I had to get this chapter up ASAP due to popular demand :) Part 2 is told from Tobias's POV, and begins shortly before Tris walked in on him and Nita. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.

"Tobias, there's a party going on, get your ass out here," Zeke says, popping his head into Tobias's room.

"Yeah, yeah, one second," Tobias examines himself in the mirror, pulling down at the shirt he's chosen for the party. "Do I look okay?" He asks, slurring his words a little. He may have had a few shots to get ready for tonight… but only a few.

"Aww, trying to look pretty for Tris, are you?" Zeke jokes.

"Shut up," Tobias grumbles, even though Zeke isn't that far off. He knows she's coming with Uriah and Marlene so she'll probably be a bit late after convincing Hana. He wants to make a good impression on her tonight, and hopefully have that midnight kiss, so he needs to look his best.

The practical side of him keeps insisting to himself that they're not together, a few kisses mean nothing in the grand scheme of things… but Lord, despite the uncertainty of the future he wants it to mean something. And with his mind being hazy from all the alcohol he's consumed already, all he can think about is pressing his mouth to Tris's as soon as she arrives.

"Well, we ran out of ice, so Shauna went to pick up some more… When Tris arrives I'll send her your way, okay?"

"Thanks, man." No, Tobias has not told Zeke about Christmas with Tris. He hasn't told Zeke or Shauna anything about that day in general, and yeah, he knows he's back to keeping secrets… It was just sort of a really personal day that he wants to keep to himself. Still, Zeke seems well aware of their feelings for one another in general. He's really more perceptive than Tobias gives him credit for.

When Zeke leaves, Tobias slumps down onto his bed, running a hand over his face. He's probably a little bit too drunk, but it's not like the other times when he would drink to forget his sorrows. No, this is drinking to relax himself and calm his nerves. Still, it's drinking nonetheless, and fuck, does he really want Tris to see him like this? No, he doesn't.

He reaches for a bottle of water on his nightstand and gulps it down. A lot of it goes past his mouth and spills straight onto his shirt, but at least he got some in his system. Okay, he really needs to get a clear head before Tris arrives.

"Hi, Tobias."

Tobias's brows shoot up into his hairline. Nita was the last person he was expecting to see tonight, honestly he hadn't thought about her in forever. He vaguely remembers running into her at a bar a couple months ago… and promising to call her… but that never happened. Nita was always just someone he found comfort in when he wanted to feel something, he doesn't think he ever had real feelings for her, even though she could get really attached to him. It was just a friends with benefits type of deal… except they weren't really friends… and they only hooked up like 4 times.

"Uh, hey," he mumbles, dragging a hand over his face.

All of a sudden Nita is sitting next to him on the bed. Why is she here? He wonders, who would've invited her? Zeke and Shauna despise her, and Tobias sure as hell did not invite anybody besides his Tris. His Tris. "It's been so long, you look amazing," she says softly, leaning in slightly.

Tobias instinctively backs away from her, but in his unbalanced state it leads to him flopping back down on the bed. Nita laughs, poking his nose, "You're so silly."

"Mmm… what're you doin' here?" Tobias mumbles, trying to figure out a way to get her to leave in his drunken state.

"Well, I figured you guys were having another party here this year… remember how fun last year's party was?"

No, Tobias doesn't remember. At all. He remembers hooking up with Nita that night, but he doesn't remember the fun part. "I… I think… you should go…" he tells her, trying to get up.

Nita gently pushes him back down, and before he knows what's happening she's straddling his waist and is running her fingers through his hair. "I missed you so much," she breathes.

"Nita, I don't-"

Nita puts a finger to his lips, and Tobias wants nothing more than to push her off. But that would hurt her. He can't hurt a woman like that, especially in this drunken state where he doesn't know what he's capable of. How does… he get her to stop? "You missed me, too, I know you did," she hums.

And then, she kisses him. He's frozen in shock, not sure what to do, and his mind is working at a snail's pace. The kiss is gross… he can taste Nita's lipstick and her tongue scrapes roughly against his. This is nothing like when he would kiss Tris… Tris.

The image of her beautiful face comes to mind, and he knows that he doesn't want to sit here with another woman's lips on his own, he can't. He tries to be hyper aware of what his hands are doing, wishing that he never had anything to drink tonight, as he gently pushes Nita back.

She still doesn't move, so he adds a bit more force, and finally she moves off, staring down at him breathlessly, "Wh-what are you doing?"

"I don't… want this, Nita," he tries to annunciate carefully. "Please get the fuck off of me. Now."

"Surely you can't be serious," Nita says in exasperation, sitting up.

"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley!" Tobias grumbles. He swings his legs over the other side of the bed, knocking Nita off his lap.

"I don't understand."

"Never gave you permission to kiss me!" Tobias says hotly. "Now leave! And leave this fucking party!" He's not sure where this sudden burst of anger came from, but it's white hot, and if Nita doesn't get her face… out of his face… he might do something he regrets. He feels taken advantage of. Clearly Nita was aware that he was intoxicated… and she didn't care.

Nita's face is scrunched up in anger and confusion as she picks up her purse hastily from the ground, "Fine! It's your loss!"

"As if," Tobias mutters to himself as she marches away.

The adrenaline boost he got from yelling at her has cleared his mind a little, and he takes another swig from his water bottle. He should go into the party and wait for Tris, when he finds her he can tell her everything.

What he did not expect to find when he exits his room, is a grave faced Zeke, looking incredibly worried.

"What?" Tobias snaps, wanting him to come out with it instead of just giving him that afraid look.

"So, um, Tris got here… say 6 or 7 minutes ago… and I sent her to your room, like we planned… I was really confused to see her run out immediately after… looking absolutely devastated. And then I just saw Nita come out of your room, so I think I get what happened now."

Tobias just stares at his friend in shock, his drunken mind trying to comprehend everything, and hoping there's some sort of mistake. No, Tris thinks… No. Fucking Nita.

"I mean, thank God, Nita just left… but what was she doing here?" Zeke implores.

"She fucking crashed," Tobias spits, shaking his head, "And then she came onto me… and I pushed her off right after… and I'm drunk and I tried to say no," Tobias whines, and Zeke gives him a look of pity. "Where's Tris?"

"She ran out of here, Chris and Uri followed her."

Tobias instantly storms through the party, willing his mind to sober up just a little bit so he can deal with this situation appropriately. He flings the door open and marches towards the elevators. He guesses that they went back to the penthouse, and he needs to get to her.

Then, he hears quiet voices coming from the other side of the hallway, and recognizes one of them as Uriah's. He creeps back in the opposite direction, and tiptoes around the corner. The sight that he sees nearly breaks him in two.

Tris is sitting on the floor, her face in her knees as she cries quietly. Christina and Uriah are on either side of her, consoling her, and the drunk, jealous jerk inside Tobias hates the way Uriah's arm is slung around her shoulders.

"He's an idiot," Christina states.

Tris just shakes her head, wiping her eyes. Tobias wants to go there, wants to comfort her and tell her the truth but he's frozen in place for some reason. "No, he's pretty- pretty smart. I'm not… like her, you know? Glamorous or pretty or… I dunno, it made no sense that he would ever be interested in me, anyway."

"Hey, don't say that," Uriah says sternly, "You're awesome, Tris, and Tobias would be more than lucky to have you. Hell, ever since he met you he's changed so much… I just… don't understand."

Tris hiccups, shrugging her shoulders, "You know we kissed? On Christmas?"

"Really?" Christina asks, wide eyed.

"Yep." She lets out a mirthless laugh through her tears, "And I was so fucking stupid to think… it meant something."

"Tobias, I mean, I've worked with him for a while and he just doesn't seem like the kind of person to kiss a girl one day and then hook up with another 6 days later. And it was pretty obvious to me how much he liked you."

"Yeah, I agree."

"Well, I guess he's not the person any of us thought he was," Tris shrugs, wiping her face with her hand. Tobias eyes her up and down in her gorgeous dress, not that he even has the right to do that, but God, she looks amazing. He wishes he could redo this whole night… then he'd have her in his arms right now. "I thought I knew him better than anyone else, but I was wrong." You do, Tobias wants to cry. She's the only person… who knows everything and never looked at him differently. Until now.

Christina pats her shoulder, "You can't fault yourself for that, Tris. Men can be pretty deceiving as it is."

Tris chuckles and nods.

"Keep your head up, okay?" Uriah says, "You're better than this. You're better than him."

Tris looks like she genuinely doesn't believe Uriah, which makes Tobias want to punch a wall. She is… so much better than him. On some level, he is grateful for what Christina said about it seeming out of character for him… but on the other, this whole situation is his fault. He should have tried harder to get Nita out of his room, been firmer with her, and never drunk at all. Hell, Nita should have never been in his life in the first place. It's all about Tris.

The three of them stand up then. "I think… I'm gonna go home," Tris says softly.

"I'll ride over there with you," Christina murmurs kindly, and Uriah offers to walk them to the door.

Tobias is scared that they're going to walk by him on their way to the elevators and then they will realize he's been eavesdropping this entire time, but then Tris announces she would rather take the stairs, telling her friends that the elevator has painful memories for her. Tobias's heart clenches when he realizes what memories she's referring to.

They walk the opposite direction to the stairwell, and then Tobias re-enters his apartment with his tail between his legs. Zeke is instantly on him, "What happened man?" He insists.

"She's… headed home," Tobias sighs, plopping down onto his lounge chair. Everyone is dancing and having a good time here, and his mood doesn't match theirs whatsoever.

"Go after her!" Zeke demands.

Tobias shrugs, "Zeke… it's no good. She's better than me, and I fucked up, and she… deserves someone who doesn't fuck up. I had my shot and I blew it."

Zeke just continues staring at his friend incredulously, "Are you dumb?"

"Possibly."

"You're really going to let her think… that what happened in there was real? You're not even going to try?"

"Zeke, she wouldn't believe me if I did… and I'm too drunk right now."

"Jesus Christ," Zeke runs a hand through his short hair, tapping his foot impatiently. His eyes light up suddenly, and Tobias turns in the direction of his gaze to see that Shauna has come back, this time bearing ice.

"Shauna!" He shouts, as she walks up to the pair with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yes?"

"Our friend is in a crisis, and we gotta save him. Get the coffee maker he got us for Christmas out, and make him a huge cup. Make it super super strong."

"Why?" Shauna asks.

"We gotta sober him up, and get him ready to go get his New Year's kiss. Come on, there's one and a half hours till midnight."

Shauna nods seriously, "Okay. On it."

"And you," Zeke turns to Tobias, "Get your ass in the shower. Right now. No more than 10 minutes and it better be ice cold."

Tobias nods. This had better work, because he can't fathom the thought of losing Tris forever… but he knows that right now he's not in the right mind to say anything to her. Even in his inebriated state, though, he knows he cannot just give up on her and keep her believing that he would rather be with Nita than her. No. He has to try, he's done being an idiot.

"And I will be making you dinner so we can get food into that drunk belly of yours," Zeke announces.

Tobias felt incredibly awake and alive when he emerged from that chilly shower, his mind's pace already increasing. The cup of coffee Shauna made him was the most bitter thing he'd ever tasted, but he gulped it all down.

Finally, after the chicken and rice meal that Zeke cooked for him, Tobias is pretty sure that he's gone from totally drunk to just tipsy. There's now 50 minutes till midnight, and Zeke is strategizing.

"Okay, Tobias, her penthouse is like what? 4 miles from here?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, honestly, I think what would sober him up completely was if he ran there," Zeke says to Shauna.

"That could be dangerous, though."

Zeke furrows his eyebrows, "Nah. He'll be fine!"

Tobias nods, "I'll do it."

Shauna still looks worried, and she bites her lip. He doesn't want her or Zeke to come with him, this is something he needs to do on his own, and besides, they're the hosts. They need to stay here. "Turn location sharing on, Tobias. So we know where you are."

Tobias hates the idea of this, but he does it anyway to ease Shauna's mind. The entire time he dresses in his thick layers, getting ready to jog through the freezing weather to Tris's penthouse, her devastated face keeps making its way back to his brain. He has to tell her… how special she is. That he would never, ever, do that to her and anyone who would is a total idiot.

"Tobias!" Zeke stops him on his way out and holds up a bottle of breath freshener. "So you don't have coffee breath."

Tobias thanks him and puts two sprays in his mouth, thinking that'll be enough. He's about to pull open the door, when two strong arms shove him back. Uriah. This is the most angry that Tobias has ever seen his friend's brother, who is usually the most laid back guy in the room.

"What the hell, man?" Uriah demands, and Tobias looks behind him to see Christina, Will, and Marlene watching the encounter worriedly.

"Uriah, whatever you're about to say-" Tobias begins, blinking a few times. He's far more coherent than he was an hour ago, but the alcohol he consumed earlier still has a hold over his brain.

"No," Uriah interrupts, "How could you do that to Tris, man? She really liked you, and we all thought you liked her too. You shattered her fucking heart."

"It's not-" Tobias can't explain this to Uriah before he explains this to Tris. And he really needs to get going if he's going to make it to her on time. "I have to go," he tells him. Whatever, let Uriah think he's an awful person for a little while longer.

But Uriah stops Tobias again, "Where the hell do you think you're going, huh? Nita's place? Or is it some other girl you've been seeing behind Tris's back?"

Tobias bites his tongue at Uriah's insinuation that he's a man whore. If anyone has man whore tendencies between the two of them, it's Uriah. Anger bubbles up within Tobias's chest but he holds back. "I was actually on my way to Tris's place," Tobias says coolly.

Uriah laughs mirthlessly, "What? So you can break her heart again? I won't allow it, man. She doesn't want to see you."

"Uri," Zeke has all of a sudden stepped in between his brother and Tobias, placing a hand on the former's shoulder. "Whatever you think happened… is not the full story."

"Oh, so you bought whatever lie he told you?" Uriah asks Zeke, "Sorry if I don't believe it that easily."

Zeke sighs, rubbing his temples. "Look, I know you care a lot about Tris… but how long have we known Tobias? Does he really seem that heartless to you? Don't just blindly pick a side, Uriah."

"Yeah, let's think about how long we've known Tobias for, and how much of that time he spent lying to us," Uriah states coldly.

Tobias looks down, knowing that he's right. If he was them, he wouldn't trust himself either. He's too… sordid, too disreputable to have any sort of credibility. Hell, he couldn't even tell them the truth about how he spent his Christmas. No matter what, his demons seem to follow him, preventing him from having any sort of happiness or freedom. But he won't let the same things hold Tris back. Even if she doesn't want to see him after this, he needs her to know that she is worth more than she believes.

"Uriah, there are a lot of things you don't understand… and I've already talked to Tobias about this. I trust him," Zeke claps Tobias's shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with being private about your life. And I think that we all were witness to how much he cares about Tris. You know, deep down that he would never do anything to hurt her."

"It's true," Christina pipes up.

Uriah looks down, nodding his head a few times to himself, and swallowing his anger before looking back to Tobias. "I've known you for 2 years, man, and you've been a mystery the entire time. Forgive me if you're just… hard to figure out. Of course I love you, but I also love Tris. Tris, she cares about the people in her life a lot, and it takes her a while to open up, but when she does you know that she would do anything for you. I'm sorry for being overprotective of her… Go," he jerks his toward the door, "Please, make things right with her. She doesn't deserve to feel the way she's feeling, especially if it was an honest mistake."

Tobias nods, clapping Uriah on the shoulder. He honestly feels relieved that Tris has such a loyal friend that has her back. She deserves as much.

Zeke and Shauna wish him luck as he exits the apartment building. Now, he's a man on a mission.

The 4 mile run to Tris's penthouse is excruciating to say the least. It's below freezing outside, and even Tobias's continuous layers do not make up for that fact. Still, this girl would be worth a 400 mile run in negative degree weather.

By the time he reaches her place, it's 11:40. 20 minutes till midnight. His head feels clearer than it has in hours and he makes his way into the building with a purpose. That is, until the doorman holds out his arm and stops him. "Sorry, are you Mr. Tobias Eaton by any chance?"

Tobias is an idiot, so he says, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry, but Miss Beatrice Prior has banned you from the penthouse."

Tobias gapes at the man like a fish, but really, should he be surprised? Of course she would. She thinks he doesn't care about her, and that's just so so so wrong but how is he supposed to tell her it's wrong if he can't even get up there? Tobias considers telling him he's not here to see Beatrice, but he knows that lie would be fact checked instantly and would squander his chances even further.

Well, he ran 4 miles to get here, he won't quit now. He needs to think, and think fast. He flashes his most charming, Eaton smile, "I understand, sir. You don't mind if I sit in the lobby to text my driver, do you? It is rather cold outside."

The doorman thinks about it for a moment, and nods, directing Tobias to a spacious leather seat. Tobias does not text his driver Simon, but instead pulls up Maria's contact information. He debated texting Tris, but he knows that would be futile and she probably wouldn't answer. The person who is most likely to appeal to him is Maria, and Tobias hopes that she hasn't heard Tris's version of the story yet.

Well, Tobias had to put some of his texts to Maria into google translate to get her to understand, but they finally got it together. She was hesitant to let him up. She did not know what happened between Tris and Tobias, but she had seen Tris come home in tears, and overheard her calling the front desk to ban Tobias.

But Tobias explained his plan to Maria as best he could, and soon enough, she was on board. Really, where would he be without her? "¡Que romántico!" she had texted.

She snuck Tobias in through the service entrance, and by the time Tobias enters the penthouse it is 11:50. Maria informs Tobias that Tris is in her room, and Tobias thanks her profusely before making his way up there. It's now or never.

The door is pushed slightly ajar, and he sees Tris sitting on her bed with her knees tucked into her chest, reading a book. He knocks twice.

"Go away Ma-" She stops when she sees Tobias, and looks momentarily stunned. Soon enough, she finds her words again, "Wh-what the hell are you doing here? How did you get up here?"

"Maria snuck me in through the service entrance."

"Great," Tris says sarcastically, throwing her book onto her bed before standing up to pace around her room. She's no longer in that skin tight dress, but instead in pink silk pajamas. "She's forgetting who she works for!"

"Tris, I know it may be shocking to you, but she did all of that for you."

"Yeah, that is shocking, because I don't want to see you! Get the fuck out!"

"Tris-"

Tris throws her arms up wildly in the air, "Get out! Or I'm calling security!"

Tobias closes his eyes, "Please just let me say something. Just give me 30 seconds, and then I will get out. And leave you alone for the rest of your life."

Tris's cheeks are splotchy with color and her chest heaves up and down, but still, she nods, swallowing a little. "Fine. You have 30 seconds then." She folds her arms. You've got this, Tobias.

He inhales shakily, "I just needed you to know that you are beautiful, intelligent, kind, and pure. I've said things like this to you before, but now I realize you may think I've had an ulterior motive in telling you those things. I did not, and standing here right now, I still don't. I will always treasure my time spent with you more than anything else in the entire world… and everything you've gotten me through, dealing with me when I've been an ass, staying by my side through the really difficult times, and never, ever looking at me differently… you have made me into the man I am today, and you are the reason that I'm standing on my own two feet right now.

"There is no one who is comparable to you, in any way, shape, or form. There's no one else I would pick over you, not a chance in hell. You… could do so much better than damaged goods like me, so I don't blame you for any of that. I just needed you to know that I have never, and will never, hold anyone or choose anyone above you. Because you are worth it. And you should remember that." Tobias finishes his monologue, never breaking eye contact with Tris the entire time.

Tris just stares back at him, her mouth parted and her eyes wide. "What a- what about Nita?" Tris asks after a few moments, her voice barely a whisper.

"What about Nita?"

Tris narrows her eyes, "Don't play stupid, Tobias. I saw you kissing her! And then- and then you come, and you say all this shit… how am I supposed to know what's real and what's fake?!"

"Before I saw Nita today, I hadn't thought about her in forever. She sauntered into my room when I was drunk off my ass because I took one too many shots because I was nervous about seeing you again… and she- she came onto me and kissed me. I didn't necessarily stop her, either… I mean, I-I tried to, verbally… but I was drunk and I had no clue what to do, or if I would hurt her by shoving her off… the kiss was disgusting and it ended before it really even began. It was nothing like… like when I would kiss you. I thought of you, and I got her off of me and kicked her out… and I went to go wait for you, ready to tell you what had happened… but it seemed your timing was impeccable. Tris, I know you probably won't believe me, it's a crazy story and I probably wouldn't believe me either, but don't think that Nita holds a candle to you in any way, because that's just not true, and you are fucking amazi-"

"Tobias," Tris cuts him off, holding up her hand. Tobias closes his eyes while he waits for her sentence. "I… I believe you," she murmurs softly.

"You do?" Tobias breathes.

"I do… I mean, look at the lengths you came to get in… and, Jesus, why are you wearing so many layers?"

"I may or may not have ran here."

"In the fucking freezing weather? Tobias, are you crazy?"

"About you? Yeah."

Tris snorts, rolling her eyes.

"I just… couldn't fathom the thought of you thinking that you meant nothing to me."

Tris bites her lip, looking down. "I'm- I'm glad you came by. But I think the bigger issue is that Nita took advantage of you in an intoxicated state, after you repeatedly told her no."

"I…" Tobias shakes his head. He knows that Tris is right, but he doesn't want to think about that right now, and he doesn't want to think about Nita ever again. "It's fine. She backed off eventually, right? I was just… bad at getting my point across. And now, she's out of my life for good, and you… believe me. We don't have to talk about it anymore."

Tris chews the inside of her cheek, looking like she very much disagrees with Tobias, but still, she nods. "Fine… we'll put it on hold… for now. Just know, that if I ever run into Nita, I will make her a very, very sorry woman."

Tobias chuckles, shaking his head. "I don't doubt that you would."

All of a sudden, he hears loud counting. He realizes it's coming from outside, from people on the streets of Chicago. A glance at Tris's clock confirms this, it's 11:59, and the new year is about to begin.

Tris takes a few steps closer to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I know that on Christmas… it's tradition to kiss under the mistletoe, and we already checked that one off. I think New Years has a kissing tradition as well, but I'm not sure what it is… Can you help me?" She asks innocently.

Tobias chuckles, "When all those people outside finish counting down all the way to 0… traditionally, people kiss."

Tris smirks, "Well, then, we can't say no to tradition."

Tobias laughs, amazed that… it all worked out. Sure, it's not perfect, and they have lots more to talk about… but he's here now, and she doesn't despise him.

He hears the people outside reach 30, and he wraps his arms around Tris's waist, holding her close to him.

"You're not damaged goods, by the way," Tris says quietly.

"Huh?"

"Earlier, you said you were damaged goods… and I just need you to know that you're not. You've struggled with your past, and that's not your fault. But here you are, rebuilding everything and overcoming obstacles. You have helped me a lot, andyou're gonna do amazing things in the future."

"Yeah?" Tobias murmurs, gratitude and another warm, fuzzy feeling spreading through his chest. "Well, so are you."

"Thanks for what you said, by the way. About me being worth it."

"Never thank me for telling you the truth, Tris."

"Three…" Tris whispers, along with all the people outside.

"Two…" Tobias returns.

"One," they say in unison.

They both lean in for a long kiss, and in the distance, Tobias hears fireworks and people screaming 'Happy New Year!'

Tobias is ready to head into this new year, especially if Tris is by his side.

So… That was it! Coincidentally, this chapter fell right on New Years Eve, too! It's not midnight here, yet, but I know in a lot of countries it is already 2021, and by the time most of my US readers read this it probably will be for us too. So happy 2021! May you achieve your resolutions and bring in positive energy.

I just wanted to say something, I've received a few PMs and reviews, saying people are getting confused really easily because right now I'm updating all 3 of my stories pretty much daily so I guess it can be easy to mix up what you haven't read yet, and miss updates.

I don't really have a solution to this, I'm in full creative mode and want to get as many updates onto fanfiction as I can before break ends and I'm busy again. I would just ask everyone to pay really close attention to their email updates, I guess, and if a chapter doesn't make sense to you, go back to see if you've missed something.

If you're a guest who reads more than one of my stories, you don't get the updates so I know that can be confusing. I would honestly implore you to just make a fanfiction account! It's literally free, you can make your username whatever, and it alerts you when someone updates. And honestly, tons of guests leave super thoughtful reviews that I would love to respond to… but I can't, because they're a guest. It's really just a suggestion, but I feel like it would make everyone's life easier.

Anyway, for everyone who is confused by my flurry of updating, just try to keep an eye out for new chapters I suppose. Sorry I can't do more, but like I said, I'm really trying to push new chapters out there given all my free time that is going to end in a few days.

Thank you so much for all the love, I really appreciate it all. Review if you want, and once again, happy 2021.

-Kiki