Tris awoke in a hospital bed, not for the first time since Initiation and training began, though her condition hardly seemed to require hospital care. Her body was sore and her head ached, but otherwise she seemed fine. It took her several long moments to realize that she had no idea what happened. Racking her brain, the last thing she remembered was running laps…
"You're up," an unfamiliar voice called out, interrupting her thoughts. A doctor, judging by his white lab coat and the clipboard in his hand. "I was just checking your vitals. You took a pretty nasty fall."
It came back to her suddenly, and Tris groaned inwardly at the memory, realizing where the soreness of her body must have come from. She had fallen hard on the floor, her body giving out before training had even begun for the day. Eric was bound to be furious with her.
"Are you feeling okay? Any pain or discomfort?" The doctor came over to her and without warning flashed a bright pen light in her eyes. The sudden pain had her wincing.
"Just, ah, my head hurts a little," she admitted quietly.
"To be expected, I'd say, with the dehydration. We're going to have to have a little talk about taking care of yourself during training. I understand you're on track for Leadership?"
Tris could only manage a nod, her cheeks flushing.
"It's important to get enough nutrients, now more than ever. Otherwise, you'll never make it through training."
Tris bristled at his words, but only for a moment. The doctor seemed like a shrewd man, and he spoke the truth without concern for upsetting her. This was something she could respect.
"I understand," Tris nodded, ignoring the throbbing in her temples.
"Good girl," he smiled at her then, taking the time to look her up and down. "I'd recommend at least two thousand calories per day, and plenty of carbohydrates. Do you think you can do that?"
"Yes," Tris replied, still blushing and embarrassed that she had let herself go for so long. Even when, in the back of her head, she had known it would come to this if she kept skipping meals. "When can I leave?"
"If you feel well enough, you can leave once I notify your superior. I'd recommend finding a decent meal and getting plenty of rest for today, especially if you're thinking of getting back to training tomorrow. We gave you some fluids and electrolytes, but that's no substitution for a real meal."
The doctor eyed her seriously, making Tris feel slightly uncomfortable and more than a little embarrassed.
"I will, I swear. You won't see me in here again," she claimed, hopping gently off of the hospital bed. It was then that she realized she wore a hospital gown rather than her normal clothes. The light, earthy tones looked strange on Tris after months of wearing nothing but black.
"I'll let you get to it," the doctor offered, motioning to her clothes that were folded nearly on a chair by the bed.
The side of her that was a modest Abnegation girl cringed as she realized someone had undressed her, leaving her in nothing but her bra and underwear under the gown. She wasted no time in dressing, once the doctor left the room and shut the door behind him.
Tris grumbled wordlessly to herself as she pulled her tee shirt over her head and shimmied into her plain black tights. She had barely concealed herself when the door to the room opened again, making her heart speed up. The person who had entered did not make matters easier.
"Eric." She was more than a little surprised to see him there, already in the infirmary as if he had nothing better to do than wait for her discharge.
"Stiff. Glad to see you didn't sleep all day," he scoffed, but Tris thought she heard a softness to his voice that hadn't been there before. "Come on," he motioned for her to follow him with a slight nod of the head. In silent acceptance, she fell into step with him and left the infirmary.
They were on the first floor, close to the Pit, but Eric led her down a different hallway, one she recognized as leading to the cafeteria. She hadn't been there in a few days and the thought of food made her stomach lurch uncomfortably.
To distract her aching stomach, Tris turned her head to look at her companion, though he was looking anywhere but at her. It gave her a long opportunity to take in his handsome profile, and the way his lips were twisted into a grimace, as though he were in pain. She waited, and waited, but he never said anything- not about her fall, not about where they were going, or why. And definitely not why he couldn't stand to talk to her in the first place.
"I'm sorry," she blurted out, unable to stand the uncomfortable silence any longer.
Still, he didn't look at her, but he did respond after a moment.
"Whatever for, Tris?" He asked, sarcasm dripping like venom from his lips. She fumbled with her next words, but tried not to let his attitude deter her.
"I'm sorry for hitting you. I'm just sorry, okay? Can't things go back to normal?"
Finally he looked at her, eyes that were stony and guarded bore into hers. His lips were pursed, as if he were annoyed, but Tris did not lose her resolve.
"No," he said simply. "They can't."
"Why not?" She frowned, though she couldn't say she expected differently. His pride was deeply wounded by her actions and Tris felt responsible to fix it.
"I don't want to talk about it, Stiff. Just let it be. You'll be done training with me soon enough."
"That's not good enough," she persisted. "When you kissed me-"
"I said I don't want to talk about it," he repeated, his voice lacking the usual bite. His tone gave Tris the courage to push him a little farther.
"I was just surprised. I shouldn't have hit you and I'm sorry. The truth is, I… I've never been kissed by anyone except you…"
This revelation brought him to a stand-still in the middle of the hall and Tris felt her cheeks burn as he looked down at her. It was so easy to remember the taste of his lips when he looked at her like that, with his stormy eyes bearing down on her. For a long moment, Tris wondered what would happen if she kissed him, if she were the first one to make a move.
"Ah, hell," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. " Maybe... this is my fault…"
His confession had not been at all what she was expecting and Tris stood silent in a battle of heavy eye contact.
"I didn't know," he muttered, still not breaking eye contact. "I thought you and Number Boy…"
"Four has been nothing but professional towards me. I thought it was pretty obvious he doesn't want me."
Eric opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again, as if thinking better of it. When he did speak again, it wasn't what she expected.
"Come on, let's get you some lunch."
She had no more moves to make, save one and it would take a lot of courage, courage that she wasn't sure she possessed.
"Wait!" Tris grabbed his arm as he turned away from her, pulling him back. She took in a deep breath, preparing herself as he stared at her curiously.
She took a step forward and, standing on the tips of her toes, she pressed a soft kiss to Eric's lips.
He stood utterly still, and Tris found herself disappointed that he didn't respond. When she was about to pull away, Eric let out a small noise of protest. His hands came up to hold her head and keep her close as he, finally, kissed her back.
It was perhaps their first real kiss, one between two people who wanted nothing more than to be as close to each other as possible. While he cradled her face in his hands, Tris held tightly onto his arms, enjoying the feel of solid muscle beneath her palms.
Tris knew this kiss wasn't technically her first, but she didn't care much for details at the moment. It was the most intimate and sensual moment of her life.
Eric pulled away first, and far too quickly for her liking, but not before placing a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. The butterflies in her stomach were going wild.
"I just wanted to say sorry," she whispered, breathlessly.
"Apology accepted."