Two years later, Beatrice found herself cautiously getting out of bed. Even after all this time, she was still worried about waking someone up and being caught. Her training clothes were already on and her hair was already held in her typical ponytail. Over the past few years, she had managed to keep some of her old clothing that her parents deemed she had 'outgrown.' It wasn't too small for her, it was merely too tight to be socially acceptable. It could draw attention to her figure, whatever there was of it at least, so she was given 'new' clothes from someone down the street and donated some of the old ones. Tobias had done the same so now they both had proper training clothes. Or at least, as proper as they could get in Abnegation.

Beatrice opened the window, which no longer creaked when she opened it and slid against the wall before feeling a jolt up her legs as she landed on the ground. Her 14-year-old body was bigger than it had been two years ago, which meant that the windowsill wasn't as high of a jump. After two years, the height wasn't as intimidating either. It was easier now, especially because it didn't matter if her clothes got roughed up or dirty.

Tobias had told her the night before that he would be late, so Beatrice started to jog towards the training room instead of waiting for him. He didn't give any reason, which worried her a bit. After two years, they formed a mutual trust that Beatrice wouldn't trade for the world. That typically meant that they shared everything with each other, which was why it unnerved her that he gave no explanation. Hopefully, he could explain once he met her at the training room, but if he didn't she could trust he had his own reasons for it.

Over the past two years, they had made a lot of progress towards training for Dauntless. The awkwardness fell away after a week or two and gave way to a comfortable silence and mutual understanding. Wednesdays continued to be their rest nights, which gave them a chance to rest and prevent over-exerting themselves and their muscles. Those had grown noticeably over the years, as was to be expected, although their diet remained the same and limited how much their muscles could grow. Beatrice was often frustrated because of this, but Tobias often reassured her it was a good thing. It meant they got new clothes less often, which looked less suspicious, so they wouldn't draw too much attention because of it.

During lunch at school, they took turns spying on the Dauntless while they flaunted the new moves and techniques they were learning. The Dauntless kids weren't afraid to show them off, either, which helped Beatrice and Tobias learn the proper form. They also caught many exercise competitions between Dauntless students which offered them a way to measure how they compared to the other kids their age. At this point, they were only a little behind. They both found their favorite activities and worked to master them as much as possible. Beatrice had taken a liking to knife throwing and found any excuse to spend time on it. She loved the feeling of the knife leaving her hand and the sound of the blade thudding against the target. Tobias, on the other hand, was a master at punching bags. While she had improved a lot with her punches and kicks, it was clear he was much stronger and more skilled than she was.

She wanted to spar with him like the Dauntless did with each other at lunch. It was the one activity they hadn't practiced and Beatrice worried that they would regret it after transferring and that it would put them at a disadvantage. Tobias always told her that he didn't want one of them to accidentally hit the other and have to make up a cover story. She figured the chance of that occurring was unlikely and that the risk was just as high as a punching bag swinging into their face or some other incident happening, but she didn't push too hard against it. He did enough for her by helping her train, the least she could do was offer some privacy around something she wasn't even sure existed. Something always flashed in his eyes whenever she asked to spar, but he never mentioned what it was about. It went away quickly, but she figured it meant he wasn't giving the entire reason he didn't want to spar.

The past two years had reminded Beatrice what it felt to be alive. She felt free, even though it meant sneaking around every night. Her training helped her realize that this is what she was meant to do. It felt right, just like how selflessness felt right for her parents and Caleb. And in two years, she would be living her dream without having to sneak around. She and Tobias could have it all. Together.

She wasn't sure what that 'all' would include. She was even more unsure about what Tobias wanted it to include. She couldn't help but wonder if he would even consider being in a relationship with a girl as uninteresting as her. Her only hope was in the bond they had built over their time training together. All of his gentle touches sent shivers down her spine and caused heat to fill her chest. His kind words would float around her head all day. His smile made her smile, and she wanted to make him happy always even though she knew she couldn't.

There wasn't much she could do about it. She could hug him back, let him know when he looked handsome or strong or she admired him. She didn't want to bug him or waste his time in a relationship with a subpar girl, especially since he would be in Dauntless for a year afterward. Right now, Beatrice was just a friend who had the same goal as he did. Once he reached that goal, she couldn't help but worry that there was a good chance he would forget about her and leave her behind.

Of course, there was the chance that the opposite was true. A chance that his gentle touches and kind words came from somewhere that wasn't completely platonic. A chance he felt the same way she did and wanted a life together

Her reminiscing was abruptly interrupted as she reached the training room. She opened the door, blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden bright lights. Without Tobias, there wasn't anyone to force her to go through their typical warm-up routine. Beatrice wasn't known to be a patient person and for good reason. She ended up wrapping her hands and starting at the punching bags. Running was enough of a warm-up, right?

She focused on keeping her form, just like Tobias had told her to. Her punches still weren't as strong as she wished they were, but whenever she started to doubt her strength she remembered Tobias's voice when he reminded her that the point of training wasn't to move the punching bag farther. It was to get a bit stronger than the day before and the day before that. And she certainly was.

Beatrice let her thoughts drift to thinking more about Toby. She wondered if he looked forward to their nights together as much as she did, or if they were just a way for him to get out of the house. Did his stomach fill with butterflies every time they touched or whenever she smiled at him?

A few moments later, the door behind her creaked open. Smiling to herself, Beatrice began to finish her punches before turning around to welcome Tobias. Before she had the chance, she felt a pair of hands wrap around her torso while Toby's familiar voice whispered in her ear.

"Keep tension here"

Did he feel the same sparks she did every time they touched?

Tobias groaned as cold water pounded against his back. He watched as blood swirled around the shower drain before dissolving into clear water once again. Marcus's meeting that night had been unexpected, to say the least. Whatever happened during it made him extra angry, which only meant Tobias's beating was worse. It also meant that he had to make an excuse for being late to training that night. Canceling would make Bea ask questions. Questions Tobias didn't want to answer. At least this way there was a decent chance of her believing whatever excuse he thought of.

Knowing her, though, she would still question his excuse. She was constantly curious, one of the traits he found most endearing about her. She no longer seemed ashamed of the curiosity that she tried so hard to hide from everyone. Over the past two years, she had grown more confident in it which was something Tobias enjoyed watching. Even if it meant he had to hide the truth about Marcus more carefully.

Stepping out of the shower, Tobias began to dry himself off quickly. The sooner he finished the sooner he could see Bea and train. It would also be less suspicious if he was slightly late. That would be easier to excuse with Marcus being awake a little longer than usual.

He really needed to tell her about Marcus. He didn't want to, by any means, but Tobias didn't know how much longer he could keep it from her without breaking her trust. It already could be too late for that. She had proven time and time again over the past years that she trusted him and cared about his well-being. She had to suspect something was amiss. What she thought it was, he wasn't sure. He wasn't that good of a liar, especially in front of her. Every time he covered up for Marcus, it felt like a small part of her trust in him crumbled away. It pained him to watch himself ruin the one good thing he had going for him, even if it was for an important reason.

He checked one last time to make sure Marcus was asleep in his room before Tobias climbed out of his window. The jump wasn't far for his 15-year-old body, but it still terrified him. So instead of thinking about the height, he focused on Bea.

Bea.

She deserved to know the truth. Both about how he felt towards her and about Marcus. Tobias had never felt the way he felt about her with anyone else before. He wasn't familiar with the line between friend and crush, if it even was a crush at this point, but he knew the longing to see her and be with her went far beyond a casual friendship. Especially when combined with the butterflies he felt every time she smiled at him.

Tobias had spent the better part of a year trying to force down his feelings. He was leaving for Dauntless in a year, after all, and didn't want to hurt Beatrice by forming a relationship only for it to be cut off or long distance. That was, assuming she felt the same way towards him. She deserved someone much less broken than him, someone who could offer her more than he ever could.

He attempted to jog towards the training room, but was stopped by pain flaring up his back that made him resort to a quick walk. Typically, he and Bea would walk together and catch up about their days while relishing in the feeling of being selfish for once. It was a time for them to decompress and relax after putting on a performance for everyone else in the faction all day long. Training was another release for him, and he had come to use it as a tool to cope the past years. He could channel his anger and pain into punches against the punching bag rather than give Marcus the satisfaction of tear stains on his pillowcase. Plus, it helped him get stronger. Even though it wasn't an option, Tobias enjoyed the fact that he had grown strong enough to at least challenge his father.

Tobias reached the training room, creaking open the door to see Bea at the punching bags. The soft sound of her fists hitting the leather echoed through the room. He could see that she acknowledged his presence, but was set on finishing her punching reps. Committed. Stubborn. Another thing he found endearing.

The bag was hardly moving, which was understandable since it probably weighed the same amount she did. She wasn't keeping tension in her core, though, which was making it more difficult for her to put all her strength behind her punches. He walked up to her, gently placing his hand on her waist.

"Keep tension here." He felt her muscles tighten under his fingers as if reacting to his touch.

Did she feel the same electric sparks he did every time their skin touched?

DFTBA,

thebooktrooper