stomp out of there, get it bed and refuse to talk to Christina for at least a week. But what she wants even more is to shut her friend up for good.

“Fine.”

“Fine?” Christina asks surprised. “You’re actually going to do it?”

“I said fine, didn’t I?”

Christina smirks.

“I mean…I heard the words, but I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Tris turns towards the bar, quickly scanning the area for her target. It doesn’t take long to spot him, even among a crowd of Dauntless he still manages to stand out.  Tris watches as he laughs at something one of his friends says and she can’t help but smile at the rare display. Her mouth falls and her heart sinks at the realization that she’s not only about to make a fool out of herself in front of Eric, but also three of his friends.

“Christina…”

“I knew you wouldn’t do it,” Christina says rolling her eyes.

Tris glares daggers at her so-called friend before taking a deep breath and walking directly towards Eric and his group.

“Just get this over with and you’ll never have to deal with Christina’s crap again,” she mutters to herself before pushing her way into the middle of the group and turning to look directly at Eric.

He looks back at her, brows raised, head tilted, startled by her abrupt arrival. The other boys watch on quietly. 

Tris goes to speak but her mouth is dry, and no words come out. Her eyes flit to the drink in Eric’s hand and she reaches out for it.

“May I?” she asks meekly.

Caught of guard, Eric merely nods in response. Tris grabs the drink and downs the remainder in one large gulp. Her eyes grow wide as the strength of the alcohol hits the back of her throat. It takes everything she has not to sputter and cough it back up.  

“Tris…?”

She stares into the glass for a moment, before resting it gently on the edge of the bar.

“Would you…” she starts.

Oh God. Is she really going to do this?

Eric waits patiently for her to finish her sentence; his eyes are surprisingly kind which gives her the courage to follow through.

“Would you want to dance with me?”

He blinks a few times in response and stands frozen in place.  

Tris swallows as a burning heat starts to make its way up her neck and into her cheeks. Eric’s mouth opens slightly but nothing comes out. He continues to stare at her silently.

Tris wraps her arms around herself waiting nervously for him to say something, anything. But he doesn’t.

“I’ll take that as a no,” she mumbles before turning tail and beelining it back to where Christina, Will and now Uriah and Marlene stand.

Tris stops short of them and considers making a run for the door. Neither facing her friends nor remaining in the same room as the man who had just denied her seems appealing.

Her eyes begin to sting, a tell-tale sign that tears are coming. But why? She had anticipated the rejection and the embarrassment, so blushing makes sense, but crying over being rejected by a man she doesn’t have any interest in?

Tris is still contemplating her next move when she feels a hand grab hers, she jumps slightly, turning towards its owner.

“Eric?” she breathes, looking up at him with wet eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “You just, you surprised me and I…”

Tris shakes her head. “It’s okay. I get it. You don’t want to dance with me. No problem. Just go back to your friends and we will forget this ever happened.”

She tries to pull her hand from his grasp, but he keeps his hold firm.

“No, that’s not it. I mean, yes, I don’t want to dance. But that’s just because I don’t dance not because I don’t want to dance with you specifically.”

“So…” Tris says not sure what he’s getting at.

“Do you want to grab a drink with me?”

“Oh.”

Wait, does she want to have a drink with him? Asking him to dance was a dare but grabbing a drink feels like a…date? Her stomach flutters at the thought and she nibbles her lower lip.

“Yeah, let’s get a drink,” she replies with a nervous smile.

One drink couldn’t hurt, right?

He leads her back to the bar and she is acutely aware of their entangled hands. Holding hands might be a small display in the eyes of the Dauntless, but with her Abnegation upbringing it feels big.  She wonders if it means more to her than to him. She hasn’t been in Dauntless long, only a little over a year, but she can’t recall ever seeing Eric display any type of public affection with anyone.

“What’ll you have?” The bartender asks pulling her from her thoughts.

“Oh, um…I’ll have whatever he’s having,” she replies.

Eric raises his eyebrows at her doubtfully.

“Are you sure? Because I was pretty scared you were going to cough it up all over me earlier,” he jokes.

Tris shrugs and tries to push away the embarrassment that threatens to return from the memory.

“I don’t really drink,” she says. “I’m not sure what I’d like.”

Eric looks contemplative for a moment before responding.

“Okay, why don’t I order two drinks and you can taste them both.  Hopefully you’ll like one of them and I’ll have the other one.”

Tris smiles. “I like that idea.”

She watches as Eric places the order and within seconds the bartender is sliding two drinks across the bar. The first drink looks like a glass of juice and Tris has a feeling she’s going to like it a lot more than whatever Eric was drinking earlier.  The second drink is nearly black with small bubbles that keep rising to the surface.

Letting go of Tris’ hand, Eric reaches towards the bar and picks up the drinks.  He passes her the dark drink first. She accepts it and takes a small sip.  The mixture fizzes on her tongue and the alcohol burns going down but is has a surprisingly sweet taste to it and she doesn’t hate it.

Silently, he takes it from her and replaces it with the other drink. She takes a sip and smiles at the citrusy flavour. Now this is a drink she can get behind.

“I take it from that smile you like that one?”

She nods. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. Now, why don’t we see if one of the booths is free, so we don’t have to deal with our friends continuing to stare at us?”

Tris looks back just in time to see her friends avert their eyes. Eric’s friends do the same when she looks towards them.

“That might be a good idea.”

They scan the far side of the room looking for a more private place to talk.

“There,” Eric says, pointing at the far corner.

Placing his hand back in hers, Eric leads them towards the row of booths at the back of the bar. They are nearly there when someone blocks their path.

Tris looks towards the figure in front of her and immediately wishes she could shrink back and disappear into the crowd.

Four.

He looks between Tris and Eric and then down at their entangled hands. His eyes are hard, his jaw tense.

“Can we help you?” Eric asks, annoyed.

Four looks only at Tris as he responds.

“I would like to speak with my girlfriend.”

Tris can feel Eric turn to look at her as his grip on her hand loosens. Tris holds tight to Eric, refusing to let him pull away, and lets out a small sigh.

“Ex-girlfriend,” she says kindly but firmly. “And I’m busy right now. If you want to talk, we can talk tomorrow.”

“What are you doing?” Four asks, ignoring her response.

“What do you mean?”

“With him? What are you doing with him? Are you trying to make me jealous?”

Tris isn’t surprised that he would jump to that conclusion, but she is a bit surprised he would call her out on it so publicly.  

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we are having a drink and it has nothing to do with you.”

Four chuckles.

“Sure it doesn’t.”

Tris rolls her eyes and turns towards Eric.

“Come on, let’s go get that booth before someone else snags it,” she says, smiling apologetically.

Eric looks a bit confused, but thankfully he doesn’t appear to be angry. He nods in response and tries to lead them around Four but Four steps to the side blocking their path once more.

“Move Number Boy, before I make you move.”

Four doesn’t budge.

“Just walk away,” Tris says to him her eyes pleading for him not to make a scene.

He looks at Eric for a second then back at her.

“Fine, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says flatly before walking away.

Eric and Tris make their way to the booth. Tris lets go of his hand to scoot in and he follows suit.

“So…” she starts, stopping to take a large gulp of her drink.

“You and number boy?” Eric asks bluntly.

Tris takes another sip of her drink as she considers how best to explain herself. Only a handful of people know about her and Four.  Having gotten together during initiation, they were worried that people might accuse him of favoritism and her of sleeping her way to number one so they decided it would be best for them both to keep their relationship a secret for a while.

However, their relationship fell apart very soon after initiation ended, and they didn’t end up having to answer any questions or deal with any fallout.

Tris was a bit surprised that Four had so easily outed them to Eric and was more than a little weary of how Eric was going to react.

“Yeah…well I mean, not anymore,” she replies.

“How long?” Eric asks.

“Sorry?”

“How long were you two together? He called you his girlfriend so it sounds like more than a fling.”

Tris closes her eyes and downs the remainder of her drink. She lets out a deep breath as she lays the glass down on the table. Looking up at him, she bites her lip. Does she tell him the truth? What will he think of her if she does?

“It started during initiation, didn’t it?” he asks before she has a chance to answer.

She nods in response, too worried to speak.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, I saw the way you were with each other and then your fear landscape…”

Tris blushes and covers her face with her hands.  She had forgotten that Eric, as a leader, had seen her getting intimate with Four in the simulation. 

“Since I never saw you two together after initiation, I guess I assumed it was just tension and not a full-blown relationship.”

Tris moves her hands from her face and nods in understanding.

“We didn’t want news of our relationship to discredit my initiation results or make people doubt my capabilities, so we decided to keep it quiet for a while.”

“How long ago did you break up?

“Over a month ago, before we were even ready to go public. Which is why I really don’t know why he thought calling me his girlfriend in front of you was a good plan. It wasn’t his idea to break up and I’m sure it was confusing seeing me and you together, but we spent so much time and energy making sure no one found out…to just flat out say it like that...”

“It was pretty fucking stupid of him,” Eric says frankly.

Tris stares at him, a bit taken aback.

“Well, it was. I could get him into so much trouble. It’s completely against the rules for any member to date an initiate but especially for him as your trainer.  He was specifically reminded of that before initiation too, just like Lauren and I were. The fact that he’s so threatened by seeing me with you that he put himself at risk like that…” Eric pauses and then laughs. “Well actually that’s pretty fucking amusing.”

“Eric!” Tris scolds.

“Well it is and also he’s obviously still into you or he wouldn’t have reacted like that.”

Tris shrugs.

“Or he just hates you that much.”

Eric laughs again.

“It’s probably both. Question, were you telling the truth earlier, when you said that being here with me had nothing to do with him?” he asks. “Or was the whole point to piss him off?”

“That was the truth,” Tris replies quickly. “This has nothing to do with him, I didn’t even know he was here.”

Suddenly, Tris feels guilty. She may not have asked Eric to dance in order to make Four jealous or to irritate Four, but she hadn’t exactly asked him out of her own free will either.

“I do have to come clean about something though,” she starts. “It wasn’t exactly my idea to ask you to dance.”

Eric’s eyebrows furrow as she continues.

“I was playing Candor or Dauntless with some of my friends and Christina dared me. But I’m glad she did. I…I never would have had the courage to talk to you otherwise and even though it’s only been a few minutes I’m enjoying being with you so far.”

Tris watches him quietly wondering if her confession will make him walk away.

“Okay.”

“Okay? You’re not mad?”

Eric shrugs. “You’re not scared of me like most people are. You stood up to me more than once during initiation. Your dare was to ask me to dance, which means you completed your dare, so if you didn’t want to be here with me, I think you would have said something by now.”

Tris smiles, grateful that he understands.

“But, based on everything you’ve told me, I do have some questions for you if you’re willing to answer.”

Tris is a bit apprehensive. What kind of questions could he mean? What was she getting herself into?

Eric chuckles. “I’m not trying to stress you out. I’m just curious. What about this, I know I’m not the easiest person to get to know so how about we play Truth for Truth.”

“You mean where for every question I answer I get to ask you a question in return?”

Eric nods.

Tris likes that idea quite a bit. She isn’t really sure how to approach making conversation with Eric and this would make it a lot easier.

“Okay, I think I can handle that. What do you want to know?”

Tris watches as Eric tilts his head ever so slightly back and forth. She can tell from the movement and the look on his face that he is trying to decide what to ask first.

“I’m torn,” he finally states.

Tris lets out a nervous laugh.

“How many questions are you stuck between?”

“Two.”

She shrugs.

“Ask them both and I’ll pick which one to answer first. You can always ask the other one later.”

“Okay, why did Christina specifically dare you to ask me to dance? Or why did you break up with Four?”

Tris takes a second to contemplate which question to answer first.

“Right, as much as talking about Four isn’t really what I want to be doing, my answer to the dare question will be easier if you have the backstory so I’ll start with that.”

Tris never expected to have this conversation with Eric of all people, but here she is, and as much as she doesn’t usually drink, she can’t help but wish she had another drink right now.

“He’s not a bad guy,” she starts which causes Eric to raise an eyebrow skeptically. “He’s really not. It’s just…it turned out we weren’t nearly as compatible as I thought we were. I left Abnegation because I didn’t fit in there and I didn’t want the kind of life that they believe in. I thought, because he also left, that he would feel the same way. But the more we got to know each other, the more I realized he’s still holding on to Abnegation values and beliefs…especially when it comes to the roles men and women play in a relationship.”

Eric’s eyes grow wide in understanding as he blinks slowly in disbelief. “You’re telling me he expected you to get married and have children young and then to stay home and take care of the family and the household rather than have a life and a career of your own?”

Tris nods solemnly in confirmation. “On one hand, I get it, his home life was…less than desirable. So as an adult, he wants to create the life he never had, the life he feels his parents robbed him of, but I just can’t do it. It’s not who I am, it’s not what I’m built for. I’m not saying I don’t want a family…eventually, but I’m not willing to sacrifice myself entirely to do that. The Dauntless seem to have found a balance in their relationships, in their family life and that’s what I want.”

Eric snorts. “Look, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to give yourself entirely to your family if that’s what you want but come on, he really looked at you and thought to himself ‘oh she’ll make a nice doting housewife and mother’? You? You who left everything behind to join the most daring of all the factions? You who jumped down a frigging hole first not having a clue what was at the bottom? You who beat the living crap out of Molly during the fights? Who worked your ass off during initiation and came first? I’m not saying you won’t make a good wife and mom one day but to think you’d be willing to settle down and give up everything you worked for is ludicrous.”

Tris smiles.

“Well, when you put it that way…” she says, laughing a little. “I guess he just figured since we both grew up Abnegation, I might feel the same way he does. I don’t know. I mean we do get along well, and I think we understand each other better than most people do because of our upbringing but we just aren’t a match…romantically.”   

They sit in silence for a moment before Eric speaks again.

“Okay, you’re turn.”

Tris knows exactly what she wants to ask. She’s been curious about it for months now but she’s also a bit afraid of what the answer might be.

“Did you enjoy making Christina hang over the chasm?”

“Jesus Tris, way to start off with a light one,” he says sarcastically. She sits quietly as he scratches the back of his head. “No, I didn’t.”

She waits for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t.

“Oh right,” Tris says, realizing her mistake. “I guess I asked a yes or no question.”

“You did, maybe keep that in mind for your next one,” he replies.  “But I’ll explain a bit more since you did give me more details about your breakup then you had to. I regret it. I was frustrated that Four was questioning my authority and annoyed that Christina wasn’t taking my orders seriously. Because I was so young when Max appointed me to leadership most of the Dauntless didn’t take me seriously. It wasn’t until I started acting ruthless that my authority started being recognized. So, between Four and Christina and all the questions the initiates kept asking I felt like I was right back where I started, and I made an impulsive decision in an attempt to remind everyone that I was in charge. It was stupid and reckless and Max reamed me out afterwards, but it’s not like I could have apologized and still saved face.”

Tris was surprisingly relieved and satisfied with his response.  While she didn’t condone his actions, she finally understood where he was coming from.

“Thank you for expanding.”

“No problem. So, why did Christina want you to ask me to dance?” he asks, quickly changing the subject.

Tris swallows hard, somehow this feels more difficult to answer than his first question.

“Christina is one of the few people who knows what happened with me and Four. She thinks that the best way to get over him is to rebound with someone who is the complete opposite, someone who is, in her words, ‘pure Dauntless’. And I guess she thinks that you fit the criteria. Granted I find it slightly offensive that one, she thinks I’m the kind of girl who would be interested in a ‘rebound’ and two, she has decided you are a great option for this even though she has called you a jackass on more than one occasion.”

Eric snorts. “Can I ask a follow up?”

Tris could say no, it is technically against the rules, but this game of Truth for Truth is more about getting to know each other than forcing out embarrassing confessions, so she’ll allow it.

“Go ahead,” she says.

“You sounded kind of unsure about me fitting ‘the criteria,’ am I not Dauntless enough for you?” he asks with a wink at the word Dauntless.

“You caught that huh?”

“I did.”

“I’m not sure I like this follow up question.”

Eric laughs. “You can’t take it back now!”

“Fine. I think that to the casual observer you come off incredibly Dauntless. You’re ruthless and most people find you kind of terrifying. You’re covered in tattoos and piercings. You keep yourself in shape and you could probably kick the ass of almost everyone here.”

Tris stops, worried about his reaction to the next part of her answer.

“How come you don’t find me ‘kind of terrifying?’” he asks earnestly.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re intimidating but not in a Dauntless way.”

Eric studies her for a second. “If not in a Dauntless way, then in what way?”

“You’re scary smart and incredibly calculating. You’re mind never stops and you might not say that much but you somehow know exactly what to say to knock anyone down a peg. Your anger is calm, not explosive and you seem to know how to manipulate any situation to your benefit.”

Tris pauses and runs her finger around the rim of her empty glass. She doesn’t know why Eric transferred or how he feels about the Erudite, but she hopes her next words won’t offend him.

“So yeah, I do find you intimidating, but in an Erudite way, not a Dauntless one.”

“Well shit. I’m a little bit flattered that you’ve thought that hard about me,” he smirks, visibly impressed by her analysis.

Tris blushes. When and why had she put this much thought into Eric’s behaviour? She tries to think back but nothing comes to mind.

“Alright, you’re turn again,” he says.

She had planned on asking him about the knife throwing incident and why he got Four to throw the knives instead of doing it himself, but his last answer brought another question to mind. Asking it runs the risk of ruining the evening, but she can’t let it go.

“I’m going to ask you something and if you don’t want to answer it, I won’t hold it against you, okay? Just tell me if you aren’t comfortable responding and I won’t push it.  I’ll just ask you something else and we can pretend it never came up, okay?”

“Well, you’ve certainly got me intrigued. Go ahead and ask.”

Tris takes a deep breath.

“What did you get on your aptitude test?”

Eric freezes for a moment, but once the surprise of the question seems to wear off, Tris can tell by the look on his face that his wheels are turning.

“I’ll answer that under one condition. Once I tell you, I’m going to guess what your results were, and you have to confirm or deny it truthfully. If you’re not willing to do that, then ask me something else and we will move on.”

Crap, how did she not see that coming?

She could back out, but that would probably look suspicious because even if her results were any faction other than Dauntless it wouldn’t matter. She had proven that she belongs here.

If she agrees to his terms and he guesses correctly, will she be able to hide her emotions and lie convincingly? Will she feel guilty for lying? Should that even matter? Her lie would be out of self-preservation, surely that trumps the rules of a silly game.

Why couldn’t she have just gotten a normal test result then she wouldn’t have this looming over her head?

She should have thought her question through better. But she didn’t, and now she’s stuck. She’s just going to have to agree and hope he guesses wrong.

“Okay, but neither of our answers leave this table. Whatever we say, stays between us. Deal?”

“Deal,” he agrees. “You know, no one has ever asked me about my aptitude test, and I’ve never told anyone. It feels weird even having this conversation since its seen as such a personal experience and we seem to have decided as a society to not talk about it.”

Tris had never given it much thought. When Caleb asked, she brushed him off but that was only because of her Divergent result and the fact that they hadn’t chosen factions yet. When her friends were talking about it during initiation it hadn’t felt overly taboo but maybe it was more inappropriate of a question than she realized.

“Anyways,” Eric continues, “according to my test, I have an equal aptitude for Dauntless and Erudite.”

Wait, was he saying what Tris thought he was saying.

“You’re Divergent,” she whispers, leaning in close to him.

Eric raises his eyebrows and smiles conspiratively. 

“Just like you,” he whispers back. “Only with fewer aptitudes.”

“How do you…” she starts, trailing off.

“I realized it during initiation. There was just too much that didn’t add up and then when we started doing the sims it became really obvious to me.”

“How come you didn’t say anything?”

“I’m Divergent, what kind of hypocrite would I be to hold it against you? I just made sure that none of my notes reflected it and you seemed to get better at hiding it so I kept my fingers crossed that by the time the final sim came around you would be able to manage it undetected. And you did, so no one needed to know.”

“You knew the whole time? And you protected me?”

“I had a hunch pretty early on, but like I said it wasn’t confirmed until we started the fear landscapes.”

Tris’ mind was racing, she spent so much time and effort trying to hide this part of her from everyone, especially Eric and this whole time he knew. He knew and he kept her secret. But why would he do that?

“Christina and Will think you have feelings for me,” she blurts out before leaning back and covering her mouth, instantly regretting her outburst.  

Eric laughs loudly as Tris blushes from embarrassment yet again.

“I gotta say, that’s not even a little bit what I was expecting to hear come out of your mouth right now.”

“I think I just don’t know what to say. Ever since I found out about being, well you know, people keep telling me I’ll be in danger if anyone finds out. They act like my life depends on keeping this part of me a secret.”

“’People keep telling you’? I’m going to assume that one of those people is whoever administered your test and one of them is you’re ex. Is that all of the ‘people?’”

Tris nods her head, confirming.

“Did Tori administer your test?”

Outing her feels wrong, but if Eric is telling the truth about being Divergent and about hiding her secret then Tori can’t get in trouble for covering for her, right?

“Yes.”

“Well, I know for a fact that both of them have had horrible experiences with people who still hold the belief that Divergents are an abomination and a threat to our society. And they aren’t wrong to be fearful.  There are more bigoted people left in our population than I care to admit and some of them are deeply intolerant. I wouldn’t put it passed the worst of them to cause us harm. But there are a lot of people who recognize that we are just like everyone else and don’t give a crap that we happen to fit into more than one category. I wouldn’t get up on a pedestal and announce it, but there are people you can trust.”

Could Eric be telling her the truth? Or is this some kind of trap to get her to let her guard down? Come to think of it, does she actually have any real reason to distrust Eric? Sure, he was a hard-ass during initiation, and yes, he can be a jackass but has he actually done anything to prove he can’t be trusted? He was chosen as a leader for a reason, right? And she’s meant to trust her leaders…right? It wasn’t until Four put it in her head that Eric was dangerous that she actively started distrusting him. Did Four have ulterior motives? Or could he have simply been projecting his own fears onto her?

Tris watches on as Eric picks up his drink and finishes it off.

“This has been fun,” he says suddenly, putting down his empty glass. “But it’s gotten a lot deeper than I expected and I think it might be best if we both get back to our friends.”

Eric’s abrupt announcement catches Tris off guard, and she’s a little bit overwhelmed by how disappointed his words make her.

“Oh, okay,” she replies as Eric stands up from the table. “Um, could we maybe pause our game for now instead of ending it completely?” she asks.

“What do you mean?”

Tris scoots out from the booth and stands in front of Eric.

“I mean, you’re right, our truths have gotten deep and I’m not exactly sure how to process everything, but I’ve also enjoyed getting to know you better and I don’t know, I think I might enjoy getting to know you more.”

Her boldness comes as surprised to both her and Eric.

He smiles.

“Sure, I’ll be around, alright? If you’re still interested in getting to know me after you’re done processing feel free to ask me for another dance,” he says with a wink. “For now, I’m going to head back to the bar and I’m sure your friends are wondering what we’ve been up to.”

Tris doesn’t know how to feel. A part of her wants to tell him she’s ready now and she wants to stay in the booth with him until the bar closes, but it scares her that she’s suddenly so desperate to spend time with a man that, before today, she had never spoken to socially and had even actively avoided. The smart thing to do is let him walk away and give herself time to figure out her feelings.

“Okay,” she says with a small smile. “Oh, and everything you told me tonight, its stays with me, I won’t tell anyone.”

Eric nods and makes to leave but stops for a second and looks at Tris.

“You know, Christina and Will are more perceptive than I gave them credit for,” he says before disappearing into the crowd.

Wait…were Christina and Will right? Has Eric really had a thing for her since initiation and if so, what does this mean for her own feelings?

Chapter Text

Tris makes her way back over to her friends fully expecting to be grilled about her time with Eric, luckily, they seem to be too busy staring at Uriah to notice her return.

“Just let him go, if he wants to embarrass himself that’s his choice,” Marlene says, arms crossed as she rolls her eyes.

“What’s going on?” Tris asks.

“Khloe just got here, and Uriah has decided that he’s going to do it,” Christina responds while staring at Uriah incredulously.

Tris lets out a chuckle and sneaks a peek at where Eric and his friends are gathered. Sure enough, Khloe has joined them.

“Marlene’s right. It’s his funeral. We’ve talked him out of it too many times already. Just let him do it so he can move on.”

“Give him a bit of credit,” Will says. “Who knows, maybe she’ll be into him.”

Christina laughs loudly.

“First of all, look at her, she’s way out of his league. Secondly, she a leader –“

“So, Eric’s a leader and –” Uriah protests cutting Christina off.

“That’s irrelevant and you know it. Eric isn’t twenty-three freaking years old like Khloe is and unlike Eric who met Tris the first day she got here, Khloe doesn’t know who the fuck you are. But you know what, I give up. If you want to go over there and make an ass out of yourself in front of not one, not two but three people in leadership be-my-freaking-guest.”

“I’m doing it,” Uriah replies with unfounded confidence before stepping passed Tris and towards Eric’s group of friends.

They all turn to watch as Uriah makes his approach.

Tris can’t help but notice the smirk that forms on Eric’s face as Uriah marches by him on his way to Khloe.  Tris continues watching as Eric turns towards Sam who appears to be unsuccessfully trying to stifle a laugh.

Chuckling in response to boys’ reactions, Tris turns her attention to Uriah and Khloe at the bar.  Uriah hasn’t gotten slapped yet, so that’s a good sign.

Khloe looks their way and Tris and her friends all turn towards each other in a sad attempt to pretend they hadn’t been staring.

“So…” Will says.

“Did you and Eric hook up?” Christina interrupts looking at Tris.

“Jesus Christina,” Marlene chastises.

“What?” Christina replies, shrugging her shoulders. “They were gone for like half an hour and they sure as shit weren’t on the dance floor. What else am I supposed to think?”

Tris rolls her eyes.

“No, Eric and I didn’t hook up. Not that it’s any of your business,” Tris replies.

“Well, if you didn’t hook up then what the hell did the two of you do for the last half hour?”

Tris sighs.

“If you must know, we were in one of the back booths talking.”

Christina looks apprehensive.

“Bullshit.”

“It’s the truth.”

Christina scrunches up her face and looks over at Eric and then back at Tris.

“Ew. What could you two possibly have to talk about for thirty freaking minutes?”

Tris looks at her friend in disbelief.

“Ew? Me hooking up with Eric is all well and good, but you find out that we talked, and you say ew? You do remember that you’re the one who sent me over there in the first place, right?”

“I sent you over there to ask him to dance figuring the two of you grinding up against each other on the dance floor would lead to a hook up. I didn’t send you over there to talk to that sociopath.”

Tris looks over at Will and Marlene.

“Am I the only one who is finding her insane right now?”

Marlene furrows her brow and addresses Christina. “Why are you so invested in her sex life? That’s the part of this that’s ‘ew’ in my opinion.”

“You know what they say, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else,” Christina replies simply.

Tris glares at her.

“Wait…since when is Tris trying to get over someone?” Marlene asks, confused.

Christina’s eyes grow wide at the realization of what she’s just implied.

“The better question,” Will says, changing the subject, “is, how in the world is Uriah still talking to Khloe and why is she smiling?”

Tris mouths a silent ‘thank you’ to Will before turning towards Marlene just in time to watch her expression morph into a mixture of anger and sadness as she observes Khloe swat Uriah’s arm playfully.

While Tris appreciates Will’s abrupt change of subject, she feels bad for Marlene. It’s well known to everyone aside from Uriah that Marlene has harboured feeling for him for a long time.

“You should just tell him already,” Christina says earning herself a glare from Marlene. “Well, if you aren’t going to tell him then maybe you need to just try to move on. You know, get over him by getting under someone else?” she adds with a nervous laugh.

Tris can’t believe Christina would repeat the same thing she just said about Tris this soon after Will purposely changed the subject. 

“Screw it,” Marlene says to Tris’ surprise. “I’m going to do it.”

“You’re finally going to tell him?” Tris asks hopefully.

“Fuck that,” Marlene replies. “I’m going to get over him, by getting under…” Marlene pauses and scans the crowd, “Sam. If Uriah and Tris can hit on leaders so can I.”

Before anyone can react, Marlene marches towards Sam who happens to be standing only a couple of feet away from Uriah and Khloe.  The three friends left standing watch Marlene approach just as a small brunette appears at Sam’s side.

“Who the fuck is that?” Christina asks no one in particular.

“That’s Arya,” Will replies. “Sam’s girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend!” Tris and Christian exclaim in unison.

“Sam has a girlfriend?”

Will nods.

“It’s pretty new, but I’ve seen them together a few times.”

Christina smacks her boyfriend on the arm. “And you didn’t think to stop Marlene?”

“I thought everyone knew,” he defends.

“If any of us had known, she wouldn’t be over there right now.”

The group goes silent as they turn their attention back to Marlene. They watch as Marlene’s steps falter, obviously having noticed Arya’s presence. Tris expects her to turn around or walk past them to the bar, but instead, Marlene stops and turns towards Eric.

Tris’ blinks rapidly as Marlene flips her blond hair over her shoulder with a smile.

“What is she doing?” Tris asks quietly.

Christina snorts.

“What you failed to do apparently. Getting under Eric.”

Tris scowls at Christina.

“Bite me,” she spits before turning and walking towards the exit.

“What’s your problem? Where are you going?” Tris hears Christina yell after her.

“Home,” she yells back without turning around.

Tris’ stomach flutters and her face turns hot, she is irrationally angry at Marlene. The fluttering in her stomach is easily identified as jealousy, and Tris curses the fact that she feels some kind of claim over Eric despite having only spent a limited amount of time with him. She is nearly at the exit when she crashes into someone.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she says quickly, looking up at her victim apologetically.  Her face falls when she realizes that, for the second time that night, Four is in her way.

“For crashing into me? Or for trying to rub our breakup in my face by flirting with Eric in front of everyone?”

Tris is at her limit dealing with her own feelings right now, she really doesn’t have the capacity to deal with her ex-boyfriend’s jealousy.

“Please just let me go home,” she practically begs.

“Not until you explain to me what the hell is going on.”

Tris sighs and tries to step around him, but he moves, continuing to block her path.

“I already told you. It was just a drink, and it has nothing to do with you.”

“Fine, lets pretend that’s true. If it has nothing to do with me, then why were you with him?”

“Not that I owe you an explanation, but he asked me if I wanted to have a drink with him and I did, so we had a drink.”

Four scoffs.

“It’s the truth.”

“Since when do you enjoy hanging out with psychotic assholes?”

“He’s not that bad,” Tris defends, immediately regretting it as Four’s face turns cold.

“Yes, he is, and you know it. Even if he wasn’t a complete and utter jackass, which he is, it still wouldn’t change the fact that he’s dangerous Tris,” Four says, leaning in far too close for Tris’ liking. “Its all fun and games until he finds out you’re Divergent.  You’re going to get yourself killed.”

Tris takes a step back.

“You’re wrong.”

Four chuckles darkly and steps forward, closing the gap Tris just created.

“And you’re naïve if you believe that. Go ahead and talk to Eric but as soon as he finds out about you –”

“He doesn’t care,” she says without thinking.

Four freezes and stares at her.  Tris holds her breath, waiting for him to react.

“What did you just say?” His words are slow and disturbingly calm.

“Nothing,” she replies quietly, silently wishing she could take it back.

Four grabs her upper arms and leans in so close that their noses are nearly touching.

“You told him?” he says quietly. 

His breath is hot on her skin, and he smells too strongly of alcohol. She studies his face. Flushed skin, and dilated pupils…he’s wasted. How had she not noticed before now?

His grip on her arms tightens as she remains quiet.  He’s never hurt her, but he’s also never been more than tipsy around her, and he’s definitely never been this angry.  Something about the madness in his eyes scares her and she decides to proceed cautiously.

“Earlier, he guessed what I got on my aptitude test, and I didn’t correct him,” she states simply. “He was fine with it.”

“You’re not that stupid.”

“Excuse me?”

“You are not stupid enough to tell someone you barely know that dangerous of information in the short amount of time you’ve allegedly spent with him.”

Tris takes a slow breath.

“I didn’t say it was smart, but it is what happened.”

He narrows his eyes at her.

“How long have you been sleeping with him?”

Tris tries to step back, but Four’s strong grasp holds her in place. 

“You can’t be serious?” she asks in disbelief.

“Did it start before we broke up?” he asks angrily. “Is he the reason you broke up with me?”

“Have you completely lost your mind? You know full well why we broke up,” she says, her fear subsiding as anger takes over. “Get your fucking hands off of me. Now!”

She stomps on his foot, and he finally releases her as he groans in pain. A few people look over at them but quickly go back to their business.

She peers at the exit but worries he will follow her, and in his drunken state she’s afraid of what he might do with no witnesses to keep him in line.

Making a split decision, Tris does an about face and practically jogs back to where Christina and Will stood only moments ago. Unfortunately, they’re nowhere to be seen.

She looks towards the bar and finds Uriah, surprisingly, still with Khloe, now sitting on two stools, drinks in hand. She could go over there, but Uriah has been trying to work up the courage to talk to Khloe for weeks now and Tris doesn’t want to mess it up for him.

Her attention turns to Marlene who seems to be deep in conversation with Eric. Tris wouldn’t mind breaking up that connection but if Four sees her seeking refuge with Eric it might just make things worse. 

Before she has a chance to decide what to do, a hand grabs her wrist and spins her around.

“Looks like your boyfriend is too busy flirting with Marlene to come and rescue you,” he says menacingly.

“Let go of me,” she hisses, trying to stomp on his foot again. This time he’s expecting it and manages to move out of the way just in time.

She tries to yank her hand from his grasp but he’s too strong and all she manages to do is hurt herself more.

She debates kneeing him in the groin but decides to try reasoning with him one last time.

“You are jumping to conclusions,” she says in the steadiest voice she can muster. “Everything I told you is the truth. I would never cheat on you, and you know Eric has nothing to do with why we broke up. Please just go home and sober up. This isn’t you. You would never hurt me like this.”

Four’s eyebrows furrow as he takes in what she’s just said. He looks down at his hand around her wrist and his eyes flit to his own knuckles that have gone white with the force of his hold. He lets go of her immediately and takes a step back. His eyes scan the room as though he’s just remembered where they are.

“Tris,” he says softly.

“Are you okay?” a voice booms from behind Tris.

The pair look towards the sound and Tris is both relieved and nervous to find Eric looking down at her.

She nods tentatively before looking back at Four.

“Four was just leaving.”

“I’m so sorry,” Four says quietly.

“I believe she said you were leaving,” Eric addresses him icily.

Four looks like he wants to say more, but one glance at the furious man beside Tris convinces him to retreat.

Tris breathes a sigh of relief and turns towards Eric.

“Thanks,” she says. “I’m not sure he would have left if you didn’t come over here.”

When he doesn’t reply, she realizes he’s staring at her wrist, a bruise in the shape of a handprint already starting to form.

She shifts uncomfortably and tries to hide it behind her back.

“I’m going to kill him.”

His voice is steady, calm even, but his jaw is clenched and his nostrils slightly flared. There’s a crazed look in his eyes and Tris isn’t sure if she’s ever seen him look this angry.

He moves to follow Four but she blocks his path, placing her hands on his chest.

“Please Eric, just let him go.”

Her voice shakes and tears threaten to fall as she starts to come down from her encounter with Four.

She can tell that Eric is torn between chasing after Four and staying with her.

“Please,” she begs.

He looks down at her and takes a few deep breaths in through his nose.

“Tell me what happened.”

She opens her mouth to explain just as Marlene arrives by Eric’s side.

“What was all that about?” Marlene asks looking between Tris and the door closing behind Four.

Tris takes a step back, removing her hands from Eric’s chest. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Tris says quietly.

Marlene and Eric both look at her with puzzled expressions.

“Interrupt what?” Marlene asks, confused.

Tris points between Eric and Marlene and Marlene laughs hysterically in response.

“As if,” she says, resulting in a look from Eric. “No offence but you’re not even close to my type.”

Eric rolls his eyes.

“Right, because ‘oblivious doofus who thinks he’s a lot funnier and more charming than he actually is’ is a type now.”

“Hey!” Marlene shouts indignantly.

Tris lets out a small laugh.

“You told him about Uriah?’

“Tris!” Marlene replies. “No, I didn’t, but you just did.”

“Don’t blame Tris. I’m pretty sure everyone who was near you two during initiation is aware. You aren’t exactly subtle.”

Marlene blushes.

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter anyways, he’s clearly found someone and it’s not me,” she says, gesturing towards Uriah and Khloe.

This time, it’s Eric who laughs.

“You mean Khloe?”

“Obviously.”

“Trust me, Khloe isn’t interested in him.”

The girls both look at him skeptically.

“How can you be so sure?” Tris asks.

“He’s not her type,” Eric replies.

“And what is her type?” Marlene questions.

“Of everyone here,” Eric starts, inspecting the area. “I’d say, you’re the closest to her type,” he finishes looking at Marlene.

Marlene’s eyes grow wide in understanding.

“Oh!” she says, with a grin. “Well then.”

“Feel better?” Tris asks, chuckling.

“I think I’ll head home. We’ll talk tomorrow, Tris, but for now, I hear my bed calling me.”

Tris waves as her friend practically dances towards the door.

“That was nice of you,” she says to Eric.

“What can I say, I’m a really nice guy,” Eric deadpans.

Tris snorts.

“Liar!”

“Rude!” Eric responds opening his mouth and placing a hand over his chest in mock offence. “Fine, but Marlene’s not so bad, she was nice enough to humor me when I wanted to know something earlier.”

“Oh yeah, what were you guys talking about anyways?”                       

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he jokes, wiggling his eyebrows. But his humor doesn’t last, and his features suddenly turn weary. “In all seriousness though, what happened with Four?”

Tris sighs. She was hoping that the conversation with Marlene would make him forget about her drama with Four, but she knows it was naïve to expect him not to bring it up.

“Do we have to talk about it?”

He swallows hard and his jaw tenses.

“Has he hurt you before? Physically?” he asks.

“No,” she answers quietly. “He’s never put his hands on me before today. He was so drunk Eric…I’ve never seen him like that.”

“Do you know what set him off?” Eric asks sincerely.

“Can we get a drink?”

“Tris.”

“One drink, please? And then I’ll try to explain it to you.”

“Okay, lead the way.”

Tris walks over to the bar and Uriah nods at her in greeting before turning his attention back to Khloe.

Tris raises her hand to get the bartenders attention.

“What can I get you?” he asks.

“What did you order me earlier?” Tris asks, turning towards Eric.

“Amaretto sour and a rum and coke,” he says, addressing the bartender directly.

“Thanks.”

When the drinks come, Eric passes her the amaretto sour and takes the rum and coke for himself. Tris takes a sip of her drink as they step away from the bar.

“Would you really have drank this is I had picked the other one earlier?”

“No way in hell. But I had a hunch that you would like it, so I took a gamble.”

Tris smiles.

“Now, stop changing the subject and tell me what turned ole’ Toby into dear old dad.”

Tris’ eyes grow wide.

“You know?”

“We went through initiation together, Tris. I was there when they called his name at the choosing ceremony.”

“But…about his dad?”

“Right, well with the way the initiate dorms and bathroom are set up, he couldn’t hide the fresh belt marks or the old bruises from all of us. He tried, and not everyone noticed, but yeah, a few of us did and it wasn’t hard to deduce where they had come from. I have to admit, when he started beating me during initiation, I had a particularly bad moment of insecurity, and I used the information against him. It wasn’t my finest moment. I’m pretty sure that’s a big reason why he hates me so much.”

Tris doesn’t know what to say. Why had Tobias never told her? And why did Eric have to be such a bastard to him?

“I think he’s probably still embarrassed by the whole thing,” Eric says, as if reading her mind. “And there’s no excuse for my behaviour, I can be a real asshole sometimes. I mean, I’ve grown, but even at sixteen I knew better. It was a really shitty thing to do.”

Tris sighs. Eric might be an asshole, but at least he seems to be an honest one.  With her, anyways.

“He convinced himself that you and I were sneaking around behind his back while him and I were still together.”

“Wow, that’s quite the leap.”

“I know.”

“I don’t even know what to say to that.”

“I know.”

“He really saw us holding hands for two seconds and got there?”

Tris looks down at her drink for a second.

“Not exactly. He was going on about how dangerous you are and how you’d kill me if you found out about my Div…test results and I just got so annoyed that I let it slip that you already knew. Well, that’s when he decided that the only way I would have told you was if we’d been together for a while and then he jumped to conclusions.”

“I guess that makes a bit more sense. It isn’t something you usually tell someone on a first date.”

Tris’ eyes widen at the use of the word date.

“Not that it was a date,” Eric backtracks, stumbling on his words. “What I don’t understand is why he thinks I would ever kill you, or anyone for that matter.”

“I’m starting to think he’s more traumatized by what his dad did to him than I ever realized. He’s so paranoid, I just never recognized to what extent. I always took what he said as the truth, about Divergents, about you, about Dauntless leadership being corrupt and about people being out to get us. But is there any actual truth to it? Or has his brain just created all of these scenarios as some messed up coping mechanism?”

Tris’ head is spinning. Could she really have been so oblivious to her ex-boyfriend’s delusions? Had she been living in fear of the world around her this passed year for no reason?

“You’re still here!”

A loud female voice breaks her from her thoughts as Tris looks over to see Christina and Will approaching them.

“I thought you went home,” Christina continues.

Normally, Tris would still be irritated with Christina, but with everything that just happened and everything going on in her mind, her issues with Christina seem trivial.

“I…changed my mind,” she responds lamely. “Where have you two been?”

“Will really wanted to dance so we’ve been dancing up a storm!”

Tris looks over at Will in disbelief as he gives Christina a pointed look. Christina laughs.

“Fine, I wanted to dance so I dragged him to the dancefloor where I danced up a storm and he swayed awkwardly.”

“Now that I believe,” Tris replies.

“So, what have you two been up to?” Christina asks, looking first at Tris and then at Eric. “Last I saw, you were flirting with Marlene.”

Eric rolls his eyes.

“You might want to get your eyes checked.”

Christina purses her lips at him but doesn’t say anything as she looks over at the bar.

“Speaking of Marlene, where did she go?”

“Home,” Tris replies. “And you know what, it’s been a long night. I think I’m going to do the same.”

“Oh, come on Tris, stay for a bit. It doesn’t even look like you’ve touched that drink in your hand,” Christina pleads with her.

Tris looks down at her drink and extends her arm towards Christina.

“Take it. It’s really good. I promise.”

Christina accepts the drink from Tris and takes a small sip.

“Damn, that is good,” she exclaims happily. “But you should stay.”

“I’m tired, Chris. I’m going to go, but I’ll meet you for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Fine, party pooper.”

Tris disregards Christina and looks over at Eric, she knows their conversation hadn’t really ended and she’s not sure how to address that without raising her friends’ suspicions.  Eric glances towards Christina and Will before focusing back on Tris. Tris can tell he’s also hesitant to speak in front of her friends.

She watches as Eric lifts his drink to his mouth, finishing it in one large swig before handing the glass over to Christina.

“I’ll walk you home,” he states, threading his fingers through hers.

Tris ignores the look she can feel Christina giving her and simply nods at Eric in acceptance of his offer.

“Tired, huh?” she overhears Christina say pointedly to Will as her and Eric walk towards the door.

Chapter Text

“Sorry if Christina got the wrong impression about me walking you home,” Eric says as they make their way through the Pit doors and into the hall. “I just wanted to make sure Four didn’t harass you again.”

“Don’t be,” Tris says with a shrug. “She’ll think whatever she wants to think. I don’t really care.”

The pair start their walk to Tris’ apartment in silence.

“Can I unpause our game?” Tris asks tentatively after a few minutes.

“Tell you what, why don’t we forget about the game, and you just ask me what you want to know,” Eric responds, smiling.

“Okay.”

“What do you want to ask me?”

“I’m not sure if this is rude, or nosy, or what,” Tris starts, hesitantly, “but earlier you said Marlene humoured you when you asked her a question.  I know its probably none of my business, but I’m curious what you asked her.”

Eric lets out a nervous chuckle.

“Okay. I probably should have just asked you this directly, but I’ve been curious about it for a while, and we had just talked about you needing time to process everything, so I didn’t know when I’d get the chance to ask you. Marlene happened to start talking to me at the bar, and I figured you guys are friends so maybe she’d know, so I just kind of blurted it out.”

Tris shakes her head and lets out a small laugh.

“Wow.  I didn’t take you for a rambler.”

“Hey!” Eric replies playfully.

Tris grins.

“So, what is it about me that you desperately needed to know right away,” Tris says dramatically.

Eric rolls his eyes but smiles.

“I wanted to know why you turned down the offer to join leadership.”

Tris’ face falls.

“Oh.”

“I can already tell by that ‘oh’ that Marlene didn’t have the full story.”

Tris takes a deep breath.

“What exactly did Marlene tell you?”

“Some crap about how you had just gotten to Dauntless and you wanted to immerse yourself in the way of life here rather than having to deal with other factions all the time. She said you didn’t want to have to deal with Abnegation, specifically and…” he trails off.

“And what?” she encourages.

“And after initiation, you needed a break from seeing my face everyday,” he finishes, avoiding eye contact.

Tris lets out a loud snort.

“Man, I had completely forgotten that that was the excuse I gave my friends. I can’t believe Marlene had the balls to say that to your face.”

“So, not the real reason then?”

Tris shakes her head.

“Not even close.”

“So, you weren’t sick of looking at my beautiful face?” Eric adds, fluttering his eyelashes.

Tris bites her lip but can’t help the grin that takes her over.

“No, I wasn’t sick of looking at your beautiful face,” she parrots back to him. “I actually quite like your face,” she adds without thinking, her cheeks immediately turning a dark shade of crimson.

Eric grins.

“Good,” he says. “And I quite like your face too.”

“You know, you’re a lot less serious than you came off during initiation.”

“Initiation isn’t meant to be fun. I’m there to train you and make sure you understand what it means to be a soldier. I’m not there to be your buddy and I have no interest in getting involved in the drama of a bunch whiny initiates.”

Tris stops and turns to face Eric with raised eyebrows.

“That’s what you thought of me then? Just another ‘whiny initiate’?”

“No,” Eric says, shaking his head. “You were different.  You caught my attention right away. You’re only the second transfer to come from Abnegation and the first thing you did was volunteer to jump down the hole. That impressed me immediately. And I don’t remember you ever whining.”

Tris starts walking again.

“So, what is the real reason you declined leadership.”

“After tonight, I think you probably have a decent idea why I declined.”

Eric nods.

“Your boyfriend convinced you we’re a bunch of corrupt Divergent hating bastards?”

“Pretty much. It didn’t quite sit right with me, but at the time I really didn’t want to upset him, and his arguments seemed sound, so it felt like an easy choice.”

“Do you regret it?”

Tris takes a moment before responding.

“To be honest, after I turned it down, I didn’t really dwell on it. But now that I’m realizing his arguments weren’t as sound as I thought, I’m starting to wonder what my life would have been like had I accepted.”

“Well, for one, you and I would have probably gotten to know each other a lot sooner,” he says with a wink.

Tris smiles. “Maybe, but I still would have been with Four back then so I doubt it would have gone the same way it is right now. I am surprised no one else from my year wanted to join leadership in my place.”

“Actually, Peter graciously offered to take your place,” Eric says sarcastically. “But he didn’t meet all of the criteria.”

“What exactly is the criteria?”

“Rankings are part of it, but candidates also have to demonstrate certain qualities and they need to be recommended by at least one of the initiate trainers or the leader overseeing initiation. Even if Peter had ranked first, he wouldn’t have been offered a position. None of us would have recommended him after the Edward incident.”

Tris stops in her tracks and looks at Eric directly.

“Wait, you knew it was Peter who stabbed Edward? You all knew, and you didn’t do anything about it?”

“Let’s just say Edward wasn’t exactly innocent in the whole thing.  We did end up getting Max involved but since Peter was heavily antagonized, he dismissed it. After Edward decided to leave, I figured Peter took it as a win and was no longer a threat,” he replies with a shrug.

“Well, you were wrong,” Tris states angrily, detangling her hand from Eric’s and wrapping her arms around herself.

“What do you mean?” Eric asks, brows furrowed.

“What I mean is, maybe if Peter had been punished properly, he wouldn’t have…” she starts, trailing off.

“Wouldn’t have what?”

“Just never mind,” she says sharply, turning and continuing down the hallway briskly.

She’s angry.  She knows she’s being irrational and that what Peter did wasn’t Eric’s fault, but she can’t help the flood of emotions that thinking about that night stirs up in her.

It doesn’t take long for Eric to catch up and match her stride.

“Tris, please stop. Just talk to me,” he begs. “Did he do something else?”

Tris lets out a long sigh and slows her pace.

“I didn’t mean for this to come up,” she says quietly.

“Well, it has, so please just tell me what happened.”

Tris lets out another sigh.

“Okay. Do you remember the night you posted the rankings in the dorms after we started doing the fear sims?”

“Yes. You were first and Peter was…second,” his says, his eyes growing wide in realization. “What did he do to you?”

Tris swallows hard.

“That night, I couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk, and I was about to get some water when I was jumped.  Three people in masks dragged me to the chasm and one of them put their hands up my shirt and then pushed me over the railing. Thankfully, Four showed up and two of them ran off.  The third guy wasn’t so lucky and after Four was done with him, he helped me back over the railing and brought me to his apartment to keep me safe.”

Tris watches as Eric face rapidly cycles through an array of emotions before landing on anger. He seethes silently.

“Eric?”

“Who was the third person? Obviously one of them was Peter…I’m going to assume he was the perve who touched you.”

Tris nods in confirmation.

“The one Four railed on was Drew, right?  I remember him being admitted to the infirmity having obviously gotten into an altercation, but he refused to admit who turned his face into a punching bag.  Was the third one Molly?”

Tris shakes her head.

“Al.”

“Why didn’t you report it? Why didn’t you come to me?”

“What good would that have done? We all knew Peter was the one who stabbed Edward and he didn’t get in trouble for that so what would have been the point? Besides, Four doesn’t trust you remember? He figured it would do more harm than good to tell you.”

Eric shakes in head in disbelief.

“He should have told me. Its my job to keep you safe. I would have done something about it. What happened to you wasn’t the same as what happened to Edward. Initiation is hard enough; you shouldn’t have had to sleep in the same room as the people who assaulted and tried to kill you.”

“I didn’t actually spend much time in the dorms after that. Four gave me the code to his apartment and told me I could come and go as I pleased. At first, I tried to just go on like nothing had happened, but I could never fall asleep knowing Peter was in the room with me so eventually I gave up and just started sneaking out to sleep at Four’s every night.”

This time, it’s Eric who stops walking.

“How was I so oblivious? All that time. Everything that went on. I had no idea. I mean, Four broke too many rules to count, and if Max was aware of any of it he would have pulled him from his trainer duties for good, but at least he knew what was happening. God, I feel so stupid.”

Tris’ anger dissipates as she realizes of how genuinely upset Eric is. Impulsively, she threads her fingers through his.

“Do I wish Peter had been punished? Absolutely. But this isn’t your fault. We kept it from you on purpose. I wish now that I had trusted you enough to come to you.”

“I’m sorry, Tris.”

“Don’t be.”

Eric’s eyes flit down to Tris’ lips, and she wonders briefly if he’s going to kiss her, but instead, he turns to face the end of the hallway and starts to walk again.

Did she want Eric to kiss her? She had never thought about it before now. She sneaks a peak at him.  He is very attractive, she wasn’t lying about liking his face, and he seems to care about her and not just because he’s a leader and has to care about all Dauntless members.

They seem to get along well, and it has been surprisingly easy for her to open up to him. As crazy as it sounds, Tris was starting to like the idea of dating Eric.

They aren’t far from Tris’ apartment now, and she makes a conscious decision to keep their pace slow, not wanting their evening to come to an end.

“If you had the option, would you join leadership now?” Eric asks breaking the silence.

Tris thinks for a moment.

“I’d definitely want to know more about what joining would entail,” she starts. “I was so quick to turn it down, I realized after that I didn’t really know what it was I had turned down.”

“Do you want to know now?”

“Yeah, actually, I’d love that.”

“Well, for the first year you’d be assigned to a specific leader.  You’d act as their assistant while learning the ins and outs of leadership.  There are six leaders in total and each of us is in charge of one or two specific departments within the Dauntless compound. In addition, all of us, except Max, are assigned as a liaison to one of the other factions.”

“What are you in charge of?” Tris asks enthusiastically.

“Member life, which includes initiation, new members, new member employment etc. and housing which includes placement, renovations, coordinating moves as families grow and so on. And unsurprisingly, I’m the liaison to Erudite.”

“What happens after that first year?”

“That depends. If there’s an open leader position you would be considered for it, keeping in mind there are usually other candidates from previous years also hoping to fill the position. If there aren’t any leader positions open, then you can continue being an assistant until one opens up, or you can apply to any of the open positions in the different departments that work under the leaders.”

“What other departments are there?”

Eric smiles at her interest.

“Sam manages faction finances. Vivica takes care of employment as well as care and education. Carter handles event planning and, ironically, human resources/employee relations. Khloe does inventory and supplies, and Max deals with military and security as well as overseeing all of us and handling some of the more delicate affairs with the other factions.”

Tris looks solemn.

“I wish I hadn’t been so quick to dismiss it. You’re making it sound really interesting. I guess I never thought about how much goes into running a faction. If I had accepted, who’s assistant would I have been?”

“There were three different options at that time. Carter, Khloe and me.”

“How did that happen?”

Eric takes a beat before answering.

“I can’t really go into too many details, but the year that I went through initiation, there was a major scandal in leadership.  The head leader ended up being forced to step down and when Max took his place, he fired everyone who was involved in the scandal.  That left three leadership openings and three assistant openings. Max pulled Sam and Khloe in from other departments and brought me on when I finished initiation. As soon as the assistant openings became available, Carter’s assistant requested to be transferred to one of us and Max reassigned her to Sam, leaving three openings. The year before you, the top initiate was assigned to Carter since he was the most senior leader who didn’t have an assistant, but he quit after a couple of months making that position open again.”

Tris nods her head, fascinated by Eric’s story.

“If Carter still doesn’t have an assistant, why wouldn’t I have automatically been assigned to him?”

Eric snorts.

“Carter has a bad case of wandering hands and when Max realized why no one wanted to be his assistant, he changed the rules and decided that if there is more than one position available, he would let the candidate decide who they wanted to learn from.”

“You mean to tell me, the man in charge of employee relations…” Tris starts.

“…Likes to try to have relations with the employees,” Eric finishes.

Tris scrunches up her nose in disgust.

“But wait, you said ‘her’ when referring to who is now Sam’s assistant and ‘him’ referring to Carter’s last assistant.”

“The man doesn’t discriminate,” Eric says with a shiver.

“He hasn’t tried…with you…has he?”

“My first week. Trust me, I shut that down real fast.”

Tris’ eyes grow wide.

“How does he still have a job?”

Eric shrugs.

“After Max fired everyone involved in the scandal, he had a lot of new people to train, and he couldn’t justify getting rid of one of the only members of senior leadership left. Luckily, Carter is set to retire in a year and a half, so we just have to put up with him until then.”

“Will his job go to Sam’s assistant then? Or I guess Vivica or Max’s assistants maybe?”

“I actually think Max is hoping Khloe will take over for him, and Maliah, Sam’s assistant, will take over for Khloe.  Khloe’s job isn’t easy, but it is the most straightforward because she only oversees one department, whereas Carter has two departments and Marcus to contend with. I don’t know how much time you’ve spent with Marcus, but he’s kind of a misogynistic asshat and Khloe has a much stronger backbone than Maliah. Max’s assistant is holding out for Max’s retirement and Vivica’s assistant has been with her from day one.  She never wanted to become a leader but loves working with Vivica.  She could have retired a couple of years ago but she’s sticking it out until Vivica retires in two years.”

“Wow, it sounds like there is going to be a lot of changes coming.”

Eric nods.

“What about your job, do you like it?” he asks her.

Tris groans.

“It’s okay, nothing as exciting as yours, but I don’t mind it.”

“If I could convince Max to give you another shot, would you be interested in leadership?” Eric asks cautiously as they turn the corner.

Tris gapes as she looks up at Eric. Is he serious? Could he really get her another chance? She’s about to ask when Eric speaks.

“What are you doing here?” he growls, looking straight ahead.

Tris follows Eric’s gaze to the door of her apartment and what she sees makes her body go tense.

For the third time in less than three hours, Four is standing in front of them.

Chapter Text

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” Four counters angrily.

“I’m trying to make sure Tris gets home safely and doesn’t end up with anymore bruises along the way,” Eric replies pointedly.

“That’s not fair. I wouldn’t hurt her like that.”

“Isn’t it? Because last I checked her wrist contradicts that statement.”

Four deflates slightly and looks towards Tris.

“Can we please talk for a minute?”

“She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Eric says firmly.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Four snaps. “Tris, please?”

Eric opens his mouth to speak, but Tris beats him to it.

“Okay, go ahead and say what you want to say,” Tris says, squeezing Eric’s hand firmly in hopes of reassuring him that she’s okay.

“Does your bodyguard really need to be here for this?” Four asks rolling his eyes.

“Maybe if you weren’t such an asshole, she wouldn’t need a bodyguard around to protect her from you.”

“Right, because I’m the one who’s an asshole here,” Four replies, taking a step towards Eric.

“Enough,” Tris speaks, irritated.

“Can’t we just go inside and talk,” Four says addressing her but refusing to take his eyes off of Eric.

“There’s no way in hell I’m leaving you alone with her.”

“As if I haven’t already been alone with her more times than you can count,” Four says smirking.

Eric moves to step towards Four, but Tris tightens her hold on his hand, and he stays put.

“I said, enough!”

The volume of her statement causes both boys to turn and look at her.

Tris glares at Four before turning towards Eric.

While she doesn’t really want to be alone with Four, Tris can tell that Eric’s presence is only going to make this conversation longer and more difficult, and she’d rather just get it over with.

“I think it’ll just be easier if I talk to him by myself,” she says softly.

“I’m not leaving you alone with him,” Eric replies firmly, glaring at Four.

“If I don’t let him talk, he’s just going to keep coming back. I’d rather get this over with.”

Eric looks down at her.

“So, you’re asking me to leave?” his words are steady, but she can tell by his expression that he’s hurt.

She shakes her head.

“No, I’m asking you to go inside while I talk to him, and I’ll meet you in there when we’re done.”

Eric glances quickly over at Four who is wearing an annoyingly smug expression and then back down at Tris.

“Okay?” she asks.

“Okay.”

Tris leads Eric over to her door, plugs in her code and pushes the door open.

“I’ll be right on the other side of this door if you need me,” he says.

She smiles in response, standing up on her tiptoes and kissing him softly on the cheek.

“Thank you,” she whispers, lowering herself back down.

Eric reluctantly let’s go of her hand and steps into her apartment closing the door behind him.

Tris sighs and turns towards Four.

“Say what you want to say,” she says firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m sorry.”

Tris raises her eyebrows.

“For hurting me?” she asks, lifting her hand to show him her wrist. “Or for accusing me of cheating on you?”

Four closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Both,” he says, looking her in the eye. “I don’t know. I just saw you with him and I was so angry and jealous and something inside of me snapped. But there’s no excuse for hurting you and I can’t even express how sorry I am.”

Tris let’s out a breath and relaxes a little, her arms falling to her sides.

“Thank you for apologizing,” she says.

Four nods.  Tris watches him expectantly, waiting for him to say more, but despite seeming torn, he says nothing.

“If that’s all, I’m going to go inside now.”

Four takes a step towards her and she instinctively steps back.

He shakes his head and returns to his original position.

“Can I ask you something and then I’ll leave you alone?”

“Go ahead,” Tris replies cautiously.

“Why him? Of all the people in this compound, why do you have to be with him?”

It’s really none of his business.  She knows she should just refuse to answer and go inside, but there’s something about the look on his face and the sad tone in which he asked that compels her to respond.

“I didn’t plan it. I don’t even know what it is or if there even is an it, but he’s not at all who I thought he was and I like spending time with him.”

Fours stays silent for a moment.

“But you know what he’s like,” he says, choosing his words carefully. “He’s not a good guy.”

Tris shakes her head.

“That’s the thing. I don’t really know that he’s not a good guy because I don’t really know him. I only know what you’ve told me. You have every right to feel how you do, he was awful to you during initiation and when you beat him, he was jealous and didn’t handle it well. You’ve both been awful to each other ever since and I get that that sucks for you but the way he is with you isn’t the way he is with me.”

“You can tell a lot about someone by how they treat other people, and you said it yourself, he’s awful to me.”

“If that’s true of Eric, then shouldn’t it also be true of you?”

Four scrunches up his face, confused.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re just as awful to him as he is to you, but I know that you’re a good guy and you’ve always treated me well. What’s to say Eric wouldn’t be the same.”

Four rolls his eyes again.

“It’s not the same. You’re being naïve, he’s going to hurt you.”

“It is the same. But regardless, you don’t get to decide who I do or do not spend time with. If I get hurt, that’s on me.”

“Okay.”

Tris nods and turns towards her door, but before she opens it, she looks back at Four.

“You know this is over, right?” she adds, gesturing between the two of them. “You get that I’m moving on and I’m not going to change my mind about us?”

Four nods solemnly.

“I’m starting to realize that, yeah.”

Tris gives him an apologetic look before turning and going inside.

As she steps into her apartment, she is hit by a familiar scent.

“Did you make coffee?” Tris asks Eric as she closes the door.

“I hope that’s okay,” he says, walking out from behind her kitchen counter, mug in hand. “I didn’t know how long you would be, and I couldn’t just stand around doing nothing.”

Tris nods in response.

“So, how did that go?”

“Did you make enough coffee for me?” Tris replies, sighing.

“That bad huh?” 

“No, it actually went better than I expected, but I would like some coffee.”

Eric turns towards the counter and pours her a cup.

“It’s decaf,” he says as he hands it to her.

Tris accepts the mug and motions for Eric to follow her towards the couch.  She sits down at one end with her back against the armrest and crosses her legs.  Tris inhales the scent of her coffee before taking a large gulp as Eric gets comfortable next to her.

“I don’t think he’ll be bothering me anymore.”

“He said that?” Eric asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Not exactly, but I told him I have no interest in getting back together with him and that I’m moving on and he seemed to accept that.”

“Seemed to?”

“Well, I asked him if he understood that we were really over, and he said he did,” she replies, shrugging. “Anyways, I think that’s about all the Four talk I can handle for tonight. What were we talking about before he showed up again?”

“I was asking you if you would be interested in joining leadership.”

Tris’ face brightens.

“Oh right! Do you really think Max would give me a second chance?”

“He’s desperate, no way he would turn you down.”

“Oh,” she says her enthusiasm disappearing.   

Eric shakes his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. Yes, we desperately need people to join leadership, but Max isn’t about to just let anyone in. Trust me, there are plenty of people in this complex that would jump at a shot, but Max wants someone who is capable and competent. Someone who will fit in with everyone but also bring fresh ideas to the table. He wants someone who understands the importance of what we do and who he can see staying on long term. There aren’t a lot of people who fit that description, but you do.”

“You really think all of those things about me?”

“Yes.”

Tris can’t help but smile.  All those months she spent around Eric during initiation she had no clue he thought so highly of her. 

“You said if I had joined originally, I would have gotten to choose between you, Khloe, and Carter. Is that still the case? Or was Max able to find anyone between then and now?”

“Still the same.”

“So how do I choose? Do I just pick one of you and tell Max, or…?”

Eric puts his coffee down on the coffee table and turns slightly so he is facing Tris straight on.

“Well, you could choose based off of each of our job descriptions and what interests you the most or I think Max mentioned something about job shadowing each of us for a bit and then deciding after a couple of weeks.”

“Interesting.”

“If you were to choose one of us now, without shadowing, who would you choose?”

Tris thinks for a minute.  Because of his history, she’s already written off working with Carter. Khloe seems nice enough, but her job doesn’t really interest Tris. Plus, if Khloe does take over for Carter in the future that would mean working with Marcus and Tris really doesn’t want to have to do that. Which leaves Eric.

“Can you go over everyone’s jobs again?” she asks, stalling.

“Carter: Abnegation, Human Resources, Event Coordination. Khloe: Amity, Supplies. Me: Erudite, New Members, Housing,” he runs through quickly.

Tris laughs. “Thank you for the brevity.”

Eric shrugs.

“I’m happy to expand if there’s something you want to know more about?”

She does have a few questions, but none of the answers are likely to sway her gut reaction.

“No, that’s okay.”

“So?”

Tris takes a deep breath.

“Okay. Just with that information, I’d have to say you, but...”

“Perfect, it’s settled then. I’ll go to Max on Monday and tell him you’re going to be my new assistant,” Eric says happily, cutting her off.

“I wasn’t finished.”

Eric smiles. “I could tell, I just didn’t want to hear the rest of it.”

 “Eric.”

“Fine. But…?”

“But,” Tris starts again. “If you’re going to be my boss, then our relationship would have to be purely professional.”

Eric blinks a few times.

“You mean…when we’re at work?”

Tris shakes her head.

“No, if you’re my boss then you’re my boss 24/7 not just during ‘business hours.’”

“So, what you’re saying is, if you decide to be my assistant, I can’t ask you out.”

“Yeah.”

Eric sits quietly for a moment as Tris waits for his reaction.

“Right, so hypothetically if leadership wasn’t on the table and I asked you out you would say?”

“Does it matter?”

“Humor me?”

“I would say yes.”

They both sip their coffees quietly for a moment before Eric speaks again.

“I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s table the ‘who would you choose to work with’ question until I’m able to talk to Max on Monday. Right now, everything about this conversation is hypothetical.”

Tris nods her head. She doesn’t see how anything could change between now and then, but it is 1am, and maybe not the best time to be making this decision.

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

“What?” Tris asks, his question catching her off guard.

“Spend the day with me.”

“What about what we were just talking about?”

“It’s irrelevant. I haven’t talked to Max yet, you aren’t part of leadership yet and I’m definitely not your boss yet. I see no issue.  Spend the day with me.”

Tris can’t help but smile at his logic.

“Don’t you think that will just make it worse if you do end up being my boss?”

Eric shakes his head.

“I don’t think so. We don’t really even know each other.  Sure, I’ve had a bit of a thing for you for a while now, and I’ve enjoyed spending the evening with you, but at the end of the day we’ve only spent what, like an hour and a half together one on one, ever? Who knows if we actually have enough chemistry for this to go anywhere.  What I’m proposing is we spend the entire day together tomorrow. I’m thinking a full day equals around…three dates? That feels like enough time to get a better sense of our chemistry. If it turns out we have no chemistry then this won’t even be an be an issue.”

Tris feels an odd mixture of nerves and excitement at the prospect of spending an entire day with Eric. A huge part of her wants to say yes, but the other part is apprehensive. While his logic might seem sound on the surface, she’s fairly certain that despite only having spent a small amount of time together, they do have chemistry and she’s worried that if they explore it even further it’s going to affect her decision when it comes to leadership.

This is meant to be her second chance and she really doesn’t want to let a guy affect her career decisions again.

“I don’t know.”

“Pretty please?” he says, playfully batting his eyelids. “All I’m asking is for one day. At the end of it we’ll either be in the same position we are now, or we’ll have made things easier.”

“It’s not that simple and you know it.”

“It is that simple, unless we choose to overcomplicate it.”

Tris pulls the side of her lower lip into her mouth with her teeth and starts to chew on it while contemplating what to do. Her better judgment is being overridden by the part of her that can’t stop thinking about what it was like to hold Eric’s hand and wonders what more would feel like.

“Okay,” she says, hoping desperately that she won’t regret it.

“Okay?”

“Yes, I’ll spend the day with you.”

Eric smiles the biggest smile Tris has ever seen, and a kaleidoscope of butterflies immediately takes up residence in her stomach. 

She is so screwed.

Suddenly, Eric is on his feet.

“I think I’m going to leave now, before you change your mind. Meet me at my apartment around ten tomorrow?” he says as he makes his way to the door.

Tris stands up and follows him.

“Ten?”

“I want to make you breakfast, but since it’s already after 1am I’m thinking brunch might be a better option.”

“You’re going to cook for me?”

“You’re impressed right? What can I say, I’m a man of many talents.”

Tris snorts, smiling.

“What are you going to make?”

“You have to show up to find out,” he responds with a wink. “Goodnight, Tris.”

“Goodnight, Eric,” she responds as he opens the door.

He steps through the doorway and gives her one last smile before disappearing down the hallway.

Tris closes the door and leans against it.

“What have I gotten myself into,” she says out loud before walking over to the coffee table and collecting their discarded mugs.

Chapter Text

Tris hears knocking and jogs out of her room to answer the door.

“What’s the emergency?” asks a concerned looking Marlene.

“I don’t know what to wear,” Tris admits sheepishly.

Marlene blinks before narrowing her eyes.

“I’m sorry, but did you really call me in a panic because you don’t know what to wear?”

“Just get you butt in here and help me, please,” Tris replies firmly before turning around and walking back to her room.

“We missed you at breakfast today,” Marlene calls out to Tris as she closes the apartment door.

“Oh crap, I forgot I told Christina I was going to be there.”

“She thinks you’re mad at…oh my God,” Marlene exclaims, losing her train of thought as she approaches Tris’ room and sees the explosion of clothes strewn across every inch of it.

“I know. I swear I’ve looked at everything I own and for some reason I suddenly hate all of it.”

“Okay, we can figure this out, but I need details. What are you trying to dress for?”

Tris contemplates how much information she really wants to divulge to Marlene. With the possibility of leadership on the horizon, she’s thinking it might be wise to keep the details to herself.

“Brunch.”

“Brunch?” Marlene echoes turning to face Tris with one eyebrow raised.

“Brunch,” Tris confirms.

“Where and with who?”

Tris shifts uncomfortably.

“If you want my help, you’re going to have to give me more than ‘brunch.’”

“Fine, but this stays between us. I don’t want anyone to know, okay? Not even Christina.”

Marlene smiles mischievously.

“Spill.”

Tris takes a deep breath.

“Brunch, with Eric, at Eric’s apartment.”

“No shit! Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“No wonder you don’t want Christina to know. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it to myself. But tell me, how did that happen?”

Tris shrugs.

“After you left last night, he walked me home and then he asked me out,” she says, giving Marlene an abbreviated version of events.  

“I didn’t realize you were actually into in him.”

“To be honest, I don’t think I was, at least not until we started talking last night. He’s…different than I expected.”

Marlene bounces over to Tris’ bed and plops herself down.

“Different how? Tell me everything!” she encourages eagerly.

Tris sighs, she’s still not used to ‘being a girl’ as Christina once put it, at least not the part where she’s expected to casually dish about her personal life.

“Tell you what, help me figure out an outfit and tomorrow I’ll give you the details.”

Marlene looks a little disappointed, but she gives Tris a small smile and stands up.

“Deal. Okay, let me think. Brunch feels fairly casual, so definitely no need for anything fancy, and it’s pretty early in the day, so not too much skin, but it is a date so a little bit of skin would be good,” Marlene rambles as she picks through the pieces of clothing on Tris’ bed. “It’s Eric, so I’d go with something typical of Dauntless fashion, and I’ve definitely seen him looking at your ass so I’m thinking something that accentuates it.”

“Marlene!” Tris exclaims indignantly.

“What! It’s true,” she responds without looking up. “Okay, I think I’ve got it. Put this on,” she adds passing a handful of clothing to Tris.

Tris grabs the outfit from Marlene and turns her back to her before starting to change.

“Are you sure you don’t want to let me in on any of the details?” Marlene asks sitting back down on Tris’ bed.

“I’m sure,” Tris says, pulling a shirt over her head. “Okay, what do you think?”

Marlene smiles.

“I think we’re close.”

Tris walks over to the full-length mirror by her dresser and takes a peek at her appearance. Having unlimited access to a mirror still feels a bit forbidden but in moments like this she is glad she has it.

She looks down at the ripped black skinny jeans that sit snuggly around her hips, they feel foreign to her, and she realizes suddenly that Marlene had leant them to her months ago and she’d forgotten to return them. Her eyes flit to Marlene who winks at her.

“Don’t worry about it, they fit you better anyways.”

Tris turns her attention back to the mirror. Marlene has paired the jeans with a loose, black, off the shoulder v-neck t-shirt. Tris likes it, but there’s something not quite right about the overall look.

“Tuck the front of the shirt in, just a little bit at the button and put your hair up.”

Tris quickly does as she’s told, and the outfit suddenly looks ten times better.

“Do you still have those shoes Christina bought you?”

“You mean the completely impractical overly chunky trainers that made me roll my ankle the one and only time I’ve worn them? Top shelf,” Tris replies, pointing at her closet behind Marlene.

Marlene laughs as she makes short work of grabbing the shoes and tossing them Tris’ way.

“Perfect,” Marlene says as Tris finishes tying them up.

“You think?”

“Absolutely.”

Tris looks at herself in the mirror one last time.  The outfit really is perfect. Never in a million years would she have come up with it. Had she not called Marlene she’d probably have just given up and thrown on a pair of leggings like usual.

“Thank you,” she says, relieved.

“Anytime. Speaking of time, when are you supposed to be there?”

“Around 10.”

Marlene pulls her com out of her pocket and checks the time.

“It’s a good thing you’re ready, because it’s already 10:04am.”

“Crap.”

The girls quickly make their way out of Tris’ room. Marlene heads to the main door while Tris grabs her com from the kitchen and shoves it in her back pocket.

“You know I’m going to expect a very detailed description of everything that’s gone on between you and Eric since you’ve given me absolutely nothing so far, right?”

Tris smiles while rolling her eyes at Marlene.

“I’m surprised you’re even letting me go with the little information I’ve given you so far.”

“Well, you seem nervous, so I figured I’d cut you a break this time.”

“Much appreciated. Now, let’s get out of here.”

Tris checks the clock on her com device for what feels like the millionth time while pacing outside of Eric’s door.

10:17am.

She knows she should knock to announce her arrival, but the longer she paces the harder it is to bring herself to do it.

She doesn’t know why she’s this nervous about spending the day with him. They got along well last night and he’s surprisingly sweet but for some reason she’s worried she’s going to make a fool of herself.

She’s also convinced this is a terrible idea and will only make it harder for them to be professional with each other in the future.

“Are you planning on coming in anytime soon? Or should I bring you a plate out here?”

Tris jumps, startled by Eric’s sudden presence.

“I was, just about to knock,” she lies, embarrassed to have been caught.

“Sure you were. I’ll be in here whenever you’re ready,” Eric responds, chuckling as he goes back inside leaving the door open for her.

Tris takes a deep breath before crossing the threshold into Eric’s apartment.

She purposely takes a few extra seconds when closing the door to give herself time to compose herself.

Tris makes her way over to Eric who is standing at his kitchen island beside a contraption she has never seen before.

“What is that?” she asks, tilting her chin towards it.

“A waffle maker,” he responds nonchalantly as he whisks a bowl of batter.

Tris scrunches up her face.

“A waffle maker? What does it do?”

Eric stops whisking and looks up at her.

“Makes waffles.”

“You say that like I’m supposed to know what a waffle is.”

“You’ve never had a waffle?” Eric asks incredulously.

Tris shakes her head in response.

“You mean, they don’t have waffles in Abnegation?”

“No. It doesn’t even sound like a real word to me.”

Eric laughs.  

“I’m just messing with you. Most people don’t know what waffles are.”

“Wait, what?”

“Waffles, which for the record are not a common food these days, were evidently a breakfast staple back before the wars. They’re kind of like pancakes, similar batter but not identical, and instead of frying them in a pan, you put them in that thing, and it turns them into…well…waffles.”

Tris moves closer to the waffle maker and points at it.

“May I?” She asks, wanting to investigate it.

“Go ahead.”

Tris pulls on the handle, opening up the waffle maker and revealing the waffle plates.

“Where did you get this thing?” she asks, continuing to inspect it.

“You’d be surprised how many random prewar items are still kicking around. This thing was actually a gift from someone at Erudite that I did a pretty big favour for. He knows how much prewar technology interests me and thought I’d get a kick out of it.”

“And what,” Tris says looking up at him, “you just randomly decided to put pancake batter in it?”

Eric laughs.

“No, I’ve actually had a pre-war recipe book since I was a little kid.  I used to read it over and over again.  When Joel brought me the waffle iron, I knew exactly what it was for.”

Tris’ eyes widen.

“You have a book from back before the wars?”

“It’s over there,” Eric says, pointing behind her.

When Tris turns, she is shocked to find an entire wall filled with books. She walks over to the wall slowly and stares at it in awe.

“This is amazing,” she says reaching to pull one off the shelf before stopping short and glancing towards Eric for permission.

“Go ahead,” he replies as he ladles batter into the waffle maker.

Tris is momentarily distracted by Eric’s activities in the kitchen. She watches with rapt attention as he closes the top of the maker, spins it upside down and opens the other side. He then proceeds to ladle more batter into this side before closing it again.  

“They’ll be ready in a few minutes,” he tells her, putting down the ladle and walking over to where she’s standing.

Tris reaches out and runs her fingers gingerly across the spines of a few of the books but doesn’t remove any from the shelf.

“Have you read them all?”

“I have. It’s been a while since I’ve read a lot of them though. Being in leadership doesn’t really allow me a lot of free time, but I still manage to get a few in here and there.”

“Do you have a favourite?”

Eric nods and quickly scans the wall. His eyebrows furrow briefly before he turns and walks towards what Tris can only assume is his bedroom. He re-emerges with a well-worn book and hands it over to Tris.

Tris accepts the book cautiously, running her fingers over a particularly rough looking crease in the top corner of the cover.  Something about this moment feels exceptionally intimate and her heart begins to race as she looks up at Eric.

“What’s it about?”

“It’s a kind of hard to explain. The first time I read it, I had to do a bit of research on one of the great wars that took place during the time that we consider ‘pre-war’. Until then, I didn’t even realize there had been wars before the wars that our society talks about. The book is essentially a fictionalized story of the last days of a fallen German emperor who is living life in exile.  He longs to reclaim his throne despite the atrocities that the German army are in the midst of committing during the war. There are two other main characters, a British housemaid and a German solider.  They fall for each other and the soldier, who ends up questioning the actions of his country, is torn between his love for her and his duty.”

“Wow,” Tris says, a bit stunned. “I didn’t even realize books like that existed. The only books I’ve read are textbooks on the datapads at school. Caleb had a few physical books that my dad managed to get for him through connections in leadership, but they were all about science and technology.  Nothing like this.”

Tris turns the book over in her hands examining the dents and creases that have clearly appeared over time.  She is slowly flipping through the pages when a noise goes off in the kitchen.

She looks towards the noise and then at Eric.

“Waffles are ready,” he says smiling. “Why don’t you go take a seat at the table and I’ll bring the food over.”

“Sounds good,” she says, passing the book back to Eric.

Instead of returning the book to his room, he puts it down on the corner of the kitchen island and makes his way over to the waffle maker.

Tris watches as he removes the waffles and places them onto individual plates.  He puts one plate in front of her along with cutlery and the other in front of the empty space across from her.  Next, he makes his way over to the fridge, takes out a bowl as well as a measuring cup filled with a thick brown liquid which reminds her of gravy and returns to the table.

Tris looks at Eric expectantly, unsure of how to proceed with her meal.

“This,” he says, picking up the measuring cup, “is brown sugar syrup. You can drizzle it on like you would with pancakes or, you can do what I do and slowly fill every divot of the waffle with it.”

Tris watches as Eric meticulously drips the syrup into each of the little squares that make up the waffle.

“Then, I suggest you take a generous helping of the whipped cream and plop it right in the middle,” he adds, dipping a spoon into the bowl and flicking a large dollop of whipped cream onto his plate. “Your turn.”

Filling every square seems a bit excessive, but Eric’s enthusiasm while delivering his instructions is enough to convince Tris that it’ll be worth the effort.

Eric waits for her to dress her waffle, his fork in one hand and his knife in the other.

“Ready?” he asks when she done.

She nods in response.

“Let’s eat!”

Despite his direction, Eric doesn’t move but instead watches Tris as she pops her first bite into her mouth.

“You’re staring is stressing me out,” she says, swallowing.

“Well, what do you think?” he asks impatiently.  His expression reminds Tris of an eager child looking for their parents’ approval and she can’t help but grin.

“First of all, I think you tricked me. This is not a breakfast food. This is dessert.”

“Maybe by present standards, but apparently not in pre-war times because I promise you it’s in the breakfast section of that cookbook.”

Tris laughs.

“Fine, I’ll accept that. Secondly, it’s frigging delicious. Like better than Dauntless cake delicious.”

Eric smiles.

“Well now I’m torn, because in this apartment Dauntless cake is King, but also that’s a crazy good compliment so I’m going to let that slide. I’m glad you like it, now I can finally eat.”

The pair sit in silence, too busy enjoying their brunch to talk.  The meal is large, and the last few bites are a struggle, but Tris is determined not to let a single crumb go to waste.

“Thank you,” she says, putting her cutlery down and leaning back in her chair. “That might have been the best meal I’ve ever eaten.”

“You don’t even know how happy that makes me.”

“I know I’ve already said this, but you really aren’t anything like I thought. I never would have guessed how sweet and fun you are. I think I’ve smiled more with you in the past two days than I have since transferring.”

“Not a lot of laughs with Number Boy then?”

Tris internally chastises herself for walking right into that question.

“It’s not that we didn’t enjoy each others company. I guess he’s just kind of an intense person, so our relationship was intense. We never really dated, we just sort of fell into a relationship after the incident at the chasm and I didn’t realize until now that the intensity was specific to my relationship with him and not necessarily to all relationships. Being with you is just a different experience, I guess. I mean, all relationships can’t be the same and that’s probably a good thing.”

Tris expects Eric to make a crack about her relationship with Four but instead he just nods his head and starts collecting their dishes.

“I’ve actually never been in a serious relationship,” Eric admits as he places their plates into the sink.

“Really?” Tris asks, surprised.

“I’ve gone out and I’ve hung out with some girls but nothing that ever lasted more than a few dates.”

“I guess we’re kind of the opposite in that way.  I’ve been in a relationship, but in a way, this is my first real date.”

“And as you’re first date, how would you rate it?”

Tris bites her lower lip and walks over to where Eric is standing by the sink.

“I think I need one more piece of data before I can answer that,” she says looking up, her eyes affixed on his lips.

“And what would that be?” he whispers, lowering his head so their lips are mere millimetres apart.

Her heart is racing as she pushes up onto her tip toes and presses her lips to his.  She doesn’t know where this forwardness is coming from but as their lips move passionately and his arms find their place around her waist, she is eternally grateful for this rare moment of boldness.

Chapter Text

After a brief conversation about Tris being embarrassed for having initiated the kiss, which promptly ended by Eric kissing her, and an in-depth discussion about a fish called salmon brought on by Tris asking if Eric had tried any of the other recipes in the cookbook, Tris had been sent home to change into workout clothes for their ‘second date.’

As Tris makes her way through the halls back to her apartment, she can’t help but wonder what had gotten into her. Kissing Eric has been wonderful, it had been gentle but passionate and the memory alone was making her entire body flush. But it had also been stupid, or at least that’s what she kept telling herself.

According to Eric, spending the day with him was supposed to make her choice easier and while she doubted that theory very much, she also didn’t think there was too much harm in it either. But she was falling hard and fast and she desperately wanted someone to tell her what to do. So, for the second time that day, she opens her com device and messages Marlene.

SOS. My apartment. ASAP.

OMW.

Tris is surprised to find Marlene already outside of her door when she arrives, and even more surprised that Uriah is with her.

“What’s going on? What wrong,” Marlene asks immediately.

“Why are you both here?”

“We were at his apartment when you texted, he saw the text over my shoulder and insisted on coming with me,” Marlene responds looking briefly at Uriah.

Tris slowly puts her code into the keypad, wondering if there’s a way to get rid of Uriah without raising suspicion.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asks.

“I’m fine, I just need to talk to Marlene. You can go.”

“You sent an SOS because you need to talk?” he questions in disbelief as they make their way into Tris’ apartment.

“Yes, so there’s no need for you to be here,” Tris replies, glaring at a sheepish looking Marlene.  Marlene had to have known her SOS was about her date with Eric, why couldn’t she have thought of something to get rid of Uriah?

Uriah looks between the girls before breaking out into a big goofy smile.

“Girl talk?” he says excitedly. “I’m in!”

Tris’ eyes grow wide.

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh, come on,” Uriah starts, making himself comfortable on the couch. “I can do girl talk. I bet I’m great at girl talk. Give me a chance.”

A male perspective could be helpful, but she barely wanted to share the details of her predicament with Marlene never mind bringing Uriah into it too.

“I can tell by your face that you’re considering it, go with that feeling Tris. Tell me what’s on your mind. Let me in on what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours.”

Tris rolls her eyes and sits down on the far side of the couch sighing.

“Fine, you can stay. But nothing I say leaves this room, and I don’t want to hear from you unless I explicitly ask for you opinion. Understand?”

Uriah looks far too happy for Tris’ liking.

“I accept those terms,” her replies with a wink.

Tris gives Marlene one last glare as her friend sits down gingerly on the corner of the coffee table.

“What happened?” Marlene asks.

“I kiss him,” Tris blurts out.

Marlene expression brightens with excitement.

“Oh my God. How was it?”

“Amazing,” she can’t help but gush. “But that’s not the point. The point is, it was stupid, and I shouldn’t have done it.”

“Why not? You were on a date. It’s perfectly acceptable to kiss someone that you’re on a date with. Encouraged even.”

Tris shakes her head.

“But I can’t fall for him. I just can’t.”

“You know all those details you left out this morning? I think it’s time for you to spill because I’m confused.”

“You’re confused?” Uriah interjects. “I don’t even know who we’re talking about!”

Marlene turns towards Uriah and puts her finger to her mouth while making a loud shushing noise.

Tris takes a deep breath.

“While Eric,” Tris says, looking pointedly at Uriah then turning back towards Marlene, “was walking me home last night he asked me if I would reconsider my stance on joining leadership. When we got here, he came in and we had coffee and I admitted that I regretted turning down the job offer. Long story short, Eric is going to ask Max if I can be his assistant. Eric’s, not Max’s. But I told him that if he’s going to be my boss then we can’t get involved romantically. He argued and somehow convinced me to spend today with him in order to see if we have chemistry. I told him it was a terrible idea, agreed anyway and just promised myself that I wouldn’t let anything physical happen between us.”

“But something physical did happen and now you’re freaking out,” Marlene says. “Okay, I think we’re more or less caught up. What happened that made you break your promise?” 

“I don’t even know really. We were just having such a good time and it was fun and easy, nothing like it was with Four, and he was just so sweet, and I don’t know what came over me, I just wanted…needed to kiss him so I did, and it was even better than I expected and now I’m just so screwed.”

Uriah’s eyes grow wide, and he opens his mouth to speak, but Marlene covers his mouth with her hand stopping him.

“Would it really be so bad? To be in a relationship with him and work for him?”

Tris looks up at the ceiling then back at Marlene.

“It’s just not a situation I want to put myself in. Working together could put an unnecessary strain on our relationship or it could affect our work.  What if we disagree but don’t want to fight and then suddenly, we’ve made bad decisions for our faction. Or what if we break up and then we still have to work together? Or what if people think I’m getting special treatment because I’m ‘sleeping with him’? I just don’t know if the good outweighs the bad in this case.”

“You could keep it a secret?” Marlene suggests.

“That only helps with one of the ‘what ifs’ and either way, I’m not doing that again,” Tris responds causing Uriah to open his mouth which forces Marlene to physically keep him quiet once more.

“Okay, so no to a secret relationship. Are there any other jobs in leadership you could have instead?”

This time, Uriah speaks before anyone can stop him.

“Actually, I’m pretty sure Khloe mentioned that she doesn’t have an assistant. Maybe you could work for her?”

Marlene’s eyes brighten but Tris’ face remains unchanged.

“I mean, it’s not entirely out of the question, it’s just that I’m more drawn to what I could learn from Eric than what I could learn from Khloe,” she responds tentatively.

There’s no way she can fully explain to her friends why working for Eric is more enticing than working for Khloe without revealing her divergence. At first, Tris wasn’t entirely sure what it was that made Eric’s position more interesting to her.  Sure, she didn’t want to have to work with Marcus in the future but that wasn’t enough to completely dissuade her from wanting to learn from Khloe.  But after really putting some thought into it, Tris realized that it was Eric’s ties to Erudite that were drawing her so strongly towards him.  

Her aptitude test had shown that she had aptitudes for Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite. Growing up Abnegation, Tris spent many years understanding her Abnegation side and now, being in Dauntless, she was starting to appreciate the Dauntless side of her too. But the part of her that had been left entirely untapped was her Erudite side.  She had thought she had made peace with that, but when Eric revealed that she would get to work with Erudite as part of her job she was excited at the prospect of finally getting to explore that side of herself. Plus, since Eric was born Erudite, she thought he might be able to provide her with insight that no one else could.

“Well, at least it’s an option. I mean learning from Khloe could end up being amazing and it’s a steppingstone, right? You wouldn’t be an assistant forever. If you’re this worried about things going badly by working for and dating Eric, then why not just work for Khloe and date him.  I mean if you’re stressing this hard about what to do, you must really be into him. Working with Khloe could mean you end up with an amazing career and the perfect guy.  That sounds pretty good to me,” Marlene suggests.

“Or I could end up putting myself on the wrong career trajectory and things with Eric might not work out. I know you probably think I’m being stubborn, but it feels naïve to choose a guy I barely know, regardless of my feelings, over what could essentially be the biggest decision of my professional life. I’m so scared that I’m about to let my feelings for a guy dictate my future again and I don’t want to have any regrets this time,” Tris replies sadly.

Tris watches as Marlene and Uriah exchange an indecipherable look.

“What?” she asks.

“I was going to let this go, for now anyways, because it doesn’t feel like the right time, but that’s the third comment you’ve made, and I think Uriah might explode if I don’t ask –”

Marlene starts but Uriah cuts her off.

“You dated Four?” he blurts out.

Tris blinks rapidly and looks down at the floor.

Shit.

Had she really made that many comments about Four without even realizing?

When they broke up, they made a promise to each other that they would continue to keep their relationship secret. Technically, Four had broken that promise first by telling Eric, so maybe she should just tell Marlene and Uriah. Afterall, they are the only people left that she felt bad not telling to begin with.  If she told them, then everyone important in her life would know and she would have no more secrets.

“Yes, I dated Four. I’ll be honest, it’s not really something I’m dying to talk about. But keeping it from you guys has been hard and I feel like you deserve to know some of the details. I’m just going to tell you the basics and when I’m done, you can ask whatever you want and I’ll answer honestly, but then it’s done, okay? Clearly, we’re not together anymore and I’m trying to move on.”

“I’m okay with that.”

“Me too.”

“Thank you. It started during initiation and lasted until around a month ago. We kept it a secret because we were worried people might think he helped me finish first in initiation and, apparently, he was breaking rules by being with me. It turned out we wanted different things and neither of us were willing to compromise, so we broke up. Nothing bad caused our breakup, we just weren’t compatible in the end.”

Marlene and Uriah nod in unison before Marlene speaks.

“Did you sleep with him?”

“Really Marlene? That’s your first question?” Uriah asks in disbelief.  

“Sorry, I just remembered Christina made a comment last night about Tris getting over someone by getting under Eric and now I’m curious. She said we could ask anything.”

Tris feels her face heat up, but she just shrugs and answers Marlene.

“Yes, we were sleeping together.”

“Does anyone know about this? Other than us?” Uriah asks, quickly changing the subject.

“I told Christina, and she told Will, so they both know and Four told Zeke.”

“My own brother and he didn’t even tell me,” Uriah replies with fake offence. “Is that it?”

“Well, Eric kind of found out too.”

“You told Eric?” Marlene asks sounding hurt.

Tris shakes her head.

“No. I ran into Four last night and he blurted it out in front of Eric.  He was drunk and jealous and didn’t handle it well,” Tris replies, subconsciously rubbing the bruise around her wrist.

Uriah’s face hardens.

“Did he do that?” he asks through gritted teeth, pointing towards Tris’ arm.

Tris looks down and is almost surprised to see the bruise, she had nearly forgotten about it.

“He didn’t mean to. Like I said, he was drunk and upset, and he apologized. It’s never happened before, and it won’t happen again.” Uriah goes to speak but Tris cuts him off. “It will never happen again. Besides, based on his reaction last night, I’m pretty sure Eric would kill him if he ever did it again.”

“But Tris,” Marlene starts.

“Nope. I’m not talking about this anymore. Next question please.”

Uriah and Marlene go quiet for a moment.

“Were you in love with him?”

“Yes.”

“Would you ever consider getting back together with him?”

“No.”

“When you said earlier that you’re scared of letting a guy dictate your future, how do you mean? What did he do?” Marlene asks thoughtfully.

“He wasn’t supportive of me joining leadership,” Tris starts, choosing her words carefully. “He…doesn’t trust easily and he has his reason’s for being suspicious of them. We argued about it for a while, but he was adamant that I not accept the job offer and he just kept getting more and more upset the longer we fought. It was the first real fight we’d ever had, and I got tired of fighting with him and didn’t want to be the reason he was upset anymore, so I gave in and declined the position.”

“What were his reasons?” Uriah asks skeptically.

“It’s not my place to talk about it.”

The room grows quiet once more.

“This isn’t the same situation at all,” Marlene says finally, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?” Tris responds.

“I don’t want to upset you, but I think you need to hear this. Tris, I’m sorry, but your relationship with Four wasn’t healthy. It actually sounds really toxic.”

“You’re wrong,” Tris replies adamantly. “You don’t know anything about it.”

“I only know what you’ve told me, but it’s enough to know that it wasn’t healthy. Please, just hear me out. Your relationship started in secret, a relationship that never should have happened because he was in a place of authority, and you were in a vulnerable position. You even said it yourself; he broke the rules by pursuing you. Rules like that are there for a reason Tris.”

“You’re twisting my words.”

“He decided his own crap was more important than a life changing opportunity for you, and he argued to the point where you just gave up because you wanted to please him. That seems pretty controlling to me. You said being with Eric is fun and easy and that the opposite was true of Four which means being with him was difficult. Plus, you obviously broke up for a reason and considering he was jealous when he saw you with Eric, I’m going to assume you broke up with him. Also, I don’t give a shit how drunk someone is, that bruise is not okay, and I am not convinced that if you had stayed with him, it wouldn’t have become a regular occurrence.”

“You don’t know him. Okay? You’re making him sound awful and he’s not. He hasn’t had an easy life, you don’t know anything,” Tris hisses protectively.

“I don’t understand how you can defend him after everything he’s put you through,” Uriah says.

Tris stands up with an irritated huff.

“Asking you to come here was a bad idea. I think you should both just go.”

Marlene and Uriah stay put.

“I’m sorry okay. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I don’t have a clear picture of your relationship with Four. All I was getting at is that I think the situation with Eric is different. First of all, he’s encouraging you to join leadership not holding you back from it. He’s giving you a second chance at the future Four selfishly stopped you from pursuing. Eric has made it clear that he has feelings for you, but he hasn’t asked you to choose him over a job. Sure, he convinced you to spend today with him but he’s not trying to convince you to turn down the job, he’s trying to convince you that you can have both. I’ll be honest, I always thought he was kind of an asshole, but with everything he’s doing and the way he’s treating you, he must not be the asshole I thought he was, and he seems to make you happy.”

Tris doesn’t know what to say to Marlene, she knows she’s made some good points, but she just can’t ignore the way Marlene tore down her relationship with Four.

“Thank you for your opinion,” Tris says firmly. “But I need to get changed now, so you should both leave.”

Marlene sighs and motions for Uriah to follower her to the door. As she turns the knob to leave, she addresses Tris one last time.

“Just…don’t let this conversation ruined your day with Eric, okay? Who knows what will happen tomorrow when you find out about leadership. Try to forget about that part and let yourself enjoy spending time with him. The way you lit up when you were talking about being with him earlier…you just…you deserve to be happy.”

Tris merely nods at Marlene as her friends make their way into the hall.

Tris barely has time to change into a pair of leggings and a workout top before she hears knocking at the door.

She works at putting her hair into a high ponytail while making her way to answer it.

“Eric,” she greets, biting her lip as she takes in his appearance.

Tris has never seen him looking this casual before, but even in a simple t-shirt and sweats he looks damn good.

“You ready?” he asks with a smile.

“I just need to find my sneakers and then I’ll be good to go.”

“You have something other than what you had on this morning, right?” he asks in a serious tone. “Don’t get me wrong, they looked good on you, but I’d rather you didn’t break an ankle on my watch.”

Tris laughs immerging from her bedroom with a much more practical pair of trainers.

“I’d probably end up breaking both my ankles in those. What are we doing anyway?”

“You’ll see,” Eric replies vaguely as Tris ties up her shoes.

“Okay, I’m ready. Lead the way.”

“You know, you didn’t actually answer my question earlier,” Eric says as they walk down the stairs, exiting the apartment floor.

“Which question was that?”

“Your ‘first’ date, what would you rate it? Feel free to take a minute to think about it.”

Tris smiles.

“That’s easy. 10 out of 10.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have started out so strong. Your expectations are high now, hopefully the next two dates I have planned won’t disappoint you,” Eric says, smiling.

“I have a feeling no matter what you have planned it’ll be a ten just because I’m with you.”

Tris internally scolds herself for not being more reserved with her feelings. She really has enjoyed every minute she’s spent with him so far, but there’s a good chance she’s going to have to end this, and she doesn’t want to lead him on.

The sudden feeling of Eric’s lips on hers pulls her from her thoughts and her mind goes blank as she responds to the kiss. Without breaking apart, Eric steps forwards, gently guiding Tris backwards until her back is pressed up against the wall.  She doesn’t know how long they kiss for, but when they finally break apart, her face is flush, and her lips are slightly swollen.

Maybe Marlene was right, maybe she should just forget about leadership for now and enjoy her time with Eric.

Eric takes a step back and Tris pushes herself off the wall before taking in her surroundings. She hadn’t been paying much attention to their path and is startled to find they are standing outside of the initiate training gym.

“What are we doing here?” she asks, confused.

“You’re going to throw knives at me,” Eric says, pushing his way through the double doors and into the gym.

Chapter Text

Tris follows Eric into the gym and is relieved to find it empty.  The last thing she needs right now is another encounter with her ex.

Looking around, she sees multiple targets already set up along the far side of the room.

“Tell me again what we are doing here?” she asks, catching up to Eric who is collecting a handful of knives from the table in front of him.

“I feel bad about the knife incident during initiation. So, we’re here to make it even. I’m going to go stand in front of that target over there,” he says pointing towards the closest target. “And you’re going to take these three knives and throw them at me.”

“You’re insane. You saw me during initiation, I’m okay, but no way I’m good enough to avoid hitting you.”

“What I saw was someone who understands the importance of precision when it comes to knife throwing,” he replies simply. “I trust you.”

“Trust isn’t going to improve my aim and keep you alive.”

Eric chuckles, passing three knives to Tris who reluctantly accepts them.

“Why don’t you take a few throws to warm up.”

Tris glares at him.

“Come on, humor me.”

Shaking her head, she carefully aligns herself with the target and makes several small movements to perfect her stance. Once satisfied with her position, she turns one of the knives over in her hand breathing deeply as she assesses the weight of it.

Tris closes her eyes and when she opens them, she is focused and determined.

She raises her arm, pulling it back sharply and throwing the first knife with strength and precision. It hits the target but doesn’t land quite where she was aiming.  If she wasn’t about to have a live target on her hands, she would be quite proud of that shot.

“I’m going to kill you,” she says, glaring at Eric once more.

He smiles in return and Tris starts to wonder if he has a death wish.

“Throw the other two knives,” he responds, nodding towards the target. “Finish practicing.”

Tris turns her attention back to the target and methodically throws the other two knives.  She manages to hit the target with both, but only one lands where she intended it to.

She watches Eric as he collects the knives from the target and makes his way back over to her. Suddenly, the doors to the gym swing open and a group of people file inside.

“Perfect timing,” Eric says to her with a wink.

As he walks towards the group, Tris begins to panic. What in the world is going on?

“Eric,” she mutters urgently under her breath, following him over to the initiates.

Ignoring her, Eric stands in front of the group with his hands clasped behind his back and his feet slightly apart. His face is hard as he looks slowly at each one of them with distain. The room turns silent, and Tris can almost feel the fear rolling off them.

She bites her tongue, holding back a grin, as memories of her own initiation flash through her mind.

The Eric she is getting to know now is vastly different from the one she went through initiation with, and she can’t help but feel a little bit special that he’s chosen her to share this part of him with.

Lauren, who is the last to enter the room, seems caught off guard by their presence. She takes her time looking Eric over, but only gives Tris a quick glace before addressing the leader.

“Eric,” she greets apprehensively.

“Lauren,” he responds promptly, before concentrating on the group. “Today, you'll be learning how to aim. Everyone pick up three knives and pay attention while Tris demonstrates the correct technique for throwing them."

Tris gawks at him. He can’t be serious.

When none of the initiates move, Eric let’s out an exasperated sigh.

"Now!" he barks.

The initiates scramble for the daggers before returning to their places in front of him. Once everyone is reassembled, Eric walks over to Tris.

“You can do this,” he says quietly for only her to hear. “Show them how its done.”

Eric makes his way over to the target in front of Tris, blocking it with his body as he turns to face her.

Tris can’t believe he’s making her do this.  It was one thing when they were alone, but in front of Lauren and the initiates…part of her is terrified and the other part wants to stab him for putting her through this.

“You’re really going to let some girl throw knives at you?” shouts a tall dark-haired boy standing at the front of the pack.

He reminds Tris of Peter, and she uses this moment to take a closer look at the initiates.

Transfers.

But why were they with Lauren? Tris wonders briefly.

“Have some respect,” Eric roars darkly from his position in front of the target. “Tris isn’t just some girl. Tris is an example of the best of us. Like you, Tris was a transfer, but unlike you, Tris understood the importance and the value of initiation.  She worked her ass off and finished first in her class. So no, I wouldn’t let some girl throw knives at me, but Tris? I trust Tris with me life.”

The transfer who spoke looks down at the floor while many of the others stare at Tris in awe.

Between Eric’s compliments and everyone staring at her, Tris is unable to stop the blush that creeps up her neck. Thankfully, she is far enough away that it’s unlikely any of them will notice.

“Now shut the fuck up and pay attention.”

Tris meets Lauren’s gaze briefly and it’s clear by the look on her face that Lauren doesn’t have the same faith in her that Eric does.

She tries to ignore Lauren, instead turning her attention back to Eric who gives her a small nod.

She rolls her neck and breathes deeply before lifting her arm, pulling back, and releasing the first knife.

She was aiming for the space next to Eric’s check, but the knife lands further away than she intends. It’s still a solid shot, but Tris isn’t satisfied.

She goes through the motions again. This time, the knife lands just above his head and she’s feeling more confident.

She takes a moment to shake out her wrist as she contemplates her last shot. Pulling her arm back, she lets the knife fly. It goes straight towards Eric, spinning, blade over handle. The blade hits the board next to his ear and she knows she hit her target perfectly when a tiny bit of blood drips down. Maybe not the best choice given she’s meant to be putting on a demonstration for the initiates, but the whole point of this exercise was for Eric to make up for what he did during initiation and now they are even.

Eric gives Tris a subtle nod before making his way back over to the initiates.

“Put in the effort, and you might be half as good as she is.”

“I’m pretty sure I could do better. I mean, come on man, she cut you,” the initiate from earlier says arrogantly.

“She hit her targets perfectly. I know her well enough to know that she did that on purpose,” Eric responds, looking towards Tris who smirks at him.

Tris ignores another look from Lauren as Eric addresses the initiates once more.

"Line up!" He orders and they rush to line themselves up with a target each.

When the initiates are all deep in practice, Eric salutes Lauren with two fingers and then motions for Tris to follow him out of the gym.

“Asshole,” Tris yells once they are through the doors. “Why would you do that to me?”

Eric laughs and starts walking quickly down the hall.

“So many reasons.”

“Care to enlighten me?” she says, jogging to catch up to him.

“Like I said, I felt bad about initiation and wanted us to be even. But if I’m being honest, I really thought we had more time before they showed up. While I enjoyed that little performance we put on, if it had been my plan from the beginning, I would not have chosen this outfit.”

Tris looks Eric up and down and accepts that he’s telling the truth. Never once during the entirety of her initiation had she seen him look anything other than meticulously groomed and well put together. Maybe that’s why Lauren seemed so put off by his presence.

“Them showing up however, created the perfect opportunity for me to show them that you don’t have to be big, or male or Dauntless born to kick ass and finish with a high ranking. On top of that, if you’re going to be a member of the leadership team people here need to respect you and ensuring that the new class understand how good you are will help with that.”

“So you decided getting stabbed was worth proving that?”

“I had 100% faith that you wouldn’t stab me. You need to have more confidence in your skills.”

“And how exactly is your faith in my knife skills that high when you haven’t seen them since initiation?”

Eric stops walking and looks at her.

“We’ve worked out in the same gym for months now. You may not have noticed me, but I certainly noticed you and I know that you are one of the only initiates who has taken my advice when it comes to keeping up with your training. Aside from the ones who are mandated by their jobs.”

Tris’ eyebrows furrow.

“Are you serious?”

Eric nods.

“Of course I’m serious. Don’t worry, I’m only a little bit offended that you never noticed me. The way you train is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.  It’s like the whole world falls away and all that’s left is you and your purpose.”

“I…I don’t know what to say.”

Eric shrugs and starts walking again.

“You don’t have to say anything. But I have noticed one thing I’m curious about.”

“What’s that?” Tris asks nervously.

“You never get in the ring and spar with anyone. It’s an important part of training and you know that. So why don’t you?”

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“How do you always manage to ask me questions that require me to tell you things I’ve never said out loud before?”

Eric gives her a small smile.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but if you join leadership you will have to spar. You won’t have a choice but to get in the ring.”

“I’m scared,” Tris says quietly as she matches Eric’s stride.

“Of what?” he asks, slowing down a bit.

“The last time I fought was against Molly during initiation. You were there for that; you saw what I did. I turned into someone I didn’t recognize during that fight. She was down, I had won. I should have stopped, but I couldn’t. I wanted to keep hurting her, needed to keep hurting her. I didn’t know that side of me existed until that fight, and I’m terrified it’s going to come out again.”

Eric reaches out and threads his fingers through hers.

“You can’t worry about that. The fight with Molly isn’t comparable to a well natured sparing match in the members gym. It was initiation, and every one of you was exhausted by that point. We had been working you to the bone and you were fighting for your life here in Dauntless. Plus, Molly didn’t help herself by being a bully.”

“But what if you’re wrong. What if I get in the ring again and I can’t control myself?”

Eric shakes his head.

“I don’t think I’m wrong, but if you’re worried, I’d be happy to spar with you.  We can start out slow, even go during off hours so it’s just the two of us. We’ll work our way up to full on sparring and we’ll only go flat out once you’re comfortable.”

“I’ll think about it,” Tris replies.

“Good.”

“It was weird seeing you with the initiates,” she says, changing the subject.

“Was it?”

“Yeah, it brought me right back to my days as an initiate. Except this time, I didn’t find your barking scary. I actually thought it was kind of…” Tris starts, trailing off.

“Kind of what?” Eric asks curiously.

“Hot,” she finishes, her cheeks heating up.

“Oh yeah?” he says with raised eyebrows and a hint of a smirk on his lips. “Well lets just hope you’re the only one. I don’t need any of these initiates trying to hit on me,” he jokes. “And for the record, watching you throw knives at me was pretty hot too.”

Tris’ cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson as they continue walking.

“Where are we going?” She asks as they reach a set of doors that leads them outside.

“To my favourite place in all of Chicago.”

“Which is where?”

“Haven’t you realized by now that I’m not going to answer that?” he says, letting go of her hand and jogging backwards. “Now come on, we don’t have all day.”  

Aside from a short conversation where Tris asks Eric if they are allowed to leave the compound without a reasonable purpose and without filing an official ‘travel’ declaration, to which Eric responds that leadership has its privileges, the pair jog to their destination in near silence.

“What is this place?” Tris asks in awe looking up at the palatial building before them.

“This,” Eric says, turning to face her, arms outstretched, “is the Harold Washington Library Center.”

“You’re telling me the purpose of this enormous building is solely to house physical books?”

“Think about how many books you had access to as a dependant on your school datapad. Those books were specific only to what you were learning about. Now think about how many other digital books are available to you as a member. How do you do any of that research before datapads were created? You come to the library where all that information can be found in the printed and bound physical books that line the walls of this building.”

Tris blinks rapidly.

“I can’t imagine having to make my way here every time I want to look something up.”

“I mean, it’s been a long while since datapads were created. They had them before the wars, but I think they called them tablets back then. You would have to have been born centuries ago to only have access to books through a library.”

“And you mean to tell me that this building has been sat here filled with physical books for centuries and no one cared to…I don’t know, take them?”

Eric turns and motions for Tris to follow him to the door.

“Filled is a bit of an overstatement. At one time I’m sure it was filled with books, but like you said, it’s been sitting here for centuries. I’m not the only one who has stumbled upon it.”

“So those books that you have back in your apartment,” Tris starts, following Eric, “you stole them from here?”

“Is it really stealing when no one has a claim over them?” he counters, reaching for the door handle.

Tris contemplates his response for a second.

“I guess you have a point.  Are we allowed to be here?”

Eric shrugs and motions for her to move passed him and into the building.

“I mean…there’s no rule that says we can’t specifically enter this building, but I think we both know exploring the city outside of faction limits isn’t exactly encouraged.”

“What if someone finds out?”

“I’ve been here more times than I can count over the last eight years and the only person who ever found out was my mom and that was only because she found the stack of books I had hidden in my room when I was fourteen.”

“Eight years?”

“When I was twelve, I ran away from home for like a day. I managed to wander out of the grounds of Erudite and I just kept wandering. After about forty-five minutes, I ended up here and spent the rest of the day exploring. When I got home, I realized no one even noticed I had been gone. For my next four years in Erudite anytime I needed an escape I would come here. It took me a couple of years to have the balls to take any of the books home with me, but there were just too many that interested me and having to sneak here only to read a few chapters wasn’t sustainable. When my mom found the books, I expected her to be angry, but she just praised me for my thirst for knowledge, told me I was a true Erudite and asked me to be careful.”

Tris tilts her head and regards him curiously.

“Coming here consistently for four years while you were still a dependant sounds more Dauntless to me than Erudite. But being that interested in books does seem very Erudite. Do you think your parents knew you were different? Do you think they ever suspected you’re Divergent?”

Eric shrugs.

“They may have had their suspicions, but I think parents often turn a blind eye to behaviour that goes against our birth factions.  They’re so terrified that we’ll leave them one day that they don’t want to let any doubt in that our aptitudes don’t match our home. What about you? Do you think your parents knew?”

“I think my mom knew. At the very least, she knew I wasn’t meant to be in Abnegation.”

Eric nods his head in understanding.

“Okay, enough about our aptitudes. Take a look around.”

Tris takes her eyes off Eric and finds herself in the most expansive lobby she has ever seen. She stretches her neck upwards and slowly spins as her eyes follow a railed walkway belonging to the level above.  She looks back down and sees a circular rail in the centre of the room.  Eric follows her as she moves towards it. Tris leans forward and looks down passed the railing at the level below.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Eric says.

Tris nods her head in response.

“Where do you want to go first?” he asks.

“What are my options?”

“There’s not much to see downstairs. I’m sure when it was actually open it was different, but right now it’s really just some empty rooms and an auditorium. If we stay on this level, the general library is over there and then on that side there’s a media space with a bunch of old equipment. Other floors include: the children’s library, more media and equipment, business, science and technology, government publications, maps and an old resource centre, history texts, literature, some more rooms that seem to be for music, and the last two floors are just rooms and offices.”

Tris tilts her head back and forth, weighing her options.

“General library?” she finally chooses.

“This way,” Eric says, waving her towards him as he starts to move.

They make their way across the lobby to the east side of the building. When they stop, Eric makes a show of opening a set of double doors and through it, Tris is met with the overwhelming sight of rows and rows of floor to ceiling bookshelves lined with hundreds upon hundreds of books.  For the amount of time that the library has been abandoned, Tris expected the shelves to be quite bare, but despite the obvious gaps, there is still an abundance of books.

“Wow,” Tris breathes.

Slowly, she starts to make her way through the rows, taking everything in. 

After the awesomeness of the sheer volume of books had warn off slightly, Tris had begun looking more closely at the selection.  It took ages for her to muster up the courage to start taking books off the shelves and really looking at them.  There was just something about being here that made her feel like she’d gone back in time and was trespassing in a world that was not her own. She had finally chosen one that looked interesting and was now sat reading it on the floor.

“Tris,” Eric says softly from his position next to her.

“Hmmmm?” she asks not looking up from her book.

“We have to get going.”

His words don’t register as she continues reading.

“Tris,” he says again.

“Hmmmm?” she repeats.

Eric laughs.

“Look at me, please.”

She does as requested and turns her head to face him.

“What’s up?”

“We need to get going.”

“Already?” she asks, disappointed.

“Already? We’ve been gone for over four hours. If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss dinner.”

“It has not been four hours.”

Eric pulls out his com and shows her the time, her eyes grow wide.

“It’s already 5:50pm?” she asks in disbelief, scrambling to get on her feet. “We have to go, or we’ll miss dinner.”

“Come on,” he replies chuckling while heading towards the exit.

Tris stays where she is, looking down at her book.  She had managed to make it about a third of the way through and she wanted more than anything to finish.

“Take it with you,” Eric says from a few feet away.

“I can’t do that.”

“Sure you can. Trust me, no one is going to miss it.”

“It’s okay, I’ll just leave it here,” she says putting it down on the shelf next to her.

“Tris…”

“It’s fine, let’s just go.” 

The pair run flat out back to Dauntless to make it home in time for dinner. By the time they get back it’s a quarter passed six.

“I don’t really want to go to dinner all sweaty,” Tris says through staggered breaths as they make their way back into the building.

“We could split up, shower and change and then head down.”

Tris grimaces.

“All the good food will be taken by then.”

“Well, I could call down and have them pack up dinner for us and then when I’m ready I’ll go grab it and we can eat in my apartment?”

“Since when does the kitchen do that?”

“Like I said earlier, leadership has it’s privileges.”

“Really?” Tris asks.

“It’s gives us the chance to eat when we’re stuck in meetings all day, or when we know we’ll be back late after dealing with business outside of the faction.  But we all use it for our personal benefit from time to time and they don’t mind.”

“Are you sure it’s okay? I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble.”

 Eric smiles.

“More than okay.”

“I think I’d like that then.”

Eric pulls out his com device and quickly calls the kitchen as Tris places both hands on the wall and stretches out her upper back.

“Burger and fries, white chicken chili and chips or spaghetti and meatballs with garlic toast?” he asks, covering the phones speaker.

“Um, burger and fries…and chips?” Tris answers hopefully.

“Two orders of burgers and fries and a side of chips for Eric,” he says into the phone.

“Would they let me pick it up?” Tris whispers urgently.

“One second,” Eric says to the person on the phone. “What?”

“Would they let me pick up the food?”

“I mean, yeah, but you don’t have to do that. I can get it.”

“You’ve done so much today already. Let me pick up the food.”

“Are you sure?”

Tris nods in response.

“Hi, sorry about that,” Eric says into the speaker. “Tris Prior will be picking up the order.  Okay. Sounds good.”

Eric hangs up, looking towards Tris as he puts his com in his pocket.

“It’ll be ready around seven. Is that okay?”

“Perfect.”

“Alright, let’s get you back to your apartment."

Chapter Text

Tris tugs at the hem of her top, rethinking her outfit for the thousandth time as she makes her way to the side door of the dining hall.

She had spent an inordinate amount of time picking out her outfit, even going as far as trying to channel Marlene to help her put something date appropriate together.

Eric had said to dress casually and comfortably and told her he was planning on wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. At first, she had thrown on an oversized T but the Marlene in her mind reminded her that this was a date and showing off her body a little bit wouldn’t hurt.

She finally settled on a pair of black sweats, the trainers she had warn to breakfast and a tight low cut V-neck t-shirt. She had rolled down the waistband of the sweats which created an inch gap between the shirt and pants and when she left her apartment, she felt confident in her outfit choice.  However, during the walk to the dining hall, the tightness of the shirt, the amount of cleavage she was showing and the strip of stomach that was exposed were proving to make her more uncomfortable than expected.

Halfway to the dining hall, she had considered going back to her apartment to change, but she was already running late, and she didn’t want him to think she had changed her mind about dinner so she carried on and hoped that once she was with him, she would forget all about her outfit.

When she finally reached her destination, she knocked three times loudly. Eric had mentioned that things could get loud and busy in the kitchen but that no matter what they always heard the door, so she just needed to be patient, and someone would answer.  

While waiting, Tris suddenly feels someone’s presence next to her.  When she looks over, Khloe is staring at her curiously.

“Hey,” Khloe says tentatively.

Tris is about to respond when the door bursts open revealing a frantic redheaded man wearing an apron covered in beige sauce.

He looks first at Tris and then over at Khloe.

“Hey Khlo.  Court is packing up your order now.”

“Thanks Scott,” Khloe replies with a smile. “Rough service?”

He looks confused at first but follows Khloe’s eyeline down to his apron and sighs.

“New girl knocked over the rest of the chicken chili,” he replies quickly before turning towards Tris. “You need something?”

“Oh um, my name is Tris,” Tris mumbles. “I’m picking up for Eric.”

The man, Scott, nods his head.

“I’ll be right back with both of your orders,” he tells the girls before disappearing back through the door.

“You’re picking up Eric’s dinner?”

Tris shifts uncomfortably, once again pulling at the hem of her shirt as she nods her head at Khloe in response.

“I didn’t think he was working today.”

“Oh, no, he wasn’t he just…” Tris trails off, not knowing how to respond.

She knows Khloe is Eric’s friend and that there’s a good chance it would be safe for her to explain herself but at the same time, Khloe is a leader. A leader that Tris had never spoken to until now, and she’s worried about making a good impression. What would Khloe think if she found out Tris was on a date with Eric and then suddenly, she showed up to work in the leadership office?

Tris is relieved when the door next to her opens again putting an end to their conversation.

Scott steps forward and passes Khloe and Tris a bag each.

“Here you go ladies.”

“Thanks Scott. Can I ask what it is?” Khloe asks.

“Spaghetti and meatballs,” he responds firmly before narrowing his eyes at Khloe. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all. It sounds perfect!” Khloe responds a little too cheerfully.

“Uh-huh,” Scott mumbles as he goes back to the kitchen leaving the girls in an awkward silence.

“How come you don’t know what your order is?” Tris blurts out.

Khloe laughs.

“I wasn’t supposed to work today but I ended up on an emergency call and I realized halfway through that I was going to miss dinner, so I texted Court and she said she’d put something aside for me.” 

“Is everything okay?” Tris asks.

Khloe scrunches up her eyebrows in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“You said it was an emergency, so I was wondering if everything’s okay?”

“Oh right. Yeah, it’s okay enough. Leadership stuff. I can’t really get into it,” she says shrugging.

Tris nods her head in understanding.

“I should go,” Tris says, turning to leave, grateful to be escaping Khloe.

“Wait, can I ask you something?”

Tris takes a deep breath before turning back towards Khloe.

“Sure.”

“What did Eric get?”

“What?”

“His dinner. What did he order?”

“Oh, he got a burger and fries.”

Khloe’s eyes light up.

“Oh my God. I would kill for some fries right now. I wish Court had given me that instead of spaghetti.”

“Did…um…did you want to trade?”

Khloe raises an eyebrow but looks almost giddy at the prospect of swapping.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble,” she replies.

“No, he won’t care. You can have my burger and I’ll have the pasta.”

Khloe blinks a couple of times before smirking.

“Anyone else’s dinner in that bag? Or just yours and Eric’s?”

Tris’ face falls. Crap. She thinks to herself. So much for good impressions.

“Just ours,” she mumbles.

“You wouldn’t happen to be bringing that food back to Eric’s apartment, would you?” Khloe questions, grinning.

Tris rearranges her t-shirt, pulling it up this time, trying to cover more of her chest.

“I…”

Khloe’s eyes brighten.

“You are! Oh my God. You’re picking up that food for a date. That makes way more sense.  I thought maybe you were Christian’s daughter helping out or the new girl in the housing department, but the outfit was throwing me off. Wait…what did you say your name was again?”

“Tris,” she replies quietly.

“Oh fuck! Finally. I can’t believe how long it took him to grow some balls and ask you out.”

Tris bites her bottom lip nervously, not sure how to respond.

“Shit,” Khloe says, cringing. “Forget I said that.”

“Okay.”

“You should get going. Sorry for keeping you.”

Tris gives Khloe a small smile.  Their conversation has been awkward, but she can’t deny that Khloe seems like a nice person.

“Do you still want the burger? I really don’t mind at all.”

Khloe tilts her head back and forth, considering Tris’ offer.

 “I should probably have some tact and say ‘no,’ but I really want it.”

Tris grins as she reaches into the bag and pulls out one of the containers. She examines it briefly, confirming its contents, before passing it over to Khloe.

“Thanks,” Khloe says, passing her bag over to Tris.

“No problem. It was nice meeting you.”

“You too.”

Tris starts to walk away but hears Khloe calling her name and turns back towards her once more.

“Yeah?”

“Stop fidgeting. You look hot, okay? Own it.”

Tris moves to pull at her shirt but catches herself and puts her hand down.

“I don’t know why I’m letting it get to me. I don’t usually care this much what people think,” she admits.

Khloe smiles and take a step towards Tris.

“You like him?”

Tris nods. “Yeah.”

“It’s normal. You want to impress him, and that’s okay. But also, from what I understand, you met during your initiation? When he was supervising?”

Is this a trap? Tris wonders. What is Khloe getting at?

Tris nods in response.

“Okay, well think about initiation. Did you always look your best then? No, you were probably sweaty and exhausted and even covered in blood from time to time. He’s saw you through all of that and still ended up crushing on you. So, I don’t think you have to worry too much about how you look. He likes you. Your outfit isn’t going to make him change his mind.”

An image of her beaten and bloody face after her fight with Peter comes to mind and she knows Khloe is right.

Tris lets out a deep breath.

“Thank you,” she says sincerely. “That honestly helps a lot.”

Khloe smiles.

“Anytime. Now get going and thanks again for the food.”

Tris give Khloe a small wave before walking away.

“I can’t believe she met you for the first time and thought it was okay to trick you into giving her your food,” Eric says, laughing as he sets a glass of water and some cutlery down in front of Tris before taking a seat.

“She didn’t trick me. I offered.”

“No, she definitely knew what she was doing.  Trust me, the girl is sneaky.  I couldn’t even count how many times she’s managed to convince me to swap with her.”

“Oh,” Tris says looking down at her food a little bit embarrassed.

“Happens to the best of us,” Eric replies, nudging her. “I don’t mind having the spaghetti if you’d rather the burger.”

Tris shakes her head.

“Honestly, I’m happy with the pasta. I just kind of said the first thing that popped into my head earlier. I wasn’t craving a burger or anything. And this garlic toast looks delicious.”

The pair fall into a comfortable silence as they dig into their dinners.

“Did you and Khloe talk about…anything else?”

Tris looks over at him. She had expected to meet his gaze, but instead, be is looking down at his plate somewhat sheepishly.

“You mean, did she say anything embarrassing about you?”

Eric chuckles.

“You caught me, I guess there’s no subtle way to ask that. I love the girl, but she doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut.”

Tris laughs.

“So, did she?”

“No, nothing she said about you was embarrassing.”

“So, she did say something about me then.”

Tris smiles as she considers how to word her answer without throwing Khloe under the bus.

“She was just excited that we were going on a date.”

Eric narrows his eyes at her.

“That’s it?”

“Yup.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Tris shrugs.

“Fine, keep your secrets. Lord help me, we’re only a day in and you’re already in cahoots with my best friend.”

Tris snorts.

“One day into what exactly, Eric?” She asks, smirking, one eyebrow raised.

Eric shakes his head.

“Just eat your damn pasta,” he tries to say nonchalantly but the blush creeping up his neck betrays him.

Tris smiles to herself before taking a bite of her dinner.

“Do you like being a leader?” she asks between bites.

“I love it. Do you really think I would be encouraging you to join if I didn’t?”

“I guess not. But you just seem so grumpy all the time. Well, I guess not all the time. Obviously, you haven’t been grumpy with me this weekend.”

Eric swallows a bite of his burger and looks at her intently.

“It’s kind of long to explain.”

“I’ve got all night,” she says with an encouraging smile.

Eric takes a deep breath.

“Okay, so it’s not just that it’s long…I’m also kind of worried that you might see me differently if I tell you.”

“I mean, you were a pretty big asshole during initiation, and I still agreed to have a drink with you,” she starts, smiling. “But in all seriousness, I think you’ve been pretty honest with me so far, the good and the bad, and I’m still here so maybe have a little faith that I’ll understand?”

“Okay. Here goes. When I joined leadership, I could tell that no one thought I deserved to be there. Not only was I barely seventeen at the time but I also started immediately as a leader. No years of being an assistant, no extended training, not even any useful experience to speak of.  On top of that, I wasn’t even the first choice from my class.”

Tris nods knowingly.

“Anyways, I was convinced that if I acted confident and worked hard, they would forget that I was an inexperienced seventeen-year-old and would eventually treat me like everyone else. Well, faking confidence ended up coming off a lot more arrogant than I intended, but it worked, and I was able to win over leadership.  The faction was a bit tougher; they didn’t see how hard I was working behind the scenes, they only saw a cocky kid…a transfer no less.  Befriending people didn’t work in my favour, so instead I just leaned into the arrogance and added some intimidation to the mix. I can’t say it made me any friends, but it did somehow earn me the respect I craved. So, while ‘grumpy’ isn’t exactly what I was going for, I can see how you got there.”

“But you’ve been a leader for three years now, right? And the majority of the faction respects you?”

“I think so.”

“Then why are you still keeping up the act?”

Eric shrugs.

“It’s who they know me as. I know this will probably sound a bit ridiculous, but there’s a big part of me that worries if I let them see this other part of me, they will go back to not taking me seriously.”

Tris sits quietly, taking in everything that Eric has said.

“So basically, you’re lying to everyone you work with about who you really are?”

Eric sighs.

“I mean, Khloe knows me. Both sides of me. But yeah, when I first started, I guess I was kind of lying to everyone else in a way. Now though, my leader self is just a part of who I am. I’m not sure I even know myself without him.”

Tris blinks a few times.

“I hate that you felt like you had to change who you are in order to be accepted. When I defected from Abnegation it was so I could finally be myself. I think that’s true of all of us who defect, but you came here and still felt like you couldn’t be yourself. Hiding my Divergence is hard enough, but hiding yourself entirely? That must be exhausting.”

“I think growing up in Erudite makes it easier. I don’t think anyone there is ever truly transparent. We grow up learning that perfection is valued and letting your flaws, or your emotions show is unacceptable. We also grow up being taught that we are the superior faction, which as you can imagine makes for an exceptionally arrogant population.  I’ve worked with all the factions, and there are fake, manipulative people in all of them, but nothing like what you’ll find in Erudite. Don’t get me wrong, they are brilliant, and they aren’t innately bad people, but hiding who you are is a way of life there.”

“I guess there’s a certain amount of that in Abnegation as well. We’re taught to supress our own feelings and emotions because it’s selfish to think of ourselves first.”

Eric nods.

“From what I’ve seen, Erudite and Abnegation have the most in common when it comes to hiding who you truly are. Amity is well…Amity, they’re all love and peace and that shit they put in the bread makes it hard to lie about anything. Candor wants you to be yourselves because it’s the only truthful way to live. And most Dauntless don’t give a shit and accept you no matter what.”

Tris tilts her head.

“If you truly think that of the Dauntless, then why did you decide to change yourself?”

Eric sits in silent contemplation for a moment.

“You have to remember that I’ve been in Dauntless for years now, I understand the culture here much better that when I first arrived. In retrospect, I may have let my own insecurities cloud my perception. I didn’t think I was good enough so with every interaction I assumed the worst. Maybe showing everyone I’m a hard worker who really cares about Dauntless values would have been enough. But I jumped into Erudite ways of thinking and the changes I made seemed to work, so I didn’t really think anything of it afterwards.”

“Through all of that, how did you and Khloe get to be so close?”

Eric smiles and takes a few bites of his fries before responding.

“Khloe was different from the start. She’s the only one who never treated me like I didn’t belong. She had worked as Carter’s assistant for a year followed by four years in the Education department handling general enrollment and career advancement course scheduling, so she had a decent amount of experience even though she had only been a leader for four months when Max brought me on. Despite her workload, she took it upon herself to show me the ropes and help me settle in. I don’t even want to know how long it would have taken to figure things out without her.  It turned out that she has a younger brother who defected to Amity the year I chose Dauntless, so I guess in a way, I was a substitute little brother to her. At least when we were first getting to know each other. It’s a bit different now, but she is the closest thing to family I have here.”

“She sounds great,” Tris replies smiling.

“She is, most of the time,” he smiles back. “But she can also be an over-baring meddling nightmare.”

“Sounds like a sibling to me.”

Eric chuckles.

“You have a brother, right?” 

“How did you know?”

“He works for Jeanine at Erudite. Not directly, but he works in the development department and all new projects have to get Jeanine’s approval. He’s part of the proposal writing team and is also assigned to a number of developers to write up progress reports. It doesn’t sound glamourous, but he basically knows what’s going on with all of the current projects. Jeanine calls on him more often than the actual developers since it’s easier to talk to a few people to get all the information she needs rather than talking to the developers individually. Plus, she finds the developers can get emotionally attached to their work and Caleb and the other writers are able to give her a more objective view of how things are going.”

“I’m glad to hear that he’s settling in,” Tris responds simply.

“Do you miss him?” Eric asks as he brings the last bit of his burger to his mouth.

Tris takes one last forkful of her pasta before gently placing her cutlery across her plate.

“Sometimes,” she starts. “It’s hard being away from everyone you love, and I do love him, but Caleb and I are very different. I thought the reason we didn’t always get along was because he was Abnegation, through and through and I clearly wasn’t. But when he chose Erudite, I realized it must have all been a show. So, while I miss the person I grew up with, I’m not sure he even exists anymore…if he ever truly did.”

Tris leans back in her chair and wraps her arms around herself, surprised by the sadness that thinking about Caleb has stirred up in her.

“I didn’t mean…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Tris says, cutting Eric off. “Can we talk about something else?”

Eric stands up and collects their dishes.

“Absolutely,” he says, walking the dishes over to the kitchen island.

Tris has something she wants to ask him, but she knows it’s not a very date appropriate conversation to have.

“Just say it.”

“What?” Tris says a bit startled.

“I can tell by that look on your face that you want to ask me something.”

Tris scratches the back of her head and chews on her lip.

“Come on Tris, you haven’t held back up until now. I can take it. What do you want to know?”

Tris walks over to where he’s standing in the kitchen as he starts to wash their dishes.

“Why was Lauren training the transfers today?” she asks, grabbing a dish cloth and drying the fork Eric has just finished washing.

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t believe you,” she counters, picking up a wet knife. “You’re the leader in charge of initiation, isn’t it your job to know?”

“Fine, so maybe I know something. But I don’t know the whole story,” he says, handing the last glass over to Tris. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this. But all I know is that this morning I got a message from Max telling me that your ex has been accused of misconduct and therefore has been suspended from all initiate trainer duties pending an investigation. He also said he’d fill me in properly in person tomorrow.”

“Misconduct? What does he mean by that?”

Eric shrugs.

“Could be anything from something small like an initiate accusing him of scoring him unfairly to something bigger that goes against the terms of his position.”

Tris’ brows furrow.

“When you say the terms of his position what do you mean?”

“Again, there could be a number of things. Abusing his authority, taking a demonstration too far, hooking up with an initiate etc.”

“Taking a demonstration too far…like hanging someone over the Chasm?”

Eric cringes.

“Yes, that would be considered taking a demonstration too far.”

“But you were never suspended, right? You just said Max told you off.”

Eric nods, watching the soapy water disappear down the drain.

“So, it has to be worse than that if he’s suspended.”

“I really don’t know, Tris,” he says shortly. 

Tris shakes her head.

“Sorry, I…I probably shouldn’t even care. I just…after how drunk he was and the way he acted last night I guess with this suspension on top of it I’m just a bit worried by how much he’s not acting like himself.”

Eric sighs.

“You aren’t together anymore, he’s not your problem.”

“Obviously we aren’t together, and I know he’s not my problem but if he’s having this hard of a time, he needs to talk to someone. He’s not exactly a social guy. He pretty much only has one friend. I’m lucky, when we broke up, I had my friends who supported me but he…I doubt he would be comfortable talking to Zeke about this. I wonder if the suspension was part of why he was dr…”

“Can we not talk about your ex anymore?” Eric cuts in, a little too loudly. “I get that you guys were pretty serious, and I know you only broke up a month ago, so I don’t expect all of your feelings for him to just magically disappear. But selfishly, I really don’t want to listen to you going on about him.”

Tris stays quiet for a moment.

“I’m sorry,” she says finally.

Eric lets out a long breath.

“Don’t apologize. I know I’m being an asshole, but I just…can’t. Okay?”

“No, you’re right. I should have let it go. Let’s just move on.”

Eric nods in agreement.

The pair stand awkwardly behind the island, not knowing where they go from here.

“Have you ever heard of television?” Eric asks suddenly.

“Tele-what?”

“Oh! This is going to be fun. Follow me!” he says excitedly, leading her to the living room.

Chapter Text

“So, you’re telling me that on that device,” Tris starts, pointing to the shiny round disk in Eric’s hand, “there is a recording of people acting out a book like the one I was reading in the library earlier?”

“Well not exactly. The book thing was more just to give you an example of what kind of stories they tell through the tv shows.  They actually write scripts specifically for the shows.”

“Okay. So, someone writes a script, which is a story, and then someone else is recorded while they read it.”

Eric laughs.

“No. Everyone in the story is acted out by a different person and they treat it like its actually happening. They aren’t just reading out the script. They have it memorized, and they pretend they are the people doing the things in the story. When you watch it, it feels like it’s real.”

“But doesn’t that look silly?” Tris asks genuinely. “I mean, the book I was reading took place in a town with lots of difference locations. I mean its not like they could go around filming all over the place so how are you supposed to make that feel real?”

“But they do move around and film all over,” Eric says sighing and rubbing his forehead.

Tris stares at him incredulously.

“Okay, fine. Let’s say I believe you. What do we do with that –”

“DVD,” Eric interjects.

“Right, what do we do with that DVD in order to watch the tv script thing?”

“So that took me a while to figure out,” he starts, eagerly. “I found the DVDs in the media center at the library and assumed they had to be paired with some old equipment to work.  I was able to figure out what they went with pretty easily because the player had the same DVD symbol on it as the DVD cases do. But the library doesn’t have any power, so I snuck the player back here and when I did that, I realized that while it fit and seemed to work, the player doesn’t have a screen. Which meant I obviously needed another piece of equipment to make it all work. Well, I found what looked like a large screen in the media center and it did fit to the player but there was no way to test it there and I couldn’t sneak the screen back here, so I was back to square one.”

He pauses briefly, making sure he isn’t boring Tris before continuing.

“After some more digging, I found what turned out to be a really old version of a laptop computer and it had what looked like a DVD slot in the side of it, so I brought that back here.  That’s how I was finally able to see what was on the disks. Its kind of a pain in the ass though and the screen is small and shitty so I started working on trying to convert the DVDs to files that I could transfer to my datapad and then cast on my broadcast screen. I thought it would be easy enough but every single one of the DVDs turned out to be encrypted. At first, I was decrypting them one by one myself, but it was taking me forever, so I ended up writing a program that allowed me to bypass the encryption and rip the data. From there I transferred the files to my datapad and streamed the shows on my broadcast screen,” he says proudly. “But it’s a pretty slow process even with the program and with very little spare time, I don’t have too many options for broadcasting yet.”

Tris stares at him silently, stunned by what she’s just heard.

“You wrote a program that bypasses an encryption?”

Eric nods in response.

“You are full of surprises,” she says in awe.

“What can I say, I’m a man of many talents,” he says with a wink.

“Apparently,” she replies. “So, what are the shows about?”

“They’re all different in some way,” he says shrugging. “I’ll grab my datapad and you can look at what I have. I’ll give you a bit of a description and you can pick something from there.”

Eric walks over to the kitchen and grabs his device off the counter, tapping it a few times before returning to the living room and passing it over to Tris.

“Here.”

Tris scrolls through the list.  There are about ten different titles, none of which mean much to her.

“What’s the first thing you ever watched?” she asks.

“Why?”

“I think I would like to experience it the way you did. Starting from the first one you saw.”

Eric scratches the back of his head.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“I don’t know. It’s a bit of an odd one to start with. Don’t get me wrong, it’s actually one of my favourites, but if I could have picked, I don’t think it’s the one I would have gone for first.”

Tris raises an eyebrow.

“Right, well now I definitely want to start with it. If you like it, I’m sure I will too.”

Eric breathes in deeply before taking the datapad from Tris and leaning back into the couch.

“Alright. Here goes.”

Tris settles in a little closer to Eric as the show begins and music starts playing.

“What’s that?” she asks, pointing at the screen.

“An airplane. You used to be able to fly around the world in them.”

Tris turns to him with wide eyes.

“People could fly?”

He chuckles. “Yes, years ago.”

She turns her attention back to the screen and watches with fascination as an older lady starts talking to a man in a multicoloured shirt. She’d never even thought about how before the factions were created people wouldn’t have been restricted to specific colours.

Tris continues to listen and realizes that the woman is a teacher.

“A father came in in a three-piece suit and defended Tiffany, a bald girl with a nose ring,” the lady complains.

“I’m pretty sure I saw two bald girls with piercings just walking down the hall yesterday. I think she’d have a hard time at Dauntless.”

Eric smiles to himself.

Another older lady, this time with blonde hair, walks through the door and joins the conversation.

“One sad person after another,” the blonde lady says.

“Rose, you work at grief counseling. What do you expect, comedians?” the first lady replies.

“What’s grief counseling?” Tris asks.

“A grief counsellor helps you work through your feelings and emotions after going through a traumatic experience or experiencing the loss of a loved one. We have them in our society too.”

“We do?”

“Yeah, it’s a career option in Amity. But they go around to other factions or meet with you there if you want/need them to. I’m not surprised you didn’t know that though considering Abnegation teaches you that talking about your feelings is selfish. I doubt many Abnegation have utilized their services.”

Tris nods and turns back to the screen, not wanting to miss anything as a third lady enters and starts talking about dating.

Tris finds it odd listening to three women who appear to be in their 50s discussing dating, but so far, she is impressed by how realistic the whole thing seems to be.  If she didn’t know any better, she would think she was actually watching someone’s life.

“What’s cocaine?”

“It was an illegal substance that apparently was supposed to make you feel euphoric, energetic, and hypersensitive,” he explains simply.

“So, kind of like the peace serum?”

“In a way, yes, its affects would be similar to an extremely large dose of peace serum. But the peace serum is highly tested and regulated and doesn’t have any of the negative side affects. Cocaine on the other hand caused a lot of health issues and deaths.”

The two continue to watch in silence. Tris has more questions, but she’s worried Eric will get annoyed with her if she continues asking them at this rate and she also doesn’t want to miss anything.

“Sophia’s home burnt down.”

“Oh, that’s terrible!”

“Not to me. It was a retirement home, and you know what they did?”

“What’s a retirement home?” Tris blurts out before she can stop herself.

Eric laughs and, this time, pauses the show.

“It’s a building with apartments like ours, but it’s meant for the elderly who are no longer able to work.”

Tris scrunches up her face.

“Wait, so in their society when you’re too old to work you get to move into a specific apartment building just for seniors?”

“Yeah. They have a cafeteria like ours and spaces they can get together and hang out.”

Tris blinks.

“What if you’re sick? Or too old to really care for yourself?”

“Some of the residences have medical staff and assistants who take care of the people who need it.”

“Wow. That…I mean. When we get old, we just get kicked out and have to live factionless until we die. We work our asses off for our faction and, in the end, it means nothing. But they really get to just move and continue their lives in nice apartments with all their friends around?”

“I don’t think all of the places are as nice as you’re imagining. But yes, it does seem like a much more humane way of living out your years.”

Tris shakes her head in disgust and disbelief of her society.

“Okay, you can turn it back on.”

Eric does as requested and the two continue to watch, but Tris is too distracted to pay attention.

Why couldn’t they have retirement homes now? She wonders.

There are so many complaints about the factionless, but at the end of the day a great number of the factionless are simply people who used to be part of factions until they were deemed unable to contribute to society. Of course, Abnegation and Amity have their own way of dealing with the elderly, but between Dauntless, Candor and Erudite the number of people who are kicked out simply for growing old is alarming.

“Can you pause it,” she says to Eric suddenly.

“It’s a type of religion,” he says after pausing the show.

“What?” she asks, confused.

“Oh sorry, I thought you were going to ask what a Southern Protestant was. What’s up?”

“Why don’t we have retirement homes?”

Eric turns to face her.

“What?”

“We just get kicked out. Like we’re no one. We spend our entire lives living and working for the benefit of our faction and then one day they just kick us out. It’s heartless. I don’t understand why we don’t have retirement homes.”

Eric shrugs.

“I really don’t know, Tris. That’s just the way it is. I’m not saying its right, but as far as I know, it’s how it’s always been.”

“But why has no one tried to change it?”

Eric straightens up in his seat.

“I’ve actually given this a lot of thought, and I think it probably comes down to logistics and faction cooperation. In order to set something like that up we would need multiple buildings that could house a large number of people, are equipped with kitchens and recreational space and have space that could act as an infirmary. And that’s just the bare minimum. Once we have the space, we would have to figure out how to run electricity and plumbing to it. We would have to furnish it, stock it with food, hire management staff and medical staff. We would need medical supplies and cleaning supplies. We would need janitorial staff and admitting staff. We would have to determine criteria for when people will be admitted and so on. All of that requires cooperation from all five of the factions. Especially Amity and Erudite. Amity might be on board with the concept, but they already have their own senior housing within their faction so I don’t see why they would agree to this and Erudite are unlikely to see the benefit of setting something like this up. It would take a lot of persuading.”

“You really have given this a lot of thought.”

“I had the same revelation as you when I first watched this, and I think about it all the time, but it would be a massive undertaking and even with my experience in housing and my position as a leader it’s just not something I’ve ever felt I could handle starting on my own. And with leadership not at full capacity it’s not like I could recruit anyone else to help. Plus, without an assistant I barely get a break. Especially with overseeing initiate training. How could I ask someone to spare up some time for me when I can’t even spare any of my own time?”

“What if you did have an assistant? Do you think it would be possible then?” she asks eagerly.

Eric smiles.

“Maybe. I mean I’m pretty used to doing my job alone so having a second person to take on some of what I already do and to work with on this would be a start. But Max would have to approve it before anything real could happen. And if I did get an assistant, they would have training to go through before this could even be a thought,” he says looking at her pointedly. “And even if, and that’s a big if, Max were to approve of it, it would likely be an uphill battle the entire project and could take years to complete. That’s if it ever even gets off the ground to begin with.”

“That’s a lot of ifs,” she says a bit deflated. “But don’t you think it’s important to at least try? Don’t you think we all deserve better than to be thrown out like yesterday’s trash? Don’t you think…”

Noticing Eric grinning, Tris stops.

“What?” she asks. “I’m serious.”

“Oh, trust me, I can tell,” he says, his grin widening. “It’s pretty hot seeing you be this passionate.”

Tris blushes but narrows her eyes at him.

“I’m trying to talk to you about something that is important to me and you’re sitting there thinking about how hot you think I am?”

Eric chuckles.

“First of all, I’m pretty much always thinking about how hot you are. Secondly, I’m perfectly capable of multitasking. I can listen to what you are saying and think you’re hot all at the same time.”

“You’re ridiculous,” she says, failing to hold back a smile.

“I know,” he responds, leaning in close to her. “But it’s not my fault you’re hot. And it’s not my fault you look insanely good in that outfit.”

Tris’ face to heats up at his newfound closeness and she swallows hard.  Her eyes flit down to Eric’s mouth, and she subconsciously pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth.

“You need to stop doing that?” he whispers looking her in the eye.

“Doing what?” she whispers back, her heart beating faster and faster as she feels his hot breath against her skin.

“Biting you’re lip like that.”

Tris blinks and releases her lip.

“I…” she starts, but her mind goes blank and her mouth shuts as Eric rests his hand gently at the base of her neck, his eyes never leaving hers. They continue looking at each other as he runs his thumb gingerly across her slightly swollen lip causing her mouth to open slightly.

Eric raises an eyebrow and Tris can tell he’s requesting permission. The nod she makes it nearly imperceivable but it’s all he needs to proceed.

He closes the gap between them, pressing his lips firmly to hers as she reaches her arms up and wraps them around his neck pulling him as closely into her as she can.

This isn’t the first time they’ve kissed today, but there’s something different about this kiss. It’s passionate and needy and their position on the couch makes it feel much more intimate. Their tongues begin to battle, and Eric’s free hand makes its way to her lower back as he leans forward slowly lowering them both until Tris’ back is flat against the sofa and he is hovering over her.

Tris repositions herself slightly, creating a gap between her legs to accommodate Eric’s thigh as the pair settle into a more comfortable position. They continue kissing frantically as Tris’ fingers make their way into Eric’s hair gripping him tightly.

They break apart momentarily to catch their breaths and when Eric leans back in his lips find a new home against her throat.

Tris let’s out a moan and her eyes roll back behind her lids as Eric locates her pulse point and begins gently sucking on it. Instinctively, she hooks her thumbs in the waistband of his pants and pulls him into her, desperate for friction.

His hand moves from her lower back to her side and begins to slowly slide up under her shirt until she feels the tips of his fingers running along the edge of her bra.

Suddenly, Tris’ eyes shoot open.

What am I doing? She thinks to herself. This is too fast. You have to stop this.

Her thoughts are forgotten as Eric starts trailing kisses from her neck down to her collarbone, but when his fingers reach for the clasp of her bra she starts to panic.

“Eric, stop,” she says urgently, pushing on his chest.

He stops abruptly and looks at her.

“I can’t do this,” she says desperately, propping herself up on her elbows beneath him.

“I’m sorry,” he says, sitting up and shifting to make room for her to do the same. “I didn’t mean…” he starts, running his hand through his hair. “I thought…”

“Don’t apologize,” she says, adjusting her shirt. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I should have asked – “

“No,” she practically shouts. “You did everything right and I was into it, but it’s just too fast. We barely knew each other until yesterday and now we’re…I mean, it took months to get to this point with…not that this is…but it’s just…I’m not ready. I didn’t mean to make you think we were going to…you know…tonight. I – “

“Tris, stop,” Eric says, cutting her off. “You didn’t make me think anything. You’re right, it is fast. I just got caught up in the moment. I wasn’t expecting anything from you, okay?”

“Should I just…should I just go?” she asks nervously, standing up.

“What?”

“I mean, I can leave. It’s kind of late and you’re not getting…any…so…”

Eric reaches up from his spot on the couch and grabs her hand.

“I don’t care that we aren’t going to have sex. This was never about that. I just want to spend time with you. So please, sit your ass down and finish this show with me,” he tries to finish playfully.

Tris takes a deep breath and sits down on the edge of the couch as Eric reaches for his datapad to restart the show. It takes a few minutes, but as they resume their viewing Tris slowly relaxes back into the couch.

“What’s a dog track?” she asks.

Eric smiles and breathes a sigh of relief as he starts to explain.

Chapter Text

They continue watching Golden Girls until Tris falls asleep with her head resting on Eric’s shoulder and her legs curled up on the couch.  He tries briefly to wake her, but she is particularly disagreeable in her unconscious state and in the end, he makes the executive decision to carry her to his bed and tuck her in.

They both have work in the morning, so he sets an alarm on his datapad before settling in for the night on the couch.

Eric wakes up to the sounds of his coffee maker brewing and is momentarily confused by his position on the couch. Before long, the events of the previous evening start coming back to him, and he can’t help but smile at the memory. They had kept the rest of the night PG and Eric was just grateful that he hadn’t ruined the evening by unintentionally taking things too far with her.

Standing up, he makes his way over to his bedroom door to check on Tris who is sleeping soundly, snuggled up in his comforter. He should probably wake her, but she looks so cozy, and he can’t bring himself to do it just yet.  Instead, he walks over to the kitchen and starts making them breakfast.  Nothing fancy on a Monday morning, just a couple of bowls of yogurt topped with berries and granola.  When the coffee is ready, he pours them both a cup and walks back over to his room.

He finds Tris in the same position she was in the last time he checked on her and takes a moment to watch her sleep.

“You know, you’re being kind of creepy,” she says suddenly, opening her eyes and looking at him.

He jumps slightly, nearly spilling their coffees.

“Sorry,” he mumbles as he watches her scoot herself towards the headboard and sit up.

She smiles and rubs her eyes.

“Is one of those for me?” she asks.

He nods and hands her a mug. Her eyes flutter shut as she inhales the intoxicating scent.

“You could have woken me up and kicked me out you know,” she says before taking a sip.

He scoffs.

“And risk getting bitten a second time? I don’t think so.”

“I did not bite you,” she argues.

“Tell that to the mark on my forearm,” he counters, earning him an eyeroll.

“What time is it?”

“Just after seven.”

“Shit, I have work in an hour,” Tris says, throwing the blanket off and standing up. “I need to get going if I’m going to be ready in time.”

“I made us some bowls of yogurt…if you want. Before you head out?” he offers optimistically.

“Yogurt sounds great,” she replies with a grin.

Maybe I should have just slept with him, Tris thinks to herself replaying the memory of their make out session in her mind as she rearranges the sale items. Sure, it would have been fast, but based on how good making out with him was, I bet it would have been amazing. Besides, everything with Four was painfully slow and look how that turned out.  Maybe a change of pace is what I need.

The overhead bell rings out as the door opens, breaking her from her thoughts and alerting her to the arrival of a customer.

Tris steps out from behind the rack she’s working on and looks up to see who’s there.

“Oh hi!” she greets upon seeing Christina.

“Hey,” Christina says quietly.

“How’s it go–”

“Are you avoiding me?” Christina blurts out, cutting her off.

“What?” Tris asks confused.

“You were annoyed with me on Saturday and then you blew me off for breakfast Sunday even though you said you would meet me there. Then you don’t show up for lunch or dinner and then again you are nowhere to be found at breakfast this morning. So, are you avoiding me?”

Tris had been so busy with Eric that she had completely forgotten about her argument with Christina and now she feels terrible that her friend has assumed the worst.

“No, not at all. I’ve just been busy. I swear. I haven’t been avoiding you.”

“Busy.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you thought I was still upset.”

“Busy doing what?” Christina asks incredulously.

Tris shrugs.

“Stuff,” she says lamely, not yet ready to share with Christina.

“Stuff,” Christina parrots back. “What kind of stuff?”

“I –” Tris starts, not really knowing what she’s going to say.

“Tris,” she hears her coworker, Kenzie, yell from behind the counter. “The leadership office called. Max wants to see you. I told them you would go on your break but that’s in like five minutes, why don’t you just go now? It’s dead anyways.”

This is it Tris thinks before nodding at Kenzie and turning back to Christina.

“I guess I need to go, but I promise I will be at dinner tonight. Okay?”

Christina crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m working the evening shift.”

“Breakfast tomorrow?”

“Promise?” Christina asks.

“Promise,” Tris replies with a smile.

“Okay,” Christina says, letting her arms fall to her sides. “But I expect you to fill me in on what ‘stuff’ means and on what in the hell Max wants with you.” 

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Tris confirms before walking towards the door.

Tris sits outside of Max’s office, her knee bouncing up and down from nerves.

“Miss Prior?” She hears from inside. “You can come in now.”

Taking a deep breath, she stands up from her chair and makes her way in.

“Sorry to take you away from your work,” he says, motioning for her to have a seat as he closes the door behind him.

“That’s okay,” she says giving him a small smile as she watches him make his way back behind his desk.

“There’s something I need to speak to you about but it’s a bit of a delicate situation.”

Tris scrunches up her face in confusion. She had assumed this conversation was going to be about her joining leadership, but maybe she was mistaken.

“Okay,” she says tentatively.

“There isn’t really any way to ease our way into this conversation so I’m just going to get right to it. I apologize in advance for the personal nature of what I am about to ask you.”

Tris blinks, waiting for him to continue.

“Are you or have you ever been in a relationship with Four.”

“I…uhhh…” she stumbles, the question catching her off guard. “Why do you want to know?”

“Please Miss Prior, if you could just answer the question.”

“We were in a relationship. We aren’t anymore.”

Max sighs, clearly that wasn’t the answer he was hoping for.

“At what point were you and Four involved.”

“What do you mean?” she asks, stalling.

“I need a ballpark timeline. When did you get together, when did you break up. Something along those lines.”

Tris picks at her fingernails nervously. Eric had made it clear that Four would be in a lot of trouble if Max ever found out about them and they may not be together anymore but she doesn’t wish any ill will on him.

“Miss Prior?”

“We broke up a little over a month ago,” she admits.

“And how long had you been together prior to that?”

Her first instinct is to lie, but lying would put her in a difficult position if she ever expects to join leadership.  But if she tells the truth then Max will know that her and Four were together when she was an initiate. He’ll know that they were a couple when she came first in her class. What will he think of her then?

“We were together for ten months,” she finally answers honestly.

She watches quietly as Max does the math.

“Your relationship started approximately halfway through your initiation?”

“Yes,” she says, nodding affirmatively.

 Max looks up at the ceiling briefly and then back at Tris.

“Did he pressure you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Did he pressure you into being with him? He was your trainer, your teacher. He’s older and he was in a place of authority over you. Did he use that position to pressure you into being with him.”

“No, not at all. Not ever,” she replies, shaking her head vigorously.

“Did he offer you any incentives? Do you any…favours…in return for being with him?”

She continues to shake her head. “Absolutely not.”

“At no point did he help you come first? No favouritism? No one on one coaching?”

Oh God. She thinks. The fear sims. Four took her into his and helped her learn how to hide her Divergence. But Max couldn’t possibly know that, could he?

“Miss Prior?”

“Our relationship wasn’t like that. It had nothing to do with initiation or him being my trainer. We just fell in love. It wasn’t on purpose. It wasn’t transactional. It was just two people falling for each other. Why are you asking me all of this?”

Max sighs loudly.

“Unfortunately, legitimate or not, your relationship goes against faction regulations as well as the rules of Four’s position as a trainer. From my understanding, your relationship was kept secret throughout its entirety. Were you aware that you were breaking the rules when the two of you got together?”

Tris shakes her head once more.

“I didn’t find out that it was against the rules until we had already broken up. I thought we were just keeping it quiet because it might give the wrong impression to the other initiates.”

This time, it’s Max’s turn to nod.

“Okay, one last question,” he says. “Was he ever…what I mean to say is, did he ever lay his hands on you? Did he ever abuse you?”

Tris’ eyes grow wide.

“No,” she practically shouts defensively. “He’s not like that.”

“Okay. That will be all. You can go now.”    

Tris does as she’s told, too stunned by the conversation to think.

“Is he…is he in trouble?” she asks as she reaches the door.

“If what you have told me is true –”

“It is.”

“– then there will be some repercussions, but he will be able to keep his job with added supervision. Barring any additional information coming to light.”

“Okay.”

“And Tris?”

“Yes.”

“Please keep this conversation to yourself.”

“I will,” Tris replies before making her way out of Max’s office and into the hall.

Her head is spinning. This must be why he’s suspended. But how did Max find out?

“Tris?” She hears from behind her.

“Tris, is that you?”

She turns towards the voice and sees Eric walking towards her.

She smiles, momentarily forgetting her meeting with Max.

“What are you doing here?” he asks quietly, looking around.

“Max wanted to see me,” she replies simply.

Eric nods his head knowingly and does a quick sweep of the hallway.

“Follow me,” he says before leading her to a door on the far left of the hallway.

She follows him silently only realizing that he’s led her to his office once they are inside.

He closes the door behind them and turns to face her.

“Did you tell him?” she blurts out crossing her arms over her chest.

“What?”

“Did you tell Max about me and Four? Are you trying to get him in trouble?”

Eric looks at her somberly.

“Do you really think I would do that?” he responds, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Tris shakes her head and plops herself down in a nearby chair.

“I’m sorry,” she says, her head in her hands. “No, I don’t think you would do that. I just…I don’t know what to think. How did he find out?”

Eric lets out a deep breath and sits down next to her.

“Someone overheard Four on Saturday and went to Max. Actually, two different people went to him on Sunday with two different but overlapping stories.”

“What do you mean? What did they say?”

“The first person claimed Four helped you finish first because you were sleeping with him. Max said he just dismissed him because he didn’t believe it, but then someone else went to him and said they found out about your relationship and that they were worried he would try something with another initiate. She also saw him being aggressive with you and was worried for your safety.”

“You know who told, don’t you.”

Eric nods.

“I can’t tell you who, but I will say that I genuinely believe the second person thought she was doing what was best. The first one on the other hand had his own agenda.”

“I lied to Max.”

“What do you mean?” Eric asks with furrowed brows.

“He asked me if Four ever gave me one on one training to help me come first during out relationship.”

“Did he?”

Tris closes her eyes and takes a few breaths.

“He realized I was divergent when we first started doing the fear sims and was worried that if I continued the way I was going that someone would find out about me, and that I could be in danger. So, he brought me through his landscape and taught me how to complete it using Dauntless logic rather than Divergent methods.”

“You’ve seen his fears? You went into them together?” he says, taken aback by the information.

She nods her head affirmatively.

“Oh,” he says, his face falling.

“What?”

“It’s just, that’s really…intimate,” he admits, uncomfortably. “Afterwards, what happened to your times?”

“They slowed down.”

“So basically, he helped you get worse?”

“I guess.”

Eric shrugs.

“Then you didn’t lie. He didn’t help you come first. You did that all on your own.”

“But…”

“No buts. If he hadn’t helped you, you still would have come first. So, what he did didn’t affect your position. Therefore, you didn’t lie to Max.”

“Okay.”

They sit quietly for a moment.

“Did Max ask you about everything?”

“He did.”

“Did you tell him anything?”

Eric sighs.

“He asked me if I had seen anything inappropriate during initiation. I told him that I could tell you guys were into each other, that Four was into you especially, but that it never seemed like more than stolen glances and mild flirting so I didn’t think much of it.  He also asked me how long I had known after the fact, and I told him I only found out about it on Saturday.”

“Was he mad that you weren’t the one that went to him?”

Eric shakes his head.

“He said he would have appreciated the heads up before he was bombarded but when I explained that you told me in confidence and that I had assessed everything you said and didn’t see the point in drudging something up that was clearly over he understood.  He did ask me about the abuse accusation though…”

Tris’ eyes grow wide in mild panic.

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him that I didn’t witness any abuse personally and that you were adamant that he had never hurt you, but I did say he was harassing you and it was pretty intense.”

Tris rubs her temples as she feels her eyes begin to water.

“I’m sorry that you got pulled into this,” she says, looking at the floor. “God, when I found out Max wanted to see me, I was nervous but excited. I thought he wanted to talk to me about leadership, not this crap. I’m such an idiot.”

Eric reaches forward and rests his hand on her thigh.

“Look at me. You aren’t an idiot. Four’s the idiot. If he had just left you alone and kept his mouth shut Max never would have found out.”

Tris leans back and looks up at the ceiling as a tear falls from the corner of her eye.

“I guess I’m stuck working at the shop now.”

“Absolutely not,” Eric says firmly. “I’m not giving up on you joining leadership just because your ex has a big mouth. I already told Max I wanted to talk to him when he has time.”

Tris stares at him.

“You can’t be serious? He’s never going to want me to join now. Not knowing what he knows. Plus, he obviously knows that you and I were together on Saturday which just makes it even worse. If you ask him now, he’s just going to think I’m using you to get into leadership and then he’ll for sure think I did the same with Four in order to finish first in initiation. Nuh-uh, no, you are not asking him. Just give it up Eric.”

“Fuck that.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Fuck that and fuck your ex-boyfriend. He stopped you from joining the first time around, I refuse to let him win this time too. You deserve this. Your skills are wasted working at that place, you are meant for so much more.”

Tris looks at him with a sad smile.

“Thank you for believing in me,” she starts. “But even if you did talk to him and he did magically agree to let me join, you know there’s no way he’ll let me work for you, right? Not now that he knows…well actually what does he know? What did you tell him about us?”

Eric scratches the back of his head and scrunches up his nose.

“I may have misled him a little,” he replies cautiously. “I told him we’ve been on a few dates and he kind of took that as a much longer period of time than it’s actually been.”

Tris lets a small laugh.

“A few dates? Anyone would have assumed the same.”

“I know, but it was easier to say that then to explain our day of dates to him.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

“I think it made him trust my answers even more though, to be honest. I’ve been so busy since joining leadership that I’ve never prioritized dating, so for him finding out that I’ve been spending what little free time I have with you said something to him about your character. He really doesn’t believe there was ever any ill intentions when it came to you and Four’s relationship. At least from your end.”

Tris looks at him skeptically.

“I feel like I should be offended that he probably only believes me because we’re dating.”

“I’m going to circle back to the ‘we’re dating’ comment in a second,” he starts, grinning. “But for now, it’s not like that, he just trusts my judgement. He doesn’t know you at all and he doesn’t have a lot to go off. I’m sure he would have given you the benefit of the doubt even without my approval or whatever you want to call it.”

“Okay fine,” Tris concedes. “I should get going though. I’m due back at work in ten minutes and I still need to eat.”

“No way. You’re not getting out of here that easily,” he says teasingly. “So, we’re dating then? No more of this we can’t date because I might end up being your boss nonsense?”

Tris smiles and rolls her eyes.

“I didn’t say that. But I don’t see why we can’t date now that working for you is obviously off the table.”

“Come on Tris,” he starts.

“We’re free to date now. Let’s just be happy about that.”

Eric sighs.

“I have to go get food, but we’ll talk later?”

“Stay for a few more minutes?” he asks hopefully. “I have some food you can have if you’re okay with mac & cheese and a chocolate muffin? I know it’s not exactly a balanced meal but…”

Tris leans forward and cuts him off with a kiss.

“Thank you,” she says, pulling away.

“Man am I glad the way to your heart is through food,” he says smirking.

Tris laughs.

“I meant thank you for having faith in me and for having my back. But yeah, keep feeding me and you’ll never get rid of me.”

Eric stands up and makes his way over to his desk where he picks up a small container and a baggy with a muffin in it.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to talk to Max?” he asks, handing her the food. “I really think he’d be much more open to it than you’re giving him credit for.”

Before she has a chance to answer, the door opens, and Max’s voice rings out.

“I have a few minutes if you still want to talk to me, Eric,” he says before noticing Tris’ presence. “Oh, I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.”

“I was about to leave,” Tris says uncomfortably, standing up with the food in hand. “Eric was just feeding me before I go back to work since I’m low on time.”

She gives both men a small smile before walking towards the door.

“Tris,” Eric calls out to her as she opens the door.

“Yes?”

“Um…” he starts, looking for the right words. “Do you have an answer for me? For what we were talking about before?”

Tris takes a deep breath and looks between Max and Eric.

“Do whatever you think is best,” she says tentatively. “I trust you,” she adds before walking out the

Chapter Text

The afternoon is uncharacteristically busy which means Tris doesn’t have time to stress over everything going on with Four or obsess over the outcome of Eric’s conversation with Max.

Her shift is finally coming to an end, and she’s eager to leave. Unfortunately, she has to wait for Kenzie to come back from the washroom before she can head out to dinner.

Tris is fiddling around with the sunglasses at the cash register when the door opens. Assuming it’s Kenzie, she grabs her bag and walks around the counter ready to depart. But when she finally looks up, she realizes it isn’t Kenzie at all.

“Four,” she greats calmly. “How are you doing?”

“Do you know what’s going on?” he asks abruptly with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes,” she responds sympathetically. “Are you okay?”

“Do you believe me now?”

“Believe you?” she asks, confused. “Believe you about what?”

“About Eric being a shitty human being.”

Tris shakes her head in disbelief.

“What does any of this have to do with Eric?”

“You can’t be that naïve,” he says skeptically. “Your boyfriend finds out I’m your ex and the next day I get suspended from my trainer duties.”

Despite feeling bad about his suspension, Tris’ patience for her ex is waning and she can’t stop the eye roll or the sigh that slips from her mouth.

“It wasn’t him.”

“Is that what he told you? Open your eyes Tris, of course it was him. He’s obviously jealous of us and this was his way of getting back at me.”

They both go silent as the shop door opens and Lauren walks in.

“Hey,” Lauren says, giving them a quick glance before moving to browse the sale section Tris had reorganized earlier in the day.

“I think you should leave,” Tris hisses under her breath.

“He’s really got you fooled, doesn’t he,” Four says making no attempt to be quiet.

Tris looks quickly over at Lauren who, thankfully, seems to be minding her own business before addressing Four.

“This isn’t about him,” she whispers. “You messed up by talking about us in public. You messed up by hounding me in the middle of the Pit. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this, but Eric told me he isn’t the one who went to Max, and I believe him.”

“Does he have something on you?” Four asks incredulously. “Or have you always been this foolish and I just never noticed? He’s lying to you Tris.”

“Did you just come here to fight with me?” she asks tired of having this argument.

Four shakes his head.

“No. That’s not why I came here. I guess I figured with everything going on you might care about how I’m feeling.”

Tris takes a step towards him.

“Of course I care.”

“No, you don’t. All you care about is defending that jackass.”

“Give it a rest,” Lauren interjects as she makes her way over to them.

“This doesn’t concern you Lauren, just leave us alone,” Four spits.

“It does concern me. It concerns me because you’re being an ass and you have been for weeks now. To me and to the transfers. Hell, I’ve even seen you be a jerk to Zeke and he’s your only damn friend. So, and I’m saying this for Tris’ sake not yours, if you must know, Eric isn’t the one who went to Max, I am. And I did it because your behaviour is unacceptable and so is that mark I saw you make on her wrist two days ago.”

“You?”

“Yes, me.”

Tris sucks in a breath as Four steps forward placing himself entirely too close to Lauren, his fists clenched at his sides.

“What are you going to do Four, hit me?” Lauren antagonizes. “Just leave.”

For a moment, Tris is certain Four is about to lose it on Lauren, but instead he turns and leaves.

“Are you okay?” Lauren asks, turning towards Tris.

Tris nods. “Yeah, are you?”

“He doesn’t scare me,” Lauren says with a smirk.

“You’re the one who told Max?”

“I was trying to protect you and the initiates, but I didn’t even think of the possibility that he might take it out on you. I should have seen it coming. I’m sorry.”

Tris pauses, considering Lauren’s earlier comment.

“Did you say he’s been like this for weeks?” she asks.

“Yeah, I don’t know what happened.  It was like one day a switch flipped and suddenly he’s a fucking menace. Don’t get me wrong, we were never friends, but we used to be cool. Friendly coworkers or whatever, then suddenly bam! Jackass city.”

“I thought it only started after he found out about Eric but if he’s been like this for weeks then it must be something else.”

Lauren snorts.

“I’m sure that didn’t help anything. You really couldn’t have picked a worse rebound if you didn’t want to piss Four off.”

Tris glares at Lauren. “It wasn’t on purpose. And he isn’t a rebound.”

“Oh, so this thing with Eric is serious then? I kind of wondered when he let you throw knives at him…and then you cut him and he acted like it was nothing? No shot he wouldn’t lose his shit, I knew something had to be going on.”

Tris shrugs.

“It’s still new, we just seem to have connected really fast. I don’t know. Could you just, maybe, keep it to yourself for now? I have enough to deal with without having to field questions about my involvement with Eric from the entire faction.”

“Man, you and Eric,” Lauren says, shaking her head. “I’ve worked with him for a while, and he has his good days, but never in a million years would I have pictured the two of you together.”

Tris’ jaw tightens as she lets out a heavy sigh.

“I’ve already had to defend him once today. You aren’t really going to make me do it again, are you?”

Lauren smiles apologetically.

“Sorry, it’s none of my business. The only thing I care about is Four figuring out his shit and going back to normal. I’m sick of dealing with his attitude and transfers coming to me about his near-abusive behaviour. At least now that I know you’re with Eric I don’t have to worry about you too. I’ll let him do that.”

“Do you think I should ask Four what’s going on? Maybe I can help him get back to normal.”

Lauren looks at her in disbelief.

“Girl, just let it go. You guys are broken up and you’re with somebody else now. Do you want to screw things up with Eric?”

“Of course not.”

“Then walk away and don’t look back. This is on Four to deal with. You keep being this nice to him and he’s going to take advantage, trust me. Nothing good can come of you trying to help him.”

Tris knows Lauren is probably right, but she hates that Four is going through whatever he’s going through alone.

“Anyways, I just came in here to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid. I should get going. See you around.”

Tris nods at Lauren in parting as Kenzie finally makes an appearance.

“Did I miss something?” she asks looking between Tris’ grave face and Lauren’s back.

Tris stands outside the dining hall trying to decide if her hunger outweighs her lack of social energy.

It’s been a long day and while she knows Christina and Will won’t be there, Uriah and Marlene will be and the last time they talked things hadn’t exactly ended on a good note.

In the end, food wins out over awkwardness as Tris decides that now is as good a time as any to try and smooth things over with her friends.

When she enters, she spots them in the far corner, but they don’t notice her.  She makes her way through the line quickly, happy to see tomato soup and grilled cheese as an option, before making her way over to their table.

Uriah notices her first and smiles immediately.

“Trissy! We’ve missed you. Sit down.”

Tris smiles back, she should have known Uriah wouldn’t hold her outburst against her.

Marlene is a bit more reserved in her greeting, only giving her a small smile as Tris sits down.

“I’m sorry,” Tris says instantly.

“So am I,” Marlene replies.

“Oh, thank god,” Tris adds with a sigh of relief. “I was so worried you’d be upset with me, and I just couldn’t handle it on top of everything else.”

“Since you skipped out on breakfast, I thought you were still mad at us.”

“Not at all.”

“Where were you then?” Uriah asks through a mouthful of grilled cheese.

“Just slept through it,” Tris fibs, praying neither of her friends notice the blush creeping up her neck.

“Been there,” Uriah says, moving on to his soup.

Tris can tell that Marlene isn’t fooled, but she chooses to ignore the look she’s getting and focuses on her food instead.

“So, what’s up?” Marlene asks after a beat. “What did you mean by ‘on top of everything else’?”

“Oh…I..” she stutters.

“Is it the rumor?” Uriah chimes in.

“Rumor?” both girls ask.

“The one about Four.”

Marlene looks at him blankly and Tris stays quiet hoping the rumor isn’t what she thinks it is. Four had only been missing from initiate training for two days, surely people wouldn’t already be questioning his absence?   

“You guys really haven’t heard?”

“Would you just spit it out?” Marlene says impatiently.

Uriah puts his spoon down and looks at them.

“There’s a rumor going around that Four’s been suspended because he slept with an initiate.”

“WHAT?” Marlene exclaims.

Tris almost wants to laugh. Of course it had already gotten out. The Dauntless rumor mill never rests.

“Where did that rumor come from?”

Uriah shrugs.

“No idea, I heard it from Gus’ sister. I haven’t found out who he’s sleeping with yet though.”

Tris chuckles darkly.

“Seriously, Uriah?” Marlene says looking at him while tilting her head aggressively towards Tris.

“Oh shit! Sorry Tris. Looks like it might be a pattern with him,” Uriah says sympathetically.

Marlene shakes her head and turns towards Tris.

“Maybe he is just an oblivious moron,” she says, repeating Eric’s earlier description of Uriah.

Tris gives her a small smile before addressing Uriah.

“Or,” she starts, “and hear me out here, the initiate he slept with was me.”

He looks confused at first, but his eyes grow wide as he realizes his mistake.

“How did that not even cross my mind? I’m so dumb.”

“No one is arguing with that,” Marlene replies.

“I just assumed it was someone he’s training now. Everyone seems to think it is anyways.”

“Well good,” Marlene adds. “Let them think that.”

Tris’ com device starts vibrating in her pocket and she is grateful to have a reason to end the current conversation.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me,” Eric’s voice rings out from the speaker.

Tris smiles to herself.

“What going on?” she asks lightly.

“Not much, just been stuck in this office. I’m trying to get through a bit more crap before I get out of here.”

“Long day?”

“I’ve had worse. Anyways, could I see you tonight?”

Tris smiles again.

“I’d like that.”

“Cool. I still have a bit more to do here but I should be good around 7:30.”

“I’ll come to yours. Did you have dinner?”

“No.  I’ll just make myself some eggs or something.”

“I can go through the line again and get you something?” she offers.

“Sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

“That would be great. Surprise me?”

“Will do. See you soon.”

Tris puts her com back in her pocket and turns her attention to her friends who are both staring at her with smiles on their faces.

“So, the rest of your day together went well then?” Marlene asks, grinning.

“Maybe…”

“Details?”

“Can’t right now. I have to go get more food before all the good stuff is gone,” Tris says, standing up abruptly.

Marlene laughs.

“Fine, but when you get back here I expect you to spill.”

Tris ignores her friend and makes her way back over to the line. She stretches her neck to try and see what the options are. She had been so excited about the grilled cheese she hadn’t really paid attention to anything else.

“He’s kind of scary though,” she overhears a girl say behind her.

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t sleep with him. Those eyes? Those arms? Sure, he’s intense, but can you imagine how that intensity would translate to the bedroom? God, I’d let him throw me around any day of the week,” the girl’s friend replies.

Tris stands stock still. They can’t be talking about Four, can they?

“You really think any of those transfers have the balls though?”

“I don’t know, but I heard she pursued him. Apparently, she was relentless, and he gave in just to get her off his back. Poor girl was probably going to fail initiation and figured this was the only way to get him to pass her.”

“Does anyone know who it was?”

There’s a break in the conversation as the line starts to move.

“You know something, don’t you?” the friend says, finally. “Come on Molly, spill.”

Molly. Tris knew she recognized the voice.

“I swear, I don’t know who it was. But Peter’s been going around telling people he knows and that he’s just waiting for the perfect moment to tell.”

“What perfect moment? It’s not like that sleezy douche can possibly use this to his benefit in any way.”

Tris has heard enough. She takes the first thing she sees and quickly makes her way back to her friends.

“I’m so screwed,” she says sitting down and placing the food next to her.

“Not exactly the meal I’d have chosen for a date, but maybe he’ll love it.”

“What?” Tris asks confused.  

“Tuna fish,” Uriah says pointing to the plate. “Kind of makes your breath rank, you know?”

Tris looks at the plate, not having registered what she had picked up before shaking her head and looking back at her friends.

“Forget about the sandwich,” she says. “Apparently Peter knows who the rumor is about.”

“What? Are you sure?”

Tris shrugs. “I mean, I don’t know 100% but I overhead Molly in line and that’s what she said.”

“But if he knows, wouldn’t we all know?” Marlene asks. “It is Peter. He’s probably just bluffing to get attention.”

“Maybe.”

“Why don’t we just try to forget about this for now? Try to enjoy our dinner?”

Tris nods.

“Perfect. Now, spill,” Marlene says, grinning.

Tris shakes her head.

“Fine. What do you want to know?”

Tris spends the rest of dinner answering Marlene’s painstakingly specific questions about her day with Eric before finally escaping to meet up with him.

He is quick to answer when she knocks, and she can’t help but notice how tired he looks.

“Long day?” she asks.

He shrugs. “Not great, but I’ve had worse. You?”

“Same.”

“Any chance you have a grilled cheese for me there?” he asks, hopefully, as they make their way further into his apartment.

She hands over the food silently and hopes he isn’t too disappointed.

“Tuna fish sandwich and an apple,” he says, chuckling as he sits down at the table. “Maybe it would be best if I’m in charge of food from now on.”

She lets out a small laugh and sits across from him.

“Sorry, I was distracted in line and just took the first thing I could grab.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just grateful I don’t have to cook anything,” he says, taking a bite. “What was going on in line?”

“Just rumors. Not important,” she says, brushing him off.

They sit in comfortable silence as Eric continues eating.

“How did it go with Max?” she asks, remembering how they left things earlier.

Eric’s chewing slows as he stares at the table.

“That good, huh?”

“He wasn’t quite as receptive as I expected him to be. I mean, he didn’t say no, but –”

“It’s okay. I knew he wouldn’t want me with everything going on.”

“There’s still a chance it could work out. He just said he needs to finish dealing with Four before he can even think about offering you a position. That’s not a no, that’s a not yet.”

Tris gives Eric a sad smile.

“I appreciate your optimism, but I’m not going to keep my hopes up.”

“Then I’ll just have to keep mine up for the both of us.”

They fall into another silence as Eric gets up for a glass of water.

“Can we watch a show?” Tris asks. “I just want to forget about this day and watching someone else’s drama sounds good right now.”

Eric smiles as he sits back down.

“Sure. Same as before? Or did you want to pick something else?”

Tris considers her options.

“Something else.”

Eric picks up his data pad and brings up the list of options before sliding it over to Tris. She browses through the selection as he finishes up his meal.

“This one,” she says, pointing at the list.

“Are you sure? Do you want me to tell you what it’s about?’

She shakes her head.

“Nope. I want to be surprised.”

++++++++

“What the hell, Eric!” she says, only a few minutes into the show. “Why wouldn’t you warn me?”

“You said you wanted to be surprised.”

“You still should have warned me.”

“I mean, it’s called ‘Supernatural’ I thought that might have tipped you off.”

Tris glares at him.

“We can watch something else if you want,” he says, pausing the show.

Tris huffs but shakes her head.

“Of course we can’t, now I need to know what happens.”

Eric restarts the show as Tris scoots closer to him and is relieved when he wraps his arm around her shoulder.

They continue watching, Eric’s protective arm calming her nerves a bit. The next few scenes are nothing to be afraid of, but that first scene put Tris on edge, and when her com vibrates in her pocket, she can’t help but jump.

“Sorry,” she says to a stunned-looking Eric.

She opens her com to see a message from Christina that brings a dose of reality back to the evening.

Just heard the rumor. Hope you’re okay.

Tris leaves the message unanswered and puts her com away as Eric pauses the show once more.

“Why’d you pause it?” she asks.

“I couldn’t help but see what your message said,” he starts, tentatively. “You mentioned rumors earlier, but not that they involved you. What’s going on?”

“It’s not important,” Tris says, shaking her head.

“Well, if it’s not important then it shouldn’t be hard to tell me what’s going on,” he counters.

“Fine,” she says, sighing. “There’s a rumor going around that Four is suspended for sleeping with an initiate and apparently Peter knows who it is he slept with. So far he hasn’t told, so everyone is just speculating on who it could be.”

“That fucking asshat,” Eric says angrily. “Max asked him to keep his mouth shut but of course he can’t follow one simple instruction.”

“Considering how much he hates me I’m just surprised he’s left me out of it so far.”

“Max said he was trying to use the information as some kind of leverage to weasel his way into leadership. He probably figures he’s safe fuelling the rumor mill but not if he takes it too far. Not that Max would ever give him the time of day but it’s Peter, he’s delusional.”

“I really thought the end of initiation meant I was done with Peter and his bullshit,” she says.

“Hopefully he just keeps it to himself and that’s the last of it.”

“Four harassing me in public isn’t helping anything either.”

“You mean the other night at the Pit?” Eric asks.

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “He showed up at the shop today.”

“He what? I thought you said he was going to leave you alone?”

“I really believed that, but he was convinced that you were the one who told, and he wanted to…I don’t know…rub it in my face or something?”

“Fucking hell, you’ve had a day.”

“Tell me about it.”

“He didn’t get aggressive with you again, did he?”

Tris shakes her head.

“No. Although I kind of thought he was going to punch Lauren at one point.”

“Lauren?”

“She saw him go into the shop and followed him to make sure I was okay.  He went off on me for a while before she shut him up by telling him she was the one who went to Max, not you.”

“You know, I’ve been around the guy for years and I can’t say I ever really liked him, but even so, I didn’t expect this kind of crap from him.”

“I’m starting to think there’s more to it than I realized. Lauren mentioned he’s been like this with her and the initiates for weeks now. You work with him, has he seemed off to you?”

Eric takes a minute to think about it.

“I mean, he’s definitely been barking at the initiates more than in past years, but I just figured I was rubbing off on him,” he shrugs. “Other than that, he’s been his same old jackass self to me. Nothing new. But I also do my best to avoid interacting with him so maybe I missed some stuff. Do you think it started because of your breakup?”

Tris shakes her head.

“I can’t say for sure, but I have this sinking feeling that something else is going on. He started being a bit weird before we even broke up. Not mean or anything, but kind of distant? I assumed it was because we had been fighting about what our future was going to look like, but maybe it was something else.”

Eric looks at her oddly, almost as though he’s realized something.

“What?” she asks curiously.

He shakes his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Eric come on, you’ve obviously thought of something.”

“No really, I just got distracted for a second. Why don’t we get back to the show,” he says, changing the subject.

Tris is sure he’s hiding something but decides not to press it. He’s been pretty transparent so far, so if he’s not telling her something he must have his reasons.

“Okay,” she says. “But don’t let me fall asleep this time. I really can’t miss breakfast or Christina might kill me.”

Eric chuckles. “I promise I won’t let you miss breakfast.”

“Thank you,” she says, getting herself comfortable against his side. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Chapter Text

When Tris showed up to breakfast the next morning, Christina was so worried about how she was handling the rumors that she seemed to completely forget Tris had been MIA for a couple of days. This worked out well for Tris who still wasn't ready to share what was going on with Eric.

A week had now gone by, and the rumors had died down. No one seemed to be able to figure out who Four slept with and surprisingly, Peter had kept his mouth shut.

Max had finished his investigation and Four was given a month-long suspension from his trainer duties followed by a couple of months of Eric having to monitor him much more closely than before.

Unfortunately, with Four being off, Max had asked Eric and Khloe to take turns training the transfers which meant Eric and Tris had only seen each other once since the night they had watched Supernatural. This left Tris with entirely too much time to obsess over the fact that Max hadn't reached out to her about joining leadership and by the fifth day of no news she was finally forced to accept that no invitation was coming.

"I'm heading to lunch," Tris calls out to Kenzie who had just arrived for her shift and was settling in at the cash register.

"See you in a bit," Kenzie calls back.

With every meal, Tris hopes she will spot Eric at the leadership table but everyday she is disappointed. Has he always been this absent from mealtimes? She wonders to herself, making her way through the line and over to her friends.

She sits down next to Marlene who is talking to Christina and tries to follow their conversation but ends up giving up and focusing on her lunch instead.

"Tris Prior," a voice says from behind her.

Tris spins around in her seat to see who is addressing her.

"Yes?" she says cautiously, not recognizing the man.

"My name is Heath, I'm Max's assistant. He'd like to see you in his office when you're done with your lunch."

Tris looks between Heath and her now silent friends.

"I'll head over there now," she replies, too curious to care about finishing her meal.

Heath gives her a brief nod before walking away.

"He wants to talk to you again?" Christina says, "Do you think it's still about the Four thing?"

"No clue," Tris responds shrugging. "But I better go. I'll catch up with you guys at dinner."

"Good luck," Marlene replies as Tris stands up.

When Tris arrives at Max's office she's told by Heath, who not only managed to beat her there but is already frantically typing on his computer, to head right in.

She is surprised to find Eric sitting at one of the chairs in front of Max's desk.

"You got here fast," Max says with a smile.

"Not as fast as Heath apparently," she can't help but joke.

Max chuckles.

"No one moves as fast as Heath."

"Or as quietly as Heath," Eric adds. "It's actually kind of creepy."

Tris lets out a small laugh.

"Have a seat."

Tris does as requested and takes a seat next to Eric who gives her a small smile.

"I'm sure you're already aware that a bit over a week ago Eric came to me and requested I re-extend your invitation to join leadership."

Tris nods.

"To confirm, you are interested in joining?"

"Yes, very interested," Tris responds enthusiastically.

"Very well," Max starts. "I've given this a lot of thought and while recent events have made the decision much more difficult, I have decided to give you a chance."

Tris can't help the grin that breaks out across her face.

"However, the terms of your employment will be slightly different than they would have been had you accepted originally."

"What do you mean?" Eric asks.

Max raises an eyebrow at Eric before turning back towards Tris.

"You will be expected to shadow all three leader's who do not currently have a assistants. You will also shadow me for a short period of time. This will allow the majority of us to spend some time getting to know you and your working style. At the end of your time shadowing, each leader will submit a report to me about their time with you which I will use to determine whether or not you are a good fit and who I believe you would be best paired with."

Tris can feel Eric getting more and more agitated next to her has Max continues,

"I will of course speak to you as well and take your thoughts into account. While I am deliberating, you will spend a week going through fitness and agility trials to determine your level and how much physical training you will require. Once you are placed with a leader, you will have a two-month probationary period after which time you will either be offered your position permanently or I will help you to find a more suitable position elsewhere."

"That's crap," Eric says bluntly.

"Eric," Tris cautions.

"Why are you punishing her?"

"This is not meant to be a punishment, it's just meant to ensure that she has the best of intentions and is a good fit for our team."

"That's bull and you know it. You're punishing her for this mess with Four."

"Eric," Tris says softly, fighting the urge to squeeze his hand in reassurance. "It's fine."

"No, it's not."

"Tris had a chance to join leadership straight out of initiation and she declined. She also chose to get into a relationship that was against the rules. Whether or not she realized that at the time doesn't matter, she agreed to keep the relationship a secret therefore on some level she knew it was inappropriate. While you and I might understand what happened and are able to look past it, not everyone in leadership agrees with us."

"Are you saying some of the leaders don't want her here?"

Max sighs.

"It wasn't my intention to share this information, but I put it to a vote."

"Why didn't I get a vote?" Eric asks, narrowing his eyes at Max.

"I didn't have to ask you, I already knew what your vote would be, and it was included in the tally. The leader's votes landed at 3 to 2 in favour of giving her a chance. But I still needed to put the fears of the others at ease."

"I think those terms are perfectly reasonable. I am more than happy to comply with them."

Eric let's out a small huff but doesn't speak.

"I want you to start tomorrow. You'll come in first thing and fill out the necessary paperwork. After that, you will shadow Carter for the rest of the week. I am on weekend duty so Saturday and Sunday you'll be with me. Next week you'll shadow Khloe from Wednesday to Sunday and then Eric the next Wednesday to Sunday. I didn't plan it this way, but unfortunately the way the schedule falls you won't have a free weekend for a while."

Tris shakes her head.

"I don't mind at all. This is my priority."

Max smiles.

"That's what I like to hear. Do you have any questions?"

Tris hesitates for a second.

"I'm sure I'll have lots of questions once I start, but for now, what time should I get here tomorrow?"

"Eight am sharp will be your start time on most days. If there's an emergency or there's business outside of the faction to deal with you may need to come in earlier or work later but that's always a case-by-case basis. You'll meet Eric at his office in the morning and he will help you through the paperwork as that's part of his regular duties."

Max turns to look at Eric.

"I'll ask Khloe to cover you with the initiates until you're finished with Tris."

Eric nods curtly in return.

"Alright, I think we're done here. You guys better be getting back to work. I'll see you tomorrow, Tris."

"Thank you for the opportunity," Tris says, standing to leave. "I promise you won't regret it."

"Happy to hear it," he replies before looking towards Eric who stands up silently. "You're getting what you wanted, maybe be a little grateful?"

"Thank you," Eric says through clenched teeth eliciting a long sigh from Max.

"It's just a precaution Eric, if she's as good as you think she'll be then there's no reason she won't end up with a permanent position. Just have a little faith."

They make the walk out of the leadership offices in silence.

"I'm sorry he's making you jump through hoops," Eric says as soon as they are out of earshot of any possibly onlookers.

Tris shakes her head.

"Don't be. I'm just grateful I'm even getting a chance. Besides, it really doesn't sound too bad at all. I already knew shadowing was an option, so what if it's mandatory rather than by choice. And the probationary period doesn't scare me. I would have given this my all with or without it and if that's not enough then I wasn't meant to be here."

"I guess…"

"And the vote was 3 to 2 which means at least 3 of you are on my side, plus Max seems to be routing for me too. Those sound-like pretty good odds to me."

"Fine," Eric sighs, conceding. "But I don't see why you have to shadow that perve at all, never mind first."

"You know Max probably did that on purpose, right?" Tris says thoughtfully.

"What do you mean."

"Well, since I'm starting on a Wednesday, there's only three days left of the week. Starting me with Carter means I'll spend that least amount of time with him and part of my first day will be paperwork with you."

"You may have a point there."

"So just take Max's advice and be grateful."

Eric sighs again. "You're right, I shouldn't have been such an ass."

Tris chuckles.

"I'm surprised Max didn't kick you out of the room. How do you get away with talking to him like that?"

"Par for the course. I'm always an ass, remember?"

"Even to Max?"

"No, not often. But that doesn't mean my behaviour would have been surprising."

They walk in silence for a moment.

"Will you be an ass to me too?"

"What?" Eric asks thrown off by her question.

"Now that I'm going to be part of leadership, does that mean I'm going to have to deal with Leader Eric and his jackass persona?"

Eric takes a beat to consider her question.

"I hadn't really thought about that. Hopefully I'll be able to find a balance."

"What about Khloe? Do you treat her any differently than the others?"

"To an extent, sure. But I'm also a massive dick to her sometimes and just end up grovelling in private afterwards."

"Poor Khloe."

"Don't you 'poor Khloe' me. That girl can dish it out just as well as she can take it."

Tris chuckles.

"I guess we'll just have to figure it out as we go."

Before they realize it, Eric has walked Tris all the way back to the shop.

"I guess I should get in there."

"Can I ask you something first?" Eric asks.

"Of course."

Eric looks around quickly to make sure no one is around before turning back towards Tris.

"What does this mean for us? I mean, with leadership back in the picture, does that change things for you?"

Tris takes a deep breath, unprepared for his question.

"Is it okay if I think about it?"

"Sure," Eric says, a bit disappointed.

"It's just, I thought I knew, but I'm not so sure anymore."

Eric nods.

"I get it," he says. "While you are still undecided, could we hang out tonight?"

"You're not working late?"

Eric shakes his head.

"No, I need a break. I get that someone has to train these initiates, but being with them from eight to six and then trying to cram all my regular shit in afterwards is starting to get to me. I fell asleep at my desk last night."

Tris looks at him sympathetically.

"How much longer do you have?"

"Khloe swaps in on Monday for the next two weeks and then I think things go back to normal after that. Anyways, tonight?"

"I told my friends I'd be at dinner, but I can come by afterwards?"

"Sounds good. And, for the record, I don't need to think about anything," he says quietly before kissing her on the cheek and walking away.

"He just offered you a position out of the blue like that?" Christina asks surprised but impressed.

Tris shrugs moving her pasta shells aimlessly around her plate.

"I guess they really need people so he decided to give me another shot even though I turned it down last time."

"That's so exciting. Congrats Tris. I think you'll be amazing," Will says.

"Yeah, you'll be great," Marlene adds with a smile.

"Thanks guys."

"Do you know what you'll be doing?" Christina asks.

"I'll spend my first year as an assistant. I don't know to who yet. Max is having me shadow Carter, Khloe, and Eric before he decides who he thinks I'll fit best with."

"He better not force you to work for that old perve," Uriah comments before shoveling a mouthful of pasta in his mouth.

"Eric wouldn't be any better. Getting barked at by him for a year was enough, I can't imagine having to deal with him for another one. And one on one with no witnesses? Hell no."

Tris holds back an eyeroll.

"He's not that bad," Marlene defends. "And I'm sure working with him one on one wouldn't be the same as initiation."

Tris catches Marlene's eye and gives her a grateful smile.

"Mar's right, and he's best friends with Khloe who's awesome. I doubt they'd be friends if he really is a jackass."

"Have you all lost your minds?" Christina asks incredulously. "Or did we just forget that he tried to kill me?"

This time, Tris rolls her eyes before she can stop herself.

"He didn't try to kill you."

Christina's eyes grow wide in disbelief.

"Then what do you call hanging me over the chasm?"

"A lesson?" Tris replies without thinking.

"Fuck you," Christina counters angrily.

"He wouldn't have let you fall," Tris defends. "He's not a murderer."

"Whatever," Christina says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Can we just stop arguing and go back to being excited for Tris?" Will says earning him a glare from Christina.

"So, when do you start," Uriah asks, trying to turn the conversation around.

"How come you weren't at dinner," Tris asks walking through the doorway of Eric's apartment.

"I'm not a huge fan of socializing in general and with double duty I've just been too exhausted to even try," he says, closing the door behind her.

"What about the night we talked in the Pit? You were out then."

"Sam wanted to introduce all of us to his girlfriend," he starts, motioning for her to follow him to the kitchen. "Well, officially anyways. I went through initiation with her, so I didn't really need to meet her. Sam and I aren't super close, but we get along alright, and Khloe gets along with everyone so if I'm out, it's usually because she dragged me there. She thinks I should try harder to have more friends, but I like being alone."

Tris nods.

"Water?" Eric asks, pouring himself a glass.

"I'm good for now," she replies. "What if I wanted you to hang out with me and my friends?"

Eric looks at her and raises an eyebrow.

"Would your friends want to hang out with me?"

"Fair point. I think most of them would be fine with it. It's only Christina that would likely need some convincing."

"Hasn't forgiven me for initiation then?"

Tris shakes her head.

"Nope, still adamant that you 'tried to kill her.'"

"I never would have let her fall," he says seriously before downing half of his glass of water.

"I know that."

"So," he says, walking towards the sofa and sitting down. "If you're asking me about spending time with your friends does that mean you've decided we should keep seeing each other regardless of the outcome of your leadership shadowing is?"

Tris makes herself comfortable next to Eric on the couch before responding.

"Two weeks ago, I was sure we couldn't happen if I joined leadership. But then we spent all that time together and leadership seemed to be off the table so I let myself get excited about seeing where this thing with you might go, and now…I'm just not sure I'm prepared to give that up."

Eric lets out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank God. I really don't think I could have handled working with you everyday and having to ignore the way I feel about you."

Tris smiles.

"So that's your final answer then? You and I are officially dating, no limitations?"

"Dating. No limitations. Final answer."

Eric leans in and kisses her.

"Do you think us being together will make Max rule you out as an option at work?" she asks sadly when they pull apart.

"It's a possibility. But I really couldn't say for sure."

"I'd understand if he did. But it would be disappointing not to get to work with Erudite. Plus, any chance of working on the retirement housing project would disappear. I just feel like my interests fit so well with what you do."

"Plus, you'd be missing out on staring at my beautiful face all day," he adds with a wink, earning him a smile from Tris. "There's no point in worrying about it yet. Let's just get you through these next few weeks and when you're done shadowing, we'll see what happens."

"You're probably right. I'll try to let it go for now."

Eric picks up his datapad and tries to pass it to Tris but she holds up her hand to stop him.

"You want to do something else?"

"No, but you should pick. You're the one who's been dealing with sixteen-hour days for over a week now and needs a break."

"Right then, four little old ladies squabbling in a house in Miami it is."

Not long after starting Golden Girls, Tris notices snoring coming from beside her on the couch. When she turns to look at Eric, she is disappointed to find him fast asleep. However, she knows he's been working his butt off and must be beyond exhausted to have fallen asleep so quickly.

Tris quietly picks up his datapad and turns off the show. Standing, she looks around the room for a blanket but there doesn't seem to be one in the living room. She walks over to his bedroom and pulls his duvet off his bed.

When she returns, Eric has rearranged himself in his sleep and is now sprawled out across the cushions with his head resting against the arm of the couch. Tris gently places the duvet over top of him and smiles at how soundly he is sleeping. She is grateful he is getting the rest he needs. Without thinking, she gently runs her fingers through his hair causing him to smile in his sleep.

As sad as she is to see the evening come to such a quick end, knowing she'll see him first thing in the morning helps sooth her disappointment. Tris takes one last look at his peaceful form before turning and walking towards the door.

"Emergency contact?" Tris questions, sitting across from Eric at his desk.

"Like if you end up in the infirmary or something. Who do you want us to call?"

Tris nods back in understanding.

Christina feels like the obvious choice, but she's not very good in stressful situations and Tris isn't sure it would be fair to put her in that position. Marlene is calm under pressure and surprisingly nurturing so having her at her bedside might be nice. But choosing Marlene could hurt Christina's feelings and Tris isn't sure if she's prepared to deal with the possible consequences.

"It's not a trick question," Eric says breaking her from her thoughts.

"Who do most people put?"

"A lot of people put their parents or siblings and then spouses or significant others. Bit harder to choose when you're a transfer though."

"Who do you have as yours?" Tris asks curiously.

"When you transfer you're technically considered a ward of the faction until you turn eighteen. When I first started, Max told me I could just put 'ward' down and they'd call him, or Heath, if something happened and he'd make sure someone came to check up on me. I should probably update it, but I haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Have you ever needed your emergency contact to be called?"

"Only once. Max sent Khloe which I appreciated. I should probably switch her to my contact anyways."

Tris scribbles 'ward' down on the paper and continues to the next question.

As she moves to the section about physical fitness, Tris can feel Eric's eyes on her.

"Is there something you need?" she asks looking back at him.

"It's just…you could have woken me up."

"You were obviously exhausted."

"But I was looking forward to spending time with you."

Tris gives him a soft smile.

"I was too. But you've got a lot on your plate right now and you need to take care of yourself so you don't burn out. It's okay to prioritize rest over spending time together. Things will go back to normal for you soon and I'll still be here."

"Stop that."

"Stop what?" she asks, confused.

"Stop being so damn reasonable. Screw sleep, I'd rather be exhausted than miss out on time with you."

Tris lets out a laugh.

"You might not be saying that once you're stuck spending every second of your day with me two weeks from now."

"You're right, I might end up so sick of you I'll be begging Khloe to take you off my hands," he says with a wink.

"Exactly. Now stop staring at me and let me finish filling these things out."

Eric laughs and turns towards his computer screen as Tris gets back to work completing the forms.

"Done," she states a few minutes later.

"Already? Are you sure?"

"You can look them over if you want."

"I believe you. I just don't want you to be finished because that means we're done here and it's time for you to start shadowing Carter."

"Is he really that bad?" she asks, wearily.

Eric sighs.

"It's hard to say. He hasn't worked with anyone new since Max found out about his actions and warned him that he needed to stop, so he might be on his best behaviour. As far as I know he's never taken it farther than inappropriate innuendos, unwanted shoulder rubs, thigh grazes, that kind of thing. Not that anyone wants to deal with all of that, but I guess it could be worse. Granted I feel like he keeps it at a certain level because he knows if he takes it too far he could be in real trouble."

Tris had never had to deal with a situation like this and she has to admit she's a bit nervous.

"Don't let him get to you. If he does anything to make you feel uncomfortable, I personally feel you're well within your rights to punch him."

"Eric."

"I'm serious. You shouldn't have to deal with his groping. I'm sure if you punch him every time he touches you, he'll stop. If you're worried about getting in trouble for it, you shouldn't be. And if you really can't bring yourself to do it then just come find me and I'll punch him for you."

Tris rolls her eyes playfully.

"I can fight my own battles."

"Well good. I can't wait to find out how many times he gets punched today."

"Will you just stop saying 'punch' and show me where his office is?"

Eric chuckles standing up behind his desk.

"Fine," he says, gathering her paperwork. "Follow me."

Chapter Text

After a boring morning spent filing old paperwork, Carter had sent Tris off to lunch with the promise that the afternoon would be a bit more stimulating. 

"Here are your temporary codes," Carter says now, passing Tris a document with upwards of a dozen different logins and passwords. "The top one will give you access to your leadership computer and your leadership tablet. Both devices will grant you access to confidential information. Once you've changed your passwords do not share them with anyone. When you leave today, you'll give Max your passwords and he will be the only person with access to them. Understand?" 

Tris nods her head as Carter passes her a new laptop and datapad. 

"I'm going to have you sit here for now," he continues, pointing to the empty space at the end of his expansive desk. "If you end up being my assistant you will get your own desk and workspace but for now, you'll likely have lots of questions, so it'll be easier for both of us if we are in close proximity." 

The words at face value seem innocent, but the tone in which he says them causes an uncomfortable shiver to run down Tris' spine. 

"Get yourself set up and logged in and then I'll help you get started on your tasks for this afternoon." 

Tris settles herself in on the opposite side of the desk and logs into her laptop. It automatically prompts her to update her password and with a little contemplation she comes up with something that she is sure to remember but would be difficult for anyone to guess. She does the same with her datapad. 

Before letting Carter know she is all logged in, she takes a closer look at her password sheet. There's one for an email address, a few for different databases, one for what she thinks is a group chat of some kind and a few that she can't tell what they are for yet. 

"I'm all logged in," she says tentatively to Carter. 

"Perfect," he replies rolling himself over to her. "Now, click that icon there." 

Tris follows where he is pointing and double- clicks on the blue icon.

"This is the member database. Every member of Dauntless has a file in here. Dauntless-born files are created upon birth and transfer files are created the day they transfer. Over the years, the information gets updated here and there as people move, accept jobs, get married, start families, defect and so on. Every month there's usually a few updates that need to be made. I typically set them aside until I have at least a dozen and then I input them all at once. Let me grab you the file."

Carter gets up quickly and grabs a thin file from the cabinet next to his desk before returning to his position next to Tris. Opening the file he passes her the first page. 

"This one is very simple. It's a change of address. You'll find the member’s name at the top of the form, and you can search them by typing their first and last name in there," he says pointing to an empty search bar at the top of the database. 

Tris looks down at the form and then proceeds to search for the member. 

"Great," Carter says as a new screen pops open. "For each member you’ll find a number of tabs. Personal information includes full name, date of birth, if available, and family member information. Then there's one for address, one for emergency contacts, one for job title and description and so on and so on. Click the address tab."

Tris switches to the screen labeled Address, which has multiple text boxes. 

"Don't delete the old address. Just tick that box that says previous and underneath add the new address and tick off current. We like to have a track record, so we rarely delete any of the old information."

Tris nods her head and does as she's told. 

"Easy enough?" he asks. 

"I think I can handle it," she responds with a small smile. 

"Sounds good. Why don't you work your way through the file. It'll give you a good grasp on the database."

Carter rolls his way back over to his computer and goes back to typing. 

Tris thinks briefly about how her day is going so far. Carter is much nicer than she anticipated. Maybe she should have given him the benefit of the doubt and not been so skeptical of working with him. So far, he has been nothing but pleasant and encouraging. Maybe Max talking to him really made him change his ways. 

Tris picks up the folder and grabs the next form. This one is a change of occupation. 

The new girl in housing, Tris thinks to herself, remembering Khloe's words from a little over a week ago.

Tris continues to make her way through the file with growing confidence until she accidentally hits a combination of keys and the file she's working on goes blank. 

Her eyes grow wide, and she starts to panic. She clicks around the screen and even returns to the search page but when she types in the member’s name nothing comes up. Her eyes flit to Carter and then back to the screen. She feels dumb for already having messed something up.

"Everything okay over there?" Carter drawls from across the desk. 

"Um..." she starts but before she can finish, he's up and around the desk looking over her shoulder. 

"What happened?"

Tris blinks and resigns herself to telling him what happened. 

"I don't know what I pressed but I lost her entire file," she responds tentatively with a frantic look in her eyes. 

Carter smiles. "Take a breath, Sweetheart. The files are all backed up on a weekly basis and since I usually only input information once a month, it's very rare that you won't be able to find something that's gone missing. On top of that, if something really is well and truly deleted, we always have the paper copies on file. It can be a bit of a pain depending on how old the person is and how many changes have been made over the years but it's always doable."

Tris let's out the breath she'd been holding, too relieved to react to the fact that he’s just called her Sweetheart. 

"Oh, thank God. I'm so sorry."

Carter shakes his head. "It's your first day, I don't expect you to be perfect. I’ll help you retrieve it." 

Tris looks back at her computer screen waiting for Carter's instructions but instead, she feels a set of hands on her shoulders and thumbs beginning to massage her tight muscles. 

"My God you’re tense. Relax." 

Tris doesn't know what to do. Does she try to relax so it'll be over faster? Does she tell him to stop? Does she stand up and walk away? 

"What do I do to find the file?" she asks hoping to distract him.

"Right, right," he says, removing his hands and pointing at the screen. "Click there."

Tris breathes a sigh of relief as she follows Carter's instructions. 

The next couple of hours go by quickly and Tris manages not to lose anymore files as she works her way through the changes. 

When she is finished, Carter tasks her with updating the emergency safety protocol document based on the changes Max had emailed him. She then sends out an email to all the leaders and department heads requesting they read the updates and reply to the e-mail with 'read' once they have had a chance to look it over. 

When the email is sent out, she looks to Carter for what to do next. 

"That's it for today. I know it's a little early but I have a bit of a project for you to work on the next couple of days and I'd rather just wait until the morning so we can really dive into it."

"Are you sure? I'm happy to stay even if it’s a bit late." Tris says, wary of leaving early her first day. 

Carter chuckles.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Darlin', but I'm sure. You did great today. I look forward to working with you closely over the next couple of days. Now get going and promise me you'll relax."

Tris nods, giving him a small smile before shutting down her computer and leaving. 

As she begins the walk to her apartment, she wishes she could talk to Eric about her day, but he’s still busy doing double duty and she doesn’t want to bother him. With both of their schedules filled up with work, Tris wonders how long it'll be before they're able to spend time together again. 

The next morning, Tris arrives at the office earlier than she had planned and immediately gets to work checking her email and making a list of everyone who has responded to the emergency protocol update. When Carter walks in, he stops short, clearly surprised and impressed to find her already there, hard at work.

"Morning, Sweetheart,” he drawls. “You're really setting the bar high.”

"Good morning, Carter,” she replies trying her best to ignore the feeling in her gut that arises from him addressing her by a pet name. “I’ve just finished going through my emails. I thought I’d get it done first so I’d be prepared for whatever you have in store for me today."

"Well, since you're here early, let's dive right in, shall we?” he says, sitting down and turning towards her. “We've finally been given the green light to organize a Spring Equinox celebration for the Dauntless. It's been a struggle to get Max to approve any events after the overspending issues with the old leadership, but he's agreed to let us have one with a conservative budget."

He pauses, clearly expecting excitement from Tris, but unfortunately for both of them she has no idea what he’s talking about and only manages a confused smile.

"As the head of the event planning department, I've been pushing for months to have something to work on. Timing-wise, it had to be the Spring Equinox celebration otherwise I was going to have to wait even longer to plan something and I really want to show him how amazing a celebration will be for morale around here. But there's a catch. All our plans need to go through Sam in finance before we can start any real preparations."

Tris nods, following along as best she can.

"Your task is to go through the old event files and put together three different proposals. One that shoots for the stars, one that's a middle ground, and one with a bare-bones budget. We'll present the extravagant plan to Sam first, expecting he'll shoot it down. Then, we'll negotiate with one of the more modest versions, depending on his reaction."

Tris smiles nervously. One proposal for an event like this already feels like an insurmountable task for someone with absolutely no experience, but three? Is he serious? It’s only her second day, is he trying to push her to failure?

"Got it,” she says with as much confidence as she can muster. “I’ll head to the filing room right away and pull the old files.”

Carter claps her on the shoulder. "Perfect. There should be old proposals within those files as well as pricing lists that Amity has supplied us in the past for food and decorations and what not. It’s been a while so the pricings might not be quite accurate, but we’ll use those numbers for now.”

Tris feels a wave of relief knowing that she’ll have a clearer idea of what is expected from her proposals once she gets her hands on those files.

“And remember, there’s no need to rush. I've been waiting ages to plan this, so take your time. We’re still a couple months out from the Equinox and I really want to make this celebration something to remember."

On her way to the filing room, Tris tries to recall what exactly is so special about the Spring Equinox. She knows it’s meant to be a celebration of new life and new beginnings, but having grown up Abnegation, she’s never done more than acknowledge its passing.

As Tris immerses herself in the archived records, she feels a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. She finds detailed reports, budgets, and photographs from past celebrations, but the sheer volume of information is overwhelming. She notes the decorations, the festivities, and the overall themes of past events as she tries to ignore the weight of responsibility pressing down on her shoulders.

As Tris sifts through the files, her nervousness builds, and she starts to worry that she’s in over her head. The fear of failure begins to grow in her mind but a sudden vibration from her com device breaks her from her negative thoughts.

Almost as if he had read her mind, Eric puts her nerves at ease with a simple message of encouragement.

“I don’t know what Carter has got you doing, but I know you can handle whatever he throws at you. You’ve got this.”

Tris hopes his belief in her isn’t misplaced. She’s been able to tackle everything Dauntless has asked of her so far, why should this be any different? She starts rereading the message in hopes that it’ll give her the assurance she desperately needs just as another one appears.

“Miss you,” it says simply.

She smiles as she responds.

“Thank you for knowing exactly what I needed to hear. Miss you too.”

She puts her com away and with a newfound sense of confidence mingled with slight apprehension, she starts drafting the three proposals, each carefully designed to meet Carter's strategic plan.

She becomes so absorbed in her work that she forgets to go to lunch, her nerves and excitement fueling her through the day. By the time Carter comes to check on her, the desk in the file room is covered with sketches, notes, and budget breakdowns.

His eyebrows raise in pleasant surprise.

“It looks like you’ve made some fantastic progress, Tris," he says, genuine admiration in his voice. "You’ve put in more than enough effort for one day. I’m heading out. Why don’t you head home and get some rest?”

Relieved and grateful, Tris smiles. “Thank you, Carter. I appreciate it.”

As she gathers her things, a sense of pride and accomplishment settles over her. She knows there is still much to do, but for now, she allows herself to enjoy the small victory.

The next day, Tris arrives at the office early once again, this time with a clearer sense of purpose. She spends the morning refining the proposals, making sure every detail is accounted for. Her confidence grows with each passing hour, and by the time Carter returns from his lunch meeting with Abnegation, she feels ready to present her ideas.

As she lays out the three proposals, Carter listens intently. After some discussion, they agree on the best approach to take with Sam. Tris feels a surge of pride as Carter praises her thoroughness and creativity.

"You've done an excellent job, Tris. Now, let's take these to Sam and get his feedback," Carter says.

Tris nods, her excitement tempered with a touch of nervousness. Together, they head to the finance department, ready to advocate for their vision of the Spring Equinox celebration.

When they meet with Sam, Carter presents the extravagant plan first, as they had strategized. Just as Carter predicted, Sam raises concerns about the budget. They then present the more modest proposals, and after some negotiation, they reach a compromise that satisfies everyone.

With the green light from Sam, Tris feels a wave of relief and accomplishment. She knows it’s only been a few days, but she’s already starting to feel like she belongs here.

It’s nearly time to go home as Carter and Tris head back to his office.

“We did it!” Carter cheers excitedly eliciting a grin from Tris. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you to get those proposals done so quickly or so well.”

“To be honest, when you first gave me the project, I wasn’t sure I could do it.”

“Well, I guess we are both pleasantly surprised.”

Tris nods.

“It’s too bad you won’t be able to follow through on the planning.”

Tris hadn’t really thought about that. She had been so engrossed in doing up the proposals that she’d almost forgotten she would only be working with Carter for a few short days.

“Right,” Tris says, slightly disappointed.

“Unless, of course, you end up being my assistant full time,” he says, sounding hopeful. “Would you like that, Sweetheart?”

Tris is caught off guard by his question.

“Um, well…I still have to shadow Khloe and Eric,” she starts, trying to figure out how to respond without offending him.

Carter chuckles. “Would you really want to work for Eric?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asks hesitantly.

Carter shrugs. “I just assumed you were using him to get a shot at leadership. You know, the way you used Four to climb the ranks during initiation,” he says bluntly.

“Wha…what did you just say?” she stutters.

“I think you heard me just fine,” Carter replies, taking a step towards her. “Once this trial run is over, I assume you’ll drop him too?”

He pauses to let her respond but her brain seems to be stuck, and she says nothing, so he continues.

“Well, it would be pretty awkward to have to work for him for a full year after that, so I assume he isn’t really an option for you.” He gives her a calculating once over. “Did you know Max made all the leaders vote on whether or not we should give you a chance?”

Tris nods silently. Her voice still absent in her state of shock.

“Well, I happen to know that Khloe voted against you joining. So, I wouldn’t bank on her giving you a rave review to Max after your week of shadowing. That leaves me. I will say, when I voted for you, I wasn’t actually expecting you to be good at the job. But that didn’t really matter to me. I figured we could just come to some kind of…agreement. Like you had with those boys. Except with me you could be straightforward, there’d be no need to pretend you were actually interested in a relationship. It would be entirely…transactional. Something we’d both benefit from.”

Tris was reeling. The only vote she had confirmation on was Eric’s, but she had assumed Khloe was also on her side. Could Carter be right? Did Khloe really not want her here? And if that was true, her options were now even more limited. Would Max allow her to work for Eric knowing they’re romantically involved? If not, would her only option be Carter? Before this conversation, Tris might have considered it, but now…would it even be worth joining leadership if he was her only option? She thought she had really managed to prove herself to Carter these past few days. But it turns out it didn’t matter either way, he had his own agenda all along. How could she have been so naïve?

“Think about it,” he says, making his way to the exit. “I’ll be around if you decide you want to discuss your options.”

After breaking out of her stupor, Tris texts Eric to see if there’s any chance they can get together that night. Tris feels embarrassed and shaken by the situation with Carter and hopes that talking to Eric will help her feel better.

She waits a few minutes wanting to ensure she won’t run into Carter on her way out while also hoping Eric will respond quickly.

The reply Tris receives isn’t what she hoped for.

“I'm really sorry. I’ve got too much shit to catch up on tonight. Maybe tomorrow night instead?"

Tris pockets her com and heads towards the exit.

Chapter Text

After her time shadowing Carter, and the unfortunate way that concluded, Tris is more than a little nervous about shadowing Max this weekend. Although she doesn’t expect to be subjected to the same type of harassment, Max has the final say in whether or not she will continue with leadership and is therefore the most important to impress.

Tris shows up a few minutes before eight and is greeted by Heath, who tells her to go right on into Max’s office.

Tris knocks tentatively before entering.

“Right on time,” Max greets, looking up from his computer. “Have a seat. I’m just finishing up this e-mail and then we will head out.”

Tris takes a seat and wonders where they will be going. As she waits for Max to finish his task, she looks around his office. This isn’t the first time she’s been in his office, but it is the first time she’s had the opportunity to look around.

It is modest yet functional, larger than Eric’s but not extravagant. On the desk, there is only a computer and a few neatly stacked files. Adjacent to it is a small table that seats four. The walls are bare and the only personal item Tris can see is a frame with a photo of a young boy and a woman perched on a credenza behind Max.

Max finishes typing, clicks a final button, and then looks up at Tris with a warm smile. “Alright, let's head to the control room. There's some security footage that Zane has flagged for me to review.”

They rise and leave his office, walking through the quiet corridors of the leadership offices and into the hallway.

As they make their way to the control room, Max turns to Tris. “So, how did your time shadowing Carter go?”

Tris feels a knot tighten in her stomach, not sure how much to reveal about her time with Carter. “Well, the work itself went pretty well,” she begins cautiously. “I already feel like I’ve learned a lot.”

Max nods, his expression encouraging her to continue. Tris hesitates, the memory of Carter's inappropriate advances flooding her thoughts. She wishes she had been able to talk to Eric about everything. Eric had mentioned Max’s distaste for Carter’s past actions, but she really didn’t know Max or have any idea how he would react if she shared with him. She decides to keep it to herself for now.

“That's good to hear,” Max says when she doesn’t continue.

As they approach the control room, Tris decides to forget about yesterday’s experience and focus on making the most of her opportunity here.

Max and Tris enter the control room and are greeted by a brunette with glasses. Max introduces Tris to Zane, who nods in acknowledgment before turning to his console. Tris takes a quick look around the room, her eyes widening at the expansive array of surveillance equipment. Monitors of various sizes are mounted on the walls, displaying feeds from different parts of the city.

Zane swiftly pulls up footage on one of the larger screens, showing a woman talking to a group of Factionless near the entrance of a concrete building. Tris leans in closer, trying to take in every detail of the scene.

“This is the third time in the past month I’ve spotted her on the cameras,” Zane explains, his voice tinged with concern. Max studies the footage, his expression serious.

“She seems to be growing bolder and is less concerned with concealing herself,” Max responds, his tone thoughtful.

As Tris looks at the still image on the screen, a strange feeling of recognition washes over her. The woman's thin upper lip, dark hair, and intense eyes stir something in her memory. She feels as though she knows her, but she can't quite place where from.

Max turns to Zane. "Were you able to gather any information about what the woman and the Factionless were talking about?"

Zane shakes his head. "They were only there briefly before she ushered them into the building. The group exited some hours later, but there was no footage of her leaving."

Max frowns, pondering the implications. "Do you think she could have set herself up in that building?"

"It's possible. She may have established some kind of headquarters there."

Max nods decisively. "Keep a running feed of the cameras around that building up on the monitors until further notice.”

Zane acknowledges the order and begins adjusting the settings on his console. Tris listens intently to their conversation, trying to piece together the significance of the woman's actions. She’s confused, but she doesn’t feel comfortable interrupting.

Checking his watch, Max says, "I'll be away from the compound for the remainder of the day. Keep a close eye on the cameras and contact me immediately if she leaves the building."

"Got it. I'll keep you updated."

Max turns to Tris and gives her a nod, signaling that it's time to head out. As they exit the control room and head down the hallway, Max's phone buzzes. He glances at the screen. "Khloe is waiting for us in the parking bay. Joanna called early this morning and requested an emergency meeting."

Tris is a bit surprised. "What's the meeting about?"

“You'll find out soon enough," Max replies. "We’ll meet Khloe at the truck then head to Amity together."

When they arrive in the parkade, Khloe is sitting on the ground, large coffee in hand, looking more than a little bit tired. She glances up at them with bleary eyes and manages a half-hearted wave.

Max gives her a concerned look. "Rough night?" he asks.

Khloe lets out a small laugh. "You could say that. Joanna's call came in at 2 AM. I've been up since then."

Tris offers her a sympathetic smile as Khloe takes a long sip of her coffee. "Let's get this over with," she mutters, pushing herself up from the ground.

Tris had assumed she would be filled in during the drive to Amity, but Max doesn’t seem to be interested in talking and Khloe somehow fell asleep within minutes of leaving the compound, so Tris is left to wonder in silence.

The drive to Amity isn’t short, and without conversation, Tris is left to dwell on Carter's comment about Khloe voting against her joining leadership.

She sneaks a peak at Khloe’s sleeping form and wonders exactly what Eric’s best friend had against her. They had only spoken the one time and Tris thought it had gone quite well. What could have happened between then and the vote to have turned Khloe against her? How was Tris going to shadow Khloe for a full week knowing Khloe didn’t want her there?

As they approach Amity, Tris decides it would be best to pretend she doesn’t have this information and treat Khloe how she would if she didn’t know.

When the trio get out of the car, they are greeted by a woman similar in age to Max, a long scar running from her left to her right cheek. Max introduces her as Joanna, leader of Amity.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tris," Joanna welcomes her with a gentle smile, her voice calming and sincere.

"Likewise," Tris replies.

Joanna leads them through the peaceful paths of Amity, where the air seems lighter, and the surroundings are filled with the sounds of nature. They soon arrive at her office.

Joanna sits behind her desk while Khloe and Max sit across from her. Tris stands behind the Dauntless leaders, feeling slightly out of place. Joanna's eyes move from one face to another, assessing the mood of her visitors.

"I'm glad you could all make it," Joanna begins, her tone both welcoming and serious. "As you know, there was a break-in last night. Not only was the delivery we had prepped for Erudite stolen, but the back acre of land was set on fire. Thankfully, the weather was on our side and the storm prevented too much damage.”

Tris’ eyes widen slightly as she realizes the gravity of the situation. She notices Max exchange a knowing look with Khloe, neither appearing particularly surprised by the news.

Joanna notices the look as well and raises an eyebrow. "Something you two want to share?" she asks pointedly, her tone remaining calm but with an edge of curiosity.

Max clears his throat, casting another quick glance at Khloe before addressing Joanna. "Unfortunately, yours is the third in a string of break-ins we’ve been dealing with.

Both Tris and Joanna look shocked. Joanna's expression shifts to one of frustration as she processes the information. "Why wasn't I informed of this sooner?"

"The first break-in was at Erudite. Medical supplies were taken. We initially thought it was average Factionless, desperate for healthcare. Then about a month later, the Dauntless armory was targeted. A few weapons were stolen, but they were interrupted. We assume they were planning to take more. That's when we began to suspect something more sinister."

Joanna's eyes narrow as she listens intently. "And now this third break-in confirms your suspicions?"

Max nods solemnly. "Yes, we're certain someone is orchestrating these attacks, preparing for something significant."

"Do you have any idea who is behind this?" Joanna asks, her voice steady but anxious.

"We have our suspicions," Max admits, "but we're still working to gather more concrete information."

As the conversation unfolds, Tris' mind drifts back to the woman she saw in the security footage. Could she be who they suspect?

Joanna pauses, then asks, "Is anyone outside of Dauntless and Erudite aware of what's been happening?"

Max exhales slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Yes, we informed Jack from Candor. We had assumed their armory would be the next target. He has been briefed on the situation to ensure that Candor is prepared for any potential threats."

Joanna's frustration deepens. "If you had warned me earlier, I might have been able to prevent this," she argues, her voice tinged with regret.

Max sighs, meeting her gaze. "We were worried about letting too many people in on the information. Based on the way the other two break-ins went down, whoever is behind this definitely has people on the inside helping them."

Joanna's eyes widen with realization. "Do you have any idea who these moles could be?"

Max glances at Khloe, then back at Joanna. "Jeannine is working on finding the Erudite mole, and I have my suspicions about who in Dauntless was the informant."

Tris’ gaze shoots to Max and then over to Khloe, who seems surprised. "Who do you think it is in Dauntless?" Khloe asks, her voice edged with both curiosity and concern.

Max shakes his head, his expression guarded. "I can't say, Khloe. It's not safe until I know for sure."

Her brow furrows in frustration, but she nods. "Alright, but we need to act fast. The longer the mole is left free, the greater the chances something else will happen."

"We're already taking steps," Max assures her. "Jeannine is making progress on her end, and I'm close to confirming my suspicions in Dauntless. We have to be careful; one wrong move could tip them off."

Max then turns to Joanna, his expression earnest. "Joanna, to ensure Amity's safety, I can assign a few Dauntless guards to help protect you. They will dress as Amity members to blend in and avoid tipping off any possible insiders."

Joanna considers the offer briefly before nodding. "That sounds like a wise precaution. But I want to be kept in the loop, Max. I need to know about any and all progress in this matter."

"Of course," Max agrees. He then hesitates for a moment before adding, "Regarding Abnegation, we won't be informing them about these developments."

Joanna's brow furrows in confusion. "Why not? They ought to be aware of the potential danger."

Max's gaze hardens, and he shakes his head. "No, Joanna. It's better this way," he says firmly, leaving no room for further argument. Joanna sighs, her frustration evident, but she chooses not to press the issue further.

Joanna takes a deep breath, her expression softening. "I truly appreciate you coming out here so quickly on such short notice. Your efforts to protect Amity are valued."

She pauses, glancing out at the tranquil surroundings of the Amity compound. "Please, allow me to offer you a meal. Our kitchens are always open, and it's the least we can do to show our gratitude."

Max and Khloe exchange a look, then smile gratefully. "Thank you, Joanna. We appreciate the offer," Max replies, his tone warm but decisive. "However, we need to get back to Dauntless."

Joanna nods. "I understand. Stay safe."

With a parting nod, Max and Khloe turn and head back towards their transport, Tris in tow.

When they are back on the road, Khloe asks Max if he can tell her who he thinks the Dauntless informant is now that they are away from Joanna. Max shakes his head slightly, a grim look crossing his face. "You're going to have to wait, Khloe. I need confirmation before I say anything."

Khloe doesn't seem happy, her lips pressing into a thin line, but she nods in acceptance. "Alright, Max," she says, her voice tight.

Perhaps seeking to lighten the mood, Khloe changes the subject. "So, Tris, how are you finding leadership so far?"

Tris, who had been quietly watching the passing scenery, turns her attention to Khloe. "It's a bit of a rollercoaster," she admits. "Yesterday I was planning a party in a quiet office and today I’m on the road finding out about break-ins and fires."

"I can imagine. You’ve been exposed to two vastly different departments so far. How was shadowing Carter?"

"It was...okay," Tris says cautiously.

Khloe raises an eyebrow. "I hope Carter kept his hands to himself," she says, her tone half-joking but with an undertone of genuine worry.

Tris waves her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about me," she replies, attempting to sound nonchalant. But Khloe notices the flicker of discomfort in Tris' eyes.

"Tris," Khloe says softly, encouraging her to elaborate. “If he did something, you can tell us.”

Tris hesitates, her gaze dropping to her hands. "It's nothing, really," she insists, but Khloe doesn't seem convinced.

Max, sensing the need for another change in topic, clears his throat. "Khloe, would you mind calling Heath and asking him to pick up dinner for Tris and me? He can deliver it to my office."

Khloe nods, reaching for her phone. "Sure. Do you have any preferences for dinner?"

Max shakes his head. "Anything will do. And Khloe," he adds, "you're welcome to join us."

Khloe smiles appreciatively but shakes her head. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass. I've been up forever and technically it's my day off. I could use some rest."

Max chuckles softly. "Fair enough."

As they arrive back at the compound, Khloe gives a small wave and a smile. "I'll see you both Monday," she says hopping out of the truck and quickly making her way down the corridor.

In her wake, Max and Tris head towards the leadership offices. When they arrive at Max’s office, Heath has the food all set up, cutlery and drinks included.

“Have a seat,” Max says, motioning towards the burger on the opposite side of his desk.

Tris complies and the two begin to eat in silence.

“Did you recognize the woman Zane showed us from the security footage?” Max asks after some time.

Tris puts down her fork before answering. “There was something familiar about her,” she admits. “But I couldn’t quite place her. Should I know who she is?”

“That depends,” he starts. “You would have been quite young the last time you saw her. But I figured the familial resemblance might have been enough to jog your memory.”

Tris scrunches up her face, racking her brain for who the woman could be.

“Evelyn Eaton,” Max says. “Does that name mean anything to you?”

Tris' eyes widen in shock. "Evelyn Eaton," she repeats, her voice barely a whisper. "Four’s mom. But…she’s dead…"

Max leans back in his chair, studying her expression. "We think she faked her death and has been in hiding for years. Or at least, she’s been hiding from us. Based on the information we’ve collected; she seems to have gathered a following of Factionless."

Tris' mind races, confusion and disbelief evident on her face as she struggles to comprehend the revelation.

"This doesn't make any sense," she murmurs, more to herself than to Max. "Why would she resurface? What is she up to? Is she the one who has been organizing the break-ins?"

Max nods thoughtfully. "These are all questions we need to answer, Tris. And we need to do it quickly. That’s where you come in."

“Me?” Tris questions, stunned.

“Now that you know who the woman is, do you have any guesses as to who we think the Dauntless informant might be?”

Tris’ eyes grow wide. “You think Four had something to do with this?”

“You can’t discount the family connection. But more than that, from my understanding, the timeline tracks. The break-in was a little over two months ago, which, according to some, is when he started acting unlike himself.”

Two months ago.

Tris thinks back. Two months ago would have been right around when they had been fighting… and then suddenly stopped fighting as Four became really distant. Which, according to Lauren, was also around the same time Four started being an asshole to everyone around him.

“I… I guess you’re right. But I know Four. He wouldn’t be involved in something like this,” she says, shaking her head.

“You’re absolutely sure? He’s never mentioned anything negative about the Faction? Or leadership? Never given you any indication that he might not be entirely loyal to Dauntless?”

Max is right; Four had made it abundantly clear to her that he did not trust Dauntless leadership… but how would Max know that?

“So, if Four is, indeed, disloyal to his Faction, and his mom is involved in some kind of plot that involves acquiring supplies from other Factions, do you think it could be possible that he could be persuaded to play a part?”

Tris didn’t think Four could be persuaded to do much, especially by his mother who was meant to be dead, but if all of this is true, maybe she doesn’t really know him as well as she thinks.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” she asks.

“Like I’ve said. I need confirmation that it really was him who helped orchestrate the break-in at the armory. As of right now, it’s just a theory. A highly probable theory, but a theory none the less. Once we establish whether he was involved, we’ll then need to determine if he knows anything else.”

“Okay…”

“Your ex-boyfriend isn’t exactly the most social of people. He’s been here four years and from what I gather he only has one friend and has only had one relationship in that time. Even his friendship appears to be superficial, and from what I’ve heard, it’s strained at the moment.”

“You sure hear a lot of things,” Tris blurts, eliciting a chuckle from Max. She has an idea as to where he’s going with this, but hopes her intuition is wrong.

“What I need from you is for you to figure out a way to get him to admit what he’s done. Once we know for sure, we have some options as to how to find out if he knows anything else.”

Tris stares at him in disbelief. “What makes you think he’ll tell me anything? We broke up weeks ago.”

“You broke up with him, correct?”

Tris nods.

“And he still harbours feelings for you?”

She nods again. Where was Max getting his information?

“Those feelings he has for you is what make you the best person for the job,” Max says, leaning in. "Maybe you just talk to him, get him to open up over a cup of coffee or a walk. Or, if you think he'd respond better, get him drunk. Drinking can sometimes lower people's defenses. Just get him to relax however you can. If you don’t think either of those methods will work, there are a few approaches I can think of that women use to help their men relax, if you catch my drift.”

Max leans back in his chair. “I don't care how you do it. You know him better than anyone else here. Use that to your advantage."

Tris feels a chill run down her spine. "And if I’m not comfortable doing this?"

"Would you really put your own personal discomfort over the safety of Dauntless? Of all of the Factions?" Max says coolly. "We need that information, and you're our best bet."

She bites her lip, weighing her options. He’s right. While the idea of manipulating Four doesn’t sit well with her, after all that she’s learned today, she knows she doesn’t really have a choice. "Fine," she says curtly.

"Good," Max replies, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "I'll leave the approach to you. Just get us what we need. I know you were meant to shadow me tomorrow, but this is more important. Take the day off and see what you can come up with."

“What happens if I can’t do it?”

Max chuckles. “As far as I can tell, you’ve accomplished everything you’ve set your mind to since transferring. I have no doubt that you can manage this too. Just keep positive. You’re dismissed for the day.”

Tris makes her way to the door, anger bubbling up in her as she starts to doubt whether leadership is the right fit. Before opening the door, she turns back towards Max.

“Is this why you agreed to let me try out?” she asks. “You told Eric you weren’t interested in me joining, and then suddenly, you’re calling me in and offering me a spot. Was this the reason you changed your mind?”

Max smiles. “Don’t over think it, Tris. Whether or not this had anything to do with why I decided to give you a second chance doesn’t matter. You’re getting the chance you wanted and I’m giving you a fair shot. Show me how hard of a worker you are, show me you can get along with current leadership and prove to me how dedicated you are to this Faction and the spot is yours.”

It's not hard to read between the lines. Max definitely changed his mind when he realised how he could use her to his benefit. Too angry to respond, Tris exists, slamming the door behind her.

Chapter Text

Tris marches up to Eric’s door and knocks repeatedly. She knows he’s in there. They had discussed getting together and she had checked his office first.

She continues knocking firmly, until he finally answers the door. Without greeting, she pushes her way past him until she’s in the middle of his apartment then turns to look at him, arms crossed.

“Did you know about this?” she asks as he closes the door.

“About what?” he replies, stunned by her behaviour.

“Did you know that the reason Max offered me a shot at leadership was because he thought he could use me to get information about Four’s mom – who I assume you know is alive – and whatever it is she’s planning with the Factionless?”

Eric closes his eyes and scratches at the back of his neck. “I…” he starts.

“You did, didn’t you?”

“Maybe we should sit down,” he suggests cautiously.

“Is this why you wanted me to join? That first night when we talked about leadership after the Pit? Was this the reason?”

His eyes grow wide. “No. Not at all,” he insists.

Tris purses her lips.

“I swear. Please, sit down and let me explain?”

She clenches her jaw and breaths heavily through her nose. “Fine,” she concedes, moving to the couch and sitting down. “Explain.”

Eric walks towards the couch and sits down next to her. “I’ve always thought you would be great in leadership. I think you figured this out already, but at the end of initiation I was the one who recommended you to Max.”

Tris nods.

“That night at the Pit, Four’s mom hadn’t even crossed my mind. We were just having a nice time and talking to you reminded me of how much I thought you’d be a good fit, so I brought it up. I promise it had nothing to do with Four or his mom.”

He pauses, trying to tell by her face whether she believes him. Her expression gives nothing away.

“But then…I tried hyping you up to Max, but with this Four crap coming to light, he had his reservations. I could tell he was leaning towards saying no. I didn’t know what to do, but then you mentioned how long Lauren had been worried about him, and how he was distant even before you broke up and I realized the timeline fit with the break-in in the armory – Max did tell you about that right?”

“Yes,” Tris replies, nodding.

“So the day after we talked about that, Max called me into his office and told me that he just couldn't justify extending you an offer. Not with everything that had happened. Well, I panicked, and I told him what I had figured out and I…I’m not proud of it…but I suggested that you might have some sway over Four and that we could use that to try to gain information about what Evelyn and the Factionless are up to.”

"It was your idea," Tris says, her eyes widening.

Eric nods.

“I was desperate. I thought I’d have a chance to warn you, but it all happened so fast after I brought it up. I thought he’d at least let you settle in a bit and get to know everyone before he even thought of bringing it up to you. I mean, for fuck’s sake, you haven’t even been there a week. It feels reckless of him to ask you to do something like this before at least trying to gain your trust. The Factionless haven’t made a move in weeks, there was no rush.”

“They stole from Amity and set fire to some of their crops,” Tris says simply. “Max took me there earlier when he met with Joanna.”

Eric furrows his brow. “So that means… In the last three months they’ve stolen from three of the five factions.”

“That’s one faction a month. Do you think they’ll steal from the others?” Tris can’t help but ask despite her anger.

Eric shrugs. “It’s hard to say. How much did Max tell you about the break-in here at Dauntless?”

“Not much, just that they stole from the armoury and you guys haven’t fully confirmed how they managed to get in undetected.”

Eric nods. “Did he tell you that they were interrupted? That one of our guys was shot and the Factionless fled with much less than we think they intended to get?”

“He said they were interrupted, but not that anyone was hurt,” Tris replies with concern. “Is the person who was shot okay?”

“No, she’s not.”

Tris thinks for a minute. She…a little over a month ago…

“Kiera.”

Eric nods solemnly.

“But I thought she got caught up in a skirmish between the Factionless. That she was shot while out doing rounds?”

“We couldn’t tell the truth. One of our own, shot and killed on Dauntless property while we were being robbed? That would have caused widespread panic, and we couldn’t have that. So, we came up with a story that people would easily accept without questions.”

Tris sits silently, taking a moment to let everything Eric has said sink in.

“Max mentioned that he isn’t telling Abnegation even though all the other Factions know now. He was adamant that they shouldn’t know. It seems strange. Shouldn’t we all be working together on this?”

Eric stares up at the ceiling and scratches at his neck again.

“You know something, don’t you?” Tris asks.

He sighs and looks back at her. “I’m telling you this in confidence, do you understand me? This is privileged information. Under no circumstances are you to share this with anyone.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t know all of the details, but Max and Jeanine are convinced that Abnegation leadership is working with Evelyn.”

Tris blinks at him in disbelief. “What?”

“You know how the Erudite feel about the Abnegation. They’ve been saying for years that Abnegation are hiding things. That they aren’t who they pretend to be. That no one could be that selfless. And with Evelyn’s ties to her old faction – ”

“Evelyn left Abnegation nearly fifteen years ago. Marcus was abusing her. They can’t really think after all this time that she’d trust him enough to work with him?”

“Like I said, I don’t know the details. I just know that it’s the reason Abnegation is being kept in the dark.”

“So you’re telling me that between Max, Jeanine and Jack they haven’t been able to come up with anything? That they have so little information they are going to rely on a 17-year-old girl’s ability to get information out of her ex-boyfriend? An ex-boyfriend we don’t even know for sure knows anything?”

“He knows something.”

Tris narrows her eyes at him. “And you’re sure of that?”

“The timeline fits. Him being distant. His behaviour changing. It all lines up with the break-in. There was no forced entry. None of the alarms went off. It was timed perfectly so that no one should have been around. If Keira hadn’t been trying to catch up on inventory in the middle of the night, we might not even have known anything was missing for a least a week. We went back and looked over the camera footage to see if we could find anything, but it had been wiped. Managing all of that as an outsider would have been nearly impossible. They had to have had help from someone on the inside. And even then, it would have taken incredible skill. There aren’t a lot of people who can hack our system undetected, but there’s a good chance your ex-boyfriend could have managed it. Add that to the fact that his mom is leading the Factionless? It feels like too much to just be a coincidence.”

Tris sits for a minute, taking it all in.

“I hate that everything you’ve said makes sense. It’s no wonder he can’t control his emotions lately. If he was in charge of letting them in, he would have done everything he could to make sure no one got hurt. If he was the one who did this, then he probably blames himself for Kiera’s death. I can’t even imagine how you would begin to forgive yourself for something like that, especially when he probably doesn’t have anyone to talk to about it.”

They’re silent for a moment before Eric speaks again.

“I didn’t mean to throw you into the deep end. I just wanted you to get the chance you deserved. Please say you believe me?”

Tris shakes her head.

“I want to believe you,” she says, looking into his eyes. “I really do. But I keep running through how it all went down. You could have been manipulating me from the start. First, you find out about Four and me, and then not even an hour later you ask me if I’d be interested in joining leadership. The next day I get called into Max’s office because someone has told him about Four. Considering everything you’ve admitted to telling Max already, for all I know it was you. Or you were one of the people anyways. But now it’s complicated and I’m doubting myself, so Max can’t just flat out ask me to join without me getting suspicious. So, you let me stew for a while, make me think it isn’t going to happen and then Max comes up with all these extra rules for me so that I don’t question the fact that he’s offering me a position even though he shouldn’t.”

“That’s a pretty elaborate theory. I think you’re giving me more credit than I deserve if you think I came up with all of that.”

“Well, I don’t buy for a second that you ‘panicked’ and just threw the idea out there. I’ve never once seen you panic. You are too rational and calculated for that.”

Eric takes a deep breath. “You’re right.”

Tris’ eyes grow wide.

“Not about your whole conspiracy theory. That’s just insane. But about the fact that I didn’t panic, and I didn’t just randomly throw the idea out there. I knew that if all else failed this idea would push Max to make the decision I wanted him to make, but this isn’t the way I wanted it to happen. When Max turned down the idea of you joining, that’s when I had no other choice but to make this suggestion. So again, you were right, I did manipulate someone, but it wasn’t you. It was Max.”

Tris shakes her head again. “Even if that is true, why didn’t you come to me first? Why didn’t you explain all of this to me? Why weren’t you just honest with me?”

“I couldn’t tell you because I wasn’t allowed to explain everything that was going down with the Factionless to someone who wasn’t part of leadership. If I had told you and someone found out I could have lost my job. Besides, I doubt you would have gone for it and then you would have been stuck at that shop and you are so much more than that place.”

“And you think it’s better that I’m part of leadership not for my skills, not for my brain, not for my work ethic but because I happen to have been fucking a guy who may or may not be a traitor?”

“Jesus, Tris, that’s not what this is – ”

“Yes, it is. That’s exactly what this is. I can’t believe you put me in this position. If I don’t do this, if I refuse, I could be putting the safety of the entire Faction at risk. Heck, the safety of all the Factions. So I don’t even really get a choice in the matter. No, I get to go back to my ex-boyfriend, who I broke up with for a reason, and try to get information out of him by sleeping with him.”

Eric's eyes widen in shock. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, did you and Max not discuss that part? He made it pretty clear that if Four wasn’t willing to open up to me just by talking that I should try different approaches, you know, what women do, if you catch my drift to get him to relax in order to coax the information out of him.”

Eric blinks a few times before his face scrunches up in disgust. “Fuck that. You aren’t doing that. If talking to him isn’t enough, then we throw the plan out and come up with a new one. I will not allow Max to…prostitute…you for information.”

Tris rolls her eyes. “How the hell else did you think this would play out?”

“I don’t know. But I definitely didn’t expect Max to ask my girlfriend to have sex with her ex-boyfriend to get information.”

“Girlfriend, huh? That’s rich.”

“I just meant…”

“It doesn’t even matter. I need to leave. I can’t talk about this with you anymore. I need to figure out what I’m going to do.”

“Please, just stay. We can figure this out together.”

Tris snorts. “I think you’ve done enough,” she says, walking towards the door.

“Are we okay?” Eric asks timidly.

Tris turns to look at him before answering.

“We are definitely not okay,” she replies angrily before opening the door and slamming it behind her. 

Tris heads back to her apartment, her confrontation with Eric and the weight of the day having drained her. Her head spins with confusion as she locks the door behind her and collapses onto the couch.

Her mind races as she thinks back on her exchanges with Max and Carter. The vote for her to join leadership had come out three to two. Max’s opinion wasn’t included in the vote, but it was clear he only asked her to join because of her relationship with Four. Carter had voted for her but only because he assumed she was easy, and he could manipulate her. She’d like to think Eric’s intentions were pure, but with everything going on and all the private conversations they’d had about Four that he’d shared with Max, she can’t help but doubt him. She’d originally thought Khloe was on her side, but now she is left to wonder if it was Vivica or Sam who was the third yay vote. And whoever it was, did they do so knowing Max’s intentions? Or were they honestly open to giving her a shot? At the moment, it feels as though no one was ever really on her side.

When this opportunity presented itself, Tris had been so excited to prove herself and so grateful that she wouldn’t be stuck at the shop for the rest of time, but it was clear to her now that even if she did as Max asked, she would never feel comfortable being a part of leadership. No matter how this all played out, she was going to have to go back to the shop and beg for her job back.

She feels the familiar sting behind her eyes before tears begin to fall. How could she have been so naive?

As she sits there, sobbing uncontrollably, her phone buzzes with an incoming text. She wipes her eyes enough to read the message from Christina. "Hey Tris, want to meet up with us for drinks at the Pit? It’s been a while, and we miss you."

The thought of being alone in her apartment obsessing over everything suddenly becomes unbearable. With a deep breath, she decides to go. She quickly changes into jeans and a t-shirt. Conscious of her tear-streaked and puffy face, she heads to the bathroom and puts on some makeup, carefully covering the evidence of her breakdown. She grabs her com, takes one last look in the mirror, and heads out the door, determined to push everything aside and enjoy the company of her friends.

As Tris arrives at the Pit, she is greeted by the familiar buzz of chatter and laughter. She spots Christina waving her over and summons a smile, hoping it reaches her eyes.

"Hey, Tris!" Christina exclaims, enveloping her in a hug. "It’s so good to see you. We’ve missed you."

Tris nods, her voice barely above a whisper. "I’ve missed you too."

Christina, sensing something is off, offers her a drink. Tris accepts it gratefully, the cool liquid sliding down her throat in one swift motion. She places the empty glass on the table, managing a grateful smile to her friend.

"Let’s dance!" Christina says, grabbing Tris’s hand and leading her to the dance floor.

Tris follows, letting the music wash over her. She tries to lose herself in the rhythm, moving to the beat, but her heart isn’t in it. Every move feels mechanical, every smile forced. The weight of everything too heavy to shake off.

After a few minutes, she gives up and heads to the bar, needing a stronger distraction. She’s never been drunk before but there’s no time like the present. She orders a couple more drinks and downs them quickly, hoping the alcohol will provide her with temporary relief from the stress of her situation.

As she turns back to face the dance floor, she sees Christina watching her with concern. Tris knows her facade is cracking, and despite the alcohol dulling her senses, she can’t escape her thoughts. This was a bad idea. She takes a deep breath, turns away from the bar, and heads for the exit. She starts walking, half drunk, sad and feeling utterly worthless. Unsure of where she's going, but certain that the Pit is not the solution to her problems. Soon, she finds herself on the familiar walk to his place.

When she arrives at his door, she starts to second guess herself but forces herself to knock before she can talk herself out of it. She can hear footsteps on the other side of the door, and she wraps her arms around her stomach, self-conscious about just showing up like this after their last conversation.

The door swings open and she looks up at him, noting briefly that he is shirtless before meeting his eye. He looks back at her in silence, the expression on his face unreadable.

She continues looking at him as his eyes search her face – for what, she doesn’t know.

“You’ve been crying,” he says simply.

She looks down at the floor, embarrassed that he’s able to see the signs of her breakdown through the makeup.  “I didn’t know where else to go.”

He nods, scratching his forehead and looking at her contemplatively. She bites the inside of her cheek wondering if she should say more.

“Do you want to come in?” he says, finally.

She knows it’s a bad idea and she should go home, sober up and take tomorrow to work through everything that’s happened today, but the last thing she wants is to be alone with her thoughts right now.

“Yeah,” she says, barely above a whisper.

“Okay,” he replies before turning around and walking back into his apartment, leaving the door open for her.

Her eyes run across his back, his tattoo fully exposed to her. She takes a few seconds to look it over. First is the Dauntless symbol, then that of Abnegation, followed by Candor, Erudite, and finally Amity. It’s been a while since she’s seen it, and it’s just as breathtaking now as it was the day she first saw it.

She swallows hard before stepping into his apartment and shutting the door.

Chapter Text

She follows him in, watching as he makes his way to the kitchen and fills a glass of water from the kitchen tap. Downing the water, he sets it in the bottom of the sink and looks over at her. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"

She shakes her head a little too hard, her vision blurs reminding her of the drinks she had at the Pit. “I don’t want to talk about him."

He leans back against the counter eyeing her thoughtfully. She wishes she could tell what was going on in his mind.

“Why are you here?” he asks.

She looks down at her hands, picking at her fingernails. She doesn't know where to start. She hadn’t planned on coming here, but the alcohol gave her a false sense of courage and now that she’s here she may as well take advantage of the opportunity.

“Tris?”

“I spent the day with Max,” she starts. “I didn't realize how much goes on in leadership that most of us aren’t aware of. I wonder if I was better off not knowing,” she says, still looking down at her nails.

“What happened?”

She sighs and looks up at him. “I shouldn’t be here,” she says truthfully. “I… I would be in big trouble if anyone found out I told you.”

He straightens as he looks at her with concern. "Tris what is it?”

“I…how do I even tell you this?” If what Max and Eric think about Four being involved with the break-in is true, then he already knows his mom is alive, but since she can’t directly accuse him, she decides starting with that information is the best way to open the conversation. "Do you have anything to drink? Something strong?”

His brow furrows. “What? Why?”

“I just think it’ll be easier for you to hear this if you’ve had a couple of drinks.”

He blinks, looking her over. “I think you may have already had a few."

“Well, maybe you need to catch up to me then?” She suggests.

He inhales deeply through his nose and its obvious he has something on his mind. She waits for him to speak watching as he turns and grabs a bottle and two glasses from the cupboard behind him instead. Supplies in hand, he walks over to the island and pours a shot for each of them.

“When did you start drinking?” he asks, picking up the first glass and sliding the second one towards her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you have more than one drink.”

“I haven’t…not really. Everyone was at the Pit, and…I was nervous about coming here so I may have had a drink…or two…or three…”

Her words aren’t strictly speaking true, but the alcohol is what gave her the courage and she was nervous about talking to him.

“Are you sure you should –” 

“Bottoms up,” she encourages, cutting him off while grabbing her drink from the counter and downing it in one go.

He blinks slowly before following suit. "Okay, now tell me what’s going on.”

“One more,” she says, placing her glass down next to the bottle.

He narrows his eyes at her but complies. They take their second shots in silence, and she places her glass down next to the bottle once more.

He ignores it and looks at her, eyebrows raised, waiting for her to speak.

“This morning, Zane called Max and told him he had video footage he needed him to see. Since I was shadowing Max, he brought me with him to the control room. I hadn’t really thought much about the control room. I mean, I know you work there but obviously I’ve never seen it.  All those monitors. It’s kind of overwhelming, you know?”

“What did you see Tris,” he asks, overlooking her ramblings.

“I wasn’t sure at first. It was a woman. She looked familiar but…it took me a while to place her. I’m certain now though, it was your mom…she’s alive.”

Four lets out a long, loud sigh and picks up the bottle and the glasses. He walks over to the couch and sets the glasses down, quickly pouring them each another shot. He picks up his glass and downs the brown liquid, immediately refilling it.

“I know.”

She does her best to appear surprised. "You know?”

He nods solemnly.

She makes her way over to the couch and sits down next to him. “How long have you known?”

He takes a deep breath. "She reached out to me about two years ago.”

Tris’ eyes grow wide, she was certain that he knew she wasn’t dead, but she had no idea he had known for so long. "You've known she's been alive all this time. The entire time we were together you knew?”

He nods towards her glass, encouraging her to take it.

She looks at the glass. She’s already tipsier than she’s ever been and she doesn’t want to waste this opportunity by being too drunk to remember their conversation.

She shakes her head. "I shouldn’t. I’m already five drinks deep and I don’t think those last two have hit me yet.”

He nods and picks up her glass, finishing it off quickly and pouring another.

Tris wonders if she should be concerned about how quickly and easily, he’s taking the shots. She thought a couple drinks would take the edge off, but he’s managed to catch up to her in minutes.

“When she first reached out to me, I met up with her. I needed to see for myself that it was really her,” he starts, cutting through her thoughts. “She claimed she wanted to have a relationship with me, as adults. Told me leaving Abnegation, leaving me, was the hardest thing she’s ever done. Apparently she planned on coming back for me but could never figure out how. She wanted me to leave Dauntless and join her with the Factionless. The whole time she was talking I just kept thinking about how she left me alone with him. I was just a kid and she left me with her abuser. She must have known without her there I'd end up his next victim. Everything she said just seemed hollow. I could barely look at her.  After that first meeting I pretended that it never happened and tried to convince myself she was still dead.”

They sit in silence for a minute as Tris considers his words. "Has she reached out to you since then?”

He nods. "She continued to reach out. At first it was every few months and then her messages started coming more frequently. Every two weeks, then every week and finally I agreed to meet her again just to tell her in person to leave me alone.”

He pauses and takes another shot. "When I met up with her a few months ago she tried again to convince me to leave Dauntless and join the factionless with her. Tried to convince me that we could be family. I told her I didn't need her, that she wasn't my family, and she never would be. I told her that I had you now and that you were going be my family, that I could see a future with you. I told her that we were in love and that one day we would get married, and we would have kids, and I would finally have a family that I deserve. The family that I always wanted.”

Another pause. Another shot.

How many was he at now?

“She told me that I was being naive and that no one from Dauntless was going to love me the way that I wanted, that no one was going to give me the family that I wanted. I told her she was wrong and that she didn't know you. I yelled at her and I laughed. When I got home, that's when I brought up wanting to get married and have kids with you.”

He pauses and looks at her, searching her face for a reaction.

She didn’t know what she was expecting from the conversation, but this isn't it. Arguing over marriage and kids had been a major point of contention between them. Finding out the reason he had brought it up wasn’t even about her but rather an attempt to settle an argument with his mother, a mother Tris didn’t even know was alive at the time, was making her head spin. She points to her glass, silently requesting another. He complies and they both take a shot before he continues.

“I scared you. I could see it on your face immediately. But I needed to know that I was right. I needed to prove her wrong. I needed to know that you were going to be the family that I wanted…that I needed, but every time I brought it up after that it pushed you further and further away.”

His eyes look glossy, and she wonders whether or not it’s the alcohol...or something else.

“I should have just told you.” He continues. “I should have explained what was going on. I should have tried to make you understand where I was coming from. But no, I just kept pushing and eventually I realized I had gone too far. I had pushed you away and at that point I just felt like I had nothing left.”

He pauses again and it’s clear now that he is trying to hold back tears. She’s never seen him this emotional before.

“Eventually I went back to her, and I told her I was ready to leave Dauntless and join the factionless for her. At first, she seemed so happy. She started talking about us being a family again and how she couldn’t wait for me to leave Dauntless and be with her. She kept saying that she loved me and that she was so proud of me for making this choice. I let myself believe that she meant what she was saying,” he says with a sad smile. “That's when she told me there was something she needed me to do before leaving. I was stupid and naive, and I should have recognized that she was just manipulating me.”

Tears start silently rolling down his cheeks and Tris reaches over and squeezes his hand.

“I agreed to do what she wanted. At the time it didn't seem like that big of a deal. Noone was going to get hurt and I chose to ignore that in the long run there would be consequences. But it didn't play out the way I thought it would... the way it was supposed to. Someone did get hurt, and when I got back to her after it all happened, she didn't care. She didn't care that someone was hurt, she didn’t care that I blamed myself, she was just pissed that the plan went sideways. She blamed me for screwing it up. And that's when I realized this was never about being a family. From the beginning, this was about what she needed from me. And like an idiot, I fell for her bullshit. She hasn’t tried to contact me since that night.”

His tears come fast and hard, and Tris’ own eyes begin to water.

“All I wanted to do was talk to you and explain it to you, but I felt so guilty for what happened and all we had been doing was fighting so I just shut down and I shut you out and a couple weeks later you broke up with me.”

Tris doesn’t know what to say. She’d only hoped to learn whether or not he'd been involved in the robbery. She wasn't expecting him to be this emotional or for their break-up to come up. She wonders if maybe they would still be together if he'd just been honest with her from the beginning.

Instead of speaking, she raises herself up onto her knees next to him on the couch and drapes her arms around his neck, pulling him into an awkward side hug. In response, he wraps his arms are around her waist, lifting her up and pulling her onto his lap, a leg bent on either side of him. She goes rigid, their new, intimate position startling her. Her mind briefly flits to Eric as she notes how inappropriate it feels to be straddling her ex-boyfriend while in a relationship…even if she’s not sure where they stand.

Four’s tears turn to sobs as he buries his face into the crux of her neck and, going against her better judgment, she tries to relax as she begins gently raking her fingernails through his hair, something she used to do whenever he would wake up shaking from a nightmare about his father.  

She sits silently, allowing him to release the emotions he’s clearly been holding in for weeks now. When his sobs quiet and his tears stop, he lifts his head from her shoulder and looks at her.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, embarrassed. “I can’t believe I just dumped that all on you.”

She shakes her head and lifts her hands to his face, instinctively using her thumbs to brush away the last of his tears. “Don’t be sorry.”

They stare at each other, lost in the moment, until Tris catches his eyes flitting down to her lips and she’s suddenly reminded both of their position and his state of undress. It’s barely noticeable, almost as though they are in slow motion, but he starts to move his face towards hers and she sure he’s moving in for a kiss.

She moves fast, shifting her weight to one side and swinging her leg off of him. It’s anything but graceful and her head spins at the speed of it, but she’s successfully managed to avoid his advances.

She looks over at him tentatively, he seems startled by her sudden relocation but plays it off quickly, sitting up straighter on the couch.

“It’s late.” He says, looking at her curiously. “I have to work in the morning.”

“I’ll go,” she says quietly. It’s a bit sudden, and their exchange feels somewhat unfinished, but she’s grateful he’s giving her an excuse to leave.

“You could stay,” he offers.

“What?”

“I just…it would be nice not to be alone right now.”

She looks him over. His eyes are rimmed red from the tears, his hair is disheveled, and his shoulders slumped. He looks broken.

“I’m sorry, I…I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she replies apologetically, forcing herself to ignore the part of her heart that is breaking for him.

She stands up quickly before she can change her mind. Maybe a little too quickly, because her vision goes black, and she stumbles backwards. Four stands up and grabs her forearms, steadying her. She blinks a few times until she regains her vision. She tries to take a step back from Four but she’s unsteady on her feet and she stumbles again.

Was the room spinning like this a minute ago? She thinks to herself.

“Are you okay?” he asks, concerned.

She looks up at him. Why is there two of him?

“I think maybe you should sit down,” he suggests. “I didn’t realize you were this drunk.”

She ignores his suggestion and shakes her head.

“I’m not that drunk…at least…I didn’t think I was until I stood up,” she responds gripping his forearms.

He nods in understanding.

“That can happen. It doesn’t always hit you until you change positions.”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, letting go of him and standing upright.

“I’m okay,” she says unconvincingly. “I’ll be fine.”

She turns towards the door and stares at it. She’s dizzy and the room is spinning. She takes two shaky steps before stumbling forward until she’s able to steady herself on the door frame.

“I think it might be safer for you to stay,” she hears his voice ring out from behind him.

She shakes her head.

“I should get home,” she argues weakly.

“Please,” he begs walking towards her. “You can’t walk home like this. Stay. Sleep. Go home in a few hours once the alcohol wares off.”

No, she needs to go. She can’t spend the night here.

She shakes her head again.

“I don’t trust you to make it home like this. Just stay.” he pleads. “I want you to stay. You should stay.”

She looks up at him.

“Please stay,” he begs, looking back at her with sad, tired eyes.

“Okay,” she concedes, defeated. She knows it’s a terrible idea, but he looks so sad, and her Abnegation side gets the better of her. Besides, he’s right, there’s no way she’s making it home in her current stare. “I’ll stay.”

He smiles and reaches out for her hand. She accepts it and before she can protest, he’s leading her to his bed. She should argue, insist on sleeping on the couch, but the room is still spinning and suddenly she’s too tired to speak so when he pulls the covers back for her, she crawls in without a second thought. He covers her with the blanket before getting in on the other side and within minutes they are both asleep.

The first time she wakes up, it is still dark out and it takes her a second to remember where she is. When she does, she wills herself to get up and leave, but she’s shivering violently and the room hasn’t stopped spinning, so instead, she scoots closer to the warmth on the other side of the bed. She stops short of touching him, but he shifts in his sleep, and she feels an arm wrap around her waist, pulling her flush against his bare chest. His body heat is exactly what she needs right now and as her shivers subside, she falls back asleep.

The next time she wakes up, the room is dimly lit by the rising sun and she’s shivering again. Although less violently than the last time. She shifts in the bed and realizes she’s alone. She lifts her head and scoots herself up against the headboard. The room is no longer spinning, but the pounding that’s started in her head is no better.

She groans and searches the room for Four. He emerges from the bathroom, fully dressed, looking no worse for the ware despite having drank as much as her, if not more.

“Good morning,” he says, walking over to her and handing her a glass of water and a painkiller. “How are you feeling?”

She blinks and accepts his offering without question, tossing the pill into her mouth and downing the glass of water.

“You may want to chill on the water,” he says. “You need to hydrate, but your stomach might not be too happy with you.”

She shakes her head.

“My stomach is fine, but my head is pounding.”

“For now,” he replies. “It doesn’t always hit you right away.”

“How come you seem fine?” she asks.

He chuckles.

“I’m a lot bigger than you are and I’ve been drunk enough times to build up a bit of a tolerance. Was that your first time?”

“Yeah,” she says, nodding. “You never drank when we were together.”

“Things change,” he responds with a shrug.

They look at each other in silence for a moment before he speaks again.

“I have to get going. You’re welcome to stay. There’s hot coffee in the pot and some cereal in the cupboard.”

She shakes her head.

“Thank you, but I should get home,” she says swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up.

“Oh god,” she says quietly as a wave of nausea hits her and she starts shivering once more.

“I had a feeling that was going to happen.”

“Why do people do this to themselves?” she asks candidly.

He gives her a sympathetic smile as she takes a step towards him, her body shaking from the absence of the blanket.

“Here,” he says, pulling his sweatshirt over his head and handing it to her. “I think you need this more than I do.”

She accepts it, putting it on immediately. Its warm and smells like him. Her mind is floods with memories of when they were still together.

“Thank you.”

He nods in response.

They make their way to the door and when they are on the other side, he turns towards her.

“Are you okay to get home on your own? I’d walk you but I’m already running a bit late and with my suspension from training I can’t really afford to mess up my job at the control room.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He stares at her silently for a moment and she can tell he wants to say something.

“Tris…” he starts.

She waits patiently for him to continue.

“Never mind,” he says shaking his head. “Are you going to be able to get some rest? Or do you have to go to work?”

“I’m off today.”

“Good.”

She expects him to head out, but he continues to look at her. She starts to feel uncomfortable under his watch. His eyes flit down to her lips, and she instinctively takes a step back from him.

“I guess I should go,” he says awkwardly.

“Have a good day,” she responds, quickly turning and walking in the direction of her apartment before he can say, or do, anything else.

The walk to her apartment feels like an eternity as she spends most of it trying to ignore the urge to puke. When she finally reaches her destination, she’s surprised to find Eric knocking at her door.

Chapter Text

Eric's POV

He raises his fist, preparing to knock, but before he can, he hears his name being called out from behind him.

When he turns around, he sees Tris walking towards him.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, approaching him.

He’s surprised she’s already been up and out of her apartment at this hour.

“I wanted to check in with you before heading to work. I don’t like the way we ended things last night. I hope that’s okay.”

She looks tired. Sick maybe?

She nods in response, opening the door to her apartment as he steps aside to allow her access.

He stands awkwardly outside of her door, wondering if he should follow her.

“You can come in,” she says from inside.

He walks inside, closing the door behind him.

“I brought you coffee,” he offers.

She takes it from him and sits down on her couch.

“Thanks.”

He makes his way around her coffee table to sits down next to her.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

She nods in response.  Shivering, she puts her free hand in the pocket of the hoodie she’s wearing and brings the warm coffee up to her nose inhaling its scent.

“Are you sure?”

She opens her mouth to respond but is interrupted by a buzzing coming from her pocket. She pulls out her com device and looks it over. Swiping the message away after reading it, she places the com down on the coffee table.

“Sorry, why are you here again?”

He furrows his brow at her behaviour. Is this her way of saying she’s still upset with him?

“I…” he starts but is cut off.

“I don’t think I can do this,” she says abruptly.

His heart drops. What does she mean by this?

“Talk? I can come back later if you want,” he offers.

She shakes her head.

“No, I don’t mean this conversation. I mean all of it.”

He swallows hard. Is she ending things with him?

“You mean…us?”

She shakes her head again and rubs her eyes.

“No…well…that’s another conversation. What I mean is Leadership. I think I’m done with Leadership. With Max…Carter…Khloe…with shadowing. With all of it.”

His hands feel weak, and his breath is rapid, but he does his best to push down the panic he’s experiencing about their relationship and focuses on her comments about Leadership.

“Is this because of what Max asked you to do? Or did something else happen?”

She lets out a long sigh.

“Nobody wants me there, Eric. Not really.”

“That’s not true. I want you there. And the vote – “

“ – the vote was crap,” she says, cutting him off.

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter.  Of course it matters. Explain it to me. Please.”

She rubs her eyes again and looks up at him sadly.

“Carter only voted for me because he thought I’d be an easy lay and that we could come to some kind of arrangement and Khloe didn’t vote for me at all.”

Eric’s eyes widen in shock and his blood starts to boil.

“He said that to you?” he asks, nostrils flared, teeth clenched.

“It was the last thing he brought up to me after I finished shadowing him. He went on about how I used Four and how I’m using you to get what I want and that he figured I could use him the same way to secure my spot in leadership as his assistant.”

He stands, feeling the heat rise up his neck.

“I’m going to kill him.”

Tris shakes her head.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m never going to have to work with him again, so it’s not worth it.”

“Come on Tris. Don’t let one asshole stop you from getting what you want.”

She snorts.

“One? Really? Because from where I stand, it’s starting to look like everyone in Leadership is an asshole.”

Eric sits back down next to her.

“That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it? Max and Carter just see me as an object to be manipulated for their benefit. Khloe, as it turns out, voted against me joining. And don’t get me started on everything you’ve done.”

“What do you mean Khloe voted against you?”

Tris shrugs.

“I don’t know any more than that. Just that she didn’t vote for me.”

“According to who?”

“Carter. But he has no reason to lie.”

Eric takes a few deep breaths, trying to work out any logical reason that would have stopped Khloe from wanting Tris to join leadership.

“I’ll fix this. I’ll talk to them. All of them.”

Tris rolls her eyes.

“Just let it go, Eric.”

“I’m fixing it,” he says firmly.

She shakes her head and mindlessly takes a couple gulps of her coffee.

“Oh god,” she says quietly before standing up and racing to the bathroom.

“What’s wrong?” Eric calls after her.

His question is answered as he hears her vomiting behind the door. He moves to stand but stops when he hears her com buzzing on the table. It’s a message from Four: "Thanks for last night. It was exactly what I needed. I hope you aren't hurting too badly today." Another message follows: "When can I see you again?"

Eric sits frozen on the couch. His mind spinning. He thinks back to when she walked up to him outside. He had assumed she was up early, but had she just been getting home? A vision of her outfit flashes through his mind. He hadn’t thought twice about the hoodie she was wearing because he knows he’s seen it before, but he realizes now that she hasn’t warn it in months. He thought she looked sick when he first arrived, and she was acting strange. Now she’s puking. Is she hung over?

Did she get drunk and spend the night with Four? His stomach lurches at the thought of them together. She wouldn’t…not while she was dating him, would she? They had gotten into a fight, and yes, it was bad, but he assumed they would get through it. Could she have already given up on them?

She returns from the bathroom breathing slowly in through her nose and out through her mouth.

“Sorry.”

“Are you hung over?” he blurts out.

She closes her eyes and nods.

“First and last time.”

He wants to call her out on the messages from Four, but he shouldn’t have seen them, will she yell at him for not respecting her privacy? Does he care?

“When I got here, were you just getting home?” he asks instead.

She nods awkwardly.

“You were out all night?”

He does his best to appear calm as he waits for her to respond. Before speaking, she sits back down on the couch next to him.

“I was hoping to feel better, before talking to you about this,” she starts, “but since you’re here, I guess it’s only fair that we talk about it now.”

He braces himself for whatever she’s about to tell him.

“Last night, I was alone in my apartment, and I was stressed, overwhelmed and feeling sorry for myself. To be honest, I was having a bit of a breakdown and then I got a message from Christina asking me to meet her at the Pit. I probably should have just called it an early night and stayed in, but I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts, so I got myself together and met her there.”

Eric can feel his com buzzing in his pocket, but instead of checking it, he continues focusing on Tris.

“When I got there, she gave me a drink and I tried to just forget about everything and dance with her and everyone else, but my brain wouldn’t shut up, so I went to the bar and had a couple more drinks. It still wasn’t working so I…”

She pauses as Eric’s com continues to buzz in his pocket.

“Do you need to answer that?” she asks, taking a break from her story.

He shakes his head. “Not important.”

She looks at him apprehensively before continuing.

“Okay. Anyways, I left. But I still didn’t want to be alone. Except, all of my friends were at the Pit so after wandering a bit, I ended up…”

She stops again, looking a bit frustrated, as Eric’s com continues to buzz.

“Please just answer it,” she practically begs.

He lets out a long sigh, annoyed with whoever is blowing up his com, and pulls it out of his pocket.

“Shit,” he says looking at the screen. “It’s my reminder to get to the training room. Sometimes I go in to work early, before meeting with the initiates, so I have an alarm set to make sure I don’t forget. It’s fine. Just keep talking.”

“Eric, if you have to go, go.”

“I want to hear about the rest of your night first.”

She bites her bottom lip, and he can tell her mind is racing.

“I appreciate that, but it’s…it’s kind of a long story, I’d rather finish talking about it when we have more time.”  

She’s probably right. Based on the messages he read, he’s pretty sure he knows where this is going, and if that’s the case, this isn’t going to be a short conversation.

“Fucking initiates,” he grunts under his breath. “Fine. I’ll go, but I’m coming to find you when I send them on break. Will you be here?”

She nods.

“Try and get some sleep, okay? And maybe eat something, if you can? I know that might not be too appealing, but hopefully you’ll start feeling better soon.”

He doesn’t know how to feel right now, but he does know that despite what may or may not have happened with her and Four, he’s worried about her.

He opens up the bag he had brought along with her coffee and pulls out a bagel with cream cheese.

“I think you need this more than I do,” he says, handing it to her.

“Thank you.”

Hesitantly, he puts his hand back in the bag and pulls something else out. It was meant to be a sort of apology gift, but he’s not sure if it’s appropriate to give to her now, with everything he’s found out.

“And here,” he says, handing her a book.

She looks down at it and her eyes light up. “This is the book I was reading at the library.”

He gives her a small smile.

“After our fight last night, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I figured getting that was a better use of my time than sitting around by myself in my apartment.”

“Eric, this is…really thoughtful,” she says, her eyes welling up. “Thank you.”

“I’ll be back in a few hours,” he says, making his way to the exit. “Shower, sleep, eat,” he adds before leaving.

He arrives at the training gym cranky and anxious. The initiates have beaten him there and they stare at him expectantly as he walks towards them.

“Pair up and take turns in one of the rings. If none of them are available, find a punching bag and work on your moves there,” he barks angrily. “Now.”

The initiates scramble to do what they are told. Once they are all situated, Eric pulls out his com and hits speed dial.

“What the hell Khloe,” he all but yells when she picks up.

“Good morning to you too sunshine,” she chirps back sarcastically. “What did I do now?”

“Why did you vote against Tris joining leadership? What the hell did she ever do to you?”

There is silence at the other end of the line and Eric wonders briefly if the call has cut out.

“Khloe?”

“I’m an idiot,” Khloe says.

“Explain.”

“It’s dumb,” she starts. “I thought I was doing the best thing for you by voting against her.”

More silence.

“I’m going to need more than that Khloe,” Eric spits, irritated.

“You were just so happy to finally be dating her I didn’t want this to mess everything up. I wanted you guys to be able to have that nice fluffy honeymoon phase. You know? Giggles and awkward first kisses. Stolen glances. Hand holding. I was worried that her joining leadership would add stress to your relationship.”

“Khloe!”

“I know. I know. But I was also worried about how hard it would be on you if she did join, and you guys broke up. I can’t imagine having to work with my ex every single day. Like, ugh kill me. I just figured no one needed to know and you both might have been happier for it. But it doesn’t matter, because I was outvoted. So…my stupid decision didn’t screw anything up in the end. Please forgive me.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make. You don’t think I had already thought about all of that?”

“I don’t know. You’re…young. You haven’t had a relationship before. I was worried about you. But I know it was dumb. I regretted it immediately. I’ve been so stressed out about you finding out.”

Eric sighs. He can’t help but note how on brand this behaviour is for Khloe. Meddlesome should really be her middle name.

“You should have talked to me.”

“I know. I’m so sorry, Eric.”

He takes a deep breath and lets it out loudly.

“You’re wrong you know. Your stupid decision did screw something up. Tris found out that you didn’t vote for her and now she thinks no one wants her there.”

“But I was just one vote. She got three, right? So obviously other people want her there. And I do want her there. It was never about her.”

Eric rolls his eyes.

“One of those votes was mine. So obviously she’s not counting that the same way. Another one was Carter, and he straight up told her he only voted for her so he could sleep with her, so that doesn’t count either. I don’t know who the actual third vote was, so maybe there is genuinely one person who’s on her side. But she doesn’t trust Max either.”

“What? Why doesn’t she trust Max?”

Eric pauses, Max had been very clear that he didn’t want the others to know they suspected Four until they had solid proof.

“It’s not really my place to say.”

He can practically hear her eyeroll over the com.

“Oh, come on Eric. It’s me. Spill.”

Eric is temporarily distracted by screaming from one of the rings, when he looks up, he sees a scrawny Candor transfer gripping a larger Erudite transfer by the hair.

“Shit. I have to go deal with this. Will you be around today? Can I stop by when I send these idiots on their break?”

“I can be persuaded to have lunch at my desk if you promise you’re going to spill some premium tea.”

“What does that even mean?” he asks, exasperated. “Just be there around 12:45pm.”

He hangs up before she can respond and rushes over to the screaming initiate.

The rest of the morning drags as Eric paces the training room trying his best not to overthink what might have happened between Tris and Four.

When 12:30pm finally rolls around, he’s managed to freak himself out more than he even thought possible.

“Stop!” he yells at the initiates. “Go on your break.”

The initiates stop what they’re doing and look at him confused.

“But we don’t usually go until 1:00pm,” the scrawny Candor says.

“Well today you’re going now.”

“Do we have to be back for 1:30pm then?” asks a broad transfer from Erudite.

“No. Be back at 2:00pm like normal. Enjoy the extra 30 minutes. You won’t be getting it again.”

“Is this a trick?” a small Amity Erudite asks.

“Do I have to spell it out for you?”

The initiates stare at him blankly and he can barely contain his frustration.

“I’m giving you an hour and a half today. You can do whatever you want with that. Stay here for the next thirty minutes and spar without me or leave and enjoy the extended break. I don’t give a crap what you do. I will be back here at 2:00pm and we will continue our training then. Goodbye.”

He turns to leave, but before he can make it through the doors, Emma, the Amity transfer, runs up to him.

“Am I allowed to work on my knife skills? I could really use some practice.”

He considers it for a second. While he appreciates that she knows her shortcomings and wants to work on them its probably not the best idea to leave transfers alone with a bunch of knives. If someone is going to get stabbed, he should probably at least be in the room.

“No,” he responds simply, not wanting to extend the conversation.

“Oh, okay,” she replies, disheartened.

“Listen, I can’t leave you here unsupervised with a bunch of knives. We’ll find time for you to practice okay. Just not right now.”

She nods enthusiastically. “Thanks.”

He opens the double doors and makes his way towards the Leadership wing.

+++++++++

He walks right into Khloe’s office and sits down in front of her.

“Ever heard of knocking?” she asks, putting her tablet down.

“You’re one to talk. Have you ever knocked, even once, when coming into my office?”

Khloe shrugs.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” Eric says. “Is Max around today?”

Khloe shakes her head.

“No, he left for Erudite about an hour ago. Why what’s up?”

“Okay, everything I’m about to tell you stays between us. Work stuff and personal stuff. Not a word to anyone. Promise me.”

Khloe nods in understanding. “Of course.”

“Say the words Khloe. We both know you’re a blabbermouth. Promise me.”

Khloe rolls her eyes.

“I promise. Happy?”

“You are aware of everything that’s going on with the Factionless and the robberies, right?”

She nods.

“You know that someone at Dauntless helped them with the break-in here?”

Another nod.

“Do you know who Max suspects? Who we suspect?”

“No, Max wouldn’t tell me. He said he wanted confirmation before sharing. You know?”

“I’m the one who put the pieces together and figured out who it was. Max asked me not to share with anyone, but I need to talk to you about some stuff and I can’t do that unless you know who it is.”

Khloe motions for him to continue. “Spill!”

“It was Four.”

Khloe’s eyes grow wide.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. The women, the one we think is leading all of this, is Evelyn Eaton. She’s Four’s mom. Initially it didn’t even cross my mind that Four would have anything to do with it since he thought his mom was dead, but then I found out a few more details and it all just kind of fell into place. Now I’m sure he’s the one who’s helping her.”

“Damn, that’s wild. Okay, so what does this have to do with Tris not trusting Max?”

Eric sighs.

“I’m not sure if you know this, but Max originally said no to Tris joining leadership.”

Khloe breaks eye contact with Eric and looks down at her desk sheepishly. Eric narrows his eyes at her.

“What do you know?”

“Well…Max called the vote for her to join about a week before he actually offered her the position. He went over her credentials and also explained that Tris was the initiate Four hooked up with and that she was in a relationship with you now. Then he asked us to let him know by the end of the day what we thought. He said the vote needed to be unanimous or he wouldn’t give her an offer. Obviously, the vote wasn’t unanimous.”

“Are you fucking serious? You knew it needed to be unanimous, and you still voted against her?”

“But I wasn’t the only one. So, it doesn’t matter! Even if I had voted for her, he still wouldn’t have offered her the position,” she argues weakly.

Eric stares blankly at his best friend. Part of him wants to just get up and leave, but the other part of him desperately needs to know what she thinks about Tris spending the night with Four. He lets out a long, loud sigh.

“You’re a fucking piece of work, you know that?”

“I know,” she agrees. “Have I said I’m sorry? Because I’m really, really sorry.”

Eric narrows his eyes at her and signs once more.

“I had figured out that Four was likely involved before I found out Max wasn’t going to offer Tris a position, but I hadn’t said anything,” he continues, ignoring everything Khloe had just revealed. “So, when he told me it was a no go, I explained my theory and suggested to him that Tris might be able to help get information out of Four.”

Khloe mouth falls open.

“You didn’t!? Eric!” she exclaims, eyes wide.

“Oh, like you have a leg to stand on.”  

“Fine, continue,” she says, recoiling.

“He seemed really excited about my plan and told me he’d reconsider. I thought that was when he got everyone to vote, but I guess he just decided he didn’t care if the vote was unanimous anymore.”

“How did Tris take it when you told her what you did?”

Eric looks back at her guiltily.

“Please tell me you told her.”

He shakes his head.

“I planned to. But Max brought it up to her before I had the chance. I mean she’d only just started. All she’d done was shadow Carter. And then suddenly he’s asking her to pry information out of her ex and heavily implying that she should consider sleeping with him to get the information. Like what the fuck man.”

“Oh my God. Eric! You can be mad at me all you want, but what you did to her was way worse.”

“Come off it, Khloe.”

“No, no, no,” she says, wagging her finger at him. “I get her being a bit upset with my vote considering my relationship with you, but at the end of the day, she doesn’t know me. You’re the one who’s practically here boyfriend. What you did is way worse. You basically pimped her out to Max.”

“I did not pimp her out. Jesus Khloe. I just figured she could talk to Four. That’s all. I didn’t think Max would take it this far. And what’s a conversation vs. a career in Leadership. I know she would be amazing at it. I just wanted her to have the job she deserves.”

Khloe shakes her head. “Listen. I have no doubt that you genuinely had the best of intentions, but what you did was wrong. And if I were her, I’d have a hard time trusting you after that.”

Eric leans forward resting his elbows on Khloe’s desk and drops his head in his hands.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chants under his breath.

“Sit up,” Khloe snaps. “You’re an idiot, but what’s done is done. All you can do now is try to fix it.”

Eric lifts his head and looks at her.

“Thank you for your deep, heartfelt sympathy.”

Khloe chuckles. “You know me better than that. Now, how do you plan on fixing this?”

Eric sits up straight and looks around the room.  

“There’s more.”

“You’re shitting me. More than all that?”

He nods.

“Last night is when she found out about everything, and she showed up at my place and we got into a big blowout fight about it. When she left my apartment, she was still very much pissed off at me. I went to see her this morning and I’m pretty sure she got drunk and spent the night with Four.”

Khloe stares at him blankly before letting out a laugh. Eric glares at her in response.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s not funny. It’s just sooooo bad. How did you let this happen? Months! You pined after this girl for months. And then you finally get up the balls to ask her out and within what, a few weeks? You manage to mess it up this badly. How?”

“Could you try to be helpful for one fucking second? Please?”

Khloe takes a deep breath, reigning herself in.

“Okay. I got this. I got this. First, are you sure she spent the night with him? Like did she straight up tell you that? Second, by ‘spent the night’ do you mean slept over? Or had sex with?”

Eric scrunches up his face in disgust at the mention of Tris and Four having sex.

“When I got to her place this morning she was just getting home. She looked rough and within minutes of us talking she ran to the bathroom and threw up. While she was in the bathroom, she left her com on the table, and it went off. I looked over at it instinctively and there were two messages from Four. They said something about last night being exactly what he needed and asking if she ‘hurting today’ and wondering if he could see her again. When she got out of the bathroom, I realized she was wearing his hoodie. I think she was about to tell me what happened, but my alarm went off and I had to go deal with the initiates, so I told her to get some sleep and that I’d come back and see her during the break.”

“Huh,” Khloe says looking somewhat impressed. “You didn’t immediately bring up the messages and freak out on her?”

“I figured I shouldn’t have seen them to begin with so I couldn’t exactly bring them up and without them I had no reason to think anything of her and Four, so I was stuck waiting for her to tell me. But trust me, I was indeed freaking the fuck out, just not outwardly.”

“Okay, so you don’t really know what happened then. You’ve just jumped to conclusions based on the messages.”

Eric nods.

“Alright. Well, I’ll admit it looks bad. But you never know. Could she have gone there to get information out of him? Like Max asked her to do? Or are you thinking she was pissed at you and decided to sleep with him to get back at you? Cause I’d be tempted to do the latter, but I don’t know her.”

Eric thinks for a moment. He’d been so stuck on her having spent the night that he hadn’t really considered her motives.

“I don’t know. I don’t think she would sleep with him to spite me. I think there’s too much Abnegation left in her to hurt me like that. And I know she still cares about him, but I don’t think she feels that way about him anymore. She did seem really hung over though, and I think that was her first time being that drunk, so I don’t know for sure. Maybe she went over there hoping to get information out of him? But would she need to be that drunk to do it? And she probably could have managed it without sleeping there.”

Khloe taps her fingers on the edge of her desk and Eric knows from experience that’s she wracking her brain for ideas.

“Okay. Let’s go with your instincts. She didn’t go over there to spite you. She went over there to do what Max asked her to do. Now, if I had to lie and manipulate someone that I was once in love with, someone that, according to you, I still care about, I’d probably be pretty anxious about it. Now add to that the fact that my boss suggested sleeping with this person, this person who is clearly still in love with me, for the sole purpose of getting information out of them, I have to say, I’d need to be pretty fucking drunk to do that. So, I think that explains why she would have gotten that drunk. My question to you is, if she did sleep with him for information is that something you can get passed? And please consider the fact that it’s partially your fault for being an asshole.”

“I don’t know,” Eric answers truthfully, rubbing his eyes. “I keep picturing it and wanting to throw up. When she told me what Max said, I figured there was no way she would ever go through with it. But if she did, I just don’t know if I could trust her anymore, even if it she had a ‘reason’ to do it.”

Khloe sighs.

“You know her, Eric. Is it possible that she went there and nothing happened? That they just got drunk, they talked, and she slept on the couch because it was late?”

“That sounds way more like Tris than the other scenarios. I mean she was really upset that Max suggested it. She seemed fairly disgusted actually. But I’m scared to convince myself it was innocent and then find out it wasn’t. I’d almost rather expect the worst so I can prepare for it.”

“I get that. But at the end of the day, all of this theorizing is pointless. It’ll just drive you crazy. You said she was about to tell you something and that you were going back there to finish the conversation. You’re just going to have to suck it up, go see her and hope she tells you the truth.”

“But the longer I put it off, the longer I can pretend nothing happened.”

Khloe reaches over and pats him on the arm.

“Just go deal with it. You’ll feel better afterwards. And if not, I’ll be happy to get drunk with you tonight.”

He nods.

“I have a couple more people I need to see before I go. But I will go.”

Khloe raises her eyebrow. “What could possibly be more important that getting this over with?”

“For one, punching Carter. And two, I need to find out who voted for her and what their motivations were. She’s talking about quitting and going back to her shop job. I need to give her a reason to stay.”

“All that’s going on with you guys and you’re still worried about her future here. Lord, I hope nothing happened with Four because I can already tell it’s going to break you if something did. Listen, why don’t I go punch Carter while you talk to Vivica. I can’t say for sure, but I have a feeling she’s the one who voted for Tris.”

“Right, why don’t you talk to her, and I’ll punch Carter?”

Khloe laughs.

“I think it’s more important for you to hear whatever Vivica has to say. Besides, I have a few questions for Carter. Let me talk to him. Okay? And if he’s answers suck then I’ll let you know and you can punch him later. He’s not going anywhere.”

“What questions?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she says standing up from her desk. “Just go to talk to Vivica now and I’ll talk to Carter. I’ll call you later with an update.”

Eric huffs but nods in agreement.

“I’m probably still going to punch him at some point.”

“That’s fine. Now let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Eric grudgingly leaves Khloe outside of Carter’s office as he makes his way down the hall towards Vivica’s assistant, Carmen.

As he approaches her, Carmen raises her eyebrows in surprise.

“Is she in?” Eric asks nodding in the direction of Vivica’s door.

She shakes her head.

“Out for lunch. You can wait if you want.”

Eric groans.

“How long do you think she’ll be?” he asks, irritated.

He needs to be on his way to Tris as soon as possible if he’s going to make it back to the initiates in time.

“Eric?” I voice rings out from behind him. “Is everything okay?”

Eric turns and is relieved to see Vivica.

“Can I talk to you in your office?” he asks.

“Of course,” she says, concern in her voice.

Once they’ve made their way into her office, Eric waits impatiently for Vivica situates herself. When she is settled, he speaks.

“When Max called the vote to decide whether or not to allow Tris a chance at leadership, which way did you vote?” he asks, bluntly.

She tilts her head to the side and studies Eric intently. He shifts uncomfortably under her gaze. Vivica has this uncanny way of making him feel like she can see right through him, and he can’t stand it.

“Sit,” she says, motioning towards the chairs in front of her desk.

He wants to know what she has to say, but he’s anxious to leave and sitting feels like it’ll lead to a much longer conversation than he has time for. Nevertheless, he does as he’s told.

“Why do you ask?”

“Can you just answer the question?” Eric counters, impatiently.

Vivica silently holds eye contact as she waits for him to answer her question.

He sighs.

“She doesn’t think Leadership is the right fit for her and I’m trying to convince her it is,” he says vaguely, not wanting to break anymore of Tris’ trust than he already has.

Vivica squints at him before leaning back in her chair.

“She’s only been here a week,” she states. “She started by shadowing Carter?”

Eric nods affirmatively and Vivica sighs.

“The old man is in fine form, that may be the fastest he’s ever managed to scare someone away,” she says, shaking her head. “I wish he would learn to just keep his mouth shut. At this rate there will be no one to replace either of us when we go.”

“He’s not the only reason she’s feeling this way. There’s been a couple of other incidents that have made her feel…unwanted.”

Vivica looks at him curiously.

“You asked about my vote. I assume you found out Khloe voted against her?”

“How did you know?”

She shrugs. “Just a hunch.”

“You said a couple of other incidents,” she continues, tapping her nails against her coffee cup. “Max’s plan to figure out what’s going on with the factionless wouldn’t also have something to do with this, would it?”

Eric’s eyes grow wide.

“Is there anything you don’t know?”

"You’d be surprised by all that I know,” she says, chuckling. “I have been part of Leadership for a considerable amount of time, Eric. I have known Max since his early career when he started in the tactical department. When our previous leader was forced to resign, it was initially assumed that I would take the position. However, it was decided to appoint someone with less connection to the former leader, which I understood. Since Max's appointment, I have consistently supported him. He frequently consults me to discuss ideas. I am happy to serve as his confidant in this capacity."  

Eric had been part of leadership for a few years now, but he had no idea how close Max and Vivica were until this moment.

“What did you think then, when he came to you with his plan?”

Vivica raises her eyebrows.

“When he came to me with your plan, you mean,” she counters, narrowing her eyes at him.

Eric recoils slightly and says nothing.

“I told him that it was far too much to ask of a brand-new hire. Should this plan have been formed with a more seasoned employee at the forefront I may have been swayed otherwise. But Tris is young, she’s just a child, she’s been a member of Dauntless for under a year and she grew up Abnegation. Even one of those things should have told Max that this was not an appropriate ask, but all of them combined? It shouldn’t even have crossed either of your minds.”

Eric looks down at his hands guiltily.

“Max only spoke to me of his plan after he had already hired her. I thought I had talked him out of it. But then the unpleasant incident at Amity happened and here we are. I am sorry that the poor girl has been disheartened by her leaders to the point of resignation. I do hope you are able to convince her that Max really is a good Leader who has his staff’s best interests at heart and that she is simply seeing the worst side of him at the moment.”

Eric scoffs.

“Sure,” he replies, sarcastically.  

 Vivica purses her lips and looks at Eric sternly.

“He’s scared, Eric. He may look and act calm on the outside but trust me when I say he is terrified. Not one, not two, but three attacks in his city where he’s in charge of everyone’s safety? Three attacks that he failed to prevent. One that resulted in someone’s death. The intention behind all of which are still a mystery. He’s scared and he feels like a failure. Four’s probable involvement is the only shred of insight he has into all of this and it’s causing him to be rash and impulsive. I don’t agree with what he’s asked of Tris, but I do understand it.”

Eric hates that Max spoke to Tris so soon after she started, and he hates it even more that he suggested she use her body to get the information, but, like Vivica, he now realizes the pressure Max is under.  

Vivica reaches for her coffee and takes a sip before placing it back on her desk.

“Now, as for my vote. I didn’t take it lightly. We are in desperate need of staff, this is true. However, I believe that hiring the wrong member is worse than hiring no one at all. So, while the others may have spent a moment or two thinking about it before casting their vote, I did my due diligence. I looked through her file. I read your notes and Four’s notes. I watched as much footage of her initiate training as I could find, and I reviewed her simulation footage including her fear landscape.”

Eric is in awe. When she said she did her due diligence, she meant it.

“And what did you learn?” he asks.

"I learned that both you and Four developed a fondness for her early on," she remarks with a noticeable glint in her eye. "I also learned that she is not only a remarkably diligent worker she is determined, intelligent, and courageous. And although she is generally reserved, she does not hesitate to voice her concerns when she perceives an injustice. Would you concur?"

“I would,” Eric replies with a nod thinking back on all the moments she stood up to him during initiation.

“We need people like her in leadership. People who…have a diverse skill set. People who aren’t afraid to stand up and speak when they might disagree with Max or who simply have differing ideas because they are able to see things from multiple perspectives. Do you see where I’m going with this Eric.”

He blinks a few times, thinking back quickly on everything Vivica has said about Tris. Was she implying that Tris was a good fit for leadership because of her divergence?

“I’m…not sure,” he says, hesitant to say what he’s thinking in fear that he may be misinterpreting what she’s saying.

She tilts her head and regards him carefully.

“You posses many of the same qualities that Tris does. You are also brave and intelligent. You also see things from multiple perspectives and aren’t afraid to share your thoughts and ideas.”

She raises her eyebrows pointedly.

Does she also know that he is Divergent?

When he doesn’t respond, Vivica lets out a deep sigh.

“Max needs people like that surrounding him. People like Tris. People like you. People like me. People who don’t simply conform.”

Eric’s eyes grow wide, there’s no way he’s misinterpreting.

“You mean to say, you’re D – ”

 “Yes,” she replies, cutting him off. “Just like you. Just like Tris.”

Eric blinks rapidly. His mind is racing. Not only was Vivica Divergent but she knows they are too, and she sees it as a positive.

“Now, if you haven’t gathered the answer already, to respond to your question, I did indeed vote for Tris to join leadership and I stand by that decision. And for the record, I don’t believe for one second that she has or is using you or Four in any capacity.”

“I…don’t know what to say. Thank you. I mean it. Thank you for taking the time to explain all of this to me.”

“You are very welcome. I do hope you’re able to convince Tris to stay. I know she will be an asset to this Faction.”

“I’m going to go see her now. Hopefully between all that you’ve told me and Khloe’s insane, but well meaning, reasoning I’ll be able to convince her that she is wanted.”

“Good luck.”

Eric smiles gratefully and stands up.

“It was nice talking to you,” Vivica calls after him as he steps out of her office.

As he makes his way out of the leadership offices, he pulls his com out of his pocket to check the time. One-twenty-eight it reads. Shit, he just barely has 30 minutes to get to Tris, have their conversation and make it back to the training gym. As he starts sprinting down the hall, his com begins to vibrate in his hand.

“What is it Khloe?” he asks between laboured breaths. “I don’t have time to chat.”

“You sound like you’re in the middle of running a 5K. What’s going on?”

“What part of I don’t have time to chat did you not understand?”

“Fine. I just wanted to tell you that I talked to Carter and despite his pervy actions, he actually does think Tris is a good fit.”

Eric slows down to a jog before responding.

“What exactly did he say?”

“He basically admitted that he gave her a project he assumed was way to hard for her and would result in her failing, but that she ended up doing an amazing job and he genuinely thinks she’ll make a great assistant to whoever she ends up with.”

“But why would he want her to f…” he starts. “Oh, that asshole is good.”

“Wait what? Fill me in here,” Khloe asks, confused.

“That bastard wanted her to fail so that he could trap her into some kind agreement to keep her job.”

“That’s an impressive level of diabolicalness.”

Eric shakes his head.

“What did Vivica say?” Khloe asks as Eric approaches Tris’ door.

“I can’t talk right now. I’m finally at Tris’ apartment.”

“Wait, you’re just getting there now? Don’t you have to be back with the initiates in like twenty minutes?”

Eric rolls his eyes.

“Yes, which is why I can’t talk right now.”

“I’ll go.”

“What?”

“I’ll go meet the initiates. It’s my turn to train them starting tomorrow anyways. I’ll go introduce myself and buy you some time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Just tell me what they’re supposed to be working on.”

“Just get them to keep practicing their sparing and working with the heavy bags. Also, get Emma to help you set up some targets and take out the knives. She asked to work on her throwing skills.”

“Got it. Easy.”

“Thanks Khloe.”

“Consider it my apology for messing up the vote?”

Eric chuckles.

“Sure, Khloe,” he says, before hanging up and knocking on Tris’ door.

Tris answers the door immediately.

“I wasn’t sure if you were still coming,” she says, opening the door further to let him in.

“Sorry, I wanted to be here sooner, but I got tied up at the office.”

Eric closes the door and watches Tris walk over to her kitchen. She looks a bit better than when he saw her in the morning. Her face has been scrubbed clean of last nights makeup, and the colour has returned to her cheeks. Her hair is up in a wet bun, and she’s changed into leggings and a long sleeve screw neck sweatshirt.

“Have you eaten?” she asks, holding up two plates, “I didn’t have much to work with, but I made us some egg and cheese sandwiches. They’re probably a bit cold now.”

Eric’s stomach grumbles audibly at the sight of the food and it dawns on him that he hasn’t eaten anything all day. He’d given Tris his breakfast and when he dismissed the initiates, he was so eager to get to Tris that he hadn’t even considered stopping at the dining hall before seeking out Khloe.  

“Egg and cheese sounds good,” he replies following her to the table. They sit down and he immediately starts in on the sandwich, finishing it in only a few bites. When he looks up at Tris, she’s smiling. “Sorry, I’m just really hungry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she replies, sliding her plate over to him. “Here, you can have this one too.”

“No, you should eat.”

“I can make myself something else later, you’re the one that has to go back to work. Besides, I had the bagel not long ago. I’m not that hungry.”

He debates arguing with her more, but now that he’s eaten the first sandwich his stomach seems to have woken up and realized how starved of food it is. He picks up the sandwich and nods at her gratefully.

He takes a bite before setting it back down and looking at Tris.

“So, um how are you feeling?”

Tris shrugs. “I bit better. I’m still a kind of nauseous and the painkiller I took when I woke up wore off, so my headache is back but its not as bad. I’ve been trying to hydrate, but it took a while before I could manage to keep anything down.”

“How much did you drink?” he asks, picking up his sandwich and taking another bite.

“Too much. I’m not even sure. I know I had three drinks at the Pit but after that I lost track.”

He pauses before swallowing his bite of sandwich. He had assumed she’d been drunk before going to Four’s place, but is she saying they got drunk together?

“You kept drinking after you left the Pit?”

Tris looks away from him, nodding as she starts picking at the skin around her fingernails.

“What exactly happened last night?” he asks. “Earlier, you said you were upset and met up with your friends, but that you left but didn’t want to be alone. Where did you end up?”

He hopes his question comes off as nonchalant, but he avoids eye contact as he asks, staring at his plate instead.

“I ended up at Four’s,” she responds bluntly.

His eyes dart towards her. He knew that’s where she had gone, but his stomach still drops hearing her say it to him directly and his neck burns with jealousy.

“You ended up at Four’s,” he repeats back to her.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” she says shaking her head. “I guess I wasn’t really. But as soon as he opened the door, I knew it was a mistake. I should have just turned around and walked away. But once I’d followed him inside, he asked me why I was there and on impulse, I decided to try to get him to open up about his mom and the Factionless.”

The rational part of Eric knows he should ask how the conversation about Evelyn went, but the emotional part of him needs to know if anything happened between her and Four.

“How did questioning him about his mom turn into getting drunk?” he asks.

She shrugs.

“I thought alcohol might help him open up. We had a couple of shots and then once he started talking it was all really emotional, and he kept drinking. At some point, stuff came up about our relationship, mine and Four’s, and it kind of freaked me out so I had a bit more to drink. I didn’t realize how drunk I was until I got up to leave and the room was spinning. I couldn’t even walk in a straight line.”

In a weak attempt to buy himself time to get his emotions in check, Eric focuses on finishing his sandwich before speaking.

“You stayed the night,” he says plainly.

She nods. “I tried to leave, but I realized I didn’t trust myself to get there so I slept at Four’s,” she says, emphasizing the word slept. “Nothing happened.”

He scoffs before he can stop himself.

“I swear,” she says.

He’d been trying to keep himself calm and hear her out, but he can’t do it anymore.

“If you told me you went there to try to figure out this mess with the Factionless then I’d accept that. But that’s not what happened. We got into a fight, and you didn’t want to be alone, so you went to your ex-boyfriend’s place, for what? Comfort? That’s not nothing, Tris. Maybe nothing physical happened –”

“It didn’t,” she interjects.

“Fine, nothing physical happened, but you still went to him. I mean, I knew you still cared about him, and I know you’ve been worried about him…but fuck, Tris. This wasn’t about him. This was about us. We have our first fight, and your first instinct is to go to him?”

“That’s not fair,” she says, shaking her head. “It wasn’t like that.”

“It sure sounds like it was, so please, enlighten me.”

Her eyes start to well up and he feels a bit bad that he’s making her cry, but he deserves answers.

“We got into a fight, yes, but I was upset about so much more than that. It wasn’t like my brain went ‘oh Eric pissed me off, let me get back at him by seeing Four.’ I just couldn’t handle being alone and I didn’t have anywhere else to go. He’s not who I wanted to be with, but I couldn’t go to the person I wanted most because you were part of why I was so upset. Please believe me when I say I regretted going to see him immediately. He opened that door, and I looked at him and every part of me wished it was you.”

Tears are running down her cheeks now and he’s torn between his anger and the urge to pull her into his arms and make the tears stop.

He stands up and starts pacing.

“I’m sorry Eric,” she says with a sniffle. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

He scratches at the back of his neck and takes a few deep breaths.

“I know I broke your trust going to Max and putting you in the position you’re in. Are we going to be able to move passed that? Do you still want to be with me?”

She shakes her head aggressively. “I’m still in this. I still want this. Do you?”

“I need to know if anything happened between you and Four. Anything at all. You might think something was innocent or insignificant, but if any little part of you thinks it might hurt me to know, tell me now.”

As her tears subside, she runs her fingers across her cheeks wiping the last of them away.

“Okay,” she says, biting her lip.

He sits back down and waits in silence for her to continue.

“Well…” he says, when she doesn’t say anything.

“I…he was just so vulnerable and emotional. I just feel kind of like I’ll be betraying his trust by telling you what happened.”

He narrows his eyes at her.

“Make a choice Tris. Is it me or him?”

She nods in understanding biting the inside of her cheek.

“When he was telling me everything that happened, he started crying. I held his hand to help him get through it. By the time he finished the story, he was full on sobbing. I tried to give him a hug, but we were sitting on the couch next to each other, so it was kind of hard at that angle, he…” she pauses and takes a deep breath, “he pulled me onto his lap and clung to me until his tears subsided. I was uncomfortable but I didn’t have it in me to move. When he stopped crying it seemed like he was going to try to kiss me, so I jumped off him.”

She looks at Eric, expectantly. He does his best to hold his anger inside. If he blows up now, she’s more likely to hold back to spare his feelings, and he needs to know everything.

Realizing he has no intention of speaking, she continues.

“I hadn’t planned on staying there. I wish I had drunk less and was able to leave like I meant to. But after standing up there was just no way that was happening. So, I agreed to stay. When he led me to his bed, I should have protested and slept on the couch, but I was to far gone to argue so I just got in and passed out. At some point in the night his arms were around me but when I woke up, I was alone in the bed.”

He stands back up and starts pacing again. They might not have had sex, but they sure seemed to have shared quite a few intimate moments over the course of the evening.

“Is that everything?” he asks through gritted teeth, trying to contain his hurt and jealousy.

“When I left, I think he wanted to kiss me, but I moved away from him before he could do anything. That’s everything that happened. He did message me this morning asking if he could see me again, but I haven’t answered him.”

Eric wanders around her living room, trying to digest everything she’s said. They may not have ever defined their relationship, and what she did may not be strictly speaking cheating, but he can’t help but feel some level of betrayal.

“Eric?” she calls tentatively from her spot at the kitchen table.

“Just give me a minute,” he says, refusing to look at her.

After a bit more pacing, he returns to the kitchen.

“Was it worth it?” he asks.

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Were you successful? Did he confess?” he clarifies.

“Oh, I…if, I mean, if he did do it, how much trouble will he be in?”

He rolls his eyes.

“If he helped orchestrate a break-in that put our weapons in the hands of a rebel faction and resulted in the death of one of our members, don’t you think he deserves to be punished?” Eric spits angrily. “Why do you insist on protecting him after everything he’s done to you? Holding you back from leadership, scaring you about being Divergent, hurting your, berating you in front of Lauren, practically stalking you, trying to turn you against me and whatever else. I don’t get it. He doesn’t deserve your loyalty, Tris.”

“Maybe you’re right,” she says, standing. “But you weren’t there, Eric. You didn’t see how torn up he was. You didn’t see him crying. You don’t understand why he did it. You didn’t see and hear the regret. This broke him. He’s not the Four I used to know. The guilt is tearing him up inside. He got manipulated by someone who is supposed to love him unconditionally and what he did for her got somebody killed. And for what? Nothing. Because in the end, the lies she fed him were just that, lies. When the ‘mission’ or whatever went south she blamed him, and they haven’t spoken since.”

Eric doesn’t know how to feel. He can’t stand Four for multiple reasons, but he also can’t imagine what it must feel like to be betrayed by your own mother.

“So, he confessed.”

Tris lets out a loud sigh and sits back down.

“Sort of.”

Eric takes a deep breath and sits down across from her.

“Sort of?”

“He didn’t go into detail about what he did. He just admitted that he knew his mom was alive and that he did something for her that he regrets and that someone got hurt. If I didn’t already know what you and Max told me, I’d have no idea what he was talking about. I mean, it was clear that’s what he was talking about, but he didn’t fully confess to anything criminal.”

Eric lets out a long deep groan and closes his eyes.

“I wish I had never suggested you talking to Four to Max. I can’t believe how badly I fucked this up.”

He lets his forehead fall to the table with an audible thump, growling somewhat at the pain but mainly at how frustrated he is with the whole situation.

“Are you in love with him?” he asks, head still down.

“No,” she responds firmly. “I still care about him, and I don’t think I’ll be able to let go of that, but after last night, there’s no doubt in my mind that I no longer love him in that way.”

Eric lifts his head and looks at her.

“What do you mean ‘after last night’?”

“There were things about our break-up that he mentioned during his confession last night that I didn’t know. It made me wonder if, had I known at the time, it would have changed things.”

“You mean if it would have stopped you from breaking up with him?”

“I’ve thought about it a lot today, and I’m glad I didn’t know then what I know now. This happened the way that it did for a reason. Four and I were never meant to last, but if I had known, I may have stayed longer. We might even still be together to this day, but I know we would have broken up eventually and by ending things when I did, I’ve had time to move on and to be with you and nothing would make me want to change that.”

Eric nods. The pair sit in silence before Eric speaks.

“I’m not ready for things to end between us. But I’m also not sure how to get passed this. I know I’m not blameless either.”

He squeezes his eyes shut as he rubs his forehead.

“I think maybe we need to take a step back from us.”

“What?” Tris asks surprised.

“It’s just…there’s other things that need to be focused on right now. Like this shit with Four’s mom and your chance at Leadership.”

“I already told you, Eric, I’ve talked to Four and I’m done with Leadership.”

He shakes his head.

“It’s not enough.”

“What’s not enough.”

“The information that you got out of Four. It’s not enough. I can tell you right now that Max is going to want you to get more information out of him. What is his mom planning? Why does she need the weapons? Who else is working with her? What was the purpose of the robberies? Should we be expecting anymore break-ins? Is anyone else at Dauntless working with her? Etc., etc., etc. What you found out is just the start. Max wanted confirmation of his involvement, and I think you’ve gotten enough for him to consider it confirmed, but that was the easy part.”

Tris stares at him, mouth open.

“Easy? You think that was easy?”

He shakes his head.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you to…whatever. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. I just mean even what he told you was vague. But we need specifics. The specifics are what will help us stop whatever she has planned. The specifics are going to be much harder for you to get out of him.”

Her eyes widen.

“For me to get out of him?” she practically yells. “Are you serious? I’m not doing this again. I’m done. And I can’t believe you would want me to go back to him. You can’t even forgive me for what happened last night…you think I won’t have to do more to get him to tell me the specifics? And never mind that, he’s a mess. He’s still reeling from his mom’s manipulation. I’m not going to do the same thing to him that she did.”

“You think I want this? You think I want you to spend more time with that asshole? I just know how Max is going to react.”

She shakes her head.

“I gave you confirmation. Now I’m out. You and Max can find some other way to get more information out of him and this afternoon I’m going to see Max and I’m resigning.”

God, he hates this. Hates the fighting. Hates the yelling. Hates that they are both hurting.

“I’m sorry,” he says, sighing.

“For what exactly?”

“For all of it. This isn’t how I wanted things to go. The waffles, the knife throwing, the library, explaining every last detail of Golden Girls to you…we should still be doing those things. We barely got to enjoy being together and now we’re screaming at each other? How did this get so messed up so quickly?”

He paces the kitchen again before returning to her.

“I’ll figure out another way to get Four to tell us what we need to know,” he says thoughtfully. “You’re going to have to tell Max yourself what you told me about his confession. But I’ll go with you and when you tell him you’re done I’ll back you up. Okay?”

She nods. “Okay.”

“That’s settled?”

Another nod.

He let’s out a sigh of relief.

“Okay. Now, I know you’re set on resigning. But can you please hear me out before you go to Max? I just want you to have the facts before you make your decision. I’m not going to push you to stay if you don’t want to. But I did some digging, and I want you to know the truth about the voting and how everyone really feels.”

“Fine.”

“Fine?”

“You took the time to figure things out for me, the least I can do is listen to what you have to say.”

He takes a second to formulate his thoughts. This is his only chance to convince her. He doesn’t want to screw it up.

“I’m going to start with Carter.”

She looks at him incredulously.

“I know, I know. But just listen. Despite what he said to you about coming to an arrangement or whatever, he really does think you will be good at the job. He said he gave you a difficult project and that you far exceeded his expectations. What did he have you do?”

“He had me put together three different proposals for the Spring Equinox festival to pitch to Sam.”

Eric’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Are you serious? And you actually did it? In the three days you were with him?”

She shrugs.

“Yeah. I mean, I was a bit overwhelmed when he first told me what he wanted me to do but I don’t know, I just read through old files and went over previous proposals and tried my best.”

Eric laughs.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Tris, that’s crazy. Do you know what I did my first week in leadership?”

She shakes her head.

“I got a tour of the offices. Met everyone. Filled out some paperwork and sat in on a few meetings where I was expected to do absolutely nothing but listen. I can’t believe he asked you to do all of that. I hope he at least gives you credit when he takes it to Sam.”

“We already took it to Sam. It’s been approved.”

Eric laughs again.

“Tris, Carter is a perfectionist. You might not see it on the surface, but he is meticulous. If he read through your proposals and thought they were good enough to bring to Sam then they must have been fucking amazing. I knew you’d be good in leadership because you worked your ass off during initiation, you love a challenge, you care about people, and you aren’t afraid to speak your mind, but I didn’t realize you’d also be a natural at the paperwork side of things. I’m impressed.”

She blushes and he can’t help but notice how cute she looks.

“As for Khloe, her vote had nothing to do with you,” he says, moving on. “In her own messed up Khloe way, she thought by voting against you she was protecting me. She was worried that us working together would put stress on our relationship. Which, I hate to admit it, but she was right. Anyways, she was also worried that if we broke up, I’d have a hard time seeing you everyday. But she was very clear that she’s perfectly happy to have you there and she apologized for meddling.”

“I guess I can understand that,” she concedes. “We both knew it was a risk.”

“The last vote came from Vivica. I had a long talk with her earlier. It’s why I was late getting here. She had a lot to say about everything. But the jist of it is that she thinks you will be an asset. She said you guys have some things in common and that Max will benefit from having you around. She also disagrees with Max asking you to be involved with this mess with the Factionless and she said she hopes you stay despite all of that. So, you see, everyone wants you there. And Max might have his head up his ass right now with this crap with Evelyn, but he’s just scared and desperate. If you stay, he’ll realize you’re meant to be there for who you are not for your relationship with Four.”

“What does Vivica think we have in common?” Tris asks, curiously.

“You’re Divergence,” he replies.

“You told her?”

He shakes his head.

“No, she figured it out. When she was deciding on her vote, she went through your initiate file and watched the footage we have stored. I guess being Divergent herself, it was easy for her to put it together. I had no idea she was Divergent. To be honest, that woman kind of scares me so I usually avoid her when possible.”

“You? Scared?”

He chuckles.

“She’s scary!” he says, playfully. “Anyways, what do you think? Will you reconsider?”

Tris looks around her apartment, picking at her fingernails again before settling her gaze back on Eric.

“I’d be lying if I said knowing all of that didn’t make me feel better. But I don’t know. At the end of the day, Max will be my boss. I just don’t know if I’m comfortable with that.”

Eric sighs.

“I’m sorry you’ve only gotten to see this shitty side of him. He really does just want what’s best for the faction, for all the factions. Sometimes I think he gets stuck on the big picture and doesn’t see how important everything else is. You’ve only done about a week of shadowing. Tomorrow you’re meant to start shadowing Khloe. Maybe do that and keep thinking about it? I’m not telling you what to do. I just don’t want you to regret anything. At the very least, take the rest of the day to think about it? If you still want to resign, then I’ll go with you to Max tomorrow.”

She nods.

“Okay. I’ll think about it.”

Eric sighs, relieved that he seems to have gotten through to her.

“Good.”

The two sit in silence for a moment, neither sure what to say now.

“Oh my God!” Tris exclaims suddenly, noting the time on the clock across from her. “Shouldn’t you be back with the initiates by now?”

Eric jumps, startled before turning and looking at the clock.

“Khloe is covering for me, but it is getting late,” he says standing. “I should probably go relieve her.”

Tris follows suit and they make their way to the door. He goes to open it but hesitates and turns towards Tris instead.

“I know I said we should take a step back from us. But maybe that doesn’t have to mean a break. Maybe that means we take an actual step back. Back to when it was easy and fun between us. What if I pick up dinner after work today and we just push all this aside for one night and eat and watch something together? How does that sound?”

“That sounds like exactly what I need right now,” she says looking relieved. “But are you sure? I mean, there’s still the stuff that happened with Four. I don’t know where you’re at with that.”

He shakes his head.

“I don’t even want to think about it right now. You and me and some old ladies getting into ridiculous shit together, that’s all I want to think about. Meet me at my place around six-thirty? I’ll get dinner as soon as I let the initiates go.”

“Six-thirty. I’ll be there,” she says with a smile.

He tries to remember the last time he’d kissed her but can’t. Part of him wants to kiss her now but the other part of him can’t shake the vision of her snuggled up with Four. So instead, he reaches out and gives her hand a light squeeze.

“See you then,” he says before taking his leave.

Chapter Text

The afternoon dragged on after Eric left. Tris tried to keep herself busy but no matter what she did, her mind wandered back to everything with Four and Eric. She wanted to be upset with Eric for not forgiving her for everything that happened, considering it was his fault she had been put in the position to begin with, but she can’t be mad at him.

The thought to seek Four out shouldn’t even have crossed her mind and while the little that happened between Four and her meant absolutely nothing, when she tried to put herself in Eric’s shoes by picturing him spending the night with some fictional ex-girlfriend, his arms wrapped around, her straddling him on the couch…she understood why Eric was upset.

The time had finally come for Tris to get ready for her date and since the plan was to stay in and hang out on the couch, she figured casual and comfy was the way to go. After dressing in a low v-neck long sleeve and a pair of joggers she applied a small bit of make-up to help wake up her tired looking eyes and she was ready to go.

As she grabbed her com off the kitchen island, preparing to head out, she heard a knock at the door. Answering it, she hoped that whoever was on the other side wouldn’t take long.

“Christina!” she said, surprised to find her best friend on the other side of the door.

“You got a minute?” Christina asks, pushing her way passed Tris and into the apartment.

“Um…sure,” Tris responds, closing the door. “What’s going on?”

“You tell me.”

“What do you mean?”

Christina narrows her eyes at Tris.

“Don’t play dumb. I thought we were best friends.”

“We are.”

“Maybe we were. But it’s been weeks since we’ve really talked or hung out. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know something’s up. And last night, I was so happy you decided to come out and hang at the Pit, but then you go drink by yourself at the bar and disappear? That’s so unlike you. Please, just tell me what’s going on with you.”

Tris sighs. Christina’s right. She’d been dealing with so much lately and she hadn’t shared any of it with her best friend. There were of course some things she couldn’t share because of Leadership, but at the very least she should have told Christina about Eric by now.

“I’m sorry. You’re right,” Tris starts. “There’s been a lot going on and…I don’t know. I guess I was worried about how you might react to some of it. It just seemed easier to keep it to myself. But maybe that’s not really fair to you. You’re my best friend, and I should have talked to you sooner.”

Christina sighs.

“I know I can be blunt and I’m sorry that I make you feel like you can’t always come to me. But just tell me to screw off if I’m being an ass. I’ll work on it.”

Tris chuckles.

“Okay.”

The friends smile at each other.

“So…you wanna fill me in?” Christina asks, grinning.

“Yes…but I can’t right now. I’m so sorry, I was just on my way out.”

Christina’s face drops.

“Come on Tris. If this is just your way of avoiding me –”

“It’s not,” Tris says, cutting her off. “I swear. It’s just…I have a date.”

Christina’s eyes light up and she looks Tris up and down.

“You’re wearing that on a first date?”

Tris shifts uncomfortably.

“Oh…um…it’s not a first date,” she says tentatively.

Christina narrows her eyes.

“How many dates have you been?”

Tris tries quickly to count the number of dates her and Eric have been on. Their day of dates throwing her off. Did that count as 1 or 3 or maybe 4? Before she has time to come to a full count, Christina speaks.

“You’ve been on so many dates with this guy that you’ve lost count and at no point did you feel the need to fill me in!” Christina chastises her.

Tris is about to defend herself when there’s another knock at the door. Christina’s eyes light up.

“Is that him?” she asks, grinning.

Tris rolls her eyes and walks over to the door. Who could it be now?

When she opens the door, she is more than a little bit surprised to find a keen looking Four.

“What are you doing here?” she asks cautiously.

“I was worried about you. You were in rough shape this morning and then you didn’t answer my messages. I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he replies. “Can I come in for a minute?”

“I…” Tris starts but is interrupted by Christina shouting behind her.

“Oh my God! Is this why you didn’t tell me? You’re dating him, again?”

Tris shakes her head. She doesn’t have time for this.

“Nice to see you, Christina,” Four says sarcastically, walking passed Tris and into her apartment.

“You can’t be serious, Tris.”

Tris lets out a loud irritated sigh and closes the door to her apartment a little too forcefully. Christina and Four both look at her.

“Christina, I’m not dating Four,” she says looking at her best friend. “Four, I appreciate you checking on me. I’m fine, but I’m sorry, I don’t have time to talk to either of you right now.”

Christina crosses her arms.

“You’re not brushing me off that easily. You told me you would fill me in.”

“I told you I would fill you in but that I couldn’t right now. Tomorrow. I’ll fill you in tomorrow. I have to work, but what about after dinner? We can meet in the dining hall and when we’re done eating, we can come back here, and I’ll update you.”

“Where are you going now?” Four asks.

“She has a date,” Christina blurts out. “With a mystery guy.”

“You’re back with him?” Four asks, angrily.

Christina’s jaw drops.

“He knows who it is,” she shrieks.

“But what about last night?” Four adds.

“Last night?” Christina shrieks again. “What happened last night?”

Tris’ head is spinning. How does she even begin to deal with the two of them at the same time? No matter who she addresses the other will be getting more information than she bargained for.

“Nothing happened last night,” Tris says to Christina.

“Oh really,” Christina responds, hands on hips.

“You call that nothing?”  Four replies, upset. “It didn’t feel like nothing to me.”

Christina looks at her pointedly.

“Can we please talk about this another time,” Tris begs. “Separately?”

“Does Eric know you spent the night with me?” Four asks, ignoring Tris’ request.

“You spent the night with him? Wait, what does Eric have to do with this?” Christina asks, her eyes growing wide as the realisation dawns on her. “You’re dating Eric?”

“Yes,” Tris replies, defeated.

Christina and Four exchange a look before focusing back on Tris.

“Who are you answering?” Four asks.

Tris drops her arms to her sides and addresses Christina first.

“Yes, I’m dating Eric,” she says before turning to Four, “and yes, he knows about last night. Also, I’m not back with him, I’m still with him.”

“What happened last night?” Christina asks, intrigued.

“You know what?” Tris says, frustrated. “I’m going to leave now. I’m already late for my date and not that I have to share this information with either of you, but Eric and I are trying to work through some things, so I’d really rather not be any later than I already am.”

“You mean you have to work through the fact that you slept with him last night,” Christina states pointing at Four.

“I didn’t sleep with him, I just slept with him,” Tris tries to clarify. “Oh, never mind. I can’t do this right now. But I promised I’d fill you in and I will. Does tomorrow work?”

Christina opens her mouth to argue, but Tris' stern look makes her change her mind and she nods in agreement instead.

Tris turns to Four next.

“I should have responded to your messages this morning, but I felt absolutely awful, and I just didn’t know what to say. After everything we talked about last night, you didn’t deserve my silence and I’m sorry. If you want to talk, we can, just not right now,” she says, empathetically.

“Just go Tris,” he responds angrily. “You don’t want to leave your date waiting.”

She knows she’s hurting him by prioritizing Eric, but it’s what she needs to do right now. She exits her apartment, leaving her friends behind. As she sprints in the direction of the Eric’s place, she pulls out her com and messages him, “On my way now. Got held up. So sorry, I’ll explain when I get there.”

She arrives at Eric’s place twenty minutes later than they had planned.

“I’m so sorry,” she says, out of breath, when he opens the door.

“Don’t worry about it. It gave me time to shower. No big deal,” he replies, stepping to the side to let her in and shutting the door.

“What was going on?” he asks, picking up two plates from the kitchen and walking them over to the coffee table.

Tris sighs sitting down on the couch.

“It kind of falls under the stuff we’re meant to be pushing to the side tonight. Do you want me to wait until later?”

Eric shakes his head and sits down next to her.

“Just tell me. I’d rather know now than be wondering all night.”

Tris nods.

“I was about to leave when Christina showed up. She was worried about me because I’ve been kind of distant and I left the Pit without saying goodbye last night. Which I get. I mean, I’ve been nervous to tell her about you, so I’ve mostly been avoiding her rather than having to lie to her. Plus, I’ve been pretty busy. We were in the middle of talking when Four showed up,” she pauses trying to gauge Eric’s reaction, but he doesn’t give away much. “Anyways, I guess he was worried about me too since I never responded to his messages. I told them both I had to leave but I would talk to them another time.”

“Did you mean that or were you just trying to get out of there?” he asks.

“I made plans with Christina to catch up after dinner tomorrow. I kind of left things open with Four. He seemed pretty angry that I was leaving to see you. I guess he thought that you and I had ended things? I’m not really sure. I feel like I kind of owe it to him to hear what he has to say, but he made a comment about last night meaning something to him and I’m worried he’s gotten the wrong impression.”

They sit in silence for a moment before Eric speaks.

“If you want to talk to him, I think you should.”

Tris raises her eyebrows in surprise.

“You do?”

“From what you’ve told me it sounds like whatever happened last night was pretty intense. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if he’s been struggling that badly it feels mean to leave him hanging. The last thing I want is for you to spend more time with him, but I think maybe you need to hear him out.”

“I feel the same way,” Tris responds, relieved.

“Can you do me a favour though?” Eric asks.

“What’s that?”

“Can you talk to him in public?”

She tilts her head and looks at him thoughtfully.

“Eric, nothing is going to happen between Four and I.”

He shakes his head.

“I know you don’t want anything to happen, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try something. And It’s not just that, I’ve seen how angry he can get. I have a bad feeling that he might feel like he’s been led on, and I don’t want him to have the opportunity to take his anger out on you.”

She doesn’t believe Four would do something like that. But she’s happy to follow Eric’s request if it’ll make him more comfortable with everything.

“Not a problem,” she replies with a small smile.

“Thank you,” he says.

Tris nods in response before looking down at the food he’s placed in front of them.

“Oh man, chicken parmesan! This looks delicious!” she says excitedly.

“Go ahead and start. I’ll get Golden Girls going where we left off.”

Eric quickly gets the show going as Tris begins to eat.

The two sit in silence eating and watching. Tris had hoped that they would easily fall back into the rhythm they once had, but it doesn’t seem to be working out that way. She’s just not sure how to act. Should she ask him questions about the show? Should she see if he’s enjoying his dinner? Should she shift closer to him?

“You okay over there?” he asks, breaking her from her thoughts.

She considers just saying yes, but why continue suffering uncomfortably? So instead, she puts down her plate and turns towards him.

“This is kind of awkward, isn’t it?”

Eric sighs and puts his cutlery down on the table next to his plate.

"I don't know why, but this seems more like a first date than our actual first date."

She nods. “I can’t figure out how to act naturally. This should be easy. It was easy before, wasn’t it?”

“It was so easy before. I guess with everything going on and not really knowing where we stand it’s hard to just fall back into it. I’m so worried I’m going to do something and it’s going to make you uncomfortable because you’re still upset with me.”

“That’s exactly how I feel.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have done this,” he says.

Her heart sinks. She was really hoping doing this would get them back on track, not make things worse.

“Oh, yeah, maybe.”

“I guess it was naïve of me to think we could just ignore everything.”

“Do you want me to go?” she asks hesitantly.  

“No,” he says firmly. “I mean, not unless you want to leave.”

She shakes her head.

“I don’t want to leave.”

“Okay. Then I guess we should just tell each other where we are at with things?”

“Can I go first?” she asks.

“Go for it.”

“I think I’m already kind of over it. Your part in this whole mess that is. I’ve thought about it a lot today and while I would have preferred it if you hadn’t shared everything you did with Max and I wish you had at least warned me about this whole plan, I believe you when you say you were just trying to help me get into leadership.”

“So, you forgive me?” he asks hopefully.

“I need you to promise me that from now on, what we talk about in private stays between us. I also need you to promise me that you won’t ever come up with any more plans that I’m involved in without talking to me first. If you can do that, then yes, I’m ready to forgive you.”

Eric lets out a sigh of relief.

“Done. Easy. Nothing like this will ever happen again. I swear.”

She nods.

“Okay, then…I think I’m good. We’re good. At least from my side of it. You?”

He takes a deep breath before speaking.

“I’ll be straight with you, I needed someone to talk this out with, so I told Khloe everything that was going on. I hope that doesn’t break your first request?”

Tris shakes her head.

“She’s your best friend. I mean…it might make things a little more awkward when I start working with her tomorrow, but that’s what friends are for, right? I get it.”

“You’ve decided to stay? At least to shadow Khloe?” Eric asks excitedly, veering off topic.

She smiles.

“Yes, I’ve decided to stay. For now.”

“Good. I think you’ve made the right decision,” he says firmly. “And for the record, it’s not like I talk to Khloe about everything. I was just having a hard time with this. I needed someone else’s perspective.”

Tris nods.

“Was she helpful?”

Eric rolls his eyes.

“She was annoying as all hell, but yeah, talking to her helped me work things through.”

“What did you decide?”

“Well…” he starts, “to be honest, the thought of you comforting Four and sleeping in his bed all snuggled up makes me feel…jealous and angry. And those feelings haven’t gone away yet.”

She opens her mouth to apologize but stops to let him finish his thought instead.

“Despite those feelings, I don’t want to end things with you. It’s going to take me a bit of time to let go of the jealousy, so you may have to bear with me for a little bit, but I think letting one stupid night, some of which was my own fault, ruin what we could potentially have would be even stupider.”

“Thank you,” she replies sincerely.

“There’s nothing to thank me for. But please God, when you talk to him don’t let him touch you. I don’t think I can handle anymore,” he says dramatically.

Tris lets out a laugh.

“Nothing else is going to happen. I promise.”

“Then I think we’re good. Or we’re at least getting there. It’s on me now to work through the rest.”

Tris nods and scoots a little closer to Eric.

“Should I put the show back on?” he asks, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in closer.

“Wait, before you put it back on, I have a couple of questions.”

“Oh okay,” he says nervously.

“What is French? It’s a different language, right? Where are all these places they’re talking about? Did people really used to go on these big vacations? Oh! and why do people no longer own property?”

Eric laughs, visibly relaxing at her ridiculous line of questioning while Tris grins at him. Now this is what she hoped from the evening.

“There used to be many, many languages,” he begins.

“It’s getting kind of late,” Eric says after their sixth episode of the night ends. “You’re starting your shadowing with Khloe tomorrow and I have to finish up my assessments and start working on everything else that I’ve been letting pile up. Maybe we should call it a night?”

Tris frowns, disappointed.

“I know you’re right, but I don’t really want to go yet.”

He smiles, pushing a button on his data pad.

“One more? Then we call it?”

“One more,” she repeats, nodding enthusiastically.

The episode starts and she can feel him looking at her, she turns towards him, and their eyes meet.

“What are you thinking about?” she asks.

“I was thinking about kissing you,” he replies honestly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Her heart begins to beat fast, and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth.

Her eyes dart down to his lips, and she gasps as he wastes no time connecting his lips to hers.

Her eyes close involuntarily as she matches his rhythm. The kiss starts out soft but quickly turns more demanding. She can’t believe how good it feels to connect with him in this way. She wraps her arms around his neck, and he pulls her onto his lap resting his hands on the tops of her thighs. They break for air, and he runs his hands gently up and down her thighs.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” he says catching his breath.

“I wish you had done it sooner,” she responds playfully, leaning in and bringing her lips to his once more.

He lifts one hand from her leg and runs his fingers through her hair, gripping it softly at the base of her neck and gently pushing her head harder against his. She can feel her lips swelling at the intensity of the kiss, but that only makes her push harder into him. She needs him to know how much she wants this.

He breaks apart from her abruptly and she whimpers at the sudden loss of contact.

“We should stop,” he says, his voice raspy.

“Or maybe we shouldn’t,” she counters through hooded lids.

He lets out a deep groan.

“Don’t tempt me,” he replies shaking his head. “We agreed to take it slow.”

She opens her mouth to protest, but her com goes off in her back pocket distracting her.

“You’re vibrating,” he says, running his hand up her thigh once more before reaching behind her and pulling out her com.

She lets out a disappointed sigh.

“What does it say?” she asks.

He quirks an eyebrow at her, likely surprised that she’s asked him to read it.

“It from Four. It says he needs to see you. He wants to meet up after our date is over.”

She internally curses her ex for ruining the moment before shifting off of Eric and sitting down next to him.

“Is he serious,” she asks out loud. “What time is it?”

Eric looks down at her com.

“Just after eleven,” he replies.

“I’ll just tell him no. Give me that.”

Eric hands her com over and watches as she responds.

“I have work in the morning. Why don’t we meet outside of the dining hall at dinner tomorrow?” her message reads.

His response comes swiftly. “Just let me know when you’re leaving his place and I’ll meet you at yours. It’s important,” it reads.

Tris looks at the message, puzzled. Why is he being so insistent?

“Not tonight. I’m shadowing Khloe while she trains the initiates tomorrow, I’ll see if I can leave when she dismisses them for lunch and meet you at the dining hall,” Tris looks at Eric and shrugs before hitting send.

They wait in silence for Four to respond. He doesn’t.

“Maybe I should get going,” Tris says after a few minutes, Four's messages having affected the mood in the room. “It is getting late and I’m still kind of exhausted from this hangover.”

“Do you want me to walk you home?” Eric offers. “You don’t think he’ll just show up do you?”

Tris considers it. “I mean, I don’t think so. And even if he tried, he won’t know when I’m going to get there, right? So, if I leave now, I’d beat him there either way. If he shows up, I’ll just pretend I’m not home yet. I’ll be fine.”

He gives her an apprehensive look before standing up.

“I’m just going to walk you home.”

She shakes her head.

“That’ll add so much more time to your night. I’ll be fine. I really appreciate the offer though.”

She can tell he wants to argue with her.

“Okay. But message me when you get home and call me if he shows up. Whether or not you answer the door. I don’t care if it’s three am. I want to know.”

She nods her head in agreement. Is she not being paranoid enough? Or is Eric being too paranoid? She’s not sure.

They make their way to the door.

“I’m glad we’ve figured this out,” she says to him smiling. “I like it much better when we’re not fighting.”

He leans down and kisses her gently.

“Me too.”

She stares up at him, a question burning on her lips.

“Just ask Tris,” he says, as if reading her mind.

She blushes.

“Last night, you called me your girlfriend. I brushed it off at the time because we were arguing. But is that something you’ve been thinking about?”

He smiles.

“It is. Is it something you’ve been thinking about?”

She smiles back.

“It is,” she parrots.

“Is this the conversation then? The one where we officially define our relationship?”

She giggles and bites her bottom lip.

“It is if you want it to be.”

He laughs back at her.

“Tris?”

“Yes, Eric?”

“Will you be my girlfriend?” he asks playfully.

She pretends to think it over before responding.

“Yes Eric, I will be your girlfriend.”

“Good,” he says. “Glad we’ve settled that. Now go home and don’t forget to message me, girlfriend.”

She grins at the cheesiness of it all.

“I won’t…boyfriend.”

And with one last quick kiss, she heads out the door.

Chapter Text

Tris walked towards her apartment, giddy with thoughts of her new boyfriend. The past few days has been a whirlwind and she’s not quite sure how they had so quickly gone from yelling at each other to committing to one other, but she couldn’t be happier with the results.

As she nears her apartment, she sees Four, tense and waiting. She is instantly annoyed. Why couldn’t he have just respected the fact that she had explicitly told him she wasn’t available to meet tonight?

She quickens her pace and refuses to make eye contact in hopes that he takes the hint and leaves.

"I told you I couldn't get together tonight," she says when he remains at her door.

Tris tries to move past him, but he stays put, an unyielding barrier.

"Tris, please, hear me out," he pleads, his tone sincere yet desperate.

"You should leave," she tells him. “I’ll meet you tomorrow.”

In response, he reaches behind his back, places his hand on her doorknob and pushes the door open before backing into her apartment. "I just need to talk to you," he says, his voice softer now, almost begging. "It's important."

Tris feels a tingle of fear run up her spine.

“How did you do that?” she asks. “Why wasn’t the door locked?”

He shrugs.

“It’s your apartment, how should I know?” he replies. “Are you coming in?”

“That door should have been locked. Its set to lock automatically after ten minutes whether or not anyone is inside.”

When she left for Eric’s, Four and Christina were still in her apartment, so she hadn’t locked it manually. But she’d been away for hours, it should have locked on its own ages ago.

Had he been in her apartment waiting for her this entire time?

He shrugs again.

“Maybe it’s broken? Just come in and you can lock it yourself.”

She considers turning around and making her way back towards Eric’s apartment, but she knows Four would simply follow and she’s not capable of outrunning him.

Hesitantly, she steps into her apartment, leaving the door open.

“I think you should go,” she says.

He reaches behind her and pushes the door shut.

“We need to talk,” he replies, ignoring her request.

Her heart is racing. Her first instinct is to yell at him and tell him to leave, but Eric’s words repeat in her mind.

I’ve seen how angry he can get. I don’t want him to have the opportunity to take his anger out on you.

“Okay, we can talk,” she says calmly. “I just need to use the washroom first.”

“Thank you,” he replies walking over to her couch and making himself comfortable.

She nods and steadily makes her way to the washroom. Once inside, she locks the door and pulls out her com. She considers calling Eric, but she’s worried what Four might do if he hears her talking. Instead, she sends Eric a quick message hoping he’s paying attention to his com. “You still awake?” her message reads.

Eric’s response comes instantly. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you okay in there?” Four calls from the living room.

“Almost done,” she calls back. “Be out in a second.”

She flushes the toilet and turns on the tap before lowering the volume on her com and pressing Eric’s number. He picks up immediately.

“Mute yourself,” she whispers hastily putting her com on speaker before turning off the water and opening the door.

“Sorry about that,” she says to her ex, purposefully setting her com face down on the coffee table in front of them and sitting down on the couch as far from him as possible.

“What is it you want to talk about?” she asks with a small smile.

He looks at her skeptically and she braces herself worrying he knows something is up. He shakes his head and speaks.

“Does Max know it was my mom on the video feed?” he asks, catching her off guard.

“Oh,” she starts not sure how to respond. “…yeah, he does.”

“You said Zane called him to look at that footage specifically, right?”

She nods affirmatively.

“Are they actively monitoring her?”

She nods again.

“Do you know why?”

She chews at the inside of her cheek worried about sharing too much with him. She could lie. If she tells him she doesn’t know then he’d have no more questions for her right? But if she says yes, he might open up a bit more and some of Max’s unanswered questions could be answered.

“There have been some incidents that he thinks she may have been involved with,” she replies vaguely.

“Incidents,” he repeats. “What kind of incidents?”

She picks at her fingernails nervously.

“What did she have you do for her?” Tris asks, deflecting.

He looks away from her shaking his head.

“You know, don’t you?”

She hesitates, starting to worry that he’s figured out she was tasked with getting information out of him.

“I know there was a break-in not too long ago and that someone died,” she says cautiously.

He sighs and closes his eyes.

“It was my fault. She asked me to get them into the armoury, and I did.”

Tris tilts her head and looks at him sympathetically.

“I was worried that was the case after we talked last night. But I really hoped it wasn’t,” Tris replies compassionately. “What does she want the weapons for?”

He looks her over and takes a deep breath.

“The other incidents, break-ins too?”

She nods.

“Food and medicine?”

She raises an eyebrow at him.

“What does she need all of these supplies for?” she asks.

He stands and clasps his hands behind his neck, applying pressure as he pulls them forward nervously.

“She’s trying to take care of her people,” he replies.

“What do you mean ‘her people’?”

“You should see it, Tris. It’s crazy. She’s managed to band all of them together. I didn’t think anyone could do it, but she did. They’ve taken over an old office building downtown and the way she runs it…it’s basically a sixth faction.”

Tris’ eyes grow wide.

“Are you talking about the Factionless?”

Four nods.

“I’m not sure we can call them that anymore, but yeah. They have a kitchen, dining area, bedrooms, jobs within the faction. I’m telling you it’s the real deal.”

“But…why?”

Tris tenses as he sits back down next to her, much closer than before.

“Think about the way the Factionless have lived all these years. Would you want to live that way? I guess after years of being Factionless she got sick of it and decided to do something. She always wished she could work in leadership in Abnegation, but obviously women aren’t allowed. It’s actually one of the things I remember her and my father fighting about.”

“Your mom wanted to lead Abnegation?”

“I think she had an eye on a council spot.”

“You mean she wanted to help run the government?”

He nods.

“She even tried to convince my dad to overturn the rule that prevented women from governing, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”

 “I’m kind of impressed,” Tris says, shaking her head. “She couldn’t get what she wanted in Abnegation, so she left and created her own faction. But why steal from Erudite and Amity, the factionless are already given supplies. Why not just organize and distribute what they already receive?”

“Abnegation,” Four says.

“What?”

“She stole from Erudite and Abnegation. Not Amity.”  

She looks at him curiously. She knows for certain he is wrong. But why is he so sure she stole from Abnegation when she hadn’t? Unless she had also stolen from them. But if that was the case, why was Max not aware?

“Right, why steal from them?” she amends, going along with his information.

“I hadn’t really thought about that,” he replies reflectively. “Maybe they aren’t getting enough?”

“And the weapons,” Tris adds. “Why do they need weapons.”

“Why do any of us need weapons, Tris? For protection.”

“But protection from what? Who’s attacking them? Besides, Amity and Abnegation don’t have weapons and they’re just fine. Something isn’t adding up.”

Four shrugs.

“Do you think they could be planning something?”

“You’re guess is as good as mine,” he says.

“She never said anything to you?” she asks, boldly. “I mean, she asked you to help her get the weapons, she never told you what they were for?”

He narrows his eyes at her.

“I already told you, they’re for protection,” he says firmly.

Tris can’t make out whether he knows something and isn’t telling her or he truly believes he was only trying to help them protect themselves by letting them in.

“Is that what she told you? That she needed to get into our armoury to steal weapons for protection?” Tris asks. She knows she’s pushing her luck, but she can’t help herself.

“Why are you pressing this?” he asks leaning towards her, anger in his voice.

His proximity makes her nervous and the inhale she takes to try to calm her nerves is anything but steady. She attempts to move back from him, but she positioned herself too close to the end of the couch and there’s nowhere to go.

“You aren’t worried?” she asks. “That they might be planning something?”

She tries not to flinch under the intensely of his stare.

“Are you worried? Or is Max worried?” he asks a little too calmly.

She’s been honest with him until this point, but his newfound calmness screams at her that the time for honesty is over.

“I’ve been in leadership for less than a week, do you really think Max trusts me enough to share his thoughts with me?” she says with her best fake scoff.

He studies her face for entirely too long and she prays he doesn’t notice her digging her fingernails into the palms of her hands as she tries to stay calm.

“He trusted you enough to tell you about my mom. And what about the break-ins? How do you know about those?”

Shit. He’s right. She’s told him too much. She desperately tries to think of a way to explain it.

“I saw your mom on the footage,” she starts slowly, trying to think of something as she talks. “He didn’t tell me who she was, I figured that part out on my own,” she lies. “And as for the break-ins, he didn’t tell me any of that directly. I kind of overheard it. I wanted to ask him about it, but I don’t think he realized I was there, and I was worried he’d be upset that I was eavesdropping.”

She knows her fabrication is weak, but it’s the best she can manage under the stress.

He looks her over skeptically and she’s sure he’s about to call her out on her lies, but he doesn’t. Instead, he sits back upright and looks around her apartment.

She blinks rapidly and lets out a small sigh of relief.

“Maybe she’s planning something,” he says, looking back towards her. “But if she is, she’s keeping it close to her chest. She didn’t say anything to me about it.”

She still can’t tell whether or not he’s being truthful, but this time she knows better than to push it.

“Hopefully what she told you is the truth and she’s really just gathering supplies to keep her ‘faction’ safe.”

He nods in agreement and the pair fall into silence as Tris choses not to continue her line of questioning.

“Did you tell Eric I cried?” Four asks.

She stares at him blankly, the sudden shift in conversation taking her by surprise.

“What?”

“You told him you spent the night with me, right?”

She nods.

“Exactly how much did you tell him?” he asks, jaw clenched.

Why couldn't he have just waited until tomorrow? She expected this line of questioning but hadn't had time to plan how to explain it without revealing Max's mission. Her mind races in all directions trying to come up with an answer that won’t upset him, but everything she thinks of has flaws. Why couldn’t she have just kept her mouth shut to begin with?

She considers boosting his ego in hopes that he will overlook any flaws in her story, but with Eric listening in, she’s worried he might take her lies for truth and get the wrong idea.

“How much did you tell him?” Four repeats, angrily.

“We got into a fight, Eric and I. I was angry and I had been drinking at the Pit with my friends. I…wanted to hurt him,” she says, looking down at her lap and trying her best to look ashamed of herself. “When I showed up at your place, it was to try to hook up with you. But then when I got there, I realized doing that wouldn’t only hurt Eric, it would hurt you too, so I changed my mind and told you about your mom instead. I wanted to tell you that anyways, but since it was confidential information, I had been going back and forth on how and when to tell you.”

She looks up at him now through sad eyes.

“I didn’t tell him about our conversation, at least not the parts about your mom. You were so vulnerable with me, I could never break your trust like that. And besides, I wasn’t supposed to tell you, he could have gotten both of us into a lot of trouble if he knew.”

Lying to him this blatantly was making her stomach turn, and she was quite certain if she thought too hard about it, she would in fact be sick, but she reminded herself that it was for her own safety and she was simply doing what she had to do. She was more grateful than ever that she didn’t have an aptitude for Candor.

“What does he think happened?”

“He thinks I went to you for comfort and that I regret it. He knows I stayed the night but that nothing physical happened between us.”

Four raises his eyebrows apprehensively.

“And he’s okay with that?”

She shakes her head.

“No, not really. He’s angry and jealous and I wouldn’t be surprised if he punches you the next time he sees you, but we’re going to try to get passed it.”

“You really believe that?” he asks in disbelief. “God, I kind of love how innocent you still are.”

Tris furrows her brows.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on Tris,” he says, shaking his head. “If I was in Eric’s position and you had gotten drunk and spent the night with him there’s no way I would forgive you for that.”

“Well maybe he’s just a more understanding person than you are,” she replies defensively.

He laughs darkly, shaking his head.

“So naïve.”

“I think it’s time for you to leave now,” she says standing up angrily, too offended to remember that she’s meant to be keeping him calm.

He stands too, positioning himself merely inches from her, and looks down at her. She stays firm in her position, trying to ignore the feeling of fear threatening to rise within her once more.

“You should have told me you wanted to hook up. You could even have told me it was to get back at Eric. I would have happily slept with you. There’s no way he would have forgiven you for having sex with me,” he says, callously. “And maybe then you would have realized you and I are meant to be together.”

“We’re over, Four,” she says, her voice shaky. “It’s time for you to leave.”

He holds eye contact for a moment before leaning down towards her ear.

“When you realize he can’t actually get passed you coming to me, I’ll be around. You belong with me, Beatrice. I think you know that, or you wouldn’t have showed up last night.”

She shivers at the feeling of his breath on her ear and wraps her arms around herself.

“Goodnight, Four,” she says as strongly as she can manage.

“Goodnight, Tris,” he whispers back before moving his head to look her in the eye. “I’ll be thinking about you.”

Trying to ignore the fear his words stir in her, she pushes herself to walk to the door and open it.  

With an unsettling smile thrown her way, he leaves.

As the door closes behind him, her body relaxes briefly but tenses again as the door swings back open.

“Are you okay?” Eric asks urgently, pushing the door shut and locking it before pulling her into his arms.

“You scared the shit out of me,” she says, her heart nearly beating out of her chest.

“Sorry,” he replies tightening his hold on her.

As she sinks into his chest, she is surprised to find tears forming in her eyes. She tries to keep them at bay, but as Eric rubs circles on her back, she can’t hold them in, and she starts sobbing.

He holds her until her tears subside. When they do, she pulls back and looks at him.

“I guess I was on edge for so long my body was just relieved to feel safe again.”

“Don’t apologize. He’s kind of terrifying. I mean, I never liked the guy, but holy shit I kept expecting him to snap the whole time he was in here. And that crap at the end? What the hell was that?”

She nods.

“That was the first time I have ever really been scared of him. How long were you outside?”

“I ran here as soon as I got your phone call. I debated bursting in a bunch of times while he was in here, but it seemed like he might tell you something important, so I tried to stay calm and listen until I thought you really needed me. You were amazing.”

“You know I was lying right? I never had any intention of hooking up with him. I just thought the ego boost might help keep him calm.”

Eric nods.

“I can’t say that it felt good hearing you say it and for a second, I wondered, but I didn’t really believe it. I’m kind of surprised he did, I figured he knew you better than that.”

Tris shrugs.

“I think it’s easier to believe something when it’s what you want to hear.”

Eric nods in understanding.

“What do you think about what he said? About the factionless basically being an independent faction?”

“It’s definitely more significant than we had realized. We knew she had garnered a decent following, but she has to have been at this for much longer than we realized to have united all of them together in that way.”

“Is it really a bad thing? The factionless working together and making a better life for themselves?”

Eric looks at her thoughtfully.

“It’s hard to say. There’s a reason these people are factionless. A lot of them don’t fit in anywhere and the rest were kicked out of their own factions. I can’t imagine they are an overly positive group. There’s likely a lot of anger among them. It’s part of the reason we monitor the factionless more closely than the factions themselves. If they are truly just trying to create their own faction in order to have a better life, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. But the faction system was created for a reason. Having a diverse group like this living together, working together fueled by anger and hate towards the other factions…well who knows what they’d be capable of.”  

Tris nods.

“We’re going to have to bring all of this information to Max as soon as possible and see how he wants to proceed. I know this probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but I think he’ll be impressed by how much information you’ve manage to get out of Four in such a short amount of time. Do you think Four knows anything else?”

Tris sighs.

“I can’t say for sure. I want to believe that he doesn’t know anything else, but he acted like he didn’t know about the break-ins then ultimately admitted to knowing about all of them. Plus, he was so insistent on talking to me today and the first thing he asked about was Max monitoring his mom. If he truly hasn’t seen her since the Dauntless break-in and he really doesn’t know if she’s planning anything then why does it matter to him? If he does know anything more, I don’t think he’s going to tell me.”

“That bit about Abnegation was kind of weird, wasn’t it?” Eric says.

“I thought so too. Do you think she lied to him?”

Eric shakes his head.

“Who knows. But if she did, why? Why would she want him to think she was robbing Abnegation when she wasn’t?”

“I figure either she’s working with Abnegation, and she doesn’t want Four to know or she did rob Abnegation and Marcus kept it to himself.”

Tris’ eyes grow wide.

“You really think after everything she would work with Marcus?”

“Max seems to think so,” Eric replies.

“But why go through all that trouble to fake your own death to get away from him if you’re just going to form an alliance with him 12 years later?” Tris says, shaking her head. “Feels more likely that Marcus is hiding the break-in.”

“Could be. I honestly wouldn’t put it passed him. Marcus may have chosen Abnegation, but he’s much more prideful and deceitful than you’d expect an Abnegation to be. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s hiding it to save face. Anyways, we could spend all night speculating about this, but we should both get some sleep. I want to go see Max first thing. I’m starting to worry that Four might tip his mom off and I don’t want Max to be caught off guard.”

“Yeah, your right,” Tris replies slowly, suddenly nervous to be alone in her apartment.

Tris expects Eric to make his way to the door, but instead, he walks over to the couch and lays down.

“You got a blanket and a pillow?” he asks.

“You’re staying?” she says hopefully.

“Either I’m staying or you’re coming with me. There’s no way I’m leaving you alone. And tomorrow, I’m having your lock looked at and I will be checking the camera’s outside of your apartment to see what Four did after you left earlier.”

Tris breathes a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” she says.

“Hey, what are boyfriends for,” he replies with a wink.

She smiles at him before getting to work finding a pillow and blanket.

When she returns, he is setting an alarm on his com.

“It’s going to be a short night. I’ll have to get up extra early to get home and get ready. Hopefully my alarm doesn’t wake you up and I can sneak out of here.”

“No,” Tris says forcefully. “I mean. Wake me, okay? I’d rather lose sleep than be alone…”

He nods in understanding.

“Okay. How long do you need to get ready? We’ll have to get up even earlier if you’re getting ready then coming with me.”

“I can probably manage twenty minutes. I showered before going to your place earlier, so I’ll be quick in the morning.”

“Sounds good,” he says, changing his alarm before taking the items from Tris and trying to settle himself on the couch.

She looks at him silently, considering asking him to sleep in her bed with her, but that’s a boundary they haven’t crossed yet.

"Are you okay?" he asks, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I’m fine," she answers with a small smile. She stands there for a moment longer, her gaze lingering on him before walking towards the light switch. "Goodnight, Eric."

"Goodnight, Tris," he replies.

She turns off the light and gets into bed, pulling her blanket up to her chin. As she stares at the ceiling, she listens to the quiet sounds of his breathing, letting it lull her to sleep.

Chapter Text

The alarm jolts them awake, an unwelcomed interruption to the quiet of the morning. Tris blinks into the darkness, eyes heavy. She takes a few deep breathes, allowing herself a moment of stillness before stretching and slipping out of bed.

"I'll get ready quickly," she says to Eric in passing as she makes her way to the bathroom.

She moves on autopilot, brushing her teeth, tying her hair back and tugging on her jacket as she steps into the living room.

A soft smile tugs at her lips as her gaze falls on Eric, still sprawled out on the couch. “Ready?”

He nods, rising slowly. Together, they head out, making sure to lock the door behind them.

They walk the short distance to Eric’s place, fingers lazily entwined. Tris steals a few quick glances at her newly-official boyfriend, grateful for the early morning darkness that hides the flush in her cheeks.

When they get to Eric’s apartment, Tris gets to work putting together a quick breakfast while Eric gets ready. As the smell of coffee and toast fills the kitchen, a slightly more alert looking Eric joins her.  

They eat in silence, neither one of them quite ready to face the day ahead. When the plates are cleared, they head out to the leadership offices.

“Are you sure he’ll be in this early?” Tris asks as they near the entrance.

Eric nods. “He’ll be here. He’s always here. I don’t know how his wife puts up with him.” 

They walk passed Heath’s empty desk only slowing once outside of Max’s door.

“Ready?” Eric asks.

Tris takes a deep breath, a weak attempt to calm her nerves. “Ready.”

Eric pushes into Max’s office without knocking.

As expected, Max is already at his desk, typing away. He turns sharply at the sound of the door swinging open.

Max eyes them both curiously. “Tris. Eric. Can I help you with something?”

Eric’s nostrils flare, but he keeps his voice even. “What’s your problem, man?”

Tris’s brow shoots up as she turns to stare at him, startled into silence.

“Delightful as always,” Max sighs, unamused. “Can I get some context here, or…?”

“Did you seriously tell my girlfriend to sleep with her ex for information?”

Tris’s eyes go wide. This definitely wasn’t part of the plan.

“I don’t think I ever said that.” Max says with a shrug, unbothered. “I just told her to get the information by whatever means necessary. If that’s how she interpreted it…well, that’s on her.”

Eric’s eyes narrow. “That’s bullshit and you know it”

Max’s jaw ticks as he leans forward darkly, narrowing his eyes. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“Yes,” Eric replies without hesitation.

Max rises slowly, rubbing his chin between his thumb and forefinger before fixing a hard stare on Eric. “I tolerate a lot from you,” he says, voice cool. “But I won’t be disrespected in my own office. If this is why the two of you barged in here without so much as a knock, then I’d say we’re finished.”

Unaffected, Eric takes a deliberate step forward only stopping at the feeling of Tris’s hand on his upper arm.

“That’s not why we’re here,” she says calmly, her voice even. “I spoke to Four.”

Max’s expression shifts, his face softening. “Well, that changes things.” He says, gesturing towards the chairs in front of his desk. “Please, have a seat.”

Tris gives Eric’s arm a reassuring squeeze before they both move to sit across from Max.

Max leans back in his chair, folding his hands on his desk. "So, what did Four have to say?"

Tris exchanges a brief glance with Eric before speaking. “He confirmed that Evelyn asked him to help get people into the Dauntless armory — and he did.”

Max’s eyes narrow, but he says nothing, silently urging her to continue.

“She’s been stealing supplies — food, medicine, weapons — supposedly to support ‘her people.’ He said the Factionless are basically a sixth faction now.”

Max leans forward, clasping his hands together. “Did he say what their end goal is?”

Tris shakes her head. “Not exactly. He said it was about survival, protection… giving the Factionless a better life. But he also mentioned they’ve taken over a building downtown — running it like a faction. Jobs, leadership, infrastructure. The whole thing.”

Max exhales quietly. “That’s more organization than we anticipated.”

“She’s been building this for a while,” Eric adds. “Something this structured doesn’t happen overnight. She’s been laying the groundwork for years. And there’s something else — he claimed they stole from Abnegation, but we know that’s not true. So either he was misled… or Marcus is hiding something.”

Max’s gaze shifts to Tris. “And your read?”

“I don’t think he’s telling me everything,” Tris admits. “But I think he believes most of what he said. Still, it was hard to tell — he kept getting defensive, agitated. I never knew how he was going to react to anything I said.”

Max studies her carefully. “He’s never been violent toward you, though. That’s what you told me.”

Tris glances down at her hands, hesitating. Then she meets Max’s gaze head-on. “He left a bruise on my wrist. Just once. But with how he’s been acting lately... I’d like to believe he isn’t capable of worse. I’m not so sure anymore.”

Eric tenses beside her. “He crossed a line last night. Forced his way into her apartment. Refused to leave when she asked. She had to lie to calm him down.”

Max turns to Eric, watching him for a long beat before shifting his gaze back to Tris. “Is that true?”

She nods. “He was… intense. Not quite threatening, but close enough to make me nervous.”

Max is quiet for a moment, then nods to himself. “I’ll issue a quiet restriction. He won’t be notified, but he’ll be flagged. If he goes near your apartment again without an invitation, we’ll know, and someone will intercept if necessary.”

Eric gives a small, approving nod.

“But more importantly,” Max goes on, “we need to prepare for the possibility that the Factionless — or whatever they’re calling themselves now — are organizing for something bigger. A show of force. Maybe even an uprising.”

Tris swallows. “You really think it could be that serious?”

Max meets her eyes. “If they’ve been stockpiling weapons, forming leadership, and recruiting… yes. I do.”

A heavy silence settles over the room.

Then Max asks, “Based on what you’ve learned, is it fair to assume Four knows we’re concerned?”

Tris nods.

“Do you think he’ll tell Evelyn?”

She hesitates, then shakes her head with a shrug. “I honestly don’t know. He said he hasn’t spoken to her since the night of the break-in, but he was really insistent when asking if you thought she was planning something.”

Max looks toward his computer, thoughtful. “Okay. We’ll put a tail on him. If he does reach out to her, we’ll deal with it.”

He turns to Eric. “We need to step up surveillance. I’ll talk to Zane about streamlining the monitor feeds in the control room. Any movement in sectors where she’s been spotted, any unusual activity near the other factions, we need eyes on it.”

Max’s fingers hover over the keyboard. “I’ll also go back through the footage. I want a closer look at her companions. We’ll use facial recognition to try and track past appearances, maybe spot patterns.”

Eric nods. “Do you think it’s possible Four tampered with more than just the Dauntless break-in footage?”

Max pauses, then exhales. “That’s a good point. I know this isn’t technically your department, but you’re the only one who knows he was involved. How comfortable are you with the surveillance system?”

Eric shrugs. “Comfortable enough.”

“Good. I need someone I trust to go through the logs, check for corrupted data, deleted archives, irregular access times. Anything that doesn’t line up. He might’ve masked his activity, but if he tampered with footage during a shift, the access logs could still expose him. You’ll need to cross-reference with old shift schedules.”

“I can handle that,” Eric says, “but I’m already behind on my regular assignments because of the initiates. This’ll set me back even further.”

Max waves it off. “This takes priority. I’ll try to pull someone from my team to support you, but only someone we trust. Discretion is critical.”

Tris leans forward slightly. “Are you going to pull Four from his duties in the control room?”

Max hesitates, weighing the options. “We’ll leave him on the schedule for now. We don’t want to tip him off. Business as usual. But I’ll put a trace on his login and any other login’s Eric might find were used during his previous shifts. If he does anything outside of the norm, we’ll catch it.”

“Will you update the other factions?”

Max shakes his head. “I’ll start by updating the rest of Dauntless leadership. We’ll wait and see if Four reaches out to Evelyn before we bring the other factions up to speed. I want solid proof first.” He turns to Tris. “And you, keep pushing him, but gently. If he knows more, we need it.”

Eric’s jaw tightens. “Absolutely not.”

Max raises a brow. “Excuse me?”

“Tris already put herself at risk not once, but twice. That’s enough. We’ll find another way to get what we need.”

“This isn’t about what you’re comfortable with, Eric. It’s about results,” Max says, the chill in his voice unmistakable. “She has access to him. You don’t.”

“I’m not going to let her be used again,” Eric fires back. “You’re already planning to tail him. Why don’t we tap his com too? Or interrogate one of the Factionless? Hell, send someone else to talk to him.”

“You don’t get to make that call,” Max says, rising from his chair. “She’s in leadership now. She agreed to the assignment.”

“She never wanted to do this assignment, and you know it. You forced her into it. Manipulated her. And her ‘agreement’ was before he showed up at her home uninvited and refused to leave,” Eric’s voice is nearly a shout now. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see her face when I got inside.”

Tris flinches at the memory but doesn’t interrupt.

Max leans forward. “That Factionless community, or whatever it is, could be a week away from open rebellion, and you’d rather coddle your girlfriend than stop it?”

Eric takes a step forward, but Tris quickly rises from her chair and places a hand on his chest.

“Stop,” she says quietly.

Eric looks down at her, breathing hard. “You’re not doing this.”

“Tris?” Max questions.

Tris draws in a steady breath and turns toward Max. “Is there really no other way?”

“It only took you a day to get this much information. We don’t know how long we have. This is the fastest way I can think of. We need to know what we are dealing with.”

Tris considers him, then nods. “I’ll need to give Four a bit of space. If I try too soon, he’ll be suspicious.”  

Eric shakes his head in frustration. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I know,” she says gently, “but if I don’t and something happens, something I could have prevented, I’d never forgive myself.”

Eric looks between her and Max, then turns away, jaw clenched tightly.

“That settles it then.” Max says, sitting back down. “Tris, we’ll meet again after your next conversation with him. Eric I’ll come by the control room later to see if you’ve made any progress.”

Eric gives Max a grudging nod, then turns on his heel. Tris follows close behind as they step out of the office, the door clicking shut behind them.

They walk in silence toward Eric’s office, the tension between them heavy and unspoken. Once inside, Eric stops abruptly, turns to face her, and crosses his arms.

“Say it,” Tris murmurs.

His voice is low, but the frustration is clear. “What the hell was that? You’re the one who said you were done. We practically screamed at each other about it. I had your back in there, and you just—” he gestures toward Max’s office, “—agreed to talk to him again?”

She sighs, eyes dropping to her hands. “I didn’t plan it. Walking in there, I still felt the same.”

“Then why?” he demands.

Tris lifts her gaze. “Because when Max started talking about uprisings, surveillance, tails… it hit me. They might actually be planning something — something dangerous. And like it or not, Four might be the only one we can reach who knows anything.”

Eric begins to pace, running a hand through his hair. “But we don’t even know if he knows anything. You said that yourself.”

“Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn’t,” she says quietly. “But if he’s still in contact with Evelyn… there’s a chance. If we give him space, not for his sake, but so he has time to reach out — and Max is tailing him — then maybe it’s worth it. If he reaches out, I’ll talk to him. If he doesn’t… that silence might tell us what we need to know.”

Eric exhales, slow and sharp, but says nothing.

She steps closer. “I didn’t change my mind because I want to talk to him. I hate it. I don’t want to manipulate him. I don’t want to lie to someone I used to love. But if he’s part of something that could threaten the faction, then… I have to do what needs to be done. Even if it hurts.”

After a long pause, Eric says, “I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it.”

She nods, the smallest flicker of relief in her expression.

“I’m not okay with you going in alone,” he adds. “However you handle this, I want to be nearby. Hidden, close. If he tries anything, I’ll be the first one between you and him.”

Tris gives him a small, grateful smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

He steps toward her, brushing a hand gently along her cheek.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

She leans into his touch for a brief second. “I just want it to be over.”

Leaving the tension of Max’s office behind, they make their way through the quiet corridors of the leadership wing. Tris is still processing everything when the elevator ahead dings open.

A tall, composed woman steps out, her silver-flecked black hair pulled back in a sleek twist. Tris recognizes her immediately — Vivica, the longest-serving member of Dauntless leadership.

Vivica’s gaze lands on them. Her expression softens slightly when she sees Tris.

“Morning,” she says evenly.

“Morning,” Eric replies with a polite nod.

Tris straightens. “Hi. I’m Tris. We haven’t actually met yet.”

Vivica extends a hand. “Vivica. Good to meet you properly.”

There’s a pause before Vivica speaks again. “I know Eric mentioned you were a bit disheartened your first week. I hope you’ve decided to continue.”

Tris glances at Eric, then back at Vivica.

“I have.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Leadership’s not for the faint-hearted,” she says. “But you remind me a little of myself when I started. I think you can handle it.”

Tris blinks, caught off guard by her candor. “Thank you.”

Vivica nods once and offers a faint smile before moving past them down the hall.

As they resume walking, Tris glances at Eric. “She seems young to be retiring.”

Eric shrugs. “The job wears people down. Most leaders don’t make it to retirement — at least not by choice. A lot burn out and take quieter roles. Easier that way.”

“But retiring usually means…”

“Becoming Factionless?” he finishes. “Yeah. Unless you’ve still got value — or someone anchoring you to the faction. Vivica’s husband isn’t retiring anytime soon. She’s safe. And even if she steps back, she won’t be gone for good. She’ll probably consult. Mentor someone.”

Tris nods, letting that sink in. It still felt strange — the idea of walking away from duty voluntarily, in a faction where usefulness was everything.

They round the corner toward the training gym, where the muffled sounds of shouting and sparring grow louder.

“Well,” Tris says, pausing outside the doors. “I guess I should get in there. I don’t know why, but shadowing Khloe makes me more nervous than shadowing Carter did.”

Eric smirks. “You’ll be fine. After what Carter threw at you, I’m pretty sure you can handle anything. Just be yourself. And brace yourself for some very personal questions.”

Tris groans. “Great.”

“She’s good at what she does, even if she drives me crazy.” He pauses, then adds with a grin, “Kind of like someone else I know.”

Tris arches a brow. “Careful now.”

He laughs, stepping back. “See you later.”

Tris grins before pushing open the gym doors and heading inside.

The gym is buzzing with activity when Tris steps inside. Khloe is already barking instructions at the initiates, her voice sharp but energetic. She turns at the sound of the door and brightens when she sees Tris.

“Well, look who it is!” Khloe calls out. “Get over here.”

Tris makes her way over, catching a few curious glances from the initiates as she approaches. A few of them clearly recognize her from the knife demonstration, but their expressions are different now, more respectful and a little more uncertain.

Khloe gestures toward Tris with a grin. “Alright, everyone, this is Tris. She’s going to be shadowing me for a bit, learning the ropes. So yeah, she’s leadership now. Treat her like it.”

An awkward silence follows.

A tall girl in the back clears her throat. “We, uh, met her already.”

Khloe raises a brow. “Oh?”

“She threw knives at Eric,” another initiate mutters. “It was… intense.”

Khloe narrows her eyes at Tris, clearly annoyed she wasn’t in on this detail. “Well. Then you already know she’s more dangerous than she looks. Lucky you.”

Tris offers a faint smile as Khloe winks at her.

The initiates scatter into action, giving the two women a moment of space.

Khloe leans against the wall near the equipment rack and crosses her arms. “So. I just want to get this out of the way so we’re on the same page and can move on. You know I didn’t vote for you.”

“I know,” Tris says quietly.

A beat.

“It wasn’t because I thought you couldn’t handle it. I actually think you’ll be great. But I was worried. About you and Eric,” Khloe pauses, checking Tris’ reaction. “He’s my best friend. And you… well, you matter to him. Which is rare. He doesn’t let people in, not really. I didn’t want to see either of you crash and burn because you were suddenly working side by side under pressure. That kind of tension can screw people up.”

Tris sighs. “I was worried about that too. But Eric was adamant that we could handle it. I think it’s been harder than he expected already. But we’re figuring it out.”

Khloe nods in understanding. “He mentioned.”

The pair stand in silence for a moment before Khloe’s face brightens and she tilts her head, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

“So… just curious, how serious are you with Eric? Should I be teasing you two, or am I low-key supposed to start rooting for wedding bells?”

Before Tris can answer, one of the initiates curses as a blade clatters to the ground and narrowly misses a foot. Khloe straightens up.

“I better go keep them from maiming each other. But hey,” she adds, glancing back at Tris, “I’m glad you’re here. Really. Even if I was… hesitant at first.”

Tris offers a small smile. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

Khloe flashes her a wink and strides back onto the floor, barking orders as she moves.

Chapter Text

The rhythmic thump of knives hitting targets fills the gym as the initiates continue to practice. Tris moves along the edge of the group, observing with care but not inserting herself. Not quite sure how she fits into this new role.

A tall male transfer catches her eye. His grip is off, too tight, too stiff, and his throws keep wobbling. She steps forward instinctively, then hesitates, glancing toward Khloe on the other side of the gym.

Khloe meets her eyes and tilts her chin towards the initiate as if to say, “Go on.”

Tris breathes in slowly and walks over to the initiate, stopping beside him as he lines up another throw.

“You’re gripping the handle too tight,” she says, her voice quiet but steady. “Loosen up. Let your arm do more of the work.”

He glances over, surprised. “Yeah?”

She nods. “Here.” She gently adjusts the angle of his elbow and shoulder. “Now try.”

He throws again. The knife lands with a more solid thud this time, still not perfect, but better. He flashes her a cocky grin.

“You’ve got a good eye,” he says, his tone a little too smooth. “You don’t seem much older than me. When did you go through initiation? Would’ve been nice to have someone as cute as you around.”

Tris raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Lucky for you we weren’t in the same class. At least this way you still have a shot at ranking high.”

He chuckles. “So, you’re saying I’ve got a chance.”

“I’m saying it depends on how hard you work,” she replies, starting to step back.

“Maybe you could help with that,” he adds, playful now. “Some private lessons? One-on-one?”

Tris freezes for just a second, surprised by his boldness, then recovers quickly.

“I doubt my boyfriend would love that idea.”

His expression falters. “Oh. Right. Cool.”

A beat later, Khloe appears at Tris’s side, arms crossed. Her expression is amused but firm.

“Hey, Casanova, how about you focus more on your form and less on trying to flirt with your instructor?”

The boy mutters something under his breath and backs off to retrieve another knife. Khloe watches him go, then turns back to Tris, eyebrows raised, lips curled into a smirk.

“Boyfriend, huh?” she says under her breath. “Interesting.”

Tris blushes, looking away with a small, sheepish smile.

Khloe doesn’t push; she just gives Tris a knowing look before turning back toward the group.

After a few hours, the initiates begin to show noticeable improvement. Their throws grow more confident, more accurate, but so does the chatter. Energy is starting to wane, and the room buzzes with conversations and laughter as focus begins to slip.

Khloe claps her hands sharply, her voice cutting through the noise. “Alright, break time! You’ve got one hour. Don’t be late getting back or I’ll assume you want extra laps.”

The initiates groan but start filing out, some tossing their knives onto the equipment table, others carefully setting them down. Tris stays behind, instinctively beginning to gather stray blades. She glances at Khloe, who’s already reaching for a bin.

“Want help putting these away?” Tris offers.

Khloe nods. “Yeah, thanks. Easier to reset the room now than later.”

They work in silence for a moment, the gym slowly emptying until it’s just the two of them. As Tris stacks the last of the knives into a tray, she hears Khloe speak up.

“So… was the boyfriend thing the real deal or just a way to shake off the lovesick transfer?”

Tris’s lips twitch. She sets the tray down. “It’s real.”

Khloe perks up, eyes widening. “Wait, seriously?”

Tris nods, a little sheepish. “We made it official last night.”

Khloe lets out an exaggerated gasp and clutches her chest. “And he didn’t tell me? I’m wounded.”

Tris chuckles as Khloe shakes her head in mock betrayal. “Unbelievable. The boy tells me when he adds a new exercise to his workout but this, he keeps to himself.”

“I’m sure he’s going to tell you,” Tris says with a shrug.

Khloe waves a hand dramatically, still grinning. “He better. Or I’m filing an official complaint.”

Tris laughs, shaking her head. The moment lingers a beat longer before Khloe smiles.

“Alright. Let’s grab some food,” she says, tossing the last knife into the bin and dusting off her hands.

“So, what’s the plan for this afternoon?” Tris asks, stabbing a piece of pasta with her fork.

Khloe flashes a grin. “Run.”

Tris brightens. “How long of a run?”

“I want to push them,” Khloe says casually. “I’m thinking eight miles.”

Tris grins wider. “Even better.”

Khloe squints at her. “That’s it? No groaning, no sarcastic commentary?”

Tris shrugs, clearly unbothered. “I like running. Clears my head. Gets the blood moving.”

Khloe tilts her head, eyeing her with mild suspicion. “You know who else says crap like that? Eric.”

Tris snorts. “What can I say? We have our moments.”

Khloe smirks, shaking her head.

Tris smiles and stabs a piece of chicken with her fork.

Khloe takes a bite of her food, then glances at Tris curiously. “So, what did you think of your own initiation?”

Tris hesitates, weighing her words. “It was… intense.”

Khloe smirks. “I’d be worried if you said it wasn’t.”

“No, I mean…” Tris pokes at the edge of her plate for a minute. “I understand why things are the way they are. It all has a purpose. But… there was a lot of competition. A lot of pressure to look out for yourself first. It felt like we were always being pitted against each other and it really brought out the worst in some people.”

Khloe nods slowly. “That tracks.”

“I’m not saying it didn’t teach us anything,” Tris adds quickly, “just that… maybe there could’ve been more focus on how we work together, not just who can stand alone the longest.”

A spark of approval flickers in Khloe’s eyes. “Funny you say that. I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

“Really?”

Khloe leans back. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for toughening people up. Dauntless isn’t exactly known for trust falls and team-building exercises, but we do operate in teams, on patrol, in emergencies, during raids. That stuff matters. So, I’ve been working on some new ideas for training.”

“Like what?” Tris asks.

Khloe grins. “An obstacle course. A wilderness challenge. And a city-wide scavenger hunt.”

Tris raises a brow. “That’s a lot of ideas. Do you really think you can fit all that into two weeks of covering with the initiates?”

“I think if you’re willing to help plan, we could get at least two done,” Khloe says hopefully.

“You’re the boss. Whatever you need, I’m in.” Tris smiles. “Tell me about the wilderness challenge.”

“In pairs or small groups,” Khloe explains, “initiates get blindfolded and dropped off deep in the woods in the middle of the night. They each get a pack with a few essentials then have to find their way back to Dauntless headquarters before breakfast. It’s about navigation, endurance, teamwork… and maybe a bit of panic.”

Tris hums thoughtfully. “That sounds brutal. And brilliant.”

Khloe shrugs. “Max might be easy enough to convince. But Eric’s about as flexible as a steel beam when it comes to initiation.”

Tris chuckles. “I don’t know. That actually seems like it would be right up his alley. But if you’re worried, you could always make it sound more official, call it ‘Operation Nightfall’ or ‘Escape to Homebase.’ Make it sound like a high-risk mission.”

Khloe grins. “See? I knew I liked you.”

She checks the time and finishes the last bite of her food. “Alright, we should get going.”

Tris stands, brushing off her hands. “Back to it.”

The afternoon goes smoothly, with only one boy nearly passing out from the heat during their run. As the initiates trickle out, the gym finally begins to quiet. Tris is about to walk over to Khloe, who’s swiping through her datapad, when her com buzzes in her pocket.

“Dinner at my place?” Eric’s message reads.

She smiles instinctively, but guilt flickers through her as she remembers she promised Christina they could talk over dinner.

“Can’t tonight, I promised Christina I’d have dinner with her,” she replies.

A beat later, his reply comes through. “Can you stop by your place first? Just for a few minutes. Need to talk.”

Tris frowns slightly, rereading the message. The phrasing sets her on edge. Need to talk never feels like a good thing. “Sure. Is everything okay?” she asks.

“Yeah. Just want to fill you in on something before your dinner,” his next message reads.

She smiles, trying to shove her worries to the back of her mind. “See you in a bit.”

Still smiling at the thought of seeing Eric, even if only briefly, Tris approaches Khloe. “Hey, what’s next?”

Khloe looks up, catching the expression on Tris’s face. She raises an eyebrow, amused. “Who was the message from?” she asks, nodding toward the com still in Tris’s hand. “The one that just made you all giddy.”

Tris blushes and slips the device back into her pocket. “Eric. He wanted to see if I was free. But if there’s more work to do—”

Khloe waves her off. “Just boring coordination stuff. A few supply shipments came in, but the inventory’s a mess. I have to sort through it and make it make sense.”

Tris hesitates. “You sure you don’t want help?”

“Positive,” Khloe says with a grin. “Go see your boyfriend.” She scrunches her nose dramatically. “We’ll go over this stuff another day, preferably when you’re not drenched in sweat. Go. Be gross with my bestie.”

Tris laughs, shaking her head. “Thanks, Khloe.”

Khloe gives her a two-fingered salute. “See you tomorrow, Prior.”

With one last amused glance, Tris turns and heads for the door.

Tris walks down the hallway of the Dauntless housing wing toward her apartment. Just outside her door, Eric stands with a technician carrying a toolkit and a datapad.

“Hey,” Tris says softly as she approaches.

Eric looks up, his usual guarded expression softening for a brief second. He shifts slightly, then nods. “Glad you’re here.”

The technician gestures toward the door. “I replaced the old keypad with a new biometric model. It won’t unlock without her fingerprint or a leadership pass.”

Tris steps forward, curiosity mixing with a bit of nervousness. The technician shows her where to place her thumb on the scanner. She presses her thumb firmly against the glass panel. A brief beep sounds, and the light blinks green.

“There we go,” the technician says. “Your biometrics are now registered. There’s also a camera and audio feed. It’ll record continuously for security.”

Tris glances at Eric, who is watching her closely, a faint crease between his brows. “What did you find that made you decide to upgrade all this?”

Eric shifts his weight, running a hand through his hair as he lowers his voice. “I’ll explain later. Not with him here.”

The technician nods and finishes packing up his tools.

Tris steps inside and closes the door behind her. As she turns around, Eric steps closer and kisses her lightly.

“How was your day?” she asks, her cheeks warming.

Eric exhales, taking a small step back. “Long.”

Tris studies his expression, then asks gently, “Did you find out anything?”

He tilts his chin toward the couch. “Come sit.”

They walk over together, settling in. For a moment, neither speaks.

Then Tris breaks the silence. “So... it must’ve been bad if you thought changing my lock was necessary.”

Eric lets out a slow breath. “To be honest, it’s... strange.”

He turns toward her, shifting a little closer. “Every Dauntless member has a unique ID number. You’re assigned it at birth or when you transfer in.”

Tris blinks. “I had no idea.”

“Most don’t,” Eric says. “Unless you work in security or intelligence, you never use it. Those departments log in with their IDs daily. The rest of us just have one sitting on file.”

He leans forward slightly, voice lowering. “I started by checking the system logs from the night of the break-in. I found the login that was used to swap out the footage.”

Tris shifts, angling her body toward his, listening closely.

“I searched that ID,” he continues, “and it only showed up one other time. It was used to delete footage outside your apartment, the night Four showed up.”

Tris nods slowly. “That’s why you changed the lock? He clearly did something he didn’t want traced.”

Eric nods. “Yeah. But when I dug deeper... I found that the ID number belonged to Al.”

Her breath catches. “Al?”

“Yeah.” Eric’s gaze is steady. “Four must’ve used Al’s login to cover his tracks. Since it’s a legitimate ID, no one would’ve thought twice.”

Tris takes a moment, letting it sink in. “I guess that makes sense.”

Eric’s expression darkens. “But then it got weird.”

He leans back into the couch. “After that, I checked Four’s own ID. Nothing suspicious. Just the usual logins, accessing footage, archiving, tagging. Standard stuff for someone in his role.”

Tris frowns. “So... he only used Al’s ID those two times? Nothing else stood out?”

“That’s what it looked like at first. But then I kept digging.” His voice drops again. “While reviewing every use of his ID during his shifts, I found one more login. Almost identical to his… just with an extra zero at the end.”

Her brows draw together. “Like a fake version?”

Eric nods. “Exactly. It’s subtle. Easy to overlook unless you’re really paying attention. But when I ran that number... it was a mess. Access at odd hours, early archiving, footage that looked tampered with. And a few deletions… outside the leadership corridor, near the loading dock, other spots too.”

Tris goes still, her food long forgotten. “Why would he do that?”

“I don’t think he did.”

She looks at him sharply. “You think someone’s trying to frame him.”

“That’s exactly what I think.”

Tris exhales slowly. “Someone’s setting him up.”

Eric’s jaw tightens. “Looks that way.”

A beat of silence passes.

“Did you tell Max?” she asks.

“Tried to,” Eric mutters. “But he got pulled out of the compound this afternoon. I haven’t had the chance yet.”

Tris leans forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. “This is serious, Eric. If someone’s planting evidence, that means someone else in Dauntless is working for Evelyn.”

Eric nods grimly. “Or more than one.”

Tris draws a slow breath, trying to piece everything together. “So... what do we do next?”

He shakes his head. “I’ll talk to Max first thing in the morning. Until then, there’s not much we can do.”

She nods, chewing the inside of her cheek. For a long moment, they sit in silence, each lost in thought.

Eric exhales, letting his head fall back against the couch cushion before turning to look at her, one brow raised. “You could stay.”

Tris glances at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I told you, I’ve got dinner with Christina.”

He gives her a hopeful grin. “You could cancel.”

She lets out a soft laugh. “I’ve already blown her off more times than I can count. If I do it again, she might actually strangle me.”

Eric's smirk fades just slightly. “Think she’s going to give you a hard time about us?”

Tris hesitates. “Maybe. She’s still stuck on how things were during initiation.”

His jaw ticks, but he nods once. “Fair.”

“If she is upset, she’ll come around,” Tris adds gently. “Eventually.”

“You’re awfully optimistic,” he murmurs.

Tris stands and grabs her jacket from the back of the couch. “It’s either that or assume my best friend’s going to hate my boyfriend forever.”

Eric watches her slip it on, then rises to his feet beside her.

There’s a brief pause before Tris steps forward and presses a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Thanks for coming by,” she says softly.

He smiles, and they head to the door together.

Once outside, Tris’s gaze lingers on the new keypad beside her door.

“Do you think he’ll show up unannounced again?” she asks, voice low with unease. “I appreciate the security upgrade, but I can’t say it’s put me completely at ease.”

“Oh!” Eric says, suddenly remembering. “Hand me your com, I’ll install something that links to the keypad. It’ll notify you if anyone comes by, and give you live access to the camera feed. That way you’ll always know who’s at your door, even when you’re not home.”

Tris blinks, a little surprised as she hands it over. “Seriously?”

Eric nods, already tapping through settings. After a moment, he hands the device back to her. “There. Just press that icon, and everything’s at your fingertips.”

Tris’s eyes widen as a live video of the two of them standing at her door pops up on screen. “Okay, this actually makes me feel a lot better. You’re amazing.”

Eric shrugs, pleased. “Anything to keep you safe. And if you ever want to give someone else access, you can just send them the link, they’ll get notifications and be able to view the feed.”

Tris’s brows draw together for a second before her face brightens.

“So, if I send it to you, you’d know right away if something was wrong? Even if I couldn’t call?”

He nods. “Exactly. But just so you know, I’d also get alerts when you leave, when you come back, when someone visits. I don’t want to make you feel like I’m crossing a line.”

Tris hesitates only a second, then taps her com. “Sent. You should have the link now.”

Eric raises a brow. “You’re sure?”

She shrugs lightly. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

His expression softens. “Alright. I’ll set it up on my end tonight.”

Tris nods, then glances toward the hallway. “I should get going.”

“Text me after?” he asks.

“I will.” She offers a small smile before turning to leave.

Tris sits across from Christina at one of the back tables, a half-eaten plate of pasta between them.

Christina leans back in her chair, spearing a piece of bread with unnecessary force. “So... you and Eric, huh?”

Tris winces. “Yeah... again, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Christina gives her a look. “You mean you didn’t feel like telling me back when I was calling him a murderous sociopath?”

Tris gives a weak laugh. “Well, when you put it that way… maybe I have nothing to be sorry about.”

Christina chuckles. “You still could’ve said something.”

“I know,” Tris sighs. “I just… I didn’t know how to bring it up. Especially knowing how you feel about him because of initiation.”

Christina leans forward. “You mean when he nearly killed me?”

Tris groans quietly. “He wasn’t going to let you fall, Chris. He was trying to scare you. Teach you something.”

“Yeah, well, mission accomplished. I learned that Eric has all the emotional range of a teaspoon.”

Tris huffs, but a smile tugs at her mouth. “He’s not like that. At least... not with me.”

Christina eyes her, skeptical. “Okay, so then what exactly do you see in him?”

Tris pauses for a moment, stirring the food on her plate. “He’s actually... surprisingly sweet. And thoughtful. He listens. He’s supportive. He notices stuff no one else does.”

Christina arches a brow. “Eric?”

“I know,” Tris says, laughing a little. “It surprised me too.”

Christina leans back again, folding her arms. “I’m going to need more than sweet and thoughtful. This is Eric we’re talking about.”

Tris grins taking a second to think about it. “He’s a good cook.”

Christina blinks. “Come again?”

“I’m serious. Like, real food. Not toast and cereal.”

Christina narrows her eyes. “Well, that I’d have to see to believe. I sense a double date in our future, with Eric as the chef.”

Tris laughs, shaking her head. “I doubt he’d go for that. He’s not exactly a host a dinner party kind of guy.”

Christina lifts a shoulder. “Still, I’d come. For the food. And, you know, to see if he burns the place down.”

Tris tilts her head, studying her. “You’d really be up for spending time with him?”

Christina hesitates for half a second, then nods. “If it means that much to you? Yeah. I’d survive it.”

Tris’s smile softens. “Thanks, Chris.”

Christina waves a hand. “Don’t you dare get all mushy on me.”

Tris rolls her eyes but can’t help the smile that tugs at her lips. She ducks her head, spearing a bite of pasta and grinning into her plate.

Across from her, Christina keeps chatting, launching into a story about a patrol gone sideways, and for the first time since she started her walk to dinner, Tris lets herself relax.

Chapter Text

The Dauntless halls are quiet as Tris makes her way back to her apartment. Her body is tired from the long day and she’s full from dinner. Christina had insisted on dessert, and Tris hadn’t argued.

She reaches her door and pulls out her com, glancing at the screen as she types out a quick message. “Just got back. Dinner was good. Christina is expecting you to cook her a three-course meal.”

The response comes faster than she expects. “Glad dinner was good, but Christina is shit out of luck, I don’t cook for people.”

Tris snorts softly to herself, still smiling. “You cooked for me.”

There’s a pause and then his message comes through. “Yeah, well. You’re not ‘people.’”

Her grin widens. “What am I then?” she types and hits send.

“A pain in my ass. Who I like having around.”

She lingers outside her apartment for a moment, reading the words again before typing back: “You’re terrible at compliments.”

“I try.”

A soft smile curves her lips as she unlocks her door and steps inside. Her com buzzes again. “Also, technically I already knew you were home. You know… the security app.”

Tris lets out a quiet laugh, dropping her jacket over the back of the couch. “Creepy,” she sends.

“Efficient,” she gets in return.

She shakes her head, still smiling as she sinks down onto the couch. She knows not everyone would be okay with it, but she’s more than happy knowing Eric’s watching out for her.

She lets out a yawn and stretches automatically, the day catching up with her.

“I’m going to shower and crash early,” she sends, then adds, “Goodnight, Eric.”

“Goodnight, Tris,” she receives in reply.

She sets the com down and leans back. Looking toward the ceiling, a quiet calm sets in.

By midday, the initiates have been dismissed for lunch, and Tris and Khloe are making their way toward Khloe’s office. Tris balances two takeout containers as they make the familiar walk to the leadership wing.

Once inside, Tris sets the food down while Khloe boots up her datapad. Within minutes, they’re seated across from each other, only half-focused on their meals as plans and maps light up their screens.

“So,” Khloe says around a mouthful of rice, “I think I’ve got the drop point figured out.”

Tris raises an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Burnham Park,” Khloe says, taping her screen and zooming in on the city map. “Far enough to be a challenge but still doable. It’s about two hours and twenty minutes on foot from here.”

“And they won’t know where they are when they’re dropped?” Tris asks.

“Nope. We’ll blindfold them before the drive. Then we’ll give them the rundown once we arrive: four hours to make it back to the compound. If they don’t manage it, they fail.”

Tris leans in, intrigued. “How many groups are you thinking?”

“Three groups of four. Totally random. We’ll pick them out of a hat or something.” Khloe replies. “Each team gets four backpacks. The gear will be divided, so they’ll need each other to get through.”

“Which forces cooperation,” Tris says, nodding. “What’s in the packs?”

“Digital compass, flashlight, water, trail mix, a basic map. Maybe a first aid kit. That’s what I’m thinking so far. But not everyone will get the same supplies, so they’ll have to communicate, pool resources, and stick together.”

“Weapons?” Tris asks.

Khloe gives her a look. “It’s survival training, not a death match. No weapons. If they fight each other, they’ve already failed.”

Tris grins. “Sounds perfect.”

They spend the next 30 minutes determining boundaries, thinking through contingencies, and going over safety protocols. By the time they finish eating, the challenge proposal is nearly complete. Khloe leans back in her chair with a satisfied sigh.

“This might actually work. I’m thinking of calling it something like Tactical Navigation Endurance Drill…”

Tris grins. “Sounds dangerous.”

The office door creaks open and without warning, Eric walks in, jacket unzipped, hair tousled like he’s run a hand through it too many times. He looks tired and irritated but softens when he sees Tris.

Without a word, he crosses the room and presses a quick kiss to her lips before dropping into the chair beside her with a heavy sigh.

“Rough morning?” Khloe asks, arching a brow.

Eric doesn’t bother opening his eyes. “I’m stuck. I need a second set of eyes and someone with more tech experience than me. But I can’t just ask anyone, and Max is out again.” He sighs. “Heath can’t, or won’t, tell me when he’ll be back, so I’m just in limbo until I can talk to him.”

“Can you work on something else in the meantime?”

Eric grunts. “I’m spending the afternoon with the Dauntless-born. I’ve been neglecting them lately,” he says cracking open one eye and glancing at the datapads in front of Tris and Khloe. “What are you two plotting?” He asks, gesturing toward the screens.

Khloe exchanges a quick look with Tris, then smirks. “Initiate challenge.”

Eric groans. “God help them.”

Tris nudges his knee lightly. “You’re not even going to ask what it is?”

“Does it involve pain?”

“Maybe a little.”

“Then I support it.”

Khloe snorts. “What a glowing endorsement.”

Tris checks the time and stands. “We should get back to the floor.”

Eric exhales but doesn’t move. “I’m going to sit here and pretend I don’t exist for five minutes.”

“You’re doing a great job already,” Khloe says, grabbing their empty containers.

Tris grins, picking up her datapad. “Text me later?”

Eric doesn’t answer, just lifts a lazy hand in farewell as they step out the door.

The sound of fighting fills the training room. The air smells like sweat and blood.

Inside the ring, two initiates circle each other, their fists raised, and their knuckles wrapped.

Tris stands near the edge of the ring and watches as one initiate lands a hit to the ribs. Their opponent stumbles, barely managing to stay upright.

Beside her, Khloe stares down at her datapad, barely registering the fight in front of them.

“You good?” Tris asks quietly.

Khloe blinks, then exhales through her nose. “Yeah. It’s just the shipment from last night, it’s still bugging me. Something weird is going on.”

Tris turns to her. “Weird how?”

“It was supposed to be tactical gear and a mix of food stores,” Khloe says, her voice low. “But when I opened the crates, most of the gear was missing. Instead, someone swapped in a pile of old Dauntless casuals… stuff we haven’t issued in years. And some of the food was gone too. The canned goods, a few dry supplies.”

Tris frowns. “That doesn’t sound like an accident.”

“No kidding. I called Amity to check, and they just got back to me… apparently everything was loaded correctly on their end. They have no idea what happened in between. They’re just as confused as I am.”

“And the driver?”

“The transport log shows nothing unusual. Standard Dauntless run, standard driver.”

Tris is quiet for a second, she looks over at the ring, then lowers her voice. “You think it could be the Factionless again?”

Khloe doesn’t answer immediately. “The thought crossed my mind. But this?” She shakes her head. “This was bold. Messy. If it was them, they’re either getting gutsier or sloppier.”

“Maybe they’re stepping up their game,” Tris says cautiously. “Whatever they’re planning… maybe this is part of it.” She stops herself, suddenly uncertain. Her mouth shuts on the next sentence.

Khloe glances at her, eyes narrowed. “You know something you’re not telling me.”

Tris winces slightly. “I know some stuff. But I’m not sure what I’m allowed to share.”

“Allowed? You’re not a spy, Tris. You’re part of leadership now.”

“I know. Max said he was planning to update all the leaders. Maybe he hasn’t had the chance? Since he’s been out of the compound the last two days?”

There’s a tense pause. Then, Khloe mutters, “Figures you’d know more than me and you’ve been in leadership for, what… five minutes?”

Tris opens her mouth, then closes it. “I wish I didn’t know as much as I do,” she admits.

Khloe lets out a short breath. “Yeah, well. Maybe if you’d picked a better ex-boyfriend, you’d still be in the dark with the rest of us.”

Tris blinks, startled.

Khloe immediately shakes her head. “Sorry. That was… low. I’m just… stressed. And I hate being left out of things. It’s not your fault.”

Tris studies her for a second before nodding. “I get it.”

Another blow lands in the ring, this one hard enough to send one of the initiates to their knees. Khloe looks back down at her datapad and taps in a score.

“I guess I’ll talk to Max about the shipment when he’s back,” she says after a moment, more composed. “Maybe it’ll give him an opening to fill me in.”

Tris nods.

Khloe gives her a half-hearted smile, then turns back to the ring. “Reyna. Malcolm. You’re up.”

The two initiates jog toward the ring, and the new match begins, the shipment forgotten, for now.

The training room is nearly empty, the last of the initiates having filed out, bruised and exhausted. Tris stoops to pick up a discarded roll of tape while Khloe gathers a few half-empty water bottles, tossing them into a bin near the door.

Khloe sighs dramatically. “Ugh. Remind me never to train initiates again.”

Tris chuckles. “You say that, but you’ve been smiling all day.”

Khloe grins, not even bothering to deny it. “Okay, fine. I have. I was honestly kind of thrilled when Max asked me to help out. I love my job, but let’s be real, order forms and inventory aren’t exactly adrenaline-inducing.”

Tris raises a brow. “You mean paperwork doesn’t give you a rush?”

Khloe snorts. “Shockingly, no. This—” she gestures around the training room as they clean up the last of the mess “—actually feels like Dauntless again.”

They don’t say anything else after that. Instead, they move in silence, resetting the space for the next morning, straightening mats and gathering equipment. Once everything’s back in order, Khloe straightens, hands on her hips.

“I think I’m going to swing by Max’s office,” she says. “Just in case he’s back. I really want to talk to him about that shipment.”

Tris looks up. “Want company?”

Khloe gives a quick nod. “Sure. If he’s in, you’ll probably get more answers out of him than I will anyway.”

Tris holds back an eye roll, falling into step beside her as they head out of the training room together.

The corridors leading to the Dauntless leadership wing are mostly quiet at this hour, the low hum of overhead lights the only sound as Tris and Khloe walk side by side.

As they turn the final corner toward Max’s office, Tris slows. The door is closed, but voices drift faintly through it.

They both go still.

“…like I said,” Eric says. “I don’t think it was Four. He’s smarter than this.”

A pause. Then Max’s voice, lower but still audible: “You’re telling me there’s someone else? Here, in Dauntless?”

“Yes,” Eric replies. “Someone who knows the system, has the access and made sure Four looks guilty enough to distract us.”

Khloe leans closer, frowning. She whispers, “I thought they were sure Four’s the mole?”

Tris doesn’t respond. Her lips press into a thin line, and she gives Khloe a look that’s both hesitant and apologetic, one that clearly says I already knew this.

Khloe’s brow furrows. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she mutters.

Inside, Max exhales. “I don’t like this. If there really is someone else… I need time to think. I don’t know who to trust right now.”

“And I need someone who can help recover the footage,” Eric says. “Someone with more technical expertise than me.”

“I’ll figure it out,” Max replies. “Just give me a little time.”

As footsteps sound from within, Tris straightens instinctively while Khloe takes a step back.

The door swings open abruptly and Eric freezes when he sees them.

Max appears behind him, shoulders tense, until he registers who it is.

“Oh,” he mutters, letting out a breath. “It’s just you two.”

Eric raises an eyebrow. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough,” Khloe replies bluntly.

Max sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Well. At least it’s two people I actually do trust.”

Khloe crosses her arms. “That list is getting shorter by the day, isn’t it?”

Max doesn’t answer. He just steps aside, motioning them in.

“I was actually coming to find you,” Khloe says as she enters. “There’s something you should know… something else.”

Max gestures for her to go on. Eric watches her closely as she steps further into the room.

“The shipment that came in yesterday, it was supposed to be a split between tactical gear and food. But when I opened it…” She hesitates. “Something was off.”

“How off?” Eric asks, folding his arms.

Khloe meets his gaze. “No tactical gear. Just a pile of old Dauntless casuals we haven’t issued in years. And some of the food was gone, mostly canned goods and dry staples.”

Max’s expression hardens. “Did you talk to Amity?”

Khloe nods. “They confirmed everything was loaded correctly on their end. Manifest checked out.”

“And the driver?” Eric asks.

“Same one they always use. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Max exhales, already weary. “We can replace food,” he mutters. “But tactical gear? That worries me.”

Eric nods grimly. “Coms, body armor, headlamps… you don’t steal that unless you have a plan for it.”

Khloe crosses her arms. “This can’t have been an accident.”

Max leans back against his desk, jaw tight. “It’s the Factionless again. Has to be. They’re preparing for something.”

The room falls into a heavy silence.

Then Eric says, “We need to audit recent manifests. Not just ours. Let’s see if any of the other factions have been hit.”

“I’ll help,” Khloe says without hesitation.

Max shakes his head. “Is there anyone on your Supply team you trust completely?”

Khloe hesitates. “I mean, I trust my team… but this is uncharted territory. I’m not sure I’d bet on any of them with full confidence.”

Max nods. “Understood.”

A beat passes before he straightens, his voice sharpening. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do. Khloe, you’re off initiate duty tomorrow. I’ll send Heath in to cover you. Just leave instructions. Tris, you’re done shadowing.”

All three of them look at him, surprised.

Max holds up a hand. “Look, I trust her. Do you?” He glances between Eric and Khloe.

They nod. “Of course,” Khloe says.

“Good. Carter gave her a glowing review, and that doesn’t happen often. We’re running out of time, and I need people I can count on.” He turns to Tris. “If you’re up for it, you’re hired. Officially.”

Tris blinks, surprised by the sudden offer. She nods slowly, a little uncertain. “I’m in.”

“Good. We’ll sort out your role later. For now, work with Khloe, see if other factions have had similar issues. Quietly.”

Then he turns to Eric. “I’ll get back to you in the morning with someone to help with the footage. Meet me here first thing.”

And to Khloe: “Update me on anything you find. Even if it seems small. Every detail counts now. We have to get ahead of this, fast.”

The office door clicks shut behind them, and for a moment, the hallway is silent.

Khloe lets out a long breath and runs a hand through her hair. “Well,” she says dryly, “that escalated.”

Tris gives a half-laugh. “You think?”

Eric doesn’t say anything at first. He just glances down the hallway, jaw tight.

Khloe eyes him. “You really think we have another mole? Someone besides Four?”

“Yeah. I do,” he says, turning towards her.

Khloe sighs, exasperated. “Missing gear, deleted footage, secret moles… it’s like a bad joke.”

“If Evelyn’s got someone inside Dauntless, and they’re this good, we’re already behind,” Eric replies.

Khloe’s face hardens, but she doesn’t argue.

Tris shifts, looking between them. “We’ll figure this out.”

Eric smiles faintly at her optimism. “You’re in, then? For real?”

Tris nods. “I want to help. I want to fix this.”

“Well, at least you’re officially one of us now,” Khloe says. “That means you get to pull late nights and deal with other people’s messes.”

Tris arches a brow. “Sounds glamorous.”

Eric smiles. “Welcome to leadership.”

They stand there a moment longer, the weight of the day still pressing in.

Khloe breaks the silence first. “Alright. I’m starving.”

Eric chuckles. “You’re always starving.”

“Damn right I am. And if we’re all expected to be functioning humans by sunrise, I vote we grab dinner and crash early.”

Tris nods. “Food and sleep, I’m in.”

Eric glances between them, then to Tris. “Come to my place? I’ll make us…something.”

Khloe snorts. “Am I invited?”

Eric narrows his eyes at her. “No. You’re not.”

Khloe groans dramatically. “Unbelievable. You don’t want to have dinner with me, your best friend?”

Tris chuckles, listening to the two friends.

“You’re not charming enough,” he deadpans.

Khloe flips him off half-heartedly as she starts walking backward toward the dining hall. “Whatever. I hope your food burns.”

“You hope my frozen pizza burns?” Eric calls.

“Yes! And that it sets your oven on fire.”

Tris shakes her head, laughing. “You two are unbelievable.”

“Khloe’s the unbelievable one,” Eric mutters, rolling his eyes. Then, softer, “Come on. I promise I won’t ruin dinner.”

She falls into step beside him, their hands brushing before she intertwines her fingers with his. “Deal.”

And with that, they head off into the quiet corridors, the day starting to settle behind them.

When Tris walks out of the washroom and into the kitchen, she finds Eric dusting part of the island with flour. She pauses, watching as he pushes his sleeves up to his elbows and starts rolling out dough with practiced ease.

She raises an eyebrow. “Wait… I thought we were having frozen pizza.”

Eric doesn’t look up, just smirks. “That was to keep Khloe from showing up uninvited.”

She blinks. “You made dough?”

“And sauce,” he says, nodding toward a container of deep red sauce on the back counter. “Last night.”

Tris steps closer, watching him shape the dough into a into a neat circle. “How do you even know how to do this?”

“It’s not that hard,” he replies, still focused. “Just takes a little time.”

“Well, it smells amazing.” She glances around. “How can I help?”

“You can grate the cheese,” he says, tilting his chin toward the cutting board beside her. A block of mozzarella and a grater already waiting.

She smiles and steps in beside him, starting to grate as he spoons sauce over the dough.

Eric finishes spreading the sauce, then moves to wipe his hands on a towel before hesitating. A glint flickers in his eyes. Instead, he steps behind Tris taking in the curve of her back and the way her leggings hug her hips. Then, without warning, he grabs her butt with both hands.

White handprints bloom across the black fabric.

Tris yelps and spins around, wide-eyed. “Eric!”

He grins, completely unashamed. “What? It was just sitting there. The perfect canvas.”

She stares at him, caught between outrage and laughter, then gives in and starts laughing. “You are such a menace.”

“I never said I wasn’t,” he murmurs, hands sliding to her waist as he pulls her in.

Her arms come up around his neck just as he leans down to kiss her. It starts slow but quickly deepens as she rises onto her toes, pressing closer. His hands splay across her lower back, holding her firmly against him.

Tris kisses him back harder, fingers twisting in the fabric of his shirt, and for a moment, the pizza is entirely forgotten.

Eventually, Eric draws back just a breath, his lips brushing hers as he speaks. “We should finish the pizza.”

Tris hums, slightly dazed. “Are you sure?”

“If we don’t eat soon, I’m going to end up skipping straight to dessert.”

Tris giggles, her eyes widening slightly as her cheeks flush. She drops her gaze, suddenly shy. “I… um, okay,” she says softly, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth.

Eric watches her with quiet amusement. “You’re cute when you blush.”

She swats his arm light-heartedly. “You caught me off guard.”

He leans in and kisses her temple. “We don’t have to do anything you aren’t ready for.”

She nods gently, her smile softening before her expression turns playful. “Now do you want the cheese or not?”

“Cheese me, Prior.”

She snorts and hands him the bowl. “You’re lucky you’re hot.”

“Damn right I am.”

Chapter Text

Tris wakes up slowly, the soft orange glow of sunrise washing over her. For a moment, she doesn’t move. Her cheek rests against bare skin, and she can feel the slow, even rise and fall of Eric’s chest beneath her.

He’s still asleep, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other resting loosely against the pillow above his head.

She’d wondered, more than once, which version of Eric she would find behind closed doors, the intense leader she’d gone through initiation with or the thoughtful man she’d come to know him as since.

Last night he’d given her both.

As she lays with him now, memories of the night come back to her in pieces – his touch, the way he looked at her, how passionately he had moved. It had been new, and she had been nervous, but one thing she wasn’t was unsure. Of him. Of them. Of being with him.

She shifts a little, trying to be careful not to wake him, but Eric stirs, his arm tightening briefly around her before his eyes blink open.

“Morning,” he says, voice rough with sleep.

She smiles softly. “Morning.”

For a few seconds, they just look at each other, the quiet stretching comfortably between them.

“You okay?” he asks, brushing a bit of hair away from her face.

She nods, her smile growing. “Yeah. I am.”

He presses a kiss to her forehead, then sighs and flops back onto the pillow. “We should get up.”

Tris groans, burying her face in his chest. “No.”

He chuckles. “Pretty sure we’ve got a shit storm waiting for us.”

“I hate that.”

“Same.”

After another beat, she sighs and shifts to sit up. “I guess I should go home. Get ready.”

He sits up too, scooting to the head of the bed and resting his back there for a moment. “I'll walk you.”

After a quick breakfast at Tris’s apartment, they fall into an easy stride on the path toward the leadership offices.

“You know,” Eric says, glancing sideways at her, “at some point we’re going to have to be seen together in public.”

Tris, already holding his hand, makes a show of swinging their arms. “We’re in public right now.”

He gives her a flat look. “Everyone is either in the dining hall or still asleep. If you’re secretly ashamed of me, Prior, now’s the time to confess.”

She smirks. “Ashamed of dating the big, bad Dauntless leader? That doesn’t sound like me.”

A slow smile tugs at his mouth. “Then maybe we take the next step, have dinner in the dining hall… with your friends.”

She lifts a brow. “You’re really volunteering to spend an evening getting interrogated?”

He chuckles. “Okay… so maybe drinks at the Pit first? Loud music, lots of distractions… might be a little less intense.”

Tris laughs. “That’s probably a better bet. What brought this on?”

Eric shrugs casually. “I figured it’s only fair. You’ve been getting to know Khloe.”

There’s a beat, then she looks at him more softly. “Thanks.”

He glances down at her. “For what?”

“For wanting to try.”

His fingers tighten slightly around hers. “Anytime.”

When they arrive outside Khloe’s office, they hear a loud thud from inside, followed by muffled cursing.

Tris blinks and instinctively steps forward. “That sounded like her running into something.”

Eric smirks. “Or tripping over nothing.”

Tris gives him a look. “Still. I should check on her, make sure she’s okay.”

He nods, watching her with amusement as she reaches for the door. Then, as if remembering something, he catches her hand.

“Hey.”

She glances back, and he dips his head, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.  When he pulls away, his forehead lingers against hers.

“Lunch?” he murmurs.

Tris smiles. “Definitely. We’ll probably both need a break by then.”

“I’ll swing by if I can.”

Before letting go, she squeezes his hand once. “Good luck.”

“You too,” he says, and watches her slip into Khloe’s office before turning toward Max’s.

About twenty minutes later, the handle on Khloe’s office door rattles.

“It’s locked, genius,” she calls without looking up.

There’s a short pause before Eric’s voice floats through, dry and amused. “Are you planning on letting me in, or should I just kick the door down?”

Tris rises and unlocks the door. When she opens it, Eric is leaning casually against the frame, arms crossed, smirking.

“You two want a hand?” he asks as he steps inside.

Khloe glances up. “Shouldn’t you be in the control room obsessing over security footage?”

Eric shrugs, closing the door behind him. “Max thinks he’s found someone to help with that. He just needs another hour or so to vet a few things and make absolutely sure the person’s the right choice.”

Khloe nods. “Perfect timing, then. You can take Erudite.”

He smirks. “Obviously.”

She groans. “I can’t do another conversation with those pompous assholes. I swear they go out of their way to make you feel like you’ve got half a brain.”

Eric snorts. “To be fair, you usually prove their point.”

Khloe narrows her eyes. “Bite me.”

She turns to Tris. “Why don’t you take Amity. You might have to listen to a boring story about crop rotation or how much better off you’d be if you just found inner peace, but they’re the least likely to give you any pushback. And between their missing shipment last week and talking to them about ours yesterday it’ll probably be the most straightforward conversation.”

Tris nods. “Okay, I think I can handle that.”

Khloe sighs dramatically. “Since we’re leaving Abnegation out of it for now, I guess that sticks me with Candor. Lucky me.”

Eric raises a brow. “You say whatever comes to mind the second it hits your brain. Seems like a perfect fit.”

Khloe shoots him a look. “They say they’re all about honesty, but somehow still manage to talk in circles until you forget what you even asked. Just answer the damn question!”

Eric blinks. “Maybe dial it down a notch before you call.”

“Hilarious,” she deadpans. “Just shut up and call Erudite, would you?”

Eric smirks. “How am I supposed to shut up and talk to Erudite at the same time?”

Khloe lets out an exasperated groan. “I didn’t realize I was working with a nine-year-old. You need me to hold your hand while you call? Maybe show you how to dial?”

With a low chuckle, Eric pulls out his comm and settles into a chair.

Silence settles briefly before the room fills with the low murmur of conversation.

Eric speaks crisply into his comm. “Just a list of recent deliveries. I’m not asking for speculation, just verification. Make sure to note any discrepancies.”

Next to him, Tris’s voice is calm. “We’re just double-checking. Even the smallest inconsistency might help us figure out what’s going on.”

Khloe rolls her eyes and mutters, “Great, love that for you. But this involves more than just you. If you’d rather explain that to Max, be my guest.”

For a while, the only sound is the soft hum of conversations and the occasional sigh of frustration.

Eventually, Eric hangs up his comm and looks over at Tris. “Let’s hope someone finds something soon.”

Tris nods, already having finished her call. “Amity hasn’t had any issues since their break-in. They’ve been on high alert since the shipment meant for Erudite went missing but so far everything has come through clean.”

Eric leans back slightly and turns towards Khloe who is saying her goodbyes. “Candor?” he asks.

Khloe sighs. “They’ll look into it and get back to us. Eventually.”

A knock sounds at the door.

Tris rises and crosses the room, opening it to find Max standing just outside.

“Oh good,” he says, glancing past her. “Glad you’re all here.”

Eric straightens. “Did everything work out? Did you find someone to help me with the footage?”

Max steps into the room and closes the door behind him with a quiet click. “I did,” he says. “It’s a bit unconventional… but I think he’s our best option.”

Eric straightens, brow furrowing. “Unconventional?”

Khloe tilts her head. “Okay, that doesn’t sound ominous at all.”

Max glances between them. “He already works in the control room. He’s proven his tech skills more than once. And—” he hesitates, “—he’s open to helping in order to atone for… past actions.”

Eric and Khloe both look at him, blank faced.

Tris’s gaze shifts slightly. She doesn’t say anything, but it’s clear she’s put it together.

Eric’s eyes narrow. “Wait…” And then it hits him. His face darkens. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he says sharply. “You can’t be serious.”

Khloe looks between the three of them, completely lost. “Okay, is anyone going to fill me in or are you just expecting me to guess?”

Max ignores her outburst and turns back to the door. He opens it and Four steps inside, calm but clearly tense, his eyes sweep the room.

Eric’s jaw clenches and Khloe’s eyes go wide. Tris just exhales slowly.

Max shuts the door behind Four and looks at the group. “Well,” he says simply. “Let’s talk.”

Eric crosses his arms a look of disbelief on his face. “You’ve completely lost it.”

Max raises a brow. “Excuse me?”

“You want to bring him in?” Eric gestures sharply toward Four. “To help recover security footage that might expose whoever’s been helping the Factionless? You know, the same people he let in last time? And never mind the shit he’s been pulling with Tris.”

Max doesn’t flinch. “You’re the one who insisted he hasn’t been involved since that original breach.”

“That doesn’t mean I trust him,” Eric snaps. “I said he’s been quiet, not that he’s not a liability.”

Four shifts but stays quiet, jaw tight.

Khloe glances between them, visibly tense. “Okay, maybe we could—”

“No,” Eric says, cutting her off. “I refuse to work with him. You’re gambling everything on the hope he suddenly grew a conscience?”

Max steps forward. “I’m gambling on the fact that we’re out of options. We don’t know who we can trust right now, and he—” he nods at Four, “—thankfully is one of the few people in this Faction who can actually do what we need him to. Plus, he’s willing to help. And you know why.”

Her name goes with out saying, but they all know she’s the reason.

Keira.

Eric’s face twists.

Four speaks then, voice low but clear. “I’m not doing this for you. Or Max. I’m doing it because I should’ve stopped it from happening. I won’t let anyone else die.”

Eric takes a step forward. “You think that makes up for what happened to her?”

Four doesn’t back down. “No. But I’m still going to fix what I can.”

“Fix?” Eric’s voice is a growl. “You want redemption? Do it somewhere else.”

“Eric.” Tris’s voice cuts through the tension. She steps in between them, a hand on Eric’s chest. “You don’t have to like it. None of us do. But if this helps us figure out who’s behind the sabotage, we need him.”

Eric doesn’t move. His jaw clenches like he’s holding in a scream.

Khloe steps up beside Tris. “She’s right. This isn’t about anyone’s ego. It’s about getting answers. Fast.”

For a long moment, no one says anything. The tension between Eric and Four palpable.

Finally, Max speaks again, his voice firm. “He’s helping. That’s not up for debate.”

Eric exhales slowly, nostrils flaring. He doesn’t look at Four. “This is a mistake.”

“Maybe,” Max says. “But it’s mine to make.”

Max lets the silence stretch for another beat before clapping his hands once. “Enough standing around. The faster we get that footage, the faster we get answers. Eric, show him what he needs. Get started.”

Eric doesn’t move right away. His eyes stay locked on Four, jaw tight. But then, with a slow exhale through his nose, he turns to Tris.

He takes his time crossing the short distance to her. Resting one hand low on her back, he leans in and kisses her, slow, deliberate and distinctly possessive. When he pulls back, he keeps close, forehead nearly touching hers.

“See you later,” he says softly, but with a distinct glint in his eyes.

Tris, surprised but not stupid, gives him a subtle look that says Really? but doesn’t pull away. “Yeah. Be nice,” she murmurs back, voice only loud enough for him to hear.

Behind them, Khloe arches an amused brow. Max just exhales like he’s already exhausted.

Eric straightens and finally turns toward Four. “Let’s get this over with.”

Four doesn’t say anything, he just follows Eric out in silence.

Once the door closes behind them, Khloe lets out a breath. “Wow. Subtle.”

Tris rubs the bridge of her nose. “It’s been said that he has the emotional maturity of teaspoon.”

Khloe laughs while Max snorts faintly. “Well, let’s hope they can recover a few hours of missing data before he throws that spoon through the wall.”

Eric POV

The door shuts behind them with a dull click, leaving Eric and Four alone in the corridor.

They walk in silence at first, tension radiating off both of them.

Eric breaks it, voice flat and cold. “This is a mistake.”

Four doesn’t even look at him. “You think I’m thrilled about it?”

Eric scoffs. “You let the Factionless in the front door and Keira bled out on the floor because of you.”

Four’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t respond.

Eric presses on. “Max might believe you’re not in your mommy’s pocket anymore, but you’re not fooling me.”

That gets Four’s attention. He turns his head, gaze steady. “Faction before blood.”

Eric barks out a humorless laugh and shakes his head. “Right. And where the hell was that when you did your mom’s dirty work the first time?”

Four’s shoulders drop slightly, and when he speaks, his voice is quieter. “I never should have trusted her. I should have known better.”

Eric doesn’t say anything, but is expression softens, barely, and only for a second.

“I’m not trying to clear my name,” Four adds. “I just don’t want anyone else to die because of her. If I can help stop that from happening again, I will.”

The pair make the rest of the walk in silence.

The control room is quiet and dim, lit mostly by computer screens. Four is focused on the damaged data flashing across his screen.

Eric sits a few feet away, reclined in a rolling chair with his boots propped on the edge of the long desk. He scrolls through a list of initiate scores from Lauren, flicking his index finger up his datapad every few seconds.

Without looking up, he asks, “Are you getting anywhere?”

Four doesn’t stop typing. “I’ve made some progress on the first file, but whoever covered this up knew what they were doing. It’s going to take a while.”

Eric sighs. It’s been three hours, and his stomach is growling. He can feel a headache starting to build and he’s halfway through debating trying to convince Heath to bring him lunch when his com buzzes.

It’s a message from Tris. “We’re taking a break. Khloe’s grabbing lunch for everyone.”

Eric quirks a brow and texts back. “What do you mean by everyone?”

“I mean, everyone. Invite Four and meet us in Khloe’s office.”

He stares at the screen for a second, then sighs again, this one louder, more exasperated. Glancing over at Four, he says, “You’re invited to lunch.”

Four looks away from his monitor, brows raised. “Seriously?”

Eric shrugs one shoulder and give him an impatient look. “Apparently.”

“I’ll pass. I’d rather keep working.”

Eric sits up straight. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

Four frowns. “Why? I work here. I have access with or without you babysitting me.”

“And I still don’t trust you,” Eric says, eyes narrowing. “So, lunch.”

Four stares at him. “You think I’m going to mess with the footage or something?”

“I think I’m not taking chances,” Eric replies flatly. “So, move it. Khloe’s office, now.”

Four exhales sharply. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Thanks,” Eric says, already rising to his feet. He mutters under his breath, “So much for a quiet lunch with my girlfriend.”

Four pauses mid-stand, eyes narrowing. “What did you just say?”

Eric looks at Four with mock innocence. “I said thanks.”

“No,” Four snaps. “You called Tris your girlfriend.”

Eric flashes him a smug grin as he pushes his way out the door. “See you at lunch, buddy.”

He barely makes it two steps into the hallway before Four grabs him by the front of his vest and shoves him hard against the wall.

Eric lets out a short, sharp laugh as Four’s face fills his vision.

“You can call her your girlfriend all you want,” Four says, seething. “It doesn’t change anything. She still loves me.”

Eric’s brow arches. “She doesn’t seem like someone clinging to the past.”

“She’s confused,” Four growls, jaw tight. “She’ll figure it out.”

Eric leans in just enough to be antagonizing. “Funny. She didn’t seem confused when she was in my bed last night.”

Four stiffens, fists tightening in Eric’s vest. “You’re full of shit.”

Eric shrugs, unbothered. “Believe what you want. Doesn’t change what already happened.”

Then, without warning, he shoves Four off him with a sharp push to the chest. Four stumbles back a step, fists still clenched.

Eric straightens his vest. “You need to get over her, Four,” he says flatly. “She doesn’t want you and she’s not going to change her mind. Now, are you coming to lunch, or do you want to sit here and cry about it?”

He doesn’t wait for a response, instead, he just turns and walks off down the hall, leaving Four fuming behind him.

Chapter Text

When Eric steps into Khloe’s office, Tris and Khloe are both seated with their datapads in front of them, but neither of them is actively working.

“Where’s your bestie?” Khloe asks with a mocking smile.

Eric drops into the chair beside Tris with a grunt, stretching his legs out in front of him. “He’ll be here. Probably. Assuming he didn’t take a detour to go punch a wall.”

Tris turns toward him. “Did something happen?”

Eric doesn’t look at her. He swipes a hand down his face and leans back, staring up at the ceiling like he's searching for the right words. “Define something.”

“Eric,” she says quietly.

He finally glances at her, and for a second, guilt flashes across his face. “The lunch invitation didn’t exactly go over well.”

Tris’s frowns. “You two fought?”

“We talked. Loudly. That’s all,” Eric replies, scratching the back of his neck.

Khloe raises a brow. “You do realize you’re both supposed to be adults, right?”

Eric glares at her. “There was no blood. I call that a win.”

Tris watches him carefully, clearly sensing there’s more he’s not saying. But she doesn’t push.

After a bit, Khloe clears her throat and leans forward. “Alright, well… before we pretend we’re not about to spend the next half hour thinking about work, I wanted to ask you something.”

Eric turns to her, wary.

“Tris said there was missing footage from the loading dock. Is that true?”

Eric nods, grateful for the change in subject. “Yeah. One of the files was wiped. I’d almost forgotten it was that location. Why?”

Khloe leans back, thoughtful. “There was a shipment a couple weeks ago that didn’t sit right. Not by a lot, but enough that Kent and I noticed. Some things were already unboxed when we started inventory.”

Eric’s posture shifts. “You think something went missing?”

“We weren’t sure,” Khloe says. “It was minor. We figured someone from night shift just jumped the gun unloading. Didn’t seem worth flagging.”

Eric frowns. “But now you’re second-guessing.”

“Yeah. I had forgotten about it, but if the timestamp of the tampered footage matches, maybe someone was counting on it slipping through.”

Eric runs a hand along his jaw. “I’ll check once we’re back and send it to you.”

“Appreciate it.”

The room quiets again. A beat later, footsteps echo in the hall.

“Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence,” Eric says sarcastically.

Four steps into the doorway. His eyes immediately flicking to Tris before he scans the rest of the room. His expression is unreadable, but the tension in his shoulders is impossible to miss.

Khloe lifts her hand. “We thought you might have bailed. I saved you a sandwich.”

Four mutters a quiet thanks and pulls the last chair out, dragging it slightly farther from Eric before sitting down.

Khloe nudges the wrapped sandwich toward him. “It’s turkey.”

He nods.

Tris busies herself with her lunch, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

Eric unwraps his sandwich with one hand while dropping the other lightly to the back of Tris’s chair.

Khloe shoots him a sideways look and pointedly rolls her eyes before turning to her own food.

 “Thanks for coming,” Tris says, breaking the silence.

Four nods stiffly. “Didn’t have much of a choice.”

Eric’s voice is quiet, clipped. “Nope. You didn’t.”

Khloe leans back in her chair and takes a bite of her sandwich before looking over at Tris and Eric. “So, how was your precious little pizza date?”

“Why?” Eric asks, swallowing a bite of his sandwich.

“Because if I’d known I was going to get stuck with cold tuna casserole at the dining hall, I would’ve just crashed your night.”

Eric smirks. “Yeah… you probably would’ve regretted that.”

Tris’s face flushes immediately and she ducks her head, focusing intently on her sandwich.

Four notices how quiet Tris stays and the way her shoulders tense.  Then his gaze shifts to Eric who looks far too pleased with himself.

The color drains slightly from Four’s face.

Khloe, oblivious, continues talking. “Seriously, the casserole was that watery kind, like it had been reheated four times and then stepped on.”

Four leans back in his chair, his sandwich forgotten. He looks at Tris, then Eric, and back again. “You weren’t lying,” he says, quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

Eric tilts his head, still smiling faintly. “You should’ve known that already.”

Khloe finally picks up on the tension and glances between them. “Wait, what’s happening?”

“Nothing,” Tris says quickly, the words coming out far less casually than she means them to.

Four doesn’t say anything else. He just sits there. His eyes flick to Tris like he’s trying to make sense of something he doesn’t want to accept.

Eric drops his hand to Tris’s shoulder. “Eat your sandwich, Four.”

Four’s jaw ticks. His eyes move from Tris’s flushed face to Eric’s arm along the back of her chair.

Then he tosses his sandwich onto the desk with a dull thud.

“I think I’ve lost my appetite,” he mutters, pushing back his chair.

“Four—” Tris starts, but he’s already halfway to the door.

He doesn’t look back. Doesn’t speak again. Just yanks the door open and disappears down the hall, the door slamming shut behind him.

Khloe blinks. “Well… that was dramatic.”

Tris rounds on Eric the second the words are out of Khloe’s mouth. “You told him?” she snaps, voice low but furious.

Eric straightens and pulls his arm from the back of her chair. “Told him what?”

“You know what,” Tris says sharply. “He knew, Eric. He knew. That’s what that was about. You told him we slept together.”

Eric holds her gaze. “It came up.”

Tris stares at him incredulously. “It came up?”

He sighs, dragging a hand through his hair. “He pushed. He said some crap about how you’re meant to be with him, how you’ll come to your senses eventually—”

“So you what?” Tris cuts in. “You decided to stake your claim like I’m some kind of prize you won? You know what he’s been like lately. Why would you purposely provoke him?”

Eric opens his mouth, then closes it again. He looks at Khloe as though hoping she’ll jump in. She lifts her eyebrows and leans back, arms folded.

“Don’t look at me,” she says. “I’m on her side. That was a dick move.”

Eric scoffs. “It’s not like I gave him a play-by-play.”

“You didn’t need to,” Tris says. “You humiliated me.”

“I was defending you—”

“No,” Tris snaps. “You were defending your ego.”

Eric goes still and for a second it looks like he might bite back, but instead, he exhales and looks away.

Khloe lets out a breath and picks up her sandwich again. “Well. This lunch sucks.”

Tris stands up, abandoning her half-eaten sandwich. “I need a minute.”

Eric watches her walk out in silence.

Khloe looks at him once she’s gone. “Nice job, Romeo,” she says flatly.

Eric leans forward, elbows on his knees, rubbing both hands down his face with a groan. “He just… he gets under my skin. Every damn time. It’s like instinct. He opens his mouth… and I forget how to be a person.”

Khloe snorts and takes a bite of her sandwich. “Yeah, I noticed. It’s very Neanderthal of you.”

Eric glares at her from beneath his hand. “I’m serious.”

“So am I,” Khloe says around a mouthful of turkey. “You two bring out the absolute worst in each other. It’s exhausting.”

Eric leans back in the chair again. “I didn’t plan to say anything. It just came out.”

“You think that makes it better?”

He doesn’t respond.

Khloe sighs and sets her sandwich down. “Look. I get it. You’ve got history, and you hate him. That’s fine. But Tris picked you. She’s not some damsel you have to fight for. She’s not a trophy you need to wave in his face. All this—” she gestures toward the door, “—doesn’t make you look like the bigger man. It just hurts her, and I think you know that.”

Eric doesn’t argue, just stares at the wall.

Khloe softens slightly. “You want to prove she made the right choice? Start acting like it.”

He lets out a slow breath through his nose. “Yeah.”

Khloe grabs her sandwich again. “Good talk.”

Eric doesn’t respond. He just sits there in silence.

Tris finds Four pacing the hallway, hands flexing at his sides. He stops the moment he sees her.

“What do you want?” he asks sharply.

She swallows. “I was looking for you. I just... wanted to check if you were okay.”

He laughs bitterly. “You’re checking on me?”

She flinches at the tone but keeps her voice steady. “You seemed so upset when you left Khloe’s office and I mean... I’m sure even before lunch it wasn’t exactly a smooth start.”

Four stops pacing and turns toward her. “You mean having to work next to him like it’s normal?”

“You had to know you’d be working with Eric when you agreed to this,” she says, trying to keep things rational. “If it was going to be such a problem, why agree at all?”

He steps closer. “Because I didn’t have a choice.”

Tris’s brows pull together. “What does that mean?”

Four hesitates, then mutters, “I knew he’d be an ass, but I didn’t expect him to go out of his way to antagonize me.” He shakes his head. “That’s not even the point.”

He runs a hand through his hair. “The point is, doing this was the only way Max wasn’t going to pin Keira’s murder on me.”

Tris’s breath hitches. “What?”

Four stares at her, jaw tight. “He said I was responsible for what happened with the Factionless and that Keira’s death was on me. He told me I could either cooperate or face the consequences… and considering the circumstances, I don’t think he meant making me Factionless.”

Tris’s voice drops. “He said that to you?”

His eyes darken further. “Don’t act surprised. You told him everything I said, didn’t you?”

Her mouth opens, but no sound comes out. He doesn’t wait for a reply.

“I trusted you,” he says quietly with barely restrained rage. “And you ran straight to him.”

“I didn’t…” she starts, but her voice wavers.

He steps forward, closing the distance between them. His hands come up to grip her upper arms pinning her in place.

“Four,” she whispers, trying to keep her voice calm, to keep him calm, as her stomach twists.

“You let me think you were on my side.”

“I was on your side. I still am—”

“Don’t lie to me.”

His voice drops even lower. There’s something wild behind his eyes. Tris doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe too afraid to set him off further.

“Get your hands off her.”

Eric’s voice rings out cutting through the tension.

They both freeze. Four’s eyes flick to him, and Tris feels the air shift.

Eric strides down the hall with measured fury. “I’m not going to tell you twice.”

Four’s grip tightens just for a second, then he lets go and shoves past Tris, closing the distance between him and Eric in a flash.

Four swings.

Eric catches the punch across the jaw, recoiling half a step before lunging forward. They collide hard, fists flying. Tris yells at them to stop, but it’s no use, neither hears her.

They slam into the wall. The fight is brutal, fast, and messy.

Then, a door bangs open.

“What the hell is going on out here?” Max’s voice booms.

The chaos halts instantly. Eric pulls back, his chest heaving. Four’s lip is bleeding and his knuckles are scraped.

Max steps into the hallway, takes one look at the scene in front of him and lets out a long, tired sigh.

“Have you two gotten it out of your system then?” he asks flatly.

No one answers.

Max eyes them all. “Just get the hell out of my hallway,” he barks. “And get back to work.”

Four storms off, brushing past Eric hard enough to bump shoulders.

Max shakes his head and disappears back into his office.

Eric turns to Tris. “Are you okay?”

She nods, but her hands are trembling slightly. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Eric’s eyes search hers. “Did he hurt you?”

“No. Just... scared me.”

He doesn’t say anything, just opens his arms slightly.

She walks into him without hesitation, and he wraps his arms around her.

After a long moment, she leans back just enough to look up at him. “Are you okay?”

Eric huffs a short breath. “Yeah. Fucker can’t punch.”

She rolls her eyes with a small, tried sigh, and steps back out of his arms.

He gives her a cheeky, unapologetic grin and she glares at him.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Now, let’s get you back to Khloe’s office,” he says, voice low.

Tris shakes her head. “I’m fine. I’ll go on my own.”

“I really am sorry. Let me walk you.”

“I believe you,” she says. “But I’m fine. I can manage on my own.”

He doesn’t look convinced, but he nods. “I should head back to the control room anyway.”

She nods once, starting to step past him when he mutters, “Lucky me, stuck with number boy all afternoon.”

Tris stops, turning halfway. “Eric…”

He exhales, bracing one hand on the wall. “I know. I know. I made it worse.”

“It was already awkward,” she says quietly. “You didn’t need to rub it in his face.”

“I wasn’t trying to hurt you,” he says, glancing at her. “I just… he gets under my skin. And I let it get the better of me.”

“I know.” Her voice softens. “Just… try not to kill each other. Please.”

He gives her a wry look. “No promises.”

She raises an eyebrow.

“…But I’ll focus on the footage,” he amends.

“Thank you,” she says, and then adds. “Be careful.”

Their eyes meet for a beat, and then she turns and heads back toward Khloe’s office, leaving Eric to watch her go.

The control room is quieter than usual when Eric steps in. Four is already at the main console, posture rigid, fingers tapping too hard against the keys.

Eric shuts the door behind him with more force than necessary and crosses the room without a word. He drops into the opposite chair and logs in to the system.

For several minutes, it’s just the faint hum of machines and the clack of keys until Four breaks the silence.

“Do you always breath like that, or is this a special occasion?” Four mutters, not looking up.

Eric tilts his head. “Like what?”

“Like a jackass.”

Eric lets out a short laugh. “Sorry. I didn’t realize my breathing needed your approval.”

Four’s eyes flick over, annoyed.

“Would you just focus on the footage?” Eric says rolling his eyes.

“I am,” Four snaps. “But it’s hard to concentrate with you making so much damn noise.”

Eric shrugs. “Maybe you’re just sensitive.”

“Maybe you’re just loud.”

They glare at each other before focusing back on their consoles, the silence returning.

Eric gets to work combing through the logs in search of the information Khloe asked for. It takes a bit, but he finally finds what he’s looking for.

Picking up his comm, he calls Khloe. “Khloe, it’s me.”

“Hey,” she answers. “Any luck?”

“Yeah. The missing footage was from Thursday night. Two weeks ago. Timestamp’s 23:28.”

He hears her scribbling something down.

“Got it,” she says. “I’ll check the shipment records from that night and cross-reference. Anything else?”

Eric’s about to answer when Four straightens in his seat and mutters, “Eric, you’re going to want to see this.”

Eric swivels his chair and looks at Four’s monitor. His stomach sinks. “Holy shit,” he breathes. “That’s —”

Four nods grimly. “Yeah.”

The second figure follows a few paces behind, head ducked.

Four squints. “I don’t recognize him. Do you?”

Eric leans in, eyes sharpening. There’s a familiar looseness in the walk, the cocky slouch of the shoulders. Then the figure tilts slightly toward the light.

Eric’s expression hardens. “That’s Kent.”

Four looks over. “Kent?”

“He works logistics,” Eric mutters, jaw tight. “Supply department. Under Khloe.”

Four frowns. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would they be together?”

Eric ends the call with Khloe without a word.

Four leans back in his chair, running a hand over his face. “You think Max knows?”

“If he does,” Eric says, “he’s playing a long game.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

Eric’s jaw ticks. He exhales slowly. “Then he’s about to find out.”

He glances back at the screen, the figures disappearing down the corridor.

“But he’s not gonna like it.”

Khloe scrolls through lines of shipment data while Tris taps on her datapad in the chair across from her.

Her fingers hovered over the screen.

CRATE 11B: TECH MAINTENANCE – cleared by D. Kent
A scribbled side note, half illegible, catches her eye.
“Short 1 box? Kent thinks maybe pre-cleared. Look into later?”

Khloe frowns. “Wait…”

Tris looks up. “What?”

Khloe doesn’t answer at first. She clicks into the full manifest, eyes scanning rapidly.
“Wire... power kits... handheld radios... relay packs...” she mutters.

Tris straightens in her seat. “That sounds like… what? Repair equipment?”

Khloe leans back slowly, blinking at the screen. “Maybe. But it could be used for other things, too.” She exhales. “Eric said the camera feed was wiped at 23:28. This shipment came in a few hours before that, just before the dock closed for the day.” She gestures to the scribbled note. “When we saw it was short, we figured the crew just ran out of time before logging everything. I didn’t even check what was missing. It was labeled Tech Maintenance, and I didn’t think twice. I told myself I’d follow up...”

Her voice tightens. “And I didn’t. I let it go.”

Tris frowns, setting her datapad aside. “Could someone have stolen it?”

Khloe clicks through a few more screens, checking inventory logs and requisition forms. “There’s no record of it being transferred or requested. If someone took it, they did it off the books. And they knew exactly what to grab.”

Tris leans forward. “That crate was small, right?”

“Yeah,” Khloe mutters. “Easy to miss.” She rubs her temple. “But this isn’t weapons or explosives. It’s the kind of gear you use before an attack. The kind of gear you use to set yourself up somewhere. To wire in. To… listen.”

Tris’s eyes narrow. “Listen?”

Khloe nods grimly. “If they’ve tapped into our comms, they could hear everything—patrol shifts, supply routes, secure channels. Or worse, they might be rigging something to jam our entire network right before they move.”

Tris goes pale. “So we’d be blind. And deaf.”

“Exactly.” Khloe taps the screen once. “And if they’ve already set something up, we might not even see it coming.”

There’s a heavy beat of silence. Then Tris breathes, “We need to tell Max. Now.”

Khloe nods slowly, dragging a hand through her hair. “Yeah. And I’ll have Eric pull the dock logs, see whose code was used after hours when the cameras went dark.”

She slumps back in her chair with an exhale. “I am so fired.”

Chapter Text

The hallway outside of Max’s office is quiet, except for the low hum of voices behind the door. Four leans against the wall with his arms crossed, while Eric sits in one of the chairs, leg bouncing impatiently. He glances toward Max’s door then back at the datapad in his hand. If this takes much longer, he’s going to lose it. "How long does a damn phone call take?" he mutters under his breath. Heath sits at his desk doing a poor job of hiding his curiosity.

“I’m sure he’ll be off the call soon,” Heath tells them.

Eric mutters something under his breath. Four doesn't reply.

A moment later, footsteps echo down the hall.

Tris and Khloe appear, moving fast. When they spot the two of them, Khloe’s brow furrows. “What are you two doing here?”

Eric looks at them, caught off guard. “What are you guys doing here?”

Khloe lifts a datapad. “We found something. We were coming to tell Max.”

Eric raises an eyebrow. “Same.”

Khloe glances between them. “Wait. What did you find?”

“We caught two people on the camera.”

Khloe’s mouth drops open slightly. “Who?”

Eric shakes his head. “Not until we’re in with Max.”

Khloe nods in understanding. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s get in there.”

“According to him,” Four says with a slight eye-roll, nodding toward Heath, “he’s tied up on a call.”

Khloe does a double take, eyebrows rising at the sight of Heath at his desk. “Isn’t he supposed to be with the Transfers?”

Eric shrugs, voice flat. “He says they’re on an extended break. I didn’t care enough to ask what the hell that meant.”

Before Khloe can respond, Max’s voice comes through the door: “You can come in now.”

The four exchange looks. Eric holds up a hand and gestures toward the door. “Ladies first.”

They file into the office, Khloe leading the way.

Max sits behind his desk, his expression pinched with irritation. “Please tell me you've found something. Your shipment investigation has brought on more than one angry conversation with other factions this morning.”

Khloe and Tris exchange a look.

Four wastes no time responding. “We recovered a partial feed from the tampered footage. Two people, down the back corridor behind the leadership offices.”

Max leans forward, eyes narrowing. “Who?”

Eric holds up the datapad, the frame frozen on the screen. “Kent… and Carter.”

Max’s posture stiffens. “Carter?” he repeats, disbelief creeping into his voice. “You’re sure?”

At the same moment, Khloe blinks, as if the name didn’t register. “Kent? Kent from my department?”

“Yes,” Eric confirms. “The footage isn’t great, but it’s clear enough.” He doesn’t need to look again to know what he saw. “Carter stepped into the light. Kent stayed back, but it’s definitely him.”

Khloe stares at the image, her expression hardening. Her voice drops low, almost to herself. “He clears half our shipments. Has full access… I never once thought—” She presses her fingers to her temple. “Damn it.”

“Could you tell what they were talking about?”

Eric and Four both shake their heads. “The footage is too grainy and there’s no audio.”

They stand in silence. Max shakes his head repeatedly, disbelief etched across his face, as if refusing to accept what he’s just heard. Khloe bites her bottom lip, eyes flickering anxiously as her mind races.

Tris steps closer to her. “Khloe,” she says gently, prompting.

Khloe blinks and nods, as if snapping back to the moment. “Right. There’s something you guys should all know.”

All eyes turn toward her.

She meets Max’s eyes. “A shipment went missing a few weeks ago. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but with everything happening recently, I decided to dig a little deeper. A small crate disappeared.” She pauses, drawing in a steadying breath. “Kent said the crew might’ve already unloaded it. I didn’t question it, I figured it was just a simple inventory error, nothing more.”

“You cleared it?” Max asks.

Khloe nods once, her voice tight. “It was labeled ‘Tech Maintenance.’ No weapons. No gear. Nothing that would’ve raised concern.”

Tris adds, “The crate was full of radios, wiring, power kits, basic equipment for communications and power but…”

Four leans forward, his voice measured but sharp. “But radios can be modified to intercept or jam signals, and wiring and power kits can be repurposed to rig devices. In the wrong hands… this isn’t maintenance equipment; it’s potential weaponry.”

Khloe cringes, guilt washing over her face.

Max exhales hard and leans back, dragging a hand down his face. “Fuck me,” he mutters.

Khloe swallows. “We checked inventory. That crate was never officially requisitioned from any of the departments. And if Kent moved it—which it’s looking like he’s probably the one who did—he did it off the books.”

Eric folds his arms. “But who wiped the footage?” He turns to Khloe. “You know Kent the best. Do you think he’d be capable of that?”

Khloe shakes her head. “Not a chance.”

Max closes his eyes for a long beat, jaw clenched, a slow breath filtering through his nose as he tries to piece things together. His fingers curl once, then loosen on the desk. “Carter would have the access, but I’ve known him for years and even though he still surprises me sometimes, this seems outside his wheelhouse.”

Max exhales and opens his eyes again. “Is there any chance Carter could’ve been meeting Kent for something else? A different reason?”

Eric raises an eyebrow. “Like what? Midnight discussion about party supplies?”

Max slams a hand down on the desk. “Damn it.”

Four tenses, watching him closely.

Tris leans forward. “What do we do now?”

Max rubs a hand down his face. “Keep it quiet. For now. If Carter and Kent are involved, and it’s looking like they are, I want proof. Concrete. No speculation. And if neither of them could have tampered with the footage, that means someone else is involved.”

He looks at Four. “Check the other feeds. See if they show up anywhere else, with anyone else. Trace Kent’s access codes. I want a timeline.”

Four nods.

Max shifts his gaze to Khloe. “I want to know everything Kent touched in the last two weeks. Every shipment. Every clearance. If he breathed near a box, I want to hear about it.”

Khloe nods.

Max turns back to the rest of them. “You’re dismissed. Except Eric, stay.”

Tris glances at Eric. Four shifts slightly hesitating a beat before following Khloe and Tris out of the room. None of them say anything, but the weight of Max's request hangs between them.

Eric lingers, arms crossed. “What’s up?”

Max leans back in his chair, studying Eric. “Do you know who Kent is?”

Eric frowns. “He works supply. He’s been under Khloe’s department since she took it over…”

Max shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant.”

Eric raises an eyebrow. “Then what?”

“Kent is married to Vivica’s daughter.”

Eric blinks. “Wait. What?”

Max nods grimly. “They’ve been together a while. They keep it quiet… probably because Vivica got him the job and it would look like favoritism. But they’re family.”

Eric leans back slightly, caught off guard. “I had no idea.”

“I didn’t think it was anyone’s business,” Max mutters. “But now?”

Eric exhales through his nose. “You think Vivica could be involved?”

Max doesn’t answer right away. His gaze drops to his desk, fingers tapping absently on the wood. “I don’t want to think so. She’s been my closest ally for years. She taught me half of what I know about leadership.” He lifts his eyes, heavy with conflict. “But her son-in-law caught on footage moving stolen tech in the dead of night, with Carter—of all people. Plus…”

“Plus?” Eric prompts.

Max takes a deep inhale and lets it out slowly. “Plus… Vivica would definitely be capable of wiping the footage.”

Eric says nothing as he takes in this new information.

Max’s voice drops further. “I need you to be on the lookout. Discreetly. Watch for anything that could link Vivica to this. But don’t say a word to the others. Not Four. Not Khloe. Not Tris. I don’t want to drag Vivica’s name through the mud unless I have to.”

Eric nods slowly. “Understood.”

Max leans forward, folding his hands together. “She might be clean. But if she’s not—”

Eric finishes for him. “You want to be the one to handle it.”

Max doesn’t confirm it out loud. He just stares past Eric.

“She was supposed to have my back,” he says softly.

Eric doesn’t know what to say to that. So he just nods once, then turns and walks out the door.

When Eric returns to the control room, he finds Four already hunched over one of the terminals, fingers flying across the keys. The screen flickers with corrupted footage.

Eric drops into the chair beside him with a tired grunt. “Any progress?”

Four doesn’t look up. “Some. Nothing useful yet.”

Eric runs his fingers through his hair and pulls up the timestamps of the tampered and deleted footage. He starts cross-referencing hallway movement with shipping logs, making notes on which times and angles might be worth digging into. Eventually, he leans over Four’s shoulder. “Try the loading dock footage. If Kent moved anything, it was probably through there.”

“I already did. Twice.” Four’s jaw tenses. “It’s a mess, most of the feeds are too corrupted to recover.”

“Then try again,” Eric snaps.

Four freezes for a second before swiveling toward him. “What the hell do you think I’ve been doing?”

Eric narrows his eyes. “Not enough.”

Four stands abruptly, voice rising. “Then do it yourself.”

The words hit harder than they should. Eric opens his mouth to fire back but stops himself. He exhales and leans back in his chair.

He’s not mad at Four. Not really. He’s mad at everything else, the silence Max asked him to keep, the amount of shit that seems to have gone unnoticed by everyone, and the way Vivica’s involvement somehow feels like the biggest betrayal so far. If she’s involved… if she’s been lying this entire time… he presses the heel of his hand to his temple.

“I didn’t mean that,” he mutters.

Four blinks. “Did you just… apologize?”

Eric sighs. “Yeah. Don’t get used to it.”

Four stares at him. “Okay, now I know something’s wrong. What did Max say to you after we left?”

Eric hesitates. Max’s voice runs through his mind: Don’t say a word to the others.

“I can’t tell you. But if what he said is true… things are worse than we thought.”

Khloe’s office is quiet except for the soft hum of the overhead lights and the occasional click of Tris flipping through a datapad. A box of old shipment logs sits between them on the desk, surrounded by open files and half-finished mugs of coffee that have long gone cold.

Khloe leans back in her chair and presses the heels of her palms to her eyes. “I can’t believe I missed it.”

Tris glances up. “Khloe—”

“I cleared it, Tris. That crate. I signed off on it without blinking.” Her voice is tight. “How stupid do you have to be to let something like that slip through?”

“You’re not stupid,” Tris says quietly. “You trusted someone who knew how to fly under the radar. That’s not the same thing.”

Khloe lowers her hands and stares at the datapad in front of her. Her eyes are glassy, but dry. They lapse into silence. Tris scrolls through another manifest and pauses. Her brow furrows. “Hey… did you see an internal request for these comms?” She turns the screen to show Khloe. “Five units, requisitioned four weeks ago and signed off by Kent, but it doesn’t say which department requested them.”

Khloe takes the datapad and narrows her eyes. “That’s not protocol. We always tag requisitions with a department ID or a project code.” She grabs another file and begins flipping through it. “Wait. Here… same week, different shipment. A set of datapads, signed by Kent. No request form. No paper trail.”

Tris exhales slowly. “So it’s not just the missing crate. He’s been doing this for a while.”

Khloe leans back again and stares at the ceiling. “This whole time, he was slipping things out right under my nose.”

“He knew what he was doing. He covered his tracks well.”

Khloe closes her eyes for a beat. “Doesn’t make it suck less.”

“No,” Tris says gently. “I guess it doesn’t.”

They fall quiet again.

Khloe’s office is still lit, hours after most of the offices have gone quiet. Tris sits cross-legged on the edge of the desk, flipping through shipment reports while Khloe scours a screen beside her, eyes bleary but focused.

The door creaks open and Eric steps inside, shoulders heavy with exhaustion. His hair is a mess, and he’s still in his black work shirt, sleeves pushed up, neck damp with sweat.

“You two still at it?” he mutters.

Khloe looks up. “You look like hell.”

He huffs. “You should see Four.”

Tris straightens. “Did you find anything?”

Eric nods, pulling a chair closer and collapsing into it. “Took hours, but yeah. Four finally recovered a short clip from the loading dock feed. Clear shot of Kent. He’s stuffing multiple datapads and comms into a black backpack.”

Khloe’s expression hardens and she turns towards Tris. “I bet it was the ones we found in the logs.”

Tris nods.

“About thirty minutes later, he shows up on a different camera, but the bag’s gone.”

Tris exhales slowly. “So he delivered them.”

“Looks that way,” Eric says. “We don’t know where, but he dropped them off somewhere.”

Khloe slouches back in her chair. “We’ve got enough now, right? Between the phony requisitions and that footage…”

“Kent’s definitely involved?” Tris finishes.

Eric rubs a hand over his face. “Yeah. He is.”

Khloe glances at him. “Anything else on Carter?”

“Not yet. He hasn’t shown up on any other feeds so far. Doesn’t mean he’s clean… just means he’s smarter, or maybe less involved.”

The room falls into a moment of heavy silence, all three of them hit by the reality of how deep this might go.

Eric lets his head fall back against the chair. “God, I need a drink.”

Khloe’s eyes light up. “That’s the best thing you’ve said all day.”

He squints at her. “Don’t start planning something.”

She grins. “Too late. Come on. Let’s go to the Pit. I need to dance this stress off.”

Tris raises an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

Khloe shrugs. “We’ve spent the entire day buried in lies, betrayal, and logs. I don’t know about you two, but I need loud music, terrible lighting, and something fizzy.”

Eric looks at her skeptically. “You’re insane.”

Khloe crosses her arms. “You’d rather stay here and wallow?”

Eric hesitates. Then, after a long moment, he looks at Tris. “You should invite your friends.”

She blinks. “You want to hang out with my friends? After all this?”

He shrugs. “Spending time with your friends couldn’t possibly be more painful than the day we just had.”

There’s something tired but honest in his voice, like he’s trying, even if he’s running on empty.

Tris watches him, softening. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Khloe whoops and pushes off the desk. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

They gather their things and head toward the door, leaving work behind… just for a night.

They all agree to head home and clean up before meeting at the Pit. Tris offers to walk back with Eric. Neither of them says much on the way down, the exhaustion of the day wearing on them.

Eric runs a hand through his hair. “I need to change,” he mutters. “Didn’t realize how gross I felt until now.”

Tris smirks and gives him a sideways glance. “You don’t smell that great, to be honest.”

Eric lets out a tired laugh. “Gee, thanks.”

Tris smiles back.

As they approach the apartment, Tris checks her messages.

“Everyone’s in. Meeting at the Pit in 30,” the message reads.

“Christina says everyone’s going. Guess that means we’re committed,” Tris says with a small smile.

Eric just nods, unlocking the door and letting them inside. He tosses his badge on the table and pulls off his vest with a sigh.

“You sure you want to go out?” Tris asks, watching him carefully. “You seem… off.”

Eric hesitates; his hand pauses on his shirt. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

But he’s not, and she can see it.

Tris steps closer. “Is this about whatever Max told you?”

He looks up, meeting her eyes. Guilt flashes behind his eyes and he swallows hard.

“I can’t tell you.” He says softly.

She doesn’t press. Just nods. “Okay.”

Eric blinks, surprised by how easily she accepts it. “I feel like I’m lying to you.”

“You’re not,” Tris replies, reaching for his hand. “I trust you. If you say you can’t tell me, then I believe you.”

The guilt in his chest softens a little. He gives her hand a small squeeze before stepping back and pulling off his shirt.

Tris tries not to stare but fails.

Eric smirks as he watches her eyes trail down his chest. “See something you like?” he asks, raising one brow.

She doesn’t answer, just bites her bottom lip as she steps forward and rests a hand on his bare chest. She looks up at him and he dips his head down, pressing his lips against hers. The kiss starts light but deepens quickly, heat and tension radiating off them both. His hands find her waist and draws her in close.

He pulls back slightly, breathing hard. “Maybe I’d rather stay in.”

Tris laughs against his mouth. “Too late for that. Now, put your damn shirt on.”

He groans as she steps away from him but reaches for a clean one anyway. “You’re no fun.”

“You’re the one who decided we should invite my friends,” she says, already moving toward the door. “Now hurry up before Christina accuses us of bailing to hook up.”

Eric grins. “But that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Tris shoots him a look over her shoulder. “Get dressed.”

He does.