Soulmates

Chapter 25: Conversations

When Tris is asleep, Eric carefully separates himself from her sleeping form and covers her with a blanket. He leaves the bedroom quietly, and finds Tobias alone in the living room, an open pizza box on the coffee table and a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"Everyone go home?" Eric asks.

"Yeah," Tobias says before taking another sip from his glass. "I told them Tris wasn't feeling well. They took the pizzas back to Will and Uriah's."

"Zeke and Shauna go with?" Eric asks, grabbing a slice of pizza from the box.

Tobias nods, and the two men sit quietly on their usual ends of the sofa.

"I told them," Tobias says in a low voice, avoiding Eric's gaze by staring into his glass.

"Zeke?" Eric asks.

Tobias nods. "I didn't know what else to do," he says. "First I asked him how he would feel if I pretty much said right in front of them that Shauna was a let down or that she wasn't good enough for him. He got pissed at me. Said that you don't mess with a guy's soulmate. That's when Shauna figured it out. I asked Zeke how he thinks Tris feels, and he started to say, 'but she's not your…' and then he got this really dumb look on his face and sat there with his mouth hanging open. It would have been funny if I wasn't fighting the urge to kick his ass."

Eric chuckles. "Then what? Did you show them?" he asks Tobias.

"Not then. The others came back. Apparently it took Marlene five tries to get back here, so their arms were full of pizzas."

"This wasn't on the floor, was it?" Eric asks, examining the pizza slice in his hand.

"The box might have been," Tobias says, taking another drink.

Eric shrugs and keeps eating.

"Anyway," Tobias continues, "I told them Tris wasn't feeling good, so they moved the party, and Shauna said they'd catch up. When the others were gone she asked which of us had soulmarks, so I told them. I even showed them, which was uncomfortable, to say the least."

"How did that go?" Eric asks.

"Zeke still seemed pretty shocked. He'll probably find each of us tomorrow and apologize. He tends to speak without thinking, but he's good about apologizing later. Shauna was really curious. She kept asking if we're sure we're not bisexual, and telling me that it's okay if we are. She even told me that Lynn is a lesbian."

"Hmm," muses Eric. "I guess I can see that. The Lynn thing, I mean."

"Yeah," Tobias agrees. "Maybe she'll fall in love with Tris, too, and we can add to the harem," he jokes wryly.

"Nope," says Eric. "Two is confusing enough. This family is soulmates only."

The two men lapse into silence for a while, then wordlessly begin cleaning up Tris' apartment.

"I think we should stay tonight," Tobias says. "I don't want her to feel abandoned if she's still upset.

"I agree," says Eric.

xxxx

Shauna and Zeke quickly tire of the antics of their drunk friends. Four’s confession sits heavy on their minds, so they decide to go home after just a few minutes in Uriah’s apartment.

“What a shock,” Shauna says as soon as they are alone behind the closed door of their apartment.

“I think the weirdest part is knowing Four and Eric are soulmates,” Zeke says.

“Yeah,” Shauna agrees. “I did not see that one coming. How long do you think it will take them to admit to themselves that they’re bi?”

“Do you really think they are?” Zeke asks. “I wouldn’t guess that about either of them.”

“How else do you explain it?” Shauna says. “Your soulmate is supposed to be your one true love - the person you marry and spend the rest of your life with. How do the three of them spend the rest of their lives together without being bisexual? Do they take turns with Tris?”

Zeke shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he admits. “Four has never dated or anything. He never even seemed interested. Maybe he’s asexual or whatever.”

“What would that mean?” Shauna asks, still trying to understand. “Eric and Tris hook up and Four just lives with them like a roommate? That can’t be very fulfilling. Instead of a soulmate he’d be a third wheel.”

“I don’t know,” Zeke repeats. “What I do know is that I upset Tris, and I owe her an apology. Other than that, I need to think about all this. Maybe it’s none of our business? Maybe we should let them be whatever makes them happy.”

“I’m just afraid Four will end up being hurt,” Shauna says, and Zeke nods, feeling the same concern for his friend.

xxxx

Tris looks around at the hauntingly familiar scene. The pile of wood has two posts jutting out of it, and a limp figure is tied to each post. She recognizes the figures as Eric and Tobias, though both men are bruised and bloodied as if suffering after a terrible beating.

Tris tries to go to them, but her body is like lead and she's unable to move a muscle. "Eric?" she yells, "Tobias?" Neither man responds or acknowledges her call.

Peter appears before Tris, flanked by Drew and Molly. Behind them, Tris sees the other initiates, the leaders, and other Dauntless members.

Peter laughs - a dry, bitter sound. "What's the matter, Stiff?" Peter croaks. "Can't help your little boyfriends? I got news for you. You're not woman enough to keep one man, much less two. You're weak, ugly, and you have the body of a child."

Drew and Molly laugh, and soon all of Dauntless laughs robotically behind them. As the sound of their false laughter fills Tris' ears, Peter leans down and puts a match to the pile of wood.

The fire roars to life, racing toward Eric and Tobias. Tris screams their names over and over, but her voice is drowned out by the noise of fire and laughter all around her.

"Tris! Tris! Come on, Queen Bea, wake up for me. You're having a nightmare!"

Tris' eyes fly open, and the first thing she sees is Tobias' worried face. She launches herself into his arms, sobbing with relief.

"You're okay!" she exclaims, her eyes darting all over as if checking him for injuries. "You're okay," she repeats as she puts her hands on his cheeks and peppers his face with kisses.

Tobias chuckles at the exuberant reaction, sprinkling a few kisses of his own on Tris' cheeks, nose, and forehead. 

"Looks like I'm missing out on the fun," says a voice in the doorway. 

"Eric!" Tris calls, rushing to give him the same treatment.

"What brought this on?" he laughs, scooping Tris into his arms.

"Bad dream," Tobias explains.

"It's okay, Baby," Eric soothes, his laughter gone. "We're right here. We got you."