fourtris oneshots

Role Reversal #7

"Well. Don't for a second think I'm interested in anyone but you."

Ash stood across the room, shoving a stack of books together into a bag. She bit on a red pen, carrying the bag out of the room. Tobias could hear the books smacking against each other as he walked down the hallway. He waited until Ash disappeared before he turned to Shauna.

He raised his eyebrows. "I've been trying not to ask you, but I'm giving up." Tobias said, "What's going on with you and Zeke?"

Shauna was sprawled across her cot, a leg dangling over the edge. Looking to Tobias, she scowled.

"What?" Tobias laughed lowly, "You've been spending a lot of time together. Like a lot."

Shauna sat up, blocking the sun that was glowing brightly in the room. "You may not believe me, but it's not like that." Shauna shook her head. "We're both bored. Also, he's Zeke."

"So?" This time, Tobias scowled.

"He's good-looking and sweet, but he can't have a serious conversation to save his life." Shauna shrugged her shoulders, "Don't get me wrong, I like to laugh, but I also want a relationship to mean something, you know?"

Tobias winced, noticing the conversation get weird. This was his best friend they were talking about. But then again, Tobias brought the subject up.

"Besides," Shauna laughed at Tobias's reaction, "not every relationship turns into a romance. I haven't tried to kiss you yet."

Tobias laughed also. "True."

"Where have you been lately?" Shauna asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "With Six? Doing a little . . . addition? Multiplication?"

Tobias felt the tips of his ears go warm and he ran a hand over his face. "That was the worst joke I've ever heard."

Shauna waved a finger at Tobias. "Don't dodge the question," she stated.

So sighing, Tobias looked away. "No 'addition' for us," he admitted. "Not yet, anyways. She's been a little preoccupied with the whole 'genetic damage' thing."

"Ah. That thing." Shauna nodded her head.

"What do you think about it?" Tobias asked.

"I don't know. I guess it makes me angry." Frowning, Shauna continued, "No one likes to be told there's something wrong with them, especially something like their genes, which they can't change."

Tobias furrowed his eyebrows. "You think there's really something wrong with you?"

Shauna shrugged, "I guess so. It's like a disease, right? They can see it in our genes. That's not really up for debate, is it?"

"I'm not saying your genes aren't different." Tobias sat up straighter, "I'm just saying that doesn't mean one set is damaged and one set isn't. The genes for blue eyes and brown eyes are different too, but are blue eyes 'damaged'? It's like they arbitrarily decided one kind of DNA was bad and the other was good."

Shauna tilted her head down. "Based on the evidence tnat GD behavior was worse," she pointed out.

Tobias scoffed, retorting, "Which could be caused by a lot of things."

Silence erupted between the two and Shauna soon laughed. "I don't know why I'm arguing with you when I'd really like for you to be right. But don't you think a bunch of smart people like these Bureau scientists could figure out the cause of bad behavior?"

"Sure," Tobias shrugged his shoulders. "But I think that no matter how smart, people usually see what they're already looking for, that's all."

"Maybe you're biased," she wondered. Because you have friends--and a girlfriend--with this genetic issue."

Tobias considered the fact. "Maybe," he muttered. Though, he fumbled for an explanation. "I guess I don't see a reason to believe in genetic damage. Will it make me treat other people better? No. The opposite, maybe."

Tobias saw what it was doing to Tris; tearing her apart from the inside out. it was making her doubt himself, making her doubt her self-worth.

"You don't believe things because they make your life better, you believe them because they're true," Shauna pointed out again.

Again, Tobias thought over the fact. "But, isn't looking at the result of a belief a good way of evaluating if it's true?" He spoke slowly, his eyebrows furrowing.

Shauna laughed lightly, "Sounds like a Stiff way of thinking." She paused; "I guess my way is very Dauntless, though. God, we really can't escape factions no matter where we go, can we?"

"Maybe," Tobias shrugged, "it's not so important to escape them."

A moment later, Tris walked in the dormitory. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with bags under them. Hair hung out of her ponytail, and her clothes were wrinkled. She has been sleeping in her clothes during the night, instead of clothes the Bureau provided.

Shauna stood up, "Okay, I'm going to go. And leave you two . . . to all this space. Alone." Shauna smirked when she saw the Tobias's ears turn red, squeezing his shoulder as she walked away.

As Tris walked closer to Tobias, the smile that was on her lips did not convince Tobias it was real. Instead of sitting next to him on his cot, Tris sat down on hers, messing with the loose threads of the blanket covering the mattress.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," Tris started.

"Okay," Tobias said slowly, his pulse quickening.

"I want you ask you to promise not to get mad," she said, "but . . ."

"But you know I don't make stupid promises," Tobias said, his voice straight.

Tris nodded, "Right." She avoided his gaze, looking elsewhere as she spoke. "Matthew left a note under my pillow, telling me to meet him last night. And I did."

Immediately, Tobias straightened. He felt an jealous heat rage through him. "A good-looking guy asks you to meet him late at night, and you go?" Tobias said, his voice now hard and demanding. "And then you ask me not to get mad about it?"

Tris scowled softly, looking offended. "It's not like that with Matthew and me. At all. He just wanted to show me something. He doesn't believe in genetic damage, like he led me to believe. He has a plan to take away some of the Bureau's power, to make GDs more equal. We went to the fringe."

Tris went on to explain the underground tunnel that led outside the airport, the ruined town in the fringe, the conversation with people named Rafi and Mary. She talked other things, like the war that the government kept secret, and as she spoke, Tobias felt a suspicion for Matthew increased. He wasn't sure if came from his gut or his jealousy.

"How do you know he's telling the truth?" Tobias asked.

"I don't," the words made Tobias almost roll his eyes. "He promised to show me evidence. Tonight." Reaching across the space in between their cots, Tris took Tobias's hand. "I'd like you to come."

"And Matthew would be okay with that?"

Rolling her eyes, Tris sighed. "I don't really care. If he really needs my help, he'll have to figure out how to be okay with it."

Tobias looked down to their hands. He didn't want to spend time with Tris and Matthew together, knowing Matthew's genetic damage made him have something in common with Tris. It was a similarity Tobias himself would never have with Tris. But, this was important to Tris.

"Okay," Tobias agreed. "I'll go. But don't for a second think that I actually believe he's not interested in you for more than your genetic code."

"Well," Tris raised her eyebrows, finally smiling for real. "Don't for a second think I'm interested in anyone but you."

Still smiling, Tris moved her hand to Tobias's cheek, pulling him closer as she kissed him.