AN: Thank you for all of the love. Hope you enjoy and see you again on Wednesday.
It's been almost a week since the incident with Roni, and even though Eric could tell something was still bothering Tris, she continued to be slightly elusive. They'd talked about what had transpired at Roni's, but he knew there was still something Tris was holding back, but it seemed to have nothing at all to do with them.
Whatever it is, he wants her to talk to him.
He hates that she feels like they're not close enough for her to open up about what is truly bothering her. They'd barely spent any time together since that night at Roni's, between his late mandatory meetings, and her busier than normal workload with her normal job and helping with initiation, but they texted each other so often that he felt a little less antsy about their physical distance.
He chuckles when he reads her last text, because she's bitching about having to take the same refresher course for helping with fear landscapes in initiation that she's sat through for years.
He responds with a simple "I miss you."
He gets an immediate response of "Ditto."
What she doesn't know is that he was finally able to get back to the faction.
When Tris got to the training room with Tori and Christina for their mandatory class, Four had pulled her to the side and away from the eyes and ears of Christina and Tori, who were watching him warily.
"What's going on?" Tris asks as she follows him into the trainer's office he shares with Lauren.
"Are you okay?" He asks and she furrows her brow and frowns at him, a look he's familiar with, "The training room, earlier this week, you and Eric in a shower together?"
"Tobias, this isn't a conversation you and I need to have." She sighs.
"You're right, I don't need to know anything about you hooking up with him, its also not about you being in a shower with him, none of that is my business. What worries me that you were crying. I saw you, I've known you a long time, I know you were upset. You still are, and I don't want you to internalize it. I just wanted to reach out, as a friend." He replies.
"It's my mom, she's not doing well." She finally says.
"The cancer?" He asks and she nods, "Fuck. How bad?"
"It's still in her lungs and now in her brain." She says quietly, "I'd found out that same morning you saw us in the shower together and Eric was just helping me work through it."
"So he knows?" He asks and she shakes her head.
"I think you already know that he and I don't have that type of relationship. He knows I was upset, he doesn't know that it's because my mom is dying." She replies without meeting his eyes.
Four takes her hands in his and gives them a brief squeeze, "Is it possible you're underestimating what type of relationship you two have? I have seen-"
The door bursts open and hits the wall, startling them both, and an angry looking Eric stalks in. He doesn't miss Tris pulling her hands away from Four.
"What's going on in here?" He barks and Four scowls at him.
"I didn't know you were back." Tris says and Eric glances at her.
"Obviously." He sneers, "Prior, come with me, now."
"We're literally in the middle of procedural review." Four sighs at him.
"And she's been here every year since her own initiation. I'm only taking her, you can go and bore the hell out of the rest of them, so move along." Eric snaps and Four sighs at him.
He doesn't miss the way Four looks at him at all, and he realizes that Number Boy may just be onto the fact that Eric is fucking his ex.
Tori has the same look on her face as she watches Eric practically drag Tris through the training room. She meets Four's eyes as Eric leads Tris from the room, and he shakes his head slightly, letting her know that he may be thinking the exact same thing she is.
Tris is playing with fire.
"That wasn't inconspicuous at all, Eric." Tris hisses when they're out of the room.
"You said it yourself, it's the same shit they say every year. You already know what you're doing." He dismisses, "Why were you holed up in an office with Four? Why were the two of you holding hands?" She stops walking abruptly and it takes him several seconds to realize it, and he turns to face her, "Well?" He asks.
"We were having a personal conversation." She replies evenly.
"Are you two-" Eric begins and she interrupts.
"Don't you dare finish that question Eric, you know damn well I wouldn't pursue anyone else while I'm in this with you." She seethes.
"Okay." He replies with a sigh, "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions."
"Why does it even matter to you if I'm talking to him?" She asks angrily.
"Because it's been obvious that something has been bothering you ever since that day at Roni's and I can't seem to get you to talk to me."
"Eric-"
"I'm going to check my jealousy, I already know I'm being an ass, just... I don't know, Tris. I want you to know that you can talk to me, anything you feel comfortable enough to talk to him about, you can talk to me."
She nods her head and reaches for his hands, pulling him towards her, "I've known him for a long time Eric, and at one point I loved him. That's a lot of history and a level of comfort there."
"Is there still love there?" He asks and she shakes her head.
"Loved. Past tense. He and I loved each other, but never in the way a romantic relationship would have needed to be successful long term." She admits.
"Will you tell me what's been bothering you?"
She meets his eyes, "You've been out of the faction so much over these past several days, I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, but Tris-"
"Let's go somewhere a little more private, we have some lost time to make up for." Tris whispers and he nods.
He hates that she still won't open up, but if she needs a distraction he'll be happy to give her one. Truth be told, he needs one too, being out of the faction so much has left him barely any time for her.
He yanks her hand and pulls her down the hall, "Where are we going?" She asks.
"To clean the exam room that you'll be using." He replies.
"I already did-"
He stops walking and turns towards her, "We're going to make it dirty, Prior."
"How dirty?" She asks.
"Filthy."
As soon as the door is closed and locked behind him, he pulls his shirt over his head and she attacks his neck with her mouth. He's pushing her leggings down her legs while she's pulling his pants down. She kicks her own shoes off and yanks her pants and underwear completely off while he sits back on the chair, pulling her down to his lap, "Condom," She breathes out as he drags the head of his dick through her soaked folds.
"Pocket of pants," He keeps bucking against her and he realizes how close he is to penetrating her, "Baby please hurry, I need you."
She rifles through the pockets of his pants where they're pooled around his feet, finding the condom. She rips the packet open with her teeth and rolls it down him, and then she sinks onto him.
"Fucking hell Eric, you feel so good inside of me." She says as she begins moving against him, "I've missed you so much."
"I missed you too, so fucking much, we can't do that again. I can't be away from you for that long." He murmurs in between of hot kisses on her neck. Suddenly, she completely stills and moves off of him, "What are you doing?" He breathes out and she sits with her back facing him and then eases down on his cock.
"Fuck baby..." He trails off as she bouncing on him, "Lean back..."
She does as he asks and with the angle she can feel him hitting her g-spot, and she begins to moan in pleasure.
They hear a beep of a badge scan and the exam room door opens and they're both surprised when they see one of the guards stumble into the dark room, noisily dropping a bottle onto the floor.
"Who's there?" He slurs, and Eric stills inside of Tris. She's wearing a baggy sweatshirt, so she may have them covered just enough for the guard not to notice what they're actually doing, but he's not sure. He's waiting for her to pull away, but instead she pushes back against him and he can't help the moan that escapes his lips, "Holy fuck." The man says once he can slightly focus, "You two are fucking. Dude. You aren't allowed to do that here."
"And you shouldn't be sneaking into off-limits exam rooms to drink on the job, soldier." Eric says icily.
"I needed a drink, don't turn me in." The guard slurs.
Tris can smell the alcohol on his breath even from several feet away, and he sloppily sits down on a chair after retrieving his bottle, takes a long sip and shakes his head. The little bit of light that's filtering in from beneath the door illuminates the man's face, and Eric realizes that he knows him. He is a Dauntless born named Ryan who was in the same initiation class as him, and it's also someone Eric himself has hooked up with once in the past. It's obvious the man is too drunk to recognize either of them in the dark room, and even if he could he wouldn't talk about it.
"Want to stop?" He whispers in Tris's ear.
"Should we?" She asks nervously.
"I know him and I'm sure he'll be quiet. It's fine with me if we keep going." Eric admits.
"You don't mind him seeing you like this?" She asks quietly.
"I've fucked him before." Eric admits and Tris leans completely back against him.
"That's so damn hot to think about." She says as she moves slightly on him, "How was it?"
"Tris…"
"Tell me, did you like it Eric?" She whispers, "Was he better than me?"
"No one is better than you. No one." He trails kisses on her neck.
"I don't think that I want to stop." She whispers back.
He moves again and the guy just keeps looking at them. Eric paws at her possessively as the man continues to watch them, and he realizes that Tris is actually enjoying the audience.
"Talk to him." Eric commands, "Find out what he needs to let us to continue."
"What do we have to do for you to let us stay without telling anyone what you've seen?" She asks the man in front of her.
"Let me watch." He slurs.
"You like watching us?" She asks him, and he nods his head, "How much do you like this?"
"A lot. This is fucking hot." He replies. She sees him rubbing himself through his pants and she looks back at Eric.
"Are you okay?" He asks her and she nods.
"Being watched by a stranger is one of my fantasies," She finally admits.
He stills inside of her, "Live it out, baby." He whispers and she turns to look at the guard who is still rubbing himself through his pants. The man is very attractive, and Tris is finding herself extremely turned on at the situation they found themselves in.
"It's okay to watch. I want you to enjoy and I want to see you too." Tris purrs and the man begins to unbuckle his pants.
Eric yanks her hoodie up, taking delight in the fact that she's not wearing a bra and the man in front of them takes a deep breath.
"My fucking god." He says as he pulls himself free and begins stroking himself vigorously as Tris continues to ride Eric.
Eric's free hand snakes down to her clit and he rubs her as she leans back against him, giving the man a full view of them, while they can both watch him jerk himself off.
"Can I join?" The man slurs.
"She's mine. You fucking watch and say nothing about what you have seen and I'll let you stay." Eric growls at him.
"Don't need to fuck her, I want to fuck you." He slurs out.
Eric says nothing, and Tris leans back against him, "Do you want that?" She asks quietly.
"No, not him, not while I'm with you." He whispers back before pressing his lips to her ear.
"You can, I don't mind." She replies.
"I'm not ready, and I don't want him to touch you." He kisses her ear and her neck and then looks up at the other man.
"Not happening. You can stay and watch, and keep it between us." Eric answers firmly.
"Yeah, got it." The man sits back and continues to stroke himself.
Eric can feel Tris is close by the way she continues to move against him, so he begins meeting her hips with his while rubbing her swollen clit.
"Oh my god, oh my god, I'm gonna... I'm gonna... right there baby, oh my god, fuck me right there..." Tris pants out and Eric feels her tightening around him, "I'm coming, fuck... yes baby, yes, right there..."
He drops his lips to her neck, kissing her and sucking on her skin as she falls apart around him. Once she rides out her orgasm, she moves gently off of him and then drops to her knees in front of him without him asking.
"I want you to come on me." She says.
"Holy fuck." The other man slurs.
"Where?" Eric pants out. She gestures towards her face.
"Baby, no..." He says and she shakes her head.
"I want it, please." She says.
He rips the condom off, and he begins stroking himself as she looks up at him. He's came on her before, but never in front of someone else, and never as she begs for him to come on her face, like she's doing right now. She knows that him coming on her is one of his kinks, and the first time she let him do it on her face he later admitted it was the single hottest thing he's ever done.
She doesn't know why, but that makes her incredibly happy.
"I want to taste you." She begs and he hears the other man grunt as he spills all over his own hand and clothes.
When Eric comes, it's harder than he ever has before, and it's all over her waiting face and lips. He watches as Tris licks his cum off of her lips and he caresses her cheek with his hand, "You're so fucking beautiful."
She sucks his thumb into her mouth and for a moment they forget all about the man who was watching them until they hear his soft snores from where he's passed out with his dick in his hand.
Tris chuckles when she hears it and it breaks their moment. Eric cleans her up gently, and when they fully dress again he has to once again stop himself from kissing her.
"Will we have issues with him?" She asks.
"Nah, Ryan is known to be a fall out drunk. He won't remember a damn thing." Eric replies as they finish dressing.
They clean up after themselves in silence, and Eric finally wakes the guard up and orders him out of the room, with another reminder to not talk about what he just saw. Once they feel things are clean and presentable, she turns to look at Eric.
"I never did thank you." She says quietly.
"For what?" He asks.
"Choosing me the other day, with Roni." She replies quietly and he nods.
"There was never a choice, it's always you," He says before pressing his lips to her forehead and wrapping his arms around her. He smiles when he feels her arms wrapping around him.
She breathes him in, and even though it's rather cold in the sterile room, she's warm in his arms.
"Eric." She says softly and he hums in return, "Have you ever been in a relationship?"
"No." He admits.
"Have you ever slept with someone for as long as we have?"
He has to calm his breathing, because he is sure between his pounding heart and his erratic breathing she can feel just how nervous he is.
"No." He replies.
"So, this thing with us, is it too much?" She asks.
"I don't know, Tris." He finally admits.
"Do we need to pause so we can figure things out? Is it time for us to stop?" She asks and she can feel his body tense against hers.
"Not yet." He says and she runs her hands up and down his tense back.
"We're going to have to eventually talk about this." She says quietly.
"Not tonight." He replies.
She rests her head against him and feels him press his lips to her forehead.
"Eric-"
"It feels like if we have this conversation before we've both figured out what we want, we may fuck everything up." He interrupts.
"Are you telling me that you don't know what you want?" She asks.
"No."
She looks up at him, "No, you don't know? Or no, you're not telling me that you don't know what you want?" She presses.
"Tris, can we please just drop this for now?"
She says nothing, instead trying to move away from him but he only tightens his arms. She rubs his back and he finally starts to relax. When he suddenly pulls away, she sees the scowl on his face.
"What's wrong?" She asks and he closes his eyes briefly and takes a deep breath.
"I need you to do something for me." He says and she nods once, "I need you to stay in the faction. What we did the other night was dangerous, when we went to Amity separately-"
"So, can we leave together?" She interrupts.
He shakes his head, "No. It's too dangerous."
"What's going on out there?" She asks, and his silver eyes just trail over her, and his fingers thread with hers.
"Nothing that I want you exposed to. I can't say more than that, I really shouldn't be saying this much at all, but I need you to be safe. Can you do that for me?" He asks.
"I… Eric…"
"What is it? Talk to me." He replies.
"I've been going to see my parents. I know I'm not supposed to, and I know it's a huge violation of the faction before blood laws, but my mom has been fighting lung cancer for years, and my dad called me recently and told me it had gone to her brain. It was that day with Roni that I got that call, so my head was so fucked up, and I just… I just needed to be there with my mom." She says, and she doesn't realize she's crying until he wipes the tear from her cheek.
"Why didn't you tell me when you got his call? We would have completely cancelled." He cups her cheek in his hand.
"I thought a distraction would be nice, but I was so emotional. I should have told you." She admits.
"Is this what you were talking to Four about when I interrupted?" He asks and she nods, "Why wouldn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think you'd want to get too personal, too real, that's not what our arrangement is about."
He takes a deep breath, "You can talk to me about anything, Tris, anything. I don't want there to ever be a time when you feel like you have to censure yourself around me. This isn't just an arrangement to me."
She can see the exact moment he realizes what he just said, and it's almost as if his walls go right back up.
"Eric-"
"I will take you to see your mom." He interrupts and she gapes at him, "I can't promise that it'll be frequent, but I will make sure you can see her."
"Why would you risk that? You could get in so much trouble." She shakes her head.
"You are important to me, and she's important to you. It's not up for debate, when were you supposed to go next?" He asks.
"Tonight actually. I usually just wait for it to get dark." She admits.
"We have over an hour, let's go eat." He says and she nods. He threads his hand with hers and takes the back hallways to the diner.
He's on high alert as they make their way to her parent's house, and Eric trusts her judgment when it comes to the path she chooses. When they make it to the front porch, he offers to wait outside but she shakes her head.
"You can come in, unless that will be weird for you." She offers and he furrows his brow at her.
"I don't want to intrude."
"You wouldn't be." She replies, "But I would understand if you'd prefer to stay outside. It's completely up to you."
He thinks for mere seconds, knowing just as well as she likely did that meeting her parents is considered a big deal in any faction, especially Abnegation, but surprisingly he's relaxed at the thought.
"I could visit with your father. I mean I know him already, but only because of council meetings." He tries to be nonchalant, but inside his nerves are on fire.
"Okay." She replies and she knocks on the door.
Andrew Prior doesn't seem to be surprised at all to see his daughter standing on his porch, but Eric notices he also doesn't seem surprised to see Eric with her. He simply invites them both in, where he shares a hug with his daughter while Eric stands to the side.
"She's already dressed for bed, Beatrice. I'm sure she'd like to meet Eric, but it may need to be another day." Andrew says and Tris nods.
He watches as Andrew gestures for his daughter to go upstairs, and when she's out of earshot he offers Eric a seat at their dining room table, "It must be much worse than we're being told if you're accompanying her out here." He finally says once both men have a cup of coffee in front of them.
"How much have you been told?" Eric asks.
Andrew takes a sip of his black coffee before replying, "Jack has the one in custody, and there are no city records on him. The truth serum was useless on the prisoner, and we're almost certain this one came from outside of the fence."
"You've heard exactly what I have," Eric replies with a nod, "Max is planning on deploying more troops."
"He should have done that weeks ago." Andrew replies.
"I agree. He may be sharing intel with senior leadership, like Charissa and Harrison, but Veronica and I have been kept on the outside. All he's told me is there will be more troops sent out, and he doesn't feel it's necessary to send the leaders out in the field as yet."
"Max isn't wrong to keep the leaders out of things, right now it is just one person, and while we're confident this person isn't working alone, it also doesn't warrant putting the leaders out there." Andrew replies.
"I became a leader to defend my faction, to protect them from threats like this." Eric argues.
"I know that you did, however we have no idea who these people are and what they want. The best thing all of the leaders can do is keep their faction calm while we find out what is actually happening. Adding leaders to the fray, especially ones with visible marks on their necks to identify them, isn't wise." Andrew replies.
Eric rubs his neck unconsciously, and internally he curses. Andrew Prior was not only right, but he was wiser than Eric had ever given him the credit for. Dauntless's own arrogance in needing to beat their chests and prove just how brave they were had literally put a target on them because of the different tattoos used to identify their leadership team.
"It's not necessary to overthink it, just be careful. Enough work talk, I know this is a social visit, and I appreciate you bringing Beatrice here. Natalie looks forward to her visits, it keeps her spirits up."
"How is she?" Eric asks and Andrew's hazel eyes meet his before glancing towards the stairs leading to where Tris and Natalie are.
"They tell us that she may improve with this experimental treatment, but the treatment itself has been extremely hard on her. I know our faction eschews most basic needs and care, but I refuse to watch my wife die because our faction finds it too indulgent to accept the best treatment options available."
"Erudite has made progress in leaps and bounds when it comes to treating cancer, it's good that she's willing to accept their care." Eric replies as he focuses on his coffee cup.
"You seem to speak from experience."
Eric nods, "My mother died from cancer. They did everything they could for her, but back then it was so much harder to treat. My mom had agreed to donate her remains to be studied, and I get updates often on their progress."
"I hope that your mother's sacrifices will be successful in saving many lives."
Eric finally meets his eyes, and he finds kindness, "Especially Mrs. Prior's."
"How did you and Beatrice become acquainted?" Andrew asks.
"Her initiation. I had transferred the year before her, and part of my leadership training was to observe and help with subsequent initiation classes. She was impressive, she never gave up, which to me makes a good Dauntless." He replies.
"That it does, Beatrice has always been stubborn, almost bullheaded, but it told me she was meant for bigger things than the servient life that would have been expected of her here. It took me a bit to accept her choices, because I didn't know if she would adapt to the expectations of your faction. I've never been happier to be wrong. I've seen her tattoos, she's brought her portfolio over on more than one occasion because her mother absolutely loves seeing it, but I admit I am impressed as well."
"She's incredible. Her artistry is almost unmatched, she's become an extremely popular tattoo artist. That's honestly how the two of us connected, I began seeing her as an exclusive tattoo artist, and our friendship evolved from there." Eric replies.
"Is this a romantic relationship, Eric?" Andrew asks and he can sense the tension in the young leader, "I know things are different in Dauntless."
"I care about your daughter more than I had ever expected to, however we've yet to successfully define our relationship." Eric admits.
"Is it you that is hesitant?" He asks.
"We've both had our moments, however Tris is ready to talk and I've been avoiding it." Eric admits.
Andrew pours them both another cup of coffee, and when he takes his seat again he focuses on Eric, "The quiet we are currently experiencing is only the calm before the storm, and in times like these it's not wise to make the safe choices when it comes to matters of the heart. I will tell you what I've told my daughter over the years since she left home – make choices that make you happy. Allow yourself to love, and be loved, because you never know when it can all be taken away."
"She's talked about me?" Eric asks and Andrew smiles.
"She has."
"I don't want to hurt her, so I've asked for time for both of us to think this through before we ruin the friendship we've built. I don't get close to people, but she's become extremely important to me."
"Eric, I am also from Erudite, and I know it's in our nature to fully understand the consequences before we will make a serious change. Analysis paralysis is what my wife has called it, and she's not wrong. Natalie told me there's a hole in the roof of the tallest building in Dauntless, and the trainees are expected to jump down without knowing what's waiting at the bottom for them. I couldn't imagine it, but the more I've thought about it over the years, the better my understanding is of the symbolism of that singular event." Andrew pauses, watching Eric for a response.
"We just jump." Eric says and Andrew nods.
"You just jump."
They hear Tris coming back down the stairs and she joins them in the dining room, sitting next to Eric. He can tell she's been crying, and when he offers her his hand and she threads their fingers together.
"She's asleep." Tris says and her father nods.
"The treatment takes a lot out of her. Her doctors say she'll get worse before she gets better. This is the worse." Andrew assures her and Eric squeezes their clasped hands.
"I may not be able to come out here as much." Tris says in a watery voice.
"I'll make sure you can get out here as much as possible. I'll also bring a video capable tablet on our next visit, that way you can keep in touch easier, if you approve Mr. Prior." Eric says.
"Please, call me Andrew. That would be wonderful Eric." Andrew replies.
"Thank you." Tris says as she drops her head onto his shoulder, and Andrew watches as Eric presses his lips to her hair.
He may not have wanted his daughter to go to Dauntless, but seeing the relationship she is building at least gives him the peace of mind that she will always be protected and loved, even if he cannot be there to do it himself. Especially with what he knows is brewing in their city.