Hey guys! I think I've decided to just keep on doing filler chapters and building up their relationship, and then I'll stop whenever I feel like it XD Here's the next chapter; hope you enjoy!

Tris woke up cold and alone. She panicked for a split second, wondering if Tobias had finally realized how weak and pathetic she was, but when she sat up her eyes adjusted to the low light of her house, she could see him sitting at her dining room table, eating a slider.

She felt drained, but light. That was the first undisturbed sleep she'd had in months, and it felt indescribably good. She wondered how he'd managed to make her nightmares go away, but her mind clouded as he lifted an eyebrow at her.

"You better get your ass up if you were planning on eating any of these," he said seriously, reaching for another burger. "I'm not holding back on your account."

Her mouth curled into a scowl as she stood. "So Tori made you bring my comfort food," she started flatly, pulling out the chair across from him and grabbing a slider, "in exchange for you getting to eat it. I see how it is."

Tobias laughed at that, glad she was feeling better. Although, there was a part of him that was still concerned she thought he was only here because he had to be. But she seemed happy now, lighter, more like herself, so he didn't mind much. She'd slept soundly for over two hours, to the point where he'd had to pry her from him in order to search her house for a bathroom.

When he returned, she was too peaceful to disturb. So he grabbed the sliders and put them in the microwave, re-heating them and waiting for her to wake up. He figured it would be awkward, alone in her house, but the space was cozy and very much like Tris, and he didn't notice the discomfort.

"Well, when you're asleep for two hours, what's a starving man to do? Let all sixty of these go to waste?" He shook his head, as if the very idea of doing such a thing appalled him.

"Wake me up and ask for food. And then if I feel like you deserve it, I will give you one slider," she shot back, as if that was obvious.

Tobias cracked first, chuckling as he stood and guessed which cabinet held wine glasses. He missed twice, but on the third try he was successful. "But you looked so peaceful," he told her, his voice softening a bit. He poured them both some wine and handed her a glass before returning to his seat. Her eyes were a greyish blue, content. He smiled. "You needed the sleep. And I feel better knowing you were able to get it without difficulty."

Tris felt her face flare, and she tried to hide it by taking a sip of her wine. It spread warmth down her throat. She couldn't help from mumbling, "First time in months…"

Tobias didn't miss her admission, and he also didn't miss the way blush crept to her face. She felt vulnerable right now, he could tell. He decided to not make her the only one. Although he knew what he wanted to say, he couldn't meet her eyes as he said, "I get nightmares almost every night."

Her eyes shot to his face at that. His gaze was far away, aimed somewhere to the left of her, and his lips held the ghost of a smile. She didn't know if he was just saying this to make her feel better, but she was thoroughly intrigued. What could possibly frighten this amazing man?

"Of my father. And my mother. She was no better than he was, I guess," he gave a bitter laugh as he gulped down the rest of his wine. This wasn't something he was particularly fond of talking about, and it hurt his mind to think of everything he'd gone through, hurt his pride, and suddenly he wished he had something harder than wine to numb the pain. But getting slammed here was probably not a good idea, so he clenched his fists and continued speaking, trying to open up to her.

"She left when I was a kid, ran away and left me with that asshole. He had control over me for so long... And then as soon as I turned eighteen, I went to the University of Chicago, where I'd gotten a full scholarship."

"A scholarship for what?" Tris interrupted. She was very fascinated by his story, by his strength in getting away from his family despite what they'd tried to make him do. And she was surprised that he'd gotten a free trip to school, although she wasn't sure why. She could tell from conversations they'd had that he was brilliant.

Tobias's eyes moved to hers, startled a bit by the intensity in them. She really wanted to know more about him, didn't she? It made him grin. "Computer analytics." He watched as her eyebrows rose, and she slowly puffed out air through her mouth.

Jesus, she thought. He really is brilliant, isn't he? "Fancy," she smirked. He laughed it off, as if it wasn't all that great an accomplishment.

"Not really. I mean, I've always been good with computers, I guess. But it's not like it's a big deal. There are thousands of computer analysts in the world, I'm sure."

Tris leaned forward on her elbows and set her empty wine glass down. "But there are also billions of people in the world. You're brilliant, you know that?" She was feeling brave again, that strange, powerful energy she only got around him.

Tobias felt red creep into his neck. Had she really just said that? What he'd accomplished was simple, minimal, and utterly unimportant, and yet she was looking at him like this, admiring, and calling him brilliant.

Was this woman for real? He couldn't hold back his laughter. She was the admirable one here, the brilliant one. How could she not see that.

Tris scowled at his laughter, feeling the bravery slowly dissipate. Was he mocking her?

"What's so funny?" she sneered, her eyes narrowed in skepticism. Tobias was confused for a moment before he realized she must've thought he was making fun of her or something.

He leaned forward, too, their faces about six inches apart, and he stared into her stormy eyes. "You don't even see how beautiful you are," he stated simply, a content smirk on his face. He could feel her breath fanning across his face this close to her, and he also felt the cease of air at his words.

Tris's face fell in shock, her cheeks burning. She wasn't sure of how to respond, only that no one had ever said anything like that to her before. She didn't believe the words, but something about the closeness of their faces, the warmth in his eyes, and his breaths hot across her mouth made her want to.

They stared for a minute, the tension rapidly increasing with each passing second. When she felt like she would completely melt under his intense ocean gaze, she abruptly pulled away.

Tobias was hurt at first, thinking she didn't want to be near him, but then he saw the panic behind her eyes. It was the same one he'd seen that day in the shop, when he'd made that comment about -

"How's your tattoo?" she blurted awkwardly. It was clear she was trying to mend the moment, trying to ease the tension, so Tobias allowed the shift of focus. He pulled back, too, slowly, and stood up.

"It's doing good, I think. Doesn't hurt anymore." With a shrug of his shoulders, he turned around, yanking off his shirt. He wasn't sure why he'd done it, since it wasn't exactly what she'd asked him to do, but he had a feeling she'd feel better seeing the ink. She'd always seemed more comfortable in her workstation than anywhere else (not that he'd seen her many other places), and he figured this would make her feel more at home, more like she was there.

Tris was relieved at the sight of his ink, of the work she'd done. She moved around the table to run her fingers across the design, not missing the way his muscles jumped under her touch. His skin burned her hand.

"There isn't any redness, which is good," she agreed. He had been faithful to reapplying the medicine, clearly.

"Yeah, it's ready for the next outline," he said lightly, turning around to face her. But he was alarmed to see her head down, her face guilty. It took him a moment, but he realized what the reason for her regret might be. "Hey," he said, not being able to help himself from cradling her cheek. She moved her eyes to his. "It's fine, you know? Today… it just means I can come back again." He grinned.

Tris allowed herself to smile, too, despite her racing heartbeat. Their bodies were very close, and she could smell him. He was intoxicating. Jesus.

Poe's entrance was what broke them apart. He almost never left the couch in the living room unless he had something to announce. His beady eyes met Tris, but she didn't have time to read his expression before there was a knock on the door.

She shot Poe a look, then Tobias an apologetic one, before moving to answer the door. This had to be the mailman, right?

Tobias stepped around the corner of the dining room to see Tris at the door. Her expression shifted, and he stiffened.

Tris had the urge to slam the door again, to block out the pain, but her body was frozen in place by fury. He had the audacity to be standing before her house, clad in a clean-cut blue suit, a smile on his face, and she wanted to punch him square in the nose.

Al.

Dun dun duuuuuunnnnnn XD Anyway, be sure to let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! -Loopy