AN: Things will take a mature turn in this chapter, the rating has been updated accoringly. Enjoy!
Eric glances over at Tris every once in a while, noticing the way she vacantly stares out the diner's windows anytime there is a lull in service. The overnight shift has suited them both well, it took less than three days for them to get on a good sleep schedule, and their first two weeks have been uneventful. They've noticed the trends in business, with the overnight shift being the slow trickle of late night partiers, cops working their beat and the occasional homeless person who's received a vouched from the local shelter for a free meal.
Tonight is not much different, except the snowy weather has kept almost everyone except the occasional police officer at home. Tris usually busies herself with cleaning, however she and Eric have cleaned and sanitized every surface of the diner, rolled all of the clean silverware and have both been trying their best to stay busy until their relief arrives at five AM.
The investigation into the explosion at Bud's Place remains at an absolute stand-still, much to the frustration of everyone who survived the blast. Thankfully, the explosion was much smaller, and during a time where the business was shut down for inventory, so the casualties were much lower than the devastation at The Pit. Drew and Bud both survived, only because they needed to do run to the warehouse store to stock up, and both men had been in the parking lot when the kitchen blast occurred. Drew was the closest, having ran back towards the building to ensure the back door was locked since their kitchen staff never paid attention to the comings and goings of anyone through that entrance. He suffered many internal injuries, and broken bones, and has been in a rehab facility learning how to walk again. Bud suffered hearing loss from the initial blast, then serious burns over most of his body as he rushed into the inferno in a futile attempt to save his staff who were trapped inside the blast. Drew owes Bud his life, it was Bud's quick thinking that got Drew away from the building before the second blast, which the investigators believe were the gas, power and fryers in the kitchen igniting.
Tris has been Eric's rock, never once wavering in her belief in his innocence, although he's noticed a strange shift in her behavior ever since her breakfast with Christina a couple of weeks back. She's seemed more on edge, a bit distant, and seems to have something weighing heavily on her mind even though she's sworn to him that she's ok. She's tried to convince him that it's only the unknown factors when it comes to the explosion at Bud's Place that haunt her, but something tells him it's more than that.
The ding of the door sensor takes him from his thoughts, and he watches as Tris leads a bundled up younger woman and man to a booth.
"You want this one?" She asks when she walks closer to Eric.
"Sure." He replies and he walks over to help the couple decide on what would best soak the alcohol in their systems.
"Dammit woman." He grumbles as he passes his girlfriend on his way to drop the ticket off to the kitchen. "You dropped the drunk kids on me." He says with a smirk.
"Guilty." She smirks back. He grabs her hand and drags her back towards the supply room. Once there, he pushes her gently against the wall and captures her lips with his own. She readily reciprocates, pushing her tongue to mate with his.
They have many stolen moments, just like this, all throughout their shifts. Eric is thankful that whatever has been on his girlfriend's mind hasn't caused her to push him away. They continue to make out like teenagers until a throat clearing and a "get a room" comment from Demetrius, their head overnight cook, causes them to spring apart.
"You two are cute. Now get out front, more donut chasers are here." He says with humor in his deep scratchy voice, pushing the young couple towards the diner while he rummages through his shirt pocket, looking for his cigarettes for a quick smoke break.
"The cops are all yours." Eric says to his pouty girlfriend, with a quick smack on her ass for good measure.
The rest of their shift is uneventful, with the day shift ambling in tiredly to get their day started, and Eric waiting patiently at a back table, sipping coffee while Tris finishes with her last table.
"Doesn't the caffeine keep you awake?" Ed asks as he slides into the seat in front of Eric.
"Nah, I think I'm immune to it." Eric replies with a chuckle. The two share pleasantries and Eric goes over the night shift information with Ed, breaking down the numbers.
"You two are doing a great job. The place is always spotless and your bookkeeping skills are impeccable." Ed remarks.
"Thanks. I can't express how much we appreciate getting this shot from you guys." Eric rumbles. "A lot of people wouldn't have given me the time of day with the crap that's hanging over my head."
"Speaking of that, I did want to mention there's been a couple of guys who've dropped by here during the day that have asked for Tris specificallly." Ed says. "I didn't think anything of it the first day, figured it was maybe a regular she had picked up. Guys seem to like our significant others, I mean they're great women, and damn beautiful. However, the one guy got real squirrelly when they saw Myra come out."
"Do you recognize them at all?" Eric asks, glancing over Ed's shoulder to make sure Tris was still occupied.
"Nope. Both are on the bigger side, one of them taller than the other. Both white guys, one is a tan complexion with dark hair, the other is pale with lighter hair. They both wear sunglasses, even inside, so I was thinking they might be plain clothes cops, but none that we've recognized from the usual day crowd. When Myra came out from the kitchen, the tan one dropped a twenty on the table for two cups of coffee and all but dragged the other guy out with him. Haven't seen them since. I just wanted to at least mention it to you, since if they're cops and sniffing around I wouldn't want either of you to be blindsided."
"You also don't want the negativity in here. I get it Ed, I really do. Tris and I are dragging baggage from The Pit and from Bud's Place. If we need to find other jobs we can…"
"Eric, I'm not saying that at all. Myra trusts you both implicitly…." Ed replies.
"That I do." Myra says from behind Ed, leaning in to kiss his temple. "Demetrius needs you for a second." She says, Ed makes his exit and Myra sits down in his place. "I know that look. Spill it."
"I don't want to bring trouble here." Eric shrugs.
"I want you two here. Eric, you understand that what happened at The Pit could have easily included me, right? They questioned the hell out of me, and I'm still not convinced they don't still suspect me of wrongdoing."
"What are you talking about? You'd been gone for a couple of weeks when it happened." Eric scoffs.
"I was supposed to stay through the end of the month. I only moved early because of Ed. His brother Edgar had found me a job in Sheboygan and I needed to get there as soon as possible to interview for it before it went to someone else." Myra explains.
"Edgar and Edward? Confusing much?" Eric chuckles.
"Twins. Their parents weren't kind to them in the naming department." She laughs.
Tris scoots into the booth next to Eric, laying her head on his shoulder. Eric leans down and kisses her hair.
"You two looked awfully serious over here." Tris says. "Are we in trouble?"
"Not at all. You guys have been doing awesome. Go home, get some rest. We will catch up soon, I promise." Myra says before standing up, smiling and waving as she turns towards the back of the diner.
"Tired?" Eric rumbles and he feels Tris nod against him. "Let's go home babe."
The two bundle up, with Tris giving Eric all of their tip money for him to hide inside of his thick jacket's inner pocket. They walk into the cold early morning air, with Tris clutched close to his side. Their ten minute walk home is quiet, and almost on auto pilot as they try to make it to their basement apartment in Dauntless as quickly as possible. Even though their building is notoriously cold inside, it's nothing compared to the bitter chill that is outdoors. Tris unlocks their apartment door, and they both rush inside, shedding their layers of clothes and boots and brushing the snow off of everything.
Tris thinks nothing of shedding her clothes as she walks towards their bathroom. It's her usual routine to leave a path of clothes in her quest to get into the warm shower as quickly as possible after their shifts. This morning is slightly different, with Eric quietly doing the same behind her. She feels the warmth of his body against hers when she's starting the shower, and she turns to face him.
He hungrily takes her lips in his, forcing her mouth open and savoring her taste. He pushes them both under the still warming shower, their mouths and bodies never separating. He kisses down her exposed throat, and finally takes one of her pert nipples into his mouth.
Tris and Eric have slept beside each other for months now, and while they have had heavy make out sessions neither have crossed the lines they are leaping over this morning. Every previous small bit of sexual contact they've had has been while they were both drunk, and usually involved Tris drunkenly coming on to Eric for a distraction. This is the first time they have explored each other soberly.
"Tell me to stop, Tris." Eric growls in her ear, before running his tongue around it. "You've got to tell me to stop."
"No." She replies.
"You have no idea how much I want you." He whispers, forcing her legs apart with one of his muscled thighs. "I want to take you against this wall right now."
Tris pushes him away from her, drops to her knees and immediately takes him inside of her mouth.
"Jesus Fucking Christ." Eric cries out, overwhelmed by the unexpected contact. He's been patiently waiting for her to be ready ever since they made their relationship official. He'd been tested, he'd bought condoms, but he just didn't want to push her into something more than what she was ready for. He just couldn't help himself this morning, and being met with the same aggression and passion is turning him on beyond his wildest imagination.
His last intimate encounter was literally the night before seeing Tris again, one of a few one night stands he'd had ever since losing Lauren. His stamina is shot and he knows he needs to stop Tris.
"Tris…. I'm going to…" He calls out, pushing away from her. She wraps both hands around him and brings him to a mind blowing orgasm, his seed shooting towards the shower wall.
She slowly stands up and Eric pulls her chin up to look into her eyes.
"You didn't have to… I wanted to…" Eric says breathily. "I didn't want it to happen this way. I didn't mean for it…"
"Hey, it's ok." Tris says bringing her hands up to his face. "Eric, it's ok."
"I wanted our first time to be something different. Something just… something about the way you looked…" He stammers. "It's been a while for me. I'm sorry…"
"I wanted to please you. You have nothing to apologize for." Tris says and Eric kisses her again.
"I just need some time to recover. That was fucking amazing." Eric whispers against her lips and she smiles.
Tris washes him, slowly and kneads her hands into his tight back muscles. Eric finally begins to react, washing her and sharing kisses throughout. He rubs between her folds, gently circling her sensitive bud with his thumb before pressing a finger inside of her.
"You're wet for me." He whispers huskily.
She arches against his hand, and he greedily enters another finger inside of her tight core.
"More." She begs. He enters a third finger and begins a rapid pace, making sure to continue rubbing her bundle while curling his fingers inside of her.
"Eric." She cries out and he removes his hand completely, before lining up and slamming inside of her. "More." She begs as he picks her up behind her thighs, presses her hard against the wall and continues his fast pounding.
"You like this?" He growls and she nods against his shoulder before biting it. "You're so tight baby."
"Fuck me harder." She continues to beg, he pulls out of her completely, turns the shower off and drags her to the bathroom counter, bending her over the sink. He struggles to find the condoms he stashed in the drawer, but finally succeeds and hastily rolls one over his pulsing member.
"You're my dirty girl." He growls as he pushes all the way into her and she moans in pleasure.
"I've wanted you for so long." She pants. He watches her in the mirror as he continues to take her from behind. When he looks down and sees her rubbing herself as he slams into her, he loses the small bit of control he has. He pulls out of her, rips the condom from himself and then slams back inside of her, relishing in her tight wetness.
"Watch me while I fuck you." He says, keeping eye contact in the mirror.
"I want more." She begs and he pulls out of her again, turning her around and picking her up, setting her down on the cold counter. He slams into her again, kissing her hard and she wraps her legs around him. He picks her up, never removing himself from her and takes her to the bedroom.
"Do you want me to put another condom on?" He asks as he tries to slow down his pace.
"I'm clean. On the…. Pill…." She moans.
"Clean too." He continues to slam into her. All they can hear are each other moans. He can feel the tell-tale signs of another orgasm approaching and he won't be able to slow himself down.
"Baby, I'm close. Touch yourself for me." He begs and Tris immediately complies. Watching her rub her sensitive bud, while seeing himself disappear into her pushes him closer and he hears her cry out and pulse around him right before he chases his own release.
The two work to catch their breath, and once they're both calmer she finally speaks.
"I'm sorry if that was too much…" she quietly whispers.
"Why are you apologizing?" He asks.
"I'm… I don't know… embarrassed… I got carried away."
"I enjoyed it, immensely. You never have to apologize for wanting that. I love that you feel comfortable enough with me to explore that side of yourself." He nuzzles his nose against her. "You make me so happy Tris."
"I love you." She says quietly.
"You do?" He asks without missing a beat. She nods her head once and he bends down and kisses her tenderly before they are interrupted by thunderous knocking at their apartment door.
"Chicago PD, we have warrants and we're coming in!" They hear a shout. The two of them furiously work to get dressed before they hear their door crashing open.