This is just a random fluff bunny I had chewing on my toes today. I really have too many, but they just keep popping up. Anyway, I don't know where this will end up going or when it will go there, but for now here's some fluff for everyone! Let me know what you think. :)
Tris walked absently back to the Dauntless compound, mind churning after a long day of negotiation with Abnegation. She had taken a position among leadership, and her background as an Abnegation transfer made her a good ambassador between Dauntless and Abnegation.
When she was about five minutes away from the Dauntless compound Tris saw a young girl huddled in the doorway of an abandoned house, eyes closed with dirty hair and torn Erudite clothes. She felt a tug of sympathy, the girl couldn't have been more than fifteen. After looking around to make sure she wasn't seen, Tris made her way over to the girl, pulling her bag off her back as she went. She had some spare food with her, it still felt strange going out without any.
Tris knelt down next to the girl and nudged her shoulder. Now she was closer, Tris realized that she was even younger than she'd thought, probably about eleven. Tris looked closely at her, she looked incredibly familiar, but Tris couldn't place where she had seen her before.
"Hey, are you hungry?"
The girl opened her eyes slowly as she answered. "Yes, do you have any food?" The girl's gray eyes niggled at her subconscious, Tris definitely recognized her from somewhere.
She had just started to pull her bag open when the girl's eyes found the gun on her hip and widened.
"You're from Dauntless!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'm on my way back there now." Tris answered, wondering why the girl was suddenly so frantic.
The girl grabbed Tris's jacket, looking desperate. "Can you please take me there? I've been looking for it for days but I can't find it."
"Why?" Tris asked, thoroughly confused now.
"My brother transferred there two years ago from Erudite. I don't know if he passed initiation but it's my only chance. Our parents kicked me out because I was too stupid for them."
The end of her sentence was laced with a malicious bitterness, and it was that combined with the icy cold look in her eyes that made Tris finally recognize her. The girl was the spitting image of Eric.
"Yeah I'll take you there," Tris told her, holding out a hand to help her up. "I know him, he's one of the leaders now."
The girl's eyes lit up, and she threw her arms around Tris's waist. "Thank you!"
Tris smiled and hugged her after a moment of surprise. "You still want this?" Tris asked, holding out an apple. She nodded and took it, biting into it quickly as they began to walk.
"So what's your name? How old are you?" Tris asked her as she ate.
"Kathryn, but I like Kat, and I'm twelve." she responded. "What's yours?"
"Tris," she replied, coming up on the back entrance to the compound and holding the door open. Kat had already finished the apple and tossed the core aside with a regretful look. Tris pulled her bag off her shoulder and dug another out, holding it out to Kat with a smile.
"Why do you have these with you?" She asked as Tris led them to the offices.
"Habit," Tris told her. "I transferred from Abnegation three months ago. We always carried food with us to give to the factionless, it feels strange not bringing any when I go out."
"A week ago I would have called you a stiff, but now I'm really glad you do," Kat said softly, looking sad.
"I am too. And hey, this is it," Tris told her, stopping in front of the door to Eric's office. She glanced nervously at Kat, hoping like hell Eric wasn't horrible to her. Tris wasn't going to say anything, but from what she knew of Eric, he didn't care about anyone.
Taking a deep breath Tris knocked firmly on the door, waiting for the inevitable response. Sure enough, Eric didn't disappoint.
"What the hell is it now?" Came his annoyed shout.
Kat gave the door a worried look. "Maybe we should come back later?"
"No, that's about the best we're going to get," Tris told her, shaking her head and opening the door.
"Seriously stiff? What the fuck do you want that can't wait until later?"
Tris opened her mouth to respond, but was cut short when Kat appeared beside her, staring at Eric. Eric's jaw dropped in shock when he saw his sister at Tris's side.
"Kat?" Eric's voice was incredulous as he stood up, rounding his desk and coming to stand in front of them. "What are you doing here?"
"Erickson!" She squealed, launching herself at Eric and throwing her arms around his neck.
Erickson?
Tris stepped in the office and closed the door quietly behind her, watching in shock as Eric caught her and hugged her tightly, lifting her clear off the ground. Kat had her arms around his neck like a vice, and she could see the little girl's shoulders shaking with sobs.
Eric walked back to his chair, sitting down and pulling Kat onto his lap.
"Hey, shhh," Eric soothed gently, stroking Kat's hair. "What happened Kitty?" Tris stared. Kitty? Who the hell was this and what had he done with Eric?
"Mom and dad threw me out, I only got a ninety-three on my final," she hiccupped. "So they said I wasn't smart enough to be their daughter and told me to get out."
"When was that?" He asked, sounding shocked.
Kat took a shaky breath and leaned back to look at Eric. "Three days ago, I've been trying to find you since."
"Three days ago?" He repeated frantically. "Have you eaten, have you slept, are you okay?" He tucked her hair behind her ear affectionately, the gesture too rapid to look soothing.
Tris watched the conversation in utter shock. Eric had gone from malicious, cruel Dauntless leader to protective big brother like a switch had been flipped, and even watching it left her reeling.
"Yeah, Tris had some apples with her that she gave me. And I need a bath, but I'm okay. Can I stay here with you?"
Kat's voice was quiet and afraid, and Eric cradled her against his chest protectively. "I'll do everything I can Kitty," he promised.
Tris bit the inside of her cheek to hide her grin. Everyone in the compound was absolutely terrified of Eric, and a twelve year old girl had him wrapped around her little finger. Knowing this side of him existed was going to make hating him a lot harder.
"Tris, could you do me a favor and get her taken care of?"
"Sure," Tris responded. "What do you want me to do?"
"Show her around, get her some food, some clothes and whatever else. Just give them my name, I have more than enough points for anything she wants. I'm up to my ears in paperwork already and adding a screaming match with Max to my schedule isn't going to make it easier."
"Alright," Tris agreed.
"Oh!" Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. "Once she has clothes take her by my apartment to get cleaned up. Just do whatever and I'll catch up with you in the Pit at dinner."
"What if they say I can't stay?" Kat asked worriedly.
"Then he'll yell and swear until they say you can," Tris quipped. "Erickson has everyone here convinced he's some ruthless killing machine."
"And they'll continue to be convinced of that, won't they Beatrice?"
"Fair enough," Tris allowed.
"Good," he muttered. "Go with Tris for now Kitty. I'll see you later alright?"
Kat nodded and hopped off Eric's lap. "Okay."
...
Neither one of them spoke until they got to the pit.
"You two don't get along do you?" Kat asked matter-of-factly.
"No," Tris chuckled lightly. "But you sure made it a lot harder to hate him." Tris shook her head, grinning as she walked into the tattoo shop. "Come on, my friend Christina works here. I want to see if she'll go shopping with us, she's better at it than I am."
Christina was sitting at a desk, sketching idly when they walked up.
"You too busy to go shopping Chris?"
Christina looked up. "Hell no I'm not!" She grinned. "Who's this?"
"Kathryn, she goes by Kat. She's Eric's little sister. Their parents threw her out, he told me to get her settled in."
"What happens if Max says she can't stay?"
"Oh he'll make sure she does," Tris told her, grinning.
Christina missed the hint that Tris was attempting to give her. "Oh I'm sure he will," she muttered bitterly. "Can't tarnish that perfect reputation of his by not getting his way, can he?"
"That too," Tris allowed. Christina gave her a confused look.
'Later,' Tris mouthed.
"Can I get one of those?" Kat interrupted, pointing to the small stud in Christina's nose.
Christina looked at Tris in question, who shrugged. "I don't see why not. It's not like he can say anything about it."
Christina giggled as she prepared her equipment. "True. Alright Kat, have a seat. What color do you want?"
"Purple," Kat replied immediately. Christina nodded and picked out the appropriate stud, loading it into the gun and positioning it.
"Alright, you ready?"
"Yep!"
"Gonna be a little pinch," Christina told her, squeezing the trigger as she finished her sentence. Kat winced, but otherwise didn't react. Christina set the gun down and tilted Kat's face to the light, examining the new piercing.
Tris grinned. "Well, now you really are Eric's sister." Kat grinned widely and got up, wandering around the shop to look at various tattoo designs.
"Oh my god Tris, you would not believe what he got done last week!" Christina hissed as she cleaned up.
"He got a new one? I didn't notice."
"Well you wouldn't, it's not in a place he generally displays to the public." At her confused look, Christina elaborated, whispering in Tris's ear. "It's called a Prince Albert."
"I've never heard of it."
Christina shook her head and dug a book out of the desk, flipping through it quickly. Checking that Kat was sufficiently distracted, she showed Tris the picture.
"You're kidding!"
Christina laughed. "Nope. Bud did it in the back room, he screamed like a girl."
"I wonder why," Tris replied sarcastically. "It's not like he got his dick pierced or something. Oh, wait..."
"Shut up," Christina replied, swatting at Tris. "So why is he going to get his way?"
Tris giggled. "Because she has him wrapped around her little finger like you wouldn't believe."
"No way," Christina laughed. "Really?"
Tris nodded. "Really. Trust me, Kitty stays." Christina broke down in a fit of giggles. "But I didn't tell you that."
"Tell me what?" She asked innocently. "Come on Kat, let's get you something to wear."
...
Kat sat at a table with Christina, Tris, Will, Uriah, Zeke, Marlene, Lynn and Shauna, laughing and looking perfectly at ease with Tris and Christina's friends. She looked like a different girl, dressed in Dauntless black and the purple stud gleaming in the right side of her nose. She looked like she belonged there.
Most of Dauntless was gathered in the Pit for dinner and Kat was attracting stares, partly because she was obviously new and partly because of her striking resemblance to her brother. They had the same face shape, same dark hair, same gray eyes and the exact same smile.
"And finally mom and dad went out looking for him at like eleven because he never stayed out late and we found him twenty feet up a tree, someone's dog had chased him halfway across Candor," Kat told them enthusiastically. "He wouldn't come down until we chased it off."
The entire table erupted into laughter at the mental image of a scrawny, fourteen-year-old Eric treed by someone's dog. Zeke was wiping tears from his eyes, doubled over laughing. Tris wondered idly if Eric had thought of this outcome when he decided let his little sister spend the day with Tris and her friends.
Just then the main doors opened and Eric stepped in, eyes sweeping the room for Kat. Christina nudged her and jerked her head toward the door, winking conspiratorially. Kat grinned before standing up, running the length of the Pit at top speed and launching herself into Eric's arms, successfully knocking him flat on his ass.
Most everyone turned to stare, wondering how their feared leader would react. When they had the attention of everyone in the room Kat plopped herself on Eric's waist and dug her fingers into his ribs, making him laugh and squirm as she tickled him. In a move almost too quick to follow Eric stood and threw Kat over his shoulder, earning a squeal of surprise and making laughter ring through the Pit.
"Show you what you get for tackling me kid," Eric quipped, grinning as he carried his sister back over to their table and dropped her on her feet.
"Alright, who's idea was that?" He asked them as he sat down, trying to sound serious but failing miserably.
"I just told her she should show us all how big and tough you were," Christina grinned.
Eric rolled his eyes and pointed at Kat with his fork. "You're gonna pay for that later," he promised.
Kat smiled at him angelically, the picture of innocence. "No I won't," she said sweetly.
Eric sighed and shook his head ruefully. "No, you probably won't," he allowed. Kat swallowed and grinned widely, leaning her head on his shoulder. The shift of position made the stud in her nose gleam briefly, which Eric didn't miss. He grabbed her chin and turned her head, examining it momentarily. "I like it," he decided. "But that's enough for now. Don't be an idiot like me and end up with more metal than face."
Everyone at the table, minus Tris, stared at Eric like he had grown two more heads until she broke the silence.
"I told you she had him wrapped around her little finger," Tris told Christina with a laugh.
"Shut up," Eric said good naturedly, throwing a chunk of hot dog at her and making the entire group laugh again. "She does not."
"Yes I do," Kat said, perfectly matter-of-fact.
"Well, maybe a little," Eric admitted, elbowing her in the ribs. "Me and everyone else you've ever met."
Kat sobered quickly, staring down at her plate with a sullen expression. "Not mom and dad," she said quietly. The rest of the table grew quiet with her, already having heard the story behind her arrival.
"Faction before blood kid" Will said easily. "We'll be your family. You're one of us now."
"He's right Kitty," Eric told her, ignoring the stares the use of his pet name earned him. "And anyone that says otherwise has to go through me. Alright?"
Kat nodded, leaning against his shoulder again, this time for true support. Eric slipped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her close to his side, slipping easily back into the role of protective big brother.
"Don't worry Kat," Tris told her. "No one screws with your brother around here. You're safe, I promise."
The girl smiled again, seeming sufficiently comforted for the moment. Her parents' rejection would take a long time to heal, but hopefully the presence of the others and Eric would ease the transition for her.
"So Eric," Zeke piped up. "Word is you got treed by a dog?"
"Hey!" Eric exclaimed indignantly, making Kat giggle loudly. "What else did you tell them?"
Tris caught Zeke's eye and nodded in thanks, watching Eric and Kat banter back and forth.
"Who are you and what have you done with Eric?" Zeke asked.
"That's what I thought earlier," Tris replied.
"Oh this isn't Eric," Kat giggled. "This is-" Her words cut off as Eric clapped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to silence her.
"Don't you dare," he warned her, laughing. Kat bit his finger, and he pulled back reflexively. "Ouch!"
"This is Erickson."