Chapter Text
"Liz!" Alek screeches my name from somewhere behind me.
I don't stop running but I do let out a laugh. This whole game had been so much more fun than I originally thought it would be.
Unbelievably childish, but still a lot of fun.
It's late and the tunnels of Dauntless are deserted. The only light I have is the small blue ones that decorate the walls. But after three years of living here I know my way around pretty well.
"Come on Liz, you know you can't win! Remember who finished second and who finished first!" I roll my eyes at his comment. He loves throwing that in my face.
But I guess that sibling rivalry for you.
I'm nearing the end of the compound, trying to think where to go that won't paint me into a corner. As I turn the corner I see Four poke is head out of the control room door. His eyes narrow at me in suspicion.
"Hey Four. Can't talk gotta run!" He looks utterly confused and stares down the tunnel behind me, probably to see who is chasing me.
His confusion is understandable.
I don't usually partake in the games around here but Alek had begged me to join in this time. I apparently have forgotten how to live and am no longer the free spirit I use to be. Leadership will do that to you.
Speaking of which that gives me an idea.
I take a sharp left and bolt up the stairs to the offices. I look down at my watch. Only three more hours left to go. The card I pulled for tonight's game was none other than hunter and prey. That means someone gets the pleasure of hunting me down and I get the joy of running from them. Alek of course volunteered, and can only win if he shoots me with a dart gun.
Those fuckers hurt.
If I can make it the whole five hours without getting hit then I win. There are no other rules besides don't leave the grounds of the compound, no using the cameras to cheat, and don't actually killer each other.
When the offices come into view I pick the one Alek would never think to look in. This will buy me some time and give me a chance to figure out my next move. Plus I've been running for an hour and my lungs are burning. I rush to the door I'm looking for and thankfully it's not locked.
I should have guessed why.
"Oh shit." I close the door as deep gray eyes stare me down.
"Elizabeth." So that explains why his door wasn't locked. He is still working. Perfect.
"Hey Eric. Sorry to just burst in like this. Umm could I just hang out for a second? Then I swear I'll be out of your way." He doesn't even blink at my frazzled appearance or the fact that I breathe the words out in a rush.
"Good. I'm going to take your silence as agreement." I hear footsteps coming towards the door, and before I can think about what I'm doing, I'm on the ground.
"What the hell are you doing?" Eric stands from his chair, and I slip quickly under his desk. Alek calls out my name, and Eric sits back in his chair, muttering under his breath.
"You're either stupid or really fucking brave Liz." The door opens slowly, and I look up to watch Eric. Silently pleading with him to just go along with this.
"Can I help you with something Alek? Or did you come in here to shoot me?" Eric's voice is full of irritation, but he keeps his expression blank.
"Fuck man, sorry I was looking for Elizabeth. She's playing the games with us and I thought I saw her come up here." When Eric doesn't immediately answer, I brace myself for the pain of being shot.
He'll probably laugh when Alek shoots me.
"Does it look like she is here? Get the fuck out of my office." Alek apologizes again before quickly pulling the door back closed. I sigh in relief when I hear the click.
Had Eric really just covered for me?
With my bottom lip between my teeth, I wait for Eric to either move back or look at me. His eyes drop to me and he still looks kinda irritated. But If I'm being honest Eric is always irritated with something. It's usually people in general and the fact that he has to communicate with them.
"I really thought you were gonna give me up Coulter." Eric leans back, eyes narrowed down to slits.
"I'm not a snitch, besides whatever game you're playing he needs to win on his own." I let a smile spread across my lips, moving out from under the desk. It's a little awkward since Eric doesn't move his legs. I end up rising to my knees between his split thighs.
This would look suggestive to anyone who saw it.
"Well thanks for the assistance. I would rather not get shot with a dart tonight. I had enough of that during war games." It's either my eyes playing tricks on me or Eric actually smiles.
"So why play then? I didn't think you were into that immature bullshit." He finally moved back enough for me to stand up, his eyes tracking the movement as I do.
"I don't, but Alek thinks I'm becoming dead inside or something. All work and no play has made me dull I guess." This time I'm sure it's a smile.
Wow. Has he always good this good?
Wait what?
Nope. Don't even go there Kent.
"What game did you get?" There is an ease to his tone now that wasn't there before. I can't believe he isn't pissed about all this.
"Hunter and prey." I avert my eyes, trying my best to shake off my previous thoughts. Maybe it's exhaustion? I've been working a lot and haven't been sleeping.
I'm sure that's it.
"How do you win?" Even though I'm not looking at him anymore, I can feel his eyes burning into me.
"I have to last five hours without getting shot." Glancing at down at my watch I see that I still have two and half hours left.
"What's your next move after leaving here?" I can't stop my eyes from moving back to his. I'm stunned to find that he looks intrigued.
"That's actually why I was coming in here, to think of a plan. I suppose I could go out the back entrance and loop the compound." That's probably best option at this point. But the way Eric's lips press into a thin line tells me he thinks otherwise.
"You'd be better off just picking a spot and waiting him out." I bite my lip again, thinking it over. The only issue is where could I hide that Alek wouldn't think to look.
I swear its like we share a brain sometimes. It's a weird twin thing I guess. He has already find me three times and the last had been to close for comfort.
"I've tried that. So far it hasn't worked out well." I lean against his desk, crossing my arms over my chest. I can't wait for this to be over so I can go home. Exhilarating or not, I'm seriously running out of fumes here.
"I know a place he wouldn't think of. My apartment." My brows must hit my hairline with how fast they lift. Did he just...
"You want me to go to your apartment?" Eric shrugs like he hasn't just caused me to have heart palpitations.
"You want to win don't you?" His smile is challenging, and I'm begin to wonder if Alek actually shot me, and this is some sort of bad chemical induced dream from the serum.
My mouth parts as Eric stands from his chair.
"Well then, come on Kent." If this is a dream then it could end up going one of two ways.
One, Eric is taking me to his apartment to kill me.
Two, this is about to get a lot steamier.
As it turns out this is not a dream.
Instead it seems Eric was being truthful about offering me a temporary safe haven. He hasn't tried to kill me and he certainly hasn't tried anything else either.
He does pour us both a drink though.
"Why does your brother think you're dead inside. Because you work hard and do your job? What's wrong with that?" I sit back into the couch, letting my tired muscles rest.
"Yeah that's pretty much it. He said I'm losing touch with the person I use to be. I think he is just worried about me." I have no clue why I'm telling him this. So to shut myself up I take a long sip of my drink.
"You're a leader. We have responsibilities to our faction. Plus you're the most dedicated person I've ever seen." He says it so casually but the compliment still causes my cheeks to grow warm.
"I know. But maybe he right. Maybe I'm not fun anymore. I mean that's the reason I came to Dauntless. So I could feel free and reckless." Oh sweet lord. What is in this drink?
"Or maybe you just need to find a balance. Be reckless and dedicated. It doesn't have to one or the other." I pull my legs up onto the couch, and with a delicate grip, Eric moves them to settle across his lap. His eyes stay on mine, and I don't feel uncomfortable at all.
I probably should considering the intimate nature of such a move. Also the fact that I've seen this same man heartlessly threaten multiple people. He almost killed three people in my intiation class. I shouldn't be lounging on his couch with my legs in his lap, while I tell him my personal problems.
"How do I find a balance like that?" My voice has dropped to a soft sound. One that I don't recognize. Perhaps it has something to do with his hand sliding up my leg, or the way he massages the tense muscle.
With a charming smile, and his thumb rubbing into the material covering my thigh, he answers me.
"We'll think of something." I fight a shiver at how sensual his tone is. My body is getting warmer by the second, and I'm not sure what to make of that.
But I do know I like the way it feels.
Of course I'm not blind, Eric is an attractive man. Any girl in Dauntless would tell you that, but they would also say he isn't one to play with. Which is probably why I've never seen him with anyone before. It's hard enough to have a relationship in general, let alone with a leader. We have to hold ourselves a certain way, and that scares a lot of people off. But intimidation is just the name of the game. So most wouldn't understand and the rest can't be bothered.
I start to wonder as Eric scoots closer, moving one of my legs so he slide in-between them, if he is just as lonely as me. My thoughts stop when he leans down farther, keeping eye contact right up until his lips touch mine.
It's a far more gentle kiss than I could have ever expected from him. Not that I've ever thought about kissing Eric. I have feeling it's all I'll be thinking about from now on. The moment his hand slides up my sides, I open up for him fully. I don't know how we got here but I don't want it to stop.
So I pull him closer and he doesn't hesitate to wrap my legs around his waist.
"How much time is left?" He asks before nipping at my bottom lip. It takes me an embarrassing second to remember what he is referring too. The reason I'm here in his apartment to began with.
There is a game I'm trying to win.
Darts I need to avoid.
"An hour." Eric's smile is devilish and it does something to my insides.
"That's plenty of time for what I have in mind. What do you say Kent? Do you want to be a little reckless?" I don't speak for the fear of my voice being too breathless. So in answer to his question, I bring his lips back to mine.
For the next hour we rut together on Eric's couch like two teenagers.
I grow unbelievably hot and desperately want to feel him with nothing between us. But Eric's the one in control, and to my utter disappointment, he keeps it PG.
Until the moment my watch beeps and the time is up.
"Times up Kent." He places one more fierce kiss to my lips before pulling himself away. I stare up at him like he has lost his mind. Why is he stopping?
Eric moves to stand and I can plainly see he was just as effected as I was by our little moment of recklessness. The only difference is I'm fully ready to finish what we started and he apparently isn't.
"I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow." He helps me up and walks me towards his door. He holds it open for me. Once again the leader I see every day. Stone faced and completely devoid of emotion.
"Yeah, I'll see you then." I turn around preparing to ask him why he kissed to begin with. But before I can he kisses me again, again, and again. Then the door is closing and I'm left standing in the tunnel completely confused.
What the fuck just happened?