The bodies clad in black move silently, blending easily into the night. The only sound is that of the train, quickly approaching the track that they jog by, the only way to pinpoint where they are is by the soft puffs of breaths that fill the frigid air.

When the train whips by the group, the Dauntless jump up silently, opening the doors before plunging into a hopefully warmer space.

Eric slumps against the wall after jumping in, his body moving until he's sitting on the floor, his mind quickly running through the night over and over again, mentally noting the wounded that he can remember. Small bags hang under his eyes, and he makes no attempt to hide his exhaustion.

The leader had no intention of getting out of bed at one in the morning to answer a phone call, which led to him rallying up a pack of thirty or so members to go to Candor, to fight off a Factionless riot that was spilling over quickly. It was chaos when they had arrived, children and adults alike screaming and fighting, the small starts of several fires here and there, illuminating the night beside the Dauntless' flares and lights.

He feels a body sink down beside him, leaning on him. He turns his head, ready to snarl for whoever it is to keep their distance, until he meets those soft chocolate brown eyes.

Artemis' shoulder rests against his bicep, looking at Eric's face, noting the stress that lies deep in his eyes. She masks her surprise at him showing his emotion so freely, even if only through his green depths.

She smiles softly as he takes a deep breath to recollect himself. "I didn't mean to startle you," she murmurs.

"You didn't," he replies, shaking his head. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I don't think so."

"Artemis."

She smiles again and shakes her head. "I'm not."

Eric sighs, letting his head fall back against the compartment wall, his eyes closing. He'd always liked Artemis, had a soft spot for her, given her leeway around him (unless it involved a little more danger than he was comfortable with.) She was sweet to him. She didn't see him as someone totally emotionless, even if he was a complete dick.

He startles out of his thoughts when he feels her head fall against his shoulder. He swallows and looks down at her, barely breathing. Her eyes are closed, body subconsciously pressing closer to the heat of his body.

Eric bites his lip slightly, running through his options, immediately throwing out any that involved him waking her. He knew better than to wake a sleeping bear, anyways. So instead he decides that the best way to go about this situation, is to sit and wait. And that's just what he does.

The entire forty minutes to the Dauntless compound, Eric sits still, his breath soft and deep to avoid moving as best he can. Artemis stays asleep as the train rattles along the tracks towards home.

Eric glances around on occasion, observing the other Dauntless in the car, who don't seem to care for the small show of affection on the other side of the car. Everyone's too tired to even be surprised.

As they near the compound, Eric's careful, not wanting to wake Artemis. He carefully turns, arm wrapping around her, before slipping his other arm under her knees. He lifts her with a surprising gentleness as he stands, keeping her head carefully cushioned against his shoulder.

He's the first to jump out of the train, taking a few steps to maintain balance before setting a swift, easy gait. His feet take him through the maze of tunnels, until he turns down the hall that leads to her apartment.

"Take me to your apartment."

He looks down at the small woman in his arms. "What?"
She peeks up at him, eyes barely open, voice still heavy with sleep. "Take me to your apartment, Eric," She murmurs. "You've already let me sleep on you, in front of people no less, so let me do it without people around."

The Dauntless hesitates slightly, and she presses closer to him. "Or is the big bad leader still too scared?" She asks in a slightly teasing tone.

Eric's lips twitch in a faint smile before he sighs, giving in. "Alright," he mutters, turning on his heel. She smiles softly, shifting in his arms to lean up and peck his cheek gently, making Eric's cheeks burn faintly as he silently thanks whoever decided not to put lights in this particular stretch of cave.

"Thank you."

For once, Eric lets his smile grow, showing her a tiny grin, silently hoping that she'll join him every night, and that this isn't some decision made in a drowsy mind.

Little does he know that this was Artemis' plan all along.