Oichealainn prompted: I'm in the mood for something fluffy after reading that super angsty thing you wrote earlier, so maybe Tris seeing Eric looking after a bunch of the little kids and he's covered in glitter or something and basically it's adorable?


Calling in Backup

Monday morning was a blur to me. Richards cracked jokes initially but directed most of the kid's attention onto himself when he realized that I really had only scored two hours of actual sleep. The night out with Eric had been fantastic but I was paying dearly for it.

Lunch wrapped up and we broke out into sessions again. I heard whistles calling out from way down the boardwalk not twenty minutes into card-making with the youngest batch of dependents. "I'm not going to be any help," I admitted begrudgingly to Richards. He shot off in the direction of the summons, leaving me to manage all ten squirming, paste-covered children.

"What's goin' on?" Shawn asked, his honey eyes blinking innocently. It was probably an injury and I told him as such. It didn't discourage him from continuing to ask if they were going to be okay, if Richy was going to come back, or any other such question that came to his mind. My patience was wearing dangerously thin.

I flagged down the first patrolling counselor I spotted and breathed a sigh of relief when it was Eric. He jogged over, whistle bouncing. "What's up? Where's Richards?" he pressed.

"Being the hero and helping with whatever went wrong at field sports," I answered. Guiding him with one hand, I stepped away from the craft table and the prying ears of over-attentive dependents. "Please help. I'm going to die if I repress one more sarcastic comment," I whispered.

He squeezed my side in a one-armed embrace before turning back to the table. Naturally, all twenty bright eyes were on the two of us. "Ooooo," Shawn cooed - as only seven year olds can. "Eric's got a girrrlfrienddd!"

Eric rushed at the table eliciting screams of joy all around. He managed to grab one of Shawn's friends who didn't move fast enough and tossed him into the air, catching him safely. Rain laughed hysterically and begged for Eric to do it again, do it again please.

I sighed in relief as their focus shot entirely to him. It wasn't my head getting glitter dumped onto it.