Inferno

Chapter 18: Learning to Trust

Hello! I wrote this last night and thought you'd enjoy this. I know I enjoyed writing it ;) It's full of Eric fluff, so, just a heads up.

I decided I wanted Eric and Tobias to be a little older than 18, so I changed the age gap to four years. So in case you were wondering why some of the early chapters were updated, that's why.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think, and if you want a sequel to this!

~Caruscus

---------------------------------------------

We walk for a minute in silence, which is only broken when I step on a rock in my bare feet and I let out a hiss.

"Where are your shoes?" Eric asks, his voice condescending.

"I'm sorry, I was told to leave. I didn't have time to grab anything." I retort, balancing one hand on the wall while I pull the rock out of the pad of my foot.

He walks in front of me, studying me for a moment before turning his back to me and crouching down to the ground. He lets out a sigh and stays there.

I put my foot back down slowly. "What are you doing?"

"Get on my back. I'll carry you."

I take a step back. "Um, no thanks."

"It's either this or you continue to walk on who-knows-what until we reach my apartment."

"I think I'll take my chances, thanks." I say as I walk past him and continue down the hallway. I hear him straighten up and follow after me.

It takes another two minutes to reach the Pit, and by that time I've stepped on three more rocks. My feet are going to be bruised in the morning.

When we reach the stairs and I stub my toe on the cement step I stop again and rub it. It stings, and I sit down on the step for a minute to rub it with both hands.

Eric stops and looks down at me. He holds his hands out at his side. "Last offer. We have six flights of this to go."

He sounds almost smug about it. I frown up at him. "Fine. Turn around and bend down."

A smirk covers his face as he turns from me. "Usually I would be the one saying that."

I stop. Did he just flirt? Did he just make an innuendo?

I step towards him and smack the back of his head. He lets out a chuckle in response. I wrap my arms around his neck and he brings his hands back to grip my thighs. I'm glad he can't see my face right now because he would see how badly I'm blushing. His hands are warm and he keeps a strong hold on me, making sure not to slip.

He stands easily and we continue up the stairs. By the time we reach the third floor the son of a bitch hasn't even broken a sweat yet.

I let out a sigh and unconsciously rest my forehead on the tops of his shoulders. He pulls me forward a little bit, adjusting his grip and continuing on his way. The heat from his back warms me even though the air inside the Dauntless compound is a little chilly at night. I'm only wearing that t-shirt Mary gave me and a pair of shorts. It's the only thing I can fall asleep in at night.

I must have dozed off because next thing I know is that he's balancing my weight with one hand while the other works to unlock his apartment door. He seems to be struggling to get to the right key without two hands.

"You can put me down now." I yawn at him. I blink in surprise. I didn't know I was that tired.

He looks at me over his shoulder. He bends a little and slowly releases me, so I slide down his back until my feet touch the floor.