To Save a City (Divergent/Eric) 2 of 3 COH Series

Chater 125

((Much thanks to @BeckyJolene for the awesome workout outfit above.))

(Hosanna's POV)

This morning is the start of Tris's official leadership training. We're currently out jogging.  For the first part of this week, we're taking it a little easy on her.  Since we have no idea what to expect, I don't want her too terribly sore for our meeting later on.  I'm sure she wouldn't say that by how exhausted she looks just from our jog alone; she seems winded already.  Eric and I lead her back to the training room to see Tobias joining us. 
"Hey, big brother!" I shout waving.  Eric tosses the two of us some water.  I catch it but Tris misses. 
"What'd you do to her?" he laughs. 
Eric shrugs.  "We just went for a jog," he says innocently.  He's smirking, though.  I think he went faster on purpose.  I wasn't really paying attention, just keeping up with him while we were out since my mind has been on the meeting.  We may have gone a bit too fast or too far for her. 
"I'm fine," Tris pants.  "I just... need a minute."  She takes a swig of water and lays down on the ground catching her breath. Four comes to stand over my friend, grinning down at her. She gives him a pouty look.  He chuckles lightly in response. 
"So where were you?  I thought you'd be joining us but you took off early from breakfast with Max," I question my brother. 
"Max had me finish up a few crucial things and talked with me in his office this morning," he responds.  He's feigning nonchalance but something is going on.  I know my brother and he's trying to hide something from me. 
"What'd you two talk about?" Eric asks catching on quickly. 
My brother shrugs off the question.  "We'll have a meeting after lunch and discuss it," he informs us. 
"Alright," I say.  At least they're planning on telling us what they're up to and being so secretive about. 
"What's next?" Tris asks.  Four grabs her hand, helping her up.
"It's your choice, weights or punching bags," I tell her.
Her posture slumps. "What? You thought leadership training would be easy?" Eric laughs tossing a hand towel at her. She catches it this time.
"No, it's just... I figured we'd have more pressing issues today than my fitness," she responds.
"You'll need to be prepared physically for this confrontation," he points out.
"Right," she says biting her lip. "I didn't think about that."
"Come on. We'll just start with the weights," I say.
She nods and follows me over. I have her work on her normal routine while my brother and husband bench press some serious weights together. I try not to roll my eyes at them trying to impress their girls. I hope they're not sore at the meeting either; that's all I need, all of leadership not at their best.
After we've finished, we take a quick break before moving on to the punching bags. By the time we each complete a session at the bags, I'm dragging her over to the mat.
"Come on, let's see what you've got," I grin getting into position.
Tris looks a little nervous but is getting into her stance. "You'll go easy on me, right?" she jokes.
"I'm preparing you. I don't want you getting taken out by one of those wimpy guards," I say—partly teasing, partly serious.  "Make sure you keep an eye on their hands at all times. You don't want to be pricked with one of their serums," I explain.
She nods and waits for me to make the first move.  I fake a punch at her and try to sweep out her legs.  I grin when she dodges and jumps.  We practice fighting a bit more.  I show her how to get out of holds and teach her to always use her whole body to escape: kicking, elbowing, and squirming out from capture. 
We take a break and watch Eric and Tobias fighting together.  My brother has clearly improved.  He used to brag about how he beat Eric in their first match but he has yet to win just sparring since.  He's getting better and close to a possible win but I still think my husband has the upper hand.  Eric knocks Four to the ground, putting a foot on his neck. 
Tobias laughs when Eric releases him and offers him a hand. 
They get into their stances again. I love that they get along.  I'd say that they're probably the best of friends here at Dauntless if not for Ryan and Zeke.  Things have changed so much between them in the last year.  I hear Tris chuckle as they play around.  "You know, when I first got here I thought they hated each other," she tells me. 
"They used to," I explain. 
"What changed?" she asks taking a sip of water. 
"Their perception of each other, I guess," I say. 
"How so?" she questions curiously. 
I sigh and grin.  "Well, Four just didn't like Eric.  He was from Erudite, so he didn't trust him.  He also had convinced himself that Eric was the cause of a friend's death," I elaborate.  She nods.  "With Eric... he thought my brother was his competition... with me.  I guess after that, they just didn't like each other."
"So, then what caused the change?" she inquires.
I shrug. "I tried getting them on common ground when Eric and I started dating. Eric was willing to be friends for my sake but it took Four a while to come around," I explain.
She nods. Eric throws my brother to the mat again. "How about we fight?" I say to my husband.
"Let me show her a few moves before we switch," Eric requests.
"Alright," I agree. He did tell me he wanted to gauge her fighting and give her some pointers before.
Eric waves Tris up to the ring as my brother comes down. Tobias rubs the back of his neck with one hand. "I didn't realize you two were watching," he says bashfully.
I giggle. "Why? What does it matter?" I ask.
"It's embarrassing," he says quietly.
"What? That Eric won?" I inquire.
He nods frowning. "Toby, it's no big deal. She lost to me every time. We're here to learn and help her. We're not here to impress each other. Eric was trying to teach you something. He wasn't doing it to prove he's better than you," I tell him.
He nods again in understanding, the blush leaving his cheeks. I pass him a bottle of water and we observe as my husband teaches her a few defensive movements.
"He really is a good teacher," Tobias mumbles.
"I'm sure Tris will take the same opinion from your encounter earlier," I tell him. He grins a little.
They finish up and I smile widely, passing Eric a towel. "I've been waiting for this all day," Eric grins mischievously.
I furrow my brows in confusion. He just chuckles and takes a bottle from my hands, downing most it in one gulp.
"Thirsty?" I tease. 
He raises an eyebrow at me.  "You have no idea," he responds smirking. 
He takes my hand, walking me back to the mat I used earlier with Tris.  I glance over my shoulder to see my brother on the other mat with my friend.  He's giving her some instructions on fighting.  I notice him run his fingers over her abdomen and her cheeks flush.  He smirks to her back.  He did that on purpose. 
I grin at Eric but he's completely focused on me.  "What is it?" I question him. 
"Nothing," he says shaking his head.  "You're just... so beautiful."
I smile at him.  He has said that so many times to me but each time, it melts my heart.  He loves me so much and I feel the same.  He steps closer and kisses my lips gently.  "I love you," I say softly.  "So much," I breathe.  I slip my hands around his bare shoulders while his wrap around my waist.  We just hold each other for a moment, basking in the rhythm of fists pounding on the punching bags around us and the clanking of free weights.  The sound and the touch from Eric feels like home.  I sigh once more, the scent of his bare body doing things to me that shouldn't be acted out in public. 
"We better practice a bit.  I'd hate for this whole initiation break to have made you weak," he taunts. 
I gasp, shoving his chest slightly.  "Oh, you think you can beat me now?" I laugh. 
He makes a face, as if to say, 'Show me what you've got.'
I back away from his half bare form and get into my fighting position.  He grins at me, getting into his stance as well before beckoning me to make the first move with the pull of his fingers. 
I quickly punch for his face.  I don't fake this time, grazing his skin.  He barely registered that punch and moved just in the nick of time.  He chuckles and backs away, shaking his head. 
"Always full of surprises," he mumbles. 
I grin and continue on blocking and punching, jumping when he tries to get me off my feet.  We fight and fight, neither of us landing any good hits.  He's improving, too.  Eric's panting by the end and I jump at him, toppling us to the ground.  He's laughing between pants.  "Okay, okay.  I take it back.  You are definitely not weak," he says.  His breathing slowly calms and he stares into my eyes.  I'm still atop him, a leg on each side and using my hands for support.  His fingers slide through my hair and he gently tugs me down closer.  We breathe the same air for a moment as I gaze into his hypnotizing, icy blue eyes.  He pecks my nose and each cheek before capturing my lips in a sensual kiss.  The taste of him is intoxicating and I struggle to pull away.  We should finish up here though, shower, and get to lunch. 
I slowly climb up and offer him a hand.  He kisses my knuckles gently before pulling himself up.  He offers me one more chaste kiss on the cheek as I turn my attention to Four and Tris.  I laugh noticing them in the same position Eric and I were just in. 
"You two about done over there?" Eric interrupts.  I elbow him gently causing him to chuckle. 
My brother stands up abruptly, a bit frazzled. His hair is disheveled and cheeks slightly flushed. That's nothing compared to my best friend. Her cheeks are beet red, crawling down her neck and she can't meet my eyes when she stands. I grab her hand as I walk her to the locker room.
"I'm sorry," she whispers when we're alone.
"What for?" I ask opening my locker and grabbing a towel, my shower bag, and some flip flops.
She clears her throat. "He knocked me off my feet and was over me. The look in his eyes changed and the next thing I knew, he was kissing me," she says guiltily.
"Did you not want him to do that?" I ask confused glancing at her.
"No. I was hoping he would, actually," she explains with a smile on her face. Her color is slowly returning to normal but I notice her ears are pink, too.
"So what's the problem?" I question.
"It's just... I didn't mean to... I didn't mean for us to do that in front of everybody," she stammers.
I chuckle a little closing my locker door. "The funny thing is that if you would've stopped a minute prior, you would've caught Eric and me doing the same thing. This isn't Abnegation. Nobody cares. Besides, I like seeing you with my brother. You make him happy," I confide in her. She smiles at me genuinely, her embarrassment fading away.

*****

All of leadership steps into the conference room after lunch. Max stands when we all find our seats.
"I met with Four earlier this morning. Something occurred to me this weekend and I want to make sure we cover all bases," he starts.
We listen as he unfolds another plan. By the end, I'm surprised he concocted such an idea but the rest of us look to each other and nod in agreement. We will proceed with the plan and make the announcement to the faction after the confrontation later this week. I hope all of us will still be here to do so.

*****Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this one with a little of Four and Tris together.*****

Words of Wisdom:

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.""
1 Peter 3:12 NIV

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."
Psalm 121:1-2 NIV