Inner And Outer Demons

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Tris's POV

The morning sun flooded in slowly through the window left open, and it's rays landed across his face. Making his tanned skin sparkle almost, and he nearly resembled a figment of my imagination.

But tentatively, my hand reaches out and touches his cheek. And as my hand makes contact with his skin, it's proven. He's here and real before me now. He faces me as he sleeps on his right side, but his beautiful eyes are shut tightly. Sleeping soundly and dreaming wildly. My thumb runs gently over the skin on his cheek bone that isn't coated in the scruff that has grown. The dark stubble covers most of his face now, but despite the difference in his appearance I can still see him.

He's still that man who looks years younger when he sleeps. He's still that man who keeps an arm wrapped around me when he's fast asleep, because his body can't seem to let me go. He's still the man I love to see first thing in the morning.

"What time is it?" His voice startles me but smiling at the sleep trailing in his voice, I recover.

"A little after eight." I tell him, and watch as he continues to lay still. His eyes don't open, and his body doesn't move at all. It's like the words hadn't even come from him he lays so still.

But as time ticks past in the warm and welcome silence, his eyes begin to flutter open. And the blue that meets my eye blinds me with beauty. I don't think I'll ever get sick of staring into them.

"Did you sleep okay?" I ask him softly, retracting my hand and I rest my head back down onto the pillow to face him.

Tobias nods slowly, and runs a hand over his face. "I forgot how comfortable this mattress could be."

Last night was the first night that I laid in bed and forgot that Tobias had spent all this time in a cold cot in a small cell. Every night before when my head hit the pillow, I pictured him doing the same behind the bars of his cell. But last night, I had him with me. I had him right beside me in bed with me, there was no need to cry at the image of him in prison.

Smiling softly as his eyes run over me, I whisper to him. "I've missed having you in this bed with me."

His eyes that are a deep almost suffocating shade of blue suddenly soften. And the small smile that I held slips as his look sucks all joking nature from my mind.

Swallowing deeply, he reaches his left hand out. His fingertips making contact with my cheek gently, tracing slowly down my jawline. His eyes don't meet my steady gaze, but instead they study me closely. As if taking a picture of me in his mind so that he can never forget me or this moment.

"I missed you Beatrice." Tobias breathes out so softly I question if he even knows he says the words out loud.

And his eyes never lift to meet my steady gaze, but as I watch him lay there with my face in his hold, I wonder if he can't bring himself to look into my eyes. If that'll break him as he lays barely put together beside me.

"Promise me something," I whisper to him, placing my hand softly on top of his that caresses my cheek. His hand warm and strong beneath my touch.

Tobias watches my lips as I speak softly, but as soon as my words enter the air his blue eyes flicker up to look me in the eye. And instantly, my heart begins to pound a little harder inside of my chest.

"Anything." Tobias says as he listens.

Swallowing as I breathe in a deep breath, I look straight at him. "Don't leave me again."

I don't tell him that if he does I won't make it. I don't tell him that there aren't enough Band-Aids in the world that could put my heart back together if he left me again. I don't tell him that my love for him scares me. How I would do just about anything for him, and endure the pain over and over again if it meant he'd stay in my life.

Tobias watches me closely, and I feel as though he's reading my mind. The thoughts I'm keeping safely to myself somehow still slipping into his grasp. But either way, he doesn't say anything. Instead, he brings me closer to him. He presses his lips softly against my forehead, before he wraps his arms around my body. Bringing me to lay my head down against his chest, hearing his heart beating steadily in my ear.

"I promise I'll never leave you again," Tobias murmurs against my hair that his lips press against. "And I promise I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

I hadn't asked for that promise from him, but something about hearing the words come from him all on his own, makes me believe that we can move past this. He left... but he came back. And my love for Tobias Eaton has only grown because of it.

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"There he is!"

Smiles and a round of applause erupt as Tobias and I walk hand in hand into the squad room the next morning. Everyone facing his desk as we reach our chairs, and I can't help smiling at the group of friends who gather around him.

I hope he can see that these people, these friends he has, that they love and care for him as I do. That he has a countless amount of people in his life; people ready to fight for him and take his side. People there to comfort and take care of him. People who truly care. And despite the fact that my heart hurts for him in the process of losing his mother as he's finally making the decision to move forward, I want him to know he isn't alone.

"Yeah, here I am." Tobias says sarcastically, as he raises his hands slightly with a smirk on his lips.

"Good to have you back man." Zeke says with a grin. Walking over he slaps Tobias on the shoulder brotherly.

"Thanks Zeke."

Everyone welcomes him back, and my heart swells at the love I know Tobias is feeling right now. The love he had been blind to this entire time. And now, his eyes are finally open.

"How was it Four? Make anyone your bitch?" Uriah laughs and Tobias shoots him a look, but his lips twitch as though he too wants to laugh.

"No Uriah, but don't forget I can still knock you flat on your ass easily."

Uriah holds his hands up in mock surrender as we all laugh. "Same old Four I see."

As we all laugh, I spot Captain walking towards us. "It's good to have you back Eaton, you've been missed."

Tobias nods respectively his way. "Thanks Captain."

Holding up a piece of paper, Captain waves it our way. "Got a fresh one. You up for it?"

Tobias smirks, and with a swift movement he takes the paper from him.

"Always."

A/N: Tobias is back!! 😊 I know this was a shorter chapter and not a lot of anything really, but I needed a filler chapter. We've been head deep in drama for quite awhile!😅🙈