Divergent One Shots (Eric & Tris)

Four-A Life of Significance 1.4

Eric

I step into my apartment and get changed into something more comfortable. I pick up my place a little and I sit down on my sofa with a book thinking maybe she was just joking around about coming over. A few minutes later there's a knock on my door. I walk to it a little apprehensive and open it to see she's really here. I open the door wider to let her in and she enters slowly.
"You weren't kidding. Just reading a few books, huh?" she asks pointing to my bookcase. It covers the wall and it's full.
"Just a few," I nod closing the door.
She sets her bag down and examines my collection. "Have you read all of these?" she inquires.
"Nah, just maybe twenty to thirty," I shrug.
"Really?" she questions skeptically raising an eyebrow.
"Okay, more like close to a hundred," I admit.
She laughs lightly and runs her fingers over the spines examining each level on the shelf.
"This really is impressive," she says.
"Thanks. You see one you want to borrow?" I offer.
"Can I?" she questions surprised.
I nod my permission. She takes her time looking through them and chooses one. We sit down in my living room—me on the middle of my sofa and her in the nearby chair.
"What's in the bag?" I ask curiously.
She grins and reveals a scarf that's almost complete.
"You weren't kidding?" I laugh in disbelief.
"Nope," she shakes her head. "It's a matching set." She pulls out a hat and two gloves. They're all black with a hot pink line running through each.
I gravitate toward her scooting over slightly and examine them. "These are really nice. When'd you learn how to do this?" I question.
"My mom taught me years ago," she shrugs tucking them back inside the bag. "I was expected to make gifts for Factionless in the evenings." I observe as she starts knitting the scarf—I think—as she talks. She laughs lightly, "When you told us on that first day that we could do whatever we wanted in our free time, I was at a loss. I had never had free time before."
"What do you mean?" I ask confused.
"About what?" she questions.
"Abnegation get no free time?" I inquire.
"We went to school, then did homework. We took turns making meals—all plain of course. The cleaning was on a rotation, too. Then there was time in the living room where we could talk with our parents about our day but we had to do something productive. My mom taught me knitting. Caleb usually went to the garage with my dad and did woodworking. They made buckets, crates, shelves, storage containers—anything of use. I hear Marcus Eaton fixes abandoned vehicles. It's hard to believe but that's what my dad says," she explains with a shrug.
"What about weekends?" I question as I observe her finishing off the scarf.
"Weekends were for volunteering and donations," she explains. "We took food and clothing distributing it to the Factionless. Sometimes I got to help out at the nursing homes or at a neighbor's house. I helped my mom sometimes during breaks from school at the headquarters with babies for adoption."
"Wait... what?" I question in shock.
"This is standard Abnegation stuff," she shrugs.
I blink in surprise and feel like Jeanine has been lying about almost everything to do with them.
"What about you?" she asks me as she cuts a fringe for the ends of her scarf.
"What about me?" I grin curiously but I'm not sure what she's asking.
"What was it like in Erudite?" she questions.
"Oh, that," I nod. I'm honestly surprised she's here asking me personal questions... but it is really nice having someone to talk to. So, I tell her about what I did. I was into baseball. I helped in the labs. I was planning on coming to Dauntless for a long time so I tell her what I did in preparation for that.
"You knew in advance?" she questions surprised.
I don't know how to explain that it wasn't really a choice of mine.
"I mean... I guess I always watched the Dauntless getting on and off the train growing up, so I could understand that. The physical fitness wasn't allowed, though," she continues. "I just didn't know until my aptitude test."
I look at her and nod.
"What about your family?" she asks me.
In this moment when my eyes meet hers, I know it's not just a simple attraction. So... I tell her all about my little sister.  Then I explain how I haven't seen her since my Choosing Day.
"What about your parents?" she asks gently.
I explain that they died years ago. When my eyes meet hers again, she looks brokenhearted. She actually gravitates toward me sliding beside me on the sofa—her handiwork forgotten. I accept the comfort.
"Did you go to live with family or did you get reassigned to another household?" she asks cautiously.
"Family," I reply.
She smiles in response, "That's nice."
"Eh, I think I'd have preferred reassignment," I admit.
"You didn't care for your family?" she asks surprised.
"Would you want to go live with Jeanine?" I question raising an eyebrow at her skeptically.
She appears taken aback. "Jeanine Matthews is your closest relation?" she asks in surprise.
"She and my mother were twins," I explain.
She nods as she looks me over. "Now that you mention it, I see the family resemblance."
"My sister is more of the carbon copy. I take after my dad," I tell her.
She smiles at me. "So, what about your parents?" I question.
"Well, apparently my dad is from Erudite, which I didn't know until today. I found out my mom was a Dauntless transfer on Visiting Day. I think my brother Caleb looks like a masculine version of my mom and I take after my dad," she shrugs.
"I'd say you resemble your mother more than your father from what I noticed on Visiting Day. You get your eyes and hair color from him, though," I tell her.
She laughs in incredulity. "I don't think I look anything like her," she disagrees. "She's beautiful."
"So are you," I insist. She stops and stares at me in disbelief for a moment.
I hear a knock on a door nearby but it's not mine. She surrenders her attention to my door. "That would be Four. He's taken to knocking on my door nightly," she says.
"Maybe I should shoo him away for you," I suggest.
"That would be appreciated. He's not listening to me," she replies.
I rise and open my door as he's pounding on hers for a third time. I close it around me so there's no way he can see her.
"What do you want, Four?" I question.
"Have you seen Tris?" he inquires.
"She's not home," I tell him.
"Where is she?" he questions.
"She told me that she doesn't want you at her door every night," I say.
He gives me a hard look.
"Why are you getting between me and my girl?" he questions flatly.
"It sounds to me like she's not your girl," I reply.
"What would you know?" he questions harshly.
"Just what she's said," I shrug nonchalantly. "Why don't you get lost, Four? She says she doesn't want you at her door. Earlier she said she's told you no. Either leave her alone or you'll end up being monitored for suspicious behavior."
He opens his mouth and then closes it like a fish. He makes a noise of frustration and stomps down the hallway. I close the door and look to Tris.
"Thanks," she says softly unable to meet my eyes.
"No problem. I'm thinking I might have him monitored anyway," I admit.
"Why?" she questions.
"Because he's not listening to you," I explain. "You shouldn't have to repeat yourself. He should listen the first time."
She nods in understanding.  We talk a bit more after that about more lighthearted conversation.  I tell her mire details about my sister and she tells me about Caleb.  I learn that they're not twins as I had previously assumed.  It gets late and I walk her to her door when she starts yawning. 
"Lydia said you usually exercise in the morning," she says to me. 
"I do," I nod. 
"Why don't you join us then?" she asks.
"Maybe I will, depending on how the meetings get set up," I reply. 
"Alright," she grins at me.  "Goodnight, Eric."
I respond the same and watch her go inside her apartment.  I go to bed, too, but this time... I let myself dream of a future with her. 
The meetings are set up for Thursday afternoon so I spend the next two mornings exercising with Lydia, Ryan, and Tris.  She's advancing rapidly.  I'd say by now she could easily defeat Peter, possibly Edward at his best.  During training, the two of us are on the mat together, me teaching her some moves.  I end up pinning her down and glance to her lips.  I let her up easily and don't get her down quite so effortlessly again. 
She knocks on my office door and asks me a few questions about her leadership studies while I work.  I grin and welcome her into my office.  We sit on my sofa, though, since the last time she was in here, I was learning that she kissed Four.  Having her across my desk would just bring back bad memories.  That knowledge kind of broke my heart.  I laughed to distract from how much that thought hurt.  She asks her questions and I assist her.  I watch her go back to her office and return to my responsibilities as well. 
We share meals together and are constantly laughing in each other's presence.  I notice Four frequently glancing up at us, probably kicking himself for being so stupid, pushy, and demanding.  It serves him right for moving in on what I claimed first.  He could've at least said something back then and we let her choose, but he didn't and was sneaky about it. 
Thursday's meeting with Abnegation reveals that we're granted permission to reinstate the police force.  Jack Kang is actually at a loss for words about the situation with Jeanine and the torture of Factionless.  He's requesting an audience with Jeanine and won't consider anything less than using truth serum for her trial.  All faction leaders are invited to attend the questioning.  It's set for Monday afternoon but I doubt Jack has told Jeanine the details of what it's about.  He's no fool and I'm sure he knows if he reveals the nature of the summons, Dauntless will have to dig her out of her office like a tick—except no one is aware of her extreme security measures except for me. 
I spend more time with Tris in the evenings.  We go out Friday night with some of leadership and her friends meet us all at a dance club.  She's actually got some decent moves for a former Stiff.  We dance together for a fast song and then the music slows.  I unconsciously move her hands in position to slow dance with her.  I've noticed Four is watching us from the bar but I ignore him.  She meets my eyes with hers searching.  I lead her and she dances well, as if she's always had this skill.  As our bodies move in tandem, I feel a strong bond with her.  As I look into her gorgeous light blue eyes with the dark ring around them, I feel myself falling hopelessly for her. 
The next day she has a get together at her apartment.  Everyone is invited and I have a great time hanging out with her, leadership, and all of her friends—with the exception of Four, of course.  I'm grateful he wasn't invited. 
Sunday we go down to breakfast together. We walk the Pit side by side getting many stares as we window shop together. She doesn't really need anything and neither do I. We just feel like getting out. After lunch, I take her around all of Dauntless outside of the main compound, driving her so she gets a feel for the entire faction. She rolls her window down, sticking her arm out. I grin as she feels the breeze between her fingers and can't help but take her to the empty fields boarding Dauntless territory. Beyond them in the distance is the fence, then Amity just past that. There are a few trees in the distance and she steps out of my truck and gravitates toward them. I chase after her and observe as she climbs a tree, as if she's always done that. I follow her up and we sit on a massive branch together, her sitting between my legs. We watch the sun begin to set and I hold her to my chest, my arms wrapped around her. I climb down first and she jumps into my arms on her way down. I set her on solid ground, slowly releasing her from my hold before we return to Dauntless for the night.