After Dark • Peter Hayes

His place

Pipers POV;

I felt numb. Weak. Pointless. I should be dead right now. I would be, if he hadn't shown up. It be my body at the bottom of the chasm. Not Drew's. I stood silent as Four and Peter spoke. I couldn't take in a word they'd said. I only stared ahead of myself.

The sound of movement caught my attention. His boots came into view. Hands slowly latching on to my arms. "Piper?" I couldn't move. If I did it felt as though I'd break.

I should be dead.

I could hear it the sound of his body hitting the floor. His yell as he fell. I watched him fall. Peter kicked his once friend over the chasm.

His hands started rubbing my arms, "you're shivering" he whispered removing his hands from me. This caught my attention. My head finally lifted to see him looking down at himself while removing his jacket, "here have-" he stopped when his eyes reached mine. I felt my eyes water again. You're weak. I told myself. He quickly lifted the jacket to lay it over my shoulders.

I continued to stare and blink at him. "Come here" he whispered, pulling me into him. I accepted quickly wrapping my arms around his waist as tightly as I could.

I turned my head outwards. That's when I saw him for the first time, dead. I felt no remorse. In fact I'm glad. Peter pulled back slightly. Tucking my hair behind my ear. "We should get you somewhere warm"

"No" I finally spoke, "I can't face them all right now" I couldn't have Will ask what had happened. I'd break down. I'd look weak.

"Who said anything about facing them?" He whispered fixing his jacket. I only stared forward. His lips met the skin of my forehead. Gently. Carefully. Leaving a kiss there for comfort. "I know where to go, I've spoken to Four and it's allowed" I creased my brows but didn't object following him as he walked.

I slid my arms through the jackets arms. Pulling it close to my body afterwards. He looked back at me, as though he was thinking, contemplating something. I didn't know what.

"Fuck it" he muttered, turning to face me. His hand meeting mine, fingers interlocking.  I looked down, confused at his display of affection. He continued walking and I squeezed the hand I now held. Walking along side him out of the dauntless headquarters.

———————

There was a large building before us, for the first time since he'd taken it in his own, he dropped my hand. It felt cold. Lonely without his. As if it lost half of its whole. I looked down at his hands, he was pulling something small out his pocket, a key fob? My brows creased together, why did he have a key to enter this huge building.

It looked new inside and out. There was plenty of stairs. Stairs he began to walk up, I followed unsure where he was leading me. He hadn't spoken again since we left. I was always a few steps behind him while walking.

Thud.

Crack.

My face squirmed at the thought. Drew was dead, he was gone and it was my fault. I wanted him dead. I wished him dead as soon as his hand connected to my neck, possibly even before that. I wasn't expecting him to actually die. My eyes fanned up to look at Peter walking ahead of me for a second.

He'd been the final blow to Drew, and for what? Me? I racked my brain for a possible answer. He surely couldn't have done it for me alone. He didn't care that much. Not from what I knew. What I'd seen. I didn't mean more than Drew.

"We're here" his voice was monotonous, he stuck his hand back in his pocket as he spoke pulling out a set of keys. A golden one fitting perfectly into the lock of the door he stood at. The top floor of this building that I hadn't even realised we'd reached.