Divergent One Shots (Eric & Tris)

Fifty-Eight-You Wash, I Dry 18.2

Tris

I spend the week taking care of my duties. I help the staff with the cafeteria clean-up. Then I mop the floors in the Pit—section by section. After that, I work on some landscaping outside of the building. I clean the leadership offices again and the bathrooms regularly. I take my meals either early or late just to avoid Four for the rest of the week.
When Saturday arrives, I pack everything I know I'll need on a cart and even some things that might possibly be necessary since I'm not sure what to expect. I arrive at Eric's apartment—the only leadership home I've never entered before—and I knock. He answers the door shirtless and I'm surprised. It looks like he just woke up.
"I'm here to clean," I tell him.
"That's right," he nods. "I forgot," he tells me opening the door.
I step in and I'm honestly in shock. I've seen worse... but not by much. He and Ryan are very similar and I should've known. There are clothes and takeout containers tossed everywhere. I see some books piled up on an end table...
"I'm going to take a shower," he announces and walks down the hall.
I nod in reply even though he's already gone. I start with the laundry and grab an armful. I assume his layout is similar to Ryan's even though this apartment is probably half the size or smaller. His washer is where I was expecting and it's actually a nicer model. I stuff his clothes in and it's enormous. I think I can actually fit king sized bedsheets in there so I go back and grab another mountain of laundry and stuff it in. I search for detergent and find enough left for one load. I use it and chuckle grateful that I brought more just in case. I go back and gather the rest of the laundry and pile it up beside his washer. Once the clothing is cleared away, I get a few garbage bags and start throwing out the disposable containers. I make a pile on his peninsula counter of utensils and cups, dishes, and some new hand towels still in the packaging. I'll probably have to wash those, too, but I'm assuming I'll be doing an entire load of towels.
I turn around and notice the massive bookcase he has along his wall. It's as if he has his own personal library. It's incredible—dusty and unorganized—but still amazing. I gravitate toward it and stand here in awe for a moment. I hear the shower turn off and I get back to work. I shake the dust out of his curtains in here first before I begin to dust everything including the bookcase. I stride into the hallway outside and grab my step stool. I bring it back and dust the top shelves, the ceiling and the fixtures. I wipe off the surfaces of his coffee table, end tables, the console by the door. I consider the bookcase but I think I need to remove the books for a proper cleaning there.  I decide to wash his windows. As I clean them, I discover that he has a small balcony and I'll need a bucket out there.
I hear a chime and I'm assuming that's the laundry. I decide to bring it out and fold it. I grab the whole load and set it on the sofa which is fairly clean but could seriously use a wipe down like the one in his office. It'll have to do for now. I stride back to the washer and stuff the next load in. I use the extra bottle of detergent I brought—the same in all of Dauntless to keep our black clothing it's darkest—and turn it on. I honestly love how he has the top of the line model with the washer and dryer in one. I could never afford one of these but it's nice.
I walk back to the living room and methodically fold his laundry. I hear the door open down the hall and he steps out. I glance over to see he cut his hair. It looks more like during initiation now. He had let it grow out and I honestly haven't seen him like that since.
"I forgot this apartment had wood floors," he says.
I chuckle in response and continue folding the laundry. He takes a seat in a nearby chair.
"Where are my books?" he asks.
"Oh," I say setting the shirt down I'm folding.
I grab the stack that was over here.
"I just moved them for a moment. Sorry," I tell him.
"That's fine," he says. He takes the top one and opens it. "I read those," he tells me motioning to the pile.
"Do you want me to organize them for you? I was thinking of taking them down and cleaning the whole shelf anyway. I'll probably wipe them all off since there's a bit if dust that's settled on them," I say.
I look back to him and he's staring at me. He doesn't respond so I take the pile over to the bookcase and set them in a stack on an empty spot.
I return to folding. When I'm finished, I open some of the doors—spare room that's not too bad, bedroom that's as trashed as the living room was. I walk into the bedroom over his messy floor covered in junk and clothes. I open his dresser to find that it's empty. I decide where his clothes will go and start to put them into the drawers. I pick up the laundry and in the process, I find a hamper in his closet. It's empty. I toss the clothes in there and continue picking up the rest. I set the hamper beside the washer and grab another garbage bag.  I pick up all of his garbage and take it out to the cart in the hallway.  Ryan notices me and I shut the door quickly. 
"Ryan saw me," I tell him. 
"What does that mean?" he asks. 
"He's probably going to knock on your door and try to flirt with me," I reply. 
There's a knock on the door a moment later. 
Eric makes a sound of surprise.  He rises and opens his door. 
I step back into the bathroom and I gasp at how bad it is.  I have no idea how he even used this room.  I pick up a pile of towels from the floor and toss it beside the washer.  I'm tempted to go get some cleaner from my cart but I don't want to run into Ryan. 
"She's busy," Eric tells him. 
"Come on.  I don't get to see her much," Ryan protests. 
"No," Eric says and shuts the door. 
I hear Ryan knocking again.  "Please?" he pleads. 
I see Eric walk away and sit back down reading his book. 
I go back to the bathroom and grab his clothes.  I put them in the hamper and I figure I'll wait a while until Ryan is gone.  I go to the kitchen and start on the mess.  I pick out the trash first.  I need a garbage bag and cleaner for in here, too. 
I huff in frustration and peer out of his peephole.  I don't see anyone out there.  I unlock the door and open it to an empty hallway.  I sigh in relief and grab several garbage bags, along with kitchen cleaners, bathroom cleaners, some more gloves, a bucket, floor cleaner, a pile of rags, and a roll of paper towels.  I load most everything into the bucket and take that along with the armful inside.  I lock the door again. 
"Is Ryan that much of a problem for you?" Eric asks me looking up from his book. 
I chuckle in response.  "He's almost as bad as Four," I admit.  "Except Ryan is nice, just persistent."
"Wait... what?" he asks me. 
"Ryan is nice but persistent?" I say questioningly. 
"No, the other part," he clarifies. 
"He's almost as bad as Four," I restate. 
"I thought you and Four were together," he says. 
I shake my head in response. 
"Were you ever together?" he asks. 
"For a while," I tell him. 
"What happened?" he questions. 
"He became mean," I say. 
He frowns at that.  I go back to working.  I set everything down beside his kitchen and start with the trash.  I leave the bags there for now and grab my supplies for the bathroom.  I turn his fan on and spray his shower down and the toilet—both of which are pretty black.  While the cleaner does its work at breaking down the mold, I wipe up the cut hair on the countertop.  I move his products and accessories out of the way and spray the sink and counter with cleaner.  I scrub them and then wipe down the mirror.  I wipe the walls and notice the ceiling and fan, as well as the walls and fixtures could use a dusting.  I do so and begin scrubbing the shower first and then the toilet.  I fill the bucket with hot water and cleaner before scrubbing his floor and the baseboards.  I finish in the bathroom and dump the dirty water out down the drain, then rinsing it out.  I replace his things and turn the light and fan off.  One room down, several more to go. 
I hear the laundry chime again and decide to wash his bedding.  I pull everything off and stick it into the washer.  I set his clothes down on the sofa again and fold them before going back to the bedroom.  I dust and wipe the surfaces, then the windows.  I check under his bed to find shoes stuffed under there and some more clothes and garbage.  I handle all of that and then move on to the spare room.  I do the same but it's just dusty in here. 
I work on the kitchen next.  I handle his dishes—washing them and then drying them before putting them into his cupboards.  I look up and notice he's gone.  I decide to throw out the heap of trash.  I peer into the hallway and Ryan's not there.  I set the bags down and lock the door once more.  I wash more dishes, followed by the surfaces in the kitchen, then the floor. 
I hear the lock turn from the outside and Eric walks in with a bag of food.  I hadn't even realized it was midday. 
"I brought you lunch," he tells me. 
"Thank you," I say softly. 
I remove my gloves and wash my hands.  He sits at the peninsula in a bar stool and I join his side.  He got sandwiches from the cafeteria but that was still nice of him.  I reach out for the sandwich and he grasps my arm gently. 
"What happened to your arm?" he asks me. 
I meet his eyes. 
"Four," I say softly. 
"What'd he do?" he questions. 
"He grabbed my arm from behind.  I don't think he intended to hurt me but he did," I admit. 
"Has he done this before?" he asks. 
"No," I shake my head. 
"You said he was mean," he replies. 
"Mostly he hurts with words," I elaborate. 
He purses his lips and nods.  "If he ever does this again, I expect you to file a complaint with security.  Even if he's not intentionally hurting you, he is," he tells me firmly.  I can tell by how he's speaking that this is an order. 
"Okay," I reply gently. 
We eat together side by side.  He doesn't talk much and neither do I.  We finish our lunch and I pick up.  I wipe off the counter and then go to clean his leather furniture.  I find a few bits of trash tucked into the cushions and I throw those away.  When I've finished the sofa, I wipe down the chair he's not sitting in. 
I hear the laundry chime and I wash my hands before I get his bedding out.  I make his bed and start a load of towels.  I come back and he's moved to the opposite chair.  I grin and wipe that chair down. 
I decide to wash his balcony next.  I take bucketful after bucketful of water dumping them all over the balcony and railing.  I wash the outside of his sliding glass door and the window.  I even wash the track the door sits on—which was covered in filth. 
I come back in and wash my hands again.  I set more of his books on the bookcase and start the arduous task of washing the floors—the bedroom, the spare room, the hallway, and the living room.  I sweep the floors first and then crouch down and scrub the floors.  Eric moves out of the way for me on occasion and even helps me to move some furniture to clean underneath.  I smile when it's done.  It doesn't even look like the same place.  I walk over to the bookcase and begin to remove one at a time, wiping them down carefully.  I stack one level at a time, wiping the shelves off and then replacing the books.  I organize them as I go.  I do so for each level and I'm surprised when I find several copies of the Bible up here. 
"Have you read all of these?" I ask Eric. 
"No," he says.  "They were here when I moved in."
"Oh," I nod. 
"Why do you ask?" he inquires. 
"You have the same Bible my father has," I tell him. 
"There's a Bible up there?" he questions surprised. 
"Several," I tell him.  "Your shelf here could rival my grandfather's."
"Who's your grandfather?" he inquires coming closer. 
"Ethan Prior," I tell him. 
"The Erudite Clergyman?" he questions surprised. 
"Yes," I nod. 
"I hadn't realized," he replies quietly. 
"Yeah," say softly. 
"Which ones?" he asks. 
"Most of this shelf," I tell him.  "My dad has this one but the pages are ripped out in the back."  I say pulling it out and wiping it down. 
"Why'd he rip them out?" he asks as I flip through them. 
"I don't know.  I asked him once and he said they all were," I tell him.  "They were maps."
I stop abruptly when I see the different paper in the back. 
"Yours are intact," I say in awe. 
"What?  Let me see that," he says taking the book from my hands.  "I've never seen anything like this before," he says sitting down on his sofa. 
I join him because I'm incredibly intrigued. 
"I know these places," I tell him.  "This is the Holy Land."
"What do you mean?" he questions. 
"The stories in here," I motion to the Bible.  "This is the actual locations they've taken place."
"Are you saying this is a historic book?" he questions. 
"I believe it is," I nod. 
"How did this get let into the city then?" he questions. 
"Do you really want me to answer that or was it rhetorical?" I question. 
"Answer," he says. 
"It's a religious text," I reply.  "The religion is based on it.  They couldn't cut it up.  That would be sacrilegious."
"How's that?" he asks. 
"We're not supposed to add or take away from the words.  They're complete.  We believe they're the words of God," I tell him. 
"We?" he questions. 
"We," I nod. 
"I didn't realize you were religious," he says. 
"I'm not really," I shrug. 
He raises his eyebrow in question. 
"Okay, to you I'm religious.  To me, I know God.  We're buddies," I tell him. 
He snorts in reply. 
"You're also delusional," he grins. 
"Whatever, Eric," I roll my eyes before I go back to cleaning. 
He continues looking through it, though.  I find that encouraging. 
I return to going through the shelf.  "Oh, you've got a chronological Bible.  That's awesome!" I say. 
He's still examining those maps. 
I flip through that one and it's incredible with photographs of mountains.  There are a few more maps. 
"Oh my God," Eric whispers. 
"What is it?" I ask.  I climb down to observe that he's set the book on his coffee table.  I pick it up to see a sort of puzzle, like a broken up orange peel.  I look closer and realize it's a map... of the planet. 
"Chicago," I whisper touching the dot marked as where we are. 
"What?" he questions.  I show him what I see and he covers his mouth in shock. 
"I've seen that word before," I tell him. 
"Where?" he asks. 
"Below ground in the maintenance level.  It's where the water pipes and ductwork leads, the furnaces... it's written on the electrical panels.  It's like a metal stamp into the backside of the breaker boxes.  It's like an address," I tell him. 
"Show me," he says. 
"Why don't I finish and I'll take you down?" I suggest. 
"Alright," he agrees. 
I finish wiping the shelf I'm on.  I organize the books and move onto the last one.  I wipe up the work area where it got a little dusty.  I hear the washer chime again and I pull out the load. 
"Do you want me to do another load of laundry?" I ask. 
"Sure," he shrugs. 
I stick the last tub of clothes in and fold his towels.  I put them away in his closet and pick up the rest of my things. 
"My apartment doesn't even look the same," he mentions as he regards the entire space.
"No, it doesn't," I agree surveying it beside him.  "You want me to come back once a month?"
"How about next Saturday?" he asks. 
"I can do that," I shrug.  "There won't be much to do..."
"That's fine," he says. 
I add him in.  "Do you want me to come later?" I question. 
"No, nine is fine," he replies. 
"Okay," I nod and add it to my schedule. 
We take the elevator down.  I stop at the loading dock to drop off the trash and cart.  I wash my hands and lock up the office.  I take him down to the service elevator on this side of the compound to the lowest level of the building.  We arrive at the maintenance level. 
"I've never been here before," he says softly. 
"It's pretty overwhelming, huh?" I grin. 
It's absolutely enormous.  There are giant hot water tanks, ductwork coming from various sections in the building, water and sewage pipes leading in all directions.  I take him down the staircase and cross the massive expanse of water heaters.  We climb up the small steps to a metal grated level with a railing.  I unlock the door to the electrical boxes for this compound.  The walls are covered with breaker boxes—divided by each section of Dauntless, some for housing, others for various levels and areas in the Pit... etcetera. 
I open the door to one.  That's not it.  I close it. 
"There were two," I mumble. 
"That's it?" he questions.  "There are like fifty."
"Yeah," I nod. 
I walk through and open some.  Eric starts on the other side. 
"What am I looking for?" he asks. 
"This," I say pointing to it.  He closes the one he's at and joins me. 
He looks over my shoulder even though I've moved aside.  He's awfully close—closer than I've ever been to him before.  I can smell the products he uses and he smells incredible—distinctly male. 
He reaches a hand out to the panel and brushes against me in the process. 
"That's got to be the name of our city," he says.  "I've seen this in Erudite, too.  Some of the buildings have this name on them."
"I didn't know that," I reply softly. 
He examines the name for a moment and then we leave together back the way we came.  We arrive to the Pit level and start walking.
"It's dinnertime," he mentions. 
"Yeah," I nod.
"Are you going to the cafeteria?" he asks me. 
"Yes," I reply. 
"I'll walk you," he insists. 
I feel his hand at my waist as he escorts me there.  I don't protest, though.  I'm honestly surprised at the contact—the gentleness, the warmth of his hand.  I'm aware of every single second of contact he shares with me.  It's an odd sensation—Four had me absolutely fearing Eric... but today he's been soft spoken, quiet, kind.  I'm just absolutely confused. 
We arrive at the cafeteria and the first thing I notice is Four's eyes on me.  He sees me with Eric—that he's touching me—and he looks livid. 
"Is he always like that," Eric questions as he leads me to the line. 
"If I'm around another man, yes.  He's very territorial over me even though we're not together.  He was rude to a coworker of mine once.  He's never worked with me again," I admit. 
"Was that his doing or yours?" he asks. 
"I think the poor guy is afraid of him," I divulge. 
He nods in response. 
We grab our dinner.  It's lasagna.  I get some garlic bread, a salad, and some water.
"I don't see your friends," Eric points out. 
"Yeah," I say softly. 
"Will he bother you?" he asks me. 
"If I'm alone?  Absolutely," I reply. 
"Fine.  Let's have dinner together," he says. 
"What?" I ask surprised looking at him but he leads me to the table and sits right across from Four. 
"Four," he nods. 
"Eric," Four responds.  He's holding his cup so tightly that if it were glass, it'd be broken. 
Four turns his stare on me and I focus on my food. 
"Where've you been all day?" Four asks me. 
"You know where I was," I point out. 
"All day?" he questions. 
"Yup," I reply cutting a bite of my lasagna and eating it. 
I look up and he's still staring at me.  I feel Eric place his hand on my back and rub a soothing motion.  Four notices and he appears enraged. 
"So... I heard you two broke up.  You told me differently," Eric comments before eating a bite of his lasagna.  He looks back to Four. 
"We are together," he responds. 
"No we're not.  We broke up months ago.  What was it?  October?  November?  I can't even remember because I don't care," I reply. 
"We'll talk about this later," Four says flatly. 
"So, I see why nobody has asked me out," I mention.  "You have everyone absolutely fearing you or you've been telling everyone we're still together when we're not.  Ryan knows which is why he's been asking me out for months."
"What's wrong with Ryan?" Eric asks. 
"He's a nice guy," I shrug.  "He's just not for me, I guess."
"What don't you like about him?" Eric questions. 
"I don't know... his jokes are too lewd for a former Abnegation," I start.  "He's always got the corny pickup lines.  He's kind of pushy and clingy."
"What kind of guy are you looking for?" Eric asks. 
"Someone who's nice to me," I shrug again.  "Someone with similar interests, strong, sure of themselves, fun."
I eat a bite of my garlic bread.  We remain quiet and eat our meal. 
"Hey, Tris," Zeke says joining us.  "And Eric?  Man, how's it been?"
Eric smiles and talks with Zeke.  I never knew they were so chummy. They're actually laughing and joking around together. 
Lynn sits beside me.  "I guess they went on a double date tonight," she tells me. 
"Oh?  Christina never told me that.  I hope they're not out too late," I comment. 
"Why is that?" Eric asks curiously. 
"Because we have church in the morning," I tell him. 
"Oh," he replies.  "In Erudite?"
"Yeah.  I go there.  She and Will go to Candor with Jude," I say before eating another bite. 
"Wait... Jude goes to church?" he questions surprised. 
"Uh huh," I nod.  "Christina said he's been going there since his wife's passing."
"I didn't know that," he mentions.  He looks shocked.  "Who else goes?"
"Just us... oh, and Dana," I say softly. 
"From the infirmary?" he asks even more surprised. 
I nod. 
"Small world," he mumbles.
"Small city," I point out. 
He snorts in response and we share a look. 
I hear Four clear his throat. 
"You okay over there?" Eric asks him chuckling. 
"I don't like you looking at my girl like that," he replies flatly. 
"She's not your girl, man," Zeke says patting him on the back. 
I see Eric smirk at that. 
Shauna joins us in her uniform.  "Ah, these Saturday shifts stink," she grumbles. 
"You don't seem to mind," Eric nudges me. 
"I've got nothing else going on," I shrug.  "And I enjoy my work."
"You do?" he asks baffled. 
"It was incredibly satisfying," I purse my lips and nod. 
"You definitely have some skill," he agrees.
"Thanks," I grin. I know I'm blushing. I don't handle compliments well.
"Where'd you get the cake?" Eric asks Shauna.
"They were just putting them out," she shrugs cutting a piece.
"Do you want some?" Eric asks me.
"The chocolate is a little much for me," I admit shaking my head.
"Vanilla?" he offers.
"I like that one," I nod.
He gets up and Four stares me down.
"You spent the day with him?" he questions.
"I was working," I shrug.
"All day? I don't buy that," he shakes his head.
"I do," Zeke chimes in stealing a bite of Shauna's cake.
"What do you mean?" Four asks him.
"Eric is messier than you," he replies. "I bet his apartment hasn't been cleaned since he moved into it. He used to have a housekeeper in Erudite."
"How do you know this?" Four questions.
"Duh," Zeke responds.
"Right. Roommates," Four nods.
Eric sits back down and places a slice of white cake on my tray. I look over to him in surprise.
"Thank you," I say softly. I didn't realize he was getting me one, too.
He grins in reply.
"There's one more slice of chocolate," Eric announces.
Four gets up and bolts for it.
"Did I say chocolate? I meant cheesecake," Eric chuckles.
Zeke explodes in laughter at that. "That was hilarious, man. I've never seen him run so fast," he giggles.
I crack a smile and Eric winks at me. He's definitely funny. I never would've known.
I cut into my cake and it's good.
Four comes back with a sour expression on his face.
"Four? Did I say chocolate or cheesecake?" Eric asks him.
"You said one and the other was there," he grumbles.
"My bad," Eric smirks.
I finish my cake—not because I was hungry for it but because he went to the trouble to get it for me.
"You done?" Eric whispers.
"Yeah," I nod.
"Where are you headed?" he asks.
"Home probably," I reply.
"I'll walk you back," he offers.
"Thank you," I say softly.
We both rise with our trays but Eric takes my arm in his hand.
"Four?" Eric calls out to him.
He looks up and meets his eyes.
"You did this to her on Monday. I saw from the leadership table. If you ever bruise her again, I will kill you," he says threateningly.
He releases me and puts a gentle hand around my waist. I'm in shock by that. He takes my tray when we get to the return and he walks me home.
"He's delusional. I was messing with him but I think he's nuts. I'm having him monitored. You should be able to eat a meal in peace and you shouldn't have to answer to him. I'll make sure you're safe," he says soothingly. He rubs my back.
"Thank you," I reply gently.
"Where are you anyway?" he asks.
"Oh, um... Delta Quadrant," I say.
He walks me to my building and we climb the stairs to the fifth floor.
"Do you have a roommate?" he asks.
"Christina," I nod.
"If he bothers you, call security," he tells me. "I'll call them tonight. I think he only needs to be monitored off the clock."
"He heard our conversation in your office," I admit.
"Maybe during work, too, then," he says angrily.
I've never seen Eric act like this. I know he's being considerate of me but it's surprising me... and kind of making me uneasy. I feel like I've just become the center of his attention and I honestly don't know why.
"This is me," I say at the door. I dig my keys out of my pocket.
"Call me if you need anything," he tells me.
"Okay," I respond a little perplexed. "Thank you."
"Anytime," he replies meeting my eyes.
"Goodnight," I say unlocking my door.
"Goodnight," he responds.
I step in and shut the door. I lock it and hear a soft thud outside. I'm not sure what that is but I ignore it. I start a load of laundry and read some of my library book. I switch it to the dryer and get ready for bed. I'll fold it in the morning. I lay down and nod off easily.