(Maybe Tris and Tobias didn't meet for the first time in the Dauntless compound after all…)
I am six years old, too young to be as completely selfless as the rest of Abnegation. So I run as fast as I can, completely freely, through the neighborhood. The identical houses and lawns turn into a green and gray blur as I speed by. I am fast. I am strong. I am invincible.
And then I go sprawling.
I blame it on a rock on the sidewalk. It trips me and I fly, scraping my palms and knees on the pavement as my jaw collides painfully with the sidewalk and I bite my tongue. I can taste blood. The sting and pain of my wounds is nearly unbearable to my young mind. I begin to wail, tears springing to my eyes and sliding down my face.
And, of course, crying in the middle of an Abnegation neighborhood is bound to get me some help. A boy rushes over from where he had been playing in his front yard. He looks a bit older than me. "Are you all right?" he asks, voice fraught with worry.
Selfless, be more selfless, my mother, father, and brother chide in my head. I stop my howling and dry my tears. It really doesn't hurt too much, so I nod. I don't trust myself to speak.
He looks at me a bit skeptically, seeming to wonder how I could have gotten better so quickly. "Let me see," he says, pulling me up. The tears well up as I stand and the cuts on my knees are stretched, but I hold them back admirably, biting my lip. He laughs. "Oh, sure, you're just fine."
This makes me angry. I want to tell him that I am, in fact, fine, but my mouth feels full, so I spit on the sidewalk. It comes out red. I stare, wide-eyed.
Well. That, at least, stops his laughter. "Come on," he says, pulling me into his front yard and sitting me down. "I'll be right back," he tells me from his crouch at my side. Then he straightens, seems to take a deep breath, and heads resolutely inside the house.
I wonder what that is about, but he is back too soon for me to seriously consider. He carries some paper towels, band-aids, and a bottle of something-or-other.
He proudly puts his first-aid supplies in front of me. "This may sting a little bit," he says knowledgably as he opens the bottle and grabs a paper towel. "Give me your hand."
I comply, bracing myself for the sting. He applies the disinfectant to my palm, holding my hand in his. It does sting, but his hand is warm and reassuring, so it's okay. He moves to my other hand and then my knees. The knees get band-aids over their wounds once they are cleaned.
"Okay, you're all set," he says. "I'll take you back home, if you like."
It sounds like a question, so I nod.
He takes my hand in his again and I lead the way to my house, a few blocks away. "This one's mine," I say, stopping in front of my house, though it is identical to all those surrounding it.
He releases my hand and I feel a little bit colder. I look into his eyes. They are an impossibly dark blue, like the midnight sky.
He smiles. "See you later, then," he says cheerfully.
I turn away, and walk up to my house.
-:-
Ten years later, I jump off a roof, feeling free and brave and strong, and land in a net. Well. That hurt. I need to get out of this net, need solid ground under my feet. Turning, I see a few hands stretch out to meet me. I grab one and pull myself across. The owner of the hand catches me before I can hit the floor face-first.
I look up to see who it is and end up staring into the deepest, darkest blue eyes.
And, yeah, they look a bit familiar, but I can't seem to place them in my memory. It was too long ago, probably. I shrug it off.
Heh. Yeah, I know. Sorry it's so short. But I think it's kind of cute… Review? I know there's nothing else in this fandom right now, but… please? I know you're reading it. For me? (Gives you the puppy eyes. You know you can't resist.)