Characters: Eric Coulter, Tobias ‘Four’ Eaton, Peter, Christina
Warnings: N/A
Request: N/A
Word Count: 1015
Author: Hannah
Being sorted into categories wasn’t ever going to be easy, but there was always the option to choose where you wanted to go.
You’d chosen Dauntless, as you were born in it, and among those there you had found a place as a leader alongside Eric and Four.
Four had been good friend ever since he transferred, whilst you had been in a relationship with Eric
for just over a year.
As it was just after the choosing ceremony, you were training the transfer initiates as well as Eric and Four – the three of you had been put in charge of weeding out the weak ones, and ensuring the ones worthy of Dauntless were trained.
You looked over at Four as Eric was having a go at yet another initiate – it was no longer a surprise to either of you.
“Here we go,” Four whispered in your ear.
You couldn’t help but laugh slightly. “He shouldn’t keep doing this – they aren’t used to it.”
Four nodded in agreement with you, whilst the both of you continued to watch Eric. “But Y/N, you know that we need to find out who is Dauntless material and who isn’t,” he reminded. “We do protect the factions after all, weak people don’t last in here.”
“Stand in front of the target,” Eric ordered the initiate that he had been shouting at.
The initiate looked at Eric with an incredulous expression. “Are you being serious?”
“Stand in front of the target,” Eric repeated himself so the initiate listened. “You are going to stand there whilst Four throws knives at you. If I see you flinch, you’re out.”
You weren’t going to allow Eric to do that to an initiate who had merely messed up a little.
“Stop.”
Eric turned to you in disbelief when he heard you speak up.
“Anyone can stand in front of a target,” you stated with a shrug. “It doesn’t prove anything.”
“Take his place then,” Eric countered, sounding as if he didn’t care.
Disguising your shock at your boyfriend’s actions, you kept a straight face as you walked towards the targets.
The initiate was watching you in surprise but moved as soon as you motioned for him to stand with the others.
“You can’t kick me out Eric.”
“If you flinch, you get sanctioned.”
You almost laughed at him. “I don’t flinch Eric.”
Eric then turned to Four. “Four. Throw the knives.”
“Eric, she’s-“
Your boyfriend cut him off. “I said – throw the knives.”
Four sighed but then made eye contact with you as he readied himself.
He threw the first knife, which landed up in the right corner of the board so you had no reason to flinch.
You continued to keep a straight face, showing Eric that he was wrong.
“Come on Four. You can do better than that.” Eric challenged.
The second knife was thrown to the spot in between your legs – still not flinching.
“Get closer than that.”
Four turned to Eric, a smirk on his face but you knew your friend didn’t want to do this to you. “Maybe a little trim?” he suggested.
Eric shrugged, seeming nonchalant but the look on his face told Four to do it.
A third knife was thrown towards you, ending up just above your head.
When the fourth and final knife was thrown, it went straight past your ear and caused it to bleed due to piercing the skin.
Despite it all, you kept your word and didn’t flinch once.
You threw a glare Eric’s way as you stormed out of the training room, not paying attention to anyone else in the room.
As you slumped down against the wall outside the training room, you heard Four tell the initiates what to do so presumably Eric had disappeared also.
“What do you want?” you questioned, in an annoyed tone, when you heard Eric come up beside you.
He sat down next to you with a sigh. “I couldn’t let that initiate off Babe, you know that.”
“Oh, so you just put me in his place?”
“I can’t show weakness in front of them.”
You shook your head as you stood up. “No Eric, just because you weren’t happy with what an initiate had done, you ordered him to do something stupid – let alone getting Four to do it for you,” you explained your frustration to him. “And then you made Four do it to me. You’re unbelievable.”
“Stop,” Four ordered once you were back in the training room.
All the initiates turned to look at you. “You’re dating Eric, aren’t you?” Christina, one of the initiates, called out to you.
“Yeah, so what?”
Peter, another initiate, then spoke up. “Why did he make you do that then?”
“Because he did,” you stated, as you made your way over to Four. “Think of it like this – if you test Eric, he will not let you off with a simple warning.”
A random initiate then called out to you. “But you’re his girlfriend.”
You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “Don’t test him is the basic fact to remember,” you reminded them all. “Yes, he happens to be in a relationship with me but that doesn’t mean he will let me off on a warning, as you all just saw.”
Four, who had been nodding in agreement with you, then spoke up to dismiss all of the initiates so they filed out of the room.
In order to calm yourself down, you began to throw knives at the target you had been stood in front of only minutes ago.
Four left you by yourself, knowing you were better left alone at these times.
As you were throwing at the target, you heard footsteps behind you and despite not bothering to turn around you still knew it was Eric.
You felt him wrap one arm around your waist and the other grasped your arm you were using to throw the knives.
“I am sorry Y/N,” he breathed into your hair. “I love you,” he whispered into your ear as he helped you throw another knife.
