*** DISCLAIMER ***
I own NOTHING regarding the divergent series e.g. the books/the movies
The only things I own are my own characters that I've created.
Nix let out a gasp as she rounded the corner of the tunnel and bounced off a solid chest, she almost fell over but somehow managed to steady herself, "I'm sorry, I-I didn't see you there."
"You really should watch where you're going." the person replied and her body froze, she hesitated before she looked up, Eric, she whispered his name and he responded with, "Phoenix."
She noticed immediately that he looked different, in place of his usual uniform was a short sleeved loose fitting t-shirt which was a dark grey colour...no jacket.
He looked...casual, casual and relaxed.
Nix suddenly became aware as she stood there before him that her heart was beating faster now and there were flutters in her stomach that weren't there before, she wasn't quite sure if it was a good feeling or not.
She'd been caught off guard by him before but never felt what she was in this very moment, the flutters had to be because of the alcohol she'd consumed.
He had a tendency to make people cower when he was near, she'd been one of those people on more than one occasion.
He was a very tall man, much taller than both her father and brother, most of the people she'd ever came into contact with really, the fact that he always looked imposing meant that he was definitely aware of it, using it to his full advantage.
Nix had been on the receiving end of his intimidating glare plenty of times now, he glared a lot.
Despite this however...it couldn't be denied that his strong jaw, when clenched, showed off the clearly defined shape of it for all to see.
Nix had ran her hand over that jaw before, she could remember how it felt to touch, beneath her fingertips.
She liked it...it was very attractive, it made him attractive.
Nix couldn't deny that for a long time now, maybe even since she met him.
No. DEFINITELY since she met him...she'd found him handsome; tonight however, since she and Andie and Sarah had entered the club, they'd had a number of alcoholic drinks and she was more than certain that she was now feeling that special buzz Andie had told her about.
It was either from the alcohol or it was because of him.
Abnegation frowned upon drinking alcohol and that was unfortunate, it made everyone happy, everyone in the club was so happy and she liked the tingly feeling she felt all over her body because of it, she also liked not feeling as reserved as she always had...that part surprised her.
"You're staring." Eric stated and it pulled her from her thoughts.
A beat then passed before she dragged her eyes from his torso up to his face and she did so, she had to admit...reluctantly.
She HAD been staring.
"Well." she began to say but hesitated and a smirk formed on his face as he waited for her to continue, that annoyed her, another beat passed before she gestured up and down his body with her hand, "There's not really much else I can look at, is there? You're blocking my line of vision."
She'd said the last part in a way that implied it was some major inconvenience to her, at least that's how she hoped it sounded.
He was still smirking as he raised his eyebrows at her and she thought she heard a chuckle from him but it was very brief so she wasn't sure.
What she was sure of though was that his reaction told her no, he wasn't convinced by what she'd said and she'd most definitely, without a doubt, been caught gaping at him.
She let out a sigh then without thinking admitted, "Yeah, I was."
He did chuckle this time and nodded his head in what she assumed was appreciation for her honesty, a beat then passed before he asked, "Have you been drinking stiff?"
She folded her arms across her chest as she scoffed and looked away from him.
"Are you going to tell me I shouldn't be?" she asked, still without looking at him he moved to lean on his shoulder against the wall, she turned her head and looked at him before slowly and cautiously turning her body so she was facing him.
"No." he replied and there was suddenly a silence as they stared at each other, he then smirked again and said, "You passed...you've every right to be."
She continued to stare at him before she adjusted her stance slightly and in doing so unconsciously took a step towards him, "Isn't this the part where you tell me you're surprised I made it?"
He'd noticed the move she'd made but didn't comment on it, instead he said 'no'.
"Come on." she said in exasperation, "You've been telling me since day one that I'm not cut out for dauntless."
He frowned as he replied, "I told you you had to improve if you wanted to stay, which, you did."
"Barely." she told him then waited a beat before she added, "I barely made it, today's fight was HARD."
"You got through it." he retorted as he pushed off the wall and she watched as he moved to stand in front of her again, she turned so she was once again facing him, she looked up and found that he looked annoyed, "And you won."
"Yeah." she agreed a beat later and he scoffed as he shook his head.
"You know, passing the first stage of initiation is a good thing, Stiff." he said and before she could reply he added, "It usually puts people in a good mood."
"I don't like being called a stiff." she said firmly and he scoffed again.
"You're a stiff until you pass both stages." he replied.
She stared at him for a long moment before she dropped her arms to her sides and made a move to pass him, saying as she did, "I WAS in a good mood."
He stepped to the side and blocked her from moving, "Until I showed up."
Yes. That's correct.
She wanted to applaud his outstanding perceptiveness but instead, she found herself telling him, "I didn't say that."
He looked away from her briefly and said before he was facing her again, "You didn't have to."
She'd felt the urge to say something, anything, instead all she did was stare up at him for a long moment before she looked down and shrugged her shoulders lightly.
He scoffed at her response and she looked up at him, he was glaring at her and she almost sighed as she asked, "Was there something you wanted?"
"I HAD wanted to say congratulations but I don't think I'll bother now." he replied sharply and she stared up at him.
Was he serious?
"Yes." he answered in exasperation, she hadn't realised that she'd asked that out loud.
"Thank you." she replied a beat later as a delighted smile found it's way onto her face, he stared down at her for a moment before he shrugged a shoulder and the corner of his mouth began to lift in a smile of his own.
A long moment of silence then passed between them before Nix broke it, she cleared her throat then began to step to the side, speaking honestly as she did, "I appreciate that."
He moved with her and asked, "Where are you going?"
She hesitated before she said, "Back. I mean, I have to get back...t-to the party."
She screwed her face up at the word 'party' then began to explain that she hadn't meant to say that as she knew it wasn't a party but he cut her off by demanding, "And why is it that? Is there someone in there that you need to get back to?"
She noticed that he'd said the word 'someone' with extra emphasis and because of the way he was now glaring at her she spoke slowly, "Andie and Sarah, are in there."
"Andie and Sarah are in there." he almost spat and she was about to reply but before she could he added, "What about the guy that's been all over you all night? The one that's been running his hands all over you. Is he still in there?"
She stared up at him in confusion and noticed that he had an angry glare on his face, his hands were now clenched in tight fists hanging by his sides too.
"You...have you-" she eventually began to reply.
"Spit it out." he snapped impatiently at her.
She scowled up at him as she asked, "Have you been watching me?"
"Well obviously." he replied with a roll off his eyes and she was momentarily caught off guard by the statement but narrowed her eyes at what he said next, "You ought to be careful, your other two boyfriends will get jealous."
"You've been watching me." she finally found the words to say after she'd ignored the boyfriends comment and taken a moment to fully process what he'd said.
She'd said the words slowly, doubtfully.
He said and did nothing in response as she'd spoken, just stood there.
She waited another beat before she spoke again, "You've been watching me."
"Are you broken?" he demanded with a frown and at his sudden outburst along with the question itself, she scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "I warned you before about rolling your eyes at me, stiff."
The threat alone would have had her attention but his deliberate addition of that final word had her now narrowed eyes set firmly on his once more, despite being angry he was also clearly amused at her reaction and what was also clear was that he had only said it because he knew she didn't like it.
"So you've been watching me tonight." she replied and before he could say or do anything in response she continued, "You've been watching me, hidden in the dark."
"I wasn't hidden." he shot back in a tone that told her he wasn't pleased with that statement, she held her palm up to silence him.
"You've been watching me." she began to speak again and his patience, she noticed, as he looked at the ceiling briefly to exhale a long deep breath was growing incredibly thin, "While I was unaware of it, you've been watching me, hidden...in the shadows."
She'd deliberately emphasised the word hidden and watched his reaction, his jaw clenched at it and she almost smiled in satisfaction.
"You know, if anyone saw that, you, watching me...whilst hidden." she couldn't help herself from saying it again and through clenched teeth he said her name, her full name.
Although it was said in a warning tone, she couldn't stop a laugh from bubbling up her throat and she had to place a hand over her mouth in order to prevent it from escaping, luckily she managed to control herself and her amusement gradually faded away.
A long moment of silence then passed before he startled her by grabbing her face in both his hands.
"I WASN'T hidden." he said, tone matter of fact.
He then began to walk her backwards and she found herself grabbing onto his forearms for support as he did.
When he pressed her against the wall he also pressed his lips against hers in a kiss which he immediately deepened.
She found herself dropping her hands from his arms as her head spun and then she was reaching up to wrap her own arms around his neck, in response, he moved his hands down to her waist and by the sudden pressure he was applying and the ever so slight dip of his body he made she knew he was preparing to lift her.
A part of her was ready to welcome the brief pain it would cause her injured side as she knew it would be over immediately and she'd be in his arms, but the other part of her...the rational part, it was reminded of where they currently were.
She shook her head and moved her hands to his chest where she then shoved him away from her.
He hadn't resisted to it and ended up stumbling back slightly, that told her that he hadn't been expecting it.
He stared at her where he now stood and she slumped back against the wall whilst exhaling a long breath, a beat passed before she said, "I didn't say you could do that."
"I don't remember asking." he replied instantly.
"You didn't before either." she said.
"But you still wanted me to. Then AND now." he replied and she was about to respond but he cut her off, "Don't try to deny it. You want me."
A moment passed before she spoke, "You're a very vain man."
"What I AM is not blind, or an idiot. You wanted me, just as much as I wanted you." he replied and began to walk towards her slowly whilst saying, "Then. AND now."
He stopped walking when they were toe to toe and she looked up, his stare was intense and it made her swallow.
"You didn't." she began to say but hesitated briefly from continuing, "Want me."
"I did." he replied immediately and leaned into her slightly, "I DO."
"No." she said and began to shake her head to which he nodded, suddenly feeling annoyed she firmly said, "You don't."
At her tone his eyes widened and his nostrils flared, "If I didn't want you stiff then I never would have initiated it."
She inhaled deeply at his words then after a beat passed she looked down and shook her head.
"You're the one that kept running away." he practically growled at her, "If you'd stuck around then maybe you'd have seen just how much."
She gasped at his words and looked up, he'd leaned into her more and she could feel the heat radiating from his skin.
For a long moment she was silent but when she did reply she made sure to speak sharply, "So you found someone who would stick around."
He frowned at her and she began to explain that she was talking about the woman who'd been with him in his office that night but he cut her off, "I know who you're talking about and no, she didn't. I told her to go."
Nix narrowed her eyes at him, "She was with you at training the next morning."
"Yeah, because she just showed up." he retorted and she looked down again, "You don't believe me?"
"It's none of my business who you spend the night with." she replied in as much an uncaring way as she could.
"But it bothers you anyway?" he asked and she looked up to find him smirking, "Right?"
"No." she said through gritted teeth and made a move to walk away but he grabbed her upper arms and held her against the wall, "Let me go."
"No." he replied.
"Yes." she countered.
"Nothing happened." he told her with emphasis.
She attempted to knock his arms away but he grabbed her wrists and held them at the sides of her head.
"Let." she began to say but he shut her up with a kiss, a long one that they both had to inhale and exhale through their noses because off.
Eventually he pulled back from her and they stared at one another, he then slowly let go of her wrists and for a moment she just left them hanging where they were before she dropped them to her sides.
"Nothing happened." he told her in a low voice.
She was silent for a long moment after that, when she eventually spoke she asked him 'why' and he stared at her, "Why didn't anything happen?"
"I never intended for anything to, that's why." he replied.
"But if you did then it would have?" she asked.
"Obviously." he said and she opened her mouth to speak but the affirmation of that word halted her from responding, he noticed this and let out an exasperated sigh, "What I meant was, I didn't invite her to my office for that...or anything really."
"So you just invited her there because you knew I was coming?" she asked.
"Yes." he replied immediately and then there was silence, a long moment of it, Nix stared at him through it, she stared at him until she felt her eyes nipping with unshed tears, realisation of this appeared on his face and when she saw him close his eyes briefly with a sigh she looked down, "Wait, I didn't mean that...what I meant was."
"You knew I was coming." she cut him off to say with a nod and looked at him again, "You knew that I was coming so, you took that girl to your office. You took her there because you WANTED me, to see her. You knew it would hurt me...and you wanted it to."
Her voice broke on the last part and she looked down so he wouldn't see the tears that were about to fall.
"Shit." she heard him mumble then a beat passed before he reached for her chin to lift her head whilst he said, "Stiff I didn-"
"Stop calling me a stiff!" she snapped and pushed him in the chest away from her, she hadn't shoved him that hard but he let it move him a step back.
"Nix." he said after a long moment and he didn't speak again until she looked up at him, a couple of tears had fallen but she'd managed to prevent full on crying, "You're right. I did it because I knew you would see."
"That's cr-" she began to say then paused as her voice cracked, she inhaled deeply then continued, "Cruel."
He waited a moment then nodded, "Yeah."
She stared at him briefly then shrugged as she asked, "Why?"
He was silent for a long moment then a glare began to form on his face, "You kissed Sam."
"I did not." she replied immediately then pointed a finger at him, "You appeared just as he grabbed me."
"He did more than grab you!" he retorted.
"Yeah and I didn't want him to!" she shot back, "Or expect him to."
"What the hell did you expect?" he demanded.
"Not that." she replied firmly then a beat passed and she sighed, "Look, I'd just had a...a fight, with Andie. He heard it and he came to talk to me about it, you appeared just as he took it upon himself to-"
Eric had been glaring at her the entire time she spoke and cut her off to say, "As he took it upon himself to kiss you?"
Nix stared at him for a moment then nodded, "Yes."
"And from what I saw, you weren't exactly fighting him off." he said loudly, right before his fist smashed into the wall at the side of her head causing her to gasp and jump in fright.
He took a step back whilst he stared at her and a long moment passed before she told him in a quiet voice, "The only person I've ever kissed back Eric...is you."
He frowned at her words, as if he'd been expecting her to say something else and then he began to smirk, "So...you admit it?"
"Admit it?" she asked.
"That you kissed me back." he replied and she quickly stepped towards him whilst shushing him, his voice had grown in pitch with each word.
She looked towards the end of the tunnel, the tunnel that led to where they were from the main part of the club.
Anyone could walk around the corner at any moment and despite the loud music playing, someone close by could still potentially hear him.
"Do you admit it?" he asked her and she hissed his name, "What Stiff? What's the matter? Are you afraid that, SOMEONE WILL HEAR ME?!"
He practically shouted the last few words and she rushed the rest of the short distance towards him and reached up to place her fingers against his lips.
She then looked towards the end of the tunnel once more and as she did she felt one of his hands wrap gently around her wrist, she looked at his hand and saw that the skin over his knuckles was broken and bleeding from where he'd punched the wall.
She removed her hand from his mouth then used both to grab the wrist of his injured one, she held it gently whilst she examined it.
She glanced up at him and found him watching her before she looked back at his hand, she thought about stroking around the injured part but didn't.
"Why did you do this?" she asked instead then looked back up at him, a beat passed before she sighed, "I'm going to go get something to clean the blood."
She made a move to go the girls bathroom but he gripped onto her hips with both hands and blocked her path.
"I don't need it cleaned." he told her and she said his name with a sigh when he began to back her toward the wall again, "I like hearing you say my name like that."
She swallowed at his words and looked down, a moment later she froze when she felt him place his forehead against her own.
"Sorry if I scared you." he said softly.
She waited a moment before she relaxed with a sigh and told him, "You didn't."
A beat then passed before he exhaled a long deep breath and moved his head to place it on her shoulder.
Once again, she froze.
What was he doing? Was he...about to hug her?
After a moment she slowly lifted her arms up and placed her hands on the sides of his upper arms, he then swiftly moved to wrap both of his own arms tightly around her body with a sharp inhale.
She stood up on her tiptoes so she could wrap her arms around his neck and as she did he straightened up some more and her feet left the ground.
A long moment passed before he set her back on the ground but he didn't let her go, he ran a hand slowly up and down her bare back and it caused her to shiver but not in an unpleasant way.
"Does this mean that...you don't hate me?" she eventually asked.
"Hate you?" he replied after tensing and then he tried to pull away from her but she held onto him tightly.
"Don't let me go." she whispered in his ear.
"Why would you ask that?" he asked in a soft and quiet voice after a moment of being still, he then tightened his hold on her as he added quietly, "How could I hate you."
"You." she began to say but hesitated slightly, "The past week has been very...confusing. Ever since I came here I've thought you hated me, or at the very least, disliked me."
"No." he replied and she inhaled deeply.
"The other day, I know that I...irritated you, in the training room." she said then swallowed, "But then you helped me after Tom attacked me."
"That little shit." he said at the mention of him.
"You were so nice to me then but the next day, before the visit, you...you were so-" she wasn't able to finish as he cut her off.
"I was a dick, yeah, I know." he said with a sigh.
"I...wasn't going to say that." she replied and she felt him nod, "I was just so confused as to what I'd done because, I was sure we parted the night before on good terms."
"We did." he said so quietly she almost didn't hear him.
"Then why?" she asked.
He let out a long sigh before he pulled back from her and moved his hands to cup her face, he stared at her for a long moment before he said, "There's just some stuff that I'm dealing with right now and it's been stressful for me...I took that out on you which I shouldn't have done. I'm sorry."
"You're dealing with stuff." she said after a beat.
"Stuff that I can't tell you about it...at least not yet anyway." he replied.
She stared at him for a long moment before she nodded in understanding, "Okay."
"I know I've probably...fried your head." he said with a sigh and a shake of his head, "You don't deserve that."
"You have a lot of mood swings." she agreed and he nodded after a beat as he almost chuckled, "But I'm aware of them, I understand it's how you are, it was the thinking that you hated me that was the worst part. Not so much this week but definitely the first two, three."
He'd looked down briefly as she spoke before he leaned his forehead against hers once more, "Nix I...I'm sorry, I really am, for everything."
"You don't have to be sorry." she replied.
"I do and I am." he said then shook his head, "I've treated you...really badly."
"You've treated me like an initiate." she replied.
"No." he said firmly, "No I've not, I've been a DICK to you."
She hesitated before she said, "Yeah, sometimes, but you've also helped me...more than once."
They were both silent for a moment and then she smiled at him to which he shook his head at.
"Don't smile at me. I don't deserve it." he then said before he pressed a long kiss to her forehead.
"Yes you do." she told him as she let out a sigh of content then wrapped her arms around his body and pulled herself into him, when her cheek was against his chest she inhaled deeply then sighed again, he smelled so good and he was warm.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and back to return the hug and she nodded gently as she said 'yes'.
For a brief and blissful moment they just stood there, embracing, she then pulled slowly back and looked up at him.
"I should really get back, before the girls come looking for me." she told him.
He removed himself from her to take her hand in his then shook his head, "Come with me instead."
"Come with you where?" she asked as he began to gently pull her away from where they stood.
"To my place." he said and she halted.
"To your place?" she asked with wide eyes and he turned to look at her as he nodded, "Why?"
"Why do you think?" he asked with a grin and her expression must have looked horrified because his smile widened, "I don't want to part with you yet."
She stared up at him for a moment then half smiled, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she found herself saying, "I don't either."
Her response made him smirk, "Will you come back with me? So we can talk properly, I can't hear myself think here."
"But it's quiet in this area." she told him and he rolled his eyes at her.
"My place is quieter...and more private." he replied then stepped forward so he could lean his head down to kiss her temple, her eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his lips on her skin and she placed her free hand against his hard stomach, at her touch he removed his hand from hers and reached up to touch her face, he then moved his head and placed his lips against hers to give her a long kiss.
"Nix?!" a voice echoed throughout the tunnel just as their kiss was beginning to deepen and at the sound their lips were no longer attached and they were both looking at the entrance to the tunnel, "Are you still in the bathroom? You're taking forever!"
It was Andie and she was close, the clicking of her high heels were gradually becoming louder, Nix dropped her hand to her side and took a step back out of Eric's reach.
"Your new friend is getting restless waiting on you." Andie called out again with a giggle and Nix bit her lip before she turned to look at Eric where he stood infront of her.
"Is he now." he said to her and he suddenly looked furious, she was about to respond to him when she heard her name being called once more, this time in a sing song voice.
She turned her head and saw Andie's shadow appearing in the tunnel, Eric's voice was then in her ear, "Meet me at my place in fifteen minutes...don't be late."
She turned her head back to look at him but he was already disappearing into the men's bathroom and just as he did Andie appeared in the tunnel.
"There you are!" she called out and walked towards her, surprisingly graceful despite those skyscraper heels she wore, "What are you doing?"
"I was just-" Nix began to reply but Andie cut her off.
"Oh are you feeling ill? I'm sorry Nix, I shouldn't have encouraged you to drink so much knowing it's your first time, are you okay?" she said and Nix shook her head, "Have you been sick? Come on, let's get you some water, you'll feel better."
"I'm fine Andie but I'm going to head back to the dorm." Nix replied.
"What? You can't leave yet...it's still early, we've only been here an hour, also that guy you've been hanging with-" Andie said and at the mention of the boy that had been with them on the dance floor Nix's eyes moved to the door of the men's bathroom, Eric was probably listening to everything that was being said and she swallowed at the thought, "I think you might be in there."
"I know it's early still it's just, it's been a long day and I'm really tired." Nix said quickly in hopes she wouldn't mention the boy again.
"Won't you stay a little longer? It'll be fun! And Jared, that's the guy's name I think, I think he is hoping to steal a kiss from you at some point." Andie replied with a waggle of her eyebrows and a grin and as she said the words Nix closed her eyes in dread, a loud bang then echoed through the tunnel.
"What was that?!" Andie said with a gasp and she looked around.
"No idea." Nix replied but she knew it had been Eric, she swallowed once more then said, "Sorry Andie, I'll stay longer with you next time."
Andie sighed then shrugged, "It's fine...come on, I'll go with you."
"No, Andie...it's obvious how much fun you're having, you stay with Sarah." Nix replied and Andie was about to speak when the men's bathroom door opened and both girls looked over to find Eric walking out, but instead of walking off he halted and turned to them.
"Ladies." he said with a smirk, Nix looked at Andie and found her trying to hide a smile, she almost groaned in annoyance at her reaction.
"Hi Eric, I didn't know you would be here tonight." Andie said then placed a hand on her hip.
"That's because it's none of your business where I go in my free time initiate." he replied instantly and Andie's face fell along with her hand from her hip, when she looked at her shoes Nix looked at him and he shot her a wink.
When Andie raised her head she whispered to Nix, "He can't even shut off and enjoy himself can he? Still an asshole."
Eric walked towards them both, his arms swinging lazily at his sides and when he stopped he was stood infront of Nix, he openly looked her up and down slowly and she could feel her face heat up slightly so she tried to busy herself by tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Who'd have thought the stiff would scrub up good." he said and Nix saw Andie out the corner of her eye, her mouth opened wide but immediately closed when he turned to look at her, he looked at her from head to toe briefly then said, "You on the other hand look as if you should be swinging around a pole."
Nix's mouth opened in shock at his words and Andie gasped loudly, her face had turned a deep shade of red at his words.
"But then again, maybe that's the look you were going for." he said and Nix glared at him, he was being rude but her reaction didn't bother him, he simply shrugged at her with a grin.
"Yeah maybe it was the look I was going for." Andie replied in a sharp tone.
Uh oh.
"Andie." Nix said in a warning tone but Andie ignored her.
"Maybe after weeks of training under you I needed a break." she snapped at him and his brows rose, "A girl needs to de-stress every once in a while, to get dressed up and go out."
"Okay Andie." Nix said and took a hold of her arm and placed her other hand on her back, the girl's words had meant to come out angry but instead were very slurred and it made Nix wonder how much more alcohol she'd consumed in her absence "Why don't we go and get you some water?"
"No I don't want to drink water, I want to get another cocktail and dance." Andie replied and stumbled a little, Nix's hold tightened a little to stop her falling and she looked at Eric and saw him sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest, Andie then looked at him and pointed a finger, "You don't like my outfit? So what! That room is filled with guys who do, I dressed up tonight to impress and hey, I HAVE done."
"Congratulations." Eric agreed with a nod, "You've impressed the guys that are looking for a sure thing."
Andie gasped then spluttered on her reply that she couldn't get out, she then let out a noise of irritation and Nix had to hold her back from going after him, "Andie, stop!"
Eric let out a chuckle and started to walk away from them, "Good luck with that stiff, don't let it keep you all night."
His last few words were said seriously with a pointed look that said 'I mean it' and she glared at him in return, all whilst trying to keep Andie from following him, he then grinned before he turned and walked away.
"Who does he think he is?!" Andie demanded furiously and then she let out a whimper.
"Andie." Nix said softly and tried to hold her but the girl pushed her away and leaned against the wall.
"He's right." she said after a beat, Nix shook her head and Andie nodded, "I look like a slut."
Nix's mouth opened in a gasp at the horrible word, "No Andie you don't, don't listen to him."
"It's true." She said then began to cry, Nix ignored her protest to stay away and hugged her which only made her cry more, "I wanted him to notice me."
Nix froze at her words...she wanted Eric to notice her?
She didn't let go of Andie but her hold loosened a little and she swallowed before she asked, "Who?"
"Bill." Andie replied and Nix let out a sigh of relief then smiled a little, "I saw him...he was with some girl."
"Oh Andie." Nix said and rubbed her back.
"He told me to come tonight." she replied and let out another sob, "And then he didn't even speak to me. I only came because he asked me to. I ran into him today before the game and he said he would be here tonight...he wished me luck for the results and said that he hoped I would meet him for a drink. I didn't want to go on my own so...I suggested to the rest of you guys to come too."
"Oh." Nix replied after a moment had passed, it now made sense.
"Oh I didn't mean it like that Nix." Andie suddenly said and pulled away from her, Nix looked at her with furrowed brow, "I would have asked you to come regardless, I wasn't just asking YOU for the sake of it."
Realisation hit Nix and she smiled at Andie and pulled her in for another hug, "I didn't mean-"
"He saw me you know." Andie cut her off to say and Nix let her speak, "He saw that I saw him and he just ignored me...he didn't even smile at me after I smiled and at him and waved."
"Forget him Andie." Nix replied as she rubbed the girl's back some more, "He's an idiot to ignore you."
"Or maybe he just thinks the same as Eric." Andie replied with a sniff.
"No, what Eric said isn't true Andie, he was-" Nix started to reply then cut herself off, she thought about how sweet he had just been with her and then to like the flick of a switch talk to Andie the way he had, he'd been so rude, "He was just being an asshole."
"Maybe." Andie replied and held onto Nix as she started to cry some more and a long moment passed before she stopped, during that moment they had sat down on the ground where they'd been standing.
Nix had taken Andie's shoes off for her and held her hand as she sat quietly, she was aware also as she sat there that the time had definitely passed fifteen minutes now...Eric wouldn't be happy.
She shook her head lightly at the thought, she hadn't agreed to go to his place, he'd just told her to and there was no way she would be leaving Andie in the state that she was in, she was vulnerable and very intoxicated.
Nix could only imagine her abnegation mother's face if she was to ever end up that way.
"I can't go back out there." Andie eventually said in a quiet voice and Nix turned to look at her, the make-up she was wearing had smudged and run down her face a little but it wasn't too bad, some pieces of her hair had come loose and others were stuck to her head with sweat which was most likely from all of her dancing.
"Shall we go back to the dorm?" Nix asked her and a beat passed before the girl nodded then closed her eyes briefly.
"Yeah. I think so." she replied.
Nix then stood up and Andie tried to copy her but wobbled quite a bit, Nix grabbed onto her after picking up her shoes from the ground, she then instructed Andie to put her arm around her shoulders and thankfully she didn't protest.
Nix wrapped her hand holding the shoes around Andie's waist and held the hand around her neck with her other and began to head towards the tunnel that led back into the club, she just hoped they wouldn't pass Bill on their way through as it could potentially set Andie off again.
They had to walk slowly as Andie's movements were off balance, Nix spoke words of encouragement to her as they moved and the girl responded to them with rambling on about how much she appreciated the help, what good fun she'd had dancing, how she now hated Bill; she'd also said that she'd never had a friend like Nix before, to which she followed that up with 'I didn't think stiff's were into friendships'.
Nix couldn't help but swallow at that comment but decided not to dwell on it in that moment, Andie was intoxicated after all...Nix couldn't exactly hold it against her, could she?
"Let's just keep moving." Nix said and tightened her hold on her.
"Andie?" A voice said as they walked both she and Nix halted, Nix's eyes widened and she looked at Andie who was staring at the person in disbelief, it was Bill.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he walked towards them.
"Oh so...you CAN see me?" she asked bitterly and his brows furrowed.
"She's fine." Nix replied quickly before Andie could say anything else, "Just a little too much celebrating...tripped."
"Yeah." Andie said in a quiet voice after a beat.
A long moment then passed and Bill just stared at Andie, he seamed to have a look of concern on his face, Nix then cleared her throat and said, "Excuse us Bill, we're on our way back to the dormitory."
"Do you need a hand?" he asked and she opened her mouth to reply but Andie beat her to it.
"No thanks, we wouldn't want to keep you from your friend." she slurred her words again but spoke the last word clearly and with emphasis.
Nix inhaled deeply and looked at Bill, he suddenly looked uncomfortable.
"That's all Veronica is." he eventually said then swallowed, "I didn't know she was going to be here tonight."
"Oh, he didn't know Veronica would be here tonight Nix." Andie said sarcastically to Nix who looked between them awkwardly, Andie then turned to look at him and said, "What are you even doing here?"
She gestured to the tunnel they were in and he said, "I, saw you come in here...when you didn't come back I was worried, I thought maybe you'd fallen or something."
"She's okay now." Nix replied and tried to make Andie move again but she wouldn't budge, "Come on Andie."
"Won't you let me help?" he asked but as he looked at Andie she was glaring at him, she then removed herself from Nix who protested to it but was ignored.
"No, I don't need your help...you should get back to Veronica." she practically hissed at him after she'd almost stumbled towards him, Nix crossed her arms over her chest and watched the scene apprehensively.
"She's just a friend, I already told you." Bill replied in an irritated tone.
"A friend you've ignored me all night for." Andie shot back and he sighed in exasperation, Andie then swayed where she stood before she said, "So get back to her, go on!"
"Fine." he snapped at her and began to walk away.
Andie stared at him for a moment then turned to look at Nix and said, "Nix...you're spinning."
"What?" Nix replied and rushed towards her just as she began to fall towards the floor.
Bill got to her before Nix could and grabbed her before she hit the ground, he then grunted as he straightened up with her and when her legs gave way again due to her now being passed out he leaned down and picked her up so she was in his arms.
"Thanks for that." Nix eventually said to him after clearing her throat, "She won't be happy about it but, I am."
"Yeah, no worries." he replied and Nix moved towards him and pulled the bottom of Andie's dress down as it had ridden up a little, Bill kept his eyes ahead the entire time.
"Let's go." Nix then said and walked off ahead of him through the tunnel, she began pushing her way through the busy club, looking behind her every now and then as she moved, she saw Bill was having no problem at all getting through the crowd, everyone seamed to give him a wide berth as he carried Andie, a few of them laughed and some boys even cheered at the fact she was passed out.
Nix waited on Bill by the club entrance and saw the girl who she presumed that Andie had seen him with had stopped him, she was angry and looked like she was shouting at him, some people near them turned away as their conversation grew louder.
Eventually Bill walked away from the girl who in turn stormed off in a huff, he'd been frowning as he approached Nix but she didn't say anything, instead she just led the way back to the dormitory.
O
Less than ten minutes later they were back at the dormitory which was empty, Bill asked which bed was Andie's and after Nix pointed it out he headed over, she followed him and watched as he without effort pulled back the cover and placed Andie underneath it.
She expected him to then leave but instead he sat on the bed beside her, leaned forward and removed the hoops from her ears, he placed them on the small bedside table just as Nix placed the high heels underneath the bed.
He undid the pins and ties from her hair next then massaged her head for a second with one of his hands.
Nix headed towards the water machine as he did that and grabbed a bottle from the cooler beside it, when she was moving back towards the bed she saw Bill smooth out Andie's hair and tie it at the back of her head in a loose ponytail, he then rolled her over so she was lying on her side and she exhaled softly before he pulled the cover up over her body.
Nix placed the bottle of water down gently on the bedside table and Bill looked up at her with an expression that told her he'd forgotten she was there.
"Thanks for bringing her back." she told him after a beat and he stood up.
"No problem, I'm glad I could help." he replied with a smile and she returned it, he then headed towards the door but before he reached it he turned and said, "I didn't mean to hurt her you know."
Nix stared at him for a moment then nodded, "I know."
He stared at her for a beat before he nodded then quickly left the room and when he was gone Nix turned to look at Andie, she was out cold.
With a sigh Nix then moved towards her own bed, removing her hair from it's constraints as she did and once it was free she ran her hands through it slowly.
After a beat passed she leaned down and removed her boots from her feet, she was both grateful and disappointed to lose the added height she'd received from them.
They weren't huge shoes but she'd definitely felt them on her feet after having gone from always wearing flats to a heel for an extended period of time.
She crouched down slightly to place the boots underneath her bed and when she was straightening up a hand came around her mouth; she was just about to scream when the person behind her placed their mouth at her ear and shushed her.
"Don't make a noise." came the whisper and relief immediately washed over her, it was Eric, she sagged against him just before he spun her around so she was facing him and then he grinned at her, she frowned in response and he almost laughed but didn't, "I'm the one that should be pissed stiff, you're late."
"You scared me." she replied in a hushed voice and he grinned some more.
"Couldn't help myself." he said with a shrug and she found herself smiling at him, she couldn't help it, he looked so pleased with himself.
"Andie got upset, I couldn't leave her." she said and looked at her friend briefly before looking at him again."
"I know." he said in an irritated voice and she shushed him, he hadn't spoken that loud but they were right next to Andie, he scoffed at her when she gestured to the former amity, "She won't hear me."
"She might." Nix replied.
He shook his head, "That'll be her till the morning...or afternoon."
Nix chewed on her lip as she glanced at Andie and then she looked back at him with furrowed brows, "How do you know she was upset?"
"Why do you think Benson appeared?" he asked with a raised brow and she stared at him for a moment.
"I thought you'd gone to your apartment?" she asked.
"I might have...stuck around, just to make sure you didn't have any trouble leaving." he replied and a smile started to appear on her face, "And then when I didn't see you leaving, I headed back to see what was keeping you...I heard her wailing before I saw her."
He gestured to Andie then rolled his eyes and she frowned at him, "She was upset, YOU upset her."
"Not as much as Benson." Eric countered.
"But you didn't help the situation." she said and he shrugged again before fixing a glare on her.
"And...an asshole, am I?" he asked and she glared back at him.
"To her you were." she replied.
A long moment of them just glaring at one another then passed before he grinned at her and said, "I redeemed myself by getting him."
"What did you say to him?" she asked and he looked at Andie briefly.
"I just said that she was in some state and needed help." he replied after shrugging, he then finished with, "Because she kept crying and moaning to you about him."
"Eric." she said in a scolding way.
He frowned and replied, "It was the truth."
"Doesn't mean you should have told him." she shot back and crossed her arms over her chest.
He stared briefly with his frown still in place before he said, "It's a good thing I did, I left thinking that with him there you'd be heading to mine but I'm aware how hard it is for you to follow instructions. I waited near the dorm for you and that's when I saw her being carried back."
Nix was silent for a long moment before she replied, "Well thanks I guess, I would have never have managed to get her back on my own."
He nodded in response then took her hand and started to move, she pulled it free immediately and he looked at her confused.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"We're going to mine." he replied and when she shook her head he frowned.
"I can't leave her." she told him.
"Yeah you can." he said with a roll of her eyes then added, "She's fine."
"She's intoxicated." she said with wide eyes and he began to grin as he said the word 'drunk', "Whatever."
He chuckled and said, "She'll be fine stiff."
He then tried to take her hand again but she wouldn't let him and he sighed in exasperation and said her name.
"I can't leave her Eric, not like this." she replied.
"She's fine. She's in bed, she has water...the toilets are just there." he said, gesturing to the bathroom area for the last part and she glanced that way until he grabbed her attention once more by saying her name softly, "She'll be fine, trust me, the other initiates will be back later and they'll probably be in the same state she is, if not worse."
"Will they?" she asked.
"Yes." he replied as if it was obvious, "Now come on, I've waited all night on you."
"Not quite." she said and he sighed as he gave her a look that said 'you know what I mean', she glanced at Andie once more then back at him and she hesitated a little before she took his hand, "Okay, just, let me grab my boots."
He stopped her from moving and looked at her side, she looked at it too and asked 'what?'.
"It was too dark to see before." he said with his eyes still on her side and he lifted her arm for a better inspection then an angry expression appeared on his face as he said, "Fuck."
He was looking at the bruises on her side, the dress covered most of them but the open back only hid so much, she swallowed as she lowered her arm and turned to face him.
"How much pain are you in?" he asked after inhaling deeply.
She stared at him for a beat, "None."
"Don't lie Nix." he said firmly, "You've been drinking which means you won't have taken any medication. So come on, tell me."
"I'm fine Eric." she replied with what she hoped was a reassuring smile but from his expression, she failed.
"Your dancing won't have helped either." he stated then shook his head in annoyance, "This is my fault."
"No." she said with a sigh.
"Yes it is. I did this." he said loudly and she shushed him as she glanced over at a still asleep Andie, "You almost didn't win that fight today and that was because I caused this."
She placed a hand over his mouth and began pushing him backwards away from where Andie was, "Please keep quiet Eric."
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his mouth, "How can you stand to be near me?"
She gasped slightly and opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off before she could respond.
"How can you let me touch you? O-or kiss you?" he said in a disgusted tone and she pressed her lips to his in a desperate attempt to silence him, she held them there longer than she intended before she pulled back.
"Because I." she began to say but paused, "Because I want you to."
He stared at her for a moment then grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her, she'd just grasped his elbows when they heard laughing approaching the dormitory.
They barely had time to separate and let go of each of each other before Sarah came stumbling into the dorm with some guy Nix didn't recognise.
"Nix." Sarah said loudly with a smile, "There you are."
"Oi oi." the guy with Sarah said as he grinned at both Nix and Eric who glanced at each other, "What's going on here then?"
"I wondered where you'd gotten to." Sarah said as she skipped towards Nix and engulfed her in a hug.
"Oh." Nix said as she was knocked backwards slightly.
"Is the boss man taking a night off?" the guy asked as he waggled his eyebrows at Eric and gestured to Nix.
"Shut up Swanson." Eric replied firmly and the guy just grinned at him, "Aren't you supposed to be on the morning patrol team?"
"Oh shit." Sarah said with a gasp and pulled back from Nix, she was looking at Andie, "She's wasted?"
"Uh." Nix began to reply but Eric cut her off.
"Yeah she is, I had to help the stiff get her back here." he said in an irritated way.
Nix had cast her eyes down at the word 'stiff' before exhaling a breath and Sarah gasped again before she began to giggle, she did try to prevent it but she failed.
"Oh shit." she said to Nix with a snort then looked back at the guy Eric had called Swanson, he was walking towards them with a smirk on his face.
"Really?" he asked Eric, still smirking and Nix swallowed.
"Yeah, really." Eric replied with a glare.
"It's just...I could have sworn that I saw Benson helping the stiff get her back here." the guy said and lifted his chin in Andie's direction, he then turned his attention to Nix and asked Eric, "So, what is it you're doing here."
That wasn't a question and he emphasised the word 'doing' before giving Nix a knowing smile.
She didn't have time to react, Eric had stepped infront of her and was in the guy's face, "I'm only gonna warn you once."
Sarah hadn't noticed the threatening tone Eric had used, she was running towards Andie shouting her name, Nix turned and looked over at where Andie lay and found her hanging out the bed.
"Up! Get up!" Sarah shouted as she ran over, surprisingly well in her shoes, towards Andie and all but yanked her up and out of the bed so she could drag her towards the bathroom area.
Andie had a hand over her mouth and was letting Sarah pull her into the bathroom and a moment passed before Nix and the two men could hear her vomiting loudly.
"Well shit." the guy Swanson said, "There goes our night."
Nix turned to look at him when he emphasised 'our night', he then grinned at her and waggled his brows again.
Eric gave him a hard shove in the chest and Nix gasped at the sudden movement, the guy then laughed after he'd stumbled backwards away from them.
Nix could hear Andie vomiting some more in the bathroom and looked back in that direction before she looked back at Eric, he was glaring at the man infront of him before he looked at Nix and said in a low voice, "There goes our night."
The guy Swanson huffed out a laugh as he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Maybe next time."
Nix's mouth opened at that and she looked between them both, Eric offered her a brief smile as he said, "He a friend."
"Even though, he doesn't act like it." the guy added and Eric fixed another glare on him, he laughed again then called out loudly, "I'm gonna leave you to that Sarah."
"Yeah." she called back, "I'll maybe see you."
Her words had seamed as if they were going to continue but she cut them off before finishing and then there was a long pause but no other words came after it, the guy had a frown on his face.
Eric let out a chuckle and said, "Don't worry Jake...she'll maybe see you."
He'd deliberately copied the way Sarah had said it and the guy, Jake, glared at him before he said, "Yeah, screw you man."
Eric grinned at him then looked at Nix before he sighed, "I guess I'll be seeing you."
"Yeah." she said quietly and glanced at Jake who nodded at her in a 'see ya' kind of way before he began to leave but he walked slowly so he could wait on Eric, "I was, you know, going to co-"
"I know." he cut her off to say before he gave her a wink then walked off towards Jake who was waiting on him and then he gave the guy a push as he said something whilst laughing.
When they were gone she stood there for a moment before she headed to the bathroom to see if Andie was okay.