A/N: Thank you everyone! This story was fun to write :)
I'm not sure what is going wrong today, but I'm not feeling very confident with my punches and kicks. It's mid-afternoon after a morning of drills and Eric has us paired up with each other, I guess actually hitting someone instead of a heavy bag is where I'm having the trouble. I wanted to be paired with Raye, but Eric decided our partners for us and so I'm practising with an Erudite boy named Ethan. He's taller than me and more muscular and my lip still stings from his last hit; I'm rapidly losing my aversion to pulling my punches, the Nose is starting to get on my nerves.
I'm too slow to avoid his next punch and spots flash in my eyes as I stagger backwards. I would have just kept stumbling until I fell down on my ass if a powerful pair of arms didn't suddenly band around me. Crashing into a rock-hard chest doesn't help my disorientation, but at least my ass won't be bruised too. Eric stands me up far gentler than I expected him to and leans in front of my face. I'm not sure what I'm expecting based on how he caught me, but the anger in his eyes surprises me anyway.
"Fight back initiate, he's kicking your ass."
Frustration flares through me and I can't avoid snapping angrily back, "I'm trying, you giant ass! Try teaching us something instead of just bitching!"
Silence falls instantly around the room and I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. Oh shit, I haven't just poked the bear, I've kicked him right in the balls.
The look on Eric's face chills my blood and I start planning the color scheme of my cardboard box for when he kicks me out of Dauntless. Even Ethan, who was grinning so cockily just a minute before looks pale.
I see Eric is visibly holding himself back when he grits, "that mouth is going to get you in real trouble, Red. Start running laps until I decide how I'm going to properly shut you up."
I swallow hard and jog away, my blood cold. The anxiety I'm feeling only increases as I run the track. I have a feeling that Eric is going to leave me here for awhile, so I slow my pace enough that I'll be comfortable for a long time. I see the Neanderthal glance at me occasionally as I pass, but he doesn't say anything about my pace. Even though I'm not pushing myself, I'm still tired and sweating by the time Gigantor ends the class and bellows at me to 'get your ass over here!', what is it with him and my ass?
I stop a few feet in front of him and bend forwards. The stitch in my side formed about three laps ago and my chest feels tight.
"You don't have much stamina, do you Red?" His tone is almost bored and, again, my mouth answers before my brain can edit the response.
"Considering I'm not even supposed to be here, I think I'm doing pretty good!" Groaning to myself, I drop my head, for an Erudite aptitude, I'm a surprisingly slow learner.
"There's that mouth again." His tone is almost conversational and that makes his next actions that much more unexpected. Hands grab my upper arms and I find myself bodily lifted off the ground. I happens so fast I can't even struggle before he slams me none too gently against the nearest pillar. I'm getting seriously tired of being manhandled by the big gorilla, but I know enough to keep that to myself, at least for now. I'm still not able to stop the flash of anger and frustration that flare in my eyes, but the returning look in his is far more dangerous. Stop it, you idiot! Just stop provoking him!
"I'm going to say this once more... you are here now, in Dauntless. If you fail, you're factionless, I'm not wasting my time training factionless, so decide now whether you're staying or not."
One last ripple of defiance. "What do you care anyways!" For fucks sake, Mads.
His hands tighten painfully on my upper arms and I bite back a squeak. I don't fully catch nor understand the gamut of emotions that run through his eyes in the few seconds after my snarled retort, and even if I did catch them, I must be reading them wrong, why the hell would the Unfriendly Giant care whether I make it here or not? I pretend his next exhale doesn't have a slight tremor to it.
Unceremoniously he drops me to the ground and growls tiredly, "get out of here, Red. Talk back in class again and I won't just make you run laps."
I duck out before he can change his mind, and a small traitorous part of me entertains the notion of talking back again, just to see what he has in mind.
I manage to stay below the radar for the next few days. Eric corrects my form a little aggressively on two separate days, but I keep my mouth shut. He never does lend me the goddamn book. We've moved onto knife throwing with Tris and Christina and I'm surprised to find I have a natural talent at it, that and I'm imagining the Neanderthal's face on every target.
Supper tonight in the mess hall is loud and boisterous as usual. The crowd at the table I sit at has grown to include not only myself, Raye, Maddox and Pax, but their friends from Dauntless too. Now that I've accepted my fate here, I'm free to contemplate just how handsome Pax is, and he seems to appreciate me back. He makes sure to sit next to me and makes little excuses to brush against my hands or legs as we eat. It's nice to be noticed and have someone appreciate your company, but for some reason my heart isn't in it totally.
Raye suddenly slams her metal cup down, startling the rest of us.
"We should get tattoos." She says bluntly.
It's on the tip of my tongue to say no, not because I'm against body art, but because we should probably wait until we are Dauntless to start looking Dauntless, but Pax is grinning widely at me, his hands cupping my cheeks and I find myself agreeing.
Considering it was her idea, Raye is taking a long time to decide on what she wants, and Maddox has decided to help her. It's amusing to watch him point out design after design, only to have Raye shake her head again and again. I've already chosen mine, and I'm waiting for the next available artist. Pax decided quickly too and is already laying on the table. He's picked a roaring lion's head on his chest. I doubt it hurts as much as he's pretending it is, but it gave him the excuse to grab my hand and I've decided to play along. My hand even strokes his thick hair back from his forehead and I feel slightly guilty at the hope that flashes in his eyes.
"Uh, Mads?" The artist named Bud calls from his table, still cleaning from his last client and I move to stand.
Pax pulls on my hand and grins hopefully. "A kiss to help the pain?"
I smirk and plant a kiss on his cheek, ignoring the way his head turns to try and meet my lips and straighten. Movement at the front of the shop catches my eye and I see a familiar broad back storming away. Why would Eric be down here with the mortals? Doesn't he have tortures to invent, punishments to mete out?
It bothers me far more than it should as I sit and lean back, waiting for Bud to begin.
"Oh wow, Mads. That looks great." Raye smiles. She's finally decided on a design and is waiting for Bud to finish with me. He's slathering on a layer of healing cream, and when he's done, he hands me the tube and I stand. Pax was acting, it didn't hurt that bad. I chose a tiny Phoenix, smaller than a plum, on the tender triangle of skin where my neck and left collarbone meet. Pax tries to stroke it with his thumb but I sidestep him, mumble about fresh ink and smearing, I'm still turning over Eric's departure in my mind. I can't think of what would make him so angry, so I push it from my thoughts, determined to ignore it.
Raye's design is elaborate and large and I find myself yawning before she's finished. She sees me and smirks.
"Go back to the dorms, you're making me yawn too."
"Whatever," I grin back, throwing her an air-kiss and leaving. Pax and Maddox had already left a few minutes ago, one of their buddies had swung by, chattering excitedly about an Xbox tournament at Dawson's and they'd ran away him. I was tired, since I'd come to the realization that I was stuck here in Dauntless, and that I certainly didn't want to be factionless, I was working myself harder and harder every day. I usually spent an extra hour after class in the training room, working on my cardio or practising hitting the heavy bag; so far no one had said anything, and I was finding the physical part of training easier. I had come to Dauntless with a scholar's body, soft and pliant; naturally slim but lacking muscle definition, and I couldn't stop from grinning at the new muscles I saw each day in the mirror, maybe I would fit in here after all.
I found myself in a deserted corridor, my mind tends to wander and my body always seems to choose the quietest routes while I'm otherwise distracted, so this isn't new and doesn't bother me, but the footsteps I hear falling in time with my own do spark a flame of concern. A hand bands around my arm and I'm pushed against the wall. My first fight in Candor would have been to scream, but, with training here in Dauntless, it's to fight back. My knee is blocked by a thick thigh and I throw a punch with my free hand. It's caught and my stalker finally speaks.
"What are you doing out here alone, Red? It's embarrassing how easily I overpowered you, have you learned nothing in my class?"
Again, my mouth merrily skips ahead without my brain. "It's hard to learn in your class when all I hear is a giant ass braying." Instantly I cringe internally but Eric surprises me by laughing.
"You and that mouth, Red; what am I going to do with you?"
"Leave me alone for one," I spit, and instantly regret it when the good humour in his eyes disappears. When he laughed I caught the faint hint of alcohol, I should be treading more carefully.
His hands tighten on my upper arms, and his large body has me trapped against the wall. The heat radiating off his body is strangely comforting, and I must be more tired than I first thought, because the thought of leaning into that heat flits briefly through my mind.
His hand leaves my arm and drops onto my shoulder. His thumb strokes my new tattoo and he makes a low sound of appreciation in his throat. "Nice, small and subtle for your first."
"How do you know it's my first?" Again with the mouth.
"I can tell, you're Candor, your aptitude was Erudite, you're used to being the good girl, good girls don't have tattoos."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah." His head lowers and I inhale sharply as his lips take over from his thumb, caressing my skin. His tongue is warm and soft over my tender tattooed skin and a moan leaves my mouth before I can clamp it shut. His lips leave my shoulder and crush to mine.
It's his turn to moan, a deep visceral groan deep in his chest as his lips press to mine. They are soft and warm and a flash of heat shoots through me. His tongue slides along my bottom lip and I open my mouth, I want him inside. He groans again as our tongues slide against each other and his hand curls into my hair, pulling me closer to him. I've never been kissed like this before, have never felt such a visceral shock like this before. I press against his body, my mind is temporarily stunned, sitting on its haunches, dazed and my body has grabbed the ball and is running for the net. He's all hard muscle and heat, strength and power and it sends a shiver through me, drawing an appreciative moan from Eric's chest again. His arms tighten around me and I feel him hard against my thigh.
Suddenly, he pulls away, panting heavily. He leans forward, resting his forehead to mine and I can only exist right now, breathe and stay standing, any thoughts are gone.
"Fox," he whispers, still breathing hard. His fingers are curled against the back of my head, his other hand still strokes my new tattoo.
"Eric," I whisper back.
"I- I don't know what this is... you're doing something to me... something powerful and I can't fight it anymore... I don't want to anymore... fuck, if you knew what you were making me think, making me do... fuck, baby."
My heart jumps, I've been consciously doing nothing. The word 'baby' coming from his lips is like a caress, a gentle stroke from one of those surprisingly gentle hands. I'm not ready for this, this is Eric, the towering giant who exists only to make our training misery, whose sole purpose here in Dauntless is to produce soldiers, who won't let me go home.
He's waiting for my response, his chest still heaving with exertion and I will never admit how good his hands feel touching me, how amazing his kiss was, how my heart is nearly exploding. I can't do this right now, this isn't how things are supposed to be.
I pull sharply away, and whether he lets me or I surprised him I don't know. I don't look back as I sprint away, pretend I don't hear him call my name, pretend I don't hear the sorrow.
