Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Three weeks after Eric had left, Tris was moping.
She knew it.
Her father knew it.
Her mother definitely knew it.
The separation from him felt like an open wound. She could no longer share her day with him. Her laughs. Her questions. The little things that had somehow become important without her noticing. She missed him. Completely and constantly.
The only respite she found came through training. It was summer, and she had thrown herself into running, boxing, knife throwing, and martial arts. Anything. Anything that exhausted her enough that, by the time she reached bed, she would simply fall asleep instead of thinking.
Tris was having breakfast when her father entered the kitchen and smiled at her.
“Guess what day it is,” he said happily.
“I don’t know, dad,” she replied politely, though without much enthusiasm.
“It’s Family Day for the initiates,” her mother said, watching her carefully.
Tris looked up immediately. At both of them. “Can I go?” she asked, hope appearing so quickly in her voice that it almost hurt.
Andrew looked offended. “Not just you. All of us are going.” He straightened slightly. “We’re family.”
Tris stood up so quickly she nearly knocked over her chair and hugged him.
He awkwardly patted her shoulder. But Natalie simply smiled and pulled both of them into a hug. “Come on, Andrew,” she teased. “Be adventurous. Take a hug.”
Tris laughed then, tears suddenly stinging her eyes.
Natalie immediately reached for a tissue. “Now, Beatrice.” She dabbed carefully beneath her eyes. “Chin up.” Then she smiled. “Let’s go.”
And together, the Prior family quietly made their way toward Dauntless.
They entered Dauntless with the other families. Tris walked more slowly than the rest, taking everything in. Her home away from home. She had missed this faction. The noise. The movement. The energy.
Eventually they reached the Pit. And instinctively, Tris looked toward the far wall. And there he was.
Leaning against it with his arms crossed, watching all the emotional reunions around him. Watching. Not participating. And for a brief moment, Tris wondered if part of him had expected no one to come for him.
She didn’t hesitate. Not even for a second. Dodging people and pushing through the crowd, she ran toward him. Then threw herself into his arms.
Eric actually staggered slightly from the force with which she launched herself at him. But a second later his arms wrapped tightly around her. Holding her. Keeping her there. And before she could say a word, he tilted her chin upward and kissed her. Not slowly. Not teasingly. Like a man who had spent three weeks trying not to miss someone and had finally given up.
Tris kissed him back immediately. Because she had missed him too. Completely.
When they finally separated, his eyes were dark. But now there was something else there. A glint. Something lighter. Something alive again. “Well,” he murmured, his mouth twitching slightly, “if it isn’t my favorite Stiff.”
Tris laughed immediately. “You really need to work on your terms of affection again.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I disappear for three weeks and you immediately retreat into old bear mode.”
Eric pulled her closer again. Much closer. Then lowered his mouth near her ear. “Only three weeks?” he whispered. “It felt like an eternity.” Then Eric looked up, and Tris saw the exact moment his eyes found her parents.
Surprise crossed his face first. Then something softer. Something warmer. And then, almost immediately, he put his polite mask back on.
“Eric,” Andrew said as he stepped forward and shook his hand. “Congratulations on your choice. How is it going?”
Tris saw it. The tiny crack in Eric’s composure. A slight hesitation. A brief wavering of the facade. She noticed because she hadn’t taken her eyes off him for even a second.
“I’m doing well,” he replied. “I haven’t lost a fight yet. Knives and firearms come naturally too.”
Natalie immediately pulled him into a brief hug.“Make sure you eat the chocolate cake,” she scolded lightly. “Although, I can see you’re piling on muscles.”
Tris’ eyes immediately moved toward him. And only then did she really notice it. He had grown. At least an inch in height. And apparently Dauntless had decided to add muscles everywhere too. But then she noticed the details she had missed at first. A healing cut near his jaw. Bruised knuckles. Faint marks disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. Small things. Things most people would never notice. But she did.
Always.
Dauntless was hard, she knew that. Bruises and cuts were expected. She only hoped it had not taken too much from him already.
When she looked back up, Eric was already watching her. His mouth twitched. “Are you checking me out, girlfriend?”
“Eric!” Tris growled. Then she punched him in the stomach. Not very gently. Unfortunately for her, it achieved absolutely nothing. The man was apparently made of stone.
She blushed immediately.
Eric only chuckled and pulled her closer.
And it was exactly at that moment, while everyone was smiling, while everything felt warm and normal, that a voice cut through the air.
“Natalie? Eric?” A pause. “What a bizarre family reunion.”
They all turned. And Tris immediately recognized Max.
Max walked closer. “What is an Abnegation family doing at Family Day for an Erudite transfer?” he asked with a smile. But the way he was watching them felt anything but friendly.
Tris felt Eric tense beside her. His smile vanished, replaced immediately by his soldier expression.
Max’s gaze moved over all of them.
Andrew.
Natalie.
Then his eyes settled on Tris, who was still standing close to Eric. Holding him. And Tris knew exactly what he was doing.
Evaluating.
Jeanine had always been good at spotting flaws.
Max was good at spotting needs.
Tris was sure Max had studied Eric. Coming from Erudite, with a father like James, Max had probably already guessed certain things about him.
Need for belonging. Need for purpose. Need for somewhere to fit.
The first time around, perhaps Max had offered him exactly that. A place. A role. A purpose. But this time Eric already had people. A support system. A home. And Tris knew Max had not anticipated that.
“My best initiate,” Max said after a moment. “Strong, strategic, focused.” His eyes moved briefly toward Tris.
Eric looked at him. And when he spoke, his voice carried that dangerous calm Tris knew too well. “Tris is my partner.” Nothing else. No explanation. No apology. Just fact.
Max tilted his head slightly. Then his attention shifted completely toward her. He studied her for a moment. And Tris saw it immediately. Dismissal. He underestimated her.
So she looked back directly into his eyes and put on her own soldier expression. The one she wore when difficult choices had to be made.
Max’s expression changed. Sharpened. Because now he understood.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“I suppose I’ll see you here soon,” he said.
“You will,” Tris replied calmly.
Beside her, she felt Eric relax slightly.
Max nodded once toward all of them. Then he left.
Not long after, Andrew and Natalie quietly decided to give them a moment alone. Eric shook Andrew’s hand. Accepted a hug from Natalie. And when they were finally alone, they simply looked at each other. Long enough that words felt unnecessary. “He’s going to watch us,” Tris said softly. “You especially. What are we going to do?”
Eric lowered his head near her ear. And for a moment his mouth twitched. “Easy.” A pause.“We fight in plain sight.”